~~
B'Elanna woke to the feel of stiff muscles. She groaned as she stretched the kinks out. Suddenly, she remembered why she was on the couch.

"Tom."

B'Elanna got up and padded into her bedroom. She was shocked wide awake to see that he wasn't there. She blinked as she wondered if she even brought him to her quarters. She shook her head, for she knew that she did or else she wouldn't have slept on the couch.

*Something's wrong with him,* she told herself again, *Those dreams must be very bad if he's taken to drinking.*

"Computer, location of Lt. Paris," B'Elanna addressed the computer.

"Lt. Paris is in his quarters."

*Good. I'm going to talk to him this time.*

Determined, B'Elanna showered, got dressed, and headed for Tom's quarters.

Just as she exited the turbolift on deck two her comm badge chirped, "Carey to Torres."

Groaning inwardly, she answered, "Torres here."

The half-Klingon smiled. He was trying to humorously tell her to get her butt down to Engineering. She shook her head and said, "On my way. Torres out."

B'Elanna then remembered that she wanted to talk to Tom. She sighed as she entered the turbolift. Their talk would have to wait till lunch.
~~
Tom was sitting on his couch in a dimly lit room as he contemplated last night. He tried to remember the details, but eveything was blurry after B'Elanna entered Sandrine's. He remembered trying to hit on her, and he was surprised that she hadn't hit him for it. He remembered her saying that she was going to take him to his quarters, and after that it was a blank.

*We must have slept together,* Tom thought as he put his head in his hands, *It's the only reason I woke up in her bed. But why did she decide to take me to her quarters?*

A thought came to him, *She probably thought that her quarters was closer. But why would she let me have her bed while she slept on the couch?*

He stood up then and began to pace the floor as he thought about whether they had sex or not. When he faced the door to his quarters, he saw a faint light appear before him. He stopped and stared at it. He narrowed his eyes as if that would help. Suddenly, the light began to form an image, and he grew afraid as he stared at it.

"No," Tom whispered as an image formed before him.

Tom stared at the image formed into that of a woman. The figure's back was turned to him, but he felt that he recognized the person. He watched as the image raised her arms as if to ward something off. His eyes widened as he saw blood splatter in two direction away from the woman. He heard a cry, but if it was from him or the figure, he didn't know. Then suddenly as it appeared the form vanished. Tom sank to the floor, shivering.
~~
Determination returning to her, B'Elanna entered the Mess Hall. She grabbed a tray of food and began searching the room for Tom Paris. She spotted him far away in a lonely corner. Not noticing that he was trying to make himself look invisible, she headed for him.

When he saw B'Elanna enter the room, Tom tried his best to act as if he didn't see her. He tried to make himself look invisible by shrinking into his chair. He glanced up quickly to see that it didn't work. She was coming toward him a look of determination on her face.

*This is not good,* Tom thought as he shrank further into his chair, *She's going to kill you for taking advantage of her. Way to go, Tommy.*

Tom jumped when he heard the sound of a tray being placed on a table. He looked up to see B'Elanna sit down across from him. He took a deep breath to calm himself and to be ready for the onslught of insults he knew she would throw his way.

"I'm sorry, B'Elanna," Tom blurted out, hoping that if he apologized before she cursed at him, it would sooth her rage, "I was drunk, I didn't mean to take advantage of you."

B'Elanna stared at him stunned, "What?"

Tom looked at her strangely, "I'm sorry about last night. I didn't mean to..."

B'Elanna finally caught on to what he was thinking. She shook her head, stopping him. She reached out and touched his hand, hoping to reassure him.

"It's all right, Tom. You didn't do anything, except become really drunk. I took you to my quarters last night, because it was closer. I let you have my bed while I took the couch. You didn't take advantage of me, Tom. You were too drunk and exhausted to do such a thing."

