Alternative, Part Two

Jean shifted on the biobed, eyes closed; she murmured something incomprehensible. A male hand squeezed hers, and she opened her eyes. A concerned pair of eyes were looking down at her; instead of being the rich, dark brown of Chakotay, they were bright blue, youthful.
"Tom?" she said, uncertainly.
"Sweetheart, you're awake again... the Doc told me you woke up from the coma yesterday, and talked with the Captain. From what he had said before... your injuries were so serious, he thought that you might not..." His voice trailed off, and before she could react, he bent over and kissed her forehead. He pulled back, stroked her short dark hair, gazed at her intently. "It is so good to see those beautiful eyes again." Jean stared up at him, still startled.
"Tom," she tried again. "The Doctor told me that I had brain damage, memory loss. I... I don't remember us ever being this close. What's more, the memories I do seem to have involve somebody that nobody seems to know or remember!" Tom Paris frowned.
"He told me this too, while you were still asleep." He stroked her hand. "He said that I should try to just take it slowly with you, show you parts of your life here that might jog your memory." A hurt look crossed his face as she pulled her hand away.
"I... I'm sorry." Her eyes were very apologetic, but her face still showed a lot of confusion and discomfort. "It just... feels really weird to have you touch me like we've been in a relationship for a good while."
"Well, we have!" Tom shook his head, frustrated. "Ever since you came here, I couldn't stop thinking about you, and how you saved my life from so far away. I felt like what you had done changed my perspective on possibilities, and I wanted to get to know you better... and the more I found out about you, the more I wanted to be with you, Jean." His voice was pleading. "You are the most important person in my life." Jean studied him, and was touched by the sincerity she could sense in him.
"I can see that, Tom..." she said softly, "and I'm amazed that I could inspire that sort of feeling in you. I just... I just don't remember doing it." Tom's voice broke slightly.
"You really... you really don't remember falling in love with me? Not at all?" Jean slowly shook her head, and Tom turned away, his shoulders shaking slightly. Alarmed, she sat up and got off the biobed, walked over to him.
"Tom, please... please bear with me." She put her hand on his shoulder, and he turned quickly, wiping away a few tears.
"You shouldn't be up yet, Jean... the Doctor said you still needed time to heal." Cautiously, she squeezed his shoulder.
"I know I need time... but I don't want you to be hurting because of me. I never intended that, ever." Tom gave her a weak smile, nodded.
"That's just like you, Jean... always putting others before yourself." He took her hand off his shoulder, clasped both of her hands in his. "Let me help you remember how things went for you, after you arrived." She looked up at him, still uncertain, but moved by his devotion.
"Okay, Tom." She tried giving him a reassuring smile, and it only felt a little strange. "We'll work through this." He squeezed her hands, and she had another flash:
She was crying in her quarters, looking over the broken remains of the objects that had come through with her during her transport during the hull breach - bits of her meditation lamp, an intact shot glass, a broken picture frame with the photo still preserved - the photograph of herself and her best friend, Trip Tucker, after he had taught her how to scuba dive. She heard a chime behind her, and despondently told whoever it was to come in. She turned, and it was Tom Paris - his smile at seeing her melted away quickly, and he hurried to her, wordless. He wiped some of her tears away - she let him do so - and then pulled her into a strong, comforting hug. At that, it was like a floodgate opened in her, and she wept; all the while, Tom murmured to her softly, rubbed her back, and she could almost feel his own distress at her misery...
"Jean?" She was back in Sickbay, and Tom was staring at her, almost looking frantic. She closed her eyes, said softly,
"I remember how awful I felt after I transported to Voyager by mistake, about how I had left my old life behind, never to return. You came looking for me... you found me as a mess, and you held me, let me cry out all my sadness..." Tom nodded.
"You remember... that was a couple of days after you arrived. I was going to take you to the mess hall for dinner, but we just stayed there, and after you calmed down, you told me about your life on Enterprise. I replicated us some food, and we stayed up all night, talking." He chuckled softly. "I needed a lot of coffee for my duty shift the morning after... but it was worth every yawn, every cup." He stroked her cheek. "You've always been worth it." Jean opened her eyes, gazed up at him, and found she could not say a word. Tom smiled, as though he understood. "Let's go to the mess hall, all right? Maybe Neelix's food will help jog your memory a bit." Jean found herself wrinkling her nose and laughing.
"As long as it's not leola, I think I'll be fine." Tom laughed as well, and they walked out of Sickbay together.


Chakotay and Tuvok walked through the corridors together. The Vulcan's face was impassive, but he was not unreceptive to his superior officer's agitation.
"Tell me again what happened," Chakotay said, his face tense.
"Jean Pierce and I were on the planet, speaking with dignitaries in the marketplace. We were having a very logical conversation, and Jean Pierce was at apparent ease with the people. She is a competent ambassador."
"I understand that part," Chakotay snapped. "What happened while you were talking?" Tuvok raised an eyebrow at his temper.
"A man approached the dignitaries - he was in ill-fitting clothing, and his hygeine seemed lacking. He spoke to one of the dignitaries, who attempted to calm him and send him on other business. The man turned to me, stared into my eyes, and I felt an uncommon sensation of dizziness. Jean Pierce spoke to me, concerned, and the man unexpectedly grabbed her wrist and pulled her off the platform we were standing upon. She let out a yell, and struggled to free herself, but then collapsed. The man picked her up, but at that moment I had reached them both, having jumped off the platform myself. I acted with a nerve pinch, and took Jean Pierce from him as he lost consciousness and was subdued by authorities, but she was unresponsive. She did not seem to be injured." Chakotay nodded, looking frustrated.
"I will have to discuss this with these dignitaries... find out who this man was, what he did to her in such a short time."
"Commander," Tuvok pointed out, "You must not let your personal feelings hinder your investigation. I insist that I accompany you in this." Chakotay stopped and gave him a hard stare.
"Tuvok, my personal feelings will not hinder this. A member of our crew has been attacked, and rendered comatose. We need to find out why, and how, and figure out a way to wake her up. And yes - I want you to work with me on this. You said this man affected you as well - perhaps there is a connection between the fact that you and Jean both have telepathic abilities." Tuvok tilted his head.
"That is a logical path of investigation." They entered the transporter room together, went to the pad, and Chakotay signaled the ensign to beam them down to the surface. His face was still dark and troubled as he and Tuvok were surrounded by the familiar shimmers, and disappeared.


TO BE CONTINUED...