See Introduction for Disclaimer, Summary and Pairing
 

Fini
 

Tom placed another call once they were on their way.
One more favor asked. A private shuttle and pilot
waiting for them, an old debt repaid.  Nayib wouldn't
be going with them he had other instructions. Time for
a small band of friends to payback in kind. Avenge the
death of loved ones. Lawrence Whitman didn't know it
yet, but he would soon feel the wrath of the Maquis.

Each person involved knew what risks they were about
to take, but for B'Elanna, Rose and her unborn child,
the risks were worth taking. Word would be sent 'find
him but do nothing'. This was Chakotay's fight, he
would deal the fatal blow. It was his vengeance that
would now be sought. 

Once aboard the shuttle, Harry and Greg choose to sit
and talk quietly, away from the other two. They
decided to discuss anything other than what was going
to happen. Tom, on the other hand, needed some
answers. The feeling that something was wrong hit him
again. He'd felt it this morning, before Chakotay took
Kathryn's call, so he knew *that* wasn't the reason
for the distance. He sat for a few minutes staring at
the man sitting across from him. Trying to think of
the best way to do this. 

Deciding straight to the point was the way it needed
to go, Tom tapped a finger on the other man's knee.
When Chakotay looked up, there was a look of something
close to remorse in his eyes.

"Can you join me below for a few minutes," he
whispered.

"Of course," Chakotay said.

Both men got up and made their way down to the
smaller deck below. Tom waited until Chakotay sat then
he took a position across from him. He stared at the
other man for a minute, trying to gather his thoughts.
 

"Chak, can you tell me what's going on with you," Tom
asked?

"It's quite obvious what's going on, Tom. I'm...
we're going to deal with a lunatic."

"That's not what I mean Chakotay. This morning,
before you went down to talk to Kathryn, you seemed
distant. Like you regretted what happened last night.
Did you?" Tom looked down at his clenched fists. He
suddenly decided he wasn't sure if he wanted to know
the answer to that question. 

"No! Spirits no, Tom. I could never regret being with
you." Chakotay put a hand on Tom's chin, silently
asking the blond to look at him. When blue eyes met
brown, Tom could see he was telling the truth. But
that didn't help remove the feeling of being used. 

"Then why did I get that feeling? I have to tell you,
Chak, I felt a bit like a slut because of the cool
reception I got from you," Tom confessed.

"I'm sorry, Tom. Please, I didn't mean to make you
feel uncomfortable. But I've got to be honest with
you. Part of me thinks we shouldn't have crossed that
line, yet."

"Why?"

"We've had this conversation before. My job requires
me to have a clarity that can't be achieved when I'm
too focused on one person. And right now,like this
morning, all I want to do is curl up with you on a bed
and stay there for as long as possible. For as long as
we can keep the real world at bay. But that's not how
it turned out."

"Chakotay, believe it or not, I completely understand
what you are saying, what you've said before. But I
won't let you dismiss me or last night out of hat. I
love you and I know you love me. Just don't shut me
out, please," Tom begged. 
 

Chakotay sat staring at the floor. He didn't know
what to say. As much as he wanted to be with Tom,
something inside him was saying, 'When this is over
you have to walk away'. How did he explain to the
blond that he was afraid, afraid to allow his heart to
take the lead? After all, the last time he did that,
it lost. On top of that, all the evidence he now had,
proven that lives were lost because of him. Rose
shouldn't have died, he should have. B'Elanna wasn't
the one that was suppose to be killed, he was. How did
he say all of that to the one person who meant more to
him than the other two ever could have?

Chakotay's greatest fear at this moment was that
there might be another Lawrence Whitman out there
looking for revenge. He would, forever, be looking
over his shoulder, wondering if someone is watching
him, watching Tom, just waiting for the opportunity to
kill them. That was unacceptable, he couldn't let that
happen.

"I won't. When this is all over we'll discuss
everything," Chakotay answered. 

"Fine. Now you are going to tell me what you're
planning?"

