Star Trek: Voyager: Alternate Universe: P/T

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Love, In All The Wrong Places

Ensign B’Elanna Torres sat in her quarters thinking about the past few days. The ship she was on, Voyager had been in battle with the Jengar. A brutal race that was more technologically advanced than the people on her ship were. Voyager had taken a beating but came out the victors in this battle. The last few days had been busy ones, repairing all the damage that had been done to the ship. Ensign Torres loved working in Engineering and frequently would work 16-hour days, more if they would let her. Even when the ship was in good shape, she worked more hours than was required of her. She rarely spent her off-hours socializing. She had one real good friend, Ensign Harry Kim. Sometimes Harry could get B’Elanna to go to the holodeck with him for a game of hoverball. They always ate together when it was possible. Some people had even made bets as to when Harry and B’Elanna would become romantically involved. B’Elanna knew that those bets were ludicrous. She had no romantic feelings for Harry at all. He was a true good friend. Almost like having a big brother. Harry felt like B’Elanna was his kid sister. He wanted to protect her from certain people’s ridicule but knew that mentally B’Elanna really didn’t care and physically B’Elanna could easily take himself in a fight.

B’Elanna was half-Klingon, half-human. This made for a lot of conflicting emotions that stirred inside her. Klingons were honor-bound warriors, while humans were self-serving emotional people. Humans were always in love with someone or something and sex to humans had no meaning most of the time. Klingons however, took one mate and that was for life. B’Elanna was always in an inner struggle with the two sides of herself. The Klingon side needed to be toned down and her human side needed strength and courage. Her Klingon side usually was the winner of the two, especially when it came to matters of the heart. She had been promiscuous on a couple of occasions when she was younger and didn’t really enjoy the experience. Her only sexual partners had been humans, Klingon men found her disgustingly ugly. The humans really hadn’t cared for B’Elanna but only wanted to see what it was like to be with a Klingon or a half-Klingon. They were supposed to be very wild in the mating department. B’Elanna had decided that the physical pleasure she received from the encounters did not make the experiences she had worthwhile and vowed never to have casual sex again. It would be the Klingon way or no way.

"Janeway to Torres", chirped her communicator.

"Torres here", replied B’Elanna.

"I’d like to meet with you in my chambers immediately."

"I’m on my way."

B’Elanna got up off her bed and put her boots back on, so she could meet with the Captain. Captain Janeway had become a very important person to B’Elanna. It was almost as if the Captain was a second mother to B’Elanna. B’Elanna’s real mother was back in the Alpha quadrant, but that didn’t seem to matter to B’Elanna because even when they weren’t physically far from each other, emotionally they were. B’Elanna had a very big falling out with her mother when she was a teenager and they hadn’t spoken since. B’Elanna had always felt that their problems were her own fault. B’Elanna’s real father, a human, had died when she was five years old. B’Elanna’s mother, a Klingon, had re-married when B’Elanna was seven, and hence started all the problems. B’Elanna hated to think about it, but when she thought about Janeway being like a second mother she couldn’t help but to remember all the bad times her and her mother had and how much she really wanted everything to work out between her mother and herself.

B’Elanna moved her hand over the door pad and heard the standard door chime. "Come in," said the Captain. B’Elanna entered and Janeway motioned for B’Elanna to sit down in the chair and so she did. The Captain told B’Elanna that she was going to be sent down to the planet they were orbiting and scout for some metals that could be useful for the ship. B’Elanna would be in charge of this mission. It would consist only of Ensign Torres and Ensign Kim. B’Elanna was ecstatic about the mission and her being in charge. This would be her first mission to lead. She thanked the Captain for her faith in her and left the room to return to her quarters. As she walked back to her quarters, she was in deep thought about the mission, what to do, what to take, what if something happens. Then B’Elanna said to herself that if the Captain had faith in her, then she would have faith in herself. After all, she wasn’t the chief engineer, but everyone on the ship knew that she was the smartest and hardest working in the engineering department. The only reason she wasn’t the chief engineer was a political one. Still she couldn’t help but feeling a little nervous inside.

When she returned to her quarters, she made a list of everything that she would need and got ready for the mission. Even though she wouldn’t be leaving until the morning, she didn’t want to chance anything happening to mess things up. After she felt like she was physically prepared for the mission, she began going over in her mind some different scenarios that could possibly happen on this mission. She had a plan for everything, so she thought. With all that done, she got ready for bed with every intention of going to sleep. She couldn’t however get this uneasy feeling out of her stomachs. She felt as if something major was going to happen, or going to change, but then decided that she was just nervous about leading an away mission. She was finally able, after some hot chocolate to fall fast asleep.

The next morning, B’Elanna woke up before her alarm even went off. She couldn’t wait to get this mission started. She took a real shower, not one of those sonic showers. Then she got dressed and double-checked all her stuff.

"Torres to Kim."

"Kim Here."

"I’d like to meet you for breakfast now, if you’re ready."

"Yes, I'm ready. I’ll see you in a few minutes Torres."

B’Elanna headed for the mess hall to meet Harry. On her way there, she realized that the uneasy feeling that she had the night before was still with her. She shrugged it off as nerves because it was her first mission. * It is an easy mission B’Elanna, not much can really go wrong. You know you can handle it *, thought B’Elanna. B’Elanna got to the mess hall and got her food, if you could call it food. She looked for Harry and when she spotted him, she went and sat with him. They talked about the mission and finished their breakfast and then headed for their quarters to retrieve their gear. Then they met at the transporter room at 0800 hours to beam down to the planet.

B’Elanna and Harry materialized on the planet and both had their breath taken away because of the beauty of the planet. "It’s beautiful," said B’Elanna. Harry nodded and continued to look around. Then they both took out their tricorders and scanned the area for any metals that they might find useful for the ship. Initial scans from Voyager revealed that there were lots of metals that they could retrieve. B’Elanna and Harry grabbed their gear and started walking west which is the direction their tricorder said the mass amount of metals would be. After about a ten-minute walk they came across a cave. Scans of the cave, revealed that this would be a good place to try to get their metals. They entered the cave cautiously and set-up for metal retrieval.

They had been busy collecting metals for about two hours when Torres heard a loud noise outside the cave.

"Torres to Voyager."

B’Elanna got no response. She motioned for Harry to stay where he was and she went to see if she could get a look outside. B’Elanna’s stomachs were getting even more uneasy. *Something just had to go wrong * thought B’Elanna. *I think I am cursed. * B’Elanna peaked outside of the cave to see what was going on. To her surprise a whole group of alien creatures of which she wasn’t sure of their race came running towards the cave. She ran back down to Harry and yelled at him what was going on. Her Klingon temper was starting to take control of her. B’Elanna and Harry ran further into the caves to try and find a place to hide. They managed to find a place and was able to watch the group of aliens take all the metals that they had collected. They were heavily armed and B’Elanna knew that if they were caught that there would be no way out. She couldn’t help but to wonder what happened to her ship Voyager. The aliens after taking all the metals they had collected started collecting metals of their own. They had been hiding for about two hours when all of a sudden, one of the aliens started yelling and pointing their way. B’Elanna had a few bad words go through her mind as she realized that she and Harry were probably as good as dead. Four of the aliens came over and pointed weapons at Harry and B’Elanna. B’Elanna looked at Harry and communicated to him to cooperate. They both did. The aliens took Harry and B’Elanna outside of the cave and spouted off some words that they couldn’t understand to what appeared to be the alien in charge.

The next thing they knew, they were being transported to a ship. They materialized there and saw a darkly lit room with a bunch of people of different races working very hard. They appeared to be refining the metals that B’Elanna and Harry had collected on the planet. B’Elanna figured it was some type of slave ship where they too were probably going to end up slaving away at refining metals. * Great my first mission kind of sucks so far, * thought B’Elanna. B’Elanna looked around the room to see if there was any way to get out. She then looked at Harry who gave her a very concerned look. She started to feel really awful that she let this happen. Harry didn’t blame B’Elanna, but he knew that she blamed herself. The aliens started to grab Harry and B’Elanna and push them forward. They ended up going down a bunch of corridors to another room that had a lot more light in it. They were handed clothes to put on. B’Elanna refused to cooperate and one of the aliens slugged her. She fought back but the alien then pointed a phaser to Harry’s head. With that, B'Elanna ceased to fight them off. She was just going to have to figure a way out of this mess; she wasn’t so concerned about herself as she was Harry. B’Elanna’s life had been basically all hell and she didn’t much care what happened to herself, however she did care about Ensign Kim. He was her friend and had his whole life ahead of him.

They changed into the clothes that they were handed. They were like overalls, loose and baggy. * Yuck! I look horrible in these lime green clothes. * She looked at Harry and almost started to laugh at him, his outfit was a bright pink. Harry gave B’Elanna one of his ‘Don’t you laugh at me’ looks. B’Elanna regained her composure and patted Harry on the shoulder. "We’re going to get out of here Harry", B’Elanna told him. Harry nodded. The aliens started pushing them out of the room and back down to the other room where they had first materialized. They stood and watched as other people; ones that had obviously been captured like they had were forced to work with the metals.

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On the bridge of the ship, the Captain called his first officer to him. "Go check the new recruits". "Yes, sir!" The first officer of the ship was a tall, blonde human man with cerulean blue eyes. His name was Thomas Paris. He had been aboard this ship for almost two years now. Before that he had been in prison for murder and when he was released from prison, he drifted from ship to ship, never staying on one longer than a few months. This ship, the Galaganis had been his best ship yet. He had no plans to change ships again. Tom came aboard this ship and was quickly promoted to first officer after an altercation took place between himself and the former first officer. Tom had also saved the ship on several occasions. The Captain recognized his achievements and promoted him. That was about 1 ½ years ago. Tom had become very comfortable with his position on this ship and was also good at his job. Tom was almost a genius when it came to getting out of tough situations, which this ship had plenty of. Tom’s fighting skills were among the best. When one spends time in prison, one learns to defend himself quite well.

Mr. Paris, First Paris as he was called, was headed towards the mining room. He was thinking how lucky he was to have found this ship and how things had worked out so well for him here. Before this ship, his life was hell. His father hated him and made him feel worthless because Tom could never do anything to his fathers’ satisfaction. Tom’s mother died when he was seven and ever since then he had been on bad terms with his father. Tom left home when he was sixteen and has talked to his father only three times since then. That was over fifteen years ago since he had left home. Tom was a loner and didn’t have many friends on the ship. His position didn’t really allow for friendships to be formed, but that was okay with Tom because he didn’t make friends easy and he really wasn’t used to having any.

As First Paris approached the mining room, he started to get this feeling in his stomach, like he was nervous. He stopped to think about his stomach and tried to remember if he had forgotten to do something. He couldn’t figure out what he felt nervous about. It was kind of like a feeling that something major in his life was going to happen but he had no clue as to what. He continued his approach to the mining room.

