Chapter 8- Double Meaning
Trip looked down at the beautiful brunette flirting with him: Ensign Christiana Dew. Yes she was awfully pretty.
The little way she twirled her dark auburn hair around that delicate finger, and the way her hazel eyes stared up at him made him want to smile. He was happy to be getting this attention from someone so spectacular. So why was it that he couldn't stop thinking about another certain petite brunette?
As Christiana touched his sleeve for the fourth time in two minutes, Trip looked around to find where Hoshi was. His gaze rested on her when he noticed her sitting alone on a log, looking down at a PADD in her hands.
Did that girl ever stop working? He grinned to himself and looked back at Christiana when he noticed she wasn't talking.
"I'm sorry, what did you say?" he asked, embarrassed that he had drifted off.
"I just asked what had your attention, but now I see. I'll talk to you later, Commander," she said and, tossing her hair over her shoulder, turned to leave. She spotted Travis and made a beeline over to him.
Trip chuckled to himself and shook his head. Looking back over at Hoshi, he noticed that she was looking at him.
Seeing that he saw her stare, she looked down at the PADD once again. If he wasn't mistaken, she was blushing.
He smiled again and walked over to her, planting himself on the log beside her.
"Whatcha doin', Hoshi, darlin'?" he asked, peering over her shoulder to look at the PADD.
She pulled it away from him, shielding it from view.
"It's just a language I'm studying. Korellian," she stated, not meeting his eyes.
"Ah, interesting."
"It is, truly. The syntax is something quite unique. All of the verbs and nouns are in completely odd orders. I'm having difficulties translating certain parts, but I'm sure I'll get it," she brightened up, blushing when she saw his confused expression. "Sorry, I get a little weird when it comes to languages."
"Don't worry bout it. It's pretty endearin'." He smiled down at her.
She nodded and smiled, pushing an errant strand of raven hair behind her ear. She was wearing it down, instead of in that bun or ponytail thing she usually wore it in. He always preferred her to wear it down. It made her look more feminine, younger, and sexier. He wondered how soft it was.
Unconsciously, he reached out a hand and touched her hair.
She looked up from her PADD at him, a confused look on her face.
"What are you doing?"
He pulled his hand away. "Sorry, you had a piece of, uh, ash in your hair."
She smiled up at him.
"Thanks, then, for making me ash free."
He laughed, putting his arm around her and pulling her to him. She didn't resist.
"Hey, look," he pointed towards the horizon. "The moons are rising."
Hoshi looked over to where he was pointed and gasped as she saw the 2 moons rising above the horizon: one reminded her of Earth's, and the other quite smaller. They were full and bright white.
"I didn't realize it would be so gorgeous," she breathed.
"Neither did I," he whispered back, staring at her.
The double meaning wasn't lost on either.
T'Pol took a deep breath as the rain lightened up to a slow mist. The smell of rain and freshness pervaded the air. If one breathed deeply enough, one could smell the life of the trees and grass sparking once again from the nourishment the rain had brought.
She opened her eyes and looked over at Jonathan. His gaze was fixed on her. She had no idea how long he had been watching her, but just the thought of it made her flush a dark olive.
"You are so incredibly beautiful," he breathed, almost in awe.
She was quite taken aback, but didn't allow it to permeate to her face.
"Thank you, captain, but I believe there is an old Earth saying that states, 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,'" she stated and picked up her bag.
The sun had completely set and the clouds overhead were beginning to dissipate. She could see the faint light of stars peeking through the overcast sky.
"You are correct, there is one that says that," he smiled and walked over to her. "It's getting pretty dark. I suggest we just find a place and camp out here tonight, instead of hiking around in the dark."
T'Pol looked around in the darkness. "I believe that would be the safest course of action. It would be unwise to hike in the dark seeing as how we do not know the terrain as well as would be permissible."
"Alright, let's find a good place to camp," he said looking around. He turned to the way that they had come. Pointing to a large flat area he said, "That looks about as good as any, I don't think the rain hit over there, it seems to have gone in the opposite direction. I think it's probably dry land over there."
Wordlessly T'Pol followed him over to the small expanse of land. As the captain had hypothesized, the ground was dry and somewhat soft. The grass pillowed their feet as they stepped on it.
T'Pol set her bag down, shivering a bit as she did. Since the sun had gone down, and the rain had cooled her skin, she was getting fairly cold. Her normal temperature was warmer than humans, and she felt the dip in temperature more prominently than the captain.
Reaching down, she opened the bag, and pulled out a blanket. She wrapped it around her shoulders and sat down on the ground. She could feel the cold seeping into her bones from the ground and shivered once again.
Archer took a large sleeping bag from his pack and rolled it out, opening it up so it was the size that would spaciously occupy two people.
"Get in," he said. "It's more comfortable than the ground."
Silently she moved until she was sitting on the softness of the material. She leaned back until she was laying all the way down. He lay down beside her, putting an arm around her waist and pulling her back until she rested against his chest.
"Captain," she questioned his actions.
"I saw you shivering. You can't tolerate the cold as much as I can. The best way to preserve body heat is to cuddle. Actually it's to cuddle while in the nude, but this is just as good." He smiled down at her, giving her an out if she chose to take it.
She didn't. Instead she just turned in his arms and rested her head on his shoulder.
They both watched as the 2 large moons rose above the horizon, each reveling in the perfect moment.
