Author's Note: Please see previous notes. Our story continues a few episodes after Twilight with residual memories continuing to surface and play with everyone's lives. This one takes place right during Harbinger. Let me know what you think! Enjoy!
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"I'd like you to co-ordinate training sessions with the Major," Jon Archer said to Malcolm as he stood in his ready room.
"Aye, sir," Malcolm said before he abruptly left.
He walked down he hall seaming. Of course Hayes would go to the Captain and above his head; he should have known the sneaky bastard would…
"Malcolm!" Hoshi said as she caught his arm. "I've been calling you for almost a minute!"
"Sorry," Malcolm said, still angry. "A lot on my mind."
"I can see that," Hoshi said with a furrowed brow.
Malcolm stood looking at her and saying nothing. He was angry and the last thing he wanted to do was snap at Hoshi but he needed to burn off some of this anger.
"You're really mad," Hoshi chuckled a little.
Malcolm clenched his jaw a little tighter and looked at her pointedly.
"Come on," Hoshi said as she grabbed his wrist and guided him down the hallway.
"Hoshi, I'm really not in the…"
"Trust me," she said as she looked over her shoulder and smiled at him.
They ended up in the gym. Two new recruits were the only ones working out.
"Dismiss them," Hoshi said.
"Excuse me?" Malcolm asked, confused.
"Dismiss them," Hoshi said as she looked at him pointedly.
Since they had been dating he was starting to read her signals better and this Hoshi wanted no argument.
"Please clear the gym," Malcolm said with authority. The two recruits on the treadmills looked at each other surprised and then quickly dismounted and scurried out.
Hoshi followed them and initiated a lock on the door.
"Hoshi, I don't know what you're…."
It was then that he saw her pick up some boxing gloves and walk over to him.
"Put them on," she said before she hit the button to drop the punching bag down from the ceiling.
"This is…"
"Do I look like I want to argue?" Hoshi asked him.
Malcolm huffed and donned the gloves. Hoshi stood holding the bag and motioned for him to start.
"This is not going to…"
"Punch the damn bag Malcolm!" Hoshi ordered.
Malcolm started to punch and the more he punched the stronger his hits got. She was holding the bag firmly but his hits were getting hard. Once he tired a little she decided to talk.
"Is this about the Hayes thing?" Hoshi asked.
Malcolm nodded; sweat was dripping off his chin and his muscles were loose and limber.
"He spoke with the Captain?" Hoshi asked.
Malcolm nodded again.
"You realize he's doing all of this to get under your skin, right?" Hoshi asked him.
"Well, it bloody worked," Malcolm huffed as he hit the bag hard.
"Don't let it," Hoshi advised.
"Easy for you to say, it's not your job being threatened, your command…"
Malcolm hit the bag again and again.
"I know," Hoshi said.
"But Starfleet has them on board as a beta test, do you know what the last beta test was that they ran on our ship?"
"No, what?" Malcolm asked, his pace slowing.
"Remember the universal translator that was on board when we launched?"
"No," Malcolm said.
"I do, and it didn't work," Hoshi said. "When we went in for re-fitting they took it out. More testing was needed, they said. That was 2 years ago, and from what I've heard they are considering beta'ing it again on some Nebulas class cruisers in another 2 years."
"Your point?" Malcolm asked, his punching halted.
"That the translation system they thought would revolutionize space exploration took 4 years from our Beta run to be placed on a Nebulas cruiser, as a beta run again, and they don't even move a light year from Earth."
Malcolm looked at her still confused.
Hoshi stepped toward him and placed a hand on his chest.
"My point is that Starfleet is a large organization that moves slowly," Hoshi said as she felt his heart hammering under her hand. "The MACOs won't take over any security positions in your lifetime."
Malcolm nodded but wasn't really thinking much about what she was saying; she was so close and beautiful and smart.
He leaned forward and kissed her soundly on the lips. They had kissed and pawed at each other a few times since they had started dating but this kiss was different. It was primal and filled with need. Hoshi kissed him back passionately and pulled his sweaty body against hers.
"Take me to the change rooms," she muttered between kisses.
"What?" He asked, confused.
"We can't do it here, someone could override the lock and…"
"Hosh…"
"I'm sure," she whispered before she jumped up and wrapped her legs around him.
He walked with her toward the change room and crawled on top of her on the wide centre wood platform.
They quickly divested each other of their clothes, and he entered her in one penetrating push. Both of their needs were fierce and between the sweat on his body, and her gyrating hips they messily reached climax together; moaning and huffing at the exertion.
Malcolm was so exhausted from the boxing and the sex he could barely keep his eyes opened afterward and remembered being wise enough to haphazardly dress as Hoshi rose and went to use the showers; her bare ass swaying all the way up the hallway before he fell asleep.
XXXXX
"Do you really think you should be doing all of these fight sequences?" Travis whispered to Amanda as they stood next to each other.
"It's my job," Amanda said.
"It's not your job to get the crap beaten out of you for…"
"Shh," Amanda cautioned him.
Travis watched at Hayes and Reed tried to one-up each other and make the training their own while everyone stood and watched.
"Pair up!" Hayes ordered.
Trip immediately caught Amanda's eye and they paired up. Travis wanted to pair with her so he could protect the baby, but of all people, Trip wouldn't harm her.
He did watched carefully as they fought and winced when Trip got her to the ground. She needed to tell Hayes that she was pregnant, but she'd refused. She said she didn't want to be treated differently or put on desk duty. She also noted that until 12 weeks she could lose the baby for a variety of reasons and there was no need having that information out there until they were sure she could carry to term. Al of them were good reasons but, as Travis watched her wrestle with Trip, he didn't think any of them were good enough right now.