Tom smiled slightly. He suddenly felt a wave of relief was over him. He also felt a little disappointed as well. The pilot was quite attracted to the half-Klingon engineer, and had on occasion tried to get her to have dinner with him. She always refused, but never insulted him. She did of course taunt him, but it was never the hurting barbs when they first met. He kind of enjoyed the verbal sparing. He loved her sense of humor and her quick wit. So much like his. It fascinated him to no end.

*Maybe someday then,* Tom thought as he found himself staring at her.

Chapter Three

Tom Paris found himself sitting in bed sweating profusely. He began to take deep breaths to calm himself. The breaths came short and quick which worried him. He closed his eyes and forced himself not to panic. The last thing he needed was to pass out, for he feared that he might not wake up again.

Finally, the fear subsided and he could breath again. Tom inhaled deeply as he felt calmness wash over him. It didn't last long as a flash of light sparked before his eyes. He brought his arm up to shield his eyes as he squinted in the brightness.

The light dimmed and Tom could see a shadow standing in the doorway between his bedroom and main room. A sudden tinge of fear gripped him as the figure stepped into his bedroom.

"Who are you?" Tom demanded, hoping his fear didn't register in his voice.

The shadow didn't answer as it came closer to him. Tom backed away until his back came in contact with the headboard. He stared at the figure as it drew nearer. The shadow reached out to touch him and the pilot pulled away, trying to keep the distance between them. It didn't work as he felt a sudden cold sensation jolt through his body. He opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came.

Tom jolted awake. He lay on his bed as his breaths came ragged and shallow. He closed his eyes only to open them again. Calming himself, he breathed deeply and let it out carefully. He then slowly sat up in bed and his eyes fell on the chronometer. It said 0123, and he groaned.

*This has to stop,* Tom thought as he ran his hands through his hair. He groaned again angrily this time. He was getting tired of the nightmares. They were getting worse and now he was starting to see things. He remembered the vision he saw in his quarters yesterday. The only thing he could think of was that it was due to lack of sleep. He had heard of people hallucinating after staying up for several days.

*There has got to be a way to...* Tom stopped when he remembered the other night. He was drunk and he hadn't had a nightmare after he had passed out. He knew it was foolish to get himself drunk in order to stop the dreams from coming, but he had no other choice.

*To Sandrine's it is,* Tom thought as he got dressed.
~~
For two nights straight, Tom spent most of his time in Sandrine's drowning the dreams that haunted him. Both times, he fell into a dreamless sleep and no nightmares came to him. The bad part was that he had terrible hang overs the next morning. It was a price he was willing to pay in order to get a good night's sleep. He was glad that it wasn't affecting his piloting. Tom knew though that it was only a matter of time before someone would catch on. He hoped it would be later instead of sooner.

Tom's luck finally ran out when he arrived late on the Bridge on the fourth day of his attempt to cure himself from the dreams. He grumply got out of bed when the captain hailed him. He took a quick sonic shower, got dressed, and headed for the Bridge. The bright lights of the corridors bothered him a lot. He snapped at anyone who spoke to him. People noticed that he looked like hell, and they proceeded to stay out of his way. The only other person who could make people walk on eggshells was B'Elanna.

Tom walked onto the Bridge fifteen minutes late. He went to his station, ignoring Janeway's unamused stare. This made her even more angry and concerned.

"Mr. Paris," she said, her voice demanding to be answered, "care to explain why you're late."

Tom didn't turn around to look at her, but he answered her, "I overslept, Captain. If you don't mind, I would like to get started."

Janeway stared at the back of her pilot's head. Stunned, she looked at Chakotay. The Commander was also surprised at the pilot's harsh tone. Something was wrong with Tom and it went beyond not getting enough sleep.

"Mr. Paris, how did you sleep last night?" Chakotay asked, not realizing he was talking to a ticking time bomb.

Tom spun around, startling them both with his appearance. His hair was a mess, but they figured that was because he was in a hurry. His eyes were glassy and they were red around the edges. There was also a fire burning behind his blood-shot eyes that they only seen from B'Elanna.