When he arrived at the mining room, he looked around to see what was going on. Then he had his breath taken away. He stood there breathless, mesmerized by what he saw before him. She was intoxicatingly beautiful. The most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He gasped for air while continuing to stare at the woman. * Gods, she’s so beautiful. * His stomach became one big knot as he thought of how he would love to put his arms around this beautiful woman and kiss her all over and take her to be his. His manliness became astir and he found himself very uncomfortable at what was happening to his body.

Watching the alien guard punch her in the face brought Paris back to the present. He ran over to the guard and grabbed his hand to keep him from punching the woman again. He threw the guard against a wall and held him there with his arm under his chin. "I’ll kill you if you ever touch her again," said Paris to the guard in a voice that left no room for any doubt that he was serious. The guard blinked his eyelids at Paris confirming that he understood what was just told of him. Paris let the guard go and turned around to see the woman he had just watched get punched, being helped off the ground by another man. He approached both of them and the feeling in his stomach was getting tighter the closer he got to her. He wasn’t sure of what to say or do but he knew he had to be close to her.

"Are you okay" he said to her.

"Yes, thank you. I’m B’Elanna Torres and this is Harry Kim. We were taken from a planet and transported here. How did you get here?"

"I work on this ship. My name is Tom Paris. I am the first officer to the Captain. I just came down to see how things were going."

Tom heard a growl come from the woman standing before him.

"You’re a PIG Mr. Paris" B’Elanna said in an angry voice. "Why were we taken from the planet? I demand an answer now! If you don’t return us to our ship I guarantee you that there will be hell to pay."

Tom’s heart stopped beating as he was fascinated by this woman’s anger. * She’s beautiful and strong. *

"Answer me Damn It!" B’Elanna demanded.

"Uh, I’m sorry you were taken away from your ship but you are stuck here now and you will have to work in our mining room."

Tom felt pain for B’Elanna, but knew that there was nothing he could do to get her back to her ship. He could however try to make her stay here better than what it normally would be. Most woman taken aboard the ship were worked in the mining room during the day and at night taken to the various crew persons quarters to provide sexual gratification. The thought of her being taken by another man angered Tom and he decided then that she would be his. Whatever he had to do, he wasn’t going to let anyone hurt her. He never felt so much for one person in his entire life.

Tom checked the rest of the room and when he decided that everything was in order he headed back to the bridge. He stopped before leaving the room to get one more glimpse of this beautiful woman. He had to have her. * I want her, she’s so beautiful. * He turned around and headed back to the bridge. As he walked, all he could think about was B’Elanna. Her image of brown hair and chocolate eyes stayed in his mind. She had ridges on her forehead, he thought she might be part Klingon but wasn’t sure. Tom hadn’t been with a woman in over two years. He had had too many one-night stands in his life and got very tired of it. But he found that no woman wanted anything more than a one-night stand. His father had told him that he was not worth loving and that’s exactly how Tom felt. He had given up on the idea of ever having a loving relationship with anyone. He’d decided that he should concentrate on his career and that is exactly what he had done. Tom knew that this woman was probably taken by someone else on her other ship and she would not want anything to do with a scum like himself but he knew that if he didn’t claim her, the other crewmembers would. If only to protect her, he would ask the Captain if he could have her as his very own slave.

Tom entered the bridge and approached the Captain and informed him that everything was going as planned and that the mining operation was becoming a success.

"Captain, May I have a word with you in private?" asked First Paris.

The Captain nodded and got up from his chair and left the bridge to go to a meeting room. When they entered the room, the Captain had a concerned looked on his face.

"What is this about First?" the Captain asked inquisitively.

"I would like to claim a woman as my own slave" Paris said nervously.

He wasn’t used to asking for anything from the Captain. The Captain laughed for a few minutes and then gained his composure. This really made Tom even more nervous.

* What was so funny? * Tom wondered.

The Captain finally said "Well it is about time Tom, I was wondering if you would ever request your own woman." Relief poured through Tom’s veins as he too started to laugh.

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Back at the mining room B’Elanna and Harry were hard at work. It was hot and B’Elanna grew tired and bored of the work that she was being made to do. It was tedious work that didn’t require much thought. She was trying to figure a way out but nothing seemed to be coming to her mind. She moved over to where Harry was working and asked him how he was doing.

"I’m okay B’Elanna, don’t worry about me."

"I am responsible for you Harry, I can’t help but worry about you. I will find a way out of here for us " B’Elanna said as positively as she could.

Harry grinned at her and that made her feel better. Harry sure was a good sport about this whole thing, better than she would be if the situation was reversed. A guard approached B’Elanna, the same one that hit her earlier. He raised his hand to her, but then lowered it. B’Elanna saw fear in his eyes as he remembered what the First Officer had told him. "Quit talking and get back to work" the guard told B’Elanna with a sneer on his face. Harry put his hand on B’Elanna’s shoulder and gave her a ‘Don’t cause trouble B’Elanna’ look. She knew what he was saying and quietly moved back to where she was sitting and continued to work.

B’Elanna’s hands were getting sore after mining the metal for about four hours now. It seemed like an eternity. She was getting hungry and thirsty also. Right then a bell sounded and people started to move around and out of the room. She wasn’t sure what was going on but ran over to Harry and gave him a questioning look. A guard shoved a phaser in her back and told her to move forward. B’Elanna and Harry both started to walk forward following all the other people. They were led down a long corridor. B’Elanna could only think of how this might be an opportunity for escape. She would have to pay close attention to every detail. They entered a room with a bunch of tables. It appeared to be a mess hall of some sorts. B’Elanna followed the person before her and ended up standing in a line. At the head of the line food was being served. B’Elanna was grateful because her stomachs were empty and she was dying of thirst. Harry got his tray of food and they found a table to sit. B’Elanna tried to make conversation with the person sitting next to her in hopes that she could make some allies and her chances of escaping could increase, however all attempts at making conversation failed. No one would even look at her. * Cowards * she thought. B’Elanna and Harry finished their food and then sat there for a few minutes, both wondering what was next. Hopefully not any more mining, that was so boring. The guards sounded another bell and started ushering people out of the mess hall and back down the corridor to the mining room. B’Elanna’s blood started to boil. Her Klingon temper was hard to control and the thought of mining just angered her. She looked at Harry and saw his concerned face and she managed to get her anger under control. She had to stay calm for his sake.

Two more hours of mining almost sent B’Elanna into a state of mass hysteria. She felt like killing everyone in front of her. Another bell rang and B’Elanna sighed a sigh of relief. She didn’t know what was going to happen but was grateful for the change, whatever it would be.

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Tom had returned to his normal duties as first officer on the ship but his mind was preoccupied with B'Elanna Torres. He had sent word down to the mining room that she was to be left alone and that he was claiming her as his slave. He felt safe that no one would challenge him for her since he was the best fighter on the ship and a challenge was a challenge to the death. He couldn’t wait for his shift to get over. He thought of what he would do or say to her but came up blank. * I just need to be near her, to know she’s safe. I can protect her and – No. I won’t force myself on her, no matter how much I want to be with her. She’s too beautiful to take in that way. If I ever have her it will be with both of us willing participants. * He wasn’t sure how his body was going to take it but his heart and mind could never hurt her, he only wanted to love her.

When his shift ended he quickly returned to his quarters to get ready to bring this beautiful woman to his quarters. His stomach was getting in knots again. The thought of being alone with her made him lose his breath. He stopped what he was doing and tried to gain control of himself. His mind became a blur of thoughts of making mad, passionate love to her. His groin started to stir and he found himself in need of a cold shower.

After showering he finished cleaning his quarters, he didn’t want to appear to be a slob. He wasn’t sure why he was even trying to do anything to make her like him, she had already called him a pig, and it wasn’t likely that he was going to be able to convince her that he wasn’t the bad guy.

He realized that it was time for the prisoners to be done with the mining and that the crewmembers would be down there picking out prisoners to do sexual favors. He headed down the corridor to the mining room, his stomach becoming a knot again.

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B’Elanna watched as several aliens came and dragged women off out of the room. B’Elanna quickly picked up on what was going on. She was irritated at herself for previously thinking that anything would be better than mining. * I will kill the poor bastard who thinks he can take me * B’Elanna thought. Then she saw that man that had tried to help her earlier. * It’s that First Officer Tom Paris, I guess he is going to get him some tonight. He probably thinks he is the galaxy’s gift to woman. PIG! *

B’Elanna sat there as she saw Tom catch a glimpse of her. He almost looked as if he was looking for her. He started to walk towards her. She started to get a knot in her stomachs but didn’t know why. She looked at Harry as Tom approached her. Harry was unsure of what to do, so he just sat there waiting to see what was going to happen. B’Elanna felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to look up. She saw the most beautiful blue eyes ever. She almost lost herself in them. "Get up and come with me now!" Tom demanded. B’Elanna spit in his face. Harry grabbed her arm and told her to calm down. Tom wiped his face and grinned at B’Elanna. This angered her even more. "I will not come with you, you PIG!"

Tom grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet. B’Elanna then punched Tom in the stomach. He bent over some at the pain but did not release his grip on her arm. He grabbed her other arm with his other hand and pushed her down. He stood there staring at her and her fiery eyes. "You will come with me and you will do it now or I’ll knock you out and carry you over my shoulders!" Tom said with a firm voice. B’Elanna spat at him again. He then picked her up and put his arms around her to where she couldn’t move anything except her legs. She started to kick him in his shins. He threw her to the ground and got on top of her. She tried to buck him off but he was stronger than she was. She was surprised at this; most human men were not as strong as she was. Her Klingon heritage gave her more strength than a full-blooded human would have had. Tom grinned at B’Elanna knowing that she realized that he was in control. * Gods she is so beautiful, I would love to kiss those exotic lips * Tom then felt his jaw almost break. He had lost his concentration and she had gotten loose and decked him. He quickly regained control over her and laughed. She growled at him.

Tom got up and picked her up as well. They both noticed that everyone was staring and watching as this must have been the highlight of the evening. An alien approached them and they both turned to look at him. Tom thought he was going to be challenged but the alien walked past them and walked up to Harry. B’Elanna’s attention quickly turned to Harry and what was going on with him. Harry stood as the alien approached him. "Come with me" the alien told Harry. Harry, not wanting to cause any trouble, went with the alien. B’Elanna however pushed Tom away and jumped on the alien. Tom quickly got hold of her and held her back. The alien was really upset but saw that she was with the First Officer and decided it wasn’t worth causing any trouble. He then grabbed Harry and led him out of the room. "NO!" B’Elanna screamed. A tear formed in her eye as she watched Harry being led out of the room. Tom’s heart stopped as he felt the pain that his B’Elanna was feeling. He loosened his grip on her and whispered into her ear "It’ll be okay B’Elanna."

She quit resisting him knowing that he was stronger than she was and she really didn’t care at this point since all she could think about was Harry. He led her back to his quarters. After they entered he put the privacy lock on his room. B’Elanna felt that knot in her stomachs tense up. She knew what this man wanted and she knew he would probably win in the end. She wasn’t going to give it to him without a fight though. Tom took B’Elanna over to his couch and sat her down. She had so much pain in her face. He wondered how such a beautiful face could have so much pain on it. He wanted to hold her in his arms and kiss her * stop it Tom, you can’t keep thinking like that * he told himself.

