Chapter Two
The breeze blowing in through the window lifted the curtains and ruffled the dark blond hair of the man lying in bed. The cool air wasn't much, but combined with the small noises the woman was making while getting dressed, it was enough to wake him.
Trip rolled over to see Hoshi, still in her underwear, rummaging through the drawers. She was wearing the red set he liked so much.
"Hosh."
Jumping, Hoshi turned around. "You scared me."
"Come here, I'll make it better."
"Promise?"
"Sure thing, darlin'." He grinned as she crawled over the bed to him, running her hands over his chest as she straddled him.
"Mmm …" He smiled at her. "Give your daddy some sugar."
Hoshi's mouth, about to work its way up Trip's neck, stopped. In fact, her whole body stilled. Then started shaking. Tears starting to roll down her cheeks, Hoshi fell off Trip and clutched her stomach as she laughed uncontrollably.
Slightly miffed, Trip flipped over to his hands and knees, straddling her in return. "What?"
Wiping her eyes, she looked up at him. "That's not the most romantic pillow talk, sweetheart."
"I've got a better use for my mouth than talkin', darlin'," Trip whispered against her lips.
He was just about to kiss her when a bell rang. Hoshi struggled to get up.
"Leave it."
"It will just keep ringing."
"I don't care," Trip said, pulling her toward him as it kept ringing and ringing and ringing …
Trip sat up in bed with a gasp and a splitting headache. "Hell's bells …" He hit the alarm, then put his head in his hands. What happened last night? I remember … whisky … Ruby? Then why was I dreaming of Hoshi? How did I get into bed?"
Looking around, Trip saw the empty bottle in the recycling bin, the cup on the washstand, his clothes in the hamper. I've never been that neat, especially drunk. Sensations of Hoshi's hands on his skin accompanied images of her taking his clothes off. We didn't … Trip spun around, looking for evidence that Hoshi spent the night, but only got a renewed throbbing in his head.
If we didn't … then what did happen? What did I say? I didn't tell her about the shuttle dream … did I?
Trip downed two glasses of water, brushed his teeth, got dressed, and made his way to sickbay.
"Commander! How are you this morning?"
"Hung over." Trip winced at the doctor's cheerful voice and the bright lights of sickbay.
"And why were you drinking enough to give you a hangover?" Phlox picked up a hypospray and gave Trip an analgesic.
"I lost someone I thought meant somethin' to me."
"And now?"
Trip thought of Ruby, then Hoshi. "Now she's just a memory."
------
Walking into the mess hall, Trip saw Hoshi sitting by the window. Quickly grabbing the nearest buffet offering, he went over and stood next to her.
"Hosh …?"
Hoshi looked up and gave him a pleased smile. "Trip! How are you feeling? Better?"
She was there last night … His heart sank.
"Umm, fine. Can I sit down?"
"Of course." Gathering up her many PADDs, Hoshi cleared a space. She looked at him expectantly.
"I don't … remember much of last night. I recall thinking about Ruby, and getting a bottle of whisky out, but much after that is a blur. I think you came in, later, but …"
"I did. You were sitting on your bunk, leaning against the wall, cradling an empty bottle of Wild Turkey. I asked you what brought about the binge of self pity, and you said 'Ruby'."
"Ruby." Trip sat there, looking at his breakfast.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Trip looked up into Hoshi's dark eyes. He would have gotten up at any sign of pity, but he saw only concern and … something else …
"What did I tell you about her?"
"That it was serious, you were practically engaged, then you were re- assigned and she eventually broke it off. You mentioned Malcolm …"
"Malcolm. And probably three quarters of the other guys in San Francisco." He picked up his fork and poked at the eggs on his plate.
Hoshi waited.
"I never expected to go out into deep space. I thought I'd maybe stay on Earth, workin' on the engines that would take people out into space. Or maybe be assigned to Jupiter station, workin' on warp engine theory. I wanted a family, a home, something long term. I guess I made Ruby out to be what I wanted, didn't see her for what she really was. And then Natalie …" Trip broke off and took a swig of orange juice.
"I thought Natalie was another I could stay with. But I guess she didn't want to wait until I got back. Two relationships and they both broke my heart," he finished on a whisper.
"I thought you had three."
Trip met Hoshi's gaze. "I guess I did talk last night. The other one was in high school. Didn't mean anything." Hoshi didn't believe him.
"So you drank because you saw the family you want slipping away."
"To put it bluntly, yeah. It was a shock to find I meant a whole hell of a lot less to Ruby then she did to me." Trip sighed. "What else happened?"
"I got you into bed, and you went to sleep"
"I … wasn't wearin' anything this mornin'."
Hoshi gave him half a grin. "I got you undressed, Commander, if that's what you're asking."
A memory teased at the edge of Trip's brain. "Didn't I try to get you …?"
Hoshi nodded. "You mentioned something about a dream you had in the shuttle, where I got undressed first." She took a bite of her melon.
Trip groaned.
"Apparently, I was wearing your favorite red underwear." Hoshi calmly continued to eat her breakfast.
Trip looked up at her, trying to gauge her mood.
"You also mentioned there wasn't anyone on Enterprise that you could have a long term relationship with." He frowned at Hoshi. Her voice seemed strained.
"No, I would have said there's no one I think would say yes, not that there's no one I want to." Trip looked down at his plate; he couldn't meet her eyes.
Hoshi took a deep breath, put all her eggs in one basket, prayed she wasn't wrong, and gave him same response as last night, only louder. "You didn't ask me."
