Trip crept slowly along the corridor, looking every which way, careful not to draw too much attention to himself.  His face looked haunted, unsurprisingly seeing as he felt all too similar to a hunted animal. 

Drawing close to a junction, he peeked around the corner warily, only to jump almost out of his skin by the sudden arrival of Lieutenant Reed striding merrily along, looking mightily pleased with himself.

“OH MY GOD...” Trip yelled, and fell backwards, resulting in a bang on the back of his head as he collapsed onto the wall.  His feet did nothing to help but skidded out from under him, leaving him crumpled into a ball at the feet of Malcolm.  Oh great, he thought,

this is gonna REALLY impress Malcolm.  “Owwwww… that hurt!” he grumbled, looking petulantly towards the lieutenant.

Malcolm, after watching all this unfold before his eyes, could do nothing but giggle at the site of the senior officer lying on the floor.  Taking in Trip’s pouting lips, and unseemly position, it seemed that he would never stop, and, realizing what it must look like, Trip eventually grinned sheepishly.

“Why are you down on the floor?  That is such unbecoming behaviour for a gentleman of your standing...or should I say lying?” Malcolm, still giggling at the man before him, said, holding out a hand to help pull him upright.

Grabbing hold, and pulling himself up off the floor, Trip chuckled.  “Sorry ‘bout that, Malcolm but I was stayin’ outta someone’s way.”  Looking even more embarrassed, he made to move off, but was prevented from doing so by Malcolm’s hand still holding his arm.

“And whose way would you be staying out of, then?  As the armoury officer on this ship, I feel I should be aware if there is a possible security alert.”  Malcolm glanced innocently at Trip. 

Grimacing, Trip mumbled something.

“Pardon, Trip?  I didn’t quite catch that.”  Malcolm smirked, his mouth curling at one edge in amusement.

Sighing, Trip realized he had to confess.  “Go ahead, Malcolm, you can laugh, but I’m tryin’ to avoid Mrs. Phlox.  I think she wants to, ah, um, seduce me.”  He hung his head in shame.

The smirk turned into a huge laugh, Malcolm couldn’t help himself.  “Oh Trip, haha, how do you, hehe, manage to get yourself, hahaha, into so much trouble?”

“Oh yeah, right, I forgot I’m talking to Mr. never-put-afoot-wrong, Mr. never-in-trouble Reed!”  Trip shook his head in mock disgust. Truth was, he was quite enjoying himself, and listening to his favourite person on Enterprise laughing out loud, AND in public too was really a thrill.  Malcolm never really lets himself go like that, he thought, and it’s a pity…that laugh was a real turn on. 

“Um…Malcolm?”  Trip looked down at the floor, almost reluctant to meet the other man’s eyes.  “Can I ask ya a favour?  A real, big favour?”  Looking back up, he sent a pleading look towards his friend.

“Er…what it is?” 

“Well, given that I’m havin’ this little trouble…” Trip swallowed, his mouth dry “canistaywithyatillshegoes?”  His words all came out in a tangled mess.

“Do you mind repeating that please?  Or shall I send for Hoshi to translate?”  Too late, Malcolm realized that his joke was not quite the right thing to say.  Trip was obviously anxious enough already.  His smile faded as he looked again at the uncomfortable figure before him.  “Sorry Trip, I really am.  What did you want, again?”

Sighing deeply, Trip repeated his previously tangled sentence.  “Can I stay with you please?  Just until she goes?  Please?  I won’t be any bother, I’ll do your cleaning for you, *anything* if I can stay where she can’t find me?”

Malcolm’s jaw dropped, and he stood there gaping as if he had never heard anything quite like it before.  “Stay?  Um…with me?  Ah.  Um…” he babbled.  “Do you think that is a good idea?  I mean, I’m a neat freak, you wouldn’t like it…I snore…I…I.”  Malcolm was trying to find any excuse he could to put off Trip.  Searching his memory, he grasped at yet another straw.  “I take all the duvet up!”  Duvet?  Duvet?  Why on earth did I say that? he thought, dismayed.

