The BLTS Archive- Turn About
by Mel Blue (mel@melblue.com)

---

Archives: ASC, BLTS, My website, others please ask.

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Disclaimer: These characters are the property of Paramount-Viacom. I
just borrowed them and am not writing for profit.

---
Chapter 1
---

The shuttle landed, bounced, landed again, slid down a small slope,
and came to a stop with a bone-jarring jolt.

On the floor, Tom groaned and sat up. He looked around and spotted a
pair of legs protruding from under the co-pilot console. He touched
one of the legs and it twitched.

"Commander?" The leg twitched again. "Commander, are you OK?"

"Yeah" came a muffled reply "just give me a hand getting out from
here."

Tom grabbed the other leg and hauled. Once enough of him was out,
Chakotay rose to his knees and crawled backwards out of the mess. He
emerged, blinking and looking rather disheveled. Both men stood and
stared at each other.

"What happened?" Chakotay asked.

"I have no idea," answered Tom. "We were orbiting the moon while
waiting for rendezvous with Voyager, next thing we had a complete
systems failure, and here we are."

"Total systems failure," stated Chakotay. "I know our shuttles are
worn out, but that's ridiculous."

"Well that's what happened," Tom snapped. "I didn't do anything
stupid, believe me!"

"Oh I do" Chakotay stated simply; secretly he admired the skill that
had allowed Tom to land the shuttle without serious injury to
themselves. He peered closely at Tom's head. "You're bleeding."

Tom touched his hand to his forehead and felt blood. "It's just a
small cut, it'll stop soon." He flipped open a medical tricorder and
scanned them both, relieved at the readings. "We're both fine, but I
should tell you that this shuttle is not. We're not going anywhere in
this thing, and Voyager is still out of communications range."

"Well" Chakotay replied, "We'd better take a look outside, then."

They popped the rear hatch and exited the shuttle. Tom looked around
and groaned. The landscape was completely bleak, no sign of
vegetation. Dirt and rocks, great, he thought dismally. Why is it
always dirt and rocks in these situations, why not a parochial
paradise for once?

Chakotay had opened his tricorder and was scanning the area. "No life
signs. Wonderful," he enthused sarcastically. "We seem to be at the
bottom of a crater and there's no sign of water down here either. We
have supplies, but we can't assume that Voyager will be on time. We're
going to have to get out of this crater."

Tom looked up at the towering cliff walls surrounding them. He sighed
in resignation. I knew it would get better.

"Well let's grab the rations and water, and get going." Chakotay
snapped the tricorder shut and moved back onto the shuttle. He
re-emerged with a water bag slung over his shoulder and gave a handful
of ration bars to Tom. "Stick those in your pockets." Then he turned
and headed towards the nearest cliff face. "There's water in this
direction."

Tom turned and dejectedly trudged after him.

---

After two hours of rock climbing, Tom's knees were shaking and he
could feel that blisters were forming on his fingers. He looked up at
Chakotay ahead of him, still climbing steadily. Gods, he's relentless.

"Commander" he shouted.

Chakotay stopped climbing and looked down over his shoulder at Tom.
"What?"

"We need to rest somewhere," Tom replied.

"Well, Ensign, that could be interesting on the side of a cliff."

"Well, Commander, I don't give a shit. Start looking for somewhere."

Chakotay looked at Tom for a long minute. Finally he just said, "OK"
and resumed climbing.

Another twenty minutes of climbing, and Tom's mind was in a daze.
Suddenly he realized that his face was level with the Commander's
foot. Chakotay was standing on a small ledge looking down at him.

"There's a narrow but reasonably deep crevice here that I think we can
fit in. We can rest and eat something."

Tom climbed up beside Chakotay and peered doubtfully at the crevice.
"You really think we'll both fit in there?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'll get in first, I can prop my legs up on either side. You
can sit in front, but you'll have to dangle your legs out the front.
You should be able to rest your feet on this ledge." Chakotay replied.

Tom was too tired to care anymore. "OK"

Chakotay handed the water bag to Tom and climbed into the crevice. Tom
took a drink and handed the bag back to Chakotay. He took a couple of
ration bars out of his pocket, tossed them to the Commander and then
slid into the crevice. He leaned back into Chakotay and felt the other
man's arm come around his waist, holding him in place. This actually
isn't too uncomfortable he thought rather like sitting in a large,
warm armchair.

Chakotay passed him a ration bar and remarked, "We should only rest
for one hour; we're still only about half way up and I'm not sure how
much light we have."

---

Chakotay leaned his head back and rested it on the rock wall behind
him. He relaxed his arms around Tom slightly, resting his elbows on
his knees, and closed his eyes. He gave a slight sigh. The weight of
the body pressing against him felt good, in a way assisting to ease
his muscles. It's been a long time since I've felt this. He thought
back to Riley and then realized something else. He frowned slightly
and searched further back into his memories.

It's been even longer since I felt this, with a body like this,
harder, muscular... He allowed his thoughts to drift further back into
old memories. He felt a swelling in his penis and an erection
beginning to grow, pressing forward into the body in front of him.
Chakotay opened his eyes, widening them in alarm.

Shit, shit, shit, what the hell am I doing?

---

Tom felt Chakotay tense behind him and wondered. Then he felt the
erection pressing into his lower back.

Oh my GOD his voice screamed in his mind how embarrassing... for both
of us.

Chakotay moved slightly behind him and Tom cringed inwardly as he felt
the erection press further into him. Suddenly he smirked, Well, who'd
have thought I'd find out like this that the Commander is so very…
large. He shifted minutely and then froze when he heard Chakotay give
a slight gasp behind him.

Oh god, he thought and then, perversely, felt the need to shift again.
He did so and then felt a rush of power when he heard the gasp again
and Chakotay's arms tightened slightly around him. And then, he felt
in danger and panicked.

"Let's get moving again." he blurted and shot forward out of the
crevice and onto the ledge. He moved back, waiting for Chakotay to
slide out and take the lead.

Feeling slightly bereft, Chakotay moved forward and stepped out. His
erection pressed against the front of his uniform and he hoped it
would soon pass.

He was confused. For a moment I thought Tom was... He sensed that Tom
had been playing with him and felt a strong surge of anger. Stupid
asshole, he thought, couldn't pass up the opportunity to embarrass me
even further.

Then he remembered how Tom had tensed in his arms and then lunged
forward, breaking abruptly out of his hold and then he knew. He knew
that Tom had played with fire and then panicked. Chakotay smiled to
himself. Huh, he's not so experienced as he makes out!

---

Two hours later they were still climbing and Tom was in a daze,
automatically finding handholds and footholds. Chakotay's voice
floated down to him, reassuring him that they were almost at the top.

At the sound of Chakotay's voice, Tom remembered his panic earlier and
found his mind dwelling on the soft sound of that gasp and the feeling
of the Commander's arms around his waist. He looked up at Chakotay
dispassionately and began analyzing what he saw with new eyes, the
muscular legs and the firm rounded buttocks. At one point, on a
convenient ledge, they had stopped and removed their jackets and
turtlenecks, leaving only their undershirts, and Tom now noticed the
play of muscles across Chakotay's broad back and the strain of his
arms as he hauled himself up the rock face. I always thought he was
handsome, but I never really noticed how sexy he is before. I wonder
what he's like as a lover, Tom thought idly.

Suddenly, he was confronted with Chakotay's face instead of his feet
and a hand reached down, gripping his arm and pulling him up over the
edge. They had reached the top of the crater.

As Tom stood upright a blast of dry, furnace hot air buffeted at him.
He sank to his knees. "Jesus."

"Here." Chakotay handed him the water bag and turned to scan with his
tricorder. "I can see some trees over there, and the tricorder says
there's water." He looked down at Tom. "I'm afraid we have more
exercise but it's only about twenty minutes."

"What about Voyager?" Tom croaked.

"I commed them already, no answer." Chakotay replied. He reached down
a hand. "Come on."

As soon as they reached the small waterhole, Chakotay scanned it with
his tricorder.

"It's safe to drink." He glanced down at Tom who was sitting on the
bank, pulling off his boots. "But it's shallow, no swimming I'm
afraid."

"No problem, my feet are the sorest part of me anyway."

Chakotay started to pull his boots off as well. "I know what you
mean."

By the time the Commander got to his socks, Tom was already kicking
water around on the other side of the waterhole, looking like an
overgrown schoolboy. Chakotay watched him for a moment and then
smiled. Gods, he felt tired. He sighed; his body was getting too old
for all this climbing around. He lay back on the soft grass and closed
his eyes for a moment.

---

Oh blessed parochial paradise. Forty minutes later and Tom was still
paddling about in the waterhole. He glanced over at the green bank and
noticed that Chakotay was lying on the grass under a tree, asleep.

Tom got out of the water, walked over to the Commander and stood
looking down at him. Chakotay was lying sprawled on his back, one arm
flung over his head and the other resting on his stomach. Tom studied
him from head to toe. No sign of that impressive erection now, he
noted. He watched the Commander's chest rise and fall with his
breathing, and remembered how it had felt to have that broad chest
pressed against his back. Then he realized he was sporting a healthy
erection of his own.

Suddenly he felt confused. What is going on in my head? he thought
angrily and stomped away, flinging himself on the grass under another
tree. Five minutes later he was asleep.

---

Tom had no idea how long he'd been asleep when he woke up, but he
judged by the dimmer light that a fair amount of time had passed. It
was cooler, too, and Tom got up and retrieved the rest of his uniform
and his boots. After putting them on he sat on a rock and munched on
the other half of his ration bar.

Tom glanced over and noticed the Commander still lying on the grass.
He couldn't see if Chakotay was still asleep or not so he looked away,
and then tried his com badge.

"Paris to Voyager."

He sensed a movement and noticed that Chakotay was sitting up,
watching him. Tom smiled "No answer. Here." He tossed a ration bar
over. Chakotay caught it and then reached over and grabbed his
uniform.

Well, Tom thought, Voyager shouldn't be much longer, I hope. It'll be
good to get back and see B'Elanna. After two days away trading at a
supply post, and then this disaster of a day, he felt himself dwelling
on thoughts of making love to B'Elanna. He leaned back on his hands
and closed his eyes, he thought about kissing B'Elanna, running his
hands over her body. She really is delicious, and his breathing
quickened at the thought.

He heard a noise in front of him and opened his eyes. Chakotay was
standing closer to him, looking out over the water. Tom ran his eyes
lazily over the Commander's body and suddenly, in his mind it was the
Commander who lay under his hands. Tom gasped loudly at the sensations
this picture caused in his body, and Chakotay turned towards him in
slight alarm.

His gaze lifted and focused on the Commander's mouth; he felt dazed,
all attention focused on that perfect shape. I wonder, Tom thought,
what it would be like to kiss those lips. In the past, he'd
occasionally thought about kissing men, how it would feel, but he'd
never actually met a man that had excited his curiosity enough to try
it.

Until now, he realized. Tom continued to stare unwaveringly at the
Commander's mouth until eventually he realized that the lips were
moving.

"Ensign... Ensign Paris... TOM!" Chakotay's voice rose and then as Tom
finally met his eyes, softened with concern. "Are you alright?"

Tom shivered and slowly rose to his feet. He stepped closer to the
other man and lowered his head slightly, his eyes focusing again on
Chakotay's mouth. "Oh yeah" he whispered.

Chakotay frowned. "Are you sure?"

"Voyager to Commander Chakotay."

Tom shivered again as Chakotay looked down to hit his combadge and the
moment was gone.

"Chakotay here, Captain."

"Commander, it's a relief to hear your voice. Are you and Ensign Paris
OK?"

Chakotay glanced up at Tom, who nodded and answered in a normal voice
"We're fine Captain, but I'm afraid the shuttle is a bit of a mess.
Are you able to transport us back?"

"Immediately gentlemen, stand by for transport."

The landscape faded and the transporter room emerged around them.

---

Captain Janeway strode toward the transporter pad, grinning at them
both, and laid her hand on Chakotay's arm.

"Well Commander, once again you have reduced one of my shuttles to
barely serviceable spare parts."

Chakotay flashed his dimples in Tom's direction. "Hey! It was Tom
driving this time."

Tom smirked. "Well Commander, looks like it only needs your presence."

Chakotay smiled at him again and then took the Captain's arm. As they
moved out of the room Tom could hear him making his report.

Tom looked around and found he was alone. He sat down on the edge of
the transporter pad and rested his head in his hands. He knew B'Elanna
or Harry would find him soon, but he needed a moment to clear his
head.

He sighed. The relief he felt flooded through his body. Thank God, he
thought, the Captain commed before I could make, what?... the third?
... or second? biggest mistake of my life! Gods, after all this time,
suddenly I'm trying to kiss Chakotay? What the hell was I thinking?
Was I possessed or something?

---
Chapter 2
---

A month passed and Tom had to admit that the sense of relief he had
felt had faded, first into a mild regret, and then into rampant
curiosity. He suspected, but was not going to admit, that it was
building into heated lust.

