by Elizabeth Dunn
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Disclaimer: They belong to Paramount and each other. Sadly, they're not mine. Slight spoilers for "The Killing Game" and "The Chute."

Author's notes: This is thanks to Leigh on the PKSP list, which provided such a good idea when I was in a dry creative moment.

Feedback is always welcome, but please don't hurt me. I don't mind criticism, but not flames.

Archiving: I don't know why anyone would want this, but if you want it, go ahead. Just keep my name and the disclaimer on it.

Happy reading!

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Harry Kim woke up in Sickbay, not sure of what exactly had happened. The last he remembered was running down the corridor on his way to do. . . something. Before he could ponder the matter further, the Doctor came over to check on him. Running a tricorder over him, he was making the noncommittal noises that doctors all over are so good at.

"Well, Mr. Kim, I see you are awake, and ahead of schedule. Headache?"

"A small one. What happened to me," Harry asked as the Doctor pressed a hypospray to his neck.

"You were shot," the Doc replied, and before he could explain further, the memory came rushing back . . .

//Running down the corridor, getting caught by the 'Nazis.' Being saved by the 'American army.' Tom, point a gun at him, demanding that Harry prove that he was American and not a spy. . . what was Betty Grable known for? It was on the tip of his tongue. Taking to long to answer, Tom pulling the trigger, then. . . blackness. //

"Tom shot me," Harry whispered. "I can't believe he did that."

"He wasn't aware of himself. He didn't know he was Tom Paris," the Doc tried to explain.

"I guess so, but still, it's very confusing. . . " Harry trailed off, not sure what to think any more.

The Doctor took one last scan of Harry, then gestured to the door. "You are free to leave now, Ensign," he said. "Just get some rest tonight and you will be fine for duty." He watched as Harry got up and walked to the door. Just before he left, the Doctor said, "Ensign, I don't know if this will change anything, but the shot wasn't intended to kill."

"It wasn't?"

"That's what the scans indicate. He could have easily killed you point-blank, but he only wounded you. Seriously, to be sure, you might have died if left without medical treatment, but that's hard to avoid with primitive firearms. That seems to indicate some compassion."

"Or he wanted the 'spy' to suffer, or intended me to be patched up by the Army medic for interrogation. There's no guarantee that he was being nice at all. Now, if you excuse me, I think I need to sleep on this." With that Harry left, leaving a worried Doc behind.

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Tom Paris lay in his quarters, staring at the ceiling. He was desperately trying to recall the past few weeks, despite that Doc's guarantees that those memories would never be available. He was sure something had happened though, judging from the strange looks the crew, those who weren't in the games or the ones who had been freed, were giving him. His chime rang, interrupting his train of thought. "Enter, " he called out, getting up to greet his visitor at the door.

"Tom Paris!"

Shit. It was B'Elanna. They had broken up not too long ago, mutually with no injuries, thank all the gods, but maybe she changed her mind? She looked angry enough. "B'Elanna. Hi."

She stormed in and began pacing. "How could you?" she demanded, whirling to look at him.

"How could I what?"

"Do what you did to him?"

"To who?"

"Harry!" she exploded, then resumed pacing as if that explained everything."

Tom looked at her, completely confused. "OK, back up, because I have no idea what is going on. What happened to Harry? Is he all right?" //Please don't let him be dead, // he thought to himself. //Not now. //

"What happened to. . . Tom, you shot him. You nearly killed him! The whole ship is talking about it. And you're his best friend, too." She just looked at him, disgusted.

"WHAT???!!! B'Elanna, I swear to you, I had no idea. . . I mean, how. . . what. . . B'Elanna, are you sure?"

"As sure as I can be. I head it from a crewman who was in the corridor at the time and he saw it and said it was you. That he was shot is confirmed; he was treated in Sickbay. He was near death when they brought him in." B'Elanna was beginning to calm down. She walked over to Tom and asked, "Are you sure you can't remember? I would hope that you wouldn't lie to get out of it."

