by Anon
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Warning: Still no sex. You really didn't expect any at this point, did you? I've gone frigid. . .

This is the fourth, and hopefully final, story in the "Eru" series. They should be read in order - "Erudition", "Erudite", "Eruption", and now, "Erupted". The series pretty much has to end here because I'm running out of Eru* words. "Erudition" was meant to be a stand alone story, but <shrug>.

Still not Beta'd, read with caution. . . you may stumble over plot holes or misplaced words.

For Anita. . . just because she's nice =)

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Once in the conference room, Janeway took a seat, swiveling to face the screen. She did not indicate the three bruised and bloody officers should sit, and they didn't.

Kathryn wondered what could be on the data chip as Tuvok crossed the room to the console. The tension between the three had been obvious for months, and as Captain, she was loath to interfere in the personal affairs of her crew.
However, she knew the situation, and figured Harry had finally had enough. The young man acted as if the loss of Tom's friendship had been nothing, but anyone looking at his eyes could see the ache. He missed his best friend.
Most likely, Harry had lost it and picked a fight with Tom. B'Elanna had stepped in to break the two up, and things had gotten out of hand. The data chip didn't fit though.

Tuvok slipped the data chip into the console port. "There are three files, Captain. They appear to be the messages Lieutenant Paris recorded while on the Delta Flyer."

Kathryn frowned. //How could those have caused such a stir?// Common courtesy dictated that final messages were only viewed if the recorder did indeed die. If not, it was the recorder's option to share them. //Well, common courtesy be damned.//

"Play them." She glared at Tom who opened his mouth to protest.
"Lieutenant, you should have thought about the possible repercussions before you brawled on my ship."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Which file would you like first, Captain? There are messages for you, Lieutenant Torres, and Ensign Kim."

"That order is fine. Let's just get on with it," she said irritably.

Tom's face filled the large view screen and everyone turned to face it.
"Captain? Kathryn? I don't know where to begin. I owe you so much, both as Captain and as a person. I owe you my life. . ."

The message continued, and Kathryn had to admit she was touched by the words coming from her pilot. Later, back in her quarters, maybe she'd repeat them to herself, and let them affect her more, but not now.

"Next," she said, with no emotion in her voice.

"Hey B'Elanna, look on the bright side, no more day old pizza laying around. . ."

Kathryn found this message curious. Of the three, she had expected it to be the most personal, the most heartbreaking. Instead it sounded about as romantic and emotional as a cargo manifest.

"Next."

Once again, Tom's face filled the screen, looking tired and taut with emotion. Kathryn struggled not to lean towards the screen. //This is it,// she said to herself, and also recognized her own concern. Never had she seen such raw emotion on her pilot's face.

Kathryn listened, and felt tears welling in her own eyes as she heard the whispered words and saw the falling tears. The message ended, the shortest of the three, but the one that said the most by far.

She sat in her chair, facing away from the three officers. She needed a moment to get her own expression back under control, as well as figure out what was going on. It was obvious that Tom's affection for Harry went beyond friendship, and from Harry's tortured eyes from the past months, Kathryn was willing to bet that level of affection was returned.

After a few moments, she swiveled to face them. No one met her gaze.

"Tom," she said. "Explain."

He looked up at her, startled. "Uh. . . Captain?"

She realized he thought she meant to explain his love life, and while she might have been interested to hear the answer, she wanted different information right now.

"Considering you just thanked me for my trust and support, I don't think you'll have any difficulties relating the exact events that transpired in the Delta Flyer a short time ago."

Tom swallowed nervously. "I, uh, went down to erase the data chip this morning, so that no one would ever see those messages." He looked up at the ceiling for a moment.

Kathryn judged that he was praying to a higher power to make all this just go away.

"I entered the Flyer, and found Lieutenant Torres and Ensign Kim arguing. . . over the data chip. I confronted them, and things got heated." He paused for a moment, looking at the Captain, as if to see if that explanation was sufficient.

She just stared at him, and so he continued, and it was obvious by the look on his face he wouldn't hold back anything now. "Apparently, B'Elanna took the chip last night, and Harry caught her returning it this morning. Both wanted to see the messages, I guess. B'Elanna looked like she was going to break the chip, so Harry tried to take it from her. The chip fell, we all sort of went for it, and I accidentally elbowed B'Elanna in the eye. B'Elanna got mad, went after Harry, clawing his cheek, and then she bit me on the neck and screamed that she was claiming me for her mate."

Kathryn turned to look at B'Elanna, who had turned a bright shade of red.
On some level, she could understand the woman's distress, but still, she was an officer on this ship.

"Harry tried to pull B'Elanna off of me, and that is when Tuvok found us."

"Lieutenant Paris and Ensign Kim, you may leave. Report to Sickbay. You will also be working double shifts until further notice. I understand this situation got out of control, but I will not tolerate this sort of behavior on my ship. Dismissed."

She watched as Tom and Harry nearly stumbled over each other trying to get out of the room.

"Now, B'Elanna. . ."

---

Tom and Harry said nothing to each other on the way to Sickbay. They said nothing while the Doctor treated them, other than the small answers they gave to him. They said nothing as they walked back to their cabins.

They reached Tom's cabin first, and Tom entered, not saying anything as Harry followed him. The door shut, and they were alone.

Tom went to stand at the window, looking out into space.

Harry came up behind him, putting a hand on his shoulder to turn him around. Harry's hand slid up Tom's neck, and stopped on his cheek, his fingers resting on Tom's neck, gently stroking the spot of fresh skin.

Harry looked into Tom's blue eyes, finally seeing his gaze returned and held.

They stared into each other's eyes, blue into brown, brown into blue.

Harry spoke, his voice quiet but clear. "This man. . . "

Tom cut him off with "is my friend. . . "

"No one", Harry added.

"touches him," Tom finished.

Both, speaking together, added, "No one but me."

Then, at long last, their lips met.

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End