Title: The Prince
Author: Leone
Rating: [PG]
Codes: C/P, K/T, AU
Archive: Yes, if you want to
Feedback: tarrashenna@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: Everything Star Trek belongs to Paramount, not me.
This story along with any other characters belongs to me,
though. Oh, and I'm not making any money on this.

Summary: See part 1

Thanks to my twin for helping with the technical stuff. Also
thanks to my beta reader for pointing out that Tom didn't need
*two* physical exams in one day.

Warning: This is about a relationship between two men. If you
don't like that, don't read it.

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The Prince
By Leone

********************
Part 24

Tom woke early the next morning, well before the alarm
sounded. He lay in bed for awhile, just enjoying the peace and
quiet. "Computer, cancel alarm," he said, as he finally got out of
bed and went into the bathroom to take a long and leisurely
shower.

Twenty minutes later, he stepped out of the shower stall,
grabbed a towel and dried himself off, before wrapping it around
his waist and brushing his teeth. Then he went back into the bedroom
to get dressed.

When he was in uniform, Tom went into the living room and
walked over to the replicator, where he placed an order for 'Tom
Paris Pregnancy1'. A moment later, his peanut butter and
marshmallow crème sandwich on primento loaf bread materialized,
and he carried it over to the desk and sat down.

Switching on the terminal, Tom checked the ship's status while
he ate his sandwich. He sighed when he saw that there had been
a problem in Engineering. He didn't investigate it in any detail,
knowing that Joe Carey would have a report ready at the staff
meeting later.

Tom rose and went over to the recycler with his plate, calling for
the time.

"The time is 0700 hours."

Tom smiled slightly and left his quarters, heading for sickbay
and his daily examination.

*****

Fifty minutes later, Tom entered the Captain's Ready Room and
saw that the rest of his senior officers had already arrived. He
smiled and wished them good morning as he sat down in his
usual chair.

For a moment, Tom looked around at the people sitting at the
table, considering where to start. Then he sighed quietly and
turned to Joe Carey, deciding to get the possible bad news over
with first. "Joe, I noticed that there was a problem in Engineering,"
he started. "What was it, and have you been able to fix it?"

Carey caught himself before he grimaced, then answered,
"There's a problem with the matter/antimatter mix, which means
that the ship can't go to warp. We haven't been able to fix it yet,
but we're working on it. Of course, that means that the other
repairs will have to wait."

Tom nodded, silently cursing the Kazon. The Kazon had been
very active since a week into Voyager's current disaster, attacking
the ship constantly, never giving the crew time to make
complete repairs. Everyone had done their best, but with only
sixty healthy crewmembers and the frequent attacks, it was difficult.

"All right, Carey. Do your best. I have an idea of how we can
get out of the Kazon's line of fire. I'll get back to that in a moment,"
Tom said, then turned to the EMH, hoping that he had
better news. "Doctor, did you get the results on the serum for the
virus you were working on?"

The doctor heaved the holographic equivalent of a sigh before
he answered. "Yes, Captain, I did." He hesitated, *really* not
wanting to tell Tom the news. "Unfortunately, it doesn't work,"
he informed the others in the room.

Tom sighed deeply, but he wasn't really surprised. He'd had a
gut feeling that the serum wouldn't work, and his instincts were
usually right on target. "So we're back at square one?" he asked
quietly.

The doctor nodded. "Yes, Captain."

Tom studied his senior staff as they digested this information.
He could see that they were as disappointed as he was himself.
After a moment's of silence, Tom turned to Harry. "Harry, if
you also have bad news, I'm going to assign you latrine duty,"
he joked lightly, trying to ease the tension in the room. He was
rewarded with slight chuckles from everyone.

When the amusement died down, Harry smiled at Tom. "Then
it's a good thing that I have good news, huh?" Seeing the hopeful
look in Tom's eyes, Harry's smile widened. "The sensors
verified that the planet *does* have everything we require, both
food *and* minerals. Sensors also show that there's *nothing*
harmful down there. No intelligent life, no dangerous life forms
and no pesky viruses. The weather is calm, there are no signs of
any storms, and the atmosphere is stable. In short, it's a virtual
paradise down there," Harry finished.

