Too damned hot to do much other than lay in the wading pool we got for my dog (who drinks from it occasionally), work on crap no one reads and feel sorry for myself as I drink beer and munch on the occasional Cheesepuff. I have my laptop on a flotation cushion so don't worry me electricuting myself.

Rparata

Taken – Chapter 14

He felt the ship lurch as a tractor beam snatched at it and then whispered the last word he'd ever say in command.

"Energize."

The dead shuttle provided no real secrets or spoils so the Kirgon ship just jettisoned it from their hold and continued on their way in search of innocent ships and plunder. It was the pirate way in any culture.

Voyager

"The new shuttlecraft will be ready for its first long range sweep in a week, Seven. I think you might enjoy getting out and seeing how it handles. The slipstream drive is functional and I'd feel better if someone from the design team were on board."

"Normally I would comply, Captain Janeway, but Harry is navigating and there is no one to watch J.R., so it wouldn't be right for me to go."

"Seven, we do have daycare – Uncle Neelix – remember?" Neelix looked after any children who were either orphaned over time or whose parents were on duty or on away missions. He was good with children and they all doted on their 'Uncle Neelix'.

"Please, Captain. He's so young…"

"Fine. I'm sure Harry will prefer that but I had to offer you the opportunity after all the hard work and hours you put in on design and construction. Oh, we've all decided on a name – The Cooper."

Seven smiled and thanked the captain and went in search of Harry to reassure him that J.R. wouldn't be languishing in Neelix' care. She wondered what Sheldon would have thought about the Delta Flyer being named after him? Probably would have boosted his ego to dangerous levels.

I miss you, Two, so much but as you told me, life goes on.

The Delta Flyer launched a week later. Harry had kissed Seven tenderly on the cheek and then hugged his son and boarded the sleek slip-stream craft.

"All ready, Harry?" Tom Paris was anxious to get underway and begin the scan of the systems in Voyager's flight path. He felt alive for the first time in months.

"Yeah, Tom. All systems green on navigation. Weapons are on-line and we're ready to rip." He'd been working hard on the design and later the actual construction of the experimental craft. Between his son and Seven and his work, he was a happy man.

They were six days into the mission when Tom picked up a strange signal and changed course to investigate. The closer they came, the clearer it got until finally the computer could fill in the missing parts.

'This is Dr. Sheldon Cooper on the shuttlecraft Venture calling the Federation Starship Voyager. I am heading toward you along the anticipated course that Voyager was following when I left. I have been in flight nearly two years and have valuable data on planets and systems to visit and, more importantly, to avoid. One, Two is coming home, just as I promised.'

The message gave approximate position and status and repeated itself 4 more times and then the transmission ceased.

There was silence throughout the shuttle. Tom had tears in his eyes while Harry was the picture of controlled grimness. Tom missed his friend and told Harry to plot an intercept course.

"Tom, what for? That transmission was obviously automatic and for all we know Cooper has starved to death by now or the dilithium warp core has run out of fuel. Two years in flight? He's dead, Tom and besides, it's way out of our intended flight path."

"Ensign Kim, I am in command of this mission and I gave you an order! Plot the damned course and deal with the personal baggage on your own time. Make it so!"

If Tom Paris were honest with himself, he would admit that the chances of his friend being alive were scant but he owed it to him to try. If nothing else, they could give Seven the closure she needed and Harry some peace of mind. Cooper stood between the couple as if he were physically present.

"Intercept in 4.3 hours. Visual in 2.7 hours." Silence descended as the Flyer neared their intercept point. Tom toyed with the idea of sending a slipstream message back to Voyager but decided to wait until they made intercept.

"Tom, you know that he's dead, right? Two years cooped up in that shuttle would be hell not to mention food and fuel shortages. The Replicators could only do so much…"

Tom shot Harry a disgusted look. "Harry, even if he's dead, we owe it to him to recover the remains and give Seven some closure. You wouldn't have done what he did and neither would I, so show some damned respect!"

Time seemed to crawl by in the Delta Flyer and nothing more was said between the two friends until visual contact was made.

"I've got visual, Paris. Maximum magnification and…" Even from here they could tell that the shuttle was a dead stick. The rear door was partly torn off and the hull was clearly holed.

"So it's recovery instead of rescue. I'll get suited up for EVA." His voice contained the slightest hint of relief and satisfaction.

"No, Harry. It's my job as command pilot. Besides, he was my friend and yours until you decided to chase after Seven of Nine like a dog in heat. I don't think he'd appreciate the kind of care you'd take with – with any remains."

The Flyer closed on the shuttlecraft and Tom went EVA and entered through the torn loading ramp. It looked like Sheldon had destroyed any equipment or instruments that might give 'visitors' any additional technology or information. Tom noticed the folded paper above the command chair and removed it and put it in his sample bag. There was also a cloth package that contained several memory wafers from the computer.

His helmet cam recorded and then transmitted the images back to the Flyer. Harry noted how everything nonessential to flight and survival had been stripped and probably fed to the recyclers. The only instrument that was intact was the small transporter unit.

