REKINDLED EMOTIONS (P/T, K/f)

The 'Emotions Series' is comprised of the following stories in this order: Silent Emotions Basic Emotions Forgotten Emotions Rekindled Emotions

SUMMARY: Tom and his friends work to help him regain his memories.

DISCLAIMER: Paramount owns Voyager and its characters. We've only borrowed the characters to satisfy our own creative urges. Alera Lerise and a few assorted other minor characters though are ours and ours alone (that is unless someone else wants to borrow them and give us credit). Archiving is okay, just e-mail us. Please keep disclaimer and our names attached.

RECOGNITION OF APPRECIATION: A very special thanks goes out to our beta reader Phyllis J. Sutherland for beta reading our text.

REKINDLED EMOTIONS

by Marleena and PJ in NH

Chapter One

Tom Paris sat in his sterile, new cabin. Starring out of the spotless viewport into the space beyond. All around him, on the bed, sofa, table, and floor, lay his belongings--his clothes, datapadds, sports equipment, and assorted nicknacks, not to mention his toiletries. All of them needed to be taken care of. But they still had not been moved from where he had placed them two hours ago. Some of the things he remembered owning, but many he didn't. He certainly didn't remembered that he was married, to B'Elanna Torres no less, and was now a father of twin boys. Inside of just a few hours his life had changed.

Three and a half hours ago he had woken in Sickbay and had been informed that he not only had been experiencing an almost complete amnesia recently, to now only missing three years. Three years, he pondered, apparently a lot had happened to him during that time. He was now a husband, a father, well liked by the crew, and had been working with the Doctor before he had been abducted by a group of aliens and sold as a sexual slave to a powerful alien woman.

He shook his head and finally rose from where he had been sitting and walked over to the replicator. "Orange pekoe tea, hot and sweet," he ordered and agreed to the amount of replicator rations that would be required for his request. Within seconds, a piping hot cup of tea materialized. He gingerly picked it up the steaming cup and walked over to the table. Pushing a pile of clothes that had placed on the chair off onto the floor, he sat down.

His grandmother, Maureen Paris, would give him tea when he was troubled, he remembered. She would sit with him sipping on her own cup of tea, though she added milk to her cup, and they would talk for what seemed like hours until the problem had been resolved. If only it were that simple this time, he mused, carefully sipping the still too hot tea. If only he could remember that past three years. If only he could understand what had happened to make him fall in love with B'Elanna and father her children.

*****

"Do you think we should go in?" Alera asked Harry just outside of Tom's new cabin.

"Well, I want to let him know before he finds out from someone else. Come on, Alera, I'm sure he won't mind." Harry pressed the annunciator button confidently and waited.

"Come in," a familiar voice responded from the other side of the door.

The door slid open a grinning Harry stepped through with Alera in tow.

"Come on in and sit down, Harry," Tom invited. The pilot went over to the couch and moved the items that had been laying on it to the floor. When he turned around he was surprised to see that Harry wasn't alone.

"Tom, this is . . . ."

"Alera Lerise, a name that sounds like a song," Tom drawled walking over to the half-Betazoid. "I could never forget such a pretty lady." He gallantly picked up her free hand and brought it to his mouth and brushed the back of her hand with his lips.

Alera, being somewhat shy, blushed, laughed nervously, and stammered out a thank you.

"Watch it, Paris," Harry warned. "You're hitting on my fiancee."

"You're getting married?" Tom asked incredulously dropping Alera's hand.

"Yep."

"Well, congratulations, buddy!!!" Tom enveloped Harry in a bear hug, that left Harry gasping for breath when the pilot finally released him. "I'm very happy for you."

"Ah . . . thanks."

"This calls for champagne!" Tom announced and went over to the replicator and produced a bottle and three glasses. He passed around the glasses, popped the cork off the bottle, and poured a bit of the bubbly for them all. "Let's see, a toast I believe is in order." Tom pondered for a moment. "How about 'Through the lips and over the gums . . .' no that isn't quite right. . ."

Harry and Alera laughed at Tom's good mood, something they hadn't witnessed and missed for what seemed like a long time.

Tom's face became serious and he held up his glass. "To Harry Kim, the best friend a man could ever have, and to the lovely lady that will make him very happy. I hope you'll always be as happy as you obviously are tonight."

"Harry and Alera clinked their glasses against Tom's own and all three sipped the wine."

"Thank you, Tom. That was lovely," Alera said with a smile. She could sense his eclectic emotions. She could feel the old live- for-the-moment Tom Paris but she could also feel that he was still lost. Not lost like he was before, when he didn't remember hardly anything of his past life, but he was still unsure of where to trod. The past three years had changed the man who had first come on board Voyager, and he still had to come to grips with how those changes had made the other crewmembers feel about him.

"So have you set a date?" Tom asked and he emptied his glass and poured himself another and topped off his friends' glasses.

Harry looked and Alera and they shared a smile. "Not yet, but probably soon. She'll tell me when."

"I'm happy for you. I really am, but I do have a lot of things to take care of before I can go to bed tonight, " he said motioning to the items that had yet to be taken care of. "Maybe we can find sometime and go to Sandrines and shoot some pool this week?"

"That sounds great, Tom. It's been a long time. I'll look forward to it."

******

B'Elanna sat on her sofa in her quarters curled up on the end with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders wishing that it was Tom's arms that were keeping her warm instead. It had been close to two weeks since Tom regained most of his memory. While she knew that Tom needed to be by himself for a while, she also desperately wanted him with her and the boys. As she had been doing the past couple of weeks, she pulled the blanket closer around her and snuggled down on to the sofa and fell asleep.

Early in the morning, too early for what little sleep she had, cries from the boys woke her. She went in, got them up and ready for the day. The trio went to the mess hall as had become their custom before B'Elanna dropped off Kyle and Lucas with the babysitter. This morning though after she had settled the boys at the table she was trying to get both boys fed as well as herself when her husband, who had been sitting at a table with Harry and Alera, joined her at the table dressed in his red and black uniform.

"Good morning, B'Elanna. "

"Morning. First day back on the bridge?"

"Yep. Looks like you need some help." Tom suggested, hoisting Lucas on his lap.

The boys looked up at the tall man and broad smiles erupted on their little faces. "Dada, Dada!!!" they chorused, delighted to see their father.

"Thanks, Tom, it can be quite a handful trying to feed the pair of them and me too."

"No problem, you know they are really great kids," he complimented helping Lucas spoon some pureed leola root into the boy's eager mouth. "Gee, B'Elanna, don't you ever feed these two, they're ravenous."

"People would think they starve by looking at them eat," she admitted with a grin. "They remind me of Senez birds on Kessik, where I grew up, with their little beaks always open waiting to be fed. You know I think every time they see me they associate me with food."

Tom laughed and then became serious. "While I'm sure some of that is true, B'Elanna, anyone can tell that they adore you. When you come into a room, their faces light up." Tom picked up his napkin and wiped Lucas' face of the food that started to dribble down his chin.

"I could say the same about you. They love their father. As far as they are concerned the sun rises and sets on you," B'Elanna said carefully studying the pilot's face for reaction to her words. "They miss you, Tom."

Tom was quiet for a moment, trying to decide what to say. "I'm sorry, B'Elanna. I'll try and come by more often. There has just been so much to catch up on. What if I come by, on my next day off. I could maybe take them back to that zoo program you created?"

"They'd really love that. You know, maybe if you spend a little more time with them, you might regain some of your memories?"

"Maybe," he replied sullenly, nothing had seemed to help so far. Tom could tell that B'Elanna was becoming impatient with the lack of progress, make that no progress, he was having trying to recall the missing three years. "B'Elanna, it's not that I don't want to remember, I do. Oh, no..."

Kyle decided that at that moment that he would investigate Newton's theory of gravity and upended his bowl of food all over the floor. A very tired Chief Engineer grabbed her napkin and began to wipe up the food that had spilled. "Well, you wouldn't know it. We've hardly seen you!" she roared, her anger getting the better of her.

Alera, hearing the commotion, left Harry at their table and went over to help.

"Listen, maybe now is not a good time for us to talk," Tom suggested. "And besides I've got to report to the bridge."

"Here let me take Lucas," Alera offered. Tom gratefully handed his blue-eyed boy over to her.

"Whatever," B'Elanna grumbled from underneath the table.

Tom kneeled down to look at her. "I'll pick them on Thursday at 1400 hours. Is that all right?"

"Fine!" the half-Klingon snapped.

"Good! I'll see you then!" he snapped back. Then kissing each boy, he left to report to the bridge.

"B'Elanna, I'll help you take them to the babysitters?" Alera asked, feeling the tension between the couple, she didn't even have to be a Betazoid to feel it, she was sure everyone in the room could sense it.

"I can do it, Alera. It's okay," she insisted.

Alera, for a change, shoved aside her shyness and exerted herself. "I didn't *ask*, B'Elanna. I'm *telling* you, I'm going to help you. I'm just getting off my duty shift, and I have the time."

The engineer was surprised at the unusual boldness of the half- Betazoid, and relented. B'Elanna took Kyle and Alera took Lucas and left the mess hall behind.

After depositing the twins with the babysitter, B'Elanna left to go to work and Alera to return to her cabin.

"So how's it going, B'Elanna?" Alera asked B'Elanna on their way to the turbolift.

"It's going, but it could be better--much better."

Alera could sense her trepidation. "It's wonderful that Tom has regained so much of his memory," she offered and waited for the reaction.

B'Elanna nodded.

"Isn't it?"

"Of course it is!" the engineer snapped.

Alera placed one hand on her friend's shoulder. "B'Elanna, let's talk."

"But I have to go to work," she argued.

"You're the Chief Engineer--delegate."

