*From now on, I promise no more affairs with strange ships* Tom's words rang through her ears as she pulled the covers down on her bed. She sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled off her turtleneck, leaving only her gray tank top. She pulled off her uniform pants and dropped them in a heap by her bed. She was exhausted and wanted to sleep, no matter what the sleepwear.

The thing that was disturbing her the most was the fact that Tom had so easily succumbed to Alice. Why couldn't he have fought just a little bit harder? Especially when she had transported herself onto the shuttle. He had actually had to debate whom to trust. *But think about it, B'Elanna* she said to herself. *He was under Alice's spell . . . *

"Computer, lights," she snapped, laying her head back on the pillow. The room was suddenly dark and she sighed. Here she was, alone in the dark, whining and complaining about an alien force that had taken over her boyfriend. It sounded so bizarre. She glanced at the chronometer by her bed and laughed. It was only 9:45 and she was in bed. "You're getting old, Torres," she muttered to herself, sitting up. "Computer, lights," she ordered again.

The bright lights flashed on and she shielded her eyes. After the initial brightness had passed, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and pulled herself into a standing position. Her tired muscles protested, but she ignored them. First order of business: get more comfortable.

She half walked, half trotted, to her dresser where she grabbed a red nightie that Tom had given her. She slipped into, memories washing over her. This might be the first night she'd keep it on until the morning . . .

Smiling at the thought, she headed to the bathroom to brush her teeth. As she swished the toothbrush around in her mouth, she looked at her reflection in the mirror, surprised at what she saw. She looked troubled. She had dark circles under her eyes (common for a Klingon, but uncommon for HER) and a sad expression lay behind them. She spit the mouthful of toothpaste into the sink and rinsed her mouth. She looked around the crowded counter and found her hairbrush. Grabbing it, she headed back into her sleeping quarters. She sat down gently on the edge of her bed, facing away from the door, toward the bathroom. She began humming softly, desperate to lift her foul mood.

She suddenly felt the bed creak and someone come up behind her. The brush was taken from her hand and set down beside her. She gasped and spun around as best she could from her position on the bed. She didn't know why, but she was surprised to find Tom sitting there, grinning like a banshee. "Thomas Eugene Paris! You scared the shit out of me!" she exclaimed, playfully swatting his arm.

"Why? Don't I always do this to you?" he asked innocently, his blue eyes sparkling. She laughed and hugged him happily.

"I didn't think you'd come tonight," she confessed, not wanting to meet his eyes.

"Why not?" Genuine curiosity shone through his voice and he cocked his head to one side, giving her a puzzled look. She shifted around in an attempt to get comfortable. She finally brought her eyes up to his.

"I wasn't sure how much time you needed to . . . .recuperate . . . .after the Alice incident," she said. Tom smiled slightly and scooted to the edge of the bed so he could sit directly beside her. He took her hand and kissed it, his warm lips brushing her cool skin, heating it on contact.

"B'Elanna, you should know by now that nothing can keep me from you for too long. I love you," he said, his voice just above a whisper. She furrowed her eyebrows and squinted her eyes, as if scrutinizing him to see if he was telling the truth. Then her face softened and she hugged him tightly.

"You know . . . that's the first time you've ever said that to me," she whispered, not trusting her voice to go any louder. Tom pulled back slightly and looked into her deep brown eyes.

"I know. And I should've said it sooner. Two years sooner . . . " he said feebly, diverting his eyes. "But, I've always felt it. Even before you said it to me the first time," he confessed. He willed his eyes back up to her face and was pleased to see the smile that lay there.

"I know. It's just nice to hear it," she said. Tom looked down at the discarded hairbrush. He picked it up and turned it over in his hands.

"Well, then I guess I'll just have to make it up to you," he murmured, moving behind her. "B'Elanna Torres, prepare yourself for a night of pampering." He gently took a handful of her chocolate colored hair and ran the brush through it, making the waves bounce and shine. Against her will, her eyelids began to lower and she became drowsy. Tom's hands worked magic through her hair and she didn't want him to stop.

She didn't know she had fallen asleep until she felt the blankets being pulled over her. She opened her eyes lazily and grabbed Tom's hand as he was departing. "Wait . . . " she said, her voice tired but firm.

"What is it?" he asked, turning back to her.

"Stay . . . " she whispered, pulling the bedcovers beside her back and sliding over to give Tom room. He smiled and slid into bed beside her. He covered himself and wrapped an arm around her. She smiled, already drifting back to sleep. He sighed as sleep claimed him too.

~*~

B'Elanna wasn't sure what had awakened her, but she was suddenly alert. Tom was laying beside her, his chest rising and falling in comfortable, easy beats. She glanced at the chronometer and sighed. It was 0123. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Computer, lights, half-illumination," she ordered quietly. The lights came on and she checked Tom's sleeping figure to be sure she hadn't disturbed him. He was still asleep.

