The BLTS Archive- My Wild Irish Rose
#3: My Wild Irish Rose
by Reanne Moreau (reannem1@att.net)

---

After all the angst from "30 Days" I thought we needed a little
cheering up. This is pure fluff and smut (flut? smuff?).  Somebody
does get tied up, but anyone looking for real B/D will be
disappointed.  Tom and Kat are much too inclined to giggle.  The idea
for this story came from a scene in "Year of Hell" where Chakotay
gives Kat a watch for her birthday.  I knew Tom could come up with
something better.  Any ideas for their next adventure?  I'm open to
suggestions.

Star Trek Voyager, Tom, Kat and the gang are the property of
Paramount.  No copyright infringement is intended.

---
When I first saw you, I saw love,
And the first time you touched me, I felt love,
And after all this time, you're still the one I love.

You're still the one I run to
The one that I belong to
You're the one I want for life
You're still the one that I love
The only one I dream of
You're still the one I kiss goodnight.

Shania Twain

---

People shifted restlessly as the staff meeting drew to a close.  The
tension on the bridge that day had everyone on edge.  Those not
involved could sense something in the air, although they had no idea
what was going on.  The captain had been withdrawn and tense, spending
most of the day in her ready room.  Chakotay spoke only to issue
orders or reply to a direct question.  Those who paid any attention to
that sort of thing thought it odd that he barely glanced at the
captain all day; he usually spent quite a lot of time looking at her.
They were perfectly civil, but the usual friendly banter was missing.

Both of them treated Paris more formally than was their habit.  The
captain never once leaned over his station, resting her hand on his
shoulder.  He never turned in his seat to acknowledge an order or make
some offhand remark; instead sitting ramrod straight in his chair and
replying crisply to any order directed at him by his superior
officers.

The staff meeting had proceeded with the same formality.  They could
have been making a training video on proper conduct by senior
officers.  The minute Janeway dismissed them, Chakotay disappeared and
the captain shifted in her chair.  She raised a hand to stop their
departure.

"If I might have a moment of your time ..."

B'Elanna looked at Harry and shrugged.  Maybe they were finally going
to find out what was going on here.

Janeway looked around the room at the faces regarding her expectantly.
"I didn't want to bring this up until we were off duty.  It's of a
personal nature."  Her mind went blank, the carefully thought-out
speech completely forgotten.  She squirmed a little and shot Tom a
lethal look when she noticed him grinning at her like a Cheshire cat.

"Is something wrong, Captain?"  Neelix looked at her with concern.  It
wasn't like her to be at a loss for words.

"Everything is fine, Neelix.  I'm just not sure how to say this.  For
the last several weeks ..."  She paused and took a deep breath,
figuring it was best to just blurt it out and get it over with.

Tom got up and walked over to her chair.  It wasn't often he got to
see Kathryn flustered.  She was positively adorable when she blushed.
He jumped in before she could continue, resting a hand on her shoulder
and grinning at the assemblage.

"For the last several weeks Kathryn and I have been seeing each other
and we thought it was time to get everything out in the open."
Kathryn reached up and entwined her fingers with his.  They shared a
warm glance, then turned to face their friends.

There was a moment of stunned silence, then everyone started talking
at once. Everyone except Tuvok, of course, who merely raised a
questioning eyebrow.

Neelix continued to babble joyfully.  B'Elanna stalked up to Tom and
punched him none too gently in the arm.

"Pig!  Why they hell didn't you tell us?  We've been walking around
feeling guilty for nothing!"

Tom rubbed his arm and grinned.  "We kind of liked having it be our
little secret for a while. Besides, you two are never vertical for
more than five minutes after you get off duty."

B'Elanna bit her lip and smiled at him almost shyly.  Harry came up
behind her, wrapping his arms around his girlfriend's waist.  "So, how
did all this get started?"  He addressed the captain, who still had
possession of Tom's hand. Kathryn somehow found a tactful way of
describing how they had gotten together, without mentioning Chakotay,
B'Elanna's sickbay declaration of love to Harry, or rug burn.

Tom pulled Kathryn to her feet, wrapping her in his arms and planting
a kiss on her nose.  "I guess you're stuck with me now that the cat's
out of the bag."

"I have a feeling I was stuck with you the day we met."  It was such a
relief to have their relationship out in the open, at least this far.
No one had voiced an objection, although Tuvok had yet to comment.
The momentary silence in the room caught their attention.  Tom and
Kathryn became aware that everyone was looking at them.

Harry shook his head.  "This is going to take some getting used to."

"Not that we aren't all happy for you.  I'm sure the entire crew will
want to offer you their congratulations."  Kathryn could see that
Neelix was practically planning the wedding already.  She quickly
informed him that they hadn't decided yet when or how to inform the
rest of the crew.  He departed for the mess hall looking as if he
would burst from the strain of keeping the information to himself.

"I take it Chakotay knows?"  Torres had been dying to ask that
question.

