Title:
Changes P10
Author: Cheryl Forbes
Fandom: Star Trek: Voyager
Pairing: Chakotay/Tom Paris
Rating: NC 17
Series: 10 of ?
Email for feedback: forbesc@skyia.com Disclaimer: Voyager and her
crew belong to Paramount and not me.
Whatever.
Summary: While on the run,
Chakotay and Tom stop to refuel.
"Would it help if I said you looked
really cute when you're mad?"
"No it wouldn't. Now shut
up and eat your stew so we can get the
hell out of here."
Blowing his breath out over his
top lip, Tom took another mouthful of
the hash that was bad enough to
make him think fondly of Neelix's
layola root surprise. Swallowing
without chewing, he looked from his
pissed off lover to take in the
atmosphere of he inn they had found.
It was dark, smelly, totally lacking
in style and he loved it. It
was a lot like the real Sandrine's
before he had put a spit and
polish on it. Unlike the holoprogram,
this armpit of an establishment
made him feel safe. Catching
Lynda's, the proprietress of this
humble watering hole glance behind
the bar, Tom winked and blew her a
kiss. It was her good graces
and wandering eyes that had provided
them with the nourishment they were
now imbibing. Suffering another
swallow, he looked from the comely
owner back to his disgruntled
dinner companion.
Chakotay hadn't said more than two
civil words to him since they had
made love in the forest four hours
ago and found this small town's
hotel.
Tearing Ulien's black bed sheet
in squares, they had fashioned a
small loincloth for him and a toga
for the old man. The scant
coverings had been enticing enough
for Lynda to admit them into her
bar and offer them refreshments
free on the house. They had been
lucky to find someone so generous
and Tom had hoped their fortuitous
find would improve Chakotay's mood.
It hadn't.
"What if I said I wanted you so
much that I didn't care you might
infect me as long as you touched
me?"
"Then I'd say you're a fool.
We should have waited until we returned
to Voyager."
"But I couldn't because I'm in love
with you."
The big beautiful man across the
table from him closed his eyes and
rubbed the heels of his palms over
his face. Chak then stared at his
hands, at the ceiling of Lynda's
and back at him.
"I love you too but," Chakotay stopped
talking and reached over the
scarred table to take one of his
hands. "What we did Tom endangered
your life. By now you are
probably infected with the virus as much
as I am."
"Yeah whatever."
"Tom!"
"Look Chak if we don't get the serum,
you're going to die and Harry
is going to die. What
makes you think I want to be around after
that?"
"That's not the point."
"Oh yeah it is. Both of you
together are my heart and my mind. So
if you leave me, there won't be
any reason for me to stick around.
If there's some kind of great beyond,
I'll meet both of you there."
"We're not going to die Tom."
"Promise?"
"Yes." Chakotay's voice was
so firm, Tom had no choice but to
believe him.
"Are you still mad?"
"Yes Tom but at both of us."
He believed that too.
"Well then can I interest you in
a little under table action to make
it up to you?" He slid his
bare foot up the irate commander's leg.
Chakotay moved out of the way of
his questing toes and let go of his
hand.
"No more sex until we get home."
The determined commander sat back
and gave him what was supposed to
be a cold glare. It was anything
but. "Understood?"
"Understood." Tom said to
please him as he crossed his fingers
behind his back and suppressed a
giggle.
Life was funny. Here he was
very likely infected with a deadly virus
and the most important thing to
him right now wasn't obtaining a cure
for his fatal disease but his boyfriend's
approval. Tom would die a
happy camper if he knew Chakotay
wasn't angry with him.
Man, he really was a fucking basketcase
but instead of hating it, he
loved it. He was crazy in
love with Voyager's first officer and
that, no matter how nuts it made
him feel, was OK. If Chakotay could
suffer through it, so could he.
"You're fucking babe. Do you
know that?"
"Tom, I thought we'd just agreed
no sex." Chak's dark ebony orbs
leveled at him with total seriousness
and it drove him wild.
He threw his hands up. "Am
I touching you?"
"No but…-"
"But nothing and speaking of butts,
yours it so tight and firm it
makes me want to work it with my
fingers and make it soft and pliant
enough so that my dick could slip
right in."
"Tom!" The voice was outraged but
the eyes were darkening and that
was a good thing.
