Summary:  C/P, KT's CPSG "Halloween" challenge.  Part Five:  A little romance, a little mystery.
Copyright October 2001 Cassatt

Tom woke up with unfamiliar yet familiar skin under his cheek. Opening his eyes, he was surprised at how dark the room was. He was sprawled half on Chakotay's back and half on the mattress and not wanting to move in the least, but the need to pee and the need to eat were paramount. One he could take care of, one he couldn't. But still, he lingered, inhaling the scent of Chakotay's skin, hoping and praying he could wake like this every morning until he died. He sighed. His bladder was not cooperating.

Okay, gorgeous, I'm getting up. With a soft kiss to the shoulder blade under his mouth he rolled out of bed. He found the lighter and lit one of the lamps. There was no more moonlight, but neither was there sunlight, which was perplexing. He understood there was a star that functioned as a sun. He found his combadge on the dresser and, taking it into the bathroom, he tried to quietly contact the computer and check the time. 0642. After lighting lamps and candles, he looked out the window and received another shock. While he relieved himself, he thought about what he'd seen.

The sun was actually a dark gray orb. So clearly he wasn't looking at the planet's sun, or he was and all of its solar energy was being blocked, or something else weird was happening now that only happened every hundred or so years.

Starting the bath, he let his mind wander back to where it really wanted to go. To the man sleeping in the other room. His lover. Maybe they could just spend the day in bed. After breakfast, however, his stomach reminded him. He went through the bedroom, wondering where his promised clean clothes would be, looking at the bed as he passed, seeing that Chakotay had only moved his head and was still snoring softly.

He opened the door to the hallway and there were two new sets of clothing, though they'd left the dirty ones in a pile inside the room. As he took the clothes off the doorknob, he glanced down and found a clean set of sheets and some towels. Sheets?Did they know ours were dirty or did everyone get a fresh set? With that disquieting thought he brought the clothes in, put out the dirty ones, and took in the sheets and towels, turning around to put them on the bed. An empty bed.

Grinning widely he went to the bathroom and was graced by the sight of the most amazingly wonderful man in the entire Delta Quadrant, hell, the entire universe, relaxing in the now filled bathtub. You have it bad, Tommy, very, very bad. "Good morning," he said.

"Good morning." Chakotay smiled his gorgeous smile. "Aren't you going to join me?"

Tom found he couldn't get the grin off his face, even when he tried, it popped back out. He slid into the tub and straight into the open arms of the man he loved more than his own life. At the full body contact he was flooded with memories of the night before, and as Chakotay pulled him tight he felt the other man's arousal equaling his own. And when Chakotay rolled them so Tom's head was resting on the prepared towel his heart started its little dance, as they smiled at each other, knowing exactly what was going to happen. Tom could think of only one thing to say to his lover. "Bath," he said, stroking Chakotay's soft ass. With a laugh and a bit of a growl, the man he loved captured his mouth in a possessive, thorough kiss, the lightning bolt hit them both, and they began to move against each other, Tom willingly clutching with his feet and legs this time.

In the unexpected darkness, Greg had difficulty seeing past the foot of the bed. He had no difficulty remembering who was lying in his arms - one of the cutest men on the ship. He hoped Harry was sleeping more deeply than he had been in the middle of the night. Greg had barely woken during the flailing onslaught, instinctively pulling him close, aware only that Harry had quieted once he was being held tightly to his chest. He briefly considered extracting himself out from under but decided against it. This was actually a nice place to be, even if the room was just too damned dark to be believed.

"Why am I lying here," Harry mumbled. Not that he minded, once he figured out what reality was, he relaxed into it. Greg had a nice chest. Very comfortable.

Greg chuckled. That was Harry, all right. Get the facts first. "I think you had a nightmare at some point."

Harry tried to remember, but he'd been in the Delta Quadrant too long. He'd trained his mind to try and forget the nightmares that had plagued him the first year and which were only sporadic now. If last night had been one of those, he was surprised. The nightmares usually hit after a day when memories of home were particularly strong and difficult to ignore. That hadn't happened in a while. "Did I say anything?"