Kathryn nodded glumly.  "He came up behind me on the holodeck
yesterday and I mistook him for Tom.  I had planned to tell him myself
before the meeting."

B'Elanna would have given her right arm to have seen *that.* It had to
happen sooner or later; the captain had been keeping him at a distance
for years and it was about time he moved on.  "He had to find out some
time; just give him a little while to cool off."  She was already
running through lists of eligible crew members who might be willing to
distract the first officer from his brooding - and knowing him, he
*was* brooding.  "Maybe now Chakotay can find someone who'll make him
as happy as these idiots make us."  She glared at Paris.  "Not that my
ego isn't a little bruised that Tom got over me so quickly."

Harry slanted an affectionately exasperated look at B'Elanna.  "To
tell the truth, we were both feeling a little guilty, Tom.  Maybe now
we can get back to normal.  I've missed the way it used to be, the
three of us just hanging out and talking."  He belatedly included
Kathryn with a smile. "Except now there'll be four of us."

The captain knew it would be some time before Harry and B'Elanna could
see her as just one of the group.  However, she was beginning to
realize that being with Tom had the added benefit of bringing her
closer to the people she already considered friends, despite the
difference in rank.

Kathryn left Tom chatting with Kim and Torres and drifted over to
speak to Tuvok.  Her old friend still hadn't uttered a word.  "Well,
Tuvok, aren't you going to say anything?  I thought you would at least
scold me for keeping this a secret from you."

"I have not been completely unaware of your relationship with Lt.
Paris, therefore nothing was, in fact, kept from me."

Kathryn just looked at him in astonishment.  He moved a fraction of an
inch closer and spoke quietly.  She could have sworn there was a
twinkle in those dark Vulcan eyes.

"Shall I tell you how often you left your seat unnecessarily to
observe something on Lt. Paris' console?  Or how many times you stole
glances at each other when you thought no one was watching?"  His
captain was turning decidedly pink.  "And you seem to have forgotten
that, like all Vulcans, I am somewhat telepathic."

That was something she hadn't considered.  Her mind racing, Kathryn
catalogued some of the highly improper thoughts she'd had about her
helm officer during slow moments on the bridge.  Not to mention what
Tom's fertile imagination had come up with.  If Tuvok had caught even
the faintest flavor of some of them ...

Tuvok decided that he'd let her squirm long enough.  "I consider Mr.
Paris an acceptable choice for your mate, certainly preferable to ...
other choices you might have made.  He is a senior officer, but not in
a position to challenge your authority.  He is well regarded by the
crew, and except for a somewhat questionable sense of humor, a man of
good character."

Coming from a Vulcan, that was high praise.  Kathryn briefly rested
her hand on his arm.  "Thank you, Tuvok, but I didn't make a list of
his virtues and vices. I fell in love with him - and he makes me very
happy."

"Love is an irrational emotional state."

"It certainly is."  They shared a conspiratorial glance.  For a
rational, unemotional being, Kathryn had never seen a man so
completely in love with his wife.  "Let's hope we never come to our
senses."

---

The message was on the captain's computer terminal when she got off
duty.  It simply instructed her to go to holodeck 2 to collect her
birthday present. Kathryn wondered to herself when Tom could have
found the time to prepare a gift.  The days since they had revealed
their relationship to the senior staff had been complete chaos.  First
the exhilaration and disappointment of their contact with the Alpha
quadrant, then the sheer terror of the Hirogen occupation.  Kathryn
nearly broke down in tears the first time Tom looked at her without
recognition after being implanted with one of the alien devices. After
the crew took Voyager back they were all busy with repairs.  There had
been so little time for being together.  Finally, the day before her
birthday, repairs were nearly finished and Kathryn had looked forward
to spending the evening alone with Tom.  Tomorrow was her birthday
party, which meant she would be busy socializing well into the night.
The crew was badly in need of a celebration.

An impressive sight greeted her as the holodeck doors parted.  Tom had
created a room that could have been taken from a grand mansion of the
eighteenth or nineteenth century.  The bedroom was simply but richly
furnished.  Kathryn explored it slowly.  Dark mahogany paneling
covered the walls.  At one end of the room a fire blazed beneath an
ornately carved wooden mantle.  The night sky shone through tall
windows draped with green velvet curtains.  The only light came from
the fireplace and from candles in sconces on the walls and placed on
every available surface around the room, suffusing it with a warm
languid glow. There was a small table set for two near the hearth,
firelight sparkling off the silver and crystal.  Two comfortable wing-
back chairs flanked the table.  A sofa separated the sitting and
sleeping areas. The canopied bed was covered in champaign colored
silk, from the curtains to the comforter and sheets.  The material
caught and held the flickering candlelight, glowing warmly.

