4/?
Tucker studied T'Pol as she stood in front of the Captain's chair. She stood proudly, tall and erect. The Andorian was staring down at her.
"If you don't leave this space now, we will be forced to kill the rest of your crew."
T'Pol looked at Tucker. He nodded. He didn't want to leave either. He was going to fight these people. These people who killed his captain. Who killed his friends.
"We have no intentions of leaving."
The Andorian frowned, his antennae's wigglin' like crazy. "We will give you one day." Then he closed the comm.
"We don't need one day to tell them we're not leaving." Hoshi said.
"Let me fire on them now T'Pol." Reed asked, an odd tint in his eyes.
Tucker had to smile. "We will not start a battle." She said.
"Then we may not finish one either." Reed murmured.
"We will retaliate Mr. Reed. Using our full force." T'Pol answered.
"I'll be ready."
Tucker walked up to T'Pol. "I need some rest if we're gonna be having a fight tomorrow." She nodded.
Back in his quarters Tucker swallowed some old whiskey. He hadn't had any in a long time, and boy did he need it. He sat down on the couch and drank his whiskey.
Then Hoshi entered, without letting him tell her to come in first. She smiled at him. "How are you feeling?"
"I've been better."
She dimmed the lights before sitting next to him on the couch. "Is that better?"
He nodded. He didn't realize how bright the lights were. "Thanks."
She began to massage his shoulders and Tucker closed his eyes and leaned into her hands. "Oh, that feels good Hoshi."
The room was silent except for his moans of encouragement. He'd needed a good massage for a long time. When Hoshi was finished Tucker almost begged her to continue. But he couldn't speak because she had straddled herself on his lap. He opened his eyes and looked at her. "Hoshi?"
There was the hurt look again. "Trip…what's gotten into you?"
"What's gotten into me? You're the one crawling all over me!"
She stood up and folded her arms. "You told me you liked that the other night."
Tucker rubbed his forehead. There went the massage. "Look, Hoshi…" He looked up at her. She was definitely hurt. He hated that he was the cause of that. "I…this is gonna sound crazy, but… I don't remember the other night."
Her gaze turned icy. "If you're trying to break up with me, Mr. Tucker-" Her words were exaggerated, but there was pain in them.
"No, I'm not." Tucker quickly said. "It's just…I honestly don't remember anything from the past few months."
Concern swept across her face. "Why not?"
He rubbed his forehead again. "I don't know."
"What's the last thing you remember?"
Tucker thought about that. He shrugged. "Going to bed on a Saturday night and then waking up to peace and quiet. Usually, on Saturday nights there were always people talking down the hall."
Hoshi smiled. "I remember those nights." She sat next to him again. "And Archer and Mayweather?"
"Alive. I had just had dinner with them."
Hoshi looked at the carpet. "I remember the last thing I said to Archer." Then she looked back up at Tucker. "I begged him to let me go with them. That they'd need me to translate. Archer refused. He said they only had clearance for two, and he needed Travis to fly the shuttlepod."
Tucker put an arm around her. "I must have been hard for you. Losing your Captain."
"You took it the hardest. You wanted to take the shuttlepod and fight the Andorians yourself. You…you scared us when you actually got in the pod. Reed had a phaser on you and was prepared to shoot it. But then, you cracked and began to weep." She looked back down at the carpet.
After a pause Tucker said, "And then you came into the pod and comforted me."
Hoshi nodded. "You remember?"
"I don't know. It just seems like something you'd do."
"That's what started…us. We comforted each other a few nights when neither of us could sleep."
Tucker smiled. "We'd play cards….and…Chinese Checkers."
Hoshi nodded again. "Yes. And we'd drink hot cocoa until the morning, when we'd force ourselves to do our shifts on only a few hours of sleep."
A comfortable silence fell and Tucker sat back and closed his eyes. He tried to remember everything, but only a few things would come back. One late night chat with Reed. An argument with T'Pol. The silence on Saturday nights that took him weeks to get used to. Small things, but important things.