"For your information, Commander, I didn't sleep very well. Now, if that is the end of your curiosity, I'd like to get back to work."

Everyone had noticed Tom's aggressive behaviour and bedraggled appearance. They all shared looks as the pilot went through a diagnostic on the Conn. The Bridge crew, including Captain Janeway and Chakotay decided to leave Tom alone. They didn't want him to explode at even the slightest comment. When Janeway gave Tom an order, she made sure it was in a soft soothing voice.

When the shift ended for lunch, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Harry stared at his friend as Tom headed for the turbolift. He had noticed the pilot's behaviour and appearance, and grew even more concerned. It was time to get to the bottom of why Tom was being strange.

Janeway looked at Chakotay. The two sighed in relief, teh tension lifted for an hour.

"Now I know how B'Elanna's staff feels when she's upset," Chakotay said, trying to be humorous. It fell flat, though his concern to apparent in his voice.

"I have never seen him look like that," Janeway mentioned, "He has never even been close to looking like that. Even on his worse days."

Chakotay nodded, "I think it's time to talk to him. This is getting out of hand. I'll try to speak to him when his shift's over."

"Do you think that's a good idea? You saw how he acted when we tried to ask him simple questions."

Chakotay had to agree, but this was serious, "Maybe he might let something slip when he's in this condition. He might tell me what's bothering him so much."

Janeway nodded, "Just don't get into a fight with him. The last thing he needs is to be thrown into the brig."

"I'll go easy on him, Kathryn."

Janeway smiled and left the Bridge with Chakotay in tow.
~~
Harry Kim found B'Elanna sitting at a table by herself. She was reading a datapadd, completely ignoring the food before her. He grabbed a tray and headed toward her table.

"B'Elanna," Harry said, sitting down across from her, "I need to talk to you."

B'Elanna placed the padd down and looked at him. His eyes were full of worry and concern. She furrowed her brow as she spoke, "What is it, Harry?"

"It's Tom. You should have seen him on the Bridge. He snapped at the captain and commander when they asked him questions. His appearance wasn't any better. He looked like he was trampled by horses."

B'Elanna stiffened. She stared at her friend as she remembered what Tom said about his nightmares. They must have gotten worse. She had to talk to him. He had to see the Doctor before these dreams overwhelmed him.

"Harry, we have to talk to him. This problem he's having is getting out of hand. He needs help."

Harry looked at her confused, "What problem?"

B'Elanna shook her head, "It was confident what he told me, Harry. I won't break his trust."

"Okay," *Why didn't he come to me?* Out loud he said, "I agree. We have to get him to admit what's wrong."

A thought then occured to him, "Not at once, B'Elanna. I don't want to think what he would do if he felt that he was being ganged upon. He already growled at Captain Janeway and Chakotay. There's no telling how he wuold react to us."

B'Elanna smiled. She knew she could handle Tom's temper, but Harry was right. There was no telling how fragile Tom really was. He could attack them if he felt threatened by them. She didn't want to have to hurt him if it came to that.

"All right, Harry. What do you suggest?"
~~
In Sandrine's, Tom was again drowning his sorrows in alcohol. It was early evening and the bar was fairly crowded with crewmembers. They were all giving Tom a wide berth, most remembering his harsh words to the commanding officers. Others remembering how he snapped at them when they just said hello. Something was wrong with the pilot and it was only a matter of time before he snapped completely.

*You really blew it; biting the captain and commander's heads of, Tom,* the pilot berated himself, *They'll surely relieve you of duty now.*

Tom took a sip of his drink and stared into the bottom of the glass. A flash of light came from behind him and he spun around. He was shocked to see a shadowy figure appear amonst the crowd of people. Trying to ignore it, he turned back around and stared into his empty glass. Suddenly the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. He turned and saw that the figure was the same one from his nightmare. His eyes widened as the figure reached out and touched him.

