They're not mine! I own not a thing!
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Chapter 11
Right before her shift ended Hoshi received a message from Jon on her station. He told her to leave as soon as her shift was over and go about her typical after-shift business. He had to start addressing the crew, now that a shift change was coming up, and they needed to maintain some physical distance to help keep things as "above board" as they could per Starfleet's orders. He'd hurry things but if she felt ill as the distance increased she should work her way back to the Mess Hall where he would be. Hopefully this won't take too long she thought, and then deleted the message. Pondering what to do with the first free time she'd had in a while she decided to hit the gym right after her shift ended.
"Hoshi, what are you up to after you get off?" Travis asked, breaking into her thoughts. She looked up from her station and smiled at him. "Oh, I thought I'd go work out for a while. I thought I'd do some work with the punching bag, and maybe some weight work."
"Do you want some company?" he asked back. Shrugging, she replied, "Sure, I would love to have a spotter. It's been a long time since I did anything with the weights." Travis glanced once at Malcolm and then got onto the lift with Hoshi.
They made small talk all the way down to the gym, Travis catching Hoshi up on all the ship's gossip she missed while asleep. Entering the gym they split off to go change and when Hoshi came back out Travis was waiting for her. He was standing at the weight bench chatting with Malcolm, who was also dressed for a workout. Seeing Hoshi Malcolm nodded to Travis and went over to the mats and started going through the forms in a martial arts routine. Getting started, Travis and Hoshi continued to make small talk until the gym emptied out and it was just the three of them. Once the last crewmember left Travis looked down at Hoshi where she was laying on the bench waiting for Travis to add more weight to her bar. "Hoshi, we need to talk to you." Malcolm came over from where he had been working on the mats.
"Sure Travis, about what?" she grunted as she pressed through the next lift. Adjusting his stance above her he said, "About what's happened to you, to the captain." He paused, trying to choose his next words. Malcolm cut in, "We wanted to know if you were all right. If there was anything we could do." Hoshi smiled up at them briefly as she lowered the bar back into the cradle. She ducked out from under the bar and sat up, wiping sweat off her brow. "I'm fine, really. It's going to take some getting used to…" she shrugged then said, "It's not so bad."
The men exchanged a glance, then Travis said gently, "Are you sure? 'Cause if things are… not to your liking… then we could." He paused, at a loss for words. Once again Malcolm took up the thread of the conversation. "Hoshi, if, because of this bond, the captain is taking certain… liberties… that he shouldn't… that are unwelcome… we want you to know that we are here for you, regardless of the fact that he is the captain…" He finished awkwardly.
Hoshi's eyebrows rose in surprise. WHAT? How COULD they think that about Jon! She shook her head. Standing up to look them both in the eyes she said, "First, HOW COULD you think that he would do anything against my will. Malcolm, do I need to show you that I remember all of my personal defense training? Second, what would you do if he was?" she paused, raising one eyebrow. They both looked a little sheepish but Travis pressed on.
"Hoshi, you're sweet, and we know that he's known you for a long time, it's just that… you're attractive, we've been out here a long time…. we don't want him to take advantage…" he trailed off as she glared at him again.
"Maybe it's you I need to demonstrate my defense training on." She replied snarkily. Taking a deep breath she thought, Sigh… Sweet, but misguided. As she went to speak again the gym door's opened and several crewmen came in. She lowered her voice and spoke softly. "Look, I've known Jon a very long time, much longer then the both of you put together. I trust him with my life. I would never have agreed to get on this flying tin can in the first place if I didn't. He would NEVER, ever do anything untoward. This mental bond adds a whole new layer to our relationship and that is something we'll, most likely, spend the rest of lives working on." She sighed, and then continued, "Unless Phlox and the Binares are wrong." She paused, glanced around to see that no one had come within earshot. "I really appreciate the sentiment from you two. I count you both as two of my closest friends. Whatever has happened, is happening, or is going to happen between Jon and I, will be because we both want it. Nothing is going to happen that I don't want." She paused once more and smiled wickedly at them. "And if it did, I know you two will be ready to help me mop up and shove a body out an airlock." Both men chuckled and continued to look sheepish. She placed a hand on Travis's shoulder, looking at them both. "Now, knock it off with the pessimistic attitude. The best help you both could be right now is to dispel any rumors that may spring up. Someone is bound to notice that the captain and I are spending more time together then usual. You could do the same for the Commanders too." She lay back down on the bench. "Now that we have dealt with that, can we finish our workout now?" Both men nodded looking relieved that the discussion was over. Malcolm went back to his martial arts routine on the mat and Travis took up his stance by Hoshi's head.
As Travis and Hoshi continued on with their workout the captain walked into the gym, ready to exercise. He nodded to the various crewmen around the room, and then to them as he passed on his way to the free weights. Hoshi had felt him coming before he had even entered the room. She knew that he had a lot on his mind just as she was sure he had felt her surprise, then annoyance, then amusement with Travis and Malcolm. Switching places with Travis she thought that they sure would have a lot to discuss tonight. She still wanted to know what had made him surprised earlier when he had talked to Starfleet. Sighing inwardly she realized that it would be a few hours more before she could sneak into his cabin and talk face to face. Then she would know. Now she just had to concentrate on spotting Travis, and not watching Jon. The captain, I need to think of him as The Captain. She sighed, he just looked much too good as he worked up a sweat for her to think of him as The Captain. Practice makes perfect!