B'Elanna paused and nodded. She knew that she had been found out and she also knew that she had to talk to someone. Maybe talking to Alera would be a good idea.

The two friends walked into Alera's cabin, informed their superior officers and their staff that they would be late, and sat down at Alera's dining table to talk.

"Talk to me, B'Elanna. Tell me what you're feeling."

The half-Klingon took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, and looked at her friend. "Why don't *you* tell me what I'm feeling, after all you are half-Betazoid?" she challenged.

"I could do that. I could tell you what I think you're feeling, but I think you need to confront these emotions, B'Elanna." Alera reached across the table and squeezed B'Elanna's hand. "You need to verbalize what going on inside of you."

B'Elanna laughed humorlessly focusing her gaze on the tabletop, before she looked up at Alera again. "So when did Janeway make you ship's counselor?"

Alera Lerise smiled slightly. "She didn't, I'm running a private practice on the side, but don't tell her." B'Elanna returned the smile. "I want to help you if you'll let me. I've come to think of you as a friend--a good friend--and I don't like to see the people I care about suffer. It tears me up inside. I'll admit I don't know how much I can do to help you, but I can at least be here for you, B'Elanna. Talk to me, I am a good listener." She gave B'Elanna's hand a comforting squeeze.

"You know me too well, and you are a good friend--better than I deserve." B'Elanna paused and drew in a deep breath and slowely exhaled. "I'll tell you, but like a good counselor, it stays between the two of us. Well I suppose you can tell Harry, but if I ever hear it come back to me through anybody else, I won't be responsible for any actions taken by my Klingon half."

"You can trust me. You know you can."

"I know." B'Elanna squeezed Alera's hand a little as if trying to derive some comfort from her. "I guess that I feel...guilty, Alera."

"Guilty?"

B'Elanna nodded. "After Tom came back to us from that planet, all I wanted was for him was for him to regain his memory. And now that he has regained most of his memories back, I find that it isn't enough. I want more. The Tom that loved me is . . . .well it's like he's there but there's a forcefield around him. I can see him, but I can't touch him. I miss him Alera-- desperately. Every night when I go to bed and every morning when I wake up, I yearn to feel his arms around me once more. I long for him to be with me and the boys, but at the same time I feel guilty for wanting so much when I've been given so much already. It's wonderful that he has remembered so much but . . . "

"You love him, your heart aches?" B'Elanna nodded. "So that's why you've been working the extra hours and not getting enough sleep?"

"How'd you know?"

"Word gets around. A lot of people are concerned about you, B'Elanna--Harry, the Captain, Chakotay...and Tom."

"Tom?"

"I could sense his emotions this morning. He's worried about you and about himself. He still feels lost, B'Elanna. It's like being lost and you ask for directions to get home, but the directions aren't complete. In the distance you can see where you belong, where people expect you do be, but you just can't get there."

"I didn't realize that he felt that way," B'Elanna admitted.

"He wants to find his way back, back to you and his sons, but he doesn't know how."

"Damn, this isn't easy."

"I know, it's been very difficult for both of you."]

The Chief Engineer tried unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn. "Sorry, Alera. I'm still a little bit tired. I need some more coffee."

"There's nothing to be sorry about. And you don't need any more coffee, what you need is sleep. In fact, you're going to crawl up on my bed and have a nice long nap." Alera pulled on B'Elanna's hands and guided her around the table.

"But I have to go to work, we're degaussing the cylinder heads today," B'Elanna said, but she didn't pull back from Alera, she continued to follow her over to the sleeping area.

"Ooooh, degaussing cylinder heads," Alera chided. "That's something I'd look forward to."

"But I've got to be...," the engineer yawned again, "what if..."

"What if what? Your whole crew can probably degauss cylinder heads in their sleep, or are you telling me that you're the only one who knows how to do it?"

"No..."

"I thought not. "Now there are clean sheets on my bed and you're going to crawl in between them and have a sleep. You have nothing to worry about, the boys are at the sitters and I'll let Chakotay and your crew know that you won't be there today," Alera informed her. <Gee, being around the half-Klingon must have done something for your assertiveness,> the half-Beta zoid mused as she watched B'Elanna lay down on the bed and within moments was fast asleep.

* * * * * *

"You're saying that B'Elanna Torres--our B'Elanna Torres--slept the day away?" Harry asked his intended.

Alera squirreled herself under his arm and made herself comfortable beside him on Harry's sofa. "Yep, never even stirred, I don't think she even turned over the whole day."

"Boy, she must be tired. I don't think I've ever known her to nap during the day. It was nice of you to look out for her."

"Somebody had to, she's not looking after herself. It's so sad to see her and Tom. It seems so strange not to see them together, and when they are together the tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife. Someone really ought to do something," Alera suggested and tilted her face up towards her fiancee's for a kiss.

Harry willingly obliged, before returning to the conversation. "You know, maybe they need a little push. This waiting for them to find each other themselves, doesn't seem to be working."

"What are you suggesting, Harry Kim?" she asked with a note of concern in her voice.

With a conspiratorial grin he bent down close to Alera and whispered in her ear. "You ever hear of 'matchmaking'?"

Alera smiled.

Chapter Two

Tom and Harry sat at a table in Sandrine's. After hearing about Harry being engaged, Tom thought he would treat his friend to a a game of pool and a drink to celebrate. They had already played three games of pool which, of course to Harry's dismay, Tom had won. And now, the two were talking and laughing. In a sense, they were catching up. Tom wanted to know what he had missed during those three years he couldn't recall. Harry indulged his friend, hoping that Tom might remember the rest.

Tom, though was getting a headache as he tried to absorb all the information. He rubbed his temples and let his eyes wander. Blue eyes fell on a pretty, young blonde Lieutenant, at the bar. Tom remembered that she had once turned down his advances. Because she was sitting alone, he assumed that she hadn't found anyone, yet, so he decided to give her another chance.

"Then we went to...." Harry continued, but Tom was ignoring him. His eyes kept wandering to the young Lieutenant. He would look at his friend every once in while to assure the ensign that he was still listening, but again his eyes would hover toward the woman at the bar. Tom began to imagine what kind of dress she would look good in, and what she would look like without any clothing on at all. He then began to envision what a date with her would be like. Finally, he couldn't stand it anymore.>

"Excuse me, Harry," Tom said, standing up, "I believe I see a young lady who needs attention."

Harry's eyes widened as he watched the pilot head for Lt. Tauri Lakla. He knew what Tom was up to. The ensign stood up to stop the pilot before he ruined his life again.

Tom tapped Tauri on the shoulder, and handed her a drink. His eyes sparkled as he spoke to her, "Hey beautiful, what are you doing here all alone?"

Lakla smiled nervously. She knew that Tom had amnesia, and could didn't remember the last three years on Voyager. She also knew that he was B'Elanna's husband, even if he didn't.

"Thanks, Lt. Paris," she spoke, looking around the bar, "but I'm waiting for someone."

Tom wasn't bothered by her behavior, to him it just made her more of a challenge. He put his arm around her and whispered in her ear, "Maybe I can keep you company until they arrive."

Tauri backed away as Tom moved closer to her. She looked at Harry, who was trying to get Tom's attention.

At that moment, the door to Sandrine's opened and B'Elanna Torres walked in. She at once spotted her husband getting cozy with the fair lieutenant. B'Elanna's eyes narrowed and a low growl escaped her. She completely forgot that Tom had amnesia, and didn't know what he was doing. <Suddenly a image of a woman clinging to him came into her mind. Her temperature began to boil and her eyes flashed. *That pig!* B'Elanna screamed in her mind.

Not seeing Harry walk toward her, B'Elanna growled deeply, spun around, and left. She was so angry that she almost knocked down two ensigns who were just entering the holodeck.

Tom saw B'Elanna leave Sandrine's. He was not surprised by her behavior, but he was curious and concerned. He wanted to know what happened that made her so angry. He excused himself from Tauri, and went over to Harry and asked, "What's wrong with B'Elanna?"

Harry turned around, a disappointed look on his face, "She saw you flirting with Lt. Lakla, Tom. Don't forget you're married to B'Elanna. Even though you don't remember the love you shared, she does."

Tom stared at the floor. He sighed and answered, "I know, Harry. We have a lot to work out. I have a lot to remember. I still don't understand what B'Elanna sees in me. I don't know why or how she fell in love with me, but I certainly don't want to hurt her."

Harry offered a sad smile and patted him on the arm, "It'll come back to you, Tom, in time."

Tom didn't say anything as he stared at the door to Sandrine's. He wondered if he'd ever remember.

******

In the Captain's Ready Room, Janeway and Chakotay were discussing the latest crisis: Tom's amnesia and how it was affecting B'Elanna and their marriage, and in turn how it was affecting the rest of the ship.

"I'm more than worried about them, Chakotay," Janeway said, "I know those little boys miss their father and B'Elanna has to be missing Tom like crazy."

Chakotay nodded, "It's really hard on her. She's trying to bury herself in her work according to Lt. Carey. It's not helping, though. I'm grateful that Ensign Lerise was able to convince her to take a day away from Engineering a couple of weeks, ago, but she's back to her old routine. If she isn't in Engineering she's at home with the boys. She never has any time to herself."

Janeway sipped her coffee, "I don't know how long they can hold out. I know Tom isn't fairing well either. Everyone knows he's hiding behind that mask of his. He has to be suffering as well."

Chakotay took a sip of his own coffee as he contemplated on the predicament of the Lieutenants. There had to be something they could do to help them over come this hardship before it tore them apart.

"Kathryn," Chakotay began, "they need to talk about this. They're avoiding the issue and it's tearing them apart. They hardly speak to each other and B'Elanna's avoiding Tom."