He found himself thinking constantly about Chakotay - at first it had
started as mild sexual fantasies but then he realized he was becoming
sexually obsessed with the Commander. He began to notice everything
about the man as if for the first time, his hair, eyes, nose, mouth,
those lips, the tattoo, his hands, his slight musky scent (which
always had a powerful effect on his cock), the way he moved, the way
he spoke, the way his teeth gleamed and his eyes twinkled when he
smiled, and finally those dimples.

Thankfully, Chakotay seemed oblivious to Tom's increasing attention,
though Tom often felt flashes of irrational irritation when he noted
this positive aspect of the situation, and found himself speculating
for long moments on the cause of the Commander's erection in the
crevice.

He couldn't understand himself. Why now, when he'd finally found some
sort of settled relationship with B'Elanna, was he feeling this way
about, of all people, Chakotay? Okay, he'd occasionally thought about
being with men, mainly as curiosity really, but never had he felt
anything close to this desire, and certainly never about a man. He had
never seriously thought of men as desirable sexual objects at all
(well, except for himself, with women) and he had been quite
satisfied. Now he was completely unsatisfied, in a constant torment of
need, fear, lust and remorse, and he was finding it increasingly
difficult to cope with his situation.

He knew he felt the remorse because of B'Elanna. He realized that,
even with her busy schedule, she would eventually notice his
distraction and swinging moods. B'Elanna's episode of depression and
his demotion had already placed a strain on their relationship, and he
could feel them growing further apart every day. He didn't know what
to do about it and felt guilty for not doing anything.

And then, finally, the crunch came.

---------------

B'Elanna strode into her quarters and flopped into a chair. Gods, she
was exhausted, mentally and physically. She leaned her head back on
the chair and grimaced. The worst of her problem, she knew, was that
she was emotionally exhausted as well. And the cause of that problem
was Tom.

What the hell is going on with him? she thought tiredly and then
sighed as another thought struck her. What the hell is going on with
me?

She had recognized two weeks ago that something was wrong; Tom's
behavior had ensured that. And while his behavior had concerned her,
the fact that she had steadfastly ignored the situation for days
worried her more. It wasn't like her, but she had just felt that she
couldn't be bothered. It wasn't like her previous depression, she
realized; this was an apathy bordering on complete disinterest and it
annoyed the hell out of her. Because she knew that she loved Tom.

B'Elanna sat up and rested her head in her hands. Yes, but how do I
love him? She wasn't so sure she knew the answer to that question any
more. What she did know was that she wasn't having much fun these
days, and with the intensity of her job in engineering, she needed
fun. So it was odd, that it was now missing from her relationship with
Tom when he was one of the most fun people on the ship. She frowned.
Something must be really wrong with him, this distraction, the moods…
and we haven't had sex for like… a long time… now that's really unlike
Tom. B'Elanna smiled to herself and then frowned again as she realized
something else.

Hell, it's not really like me either.

She stood abruptly and began to pace the room, not liking the feeling
that was growing inside her, the feeling that something she'd been
suppressing was about to rise up and smack her in the face. I haven't
felt that buzz with Tom for weeks, even when we have made love. She
stopped pacing and gazed blindly through the view port. No, I love
Tom, this can't be right.

B'Elanna closed her eyes and imagined Tom's face before her, the
aristocratic features and the ice blue allure of his eyes. In her
mind, she reached out and ran her hands gently over his face to rest
against his lips, waiting for the heat to rise within her as it had in
the past. Somehow it was harder to imagine his features, the image was
hazy and indistinct, and then everything changed, blonde hair became
black, dark almond eyes gazed into hers, and her fingers brushed over
fuller lips. She gasped and her eyes flew open. Gods, this had been
happening way too much lately, why couldn't Harry just stay out of her
mind?

No way she assured herself I am not interested in Harry. She paced the
room again. I just need... I'm sure everything will be fine next time
Tom and I...

B'Elanna headed for the door, she knew she needed to find out, and
there was no time like the present.

---

Tom was lying awake, in bed, beside B'Elanna. She had turned up at his
quarters and he knew she wanted to make love, but he just hadn't been
able to do it. He had faked complete exhaustion and now he lay,
utterly awake while she snored softly beside him. Well that was it, he
reflected, his life was a disaster and who knew what he could do about
it.

He closed his eyes and immediately a vision of Chakotay rose in his
mind. He studied the face and then wondered for the ten millionth
time, what it would be like to run his hands through that hair and his
fingertips along that skull. For the first time that night he felt his
cock harden. Here we go, he thought and got up, went to the bathroom
and jerked off.

Back in bed, lying beside the sleeping B'Elanna, he sighed and closed
his eyes. This time he got as far as the feel of those lips on his,
before he had to go to the bathroom.

Back in bed, again, he thought morosely to himself This is sick,
really sick. Here I am, in bed with the most beautiful woman on the
whole ship and I'm jerking off in the bathroom. He closed his eyes yet
again. This time he was licking that broad chest when he found himself
in the bathroom.

When Tom came back, he glanced at B'Elanna to check she was still
asleep. Her eyes were open. Tom froze in the bathroom doorway.
B'Elanna leaned up on her side, resting on her elbow.

"Tom, what the hell are you doing?"

"Umm...." he shuffled his feet.

"No," she interrupted "don't tell me. I know what you're doing, and I
think it's about time we talk." She sat up and patted the mattress.
"Come and sit here."

Tom moved nervously over to the bed and sat down.

"So what's going on in your head?"

He was silent. And then he felt ashamed. This was wrong, the way he
was holding onto her like this, it was for all the wrong reasons.

"Look B'Elanna..." he began.

"You want to break up." She stated firmly.

He took a deep breath. "Well..."

"That's OK" she continued. "I want to break up too."

"Oh..."

B'Elanna was nothing if not direct.

"Look Tom," she said "we have to acknowledge that we've had problems
in this relationship, I know you've been having doubts..." she raised
her hand to halt his interruption "and I have to admit I've been
having doubts as well, for a while now. Before anything Tom, we were
friends, I really valued that friendship, it was so much fun, the way
we used to tease each other, and at the same time so supportive; maybe
I mistook that for something deeper...I'm sorry." Then she smirked.
"And the sex was great.... but I don't want to lose our friendship
trying to be something we're not" she added, again serious.

Tom smiled into her eyes and sighed. "B'Elanna, I think you're right,
it hasn't been working."

B'Elanna nodded. "That said, what I want to know is, what the hell is
going on with you? I do love you, Tom and I'm concerned about you.
Your behavior lately is... well... strange... to say the least. Talk
to me."

He noticed there were tears in her eyes and reached over to take her
hand. "Thanks B'El. But I don't know if I can talk about this."

She glanced at him sharply. "Look, if there's someone else...I won't
feel..." she remembered her thoughts earlier and changed track, she
knew she'd have to work that out eventually. "Hey...be assured I won't
kill you or anything." She tried to joke but her smile was strained.
"But if there is, well, you don't seem happy about it, or has the
problem been just with me?"

"No B'El, no." he asserted firmly. "It's definitely not you, and even
though I feel... there is... I mean, I do have thoughts about someone
else, I think the problem is me."

"What? You've fallen for a bigger bitch than me and you hate yourself
for it?" Then she laughed, "It's not the Captain is it?"

Tom laughed then as well. "No B'El, and we both know you don't think
the Captain's a bitch." Then he was serious again. "No, jokes aside,
this is someone I respect..." his voice grew thoughtful "yes, someone
I like and respect." Tom shivered. "Like I said," he continued, "the
problem is me."

There was a long silence as both of them thought about what had
happened. B'Elanna knew Tom wasn't ready to reveal anything more about
this someone and she didn't really think she was ready to hear it yet
anyway. She knew she had a lot of feelings to sort out for herself,
and the predominant one at that moment, was a gnawing sense of loss
and emptiness. She needed to be held in someone's arms, Tom's arms.

"Tom?"

"Yes?"

"Come to bed and let's go to sleep."

"OK." He snuggled down beside her and wrapped his arms around her
waist. He felt so grateful to her for letting him off so easy.

"Oh, and Tom?"

"Yeah?"

"No more trips to the bathroom tonight."

---
Chapter 3
---

Another month went by. At first other crewmembers had been surprised
and wary about their breakup. But as the days passed, and they saw
that, as friends, he and B'Elanna were on better terms than ever,
people quickly became accustomed to the new situation.

For B'Elanna, this time reinforced the fact that she had made the
right decision about her relationship with Tom. Even though his
distraction continued, she was enjoying her friendship with him more
than ever. Somehow he brought out the devil in her (she suspected he
did this for a lot of other people too), and her day was not complete
without teasing him in some way. Besides the fun, she felt closer to
him now than ever before and she delighted in the pleasure of a secure
friendship. As for her other... problem..., though she found herself
thinking about Harry a lot, she knew she wasn't ready to face it yet,
that she needed time to adjust.

For Tom, things were more difficult; Harry now pestered him constantly
with questions, first about the breakup, then about his strange moods.
Tom was aware that other people were starting to notice too.

He felt this was probably due to the fact that, because of his
insatiable curiosity about Chakotay's sexual life, he had begun to
question the Commander's friends and past associates, and had even
interrogated B'Elanna. The problem was, that he was so afraid of
anyone finding out about his obsession, that the conversations he had
about Chakotay were too subtle and vague, and no one could ever
actually figure out what they were talking about. The result of this
was that his curiosity was as unsatisfied as ever, and when he noticed
people looking at him strangely, he gave up.

---

Then the day came that Tom found himself at the senior staff meeting,
staring at the conference table in a daze, listening to Chakotay's
voice as he reported on... something. Tom felt overwhelmed by the
Commander's voice; the soft, warm and (he could hear now) sensual
tones surrounded and immersed him. He closed his eyes.

Tom opened his eyes when the Commander's voice stopped and the
Captain's began. He looked up and found Chakotay watching him, a
slight question of concern in his gaze. Tom flashed him a reassuring
smile, saw the answering gleam from Chakotay and then they both looked
to the Captain. But it was at that moment, Tom knew, the powerful
attraction aside; he was falling in love with the Commander.

His heart plummeted down to his feet. He felt despair flooding his
soul and almost groaned aloud in frustration. No, no, no. he thought
desperately, this is not happening. I am not going to do this, not
with Chakotay! And I am not going to repeat the mistake of falling for
someone who doesn't feel the same. Not after losing B'Elanna. He
covertly studied the Commander as the Captain continued talking.
Anyway, why would I fall in love with Chakotay. So, fine, he looks
good, he's got a sense of humor, he's strong - physically and
emotionally, and he's gentle, and kind... Shit!

As soon as the Captain announced "Dismissed!", Tom bolted out of his
chair and raced for the door. He slowed down and then blushed when he
noticed the Captain's and Chakotay's surprised looks.

He headed for the turbolift, relieved for once that his shift in
Sickbay would keep him away from the bridge. Thank God, he thought,
that Harry is on Gamma shift and I won't see him until dinner. I need
time to think about this without being harassed with questions.
Unfortunately he failed to notice B'Elanna's speculative eyes on him
as he entered the turbolift.

---

His day in Sickbay did not start well and grew rapidly worse. In his
distraction, he screwed up two of the Doctor's experiments. After
listening to the Doctor's sarcastic lecture on 'The Importance of Due
Care and Attention', he broke a tricorder, a dermal regenerator and
then knocked over a trolley of instruments.

"Good Lord, Ensign" snarled the Doctor "are you doing this
deliberately?! I have enough problems without you destroying Sickbay.
As much as I need even your help, I'm glad you're only here for a half
shift today. What is your problem?"

"I'm a nervous wreck, I haven't had time to think and I feel like I'm
falling apart." Tom blurted out and then bit his lip. God, what am I
saying?

"Oh..." the Doctor looked blank and, for once, seemed lost for words.
He looked around and picked up a padd. "Here, read this," he handed it
to Tom.

"What is it?"

"I don't care," the Doctor pointed to a chair. "Just go over there and
read it."

---

Half an hour later, Tom felt a slight disturbance beside him and
looked up.

He yelped, threw the padd in the air, leapt out of the chair and
stepped back until he connected with a biobed and could go no further.

Chakotay felt mildly surprised. He had noticed Tom acting sort of
weird lately, but this reaction seemed a little... excessive.

"Hello Ens... Tom," he smiled cheerfully. "I just had to see the
Doctor about something and he mentioned that you were feeling a bit...
uh... upset." He didn't think the Doctor's description of 'acting like
an incompetent lunatic' appropriate to repeat.

Tom swallowed. OK, he thought, this is becoming dangerously obvious.
Just calm down and try to act normal. "Commander, no, fine, it's fine,
no I mean... I'm fine." Great start, you idiot. He took a deep breath.
"Sorry Commander, I'm just tired and that makes me a bit nervous,
that's all. Sorry," he repeated.

Chakotay looked at Tom closely. He does look strained. He and B'El
seemed fine, but maybe this breakup has affected him more than we all
thought. If he doesn't improve I'll have to talk to him, find out if
anything's really wrong.

"OK Tom," he said at last. "Look, your shift finishes in a half hour,
why don't you go now, get some rest, maybe try to relax in the
holodeck for a while. The Doctor said he doesn't need you at the
moment." Once again he tactfully didn't repeat the Doctor's actual
words of 'Get him out of here.'

