Disclaimer: All things Star Trek belong to CBS/Paramount. I only own my imagination.
Spoilers: Future's End pt. 2. If you haven't seen it, this won't make much sense.
Author's Note: I have the ambition to keep these coming, but I also have a real life which can mess with me. Our resident hero is back on Voyager in 2373, having a chat with his good friend about the past and the future.
"He could have sent us home," Harry grumbled.
"Harry, you know just how tight-assed Starfleet always is about their protocols. It's kind of nice to know very little changes over time," Tom said lightly. "Makes you feel at home with them no matter when you bump in to them."
Harry snorted. "Okay, so I know you're not dying to go back home, but still, you seem awfully cheerful to me. What happened down there anyway?" he asked with a grin.
"We travelled around in a van most of the time. Ate fast food. Chased the bad guys. That sort of thing," Tom replied evasively.
"I heard something of you bonding with a Miss Robinson 'on a cross cultural level'?" Harry pressed on.
"Oh you mean Rain? That has got to be Tuvok's words," Tom snorted.
"Well yeah, he was the one reporting once you had made it to the observatory." Harry eyed his friend who didn't seem to want to elaborate. "Tom, come on. What happened?" he said eagerly.
"Strictly speaking? Nothing. We hung out with the astronomer, the so called Ms. Robinson as Tuvok kept calling her, we bumped in to when we went to the observatory the first time around. She had the escape vehicle." Tom chuckled. "She didn't exactly think her day was going to be shaken up like it was, that's for sure." He sighed. "Tuvok blew her hard drive and she understood it was us. Before we could make our hasty retreat, Starling's thug showed up wielding his what ever that was, disruptor of sorts, and before we knew it we were all in the same van running off together." Tom rose from the couch and went over to the replicator. "Coffee, hot," he ordered and picked up the beverage and went back to sit down.
"She was smart – heck she's an astronomer after all – alert and a really nice person. We shared a couple of interests." Tom took a sip of his coffee.
"Why do I get the feeling there is an and here?" Harry asked.
Tom sighed and looked at his friend. "Had I lived in 1996 in Los Angeles, I'd have held on to that girl. Clever, she liked the same B-movie stuff I do, knew what we were talking about, far too much to be honest, charming, pretty, and she liked me. She liked me. She wasn't afraid of telling me she did." He turned his eyes to watch the coffee as he swirled it around in the cup in his hands. "I may not be as categorical as Tuvok but I was well aware of why we were there and what we had to do. And what ever we came across was going to firmly stay in 1996 while we hopefully would make it back to 2373 without damaging any time lines too much." He was silent for a moment. "She was but a dream," he concluded.
"But she was real to you," Harry protested. "I'm sure you'd find her if you looked. I mean since she was an astronomer."
"I'm sure I would. But that's not the point, Harry. The point is that I realised that I have a life worth living here in my own century. We may not be at home, which quite frankly doesn't matter either, but I have a life. I've got to stop joking around and putting things off. I can't sit around waiting for things to happen. So far I have been flying this ship and that's pretty much the only thing I have been doing. It's a nice job and I have carved out an existence here on Voyager, but there's so much more to life than flying around in the Delta quadrant." Tom stopped and took a deep breath.
"I'd say you have accomplished a bit more than that," Harry said and started to grin.
"If you bring up those kids one more time I swear I'll... I don't know. Re-program you replicator to only serve Plomeek soup or something," Tom hissed.
Harry laughed. "I don't mind Plomeek soup and I think I can correct that kind of a hack myself," he said. "It sounds to me like you've decided on something," he continued.
Tom sipped some coffee looking thoughtful. "In theory it seems quite easy, but nothing is simple and straightforward in real life. I need to think about what I think is important in life, what I want, what I need... I need a vision. I need to think long and hard about the people I want in my life and how to keep them there and for what reasons."
"It sounds... structured," Harry said reluctantly. "Don't you think it's a bit too formal?"
"Depends on the way you look at it. Making a graphical presentation for a senior officer's briefing is perhaps to take it a bit too far, but I think more or less consciously everyone sooner and later goes through the process of deciding on what's important in life. Whether or not it's possible to stick to some sort of plan, now that's not always that easy. I don't know if I can, but I can sure as hell try. It's the only life I'll have and it's time to figure out what I want to fill it with," Tom explained and sipped some more coffee.
Harry tilted his head slightly. "It's so odd hearing this from you, Tom. I know you can be all serious and give great advice, but I never associated you with... plans. Or visions, if that's what you want to call it," he said thoughtfully.
Tom chuckled. "Well, if it's any consolation, I'm not used to this myself. And it's one thing sitting here saying it, something completely different to actually carry it out. But I have to try because I have a feeling it's something I'd regret later in life if I don't at least try."
Harry eyed his friend with a slight smile, not passing Tom unnoticed. "Harry, Harry, I'm beginning to think I'm having a bad influence on you," he said feigning concern.
"Admit it, it's part of that fine vision of yours," Harry replied.
Tom blew out some air and looked out through the viewport. "Right now I'd rather not think about it too much. I'd like this little thing with Rain to settle a bit first." He looked back at Harry. "But eventually yeah, she's been there a long time now. Question isn't if she's on the same page, but if she's even in the same library. I don't know but I intend to find out." He laughed nervously. "I have absolutely no clue how to do it, other than being me. It's the only one I can be."
"Isn't that first rule of anything? Be the one you are?" Harry asked.
"It's not necessarily a good thing to be who you are," Tom said and made a face.
"But you've left that behind. There were reasons for it too, don't forget about that," Harry pointed out.
"Reasons or not, I was a pig. B'Elanna was absolutely right about that. I just hope she has noticed the change," Tom mused and had some coffee.
"Well, there's only one way to find out," Harry declared.
"You enjoy this, don't you?" Tom replied and glared at his friend.
Harry grinned back. "I'm just going to get my popcorn..." he said and leaned back against the couch. Tom chuckled and had some more coffee.