"And then I'd blow myself while
I blew your mind. Can you imagine
how great that would be? Oh
fuck, I can."
"I hate you Tom Paris."
"Yeah well that's OK as long as
you love me too."
"I do."
Tom stared across the table and
as he did so, a grin so wide cracked
his face he thought his head would
split. Holy fuck how he loved
this contrary man. Bad assed aliens,
deadly diseases and life on the
run aside, he had never been this
happy. He could die right now in
this seedy bar and consider his
life well spent because Chakotay
loved him.
Tom was finally getting a chance
to dance along the light of day
instead of the edge of darkness.
It was euphoric and made him feel
like he was made of photonic energy.
He was real but nothing could
touch him.
"Tom it's time to go. Are
you ready?"
"Yeah babe, for anything."
Chakotay caught his mood and smiled,
doing his famous triad with his
dimples. "Good, but how about we
just start with the door?"
"What ever you want, babe."
Tom said again adding emphasis to the
last word. He liked it.
Some how the endearment made him feel as
sexy as his lover was. "You lead
and I'll follow."
Chakotay stood up. "Oh how
I wish I could get that in writing."
"I'll vow to anything you ask me
to old man." Tom said using the
more familiar honorific and still
liking it too.
"One of these days Tom Paris, I
might just ask you do that."
"Oh?"
"But right now we have to go.
Somebody in this god forsaken town
must have access to a comm device."
As helpful as she'd been, Lynda
was unable to direct them to anyone
who had what was probably termed
around here, a radio. Corlear
really wasn't that regressive of
a planet, but this backwater town
didn't venture out much into the
world. It was pretty isolated which
was probably why Ulien had chosen
the area for his home. Grabbing
Chakotay's hand, he said good bye
to his hostess and walked with him
towards the door.
As they stepped side by side into
the darkness of the street, Tom saw
nothing but his future with Chakotay.
It's brightness guided his way.
********
"Hold still Tom."
"What?"
"Don't move."
Keeping a tight hold on his love's
hand, Chakotay scanned the
perimeter of the streetscape.
It seemed quiet enough but he could
have sworn he'd seen a flash of
white much like his lover's current
hair colour on the other side of
the road.
"Tom listen very carefully.
We're going to move very slowly to the
left to the alleyway. You
will, without argument stay behind me
until we reach the alcove at which
point you will fade back and look
for an alternate exit."
"OK but what will you be doing?"
"I said without argument." He tore
his concentrated gaze from the
street and chanced a quick look
at Tom. "Didn't you hear me,
Lieutenant?"
"Yes sir, I did."
"Good now move."
Bleeding into the few shadows the
bar's veranda afforded, they
slipped along its front to the vacant
back street that lined its
side. During their progress
Chakotay saw another flash of white and
knew they definitely weren't alone.
"Go Tom." He hissed out the
corner of his mouth.
"What and leave you here?
No fucking way."
"Remember yourself Lieutenant.
I'm giving you a direct order and
disobeying it is only going to get
yourself and me into deeper
trouble."
"But Chak…-"
"Stow it and move your ass Mr Paris.
I need an exit and I need it
now!"
"Yes sir!"
Hearing the retreating footfalls,
Chakotay relaxed a small portion of
his protective stance. Squinting
his eyes and wishing he had Tuvok's
infrared sight, he leaned into the
corner of the bar and scanned the
darkness for hostiles. He saw nothing
but that didn't mean they
weren't there. The same sixth
sense that alerted him to danger when
Voyager was in trouble told him
they were. Another blink of blond
caught his eye.
Who ever it was, were moving closer
and they were becoming bolder.
Soon they would be near enough to
corner him and Tom. Chakotay
wished briefly for a phaser and
then shoved the unproductive thought
out of his mind. He was unarmed
and it was better to think around it
than to think about its disadvantage.
Crouching low, he moved away from
the alley's opening, hoping to
catch his enemy off guard if they
entered it. He was also moving
away from Tom, but that was only
another thought to be pushed aside
in the name of survival. Sitting
on his heels, Chakotay flexed his
fingers in readiness and waited
for something to happen. He didn't
have to wait long.
A long slim figure, much like his
lover's scooted across the street
to stop on the other side of the
alleyway. Chakotay had barely
registered the first invader when
two more followed in his wake and
all three were slipping into the
dark passage. Knowing he had the
advantage of surprise, he advanced
behind them.