Chakotay snorted, this man had the uncanny ability to
switch gears on the head of a pin. Shaking that
thought from his head, he told Tom how he thought the
scenario should be played out. The two kept their
heads together for quite some time, agreeing and
disagreeing on some finer points. In the end they both
agreed that hitting Whitman with both barrels between
the eyes was the best way to go. 
 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*
 

When the small shuttle arrived in San Francisco, the
remainder of their small band met the four men. They
greeted each other with subdued hellos' and warm
handshakes. Winding their way through the masses, they
made their way to the space port. Where they were to
meet a member of Admiral Paris' staff. Tom had no idea
who that it was. While he and his father were on much
better terms, they both agreed that all talk of
Starfleet was off limits. It made the relationship
much easier to maintain. 

As the group of men now stood at the main terminal of
the port, a young ensign approached them. Walking
straight up to Tom, "Lieutenant Paris?"

Tom startled back for a moment, than he smiled, trust
his father to pull something like this. "I'm Tom
Paris."

"I'm Ensign Gaines, Admiral Paris sent me to escort
you to the prototype you'll be testing. If you'll
follow me." He turned and led the pack of ragtag
comrades down a corridor.  

Tom's companions all bit back a chuckle, as they
followed Ensign Gaines. Admiral Paris was good, real
good. Each looked at the other members of their party,
this was *not* a team of Starfleet personal, that was
for sure. The fact that the ensign either didn't
notice *or* was turning a blind eye as ordered, was
anyone's guess.

Tom spoke with the ensign, as he was a member of his
father's staff, it was something that had always been
required of him. Some habits were hard to break. The
rest of his 'crew' listened intently, more because
they had decided not to think about what was yet to
come, than true interest in anything Starfleet.

"Here we are," the ensign said as he stopped in front
of a viewport. The others turned and looked out.
Before them was a small, sleek ship. It consisted of a
saucer section and two nacelles, one over the other. 

"She's a beauty," Tom said. "Looks like a frigate
class. I didn't realize Starfleet was thinking of
bringing them back into service," he added without
thinking.

"Yes, sir, Lieutenant. It was Admiral Paris' idea. He
said they had been a necessary part of early
Starfleet, and that sometimes taking a page from the
past helped us move more quickly into the future,"
Ensign Gaines answered, with a certain amount of awe
in his voice. It seemed that the young ensign was
suffering from a bad case of hero worship, towards a
certain Admiral.

"The Admiral is right, Ensign," Tom answered. Ensign
Gaines nodded then waved his hand, gesturing for the
band of men to board the ship. Tom thanked the ensign
for his help, shook his hand and made his way to the
helm. Chakotay took the command chair, Greg stepped up
to the tactical station. Ken made his way to Ops.
Gerron, Harry and John found seats at the back of the
bridge. 

When Greg saw that his lover had seated himself, he
raised an eyebrow in question. Harry went over to him
and whispered, "I want to be there. I *have* to be
there."

        Greg nodded his understanding, kissed him then
quietly ordered, "You keep your ass inside this ship
when we get there. I don't want you hurt, again." 

       "Yes, sir. But when we get home, we have to
have a serious conversation about your need to coddle
me," Harry demanded. 

       Greg just smiled, he knew he'd get called on
that someday.  Harry went back to his seat, feeling
quite proud of himself. It'd been a while since he
stood up to the older man. But they were going to talk
about Greg's overprotectiveness, after all Harry had
been in the Delta Quadrant, too. He'd been through a
number of bloody battles, also. Hell he died a couple
of times out there. This should be a walk in the park
after all that. 

Systems checked, crew secured at their stations. Tom
fired up the engines, requested permission to leave
the space port and they were gone. 

"All right, listen up," Chakotay ordered in full
commander voice. "This is the way we're going to do
it...." Within the next half-hour each man had his
assignment. The approach was be that of a passive one,
if possible they were going to take Whitman alive. He
needed to stand trial for his crimes. Verbally, they
all agreed, yet silently, each prayed for a misstep on
the part of the madman. Anything to give them a reason
to blow the bastard to infinity. 

Docking on Cora Prime was not a problem, it seemed
that the Admiral had a 'friend' stationed there and
he'd contacted him. The crew moved swiftly through the
docking bay and began their journey to confront the
accused. Twenty minutes later, five of the six men
stood in a field across from the target's residence.
No words spoken as each went to play their part.

