C/P Part one in a new series I’m doing. Tom and Chakotay discover the finer things in life (eventually). Comments/suggestions appreciated. Rated R for language and implied m/m.

Tom Paris strolled along the narrow cliff-path as if he were on the beach. Truth was he was stranded in the Delta Quadrant, stuck on a planet with their first officer, Chakotay- about whom he’d make no comment, looking for food. Voyager had found an M- class planet and he and Chakotay were drafted onto a shuttle craft to search for food. There was way too much interference for transports. They had wandered out into the forests, full of bugs and snakes and the kind. Not particularly pleasant when you have food. So half an hour ago Chakotay had come up with the bright idea of going back over a cliff path to the shuttle. Not such a bright idea when you consider the wind, the crumbling path beneath their feet, the painful- if not fatal drop inches away and the fact that they had to be back to Voyager in little over ten minutes. ‘Well,’ Tom thought ‘I’m not the one in command of this mission.’ He watched Chakotay make his way along the path in front of him and toyed with the idea of pulling faces at his back like you did when you were a kid. He decided against it, he was a Starfleet Lieutenant, and Chakotay had something weird about him which allowed him to have eyes in the back of his head or so it seemed. Tom started to plan what he would do when he got back, shower, dinner- big one, he was hungry, and then to Sandrine’s to win more replicator rations. Pretty good evening. Tom was so into deciding who he would beat at pool for rations he almost didn’t hear the crumbling of rock in front of him. But he definitely noticed the body of his commander slipping down the cliff face. And he definitely heard the thud as his body hit the bottom. Cursing under his breath Tom carefully made his way down to Chakotay. It was a painstaking process, not just because it was a long and hard journey, not just because –annoyingly- Chakotay had made the same journey in a couple of seconds, but because Chakotay was lying at the bottom and it was up to Tom to save his life, again.

Tom landed at the bottom after having jumped the last three meters. He took the med-kit off his back and scanned the unconscious Chakotay with his tricorder. "Slow heart rate, but steady. Couple broken ribs, sprained wrist, broken arm." Tom’s eyes drifted to Chakotay’s leg which was bent in a very un-natural position, "Ouch, broken leg too. Internal bleeding…lots of. Jeez Chakotay how do you survive these things? I mean if it were me I’d be a goner. Now how the hell am I gonna get you out of here?" Tom heard a rumbling above and prayed it wasn’t what he thought it was. He pointed his tricorder at the cliff face, avalanche imminent. "Brilliant. Well Chakotay much as I would love to stay here, we gotta move." Tom tapped his Com badge, "Paris to Voyager. Come in. Medical emergency." He tapped it off. "Still too much interference. Why is nothing ever easy?" He pulled out a hypo-spray and injected the contents into the commander. "Just a little pain-killer Commander. It’s going to be hard to move you without causing any further damage, it’s better without the pain too." Tom paused, surprised at the fact that he meant that. He dismissed the thought and looked left and right. "Well, we’ve either got a long valley, or a long valley. Feeling lucky?" Tom picked Chakotay up and, with a lot of effort, shifted him into a position which was the most comfortable for both of them. Tom staggered to the right and set off walking. "Y’know Commander, I think this is all a fake. Just because you’re sick of walking. Well, I’m telling you, it’s your turn in a bit." Tom paused, "You’re going crazy Paris, talking to yourself." Tom walked in silence for a while before being hit on the arm by a loose rock. "Oh boy, looks like this avalanche is a full spread. Bet you triggered it Chakotay. Next time we are going through the forest, next time you listen to me, next time I’m staying on the helm, next time… fuck it I just hope there is a next time." Tom noticed bigger rocks were coming down now, it wouldn’t be long before the whole cliff- face went. Judging by the rough map on his tricorder Tom estimated it was going to be at least another 10km to the end of the valley and he was going slower and slower. He wasn’t going to make it. "Well commander, at least you’re out for the count, I’ve gotta think of a way out of this." Tom put the commander down and made more detailed readings with his tricorder, "Got it!" he practically yelled and caused the cliff-face to dangerously tremor. "Come on commander, we’re out of here." Tom pulled the man onto his shoulders and, with more difficulty started to stagger towards a cave he had located.

