A few people reached out sympathetically to Tom and B'Elanna upon their return. Chakotay spoke with Torres, offering his services if she wished to commune with her spirit guide, assuming that she wasn't planning on trying to kill it again. He knew how badly she was feeling when she didn't laugh when he said it.

Captain Janeway went to dinner with Tom in the mess hall his first night back. There was lots of buzzing, but no open taunts during that meal.

Lt. Ayala, to B'Elanna's surprise, came to her and informed her that if anyone bothered her about what had happened, she was to come to him and he would 'take care of it.' Although B'Elanna felt confident that she could 'take care of it' herself, she thanked him anyway. The former Maquis also confronted Tom; but since the helmsman refused to respond to Ayala's pumping him for information, Ayala was satisfied that Tom was not gloating about what had happened and had told him he would help him, too, if necessary.

Megan Delaney and Gerron Tem invited Tom to dinner in Meg's quarters, spending the entire evening without once asking him any questions about his experiences on the planet. He was very grateful.

And then, of course, there were Harry and Kes. One or the other, or both, visited Tom and B'Elanna as often as possible. Harry hung out with Tom virtually every moment that he was not with his fiancée, and Kes made it a point to keep B'Elanna company as much as she could.

Overall, however, to say that their return to Voyager was hellish for Lt. Torres and Lt. Paris would be to sugarcoat their experiences.

Walking into a room or turbolift, hurrying down a corridor, or going to the mess hall for a meal were all ordeals marked by whispers, stares, open laughter, and/or the behind-the-hand sniggering that B'Elanna had accurately predicted and hated with a passion. Remembering the times when she had indulged herself with a bit of gossip at someone's expense made her cringe now that she was the object of such talk.

Whenever possible, she kept her conversations to strictly business concerns, as any opening at all for casual conversation resulted in her being pumped for information. "What was it like down there?" "The nights were really cold, weren't they?" "Just how good is Tom Paris in bed, anyway?" The last was only asked if the questioner was well out of B'Elanna's reach, as her rage was easily unleashed. B'Elanna decided that there was no doubt the Maquis and Starfleet crews had merged together comfortably after three years in the Delta Quadrant, as she could detect no difference in the curiosity level or the enjoyment of her discomfiture between the members of the two crews.

B'Elanna would have thought it impossible, but Tom had it worse. Virtually everyone assumed that he had taken advantage of the situation to seduce B'Elanna Torres. Only his refusal to respond to the worst of the heckling kept him from becoming involved in several fights. The talk became coarser the more he tried to ignore the speaker. Tom had had plenty of experience with dealing with the nastiness that people were capable of, thanks to having had to live with his Caldik Prime experience for so many years. He had always used humor to blunt the worst of the provoking behavior, but even he was unprepared for exactly how personal the comments could get. Apparently the lure of a good laugh because of a good old fashioned sexual affair, especially one that had become public knowledge in a way that invited the most obnoxious jokes, beat even death and dishonor as a hot topic in a closed society.

The third night they were back, Tom had a particularly difficult time in Sandrine's. While playing pool with Harry as his partner against Megan and Gerron, a group of men hung around the periphery, needling Tom whenever he bent down to take a shot. "How was she, Paris?" "Klingon lust fun for you?" "Finally got a chance to take her, the way you didn't when Vorik stepped in that time, right, Lieutenant?"

The last was too much for Tom. Slamming his cuestick against the table, he yelled out, "You want to know what Torres and I did on the planet? Fine, I'll tell you." The room hushed expectantly. "We found some food. We found a cave for shelter. We built ourselves a nice, warm fire. We waited for you to come get us. And anything else is none of your damned business!"

The room erupted in hoots when Tom ran out of the door, his partners from the pool table at his heels. When they caught up with Tom, he was clearly shaken and upset but said mildly, "Thanks, I appreciate your worrying about me, but it's okay. I think I just need to hole up in my quarters for tonight. It's a lot quieter there, and I think that quiet is exactly what I want right now. And Megan, let me apologize about my language in there. It was uncalled for."

