B'Elanna Torres slowly opened her eyes, realising that she was alone in her bed.  She groaned,
quietly, wondering what had woken her.
Tom Paris hove into view, "I didn't want to wake you," he said softly, leaning over to plant a kiss
on her forehead, "But I have to be on the bridge in a half hour.  Go back to sleep."
She smiled up at him sleepily, then obediently closed her eyes.  Tom pulled on the shirt and pants
he'd been wearing the night before, and headed home to change into his uniform, careful not to be
seen leaving B'Elanna's quarters.
When he got back to his quarters, Tom went to his nightstand and picked up his last notecard.  He
wasn't sure why he'd asked for an extra one, but he intended to use it.  He picked up the pen and
nervously sucked on the end of it, searching for the right words.
*          *          *

B'Elanna awoke a second time.  Her head swam, and her stomach churned.
"Great," she said to herself, "Why do I always have to get sick on my day off?"
She dragged herself out of bed carefully, dressed, and headed for Sickbay, hoping the Doctor could
give her a hypo to get rid of the nausea.
When she arrived in Sickbay, the Doctor was activated, and alone.  He asked her what the problem
was as she carefully sat on a biobed
"Just general nausea," she answered, "I woke up with it."
"Could you be a little more specific?"
B'Elanna sighed in annoyance, "My head's kind of spinning.  Bright light makes it hurt.  If I move
my head too fast, I feel like throwing up, a bit like motion sickness."
"Hmmm," the Doctor said thoughtfully, scanning her, "Did you ingest any type of recreational
drug yesterday, B'Elanna?"
"No, of course not, Doctor, the replicators won't produce them," she answered confusedly.
"Take a look at this," he said, turning the tricorder towards her, "I've picked up minute traces of
an unknown hallucinogen in your bloodstream.  The symptoms you've been experiencing are the
result of the after-effects of the drug.  Similar to what humans call a hangover."
"Well, if it's unknown, it must be something we've picked up here in the Delta quadrant."
"Agreed.  I suggest that you bring to me a sample of everything you consumed yesterday, so that I
can run a complete compositional analysis," the Doctor said, administering a hypospray.  B'Elanna
felt her head begin to clear immediately.
After she left Sickbay, B'Elanna headed for the Mess Hall.  There weren't many people there;
breakfast was over, and lunch had not yet begun; but Neelix was still pottering around in his
kitchen.
"Good morning, B'Elanna!"  The Talaxian greeted her when he saw her, "You're a little late for
breakfast, but I'm sure I can rustle up something..."
"Don't worry about it Neelix," she said, "I just need a little sample of everything you served us
yesterday."
Neelix looked perplexed, "Why would you need that?"
She thought for a minute, "I had an allergic reaction to something I ate or drank yesterday.  The
Doctor wants to know what I ate, so we can figure out what it is I'm allergic to," she explained.
Neelix smiled and began to ferret out what she needed.  Unfortunately, he insisted on delivering a
little narrative with each item he gave her.  Tuning out most of what he said, her ears pricked up
when she heard him mention Tom's name, "...actually it was Lieutenant Paris who suggested that I
make a wine out of the Unka fruit, he was also the one who discovered the fruit on the planet..."
B'Elanna decided to store that statement under the category of useless information.  When she had
everything she headed back to the Doctor's charming presence.
*          *          *

"Well, Lieutenant, it wasn't the pancakes either," the Doctor sighed.
B'Elanna handed him a small tube of Neelix's Unka wine, "I remember thinking last night that this
was a little strong," she admitted.
The Doctor scanned the liquid carefully, then nodded in the affirmative, "This is the one, all right,
and it appears to be specific to your Klingon genes.  That explains why noone else was affected by
it..." he trailed off, frowning, "...how interesting."
"What?"  B'Elanna demanded.
"This substance also appears to have strong aphrodisiac properties," he reported, raising an
eyebrow at her.
B'Elanna's face suddenly felt very hot.  She handed him one of the Unka fruits Tom had given her,
"Is it in this, too?"
He scanned it carefully, "This appears to be the source, although the effect was somehow
intensified by the fermentation process.  Now, just don't go eating any more of these fruits until I
can find a way to neutralise the hallucinogen, and you should be fine, Lieutenant."
"Thanks, Doctor," she said sarcastically, "You just call me when you do, okay?"
*          *          *

