Title:  Roommates Part Nine
Author:  Cheryl Forbes
Fandom:  Star Trek: Voyager
Pairing:  Chakotay/Tom Paris
Rating:  NC 17
Series:  9 of ?
E-mail Address for feedback: forbesc@skyia.com
Disclaimer:  Voyager and her crew belong to Paramount and not me.
Whatever.

Summary:  Tom has a bad night and wakes up to an even worse morning.

"If you do not hold still Mr Paris I will ask Mr Neelix to restrain
you."

Tom looked over from the bio-bed at the distressed Talaxian, the
movement of his head elevating the Doctor's ire.   When he had "come
to" in the pantry of kitchen, Neelix's reassuring voice was the first
sound he heard.  He had cleaned him up and placed a cloth over the
gash above his eye before bringing here to Sickbay.  Sh'ek had been
nowhere to be seen.  He was thankful for that small mercy.

"Neelix, are you all right?"

"Yes Tom I fine but I've got something to tell you and don't know
quite how to say it."  He turned to the EMH who had completed
regenerating the broken skin on Tom's forehead.  "Doc could you
excuse us for a minute."

Tom braced himself for his friend's reproach.  He couldn't blame the
guy for being upset, especially after catching him in such a delicate
position the second time in less than a week.  Hell he was upset with
himself.  How could he been so stupid as to believe that it was
Chakotay with him in the pantry?  Shit Tommy Boy, if thought half as
well with your brain as you did with your dick you'd be a fucking
genius.

He stopped his self-recriminations and began focusing on damage
control.  He had to find a way to explain his idiotic behavior to
Neelix.   It wasn't that he was afraid of him telling Chak what had
transpired, no it wasn't that.   He was afraid of losing the man's
respect and friendship and that was important to him.  He didn't have
that many true friends that he could afford to lose one.

"Look Neelix before you say anything just let me explain.  I thought
it was Chakotay with me, OK?  My back was to him and I couldn't
see."  The Talaxian was shaking his colourful head.  "Really I did.
I love Chak and I wouldn't do anything intentionally to hurt him."
Tom bowed his head.  "I'm just sorry you were the one to witness my
stupidity.  Just don't hate me too much OK?"

"Tom I don't hate you.  I can see how much you regret what happened
but.."

"But what?"  Here it comes.  This is the part where he tells me he
doesn't want to associate with me anymore.

Neelix came forward and place a hand on his bicep.  Oooh this was
really going to be bad.

"Tom I wasn't the only one there.  There was one other person who saw
what happened."

Oh god no.  That's why he hadn't shown up here see to why he wasn't
at the party.   In a whisper he spoke the name.

"Chak?"

"I...I told him where you were when he came in.  A few moments later
I heard the trolley in the kitchen overturn and saw the commander
leaving.  I went to check it out and that's when I found you.  The
Mikan was still there but left when he saw the blood."

Fuck, fuck, fuck and double fuck.  He had to fix this.  He had to
talk to Chakotay.  He jumped off the bio-bed, sidestepped a
disorientated Talaxian and ran for his quarters.

*******

Breathe, that's it just breathe.

Chakotay had used his meditation techniques to dissipate most of his
anger.  Unfortunately he was now able to feel the soul crushing hurt
and heart wrenching betrayal.  It wasn't a very fair trade off.

He sat with his head in his hands on the lounge trying to figure out
how he could have misread the situation so badly.   Seeing Tom
pleasuring himself with another had been bad enough but hearing the
man scream out his love, had really sent him over the edge.  How many
times he heard that seductive voice whisper in his ear, late at
night, those very same sentiments.  Too many times and Chakotay had
foolishly believed him.   He raised his head when heard the door
chime ring.  He knew who it was.

The first thing he had done when he had arrived back in his cabin was
lock out Tom's bio-signature.  He could spend the night with his new
friend if he needed a place to stay.  The door rang again.

Just go away.  Chakotay spied the black velvet box he had so lovingly
placed on the low table earlier that evening.  He picked it up and
ran his fingers over the softness of the material.  The chime rang
again and without thinking the commander brought his arm back and
hurled the box at the doors of his quarters.

"Damn you Tom Paris!"

With a thunk it hit the door coinciding with the cessation of the
chime.

********

"Are you ill?"

Recognizing the voice he kept his eyes shut as he answered.

"No."

"Then why are you in Sickbay?"

Knowing the tenacious woman wouldn't leave until she had a complete
explanation, he allowed his eyes to open and propped himself on his
elbows.

"I spent the night here OK?  Happy now?"

"No. You still have not answered my question."