The breeze blowing in through the window lifted the curtains and ruffled the dark blond hair of the man lying in bed. The cool air wasn't much, but combined with the small noises the woman was making while getting dressed, it was enough to wake him.
Trip rolled over to see Hoshi, still in her underwear, rummaging through the drawers. She was wearing the red set he liked so much.
"Hosh."
Jumping, Hoshi turned around. "You scared me."
"Come here, I'll make it better."
"Promise?"
"Sure thing, darlin'." He grinned as she crawled over the bed to him, running her hands over his chest as she straddled him.
"Mmm …" He smiled at her. "Give your daddy some sugar."
Hoshi's mouth, about to work its way up Trip's neck, stopped. In fact, her whole body stilled. Then started shaking. Tears starting to roll down her cheeks, Hoshi fell off Trip and clutched her stomach as she laughed uncontrollably.
Slightly miffed, Trip flipped over to his hands and knees, straddling her in return. "What?"
Wiping her eyes, she looked up at him. "That's not the most romantic pillow talk, sweetheart."
"I've got a better use for my mouth than talkin', darlin'," Trip whispered against her lips.
He was just about to kiss her when a bell rang. Hoshi struggled to get up.
"Leave it."
"It will just keep ringing."
"I don't care," Trip said, pulling her toward him as it kept ringing and ringing and ringing …
Trip sat up in bed with a gasp and a splitting headache. "Hell's bells …" He hit the alarm, then put his head in his hands. What happened last night? I remember … whisky … Ruby? Then why was I dreaming of Hoshi? How did I get into bed?"
Looking around, Trip saw the empty bottle in the recycling bin, the cup on the washstand, his clothes in the hamper. I've never been that neat, especially drunk. Sensations of Hoshi's hands on his skin accompanied images of her taking his clothes off. We didn't … Trip spun around, looking for evidence that Hoshi spent the night, but only got a renewed throbbing in his head.
If we didn't … then what did happen? What did I say? I didn't tell her about the shuttle dream … did I?
Trip downed two glasses of water, brushed his teeth, got dressed, and made his way to sickbay.
"Commander! How are you this morning?"
"Hung over." Trip winced at the doctor's cheerful voice and the bright lights of sickbay.
"And why were you drinking enough to give you a hangover?" Phlox picked up a hypospray and gave Trip an analgesic.
"I lost someone I thought meant somethin' to me."
"And now?"
Trip thought of Ruby, then Hoshi. "Now she's just a memory."
------
Walking into the mess hall, Trip saw Hoshi sitting by the window. Quickly grabbing the nearest buffet offering, he went over and stood next to her.
"Hosh …?"
Hoshi looked up and gave him a pleased smile. "Trip! How are you feeling? Better?"
She was there last night … His heart sank.
"Umm, fine. Can I sit down?"
"Of course." Gathering up her many PADDs, Hoshi cleared a space. She looked at him expectantly.
"I don't … remember much of last night. I recall thinking about Ruby, and getting a bottle of whisky out, but much after that is a blur. I think you came in, later, but …"
"I did. You were sitting on your bunk, leaning against the wall, cradling an empty bottle of Wild Turkey. I asked you what brought about the binge of self pity, and you said 'Ruby'."
"Ruby." Trip sat there, looking at his breakfast.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Trip looked up into Hoshi's dark eyes. He would have gotten up at any sign of pity, but he saw only concern and … something else …
"What did I tell you about her?"
"That it was serious, you were practically engaged, then you were re- assigned and she eventually broke it off. You mentioned Malcolm …"
"Malcolm. And probably three quarters of the other guys in San Francisco." He picked up his fork and poked at the eggs on his plate.
Hoshi waited.
"I never expected to go out into deep space. I thought I'd maybe stay on Earth, workin' on the engines that would take people out into space. Or maybe be assigned to Jupiter station, workin' on warp engine theory. I wanted a family, a home, something long term. I guess I made Ruby out to be what I wanted, didn't see her for what she really was. And then Natalie …" Trip broke off and took a swig of orange juice.
"I thought Natalie was another I could stay with. But I guess she didn't want to wait until I got back. Two relationships and they both broke my heart," he finished on a whisper.
"I thought you had three."
Trip met Hoshi's gaze. "I guess I did talk last night. The other one was in high school. Didn't mean anything." Hoshi didn't believe him.
"So you drank because you saw the family you want slipping away."
"To put it bluntly, yeah. It was a shock to find I meant a whole hell of a lot less to Ruby then she did to me." Trip sighed. "What else happened?"
"I got you into bed, and you went to sleep"
"I … wasn't wearin' anything this mornin'."
Hoshi gave him half a grin. "I got you undressed, Commander, if that's what you're asking."
A memory teased at the edge of Trip's brain. "Didn't I try to get you …?"
Hoshi nodded. "You mentioned something about a dream you had in the shuttle, where I got undressed first." She took a bite of her melon.
Trip groaned.
"Apparently, I was wearing your favorite red underwear." Hoshi calmly continued to eat her breakfast.
Trip looked up at her, trying to gauge her mood.
"You also mentioned there wasn't anyone on Enterprise that you could have a long term relationship with." He frowned at Hoshi. Her voice seemed strained.
"No, I would have said there's no one I think would say yes, not that there's no one I want to." Trip looked down at his plate; he couldn't meet her eyes.
Hoshi took a deep breath, put all her eggs in one basket, prayed she wasn't wrong, and gave him same response as last night, only louder. "You didn't ask me."