Reed's Armory -- A Malcolm Reed Fanfiction Archive ..

Title: Nunc Scio Quit Sit Amor

Author: Zoe

Author's e-mail: [email protected]

Pairing: Tucker/Reed

Rating: NC-17

Category: Slash

Beta:Lots of thanks go to Roaring Mice and SueC for their wonderful beta-ing.

Summary: Tucker/Reed in a tight situation and bickering; Boy Scout knife; an unintentional injury; serious or humorous

Author's Notes: Written for Kathy Rose. The title is taken from Virgil, the translation being Now I know what love is

Archived to Reed's Armory on 04/15/2008.

Out of the corner of his eye, Trip could see Malcolm, blue eyes glittering with
irritation. Turning his head completely, he managed to observe the armoury
officer in all his stressed, pissed glory. Moreover, said anger seemed to be
aimed in his direction.

"What? I didn't do anything, Malcolm."

Malcolm merely contented himself with a sneer and a barely muffled, "Huh."

"I didn't," Trip protested. "How the hell was I supposed to know about that
trade agreement? T'Pol never said nothin' about that."

Another huff and a dark look, but still Malcolm remained silent, much to the
increasing annoyance of Trip.

About to make another snide remark, Trip paused as Malcolm finally broke his
silence. "T'Pol did mention it, Trip. You were far too busy flirting with that
female alien and her breasts to take any notice of what we were saying. Then,
as soon as you've finished with her, you go and blunder straight on in there
with your happy-go-fucking-lucky smile, despite our warnings, and agree to
whatever they say. Now I find myself 'married' to a wanker like you, without
any fucking warning whatsoever, and having to go through a ceremony before we
can leave. Marvellous, absolutely bloody marvellous. I don't know how you
manage it, Trip, I really don't."

During this tirade, Trip could only swallow and silently agree. He had flirted
with that alien, but only because Malcolm had been flirting with the tall, slim
blond leader. The very male leader. Seeing the man he'd been mooning over
forever flirting with a male alien stuck in his craw, and it had seemed like a
good idea at the time, and.and why was he doing this? He scowled back at
Malcolm.

"Fuck off Malcolm. It wasn't my entire fault. You were flirting with that.that
male alien thing. Yeah, see? Different now, isn't it? Kept that secret didn't
you?"

Eyes narrowed, Malcolm stood and faced his colleague. His voice cold as ice, he
asked, "What secret? Pray tell, Commander."

Trip clambered to his feet and moved to within two inches of the dark haired
man. His jealousy was spiralling out of control and he was unable to stop his
next words. "You. You being gay. Queer. A fucking homo."

Shocked, Malcolm gasped. Inadvertently, he stepped backwards until his back
reached the wall. "I can't believe. I can't believe you said that," he
whispered, his face leached of all colour.

Trip was appalled at his behaviour, but it was far too late now to retract his
words. He could only watch as Malcolm's defensive shields clamped down, and his
friend slowly sat down, head lowered.

A sick anxiety took hold in Trip's stomach, and he wanted to kick himself. His
best friend, his longed-for lover, and he had destroyed everything he'd built up
with a few extremely badly chosen words spoken in the heat of an argument. He
doubted Malcolm would ever forgive him, and, as he felt his heart break into a
million pieces, he could only whisper a very heartfelt, "Sorry."

TMMTTMMT

After what seemed like years, and a yet unbreached telling silence, the door
opened. Through the door came the male leader who Malcolm had been chatting to
earlier.

"Greetings. On behalf of my planet, I would like to offer my congratulations on
your joining, and would ask that you now take the time to wear these ceremonial
gowns. I will return in a while to take you to the arena where you will perform
the Act of Liiara." With that, the man carefully placed two sets of clothing
onto the table, and departed.

