A Past Long Forgotten Part 6

Theresa Paris gazed around the yard. She could see her husband’s former student, Kathryn, and Voyager’s first officer mingling around with some of the other members of Voyager’s senior staff. Her son and the half-Klingon engineer were in deep conversation on the sand near the water’s edge. Her husband was busy catching up with Admiral Torres, who had accompanied his daughter to the picnic. A group of Tom’s old friends, including Heather Whitney and Learra Kasct were sunbathing not too far from Tom. And Casie, Matt and Caity were busy adding the finishing touches to a sandcastle that Casie and Tom had started on earlier that afternoon. The only person she didn’t see was Laura.

Theresa turned around and walked back into the house. After searching the entire first floor, she headed up the staircase and down the hall toward Laura’s room. As she approached the door, she could hear what sounded like sobs coming from within. “Laura?” She called out. “Do you need anything?”

There was a short silence before Theresa received an answer. “No. I’m alright.” Laura opened the door and allowed the older woman to enter. The younger woman’s eyes were red and puffy and Theresa figured she had been crying for a while. She didn’t say anything, she just took the woman who she loved like a daughter in her arms and soothed her. Laura started to cry again.

“Laura, sweetheart, what’s the matter? Please tell me.” Theresa soothed, stroking her hair softly.

She sniffled a little and pulled out of Mrs. Paris’ grasp. “Everything.” She choked out. “Tom, Casie, B’Elanna. I don’t even know where to begin.”

“Just start at the beginning.”

Laura shrugged. “It’s just that I never thought that I’d ever see Tom again, much less Tom with a beautiful, intelligent girlfriend. And now that he knows about Casie, he’s been acting all weird.”

Theresa lifted her chin to look into her pseudo daughter’s eyes. “He loves you. He won’t ever be able to deny that.”

A tear fell down Laura’s cheek. “No he doesn’t.”

Theresa narrowed her eyes and gave Laura a ‘look’. “What makes you say that?”

Laura shrugged, breaking free of Theresa’s grasp. She turned away from her. “I can just feel it.” She whispered.

***

Laura emerged from the house with Theresa right behind her. Heather, who had just stepped onto the porch to grab a glass of water, called out to her. “Laura! Come down and join us. You’ve been invisible all afternoon.”

Her friend shot a ‘help me’ glance to Mrs. Paris, but the older woman responded with a roll of her eyes and a motion to join her friends. Laura shrugged and turned to Heather. “Sorry about that. I’ve been helping Theresa in the kitchen.” She lied.

Heather laughed. “You? In the kitchen? I can’t imagine that.” She grabbed her cup of water and bounced back down onto the lawn, Laura at her heels. “Gosh girl, you have got to catch up with the rest of us. We all haven’t been together in years!” She lowered her voice, talking to herself. “If only Aria was here and we could drag Tom away from that girlfriend of his...” Laura pretended she didn’t hear her comment.

Heather led her friend down onto the beach where Learra, Tessa and Shelly were sprawled out on a bright blue blanket. Just as Laura fell onto her knees near the edge of the blanket, Shelly got a big grin on her face. “Tonight we should watch Amor Fati or Millennium to get our spirits up! There’s nothing like hearing that Diana Fowley is dead or seeing Mulder and Scully kiss!” She sighed contently and fell back on the blanket.

Laura rolled her eyes. “I don’t know if I have it saved on my computer here.” She mumbled, not really talking to anyone in particular.

Tessa looked at her. “I’m sure Heather has a tape somewhere.”

Heather nodded enthusiastically. “You bet!”

Laura was about to make some off hand comment about Heather’s obsession with that particular 20th century science-fiction show, but she was interrupted by a shriek coming from the edge of the water. She immediately spun around to find the source of the scream, though she was sure it was Casie. It was. But the scream was not one of pain, rather it was a shrill screech of delight. Laura found herself smiling softly as she watched her daughter run in circles away from Tom, who was chasing her with a bucket of water. As he followed her closely, the water in the bucket splashed over the sides, only causing both Tom and his daughter to laugh louder.

Why couldn’t it have been this way? Laura thought silently, tears building up in her green eyes. Learra’s voice brought her out of her reverie.

“Laura? Are you okay?” She asked, concerned.

She nodded. “Yeah. I’m fine, sorry about that.” She pulled the tears back into her eyes and quickly wiped the wetness from her cheeks. “I was just...thinking.” Learra gave her a look, which both Shelly Tessa mirrored. Laura groaned. “Stop that. I’m fine.” She stressed the sentence sternly, her mother and captain mode taking over for just a moment.