"Not that I heard, although I was a bit busy trying to deflect the punches," Greg said with a smile.

Harry raised his head quickly. "Oh, God, Greg, I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?"

Greg tried not to let his smile get out of hand. A tousled Harry was even cuter than a perfectly combed one. "No, don't worry, I'm too strong for you."

"Yeah, right, Ayala," Harry teased. "That's why you're the protector and I am merely a lowly holder of information."

"That is right, Kim, and don't you forget it. You're in the arms of the protector. All powerful."

Harry smiled and lowered his head again. "I concede that it must have felt good, because I slept great. In the arms of the protector." He was glad he'd thought to turn away, for he could feel his cheeks flame. "But man, am I hungry. How long has it been since we ate? No, don't answer that," he said looking into the room for the first time. "And why the hell is it so dark in here? I thought it was daytime...."

Neelix woke up to a gentle, but repeated, prod to his shoulder. In his confusion, her first thought the ship's alarm must not have awoken him in time to prepare breakfast for alpha shift. Thoughts of mounds of Malverian pancakes needing to be made receded as his eyes opened to the glow of lamplight and the serious visage of Tuvok.

"Mr. Neelix, it is logical to assume that breakfast will be offered soon. You may want to bathe and prepare to go downstairs."

Shaking out the cobwebs, he sat up and looked around. He glanced to the window, his heart fluttering with the memory of the night before. The memory took a back seat to what he saw through the pains of glass. His stomach turned over. "Mr. Tuvok."

Tuvok returned to the bed side from the dresser where he'd been attaching his combadge to the black tunic. "Yes."

"It looks very dark out there. I thought this planet had cycles of day and night. And a star for solar energy."

"It does, you are correct. When the captain called, I made a request to Seven of Nine for some further calculations as to the exact location of the sun. We will have answers when the captain makes her next contact. Likely during breakfast."

"The captain called?"

"Yes. You did not waken."

Neelix was confused. "Why didn't she contact the commander? Is he all right?"

Tuvok raised one eyebrow. "He is fine. The captain did not wish to disturb him again. She has a list and I am number two."

For some reason, Neelix wanted to understand this. He counted on knowing Commander Chakotay was in charge, for as much as he respected, admired, and liked Tuvok, the commander's leadership gave him a sense of comfort on these away missions and always had. The big man was his hero. If Tom hadn't saved the commander's life, the commander wouldn't have saved his. Tom. He smiled to himself. Perhaps the captain knew, and was as unsurprised as Harry and Greg had been. He had to admit, he'd certainly missed this one. And as the ship's Morale Officer, it seemed to him a bit of a failure on his part. He vowed to fix the omission - he'd wish the two men the best. They both deserved all the happiness they could find. He bounded out of bed, buoyed by his renewed faith in the power of love.

"Chakotay, I have a question. A serious one," Tom said. He pulled his clean white tunic over his head and reached for the comb.

"Damn," Chakotay said, rummaging through his drawer. "I forgot to ask for socks. And why didn't she call..." Raising his head, he met piercing blue eyes, and the statement registered. "Sorry, Tom. What's the question?" He started to pull on his only pair of socks.

"What's regulation 128.4?"

Butterflies hit the walls of Chakotay's stomach. He took a deep breath. "Before I answer that, you do know that Tuvok was completely out of line, don't you?"

"Yeah, I got that."

"Okay. It's a reg that's in the command manual. A subsection of the non-fraternization policy between officers. If an officer of lower rank gets involved with a member of the command team, that involvement should be looked upon with suspicion." He paused, thinking of a way to say it that wouldn't be as bad as it was.

Tom watched him struggle. "Suspicion, how - like I'm going to be taken advantage of, a sexual harassment issue?"

"No, that's regulation 128.3..."

Tom interrupted him. "You've got to be kidding - point four says that I'm going to take advantage of you?"

