Team Work By Amy Bower rewob@adiis.net Disclaimer: Voyager belongs to Paramount; no infringement is intended. The Cubs belong to the Tribune, Co. I promise to have them back in time for the next game! Summary: Q brings q jr. to Voyager to teach him about teamwork. Set some time in the fifth season. Rating: G Author's notes: This is a sequel to "History Games" which is also posted at this site; please read that first. This is just a fluff piece I wrote to kill time before Opening Day. My thanks to the Cubs for the thrilling 1998 season and here's hoping for an even better 1999 season! Also, thanks to my sister for ideas and suggestions. Enjoy the story. Tom and B’Elanna emerged from the holodeck and walked down the corridor in the middle of a heated discussion. Suddenly, Tom stopped and turned to B’Elanna. “Hey,” he interrupted himself mid-sentence. “How come we always have this discussion in the corridor?” “We do, don’t we?” B’Elanna realized. Before either of them could offer any sort of explanation, there was a flash of light and a figure appeared. He was holding the hand of a child who appeared to be around 12 years of age. They were both dressed in Starfleet uniforms. “I must say you two don’t look surprised to see me at all.” Q pouted. “Why should we be surprised?” Tom wondered, shrugging his shoulders. “People always appear out of nowhere when we’re arguing in the corridor. We should have known that it would be you eventually.” “And I thought it had been too long since my last visit.” Q mused. “But I see you’ve been expecting me! How very splendid!” “What do you want, Q?” B’Elanna growled, now that her argument had been taken from her. “I just thought that maybe you could provide me with a little help.” “What kind of help?” Tom sounded suspicious. “Daddy, I don’t like his tone of voice!” q pouted, pointing an accusing finger at Tom. Tom raised an eyebrow that would have done Tuvok proud but didn’t say a word. “Now, q, it’s been a while since our last visit, and I know you aren’t used to these life forms, but you must be patient. They’re doing the best they can.” B’Elanna was about to make a comment when Tom put a restraining hand on her arm. The last thing they needed was for Q to get mad at her and send her who knows where with a snap of his fingers. “Q, why don’t you tell us what you’re doing here?” “Well, I think my darling Kathy should know that I’m here, don’t you?” “He’s right, Tom, we better tell the captain.” B’Elanna hated to agree with the smug alien, but it had to be done. She tapped her comm badge, “Torres to Janeway.” “Janeway here, Lieutenant.” “Captain, Mr. Paris and I are near Holodeck One and Q has just arrived. We thought you’d like to know.” There was a brief pause over the comm channel and they could picture the captain talking a deep, calming breath before responding. “Very well, Lieutenant, bring him on up to the Ready Room.” Before either of the Starfleeters could stop him, Q raised his hand and all four of them disappeared in a flash of light. Just seconds after closing the comm with B’Elanna, Janeway’s thoughts were interrupted by a flash of white light. It was just as well that Q was not a telepathic species because Janeway’s thoughts were of him, and they were not complimentary. “My dearest, Kathy!” Q enthused, reaching over to place his hands on her shoulders before kissing her fondly on both cheeks. Janeway was not amused, especially as she caught the look on Tom’s face. She was already planning his next demotion when Q spoke again. “q jr. come say ‘hello’ to Auntie Kathy!” Tom didn’t realize how much trouble he was getting himself into as he continued to smirk. Janeway wanted nothing more than to find a hot mug of coffee and a bath tub to soak away her problems. It was definitely a good thing Q was not telepathic as he still had the Drabean love sonnets from the last time he’d serenaded her in the bath. "Q," Janeway rubbed her temples. "What are you doing here?" Q looked momentarily at a loss for words. "I am in need of your expertise." The comment caused Janeway to be at a loss for words, but not for long. The opportunity wasn't going to present itself too often so she thought she'd better take advantage of it. "Let me get this straight." She stood and walked around her desk so she was sure not to miss his reaction. "You have a need of our expertise." "This should be good." Tom muttered under his breath to B'Elanna. "Well, out with it, Q. What can we – lowly humans – help the vaunted Q with?" "You needn't be so smug about it, Kathy." Q whined. "It so happens that we've been trying to teach q about team work…" Tom snorted. "…and working with others…" B'Elanna