Red Dress Saga 04

  For the classic PTers, here's another 'short' story that started off as a

  "Red Dress" scenario. For the newbies, when the PT Collective first got

  started on the AOL message boards, the Collective did several round robin

  stories. In one of the stories, Tom gave B'Elanna a

  red dress for her birthday and several Collective members wrote scenes or

  short stories featuring the red dress. This alludes to those stories. This

  story may form the beginning (or some part of) Trials 5 (when I get around to

  writing more)...

  Author's Note: This takes place in the same AU as the Trials Series of

  stories. Series available in print from Unicorn Press.

  Red Dress Saga 4

  By Terri Zavaleta

  Ensign Harry Kim stalked into the messhall and plopped himself down into the

  seat opposite one of his best friends. Settling his elbows on the table and

  cradling his chin in his palms, he stared pointedly as he asked, "Okay, what

  did you do NOW?"

  In response he received a Torres' glare. Fortunately this was a mild one. It

  probably rated only a two on the Tom Paris' Measure of Chief Engineer

  Aggravation.

  "What are you talking about, Harry?" B'Elanna put down the padd she'd been

  studying and picked up her cup of raktajino, finishing it off as she awaited

  his reply.

  Harry suddenly frowned and threw a quick glance around the room. "Why do I

  suddenly have this feeling of deja vu?"

  Torres set her cup down on the table with a slight thump. The glare setting

  was escalating to a three now as her irritation increased. "Either tell me

  what you're talking about or get out of my way. I have things to do today."

  "Oh, right," Kim said snapping back to attention. "I wanted to know if you

  know what's the matter with Tom?"

  "Do you want an alphabetical list of his faults? Or would you prefer them in

  chronological order?" The harsh words were belied by a wry twist of her lips

  and a softening in the expression in her brown eyes at the mention of the

  helmsman's name.

  "Have you seen him today?" Harry wore a slight frown of puzzlement and

  concern.

  "No. He was awake when I got up but he was gone when I got out of the

  shower," she replied, not caring that she was revealing personal details to

  Harry. If he hadn't figured out that she and Tom were sleeping together more

  often than not, Kim was much more naive than even she'd thought. "What's

  wrong, Starfleet? Is he sick? He was supposed to go see the doctor about that

  accident in the holodeck but I don't know if he actually did. He seemed fine

  last night..."

  Torres started to her feet but Kim latched onto her wrist and dragged her

  back into her seat. Of course, she didn't resist at all or he wouldn't have

  succeeded.

  "What?" Her tone was impatient and a bit harsh. She noticed the others in

  the messhall staring towards her and Kim and turned her attention and her

  voice towards their audience. "WHAT?" she demanded, eyes scanning each person

  in the room with laser-like efficiency.

  Every crew member present suddenly found something more interesting to look

  at than the Chief Engineer's confrontation with the Operations Officer. Even

  if they were forced to look at the food on their plates (which was something

  most tried to avoid on general principles).

  "B'Elanna, don't make a scene," Harry hissed.

  "I am not making a scene," she retorted defensively. "Now where is Tom and

  what is wrong?"

  Harry shook his head. "He wouldn't talk to me. But there's something

  definitely---off about him." He lowered his voice and gazed into her eyes

  intently. "Do you know where he is?"

  Torres' brow lowered further as a concentrated Klingon glare (Level Four and

  rising) pierced him. "If I knew where he WAS..." she began.

  "He's in Holodeck One, in the Lake Como program," Kim supplied rapidly.Lake Como? Not a good sign, thought B'Elanna. Tom usually went there when he was too upset for a more active program. Or when he was feeling romantic and since she wasn't with him he'd damn well better NOT be.

  "And do you know where Malista is?" Kim asked plaintively, more content now

  that Torres was joining in him in his concern.

  A slight growl came from B'Elanna's throat as she pounced and pinned her

  friend's wrist to the table with one predatory twist of her wrist. "If you

  can't tell, I'm not in the mood for games, Harry."

  With a silent 'ouch', the ensign gingerly withdrew his forearm from her clasp

  and rubbed the already forming bruise. "I'm not playing a game. Malista is

  also in Holodeck One"

  Definitely not a good sign.