XXXX
"Come in," Anna Hess called from her bunk at the sound of the door buzzer.
Jonathan Archer walked inside and looked at her laying on top of her bunk, then her small quarters.
"Why do you have a cryo pack on your side?" Jon asked, alarmed.
"Broken rib from MACO training," Anna said, trying not to breath too deeply, it hurt too much.
"What the hell?" Jon asked as he approached her. "I got the message that you couldn't meet because you were sick, but you didn't say…"
"Phlox fixed me up, but the break was jagged and will take another day to…"
"Who did this?" Jon asked, his voice filled with rage.
"It doesn't matter," Anna said. "We were just training."
"A broken rib isn't just training," Jon said, annoyed as he grabbed the one chair in the room and sat on it. "Who did this?"
Anna smiled at him. "I'm fine."
"I can order you to…"
"Then you better get the brig ready for insubordination," Anna chided. "I'll need to bring some painkillers and my cryo pack, if that's okay?"
Jon huffed and crossed his arms over his chest assessing her.
"I'm fine," Anna re-iterated.
He huffed, resigned. "Can I do anything? Get you something to eat?"
"I'm not hungry and any movement hurts so I imagine sitting up and swallowing…"
"How about a granola bar or a hydration pack, you can eat those pretty much laying down?" Jon asked, trying to help. He felt really bad for her; she was never one to need help and here she was helpless.
"You're the Captain. I can get Phil or Sara to…" Anna started.
"I'd like to help," Jon said, honestly.
Anna smiled at him and nodded.
"Both?" Jon asked.
Anna nodded again. "Are you sure, it feels weird to have the Captain running for food for…"
"I am not above helping a friend," Jon said as he rose from his chair and walked toward the door. "Back in five."
Anna smiled at him and watched him leave.
XXXX
"Phlox," Liz Cutler said as she placed a scanner in front of him on the lab counter.
Phlox looked at the positive pregnancy result and frowned.
"Someone is pregnant?" Phlox asked as he picked up the scanner.
"Me," Liz said softly.
Phlox stopped trimming the plant for edible berries and looked at her confused.
"But you are on birth control," Phlox said. "I have the records that your last injection was…"
"I know," Liz said softly. "I can't expla…"
"There must be something wrong with the scanner," Phlox said as he re-started it and then turned it toward his girlfriend.
Liz stood, looking at him and sighed. She knew what the scanner would reveal.
"There's something wrong with this…"
"I've tried them all, and ran my bloodwork analysis twice," Liz said as she reached beside her, lifted a PADD and handed it to him.
"That's impossible," Phlox said, surprised and annoyed.
"Theoretically it is, but you and I both know that theory is not…"
"I don't…" Phlox muttered.
"You aren't pleased," Liz said softly.
Phlox turned and saw her downturned face and decided that lying was his best option in this circumstance.
"I am just surprised by the improbability and the larger ramifications of…"
"Denobulans only have three wives and you have three wives," Liz said.
"True," Phlox said. "Although it's perfectly acceptable to have extra marital relationships, rarely do they result in a pregnancy, as Denobulan family trees are usually complicated enough…"
"Are you in favor of termination?" Liz asked, serious.
"Denobulans do not believe in termination of our children but respect the rights of other species to terminate if they wish," Phlox said as he swallowed hard. The child was his and he, as much as he wasn't sure he wanted it, wouldn't be in favor of termination. But, she was human and that was a definite possibility in her culture.
"You have said what Denobulans believe, but, in this circumstance, what do you want?" Liz asked, not allowing him to circumvent his own answer.
"I would not wish to terminate, but respect your choice as, in your culture, it's possible," Phlox said, diplomatically.
He and Liz worked well together, she was an excellent lover, a good friend, and a like-minded individual. He wouldn't call it love, but the biological attraction was there, as was the emotional and intellectual connection of friendship and shared work.
"What would this mean for your family?" Liz asked.
"I don't understand your question," Phlox said honestly.
"Would your family be shamed by this child? Would your children refuse to speak with you? Would…?"
"None of that," Phlox said. "We would have to file substantial paperwork but…"
"Paperwork?" Liz asked, confused.
"I would need to take responsibility for the child as it was outside of my marriages," Phlox indicated. "My family would all love…"
Phlox looked at the bloodwork and the scanner. It indicated a male fetus.
"…him."
"What about your wives? They know about us, but a child…"
"They would be happy for us," Phlox said with a wide smile. "Denobulans are not jealous."
Liz nodded.
"How long are Denobulan pregnancies?" Liz asked.
"Five months," Phlox indicated. "But as this is a hybrid child, I would say seven months. And, you are already seven weeks along…"
Liz nodded.
"What do you want, Liz?" Phlox asked her as he placed a hand over hers on the lab table.
"I don't know, yet," Liz said, honestly.
She cared a lot for Phlox but the ramifications of this to her life and career were enormous. Starfleet may order her planet-side on one of their colonies. Phlox would need to stay on board to maintain the Clinic and she'd be alone, on another planet, with a half Denobulan baby.
Phlox nodded.
"I need to think," Liz said softly before she scooped up the scanner and the PADD and walked away.
XXX
TBC
I know, you are asking "Why are Trip and T'Pol not in this chapter? Why?! It's Harbinger afterall…" Well, I thought that Harbinger kinda worked (except for the "human sexual experiment" bit) and I wanted to deal with everyone else. Let's just go with, T'Pol didn't say "human sexual experiment" and they slept together because she was jealous.
