Tom picked up the picture and looked at his younger self. He was about seventeen at the time and didn't know what the world had for him. He took a breath before setting the picture down and looking at his childhood room. His mother was downsizing after the death of his father. She wanted something smaller and there were too many memories here with his dad.
He looked at the twentieth century things he had around the room. He knew that he already had a love for the stuff before he left for the academy. He saw his old bed that he had shared with B'Elanna when they came home from space to raise their family. He let out a laugh because they had slept close together in that bed. At the time B'Elanna was pregnant with Xavier at the time. There were some nights that Miral slept with them.
Tom went from his to his desk, that was covered in comic books and old twentieth century books that gave him the idea for Captain Proton. Also on his desk was an old toy that he could never figure out, but he loved playing with it because it helped him figure things out. The toy was a cube with multiple colors on it.
Tom looked around the room to see if there was anything he wanted before his mother got rid of everything. He picked out a few things that brought up memories for him. He picked up the photo and headed out of the room. He was okay with his mom getting rid of all those things because he had changed so much since he was that seventeen-year-old boy.
Tom made his way downstairs to find Selena and Xavier helping their grandmother go through her things in the kitchen. He knew that his sisters had come and took things they wanted from their rooms and the house. Tom set his box of things on the stool in the kitchen. Selena paused and picked up the picture on the top of the pile.
"Xavier, you look just like Dad in this picture?" She handed the picture to Xavier.
Xavier took the picture from Selena. He looked from the picture to his dad and back at the picture. "Please tell me that I won't look like you when I'm old."
Tom took the picture from Xavier. Tom's mom laughed as she looked over Tom's shoulder. "The thing is Tom looks like his father at the same age," Julia walked out of the room. Tom traded a look with his children to see if they knew what their grandmother was doing.
She came back with a photo album that might have seen better days. She placed it on the counter. She opened the album, and the first picture was of three men. Tom thought that if this wasn't from a different time, he could be looking at a picture of him, his father, and son. "This is the first photo known of Paris men, it is from the 1880's."
Tom watched as his mother went through the picture from a different time. The final picture looked like something from the twenty-first century. His mom closed the album. "You should have this," She handed it to Tom. Tom nodded and put the album in the box of things that he was keeping.
Tom glanced at the clock on the wall. It was something that his mom always liked no matter where they were living. The clock was something that she had from an old relative. He saw how late it was. He turned back to his mother. "Is there anything you need from us? We need to get home for dinner," Julia shook her head. Tom leaned down and kissed her cheek. "We will see you this weekend to clean out the house," Julia nodded again. Tom picked up his box as Xavier and Selena said goodbye to their grandmother.
Tom entered behind his children as they entered their house. Tom went and set the box by the basement stairs as he saw that B'Elanna was home already, working on dinner. B'Elanna looked at the children. "How much help were to your grandmother?"
"A lot," Xavier said as he looked over to see what B'Elanna was making for dinner.
B'Elanna narrowed her eyes. She didn't know if she believed her son. B'Elanna turned to Selena to see that she was rummaging through the box that Tom had brought home. "And you?"
Selena pulled out what she was looking for and headed back to her mother. "A lot, too," Selena handed the picture she got from the box. "Doesn't Xavier look like Dad in this picture?"
B'Elanna looked up at her husband before taking the picture from Selena. B'Elanna looked at the picture and saw what Selena saw. She remembered seeing this picture when she and Tom were staying with his parents while she was pregnant with Xavier. She looked from the picture to her son who was trying to taste what B'Elanna was making for dinner. B'Elanna quickly slapped his hand away. "Yeah, he does. I remember seeing this picture when I was pregnant with Xavier and wondering if our son was going to look like his father."
"I think you wondered right," Selena looked between her father and brother. "Are you sure you were involved in creating him?" Selena asked her mother.
"Yes," Xavier hissed. "Or I would have these," Xavier pointed to his ridges.
B'Elanna turned away from her children and looked at her husband. "I think you were a handsome teenager," She looked at the picture again.
"Thank you," Tom smiled. "Let me show you some old pictures," Tom went and grabbed the photo album that his mother had given him. He opened the first page. B'Elanna gasped as she saw the picture. "I feel I am looking at you, your father, and Xavier from a different time."
"I know," Tom sighed. "I wish I had a picture like this of my father, me, and Xavier."
B'Elanna nodded. She opened her mouth as she heard. "Xavier don't eat that. We are going to have dinner soon." B'Elanna turned to see her son with a spoon of something. B'Elanna traded a look with Tom before going to deal with their son. Tom gathered the photo album and picture and put them away.
Tom set the box on his desk before taking a seat. The kids were either doing homework or relaxing in their room. B'Elanna was in her office working on grading projects for her classes. He pulled out the picture of him. He looked at the picture and saw how innocent he looked in this picture. Tom wondered if there was something he would this young boy in this picture.
He first have to tell this Tom that it was him, he would tell him about the old coin that his father got him and how he got it. He got it from Old Man Bradley, who lived next to Tom's grandmother. How he carried it everywhere with him. Once he knew that it was him. Tom would tell him not to worry about making his dad proud by getting into Starfleet. Not to worry about his crush on his sister, Naomi's best friend was a fad and all he would get was kiss on the cheek. When you get to fly to Starfleet shuttle, don't ruin it.
Tom would tell him that his dad is proud of him. Not worry about how life turned out because he would get the family he always wanted. Tom would let him know not to crash the shuttle, but again that turned out well. Tom would tell him that life turned out well for him. He would also tell him to get that old bottle of wine that Old Man Bradley wanted to give him. Tom wanted to share that with B'Elanna.
Tom smiled as he thought about himself at seventeen and how hardheaded he was. He can see how hardheaded his own son is. Tom let out a little laugh. He was glad how his life own life had turned out. If it wasn't getting lost in the Delta Quadrant, Tom wouldn't be here. He had changed a lot since he was seventeen and he was glad how much he had grown up.
Tom placed the picture in between a picture of Miral and Xavier, to remember how innocent he was.
"Going down memory lane," Tom turned to see his wife leaning against his doorway.
"I thought you were grading papers," Tom smiled as B'Elanna walked in.
"I know how much you hurt after losing your dad," Tom nodded. It was still hard to think that his dad was gone. "I thought that this might help," B'Elanna handed him a picture.
Tom looked at the picture and saw that it was a picture of him, his dad, and Xavier, standing there with arms around each other. They were all smiling in the picture. Tom took out the photo album and looked at the first picture of the Paris men. They looked alike, only different clothes. He took the picture out of the album, he had an idea and he hoped that it would work out.
Tom put the pictures in desk before looking at his wife to thank her when he saw that she was looking at picture of him at seventeen. "What would you have told your seventeen self if you could?" He asked.
B'Elanna smiled. "I would tell her to let go of the anger she has towards her parents because they might not be here."
Tom nodded and wrapped his arms around his wife. He pulled her close and had her sit on his lap. "I'm not sure she would have listened."
B'Elanna laughed. "Probably not. But I would also let her know that turned out great for her," Tom nodded and kissed her on the side of the head. "What would you tell yourself?"
"I was thinking about that before you came in," Tom sighed.
B'Elanna nodded before saying. "We wouldn't be the same people if life turned out differently."
Tom nodded. He knew that his wife was right. "Should we go and bother our own teenagers?"