Another jaw dropped open.  “I only wanted to stay outta her way, Mal.  I c’n sleep on the floor, that’s what I was intending.  Please?”  Knowing the effect that his puppy dog eyes had on the opposite sex, he decided to try them out on Malcolm.  Happily, he could almost see his friend weakening.

Almost losing himself in Trip’s eyes, Malcolm could feel his resolve crumble into tiny pieces.  What this man did to him!  Whoa, now where did that come from?  Malcolm, get a hold on yourself, his inner voice warned. 

“Fine Trip, you can stay, if you want.  When do you want to move in?”

Ah ah, Trip thought, they have just the same effect on his Malcolm as they do on…hold on…*his* Malcolm?  What the?  Hurriedly, he spoke, pushing down the unwarranted thoughts that came to his mind.  “Now, or at least, as soon as possible?  I j’st wanna get out of her sight as soon as.”

Several hours later, and Trip was safely ensconced in Malcolm’s quarters.  Well, safely according to the Trip version of safely.  Annoyingly according to Malcolm.  Trip was sprawled over the bed, with his back against the wall, leaving Malcolm with only the small chair to sit in.  There was room beside Trip for the smaller body of Malcolm, but the way his emotions were running, he’d decided that the chair would be better, safer.

“Malcolm?”  Pleading eyes looked over to where Malcolm was sat.

“Yes, Trip?”  Malcolm’s voice held resignation.  He knew Trip was after something, and that it would involve himself. 

“I’m hungry.”  Trip whined.

“And?  Your point would be?”

“I’m hungry Malcolm.” 

“How long have you been on Enterprise?  Or should I get my ‘How To Get To The Mess Hall And Back In Two Easy Journeys’ booklet out?”   Malcolm sniggered, enjoying this little interaction.

“You know I can’t go to the mess hall…tell me again, what was the reason I asked to stay here?”  Trip pouted, looking very much like a sulky schoolboy.

Malcolm sighed.  Twice.  “Fine, what would you like to eat, or shall I surprise you?”

“Surprise me, sex…um…Mal!”  Trip had been grinning in victory, but blushed as he almost used the word sexy to describe Malcolm.  He glanced warily across at his friend, but was relieved to see that Malcolm was walking out of the door, apparently unaware of Trip’s faux pas. 

“I won’t be long.  Try not to starve to death, or make a mess while I’m gone, will you?”  Malcolm voiced as he departed the quarters.

Luckily, the mess hall was quiet when Malcolm arrived, and he was able to pile up the tray with various foodstuffs, and even managed to snaggle a couple of pieces of pecan pie, knowing Trip’s predilection for the sweet concoction.  Turning, he made his way carefully across the room, hoping that his luck of no one being around would hold.  He’d almost made it to the door, when it suddenly opened, and who should walk in but Captain Archer.

For some reason, this made Malcolm blush, and he lowered his head as he muttered a quiet good evening to his captain.

“Malcolm?  That’s rather a lot of food for one person, isn’t it?  Did you miss your lunch again?”  Grinning, Jon Archer watched as his armoury officer managed to blush even deeper.

“No, sir.”  Malcolm replied, his face still carefully lowered.  He was hoping that that sentence would be all the captain would need, and that he could hurry back to his quarters.  Regrettably, no one had told the captain this.

“So why all the food?  Having a party in your cabin?”  Archer’s smile grew larger as Malcolm started at this, and realized he had inadvertently hit upon something here.  “Okay, Malcolm, what’s happening?”

Malcolm knew he was caught, and his face dropped.  He placed the increasingly heavy tray down on the table next to them, while he explained to Jon.

“Well, sir, the thing is…” he began, halting as Jon held up one hand.

“Malcolm, it’s okay, you don’t have to explain.  I know already.  Trip…”

Groaning loudly, Malcolm ran a hand over his face, even more embarrassed.  I’m going to kill him, really truly I will, he thought.

“Trip commed you, didn’t he sir?”  At the captain’s nod, he continued.  “Was anyone else around when he, um, did that?”  The hopeful look was in his eyes as he looked towards Jon.

