Title: Just in love
Author: Lilli (Tembo.Loxodonta@t-online.de)
beta-reader: Nestra
Series: Voyager
Rated: PG-13
Codes: P/T and maybe, maybe a tiny bit of J/C…
Date: 12/20/00Summary : B’Elanna breaks up with Tom, but is she aware of what she’s losing? Takes places sometime in the 6h season.
Disclaimer : Paramount owns of course all the characters, I just borrowed them, trying to make them have a little more exciting love life…: )
There was not much light in the room B’Elanna Torres walked up and down in, just stopping in order to give the door a nervous glance.
Why did time always not seem to pass when one wanted to get something done?
Right now she was waiting for Tom. How would she be able to look in his eyes? She hadn’t even figured out how to tell him. B’Elanna just hoped she wouldn’t hurt him too much.
The door chime finally rang and roused her from her thoughts.
"Come in!" she said, hoping the one outside her quarters wouldn’t notice the nervousness in her trembling voice.
B’Elanna took a deep breath, watching her boyfriend enter the room. As always, Tom had a wide grin on his lips, and he walked towards her with his blue eyes sparkling in an undoubtedly loving way.
The door shut quietly behind him, and when he reached her, he leaned down for a kiss. But this time it wasn’t the same. B’Elanna quickly stepped out of his way so his lips wouldn’t meet her cheek. Tom looked at her in surprise and just said, "You wanted to talk to me? What is it?"
He watched her swallow hard.
B’Elanna pointed at her sofa.
"Want to sit down first?" she asked. Definitely not as self-confident as usual, he mused.
Tom frowned, but didn’t say anything.
"Sure!" he replied in a soft voice, and while sitting down and waiting for her to take a seat right next to him, his eyes didn’t leave her. For the first time in years, B’Elanna felt uncomfortable because of him doing so. She smiled nervously.
"Do you want something to…drink?"
Tom refused.
"No, I just want you to tell me what’s going on. Something’s bothering you, right?"
In fact it had been her duty to start this kind of conversation, but she knew, Tom had never been the man to wait. She just wondered why she hadn’t expected his reaction to be like this.
Again she swallowed.
"Kind of.", she agreed.
Tom’s face brightened, and his smile reappeared.
"So what is it, honey?"
When B’Elanna heard him call her ‘honey’, she lifted her hand.
"Tom, you don’t understand!"
"But I’d love to! How can I understand something you haven’t even told me about?" he asked cheerfully.
That made her feel even worse than she already did.
"Tom it’s…it seems to me like…our lives have…some sort of…separated, you see?"
"What do you mean by separated?"
"You know, being with each other has become routine, I think, and it’s nothing special anymore. Tom, my feelings are not the same anymore. It seems to me like we just don’t
belong together!"
Slowly Tom grew paler, and his eyes widened.
"B’Elanna, you do know what you’re saying?"
She nodded.
"You, you mean…you want to…" he stuttered.
"Tom, it’s over!" she interrupted him, causing a long silence. Tom could no longer hold her gaze. He could only stare at the floor, hardly believing what he’d just heard.
"Why?" he whispered eventually, unable to raise his voice.
"Tom…" she started, but he wouldn’t let her talk.
"Who is it?" Tom continued, sounding a little more impatient.
He looked at her again, and B’Elanna felt as if his gaze pierced her soul.
"No…no, Tom, I swear there is nobody…I just…I just don’t," she stopped searching for the right words, but there wasn’t any other way to express it.
"I just don’t love you anymore!"
"But, B’Elanna…please tell me what I’ve said or done to hurt you, or when…."
"You haven’t done anything. It’s not because of you….I guess…I guess it’s me! I’m sorry, Tom!"
"Then tell me why!"
B’Elanna saw tears forming in his eyes, threatening to roll down his cheek in a few seconds.
"I just realized that I have no feelings left for you, Tom! But I hope we don’t just break up now and…well, behave like we don’t know each other! How about staying friends?"
Just after she’d finished the sentence, she found out how silly this question had been right and felt sorry.
"Of course!" Tom replied bitterly and stood up. Without another word, he left the room, and B’Elanna could only watch him leave.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tom walked towards his quarters, and the door opened automatically. Heavily, he let himself fall onto his sofa. He burried his head into his hands, letting go of his tears. Thoughts ran through his head, and he saw the scene over and over again. He heard her words more and more often, telling him she didn’t love him anymore.
