The BLTS Archive - Due North by PJSquared(Phyillis J. Sutherland & PJin NH) --- Disclaimer: Voyager owns all the characters, etc., we are just using the characters for a little fun and relaxation. Posting: OK to ASC, ASCEM, BLTS, & PT Fever. Please notify us if you post anywhere else. Note of Appreciation: Special thanks to JanF for betaing/proofing this story for us. --- Prologue --- "But you've just got to come, B'Elanna," Tom begged but the half- Klingon stood with her arms crossed over her chest unmoving. She was unconvinced. Even Tom assailing her with his well-practiced lonely, blue-eyed, puppy-dog look was having no effect. Jewel-like blue eyes gazed down at flashing brown orbs, silently begging her to speak, do something, anything but stand there in silence. Finally, she relented. "Let me guess," she began tilting her head to one side and poking him in the middle of his chest with her index finger. "This little holodeck programme that you want me to participate in wouldn't have anything to do with say..." and she tilted her head to the other side. "...20th century Earth would it?" Tom grinned and blushed. "It does!" B'Elanna concluded and pushed the pilot forcibly away from her. Tom caught himself just before he should have fallen and walked back to the engineer. "Awww, come on, B'Elanna. You'll have fun I promise. Have I ever let you down?" "I can think of a certain programme you tricked me into trying last month. You drove into this eating place in your '69 Cam-a-ro, oh you looked fine in that leather jacket and your hair just so. But then you had me wear red shorts, a white top, and carry that tray with carbonated liquids and those potato things on it---all the while on those rollie shoes." "That's roller-skates," he said correcting her. "Whatever. The point of the matter was, was that you didn't tell me how to stop on those things!" she accused pointing to her feet. "If it hadn't been for the holodeck safeties, I would have broken both of my legs..and that--by the way--is the only reason that I didn't break both of yours!" Tom recalling the carhop programme couldn't help himself and started to chuckle. He could still see her sitting in the holo- parking lot dripping in root beer and covered in french fries. "If you value your life helmboy, you'll stop while you're ahead," she warned. Seeing that he had yet to wipe that knowing grin off his face she pivoted on her heel and began to storm away from Tom Paris. The pilot was quick though and quickly intercepted her before she had reached the outer door of his cabin. "But this time it will be different, B'Elanna. I promise. No roller skates. Just Canadian countryside, Canadian Mounties, a bad guy...andadamselindistress." He said the last few words in a lower voice and very quickly." "What was that? What's that about a damsel in distress?" "Did I say that?" She glared. "I think I said a 'dame in a dress.' She growled. "It will be fun I promise." "It had better, but I want to review this programme first, and I want Harry to be there." "Harry?" he questioned, puzzled by the request. "I know you won't pull the same stunt like with the *roller skates* if Harry's around to keep an eye on you." "So you'll come?" She nodded. He had won. --- The Story --- A tall blonde Mountie with striking blue eyes stood at attention in front of his commanding officer, his hat tucked under his right arm. Every hair was in place, boots were polished, and not a speck of lint was evident on the red jacket or black slacks. And a pair of dark brown eyes watched the man, from a discrete distance just outside the open door that led to the corridor. "Constable Fraiser, we have a very important assignment for you," said the inspector seated behind a highly polished mahogany desk. Inspector Martin McTavish picked up his clipboard and perused the contents. He was an older man with dark hair that had started to grey at the temples, and he wore a pair of reading glasses that were positioned near the end of his nose, always looking like they were about to fall off. Thumbing through the pages he stopped at one and pulled back the sheet. "Ah, yes here it is. We are sending you to Chicago." "You're sending me to Chicago?" the Constable asked. He didn't expect to be assigned to a post in Chicago. "You're Benton Frasier aren't you?" McTavish asked looking up from the paper over his reading glasses to the Mountie standing before him. "No, sir, that would be my cousin. I'm *Burton* Frasier. You see I was actually a bush pilot, I went to Ottawa in search of a stolen plane, there I came in contact with my cousin who talked me into joining the RCMP. Afterwards though, my cousin Benton, testified against another officer and was exiled to the States and I, for reasons unknown, was sent to the back waters of Lake Simcoe. That is, until you called for me yesterday." The Inspector