Disclaimer: The characters, setting and Universe belongs to Paramount, I'm only taking Voyager out for a spin around the Delta Quadrant in a story of my own. I promise to return them in one piece and in the same condition I borrowed them in. Oh, and I'll have them back by 12...

Okay, I had a guilt attack last night (Don't ask...I had this discussion with ListSis Tera about guilt complexes :) and decided to try and finish this story that's been languishing in the back of my hard drive for...oh...a while! :) I’ve been existing in the wonderful vortex called University...it sucks let me tell you!

This is a sequel to Give and Take and Running on Emotions, my other two C/Ps, and well...in addition to a guilt complex, there's also the fact RL sucks. (Well...let me rephrase that...University sucks! :) So...let's just say that Tom and Chakotay pay the price in this one. And this borders on the verge of P/Tishness as well (Yes...the loose ends from Give and Take... :) but really...they don't *do* anything! Really! :)

Oh yeah...and feedback is a wonderful thing as well. I’ve got about a million other story ideas sitting on my hard drive...and a little bit of incentive might go a long way! So be sure to tell me what you thought about this story and suggestions on how to make it better. The E-mail addie is up above...and I’d love to hear from you.

Finally...yup, even though it borders on P/Tishness...it’s a C/P...meaning slash, meaning sex between two males. So...if you can’t stand the idea of m/m sex, can’t stand the idea of it being between Chakotay and Paris, can’t stand the idea of Star Trek characters having sex...this story isn’t for you. Oh yeah...and it’s NC-17 for sexual situations...meaning anyone under 18...yup, you’ve gotta go too. Sawwry!

Facing the Consequences - (March 1998)
by Keikimo - (Keikimo@hotmail.com)

Tom shifted anxiously at his station, trying to resist the urge to turn around and glance back at the rest of the Bridge for the fifth time that morning. He could just tell, two pairs of eyes were once again trying to drill holes in the back of his head...and it was unnerving to say the least. The Captain and the Commander, both of them studying the back of his head...and driving him completely nutty.

*Well...nutty and horny.* Tom corrected himself with a silent chuckle. Janeway was probably just bored...and he couldn't blame her really. They had been travelling across a pretty boring section of space, there was nothing of interest on the viewscreen. And...well...he just happened to be sitting in her direct view. But, in Chakotay's case, Tom was almost positive the man's motivation for watching him like a hawk every so often, was not out of sheer boredom. It was more likely for a less than professional reason. Hell, most likely? Tom was willing to bet a lifetime of replication rations it *was* for some other reason. And whatever the reason...it was *seriously* starting to get distracting.

One pair of eyes suddenly shifted away, Tom could instantly feel the ease in tension behind him. Janeway had gotten up, wandered over towards Harry's station for a status report or some other trivial thing, she must have been able to tell her staring was making Tom antsy. Not like it was some secret, Tom knew he had been jumping around like a hyperactive kid all morning. Now...if only Chakotay would find something productive to do as well, Tom might actually be able to accomplish something this shift.

Fifteen minutes later, Chakotay was staring at him once again and Tom was ready to scream. It was definitely going to be a *long* day...

*****
Part 1
*****

"Okay, spill..." Tom leaned up against the side of the turbolift, staring at Chakotay intently. He had somehow managed to catch an empty turbolift with the man, after a very, very long shift. It was just lucky they had been travelling through empty space, the way Tom's thoughts had been drifting that morning, he probably would have drilled Voyager straight into a planet...and it would have been all Chakotay's fault.

"Spill what?" Chakotay asked, a confused expression on his face.

"Oh don't give me that, you know what! Why in fuck's sake were you staring at me...all morning?" Tom asked in an exasperated tone and Chakotay sighed. So Tom had noticed the stares after all, so much for being discreet on duty...

"You look cute in a uniform?" Chakotay offered with a grin and Tom snorted in response.

"I look cute?" Tom repeated in a tone that bordered on disbelief. "I spent most of the morning with a hard-on and totally inappropriate thoughts running through my head and the only answer I get is...because I look cute?"

"Sure...I may even start calling you Cutie on the Bridge..." Chakotay grinned widely, watching as Tom's expression changed to one of complete horror.

"No way! It's bad enough I get dumped with all these other annoying nicknames like Flyboy or Helmboy or Hotshot..." Tom leaned in close to Chakotay, placing a hand to either side of his head, trapping Chakotay where he stood. "But I refuse to answer to something that...sickeningly sweet and sappy."