Trip glanced over at his colleague, dismayed to see a scowl still on his
expressive face. Unable to think of anything to say, Trip stood up and grabbed
his outfit. As the delicate material unfolded into a semi-transparent cat suit,
he heard a sharply inhaled breath. Turning his head, he saw Malcolm's frown
deepen.

"No bloody way. Not a chance. I wouldn't go through with this if your life
depended on it." Malcolm hissed, sneeringly adding, "Commander!"

Mouth tightening, Trip slanted a glare his way. "Oh yeah, you will, Lieutenant.
I wanna get off this godforsaken planet, and if the only way is marryin' ya,
that's what I'll do. So get yer ass off that floor and into this outfit." Trip
saw Malcolm's mouth open - obviously to protest - and continued hurriedly,
"That's an order."

Mutinously, Malcolm got to his feet and he snatched the outfit from his
commanding officer. "Thought you were homophobic, thought you hated gays,
thought.," he muttered sarcastically under his breath.

"What was that, Malcolm? Thought I was what?" Trip snipped back at his
subordinate, before taking a deep, fortifying, calming breath. He moved across
to where Malcolm was already undressing. "Look, Malcolm.I.," he faltered,
unsure how to continue, but realising the only way forward was to do so. "I'm
sorry, okay? The stuff I said earlier was cruel and untrue, and designed to
hurt."

Malcolm opened his mouth to interrupt, but Trip held up his hand. "No, let me
finish, please?" As Malcolm closed his mouth and nodded, Trip continued with
his speech. "I didn't mean it, I really didn't. I was pissed off because -
well, because of my own stupid actions before. Please accept my apology; I'll
make it up to you."

A disarming stare from the dark blue eyes had Trip feeling like a small school
kid - he almost felt as if he should be scuffing his shoes on the ground. Then,
like the sun coming from behind the clouds, a smile appeared on the Brit's face.

"You'll make it up to me. Anything?" Malcolm asked enigmatically.

Suspicion lit Trip's eyes, but he could hardly refuse. A wry smile on his own
face, he reluctantly agreed. "Anything."

Malcolm grinned but remained silent. Still watching Trip, he continued to
remove his uniform, unzipping his jumpsuit and pulling it down to his waist,
before tugging off his black undershirt with alacrity. Next to go were his
shoes, swiftly followed by the rest of the jumpsuit.

As the tee shirt was removed, Trip's heart quickened. When the jumpsuit was
finally completely off, his mouth dried up. Never before had he wanted to reach
out and touch someone, but now that someone was off limits, all because of his
own idiotic speak-without-thinking character. Fists clenched as his side, a
small voice inside of him was shouting turn around, don't watch. Nevertheless,
like a car wreck, he found himself unable to move.

Running his gaze up and down Malcolm's almost naked body, Trip felt his own body
reacting to the lithe, muscled form before him. His blood rushed south, and
suddenly he felt light-headed, a faint bead of sweat breaking out on his brow.

Malcolm moved his thumbs underneath the waistband on his blue underwear, eyes
still on Trip, observing his every reaction. The fact that the blond was
getting turned on was no surprise, despite Trip's thoughtless remarks earlier.
Malcolm had often wondered whether the sly glances Trip sent his way from time
to time - usually when he thought Malcolm wasn't looking - meant anything and,
from the way Trip was reacting, Malcolm was certain they had. In addition, the
fact he had forgiven Trip so quickly after the harsh words only reiterated his
own thoughts. However, this was not the time or place and, with a speed he
didn't think he'd manage, he swiftly removed his blues and replaced them with
the delicate cat suit, gently tugging it into position.


Trip's jaw dropped as he caught his first brief glimpse of Malcolm naked, before
the clothing spoilt his view. On the other hand, was it? - the transparency of
the material was plainly more than they'd first thought, and the heavy genitals
were captured and shown off to best advantage.

"Um, Malcolm? I.have you seen." Trip spluttered to a halt as he realised he
too would have to wear the same outfit. "Oh fuck."