Tom wondered why she didn’t feel for him anymore. Just a few days ago, she had seemed so happy to him. *Maybe it was all a facade* he mused, but then he blamed himself for thinking so. B’Elanna wasn’t one to pretend to be in love when she wasn’t.
*She wants to be friends* Tom remembered, sort of annoyed
"How can I be friends with someone I’m in love with?" he asked loudly, staring at her picture on the table on front of him. But the photo remained quiet, and the B’Elanna in the picture even kept smiling at him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For the next few days, Tom tried to stay out of B’Elanna’s way. He knew he wouldn’t have been able to behave himself otherwise. He would have wanted to take her into his arms or at least talk to her. He hadn’t gotten over it yet. Tom spent most of his free time alone in his quarters or on the holodeck.
Today, he had a briefing, and if this had been school, he definitely would have skipped, just in order not to see her. It just hurt too much. Even choosing where to sit was hard for him. He didn’t want to sit next to her, but neither did he want to sit at the opposite side of the table, because he would have to look at her all the time.
When he arrived, she wasn’t there. Slowly he sank into one chair, waiting for the others to come, and hoping the briefing would be over soon.
Just like he had expected, B’Elanna arrived late, since she had been working hard again. He wondered what had been wrong with her lately, but he decided to keep her out of his mind. By comparing the present with the past, thoughts of their happy days together would come to his mind again, and that was something he didn’t want to happen. He wanted to get over her. Tom still loved her, and he wanted her to be happy. If that meant that they had to be apart, he had to accept it.
She apologized for the delay and took the empty seat at the opposite side of the table. B’Elanna gave him a quick, shy smile, but he just looked away.
When looking at him, she felt guilty. For about a week, he had been keeping out of her way, and no one had really seen him. Rumors about him even sleeping in the holodeck were going around, and B’Elanna had started to worry. She wanted to talk to him. After spending all this time apart, she’d realized how much of a mistake it had been breaking up with him.
She loved him. She still did and never had stopped loving him. The very day she had told him had been the only day the little voice inside her head had gotten the upper hand. Now B’Elanna didn’t even know how she could have ever doubted her love for him. When arguing with him, the little voice had often flitted through her head, telling her everything would be fine without him, but she’d always found out how silly that was. Now B’Elanna kept blaming herself for letting the little voice win.
*Maybe I don’t deserve him when I can change my mind so easily. I mean, how often can he stand so much hurt? How much have I already hurt him? Perhaps it’s better for him the way it is!*
"Lieutenant Torres!" Captain Janeway’s annoyed voice admonished her.
B’Elanna quickly looked up from the surface of the desk she’d been staring at.
"I’m sorry, Captain. What did you say?"
Kathryn sighed.
"I just said I wanted to check all of our systems again and wanted to know whether it was all right for you to do so this afternoon with Tom’s help!"
"Ehm...", she began, but just at that time, Tom startled.
"Sorry? Captain?"
"Lieutenants Paris and Torres! It’s none of my business where you are with your thoughts right now, but I want you to at least behave yourself for the time we’re here and have to work! Have I made myself clear?"
"Yes, ma’am!" they replied, both at the same time.
"You can plan your date for tonight when working in engineering this afternoon!" Harry grinned.
"There’s not much to plan, but I’ll be there! I’m sorry everyone I’m not feeling very well,"
Tom explained, rushing out of the room.
Kathryn couldn’t believe this. What had gotten into him? Everyone looked at B’Elanna now. They all wanted answers. Not one of them knew they had broken up.
"What’s wrong with him?" Harry asked, sounding worried.
"I, I don’t think it would be a good idea for the two of us to work together. Can’t you send someone else down to engineering?" She ignored Harry’s question.
"He’s the best man I can give you for that job, B’Elanna. And anyway…I thought you liked working together!", the Captain explained carefully.
"Then you’re wrong! He may be the best man, but not right now. Right now, it just wouldn’t be good if the two of us worked together. Everything would go wrong, I’m sure!"
"But after an argument, the two of you have always made up while working!" Harry mused, thinking he knew too well what was going on. He thought he’d know this problem.
"Harry, don’t even try to understand it! It’s not one of our usual problems! Tom and I broke up, all right?"
Harry couldn’t believe it, but he knew now why Tom had seemed so strange over the last few days.
"I’m sorry to hear that Lieutenant, but that doesn’t change the fact that you still have to get along with each other. We’re all on this ship, and we have to count on each other and…just because the two of you are not a couple any longer, you can’t change everything, because you feel better that way!"
"Aye ma’am," B’Elanna agreed, not willing to argue with her captain.