looked dumbfounded at the Mountie standing before him not believing that he had just recited that entire story without so much as a breath. Then he shook his head and returned to the task at hand. "Burton Frasier...Burton Frasier..." the McTavish repeated to himself and resumed his search though the papers. "Ah yes, *Burton* Frasier." He read the paper before him, and looked up at the blonde man standing at attention in front of him. "You still have your bush pilot's license, right?" "Yes, sir." This was going to be part of the programme he was going to enjoy, flying a simulated bush plane. He had programmed in a lovely little blue and white Twin Otter. "Hmmmm." McTavish rose from his seat and walked around his desk to a large map that hung on the wall. Taking a pointer that was leaning against the wall the Inspector pointed to a large body of water in the middle of the map. "We're sending you here," he explained tapping the map with the pointer. The Mountie walked closer to the map to see where the inspector was pointing. "Back to Lake Simcoe?" Frasier asked. The Inspector nodded. "Yes, Lake Simcoe, Ontario. I believe you heard about the payroll robbery at the Big-Little Cheese Co.?" "Yes, sir, the famous felon, Nonookie of the West, stole the entire month's payroll, amounting to a total sum of $47,474.47, last Tuesday at 3:08 p.m. If I'm not mistaken, he hasn't been seen since," Benton replied crisply. McTavish who was reviewing the information on the case looked up abruptly. "Your information is correct, even down to the exact amount stolen." "Thank you, sir. I try to do my best." "Yes. Well...the bush plane that I'm assigning you is equipped with pontoons so you can easily land on the lake." McTavish looked back again at his clipboard and pulled a file out from under the clip and passed it to Frasier. "In this file you will find other pertinent information. We just found out today that Nonookie is going by an alias of 'Valentine.' You will fly to the northeast side of the lake...." A whine was heard out in the hall, which caused the Inspector to pause for a moment. Tom, himself raised an eyebrow surprised at the sound. "Like I said, you will fly to the northeast side of the lake where the Nonookie was last seen. Good luck, Constable." The Constable saluted his superior officer, pivoted on his heel and exited the room. He was almost all the way down the hall before he realised that he was alone. Turning back toward the room he had just left, he saw a dark figure laying on the floor just outside the door. "Well are you coming or what? We have a job to do." The dark figure whined and crawled ever so slowly towards the man dressed in red. "Rafi, come here, now!" The shepard-labrador cross whined once and with his head down obeyed the command and followed the Mountie. Later, Tom sat in his bush plane flying over the Canadian countryside. But he was not very happy. The plane was nothing like the beautiful blue and white bush plane that he had detailed into the programme, it was painted a dull brown with two hideous yellow stripes down each side. And Rafi...Rafi was another story. Ever since the dog had gotten into the plane, which he did so reluctantly, and with a great deal of help from the Mountie, had whined. It was an ear-splitting whine that set Tom's teeth on edge and when he wasn't whining he was trying to crawl up onto the pilot's lap, all 25 kilos of him. Tom wondered. Tom concluded. He paused for a moment and wondered what else B'Elanna had planned for this programme. And he smiled slightly even though he could still hear Rafi whine. Knowing B'Elanna, he figured, it was bound to be interesting. --- B'Elanna thought. She was dressed in a short teal coloured halter sundress. She had designed it with the full intention of driving Tom crazy. It displayed her cleavage to perfection, left her entire back bare so he could see her sensitive Klingon spine, not to mention her shapely legs that she knew he adored. To top it off, she had braided her hair on her left side, just how she knew the pilot liked it. The beautiful woman sat on the wooden dock outside of a log cabin tucked into the forest beside the lake. She dipped her bare feet into the cool water while a cool breeze feathered her hair back away from her face. "Computer, increase water temperature by five degrees." :::Acknowledged.::: She smiled at the thought. And she waited. She knew her part, had memorised the scenario Tom had given her the night before, and had made a few changes of her own. Some changes that Tom had undoubtedly discovered already. She smiled again. B'Elanna was anxious now to start the programme. Just as the sun began to set and the sky turned various shades of pinks and purples, she heard the sputter of a small plane's engine. She knew that Tom must be cursing her as he descended onto the lake. She