Penny For Your Thoughts

Chapter 1

Trip was in his quarters still in shock and disbelief at what Phlox had told him. He flopped onto his bed and dropped to his back reeling in his thoughts. Pregnant? How? How could I...? Men can't get pregnant! He's a quack! Pregnant? No impossible! A parasite? Yeah... that sounds more reasonable. A parasite. Pregnant? Oh fuck!

His door chime rang and he frowned. He wasn't in the mood for company and hoped whoever it was would go away. The chime rang again. "Who is it?" His voice sounded sharper than he intended, but he really didn't care.

"Captain Archer. Can I come in?" Archer's voice come though the intercom. The corners of Trip's mouth slightly tugged. He wasn't in the mood for company...but Jon was a different thought.

"Yeah...come in." He sat up and waited for Jon to come in. He inwardly chuckled at Jon shifting around in the way that Trip knew he was uncomfortable. "What can I do for ya?"

Jon blew out a breath as he sat on the bed with Trip. "This is a very... unusual situation."

"Who you telln'?" Trip's mind raced back to his thoughts again. Pregnant? How? Those weird rocks. She said it was a game. Why did she lie to me? Oh God! Did she...?

Jon looked at Trip and could see the turmoil on his friend's face. "We'll find them. I'm sure they'll know what to do." He patted Trip's thigh to reassure him.

Trip looked at Jon's hand on his thigh. Oh! That feels good. Huh? What? He gulped hard. "Cap'n...I think...I think she...raped me!"

"You stuck your hands in those rocks willingly."

"Yeah. But she said it was a game. She never said it was something sexual! And she sure as hell didn't say that this could happen." He gestured to the left side of his ribcage where the embryo was now growing. "How the hell is this thing going to come out? I mean...we don't know about Xrillian males, but we sure as hell know that human males aren't designed to...give birth!"

"I'm sure Phlox will figure something out...if it comes down to that point. In the meantime, I'm pulling you from duty-"

"What!" Trip interrupted. "Cap'n, you can't. I don't need to be pulled from duty. Look, right now, it's just like I have a big bruise and a little sore. Don't pull me from duty. Please...Jon." Trip looked at him with pleading eyes.

Jon thought for a moment. "Ok, how about this. Restricted duty. Nothing too strenuous, no away missions, and you promise to take breaks and stay off your feet as much as you can."

"I'm not some kind of ceramic doll, I won't break."

"I'm thinking about that baby inside of you. Restricted duty or off duty. What will it be?"

"Restricted...I guess." Trip said with a displeased tone.

"Good. I'll have Phlox go over what you can and can't do while you're in this...condition." He gave Trip another pat on his thigh before getting up to leave. "Let me know if you need anything." Jon called before the door closed behind him.

Once again alone, Trip muttered to himself. "I need you to put your hands on me some more. Where the hell did that just come from?" Deep in Trip's thoughts, he couldn't deny the fact that there were times he had been curious what it would be like with a man...with Jon, but quickly brushed those thoughts to the side. Why now were these thoughts so close to the front of his mind?

He laid back onto his bed and rubbed at the place on his side. "We'll find your people little one. Once we do, we'll get you out of me and this whole thing will be over."

XXX

Weeks turned into a month, then two months and no sign of the Xrillians. Trip's "bulge" was getting bigger and harder to hide under his loose fitting shirts. He took quite a few jabs from members of the crew over his condition, and even more jabs about the Captain doting over him. But once the jokes stopped, the gravity of the situation began to set in.

Phlox had completely pulled him from duty, no matter how hard he tried to protest, Phlox decided that the time had come for Trip to go on maternity leave. He was in his quarters trying to sleep when he bolted straight up in bed, screaming and sweat pouring down his face. A second later, his door chime rang. "Who is it?" He called breathlessly.

"It's me. Let me in."

Trip got up and unlocked the door to find Jon standing on the other side with wide eyes and looking very scared. "I was coming to see you and heard you screaming. Are you ok? What's wrong? Do you need Phlox?"