"All right then you are dismissed!"
B’Elanna left the room first but heard someone running after her. It was Harry.
"B’Elanna, wait!"
She stopped and turned around, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
"B’Elanna! I’m sorry about what happened!" her friend explained, out of breath.
She nodded and wanted to go on walking, but Harry grabbed her arm.
"I don’t want to be…rude…but which one of you…you know…"
"It was me," B’Elanna replied in a cold voice.
Harry’s eyes widened in surprise.
"But…but…why…I mean, you seemed to be so happy with him!"
*I was Harry, I was! And I’d do anything to get him back! I’m such a silly goose.*
"Please excuse me! I have much work to do! The check has completely changed my planning!"
With that, she headed to Engineering, leaving a confused Harry behind.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He was never late, not even today. Tom entered Engineering, just like he had been ordered, at 1600 hours.
B’Elanna looked towards the door when she heard it open.
As soon as she saw him, she turned around again and cleared her throat. Eventually he stopped hesitatingly next to her.
"You’re early!", she said, but he shook his head.
"Not early, just on time!"
"Yeah, I guess you’re right!"
That was one of those conversation they both detested. So they decided it was better to say nothing. The two of them worked in silence until B’Elanna dared to say something again. When most of her crew had gone to their quarters, and she was awaiting for their relieves to come, she put the PADD she had been holding aside and waited until he noticed what she had done.
"What?" he asked, looking at her.
"Tom, this is silly, see? Can’t we just be…friends?" she asked, though that was not what she really wanted.
He shrugged.
"Yes, I bet you’re right! I mean, we broke up, we haven’t become enemies!"
Tom forced himself to smile and give her his hand. B’Elanna accepted it and smiled back.
"I’m glad we cleared that up!"
He nodded, and while he was looking at her, he noticed her beautiful brown eyes and her amazing, sweet smile again. He forgot everything around them.
After some time, he noticed that she obviously wanted to go on working, but she couldn’t, because he was still holding her hand.
Blushing a little, he looked down and slowly let go of her hand.
"Right! Now let’s go on! We’re almost finished, and to be honest I finally want to get out of here! It has been a long day, and I’m supposed to meet Harry in two hours anyway!"
She turned to her console again, quietly taking a deep breath.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At 1800 hours, Tom entered the mess hall and saw Harry and B’Elanna sitting at one of the table. He walked towards them, but didn’t want to sit down with the two…respectively with B’Elanna.
"Hi, Tom!" Harry greeted him. "You want to sit down with us?"
"Ehm…yes!", he said, not seeing any way out of the situation.
Suddenly Harry noticed that it might have been a bad idea, since his friend didn’t look too happy about his offer.
"I mean….if that is all right," he added, remembering Tom rushing out of the briefing room this morning.
Harry looked at B’Elanna.
"Of course it is!"
Tom smiled and took a seat. He watched his friend starting to grin, looking from him to B’Elanna and back.
"Harry, it’s not what you think! We're just friends!" B’Elanna said before Tom could say a word.
"Oh!" Kim didn’t know what else to say.
They would have remained in silence if Neelix hadn’t come.
"Good evening! I just wanted to ask you whether you already know it’s Ancestor Day tomorrow. And we’re having a party here!"
"Ancestor day? Aha…tomorrow?" The feeling of being held by Tom shot through B’Elanna’s mind. One year ago they had ‘invented’ this day. They had taken photos, and he had just taken her into his arms. And afterwards they had to hide in the kitchen, because the doctor had been carrying his
photo-taking a bit too far.
*Just like everything he does!* B’Elanna smiled to herself.
She loved thinking of these very moments. In fact, she loved thinking of every moment she had spent with Tom.
The day before she had found old photos, including the one taken on Ancestor Day, and again she could have killed herself for ending this wonderful relationship she had been in.
"Will you be there?" the Talaxian man asked.
"Yes!" Harry said, and his two friends next to him nodded hesitantly.
"All right then, 1830 hours here!" Neelix told them and left.
"Ehm, Harry, know what? The PADD I wanted to give you…I’ll just go and get it now, all right?" B’Elanna stood up.
"You really don’t have to! I still have a book. You really don’t have to lend it to me right now!"
"Oh…ehm…it’s in my way! You know when I’ve once decided to tidy up, my quarters definitely have to look tidy for me…and this PADD is…in my way!" she stammered.
When she was gone, Harry eyed Tom carefully.
"So you’re just friends?"
He swallowed.
"Yeah, just friends!"
