'Not now!' Was the response B'Elanna got when she pushed the button on the console next to his door. 'Tom! It's me! Open up!' B'Elanna called. 'Come back later, B'El!' 'I want to come in now, Paris!' She pressed a few buttons on his door, and they slid open silently. 'Tom!' She cried out. He winced. 'I thought I said come back!' He snapped. 'No way. What happened this time?' 'I fell down.' Tom ground out, limping over to a draw. 'Targ shit, Paris. I want to know who did this, and now!' He grabbed a dermal regenerator, and started running it over his thigh. 'Tom!' B'Elanna said, then looked at him, glaring. 'Who was it!?' She yelled. 'None of your business!' 'I've made it my business!' 'Like hell you have! Just leave me alone! Go make some friends!' B'Elanna stared at him, stepping back in shock at the venom in his voice.

Tom's Caretaker, Part Two

B'Elanna just turned and walked out, not giving him a second glance. She saw Harry hovering outside, and glared at him. "What did he say?" Harry asked, already thinking the worst. "He told me to get some friends." She snapped, and started pacing. "You were right, there is something wrong with his leg, though." Harry frowned. "You should just leave him." A voice said. "I've got nothing against him, but from what I've heard he's better off alone." B'Elanna shoved the lieutenant against the wall. "Listen to me, Joe Carey. No one chooses my friends for me, and by looking at what you hang out with anyway your opinion is even lower. Understood?" He nodded quickly. "Yes, of course. Sorry." She let him go, and he scurried away quickly. B'Elanna turned to face Harry, who had an odd look on his face. "What?" She demanded. "When I first spoke to Tom in the mess hall I almost said the exact same thing you did. Except I didn't have the guts. I'm glad you do." B'Elanna sighed. "I just wish Tom would realize we just want to help." They walked away, leaving Tom in his quarters against the wall thinking about what he just heard. "Whoa I feel it coming back again, like a roll of thunder chasing the wind. Forces pulling from the center of the Earth again." Tom lay down, and closed his eyes. "Computer lower music to fifty percent, dim lights to ten percent." Ten percent had become his usual illumination level. While it was light enough to see, if someone came to his room with treacherous intent they would have a hard time locating him. "I can feel it!" He whispered the main line of the Live song, glad of his interest in history. "Computer, begin personal log. Today wasn't too bad. No Borg, Kazon or Viidians, so I guess we're lucky. I'm still not sure what the captain expects from me. She's put the crew's most hated member in charge of the helm. Maybe I should just quit and ditch myself on the nearest inhabitable planet. I'm sure there are a few crew members who wouldn't mind seeing me leave on a demon-class planet." He laughed quietly. "Delete last sentence and save log." He stood to get a coffee, when his door chimed. Cautiously he grabbed his phaser, and held it out before calling, "who is it?" "Ensign Kim and Lieutenant Torres." Tom scowled, and put the phaser down. "Not now." He called, then muttered under his breath, "not ever." "Come on Tom. We just want to talk." Tom frowned. "I'm not in the mood for listening." He snapped. The doors slid open despite Tom's protests. B'Elanna squinted, getting her eyes adjusted to the low level of light. She frowned at what she saw. His face was hollow, and there were dark shadows under his eyes. Funny. She saw him at least once a week but had never noticed how pale he was. Or how blue his eyes were. She shook herself. Where did that come from? "If you're done examining me?" B'Elanna blushed. "Sorry." "Tom, you need to come out of your quarters for a while. You never come to the mess hall, or the holodecks. You take the same route to the bridge, and to sickbay everyday." Harry said. "How do you know that?" B'Elanna rolled her eyes. "You don't get to the rank of chief engineer without picking up a few tricks now and then." "Great. Now you're using the tricks I probably taught you in the Maquis against me." "You aren't that good, flyboy. Don't overestimate yourself." "Oh, sorry, did Seska teach you them?" B'Elanna winced. "That was a bit low, Paris." She glanced at Harry. "This is hopeless. I'm out of here." Harry grabbed her arm. "Hang on, B'Elanna." He looked at Tom. "Tom, just come to the holodeck for a while. That's all we ask." Tom frowned. "Come on. There's a great program that B'Elanna and I designed. It's like a beach resort. Just for half a hour or so." "Alright, but if anything happens I reserve the right to say 'I told you so'." Harry smiled. "Fair enough." The walk to the holodeck was brief and silent. Harry checked the COM panel next to the entrance. "Someone's already running it. You still coming?" Tom shrugged. "After you." Harry and B'Elanna entered, and Tom hung back a second, checking out the scene before stepping in. There were a few crew members in uniform, but most were wearing off duty casual. B'Elanna led him straight to the bar, and Harry drifted away to talk to Joe Carey. "See? This isn't too bad, is it?" Tom glanced around. "I suppose not." She laughed at the expression on his face. He looked at her, and couldn't help grinning. "What?" "You look like a five year old that has just discovered the meaning of Christmas." Harry and Joe walked over, each carrying drinks. "Hey Tom, this is Joe Carey. B'Elanna's assistant." B'Elanna rolled her eyes. "Or so he likes us to think." Tom stuck out his hand, and Carey shook it carefully, as if testing him.