"Go ahead, Chakotay," came the captain's voice.
"Kayla won't be joining you on the bridge for a while. I'm afraid i said the wrong thing and she ran away. Again."
Janeway sighed. "Alright. Find her as quickly as you can, Chakotay."
"Aye, Captain. Chakotay out." He ended the communication with janeway and tried to contact Kayla. "Chakotay to Kayla." he waited. "Kayla, answer me!" he demanded. The usually calm Native American was beginning to lose his temper.
"Chakotay," his commbadge sid. "This is B'Elanna. I found a commbadge in the turbolift and heard your voice. It must be Kayla's."
"Right. Thanks, B'Elanna," Chakotay responded, glancing at Ensign Kim. "We've lost her, Ensign," he said needlessly.
"Yes, there is," Kes replied calmly. She opened her mouth to say something else, but she was interrupted.
"I see nothing wrong with you, you may leave now." The emergency Medical Holographic Program, otherwise known as the holodoc, closed his tricorder and proceded to ignore her.
"Thank you Doctor. My headache is gone now," she said cheerfully.
Kes seemed puzzled and asked, "Kayla, didn't anyone give you a commbadge?" The sickbay doors swished open and a very familiar face appeared.
"Actually, they did," Torres said, holding up the commbadge.
"B'Elanna!" Kayla exclaimed, a little surprised.
"Hi, Kayla," Torres replied.
"So, you deserted the Maquis, too, huh?" She didn't mean it to sound as accusing as it did.
"Didn't really have a choice. Chakotay destroyed our ship just after we got here. I actually enjoy it now." B'Elanna held the commbadge out to Kayla.
"Uh uh! No way! I'm not putting that thing back on. They'll find me again." She pushed B'Elanna's hand away gently.
"Torres tapped her own commbadge. "Torres to Kim."
"Kim here."
"We're in sickbay."
"Be right there."
"Computer, seal the doors!" she commanded when Kayla jumped to her feet. The compute chirped in response.
Kayla sighed. "That computer is really starting to annoy me," she said, sitting down on the bed again. B'Elanna unsealed the doors.
The young ensign entered the room with Tom Paris by his side. "Tom!" Kayla said happily. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, letting them dangle. She clasped her hands in her lap and smiled at the charming young liuetenant.
"Kayla!" he said with a grin. He walked over to the bed and sat down next to her.
B'Elanna leaned closer to Kim and whispered, "If anyone else tried to get that close to her she'd attack him."
"I should know," Kim whispered back, remembering all the things Kayla had done to him. Tom looked at Kim and whispered something in Kayla's ear. They both laughed. Tom stopped abruptly when Kim glared at him menacingly.
Kayla looked around. "I suppose you want me to go to the bridge now, right?" she asked casually. Kim walked over to her and offered his arm.
"Sure do," he replied. The others winced as Kayla slapped Kim's hand when he touched her. "Ow!" he shook his hand. "I never realized Ocampans were so strong!"
Kes stepped forward and looked at Kim. "We are not weak because we are Ocampan, Harry. We are weak because we have never had to defend ourselves," she explained.
"Sorry," Kim responded, blushing slightly.
"When you spend six years of your life defending yourself against the Tiasona, you get pretty strong."
"The what?" Paris asked.
"The Tiasona. Surely they've talked to you by now! They look like shadows with eyes."
"Ah, Harbade," Kim said.
"He's their leader. Those people are strong, all right. But i've only seen one race more dull, and that's Vulcans." She shook her head.
B'Elanna and Kim exchanged glances.
"How do you know the Vulacn Race?" Kim asked. "You've only met one Vulcan.'
Kayla smiled. "No, i've met more than one. I've been to Vulcan before." She looked around, then jumped off the bed. "Are we going to the bridge or what?" she asked.
B'Elanna, still wondering why Kaleah had taken her daughter to Vulcan, led the way to the turbolift. Kayla took the commbadge from Torres and slapped it onto her chest. She smiled at Tom and walked through the doors after B'Elanna.
Torres frowned. "I'm afraid Kayla likes me only slightly more than she does Chakotay, Captain," she said regretfully.
