Some Tommy Angst

No gunplay, but some Tommy angst
Ruth — 15 Sep 1998, 6:58 PM

And I have absolutely no idea where this would fit in the timeline. Maybe after the scene D'Alaire is talking about writing. The guns could come later if Chakotay actually catches the two of them "spooning" as it were.

BTW, has anyone else noticed that in our story, Chakotay is still getting all the "guest babes" -- Lee-Marie, Cowgirl Vickie and now Madame D'Alaireux. Meanwhile, Janeway is alone with Betsy and her coffee pot.

Chakotay strode into the barn, pushing the door wide open with great force. Startled, Tom looked up from the harness he was working on, and stared at the other man. At first Chakotay thought Tom looked guilty, but this was quickly replaced by his usual air of cocky nonchalance. It was one of the things that Chakotay most disliked about young Janeway, his seeming inability to take anything seriously except perhaps his horses and his mother.

"Hello, Chakotay," Tom said smarmily. "Anything I can do for you on this fine day?"

"You have hay in your hair."

Tom quickly reached up and brushed his hand through his hair, dislodging the bits of hey. Then he looked at Chakotay with a blank expression, "That's it? You came in here to discuss my grooming habits? I'm really *touched* that you care."

Chakotay turned around and shut the door to the barn. He then turned back to the younger man and said, "I think you know this is more than about your hair. I want to know why B'Elanna just left here looking like she'd gotten into a fight with a bale of hay and lost."

Tom turned back to mending the harness. "I think B'Elanna is old enough to make her own choices, Chakotay. I don't see that it is any of your business."

Chakotay walked angrily over to Tom and yanked the harness out of his hands. "It is my business when my daughter gets involved with someone like you. She's had enough problems in her life already, she doesn't need her heart trampled on by a smooth talker like you, Janeway."

Tom's own temper was kicking in, "This isn't about B'Elanna at all, is it Chakotay? It's always been about me - you've never liked me from the first moment you stepped foot on the Delta Q. Come on now, the truth for once. My mother's no where around, and besides she always taught me to treat the *hired hands* like they were part of the family," he added sarcastically. "Tell me what you really think, Chakotay!"

"I didn't dislike you when I got here, Tom. But you were a drunk and a gambler, and I could never understand how two fine people like Mark and Kathryn Janeway ended up with you as their first born. I felt disgust more than anything else. The dislike came when your father came to me the night before he died, and told me that he suspected that you had taken some of Miss Kathryn's jewelry and sold it to some confidence man named Jonas. He knew you'd been gambling a lot and had been heavily into debt to Kaze Ogla. Suddenly, the jewelry was gone, and so were your debts."

Tom looked stunned. "Why didn't my father tell me any of this?"

"He couldn't find you. You were off in town, probably hanging around with Miss Jenny or Miss Megan. Drunk. He had this on his mind the night of the stampede. I've always thought it may have affected his judgment."

Tom paled. He stared at Chakotay, but Chakotay knew that it was not he that Tom was seeing but his father. Without saying another word, Tom left the barn.