Title: Hoshi's Assignment
Author: Wendy Parkinson
Email: wendyparkinson@hotmail.com
Category: R/S
Spoilers: Silent Enemy, minor reference to Shuttlepod One
Rating: PG13 for a little bad language (Malcolm, wash your mouth out with soap and water!)
Summary: What might have happened if Malcolm had accepted Hoshi's dinner invitation in Silent Enemy.
Archive: I'll almost certainly say yes, but ask first please.
Date: 25/04/02
Disclaimer: Enterprise and its characters belong to Paramount. This fan fiction was created solely for entertainment and no money was made from it. Also, no copyright or trademark infringement was intended. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Author's Notes: Thanks as always to my beta reader, Sue, who has put up with me waffling on about Enterprise, and Malcolm and Trip in particular, for the last couple of weeks.
This is my first Enterprise story so all feedback and constructive criticism will be greatly appreciated. No flames please.
copyright Wendy Parkinson April 2002
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HOSHI'S ASSIGNMENT
Lieutenant Malcolm Reed knew the feeling well. A dry mouth. Sweaty palms. Churning stomach. Adrenaline. The standard fight or flight reaction. He wiped his right hand on his jeans, transferred the bunch of flowers from one hand to the other, then wiped his left. The armoury officer shifted nervously from one foot to the other, then glanced at his watch. He was a little early. Perhaps he ought to wait a few minutes before knocking. But if he stood out here, someone might see him with the flowers, and he'd be the subject of ship's gossip before he could say 'phase pistol'. To such a private man, that was a fate worse than death.
If he was honest with himself, he was beginning to have second thoughts about being here at all. What had he been thinking when he'd accepted Hoshi's dinner invitation? Give him a fleet of alien battleships and he was the epitome of calm professionalism, present him with an evening alone with an attractive woman and he turned into a tongue-tied teenager. He just knew he was going to make a fool of himself.
"Evening, Malcolm!" Reed jumped a mile at the sound of the approaching Captain's voice. Nodding towards the door of Hoshi's quarters, Archer added, "They should go down well, she likes flowers." Malcolm felt the colour rise to his cheeks as the Captain slapped him on the back and said cheerily, "Well, I'd better leave you to it. Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" then strode off down the corridor.
At that moment, Hoshi's door slid open, revealing the communications officer. "I thought I heard voices," she said, by means of an explanation.
"The Captain," replied Malcolm, pointing at their rapidly disappearing commanding officer.
"Right," Hoshi said, peering past him down the corridor. Then she gestured him past her into her quarters. "Do come in."
"Oh, these are for you," he said, almost shyly, handing her the flowers.
"Freesias! They're beautiful, thank you."
He walked past her into the small room, trying very hard not to stare at Hoshi. He hadn't seen her with her hair down before, or out of uniform, and he found the transformation startling. She was wearing jeans and a plain white shirt but her hair was what really caught his attention. It flowed down her back and over her shoulders in silky waves. It was hair he wanted to run his hands through...
Hoshi's voice brought him back to reality. "Can I get you a drink?"
"Fruit juice?" he suggested.
"Orange okay?"
He nodded. "Thank you." Looking round her quarters, he noticed how different they were to his own. Picture covered walls, a small table laid for dinner and the tiny Starfleet issue bed in the corner, topped with a brightly coloured patchwork quilt. "This is cosy. My quarters look bare by comparison."
Hoshi smiled as she handed him his drink. "I have to have reminders of home." She gestured at the photographs on the walls. "Family, friends...."
He glanced at the photos. Lots of smiling faces, all representing happy memories. Malcolm felt a twinge of regret at the strained relationship he had with his own family. As far as he could remember he didn't have one photograph of any of them. Perhaps he ought to write to his parents, let them know how he was getting on.
"I'll put these in water," said Hoshi brightly, as she produced a glass vase from a locker, filled it with water and began to arrange the flowers. Malcolm found himself fascinated by her hands. They seemed so dexterous, almost fluid, as she fussed with the flowers. He felt a slight pang of disappointment when she carefully placed the vase on her bedside table. "How on earth did you manage to get them?" Hoshi asked, sniffing the flowers.
"Some serious haggling with Ensign Johnson." He grinned. "I had to promise him personal tuition in the use of phase pistols."
"I hope he's not expecting an armed attack on hydroponics." Hoshi laughed, meeting his eyes properly for the first time, and Malcolm felt his heart lurch and his mouth go dry again. Damn. Just when he was beginning to relax. Why couldn't he be himself around women, like Trip or the Captain? He usually gave the 'I don't think it'd be appropriate' speech when a woman tried to get close, or if it got as far as a date, he chickened out before the relationship got serious. The end result was the same, no-one ever got past his barriers and he'd be left alone. Always alone. In the past he'd been happy with that, but he could feel Enterprise changing him, these people were getting through his carefully constructed walls and slowly uncovering the real Malcolm Reed underneath.
"As you wouldn't tell me what your favourite food was, I've cooked lemon chicken. I hope that's okay."
"I'm sure it'll be fine. It's the company that's important."
A slightly embarrassed smile flickered on Hoshi's lips and Malcolm had the sinking feeling his feeble attempt at a compliment had backfired and she thought he was implying she couldn't cook.
"Not that I'm saying there'll be anything wrong with the food," he added quickly.
She smiled. "I didn't think you were." Pulling a chair out for him, she added, "Take a seat? The food will only be a few minutes."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hoshi stole a glance at Malcolm as she began to heat up the wok. He didn't look at all like the man she thought she knew, even though, on the surface, his dark blue shirt and black jeans weren't much different to the uniform he usually wore. She'd noticed how nervous he was and wondered what was causing this erratic behaviour in the normally totally in control Brit.
