That's the way the cookie crumbles.

Title: That's the way the cookie crumbles
Author: Chuckles
Feedback: chuckles@daydiary.com
Pairing: C/P
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer; Paramount's, not mine!
Note: This is in response to the challenge set by Bronte to celebrate TPD's
100th. author.
To be included: Tom Paris; first time story; 100; something written;
characters named Jeanette and Sue; bunkbeds/twin beds; pizza; popcorn;
favourite candy bar; cookie crumbs
Dedicated to Jeanette and Sue who archive my stories at the wonderful Tom
Paris Dorm.
And a big thank you to Paul for some of the ideas in this story - I couldn't
have done it without you!
------------------------------------------------------

Tom Paris sat at the controls of his pride and joy; The Delta Flyer. It was
the small craft's 100th flight, but nothing in the shuttles handling
indicated that, and Tom still felt the same thrill at flying her now as he
had the very first time. This had only been a routine test flight, but any
excuse to fly her was good enough for Tom.
He checked his position, and adjusted his course to bring the Flyer
alongside Voyager. With permission granted for him to bring the shuttle in,
he slowly and skilfully guided it into the shuttle bay, and sighed. The fun
part was over. Next came the part that he wasn't keen on at all; writing up
his flight report.
With this unpalatable necessity weighing on his mind, he powered the shuttle
down and stepped out into the repressurised shuttle bay. He was met by a
member of B'Elanna's engineering team; a pleasant, competent woman named Sue
that he very rarely saw as she usually preferred to work the Gamma shift.
Tom assured her that the flight had been problem free, and that a copy of
his report would be with her shortly. As Sue disappeared inside the shuttle
to begin her diagnostics, Tom left and headed for his quarters.
As soon as his door closed behind him, he sank down on to his couch and
grabbed the replicated bar of Milka chocolate that he'd left on the table
nearby. He had only taken two bites when his comm badge chirped, and the
Captain requested to see him in her ready room. Sighing, and cursing his
luck, he threw the confectionery back on the table, and left to meet her.
"Ah, Mr. Paris, have a seat" Janeway said as he entered the ready room, and
gestured for him to sit next to the room's other occupant; Commander
Chakotay. Tom nodded his greeting to the Commander and sat.
"As I was explaining to the Commander, we've just received a distress call
that I'd like the two of you to investigate" Janeway informed him. "It seems
to be an automated signal originating from what appears to be an uninhabited
planet. It may be coming from a crashed vessel and I'd like you to take a
shuttle and check for survivors"
"Why can't we take Voyager to investigate?" Tom asked.
"Because while you were out in the Flyer, B'Elanna discovered a problem with
the warp core. It's nothing major as such, but it extends to an area that's
difficult to access, so our engines will have to be shut down for the next
twelve hours for her team to work on it"
"How long will it take for the shuttle to reach the source of the signal?"
Chakotay asked, as he leaned his elbows on the table in front of him.
"About six hours, Commander" Janeway replied. "And I'd like you to leave as
soon as possible"
"Captain, would it be okay if I grabbed a bite to eat first?" Tom asked.
"With the flight testing, I didn't get chance to have breakfast this
morning, and it's lunch time now"
"That's fine, Tom. Just be sure you're ready to leave in an hours time"
Janeway answered with a smile. "I was informed by Sue in engineering that
you found no problems with the Delta Flyer, so you can take that"
Tom's face lit up at being given another opportunity to fly what he regarded
as his shuttle. "Thank you, Captain" he responded happily.
To his right, Chakotay grinned at Tom's undisguised enthusiasm for the small
ship, and his love of flying her. Tom could be hard to read at times, but
not when it came to piloting. He had a gift for the task and he revelled in
it.
Chakotay looked directly at the younger man and smiled. "Why don't you go
and eat now, Tom. I'll sort out what we need to take, and finish briefing
you on board the shuttle" he offered.
"Would that be okay, Captain?" Tom asked as he turned his gaze to Janeway.
"Yes, Lieutenant. Go and eat" Janeway commanded.
