Disclaimer and A/N see part 1
*****
It was the smash from Tom's bedroom that made Chakotay jump up and off the sofa. Taking a brief moment to steady himself and shake sleep from his mind, Chakotay bolted through to the bedroom.
There was Tom, moaning on the bed, completely caught up in another dream - and a vase smashed on the floor, apparently knocked off unknowingly by Tom in his sleep.
Chakotay carefully sat on the edge of the bed. "Paris? Paris...wake up..." He tried, already knowing it probably wouldn't get through to him.
He put a hand on his shoulder. "Tom?"
Paris bolted upright, knocking Chakotay away from him, gasping for breath.
"Paris?" Chakotay asked again, going to touch his arm. Tom's eyes widened and he jumped out of the bed before going over to a bulkhead to lean against it. He slowly slumped down to the floor and ran his hands through his hair, holding his head in his hands.
Chakotay couldn't stop a look of alarm reaching his features, this wasn't right. He made his way over to him in the dark and sat down next to him, but kept a distance between them.
"Are you okay?" He asked quietly.
There was no response.
"Paris?" He tried again with concern.
"Do I look fucking okay?" Came the terse reply from Tom.
Well, it's an answer, Chakotay thought with relief. "What happened in the dream?" He asked quietly.
Again there was silence.
"Paris, I..."
"I was in my counsellor's office." He said quietly.
Chakotay couldn't help but feel some small triumph at his words. "Counsellor's office?" He asked.
"When I was captured by Starfleet, they made me see a shrink whilst I was in prison."
The two men sat in the dark room in silence for a moment. Each man leant against the wall as they sat side by side, looking forward into the darkness of the room.
"Why?" Chakotay asked, barely above a whisper.
"The same reason as I have to see you...they saw the nightmares." Tom replied, his hands now gripped on top of his drawn up knees.
Chakotay frowned slightly. "You said your nightmare was of the counsellors office, yet you had nightmares before?"
Tom merely nodded, his hands going back up to bury in his hair.
"What happened, Paris? What happened to trigger the nightmares off?" Chakotay asked with appeal.
Tom suddenly jumped up and went over to the view-port. "No. I can't tell you." He said firmly.
"Can't?" Chakotay asked, standing but not following, he would allow Paris his space.
"You'll use it against me...just like he did..." Paris said with near hate in his quiet voice.
"He?" Chakotay asked as he got a little nearer.
"Wilkinson...The counsellor."
Chakotay was shocked for a moment, a counsellor use something from their sessions against him? The thought was severely disturbing to him. "Paris...I'm not going to use anything you say against you. You have my word." He assured firmly.
Tom shook his head with a bitter laughter. "I've heard those words before." He said sceptically.
"But now they're from me." Chakotay replied simply, moving so he was close to him but without touching him...he remembered only too well what Tom's reaction had been when he touched him without warning last time.
"Yes...my Commander...someone with even more reason and even more hate of me to have a really good time with it." Paris almost sneered.
"Paris..." Chakotay gave a frown and his voice was soft with disbelief. "I don't...I don't 'hate' you..."
"You do a damn fine impression." Tom gave a slight, cold laugh, running a shaking hand through his hair.
"Paris, I..." Chakotay looked down with a pang of guilt...yes...yes, he had done a rather good impression of it. "I'm sorry." He said quietly.
Paris turned to look at him, moving closer in the dark so he could search his features, his gaze dragging over Chakotay for a long moment, breathing through parted, newly moistened lips as he looked with almost soft, blue eyes. "We both have shifts in the morning, we should get some sleep." He finally whispered, moving back to his bed and crawling under the covers, turning onto his side so his back faced Chakotay, not daring to move until Chakotay had left in defeat to go back to the sofa.
*****
It was the smash from Tom's bedroom that made Chakotay jump up and off the sofa. Taking a brief moment to steady himself and shake sleep from his mind, Chakotay bolted through to the bedroom.
There was Tom, moaning on the bed, completely caught up in another dream - and a vase smashed on the floor, apparently knocked off unknowingly by Tom in his sleep.
Chakotay carefully sat on the edge of the bed. "Paris? Paris...wake up..." He tried, already knowing it probably wouldn't get through to him.
He put a hand on his shoulder. "Tom?"
Paris bolted upright, knocking Chakotay away from him, gasping for breath.
"Paris?" Chakotay asked again, going to touch his arm. Tom's eyes widened and he jumped out of the bed before going over to a bulkhead to lean against it. He slowly slumped down to the floor and ran his hands through his hair, holding his head in his hands.
Chakotay couldn't stop a look of alarm reaching his features, this wasn't right. He made his way over to him in the dark and sat down next to him, but kept a distance between them.
"Are you okay?" He asked quietly.
There was no response.
"Paris?" He tried again with concern.
"Do I look fucking okay?" Came the terse reply from Tom.
Well, it's an answer, Chakotay thought with relief. "What happened in the dream?" He asked quietly.
Again there was silence.
"Paris, I..."
"I was in my counsellor's office." He said quietly.
Chakotay couldn't help but feel some small triumph at his words. "Counsellor's office?" He asked.
"When I was captured by Starfleet, they made me see a shrink whilst I was in prison."
The two men sat in the dark room in silence for a moment. Each man leant against the wall as they sat side by side, looking forward into the darkness of the room.
"Why?" Chakotay asked, barely above a whisper.
"The same reason as I have to see you...they saw the nightmares." Tom replied, his hands now gripped on top of his drawn up knees.
Chakotay frowned slightly. "You said your nightmare was of the counsellors office, yet you had nightmares before?"
Tom merely nodded, his hands going back up to bury in his hair.
"What happened, Paris? What happened to trigger the nightmares off?" Chakotay asked with appeal.
Tom suddenly jumped up and went over to the view-port. "No. I can't tell you." He said firmly.
"Can't?" Chakotay asked, standing but not following, he would allow Paris his space.
"You'll use it against me...just like he did..." Paris said with near hate in his quiet voice.
"He?" Chakotay asked as he got a little nearer.
"Wilkinson...The counsellor."
Chakotay was shocked for a moment, a counsellor use something from their sessions against him? The thought was severely disturbing to him. "Paris...I'm not going to use anything you say against you. You have my word." He assured firmly.
Tom shook his head with a bitter laughter. "I've heard those words before." He said sceptically.
"But now they're from me." Chakotay replied simply, moving so he was close to him but without touching him...he remembered only too well what Tom's reaction had been when he touched him without warning last time.
"Yes...my Commander...someone with even more reason and even more hate of me to have a really good time with it." Paris almost sneered.
"Paris..." Chakotay gave a frown and his voice was soft with disbelief. "I don't...I don't 'hate' you..."
"You do a damn fine impression." Tom gave a slight, cold laugh, running a shaking hand through his hair.
"Paris, I..." Chakotay looked down with a pang of guilt...yes...yes, he had done a rather good impression of it. "I'm sorry." He said quietly.
Paris turned to look at him, moving closer in the dark so he could search his features, his gaze dragging over Chakotay for a long moment, breathing through parted, newly moistened lips as he looked with almost soft, blue eyes. "We both have shifts in the morning, we should get some sleep." He finally whispered, moving back to his bed and crawling under the covers, turning onto his side so his back faced Chakotay, not daring to move until Chakotay had left in defeat to go back to the sofa.