Falling Into Grace

Rating: WARNING WANRING! Helmboy proves himself and ASS.
Unfortunately it's at Seven's exspense. Learn a bit about the other
Harry and Nico.

Wool

_____________________________________________________________________
Paris/Kim Quarters

Harry paced inside their bedroom. He didn't want to be with Tom right
then. The man had several issues that Harry just couln't deal with.
He was a good father, if a bit selfish with his son's affecton. Why
not? Most parents were. But Tom was 'really' pushing hard. Harry
rubbed his sore arms where Tom had gripped him so violently. He
whinced at the pain, they were probably bruised.

Tired of pacing and thinking Harry lay down on the King sized bed. He
stared up at the ceiling and remembered the look in Nico's eyes and
he'd pushed him into Seven's arms. He was scared, and hurt. Harry
never wanted to see him like that again. But Tom had to many issues
that ran so close to the boy. He was volatile at his best, and
violent at his worst. Harry didn't know what to do. Emotionally
exhausted he slept.
_____________________________________________________________________

Tom paced the living room pulling at his hair in frustration. He
wanted to apoligize to Harry but found his pride wouldn't let him.
The man had the 'nerve' to take his son 'HIS' son away from him. Like
he didn't deserve to be a father. Why not? Seven didn't think so. So
B'Elanna sure didn't.But he'd show them. He'd show Seven that he
wasn't a silly little man. How 'Dare' they not trust him with his own
son.
______________________________________________________________________
Next Morning

"Come on Nico your gonna be late for your lessons" B'Elanna called.

"I don't feel good Mama" Nico complained. He entered the kitchen
looking very pale and unhappy.

"Aww. Nico, let's get you to Sickbay. See what the Doctor says"
B'Elanna scooped the boy up into her arms. He wrapped himself tightly
around her and seemed to hold on for dear life. Worried by his
unusual behavior, B'Elanna rushed to Sickbay.

The EMH was already running. "Ah Lt., Nicodemus, what can I do for
you this morning"

"He says he feels sick" B'Elanna said trying to put Nico on the
biobed. But Nico was having none of it, he kept a firm grip on her
shoulders as if he were afraid to let go.

"Place him on the biobed Lt." the EMH said huffily.

"I'm trying doc. Nico honey what's wrong?" B'Elanna tried to meet his
eyes.

Nico buried his face deep into her uniform tunic, shaking his head.

"Do you want me to hold you sweetie" B'Elanna asked her voice
softening.

Nico nodded silently.

"Ok then" the holodoc began to scan him. "I see nothing out of the
ordinary. Though he hasn't eaten breakfast, he should feel fine."

"Then what's wrong?" B'Elanna turned her son in her arms "Are you sad
Nico?"

A small nod."I wanna stay with you today"

B'Elanna was not about to reject the plea. She tapped her
commbadge "Torres to the Captain"

"Yes Lt." Janeway's disembodied voice came over the conn.

"May I be excused from duty today. Nico isn't feeling well, and he
wants me to stay with him"

"Nothing serious I hope" Janeway's voice softened slightly.

"No. I think he just needs me right now" Torres looked down into her
sons eyes. They were filling with tears.

"Understood Lt., you're relieved of duty. Should I call Seven?"
Janeway's voice was nearly intimate. B'Elanna knew she was in her
Ready Room.

"No" she replied as Nico shook his head "We'll be fine"

"Ok. Janeway out"

B'Elanna tucked her sons head against her should and left Sickbay,
bidding the good doctor farewell.
______________________________________________________________________

"Mama" Nico asked tiredly'd 'd cried for what seemed like hours to
B'Elanna who'd felt useless being unable to help him.

"Yeah baby" B'Elanna stroked his tear stained cheeks.

"I miss the other Harry" Nico said resting his cheek against her
breast "Daddy is really nice. Sometimes I get them mixed up, but he's
not the same."

"You knew Harry Kim where you came from?" B'Elanna was surprised at
the Revelation.

"Yes. When my father failed to do what my mother asked, Harry would
come and do it. When I got sick with the Grengian Flu and Mother was
on an Away Mission, I stayed with Harry. He made me feel better" Nico
explained playing with a loose lapel of B'Elanna's tunic.

"Is that why you like to call him Daddy, and Tom Helmboy?" B'Elanna
asked finally piecing together her son's actions with his words.

"Yes. I love him lots. He talks to me like I'm normal not a little
kid. Kinda like you and Mom do" Nico looked up in his mothers
eyes "Oh Mama your crying. Is it because I'm sad?"

"No. It's because Harry makes you happy" B'Elanna said giving him a
watery smile.

Nico sat up and wiped his hand down his mother's cheeks ridding her
of the tear tracks. He'd never understand women.
______________________________________________________________________
Astrometrics

Seven was recalibrating the aft sensor array when Tom entered. He
looked around seeing that she was alone he when on with his plan. As
he appraoched her he juggled the object behind his back.