"Thank you, Captain. And thank you, Commander" Tom said, turning back to
Chakotay.
Chakotay nodded. "I'll see you on the shuttle" he replied, patting Tom's
arm.
Tom left the ready room and quickly reached the mess hall. There was no sign
of Neelix, but his temporary replacement was certainly just as cheerful.
"Hi. Jeanette isn't it?" Tom queried as he smiled at the young woman behind
the counter.
"Yes, it is" Jeanette replied, smiling back. "What can I get you?"
"I don't suppose you've got any pizza stashed away anywhere have you?" Tom
asked hopefully.
Jeanette shook her head. "I'm sorry, I haven't" she said apologetically.
"There is pasta, though. Would you like some of that?"
"Yeah, that sounds great" Tom enthused, as the young woman picked up a plate
and began to dish some out. "Perhaps you could pack me something to take
with me on the shuttle, too........ Please?" he pleaded with a cheeky grin.
"I'll see what I can do" Jeanette promised, as she smiled at the blond
pilot.
"Thanks" Tom said gratefully, and Jeanette blushed a little as he leaned
forward to give her a small kiss on the cheek.

An hour later, his meal eaten, he was aboard the shuttle. He stowed away the
unopened container that Jeanette had kindly given him, and joined Chakotay
at the front of the craft. They ran through the pre-flight checks together,
and then Tom did what he loved best; piloted the Delta Flyer away from
Voyager and into the great unknown.
"So, Tom" Chakotay said, breaking the silence that had descended since he'd
finished briefing the pilot on their mission. "Did you enjoy your lunch?" he
asked.
"Yeah, it was fine. Why?"
"Oh, I just wondered" Chakotay replied with a small shrug. "It's just that
Neelix ended up in sickbay this morning; he ate something that disagreed
with him"
"Something he'd made himself?" Tom asked with a grin.
"Yes, I think so, but the Doctor was still trying to determine what it was
when we left"
"Poor Neelix. Fancy having to suffer a case of self-induced food poisoning.
But shouldn't the mess hall have been closed afterwards?"
"Apparently Neelix took along samples of what he'd eaten to sickbay. He'd
been experimenting with some of the grains we collected last week, but
fortunately he hadn't put the results out for the rest of the crew to try"
"Well, that's not strictly true" Tom informed the Commander. "He gave me
something to try yesterday"
"He did? What?" Chakotay asked, frowning.
"He thought he'd try making a popcorn substitute, and got me to try it. I
don't think I've ever tasted anything less like popcorn in my entire life.
Not to mention the fact that it was blue" Tom replied with a snort. "Mind
you" he continued. "It was fun watching him make it. He'd forgotten to put
the lid on the pan, and there was pseudo-popcorn everywhere within seconds"
Chakotay laughed at the image that conjured up, and Tom joined him as he
recalled the look of sheer panic that had crossed the Talaxian's face,
before the situation had been rectified.
The time passed quickly as the two men continued to engage in friendly
banter, and almost before they realised it they were approaching the source
of the distress signal.
"The signal's pretty intermittent" Chakotay noted. "I think it probably has
something to do with the storms the sensors are detecting around the planet"
"Yeah, I think you're right" Tom agreed, checking his instrument panel.
"It's gonna be a bumpy ride down to the surface as well"
"Too dangerous?" Chakotay enquired.
"No, but we might lose communications with Voyager after we land"
"Okay, I'll contact the Captain now and inform her of the situation"
Chakotay answered, as he hailed Voyager.
"Go ahead, Commander" Janeway stated as she appeared on the small screen in
front of them.
"We're about to take the shuttle down, Captain, but there are storms, and
it's possible we may lose communications with you while we're down there"
Chakotay advised her.
"Very well, but stay in touch as long as you can. If you do have problems
and we haven't heard from you by the time our engines are back on-line,
we'll come looking for you. Take care, the pair of you, and I'd like the
shuttle back in one piece if possible" Janeway instructed them.
"Don't worry, Captain, we'll all be fine - the Flyer included" Tom assured
her.