"No!" Tom cried as he slapped the hand away. He suddnely felt a icy jolt run in his arm, "Get away!"

The crewmembers stopped what they were doing when they heard the pilot shout. They stared at him in concerned and stunned stances. Tom was waving his arms around and trying to hit the air. He was shouting and they knew that their Chief Pilot had completely lost it.

When Tom became more violent and screaming curses, Security was called. In no time, Tuvok and three officers entered Sandrine's. The Security team stared at the pilot, who seemed to be fighting thin air and yelling like a madman.

Tuvok stepped toward the pilot and everyone held their breath. They were certain, Tom was going to hit the Vulcan if he came close enough or startled the pilot. With a firm grip on the pilot's shoulder, Tuvok stopped Tom from his mad rage.

"What?" Tom asked, staring at the Vulcan confused.

Tuvok tapped his commbadge, "Tuvok to Janeway."

"Go ahead, Tuvok."

"I am taking Lt. Paris to Sickbay. It appears he is ill. Will you meet me there, please?"

There was a slight hesitating then the captain spoke, "I will be there, Tuvok. Janeway out."

To the rest of his team, Tuvok said, "Find out what happened here. I will be in Sickbay."

With that, the Vulcan led a startled Tom Paris out of Sandrine's.

Tom walked silently beside Tuvok. He stared at his feet as he realized he must have done something to have the Vulcan arrive to take him to Sickbay. He wondered what he had done? Just then, something caught his eye. He looked up and saw the figure gliding toward them. He stopped short and found that he couldn't breathe. He began to take heaving breaths, causing the Vulcan to stop and look at him.

"Calm down, Mr. Paris," Tuvok spoke soflty, "Tell me what is going on?"

Tom could barely speak. All he could do was point in the direction of the shadow that was coming closer to them. Tuvok looked in that direction, but saw nothing. He raised an eyebrow and stared at the pilot, whose breathing was ever more erratic.

"Lieutenant, calm down. There is nothing there."

Tom shook his head as the figure drew closer. It was now behind Tuvok and Tom gasped as he tried to warn the Vulcan. He could only squeak out a warning. Tuvok spun around, ready to fight, but again he saw nothing. It was time to get the pilot to Sickbay. Quickly.

"We must get you to Sickbay at once."

Tuvok continued on, but Tom stayed frozen where he was. He stared straight ahead of him as he watched the figure close in on him. He tried to fight it off, but it touched him and he cried out. Tuvok raced back to him to see him slump against the wall. The Vulcan stared at him a hint of concern and confusion in his eyes. He bent down and lifted the unconscious pilot over his shoulder then he tapped his commbadge.

"Transporter room one. Medical Emergancy. Two to beam to Sickbay."

The Vulcan stoically stood in the corridor as the beam enveloped him and the pilot. In his mind, he wondered what Paris saw that made him pass out from fright.

~~
Captain Janeway entered Sickbay just as Tuvok was placing Tom on the biobed. She went to him and demanded answers.

"From what I have just learned, Mr. Paris was drinking. Suddenly, he began swatting at the air and yelling. When it looked like he was getting too violent I was called."

Janeway looked at the prone figure lying on the bed. The Doctor was scanning him and shaking his head. She went to him and asked what it was.

"I can't find nothing wrong with him, except for the large amount of alcohol in his system. He'a also suffering from lack of sleep."

"We all know that Doctor," Janeway mentioned, "There's nothing you can find to answer why?"

The EMH shook his head, "Not at this moment. His brain wave pattern indicates that he is unconscious, not sleeping."

"Unconscious? From what?"

Janeway looked at Tuvok, who was standing impassively.

"Tuvok?"

"On our way to Sickbay, Mr. Paris stopped suddenly and was having difficulty breathing. He kept pointing at nothing. He tried to warn me, but when I looked nothing was there. I went on, trying to get him to Sickbay. When he cried out, I spun around and saw him slide down to the floor. He was unconscious when I went to him. I do not know what could have caused it. I believe he was 'seeing things', Captain."

