Bright Eyes

Summary: When the Captain and Tom Paris are expirimented on against their will, a child will be born gifted with, 'The Power'. What will happen when Seska finds out and plans to use their baby against them?

Warning/Disclaimer: Possibly violence in later chapters. I own nothing. Unfortionately everything belongs to paramount. The only thing I own is the plot line.

Pairings: Janeway/Paris & Kim/Torres

Important Authors Note: This story takes place shortly after the season two episode, ‘Threshold’. It’s a little OOC, but hopefully not too much! This story has been rewritten and is now being continued. Of course, for this story to work, I've basically ignored the unfair fact that Kathryn was engaged to Mark. Otherwise, it would most likely take these two or at least her forever to stop pussy footing around and get together with him already.

Chapter One: Tom's Admitance

“So, are you excited to be going back to Voyager?” Tom probed lamely, but the Captain had been oddly quite since she returned from the meeting she had with the Mulin ambassador and he was tired of the quietness.

“Yeah,” she simply answered continuing to write something down on a data pad she was holding.

“Are you all right, Captain? You’ve been really quite ever since your meeting ended on the Mulin planet,” Tom asked becoming concerned about his Captain.

“I’m fine Tom. Just lost in thought is all,” the Captain answered not looking up from her pad even once. Tom couldn't help but wonder what she was so engrosed in that she wouldn't even look at him. He grinned, suddenly feeling playful and plucked the pad out of his her hands.

“Tom, give that back right now. That’s an order Lieutenant,” the Captain demanded raising her voice and attempted to grab the pad from him, but he kept it out of her reach with a smug look on his face. He gazed down at the pad, his curiosity getting the better of him and read aloud the last couple of sentences she wrote.

‘After the meeting had ended with the Mulin ambassador, which went better than I thought it would, since they had granted us the supplies we requested. I returned to the shuttle where Tom had been waiting for me and he greeted me with one of those adorable smiles of his,’ Tom stopped and looked up at her with surprise.

“Adorable huh?” he probed becoming mischevious.

“Tom!” She glared and placed her hands on her hips warningly.

Tom just blinked his eyes and leaned foreword. “Is this your diary Captain? I never would have thought you kept one and even if you did, that you’d be smart enough not to be writing in it this close to me.” He saw her eyes harden and decided to take mercy on her and handed her back the data pad.

“It helps me relax and the next time I catch you with my diary Lieutenant, I’ll have you thrown out the nearest air lock,” she threatened but the smile she gave him afterwards was enough to let him know that it was an empty threat.

Tom smiled going back to the helm, “So you think my smile is adorable?”

The Captain groaned, “You’re never going to let go of that are you? And to answer your question yes, it is adorable. I think you’re adorable and if you ever tell anyone I said that. I’ll have you banned from the holodeck for the rest of our journey.” Tom gulped at the hard look she gave him and knew she meant it.

“Ouch! You know exactly where it hurts Captain. But since you’ve shared one of your secrets with me, I think it’s only fair that I share one of mine with you,” he said turning back to her with an amused grin.

“Oh?” she probed raising her eyebrow curiously.

“Well you see Captain; I have had somewhat of a crush on you ever since you bailed me out of jail." He couldn't believe he had just admitted his deepest secret and felt the heat rise in his cheeks. He averted his eyes from hers in embarresment. He wouldn't have been making such a fool of himself with anyone else, but she was something special. And if he was being completely honest with himself, his feelings for her had become more than just a simple crush. She was beutiful, not just on the outside, but on the inside as well. She was kind, but had the streangth of a lioness when it came to protecting the crew. But what atracted him the most to her was that she accepted him for who was and gave him a scecond chance at a better life. He wanted to show her how apreciative he was and much she meant to him.

“There's no need to be embarressed Tom. It's not uncommon for lower ranking officers to develope crushes on their Captain's." He was glad she wasn't offended, but he was hopinng for something more from her. He needed to know how she felt about him and hoped he wouldn't upset her with the question.

"I'm glad you're not angry," he paused taking a deep breath, looked her straight in the eye and gathering all his courage asked, "Would you like to have dinner with me sometime?" Her eyes widen and her cheeks turned an adorble shade of pink.

"Are you trying to ask me out on a date Lieutenant?" she probed and he could tell that she was desprately trying to keep a straight face. He took a deep breath and nodded. She smiled a little and sadness shown in her eyes. He didn't mean to make her sad and felt a little pang in his heart.

"I'm sorry Tom. But I can't. Starfleet protocals," she said this as if he should already know about them. He couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"Oh, please! You're not taking those rules serioulsy are you? Are you really prepared to be alone for seventy four years. I don't mean to lash out. I just don't take rejection very well." He sighed fighting the tears threatening to fall and turned around to focus his attention on the helm once again. Anything other than the dull ache in his heart. He felt a her hand on his shoulder and flinched. She pulled it back as if she been burnt and sat down in the operations chair next to him.

"It wasn't my intention to hurt you Tom. I think its about time we difine some peramiters. About us." He turned his chair slightly to face her and folded his arms across his chest trying to surpress the anger in his voice, but it hurt too much.

"Alright Captain. You want peramiters? I'll give you some peramiters. Here's the life story of Thomas Eugene Paris. There once was a boy, a very angry boy, who's father always told him what to do and how to behave and how he would never amount to anything. When the boy was old enough, he entered Starfleet by his fathers insistance. But even that wasn't enough to apease his father. He was still angry and he needed to find a way to unleash his anger and somehow helping the Maquis felt the best way to do it. He was caught and thrown in a penal colony," here he paused a moment and lowered his voice, the anger subsiding somewhat. "Until one day a beautiful godess shows up and offers him a second chance. Sure it was only to get information about the Maquis, but it gave him the opertunity to make up, even just a little for his mistakes.

You got through to him Captain when no one else could. Not even his father. You broke through his barriers and gave him the confidence he needed to try and be a better person. He fell in love love with the godess and he owes her everything," he ended the story and saw tears mist over her eyes.

"You owe me nothing Tom. I'm very proud of how much you've accomplished. That to me is enough. And I believe your father would be proud of you too. Don't judge him too harshly. He only wanted what was best for his son. And he does love you. You have to know that?" Tom nodded looking back to the veiw screen and they neared their ship in the distance.

"I need to know. Do you have any feelings for me other than friendship? Because if you don't. I'll back off. It'll hurt like hell. But I'll try." Her eyes fell as she turned around to face the console.

"Even if I did Tom. Nothing could happen between us. It can't. I[m your Captain. I'm sorry. But that's just the way it is." Tom nodded fighting the urge to cry again and went back to the helm. 'She didn't say no now did she. Could that mean, she did have feelings for me, but was denying herself the opertunity of a relationship with me becuse of those damn starfleet protocals? Well, I guess that means, I'll just have to show her that life isn't all about work and following the rules now won't I?' Tom thought already coming up with plans to try and get his Captain to go out with him.

TO BE CONTINUED