"Yes, in a way. The lower ranking officer should be investigated to be sure the relationship is not being used to, well, curry favors. That's the standard English version, anyway. And Tom..." Chakotay saw a very familiar fire begin to burn in Tom's eyes, and made a silent vow that he'd do anything he could to keep that from being directed at him again. Tom threw his comb and it skidded across the dresser. "Tom..."

"What," Tom said with his hands on his hips.

But Chakotay didn't actually know what to say, if he'd been in the other man's shoes, he'd be just as angry. He had a brief but satisfying fantasy of throttling a certain Vulcan with his bare hands until both eyebrows raised to the hairline. "At least Tuvok apologized," he said, turning his palms over.

"I don't care. He thought it right off the bat, without knowing anything. After knowing me for how many years?!" Tom's hands were moving forcefully through the air. He hadn't felt this angry in quite a while. Then he remembered how furious Chakotay had been the day before when Tuvok first brought the topic up. He tried to breathe. "Why aren't you still upset with him? He insulted you, too."

"Tom, I was so ... overwhelmed by your impassioned plea on my behalf, Tuvok and his opinions didn't seem so important. I was too happy. Besides, I knew how the captain felt about the whole situation, at least my perspective anyway. I didn't think she'd have any issues with us. Together."

Tom considered this point of view to see if he could feel the same way, Tuvok had apologized, he supposed he could give him that. Of course, Chakotay locking eyes with him as he approached and pulling him into a tight embrace while nuzzling his neck was having a remarkable effect on his anger. He was rapidly turning into a pool of melted butter. A tongue caressing his earlobe was doing the trick as well. God, this man was smoldering sensuality incarnate, he thought. And he was his. Tom ran his hands down Chakotay's back to that very clutchable ass that he used to stare at, hopefully unnoticed, as the commander walked down the corridor in front of him. Or played pool. Or climbed up some rocky terrain as they gathered foodstuffs. He sighed deeply. All his.

Chakotay moved off Tom's delicious neck and pulled his head down enough to kiss him, slowly, methodically, then more thoroughly, and deeply. Letting the taste of his lover assault his senses, sending trails of fire down through his heart and to his groin. His hands still got that tingly feeling whenever they started kissing, which was a new experience for him. No one had ever affected him like Tom did. He was, once again, drowning in him, and enjoying every minute.

"Chak...," Tom said against his lips, "can we spend the day in bed..."

Chakotay smiled to hear his name familiarized, then sent his tongue exploring already well-charted territory. Luscious, sweet territory. Completely lickable....

"Chak," Tom repeated, pulling back, breathing heavily, "I'm gonna start tearing your clothes off in about two seconds."

He looked into dark blue eyes, glowing from the light of the nearby lamp, and caressed Tom's cheek. "I don't know what we're doing today, but I can promise you that when we do get back in bed, you are going to be taken - to within an inch of your life..." He latched his mouth onto Tom's neck and gently sucked and licked.

"Oh, God...," Tom mumbled. Yes, please, take me, fuck me into oblivion. Please...

A bell tolled from another part of the building. Then did it again. And a third time.

Tom's stomach growled in sympathetic response. They slowly pulled away from each other and smiled. Ruing the lack of cold showers, Tom went to splash some cold water on his face in an attempt to calm down.

Chakotay was letting the dresser support him as he tried to think of something besides how much he wanted to be prone with Tom. So he almost didn't notice the feather light touch on his forehead. When he did feel it, completely, definitely, his first response was surprise. Something was lightly tracing his tattoo. He did not feel at all afraid. The tracing continued until, in his mind's eye, it had been meticulously completed. Then and only then did he turn to his left. He saw nothing, but he felt the sudden absence of... someone?

Harry and Greg were sitting and eating already when Neelix came in a few steps behind Tuvok. They greeted each other, commented on the food possibilities, but made no mention of the darkness outside. If they'd known of the adage, the elephant in the room, they would have understood the aptness of its application, while still trying to ignore it. Tuvok considered it appropriate to wait until the commander arrived to bring up the topic, but Neelix felt more comfortable with pretending it was merely an elephant. Greg and Harry were just preoccupied with the imminent arrival of their friends, each wanting to corner one of the men, grill them on what had happened, and subtly try and find out how the night had gone.