Tom reached the cave just as the big rocks were starting to fall. He put Chakotay down carefully on the floor, and then went to look out of the ‘door’. He picked up a few loose rocks from inside the cave and built a small square up against the wall. He supported it with a few other rocks eventually making a sturdy hole, lengthening out into the valley. He copied his actions on the other side. "There, at least if we get blocked in we’ll have air. Maybe I can even get a small fire going. Not yet though, if we have to hang around until night-fall. I don’t want to risk losing anymore air." Tom smiled, he was obviously going crazy. He moved over to Chakotay, and ran his tricorder over him. "This thing isn’t very good." Tom put his tricorder down and routed in his pack for a medical tricorder. "Aha!" Tom pulled one out and looked outside to where their entrance was blocked by a large stone already. "Great." He said flatly. Scanning Chakotay, Tom noticed his vitals had declined 14% in the last half an hour. He estimated Chakotay had about five or six hours left without proper treatment. "But you’re not gonna die Chakotay, hear me? There’s no way I’m having this on my back." Tom pulled a few more hypos and worked out which ones he could mix and when he would have to give them to the commander. He figured he could give Chakotay an additional three hours with the medicine he had, "I just hope that’s long enough." Tom had now started speaking all his thoughts. "You’ll wake up any time now, I’ll give you water, I give you painkillers and some of this other crap, then you’ll probably go back to sleep." Tom told Chakotay. He was just rolling up his blanket into a pillow and covering Chakotay up with another when another big rock fell in front of the cave. Bits of dust fell off the ceiling and Tom prayed it wouldn’t collapse.

Chakotay began to stir and he opened his eyes. "Paris?" he said weakly.

"Good to see you commander. How are you feeling?" Tom was busy trying to find water.

"Numb. I can’t move my right leg or arm. What’s going on?" Chakotay tried to get up.

"Stay down commander, it’ll be the painkillers making you feel numb. You fell off the path, suffered a few injuries and caused an avalanche." Tom motioned to the falling rocks outside. "The brunt of it hasn’t fallen yet, I give it another ten minutes. Then we have to get out of here."

"How long have I got?" Chakotay asked.

"You’re not going anywhere" Tom just about ordered, "Shut up and drink this." Off Chakotay’s questioning look he said "Water, you can’t get dehydrated. But I can’t give you much more because of your internal injuries and you’ve probably got concussion." Tom held the container to Chakotay’s mouth and supervised the drinking. "Right now let’s get your hypos." Tom injected the hypo-sprays into Chakotay and picked up the pain killer. "Tell me when it starts hurting and you can have this. It’ll make you drowsy though."

"Tom, I think it’s stopped." Chakotay said, his voice now a hoarse whisper.

Tom looked at the entrance, it was weird for Chakotay to call him Tom, it was usually Lieutenant, or Paris. Oh well, Tom wasn’t going to object, there was enough tension between them already. Tom walked over to the entrance and shifted a few rocks. He cautiously looked outside. Chakotay was right, it had stopped. He could make his way quickly through the valley, and then the shuttle wasn’t far away. He turned back to get the commander. "I’m injecting the pain killer now."

"No, Tom don’t. I want to be awake in case…" Chakotay’s voice choked off.

"Incase what commander? You can’t do anything in your condition, and I am not having you moaning all the way." Tom prepared the hypo.

"It’s an order Paris." Chakotay rasped.

"So shove me in the brig when we get back." Tom sighed, "Look Chakotay this is going in no matter what. It’s easier for both of us." Before Chakotay could protest any further, Tom had injected the hypo. Tom began to pack up.

"You just disobeyed an order Paris." Chakotay was drifting off.

"Get over it Chakotay." Tom muttered under his breath, not really offering the commander an audible response.