  "And she's up in the tree," Harry concluded.

  The tree. Oh, Kahless. Not the tree.

  "Fifteen meters up in the tree." Kim paused as Torres absorbed the

  significance of that additional fact.

  "The higher she goes, the more upset she is," B'Elanna muttered. "So is she

  up in the tree because Tom is upset or is Tom upset because Malista is? Or

  are they independently upset---I mean...."

  Kim shrugged. "I thought you might know. Neither one is talking. And it

  scares me when she climbs that tree. I know," he interjected, anticipating

  B'Elanna's objection. "The holodeck safeties are on. But she could still get

  hurt. Besides it's not her physical well-being I'm worried about. She won't

  talk to me. She just says she needs time to think. Tom's not even saying that

  much. They wouldn't talk to me and they're not even talking to each other."

  "You think THEY had a fight?" B'Elanna couldn't picture that easily.

  Harry wasn't buying that theory either. "About what? She never disagrees

  with Tom. But they're both sitting in the holodeck with no music, no program

  except for the Lake Como scenery. They seem totally oblivious to each other and everyone else."If Harry's report was accurate, B'Elanna knew that something must definitely be wrong. Tom treated Malista Shadow as a little sister and she was his biggest fan. She usually followed his lead in what B'Elanna considered a rather sickeningly submissive manner. Torres felt Malista encouraged the helmsman in his flights of imaginative creativity---as if he needed any encouragement! Tom's infrequent bouts of boredom usually caused him to dive headfirst into the creation of holonovels and sports programs that eventually involved a large number of the crew in a form of 'entertainment' which was often physically hazardous. Who else would have tried to start a game that combined balancing on a moving surf board and skeet shooting? He was lucky that the holodeck safeties wouldn't let him drown when the recoil from the 20th century shotgun sent him flying. "Well, they don't have to report for duty for another four hours," B'Elanna mused.Harry blinked. "You're going to just leave them there?"She delivered a disbelieving glare-a definite force three this time---in his direction. "Of course not. Come on, Starfleet. Let's get to the bottom of this." She was half way out the door before Harry leapt up and hastened to follow her.It didn't take long to reach the holodeck but Harry had already begun to have second thoughts. He took half a step in front of Torres to block the entrance. "Wait a minute. What are we going to say?""We'll think of someth
ing!" She pushed him out the door."What do you mean 'we'?" Harry yelped.**********************************************

