Author: Saklani Title: Purple Lilacs For a Blue Captain Codes: Janeway/Paris Series: VOY Rating: PG Beta: Cait, Robinmargo Challenge Scenario: One of your characters does something particularly heroic or stupid to impress the other one. Summary: Paris is determined to get Janeway some lilacs, no matter what he has to do! Disclaimer: PARABORG owns all. I make no money, I swear!! Feedback: I would appreciate it. to saklani@wildmail.com Posting- Sure! Go ahead, just let me know where ya put it! Author's Notes: All right! Cait gave me the challenge, and my Muse pounced on it. The title, by the way, comes from an old song sung by Vaughn Monroe. Hope you enjoy! Purple Lilacs For a Blue Captain Lt. Thomas Eugene Paris did not mean to eavesdrop. Really, he didn't! But when he heard Captain Janeway talking to Tuvok, he could not help himself. The two were standing right outside Janeway's quarters. Tom stood a few doors away, hidden by a bend in the hall. "She always put them in a clear crystal vase on the kitchen table for everyone to see. And somehow, replicated flowers are not the same. Silly, isn't it, to miss something as simple as that?" Janeway said. "Not at all, Captain," Tuvok said. "You forget, I raised orchids myself." "I know you must miss that, as well," Janeway said and then sighed. "I'm sorry to burden you with all my little miseries, Tuvok. I guess I needed someone to talk to..." "I am your friend, Captain. I am a logical choice, and I am honored you choose to confide in me. "Thank you, Tuvok. You are a wonderful friend. I do feel a little less homesick." Janeway smiled at him. "You'll see the your mother's lilacs again, Captain," Tuvok said, "and all the things that make them mean so much to you." "Sometimes, Tuvok, I have a hard time believing you are a purely logical Vulcan." Tom could hear the tears in her voice. "That was wonderfully said." The Vulcan inclined his head. "I would never say anything , Captain, that I did not mean." "Of course not. Thank you again, Tuvok. Goodnight." "Good evening, Captain." Janeway entered her quarters as the Vulcan walked away in the opposite direction from Tom. He heaved a sigh of relief once the Commander vanished around a corner. "Lilacs," Tom murmured. "Hmmmm." ********** From that point on, Tom volunteered for every away mission. He went for one special reason: to find Janeway some lilacs. Although he never admitted it to anyone, Tom knew he hd fallen hard for his captain. She believed in him when nobody else had. She gave him his post as helmsman. Everything Tom now had, he owed to her. Besides, Janeway was a very beautiful woman inside and out. She might have a petite body, but she also possessed an iron will and sharp mind that made her seem bigger than everyone else. She was also compassionate and courageous. //And far too good for Thomas Eugene Paris,// Tom thought sadly as he prepared to go out with another away team and search for food supplies. But although he knew Janeway would never care for him, Tom went out of his way to make her happy. Any little thing he could do to please her, he did. In secret, of course, because Tom did not want anybody to find out about his feelings. "Ready to go, Mr. Paris?" Chakotay asked, as Tom walked into the Transporter Room. "Yes, Sir," he said, flashing Chakotay his trademark grin. "You've been volunteering for an awful lot of away missions lately, haven't you?" the big Indian asked. Tom shrugged. "I just like the fresh air." He followed Chakotay on to the transporter pad, where neelix and two other crew members already stood. Chakotay flashed him a disbelieving look before saying, "Energize." ********** They materialized at the edge of a long, thin plateau, surrounded by high mountains. A sea of grass covered the valley, but the mountains were craggy and bare save for a few hardy plants. "Let's get going,"Chakotay said, pulling out his tricorder. "Everybody knows what to look for." They spread out and began scanning for edible plants. Neelix quickly discovered a grass similar to wheat and began instructing one of the crewman on how to harvest them. Chakotay and the other crewman began moving to the right. For his part, Tom moved a little away from the group, so he could scan for lilacs as well as edibles. He traveled along the base of one of cliffs, waving his tricorder in different directions. The tricorder emitted a beep, and Tom looked down at the reading. //Lilacs!// he thought as he read the screen, and his heart sped up. //Where are they?