"Tom, there's a slow-blinking LED on the transporter. You don't suppose…"

"Good catch. I didn't notice it. I'll pull the containment buffer and bring it back. He stripped her bare and destroyed anything valuable in accordance with the Prime Directive. He did a good job for someone who thought it was…yeah, he called it 'a prejudicial crock of shit' and that it was evidence of a culture that wanted to control or contain the spread of knowledge."

"Let's head back, Tom. I think under the circumstances that we should abort the mission. Sheldon got us a lot more data than we could hope to find on this mission."

"On my way."

Voyager

"Captain, Ensign Paris has aborted the mission and is returning to Voyager. He requests that a medical team be on standby and that the transporter room be fully manned and ready. The Delta Flyer will rendezvous with Voyager in 110 hours. Most curious."

"Tuvok, did he say why he was aborting? Have they run into trouble?" Janeway's first concern was enemy activity. The away team was under strict orders to disengage and return to the ship if they ran into any trouble at all. The Flyer was too valuable to risk losing.

"I have related his entire message, Captain. That is all the information I have."

"Continue to monitor for additional transmissions. I need more information!" Impatient with not knowing, she became moody and snappish. The crew needed something to boost morale and the Captain was no exception.

The ship was alive with rumors and speculation about the aborted Flyer mission. Some thought that there might be sickness or injury since the transmission had asked for a medical team to be standing by while others thought they might have run into hostile alien spacecraft. No one was remotely close.

109 hours later

"This is the Delta Flyer. I believe we have a passenger on board. I do have critical intelligence that needs to be deciphered and reviewed. Please have medical and transporter standing by as requested."

Seven and most of the crew not on duty were gathered in the shuttle bay. J.R. was fussy and Seven held the 6 month old on her shoulder and talked softly to him.

"Daddy's coming home, J.R., and Uncle Tom says he's bringing along a 'passenger'. Do you know what he means? Won't you be glad to see your Daddy, J.R.?"

The baby just mashed his fist into his face and sucked on it. Seven just smiled and bounced him lightly to keep him occupied. Neelix spoils this child. I will talk with Harry about –

A growing murmuring that whipped through the crowd interrupted her thought. She pushed her way through the crowd and stood near where she knew the shuttle would dock.

The Flyer docked and the rear hatch opened and Tom Paris cautiously climbed down the ladder carrying something that he had cradled tightly against his body. The transporter chief carefully took it from his and then put it on an anti-grav sled and carefully maneuvered it to the transporter room.

Harry walked down the ladder and saw Seven and J.R. and trotted over and hugged them both. His smile faltered when Tom walked over and interrupted their reunion.

"Seven, I need you to come with me, please. Harry, you can come, too. I have something for you, Seven, but I think it's best that you get an explanation before I give it to you."

"Ensign Parish, what is your report? Why did you abort the mission and – " Captain Janeway wanted immediate answers to her questions.

"Um, ma'am, maybe this could wait until the transporter crew and medical are done? Please, Captain, it's – "

Harry glared at Tom and interrupted him. "Captain, we came across the shuttlecraft that Cooper used to return to Earth. It was hulled, stripped, and – "

"Damn it, Harry, have some human decency! The transporter buffer is full. He wasn't on board and his message clearly stated…"

"Captain Janeway to transporter room 2. Medical to transporter room 2."

Seven of Nine ran to the transporter room. Her heart was pounding and her fears and hopes intermingled and then J.R. started crying. By the time she got to the transporter room, the Medical team had hustled whatever was dumped from the containment buffer away to sickbay and the baby had sensed her fear and nervousness and was wailing.

Harry came up behind her and tried to talk with Seven but she just shook her head and took off for sick bay with J.R. crying on her shoulder.

She burst into sickbay, her heart pounding, wild-eyed and demanding answers. She pushed past Tom Paris who turned and put an arm around Seven in comfort.

"Here. He left this for you. I haven't looked at it if that's what you're worried about. Also, the message he had been transmitting for God knows how long said that 'Two was coming home', just as he promised." He handed her the letter he'd found on board the shuttlecraft.

Harry walked up beside Seven and tried to take J.R. but she needed something to cling to so he just put his arm around her in comfort.

Seven was crying softly and mumbling something equally unintelligible and the Doctor just smiled broadly as he worked on removing the EVA suit helmet from the man lying unmoving on the bio-bed.

They all gasped when the helmet was removed. A man with long, greasy hair and a matted beard stared up at them with piercing blue eyes that were sunken into his skull but missed nothing at all. The hunger in his eyes when he saw Seven and the briefest surge of joy was crushed when he saw Seven holding a baby and Harry Kim with his arm around them both.

His only thought was 'too late' and then exhaustion, starvation and heartbreak broke him and he started to cry.

"All right, clear sickbay and let me work my magic. He's alive and that's what's important. Captain, I'll have my report for you as soon as the scans are finished."

More than anything, he wanted to preserve Sheldon's dignity when he cut off the suit. He dreaded what he'd find when it was removed. He also had concerns for Sheldon's state of mind and administered a sedative via hypospray.