laughed, and pulled her feet out of the water and slipped on her sandals. "Damn, this is embarrassing!" Tom struggled with the little plane. In the programme that he had designed, the plane was suppose to be responsive, not this temperamental piece of machinery that he was trying to fly. And to top it off, he was still trying to figure out what he had heard over Barrie. In between Rafi's whines, it had sounded something like: "Ensign Buttpain you are in big trouble now!" So it was with relief that he finally landed it onto the shining waters of Lake Simcoe. Rafi, though, continued to whine from his place behind the co-pilot's seat. "The plane's down, Rafi. I'm not flying it any more. You can stop that infernal whining," he explained to the dog. Rafi crawled out from his hiding place and looked up at the blue-eyed man, sloppily licked him across the face and wagged his thick tail. "Down, boy," Tom ordered and wiped his face with his sleeve and pushed the now happy dog away from him and returned to the programme. He checked his heading and turned the plane to the northeast...towards B'Elanna. The plane drifted up to the dock, and the Mountie jumped out onto the dock and deftly tied up the little brown plane. Rafi followed him but took a different route...directly into the lake, a labrador's, or part-labrador's, natural element. Kerplop! The dog swam around the plane twice, picked up a piece of driftwood that was floating near the plane and headed to shore. People would say it was impossible for a dog to laugh, but Rafi would have changed their minds if they had seen him then. Tom looked down at the dog grateful that B'Elanna hadn't chosen to remove or change this little part of the programme. It reminded him of when he was a boy and that summer when his father was away when he and his sisters dog-sat for a family who had been assigned to a deep space mission. It had been a yellow lab then, but he'd never forget the absolute joy the dog exhibited whenever he was swimming. And even better than that, swimming AND retrieving. Simple joys. "What are you doing tying up that piece of garbage to my dock?!" a familiar voice growled. She voice almost caught in her throat when she saw Tom standing by the plane dressed impeccably in the red and black uniform with his hat perched on his head. she thought, Tom looked around to see B'Elanna walking toward him, her arms folded in front of her prepared to make her stand. She wasn't following the script word for word, but it would do. Tom broke character. "Well for one thing, I wasn't planning on tying this 'piece of garbage' to your dock, I had intended on flying a lovely little blue and white Twin Otter." B'Elanna looked at him, eyebrows raised. Tom then noticed that her dress was not the one he had originally detailed for this programme...in fact, he reflected, it was much better, and she had taken the time to plait her hair. He smiled. Tom continued. "Pardon me ma'am, my name is Burton Frasier. I was actually a bush pilot, when I went to Ottawa in search of a stolen plane. There I came in contact with my cousin who talked me into joining the RCMP. Afterwards though, my cousin Benton, testified against another officer and was exiled to the States and I, for reasons unknown, was sent to the back waters of Lake Simcoe. Today my inspector has sent be back here in search of a felon that stole the payroll of the Big-Little Cheese Co. We have information that he was last seen in this neck of the woods. In fact, I have some questions for you." B'Elanna stared at the man before her. He was playing his part very well. "Maybe we could talk over a cup of coffee? It's starting to get chilly out here." The Mountie nodded. "Follow me." B'Elanna/Rose spun around making the dress swirl around her tan legs and providing Tom with a good look at her bare back. She could hear his breath catch in his throat just like she had predicted that it would. Frasier followed with Rafi at his heels, still dripping wet. Placing Rafi on stay just outside the door, he removed his hat and followed the woman. She opened the large wooden door and slightly grimaced at the screech of the hinges. "Welcome to my humble home away from home, Constable." She stepped aside so he could walk further into the cabin. He was impressed with the changes that she had made inside. The wood floor that he had designed had been replaced with slate and colorful Indian blankets hung on the walls. And in the far corner stood a huge feather bed complete with a canopy and a thick multi-colored quilt. It looked very inviting. "You have a lovely place her Ms...." "Rose. Just call me Rose," she said mysteriously. The half- Klingon walked over to the kitchen area and took out two mugs and filled them the coffee that had been warming on the stove. Tom nodded, willing to play along with any changes she had made. "Cream?" she