Fifteen minutes later, in Sickbay, the Doctor was adjusting and readjusting hypospray after hypospray, taking readings left and right. Captain Janeway paced the floor in a bundle of nerves, Chakotay at her heels. Rocking back and forth on an empty biobed was Harry, his eyes closed in silent prayer. In the midst of it all was Tom, sitting quietly on the biobed in front of the Doctor, B'Elanna crouched at his side, holding his hand reassuringly.

After a series of grunts and acknowledging mutters, the Doctor said a few words to Tom and turned to the rest of the group.

Fatigue was evident on all of them, but B'Elanna looked the worst. She was down to skin and bones, her uniform hanging loosely from her thinning frame. Her shiny waves were tangled and tucked behind her ear, out of the way. The dark circles under her eyes were proof of long nights sitting up with Tom and the serious lack of sleep. He sighed, hoping he could help to ease her burden — hell, ease everyone's burdens — with what he had to report.

"As far as I can tell, he's coming out of . . . whatever it was he was in. I'm happy to announce that he's returning to normal," the Doctor said, letting the opportunity to make a joke at Tom's expense pass. There was literally no medical explanation of what the pilot had gone through, and no medical explanation how he had come out of it. It was simply a miracle.

Another big question that had remained unanswered, was just how Tom had managed to get back to Voyager, how he had managed to fly the shuttle. The shuttle had also been unharmed, and the sensor readings showed that he had never left the planet from which he had originally been lost. Even stranger yet, when he had been found in the shuttle, his uniform was intact and both boots on his feet. But because of his condition, no one had been able to get any answers. Not even a grunt.

"Can I talk to him?" Janeway asked, stopping her pacing and casting a glance over at Tom.

"Yes, but don't force him to give you any answers he's not ready to give," the Doctor warned. Tom may have begun to come around, but he was in no way ready for a barrage of interrogations. Janeway nodded and patted the Doctor on the arm as she passed by him.

As the captain approached, B'Elanna graciously moved aside, letting Janeway take her position. Tom looked down at the captain, smiling for the first time. "Cap — tain," he said proudly, his face a mask of concentration.

She smiled broadly and took his hands into her own. "How are you doing, Tom?" she asked gently.

"F—ine, I th—thin—k," he stumbled, determined to piece together the sentence. "Am I go–ing to liv–e?" he joked weakly.

Janeway let out a relieved sigh at his feeble attempt at humor. Now -that- was the Tom Paris everyone knew and loved. "The prognosis is good, yes," she answered, taking in Tom's altogether healthy appearance. B'Elanna had done a great job taking care of him. "Are you up to a little talk later?" she asked, hoping she wasn't pushing him too fast.

"Yes."

"Good. I look forward to it," she smiled.

~*~

Three days later, their chat finally took place. Janeway decided to hold it in her quarters, where she figured they'd be the most comfortable. Tom had refused to leave B'Elanna's side since the beginning of his recovery, so she invited the engineer along as well. Handing everyone a cup of herbal tea, she sat down on the overstuffed wicker chair, across from Tom and B'Elanna who were on the couch.

"So, Tom, do you think you can tell me where you were?" she asked after a while of quiet sipping.

Tom licked his lips and shifted his eyes to B'Elanna. "This is going to sound weird," he began, his voice showing only slight signs of halting. "But I'll tell you anyway. I was on Voyager." At their confused looks, he continued. "Well, it wasn't this Voyager. It was like . . . the Voyager from hell, if you will. Everything was backwards, wrong. The people were evil and they tried to kill me. Both of you included. That went on for a long time, me being their prisoner. Except, I didn't really know it wasn't the right Voyager. For some reason, I was still convinced I was here, in the shuttle bay, waiting to take off. Then B'Elanna burst through, swinging her bat'leth and cursing in Klingon. That should have been my first clue."

His face turned a slight shade of pink and he ducked his head. "Then, finally, when Tuvok -did- succeed in killing me, I woke up on the planet's surface, completely blanketed in this . . . life form. An energy-based life form. Then I was back on the shuttle, flying through space like nothing had happened. The life form was still there, she took care of me. Patched up most of my injuries and gave me a sense of comfort. When I got back to Voyager, she disappeared."

"She?" Janeway interrupted.

"Kes."

~*~

"Is there any way to prove that Kes was actually in that shuttle with Tom?" Janeway asked, leaning over Harry's console to look at the readings.

The raven haired ensign shook his head. "Afraid not. The sensors aren't reading any other signs besides Tom's. Sorry," Harry said, shaking his head apologetically.

Janeway patted his shoulder and walked back to her chair. "Well then, I guess we'll just have to take his word for it."

~*~

"Are you positive it was Kes? Did she speak to you?" B'Elanna asked gently, propping her feet up on the table in her quarters. Beside her, Tom sipped at his mineral water for a few seconds before replying.

"I know it was her. She communicated telepathically with me. She told me that I had been trapped in an ion storm and almost died. That's where the 'alternate Voyager' came from, my unconscious mind," he answered.

B'Elanna let the new information sink in, then turned to him again, her eyes questioning. "And when you came back?"

Tom's eyes glistened with tears as he took B'Elanna's hand. "I was here, in every sense. I knew everyone, I knew what was going on. I tried to tell you, to talk to you, but I couldn't. I . . . my body wouldn't let me," he replied, running his free hand through B'Elanna's dark waves. "I missed being with you, talking to you like this. I missed us."

"So the whole time I was taking care of you, you -did- know what was going on? You were so . . . blank," she said, feeling her own eyes welling up as his fingers caressed her face the way she had dreamt of so many times. He nodded, one tear slipping down his face.

Without another word passing between the two of them, B'Elanna kissed away the tear, her lips re-memorizing every inch of his face. Tom responded readily, capturing her lips with his own. "I've missed this so much," he murmured, his hands working down her body, beginning to remove her uniform.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" B'Elanna asked against his lips.

"I've been ready since I returned," he whispered, nipping gently at her ear.

With tears in both their eyes, they undressed, and Tom rested her gently on the bed, joining her a few seconds later. After many explorations, murmurs and hushed moans, their bodies joined in long-awaited union. After explosion after explosion of pleasure, B'Elanna lay sated in Tom's arm, tears coursing down her face. She turned her body so her head rested on his shoulder. Tom smiled through his own tears, making her a quiet promise in her that he'd never leave her again.

~*~

Bright blues and pale pinks decorated the evening sky, streaks of orange meeting flaming yellows from the setting sun as it disappeared over the horizon. The deep blue of the ocean was accented by the colors of the sunset, giving each ripple a color and texture of its own. On the shore of the ocean was a gathering of crew, friends, and well-wishers, assembled around a well decorated table covered in a lacy material.

On top of the table was a four layer wedding cake, two miniature figures standing proudly on the top layer. Laughing, Janeway took down the figures, handing the male in red to Tom and the female in gold to B'Elanna. "Now, we cut the cake, and the bride and groom will share the first piece," she announced, producing a rather large cake cutter from behind her back. Sliding a piece onto each of the two flowered plates in front of her, Kathryn handed them to the couple.

Tom took his and passed his wife hers. "No matter what, from this day on, we'll always be together," he promised, spearing a fork full of the moist fudge cake and feeding it to her.

"And no matter what may happen to either of us, this day signifies our never ending devotion," she said, feeding him his piece of cake.

"Here, here," Kathryn smiled, wiping at her eyes.

"Forever," Tom whispered.

"Forever."

~*END*~