by Aeryn
---

Archive: Ask first.

Warnings: None at this time.

Disclaimers: Paramount/Viacom owns the rights. I just give them room to play.

---

Sunset. Tom Paris stretched himself out to his full height on the sandy beach. Beneath him, the sands moved, shifting to a far less comfortable position. God, he hated that. It was the only drawback to these excursions.

He sat up slowly, drawing his legs up to his chest, blue eyes scanning the horizon.

Nothing.

Still nothing.

Just as it always seemed to be.

He sighed heavily and started to prepare to leave. But a soft voice brushed his ears, stopping him dead in his tracks. A soft, male voice. Somehow vaguely familiar. . . and somehow not. He turned.

Behind him, a slender man with the darkest hair and deepest eyes Tom had ever seen smiled down at him from his standing position. "Hi there," the man said again in those soft tones.

Tom felt himself shiver slightly. It was not cold this night, but the shiver came from the feelings inspired by the sight and sound of this lithe young man standing over him. The other had not said much, but that voice alone sent chills through him.

"Uh, hi," he answered lamely. He knew it sounded lame. But somehow, he found himself not caring as he usually did.

The other smiled again and lowered himself to sit beside Tom, long legs folding under him with practiced grace. Yikes, but that was driving Tom crazy!

"Lovely, isn't it?" the man asked, eyes turning out toward the ocean beyond their position.

Startled out of his thoughts, Tom turned his eyes reluctantly out toward the beach as well. "Yes, it is. It's one of my favorite places. Quiet, somewhat secluded." Why was he telling this stranger this? No matter.

"I know. I've come here many times. It's beauty never changes. But. . ." The other man stopped talking and lowered his head.

Tom turned his gaze back to him, waiting for him to continue the thought. But he thought he might already know what the other had been preparing to say. He reached out one hand and gently touched the other, gently lifting his face to meet his gaze.

"I know." He spoke softly now. . . reassuringly. "I feel the same."

"Really? A guy like you?" The other seemed startled.

"Yeah, even a guy like me." Tom answered, still in the soft tones. "But we don't have to be lonely anymore. . . if we don't want it that way." An offer and a request.

The other man did not object.

Passion seized the two men. A night neither would ever forget. A night which changed them forever.

The scene shifted.

The beach faded to be replaced by a directionless gray void. Tom found that he could not tell up from down here. This was new. Half of him wanted to scream, while the other half simply stared around for explanations. Then she appeared.

Out of that gray Myst stepped a tall woman with long, dark hair and soft eyes. She smiled gently at him.

"No need for fear, Tom Paris. I have not come to harm you." Her soft tones assured him.

His eyes narrowed. "Who are you? Where is. . .?"

"Shh. . ." Her tones came again, cutting him off. "Tell me. . . do you want this Dream, Tom Paris?"

Was she kidding?! Or insane!? Of course he wanted it!

"Yeah, but I know that I can't have it. A guy like that would never o for a guy like me."

"You are wrong, Tom Paris. He will come to you. The Dream is Destiny."

And she was gone, back into the Mysts from which she had appeared.


Tom's eyes fluttered open in the darkness. Only the hum of the ship's engines greeted his ears. Only the silence of empty quarters. Nothing new there.

Once again, the Dream had come. Once more, it had haunted him with that which was beyond his reach. Once more, its impossibility tore at his heart and soul.

He pushed himself out of bed and shuffled into the bathroom to the sonic shower. A few minutes under the sonics, and he would be good as new. Well, at least, ready to face the day's duties.

But one thing haunted him. The woman and her strange words. Neither had ever been part of that fantasy before. What did it mean? The Dream is Destiny? He shook his head and finished his shower and dressing. A puzzle for another time.

---

Sunset. Harry Kim stretched himself out to his full height on the sandy beach. Beneath him, the sands moved, shifting to a far less comfortable position. God, he hated that. It was the only drawback to these excursions.

He sat up slowly, drawing his legs up to his chest, dark eyes scanning the horizon.

Nothing.

Still nothing.

Just as it always seemed to be.