She'd invited him because of the Captain's order to find out what he liked to eat and, if she was honest with herself, she'd been kind of worried what they were going to talk about. Malcolm had always been meticulously polite with her and very patient when she went to him for weapons training, but she didn't find him an easy man to get to know, not like Travis or Trip. Until she'd started on 'her assignment' as she thought of it, she knew nothing about his family or friends. He never let things slip about his background, his conversation was always about the matter in hand and, before tonight, she'd never spent any time alone with him off duty.
She glanced at him again. His foot was tapping nervously on the carpet. Was he as unsure what to talk about as she was? Possibly. All he normally talked about was weapons. So all she needed to do was steer the conversation around to food and... hey presto... mission accomplished!
Hoshi cleared her throat. "Do you ever cook... Malcolm? Is it okay to call you Malcolm? We are off duty, after all?"
She wondered if she was imagining it when she thought she saw a slight blush rise to his cheeks. "Of course... if I can call you Hoshi." He smiled and she suddenly wished it was something he did more often.
"So, do you cook?" she persisted.
"Not really. Certainly not on Enterprise. There are too many far more interesting things to do in my off time."
Hoshi caught what she thought was a twinkle in his eyes and realised he was joking. "Such as?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, I wouldn't have missed 'Godzilla returns to Planet of the Apes' for the world."
"This week's movie? It wasn't called that... was it?"
"No, but you're not sure, are you? It had to be the most forgettable film ever made. It was so bad, Commander Tucker fell asleep."
"It was him snoring?"
"Afraid so. He was sitting right behind me. He totally drowned out the second half of the film."
"Perhaps I ought to ask for it to be shown again. Just for you."
He raised his hands in supplication. "Please, please... anything but that!"
Hoshi laughed and turned her attention back to the food. Once you got talking to him and he relaxed a little, Malcolm was a nice guy. She glanced across at the freesias on her bedside table. He was thoughtful and kind too. What was the saying? Still waters run deep? She glanced across at him. He seemed fascinated with the photos on her walls. As his attention was elsewhere, it gave her the opportunity to study him more closely. He was in good shape, had dark brown slightly unruly hair and blue eyes. She'd always had a thing for men with blue eyes. Hoshi smiled to herself as she realised this was an assignment she was going to thoroughly enjoy.
"The food's ready," she announced, carrying two laden plates across to the table.
"It looks fantastic," said Malcolm enthusiastically. "I was too busy for lunch so I'm really ready for this." He looked down at the table and picked up the chopsticks next to his plate. She watched him as he struggled to pick up some chicken and laughed when he resorted to impaling the meat on the end of the chopstick and popping it in his mouth. "Tastes good too!" he said with a grin.
Hoshi giggled. "Let me show you how to hold them." She reached across the table and took Malcolm's hand in hers. "Hold this one like a pencil, then this one like this...." Suddenly she felt her heart beating a little faster as she held his hand. What was the matter with her? This was an assignment, not a romantic dinner for two.
But when he glanced up, looked her straight in the eyes and said, "Thank you," softly in his incredibly sexy accent, all thoughts of her assignment flew straight out the porthole. Hoshi nervously let go of his hand and picked up her own chopsticks but she could feel him watching her from the other side of the table. It suddenly seemed very warm in her quarters. She took a deep breath to try and steady herself and tried to concentrate on her own food.
"Voila!" he announced, proudly holding up a piece of carrot for her inspection.
"I knew you'd get the hang of it," she replied, smiling as he put the food in his mouth.
Malcolm smiled bashfully. "I had a good teacher."
They ate in companionable silence for a few moments, Hoshi trying to rationalise her thoughts, which were rapidly running amok. Half an hour ago, she thought of this guy as 'the armoury officer', a kind of stiff figure who was there to protect Enterprise. Now she was imagining all sorts of romantic scenarios with him. Perhaps before she just didn't know him properly. She knew one thing for sure - she wanted to spend more time with Malcolm Reed.
"Oh, sh-." A piece of carrot evaded Malcolm's chopsticks, flying up in the air and onto the carpet. "Damn. Sorry, Hoshi." Malcolm bobbed down to pick up the errant piece of vegetable at exactly the same time as Hoshi did. There was a sharp crack of skulls and Hoshi yelped in pain. She tipped her head up and found herself staring straight into Malcolm's intense blue eyes. "I'm sorry," he murmured softly, and Hoshi felt a shiver run up her spine at the tone of his voice. When he gently touched her forehead, as if searching for a bump, she swallowed hard. "I don't think there's any permanent damage," he added, his voice almost a whisper.
"It's okay," she blurted out, just as she realised the blue eyes were getting closer. She felt her heart pounding in her ears as Malcolm's lips brushed hers. Oh my, she thought, and I still don't know what his favourite food is. His hand cradled the nape of her neck, tangling in her hair, as he deepened the kiss and Hoshi gave herself over to sensation. When they came up for air, Hoshi managed to sigh, "Wow!" which Malcolm seemed to find highly amusing. "What's so funny?" she demanded petulantly.
"I've never been a 'wow' before," he chuckled as he got back into his chair. "Perhaps we ought to finish dinner before it gets cold?"
Hoshi smiled in reply, then looked at her almost empty plate and Malcolm's almost full one. "Er... would you like a knife and fork?"
"No, I'm fine. I'm getting the hang of it now." Hoshi was pleased to see he was telling the truth. After a few mouthfuls of food, he asked, "Which of the photos are your family?"
She pointed to one on the wall by her bed. "That's my brothers and parents."
"Are any of them in Starfleet?"
"No!" Hoshi laughed. "They're all academics. Mathematicians and scientists. I'm the black sheep."
"Because you're a linguist?"
