`Kay, some notes:

  The title of this fanfic is Love Doesn't Ask Why, a song by Celine Dion.  It's on her album, 'The Colour of My Love'.  I love this song, and I think that it fits Tom and B'Elanna perfectly.  If you don't already know the song, here it is:

Love Doesn't Ask Why
====================

CHORUS:
Love doesn't ask why
It speaks from the heart
And never explains
Don't you know that
Love doesn't think twice
It can come all at once
Or whisper from a distance

Don't ask me if this feeling's
Right or wrong
It doesn't have to make much sense
It just has to be this strong
`Cause when you're in my arms I understand
We don't have a voice
When our hearts make the choices
There's no plan
It's not in our hands

(Chorus)

Now I can feel what you're
Afraid to say
If you give your soul to me
Will you give too much away
But we can't let this moment
Pass us by
Can't question this chance
Or expect any answers
We can try
But love doesn't ask you why

So let's take what we found
And wrap it around us

(Chorus)

  More notes:  "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini" appears on the motion picture soundtrack to 'Somewhere in Time'.  The holodeck setting that P/T go to for their second date is the sunset on the Gulf Coast Beach here in my home state of Florida.  It's very beautiful.  (Hey, JoAnna's got the Badlands, Lauren's got the Outer Banks, and I've got the Gulf Coast Beach.)

P/T! P/T! P/T! P/T! P/T! P/T! P/T! P/T! P/T! P/T! P/T! P/T! P/T! P/T! P/T!

Dedication: This story is dedicated to the Phan-Toms: Erin Alpert, Lauren Taylor, Jessica Ferroni, JoAnna Walsvic, Kirsten Clemmensen, Serena (her last name will remain a mystery), and Chris McNeair.  Thanks for being my friends.  Of course, it wouldn't be possible without Robbie and Roxann, who do such a great job of bringing Tom and B'Elanna to life.

Disclaimer: You know the drill.  I have no money, no rights, and no life.  Tom Paris, B'Elanna Torres, and everything else in the Star Trek universe belong to Paramount.  The words, ideas, and everything else are mine.  Paramount didn't leave me much, but I'm proud of it.  Comments, good and bad are welcome at: Mara_J_Antilles@hotmail.com
 

Love Doesn't Ask Why
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Copyright 1997, By: Claire Daniels

    Paris was in his quarters, preparing for the dangerous mission ahead.  He and Chakotay were going down to the planet's surface to collect some samples.  It wasn't getting the samples that was dangerous, it was the nebula cloud they had to fly through to get them.  The Captain had decided that a shuttle would be the best bet.  Paris had volunteered to pilot it, and Chakotay wanted to see the planet.  The only problem was that no one knew what sort of effect the cloud would have on the shuttle, or on Paris and Chakotay.
    Tom had tried to tell B'Elanna how he felt about her before he left, but she wouldn't listen.  She didn't believe him, and based on his reputation, Tom couldn't say that he blamed her.  He was the cad of the ship.  Always looking for new conquests.  That was the scuttlebut, anyway, and try as he might, he couldn't convince her that it wasn't him anymore.
    Finally, it was time to ship out. Chakotay met Paris in the shuttlebay, and they boarded a shuttle and started to run the preflight.  Paris kept waiting for B'Elanna to show up.  She hadn't said anything to him since he'd confessed his feelings, but he figured that she wouldn't let him leave without wishing him luck.  He figured wrong.  The shuttle was cleared for take-off and Paris piloted it neatly out of the shuttlebay.
    B'Elanna watched from Engineering, wondering if she should have gone to see Paris before he left.  *Good job, B'Elanna,* she chided herself, *why do you always wait until it's too late to do anything about it?*  Of course that had always been her problem.  She had picked it up from her mother, which made her despise it all the more.  She listened to the communications between Voyager and the shuttle.
 "Janeway to Chakotay."
 "Chakotay here, Captain."
 "Report."
 "We're holding our course, Captain, and so far, the shuttle's in one piece."
 "Good.  We'll continue to monitor your position."
    At that moment, the crew of Voyager listened as Paris' voice came over the comm.
 "Captain, I don't know how, but the hull's been compromised.  Integrity's down to twenty-five percent and falling.  If it goes much lower, we could be facing a core breach."
 "I'm attempting to compensate, Captain." said Chakotay.
 "Integrity down to fifteen percent." Paris reported.
    Chakotay fiddled with the console some more.
 "Ten percent."
 "Ensign!" she commanded Kim, "Beam them out of there, now!"
 "I can't get a lock on them!  The cloud's disrupting the signal!" Harry replied, his voice strained.
 "Integrity's down to five percent, Captain!" Tom said the tension in his voice easily heard, "Thank you for giving me a chance for a new life, Captain, it meant a lot.  Tell B'Elanna I-"
    He was cut off, and B'Elanna watched the Engineering viewscreen in horror as the shuttle erupted into a ball of flame.
 "NO!" she cried.
    B'Elanna bolted upright in her bed.
 "Computer, location of Lieutenant Paris."
 "Lieutenant Paris is in his quarters."
    B'Elanna let out her breath in a rush.  It had only been a nightmare, but it felt so real.  Silently, she wondered if this was a sign that she should meet Paris and listen to what he had to say.  She didn't really relish the thought.  She knew Paris' reputation.  He had spent almost every spare moment he had since he'd come aboard Voyager cultivating his image as a playboy.  Admittedly though, he had seemed to be trying to change that image now.  She sighed and lay back down.  She had no intention of becoming involved with him.  She wasn't ready to trust him with her heart.  She'd had it broken before.  She decided that she would at least hear him out.  There was no harm in that.  At least, she hoped there wasn't.  She closed her eyes and fell back to sleep, unhaunted by nightmares of an exploding shuttle with Tom Paris aboard.
 

