Pacing the length of the room, Malcolm ran his hand through his hair. She was late. He should have known she would do this – her silent way to protest his treatment of her this morning. She had found subtle ways of slighting him since he had returned and it needed to stop.
Everything was going according to plan. He had alienated her like the other women in his life, but something had to give. They couldn't go on as they were. They had to work together.
His thoughts were cut short when the hatch to the gym opened. His eyes ran up and down the body he was so familiar with -- the one that still aroused him in his dreams. She was dressed in her exercise outfit – baggy sweat pants and a blue blouse. Her midriff was exposed. "You're late, Lieutenant."
Setting down her bag, Hoshi replied with little remorse, "I'm sorry, sir." She cursed her schedule and eyed Malcolm warily. It never failed. Every fives days she would miss dinner because she crawled straight into bed after her shift. Damn her insomnia.
Hoshi remembered her grandmother telling her about her insomnia, and how she could never make it past the fifth day without collapsing in total exhaustion. Her grandmother would work all week long, and then crawl into bed and sleep the entire weekend. Hoshi didn't have the luxury of weekends. The concept just didn't exist on a starship.
At least she had the presence of mind to set the alarm for this torture session.
"Shall we begin?" asked Malcolm solemnly, rubbing his hand together and taking a defensive posture.
Hoshi advanced, her attack easily deflected by him.
"That was sloppy," he goaded and slapped her next offensive away easily. "And so was that."
"I'm just warming up," she growled.
Rolling his eyes, Malcolm motioned for her to try again. "Let me know when you're finished so I can prepare myself."
Hoshi swiped at him, angered by his taunting tone. "I see the swelling around your black eye went down. Should I be looking forward to a formal reprimand for striking a superior officer? That seems to be your M.O."
"I beg your pardon?" he replied tersely.
Scoffing, Hoshi threw her hands in the air. "The away mission last week. You entered a formal reprimand on my record for violation of security protocol."
Starting to relax, Malcolm smothered a smile. "Most people don't even pay attention to the minor infractions. I'm surprised Captain Archer mentioned it."
"I didn't realize you would get all bent out of shape just because I left the shuttle before you did, Mal – Lieutenant Commander."
"We were in an alien environment," he replied coolly, noticing her slip. "It is standard procedure for security personnel to enter areas first.
"I've already got plenty of black marks on my record, thanks to you. Is it really necessary to nitpick?" Her eyes flashed. "Why did you come back?"
The question hung in the air and Malcolm exhaled slowly. "I had no where else to go. The investigation dragged on and…"
He ran a hand through his hair. "I apologize for my behavior when we first met."
Hoshi stood stock still, her heart pounding.
"My conduct toward you was deplorable and I didn't consider the position I would put you in by requesting assignment to Enterprise."
Hoshi nodded for him to continue, resolution finally within her grasp.
He could see her relax and continued. "I had hoped we could at least be friends."
"When were we ever friends?" she scoffed, irritated at the lame brush-off. "You had your fun. I was convenient. No harm, no foul."
Grabbing her upper arms, Malcolm flipped her on the mat and straddled her hips. "You were anything but convenient. I thought of you the entire time that damned investigation dragged on. You are the reason I chose Enterprise. I had every intention of picking up where we left off, but I hadn't even considered a relationship with you within the confines of Starfleet regulations."
Her eyes flashed angrily, and he continued.
"You don't even know me, Hoshi. A relationship with me…the real me…would be a disaster. You've worked hard for your career. Why would you jeopardize everything by having an affair with a senior officer? Is that what you want?" His voice was cold, yet held an underlying tenderness.
He had said that he would love her no matter what happened. Any hopes of capturing scraps of that promise quickly diminished before her. The man who held her now wasn't the same man who made that promise.
"You're right," she sighed, unable to meet his gaze. "I apologize for my behavior…sir."
He could see her hooded gaze and felt like the biggest heel on the ship. He hadn't meant to say anything, but this needed to be resolved. She hated him and he hated himself. But she would be better off without him. Standing, he offered a hand to her.
Hoshi grasped his hand and stood up. "Thank you."
Malcolm nodded, noticing how tired she looked and realizing her insomnia was back.
Heaving a sigh, Hoshi placed a phantom smile on her lips. His reasoning was flawless if not painful. Her career was already tenuous – the possibility of advancement gone since she had hacked into the database. "You're right," she repeated. "Thank you." She didn't know what else to say. "I have to go. I have a double shift starting in an hour and I need to get some sleep."
Malcolm watched her leave, feeling as though he were the biggest ass in the universe.
--
Sitting in his ready room and quietly sipping some coffee, Archer perused the daily reports before his second shift. Nothing out of the ordinary stood out and he congratulated himself for running a smooth operation. He looked at the time and pointed at the door as it chimed. Ever predictable, he knew exactly who was ringing his door at this hour.
"Enter," he called out.
Malcolm walked in and stood at rest, handing a PADD to his captain. "Everything's in order, sir. 'Target practice' starts tomorrow and everybody has completed Defensive Combatant training with flying colors."
"And how are your babies?" Archer asked bemusedly, as Malcolm shifted uneasily. His armory officer still had yet to adjust to his captain's easygoing command style.
"Phase cannon efficiency is up by thirteen percent, sir," stated Malcolm dryly. "Commander Tucker assures me that the glitch will be fixed by tomorrow morning and that testing can resume then."
Jon perused the PADD in his hand and frowned. "You're requesting secure access codes for Lieutenant Sato?"
"Yes, sir," replied Malcolm quickly.
"Doesn't she already have them?"
Looking squarely at his superior officer, Malcolm stated, "No, sir. She's been coming to me for her daily access codes. I believe it is a detriment to the efficiency of her duties for her codes to be changing every day."
Quickly wiping the "oh shit" look off his face, Jon nodded. He had forgotten about the hacking fiasco and Hoshi's penalty. "You're the tactical officer. It's your call."
"Very well, sir." Malcolm gave little away as he made to leave.
"Wait a minute, Mr. Reed. What is a medical request doing in your security report?" asked Jon as he read over the PADD and noted another mention of Hoshi. "Dr. Phlox wants Lieutenant Sato cleared of duty for the next two days? Why?"
"Dr. Phlox had already submitted his report and asked me to include his notation. It seems the lieutenant's insomnia could become a performance issue." Malcolm stood at attention and waited, hoping the request didn't show preferential treatment toward his former lover.
"I need the Orion documents double-checked before we submit the speech for the trade conference. They are due by Wednesday." Jon felt like an ass. Hoshi's insomnia must be really bad if Malcolm was bringing it to his attention. Maybe he should just order him to sleep with her. That would definitely relieve the pressure between them on the bridge. No doubt Malcolm would carry out his order.
"She can have tomorrow off, but I need the verified translation by 0800 Wednesday."
He watched whimsically as Malcolm excused himself. "Malcolm," he called out. He enjoyed good gossip like anybody else, and Hoshi's move on Malcolm was the stuff legends were made of on Enterprise. "Although I appreciate your attention to duty, you really ought to get your black eye treated by Phlox."