"Oh, well, OK Commander," Tom replied. "Thanks."

---

Tom was on the holodeck. He had been there for a couple of hours now.
He had selected a very simple program of a location he had been to
once as a child on a family vacation. (Well half a family vacation,
his father had been on a mission somewhere.) It was a basic woodland
setting, on a sunny afternoon, with a pond of crystal water ideal for
swimming. For some reason, this place had always made him feel safe,
and at the moment he needed to feel safe. The fact that this place
bore a strong resemblance to the spot where this turmoil in his life
had begun seemed oddly appropriate.

First he went swimming… for quite a while. And then, feeling
pleasantly exhausted, he sat on a rock and examined his feelings.

From his present feeling of serenity he decided that he had been
suffering from a temporary attack of insanity. Falling in love with
Chakotay, he sneered to himself. Huh! Yeah right! OK, so I've been
indulging in some pretty lurid fantasies about the guy, and hell,
they've been fun, but really I think the entertainment value is
exhausted and it's time to move on.

He ignored a niggle of doubt and concentrated on the pleasant feeling
of control this thought gave him. He was feeling quite content when he
looked up to see B'Elanna leaning on a nearby tree.

---

Tom decided he didn't like the quality of the smile on her face. There
was something predatory in a teasing kind of way about it, which made
him feel uncomfortable.

Then she smirked at him. "Well, I think I've finally figured you out."

"You can think what you like," he answered shortly.

"You know, it's interesting" she mused, "I would've thought that if
you were going to go down that road, it would be with someone like…
Harry." She frowned momentarily, not liking that picture, and then
continued. "But Chakotay? Very nice choice, but you'll never be able
to control him, you know."

"Oh, you mean like I controlled you?" he asked snidely.

"You know what I mean, Mr. Sooo Experienced." She smiled. "You don't
deny it."

Darn, she was always so quick at seeing through his evasions. He
decided to give up. Besides, now he might be able to satisfy some of
his curiosity at last. "Perhaps not" he offered "but if I'm sooo
experienced, he's not?"

"Ha!" She snorted. "That must have been killing you! Well," she
pondered "shall I put you out of your misery?" She paused. "Let's just
say I think you'd find yourself completely satisfied, or so I've
heard."

Tom looked down at his feet and said nothing. Suddenly he realized she
was kneeling beside him.

"Tom," her voice was serious. "For both your sakes, no games with this
one, OK?"

He stared at her quizzically.

"You know you've been acting weird."

"God, has everybody noticed that?" he burst out.

"Well no," she strayed from the truth slightly, "only people that are
close to you. But get it sorted out in your head before you do
anything, alright?"

"B'Elanna," he sighed. "Believe me, I have no intention of doing
anything at all."

She frowned. "Oh god, why not?" Before he could answer she was on her
feet "I have to get back to engineering."

---

Tom remembered he had promised to meet Harry in the mess hall and
instantly regretted it. The last place he wanted to be was somewhere
with a combination of Chakotay and people who thought he was acting
strange.

When he got there, he glanced around quickly. Good, no Chakotay. He
spotted Harry standing next to Neelix and Seven at the food counter,
filling his tray. Tom grabbed a tray and filled the spot between Harry
and Neelix.

"Harry" he smiled.

"Hi Tom."

Tom realized that Seven and Neelix were having some sort of argument
about a napkin.

"I have no intention of spilling my nutritional supplement." Seven was
saying in her flat voice. "I do not require this cloth." She held the
napkin gingerly by forefinger and thumb.

"It's a napkin, Seven." Neelix replied cheerfully. "And it also has a
role to play in table manners and etiquette."

Seven arched a brow and dropped the napkin on the floor. "Table
manners are irrelevant. Etiquette is irrelevant."

Tom rolled his eyes at Harry. Who couldn't spot that coming from a
mile off?!

"Good evening Harry, Tom."

Tom jerked his head around and discovered Chakotay standing beside
him. Shit. He took an involuntary step backward, unfortunately just as
Neelix stooped to pick up Seven's napkin. He felt himself falling back
and flung out a hand, grabbing Harry's arm for support but only
succeeding in hauling Harry with him. Both landed on Neelix in a
tangle of arms and legs, with Harry's tray mashed between them. Tom's
tray flew over his head and crashed into Seven.

There was a shocked silence, and then the entire room erupted into
screams of laughter. Chakotay reeled, tears running down his face,
useless to assist.

"GET OFF!" Neelix screeched underneath them.

Harry scrambled up and threw his tray on the floor with a crash.
"Jesus Tom, thanks a lot, now I've barely got time to change before my
shift starts," he yelled and then stomped to the door.

Tom rolled off Neelix and stood to find himself face to face with a
shaking Chakotay. And then B'Elanna walked in and surveyed the scene.
"Well Tom," she declared loudly as she walked towards him. "I see you
haven't lost your touch at using disaster as an aid to romance."

And his humiliation was complete.

---
Chapter 4
---

Fifteen minutes later Tom was sitting in the Hydroponics bay, still
splattered with the remains of Harry's breakfast.

On the whole, he reflected, he hadn't handled the situation too badly.
First he had blushed (that was true), but then he'd flashed a
flirtatious smile at the nearest female (unfortunately it had been
Naomi Wildman, that was also true). He'd kissed B'El on the cheek
(he'd deal with her later), picked Neelix up off the floor, and handed
Seven her napkin (the look on her face was a sight he would never
forget). Then he'd made a flamboyant bow to the room in general and
strolled nonchalantly out of the mess hall, a chorus of laughter and
giggles following faintly in his wake.

He hadn't looked at Chakotay once.

---

Chakotay continued to snigger softly as he grabbed a tray and started
to select food. B'Elanna and Seven had disappeared and Neelix was
clattering grumpily in his kitchen.

He took his tray, found a table near the view port and sat down.
Really, he thought, every time I see Tom these days, he's having some
sort of accident attack. He's going to injure himself soon. He
reviewed Tom's recent behavior and wondered if it related to his
breakup with B'Elanna, but he had a feeling it had started before
then. He had been aware of Tom's moods, and he had heard reports of
incoherent conversations.

Chakotay had a feeling that Tom's problem was somehow focused on him.
He had caught Tom studying him many times and he suspected that when
he wasn't looking, Tom's eyes were usually on him. He certainly reacts
in a spectacular fashion to my presence, and he felt another snigger
coming on.

So when had it started? Chakotay thought back. Actually, it had been
well before the breakup, a couple of months in fact, pretty much
since... ah, their shuttle crash on the moon and that embarrassing
incident in the crevice. He frowned as he remembered Tom's reaction
that day, and his own realization of the Ensign's innocence with
certain experiences, but surely Tom hadn't been seriously offended.
Chakotay ran through Tom's behavior over the rest of that day, from
their arrival at the waterhole to the moment of their transport, and
came to a startling conclusion. He remembered the look on Tom's face
when Chakotay had asked him if he was alright and suddenly he felt
absolutely certain that Tom had been about to kiss him.

Gods, how did I miss that? Chakotay was stunned at his stupidity. It
had obviously been far too long! He searched through recent events for
confirmation of this astonishing development and remembered B'El's
cryptic comment about romance and that mischievous look she had given
him, and then the way Tom had blushed.

So what did he think about this anyway? He'd certainly felt Tom's
attraction at times, but had never taken the man seriously, disliking
his suave, man of the world manner. But now he was shocked, and he
admitted to himself, flattered to realize that Tom was acting, when
around Chakotay, like an awkward adolescent.

This could be rather entertaining, and the slow grin that spread
across his face was truly wicked.

He got up and headed for the exit. Once in the hallway, he touched a
com panel and asked quietly "Computer, location of Ensign Paris?"

"Ensign Paris is in the Hydroponics bay."

Chakotay entered the turbo lift. "Hydroponics bay."

---

Tom always enjoyed being in the Hydroponics bay; it made him feel
closer to Kes, his first love (well, unrequited love) on Voyager. He
had always found Kes a soothing companion, and the Hydroponics bay
retained something of the atmosphere that she had held around her.
Lately he had been spending a fair amount of time here.

He'd actually come to enjoy pottering around the plants and he was
pruning a rapid-growing, edible Talaxian orchid when he heard the
doors hiss open and close.

"Get lost B'Elanna," he called out "I haven't forgiven you for your
clever comment yet."

"Sorry Tom, wrong person," a soft voice answered.

The pruning clippers clattered to the floor and Tom spun around to
meet Chakotay's twinkling gaze. Oh no, not again, Tom's thoughts had a
note of desperation to them. Surely three embarrassing incidents in
one day is enough. He felt it wise to step away from the bay of
plants; he really didn't want to risk ruining them.

"Hello Commander," Tom's voice was resigned. "What can I do for you?"

"Actually Tom, I thought maybe you might like to talk. It's pretty
obvious that something's troubling you." Chakotay was smiling as he
stepped closer to Tom.

Tom took a couple of steps backwards and felt his back meet the wall.
He attempted to lean casually against it and crossed his arms over his
chest. "Nothing's really troubling me, Commander," he stated flatly.

Chakotay's dimples flashed as he noted the defensive posture. "Oh? In
that case then, you won't mind telling me about B'Elanna's comment and
why you haven't forgiven her?"

Chakotay had been moving toward Tom as he spoke but paused as he
watched the other man's reaction. Tom's eyes shifted nervously and
Chakotay had never seen anyone blush so deeply. Tom's face was
positively aflame. Chakotay stepped up to Tom and tried to meet his
eyes. "Tom?"

Tom found himself struggling to breathe evenly as he realized how
close Chakotay was standing. He was deeply embarrassed, and even
though he was looking down at Chakotay, he felt intimidated by the
other man. He felt a stirring mixture of arousal and anger at his
predicament and finally managed to choke out, "What?"

Chakotay leaned forward slightly and his voice was soft as velvet as
he asked, "Have you ever kissed a man?"

As Chakotay's words went straight to his groin, Tom's already
hardening cock stiffened into a throbbing erection. He tried to clear
his throat, but the noise that came out was more like a whimper. Oh my
god, was that me? His gaze snapped to Chakotay's eyes; they seemed
darker than usual. Tom suspected that the Commander was toying with
him, and in his present vulnerable state, he knew he couldn't cope
with this. He felt the burning sting of tears begin in his eyes.

Chakotay studied Tom's face and was pleased with what he saw there.
The blue eyes were dilated wildly, but he felt a stab of shock, and
then excitement when he realized Tom's distress. He decided to take
pity on him and reached one hand up to the back of Tom's neck, lifted
his face and brushed his lips across Tom's mouth.

Tom closed his eyes, barely breathing, as he felt, finally, what he
had been fantasizing about for so long.

Chakotay slipped his arm around Tom's waist as he tried to deepen the
kiss. He could feel hesitancy and a slight resistance in Tom so he
pushed his body against Tom's and pressed him firmly into the wall.

Tom was floundering in a confusion of sensations and he clutched at
Chakotay's arms for support. He had never experienced anything like
this. The kiss was soft and subtle but he could feel Chakotay's lips
grow hot on his and then increase their demand for a response.
Suddenly he could hold back no longer and he opened his mouth to
Chakotay's.

Chakotay had been working hard at seducing Tom with his kiss, and he
felt a thrill of triumph and definite lust when Tom melted in his arms
and surrendered his mouth to his own. He pressed his body harder into
Tom's and delighted in the feel of the other man's erection on his
hip. His own cock pulsed in response as he plunged his tongue into
Tom's mouth and prepared himself to ravage that delicious haven. He
felt Tom moan into his mouth and pulled back enough to whisper "Oh
it's definitely been too long!" before he dived back onto Tom's lips.

Tom was sinking, losing himself in the feelings that Chakotay was
creating in him. He felt Chakotay's tongue sweeping through his mouth,
and then his own tongue was sucked into Chakotay's mouth briefly. He
realized that Chakotay was running his hands over his buttocks,
pulling him closer until Tom could feel the one heat joining their
groins. He knew that deep down a swell of panic was rising in him.

Chakotay was in heaven. He hadn't realized kissing Tom would be like
this, so powerful and so hot. He knew his lust was starting to rage,
and plundered Tom's mouth with even more desperation and desire.

However, the next thing he knew, he was sprawled on the floor of the
Hydroponics bay and Tom was gone.

---

Tom was pacing in his quarters. Hell no, three embarrassing incidents
in a day is obviously not enough, he raged inwardly.

He knew that several crewmembers had witnessed his harebrained bolt
through the halls of the ship to his quarters. It would be just
another incident to add to the list, and he knew that it had probably
been reported to Harry and B'Elanna by now. He wasn't looking forward
to seeing them, but this reluctance paled into insignificance at the
thought of facing Chakotay ever again.

He asked the computer for the Commander's location and was told that
Chakotay was in his quarters. He didn't know why he bothered because
he knew he wasn't going to leave his own quarters until he absolutely
had to.