John Tripper was the first player in the game, he
walked up to the house and knocked on the door. When
the sniveling little man came to the door, "Lawrence
Whitman," he asked?

"Yes, can I help you?" 

"I hope so." John stopped as Gerron joined him.

"Bert Bird?" When that name was mentioned, Lawrence
stiffened. Then he noticed the id badge from the
transport company. 

"Or is your name, Matthew Whittle," the question came
from behind John? Ken Dalby stepped out out. 

Greg came forth, and glared at him. "No wait, this is
the guy who delivered the package that blew up in my
partner's hands. Didn't get his name though." 
 

Lawrence stood shocked, shaking at the thought that
he'd been found out. He wanted to turn and run but his
legs wouldn't allow it. The next voice he heard sent a
shiver down his spine.

"No, gentlemen, I believe his name is Larry Baatz,"
Tom Paris walked in front of the others. "Isn't that
right, sir? I mean you *are* the man who was dating
Ann Delaney, until you beat the shit out of her,
aren't you?"

"I... I don't... know what you all are talking about.
I'm Lawrence Whitman, resident of Cora Prime," he
stuttered.

The gang standing in front of him parted, and he
watched in horror as his nemesis, Chakotay, walked up
to face him. In a calm, yet dangerously low voice the
former Maquis captain spoke up. "I believe you've been
trying to get my attention of quite some time now. I
decided to help you out. Was there something you
wanted to say to me?"

"I... you..." Smoldering rage crossed Lawrence's
face, "you killed my wife," he accused! "You need to
die!" His whole body shook as he spoke.

"I had nothing to do with your wife, Teresa's death.
Although you certainly did. Did you honestly believe
that the Cardassians would allow her to walk away?
Were you really that stupid," Chakotay asked?

"No! You killed her. You and your band of
malcontents, if you hadn't filled her head with
idiotic ideals, she would have never left me."

"I see, so you sending a message to the Cardassians,
telling them of the rendezvous, had nothing to do with
her capture and subsequent death?"

"No," Lawrence screamed! He leaped at Chakotay, who
stepped aside and watched the small man fall to the
ground. The others drew their weapons. 

"I'd suggest you didn't try that again," Chakotay
said as he grabbed the madman by the arm.

Lawrence tried to pull out of his grasp, "Get your
hands off me, Maquis scum," he cried out. Chakotay let
go, and he hit the dirt again. 

Years of anger and rage busted through, and Lawrence
Whitman sealed his fate. He slowly dragged himself
outright, reached into his pocket, pulled out a knife
and lunged at the man who caused him so much grief. 

Everything happened in slow motion, as each man
watched the chain of events. The knife reflected the
sun, momentarily distracting the others, as Lawrence
stabbed out. The blade sunk into Chakotay's chest,
causing him to gasp. Ken screamed and raised his
weapon, but Greg shot first, hitting the attacker in
the head. Tom grabbed Chakotay as he fell to the
ground. John and Gerron caught Lawrence as he went
down. 

Tom was on his knees, holding the dark-haired man.
Greg hit his comm badge, "Harry, gets us out of here
now!" 

They rematerialized inside the frigate, Ken ran to
the helm, fired the engines and called for clearance.
The friend of Admiral Paris immediately granted it.
Later, the crew would wonder if perhaps Admiral Paris
knew more than he had let on. Gerron grabbed a medkit
and began treating Chakotay's wound. Harry held on to
Tom as they watched in horror. Tears streaming down
Tom's face as he begged the spirits, silently, not to
take the older man and ordered his lover not to die on
him. 

Greg sent a message to Tom's father, telling him that
they needed a doctor to meet them at the spaceport. No
questions were asked, no reasons given. 
 

*~*~*~*~*~*

Three days later, Tom found Chakotay in the bungalow,
packing. 

"You're leaving?"

Chakotay started when he heard the blond's voice. He
turned and looked at Tom. "Yes," his voice flat.

"That's it? You're just going to walk away?"

"Tom...." Chakotay didn't know how to explain.

"So, I was just a convenience screw for you? Just
something to get your rocks off with?" Tom didn't
bother to hide the pain in his voice. 

