Disclaimer: See chapter one.
A/N: My word, a mistake to lose a title over. I messed up Tom's rank! I've fixed it. Good thing I watched the episode again...
Chapter 2
"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" Tom watched carefully as the kid shifted nervously before repeating his answer.
"Harry Kim."
Wow, never thought I'd find two people with the same name. I know they say everyone's got a twin, but this…Tom shook the thought away as the shuttle bay door swished open again. Leaning back, Tom frowned as the bottom of Tuvok's security team came into view.
"Har, come here." Quickly, the kid scrambled under the shuttle next to Tom, jamming himself up next to one of the legs of the craft. "Be very quiet, OK?" The boy nodded.
"Mr. Paris." Tom groaned silently and slid from beneath Alice again.
"Yes Lieutenant?"
"We have reason to believe there is an intruder on board Voyager; specifically, this shuttle bay. I must ask that you to allow us to search it." Tom's mind was racing as he tried to figure out how to get the kid out without Tuvok noticing. Figures I'd be the one to find the downside to having a Vulcan security guard. Couldn't possibly someone without a record, or even just someone in the Captain's good graces. Feeling the part of a traitor, Tom stood and made his way out of the shuttle bay. Maybe he could set off an alarm in another part of the ship? Or cause a fuss himself, make such a raucous that Tuvok had to come, if not his entire team? Maybe-
"Where are we going?" Tom jumped and stared down at his newest shadow. The boy was gently holding onto the leg of his flight suit, soft brown eyes full of, in Tom's opinion, unearned trust.
"Uh…we're going to see my friend." Quickly, Tom scooped the boy up and hurried to the nearest Jeffries tube entrance. Opening the hatch, the pilot continued to hurry through the twists and turns that made up the underbelly of the ship. Whoever designed this thing should be shot, whined the blonde silently. He kept glancing over his shoulder, but the boy had no trouble keeping up. Harry never did either.
The wheels in Tom's head were starting to spin faster. Harry'd been feeling weird when he saw him yesterday, and the one time he'd actually tried to do something with the kid, in the past few weeks anyways, he'd turned him down. It was a long shot, but the Delta Quadrant seemed to make a point of being full of long shots. Turning his attention forward once more, Tom exhaled. They were almost there.
...
The Doctor had just finished reorganizing his tools, for the fifth time, when he heard the Jeffries tube hatch open behind him. Turning, the hologram raised his arm in defense, hoping whoever came through didn't know what a hydrospanner was. Nifty little things, but only so good in hand to hand defense.
It didn't matter in the end. The head that popped out belonged to Tom Paris, his "assistant", if the man could be called that. Crawling out of the tube, the man motioned to someone behind him before turning. Seeing the Doctor's legs, blue eyes slowly worked their way up to the stern face. "Hey Doc."
"Mr. Paris, what are you doing? You're not on the best of terms of the rest of the crew, and I'm no exception. Nor do I appreciate you sneaking into my SickBay in such a manner." Tom blinked, nonplused, before the Doctor's words sank in.
"I don't work in here today."
"I am aware of that," snapped the Doctor, "but it wouldn't hurt you to put in a little extra time. You seem to have given up showing up at all!"
"Doc, listen-"
"No, Mr. Paris, you listen. I have been very lenient with you, if I do say so myself. I have even gone as far as lying, lying, to Chakotay on how many times you've been late, and I haven't told him about any of the times you decided you didn't need to grace my Sickbay with your presence at all! Now I do not care about why these things have been happening, but they need to stop or you will be sorely wishing that you'd done as you were told!" Finished with his tirade, the Doctor turned back to his tools.
"Doc, have you heard from Harry?" Pausing, the hologram turned back to Tom.
"No, I haven't heard from him, but he didn't report for his shift this morning and no one seems to be able to find him." Tom sighed at the Doctor's response. "Do you know where Mr. Kim is?"
"I…think so." Turning back to the Jefferies tube, Tom motioned again to the person behind him. Slowly, almost fearfully, a small boy moved out into the open. He quickly moved to Tom's side, hiding part of himself behind the other. "I know it's a long shot Doc, but…I think this is Harry."
...
Several pokes, prods, and scans later, the Doctor had to agree. The boy was the identical, down to his microcellular DNA, to the Harry Kim who'd been serving on board Voyager for the past six years. Glancing out of his office, the hologram's face soften a fraction. The boy had been just short of terrified of the Doctor, for reasons he could not explain, yet with Tom he seemed…almost at home. To keep the boy occupied, the pilot had played every game he could remember for the past few hours. Now, both were sound asleep on one of the bio beds, Harry tucked safely into Tom's side.