asked sweetly knowing full well that Tom hated cream in his coffee. "Just sugar please. Two." B'Elanna added cream to her cup, and sugar to the other. Taking both cups, she motioned towards the small dinette that was tucked into the corner of the room. "Is this okay?" "That'd be fine, ma'am," he replied crisply and he politely pulled out the chair at the table so she could sit down. Tom then pulled the seat out across from her and sat down himself. "So tell me about this thief?" Rose asked as she passed him a plate of fudge stripies. "His name is Nonookie of the West he stole a $47,474.47 payroll from the Big-Little Cheese Company last week." "Which in U.S. currency amounts to snot." He nodded and continued. "We have reason to believe that he is in this area. Have you seen anything unusual lately? "Unusual?" Tom nodded. "We it depends what you mean by 'unusual'? I've seen a man that I thought I loved leave me for the big lights of Hollywood. If he had chosen Denver maybe I would have followed, but not Hollywood." B'Elanna sniffed and swallowed hard as she nervously fingered the sugar bowl that sat on the table between them. "I thought he loved me but he never TOLD me that he did. Ultimately, I found out that he loved his career more." Tom clasp his hand over hers. Tom wondered. "So Cal..." she continued. Tom looked puzzled. "Cal?" "Yes, Cal Remmie." She sighed dramatically. "He packed his bags and hopped the first train to Hollywood. They offered him a 'roll of a lifetime'. Unfortunately, the roll didn't include me." "So you're here...." "Trying to get myself together before I go back home. This cabin has been in the family for years. It always has been a good place to go when you needed to think and straighten things out." B'Elanna looked down at the cup of coffee then back up to the man across the table from her. "Sometimes it's hard not hearing those little words, Constable. But I've found that heartbreak can be good inspiration for my work--you see I'm an author, I've learned how to write angst first-hand." Tom didn't miss the implied reference and looked down at his own cup of coffee and tightened his grip over her hand. "I'm sorry, B'El--Rose, but...." He was interrupted by the sounds of someone singing 'O Canada' followed by a series of rhythmic knocks on the door to the cabin. "Miss Rose, Miss Rose, are you in there?" B'Elanna rolled her eyes towards the heavens. "The door's open, Jimmy. Come on in!" Before Jimmy opened the door, Rose and Burton could hear him chasten Rafi for jumping up on him and they smiled. Finally, the wooden door opened with the same squeal and Harry Kim walked into the cabin. He wore a green flannel shirt and a worn pair of overalls with a red bandana peaking out of the breast pocket. In his right hand he clutched several pieces of paper. With his left, he nervously took the bandana out of his pocket and mopped up his wet face. Whether the face was wet with perspiration or from dog slobber, or a combination of both, the other two people in the cabin couldn't be sure. Rose gestured to the man that had just come through the door. "Constable Frasier, this is my neighbour, Jimmy Chin." "Please to meet you, Mr. Chin." The young man turned to the Mountie. "I'm sorry, Miss Rose. I.. I...I didn't know you had com...company." Rose smiled. "It's all right, Jimmy. This here is...." Burton stood up and extended his hand towards the young man. "My name is Burton Frasier, Jimmy. I was actually a bush pilot, when I went to Ottawa in search of a stolen plane. There I came in contact with my cousin who talked me into joining the RCMP. Afterwards though, my cousin Benton, testified against another officer and was exiled to the States and I, for reasons unknown, was sent to the back waters of Lake Simcoe. I'm here today in search of a felon that stole the payroll of the Big-Little Cheese Co. We have information that he was last seen in this neck of the woods." "Wow! This...this is the most...most exciting thing..ever to...to happen around here in...a...a...long time!" Jimmy gushed. Then remembering his original mission turned to address Rose. "Oh, Miss...Miss Rose. I..I just wanted to tell you that I chop..chopped another pile of wood out back and I stacked it...be...beside the utility shed," Jimmy stammered. Rose took a deep breath trying to maintain her patience. "Thank you, Jimmy, but I think nine cords of wood is enough to keep this cabin warm for not only this coming winter but for maybe another two after that." "Well...well I just..just wanted to help," he wadded up the now damp bandana and shoved it back into the breast pocket of the coveralls. "And I appreciate it. What's that you got there?" Rose asked, though she knew full well what it was. Jimmy blushed and rubbed his toe against the slate floor. "Have you been writing again?" she queried. Jimmy nodded his