Title: Borrowed Lives
Fandom: Star Trek Voyager
Pairing: Chakotay/Tom Paris
Category: AU, romance, established-relationship (sort of), kid!fic
Length: long
Warnings: none

Author on LJ: n/a?
Website: TOMMYHAWK'S C/P SLASH PAGE

Author's Summary: A transporter has dropped Chakotay into an alternate universe where he's married to Tom Paris and has a child. But the predicament isn't what it seems, and before he's done, Chakotay has to make the hardest decisions of his life.

Review:
I just got back from a Star Trek concert hosted by John de Lancie, aka. Q, and Robert Picardo, the holographic doctor on Voyager. Wonderful music and a extremely enthusiastic audience (though I didn't spot anyone wearing the formal dress uniforms). So I thought, wouldn't it be nice to write a Star Trek rec!

As bad as The Original Series may be, the episode Mirror, Mirror popularized the concept of alternate universes, where things are sort of but not quite like the one we are in right now. ::I still like my Spock without facial hair, thank you very much.:: From that point on, the 'AU device' is re-used and recycled a gazillion times in movies, TV shows, and fiction.

Borrowed Lives was my very first Star Trek fanfic and till this day, remains one of my favourites. The premise is very simple: Chakotay is transported to an alternate universe after a transporter accident. However, he isn't entirely who he thinks he is, and now he has to make a decision.

While the Star Trek franchise is heavy on heroism and self-sacrifice (oh no, of course emotional attachment shouldn't make a difference), it is refreshing to see a character with different standards. Some people may consider the Tom Paris in this story to be OOC (and more likable), but we're dealing with an AU here. Plus, Chakotay is the real main character, and readers experience the subtle differences between the two universes through his eye. And best of all, the story ending is very clever and highly satisfying.

Borrowed Lives (pt. 1), (pt. 2), (pt. 3)