The BLTS Archive- Somewhat Familiar #3: Laws of Attraction by Karen (CP4Karen@aol.com) ---- Disclaimer: Paramount owns them. I imply no copyright infringement. c1999 Karen --- The episode is 'Gravity'. Only this time it's in the 'Somewhat Familiar' universe. Think Tom is gonna hand over Tuvok to Noss? (If some of the dialog sounds familiar, it's because it comes directly from the episode.) --- Sitting on a desolate outcropping of rock, the silence broken only by the endless wind, one would think that meditation would come easy. However, attempts at meditation and a homesick blond did not mix well. Tuvok became absolutely certain of that fact. The feeling of the lithe body pressed up against his back, and the arms and legs that were carefully wrapping themselves around his torso were further evidence that his promised 'quiet time' was done for the day. Done indeed. Quickly twisting and reaching behind himself with one strong arm, Tuvok dragged Tom around and onto his lap. His mate's yelp in response gave him a decidedly non-Vulcan moment of amusement. It quickly turned into arousal as he delved into the sweet coolness of his lover's mouth. Pulling at Tom's clothes and his own while contemplating what to use for lubricant, he almost missed the younger man's comment. "Noss likes you. A lot." The Vulcan gave up his efforts and looked at his mate for a hint as to the emotions behind the enigmatic statement. Nothing. Any supposition without data would be useless. Tuvok sighed. That was what he got for bonding with a human. Especially this one. "This concerns you?" The younger man at least had the grace to blush. "No, of course not. I trust you. What concerns me is the fact that we've been here for over a month now and there's been no word from Voyager. Odds are we're here for good." "To quote one of your favorite phrases...'Cut to the chase', T'hy'la." Tom let out a frustrated sigh. "I feel sorry for her. We have each other and she has no one, and that is compounded by the fact that she does care for you." "We have been quite discreet. I do not believe that there have been any actions on our part that could lead to embarrassment." "Tuvok, we don't have to do *anything*. Can you imagine what it must feel like to have someone you can talk to...to confide in, for the first time in years and know that there is virtually no hope for anything beyond just friendship?" "Yes." It was the younger man's turn to search for clues. He had even less success than his mate had, earlier. "I don't want to sound egotistical, but are you talking about me?" "A portion of it, yes. My bond with T'Pel was greatly weakened by our sudden exile. Perhaps, if the distance between us had been lengthened gradually, we could have adapted. As it was, the abrupt separation thinned our link almost to breaking. I could detect her existence, but nothing more. I must admit that this after decades of shared consciousness was almost intolerable." Tom's answer was a tightening of his embrace. Their bond hummed with compassion, and gratitude in return. "As our time approached, I felt our bond weaken and then disappear. I was able to survive through meditation and although I was free to bond again, I hesitated due to the seeming lack of suitable partners. It wasn't until our away mission with Ensign Wildman that I realized my logic was faulty in considering only the female portion of the crew for bonding." "Even after my final message to B'Elanna?" "I confess that I overheard a portion of your message. I did notice that there were no typically human 'dying declarations of love'." Tom smirked and then shrugged. "I'm not very good with words at times like that. I tend to make jokes." "I have observed that tendency." Tom grinned and kissed his mate. "OK, so you decided that I might do. Not exactly Romeo and Juliet." "They both died, Thomas. Perhaps Katharina and Petruchio." Blue eyes sparkled. "Did you just call me a shrew?" "There are certain similarities." "Well, I guess if the shrew fits..." "Thomas--" The younger man pounced, forcing his mate to lie back on the warm rock. "You know you have to pay a forfeit for that insult?" Tuvok stretched in the combined heat of bright sunlight and his love's arms reminding Tom of a contented cat. "I am prepared." Tom reached over the older man's head and pulled down a pack. Inside was a blanket, food, and water. "So am I. Can't do much about the hardness of 'our bed', but I can make sure that we don't end up with rock burn." "I would prefer to avoid the need for explanations to the good doctor." ***** His mate was as good as his word. Tuvok lay placidly basking in post-orgasmic lassitude, drawing small circles around pale pink nipples. Tom grinned and