"Tom, they were trying to provoke you."

Tom smile was sad as he grabbed her hand, then Gerron's and Harry's hands in turn, before walking down the corridor to the turbolift.

When Captain Janeway heard about what had happened at Sandrine's, she took immediate action. A ship-wide announcement was made, stating that in any physical altercation between Lt. Torres or Lt. Paris and another person, the other person would be assumed to be the perpetrator and would be sent to the brig immediately. This blunted the most aggressive approaches but did not eliminate them entirely. Her stance also meant that the bridge became a refuge for both officers, since Janeway would not brook even a rude glance at either Tom or B'Elanna without a glare and a sharp word to the one who had been so bold.

In the end, however, Tom's and B'Elanna's ordeal was ended through the unexpected intervention of Harry and Kes, who provided the crew with another hot topic for discussion. They announced that they were getting married. Everyone was invited to their wedding reception in Sandrine's the next night. Harry asked Tom to be his Best Man. Kes pleaded with B'Elanna until she agreed to be her Maid of Honor.

"And by the authority invested in me as captain of this vessel, I now pronounce you, man and wife. You may kiss the bride. Harry, Kes, that's your cue." Captain Janeway happily said those words in front of the intimate group in her ready room; and the radiant bride and her exultant groom gladly complied with the captain's request.

From where Tom stood next to Harry, he could see a dark head on the other side of the newlyweds. The Maid of Honor was holding Kes' bouquet of white roses as the couple embraced. Tom and B'Elanna's eyes met for a brief second only before her eyes jumped away from his. He wondered if she even remembered his proposal to her a few days before, for if she did, there was no sign from the chief engineer.

"Harry, Kes, best wishes for love and happiness always." Tom said a moment later, giving each of them a quick hug before stepping back to let the others present take their turn. Captain Janeway, Chakotay, and Neelix congratulated them in a similar manner to Tom. Tuvok made the Vulcan sign of greeting for them, saying, "Peace, and long life," prompting the ritualized reply, "Live long, and prosper," from Harry and Kes in unison.

The Doctor pumped Harry's hand and planted a kiss on Kes' cheek. In the end, he had been assigned the role of father of the bride, with Neelix, more or less graciously, ceding the place to him and assuming instead the "big brother" role he had said he had wished to claim. A few others from the bridge crew were also there, including Ayala, Lang, and Grimes, but Kes had not wanted to be overwhelmed at the ceremony. She had confessed to B'Elanna that the reception would be bad enough.

The last to greet the newly married couple was B'Elanna. "Well, Starfleet, now you've gone and done it," she said, smiling at Harry. They embraced warmly. "And Kes, be happy."

Kes' face shone as the two women hugged. "B'Elanna, thank you for your help in making this day the best day of my life."

"So far," said B'Elanna in reply. Everyone present laughed. Even Tom was able to manage a sad chuckle.

"Well, everyone, the crowd in Sandrine's must be very impatient for the arrival of the happy couple. Are we ready to satisfy them?" said the captain. She took Chakotay's arm to lead everyone out to the turbolift. Tom was nearest the windows that looked out upon the starfield and farthest from the door, but he quickly realized that he was not going to be the last one to leave. There was one person from the bridal party who was hanging back from the doorway.

"B'Elanna? Aren't you coming?"

"Go on ahead, Tom."

He wasn't sure what to say. He doubted that the captain expected anyone to be staying on alone in her private sanctum after the ceremony was over, and he wasn't sure what her response would be if she knew about it. On the other hand, confronting Lt. Torres with this kind of information was likely to result in a major explosion, especially now, so he said only, "I'll wait for you by the turbolift."

"Thanks, Tom, but our coming into Sandrine's together isn't the best idea I've ever heard. There's been enough attention on us already."

Tom looked at her, trying to gauge her mood. She needed to be alone. Nodding in her direction, he left the ready room.