Malcolm smirked. "Oh fuck, what, Trip? Did you not actually see what the
people were wearing when we landed?" He laughed as the penny finally dropped
for Trip. "Oh Trip, love, you really didn't have a clue, did you?"

Trip was about to counter that clueless remark when something else clicked into
place. "What did you say?"

Malcolm glanced up at him through thick eyelashes. "What? When?"

"Just then. You called me.something."

"I did? I only said you didn't have a clue. Was that it?" Malcolm raised an
eyebrow in query.

"No, you know damn well that wasn't it. You called me 'love'." Trip folded his
arms and waited. And waited. The tension in the room was almost palpable, and
yet Trip remained outwardly calm, despite his own nervousness.

The door opened, startling the two men and cutting into the tense atmosphere. It
was the male leader once more. Now inside the room, he glanced at them both
before looking at Trip with slight concern.

"Is there something wrong with your outfit? Does it not fit correctly?" he
asked, picking said outfit up.

"Oh, no, no. Sorry, I was just gonna put it on. In fact, give it here."
Grabbing for it, he hastily removed his own uniform and donned the outfit. What
he hadn't realised, in his haste, was that it was somewhat different from
Malcolm's. Where Malcolm had what appeared to be a cat suit, his own was
shorter. Very much shorter.

"Hey, this isn't the same as Malcolm's," Trip protested loudly, the very tight
shorts clinging snugly around his rear and displaying his genitals for all to
see.

"No. Partners to go through the Act of Liiara must have differing clothing.
The - head partner has the full costume, the following partner, the shorter one.
It is to ensure that people know the Triafra from the Bokla," the alien
explained.

Trip scowled. "I don't know exactly what your words mean, but as I see it, me
wearing this tells everyone I'm the inferior partner in this relationship? That
Malcolm's the boss. Well, I ain't wearing it."

"Oh yes you are. And I am the boss, right?" Malcolm lowered his voice so only
Trip could hear his next words. "Come on - you were the one who wanted to - how
did you put it? - ah yes, get off this godforsaken planet weren't you? The
sooner we go and get through the Act, the sooner we can leave and get back to
some sort of normality, right?"

Trip's scowl deepened, but he didn't protest. "Fine, fine, whatever." Raising
his voice to normal level, he aimed his next question at the male leader. "What
time is the Act?"

The alien spoke once more. "The time is nigh - we must leave this room and
prepare you. Please, follow me."

Trip glared as Malcolm virtually skipped out of the room, seeming to be
completely comfortable despite the revealing clothing. Trip, on the other hand
was feeling extremely self conscious with his 'goods' on display, but there was
no way he could call a halt to the proceedings. Malcolm was right about one
thing - they had to leave the planet and, he brightened a little, at least no
one else would know about this.

He managed a smirk just as his eyes lowered and caught sight of Malcolm's ass as
he strolled in front of him. "Great view," he whispered to himself, unaware
that a similar smirk had appeared on Malcolm's face as his ears caught the
words.

He was so busy leering at his ass, Trip hasn't realised Malcolm and the alien
had stopped, and he found himself blundering into his friend. Stumbling
forward, Malcolm just managed to stay on his feet.

"What the hell are you doing, Trip?" Malcolm hissed.

"Sorry, didn't see you'd stopped walking," Trip defended himself.

"If you'd have had your eyes above my arse level, you would have done."

Trip, chagrined and mortified, daren't retaliate to Malcolm's response, which
had pretty much hit the nail on the head. Silence reigned heavy, and, as
Malcolm turned round to look at him, Trip lowered his head. He knew he was
blushing and, as he saw his unruly genitals saluting his friend, he became
doubly embarrassed. Thankfully, Malcolm refrained from making any further
comments, he just turned back to where the leader was making some sort of
tapping-rapping noise on the heavy wooden doors, much to Trip's relief.

