Home World
By: Amy Michelle Bitter  (c) 1997

Star Trek and it's characters are owned by Paramount. I own the rest!

                        =/\= Chapter Three =/\=

        The senior staff had assembled in the briefing room all wondering what
it was the Captain wanted to tell them.
        Captain Janeway entered the room with Patty and Chakotay.
        "I have some good news," she said smiling.  "President Weber has decided
to allow her scientists to help us equip Voyager with transwarp."
        The room fell silent.
        "Does this mean we are going home?"  Harry asked.
        "You bet it does,"  The Captain replied.
        Everyone in the room began to smile and hug each other and Patty.
        "We won't be home for a while,"  Captain Janeway interrupted their
celebration.  "It will take a few weeks to make the alterations to the warp
core.  B'Elanna, I'm putting you in charge of that."  The Captain nodded in
her direction.  "And even at transwarp, it will be almost a year before we
get home.  But, this does call for a celebration.  I'm going to inform the
rest of the crew."

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***

        Almost the entire crew had come to the holodeck for the celebration.
Neelix had decided to throw a party as soon as he heard the news.  Tom
stood alone in a quiet corner of the holodeck.
        "Hey, Tom,"  Harry said.  "Aren't you excited?"
        "I don't know, Harry,"  Tom responded.  "I don't have anything to go back
to.  Not like you.  You have a girlfriend, a loving family and a whole Star
Fleet career to look forward to back home."
        *A girlfriend,* Harry thought.  Libby had probably gotten over him by now.
 It had been almost three years, and it would be another year before they
got home.
        "Tom," Harry said, "everyone's lives will be different once we get back to
the Alpha Quadrant.  Everyone back there thinks we're dead."
        "This looks like a nice quiet corner,"  B'Elanna said walking over to join
Harry and Tom.  "I had to get away from all of the partying."
        "Me too,"  Tom responded.  "I think I'm going to go back to my quarters.
You guys want to come?"
        "Sure," B'Elanna said.  "I could use a break from this celebration."
        "You coming, Harry?" Tom asked.  Harry could see by the look on Tom's face
that he wasn't exactly welcomed.
        "No,"  Harry said.  "I think I'll stay here."
        Tom and B'Elanna walked out of the holodeck. *They do have something to go
back to,* Harry thought about his two best friends.  *They have each other.*

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***

        "I'm happy for Harry," B'Elanna said. "He has so much to look forward to
back home."
        "Yeah," Tom agreed. "Not like us, as far as Star Fleet in concerned, we're
both outlaws."
        "Getting trapped in the Delta Quadrant was kind of a blessing in disguise
for both of us," B'Elanna said.  "We were both give second chances."
        "And we met each other," Tom said placing his hand on top of hers from
where he was sitting on the couch in his quarters net to her.
        "B'Elanna," he continued, "do you ever think about us being more than just
friends?"
        "What?" She asked as their eyes met.
        "What I'm trying to say," Tom said moving closer to her, "is that I have
feelings for you, B'Elanna.  How do you feel about me?"
        "I.." B'Elanna said, "I need to think about it, Tom."  She lied, she did
care about him, more than she wanted to admit to herself.  It was the idea
of a relationship that scared her.  Everyone knew that Tom was a womanizer.
 But, he seemed like he had changed in the past three years.  He really did
care about her, he'd proven that several times.
        "What is there to think about?" Tom asked.  He leaned over to kiss her,
but she pushed him away.
        "I better go, Tom," she said as she stood to walk out of the room.
        *What have I done?* Tom thought.  At least before he had B'Elanna's
friendship, but now he had probably ruined that.

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***

One week later....

        B'Elanna entered transporter room one.
        "Energize,"  she told the officer on duty.  She beamed down to Aloca where
she was greeted by Patty.
        "Lieutenant Torres," Patty said, "I'd like you to meet our head
scientist in charge of the transwarp technology.  This is Delia King."
Delia was older than Patty.  She was probably in her forties, B'Elanna
estimated.
        "I'm very anxious to get a look at your warp core,"  Delia said.
        "We could beam back up now," B'Elanna said.

