Chapter Two

Kathryn raised an eyebrow at the little brown sack Tom held up to her. He called it a gift?

All time seemed to still as Kathryn opened it. Chakotay took a protective stance behind her and Tubok moved a little away from Tactical.

Her heart nearly dropped when she saw the white case. The name Kat was engraved with a heart around it. When she popped the top, she saw two earbuds.

Tears filled her eyes when she looked at her pilot.

"My headphones." Kathryn squeaked.

They must've fallen out of the box of Kathryn's stuff when she got it from Tom's place when they broke up.

"You had them all this time, Mister Paris." Tuvok said. Due to his close friendship with Kathryn, he knew about her lost headphones. He also knew that she grew up with Tom. However, Kathryn kept their past relationship secret.

"Have a little more faith in me, Tuvok." Tom said.

"Do they still work?" Kathryn asked.

Tom shrugged. "No idea."

Without looking at Chakotay, Kathryn said, "You have the bridge Commander."

She then grabbed Tom's wrist and led him to her Ready Room. Once inside, she wrapped her arms around him. Hugging him tightly as she cried.

"Thank you, Tommy."

"You're welcome, Kat. I know how much they mean to you."

After some time (and Kathryn calmed down) Tom had one headphone in and Kathryn had the other. They were listening to music that came from the music player sitting on her desk.

"When you love someone, when you love someone." Kathryn began to sing as she looked into Tom's blue eyes.

"It feels so right. So warm and true." Tom sang, pulling Kathryn closer.

Once the chorus to Waiting For A Girl Like You by Foreigner played, they were inches apart. However, the chime at the door caused them to break away quickly. Kathryn immediately put her command mask on.

Chakotay walked into the door just as Tom was putting away the headphones. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tom tense. Kathryn unconsciously placed a hand on his forearm.

"I came to see if you were alright, Captain." Chakotay said.

"You make it sound like I am going to hurt her." Tom said, defensively.

"I don't know what you are capable of." Chakotay blurted.

Tom was ready to get in between the first officer and his girl, but Kathryn stepped in before things got out of hand.

"As you can see Commander. I am alright. Lieutenant Paris was just returning something special to me." Kathryn said.

Chakotay paused for a moment. Kathryn saw the anger and jealousy in his eyes, but his face was calm as ever.

"Understood. Sorry to bother you." With that, Chakotay left the ready room.

Once the doors shut and they were alone again, Kathryn turned to her pilot.

"Tom, I thank you for returning my headphones to me, but we can't be like we once were." Kathryn said, her heart breaking as she spoke.

"Why not? It's obvious we still deeply love one another." Tom said.

"I am your captain. And as a Captain, I can't be in a relationship with a member of my crew. I'm sorry."

Tom couldn't stop himself from placing a hand on Kathryn's cheek. It sent sparks between. Kathryn also didn't know she was crying till Tom wiped her tears for her with his thumb.

"I will be right here waiting for you." Tom sang quietly right before he placed a kiss on Kathryn's forehead.

And with that he left the ready room, leaving Kathryn to try and pull herself together. Tom was also the reason her and Mark broke up, because she couldn't get over her relationship with Tom. She knew eventually they would meet up and rekindle their relationship. However, they can't now. She's the Captain. His Captain.

Later on, Kathryn sat on the couch in the Mess Hall reading over reports. She had a blank datapad to add questions to. "Only Wanna Be With You" by Hootie and the Blowfish played through her headphones.

"Hello Captain. Would you like another cup of coffee?" Neelix asked her. He had a fresh pot in his hand.

Kathryn smiled at the Talaxian. "Yes please."

After her cup was refilled, her eyes drifted to the trio sitting at a table on the other side of the Mess Hall. She couldn't take her eyes off a certain handsome blonde pilot.

"I will be right here waiting for you." She sang.

"Captain?" Neelix's voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

Smiling, Kathryn turned her attention to Neelix. "It's a song. Right Here Waiting by Richard Marx. Came out in 1989."

"I would like to hear it sometime." Neelix said.

"Maybe tonight at the party?" Kathryn suggested.

Tom came up with the idea himself. He thought about throwing a party. A century party. Music from the different eras will be played. And everyone needed to be dressed up from a certain era. Kathryn was dressing up from the 90's.

"Tom already has the music picked, Captain. I don't know if he will let anyone change it." Neelix said, a bit annoyed.

There were issues between Neelix and Tom. Neelix never really did like Tom and vice versa.

"He was always picky about his music." Kathryn blurted.

"That's right. You two grew up together."

Smiling Kathryn nodded her head.

Tom liked to say his first ever love was Susie Crabtree, but in all honesty, Tom made her up. Kathryn was his first and only real love. The one girl he never forgot about. The one he was still truly in love with. And the one he would do anything for. Even if that meant resigning from Starfleet just so he could be with her again.

He saw Kathryn sitting on the couch. Their eyes would lock every now and then. He wanted to steal her away from this. To find a storage room or a weapons locker where they could fall in love all over again.

"I will be right here waiting for you." Tom said quietly. He nodded his head to Kathryn before returning his attention to his friends.