Part Two:
A/N Pure self-indulgence this, but I couldn't get the scenario out of my head. Here's what happened after the anniversary date…
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Jonathan Archer rang the door chime and waited.
"Jon! Hello!"
"Hoshi!" Archer leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek. "How are you?"
"I'm fine, fine. Come in. Sorry about the mess. Please – sit down," Hoshi indicated the sofa.
"It's looking great in here," Jonathan said pleasantly. "Last time I came you were still choosing the paint. Who won by the way?"
"We compromised," Hoshi smiled. "You like it?"
"Sure – though I seem to remember red was your choice."
"Okay, maybe some of us compromised more than others," Hoshi admitted. "How's the new job going?"
Archer spread his hands. "Good. A lot of work, you know, but good. We're nowhere near ready to launch, six months off at least. I've still only got half a crew."
There was an awkward pause.
"Well, I as recall you're pretty good at getting crews out early," Hoshi said. "I'm sure you'll get away smoothly."
Archer stood up, feeling somewhat awkward and self-conscious. He glanced at the photos over the fire place.
"How's Charles Tucker the Fourth doing these days? Still the terror of North America?"
Hoshi laughed. "I think he's mellowing with age! Or some of the Sato genes are showing at last. He'll be starting school soon. Trip and I can't believe it. He can't wait, of course."
"Next thing you know he'll be joining Star Fleet."
"Don't I know it! He's training right this very minute. He and Charles Tucker the Third are in the garage trying to build Star Fleet's next shuttle craft."
Jonathan smiled.
"I'd better watch my job."
"You should go and join them. They probably need the help," Hoshi joked.
"I'll do that," Archer said, getting up.
"It's out the back, to the right," Hoshi told him, heading back towards the kitchen.
"Thanks."
As he got to the door, however, Archer paused.
"Hoshi?"
She came back to the living room.
"Yes?"
"You could come with us you know. To the Enterprise, I mean. I could always make use of the best linguist in Star Fleet."
"What about Charlie?" she asked ruefully.
"I can talk to HQ. They've been talking about allowing Star Fleet officers to take family members on missions."
"Somehow I don't think they had the Enterprise in mind when they said that," Hoshi smiled. "Go and talk to Trip, Jon. We'll speak later."
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"Hello?"
Jonathan entered the garage. It was organised chaos. The walls were covered with various tools and schematics. Strangely shaped pieces of metal were littered across benches along the sides of the room. In the middle of the floor crouched Trip and his young son; busy putting the finishing touches to a toy shuttle craft, which was a violent shade of pink.
"Is this Star Fleet's secret new shuttle pod I've been hearing about?" Jonathan asked. "Admiral Forrest told me it was the best yet."
Father and son looked up. Trip grinned at his friend, then smiled with paternal pride as his son rushed up to greet the visitor.
"Did he really, Uncle Jon?" Charlie asked, wide-eyed.
"Sure did. But only if it can fly. He said that's pretty important for a shuttle craft."
"Can I go try it, Daddy?" Charlie asked eagerly, turning to Trip.
"Well okay," Trip said, standing up to pass the toy to his son. "But be careful; and stay in the garden."
Charlie ran out of the garage.
Trip chuckled.
"You better be careful what you say you know, that boy don't forget anythin'. He'll be expectin' ta see those things on the Enterprise next."
Archer looked back with a worried look.
"Do they all have to be pink?"
Trip laughed. "Uh-huh."
He started to tidy up the mess on the floor, but he looked up at Archer.
"What're ya doin' here, Jon?"
"You can't guess?"
"No, I can. You've come ta press gang me inta' takin' that job. But before you start, jus' let me tell ya, the answer's no."
"Trip-"
"-No, listen to me. I've got mah reasons; and they're not all about Hoshi and Charlie. Do you realise when the NX-01 came home I was five years behind the latest Star Fleet technology. Five years. Let me tell you, readin' the latest technical manuals from thousands a light-years away ain't the same as bein' here."
"Sure you missed things back here, but, Trip, you knew more then about alien technologies than any human engineer on Earth did."
Trip shook his head.
"For a few months, maybe. They caught up with me real quick once we got back. But the real work isn't out there, fixin' the same engine week after week when it breaks down. It's bein' right here. I know how good the NX-02 is gonna be because I damn well built it, hammer and nail."
"And don't you want to see her fly?"
"Send me a picture," Trip grunted, picking up more tools.
Jonathan sighed, and leaned against a bench.
"Hoshi's always goin' on at me about lettin' Charlie in here," Trip muttered, still clearing up. "She convinced herself he's gonna pick the wrong thing up one day and melt or somethin'."