Five minutes later Tom was making his way up the valley with Chakotay on his back again. He dodged through the rocks and thanked the Gods that he had found the cave. He came to the end of the valley and looked around. He recognized the dense forest they had originally walked through. "Maybe we can walk around the edge. We’ll still find our way back, but avoid being attacked by bugs." Tom followed the track around the edge of the forest telling Chakotay about his childhood to keep himself going, because Chakotay couldn’t hear him. Tom moved on to his time in the Academy, all the stuff he had done, pranks he had pulled, things like that. After a few hours Tom came to the clearing where he had landed the shuttle. He put Chakotay down and punched in the security code to open up the back hatch. Tom was just going back to get Chakotay when he felt a sharp pain in the back of his leg. "Shit!" he yelled, spinning around to see a large, brightly colored snake slithering away. Cursing more to himself Tom got Chakotay onto the ship and then bent down to look at the bite. It had gone through his uniform and had formed a bite mark on his leg. Tom tore off a patch on his uniform and pinched the bite wincing in pain. Nothing came out. Hoping it wasn’t a poisonous snake Tom injected himself with adrenaline and turned to the helm. "Hold on Chakotay, only about half an hour to go." Tom started up the shuttle and lifted off. He entered Voyager’s position, they had gone to explore another planet in the system, and switched onto auto-pilot. Turning back to Chakotay, who was waking up, Tom ordered the computer to tell him when they were out of the planet’s atmosphere.

"You disobeyed an order Paris." Said Chakotay coming round and flinching in pain.

"Good day to you too commander." Tom sat down next to him on the floor.

"How long until we get back?"

"Half an hour ish. How do you feel? Hurting anywhere?" Tom asked.

"Hurting everywhere." Chakotay said lying down and closing his eyes. Tom scanned him and felt his head drop, almost passing out. "Tom? You okay?" Chakotay noticed the lieutenant’s sudden paleness.

"Fine. Just a little dizzy. Might just be shock." Tom read the tricorder.

"Shock from what?"

"A snake bit me, back on the planet." Tom rubbed at the back of his leg.

"It could be poisonous. Why don’t you rest for a while? I could take care of the ship." Chakotay said, not really believing it.

"Chakotay, you can hardly stay conscious, let alone run the ship. Which reminds me – painkillers." Tom pulled out another hypo.

"No. Tom, I have to stay conscious this time, incase anything happens to you." Chakotay tried to inch away from the hypo, not really getting very far.

Tom smiled, "Chill commander. I’ve run out of the drowsy kind, this is just a normal one." Tom emptied it into the commander’s arm, suddenly feeling very hot.

"Leaving planet atmosphere in ten seconds." The computer stated.

Tom stood up, wiping his forehead on his sleeve. "Computer, open a visual channel to Voyager."

"Captain we’re being hailed." Harry Kim said.

"From the away team?" asked Captain Janeway from her command seat.

Harry checked his screen, "Yes, ma’am."

"Better late than never, on screen." Tom’s head appeared on the view screen in front of them. "Lieutenant, what took you so long?" asked the captain, mildly surprised to see Paris and not Chakotay.

"Captain, it’s Chakotay, he’s been injured. Pretty badly." Tom was gasping now. "He’s going to need urgent medical attention. Have the Doc stand by."

"Will do Lieutenant. Are you okay?"

"Just a little snake bite captain, nothing I can’t handle."

"We’ll meet you half way Tom, Janeway out. Helm, set a course for Mr. Paris’ co-ordinates, warp seven, engage."

"Yes ma’am."

Janeway sat back in her chair and willed the ship to go faster. If Tom was the healthier of the two, how bad was Chakotay? She pushed a button on her screen, "Captain to sickbay."

The EMH’s head appeared on her screen, "Doctor, stand by for emergency transport in ten minutes. Expect one severe casualty and one snake bite, possibly poisonous." The Doctor nodded and terminated the link.

"We’ll rendezvous with Voyager in about ten Chakotay." Tom sat back down, leaning his head against the shuttle wall and grabbing the tricorder. Tom pointed it at himself and looked at the reading. He groaned.

"Well?" asked Chakotay.

Tom looked at him, "Well, the little bugger was definitely poisonous, and I’m almost definitely going to pass out before we reach Voyager. Possibly go into a coma."

"You’re going to be okay Tom." Chakotay told him.

"How can you be so sure?"

"You always are." Chakotay said simply.

Tom frowned, "What?"

"You’re always okay. You always go on dangerous missions. Maybe get attacked by some sort of alien or another. You always pull through though. I kind of envy it." Chakotay admitted.

"Envy me? Why would you envy me?"

"Well, I can’t even walk along a path without almost dying."

