In response to Kyra, yep, this is mostly shippage. There might be some action. I'm not completely positive.
Ever wonder how Enterprise receives distress calls, and know they're distress calls when they don't know the language?
*********
He keeps watching me, Hoshi thought to her self as she tried desperately to work on a message that the Enterprise had just received. Every time she glanced back at Malcolm, he was looking at her. Maybe that's because you keep looking at him, you idiot! She'd also been insulting herself all morning, so that particular thought had become a common thing. She just couldn't forgive herself for the fact that she wasn't able to get over what she'd only dreamed. Malcolm had already moved on, or so she thought.
To her complete shock, the universal translator started beeping at her, snapping her from the daze. It took her several seconds to realize that it had completed translating the document. Punching several buttons, she pushed Malcolm from her mind as she started reading it. Only a few sentences into the message, Hoshi's eyes widened. "Captain, the UT has finished translating the transmission."
"Anything we should know about?"
"Yes, sir…there's a ship in distress." She stared down at the console, "It wasn't prioritized, or else I would have translated it faster… It'll take at least a day to get to the ship, sir."
"Send the coordinates over to Mayweather. We'll get there as quickly as possible." Archer smiled weakly over at the female ensign, "Shift's almost over, and there's nothing we can do from this distance. Why don't you and Malcolm go get off a little early, go to dinner -- take a break? Me and Travis can handle everything up here since there's not much going on." Travis looked like he was going to fall out of his chair. It was almost the end of his shift too, after all.
She knew better than to argue. If she said that Travis should go rather than her, the helmsman would say he didn't need to go, and she'd be trapped anyway. So, she simply followed Reed into the turbolift, spacing herself as far away as possible from him. Hopefully, he wouldn't speak to her.
Luck was not on her side. "I feel as if I should apologize for something else, Ensign."
"What, Ma--Lieutenant? I think you've covered everything." Hoshi responded, completely and utterly confused. He'd already crushed her once, was he going to grind her up even more?
He looked even more uncomfortable than he did at the mess hall. Well, at least then he had notes to go off of; this time she couldn't see anything that might give him hints. "I saw Commander Tucker wink at you. And I, er, heard about what happened between the two of you…"
Hoshi wanted to curl up and die. Did he really know the whole story? "…You heard what? From who? Did Trip tell you?"
"I…can't tell you that, Ensign. But since I know that he won't apologize, I will in his place. He should never have sle--"
"That was none of your business! I knew Trip couldn't keep quiet. He's probably told half the crew by now. Damn male egos…"
Reed glanced down, his hands wringing behind his back. He hadn't looked her in the eye the entire time he was making 'his' apology. "Actually, Ensign. I found out on my own, and confronted the commander."
That was even worse than she had ever expected. Her eyes turned to stare at Malcolm, remaining silent for several aching moments. She was trying to calm herself -- but after thinking of Reed knowing what happened, of that one-sided conversation in the mess hall that pained her so, and everything else she had been put through recently -- the battle was lost. "So, now you're jealous? You're wondering 'why won't she do that with me?' I bet."
"No…not at all."
"Shut up, Malcolm." She barked, too annoyed to stop from continuing the battering of the armory officer. "You know, maybe I should start a business. Just quit being a linguist all together. I can open up "Hoshi's Stress Relief Service" and sleep with all the men on the crew. I'm sure T'Pol would be happy to get all the 'sexual tension' off the ship. Don't worry, Malcolm, you'd be first. Trip already got his turn."
"...Hoshi…"
"What?"
He had closed the gap between them in a single stride, wrapping his arms around her as his head tilted down to kiss her. It was one of those tender, caring kisses that they had shared in that dream. It wasn't rushed, it wasn't needy; it was just…wonderful. A quiet whimper came from her and she rose to her tiptoes, trying to bring herself closer to him, closer to heaven.
And he pushed her away. She stood there, staring at the man with hazy eyes. He was distancing himself as much as possible from the linguist, waiting for the turbolift doors to open. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, not chancing a single glance at her, "I…don't know what to say."
She wanted to tell him not be sorry, that she wanted him to kiss her. That each time he apologized for his behavior, he chiseled a chunk of her heart away. But she couldn't bring herself to speak. That's when the turbolift doors opened to the mess hall, and he rushed out, and she followed hesitantly behind. The two parted ways, heading towards opposite sides of the room.
*********
Hoshi had been completely alone while she ate dinner, and Lieutenant Reed hated himself for causing that. He wanted to tell her that he was sorry for bringing up Trip -- but that was all that he'd been doing with her, apologizing. Apologizing for the dream they were trapped in, apologizing for Commander Tucker, apologizing for kissing her… If he said that he was sorry one more time, the linguist would probably beat him right there in the mess hall.
So instead of apologizing, he just watched her, hoping that she didn't hate him. He was thinking that, when Trip entered the mess hall. The engineer took a quick glance around before he headed straight towards Hoshi and sat down. That was when Malcolm's interest hit an all time high. His fork was set down, not paying the slightest bit of attention to his food as he watched them.
She seemed nervous, hesitant around Commander Tucker. Malcolm found himself slowly rising to his feet, making his way towards them. He wasn't going to let that grease monkey make a single advance on Hoshi, not if he could help it. "Commander Tucker, can I speak with you?"
"I'm busy here, Lieutenant. Me and Hoshi are having a conversation." Annoyance sparked in the engineer's eyes. He knew what Malcolm was up to.
"Oh," Hoshi murmured, staring down at her plate, "you can go. I wanted to read over my padd…"
Reed almost grinned in satisfaction -- but didn't. He glanced at Trip, "See? She wants to be left alone. I'd like to speak with you about the phase cannons…"
Trip pushed himself up from the table, reluctantly following Reed to a corner of the mess hall. "What the hell do you want, Lieutenant? I was about to keep Hoshi company, something which you obviously weren't doing. What is this about the phase cannons?"
"You can shove them up your ass for all I care. She obviously didn't want company, Commander. I believe she'd appreciate it if she was left alone."
"How about we ask her that?"
Malcolm, complying with the suggestion, glanced in the direction of the ensign, only to find that she had disappeared. An angry glance was taken towards Trip, before he walked away without another word. Maybe if he hurried, he could catch Hoshi before she got onto the turbolift and…
What? Apologize? Kiss her? Confess some imagined love for her? The officer paused, lingering at the doors of the mess hall before exiting. He almost didn't want to check and see if the woman was there. His blue-gray eyes glanced down the corridor, finding no one but himself. With a sigh -- something halfway between relief and disappointment -- he pushed the controls of the 'lift. It looked like he wouldn't get to make any more of an ass of himself today.