Title: The Prince
Author: Leone
Rating: [PG-13]
Codes: C/P, K/T, AU
Archive: Yes, if you want to
Feedback: tarrashenna@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: Everything Star Trek belongs to Paramount, not me.
This story along with any other characters belongs to me,
though. Oh, and I'm not making any money on this.

Summary: See part 1

Author's Notes1: Okay, here's what I know a lot of you have
been waiting for. The explanation about the Darrbakhian male
pregnancy technique.

Author's Notes2: Flashbacks are marked with //

Thanks to my twin for her help during the flashback scene.

Warning: This is about a relationship between two men. If you
don't like that, don't read it.

********************

The Prince
By Leone

********************
Part 19

A week later, Tom had arranged for Tarra to stay over at the
Wildmans' again, and planned a quiet dinner for him and Chakotay.
This time it wasn't an all-out plan to seduce his husband,
but rather an effort to relax and mellow the man. Tom was going
to tell him that they were having a baby.

Tom had been in sickbay the day before to get a pregnancy test,
hoping that the night a week earlier had had the desired result. It
had, and Tom had asked Samantha to baby-sit Tarra, expecting
Chakotay to have a few questions. They hadn't talked to the
doctor about Tom getting pregnant, and Chakotay was bound to
have some questions about how the pregnancy was possible.
Tom planned to explain everything to him.

*****

At 1900 hours, Chakotay entered their quarters, having just finished
a meeting with the Captain moments before. As the door
closed behind him, the Commander looked around the cabin,
noticing the lovely setting of the table, complete with a centerpiece
of flowers.

Seeing the few candles on the table, Chakotay knew that his
husband hadn't planned to seduce him, but rather tried to create
a relaxing atmosphere. The effort was successful. Chakotay felt
himself start to unwind just at the sight.

Smiling at Tom, who was sitting on the couch, the older man
said, "Let me change out of my uniform and take a quick
shower, then we can have dinner."

When Tom nodded and smiled at him, Chakotay went into their
bedroom to get out of his uniform. When he'd finished his
shower and dried off, Chakotay quickly found some comfortable
clothes and walked back into the living area. Seeing that Tom
had put dinner on the table while he was gone, the older man
went over and sat down. Remembering a certain white-haired
little girl, he asked," Where's Tarra?"

Tom sat down at the table across from Chakotay before he answered.
"I asked Samantha to baby-sit her tonight. She'll sleep
over again," he told his husband.

Chakotay nodded. He knew that Tarra loved to spend time with
her sister. Then he thought of something. "Is there any particular
reason for this arrangement?" he asked, suddenly worried. He
knew that Tom had been in sickbay the day before. Tom had
said that everything was fine, but what if he just hadn't wanted
to say anything until they were alone?

Tom instantly picked up on his husband's worry and hastened to
reassure him. "Yes, there's a reason for this arrangement, and it
*does* have something to do with my visit to sickbay yesterday.
But it's nothing bad." He kept eye contact with Chakotay while
he spoke, letting his husband see the truth of his statement in his
eyes.

When the anxious look didn't immediately disappear from the
older man's eyes, Tom sent a strong wave of reassurance
through their bond. That helped. Chakotay breathed a sigh of
relief and relaxed, then turned his attention to his dinner, and
Tom did the same.

The two men ate their meals in silence, both occupied with their
own thoughts. Chakotay wondered what Tom was going to tell
him, and Tom wondered how Chakotay would react to the little
surprise he had for him.

When they finished their dinner, the two men quickly cleared
the table, putting everything in the recycler. Then Tom told
Chakotay to sit on the couch, before going to the replicator and
ordering two cups of tea.

Picking up the cups when they materialized, Tom carefully
made his way to the couch and handed Chakotay one, before
sitting down in a chair on the other side of the coffee table. He
took a sip of his tea, then put the cup down and looked over at
his husband.

Seeing his husband's steady gaze on him, Tom sighed softly and
opened his mouth. Then he closed it again, having absolutely
*no* idea where to start.

Chakotay, sensing Tom's slight bewilderment, took charge of
the conversation they were about to have. "What did the doctor
say?" he asked as he put his cup of tea on the table.

Tom bit his lip while he studied Chakotay for awhile. He was
trying to imagine how his husband would react to what he was
going to say. He was *also* considering the best way to say it.
Giving up on both accounts, Tom finally blurted out, "I'm pregnant."

Chakotay blinked and stared at his spouse, speechless. {Did
Tom just say that he's...?} After a moment, he found his voice
again. "Run that by me, again," he requested.

"I'm pregnant," Tom repeated.

