Hoshi scanned the mess hall, searching for an empty spot, and her eyes came to rest on a table in the back corner, where an unlikely trio sat eating.

Kamea was sandwiched between Commander Tucker and Lieutenant Reed, apparently in the midst of telling a very amusing story. Malcolm snorted into his coffee, and Trip choked on whatever he'd been chewing at that moment. Hoshi cocked her head to the side and watched them for a bit. She liked to study people, and she considered herself an expert at reading expressions and tone. She hadn't had much of an opportunity to observe Kamea, since the girl kept to herself most of the time, but now seemed as good a time as any. Hoshi made her way over to the table.

"If you had seen his face," Kamea was saying when Hoshi approached, "when he walked into his office the next morning and the cow was eating his prized fern. I wish I'd had a camera."

Both men burst into another fit of laughter, and Hoshi wished she'd heard the rest of the story.

Kamea dug into her bowl of pasta salad. She was smiling and looked to be on the verge of giggles herself. "And the best part is, they had to cut a hole in the side of the building and use a crane to get the cow out, because cows can go up stairs, but they can't go down them."

Malcolm nearly spit out his mouthful of coffee. "And of course you knew that."

"Why do you think I suggested it in the first place?" Kamea asked, with an amused twinkle in her eye.

Trip was laughing so hard he was crying. He pounded on the table a couple of times and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "Oh, my God, I can't believe you did that."

Kamea shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, he deserved it – purposely marking me down just because I was half-Vulcan. But it served another purpose, too. It certainly made the other students reevaluate their opinions of me." She looked up at met Hoshi's gaze. "Good afternoon, Ensign Sato."

Malcolm and Trip looked up, apparently noticing Hoshi for the first time. They certainly seemed engrossed in Kamea's story. It was intriguing. Hoshi had never known a Vulcan to be entertaining – on purpose. She couldn't remember the last time T'Pol had even told a story.

Trip grinned. "Hey, Hoshi."

Hoshi smiled and used her head to gesture at the empty chair. "May I join you?"

Malcolm nodded. "By all means." He leaned forward and pushed the chair away from the table, allowing Hoshi to drop into it.

"What was so funny?" Hoshi asked, dipping her spoon into her pudding. She liked to eat dessert first. She glanced at Kamea, who was regarding her with a look of appraisal.

Kamea cleared her throat. "I was just telling Trip and Malcolm about a prank I pulled on the dean of engineering back at MIT."

Hoshi's eyes widened, seemingly of their own accord. Perhaps it was because she hadn't expected that Kamea had actually led some semblance of a normal life. Perhaps it was because the young girl had addressed the commander and the lieutenant with such familiarity, as if she'd known them for years. Perhaps it was because she never expected anyone who was half-Vulcan to have a sense of humor or do anything against the rules. "You went to college?"

Kamea cocked an eyebrow. "Of course." She didn't seem the least bit offended. "I intended to join Starfleet, but I wasn't accepted."

She said it with such nonchalance that Hoshi was surprised. "I'm sorry," she said automatically.

Kamea shrugged again. "It's of no consequence. Although, I believe that, had I been accepted, we could be at warp six or even seven by now." She paused, staring at a spot on the table, before meeting Hoshi's eyes again. "Not that I'm bitter."

Hoshi sensed that they were about to stray into uncomfortable territory and decided to change the subject. "So, Commander, I understand that you're starting movie night up again."

Kamea immediately perked up. "Movie night?"

Trip nodded, using his finger to clean the last of his pudding out of his bowl. "Yep. Figured it'd do us some good to get back to almost normal." He set his bowl down with a clunk. "Tonight, 1900 hours." He turned to Kamea. "You gonna come?"

Kamea furrowed her brow. "What were you planning on showing?"

"West Side Story."

Hoshi raised an eyebrow and caught Malcolm's eye. He shrugged, and she assumed that he was thinking along a similar line as her. What had prompted Commander Tucker to chose that movie? He usually liked the old black-and-white films that had some kind of adventure. He rarely ever chose a romantic film, much less a musical.

Trip must have seen Hoshi's surprised look, because he smiled and said, "Well, don't look so shocked, Hoshi."

She felt her face dissolve into a grin. "I just assumed we'd be watching something like, I don't know, Die Hard."

"I like Die Hard," Malcolm said.

Malcolm liked any movies where stuff blew up, so Hoshi wasn't shocked by that almighty revelation. "Somehow, Lieutenant, that doesn't surprise me."