Chakotay and Tom, of course, had no idea what awaited them. They were simply preoccupied with each other and with what had happened to Chakotay and his tattoo. And walking down the stairs, coming to the conclusion that holding hands wasn't enough, Tom once again draped his arm around Chakotay's shoulders and tried to refrain from nibbling on his earlobe while his commanding officer tried to refrain from running his hand under Tom's tunic. He settled for holding onto the younger man's hip. That is, until they entered the room. The looks on Harry's, Greg's, and Neelix's faces were enough for them to return to holding hands and attempt to nonchalantly greet everyone on their way to the sideboard and breakfast.

"I think we're about to be interrogated...," Tom muttered under his breath. No sooner were the words out of his mouth then they both were soundly clapped on the back and spun around.

Greg beamed at his former captain and grabbed a hand in both of his, shaking it firmly. "Chakotay - I'm real happy for you. I know," he hesitated, glancing at Tom and Harry with their heads together, "I know how much you've wanted this..."

Chakotay took pity on the man, trying to be respectful, when he knew full well if they'd been by themselves, Greg would be pumping him unmercifully for details. He brought his friend into a quick bearhug and laughed. "It's good, Greg, better than I ever imagined," he whispered, "he's, he's good for me."

When Greg pulled back, he looked carefully at Chakotay. "You have told each other how you feel, haven't you?" he said quietly.

"...yeah, thanks Har. I'm so over the top I can't believe it," Tom whispered.

"It took you two long enough to say something...," Harry said.

Tom stared at his best friend. "What do you mean? What did you know?" he said loudly.

"What do you know about how we feel?" Chakotay said at almost the same time. He met Tom's eyes. "Okay," Chakotay said to their friends in his best command voice, "we want answers and we want them now. Talk, you two, since you apparently know so much. Come on."

Greg locked eyes with Harry. Harry motioned for him to speak. Greg did the same in return. Harry shook his head. Greg sighed and turned to Chakotay.

"Harry and I have talked over the years, you know, playing pool and stuff. We've known for quite awhile that you two were in love with each other but wouldn't do anything about it. No big deal."

Tom threw up his hands. "Jesus, Harry, you mean you let me go on and on about him all this time and never said anything?" He looked at Chakotay. "And you - you told the captain, you told Greg, anyone else you told before me?"

Chakotay grinned, helpless to do anything else in front of someone so handsomely flustered. "You went on and on about me?"

Tom put his hands on his hips and tried staring him down but faltered. "Yeah, I did. What else was I gonna do?" His face broke into a slow grin. "So Greg," he said, still looking at his lover, "what exactly did he say and when did he say it?"

"Oh, no, Tom, no way..."

"It's okay, Greg, tell him, at least how long," Chakotay said, also with his eyes firmly on his lover's.

"Let's see, Cap, when was that first conversation about Tom... we were drunk, I think, taking a rare break, and having a rarer drink, we were on Ceres IV, wasn't that it? Yeah, that was it, the waitress had just asked you to meet her later, upstairs, and you'd turned her down..." He stopped talking because he could see that Tom was no longer listening. He had a stunned look on his face.

"Ceres IV, Chak? Really? But that was just...  the captain said, but I thought it wasn't quite so...  Ceres IV?"

"Yes, Tom, that was just a month after I met you," Chakotay answered softly. He reached out and took his hand. "Come on, let's get some food..."

Neelix was also stunned. He concluded that he really had completely missed something crucially important to the dynamics of this human crew. He'd learned that this race was loyal, loving, intense and honorable, for the most part. But for these two men to have had such deep feelings for one another for that long, yes it did explain a lot, and at the same time, it was a mystery to him.

Harry and Greg sat down again and looked at each other. They both knew their questions had been answered for the most part. Their friends were, as Tom had said, so far over the top... Yet if either had been able to read minds, they would have been surprised by their thoughts. They were each wondering if that sort of connection with another person would be possible, in their own lives. If being friends with someone and feeling attraction could translate into, well, into what they were witnessing.