Neatly folded in the middle of the bed was a nightgown and robe; a
single white rose lay across the top with a note beneath it.  Kathryn
read Tom's message with a smile.  'I hope you like your birthday
present.  I'll join you as soon as the Doctor lets me escape from
sickbay.' She unfolded the nightgown and held it up against her body.
It was made from the palest lavender silk, so sheer and delicate she
was afraid it would tear at the slightest touch.  Her uniform and
boots were quickly discarded, and after some hesitation, her underwear
followed.  Something like this was meant to be worn next to the skin.
It flowed down her body like water.  Crossing to the dressing table,
she admired herself in the mirror.  Whisper-soft silk caressed her as
she spun around.  The neckline left the tops of her shoulders bare and
emphasized the creamy column of her throat.

Kathryn brushed her hair until it fell gleaming around her shoulders,
then pinned it up loosely with the holographic rosebud as an ornament.
Returning to the bed, she picked up the robe and examined its long
bell-shaped sleeves and full skirt.  It was probably intended as a
bribe for the return of the old blue bathrobe she had appropriated
from Tom in a fit of sentimentality.  "Not likely, Mister."  The new
robe and slippers were stowed neatly on a nearby chair.  After being
in uniform all day the freedom of the loose nightgown and bare feet
felt wonderful.

Climbing into the bed, she couldn't resist reclining among the many
pillows to wait for her lover. Surrounding herself with this kind of
luxury was something she never would have done on her own. The
nightgown and matching robe and slippers must have cost Tom every
replicator ration he had. Not to mention the time it took to program
this setting.  Kathryn closed her eyes and stretched luxuriously.
Everything that touched her body was made of the softest silk. The
only thing that could possibly feel better against her skin was Tom.

For a moment she considered calling sickbay to see when he would be
off duty. She rejected the idea.  Tom would only be distracted, the
Doctor would get even more irritable, and whatever task he had
assigned Lt. Paris would take even longer.  Kathryn laughed at her own
impatience.  She could wait awhile longer. After everything that had
happened they were still together and that alone was worth
celebrating.

Everything could so easily have gone differently.  She'd had
nightmares of waking up in sickbay, freed of the Hirogen mind control,
only to realize that the Nazi or Roman Centurion or Visigoth she had
killed in battle wore Tom's face.  The two of them had barely spent a
night apart since throwing the Hirogen off the ship, although they
were usually too exhausted to do more than fall asleep in each other's
arms.

The captain was working herself into a fine state of melancholia when
the holodeck doors opened. Tom Paris stepped inside, a gym bag slung
over his shoulder, and let his eyes adjust to the dimmer illumination.
She sauntered up to him slowly, knowing perfectly well that the light
silhouetted her body against the thin material of the nightgown. Tom's
eyes were riveted on her until she pressed herself to him, devouring
his lips in a passionate kiss.

"I take it you like your birthday present."  He was slightly
breathless and still couldn't take his eyes off her.

Kathryn turned around slowly for his inspection, a mischievous smile
on her face.  "The question is, how do *you* like it?"

He leered comically.  "Let me get out of this uniform and I'll show
you."  He scooped her into his arms, surprised as always by how easy
it was.  The captain was slightly over five feet in height, but
attitude added at least another foot.

He deposited her next to the bed, tilting her chin up to place a
delicate kiss on her lips.  "You do realize that you're the most
beautiful woman in the galaxy."

"I am when you look at me."

Tom grinned in pure delight.  No matter how stressful his day had
been, holding Kathryn, listening to that warm purr in her voice,
renewed him.  He tossed the gym bag on the bed and pulled out a new
green bathrobe and pair of white pajamas.  He couldn't wait to get
comfortable, have dinner, then proceed to Kathryn's *real* surprise.
A hand stopped him as he reached for the fastening of his uniform
jacket.

"Don't I get to unwrap the rest of my present?"

Tom wasn't about to argue with her.  The jacket was soon disposed of,
then the hem of his sweater untucked from the pants.  Kathryn ran her
hands under the edge of the sweater, palms flat against his chest,
spreading their warmth down to his stomach and around to stroke his
back.  She felt the muscles stretching beneath his skin as Tom pulled
the sweater over his head.  As usual, it ended up on the floor.  Her
hands swept upward to tease his sensitive underarms and ended up
clasped behind his neck.  His arms encircled her and held her close.
They stayed that way for a moment, then began caressing again, as if
they needed to relearn each other's body.

"Tom, I love this program.  But when did you have the time to do all
of this? You've been working in sickbay almost every day after your
duty shift."

An embarrassed flush tinted his cheeks.  Or maybe it was because of
the way she was running her fingertips lightly over his chest and
stomach.  "I didn't really create the whole thing.  I looked for a
Gothic holonovel in the library computer - the kind of junk you used
to like - and copied one of the rooms.  I just did a little
redecorating."

"It's still wonderful.  Thank you."  She continued mapping his back
and shoulders, noting the tension that drew the muscles tight.