B'Elanna walked up to the couch beneath the windows, sitting on it sideways to enable her to see the stars as she lounged there. She knew very well that the captain might be upset with her for staying in her ready room after everyone was gone, but B'Elanna had to think. She had avoided a close examination of what had happened between Tom and herself, but from the information that had come to her about what had occurred to the helmsman during the past few days, she knew she must. She had a decision to make, and it was only fair that she make it now. Going to Sandrine's afterwards was something that she dreaded doing, even though she knew she would be forced to go.

B'Elanna was still holding Kes' bouquet.

The party was in full swing when B'Elanna finally walked into Sandrine's. She was grateful that the commotion hid her entrance from most of the guests. She greeted several of her subordinates from Engineering and said hello to a few of the former Maquis with whom she had served on Chakotay's ship before walking up to the bar, where Captain Janeway and Chakotay were flanking the bride and groom.

"B'Elanna! We were just wondering where you were. Join the party. Everyone is having a blast. Neelix has really outdone himself today," said Harry, his voice pitched higher than usual in his excitement.

"Well, here I am, Starfleet; and here's your bouquet, Kes. I forgot to give it back to you."

Kes accepted the flowers while studying B'Elanna's face intently. Her concern was evident. "Are you all right, B'Elanna? I was getting worried when I didn't see you."

"I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me." The half-Klingon woman paused, her eyes searching the room. " Kes, you don't happen to know where the Best Man disappeared to, do you?"

"He's over in the far corner booth, B'Elanna, with Gerron and Megan. Why don't you join them?"

B'Elanna's reply was soft and hard to hear against the exultant commotion of the reception. "I intend to, Kes."

With quick nods to the captain and first officer, and after taking a very obvious, very deep breath, B'Elanna started walking toward the far corner of the room. As she dodged around the guests, attention was drawn to her, particularly after it became obvious where she was headed. She was only a few meters from the booth when the one she had come to see raised his head and saw her approach.

"B'Elanna, here, take this seat. I can find another."

"That's okay, Tom. I would rather have you stay. I was hoping to talk with you."

"Megan, would you like to dance?" asked Gerron.

"I was wondering when you were going to get around to asking me to do that!" Winking as she stood up, Megan said, "We'll see you two on the dance floor!" As the couple went to the dance floor, they intercepted Jenny Delaney, who was about to return to the booth with some hors d'oeurves. "Not now, Jenny, leave them alone!" Megan said in a stage whisper to her bewildered sister.

"Nice wedding, don't you think?" Tom offered, taking the side of the booth that Meg and Gerron had vacated.

"Yes, very nice. They seem happy. I can still hardly believe it, though. Did you have any idea before we were . . . we left the ship for that mission that they were even interested in each other?"

Tom thought a moment. "Yes and no. Kes always has fussed a little over Harry, and whenever the four of us got together, he seemed really happy. I guess in the back of my mind I thought they liked each other more than a little, but to be engaged in a week, and married in less than two weeks, no, that WAS a surprise."

"Neelix seems to be taking it well."

"I think Neelix is relieved that Harry is going to be doing the honors for Kes' Elogium. He wasn't looking forward to . . . " Tom's voice died out when he realized the subject to which they had somehow drifted.

She didn't get upset. "I think you're right. Harry will be much more enthusiastic about being a father."

They shared a relieved expression at getting past the shoals of that remark. "In fact," she went on, "when you consider how compressed Kes' life span is, I guess it makes sense for them to have gotten married as soon as they realized that they wanted to. They aren't going to have that long together under the best of circumstances. Five or six years, that's all they'll have."

Tom nodded, his mood more sober. "Yes, sometimes people don't get as much time together with someone they love as they'd like."

B'Elanna braved a direct look at him then, searching his face. The sincere Paris. The one that she had been hoping would be in residence tonight. "Yes, Tom. Not enough time at all." She looked down at the table to strengthen her resolve, then turned back to him. "I've wanted to talk to you about that." She gulped, then went on. "I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry about the way I ripped into you when you came to see me in my quarters."

"I'm just sorry the whole thing happened the way it did, Be', the way we came back here, the whole thing. I didn't want it to be that way," he replied.