"No. That's not it," Chakotay whispered. He didn't
want to fight with the blond.

"Then what is it? You said we'd talk after Cora
Prime. You promised me. And now I find you... sneaking
out. What the fuck is up with that," Tom accused?

"I wasn't sneaking out. I was going to come and talk
to you before I left," Chakotay snapped back. "Don't
make this any harder than it already is, Tom."

"Oh, you want me to just let you go? Say 'hey thanks
for killing my stalker, have a nice life.' Is that
it?" Tom stood with his arms crossed in front of his
chest. Staring defiantly at Chakotay.  

"Tom, our lives are too different for us to be
together. Your job is here, mine's on Trebus. You're
in the spotlight, I try to stay out of it." This
argument had worked in Chakotay's mind as he laid in
the hospital after being treated. Why did it sound so
lame now? He turned his back on Tom, he couldn't look
at the younger man. 

"And you're not even willing to see if we can work
something out? You're going to go back into hiding,
and play martyr, is that the way this works," Tom
raged?

"No, I'm going back to my job, my life and you will
go back to yours. You have a career and a child that
needs you." The bodyguard finished packing his things,
he looked around to make sure he left nothing behind.
No reason for his ex-employer to contact him. This was
for the best.

"And what about what *I* need? I'm supposed to go on
like you never came back into my life. That's not
acceptable!"

"I'm sorry if you are having trouble with this, but
it's what has to be done." Chakotay snapped the clasp
of his bag closed, threw it over his shoulder then
turned back to face Tom. His expression unreadable,
"Good bye, Tom," he said as he moved past the other
man and walked out the door.

Tom stood in the middle of the bungalow and watched,
as the man he'd loved for almost eight years walked
out on *him* this time. Part of him screamed he knew
it, {Give you heart away and get smacked in the face
for doing so.} But a larger part of his conscience
knew that wasn't it at all. This had to do with
Chakotay not being able to give his heart to anyone.
It was the other man's fear of getting too close
again. Tom remembered how he felt when he had decided
it was too risky to love Chakotay. 

A small smile crossed his face as he came out of his
self-imposed shock. His decision made quickly. By the
time Tom was done, the bodyguard wouldn't know what
hit him. Tom Paris would be the one to break a pattern
set by himself, so long ago. There was a slight bounce
in his step as he made his way towards his home and
the changes he knew had to be made. 
 

*~*~*~*~*~*

Chakotay arrived home late that evening. It was more
difficult to get off Earth than he had thought.
Kathryn, Greg and even Ken argued with him about his
decision. Each made a point of telling him he was a
fool. Greg suggested moving his base of operations to
Earth; there was more than enough room on Tom's
property for a building he could work from. Chakotay
couldn't understand why none of them would accept that
what he was doing was for the best. 

He sat heavily in a chair, ran his hand over his
face. Spirits he was tired. The last few weeks had
really taken the fight out of him. Remembering his
thought when he first set out with Kathryn to earth.
Perhaps it was time to retire.

      He leaned his head back and closed his eyes.
Envisioning the idea of living a quiet, unassuming
life on Trebus or Dorvan V. It took all of three
minutes for a certain blond to invade the scenery.
Weakened by fatigue, Chakotay allowed the invasion for
a few minutes. Then he shook it off, got up and went
to his room. He wanted to sleep for a week. Hopefully
it would a dreamless sleep. He prayed his mind would
cooperate and completely shut down for him. The
bodyguard crawled into the warmth of his bed and
cocooned himself under the blankets. 
 

Elsewhere, forces Chakotay was unaware of worked in
tandum to change the former Maquis captain's life,
forever. Plans set in motion, Paris Enterprises was
buzzing with rumors. Kathryn worked feverishly to
carry out the request of her long-time friend. Greg
and Harry stationed at the Paris house worked along
side Neelix and Ken to implement Tom's idea swiftly.
Tom sat in his office communicating with the necessary
people, finalizing the details. 

Admiral and Mrs. Paris agreed to their son's
temporary arrangements, much to the delight of their
granddaughter. Tom's father went a step further by
offering his help, once again. He gave his son 'the
keys to his private yacht', claiming that while Tom
had his own, the Admiral's ship would help with the
surprise. "The poor bastard's head is going to be
spinning for a week," Owen Paris said with a laugh. 
 