"Sure...whatever you say..." Chakotay muttered and Tom relaxed his stance. "Cutie..."

"Fuck, Chakotay...come on!" Tom leaned back in, laughing despite his annoyance. Chakotay...of all the people on board Voyager, actually had a sense of humor. A twisted one, but it still was a sense of humor. And it was absolutely nothing like the stuffy Commander he usually was.

"Hmm...just how curious do you think we can get Captain Janeway before the week's up? Let's see..." Chakotay smiled, deliberately putting on a thoughtful face. "Stare at you all morning today, call you sappy nicknames tomorrow, maybe by the end of the week we can move to making out on the Bridge..."

"Fuck...you know, you really do have a one-track mind. Next you're going to want to take me over the Conn or something." Tom muttered, then flushed when he saw Chakotay's eyes darken at the thought. "Shit, Chakotay. Hello! We've got to be back on the Bridge in an hour...don't even go there."

"Go where?" Chakotay smiled innocently, then called out for a different floor. "My quarters? Okay, we'll go to yours..."

"That wasn't even funny Chakotay...it's our lunch and we should not be spending it...oh fuck don't do that..." Chakotay's mouth dropped to Tom's neck, tracing a path down past the turtleneck and causing the younger man to shiver.

Tom moaned quietly, the sound amplified in the small space of the turbolift. He had purposely left a lot of space between them when he had been *threatening* Chakotay earlier, knowing that something like this would end up happening otherwise. But somehow, they had both ended up together again, pressed up against the wall of the turbolift, locked together in a passionate kiss.

The lift stopped suddenly and Tom and Chakotay jumped apart in panic, both trying to look at least somewhat normal as Sue Nicoletti walked on. Glancing at them both, she requested Deck 2 and stood there curiously, just feeling the tension in the turbolift rise. Something definitely had been going on before those doors had opened... And if it hadn't been Tom and Chakotay sharing the lift together, she would have sworn by Tom's body language it had been something sexual in nature. She had seen that exact same peculiar look on his face first hand on a few occasions herself...but then again, he *was* with Chakotay...

The `lift stopped once again, on Deck 4 and Tom jumped out as soon as the doors opened, obviously relieved to be away from the confines of the turbolift. Chakotay glanced up at him, hesitated for only a second before he also left, joining Tom out in the hall. As the doors slid shut in front of Sue once again, she found herself growing even more curious. Deck 4 was where Tom's quarters were located...and Chakotay left with him. Hmm...something to gossip over with Carey and the rest of the Engineering cronies, no doubt on their lunch break as well. This could prove to be very interesting...

*****
Part 2
*****

"Chakotay...you do realize that...oh fuck..." Tom gasped aloud as he fell to his bed, Chakotay following him down and landing hard on top of him.

"Are you still talking?" Chakotay asked with a grin, working on the fastenings of Tom's uniform jacket with a sudden urgency. They had both managed to *behave* themselves during the short walk to Tom's quarters, almost getting caught by Sue Nicoletti both cooled their passions for the moment, but as soon as the door slid shut behind them, they were all over each other again. Well, Chakotay was all over Tom, Tom was still putting up a mild protest front, although he certainly seemed eager enough. "I'm going to have to do something about that..."

"I'm always talking...I never shut up..." Tom was merely rambling now, talking just for the sake of talking. He had no clue what the hell he was saying, especially since his brain had effectively short circuited the instant Chakotay touched him once again. "Haven't you realized this by...mfff..."

Hearing enough of Tom's mindless babbling, Chakotay silenced him with a kiss, teasing the other man's mouth with his tongue. Hearing a low moan from Tom, Chakotay glanced into his eyes, finally seeing the arousal and lust rise once again. Took long enough... "You were saying?" Chakotay asked with a grin, watching the confusion and impatience cross Tom's face.

"Fuck me now?" Tom offered in a hopeful tone and Chakotay chuckled, running his hand down across Tom's chest and teasing a nipple, feeling Tom squirm beneath him.

"I knew I could get you to see the wisdom in spending lunch break my way." Chakotay smiled, moving off of Tom's sprawled form long enough to strip them both, then straddled him once again.

"Right...I'm just hoping if we get this out of your system now, we might actually be able to get some work done after lunch..." Tom tried to sound as disinterested as possible but the illusion was quickly shattered when Chakotay gently leant forward and began to trace Tom's ear with his tongue.

"You know, you really don't lie well." Chakotay muttered with a smile, before moving away to kiss a trail down Tom's neck.