If he were lucky he'd take out two
of them before they reached Tom
but that was only if they had no
more weapons than he did. Praying
Ulnae's affection for phasers was
an aberration, Chakotay creeped
behind the trio using all the stealth
his Maquis training had
afforded him.
Breaking his crouch he moved against
the three men and the odds.
Molding his body to the corner of
the inn and then behind a large
pile of discarded waste and rubble
further down the dark passage, he
surveyed the terrain. The
three bodies spanned out to cover the
width of the alley and what he saw
now in panic was a dead end. Tom
was trapped. Wiping his palms
on the front of his make shift tunic,
Chakotay offered one last prayer
to the spirits and then stood ready
to pounce.
"I think this way is better old
man."
Chakotay spun on his heels to see
his lover standing behind him. Tom
had disobeyed his order and had
stayed at the alley's entrance.
"You didn't go." He said stating
the obvious.
"Ah no Commander." The pilot shuffled
foot to foot. "It's been my
experience, and I've had a lot of
it, that places like this never
have a back way out."
"Why the hell didn't you say so?"
"Would it sound stupid if I said
you didn't ask?"
"Yes."
"OK then, let's say that I scanned
the perimeter and found it had no
exit and then returned to my original
position Sir, Commander Sir."
Tom smiled broadly, then saluted
him.
"We'll talk about your failure to
observe proper protocol later
Lieutenant. Right now I think
we'd better get our butts out of here
before those three Danai at the
other end of this alley come to the
same conclusion you have."
"You got it babe, let's haul ass."
Wincing inwardly at Tom's new pet
name, Chakotay slipped his arm
around his lover's waist and steered
him out of the back street. As
they crossed the medium into the
main thoroughfare a cold voice
halted them in their tracks.
"Going somewhere 'babe'." A voice
cackled.
A red and black tattooed man in
a long dark robe, who Chakotay
suspected was Ulien, blocked their
exit.
Now he really truly hated the endearment.
********
"Harry give me something."
"I think I've got them Captain."
"You think?"
"Well it's hard to tell for sure,
their life signs seem to be melded
together. I think it's the
commander and Tom but why would they be
so close together?"
"Oh damn, it's them. Get a
lock on our errant Romeo and Juliet and
beam them up."
"Ma'am?"
"Just do it Ensign."
"Ma'am, yes ma'am."
This was getting weirder and weirder.
Maybe he'd woken in an
alternate universe. It wouldn't
be the first time. Playing his
station at Ops he brought his best
friend and first officer up from
the surface of the planet and beamed
them directly to Sickbay as per
his standing orders.
"We have them ma'am." Well
they had somebody. Harry wasn't sure how
many somebodys but he was almost
positive Tom and the commander were
in the mix somewhere.
"Good work Mr Kim and Ensign,"
"Yes ma'am?"
"Call me that again and I'll give
you a new set of wisdom teeth.
It's either Captain or Kathryn,
got it?"
Yep OK he was definitely in a realm
that was not his own. The only
hope he had in this whacked out
universe was that Tom Paris was the
same man. He had been in the
last two, so Harry was pretty sure that
he would be in this one. The
cocky pilot never changed.
"Got it Captain."
His towed head superior officer
only nodded as she headed for the
lift with Tuvok in her wake.
Harry was about to ask to accompany her
to Sickbay but after running his
tongue over the inside of his mouth,
rescinded his thought. His curiosity
could wait. As much as he
wanted to know what the hell was
going on, he was loath to get
anywhere near the spitfire of woman
his captain had become lately and
besides that, Harry blew outward,
You couldn't play clarinet without
teeth.
********
"How's it hanging, your royal mustiness?"
Tom knew he should be more contrite
what with three Danai at his back
and another really angry looking
one in front with a shiner as
colourful as Chak's, but fuck he
couldn't help it. This guy really
pissed him off.
"Tomai. How nice to see you."
Ulien stepped within spitting distance
and Tom was dearly tempted but held
off. That might be going a too
far. "And I see you found
your friend."
"My lover, and yeah we met up after
our little visit."
"Ah I'm glad you remember our chat
because the offer still stands."
"Does it? Well I'm afraid
I'll have to turn the first part of it
down, and the second," Tom leaned
into Chakotay and kissed his
bruised tattoo softly. The
big man smiled and let him direct the
show, understanding his need for
payback. "I've already taken care
of myself."