Tom held her closer and inhaled her scent.  Her hair, as always,
smelled like lavender, the inspiration for the nightgown he had given
her.  He sighed deeply.  This was the best thing that had happened to
him all day.

"Tom, your back is one giant knot.  What on Earth have you been
doing?"

He flexed his shoulders and stretched.  "I must have slept funny last
night, and pulling extra duty didn't help.  But I have good news.  The
Doctor said that now I've got the basic routine down I can start
taking it a little easier."

The scowl on Kathryn's face was only half in jest.  "Good.  You've
been spending more time with the Doctor than with me lately, and it's
making me cranky."

"We can't have a cranky captain; it's bad for crew morale."

"Then, for the sake of morale, drop your pants and get in bed."  She
grinned wickedly at the expression on Tom's face, so exactly like her
dog's at the prospect of a juicy treat.  "I'm going to massage the
kinks out of your back so we can enjoy the rest of the evening."

She went to the nearest wall and called for a replicator.  Now, what
to use on that wonderfully soft skin?  Finally she settled for a cool
peppermint-scented lotion.  It should leave him feeling relaxed but
invigorated.  Relaxed and asleep would be bad.

By the time she turned around Tom was lying on his stomach on the bed,
naked, head pillowed on his arms.  Kathryn unhooked the single button
on the back of the nightgown and let it fall in a puddle around her
feet.  She draped it neatly over the foot of the bed.  "I can't get
lotion on my new nightgown."

"Nope, we can't have that."  Tom lazily admired her naked body.

Climbing onto the bed, Kathryn straddled his waist and poured some
lotion into the palm of her hand to warm it.  She started with his
neck and worked down the length of his back, fingers searching out
every smallest area of discomfort.  Tom moaned and groaned as small,
strong hands kneaded the knots out of his muscles.  As his tension
melted away, her touch became more intimate, searching instead for the
places that gave him the most pleasure.  Leaning forward, she
sprinkled small kisses over his shoulders. "When was the last time I
told you I love you?" she whispered.

"Much too long ago."  Tom turned his head further to receive her kiss
before she went back to work. The expression in his eyes and his sighs
of pleasure told her how much he enjoyed this.

Kathryn savored the erotic thrill of running her hands over her
lover's beautiful body.  But most of all she enjoyed watching his
reactions, watching tension melt into boneless relaxation, turning to
arousal as his body awakened to her touch.  There was no way to hide
the pleasure touching him gave her.  The moist heat of her sex against
his skin told Tom that.

Kathryn moved lower, straddling his legs.  She massaged lotion into
his lower back, her touch becoming a teasing tickle on a sensitive
place along his spine. Tom squirmed and laughed until she relented,
leaning forward to lavish kisses on the spot she had tormented.

Moving on, slick fingers worked his ass cheeks and thighs, lips
following in their wake.  She lingered over the backs of his knees,
flicking her tongue over the creases.  Finally she reached his feet
with their long, slightly crooked toes.  Looking back up the length of
that magnificent body, she knew he was the most physically beautiful
man she had ever seen, but that was nothing compared to the gentle
soul inside.

The tragedy was that Tom had been used so many times by people who
only wanted to possess that beauty that he had a hard time believing
someone could love the man.  It broke Kathryn's heart at the beginning
of their relationship to see how little he expected from a lover in
return for everything he gave.  He was surprised by the outpouring of
affection he received, the small acts of kindness, but he was finally
learning how to be loved.

By the time Kathryn finished massaging the soles of his feet, sucking
a toe or two for good measure, Tom was moaning and surreptitiously
rubbing his erection against the mattress.

"Would you like me to do the other side?"

Tom rolled over and sat up slightly against the pile of pillows.  His
hair was adorably mussed.  Eyes sparked with blue fire.  The candle
light that turned his fair skin to warm ivory gilded the light
covering of body hair.  His voice was rough with desire.  "I don't
think I could stand it."

"And I don't think I can stand another minute without kissing you."
Despite her assertion, Kathryn managed to take her time running
fingertips lightly up his long muscular legs as she moved closer. A
small amount of lotion remained in the palm of one hand and she
massaged it into his balls with a gentle touch.  She enjoyed his
heart-felt moans as the cool lotion and the warmth of her palm nearly
made him come against his will.  Leaning down she lapped the fluid
that leaked from the swollen purple head of his cock.

"Kathryn ... god, what you do to me."  Tom wrapped one arm around her
waist, pulling her down on top of him.  She straddled his hips, her
hot sex against the length of his erection.  Her heart was beating as
wildly as his own.  He cupped the back of her head, devouring her
lips, feeling his questing tongue sucked into her mouth and taking the
opportunity to delve into its depths. They kissed until there was no
more breath left, as if they would consume each other.

Finally, Kathryn pulled her mouth away, gasping.  She caressed his
face gently with her fingertips. "I've missed you so much."

"Then let me love you."