"So why is it that you stay out of each others’ way as much as possible?
"Do we really?"
"B’Elanna’s just left the mess hall, right?"
"And?"
"I told you, you’re avoiding each other!"
Tom shook his head.
"That’s nonsense! She’s just getting a PADD!"
"It’s the same way with you every other time you get too close, Tom. I’m not blind!"
"Damn, Harry! Just accept that we’re not a couple any longer and we don’t love each other any more!"
Harry took a sip of his coffee cup in front of him.
"Okay, why don’t you just go and meet her tomorrow for the Ancestor Day celebration? I mean, you’re just good friends!"
"Fine!"
He was quite angry. He had problems himself dealing with the situation, and now there was Harry, knowing him just too well and wanting him to admit he was still in love with B’Elanna. And he knew that if he told Harry he was still in love with B’Elanna, Harry would tell B’Elanna. Tom definitely didn’t want that to happen. Still he thought now, he’d reacted too fast.
"Good, then ask her!" He was provoked by Harry when he saw B’Elanna just entering the mess hall again.
B’Elanna handed the book to her friend and sat down.
"Thanks!"
Harry regarded Tom instantly.
"Ehm, B’Elanna, since we’re both going to the party tomorrow…why don’t I meet you at your quarters?
She didn’t reply.
"I think that’s a good idea! You’re just friends, B’Elanna, so why no?" Harry wanted to know.
"Yeah…I was just thinking about the time! I think it’s a good idea!"
"What about 1730 hours?" Tom suggested.
"Okay!"
*I guess he’s serious* B’Elanna mused.
"Fine, see you tomorrow! I’ve got to go…I just wanted to get something to drink…I have some work left!" Tom lied, standing up.
"Sorry, B’Elanna, me too! I have to be on the bridge in a few minutes!" The other man rose to his feet as well.
Tom walked towards the counter, and Harry followed him.
"If I were you, I’d try and get her back, Tom!" he whispered into his ear and left.
For a while, he looked after Harry, who was leaving, and then turned around to see B’Elanna. She couldn’t see him. First, she had started studying her PADDs again and second, he was standing behind her.
"Do you seriously think I haven’t thought of that??" he muttered.
*But it’s hopeless!*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next day passed too fast in Tom’s opinion. It was already 1700, and he had promised to be at B’Elanna’s quarters in thirty minutes. One more time, he eyed himself in the mirror, before leaving the bathroom.
Tom couldn’t just sit around. He had to do something, so he decided to tidy up his quarters a little. As always, he found some old pizzas lying around, something that had always annoyed B’Elanna. But she hadn’t been in his quarters for a long time, and now he realized how many of them she must have cleared away every time when she visited him.
He also found a box. Tom opened it, wondering why he didn’t recognize it. Inside he found lots and lots of photos, and most of them were of B’Elanna and him.
"Damn, can’t I do anything without being reminded of her?"
Tom remembered the day they had spent all their replicator rations on replicating copies of the pictures so that each of them had a copy.
The weeks afterwards they had gotten themselves vegetables and meat from Neelix and cooked for each other. Tom had to grin. That week had been so embarrassing for him, as, B’Elanna had found out, he really couldn’t cook and was really clumsy working in the kitchen anyway.
Quickly he put the lid onto the box again and put it away. He wasn’t ready for all the memories yet.
"Computer, time!"
"It is 1720."
He rushed out of his room in order not to be late. One couldn’t call the things he had been doing during the past few minutes tidying up, but time had passed anyway. He just wondered how lost in thought he must have been.
As if it were a reflex action, Tom typed in her access code and entered her quarters. B’Elanna was sitting on the edge of her sofa and jumped up when he came in.
"Tom!" she exclaimed.
"I’m sorry!" he said, "I should have rung the door chime, but I forgot!"
B’Elanna smiled at him.
"That’s all right !"
Her hair was still wet, but she had already put on a dark blue dress he had given her two years ago for her birthday.
"Oh, you still have it?" he asked.
At first B’Elanna didn’t know what he was talking about, but when she looked down at herself, she realized he meant her dress. She raised her eyebrows in surprise.
"Of course I do!"
She lifted her hand and ran it through her hair.
"You give me a few more minutes? I still have to fix my hair!"
"Sure!"
*As always* he thought and smiled softly.
Tom sat down on the sofa, feeling a little uncomfortable. He looked around, and everything seemed so familiar, but right still unknown in a way.