// He looked around , but could not see the plants anywhere. He scanned with the tricorder again and when he pointed it up toward the cliff, it signaled again. Some five hundred feet above his head, grew the lilacs. According to his readings, they sat on a ledge he could see above him. Tom glanced around. Neelix and one crewman continued to harvest grain. Chakotay and the other were out of sight. He looked back up at the cliff face and gauged the difficulty of the climb. The first four hundred feet or so were a fairly gentle slope he could get up easily. However, the last hundred up to the ledge consisted of a vertical rock face. Tom frowned. He was an experienced climber, but he did not have all his equipment with him. Still, he wanted those flowers. Tom decided to go for it. Putting his tricorder back on his belt, he tightened the straps on his backpack. Tom scrambled quickly up the side. He made good time up to the vertical side of the cliff. Once he reached the steep climb, Tom hesitated. His common sense told him to abandon this foolish idea and look for the plant elsewhere. But his brasher nature insisted he go for it. His brasher nature won. He grabbed the face of the cliff and slowly began to ascend. His hand and foot holds felt secure, and Tom soon began to enjoy the climb. His muscles ached a little, but he always enjoyed the challenge of scaling rocks. Tom reached the ledge in good time and hauled himself up. He pulled out a small knife and carefully cut a small bouquet for Janeway. Opening his pack, Tom produced a portable stasis chamber and placed the flowers inside. The chamber would keep them fresh and uncrushed for her. Paris glanced over the side of the ledge and froze. He had forgotten how far down it was. "You can do this, Paris," he muttered. "One step at a time." He placed the flowers in his pack and pulled it back on. Tom carefully edged off the ledge. His right foot instantly found a solid purchase, but his left dangled in air. Scooting back, Tom reached down with his left foot. His hands gripped the top of the ledge tightly. Still, he found nothing to put his left foot on. His right foot suddenly slipped, and Tom propelled several inches backward. He grabbed the ledge and tried to pull himself up, but his momentum was too strong. With a cry of terror, Tom fell into space. ********** Tom opened his eyes and found himself looking into the worried and furious face of Kathryn Janeway. He tried a smile, but his mouth twisted into a grimace of pain instead. "Welcome back, Mr. Paris," the EMH said, moving over to him. He administered a hypospray, and the pain lessened. "May I say how miraculous it is you survived?" Tom started a wisecrack, but glanced at Janeway and decided against it. He was in plenty of trouble already. "I need to speak to MISTER Paris for a few moments in private, Doctor," she said. The EMH nodded. "Please save your worst thrashing until later though, Captain. He is still recuperating." "I won't promise anything," Janeway growled. Tom flinched at the sound. The EMH nodded and walked off. Janeway continued to glare down at Tom. "Well Mr. Paris, just when I think you've gotten over doing stupid things, you go and do something like this. Without a word to your commanding officer, you wander off and endanger your life for no reason at all," she said coldly. "Do you have anything to say for yourself, Mr. Paris?" A million quips floated through Tom's brain. Instead, he surprised himself by saying softly, "Did you like your flowers?" Janeway's anger crumpled in the face of the question. She struggled to maintain her composure, but knew some of her fear and relief got through her mask. "You got them for me?" He nodded. "I wanted to cheer you up." "By killing yourself?" she demanded, getting angry again. He averted his eyes. "I guess I underestimated the danger of the climb." She rolled her hands into fists. "You nearly died! If Chakotay hadn't seen you fall and gotten you immediately to Sickbay , you would be dead!" "That bad, huh?" "You fractured your skull in two places," she said loudly. He blanched in terror, and she let out a loud sigh. "Oh Tom, why are you so careless?" "I really wanted to get those flowers for you," he said softly. "I've been looking for months, and when I saw those, I just had to get them." She shook her head in disbelief. "How can you be so thoughtful and yet so thoughtless at the same time?" He shrugged sullenly. "Practice." She put a hand on his shoulder. "I love the flowers, Tom. Now that I know you meant them for me, I would love to have them for my room. May I?" He brightened a little. "Of course." "And perhaps you might want to see how they look once I get them in a vase," she said lightly. Tom's eyes widened. Surely Janeway had not just said what he thought she said. She was inviting him, of all people, to her quarters? //Isn't that why you decided to get the flowers in the first place?// his mind asked. //They were really just a ploy to get closer to Janeway, weren't they?