Darkness in the Void

A/N: I hope everyone has enjoyed this story and my rather immature version of Harry. After all the serious Harry's I've written in my time as an author I thought it was about time to write a naïve and childish one even if I've annoyed the anti-super Harry readers out there. So this story has now come to a close after almost thirty-two months (two years and eight months) but I hope you've enjoyed it regardless of the wait.

Thank you all for reading and I hope you can all review and move on to enjoy my next story.

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Chapter 7; Epilogue – The Void

Earth – Soon after

Harry leant against Wesley's side under his arm and watched in silence with the rest of the crew as the ship settled down through the atmosphere. He so wanted to say something but something told him that he should let them get all starry-eyed with being home again. He didn't really see what the big deal was, true he'd learnt from Wesley that all their family and friends were on Earth and just like if Wesley had been there and Harry in some far off place, he and they would want to go to Earth. But it wasn't like Earth was all that far away from anywhere in this Galaxy and if it was such a big thing about seeing family and the like why didn't they all just get on ships and explore together?

The affect of the atmosphere faded and the big land mass that Wesley said used to be called North America appeared under the Voyager. Finally he'd had enough of silence and looked up at Wesley. "Can't everyone just look on those camera thingies?" He asked and Wesley laughed and looked down at him.

"I was wondering how long you could stop yourself from talking." Wesley muttered to him.

"Hey!" Harry complained but he wasn't sure whether Wesley was actually making fun of him or not. He frowned in confusion. "Are you making fun of me?"

Wesley laughed again and when Harry grumbled about it he leaned down and put a gentle kiss on his lips. Harry hummed happily. "It's just nice for people that have missed the ship to see it in person."

"Why don't they all get on little ships and come up into space?" Harry complained.

"Don't you like being in atmosphere, Harry?" The Captain finally turned to glance at them just as a big city appeared on the horizon and rapidly grew larger.

"Everything's so..." Harry shuddered dramatically. "Close together and cramped."

"You get claustrophobic on a planet?" Chakotay was trying not to smile.

"Wes!" Harry whined. "The human's being mean to me! Make him stop."

"Chakotay." The Captain was clearly trying not to laugh too as she admonished him before turning to Harry. "I can see why an entity like you would find a planet so restrictive and closed in."

"Yeah! What she said!" Harry grinned happily. "I feel like I have to keep ducking all the time."

"Ducking under what?" Wesley asked. Harry pointed out of the window at the clouds above them. "The clouds?" Wesley asked trying not to snigger.

"Wes!" Harry complained.

"Harry?" The Captain distracted him quickly. "If you were in your real, uncompressed form, in the atmosphere how much space would you take up?"

"Right now?" Harry looked excited as she showed interest in him. She nodded. He frowned as he thought about it. "I wouldn't fit." He declared in the end.

"You're bigger than the planet?" Tom Paris asked as he glanced around.

"No." Harry grumbled before looking contemplative.

"Harry, don't go working out how many suns you'd have to destroy to be bigger than the planet." Wesley interrupted him. Harry pouted at him but turned to look at the pilot.

He held out his hands wide. "Whole Earth." He told him before putting two fingers just slightly apart. "Atmosphere around planet." He put his fingers together. "Iddy-bitty people on planet."

"We're just little play-things to you aren't we?" Tom asked in amusement and Harry gave him a funny look.

"You're not my play thing." Harry shook his head before pointing at Wesley right next to him. "Wes is though." He looked up as Wesley choked and saw that he'd gone bright red in embarrassment. "Was that something I shouldn't have said?" He asked innocently as Wesley turned to hide his face in Harry's hair. Harry grinned at the attention.

"Here we go, Captain." Tom announced and Harry looked up at the buildings and sky scrapers and the bay shooting passed below them.

"Put us as low as you can, Tom." She announced. "Let's show them the ship they've been missing."

The ground rushed up and the big red bridge in their way came level with them. Harry looked at Wesley. "Isn't it a bit daft to get home and then run into a bridge?" Harry asked.

"He'll go over it, Harry." Wesley smiled at him, not making fun for a change.

"I could move it if he'd like." Harry offered. "Would that be easier?"

"No, Harry. Leave it where it is." The Captain told him. "Most of our families and friends are on the bridge."

"Oh!" Harry nodded happily and a few seconds later the bridge shot passed underneath them and Harry twisted his head to try to see all the people that were supposedly watching them. "I think we went a little fast to see them."