For a moment, Chakotay sat with stunned expression on his
face, his eyes slightly glazed with shock. Then he focused on
Tom. "You... I... How can...." Chakotay took a deep breath
and asked, "How is that possible?"

Tom sighed deeply and leaned slightly forward. "You know I
was in sickbay everyday last week?" Tom waited for his husband's
nod before he continued. "Well, that was because I told
him about my plan to get pregnant. Without his help."

*****

//Tom walked into sickbay and looked around. He was the only
one present. {Good,} he thought. {I don't want an audience
when I talk to Doc.} "Computer, activate the Emergency Medical
Hologram."

Voyager's EMH materialized with his standard greeting. "Please
state the nature of the medical emergency."

Tom smirked slightly. "There isn't one, Doc. I'd just like to talk
to for a moment."

The doctor ignored Tom's smirk. "Mr. Paris. What do you want
to talk about?"

"Well, Doc. I just thought I should tell you that I plan to have a
baby," Tom started.

Before he could say anything else, the doctor spoke. "And you
need my help to get pregnant," he surmised in a somewhat excited
voice.

Tom's eyes widened slightly, and he winced almost unnoticeable.
He almost hated to ruin the EMH's excitement. Almost.
"Actually, Doc, I have that covered."

The doctor lifted an eyebrow quizzically. "You have that covered?"
He quickly ran a few subroutines. When that didn't give
him the answer, the doctor asked, "How, exactly, do you plan on
getting pregnant without my assistance?"

Tom was quiet for a moment, pondering how to explain. True,
he'd gotten the knowledge from Rhiannon, but she had *shown*
him what to do. Putting it into words was a different matter.

Finally, Tom sighed and focused on the EMH again. "You know
that I'm part Darrbakhian, right?" When the doctor nodded,
Tom continued. "There is a way for a Darrbakhian man to get
pregnant without the help of medicine."

Seeing the curious expression on the doctor's face, Tom held up
a hand to prevent the hologram from asking questions. "My sister
showed me how it is done, and I'll do my best to explain it to
you. I don't know how detailed it will be, though." Tom paused
to gather his thoughts, then continued. "Basically, I can make
the necessary changes in my body at will." He glanced quickly
at the EMH. "Don't ask me to explain how I'll do that, because I
can't. Anyway, once the process has been started, I will develop
a womb and ovaries. Then, I'll produce eggs, and that's about
it," he finished.

The doctor considered this information, and came up with a few
questions. "How long does this procedure take? Are you sure
it's safe? Is the change permanent? Will you be able to change
back? Will you start producing female hormones? Will you be
able to breastfeed? How did the Darrbakhians discover they
could do this?" The doctor finally stopped his rapid-fire questions.

Tom hid his slight amusement, and answered the questions in
order, trying to be patient. "It takes a week. Yes, I'm *sure* it's
safe. No, the change isn't permanent. Yes, if I wish to. Yes. Yes.
I have *no* idea."

The doctor once again ran a few subroutines. He had several
more questions, but his experience with Tom Paris told him that
the man probably wouldn't answer them. At least, not right now.
So, instead of asking, he said, "I want to make sure that this procedure
is safe, so I want to see you every day while you go
through this change." The doctor paused for a short moment
when he noticed Tom's fierce scowl. Ignoring it, he asked one
last question. "When did you plan to initiate the change?"

Tom scowled for a moment longer, then sighed and answered
the doctor's question. "I started it this morning."//

*****

Tom stopped his narrative when he felt Chakotay's poorly hidden
amusement. "What?" he asked.

Chakotay chuckled softly. "I was just imagining you trying to
answer the doctor's questions patiently." He got his merriment
under control and turned serious. "So, we're having a baby." His
voice clearly communicated his amazement.

Tom smiled softly. "Yeah. We are." Suddenly he frowned and
bit his lip uncertainly. "You haven't changed your mind about
us having one, have you?" he asked quietly.

"No, Baby, I haven't," Chakotay answered softly. Sensing that
Tom wasn't entirely convinced, he rose from the couch and
walked over to his husband. Reaching down, he pulled Tom up
from the chair and into his arms, holding the younger man
tightly. Then he leaned forward for a kiss.

At first, the kiss was gentle, conveying their love for each other.
Then Tom parted his lips, allowing Chakotay's tongue entrance
to the hot cavern of his mouth, and the kiss quickly turned carnal.

The two men stood there for long moments, arms around each
other and their lips locked together. They only pulled back when
they remembered that they needed to breathe. When their
mouths separated, their eyes met and held.

A while later, Tom and Chakotay pulled apart and, after silent
agreement, went into the bedroom, silently closing the door behind them.

To be continued