// Tom pushed the thought away. "I... I would like that very much," he said uncertainly. She smiled down at him. "And then you can tell me how you knew lilacs were my favorite flower." His enthusiasm drained as he thought about trying to explain listening in on her conversation with Tuvok. "Uh, yeah," he said. "I'll leave you to rest for now, Mr. Paris, but don't think we're done with this issue. Despite the fact that you got those flowers for me, I am still forced to take some sort of disciplinary action. I cannot have my officers endangering their lives foolishly, even for such sweet reasons," Janeway said. "I understand, Captain," he said. "Good," she said. "And Tom, thank you for my lovely flowers." Her smile melted his heart. He smiled in return. "It was my pleasure," he said. ********** Several days later, Tom Paris stood nervously outside Janeway's quarters. He reached for the chime, but could not seem to push it. He had never been so nervous about meeting a woman before. //This isn't just any woman,// he thought. //This is Captain Janeway, your commanding officer... and the woman you love.// "She's also completely unlikely to be interested in an idiot like me," he said softly. "So why am I even here?" He lowered his arm and started to walk away. The door swished open behind him. "Mr. Paris?" Janeway sounded confused and concerned to see him leaving. Tom turned back. "Hi, Captain," he said shyly. "I... um... I was just..." "...coming in," she said. "Right," he said. Tom walked into her quarters with a confidence he did not feel. He looked around the room. Her living area was dominated by a central table. On top of the table, arranged neatly in a large antique vase, were his flowers. "I rearranged the whole room just so they could have center stage," Janeway said, moving up to stand beside him. Joy and pride vied for room in his heart. His gift was appreciated. "They look magnificent," he said. "And they smell good, too," she said. He inhaled the scent deeply. "Yes, they do," he said. Tom looked at Janeway and found her staring at him oddly. "What?" he asked. "How did you know I loved lilacs?" He blushed. "I overheard you telling Tuvok about the lilacs your mother used to grow. I didn't mean to listen in, really, but..." "So, you decided to go out and find me some," she said softly. "Yes. I hoped they might make you happy." Janeway spoke without thinking, which was very unusual for her. "You made me happy, Tom. It's nice to know somebody cares this much about me. I get rather lonely here at the top." She bit her lip. //Why did I admit all of that?// Tom looked at her intently. "You're not alone," he said. "Everyone on board supports you." Janeway nodded. "Of course they do. You're quite right, Mr. Paris." "But that's not what you mean, is it?" he asked with a sudden burst of insight. "You mean that there is nobody close to you." She considered lying to him, but finally nodded her agreement. "Yes, exactly. As captain, I feel I can't let my feelings for any one crew member to interfere with my duty." "You wouldn't" he said confidentially. "I can't be sure of that," she said, "and I cannot afford to take the risk. There is too much at stake." "I don't see where having an unhappy captain is good for the ship," Tom said, his mouth way ahead of his brain. She shot him an icy glance. He looked back at her earnestly. Janeway softened a bit. "Perhaps you're right," she said, "but I hardly think anybody would be interested in..." "I would," he blurted before she finished. Tom turned bright red upon realizing what he just said, Janeway stared at him in shock. "Do you mean that, Tom? she asked softly. She sounded more vulnerable than he had ever heard. He nodded. "More than anything," Tom said with the utmost sincerity. Janeway looked at her helmsman for a long time, trying to absorb everything that had happened. //How can this have occurred so quickly?// Her thoughts tumbled over themselves, and she tried to get them into some semblance of order. During her struggle, she realized one thought dominated over all the others. She wanted this. She wanted Tom. Her mind and heart were tired of this constant battle to be a captain all the time. They needed some freedom and companionship. They demanded it. A small smile ghosted across her lips. "If we go forward with this," she said, "it will have to be slowly. I've not been in a relationship for a long time, and I need to feel my way." His mouth dropped open. "You... you mean... you want a relationship with me? "Yes, Tom, I do. I never admitted it to myself before this moment, but I find you attractive. I guess I always have." She stepped forward until she stood right in front of him. He looked down into her eyes and felt his knees go weak. "I thought you were the most beautiful woman I ever saw the first time we met," he babbled. "Why Mr. Paris, you have quite a flattering way with words, don't you?" she said teasingly, although she blushed at the compliment. "Only for you now," he said. "I can get used to that," she purred back, "and you better mean it, mister." "With all my heart," he said. She reached up and pulled him down. Just before she kissed him, Kathryn whispered, "Those flowers were the nicest gift I ever received, until you gave me yourself." THE END