Title:  Roommates Part Seven
Author:  Cheryl Forbes
Fandom:  Star Trek:  Voyager
Paring: Chakotay/Tom Paris
Rating:  NC 13
Status:  7 of ?
Email Address for feedback: forbesc@skyia.com
Disclaimer:  Voyager and her crew belong to Paramount and not me.
Whatever.

Summary:  Tom finds a kindred spirit in a most unexpected place.
 

"Tom we need to talk."

The lieutenant swiveled in his chair putting his back to the Tactical
Station on the Flyer.  The man sitting across from him at Ops looked
serious.  Oh oh, this was going to be one of those talks.

"Sure, what's up."

"Have you ever been in love?"

Whoops wrong talk.  He thought the man wanted to discuss his own
feelings, not Tom's.  He tried to be cool about what had recently
become for him a very hot topic. Tom was suddenly grateful they were
only sitting in the docking bay running diagnostics and not zipping
around a planetary system.  After that question he would have
probably shot the Flyer into a moon or burned her up in the
atmosphere of the nearest planet.

"Uh, yeah sure."

The dark haired head shook back and forth as his voice became
agitated.

"No, no. I mean really in love."  He leaned forward looking for
empathy.  "You feel like you're walking along a really steep cliff
and it's kinda of scary and exciting at the same time."

Yeah he knew he knew what that was like except he'd taken it one step
further and stepped off the edge.

"Yes, Harry I do."

"Really?"

Tom leaned over and put his hand the ensign's knee trying to convince
him of sincerity and calm him too.  Hell the guy was really a mess.
His voice was soft and soothing.

"Yeah really Harry."

"Do you still feel that way?"

"Yes."

Harry erupted from the Ops chair and walked to the back of the
Flyer.  Something was wrong here.  His friend shouldn't be this upset
about being in love with B'Elanna because Tom was pretty sure she
felt the same way.  She'd even gone as far to stop calling him
Starfeet so it must be love.

"Har what is it?"

The ensign turned towards him standing ramrod straight and his eyes
directed at the front viewport.

"I put in a request to the captain for a cabin re-assignment."

"Yeah so?"

"To B'Elanna's cabin, Tom.  I'm sorry."

Sorry?  Why the hell would Harry tell him sorry, he was the one that
was going to have to live that hellcat?  Then it hit him.  He had
told Harry he was in love and Harry thought.oh hell.

"It's OK Har, really it's fine."

Hovering over him, his friend looked down at him cynically.

"But you said you were in love her."

"I'm not and I don't think I ever really was." Shit he was having a
hard time getting the ensign to believe anything he said lately.

"Then who are you in love with?"

Well he should have known that would be the next question.  Oh what
the fuck he might as well answer it.  It would feel kinda good to say
it out loud to somebody even it was Harry.  He hadn't quite gathered
enough courage to say it directly to the right somebody yet; maybe
this would make it easier.

"Sit down Harry."

A curious Ensign Kim now sat across from him instead of a troubled
one.  Harry waited patiently on the edge of his seat waiting for him
to speak.

"Chakotay."

Harry sat back and slapped his hands on his thighs.  This wasn't a
curious Harry, a troubled Harry or even a slightly amused one.  This
was a fully pissed off Ensign staring him down.

"Fine Paris go ahead make fun of me, make fun of my feelings!"  He
stood up and began swinging his arms in the air.  "But don't ever
expect me to come to you with them again!  I was trying to be your
friend, but I can see you don't even fucking understand what the word
means!"

Whoa, Harry swore!  He must be really be in love to be this ticked
off.  Tom rose and positioned himself nose to nose with the ensign
and captured his flailing arms.

"Harry stop it and just listen!"  His next words were a
plea.  "Please, I need to tell someone and you're my best friend."

Harry pulled out of Tom's grasp and wrapped his arms around himself.
He sat back down and motioned the ensign to do the same and looking
at him warily, he did.

"I'm not making fun of you.  I think it's really great about you and
B'Elanna.  It doesn't bother me at all, honestly it doesn't." He took
a deep breath. "Harry I am in love with Chakotay and I hope he's in
love with me."

And now we had an astonished Ensign Kim.  Well it was certainly
better than the last version.

"For real?"

"Yeah Har, for real.  I'm totally head over heels for the guy.  I
know you're surprised, it kinda surprised me too."

"But he's a guy Tom."

"Ah yeah Harry I noticed."

Although he had most likely had never indulged himself, Tom knew
Harry wasn't homophobic.   It was just that for him falling in love
represented marriage and a family.  His traditional upbringing was
preventing him from wrapping his brain around that happening in a
same sex relationship.  Well in a terran one anyway.

"But you like women."

"Yeah but I didn't fall in love with one."

"It's serious?"

"That my friend would be an understatement."

The ensign stopped, digested the information he had and then asked
for more.

"So if he proposed, you'd say yes?"

"In a heartbeat."

"What about kids?"

Kids? Did Chakotay want children?  From the wonderful stories the
commander had told Tom about his family on Dorvan V, he knew that the
big guy would make a great Dad.   And if that was the rule of thumb,
Tom knew he'd make a terrible one.

