Well, after having to retype this entire thing, I'm very glad to actually have it again!!! This part is dedicated to Jula Bean, Sarah, and Julie, who have been putting up with my constant questions about this series! Ana helped me with the lyrics-changing to "That Don't Impress Me Much", and Julie suggested "You Were Meant For Me". Plus, Sarah was the one who insisted I add in Laura Jenkins, who turned out to be a great addition to this chapter! For more on her, go read Changing the Future! Paramount owns their characters, I own mine. Tessa Curtis, Shelly M. Anderson, and Laura Jenkins, as well as James Harthron, are also explained in that long, unending paragraph! "Truly Mady Deeply" belongs to Savage Garden, "Viva Forever" belongs to the Spice Girls, "Fields of Gold" belongs to sting, the original version of "That Don't Impress Me Much" belongs to Shania Twain, and "You Were Meant For Me" belongs to Jewel. The P/T Collective owns the properties of God Palis. If you're wondering what I'm talking about, go read Test of Faith! It's one of my favorites P/T fanfiction-wise.   CHAPTER TWELVE: PARTY TIME  Heather Whitney sat in front of the dresser, gazing at herself in the mirror as she brushed her golden-brown hair. Putting the brush down, she pulled back the front parts of her long hair and firmly clasped them back with two pearl barrettes. She wore a short sleeveless white dress and a diamond bracelet. Her diamond and sapphire engagement ring was on her wedding finger. Ever since Harry had proposed, she hadn't taken it off - no matter what Starfleet Dresscode Protocol said.  B'Elanna walked over to her, a brush in her hand. Heather had suggested that the two women help each other get ready for the engagement party for Tom and Lisa. B'Elanna had agreed, so Heather was changing in Torres's room. "Almost ready?" she asked.  Whitney looked up. "Almost," she promised, surveying Torres's attire. B'Elanna wore a floral print dress and cream high heels. Her hair hung loosely around her shoulders. Both lieutenants had agreed to wear the outfits they had worn to Neelix's luau over a year ago.  The chief engineer smiled as Heather got up and slipped on her shoes. Even without heels, Heather was taller than her when she was wearing three inch heels.  "Then lets go! James called and said he'd be coming. What about Shelly and her husband?" B'Elanna said as they walked to the door.  "Cool! Shelly and Andrew are definetely coming. So is another friend of ours - Tessa Curtis. She was only a freshman when we were all seniors, but we were all good friends. Shelly, Laura, Learra, and I met her at Camp Brandy, a summer camp for adolescents, when we volunteered to be camp counselors." Heather replied as they entered the hall. B'Elanna stopped in the doorway, her dark brown eyes wide with disbelief. "What?" demanded Whitney.  A wide smile spread across the half-Klingon's face. "Tessa was my roommate during my first year at the Acadamy!"  Heather's jaw dropped. "You're joking" she accused, her blue eyes sparkling at the thought.  B'Elanna shook her head. "No, I'm serious!"  "That's awesome!" exclaimed Heather. "I'm gonna go get Harry; go find Tom and Lisa, okay? Kathryn and Chakotay said they'd meet us downstairs."  Hearing the doorbell ring, the two women excitedly split up, going in opposite directions down the hall. Turning around the corner, B'Elanna nearly ran into Tom, who was waiting outside a closed door.  "Hi, B'Ela-" Tom stopped and his jaw dropped as he realized what she was wearing. Then he gave her an appreciative look, a look which reminded B'Elanna of the way he used to look at her before they split up. She shifted slightly, a little uncomfortable. Then he grinned softly. "My, my. Don't you look tropical?" he commented in a husky tone. The hint of teasing in his voice told her that he was only joking around, but other than that she would have never figured he was kidding around.  