Promises, Promises by Darrel W. Beach Mar. 1999 Chapter 2 Seven stood in front of the entrance to Lt. Paris' quarters, poised to summon him to the door. She still couldn't decide whether or not she really wanted to pursue this avenue of investigation. Tom Paris wasn't exactly the kind of person she felt she could trust with a personal problem. However, she reminded herself of the reason she had come here. Seven had overheard a pair of women chatting away at a nearby table in the mess hall. She hadn't eavesdropped on purpose, of course. It simply came to pass that the talking women became more interesting than her dinner. "Did you hear what happened last night? It sounds like Tom Paris and Lieutenant Torres are going to break up." "Where'd you hear that?" "A friend of mine overheard Megan Delaney talking about it with Wendy Gallagher. Wendy was apparently repairing a plasma coolant leak when she heard B'Elanna complaining about him to Nicoletti." The listener blew a raspberry of dismissal. "Oh, big deal. She's always complaining about something." "Yeah, well, it seems she's getting frustrated with him." The Bajoran woman leaned in closer, trying to lower her voice. Not low enough to escape Seven's enhanced hearing, though. "He's having trouble with his landings, if you know what I mean." "No way! Mel, either Wendy or your friend should get their ears checked. The Tom I know wouldn't have a problem like that. He sure didn't the last time I went out with him." "Linda, that was almost nine months ago!" "I don't care if it was nine months ago or nine years. A guy like Tom isn't capable of losing the ability to satisfy a woman." "This is B'Elanna Torres we're talking about, remember? She's half-Klingon; she's not exactly known to be easily satisfied with anything." "Tom could give a *full-blooded* Klingon hot flashes, Mel. The man's a walking testosterone factory. I bet you're just jealous because he never got around to asking *you* out." "As if." Mel blushed furiously and tried to act indignant. Seven could easily see that Linda's observation had been accurate. Even Linda wasn't fooled. "Admit it, you want to 'feel his pagh', don't you?" "I'd rather grab his ass than his ear." As Linda and Mel tittered and laughed, Seven got up and left the dining area. She had heard enough to give her an idea. All the pieces fell into place like a simple puzzle. It wasn't enough to simply read about love and sexual attraction from a databank. The texts might provide extensive information about the physical and physiological nature of sex, but the psychological and emotional aspects were vague and confusing. Seven needed to know more than a basic how-to; the human equation to interpersonal relationships included romance and intimacy. If her information was at all accurate, who better to seek advice from than Tom Paris? She touched the door chime and waited. The doors parted a brief moment later, but no one was there to greet her. "Come on in," Tom's voice called out from an adjoining room. "I'll be right out; I'm just about finished changing." Seven stepped into the room, taking a look about. The main living area was clean, yet cluttered. Photo portraits, miniature spacecraft models, and other various piloting paraphernalia decorated the available table surfaces. Stacks of data padds and holographic isolinear chips littered the sofa. "Hey, Harry, what do you think of -" Tom walked out from his bedroom wearing a loud Hawaiian shirt, white knee-length shorts and yachting cap. He cut himself off when he saw he wasn't talking to his best friend. "Seven? I'm sorry, I thought you were Harry. We're going to try out a new holodeck program -" "Yes, I am aware of your plans. Ensign Kim informed me of them earlier today." "I see. I thought he was kind of early. So, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" With the moment at hand, Seven fought back her reservations and revealed her purpose. "I wish to comprehend the concepts of love and romance." Tom's initial shock gave way to mirth. "You almost had me there for a minute. Did Harry put you up to this?" Seven looked at him with a puzzled expression. "No, I came to see you of my own accord. I have recently begun experiencing a rather...disturbing change in my normal hormonal balance, which the Doctor has attributed to the re-emergence of my human persona. Lately I am finding myself increasingly distracted whenever I am in close proximity to men. I have even begun experiencing...fantasies...of a prurient nature. These experiences trouble me, yet I seem to have no recourse but to satisfy them. I have since learned that you have much experience in the areas of romance and sexual gratification. Thus, I have come to seek your assistance. You apparently do not suffer from the stigma of social intimacy." Tom now realised that this was no joke. "Whoa, wait a minute. Let me see if I've got this straight. You're telling me that your hormones are going berserk, you're thinking about having sex with every guy on the ship, and you've come to *me* for help?" "Correct, Lieutenant." For the first time in his entire life, Tom felt apprehensive about sex. "Uh, why me?" "If you'll recall, during our encounter with the Caatati you explicitly offered to help me assimilate into the lives of the crew. Your exact words were 'if there's any way that I can help you adjust to your life on *Voyager*, please ask me.' So I am asking you now." Tom began to sweat. Leave it to a Borg -- even an ex-Borg -- to recall precisely something he'd said nearly three months ago that even he barely remembered. "All right, maybe I did say that, but...but this isn't just *anything* you're talking about." "I do not understand. Why would you make such an offer if you did not intend to uphold it?" "Well...it's very complicated, Seven. Sometimes...sometimes when a person says they'll do anything for a friend, they really mean anything within reason. I mean, if you asked me to kill the captain, do you think I would do it?" "But I did not ask you to kill Captain Janeway." "That's not the point. What I'm trying to say is that there are some things I shouldn't help you with. Do you understand now?" For a second she contemplated the meaning of his explanation, then looked back at him with an even stare. "No. I fail to see the relevance of your argument." Tom sighed. "Seven, you don't know what you're asking me to do! Have you forgotten about me and B'Elanna?" "It has been suggested that the status of your relationship with Lieutenant Torres is currently unstable. However, such information is irrelevant. If I am to adjust to this crew, I must understand all the complexities associated with intimate relationships. Since you have promised to assist me with any necessary adjustments, and since you are apparently well experienced in interpersonal relationships, you are the ideal choice to instruct me." Before Tom could respond, Seven had her arms locked around his waist. "Now, where do you wish to begin?" At that moment the door chime beeped. "Come in!" Tom managed to squawk, desperately pulling himself free of her grasp. "Hey, Tom, ready to go?" The sentence trailed off as Harry saw Seven standing next to a very rattled Tom Paris. "Harry! Good to see ya! How've you been, buddy?" "Uh, fine, Tom," he answered distractedly. "Seven, what are you doing here?" Not one vocalisation managed to escape her lips. "What? Oh, nothing. Seven just dropped by to talk about some possible changes to the navigational control system," Tom babbled. He put his arm around her shoulder and started escorting her to the door. "Thanks, Seven. Those are some very interesting ideas." "But I did not -" "- give me all of your suggestions? That's all right, you can tell me about them tomorrow. Right now I'm on my way to the holodeck with Harry. Can't be late for that, you know? All right, see you tomorrow!" He gave her an extra push down the hallway, sweeping the motion into a wave of the hand. "Bye!" Without stopping, Tom turned around and did the same thing with Harry. "Isn't she great, Harry? You'd hardly even know she used to be a Borg. Hey, can't wait to try out that program. I really think you're going to like it...." "Yeah, can't wait." Harry glanced over his shoulder back at Seven, who was returning an equally disturbed expression. He wondered if he should accompany Tom to the holodeck or take him to Sickbay.