Hoshi nodded. "I was expected to follow the family tradition but I guess I wanted to be different. They came round in the end."
Malcolm smiled ruefully. "I wish mine had."
"What?" Hoshi guessed what was coming. It had to be about his Royal Navy background.
"My family were all in the Royal Navy. They couldn't understand why I wanted to join Starfleet - they wanted me to join the Navy too. When I wouldn't, my father was not a happy camper." Hoshi could hear the bitterness in his voice. "It felt like they were trying to run my life for me."
"Aren't they proud of you now? The armoury officer on the first starship?"
He shrugged noncommittally and Hoshi guessed he was very practiced at hiding how much his parents' approval mattered to him. Coming from a loving, demonstrative family she felt sorry for him. "They haven't said," he answered flatly.
"What about your sister?" asked Hoshi. "Is she in the Navy?"
Malcolm's brow creased in puzzlement. "How do you know I've got a sister?"
Hoshi couldn't believe she'd let that slip. What could she say? She couldn't try and convince him he'd told her, she knew he had a good memory. Invent something plausible Hoshi, she told herself. Malcolm's voice interrupted her frantic thoughts.
"Hoshi? Have you been going through my personal file?"
She shook her head, completely at a loss.
"Hoshi?" She could tell he was starting to get annoyed, his accent was getting more pronounced.
She was going to have to come clean, there was nothing else for it. "The captain asked me to find out what your favourite food was so he could plan a birthday surprise for you. Amongst other people, I spoke to your sister."
Malcolm's eyes widened slightly. "Did you find out?" His voice was quiet and very measured, as if he was struggling to keep control of himself. Hoshi shook her head. "So, that's what this invitation was all about, wasn't it? Find out what I like to eat?"
Hoshi closed her eyes. "Yes," she whispered.
He stood up. "Just like Mata Hari, make love for the information." His tone was vicious. "I think I'd better be going now and you can tell the captain I don't usually celebrate my birthday, so he needn't bother organising anything."
"Malcolm, come back! It wasn't like that!" Hoshi tried to stop him, but he'd already opened the door and gone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Bugger, bugger, bugger.... BUGGER!!" Malcolm threw himself down on his bed and stared at the ceiling. What a bloody fool! She'd only asked him to dinner because the Captain wanted to know his favourite food. If he wasn't so pathetic, it'd be funny. He'd even kissed her. He tried to push the memory away, but the feel of Hoshi's lips haunted him... her pretty face... that gorgeous hair... He'd thought she liked him... he'd thought she'd kissed him back. How wrong could he have been?
How on earth was he going to face her next time they met on duty?
His comm panel chirped. "What now?" he muttered, getting up to answer it. "Yes?" he said, after pressing the button.
"Malcolm, it's Hoshi. We need to talk...."
"Ensign, I have nothing to say to you, and I think you've said and done quite enough already. Good night." He pushed the switch on the panel viciously and slumped back down on the bed.
Eventually, he fell into a restless sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Stinky, stinky... come to bed, Stinky."
Malcolm put down the phase pistol he'd been polishing and turned towards the seductive voice. Hoshi lay on his bed, wearing a short cream silk slip that emphasised every curve of her slim body and left little to his fevered imagination. She extended an arm languidly and beckoned him. He walked across the room and sat down on the bed next to her. Immediately, her hands started roaming his body, making his breath catch in his throat.
"Don't you think you're a little overdressed, Stinky?" she breathed, tugging gently on the zip of his uniform.
"So are you," he said quietly, as he leant down to kiss her. He brushed her lips gently at first, then deepened the kiss, running his hands down her slip until he found the hem and began to tug it upwards.
"I need you, Stinky," she whispered.
"Oh Hoshi," he moaned, as her hands began to gravitate downwards.
The comm panel bleeped.
"Leave it," she said, "They'll go away if you don't answer it."
"I.. I ... ooohhh." The comm bleeped again and Malcolm sat up quickly. "No, I have to answer it." He pressed the button. "Reed here."
"You're needed on the bridge, sir. We've got a problem with some of the weapons systems."
"I'll be right there." Malcolm looked around and his heart lurched when he realised he'd been dreaming. There was no Hoshi in his bed. Alone again. He shook his head. That was the same dream he'd had many times about Sub-Commander T'Pol, right down to her calling him Stinky but somehow it'd seemed much more erotic when it was Hoshi. Damn the woman! In one evening she'd managed to get right under his skin.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hoshi heard the bridge door slide open and the Captain's voice announce a cheery, "Good morning, everyone. She didn't look round. She daren't because she knew he'd be able to tell she'd been crying and would haul her into his office to ask why. It was bad enough that she was going to have to tell him the birthday surprise was off, without having to go into the sordid details of how she'd totally screwed up.
As the Captain took his seat in the middle of the bridge and began talking to Travis, she risked a quick glance over her shoulder and found herself staring straight into Malcolm's eyes. He instantly looked away but the hurt she'd seen on his face tore at her heart. She had to make him understand, she just had to....
She took a deep breath and stood up. Composing herself as best she could, she walked over to Malcolm's console and cleared her throat. "Could I have a word with you?" she asked quietly, unable to disguise the quaver in her voice.
"Is it a security issue?" he replied tersely, without looking up.
"No, you know it isn't."
"I have nothing to say on that subject, Ensign. If you'd excuse me, I have work to do."
Hoshi bit her bottom lip as she made her way back to her station. She wasn't going to cry on the bridge... she wasn't. He hadn't even had the courtesy to look at her when she was talking to him. She stared sightlessly at her console. What on earth was she going to do?
"Hoshi. In my ready room now."
She hoped he wanted a particularly complicated translation. Anything to stop her thinking about Malcolm. When the door closed behind them, Archer said, "What was that all about, Hoshi?"
