Title: An Underestimation
Author: Adam
Pairing: PK
Rating: PG-13
Archiving: PKelite, PKSP, Tom Paris Dorm, and Elisabeth's site.
Series: 2/?
Disclaimer: Tom and Harry belong to Paramount.
Warnings: None so Far
Summary: I'll have another part out tonight, so I'll do one then!

Beta'd--soon--by Ren

Well, I've done it now! Harry thought to himself in despair. Just a few
weeks ago when he finally discovered he had passed and would be in the academy, he had thought nothing but good things.

He thought his time over the nest four years would be fun, not misery.
Which, he realised now was not just a possibility, but a reality.

Deep down he knew he had done the right thing. He laughed out loud to himself once entering his dorm room. Maybe they really will leave me alone. Harry thought. They won't leave you alone. They're going to pick at you and torment you as long as they can countered another voice.

He knew it was still early enough to pull out without too many problems. Lot's of people realised they couldn't handle the stress of it all. But Harry knew the sacrifices his parents had made to get him here, and he couldn't let them down now. Although he knew they would fully understand if he did decide to leave.

"No!" He said out loud to himself, into the silence of his room. "I won't be pushed out by some spoiled bullies! Besides," Harry continued to speak out loud to himself. "I think I've already fallen for him." He sighed as thoughts of a certain cadet leaders blue eyes came into view.
 

Unknown to Harry, Jessica had a devious mind, and reacted quickly to a declaration of war. Or that is how she and taken what Harry had said.

Giggling evilly to herself, she decided to put her plan into action.

The enormous view-screen which was approximately twenty metres high, and 28 metres across usually showed assignments, local federation news, or the re-deployment or cadet training ships.

But Jessica had a different use for it today. She had taken the security
camera from Harry's room, which, she snickered, had caught Harry's
declaration of feelings for her Tommy.

Like he'd ever want some first generation starfleet cadet like you She
thought in disgust.

She managed to deactivate the view-screen without too much trouble,
engineering been her major. It took a few minutes of tricky work, in which she grinned once again thinking about the effects her plan would have.

The deactivation of the view-screen caused many cadets to stop and look at the view screen, wondering what the problem was. The view-screen only deactivated after 1800 hours, and being deactivated before that was strange.

The view-screen suddenly reactivated, showing the empty quarters of, what is allocated to the first year cadet.

Passers by, stopped to watch with intrigue. On the screen, a young man entered looking like he had things on his mind, and the passers-by continued to watch as the man began to speak.

"I've already fallen for.Tom" Jessica had edited out, what Harry had said about not been pushed out, and added a few words so that no one would miss which-Tom he was talking about. It only took a few modifications to the image-buffer to manipulate it to say things that the person, actually hadn't.
 

The Alpha group were leaving the recreation room when the 'now turned high' volume  attracted their attention.

Jessica had put the view-screen in a loop, repeating over and over.

"I've already fallen for.Tom" A few seconds past, then it was repeated.
"I've already fallen for.Tom."

Tom's jaw dropped at seeing Harry's image on the screen. He knew Harry must have said some of those things, but he could just smell the image adjustments of Jessica. He had thought it was strange that she hadn't joined them for a drink, usually enjoying been the centre of attention.

He turned away from the screen, annoyed at how far Jessica had gone already. Oh no, Harry! Tom thought to himself.

He didn't know what it was about the kid, but Tom felt a need to protect him from the onslaught of his vicious friends.

He knew despite Harry's words earlier, that the young man would be deeply hurt by the whole incident and perhaps blame him, which, caused a tightening in his stomach he hadn't expected.

"Jessica!" Tom shouted, seeing her approaching him, a flirtatious smile on her face.

"Like my work Tommy?" She practically purred, rubbing herself up against him.

"Listen Jessica," Tom started grabbing Jessica firmly by the hands. "You have to turn that off!"

Tom saw the evil grin she gave him, and knew she wasn't going to do what he asked.

"No can do Tommy. It's in a 'Trial-loop' for about 5 hours!" Tom glared at her, then the others In the group as they snickered.

"I know you can turn it off Jess!" Tom pleaded.

Jessica liked the pleading in Tom's voice, and longed for more. "What will I get if I do?"

"It'll hurt Harry." Tom continued as if Jessica hadn't spoke.

"HARRY?" Jessica screamed. "It'll hurt Harry? You know that loser's name? You're worried about his feelings, over having some fun?" She continued to spit in disgust.

Tom remained quiet after realising how much he'd said.

"You better watch your step Tommy-boy." James spoke now. "You don't want to become one of those losers do you?"

Tom, as always relented, and backed down, much to the pleasure of the rest of the group.

They were near the Dorm-Building, and Tom saw the moment that Harry exited.

