Chapter Four-Arguements

Tom Paris woke to the sound of banging. He opened his eyes to see B'Elanna under the pod's console. He sat up, and watched as she grumbled, cursed, and pounded at the controls.

"Need any help?" He asked, not hiding the smile from his voice.

B'Elanna stopped. She glanced at his feet which was all she could see of him. She grumbled some more then replied, "I thought the problem could be in the engines, so I thought I would fix them."

Tom nodded even though she couldn't see it. He then asked, "Want me to try and start it?"

He heard more grumbling then a sharp, "All right."

Tom shook his head and tapped some controls. Nothing. He heard her curse then more banging. B'Elanna barked at him to try again which he did. Still nothing.

"Damn it!" B'Elanna shouted. She then moved out from under the console, sat up, then tossed the tool she had been using. She looked at Tom, who was smiling slightly. This angered her more.

"What so amusing, Paris?"

Tom's smile fell instantly. He knew that tone, and he knew what usually followed. It wouldn't matter what he said now, she would yell at him anyway.

He mentally sighed and answered, "Nothing."

B'Elanna growled, "Don't tell me it's nothing, Paris! I know better!"

Tom tried to keep his temper under control, "Just drop it, Torres. I don't want to argue with you right now."

"It's too late for that now, Paris. So tell me what was so amusing!"

Tom closed his eyes. This was getting them nowhere. He knew it would only anger her more, but he said it anyway.

"I was smiling, because I was thinking how lovely you look when you're angry."

B'Elanna's eyes darkened, "I thought so."

She then stood up, glared at the console, and growled.

"We aren't going anywhere," she said unhappily, "We'll have to wait until someone picks us up."

"I hope it's not the Jharens," Tom whispered.

B'Elanna looked at him. He was staring back at her as if he was waiting for her to shout at him. She snarled then walked out of the pod.

Tom sighed, and leaned back in the chair. He closed his eyes and thought how bad this day had started out. He knew she was going to be angry for quite awhile. He would just stay away from her, and let her cool off. She would come back arouns when she was ready.
~~
B'Elanna picked up a rock and threw it. It landed with a thunk in the river. She sat down heavily on the shore, and stared out into the forest.

Why did he say that? She wondered, He knew what the result would be. Did he think it would make me feel better?

B'Elanna shook her head, and kicked at a loose pebble.

Damn him! She growled, What's he trying to prove? What is he trying to do?!

She felt like screaming, but that wouldn't help matters. She needed another outlet to vent her anger and frustration. She stood up, and headed into the forest. She needed to get away for awhile. She needed to think.
~~
Tom opened his eyes and saw the colors of a setting sun splattered across the sky. He realized then that he had fallen asleep. He stretched lazily, and looked around the pod. He stood up and went outside. He didn't see a sign of B'Elanna anywhere. Thinking that she was at the river, and had lost track of the time, he headed into the woods.

I hope she's all right, Tom thought, We can't be arguing all the time. There's no telling when we'll be leaving this rock.

He stopped short when he came to the river. He looked up and down it, but saw no sign of B'Elanna. He grew concerned. Trying to stay calm, he called her name.

"B'Elanna!"

His only answer was the wind.

Stay calm, Tom told himself, She probably went for a walk.

Tom looked upstream then headed in that direction, calling her name.

Where is she?! His mind shouted, How far did she go?!

Tom didn't go far when he saw a shadow moving toward him.
Before he could stop himself, he called her name then ran toward her.

The shadow stopped short, stunned, "Tom?"

Tom stopped a few feet in front of B'Elanna. Mixed emotions went through him. He was relieved that she was all right. He was also angry that she had him worried to near panic. He wanted to take her in his arms and hold her close, protecting her from the wilds of this unfamiliar world.

"B'Elanna, you had me worried," Tom said, still trying to sort through his feelings.

"Really?" B'Elanna said, putting her hands on her hips.
Tom heard the slight hint of anger in her voice. Obviously, she was still angry at his earlier actions. He mentally sighed.

"Yes, B'Elanna," he replied, "I woke up to find you gone. I was afraid that a wild animal had attacked you or you were lost. I was scared."

B'Elanna stared at him. She could barely see him in the dim light, but what she could see told her he was sincere.

"I can take care of myself, Tom," she reminded him.

"I know, B'Elanna. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for my comment earlier. I'm sorry for getting you into this mess. I'm sorry for..."