    The next day, B'Elanna sent Paris a message.  She was willing to hear him out.  She would be in the Mess at 18:00, and if he was really serious about this, so would he.  She wasn't disappointed.  Paris was already there when B'Elanna arrived, and she was fifteen minutes early.  She made her way to the corner table where he was seated.  She momentarily stopped to think about what it would look like to the rest of the crew to see her and Tom at a cozy little corner table.  She almost suggested that they move to the middle of the room, but decided against it.  The Mess was so noisy, they'd practically have to shout to be heard, meaning that everyone would know what they were discussing, and that would be worse than any rumors that would be flying around the ship.  She took the seat facing him, and placed both hands on the table.
 "Okay," she said, "I'm listening."
 "Can I ask what changed your mind?"
 "It occurred to me that I owed it to you to at least try to be fair and hear you out."
 "Well, I'm glad you did.  I'm not trying to get you into my bed.  Not that the thought hasn't occurred to me.  I'd be lying if I said it didn't, and you know it, so I might as well admit it now."  he paused, hoping that B'Elanna wasn't going to deck him for that one.  She didn't, and he continued.  "This isn't a game, either.  We're friends, and before I do anything that could royally mess that up, I want to be damned sure that it isn't just a fling.  I don't have that many friends, so I can't afford to tick off the ones that I do have.  I've been thinking about this a lot, and I'm sure this is way more than just a fling.  I really like you, a lot..." his voice trailed off as he looked at B'Elanna, who looked for all the world like she was doing her best not to punch him.
 "Thank you, I'm flattered." she said sarcastically.
    Tom clamped his mouth shut, a pained look on his face.
**Dammit, B'Elanna!  Why do you always do this?  The poor guy is trying to tell you how he feels, and you insult him.  Good going.  An excellent job as always.**
*Shut up*, she told herself.
 "I'm sorry." she said lowering her eyes, "Please, finish what you were going to say.  I'll be quiet, I promise."
 "I was going to say that I really like you a lot, and I want to go on a date with you.  That is, if you think you can stand my company for an entire evening."
 "A date." she said, narrowing her eyes.
 "Yes, a date.  It's not a death sentence, B'Elanna, it's one date, and if you don't have a good time, then I'll leave you alone."
    B'Elanna thought for a moment.  She was about to turn him down, but the things that Tom Paris would do to impress her were too intriguing a prospect to be missed.
 "All right." she conceded.
 "Great." he said smiling, "Meet me in Holodeck 2 at 22:00 tomorrow.  I'll have everything set up."
 "Fine." she replied rising to her feet, "I'll see you tomorrow."
    Tom watched B'Elanna leave the Mess Hall.  His mind was already working on the plans for the next evening.  He wasn't exactly sure what he wanted to plan for their date.  He thought about dinner and dancing or maybe sailing.  He decided that it should be something where he could show her how much he had changed.  She would never believe it unless she saw it with her own eyes.  Dinner and dancing it would be, but it would have to be special, though.  He left the Mess and headed for his quarters.  He had a lot to do before tomorrow night.  When he got to his quarters, he went to his computer terminal and started to plan out an elaborate holodeck program.  He finally finished, and got ready for bed, but he was so excited, he could hardly sleep.  He finally managed to drift off, and dreamed about his date with B'Elanna.
    The next day, both B'Elanna and Tom were anticipating the evening they had agreed to spend together in the holodeck.  He with happiness, and she with trepidation.
**Boy, have you got problems, B'Elanna.**
*Why did I agree to this date?  What was I thinking?* she asked herself.
**More like what were you thinking with?  It certainly wasn't your brain.**
*Oh shut up.  Who asked you anyway?*
**Fine, but when you get hurt, don't come crying to me.**
    B'Elanna silently wondered if she should call and cancel, but decided that cancelling would only make her look scared, and she didn't want to give that message to Tom.  That was the last thing she needed.  She left Engineering as soon as her shift was over, and went back to her quarters to change.  She had no idea what Tom had planned, but he had sent a dress to her quarters.  She took it out of the box and looked at it.  It was beautiful, and it must have cost him a fortune in replicator rations.  She put the dress on.  It was made of mauve satin.  It hung off her shoulders and had puffed sleeves, and the neckline was adorned with mauve colored roses, cream colored lace, and small pearls.  The bodice hugged her waist and angled to a "V" right before it flared out at her hips.  She looked in the box the dress had been in and discovered a pair of hair combs and a pair of cream colored satin gloves.  The combs were decorated with baby's breath, strands of seed pearls, and the same mauve roses as her dress.  She fastened them in her hair and pulled the gloves on.  Surveying herself in the mirror, she stared at the vision, not believing that it was her.   She left her quarters and, making sure that the corridor was empty, headed for the holodeck.