B'Elanna's mouth quirked into a smile. "I'd watch it if I were you, Flyboy," she warned in a sultry tone, playing along with him  Tom's blue eyes sparkled. He himself was waering khaki shorts, brown sandals, and his Big Daddy-O shirt he had worn to the luau Neelix had hosted onboard Voyager. B'Elanna, too, was wearing her luau outfit. "Well, I don't know..." He let his voice trail off and looked at B'Elanna, whose brown eyes were glittering. Before either of them could say anything more, the door opened and Lisa, wearing a lime green dress with spaghetti straps, appeared. Seeing the odd looks on her fiancé and B'Elanna's faces, she immediately asked what was so funny. Unfortuantly, Heather and Harry chose that moment to walk up to them. Tom and B'Elanna took one loon at them and burst into laughter. Whitney and Kim joined in, leaving Doav clueless.  "What's so funny?" Lisa blonde repeated, slightly annoyed.  Tom, still laughing, put his arm around Lisa and ksised her on the forehead. "A few years ago Neelix hosted a luau party on one of the holodecks. We're all wearing the same outfits we wore to the luau." he explained.  Lisa laughed along with them. "Isn't that a coincidence?" she teased the four.  Heather smiled. "Yeah, it is," she remarked.  Just then a loud "Shelly!" was heard from downstairs. Tom grabbed Lisa's hand and the two ran off down the stairs. Heather beat them to the front door, however, where an auburn-haired woman and a brunet man in their late twenties were talking to Samantha and Alyssa Paris.  "Shelly!" screeched Heather, grabbing the woman and hugging her fiercely.  Harry and B'Elanna, feeling slightly out of place at the obvious reunion going on below, stood on the stairs. They looked at each other helplessly. "Now we know how Lisa feels around the four of us," he commented softly, suddeningly feeling a little guiltly.  Torres nodded. "Yes," she replied quietly.  Meanwhile, Tom, Heather, and Shelly were all talking rapidly.  Tom laced his arm around Lisa. "Lisa, this is Shelly MaAff- I mean, Shelly Anderson. We were best friends at the Acadamy. Shelly, this is my fiancée, Lisa Doav." As if to further the statement, he kissed Lisa.  Shelly MacAffry Anderson, to be precise, smiled, her green eyes sparkling. "I think everyone here knows Andrew," she commented, smiling up at her husband.  Andrew Anderson laughed at his wife's teasing tone. "Its a pleasure to meet you, Lisa," he said good-naturedly.  Lisa smiled. "I've heard so much about everyone I can barely keep facts and names straight!"  Shelly turned to Heather, whose blue eyes were twinkling as she pulled back from hugging Andrew. "So, Heather, I heard you got engaged. Is he here? Or did you scare him off?" she commented off-handedly.  Whitney rolled her eyes. "Very funny, Shelly," she replied dryly. Seeing her finace and best friend standing halfway down the stairs, she grinned. "Harry! B'Elanna! Come on down! I wanna introduce you to somebody! Well, actually two somebodies." she added hastily, seeing Andrew give her a mock-angry look.  Tom sighed. "Heather, they came to see Lisa and me. Not you," he reminded the empath.  Heather snorted. "Yeah. Right. You are so egotistical.” she retorted.  Lisa laughed. “And you’re not?” she teased.  Shelly grinned. “You seem to know them well,” she offered, then turned to the two newcomers, whom she presumed were Harry and B’Elanna. “Hi, I’m Shelly Anderson. I heard you had to put up with both Tom and Heather on Voyager. I’m surprised you made it back to the Alpha Quadrent in one piece” she said dryling, offering her hand to the Oriental man.  Harry Kim laughed, shaking his head as he shook Shelly’s hand. “I’m Harry Kim, Heather’s fiancé. Its a pleasure to meet you.” he replied. He could see why Tom, Alyssa, and Samantha had thought Shelly was a lot like Heather. So far, she was.  B’Elanna smiled. “I’m B’Elanna Torres. I wouldn’t say exactly one piece. Heather almost burned down the entire science lab one time.”  “Almost!” Whitney retorted, looking over from chatting with Andrew Anderson  Everyone either smiled or laughed.  “Shall we go join everyone else? I don’t think anyone would miss one or two of us, but when the entire gang’s gone someone might get suspicious,” joked Lisa.  