"I don't know."

"I am certain the Doctor would be able to facilitate a gestation
between yourself and the commander."

Hearing the third voice enter their conversation provoked both men
into a standing position.  They had forgotten about the other member
of their team who was "supposed" to be working on the medical station
in the hold.

"Hell Seven give a guy a little warning before you sneak up him like
that!"

"I was not sneaking Mr Paris I was investigating."

"Investigating what?"

"I heard a commotion and thought I should ascertain its origin."

"Then why didn't you say something sooner?"  Tom tilted his head to
the side slightly mimicking Seven. "Once you had 'ascertained its
origin' of course?"

Not noticing the lieutenant attempt to mock her, she thought
carefully about her answer.   She had meant to make her presence
known when she entered the cockpit but the topic of the disturbance
interested her.  She was at the moment experiencing her own romantic
dilemma and had hoped to gain to some insight into the problem by
listening to their interaction.  She had spoken to the Doctor but his
data on the subject was limited.  Perhaps Lieutenant Paris would have
more.

"I did not having anything relevant to say."

"Oh, but you do now?"

"No, but I do have some questions Mr Paris."

Oh shit.  Where had he heard that one before?

"Questions about sex?"  Out of the corner of his eye Tom saw Harry
slink away and exit the Flyer.

"No Lieutenant, about love."

"You're in love?"

"Yes and I believe I could benefit from your wisdom as you are
involved in a similar situation."

Him wise in the ways of love?  If Seven didn't look so sincere he
would have fallen down laughing.  Remembering Harry's not so kind
response to his own declaration he sobered.  If he could help her he
would.

"OK, who is it and what can I do to help?"

He saw her relax marginally which for her was a lot.   This was Seven
after all.

"First I would like to preface with saying that my realization began
when my cortical implant began malfunctioning and I thought my demise
was imminent.  My view of this person changed radically."

"So in layman's terms, when you thought you were going to die you
realized how much this person meant to you, right?"  Tom sat back
down at Tactical.  Seven followed his lead and sat at Ops.  "And now
knowing how precious life is you want to share it with them."

"That is correct however she is not aware of my intentions and I am
uncertain on how to make them known."

She?  If it was who he thought it was, then Seven was right they did
have a lot in common.

"OK Seven give it up.  Who is it?"

"Captain Janeway."

Bingo!  If Chakotay was the alpha male aboard ship then Janeway was
the alpha female.  Christ he could already see him and Seven sitting
on barstools together drinking in Sandrine's bitching about how all
Chak and Kathryn ever talked about was work.  If the future was what
he hoped, she was going to be his future sounding board so he'd
better do his best now if he wanted someone other than the Doc to
complain to when Chak spent too many nights in his office.

"You're sure about this?"

"Yes.  While she does not fit the specifications I had initially set
for a mate, I have since discovered those specifications are
irrelevant.  There is no one else one Voyager that I would care to
experience sex, love and children with."

"And you want all those things?"

"Yes as you do with Commander Chakotay."

Wow she got all that from a two minute conversation with Harry?  He
still wasn't sure about the kids part but the rest of it was pretty
dead on.

"And you haven't told her yet."

"No as you haven't told the Commander yet."

Oh she was quick and she was expecting an answer to her unspoken
challenge.  He almost wished he were speaking to Harry again.

"I do plan on telling him it's just not as easy as all that.  What if
he doesn't feel the same way?"

Seven sat up in her chair and looking as matter of factly as possible
answered.

"You tell him resistance is futile."

This time he did laugh.  She was right.  He wanted Chakotay to be his
lifemate and he didn't see it the same way, well too fucking bad.  He
would in time, Tom would make damn sure of that.  Resistance was
futile, that was the only way to deal with the alpha mentality.  You
just don't give them any other choice. He had an idea.

"I will if you will."

She wasn't following his train of thought so explained in terms she
would understand.

"Look, we know what we know what our objective is right?"  She
nodded.  OK he had her this far. "Well we outline our plans to them,
detailing the benefits and the advantages and if there are any
objections we counteract them with plausible alternatives.  It's all
a matter of preparation."

"You are suggesting we should take an offensive stance."

"Yeah just hunt them down and go in for the kill."

Tom could see the complicated working of the ex-borg's mind reflected
in her body language as she considered his proposal.  She tilted her
head sideways and lowered her eyes before she stood with her arms
behind her back and her chin forward.

"I believe Mr Paris that is a viable course of action and I will
implement it as soon as the opportunity arises."

Tom preferring not to get a bird's eye view of the fork of that
silver jumpsuit raised himself to her level.

"That's great Seven and now that were fellow conspirators do you
think you could manage to call me Tom?"

She looked as him as if to think why that would matter and nodded her
head.

"If you wish."  She turned to leave the Flyer, then stopped.

"You will report back to me the results of your mission as soon as
you have them I trust?"

"Sure and you too, right?"

She nodded with a precision that belied her past and made her way to
the Flyer's hatch.  She hesitated at the opening.

Before he could ask if there was something else a soft voice spoke.

"Thank you, Tom."

END OF PART SEVEN