snorted. "…and taking other species' suggestions into consideration…" Janeway snorted. "…when dealing with a situation. Really, Captain, you don't need to act so condescending. "I'm sorry, Q." She sneaked a quick glance at her officers and offered a slight smirk. "I forgot, that's your department." "Kathy, I'm surprised at you. You're the one that suggested I teach q about the finer points of humanity." "You're right, Q." She was still having a hard time in wiping the smirk off her face. Suddenly, she thought of a way to deal with Q and get back at Tom for his reactions earlier. "And I have just the people to help you with your problem. Tom and B'Elanna didn't make it to the door fast enough before Janeway caught them in her plan. "Tom and B'Elanna have the day off. I'm sure they'd be more than willing to show you and q jr. everything you need to know." She smiled at their reactions as they turned away from the door, resignation etched on their faces. "Of course, Captain." Tom managed to say through gritted teeth. B'Elanna just nodded wordlessly. "I have just the holodeck program to show them if we can get the holodeck for a few hours." "I'll arrange it for you." Janeway waved towards the waiting pair. "I'm sure you won't be disappointed, Q. Tom's holoprograms always prove to be interesting." "Very well. Though I must say that I'm disappointed that you won't be joining us. I suppose you and Chuckles have urgent business to attend to or something." Janeway did not regret her current decision as she caught the look on Tom's face at Q's latest comment. In fact, she decided that a few more double shifts might be just what Tom needed for the next few days. "Let me know how it turns out, won't you, Tom." She smirked, sitting down and taking a sip of her coffee. "Oh, I will, Captain." Tom winced. "I will." "I'll expect a full report when you're finished. Carry on." "Yes, Captain." Tom and B'Elanna both responded before gesturing for Q and q to lead the way out the door. Janeway couldn't help but feel satisfied at her solution to her latest dilemma with Q. She decided to have another cup of coffee to celebrate. Tom, B'Elanna, Q and q were in Holodeck Two standing on a street corner in a 20thCentury City. Throngs of people surrounded them. B'Elanna groaned and tugged at the hat Tom had made her wear. Q and q also had hats and had changed from the Starfleet uniforms to wear uniforms of a different kind. They now wore white pants and shirts with blue pinstripes. Q's shirt had a big blue 21 on the back while q had the number 34 on his jersey. Tom had a similar shirt but with the number 17. Q looked at his surroundings and smiled to himself. "I see you still like this program, Tommy boy." Tom was puzzled. "What do you mean?" "Oh, nothing," Q waved a hand dismissively. "I just thought that you would have shelved this particular program considering what happened the last time you ran it." "How do you know what happened the last time we ran this program?" B'Elanna growled. Q chuckled, "Oh, what fools these mortals be." "Um, actually, this is a new program." Tom stared at Q, thinking about the other program and the unusual events that had occurred. "It takes place a year after the other one, and should have a much happier outcome." "Yeah, well, the last program didn't exactly turn out as you said it would." B'Elanna pointed out. "I know." Tom continued to stare thoughtfully at Q. "What exactly is this place, Father?" q asked. Q looked to Tom for the explanation. "I think Mr. Paris can explain this better than I can, q." "This is a program set in the 20th Century City of Chicago. On Earth. This building is Wrigley Field; home of the Chicago Cubs. They play an ancient Earth game called baseball. If you want an example of team work, this is the place to look." "Here we go again." B'Elanna muttered to herself. "This is the seventh game of the World Series in the year 1999. The Cubs and New York Yankees are about to play the best game of baseball I have ever seen. Thanks to both team work and outstanding individual performances, the Cubs win the game and set off the largest, longest, loudest party this planet has ever seen." "Excellent choice, Tommy boy!" Q enthused. "We like games." "Oh, I remember!" q exclaimed. "We watched this before, Father. You know, when that player got his arm bro…" "That's enough, q." Q interrupted. "Let's go in and watch the festivities. The two omnipotent aliens walked through the gates while Tom and B'Elanna stared after them in slack-jawed surprise. B'Elanna was the first to regain some semblance of composure. "Tom, you don't suppose they had something to do with changing the history of that