The Sweetest Song
By Jessica Ferroni

This is dedicated to all my fellow Paris-ites:
JoAnna, Serena, Lauren, Erin, Kirsten, and Claire. 
Here's to us, guys! :)


We danced slowly across the floor, hand in hand, heart to heart. 
She moves with a gentle grace I can hardly believe -- almost as 
if we're one, gliding across the floor. 
  Harry's dancing with Kes -- I guess he finally managed to learn 
how. Dancing lessons do pay off eventually, I suppose. And the 
Captain and Chakotay....uh-huh. What a cute couple. Not as cute 
as me and B'Elanna, of course, but they do look good together. 
I grinned as the Captain's eye caught mine, and I winked at her, 
arcing an eyebrow teasingly. She just laughed in silent laughter 
and shook her head. Can't yell at me tonight, Captain, I thought
with a smile.
  
"If I were the ocean, you would be the shore,
 One without the other would be needing something more."(1)

I.

  It had been a particularly harrowing away mission. Never
in my life had I been so afraid for the lives of the four of 
us on that team. The water had poured in until there was barely 
enough room at the top to breathe. We clung to each other in 
pairs; Chakotay had naturally chosen the Captain, leaving me 
with a very bedraggled and angry B'Elanna Torres. Thanks, 
Chakotay. I wondered if the fear in her eyes was reflected in 
my own. We had maybe five more minutes at the most. I risked 
a look at the Captain and Chakotay. It looked like they were 
talking softly, but they were standing on the ledge on the
opposite side of the immense cavern, and the noise of the water
drowned out their voices. When the water had first begun pouring
in, B'Elanna and I had been checking out one end of the cavern,
the Captain and Chakotay the other. We'd tried to reach each
other, but the water was rising too fast and we were forced
to seek refuge at opposite sides. The water had slowed since 
then, but still continued to pour in around us. They were talking 
softly to each other, saying their farewells perhaps. I don't 
know, the Captain's not a defeatist -- she'd hold out hope until 
the last. I wished I shared her hope. I really didn't want to 
die. Still too much undone, too many things unsaid. I looked
down at B'Elanna. There was so much I could have said to her.
Anything. But all I said was, 
  "B'Elanna, I....I'm sorry."
  Surprise flashed across her features. "Sorry? For what?"
  "It was my idea to go in here in the first place," I explained.
"It's my fault,"
  "Tom," she interrupted gently. I'll give her credit -- I knew
the hysteria was looming at the back of her throat. She didn't
want to die, either. But she kept her voice firm and calm. "It's
not your fault. I wanted to look, too." She reached up and 
brushed her fingers across the shimmering surface of the wall, 
the sparkle of which had enticed us both to the cavern. I agreed 
with B'Elanna, it was beautiful. 
  "You know," I said softly, "I've always wondered,"
  "Wondered what, Tom?" she asked. I could tell she talking 
to distract herself from the water now cresting at chin level.
  I swallowed. "About what my life would've been like if 
Captain Janeway hadn't found me."  
  "You wouldn't be here right now," she pointed out.
  I laughed mirthlessly. "It probably wouldn't have mattered.
But I wouldn't have met you, or Harry, or even Neelix. I wouldn't
have made it past the warp ten barrier." I grimaced. Oh well. 
  I saw that B'Elanna was having trouble keeping her head above 
the water. I reached my arms under hers to keep her up. She smiled
her thanks. We may not have much longer, but I swore to myself 
I would keep her up until neither of us could stay afloat any 
longer. 
  "Tom, look," she gestured slightly to where the Captain and 
Chakotay had just disappeared in a wash of transporter sparkles. 
"At least they made it out," she said softly. "My commbadge is
missing."
  "Mine, too. Sorry."
  Her feet slid out from under her, submerging her for an 
instant before I recovered and pulled her back up, coughing and 
sputtering. "Hang on," I urged. "Hang on, B'Elanna."
  "I'm trying," she snarled back angrily. I knew her anger 
stemmed from her feeling as helpless as I did, and I bit back 
a sharp reply.
  "Okay," I said soothingly. "Okay."
  She glanced at me wryly, almost disbelievingly. "What? You're 
just going to let me have it? No sarcastic comeback? Who are you
and what have you done with Tom?" she joked lamely. 
  Another few minutes, I judged, and we wouldn't be able to 
speak. I was all seriousness in my reply. "I don't want to die 
fighting with you, B'Elanna."
  My simple response floored Torres. Her mouth must have opened 
and closed five times before she finally abandoned the effort.
I smiled, albeit weakly, but with a trace of my normal humor.
  "You know," I said, lifting and waving a dripping arm around 
to encompass the water-filled cavern. "in the movies, this is 
usually the time when the helpless heroes reveal deep, meaningful 
things to each other."
  She laughed, and I almost didn't care if it was the last sound
I ever heard. "I don't know if I have anything deep and meaningful
to reveal, Tom."
  I thought for a moment. "How about this," I tried, "Tom Paris,
I think you are the most insensitive braggart I've ever known,
you're a lousy pilot, and it's all your fault we're going to die."
My voice caught on the last word, and I swallowed past the 
emotion. "B'Elanna, I am so sorry."
  "Hey," she reached up to touch my cheek lightly. "You're not 
an insensitive braggart and you are a wonderful pilot. And I happen 
to like you just the way you are."
  Silence followed her last statement as I fought to contain the
rush of tears welling up in my eyes. I couldn't help it and closed
my eyes, feeling a single tear track its way down my face. 
  "Tom?" I opened my eyes; B'Elanna was crying, too, softly.
  "What, B'Elanna?"
  "I'll be waiting at the end of the tunnel."
  I don't remember what happened after that. I held onto her 
until my vision faded to black and consciousness fled. The next 
thing I remember was lying on the cavern floor, sopping wet. 
B'Elanna was beside me. I craned my neck to see if she was 
breathing; she was.
  "Torres," I whispered hoarsely. "B'Elanna."
  Her eyelids fluttered and she coughed several times. "Tom?"
  I reached out and took her small hand in mine and just held on.
Neither of us said word, we just lay there, holding on to each 
other's hands, and trying not to think how close we'd brushed 
with death.