Later that night...

"Kathryn, we need to talk."

Kathryn Janeway had been startled out of her rest by an insistent chiming at her door. B'Elanna looked past her and her eyes widened.

"Chakotay?" She questioned before her partner could speak.

The two women backed away from the door inviting him in with nods of their heads.

"Alright, it's 2330, what is so important that you are here?" Kathryn asked, not angrily because she knew he would not disturb her unless something was wrong.

"It's Harry. We have one hell of a problem here."

"I've noticed, he's been rather quiet but I thought he was just home sick. He's not?"

"No B'el." A sigh escaped him, "he's in love."

"What's wrong with that?" Kathryn said with a grin forming on her face "God Chakotay, you woke me up for-..."

An upraised hand stopped her. "He's in love with your tactical officer...your chief of security...You know the Vulcan...Tuvok and his feelings are returned."

"Oh shit." B'Elanna swore. Kathryn just looked stunned.

"Are you sure?" She asked softly.

"Very much."

"Tom?"

"Yes. Tom and Harry are together now. Tom was very upset."

"What did he say." Spoken flatly.

"Kathryn, they have some sort of bond, no other acknowledgement. That's all I know. Tom is a wreck. We've got to help them."

Kathryn sat quietly for a few minutes. "You're right, but how? How do we fix up a male Vulcan with a male human? Especially when that particular Vulcan is already bonded?"

"I don't know but if there's a bond, then isn't the job partly done?"

"I don't think it works that way."

B'Elanna interrupted them. "I think I know how I can help. Tom and I can talk to Harry and you guys handle Tuvok, because let me tell you...I don't have what it takes to deal with him. He can be so infuriating."

"That sounds good. I'll call Tom into my ready room tomorrow and see what I can get out of him."

"Be gentle, he already feels like he's betrayed Harry."

"I will. Goodnight Chakotay."

"Goodnight Kathryn, Be'l."

He slowly rose and left them to return to his quarters. Kathryn and B'Elanna would spend a sleepless night worrying and plotting and planning. Chakotay returned to find a distressed Tom curled up on the couch.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Chakotay asked quietly

"Love me Cha. I need you." Tom pleaded with a needy voice.

Chakotay did just that. He made love to Tom with all the tenderness and passion at his command. He didn't know what had happened but he would make Tom feel as loved and secure as possible.

***

Next day...

Tom hoped he could make it through the rest of the day. Lunch had come and gone with tons of coffee drinking, yet, he felt barely alert. As he looked around the bridge, he noticed that everyone looked a bit frayed around the edges, everyone but Tuvok. He wondered for the millionth time what that young, emotional Tuvok would have been like. Then he hoped they could find him, or at least part of him, because if they didn't, he feared what would happen to both Tuvok and his best friend

Janeway started to call Tom into her ready-room, finally free from the demands of her job to be the friend she all to often couldn't be. She'd get answers from Tom and together she, B'el, Chakotay and Tom would help Tuvok and Harry find their way to one another. As Kathryn opened her mouth, Harry spoke.

"Captain, I'm picking up a ship on the sensors. It's heavily armed and headed for us."

"Hail them."

"No response."

Out of nowhere a volley of fire rocked the ship. "Shields holding." Tuvok spoke calmly.

"Hail them again."

"No response."

"Return fire."

"Our phasers are having no effect."

"Launch a torpedo"

The next few seconds seemed to happen in slow motion. Tuvok's hand moved to comply as another hit rocked the ship.

"Shields down to 80%.. 70%.."

"Tom, evasive manoeuvres."

"I'm on it Captain." And he was. Voyager twisted and turned attempting to avoid the constant fire being aimed at them but it wasn't enough.

"Our torpedo has damaged them though I cannot say to what extent." Just then Voyager was hit again "Captain shields down to 40%" Suddenly the console in front of Tuvok exploded and he was thrown across the bridge but they couldn't stop to think about what had happened or even offer assistance.

Chakotay rerouted weapons to his station and started a deadly pattern of shots that would eventually destroy the other ship, using torpedoes because their phasers had no effect.

Kathryn had learned early on in the journey, to let her crew do whatever they were best at without interference, if they were in the middle of a battle. "Torres, beam Tuvok to sickbay."

"Transporters out. I'm working on them."

"Doctor, I need you on the bridge."

She couldn't spare anyone to take him not yet.

"I could use some help down here I have seriously injured crew. What's going on?" The Doctor asked curiously.

"We've been attacked out of nowhere. Tuvok's been injured and I need my best pilot at the Helm. I'll see what I can do."

"Permission to call Sam Wildman and Mark Karston."

"Granted."

"Captain, I'll send someone up there as soon as possible. He'll most likely go into a healing trance so it would be best to leave him for the time being."

"Alright if this ends before you get a chance to send someone up here, I'll have some people get him over there. Janeway out."

Within an half hour the battle was over. Voyager had taken massive damage but she still flew on impulse power. Janeway knew they were lucky to be alive. Before the destruction of the other ship, a capsule of some kind was discharged.

"Lock a tractor beam on to that thing."

"We can't captain," was the quick response from her mate.