Her stomach clenched. "What, sir?" Damn, she'd hoped he was to busy talking to Travis to notice her conversation with the armoury officer.
"That little exchange with Malcolm. What the hell did you do to upset him like that?"
"It's personal, sir," muttered Hoshi, suddenly finding her boots very interesting. "By the way, the birthday celebration's off. He told me he doesn't celebrate his birthday."
Jon's voice was gentle as he said softly, "Hoshi. Please sort it out. I won't order you to tell me if you don't want to but remember that having two of my senior officers in an emotionally unstable state affects the whole ship, not to mention the damage an annoyed armoury officer could do to anyone else who upsets him."
She smiled in spite of herself. "I'll try sir. But he won't talk to me."
The Captain walked over to her and patted her on the back. "I'm sure you'll find a way."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Malcolm leant his forehead against the cool metal of the armoury bulkhead and let out a deep breath. He'd never been so relieved to get away from the bridge. Saying the torpedoes needed 'looking at' was the most tenuous excuse imaginable but thankfully no-one had questioned him. He just couldn't keep sitting there for hour after hour, staring at Hoshi's back and remembering the previous evening.
He knew he'd been rude to her when she said she'd wanted to talk, which made him feel worse than ever but he wasn't going to sit there in front of the whole bridge and take the 'why don't we just be friends' speech. He'd heard that too many times in the past. If he just kept ignoring her, eventually she'd give up and leave him alone. He hoped it wouldn't take too long.
A voice penetrated his thoughts. "Lieutenant, you busy?"
Malcolm stood up straight and turned to face Trip. "Yes, sir, actually I am."
"Leaning against the wall is a diagnostic method I haven't come across. You'll have to tell me about it sometime." A smile twitched at Trip's lips.
"Did you want something, sir?"
"Yeah. What's the matter? You look like hell."
Malcolm clenched his jaw. Why couldn't he just be left in peace? "Nothing, sir."
Trip pursed his lips. "Now why don't I believe you?"
"With the greatest respect, Commander, my personal... " Malcolm hesitated, he hated conversations like this. "...difficulties are none of your business."
"They are if it affects your judgment."
"It won't," the Lieutenant replied flatly.
"I hope you're right because I'd hate to think you couldn't shoot straight because all you can think about is Hoshi."
The armoury officer's mouth dropped open in shock. Hell fire, how did he know? "What did she tell you?" he asked, trying desperately to keep his voice level.
"Nothing. It's as obvious as the nose on your face that you two aren't happy and the Captain mentioned he saw you outside her quarters last night. I put two and two together."
"And made five," muttered Malcolm under his breath.
"Malcolm, I'd like to think I'm your friend. If you want to talk, you know where I am."
"Yes, Commander."
"Now go and get some lunch so your staff can get some work done." He gestured out the door. "You're in such a mood they're frightened to come in here."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hoshi paused in the doorway to the mess hall and looked round. There he was in the far corner with his back to her, sitting alone and eating his lunch. She was going to make him listen to her, whether he wanted to or not. Taking a deep breath, she marched over to his table. "I want to talk to you," she announced, when she was within earshot. She saw him flinch but he didn't look round. When she got to his table, she stood right in front of him and said firmly, "I said, I want to talk to you."
Without looking at her, Malcolm picked up his padd and stood up. "But I don't want to talk to you, Ensign."
Hoshi wanted to scream. This man was impossible. "I'm going to apologize, whether you want me to or not."
"It's up to you. I'm due in the armoury." He turned to leave and started to walk towards the mess hall door.
Something snapped inside Hoshi and she yelled, "Malcolm Reed, you stand still when I'm trying to apologize to you!" Bristling with anger at the armoury officer, she was gratified to notice she'd stopped him dead in his tracks.
He slowly turned round, his face an impassive mask. "Ensign, that is no way to address a superior officer." His voice was dangerously calm.
"Pulling rank now, *Malcolm*?" Hoshi was past caring about insubordination. "I don't remember rank being an issue last night when you kissed me." To her horror, she realised that the mess hall had fallen silent and everyone, including most of the bridge crew, was watching her, open mouthed. Then just when she thought it couldn't get any worse, she noticed that Doctor Phlox appeared to be taking notes. She pulled her shoulders back and took a deep breath. She was going to see this through if it was the last thing she did and if the look on Malcolm's face was anything to go by, it was probably going to be.
His eyes narrowed. "Not content with humiliating me in private, you now appear to be hell bent on humiliating me in public. Thank you, ensign." Malcolm's voice dripped with sarcasm.
"I'm trying to say sorry, you... you... you..." Words failed her.
"Try 'emotionally repressed, anally retentive, stiff, annoying, boring...'" suggested Trip, who was sitting at a nearby table.
"SHUT UP, COMMANDER!" Malcolm and Hoshi yelled in unison.
Shooting a vicious glare at Trip, Hoshi continued, "It's true I invited you because I was under orders to find out your favourite food but I wouldn't have kissed you if I didn't want to, no matter who'd ordered me to do it." Malcolm's face was still expressionless. Hoshi was getting desperate, how on earth could she get through to him how she felt? "Malcolm, when you kissed me, you made my toes curl up and my knees go weak. I want to spend more time with you, I want to get to know you better, I want to...."
Malcolm crossed the room in three strides, swept Hoshi into his arms and kissed her very thoroughly. She was vaguely aware of the mess hall erupting into cheers and applause, as her insides slowly turned to mush. Hoshi sighed as he gently broke the kiss and looked down into her eyes. The anger had gone and she could see the Malcolm she'd caught glimpses of the night before. She smiled up at him as he gently stroked her hair. She just knew everything was going to all right. "What brought that on?" she asked quietly.
He grinned. "It was the only way I could think of to shut you up."
