The Game By Morticia Part 16/16 "You can't possibly believe I deliberately left Tom to be killed," Chakotay snarled. His use of Tom's first name wasn't lost on the Captain, but she refrained from commenting on that for the moment. "Of course, I don't, Chakotay. Whatever has happened between you and Tom, you aren't a murderer," she replied firmly. "Then why am I under arrest?" Chakotay demanded. "Because by appearing to believe that you are guilty, Tuvok believes that the real culprit will become careless enough to reveal his hand," Kathryn answered. "If Tom was conscious it would be easier to get to the bottom of this mess, but the Doctor says it won't be safe to wake him for another 12 hours at least." "What culprit?" Chakotay asked in confusion. "Tom was attacked by the natives, wasn't he?" "His injuries were inflicted by the people who robbed him, yes, but whoever caused his comm badge to fail is on his ship," Kathryn replied. "It wasn't a malfunction?" "It was sabotaged by a high-frequency transmission deliberately sent from a terminal on Voyager," she confirmed. "Whose terminal?" "Yours, Chakotay." "I don't understand." "Whoever did it had set up the computer to register when Tom contacted the ship. A feedback loop was created when you started to speak to him, and then someone used your own transmission to piggy- back the disruptor down to Tom's badge." "It doesn't make sense, Kathryn. How would anyone know what would happen down there? Tom might *not* have been attacked and then the whole thing would have been a waste of time." "Tuvok believes that whoever did it was listening in to your conversation and decided to play the odds that Tom would get into *some* kind of trouble and need to use his comm badge. When it failed to work, the malfunction would be traced directly back to your terminal." "But who hates Tom enough to do that to him?" Chakotay asked in disbelief. "We are supposed to believe you do, Chakotay, and I have a few questions to ask you about that too. However, this wasn't an attack on Tom. It was an attack on you." "On me? You think that someone let Tom nearly die just so that I would be blamed?" Chakotay demanded in horror. Kathryn nodded sadly. "You know who did it, don't you?" Chakotay accused. "We have a good idea, but no proof as yet," she confirmed. "WHO THE FUCK DID IT?" Chakotay roared. Kathryn ignored his outburst. "I need you to answer a few questions of my own first and I'd like to do it formally, with Tuvok present," she said. Chakotay digested her words. He appreciated the fact that she had taken the time to talk to him *before* he had seen Tuvok again. It was necessary that he co-operate with the Vulcan fully and he wouldn't have done that if he had truly believed that the outrageous charge against him was serious. "Of course," he replied. ~~~ "We are in possession of tricorder records that prove that Mr. Paris suffered two severe injuries. The first involved a jaw fractured in four places. The second involved his right wrist being broken. The Doctor has confirmed that he treated the broken jaw and that Tom named you as the perpetrator although for reasons as yet unexplained he refused to press charges against you for the assault," Tuvok stated. "I broke his wrist too," Chakotay confirmed, deciding to save the Vulcan from having to ask. "Mr. Paris did not report *that* incident at all," Tuvok replied. "The record I have received is from the data cartridge of a personal bone-knitter." "The real questions, Chakotay," Kathryn interrupted. "Are why did you, a man known to be pacific, assault Tom so violently on two occasions and why did he fail to report them at the time?" Chakotay's face burned and he dropped his eyes in humiliation as he answered. "I punched him because I discovered that he'd only pretended to love me. I overheard Harry telling him that he hadn't needed to sleep with me to get his pip back, after all. A week later he came to my office and tried to convince me to take him back. He admitted that he had lied to me, that he had only gone out with me for what he could get out of the arrangement. Then he said he'd fallen in love with me, so I shouldn't care why he'd gone out with me in the first place since it had worked out okay in the end. "He, he touched me, Kathryn. He tried to seduce me again. And I, I simply lost control. I was so scared of giving in, of letting him wrap me around his finger again, that I manhandled him out of my office. I didn't mean to break his wrist, I was just crazy and scared." "Oh, god, Chakotay. I had no idea. I am so sorry," Kathryn whispered, reaching out to take his hand and squeeze it comfortingly. "I fail to understand your reasoning, Commander," Tuvok interrupted. "You loved him. He loved you. You were both sexually compatible and you just admitted that you were tempted by his offer to resume the relationship. Your decision to spurn his seduction was illogical." "It was human, Tuvok," Kathryn replied tolerantly to her mate. "Chakotay's emotional rejection of Tom under the circumstances was perfectly natural." "For a human," Tuvok sniffed disdainfully. "So that explains why you said *your* Tom had died," Kathryn exclaimed. "Tom turned out to be a completely different person than you