Tuvok watched the entire scene, analyzing everything he saw and heard. He fully understood that he had been in error assuming this new complication between the commander and the lieutenant fell within the purview of 128.4. And though he had made a thorough study of human emotions in an attempt to fulfill his destiny as a Vulcan, the relationship between these two men warranted further observation. Logically, there were facets to love that even he had not quite uncovered. His long ago teachers had clearly missed something.

At the sideboard that was covered with food, Tom was gathering things onto his plate at a rapid pace. He was so damned hungry. He looked to his left and saw Chakotay studying things carefully. Uh oh, he thought. Looking at what was on his plate he saw the problem. He moved farther down the buffet and finally found what the man was searching for.

"Chakotay, I think I found the vegetarian stuff," he said, spearing what was probably a tuber of some sort and turning. Full blown dimples were his reward.

Chakotay sighed in relief and smiled. He let Tom put a piece of something in his mouth. "Delicious, like a potato, thank you." He was so hungry, but he didn't want to fill up on fruit and bread alone. They switched ends and filled their plates, then drifted back together. Chakotay looked at Tom's bounty and smiled. "I'm gonna have to be frugal with my rations so I'll have enough to keep you fed and happy," he said quietly.

Tom was only aware that the room around them faded at that moment. He'd thought he couldn't possibly feel more for this man than he already did. He was being provoked by him on an entirely different level now. Harsh words from his father intruded, speaking of unworthiness, a destiny of failure, and loneliness. Admiral, do you see me now? I am loved... Tears were stinging his eyes and he tried to breathe them away.

Watching emotions play out on Tom's face and tears form, Chakotay's heart caught. "Tom, what's wrong," he said, putting an arm around his shoulders and rubbing the back of his neck. When Tom finally looked at him, wiping his eyes, he could see that the blue was clear and focused.

"That is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me, Chak. Really."

"I love you," he said simply.

Tom smiled. "I'm getting that." He had a vision, and reached out to run his hand through Chakotay's short, soft hair, finally resting it on his neck.

"What?"

"I'm thinking that you're probably still going to be gorgeous even with a head of gray hair," Tom said with a smile. "And I'll still love you," he added quietly. It was his turn to see eyes get misty, so he leaned in and gave Chakotay a quick, light kiss. "Come on, big guy, let's eat breakfast." This time, he laced their fingers together and led them back to the table.

"Okay, it's time for that report," Chakotay said after finishing the last of his tea. Letting his hand fall he clasped Tom's, which had been resting on his thigh while they ate. He looked to Greg, Harry and Neelix in turn, and waited.

Once again, it was Greg who spoke up, though the decision about that had come the night before. He took a deep breath and proceeded to give his report as succinctly and professionally as possible. All three of them hoped the dry recitation of facts would make the reality sound less threatening and less chilling. When he finished, they waited for the inevitable questions. Instead they were met with silence.

It was Tuvok who broke it. "If I am understanding you correctly, the child you were following was not seen continuously?" They nodded. "Under what circumstances did the child reappear?"

"Excellent question, Tuvok," Chakotay said. He'd been thinking about how the 'tattoo tracer', as he and Tom had dubbed it, had felt to him. It was possible that, if it was a finger doing the tracing, it could have been small enough to be a child's.

"After the first time, when Neelix and I were looking out the door," Greg said, "I didn't see it again until we were at the top of the circular stairs..."

"But we didn't really see anything," Harry added, "other than something red, near the bottom. I thought it might be a coat."

"Or some boots," Neelix added.

"Why were you at the top of the stairs, if the footsteps were going down?" Tom asked. He was fascinated and kind of sorry he'd missed the experience.

The three exchanged glances. "We were thinking about, well, about not following, we were already getting sort of lost," Harry said, fully realizing that didn't sound like intrepid Starfleet officers. Then he made the connection. "That's when it happened, like we were being teased, to follow again... and then in the hallway... it happened again. Except Greg was the only one who saw it."