"It's more to let them see us, Harry." The Captain told him before turning to Tom. "Fly us around the city for fifteen minutes and then land us at the designated coordinates. Give our families time to move to Headquarters to watch us land."

"Yes, ma'am!" Tom announced happily.

"I could move them to headquarters if you'd like." Harry offered.

"Harry, you don't have to try to find something useful to do." Wesley looked down at him warmly. "You've done enough to help them. Let them do this on their own. It's their homecoming, they want to do it."

"He's right, Harry." The Captain nodded. "This crew owes you and Lieutenant Crusher a massive debt and you'll always be welcome with us no matter where we are."

"So I don't have to sneak onboard?" Harry asked happily.

"No." She laughed. "No more sneaking."

"Until they want to dissect me again." Harry grumbled and hugged Wesley closer to him. Wesley shifted to stand behind him and hugged him around the waist before Harry could ask him where he was going.

"Nobody's going to dissect you, Harry." Wesley muttered to him.

"Of course not. They couldn't if they wanted to." Harry nodded. "But I bet they still want to."

"Well you've done the Federation a great favour, Harry." The Captain pointed out. "I doubt they'll be wanting to offend you now. Particularly since you're a fellow explorer and our greatest asset in reaching far off places in this Galaxy."

"That sounds fun." Harry nodded. "Can we take this ship? She's pretty."

"That she is." The Captain nodded with pride. "But she's been through a lot in the last five years."

"Oh! Can we get a bigger one then?" Harry asked excitedly making everyone laugh.

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Three days later

"Wes?" Harry asked as he leaned over from his big comfy chair towards where Wesley was sitting in the chair next to him. There were another thirteen humans around the table including the scientist man that was Wesley's boss. Also Wesley's mum was there and that had been fun to tease Wesley about their fun together in front of his mother, up until Wesley had pleaded with him to stop.

There were several Admirals around the table which, according to Wesley, were the bosses, one of which was Tom Paris' father.

"I know, you're bored." Wesley whispered back. "The meeting..."

"Lieutenant?" Admiral Paris interrupted Wesley seeing him distracted. "Are we boring you?"

"No, Sir." Wesley shook his head quickly.

"Wes seems to be able to put up with all this talking. You're not boring him." Harry shrugged. "You're boring me though. Can't we do something else now? We've been talking for hours."

"We've been talking for forty-five minutes, Harry." Captain Janeway laughed from the other side of the table.

"Fine! Almost an hour!" Harry complained. "It's boring. What are we even talking about?"

"We've got rather a lot to go over, Mr..." The woman wearing a gold admiral's uniform trailed off. "What is your surname?"

"Don't remember." Harry shrugged. "Why do I need one?"

"So you can't be confused with another Harry." Captain Janeway explained patiently. "Like Ensign Kim for example."

"But he's not made of Dark Matter." Harry frowned. "How could you confuse me with him? He's really really small and fleshy."

"Could we possibly get back on track?" Admiral Paris sighed. "We need to discuss matters so we can move on."

"But you're going to tell the rest of them what to do in the end so why do they need to talk about it in the first place?" Harry complained.

"He might value our opinions." Captain Janeway tried to explain.

"And I'm not an expert in Dark Matter." Admiral Paris pointed out. "I need to know the opinions of experts like Lieutenant Crusher and Commander Peel."

"They're experts?" Harry looked sideways at Wesley. "Really?"

"Not really, Harry." Wesley laughed a little. "But compared to everyone else on the planet we know more about you."

"He doesn't know much about me." Harry complained, looking for a moment at Wesley's scientist boss. "But if we have to keep talking can't we go somewhere more interesting to talk about it?"

"Like where?" Captain Janeway asked with a quick look at the female Admiral who'd been about to interrupt. "He's easier to get along with if you answer his questions first. Once he's happy he's much more forthcoming with useful information."

"Hey!" Harry whined to Wesley. "Was that mean?"

"No, Harry." Wesley laughed before shooting the Captain a look.

"You're lying." Harry grumbled. "That was mean."

"We should do this meeting here and with no more interruptions we can be done before supper." Admiral Paris interrupted yet again.

"Wesley? How long is it until supper?" Harry asked his friend.

"About three hours." Wesley sighed.

"Wes!" Harry whined.

"Look at it this way, Harry." Wesley sighed. "If we get the bulk of what needs to be talked about out of the way we don't have to have so many long meetings again and they can be happier with you hanging around without wanting to 'dissect' you."