"Oh really?" Tom replied dryly. Like him moaning almost continuously or trying to thrust his hips into Chakotay and get some contact wasn't proving that fact already.

"Nope, you might want to work on being more convincing..." Chakotay murmured, sitting up once again with a smile on his face.

"Chakotay...will you just shut up and do something...!" Tom muttered, his entire body was tingling with sensation, desperately craving attention. Gods, it had only been two days...two days since Tom had broken up with B`Elanna. And now Tom was lying on his bed, with Commander Chakotay of all people straddling his middle, practically begging for the man to do something to him.

"Nah...you don't want it..." Chakotay smirked, watching Tom's face contort with frustration when the other man’s weight was suddenly lifted from him.

"Fuck...Chak...don't kid around!" Tom muttered frantically, pleading with his eyes. Gods he hated the man sometimes. "Please?"

"I suppose..." Chakotay shrugged, just before he took Tom entirely in his mouth.

Tom screamed and came almost instantly, filling Chakotay's mouth again and again. And the other man didn't let up either, sucking and teasing every last drop from him. Finally spent, Tom collapsed back on the bed, grinning down at Chakotay with a happily satisfied grin on his face. "Hungry?"

"Not anymore..." Chakotay smiled back, not moving from where he sat at the foot of the bed.

"Didn't think so..." Tom muttered, then let his head drop back down to stare at the ceiling. "We're not going to get any lunch now, are we?"

"Hmm? I dunno...probably not." Chakotay shrugged. There was no way they were going to be able to grab a shower, get dressed, go to the Mess Hall for a quick bite *and* make it to the Bridge on time. And being late for the third time in two days was definitely not something Chakotay wanted to do. "Why?"

"Suppose we might as well make it worth skipping lunch then..." Tom reached under the pillow beside him and tossed a tube of lube towards Chakotay.

"Oh definitely. Just think...I'm saving you from Neelix's lunch surprise..." Chakotay smirked. "You should be grateful..."

"Oh I am...eternally so..." Tom murmured, only partially in jest and sighed happily. This was definitely the way to spend a lunch hour...

***** ***** ******

It was unfortunate that Tom and Chakotay decided to skip lunch, since at that very same moment in the Mess Hall, they were becoming the topic of discussion. Sue Nicoletti grabbed a tray full of...something, and sat down at her usual table with Joe Carey, Megan Delaney and Julie Henley. It wasn’t like she really cared about what was for lunch anyways, she only wanted to share her latest news with the rest of her friends...gossip cronies as Tom liked to call them.

But it seemed as though everyone else had the same idea too when the quiet discussion between the four ended up including nearly everyone who wandered by. Various versions of the *Mess Hall* incident the night before were passed around for those who hadn’t been there. And those Junior Officers who were privileged enough to be present on the Bridge for shift change were only too pleased to share the fact that both Tom and Chakotay had rushed onto the Bridge mere moments from being late that morning...and they had come in together.

From the various stories, both real, exaggerated and a few that were purely made up, the topic of discussion quickly shifted to Tom and B`Elanna. Unlike the Tom and Chakotay sightings where everyone seemed to have something to contribute, no one seemed to know the exact reason the two had broken up. B`Elanna especially had been pretty tight- lipped about the entire thing since it happened two days ago...and Tom, of course, hadn’t been around much to ask. But, as the Bridge spies explained, from the way Tom and B`Elanna had been acting around each other, it couldn’t have been very pleasant.

It did make a person wonder...

***** ****** ******

B`Elanna sighed as she wandered through the lunch line, it was becoming a ritual to miss her lunch now...the second time in as many days. At least today she managed to get everything under control in Engineering before her entire lunch hour was over. It had taken her most of the morning to isolate that problem with the damned navigational controls and she hadn’t talked to anyone on her staff except Vorik all day. Giving a small snort she glanced around, looking for *anyone* to talk to before she drove herself absolutely crazy.

No one from the Senior Staff was there, that didn’t really surprise B`Elanna too much. She figured the Captain and Chakotay would have been on the Bridge already...and Tom and Harry, well, they could be practically anywhere. Considering the fact that Neelix’s lunch surprise today didn’t look too appetizing, it didn’t suprise her much at all. And it wasn’t like she wanted to see Tom anyways, things were still pretty tense between them.

A large crowd of her Engineering Staff, as well as a handful of other Junior Officers crowded around a table in the corner piqued her interest though. That almost never happened unless there was some good gossip floating around the ship. Except she hadn’t heard anything... Of course, she hadn’t found out much in the gossip sense since she’d been going out with Tom anyways. Besides...whatever it was, it had to be infinitely better than making small talk with a Vulcan all morning...