Everything Kathryn felt was shining in her face: tenderness, love,
desire and the laughter that was never far away when they were
together.  Tom kissed her sweetly, sitting up a little farther and
running his fingers through the auburn curls between her legs.  The
probing fingers drew a moan from her lips and came away wet.

"I enjoyed that massage almost as much as you did."  She knelt astride
his hips to guide him to her entrance.  Strong arms embraced her,
kisses brushed her throat as she lowered herself onto him.

"I love you, my wild Irish rose."

Kathryn cried out as she took his entire length inside her at once.
Arms wrapped around his neck, she hungrily sought his mouth.  Making
love with Tom always felt so right, like coming home.  She could spend
the rest of her life making love to this man.

Tom's tongue dove greedily into her mouth as she tightened around him,
savoring the sensation of being filled with his heat.  Giving up the
sweetness of his lips, Kathryn leaned backward against his raised
knees.  He had managed to undo the clip that held her hair.  She shook
it free to stream down her back. Skillful hands roamed her body,
cupping and kneading her breasts, lightly raking fingernails from
thigh to shoulder and finally drawing her closer.

Fingers gripped her buttocks, guiding her as she slid up and down the
length of his erection.  The breath rasped in his throat as that tight
channel massaged his cock, letting the head almost slip out, then
taking him hungrily back in to the hilt.  They began rocking gently
together, letting the tension build.  Her clever tongue traced the
contours of his ear, teeth nipping at the lobe, moving on to the soft
skin at the juncture of neck and shoulder.  He pulled away with a
groan.

"You know how crazy that makes me."

"Uh-huh."


"You asked for it, lady."

Kathryn wound her fingers in Tom's hair, gasping, his lips trailing
flame from her neck down to her breasts, covering each one with that
hot mouth as if he would devour them whole, nibbling her nipples for
dessert.  Every nerve ending in her body was on fire.

"Ohhh ... Tom ... don't ever stop doing that."

A low chuckle rumbled up from her tormenter's chest, sending delicious
vibrations through their connected bodies.  He left off his task long
enough to reply.  "I wouldn't mind at all, ... ahhh ... but it might
be a little hard ... to steer the ship this way."  They fell back onto
the pillows laughing and kissing.

Tom drew Kathryn's leg over his hip, thrusting even deeper into her.
They moved together in ever faster rhythm, their need too great for
subtlety.  He shuddered with the effort to control himself, knowing it
was a losing battle.  "I'm afraid I'm not going to last very long."

"You won't have to."  She was already quivering on the brink.  It had
been so long since the last time they had made love; the fire inside
her was burning out of control.  He grasped her buttocks and ground
their hips together.  It felt so good she wanted to scream.  "Ohhhh
... god, yes!"  She bit his shoulder.  "Come for me, Tom ... please
...please."  She ached to feel him explode inside her.

"Kathryn ... my sweet Kathryn ..."  She was deliberately tightening
and releasing the muscles that enveloped his aching shaft.  He
couldn't hold on a second longer.  Tom buried his face in her hair as
release swept over him, sobbing her name, shaking with the intensity
of his climax.

The sound of his voice would have been enough.  The jets of hot fluid
erupting inside her sent waves of heat washing through Kathryn's body.
She cried out again and again, the shock waves seeming to reach deep
into her bones, and finally collapsed with a heavy sigh against Tom's
chest, the aching need for him temporarily satisfied.

They lay there panting, hearts racing, finally rolling onto their
backs to let some of their body heat dissipate.  Tom lifted her hand
to his lips and pressed a kiss on the palm.  "That was the perfect
appetizer.  Intense enough to take the edge off, but not nearly long
enough to spoil the main course."

Kathryn laughed a little breathlessly.  "And what's the main course?"

"You are."  Tom let his eyes roam over his captain's beautiful body,
planning just what he wanted to do to her later in the evening.

Kathryn shook her head.  It was hard to tell in the candlelight, but
Tom thought she was blushing. "Don't tell me I've embarrassed you."

"I'm just not used to being lusted after like this - not that I mind."

"Come to think of it, I don't know *what* you're used to.  You know
all about my love life, but I hardly know anything about yours.
Doesn't seem quite fair to me."

"There's not that much to tell."  She nudged him over with her hip and
moved out of the wet spot to drape herself lazily over one side of his
body.  There was no reason not to tell him; Tom wasn't the jealous
type.  It was obvious he was simply curious about her past.

"I'll start at the beginning, since it's such a short story.  My first
time was with a boy I'd been dating off and on all through high
school.  He was going to college off-planet and I was going to the
Academy.  We wanted to say a proper good-bye."

She hadn't thought of Alan very often over the years, but when she
did, it was with affection.  "I sneaked out my window one night and
met him in the woods behind my house.  It was awkward and brief and
very sweet."

Tom was rubbing her back lightly.  He closed his eyes, imagining the
incredible sweetness of being the first to touch her.  "I can't tell
you how much I envy him."