Author: Wendy Parkinson
Email: wendyparkinson@hotmail.com
Category: R/S
Spoilers: Silent Enemy, minor reference to Shuttlepod One
Rating: PG13 for a little bad language (Malcolm, wash your mouth out with soap and water!)
Summary: What might have happened if Malcolm had accepted Hoshi's dinner invitation in Silent Enemy.
Archive: I'll almost certainly say yes, but ask first please.
Date: 25/04/02
Disclaimer: Enterprise and its characters belong to Paramount. This fan fiction was created solely for entertainment and no money was made from it. Also, no copyright or trademark infringement was intended. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Author's Notes: Thanks as always to my beta reader, Sue, who has put up with me waffling on about Enterprise, and Malcolm and Trip in particular, for the last couple of weeks.
This is my first Enterprise story so all feedback and constructive criticism will be greatly appreciated. No flames please.
copyright Wendy Parkinson April 2002
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HOSHI'S ASSIGNMENT
Lieutenant Malcolm Reed knew the feeling well. A dry mouth. Sweaty palms. Churning stomach. Adrenaline. The standard fight or flight reaction. He wiped his right hand on his jeans, transferred the bunch of flowers from one hand to the other, then wiped his left. The armoury officer shifted nervously from one foot to the other, then glanced at his watch. He was a little early. Perhaps he ought to wait a few minutes before knocking. But if he stood out here, someone might see him with the flowers, and he'd be the subject of ship's gossip before he could say 'phase pistol'. To such a private man, that was a fate worse than death.
If he was honest with himself, he was beginning to have second thoughts about being here at all. What had he been thinking when he'd accepted Hoshi's dinner invitation? Give him a fleet of alien battleships and he was the epitome of calm professionalism, present him with an evening alone with an attractive woman and he turned into a tongue-tied teenager. He just knew he was going to make a fool of himself.
"Evening, Malcolm!" Reed jumped a mile at the sound of the approaching Captain's voice. Nodding towards the door of Hoshi's quarters, Archer added, "They should go down well, she likes flowers." Malcolm felt the colour rise to his cheeks as the Captain slapped him on the back and said cheerily, "Well, I'd better leave you to it. Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" then strode off down the corridor.
At that moment, Hoshi's door slid open, revealing the communications officer. "I thought I heard voices," she said, by means of an explanation.
"The Captain," replied Malcolm, pointing at their rapidly disappearing commanding officer.
"Right," Hoshi said, peering past him down the corridor. Then she gestured him past her into her quarters. "Do come in."
"Oh, these are for you," he said, almost shyly, handing her the flowers.
"Freesias! They're beautiful, thank you."
He walked past her into the small room, trying very hard not to stare at Hoshi. He hadn't seen her with her hair down before, or out of uniform, and he found the transformation startling. She was wearing jeans and a plain white shirt but her hair was what really caught his attention. It flowed down her back and over her shoulders in silky waves. It was hair he wanted to run his hands through...
Hoshi's voice brought him back to reality. "Can I get you a drink?"
"Fruit juice?" he suggested.
"Orange okay?"
He nodded. "Thank you." Looking round her quarters, he noticed how different they were to his own. Picture covered walls, a small table laid for dinner and the tiny Starfleet issue bed in the corner, topped with a brightly coloured patchwork quilt. "This is cosy. My quarters look bare by comparison."
Hoshi smiled as she handed him his drink. "I have to have reminders of home." She gestured at the photographs on the walls. "Family, friends...."
He glanced at the photos. Lots of smiling faces, all representing happy memories. Malcolm felt a twinge of regret at the strained relationship he had with his own family. As far as he could remember he didn't have one photograph of any of them. Perhaps he ought to write to his parents, let them know how he was getting on.
"I'll put these in water," said Hoshi brightly, as she produced a glass vase from a locker, filled it with water and began to arrange the flowers. Malcolm found himself fascinated by her hands. They seemed so dexterous, almost fluid, as she fussed with the flowers. He felt a slight pang of disappointment when she carefully placed the vase on her bedside table. "How on earth did you manage to get them?" Hoshi asked, sniffing the flowers.
"Some serious haggling with Ensign Johnson." He grinned. "I had to promise him personal tuition in the use of phase pistols."
"I hope he's not expecting an armed attack on hydroponics." Hoshi laughed, meeting his eyes properly for the first time, and Malcolm felt his heart lurch and his mouth go dry again. Damn. Just when he was beginning to relax. Why couldn't he be himself around women, like Trip or the Captain? He usually gave the 'I don't think it'd be appropriate' speech when a woman tried to get close, or if it got as far as a date, he chickened out before the relationship got serious. The end result was the same, no-one ever got past his barriers and he'd be left alone. Always alone. In the past he'd been happy with that, but he could feel Enterprise changing him, these people were getting through his carefully constructed walls and slowly uncovering the real Malcolm Reed underneath.
"As you wouldn't tell me what your favourite food was, I've cooked lemon chicken. I hope that's okay."
"I'm sure it'll be fine. It's the company that's important."
A slightly embarrassed smile flickered on Hoshi's lips and Malcolm had the sinking feeling his feeble attempt at a compliment had backfired and she thought he was implying she couldn't cook.
"Not that I'm saying there'll be anything wrong with the food," he added quickly.
She smiled. "I didn't think you were." Pulling a chair out for him, she added, "Take a seat? The food will only be a few minutes."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hoshi stole a glance at Malcolm as she began to heat up the wok. He didn't look at all like the man she thought she knew, even though, on the surface, his dark blue shirt and black jeans weren't much different to the uniform he usually wore. She'd noticed how nervous he was and wondered what was causing this erratic behaviour in the normally totally in control Brit.
