Thanks for all the reviews and the *grimaces* corrections… It's nice to
know that you're enjoying the story and I hope you'll like this chapter
too. Keep reading and reviewing! *muah!*
Chapter 3
Icheb rapped his finger on the table. He'd finished two lime sherbet floats in the past fifteen minutes and was getting a brain freeze. He closed his eyes tightly and shook his head. He instinctively turned to the door each time he heard it open but each time, he was disappointed. He sighed.
"Computer, locate Lieutenant Wildman."
"Lieutenant Wildman is in Holodeck Two."
Icheb frowned. What was Naomi doing in the holodeck? He looked at his watch. It was 1843h. She had been due to meet him in the mess hall for dinner thirteen minutes ago and it was quite unlike her to be late.
He got up from his seat and was just about to make his way to Holodeck Two when he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.
"Icheb?"
He turned around and saw Shaun standing behind him. The young man looked rather worried.
"What's wrong, Shaun?" Icheb asked. God, he hoped Shaun would make it quick so that he could go and look for Naomi.
Shaun looked around the mess hall and once he was certain that no one was listening, he leaned towards Icheb conspiratively.
"I think," he whispered. "That Naomi and Sierra are up to something."
Icheb wasn't surprised one bit.
"They're always up to something, Shaun," Icheb said with a laugh. "The two of them are thick as thieves."
"No," Shaun insisted urgently. "I saw them going into Holodeck Two and they were giggling and laughing and acting like they had something up their sleeves. They've been spending a lot of time together the past few days. Even more than usual. It's kinda freaky if you ask me."
Icheb raised his eyebrows. Interesting. Turning to Shaun, he grinned.
"Want to find out what it is?" he asked his young friend.
Shaun grinned back at him. "Yeah!"
Before they could get to Holodeck Two, Shaun and Icheb bumped into Sierra and Naomi along Deck Four. All four of them seemed shocked when they saw one another. They stopped short in their tracks and just stood there staring at each other for a while.
"What are you doing here?" Shaun finally asked Sierra.
"What do you mean what am I doing here?" she said indignantly. "Am I not allowed to walk around the ship? Last time I checked, I was."
"You're late," Icheb said to Naomi.
Naomi looked at her watch and grimaced. "Oh God, I'm sorry," she said. "I lost track of time. We were…"
"In Holodeck Two," Icheb said, completing her sentence for her.
Sierra and Naomi looked surprised. They looked at each other and then looked at Icheb and Shaun. How did they know?
As if reading their minds, Shaun said, "I saw you two going in there just now. What were you up to?"
"What are you? Spying on us?" Sierra said angrily. "What we were doing there is none of your business and even if it was, I wouldn't tell you."
"Relax, Sierra," Icheb said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Shaun didn't mean any harm."
"Knowing him, he was going to try and find something wrong and get me into trouble with dad," Sierra spat.
Naomi knew that Sierra was being high strung because she was trying to hide her crush on Ensign O'Halloran from her brother and from Icheb. The poor girl was worried that they would find out and she'd never hear the end of it, knowing them. She also knew that they'd probably tell Ensign O'Halloran and while that might not be such a bad idea, she knew that it was the last thing that Sierra needed at that very moment.
"Icheb, can I postpone our date for tomorrow?" Naomi asked, looking pleadingly at Icheb.
He sighed and then he smiled.
"Ok," he said. "But promise you won't be late tomorrow. We haven't really had much chance to be together lately."
"I know. I'm sorry."
He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. Then turning to Shaun, he said, "How about a game of hoverball?"
Shaun was always up for a game of hoverball, so he soon forgot about why he'd come to look for Sierra and made his way to Holodeck Two with Icheb.
As soon as they were out of earshot, Naomi looked at Sierra.
"Paranoid, aren't we?"
Sierra looked somewhat contrite and tried to keep pace with Naomi, who seemed to be picking up pace, which she was, because she was hungry and was desperate for one of Juxlan's famous Talaxian pies. He'd told her that he'd be making that for dinner.
"You know, the stranger you act and the more you try to hide it, the more likely they're going to find out," Naomi said, looking back at Sierra. "They'll be desperate to find out more. Guys are like that. It's like playing hard to get. If you really want a guy, you play hard to get and he'd be more intrigued and more desperate to get to know you. Same goes for sex. The more they can't get it, the more they want it."
Sierra's eyes widened.
"Speaking from experience, huh?" she teased Naomi.
Naomi laughed.
"A lady never kisses and tells," she told Sierra.
"I'll take that as a resounding yes," Sierra said, clapping her hands.
They stepped into the mess hall and Naomi ordered a pie. Juxlan didn't bother asking Sierra what she wanted because he knew that he'd only be greeted by a sour face.
"I'm surprised you didn't bring your own food, Sierra," Juxlan said when he saw her enter the mess hall.
"Oh shush, Juxlan," Sierra said irritably.
"Excuse her, Juxlan," Naomi said, apologising for Sierra. "Someone's a little high strung today."
Juxlan simply laughed. A very jovial laugh as usual. He wasn't too different from Neelix in that sense. Maybe it was a Talaxian trait.
Sierra and Naomi settled at the table farthest from the door. It was their favourite table and they almost always sat there.
"Why don't you just tell him?" Naomi whispered.
They had taken to speaking in whispers because Matthew wasn't sitting too far away from them. Sierra looked absolutely horrified. She looked up from her glass of orange juice and sneaked a glance in his direction. He happened to look up at that point in time and she quickly pretended to be studying her drink again.
