Chapter Eleven –

Frowning, Malcolm looked around the courtyard. She had to be here. Phlox had given him her room number. He had spent a fair amount of time trying to convince the Denobulan he could take care of Hoshi's vacation. The good doctor needed his hibernation time. She had followed his instructions to the letter, until now.

Familiar laughter floated up from the courtyard and Malcolm scanned the crowd.

There she was, dressed in a lavender outfit which hugged her curves invitingly. She was walking through the crowd, holding the hand of a man. What the hell did she think she was doing? Didn't she realize Suliban can shape-shift?

He heard her laugh again, their conversation in an alien language carrying up the stairs. Positioning himself at the top of the stairs, he waited for them to ascend.

She was half way up the stairs when she laughed again, stopping and turning around. It looked as though Hoshi were either kissing the man or whispering something in his ear. A spark of jealousy manifested inside him and it took all he could not to march down the stairs, punch the alien's lights out, and carry her away. She was playing a dangerous game, flirting on an alien planet.

The man's hands were on her back and traveling lower.

Malcolm took the stairs two at a time until he reached them, bumping into her. "I don't know what you think you're doing, Ensign, but you can say goodnight to your date," he growled, grabbing her round the waist and pulling her backwards and up the stairs.

"What?" was the only word that escaped her lips as she watched Ravis' startled eyes follow her. "Wait! I –"

"You are outside established parameters!" an angry voice informed her.

She stiffened, recognizing the husky older voice of her "savior."

Dragging her into a darkened corner, Malcolm covered her mouth with his hand. "I told you not to leave the ship," he snarled and gave her a little shake. "You stupid git!"

Having had enough of his tirade, Hoshi speared her heel into his foot.

He limped back, breaking his hold on her and cursing.

"Stupid git?" she fumed, pushing his shoulder. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

"I'm the bloody fool charged with protecting you," he mumbled under his breath.

"I haven't heard jack from you in almost a year," Hoshi muttered, realizing they were attracting a crowd. "How did you expect me to stay on the ship? I'm going crazy there!"

Looking around, Malcolm realized the attention they were drawing to themselves and grabbed Hoshi's hand. "Where's your room?"

Her eyes widened and she replied, "This way." With a look over her shoulder she saw the confused look on Ravis' face and waved goodbye to him.

No words were spoken as they made their way through corridors. Reaching her door, her hand trembled as she unlocked it.

Once the door was shut, he grabbed her by the shoulders and gave her a little shake. "So you're telling me that getting off with that guy is more important than your safety? You were practically shagging him on the stairs in front of everybody."

Hoshi's mouth dropped open, speechless.

Taking a calming breath, Malcolm released her shoulders. "Get your things," he stated softly. "You're going back to Enterprise."

Walking over to her bed, she sat down, and grabbed her alarm clock. "For your information, Ravis was helping me with the broken strap on my shoe. I was not shagging him in public. Secondly, I have a day left before the shuttle picks me up. I'm not leaving." She resisted the urge to throw the alarm clock at him, but quickly replaced it on her nightstand and crossed her hands on her lap, glaring at him.

He crossed the room, grabbed her bag and, started stuffing her clothes into it. "You're going back to Enterprise, Ensign," he stated with finality.

Hoshi picked up the alarm clock again and clutched it to her chest, as though daring him to take it from her. She stood up. "I've had two encounters with the Suliban," she stated calmly, referring to her encounter on Rigel X and Enterprise's time in the stellar nursery. "Has it ever occurred to you that I may no longer be on their list? I –"

"There have been no displacement rifts, Hoshi. They are still out there."

"Even if they are out there, I have followed your instructions," she replied cheekily. "Your room is down the hall. I'm sure by now you're pursuing the cosmopolitan lifestyle and banging some babe."

He rolled his eyes. If she only knew the truth of what happened to him on Risa, she would laugh. Refusing to rise to her taunt, he tossed her a communicator. "Contact Enterprise and tell them to send a shuttle."