"I know that, Tom. We both wanted it to be different. I know we can't just do it all over again, like kids do when they are playing some game and want to wipe away what happened. It won't wipe away. But maybe, I hope, we can be friends again, like we were before, and just go on from there. Do you think that it would be possible for the two of us to do that?"

He thought he knew what she was saying. Back to the turbolift after the "pon farr thing." Right about now, that would be okay with him, as long as he could still be careful what to wish for, too. "Absolutely, B'Elanna. Back to before." He held out his hand, and she grasped it in her right hand quickly before bringing her hand back to its mate directly in front of her.

They sat for several seconds before both of them started to say something. They laughed, and then Tom insisted, "You first B'Elanna, since I'm always talking."

She smiled at him, and then said, "You know, Tom, after you left that tricorder with me, I decided I might as well get the Doctor off my back and used it on myself. Then I stared at the thing for about an hour before finally being able to show my face out my door to bring it to sickbay. When I got there, the Doctor insisted on doing his own scans anyway - as if I didn't know how to use a tricorder!" Her eyes flashed sharply in indignation at the memory.

Carefully keeping his face neutral to avoid being accused of being provocative, Tom remarked, "I'm sure he just wanted to make sure you were really okay. So, any adverse reactions from staying with me in that cavern, Lieutenant?"

"I believe his terminology was something like, 'No serious repercussions, Lt. Torres, you may return to your regular activities."

"That sounds like our Doctor, all right," he laughed.

"Tom - "

"Yes?" He looked expectantly into her eyes, which had lost the hint of a sharp edge that they had had and were the shade of the richest dark chocolate.

"There is one thing more I have to say to you." She cleared her throat. "I don't think I've been fair to you." She averted her eyes and started to fondle the edge of a napkin that was sitting on the table in front of her, picking at a loose thread in the hem.

"In what way, B'Elanna?"

"When you came in with the tricorder and said you weren't going to say anything to anybody about...what we did..." She met his gaze directly, "I thought, sure, Helmboy is really going to be able to keep his mouth shut. I knew that you wouldn't be gloating, exactly, but I didn't see how you could not talk about it. But everyone I ask, Ayala, Gerron, even Harry, says that you HAVE refused to talk about it. And that thing that happened that made the captain give that order, after you blew up and left Sandrine's the other night when the jokes got too..."

"Too coarse," he supplied for her.

"Yes, that's it, I guess. Well, anyway, I've been doing a lot of thinking about the last few days. I'm always underestimating you, aren't I, Tom?" She had to look away again in embarrassment.

"If you mean you expected me to treat you like some kind of conquest, then yes, you did underestimate me. B'Elanna, I meant it when I told you that being with you on Tantrum was the best time I ever had in my life. I'd like those days to go on forever, but that's up to you. I've told you how I feel."

She looked back at him, at his vulnerable face. All of his masks, the little tricks that he used to hide his soul away from potential hurt were absent; she could see that he was being completely open with her, perfectly sincere. "I want to believe you, Tom. I guess I know you really mean it now. I just don't think that anyone can ever promise forever."

"I can, and I am. If you want me."

She hesitated, mulling over everything that she had learned about this man in the past three years and especially, in the last few days. A voice in her head whispered, 'you can never trust anyone but yourself, be'Hom. Anyone can tell you what you want to hear and then betray you, can leave you alone, whenever he wants.' Her memory stirred, and B'Elanna's conscience whispered back to her, 'And if you make someone a promise that you do not intend to keep, YOU are the betrayer.'

Taking a deep breath as she took a plunge into the uncharted depths of possibility, B'Elanna stretched out her arms and took Tom's long, beautiful hands into her own firm grasp. "I can't promise you forever, Tom. Not now, at least, but on Tantrum IV I did make a promise to you that I haven't kept - the one about seeing whether or not we may have a future together. I have been trying to pretend that it all didn't happen, just as you said I would, and that's pretty silly. Something DID happen. So, I guess I need to see that promise through. I think you called it exploring what we can be to one another. But no commitments, Tom, I want that understood..."