He sat on the couch and groaned. The conflict of emotions inside him
was becoming painful. The desire that the Commander's kiss had
released burned through his body, and he knew that he would never be
able to suppress it now. At the same time, the thought of being alone
with Chakotay again provoked a torrent of fear and panic that made him
want to hide in the nearest cupboard.

He felt like an absolute idiot, and he knew he was acting like one,
too. The realization that Chakotay was probably of the same opinion
about his behavior did nothing to help his embarrassment. You're a
mature adult for Chrissake, pull yourself together, he told himself
angrily.

Tom felt a little more control and tried to calmly think through the
possible reasons for his earlier blind panic. It could have been the
shock of finally having his fantasies unexpectedly come true, and the
emotions and desires that had been provoked. Or it could have been his
suspicion that Chakotay was teasing him, and the anger he had felt at
being taken advantage of. Or it could have been the insecurity he had
felt when he sensed Chakotay's desire for him, flaming into passion.
(The thrill of excitement this memory gave him did much to quell his
already subsiding fear.)

But in the end, he suspected that his panic stemmed from his
discovery, earlier in the day, that he was falling in love with the
Commander. Though he had tried to deny it to himself earlier, his
reaction when confronted with Chakotay in the Hydroponics bay and the
disappointment and anger he'd felt when he realized that Chakotay was
teasing him, now made it difficult to ignore his own growing feelings
for the Commander. While he wanted to experience all the sexual
pleasure he knew Chakotay could, and would, give him, he knew he would
only be risking the devastation of his feelings, because he realized
with certainty, the Commander was definitely not in love with him.

He felt calmer now and he knew what he had to do. He had to get his
act together and pretend that none of this had ever happened.

---

Chakotay sat in his quarters. He was still stunned. What the hell
happened? The sentence had been repeating in his mind ever since he'd
picked himself up off the Hydroponics bay floor and asked for Tom's
location. The computer had told him that Tom was in his quarters and
he wasn't going near Tom until he thought about this.

What the hell happened? He wasn't sure if he meant the kiss, or
suddenly finding himself on the floor.

The kiss had certainly floored him! He hadn't imagined that kissing
Tom Paris would affect him so immediately and so intensely. He smiled
ruefully; he had to admit he had gone to the Hydroponics bay with the
idea of teasing Tom, of bringing him down a peg or two. Now, he wasn't
sure who was on the lower peg.

Chakotay replayed the whole scene in his mind, trying to ignore the
growing arousal this caused. He stopped when he came to the look on
Tom's face just before Chakotay had kissed him. Soft, vulnerable
and... afraid.

Why would Tom be afraid? Chakotay knew that Tom had not been afraid of
him, Chakotay, but rather of the situation and his own feelings.

Chakotay thought back to his first time in the new situation of being
with another man. He remembered how vulnerable he'd felt, as he
realized that his desire and emotions were on a level he'd never
experienced before. He had also been deeply in love, and the fear he
had felt had been in proportion to the risk of the feelings he was
offering to his lover. Chakotay's first male love affair had happened
in his early twenties, when searching for one's sexuality was more
exciting and less bound by one's own expectations of oneself. While he
had never limited himself afterwards, the experience had certainly
taught him his preferences and he'd had many male lovers since.

He tried to imagine what it must be like for Tom who, for a long time
it seemed, had defined himself as the smooth ladies man, to be
suddenly confronted with these new feelings and desires.

At this moment, Chakotay felt ashamed. He remembered the care and
tenderness, as well as the passion, his own first male lover had shown
towards himself, and felt guilty at how he had allowed himself to play
with Tom's feelings. Had Tom sensed this, and was that why he had
fled?

Chakotay knew that now he had to make a decision. He guessed that Tom
would try to deal with the situation by pretending nothing had
happened. If Chakotay wanted to, he could let Tom do this. If he
decided to pursue the matter, he knew he would have to make the
commitment to deal with whatever Tom threw at him. But would it be
worth it?

He didn't have to think very long. He realized that he'd been so eager
to rush to the Hydroponics bay for a reason besides teasing. At
sometime, he couldn't figure exactly when, Tom had snuck up behind him
and captured his interest.

He decided he had no choice but to seduce Tom Paris.

---
Chapter 5
---

By the following morning, Chakotay had planned out a rough course of
action. Basically he would give Tom a brief period to settle down, and
then he'd attack. He grinned to himself. He was really going to enjoy
the next few days. He had forgotten just how exciting the chase could
be, and he had a strong feeling that the rewards of this pursuit would
be great indeed.

Chakotay left his quarters and headed for the turbolift, where he
immediately ran into his quarry waiting with Harry. He noticed Tom's
slight start and flashed him a devastating smile.

"Good morning Harry, Tom," he announced cheerfully. "On your way to
the mess hall?"

"Yes sir." answered Harry.

They got in the lift together and stood silently. Chakotay noted Tom's
nervous expression and couldn't resist smiling at him again. "So,
Harry, day off today and then back on alpha shift, right?" he asked.

"Yes sir."

Gods, he hated small talk. He wondered how they'd react if he asked
them if they thought it might rain today, and chuckled to himself at
the idea. Tom shot him a quick glance, and he smiled at him again.

Chakotay followed Harry out of the turbolift. When they got to the
mess hall, Harry turned to say something to Tom and they discovered he
had disappeared.

Harry directed a worried frown at Chakotay. "He's really been acting
weird lately. Maybe you should talk to him?" he added diffidently.

"Oh I think he'll settle down, Ensign," Chakotay patted Harry's
shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry."

Hmm, maybe I smiled too much, he thought to himself.

---

Tom took the turbolift back to his quarters. He'd wanted to replicate
something for breakfast, but then Harry had stopped by to drag him to
the mess hall. What a disaster! He'd been trying to prepare himself to
face Chakotay, but had been nowhere near ready to see him at the
turbolift. And what was all that smiling about? he reflected bitterly.
Am I that amusing?

His door slid open and B'Elanna walked in. Tom almost jumped out of
his skin. "Jesus B'El, don't you ever chime?"

"Sorry," she didn't look it. "I haven't got out of the habit yet."

She sat down on the couch and waited.

He sighed. "What do you want, B'Elanna?"

"I know Chakotay followed you to the Hydroponics bay last night" she
stated.

She would, he groaned to himself. She always seems to know what's
happening anywhere on Voyager.

This time it was Tom who waited.

"I've also heard that you were seen tearing at high speed through the
ship."

"Really."

"So Tom, what happened?"

"I don't really have to tell you that."

"You're right. I already know. And I thought you were going to sort
out your head before you did anything."

"I didn't do anything" he replied without thinking.

"You mean Chakotay...?"

"B'Elanna" he interrupted "forget it. Nothing's going to happen...
he's the one playing games... why am I even talking to you? It's
absolutely none of your business!"

She ignored him. "That's interesting… I thought he'd knocked you back.
So what did you run away for?" she snorted "That's a turn about for
you, isn't it? I wish I'd seen it."

He was really angry now. "B'ELANNA, GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!"

B'Elanna looked slightly surprised. "Oh ... all right" She headed for
the door. "Jeez, what are you so defensive about?"

---

Once in the corridor, B'Elanna paused and frowned at Tom's closed
door. Teasing aside, she had a funny feeling about this thing of Tom's
with Chakotay. Really, he was too defensive, this must mean more to
him than she'd thought. Her first concern had been that Tom would play
with Chakotay's feelings, but now she suspected that it was somehow
the other way round.

She shook her head. No, that wasn't like Chakotay. If he was pursuing
Tom, she knew that in the end, he would be serious about it, even if
he enjoyed teasing Tom. The problem was, if Tom was running scared,
he'd dig his heels in and miss a great opportunity. (Hell, at one
time, she would have given anything for the same opportunity with the
Commander, herself.)

B'Elanna started to move for the turbolift still frowning to herself.
Really, she thought, aren't I doing the same thing Tom is? Missing an
opportunity to have something great? She thought about Harry, and
smiled to herself. Maybe it's time for me to pursue someone as well.

She ran into Chakotay outside the mess hall and stopped him by
grabbing his arm.

"A word of advice."

He raised an eyebrow.

"About Tom." She noted his frown, but continued anyway. "Don't give
him too much time too think."

She stared into his eyes, waiting for his reaction. When he nodded
slightly, she let go of his arm and moved on. He'd gotten the message.

---

Tom was eating toast when his door chimed.

"GO AWAY B'ELANNA" he yelled at the door. Thankfully, he'd put a
privacy lock on it after she'd left.

The door chimed again and Tom remembered that he'd sort of dumped
Harry in the mess hall earlier, and he might have turned up for an
explanation. He got up, keyed open the door, and found himself face to
face with Chakotay.

"Uh... Commander" he blurted.

"Hello Tom," this time Chakotay's smile was a mere upturn of lips.
"You seem to have developed a habit of mistaking me for B'Elanna."

Tom stared at him blankly.

Chakotay sighed. "May I come in?"

Tom stepped back and Chakotay walked past him into the room. Instantly
Tom realized that he wasn't going to be able to avoid this
conversation, except by actually leaving the Commander standing in his
quarters, and cursed himself for being such an idiot.

"So Tom..." Chakotay began, realizing with slight surprise that he was
actually a little nervous.

Tom interrupted. "Umm, Commander, look I know that I acted like an
idiot last night and I think it's best that we just forget the
whole... incident." There, he'd said it, and now it was over.

Chakotay quickly decided that the best thing to do here was apologize.
"Actually Tom, I don't agree. You didn't act like an idiot, and I'd
like to apologize for pushing you when you weren't ready." He
immediately regretted his choice of words when he saw Tom's face flame
with embarrassment. He stepped forward. "Tom," he waited until Tom met
his eyes. "Tom, I'm sorry, and I'd like to start again. Why don't we
have dinner together tonight?"

Oh God, what is going on? Tom's mind froze and he had absolutely no
idea what to say. What do I do now? his voice wailed in his head.

Chakotay watched Tom's confusion and gave him time to answer. When,
after a minute, there was still silence, he stepped closer again.
"Tom?"

"No," Tom burst out. "No, no, no," he gasped for breath and tried to
calm down, "Sorry Commander, but I have plans for dinner already" he
now answered formally, trying to maintain a distant expression.

Chakotay wasn't buying it. He reached his hand to Tom's neck, and
brought his lips so close to Tom's they were almost touching. "Oh
really?" he whispered "Tell me Tom, if I were to kiss you again now,
would you give up your plans and have dinner with me?"

"No." Tom whispered, but in spite himself his head moved forward,
trying to close the distance between their mouths. Chakotay turned his
head quickly and found Tom's ear, brushing it with slightly parted
lips.

"Are you sure?" he breathed.

Tom closed his eyes and suppressed a moan. He could feel Chakotay's
hot breath on his cheek and he longed to turn his head and capture
those lips that were even now pressed gently to his ear. Tom's mind
was in a sluggish fog and he fought to remember why he was still
saying no to Chakotay. Then he heard Chakotay whisper again.

"Tom, listen to me. You say you're busy tonight, that's fine, but
tomorrow morning I'll be here again to ask you and I think it would be
best if you don't have any plans. Bear in mind that I'll be happy to
chase you publicly, if that's what you want. The situation's gone too
far now, Tom, and this is going to happen, so why resist me?"

Tom felt Chakotay's lips brush against his neck, and his stomach
fluttered at the words he'd just heard. This time he did moan, and
then he heard that hypnotic voice again.

"So I'll see you tomorrow morning, Tom."

This time the lips lightly brushed his own, and he gasped as a jolt of
pleasure shot straight to his groin. Then he heard the hiss of the
door and opened his eyes. The room was empty.

Tom stood in a state of shock and amazement. He couldn't believe what
had just happened, wasn't even sure it had happened. It was like
another one of his fantasies, and he wondered if Chakotay could
possibly read his mind, to play his role so accurately.

He looked down at the bulge of his erection and grimaced. No, it had
definitely happened, and he was staggered at how close he had been to
coming just from the sound of Chakotay's voice... and the words he'd
said.

---

When Tom got to the bridge, Chakotay and the Captain were sitting in
their chairs, discussing a padd. He watched Chakotay out of the corner
of his eye as he made his way to the helm. The man looked calm and
collected; Tom didn't know that Chakotay had returned to his quarters
briefly, before going to the bridge.

Tom hardly saw Chakotay for the rest of the shift; he didn't know
whether to be grateful or regretful that the Commander had business in
other areas of the ship.

Tom had made arrangements, earlier that morning, to spend the evening
in the holodeck with Harry. He wondered, if Chakotay had kissed him,
would he have canceled his plans, to have dinner with the Commander?
The answer to that was pretty much a yes, and when he thought about
Chakotay's query 'why resist me?' he had to admit that he couldn't for
the life of him think why he had.

All that morning, and most of the afternoon, Tom relived and reviewed
the scene in his quarters. He still couldn't figure out what the best
thing to do was. He wasn't sure what Chakotay wanted from him, besides
the obvious.

When his shift ended, and he handed over to his relief, he realized he
had to be grateful it had been a routine day. He could have flown the
ship into a meteorite shower and he wouldn't have noticed.

Tom raced to his quarters to change and then went to the holodeck to
meet Harry. He needed a distraction.