As B'Elanna walked back to her quarters, she wondered if perhaps Tom had known about the
Unka's strange properties when he gave it to her.  She remembered Neelix telling her that he'd
been the one to find the fruit in the first place.  He would have scanned it with his tricorder, surely,
but then the Doctor had said it was only a trace element.
In fact she'd started to have second thoughts about everything that had happened last night with
Tom.  Not that she hadn't enjoyed herself, from what she could remember (a side effect of her
'hangover' seemed to be a mild memory loss) she'd had a very good time.  No, it was not the
physical activity itself that she began to regret, but rather its emotional repercussions that she
feared.  Tom was her friend, and she really didn't want to lose that if things went wrong.
There was also Harry to consider.  If she and Tom ended up on unpleasant terms, he probably
wouldn't be able to stay friends with both of them.  She might lose him, too.
When she reached her quarters, she found another notecard on her bed;

Meet me on the holodeck at 1600,
Dress for warm weather and wear walking shoes,
Love, Your No-Longer-Secret Admirer.

She had to smile.  He could be so sweet when he wanted to be, she decided.
She sighed and flopped down on her bed, trying to decide how big a mess she had gotten herself
into.
She wasn't entirely sure how she felt about Tom.  Not quite the same way she felt about Harry, she
realised that.  She'd never even been mildly attracted to him; he was like... family.  Tom, on the
other hand, had always excited her in a way she didn't fully understand.
She rolled over in frustration to the other side of the bed, where he'd lain, the night before.  His
scent still remained on her pillow.  She buried her face in it, inhaling deeply.  Oh, yes, she was
definitely attracted to him, but what would he expect from her now?  Would he lose interest, now
that she'd seemed to give in so easily?
Her stomach grumbled, reminding her that she hadn't eaten breakfast that morning.  She checked
her chronometer; if she hurried, she might just make it to lunch.  She considered using the
replicator, but she was short on rations.  She didn't want to run into Tom just yet.
"Computer, locate Lieutenant Paris."
"Lieutenant Paris is on the bridge," answered the precise computer's voice.
So, the mess hall is safe, she thought.
*          *          *

Her tray laden with Neelix's 'flavour of the day', B'Elanna scanned the mess hall for a place to sit.
She spotted Harry sitting alone at a table in the corner and made a beeline for him.
"Hey, Maquis," he greeted her as she sat down.
She smiled affectionately at him, "Hey, Starfleet."
"What's up?"
"Not much, it's my day off," she told him.
"How'd the party go last night?"  Harry had been one of the unlucky few who had drawn a short
straw and gotten stuck with a duty shift during the party.
"Oh, it was fun," she answered airily.  It came dangerously close to a certain subject that she didn't
want to think about for a while.
Unfortunately, her young friend knew her far too well.  "What's the matter?"
She sighed.  Maybe talking it through with someone would help her figure it out.  "Okay, but it's a
long story," she warned.
"I'm all ears."
She pointed a finger at him, "This goes no further, got it?"
"Cross my heart."
She trusted him implicitly, but felt it necessary to add, "Not even Tom.  Especially not Tom."
He nodded.
She told him everything; from when he'd left the party, to her recent apprehension.  When she told
him how she feared losing his friendship, he interrupted her, "B'Elanna, I could never choose
between you and Tom.  You're my best friends.  I don't think Tom could ever hate you, either.
You're really perfect for each other, you know."
"Thanks, Harry.  If I could only believe it.  Maybe it's just too big a risk," she sighed.
"Remember, Maquis," he told her sternly, "The biggest risks bring the best rewards.  And I meant
what I said, so you'd better believe it."
"I'll think about it," she promised.
"Good.  You know, I don't think I've ever seen Tom in such a good mood," he teased.
She slapped him playfully on the arm.
*          *          *