believed him to be and so you believed that your love for him was as false as he was." Chakotay nodded miserably. "I *do* love him, Kathryn," he said helplessly. "And I want him and need him, and I would never deliberately harm him, only I just can't forgive him." "I understand why you were hurt, Chakotay. But surely everyone deserves a second chance. He said he loved you, why couldn't you try to accept his apology?" Kathryn asked gently. "Because his apology wasn't worth the breath he used to say it. He really didn't understand that he had done anything wrong, Kathryn. He said it was a game. He even accused *me* of playing games with him. I can't even begin to understand what goes on in his head. His behaviour, his reactions, his feelings even, are all completely alien to everything I believe in. I can't love someone whose whole personality and values are the complete opposite of my own, Kathryn." "Then it is fortunate that I was on an away mission with the Captain rather than yourself when I entered my Ponn Farr," Tuvok interrupted dryly. Chakotay gave Tuvok a startled look. "It's not the same. Tom is human." "If he were *not* human, would you find it less difficult to accept his differences?" "I don't understand what you are trying to say," Chakotay complained. "Mr. Paris is a unique individual. I myself have often found his behaviour illogical and his attitude irreverent. However, in the years that he has served on this ship I have often found my own perceptions of him challenged by behaviour that did not conform to my expectations. Out of all of the humans that I have interacted with, Mr. Paris is one of the most complex. He is also one of the rare humans that I would chose to call my friend." "Even though you know he lies and manipulates people?" Chakotay challenged. "People are a total of their traits, both good and bad, Commander. His faults, however bad are balanced by his bravery, warm-heart and propensity to self-sacrifice. I am not discounting the severe personal anguish that his behaviour has evidently caused you. However, that is your personal concern. My own judgement of Mr. Paris is based on the whole person. "You have described him as selfishly using you for personal gain. I do not dispute your tale. I do, however, draw your attention to the number of times he has voluntarily risked his life for no personal benefit. His acceptance of the mission yesterday is a typical example of that trait. Whatever personal selfishness he is capable of, the is also capable of acts of great courage and selflessness." "I know," Chakotay admitted, then he shook himself. "This conversation is getting us nowhere. Tom and Harry are together now, so it's irrelevant how I feel about him. The important thing is to find out who set me up and nearly killed Tom in the process." Tuvok and Kathryn exchanged a look. "What?" Chakotay demanded. "What aren't you telling me?" "Sit down, Chakotay, and don't you dare get up again until I tell you or I'll have you transported back to the brig until you calm down again," Kathryn warned. "At this stage, it is purely supposition," Tuvok added. "We have no proof of our suspicions whatsoever." "Who?" Chakotay hissed. Kathryn bit her lip and put a restraining hand on Chakotay's shoulder. "We're pretty sure that it was Harry Kim," she admitted. For a moment, Chakotay was too stunned to even react, and when he finally did, it wasn't with the bellow of outrage that she expected, it was with laughter. "You cannot be serious," Chakotay laughed. "Harry worships the ground Tom walks on. He'd never do anything that would put Tom in danger. He'd no more have left Tom helpless on that planet than I would." "It was Harry who brought me the tricorder evidence, Chakotay. It was he who suggested that you had deliberately tried to kill Tom by sending him to the planet alone. It was his suggestion that we check your terminal for evidence that you had sabotaged Tom's comm badge, despite the fact that no one would ever have looked for such an occurrence without his suggestion." "Harry?" Chakotay asked in disbelief. "So either he is right, and you *did* try to kill Tom, or Harry has developed psychic powers, or *he* sabotaged Tom's badge," Kathryn concluded. "But why the hell would he do it? Why risk Tom's life just to frame me?" Chakotay demanded. "Perhaps Tom and Harry aren't as `together' as you thought, Commander," Tuvok replied. ~~~ "I know I said it would be safe to wake him," the Doctor griped. "I didn't suggest that you could interrogate him though. He will be in considerable pain, Captain. Far too much pain to answer your questions coherently." "Surely you can give him a painkiller," Kathryn argued. "We only need to ask him a few questions and then he can sleep again." "If he is under the influence of a narcotic, the validity of his answers will be questionable," Tuvok warned. "Speed is of the essence, Tuvok. We have to get to the bottom of this before the whole ship is alerted to the fact that Chakotay is supposedly under arrest," Kathryn reminded him. "Methadrine," Chakotay snapped. "Absolutely not," the Doctor protested. "What's methadrine?" Kathryn asked blankly. "It's barbaric," the Doctor huffed. "It is perfectly safe and can be used with