Just a little kiss

Estellio

Rating: Pg-13 (OrT whatever, this new system sucks!)

Summary: T'pol thinks she's in love with Trip but after seeing a kiss she shouldn't have, maybe she's wrong. I mean, how can she tell what love feels like, she's never felt it before…right?

IOIOIO

Hoshi Sato went flying through the air to land in a rather graceless heap on the floor. Before she could even take a breath her arms were pinned above her head and the rather solid weight of Malcolm Reed pinned her hips to the floor.

"Come on Hoshi, you can do better than that." He said as she thrashed against him.

"What are you talking about, I have you exactly where I want you." She flashed him a wicked smile and Malcolm smiled back, shaking his head.

"Seriously, you seem so…distracted today." Hoshi stopped her wriggling and slumped back, much to Malcolm's relief.

"You remember yesterday, when we were on the planet, I left my tricorder in the dining hall?"

"Vaguely, why?"

"Well…when I ran back to get it, I heard people talking out on the balcony. I looked out to see who it was and who do I see but the Captain and the princess." Malcolm nodded, urging her to go on. "Well…you see…they were kissing."

"I really don't think it is our place to pry into the Captain's personal life." Hoshi shook her head.

"No, listen. One minute they were kissing and it looked to quickly escalate into an NC-17 situation then the Captain pushed her away." Malcolm raised an eyebrow.

"That's what's concerning you?"

"No, no. It's what he said next." Hoshi bit her lip. "It sounded as if the captain wouldn't sleep with her because he's in love with someone else…someone who's taken."

"Really?" Even Malcolm's sensibilities couldn't deny gossip this juicy. He was British after all and only the Irish could contend British people for the title of worlds biggest gossipers.

"It sounded as if he was in love with this person and a friend of his snatched her away. A very, very close friend, he also said that he didn't know whether it was worse he took her or that she gave herself to him…that's what got me thinking."

"Oh dear. That could be dangerous." Hoshi shot him a dark glare.

"If you didn't have me pinned to the floor I'd woop your ass. Now listen," Hoshi's voice dropped to a whisper as if she was afraid that someone in the empty gym would hear. "I think I know who's he talking about."

"Who?" Malcolm leaned in, eager to hear this.

"I think he was talking about Commander T'pol."

"What? Don't be silly, the Captain is completely professional and T'pol is…"

"A very beautiful woman he cares strongly about." Malcolm thought about this a moment, his blue eyes misting over briefly as he sank into thought.

"You know, I think you're right."

"Of course I'm right, I mean even you admitted to liking her bum."

"How'd you know that? …Trip! I'll…"

"Don't get your knickers in a twist, Malcolm. I decoded the Shuttle pods tapes, everything you said, I heard." She laughed briefly.

"But hold on, if it is the Commander he's talking about…who's this man?"

"Oh come on, it's obvious. Trip!"

"WHAT? No, don't be absurd, he and the commander haven't…have they?"

"Come on Malcolm, I thought everybody knew that. That happened ages ago." Reed shook his head, looking thoughtful.

"Alright, lets say you're right for a moment. What do we do about it."

"If I'm interrupting." Hoshi and Malcolm turned to see T'pol standing at the doorway staring at them with a raised eyebrow. They quickly realised how dodgy their current situation must look and rolled off each other.

"Oh, no Commander. We were finishing up anyway." Malcolm reached out his hand to Hoshi who took it. When they were broth standing Malcolm turned to Hoshi. "Your left block is still too weak. We'll work on it tomorrow."

"Okay, thanks Malcolm." She smiled, sparing a glance at the waiting Vulcan before mouthing to Reed 'I'll talk to you later'

IOIOIO

"Don't look at me like that…I'm being serious. Don't look at me like that…It wasn't my fault! We were in a palace! I couldn't bring you, especially after the trouble you caused last time we went planet side…I know it hasn't been easy on you, what with the Xindi crisis and then all this temporal hopping around the place…Fine! Come here!" Porthos leapt off the bed and into Archers lap. He rolled onto his back, baring his tummy for a scratch. "Here, I know you want it." Plucking a piece of cheese from his sandwich, Archer let his dog have it. The pup immediately devoured the morsel and stared expectantly at his owner for some more. "Oh no you don't." The pup yipped at him. "No…I said no!" A few moments later and Archers chicken and cheese sandwich became a chicken sandwich. "I hope your happy." The dog stared at him contentedly, his tongue handing out and tail lashing happily against Archers leg.