"B'Elanna, what kind of person do you think I am?" Now Tom was pacing, trying to comprehend what he had just been told. He stopped and faced B'Elanna. "What should I do now?"

"Go to him," she said. "Go to him and at least see that he's all right. Everything else is up to him." She went to the door, stopping only to lay a hand on Tom's arm. "I know how you feel, and I think he needs to know now too. Maybe it'll help." She turned to go through the door and was stopped by Tom grabbing her.

"What do you mean, 'you know?'"

"Tom, it's why I ended it with you. I could tell you love Harry. I think its time to do something about it." She leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. "Good night," she whispered, and was gone.

Tom staggered over to his couch and sat down, floored. He had thought that nobody knew what his true feeling were for his best friend. But, then again, leave it to B'Elanna to discover what shouldn't be known. The only reason he hadn't said anything before was that he thought that Harry could never return his feelings. Tom leaned back into the cushions, lost in thought. Maybe it was time to tell. At the most, Harry would feel the same way, and, well, if Harry wanted nothing more to do with him anyway, it couldn't make the situation any worse. He got up, determined to have it dealt with, one way or another, tonight.

---

Tom rang Harry's chime for the third time, but it was clear he wasn't going to answer. Tom wavered for a moment, then gave in and entered Harry's access code. Walking in to the dark quarters, Tom began to have second thoughts about bothering his friend if he was already asleep. He was just about to turn back, when he heard Harry's voice from the bedroom. "Come on in, I'm awake."

"I didn't know you were sleeping. I can come back."

"No, it's all right, I was having nightmares." Harry stopped and looked at his friend. "Tom-"

"Harry, wait. We have to talk."

"I know."

"Harry, I'm sorry. You know I'd never hurt you on purpose, right?"

"Right."

Tom sat on the edge of the bed and looked at him. "You don't sound so sure."

"Well, I'm not. How can I accept you saying you'd never hurt me on purpose when you do?"

"Harry, I wasn't myself. I never would have shot you if I had been me."

Harry rolled over away from Tom. "You don't get it, do you?"

Tom laid down beside Harry and wrapped his arms around him. "Why don't you tell me," he whispered, not daring to hope.

Harry didn't look up at all; he just stared at the wall. "Tom, you can be so dense. You hurt me when every day I'm just your friend when. . . " He tapered off, losing his nerve.

"When you want love? The love of your best friend who has somehow become so much more? The torture of wanting to hold him, but not because you are afraid of losing him completely? Learning to be happy with what you have? Oh Harry," Tom tightened his arms around him. "Don't you know I feel the same way?"

Harry rolled over to look into Tom's eyes. He lost himself in the love he saw there aimed at him. "Tom," he whispered, "I love you."

Tom smiled gently. "I love you too, Har. If I had killed you, I don't know what I would have done."

Harry hugged Tom close and said firmly, "Stop that. I'm alive and fine. Consider it payback for Akritiri. We've tried to kill each other now. Let's forget it."

"Only one way I can forget."

"How's that?"

"By making love to you all night."

Harry kissed Tom gently. "Then by all means, let's help you forget." He deepened the kiss and the kissed for quite some time, until Tom pulled back. "What's wrong?"

"I just want you to know how long I've loved you, and how long I will love you."

"Well, I've loved you since the day I met you, I bet, and we will love each other forever." Harry's smile widened into a grin. "Now shut up and take me!"

"Yes sir!"

---

The next morning, if Captain Janeway noticed that her conn and Ops officers were mussed and almost late, she made no comment except for a fond smile. B'Elanna, however, wasn't so restrained. Masked as an engineering conference, she went over to ops and asked Harry, "So, did everything work out?"

Harry smiled dreamily. "Oh, yeah."

B'Elanna smirked. "He is good, isn't he?" she commented, loud enough so that most of the bridge, including Tom, heard, resulting in blushes from the two men. "Just take care of him."

"I will, B'Elanna. Forever if I have my way." Tom and Harry smiled at each other and went back to their jobs, feeling the harmony in the universe.

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End