TITLE: Stranger

AUTHOR: Spookster

CATEGORY: Tu/S Romance

SUMMARY: A first meeting

DISCLAIMER: Paramount owns the original character, I'm just borrowing them.

NOTES: LD CiaC – Stranger, Shock, and Alcohol.

THANKS: To Mara, Chele, Ozchick, and Jane for taking the time to be wonderful betas!

Hoshi sat on the stool, staring into her cocktail. She took another gulp, feeling the sickly sweet taste slide down her throat, leaving behind a bitter aftertaste. It was her third, and she was really beginning to feel it.

"Hoshi, honey, you know how much you mean to me, but I feel we've been going in different directions. I just think maybe we should take some time apart, meet new people. Hoshi, you know what I'm saying?"

She shook her head, frowning at his voice invading her thoughts. All I got was a, "I'm bored, see you later?"  He had left her over a month ago, and for some reason she couldn't get over it. It wasn't as if he was something incredibly special. Sure, he was fun, but it wasn't as if she was deeply in love with him or anything. And he was probably right about them going in different directions, with her studies in linguistics and his constant absences.

Still, she couldn't help but feel melancholy, feeling the slight sting in her heart. Alcohol always does make me feel more emotional. This was the first time she actually consciously acknowledged this feeling of sorrow. Usually, she was strong about these things, but somehow the pain wasn't simply about the breakup. She felt aimless.

Certainly, Hoshi had a good life. She had the family, the friends, almost the whole package. She could even follow the cliché and bury herself into her work if she wanted. She had a fulfilling job that she adored, studying the intricacies of the art of language.

Always a hard worker, she had managed to finish second in her class, a respectable accomplishment. Some might find it strange, but she always liked being second; it was one of her idiosyncrasies. There wasn't as much pressure being second. So what if you took a little hit to your pride. Nevertheless, finishing second meant that people respected you and your abilities, but weren't bitter because they'd be too busy resenting the first-place finishers. That way, you could still do well, but not open yourself as a target to others. Hoshi was definitely a follower of the finish-second philosophy.

Still, once in awhile it might be nice to finish first. In the few relationships that she had ever had, men had found her nice, some had even found her beautiful, but eventually they would all move on. And she had to pretend she understood, as little by little her heart silently cried.

And so, Hoshi was at a bar, trying to nurse her pain away with a colorful drink. As much as the breakup hurt, the ramifications of it hurt even more. She was alone again, with nothing to distract her except language, which only went so far. Maybe he didn't make her catch her breath, but he did provide security. She was so acutely aware of her vulnerability and sense of emptiness because of her doubts about her future.

"Anybody sittin' here?"

A Southern accent broke Hoshi out of her brooding. She slowly turned her head to look at the stranger who disturbed her reverie. Pulling up the stool next to her was a man, in his early thirties, wearing a crumpled heather t-shirt and a pair of ragged jeans. He had dirty, unkempt blond hair, and azure eyes that stared kindly at her. If it weren't for the fact that his eyes were bloodshot, she would say they were gorgeous; as it was, they were intriguing. But that's beyond the point now, isn't it?

"Yeah, sure, whatever." She went back to her drink. It wasn't as if she was trying to be rude, but she didn't think it would be a good idea to have company, with her feelings so unsettled. She had to admit, though, he was kind of cute, in a boyish sort of way.

"Can I get a bourbon?" he asked. She peered intently at him out of the corner of her eye, unable to hold in her curiosity. People-watching was one of the habits she liked to pamper herself with, and with the alcohol affecting her, she allowed herself the indulgence. He looked exhausted, his shoulders stooped, as if carrying a heavy weight. Eyebrows furrowed, he stared quietly at the bartender until his drank came. They drank in silence, only speaking when ordering another beverage.

"So, what's someone like you doing in a place like this?" Hoshi looked up sharply at the sentence, looking into his eyes to see if he was implying something offensive. His eyes looked sad though, and she realized he was just trying to start up a conversation, lame as it was.

"Bad relationship."

"Oh, I see."

She felt bad for being so abrupt, for not at least attempting to have a conversation with what seemed like a perfectly respectable person. She just wasn't feeling all that friendly.

Tonight was supposed to be about her, not about engaging a completely stranger. She was here to exorcise all her demons, and then bring her life back to some sense of normalcy. No room for an intriguing stranger…

"So, how long have you been here?"

"For awhile. Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering. What are you…" he paused when he watched her down her whole drink in one gulp, slam the glass onto the counter, and motion to the bartender for another.

"Uh, maybe you should slow down a bit with that, uh, whatever you have there."

Hoshi bristled. Slowing turning to the man sitting next to her, she ground out, "Excuse me?"

"Well, I thought maybe you should…"

"Yeah, I heard you the first time. What business is it of yours?"

