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Lt. Malcolm Reed stepped into the mess hall. Almost all the tables had been cleared from the room apart from a few supporting a wide variety of plates, platters and bowls readied for some of Chef's finest work. All he was after, however, was a cup of coffee. He’d woken long before dawn in San Francisco and sleep had evaded him, so he’d seized the day and taken the first shuttle back to Jupiter Station. Walking through the airlock, onto the gray plating of Enterprise had felt more like coming home than first spying Earth on the view screen two weeks ago.
Being back on Earth for some necessary maintenance was a welcome distraction but he’d missed being out among the stars more than he would have readily admitted. The gentle hum of the engines, the clang of his Starfleet issue boots on the metal floors of the armory, even the recycled air filled him with a sense of belonging, one might even say completion.
He took the cup from the dispenser and, savoring the first sip, took a moment to listen to his surroundings. The ship was eerily quiet with only an essential crew aboard, save for a few noises by chef and his crew, who were preparing a banquet for the welcoming ceremony later that day. Seven new crew members would be joining Enterprise on her next journey and the captain wanted them to feel comfortable from the get go. Malcolm smiled and shook his head at the notion of being paraded in front of the entire crew as a measure of improving one’s comfort. He decided to take a quick tour of the ship as long as she was so deserted.
His steps led him to the armory first. Everything seemed well in order. Reed let his fingers fly across the console, checking the maintenance logs. He still felt a bit of resentment for the Captain because Archer had insisted he take a few days off during the maintenance work. He had gotten daily updates from the crew at Jupiter Station, but still… These were his systems. His weapons. His responsibility, when push came to shove. He knew every relay inside and out and he intended to keep it that way. It might, after all, one day mean the difference between life and death for the entire crew.
He noticed the power generators for the phase cannons had been updated. He dove into the specifications, sipping from his cup from time to time, completely absorbed. He had become so fascinated by the new tech in his domain, that he did not notice time creeping on hour by hour. Neither did he notice two pairs of boots scraping across the armory floor, nor realize the two people had stopped right in front of him, vaguely recognized someone saying his name, only to be awakened from his reverie when a hand touched his shoulder.
Reed was alert within the fraction of a second, grabbing onto the hand, ready to defend himself against the impending attack. But when he looked up, he wasn't met by angry intruders but by the slightly annoyed, yet still amused smirk of one Commander Charles Tucker III. "Hey Malcolm, nice ta see ya, too.", He drawled. "Mind givin’ me that hand back? The Captn' won't be too pleased if his chief engineer's outta commission before leavin' space dock.”
Malcolm's heart skipped a beat, only to resume its duty even faster. He released the hand and apologized: "I'm very sorry, Commander. You startled me." "Oh, I noticed that." Tucker chuckled. "I din’t think it’d be possible ta s’prise ya." He took a step back and only then did Malcolm become aware of the young woman at Tucker's heels. "I'll be damned!" He mumbled under his breath. Tucker cleared his throat: "As I was sayin', I found this young lady on D-deck, lookin' for ya. Malcolm, this is..." "Violet Lee!" A bright smile had replaced the look of utter disbelief on Reed's face as he rose to his feet. Confusion had settled on Tucker's features. "Yeah, how'd ya know?" "Hey Reedster!" Lee said, stepping forward to envelope Reed in a crushing hug. Reed responded with an equally enthusiastic: "Vi!" Once they released each other, Reed's attention turned to Tucker who was doing his best to suppress his amusement.
"Reedster!?" He asked sternly, lifting an inquiring eyebrow at the Englishman. "Commander", a blush began crawling up the Englishman's cheeks. "If that nickname leaves this room, I'll have you on target practice every day for the next month. As. The. Target." Tucker performed a lips sealed shut gesture and began backing out of the armory with his hands raised and a jovial grin.
Reed watched him go until the door slid shut behind him. A light laugh at his side returned his attention to his old friend. Malcolm raised an inquiring eyebrow. "What's so funny, Vi?" The young woman bit her lip. "You've got it bad, Malcolm." She said, tilting her head in the direction Tucker had disappeared. "He's gorgeous, but you? Falling for a superior officer?" Reed flushed and averted his glance. "Am I that obvious?" "Only to those who know what to look for. I can still read you like a book..." a puzzled look crossed Reed's face. "Speaking of superior officers... They made you Lieutenant Commander before me?" His eyes fixed on the three pips on Lee's uniform. She shrugged. "I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Starfleet Diplomatic Corps seem to have made it a policy to promote everyone who helped negotiate successful peace treaties."