head and giggled. "Yep. Do you think...think that you..." "You want me to take a look at it?" The nodding hadn't stopped and Jimmy held the now crumpled pages out to her. "Let's see," Rose said placing the hand-written pages out on the table before her and trying to straighten them out. She began to read. "The sun had just started to set, when trout fisherman had just come in off the lake..." She stopped reading and looked up at the dark-haired man. "Jimmy, do you realise that all of your stories start the same way?" Jimmy started nodding again nervously. "Do you mind if I look at this later? After all I do have company," she motioned towards the Mountie. "Of course not...not, Miss Rose." "Here why don't you sit down next to the constable, and I'll get you a cup of hot chocolate," she offered. "With..with.." "Yes, Jimmy, with the little marshmallows in it." The young man smiled as she went over to the kitchen area to get the hot chocolate. Then he turned toward the Mountie. "You owe me for this, Tom," Harry whispered. "Remember our deal." "I know, you do this programme with me and B'Elanna, and I give you one of my personal holodeck programs. Tom's Titillating Tahitian Tour will be all yours after we are finished today. I should have no use for it any more," the blonde man whispered to his friend. "The one with the native girls in the grass skirts?" Harry asked. "And nothing else," Tom confirmed. Harry smiled. He couldn't wait to book some private holodeck time. "Here you go, Jimmy," Rose said and placed a large mug of hot chocolate complete with mini-marshmallows, down in front of Harry Kim. Jimmy smiled adoringly up at the half-Klingon. B'Elanna returned to her seat, and picked up her cup of coffee. "So, Mr. Frasier, "tell us about this Nonookie?" Rose asked. Tom reached into his jacket pocket and took out a piece of paper and placed it in the middle of the table. Rose and Jimmy looked intensely at the photo. What they saw was a stocky man, with straight dark hair, and a very oil complexion, all topped off with a bad case of five-o'clock shadow. "He looks like...like a pool hustler," Rose concluded. Jimmy nodded in agreement. But then if Rose told Jimmy that Lake Simcoe was full of mermaids and rubies, he would have agreed with her too. "A pool hustler?" Tom asked, noting the obvious reference to some of Sandrine's seedier holo-patrons. The other two grinned at him, noting that he did indeed catch the reference. Over a second cup of coffee and another refill of Jimmy's hot chocolate (complete with marshmallows of course), Benton related to the pair all he knew about the thief. And they told them all they knew, which amounted to next to nothing. Before long, Jimmy started yawning. "Seems like it is time that we all turn in for the night," B'Elanna noted. The men rose from the table and the Mountie picked up his hat and the three walked toward the door. "Good night, Jimmy," Tom said with a sly grin. If he had his way B'Elanna was going to have some company in bed tonight. "After you, Constable," Jimmy said. "I feel it is my res...respo...duty to see that Miss Rose is safe for...the...the night." "Wha..What?" Tom stammered. "I think that's my line, Tom," Harry said in a whisper. Then he raised his voice so B'Elanna could also hear. "If you don't have...have a sleeping bag. You...you could borrow mine." "I have to sleep outside?" B'Elanna grinned. Harry was rather devious himself at times. "It's the only honourable thing to do, Constable. It wouldn't be right for you to sleep in this cabin with me. Besides..." She pushed him out the door. "...I think you would be able to keep a better eye on the cabin and a better lookout for Nonookie, if you were outside. I'm sure Rafi will keep you warm tonight. That is if he doesn't decide to go for any midnight swims." The she slammed the door in his face, quite satisfied that she had the last word tonight. Tom starred at the door in shock. He heard B'Elanna bolt the door from inside. He couldn't believe that she would lock him out of the cabin. Of course, he could always override the holodeck protocols, but knowing the chief engineer, she probably had rigged it so it would be unable to access that part of the programme. "Come on, Tom. Grab the sleeping bag and your dog, you're bunking outside tonight. Looks like they'll be no *nookie* for you tonight," Harry told him, the young man couldn't help but grin at Paris' bewildered expression. Even in the darkness outside, Harry could see the colour of his friend's face was almost the same as the colour of the jacket he wore. This programme certainly wasn't going like the pilot had planned. So, retrieving a ratty sleeping bag from the airplane, Tom found a level place under a pine tree between the cabin and the lake and settled down for the night still clad in his uniform for warmth. And Rafi snuggled up