Carefully untangling herself from the bed sheets, she rose, stretching as she made her way to the replicator. She replicated a small garden salad and a steaming mug of hot cocoa. She sat down on the sofa and picked up an Engineering report she hadn't finished reading. She sipped the cocoa and speared a mouthful of the salad on her fork.

"What are you doing?" a voice asked from her bed. She turned with a smile to see Tom yawning and stretching behind her, a tired yet bemused expression on his face. "I woke up alone," he explained when she was silent.

"I woke up and was hungry," she said easily, lifting her salad as if to confirm her story. Tom smiled lazily and rubbed his head, rumpling his short blond waves. B'Elanna felt a familiar stir of longing as she looked him over. He wore a drowsy look on his face, but his warp-core-blue eyes were as bright as ever. His hair was a mess and his grin was crooked. He was utterly gorgeous.

"B'Elanna?" His voice penetrated her thoughts and she looked away sheepishly, suddenly very aware of the dampness growing between her legs. Tom knew her. He knew her better than she'd like to admit, so he knew by the expression on her face what she was feeling. Right about now, she was getting . . . .wet.

"I'm okay," she half lied. Tom smirked and came up to the back of the sofa. He leaned over and brushed a kiss across her forehead, taking care to caress each ridge with his moist lips. She closed her eyes in anticipation as his lips sought out hers. She tilted her head back and he lowered his lips to hers in a lazy kiss. He came around to the other side of the sofa and she moved aside to give him room. He sat down, tucking one leg underneath him. B'Elanna put one arm around Tom and pulled his body closer, leaning in for another kiss.

She closed her eyes as the kiss deepened, and then shifted as Tom began to lower her onto her back. He rolled over on top of her and took a moment to stare down at her face, at her chocolate brown eyes and dark brown hair. At her forehead ridges and defined cheekbones. And then at her full lips, that she was moistening with her tongue. Hating for her lips to be moistened needlessly, Tom leaned in for another kiss, this time slipping his tongue into her mouth.

"Do you have any clue how terribly beautiful you are?" Tom whispered as he gazed down at B'Elanna's face. She felt a slight blush spread across her face and she quickly averted her eyes away from Tom's intense gaze. She felt his hands move to her face, his fingers caressing her lips. She looked back at him and smiled at the unspoken longing he wore on his face.

"You know what?" she asked, her voice quiet. "I never feel beautiful . . . until I'm with you," she said truthfully. Tom's smile widened as his lips replaced his fingers. She loved the feel of his kiss. So gentle and loving. Not to mention the taste of his lips. Everything about the way he loved her was perfect.

Suddenly his lips were gone from hers, as was the weight of his body. She opened her eyes and looked at him with what she knew must have been a puzzled look. The only explanation he offered was the outstretching of his hand. She narrowed her eyes but placed her hand into his. He closed his fingers around hers and pulled her gently to the bed.

She started to sit down on the edge of the bed, but Tom grabbed onto her waist and kept her on her feet. He kissed her again, all the while pulling at the hem of her nightie. She separated herself from him just long enough to raise her hands over her head. The nightie was suddenly at her feet in one silk heap. Now she was clad only in her underwear. Tom took a step back and drunk in every inch of her body. B'Elanna felt herself redden under his scrutiny.

Tom chuckled at her modesty and reached out to take her hand. He guided her to the bed and then gently lowered her onto the slightly rumpled covers. The fabric of the blanket tickled her bare back and she bit her lower lip. Tom mistook it for arousal and kissed her again, leaning over her so he was half on - half off the bed. B'Elanna pulled him fully onto the bed and rolled him onto his back. She climbed on top of him and yanked his uniform top off, taking the turtleneck with it. Her hands danced over his almost bare chest, her fingers stopping to play with the red-gold curls that poked out of his tank top. He turned his head to the side and bit on the tip of his tongue as she ripped the tank top straight down the middle with her fingernail. She pulled the remaining pieces off his chest and tossed them aside on the floor.

She took his head in her hands and turned it so he was looking at her. She leaned down to brush a kiss across his lips and her breasts brushed his chest, the friction sending electrical charges down both their spines. B'Elanna lifted herself from on top of Tom so she could have easier access to his uniform pants. Suspended in air, one arm propping her up, Tom found his window of opportunity. He reached up with one hand and caressed one of B'Elanna's bronze colored breasts, his fingers dancing over the nipple. B'Elanna gasped at the sudden warmth on her breast and almost fell on Tom's legs. She got her bearings back and growled throatily.