*~*~*~*~*~*

A week after Chakotay returned to his life and job,
he received a message from Greg. "Be at the docking
port by 1600 hours. There was a new assignment that
requires your expertise only." Somewhat puzzled by his
friend's cryptic message, but not one to refuse a
request for help, Chakotay was waiting as requested.
He sat talking to the dock's foreman, an old friend;
he was surprised when the other man's mouth dropped
open. Chakotay turned to see what he was gawking at,
only to mimic the expression. The two men watched as a
Starfleet yacht 'parked'. 

Chakotay was still speechless, when he saw Tom
disembark from said yacht. The blond walked up to him,
wrapped his arms around Chakotay and kissed him
passionately. 

"Hi, honey. I'm home," Tom said with a smirk.

"Tom?"

"That's me," he grinned.

"What..." Chakotay couldn't gather his thoughts. The
man who had haunted his dreams for a week was standing
in front of him grinning like an idiot. 

"I decided that you weren't going to pull a 'Tom
Paris'. I wasn't going to allow the pattern to repeat
itself," the blond answered the unasked question.

"I don't understand."

"I retired. I'm not longer a slave to the masses," he
explained.

Chakotay stood for a minute and allowed the words to
sink in. "You quit?"

"Nope, I decided it was time to move on to something
far better. You," Tom answered then kissed the stunned
man again. When he pulled back he whispered, "I love
you, Chak and I wasn't going to let you ruin both our
lives." Chakotay pulled Tom closer to him. "Let's go
home."

The older man nodded, unable to speak. His eyes
filled with tears of joy. The two turned as one and
went back to Chakotay's place. He had so many
questions for Tom but didn't know where to begin. Tom,
as if reading his mind, explained.

"When you left that day, I decided you were too
important to give up. You made your objections known.
We couldn't be together because of our separate
careers. I was coming close to burnout anyway. It made
sense for me to just step away. Although, I think you
aren't too far behind me on that note. Eight years
ago, I walked away from you out of fear. You allowed
it. Eight days ago, you walked away from me for the
same reason, I couldn't allow it. So, here I am."

Chakotay remained silent as Tom made his speech.
Every thought of things not working seemed to slip
away as the younger man's voice washed over him.  When
they arrived at Chakotay's house, Tom asked where his
bedroom was, then led the dark-haired man to it. 

Once inside the room, Tom turned Chakotay to face
him. He then began to slowly remove each article of
clothing that covered his shell-shocked lover.  When
Chakotay was naked before him. "Beautiful," he
whispered as he caressed the smooth texture of the
bare chest. He moved around behind his lover and
dropped to his knees. Taking hold of the slender hips
with both hands, he leaned in and ran his tongue up
the sculptured back, starting at the top of Chakotay's
tailbone. At the feeling of the warm wet tongue on his
spine, Chakotay whimpered. Tom ascended upward slowly,
to the middle of his shoulder blades. Tom continued
his journey from Chakotay's neck then over one
shoulder, stopping briefly to kiss away a long
forgotten hurt from a scar there. He moved to the
front of the muscled body and placed small kisses at
the base of his throat. 

       The sensual assault on Chakotay's had him
shaking. No longer able to hold himself upright, he
reached out and held on to Tom's shoulders. Tom looked
up into his lover's eyes, and was rocked to his core.
The desire he saw there was almost too much to bear. 

      "Bed," he whispered. 

       Chakotay nodded imperceptibly, not certain of
what he actually heard, but at this point he would
have agreed to anything the other man said.

       Tom helped him to the bed and once there, he
smiled gently and said, "Lay down and let me show you
just how much you mean to me."

        Wordlessly Chakotay did as he was asked,
laying down and moving to the center of the bed. He
watched, through half closed eyes, as his lover
undress himself. When Tom was naked, he climbed onto
the end of the bed at Chakotay's feet. Once again, he
began his slow feasting on the sweet, silky skin of
the older man. 