Tom smiled, "Chakotay, look at me. According to most of the ship I’m a Marquis traitor. I’m the smart-ass, big-headed idiot that won’t let anyone near him after…" Tom trailed off into unconsciousness leaving Chakotay puzzled. What had the kid just opened up on? After what? Chakotay sighed and shifted himself over to Tom, who was laid at a funny angle. Chakotay put the kid’s head on his lap, maybe it would stop the poison flowing as fast to have it elevated. Chakotay had no clue on medicine. "You should return to normal pretty soon commander. I just want you to stay in for a few days while I monitor you." The Doctor stated, bringing Chakotay around from unconsciousness.

"Sure." Chakotay tested all his limbs gently, still feeling some pain in his once broken leg and arm. He noticed the Captain standing over him and smiled at her.

"How do you feel?" She asked.

"Okay. A bit stiff and achy but a lot better."

Chakotay watched her transform from his commanding officer into his friend, his confidante. "He saved your life again you know."

"Tom!" Chakotay remembered, "Is he going to be okay? He passed out before we got back."

Kathryn wondered whether to tell him for a second, but then decided to, she always told him everything, "You both passed out." She paused, "Tom’s in a bad state. Seizures, nausea, hot/cold jumps. He’s in a lot of pain Chakotay. The Doctor doesn’t know what it is, there’s a chance he might…" Kathryn couldn’t finish the rest of the sentence, a rarity. She could usually face up to these things, but Tom Paris. Owen’s son, she brought him here- he didn’t ask to come, she should have looked after him.

Chakotay looked at her, not really seeing her, not needing the last word. "What are the odds?"

"He could go either way at the moment. The Doctor hasn’t had much chance to get at the poison, Tom’s on so many painkiller’s it does ease the pain, but makes the virus hard to distinguish."

Chakotay took all of this in, swallowing hard. "C-can I see him?"

"That’s another thing Chakotay. The Doctor has identified something about the virus. It has an incubation period of three to four hours, and it’s highly contagious. He thinks the drugs you were on stopped you from getting it, but everyone else who comes into contact with Tom will be infected immediately. Fortunately Tom was beamed straight here, and he’s only had contact with the Doctor. But that’s also a bad thing. He could use a friend." Off Chakotay’s look Kathryn continued, "I know you and Tom aren’t exactly the best of friends, but Chakotay he’s helped you out of so many scrapes in the past…"

Chakotay cut her off, "Kathy, it’s okay. I want to see him."

"You do?"

"Yes. I don’t know what it is, but I think I can make my peace with Tom now." Chakotay sat up, which caused another visit from the Doctor.

"Commander I thought we agreed you were to stay here for a few days." The Doctor said in his usual ‘fed up’ voice.

"We did and I am Doctor, I just want to see Tom."

The Doctor wore the same surprised expression as the Captain, "Oh. Well come this way then, and take it easy. If you damage your insides again, and the stitching will come loose if you exert yourself and I had to stitch you because human organs are so close together and delicate I couldn’t afford to re-generate, you’ll have to stay in here another week and believe me I do not want another patient to contend with after Mr. Paris and I’m going to be working around the clock on this poison and do not particularly want to have to do another operation."

While Chakotay was trying to digest the long sentence Kathryn whispered in his ear, "Consider yourself told." Chakotay followed the Doctor around to Tom’s isolated bed, seeing him in the blue hospital clothes lying still on the bio-bed.

"Put this on, it’ll allow you through the force-field." The Doctor attached a triangular device, rather like his own holo-emitter, to Chakotay’s arm.

"I’ll come by later." Kathryn said and walked out of sick-bay.

"Go through commander, I’ll be in my office."

Chakotay walked through the force-field and round to the left of Tom’s bed, Tom was facing away from him. Maybe he was asleep, Chakotay thought.

Tom rolled over and looked at Chakotay. He looked worse than death warmed up, "You’re okay."

Chakotay couldn’t stop a smile, "Yeah, I’m okay. Tom…" Chakotay couldn’t think of anything to say.

Tom looked sad, his normally bright and playful eyes somber and his mischievous smile nowhere to be found. "I guess he told you." Tom looked at Chakotay’s puzzled face, "The Doc. I’m gonna die."

"No you’re not. You’re gonna pull through. Don’t you remember what I told you? You always pull through Tom, always. This is just so you can pull some time off."