---

Later that evening, Tom was sitting in his quarters, trying to decide
what to do about Chakotay, before he went to bed. What am I going to
say when he turns up in the morning? he thought desperately. He
remembered what Chakotay had said and something struck him What did he
mean 'chase me publicly'? He smiled to himself. That's quite a promise
to make if he meant what I think he meant.

He wondered if he had the nerve to make Chakotay go through with his
offer. I don't know. I wonder what he'd do? Deep down he rather
thought that it was an empty threat, that Chakotay would never pursue
him in public. That gave him an idea. Maybe I don't have to say
anything in the morning, maybe I just don't have to be here.

---
Chapter 6
---

Early the next morning, Chakotay stood outside Tom's quarters and
chimed the door.

No answer.

He chimed again and still got no answer. The smile on his face was
grim as he touched the nearest com panel. "Computer, location of
Ensign Paris?"

"Ensign Paris is in the mess hall."

Chakotay's eyes widened. So Tom was going to dare him, was he? His
smile grew wicked. Well, challenge accepted.

---

Chakotay strode into the mess hall and paused to survey the room. It
was about half full, plenty of people to pass on the news of the scene
that was about to occur. The Captain and Tuvok were also there,
talking quietly at a table in the corner. Good, Chakotay thought. That
takes care of most of the ship.

He had to admit he was being reckless, but he wasn't going to let this
go either. It would cause excitement for a while, but it would die
down eventually.

He spotted Tom, sitting at a table near the view port, with Harry and
B'Elanna, and moved in their direction.

---

Tom was in mid sentence when he saw Chakotay heading towards him. His
mouth froze open and the words died on his lips.

"What on Earth...?" began Harry, staring at him.

B'Elanna swiveled in her seat and saw Chakotay. "Uh Oh, Tom, if you're
gonna run, you'd better start now." She couldn't stop herself from
sniggering, and Harry stared at her as if she'd gone mad.

Tom saw the glint in Chakotay's eyes, and immediately knew he'd made a
huge tactical error. He should have known that Chakotay would accept
his dare. He felt a thrill of excitement as he finally accepted that
he could no longer avoid Chakotay.

Chakotay reached the table, nodded to Harry and B'Elanna, and then
focused on Tom. "May I?" he didn't wait for an answer, but took the
vacant seat beside Tom. He could see Tom was very nervous, not knowing
what to expect next, and he couldn't blame him.

He rested his hand on Tom's leg, noting the twitching muscles, and
leaning forward, whispered in his ear "So Tom, you do want me to chase
you publicly. Well, I'm happy to oblige." His tongue slipped out and
licked Tom's ear, and he heard Harry gasp in shock across the table.
Tom swallowed heavily.

Chakotay whispered into Tom's ear again "Come on, Tom, how far do you
want me to go?" his hand moved further up Tom's thigh and he noticed
the people at the next table watching them. He trailed his lips along
Tom's neck in a feather light caress and then nipped his earlobe. Tom
shivered.

The room was mostly silent now, with most eyes upon them, including
the Captain's surprised but amused gaze. Tuvok merely looked
disapproving, but as this was the Vulcan's habitual expression,
Chakotay wasn't concerned.

Tom was trembling now and Chakotay decided to back off. This far, Tom
had coped well, but Chakotay didn't want him to panic again (or hit
him for that matter).

"Tom" he whispered again "are you free tonight?" After a brief moment
Tom nodded, and Chakotay continued, "Have dinner with me? My quarters,
1900?" He waited. "Say yes."

Finally Tom spoke. "Yes" he said quietly.

"Great." Chakotay stood abruptly and Tom looked up at him in alarm.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked.

"I have to collect some padds from my office before I go to the
bridge."

"Chakotay, no way are you leaving me to deal with this." Tom glanced
quickly around the room, he saw Harry still frozen in shock, and could
hear B'Elanna snorting at their conversation. He stood up. "Shut up,
B'El. Harry, wake up for chrissake. Come on" he nodded at Chakotay and
headed for the exit.

As the doors closed behind them, the noise level in the room erupted.

---

Tom's shift that day was actually in Sickbay, but he got into the
crowded lift with Chakotay anyway. He didn't know if he was making a
big mistake, but he'd decided that sometimes you just had to take the
risk, and besides, it was becoming very obvious that Chakotay was not
going to give up easily. Huh! Like I want him to.

He wondered if he should be angry about Chakotay's display in the mess
hall, but he recognized that he, himself, had pulled similar stunts in
the past, and he was rather impressed with the excitement Chakotay had
made him feel.

They got off the turbolift and headed for Chakotay's office. Once
inside Chakotay turned to Tom and said "Tom, before we see each other
tonight, perhaps there's something I should make clear."

Tom's heart sank. Oh No.

Chakotay saw the sudden fear in Tom's eyes and slid his arms around
his waist, pulling him closer. "If you come to my quarters tonight,"
he continued, "you should know that I intend to make love to you."

This time Tom's stomach flipped.

"So perhaps I'd better ask you again?"

Tom took a deep breath, his heart was thudding, and his cock was
straining at his uniform. This was it, he was going to step off the
cliff.

"No Chakotay, you don't have to ask me again. I'll be there, 1900
hours," and he bent his head and touched his lips to Chakotay's.

---

Tom made his way to Sickbay slowly, reflecting on the last ten
minutes. He should have known better. Two seconds after his lips had
met Chakotay's, the situation had gotten out of hand. Tom's excitement
had flared and what he'd intended as a brief moment, had charged into
an erotic and passionate kiss.

Chakotay had responded to Tom's desire instantly, tightening his
embrace and surging forward into Tom's mouth. The next thing, Tom was
pressed against the Commander's desk and Chakotay's hands were roaming
over his body.

Tom had abandoned himself to the moment, thrusting his tongue into
Chakotay's mouth and delighting in the soft moan this action caused.

And then the Captain had commed Chakotay, calling him to the bridge.

"Shit" Chakotay had sworn as he tore his lips from Tom's and stepped
back, breathing heavily as he answered the Captain "On my way."

He'd settled his uniform, and Tom had smirked as he'd seen the
telltale bulge. Chakotay's eyes had twinkled at him, ruefully, and
then darkened as he noticed Tom's own erection. He'd stepped forward
again, but Tom had held up a hand "You'd better go."

Chakotay had nodded and gazed intently into Tom's eyes, making his
heart thud heavily. "1900 then," and he was gone.

Tom had taken a minute in Chakotay's office to settle down and try to
figure out why he'd never realized what a passionate man the Commander
was. He felt that all the signs had been there, but he'd just been too
blind to see them. Then the Doctor had commed him to ask why he wasn't
at Sickbay yet.

---

Voyager was buzzing. Chakotay could sense it, as he made his way to
the bridge, hoping he wouldn't run into anyone until he calmed down.
He smiled as he thought about the conversations that at this moment
would be taking place all over the ship. He hoped Tom wouldn't have
too bad a time of it in Sickbay.

Tom. Chakotay knew he was going to have to rethink the situation, and
some time before he saw Tom later. He was concerned about that look in
Tom's eyes earlier. Was it possible that Tom was feeling more than
physical attraction towards him?

And then there were his own feelings. After every encounter with Tom,
Chakotay was increasingly surprised at his own reactions to the other
man. He knew he enjoyed teasing Tom, and he was taking every
opportunity to do so, realizing that when Tom had more confidence with
the situation, he would give Chakotay hell. He also knew his physical
desire for Tom was growing rapidly, building with every encounter into
unbridled lust.

But he needed to analyze the stab of emotion in his heart when he'd
seen the fear in Tom's eyes earlier, and his immediate need to
reassure him. He also wanted to think about the motives that had
prompted him to go to the mess hall and lay the most public claim to
Tom he could possibly have made. He needed to know exactly what he
wanted before he saw Tom again.

---

When Chakotay got to the bridge, the first person he saw was Harry,
standing at Ops, still looking like he'd been smacked in the face with
one of Neelix' Talaxian pancakes. Actually, Chakotay thought, Talaxian
pancakes would make a great addition to the Starfleet armory. I must
suggest it to Tuvok. He imagined the Vulcan's reaction. There'd have
to be an 'indeed' there somewhere. Only the Captain was aware that
Chakotay had a secret game to see how many 'indeeds' he could raise
out of Tuvok in a day.

At this moment, Tuvok's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Commander,
the Captain wishes to see you in her Ready room."

Well, he'd rather expected that. He nodded to Tuvok and headed for the
Ready room. Once inside, the Captain waved him to a chair and offered
him one of her interminable cups of coffee, which he declined.

"What can I do for you Captain?"

She smiled at him. "Chakotay, I think you'd better call me Kathryn for
this conversation."

"Ah. I see. And if I don't want to talk about it?"

"I'm sorry Chakotay, but I need to look after the welfare of this
ship. I haven't been ignorant of Tom's behavior recently. In fact I
was about to ask you to speak to him about his distraction at times.
And while scenes like the one in the mess hall this morning are
exci... entertaining, I don't want my best pilot falling apart."

"Oh. In that case, I think I should call you Captain."

She blinked, and for a moment there was silence.

"Chakotay, you're right, those weren't the words of a friend, and I
apologize. But really, I have been concerned about Tom, particularly
after his breakup with B'Elanna." By the way her eyes were watching
him he could tell she was fishing. "I don't want to see him hurt; he's
more vulnerable than most people realize."

He gave in. "Kathryn, I do know that. Look, whatever is happening
between us, well, it's very new, and I don't know where it will go.
But, believe me, I would never intentionally hurt Tom."

She smiled again. "Of course not. I didn't mean to imply that you
would." She was silent for a moment and then suddenly blurted out "But
are you sure about what you want here?"

This time, Chakotay was silent, as he wondered about her question,
which echoed his own thoughts earlier.

"I'm sorry, perhaps I shouldn't have..." she began, but he held up his
hand and stopped her.

"It's alright." She was his closest friend on Voyager, one of his
closest friends ever, and he knew he had to be honest with her. "It's
true that a year ago I wouldn't have contemplated this," he gazed at
her intently, and her eyes dropped briefly before meeting his again.
He could see the resignation in their blue depths. "It's also true,
that at first, I have to admit, I was playing with Tom, a bit. But now
I'm starting to feel..." he shook his head. What am I starting to
feel?

He knew he wanted Tom, suspected he was starting to need him as well.
He looked down at his hands and studied them, imagining them running
over Tom's body, and then holding Tom's face while he gazed into those
blue, blue eyes, and then he kissed Tom, gently, softly. At this
moment, Chakotay felt a surge of tenderness and passion so strong that
he knew immediately what it was. "But now I'm feeling love," he
finished, and looked up at Kathryn.

She was smiling at him through the tears in her eyes.

---

Tom's morning in Sickbay was hectic. There was a seemingly endless
stream of crewmembers with minor ailments turning up at Sickbay, and
smirking at him. No one said anything; they just smirked.

Tom was considering using a dermal regenerator to seal someone's mouth
shut when the Doctor, fed up with the constant interruptions to his
research experiment, sent Tom to the cargo bay to run an inventory of
medical supplies and equipment.

He was actually sitting on a container, immersed in extremely pleasant
daydreams, when Harry walked in.

"Tom..."

Tom started, and fell off the container onto the floor. Damn, I really
need to stop doing this sort of thing, he thought as he picked himself
up. Though it would help if people stopped sneaking up on me all the
time!

Harry stomped up to him and gripped his arm. "Jeez Tom, I'm supposed
to be your best friend, and I always seem to be the last person to
know what's going on with you." He ran his hands through his hair. "I
just can't believe it ... I mean, Chakotay?! You break up with
B'Elanna, and now you're with Chakotay? I guess this is why you've
been acting so weird lately. But, why didn't you tell me? I mean that
scene in the mess hall this morning, I was just stunned..." He took a
breath and Tom grabbed the opportunity to get a word in.

"Harry, you're babbling."

"Yeah, I know, sorry, but really I'm just amazed that you..."

"I wish you'd stop saying it, Harry. Believe me, I'm as surprised as
you are."

"So how long have you been together?"

"Technically, we aren't actually together." Tom replied.

"Oh" Harry lowered his voice "You mean you haven't...?"

"Harry!"

"Jeez, Tom, you were never such a prude. I was only wondering..."
Harry's voice trailed off lamely and he blushed slightly.

Tom eyed him suspiciously. "Wondered what, Harry?"

"Well..."

"Harry!"

"OK, OK... about Chakotay. You know, one does hear things..."

Tom interrupted. "You do? Like what? From whom?" He couldn't believe
it, all this time and he'd only had to ask Harry!

Harry stared back at him, "You know. " Tom shook his head. "I mean...
mainly from Ayala..."

"Were they...?"

"No... I don't think so, he didn't really say, but one night we were
goss... chatting, and he told me a few things... about Chakotay."
Harry stopped talking, and Tom noticed he was blushing again.

Harry?! Tom sighed. "Harry, do you ... ah... like Chakotay?"

This time Harry blushed deeply. "No, no," he asserted quickly, "well,
I mean, not anymore." He then admitted, "I did for a while, the first
year we were out here."