Harry's eyes filled with tears as he saw the view-screen. They were his
words, but changed. He then saw people staring at him, as they recognised him as the man from the screen. Many of them snickered, some gave him a sad pitying look, knowing he was sadly under the tormenting of the 'Blue Alphas'

Then he turned to see the laughing faces of the 'Blue Alphas'. Focussing in on Tom, he glared coldly, struggling to hold the tears in until he got away.

Tom's eyes locked with Harry's as he saw the hurt burning there.

Jessica saw the emotions passing from Harry to Tom, and began to grope Tom. Rubbing seductively against him trying to bring Tom's attention back to her.

"He doesn't want a loser like you!" She said in anger, but with a smile on her face as she turned towards Harry. "So why don't you do us all a favour and go back to the farm, I'm sure you came from!" She finished, the smugness and her importance going to her head.

The group all laughed, all except Tom that is, who remained silent.

Harry no longer able to keep the tears from escaping, turned and ran off campus. Managing to get to the public transporter buffer and getting home, before he completely collapsed in the old room of his house.
 

Tom had watched as Harry ran away crying, realising he would have been laughing with the rest of his group just a day ago.

Managing, with some effort to get away from the people he had called friends for years, he quickly headed to the transporter buffer Harry had used.

He'd made an excuse of checking out the latest pilot programmes, and that he would be back in a few hours. He knew his friends had easily bought it. Jessica hadn't being too sure, but Tom had simply gave her his boyish smile, which of course made her grin and accept what he said.

He quickly got to the transporter buffer, checking and saying 'thank you' out loud that no one else had used the buffer since Harry.

Checking the co-ordinates, he was surprised to find Harry's house in
England. He was not very familiar with the area, only knowing is was
sparsely populated. He did know that ruins were scattered around the area the co-ordinates showed, but that was all.

Not even thinking, Tom re-entered the co-ordinates and transported to
England, where the young man who had been hurt so badly because of him, lived.
 

"Harry honey." Harry's mother continued. "Please tell me what happened."

"It's.n-nothing.mum" Harry managed to speak through hysterical tears.

Before she could continue to plead, the door-chime sounded. "I'll be right back honey." She stroked his cheek tenderly before heading for the door.

"Yes?" Harry's mother spoke calmly.

"Is.Is Harry here?" Tom asked nervously.

Harry's mother instantly sensed the uneasiness before the young man even spoke. He either knew what was wrong with her son, or was usually nervous around people.

"Yes, my son is here. Who might you be?" She asked curiously. Harry had only been at the academy a day or two, and was not the type to make friends who would come and check up on him, so quickly.

"Who's their, mum?" Harry called, as he wiped at his eyes, and approached the door.

Harry's mother saw Harry's pupils dilate as he took Tom's form in, but
quickly narrowed his eyes after remembering why he was home in the first
place.

"Well, I have something I need to check on in the kitchen." Harry's mother said, backing up and heading away.

"No mum!" Harry said, resolve in his voice. "Stay here. This is Tom Paris."

"Nice to meet you T." She stopped at seeing the anger in Harry's eyes
directed towards Tom.

"Listen Har," Tom began not realising he was using a pet name of his own for Harry. "I am really sorry about what Jessica did. I didn't know she was going to do something like that."

"Didn't know? Sure you didn't!" Harry said in anger. "You probably put her up to it!"

Harry's mother watched the angry words of her son, and sad look of the handsome young man she had just met.

Harry's mother was very good at picking things up, and she knew something had happened to her son, and Tom was in some way involved. Although, by the look of Tom's face she didn't think that he, was responsible for it.

She had smiled and backed up a little further when they had began to talk. The smile had occurred when she heard the young man call him 'Har'

She had summed Tom up as soon as she had seen him. He could be influenced easily, but cared about things greatly. He was kind and gentle, judging by the way he looked at Harry. His physical looks were obviously pleasing to anyone.

Tom was tall and thin, but not too thin. He was well muscled, had
dirty-blond hair, set in a lazy style. His eyes were the bluest Harry's
mother had ever seen. Words to describe them came to mind such as azure, cerulean, sapphire, but none of them did justice to those beautiful eyes she saw looking sadly to her sons.

"Harry, please!" Tom said in frustration.

"You know what you are Tom? You're a snob! A selfish, spoilt, stuck-up snob! I want you to leave now!" Harry said, his anger leaving him fast. He needed Tom to leave before he broke down entirely.

Harry's mother, who had watched her son speak so rudely, in shock, realised something terrible must have happened.

"Tom," Harry's mother began. "Maybe you should tell me what happened?"

She saw Harry's eyes flash in anger and continued. "In private. Harry, could you give Tom and I a minute?"

"Sure mum!" Harry said. Sounding very annoyed but accepting her decision.

With that, Harry's mother lead Tom, outside into the garden.

To Be Continued.