"What do you suggest?" Janeway asked, intreged.

Chakotay smiled, "Put them in a situation where they cannot avoid each other. They need to learn to work together again. Tom needs to learn to be comfortable around B'Elanna again. To see her as a woman again and not just the mother to his children."

Janeway smiled, "You're suggesting we play matchmaker?"

Chakotay grinned, "Correct."

"Well, where do we start?"

"I've been thinking about that. If they ever caught on that we were meddling, they'd be hell to pay. So I was thinking that we could send Tom down to Engineering for the day. Tell him to work a bit on the navigational relays. We can tell him he can program them any way he feels like. That should keep him down there for awhile."

Janeway beamed, "Good idea, Chakotay. I'll give him the assignment."

Chapter Three

Tom stood in front of the Chief's desk and waited or her to notice his presence. B'Elanna was obviously absorbed in an engineering problem and hadn't even noticed that he had come in. After a few minutes had passed though, he finally spoke up.

"B'Elanna?"

The Chief's head snapped up, she hadn't expected to hear his voice in Engineering. "Tom? What are you doing down here?"

"The...ah...Captain ordered me to report to Engineering and work on the navigational controls. Isn't it standard operating procedure to report into the Chief of Engineering first?"

"Yes...of course it is. Go ahead and do your work. You do remember where the controls are, don't you?"

"Of course." Tom nodded, turned on his heel and left her office.

"Of course, he remembers where the navigational controls are," she mimicked the blue-eyed pilot. "But why can't he remember what he had with me and the boys?" Grumbling she returned to the problem at hand.

She was almost finished solving the problem, when Vorik came into her office. "Lt. Torres, I require your assistance with the warp core retrofit."

"Of course."

B'Elanna followed the young Vulcan out to his workstation passing Tom along the way. As she strode purposefully past Tom, he looked up from the navigation console and followed her appreciatively with his eyes.

"What seems to be the problem, Vorik," she asked when they reached his work station.

"I am having difficulty realigning the warp core constrictors. When I align one, the other ones become misaligned. I have tried several different methods but I am still unsuccessful."

"Here, let me see your sonic spanner."

Vorik passed the Chief the tool and B'Elanna shimmied under the repair cabinet. For several minutes all that could be heard was the clang of metal on metal and an occasional muffled Klingon curse. Finally she pulled herself out. "I see what you mean, Ensign. I can't get it to realign myself." B'Elanna slapped her commbadge purposefully. "Torres to Captain Janeway."

:::"Janeway here.":::

"Captain, we are experiencing problems in engineering realigning the warp core constrictors. We need to bring the ship to a stop while we correct the problem."

:::"Very good, B'Elanna. Let us know when we can bring the ship back on line.":::

"Aye, Captain."

Tom watched this exchange from the navigation console. He was very impressed with the way Torres handled herself. It reminded him of the time that B'Elanna was split into halves, for this was her Klingon side asserting itself in a crisis. He recalled their time with the Vidiians. It was one of the memories that had returned to him when he regained most of his memories, but one that he had not thought of too much until this moment.

Knowing better than to get in her way, Tom moved to the far side of engineering and stood near the door and waited. He witnessed a choreography of problem-solving excellence involving the many of the engineers which culminated in the warp core finally coming back on line. When the blue core finally came alive, B'Elanna looked over her shoulder and bestowed a smile in Tom's direction. She obviously hadn't forgotten that he was there and seemed to be glad that he had witnessed her success.

Tom returned her smile, which delighted her even more, and he resumed his duties. He had labored for another couple of hours, frequently taking note of B'Elanna's presence and how she was respected by the crew. It reminded him of how difficult it was for both of them to fit in on Voyager at the beginning when neither he nor she were respected on board the ship. The half- Klingon made her rounds checking on nearly every engineer making sure that they understood their assignments and asking and answering questions where appropriate. Unknown to the pilot, he in turn was being stealthily scrutinized by B'Elanna. The pair's appraisal of each other though did not escape the notice of almost everyone else in Engineering. Finally, B'Elanna stopped by the navigation console and asked if Tom required any assistance.

"How's everything going, Tom? Do you need any help?" B'Elanna asked finding it hard to focus on the console when she really wanted to lose herself in his sky blue eyes.

<Grab the opportunity, Tom.> his subconscious said. <Act!> "Well actually, it seems like the redundant navi-strictors are a bit sluggish. Do you think you could have a look?"

B'Elanna nodded. "No problem," she replied briskly. She examined the console, then grabbed one of the tools that was attached to a belt she wore around his waist. Kneeling down in front of the console she removed the maintenance panel, laid down on her stomach and rolled over onto her back and peered inside. "Tom, can you get one of the wrist lights over on the far table?" she asked.

"Sure," Tom retrieved the light, knelt beside her and held it so she could see.

"Here's your problem," B'Elanna announced. "One of the connections has come loose." Within a couple of moments she had corrected the problem and was reattaching the maintenance cover. Tom stood up and grabbing B'Elanna's hand pulled her up from the floor. He could feel something special happen, an almost electric charge flowed through his body when he had touched her hand. They lingered there, Tom not letting her go for several moments. Blue eyes bore into dark brown eyes, neither wanting to break the contact. And most of engineering held its breath in anticipation--all except one.

"Chief, can you come look at the readout on my console," a suicidal, nameless ensign asked B'Elanna. The rest of the engineering crew quietly sighed, rolled their eyes, and silently plotted the best way to teach Ensign Whats-his-Name a lesson.

B'Elanna reluctantly tore he gaze from Tom. "Ah, yeah....sure. I'll be right there, Ensign."

And the moment was lost, all thanks to a young ensign who was blind to the signs of love.

*******

"So do you think it worked?" Janeway whispered to her First Officer from her position seated in her command chair.

"Well I don't know. I ordered the EMH to inform us if either Tom or B'Elanna were brought into Sickbay for broken bones or other injuries, but as of yet I haven't heard from him," Chakotay replied sadly.

"And I was so hoping for one little broken clavicle," the Captain said with a playful pout which caused Chakotay to laugh at the childish expression on Kathryn Janeway's face.

Harry noticed the exchange between the Senior Officers and correctly assumed that they were talking about Tom and B'Elanna, so he approached the pair.

"Captain, Commander, I hope I'm not interrupting but, by chance, are you talking about Tom and B'Elanna?" Harry asked in a low voice.

"Are we that obvious, Harry?" Chakotay queried with a grin.

"No, it's just that I've been thinking about them a lot too, actually Alera and I have. It's been a long time and still they aren't back together again," he commented sadly.

"And have you two come up with a plan to get them back together?" the Indian asked.

"Well, now that you mention it, there was something we though of, but it would need the skills and finesse of a couple senior officers that I know," Harry insinuated.

"Harry, I do believe you have become devious over the years. Just who taught you that?" Janeway remarked knowingly.

"Um, well, just some pilot I know who shall remain nameless," Harry replied with a blush.

Janeway and Chakotay laughed. "Shall we meet in the Mess Hall at break time, we can take the last rotation, maybe we can discuss it there?"

"Sounds good, Captain." Harry replied.

Chapter Four

Chakotay and the Captain entered the Mess Hall. They spotted Harry and Alera almost at once. They picked up their food trays and headed for the two ensigns.

"Captain, Commander," Harry Kim said, seeing the two officers coming toward their table. "May we sit here?" Chakotay asked, knowing that he really didn't need to ask. It was just a courtesy. The ensigns nodded and the commanding officers took their seats. "Any ideas on how to get Tom and B'Elanna back together?" Alera asked wasting no time, looking at each of them. She could feel that the group was concerned about the two Lieutenants. She also knew that all of them where thinking about way to get the two together again.

The four went through several ideas, but each was dismissed. They didn't want the young couple to realize they were being set up. The two were pretty quick and could tell when they were being tricked. The matchmakers remained silent for awhile until Chakotay spoke. "I remember a time when my sister tricked me into asking a girl out that I liked once, but I was afraid that she'd reject me."

"What happened?" Harry asked, suddenly interested.

Chakotay smiled, "She had a male friend of hers hit on the girl. I became quite jealous. Hoping to get to her first, I finally asked her out." The three laughed.

"So you think if we make Tom jealous, he'll ask B'Elanna out?" Alera asked.

Chakotay nodded, "Tom will feel threatened and try to get to B'Elanna first--at least, in theory."

Janeway nodded, "It should work. If anything, it will wake him up to what he could lose." *Like he thought he lost her before* Janeway added silently to herself. She remembered what Tom was like when he thought he had lost B'Elanna to another. She hoped, this time, he would fight for his wife.

Chapter Five

The next day, Captain Janeway assigned Tom to go back to Engineering. He didn't mind, though he wanted to get back to the helm soon. He did enjoy programming the controls and actually looked forward to it.

Tom walked into Engineering and stopped short. He spotted B'Elanna talking to an ensign--a tall, dark haired handsome man. He felt a strange feeling come over him, but he shook it off, and went to the nav. control console.

The pilot tapped a few controls on the console and got to work. He smiled as he began to program the helm's controls to his preferences. Tom looked up once from his console to take a quick peek at the mysterious engineer again only to see B'Elanna smiling at the ensign, and the ensign with his hand upon his wife's arm. He watched as she laughed, and a knot in his stomach began to form.

*What is she doing?* Tom asked himself.

Tom lowered his eyes to the console just as B'Elanna looked over at him. She had no idea that her husband was becoming jealous.

*Is that what she does when I'm not around?* The pilot wondered as he punched a key. *Is she that pessimistic about my remembering that she's looking for someone else? Does she even care anymore?*

Tom looked up to see B'Elanna working on another console. The ensign was nowhere to be seen. The pilot tapped in the final commands into the console then left Engineering. He was not happy at all. If anything he was getting worried.