"Would you like something to drink?" Tom asked as politely as he could.

"Yes, I would."

Tom fixed her a drink and handed it to her. He sat down next to her and his body started to take on a life of its own. He decided it would be better if he sat away from her or else he would spend the entire night in a cold shower. B’Elanna took the drink and noticed that Tom had changed where he was sitting. This confused her. She couldn’t quite figure out why Tom would want someone so ugly as herself, but then figured it was because he must have figured out that she was part Klingon and wanted to see what it would be like to have sex with her. He looked like the type who could have any woman he wanted. It seemed like he really enjoyed fighting with her earlier, so it must be some kind of challenge to him.

Tom sat there and tried to figure out what he was going to do with this woman of his. He decided that it would be best if he taught her how to defend herself. If there ever came a time when he wasn’t around, he wanted to feel that she would be able to fight off not only one, but several men at once. That would probably be how it would be anyway, several men trying to take his woman.

Tom got up and took the glass away from B’Elanna, he knew he would have to be strong with her, even though he just wanted to hold her in his arms. He put the glass away and stood in front of B’Elanna and told her to get up. She sat there looking at him with a blank stare. She wasn’t going to give him anything he asked for without a fight. Tom grabbed B’Elanna’s arm and pulled her up. She noticed how strong he was. "You will do what I say or I’ll make life hell here for you" Tom said as sternly as he could. B’Elanna didn’t care and slugged him with her other arm. Tom heard his jaw crack and felt the agonizing pain that she had just caused him. He held on to her though and dragged her to his bathroom where he got a bone regenerator. He fixed his jaw while she stood there smiling at him. * I love this woman * Tom thought. * I must be a crazy fool but she is so beautiful. *

After Tom fixed his jaw, he knew he wouldn’t have any problem getting her to fight him. Teaching her to fight might be a little more complicated. Tom pushed B’Elanna down on the ground and held her there. "What are you going to do now my little cat woman?" Tom said with a sly attitude. B’Elanna growled at him. Tom felt excited by her growling and wished she wouldn’t do it because, being on top of her, he was having trouble controlling his manliness. B’Elanna tried to buck him off, but was unsuccessful. She then tried to kick him, bite him and slug him. All were unsuccessful attempts. She spat in his eye and while Tom momentarily winced, she broke his hold on her and pushed him off of her. She went to punch him again but Tom grabbed her arm and stopped her. He was really enjoying this. B’Elanna and Tom fought for about an hour. B’Elanna was exhausted, especially after working all day in the mining room. Tom sensed how tired she was getting and asked her if she would like to take a break and eat. B’Elanna was startled by this but decided to take the break she was offered.

Tom ordered up two dinners for him and B’Elanna. He gave her the plate of food, which she gladly excepted. Tom couldn’t help but to stare at B’Elanna while she ate. This made B’Elanna feel very uncomfortable. She wasn’t sure why he was staring.

"Why are you staring at me?" B’Elanna said angrily.

"Because you are beautiful when you’re hot and sweaty." Tom said with a grin on his face.

B’Elanna knew he must be making fun of her and how ugly she was. She threw the plate of food at Tom.

"You’re a PIG!" she said.

Tom was startled by her reaction, especially after giving her a compliment.

"You’re beautiful when you’re angry too!" Tom said to B’Elanna.

Tom cleaned the food off his shirt and then walked over to where B’Elanna was sitting. He stood over her and told her that it was time she got some sleep.

"Aren’t you going to…uh?"

"No! I’m not," Tom said in an angry voice, cutting B’Elanna off before she could finish her question.

"Just go in there and get in the bed and get some sleep." Tom said.

B’Elanna wasn’t sure what was going on but decided this was one time she better just do as he said without fighting him.

Tom lied on his couch thinking about the woman in his bed. * Gods I want her! * He was thinking about how much he really enjoyed fighting with her. No other woman had ever taken his heart the way B’Elanna had. He went to check on B’Elanna before he went to sleep. She was already sound asleep. * Gods she is beautiful * It was all he could do not to go lie down next to her and hold her and make love to her. He wasn’t sure how he was ever going to get through life now that he had her, but he knew in his heart that he could never hurt her. He was in love with her. His heart melted as he watched her sleep.

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B’Elanna woke up feeling very rested. She remembered everything that happened and vowed to herself to find a way to escape. She got out of the bed and went into the other room where she saw Tom sleeping on the couch. She quickly went to the door and started to try and open it. She was unsuccessful as she heard the computer voice come over the communications system. * Damn It * B’Elanna thought. Tom woke up and realized that his beautiful B’Ella was trying to get out of the room. Tom got up and went to the door where he saw her trying to get out.

"Need any help?" Tom said sarcastically.

"Yes, please, I can’t seem to get out of here" B’Elanna replied just as sarcastically. Tom walked over to B’Elanna and put his arms around her. To his surprise she didn’t resist. Tom just wanted to make her feel better. B’Elanna was confused why he was holding her the way he was. It wasn’t to restrain her, but it felt more like he was trying to comfort her. For a moment she relished the feeling that it brought her. Then she pushed him away and started trying to get the door open.

"It’s useless B’Ella."

"What did you call me?"

"I called you B’Ella, now leave the door alone. I’ll fix you some breakfast."

"I don’t want any food!" B’Elanna yelled.

"You’re going to need your strength for mining."

"I have to mine again today?" B’Elanna said with a lower tone of voice.

"Yes, I’m sorry but that is what you are here for. I’ll see if I can get you out of it, but I wouldn’t get your hopes up."

"I don’t think I can stand another day mining" B’Elanna said with a quiver in her voice.

Tom sensed that she really was serious and walked up to her and put his arms around her. Again she didn’t resist him. She felt so good in his arms. He didn’t want to let her go.

"What did you do on the ship you came from B’Ella?"

"I worked in engineering."

"Everything will be okay B’Ella" Tom whispered in B'Elanna’s ear.

All B’Elanna could think about was how she was going to get through another day of mining. She had to find a way to escape. She wondered how Harry had faired through the night.

Tom went to get their food.

"Come and sit down B’Ella, I have your food ready."

B’Elanna came and got her food and ate it very slowly. Tom felt his heart melt as he knew the pain she must be feeling.

"I promise I’ll try to get you out of there." Tom said very warmly to her. B’Elanna smiled and said thanks.

"Why are you doing this?" B’Elanna said inquisitively.

"Don’t worry about that, just eat your food" Tom said in a gruff voice.

Tom grabbed B’Elanna’s arm and told her it was time to go back to the mining room. Tom almost kissed her on the forehead but was able to stop himself. He led her down the corridors and he felt his stomach getting a knot in it. He didn’t want to do this but knew he had to. He would approach the Captain first thing about getting her out of the mining room.

As Tom walked towards the bridge, he felt sickened at having to leave the woman he loved in the mining room. He couldn’t believe how much his life had changed in just one day. Yesterday, the most important thing to him was his career, now it was B’Elanna. He felt his whole life purpose was to love this woman and he would do anything for her. He knew that she must have been worried about her friend so he decided that he would check up on him and see how things had went for him. Maybe he could do something for Harry and he knew that would make B’Ella happy. All he could find out was that he had been treated well and no physical harm had come to him. Harry had been taken to the processing room. Tom knew that B’Ella would be worried when she didn’t see her friend so he decided that as soon as it was possible he would check on the prisoners and that way he could tell her about Harry.

 ******************************************************************************************

B’Elanna was almost in tears because she didn’t know what had happened to Harry. She thought that he probably was killed or badly injured. She could barely concentrate on what she was doing. Harry was her best friend and she had let him down. B’Elanna watched the guards every move hoping to find a way to escape. She decided that she was going to have to try something even if it was hopeless. Her friend could be injured and need her to help him. With that thought, she jumped up and ran to the door knocking down several workers and two guards. There were three guards by the door and she managed to knock one of them down. The other two however held phasers at her head. She stood there for a moment and then the other guard got back on his feet and grabbed her from behind. The two guards in front of her decided she needed to learn a lesson. One guard held the phaser to her head while the other one beat her with his fist over and over. She ended up with many facial lacerations and a few broken bones. She was then taken back to her seat and told to get busy. She did the best she could but the broken bones really hurt. She saw one of the guards that she had knocked down stare at her. He then got up and went to the other two guards who had beaten her. He started yelling in a language she did not know. She wasn’t sure of what was going on, so she continued with the mining process.

******************************************************************************************

Tom entered the bridge and approached the Captain. "Captain may I have a word with you in private?" Tom said firmly to the Captain. The Captain laughed at Tom. "This is becoming a habit with you First"

"Yes sir but it is very important to me."

"Very well then." Said the Captain.

They both left the bridge and went to the meeting room.

"What is it First?"

"Captain, I would like to see if there is any way I could get B’Ella out of the mining room?"

"Who is this B’Ella?" the Captain asked.

"Oh she is the woman that I chose to be mine" Tom replied.

"I will have to think about it First. We need people to do the mining and if I let your woman not mine then everyone will want their woman not to mine."

"Please Captain, I will do whatever it takes to get her away from there."

"I will consider it First, now return to your duties."

"Yes sir," Tom said.

Tom returned to his duties but his thoughts were only of her. He couldn’t wait to see her again. He had only been away from her for an hour but it seemed like an eternity to him. He decided it was time for him to do a check of the mining room. How he was going to get through an eight-hour shift, he didn’t know but he knew he couldn’t check on the prisoners every hour. Tom headed for the mining room.

 *****************************************************************************************

When Tom entered the mining room he looked around for B’Elanna, at first he didn’t see her so he looked again. He then saw her sitting crouched over. Tom ran over to her to see if she was okay. When he got to her he realized that she had been hurt. He very gently lifted her face. Anger flooded through him when he saw the bruises on her face. He asked her if she was okay and B'Elanna gave him a nod yes. Tom then went to the guards and demanded to know who did it. One of the guards confessed and tried to explain why he did it but before he could get any words out of his mouth, Tom had jumped on him and started to pound his face in with his fist. The other guards stood back, they didn’t want to get involved in this matter. A loud crack was heard coming from the guard that Tom was fighting. Tom had broken his neck in a swift twist. Tom stood up and started ranting about the next one who touched his beloved B’Elanna would end up the same way. All the guards bowed to Tom and acknowledged what he had said. Tom wiped the sweat off his forehead and walked back to B’Elanna. B’Elanna had just enough strength to sit up and smile at Tom. Tom grinned at her in a loving way.

"Let’s get you to the doctor."

"I’ll be okay," B’Elanna said with a wince.

"No, I am taking you to the doctor and there won’t be any discussion of the matter" Tom replied angrily.

Tom picked B’Elanna up and carried her in his arms all the way to see the doctor.

The doctor healed B’Elanna’s cuts, bruises, and broken bones and then Tom took her back to his quarters.