Continued in Chapter 9
Trip looked down at the beautiful brunette flirting with him: Ensign Christiana Dew. Yes she was awfully pretty.
The little way she twirled her dark auburn hair around that delicate finger, and the way her hazel eyes stared up at him made him want to smile. He was happy to be getting this attention from someone so spectacular. So why was it that he couldn't stop thinking about another certain petite brunette?
As Christiana touched his sleeve for the fourth time in two minutes, Trip looked around to find where Hoshi was. His gaze rested on her when he noticed her sitting alone on a log, looking down at a PADD in her hands.
Did that girl ever stop working? He grinned to himself and looked back at Christiana when he noticed she wasn't talking.
"I'm sorry, what did you say?" he asked, embarrassed that he had drifted off.
"I just asked what had your attention, but now I see. I'll talk to you later, Commander," she said and, tossing her hair over her shoulder, turned to leave. She spotted Travis and made a beeline over to him.
Trip chuckled to himself and shook his head. Looking back over at Hoshi, he noticed that she was looking at him.
Seeing that he saw her stare, she looked down at the PADD once again. If he wasn't mistaken, she was blushing.
He smiled again and walked over to her, planting himself on the log beside her.
"Whatcha doin', Hoshi, darlin'?" he asked, peering over her shoulder to look at the PADD.
She pulled it away from him, shielding it from view.
"It's just a language I'm studying. Korellian," she stated, not meeting his eyes.
"Ah, interesting."
"It is, truly. The syntax is something quite unique. All of the verbs and nouns are in completely odd orders. I'm having difficulties translating certain parts, but I'm sure I'll get it," she brightened up, blushing when she saw his confused expression. "Sorry, I get a little weird when it comes to languages."
"Don't worry bout it. It's pretty endearin'." He smiled down at her.
She nodded and smiled, pushing an errant strand of raven hair behind her ear. She was wearing it down, instead of in that bun or ponytail thing she usually wore it in. He always preferred her to wear it down. It made her look more feminine, younger, and sexier. He wondered how soft it was.
Unconsciously, he reached out a hand and touched her hair.
She looked up from her PADD at him, a confused look on her face.
"What are you doing?"
He pulled his hand away. "Sorry, you had a piece of, uh, ash in your hair."
She smiled up at him.
"Thanks, then, for making me ash free."
He laughed, putting his arm around her and pulling her to him. She didn't resist.
"Hey, look," he pointed towards the horizon. "The moons are rising."
Hoshi looked over to where he was pointed and gasped as she saw the 2 moons rising above the horizon: one reminded her of Earth's, and the other quite smaller. They were full and bright white.
"I didn't realize it would be so gorgeous," she breathed.
"Neither did I," he whispered back, staring at her.
The double meaning wasn't lost on either.
T'Pol took a deep breath as the rain lightened up to a slow mist. The smell of rain and freshness pervaded the air. If one breathed deeply enough, one could smell the life of the trees and grass sparking once again from the nourishment the rain had brought.
She opened her eyes and looked over at Jonathan. His gaze was fixed on her. She had no idea how long he had been watching her, but just the thought of it made her flush a dark olive.
"You are so incredibly beautiful," he breathed, almost in awe.
She was quite taken aback, but didn't allow it to permeate to her face.
"Thank you, captain, but I believe there is an old Earth saying that states, 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,'" she stated and picked up her bag.
The sun had completely set and the clouds overhead were beginning to dissipate. She could see the faint light of stars peeking through the overcast sky.
"You are correct, there is one that says that," he smiled and walked over to her. "It's getting pretty dark. I suggest we just find a place and camp out here tonight, instead of hiking around in the dark."
T'Pol looked around in the darkness. "I believe that would be the safest course of action. It would be unwise to hike in the dark seeing as how we do not know the terrain as well as would be permissible."
"Alright, let's find a good place to camp," he said looking around. He turned to the way that they had come. Pointing to a large flat area he said, "That looks about as good as any, I don't think the rain hit over there, it seems to have gone in the opposite direction. I think it's probably dry land over there."
Wordlessly T'Pol followed him over to the small expanse of land. As the captain had hypothesized, the ground was dry and somewhat soft. The grass pillowed their feet as they stepped on it.
T'Pol set her bag down, shivering a bit as she did. Since the sun had gone down, and the rain had cooled her skin, she was getting fairly cold. Her normal temperature was warmer than humans, and she felt the dip in temperature more prominently than the captain.
Reaching down, she opened the bag, and pulled out a blanket. She wrapped it around her shoulders and sat down on the ground. She could feel the cold seeping into her bones from the ground and shivered once again.
Archer took a large sleeping bag from his pack and rolled it out, opening it up so it was the size that would spaciously occupy two people.
"Get in," he said. "It's more comfortable than the ground."
Silently she moved until she was sitting on the softness of the material. She leaned back until she was laying all the way down. He lay down beside her, putting an arm around her waist and pulling her back until she rested against his chest.
"Captain," she questioned his actions.
"I saw you shivering. You can't tolerate the cold as much as I can. The best way to preserve body heat is to cuddle. Actually it's to cuddle while in the nude, but this is just as good." He smiled down at her, giving her an out if she chose to take it.
She didn't. Instead she just turned in his arms and rested her head on his shoulder.
They both watched as the 2 large moons rose above the horizon, each reveling in the perfect moment.
Continued in Chapter 9