The Doctor's attention was dragged away from the two as the Sickbay doors swished open. While it had been a quiet day, almost to the point of boredom for the hologram, now he wished it had stayed that way.
Captain Janeway was a patient woman, so for her to be upset was a major thing. To be this upset…the Doctor shuddered, thankful he was not Mr. Paris.
"Hello Captain, how are you today?"
"Is Ensign Paris here?"
Ouch. "Yes, but-" The Captain stormed past the Doctor, anger rolling off her in waves even a hologram could feel. "Captain, I really think-"
"I don't care!" Wheeling, Janeway walked back to the Doctor, stopping barely two inches from his face. "Ensign Paris has been out of line for weeks now, and I've thought more than enough about the whole thing. He is going to straighten out, starting today, or there will be some serious consequences!" Turning once more, the Captain continued her march into the other part of the Sickbay. Sighing, the Doctor rubbed his brow, still marveling at the advancements that allowed holograms to suffer headaches.
The minutes ticked past slowly, the Doctor's anxiety growing. Paris had been out of line, but obviously something was wrong with him, more than just the usual disobedience that seemed bred into him. And now his friend was in trouble as well.
"Doctor, who is the child?"
"Hm, oh, the child. Well, I was going to tell you-"
"Who is he." The Doctor swallowed. There was no way she would believe him. Captain Janeway was known, among other things, for being science oriented, and there was no scientific way for what had happened to Mr. Kim to be possible.
"Why, you don't recognize you own Ops officer? Tsk, tsk, some captain you are."
"Q!" Both officers spun to face the new comer, surprise quickly giving way to stronger emotions.
"What do you mean, 'I don't recognize my own officer'? I know Harry Kim well," snapped Janeway, her face flushed. Q was just too much on top of all this.
"And yet, you want to know who the kid is. It's Harry! Six years-old and in the flesh!"
"Six years-old," repeated Janeway, disbelief lacing her voice.
"I'm afraid he's telling the truth," added the Doctor, annoyance twisting his features. "The boy is Harry Kim, down to the last detail. Why Mr. Q has decided to try this trick out on Voyager, I don't know, but-"
"Hey, hey, I didn't 'decide' anything. Harry wanted to get his friend back. Tom is hardly one to abandon a comrade, but with circumstances as they are, I thought it best to go all out." Q had moved over to the biobed, grinning down at the duo. "He's a cute kid, isn't he?"
"You almost sound like you're enjoying yourself," mumbled Janeway from the doorway of the Doctor's office, gaze drifting from Q to her crew members and back. As if feeling their stares, Harry shifted, whimpering quietly.
"Oh, I am. I wasn't sure what would happen, having never done this before, but-"
"I thought every Q had done everything, hence Quinn's suicide," interrupted the Doctor from behind the Captain, still annoyed.
"Well, I thought I had. I've never been one for granting wishes, but if this is the result, then I really must try it more often."
"Put him back."
"Hm?"
"Put. Him. Back." Janeway glared at the being, fighting to regain control of the situation. "You changed him, now change him back."
"But I can't! Harry wished for this, he won't return to normal until his wish is granted!"
Janeway sighed, irritation growing. "I don't need this. Not now."
"You didn't need to be stranded in the Delta Quadrant either. You just like things that aren't necessary, don't you?"
"Q."
"Well, I think I'm done here. I'll see you in a few weeks. Barring anything truly awful, you'll have your officers back. Children and pets may be bad for theatre, but they do have a healing effect." Grinning, Q flashed out of the ship to wherever it is he goes.
"Doctor, can you reverse this?"
"No. I could age Mr. Kim to his original body, but his mind would remain that of a six year-old boy, rendering him as useless as his current form." The Doctor hesitated. "Maybe we should leave him in Mr. Paris' care. Mr. Kim…Harry…seems most comfortable around him. In fact, he was almost afraid of me. We may not have much choice."
"Fine, we'll try. But if Tom neglects him like he's been his duties-"
"I think that's the reason Q turned Harry into a child. Mr. Paris has been rather attached to Mr. Kim since we started this voyage, it's more than likely he'll find it harder to ignore him in his current childish state."
"Tom likes piloting Voyager, too."
"Yes, but the only reason he is our pilot is the same reason I'm the Doctor: the original person died when we were pulled into the Delta Quadrant. If not for that, Mr. Paris would probably be confined to quarters or some low level crewman. And I'd never have been activated. Well, most likely not."
Janeway nodded. "Very well, keep me informed."
As the Captain left for the Bridge, the Doctor moved back to the two sleeping figures. "Well Mr. Paris, let's hope you don't prove me wrong."
TBC