morphine," Chakotay argued. "May I remind you that Mr. Paris is *not* a Cardassian prisoner. This is *not* a Maquis ship, Commander," the Doctor snapped. "WHAT'S METHADRINE?" Kathryn roared. "It's a stimulant that works like a truth drug. Tom will be able to talk, he actually won't be able to stop talking, and every word he utters will be the complete and absolute truth. It's completely harmless and as I said, it won't react with a morphine based painkiller," Chakotay replied. "It is completely unacceptable," the Doctor huffed. "I agree," Tuvok stated. "It is, however, logical." "It is an infringement of Tom's rights," Kathryn argued, extremely uncomfortable with the idea. "So is someone deliberately sabotaging his comm badge and leaving him to be stabbed to death by a bunch of murdering thieves," Chakotay growled. "Put it this way, Captain, either we give Tom this painless drug or I pay a visit right now to Mr Kim and I assure you that *that* won't be a painless encounter." Kathryn realised that short of arresting him again, there was no way she could stop Chakotay from carrying out his threat. "Very well," she said. ~~~ He was flying, Tom decided, and grinned happily. "Tom?" he heard the Captain say gently. He opened his eyes and tried to look at her face. It was blurred by the dense clouds he was floating through and kept fading in and out of focus, which was weird, but not as weird as the fact that she was obviously flying too. He giggled at the idea of them both floating through the fluffy white clouds together. "How do you feel Tom?" the Captain asked. "Fanchastic," he slurred. His own voice didn't seem right to him, although he couldn't pinpoint the problem. Maybe it was the altitude. Or, oh shit, was he drunk? Fuck, he WAS drunk. In front of the Captain. Fuck that was funny. "Drunk," he sniggered happily. "He says he feels drunk," Kathryn said unnecessarily. "Are you sure this is going to work?" "I had to give him a high dose of barbiturate first to ensure that he would experience no pain on waking. He *has* just had intensive surgery, Captain," the Doctor snapped. "He'll start to come down from the high quickly," Chakotay said, with a confidence that chilled her. She didn't want to know how her peaceful First Officer knew so much about interrogative drugs. "Tom," she said gently. Tom's blue eyes tried to focus on her again. "You cut your hair," he said. "You looked so much prettier with long hair. I loved your long hair." Kathryn flushed. "I guess the truth drug is working," she muttered in embarrassment. "Let me," Chakotay urged. Kathryn decided she would rather spare herself any more of Tom's observations and stepped back to allow Chakotay to take over. "Hello, Tom," Chakotay said, sitting on the edge of the bed so that Tom could see him clearly. "How are you feeling? Are you in pain?" "My heart hurts," Tom wailed. "You said he wouldn't feel anything," Kathryn hissed at the Doctor. "Well I explained that the knives punctured his lung *and* his heart, Captain. Why do you think he nearly died?" the Doctor protested. "He shouldn't be able to feel it though," he added petulantly, as though Tom was deliberately defying him. Chakotay ran a gentle hand over Tom's chest. "Where does it hurt, Tom?" he asked, his interrogation forgotten in the face of Tom's declaration of pain. "Everywhere," Tom sobbed. "You made me love you and you never said it would hurt, but it did, and then you didn't love me, and that hurt more, and I wanted to hate you, but I couldn't, `cos it was my fault and so I hated me, but that hurt too. I hurt, and I don't want to hurt, Chak." For a moment, Chakotay was too stunned to answer. He just sat there telling himself, over and over, he loves me. He *really* loves me. He's not lying. He *can't* be lying and he loves me. Tom loves me. He shook himself abruptly. "Tell me about Harry, Tom," he urged. "Harry loves me," Tom answered with a sigh. Chakotay stiffened but forced himself to continue. "Does he Tom? That's nice." "No it's not," Tom spat. "I hate it. I hate him `cos he hates you." Kathryn and Tuvok exchanged a glance. "Why do you say he hates me, Tom?" Chakotay asked. "Because he's jealous. He knows I love you. I told him you hated me but he doesn't trust you. He says you're dangerous." "Dangerous to you?" "Yeah, he says you'll just beat me up again if I talk to you. He said you wanted to kill me. That's why you sent me down there with the bugs. I hate bugs. Did you know I hate bugs Chak? I do. I really do. Is that why you sent me down there? Because I hate bugs? There were bugs everywhere. I hate bugs. Did I tell you I hate bugs?" "Tell me about Harry, Tom," Chakotay interrupted quickly. "Don't know if Harry hates bugs," Tom said thoughtfully. "He hates you though." "How do you know he hates me?" "Because he keeps saying he'll tell the Captain what you did. He says if I leave him he'll tell everyone what I did and you'll be so embarrassed you'll have to leave the ship and I don't want you to leave the ship, Chak. I don't want you to go anywhere. I love you. I know you hate me. But that's okay cos I hate me too, so I understand. But I love you and I don't want you to go. You're not going to go, are you?" "No, Tom. I'm not going