“No one else…” Malcolm heaved a sigh of relief  “…no one else, other than T’Pol, Hoshi and Travis!”  Jonathan Archer couldn’t help it; he burst out laughing at the look on his armoury officer’s face.  Malcolm was adept at keeping his feelings to himself, too much sometimes, but today, Jon could see shock, embarrassment, misery and anger wash across his eyes…eyes that were now almost black.

“Malcolm, Malcolm, come on.  I don’t think Trip meant to upset you, you know?  You know what he’s like.  And anyway, he had to let me know where he was because he wanted a couple of days off.  And” Archer hesitated a little, “because I asked him.  To be honest with you, I don’t think Trip wanted to say, but I made him.”

Malcolm finally smiled.  “That’s fine, sir.  I just didn’t want people putting two and two together and making five.” 

“Oh?  How so?”  The captain raised his eyebrows.

Damn and blast, how could I be so bloody stupid, Malcolm berated himself silently.  “Um…” the embarrassment was back yet again.  Luckily, the captain took pity on the figure before him.

“It’s okay, Malcolm.  You’d better get back to Trip before he starts the G Plan Diet!”

“G Plan Diet?  I thought it was G Plan furniture?”

“Ah, this is a new one.  Instead of food, you start eating the furniture!” 

Laughing, Malcolm picked his stacked tray up, and, saying goodbye to the captain, wandered back out into the corridors.  Still smirking at the joke, he turned around the corner, and almost bumped into Hoshi and Travis.

“Evening, Malcolm,” they greeted their friend and colleague.

Groaning inwardly, Malcolm had his work cut out to hold the neutral look on his face.  “Good evening, Hoshi, Travis.”  He made no attempt to stop, but manoevered around the couple.  Sadly and shamefully, he had to listen to their so-called jokes and laughter all the way down the corridor.

“Don’t wear him out.”  “Are you gonna feed him the food?”  “When’s the wedding?”  “Kissy, kissy, smoochy, smoochy”

“I am soooo going to kill Trip.  I wonder what’s the quickest, yet most tortuous way of doing it?”  He muttered under his breath.  The trouble was, he’d thought a couple of Hoshi and Travis’s suggestions sounded like fun.   Yet again, he heaved a deep sigh.

He arrived back at his quarters with great relief.   Alas, he discovered that with his arms full of food, he couldn’t reach the chime to key in his code.  Swearing, he decided to try kicking the door to get Trip’s attention. 

“C’mon in,” Trip’s voice shouted out.

“Grrrrr, he is dead, he really is dead…YOU. ARE. DEAD.  DO YOU KNOW THAT TRIP?”  Malcolm shouted.

“WHY?” came the voice back.

“BECAUSE…OH SHITTING HELL, TRIP, JUST OPEN THIS DOOR AND LET ME IN, YOU BASTARD!”

Malcolm could hear Trip chuckling away as the door opened.    As it completely opened, Malcolm’s jaw dropped.  Audibly gulping, Malcolm looked at Trip, who had obviously just been in the shower.  He was standing there with just a towel wrapped around the lower part of his body, his top half completely naked.  Malcolm found that he couldn’t speak or move.  His eyes hungrily devoured the man before him. 

Coughing, Trip brought him back to reality. “Come in, why don’t you?” he grinned.  He was certain that Malcolm had checked him out in a “god, you are gorgeous” sort of way, and it had sent a thrill running through his body.  He took the tray off the still stationary man, turned and walked back into the room.  Malcolm followed, embarrassed to have been caught ogling his friend.

“Wow, this all looks real good.  Thanks, Mal, you’re a wonder.”  Trip set the tray down on the desk, made himself comfortable in the chair and started eating.

“Why did you tell the captain where you were?” came Malcolm’s next words, as he slowly recovered his composure.  He had seated himself on the edge of the bed.

“Huh?”

Slowly, gritting his teeth, Malcolm repeated his sentence.  “Why did you tell the captain where you were?  Do you realize how it made this,” he waved his arms to encompass the whole room and situation, “look?” 

