CHOICES
by Tricia Kimball
(Voy P/T, with some Kes, Harry and Linnis, and a minuscule amount of
J/C)
PG/PG-13( I just don't know)
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"For she's a jolly good fellow, for she's a jolly good fellow,
for she's a
jolly good fellow; which
nobody can deny!" The assembled group sand.
"Happy ninth, Kes!" Neelix exclaimed as he held a cake with nine
candles out
in front of her.
Then from the back of the mess hall came the sound of a one person
applause.
Chacotay, Tom, Kes.
and Tuvok were the first to turn around to see who the lone applauder
was.
"Q" Chakotay shouted, "What are you doing here?"
"What? I can't come and celebrate the birthday of one of
the crew members
of my favorite
ship lost in the Delta Quadrant?" Q asked mistiviously, " Besides,
after Q
had the little one I don't get
out much. So back of chuckles!"
"What do you want, Q?" asked an amused Tom.
"I already said. I came to celebrate your wife's birthday.
Jeez, will you
people lighten up?"
"Who's that daddy?" Andrew asked Harry
"That's Q. He's omnipotent and likes to cause trouble.
That's why Grandpa
doesn't like him."
Harry responded.
"Is he going to cause trouble today?"
"I hope not." Harry said looking at his son, then to Q,
then to his wife
Linnis. Q walked up to
Kes who was being held protectively by Tom, and took her hands in his.
"Happy Birthday Kes!" Q exclaimed.
" Thank you." Kes said politely.
"Well, this party is getting dull so; I have to be off.
But before I go I
want to give you all a gift."
"Q." Chakotay said in a warning voice.
"What?!?! You are going to love this gift, so will you
please CALM DOWN.
You are so
uptight. I don't know what Kathy ever saw in you." The
mention of Captain
Janeway silenced
Chakotay. Q snapped his fingers and in a flash of light Kathryn
Janeway and
B'Elanna Torres
appeared, uncontious on the mess hall floor.
"Kathryn"
"B'Elanna" Chakotay and Tom cried simultaneously, dropping
to the floor
next to their lost
loves. The rest of the crew gasped.
"Well, have to be off now. Enjoy." Q disappeared
in a flash of light as
Janeway and Torres
began to stir.
"Chakotay..." Janeway gasped as she grabbed hold of the
now former Captain.
"Tom..." Torres exclaimed as she did the same to her helm-boy.
It seemed as
if both couples
were holding each other so hard that they would burst as they exchanged
loving kisses and sentiments.
Linnis looked down at her father and the woman and then to her mother
who was
silently watching her
husband and B'Elanna.
"What the hell is going on, Harry? Who is that woman?
My father should be
ashamed of
himself. Look at them...and at my mother's party no less!"
Linnis said in
the loudest whisper she could
manage. Harry tore his eyes away from his two, newly reunited,
best friends
and looked at his wife.
"That's B'Elanna Torres. She and your father were my best
friends before
she died. They were
also together, but then she died and your parents got together.
She doesn't
know about them...or us."
"I don't care...they shouldn't be acting like this; and I'm going
to do
something about it."
"Linnis...please." Harry pleaded as Linnis slipped out
of his arms.
"Dad? Who's this?" Linnis asked sitting down next to Tom.
B'Elanna let go
of Tom and looked
at him with a questioning gaze. Janeway and Chakotay turned around
to see
what was happening .
"Dad?" B'Elanna asked. There was a tinge of fear
in her voice. Tom looked
at Linnis and Kes
then back to B'Elanna.
"Um, yes." Tom said hesitantly, " After you died, um, Kes
and I got married
and had Linnis."
Tom admitted as he stood up and walked over to his wife and daughter.
B'Elanna looked up at them
and almost started convulsing with shock, embarrassment, and fear.
Linnis
continued.
"Yes, and I married Harry and we have a son, Andrew." Linnis
motioned to
her son, who left
Harry and joined his mother. B'Elanna looked around at everyone
staring at
her and then back to the
Paris family. Suddenly she stood up and walked over to Kes...she
was
shaking.
"Oh, gods Kes. I'm soo sooo sorry. I...I...I didn't
know. I'm so sorry."
B'Elanna stammered as
she walked out of the mess hall. Most of the party goers looked
at B'Elanna
with sympathetic eyes as
she retreated out the mess hall doors.
"Go to her." Janeway instructed Chakotay after seeing the
painful look in
his eyes.
"But..." Chacotay began to protest, but Janeway cut him off.
"GO! She needs someone." Chakotay walked out of the mess
hall.
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TO BE CONTINUED....Duh...you didn't think that I'd leave it like that
did
you??...I'm not that cruel...close
though