There's Something About Harry
Chapter Three
by starstruck
Author's Note: For some reason, I always end up writing this story on my Apple computer, which makes the italics I make go away. So, sorry. I'll leave the emphasis stuff up to you. =)
I've been on a writing brain for the past few days, so, I mean, you know. Yay. I might actually get the next chapter out with good timing. For once.
And I'm sorry, I know I have short chapters... but, um... so?
&&
Of course, they should've expected the last minute hitch. After all, they were on Voyager, and everyone knew Voyager was a danger magnet. About ninety percent of the aliens in the Delta Quadrant had tried to kill them as soon as Voyager was in weapons range, and the majority of the remaining ten percent had tried to kill them after getting to know them.
And if that didn't clue them in, the fact that the Captain had placed Chakotay at the helm should have. At this point, everyone knew that letting Chakotay pilot anything was an invitation to disaster. In fact, under normal circumstances, some of the crew would most certainly have questioned that decision. But they had all been giddy - most from their arrival in the Alpha Quadrant, Tom from his daughter's arrival on Voyager - and they had carelessly forgotten that Chakotay was at the helm.
The Captain had even let him continue piloting on the ship after Alpha shift was over.
But there was no point in worrying too much about it. The past was best left to the past. Unfortunately, in this past, Chakotay had managed to crash the ship into the docking clamps of Utopia Planitia.
As if Voyager wasn't on the Federation newscasts enough already.
Of course, the Engineers of the station were the ones who took care of the damage to the station and to Voyager - so that the legendary ship's crew could have a few days to meet with family before the debriefings began.
Of course, as good a plan as this sounded, the last few days had gone downhill for Tom Paris for several key reasons:
a) B'Elanna was in a bad mood because the Captain wouldn't let her help with the repairs, b) B'Elanna was in an even worse mood after being introduced to Libby and her husband - as it turned out, Harry's old best friend Danny Byrd was, in fact, B'Elanna's childhood enemy and the creator of the nickname Miss Turtlehead, c) Tom had not managed to break the news about helping Seven win Harry over to B'Elanna because it would put her in a worse mood, even though he knew that she would be even more irritated at him for not telling her when the time finally did come d) Harry had taken to playing clarinet again, in preparation for seeing his parents - in the past, Tom had found it slightly irritating, but for some reason, now, it was downright annoying, e) Harry had a crush on one of the Utopia Planitia engineers, f) Shockingly, said Utopia Planitia engineer had a crush on Harry, g) Tom was, for some unfathomable reason, feeling very, very sorry for Seven - sometimes he wished he was less sympathetic to poor, tortured souls in love - or, well, something like it.
And despite the sappy reunion he had had with his own family, it was turning out to be in a very bad week.
And it had taken a turn for the worse when B'Elanna had mentioned Harry and Angela (his engineer friend) were coming over for dinner.
"What?" said Tom.
"I said, Harry and Angela are coming over for dinner tonight," said B'Elanna absentmindedly.
"Why?"
"What do you mean, why?"
"I mean, why are they coming? Did you invite them?"
"Yes," said B'Elanna. "Look, Tom, if it's really a big deal, I'll - "
"No, no, they can come," said Tom.
"But..." said B'Elanna.
"It's just, I already invited someone over for dinner."
Okay, so technically he hadn't, but he figured Seven of Nine would like to participate in their nice, friendly dinner with Harry and... Angela.
"Whom?" said B'Elanna.
"Uh... Seven," said Tom.
"Seven," repeated B'Elanna.
"Yeah," said Tom.
"...I don't think we've ever eaten anything with Seven," said B'Elanna.
"Well," countered Tom. "There was that one time she joined us after we came out of stasis."
"Right," said B'Elanna. "So we've eaten with her... once. About three years ago."
"Well," said Tom. "Maybe we should start now."
"Why?" said B'Elanna, clearly annoyed.
"Because... she's part of our Voyager family," said Tom. He wondered if that sounded as stupid to B'Elanna as it did to him.
"Right," said B'Elanna, in a voice that was half sarcasm and half confusion. "Well, I guess... they can all come to dinner."
"Sounds good," said Tom. And it did. It would give Seven a chance to formulate a plan of attack before Harry and Angela became too deeply involved.