Her earlier task was forgotten as Tom's mouth sought out her nipples. He took one into his mouth and alternated between sucks and gentle nips. His hand payed special attention to the other one, pinching and squeezing until he got the reaction he wanted. He loved it when she got like this. She was twitching and groaning beneath his touch, meaning it wouldn't take too much more coaxing before her first orgasm came.

To make sure of that, Tom slid her underwear down to her ankles, and then over her feet. B'Elanna kicked them away, sending them onto the floor. Tom rolled her over on her back and kissed his way down her quivering stomach to the delicate area on the inside of her thighs. His mouth was getting close to her center, and she was trembling slightly beneath the warm whisper of his lips. Finally, he parted the moist folds of skin with his forefinger and slowly began to manipulate her clitoris with his other fingers. She thrashed wildly beneath him and dug her nails into the palms of her hands headily as his lips replaced his fingers. She screamed as a rush of fluid escaped her and shot onto his mouth and chin. Her body quivered for a few minutes, basking in the release. Tom lifted his head slowly and wiped his face with the back of his hand. Smiling deviously, he reached up and kissed her, making her taste herself. She was immediately aroused again, and finally resumed taking his pants off.

She rocked back on her haunches and leaned forward, yanking his pants off in one fluid motion. She grinned and slipped one hand into his boxers; of course there was plenty of room inside the 'tent' he had created with his erection. She seized it in her hand, moving her fingers up to the shaft and then sliding down to the tip. She pulled her hand back out and licked the seminal fluid that leaked from the tip. Tom groaned and felt his body jump as his boxers were slid down to his ankles, the warm air of B'Elanna's quarters hitting his exposed flesh.

B'Elanna slid down so she was eye-level with his erection, and took it in her mouth, sucking and licking the head like a lollipop. Tom's muscles tightened as her motions continued and he opened his eyes, allowing himself to watch her take his length into her mouth and pull it back out in hard, swift motions. She brought her eyes up to his, and seeing that he was watching, slipped one finger into herself and curled it like a spoon. She pulled it back out and, with the same finger, rubbed the tip of his penis where seminal fluid was still escaping. Once their juices had mixed onto her finger, she raised it to his mouth.

Looking back and forth from her face to her finger, he grabbed her wrist and slipped the finger into his mouth, the taste of them swirling in his mouth. He arched his back and released, shooting a stream of fluid into her mouth. She smiled and made a big show of swallowing and wiping the corners of her mouth with one finger. She pushed herself back up to the head of the bed and kissed Tom, slipping her tongue into his mouth and lacing her fingers around the back of his neck. She was still unfulfilled, and she ached to feel him moving around inside of her, but she reminded herself to be patient. He was, after all, only human. They did occasionally need to rest up between orgasms.

He could tell she wasn't finished with him. Just by the heat she was projecting from the damp spot between her legs and the hunger she was putting into the kiss. He felt a stirring in his groin, and obviously so did she, because before he knew it, she was sitting on top of him, their genital areas touching. Tom's virility sprung to life, grazing the wetness of B'Elanna's center. She splayed herself across him, keeping her crotch in the same place, but bending to kiss him. She pulled herself back into her original position and reached her hands around to knead his butt with her knuckles. He moaned, whispering her name, his erection throbbing painfully from its confined position.

She recognized the intensity of his whimper and raised herself from him slightly, but only long enough to grab his shaft and lead him into her well lubricated slit. He moaned as her muscles tightened around his length. She began to rock up and down, slowly at first and then with increased intensity. She took one hand away from his hips and moved it to her nipple, teasing it with her finger. She traced a line around it and then trailed it down her body, stopping where their organs were joined.

They were both rapidly approaching the inevitable release, and she couldn't help herself. While still rocking, she leaned in and bit the soft area between his shoulder blades. The coppery taste of his blood filled her mouth and she licked the blood away from his wound. He tossed his head back as he shot his seed within her, and she wasn't far behind, her muscles contracting around him. She sighed and rolled off of him, landing on her back. Her knees were still brought up, but she closed her legs, almost exhausted by their lovemaking. Tom rolled on his side to face her, propping his head up on his elbow. "You really know how to get a guy off, Torres," he teased, kissing her lazily. He could taste his blood still inside of her mouth, which served as a reminder to the pain on his shoulder. She seemed to read his mind, and gazed down at the red bite mark.

"Oh, Tom. I never realize how hard I do that," she apologized, leaning in to brush her lips across the wound. He smiled tenderly and ran his hand through her hair.

"Don't worry about it. I don't even feel it anymore."

He flipped on his other side, and she spooned up against him, crushing her breasts against his bare back. Wrapping her arms around him, she quickly fell asleep, hoping the night's events would grace her dreams . . .

~*~

To Be Continued.