When Harry stopped speaking, Tom was practically beaming
with delight. "Harry, you just made my day!" he exclaimed. He
turned to B'Elanna, who was seated to his right. "B'Elanna, give
your husband a big, juicy kiss from me."

Everyone chuckled when B'Elanna smiled and obeyed Tom,
leaning over to kiss Harry, who sat on her other side. A moment
later, she leaned back in her chair and gave Tom a quizzical
look. "Good enough?"

Tom's smile turned devilish. "Not exactly what I had in mind,
but seeing as we're on duty, it'll have to do." He waited till the
resulting laughter died down, then turned serious. "I've been
thinking, and considering our situation, the ship's condition and
the constant attacks by the Kazon, I've decided that our best
option is to land Voyager until repairs are finished and we've
found a cure for the virus." He ran a hand through his hair, gathering
his thoughts before continuing. "That way, we don't have
to over work the crew and ourselves. Opinions?" He looked
around the table.

B'Elanna nodded. "It's a good idea. That way repairs are in no
hurry."

"I agree," Harry said. "And I'm sure the rest of the crew will
appreciate it."

It was Tom's turn to nod. "That's what I thought." He turned to
the EMH. "Doctor? What do you think?"

"It *is* a good idea," the doctor answered. "The crew could use
the rest." He looked around at the assembled people. "That also
applies to everyone present."

The rest of Tom's senior staff agreed with his plan. "All right.
Then we'll land Voyager on the planet surface later this morning,"
he said, and turned to his Third in Command. "Harry, scan
for a place with enough space."

Harry nodded. "Yes, Sir."

Tom glanced around. "Anything else?"

The doctor spoke up. "Captain, I want to see Lieutenant Torres
in sickbay for her examination as soon as this meeting is over."

Tom looked at B'Elanna. Then he turned to the EMH. "Of
course, Doctor," he said. He looked around again. Seeing that no
one had anything else, he ended the meeting. "Dismissed.
C'mon, B'Ela, accompany the doctor to sickbay. The sooner
you get there, the sooner you can get back to the bridge."

B'Elanna nodded in agreement and she rose to her feet, as did
the doctor. Then the two of them went to sickbay while Tom
went to his desk to take a look at the sensor report.

*****

An hour later, just as Tom left the Ready Room, B'Elanna arrived
on the bridge, having received a clean bill of health from
the doctor. They both moved to sit in their respective chairs.

When he was seated, Tom looked over at Ops. "Harry, you find
anything yet?"

"Yes, actually I have," Harry answered. "There's a nice big
place where we can land. I have sent the coordinates to the
helm, and your console as well."

Tom switched on his console and took a look at the coordinates,
but before he could say anything, Baytart spoke up. "Captain?"

Tom glanced over at the Helm. "Yes, Lieutenant?"

The pilot turned to look at Tom. "Maybe you should do this," he
suggested. When Tom lifted a quizzical eyebrow, he explained.
"I've never landed a starship. You have."

Tom considered it for a moment. "You have a point." He rose
from the Captain's Chair and moved to the Helm, relieving Baytart.
Once he was seated in his usual chair, Tom addressed the
computer. "Computer, initiate Blue Alert," he ordered.

"All hands. Blue Alert. Prepare for landing."

A few moments later, B'Elanna looked over at Tom. "All departments
are ready," she reported.

Tom nodded and smiled slightly. He was thrilled to have an excuse
to be flying again; even if *was* only for as long as it took
to land the ship. He lightly touched his console, preparing to
enter the planet's atmosphere. "All right, here we go," he said as
Voyager started to descent.

*****

Fifteen minutes later, Voyager landed on the ground gently.
Tom shut the engines down, then had the computer open a ship
wide comm link. "All hands, commence shut down procedures."

When B'Elanna reported that shut down procedures were complete,
Tom addressed the computer again. "Computer, cancel
Blue Alert." Then he rose and turned to his First Officer.
"C'mon, B'Elanna. Let's leave the bridge to Harry while we
have lunch, and decide who does what."

B'Elanna smiled as she rose from her chair and followed Tom
into the Captain's Ready Room. "Yes, Captain."

TBC
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