“Hey, I had no option.  I had to tell the cap’n why I wanted a coupla days off, and where I was.  Anyway, how does it look?”  Trip sent a sly look across the room, and was extremely gratified by the blush that was creeping up Malcolm’s cheeks.  And even more so when the lieutenant started to stammer his reply.

“Ah, um…er…I…I…w…what did you s…say?”  Malcolm stood up and headed for the bathroom.

“You heard me, Malcolm.  How does it look?  We’re friends, right?  No reason for anyone to get suspicious, is there?  Unless, of course, you acted suspicious?”

Malcolm was very glad he was in the bathroom.  His face was on fire, and looked it.  He ignored Trip’s question, and splashed his face with cold water, trying to get his colour back to normal.  When he was satisfied the redness had all gone, he left the sanctity of the bathroom. 

Trip somehow had managed to eat the majority of the food, and was lying on the floor in his sleeping bag, arms behind his head, looking for the entire world like that cat that had had the cream.

“Thanks for the food, Malcolm, it was great.”

“Glad you enjoyed it, Trip.”  Malcolm stepped around the supine figure on the floor, making his way towards the laundry chute, where he stripped off his clothes until he was just in his briefs.  He felt, rather than saw, two eyes watching him, and quickly jumped into his bed, pulling the sheets up around his shoulders.

“Are you ready for lights out yet?”  Malcolm leaned over the edge of the bed towards his friend.

“Sure thing, Im bushed.” Trip replied, yawning widely.

“If you start snoring, I’m going to pull your sleeping bag out into the corridor and leave you there, I’m warning you now.”  Malcolm gave Trip a wicked grin. 

Trip snorted loudly.  “Luckily for you, Mal, I don’t snore, otherwise you would have had quite a struggle on your hands!”

“Ha!  You’re an engineer; I’m an armoury officer.  I don’t think there is any doubt who would win that battle!”

Trip chuckled softly.  “Well, it’s not gonna happen anyway.  G’night, Mal, sweet dreams.”

Sweet dreams indeed, thought Malcolm.  “Good night Trip.  You too.”  He smiled as he turned onto his side.

Malcolm jumped suddenly, bringing him to semi-awakeness.  He sat up in his bed, rubbing his eyes.  Something felt wrong, somehow, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was.  He glanced towards the chronometer, groaning as he realized it was only 0100hours.  He’d only been asleep two hours.  What was wrong?  He couldn’t think – but before he could try and remember, a more pressing need overtook him.

Throwing his sheets off, he swung his legs out of bed and took a few strides towards the bathroom.  Because he was half asleep, he had completely forgotten about his visitor, and when his shuffling feet caught on the edge of Trip’s sleeping bag, he stumbled.   Flailing his arms around, he completely missed anything solid, and landed with a heavy thump directly on top of Trip.

Trip had been fast asleep, dreaming of an armful of amorous armoury officer, when a heavy weight landed suddenly on top of him.  A sudden weight that spoke with an English accent.  Trip was wide-awake almost instantly.

“Humph…what the fuck?”   Trip inadvertently grasped at Malcolm’s waist.

“Ouch…bloody hell.”  A very English voice cursed in his ear.

“Mal?  What are you doing?”

Shaking his head in annoyance, Malcolm attempted to explain what had happened.  “I completely and utterly forgot you were here, Trip.  I was trying to get to the bathroom.  I apologise…I knew there was something wrong, but I couldn’t think what it was.  I’m sorry…” 

His voice tailed off as he realized that his body, despite needing the toilet, was reacting to the sensual, sleepy blonde beneath him.  He could feel the blush perfuse his face, his heart racing, and he held his breath, not knowing whether to move or not.  Although it would have been difficult, considering Trip’s hands were firmly clasped to his waist.

In the darkness of the room, Trip could just about make out Malcolm’s face just inches away from his, and could almost feel the heat from his blush.  Shifting slightly in his sleeping bag, Trip felt the reason for Malcolm’s blush.  Grinning to himself, he realized that his own cock was rapidly joining Malcolm’s in the Get Hard Quick stakes!

