I like Universe 1. A lot. Therefore I must write on it.

I decided to get devious. You'll get what I mean momentarily. Control over universes dements the brain further. (Q-Squared readers, think Crusher and Picard)

...And don't tell me it's out of character. O.o This is another universe, remember?

On yet another note: I have no idea what variety of shippage this is. No earthly idea. O.o Poor Hoshi's jumping everywhere...

*********

Universe 1

            "Good to see you, Ensign." Captain Reed's voice greeted Hoshi as she walked through the doors to the captain's mess. He was seated at the head of the table, a padd in hand.

            "Hello, sir." Hoshi responded, taking her usual seat at the Captain's side. These dinners weren't unusual for her. She and Malcolm tended to have dinner fairly often, and for various reasons.  "What about the negotiations did you want to discuss?"

            He glanced down at the padd for a moment, "We're to meet the Planetary Monarch at 1200 hours, correct? And you know the rules and regulations?"

            "Yes, sir. And I've memorized everything the best I can. The translations Lieutenant Wilkins did really weren't that bad..."

            The Captain nodded, adding some food to his plate before taking up a bottle of wine and standing up. "Good, we need those parts or else Commander Tucker will have a fit."

            "Speaking of Commander Tucker," she said, watching as he poured the wine into the glass just in front of her, "is he feeling okay? I saw him in the corridor today and he was acting rather odd..."

            A sigh was heard behind her as Malcolm replied. "Emma hasn't been feeling so well lately. He's been worried sick."

            Hoshi nodded, staring absently down at the food on her plate. " No wonder Commander Tucker wasn't looking healthy, he loves the girl to death."

            "I must say," The Captain chuckled, still lingering just behind her seat, "I do believe I've let this ship go the dogs. First I allow a married couple aboard, then Trip and Emma…"

            A hurt expression came over Hoshi's features, and a mocking tone entered her voice, "Why, I never knew you had an objection to Travis and I being  on board."

            "I have no objection to you, Hoshi." He leaned down, pressing his lips to hers for a brief second. "Travis, on the other hand..."

            An indignant look came over her, and the linguist crossed her arms in mock anger. "What about my husband?"

            The Captain grasped her hands, pulling her from her seat and wrapping his arms delicately about her waist and murmured into her ear, "He has you, love."

            She smiled, lifting her head up just enough to peck the other officer's chin. This conversation, or something along its lines, and their behavior was nothing short of common. Nearly a year ago the two had started their affair when the Captain accepted her offer to make him dinner on her hotplate. After the two had drunk much too wine, she'd found out more than just his favorite food. The two had seen each other on and off since then.

            After his words, the commanding officer set her back upon the ground, head tilted downwards to kiss her. Those kisses that never got old, that never seemed to become devoid of passion. But, one eye caught sight of the door, forcing her to cut the bliss of being in Malcolm's embrace short.

            "Someone might walk in and see us."

            "So today it's your turn to protest. I suppose it was me that tried to stop last time…" His arms wrapped around her waist once more, staring into her eyes. "No one will see us. I can even lock the doors if you like."

            "That's not at all suspicious. It's a small crew, you know. Word could spread fast if someone found out."

            "I can see it now," Reed chuckled, "Lieutenant Wilkins telling the entire crew that the captain and communications officer kissing..."

            Hoshi grinned, her expression mischievous and with a slight overly proper look to it,  "It's certainly not regulation to do such a thing. You of all people should know that, Captain."

            "I follow regulations all day and night. I believe I should get a break from the damn things every once in a while."

            Right about then, a wave of nausea hit the ensign. She tore from the Captain's embrace, much to his surprise, hand clasped over her suddenly upset stomach. She gasped in breaths of air, attempting to soothe the feeling that suddenly struck her.

            "Hoshi? What's wrong?"

            The woman was fighting the feeling rising up her throat. The battle was lost, and she stumbled over to the potted plant in the corner, feeling as if her insides we heaving themselves from her body. She knelt there, eyes closed as she tried to force the nausea to subside.

Reed was at her side within milliseconds. Helping her to her feet, the two rushed from the room on their way to sickbay.

*********

"What's wrong with her, Doctor?" Travis asked, his hand nervously clutching his wife's. The moment he had been contacted and told his beloved had suddenly fallen ill, he'd forgotten what he was doing and rushed to sickbay.

Phlox simply 'hmm'ed and glanced over his readings with subdued interest. "One moment please, Ensign..."

"Doctor!" Worry and impatience were easily heard within the young man's voice. If anything was wrong with the love of his life, he had to know. "You've been running tests for fifteen minutes…"

The Denobulan's odd eyes peered from the scans and readings to the anxious spouse, "I believe Ensign Sato is with child."

The Captain, helmsman and linguist stared in shock, just before Mayweather embraced Hoshi with excitement gleaming across his face. "We're having a baby, Hoshi! A baby!"

The woman, though, could barely recover from the shock enough to share her husband's enthusiasm. The news had come much too rapidly for her to handle. Her eye caught Malcolm's and she could scarcely bring herself to be happy over the information. A thought came to mind, but was quickly brushed away.

"Hoshi! Honey! Isn't the best news?" Travis kissed her cheek, his features gleaming with pride and delight.

            "Of course it is. I'm just not…feeling quite so well." She replied with a weak smile, trying to muster up as much happiness as she could.

            The Doctor once again glanced over his readings. "I'm afraid that won't go away for a time. I believe humans call it 'morning sickness'. Quite an absurd name, considering it can happen at any time of the day..."

             "Can she come back to our quarters?" Travis clenched her hand, bearing the widest grin she'd ever seen. He looked like the happiest man in the entire universe. Oh, how she wished she could share that feeling...but a feeling of dread was beginning to cloud her mind.

            "I see no reason why she can't, Ensign. She may leave when she wishes." Phlox responded, before moving onto other jobs, including tending to the little dirty blonde haired, vividly green-eyed toddler sitting on one of the medical beds, whose normally tan skin had taken on a sickly tone. 

            Travis helped Hoshi to her feet and began ushering her from the room. Just as they were leaving, she heard Malcolm call out a quiet "Congratulations."

It was then that she realized two things: Travis was never going to stop doting over her for the next nine months, and the fact that she had absolutely no idea who the father of her child was.


((Hmm. I'm not as satisfied with this chapter. I feel as if there's too much dialogue...

But I got to describe Emma a bit...you probably know who she is by now…

I figure I'll get to work on other universes. I just like this one so much! You people, however, must be bored of it by now. Not sure when I'll get the next chapter up... Now, I will shut up. Yep.

One last note, I swear (I talk too much, yes?) for the Hoshi/Travis shipper that read this, I have a story with them in my brain...But as you can see, I have way too much to finish before I start on that...Or, y'know, I'll be typical me and bounce from fic to fic…))