"I'll hold you to that, Mr. Paris. Janeway out"
As the screen went blank, the Commander returned his attention to the
readouts in front of him.
"I have a fairly accurate reading on the signal" Chakotay said, transferring
the information to the pilot. "Try to take us as close to it as you can,
Tom"
"Aye, aye, Sir" Tom said happily, as he relished the challenge before him.
It was, as Tom had warned, a very bumpy ride. The shuttle was rocked and
buffeted by the raging storm, but apart from the two men feeling a little
queasy by the time they landed, no damage was sustained by either the Flyer
or its occupants.
As the dust, that had been blown up by their craft, settled, Chakotay peered
out of the viewport, and found himself looking at what appeared to be a
small cabin. Considering this was supposed to be an uninhabited planet, it
came as something of a surprise to see a structure such as this.
"Do you read any life signs, Tom?" he asked over his shoulder.
"No, nothing" Tom responded. " But as I suspected we would, we *have* lost
communications with Voyager"
Chakotay nodded, and turned to face Tom. "Is the distress signal coming from
the building?" he asked.
"Yes, it is" Tom confirmed, rechecking the data.
"Okay, then I suggest we go and investigate. I know we're not detecting any
life forms, but we'll take our phasers just to be on the safe side"
"Sounds good to me" Tom said, and followed Chakotay to the rear of the
shuttle to collect their weapons, and a couple of torches.
As he passed the place where he'd stowed Jeanette's container, Tom suddenly
felt very hungry. The box wouldn't be difficult to carry, so he decided to
take it with him to the cabin, intending to have a snack once their
investigations were complete.
The two men left the shuttle, and fought their way through the increasing
wind to the door of the small building; it opened easily, and they moved
warily inside, illuminating it with their torches, and looking around
carefully for any presence that their sensors might have failed to detect.
As the room was fairly small, it didn't take long for them to be sure it was
unoccupied, and they gazed around then at the sparse furnishings.
Shelves lined the wall on one side of the room, with a table and two chairs
standing close by. On the opposite side were twin beds placed side by side
below a small shuttered window, and covered with thick blankets that
appeared to have never been used.
Tom turned around, and noted that there was a heavy wooden bar standing on
its end next to the door. As he wondered what it was for, the door suddenly
swung open and crashed into the wall behind it. Tom jumped at the unexpected
noise, and Chakotay joined him as he tried to close the door again.
The wind had increased dramatically, and the two men battled to shut it out.
As soon as they had the door closed, Chakotay grabbed the bar and placed it
across the door to prevent it opening again.
"So that's what it's for" Tom remarked as Chakotay put the bar in position.
"Yes, Lieutenant. Now let's see if we can find an alternative means of
lighting, shall we? Perhaps we'll be able to locate the distress beacon
then"
Tom moved across to the shelves and shone his torch on each one. On the
lowest, he came across what looked like a small lamp. There was a button on
the base, and as Tom pressed it, the lamp began to glow. Within seconds, it
was bright enough to light the entire room, and Tom placed it in the centre
of the wooden table.
"Here it is" Chakotay called as he checked the top shelf, and picked up a
small object; it was the distress beacon. "It looks as though it may have
been triggered accidentally" he remarked, as he showed it to Tom. "I think
the storms must have shaken the building, causing it to fall and activate"
"So why didn't the owners pick up the signal?"
"Maybe they have. Maybe we'll have visitors soon" Chakotay replied. He
crossed to the table and placed his tricorder on it. "We're going to be
stuck in here until that storm drops, so I'll leave this activated as an
early warning device"
"I hope we won't be here too long" Tom said as he walked across to the beds
and sat on one of them. "All our supplies are in the shuttle. Well, apart
from this container that Jeanette gave me at lunch time" Tom added, showing
the box to Chakotay.
"What's in it?" Chakotay asked as he sat down next to Tom.
"I dunno. I haven't opened it yet. She just said she'd found something she
thought I'd like, but didn't tell me what it was"
"Well, let's have a look then, and hope it's something I like too" Chakotay
said with a grin.