Softly, almost too quietly to be heard, Malcolm spoke “I apologise, Commander, I…” He stopped talking as he raised himself up on his arms, trying to remove himself from Trip.  Unfortunately, or fortunately as the case may be, he didn’t get very far, as Trip grasped hold of Malcolm’s waist tighter.

“Why the rush, Mal?”  He whispered.  “We have all night…”

“All…night?  Um, what are you saying?”  Malcolm’s voice became huskier as his mixed emotions jumbled his mind up.

“Im sayin’, we have all night…so why are ya runnin’ away?”  Trip reached up and gently stroked the nape of Malcolm’s neck, smiling as he heard a muffled groan.  Teasing at the dark, silky hair, he slowly pulled Malcolm’s head down towards his, and captured the soft lips with his own.

Malcolm couldn’t quite believe his luck – that this man, this golden boy of Enterprise, renowned lothario and womanizer, was here and, more importantly, was kissing him.  Well, he was damned if he was just gonna let him go, now.  He opened up to the gently, almost shyly probing kiss.  Trip’s tongue invaded his mouth, and the twirling and teasing sent butterflies down to his stomach.

Groaning, Trip ran his hands up and down Malcolm’s back, feeling the muscles there, and lingered on the very well defined gluteus maximus.

Coming up for air, Malcolm and Trip were panting hard.  “I think we need to relocate to the bed, dontcha think Mal?”

In one swift, graceful swoop, Malcolm had stood, holding one arm out to his soon to be lover.

“How’d ya do that Mal?  You’re so graceful, whereas I’m just as clumsy as anything.”  He struggled out of the sleeping bag, and grabbed hold of Malcolm’s arm, almost pulling the man over as he attempted to stand up. 

“Ah…years of practice for this kind of moment.”  Malcolm chuckled, while reaching for the light and turning it up only so far that they could see each other in the dimness.

Gazing at each other, they simultaneously undressed, and fell onto the bed, clutching at each other.  Trip reached up and delicately caressed Malcolm’s high cheekbones, planting soft kisses on them.   He groaned loudly as he felt Malcolm’s exploring hands run over his extremely sensitive nipples.  Malcolm was rolling them, teasing them between his fingers, and then, suddenly, the sensation was gone, briefly, and Malcolm’s mouth continued where his fingers had left.

Trip ran his fingers through Malcolm’s hair, letting the silky locks braid themselves around his hands.

“Oh, oh Malcolm…darlin’…this is…you are wonderful.  Do you know that?”

A lustful Malcolm glanced up from his nipple work.  “No, Trip, you are wonderful, you are superlative, you are marvelous…” he tailed off as Trip whipped him onto his back, and straddled his thighs.

“What the…”

“It’s only fittin’ darlin’, that I should give you some Trip Tucker lovin’” Trip adoringly kissed Malcolm’s desire-swollen lips, suckling and licking at his tongue, leaving Malcolm gasping at the tenderness.  As Trip was kissing, his hand was making its way slowly down Malcolm’s chest, stroking and teasing everywhere.

Slipping down Malcolm’s writhing body, following his hand, he found the object of his desire, standing tall and proud.

“Shit, Malcolm, I never realized you were this big…your uniform conceals a hell of a lot, don’t it?”  Gazing at the hard cock with adoration, he firmly took it in his hot, wet mouth.

Malcolm tried to sit up, to convey his feelings on Trip’s words, but fell back in ecstasy as Trip and his magic mouth enveloped him.

“Oh god, Trip, yes, oh…Trip.”  Yet again, words failed him as Trip’s head bobbed up and down, nibbling at the sides of his cock, then running his talented tongue around the head, licking all the copious amounts of pre-cum off with an enthusiasm bordering on obsessive.

Clutching the sheets, and with a huge effort, Malcolm managed to gently tug at Trip’s hair to get his attention.

“Malcolm?  Mal?  Ain’t ya enjoying this?”  The incredulity in Trip’s eyes was horrifying, and Malcolm rushed to speak, to get that look out of his eyes.

