Title: Hello, Operator...Daddy, is That You?
Contact: kelhapam@worldpath.net
Series: VOY
Rating: PG
Code: T, P/T
Part: 1/1 NEW
Date: 16 August 2000Summary: B'Elanna's call comes through. What does she have to
say to her father? What does her father have to say to her?Explanation: This story takes place at the beginning of Season
Seven.Disclaimer: Voyager owns all the characters, etc., I am just
using the characters for a little fun and relaxation.Note of Appreciation. Special thanks to my beta readers: Tracy
S., Ronda S., and P.J. Sutherland. Special thank you to Tracy
for giving me the Section 31 idea.Email:
kelhapam@worldpath.netPosting: OK to ASC. Please notify me if you post anywhere
else.Hello, Operator...Daddy, is that You?
8/00How dare he! B'Elanna thought. Her body shook with rage as she
hurled another trinket toward the far wall of her quarters. A
unsatisfying thud followed by a thump was heard when the item
first hit the wall and then landed on the carpeted deck. Why had
she ever let Tom Paris substitute all her little treasures with
unbreakable duplicates? Right now, she really needed to hear a
wonderful resounding smash! Instead, she heard the her
communications station beep.B'Elanna's head snapped around toward the sound. Chewing on her
lower lip, a habit she developed when she was a little girl, she
walked to the comm station, sat down, and pressed the connection
button."B'Elanna Torres," she announced trying to sound confident. She
had given up trying to figure out who would be on the other end.
Her mother, maybe--that is if she really survived her trip to
Sto-Vo-Kor. An old friend at the Academy? Very unlikely. Her
father? Yeah, right. Like he'd ever call!A voice that she hadn't heard in a very long time came through
loud and amazingly clear, considering distance that it had
traveled. It completely floored her. "Princess?"{Princess?} It'd been years since she had been called that...and
she didn't want to hear it now. But she bit her tongue at the
retort that formed on her lips. Tom would tell her that now was
not the time to be confrontational. He would stress that she be
patient--anger could come later if necessary."Father?" She'd be damned if she'd call him Daddy like she had
when she was small; and B'Elanna resumed gnawing on her lower
lip."Your lip's going to be raw if you keep on chewing it, B'Elanna,"
he replied knowingly.B'Elanna stopped chewing immediately...it's hard to chew your lip
when ones mouth had fallen open in disbelief."How'd you know?" she asked. Her initial anger at hearing Eduardo
Torres' voice was replaced with curiosity."You always chewed your lower lip when you were a little girl,
B'Elanna. You did it every time you were troubled, or if you
were concentrating. I remember when you were about four, I came
home to find you sitting cross-legged in the middle of the
kitchen floor with Tobey, your stuffed targ. All around you two
were pieces of what had been the household trash transporter. Do
you remember?"B'Elanna's lips formed a small smile despite herself. "Yeah, I
remember. I thought I was going to be in *big* trouble," she
recalled. Instead her father had squatted down on the floor
beside her, and not only helped her put the thing back together,
but explained each step in the process. Her father even took the
time to talk to her as an equal, not like a child."You were so serious, but so bright," he continued. "I could
almost see your little mind absorbing all the information that I
was telling you. I knew then that you'd go places, B'Elanna; but
I just didn't know how far."B'Elanna could hear the smile on his lips through the words he
spoke. He still had that richness in his voice that she had
remembered those many years ago--a deep bass that she adored."I bet you're surprised to hear my voice, Princess."
"Please don't call me that."
"Princess?"
"Yeah. Too much time has passed."
"Whatever you say," he relented. Now was not the time to argue.
A long moment of silence passed between them.
"I didn't think I'd ever hear your voice again," she admitted. {I
didn't know if I wanted to hear your voice again.}"I did receive the message you sent me from the Badlands."
She'd almost forgotten that she had done that. It'd been such a
long time ago. At the time it was very important that she knew
why he had left both her and her mother when she was just a
little girl. It was still important to her, she admitted to
herself."I remember," she replied in a small voice.
"I know that I hurt you, B'Elanna. I've wanted to explain what
happened years ago; but I was obligated..."Fury streamed through her body like fire. Patience, be damned!
"Obligated! Obligated? I was your daughter! Your obligation
was to my mother and me!""I wanted to stay."
"Then why didn't you?" {I loved you, Daddy. I wanted you to be
with me always.}"I had to leave. I did it to protect both of you."
"Don't give me that bullshit!" B'Elanna slammed her fists down on
the desk, making the communication station rattle. "I'm not five
years old any more. I'm an adult!""It's the truth. I wanted to stay." He paused a beat before
continuing. "Have you ever heard of Section 31?"{The secret section of Starfleet that some thought was a myth?}
"Yes," she admitted. "I've heard of it." Most of the Maquis had
heard of it."At the time I left, I was working for them, B'Elanna. I was
engaged in a critical covert operation. I hadn't intended to
become so heavily involved, but before I knew it, I was. I
couldn't risk the lives of my family, so I went deep undercover,
leaving you and your mother behind. It was the hardest thing I'd
ever done. Then, when I thought I could come back to you and try
to mend my ways, I was captured by the Romulans and imprisoned
for five years.""But mother said that you abandoned us. For years, I blamed you
for my troubles.""It was better that way," Eduardo Torres insisted.
"Better? I thought you left because you didn't want a half-
Klingon as a daughter!" B'Elanna cried out. "Do you know how
hard that was for me?!""I can only imagine--but at least you were alive. By leaving you
two the way I did, I kept you safe. By doing so, the Romulans
would have been less likely to use you two to get to me. I
didn't have enough time to come up with another solution," he
explained. You'll never know how much I regret not being with
you when you were growing up."Voyager's Chief Engineer swallowed down a lump in her throat.