  The holodeck was often the most restful place on the ship, an oasis of calm

  and beautiful scenery. The Lake Como program had become increasingly popular for that reason and its creator, Tom Paris, had given the whole crew access to it as a setting for off duty relaxation. Usually he found the lapping of the water, the sunshine, and brightly colored flowers soothing. Today nothing seemed to lift the miasma of gloom from before his eyes. For all the good the scenery was doing him, he might as well have been in his cabin. Or on the bridge. Or planetside. Or in a prison. Tom sighed deeply, picked up a loose stone from the small pile at his side and chunked it at the water, watching with scant attention as it skipped outward towards the center of the lake. He could hear someone approaching but refused to acknowledge it. If it was Harry again..... He had noticed the whir of the door opening, felt the slight movement of the air as someone entered the holodeck, caught a whiff of a spicy perfume.... Oh, shit. Harry couldn't just accept Tom's refusal to talk. He'd brought reinforcements. And, of course, it was the one person Tom Paris did NOT want to talk to right now. Maybe if he ignored her too? HA!! B'Elanna would put up with a lot of things but being ignored was NOT one them. And her efforts to make sure she had your attention could be damned painful if you were stupid enough to let the confrontation get physical. At least she didn't have a bat'telh in her hands. Yet.So he looked at them. They were standing there just staring at him. They'd never seen someone skip stones before? "What?" he demanded, unknowingly echoing B'Elanna's reaction in the mess hall."What what?" Harry replied, widening his eyes innocently and trying for a casual air, but stepping back half a step which put him slightly behind Torres.B'Elanna didn't say a word. Just looked at him. Then she tilted her head slightly to the left and looked a bit more. Those lovely brown eyes had softened and studied him in a manner that conveyed concern as well as an attempt at analysis. She could say more with those eyes.... He glanced away quickly. Her presence made him uncomfortable. How odd. He hadn't thought he could feel anything right now. He was doing his best to turn off all his thoughts and feelings until he was ready to deal with them. Paris turned his back on both of them and took great care in selecting another stone as his next missile. It made it easier for him to speak again. "I thought you two would be on duty by now." He threw his chosen stone.Not bad. This time he'd gotten six skips before the rock sank below the water's cool blue surface. No one else spoke. Harry started to, but Tom's peripheral vision noted B'Elanna's quick elbow digging into his ribs, cutting off his air and, of necessity, his speech. As the silence stretched on, Paris could feel the weight of their eyes. He tried to think of something to say that would allow them to leave without feeling further intervention was necessary."Harry," B'Elanna said softly, as if trying not to disturb the silence of the room, "why don't you go check on Malista? I want to talk to Tom."Any notion of a protest was stilled as she added a physical impetus to the suggestion, shoving Kim none too gently towards the towering tree that appeared to be about fifty meters away. A frowning ensign went, mumbling under his breath the entire time, arguing with himself, if no one else, that the gesture was futile.Paris couldn't seem to find the perfect stone for skipping in his small pile, so he began searching the shore just a little further out of reach. He stretched out his arm and collected three more stones, adding them to the heap near his thigh. His concentration on his chosen task was as complete as if he was trying to solve a complex piloting problem that would determine the survival of the ship.Still without speaking directly to him, B'Elanna lowered herself to the ground and scooted over until she was seated within a foot of his left side, narrowly invading his personal space comfort zone. Paris couldn't help it. He flinched. He never flinched. Never let them see you sweat. No weakness before the enemy. He knew all the slogans taught at Starfleet Academy. Quickly regaining control of his body if not his mind, he returned to the pretence that everything was normal. If he could carry off the proper air of nonchalance, he could convince her that Harry's imagination was creating something out of nothing.But it was more difficult now. The spicy scent of her perfume reached him easily and he felt as if it summoned him to draw nearer. He could feel her warmth, hear the low susurration of her breathing... She was so quiet. He couldn't refrain from a quick glance. She was amassing her own collection of stones on her left side. Not what he'd expected. B'Elanna was learning some semblance of subtlety. Probably from him. It was almost enough to coax a smile from his lips. Almost. The smile died stillborn as he was suddenly reminded why he was here. He turned his attention back to throwing another stone. Seven skips.Torres threw one. It sank. She frowned.She threw another. It sank. The frown became a scowl with a pouting lower lip. She pawed impatiently through her collection of stones, carefully chose another-this one larger and flatter--and hurled it towards the water. It sank. She studied the spot where it sank for a moment. The frown deepened and a growl began low in her throat.Paris bit his lip and shook his head. "Uh...""What?" The frown turned towards him."You need to throw it