He sighed heavily and started to prepare to leave. But a soft voice brushed his ears, stopping him dead in his tracks. A soft, male voice. Somehow vaguely familiar. . . and somehow not. He turned.

Behind him, a tall, slender man with the blondest hair and deepest blue eyes Harry had ever seen smiled down at him from his standing position.

"Hi there," the man said again in those soft tones.

Harry felt himself shiver slightly. It was not cold this night, but the shiver came from the feelings inspired by the sight and sound of this lithe young man standing over him. The other had not said much, but that voice alone sent chills through him.

"Uh, hi," he answered nervously. He knew it sounded lame. But somehow he found himself not caring.

The other smiled again and lowered himself to sit beside Harry, long legs folding under him with practiced grace. Yikes, but that was driving Harry crazy!

"Lovely, isn't it?" the man asked, eyes turning out toward the ocean beyond their position.

Startled out of his thoughts, Harry turned his eyes reluctantly out toward the beach as well. "Yes, it is. It's one of my favorite places. Quiet, somewhat secluded." Why was he telling this stranger this? No matter.

"I know. I've come here many times. It's beauty never changes. But. . ." The other man stopped talking and lowered his head.

Harry turned his gaze back to him, waiting for him to continue the thought. But he thought he might already know what the other had been preparing to say. He reached out one hand and gently touched the other, gently lifting his face to meet his gaze.

"I know." He spoke softly now. . . reassuringly. "I feel the same."

"Really? A guy like you?" The other seemed startled.

"Yes," Harry answered, still in the soft tones. "But we don't have to be lonely anymore. . . if we don't want it that way." An offer and a request.

The other man did not object.

Passion seized the two men. A night neither would ever forget. A night which changed them forever.

The scene shifted.

The beach faded to be replaced by a directionless gray void. Harry found that he could not tell up from down here. This was new. Half of him wanted to scream, while the other half found it scientifically fascinating..

Then she appeared.

Out of that gray Myst stepped a tall woman with long, dark hair and soft eyes. She smiled gently at him.

"No need for fear, Harry Kim. I have not come to harm you." Her soft tones assured him.

His eyes narrowed. "Who are you? Where is. . .?"

"Shh. . ." Her tones came again, cutting him off. "Tell me. . . do you want this Dream, Harry Kim?"

Was she kidding?! Or insane!? Of course he wanted it!

"Yes, but I know that I can't have it. A guy like that would never go for a guy like me."

"You are wrong, Harry Kim. He will come to you. The Dream is Destiny."

And she was gone, back into the Mysts from which she had appeared.


Harry's eyes snapped open. That same Dream had been coming to him every night now for weeks, taunting him, tormenting him. But now, it had taken on a new element. The woman. What was that about? What had she to do with this Dream? And what had she meant by " The Dream is Destiny"?

Harry rolled over in bed, his left hand falling across the empty surface of the bed. Still empty. Still alone. He sighed and crawled from the warm bedcovers. Maybe a high-pitched sonic shower would refresh him and prepare him for the duty shift which would come all to soon.

The shower finished, he stepped back out into his quarters and to the closet. Oh, what he would have given for that Dream to be true! But he felt again the futility of that wish. Pulling on his boots, he headed off to the Bridge.

---

Tom stepped into the turboLift, mind still somewhere back in that DreamWorld. Not much registered until Harry stepped into the 'Lift equally distracted. What was wrong, he wondered? Was Harry all right?

Then Lightning struck!

He turned. "Harry!"

---

Harry stepped into the 'Lift, distracted by the strangeness of the Dream. . . the odd new element it had taken on last night. He almost did not even see Tom standing in the back of the 'Lift Car. Until the Lightning struck!

His eyes widened, and he felt his lips curve into an idiotic grin. "Tom!" They had spoken at once. Realization dawning, they finally understood. Abandoning the 'Lift, they retreated once more to the nearest Quarters, neither caring if it was his own or the other's. The Dream had become Reality. Destiny had come. And each found his Love in the Other.

The Dream had indeed been Destiny.

And somewhere in the Grey Mysts of Dream, the woman smiled.

---

End