Tucker studied T'Pol as she stood in front of the Captain's chair. She stood proudly, tall and erect. The Andorian was staring down at her.
"If you don't leave this space now, we will be forced to kill the rest of your crew."
T'Pol looked at Tucker. He nodded. He didn't want to leave either. He was going to fight these people. These people who killed his captain. Who killed his friends.
"We have no intentions of leaving."
The Andorian frowned, his antennae's wigglin' like crazy. "We will give you one day." Then he closed the comm.
"We don't need one day to tell them we're not leaving." Hoshi said.
"Let me fire on them now T'Pol." Reed asked, an odd tint in his eyes.
Tucker had to smile. "We will not start a battle." She said.
"Then we may not finish one either." Reed murmured.
"We will retaliate Mr. Reed. Using our full force." T'Pol answered.
"I'll be ready."
Tucker walked up to T'Pol. "I need some rest if we're gonna be having a fight tomorrow." She nodded.
Back in his quarters Tucker swallowed some old whiskey. He hadn't had any in a long time, and boy did he need it. He sat down on the couch and drank his whiskey.
Then Hoshi entered, without letting him tell her to come in first. She smiled at him. "How are you feeling?"
"I've been better."
She dimmed the lights before sitting next to him on the couch. "Is that better?"
He nodded. He didn't realize how bright the lights were. "Thanks."
She began to massage his shoulders and Tucker closed his eyes and leaned into her hands. "Oh, that feels good Hoshi."
The room was silent except for his moans of encouragement. He'd needed a good massage for a long time. When Hoshi was finished Tucker almost begged her to continue. But he couldn't speak because she had straddled herself on his lap. He opened his eyes and looked at her. "Hoshi?"
There was the hurt look again. "Trip…what's gotten into you?"
"What's gotten into me? You're the one crawling all over me!"
She stood up and folded her arms. "You told me you liked that the other night."
Tucker rubbed his forehead. There went the massage. "Look, Hoshi…" He looked up at her. She was definitely hurt. He hated that he was the cause of that. "I…this is gonna sound crazy, but… I don't remember the other night."
Her gaze turned icy. "If you're trying to break up with me, Mr. Tucker-" Her words were exaggerated, but there was pain in them.
"No, I'm not." Tucker quickly said. "It's just…I honestly don't remember anything from the past few months."
Concern swept across her face. "Why not?"
He rubbed his forehead again. "I don't know."
"What's the last thing you remember?"
Tucker thought about that. He shrugged. "Going to bed on a Saturday night and then waking up to peace and quiet. Usually, on Saturday nights there were always people talking down the hall."
Hoshi smiled. "I remember those nights." She sat next to him again. "And Archer and Mayweather?"
"Alive. I had just had dinner with them."
Hoshi looked at the carpet. "I remember the last thing I said to Archer." Then she looked back up at Tucker. "I begged him to let me go with them. That they'd need me to translate. Archer refused. He said they only had clearance for two, and he needed Travis to fly the shuttlepod."
Tucker put an arm around her. "I must have been hard for you. Losing your Captain."
"You took it the hardest. You wanted to take the shuttlepod and fight the Andorians yourself. You…you scared us when you actually got in the pod. Reed had a phaser on you and was prepared to shoot it. But then, you cracked and began to weep." She looked back down at the carpet.
After a pause Tucker said, "And then you came into the pod and comforted me."
Hoshi nodded. "You remember?"
"I don't know. It just seems like something you'd do."
"That's what started…us. We comforted each other a few nights when neither of us could sleep."
Tucker smiled. "We'd play cards….and…Chinese Checkers."
Hoshi nodded again. "Yes. And we'd drink hot cocoa until the morning, when we'd force ourselves to do our shifts on only a few hours of sleep."
A comfortable silence fell and Tucker sat back and closed his eyes. He tried to remember everything, but only a few things would come back. One late night chat with Reed. An argument with T'Pol. The silence on Saturday nights that took him weeks to get used to. Small things, but important things.