"Then can we go to a beach?" Harry begged. Wesley laughed but nodded. "Can Tom and Harry come too? I like them, they're fun."

"I'm not so sure if Tom can be spared right now, Harry." Captain Janeway shot a glance at Admiral Paris.

"Why not?" Harry complained.

"There are hearings he has to go through to do with his previous convictions." The Admiral told him.

"Can't he still come to the beach though?" Harry whined.

"The hearings are to decide if he is a flight risk." The other male Admiral told him with a placating look.

"Flight? Since when can Tom fly?" Harry looked to Wesley.

"He means run away." Wesley explained. "He's got a full hearing in a month's time and until then he's not allowed to leave. Until they decide he's not going to run away before the main hearing he has to stay in the city."

"But where's he going to run to?" Harry complained. "Please!" He begged Tom's father. "I'm bored and Tom's fun!"

"Maybe this meeting would progress faster without so many interruptions." The woman Admiral glanced around the room. "I think we can leave aside matters requiring our guest for another time. Perhaps we can permit Mr. Paris an afternoon to keep our guest busy under the supervision of Ensign Kim and Lieutenant Crusher."

"I'll watch him too!" Harry declared happily. "He can't run away from me! Come on Wesley, let's go find them!"

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Six months later

Harry watched from under Wesley's arm as the Enterprise finished her turn and the ship that Wesley and Captain Janeway had been going on about for months appeared on the large screen. "It looks weird." Harry told Wesley.

"It's not the first time you've seen an image of her. You've seen drawings and pictures." Wesley pointed out.

"Yeah but they were all flat and stuff." Harry told the taller boy as if it was obvious. "And he feels weird too."

"How so?" Captain Janeway asked.

"I don't know." Harry whined and rubbed his side into Wesley's warmth. "He's more alive."

"Is some of you out there?" Wesley asked him softly. Harry looked up and nodded quickly.

"Just a little bit." Harry made a gesture with his hand, his thumb and index finger close together. He turned back to the screen as the Enterprise settled down just ahead of the waiting ship. The ship was being held in place by four little things which were giving off energy but the ship was only giving off a little. He could feel the energy cushioned between the little buoy things and the big ship.

"He's bigger than the Voyager." Harry told Wesley and the Captain.

"By about fifty percent by mass." The Captain nodded. "But from top to bottom and bow to stern she's twice the size."

"He?" Wesley asked.

"What? Is that wrong?" Harry asked.

"A bit unconventional." The Captain laughed.

"But he feels like a he." Harry muttered just as Riker joined them.

"What were you saying?" Riker asked Janeway.

"We've just come to the decision that it's a he." Janeway told Riker who smile and laughed a little.

"Are you making fun of me?" Harry asked them all making Janeway laugh a little too. "Mean." Harry snuggled into Wesley's side a little more. "What's he called?" He asked as he turned back to the view. The ship was strange looking as far as the other ships were concerned. He kind of reminded Harry of a rebellious cousin in a family of upstanding citizens. The normal round disc design had been elongated and it was much larger at the rear but the warp nacelles were completely strang, they seemed to loop around the ship vertically.

"She's designed in every way with you in mind." Janeway told him.

"The space between the looped nacelles and the main ship allows you to take form around the ship to protect us but leave the nacelles on the outside. A complete array of sensors, shields and weapons are encased in that nacelle array." Wesley told him. "So even when you're protecting us we can still see out past you, shield us and you and fire on whatever we want."

"Won't the pretty bits get hurt if they get shot at?" Harry asked.

"Localised shielding around each section means you can lash out through them to block shots and accidentally drain shields without taking the shields down across the entire array and the same applies on the main section of the ship." Wesley told him. "And the shields on the nacelle array are better designed to be rapidly drained like that and then come back online once you pull away."

"I like him." Harry announced.

"Well in two months her… sorry, his trials will be finished and we'll be taking him to the edge of the alpha quadrant for a warm up and then once the crew has been finalised we'll be off to the Delta Quadrant again." Janeway told him.

"If you'll take us, Harry." Wesley requested. Harry looked up at him and knew he really didn't mind just as long as he was with Wesley. Harry nodded and Wesley leaned down quickly and kissed him gently.

Harry turned back to the screen and the ship, the USS Void, in honour of him according to Wesley, and then grinned up at Wesley getting a little groan from him. "Can we go play with him then?"

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The End