"Ensign Paris" Seven turned as he neared her "How may I assist you?"

"I was wondering something Seven" Tom said looking everywhere but her
eyes "Who wears the pants in you and Lanna's relationship?"

"We both wear pants Ensign. It is uniform" Seven misunderstood.

"No, no I mean who's in charge? Makes all the decisions?" Tom shook
his head, sometimes the woman really was 'dense'.

"We both make decisions Ensign. Though I do not know why it is any
business of your's" Seven turned back to her work, ineffectively
dismissing Tom.

Tom took this as a major offense "I don't see how she can put up with
you. Your barely human" He fairly spat.

Seven froze at her console the words hitting her hard.

"Your probably not even a whole woman.Maybe that's why you need a
woman to make you happy" Tom said circling her.

Seven sensing something off turned to follow his predatory pace.

"I love B'Elanna. There is nothing incomplete about me when I am with
her" Seven backed up slightly when Tom aced.ced.

"You don't act human. Yet you judge us by your 'ALIEN' standards" Tom
started shaking, but managed to keep both hands behind his back.

"I do not judge anyone Mr. Paris. That is not my function aboard this
ship" Seven said tilting her head in curiosity as she noticed his
hidden hands.

"But you judged me. You said I wasn't good enough to see my own son"
Tom reasoned.

"I did not judge you Mr. Paris, I stated my opinon devised by the
information at hand. I did not judge you at any point" Seven reasoned
back. She didn't like that presence Tom was eminating.

"Oh. You think you can be a better father. Do you think my son needs
you more than I do? Just because B'Elanna chose you over me doesn't
make you the better 'man'" Tom was really shaking by tal talking to
himself in a low voice.

"I do not believe myself the better 'man' Mr. Paris" Seven backed up
against her console when he lunged for her.

Tom had a wild look in his eyes and he came closer to her. Seven
became very human at the worst moment. "You want to be the better man
borg? You can start by looking like one." Seven tried to shrink back
as Tom leaped at her with a small pair of replicated scissors in his
hand. He pulled the pin from her hair, and began to cut. Seven tried
to shrink back away from him to get away. She felt small even given
her height to him, as he crouched over her snipping off her long
golden locks unevenly, effectively raping her soul.

"Your barely a human woman now you want to be a man too" Tom said
lowly "Well look like one"

Finished with what he came to do, Tom rose kicking around him but
never kicking Seven "Now you look the part" she spit at her before
leaving Astrometrics.

Seven stayed crouched there beneath her console weeping.
______________________________________________________________________

"Security to Lt. Torres" Tuvok's disembodied voice came over her
commbadge.

B'Elanna awakened from her rest on the couch, Nico tucked into her
belly resting confortably.

"Torres here. What's up Tuvok" B'Elanna's voice was thick with sleep.

"Seven has just been taken to Sickbay. You may wish to meet her
there" Tuvok's Vulcan training would not allow him to sound anxious.
But B'Elanna could sense it in his voice.

"What's happened" B'Elanna said her voice raising slightly waking
Nico.

"There has been an incident" Tuvok said not wishing for the
information to be said over the open channel.

"I'm on my way" B'Elanna grabbed her overtunic and son, before
rushing to Sickbay.
____________________________________________________________________
Sickbay

Seven sat with her back up against the wall of Sickbay. She faced out
to nervous to let anyone walk behind her. Few could get near enough to
touch her. As the door hissed open once again she turned to see the
anxious faces of her wife and son.

"Annika. Oh my god what happened" B'Elanna rushed to her wife
gathering the taller woman into her arms. Nico followed at a slower
pace.

"He just started cutting" Seven's voice shook audibly making B'Elanna
worry even more.

It was then she saw Seven's cropped hair. Cut uneven and choppy she
appeared unkept and slavish, several tiny lacerations and cuts zig-zagged across her cheeks. B'Elanna had never seen her that way.

"Oh my god, Annika who did this to you" B'Elanna pleaded, silently
vowing to kill whoever dared to hurt the love of her life.

"Tom did it" Nico's voice broke through B'Elanna's anger and Seven's
sobs "I saw him do it once before"

B'Elanna's hearts stopped "You 'saw' him do it before"
_____________________________________________________________________
Later...

After B'Elanna made sure her wife and son were safely tucked in
together she made her way to Astrometrics. The doors were gaurded by
two Security personnel. They let her through without a word.

They hadn't cleaned yet. That much B'Elanna could tell. The console
still bore hand shapped marks from where Seven had gripped them in
her fear. B'Elanna looked down at the floor checking for blood of any
type.

She found none. But she did see her beloved's hair. Strands of it
spread across tthe f, wh, where it had apparently been kicked. She
reached down and picked up a few locks of it. As she held it in her
darker hand it looked for all the world to see, like wool from an
innocent lamb. Clutching the hair in her fist B'Elanna stormed out of
Astrometrics.
______________________________________________________________________