Walking over to join them, she was there just in time to overhear Carry’s comment. “...you don’t actually think that’s the reason they broke up, do you?”

Great, just great, they were talking about her. Fuck it all. When she was trying to remain dateless, she was the subject of the gossip mill. When she was with Tom, she was the subject of the gossip mill. And now she had broken up with him and she was still the topic of choice. Couldn’t there be anything more interesting to talk about on the ship? Deciding then that small talk with a Vulcan was better than listening to everyone speculate about her personal life, she was about to leave when Megan Delaney’s next comment stopped her in her tracks.

“If he would have cheated on me, I would have dumped him in an instant.” Megan spoke venomously. “You don’t think she would have?”

“Maybe you’re mistaken Sue.” Sam Wildman spoke up softly, obviously not really comfortable in taking part in this conversation. “I mean, do you honestly think Tom would be standing now if he cheated on her?”

“You didn’t see the look the two of them had on their face. I’ve seen that look before! And I know you have too.” Sue turned towards Megan who gave her a small, dreamy-like smile, confirming the fact. Turning back to the rest of the group, Sue let out an impatient sigh. “And I swear if it wasn’t Chakotay in the turbolift with him, we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now.”

“Chakotay...” B`Elanna murmured in a strained voice. “You saw Tom and Chakotay together...”

Everyone instantly turned their attention to B`Elanna, standing behind them obviously distressed at overhearing Sue’s words. Quickly, the table began to clear out, people murmuring about their duty shifts or other matters that had to be attended to. They had all realized long ago that being around B`Elanna when she was pissed off was not a smart thing to do. But B`Elanna didn’t really care about the rest of the table...or the rest of the Universe for that matter. Not when her life was coming crashing down on her head...

“B`Elanna, I’m sorry. I saw the two of them in a turbolift today...just before lunch.” Sue explained hastily, pity in her tone. “I didn’t mean for you to find out...”

B`Elanna wasn’t sure how she made it to the door, but somehow she made it there, and even more amazingly, she somehow made it there without her tray. It was almost as if she detached herself from the situation now, she was just merely a walking shell of herself. One that didn’t want to be anywhere near the Mess Hall, had to get away before she...she did something. She wasn’t even sure *what* it was she should do, hit someone? Break down and cry? Scream? In the end she didn’t do anything, just walked away from the Mess Hall, appearing to everyone that she was calm and collected when inside she was a jumble of emotions.

She could hear voices behind her, someone apologizing once again to her retreating form. But B`Elanna didn’t care. She didn’t want their apologies anyways, they hadn’t really done anything. It was the two people she thought she could trust the most who had betrayed her...

*****
Part 3
*****

It was probably fortunate that B`Elanna hadn’t run into either of the two for the rest of that day, for, like Sue had said, she probably would have killed them where they stood. But it was a small ship and they couldn’t avoid each other forever. It was inevitable that the little bubbles of isolation they had so carefully constructed around themselves would collide...and shatter, forcing them all to face the consequences of their decisions.

***** ***** *****

“Tom?” Chakotay smiled, glancing over to where Tom leaned against the wall of the turbolift, apparently half-asleep. “Hey...Tom?”

“Go `way!” Tom muttered, then opened his eyes just wide enough to glare at Chakotay. “I’m trying to get some sleep.”

“In a turbolift?” Chakotay asked with a laugh and Tom sighed aloud.

“Yes in a turbolift. You’re the one who gets us up so damned early in the morning!” Tom muttered as he leaned his head back and closed his eyes once again. “So don’t blame me for trying to get another measly five minutes of sleep here...”

“Ahh...but you’re the one who keeps us up so late at night...” Chakotay smirked as Tom opened one eye to glare at him again.

“True...” Yawning sleepily, just like a little kid, Tom finally straightened up and smiled. “How come things always seem to end up as my fault in the end?”

“Because I’m the Commander...” Chakotay shrugged as the doors opened, turning to walk to the Mess Hall then turned back when he realized Tom wasn’t following. “Are you going to come for breakfast or are you going to stand there and sleep all morning?”

“Do I really have a choice...sir?” Tom smirked, practically bouncing out of the turbolift to join Chakotay in the hall. Spirits...a five minute nap and Tom was his usual, hyper-active self again.