"Maybe it's not, but I…"

"Damn right it's none of your business!"

"Okay, well maybe…"

"I think I'll damn well drink as much as I want to!"

"Oh, well…"

"Oh for god's sake, don't 'oh well' me. What makes you think that you can make decisions for me? In fact, tell me, why is it that all men think they can make decisions for me?"

"Well, I can't speak for all men. I was just worried that maybe you were…"

"Oh, you're worried about me. I feel swept off my feet! Why don't you take that worry and stick it up…"

"God, I didn't mean t' offend you or anything."

"Well, you're doing a good job at it!"

 "I just thought that maybe you should slow down a bit, so you don't hurt yourself, you look like you've been here a long time, and you being kinda small…"

She quirked her eyebrow upwards.

"Damn, this isn't coming out right. Never mind, just forget I said anything. Just me putting m' big foot in m' mouth," he responded, quickly going back to his bourbon to avoid her wrath.

Hoshi sighed, the slight beginnings of a headache forming. She glanced over at him, looking like a puppy with its tail betwixt its legs. She hadn't meant to snipe at him like that, but he was being annoying. So what if he was looking out for her welfare? This wasn't supposed to happen, but it's
not as if it was his fault that she was in the doldrums.

Sighing, she mumbled, "No, it's okay, I think I know what you're trying to say. I'm just, well, I'm just kind of touchy right now. And you're probably right, I just wasn't really…"

"Not in the mood to hear about it, right?" he guessed.

"Yeah," she replied.

"S'ok. I know what you're feelin," he replied.

She felt like a old biddy for being so spiteful to the complete stranger, who of course then immediately forgives her for nasty attitude. Definitely time to lay off the liquor, Hoshi, before you start blowing up at more people. Who knows, maybe you can yell at the bartender about your lousy love life as well. This is what this is all about isn't it? Hoshi, language wunderkind, finished second in the class, didn't she? How sad that she can conjugate but she can't even keep up a normal relationship? Hey, and after that you can yell at the nice guy you're sitting next to again. Who, by the way, hasn't done anything but try and be civil to you! Wouldn't that be something? They probably already think you're high-strung. Hell, you are high-strung! It's your own damn fault. Think about it, think about it. That's why you're alone, Hoshi, that's why you are alone.

"Hello? You there? You okay?"

His voice snapped Hoshi out of her self-flagellation. Then, she looked, really looked at man sitting next to her, who tried hard to talk to her, even though she had rebuked him each time.

 "I'm sorry, it's just that…"

"No, I get it. You're having a rough day. It's understandable. I'm probably annoying you, so I'll just go over there and let you have some peace."

"No! Don't do that! It's not that. I'm just, I'm just…"

And to the complete surprise of both of them, all of her emotions exploded, rupturing the wall she had put up to protect her heart, and she burst into tears.

First, the man was completely shocked, but he recognized a lost soul when he saw one, so he lent her his shoulder. She kept on sobbing, mumbling gibberish about lost loves and never being good enough, all the while having him comfort her. She cried about her loneliness and her emptiness. He listened as she poured out her insecurities, about how the world never let her finish first, and that she was too afraid to try and be the best herself. And then she just cried, for the sake of crying, to finally release all the pent-up pain in her heart, so get rid of that everlasting, aching twinge, allowing herself to finally release her feelings, protected by the stranger's cocoon of security.

Slowly, her tears began to gently subside until she was merely hiccupping into his shoulder. Never before had she opened herself up to someone like that so blatantly, let her guard down so much, especially to a stranger. As she slowly collected herself, she forced herself to look into his eyes. Instead of finding judgment, all she saw was empathy and understanding.

"I, ah, don't know what do say. Never had that happen before, to tell you the truth. You… you feelin' okay?"

"Yeah, actually I am. I really needed that," she said with a sniffle.

There was an awkward pause. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

"Oh god. This is so embarrassing. I feel so… I didn't mean to take advantage of you like that. I was feeling really stressed, it just all came out."

 "No, don't worry about it. I was happy to oblige. In fact, it's kind of flattering, if you know what I mean."

She laughed half-heartedly at his attempt to cheer her up.

"I'm, uh, sorry about your shirt, getting it all messed up and stuff."

"Oh, it's nothing. I got plenty of 'em at home. I think you needed it more than I did. I'm just happy I could be of some help. You sure you're feeling better?"

For the first time tonight, Hoshi smiled at his kind words. It had been a long time since someone cared simply for her welfare, who was nice enough to just want to make sure she was okay.

"Yeah, I'm feeling better."

"Sorry to interrupt, but y'all need to clear out now. I'll be closing and frankly, you two are scaring off all the other customers."

They both looked up in surprise at the bartender, realizing where they actually were in public way past their respective bedtimes.

"Well, we probably should go now," Hoshi said.