He suddenly saw a flash of light form before him. He felt depressed and alone. Tom stopped in his tracks as he saw himself drinking heavily. Another flash appeared and he felt sick to his stomach. He suddenly had to get away. He held his stomach as he rushed to the nearest turbolift and for his quarters.

*******

An hour later, Tom left his quarters and headed for B'Elanna's. He tried to push the images of the ensign flirting with B'Elanna out of his mind. He knew he shouldn't be jealous, for he didn't remember marrying B'Elanna or having the twins. He also knew he had a right to be jealous, because he was married to her.

*I'll ask her to lunch,* Tom thought as he left the turbolift, *If she says "no" then I'll ask her about that ensign.*

Tom walked down the corridor to B'Elanna's quarters. He turned the corner and saw B'Elanna talking to the very same ensign. Tom calmed himself by saying it was nothing to worry about, but the knot in his stomach grew larger.

The pilot watched as the ensign left, and B'Elanna entered her quarters. Tom sighed in relief that no kiss passed between the two. Gathering his courage, he headed for the door and pressed the button.

"Enter," came his wife's voice.

The door slid open and Tom stepped inside, "B'Elanna?"

A slight hesitation then her voice came from the bathroom, "I'll be out in a bit, Tom. Make yourself at home."

Tom looked around the room, taking in every detail. He went into her bedroom and noted the decorations. He saw holopics on the dressers and on the walls. Holopics of him, their friends, and of him and her.

He looked at them, hoping something would come to mind. Nothing did. Sighing, he went to a dresser and opened a drawer. Maybe he could find something that he remembered.

*What's this?* Tom wondered when he spotted two spheres.

Tom picked one up and inspected it. A flash of something came and went. He stared at it strangely as if it had insulted him. Tossing the ball in the air, he was amazed when he saw it change colors. He caught it, and something did come back to him.

He could see himself in a market, looking at some pastries. Tom then saw himself backing up to catch a ball that changed colors as it flew through the air, and he saw himself apologizing to a strange alien.

Tom tossed the ball up in the air, and watched in awe as the ball changed colors. He caught it and picked up the other one and tossed it as well. It also changed colors, but the colors were different. Tom smiled in delight. He then suddenly remembered something else, something that turned his smile into a grimace.

"What's wrong, Tom?" A voice brought him out of his thoughts.

Tom blinked and saw B'Elanna standing in the doorway between her bathroom and the bedroom. She saw the spheres lying on the floor and she looked at him with a questioning expression on her face.

"I found them in your dresser," Tom answered her unspoken question. "We found them at a market, didn't we?"

B'Elanna's eyes opened wide. He remembered something. She didn't know what to say or do. She went to him and embraced him in a tight hug. She released him after a moment and stared into his eyes.

"Yes, Tom. We bought them for our boys," she said, tears building in her eyes. "After that, you were taken from us. It was six months before we found you."

Tom nodded, "I bumped into an alien. I remember that alien had a friend," the his voice lowered so she had to strain to hear him. "Then they sold me to a woman."

B'Elanna hugged him again and let her tears fall. Tom brought his arms up around her--it felt right.

"Do you remember anything else?"

Tom shook his head sadly.

"It'll come, Tom, this is a good sign."

"B'Elanna, tell me about what happened after I was captured?"

B'Elanna swallowed hard and withdrew from his embrace. She faced her husband with a Klingon's determination. "She made you have sex with her, Tom. She drugged you so that you would forget about all of us and so you'd be submissive. When we found you, you had no idea who you were or who we were. All you knew was that petaQ!" her voice cracked slightly recalling the memories. "I cursed her everyday, Tom, for taking you away from me!"

Tom wrapped his arms around her again and comforted her as best he could. He stroked her hair then kissed her forehead, "I'm sorry, B'Elanna."

B'Elanna looked at him, "For what?"

"I'm sorry that you had to raise the boys all by yourself. I'm sorry I left you."

B'Elanna smiled sadly, "It wasn't you fault, Tom. They made us think you were dead."

Tom shook his head and hugged her again, "It must have been difficult to raise them alone."

B'Elanna smiled, "It was but I had help. Harry, Alera, Janeway, Chakotay. Even Neelix. They all helped me."

Tom chuckled, "I'm glad they've been such great friends to you and the boys."

B'Elanna looked at him. She could see a slight expression of pain in his blue eyes and knew what he must be thinking, "They're your friends as well, Tom. They know that you've changed. They know that you are trying to remember."

Tom nodded and embraced her again. He hugged her tightly, not wanting to let her go.

"B'Elanna, you want to go to lunch with me?"

She nodded and smiled.

Chapter Six

Harry bent his head and gave Alera a kiss before taking his place next to her at the dining room table. He looked around to make sure that Tom and B'Elanna hadn't arrived. "Well, according to the Captain, the plan is in place and going along on schedule."

"I don't know about this, Harry. You know it may backfire on you," his fiancee.

But we have to try something. It's killing B'Elanna, him not remembering.

Alera nodded. "Well I suppose you're right. Something has to be done. I just wish it didn't have to come to this."

****^^^^****^^^^****^^^^****^^^^****^^^^****^^^^****^^^^****

B'Elanna had been patient but Tom hadn't regained any more of his memories back since he had found the balls. She had been confident that that would be the catalyst that would cause him to remember, but it hadn't. She still saw her husband and he the boys.

After their lunch together, he had taken them for the rest of the day. And now it was two hours after her shift had ended and she had been waiting for Tom to bring the boys back for over an hour. Finally, she couldn't wait any longer and decided that she was going to retrieve her sons.

"Come back here you little scalawags!" Tom yelled. Were the first words that B'Elanna heard when she opened the door to Tom's quarters.

Tom's cry was accompanied by a series of high-pitched squeals punctuated with numerous 'Dadas,' and overlying it all was bubbling laughter, coming not only from the twins but from Tom Paris as well.

The first thing she saw when she entered the cabin was Tom's bed sheets draped over his chairs and dining table forming a type of impromptu tent. The second thing she saw was her twins running around the tent while Tom's arm shot of out the tent in a futile attempt to catch the two--as he called them--scalagwags. What exactly was a scalawag? B'Elanna mused.

B'Elanna still upset at the boys not being brought home at the agreed upon hour, dropped to her knees so she could peer in at the father of her twins. "Thomas Eugene Paris, Kyle and Lucas were suppose to have been brought back over an hour ago!" At that moment, the twins chose to launch themselves at their father. Tom grabbed them both and rolled over and out of the far end of the 'tent.' Look back through the opening with an exaggerated pout at B'Elanna, he replied, "but, B'Elanna, we have having so much fun."

B'Elanna growled and crawled through the tent to join her men-- strike that boys--on the other side. "Tom Paris, I just don't know what to do with you!"

"Well, boys, if she doesn't know what to do with your father, what should we do with her?" Two pair of blue eyes and one pair of dark brown eyes focused on the only female in the cabin, each pair was lit with conspiratorial joy. Tom sat up abruptly, grabbled his wife by her arms, and pulled B'Elanna toward him and his sons. Then, he started tickling her along her rib cage and the boys tried vainly to join in trying their hand at tickling their mother's ears and neck.

It was now B'Elanna's turn to squeal and laugh. It had been a long time since she remembered laughing so hard. But the best thing of all was to see the blue dancing eyes of her husband beneath her. That thought stilled her laughter. The boys having tired of the game had left their now quiet parents and where playing on the other side of the room. Under her, all she could see and feel was her husband. She tentatively brought her lips down to touch his, hoping that he would reciprocate. It reminded her of the first time they kissed. The exploration of uncharted erotic territory. The uncertainty of how the other would react. To her relief he did indeed respond.

When she brought her lips down to touch his own he couldn't believe that it was happening. He wanted to feel her lips against his own, to taste her sweetness. But what bothered him was the why. Why did he want to kiss her? Was it because she was an exotic lovely woman, or because he was starting to feel something for his wife again. Tom knew better than to reject such a wonderful gift, and he thought that just one kiss couldn't hurt, could it?

They kissed, he pulled her closer, and their lips parted but just before their tongues touched the twins ran to them giggling and tumbled into their parents interrupting the tender moment.

"Um, I guess, we should go," B'Elanna said ruffling her boys' hair and pulling them to her.

"Do you have to?"

"The boys need to get ready for bed, and I think I heard Harry saying something today when he was assigned to Engineering that he and Alera were going to come over and see you.

"Well, I'm sorry I didn't get the boys back home in time," he lied.

"Are you?"

"Really? I guess not. I do love them, B'Elanna." She smiled. "And you are welcome to come play with us anytime."

"Thanks," she looked up at him for a moment before the boys made their presence known again by pulling on her pant leg. "Come on, Kyle, Lucas, we have to go home."

B'Elanna and his sons left and Tom picked up his cabin, putting the sheets back on his bed and the chair back under the table. <Was that love?> he wondered. <Was what I felt then, love or lust? Curiosity or adoration? Am I remembering my feelings for B'Elanna, like I remembered the balls the other day, or am I just reacting to the moment?>

It was these thoughts that wove their way through his mind when his door annunciator rang.

He spoke up. "It's open!"

The door slid soundlessly open and Harry and Alera stepped into his cabin. As soon as Alera entered the room she could sense Tom's feelings, his sense of confusion and of his thoughts straying to other places besides the present.

Harry saw the look of concern for his friend on his fiancee's face. "Tom, are you feeling all right?" he asked. "Is anything wrong?"

"Wrong? No, not really. I wouldn't call it wrong. I guess I'm perplexed. Please, have a seat," he motioned to the sofa and he pulled out one of the dining room chairs and straddled it, it's back to his chest.