“No, no, Trip.  It was…fantastic.  But I’m this close,” he held up two fingers millimeters apart  “to coming.  And I didn’t want to spoil…the rest for you.” 

Trip relaxed his features, and gave Malcolm a loving look.

“Oh, you won’t spoil it, Mal, honey.  I have something…special in mind.  Um, d’you have any lube?”

Malcolm’s face lit up like a firework display, and Trip felt extremely privileged to have been the man to make him relax his normally stoic stance.  He was one very lucky man, he thought to himself, as Malcolm, turning around to grab the lube from the shelf, returned back to his supine position.

Almost shyly, he threw it towards Trip.  “Here you are…is that okay?”  He looked downwards, as if expecting his lover to throw it back in disgust.  The chuckling from the other man once again made him relax, and he raised his head, to find Trip laughing over the lube.

“Hahaha, pineapple flavoured lube?  I should have known!”  Trip was still sniggering quietly as he knelt between Malcolm’s wantonly spread thighs.  Instead of turning his attention back to a quietly adoring Malcolm, he anointed his hands with the lube, and, taking one finger in his mouth, he slowly, carefully, and in full view of Malcolm, licked, suckled and nibbled at the finger, ensuring all the lube was off.  Seeing Malcolm gasp at his show, he placed another finger on his lips, poking his tongue in and out, and running it around the fingertip before taking the finger deep into the cavity of his mouth.

Malcolm watched this performance with lust and adoration – he knew he wouldn’t be able to stand it much longer.  Just as he’d thought his cock couldn’t get any harder, along came Trip to disprove that theory.

“Trip…oh my god, Trip…I want you, I need you.  Please?”  He resorted to begging.

“You need me…in you, darlin’?”

“Yes, please, now…please?”  Pleading, he held out his arms towards the golden boy knelt before him.

“An’ there I was, trying to worship at the sacred body of Reed!”  Trip smiled sexily, and almost fell into the waiting arms.

“Oh you can worship, Trip…it’s just…just…I’d rather you worshipped from this level.  Arhhh…oh T.t.t.trip.” 

Trip had had enough of the talk and was in the process of working his hand down under Malcolm’s perineum towards the very sensitive pleasure centre.

“Darlin’ Mal, I think we’re gonna need a pillow here…”

Placing the pillow carefully underneath Malcolm’s hips, Trip once again knelt between the strong, well-defined thighs.  Slowly, softly, he lubed up his middle finger and rubbed it along the perineum, all the while stroking the hardness with his other hand.

Malcolm was panting and gasping like never before.  He tried to contain his groans, but the talented fingers were trying even his restrained personality.

As Trip’s finger found the puckered hole, Malcolm tensed up slightly. 

“Mal, it’s okay, honey…it’s fine…you are gorgeous…” Trip whispered endearments almost constantly while pushing at Malcolm’s anus. 

Trip felt rather than saw Malcolm relax, and managed to push his finger inwards, treading oh so carefully.  He stopped when his finger was halfway in, looking up towards his lover.  He waited while Malcolm nodded his acceptance, before resuming his fingering.

Pushing his finger inwards, he delved deeply, searching for the sensitive gland.  Malcolm moaned loudly, and twitched his hips as his finger found what it was looking for.  Moving as swiftly as he was able, Trip slipped another finger in, scissoring them, and stretching gently, loving the way Malcolm was vocalizing his pleasure.  Eventually, Trip decided Malcolm was stretched enough to accommodate him.

“Malcolm?  Are you…do you…think you are ready now?”

“Oh god, yes.  As soon as possible, if you please.”

Trip leant across Malcolm’s body, placing his aching cock at the fully stretched entrance, whilst kissing Malcolm’s swollen, tender lips.  Passionately kissing his love, Trip gentle pressed his swollen cock into Malcolm’s hot, tight hole, taking it nice and slow, ensuring Malcolm would not be hurt in any way.

