A Silly Crush
Aurora Khan (ltrotsky17@hotmail.com)
Series: Star Trek: Voyager (Final Good-byes universe)
Rating: G
Code: Paris/Torres


Legal Disclaimer—Paramount is Paramount. Don’t sue, ‘cause I don’t have anything to give.

Synopsis: Ensign Bryan Arkanski offers to baby-sit for B'Elanna Torres' twins,
in a futile attempt to get closer to the engineer. He ends up getting more than
he bargained for and learns more about the engineer's relationship with her
husband.

Historical Note: Yeah, yeah, part of the "Final Good-byes" ever expanding universe. This is another story filling in the gaps of the life of Tom and B'Elanna before "FG"

This one takes places in the tenth season of Voyager. The twins, Priya and Gene
are 2 years old.

This isn't a serious story. This is inspired a bit from
DangerMom's "Turn Around" story and a song I heard on the radio. This is what I get for listening to the radio when I have insomnia.


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

Ensign Bryan Arkanski of engineering got out of the turbolift and headed
to the Paris/Torres quarters still wondering how in the world he got talked into
baby sitting for the pilot and chief engineer.
Actually, it wasn't that hard to figure out. The minute the harried
looking mother of two had come up to him, he had been desperate to do anything
that would get him a little closer to her.
Because Bryan Arkanski, the shy little ensign, was head over heels in love
with B'Elanna Torres.
*Why do I always fall for older women*? he demanded himself. In the
Academy, he'd fallen for Professor Elizabeth Fitzgerald--two days later, he'd
been transferred out of that class. Apparently, he'd made his feelings a bit too
clear to Fitzgerald.
Not to B'Elanna, though. After what had happened to Ensign Vorik, who was
rumored to be on custodial detail even now, six years later, he had been careful
not to let her suspect anything.
But that didn't mean he didn't dreamed about the day she'd tell him he
loved her too.
So what if she was happily married to Tom Paris, pilot extrodinaire? So
what if B'Elanna had two kids? There were always possibilities.
Really, really slim, but they were there.
He rang the door bell and Tom's voice could be heard yelling out come.
Bryan stepped through and almost tripped over a set of blocks.
"Uncle Bryan!" shrieked a small voice; Gene's. The little boy came flying
into his legs, causing Bryan to stagger backwards. The children addressed
everyone as Uncle or Aunt since the crew was like family, a fact Arkanski didn't
actually recognize until now.
A second figure came and attached itself to his leg like a parasite, this
one being Priya, or he guessed from the abundance of follicles that were
trailing down her back.
"Um, Lieutenants?" he called out as he began to realize his legs were going
numb.
B'Elanna emerged from the bedroom, a comb clenched in one hand, the other
one digging through a pile of clothes in the corner. "Where is it?" she demanded
to no one.
Bryan let out a sigh. Even dressed in the regulation Starfleet uniform and
with wet hair plastered against the back of her scalp, she looked breath taking.
"Tom, where did you see my comm badge?" shouted the chief engineer. She
looked up, finally noticing Bryan's presence. "Bryan! I'm sorry, I didn't
realize you were here. Priya Lauren, Eugene Marcos let go of his legs *right
now*!"
The twins pulled back, looking at their mother with innocence radiating
from their eyes. "But Mommy, we just wanted to tell Uncle Bryan how much we
loved him," lisped Priya.
B'Elanna just nodded absentmindedly, still distracted by the fact that her
badge had gone MIA.

**** ****

Tom finally poked his head in, dangling the gold comm badge from his
finger tips. "Looking for this?"
His wife snatched it from him and affixed it to its proper place on her
uniform. "You're a life saver."
He pulled her close and they shared a kiss, which made Bryan's heart sink
to somewhere around his shoes.
"Daddy!" shrieked their daughter. "I'm hungry!" She skipped around the
room, miraculously avoiding tripping over any of the scattered play things.
"Time for applesauce to decorate my uniform again," sighed Tom, looking at
his clothes ruefully.
"I'm sure you'll look handsome anyway," teased B'Elanna, fiddling with the
collar of his turtleneck. A quick glance at the chronometer told her she was
getting late for her shift. "I'd better go before Joe Carey thinks that he's
permanent Chief Engineer."
"Oh yeah, that's Joe, Mr. Swelled-Head," grinned her husband. Their lips
met in another quick kiss, only to be interrupted when Gene started throwing the
blocks at his sister, who started to hurl the remnants of last night's dinner in
retaliation.
"You'll have your hands full trying to give them breakfast," sighed
B'Elanna as she hurried toward the door. She blew the pilot a quick kiss and her
eyes shone with the affection she felt for him. "Priya, Gene, don't give your
father or Bryan too much trouble, all right?"
The children stopped their throw fest at their mother's voice. "Yes,
Mommy," they sang out, blowing her a few kisses.
"I'll see you both at lunch," B'Elanna told them, and as she walked by
Bryan she whispered," Tom'll explain everything, don't worry." She exited
quickly, and Bryan's heart sank. The only reason he'd agreed to baby sit was
because he thought he'd get to spend a few extra minutes with B'Elanna--not her
husband!
"Bryan, I'm glad you got here a bit early. Naomi Wildman usually watched
the kids when we have to be on duty at the same time, but she caught a small bug
when we stopped at Geryt 5 and is in Sickbay. I need a lot of help feeding these
two--they can get a bit rambunctious. I have to leave in a half hour though, so
you'll be on your own. Think you can handle it?" asked Tom, stepping in between
the twins. "Stop pulling Priya's hair, RIGHT NOW, Gene!"
"But it's fun," insisted the boy. "She has curly-curly hair that goes
boingy! when I pull!"
"Daddy!" screeched Priya, hiding behind Tom's legs trying to avoid her
brother's out stretched hands.
Gene started chasing her around the room shouting," Stay still!" while
Priya ran like a marathon runner, yelling," Stop, stop, stop, stop!!"
Tom let out a shrug. "I'm sure once they eat something, they'll calm
down." He didn't sound too sure of himself.
"Yeah, sure," agreed Bryan, with a sinking heart. How had he agreed to
this anyway?