"Welcome home, Sheldon. It's good to have you back," and he pressed the applicator against his neck. Sheldon's eyes rolled up into the back of his head and the EMH took in the group with his frown and pointed to the exit. "Out!"

"Paris, Kim, my ready room. I want to know exactly what happened on the away mission." Janeway knew that something had happened to create such hostility between the two friends. "Seven, why don't you take J.R. to Neelix and then talk with Dr. Cooper after the EMH completes his examination."

Seven's glance darted between the Captain and Harry. Harry nodded and said, "it's okay, Seven. Take J.R. over to Neelix and I'll meet you outside of sickbay when you're done. We have dinner plans, remember? First night back and all?" His voice contained a tone that ruffled Tom's feathers and caused Janeway to narrow her eyes.

"I – I'll let you know, Harry." She turned on her heel and walked rapidly to the mess hall. Her only thoughts were of Sheldon and his condition and his strange reaction to seeing her. She was proud of the progress she'd made in becoming more of a human being but she didn't have a clue what was going on with Sheldon Cooper.

Sickbay

The EMH would have been horrified if he'd been human but being a holographic representation of a programmed physician, he simply recorded his findings.

"Computer, establish a sterile field and cleanse patient, then begin bone and tissue regeneration on left arm, infuse digestive tract with Isotoluene 5% solution and begin nutrient feeding."

His work done and his patient stable and on the long road to recovery, he assembled his data and compiled a video report and submitted all to the Captain's padd and then sat and observed his patient.

On a whim, he replicated depilatory crème and removed the growth from the patients face and neck. He still didn't look like the man he met that first day on Voyager. He was emaciated, skeletal even, and the EMH compared his patient to images on file of Bajorans liberated from Cardassian work camps. Disgusting.

Janeway's ready room

Tuvok listened dispassionately to the recitation of the two officers standing before Captain Janeway. Ensign Paris was, of course, overly emotional while Ensign Kim was brusque and to the point.

"In summary, then, Ensign Paris, you aborted the mission after recovering the 'black box' and the transporter buffer as well as personal items from the shuttle and then returned to Voyager."

"Yes, ma'am, that's exactly right. I felt we had to investigate and recover any…remains if only because of the sacrifice…and to give Seven a sense of closure. It was our decision to abandon the mission and investigate the shuttlecraft."

"You acted irresponsibly, Mr. Paris," She noted the satisfaction that flitted across Harry Kim's face and then continued. "but exactly as I would have done in the same situation. The recovery of the sensor and internal logs that Dr. Cooper kept will be invaluable to us in the future. Dismissed."

Chakotay had been quiet during the entire debriefing and had been watching the two men with an occasional glance at Tuvok.

"Commander Tuvok, what are you thoughts on the situation?" The security chief often surprised him with insights that others overlooked.

"Ensign Paris' actions were in keeping with his previous behavior patterns but I find no fault in his actions, none at all. He acted out of compassion and a sense of duty. Ensign Kim's were out of personal interest and gain. His relationship with Seven of Nine clouded his judgment. I believe he wished to 'close the door' on Dr. Cooper for personal reasons."

"Interesting. I've read the EMH's summary and I believe we need to review the 'black box' records before making any further decisions or judgments. Dr. Cooper is in dire straits medically and the EMH has heavily sedated him while his systems recover from this on-going trauma. We'll meet again after debriefing our time-traveler." Janeway had other things on her plate but Sheldon Cooper was never far from her mind.

Sickbay

Seven sat beside the bio-bed and stared down at Sheldon. Her emotions were all over the place. She was ecstatic that he had returned but sad and confused because of his emotional reaction to her presence.

She had read the letter he'd left for her and her heart was aching to just wrap him in her arms and never let go. He wrote of their love and his hope for the future and the longing in his words made her hate herself for doubting that he would return.

"Seven, he will be sedated until his injuries have been treated and he shows signs of being able to function on his own. You'll have him all to yourself soon enough."

"Leonard, what do you make of his reaction to seeing me when you removed his helmet? There was joy in his face but then such disappointment and sadness. Have I changed that much? Am I…ugly now?"

Seven was the only person on Voyager who called the EMH 'Leonard'. She was one of the few who considered the EMH to be a person.

"No, no, no…not at all. I think…I believe that Sheldon saw you holding J.R. and how Ensign Kim had his arm around you and he concluded that you and Ensign Kim – "

"He concluded that I had abandoned our collective and formed another with Harry Kim and that J.R. is my child with Harry. I see. Thank you, Leonard, for your insight."

"Seven, it has been nearly two years since his return to Old Earth. Don't be too hard on yourself or him. As we discussed many, many times, there was no reason to expect him to return and you were moving on. He will not blame you – "

"No, Leonard. He will not blame me. He will turn from me and ignore my existence just as he once did. He is stubborn, headstrong, self-centered, egotistical but above all, he loves me and will want me to 'continue' my relationship with Harry Kim, thinking I have moved on and am 'happy'."

"Only you can convince him otherwise – unless you're satisfied with the status quo?"

"I am Seven Cooper, One of Two. That will never change. Never! Mr. Kim will have to find another babysitter."