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Author's notes: Inspired by Dark Ferret's fic '24" a Logan/Rogue fic. Thanks Judy and Mara for the info! Lol Totally foofy fic.
For anyone who doesn't know who Em is, she was a character Jessica and I made up for the RR "It's Not Easy Being Green." She was Trip's girlfriend in that fic. I made her his wife in this one. Other than that, the two fics have nothing to do with one another.
"Do you think they're still there?" Hoshi asked as she and Malcolm made their way back to the mess hall. They'd been dancing around their attraction to each other for months.At Jon's surprise birthday party Malcolm had suddenly gotten up the nerve to tell Hoshi he loved her.
Malcolm stopped and looked at her with an amused grin adjusting the collar of her shirt to hide a hickey. "How long did we spend in Hydroponics?"
"Good point." They kept walking. "Wait." She reached up and rubbed at a small smear of lipstick on his neck. "Okay." After a few moments she asked, "Do you think anyone even noticed we were gone?"
"It was getting pretty rowdy in there when we left. I doubt it."
The mess hall was nearly deserted when they got back. Only a clean up crew remained. Not entirely disappointed Malcolm and Hoshi started to turn and leave when she suddenly looked back. "Is that Trip's camera?"
Malcolm narrowed his eyes and wound his way through the tables. "I think it is."
Hoshi made her way to his side. "We should take it with us so it doesn't get lost. His parents gave it to him as a going away present. He'd be heartbroken if something happened to it."
Slowly, they walked out of the mess hall and towards one of the turbolifts. Curiosity soon got the better of Hoshi and she took the camera and flipped it on. A few moments of fiddling gave her the menu and she chose 'View Pictures.'
1- Round 322 of 'Should we or shouldn't we investigate this new phenomenon?' Jon stands in front of his chair looking at T'Pol. She looks back with one eyebrow raised as if to say 'You have lost your mind.' Hoshi sits facing her station sort of hunched over her console as if trying hard to concentrate. There's a smile lifting the corners of her lips and an expression that says she'd burst out laughing if she could.
"You should have laughed I did," Malcolm chuckled.
"No you didn't."
"Yes, I did. You just couldn't hear me."
2-Malcolm sits in the Armory with his eyes closed. His head is tilted towards the ceiling as if asking the Great Armory Gods for inspiration. Or maybe he's asleep. Em, Trip's wife, stands behind him making bunny ears.
"I think Em just earned herself a few double shifts."
3-Porthos plays dead. His little paws stick up in the air as T'Pol looks on perplexed.
"You'll never figure him out, T'Pol. He's just too damn complex," Hoshi laughed.
4-Travis floats in the sweet spot waving at the camera from the ceiling.
5-Chef dances in the kitchen as he cooks.
6-Jon walks Porthos on E deck. A bag of cheese cubes dangles from his hands.
"Hope Phlox didn't catch you," Malcolm murmured. "He read me the riot act when I did that."
7-Hoshi and Phlox eat lunch together and laugh.
"How long did it take you to learn Denobulan?" Malcolm asked.
"Not very long, actually." Hoshi said. "I get better each time we have lunch."
8-Em and a few others from the Armory have lunch in the mess hall. Em makes a kissy face at the camera as the others look on.
9-Hoshi look at Malcolm as he responds to her comments. T'Pol's bum sticks out as she looks in her viewfinder.
"Hmmm..."
"You had better not be admiring T'Pol's bum!" Hoshi said in mock rage.
"I'm not!" Malcolm stared at her incredulously. He caught the impish glint in her eyes. "Wait how did you—"
"You talk in your sleep." She laughed at the mortified expression on his face. "I snuck into sickbay to check up on you and you rambled on about T'Pol and her exquisite bum. It's okay," she reassured him. "I know a lot of men on board are attracted to her."
Malcolm shook his head. "She is beautiful, I'll admit that but..." He brushed her cheek. "There was nothing more wonderful than hearing your voice over the comm. system. It gave me hope that we'd be rescued."
The smile she gave him was beautiful and she leaned up and kissed him. Before it could turn into anything more she looked around and dragged him off. "Come on. I don't want to share you or the news that we're involved with anyone yet."
10-Porthos makes a jump for the camera.
11-Malcolm and Hoshi level phase pistols at the camera and smirk.
"I think we'll have to make a copy of that and frame it," Malcolm said.
12-Warp core.
13-Warp core readout.
14-Engineering crew gathered around the warp core
"Think he's got enough pictures of the warp core?" Malcolm asked. Hoshi could only shake her head as she laughed.
15-Bridge crew gathered around captain's chair looking dignified
16-Bridge crew gathered around captain's chair. Except this time, Jon is sticking his tongue out and crossing his eyes. Travis' feet stick up in the air as he does a handstand. Malcolm is dipping Hoshi and both smile at the camera. Trip hangs from ceiling using anti-grav boots. T'Pol stands next to the captain's chair looking stoic as ever.