His beatific smile stunned her into silence as he gripped her hands back tightly. "I understand, B'Elanna. No commitments and no explanations needed. But I'd like to know if Voyager's chief engineer would mind being kissed in public right now by the chief helmsman?"

"I don't think I'm ready for that public a display yet, Tom. Not after all that's happened." She looked around Sandrine's, crowded with their crew mates. Nodding her head towards the dance floor, she added, "However, there's a nice song playing, and the chief engineer wouldn't mind having the chief helmsman hold her close while they were dancing."

Jumping to his feet, the chief helmsman bowed to the chief engineer as she arose from her seat and walked over with him, hand in hand, to the open area where several couples were already dancing. The captain poked the commander to attract his attention to what was happening, and a hush fell over the conversations of everyone in the room. All of the other dancing couples parted, as if choreographed, to allow Tom and B'Elanna access to the center of the floor, next to where the bride and groom were dancing. Kes smiled delightedly when she saw them approach, gesturing to Harry so that he would see his friends together, too. Bowing first to Harry and Kes, then to Megan and Gerron, who were beaming as they saw them come onto the floor together, Tom took B'Elanna into his arms. They took the closest of dance positions, their arms wrapped around each other, her cheek leaning against his chest and over his heart, his chin resting upon the top of her head. They began to move slowly to the music, now oblivious to anyone else who was on the floor with them.

"Think there will be any serious repercussions from dancing with me in public, Lt. Torres?"

She murmured into his shoulder, "I'm counting on it, Mr. Paris."

B'Elanna and Tom were quite accurate in their assumption that there would be repercussions from their dancing together in Sandrine's. The wedding of Harry and Kes was again only one of several topics to be discussed. The nature of the relationship between B'Elanna Torres and Thomas Eugene Paris became a major subject of inquiry.

The gossip mill aboard Voyager ground through person to person. The initial report was that at the conclusion of Mr. and Mrs. Kim's wedding, Mr. Paris went to Lt. Torres' quarters and spent the night there. The speculation about what went on that evening between Lt. Torres and Mr. Paris was, for once, remarkably close to the events that actually took place.

Repercussions of quite another sort were to occur also, but these had nothing to do with anything that had happened at the wedding reception held in Sandrine's that evening.

The Emergency Medical Hologram took great pride in the skills he had developed since his activation as a diagnostician, surgeon, and general medical practitioner, and justifiably so. Much as he (or his personality matrix sub-routines, to be more precise) would like to think he was infallible, however, in point of fact, he was not. A profound change in the status of two people was to take place due to the fact that the good Doctor's pronouncement to B'Elanna Torres several days earlier that she would experience no serious repercussions from her stay with Mr. Paris on Tantrum IV was, in fact, an inaccurate one.

It was true that as of the moment the EMH examined her with his advanced medical instrumentation, B'Elanna Torres had no medical condition of any note to be reported. It would be an extremely rare and, in some eyes, overcautious doctor who would do additional scans on Lt. Torres' ovaries to see if ovulation was imminent, based simply upon the fact that her birth canal and uterus contained a significant volume of semen consequent to certain activities that had taken place earlier that day. None of the doctors that comprised the database for the Doctor's matrix had ever been that cautious. Due to subsequent events, however, Voyager's EMH would make a note to include such a scan in the future whenever such a finding was made, along with an additional scan to determine the viability of the sperm found within the semen.

Within an hour after Lt. Torres left sickbay, an egg erupted from a follicle in her left ovary to begin its journey to its fate: either a short trip and eventual oblivion in a flood of menstrual blood, or a glorious future secured by the contribution of half the DNA essential for the creation of a new sentient being. At the same time, a host of eager sperm, swimming up the lovely lieutenant's Fallopian tubes with as much vigor and enthusiasm for their task as their progenitor had displayed in placing them in a position to do so, were following their own destiny to oblivion or glory.

At a later date, the two lieutenants who were most intimately involved with this occurrence would rue the fact that, contrary to her usual practice of refusing to submit to any requests by the Doctor for an examination without first dragging her feet and arguing about its necessity for several days, upon this occasion Lt. Torres had complied immediately, before there was a new life to detect.