"Lt. Butler to Captain Archer." The comm. On his wall sprang to life and he reached across, flicking it on.

"Archer here." He said, scratching his dogs belly. "Go ahead Lieutenant."

"We're receiving a distress call."

"From who?"

"It's on a federation frequency but I don't the serial number doesn't match with any on record."

"I'll be right there Lieutenant." He flicked off the Comm. "Sorry buddy, this'll have to wait till later." The dog immediately rolled off his lap and leapt into its box, sated. Archer spared the dog a smile as he made his way to the bridge.

"Sir." The Lt. Leapt from his chair immediately and made a crisp salute. "We've tracked it back to the second planet of a three planet system. All planets M class. Two populated by sentient beings."

"Which ones our signal coming from?"

"One of the populated ones sir. They're in their early stages of industrial revolution. Mainly agriculture, a survey was last done on them by the Vulcans, six point three years ago. They're found to be a highly aggressive race, latent psychic abilities, Vulcanoid in stature but with spines instead of hair. That's pretty much all we know about them, sir." Archer nodded.

"Bring us in closer, lets see if we can find whoever that distress signal belongs to."

IOIOIO

"Hey, Naimh. You'll never guess what I heard while I was cleaning the gym's air filter."

"What?"

"The Captain's in love." Charles Trip tucker had overheard a lot of things in his life. Some weird, some wonderful, some just damn right unseemly but this, this had to be the most unexpected. He was John's best friend, if John had a love interest, he's be the first to know.

He edgy out from beneath his console to look at the two Ensigns below. Tracy Broderick and Niamh O Sullivan, not exactly the biggest gossips on the ship but if there was something worth knowing, they knew it.

"Apparently, the Princess propositioned him."

"Woah, she was really pretty. What did he do?"

"He pushed her away."

"WHAT?" Trip's sentiment exactly. He wouldn't have been able to keep his hands off her at the merest hint of interest. She was one of the most beautiful women Trip had ever seen.

"Apparently, well…from what I heard it seems the Captain is in love with someone on the ship. Someone…not available."

"Oooh, who?" Trip ran through a mental checklist. He knew everyone on the ship, out of all the female crew members, only twelve were married and a handful in a relationship. It was kinda hard to keep up a relationship when you were this far out in space, after all.

"Well, it sounded as if he was in love with this person and a friend of his snatched her away. A very, very close friend, he also said that he didn't know whether it was worse he took her or that she gave herself to him…So, think about it. Who are the Captain's friends?"

"Well…He and Commander Tucker know each other pretty well. Is he going out with someone?"

"Not that I know of. There was a rumour that he and Commander T'pol had a thing going on a while back and it doesn't take a genius to figure out the Captain likes her."

"Oh please, the entire male Crew, fancy Commander T'pol."

"Well…he knows Cookie, doesn't he? I thought he and Ensign Fowler had a thing going on."

"Fowler? Maybe, maybe. She's not the prettiest girl I've ever seen but there's no accounting for taste."

"I could ask around, see what we dig up. I mean, the Captain's a good man. If anyone deserves to fall in love, it's him." The conversation shifted on leaving Trip staring at the circuitry he pulled out.

John's in love? Why hasn't he told me? I'm his best friend, these are things I have to know. I better have a word with him at dinner this evening.

IOIOIO

A/N: Sorry about the Author's note in the last Chapter (I have since removed it)

I left it in by accident as I wrote it when I was still working out the plot and sending the chapter off to my Beta. This is going to be Archer / T'pol. Sorry, it was a stupid mistake, to err is human I suppose.