"Why did the guards hurt you B’Elanna?" Tom asked.

"Because I tried to get away. I was worried about my friend Harry."

Tom understood how she must have been feeling but at the same time he was a little angry with her for trying to get away.

"Well I was coming to tell you about your friend Harry. He is okay. He was taken to the processing room instead of the mining room. Most men are. I spoke to the person who took him last night and they said he was treated well." Tom told B’Elanna.

"Can I see him?"

"No, you can’t."

"Why not?" B’Elanna said with a little anger in her voice.

"Because it isn’t permitted, that’s why. You should already be in trouble for the stunt you pulled, but because of me you won’t be. The next time you decide to escape, don’t do it unless you know you can get away with it. I may not be around next time to help you out." Tom told B’Elanna in his gruff voice.

"I’ll do what and when I please!" B’Elanna yelled.

"Like hell you will."

B’Elanna went to hit Tom but Tom grabbed her arm before she could swing at him. B’Elanna growled at him. Tom hated it when she did that because as before his groin started to stir and his thoughts went from anger to lust. Tom pushed B’Elanna on the ground and got on top of her and held her down. She fought back as hard as she could but it was no use, Tom was much stronger than her and knew how to keep her down. B’Elanna just laid there staring at Tom and he stared back. The longer he looked at her the more his heart melted. He wanted her so badly he could hardly stand it. He knew that he must get off of her and soon because she would eventually noticed how excited he was.

"I’ll see if I can arrange a meeting between you and your friend if you’ll promise me that you will not get into any more trouble." Tom said in a pleading voice.

"I promise" B’Elanna replied to him in a low voice. She looked deep into his eyes and saw concern in them.

* Does he really care if I get hurt * B’Elanna wondered. Tom got off B’Elanna and helped her up.

"I have to get back to work now, stay here for a while and rest and I’ll be back later to take you back to the mining room." Tom said.

B’Elanna nodded her head in acknowledgement. * I hate having to go to that mining room. *

Tom turned to leave but knew he had to give her a hug so he turned back around and approached her. He put his arms around her and whispered in her ear "I’m glad your okay B’Ella", then he turned around and left. B’Elanna stood there trying to make out what was happening. She really enjoyed it when Tom put his arms around her. She knew that she shouldn’t be feeling that way though. Tom seemed to really care about her. * That can’t be true B’Elanna, no man will ever care about you * B’Elanna said to herself. B’Elanna decided that she would take advantage of this time and rest. At least she didn’t have to mine. B’Elanna lied down and fell fast asleep.

 *****************************************************************************************

B’Elanna was walking around the ship and found Harry. She ran up to him and gave him a big hug. "I’m so glad to see you Harry, are you okay" B’Elanna asked.

"I’m just fine B’Elanna, I am really enjoying it here."

"You can’t be enjoying it here Harry, we have to escape and get back to Voyager"

"No, I don’t want to go back to Voyager, I am happy here. If you want to go back then go ahead but leave me here." Harry told B’Elanna.

B’Elanna left Harry and wandered around the ship some more. She came across Tom’s quarters where she had stayed. She entered the door and saw Tom standing there. She approached him and Tom held out his arms to her. B’Elanna went to him willingly and he put his arms around her and kissed her forehead. B’Elanna winced at him kissing her ridges. "You are the most beautiful woman ever B’Ella" Tom whispered to her. He then kissed her on the lips; she returned the kiss whole-heartedly. Tom picked B’Elanna up and carried her to his bed. He layed her down on it and kissed her all over. B’Elanna was loving every minute of this. Tom made B’Elanna feel beautiful and loved. B’Elanna had never felt so happy as she did at this very moment. "I love you B’Ella" Tom said. B’Elanna had a tear well up in her eye. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. "I want to make love to you B’Ella" Tom said softly.

"I want that too Tom."

"Oh B’Ella" "Oh B’Ella" "Oh B’Ella"

 *****************************************************************************************

"Oh B’Ella, its time to wake up" Tom said for the forth time trying to get this beautiful woman to wake up. B’Elanna opened her eyes and saw the most beautiful blue eyes staring at her. * Tom sure is handsome * B’Elanna thought. B’Elanna realized that she had been dreaming and her face turned red. She was really embarrassed. Tom noticed this and asked her what she was dreaming about.

"Nothing you PIG" she yelled.

Tom thought he had angered her when he woke her up and she was just grumpy.

"Well get out of bed. It is time for you to go back to mining" Tom said.

"Please don’t make me go back there" B’Elanna pleaded.

Tom’s heart went mushy hearing her plead to him like that.

"I’d do anything to get you out of there B’Ella, I know how much you hate it. I really am working on trying to get you out of there but there isn’t anything I can do about it right now. I’ll tell you what, I’ll have a special surprise for you tonight." Tom said in a loving way.

"Am I coming back here tonight?"

"Of course" Tom said but then he realized that she was not aware of the fact that she belonged to him.

"You will come back here every night B’Ella. I asked for you especially."

B’Elanna’s curiosity was now peeked.

"Why did you pick me?"

Tom wasn’t sure that he really wanted to tell her the real reason.

"Just because, now I really have to get you to the mining room and get back to my regular duties or I’ll end up having to work late."

B’Elanna got up and let Tom escort her back down to the mining room. B’Elanna couldn’t even look Tom in the face because the images she had in her mind were of the dream that she had. * Why would I have a dream like that * B’Elanna thought to herself. B’Elanna just stared at the floor all the way to the mining room.

"I’ll be back for you later," Tom said.

He then gave her a small peck on the forehead and left. * He kissed my forehead, my ridges, my ugly ridges, just like in my dream * B’Elanna thought.

Tom returned to his duties as first officer but all he could think about was B’Elanna. B’Elanna had to mine the rest of the day. The time went by a lot faster today. At first she thought it was because she hadn’t been there that morning but then she realized that the whole entire time she was there she had been thinking about Tom. She felt very warm thinking about him. She also felt a little relief knowing that she would be going back to him every night. She actually found pleasure in this idea. * B’Elanna, what is wrong with you? You should be trying to get to Harry and figuring a way back to Voyager instead you’re here thinking about being with Tom. What has gotten into yourself? Are you falling in love with this man just because he’s been kind to you? You are a weak person B’Elanna; you need to get your brain together. * B’Elanna said to herself angrily. B’Elanna had never been thought of as weak by anyone but herself and her mother. B’Elanna’s mother and stepfather were responsible for her lack of self-esteem. One thing her parents were never able to touch was B’Elanna’s self-confidence in her engineering skills. B’Elanna knew that she was a great engineer.

Tom returned that evening for B’Elanna and she went with him willingly. He was glad for this. B’Elanna was curious as to what her special surprise would be. Tom knew that his surprise would make B’Ella happy and he was glad that he was able to do it. Tom took B’Elanna to his quarters and told her to go take a shower and clean up. B’Elanna did as she was told, not wanting to ruin her surprise. B’Elanna found herself thinking of Tom while she was in the shower. This angered her. She wasn’t used to not being able to control her feelings. Everything was happening so fast. She almost wished that he would come in the shower with her and hold her and make love to her. * Dream on B’Elanna * she thought to herself sarcastically.

Tom’s thoughts were of B’Elanna in the shower. He tried to imagine what she would look like naked. He wanted to go in there and love her like she had never been loved before. Tom heard a ding and was forced to return his thoughts to the present. Tom realized that the ding was the door so he went to answer it. At the door was Harry Kim, just as he had arranged.

"Great, come in Harry. B’Elanna is taking a shower right now, she will be really happy to see you when she gets out. She doesn’t know you’re coming. It’ll be a great surprise." Tom said happily. Harry Kim just nodded. Tom thought he was the quiet untrusting type. He knew that B’Elanna would be happy and that was all he cared about. Tom opened the bathroom door and threw in a clean pair of clothes for B’Elanna to wear. He offered Harry a drink but Harry refused both. Tom fixed himself a drink and sat down to watch the show. B’Elanna finished her shower and got out. She noticed the clean clothes and happily put them on. She towel dried her hair and walked out of the room. Tom just watched as B’Elanna ran over to Harry and gave him a big hug. * Lucky guy * Tom thought.

"I’m so happy to see you Harry. Are you okay?" B’Elanna asked.

"Yes, I’m okay, I’ve been worried about you. Is he treating you okay?"

"Yes, he’s been wonderful. I miss you Harry. I’m so sorry I screwed up. My mother was right about me. I should have never taken on such a big responsibility. Can you ever forgive me Harry?" B’Elanna said almost about to cry.

"B’Elanna, there is nothing to forgive. It wasn’t your fault and you can’t blame yourself. Your mother was wrong about you. You are the best engineer Voyager has ever seen and you’re my best friend too." Harry told B’Elanna as he gave her a big hug. B’Elanna started to cry on Harry’s shoulder.

"It’s okay B’Elanna, we’ll figure something out, don’t worry." Harry said.

"Have you been treated okay?" B’Elanna asked.

"Yes, B’Elanna" Harry said. B’Elanna was sure Harry wasn’t telling her the whole truth but decided not to pursue the issue. B’Elanna and Harry talked for over an hour about what was happening and about things in the past. B’Elanna then realized that Tom had been listening and watching the whole time. She couldn’t believe that she had forgotten about him considering that she couldn’t stop thinking about him earlier. * This is my surprise * B’Elanna thought. Just then a ding sounded. B’Elanna knew someone was at the door. Tom got up and went to see who was there. It was Harry’s owner. Tom hoped that it wouldn’t be too painful for B’Elanna to see Harry leave. Harry got up and gave B’Elanna a goodbye hug.

"I’ll see you around" Harry said.

B’Elanna nodded her head and watched Harry leave. As Harry was leaving he thought to himself that he would have to find a way for them to escape, if only for B’Elanna’s sake.

B’Elanna ran up to Tom and put her arms around him and told him thanks for her surprise. Tom had a real big grin on his face, he was happy that he could please her. She let go of him, feeling a little uncomfortable about being so close. Her blood was starting to boil when she got near him. * I can’t be falling in love with him, I just can’t be * B’Elanna said to herself.

"I’m glad you were able to see your friend. Now can we do something I want to do B’Ella?" Tom asked.

B’Elanna became furious at Tom for thinking that they could now do it since he had done something for her.

"You PIG, I will never do that with you" B’Elanna yelled.

Tom was caught off guard because he had no idea that B’Elanna would take what he had said the wrong way.

"No, that’s not what I meant B’Ella. I just wanted to teach you how to defend yourself better. I wanted to show you some moves that would help you if you have to fight for yourself. That’s all I meant" Tom said with a wounded expression on his face.

B’Elanna blushed feeling embarrassed that she had misunderstood what Tom was saying.

* Idiot, you know he wouldn’t have wanted you. * B’Elanna told herself harshly.

"I’m sorry Tom" B’Elanna said quietly, feeling very embarrassed.

"It’s okay B’Ella" Tom said and then he pushed her on the ground and got on top of her and held her down.

