PAPER-THIN WORLD

Disclaimers etc. see Part 1.

13. Paper

Three Years Later

"Chakotay! Chakotay! Come and say goodbye to Tom. Hurry! You'll miss him!"

Chakotay looked up as the gangly teenager rocketed around the corner, bare feet kicking up puffs of red dust. "I'm coming, Suli. I'm sure he won't leave just yet."

"The shuttle's here. He's really going." Briefly, the boy's face fell into somber lines, before his natural exuberance bubbled up once more. "How amazing is that? Imagine, going to Starfleet H.Q."

Chakotay smiled. "He's only away for a few days. He'll be back."

"Yeah. And he's gonna bring me the preparation information so that I can sit the entrance exams next year. Chakotay, you could join Starfleet too!"

Chakotay put down the wrench he was holding and wiped his oily hands on a rag. "I could, but Starfleet's not for me. I have the best of both worlds; my husband's in Starfleet, I get to travel with him, and we get to live here."

It was true. When he and Tom had returned to Trebus from the alternate universe, he'd considered trying for the entrance exam. But he'd realized that the desire had muted and waned. It was the promise of traveling in the stars that had attracted him to Starfleet, not the military lifestyle. Seeing the other Chakotay and the extent to which Starfleet controlled his life had cemented that decision. When Tom made the decision to rejoin Starfleet, Chakotay found he could have the experience of travel whenever he wanted, yet still live on Trebus, the place that his spirit called home.

"Yeah, you're lucky. But hurry, Chakotay, Tom's going!"

Chakotay followed Suli around to where Tom's shuttle waited. As he approached, he spied his husband deep in conversation with a Starfleet ensign. Tom broke off the conversation as he approached, and grasping Chakotay by the arm, he led him away from the shuttle over to the barn. Once out of sight of the shuttle, Tom wrapped his arms around Chakotay's waist.

"I hate going away, even for a few days. I wish you could come too."

"Not this time. Not with the Cardassian withdrawal nearly complete."

"I'll be gone three days." Tom kissed him, his firm lips lingering on Chakotay's own. "Miss me?"

Chakotay swallowed against the lump in his throat. Even now, the thought of a few days apart from Tom was a hard one. "Of course. But missing you will make your return all the sweeter."

"Who'd have thought three years ago that I'd be back in Starfleet?" The words were whispered into Chakotay's neck. "That I'd be able to live here with you, without worrying that the Cardassians were gonna come and drag me away. That I'd be a Starfleet diplomat! Me! Tom Paris!"

"You're a good one."

"I never forget them, you know." Tom lifted his lips from Chakotay's neck and looked into his eyes. "The other Chakotay and Tom. They gave us this chance to start again, to make it right for Trebus. Seeing the other Tom in Starfleet gave me the courage to go back."

"And the courage to storm into your father's office and persuade him to enforce better Federation protection for the colonies under Cardassian control."

For long moments, talk was forgotten as the men affirmed their love and commitment through kisses and whispered words.

"I never forget the other Chakotay and Tom either," said Chakotay. "I often wonder what happened to them. Whether they got the other Tom back or whether he was killed when the Cardassian ship was destroyed. Whether they found happiness together, or whether Chakotay found his soul mate in Captain Janeway."

"We'll probably never know. But thanks to their intervention, Trebus remained peaceful and whole."

Chakotay kissed him, allowing the swell of love to engulf him. "Our home." Releasing Tom, he gave him a gentle push in the direction of the shuttle. "Now go! Go and sign the papers that release Trebus from Cardassian control!"

"With pleasure. And then I'll come home to you."

Chakotay stayed in the shadow of the barn as he watched Tom sprint over to the shuttle. He lifted a hand in response to Tom's wave and blown kiss, even though he knew his lover couldn't see him. Contentment and love seeped into him, as it often did. His home, his colony, his people - and his love. Tom would be back in three days, and in the meantime there was a colony to run.

Smiling, he watched Tom's shuttle take off into Trebus' blue, blue sky.

(((FIN)))

© Shayenne, January 2010. Please email me to post/distribute elsewhere.