Harry was curious. "Perplexed?"

"Well, B'Elanna was just here. She came by to pick up Kyle and Lucas. I was goofing around with the boys and B'Elanna joined in too. Then one thing led to another and we...um...kissed," he added in a soft voice.

Harry's eyes lit with elation. "That's wonderful, Tom!"

"Is it?"

"Of course, it is," he replied and then noticed that Alera still looked worried. "Isn't it?" he asked his fiancee.

"Maybe. It could be, but I sense that Tom's confused," she concluded.

Tom rose from the chair and began to pace trying to release some restless energy. "Alera's right. I don't know if I'm falling in love with her for the first time, or if I'm remembering when we were in love before, or if it is something different altogether."

"Does it matter?" Harry questioned.

"To me it does, Harry. It doesn't mean that I don't care for her, but it would be good to know if my memories were actually coming back. Am I assuming it is love because I feel that I am obligated to love her, or are the feelings true either from falling in love with her again or remembering the love we had before?" Tom sat back down in his seat. He was silent with his thoughts for several minutes before he realized that no one had said anything for quite a while. "I'm sorry to have dropped all this psychological stuff on you. What was it you came down to see me about? I know it wasn't just to listen to me power whine."

"Gee, Tom, if you can't power whine to friends, who can you whine too?" Harry said with a grin which made Tom chuckle and Alera smile in agreement.

"Thanks. But tell me what you came down to see me for, I can tell you have something you want to share."

"You're right. It's like this. Alera and I finally set a date for the wedding."

Tom smiled for the pair. "That's wonderful, when is it?"

"We just came from the Captain and we set a date for a week from tomorrow, but we have a little problem," Harry told him.

"Problem? Is it something I can help you with?"

"Could be. How would you like to be my best man?"

Tom smile widely. "I'd be very honored. Thanks for asking me."

"You're my best friend, who else would I ask?" Tom smiled.

Harry and Alera left Tom behind with the advice to not think about his feelings for B'Elanna so much or it would just tear him up inside. When they left the cabin Alera turned to Harry.

"Maybe you don't have to go through with the plan to get them back together?" she asked.

"Maybe. Could be that little push we gave Tom did the trick. At least we can hope."

Their next stop was B'Elanna's cabin. When the entered the cabin, B'Elanna was alone having just put the kids down for the night. Alera asked her to be her Matron of Honor and B'Elanna of course was delighted to accept.

Chapter Seven

Harry and Alera were eating in the Mess Hall when Janeway and Chakotay joined them. The two asked the ensigns about the progress of Tom and B'Elanna.

"Tom admitted to us that he is starting to have feelings for B'Elanna again, "Alera mentioned. "He's confused, though."

"Confused about what?" Janeway asked, concerned.

Harry pushed his tray aside and answered, "Tom doesn't know if he always had these feelings and they're resurfacing or is he's falling in love with her for the first time."

Janeway and Chakotay looked at each other. This was progress, but they knew Tom would not admit it to B'Elanna. He was too confused. He needed something to boost his confidence.

"If Tom is admitting that he has feelings for B'Elanna then maybe if we can get him alone with her..."

"He'll admit it to her," Harry finished Janeway's thought.

The matchmakers nodded. Now they had to think of a way to get the two alone together. Harry and the Captain had the answers.

"I can trick Tom into playing a game of pool," Harry said.

"And I can ask B'Elanna to attend your wedding shower," Janeway added.

Alera and Chakotay nodded in agreement, "Good idea. I assume you have a program already in mind?" the Commander asked.

Harry nodded, "A beautiful one. Alera and I will watch their progress in the shadows, that way if things start to backfire we can create a diversion or something."

Chakotay smiled, "Just make sure they don't see you."

Alera laughed, "If all goes well, they won't even notice they're on the holodeck."

*******

At about 1900, Harry paged Tom and asked him if he wanted to play a game of pool in Sandrine's. Tom accepted immediately adding that he needed a break from his reports.

"Reports?" Harry asked.

"Yeah. After two days of messing around with the nav controls in Engineering I know have two days of reports to do. On top of that, reports from the other pilots came in that need to be reviewed. I've been reading them for three hours. I need a break."

Harry chuckled, <this was going to be too easy>. "Glad I can be of help. Meet me in Holodeck Two."

"I'm there. Paris out."

Harry closed the link and contacted Janeway. "It's your turn, Captain."

Kathryn smiled, "Thanks, Harry. Janeway to Torres."

At about 1925, Tom Paris strode onto Holodeck Two. He stopped almost at once. He looked around at his surroundings completely confused if not angry.

"Harry, what is this!?" Tom shouted.

The pilot stood in the middle of an Nineteenth Century casino complete with bar and poker tables. He heard the silent churning of water, and looking out through the windows to the moon-dappled water, he knew that he was on a riverboat. The large room had a dance floor off to his left as well as a large mirror behind the bar. Except for his clothing, he could almost say that he was in the Nineteenth Century.

Tom sighed and made his way to the bar. He was curious as to why Harry had changed the program. He was beginning to think that he was set up, but he couldn't understand why?

"Harry, you can show yourself now!" Tom shouted to the room.

Tom turned back to the bar and stared into the mirror, thinking that maybe he could spot Harry in it. The mirror though only showed his reflection and the tables behind him. Then he spotted a wide staircase which led up to the next floor. Thinking that Harry might be hiding up there, he headed for the stairs.

Just as he placed his foot on the first step, he heard the holodeck doors slide open and close. Tom turned around and saw the very person that had been giving him all the confusing feelings lately.

B'Elanna stared at him, stunned. She thought she was going to a wedding shower so she did not expect to see Tom.

"What are *you* doing here?" she asked, hoping that she didn't sound rude.

Tom shrugged, "Harry called me and asked if I wanted to play some pool. I came here and found this. So I thought he changed the program. What are you doing here?"

B'Elanna smiled. They had been set up. She sighed and answered, "Alera called me and invited me to her wedding shower. I guess we were both tricked."

"I guess so," Tom whispered, but not low enough that she didn't hear him.

"Buy you a drink?" B'Elanna asked, heading for the bar. <Might as well make use of the program,> she thought <someone put a lot of time and thought into it>.

"Of course," Tom answered and sat down beside her.

The two took their drinks of synthehal wine and sank into their own thoughts. In the shadows of the program, Harry and Alera watched the two. The ensigns smiled at the progress that they saw and hoped that this would be the beginning to their friends getting back together.

B'Elanna watched Tom from the corner of her eye. The incident with the boys yesterday was both wonderful and a surprise. They had kissed and she felt that familiar rush of excitement as she stared into his blue eyes. She could feel that same rush flowing from him as well. It was an intense feeling which surprised her. She didn't think she would ever feel such feelings from him again.

Tom was deep in his own thoughts. He stared into his glass as he recalled the day he found the spheres. It was a break-through for him, and for her, he knew. He had remembered when and how he was taken from her and the boys. It was a terrible memory for both of them. The pilot knew that there would be more horrible memories to come, if what she told him was true. He didn't think he would want to remember those at all.

The pilot looked at B'Elanna. She was starting at the mirror across from them. She caught him looking at her, and she smiled. He returned the smile and an idea came to mind.

"Computer, replicate B'Elanna a costume concurrent with the time of Nineteenth Century Mississippi. Create a matching costume for me."

At once, B'Elanna's uniform was transformed in to a beautiful cream color gown. It had a tapered waist and the skirt flowed fully out around her to just brush the floor. The elbow-length sleeves were full and puffy and a V-neck showed just a little of her cleavage.

Tom took in a breath as he gazed at the vision before him. The light color of her dress accentuated her tan skin and dark hair. It also brought out her dark fiery eyes that seemed to pull him into them.

*Gods, she beautiful,* Tom thought as he felt his temperature rise at the sight.

Tom's uniform was transformed as well. He wore a light colored suit that almost matched his hair. There was pale blue vest underneath the jacket of the suit. The silk shirt that he wore was also a pale blue that brought out his sky blue eyes. The slacks fit just right and they tapered over fawn colored boots.

B'Elanna couldn't take her eyes off of what she saw. She was finally able to stare into his eyes that seemed to pierce her soul. She smiled shyly.

"You look perfect," she whispered almost afraid that her voice would break the mood.

Tom smiled and extended his hand, "So do you, B'Elanna. May I have this dance."

The engineer smiled as she took his hand. She suddenly felt warm and safe in his arms. It was like coming home to her. She sighed in contentment as Tom selected a romantic song from his favorite time in history. The music began to play and the two danced.

"It worked," Harry breathed in amazement, "I don't believe it."

Alera was not convinced, "It's just a start, Harry. They have a way to go before they are complete again. Tom needs to remember more."

The couple watched their friends dance across the room as if nothing could bother them. After two songs, the couple moved back to the bar and sat down. Harry and Alera hoped that the two would talk now.

"B'Elanna," Tom began as he looked at his hands, a sign of nervousness that was familiar to her, "I know that we haven't been talking to each other much. It came as a shock to me when I woke up to learn that I was married and had two sons. On top of that, I lost three years--three very important years."

B'Elanna took his hands in hers and forced him to look into her eyes, "I understand, Tom. I'm just happy that you are starting to remember. I'm more than glad that you love our sons as much as they love you. I just need you to remember what we had."

Tom looked at her, "I'm trying, B'Elanna. I'm recalling things, but they are gone just as fast as they appeared. Yesterday was the first time something actually stayed long enough for me to commit it to memory. I'm hoping that I'll remember more soon."

B'Elanna turned to look at the mirror. It felt just like when they first rescued him from Daylia. He would remember something, but it was gone before he could actually recall it. They came to him like flashes of light and was gone just as fast. She also remembered how frustrating it had been for her. She sighed a little too loudly.