Shelly laughed. “All right,” she agreed, and they all headed off to the back porch, where several other guests who had already arrived were standing around talking.  B’Elanna, who was the last one, was about to turn and follow everyone through the living and dining rooms and out onto the back porch when she saw a woman about her age with dark brown curly hair standing in the doorway, looking kind of sheepish.  “Tessa?” B’Elanna asked incredulously, her brown eyes shining with excitement. There stood Theresa Curtis, wearing a short lavender tank summer dress and silver high heels.  “B’Elanna?” cried Tessa, her eyes wide with surprise. “Oh, my gosh!” She hugged B”Elanna tightly, then drew back. “But how come you’re here? The last time I checked you were with the Maquis, and when the Maquis were slaughtered I thought...” Her voice trailed off.  From behind the two, Tom chuckled. “Hello, Tessa,” he said, grinning.  Curtis, all smiles, turned and ran to hug Tom. Catching her off guard, he picked her up and swirled her around once, much to Tessa’s immense surprise. Setting her back on the ground, he drew away slightly and scrutenized the young lieutenant. Although it had been awhile since he had last seen her in person, Tessa still looked the same, if not slightly older. But then, he thought ruefully, they all were slightly older.  “So, been to camp lately?” a familiar voice teased.  Tessa rolled her eyes and turned to face Heather, who was standing next to Harry with a glass of champagne in her hand. “Hey, Heath,” she said as Whitney set her glass on one of the small tables and engulfed her in a bear hug.  “You look great!” the half Betazoid commented enthusiastically.  Curtis smiled. “So do you!” she replied, then turned to Kim. “You must be Harry, right?” she asked. “I’ve heard so much about you.”  Harry smiled at her, shaking her hand. “Guilty as charged. Not all bad, I hope,” he added, giving Whitney a look out of the corner of his eye.  Tessa, seeing the protesting look on one of her best friend’s face, laughed. “Oh, no,” she assured Harry, “I’ve heard some very good things about you,” she commented mysteriously. Harry groaned, and this time it was Heather who laughed.  “Hi, Tessa!”  Tessa turned around to see Tom with his hand laced through a blonde woman’s hand. She presumed that the blonde was Tom’s fiancé. *Gosh, she’s gorgeous,* Tessa noted as she smiled and replied, “Hey, Lisa! I’ve heard so much about you from Tom!” But a nagging voice told her that Lisa seemed nothing like Laura Jenkins on first glance. And that nagging voice bothered Tessa a lot. *Shut up,* she informed the voice, then grinned as a few other people walked over to their small cluster in the front foyer. “Shelly! Andrew!”  The doorbell rang again, and James Harthron appeared at the doorway, donned in a hunter green top and black jeam shorts. “I hope I’m not too underdressed,” he commented to B’Elanna, who had opened the door.  Torres only laughed as she hugged James. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a strange look flutter across Tom’s face as he saw the two, then disappear as quickly as it had come. Her puzzlement vanished as she gazed up into James’s dark eyes.  “I sent Anna a message, but she couldn’t make it. She’s up to her arms in artifacts, and had a meeting with a sponsor this evening.” he said softly as she led him over to the group.  “That’s okay. I don’t have a ‘date’ either. I don’t think its mandatory. If it is, I’m going to kill the groom-to-be.” she joked.  James smiled as B’Elanna stopped next to a brunette with blue eyes. Tapping her on the shoudlers, the woman turned around and smiled. James recognized her as Heather Whitney, the science officer who had been with B’Elanna and Lisa Doav at the airport.  “Wait a second,” Kathryn, who was wearing a hunter green dress and matching high heels, interruped, a confused look on her face after everyone had been introduced to one another. She couldn’t help but be slightly surprised at the similarities of Whitney and Anderson’s personalities. “Tom told you who his fiancée was?”  Tessa seemed surprised at the question. “Yeah, why?” she asked, slightly puzzled.  “Oh, you are *dead*, Flyboy, *dead*!” seethed Heather. “You tell everyone but *us* who you’re getting married to?” she exclaimed.  Everyone burst out laughing, with Tom protesting, “Heather, if I had told you, you would have had a whole file on her downloaded within the next ten minutes after you received my message!”  Heather howled. “No I wouldn’t have!” she retorted.  Dana Paris, donned in a white summer dress, walked up to them. “Most of the guests are already here. Why don’t you all go find your places at the table and get something to eat!”  “Food!” Shelly cried, a strangled look on her face. “Are there any marshmellows?”  Grinning, Tessa added. “Ooh, don’t go there!”  Heather’s blue eyes lit up. “Oh, yes! Then we can make s’mores-”  “God, no! If you dare-” Tom stopped as all three women burst out laughing, giving each other high fives. Anderson - who had been MacAffrey at the time, Whitney, and he had all been on the same survival team during a year at the Acadamy. They had all gotten into a food fight involving s’mores and marshmellows while out camping in the mountains. All had failed *that* simulation.  Dana Paris shook her head. “C’mon,” she called.  Andrew, raising an eyebrow, rolled his eyes. “Why don’t we all sit down? I wouldn’t want my wonderful wife to cause anymore havoc.” he said, then purposely took Shelly’s arm and led her to the table. Laughing, everyone followed them. ***** Shelly Anderson covered up a yawn. She was so tired, and it wasn’t even nine o’clock yet. Music was playing, and many couples were on the dance floor. She didn’t know where Andrew had disappeared to - the last time she had seen him he had been talking with Admirals Paris, Doav, and the EMH from Voyager.  “Tired?”  “Hi, Tess!” Shelly moved over on the bench so that Tessa could sit down. “Its been awhile, huh?”  Tessa smiled sadly. “Yes, it has. I mean, we knew we wouldn’t see each other as often because of Starfleet, but *this*?” she questioned.  Heather walked up, a lost expression on her face. It disappeared as soon as she spotted Shelly and Tessa sitting on the bench. “Mind if I join you?”  “Sure!” Both women scooted over to make room for Heather. The three sat there for a few seconds, just enjoying the moment. Lisa and Tom, Kathryn and Chakotay, Harry and Seven, plus many more people were dancing.  Then Tessa grinned impishly. “I love this party, though. What do you think of Lisa?  A hint of a smile appeared on Shelly’s face. “I like her. She and Tom make a good couple.”  There was a long pause after that comment, all three united in their unspoken thoughts.  “I miss Laura,” Shelly commented.  Tessa nodded, fully understanding. “Its a shame she’s not here,” she said.  Heather shook her head. “I can’t believe she’s gone.”  “What?”  All three were talking about Laura Jenkins. Laura had been Voyager’s chief engineer until she had died a few months before Heather had come onboard. Laura had been another one of their good friends during the Academy, but probably most importantly, she and Tom had once been engaged. After the Caldik Prime accident, Tom had convinced himself that Laura didn’t deserve him and called off the wedding. Laura had been one of the nicest people Shelly had ever met.  Shelly and Heather turned to look at their younger friend, whose eyes were wide with shock. “Laura’s dead?” Tessa cried. “Shhh,” Heather warned softly, looking around to make sure no one had heard the outburst.  “Didn’t you know, Tess?” asked Shelly. Then she realized how stupid the question was. Of course Tessa didn’t know.  Tessa’s eyes filled with tears. “She was on Voyager, though, I thought,” she said, making it more of a question than a statement. She aimed that one to Heather.  Whitney looked down at her hands. “Laura died a few months before I came onboard Voyager because of some poisonous plant.” she informed her friend sorrowfully.  A solitary tear ran down Tessa’s cheek, and she put her face in her hands. Shelly hugged her and Heather patted her on the back. A few minutes later, Tessa had regained her normal composure. “So she and Tom were on Voyager?”  “Yup, and believe me, from what I heard, things were *not* too comfortable between them at first,” Heather said.  Shelly laughed quietly. “I would have loved to be a fly on that wall when the two of them first ran into each other.”  Tessa permitted herself a grin. “They really were a great couple. I still can’t believe he called off the wedding.”  “I *know*! Laura was devestated when he called the wedding off,” Shelly remarked.  Heather nodded. “I still can’t believe he did it. I guess we’ll never know *why* he called the wedding off...”  “Lisa is a lot different than Laura,” supplied Curtis. “I mean, thats not necassarily bad, but...” She sighed. “I can’t believe Laura’s *dead*.”  “Neither can I,” Anderson added quietly.  “Ya know, Tom would kill you if he realized what you were all talking about.”  All three women’s heads shot up to find B’Elanna Torres with a slightly shocked look on her face.  “Oh, B’Elanna! I didn’t know you were standing there...” Heather stuttered. She knew that B’Elanna had never found out about Laura and Tom, and she didn’t want to be the one to relay the news -- even if by accident. Tessa and Shelly shared a look of surprise and confusion.  But to Whitney’s surprise, Torres looked thoughtful. “Laura and Tom used to date, didn’t they?” she questioned. She had sensed a deep friendship between them, but she had never dared ask Tom about it. Laura had been special to him, she knew that much.  Heather scooted over, and she sat down. By now all four had to squeeze to stay on the bench. Shelly would have laughed at the situation, but the conversation was too serious.  Tessa gazed down at her hands, then looked up at B’Elanna. Heather had quickly filled her in on Tom and B’Elanna’s relationship. “You could say that.” she offered, shrugging slightly. “Laura and Tom dated during the Academy. They were engaged until the Caldik Prime incident, when Tom called off the wedding,” said Shelly, not catching the death glare Heather sent her way.  B’Elanna’s brown eyes widened and she froze, looking at Shelly. “What?”  “It was two weeks before the wedding,” said Heather, not daring to look at B’Elanna.  Torres only sat there in shock.  Just then, the song stopped. “Listen, I’m going to go for a walk, okay? If anybody misses me, just tell them that I’ll be back in a little while.” B’Elanna commented, getting up from the bench.  “B’Elanna?” Heather called after her friend.  “I’m okay, Heather,” came B’Elanna’s reply as she walked hurriedly down the steps and onto the path that led out to the dock. She needed some peace and quiet to herself to think.  Tom, who was dancing with Lisa through “Truly Madly Deeply” by Savage Garden, spotted B’Elanna rush down the path away from the party after talking with Shelly, Tessa, and Heather, who were all sitting together on a bench chatting. Harry, who was dancing with Seven, danced up to them. “Mind if I trade?” he asked with a grin.  Seven rolled her eyes. “He’s just mad because I keep stepping on his feet,” she teased Harry.  Tom nodded and relinquished Lisa over to Harry, but his gaze never left B’Elanna’s retreating back. Seven, following his gaze, raised her Borgified eyebrow. “Actually, Tom, I’m going to go over and talk with Heather, Shelly, and Tessa if you don’t mind,” she commented.  “Sure, Seven,” Tom said hastily, then walked quickly off of the wooden porch after B’Elanna.  Seven, slightly confused, shrugged, then went over to Whitney, Anderson, and Curtis. She would never figure Tom Paris out. ***** B’Elanna sighed softly as she walked down the dock to the very end, then turned right and followed it down to where the wooden planks stopped and the water started. She stepped out of her high shoes and set them aside. She had always known that Laura and Tom had had a deep friendship, probably even deeper than Tom and Heather’s. But Tom had been engaged to Laura was a whole different thing. *Why didn’t he tell me?* she thought angrily, anger flashing across her face. Sure, he had told her that he had once been engaged to someone. *But Laura?