Kamea glanced at something over Hoshi's shoulder but flicked her eyes just as quickly back to her tablemates. "Isn't West Side Story based on 'Romeo and Juliet'?" she asked, taking another bite of pasta salad.

Trip nodded, now draining the rest of his coffee. Hoshi noted that he looked uncomfortable. "Loosely. There's a lot of differences, but the basic plot's the same."

"I always thought it was a depressing plot for a musical," Hoshi said. "Musicals are supposed to be happy."

"There are quite a few musicals that don't have happy endings," Kamea said, reaching for her tea. "The ending of Fiddler on the Roof could hardly be considered happy, and I never did like the way My Fair Lady ended."

Hoshi's jaw dropped. She wasn't sure if it was because a Vulcan had admitted to watching musicals or because she actually had an opinion on them. "But Professor Higgins and Eliza ended up together."

"Yes, but that doesn't mean they should be together. I mean, he treated her, essentially, like crap. He only realized what she meant to him after she was gone, and I don't think Eliza had that much self-esteem, to return to a guy like that. She could have been with a guy that really loved her, not someone who was just accustomed to her face."

Trip smiled, but Hoshi could tell that it was forced. It didn't quite touch his eyes. "There are a lot of women who are with men they shouldn't be with," he said.

Kamea cocked her head to the side. "I like to think we come to our senses eventually."

Malcolm cleared his throat, and Kamea looked at him. "Speaking from personal experience?"

Kamea licked her lips, and Hoshi saw that Malcolm's eyes were riveted on the gesture. "Let's just say I've made mistakes in the relationship department before."

They stared at each other for a long moment, and Hoshi had to hide a grin. So Malcolm had a crush on the ship's newest arrival. And, from the looks of it, the feeling was mutual. Hoshi leaned forward on her elbows, her lunch entirely forgotten. The conversation was getting too good to let the opportunity to learn about the girl's exploits pass by. "Do tell."

Kamea's eyes widened a little, and she immediately became uncomfortable. "I'd rather not discuss it, if that's all right," she said, rather haltingly. "It's not something I care to relive." She cleared her throat. "Besides, I think Professor Higgins was gay."

Malcolm spat out a mouthful of coffee, and Trip choked on his pasta. Hoshi couldn't help but giggle at their reaction. She turned to Kamea. "What makes you say that?"

"Oh, come on," Kamea said, with a slight roll of her eyes. "Isn't it obvious? 'Why can't a woman be more like a man?' And he did spend an inordinate amount of time with Colonel Pickering."

"Bollocks," Malcolm said, probably a little more harshly than he intended. Hoshi raised an eyebrow; it was the first time she'd ever heard Malcolm swear. "Commander Tucker and I spend a lot of time together, and it doesn't make us gay."

Kamea and Hoshi exchanged an amused glance, and Hoshi could see why Malcolm and Trip liked her so much. She was definitely fun to be around, and she'd brought something on board with her that had been decidedly absent during their time in the expanse: laughter. Hoshi sat back, tapping her lips with her finger, pretending to seriously ponder Malcolm's statement. "I don't know about that, Lieutenant," she said, while Kamea attempted to stifle her laughter. "At least the commander has been with a woman in the past few years. Can't say the same for you."

Malcolm sputtered indignantly, which caused both women at the table to burst into a prolonged fit of laughter, which was only stopped by the sound of a throat being cleared behind Hoshi.

T'Pol had appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and Hoshi should have guessed that it would be her. Only T'Pol could make a throat-clearing sound so angry. Hoshi swallowed her giggles and smiled up at the commander. "Afternoon, Commander. Would you care to join us?"

T'Pol's eyes came to rest on Kamea and darkened, and Hoshi wished that she wasn't sitting between the two of them. "I think not, Ensign," T'Pol said. "I must say that I do not approve of your choice of dining companions."

Kamea didn't bat an eye, simply leaning over to Malcolm and saying, in a very loud whisper, "Are you going to stand for that?"

T'Pol was not amused, especially when it became clear that Trip was bent double in an attempt to not start laughing. T'Pol leaned forward, bracing her hands on the edge of the table. Hoshi instinctively scooted out of the way. "It is bad enough that you have managed to corrupt Commander Tucker," T'Pol said, "but I will not allow you to extend your influence over Lieutenant Reed and Ensign Sato."