"Oh..." Tom didn't really know what to say, "So you don't mind
that...?"

"No," Harry interrupted "not at all. You know, that was a while ago
and since then I ... I've become interested in someone else," he
noticed Tom's frown and grinned. "No, not you! God, you can be such an
egomaniac sometimes."

Tom smiled back and thought about asking Harry who it was, but he knew
Harry wasn't ready to tell him, and until he was, Tom didn't have a
chance of finding out. Then he remembered something else far more
important. "So what did Ayala have to say?"

"Oh," Harry blinked. "Well nothing that much, just general stuff
really, about how he'd had a lot of lovers, particularly male ones.
And apparently before he left Starfleet, he was pretty seriously
involved with some guy, but it didn't work out when he joined the
Maquis." Harry grinned again. "Ayala did say that Chakotay was very
popular in the Maquis, heavily in demand. He is really sexy, you
know," he informed Tom seriously.

Tom burst out laughing. "Yeah Harry, I think I've noticed."

Harry laughed too. "I suppose you have."

Tom was silent for a moment, thinking over what Harry had just told
him. He frowned to himself. So he's had a reputation. For some reason
this worried him, even though he could say the same of himself.

"Tom?" Harry's voice interrupted his thoughts and he noticed that
Harry was eyeing him carefully. "So it should be a pretty hot affair
then?" Tom knew that Harry was trying to second-guess him, that he'd
seen through him.

He came clean. "Harry, I don't know if I want to have just a 'hot
affair'. Maybe I want more this time."

Harry frowned and looked concerned "Tom, are you saying that you're in
love with Chakotay?"

Tom groaned. "Yes, Harry, I'm pretty sure I am."

Harry's frown deepened and he looked slightly distracted. "And
Chakotay? He's in love with you?"

Tom didn't want to admit that he didn't think so, so he just answered,
"I don't know". Then he noticed that Harry was looking even more
worried and his heart lurched. "Harry, what is it?"

Harry gazed into his eyes. "I'm not sure... look Tom, I don't know if
I should tell you this." He thought for a moment and Tom waited
nervously, he knew there was no point in pressuring Harry.

"No... I think you'd better know," Harry continued. "You'll probably
hear it from someone else anyway. I don't know if this means anything
but when Chakotay came to the bridge this morning, the Captain wanted
to see him in her Ready room. They were in there for a long time, I
mean a couple of hours, and then Chakotay went to his office and he's
been there ever since." He paused for a second. "When the Captain
finally came out of her Ready room, it was obvious she'd been
crying..." his voice still held a tinge of the amazement he must have
felt at the time. "Yeah, crying... a lot."

---

For the rest of the afternoon, after Harry had left, Tom sat on a
container in the cargo bay and tried to think things through as
unemotionally and calmly as possible.

He'd questioned Harry thoroughly; no, actually he'd interrogated him.
Harry hadn't been able to tell him anything more and eventually he'd
stomped out of the cargo bay in frustration at Tom's repetitive
questions. And Tom still didn't know what he thought about what Harry
had told him.

He knew what he felt though. Disappointment, anger, and then
frustration at not knowing whether he had a right to feel angry; and
he didn't even want to touch on the jealousy! His mind played endless
scenarios as to the cause of the Captain's tears, and in every one of
them, he came closer to the conclusion that he was making a big
mistake with Chakotay. What was I thinking? I knew he was teasing me
and I jumped right in.

Allowing for the fact that he didn't actually know what had happened
in the Ready room, he didn't like the emotions that the possibilities
were provoking in him. If he felt this now, how would he cope when
things really got going? What was the point in being with someone you
loved, when they didn't love you?

He felt another flash of anger. Darn Chakotay, what a bastard for
playing with him like this, and what an idiot he was himself for
succumbing. Well, that was it, he needed to protect himself.

Deep down he suspected he was being a Class A coward, that he should
talk to Chakotay, but he wasn't ready to face him yet. There was no
way he was going near Chakotay that night.

---
Chapter 7
---

At 1740 hours, Chakotay sat in his office, desperately trying to
finish crew evaluation reports. He'd been there for hours, but it was
his own fault, he'd wasted a lot of time earlier, thinking. He had to
admit, though, that he'd had a lot to think about.

First there was Tom, and his revelation regarding his own feelings
(and he'd spent some time indulging in some very satisfying fantasies
at this point, as well).

Then there was the Captain. It seemed his own admission, had somehow
opened a door in her, and a flood of thoughts and feelings, that had
obviously been dammed up within her, had suddenly burst forth. He had
found himself, sitting in stunned amazement, holding a crying
Starfleet Captain in his arms, while she poured out her fears and
guilt over their predicament in the Delta Quadrant, and her own
personal pain and disappointment regarding Mark. He'd listened, and
talked to her gently. Eventually she settled down, and by the time
she'd shyly (another surprise) thanked him, he could see her shutters
going up into their accustomed place.

Still, he knew, that even if they never talked so openly again, they
had shared something special, and now a closeness bonded them. He
would treasure this closeness and her friendship for the rest of his
life.

Finally, he finished the last report and glanced at the time. Good, he
could drop the reports off with Tuvok and then grab a quick sonic
shower. He wanted to be at his best when Tom arrived.

---

After pacing his quarters in anticipation of Tom's arrival, Chakotay
finally threw himself on his couch. He needed to calm down, he didn't
want to jump on Tom the minute he got there and scare him off again.
So he picked up a padd and decided to try and read for a while.

Some time later, Chakotay looked up, frowned, and asked the computer
for the time.

"The time is 1926 hours" the computer answered him.

What? Where is he? he thought. Perhaps he's stuck in Sickbay. Funny he
hasn't contacted me though. He asked the computer for a location check
and frowned again when he was informed that Tom was in his own
quarters. What's he doing? and he hit his combadge.

"Chakotay to Paris."

"Paris here." Tom's voice sounded nervous, even over the com line.

"Tom, why are you in your quarters, and not mine?" Chakotay asked
softly.

"Umm... look it's been a long day and I'm tired..." Gods, that was
lame. "...Commander."

Chakotay's brow rose. Commander?... TIRED?

"Tired?" he repeated aloud "Tom, what are you talking about?"

Tom decided to be blasé. "Sorry Commander, maybe some other time, OK?"
he said, and then cut the com link.

"What the hell..." Chakotay realized the line was closed, commed again
and swore when he got no answer. He slammed his fist into the couch.

"That little, cock teasing BASTARD!" he raged, as he strode around the
room "What the hell does he think he's doing?" Stringing you along,
playing with you obviously, said a voice in his mind. Well he's not
getting away with it, another voice answered. The minute I get near
him, I'll have him on his knees begging for it!

The vision that rose before his eyes at this thought had Chakotay
gasping for breath, and he sank into a chair, struggling for
composure. OK... I obviously need to calm down a bit. After he'd
settled, he continued to think. Why would Tom do this? he asked
himself. He seemed so ... eager... this morning. You know, he mused
it's great, just when I want to tell him how I feel, he pulls this
stunt.

He pondered a while longer. Actually it's pretty obvious what's
happened here, he told himself. Tom's panicked again.

Chakotay grinned and walked out of his quarters. Well, I'll just have
to reassure him, won't I?

---

When Chakotay chimed Tom's door he got no answer.

"Computer, location of Ensign Paris?"

"Ensign Paris is in his quarters."

Chakotay frowned and chimed again. Still no answer. He punched a
command code into the nearest com panel and ordered the computer to
perform a sensor sweep of Voyager for Ensign Paris' life signs.

"Ensign Paris' life signs are stable and are located in the Ensign's
assigned quarters," the computer reported.

Chakotay chimed again, and then again. He was getting angry again, Tom
was just being silly now, acting like a childish idiot. He looked at
the door panel. He didn't know how Tom had done it, but there was a
security lockout on the door that only the Captain could override.

Chakotay's anger now burst into flaming rage, as he strode to the
turbolift. It would appear in tomorrow's logs, he knew, but he didn't
give a damn. He went to the transporter room and beamed himself into
Tom's quarters.

---

Tom, still in his uniform, was sitting at his table staring at its
surface. He'd heard the door chiming, known it was Chakotay, and been
fully aware of how much of a fool he looked by not answering. But he
knew that if he was faced with Chakotay at this moment, he'd make an
even bigger fool of himself, by either bursting into tears and
sniveling at him, or ripping off his clothes and throwing himself at
the Commander's feet.

He was just too emotionally confused to face the situation. The
thought that the Commander would eventually go away and never come
near him again, instead of making him feel better, had the perverse
effect of making him want to bang his head, repeatedly and very hard,
against the nearest wall.

Then he heard the hum of the transporter and looked up in amazement.

---

Chakotay was already speaking when he materialized in Tom's living
room. "Hello Tom, did you really think I'd give up that easily?" His
calm voice belied the anger he was still feeling, but he'd decided
that if Tom were actually this nervous, extreme rage would not be a
great idea.

Tom was staring at him in absolute astonishment, mouth gaping and jaw
hanging slackly. Chakotay suddenly thought of Talaxian pancakes, his
anger dissolved, and much as he tried, he couldn't help himself and he
laughed.

The sound of Chakotay's laughter galvanized Tom into action. He flew
out of his chair, rocking the table violently and screamed at
Chakotay. "HOW DARE YOU! WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? I CAN'T
BELIEVE THIS, FIRST YOU TEASE ME, MAKE A FOOL OF ME, THEN YOU BEAM
INTO MY QUARTERS AND LAUGH... LAUGH... AT ME!" Tom was almost
incoherent with rage now. "THAT'S IT, I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

The embarrassment and disappointment he had been feeling, that had
slowly been growing into resentment, now flared into murderous rage.
He'd been too confused, for too long, and now he was going to put
himself out of his misery.

He launched himself at Chakotay, fingers straining to reach the
Commander's throat, tripped over some padds on the floor, and landed
flat on his stomach at Chakotay's feet, with a thud, severely winding
himself. Well, he thought resignedly, nose to the floor, at least I
have my clothes on.

Chakotay, with great presence of mind and superhuman self-control,
forbore to laugh and knelt by Tom's side, asking him "Tom, are you
alright ?"

"Yeah," Tom wheezed, his rage stunned out of him, "but I think I
finally have to admit that I'm accident prone." He sat up.

"I'll enter it into your personnel file." Chakotay twinkled at him.

In spite of himself, Tom smiled back, then looked away and stood up
quickly. Chakotay noticed this and frowned.

He got up and watched Tom for a moment, and then said "Look Tom, you
know we've never actually talked about what's been happening. Perhaps
we should."

Tom shrugged, still not meeting Chakotay's eyes. "If you like."

Chakotay didn't like this one bit. "I think you should tell me what's
bothering you. You said before that I was making a fool of you; well
you're the one who didn't keep our date tonight. Perhaps you should
tell me what's going on here?"

Tom's resentment bubbled in him again. "By date you mean fuck session,
don't you?" Chakotay's eyes flashed and Tom continued quickly.
"Anyway, I think the Captain knows more about what's going on with
you, than I do." Shit, he hadn't meant to bring that up, but he hadn't
been able to help himself.

Chakotay's eyebrow rose. "The Captain? Now what do you mean by that?"
He thought for a moment. "Harry, right?" He sighed. Really, the gossip
on this ship! "What exactly did he say?"

Feeling embarrassed and slightly ashamed, Tom sat down on the couch
and didn't answer.

Chakotay looked down at him. "Let me guess, I was in the Ready room
for a long time. Oh, and after that, I suppose everyone noticed that
the Captain had been upset?" He sat beside Tom and ran a finger down
his cheek. "I know you've been confused about your feelings, but
really Tom."

Tom jerked his head away and glared at Chakotay, narrowing his eyes.
"What do you mean 'confused about my feelings'?" His voice sounded
dangerous. "I don't care to be patronized, Commander." He stood up "I
think you'd better leave."

Uh oh. Chakotay thought as he stood up and faced Tom Bad choice of
words. "No, I don't think so Tom."

"These are my quarters, sir, and you did illegally enter them. Perhaps
I should call security?"

Chakotay reached out and snagged Tom's combadge. "I'm not going
anywhere yet." He blocked Tom's passage to the door "And neither are
you. We're sorting this out right now. It's time to stop running." His
voice was firm. "I'll tell you about the Captain. She was upset, for
her own personal reasons, which I'm not going to repeat. But she
wasn't upset about us. She wasn't upset when I told her how I feel
about you."

Tom wasn't giving in yet, though his heart was lurching wildly. "How
you feel?"

"I told her I'm falling in love with you." Chakotay's voice was
gentle, tender and he reached his hand out to Tom.

Tom stared at it blankly, he wasn't sure he'd heard right, there was
such a rushing of blood in his ears. He shook his head to clear it,
and then felt Chakotay's arms sliding around his waist, and his lips
against the side of his throat. He was frozen with shock and then
melted when he heard Chakotay's whispering voice. "Falling in love...
and deeper every minute."

---

Tom opened his mouth to say something, only to find his mouth softly
covered by Chakotay's lips, and the words died in his mind. Chakotay's
hands were sliding, now up his arms to his shoulders, now along his
throat, to rest firmly on either side of his face, thumbs brushing his
cheeks.