"Now how do you get up from here, little woman?"

"Little woman?"

"Yes, you are my little woman" Tom said while grinning.

"In your dreams Mr. Tom Paris" B’Elanna said back almost laughing.

B’Elanna attempted to get Tom off of her but she was completely unsuccessful. B’Elanna was actually enjoying herself and the position that she was in.

"Show me my big man. How do I get you off of me?" B’Elanna asked amusedly.

Tom then told her a few moves that she could do to try and get him off of her. She tried one and was successful the first try. She was now on top of Tom. Tom lay there for a minute enjoying the fact that B’Elanna was on top of him. He liked the feeling that it brought him and he liked it even more that she wasn’t running away from him. This was really fun for him. He then tossed her on her back and regained his control of the situation. B’Elanna was really having a good time and growled at him. She did it without thinking and after she had done it she felt a little nervous about doing it. Tom found this to be so stimulating he lost his concentration and B’Elanna flipped him on his back. She remembered that she was able to do that once before with Tom. Tom was grinning from ear to ear at being back on his back.

"Tom, does my growling at you make you lose your concentration?" B’Elanna asked teasingly.

Before Tom could reply B’Elanna growled at him again. Tom’s groin was getting bigger by the second. He knew he had to do something quickly. Tom got out from underneath B’Elanna and sat next to her.

"Good work B’Elanna" Tom said proudly. "I want to work on more moves tomorrow."

"Okay" B’Elanna said. "Tom?"

"Yes B’Ella" Tom replied looking straight into her chocolate brown eyes.

"Thanks for my surprise."

Tom nodded and thoughts went through his head of holding her and kissing her.

"Its time for sleep B’Ella."

"Okay" B’Elanna said and then she gave Tom a big hug and kissed him on the cheek.

Tom smiled at her and put his hand on her cheek. He wanted to kiss her so much but knew that it wouldn’t be right. * She just kissed you because she was happy to see her friend Harry. She will never have any feelings for you Tom, you’re not worth it * Tom said to himself. Then he escorted her to bed and said good night. B’Elanna fell fast asleep. Tom then went to his couch and lied down to go to sleep. Images of her in the shower started racing through his head and his body became excited. He ended up taking a shower before he could get to sleep.

The next morning Tom woke up first. He went to check on B’Elanna. He leaned over her and traced his finger around her face. The touch of her sent chills through his body.

"B’Elanna" Tom whispered.

B’Elanna opened her eyes. She smiled at Tom.

"Good morning."

"And good morning to you too. Did you sleep well?" Tom asked.

"Yes, I did and thank you for last night."

Tom was grinning from ear to ear, he thought to himself how he would love to spend the rest of his life pleasing this woman. Tom went to fix breakfast while B’Elanna got up and got dressed. She was happy that Harry was okay. Things didn’t seem so bad. She was actually starting to like being with Tom. He was fun to be with and he made her feel so good about herself. She really liked the fact that he wasn’t afraid of her. Most men wouldn’t stand up to her for fear she would break their nose. Tom was a very strong man, but gentle also. Tom gave B’Elanna her food and she immediately started to eat. They ate in silence for a while then B’Elanna decided she would have a little fun with Tom before going to the mining room. B’Elanna took some of the food off her plate and got up and went over to Tom and put it down his shirt. B’Elanna laughed as she saw Tom squirming around trying to get the food out. Tom saw how this amused B’Elanna and decided she needed some of her own medicine. Tom grabbed some of his food and went to B’Elanna. B’Elanna took off running and Tom chased her. He couldn’t catch her at first but after about five minutes B’Elanna fell on the ground laughing hysterically. Tom got on top of her and put the food down her shirt. B’Elanna squirmed to get away but was laughing too hard. Tom was laughing now as he watched B’Elanna try to remove the food she had in her shirt. B’Elanna finally got it and with Tom on top of her she reached up and mashed it in his hair. She returned to her laughing state. Tom was really enjoying watching her laugh the way she was. He used his hand and grabbed most of the food out of his hair and then rubbed it in B’Elanna’s face. They were both laughing so hard that it hurt and tears were coming out of their eyes. Tom got off of B’Elanna and sat beside her. They looked deep into each other’s eyes.

"We better get cleaned up B’Ella. I don’t think the Captain would like me showing up for work looking like this." Tom said.

Tom really wanted to hold her in his arms and just kiss her till he couldn’t see straight.

* She is so beautiful. * They both got cleaned up and headed to the mining room. Tom was thinking that B’Elanna hadn’t complained as much this morning about going to the mining room.

*****************************************************************************************

While B’Elanna mined away at the metals she was in deep thought about Tom and Harry. While she loved Harry like a brother she found herself falling in love with Tom. She didn’t want to admit it to herself but her Klingon soul told her otherwise. Her Klingon blood was starting to sing to her everytime she was around Tom. She knew that this was something that she wouldn’t be able to control. Klingons didn’t deny their feelings like humans did. She felt happier than she had ever felt in her entire life but she also felt guilty about Harry. B’Elanna made up her mind that the escape attempt that she was trying to plan would now be just for Harry. B’Elanna wanted to stay with Tom.

She knew she loved him. The only question now was how did Tom feel about B’Elanna. The day went by pretty fast since her mind was preoccupied with thoughts of Tom. Tom came by at the same time as before to get her. She gladly went with him. Tom was happy to see B’Elanna and saw that she was in a good mood. Tom gave B’Elanna a little kiss on the forehead. "I’m glad to see you" Tom said. "I’m glad to see you too." B’Elanna replied. Then they both walked back to Tom’s quarters holding each other’s hand. Tom prepared a meal for them and they sat down and ate.

Tom talked about his day on the ship and B’Elanna told Tom about what she used to do on Voyager. B’Elanna figured that Tom would want to spend the evening teaching her to fight so she wanted to make sure Tom would get the fight of his life. She started to concentrate on anything that she might be able to use as a weapon. She saw Tom’s phaser on the counter and realized how lax Tom was becoming. She jumped up and ran to it and grabbed it and turned it on Tom. Tom was shocked by this but then was angry with himself for being so careless. This woman had really gotten to him and he did a stupid thing.

"Lie down on the floor" B’Elanna demanded.

Tom complied with what she said.

"Now that I have the phaser, we will do what I want this evening. Understood?" Tom wasn’t sure if B’Elanna was playing or not.

"Okay, what do you want to do this evening B’Ella?" Tom asked inquisitively.

"Play with you my big man" B’Ella said starting to laugh.

B’Elanna then threw the phaser down and jumped on top of Tom. Tom put his arms around her and squeezed her tight. He rolled her over until he was on top of her. Tom’s heart was beating so fast he lost his breath for a moment.

"I’ve got something for us to play" Tom said.

"What?"

"You’ll have to wait and see. Get up and come with me."

B’Elanna did as she was told. Tom led B’Elanna down the corridors and to a turbo lift. They got on it and B’Elanna could tell it was moving downward. Tom was relieved that B’Elanna hadn’t tried to get away and that she must be getting more comfortable with him. Tom and B’Elanna entered a big room that didn’t have anything in it.

"What are we going to do here?" B’Elanna asked.

"Computer, run program Paris 993c" Tom said.

The room filled with lots of people and machines that B’Elanna wasn’t familiar with.

"What is this?" B’Elanna asked.

"It is a holodeck and we can create different programs in here. This is a program of a fair. These machines are called rides. Come with me and I’ll show you."

Tom grabbed B’Elanna’s hand and took her over to the first machine.

"This is a roller coaster" Tom told B’Elanna.

Tom put B’Elanna in her seat and fastened her seat belt. The ride started.

"What do I do Tom?" B’Elanna asked nervously.

"Nothing, just hold on."

Tom watched B’Elanna as she let out a big scream. * She’s beautiful when she

screams. * When the ride was over B’Elanna asked if they could ride again. They ended up riding it about ten times before Tom talked B’Elanna into going on another ride. The next ride was also a roller coaster but this one was in the dark. The darkness spooked B’Elanna and she grabbed for Tom’s arms. He was all too happy to let her hold on to him. Tom wanted the next ride to be a little change of pace so he took her to the ferris wheel. When they were stuck at the top Tom reached over and put his arm around B’Elanna. She smiled and then snuggled into his arm and leaned her head on his chest. Tom leaned down and gave B’Elanna a kiss on the top of her head. Tom and B’Elanna both were thinking how much they didn’t want this to end. The ferris wheel started to move again and they got off the ride at the bottom. Tom got B’Elanna some cotton candy and showed her how to eat it. Tom then fed a piece of cotton candy to B’Elanna. To his surprise and delight B’Elanna licked his fingers too! Tom put his arms around B’Elanna.

"Are you having fun?" Tom asked.

B’Elanna nodded her head and Tom smiled. Tom realized that his time was almost up.

"It is time for us to go now B’Elanna. I’ve really enjoyed this time we spent together," Tom said softly.

"I’ve enjoyed it too."

Tom kissed B’Elanna on her forehead. He looked deep into her eyes. He hungered for the sweet taste of her lips. The door to the room they were in opened and two people came in. Tom realized that he had gone over on his time and hurried B’Elanna out of there. They went back to Tom’s quarters.

"It is time to get some rest B’Ella"

"Okay" B’Elanna said with a touch of disappointment in her voice.

They both were tired and knew that they needed the rest. Tom dreamed of B’Elanna that night and B’Elanna dreamed of him.

 *******************************************************************************************

The next morning both Tom and B’Elanna woke up with smiles on their faces. B’Elanna didn’t want to get out of bed. She wanted to return to her dream. Tom came in though and pulled her up out of bed.

"Time to get up lazy but" Tom told B’Elanna harshly.

B’Elanna started laughing.

"Make me!" she demanded.

Then B’Elanna pulled Tom down with her as she lay back down on the bed. Tom was on top of her and didn’t know if at this point he could stop himself if something were to happen. Tom jumped out of the bed and tore the covers off the bed. He then picked B’Elanna up and carried her to the bathroom. She was kicking and laughing. Tom pushed B’Elanna in the shower and before she could get away he turned the cold water on her. B’Elanna let out a scream that Tom knew could be heard up on the bridge. B’Elanna grabbed Tom and pulled him in the shower with her. Tom reached around and turned the water off. Tom and B’Elanna stood there dripping wet and cold. Tom put his arms around B’Elanna to warm her up. She put her arms around him and they hugged each other. It was a warm embrace even though they were both cold.

"We better get dressed and eat" Tom said.

He didn’t want to let go but knew that they couldn’t remain like they were. They both went and got dressed and they ate their breakfast. Tom told B’Elanna what he planned to do that day and B’Elanna told Tom that she would like to see Harry again. Tom told B’Elanna that he would try to arrange another meeting. Tom took B’Elanna to the mining room and gave her a kiss on the forehead. Then he kissed her on the cheek.

"I’ll miss you B’Ella" Tom whispered into her ear and then he turned around and left.