"Seeing things?"

"It's common for people who have gone day without sleeping to begin to hallucinate," the Doctor informed her, "I'll give him something to help him sleep for the time being. I'll let you know when he wakes up."

"Thank you, Doctor," Janeway said quietly, concern clearly evident in her voice. She motioned Tuvok to follow her and the two left Sickbay.
~~
Tom slowly opened his eyes to the brightness of Sickbay. He groaned softly and closed his eyes.

"Ah, you're awake," the Doctor's voice came to his ears, "Now, you can explain to the captain what's going on with you. I for one, can't find anything wrong with you, other than lack of sleep."

"That's it exactly, Doc," Tom said, not opening his eyes, "I can't sleep."

"So you drink yourself to sleep and fight with the air?"

Tom opened his eyes, "What?"

The Doctor stared at his patient, "Tuvok carried you in here, two nights ago, Mr. Paris. He told the captain that he was called to the holodeck, because you were yelling and fighting the air. On the way here, he said you tried to warn him of something behind him, though nothing was there. You then screamed and passed out. Care to explain why, Mr. Paris?"

Tom averted his eyes as he thought about telling the Doctor, *Well, I knew I'd end up here sooner or later. B'Elanna did say I should tell him. The captain already knows somethings wrong with me. I just don't know if they'll believe me or not. Oh, well.*

Tom sighed and looked at the EMH, "I'm havnig nightmares, Doc. Really bad ones. I haven't gotten much sleep and I'm getting less as these dreams continue. A couple days ago, I saw a figure in my quarters. It was of a woman being murdered. The next night, I had a dream about some figure trying to attack me. On the night of my 'break down' I saw that same figure trying to attack me in Sandrine's. I was fighting it, Doc. When Tuvok arrived, it vanished. It appeared again when in the corridor. It tried to attack me again. It touched me and I passed out."

The Docotor stared at him, intreged, but also concerned. This was beyond mere halucinating. Something or someone was trying to get to Tom and was doing so through his dreams. He opened his tricorder and scanned his patient.

"What is it, Doc?" Tom asked, concerned by the expression on the holograms face.

The EMH closed his tricoder and sighed, "Nothing. You're fine. You've had forty-eight hours of sleep. You weren't dreaming at all during the two days. Yuo should be well rested. About your visions, I can only guess that something or someone is trying to get to you by using your dreams."

"An alien?" Tom asked, confused. They hadn't passed by any habitated planets recently.

"I don't think so. I'm going to have to tell the Captain, Tom. She'll need to know and hopefully we'll get to the bottom of this."

Tom nodded and rested his head against the pillow. He sighed as the words of the doctor sank in. Something or someone had to be doing this to him. That was the only explanation he could see behind his dreams and visions. He wanted them stopped and he didn't care how.


"Nothing's wrong with him physically," the Docotor explained to Janeway twenty minutes later, "He's quite rested now."

"These dreams and visions he's having, do you know anything about them?"

The EMH shook his head, "All I can say is that I believe some unknown entity is doing this to him. I don't think it's aliens, but a ship whide scan might eleminate such possiblities."

Janeway nodded her agreement, "I'll get right on it. Have you learned anything else?"

The Doctor shook his head, "Nothing that doesn't tell me what I already know, Captain. His appearance and behaviour was all due to his lack of sleep. He should be fine now."

Janeway sighed in relief. She was glad that was the only reason of Tom's behaviour. She would hate to think of wha twould happen if it wasn't. She could tell Chaktoay now that he didn't have to speak to Tom about his behaviour. She knew the commander would be quite happy to know that.

"I'll be releasing him this afternoon, Captain," the Doctor continued, "I'm only allowing him to go to his quarters. I want him to rest. Tomorrow, he can go back to duty."

"Thank you, Doctor. I'm sure everyone will be glad to know that Tom's all right."

The EMH nodded and Janeway headed for the Bridge.

