Title: RR: Trip/Sato
Author: Josephine, Misanoe, Chrysa, Didi, Rodlox, Mara
E-Mail: For contact info, look under the posting forum.
Rating: R
Category: Romance
Codes: T/S
Summary: Round robin in the Trip/Sato forum. Trip turns on the charm . . .
Disclaimer: Star Trek and Enterprise are registered trademarks of Paramount Pictures. No infringement is intended.
Notes: This is a round robin started in the Trip and Sato Forum of Linguistics Database. There are multiple authors involved, please seek permission from all before archiving. Format and quick beta by Jyorraku.

Posted By

Josephine

Hoshi snuck into the mess hall. 'A Love Story' had started a few minutes earlier, and although there were plenty of seats, she kept to the back as not to disturb anyone. Eyes fixed on the screen, she sat down.

"Hey!" An indignant voice hit her ear the same time her brain registered the seat being higher and not as soft as usual. Hoshi popped up, sliding over to the next chair.

"Commander! I'm so sorry!" Hoshi knew she was blushing.

"That's ok, Hoshi. It's dark in here." Laughter threaded Trip's voice.

"Why are you in the back all alone?" Hoshi leaned closer to whisper at Trip. Breathing in, she could smell his aftershave. Sandalwood. Her stomach did a flip.

"Well, Malcolm and Jon didn't want to see the movie, and it's one of my favorites …besides, I felt a little awkward." He indicated the rest of the room, and Hoshi realized Trip was the only man there.

"They don't know what they're missing." Hoshi settled in her seat, casually angled toward Trip to keep the Sandalwood in range. Trip had surprised her by being here; she wondered what else he was hiding under that good old boy veneer. She snuck a few glances at him, acting like she was looking at the other crewmembers.

They sat in companionable silence, sharing a bin of popcorn, watching as Jennifer and Oliver fell in love. As Jennifer lay dying, Hoshi noticed Trip wiping away a few tears. She handed him some of her tissues, getting a muffled 'thanks' in return. When the credits rolled and the lights came up, they both gave a deep sigh.

"Come on, I want to get out of here before I get caught." Giving her a grin, Trip grabbed Hoshi's hand and pulled her out of the make shift theater.

They walked back to the officer's quarters, talking over movies they both had seen and loved, debating on how well the stories had made the leap from print to the screen. Hoshi was surprised to find Trip had read the books the movies were based on.

"Don't look so shocked. Movies, if done right, can be great for bringin' characters to life, but it's a director's interpretation of the book. I like to get it straight form the source."

Hoshi just blinked at Trip. "I'm sorry, I always thought of you as more a …"

"Redneck engine jockey?"

Hoshi tripped over her words denying any such thing.

"It's ok, Hoshi, part of me is that too." He paused outside a door. "This is mine. You wouldn't want to come in or anything, would you?" He casually added "I can offer you some coffee; I rigged a little burner, enough to heat some water …"