sideways---so it will skim along the top of the water." He offered the suggestion tentatively, without his usual self-assured smoothness and charm. B'Elanna didn't normally enjoy receiving unasked for advice.She raised her eyebrows at him, and nodded in appreciation. "Oh. Like this?" She tried again with limited success. Two skips and a plop.He couldn't resist. It was almost a reflex. He took her hand, placing a stone in it and coaching her on the proper grip. "Now, like that!" With his assistance, she achieved four skips this time. He noticed that he was still holding her hand and quickly released it. She refused to let go and changed her grip so that she was clasping the long, slender fingers. Using just a bit of pressure to force his compliance, she settled their joined hands on his left thigh and used her thumb to rub gently along the base of his palm. He didn't fight her. That would just make her defensive. He didn't want to fight with her. He didn't think he had the energy. He let her keep his hand, but tried once more to ignore what she was doing. It occurred to him that she knew very well the principles of skipping a stone and had applied it to ship movement---but, of course, by the time he'd thought of that, she'd accomplished her goal. She'd made him react to her. "B'Elanna..." he began."Tom," she said at the exact same moment. They both stopped. Tom kept his eyes on the water as she kept hers on his profile. "You go ahead," they said simultaneously. Silence."Tom," she said again, a little more urgency in the tone."I don't want to talk," he blurted. "It's nothing. I'll be fine." This time he did pull his hand away and used it to brace himself as he got to his feet. He moved away a few steps closer to the water's edge continuing to stare out at the horizon as if answers could be found there.Torres noted that he was moving stiffly, unlike his usual smooth movement. She scowled ferociously as he took up a perfect 'at ease' pose and scrambled to her own feet. He looked so---so Starfleet when he did that. "What's nothing?""What?" He knew he wasn't thinking clearly and didn't understand what she meant."You said 'it's nothing'---what is nothing? If it's not nothing, then it must be something. And if it's something, it can't be just anything or you wouldn't be so on edge," she stated defiantly."What?!" That jumbled statement did it. He had to look at her to see if she was joking. B'Elanna's sense of humor was erratic and confusing at the best of times. She often began laughing because of a humorous train of thought that only she seemed to understand and she could never explain what she found funny in any way that made sense to anyone else. She shook her head and folded her arms across her chest as she regarded him with a puzzled frown. Okay. She wasn't making a joke. She was back in Engineer mode and trying to problem solve. She might actually be trying to communicate. That was a first. Well, okay, maybe a second. Tom turned back to his contemplation of the lake's gently lapping waves as a holographic speedboat went dashing across with a water skier in tow. When had he added that to the program? Oh. He hadn't. That was Dalby on the skis and Diane Russell was steering the boat. He was vaguely aware
of a sense of satisfaction that at least someone was enjoying the holodeck today.... even if he wasn't. Now, those two were a contradictory couple. He would never have thought of pairing those two off...."Tom." It was insistent. Her patience was in short supply.Big surprise there. Fine. He wondered how long it would take before she'd get fed up and walk out on him. Again. No, that wasn't fair. She didn't walk out on him. She just never listened to him. No, that wasn't fair either. She listened---to what she wanted to hear. And since most of the time he was trying to say what made her happy, or what she expected----"Tom!" Her hand wrapped around his forearm and turned him to face her. "What's the matter?"He sighed deeply and shook his head. "I told you I don't want to talk.""You never don't want to talk. You always have an opinion even when no one wants to hear it," she retorted, trying for a light touch of humor and failing miserably as far as she could tell. There was a bleakness in the blue eyes that she found almost frightening. They were the eyes of a stranger."Not today." He shrugged her hand off his arm and turned back towards the lake in time to see Dalby and Russell speeding by once more on their way to the dock. He wondered how fast they were going. Uh-oh. They were leaving now. Evidently they thought there was a confrontation brewing and didn't want to get caught in a crossfire. How perceptive of them. No, not them. Diane was the perceptive one. Dalby would have enjoyed watching the fireworks. For some reason, Dalby didn't like him. Tom had never bothered to find out why. Dalby was just one among many and Tom had given up on winning them over."Tom, I want you to TALK to me," Torres demanded. "I don't know what's wrong, but I can't fix it unless you tell me. I'm not telepathic, remember?""You can't 'fix it' anyway. It's not your problem. And I thought you were the one who said talking about things never solved anything. At least that's what you said the last time I tried to find out what was bothering you.""Did you get any sleep at all last night?"He didn't need to be telepathic to know that the reason she'd asked the question was that she'd gotten a good look at his face in the sunlight....well, what passed for bright sunlight in the holodeck anyway. Actually, it was a pretty good