They walked in a friendly silence for a while until Chakotay felt compelled to break it. There was something that was still bugging him about their newly forming relationship...and it seemed like as good a time as any to bring it up. There was no one around, they weren’t on duty and Tom wasn’t giving him that *fuck me now* look. Maybe they could actually have a serious conversation for once. “Tom?”

“Yeah, I’m awake, okay?” Tom grinned, putting an exasperated tone to his voice. “It’s not like I’m sleepwalking or anything.”

“I suppose that’s good to know...” Chakotay sighed. “But that wasn’t what I was going to ask you.”

“Oh...alright. What’s on your mind?” Tom replied good naturedly.

“Have you talked to B`Elanna yet?” Chakotay tried about a million and one different ways of asking Tom...but in the end, couldn’t think of a better way than just blurting it out.

“Have I had the chance to talk to her?” Tom winced inwardly at the mention of B`Elanna’s name but tried to cover it with his usual smirk. Of all the things Chakotay *had* to bring up...this wasn’t one of the ones Tom wanted to discuss...

“Tom, I’m serious!”

“So am I.” Tom stopped in the hallway and turned to face Chakotay. “Come on Chakotay, I’ve either been on duty or spending time with you. Have I seen B`Elanna anywhere in there?”

“Are you planning on talking to her?”

“No...yes... Fuck. Chakotay, you can’t honestly think that would be a good idea.” Images of his battered body ending up in some Jeffries Tube somewhere in the bowels of the ship floated through his mind. Nope...it definitely would not be a good idea...

“I personally don’t think sneaking around behind her back is a good idea either...” Chakotay sighed, recognizing that look on Tom’s face. The *roll-my-eyes because Chakotay is such a fucking Boy Scout* look. “At least if would be out in the open that way...”

“And it make you feel better if I did?”

“Probably...”

Tom let out an exaggerated sigh, then started off towards the Mess Hall once again. “I don’t know Chakotay. I think it would be better to let this sit for a while before I bring it up.”

“Whatever...” Tom winced at the slightly hurt tone Chakotay had and sighed once again.

“Alright, fine. Fuck, I’m not going to make any promises.” Tom slowed down once again and turned to face Chakotay. “Janeway wants me to help B`Elanna with the Navigation controls this morning, I’ll see how things are between us. Maybe if we’re talking again I’ll tell her.”

“I suppose that’s fair.” Chakotay agreed. It wasn’t exactly what he was hoping for...but then again, if it had been reversed, Chakotay wasn’t too sure he’d be jumping at the chance to tell B`Elanna either. But it was the right thing to do.

“And you’re going to owe me.” An evil grin spread across Tom’s face and Chakotay started grinning, even before he knew what the favor was going to be. He could just tell it was going to be something interesting.

***** ***** *****

Chakotay walked onto the Bridge with that very same grin on his face...and it stayed on for most of the shift as well. It wasn’t like there was much to do anyways, with Engineering trying to fix the Navigation controls, Voyager wasn’t even moving today. It was looking to be a completely normal, quiet, boring day.

Almost too quiet and boring. And Tom wasn’t even around to bother. Although that probably was a good thing in the long run, maybe Chakotay could actually get some work done now. Spirits, if Tom thought it was impossible to concentrate on his work, it was even worse for Chakotay. He was the one who had to stare at the back of Tom’s head all morning, bringing up very interesting thoughts...

...And he was getting carried away once again. Even when Tom wasn’t around. That definitely wasn’t a good sign. It wasn’t like he was some hormonal teenager...he shouldn’t be having these kinds of thoughts, especially on duty. And more importantly, he shouldn’t be fixating on Tom when he still had doubts about the stability of their so-called relationship.

Lost in his own brooding, Chakotay almost missed the page from Engineering. *Almost.* It would have been nearly impossible for him to miss it with all the yelling and shouting in the background, coming through the channel.

“Engineering to Security, we’ve got problems down here.” Lieutenant Carey’s slightly panicked voice masked most of the background noise but there was still the unmistakable sound of Klingon curses beneath it.

“Shit...B`Elanna...” Chakotay muttered to himself as he instantly stood, not even asking for an explanation. He already had an extremely bad feeling about what was going on down in Engineering. Handing the Bridge over to Rollings who was manning the Conn today, Chakotay nodded for Tuvok to follow before rushing for the turbolift.

