How To Save A Life- Chapter 15
Voyager
Tom Paris appeared back in his quarters on Voyager. He looked around, realizing that his quarters were put almost perfectly back in order. Eventually, his eyes rested on B'Elanna, whom was lying on the couch, fast asleep. Tom smiled and walked over to her and woke her up.
"Hey." Tom said to B'Elanna stroking her hair. "How are you?"
"You're back." She replied then hugged Tom. They held each other for a few seconds, then B'Elanna let go of him and looked him in the eyes. "Who is she?" She asked referring to Jadzia.
"Who?" Tom asked.
"Jadzia, who is she and why were you trying so hard save her?" She questioned.
"How'd you know?" Tom countered.
"Q put most of what was going on on the viewscreen." B'Elanna replied. "So, who is she?"
Tom looked down and then back up at his girlfriend. "How much time do you have?" Tom asked.
"All of the time in the quadrant, now, who is she?" She persisted.
After a few more seconds of silence, he began to talk. Tom told her everything about what happened between him and Jadzia starting from the moment the two had met. The whole conversation took almost an hour just to get through the details and then came the rest of the conversation as to why Tom tried so hard.
Tom Paris went to bed that night with the love of his life next to him. He went to sleep knowing he had saved a dear friend's life, but at the same time let a complete stranger die. Tom had played God over those few days, dictating who lived and who died. It made him realize that the role of interstellar god wasn't for him, but in his heart, he knew he had made the right choice.
Earth (10 Years Later)
"Miral, please, put the cup down." Tom Paris told his six year old daughter. He was crouching in front of his daughter, whom was sitting on the floor. "It's daddy's cup, please put it down lightly."
Miral Kathryn Paris shook her head and continued to play with her father's cup. She had already 'accidentally' broken four cups in just two weeks and this one, her father's favorite, was a gift from an alien species that was back in the Delta Quadrant.
"Maybe you should bargain." Came a woman's voice from around a corner. The woman, Jadzia, walked around the corner holding the hands of her eight year old twins.
"Why not have Tanas and Tavana play with her?" Tom asked and stood up. He walked over to Jadzia and hugged her. "That way, the cup won't break and the twins can have someone else than each other to play with." The twins had already left their mother's hands when they saw Miral. They started to play with the girl and eventually ran out of the house, thankfully leaving the cup intact
"Where's your wife?" Jadzia asked as she picked up the cup.
"Probably putting Charlie down for a nap." Tom replied, speaking of his three year old son, Charles Harry Paris. "You can go see him, if you want. I'm sure he wouldn't mind getting to see Aunt Jadzia before going to sleep."
"I think I'll do that." Jadzia said and handed him the cup.
Jadzia left the kitchen and walked through the hallways of the four bedroom house. She walked through the corridors and eventually found Charlie's bedroom. B'Elanna was sitting on a chair next to Charlie's bed, reading him a story. B'Elanna turned around and smiled at Jadzia who was standing in the doorway.
"You made it." B'Elanna said and stood up. She walked up to Jadzia and they hugged. It was a somewhat awkward hug because both of them, were pregnant, both thanks to fertility drugs.
"Yep, Worf will be along in two days, just in time to let the men and the kids go out on that hike." Jadzia replied.
"Leaving us to some peace and quiet." B'Elanna finished and then they smiled at each other.
It had been over six years since Voyager returned to Earth. After everything had been cleared up with the Maquis and Tom Paris, almost everyone returned to their lives. Some stayed in Starfleet, others left to do other jobs or get back to their families. Jadzia Dax and her husband Worf had brought her then two year old Tanas, her son, and Tavana, her daughter, to meet their Uncle Tommy as Tom was used to being called now.
And it was almost all because Tom decided to play God and fought to have Jadzia live. The Dominion War was almost as bloody as anyone could've imagined, but the outcome was apparently the same. Q didn't return to say that all of Tom's fighting was in vain, in fact, Q had only appeared one other time, but he and Tom had pretty much no contact.
The two families had gotten along great, but there were some difficulties in the beginning. B'Elanna, though she knew Tom loved her more than anyone except for their family, wasn't too comfortable with the fact that an old lover and he were still extremely close. After a year or so, B'Elanna was used to Jadzia's family to come for a visit and eventually, the two hit it off and became good friends. What had happened ten years ago wasn't discussed at all between Tom and Jadzia, but B'Elanna and Jadzia had made small comments here and there to each other. The good news was that even though one person died, a woman was alive, twins were born, and another child was on the way.
The End