The lips against his were a soft pressure, gently exploring, probing
his own, and he held his breath, waiting, but then they were gone,
sliding along his cheek up to his eyes, fluttering over his face. He
shivered and then remembered what he had meant to say.

"Chakotay..." his voice was a sigh.

"Hmmm?"

The lips were trailing along his throat now, and Chakotay's hands were
pulling at his turtleneck, as the lips delved further down to the
hollow of his shoulder. Tom could feel Chakotay's hair brushing his
cheek, and smell that faint musky scent that always affected him.

"Chakotay..." This time his voice was firmer and Tom gripped Chakotays
arms holding him away.

Dark eyes now gazed into his, and Chakotay's hand rested on the back
of his neck. "What is it Tom?"

Tom pulled away from Chakotay and stepped back. "You're right, we do
need to talk. I... I can't jump right into this."

Chakotay smiled at him. "That's no problem Tom. We can take things as
slowly as you want."

Tom frowned. "I'm not sure."

Chakotays heart lurched. "What do you mean? I thought that you..."

Tom walked over to the couch and sat down, glancing up at Chakotay
with a tense look. "Oh yes, I'm attracted to you, that's been obvious
to you, I know. And I'll be honest with you Chakotay, my feelings...
run deeper than just physical attraction. But I have doubts about
this... two days ago I know you were teasing me, you can't deny it.
This morning all you wanted to do was fuck me, and now you beam
yourself into my quarters and tell me you're falling in love with me.
I feel like I'm on a roller coaster ride and I just don't know what
you're doing."

Chakotay sat down on the seat opposite Tom, not exactly sure what to
say next. There was a moment of silence as blue eyes stared into
brown, and then Chakotay spoke. "I won't deny it, Tom, I was teasing
you at first, but believe me I always found you attractive, even if I
never ...," liked you that much. Big mistake, it's about time I
stopped saying the wrong thing, "...well ...anyway, as for the
feelings I've developed since then, I can only assure you they're
real. I would really like to ... explore ... a relationship with you.
If you doubt that, I guess I'll just have to prove it to you."

Tom swallowed hard. His heart was throbbing wildly in his chest and
his mind was buzzing. "I don't know. I... need time."

"You have it. I won't pressure you, but I'm not going to just walk
away either. You can't expect me to do that."

Chakotay watched Tom intently, searching for a sign of hope that he
hadn't blown things completely. Finally Tom smiled faintly. "No... I
don't want you to walk away."

Chakotay's answering smile was radiant and Tom blinked at him, and
then smiled again. "I should apologize for not answering the door
earlier." He laughed. "I won't make that mistake again."

A sheepish look passed over Chakotay's face as he stood. "Yes, well, I
think I probably went too far there." He looked down at Tom, noting
the strained eyes. "If you take the lock off the door I'll leave by a
more conventional exit. I think we'd better call it a night. I'll see
you tomorrow." He wanted desperately to make a date with Tom, but
could see that he needed some space, and he'd just promised not to
pressure him.

Tom stood and followed Chakotay to the door, keying in the release
code. As the door opened, he turned to Chakotay and blushed, not sure
what to say.

Chakotay paused in the doorway and, he couldn't resist, ran a finger
across Tom's lips. "Tomorrow then," he said softly.

Tom rested his head against the door for a moment, after it had
closed, and let out a long sigh.

---
Chapter 8
---

The next morning, when Tom walked into the Mess Hall, he immediately
noticed every eye resting on him speculatively. He cringed inwardly. I
should never have braved this without Chakotay. He strode to the food
line and grabbed a tray. What the hell, they can think what they like.

At that moment the doors opened and the Commander himself swiftly
entered the room and headed for Tom, slightly out of breath. He'd
slept in, and had been about to replicate breakfast, when he'd
remembered yesterday's scene in the Mess Hall. He'd realized
immediately that he couldn't let Tom walk in there alone, and felt a
twinge of guilt at having placed Tom in a difficult position. Somehow,
Tom seemed to provoke this extraordinary but extremely enjoyable
behavior in him, Chakotay reflected wryly as he grabbed a tray.

"Good morning Tom."

"Commander." Tom nodded.

OK, Chakotay thought, we're going to do the formal thing. No problem.
"Would you join me for breakfast, Ensign?" He indicated a table near
the view port.

Tom finished filling his tray, and turned to Chakotay. "Sure,
Commander."

Why do I have a feeling he's punishing me. Chakotay thought as he
followed Tom to the table. Then, as they walked past a table of
engineering crew, he heard someone whisper, "So what's the
entertainment today, Paris?" and saw Tom's back stiffen. For a second
Chakotay considered putting the whole table on report, but he knew
that it would be the most stupid thing he could do at that moment and
ignored the muffled snickers as he walked on.

As they sat down at the table, Chakotay noticed with relief that Tom
was smiling. "Guess I deserved that," he said softly, "but I think any
'entertainment' should be private from now on."

Chakotay laughed and his heart swelled with a sudden upsurge of joy.
"Point taken."

They were running late, so they ate quickly, talking softly and soon
the rest of the crew lost interest in them and went back to their own
conversations. As they left the room, Tom was relieved to see that not
one head was raised to watch them.

The turbolift was empty when they entered it to go to the bridge, and
Tom felt a sense of nervousness and excitement at being completely
alone with Chakotay again. He wasn't sure what he wanted to happen at
that moment, but his stomach flipped when he felt Chakotay's hand
slipping into his own. The hand was large and strong, and Chakotay's
thumb brushed softly over his knuckles creating little flutters of
sensation all over his body. He turned and found himself gazing into
dark eyes, and then swallowed heavily at what he saw there.

Then, just as he was deciding that what he most wanted to do was kiss
the Commander thoroughly, Chakotay stepped back, withdrawing his hand,
and the turbolift doors opened onto the bridge.

---

Over the next couple of days, Tom's thoughts were full of Chakotay,
but as that had been normal for him in the last couple of months, he
wasn't too concerned. Besides, his thoughts provoked different
emotions now. Oh, the desire was still there... in a big way...
constantly, but the frustration and despair he'd felt were gone.
Instead he felt... happy. And he really liked that.

Chakotay had kept to his promise; he didn't pressure him in any way.
He'd just turn up suddenly at the occasional meal or a quiet time in
Tom's day, and they'd talk or joke around and then he'd be gone again,
and Tom would find himself waiting impatiently for the Commander's
next appearance. Tom had to admit that Chakotay was very good at this
whole courting thing. He had Tom wound up tighter than a wire, wanting
more, and at the same time enjoying it.

His only distraction from his preoccupation with Chakotay was his
realization of the odd behavior of B'Elanna and Harry. He hadn't seen
B'Elanna this moody in a long time and a lot of her aggression seemed
to be directed at Harry. Then, after a day and a half, he finally
noticed that he hadn't actually seen them alone; they were always
together even if at opposite ends of the room… and Harry was looking
strained.

So, he tried to talk to them, find out what was going on. He tackled
Harry first and in an uncharacteristic display of ill humor his friend
had told him, in no uncertain terms, that as Tom never told him
anything he didn't see why he should be bothered in confiding in Tom
and so therefore, why didn't he just mind his own business?

Then he approached B'Elanna, and decided (whilst in Sickbay) that it
really wasn't fair of B'Elanna to regress to testy and violent
behavior just because he was concerned about her feelings. After all,
they were supposed to be friends.

---

B'Elanna sat in her quarters, after depositing Tom in Sickbay, and
reflected on her situation. She felt guilty about hitting Tom like
that, but really sometimes, he just couldn't take the hint and leave
her alone.

She didn't want to talk about this with anyone, well except for Harry,
and for some unfathomable reason, he wasn't letting down his guard.
This was frustrating the hell out of her, because she could see that
he returned her feelings. She could see it in his eyes every time he
looked at her. She was beginning to suspect that he was doing this
deliberately, that it was a challenge to her and she certainly hadn't
expected it from him. She didn't mind though, she'd always enjoyed the
difficult path, and the fact that it was Harry causing this difficulty
and frustration in her life was extremely exciting.

Well, this game was fun, but she had to admit she was getting
impatient. He was going to give in soon, or she was going to break
every bone in his body. She shook her head and laughed out loud. Time
to plan a confrontation, I think.

---

When the time came for Tom's next shift in Sickbay, he discovered that
the Doctor had checked the inventory he was supposed to have completed
and, of course, found that Tom hadn't completed it. After listening to
another lecture on 'The Importance of Due Care and Attention' (he was
beginning to know it by heart), Tom headed for the Cargo Bay,
wondering if Chakotay might soon turn up there and hoping he would.

He was on his hands and knees behind a pile of crates, checking a
container of medical supplies when he heard the door open and
footsteps entering the room. Heart thudding suddenly, he peeked over
the top of the crates, to be confronted with the sight of B'Elanna and
Harry standing on the other side of the cargo bay. They appeared to be
arguing, but as they were hissing at each other rather than yelling,
he couldn't make out what they were saying.

He watched them intently, as the argument appeared to escalate, hoping
to finally find out what was going on with them. Then he saw B'Elanna
shove Harry in the chest, causing him to stumble backwards and she
advanced towards Harry, moving dangerously.

Tom was starting to feel a reluctant obligation to stand up and rescue
his friend, when the decision was taken from him. In front of his
stunned eyes, Harry grabbed B'Elanna's arms, slammed her into the wall
and smothered her mouth with his own.

---

Tom watched expectantly, waiting for B'Elanna to annihilate Harry, and
was astonished when he saw her arms snake round Harry's shoulders and
her hands clench in his hair, as she returned the kiss
enthusiastically. Then he realized what he was doing, and ducked down
behind the crates again.

Oh..My..God! His mind raced. B'Elanna and...Harry? He couldn't believe
he had missed this. He sat on the floor, gazing at the crates in blank
astonishment. Then he shook himself, he needed to get out of here. He
could tell by the sounds B'Elanna was making that very soon things
were going to happen that he really didn't want to witness.

He looked towards the door. Shit, if I try that, they'll immediately
know I'm here. He definitely didn't want to face B'Elanna's wrath
again (or Harry's either for that matter).

Then he had an idea. He crawled along the floor until he came to a
Jeffries tube and popped the hatch off as quietly as he could. He
paused for a moment, to check he hadn't disturbed B'Elanna and Harry,
then he climbed into the tube pulling the hatch on after him. He knew
there was another exit in the next hallway.

Hell. Tom thought in amused frustration. I can't believe that I'm
crawling through a Jeffries tube to escape from an... encounter...
between my ex girlfriend and my best friend. What a laugh!

He reached the hatchway and pushed it open, meeting some slight
resistance on the other side. He shook his head angrily and shoved at
the hatch with all his might, bursting through the opening.

---
Chapter 9
---

Chakotay stood at a computer panel, transferring information from the
padd in his hand into the ship's computer. He heard a slight noise
near the floor and glanced down in time to see the wall panel explode
into his groin.

The shock of the impact flung him backwards onto his butt on the floor
and he found himself sitting against the far wall, gasping for breath,
clutching his lap in a futile attempt to ease the very unpleasant
sensation currently throbbing in that sensitive area.

The sound of a groan (which wasn't his own) from the direction of the
floor made him look down, to the sight of the back of Tom's head
rolling between his knees. The other man was sprawled face down on the
floor, on top of a Jeffries tube panel.

Chakotay closed his eyes and grimaced in pain. Tom. He should have
known. And, of course, I'm the one to get injured!

"Chakotay?" He opened his eyes to meet a startled, blue gaze.

"Tom..." he wheezed, and then smiled. "As much as I'd like to be in
this position with you, I can think of far more pleasant ways of
achieving it."

Tom sat up quickly and stared at Chakotay in consternation. Then a
smile gleamed, and he burst into laughter. "Let's just hope there's no
permanent damage," he sniggered.

Chakotay's eyes widened "Why you..."

"Commander, Ensign, is there a problem here?"

Chakotay glanced up and blinked into the disapproving gaze of Tuvok.
Great.

Tom sprang up from the floor, clutching the Jeffries tube hatch. "No
Tuvok, everything's fine, just a slight accident," he replied as he
snapped the hatch into place.

"Indeed. Perhaps we should assist the Commander off the floor?"

"I don't need any assistance." Chakotay responded as he shifted to get
to his feet. Then he felt another twinge of pain and dropped back
against the wall. "I think I'll just stay here for a moment, have a
rest."

A Vulcan eyebrow rose. "I see. Then a visit to Sickbay may be more
appropriate," he stated.

"No way…" Chakotay began, and then Tom interrupted. "Tuvok, thanks for
the concern, but I don't think that will be necessary. I'll check the
Commander over and make sure he's OK."

"Yes Ensign, I'm sure you will." And Tuvok stepped over Chakotay and
continued up the hallway, while Tom gazed after him in amazement.

He glanced down at Chakotay. "I don't believe he just said that." He
reached down a hand to pull the other man up. "We'll go to my
quarters, I have a med kit there, we'd better make sure you are
alright."