"Enough, Tom! Enough!" B'Elanna shouted.

Tom stared at her, shocked. He watched as she stalked off back toward the camp site. He sighed sadly and followed her.

This had been one rotten day, he thought.
~~
The stars shown brightly in the velvet sky. The two castaways sat around the campfire, eating plant soup and creature jerky. They avoided each other's stares as they ate silently.

Soon, out of frustration, Tom broke the silence.

"B'Elanna," he began, "we can't be like this toward each other. We don't know how long we'll be on this planet. We can't be at each other's throats all the time."

The half-Klingon looked over the flames at the pilot. His eyes and expression told her he was being sincere. She looked at her bowl then back up at him.

"You want this to be like one of your fantasies?" She asked bitterly, "Stranded on a planet with the girl of your dreams? Only it's me you're with, so you'll settle for that."

Tom stared at her, shocked. He shook his head, but she continued.

"I have news for you, Thomas Eugene Paris! I will not be part of some fantasy of yours!"

"Wait just a damn minute!" Tom snapped, standing up, "Where do you get the idea that I only want us to get along, so I can sleep with you?! That is the most..."

Tom stopped himself before he told her she was being ridiculous. He would never tell B'Elanna that.

"I just thought this situation would be more bearable if we weren't at each other's throats. I'm sorry if you took it the wrong way."

Tom sat down, and returned to staring at his food. He said what he wanted to. If she still thought what she said then that was her business. He just hoped she would be more civil toward him tomorrow.

B'Elanna stared at the pilot. His words stunned her. He was right, though. They needed to get along if they were to survive this ordeal. She sighed and finished her meal.

Chapter Five-Forgiveness

B'Elanna woke to find herself alone in the pod. She sat up, and looked toward the door. She saw a shadow moving around outside. She stood up, and cautiously headed for the exit. She kicked the tool she'd used on the console. She froze as did the shadow. B'Elanna jumped when she saw Tom's blonde head peek around the corner. She relaxed then and smiled.

"Morning, Lanna," Tom said, quietly. He still remembered her words. He was hurt by them, and he had lashed out at her because of it. He knew he probably had hurt her as well, and was not sure how she would respond to him. He didn't want to provoke her anger this morning. He knew he would lash out again, and he didn't want to do that, either.

"Morning, Tom," B'Elanna said just as quietly. She didn't want to provoke his anger again. She had never seen him so angry.

B'Elanna stepped out of the pod to see Tom cooking breakfast. She knelt on the other side of the fire, in front of him. She looked at him. His blue eyes were intense, piercing her soul. She looked away.

"Plant soup?" B'Elanna asked.

Tom smiled, "Boiled meat. I thought we'd try some variety. It's almost done."

The half-Klingon nodded. She watched as he tasted the broth then stirred the meal. She looked up at him to see that he was watching her. They held each other's gaze for long minutes, before B'Elanna averted her eyes.

"I thought about what you said last night," she said almost to herself, "You're right. We don't know how long we're going to be here. We need to get along. We're going to have to count on each other. You're all I have and I'm all you have. There's no one else on this planet."

"And the animals," Tom added, smiling. She looked at him, and saw the sparkle in his sapphire eyes. She found herself returning his smile.

"So, I'm forgiven?" The pilot asked as he spooned the stew into a bowl. He handed it to her as he waited for her answer.

B'Elanna took the bowl and sniffed it. It smelled wonderful. She picked up a spoon and stirred it. She smiled when she saw some pieces of leaves floating around the broth as well as chunks of meat. She looked at him, and almost laughed at his begging expression.

"Since you are feeding me, I guess I have no choice," she remarked.

Tom shook his head as he prepared a bowl for himself. He took a sip of the broth and closed his eyes, savoring the taste. He then looked at her.

"You do have a choice, but thank you."

B'Elanna was stunned at his response. She didn't expect him to say anything like that. She blinked a few times before she stared at her own meal. She stirred the stew as she contemplated his remark.

I know he wanted me to forgive him, but would he have accepted if I told him I didn't forgive him. What will he do next? Ask for my approval for everything he does?

B'Elanna looked at him. He had been staring at her again, but he had averted his eyes back to his meal. She shook her head and returned to her meal. Tom Paris would always be an enigma to her.

On to Part Four
Back to Paris, Voyager
Return to the Fanfic Page