Kathryn rested her cheek on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.
"You may not have been the first, but I want you to be the last."  She
held her breath a moment, afraid that her confession would scare him
into backing off.  When he was completely silent, she looked up to
find Tom staring at her, dazed.

He seemed to have forgotten how to speak.  All he could do was
envelope Kathryn in his arms and rain soft kisses on her face.  There
was a suspicious moisture at the corners of his eyes.  They clung to
each other for a moment before she resumed her comfortable place on
his chest.  Tom cleared his throat and strove for his usual light
tone.  "Don't think that gets you off the hook.  You were telling me
about your many conquests."

She wasn't fooled for a minute.  Heart singing, she resumed her
narrative, happy to indulge her lover's curiosity.  Her past life
seemed impossibly remote and completely irrelevant.  "I had a brief
affair with my roommate my first year at the Academy.  She was a
little older than me, a medical student.  I thought she was terribly
beautiful and sophisticated.  I was all skinny arms and legs and hair
that wouldn't behave.  My family loved her, although I think they
wondered what she saw in me."  The memory made her laugh.  "Then I
spent a semester at the Vulcan Science Academy.  Her letters got
farther and farther apart, then I got a 'dear Jane' letter saying she
had met someone else and they were getting married."

"The woman obviously had no taste."

Kathryn scowled.  "I was teaching a seminar at the Academy a couple
years before we came out here and her *son* was in my class.  I felt
positively ancient.  Thank you for reminding me of that on my
birthday."

"Poor Kathryn.  It must be rough to be that old.  Ouch!"  Tom rubbed
his stomach where she'd smacked him.  An evil smile stole over his
face.  "So, did you continue the family tradition?  It would've been a
great way to get your revenge."

She would have bopped him with a pillow to wipe that annoying smile
off his face, but that would have involved moving.  So Kathryn settled
for kissing him until he nearly suffocated.  Her point made, she
continued.

"The boy had all the personality of a turnip.  Besides, I wasn't mad
at his mother.  I met Justin almost as soon as I got back to Earth."
The memory still made her smile.  "He was the most damn irritating man
I've ever met - well, until I met you."

She was about to continue when her stomach growled loudly.  "Didn't I
see a table set for dinner? I'm starved."

Tom couldn't help laughing.  "I can see where your priorities are.
Okay, I'll feed you.  Just don't put on too many clothes.  You won't
be needing them much tonight."

They showered and dressed quickly in their night clothes, sitting down
to a light but delicious dinner.  Dessert was chocolate mocha mousse,
something Tom knew his favorite coffee-fiend would love.

Kathryn quickly finished off her own dessert, then appropriated Tom's.
She compensated him by curling up in his lap and sharing plenty of
chocolate-flavored kisses.  Cleaning the spoon of the last drop, she
thrust her tongue into his mouth, letting him lick off the cool
confection.

They were quite content to sit there for a while, listening to the
fire crackle while she nuzzled his neck and Tom's hands stroked her
body through the delicate silk.  Finally he rubbed a thumb over an
already hard nipple.  She made a small sound in the back of her throat
and he chuckled.

"Getting hungry again?"

"For you, my love, always."  She shifted and attempted to unbutton the
top of his pajamas, but found her hands restrained.

"Not tonight.  I have something special planned."  He stood with
Kathryn still in his arms and crossed to the bed, setting her down on
her feet.  She squirmed and laughed as Tom undressed her, doing her
best to get the pilot out of his own clothes.

He finally wrestled his naked captain to the bed, although he'd lost
the top of his pajamas and the bottoms were getting distinctly tight.
"If you don't stop wriggling, I'm going to lick you until you pass
out.  Then you'll never know what your surprise was."

Kathryn stopped moving immediately.  She knew from experience that he
could do it.  He'd once demonstrated this remarkable talent in the
public head outside the briefing room, after their shift was over, of
course.  It took a moment to decide whether she preferred the reward
or the 'punishment.' With a dramatic sigh, she released Tom from her
embrace and scooted up to recline against the pillows as directed.
"What exactly does my surprise involve?"

"Actually, I got the idea from one of Megan Delaney's little games."
He very much enjoyed the look on Kathryn's face.  "Don't worry, I've
modified it a little."  He leaned down to brush a kiss over Kathryn's
lips and whisper in her ear.  "I intend to torture you with pleasure."

There had been a few alterations made while Kathryn was showering
earlier.  The sheets had been changed and two strips of material were
tied to the bedposts next to the headboard.  They were made of the
same champaign-colored silk as the rest of the bed coverings.  Tom
picked up the loose ends and showed them to her.

He laid down next to her, touching her face gently.  "You know I would
never hurt you, Kathryn.  I never want to give you anything but
pleasure.  Do you trust me?"

"With everything I have."  She kissed the palm of his hand, eyes
blazing with emotion.