Catching it, Hoshi quickly tossed it on the bed. The last year seemed like a long, drawn out nightmare, her being nervous over shadowy figures and the future. She was tired of it – tired of living in fear. "No," she whispered.

He made no move toward her, anger and frustration coursing through him. "It's a direct order, Ensign."

She resisted the urge to stick her tongue out at him. For the first she felt free, and she was going to be damned if he was going to take that from her. "Unless you plan on throwing me into the brig, I'm going downstairs to see if I can find Ravis. We're going to the Festival of the Moons, and – "

Malcolm crossed the room and pulled her into his arms, silencing her words as his lips crushed hers.

There was no pretense or subtext in the kiss, only blind, lustful need. Groaning, she deepened the kiss, granting the permission the man before her so desperately sought.

Feeling her yield, he tore her blouse from her body and kissed her exposed shoulder. He shuddered. "Hoshi…" his voice raw with hunger and lingering doubt.

She kissed his cheek. "Please," she whispered, reaching up and unhooking the front clasp of her bra.

Any doubt he had vanished, his mouth enclosing her breast and suckling.

She ran her hands through his hair and arched her back, groaning.

His hand slid past her skirt and panties, and she opened her legs willingly. His fingers caressed her folds.

As soon as he touched her femininity, he pulled away. Her world tilted and she felt the cool sheets touch her skin. She whimpered as he stood before her and disrobed. His eyes were a cloudy blue and the look he gave her was vacant and somber, as though he were pleading with her to make him stop.

She closed her eyes as the bed shifted and his body covered hers.

"Open your eyes," he whispered harshly, pushing into her slowly.

Hoshi's eyes widened and she gasped, her body quickly adjusting to him intimate invasion of her. Reaching up, she pulled him down for a kiss. She felt the end closing around her, yet managed to keep her eyes open as her world shattered.

His tormented eyes slammed shut as he spent himself inside her.

--

"She'll hate me when she discovers the truth," Malcolm thought to himself, staring out over the water, the waves mimicking his churning emotions. He was a selfish bastard, wanting her ever since he had met her. He couldn't stop himself, even waking her in the middle of the night to take her.

At one point he woke and she was on top of him. With a shift of his hips, he pressed into her and guilt stirred within him.

As much as he wanted to tell her he loved her… he never would. She would only hate him in the end.

He would have to find another way to prevent her abduction…another way to prevent her death. It was difficult to focus, his thoughts becoming more fractured the more time he spent in his past. Sleep was elusive and when he did sleep, his dreams were often nightmares – filled with images of Hoshi's death.

He had found one sliver of fiber tucked behind the one he was all too familiar with – the one he was trying to prevent. He thought he was imagining it, but he wasn't. The computer confirmed the alternate timeline. No details were known about it, but he held on to the hope that Hoshi was alive in it.

He knew now he would never rest until her fate twisted deep into the future…even if his didn't.

Grabbing the PADD, Malcolm stood up and walked into the room. He pulled his jacket on and reached out to touch her. She was safe now. He would watch over her from afar.

She turned her sleeping face toward his hand, smiling, and he pulled it back.

It was time to leave.

--

She fixed her eyes on the floor, unable to meet Malcolm's eyes. He had asked her a question, to which she gave a small reply, "Please excuse me, Lieutenant. I didn't sleep well on Risa."

She didn't see his eyebrow quirk.

"I told ya you would get used to Enterprise's sounds, Hoshi," Trip interjected, pulling the blanket around the shoulder. He frowned. Normally she would tease him how noisy the ship was, but she kept looking at the floor. "Hoshi, you okay?"

"Yes," she said, finally looking up and smiling. "I've never been better. Risa was beautiful."

Malcolm frowned when Hoshi bowed her head and concentrated on the floor again. "Are you sure, Ensign?"

Feeling the knife twist deeper in her heart, Hoshi smiled. It wasn't his fault he was clueless. "Never better," she replied with the brightest smile she could plaster on her face.

TBC --