******************************************************************************************

B’Elanna sat there mining and thinking about Tom. She knew in her heart that this was her man. She was meant to be with him and she was pretty sure that Tom did love her. She still had to find a way to get Harry back to Voyager though. She had pretty much come up with an idea on how to escape but implementing it was another story. Her plan’s chances of success weren’t too great so she vowed to keep working on it. It was time for Tom to be back but he wasn’t. B’Elanna got nervous wondering if something happened. A few minutes later she saw Tom. She instantly felt relief. She watched as Tom approached her but then noticed that some woman worker was going up to him. They were talking and then the woman put her hands on Tom. B’Elanna was becoming furious. Her blood was boiling. She didn’t like this other woman touching Tom. She continued to watch as the woman got closer to Tom and put her arms around him. She could tell the woman was trying to kiss Tom. B’Elanna got up and ran to the woman and pulled her hair from behind and swung the woman onto the ground. She jumped on top of her and started punching her in the face. Tom grabbed B’Elanna as fast as he could and pulled her up. A guard came over and checked on the woman on the ground. Tom was shocked that B’Elanna had done this. "What is wrong with you B’Elanna?" Tom yelled. B’Elanna didn’t want to say and so she just looked down away from his face. Tom checked with the guard to make sure the woman would be okay. He then escorted B’Elanna to his quarters.

"Why did you do that B’Ella?" Tom said angrily.

"I – I thought that you might choose her instead of me." B’Elanna said while looking down at the floor.

Tom’s heart stopped beating when he realized that his beautiful B’Ella was jealous of this other woman. Tom went and put his arms around her and gave her a big hug, which B’Elanna returned.

"You are the only woman for me B’Ella" Tom whispered in B’Elanna’s ear. B’Elanna felt a tear well up in her eye.

"I’m sorry Tom" B’Elanna said.

"It’s all right, I’m sorry you felt the way you did. I want you to know that you never have to worry about that. Okay?" Tom said.

B’Elanna nodded her head.

"Lets get something to eat" Tom said.

He then went and got something for both of them to eat. While eating B’Elanna told Tom of her idea about having machines do the mining process. Tom was fascinated by the idea and told B’Elanna to write down all the ideas and specifications that were needed to do this. B’Elanna worked on this the rest of the night. She enjoyed doing this because her brain hadn’t had much of a workout lately. She felt like she was actually doing some good, if this worked, there wouldn’t be any need for miners. After B’Elanna finished, she gave the information to Tom. He told her that he had tried to get his engineers to come up with something like this but that they said it couldn’t be done. Tom gave B’Elanna a big kiss on the forehead. B’Elanna really liked it when he kissed her there because she didn’t feel so ugly. She hated her ridges but it was nice that Tom was able to kiss them. They both went to bed thinking of the other.

 ******************************************************************************************

The next morning, Tom took B’Elanna back to the mining room as before and gave her the usual hug and kiss goodbye. Tom then went to work. He went to see the Captain and told him about B’Elanna’s idea. The Captain was just as excited about this as Tom had been. The Captain told Tom that if this worked then his woman wouldn’t have to mine. Tom laughed at that. The Captain told Tom to oversee the project. Tom immediately headed to engineering and gave the information to his chief engineer. The engineer studied the plans and said that it would take time to do this and that he didn’t understand half the stuff that was written down. Tom told him to do what was necessary to get it done and if there was something he didn’t understand to let him know. Tom finished his day working and returned to the mining room to get his beloved B’Elanna.

*****************************************************************************************

B’Elanna was happy to see Tom coming and got up and went to meet him. He gave her a big hug and she returned it. They went to his quarters. Tom told B’Elanna about his success with her plans.

"This calls for a celebration" Tom told B’Elanna.

Tom got out the champagne glasses and poured them both a drink. They sat down next to each other and they started talking about their past lives. Tom told B’Elanna about his dad and that he had been in prison. He was sure that B’Elanna would run away from him when he told her but she didn’t. She seemed to understand him better than he understood himself. B’Elanna told Tom about her mother and stepfather and how she ended up on Voyager. Tom was amazed that the woman he thought was the most beautiful in the world felt that she was ugly. Tom put his arm around B’Elanna and she put her head on his chest. Tom kissed her gently on the top of her head. She looked up at him and gazed into his blue eyes. Tom leaned down and kissed B’Elanna’s lips. B’Elanna kissed him back. It was an electrifying kiss. Tom pulled away because he had no air left. He gasped, as did B’Elanna. Tom put his hand on B’Elanna’s face. He looked into her eyes. His heart was melting and his body told him what he wanted to do.

"I want to make love to you B’Ella." Tom said softly.

"I want that too."

B’Elanna knew that at that moment she wanted nothing more than to be intimate with this man. She growled at Tom and told him that she was going to take him to be her Klingon mate. He was all too willing to let her do this. B’Elanna then lunged for Tom’s neck and bit him hard. Tom screamed with pain but the biting was also strangely exhilarating. After B’Elanna bit Tom, she stared at him with blood dripping from her lips.

"I have tasted your blood Tom Paris and now you are my mate." B’Elanna said while wiping the blood from her lips with her finger. She then licked her finger. Tom then bit B’Elanna on the neck as she did him. He bit hard and B’Elanna screamed with enjoyment in her voice. Tom was so excited by this. Tom tasted B’Elanna’s blood and felt bonded to her.

"I have tasted your blood B’Elanna and now you are my mate." Tom said with his heart pounding. B’Elanna growled at Tom and they made love to each other the rest of the night.

 ***************************************************************************************

The next morning Tom woke up with B’Elanna in his arms. He smiled at her and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips. This woke up B’Elanna. She looked up at him and gazed into his eyes.

"Good morning" B’Elanna said.

"Good morning my love" Tom replied.

He kissed her again this time with a lot more passion. B’Elanna returned his kiss with just as much passion.

"I love you B’Ella, with all my heart and soul. It means everything to me that we made love last night but it will mean even more to me if we make love again tonight. It has been a long time since I’ve had anything more than a one night stand." Tom said.

"There’s nothing I’d rather do than make love to you again tonight Tom. Don’t worry I’m not going anywhere. I love you and I want to be with you forever." B’Elanna told Tom.

"Tom, I have to talk to you about something."

"What is it?"

"I've been trying to formulate a plan to escape. I think I have a way figured out too, but now I don't want to go. I want to stay with you."

"I want you to stay with me more than anything B'Elanna. I don't know what I'd do if you left me."

"Tom, I still have to get Harry out. I don't want you to feel betrayed but I have to help him get back to Voyager."

"I understand B'Elanna, perhaps I can help you."

"You would help me?"

"Yes I would, I love you very much and I know how much this means to you."

"Thank you Tom."

B'Elanna hugged Tom and kissed him on the check. Tom grinned as his heart felt content that he was now bonded with the women he loved and he felt sure that they would be together for the rest of their lives. They were destined to be together. They both got up and got dressed. Tom looked at B’Elanna after she had put her clothes on and started thinking about how wonderful it was making love to her. He went up to her and put his arms around her. She growled at him. He kissed her and pushed her back on the bed. They made love again.

"You promise you’ll come back to me tonight B’Ella?" Tom asked with a little uncertainty in his voice. B’Elanna sensed how important an issue this was for him.

"I wouldn’t miss it for the world Tom. I love you." B’Elanna told him.

"Well in that case I’ll let you go to the mining room today while I work." Tom said while grinning.

They got dressed and Tom took B’Elanna to the mining room. This time he gave her a big kiss on the lips before he left. She was definitely happy to be with Tom even if it meant having to mine. It was almost time for lunch when she saw her friend Harry Kim come in the room. Harry walked up to her and told her that he would be allowed to eat with her. She figured Tom must have arranged this for her. Harry was acting strange, looking around the room like he was expecting something to happen.

"Are you okay Harry?" B’Elanna asked.

"Yeah just great."

They started to go to the mess hall to eat their lunch, then Harry grabbed B’Elanna’s arms and pulled her around the corner and down a couple of corridors.

"Where are we going?" B’Elanna asked.

"Just follow me B’Elanna."

B’Elanna was concerned about what was going on but she trusted Harry and wondered if Tom had arranged it for them to have some time alone somewhere. None of the guards were stopping them in the corridors. They went into a room with a bunch of shuttlecrafts in it. Harry grabbed B’Elanna’s arm and drug her into one.

"What are we doing Harry?" B’Elanna said with concern.

"We are getting out of here now," Harry yelled.

"No! I don’t want to go with you Harry" B’Elanna screamed back.

She tried to get out, but the door was already locked. She told Harry to let her off and that he could leave but that she wanted to stay. It was too late though. Harry had already taken off and locked the controls from her. She grabbed Harry by the neck and demanded that he take her back. Harry was really shocked at B’Elanna’s behavior. He thought that she would be happy to escape from that place. He sure was.

"I - I can’t go back now B’Elanna we would be caught and killed for sure for trying to escape." Harry said while trembling for fear that B’Elanna was going to rip his head off. B’Elanna instead let go of Harry and sat down and started to cry. Harry had never seen B’Elanna so upset. Harry left B’Elanna alone for fear of enraging her. B’Elanna sat there with tears rolling down her face thinking of how things could have gotten so messed up. She had finally found her mate and now she was separated from him, probably for good. If she went back she would probably get Harry and maybe herself killed. Her heart ached for her mate. She missed him terribly and if felt as if someone had ripped her stomachs apart. She would have to figure out a way to get back to him. Nothing else mattered to her. After a couple of hours flying, B’Elanna went to talk with Harry.

"How did you manage to get this shuttle and escape without getting shot at Harry?" B’Elanna asked inquisitively but with sadness in her voice.

"I did enough favors for people to get them to help me to escape." Harry said harshly.

"I was working on a way to get you out of there Harry, honest I was."

"I believe you B’Elanna but when I realized that I could get the aliens to help me escape just be giving them what they wanted, well I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Why don’t you want to get back to Voyager?" Harry asked.

"Because I love Tom and I want to be with him forever. He is my mate Harry."

"You mated with him?" Harry said in disgust.

"Yes I did and I want to go back to him, you can go to Voyager but I am going to find a way back to him." B’Elanna said angrily.

 ***************************************************************************************

Back aboard the Galaganis, Tom had discovered that B’Elanna was gone. The Captain gave Tom a big lecture and confined him to his quarters for 48 hours. Tom sat in his room wondering what had happened. * Why did B’Elanna leave me? I love her and I need her. * He lay down in his bed. With tears coming from his eyes, he thought about a million different reasons why B’Elanna would have left him. Tom felt his heart ache for his mate, his soul mate, the woman that he would love for the rest of his life. Now he wasn’t sure if he would ever see her again.