"Lieutenant," Tuvok said, "you stated that you felt, quote, extreme curiosity, end quote, about the doorway you were near."

"Yes, sir. That's when I was attacked," Greg answered his direct superior.

Silence reigned again.

Chakotay coughed. "Well, this certainly is one of the more interesting trading missions I've been involved with," he said, trying to lighten the tone. He knew his crew was needing some answers, but without scientific equipment, it would be difficult. Not impossible, however, though that was something that, for now, he'd keep to himself.

"And Commander, it is, I believe, even more interesting as you put it." Tuvok looked directly at Neelix, who started to shake his head. "Mr. Neelix. You must tell the commander what you saw last night," he said in his most imperious tone.

Neelix sighed, wringing his hands. "Very well, Mr. Tuvok." He locked eyes with Commander Chakotay, allowing the strength and peace he found there to give him courage. He told them of the child, burning to death, in their room. Trying to get out.

All of them, knowing Neelix's background, tried to give the Talaxian words of comfort. Greg and Harry told him if he needed to he could come to their room - anytime. That's when Neelix shared with his friends that Tuvok had been teaching him meditation, and that he'd derived some serenity from the experience. No one had any response to that, though Tom got a kick out of the mental picture it gave him. He still could barely look Tuvok in the eye.

Finally, they mentioned the elephant in the room. Chakotay brought it up, but Tuvok confirmed that he'd spoken with the captain and was waiting for an explanation about the lack of sunlight. During the conversation, the anxiety level around the table increased palpably and Chakotay wanted to know why.

"Two words, Commander," Greg answered. "The void."

"But this isn't the same, we're not stuck here indefinitely, we'll be going home tomorrow, it's just a little darker than it was last night. And will be tonight, actually," Chakotay answered.

"Yes, but it would have been a nice relief to see some natural light today."

"It's damned creepy in this building," Harry muttered.

"Harry, are you still feeling like that?" Tom said. "I'm getting used to it, even starting to like it, the candle light and all. It's kind of cozy..."

"Cozy?!" Harry sputtered. "It's far from co..."

Tuvok interrupted him. "I believe I may have an explanation, gentlemen. The atmosphere in the commander's room is very different from the rest of the building. I noticed it last night. I sense a certain heaviness everywhere but in that room."

"I don't notice any difference," Chakotay said. "Tom, do you?" Tom shook his head. "Not that I don't believe you, Tuvok."

"Captain Janeway to Commander Chakotay." Her voice was loud, in stark contrast to the quiet tone of the general conversation up to that point.

Chakotay tapped his combadge. "Chakotay here, Captain. We're in the middle of a breakfast meeting." He hoped this would deter her from any personal conversation.

"Good morning, everyone. Chakotay, Tuvok requested some information from Seven. I confess I'm a little confused by the request. You're certain there's no sunlight down there?"

Chakotay looked around the table as he answered. "Yes," he said slowly, "the sun, or what's in the position of a sun, is dark gray and gives off less light than the moons did last night."

"We just passed your hemisphere. The sun is shining fully onto the planet's surface where you are."

"Teacher, I apologize for the disrespect," Stygian said, his head bowed, his hands clasped in front of him.

"Do not worry. It is necessary for you to seek, or you will not learn." Medrich turned the ancient book of prophecy around and pointed to the middle of a page of the tome. "Read this aloud, and perhaps it will be clearer."

"Only with the light's obscurity will the truth be seen," Stygian read, "and the chosen one will once again walk Umbra for us all. But how do you know which light the ancients speak of?"

Medrich smiled serenely. "Quite simple. This is the day. Tonight is the night. There is no other light."

"And how did you perform such a powerful incantation?"

"Ah, that is the thing I will give you now. The ultimate knowledge. And the ultimate tool." He unlocked the cabinet to which only he possessed the key.

The commander, again, looked around the table at his colleagues. "It's time we do some investigating."
 
 
 

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