"Are you kidding me? I would love to be flying right now, and not feeling like this." He sighed, "Maybe Chakotay…what if…what if I’ve cheated death too many times. Maybe it’s just death’s ironic little joke, Tom Paris- conqueror of the most powerful alien species in the galaxy, defeated when he stepped on a snake."

Chakotay smiled, "You want that on your tomb-stone?"

"Why what were you thinking of?"

"Tom Paris- great aid in getting the almighty star ship Voyager home sixty years earlier than expected. It was discovered his ego was weighing the ship down."

Tom laughed a little, then went quiet again and screwed his eyes up, "Oh, Chakotay. It’s coming again, seizure." Tom groaned in pain and Chakotay just about flew to the Doctor. He watched as the Doctor tried to calm Tom down. Tom was begging for pain killers, tranquilizers, anything that would ease the pain and knock him out. The Doctor was running high speed tests, and scans. By now Kes was there and helping out, outside the force-field. Chakotay felt himself willing the Doctor to stop the pain and tried his best to restrain himself from injecting the bloody things himself.

"Shit! Ka’tah! Putain!" Tom was swearing in every language he knew while tossing and trying to stop the pain. Eventually, after what seemed like forever the Doctor loaded a hypo-spray and injected it into Tom, who immediately stopped thrashing and dozed off.

Chakotay was in shock, "Is it that bad every time?" he asked.

"We haven’t kept him conscious that long before, he’s in an incredible amount of distress. But this may help us." The Doctor held up various tri-corders and medical scanners.

Chakotay looked at the sleeping man and said to himself, "You’ll be fine Tom, I know you will. I hope."

"Get AWAY from me!" Tom yelled his voice hoarse and his stomach clenching in fear.

"Or what Paris? You’ll tell daddy? Well, I don’t think daddy gives a shit about his fuck-up of a son."

"Please," Tom resorted to begging, "I’ll get you anything…"

Tom was punched in the stomach and flung to another guy who grabbed his jump-suit. "Like what ‘fleet. No-one will help you. Nobody gives fuck about you ‘fleet."

Tom was sent to the floor with a punch in the eye. He momentarily wondered what the other two guys were doing watching? Keeping guard? Participating soon? That thought was crushed when Tom felt a foot on his chest. Guy number one looked down at him, "We’re gonna do this Tommy."

Tom felt a surge of power and jumped up, knocking the other guy down, he drove his fists into him "Don’t call me that you shitty, perverted, son of a bitch fuck-wit!" Tom felt himself being lifted and pushed against the wall by the two spectators and guy number two. Fuck-wit got up, "You’ll pay for that ‘fleet." Fuck-wit came so close Tom could feel his breath against his face, and his hard-on. "You’re gonna pay," he paused and a sick smile spread over his face, "Tommy."

"No! Get the fuck OFF me!" Tom yelled, except his voice was so ragged it came out as a whisper.

However it was loud enough to alert Chakotay who was checking over some reports. He put the Padds down, grabbed his force-field thing, stuck it onto his arm and walked towards Tom. "Tom?" he saw Tom asleep, obviously having a nightmare. "Leave me alone, please. Don’t." Tom was sweating, and his voice was a whisper. Chakotay sat down next to him and grabbed hold of his hand, "Tom wake up. It’s okay, you’re asleep. Come on Tom. Tom!"

Tom came around and Chakotay dropped his hand to grab a tri-corder. Scanning him, Chakotay could find no change for the worse, or the better. Tom opened his blue eyes, "Chakotay?"

"Are you okay? That dream was pretty rough."

Tom remembered, "Oh no, not again."

"What?"

"These dreams, I’ve been having them a while now, they’re getting worse, wait- Chakotay what are you doing here?"

"The Doctor says I’ve got to stay in anyway. Then I heard you and, here I am."

Tom laughed. His ‘whatever’ laugh, a smile and a puff of breath- barely a noise. "Why do you give a fuck about me all of a sudden?" It wasn’t threatening, not even accusing, just questioning.

"I just realized it was easier to stay friends with the guy that kept on saving my life." This time Tom laughed, "Seriously Tom, I guess this tension between us is stupid. We work so closely together and the Maquis is in the past now, plus you’re not such a bad guy, I suppose." Chakotay laughed at his own words, but looked up to see that Tom wasn’t laughing.

"Thanks Chakotay. That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said about me."