slowly rocked forward allowing the wonderful ridges on his lover's cock to massage his prostate. Reaching down between them, he came up with a creamy drop. An agile tongue darted out from between lips swollen from earlier efforts to bring a certain Vulcan to full arousal, and licked the finger clean. Sinking back down onto the heated length, he ground tightly into the other man's groin, chuckling as his mate growled. "I think you like that, don't you? You like losing just a tiny bit of that control, allowing a little emotion to burn like fire before you close the doors again." He was unprepared for the almost violent roll which placed him on his back, or the harsh thrusting of his mate's cock deep into his body. --- Tom eased away and began to dress. Tuvok lay on his side, facing out towards the valley. "You want to tell me what that was all about?" "Not at this time." "Will you show me?" "Not at this time." The younger man knew not to press any further. Whether Tom had triggered a memory or simply a very unwelcome emotion, he did not know. He would give his mate time to consider his actions and perhaps meditate on them. Tom lifted a hand to touch the other man's shoulder...and let it fall. Instead, he gathered up his bag and made his way back down into the valley. Tuvok would tell him in time. --- ***S'ohn Hal'ok...love, is the most dangerous emotion of all. It produces many other emotions. Jealousy...shame...rage... grief. You must learn to suppress them all, *otherwise*, they will consume you. I can sense emotions building inside you like a gathering storm...*** //T'hy'la......Love?// Tuvok opened his eyes to find Tom leaning over him in the darkness, one hand pressed gently to his chest. Clearing away the fear brought by the master's words, Tuvok instead sought to calm and reassure his mate. He knew he had failed by the insistent pressure of the younger man's fingers at the meld points. A brief mixture of annoyance at Tom's persistence and pleasure that he had become proficient at initiating the meld warred briefly in his mind. He sighed. To persist in his silence would be a grievous insult to his One. //A memory, T'hy'la?// //Yes. As a young man I disgraced my family by embracing emotion. I allowed myself to develop an attraction to a woman. It nearly destroyed me.// Tuvok felt the uncertainty that his words caused. Tom was remembering their time together earlier that afternoon, and the Vulcan felt shame as he witnessed the pain and confusion that he had unwittingly caused his mate. Tom relaxed his hand, running it slowly down the beloved face to rest against his mate's throat. Now wasn't the time to discuss the memories shared, but the fear that it was his own irrationality and emotions that were triggering Tuvok's pain made Tom nauseous. Finally forcing his concerns aside, he gathered the older man into his arms and attempted to rest. --- Another month passed and still no word from Voyager. Their days had become familiar as the three settled into a routine distribution of certain tasks. One of Tom's least favorite being the lure and capture of their chief source of protein...spiders. Turning down 'seconds' of spider soup, Tom attempted to broach the subject of his mate's dreams, but was assured that the problem had ceased. "Can you at least tell me what the dreams were about?" Tom sighed at the silence that followed his question. Suddenly aware of his possible audience, he leaned forward. "Were they about your childhood...about having emotions," he whispered and almost laughed at the burst of approval that sparkled along their link. He reached out and clasped his mate's hand and winked. //All right. If you say that it's taken care of, then it has been. But--// Tom closed his eyes and enjoyed the mental caress. He knew that his mate was attempting to 'change the subject' and was frustrated, but amused. Tom was also determined. He and Tuvok had reconn the next day which meant four hours alone. --- "Noss!" Tom had managed to drag Tuvok nearly 200 meters after the ambush. Slipping inside the ship, Tom carefully placed him on the small table in the center of the floor while Noss put a pillow under the injured man's head. Tom smiled sadly at the gentleness with which Noss caressed Tuvok's face and shoulder, and then initiated the Doctor's program. "Medical tricorder!" Tom handed him the equipment and fought nausea. "We were ambushed." "Give me 20 milligrams of inaprovaline." Tom quickly complied. "They got away with a pair of resonator coils that we found." He knew that he was babbling but it was either that or scream at the stillness of his lover. "Three fractured ribs...subdural hematoma...internal bleeding..." "Will he live?" Tom was envious