Disclaimer: I don't own the ship, the characters, or anything at all.
Chapter 22 – Defeated
The doors swished open, revealing a slightly dishevelled Tom Paris. He didn't notice the captain sat in the chair, with her back to him, but he saw Elizabeth stood at the viewport.
"Liz, how are you feeling? The doc told me you managed to persuade him that you were better off resting in our quarters," he said, wandering over to her.
He wrapped an arm around her realising that she was crying, "Elizabeth," he whispered.
"What is it?" he asked, gently.
"Why don't you ask her," she said, tossing her head in the direction of the captain, who remained quiet.
"Captain, I…" Tom began, surprised to turn around and find his captain sat silently in a chair. For one thing she was never silent, everyone was always made aware of her presence when she was in a room, but not to day apparently.
The captain waved her hand in his direction cutting him off, "Tom, I need to talk to Elizabeth alone," she said quietly.
"I think you've said enough," Elizabeth said, her voice like acid.
The captain sighed, she wasn't going to force Elizabeth to talk to her; she knew how angry and hurt she must be feeling right now. She also knew that Elizabeth would come round, and then she would be there for her, to tell her the rest of the story and to be her mom.
"Liz," Tom said, shocked that Elizabeth could talk to the captain like that. No one spoke to Kathryn Janeway like that, and what shocked him more was that she stood for it.
"You know where I am," she said to Elizabeth, attempting to touch her shoulder, but Elizabeth moved away.
The captain nodded at Tom and left. The room was silent once she had gone; Tom took Elizabeth by the arm and sat her on the sofa.
"She loves you so much, you know that. She loved you from the moment she knew you existed, and she's never stopped. She needs you, and you need her," Tom said, matter of factly.
"Loved me so much she couldn't wait to get rid of me!" Elizabeth murmured.
"She didn't want to, it broke her heart. She had to. Elizabeth your dad was a bad guy; a rapist, and a stalker," he said, letting the news sink in. Elizabeth gasped, putting her knees up against her chin and wrapping her arms around them she began to rock herself like a little child, burying her face in her knees and sobbing her heart out. Tom sighed; going to her he pulled her into a big hug.
"I'm so scared, what if I'm like him, Tom?" she said, in a voice that was barely audible.
"I know, but you're not anything like him. You're your mothers daughter and you have a lot of dad in you too, we might not be your biological family, but it doesn't mean we love you any less or that you are any less like us," he whispered.
She nodded, "I know. Tom, what did he do that meant she had to give me away?" she asked, innocently.
"I think she would want to tell you that," he said. Tom didn't want to tell Elizabeth everything; he knew she needed to hear it from the captain and the captain needed to be the one to tell her.
"I'll go and see her, tomorrow," she said, deciding to wait a while. She didn't really know what she was going to say to her, and right now all she wanted to do was go to sleep, the conversation and revelations had taken a lot out of her.
-Fin-
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