Then, with a serious look on her face, she stepped closer to Reed and wrapped her arms around him once more. Slowly this time, appreciating every last bit of contact. "I'm so glad you're okay." "Why wouldn't I be?" Reed chuckled. Locking their eyes Lee gently touched his face. "I do read the Enterprise mission reports. You've been through a lot out here.” “Says the woman who just survived an embassy bombing…”
“I was on the other side of the building, we barely felt the blast. I didn’t even know what was going on until the evacuation began...” “And yet, you went back in to look for survivors!” “Oh, like you’d leave anyone on your crew unaccounted for in a situation like that? I had to get my team out of there!” "Aren't we a pair of martyrs?" They hugged once more before Lee stepped back. "So, are you ever going to tell me, what you're doing here?" Reed inquired with a raised eyebrow. Lee gracefully sat down on the edge of Reed's desk as she replied: "Your Captain has managed to poach one of my best sociologists, Ensign Meddle. He's joining your science team. Can't blame him for leaving. The boy has a gift for absorbing and comprehending cultures. Enterprise has a lot more to offer a young officer like him than the endless backroom busy work that goes into preparing our negotiations. I figured I might as well escort him here." She shrugged. "Unless, you're not happy to see me…"
Reed stepped in close to lay his hands on her shoulders. "I'm very happy to see you.” Memories of his last encounter with this young woman threatened to overpower his mind.
a gentle whisper “...last night on Earth…”
soft lips
skin beaded with sweat
tousled hair
succumbing to the growing waves of pleasure
awakening in an unfamiliar bed - alone.
He carefully cupped her chin in his hand. “Why did you leave?” he breathed, surprised by his own words. A sadness crept into her eyes as Lee replied: “Because I had to.”
She sighed deeply as her eyes dropped to her feet. “This mission,... It was everything you ever worked for. Everything you always wanted. Who knows what the two of us would have gotten up to if we’d actually had to say goodbye.” The urge to protest that he'd never have risked his position on Enterprise rose, but then he remembered… The contentment he'd felt that night, that he hadn't known for so long, the weight on his heart, knowing he'd leave her behind, the doubts whether exploring the endless void of space was worth forgoing a chance to find true happiness on Earth. Before he could stop himself, he leaned down to plant a gentle kiss on her forehead. “You always did know me better than I know myself.” She chuckled. “To be fair, I can read pretty much anyone. It’s why I’m in the Diplomatic Corps. It's where I can be most useful."
They shared a quiet smile before Reed spun around to sit on the desk next to her. "So, your Ensign Meddle… Anything I need to know?" “He thrives under pressure, so give him deadlines, otherwise he’ll procrastinate his shift away…” They talked and talked, reminiscing of old times as well as filling in the gaps of time they’d been absent from each other's lives.
Way too soon, the armory doors opened to reveal Malcolm’s security staff ready to report for duty.
“I should get going, it's back to Vulcan for me tomorrow.” Lee easily slid off the desk. Reed hurriedly followed suit. “I'll walk you to the airlock!” Acknowledging his crew with a nod, Reed led the way to the turbo lift. Once the doors closed to leave them by themselves again, Violet’s lips quirked into a smirk.
“So, what are your plans for Mr. tall, blonde and handsome, Malcolm?”
“None. I can't, Vi.” Reed dropped his gaze to the floor.
“Oh, nonsense, of course you can.” She grabbed his shoulder to move into his line of sight. A knowing smile danced in her face as she added: “I really think you should.”
“You can't be serious!” “Lt. Reed, you will pursue your own happiness. That's an order.” Lee responded with a wink.
A final hug at the airlock and then she was gone just as suddenly as she had appeared. She'd always been special, that Violet, a bit like a gust of wind. Reed sighed and turned back to the turbo lift. Once the cabin arrived, the doors opened to reveal another passenger. Malcolm's throat clicked dryly as he stepped inside, right next to Commander Tucker.
Trip was deeply entranced in the Padd in his hands, so Malcolm busied himself by cataloguing the dents and scrapes on the walls. “Lieutenant?” He could hear Lee's disapproval in his head as clearly as if she were standing right there with him. Heat radiated from his stomach, slowly creeping further into every inch of his body. He cleared his throat softly.
“Commander?” He shook his head. “Trip?” Had his voice always been this gravely?
“Oh, hey Malcolm! Did your friend leave?” Tucker looked up from the Padd, those deep blue eyes meeting the slate grey gaze of the other man.
Malcolm's heart seemed to skip five beats and resume its duty fast enough to make up for missing ten.
“May I assume that you'll be attending the banquet tonight?”
“Yeah, I'm goin’.”
Deep breaths. You're not 14 anymore. Get a grip. A million thoughts fought for Malcolm's attention before the next words slipped from his mouth. “Would you like to accompany me to the welcome ceremony?” His breathing hitched, his voice climbed half an octave up the scale. “As my date…?”
Surprise. The emotion he read on Tucker's face was surprise. A short burst of confusion joined in but quickly resolved into a bashful smile.
“A date?” Trip didn't usually sound quite like this, did he? Almost sultry? Reed nodded and took the tiniest step forward. Tucker didn't flinch, he held his gaze, eyes warm and inviting and when had he gotten this close?
Before Reed quite knew what had happened, Tucker had taken hold of his hand oh so gently. He lifted the entwined fingers to his lips placing the softest possible kiss on Reed’s calloused hand.
“I was beginning to think you'd never ask.”
Malcolm felt the turbo lift sway beneath him. It had to be the lift. Surely he couldn't be this weak in the knees?
Trip’s face erupted into the most genuine smile, whispering his possibly last words:
"I'd love to, Reedster.”