"Which Present?" VOY P/T, PG-13
Susan Coulter  mupigirl@aol.com


"What is in that box?"  This story takes place 
immediately after "Random Thoughts", and answers that 
now infamous question, and is rated PG-13 for adult 
content.

For all the people thinking, "I've never heard of this 
Susan person before... have I read any of her stories 
before?"  The answer is no.  I've never written before. 
So, please please please!  Feedback is much appreciated! 
My address is mupigirl@aol.com.  Please remember that and 
use it!
I'd like to thank my fellow Collectivites.  All of the 
excellent writers from the Collective have inspired me, 
and I thank them greatly!  You guys are great!

Standard stuff:  All of the characters, including 
B'Elanna Torres and Tom Paris, belong to Paramount, I'm 
just borrowing them for fun (and we all would love to 
have a little fun with Tommy!)  I'm not making any profit 
out of this, except for the experience of writing.  

Enjoy!

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               "Which Present?" P/T, PG-13        
                    by Susan Coulter


     Tom entered his quarters and collapsed on the sofa, 
neglecting to brighten the illumination.  "What a long 
day," he muttered to himself, "I don't think I could 
have lasted much longer."  After a strenuous day of 
agonizing over the possibility of B'Elanna's Torres' 
memories being wiped and thinking of a plan to free her 
from the Mari, Lt. Tom Paris was tired.  And still 
worried.  
     "I can't stand this-- I've got to find out if she's 
OK."  Standing up, Tom strode swiftly to his console and 
pressed a few controls.  "Computer-- what's the location 
of B'Elanna Torres?"
     *Lt. B'Elanna Torres is in sickbay.*
     "Still?  Why is the Doc keeping her in there so 
long?"  Tom said, and started to pace the room.  Under 
direct orders from the captain and the Holodoc, B'Elanna 
was to remain in sickbay for further tests to find out 
whether she had sustained any memory loss and she was not 
to have any visitors.  Although Tom wasn't happy about 
those direct orders, and had challenged them at first, 
saying that he was the doc's assistant, he decided to 
follow them at the end.  After all, the less Tom hovered 
over B'Elanna, the faster the doctor could guarantee her 
health, and the faster Tom would be able to see her 
again.
     *Please restate the question.*
     "Never mind!"  Tom, still pacing, gave his quarters 
a quick lookover, trying to find something that could 
occupy his time while he waited.  His eyes rested on the 
brown box that was placed on the top of the coffee table 
in front of the sofa.  Sighing, he returned to the sofa 
and sat down, his attention still on the package that lay 
on the table before him.  
     "Please don't let anything be wrong with B'Elanna," 
Tom silently prayed to whatever gods were in control, and 
rested his forehead on his clasped hands.  "They got to 
have gotten there in time."  Lt. Commander Tuvok had 
found enough evidence to convict someone else of the 
illegal distribution of violent thoughts, thereby proving 
B'Elanna innocent and allowing the release of her.  But 
the process of having the negative thoughts removed from 
her memories had already begun, and no one knew whether 
or not she had suffered severe damage.  Tom was afraid 
that her memories of her life, especially those of 
Voyager and of her feelings of him, would have been 
damaged.  But all that Tom could do at the moment was to 
sit and wait for the results, and he was extremely 
impatient.
     A sudden thought came to Tom and he raised his head.  
"Computer-- notify me when B'Elanna Torres leaves 
sickbay."
     The computer chirped in reply, and Tom relaxed into 
the cushioned seat a little.  "The minute she's 
released, I'll be there to greet her."  He leaned back 
into the comfortable sofa, and stared at the dark 
ceiling, waiting.  Feeling the fatigue from a long day of 
worrying and planning, and positioned comfortably in the 
dark room, Tom closed his eyes to rest, only to fall 
asleep.