***

Kathryn Janeway sipped her iced tea slowly. She gazed over at her chief helmsman pick up Captain Jenkins’ little girl and fling her over his shoulders. She squealed in enjoyment and begged for him to put her down. Quite honestly, Janeway had, since the dinner party on the Shakespeare, wonder what kind of relationship Tom and Jenkins had. As she pondered what it might be, she picked up snippets of the conversations around her. Unintentionally of course.

“Harry, he loves her. It’s obvious. I’m nothing compared to her.” B’Elanna complained to the young operations officer.

Kim looked at her incredulously. “B’Elanna, what are you talking about? Tom loves you very much. He just met Captain Jenkins less than a month ago.”

He was cut off by B’Elanna, who shook her head frantically. “No. She was his first love all those years ago at the Academy. Commander Whitney told me they were engaged.”

Harry rose an eyebrow and paused, letting the information settle. “But they never got married.” He countered, doing everything he could to make his friend feel better. “That means something. He loves you.” He put the emphasis on the last word. “Don’t doubt that.”

“I can’t help it...” B’Elanna’s voice faded out.

“Owen, I don’t know what to do.” Theresa Paris whined to her husband.

He took her hand in his and patted it. They were sitting next to each other near the door to the house. “Theresa, don’t worry about Thomas. He’s a grown man and he can handle his own problems.”

She sighed. “I know that, but I’m trying to think about Casie here. I don’t want her to be caught in the middle of this.”

Admiral Paris glanced over his wife’s shoulder to watch his son and granddaughter splash each other in the warm ocean water. “She’ll be fine Tessie. They all will...”

Kathryn’s musings and eavesdroppings were cut short by her first officer. He placed a hand on her shoulder and leaned on the railing to look at her. “What are you thinking about?” He asked.

She cocked her head to the side to look at him. She took a deep breath. “Nothing.” She fibbed. “I’m just glad to be home.” Janeway smiled at him and tried to let what she had just heard sink in.

***

Tessa was talking on and on about a pair of patients she had had a few weeks ago at Starfleet Medical. Laura wasn’t listening. She was watching Tom and Casie intently. They looked so happy. And deep inside, she wished that they all could be that happy. Before she could comprehend their actions, Casie had found herself in her mother’s lap, dripping water all over her. Laura was wearing a knee length black skirt and a white spaghetti strap tank top. It used to be dry.

“Sorry Mom.” She mumbled, laughing. Laura looked up to see Tom towering over her.

“Sorry Laura.” He apologized, but Laura caught the smirk on his face, which caused her to immediately become suspicious. One thing she had learned in all her years with Tom Paris, was to never trust him around water.

She was only remotely aware of the silence her friends had sunk into when Tom had approached the blanket. “It’s okay.” She sighed, lifting Casie from her lap and pushing herself to her feet. “I’ll just go into the house and grab a towel.” Laura had not even taken two steps toward the house before Tom had her in his arms, running down the beach.

Shelly snickered, grinning from ear to ear and Casie fell into a fit of hysterical laughter. Tessa raised an eyebrow and Heather shot a glance toward the house, where she saw Kim and Torres standing, deep in conversation. Maybe they won’t even realize what’s happening. Even though she thought it, she realized that she had spoken too soon. Laura was trying desperately to get Tom to put her down.

“Tom! Stop it!” She pleaded, struggling to get out of his arms. He just grinned at her and continued his trek into the water. He was about at knee’s length in the water when she chose the wrong thing to say. “Thomas Eugene Paris, put me down now!” He always did what he was told. Laura fell out of his arms and landed with a splash in the ocean. Immediately drenched, Laura crawled to her knees and narrowed her eyes up at Tom. She lunged for his ankles and he tumbled over her and into the water.

When he resurfaced, Tom found his ex-fiancée standing with her hands on her hips, water dripping down her body, directly in front of him. Since he was a few inches taller than her, the waves hit her waist rather than her knees. Seeing her standing in front of him, black skirt molded to her thighs and white shirt plastered over her every curve, caused Tom to remember a day, all those years ago, on Risa. He, Laura, Mike, Heather, Shelly and Brian had all spent their summer vacation before their junior year on the pleasure planet. Laura had refused to go into the water, so he had had to find another means to get her wet. And this was exactly what he had done.

Laura had a smile on her face, but it faded almost immediately. She frowned and turned around, heading back up to the house. “Laura...” He groaned, starting after her. He got so far as the porch before he came face to face with one annoyed chief engineer.

End Part 6. Go to Part 7.