next to the pilot and laid his black head down on his master's chest. Shortly after, Tom drifted off to sleep with one hand on the dog's back and with one thought in his head -- that 'something was definitely wrong with this picture.' B'Elanna dressed into a silky white, ankle-length nightgown that was trimmed with lace and crawled up into the large soft bed. Her petite body sunk down into the featherbed and she pulled the thick downy quilt over her body. she thought She smiled and finally reached to her right and turned out the light. Thinking of the repast she had planned for the morning, before long she, too, had fallen asleep. She dreamt of a certain pilot with brilliant blue eyes and sandy blonde hair, he was laughing, his eyes sparkled, all the sadness and unhappiness that he had ever experienced in his life was but a shadow, and it was all because of..... ....a certain engineer who was his life, who made everyday a joy..an adventure...who would never be routine, always lively, smart, and an exquisite delight. He smiled as he slept as her laughing face wove its way through his dreams. And somewhere else on the holodeck Harry Kim dreamed of tanned Tahitian temptresses. --- The holo-night passed and B'Elanna moaned in her sleep and rolled over onto her back. In her slumber, she and Tom were now trapped in one of the ship's turbolifts. The emergency lights provided the only illumination, casting a delicate glow over the interior of the lift and on the flesh of the two inhabitants. She had just run her fingers through his ginger-coloured chest hair, playfully stopping every once in a while to tease his nipples. He moaned at the touch. The engineer was about ready to strip the pilot bare, the waistband of his briefs firmly between her teeth, when she heard it--a scraping and a thud... Tom pulled the sleeping bag back up to his chin and would have rolled over to get more comfortable if Rafi hadn't been laying on top of the sleeping bag. As it was, he drifted deeper to sleep, and deeper into dreamland. In the mists of his slumber, the pilot was seated at the controls of his Delta Flyer...it was his, not Starfleet's, as far as he was concerned. He was back on the Monean water planet, beneath the surface, and the water was starting to gush in through the seam in the overhead. He jumped up from the helm and tried desperately to stop the leak. Finally, it slowed to a manageable shower of water but he was wet from his head to his toes. His hair was plastered to his head and water puddled at his feet. He looked up at the offending seam and pushed the sealing compound further into the opening while the water dripped into his eyes. Then he felt it. Then he smiled. Two familiar arms wove around him, pulling him into their strong grasp. With one hand he wiped the water from his eyes and looked down to find B'Elanna Torres holding him while the water streamed over her nude body blessing her presence. He bent to kiss her, to stroke her breast with his long fingers. The leaking ship no longer mattered. He was intoxicated with the sight of the woman in his arms--of *his* woman in his arms. And she was his, and he hers, and would be forever--of that he was certain. His senses were filled with her smell, taste and the sound of her breathing becoming more rapid. And he could hear the sound of the water cascading over their bodies, of the ship creaking due to the pressure of the water on the hull. The noise increased until it sounded like a scream...like... Tom sat up quickly, his eyes wide and alert. B'Elanna was screaming. The programme wasn't suppose to go like this--not now. Either B'Elanna had changed it, or with the two of them messing with the holoprogramme subroutines it had thrown the entire programme out of sync. Still dressed in his Mountie uniform, he quickly pushed Rafi off the sleeping bag, grabbed his hat and hurried to the cabin. The dog followed the Mountie close to his heels. By the time he reached the door, Jimmy had joined him, pulling on a well-worn, and obviously much-loved, Maple-Leaf's tee-shirt over a loose pair of pants as he reached the Mountie. "This wasn't suppose to happen like this, was it?" Harry asked his friend. "No, it wasn't," Tom tried the door. "It's still locked, let's try the window." The pair ran around to the back side of the cabin and saw an open window. The Mountie flung himself through the opening and then turned around and helped his friend inside. And Rafi quickly leaped inside himself. What they saw when they turned around was Rose trying to fend off none other than Nonookie of the West. She was still clad her in white nightgown and B'Elanna held a wooden chair threateningly over her head. "How dare you interrupt my sleep!" she yelled at Nonookie. Nonookie snake-like smile showed his few remaining yellow teeth. "Come on, Missy, all I want is a little food and