"What?" Tom asked, on the defensive, "I'm not remembering fast enough for you? Is that it?"

She turned to him to see a flash of fire in his blue eyes. She hadn't seen that in months. She was both glad and fearful to see it return. She tried to calm him.

"No, Tom. I know how frustrating this is to you. It's frustrating for me as well. You remembered things more slowly when we first retrieved you from that planet. Now, you have a whole year of memories returned to you. You just need to remember the rest."

"You're talking about three years, B'Elanna!" Tom snapped, "I can't remember three years in a short amount of time, so don't give me a deadline!"

"I'm not giving you a deadline, Paris!" B'Elanna shouted, standing up, "I know that you can't remember three years in three days or even three weeks. All I'm saying is that I want you to remember what we had!"

Tom stood up as well. He glared into her dark eyes as if daring her. He walked up to her and quietly said, "I don't know if I want to remember what we had, if all we did was argue like we're doing now."

With that he left the holodeck. B'Elanna stared at the spot where he stood. She felt her world crashing around her as she heard the doors hiss shut.

Chapter Eight

The next few days Tom tried even harder to remember but was unsuccessful though he did develop one whale of a headache--and he also wore a path in the carpet from all of his pacing. Not wanting a repeat of what happened on the holodeck, he also tried to avoid B'Elanna, for which unfortunately he was very successful.

Little did Tom know that one reason that he was so easy to avoid B'Elanna was that she was also trying very hard not to run into him. She accomplished this by burying herself in her work, and only taking time off to be with the boys and then not staying in her cabin.

Their actions though did not go unnoticed by Voyager's resident matchmakers.

Chakotay having visually inspected the Ops Station and the Engineering Station, walked casually up to the front of the helm. He ran his hand lazily along the edge of the console. Tom looked up at the Indian wondering what he had done this time.

"Mr. Paris, you appeared to be a might bored?"

"Um, no I'm not..."

"I find that hard to believe we have been flying virtually in a straight line for over three days without even a asteroid in sight. It seems to me that your talents are not being expended to the best capacity here on the bridge. I think that you should report to Shuttlebay One and work on the repair of the Chamberlain."

"But..."

Chakotay leaned down over the conn and whispered. "Truth be known, Tom, the Captain is short on replicator credits and hasn't had her coffee this morning. I would really appreciate the opportunity to get as far away from her as possible. So if you wouldn't mind going to the shuttlebay for the rest of your shift so I can sit at the conn, I'd really appreciate it."

Tom couldn't believe that Chakotay was actually asking him a favor, so what else could he say. "Sure...um...no problem, Commander, I'd be happy to."

Paris relinquished his position at the helm to the First Officer and headed toward the shuttlebay, missing the conspiratorial wink that passed between the Commander and the Captain.

Tom strode into Shuttlebay One and stopped when he spotted the Chamberlain in the repair bay. Several crewmembers were working on it, some were working under the shuttle and others were perched on the roof of the craft. Tom approached the repair team and one of them, a young lieutenant spoke up.

"Lt. Paris, over here!" The lieutenant waved his hand indicating that they needed him to work on the far side of the shuttle. Tom nodded and walked around to the other side. Several people were working on the starboard side and moved aside when they saw Tom to allow him access to the redundant navigational sensors. Tom worked on the sensors for quite awhile and the other members of the crew went back to their jobs.

Finally, the scent of plasma coolant drifted through the air becoming stronger all the time. He had questioned why he needed to go down here when Chakotay told him to report to the shuttlebay, but now the question was answered.

"Tom, why are you here?" B'Elanna Torres growled approaching the pilot.

"Because, I have a death wish?" he quipped.

B'Elanna narrowed her eyes and glared at her husband. The other members of the repair crew retreated a discrete distance from the pair.

"So they got you working on this shuttle too?" he tried hoping that he could divert her ire.

"Apparently."

Tom bent down and whispered in her ear. "I'd say they are trying to set us up again."

"I know," B'Elanna replied softly her anger dissipated. "They are just trying to help."

Tom laughed lightly and nodded. "They really care about us."

"They're family."

"A family we never had back in the Alpha Quadrant," Tom said his voice choked with emotion when he considered how much their friends cared about them.

"Certainly not a family that would go to the trouble that the Voyager family does just to try and make us happy."

"We are very fortunate, but I wish that they'd just let us go at our own pace," Tom admitted his lips gently tickled her ear.

B'Elanna turned her head, her lips coming very close to her husband's, so close she could taste his scent. "I agree." the concurred huskily.

B'Elanna then noticed that the shuttlebay had become very quiet, she looked around and observed that the repair crew were all paying careful attention to the two of them.

The engineer cleared her throat, the moment passed, and a red- faced Tom returned to his job. The other crewmembers heaved a discouraged sigh.

That night B'Elanna slept restlessly. In her dreams, she was lying with Tom, her nude body pressed against her husband's bare flesh. He intimately touched her and she him, until finally B'Elanna awoke flushed with excitement, longing for the reality of her imagination, of what they had experienced in the past.

Down the hall, not far from B'Elanna's cabin, Tom Paris shared an equally erotic dream. In the dream, he could hear the half- Klingon's primal roar as she plummeted over the edge of sexual fulfillment and he could feel the elation of having brought her to the rim of oblivion and following her into the passionate climax. The pilot's azure eyes flew open at the end of the dream. He took a deep cleansing breath and flinging the damp sheets away from his body, sprang from his bed and headed toward the bathroom. Tom filled the sink with clean, cold water, bent his head over the basin and splashed the water onto this face. Finally straightening up, he looked into the mirror and rubbed the wetness away from his eyes. Looking at his reflection he said simply: "I'm starting to remember. I remember the love."

B'Elanna hurried down the corridor to the turbolift the next morning. To her surprise, the object of her dreams, her husband, was already in the lift.

"Good morning, B'Elanna," Tom replied cheerfully.

"Good morning, did you sleep well?"

"Ah-huh," Tom replied with a low and sexy voice, he recalled the dream he had of her during the night. "B'Elanna?"

"Yes?" B'Elanna noticed his heavy eyelids and the tone of his voice and took a step to bring her closer to him and she growled.

Tom didn't need an engraved invitation and pulled his wife into his embrace and kissed her with a newly discovered passion--a delightful familiar passion that he had forgotten but had returned to his memory in a welcoming deluge during the night.

B'Elanna opened her lips to allow their tongues to touch and she ran her hands hungrily up and down his back. "Oh, Tom," she breathed when they parted momentarily to breathe, "I've missed your touch so much and I've missed you."

"And I you, my love." Tom replied, delighted that he could finally say those words and truly mean them. He cradled her face in his hands and reverently kissed her, first on her forehead, then her eyelids, her pert nose, and finally he tenderly kissed her mouth.

It was Tom's turn to growl. He parted her sweet, swollen lips with his tongue in a desperate attempt to taste her. A starving man having finally found his sustenance, his reason to live.

It was then the turbolift doors opened on the bridge level. Unbeknownst to the couple, the entire bridge crew observed their embrace just before the doors shut and the turbolift proceeded down to one of the lower levels.

Kathryn and Chakotay exchanged self-satisfied smiles, and both looked over to the Communication Station to see an equally happy Harry Kim.

"Captain, turbolift one appears to be experiencing difficulties," Tuvok announced with complete seriousness from his station. "It is my prediction that it will be off line for fifteen minutes."

"Make that thirty minutes," Janeway suggested realizing that it was the Vulcan who initiated the turbolift 'difficulties.' <So Tuvok was a romantic at heart? Who knew?>

"Aye, aye Captain," the Security Chief replied stoically.

Chapter Nine

The day finally arrived. Harry and Alera's wedding was held in the Resort. The couple stood before the Captain smiling happily. Alera was dressed in white lace, the skirt flowing down to her ankles. The raw silk veil covered her face, yet she could still see. Harry was dressed in a black tuxedo as was his Best Man, Tom Paris.

B'Elanna was dressed in a flowing gown of a pale rose color. She kept her eyes on Tom as Janeway began the ceremony. Her grip tightened on the bouquet of flowers that she held in her hands when Tom's blue eyes caught her brown ones. She smiled shyly as she hoped he was remembering their wedding.

Tom's gaze, though was far away. He kept seeing flashes of light appear before him. The flashes soon became images as he remembered a lush forest. He could hear voices almost like the ones he could faintly hear now. He had a sudden rush of happiness and fulfillment wash over him and he closed his eyes to take it all in. A ghost of a smile played on his lips as Janeway announced that Harry and Alera were married.

Tom congratulated Harry and Alera as the happy couple moved toward the huge banquet table.

"I bet you never thought you'd ever marry, huh, Harry?" The pilot asked as he took a champagne glass.

Harry smiled at his friend, "You know, I had been thinking about that. I was more than surprised that you got married. I thought you'd always be the bachelor."

Tom laughed, "So did I, Harry. But, I'm actually grateful. I have two wonderful boys. Twins no less."

Harry could tell something was wrong. The pilot had a distant look about him. He has a strange feeling that Tom was remembering something.

*Good* Kim thought, *if he's remembering something he should be closer to regaining all his memories. I hope.*

Tom excused himself as more people began to gather around Harry to congratulate him. The pilot didn't want to be in the way. Besides, he had some thinking to do. He was getting that strange feeling he had a couple days ago. The feeling of being so lost and alone. He tried to shake it, but it continued to taunt him.

*What is going on?* He asked. *Why am I feeling this way? What is it?*

He sat down at a table away from the others. He stared at his champagne glass and suddenly the feeling poured over him like a tidal wave. Tom felt despair and heartache. He tried to catch his breath, but he only gasped. He closed his eyes and tried to force the feelings away, but they persisted.