He wasn’t sure exactly what to be expecting when he walked into Engineering. Spirits, he could still hear the yelling even outside the double doors of Engineering, the distinctive Klingon curses fairly easy to separate from the jumbled mix of shouting. As soon as he set foot in the door though, all eyes turned in his direction and the room fell into a deadly silence. It was an eerie contrast to the yelling and shouting he had heard only a few moments earlier. And it was giving him the creeps. Especially since a good majority of B`Elanna’s staff were now glaring at him as well.

B`Elanna herself it seemed hadn’t really noticed him enter, except for the fact that the stream of curses had stopped, nothing else had changed. She was being restrained by Lieutenants Carey and Vorik...but only barely. And, glancing around quickly, Chakotay confirmed his suspicions, Tom Paris was leaning up against an opposing bulkhead, blood streaming from his nose. Surprisingly though, no one had even bothered to help him, they all just stood in a ring surrounding the action yet away from it all.

Now B`Elanna turned to face Chakotay angrily, pulling away from Carey and Vorik violently. They were going to try and grab her again but when she didn’t make another move towards Tom, relaxed slightly, an almost relieved look crossing Carey’s face. Instead, B`Elanna walked purposefully towards Chakotay, her taunting words hitting him almost as hard as if she had punched him. “Oh...and look who shows up now? Surprise, surprise.”

“What’s wrong B`Elanna?” Chakotay asked, trying to remain as non-confrontational as possible.

“What’s wrong?” B`Elanna repeated in a slightly mocking tone and glared at him. “What the hell do you think is wrong?”

Chakotay turned slightly to glance at Tom, only wanting to know if he told her anything when B`Elanna slapped him hard across the face. “Never mind. You just answered your own fucking question...Commander Sir!”

As soon as her hand connected with his face, Tuvok started to move forward, as did Carey and Vorik. But Chakotay waved them all back angrily. “Would you care to express that thought verbally Lieutenant?”

“Just how long have the two of you been fucking each other?” B`Elanna asked venomously. “A quickie in your office when I was working here late? A night together when we had a fight? Come on Chakotay, let’s hear all the sordid details.”

*Oh shit...* Chakotay started swearing silently to himself...but it must have shown with the expression on his face for B`Elanna let out a mocking laugh.

“Yeah, I finally figured it all out. Funny isn’t it? I’m not the fucking idiot the two of you thought I was.” B`Elanna glared at him once again. “So...I’m waiting for an answer. How long have the two of you been fucking each other?”

“B`Elanna, we didn’t do anything until you and Tom broke up.” Chakotay tried to explain, even though he could quickly see this whole messed up situation was getting a heck of a lot worse by the instant. “It was over between you before anything started.”

“You’ll forgive me if I don’t believe anything you just said. Especially since I had to find out from my own Engineering staff about the two of you.” B`Elanna replied icily.

“B`Elanna, you know me. I wouldn’t lie to you.” Chakotay decided to try and convince her one last time. They’d been through too much together through the years for him not to try.

“No Chakotay, that’s where you’re wrong. I thought I knew you. I trusted you Chakotay...I trusted you and Tom. You were my best friends. You were one of the few people who truly understood me here on Voyager.” Past tense...were...it was over. Years of friendship, over. “But you two decided to go behind my back and betray me. And it fucking hurts when I even think about it.”

“B`Elanna...I swear, we didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“Well you did...” B`Elanna said in a strained voice. “And its never going to be the same between us again.”

With that she turned away from Chakotay, not even waiting for a reply. Although, Chakotay wasn’t sure what else he could say that would make her change her mind. He barely even noticed when Tuvok escorted her to the Brig, still reeling from B`Elanna’s harsh words. Everyone that had stood around and gawked at the altercation now slowly started getting back to work, leaving Tom and Chakotay behind. Not really shunning them but not offering any sympathy either.

“Tom?” Chakotay finally realized Tom was still sprawled on the floor, the gush of blood from his nose now down to a mere trickle. But the younger man hadn’t moved since this had all started, just had an unreadable expression on his face through the entire thing. “Tom, let’s get you to Sickbay.”

Chakotay placed his hand on Tom’s arm, intending to help him up when Tom pulled it away abruptly. Scrambling to his feet on his own, Tom turned away from Chakotay and walked out the doors of Engineering, alone.

Chakotay wasn’t sure what to do now, in the course of one morning he had just lost one of his best friends on the ship and alienated a good portion of the crew. And now, it seemed as if he’d lost his new lover as well. It just wasn’t fair in a way...they hadn’t even had a week of happiness before it all fell apart. And now, he was left with a bunch of broken pieces of his life and nothing to show for it.

And the morning was just getting started...

End Facing the Consequences

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