She'd invited him because of the Captain's order to find out what he liked to eat and, if she was honest with herself, she'd been kind of worried what they were going to talk about. Malcolm had always been meticulously polite with her and very patient when she went to him for weapons training, but she didn't find him an easy man to get to know, not like Travis or Trip. Until she'd started on 'her assignment' as she thought of it, she knew nothing about his family or friends. He never let things slip about his background, his conversation was always about the matter in hand and, before tonight, she'd never spent any time alone with him off duty.
She glanced at him again. His foot was tapping nervously on the carpet. Was he as unsure what to talk about as she was? Possibly. All he normally talked about was weapons. So all she needed to do was steer the conversation around to food and... hey presto... mission accomplished!
Hoshi cleared her throat. "Do you ever cook... Malcolm? Is it okay to call you Malcolm? We are off duty, after all?"
She wondered if she was imagining it when she thought she saw a slight blush rise to his cheeks. "Of course... if I can call you Hoshi." He smiled and she suddenly wished it was something he did more often.
"So, do you cook?" she persisted.
"Not really. Certainly not on Enterprise. There are too many far more interesting things to do in my off time."
Hoshi caught what she thought was a twinkle in his eyes and realised he was joking. "Such as?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, I wouldn't have missed 'Godzilla returns to Planet of the Apes' for the world."
"This week's movie? It wasn't called that... was it?"
"No, but you're not sure, are you? It had to be the most forgettable film ever made. It was so bad, Commander Tucker fell asleep."
"It was him snoring?"
"Afraid so. He was sitting right behind me. He totally drowned out the second half of the film."
"Perhaps I ought to ask for it to be shown again. Just for you."
He raised his hands in supplication. "Please, please... anything but that!"
Hoshi laughed and turned her attention back to the food. Once you got talking to him and he relaxed a little, Malcolm was a nice guy. She glanced across at the freesias on her bedside table. He was thoughtful and kind too. What was the saying? Still waters run deep? She glanced across at him. He seemed fascinated with the photos on her walls. As his attention was elsewhere, it gave her the opportunity to study him more closely. He was in good shape, had dark brown slightly unruly hair and blue eyes. She'd always had a thing for men with blue eyes. Hoshi smiled to herself as she realised this was an assignment she was going to thoroughly enjoy.
"The food's ready," she announced, carrying two laden plates across to the table.
"It looks fantastic," said Malcolm enthusiastically. "I was too busy for lunch so I'm really ready for this." He looked down at the table and picked up the chopsticks next to his plate. She watched him as he struggled to pick up some chicken and laughed when he resorted to impaling the meat on the end of the chopstick and popping it in his mouth. "Tastes good too!" he said with a grin.
Hoshi giggled. "Let me show you how to hold them." She reached across the table and took Malcolm's hand in hers. "Hold this one like a pencil, then this one like this...." Suddenly she felt her heart beating a little faster as she held his hand. What was the matter with her? This was an assignment, not a romantic dinner for two.
But when he glanced up, looked her straight in the eyes and said, "Thank you," softly in his incredibly sexy accent, all thoughts of her assignment flew straight out the porthole. Hoshi nervously let go of his hand and picked up her own chopsticks but she could feel him watching her from the other side of the table. It suddenly seemed very warm in her quarters. She took a deep breath to try and steady herself and tried to concentrate on her own food.
"Voila!" he announced, proudly holding up a piece of carrot for her inspection.
"I knew you'd get the hang of it," she replied, smiling as he put the food in his mouth.
Malcolm smiled bashfully. "I had a good teacher."
They ate in companionable silence for a few moments, Hoshi trying to rationalise her thoughts, which were rapidly running amok. Half an hour ago, she thought of this guy as 'the armoury officer', a kind of stiff figure who was there to protect Enterprise. Now she was imagining all sorts of romantic scenarios with him. Perhaps before she just didn't know him properly. She knew one thing for sure - she wanted to spend more time with Malcolm Reed.
"Oh, sh-." A piece of carrot evaded Malcolm's chopsticks, flying up in the air and onto the carpet. "Damn. Sorry, Hoshi." Malcolm bobbed down to pick up the errant piece of vegetable at exactly the same time as Hoshi did. There was a sharp crack of skulls and Hoshi yelped in pain. She tipped her head up and found herself staring straight into Malcolm's intense blue eyes. "I'm sorry," he murmured softly, and Hoshi felt a shiver run up her spine at the tone of his voice. When he gently touched her forehead, as if searching for a bump, she swallowed hard. "I don't think there's any permanent damage," he added, his voice almost a whisper.
"It's okay," she blurted out, just as she realised the blue eyes were getting closer. She felt her heart pounding in her ears as Malcolm's lips brushed hers. Oh my, she thought, and I still don't know what his favourite food is. His hand cradled the nape of her neck, tangling in her hair, as he deepened the kiss and Hoshi gave herself over to sensation. When they came up for air, Hoshi managed to sigh, "Wow!" which Malcolm seemed to find highly amusing. "What's so funny?" she demanded petulantly.
"I've never been a 'wow' before," he chuckled as he got back into his chair. "Perhaps we ought to finish dinner before it gets cold?"
Hoshi smiled in reply, then looked at her almost empty plate and Malcolm's almost full one. "Er... would you like a knife and fork?"
"No, I'm fine. I'm getting the hang of it now." Hoshi was pleased to see he was telling the truth. After a few mouthfuls of food, he asked, "Which of the photos are your family?"
She pointed to one on the wall by her bed. "That's my brothers and parents."
"Are any of them in Starfleet?"
"No!" Hoshi laughed. "They're all academics. Mathematicians and scientists. I'm the black sheep."
"Because you're a linguist?"
Hoshi nodded. "I was expected to follow the family tradition but I guess I wanted to be different. They came round in the end."