 ****************************************************************************************

A week passed in the shuttlecraft. Harry and B’Elanna came across a couple of ships, which, luckily for them, were all friendly. The last ship they encountered had been in contact with Voyager and told them where to find Voyager. Harry was attempting to contact Voyager and finally was successful. They met up with Voyager and boarded their former ship. They were met with enthusiasm and Captain Janeway decided to throw them a party. B’Elanna wasn’t very happy about any of this. She was going to ask the Captain for permission to return to Tom’s ship when she realized that she didn’t even know what ship they were on. * How am I ever going to find it? * B’Elanna wondered. She almost started to cry but was able to get a hold of her feelings. After the party, B’Elanna approached the Captain and asked if she could speak with her. The Captain agreed and B’Elanna started to tell her the story when the Captain started talking about how Voyager had really needed B’Elanna’s engineering skills. The ship had been in another battle and repairs were going very slowly. The Captain then told B’Elanna that she was getting a promotion to Assistant Chief Engineer. B’Elanna thanked the Captain but then proceeded to tell her that she wanted to leave. She explained to the Captain what had happened in the past two weeks. The Captain sat quietly for a few minutes after B’Elanna finished telling her the story.

"I’m sorry B’Elanna, I can’t let you go back to that ship. We need you here. This ship may not make it without your engineering skills. That has been proven since you were taken from us." the Captain told B’Elanna very firmly.

B’Elanna didn’t know what to say. She had never considered that the Captain wouldn’t let her leave. She sat there for a minute thinking.

"I’m getting tired of people trying to run my life, keeping me prisoner for their own needs. I want to go back to Tom’s ship and live with him and there isn’t anything you can do to stop me Captain. I’m sorry it has to be like this but it is my life and I want to spend it with Tom." B’Elanna said to the Captain. She then got up and left. After B’Elanna left the Captain, the Captain said to herself * You won’t leave this ship B’Elanna, we need you too much *.

B’Elanna returned to her quarters to try and figure a way to leave and get back to Tom. She would spend the rest of her life trying to find him.

 ****************************************************************************************

Tom sat in his quarters wondering what he was going to do. He knew that the Captain would not be willing to help him find B’Elanna. He was determined that he would look for her if only to find out what happened. Tom decided to ask around and see what information he could find about what had happened. He learned about Harry Kim and that he had been collecting favors for services rendered. Tom also found out that Harry had dragged B’Elanna by the arm to the shuttle bay. Tom knew that Harry couldn’t have forced B’Elanna to go with him but he thought that maybe B’Elanna didn’t know what Harry was up to. He had to think positively because he was starting to feel ill the longer he was separated from B’Elanna. He had to go to see the doctor because of the ill feelings that he had. The doctor gave him some medicine, which helped. The doctor said it was anxiety but Tom knew it was something more. Tom approached the Captain and told him about the information that he had gathered about Harry and B’Elanna. He hoped that the Captain would look for B’Elanna if he knew she was taken against her will. The Captain had a soft spot for Tom and sensed Tom’s desperation and agreed to help him find his woman.

 ****************************************************************************************

B’Elanna was put back to duty onboard Voyager. She had a really hard time concentrating on her work. She was constantly thinking about a way to get away from Voyager and return to Tom. She started to laugh a little about the irony of the situation. She couldn’t believe that now she was being held captive on her own ship. B’Elanna loved Captain Janeway but felt a little betrayed by the Captain’s action. She understood that the Captain always put the ship first but still wished that the Captain would have helped her return to Tom. B’Elanna was starting to feel really ill and so she decided to go to sick bay to see what was wrong with her. The doctor scanned B’Elanna and discovered that her hormones were rising. He couldn’t find a cause for it so he gave her a hypospray to return the levels to normal and told her to return tomorrow to sickbay and that in the meantime he would do some research and run some more tests. He sent her to her quarters for rest. The doctor informed the Captain that he had temporarily relieved B’Elanna due to medical reasons. The Captain was very unhappy about this and told the doctor to work on this problem and nothing else. She then explained to the doctor how they needed B’Elanna up and working if they expected the ship to ever get back to running properly. The doctor acknowledged the Captain’s dilemma and confirmed that he would only work on B’Elanna’s problem. B’Elanna returned to her quarters. The hypospray had helped but she still felt really ill. It seemed to be getting worse. She fell asleep thinking about Tom. When she awoke she felt much worse than when she had went to sleep so she went back to sickbay. The doctor ran another scan on her and discovered that her hormone levels had tripled since the last scan. The doctor gave her another hypospray, which put her to sleep right there. The doctor continued his research. When the doctor figured out what was going on he contacted the Captain and explained to her that B’Elanna was suffering from a Klingon sickness because she had been separated from her mate. Janeway was annoyed at what the doctor told her. She was getting sick of B’Elanna’s mate even though she didn’t know him; he was causing her a lot of problems. The doctor explained that there was no cure for this except to reunite her with her mate. He told her that they could give B’Elanna medication so that she would not die. He then explained that the medication would prohibit B’Elanna from doing much of anything, especially engineering work. This really angered the Captain. "What happens when a Klingon mate dies?" the Captain asked. "Apparently when the mate dies the bond is broken but B’Elanna’s mate is not dead and she was taken from him unwillingly." the doctor answered. The Captain ordered the doctor to give B’Elanna the medication she needed and to keep working on another alternative. She didn’t want B’Elanna to die. The Captain went to Harry Kim and asked him questions about what he knew had happened on the other ship and then she told him that they needed to find the ship that B’Elanna’s mate was on. She ordered Harry to work on a plan to find the ship.

  ****************************************************************************************

A couple of weeks had passed with no sign of B’Elanna. Tom was heartbroken. He felt a sense that he may never find her. The Galaganis had become under attack by the ship Chiru. Several people aboard the Galaganis had been killed and there was major damage to the ship. They had also inflicted damage to the Chiru but it wasn’t enough. They were losing the battle. Tom devised a plan to save the ship and he quickly enacted it. It worked too. The Chiru retreated and Tom’s quick thinking and actions had once again saved the Galaganis.

  ****************************************************************************************

Onboard Voyager, B’Elanna was kept under medication that didn’t allow her the ability to do much. She stayed in her quarters most of the time. She thought about Tom but the medication really affected her thoughts. The first officer of Voyager, Chakotay, and his wife, Rachael, came to visit B’Elanna and to see if she would go eat with them. Chakotay and B’Elanna were friends from a long time ago. Chakotay hated seeing B’Elanna in the state she was in. He understood about Klingon customs and knew that if B’Elanna had chosen her mate that she did so willingly and with all the confidence that she was doing the right thing. He also knew that B’Elanna must love this man very much. Chakotay couldn’t help but feel a little protective of her though and really wanted to meet this man B’Elanna had claimed as her mate. B’Elanna agreed to have dinner with Chakotay and Rachael so they went to the mess hall to eat. Chakotay tried to cheer B’Elanna up but wasn’t very successful. Rachael felt that B’Elanna needed to talk about Tom and how she was feeling, so she asked her to talk about it. B’Elanna told them all about Tom and what had happened aboard the other ship. She almost started to cry at the end of the story but was able to control her emotions. She really felt empty without Tom. He had become a part of her when she took him as her mate. She did feel a little better talking about it. She felt that Chakotay and Rachael understood what she was going through. A couple of weeks passed and B’Elanna remained under the medication. She wasn’t able to think about a plan to find Tom; she could barely find her quarters.

  ****************************************************************************************

The Galaganis was undergoing repairs from the battle they were in. Tom was also supervising the plans for the automated mining process. After the repairs to the ship were completed, the engineering crew once again worked on the mining process. They had a hard time figuring out what a lot of the information meant but after they did, they were quite impressed. The chief engineer conveyed to Tom that the person who came up with this was brilliant. Tom told the chief engineer proudly, that it was his woman that came up with the plans. The chief engineer was surprised to hear of a woman that intelligent and wished he could meet her. After another week the plans for the automated mining process were done and put into operation. It was a major success for Tom, the engineering crew and the ship itself. They wouldn’t have to capture people to do their mining work. They offered positions on the ship to all the people that they had kidnapped and also offered to take them to anyplace that was close by. Most of the people chose to stay on the ship and they were put to good use. The Captain was very pleased with Tom and suggested that they hold a party in his honor. Tom quickly told the Captain that he didn’t want to have a party and that it was B’Elanna who deserved the credit for the idea. The Captain understood Tom’s position and agreed to not have a party and also reassured Tom that they would continue to look for his woman. Tom smiled and thanked the Captain. He returned to his quarters, which felt like an empty icebox without B’Elanna there. He sat on the edge of his bed and thought of the night that they had become mates. Tears came from his eyes. His heart ached something fierce. He loved his B’Ella and needed to hold her in his arms.

  ****************************************************************************************

Captain Janeway had come up with a way to keep B’Elanna on board Voyager. She decided that when they found B’Elanna’s mate that she would offer him a position on her ship. She told B’Elanna about her plan, but B’Elanna wasn’t as thrilled about the idea as Janeway had hoped she would be.

"If Tom wants to stay on Voyager then that will be okay, but I don’t think he would want to do that Captain. He is the first officer on his ship and I know he really loves his job. I can’t ask him to stay here just for me."

"B’Elanna, if he really loves you, he will stay onboard Voyager with you."

"I know he loves me Captain. It will have to be up to him though, I won’t ask him to come and stay here. I will tell him that it is an option. I’m sorry Captain. I know you want me to stay."

"B’Elanna, we really need you aboard this ship. We may not make it home without you. You couldn’t possibly be as needed aboard his ship as you are here and we are your family. We love you very much."

"Tom loves and needs me Captain, and I love and need him. I want to build a family with him."

"You can do that aboard Voyager B’Elanna. Please think about it."

"All right Captain, I will think about it"

The repairs aboard Voyager were about 75% done. It was taking twice as long without B’Elanna working. Janeway was annoyed that her ship and crew depended so much upon one person and she hadn’t been aware of it until B’Elanna had been kidnapped.

"Captain to the bridge. There is a ship approaching."

The ship that was approaching was the Chiru. The same ship that Tom’s ship had just been in battle with.

"Hail them" the Captain said.

The Chiru started to fire upon Voyager. Voyager fired back but the battle was a hard one and they were losing. Just then another ship approached. * Just what I need* thought Captain Janeway. The ship however was the Galaganis. The Galaganis started firing upon the Chiru and between the Galaganis and Voyager they defeated the Chiru.

The Captain of the Galaganis appeared on Janeway’s viewscreen.

"Thank you for your assistance. I am Captain Kathryn Janeway. Is there any way we can repay you for your help."

"I am Captain Galre. It was a pleasure to help you defeat the Chiru. We had already been in battle with them and barely escaped. Now that we are allies, how about we meet and discuss ways that we can benefit from each other. We are in need of some technological help. Perhaps some of your engineering crew could help out my engineering crew."

"I think that we could arrange that. Why don’t you come aboard our ship and we can have dinner and discuss how we can help each other."

"I will send my first officer over first to get things started and I will come aboard later."

"Very well, I will prepare to receive your first officer."

Tom beamed aboard Voyager totally unaware that his B’Elanna was on board this ship. Tom was greeted by a security officer and then was to be taken to meet with Chakotay and Captain Janeway. Tom was thinking about what he would do when he met Captain Janeway. Then he saw Harry Kim walking down the corridor. Tom ran up to Harry and stopped him.

