Part Two: Not Again!

First, B'Elanna called all of the engineers together. She even pulled them from their quarters, the Mess Hall, and the holodecks. Since every other senior officer was doing the same, they didn't complain too much. Something important had obviously happened, and they wanted to know what it was.

B'Elanna told them of the Romulan probe and the starcharts. Then she gave them their jobs.

"The hull has to be repaired in one week. You may replicate only as much as you need, but within that limitation you have permission to exceed normal rations. We also need to realign the core matrices and repair damage to the main EPS conduits on Decks 3, 7, and 8. That last drop from transwarp disrupted the matrices long enough for me to worry. These are priority jobs. From now until they are done, no one takes a break unless it's for food, sleep, or a medical problem."

"Including you, Chief?" a lieutenant asked.

"Yes, including me. I know many of you will miss your families, but if we all work quickly it won't take too long. I will make exceptions for family emergencies, but that's it. Dismissed."

After her scheduled shift was over, B'Elanna did go to Sickbay. She left Nicoletti in charge again. The Doctor was waiting for her. Tom had pilot duty, thank the powers that be. She didn't want him to worry.

"What seems to be the problem, Commander?" he asked as he motioned for her to lay on the first biobed. When she complied, he began to scan her with a medical tricorder.

"I'm tired all the time, Doc. I was fine a few weeks ago, so I don't think it's stress," she said quietly.

"Hmmmm..." he replied. When he read the data the tricorder gave him, he smiled.

"Well?"

"Commander Paris, may I be the first to congratulate you on your second pregnancy?" the Doctor asked with a grin.

"Not again! I knew it!" B'Elanna said with a frown. "Maternity leave, mood swings, people coddling me until I want to scream, and those stupid maternity uniforms!" She had hated the last the most of all. Those uniforms had not been designed to flatter an expectant mother's figure, and they made her feel like she was wearing a large, uncomfortable tent! At least, it had seemed that way the last time.

"Not only that, B'Elanna, but you're having twins again! You and Lieutenant Paris must have very compatible genes for that to happen twice in a row," he informed her pleasantly.

B'Elanna felt her eyes widen. Twins? Again? Thankfully, her Klingon half refused to faint. After a few minutes of thinking it over, B'Elanna realized that this would be perfect. She had worried that her next child might feel a little left out.

"How far along am I? Tom and I were trying a few months ago, but we stopped last month. We decided to wait a while longer," she explained.

"You conceived about two months ago. My readings say that the feti are developing within normal parameters. You just showed the symptoms a little late this time. Every pregnancy is different, you know," the Doctor said with a shrug in his voice.

B'Elanna nodded. Her mind was still reeling. "I have to tell Tom," she said out loud.

"Yes, and the Captain. You should try to rest as soon as possible," he replied sternly.

"But my staff-" she began.

"Will agree with me, and you know it. In fact, they could probably do more than I could to make you rest in this situation. They certainly did the last time," the Doctor finished. He smiled to himself at the thought.

B'Elanna was not smiling. She knew that he was right. When she had been pregnant with A'Lehsen and S'Ehra, her staff had conspired with Tom and the Captain to monitor every move she had made. She had not been allowed-allowed-to do more work than the Doctor said she could. Every need had been answered before she had even made it known. If she had wanted something from one of the upper workstations, one of the ensigns had it for her before she could get near a ladder. She was often reminded (by several people at once) that she needed to eat or rest.

'Not again!' she thought.

B'Elanna thanked the Doctor and left Sickbay in a daze. She returned to Engineering and when back to work. She noticed that most of the engineers were giving her odd, concerned looks when they thought she wasn't looking.

When her stomach informed her that it needed food, she put down her padd with a sigh. She had worked through Tom's shift. He should be on his way to the Mess Hall. She would have to tell him there.

B'Elanna and several of her engineers left for a meal break. She assigned Lieutenant Carus to take over for her while she was away.

Tom was in the Mess Hall when the small group entered, staring distastefully down at Neelix's most recent culinary "masterpiece." B'Elanna got her meal and went to sit across from him.

"How's it going?" he asked.

"All right. We made some progress on the hull. The realignment of the core matrices may take a few days longer than I first thought, and we had to replace four EPS conduits. It takes an extremely delicate touch to fix a matrix, but thankfully the conduits aren't as bad. We should be done with them by tomorrow. Most of my engineers aren't bad, but I could wish for more, anyway," she said softly. "Any word from Harry and Seven on those starcharts?"