"I get the feeling Admiral Forrest is going to get a copy of this one."
17-Trip gives the camera a startled look as he eats cereal.
18- T'Pol eats pecan pie oblivious to camera's presence in the darkened mess hall.
"T'Pol eats pecan pie?" Hoshi turned curious eyes on Malcolm.
"I noticed her bum not what she was eating." He ducked and laughed as she swatted him.
19-Hoshi puts a finger to her lips as she shows off Jon's birthday cake. It's a large rectangular cake that's white with red trim. A picture of Enterprise sits in the middle with 'Happy Birthday Jon!' written on it.
20-Em, tangled up in streamers and balloon strings, looks annoyed at the camera.
21-Trip and Malcolm hold the Happy Birthday banner and look at Hoshi in exasperation as she motions with her arms.
"I'm surprised you didn't make me put that up by myself."
"I think it was becoming a possibility at that point.
22-Trip leads a surprised Jon into the mess hall. Crewmembers are cheering and clapping. T'Pol stands to the side with her hands behind her back observing. Hoshi holds the cake. Malcolm is looking over her shoulder, fingers lightly touching her waist for balance. Phlox leans towards Cutler to say something. Travis is clapping and laughing.
23-T'Pol stares at cake with a 'Do I really have to eat this?' look in her eyes. Jon is laughing at her. Trip just looks at the ceiling as if asking for patience. Phlox is still speaking to Cutler. Porthos jumps up excitedly as Travis holds a cheese cube out for him. In the background, Hoshi sits at a far table looking across the room towards the camera as she eats cake. Malcolm walks in her direction.
Hoshi and Malcolm's footsteps started to slow as they looked at the picture. "Who had the camera?" Malcolm asked.
"Probably Em," Hoshi replied. "But I don't think she knew she was getting us in the shot.
24-Jon holds up Porthos, snout smeared with cake and frosting. Trip, hands on his hips, argues with T'Pol. She stares back at him with an eyebrow raised. Now Phlox is holding Porthos who's happily snacking on his plate of cake. Crewmembers are everywhere eating and drinking. Through a small gap in the crowds Malcolm can be seen sitting next to Hoshi as she eats.
25-Navokovich is dancing on table for cheering female crewmembers. Trip holds his stomach and laughs. T'Pol stands with her mouth slightly open probably vowing never to come to a human birthday party again. Jon stands with a hand over his eyes as if he can't believe what he's seen. Phlox is off to one side taking notes with glee. Travis is dancing with his eyes closed missing the show. Cutler balances a cup on her nose, arms outstretched. Under one arm Hoshi and Malcolm can be seen, their faces a few inches apart as they stare into each other's eyes.
26-Travis is dancing with Cutler. Phlox takes notes on his padd, an excited look on his face. T'Pol feeds Porthos cheese cubes. Jon is lifting cake to his mouth and Trip stands ready to smash it in his face. In the background various other crew members talking and eating. Malcolm and Hoshi have disappeared from their table. The slightly blurry forms of one crewmember chasing another with a piece of cake in her hand fill the foreground.
27- Hoshi and Malcolm, their backs to the camera, walk down the corridor. They're close but not touching.
"You don't think Em..."
"No," Hoshi shook her head. "She wouldn't do that. Trip would though." Hoshi shook her head.
"I didn't even notice anyone behind us."
Hoshi took his hand in hers. "A bomb could have dropped and I don't think we would have noticed."
28- Leaves block most of the view but apparently Malcolm and Hoshi are in Hydroponics. From the way they're standing they're facing each other and Malcolm is leaning towards Hoshi.
29-This one had a slightly better view than the last picture. Malcolm has his hands on Hoshi's waist. One of her hands rests on his cheek and the other rests over his heart as they speak.
30-This one had a very clear view. Hoshi has her arms around Malcolm's neck and he has his hands wrapped around her waist as they kiss.
31-The kiss has ended and the two are looking around Hydroponics curiously.
"I knew I'd heard something!" Malcolm exclaimed. "It's not just paranoia!"
32-Sensing nothing is wrong Malcolm and Hoshi go back to kissing.
Malcolm and Hoshi put the camera down. "He's a dead man," Malcolm declared beginning to stalk off. Hoshi grabbed his arm.
"Tomorrow," she said.
"Tomorrow?"
She put her arms around her neck. "Tomorrow," she said firmly.
"Why?"
"Because," she punctuated each word with a kiss, "we'll have all night to think something up."
"You're a dangerous woman, Hoshi Sato." He grinned kissing her deeply and carrying her to the turbolift. "I knew there was a reason I loved you."
They laughed evilly as they stepped into the turbolift.
In his own quarters, Trip shuddered in his sleep.