"No. I'm fine. Come in." He stepped to the side to give the Captain entrance.

Jon sat down on the bed but still looked a bit panicked. "What happened? Why were you screaming?"

Trip sat next to Jon. "I had a bad dream, that's all." He could see and feel Jon relax.

"Do you want to tell me about it?"

"It's kind of weird. I guess because it's been on my mind so much about how this...baby...will get out of me. You remember that old movie we watched once, where the alien burst out of that guy's stomach?"

"Aliens"

"Yeah...that's what I said. An alien came out of the guy's stomach."

Jon softly chuckled. "No Trip, the movie was called Aliens."

"Oh. Yeah. I knew that. Anyways, that's what the dream was about. This baby is gonna to rip itself out of my stomach and kill me in the process." Trip gave a shudder at the image. "Think I'm gonna delete that movie from my file."

Jon chuckled again. "Well, I'm glad the screaming wasn't anything too serious. Anything else that's troubling you?"

"My back is killing me." Trip blurted out before he had a chance to think.

Jon crinkled his brows. "Oh? The bulge is on your side, I wouldn't think it would be your back that hurts."

"I can't get comfortable enough to sleep right. I sleep on my side ya know. My left side to be exact, but with this bulge..."

"Ah. I see. Well...lay on your stomach and let's see if we can't do something about that."

"Huh?"

"Just lay down Trip. Trust me."

"Um...ok." Trip laid on his stomach not sure what to expect when he felt Jon's hands moving across his bare skin. His hands were warm, strong yet gentle as they massaged the aching muscles. He heard a slight pop of a vertebra and damn if it didn't feel good. Damn his hands feel so good, I want those hands on every inch of me. What!? Shit Trip! These pregnancy hormones are really screwing with you. Oh shit! Did he just move his hands down further? Oh God please put those hands on my ass.

Jon was massaging the small of Trip's back as a couple more vertebrae popped. Without thinking, or realizing, Trip slightly lifted himself in the hopes it would cause Jon's hands to go down further. He felt a slight graze on the top of the swell of his rounded ass before Jon's hands started to move back upwards again towards his shoulders. "Trip, you're so tense. You need to relax."

Trip noticed how thick and hoarse Jon's voice sounded but brushed it off to his imagination. "I'm trying. I just can't stop thinking about how this baby is gonna get outta me. Not to mention that I can't walk three feet without someone asking if they can touch my bulge. Hell! Some don't even ask, they just touch it. Rude." Trip was suddenly aware of where one of Jon's hands was when he abruptly stopped his massaging. "You wanna touch it. Don't ya?"

"Um...yeah?" There was embarrassment in his voice. Here he was trying to touch the bulge while Trip was grumbling about being touched there.

Trip rolled onto his side to give Jon better access. "Go ahead."

"No Trip. That's ok. Obviously it bothers you too much."

"I don't mind if it's you that touches me. Go ahead." God! Did that just sounded so pathetic? Like I was begging for him to touch me? Trip laid as Jon's hand gently rubbed at the bulge. He smiled looking at Jon's bright green eyes as they danced and delighted in the sight of a pregnant Trip. He's gonna be a good daddy for our baby. What? Daddy? OUR baby? Damnit Trip! Get a grip!

Jon suddenly stopped rubbing at Trip's bulge. "I better get going. I got some reports to write and send to command before morning. Get some sleep and I'll see you tomorrow."

"Cap'n? You don't have to leave." Shit! Stop your begging already!

"I really need to get these reports done. If you have any more bad dreams...just call me." He hurried out the door before Trip could say any more.

In his quarters, Jon flopped down onto his bed and dropped to his back. God Trip felt so great under my hands. His ass so beautiful, I just wanted to grab hold and never let go. Why did he want me to stay so bad? The bad dreams. That's why. I wanted to stay, if I stayed I might have... Oh shit Jon! He can't possibly think about you the same way. He did lift himself to me. Stop it! You're delusional! He just shifted to get comfortable, that's all. Damn he felt so good. Shit Jon! Get a grip!