      The doors of the holodeck opened and B'Elanna walked in.  She looked around and admired the scene.  The holodeck had been transformed into a Victorian mansion.  It had a veranda which overlooked a large lake, and the moon shone over it, bathing everything in a silvery glow.  There was a dinner table set up on one side of the room, and the middle was a dance floor.  There was an orchestra playing softly, and the lilting tones echoed through the room.
    B'Elanna stopped when she saw Tom.  He was dressed in a black topcoat with tails and adorned with gold buttons and braids, a white shirt with a high ruffled collar, and white pants tucked into shiny black boots.  *Gods, he's gorgeous,* she thought.  She suddenly realized she was staring.  With effort, she tore her eyes away from him.
    When Tom saw B'Elanna enter wearing the dress he had given her, his breath caught in his throat.  *Gods, she's beautiful,* he thought.  She looked even more beautiful in the dress than he had imagined, and he was pretty good at imagining.  He was pleased that she had decided to wear the dress.  It suited her, but then he knew it would.  He walked over to her.
 "Am I late?" she asked.
 "No," he answered, "you're right on time."  He led her over to the table, pulling out her chair for her as she sat down.  She smiled her thanks as he seated himself across from her.
 "This is great, Tom."
 "Thanks." he said smiling at her, "I'm glad you're pleased."
    A servant, who she guessed was a butler, brought them wine and whispered something to Tom.  He nodded in response.
 "You look very nice." he told her.
 "Thank you.  So do you," she replied, "and thank you for the dress.  It's gorgeous."
 "You're welcome."  he said.  *You're gorgeous,* he thought, but didn't say it out loud.  "I'm glad you like it."
 "Like it?  I love it!"
    They ate their dinner, chatting about the latest gossip floating around on the ship.  Tom told a few jokes, and B'Elanna couldn't help but laugh at them.
 "Would you like to dance?" Tom asked as "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini" began to play.
 "I would love to." she replied, taking the hand Tom offered her.
   He led her to the dance floor, where he pulled her gently into his arms and began to move in time with the music.  B'Elanna was tense at first, but she relaxed and just enjoyed being in his arms.  She noticed so many things she hadn't before.  How blue his eyes were, how strong his arms were, that he smelled like soap.  *How could I have missed these things?*
   Tom held B'Elanna in his arms, breathing in her scent.  She smelled like orchids, only much better than what Kes grew in the hydroponics bay.  *Gods, this feels like a dream.  I've waited so long for this, I can't believe it's happening.  Everything is perfect.  Just don't screw it up, Tom.*  After a few more dances, Tom suggested a stroll on the veranda.  B'Elanna thought it was a wonderful idea.  She needed to clear her head.  Dancing so close to him had made things a little fuzzy around the edges.
    They walked arm in arm on the veranda, talking about the day they'd had.  B'Elanna started saying something about warp coils when Tom stopped walking.  He turned to look at her, admiring her passion for her work.  She stopped talking, suddenly becoming self-conscious.
 "You think it's ridiculous, don't you?" she asked.
 "Not at all." he said with a gentle smile, "In fact, it's one of the things I like about you."
    Their gazes locked, and B'Elanna's head was starting to get swimmy again.  She couldn't believe she wanted him to kiss her.  *Gods, what am I thinking?  Take it easy, B'Elanna, it's just the setting.  It's making you think crazy thoughts.  If you look away from him, you'll be fine.*  Right, all she had to do was look away from him, but that was easier said than done.  The intensity of his cerulean eyes was almost more than she could stand.  She finally mustered up enough effort to look away and break the spell.  It left her feeling damn uncomfortable, but she forced herself to stay.  She didn't want it to look like she was running away from him, like she was afraid.
    Finally, the evening was over.  They stopped outside the door to her quarters.
 "I had a really nice time, Tom.  Thank you."