"Tom?" A voice broke the onslaught.

The pilot opened his eyes to see Captain Janeway standing over him. He offered her a chair and she sat down. He could see the concern in her eyes and he wondered what was wrong. She provided the answer.

"I saw that you left the group. Is there something wrong?"

Tom stared into his glass. The captain had a sudden feeling of deja vu come over her as she saw the look on his face. She remembered seeing that same expression at another time. She shuddered as she pushed the horrible memories away.

"I got this sudden feeling as I was standing there," Tom said softly, "It was like a tidal wave crashed down on me. I couldn't breathe for a moment. I had this feeling a couple days ago. I feel lost and alone. What is it?"

He looked at her as he spoke his question. He searched her eyes, hoping that the answer was in them.

"I believe I felt this before," Tom continued, "It seems familiar. It was more powerful today. Almost like deja vu."

Janeway nodded. She knew what he was talking about. She believed he was remembering Harry and B'Elanna's engagement party. She didn't know what to tell him. She didn't know if she should tell him.

"Do you know what happened?" Tom asked, "Did something happen to make me feel like that? So lost and alone."

Janeway nodded and looked at her hands. She knew she had to tell him, but she hoped it wouldn't traumatize him.

"There was a time not too long ago when you were depressed. The only thing that kept you going was your piloting. Though, even that didn't seem to help much."

Tom looked at her when she didn't continue, "What happened?"

Janeway stared at him. His blue eyes telling her that he wanted to remember. She took a deep breath and continued, "You thought that you had lost B'Elanna to another. You were afraid to tell her that you loved her. You have loved you for a long time, Tom."

Tom stared at her in shock. He took a deep breath to calm himself. So that was why he felt so lost and alone. He nodded to himself as realization hit him.

"It was a situation like this, wasn't it?" Tom asked, his eyes dark.

Janeway nodded, "You were distraught for two months, Tom. A lot of us were afraid you would never come out of it. Eventually, you did. With B'Elanna's help."

Tom smiled at that. B'Elanna. She had been there for him as he tried to regain his memory. Of course, she was frustrated with him at times, but she was there. He knew now that he wanted to be with her again.

The pilot excused himself and went over to the chief engineer, who was talking to Alera. He smiled at them both when they noticed his arrival.

"B'Elanna, Alera," he said, nodding to them both. He then turned his attention to the half-Klingon, "B'Elanna, care for a dance?"

B'Elanna smiled brightly. She nodded and took his hand when he offered it. The two walked toward the other couples that were dancing. The couples parted for them as the two made their way to the center. As a slow song started to play, Tom put on hand on her waist and took her other hand in his. They stared into each other's eyes as the music played.

Janeway watched the two glide across the floor. They appeared to be dancing on air, she noticed. They were almost oblivious to the other dancers around them.

*Maybe they are dancing on air,* Janeway thought as she smiled. She realized then that the two really didn't need any matchmakers. All they needed was time.

*And a wedding,* the Captain added as she watched the couple's graceful movements.

B'Elanna placed her head on Tom's chest as the two danced. She breathed in his scent and closed her eyes. How she missed him. She missed his touch, his caresses, everything. She couldn't remember ever feeling so happy in her life, except when she married him.

*I just wish he could remember that,* she thought as her hand roamed unconsciously up and down his back. If he could remember that, then everything else would come.

Suddenly, she felt a gentle kiss on her ear. She tensed, but quickly relaxed. She moved her head to stare into his eyes.

"I was wondering if you're doing anything tomorrow night?" Tom asked, almost shyly. He hoped he wasn't rushing things.

B'Elanna smiled. She felt as if she could float. Her eyes brightened as she spoke, "I'm not doing anything."

Tom smiled as well. She obviously knew what he was up to. He spun her around and spoke softly, "It'll be just the two of us A nice romantic dinner, some dancing..."

"It's a date, Tom," B'Elanna interrupted. He could get carried away at times and go on about every detail.

The pilot smiled, "Great. See in Holodeck Three, 1800?"

"I'm there, flyboy," she whispered in his ear. It sent a shiver down his spine and he moaned softly. B'Elanna giggled with delight.

Janeway smiled as the couple whispered to each other. It looked like things were finally going their way.

*I hope they finally find happiness,* she thought as she watched the two dance. *They deserve it. After all that's happened to them.*

Tom and B'Elanna continued to dance as if they were the only ones in the room. Even after the music had stopped.

Chapter Ten

Tom and B'Elanna entered the holodeck, and stepped into another world. It was night and three full moons hung in the velvet sky. The moons' light was all the two needed to see the path as they walked down it through the forest.

"This is wonderful, Tom," B'Elanna remarked, "I bet it's beautiful in the daylight."

Tom smiled, "It is. It's one of the first programs I made after I arrived on Voyager."

B'Elanna stared at him, "You kept this to yourself?"

Tom nodded, "I came here often when I wanted to get away. When I wanted to be alone. To think."

B'Elanna felt honored that she was the first person he showed this program to. She now wanted to see this program during the day as well. She wrapped an arm around his waist as they traveled down the path and breathed in his scent. It was just as she remembered it--so intoxicating--and she smiled.

When the pair came to a clearing in the middle of the forest, a slight breeze blew. Tom caught a whiff of B'Elanna's perfume, and a flash of light sparked before his eyes. He saw the two of them in a similar program. He was standing behind her, his arms around her. He could smell her perfume in her hair. The familiar feeling of being lost and alone flowed over him, but it wasn't as overwhelming as before. There was another emotion over powering it. That of love.

Tom stopped and looked at the woman beside him. B'Elanna stared at him, her dark eyes full of questions. He smiled at her as he felt the emotions build inside of him. The pilot gently lifted her chin and kissed her. It was gentle at first as if testing her reaction. Then the kiss built as did the passion.

B'Elanna moaned into the kiss as old feelings that had been tucked away in waiting finally were let loose. She wrapped her arms around him and deepened the kiss. Her hands then flew to his face as she aggressively ravished his mouth. She wanted to make sure that he knew of her desire for him. She had no idea of what brought this on, but she was going to take advantage of it. B'Elanna didn't know if it would ever happen again.

Tom ran his hands through B'Elanna's dark hair. He moaned as he felt the silky softness of it. He remembered that feeling and missed it dearly. Moving his mouth to kiss her jawline, another flash of memories overcame him. He remembered them in his quarters focused only on each other. He saw himself biting her and her wonderful reaction. When the memory faded, he bit B'Elanna on the jaw.

"Tom!" B'Elanna screamed and backed away from him. She stared at him, surprised. She touched her cheek and felt the wetness. Looking at her fingers and seeing, the blood, she looked at him and smiled.

Tom smiled back, glad that he didn't do anything wrong. Her reaction was not what he expected. When she charged him and knocked him to the ground, his passion for her grew. He yelped when she bit him, but it only increased the new emotions that he was feeling for her. He rolled them over to where he was staring down at her. Her dark eyes reflected the passion that he felt.

"What brought all this on?" B'Elanna asked as she ran her hands through his hair.

Tom smiled and gently kissed her forehead, "Let's just say, I caught a whiff of something in the air."

That was enough for B'Elanna. She smiled, embraced him, and brought his head down for another passionate kiss. Then running her hands up his back, she pulled his shirt off of him. She then flipped him over and began to lick and kiss her way down his chest. She smiled as she heard his moans. She loved to hear him enjoy himself and it brought her that much more pleasure. B'Elanna encountered the waistband of his jeans, and she began to unbutton them. She stopped briefly to take off her top before she slid his jeans off of him.

Tom watched as the moonlight reflected off her bronze skin. He felt himself become aroused as he watched her undress to reveal her honey-colored skin, he thought about how sweet it would be to taste. He thought back to the first time they kissed since he woke up in Sickbay. It was an amazing kiss even though it was gentle. He wondered how much farther they would have gone if they hadn't been interrupted. He smiled as a scenario played in his mind, catching B'Elanna's attention.

"Care to share the amusement," B'Elanna's soft voice caught his ears.

Tom smiled at her and drew her closer for a deep kiss. He ran his hands over her skin, loving the feel of it. He wanted to kiss every inch of her, but they only had the holodeck for two more hours. She growled in his ear which only cause him to react more to her nearness. He flipped them over and he smiled as he slipped her bra then her underwear off, his briefs followed a moment later.

The pilot took a breast in his mouth and suckled it, running his tongue across the peak which caused it to harden. He heard her gasp then moan as he continued. Her nails dug into his back as she urged him on. He switched sides as her moans grew louder. He then moved back up to take her mouth with his. He ran his hands through her hair as her hands roamed over his back.

B'Elanna then flipped them over and straddled her husband's waist, she stared into his blue eyes. They smiled at each other in anticipation, knowing what was to come next. The engineer slowly raised her body and ever so slowly lowered herself onto him. She gasped at the sensation and relished the feeling of the two of them becoming one again. The two moaned together as B'Elanna began the age-old rhythm, steadying herself by placing her hands upon Tom's chest. She closed her eyes in ecstasy as she rocked her hips forward.

Tom thrust up into her, bringing a low growl from her lips. He felt her nails digging into his chest as the pace increased. Moaning her name, he kept up with her frantic pace. He then suddenly flipped them over, never breaking their connection. She yelped at the sudden motion and stared into eyes that were dark with arousal. He smiled at her as he began to move inside her. She moaned as she wrapped her legs around his waist to push him in further.

B'Elanna growled as Tom thrust harder inside her. She dug her nails into his back which only increased the pace. Nearing the edge, she moaned louder. She arched her back to let him deeper inside her as she tightened her grip on him. The pace increased until B'Elanna screamed his name. Her cry echoed through the holodeck and Tom was glad no one could hear it. Tom kept thrusting until he followed her over the edge. He cried out her name as he released into her.