"Yeah, probably," he replied reluctantly.

They walked out of the bar into the biting midnight air, with the unspoken agreement he would walk her home, neither in a state to wander the streets by themselves. When she shivered at the feel of the frosty San Francisco air, he pulled her in, cradling her into the crook of his shoulder. The streets empty except for a few other stragglers wandering home. They walked albeit unsteadily, in a companionable silence.

When they reached her apartment building, Hoshi reluctantly pulled out of his arms, suddenly feeling self-conscious. The whole night seemed so surreal, and now she wasn't sure how she should act.

"Well, this is my apartment building."

"Nice building. How long have you lived in this buildimrmph?" She cut him off by kissing him. She wasn't thinking, but the alcohol had lowered her inhibitions; she simply didn't want him to leave.

He didn't react at first, probably surprised, but slowly pulled away. They stood uncomfortably in front of each other, staring at their own toes.  Softly, biting back tears, she murmured, "God, I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking. You don't feel this way. I didn't mean to take advantage of you. I mean, I understand why you don't want to, it's understandable…"

Interrupting her, he gently grasped her shoulders. "Look at me."

Unwilling to meet his eyes, she continued to ramble.

A bit irritated, he cut in, "Just, just shut up for a sec, and let me speak!"

Surprised, she looked up at him.

 "I want you just to listen to me. You, you are a beautiful, attractive young woman."

"But…"

"No buts. Don't sell yourself short. Tonight, you have been through the wringer and back, and you're vulnerable. You aren't thinking straight. I don't want you to do something you'll regret."

"But…"

"Under any other circumstance, I wouldn't be walking away. But I'm not what you need right now. Darlin', you need to become more comfortable with yourself, love who you are. I know this is probably the corniest thing you will ever hear, but I'm just gonna complicate things for you. Do ya understand what I'm saying?"

She bit her lip, refusing to answer.

He brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear, peering into her watery eyes.

"I guess." She let out a deep breath. "Doesn't mean it makes this easier though."

"I know," he replied, staring at her with those blue eyes in regret. They both wanted this, but they knew it would a mistake.

After moments staring at each other, she whispered, "Well, you probably should go. It's getting pretty late."

He closed his eyes in exhaustion. "Yeah. Maybe I'll see ya later sometime?"

"Sure." He moved forward, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead, full of meaning and unfulfilled possibilities, and walked away.  

She waited until he disappeared around the corner. Resisting the impulse to run after him, she turned around to enter her apartment building. And as she opened the door to her apartment, she realized something.

I never learned his name.

* * * * *

There was a huge bustle around the station, as everyone prepared for the launch of Enterprise. Men and women in nondescript blue uniforms milled around, inspecting every square centimeter of the ship to see if she had any flaws that might give the Vulcans reason to delay her flight once more.

Hoshi, fresh out of her accelerated course at Starfleet, was extremely anxious. Captain Archer had offered to give her a tour of the area, so she could acclimate herself to the crew and the ship. She had already taken a tour of the station, and was preparing to meet the rest of the crew. This was the opportunity of a lifetime for her, the chance to explore a new world of languages. Still, the idea of space life didn't especially appeal to her. What if a hostile race attacks the ship? What if the ship's engines malfunction and explode? What if I can't translate something? What if…"

"Ensign, I'd like to introduce you to some of the crew," Archer said, interrupting her thoughts.

"Of course, sir." You know, it's his entire fault anyway. He didn't have to recruit me.

"Ensign Sato, this is Lieutenant Malcolm Reed, our Armory Officer. This is Ensign Hoshi Sato, she'll be our communications officer."

Malcolm stood up, quickly straightening his uniform and running a hand through his dark hair. "It's nice to meet you, Ensign."

"Good to meet you too, Lieutenant."

Archer continued the introductions and the tour of the ship. When they reached his ready room, a tall figure was waiting in front rather impatiently, tapping a padd against the wall. Hoshi watched as he turned around when he heard their footsteps.

"Cap'n, I wanted to go over some configurations with you about the warp core. I was wondering if I could…" The man stopped in shock when he saw who was with the Captain.

"Sure, Trip, in a minute. First, I'd like you to meet someone. This is Ensign Hoshi Sato. She'll be our communications officer. She's the linguistics genius I've been telling you about."

Hoshi stared at the man standing in front of her. She'd met him a long time ago, but the memory was still there in her mind. Her mysterious stranger had aged a little, with deepened laugh lines around his eyes, but he was still as handsome as she had remembered.

"This is Commander Charles Tucker III, our Chief Engineer," Archer continued on, completely oblivious to the sparks flowing between his Chief Engineer and Comm Officer.

"It's good to meet you, Commander Tucker," Hoshi breathed, holding out her hand.

Grasping it in his own, he smiled gently. "Call me Trip."