Janeway began pacing again. "What about Harry?" she asked hopefully.
"Judging by her reaction in sickbay earlier, i don't think she'll let him near her without a fight," Torres explained.
"There has to be someone she trusts!" Janeway exclaimed in frustration. Kayla could be their way home and no one could get near her!
"She seems to like Tom, Captain, she might talk to him."
Janeway grinned, pattin Torres on the shoulder. "Good work, Lieutenant. I'll get right on it."
Torres grinned with her, and left the ready room.
The computer chirped and responded.; "Lieytenant Tom Paris is in his quarters," it replied. Kayla couldn't quite remember where that was, but she had a rough idea. She dressed quickly and slapped her commbadge on, glancing at the time. "Only 2100 hours, he should still be awake," she mumbled. She washed her sweat drenched face and left the room.
Kayla stood outside her door, trying to remember which direction Tom's room was in. A rather pretty woman with a ridged nose walked past her. Kayla jogged up to her.
"Excuse me," she said politely, keeping pace with the woman. The woman turned to her and smiled.
"Yes?" she asked. She had a soft voice.
"I'm sorry to bother you, but do you know where Tom Paris' quarters are?" she asked shyly.
The woman gave a surprised look but stopped, pointing to her left. "You go straight down the corridor until it turns. His is the first door on the left when you come aroung the corner."
"Thank you," Kayla said, smiling. The woman smiled in reply and proceded down the corridor. "First door on the left," Kayla mumbled, coming around the corner. She walked up to the first door and indicated her presence nervously. A friendly "Come in!" eased her anxiety a little and she walked into the room.
"Kayla!" a startled Tom Paris exclaimed. He sat at a table, studying a computer screen intently. He flicked it off and looked up at her. "This is a surprise."
"If i've caught you at a bad time i can leave..." she took a shy step back towards the door.
"No!" Tom insisted. "I was just about to replicate some Ice Cream. You want some?"
"Uh, sure," Kayla replied. She was sure she had interrupted something, but didn't want to press the issue.
"What flavor?" he asked, standing next to the replicator.
"Whatever you're having," she said quickly.
"Ice cream, Vanilla, two," he said. Two bowls of Vanilla ice cream appeared and he took them, handing one to Kayla. She poked at it with her spoon sadly.
Tom couldn't eat his ice cream either. He set it on the table and walked back to Kayla. He took her chin in his hand and looked into her sad eyes. "Kayla, what's wrong?" he asked quietly.
"I can't tell you, Tom," she replied. She wanted to tell him, but she was afraid he would tell Chakotay. She knew Chakotay had forgotten by now, and she didn't want Tom reminding him.
Tom smiled gently down at her. "Kayla, you know you can talk to me. I promise i won't tell anyone unless it endangers the ship." Tom thought about how he had told Chakotay why Kayla had run away and decided that he ahdn't said he wouldn't tell anyone at that point.
Kayla realized that Tom Paris was right. Who else could she trust?
"All right," she agreed quietly. Tom took her hand and they sat down.
"Now tell me what is is, Kayla. You can trust me." Tom hoped he could keep that promise. Kayla looked up into his eyes. "You remember what i told you at lunch? About how they would want me back?" she asked, remionding him of the conversation they'd had earlier.
"Yeah," Tom replied, not sure where this was leading.
"Well, i had a dream tonight. It was more of a memory, actually. I was seven, and our ship had just crashed on the Tiasonan's planet. My mother was on the floor, bleeding to death." she paused, and looked down at her hands. Tom realized how hard this was for her, and some part of him regretted asking what was wrong. Kayla went on. "I remember a promise she made me make to her. She told me that she would be watching me,. all the time, and that she would do her best to help me keep it." She looked up into his face. "Mama kept her promise, but i haven't kept mine." Tom saw tears welling up in her eyes and immediately pulled her close. "Mama made me promise to forgive Chakotay for what he did. And i was supposed to..." Sobs broke through the words, and Tom held her, hoping that the contact would help.
"Tell me the rest, Kayla," he urged gently.