The two lay on the ground for several minutes as they caught their breath. B'Elanna was the first to open her eyes. She looked at her husband's composed, self-satisfied face and smiled. It had been a long time since she had seen that particular look. She ran a hand through his hair as she realized the gift he had given her. This time, she didn't need to ask him. This time, she wasn't trying to get him to remember her. This time, they were a couple reclaiming the love they shared. She felt a tear slide down her cheek. This would be a special moment in their relationship. One that she was sure they wouldn't forget.

Later, the two were dressed again and they were sitting in the clearing quietly talking. They were in each other's arms as Tom told B'Elanna what he remembered. She was amazed that it was the smell of her perfume alone that caused him to finally remember how much he loved her. She silently vowed that she would always wear that fragrance.

"Also, when we were at Harry and Alera's wedding, I remembered something," Tom whispered, unsure if he should go on.

B'Elanna sat up and looked at him. His blue eyes were clouded as if he were remembering something. She touched his arm, telling him to go on. He looked at her and she smiled. It seemed to be enough, for he continued.

"I had this overwhelming sense of being lost and alone," Tom said softly, "I felt as if everything that was dear to me was taken away. I remember an engagement party. You where there with Harry."

B'Elanna closed her eyes. She would always remember that time. They almost lost Tom twice and they never really knew why. Not until she was carrying their children did he finally tell her that he had loved her for a long time. Opening her eyes she found him looking at her strangely.

"It was a very bad time for you, Tom," B'Elanna said, "You were depressed most of the time."

"You and Harry were about to be married, weren't you?" Tom asked, his eyes filling with unshed tears.

B'Elanna nodded, "You withdrew from everyone. You barely ate unless ordered to. You lost weight...."

"And I tried to kill myself," Tom finished, looking away from her, "I'm sorry. I thought I had lost you. The only woman I truly loved."

B'Elanna hugged him close to her, "We finally got together, though. And we were married. We have wonderful twin boys that just adore you."

Tom smiled as he touched her face. He remembered how they got together. If she hadn't been so concerned for him, they wouldn't have had two weeks alone together as she watched over him, worried that he might try to commit suicide again. During that time, the two had shared two passionate nights together. He frowned though as another memory entered his mind. The reason he couldn't remember any of this in the first place.

"Two aliens took me away from you," the pilot whispered, "They sold me to a woman on another planet. I thought I would never see you again. I remember being beaten when I wouldn't follow their or her instructions. I remember them injecting me with some kind of drug." Tom reached up and rubbed the nape of his neck, the scars were almost all faded away thanks to the Doctor's ministrations.

"That drug erased your memories of us, Tom," B'Elanna whispered, touching his chin. "You acted strangely around us when you first came back on board. You wouldn't look at me unless I told you to. You slept on the floor unless invited into my bed."

Tom blushed at that. He looked at her and for the first time, cursed the aliens that had taken him away from all that he knew. He wished there was a way to make it up to B'Elanna and his sons.

B'Elanna finally had an idea of how to get him to remember everything. She stood up and offered her hand to him. He took it and she lifted him to his feet.

"Tom," she began, "How would you like to see another program you made. One almost like this, but created for me."

Tom's eyes widened, "I created a program for you!?"

B'Elanna smiled, "What do you say?"

Tom nodded, his curiosity piqued.

B'Elanna addressed the computer, "Computer, run program Paris Alpha 7."

The program changed to another forest, but off to one side was a rushing waterfall that fell into a calm river. B'Elanna watched Tom's reaction. She smiled as his eyes widened and he walked around, taking in the details. He turned back to her after awhile and smiled.

"It's beautiful," he said in awe, "I made this?"

B'Elanna nodded. Tom looked at his surroundings again and he began to remember.

"This program. I remember, I've seen it before," Tom said, as he wracked his brain.

The engineer went over to him and took his hand, "Don't force it, Tom. It only gives you headaches. Let's just sit down and allow them to come to you. We have plenty of time--we have a lifetime." Tom smiled down at his wife and nodded.

The two sat down by the river. They listened to the sound of the water as it flowed passed them. Tom closed his eyes and the memories, like the waves of the river, washed over him. He relaxed and concentrated on the sounds. Soon, something came to him--then something else. Suddenly, the floodgate was opened and the memories returned.

"B'Elanna!" Tom shouted as he opened his eyes and stared at her, "We had our wedding here."

B'Elanna smiled and nodded. She watched as he stood up and wondered around the area.

"I showed this program to you," the pilot continued, looking at her. "We had our first kiss here." He stopped at the exact spot they had kissed. He then looked at her darkly and the smile that had been on his face faded. "You said that what we did wasn't honorable."

She stood up then and went over to him. She touched his cheek tenderly and spoke gently to him, "I was confused at the time, Tom. I was fighting emotions that were strange to me. What I meant was that I was not honorable. I was going to be married to another and here I was kissing you. I realized later, that I was meant to be with you. Now I am."

Tom stared at her, his eyes dark with emotion. He slowly embraced her and kissed her hair. "Yes, you are."

He stroked her silky hair and buried his face in its softness and savored the smell. "You watched over me for awhile. I was very sick and you stayed with me, he whispered near her ear. Then suddenly you wanted to have sex with me."

B'Elanna smiled. She remembered that vividly and she also remembered what happened next. She left him again, because she was afraid -- afraid that she went too far, that she had made a mistake.

"You came back," Tom told her as if reading her mind, "You told me about your Klingon urges. You told me you caught my scent and that it was nothing like what you had with Harry. We made love again that night."

B'Elanna smiled. He was remembering everything. Her own eyes were filling up with tears as she listened to him tell of how they relieved her itching during her pregnancy.

"I remember the night you told me you were having twins," Tom said, smiling, "I fell off the bed. You literally floored me. I was so happy, so proud."

The two laughed as the memory came to both their minds. They then remembered what happened afterwards. A night of gentle passion that neither had experienced before. After a moment of shared silence, Tom continued, "I was worried when you stopped itching and didn't tell me. I was glad that you explained it to me. We finally admitted to each other that we loved each other."

B'Elanna smiled softly, "You finally told me that you had loved me for a long time, you were just afraid to tell me. Afraid that I wouldn't take you seriously. I did then and I do now. We were so silly to keep our feelings hidden for so long."

Tom smiled back and they kissed. The pilot broke away with another memory he couldn't wait to tell.

"The birth of our twins was something that I'd always remember. Until I was taken away from you. I remember you screamed at both me and the Doc. I even learned a few more choice Klingon words that day."

B'Elanna laughed at that. She would never forget that day. The Doc made sure of that. He told her practically every time she came in. The humorous mood was broken with Tom's next words.

"The Hirogen," the pilot whispered, "kidnapped both of us and forced us to be their prey. I thought we would never get out of there alive. But we did. We had to..."

"For the boys," they said simultaneously and laughed lightly at their shared words.

Tom pulled his wife into his embrace to comfort her remembering what a terrible ordeal it had been for her. B'Elanna also wrapped her arms around him tightly as she relived those events in her mind. It was hellish for her as well as for him. There were times when she feared that he wouldn't make it. Their ordeal in the desert would always haunt her.

"It surprised me that the Hirogen doctor helped us get out of there," Tom continued, "I think he wanted us to be with our children even if he could not be with his."

B'Elanna smiled. She believed that as well.

The two continued to talk as memories began to rebuild themselves in Tom's mind. The pilot even apologized for flirting with the blonde lieutenant in Sandrine's. He explained that he was feeling out of place and was overwhelmed that he was married and had children. He didn't remember anything except of that first year on Voyager. B'Elanna told him she understood and warned him jokingly not to do it again. Tom only smiled and kissed her soundly.

Later, the two walked hand-in-hand down to the river's edge to a place that Tom remembered he had programed, but hadn't shown her, yet. They walked to the edge of a short cliff that dropped off into a deep lagoon. B'Elanna gasped when she saw the moon reflecting its light onto the water.

"It's beautiful, Tom," she breathed, barely able to take her eyes off the water.

Tom smiled, "I put this in after I created the forest. I forgot to show it to you. I knew you'd love it."

"I do," she whispered. She then looked at him as he began to undress. "What are you doing?"

Tom smiled at her, "You'll see. Take your clothes off."

B'Elanna glared at him, but at his puppy dog expression, she began to undress. Finally, their clothes were off and they stared at each other as the moon glistened off their bare skin. B'Elanna again asked him her question. In answer, Tom took her hand and stepped closer to the edge.

"Oh, no," she said, pulling him back, "I'm not jumping and neither are you."

"Come on, B"Elanna," Tom whined, "The safeties are on and the pool is deep. You won't get hurt."

B'Elanna stared at him, his blue eyes begging her. Finally, she sighed and nodded. The two stepped up to the edge and after taking several deep breaths, they jumped off the cliff. They hit the water with a loud splash. The two came up breathing heavily from the rush they felt.

"You're crazy, you know that!" B'Elanna shouted at him, splashing him with water.

Tom laughed as he returned her attack. The two ended up in a water fight with Tom inching his way closer to her. Suddenly, he grabbed her and embraced her with a deep and passion filled kiss. She returned the kiss as she ran her wet hands into his soaked hair.

"Thank you, B'Elanna," Tom whispered into her ear, "for bringing me here. Even amnesia couldn't stop me from loving you."

B'Elanna felt the tears fall as she embraced him. Those words meant a lot to her and she would never forget them. She had her husband back.

End.

Please email the authors and let them know if you liked the story. Marleena: mooneyham123@att.net ; PJ in NH: kelhapam@worldpath.net