CHAPTER 13

They had slept afterward, only to awaken and make love again, more fiercely than his desperately gentle taking of her the first time. As they sprawled on the bed, spent, she idly traced her fingers along his chest.

Words she had spoken to him came back to her. She had told him during their first meeting in her cabin that what she wanted didn't matter. She had been wrong.

Unbidden comparisons to Matthew's love-making suddenly popped into her head, and she grimaced.

Noticing her expression, Reed asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she replied evasively, shifting to lie on her back and gaze up at the ceiling, realizing she now had guilt to add to her current emotional state.

She wasn't sorry. If anything, she wanted more. But what would happen when they reached Shidak's stronghold? Would Reed back her, or would he use her just as she was determined to use him if he didn't cooperate? And now there was not only guilt about what she had done to the memory of her husband, but about what she might do to this new lover.

Loud banging on the cabin door distracted her from her depressing thoughts.

Drawing the sheet up over them, Reed asked, "That's Kleth, isn't it?"

"No one else on board would have the audacity to do that," she replied.

She tried to pull the sheet back down so that she could get out of bed and grab some clothing, but Reed wouldn't let her.

"What do you think you're doing?" she asked haughtily as she tugged at the sheet.

"Just going to let Kleth know things have changed around here," he told her, then called out loudly, "Enter!"

The door slid open, and Hoshi yelped and gave up struggling, pulling the sheet up to her chin instead. Kleth strode into the cabin, his eyes immediately coming to rest on her and Reed in bed.

Hoshi could feel Reed tense beside her. She was sandwiched between him and the bulkhead, and it would be no big effort for Kleth to tear him from her side and break him in two. She held her breath as she waited to see her first officer's reaction.

Kleth's initial expression of fury quickly dissipated, replaced by a wide smile. Pulling out a chair from the table, he sat down and continued to smile at them. Hoshi could feel her cheeks burn with embarrassment.

Beside her, Reed was still tense, but he inched up into a sitting position, so she did the same, pulling the sheet along with her.

"You have mated?" Kleth asked curiously in his soft bass rumble.

"Yes, we have mated," Reed replied, and Hoshi didn't hear a trace of shame in his voice.

She tried to assert her authority before Kleth wanted to know details. "This is none of your business," she began.

"But it is, little one," Kleth assured her. "He can no longer stay in the brig. He must stay here with you. You have chosen him."

Hoshi stared open-mouthed at him, not believing what she was hearing. A movement from Reed caught her eye, and she glanced at him to see he was biting his lip in an effort not to laugh.

"I wondered how long it would take," Kleth continued. "Garef thought perhaps the first time you called him to your cabin, but I said no, you have more restraint."

Drawing the sheet from Reed's now unprotesting hands and standing up, she wrapped the sheet around her. Reed, damn him, didn't look the least embarrassed at being naked and got up as well, picking up his discarded skivvies and putting them on.

"Does the whole crew know about this?" she asked acerbically.

"No," Kleth said, but as Hoshi let out a relieved sigh he added, "but the replacements coming on duty will be informed."

"I can't believe this," Hoshi mumbled, running a hand through her disheveled hair.

"You are angry?" Kleth asked in confusion.

"You're damn right I'm angry!" she yelled. "I don't know about Klingons, but Humans like a little privacy in their...private dealings."

"Ah, it is so easy to forget you are not Klingon. You have the heart of a Klingon, as does the little warrior, I suspect," Kleth said, glancing over at Reed.

"Kleth," Reed said, intervening before Hoshi could say anything. "From one warrior to another, I ask you -- please stop calling me that."

The Klingon's brow knitted. "Why? It is a fitting description of you."

"Compared to you, I am little. But it has certain...derogatory connotations among Humans. Besides, it pisses me off."

"Very well. I will call you by your name... What is your name?"

"Malcolm," Reed said, pronouncing the syllables distinctly.

"Ma'Com," Kleth repeated thoughtfully. "It almost sounds Klingon. Just like--"

"Kleth!" Hoshi cut him off. She didn't need him comparing Reed's first name to Matthew's, or Ma'Hew as Kleth had called him. She had made enough comparisons of the two on her own in the last twenty-four hours. The last thing she needed was her crew to start doing it.

She was about to ask her first officer for a status report when she saw him bend to pick up Reed's shirt from where it had fallen on the floor last night. Holding it up as if to measure it, Kleth muttered under his breath.

"You need appropriate attire, little-- Ma'Com," he said, and continued to mutter. "Malin is not much bigger than you. I will see if he has any to spare."

"There's nothing wrong with my clothing," Reed said.

"You do not understand Klingons very well, I think," Kleth said. "The crew has accepted that the captain has taken you as hers."

Hoshi tried hard not to laugh at the outraged expression on Reed's face at Kleth's turn of phrase, but a snort managed to get past her lips as Kleth gathered up his clothing, and Reed shot her a dirty look.

"You will wear Klingon clothing," Kleth explained as he headed for the door. "It will be easier for them to accept you as a warrior that way, not just the captain's chosen one."

Reed tugged at the Klingon battle armor, trying to get the breastplate to fit comfortably, as the guards opened the cell door. The outfit, devoid of rank insignia, was heavy and itchy. No wonder Klingons were so irritable all the time, he thought. Between the clothing they wore and the food they ate, well, it was enough to drive a man to do terrible things.

Tucker's eyes bulged when he took in Reed's appearance, looking him up and down when he entered the cell. Reed had to give him credit -- it didn't take long for the engineer to say something.

"Gone over to the enemy?" Tucker asked sarcastically.

"No. Just winning them over to our side."

"'Our' side? Thought ya left that behind when you told 'em you were going to tell them about 'our' ship."

"Tucker, the least you could do is be grateful. I'm getting you out of this depressing cell."

The engineer's eyes narrowed. "Why? As far as I know, I'm still a prisoner, no matter what you've done to change your status."

"How would you like some real food?"

He tried to put all his conviction in his expression as Tucker pondered his sudden change in topic. Reed flicked his eyes at Kleth and the guard who had accompanied him, then back to Tucker, trying to silently tell the man that he couldn't talk openly in the Klingons' presence.

"Sure, OK," Tucker agreed finally. "Let's go."