---

When they got to Tom's quarters, Chakotay found himself deposited in a
chair while Tom rummaged around looking for the med kit. He leaned his
head back and closed his eyes. Thank God the pain is beginning to
subside, he thought, and then something else struck him, and he opened
his eyes and focused on Tom.

"Tom, what the hell were you doing bursting out of the wall like
that?"

Tom paused in his search. "Ahh... yes, well, it's quite a story,
really. There it is." He pounced on some clothes in a corner and then
turned back to Chakotay holding a med tricorder. "Let's make sure
you're OK."

He knelt down before Chakotay and waved the tricorder over his lap.
Chakotay found himself distracted by the delicate blush tingeing Tom's
face, as the Ensign snapped the tricorder shut and sat back on his
heels. "Well, you're fine."

"Thanks..." Chakotay replied and waited. "Tom, the story? I'd like to
hear it."

"Oh Yeah." Tom frowned. "You're not going to believe this. I was in
the cargo bay checking medical supplies, and Harry and B'Elanna came
in arguing, and the next thing I knew they were...kissing and... well,
let's just say I had to get out of there fast. I've never been into
voyeurism."

Chakotay's face was a picture of amused amazement. Well, who would've
thought that was going to happen, he thought, and then suddenly he
felt nervous. He studied Tom's face intently. "That is pretty...
surprising" he said slowly "but, how do you feel about it?"

Tom noticed the tense expression on Chakotay's face and immediately
knew what he was thinking. "Hey," he said softly, resting a hand on
Chakotay's knee, "I hadn't really thought about it, but you know, now
that I am, I think I'm happy for them."

Chakotay reached a hand to Tom's face and brushed his fingers along
his cheek. "Are you sure?" he whispered.

Nodding his head gently, Tom whispered back "Yes, definitely."
Chakotay's fingers were drifting down his throat now and Tom suddenly
realized that his heart was thudding wildly in his chest, and he was
finding it difficult to breathe evenly. He leaned forward slightly and
found Chakotay's lips hovering just above his own.

"Tom?"

"Yes?" he whispered.

"How much longer will I have to wait?"

Tom's cock throbbed and started to swell at Chakotay's rasped words.
He rose slowly to his feet, Chakotay following him. He gazed into
those dark eyes, watching the desire rising in them, and felt the same
heat growing inside himself. He closed his eyes for a moment, and then
felt Chakotay's soft, hot lips brushing against his jaw line, and
Chakotay's hands resting gently on his hips.

Then the lips were against his ear and that soft voice whispered
again, and Tom could hear the restraint, the passion held in check.
"Tom... please... answer me."

Tom blinked. Oh Yeah, that's right. He sucked in a deep breath and let
it out in a rush, finally finding his voice. "No more waiting,
Chakotay."

He heard a groan in his ear and then he was in Chakotay's arms and
those lips were hard now, searing against his, and Chakotay's velvet
tongue was plunging into his mouth, making him moan with desire. The
kiss became forceful, and Tom could feel Chakotay's passion unleashed,
demanding his submission. And now Tom abandoned himself to it,
reveling in the other man's desire. His cock was a twitching erection
now, and he could feel Chakotay's own cock, digging into his thigh. He
moved against it, and Chakotay groaned into his mouth, then tore his
lips away from Tom's, panting harshly.

"Gods, I want you so much," he breathed and then his lips were at
Tom's throat, burning and biting at the sensitive skin. Tom shivered
in ecstasy. Then, grasping Chakotay's face in his hands, he dove, hard
onto his mouth, plunging his tongue between those lips and savoring
his control of the kiss. Chakotay moaned again, and Tom could feel his
hands running over his uniform, pulling at it, tearing it away from
his chest, and then the hands gripped his waist, pushing him back
against the wall. Then Chakotay's lips were at his throat again,
moving hungrily down to his chest, and a tongue laved at one of his
nipples. Tom gasped and gripped Chakotay's shoulders, in his own turn
pulling at the other man's uniform.

Suddenly, Chakotay stepped back and hauled the turtleneck over his
head, flinging it on the floor. Then he moved forward again, and
taking Tom in his arms, just held him, resting his head on his
shoulder. Tom sighed when he felt Chakotay's hot skin against his own,
he wrapped his arms around the other man's waist and ran his hands
over Chakotay's back, feeling the muscles and the smooth skin under
his palms.

Chakotay's head lifted, his dilated eyes raked over Tom's chest, and
he ran a hand through the light covering of red-gold hairs. He was
breathing heavily as he stared into Tom's eyes, delighting in the
reactions he saw there. And then he opened Tom's trousers and gripped
his hard cock.

A groan erupted from deep in Tom's chest as he flung his head back and
closed his eyes at the feel of Chakotay's rough grasp on his throbbing
erection. Chakotay couldn't resist and he latched his lips onto that
long throat as his hand stroked Tom smoothly.

This time a frustrated groan erupted from Tom as he felt Chakotay move
away and then he felt a hot breath caress his groin and he opened his
eyes and looked down to see Chakotay on his knees, looking up at him.

Chakotay couldn't believe how gorgeous Tom looked as he stared up at
him. Clothes in disarray around him, cock thrusting proudly forward,
chest heaving, skin flushed, lips swollen, and those eyes, glazed and
heavily dilated.

Chakotay maintained his contact with those eyes as he slowly leaned
forward and ran his tongue up Tom's shaft, in a long, luxurious lick.
He saw Tom's eyes widen and his lips part in a soft, gasping pant as
his own mouth engulfed Tom's cock and he swirled his tongue around its
head. Then he closed his eyes and devoted himself to the enjoyment of
Tom's taste, and the sound of Tom's gasps and moans and his whispered
words of encouragement. Tom's fingers were tangling in his hair now,
kneading and grasping at his head, and Tom's delicious cock was
thrusting and jerking in his mouth. Chakotay grabbed Tom's hips to
hold him still, relaxed his jaw, and felt the slide of Tom's cock down
his throat.

Tom's hands gripped his head convulsively and he heard him give a loud
yelp, and then the whisper sounded in his ears again. "Ohhh... yesss
Chakotay, yes, please more, like that, oh yeah..." a long sigh "Oh ...
gods yes Chakotay... Uh... I'm gonna come now... Chakotay!"

Chakotay was swallowing now as Tom's cock surged in his mouth and he
felt Tom's seed running down his throat. Then Tom was on his knees as
well, and Chakotay was kissing him again, deep velvet kisses, only
mouths touching, where tongues rasped and burned against each other
and desperate breathing merged.

Suddenly Chakotay pulled away and stood, hauling Tom with him. "It's
time for bed."

---

Tom lay sprawled on his bed, completely naked, looking up at Chakotay,
equally naked, trying to digest what Chakotay had just whispered to
him.

Tom had thoroughly enjoyed every moment of the ten minutes that had
passed since they had found their way to the bedroom. His body was
thrumming with the excitement and pleasure that Chakotay's touch and
lips had been exacting in him, when he'd heard Chakotay's voice rasp
in his ear. "Tom, we need some lube, I want to take you now. I don't
think I can wait any longer."

He froze. Does that mean what I think it means?

Chakotay sensed Tom's reaction and leaned up on his elbows, looking
down at Tom. "Tom?" he said, eyes full of concern. "Look it's OK, we
don't have to do that, if you don't want to." He felt Tom move
underneath him and sat up "I mean, I'd really ... really... like to,
but if you're not ready, well, that's all that matters. But I think
you'd like it, you know, and I promise I won't hurt you Tom."

Tom sat up and eyed Chakotay's large cock. "Chakotay, you can't tell
me that this is not going to hurt!"

"Well... truthfully, it will of course, at first, but after that..."
Tom noticed Chakotay give a small shiver. "After that, believe me, it
will be completely worth it."

Tom raised an eyebrow. "So that means you'll let me take you?" His
eyes sparkled with mischief.

"Oh definitely." Chakotay grinned. "But not now."

"Why not?" Tom pouted.

Chakotay leaned forward and nibbled Tom's earlobe. "Because right now,
Tom, you're mine," he growled. "Now where's that lube?"

Five minutes later, Tom was writhing on the bed, moaning incoherently,
with two of Chakotay's slick fingers in his ass, stretching and
probing inside him. He couldn't believe the way this felt, and groaned
in bliss when he felt a third finger push it's way inside.

Chakotay watched Tom and was delighted with what he saw. Tom was
extremely responsive and Chakotay was struggling to maintain his
control. Tom ground himself against his hand and Chakotay shuddered.
That's it, I'm not waiting any longer.

"Tom.... Tom." Finally the blue gaze locked on his. "This will be
easier from behind." Tom blinked at him. "Up, on your hands and
knees." He withdrew his fingers and started to pull Tom up.

"Oh... I get you" and Tom knelt in front of him. Chakotay was
confronted with Tom's lovely ass and bit his lip, closing his eyes and
counting to ten. When he'd prepared himself, he positioned his cock at
Tom's entrance, gripped Tom's hips and pushed forward gently. He saw
Tom's back tense, and stopped, watching and waiting until he saw Tom
relax. He looked down and moaned. The sight of his cock, sliding into
Tom's tight ass made it difficult for him to control his motion, but
he was determined not to cause Tom any more pain than necessary.

After the first moment of sharp pain, Tom had managed to relax, and
was now concentrating on the strange sensation of being filled. Little
trickles of pleasure were beginning to run through his body, and he
wriggled his hips experimentally.

Chakotay gasped behind him and grasped his hips tightly, forcing him
still. "Tom for God's sake" he hissed.

"What?"

"Don't do that... yet. I need time to calm down."

Tom grinned, and then tensed as Chakotay pushed all the way in. "Oh
God!"

Chakotay ran his hands over Tom's smooth back, delighting in the
satiny feel under his palms. "Sshh Tom" he whispered, "it's alright.
We'll take it slow."

Tom closed his eyes and started to relax. This burning feeling of
being filled was quickly becoming one of the most erotic sensations
he'd ever experienced. He clenched his buttocks and sucked in his
breath at the feeling. Then he wriggled a bit and pushed back slightly
against Chakotay. Oh Yeah. He pushed back again, and found himself
starting to pant. Oh this was good, but he wanted more.

"Oh yeah, yeah, yeah," he whispered roughly. "Chakotay, come on, do it
now, come on, fuck me Chakotay."

Chakotay needed no further invitation. Tom's experiments had been
driving him wild, but he'd held himself back and waited for Tom to be
ready. Now he released himself and plunged forward into Tom, pulled
back, and plunged again, and again. Tom groaned, and writhed against
him, his voice rising "Oh Gods...yes Chakotay... that's it ... fuck
me... yes"

This was going too fast and Chakotay didn't want it to end too soon.
He pulled back a moment, and then changed the pace, to a gentle,
precise rhythm. Soon Tom was grinding against him at a matching speed,
and Chakotay pulled Tom up off his hands and gripped his shoulders,
angling his thrusts for the most pleasure.

Tom leaned back against Chakotay's chest and felt the other man's
hands rest firmly against the front of his throat. He purred against
the palms and heard and felt Chakotay's answering growl. Then the
hands glided down his chest, caressing, wandering, and teasing until
finally they settled on his aching erection. He gasped and moaned at
the cool pleasure of those hands, as they began a firm, stroking
motion, a companion to the rhythm of Chakotay's cock, deep inside him.

This slow, steady pace was drowning Tom. Every thrust, every hand
stroke now caused an ecstasy so extreme that he arched and stretched
his arms, his head falling back on Chakotay's shoulder, and moaned
continuously and incoherently. Chakotay's lips burned on his neck and
his hot breath, and hot words urged Tom on, pushing him further into
losing control.

With each hard thrust that Chakotay made, Tom's stomach flipped and
fluttered deliciously and his thighs began to tremble. He felt one of
Chakotay's arms tighten around his waist, gripping him in place, while
the other hand continued to stroke him into oblivion.

He could feel Chakotay panting in his ear, moaning his name, and he
felt a thrill at the sound. Then Chakotay was pushing into him faster,
harder, ramming them forward, and Tom gripped the bed head to support
himself. The pleasure was coming in intense waves, swallowing him and
then tossing him into another ocean of sensation. Now he could feel it
building and all that was in his mind was a blinding white circle of
pure emotion. His head dropped forward and he struggled for breath as
Chakotay's lips burned a brand onto the back of his neck.

Still it was building, and all there was now was this rhythm, each of
them pushing against the other, harder, now jerking, now jolting, Tom
moaning, Chakotay whispering passion in his ear, and then he could
feel it sweeping toward him, swooping him up and plunging him back
down into Chakotay's arms, and he gasped and then... then... he came.

---

A short time later Tom lay on his side, beside Chakotay, one hand
resting on the other man's chest. Chakotay lay with his eyes closed,
and Tom could feel his heart, still thumping hard, under his hand. He,
himself, had yet to recover his breath completely.

"Chakotay," he whispered.

The head turned and dark eyes gazed into his. "What?"

"I believe I can report to the Doctor, that there was definitely no
permanent damage from your accident."

Chakotay's eyes widened and then his dimples flashed. "Why you..."

---

The End