After she'd finished her lunch, B'Elanna headed back to her quarters to read for an hour before her
holodeck 'date'.  The adventures of Rorg and M'Nea were entertaining, but she found it confused
her own romantic outlook even more.
Tossing the padd aside in frustration, she picked out a pair of jean-shorts to wear to the holodeck, a
singlet and a shirt to tie over the top of it.  She laid the clothes out on the bed, with her gymshoes
and a pair of white socks, and headed to the sonic shower to freshen up.
Later, fully dressed, she looked at herself in the mirror and approved.
Taking a deep breath, and wishing she could stop her hands from shaking, she headed off to meet
her companion.
*          *          *

Tom stood outside of holodeck one, trying not to look as nervous as he felt.  He was wearing a pair
of faded blue jeans and a t-shirt.  Checking on the time again, he resisted the urge to pace.  She was
only a few minutes late.  She would come.  He hoped so, anyway.
His face lit up when he saw her, and when she stopped a few feet away from him, he closed the
remaining distance and took both her hands in his.
As he leaned forward to kiss her, B'Elanna pulled back a little, instinctively.
Tom frowned, "What's the matter?"
"Nothing," she lied, smiling apologetically, "I just didn't expect you to do that."
He seemed satisfied with this answer, and dropped one of her hands, turning towards the holodeck
doors, "Computer, run program Paris Epsilon Two."
"The program is active," the computer informed them.
"Shall we?"
As the doors closed behind them, they found themselves in a rainforest.  The air was quite humid,
despite the fact that the sunlight was not even visible through the thick branches of the tall trees.
The ground was covered in soft grass, shrub and moss.  Everything was a different shade of green,
or in the case of the tree trunks, brown.
"Do you like it?"
"It's beautiful, Tom."
He smiled, "There's a little clear space about two kilometres that way," he told her, pointing, "I
thought we could walk and talk for a while."
She nodded, and they set off.
Despite their intentions, an uncomfortable silence hung between them as they walked.  B'Elanna,
lost in her internal debate, kept her eyes mostly on the ground.  Tom was watching ahead, looking
for the picnic spot he'd programmed, but he found himself glancing periodically at his silent
companion.  Her subdued attitude was uncharacteristic, and it had somewhat confused him.  He
hoped she would get around to telling him what was on her mind.  In the meantime, he had to think
of something to say.
"How was your day?"
"Fine," she answered, not looking at him, "I had lunch with Harry, then I read a little.  That's
about it.  You?"
"Oh, I flew in a straight line, made a minor course correction, then I flew in a straight line some
more," he laughed.  She smiled, just barely, her thoughts elsewhere.  They lapsed into silence again.
Presently, they approached the clearing Tom had spoken of.  There was a blanket already laid out,
and a wicker basket sat on top of it.  The branches of the trees around them reached out to each
other, forming a protective canopy over them.  There was a thick, velvety covering of grass on the
ground, which was gently sloped.
"Take your shoes off," Tom said, removing his own.  Puzzled, she did as he suggested, and exclaimed
at the downy softness of the grass under her bare feet.
They sat down on the rug.  Tom opened the picnic basket and laid out the food he'd gotten from
Neelix, "Don't worry, I tried everything to make sure it was palatable," he joked.  B'Elanna
laughed nervously.
Lastly, Tom pulled out a flask, "Tada!  The last of the Unka wine," he announced.
B'Elanna stared at him for a minute.  "I can't drink that," she blurted.
Tom was completely confused, "Why?"
She sighed and confessed to him all the Doctor had told her of the fruit's strange effects on her.  She
could see he was hurt when he drew away from her, almost imperceptibly, "I'm sorry I took
advantage of you," he told her stiffly, not meeting her eyes.
She leaned towards him and laid a hand on his chest, breathing his heady scent.
"Tom."
He looked up.
"I don't regret it."
She meant it.  The decision was made.  Their eyes met for a split second, and then B'Elanna slowly
leaned forward and pressed her lips to his.
The future be damned.  This was where she wanted to be right now.

~ Finis

Well, that only took forever to write, and I'm still not completely happy with it. <shrug> C'est la
vie.  Please send feedback to [email protected]  Now I'm off to work on this other little idea I
had...

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