Chapter 5

The man came from the dark while Niki was in her quarters, looking herself in the mirror.
"You'd better be quick." she said coldly "The Captain will be here in a few minutes."
"You'd better be careful of what you're doing Niki." he countered.
"I know full well what I'm doing." she turned towards the man "I'm gonna enjoy some good time with my Captain."
"You must focus on your mission, you can't be distracted by ..."
Niki interrupted him: "I'm aware of what MY mission is ... MY life is at stake, not yours!"
"Really? So why Archer will be on the shuttle with you tomorrow? This could compromise the release of your father!"
"Let me do this thing in MY OWN way! I need a witness ... if your men make it the right way, it will seem an attempt to steal the shuttle with his classified equipments! And nobody will doubt about that!"
"You wanna make me believe that you're not interested in Captain Archer on a personal basis? You're attracted to him!"
"Does it make any difference?" she said sarcastically.
"You know well he's not supposed to end up with you!"
"I know well I'm not supposed to survive this mission!" she countered.
"You're a resourceful woman ... you might find a way."
"You already know I won't."
"I don't really know anything for sure, Niki. If you make a single mistake, this mission could fail."
"You're boring me to death! Get out of here. And make sure that everything is ready for tomorrow."
"I will."
The man disappeared. She sighed and then looked in the mirror again.

A few minutes later, Archer was there to pick her up.
Niki's heart missed a beat ... he was stunning. He was wearing black slacks and a white shirt, his collar was unbuttoned and she could catch a glimpse of his hairy chest.
Archer was amazed, too. Niki had a blue low-cut dress on, which enhanced her deep blue eyes. He could notice her long and tapered legs and the harmonious shape of her body. He felt sweetly intoxicated.
"You look great, Niki" he smiled.
"I could say the same thing about you, Captain." she said with a meaning look.
"I would like you to call me Jonathan, this evening. We're both off duty."
"Well ... Jonathan ..."
He offered his arm to her: "Shall we go?"
"Gladly."
Walking through the corridor, Archer said: "I asked for a very special dinner ... I hope you like fish."
"Yes I do ... it whets my appetite." she smiled.

Hoshi and Malcolm met them along the way. They greeted shortly.
"Wow!" Hoshi exclaimed "I just can't believe it!" she giggled.
"Believe what?"
"The Captain! I hardly recognized him ... Niki's arrival was a blessing. They look so good together!" she smiled.
"Nah ... Captain Archer would never be involved with a subordinate ..." he was sceptical. "And Niki could never ..."
"Malcolm Reed! Are you jealous?" she accused him.
"Not at all ... Niki has been my friend for years, I never thought to her in that way."
"So, you're not going to disappoint my expectations, are you?" she said, slightly leaning towards him.
"What?"
"You promised to take me to the movie, Mal, don't you remember?" she whispered softly, putting one hand on his arm.
They locked eyes for a moment, then Malcolm cleared his throat: "With pleasure."
"So, I'm going to change. See you, Mal. Don't be late!" she went towards her quarters, silently thanking Niki for body language lessons.

Niki and Archer clinked glasses: "Cheers" she whispered.
"Cheers" he answered smiling.
Niki was amazed at the expression lines appearing around Archer's eyes when he smiled.
"You should smile more frequently, Jonathan." she said "That suits you."
Archer felt pleasantly puzzled. He had enjoyed Niki's company during the dinner more than he expected.
"Smiling seems easier when you're around, Niki."
"Don't give me too much credit" she said "I think it's time for you to recover some serenity, you deserve it."
His face darkened: "I'm not sure I deserve anything."
She put her hand over his: "Jonathan, I know you had a terrible experience in the Expanse. You were forced to make difficult choices. I know this doesn't comfort you, but if you had acted differently, Earth wouldn't exist anymore."
She looked at him with care: "How could you cope with that?"
"I couldn't." he answered.
"So, it's time you stop torturing yourself and come back to life. You've got friends caring for you ... don't shut them out of your life anymore."
"I'll try."
"That's not enough, Jonathan." then she said jokingly "I'll keep an eye on you!"
He smiled again, then he said: "Thank you for reminding me I'm not alone."
"You never were." she said to him with a piercing look.
He got lost for a moment in her eyes, then a crewman entered taking the desserts.
Niki welcomed it with joy. Chocolate mousse with cream. "Wow! I LOVE whipped cream!"
"You have a sweet tooth, don't you?" he asked.
"You can bet!" she answered, dipping her finger in the cream and sucking it. She closed her eyes and moaned: "Delicious!"
Archer stared at Niki in amazement. For a moment he saw an erotic image in his mind and felt aroused.
"Jonathan" Niki's voice made him startle. "You ok?"
"Uh? ... Oh, yes, yes I'm fine." he chuckled.
"Movie begins in 5 minutes." she took him by the hand "We should go."
They reached the hall hand in hand.
They didn't notice T'Pol sitting near Phlox in the row behind.
She watched them eating popcorn and whispering in their ear during the movie. She heard Archer's laughter watching the scene of Sally faking sex at the restaurant and the lady from another table saying "I'll have what she's having".
Phlox noticed T'Pol's agitation.
"Is everything ok, sub-commander?" he asked politely.
She nodded: "I'm a little fatigued. I think I should rest." she left the hall silently.
Phlox shook his head and watched Archer and Niki smiling at each other.
He remembered the conversation with Archer in sickbay two years before: he felt attracted to T'Pol then. And he remembered also how he was desperate when he brought her back from the Seleya. He nearly regretted advising him not to tell her about his feelings, but he had always thought she didn't return them. Maybe now it was too late ...

Archer took Niki back to her quarters after the movie.
"Thanks Jonathan, I think we spent a wonderful evening."
"Thanks to you, Niki. I can't remember feeling so good for a long time." by instinct he took her hands and kissed them.
He could smell her scent and looking into her eyes he wished to stay longer.
"Niki ..."
Their faces were dangerously close.
"Jonathan ..." she whispered. It would have been easy asking him to stay ... too easy. She didn't want it to happen that way. "Goodnight, Captain" she said, breaking the spell of that moment.
She entered her quarters and closed the door. She leant against it ... a tear rolled over her cheek.
"I wish I could tell how much I care for you, Jon" she whispered "But I can't ..."

Archer was lying on his bed, thinking about Niki.
He felt drawn to her, he couldn't deny that.
If she hadn't stopped him, he surely had kissed her and maybe go further.
"What the hell I'm doing" he thought "I'm her superior ... I must be crazy!"
He wondered if it was just a matter of physical attraction ... but he decided it was something more than that.
He closed his eyes cherishing the idea of dating her again, then he fell asleep like a child.