"She might have a point," Archer said, looking round at some of the stranger-looking tools in Trip's collection.
"Nah," Trip shook his head. "Charlie's never in here without me, and he knows not to touch anythin'."
There was a pause.
"What if you could bring them with you? Would you consider it then?"
Trip looked up.
"It might be possible, Trip. Ever since you turned me down, I've been thinking about it. Maybe I can get Forrest to agree with me."
"No, Jon," Trip said. "Even if ya could convince Star Fleet it's a good idea, there's no way you could convince Hoshi. Or me for that matter. Honestly, how many times were we nearly killed or attacked when we were on Enterprise? A ship like that, on a mission into the unknown – it's no place for children. Besides, Hoshi's happy here. Oh, she'd go back into space! – especially if I asked her to. But she loves teachin', and she's real good at it too. I couldn't ask her ta give that up for me.
"Do you know, it was our anniversary the other week. I took Hoshi to look at the Enterprise – the original one I mean."
"Remembering old times?" Jonathan smiled.
"Somethin' like that. But you know what I realised? I was walkin' round that old engine room, and I realised that I don't miss it anymore. Honestly I don't. And that was quite a revelation ta me. Givin' up that engine was one'a the hardest things I've ever done in my life, but I didn't feel a twinge. And that's because the most important things I had on Enterprise, I took with me."
Jonathan Archer stared at his friend, and he hadn't known Trip Tucker nearly twenty years for nothing.
"I'm not going to change your mind on this am I?" he asked, disappointed despite himself.
"No, sir," Trip replied. "You'll jus' have to find yourself a new engineer – but mind you get a good one."
Archer sighed.
"I guess I knew when you said no the first time I couldn't really convince you otherwise," he admitted.
"Why're you givin' me the hard sell anyway? I've already given Star Fleet a refusal in writin'."
"I still need an engineer, Trip, and besides, Hoshi told me it might be worth one last shot."
"Hoshi said that?" Trip stared at Jonathan, incredulous.
"Yeah, didn't she tell you? She sent me a message last week."
Trip was still staring.
"Nah, she didn't tell me."
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"Why did you invite Jon here?"
"I'm sorry?"
"I said, why did ya invite Jon round here?"
"I didn't invite him," Hoshi said, frowning at Trip.
"Don't lie ta me! He told me you sent him a message."
Hoshi sighed.
"I sent him a communication last week. I didn't tell him to come here - he decided to do that, and I was glad to see him."
"But you did tell him ter speak to me about the job again."
There was a pause.
"Yes… I did say that."
"Why?"
"Trip... does it really matter?"
"Yes it matters! After everythin' I said ter you on the Enterprise! I've turned the job down, Hoshi and I thought you understood why. Didn't ya believe me? I feel like I'm been tested. Sure you jus' weren't reassurin' yourself?"
"I just wanted you to be sure you were doing the right thing." Hoshi sighed. "And… I've been thinking about it a lot, Trip, and I think you should go. I think you should accept Jon's offer."
Trip said nothing at first. He paced around the living room.
"And what about you - and him," he added, pointing to Charlie outside in the garden with Jonathan.
Hoshi looked too.
"Charlie can't go, it's too dangerous. Maybe I could go with you… but we couldn't both leave him. I'd have to stay here – keep my job at the academy."
"I wouldn't see either of you for two years."
Hoshi looked at her feet.
"I know," she said quietly.
"Hoshi, do you want me out of the way?"
"No!"
"Then why? Why go through all of this again?"
This time it was Hoshi who paced.
"Look… maybe I am testing you. I just… I just need to be sure you're happy staying. That Charlie and I aren't keeping you from what you want. I don't want you to turn around in ten years and tell me you resent me holding you back!"
"You'd rather I turn round in ten years and wonder where our marriage went? Or complain about how I missed seeing my boy grow up? No, Hoshi. Maybe one day we will go back into space. Maybe when Charlie's old enough to go too, or it's safe enough to take a kid. Who knows? In the meantime, I'm staying right here."
He walked up to her.
"Whether you like it or not."
Hoshi couldn't help smiling.
"I think I can cope with that."
"You know, you keep tryin' ta get rid of me I might think you want rid… Don't smirk like that at me!"
"It was a smile!"
"It was a smirk."
"Mommy, Daddy!"
They were interrupted by their son, running happily into the house. Jonathan Archer came in after him, trying not to puff.
"Mommy, Uncle Jon says I can go live on the spaceship! Can I, can I?"
Jon tried to look nonchalant as two pairs of eyes stared at him angrily.