"Get out of here! You must have had loads of hot-shot pilot comments over the years."

"Yeah, but they were about my flying, and not about me." Tom said.

"Don’t go getting too smug, I still think you’re a smart-ass git." Chakotay broke the ice, and was relieved to see Tom smile.

"Yeah, you’re just jealous coz you’re…shit." Tom grabbed the trash-can next to his bed and threw up in it.

"Want me to get the Doctor?" Chakotay asked, unsure of what to do.

"No. He’s seen enough of me, just give me a sec." Tom held his stomach in pain.

"I’m getting the Doctor."

"Shit, Chakotay don’t, please." They stared into each others eyes, Chakotay into those tell-tale blue ones, full of pain and pleading. "Please Cha, just leave it."

Chakotay didn’t notice the ‘Cha’ he just sat down next to Tom and rubbed his back as he got over the spasm. Tom lay back and closed his eyes after it was over, "Thanks Cha, these things are getting worse."

"That wasn’t as bad as the last one." Chakotay said puzzled.

"This is just a build up, the big one will come soon." Tom said downheartedly.

"Why didn’t you want to see the Doctor?" asked Chakotay.

"Because it’s annoying having someone running scanners up and down you when you’re having a seizure. Not the best way to recover."

"Tom you’re not gonna recover this way. Maybe I should get some pain killers, it’ll stop the next one hurting as much."

"I’m already on the highest dose the Doc has Chakotay."

"And it still hurts that much?"

"Yep." Tom lay back, "Y’know I’d kill for a Chinese right now."

"I could replicate you some."

"I’d just throw it up again. I’m hungry, but whatever I eat I can’t keep down, so it kind of defeats the purpose of actually eating."

"How long is it since you’ve kept a meal down?"

"Um, rations in the cave while you were dead to the world." Tom smiled, "Just think, my last meal- rations."

"Tom…"

"I know, I know. You think I’m not gonna die, and maybe I won’t Chakotay. But I gotta be ready if I do. Everyone has." Tom hesitated and changed the subject, "Had anyone been to see me while I’ve been unconscious?"

"Uh-huh. Harry and ‘Lana dropped by. Kathryn dropped by too, but she wanted to see me." Chakotay smiled.

"You’re pretty tight with the Captain huh?"

"I guess. She’s really good at advice, and gossip."

"Really? I wouldn’t think she’d be the nosey type."

"Sleep with one eye open Paris."

"Nah, no-one can keep tabs on the famous Tom Paris."

"Really? Susan Nicoletti, Jeffries Tube 37 alpha, four months ago. Half an hour late for your shift."

"Jeez Chakotay, you remember?"

"How could I not? You commed the Captain in her ready room and told her you’d be late…"

"This is me, that happens every shift."

"Yeah, but you left your Comm channel open. Didn’t take Kathryn long to manually close it from her end, but she heard enough." Chakotay smiled at Tom’s slight blush. "Still with Susan?"

"Nah. I don’t get close to anyone really, bit of a loner I guess." Tom seemed sad.

"What about Harry and ‘Lana? You’re close with them."

"That’s only because they can’t get any closer. Harry- straight as an arrow, in both respects. And ‘Lana, well if you count warp conduits as deep soul-talking then that’s all we do."

"Why won’t you let anyone get close to you Tom?"

The Doctor walked through the force-field with two hypos in his hand. "Commander, could you step aside for a minute, please?"

Chakotay noticed the Doctor was looking cheerier than usual, "Sure." He stepped to the side and let the Doctor in.

"Okay Mr. Paris how are we?"

"Just great, in fact I was thinking of going on a little 10km run in the holo-deck followed by a ten course meal and then partying all night."

"Good to see your ability to annoy hasn’t dissipated. Now I’m going to induce a seizure."

"Right, turning crazy are we Doc? Commander could you call security?"

"Mr. Paris, I need you to understand what I’m going to do. I’m going to induce a seizure which will get the virus active again. Then I’m going to inject this drug which should stop the virus and eventually kill it."

"I’m guessing there’s some sort of crazy side effect here yeah?"

"After the seizure you’ll be unconscious for twenty-four hours. After that you will be incredibly weak, possibly in a lot of pain, but there’s a 98% chance you’ll pull through fine, with no relapses. You’ll need to have someone with you at all time in your quarters so you can be monitored."