**********
Four hours later, Bryan collapsed onto the sofa, tired down to every
aching bone.
He smelled like apple sauce, which was the only thing they had decided to
eat for breakfast. Tom hadn't been their to help him either, he'd been paged to
the Bridge when his relief officer, Ensign Morgana had collapsed from food
poisoning. A bit too much of Neelix's latest creation, it seemed. It was too
good to be true.
Gene and Priya had finally decided to take a nap, only after they had
covered his face with paint. He now had bright yellow skin that he was too
exhausted to wipe off. It had dried anyway, and was flaking off.
*I'm never going to have kids* Bryan thought dazedly. *I'll adopt a twenty
year old so I won't have to deal with all of this.*
The ensign was almost asleep when he heard the doors open. Soft footsteps
could be heard, and a shadow suddenly fell over him. Peeking out from under his
lashes he could make out the curvy physique of B'Elanna Torres.
"Bryan?" she called softly. Arkanski didn't move, maybe if he stayed
asleep, she'd confess her love for him. Crazy, but it had happened in this novel
he'd read...

****

"Poor thing, they must have really run you ragged," B'Elanna murmured. She
tip toed softly into the adjoining room; Priya and Gene's room. They were both
as fast asleep as their baby sitter, curled up in their beds with cherubic
expressions on their faces. Planting gentle kisses on their forehead, she left,
just as her comm badge beeped.
"Torres here."
"B'Elanna, just checking in. Did Bryan start screaming with frustration
yet?" Tom's voice sounded amused.
"Actually, they're all asleep."
Tom echoed his wife's earlier sentiments. "Must have had him chasing them
all day. We should really give him a couple extra replicator rations."
"He'll need them just to replicate a new uniform," said B'Elanna, noticing
the stains covering Bryan's tunic. "Wait a minute, where are you?"
"On the Bridge, of course."
"So everyone can hear me?"
"They promised they wouldn't listen when I started to whisper sweet
nothings into the comm badge." Kathryn Janeway, Chakotay, Harry Kim and Susan
Nicoletti's soft laughter filtered through.
"Incorrigible, Paris. Incorrigible. Almost four years of marriage and you
never cease to amaze me."
"I do my best."
Bryan Arkanski listened as they began to tease each other, talking about
nothing at all, really. There was a glow to B'Elanna's face that he never saw in
Engineering. He had noticed it in the morning too. Just Tom's voice was enough
to bring it back. Bryan realized his chief had never smiled at him at any time
he could recall.
He could hear the love shining through in her voice for the man she called
her husband. There was no chance that she would ever leave Tom for him. None at
all.
With a sigh, he pushed away his thoughts and went to sleep.

****
I wish you'd look at me that way
your beautiful eyes looking deep into mine
telling me more than any words can say
but you don't even know I'm alive
Baby, to you all I am is the invisible man
you don't see me baby
****

Almost an hour later, Ensign Arkanski's eyes fluttered open, a sense of
disorientation filling him as he awoke in the unfamiliar place. Two seconds
later, the memory of baby sitting and overpowering smell of applesauce flooded
his brain. Now he remembered where he was.
The sound of children's laughter reached his ears and he turned his head.
Priya and Gene were building something with the wooden blocks he'd stumbled over
when he had first entered. B'Elanna and Tom were sitting a few paces away, with
smiles of parental pride.
Clenching a small block in his chubby fist, Gene carefully placed the last
block on top of a pile that resembled no building Bryan had ever seen before.
"All done!" he announced.
For the first time Bryan saw Priya reach out and touch her brother without
trying to smack him. They hugged each other. "We finished, Brother!"
"I love you, Priya," mumbled Gene, garbling the words slightly, but the
meaning clear.
His sister's blue eyes shone. "Love you too, Genie." Obviously, Genie was
Priya's nickname for her twin. Bryan wondered if the two year old even knew what
an actual Genie was. Probably not.
The proud mama and papa looked on, their faces filled with triumph. This
was what it meant to be a parent, guessed Bryan, seeing your children getting
along. That's what he thought at least. He wasn't a parent, after all.
"I love you too, Tom," whispered B'Elanna, leaning back into his arms. Her
eyes met Tom's, and for that instant, Bryan Arkanski felt he should be in
another room, another quadrant (preferably the Alpha) anywhere but their
quarters.
B'Elanna, nor Tom was even aware that he was still there. Bryan might as
well be invisible.
The fact solidified in his mind. His love for B'Elanna Torres was nothing
more than a silly crush. And even if it was something more, there was nothing he
could do. He didn't feel as heart broken as he expected, so it must have been a
crush after all.
His mind started churning at warp speed. There was another woman he really
*was* in love with. Captain Janeway. Hmmm, maybe she needed someone to bring her
a pot of coffee tomorrow....

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

Last updated: July 19, 2001

© Aurora Khan

ltrotsky17@hotmail.com

http://www.oocities.org/auspicious17