 "Me too." he replied, "So...can I see you again?"
 "Yes." she answered.  He took her gloved hand in his and gently kissed it.
 "Good night, B'Elanna."
 "Good night, Tom."
    B'Elanna entered her quarters.  *Why did I tell him he could see me again?* she asked herself, *Why?*  but she knew the answer.  She wanted to see *him* again.  She knew it wasn't smart, but what could she do?  She'd already agreed.  *Oh well,* she sighed, *I suppose I'll just have to make up an excuse not to go.*  She thought about the evening.  It had been a lot of fun.  She was surprised that he hadn't kissed her, well not on the mouth anyway.  She had thought he would use it to take her off guard, and it would've worked, too.  Just thinking about what it would feel like to kiss him made her head start swimming again.  *Dammit, B'Elanna!  Why are you letting that man affect you like this?*  Unfortunately, she didn't have an answer.  Well actually she did, but she was pretty sure she didn't want to know what it was.  She drifted off with visions of Tom Paris still dancing in her head.
    Tom sat in his quarters thinking about his evening with B'Elanna.  He was sure that she was wondering why he hadn't kissed her.  Gods knew he wanted to, and if she hadn't looked away, he would have.  He hoped he had shown B'Elanna that he wanted more from her than what she thought he wanted from her.  It must be working, because she had said that he could see her again.  He fell asleep with plans for another date with B'Elanna rumbling around in his brain.
      The next morning, B'Elanna reported to Engineering.  She had some work to do on the warp coils.  Actually, she hoped that it would keep her mind off of Tom Paris.  She managed fine for most of her shift, but then she remembered the holodeck and dancing in his arms, and suddenly she was unable to think of anything else.  She was at her wits' end, so she finally decided it was time for a break.  She walked into the Mess and noticed Paris sitting at a table.  She picked up a bowl of something and put it on her tray.  She didn't even notice what it was, not that it mattered anyway, most of Neelix's stuff was pretty lousy, and it was getting hard to tell the difference between dishes.  B'Elanna purposely chose a table on the opposite side of the room and sat down to eat her lunch.
     Paris had seen B'Elanna come in.  He had been planning on going down to Engineering to ask her out for another date, but she had saved him a trip.  He got up and walked over to her table.
 "Good afternoon." he said softly.
 "Afternoon." she replied.
 "I was wondering, are you free tomorrow night?"
 "Actually, I am."
 "Terrific." he said smiling, "So, would you like to go on another date?"
 "I would like that very much."
 "Good.  Meet me in Holodeck 2 at 18:00."
 "I'll be there.  So tell me, Tom, what little adventure have you got planned this time?"
 "If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise.  I will tell you this, though.  Dress casual."
 "I'll see you tomorrow." she replied.  He nodded and left the Mess.
    *So much for making up an excuse.*  She knew why she wanted to see him again.  Even though nothing would ever come of the time they were spending together on the holodeck, he had given her an amazing gift the last time they were together.  He had made her feel beautiful.  No one had ever done that for her before.  B'Elanna finished her lunch and headed back to Engineering.  At least now maybe she'd be able to concentrate.
    The next evening, she met Paris at the holodeck as planned.
 "Computer, run program Paris Gulf."
 "Program running."
   They entered the holodeck and B'Elanna gasped in awe.
 "What is it?" was all she could manage.
 "It's sunset on the Gulf Coast of Florida.  I was doing some research on it a few weeks ago, and it seemed like the perfect place for a picnic.  Come on." he said, leading her to the spot where he'd set up a picnic blanket.
    B'Elanna looked around as Tom set out dinner.  They were on a sandy beach overlooking the Gulf of Mexico.  The sunset was gorgeous.  Actually, breathtaking was a better word.  Looking up at the sky, B'Elanna could see reds, oranges, pinks, and golds coming together in a flamboyant mix of color.  It was very impressive, very romantic, and very Tom Paris.  There was a slight breeze blowing, and she could smell the salt in the air.
 "So," Tom said handing her a glass of wine as she joined him on the blanket, "what do you think?"
 "I think," B'Elanna said sighing, "that it's wonderful, and as much as I try to hate it, I keep finding myself having a good time, and it's unnerving as hell."
    He laughed.
 "What's so funny?"
 "Nothing.  I just can't believe that you that you're admitting that you're having a good time with me, and to top it off, you're admitting it *to* me.  I never thought it would happen."
