CHAPTER 8: Lest You Should Jar Her Peaceful Ear
AUTHOR: MNEMOSYNE
RATING: R, for violence and some language
CATEGORY: Angst, Drama, Romance, Action, Deathfic
CODES: R/S (heavy on the R) with touches of everyone
TEN MONTHS EARLIER
"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"
Malcolm shielded the two fizzing champagne glasses he held to protect them from the sudden shower of confetti that rained down upon him as the room around him exploded with cheers, celebration, and the familiar husky clarion of noisemakers and party favors. The start of a new year was cause for celebration anywhere; even in the dark depths of unexplored space.
"Happy New Year, luv," he said, loud enough to be heard over the racket, as he approached the table he and a very pregnant Hoshi were sharing during the celebration.
She looked up and smiled. "You owe me a kiss," she told him. "Where were you ten seconds ago?"
"Getting us some refreshment, remember?" He set one of the flute glasses in front of his wife before bending over and planting a warm, teasing kiss on her soft lips.
Her dark eyes shone as he pulled back. "Happy New Year, Lieutenant."
Malcolm grinned. "Likewise, Lieutenant."
She laughed softly as he sat down, pulling his chair closer to hers and wrapping an arm around her waist. "Say that again."
"Lieutenant."
"Mmmm…" She rested her head on his shoulder as he rubbed her back. "This time last year I was still an Ensign."
"Funny how a year can change people."
"Not you." She looked up and gave him an impish smile. "You're still the same Malcolm."
He raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps that's not a good thing," he remarked. "After all, if you're going around getting promotions, perhaps I should as well. I ought to be a Lieutenant Commander by now."
"But then you'd be my superior again, and I'd have to walk around with my wedding band on a chain around my neck." She sat up a little and gazed into his eyes. "I like being your equal."
Malcolm's face softened. "You were always my equal, luv," he murmured, raising a hand to brush a stray lock of hair away from her face. "You're usually my better."
Hoshi blushed, making him smile. "Oh, shhh," she protested, embarrassed. Quickly changing the subject, she asked, "And just what are you thinking, bringing a pregnant woman champagne?" Her eyes twinkled as she lifted her glass and tapped it against his nose.
Malcolm laughed. "I was thinking that's not champagne, dearest," he replied, wrapping his fingers loosely around her wrist and tugging her hand down, glass and all, so he could gaze at her unhindered. "It's sparkling grape juice."
Hoshi sniffed indignantly. "Malcolm, you have to do something wrong as a husband one of these days, or I'm never going to have ANYTHING to gossip about with all my married girl friends when we get back to Earth. He snores louder than a freight train or Oh, he never picks up his socks. That sort of thing. With YOU it'd be more like, Oh, he categorizes his socks by color and cuff design. How annoying!"
Laughing again, Malcolm hugged his petite wife. Her swollen belly seemed so out of kilter with her small frame, they'd been convinced at first they were having twins. Doctor Phlox had soon put them straight, telling them that they were, in fact, having a happy, healthy, bouncing baby girl. Now, seven months into the pregnancy, Hoshi's stomach seemed to make up more than half of her body. She'd never looked more beautiful.
She was staring at him now, gaze distant, as though she were looking through his eyes and into his head. "Shilling for your thoughts, milady," he whispered, deliberately thickening his accent; she loved when he did that.
Her smile widened. "I was thinking about physics."
The answer was so completely outside of what Malcolm was expecting, he snorted. "What?"
"Physics. Or rather, an article I was reading in one of my science journals."
"I'm not sure if I should be happy or insulted. I hope it was an INTERESTING article?"
"Very."
"Then by all means, tell me more."
Hoshi took a sip of her fizzy grape juice, then rested her head on his shoulder again. "It was a psychology article more than physics, to be honest," she explained. Toying with her glass, she continued, "It was a qualitative study which drew comparisons between the nucleic nature of humanity's kinship networks and the structure of micro and macro objects in the world of physics. Things as big as universes and as small as atoms."
"Sounds fascinating."
"Shush. I'm not done telling you about it yet." Looking up at his face, she went on. "Specifically, it talked about orbits. How in all things, there tends to be a central object surrounded by satellites of some sort. In a solar system, it would be a sun surrounded by planets. Or perhaps a planet surrounded by moons. Atoms are made of a nucleus circled by subatomic particles."
