Seven regenerated long enough to dream. The Captain had been correct not to allow her to try to dream the crew back to normal. She'd dreamed of some sort of fairy tale where there were magical creatures frolicking and fighting in the woods. Nothing about Voyager at all. She snapped her eyes open and was ready to go to her new extra duties.

  She was greeted by a sight that stunned her mind. At her feet there was a huge gathering of tiny men all looking up at her.

  She gripped the sides of her sleep chamber. She must still be asleep. But she self checked herself and stared at them. They were real, and they were there waiting for her to awaken.

  "State your business here." She would have backed away from them if she hadn't already been in her alcove.

  They all tried to talk at once, but it was clear that they wanted HER to be their guardian. She was horrified suddenly that she might have gone mad, she wanted to make sure she wasn't still asleep.

  She stepped gently around the gathering on the floor and went to her station. She checked and double checked herself. The men transported themselves up onto her console. There must have been thirty of them including Tuvok and Harry. She was perplexed that they had chosen her. Even the very logical Vulcan!

  "It was my failure that caused this problem. It is irrational for me to look after you." Seven said to them. Tuvok spoke up.

  "Since you did indeed cause the problem, it is in out best interest that we work with you and help you to reverse the process. The Captain has assigned our duties elsewhere, we may be able to assist you in undoing the problem."

  "Plus, you're the best looking woman aboard, I'd much rather be here with you than Isara in the lab." Harry admitted of his usually grouchy girlfriend.

  It seemed to surprise the other guys, but they were there for the same reason too.

  Tuvok was the only man that wouldn't admit it.

-     -     -

  "Naomi Wildman. How are you?"

  "Neelix?!" The young girl hurried to her dresser where Neelix had appeared. He'd been wearing his leisure clothes when the whole thing had happened and he'd been in the kitchen. He'd been found by the first woman to come along. Now he was sort of stuck in the same clothes.

  "I came to check on you." Neelix tried to be cheery at all times.

  "Check on me? You're the one that needs help! Are you okay?"

  "Of course. I'm just fine. Is your mom here?"

  "No, she's got alot more duties than usual." Naomi shrugged. "Since there aren't any boys any more, the girls have to do everything now. I'm supposed to start cooking in your place!"

  "And you'll be the BEST cook ever!" Neelix said as cheerily as he could. But he was a mess inside. It would be VERY difficult to be a successful diplomat the size of a pickle.

  "Thanks." Naomi beamed. The little bumps on her forehead were shining with her youthful glossiness.

  "I was wondering if your mom would be my new guardian. The Captain wants each of us men to have a guardian now."

  "Hey! I could be your guardian, and you could teach me how to cook like you!"

  "But Naomi..." Neelix had remembered the other guys getting together and discussing which women aboard would make the best "guardians" in terms of which would be a good girlfriend.

  Neelix found a bit of reason in what she said. It would be a chance for him to "work" again. At least as a teacher. He was hoping the other guys didn't take this the wrong way. "Of COURSE I'd like that alot..." He wondered if it was best, but it would be good enough until her mom got home. He hoped dearly that his life wouldn't become "teacher" because of his new height.

-     -     -

  "You're being unreasonable. If I were full blooded Klingon I'd never have a mate that couldn't best a brave in battle, all I'm asking from you is a little cooperation." B'ellana told Tom who looked like he was ready to burst.

  "All I wanted was a replicated Flyer. You could make one if a few moments..." Tom wanted a Delta Flyer "toy" to play with. B'ellana was trying to get him to sit still so she could make clothes for him instead. She didn't want to admit it, but now that he was so small, she couldn't keep her hands off of him.

  She felt like the proverbial kid in a candy store.

  Only, the candy was more interested in crawling into a shuttle to see if he could pilot a tiny replica around the room.

  B'ellana finally agreed only if he'd sit still for her the next day.

  He whole heartedly promised his cooperation later. B'ellana knew it was a piece of cake. She went to the computer terminal and asked it to access the blue prints of the Delta Flyer, and then to have a 1/40 scale model created on her food replicator. The computer did as asked and soon Captain Proton was flying again. B'ellana just let him behave like a kid as she went back to her work station in Engineering. Sitting around with a flying rodent in her quarters wasn't her idea of a good time!

  Tom could be SUCH a pest she fumed.

-     -     -

  Janeway crawled out of the tub and toweled herself dry. Screw the sonic sanitizer when she had real tension to soak out. Even the smell of the soap was a heady fragrance that kept her mind off of the ship around her. Her communicator buzzed on the clothes lying on the floor. She tapped it with her toe to activate it.

  "Janeway."

  "Uh, Captain... I'm here about... uh..."

  "Who is this?" She asked not recognizing the voice.

  "Uh, Lieutenant Schroeder. I was with you on last away mission?"

  "Schroeder?" She tried to jog her weary mind.

  "I ran the transporter!"

  "Oh, yes. I remember now. What's your message?"

  "You gave orders to find a woman for a guardian..." He prompted.

  She toweled off her red mop of hair briskly while speaking. This was obviously someone in desperate need of some holodeck time. She was going to try and make it as easy as possible. "The orders are for everyone's protection. If you can't find one, I can appoint someone for you."

  "I mean. I was wondering if you had any room left, Ma'am. Captain."

  "Room?" She looked at herself in the mirror.

  With bags under he eyes and all her makeup washed away, she was a mess.

  She had company? Was she hearing it correctly?

  Why was she so suddenly bent out of shape for the idea of a tiny man being in her quarters???

  She hurried the dressing ritual and came out to see that her visitor was already inside the door of her quarters. Janeway stopped as if moving quickly might scare him off. "Lieutenant Schroeder?" She asked the tiny being by her door.

  "Captain." The three inch man looked more lost than anything. Janeway decided to take her diplomatic route (as usual) and try to get him to stay by example.

  "You wish to stay with me as your guardian? Well, I'm flattered. I feel as if I've been guarding all of you since we launched anyway." She finally sat on a lounger she'd always used for guests. It faced her working desk, but also was midway between it and the door. She looked at the tiny man hoping that this was going to go well.

  "Uh, yes Captain. Where are the others?" Her guest suddenly asked.

  "Others?" She realized that he must have thought most of the men aboard would be flocking to her. Just as she'd thought so.

  She'd already seen the report of Seven's success but didn't want to say anything of it.

  "There are many women aboard Voyager, most of the men probably have sweethearts they'd rather see. Come now. Let me look at you." She motioned him over. She felt guilty as hell.

  This was just flat fun for her.

  She'd never felt the sensation. She should be kicking herself or feeling guilty for his present state. She was responsible after all, yet she also felt like it was a gift. Everyone staying an arm's length from each other every day because they were in the heart of danger, and aboard a Federation vessel. Now it was like her male crewmen were civilians again. Fragile and weak like children. Beings to be cared for instead of ordered around.

  Yet she liked to order them around. The military always felt superior to civilians. And she was a Federation Captain! Jackson Schroeder came forward until he was beside her foot looking up at her. Her hair was still a damp array around her head as her eyes began to glimmer with emotion. Her only 'admirer' aboard Voyager. Her own fan.

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