of Noss' ability to focus. "Vulcans are very resilient. He'll be fine." The Doctor's calm words reassured them both, and Tom realized just how much he had missed the holodoc during the two months that he had been off-line. They briefly discussed their situation as Tuvok's injuries were treated. Even the holofigure looked shocked as Tom admitted that there had been no word from Voyager and that their crew mates were most likely about 300 light years closer to home. The doctor carefully observed the young man's attitude during the pronouncements. Much too quiet. "I think that I should stay on-line until Mr. Tuvok is healed." Tom placed his hand on the other man's shoulder in thanks. "It's good to have you back, Doc." --- Tom stood at the base of the outcropping and stared at his mate. Something had happened during the night and he didn't know whether to laugh or scream. "Tuvok! Hey!" He began to climb up to the other man's side. "I am meditating." "Meditating...or hiding?" "I trust that there is an urgent reason for your lack of courtesy." "You're damned right there is! What the hell happened last night while I was asleep? Noss is talking about going off alone because being around you is too painful!" "She is under the influence of unfettered emotions." "In other words, she finally came out and admitted that she loves you." "That is irrelevant. There cannot be anything between us beyond friendship." Tuvok continued to kneel, hands folded, eyes averted. Tom had the brief temptation to kick his loved one's ass out onto the valley floor. "I'm not suggesting you fuck her, Tuvok! I just wish that you had shown some compassion and let her down easy." "There is no easy way to recover from infatuation." "Oh. Really." Tom's tone was just short of nasty as he knelt by Tuvok's side. "And what do you know about infatuation?" "More than you might imagine." "Enlighten me!" For a moment, the younger man thought that he might have gotten through. He was frustrated and way past angry. Their link which normally hummed with life was almost dormant. "I have no intention of continuing this conversation any further." Tuvok rose and turned to go, forcing Tom to circle quickly to block the path. "C'mon, Tuvok. C'mon! It's just you, me and the rocks." He got more of an answer than he expected. --- "She kissed you." "Yes. She said that she wished to show me how she felt." "And you gently told her that we were monogamous, so you could not return her feelings?" The mild gibe was ignored. "I convinced her that I did not experience such emotions. I told Noss that I had developed an appreciation and respect for her, but nothing more." "Uh-huh...and she accepted that." "She asked if it was that I could not feel more, or would not." Tom found himself wondering a bit of the same thing. Tuvok had admitted to Tom that he loved T'Pel. His link with Tom practically sang at times with the emotion, but the younger man could not name a instance in which the Vulcan had stated his feelings. "--and then stated that she hated logic. I told her that emotion would just exacerbate the situation. It is probably fortunate that the doctor's universal translator was not initiated at that time." Tom fought to keep from snickering. It really wasn't funny. "Damn. Tuvok, we can't let her just leave. For one thing it's her ship. For another, it is probably the only location around that is safe from those raiders." "I do not believe that Noss will leave. She may be emotional, but she is logical, too. She will see that to leave the safety of the ship would only lead to her destruction." Tom studied his lover. The signs were minimal, but there. He was disturbed at the pain he was causing their friend. Tom smiled at Tuvok, and received one quizzically arched eyebrow in return. With a sigh, he gathered the older man into his embrace and gently kissed his neck. He was rewarded with an answering sigh, and a pair of strong arms holding him in return. "I hope you're right. For some crazy reason, I still think we'll get back to Voyager, and I would like to be able to take Noss back to her homeworld." --- Tom had been correct. When they had returned to the ship the distress beacon had been receiving a transmission. It was the Captain saying that they would be beamed up in a little over two days time. It had been close, the raiders had attacked and their shielding had barely held. --- "Gods, what a weird day. You know, I spent the last two months wondering if I'd ever speak to Harry and B'Elanna again. As far as they're concerned it's only been two days!" Moving backwards, he rested on his mate's thighs and continued his massage. "I guess I just expected them to miss me, too." "Mmmmm, if not for the time