A very deep booming noise echoed from the interior and the door opened slowly,
allowing them access to the room. As Malcolm entered, Trip heard him gasp, but
because he could only see his ass.er.he quickly rectified that thought.his back,
he never saw Malcolm's look of dismay and horror.

Until he glanced around the small room. There, on huge, multi-coloured pillows,
sat members of the Enterprise crew, including an absolutely beaming Jonathan
Archer and two sniggering ensigns, in the form of Hoshi and Travis.

Groaning, Trip lowered his head and scarcely dared look anywhere but the floor.
The pattern was intriguing, and, given time, he was sure he could break the
conundrum of it. At the sound of another, louder noise, Trip looked up. Over in
the corner, another of the aliens was banging what appeared to be some sort of
gong in a very irregular fashion.

Trip nudged Malcolm in the back. "What do you suppose that's for, Mal?" he
whispered.

"How the bloody hell would I know, Commander? Oh - wait. You think I got
married here before?" Malcolm sarcastically replied, rolling his eyes in
exasperation.

Scowling, Trip just glared at him. "Did I say that? I just meant."

"I know what you meant, Trip."

The elder shushed them before leading them over to a small wide table, where yet
another alien stood, chanting something that even the universal translator was
unable to pick up. They were manoeuvred into the correct position. Finally,
they faced each other, barely one centimetre apart; their hands clasped
together, fingers entwined.

More deep intonation followed, during which two female aliens cast some sort of
intoxicating perfume around the two men. Forgetting all about where they were,
the reasons why, the fact that the Enterprise senior staff was looking on, the
two men focussed solely on one another. Dark midnight blue met lighter
turquoise eyes and locked. Secrets were both given and taken. Neither of them
knew exactly when they closed the gap and touched lips to lips.

Suddenly they jumped apart, breathing heavily, as if someone had sent an
electric shock through their bodies. Highly aroused and deeply aware, they both
glanced around - only to find themselves alone in a smaller, darker room. The
only furniture they could see was a large, comfortable looking bed. There
didn't appear to be any windows, either - a fact that made Malcolm extremely
uncomfortable. He wasn't long expressing his feelings.

"Bollocks. Where are we?" As he looked down, he noticed that their hands were
still entwined. "And why on Earth are we still holding hands?"

Trip followed his gaze and pulled his hand out of Malcolm's. A strange feeling
of loss swept through his body, but Trip ignored it. "I have no idea, Malcolm.
Maybe we ought to check out the room?"

"That was going to be my next move, Commander."

"Hey, don't ya get snippy with me. You wanted to go through with the ceremony."
Trip argued, hands on hips.

Busy checking out the walls, Malcolm replied over his shoulder, "Only so we
could get out of here. I think I've found a door." He tried to open it, but
found it firmly locked. "It's locked!"

"Really? You're kidding, right?" Trip snarked back, more annoyed at himself for
getting them into the situation than he was at Malcolm.

Malcolm strode over to where Trip was loitering. "And what's wrong with you?"
he asked, arms folded.

Trip's frown deepened. "You mean apart from being married to you, still stuck
on this damn planet and now being stuck in this locked room? Oh nothin', I'm
just great. You do realise why we're here, dontcha?"

Malcolm grimaced and slanted his gaze towards the bed. "It would appear,
'sweetheart', that we're on honeymoon!"

A voice spoke from somewhere, as yet unseen, in the room, disquieting both the
men. "Congratulations Tucker, Reed - the first part of the Act of Liiara has
been performed satisfactorily. The second part, as you rightly observe, takes
place here. You will be held here until the Do'Ylt - the formal joining - has
taken place. Once finished, you will be free to return to your ship with our
blessings."

As the announcement ended, Trip and Malcolm looked aghast at each other.
"Nobody said nothin' about no second part to us." Trip groaned.

"Great grammar, Trip." Malcolm turned away from the southerner. "Bloody
fucking hell."