He was caught in her gaze, drowning in it.  It was moments like this
that he wanted to fall at her feet in gratitude for letting him
experience a kind of love he'd never even imagined.

Kathryn leaned her forehead against Tom's, rubbing noses.  The look in
his eyes was the best birthday present she had ever gotten.  "Didn't
you say something about torture?"

She was quickly tied in the soft restraints.  They left her with
enough room to bend her arms a bit, so they wouldn't be locked
uncomfortably over her head. Tom showed her how to undo the knots
whenever she wanted to escape, not that she imagined she'd want to.

Tom sat back on his heels admiring his work.  Kathryn was sitting up
slightly against a pile of silk pillows, the candle light gleaming on
her fair skin, throwing flickering shadows over her sleekly muscled
form.  She was breathing deeply from the kisses he had lavished on her
beautiful body, which was spread out before him, a feast of sensual
delights, and he intended to savor every morsel.

Another silk cloth was tied around her eyes.  Opening them, she
realized that although she couldn't see around the blindfold, the
light from the fire and candles filtered through, enveloping her in a
warm, golden glow.  Tom's hand rested lightly on her stomach.  She
felt the bed shift as he leaned toward the bedside table.  There was
the sound of liquid being poured, no doubt the champaign she had noted
chilling on the table.  The bed shifted again and the glass was waved
under her nose, the bubbles tickling.

"Would you like a drink before we start?"

Kathryn, who had never refused champaign in her life, nodded her
assent.  It was cold, and fizzed as it slid down her throat.  She felt
Tom straddle her legs.  He placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

"Happy birthday, Kathryn."  She could hear the smile in his voice.

Suddenly, something cold and wet dripped onto her chest.  The liquid
sizzled against her skin as it trickled between her breasts.  Kathryn
gasped in surprise, then again as the cold liquid was followed by a
hot tongue.

"*Tom!*"

"Surprise.  I hope you like your present."

She didn't have time to answer before another shower drenched her left
breast. She could feel the droplet hanging from her nipple as it
puckered from the cold.  Another rivulet trickled into the crease
below.  She was aware of every bubble as it sizzled against the
incredibly sensitive skin.

Shivering in anticipation, Kathryn breathlessly waited for Tom's hot
mouth to descend on her.  She moaned and arched into his touch as the
droplet was licked from the nipple, his mouth greedily sucking at her
flesh.  The performance was repeated with the other breast, then a
small pool was poured into her navel and left there while the rest of
her body was attended to.

It felt as if the champaign had gotten under her skin, fizzing and
popping along her nerve endings, radiating from the pool in her navel
to the throbbing, needy place between her legs.  Kathryn was nearly
writhing off the bed.  There was no more thought in her mind except
where the next droplets would fall. Every part of her felt alive and
electrically charged in a way she had never experienced before.  Tom
left none of her skin unattended to.  Underarms, thighs, toes.  He
even drank from the hollows at the base of her throat.  He was almost
completely silent, not wanting to distract her from the exquisite
torture for one moment.

At last, Kathryn felt Tom lower himself to the bed between her legs.
Beyond words, she lifted her hips in supplication.  Gentle hand
caressed her thighs, followed by butterfly kisses.  Fingers parted her
lips, revealing the dripping folds within.  She could smell her own
arousal.  She waited, not breathing, not moving, for what was to come.
Even so, Kathryn cried out and strained at her bonds when the cold
liquid drenched her heat.

It seemed to reach into every crevice, sending electric shocks through
her entire body.  Tom let her lie there a moment savoring the
sensation before his tongue began thoroughly cleaning her of every
drop.  Kathryn's universe narrowed until there was nothing left but
the sensation of that rough tongue and soft lips.  He licked her in
broad, firm strokes, tongue repeatedly flickering into her opening.

As Tom sucked and tugged at the swollen flesh with his lips, the
mewing sounds coming from Kathryn's throat became frantic moans.  If
she could have spoken, she would have begged.  Finally, finally, he
swirled his tongue over her apex, diving in for the kill with his
lips.  Kathryn didn't know and didn't care if she was screaming out
loud or only in her head.  She frantically clutched the soft material
of her restraints, bucking wildly as Tom's hands fought to hold her
still.  Wave after wave of pleasure slammed into her, crackling
through her veins like phaser fire until everything faded into a
searing white haze.

The warm golden glow of candle light filtered through her blindfold.
Kathryn felt Tom's hands on her, stroking gently.  He was calling her
name in an amused voice.  She slipped out of the restraints, curling
her entire body around her lover.  The blindfold could stay on a while
longer; she looked forward to seeing how much of his body she
remembered by touch alone.  "You lied.  You said you would lick me
until I passed out if I *didn't* cooperate."

"Any complaints?"

"Only one."  Her wandering hand had found his neglected and achingly
hard erection.  "But it's a big one."  She neatly flipped him on his
back, settling in to remedy the complaint as soon as possible.

