Another Place

Chapter 3

Tom walked into Sickbay and looked around for his 'wife'. Seeing her nowhere in sight, he walked straight over to the main biobed and laid down. The Doctor, having seeing Tom enter from his desk came out of his office and went over to Tom.

"Mr. Paris, are you alright?" The Doctor asked as he moved a tricorder over his patient.

"You tell me." Tom replied. "I have a splitting headache."

"It was probably caused from the impact of your head and the console." The EMH responded. He grabbed a hypospray and put it against Tom's neck. After the hypospray deposited the liquid into Tom's neck he put it back where he got it. "That should take care of your headache, Mr. Paris. I suggest going to your quarters and sleeping. Will you need anything to help you sleep?"

"No, I'm tired enough to sleep without drugs." Tom answered.

Tom Paris left Sickbay and got into the turbolift again knowing that Q would be there soon after the doors closed. After Tom called for his deck, sure enough, the female Q was there. She smiled at Tom wickedly.

"Why won't you let me leave?" Tom asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Because I, like Q, like to have fun." Q replied. "Besides, you gave me the opportunity."

"Did I ever mention that I hate you?" Tom asked rhetorically. Q gave a fake smirk, and then disappeared as soon as the turbolift doors opened.

Tom walked into his quarters and looked around. Crap, Tom thought. If I sleep in the bed, I'll be sleeping in bed with the Captain. Nope, not gonna do it. The couch, I'll just claim that I was too tired to get into bed…perfect.

Tom walked over to the couch and took off two of his tops so he was down to a t-shirt. He laid down on the couch and realized that this couch…very very comfortable. If this is how the couch feels, imagine how the bed feels. Tom thought. No, no, no, bad, bad, don't think that, don't try that, and never ever try that.

The Next Day…

Tom awoke before Janeway…Paris…Kathryn, who was in the bedroom, woke up. He was about to ask the computer what time it was when it announced that it was time for Kathryn to wake up. He had slept for nearly twelve hours! Tom hadn't done that since he was a teenager…always a great thing, though. Tom made his way to the bathroom, but Janeway spoke just before he entered it.

"Do you want to share a sonic shower?" Janeway asked sleepily.

The thought, though it only lasted a second, threw Tom for a loop while his mouth was agape. "Uhh…no, I'm just going to get changed, eat, and then I'll come back." Tom replied smiling.

"Don't forget, there's a briefing in one hour." Janeway said as she got up.

"Okay, I won't forget." Tom answered. "Now…go take a shower."

"Oh, now you're the Captain?" Janeway asked seductively as she got closer to Tom.

Tom faked a laugh at her joke. "I would never order you around." Tom responded. Janeway kissed Tom quickly then went into the bathroom.

Tom, who was worried Kathryn might come back at any moment, practically threw on his new clothes so she wouldn't see. Tom left their quarters, but not after being courteous and replicating the Captain a coffee. He went into the turbolift and after it started, Q appeared.

"You slept on the couch?" Q asked.

"I'm too scared at what will happen to sleep in the bed." Tom replied.

"Whatever happened to you being a playboy?" Q questioned teasingly.

"It's been gone for a while, being married to the Captain made sure it's gone." Tom answered.

Later in the Briefing Room…

The Senior Staff, including the Doctor, Seven, and Neelix, were in the Briefing Room discussing what might happen in the near future. Everyone then gave an update on their stations. In three days they would come to an M-Class Planet that was uninhabited and had some great food resources. As Tom looked around, he noticed that Harry was a Lieutenant Junior Grade, Tuvok was a Lieutenant, Seven didn't have her Borg stuff on her face or hand, and Neelix was in a Security uniform.

"Well, if that's all-" Janeway started, but was interrupted.

"Actually, I have something." Tom said and stood up. He walked to the head of the table.

"Okay, I'm not your Tom Paris." Tom started. "Where I'm from, Harry's still an Ensign and will probably become the oldest Ensign in Starfleet, Tuvok, you're a Lieutenant Commander, and I'm a Lieutenant Junior Grade, but will probably be demoted as soon as I go back, because of a little stunt I pulled." Tom looked at the faces with confused looks looking back.

"I'll start from the beginning." Tom answered, and then began to talk rather fast. "Senior year in Starfleet, I was involved in an accident that killed three people, which was my fault. I lied about it, but eventually confessed, so Starfleet kicked me out. Went out looking for a fight, found the Maquis, got caught, put in jail. And that's when you, Captain, found me and asked me to be an observer, but hey, ended up being chief pilot. A Q brought me here, not the Q, but his wife or girlfriend or something.

"Okay, so let's get the rest of this straight." Tom said, going a bit faster than before. "Captain, I'm NOT married to you. I'm not married at all; you're not married at all. You're not pregnant. I'm not going to be a father…at least I don't think so. Harry," Tom walked over to where Harry and B'Elanna were sitting. "you're not dating B'Elanna, I am. Chakotay," Tom looked over in Chakotay's direction. "you're not dating Seven…at least I don't think so. Seven," Tom looked at Seven. "you're still Borgified. Neelix, you have nothing to do with Security, Tuvok wouldn't let you!" Tom finished and looked around at the faces on the Senior Staff. "I'm not crazy."

Sickbay

"I'm not crazy." Tom said again as he laid down on the main biobed as the Doctor ran some scans.

"I'm not so sure on that, Mr. Paris, but the scans say you aren't." The Doctor answered. "You have no damage from your head injury, you can return to duty tomorrow. You can go now."

"Thanks, Doc." Tom murmured and got off the biobed. After Tom left Sickbay, he got into the turbolift.

"It never happened." Q said to Tom as soon as the doors closed and she appeared.

"What?" Tom asked.

"Thought I loved how crazy you acted in the Briefing Room, it never happened." She replied. "I didn't want them thinking you're crazy, even though you obviously are, so the only thing they know that happened is that after Kathryn asked for anything else, everyone shook their head no."

"Not fair." Tom said. "So, if I ask, could Q, you know you're husband or whatever, come and take me back?"

"Q's busy with our son…such a handful that brat." Q answered. "You keep telling him not to play with the Borg, yet he still does…" With that, Q disappeared leaving Tom with his thoughts.

Dammit. Tom thought.