Tom prised the lid off the container and peered inside. "Cookies!" he
exclaimed gleefully. "And they're chocolate chip!"
"How many are there?"
"Enough for us to snack on for the next day if we have to" Tom replied
pulling a cookie from the box. He bit into it, and closed his eyes. "Mm,
this is delicious" he said with his mouth full.
Chakotay reached over and took one as well. After tasting it, he had to
agree with Tom; it was delicious.
They sat side by side and munched their way through three more cookies each,
before Chakotay decided that they'd better save the rest for later. Tom
reluctantly agreed, and he put the container on the floor near the bed.
"It's getting cold in here" Tom remarked, rubbing at his arms.
"Yes it is" Chakotay agreed. "And once you've brushed all those cookie
crumbs off the bed I suggest you get in it. I'll take the one without the
crumbs" he added, as he climbed over Tom's bed and into his own.
"Thanks Chakotay, that's really kind of you"
"Yes, it is, isn't it?" Chakotay grinned as he pulled the blanket up to his
chin.
Tom snorted and began to brush the crumbs away. He climbed under the covers,
and tried to get warm. It wasn't easy though; the wind was finding it's way
in through the gap at the bottom of the door and seemed to be making a
beeline for Tom. Despite the thick blanket, he shivered as the cold draught
hit him and he soon found his teeth chattering.
"Are you okay, Tom?" Chakotay asked as he gazed across at the trembling
pilot.
"N..no. I..I'm f.f.freezing" Tom managed to reply as he desperately tried to
bury himself further under the cover.
Chakotay looked at the shivering man with concern. "Let's push the beds
together" he suggested. "Then we can put one blanket on top of the other;
that should help"
Tom nodded and went to rise, but Chakotay stopped him. "You stay there, Tom.
I can quite easily push my bed against yours on my own" he said getting up.
When the bed was in its new position, Chakotay spread his blanket out across
Tom's and crawled underneath the double layer. Tom was still shivering, so
Chakotay moved close and wrapped his arms around the other man in an attempt
to share some of his warmth.
Tom sighed, and pressed back against the solid body behind him that was
radiating heat. As he did, his stomach grumbled loudly.
Chakotay chuckled softly. "Still hungry, Tom?" he asked.
"Yeah" Tom replied, turning to face the other man. "D'you think I could have
another one of those cookies?"
"Okay. I suppose you might warm up quicker if you've got some food inside
you" Chakotay relented with a smile. He reached around to grab the box from
the floor, and passed it to Tom. "Have a couple, Tom" he suggested.
"Thanks" Tom replied, and opened the container.
He munched away happily on the first cookie, then looked up to find Chakotay
watching him. "Do you want one?" he offered, looking into the Commander's
dark eyes.
Chakotay nodded, and took a cookie from the box. "Are you feeling any warmer
now?" he asked quietly, as he studied the younger man's face.
"Yes, actually" Tom answered, pushing the covers down off his shoulders. "I
feel much warmer"
"Do you want me to move the beds again?"
"No, that's okay. It's quite cosy like this" Tom replied quickly. "And
besides" he continued softly. "I've always wanted to be in bed with you"
Chakotay moved closer to the blond pilot. "You have?" he asked, as he stared
into Tom's sparkling blue eyes.
"Yeah" Tom replied, although in the back of his mind a small voice was
questioning why he was suddenly revealing his secrets to the other man. He'd
always listened before to that voice telling him not to risk being rejected,
but, he decided, now was the time to ignore it. He leant towards the older
man and whispered. "I've always wanted you, Chakotay"
Chakotay smiled. "Good" he whispered back. "Because I've always wanted you
too, Tom Paris"
Chakotay moved even closer, and lifted his hand to gently stroke Tom's cheek
before rubbing his thumb over the younger man's mouth. "You're covered in
crumbs, Tom" he said, and moved to carefully lick them from the pilot's
lips.
Tom sighed as he felt Chakotay's tongue cleaning him, and moved to capture
it, sucking it in as their mouths met. He closed his eyes and pulled at the
other man until Chakotay was lying almost completely on top of him. They
continued to kiss as their hands began to explore each other's bodies.