Nothing had really changed since he had last been in to her quarters. The flower he had given her for her birthday not long ago was still in a vase on the table, and some of her clothes were still lying around. In his quarters she had been the one to tidy up, but in hers he had taken care of such things, because both of them seemed to be too lazy to get their own quarters cleaned.
Tom wondered why his rose was still standing on her desk, but didn’t give it another thought, when he heard B’Elanna scream angrily.
"Damn!"
He stood up and walked over to her bathroom.
"Can I help you?"
B’Elanna turned around, but before she could reply, he was already standing next to her, carefully taking a strand of her soft, dark brown hair into his hands.
"Ehm…well…maybe!" she said, feeling warm by the soft touch of his finger tips on her neck. Eventually, without another word, he took her brush and combed her hair, trying not to hurt her in any way. Some time later, Tom wanted to put the brush aside and take the barrette that was lying on the board just in front of the mirror, and B’Elanna seemed to have the same idea. Tom didn’t dare look into the mirror. Instead, he studied her hair and searched for the barrette without looking.
Suddenly, he felt something warm and realized it was her hand he had just touched. Both of them looked up, surprised what had just happened.
They looked at one another in the mirror for some time.
B’Elanna looked into his deep blue eyes and at his gold blond hair. He looked just like the man she loved so much. Tom seemed to be pretty tired to her anyway. He didn’t seem to have gotten much sleep during the past days. *Because of me* she mused, still toying with the thought of telling him everything. B’Elanna wondered how he’d react if she suddenly told him she was still in love with him. Probably he would be mad at her for putting him through all this.
Maybe that wasn’t the only thing that kept her from telling him. Maybe it also was her pride that had always kept her from being completely honest. Once she had almost lost him because she’d been such a coward, but this time it seemed to be even harder for her to tell him than before. She couldn’t tell him. It was impossible for her.
For Tom, she was still the most beautiful woman in the whole universe. Every single part of her body fascinated him. He missed her like he had never missed anyone before.
*Why can’t she just come back to me?*
The two of them kept looking at each other until B’Elanna blushed a little, focused on a neutral point in the room and gently pulled her hand away. She smiled a slightly embarrassed smile. Tom for his part felt the strong love he had for her again even more and wanted to end this as soon as possible. He laughed nervously, grabbed the barrette and quickly fixed her hair.
"All right, that’s it!" he said, stepping back.
"You think? I mean, I can really go the party like that?" B’Elanna eyed him critically.
"Sure you can! B’Elanna, you’re so beautiful!" Noticing what he had just said, Tom started to cough.
"Ehm…I mean…of course you can!" he added.
She hesitated.
"All right…if you say so! Then let’s go…we’ll be late otherwise!"
To Tom’s surprise, she linked arms with him and dragged him out of her quarters. They went along the corridor in silence and didn’t talk either while standing in the turbolift.
Tom and B’Elanna entered the mess hall. Everyone turned around, smiling at them. Especially Harry.
*What would Tom call it…it was one of the I_know_everything_grins* she thought.
B’Elanna stepped away from Tom when they came to a stop.
"We are just friends, Harry!" they assured him, both at the same time and before their friend could say something.
Harry lifted an eyebrow, causing his to friends to giggle.
"You don’t have to imitate Tuvok. It’s true!"
"If you say so!"
Harry sighed, shrugged and showed Tom and B’Elanna an empty table where they could sit down.
They all took a seat and not a long time after that, the room went quiet, allowing Neelix to start his speech.
Tom didn’t listen at all. He watched B’Elanna, who was sitting across the table, but had now turned around to see Neelix.
B’Elanna for her part tried not to think of Tom, but she felt his eyes on her back. She wanted so badly to turn around and look into his beautiful blue eyes, but didn’t dare to. She felt as if the whole circle had started again. She had behaved the same way, just a few years ago, before she had admitted her love for him. This time, she felt just the same way. She didn’t have the courage to tell him she still needed him.
"Anyway, I don’t want to bore you any longer by telling you more and more things and prevent you from having fun. Today’s Ancestor Day, and we have to celebrate it!" Neelix ended enthusiastically, and the music started to play.
Those were the only words Tom had really heard. He watched Chakotay and Janeway step onto the dance floor and other couples followed them. After some time he and B’Elanna seemed to be the only ones who didn’t dance, except for the people who had stopped dancing for a while in order to have a drink.
Without completely knowing what he was doing, Tom stood up and walked around the table until he stood in front of B’Elanna, who still hadn’t turned around.
"Want to dance?" he asked her lightly.