* she thought. She and Laura had beenThen she sat down on the bench and closed her eyes.  “Mind if I join you?”  B’Elanna opened her eyes to find Tom standing there scrutenizing her. He was so handsome in the moonlight. Then she corrected herself. She wasn’t allowed to be thinking like that. She and he had broken up, were over, done with, and there was nothing she could do to change that now. Besides, he was getting married in less than two days. “Sure,” she commented softly, and he joined her on the bench.  The two sat in silence for a few minutes, just listening to the waves lapping at the sandy beach behind them. Soft strains of “Viva Forever” could be heard from the party.  Tom looked over at B’Elanna, who was staring out at the sea. She hadn’t really changed, although her hair was a bit longer. “Thanks for coming,” he finally said, not sure how to start a conversation. After everything they had been through, after everything they had done together, it was a bit uncomfortable.  Turning to face him, her eyes sparkled in the moonlight, for a full moon could be seen in the cloudless sky. “Welcome,” she said softly, then turned back to looking at the ocean.  Tom’s brow furrowed. He had expected more than a one word answer from her.  “Tom, how come you never told me?” she asked him in an accusing tone, turning her head so she looked him in the eye.  His eyes narrowed. “What did I not tell you?”  “About you and Laura.” B’Elanna stood up and took a few steps until she was standing at the edge of the dock.  Tom’s jaw dropped. Then he closed his mouth. “B’Elanna...” His voice trailed off. “B’Elanna, Laura and I were never romantically involved when we were on Voyager,” he started.  Torres shook her head. “That’s not what I meant and you know it. How come you never told me about her?”  Tom stood up and walked over to her side. “I didn’t think you’d understand,” he remarked quietly.  B’Elanna whirled around to face him. “You thought I wouldn’t understand?!” she asked inredulously, surprise etched on her face. “I don’t believe this!” she seethed, shaking her head.  Tom closed his eyes, as if in pain. When he opened them, his blue eyes bore right into her skull, as if knowing her every thought. B’Elanna hated it when that happened. “B’Elanna, I loved Laura. I always loved her. But that was a long time ago.”  “You can’t deny that you were in love with her on Voyager,” she proclaimed. *Heck, we broke up and I’m still in love with you. You can’t say the two of you broke up and you weren’t in love with her afterwards.*  “You’re right; I can’t deny that. I loved her until the day she died, and I still love her. But not in the same way. I love- I loved you.” Tom replied. “Why can’t you believe that?”  B’Elanna’s brown eyes shone in the moonlight. “I know you did, Tom,” she whisperd. “I lvoed you, too. But both of us know that love isn’t enough to hold a relationship together.”  Tom looked out at the water. He could see tiny lights from the buildings on the other side of the bay twinkling in the dark night. “B’Elanna, I-”  “Don’t, Tom, don’t.” Torres told him, “Because we both knew what would happen in the end anyway.”  “Did we?”  *Damn, Tom, how come you have to make this so hard? You’re engaged, and you come to me asking me about ouru past relationship!* “Tom, that doesn’t matter now.” she told him instead, brushing back a stray wisp of brown hair as the wind blew around them.  Tom smiled ruefully. “Everything matters, ‘Lanna, when you think about it.”  B’Elanna laughed, but her tone contianed no mirth. “Yeah, everything matters,” she repeated softly. “I’ll never forget what we shared, Tom. And I’m not just talking about the intimacy. But that was then and this is now. We can’t change the past.”  “We can change the future,” Paris retorted with a smile.  B’Elanna smiled back. “Yeah, well, we can fight the future, too, but it will still come.”  Tom laughed. “So, what have you been up to lately? I’m sorry I couldn’t make it to France.”  They sat back down, now suddenly more at ease with each other. It was as if the entire storm had blown over.  “It’s all right,” B’Elanna replied. *Besides, if you had come I probably would have ripped your heart out,* she added to herself. “Nothing, really. I enjoyed the shoreleave - I looked up some old friends and went to visit with my father for a week or two. Voyager’s still the same; you wouldn’t believe how fast Naomi’s grown. It’s too bad the Wildmans couldn’t make it for the party tonight.”  “Yeah, but Sam said she really wanted Naomi to finally meet Sam’s parents.” explained Tom.  The two talked more about Voyager, then Tom stood up. “We’d better get back to the party. I have a feeling we’re going to be missed if we don’t hsow our faces soon,” he told B’Elanna, extending his hand to help her up.  She stood up and slipped on her shoes. Then the two walked back to the party, chatting with ease as they reaqquainted themselves with each other. ***** See the first section of this chapter for dedications, author's notes, and the disclaimers. ***** “Seven!” Heather hissed, motioning Seven of Nine over to the stereo where she and Kathryn stood.  Seven’s brow furrowed, but she excused herself from dancing with the Doctor and hurried over to the two. “What is it?” she asked curiously.  “Have you seen B’Elanna?” asked Kathryn.  Seven shook her head. “I saw her go out to the dock awhile ago, and then Tom followed her.”  Heather and Kathryn shared a look.  Seven had no clue. “What?”  “Oh, it’s nothing. It’s just that-” *Damn, I can’t tell them, can I?* “It’s nothing. Really.” Whitney insisted when they both gave her strange looks.  “Okay,” Kathryn said slowly, deciding to ignore the strange look on Heather’s face. “Heather’s going to sing.”  “Really?” Seven laughed. “This is going to be funny.” At the nervous look on Whitney’s face, Seven squeezed her hand. “You’ll do fine. And just think, if yo mess up you’ll only be embarrasing yourself in front of all those top ranking Starfleet officers.” she added.  Kathryn snickered.  “That’s not funny!” shot back Heather, but she had to grin.  As soon as “Fields of Gold” by Sting stopped, Heather stood up on the platform which extended two feet above the ground. Everyoen talking and dancing stopped after a few minutes and looked up at her. Seeing Tom and B’Elanna walk onto the porch, Heather luaghed. “Okay, I’ve wanted to do this for a *long* time, and I guess now’s as good a time as ever. This song is dedicated to my favorite helmsman, Tom Paris.” She then nodded over to Kathryn and Seven, who pressed the ‘Play’ button o nthe stereo. the song was upbeat and fast, and it fit Heather’s personality. Heather liked slow songs well enough, but fast songs were better to dance to in her opinion. The music to ‘That Don’t Impress Me Much’ by 20th century singer Shania Twain began playing out of the stereo, minus the lyrics. Hearing her cue, Heather began to sing:  I’ve known a few guys who thought they were pretty smart But you’ve got being right down to an art You think you’re a genius-you drive me up the wall You’re a regular original, a know-it-all  Oh-ooh-ooh, you think you’re special Oh-ooh-ooh, you think you’re something else  Okay, so you’re a hot helmsman That don’t impress me much So you got the brains but have you got the touch Now don’t get me wrong, yeah, I think you’re all right But that won’t keep me warm in the middle of the night That don’t impress me much  I never knew a guy who hung out at Sandrine’s The best man at pool, if you know what I mean And those Cap’n Proton novels, oh, how you like ‘em ‘Cause Heather forbid Constance should save the day!  Oh-ooh-ooh, you think you’re special Oh-ooh-ooh, you think you’re something else  Okay, so you’re Tom Paris That don’t impress me much So you got the brains but have you got the touch Now don’t get me wrong, yeah, I think you’re all right But that won’t keep me warm in the middle of the night That don’t impress me much  You’re one of those guys who likes to shine his machine You hide away in the holodeck just to drive around at night I can’t believe you kiss your car goodnight! Now, c’mon baby, tell me you must be joking, right?  