simulation, if he did say so... He realized that he'd once more let his thoughts drift away from the here and now. What had she asked? Oh, yeah. She could tell he hadn't slept by the dark circles under his eyes. One of the drawbacks of having a fair complexion. Part of the Paris family heritage? Every bit of stress showed up on his face, engraving its marks upon him with darkened circles, fine lines, the receding hairline.....until he'd almost not recognized himself in the reflection he saw in the lake's surface. It wasn't the years, it was the mileage. That's what his mom used to say. "Tom." Her tone was a little more impatient now, but still with that hint of concern. She was standing behind him once more. He took another step closer to the lake, increasing the physical distance between them once more.Funny. He'd never thought of B'Elanna as being that good an actress. She was very good at this though. Pretending she cared. But after what she'd said last night....and in cold blood... not in the midst of a rage when she might say almost anything.There was no way he could believe she really cared for him. Not in the way he'd thought. He knew their relationship had started out with disapproval and distrust on her side. He had told himself that her opinion of his character when he'd first come aboard Voyager was not that far off what he truly deserved. But he'd changed since then, matured, and he had begun to believe that the two of them had changed as well. That they had become friends. That they weren't just using each other for sexual release.And now he knew. She wasn't in the relationship just because he was good in bed---okay, REALLY good in bed. It was evidently just a pleasant side benefit that he could keep up with her appetites. He had accepted her competitive nature as something that was just part of her makeup. He'd thought it brought a bit of spice into their sexual play and kept him mentally on his toes to stay ahead of her in their verbal jousts. But, until her drowsy comment as she'd fallen asleep in his arms just hours ago, he had never thought she had begun a relationship with him because he was a trophy on her arm. And because his father, ADMIRAL Paris, could advance her career.If anyone else had told him that B'Elanna was just using him as a sex toy, he'd have called that person a liar and knocked his teeth down his throat. At the very least. But he'd heard this straight from the Klingon's mouth, so to speak. How did the old saying go? In vino veritas? But perhaps even more truth was discovered by those who listened closely while in a state of sexual satiety during what amounted to 'pillow talk'. Even knowing what he knew now, he found it hard to resist her attraction for him. It was almost elemental in nature, like magnetism. Like gravity. And, as with gravity, misjudging its effects could lead to a terrible fall. And the consequences of a fall. Shattering upon impact? Maybe it wasn't just poetic hyperbole that a human heart could break. Wonder if the Holodoc has done some research on that topic too?The silence was so profound he thought he could feel its weight upon his skin. What was she waiting for? If he had been asked what B'Elanna's response would be to his bemused and stubborn silence, he would have predicted that she'd make a quick pass at trying to find out why Tom was acting strangely by asking a few questions, quickly lose her temper if he didn't respond, and storm out of the holodeck. He would have predicted that she would ignore him until he came to her and apologized. No matter that he had done nothing to warrant an apology. B'Elanna would expect one anyway. And groveling. Possibly gifts?No, that wasn't fair. He was the one who had initiated gift giving as an attempt to curry favor or as an apology for neglect or inadvertent unkindness. It was something he'd learned from his father. Of course, it seemed his father was better at it. As he was in almost everything else. He took a deep breath, forcing his chest to expand over his aching heart. Then, with often practiced skill, he pasted on a charming smile and turned to look at her, braced to fob her off with facile patter. Something to reassure her temporarily and make her leave him alone until he was ready to deal with the present and the future. Before he could speak, her words knocked the smile right off his face."I hurt you. Didn't I?" Her voice was very small and reflected her posture. She had somehow drawn in on herself and seemed very delicate and fragile as she hesitated, poised on a precipice of doubt, as she assessed his attitude and body language. Her brown eyes were so wide and warm and sincere and....close.When had she moved so close? She was invading his personal space, he thought a bit indignantly and tried to use that sense of ill usage to give weight to his protest."B'Elanna...." He even managed to get his voice to sound energetic and smooth. "I don't know what you're talking about." He wiped all expression from his face and tried to appear politely inquiring, a look he'd perfected while at Starfleet Academy.The words fell into the slight space between them with a figurative thud. A loud one. She reacted. But not verbally. Of course not. She'd never just do what he expected. In less than a heartbeat, Tom Paris found himself flat on his back with an angry B'Elanna Torres pinning his wrists on either side of his head, kneeling on his stomach, and with one leg twisted to put her foot in a position to deliver exquisitely painful pressure to precious and treasured parts of his anatomy, if he should