"I'm with you so far."
Hoshi's soft hand rested on his stomach, making slow, relaxing circles. "In the world of people, though, orbits aren't as strictly controlled. The laws of attraction are completely different. The moon circles the Earth because it's held in check by Earth's gravitational pull." She slid her hand up his chest and brushed her fingers against his jaw. "But PEOPLE stay together because they love one another, which is a much more complex and less precise explanation than gravity, unless you want to call it emotional gravity. But that doesn't make the bond any less strong. It's when it comes to BREAKING the bonds that the real differences present themselves."
"How's that?"
"Because people survive," she continued, playing with the collar of his dress uniform. "Physical objects don't." She snuggled closer to him. "If the sun were suddenly to let go of the planet's surrounding it, they'd go spiraling off into space. Perhaps they'd collide with one another - Pluto especially would be vulnerable, what with its unusual orbit, and Mars would have to worry about making it through the Asteroid Belt intact."
"But people… Well, people are elastic. We bounce back. Once one person has released us from their emotional gravity, we flail about aimlessly for a while, but then we recover and move on. We start again. We find a new life to revolve around, or maybe WE become the sun to someone else's satellite." She closed her eyes. "If you break up with someone, or if a family member dies, the separation hurts, but you live through it. But if you split the center of an atom -"
"The world explodes," Malcolm murmured.
Hoshi nodded against his chest. "Exactly."
Stroking her hair, he asked, "Why are you thinking about all this, Hoshi?"
"Because I think they're wrong."
Malcolm furrowed his brow. "How so?"
Placing her fingers over his lips, she murmured, "Because if I ever lost you, I wouldn't recover." She cupped his cheek. "My world would explode."
Malcolm closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. "Then it's a good thing you won't ever lose me," he replied softly.
He felt her nod against him. "What about you?" she asked. "What would happen if you ever lost me?"
Her voice sounded vulnerable, and Malcolm quickly recognized the patented Hormonal Hoshi tone. Opening his eyes again, he gazed down into her face. "Do you mean would my world explode?"
She nodded.
"No."
"It wouldn't?" Her voice sounded cracked, as though she were suddenly fighting back tears. "Why not?"
Running his fingers through her hair, he answered, "Because if I ever lost you, I wouldn't have a world left to explode." He kissed her forehead. "YOU are my world, Hoshi." He rested his hand on her belly. "You and our daughter."
Hoshi was beaming, moment of melancholy forgotten. "Softie," she whispered against his lips.
"Shh, someone will hear," he whispered back.
Before she could answer, they were distracted by loud voices coming from a few tables away. Loud, familiar voices. Looking in their direction, Malcolm saw Trip and T'Pol staring one another down like a pair of Cold War super powers.
"Aw, come on, T'Pol," Trip was arguing. "It's tradition. You can't buck tradition!"
"It is a frivolous, antiquated, anachronistic human tradition steeped in illogical superstition," T'Pol countered coolly. "Besides, it is my understanding that the applicable holiday has already gone by."
"My grandaddy always said that mistletoe oughta be a year round thing, like Christmas cheer and joy to the world." He gestured over their heads to a sprig of festive greenery which dangled from the ceiling of the Mess hall.
"I am not going to kiss you," T'Pol reiterated.
"Yes you are."
"It would be illogical. I am your superior."
"Only in rank, and we're off-duty. Besides, it's New Year's. Come on, T'Pol. Take one fer the team."
Malcolm exchanged an amused look with Hoshi as T'Pol arched a classic eyebrow. "If I continue to say no, it would seem you will only continue to pester me. Therefore… I will kiss you."
"Woo!" Trip whooped in triumph.
"Only one," T'Pol stressed as Trip leaned in.
"Yes, Sub-Commander," the engineer agreed. "Only one. Course… No one set a time limit, so…"
"Comma-" T'Pol began to reply, but was cut off by Trip's lips landing firmly on hers.
"There's something I never thought I'd see," Hoshi said softly, a huge grin plastered across her face. "Trip and T'Pol?"
Malcolm chuckled and nestled his chin in the crook of her shoulder. "Well get a good long look," he responded with a smile. "I wish I had a camera! I doubt we'll ever see those two kissing again."
"Not if T'Pol has anything to say about it," Hoshi agreed.