Malcolm let out a hot breath as the feeling of fullness captured his heart.  He knew he wouldn’t be long.  “Ohhhh, Trip…this…I…” Lost for words, he tilted his head back and urged his hips forward, encouraging Trip to continue.

Trip started to move, first pulling then pushing, using his hips to grind against the push of Malcolm’s body, enjoying the rich tightness of his partner.  Speeding up, the dance continued, hot sweaty bodies thrusting against one another, lost in the rhythm of love.  Pleasure rippled through their bodies as they hurtled towards that most blissful of releases.

“Mal…oh Mal, darlin’…you feel j’st wonderful.”

“Trip, oh Trip.  I…I’m not going to be long…”

Faster and faster they moved, groaning, hands clutching at every piece of available flesh, until…

“Ohhh god Malcolm…Mal, darlin’…I…it’s here!”

“Trip…Tripppp…I…I love you…Trip…ahhhhhhhhhhh.”

They orgasmed together, Trip’s seed hurling itself deep into Malcolm; Malcolm’s splashing between their two torsos.  Sobbing, Trip collapsed onto Malcolm, holding him close in his arms, nuzzling into his neck.  He felt Malcolm’s arms tighten around him, and they lay still, together, reveling in the feeling of being as one.

Their breathing quietened, and slowly, Trip slid out of Malcolm, carefully holding his lover.  Sliding back up the bed, they lay facing each other, smiling, arms still around one another.  A memory suddenly reappeared into Trip’s mind.

“Mal?”   Trip gazed at his lover.

“Uh hu?”

“Um…I thought I heard you say something, when you came…”

Trip saw Malcolm’s eyes narrow briefly, then felt the rest of his body tense.  Moving to quickly remove that barrier, he continued.

“Did…did you say you loved me?”  An anxious look crossed Trip’s face.

“Um…” Malcolm blushed, and looked anywhere than at Trip, and so missed the adoration and love that flooded Trip’s eyes.

“Cos, Malcolm, darlin’?  I love you too.  You are my heart, my body, my mind, my soul.  I want to be with you forever, I will never want anyone else as long as I live.”  These words, spoken with deep sincerity, caused Malcolm to nestle into Trip’s neck.

“Oh Trip, my darling Trip.  You will never know what those words mean to me.  I love you too.”

They fell to sleep, content and deeply in love, curled up in one another’s arms.

The following morning, a whistling, cheerful Malcolm made his way up to the mess hall.  He was hoping to meet someone, anyone on the way, but it seemed that everyone was either hiding or still in slumberland.

Walking into the mess, he noticed again the lack of personnel.  Frowning slightly, he was a little disappointed that he couldn’t tell anyone his good fortune.  Walking over to the food, he starting picking out various breakfast items, loading them onto the tray.  He suddenly felt as if he was being watched.  Turning, he found Mrs. Phlox behind him, scrutinising him with vivid blue eyes.

“Good morning, Mrs. Phlox.”  Malcolm inclined his head slightly, and made as if to go around her.

“Good morning, Lieutenant.”  Her eyes appraised him, making him feel somewhat uneasy.  Before he could go, she continued.  “Have you seen Mr. Tucker around anywhere?  I have been searching for him since last night.”

Malcolm felt his stomach jump and the blush appear on his face.

“Tri…um…Mr. Tucker…er…um…is he not in engineering or in sickbay?”  He’d not exactly lied, he thought, just bent the truth slightly.

“No, he isn’t.  I believe you and he to be close…friends, are you sure you don’t know where he is?”  The tone of her voice told him that she knew exactly where he was, but his stoic British reserve kept him in shape.

“Sorry.  I have to go now, but when I see him, I’ll be sure to tell him you’re looking for him.”  Swiftly, he picked the laidened tray up, and departed the mess hall.  Well, I will tell him, he grinned to himself.  If Trip decides to still stay away from her, well, not my fault.

He began whistling again, and suddenly the quietness of the ship seemed wonderful after his encounter with Dr Phlox’s wife.  There would be enough time to reveal their romance to their friends after she’d left.

After all, he thought, tomorrow is another day!

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