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***

        "Remarkable," Delia said staring at the warp core.  "We'll need to run
some tests on the warp core.  You've been traveling for a long time."
        Delia and B'Elanna began to scan the warp core.
        "Your warp core and engines are in great shape, considering you've been
lost in space for so long," Delia reported.
        "Thanks,"  B'Elanna said.  She wasn't quite sure if that was a compliment
or not.
        "We'll need to run a few more tests," Delia said.
        B'Elanna walked to her station and began working on running the test that
Delia had specified.  Tom walked into Engineering and over to B'Elanna.
        "I think we need to talk," he said seriously.
        "Tom, I'm really busy right now,"  B'Elanna said.
        "B'Elanna, you've been busy for the past week,"  Tom said.  The two of
them hadn't talked since the night of the party.  "When can we talk?"
        "I don't know,"  B'Elanna said, not looking up from her console.
        "Will you meet me for dinner?" Tom asked.
        "Uh...yeah," B'Elanna agreed.  "Is 1700 hours OK?"
        "I'll be there," Tom smiled and turned to walk away.
        "Is that your boyfriend?" Delia asked B'Elanna.
        *How long was she standing there?* B'Elanna wondered.
        "No," B'Elanna answered. "He's just a friend."
        "Well, I think you two would make a cute couple."  Delia smiled.

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***

        B'Elanna and Delia stood in the Captain's ready room.
        "Any progress?" The Captain asked them.
        "We should have all these tests done in a few days.  Then we'll be able to
start converting the warp engines.  That shouldn't take more than a few
weeks.  We're ahead of schedule. B'Elanna's been a big help to me," Delia
reported.
        "Good work," Janeway said.  "Keep me posted."

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***

        B'Elanna walked into the Mess Hall and looked around the room for Tom.
She saw him sitting at his usual table in the corner and walked over to
join him.
        "Hi," she said sitting down.
        "You came," Tom said.
        "Does that surprise you?" She asked.
        "Well, yeah," Tom said.  "Considering you've been avoiding me for the past
week."
        "I haven't been avoiding you,"  B'Elanna said.
        "Really?  Then what do you call it?" Tom asked.
        "Look, Tom, if you're going to pick a fight, then I'm leaving,"  B'Elanna
said beginning to get angry.  She got up and stormed out of the Mess Hall,
Tom following after her.
        "Would you wait a minute?"  Tom called to B'Elanna chasing down the
corridor after her.
        "Why?" She asked turning around.
        "We need to talk."
        "About what?" She asked.  "There's nothing to talk about."
        "Yes there is, B'Elanna," Tom answered. "I have feelings for you and I know
you feel the same way."
        "I am not having this conversation with you," she half yelled, trying to
keep her voice down.  "We're in the middle of the corridor."
        She turned to walk away pushing her way through the crowded halls.  The
corridors were always crowded at dinner time.  Tom walked briskly trying to
keep up with her.
        "I love you B'Elanna!"  He yelled through the crowded hall causing people
to stop and stare.
        B'Elanna stopped dead in her tracks.  "Wha..what?"  She asked.
        "I said I love you," Tom repeated.
        People in the corridors began to whisper to each other.  B'Elanna looked
around and then continued walking.
        "You're not going to walk away from me this time!" Tom yelled grabbing
B'Elanna by the arm and turning her around.  "You're not going anywhere
until we talk about this."
        "Tom, people are staring," she whispered to him.
        "I don't care!" Tom yelled. "Let them stare.  I don't care who knows that I
love you, B'Elanna!"
        B'Elanna took a deep breath and then looked Tom in the eyes.  "I love you,
too," she said surprisingly calm.
        "Then why don't you shut up and kiss already!"  A voice yelled.  They
turned to see Harry standing in a crowd of people smiling at them.
        "I don't think we should argue with him,"  Tom said and leaned over to
kiss B'Elanna.

                        =/\= TO BE CONTINUED =/\=