Tom thought he was dead.

Darkness surrounded him. He wasn't cold anymore.

Gradually, as his senses awakened, he began to understand where he was. The slickness of snow and sleet had been replaced by the grainy texture of sand. The crisp mountain air had given way to the earthy dank aroma of the cavern.

He tried to sit up, but pain wracked his body. He whimpered through clenched teeth. I've been injured in a fall, he thought groggily. He could taste blood in his mouth. God…

"Tom?" said a voice from far away, "Answer if you hear me."

"B'Elanna?" he murmured. He could hear her voice but it sounded as if it was from a dream. He closed his eyes, felt the heaviness of sleep covering him like a blanket. Sleep…that's all he wanted.

"Answer if you hear me," her voice repeated.

A distant, but lucid part of his mind told him it really was B'Elanna's voice. But where…?

"Tom, please respond," A trace of desperation tinted her words, "Please…"

The combadge on his tunic was working again. He lifted his arm. It felt heavy as if weights had been lashed onto it. Bright pain ignited at his shoulder and spread like fire down to his fingertips. He bit his bottom lip to hold back the agony, to clear his mind for the arduous task of tapping the combadge.

His arm trembled badly, but he finally made contact, "I'm here." His voice was weak, but he knew she heard because of the shouts and whoops in the background.

"Hold on, Tom," she said, her voice finally breaking, "We're coming to get you."

In the days that followed his rescue, Tom was able to piece together much of what happened, though there would always be some lingering questions. The answers to which were lost forever with the destruction of the sphere.

He was essentially whole and well again, though some soreness and bruises remained from the fall. These aches he intended to keep for a while because they reminded him of the reality of what happened.

"Tuvok will love this," Tom had said when he first saw the sphere. For all of Tuvok's Vulcan reserve, he did seem to love it. Every bit of it fascinated him and he studied it intently, the way the ship's shields had been programmed to repulse the shockwave, to how the sphere imploded in on itself.

All of this Freud must have known. He sacrificed himself when he came back to save Tom from certain death. He deliberately sent him to the sphere's weakest point. That area disintegrated and Tom broke through at the moment the shockwave hit.

The close call was something Tom didn't want to think about anymore than he had to. So he pushed it back and focused on the task at hand.

He approached B'Elanna's quarters. Before he had a chance to announce himself, her door swished open and she stepped out.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked.

"I'm sure," he said.

They walked silently down the corridor. B'Elanna was probably trying to give him some space. He didn't mind. As they headed toward the lift, he thought about the memorial service for the away team.

Marlena had been honored very highly. Many of the crew had words to say. She had been a well-respected officer and friend. The memorial was solemn and appropriate, and he thought she would have liked it. It lacked something though, and it took Tom a day or two to figure it out. No one had mentioned Dr. Freud.

So Tom planned a small service, along with the doctor, who insisted on being there.

Freud's emitter, all that they had of him, rested in a small black box. Like Freud, it too, couldn't survive in this world; it was disintegrating. There was enough of it left however, for them to give Freud a proper send off.

After a moment of silence and a few solemn words, they placed the box inside an airlock and released it into space. They watched silently as it drifted out of sight. Tom could have sworn he saw tears in the doctor's eyes.

"He had a good soul," the doctor said.

Now, as Tom and B'Elanna stood in the turbo lift, he silently agreed. Freud must have had a soul. He would never forget him.

When they exited the turbo lift, Harry Kim saw them.

"Tom," he said, "I found some interesting information about this quadrant." He showed Tom the PADD he was carrying. "Different worlds- worlds that have no cultural connection to one another- have very similar myths and legends. They tell about great conflicts between mortals and gods. The similarities are incredible. I think the legends had something to do with that sphere."

Tom took the PADD and studied it for a moment, "Can I borrow this?"

"Yeah," said Harry, "I was bringing it to you."

"Thanks, Harry."

Harry nodded and left.

"That does look interesting," said B'Elanna. Tom casually handed it to her as they arrived at the holodeck.

When they stepped in, the program was already in progress.
"Beautiful!" said B'Elanna, "Absolutely, beautiful."

"It is," replied Tom. He handed B'Elanna her gear. Then he began to strap on his own skis.

"Lt. Lowry made this, huh?" said B'Elanna.

"Yeah, she did."

"Wow. She had quite a talent."

Tom nodded in agreement. He straightened up, and took in a deep breath of clean cool air. "Yeah, she did."

B'Elanna looked at Tom, tilted her head to one side, and regarded him silently.

Tom chuckled when he saw her expression. He didn't know what B'Elanna was thinking, but he knew it had something to do with he and Marlena.

He drew her close and kissed her softly.

"I wanted to share this with you," he said, "She knew that you and I…" he began, "She knew that I loved you."

B'Elanna returned the kiss, "That's just what I wanted to hear." She held him for a moment, then said, "Are you ready?" she stepped away, preparing herself for the thrilling glide down the slope.

"Ready as I'll ever be," he replied.

"See you at the bottom!" she said as she started off.

"Stay away from the left!" he shouted. She laughed; the echo bounced joyfully though the crisp air.

He pulled his goggles down over his eyes and launched into his descent, "Woo-hoo!" his own voice echoed through the mountains.

-Fin