Title: or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love The Torpedo

Author: Josephine

Rating: R

Pairing: Reed/f

Summary: A short PWP about Reed and a little romance.

Notes: I thought Malcolm should get lucky. Everybody else was. Elizabeth Cutler is the lady from 'Strange New World', the one who ate plomeek soup and went to the surface.

Disclaimer: Paramount owns the Trek dance hall; I like to conduct the band once in awhile.



"Hellooooooooooooo?"

Lieutenant (j.g.) Elizabeth Cutler passed through the open armament room door. When the Captain asked for Reed, Mayweather had said he was in here, and Beth had volunteered to go get him.

:::Anything to be alone with him.::: Beth was a romantic at heart. At first Reed had reminded her of that English spy in her great-great grandfather's old movie collection. 007 or something. So dashing and debonair. Getting to know him better, she soon got over that nonsense. Reed was --- Reed.

As Beth moved through the weapons, fragments of relevant dialogue from other old movies passed through her mind. 'We're gonna need a bigger gun -- - When you have to shoot, shoot. Don't talk. --- Lock and load! ---'

Beth finally came to the large torpedoes in the middle of the room. They vaguely reminded her of another movie; a man riding one as it was dropped from a plane. No, that would have been a bomb. Close enough shape-wise. Looking around to make sure no one was near, Beth decided to try it out. She put one foot up on the stand and swung her leg over the torpedo.

:::Pretty neat ---::: Beth tried to remember what the man in the movie was doing. :::One hand here ---::: She put her hand in front of her, as if she was holding on to a rope. :::The other up in the air ---::: Beth raised her hand, pretending there was a cowboy hat in it. :::Now what did he say ---:::

"yeehaw"

:::That sounded dumb. Say it like you mean it.:::

"YeeHaw!"

Beth frowned. She imagined what it would feel like to ride a bomb down from the sky. She cleared her throat.

"YEEEHAW!"

Beth rocked back and forth, getting into the play-acting.

"Git'ALONG, lil' doggies! Whoohoo!" She couldn't continue, she was laughing so hard.

"Enjoying yourself, Lieutenant?"

Beth stopped dead as that voice drained the blood from her face. Looking down, she saw Reed standing by her foot. She couldn't figure out if he was mad or not.

"Lieutenant! I was --- ummm --- " Beth felt a blush infuse her cheeks, replacing the pallor that was there before.

"Having fun, it looked like." Reed swiftly joined Beth on top of the torpedo, facing her. "Bronco-busting, were you?" He grinned as he looked at her.

Her words tripping over themselves, Beth tried to explain about the man in the movie, but didn't think Reed believed her.

"Riding a torpedo this size can be fun, Lieutenant." Reed grabbed Beth behind the knees, pulling her forward so they were inches apart. "But I know of one that is more --- fulfilling." He took her face in his hands and kissed her.

:::Whoever said Englishmen were soft were out of their mind::: Beth ran her hands over Reed's chest as she peeled off his jumpsuit, shivering a little as he did the same to her. Reed pushed her back onto the torpedo, trailing kisses along her collarbone. :::With this initiative, no wonder they colonized half the world ---::: Beth melded into him, barely remembering to later tell Reed the Captain was looking for him.