anywhere, I promise," Chakotay replied, fighting tears. "Harry said you'd go. Except I wasn't sure if that was before or after you went to the brig." "Why would I go to the brig, Tom?" Chakotay asked. "For hurting me. He kept the records. He said the Captain would put you in the brig if he told her that you hurt me. He said you were dangerous. Said if I left him he'd go to the Captain. The brig's a bad place Chak. It's a scary place. I don't want you in the brig. There aren't any bugs in the brig though. I hate bugs. Did I tell you I hated bugs?" "Yes, Tom. You did," Chakotay replied gently. "So, Harry has been blackmailing you? Forcing you to stay with him?" "I don't know," Tom admitted. "He says he only does it to protect me. He said no one could ever love me like he does. That no one else understands me. He said you only loved me because you thought I was what you wanted me to be. Only Harry knows me and loves me anyway." "Do you love Harry, Tom?" Chakotay forced himself to ask. "I hate Harry. Harry wants to own me. He tells me what to wear. He never lets me go out. He says he'll destroy you if you ever touch me again. He's jealous and possessive and nasty and he threatens you all the time and I hate him. He's like a bug. I hate bugs. I really hate bugs. Did I tell you-" and Tom's eyes abruptly closed as he fell asleep. "Well, we have at least established that Mr Paris has an intense dislike of bugs," the Doctor drawled into the sudden silence. "So do I," Chakotay hissed, jumping to his feet in a fury. "And there is a particular cockroach on board who is well-overdue a stomping." ~~~ "I can't believe you did it," Tom hissed furiously. "Kicked Harry's ass?" Chakotay asked mildly. "Drugged me, you bastard!" "It worked. You told the truth. Does it really matter *why* you told the truth?" Chakotay mocked gently. "You're never going to let me forget that, are you?" Tom griped. "Your shitty attempt at an apology?" Chakotay laughed. "Well, I got confused." "It was the new experience of trying to tell the truth that tripped you up, I expect," Chakotay sniggered. "You're in a hell of a good mood about it all of a sudden," Tom said suspiciously. "Well, it probably has a lot to do with the fact that my cock is in your ass, where it belongs," Chakotay snorted. "Shit, don't say that. You sound like Harry," Tom complained. "I," Chakotay spat, slamming furiously into Tom's depths, "AM" thrust, "NOT" thrust, "HARRY!" and he rammed the point home. "You can say *that* again," Tom gasped deliriously. "Hmph," Chakotay snorted. "No, I mean it. Say it again. With the actions," Tom pleaded. "I'd rather say I love you," Chakotay purred, finding a slower, gentler rhythm. "Oh, yeah, I like those words too," Tom moaned as Chakotay tortured him deliciously with his slow internal stroking. "Did I really tell the Captain her short hair looked like shit?" he suddenly asked. Chakotay snorted. "Just about. There's obviously something to be said about diplomacy, after all." "Shit," Tom groaned. "Never mind, I'm sure she won't hold it against you for too long. Just the next 30 years, give or take," Chakotay teased. Then he couldn't hold back any longer. He started to speed up again until he was slamming into Tom, reclaiming, repossessing, what had turned out to be his all along if only he had been able to see it. "TOM!" he screamed as he came, and it was a benediction, a forgiveness, an affirmation and a declaration of love. He collapsed to the bed and drew Tom carefully into his arms, mindful of the sensitive spots where the knives had pierced Tom's abdomen and chest. Nothing remained now of the wounds but thin red scars that would quickly fade but Chakotay knew he would never forget them, would never again let pride and self-righteousness prevent him from claiming what was his. As Tuvok had said. Tom was unique. Infuriating, aggravating, deceitful and manipulative. He was also the owner of Chakotay's heart and he may as well accept the fact. "What's going to happen to Harry?" Tom asked quietly. "When he gets out of sickbay, you mean?" Chakotay purred contentedly. "I can't believe the Captain let you do that to him," Tom repeated. "I told her he slipped," Chakotay said innocently. Tom reared up in bed and looked at him in complete disbelief. "You lied? You, holier than thou, all liars are scum of the universe Chakotay, actually lied?" he demanded in shock. Chakotay shrugged. "Well you know what they say, don't you, babe?" "No," Tom said suspiciously. "What do they say?" "If you can't beat `em, join `em," Chakotay sniggered. Tom gulped. "Chak?" "Yeah?" "You don't *really* mean that do you?" he asked in a small voice. Chakotay reached over and pulled him back into his arms. "No I don't, Tom," he said seriously. "And you're on warning that the first time I catch you lying to me again you won't be able to sit down for a week." "You'd really beat me?" Tom asked wide-eyed. "You bet your sweet ass, I will, Tom," Chakotay said sincerely. "But I tell you what I won't do." "What's that?" Tom asked. "I won't leave you," Chakotay promised. "I'll never leave you again." The End <Well that's it folks....except for maybe a chapter I'll tack on when I finally figure out a suitable punishment for Harry - ROFL>