*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*

     *I don't believe I have ever bonded with him before*, 
B'Elanna thought to herself.  Turning away from Tuvok, 
B'Elanna walked down the empty corridor and headed 
towards her quarters.  *Maybe I should take his offer into 
consideration.  I mean, this isn't the first time my 
temper has gotten me into trouble, and I certainly don't 
want it to get me in trouble again.*
     B'Elanna Torres walked to the turbolift stepped in 
and requested the floor her quarters were located.  *Thank 
God that none of my memory was wiped.  Although there are 
some memories I'd rather forget, I have too many that I 
never want to forget.  Especially the more recent ones.*  
B'Elanna smiled to herself, remembering the previous 
week's dinner with Tom on the holodeck.  Tom, being a 
romantic, had treated her to an elegant French dinner in 
an empty, spruced up Sandrine's.  Empty, except for a 
candlelit table for two, and spruced up, as in the smoky 
air, pool tables, and overall shady ambiance were all 
gone and music wafted softly during the entire meal.  
They had also danced afterwards, and even though B'Elanna  
had never really enjoyed to dance previous to that night, 
she had a marvelous time just being with Tom and dancing 
closely to him. Overall, the evening was as enchanting as 
the atmosphere, and B'Elanna had never felt so content 
and happy in her life.
     The turbolift doors opened on B'Elanna's deck, and 
she walked down the hallway to her quarters.  *It feels 
good to be back.  I wasn't gone for long, but I just 
can't stand being away from the ship.  And right now I 
could go for some sleep.  This time, without the help of 
a hypospray and the thought that I won't remember 
anything when I wake up.*
     B'Elanna rounded the corner of the deck and stopped 
in her tracks when she caught site of the door to her 
quarters.  Leaning against the door was an exhausted  Tom 
Paris with his hands behind his back and a worried 
expression in his downcast blue eyes.  He looked up and 
saw her standing and relief replaced the concern in his 
face.
     "Good thing you were waiting for me outside of 
sickbay, or else I would have gotten into an 
uncomfortable conversation with Tuvok," B'Elanna said 
sarcastically, only to walk up to him and engulf him in a 
hug.
     Slightly embarrassed, Tom returned her hug with one 
arm and kissed the top of her silky head.  "I'm sorry-- 
I told the computer to tell me when you were leaving, but 
I slept through the first time it did.  I didn't think I 
was that tired," he added.  He hugged her tightly and 
released her.  His other hand still behind his back, Tom 
brought his free hand up to her chin and lifted it up to 
look into her waiting brown eyes.  "You aren't-- I mean, 
nothing is--"
     "I remember everything.  Even the fact that you're 
a wonderful kisser," she added. She placed her hands on 
his shoulders and raised herself up to kiss him softly on 
the lips.  
     Tom sighed in relief and threw his free arm around 
her waist.  "I was so worried about you.  I don't know 
what I would have done--"
     "Me either, and I don't want to know.  Nothing 
happened, so we shouldn't worry about it and I just as 
soon would like to forget about the whole deal."
     Tom smiled down at her.  "Too bad they didn't 
remove all of the memories of your imprisonment down 
there."  He was met with a glare, and he soon added, "I 
know.  We're not going to talk about it.  End of story.  
And we live happily ever after.  The end."
     "We, Lieutenant?"  B'Elanna stepped back a little 
and asked in mock sincerity.  "There you go again, 
implying that we have a future together.  Where do you 
get these crazy ideas?"
     "From hanging around a crazy woman way too long," 
Tom chuckled and bent down to kiss her cheek.
     "That's what the entire Engineering Department 
says.  You've been hanging around them way too much, not 
me."  B'Elanna quipped back.  She then noticed Tom's arm 
still behind his back, concealing whatever it was holding 
from her.  She took her hands off of his shoulders and 
placed them on her hips.  "So, what are you hiding from 
me, Tom?  A present of some sorts?"  B'Elanna looked up 
into his bright eyes, looking to see if they would reveal 
anything.
     Tom smiled at her seductively.  "I've always had a 
present for you, B'Elanna, it's just a matter of you 
unzipping to find it."  Chuckling at the way her eyes 
widened at his statement, he brought his arm that was 
balancing the box out from behind his back and held the 
present between them.  His expression and tone sobered.  
"This is just something I picked up for you from down on 
the surface.  I understand if you don't want it-- after 
all, we've forgotten all about that place and your 
experiences, and I know this would only serve as a 
constant reminder..."
     "Don't be silly Tom.  I could never refuse a gift," 
she said sweetly, and reached for the box.
     He quickly raised the package above his head.  "Ah-
ah-ah!  Greedy aren't we?  Let's go in your quarters, and 
you can unwrap your present there."  He keyed in the 
code to B'Elanna's quarters, and walked past her into the 
room.
     Still standing in the corridor, it was B'Elanna's 
turn to smile seductively.  "And which present would 
that be, Tom?"

