The negotiations had stalled three days into them and a recess was declared until the next week. She looked so tired then, almost on the verge of tears, sitting there and rubbing her temples. The room had emptied and Hoshi bowed her head and rested it onto the table. Malcolm had never seen her look so dejected, and he was even more surprised when she titled her head back to stem the flow of blood coming from her nose.

He moved to hit the comm panel on the table, but her hand reached out to stop him. �It�ll stop in a minute,� she groaned. �It�s a small price to pay, if the negotiations are to succeed.�

Malcolm remained silent and watched her intently. She had been on the offensive with him ever since he arrived, trying to goad him into leaving her. She dabbed at her nose, and looked into a compact mirror to check for any more blood. �See! All done.�

�As a trust of faith, both races formed a telepathic link with me. That was the severing of the link,� explained Hoshi, putting her compact into her bag and standing.

�So, Malcolm,� she called his name in a rush of breath. �Why have you never married?�

He grinned at the question, noticing the change in her demeanor. She was back on the fence throwing pot shots at him.

�Never found the right woman�or man?� she spurred, brushing past him and through the door.

Malcolm rolled his eyes at her back, not really minding that she had pushed past him for he knew the entire complex was secure.

�So are you?� Hoshi pried, unmercifully.

�Am I what?� Malcolm replied, playing dumb.

Hoshi remained calm; not willing to have the table�s turned on her. �Are you gay?�

He pushed the button on the elevator, sending them to the ground floor. �No.�

�Aw, so you never found the right woman, then?�

Malcolm had been grinning up to that point, feeling invigorated as Hoshi flirted with him. His palm itched as the urge to reach out and touch her hair inflamed his soul. But now all the time that had passed alone and without her, reasserted itself, reminding him that he was meant to be alone.

But his mouth betrayed him. "I found the right woman, but the timing was never right," he admitted.

Her eyes lit up at the admission. "Oh really! Is it anybody I know?"

Malcolm stood at ease in front of her but looked straight ahead, saying nothing further.

Realizing he would not be coaxed to reveal more, she remained silent and heaved a sigh of relief as the lift doors opened into the court yard, the fresh evening air permeating her senses.

They walked through the tall hedges on their way toward their rooms, meandering through the maze. The urge to show him the error of his ways encouraged her to stop dead in her tracks. �When are you headed back to Jupiter Station?"

"Whenever my services are no longer required," replied Malcolm.

"Well you might as well head back now. You're services are not wanted. I think I made myself perfectly clear the day you arrived.�

Hoshi dove through a small break in the maze and chuckled, "You can't save me if you can't find me."

As her laughter faded, panic seized him and he started pushing against the hedge for a way through. The bushes gave way reluctantly, but took their pound of flesh scratching and tearing Malcolm�s forearms.

She had a good lead, running across a clearing and into the small forest toward the edge of the compound and into unsecured territory. "Hoshi, stop!"

A mocking laughter told him to leave, that she was tired of living her life as a captive.

She flew through the trees trying to lose him, but he was hot on her trail and madder than hell. He tackled her, not really giving a damn about impropriety. They were too close to the edge of the compound and the unknown. He could control the environment within the walls, but outside them there were elements that wished her harm.

She struggled underneath him, cursing him and crying for him to leave her. �Go away, you bastard, or I�ll kill you myself! I won�t wait around for them to pick the people I love off one by one!� Her eyes were wild and wet with unshed tears.

He brushed the silver streak away from her face and kissed her forehead. �Damn timing.�

With that said, he leaned back to let her catch her breath. Just then her eyes went wide, the full moon reflecting in them. She turned her head away as though afraid of something, and tugged on him in turn. �No, no, don�t look behind you!� she pleaded.

Malcolm couldn�t resist the temptation and looked anyway. Over his shoulder, he saw nothing � just the sky and in it, the moon. �What is it? What�s wrong?�

�It�s bad luck to see the full moon through the branches of a tree,� she mumbled, peaking at his shadow on the ground.

�That�s rubbish,� he rebutted.

Hoshi�s eyes went wide and brimmed with tears. �You�ll have to excuse me for believing in such rubbish, but I can�t afford anymore bad luck.�

Still straddling her, he leaned over and kissed the tears that fell across her cheeks.

�The moon like a flower

In heaven�s high bower,

With Silent delight

Sits and smiles on the night.�

Malcolm whispered the verse upon her lips, trying to heal her wounded soul.

Her eyes fluttered closed and she held her breath, finally exhaling as she felt him deepen the kiss. Her arms circled him, returning the kiss and turning it into a passion that had burned inside him for years on end.

His eyes widened, as her hands snaked past the zipper and into his uniform, and he pulled away, uncertainty clouding the judgment he prided over his orderly life.

One word was all he needed to allow the chaos in, and she whispered it willingly.

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