She was going to need a good one.
Chapter Three
by starstruck
Author's Note: For some reason, I always end up writing this story on my Apple computer, which makes the italics I make go away. So, sorry. I'll leave the emphasis stuff up to you. =)
I've been on a writing brain for the past few days, so, I mean, you know. Yay. I might actually get the next chapter out with good timing. For once.
And I'm sorry, I know I have short chapters... but, um... so?
&&
Of course, they should've expected the last minute hitch. After all, they were on Voyager, and everyone knew Voyager was a danger magnet. About ninety percent of the aliens in the Delta Quadrant had tried to kill them as soon as Voyager was in weapons range, and the majority of the remaining ten percent had tried to kill them after getting to know them.
And if that didn't clue them in, the fact that the Captain had placed Chakotay at the helm should have. At this point, everyone knew that letting Chakotay pilot anything was an invitation to disaster. In fact, under normal circumstances, some of the crew would most certainly have questioned that decision. But they had all been giddy - most from their arrival in the Alpha Quadrant, Tom from his daughter's arrival on Voyager - and they had carelessly forgotten that Chakotay was at the helm.
The Captain had even let him continue piloting on the ship after Alpha shift was over.
But there was no point in worrying too much about it. The past was best left to the past. Unfortunately, in this past, Chakotay had managed to crash the ship into the docking clamps of Utopia Planitia.
As if Voyager wasn't on the Federation newscasts enough already.
Of course, the Engineers of the station were the ones who took care of the damage to the station and to Voyager - so that the legendary ship's crew could have a few days to meet with family before the debriefings began.
Of course, as good a plan as this sounded, the last few days had gone downhill for Tom Paris for several key reasons:
a) B'Elanna was in a bad mood because the Captain wouldn't let her help with the repairs, b) B'Elanna was in an even worse mood after being introduced to Libby and her husband - as it turned out, Harry's old best friend Danny Byrd was, in fact, B'Elanna's childhood enemy and the creator of the nickname Miss Turtlehead, c) Tom had not managed to break the news about helping Seven win Harry over to B'Elanna because it would put her in a worse mood, even though he knew that she would be even more irritated at him for not telling her when the time finally did come d) Harry had taken to playing clarinet again, in preparation for seeing his parents - in the past, Tom had found it slightly irritating, but for some reason, now, it was downright annoying, e) Harry had a crush on one of the Utopia Planitia engineers, f) Shockingly, said Utopia Planitia engineer had a crush on Harry, g) Tom was, for some unfathomable reason, feeling very, very sorry for Seven - sometimes he wished he was less sympathetic to poor, tortured souls in love - or, well, something like it.
And despite the sappy reunion he had had with his own family, it was turning out to be in a very bad week.
And it had taken a turn for the worse when B'Elanna had mentioned Harry and Angela (his engineer friend) were coming over for dinner.
"What?" said Tom.
"I said, Harry and Angela are coming over for dinner tonight," said B'Elanna absentmindedly.
"Why?"
"What do you mean, why?"
"I mean, why are they coming? Did you invite them?"
"Yes," said B'Elanna. "Look, Tom, if it's really a big deal, I'll - "
"No, no, they can come," said Tom.
"But..." said B'Elanna.
"It's just, I already invited someone over for dinner."
Okay, so technically he hadn't, but he figured Seven of Nine would like to participate in their nice, friendly dinner with Harry and... Angela.
"Whom?" said B'Elanna.
"Uh... Seven," said Tom.
"Seven," repeated B'Elanna.
"Yeah," said Tom.
"...I don't think we've ever eaten anything with Seven," said B'Elanna.
"Well," countered Tom. "There was that one time she joined us after we came out of stasis."
"Right," said B'Elanna. "So we've eaten with her... once. About three years ago."
"Well," said Tom. "Maybe we should start now."
"Why?" said B'Elanna, clearly annoyed.
"Because... she's part of our Voyager family," said Tom. He wondered if that sounded as stupid to B'Elanna as it did to him.
"Right," said B'Elanna, in a voice that was half sarcasm and half confusion. "Well, I guess... they can all come to dinner."
"Sounds good," said Tom. And it did. It would give Seven a chance to formulate a plan of attack before Harry and Angela became too deeply involved.
She was going to need a good one.