differential, I am sure that they would have experienced a deep sense of loss." Tom smiled and placed a kiss on the nape of his lover's neck. "You know, when we first got stranded out here, I thought that beneath that cold Vulcan exterior lay an even colder Vulcan interior. I have been more than pleased to find out that you are nothing but a hopeless romantic." "There is no need to insult me, T'hy'la." "Oh, please. If you're going to pretend to be insulted when I tease you, at least try to muffle those Vulcan thoughts." Tuvok turned and pulled Tom down to lie by his side. "Would you prefer that I did not share my thoughts with you?" Tom leaned forward and gently nipped at his lover's lips. They opened and covered Tom's, while a warm hand slipped round to card through the hair at the base of the younger man's neck. Pulling back a bit, Tom hummed his appreciation of the busy fingers. "I would be lost without you sharing your thoughts and mine." Tom pressed a kiss to the center of Tuvok's chest. "May I ask you a rather personal question?" "The mere fact that you feel you must preface the question with another is unsettling." Tom smiled. "It shouldn't be that bad. Besides, if you don't want to answer, I won't press." 'Very well, you may proceed." Tom hid his grin in Tuvok's chest. "I was just wondering why you have never told me that you loved me. I can feel it in our link. Now that I really know you, I can see it in your eyes, but you have never said it out loud. Is it because you truly do not believe that you experience love like you told Noss?" "Would you be reassured by my expressing an emotion that I have been trained to suppress?" "Is it suppressed, Tuvok? Can you really look me in the eyes and tell me that you don't love me?" "Thomas, I cherish thee." The older man's voice was deeper than usual, intense in its sincerity. "You have become the center of my existence here on Voyager. I confess that most of my people would not find that logical. I confess that *I* do not find my situation logical. But it is true...I cherish thee and would find it difficult to continue if you were lost." "Tuvok, that's love. No matter whether you call it cherish, love, adore, or one of a hundred other things, it's love." Tuvok softly kissed the top of Tom's head. "Thomas, what is your understanding of the word 'T'hy'la'?" "Oh. Gods, I'm a jerk." "No, Thomas. You are my friend, my brother... my lover-- and I tell you that every time I address you in that manner." The red-faced blond gently pushed his mate onto his left side and spooned up behind him. "I feel like an idiot, Tuvok. I knew what that term meant before I ever met you, and you use it a dozen times a day. And yet, it never really clicked. To me, it was sort of like the way I use the term 'lover' some times when I address you. It's almost a nickname, rather than a term of endearment." "That is not entirely true, Thomas. You are forgetting that I am also receiving much of your emotions when you are speaking. There are times when you use the term 'lover' that you may be in a playful mood, but you are never disrespectful. If you address me as 'lover', you mean exactly that." Tom hugged Tuvok tightly and kissed his shoulder. "I guess there are definite advantages to a mind link. At the very least, you know when I am sincere." The older man sighed. "I also am aware when you are amorous, hungry, bored, amused, angry--" "OK, I get the picture. I'll work harder on that suppression thingy you were showing me." "The 'suppression thingy' may prove to be useful, Thomas. There are times when your emotional state actually affects mine." Tom raised up on one elbow and pulled Tuvok over onto his back. "Wait a minute. As a Vulcan you shouldn't have an emotional state, you--" Tom grinned wickedly. "Are you saying that when I'm horny, I make you horny?" "That is inarguably the *last* sentence that I would use to describe the state." "But that is what you're saying, isn't it? When I'm sitting there in the morning meetings thinking about the fact that you just had that beautiful cock of yours buried in my mmph--" After a time, Tuvok raised his head and waited until his mate reopened his very blue and now very glazed eyes. "I believe we were discussing emotions, not anatomy." "Well, if you're going to be that way, OK. I'll try and behave on the bridge." "That would be appreciated." "In return, I want you to tell me what you think about during the morning meetings." "If you wish." He caressed Tom's cheek and then closed his eyes. "I wi-- Oh. Gods...um, if you really think you're that limber, I'm game...ahhh...Lover." There was silence except for a soft moan and the sound of skin sliding on skin. "I love thee, too, Thomas." -- The End