try to resist. Damn. Some day he'd remember how fast she could move and learn to dodge. And for all her small stature, it was wise to remember her partial Klingon heritage which gave her more than normal human strength. Which was probably doubled by her tendency to be extremely focused and fiercely determined in pursuit of her goals. He had a strong sense of deja vu.... She'd pinned him similarly (well, except for that threatening foot) when in the grips of the blood fever....No time to think of the past. He concentrated on controlling his expression. Round those blue eyes, flash the perfect white teeth. Think 'innocent'. It had always served him well in the past.It wasn't working. B'Elanna was just so-volatile. Between the question, his answer, and her taking him down to the ground she'd already run the gamut from appalled concern and hurt to absolute outrage and all of her emotions seemed to be directed at him. "Thomas Eugene Paris," she spat the words out through gritted teeth, "don't you DARE lie to ME! You know exactly what I'm talking about." She thum
ped his wrists against the ground for emphasis and twitched her foot---just enough to get his attention, not enough to damage anything she might want to play with later.He opened his mouth but nothing came out. He self-consciously coughed to clear away whatever was obstructing his throat. "B'Elanna---" Evidently the soothing tone he'd adopted only irritated her further. The foot twitched and she brought her face down to a few inches from his as she hissed, "The next words out of your mouth had better be an explanation, Mister." He went absolutely limp. He could get out of this hold but he wasn't sure he could do it without hurting her. And he would not do that. He didn't think he would be able to bring himself to do that. Damn. When had he given her that much power over him? He'd never had it this bad for anyone. "B'Elanna! Are you out of your mind?" It was Harry Kim's incredulous voice as he came running towards the pair on the ground."Shut up, Harry!" Torres barked. "And GET OUT!" Her eyes never left Tom's. She didn't bother to watch to see if he complied with her order, but she was aware of his exit from the holodeck, and that a worryingly still silent Malista Shadow had gone with him. They were now alone. "Computer, engage privacy lock.""Privacy lock engaged." The computer's bland voice announced its compliance.Paris wasn't moving. He was hardly breathing as blue pools eyed her warily, awaiting her next move. The wariness was all she could read. All his defenses had snapped into place leaving her struggling to piece together what had suddenly gone wrong between them with no effective help from the other half of this partnership. "What are you so angry about, B'Elanna?" It was a reasonable question, asked in a polite tone as if they were making polite small talk at a diplomatic tea.As if the fact that she was threatening him with bodily injury wasn't really of consequence.It was as if he was talking to a stranger. That was what scared her---and being scared made her furious. She'd seen him do it before-don a mask of perfect confidence and charm and reasonableness---usually when he was uncomfortable in new situations or feeling insecure. Then he used humor and smart remarks to demonstrate his cool attitude and take control of whatever situation he found himself in---or manipulate the people he was trying to persuade to see things his way. And he was damned good at it. Good enough to fool most people.But he hadn't used those techniques with her in a long time. It had been so long she couldn't even remember the last time. He'd stopped treating her like the enemy and begun to behave as if she was someone he trusted--- almost as soon as he'd realized that she was, in fact, attracted to him. During his determined pursuit of first her friendship and then a deepening of that relationship, he had used charm and humor, true, but it had lacked the patina of polished and practiced politeness which he inevitably used on strangers and authority figures. Until now. What in Kahless' name could she possibly have done to cause him to go into full retreat? And in such a limited time---sometime between their third and most mutually satisfying climax and this morning when she'd gone to the sonic shower, leaving him apparently drowsing on the bed. What had happened and why didn't she remember it if she had done or said something that would have hurt him so much that he would literally and figuratively hide from her? She was snapped back to reality by the beginning of a muscle cramp in her leg. How long had they been staring into each other's eyes? She wondered what he was reading in her expression. Couldn't he see that she was genuinely upset that he was upset? "B'Elanna," he gasped as she twitched her leg to take the strain off it, "could you be a bit more careful with your-- foot?" His voice rose half an octave on the final word.Hastily, she straightened her legs, removing the immediate threat of emasculation, but refusing to let him get up. She quickly stretched her body along his and released his wrists to seize his ears, holding them as if they were handles as she forced him to look her in the eyes. "You know why I am angry. You're lying to me---Shut up!" She quickly forestalled the insincere reply he was about to make with a shake. "You may not have spoken a lie, but you're trying to make me think nothing is wrong and I know that something is. Something is terribly wrong and it has to be something I did but I swear on Kahless' throne I don't know