B’Elanna hesitated. So far no love songs had been played. Neelix seemed to have just fast songs in his repertoire.
Eventually, she nodded slowly and allowed Tom, after taking her arm, to guide her to the dance floor. Just in that moment, Harry went back to the table, smiling at them knowingly.
B’Elanna just shook her head.
Harry watched his two friends from where he was sitting, and he thought from what he saw, the two of them were actually enjoying themselves.
He looked up, searching for Neelix’s gaze, who was standing in his kitchen, telling the computer which songs to play. When the Talaxian finally looked at him, he first pointed with his head at Tom and B’Elanna and then nodded. Neelix just pushed a button and then nodded back, smiling in a satisfied way.
As soon as the song ended, the computer played an old 19th century song called ‘Thank God I found you’ by Mariah Carey.
Most of the people walked over to their tables again, and B’Elanna started coughing nervously and also wanted to sit down," but Tom wouldn’t let her go. When she was trying to leave, he grabbed her arm and softly pulled her back again.
"We’re just friends, you remember?" he whispered.
"Yeah! That’s why I want to go and have drink now! This is a song for couples, Tom!"
Tom sighed and looked around until his gaze fell onto Kathryn and Chakotay who were still dancing.
He pointed towards them.
"A song for couples, you say? So you believe what the rumors say, am I right?"
B’Elanna caught sight of the first officer and the captain also and finally gave up.
"All right then!" she said, sounding not really satisfied with her decision.
Tom put his arms around her waist, and B’Elanna hers around his. Neither of them were sure what to do.
After a few minutes, B’Elanna finally paid attention to the lyrics. She recognized the song right away. A little shocked, she looked up and into Tom’s eyes. They sparkled down at her, and she knew he had noticed it, too. It was their song. When surfing the database, the two of them had once found this song, and both fallen in love with it.
They had first danced to it on their first anniversary.
Now Tom was the one who wanted to leave. He was afraid he couldn’t handle his feelings any longer when hearing this song.
But before he could move away, he felt B’Elanna putting her arms around his neck and cuddling up to him as much as possible.
He didn’t understand why she behaved like that, and she clearly saw the surprise in his eyes, but still he didn’t want to miss his opportunity and pulled her towards himself.
When hearing the refrain, she lifted her head from his chest. It didn’t take long until their eyes met. She slightly smiled at him. Tom felt his heart beat faster. Was there maybe a way she felt just like him?
Slowly he bent down to her, no longer able to resist. He waited for her to pull away from him, but there was no resistance. Tom pressed his lips against hers, B’Elanna returned the kiss, and both of them closed their eyes.
At first the kiss was hesitant. Neither of them was sure the other one really wanted it. They were almost careful, not wanting to do something wrong, but some time later the kiss grew wilder. Suddenly they heard everyone around them cheer and clap their hands.
When they let go of each other in order to breathe again, tears were rolling down B’Elanna’s cheek.
"Tom, Tom, I’m so sorry! I was so selfish, I….", she cried, but Tom stopped her by putting his fingers over her lips.
"Shhh!" He tried to calm her down, carefully wiping away her tears with his thumb and letting go of his own.
"I love you!" she breathed.
Tom smiled happily.
"I love you, too, B’Elanna!"
She slid back into his embrace, feeling safer and happier then ever before. B’Elanna felt a swarm of butterflies fly through her stomach. When Tom saw the relief in her eyes, he relaxed as well.
She lifted her arms again and pulled him down once more for another kiss. She had missed him so much. More than she would ever be able to admit.
They separated again and, while holding each other closely, they looked around. Almost everyone was watching them, now giving them a warm smile.
Janeway and Chakotay stood about three meters away from them, the first officer put an arm around Kathryn’s waist.
B’Elanna eyed her boyfriend.
"So much about rumors and your theories, Tom!"
He smiled at her and shrugged.
"Well," he started, leading her back to their table, "regarding the consequence of my mistake, I don’t regret a single thing!"
Harry walked towards them, clapping his hands again. He had a wide grin on his face and was obviously proud of himself.
He patted Tom’s back, accompanying the newly united couple back to their seats.
"Just friends, huh?" he asked, his smile growing wider.
As soon as they reached the table, Tom sat down in a chair, and B’Elanna sat on his lap, tightening her grip on him. Quickly, she gave him a soft kiss on the cheek.
"Who said so?" she questioned, smiling and looking deep into Tom’s sea blue eyes.
~The end
Please tell me what you think. No matter whether you liked or disliked the story, just tell me something…: )