Janeway didn't need to have worried, the capsule floated over to where they were and stopped. She was a bit stunned but not overly so. She glance over at her con officer and noticed the enraptured look on his face.

"Captain permission to see if the device will follow us?"

They didn't have time for this but she saw the dreamy look on his face and could not refuse. "Granted."

Tom gently stroked his panel and Voyager moved a little and the capsule followed. He felt a wave of joy run through him. It was flying and he couldn't see how. Granted, most of their equipment was shot to hell but the little device was close enough for him to see that it had no switches with the little magnification they had left. He wondered if the captain would let him keep it. His blue eyes were glowing with a tenderness that only Chakotay had been able to inspire when he was not flying. His reverie was broken by the doctor's cool clipped tones.

"Captain, Seven of Nine has been seriously injured and Mr. Karston seems to be suffering as well. Is Mr. Paris done up there?"

"I'll send Tom to you in a few minutes. Janeway out. Tom set the ship to Autopilot, if we have that function, if not I'll call Bateheart, the doc needs you in sickbay. Chakotay, help Tom carry Tuvok there."

A soft sound from ops made them turn. Tom got to his feet suddenly aware of the aches his own body was feeling. The battle had been short but he'd had to do some fancy flying and when the tactical station had blown up, pieces of it had gone everywhere, some hitting him.

"Captain, you might want to call Bateheart anyway I don't know how long that'll work. Har it'll be alright. He'll be ok." The moment he [had] completed his suggestion to the captain, his voice dropped to a low murmur, trying to comfort Harry.

"I'm sorry...So sorry. Should have seen it sooner somehow."

"Come on Harry. You want to be with him, don't you?"

"He doesn't like being alone. Always so alone" Harry whispered.

"Shhshhshh!! I'm right here. He wouldn't want you to fall apart like this. Come on pull yourself together. I know you can do it."

Tom glanced at the captain getting a nod from her as he helped Harry to his feet.

"Follow me and Cha, ok?"

Harry nodded and the four senior staff members left the bridge where Janeway sat composing herself so that she could take stock of her ship, and figure out what they would need and what they could do without. She only hoped they could limp along until they found a friendly planet.

***

Sickbay...

Chaos was the only word that ran through Tom's head as he looked around. He suddenly missed Kes with an intensity he had not felt since those first few weeks after her departure. Thankfully most of the injuries were mild but it looked like at least half the crew was here. He saw Geron Tem and Ggregor Ayala propping one another up and Jenny Delaney was curled up in a little ball holding on to Naomi Wildman.

Samantha tilted her head towards an empty biobed where Tom and Chakotay laid Tuvok down.

"Harry?"

"Shock." Tom said, a bit sharper than he'd intended but his friend needed protection right now.

Sam walked to Harry and gave him a shot. "You can go Harry get some food and then see where you're needed I guess. Did we take a lot of damage?"

Tom nodded vaguely at her then spoke to his friend. "Come on Harry." He opened his mouth to protest but Tom firmly got him to his feet and pushed him out the door. Then inspiration struck and he grabbed his friend before the doors could whoosh shut.

"Harry listen. You've got to stay with me ok? You can't flip now. I want you to take Naomi to the mess hall to Neelix and get her fed and then keep her calm alright? You know how close she is to Seven? Well Seven's hurt and she's probably frightened and Sam's needed here." Harry nodded numbly.

Tom hurried in to take the little girl from Jenny and noticed the tears.

"Jen?"

"Megan's gone. She was protecting Naomi."

"Oh Jen." His voice cracked a bit.

"I'm going to give her to Har. Are you hurt?" Quick head shake. "Then go. You're not needed here."

Tom took the little girl and Jenny rose. They walked out of sickbay together. He handed Naomi to Harry and gently got him moving in the direction he needed to go. Tom and Jenny exchanged a hug and she left. Tom returned to sickbay where he would spend the next 16 hours treating people.

They lost 3 crewmembers, Dolby, Megan Delaney and Rob Middleton one of B'Elanna's engineers. In those 16 hours Tuvok's condition did not change.

"Ensign Paris, enough. Go to bed for a few hours. You flew almost an entire shift before this and you've been here 16 hours."

Tom swayed a bit as the sickbay doors swished open to reveal Chakotay holding his right arm. "What happened?" The fatigue left Tom in an instant as he rushed to his lover.

"It's nothing just broke my arm. Kathryn , B'el and I were fixing up the engines the best we could when some of the tubing fell on me. Kathryn ordered me to bed. She also told me to come get you. I ordered her to bed a few ours ago so it's only fair."

"Gotta check on Harry, left him with Naomi."

"Sweetheart, Sam left here about 6 hours ago and Harry's helping B'el when I broke my arm Kathryn called him to take my place now it's our turn to rest ok? Use your communicator to talk to him if it'll make you feel better."

"Ok."

"Commander, let me patch up that arm. Then you two can go."

Less than ten minutes later they were on their way. They staggered home and supported each other through a shower and then all but fell into bed. Tom's last thought before sleep took him was to wonder at the strangeness of love.

TBC