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     Tom sat himself down on her sofa, and waited for 
B'Elanna to join him.  Having been on the surface for the 
past couple of days, she had not been able to change her 
uniform.  Tom made her change and get comfortable before 
she was allowed to open the box, and B'Elanna didn't 
hesitate one bit.  While she was changing, he placed the 
package on the table, and looked around her quarters.  
His eyes rested on a peculiar plant in the corner and he 
frowned slightly.  *What a strange looking plant.  Almost 
comical.*
     His thoughts were interrupted as B'Elanna returned 
wearing fresh civilian clothes.  "Why didn't you ever go 
in command, Lieutenant?  You look great in red."  Tom 
gestured towards the deep red tunic and black pants she 
was wearing.  "Then again, you look good in anything," 
he delivered with a charming smile.
     B'Elanna blushed slightly and sat down next to him.  
"I think you need some more sleep, Paris.  You're 
starting to hallucinate."
     "If this beautiful woman before me is a 
hallucination, then I never want to sleep again," Tom 
said smoothly, and wrapped his arms around B'Elanna to 
kiss her.
     B'Elanna closed her eyes and leaned into the kiss.  
Bringing her hands up, she put both of them on the sides 
of Tom's face and let her fingers slide up into his 
blonde hair.  B'Elanna felt his arms tighten around her 
waist, and, following his lead, leaned backwards onto the 
sofa.
     Tom separated her knees to allow him better access 
to her as she leaned back.  Bringing his arms up from her 
waist, he was about to raise his hands to her face when 
he felt a heavy shove on his chest, and he fell backwards 
on the sofa.
     "Not until I get my present, flyboy."  B'Elanna sat 
up and smiled.  "One at time, please."
     Rubbing the sore spot on his chest, Tom also sat up.  
"You win.  Of course, you could have asked to open the 
gift first, rather than shoving my ribs into my lungs."  
He smiled as she laughed lightly.  It's good to hear her 
laugh again.  Just think, she might have been mentally 
gone forever, and we never would be able to enjoy 
ourselves like this again.  But, like she said, we should 
forget about that and move on.
     B'Elanna picked up the box from the table and gently 
shook it.  "It's not breakable, is it?" she queried.
     "In case you're wondering if it will shatter on 
impact when thrown, no, it's not.  But, please don't 
throw it anyway.  For two reasons."
     "Two?"
     "Yeah, two.  First, don't throw it because it's a 
gift from me, and I'd be hurt if you intended it to be 
broken.  Second, don't throw it because I'd get hurt if 
you intended me to be broken."
     "What?"
     "Just open it already!"  Tom sat back and watched 
as B'Elanna opened the box, her face full of puzzlement 
as she removed the top.  "And be careful."
     B'Elanna took out the blue paper wrappings and 
carelessly threw them aside.  Tom laughed at her 
impatience, and picked the wrappings up and started to 
fold them. B'Elanna tossed the last sheet onto the floor 
and set the box back down onto the table. As she peered 
into the box, a gleam caught her eye, and she gingerly 
lifted the object out.
     "Oh," she audibly gasped, and raised it up to hold 
it up into the light, "It's beautiful."  In her hands, a 
crystalline dagger the size of her hand shimmered in the 
light.  She carefully took hold of the hilt, and peered 
at it closely.  The ivory-like, yet pure white handle was 
studded with deep red gems, the color of her tunic, and 
the razor sharp blade almost looked like it was made of 
pure diamond.  B'Elanna's mouth hung open in awe, and she 
glanced up to look at Tom. "This is the most beautiful 
gift I've ever gotten."
     Tom scooted closer to her to get a closer look at 
her expression.  "Do you really like it?"
     B'Elanna's eyes met his and locked.  "I love it, 
Tom.  I-- I just can't believe that you got this from the 
Mari.  I thought-- I thought that they don't have any 
violence.  What use would a beautiful blade like this 
have there?"  Her eyes again lowered to study the 
dagger, and she turned it over in her palm.
     "It's a ceremonial knife.  This kind of knife was 
used just for religious services, but they're even trying 
to rid of these to help abolish all violence.  Harry and 
I ran into a priest who had an arrangement of them to 
sell.  The priest didn't look all to happy to part with 
it, but he didn't have a choice-- it was the law.  And 
Harry and I searched all over trying to find the perfect 
gift for you.  We were lucky to run into the priest, as 
was he lucky to run into us.  This was the most beautiful 
of them all, and I figured you'd like it."  Tom wrapped 
his arm around B'Elanna lovingly and ran a finger along 
the blade with his other hand.  "Plus, I thought this 
best describes you-- beautiful to look at, but sometimes 
dangerous to touch."
     B'Elanna smiled at that, and set the dagger 
carefully on the table.  "I suppose I do have a somewhat 
negative streak.  And it does get me into more trouble 
than I'd like."
     "I wouldn't call it negative, B'Elanna.  Powerful, 
yes.  Strong, yes.  Bold and valiant, yes.  But not 
negative.  Being Klingon isn't a negative thing, it's 
just your nature.  And if people can't handle that, then 
they are in the wrong.  That's who you are, and they will 
just have to accept that."  Tom put his hands on her 
shoulders and looked deeply in her eyes.  "And if they 
can't accept that, then they have me to deal with."
     "If I don't get to them first," B'Elanna playfully 
answered and kissed Tom tenderly on the lips.  "Thank 
you, Tom.  The gift is beautiful, and I love it."
     Tom led them into another kiss.  "I was hoping you 
would."  He wrapped his arms around B'Elanna and kissed 
her passionately. Tongues intertwining, he managed to 
take her breath away. 
     B'Elanna felt as happy and radiant as that night at 
Sandrine's.  *How can I have any negative thoughts when 
I'm around Tom?  He brings forth such a joy in me I have 
never felt before.*  She fought off the urge to continue 
the kiss and pushed Tom back again, this time less 
forcefully.  "Tom?"
     "Yes?"
     "Can I have that other present now?"

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