Malcolm smiled ruefully. "I wish mine had."
"What?" Hoshi guessed what was coming. It had to be about his Royal Navy background.
"My family were all in the Royal Navy. They couldn't understand why I wanted to join Starfleet - they wanted me to join the Navy too. When I wouldn't, my father was not a happy camper." Hoshi could hear the bitterness in his voice. "It felt like they were trying to run my life for me."
"Aren't they proud of you now? The armoury officer on the first starship?"
He shrugged noncommittally and Hoshi guessed he was very practiced at hiding how much his parents' approval mattered to him. Coming from a loving, demonstrative family she felt sorry for him. "They haven't said," he answered flatly.
"What about your sister?" asked Hoshi. "Is she in the Navy?"
Malcolm's brow creased in puzzlement. "How do you know I've got a sister?"
Hoshi couldn't believe she'd let that slip. What could she say? She couldn't try and convince him he'd told her, she knew he had a good memory. Invent something plausible Hoshi, she told herself. Malcolm's voice interrupted her frantic thoughts.
"Hoshi? Have you been going through my personal file?"
She shook her head, completely at a loss.
"Hoshi?" She could tell he was starting to get annoyed, his accent was getting more pronounced.
She was going to have to come clean, there was nothing else for it. "The captain asked me to find out what your favourite food was so he could plan a birthday surprise for you. Amongst other people, I spoke to your sister."
Malcolm's eyes widened slightly. "Did you find out?" His voice was quiet and very measured, as if he was struggling to keep control of himself. Hoshi shook her head. "So, that's what this invitation was all about, wasn't it? Find out what I like to eat?"
Hoshi closed her eyes. "Yes," she whispered.
He stood up. "Just like Mata Hari, make love for the information." His tone was vicious. "I think I'd better be going now and you can tell the captain I don't usually celebrate my birthday, so he needn't bother organising anything."
"Malcolm, come back! It wasn't like that!" Hoshi tried to stop him, but he'd already opened the door and gone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Bugger, bugger, bugger.... BUGGER!!" Malcolm threw himself down on his bed and stared at the ceiling. What a bloody fool! She'd only asked him to dinner because the Captain wanted to know his favourite food. If he wasn't so pathetic, it'd be funny. He'd even kissed her. He tried to push the memory away, but the feel of Hoshi's lips haunted him... her pretty face... that gorgeous hair... He'd thought she liked him... he'd thought she'd kissed him back. How wrong could he have been?
How on earth was he going to face her next time they met on duty?
His comm panel chirped. "What now?" he muttered, getting up to answer it. "Yes?" he said, after pressing the button.
"Malcolm, it's Hoshi. We need to talk...."
"Ensign, I have nothing to say to you, and I think you've said and done quite enough already. Good night." He pushed the switch on the panel viciously and slumped back down on the bed.
Eventually, he fell into a restless sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Stinky, stinky... come to bed, Stinky."
Malcolm put down the phase pistol he'd been polishing and turned towards the seductive voice. Hoshi lay on his bed, wearing a short cream silk slip that emphasised every curve of her slim body and left little to his fevered imagination. She extended an arm languidly and beckoned him. He walked across the room and sat down on the bed next to her. Immediately, her hands started roaming his body, making his breath catch in his throat.
"Don't you think you're a little overdressed, Stinky?" she breathed, tugging gently on the zip of his uniform.
"So are you," he said quietly, as he leant down to kiss her. He brushed her lips gently at first, then deepened the kiss, running his hands down her slip until he found the hem and began to tug it upwards.
"I need you, Stinky," she whispered.
"Oh Hoshi," he moaned, as her hands began to gravitate downwards.
The comm panel bleeped.
"Leave it," she said, "They'll go away if you don't answer it."
"I.. I ... ooohhh." The comm bleeped again and Malcolm sat up quickly. "No, I have to answer it." He pressed the button. "Reed here."
"You're needed on the bridge, sir. We've got a problem with some of the weapons systems."
"I'll be right there." Malcolm looked around and his heart lurched when he realised he'd been dreaming. There was no Hoshi in his bed. Alone again. He shook his head. That was the same dream he'd had many times about Sub-Commander T'Pol, right down to her calling him Stinky but somehow it'd seemed much more erotic when it was Hoshi. Damn the woman! In one evening she'd managed to get right under his skin.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hoshi heard the bridge door slide open and the Captain's voice announce a cheery, "Good morning, everyone. She didn't look round. She daren't because she knew he'd be able to tell she'd been crying and would haul her into his office to ask why. It was bad enough that she was going to have to tell him the birthday surprise was off, without having to go into the sordid details of how she'd totally screwed up.
As the Captain took his seat in the middle of the bridge and began talking to Travis, she risked a quick glance over her shoulder and found herself staring straight into Malcolm's eyes. He instantly looked away but the hurt she'd seen on his face tore at her heart. She had to make him understand, she just had to....
She took a deep breath and stood up. Composing herself as best she could, she walked over to Malcolm's console and cleared her throat. "Could I have a word with you?" she asked quietly, unable to disguise the quaver in her voice.
"Is it a security issue?" he replied tersely, without looking up.
"No, you know it isn't."
"I have nothing to say on that subject, Ensign. If you'd excuse me, I have work to do."
Hoshi bit her bottom lip as she made her way back to her station. She wasn't going to cry on the bridge... she wasn't. He hadn't even had the courtesy to look at her when she was talking to him. She stared sightlessly at her console. What on earth was she going to do?
"Hoshi. In my ready room now."
She hoped he wanted a particularly complicated translation. Anything to stop her thinking about Malcolm. When the door closed behind them, Archer said, "What was that all about, Hoshi?"