Oh-ooh-ooh, you think you’re special Oh-ooh-ooh, you think you’re something else  Okay, so you’ve got a Camaro That don’t impress me much So you got the brains but have you got the touch Now don’t get me wrong, yeah, I think you’re all right But that won’t keep me warm in the middle of the night That don’t impress me much  That don’t impress me much So you got the brains but have you got the touch Now don’t get me wrong, yeah, I think you’re all right But that won’t keep me warm in the middle of the long, cold, lonely night That don’t impress me much  Okay, so what do you think you’re God Palis or something... Whatever That don’t impress me  The music ended. There was a pause, then everyone began to clap. Harry walked over to the platform. “Way to go, Heather,” he said, stepping onto the platform and giving her a kiss before stepping back down. There were catcalls for the two lieutenant commanders, but Heather didn’t mind; she laughed. Seeing the look Tom, who had been dancing with Lisa, sent her didn’t help much.  “Encore! Encore!” Shelly cried.  Heather opened her mouth to protest, but Tessa was already inserting another CD into the stereo. Another song that Heather knew well began to paly. It was set for a long beginning, so Heather was able to get a quick sip of water before it started.  Tom shook his head as he led Lisa over to the stereo, laughing softly. Lisa was all smiles.  “That was hilarious, Heather! Great job!” she applauded.  Before Heather could reply, the actual song started and Whitney began to sing again. This time it was ‘You Were Meant For Me’ by Jewel. Andrew, who had been talking with Jamews and Harry, asked Lisa to dance. Harry asked Seven, Chakotay asked Kathryn, and Richard, who had arrived just in time for the party, danced with Samantha. With most of their friends gone, Tom turned to B’Elanna. “Would you like to dance?”  B’Elanna smiled, then walked out with him to the dance floor. She put her head on his shoulders, and couldn’t believe how good it felt to be dancing with Tom. He hadn’t changed in the aspect that he was a terrific dancer. B’Elanna closed her eyes and danced to the music with Tom. When Heather crooned, “You were meant for me, and I was meant for you....” for the last time, she didn’t want the song to end. ***** Alyssa sighed, plopping down on the leather couch. “Phew! That was fun!” she exclaimed.  Tom sent a withering glance in his oldest sister’s direction from his position on the loveseat. “Only you could possibly sai that close to midnight,” he accused. “Wait a sec, that makes you and Heather.”  After all the guests had left around eleven, the remaining guests had helped clean up all the mess and put all the food away. Now that they were finally finished with the cleaning up, they could finally get to bed.  “I’m never getting up *again*!” Heather howled to counteract his comment, sitting down on the couch.  Harry walked into the living room. “Oh, yes you are,” he proclaimed.  Heather only lay down on the couch. At Harry’s look she sat up so he could sit down next to her.  “Still, that was so much fun!” B’Elanna commented, leaning tiredly against the wall.  Lisa joined Tom on the loveseat. “I *know*! We should have parties like that more often.”  Dana Paris, accompanied by her husband, laughed at her soon-to-be daughter-in-law’s comment. “We’re off to bed! We’ll see you all in the morning! Good night!” she called, waving as she walked up the stairs.  “Night!” Owen called before following his wife.  They all called goodnight and Chakotay, Kathryn, and Seven wandered in. Samantha and Richard had already gone to bed. “I’m going to go to bed as well,” Seven told them, smiling tiredly at everyone.  “There’s supposed to be a big storm brewing out in the Pacific Ocean. It’s supposed to hit land sometime in the early morning before sunrise, a bit after midnight.” Chakotay said.  Alyssa, Tom, and Heather shared a secret look.  “Definetely,” Tom replied to something Heather had seemed to suggest telepathically.  “What?” Kathryn demanded.  “You’ll see,” replied Alyssa secretively. ***** To Be Continued . . .  Copyright April 1999 by Jane Griffen; e-mail me at JaneG100@rocketmail.com