Chapter Four

Tom Paris entered his quarters that afternoon. He looked around at his dimly lit room and sighed. The ship's internal sensor scans showed nothing of intruders. His own medical scans showed that nothing was wrong with him that would cause him to halucinate, other than lack of sleep. Hoping that was all that was wrong with him, he sat down on his couch and stared at the ceiling.

Tom was just beginning to relax when movement at the corning of his eye caught his attention. He looked toward his bedroom and saw the dark figure standing there.

"No," Tom whispered as he slowly got to his feet. He shook his head as he made a move to leave his quarters. He was not going to be attacked again.

The shadow slowly glided over to the pilot. The figure raised its hand and Tom found that he couldn't move. He groaned as he felt his feet become heavy. He looked up and saw the empty eye sockets of the figure. Frightened, he made a fruitless attempt to move. He screamed when the shadow touched him.

Tom sat up on his couch breathing heavily.

"Not again, dammit," the pilot hissed between chattering teeth.

Tom buried his face in his hands and forced himself to take slow steady breaths. Nothing was working, he knew. He couldn't begin to take the sedatives that the Doctor used on him two days ago. It would be almost as bad as drinking. It wouldn't help in the long run. There had to be something that would stop these damn nightmares.

"This is getting too much," Tom whipsered when he calmed down, "I'm going to go insane."

Tom slowly got to his feet. He stealed himself and headed into the bathroom. He looked in the mirror as he extended the basin from the wall. He splashed some cool water on his face to remove the terror of the dream from his features. When he looked again in the mirror, he froze. In the reflection was the faceless horror. Tom closed his eyes and muttered a curse. When he opened his eyes the figure had stepped closer.

"Go away," Tom whispered angrily.

The figure reached out to touch him, and Tom stiffened. He knew there was nowhere to go, so he closed his eyes and waited.

Tom's eyes flew open when he heard the doorchime. He was stunned and relieved that the ghostly form was no longer behind him. He breathed a sigh of relief and went to answer the door.

The door slid open and B'Elanna stood before him. Without waiting for an invite, she pushed herself passed him and into his quarters.

"Come in," Tom said, letting the door slide shut. Curious, he watched B'Elanna as she stood in the middle of the room. She appeared to be getting herself together to tell him something. When she turned around, Tom was surprised to see a deep concern cross her features.

"B'Elanna."

"Tom this is getting out of hand," the half-Klingon blurted, "You need help. We have to do something."

"If you have an idea, let me know," Tom said, "I've been to Sickbay, B'Elanna. Nothing is wrong with me other than lack of sleep. I've been having visions now. I'm starting to see my nightmares walking around before me. And I'm awake! It has tried three times to attack me! It was in my damn bathroom a few minutes ago!"

B'Elanna could tell he was upset. He was yelling. His voice was a mixture of fear and anger. She knew it was tormenting him. She just wished she could help.

On impulse, she went to him and wrapped her arms around him. She held him as his tirade suddenly stopped. She felt him wrap his arms around her and the two began to relax.

"Feel better now, Tom?" B'Elanna asked as she ran her right hand up and down his back in a comforting gesture.

Tom placed his head on top hers. He suddenly felt the heavy weight of fear lift away from him. He breathed in the scent of her hair and sighed.

"Much better. Thanks," Tom whispered as drowsiness slipped over him.

B'Elanna stifled a laugh as she felt his breathing even out. He was falling asleep. She shook her head and gently pushed him away.

"Come on, Tom," B'Elanna said as she took his hand in hers, "Let's get you to bed before you fall asleep on your feet."

Tom smiled softly as he let her lead him to his bed.

Later, as he lay in bed staring at the ceiling, a thought came to him. *The figure vanished when B'Elanna arrived. Was it because someone was at the door or was it because that person was B'Elanna?*

This thought continued to plague him as he fell into a dreamless sleep. The first non stimulant induced sleep he had in weeks.

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