There's Something About Harry
Chapter Two
By starstruck
Author's Note: Meh. I don't like this chapter as much =\ It's more of a set-up for things to come than it is interesting to me. But oh well.
&&
Ha.
Harry was off-duty.
For what felt like the first time in five days.
"Paris to Kim."
"Whaddya want, Tom?" said Harry instinctively.
"Have you had lunch yet?"
"Nooo," said Harry.
"Meet me in the mess hall in five minutes?'
"Uhh, Tom," Harry began.
"C'mon," said Tom. "It'll be one of our last meals together on Voyager. You know, just like old times."
"Fine," sighed Harry, putting away his clarinet.
&&
Just like old times. Right, Tom.
Old times, for Tom and Harry, were normally (if anything qualified as normal on Voyager) a nice, disgusting meal in the mess hall, with Tom making fun of something inbetween complaints about the meal for the evening. Typically, something was either Harry's long strings of failed relationships, Harry's clarinet (this had eventually driven him to start the saxophone, which Tom considered much less annoying), or some aspect of Harry's character (his gullibility, his eagerness, and his over-achieving tendencies, to name a few). In the early years, B'Elanna had rolled her eyes at the two of them
Tonight, the food was palatable, Tom was silently grinning, and Miral was there instead of B'Elanna.
...and something in Tom's grin told Harry that he was planning something.
Again.
Which always meant disaster.
"So, have you talked to anybody from Earth yet?" said Tom suddenly.
"Yeah, my parents and Libby," said Harry.
"Ooh, Libby," said Tom. "What did she have to say?"
"She just said hi," said Harry suspiciously. "Why?"
"Oh, no reason," said Tom nonchalantly. "Are you two getting together for lunch anytime?"
"Um, Tom," said Harry. "Like I told you years ago, Libby's married."
"Married?" repeated Tom dumbly.
"Yeah, married," said Harry.
"Who'd she marry?"
"Um, why does it matter?" said Harry. The last thing he needed was another girl to add to the long list of failed relationships...
"That bad, huh?"
"Worse," muttered Harry. "She married Danny Byrd?"
"Wait," said Tom, confused. "You lost a girl to B'Elanna's old nemesis?"
"No," said Harry, "I lost a girl to my old best friend."
"Ouch," said Tom, wincing. "So what's it now? A hologram..."
"...a borg, the wrong twin, a terrorist, and various others who can't be explained in so few words," finished Harry dully.
"I was just remembering them all this morning," said Tom. "Remember how you chewed me out in sickbay for saying the wrong thing to Seven?"
"Oh, god," said Harry, "don't even remind me."
"It wasn't that bad," said Tom. "I mean, compared to that planet of women to mated and then killed..."
"No, Seven was worse," said Harry.
Tom gave Harry a decidedly fake laugh.
Harry raised an eyebrow.
"That was a good one, Harry," said Tom quickly. "I mean, Seven? Worse than the planet of beautiful killer women?"
"You don't know the half of it, Tom," said Harry, sticking his fork in his (replicated) apple pie and trying not to think about... that night.
"Oh?" said Tom inquisitively.
Harry rolled his eyes. He was not telling Tom that story.
"What happened, Harry?" asked Tom.
"Look, it was nothing major," said Harry. "We were just in the mess hall, and I was trying to be nice to her, and..."
Harry was interrupted by a loud crash.
"What now?" muttered Tom.
"All senior officers, please report to the bridge," came the Captain's voice over the comm.
"Well," said Harry as they both stood up, "it wouldn't be Voyager if something didn't go wrong now."
"I'm just disappointed I don't get to hear the end of that story," said Tom.
"I figured," said Harry.
Author's Note: Meh. I don't like this chapter as much =\ It's more of a set-up for things to come than it is interesting to me. But oh well.
&&
Ha.
Harry was off-duty.
For what felt like the first time in five days.
"Paris to Kim."
"Whaddya want, Tom?" said Harry instinctively.
"Have you had lunch yet?"
"Nooo," said Harry.
"Meet me in the mess hall in five minutes?'
"Uhh, Tom," Harry began.
"C'mon," said Tom. "It'll be one of our last meals together on Voyager. You know, just like old times."
"Fine," sighed Harry, putting away his clarinet.
&&
Just like old times. Right, Tom.
Old times, for Tom and Harry, were normally (if anything qualified as normal on Voyager) a nice, disgusting meal in the mess hall, with Tom making fun of something inbetween complaints about the meal for the evening. Typically, something was either Harry's long strings of failed relationships, Harry's clarinet (this had eventually driven him to start the saxophone, which Tom considered much less annoying), or some aspect of Harry's character (his gullibility, his eagerness, and his over-achieving tendencies, to name a few). In the early years, B'Elanna had rolled her eyes at the two of them
Tonight, the food was palatable, Tom was silently grinning, and Miral was there instead of B'Elanna.
...and something in Tom's grin told Harry that he was planning something.
Again.
Which always meant disaster.
"So, have you talked to anybody from Earth yet?" said Tom suddenly.
"Yeah, my parents and Libby," said Harry.
"Ooh, Libby," said Tom. "What did she have to say?"
"She just said hi," said Harry suspiciously. "Why?"
"Oh, no reason," said Tom nonchalantly. "Are you two getting together for lunch anytime?"
"Um, Tom," said Harry. "Like I told you years ago, Libby's married."
"Married?" repeated Tom dumbly.
"Yeah, married," said Harry.
"Who'd she marry?"
"Um, why does it matter?" said Harry. The last thing he needed was another girl to add to the long list of failed relationships...
"That bad, huh?"
"Worse," muttered Harry. "She married Danny Byrd?"
"Wait," said Tom, confused. "You lost a girl to B'Elanna's old nemesis?"
"No," said Harry, "I lost a girl to my old best friend."
"Ouch," said Tom, wincing. "So what's it now? A hologram..."
"...a borg, the wrong twin, a terrorist, and various others who can't be explained in so few words," finished Harry dully.
"I was just remembering them all this morning," said Tom. "Remember how you chewed me out in sickbay for saying the wrong thing to Seven?"
"Oh, god," said Harry, "don't even remind me."
"It wasn't that bad," said Tom. "I mean, compared to that planet of women to mated and then killed..."
"No, Seven was worse," said Harry.
Tom gave Harry a decidedly fake laugh.
Harry raised an eyebrow.
"That was a good one, Harry," said Tom quickly. "I mean, Seven? Worse than the planet of beautiful killer women?"
"You don't know the half of it, Tom," said Harry, sticking his fork in his (replicated) apple pie and trying not to think about... that night.
"Oh?" said Tom inquisitively.
Harry rolled his eyes. He was not telling Tom that story.
"What happened, Harry?" asked Tom.
"Look, it was nothing major," said Harry. "We were just in the mess hall, and I was trying to be nice to her, and..."
Harry was interrupted by a loud crash.
"What now?" muttered Tom.
"All senior officers, please report to the bridge," came the Captain's voice over the comm.
"Well," said Harry as they both stood up, "it wouldn't be Voyager if something didn't go wrong now."
"I'm just disappointed I don't get to hear the end of that story," said Tom.
"I figured," said Harry.