what it is. When we fell asleep last night-early this morning, whatever-we were fine. Now we're not and since I haven't seen you or spoken to you since then I don't know what it could be but it has to be something I did or have done-or you thought I did."He couldn't take it any more. He couldn't get away from her so he closed his eyes and prayed that she would just give up and go away. She couldn't mean it. She couldn't really care this much. He wouldn't let her raise his hopes again. He was too vulnerable right now. He couldn't take it if he let himself hope and then found out she was still playing some kind of manipulative game."Tom! This isn't fair! If you don't tell me what I did, I can't even defend myself!"He took a deep shuddering breath and had to make two tries to produce words. "Let it go. Just--- let it go." His voice threatened to break. He took a deep breath and swallowed past the lump in his throat before going on. "There's no point in discussing it. A post mortem would just---it would just prolong the agony." He could feel every muscle in his face tense as he tried to keep his expression under control and completely blank. He managed a quick gasp of relief as she released his ears and flopped off his body with an uncharacteristic lack of grace onto the ground next to him. He rolled onto his side, facing away from her as he tried to regain his composure sufficiently to leave the holodeck and go to his quarters without drawing undue attention from other crewmembers.He could hear her ragged breathing next to him. She always tended to pant when she got excited in any way. Even when she hid all other reactions from him, he'd always been able to judge her level of excitement by her breathing pattern. He didn't need to think about the images that thought brought to mind so he added it to the list of things he wanted to forget as quickly as possible."Tom, whatever it was that I did---I-I..." Her voice degenerated into a rapid, stuttering mumble as if she was trying to get the words out as quickly as possible. "I'm sorry. I apologize."Now that was a definite first. Torres never liked being wrong and usually worked very hard at making sure she never owed anyone an apology. But what the hell did she mean 'whatever it was'?!! She sure as hell should KNOW! The rage and hurt he'd beaten into submission during his time on the holodeck resurged and exploded in his mind. Okay, if he couldn't get out of here without a fight..."You don't KNOW what you said?" he asked sarcastically. "You don't KNOW??!!" He surged to his feet and spun on his heel to face her. She lay at his feet and stared up at him apprehensively. Oh, damn. She was not pretending. She really didn't know what she'd said. He didn't know if that made it better or worse. He suddenly felt nauseated. One hand flew to his stomach, pressing in and massaging as if that was going to help. Her brows snapped downward as she leapt to her feet and stood toe to toe with him, hands on her hips. "No, I don't. So are you going to tell me?"His mouth opened, but he couldn't get any words out and with the churning in his stomach, he was afraid he might throw up. Oh, she'd love that. He couldn't stand still any longer. He started walking the shore line in the direction of Malista's climbing tree.And, of course, his persistent tormentor matched him step for step though with her shorter stride she had to take almost two steps to his one. "What? Are you going to pull a Malista and climb that damned tree?"He plunged to a halt. "What? Malista's in the tree?" He peered upwards.His stop was so sudden she almost collided with him, and grabbed at his arm to regain her balance. His other hand flew out automatically to help steady her. She thought that was a good sign but went on the attack again before he could continue his retreat. "Not now. She left with Harry. According to him, she was 15 meters up in that damned tree and YOU wouldn't talk to her."He frowned and shook his head. "I can't believe I didn't notice....""I can't either. Now, damn it, talk to me!" She darted quickly around him to stand in front of him, blocking his path.Damned stubborn woman. Fine. She wanted to know? Fine.He tore his eyes away from her intense gaze and stared up at the branches of the tree as they swayed slightly in the breeze."If I tell you, will you go away and leave me alone?"He could almost hear the wheels of her mind spinning as she thought that proposition over. "For how long?" she
demanded."Oh, for.... this not a trade negotiation!" His exasperation got the better of him. He tried to stuff it back into the mental box with all the rest of his emotions. He might have to have this confrontation now, but it didn't have to become an emotional bloodbath. "I have to be on duty in just less than three hours. I'd like to get this over with.""I'm sooooooo sorry I'm holding you up!" snapped Torres, eyes flashing. "If you'd just tell me what you think I-"Think? Hell! Tom brought his hands up and captured her upper arms in a tight grasp. "There's no think about it, sweetheart," he snarled, voice dripping saccharine sarcasm."We were just finally going to sleep and I asked you if you'd wear the red dress for me again, remember?"Her face went blank. She had no idea where he was going with this. "Yes. And I said I would?"His smile was more of a sneer. "That's not what you said. You SAID, 'Of course, I'll wear it again. It will make a great impression on the Admiral. I'll get anything I want from him.' And then you rolled over and went to sleep." He waited for her reaction. And waited.