Tom thought and then looked up, "Chakotay?"

"The Commander will be working Tom. I was thinking one of the crewmen, with less responsibilities…"

"No, I’ll do it Doctor. Besides you said I gotta take it easy for a while right?"

"If you’re sure Commander."

"I am, I’ll just Comm the Captain and let her know the situation."

"Feel free to use my office Commander."

"Thanks."

Chakotay pulled up the Doctor’s chair and Commed the Captain on the Visio-link. After he explained the situation she said, "Of course Chakotay. Take as much time as you need, just try not to pick up too many of Tom’s traits."

"What do you mean?"

"Well you’re already skipping shifts." Kathryn smiled.

"I could say the same for you. Why are you in your ready room at this time?" Chakotay smiled.

"Coffee break."

"I better get up to the bridge soon, I’m losing my workaholic." Kathryn laughed, "Seriously Captain, you don’t mind?"

"No I don’t Chakotay. To be honest, it’s nice to see you and Tom getting along. We’ll have to catch up later, I need gossip."

"Actually I’ve got twenty-four hours now…"

"I’m there"

"You’re addicted Captain. Maybe unfit for duty."

"You want to know what’s going on?"

"See you in five?"

"Yep, Janeway out."

Chakotay laughed and terminated the link, he stopped laughing when he heard Tom cry out in pain. The Doctor was injecting the drug into him, Tom settled down to sleep within seconds. ‘With any luck’, Chakotay thought, ‘the kid won’t have to go through that again.’

"Kathy, I don’t think you’ve taken this long a break since I’ve known you."

"I’ve only been here two hours."

"What’s your point?"

Tom groaned in his sleep across the room and Chakotay snapped his head around to see if he was okay. "Chakotay?" Kathryn said suspiciously.

"Sorry. You were saying?"

"I wasn’t."

"Oh."

"You and Tom have got close haven’t you?"

"He’s good company, when he’s conscious."

"Really? You always say his jokes bug you."

"They do, occasionally. But he has some good points to make sometimes, and definitely a unique way of looking at things. He always manages to see the good things, but he isn’t afraid to face up to the bad ones."

"And…"

"And what?"

"Chakotay I know there’s more to this. I’ve known you long enough."

"I don’t know, maybe there could be, possibly."

"You’re feeling more than friendship right?"

"I think so."

"Take it slow Chakotay."

"What?"

"Tom isn’t ready for commitment."

"Kathy, you’re missing the point that we’re both guys."

"So what? Tom obviously likes you, maybe he feels more too. Tom isn’t as strong emotionally as you Chakotay, he will need time."

"He’s stronger than most people. Bad words just seem to filter through him."

"That’s because he’s had to deal with something bigger, the small things are so insignificant to him."

"Do you know something I don’t? Has something happened to Tom?"

"I honestly don’t know anything. It just seems so, textbook."

"Who’d have thought Tom Paris to be textbook?" Chakotay paused "How do you know he likes me?"

"Call it women’s intuition. He respects you, but keeps his distance. He would do anything you asked of him, maybe with smart-ass comments to re-assure himself, but he’d do it. Plus the ‘Cha’ incident. I haven’t met anyone who calls you Cha."

"No-one does" Chakotay admitted "But what does a nick-name mean?"

"What does Harry call me, off-duty?"

"Captain."

"What does Tom call me, off-duty?"
"Kathryn, mostly."

"What do you call me?"

"Kath or Kathy."

"Who’s closest to me out of those three?"

"Me."

"You see Chakotay, Tom feels close to you sub-consciously. Before yesterday it was ‘Commander’. But now he’s got it down to ‘Cha’. The man definitely feels something."

"And you get all that without doing serious damage to your brain by working it out?"

"I’m a married, female Captain, you don’t get much more clued up on relationships Chakotay." She smiled, "Anyway, I’d better go, Tuvok will be wondering where I am."

"Can’t let him get too comfy in that command seat, I’ll be out of a job."

"Remember to take it easy won’t you Chakotay. Tom won’t accept it at first."

"Sure. And Kath" she turned, "Thanks." She smiled and walked out with a ‘see you later’.

Chakotay checked his watch, only twenty one and a half hours to go.