Naomi turned around and saw Matthew staring at Sierra. When he noticed her looking, she could swear she saw him blush and avert his gaze. Inwardly, she grinned to herself. She was going to have a lot of fun with them…
Chapter 3
Icheb rapped his finger on the table. He'd finished two lime sherbet floats in the past fifteen minutes and was getting a brain freeze. He closed his eyes tightly and shook his head. He instinctively turned to the door each time he heard it open but each time, he was disappointed. He sighed.
"Computer, locate Lieutenant Wildman."
"Lieutenant Wildman is in Holodeck Two."
Icheb frowned. What was Naomi doing in the holodeck? He looked at his watch. It was 1843h. She had been due to meet him in the mess hall for dinner thirteen minutes ago and it was quite unlike her to be late.
He got up from his seat and was just about to make his way to Holodeck Two when he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.
"Icheb?"
He turned around and saw Shaun standing behind him. The young man looked rather worried.
"What's wrong, Shaun?" Icheb asked. God, he hoped Shaun would make it quick so that he could go and look for Naomi.
Shaun looked around the mess hall and once he was certain that no one was listening, he leaned towards Icheb conspiratively.
"I think," he whispered. "That Naomi and Sierra are up to something."
Icheb wasn't surprised one bit.
"They're always up to something, Shaun," Icheb said with a laugh. "The two of them are thick as thieves."
"No," Shaun insisted urgently. "I saw them going into Holodeck Two and they were giggling and laughing and acting like they had something up their sleeves. They've been spending a lot of time together the past few days. Even more than usual. It's kinda freaky if you ask me."
Icheb raised his eyebrows. Interesting. Turning to Shaun, he grinned.
"Want to find out what it is?" he asked his young friend.
Shaun grinned back at him. "Yeah!"
Before they could get to Holodeck Two, Shaun and Icheb bumped into Sierra and Naomi along Deck Four. All four of them seemed shocked when they saw one another. They stopped short in their tracks and just stood there staring at each other for a while.
"What are you doing here?" Shaun finally asked Sierra.
"What do you mean what am I doing here?" she said indignantly. "Am I not allowed to walk around the ship? Last time I checked, I was."
"You're late," Icheb said to Naomi.
Naomi looked at her watch and grimaced. "Oh God, I'm sorry," she said. "I lost track of time. We were…"
"In Holodeck Two," Icheb said, completing her sentence for her.
Sierra and Naomi looked surprised. They looked at each other and then looked at Icheb and Shaun. How did they know?
As if reading their minds, Shaun said, "I saw you two going in there just now. What were you up to?"
"What are you? Spying on us?" Sierra said angrily. "What we were doing there is none of your business and even if it was, I wouldn't tell you."
"Relax, Sierra," Icheb said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Shaun didn't mean any harm."
"Knowing him, he was going to try and find something wrong and get me into trouble with dad," Sierra spat.
Naomi knew that Sierra was being high strung because she was trying to hide her crush on Ensign O'Halloran from her brother and from Icheb. The poor girl was worried that they would find out and she'd never hear the end of it, knowing them. She also knew that they'd probably tell Ensign O'Halloran and while that might not be such a bad idea, she knew that it was the last thing that Sierra needed at that very moment.
"Icheb, can I postpone our date for tomorrow?" Naomi asked, looking pleadingly at Icheb.
He sighed and then he smiled.
"Ok," he said. "But promise you won't be late tomorrow. We haven't really had much chance to be together lately."
"I know. I'm sorry."
He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. Then turning to Shaun, he said, "How about a game of hoverball?"
Shaun was always up for a game of hoverball, so he soon forgot about why he'd come to look for Sierra and made his way to Holodeck Two with Icheb.
As soon as they were out of earshot, Naomi looked at Sierra.
"Paranoid, aren't we?"
Sierra looked somewhat contrite and tried to keep pace with Naomi, who seemed to be picking up pace, which she was, because she was hungry and was desperate for one of Juxlan's famous Talaxian pies. He'd told her that he'd be making that for dinner.
"You know, the stranger you act and the more you try to hide it, the more likely they're going to find out," Naomi said, looking back at Sierra. "They'll be desperate to find out more. Guys are like that. It's like playing hard to get. If you really want a guy, you play hard to get and he'd be more intrigued and more desperate to get to know you. Same goes for sex. The more they can't get it, the more they want it."
Sierra's eyes widened.
"Speaking from experience, huh?" she teased Naomi.
Naomi laughed.
"A lady never kisses and tells," she told Sierra.
"I'll take that as a resounding yes," Sierra said, clapping her hands.
They stepped into the mess hall and Naomi ordered a pie. Juxlan didn't bother asking Sierra what she wanted because he knew that he'd only be greeted by a sour face.
"I'm surprised you didn't bring your own food, Sierra," Juxlan said when he saw her enter the mess hall.
"Oh shush, Juxlan," Sierra said irritably.
"Excuse her, Juxlan," Naomi said, apologising for Sierra. "Someone's a little high strung today."
Juxlan simply laughed. A very jovial laugh as usual. He wasn't too different from Neelix in that sense. Maybe it was a Talaxian trait.
Sierra and Naomi settled at the table farthest from the door. It was their favourite table and they almost always sat there.
"Why don't you just tell him?" Naomi whispered.
They had taken to speaking in whispers because Matthew wasn't sitting too far away from them. Sierra looked absolutely horrified. She looked up from her glass of orange juice and sneaked a glance in his direction. He happened to look up at that point in time and she quickly pretended to be studying her drink again.
Naomi turned around and saw Matthew staring at Sierra. When he noticed her looking, she could swear she saw him blush and avert his gaze. Inwardly, she grinned to herself. She was going to have a lot of fun with them…