"Harry, what are you doing here? Where’s B’Elanna?" Tom said.

"Mr. Paris, uh – how did you get aboard this ship?"

"Where’s B’Elanna?" Tom said while grabbing Harry’s arm.

The security guard then pulled a phaser on Tom and told him to back off. Then the security guard contacted that Captain and informed her of the situation. Tom and Harry were both taken to the Captains meeting room. Tom glared at Harry the whole way there. Harry was trembling because he knew that Tom would probably rip his head off if he got the chance.

When they got to the meeting room, everyone sat down. The security guard however still had his phaser pointed at Tom.

"Ensign Kim, tell me what the problem is." Janeway said.

"Captain, this man here is B’Elanna’s mate."

"WHAT!" exclaimed the Captain.

"He is the first officer of the ship that captured us Captain. He is the one that mated with B’Elanna. I think he might have coerced her Captain." Harry said.

Tom reached over the table and grabbed Harry’s neck and started to choke him. The security guard and Chakotay pulled him off.

"I did not force B’Elanna to mate with me. She did it of her own free will. I think it is you who took her away by force. If I ever get my hands on you Harry I will kill you."

"Gentlemen. We can discuss this without violence. Everyone calm down."

"Captain Janeway, I would like to contact my Captain and tell him what is going on." Tom said.

"Yes of course, Mr. Paris but why don’t we try to get some thing’s straightened out before you do just that. No need to burden your Captain with a few minor problems."

"Fine. I want to see B’Elanna now!"

"Janeway to Torres"

"Torres here"

"B’Elanna would you please come to my meeting room."

"Yes Captain. I’m on my way."

"There now. She will be here in a few minutes."

It was the longest minutes of Tom’s life. He thought of how B’Elanna would be when she saw him. Finally the doors open and in stepped B’Elanna. She looked around the room and when she saw Tom sitting there with a phaser to his head, she fainted. Tom jumped up and ran over to her. He kneeled down and gently picked up her head.

"B’Elanna" he said softly.

She opened her eyes.

"Tom" she whispered.

"Yes, my love. It’s me. Are you okay."

B’Elanna put her arms around Tom’s neck and they hugged each other. B’Elanna then looked into Tom’s eyes and said, "I Love You Tom."

"I love you too B’Elanna."

"Excuse me, but B’Elanna if you are okay we need to discuss some things."

"Yes Captain, I am okay now." B’Elanna said while looking deep into Tom’s eyes.

Tom helped B’Elanna up and walked her to a chair. She sat down and Tom kneeled down beside her while holding her hand. B’Elanna couldn’t believe he was here. She was just thinking that she would probably never see him again. Tom couldn’t stop staring at B’Elanna. He was afraid that if he took his eyes off her that she would disappear.

"Mr. Paris, while it is true that B’Elanna did not want to come back to this ship with Ensign Kim, the fact remains that she was abducted from here in the first place. She is a very important part of this ship and we want her to stay with us. However, it has come to our attention that physically B’Elanna cannot be without you. And so on that note, I would like to offer you a chance to come aboard our ship and stay with us. That way you and B’Elanna could be together and she will remain among her family and friends and where she is so desperately needed."

"Thank you Captain. That is a very nice offer. However I would like to talk with B’Elanna privately about this."

Janeway felt nervous about this and knew that B’Elanna would not ask him to star with her onboard Voyager.

"B’Elanna is on medication right now and we can’t trust anything that she says until the medication has worn off."

"How long will that be? Why is she on medication?" Tom asked concernedly.

"She is suffering from a Klingon disease because she was taken from you. Klingons are much different than humans. Our doctor, thank gods, is very well informed about Klingons or B’Elanna would have died. If you take her from here, you will be endangering her life." Janeway said with a hint of proudness in her voice for coming up with that point.

"I would like to spend some time alone with her Captain. Is there some place we could go to be alone?" Tom asked.

He felt as if he were going to burst if he didn’t get to hold her.

"Yes, you may go to B’Elanna’s quarters. Chakotay will show you the way."

"Captain, I can get there myself. I don’t need Chakotay to show me the way to my own quarters." B’Elanna said.

"Very well, B’Elanna. You may go to your quarters. I will contact you in a little while."

"Yes Captain."

Tom helped B’Elanna out of her chair and he put his arm around her waist and they exited the room and headed for her quarters. It was a long walk for both of them as neither one could contain their emotions much longer.

After they entered B’Elanna’s quarters, Tom turned to B’Elanna and asked her if she was okay.

"I am now," B’Elanna said.

Tom then kissed her with all the passion that had built up inside him since he last saw her. B’Elanna returned the kiss just as passionately. Tom picked B’Elanna up and carried her to her bed and laid her down on it. He then lay atop of her and they kissed passionately till they had no more air.

"I love you B’Ella" Tom said with tears in his eyes.

"I love you too, Tom. Make love to me." B’Elanna said softly.

Tom complied.

  ****************************************************************************************

At the meeting room, Janeway was quizzing her officers on some solutions for the problem at hand. The prospects weren’t promising since everything seemed to depend upon what B’Elanna and Tom wanted. One suggestion however did away with that. The suggestion to now kidnap Tom. That way, B’Elanna would have her mate and be able to help the ship in the engineering department. Janeway thought about this one long and hard. She knew that B’Elanna was a strong woman and would retaliate against the ship but figured that after a while she would settle down and help out. It seemed like the only solution at the time if B’Elanna and Tom decided to go to the other ship. Janeway hoped she wouldn’t have to make that decision. She would just have to wait though to find out.

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Tom lay on B’Elanna’s bed with her in his arms. He told himself he would never lose her again. That nothing was worth the pain of being without her. B’Elanna was sleeping soundly. He watched her sleep as he thought about Janeway’s offer to stay on board Voyager. He knew his Captain would be upset but he didn’t care. He wondered if his Captain would put up a fight. If he did, Tom felt that Voyager could easily lose and he would die, but it would be better to die with B’Elanna than to live without her. B’Elanna awoke to the most beautiful cerulean blue eyes gazing upon her.

"I missed you Tom. I’m so sorry that I left you the way I did. I didn’t know that Harry was trying to escape and when I did realize it, it was to late."

"Shhh. I’m just glad we are together now. I don’t ever want to loose you."

"I don’t want to loose you either Tom. I want to be with you forever. I know Captain Janeway offered to let you stay on board Voyager…"

"And I accept her offer."

"But Tom, why don’t you want to go back to your ship?"

"I don’t want to be without you and the Captain has convinced me that it is in your best interest to stay aboard Voyager."

"The Captain wants me to stay because she needs me. I only want to be with you, even if that is aboard your ship. I think we should talk about it Tom."

"You’re right. What would you like to do B’Ella?"

"I think that we should go back to your ship. You have a good job there and you were happy there. I don’t think you would like it aboard Voyager. I don’t know what job you would get anyway."

"It doesn’t matter what job I get, as long as I’m with you. That is all that matters to me. Besides the Captain has told me about your Klingon illness and I don’t want to take you away from the only doctor who can help you if you get ill."

"Your doctor can download all the information about Klingons. I want to be with you on your ship Tom. I feel that we would be happier there. I don’t know that our relationship would ever be respected here. I won’t ask you to stay here just for me and that is all you would be getting if you did stay."
"And what would you get if we went to my ship?"

"I could help out in the engineering department."

"Well B’Ella, if you are sure that is what you want then we will go live on my ship."

B'Elanna smiled at Tom.

"I'm positive that is what I want Tom."

"B'Ella, there is something that I want to ask you?"

"What is it Tom?"

"We are already mates but I was wondering if you would do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Tears rolled down B’Elanna’s cheeks and Tom kissed her gently on the forehead.

"I love you Tom and I would be honored to be your wife."

Tom smiled, as he couldn’t imagine being any happier.

"I love you my beautiful little cat woman."

"I love you my big, handsome, hunk of a man."

Tom grinned and then the happy couple hugged each other.

"Tom"

"Yes, my love."

"I don’t think Captain Janeway is going to be very please about this. She may put up a fight."

"I’m sorry B’Elanna that you have to choose. If she does try to put up a fight, we will fight her. I know my Captain is supportive of you and of us being together."

"He is?"

"Yes, your plans to automate the mining process were successful."

"You used my plans?"

"Yes. The Captain was very pleased with what you had done."

"Tom, lets go tell Janeway now. I want to go over to your ship and start living our life together."

"That sounds like a great idea B’Ella."

Tom and B’Elanna got dressed and informed Captain Janeway that they had made a decision and were coming to meet with her.

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Janeway knew in her heart that B’Elanna was going to go to the other ship. She couldn’t exactly blame her either. Janeway decided that she would just ask B’Elanna to give them a hand in the repairs that needed to be done at the moment so that they would be in good shape. The doors opened and Tom and B’Elanna came into the room in each other’s arms.

"Captain, I’m sorry to tell you this but I – We have decided to go live on Tom’s ship."

"I figured that much all ready. I’m not going to tell you that I’m happy about it because I’m not, but B’Elanna I am happy for you. I’m glad that you found a true love for yourself and I hope you will be happy."

B’Elanna started to cry and walked over and hugged Janeway.

"Thank you for understanding Captain."

"B’Elanna, I would like to ask you to stay for a while and help with the repairs that need to be done right now."

"Well, if it is okay with Tom’s Captain then I would be happy to."

"Mr. Paris, you probably should contact your Captain and inform him of what has transpired. Invite him over and we will all have a dinner together."

Tom contacted his Captain and told him what had transpired. Captain Galre was very pleased about finding B’Elanna and even more pleased that she had chosen to come aboard his ship and serve under him. She would make a great addition to the engineering department.

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They were all seated around the dinner table laughing and telling stories about different events in each other’s lives. Tom however, felt that he had spent too much time sharing his B’Elanna. He wanted to be alone with her. His hormones were rising as he thought about being alone with her. He wanted to kiss every inch of her body. Tom stared at B’Elanna and she patted him on the knee and gave him a smile telling Tom that she was thinking the same thing he was. Captain Galre agreed to wait a few days while B’Elanna helped with the ship’s repairs. This made B’Elanna very happy to be able to help Voyager and not have to leave with bad feelings between her and Janeway. Tom was happy for B’Elanna but was very distressed about her having to spend every waking moment fixing the ship. He couldn’t wait to get her alone. He had transported back aboard his ship and had continued to perform the duties that were called upon him. He missed B’Elanna very much and had a terrible feeling about being so far away from her. Tom then received a message that B’Elanna was transporting aboard the Galaganis. He went to greet her. His heart was pounding. He knew that this was the beginning of their life together and he couldn’t wait to get started. Tom knew what he wanted to do first. When he got to the transporter room, B’Elanna had just transported aboard. He went up to her and put his arms around her.

"I love you B’Ella."

"I love you too, Tom, Forever!"

The End

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 Please let me know what you think of the story.   E-mail me at kbellap@oocities.com

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