 "Well, you wanted to know, didn't you?"
 "Yes, I did."
 "So now you know," she replied, "but don't forget that this isn't necessarily permanent.  I can still stop seeing you whenever."
 "True," he said nailing her with his implacable cerulean gaze, "but I hope that isn't what you decide."  He looked away from her then, staring out at the water.
 B'Elanna was at a loss.  Tom Paris, the same man who led everyone to think that his ego was as big as Voyager herself, had passed up the opportunity to say something smug in favor of something nice.  She had fully expected him to tell her that he was quite a catch, that she would regret it if she stopped seeing him, and that there were women all over the ship who would give anything to go out with him, but no, he'd simply said that he hoped she wouldn't stop seeing him.  If he was trying to confuse her, he was doing a damn good job.
 "Why are you being so nice?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.
 "I don't want to have my nose broken like Carey?" he joked. Then his expression turned serious, "You're my best friend, one of them anyway, and I wouldn't ever want to do any thing to hurt you, or mess up our friendship..."
 "But?"
 "But I'm feeling things I never expected to be feeling, B'Elanna.  The truth is, I'm ready for a real relationship now, not a fling."
    He was looking into her eyes, but he swore he could see right down to her soul.  She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever met.  She kept the real B'Elanna hidden from everyone, but he had seen her.  She had so many sides: vulnerable, sensitive, caring, kind, gentle, brave, proud, protective.  These were all adjectives that described the B'Elanna he had come to know and love.
    B'Elanna felt Tom looking into her eyes.  His gaze was intense.  She wanted to look away, but forced herself not to.  She leaned in a little closer, and he bent his head, brushing her lips lightly, almost tentatively, testing her reaction.  She responded by wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer.
**I can't believe I'm kissing Tom Paris.  Gods, this feels so good.**
*I can't believe I'm kissing B'Elanna Torres.  Gods, this is heaven*
    Tom stopped kissing her and pulled her against him.  She relaxed into his embrace and leaned against his shoulder.  He rested his chin on top of her head, thinking about how good it felt to hold her.  They were both quiet for a long time, just enjoying being together.  B'Elanna looked out at the water and smiled.
 "Computer, time." Tom requested, breaking the silence.
 "The time is 01:00."
 "Gods, it's late." he said.
 "Yeah," replied B'Elanna, "I guess we should be getting back.  We've both got early shifts tomorrow."
 "Computer, end program.  Save program Paris Gulf."
    The computer chirped in response, and the Gulf Coast Beach was replaced by the black and yellow grid of the holodeck.  Tom stood and offered his hand to B'Elanna.  She took it and allowed him to pull her to her feet, then they left the holodeck.  Later, stopped at the door to her quarters, she turned to face him.
 "I had a really great time, Tom."
 "So did I.  You can use the program whenever you want."
 "Thanks.  Well," she sighed, "I guess this is good night."
 "Not so fast." he replied, looking around.  Satisfied that no one would see them, he pulled her close and brushed her lips gently with his.  "Good night, B'Elanna."
 "Good night, Tom."
    B'Elanna went inside and got ready for bed, but she was far too excited to sleep, so she lay in bed thinking about her date with Tom.  Touching her finger to her lips, she remembered the kiss he had given her.  Just thinking about it was enough to make her knees weak.  *Gods,* she thought, *what am I going to do?*  She sighed happily and drifted off to sleep.
    Tom lay in bed, also unable to sleep.  he couldn't believe that his date with B'Elanna had gone so well.  Remembering the first time he kissed her on the holodeck, he smiled.  He had expected her to deck him, to his pleasant surprise, she responded by pulling him closer.  Maybe she liked him afterall.  He hoped so because he liked her.  He liked the way she was so passionate about her engines, he liked the way she was always ready for a challenge, he loved her eyes, and the rest of her was perfect.  He hadn't been lying when he'd told her he was ready for a real relationship.  He wanted something that would last, and maybe it would even be the best relationship of his life.  One thing was for certain, he knew that this thing he had for B'Elanna was more than just a casual attraction or a fling.  He was in love with her, and wondered if she felt the same way.  He hoped so.  He fell into a peaceful sleep, dreaming about little girls with dark hair and cerulean eyes.
 
On to Part 2
This page hosted by Get your own Free Home Page