last program, do you?" "I don't know what to think." Tom shook his head as if to clear out cobwebs. "C'mon, let's go watch batting practice. The wind is blowing out and Sammy puts on quite a show. And maybe we can find out how much Q actually knows about this program." "Well, Tommy boy, this sure does beat sitting around the Continuum. The only sport around there is croquet, if that's considered a sport. It's rather hard to teach q about teamwork watching them!" "Keep watching, Q, you're about to get a prime example of teamwork." Tom was clearly getting excited as game time drew near. Two hours later, even B'Elanna was on the edge of her seat as the game continued into the 7th inning. "This is where it gets exciting!" Tom was practically leaning on the person sitting in front of him as he leaned in towards the action. "Tell me again why we're supposed to be excited over this?" Q leaned in towards Tom. "No one has scored and there have only been a couple of hits." "That's the beauty of it, Q. Both pitchers are having great games! The best part is that the Cubs pitcher, Kerry Wood, was out for most of the season with a torn ligament in his elbow. This is the game that proves once and for all that he's back to 100%. His velocity is up to 101 M.P.H., and he has pinpoint control. He provides the spark for his teammates." "Really? Than why aren't they doing anything?" q pouted. "Keep watching, junior." Tom grunted. "Father!" q complained, "he's not being very nice!" "Now, q, I warned you that they don't always show us the respect that is befitting our stature. We just have to keep trying to teach them." "Okay, Q, pay attention. This is where it gets good!" Tom nodded toward the field. "The Yankees are about to meet their match!" At that moment, the Yankees batter swung viciously at the third strike. The announcer said it was clocked at 103. The next batter sent a line drive down the third base side that was speared nicely by a diving Gary Gaetti. The final batter of the seventh inning sent one bouncing to short, took a funny hop but was corralled by Hernandez and thrown on to first for the out. The Cubs ran off the field as the crowd surged to its' feet. Chip Caray, grandson of announcing legend Harry Caray, stood in the TV booth and led the crowd in a rousing rendition of "Take me Out to the Ball Game." The crowd remained standing as if sensing what the final innings would bring. Thanks in part to the brilliant defensive play in the beginning of the 7th inning the Cubs bats began to come alive. Though no runs were scored in the 7th or 8th innings, the Cubs batters began to send long drives to the warning track and knock down infielders with line drives. The Cubs' defense was brilliant again in the ninth inning. Kerry Wood, who had pitched eight strong innings, was taken down in favor of the closer, Rod Beck. Beck took the mound chewing a wad of gum, shaggy hair down to the shoulders, getting himself ready for the pitch, his right arm hung down swinging like a pendulum. He glared at the batter, the lights glinting off the number 47 on his back. "C'mon, Beck!" "Yeah, we don't need any heart attacks now. Just three more outs. That's all I ask." Two women in front of Tom muttered. Q looked at the four women in front of them. They all looked rather nervous and were standing shifting their weight from foot to foot like everyone else in the stadium. "I take it you ladies don't have much trust in this man?" The four turned around as they realized he was talking to them. The two on the left, obviously sisters, looked at each other and laughed. "Oh, we have confidence… it's just that Beck likes to make things…" "Interesting!" "That would be an understatement!" The third woman spoke. "You guys should just be thankful that I got you tickets." The one on the end spoke up. "You know how long I waited in line for you?!" "We know. We know. And we appreciate you, really we do." The four friends turned back to each other to continue the bantering while Beck warmed up. Beck's first pitch sailed over the backstop. The crowd groaned. Mark Grace trotted in from first as Tyler Houston came in from behind the plate. After a few short words and a pat on the back, they took up their positions again. The next pitch was right down the middle for a called strike. On a 3-2 count, the batter swung and sent a drive to deep left field where Henry Rodriguez made a leaping catch against the ivy. The crowd cheered and tried not to hold its collective breath in anticipation. The second batter also worked the count to three and two before dropping a looping single into short center field. The defense held him on and watched the count again