         Beginning at Chakotay's left ankle, Tom
tasted every inch, slowly, methodically, as if he was
memorizing the body below him. A thin film of sweat
had appeared over Chakotay's body, and he could do
nothing be moan and gasp as the tongue bathed him.
Just when he thought he could take no more, Tom proved
him wrong. As he moved across the smooth belly and
down the other hip, completely ignoring the rock hard,
throbbing, weeping member, Tom made his way down the
other leg.

          When he had finished his descent down the
right leg, Tom sat up of a moment and took in the
spectacular view. Never before he had seen such beauty
and arousal. He laid on top of the his lover, covering
his body completely with his own. 

       "You are the most beautiful person I have ever
seen," he whispered, as he kissed the side of
Chakotay's neck. 

"Tom... please... take me, now," Chakotay whimpered.

       More than happy to comply, Tom rose off him and
the bed, and went into the bathroom, returning quickly
with a bottle of scented body oil. Getting back on the
bed, he opened the bottle and poured a small amount in
his cupped hand. 

         Leaving the bottle on the nightstand, he
warmed the oil in both hands and then smoothed it over
Chakotay's chest, running his fingers over the erect
nipples, causing him to arch into his hands. Tom
worked his way down Chakotay's stomach, and over his
hips. Chakotay opened and raised his legs, exposing
himself to his lover. Sliding one hand down Chakotay's
groin, while the other continued to gently massage his
lower abdomen, Tom slid a finger between the smooth
cheeks and found the secret entrance. Gently he pushed
his finger inside, causing a moan to, again, escape
the older man's lips. The blond began moved the digit
in and out gently, coaxing the muscles into relaxing,
then adding a second finger to begin stretching them. 

        Chakotay was beyond all conscious thought,
moaning and begging for more. His need for his lover
to be inside him grew with each passing second. By the
time a third finger found its way inside him, Chakotay
was pleading with Tom to 'just do it, now'. He groaned
at the sudden loss as his lover withdrew his fingers.
Mere seconds later, he felt the hard tip of Tom's
erection penetrate him. He gasped at the sensation and
pushed his hips down. In one fluid motion, the two men
became instantly connected. Each let out a soft scream
of pleasure, and then they began to move. Tom thrust
in and out in a slow steady pace, Chakotay matching
his movement.

       Soon their rhythm increased, and they moved
together harder and faster. Chakotay felt his orgasm
approaching quickly, coming from deep within him. He
reached up and pulled Tom down and kissed him. That
seemed to be all he needed to go over the edge, and he
screamed "Tom" as his orgasm rushed through him.

 The tightening of the walls around Tom's cock brought
him to orgasm seconds after Chakotay, and he roared
his lover's name, as he emptied himself deep inside
the man beneath him. Collapsing breathless on top of
the older man, Tom fought the blackness that
threatened to overtake him.

       Chakotay wrapped his arms around Tom weakly and
whispered, "I love you, Tom." 

       "I love you too, Chak," Tom answered with a
kiss. 
 

"I'm sorry I tried to walk away from you."

"Sshh, forget it, Chak. We're together now and that's
all that matters. Just don't do it again," Tom said.
He slowly pulled out of Chakotay, rolled off of him,
then wrapped his arms around the man who held his
heart and soul. 

"I won't," Chakotay said then sealed the promise with
a kiss. "We need a shower."

"Later," Tom yawned then promptly fell asleep. 

Chakotay couldn't help but smile, seemed some
patterns would never be broken. He pulled himself out
of Tom's arms and reached for something to clean them
both up with. He shrugged when he saw it was his own
shirt, then set about his task. When he was satisfied
they were both sufficiently wiped down, for now, he
fell asleep wrapped around Tom. 
 

*~*~*~*~*~*

Greg and Harry laid their own bed, sated. "I hope Tom
can convince Chakotay that they should be together,"
Harry said has he stroked Greg's chest.

"I'm sure it won't take too much persuasion on Tom's
part," Greg said with a smile. 

"Good. So, what are we going to do for employment
now?"

"Don't worry, I have a plan," Greg answered, then
kissed his Asian lover. 

"Oh?"

"You going to tell me about it?"

"Not now, babe. Go to sleep."

"Love you, Greg."

"Love you too, Harry."
 
 

The End