"Does Mother know?" she whispered."I've spoken to her about it."
"How is she?"
"Your mother is doing better, it was touch and go last year."
{She's alive!} "I thought so."
"What do you mean? Did you find out something through a
communique from Starfleet?""No. Do you remember when mother told us about the Barge of the
Dead? The vessel that transports souls to Sto-Vo-Kor?""I remember. I thought that it was a myth--part of the Klingon
lore.""Well, I did too at one time, but I was also injured last year.
I nearly died. During that time, I remember being on the Barge
of the Dead, and I met mother there. I wasn't sure if she had
survived her experience or not."Eduardo Torres respected Klingon culture and didn't question what
his daughter was telling him. "She'd been on QonoS visiting her
family when a Klingon wildcat attacked her," he told her. "If it
wasn't for her Klingon strength, we would have lost her. For
weeks, I stayed with her, nursing her back to health. I wanted
to bring her to Earth so the best Starfleet doctors could help
her, but she'd have none of it.""Klingon pride," B'Elanna explained simply.
"Yep...but without her stubborn Klingon pride and her strength,
I'm sure she would have died.""I wish she were with you right now," his daughter admitted. "I
have so much to tell her." B'Elanna's hand stole down to her
abdomen. "I wanted to tell her how much I appreciated her advice
during our near-death experience.""If she was there with you, then I'm sure she knows, B'Elanna.
Your name was on her lips often during her recovery. But when I
see her again, I'll tell her. If you don't mind, I could bring a
recording of our conversation."B'Elanna nodded. "Yes, please do. I'd like her to know that I
understand her better than before. Tell her that I love her.""She knows, Prin- B'Elanna." Old habits were hard to break. "At
times you two may have had your differences, but she always knew
that you loved her."{Why didn't I know that?} "She'll be glad to know that I've come
to appreciate my Klingon half more than I ever did before.""You've grown up."
"It's not just that," she continued. "I found someone that
doesn't shy away from me because of my Klingon side," B'Elanna
explained. "He's made me see the value in both of my heritages.""He sounds like a fine man. I'd like to meet him."
B'Elanna smiled and rubbed her stomach. "He is. I love him, but
...I've done something dishonorable.""Dishonorable?" her father sounded surprised.
"I've been keeping a secret from him, father," B'Elanna admitted.
"It's tearing me up inside, but I'm not sure what he'll do if I
tell him.""What is it? Do you want to tell me?"
::::You have sixty seconds left to complete your conversation::::
B'Elanna scowled at the computer's interruption and her father
swore under his breath."I've only known for a few days, but it's no excuse. I should
have told him immediately. You see, I--I'm pregnant." Her hand
massaged her stomach in a circular motion that she found
comforting since she found out Tom's baby was growing in her
womb."B'Elanna, that's wonderful news!"
"I hope so--but I don't know if he's ready to be a father, we
aren't even married yet. Hell, I don't know if I'm even ready to
be a mother!""I'm sure he'll understand."
"But it was my fault. I missed my contraceptive hypo."
"He'll understand," Eduardo Torres insisted.
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because I understood."
B'Elanna paused for a moment as the information sunk in.
"Mother? She forgot?" {Impossible!}"Your mother's not perfect. No one is. If...what's his name?"
"Tom."
"If Tom loves you, he'll understand."
"I hope so."
"I know so," her father insisted. "I understood. If Tom loves
you half as much I loved your mother, he'll stand by you, and
he'll just adore his son or daughter.""He's always stood by me, and I don't have to tell you that
putting up with the Klingon temper isn't the easiest thing in the
world. That's why I'm worried about being a mother. What if I
can't do it?"::::Forty seconds remain::::
"I have no doubt that you'll be a wonderful mother to my
grandchild."B'Elanna snorted.
"It's true, B'Elanna," her father reassured her. "I remember
just before I left. Your cousins from my side of the family had
come to visit. You took Cousin Margarita and Pedro into your
care, even though you were barely a year older than them.
Believe me, you'll make out just fine."B'Elanna had almost forgotten about the time her cousins had come
to visit. She fervently hoped that her father's instincts were
correct. More than anything she wanted to be a good mother.Her father laughed. "So who is this 'Tom', the father of my
future grandchild?""He's the Chief Helmsman on board."
"Tom Paris? Admiral Paris' son? He's the father?"
B'Elanna's heart sank. Would that make a difference to her
father? And why all of a sudden did it matter to her that he
approve of her mate?"I understand from the messages that Captain Janeway transmitted
last time Starfleet was in contact with your ship, that he's
really proven himself on board Voyager.""He has. He's a fine man. I hope that you and mother will like
him.""If he's captured your heart, B'Elanna, will I have any choice?"
He laughed. "And I'm sure if Tom Paris precedes his reputation--
the Tom Paris charm is legendary in Starfleet--then he'll be able
to enchant your mother if necessary."::::Twenty seconds remain::::
{Not enough time! To think I didn't want to talk to him!}
"If anybody can, it'd be Tom," she agreed. B'Elanna could imagine
him entwining Miral around his little finger. The thought made
her smile."We'll be waiting for you when you get back home, B'Elanna. I'm
already working on the Maquis' behalf--putting in a good word
where I can, and calling up old favors.""That means a lot. I'll let the others know."
"Daddy?"
"Yes, Princess."
"I love you."
"I love you, too."
:::::Communication terminated.:::::
The End.
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