Her stomach clenched. "What, sir?" Damn, she'd hoped he was to busy talking to Travis to notice her conversation with the armoury officer.
"That little exchange with Malcolm. What the hell did you do to upset him like that?"
"It's personal, sir," muttered Hoshi, suddenly finding her boots very interesting. "By the way, the birthday celebration's off. He told me he doesn't celebrate his birthday."
Jon's voice was gentle as he said softly, "Hoshi. Please sort it out. I won't order you to tell me if you don't want to but remember that having two of my senior officers in an emotionally unstable state affects the whole ship, not to mention the damage an annoyed armoury officer could do to anyone else who upsets him."
She smiled in spite of herself. "I'll try sir. But he won't talk to me."
The Captain walked over to her and patted her on the back. "I'm sure you'll find a way."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Malcolm leant his forehead against the cool metal of the armoury bulkhead and let out a deep breath. He'd never been so relieved to get away from the bridge. Saying the torpedoes needed 'looking at' was the most tenuous excuse imaginable but thankfully no-one had questioned him. He just couldn't keep sitting there for hour after hour, staring at Hoshi's back and remembering the previous evening.
He knew he'd been rude to her when she said she'd wanted to talk, which made him feel worse than ever but he wasn't going to sit there in front of the whole bridge and take the 'why don't we just be friends' speech. He'd heard that too many times in the past. If he just kept ignoring her, eventually she'd give up and leave him alone. He hoped it wouldn't take too long.
A voice penetrated his thoughts. "Lieutenant, you busy?"
Malcolm stood up straight and turned to face Trip. "Yes, sir, actually I am."
"Leaning against the wall is a diagnostic method I haven't come across. You'll have to tell me about it sometime." A smile twitched at Trip's lips.
"Did you want something, sir?"
"Yeah. What's the matter? You look like hell."
Malcolm clenched his jaw. Why couldn't he just be left in peace? "Nothing, sir."
Trip pursed his lips. "Now why don't I believe you?"
"With the greatest respect, Commander, my personal... " Malcolm hesitated, he hated conversations like this. "...difficulties are none of your business."
"They are if it affects your judgment."
"It won't," the Lieutenant replied flatly.
"I hope you're right because I'd hate to think you couldn't shoot straight because all you can think about is Hoshi."
The armoury officer's mouth dropped open in shock. Hell fire, how did he know? "What did she tell you?" he asked, trying desperately to keep his voice level.
"Nothing. It's as obvious as the nose on your face that you two aren't happy and the Captain mentioned he saw you outside her quarters last night. I put two and two together."
"And made five," muttered Malcolm under his breath.
"Malcolm, I'd like to think I'm your friend. If you want to talk, you know where I am."
"Yes, Commander."
"Now go and get some lunch so your staff can get some work done." He gestured out the door. "You're in such a mood they're frightened to come in here."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hoshi paused in the doorway to the mess hall and looked round. There he was in the far corner with his back to her, sitting alone and eating his lunch. She was going to make him listen to her, whether he wanted to or not. Taking a deep breath, she marched over to his table. "I want to talk to you," she announced, when she was within earshot. She saw him flinch but he didn't look round. When she got to his table, she stood right in front of him and said firmly, "I said, I want to talk to you."
Without looking at her, Malcolm picked up his padd and stood up. "But I don't want to talk to you, Ensign."
Hoshi wanted to scream. This man was impossible. "I'm going to apologize, whether you want me to or not."
"It's up to you. I'm due in the armoury." He turned to leave and started to walk towards the mess hall door.
Something snapped inside Hoshi and she yelled, "Malcolm Reed, you stand still when I'm trying to apologize to you!" Bristling with anger at the armoury officer, she was gratified to notice she'd stopped him dead in his tracks.
He slowly turned round, his face an impassive mask. "Ensign, that is no way to address a superior officer." His voice was dangerously calm.
"Pulling rank now, *Malcolm*?" Hoshi was past caring about insubordination. "I don't remember rank being an issue last night when you kissed me." To her horror, she realised that the mess hall had fallen silent and everyone, including most of the bridge crew, was watching her, open mouthed. Then just when she thought it couldn't get any worse, she noticed that Doctor Phlox appeared to be taking notes. She pulled her shoulders back and took a deep breath. She was going to see this through if it was the last thing she did and if the look on Malcolm's face was anything to go by, it was probably going to be.
His eyes narrowed. "Not content with humiliating me in private, you now appear to be hell bent on humiliating me in public. Thank you, ensign." Malcolm's voice dripped with sarcasm.
"I'm trying to say sorry, you... you... you..." Words failed her.
"Try 'emotionally repressed, anally retentive, stiff, annoying, boring...'" suggested Trip, who was sitting at a nearby table.
"SHUT UP, COMMANDER!" Malcolm and Hoshi yelled in unison.
Shooting a vicious glare at Trip, Hoshi continued, "It's true I invited you because I was under orders to find out your favourite food but I wouldn't have kissed you if I didn't want to, no matter who'd ordered me to do it." Malcolm's face was still expressionless. Hoshi was getting desperate, how on earth could she get through to him how she felt? "Malcolm, when you kissed me, you made my toes curl up and my knees go weak. I want to spend more time with you, I want to get to know you better, I want to...."
Malcolm crossed the room in three strides, swept Hoshi into his arms and kissed her very thoroughly. She was vaguely aware of the mess hall erupting into cheers and applause, as her insides slowly turned to mush. Hoshi sighed as he gently broke the kiss and looked down into her eyes. The anger had gone and she could see the Malcolm she'd caught glimpses of the night before. She smiled up at him as he gently stroked her hair. She just knew everything was going to all right. "What brought that on?" she asked quietly.
He grinned. "It was the only way I could think of to shut you up."