Life With a Paris: The Wounds of Addiction   Tom snuck through the corridors with Delta in tow. They had both received a scathing lecture from Janeway regarding the dog destroying Voyager's supplies, and Tom had no desire to run into his superior on this afternoon's walk. It had been almost 36 hours since the incident in the cargo bay, and Tom was beginning to become concerned about Delta. The dog was jumpy and skittish, his eyes flitting back and forth quickly, his body tense and ready for action. If Tom hadn't known any better, he'd say the dog was suffering from withdrawal. Today, Delta was going to visit Naomi Wildman. Tom was supposed to go on an overnight away mission, and B'Elanna was wrapped up between starting work in Engineering again, as well as caring for the baby. Harry refused to take in Delta, even for the 18 hours the Paris' would be occupied, so that left the Wildmans'. The dog didn't put up much of a fuss as Tom thanked Samantha and handed over the leash. Delta barely even reacted as Tom walked down the corridor and disappeared from view. Naomi's cat hissed and spat at him before running and hiding in the bedroom, leaving Samantha to raise an eyebrow. Delta knew the cat from the old ship, from before Mommy and Daddy had adopted him, and at the moment had no desire to re-establish his less than loving relationship with her. Twitching nervously, Delta moved to stand by the door, whining softly. Samantha pet him on the head gently. "Naomi, why don't you take Delta for a walk, honey?" Naomi broke into a wide grin, grabbing the dog's leash and tearing out the door, towing the puppy behind her. "Just be careful!" Sam called out after her, shaking her head as she realized her warning was lost on her daughter. Realizing he was free, Delta trotted along side Naomi, quietly at first, then becoming more and more excited as they approached the mess hall. Naomi tugged him towards the kitchen all the while calling for Neelix. The strange looking man that had chased him away from people food almost two months before now appeared from within the kitchen. He and Naomi began speaking, and her little hand went loose on Delta's leash.  Delta's happy dog grin grew wider as he slipped away, and dashed around the funny looking man for the kitchen. It took three sniffs before he located what he was searching for, knocking over several pots of liquid that tasted like yesterday's treats. He lapped those up quickly before diving for the counter where he could swear he smelled more. Three more containers went flying as he leapt upon the counter, spilling dark beans onto the floor. They rolled in every direction, begging to be swallowed. Delta was on the beans in an instant, scooping and chewing with a speed Neelix wouldn't have thought possible. The Talaxian grabbed his leash and began to haul him away from the beans, but it was too late. The entire kitchen supply had been destroyed, and half eaten by the caffeine crazed puppy. Asking a passing officer to keep an eye on the kitchen for him, Neelix walked Naomi back to her quarters, dragging the puppy after them. He said nothing as he handed the leash over to Samantha, and turned on his heel. A new dose of caffeine in his blood, Delta was now more than willing to take on the fat cat, chasing her around the quarters, never taking notice as item after item crashed to the floor and broke apart. He barely heard the Samantha person's screams as he chased that cat across a bed and she flung herself into an open drawer. He scratched at the dresser desperately until he was yanked away, taking great pleasure in the glowing eyes of the cowering cat staring after him. ***** Later that night, Delta curled up on the end of his mommy's bed, purple targ in his mouth, and fell fast asleep. That cat would never bother him again, no, sir. Of course, that Samantha person seemed to like him about as much as that furry Neelix person. But what did it matter? He had his mommy, his daddy and his baby. He sighed. He had all the love in the world. End.