Tom regarded the ruin around them.  It was a good thing this was a
hologram; the bed was soaked with a wonderfully pungent combination of
champaign and Kathryn.  His love lay sticky and purring in his arms.
With a sigh that quickly became a moan, he relaxed on the wet sheets
as her strong hand worked its magic.  The best part was that this was
for keeps.  With any luck they would still be wrecking furniture
together fifty or sixty years from now. Sheer bliss.

---

Emerald-green velvet swirling around her, Kathryn Janeway greeted her
guests. She basked in their admiring glances.  The dress fell to her
ankles, loosely skimming the body beneath, but managing to cling to
all the right curves. Shining auburn hair hung below her shoulders,
unrestrained.  She felt beautiful and loved and it showed.

There was a small pile of presents forming on one of the pool tables.
Sandrine's was packed with people who had come in to celebrate the
captain's birthday and/or the defeat of the Hirogen. Kathryn surveyed
the loot as she added another brightly wrapped package.  She always
asked people not to bring gifts, but they always did.  The present
Chakotay had given her earlier was there - a beautiful silver pocket
watch.  He had volunteered to stay on the bridge this afternoon so
some of the beta shift officers could attend the party.  Harry and
B'Elanna had given her a collection of musical recordings from their
last stop at an alien planet.  There was the sheer nothing made of red
lace that the Delaney sisters had intended as a joke, and which Tom
would probably have shredded in no time.

Almost by instinct, she located him across the room, talking to a
member of the holographic band. He looked up and smiled, caressing her
with his eyes. Kathryn sighed contentedly.  Last night had been one of
the most powerfully erotic experiences of her life.  She could still
feel the warm glow of Tom's touch on her skin.  Afterwards they had
wallowed in the freshly changed bed until late morning, making love,
talking and eating breakfast.

"If you two keep looking at each other like that people are going to
start talking."

Kathryn started and turned around to greet B'Elanna.  The short gold
sheath she wore complimented the warm brown of her skin.  "So what did
Tom get you for your birthday, and why did it involve me taking
holodeck 1 out of service until this morning?"  The younger woman
didn't really expect an answer, but her captain's deep flush of
embarrassment told her it would have been an interesting one.

"I'll make you a deal, B'Elanna.  I'll tell you about Tom's birthday
present if you tell me how you ended up *swallowing* Harry's rank
insignia the other day."

"How about I buy you a drink?"  B'Elanna good naturedly conceded the
point. Harry had to request permission to replicate another collar pip
and swore he would kill her if she told anyone about how much he loved
to be bitten.  The engineer wondered briefly if the captain and Tom
ever got that wild, but dismissed the thought.  Janeway was much too
stuffy.

The women found places at the bar as Harry joined Tom and whispered
conspiratorially with the holographic band.  Finally a drum roll
caught everyone's attention.  Tom addressed the crowd.  "I had a tough
time deciding what to get the captain for her birthday."  He flashed
Kathryn a grin full of the memory of last night.  "It's hard to find
the perfect gift for a woman who has her own starship. So I wrote a
song and I'd like to dedicate it to her. It's called 'My Wild Irish
Rose.'  The title isn't original, but the lady is one of a kind."  He
and Harry and the band launched into the song he had written for
Kathryn weeks before.

Everyone in the bar was looking from Kathryn to Tom in surprise.
Several people knew that he played the piano, but they also knew he
didn't like to play in front of an audience, much less something he
had written himself.

B'Elanna looked impressed.  "I can't believe he's actually playing in
front of people.  I've been bugging him for years to get out there."

Kathryn dropped her head into her hands. *I can't believe he called it
that.* She liked it when Tom called her his wild Irish rose when they
were making love, but if he ever explained the title to anyone ... She
threaded her way through the crowd toward the piano thinking dire
thoughts.  By the time she got there all she could think about was the
look on Tom's face, the joy he so obviously got from playing.  His
eyes were fastened on her the entire time and she knew he was playing
only for her.

A sudden sense of freedom pervaded her as Kathryn realized what she
was going to do.  This secrecy had gone on long enough.  They had
already wasted too much time.

As the last notes died away and Tom stood to bow to the applauding
audience, Kathryn stepped up beside him.  He knew she was planning
something from the determined set of her jaw, but he was totally
unprepared for the kiss.  She quite deliberately wound her arms around
his neck and caressed his lips with her own.  Laughing eyes looked up
at him as he automatically took her in his arms.  As Tom realized what
Kathryn was doing, he responded passionately to her kiss.  It seemed
she was giving *him* a present for her birthday.  So much for
discretion.

She relinquished his lips, but remained in the shelter of his embrace.
"I love you, Tom Paris."  Her warm throaty voice was loud enough to be
heard by the audience.  Throwing a glance over her shoulder, Kathryn
addressed the crowd gaping at the couple on the stage.  "Anyone who
has a problem with that can go stick their head out an airlock."

---

The End