Man, he was definitely not in the mood for Twenty Questions this
morning.  Seven stood at military rest awaiting a response.  Sighing,
Tom sat up and swung his legs to hang over the side of the bio-bed.

"Chak and I had a fight and I had no where else to go.  Feel better
now?"

"No.  I fail to see why you would think your discomfiture would
please me."

Exasperated, he slipped off the bed wound his way around the present
bane of his existence and made his way to the replicator for a
coffee.  She followed him.

"So you did not tell him."

Tom wheeled around to face her, sloshing hot coffee over his hand.
Swearing he put the cup back into the unit and tucked his mildly
scalded hand under his armpit.  Oh this morning was just kept getting
better and better.

"Don't tell me you here to gloat?"

She lowered her eyes and lost some of that rigid Borg pose.

"No I came here to concede.  I did not have the opportunity to speak
with Kathryn."

Oh he got it now.  The downcast eyes and soften body language said it
all.  He mused that maybe she was human after all.

"It's OK Seven.  It's not easy telling someone how you feel."  The
Borg in her was having a hard time admitting fear.  He tried to make
it easier for her.  "Hell it even took Jim Kirk twenty years to admit
to his first officer Spock how he felt and he was "the" bravest man
in the universe back then."

"You are certain?"

"Yeah, believe me I'm an expert on the subject."

She seemed to take some solace in his words as her focus shifted and
she took in his appearance.

"Perhaps I should leave now to give you time to make yourself
presentable for your meeting with the commander this morning."

"Seven I don't have a meeting with Chak this morning.  He doesn't
want to see me and after what I did I don't blame him."

He gave her a look that said "I'm not going to tell you so don't ask"
and for once she didn't.

"He will.  I am sure after the Kathryn brings your request to his
attention he will find it necessary to speak with you."

"The captain?"

Tom stopped his hand from reaching for his coffee.  He had a feeling
he'd burn more than his hand when he heard her explanation.

"Yes it is Starfleet protocol that all requests for cabin re-
assignments be copied to the captain." She saw his concern.  "Is
there a problem?"

"Ah Seven did you read the request before you sent it?"

"No, I did not see the need."

"Well let's say that it was a bit beyond what Starfleet would
consider a standard request."

"You embellished it?"

"Oh yeah."

Seeing her struggling with a reply, Tom took her off the hook.

"It's OK Seven.  I'm getting kind of used my love life being a three
ring circus.  Hell if I sold tickets, I'd make a fortune."

"You are sure."

"I'm sure, now go I've got a meeting to get ready for."

As she left, Tom dared to take a sip of his coffee.

********

"You wanted to see me Captain?"

She motioned he first officer to take the seat across from her at her
desk.

"Have you read this morning's communications yet?"

After night of staring at the ceiling of his cabin he only managed to
fall asleep shortly before his alarm went off.  Hitting the snooze
button few times precluded his morning trip to his office.

"No.  Is there something I should be aware of?"

Kathryn played with data PADD in her hand and took a hard look at the
commander.   He looked like he'd just been released from a Cardassian
prison camp after months of internment.  He was drawn and there were
dark circles under his bloodshot eyes.

"It can wait.  Where did you sleep last night, if you did if fact
sleep, under a rock?"  Regretting her sarcastic tone as she saw the
man visibly flinch she soften it.  "Gods Chakotay tell me he didn't
say no."

"I didn't ask him."

"What?  Why?  Yesterday on the bridge you were so excited I almost
had to make Tuvok sit on you to keep you from jumping up and
proposing right there and then."

"I found him with someone else."

Impossible.  Kathryn had seen the devotion in her chief pilot's eyes
everyday this last week whenever he looked back at them from the
helm.  And combined with the information she was holding in her hand,
it just didn't make sense that Tom would seek sexual gratification
with someone else.   There had to be more to this story.

"Well what did he say when you caught him?"

"I haven't spoken to him.  I locked him out last night."

"Well it has to be some kind of misunderstanding, Tom wouldn't do
that to you."

All the hard edges that Chakotay had lost in the last week resurfaced.

"Kathryn I saw him fucking some alien's hand while he told the little
bastard he loved him!  I did not "misunderstand" that!"

Chakotay got up and strode the length of her ready room and fixed his
eyes on some point outside the viewport.  Janeway followed him, still
holding the PADD and inserted herself between him and the window.

"Chakotay look at me."  When he obeyed her command, she saw that he
really wasn't as angry as he was hurt. "There is an explanation.  He
does love you and if you don't want to believe me fine but maybe
you'll believe him."

She placed the PADD in his hand and left him alone in her office.

END OF PART NINE