all your valuables, and I'll be on my way." Rose growled menacingly at the little man. Burton Frasier strode up to the pair. "Cease and desist, Nonookie! I'm Burton Frasier of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and you sir," he pointed at Nonookie, "are under arrest for the crime of theft!" Nonookie turned his attention toward the man in red. "But you're mistaken, Frasier, my name is not Nonookie it's Valentine--Drone Valentine. And I don't know nuttin' about any robbery." Burton motioned for Jimmy to follow and he approached the thief. Rafi remained alert. Jimmy walked around behind Nonookie to prevent him from backing away from the constable. The Mountie looked the man over from the top of his oily head to the bottom of his white patent leather boots. Finally, he saw something that caught his eye. He grabbed the little man's arm and picked off a piece of food that clung to the man's plaid jacket. First he sniffed it, then he tasted it. Rose and Jimmy cringed at the sight. "Hmmmm. Definitely a fine Swiss Cheese with delicate small holes and fine nutty flavor that is only manufactured by the Big-Little Cheese Company. Nonookie of the West, or Drone Valentine, you will come with me," Frasier concluded. Jimmy grabbed the man by the shoulders. "Miss Rose, he didn't hurt you did he?" the Mountie asked. "He startled me and," she turned her attention to Nonookie and glared at the man, "woke me from one of the best dreams I've ever had." Burton reached into his coat pocket and tossed and pair of handcuffs to Jimmy and withdrew a pad of paper and a pencil. Jimmy placed the handcuffs on the thief's wrists. "I'm going to need to file a report, Rose. I'm going to need your full name." "My name?" "Please." "It is Marianne Rose Luber." "That's a lovely name," he looked up trying to play his part. But when he beheld her--her appearance captivated his attention. The tousled dark hair, how her nightgown draped over her body, how it revealed her erect nipples through the thin fabric. His eyes could not wander from her wondrous form--Nonookie and Jimmy had been forgotten. "B'Elanna, you're beautiful," Tom whispered and he dropped the pad of paper and pencil and pulled her into his arms. "Don't do that!" Nonookie said with a grimace watching the pair. They ignored him. His lips sought hers and they feasted on each other. Each desperate to taste the other, to express what they were feeling. While Harry embarrassedly watched his friends. Nonookie shut his eyes to the scene before him. "Ewwww, don't do that, it's gross!" Nonookie complained. Tom pulled away from the engineer and looked deeply into her eyes. "I have to tell you something, B'Elanna. Something I've been meaning to tell you for a very long time, I lov.." "STOP IT!!!!" the thief screamed. "DON'T SAY THOSE WORDS!!!" Tom looked at the little man and looked back at B'Elanna. An unspoken communication was passed between the pilot and the engineer and from them to the operations officer. Harry clasped Nonookie's arms tightly. Tom and B'Elanna nodded to each other, grinned, and with a quick left jab from Tom and a right upper cut from B'Elanna they knocked Nonookie, or as he liked to be called lately Drone Valentine, out. The pair grinned in satisfaction, and Harry laughed. "What was it you were saying," B'Elanna prompted. "Before we were so rudely interrupted?" Tom pulled her into his arms, and kissed her. Pulling back slightly, he gazed into her velvety dark brown eyes. "What I was saying was this, Miss Torres." He smiled and pushed her hair back from her forehead and cradled her face tenderly in his hands. "I love you, B'Elanna. Forever and always." She pulled his head down to hers and kissed him lightly on the lips. "It's about time," she purred. "Well it's a lot easier to say the words when you aren't interrupted," he noted. Harry smiled. --- Epilogue --- Long ago Harry had left and Nonookie had been sent to the holodeck version of the Big House. It was now time for B'Elanna and Tom to enjoy the cabin and each other. And so they did. B'Elanna rested on her elbow, her hand propping up her head, and with the other hand she lazily finger painted melted chocolate over Tom Paris' nude body. This time, unlike her dream, there wasn't a stitch of clothing on the pilot--just melting flakes of the finest Swiss chocolate. "You know, our time is almost expired," Tom told her. "I know, but can't I have just one more fudgicle before we leave?" she playfully pouted. "You're insatiable." "And don't you just love it?" She smiled ferally and staddled the pilot and proceeded to enjoy her 'fudgicle.' Tom sighed. Yes, he did indeed love *it* but more importantly, he loved *her*. The End --- For any non-US or Canadian citizens, a fudgicle is a chocolate frozen concoction that is well kinda shaped like a...um...rocket. Yeah, that's right a rocket. ;)