Tom tugged at Chakotay clothes, and the older man broke the kiss to remove
them, before he started to undress Tom. When the final garment had been
disposed of, Chakotay reclaimed his place on top of his highly aroused new
lover, and rubbed his own erection insistently against Tom's.
They both groaned as the years of constantly repressing their desires came
to an end, and they moved faster and faster against each other. Tom wrapped
his arms tightly around the hot body above him, and moaned softly as he felt
Chakotay's teeth marking his neck. He sighed, and ran his hands down the
older man's back to grasp at his cheeks and pull him closer.
Chakotay continued his assault on Tom's neck, and nipped and kissed the pale
skin over and over, until Tom was writhing beneath him and begging for more.
"Please, Cha, please! I need you, please" he repeated.
Chakotay shifted to one side of Tom and grasped the younger man's erection
hard. He stroked, and pulled and massaged him until Tom could hold on no
longer and erupted with a loud cry.
Even before Tom's body stopped shaking with the power of his climax,
Chakotay began to prepare his lover for the joining they both craved. He
slipped his semen-coated fingers inside Tom's opening, and stretched him
carefully. Tom didn't want to wait though, and quickly gathered up the
remaining semen from his body and covered Chakotay's aching penis with it.
"Now, Cha" he whispered.
Chakotay growled softly as he moved between Tom's legs, and lifted him
enough to push a blanket under his hips. He positioned himself just outside
Tom's body, then, at Tom's urging, plunged swiftly in. Chakotay fell
forward, and reclaimed Tom's mouth as he thrust in and out with increasing
urgency. As he felt the end approaching, he moved to Tom's neck again and
bit him hard.
Both men cried out as Chakotay came deep inside Tom, then, as their
sweat-soaked bodies began to cool, they lay panting in each other's arms.
A few minutes passed before Chakotay recovered enough to roll off the
younger man and pull the covers up over them both. He settled down again
with Tom snuggled happily up against him, and they drifted off to sleep.
As the hours went by unnoticed, the storm began to abate so that by the time
the two men finally awoke, it was completely calm outside.
Tom stretched and gazed down at the man by his side. Chakotay was smiling up
at him, and Tom couldn't resist leaning forward to kiss his lover softly.
They lingered on each other's lips, before Chakotay reluctantly decided they
should get dressed.
As Tom sat on the bed to put on his shoes, he noticed the cookie box laying
on the floor. He picked it up and put it on the bed next to him, but before
he had chance to open it, there was a bang at the door.
"Tom? Commander?" a voice called.
Tom smiled, and moved to help Chakotay unbar the door.
"Hi Harry. What are you doing here?" Tom asked as the Ensign entered the
cabin.
"B'Elanna got the engines back on-line sooner than we thought, so the
Captain decided to come after you" Harry explained. "We've been trying to
contact you ever since the storm cleared. When there was no response, I
beamed down to find you"
"We'd better call in then" Tom said looking across at Chakotay.
Chakotay nodded. "Grab those cookies and we'll be on our way, Tom" he
instructed.
"Cookies?" Harry queried. "Where did you get those?"
"From Jeanette" Tom answered, showing Harry the now open container. "She
gave them to me before we left"
Harry frowned as he looked back up at Tom. "They're the ones that Neelix
made aren't they?" he asked.
"Yes. Why?" Chakotay asked, moving to stand next to Tom.
"The Doctor found out it was those that caused Neelix to become ill.
Apparently one of the ingredients causes a loss of inhibition, and another
is a fairly potent aphrodisiac. Neelix was ordered to destroy all the
remaining cookies" Harry said looking from one man to the other. "You
haven't had any problems have you?"
"No, Harry. No problems" Tom replied as he gazed at Chakotay.
Chakotay smiled, and placed his arm around Tom's shoulder. "No, no problems
at all" he agreed.
And as the Ensign watched in open-mouthed amazement, the Commander claimed
the Lieutenant's lips with his own.

The end