"Yeah. We had two plausible routes to choose from. With one, we'd get to the Neutral Zone in four months, but we'd have to cut through a corner of Romulan space. The second course would take a month longer, but it's safer. That's the one the Captain chose," Tom replied.

B'Elanna nodded. "It sounds good. Tom, don't forget to explain to the girls that I'm going to have to be in Engineering more than usual this week," she said as an afterthought.

"I already have," he said with a grin.

"Now I remember one of the reason's I love you so much," B'Elanna said with a rueful shake of her head. "You're always anticipating me." Tom's grin grew bigger, but he didn't reply.

They ate in silence for a few minutes, just content in each other's company. Finally, B'Elanna decided to drop her bombshell.

"Tom," she began quietly. When he looked up and caught her serious gaze, she continued, "I went to Sickbay today, to see why I've been so tired lately. The Doctor gave me some very interesting news."

"What? What's wrong?" Tom asked with a frown. He reached across the table and gently captured her hand.

"Nothing is wrong, so calm down. The Doctor told me I'm two months pregnant...and, Tom? We're having twins again," B'Elanna told him with a small smile.

Tom stared at her for a few moments, his face going pale. He croaked out, "Not again!" Then, like the last time B'Elanna had given him this announcement, his eyes rolled back into his head, and he began to slide from his seat. Tom Paris, daredevil pilot, the man who had broken the warpspeed barrier and who had flown their ship through slipstream and transwarp calmly, fainted.

The entire Mess Hall saw it this time. B'Elanna heard one of her engineers call out, "I think the Chief's having another baby!" However, she was too busy lifting her unconscious husband back into his chair to reprimand her as she deserved. She took her cup of water and splashed it into Tom's face.

Again.

Tom came quickly back from the black pit he had fallen into. B'Elanna was standing over him, a grin on her face. For a moment, Tom could not figure out what, exactly, had happened. Then, he remembered her announcement. His eyes widened a little at the thought of another set of twins. All he could manage to say was, "Again?"

B'Elanna nodded. "Yes, again. The Doctor said our genes must be very compatible for it to happen twice in a row," she told him.

"Twice in a row? B'Elanna, is there something you aren't telling the rest of us?" Harry asked as he pushed his way through the crowd surrounding his best friends. He had a silly smile on his face, just like last time.

"Actually, I wasn't telling you anything. However, since you all would have found out soon anyway, I'll tell you. I'm pregnant with twins again," B'Elanna said calmly as she sat back down.

A shocked pause followed by cheers and good wishes filled the Mess Hall. B'Elanna regretfully noticed one of her ensigns quickly leave, probably to spread the word to the rest of the engineers-and anyone else who would listen. Nevertheless, Tom saw the same beautiful glow on her face that she had worn the last time she had delivered the same news to the crew.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing that we'll be on Earth for the delivery. Voyager is getting too small for your family, Tom," Harry joked. B'Elanna punched him lightly on the shoulder. Tom just grinned.

B'Elanna saw the smile and nearly sighed with relief. She had been a little worried about Tom's reaction to this pregnancy, but he seemed to be taking it in stride.

"We should go tell the Captain before the news spreads to the Bridge," B'Elanna said.

"You're right. After we take care of that, you are getting some rest," her husband told her sternly.

"But-"

"No buts. I'm sure your engineers will agree that a small rest is necessary in your condition. In a few hours, you can be back at the helm, telling them everything they've done wrong or forgotten to do while you weren't there," Tom said.

Susan Nicoletti spoke up. "Don't worry, Chief. When the rest hear the good news-and I just saw Ensign Sental leave-I'm sure they will be delighted to help in any way," the lieutenant said eagerly, voicing B'Elanna's worst fears. "You know that we're all so happy to be getting back to the Alpha Quadrant at last that we'll leave no stone unturned in getting Voyager back into top condition. You'll get your rest, sir."

Now, while B'Elanna could, and very often had four years ago, order her staff to stop babying her, she had learned last time that they would just find "subtle" ways to "help." So, with some grumbling, she turned Engineering over to Nicoletti for five hours. The lieutenant beamed at her.

"Come on, Tom. Let's get this visit to the Captain over with. Not that she probably doesn't' know already," B'Elanna said under her breath as she and Tom left the Mess Hall and entered the nearest turbolift.

All she could think was: 'Not again!'