The glint in Kamea's eyes had vanished, replaced by a hardness that surprised Hoshi. Trip started to say something, but Kamea interrupted him before he could get much out. "Tell me, Commander, are all Vulcans extremely paranoid, or is it just you?"

"Do not presume to believe that this is a permanent arrangement." T'Pol's voice was eerily calm, but Hoshi could detect the trace hint of thinly veiled fury. "The only reason that Captain Archer asked you to remain is because he feels responsible for the status of your ship. Once you have reconstructed it, he will surely ask you to leave."

Kamea's eyes narrowed to angry slits, and Hoshi could almost feel the tension between the two. It was radiating off both Vulcans like a sidewalk emitted heat on a summer day. Whoever said that Vulcans had no emotions had obviously never sat between two that disliked each other. "I'll just get back to it then," Kamea said, standing. "I wouldn't want to overstay my welcome."

T'Pol straightened, folding her arms defiantly across her chest. "I'm afraid it is too late for that."

Hoshi could see the muscles in Kamea's jaw twitch and wondered exactly how much self-control the half-Vulcan had. Perhaps she would move to hit T'Pol – according to Malcolm, she was an excellent fighter. But Kamea only said, "Ponfo mirann," in a voice that could only be described as a snarl. Then she stalked away.

Hoshi quickly glanced up to catch T'Pol's reaction to the Vulcan expletive, but as usual, the commander gave none. She simply turned and walked away, leaving the other three staring after her with similar expressions of slack-jawed surprise.

As soon as T'Pol was out of earshot – even for a Vulcan – Malcolm and Trip eagerly turned to Hoshi. "What did she say?" Trip asked.

Hoshi took a deep breath, unsure if she wanted to join the fray that was obviously in its beginning stages. "I'd rather not translate it," she said, though she knew exactly what Kamea had said and had said it to T'Pol once herself – all the way back on their first mission. "It's…not very nice."

Trip shook his head in amazement, gazing in the direction that T'Pol had gone. "I don't know what's got into her lately. She hasn't been this judgmental for a long time. She isn't even givin' Kamea a chance."

Hoshi shrugged and returned to her mostly untouched meal. "She's threatened. She's afraid that she's going to be replaced."

Malcolm snorted. "That's ridiculous. T'Pol is a Vulcan. Vulcans don't get threatened."

"I should go talk to her," Trip said, standing – a little too quickly. He gathered up his empty plate and mug and hurried off. Hoshi raised her eyebrows again. She'd heard the rumors of Trip and T'Pol's relationship, and in truth had suspected the same for quite some time. Their joint visit to Vulcan had only further convinced her that there was more to those two than meets the eye. But when Trip had come back early, and T'Pol had returned to Enterprise a married woman, Hoshi began to suspect that she'd been wrong. Seeing Trip's reaction, however, changed her mind.

To Hoshi's dismay, Malcolm also stood and grabbed his unfinished lunch. "I should probably go talk to Kamea," he said. "If she doesn't calm down soon, she's likely to blow something up." He paused, throwing Hoshi a wink. "Be a pity if I wasn't there to see it."

Hoshi sighed and speared a noodle with her fork. "Why do I always end up sitting alone?"

A/N: Told you that Romeo and Juliet would come up later. Besides, I just like West Side Story, and I had a really cool idea for a chapter where they're watching that, which is coming up next, as soon as I write it.

I don't know what ponfo mirann literallymeans - it isn't translated at the Vulcan Language Dictionary, just that it's an expletive. But I'm guessing it's like the Vulcan equivalent of "f- you". And Hoshi does say it to T'Pol in "Broken Bow", which is where I got it from. I thought it would be appropriate (and I can't find the translation for any Hawaiian swear words except "damn", and I didn't think that was strong enough for this situation).

I don't like the way My Fair Lady ends. I like the way the play ("Pygmalion") ended better.

Got the idea for the cow in the office from one of my sorority sisters, who told me a story about how they were planning to put a cow on the second floor of their high school for their senior prank, because apparently cows can go up stairs but not down. I thought it was funny, so I decided to use it.

By the way, I do reference stuff that happened in my fic "Just As It Should Be", so if y'ins have free time and want to give that a read, go right ahead. I won't be stopping you. (It isn't necessary, since this is AU, but it talks about Trip and T'Pol's trip to Vulcan, and I mention stuff that happened. Like the whole Romeo and Juliet thing, and other stuff.)