go to three and two. The batter sent a screaming line drive that by all rights should have ended up down the right field line. The runner sure thought so as he took off for second. Mark Grace had other ideas. Somehow, he managed to get his glove across his body, roll into foul territory, get up to one knee and flip to Beck covering first. Double play. The crowd roared as the players ran back to the dugout, slapping Grace and Beck on the back as they went. The game was still scoreless in the ninth with two outs when Lance Johnson legged out an infield single and Mickey Morandini waited out a walk. The crowd watched anxiously as Sosa walked up to the plate. He stepped out of the batter's box as Joe Torre, manager of the Yankees, came out to talk to his pitcher. They glanced at Sosa and then at Grace in the on deck circle. Grace just smiled at them. Torre headed back to the dugout. "What was that all about?" B'Elanna wondered. Tom included them all in his explanation. "The Yankees had to decide whether or not they wanted to pitch to Sosa or walk him intentionally to bring up Grace. Sosa is a home run threat but has struck out twice tonight and is without a hit. Grace on the other hand has three hits and just missed a home run with that double off the wall in the 7th. It looks like they've decided to pitch to Sosa." They turned their attention back to the game to see what would happen. Sosa swung and missed badly on the first pitch. The pitcher smiled. The next pitch was up and in but Sosa checked his swing in time: one and one. The next pitch was in the dirt, but the catcher stopped it to prevent the runners from advancing. The next pitch was down the heart of the plate, but Sosa swung too late and fouled it straight back. One more ball out of the strike zone and the count was full. Sosa stepped out of the batter's box and stretched his arms. The pitcher was no longer smiling as he readied himself for the next pitch. The game was riding on this pitch, and he knew it. He reared back and threw. Sosa swung and the ball jumped off the bat and flew down the left field line. Time seemed to stand still as everyone focused on the ball as it sailed majestically out of the park…foul. The Yankees sighed in relief; Cubs fans wiped the sweat off their brows. Sosa took up his position in the batter's box again. Another pitch and again the ball seemed to jump off the bat. This time it was a line drive headed for center field. The center fielder ran back to the warning track and could do nothing as he watched the ball drop safely into the basket that ran along the top of the wall. Home run. There was a full twenty seconds of silence before comprehension sank in and the crowd cheered, and screamed and kept on celebrating as Sosa crossed home plate. As he crossed the plate, he picked up Grace in a jubilant bear hug. They were both quickly lost to sight as the entire team piled on top of them. Tom's group stood in silence as they watched everyone around them celebrate. The group in front of them was yelling and hugging and generally making it known how happy they were to be in attendance. The rest of the stadium looked much the same. Tom just stood smiling at the scene. Reluctantly he ordered the computer to end the program. "Well, Q, you think you can use that to teach q jr. about team work?" Tom smiled. Both Q's looked thoughtful as the last few innings of the game replayed in their mind. "I think we may have a few things to discuss." A few seconds later, the four of them were once again standing in the Ready Room. The captain was barely able to keep herself from spilling her cup of coffee in surprise. "Q, don't you ever knock?" "Why, Kathie, that would take all the fun out of things." Janeway rubbed her temples and devoutly wished that he had found what he was looking for on this particular visit. She could use a nice long bath and some hot coffee. Lots of it. Again, she was glad Q was not telepathic. Q smiled. "I do believe you should relieve yourself from duty early today, my dearest Kathie." "And why is that, Q?" "You look like you could use a nice long bath and some hot coffee. Lots of it." Janeway's head snapped up in time to see them disappear in a flash of white. Q's laughter resounded in her head for several minutes after he disappeared. Game Over Feedback is always welcome so let me know what you thought. In case you are wondering about the jersey numbers used in the story, here they are: #21 Sammy Sosa, #34 Kerry Wood, #17 Mark Grace, and yes Rod Beck's number really is 47! Mark Grace is my favorite player though I like all the guys on the team so I had to work in a few names – hope it wasn't a problem!