Trip sat on the bed and watched the troubled armoury officer pacing the room.
Although shocked, Trip hadn't been entirely surprised at the confirmation of
what they'd both thought. In fact, if it hadn't been for the circumstances that
had brought them here, Trip could quite easily have enjoyed the next part.
Still, he mused, there was no reason he could think of why he couldn't enjoy it
- being as it would probably be the last time he'd be able to act out one of his
many fantasies involving Malcolm. He waited patiently for the Brit to stop his
pacing.

Which didn't appear to be anytime soon. Malcolm appeared to be in the middle of
an internal struggle, going by the many expressions flitting briefly across his
face. Finally, he turned towards Trip and gave him a shy smile.

"Um, Trip?" he ventured.

"Yeah, Mal?"

"I don't think we have a choice here. They aren't going to let us free until
we.until after we." his voice tailed off, and he flushed a little.

Trip smiled softly, and he got to his feet. Moving closer to - well, his
spouse, now, he supposed - he reached out and caressed the cheekbones he'd been
lusting after for what seemed like forever.

Malcolm glanced up from beneath his long, dark eyelashes, sending Trip's heart
fluttering wildly in his chest. Nervously, Malcolm licked his lips. "Trip?"
His question held an almost wistful note.

"Yeah?"

"I.what are we doing? I mean.this whole situation.it's not real, is it?"

The hopeful lilt at the end of his sentence gave Trip courage and, grabbing a
firm hold on it, he pulled Malcolm into his arms and kissed the hell out of him.
He was gratified to feel Malcolm's hands sneaking around his waist, and hugging
him back.

Deepening the kiss, Trip gently touched the soft lips with his tongue. The
mouth opened at the first stroke and Trip accepted the invitation. He mapped
out the entire hot sweet cavern, teasing and caressing the other man's tongue.

Breaking apart for much needed oxygen, Trip was alarmed to see Malcolm, pale and
in obvious pain.

"Mal, darlin', what's wrong?"

"Ow.ow.it's this damn outfit. It's strangling me!" His hands were tugging
ineffectually at his nether regions, the arousal plainly stretching the material
to almost breaking point. "Quick, find something, Trip. Please?" he pleaded,
almost doubled up.

Concerned, Trip searched the room, finally finding their uniforms in a neat pile
in one corner. "Mal, do you keep anything useful in your uniform?"

Another gasp of pain. "Yes, my.my Boy Scout knife.argh.in the pocket on one of
the sleeves.left hand side."

Finding it, Trip ran back to his lover. Kneeling, the sight before him made his
mouth water and his own cock react further. Clearing the image from his mind,
Trip made a slit in the material running from ankle to hip before using his
hands to pull the material further apart.

As Malcolm's erection became free, the Brit heaved a sigh of relief, followed
swiftly by a gasp of pleasure as, impatiently, Trip's hot mouth engulfed him.

Trip felt Malcolm's strong hands carding gently through his hair, as he tasted
the bittersweet essence of the man. Twirling his tongue around the head, he ran
his own hands up the muscled thighs and softly caressed the taut sacks. As he
did so, he felt them tighten, and Malcolm hissed out a warning. Trip only
sucked harder - wanting, needing to taste him.

"Oh fuck, Trip.I'm.oh God.I'm coming." Malcolm gasped out his orgasm, chanting
his lover's name repeatedly.

Trip swallowed, not wanting to lose a drop of the precious fluid. He held
tightly onto the suddenly shaky man, before lowering him carefully to the
ground. Kissing first one cheekbone, then the other, Trip observed his flushed
lover, eyes heavy in satiated pleasure, until he recovered.

As Malcolm came around, Trip was flattered to see Malcolm slowly, lasciviously,
run his eyes down Trip's body until they eagerly alighted on Trip's erection.
"May I make a suggestion?" Malcolm asked huskily.

"'Course you can, darlin'."

