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"What do you have there, Naomi?"
Naomi put the lid on the small box, making sure it was on good, and then wrapped the ribbon around it to make it extra pretty. She then stood up and faced her mom. "It's Ensign Kim's birthday present!"
"That's nice of you, sweetheart. Did you draw him a picture?" Samantha asked. The four year old had a knack for drawing pictures for people. She herself had an entire wall in her room dedicated to the colorful works of art.
"Nope," Naomi answered with a grin. "It's a surprise."
She was curious what kind of 'surprise' her daughter may have come up with, but also knew Naomi wouldn't give up the secret if she really didn't want to. "Well I'm sure Ensign Kim will love it," she replied. She picked up the covered dish containing the cookies she had volunteered to replicate for the party and then gestured for Naomi to follow. "Let's get going. We don't want to be late for the celebration."
"Cake?"
Naomi was practically bouncing up and down as she moved to the door. Samantha smiled and followed after her. "Neelix made sure to make a big one for everyone," she assured her daughter.
It was nearly an hour later before it was time for presents to be opened. As Naomi climbed into her lap Sam noticed that she was still holding onto the present. "Are you going to give that to Ensign Kim?" she asked, nodding to the pile of gifts on the coffee table in front of the sofa where the Ensign was sitting.
Naomi shook her head and held the present closer. "Not yet."
She was curious about her daughter's answer, but since the room was going quiet in preparation for the first gift she let it go. Together they watched as the Operation's officer went through the pile and as Lieutenant Paris teased him at every opportunity. Captain Janeway's was the last to be given, a copy of an old Earth book, and it was only then that Naomi wiggled out of her lap.
"I got to give him the present, mommy," she whispered urgently.
Samantha let her go, her curiosity about the present returning once again. She watched amusedly as her daughter moved over to the Ensign.
"Looks like there's still one more present, Harry," Commander Chakotay said with a smile as Naomi stopped at the sofa.
The Ensign looked over and smiled as well. "Hey, Naomi. Is that for me?"
The four year old nodded proudly and held out the small box. It was no longer than a hand and no deeper than two PADDs stacked atop one another. "Happy birthday, Ensign! I replicated it myself."
For a moment Samantha wondered when her daughter had gotten access to a replicator. It took her only a moment to remember that it was Naomi and Naomi could get access to any replicator or computer on any given day she wanted thanks to a ship full of aunts and uncles and a talaxian godfather, all of who spoiled her rotten on a daily basis.
"Thank you, Naomi," Harry Kim said as he accepted the present.
Naomi grinned as he began to untie the ribbon and the smile seemed contagious to the rest of the gathered audience. As the lid was lifted, however, the Ensign's smile faltered. For a moment a look of surprise passed his features and was followed by a somewhat dumbfounded expression.
"Naomi," he began cautiously. "What is this?"
He hadn't taken out the gift and was staring at it as if he didn't believe what he was seeing. A sickly-sweet smell seemed to start filling the room though and suddenly Samantha was concerned about just what her daughter had stuck in that box.
Naomi's grin hadn't faltered at all. In fact she looked more pleased with herself. "Tribble poop," she answered proudly.
The smell that was filling the room was quickly becoming overpowering and was beginning to smell as rotten as it did sickly-sweet. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed the Delaney sisters scooting their chairs a little further away and Mike Ayala ducking his head. She wasn't sure if he was stifling a laugh or trying to shield himself from the smell.
She suddenly wished she'd checked inside the box before leaving their quarters. She looked down for a second as she felt a faint flush tint her cheeks. When she looked back up Lieutenant Paris was chuckling and the rest of the Senior Staff looked just as amused. Even Ensign Kim seemed to be fighting a laugh now.
"Thank you, Naomi," he said earnestly once again.
"You're welcome," her daughter said happily. "Lieutenant Paris said you'd like it."
At that half of the audience broke out into laughter while the Ensign sent Tom a glare. The helms officer only smirked triumphantly. Samantha meanwhile bit back a laugh as Naomi skipped back over to her.
"He liked it, mommy!"
"Yes he did, sweetheart," she replied, glad that Ensign Kim and Lieutenant Paris were now bickering back and forth and therefore not paying attention. As Naomi climbed back into her lap a few of the others around her gave her knowing and highly amused smiles. "And I think everyone else did too."