"What!" Oooh that broke the
slimy man's cool exterior. "You let the
infected beast touch you!"
"I let him make love to me Ulien.
There's a difference." He hooked
his arm around the waist of the
dark beautiful man beside him. "And
besides, were both beasts.
Your own medical staff told you that. I
am not Danai."
"No!" Came a scream from behind
Ulien. "You are Danai! He said so!"
Turning calmly, Ulien's voice regained
its previous slickness as he
spoke to the green and orange Danai
standing outraged behind him.
"Ulnae, Tomai is lying. He
is a true Danai and is going to rid us of
the troublemaker Etien."
"But Etien is Danai too."
"Sometimes death is necessary Ulnae."
"Yes you told me that when I came
to you for a cure. I infected a
beast for you because it was necessary,
but this is different. I
will not allow you to force Tomai
into doing something 'necessary',
especially to one of our own."
A weapon, previously hidden in the
folds of Ulnae's green silks rose
and was leveled in Tom's direction.
Fuck, wasn't that thing supposed
to be pointing at Ulien?
"I will not let him suffer the hate
I have to live with every day.
It is unnatural state of being for
a Danai."
Tom watched in slow motion as the
troubled man's inked finger
positioned itself over the weapon's
firing mechanism. Hunching his
shoulders forward, he tensed himself
for the bolt of pain that would
soon be hitting his chest.
When it came he was almost relieved.
Falling backwards, he caught a glimpse
of Chakotay lunging forward
and grabbing Ulnae's wrist.
The impact sent the phaser flying into
the alley and Ulien after it.
Still conscious and amazed that
he was, Tom shot his legs out,
tripping the mad Danai mid dash.
Ulien fell into a graceless heap
at his feet.
"Hi." Tom said to the stunned man
in his lap, still not understanding
why he wasn't dead or at least out
cold. His confused musings
stopped when he saw Ulien's claw
like hand reach for his balls. Oh
shit if he didn't move fast, he
had a feeling that in a few moments
he was going to wish he were dead.
As he braced himself on his elbows,
a tingling sensation swarmed
through his body. Blinking
eyes rapidly for orientation, Tom could
have sworn he saw the Doc's face
just before he finally did lose
consciousness.
********
"Open the goddam door Tuvok!" She
kicked the panel in frustration.
"I am attempting do so Captain."
The security officer's fingers
played the computer console outside
of Sickbay.
"Well?"
"The cabin is repressurizing.
We should have access momentarily."
"There's no life support?"
"No. It would seem the doctor
disabled it for a short time."
"Why the hell would he do that?
The loss of atmosphere would render
Chakotay and Tom unconscious."
"Unknown. Perhaps you should
ask the doctor."
"You bet your ass I will."
Kathryn was about to give the door
another swift kick when the panels
to Sickbay slid open. Rushing
in, she was stunned at the scene that
was presented to her.
Strewn about the medical facility's
floor unmoving, were her missing
officers and two Danai. Voyager's
holodoc strode out from his office
a moment later.
"Ah Captain, Tuvok. I'm glad
you've join us."
"Explain Doctor."
"They were fighting so I stopped
them." He said simply. Behind her,
she heard Tuvok draw his phaser
and call for reinforcements.
"By cutting off their oxygen?
Are they all right?"
"Yes for the most part. The
Danai are fine but my preliminary scans
showed impact injuries to Commander
Chakotay's face and Mr Paris'
chest but nothing serious.
I'll examine them in more detail when
they wake."
"And when will that be?" As
the question left her lips the men on
the floor began to stir.
"I'd say now." The doctor
replied redundantly.
In a furry of activity Tom bucked
the prone man in his lap from his
body, Chakotay slammed his fist
into the face of the Danai at his
side and Tuvok's security men entered
Sickbay.
"Stop!" She screamed at the
top of her lungs getting the attention
of every male in the room.
"Tuvok take the Danai to the brig,
Tom get your ass on a bio-bed and
you, Chakotay," She scowled at her
first officer. "The doctor's
office now!"
If she weren't so pissed off at
all the testosterone bouncing off the
walls of Sickbay, she'd be having
fun. It wasn't everyday she had a
bona fide excuse to be a hard assed
bitch.