"Can we move this to the bed? I want you to.er.I would love you to.um." Malcolm
faltered, unsure of how to ask for what he wanted. He was amazed to see a huge
smile light up Trip's handsome face.

"Onto the bed then, and yes, I will make love with you. If you're positive?" A
tiny frown furrow appeared on Trip's forehead.

Malcolm's heart missed a beat at the words spoken then, with a swiftness that
took Trip by surprise, he jumped up, grabbed hold of Trip and yanked him across
to the bed. Shoving his lover backwards onto the soft surface, Malcolm's busy
hands tugged his shorts off before lowering his body onto Trip's. Both of them,
he noted almost distractedly, shuddered as their cocks touched and made friends.

Desire ripped through Trip's body, the hot molten surge of liquid in his veins
igniting him further. He reached for his lover and kissed the soft lips
strongly, passionately before manoeuvring Malcolm into a position underneath
him. A sudden thought occurred. "Shit, Mal, no lube."

A loud groan escaped Malcolm's mouth before Trip quickly reached over across the
bed. "We're in luck," he brandished the tube triumphantly, smiling seductively.

Malcolm smiled back and pulled Trip back into a tight embrace, whispering, "Why
don't you do something useful with that, hmm?" before licking at Trip's ear.

A searing heat flickered up his spine and Trip could only whisper huskily back,
"I intend to." Inching his way down the toned body, now in a highly sensitive
and taut position, Trip caressed, licked and nibbled his way. Kneeling up, he
shoved a pillow under his lover's ass, before squeezing the cold sticky gel onto
his fingers and raising Malcolm's legs onto his own shoulders. The heavy lidded
eyes and swollen red lips of his lover urged him on. He applied the newly
warmed gel to Malcolm's delicate opening, loving the hiss of pleasure issued
inadvertently from the Brit's lips.

"You okay, Mal?" He had to make sure before going any further, had to know that
Malcolm did want this.

"Yeah, was just cold, love. Carry on," Malcolm said imperiously, his hips
moving forwards trying to gain more contact.

As Trip inserted one finger past the tight ring of muscle, he felt Malcolm
tighten up slightly and paused. "You sure this is all right, Mal?" he asked,
hesitantly. A thrill shot through his own body as Malcolm once more thrust
forward, encouraging the finger deeper, and moaned with pleasure.

Emboldened, Trip continued his slow sensuous movements before inserting another
finger then another, always mindful of Malcolm's comfort. On the last
insertion, he twisted his fingers and found the gland he was searching for.
Rubbing gently, he felt Malcolm quiver, his cock twitching and hardening.

"Ooh, Trip. Lover." Malcolm groaned, gasping at the sensation.

"Are you ready now, darlin'?" Trip whispered, voice hoarse with the effort of
not coming.

"Yeah, I.just fuck me?"

Coating himself in lube, Trip eased Malcolm's legs back up to his shoulders
before settling forwards, hands on the bed beside Malcolm's chest. "Relax,
honey, this'll be fine." Easing his way slowly but firmly into the hot, tight
cavern, Trip let loose a loud groan of pleasure, to match the noises Malcolm was
making before finally his balls settled against the peach soft skin.

As Malcolm's muscles relaxed against the intruder, Trip felt the legs slip round
to his waist and then, amazingly, Malcolm tilted his hips forward. "Oh God,
Malcolm, you ready?" Another tilt and Trip started to thrust, softly and slowly
at first, building up to a crescendo of endearments, kisses and touches before
changing his angle of entry.

"Ooh fuck, harder, Triiip." Malcolm panted, bucking underneath Trip, trying to
urge him deeper and harder into his willing body. Grabbing hold of the
southerner, he devoured his mouth, tongue thrusting in a similar motion.

Their orgasms nearing, Trip wrenched his mouth free, whispering, "I love you,
Mal.oh god, Malcolm, love you," before his ecstatic outpouring catapulted into
the snug deep tunnel.

At the same time, Malcolm's orgasm hit with the force of a tsunami - his shouts
of passion matched by the hot liquid fire spurting out between their sleek,
sweat-ridden bodies, his body clenching around Trip's still pulsating cock.

Finally, satiated and exhausted, Trip collapsed onto Malcolm, spreading the
stickiness between them. Trip's panting breaths matched Malcolm's as they both
came down to earth.

Emotional and filled with warmth and love, Malcolm brushed a lock of hair off
Trip's forehead. "Thank you, love. That was truly amazing. You are amazing. I
love you too."

Drowsy and completely loved-up, Trip rolled carefully off his lover - and felt
himself flailing as the bed suddenly disappeared from beneath him. He dropped,
buck naked, onto the cold floor.

Yelping, his noise roused Malcolm who'd been slowly drifting off to sleep. As
the amused blue eyes glanced over the side of the bed, he heard Malcolm chuckle
before asking how the hell had he managed to fall on the floor.

"Humph, fell off the bed, didn't I? Dunno how - someone must have move the bed."
Trip clambered up, rubbing at his tender ass.

"Here, let me take care of that for you." Malcolm offered.

Moving back onto the bed, Trip kissed him soundly and, taking hold of the
proffered hand, he placed it on the sore spot. "About there should do it,
lover."

Taking the hint, Malcolm nestled into Trip's side, his hand caressing Trip's
ass. He was still stroking it as they both fell asleep.

TMMTTMMT

"Finally," Trip grumbled, "they let us go. 'Bout time too."
Malcolm nodded and quietly strolled beside his lover down the corridor on
Enterprise, uncertain what was going to happen now that all the senior staff
knew about them. He frowned and slanted a quick glance towards Trip. Who was,
he felt, looking rather happy and tranquil. He silently wished he had Trip's
confidence.

Before they turned the corner, Trip stopped and turned towards Malcolm. "Hey,
don't worry, darlin', okay? It'll be fine, you'll see." A soft kiss on
Malcolm's lips and Trip was off again.

This small gesture of love calmed Malcolm and his frown disappeared to be
replaced by a small tender smile. Oh, his Trip was always leading them into
trouble and his happy-go-lucky attitude was irritating at times, but his lover
had the ability to tune into his thoughts and, with his one single thoughtful
act, had completely removed all of his own doubts.

As they turned the corner, Jonathan Archer came into view, a smile on his face.
"Hello, Trip, Malcolm. Welcome back - they finally let you go?"

Feeling a mite embarrassed once more, Malcolm started slightly as he felt Trip's
hand wriggle into his own and squeeze. Love and pride swelled in his chest and
he squeezed back, refusing to relinquish the hand back to its rightful owner.

"We're good, Cap'n. Um, may we speak to you in private?"

"Sure. My ready room, ten minutes?" At Trip's agreement, Archer nodded at them
both before walking off.

"Great. See you then," Archer called over his shoulder.

Trip could feel Malcolm's questioning gaze on him. He glanced at his lover.
"It'll be okay, promise. Trust me?"

Malcolm didn't have to think for one second. "Always." He squeezed the hand in
his tightly, attempting to convey all his emotions to the other man.

Trip only beamed and replied with his own caress. "I know, Mal, I know."

TMMTTMMT

"Sit down, you two." Archer said, swivelling in his own chair. "I take it this
is something to do with your recent experience?"

Trip answered. "Um, yeah. Specifically the first part; the ceremony," he
clarified at Archer's confused expression. "We weren't really aware of
anything. The perfume stuff did something to us - drugged us or something.
Didn't it, Mal?" Trip looked at his lover.

The Englishman had been silent up to that point. No matter how Trip had
attempted to dissipate his fears, he felt uneasy discussing their still very new
relationship with his captain. He could only nod and utter a quiet, "Yes,
that's right."

Archer smiled gently. Something had changed for these two and he, as Captain of
the Enterprise and as a friend, was delighted. However, he tried to answer the
question as well as he could. "Well, we saw the kiss, but then.the strangest
thing happened. A shroud of mist or something similar encased you. When it
disappeared, you two were gone. They asked us, very politely, to leave but told
us no other details, other than you were safe and would be returned to us
unharmed when the second part had been performed."

Archer thought for a moment before continuing. "By the way, no one else knows
about the ceremony, or what occurred down there."

An expression of relief crossed both their faces. "Thank you, Captain." A
quiet sentiment, sincerely expressed by Malcolm.

"Thanks, appreciate it, although." Trip smiled across at Malcolm, a soft loving
expression, before capturing his hand, "they'll have to find out sooner or
later. Jon?" Trip used his given name deliberately.

"What is it, Trip?" Archer had an idea what Trip was about to say, but he
remained silent waiting for Trip's confirmation.

"Malcolm and I are married, in every sense of the word. I hope it won't cause
you any problems?" Trip and Malcolm held their breaths, hope flitting across
their faces.

Jonathon Archer paused before beaming happily at them. Having observed the two
men over a period, he'd realised that Trip and Malcolm had been mooning over one
another for months. The situation on the planet, whilst being utterly
unexpected, had played right into his eager, matchmaking hands. Archer had taken
a chance - a huge gamble - while they'd still been down on the planet, and it
seemed he'd done the right thing. "Congratulations, Trip, Malcolm. I can't tell
you how delighted I am for you, both as your captain and as your friend. If
you'd like, I'd love to hold a party for you both on Enterprise, so everyone can
share your joy."

Trip glanced at his lover. "What do you think, darlin'?" He used the endearment
intentionally.

A hugely relieved Malcolm grinned back. "I think it's a lovely idea. Thank
you, Captain."

"Jon, please."

"Jon. Thank you, we really appreciate it." Malcolm hesitated for a second
before pointedly holding out his hand. When Archer took it, he shook it firmly,
holding Archer's gaze. "Thanks, Jon." he reiterated sincerely.

"No worries, I'll arrange it. Now, I'm sure you'll want to be rushing off to
your quarters. Trip, you'd better go to yours first - there is a little
surprise waiting for you - a gift from all the staff."

Trip's eyes lit up like a child's on Christmas morning. He jumped out of his
chair. "C'mon Mal. We gotta see this. Thanks Jon." Grabbing hold of
Malcolm's hand once again, he yanked the Brit swiftly out of the room, much to
Archer's amusement and anticipation.

When they finally arrived outside the room, Malcolm turned to his husband.
"Maybe I should carry you across the threshold - that's what newly-weds do,
isn't it?" he wiggled his eyebrows and chuckled.

"If you think you can manage it," Trip challenged.

A gleam lit up the blue eyes. "Just open the door first, love." Once the door
was open, Malcolm grabbed Trip and hauled him over his shoulders in a classic
fireman's lift. Despite Trip's squawks of protest, Malcolm moved determinedly
forward over the threshold and into the room.

"Didn't quite expect to be carried in this manner." Trip was still grumbling,
albeit good-naturedly.

Once inside, Malcolm gasped in disbelief. "Oh, bloody hell." He virtually
threw Trip onto his feet, aware that his lover had yet to see the room.

As Trip righted himself, he span around. Jaw dropping, he could hardly believe
his eyes. The room was huge - obviously two lots of quarters had been knocked
into one. The focal point was a double bed, angled so they could see out of the
porthole. A double wardrobe completed the set. Opening it, Trip found all
their clothes and uniforms neatly hanging up. He turned to see Malcolm's eyes
glistening.

"Oh Trip. This is.just wonderful, isn't it?" Malcolm asked his emotions very
near the surface. "We should.we need to thank.Jon."

"Absolutely we should. But not now, not yet." Trip kissed his spouse before a
predatory expression appeared on his face. "Not before we've christened the bed
first."

~the end~