Reversal {Star Trek Enterprise Mirror Universe fan fiction}

I Hope That You Are Very Lucky

When the meeting finally ended, everyone but Malcolm Reed left.

Lili looked up as she put the used dishes back on the cart. "Sir?"

"May I speak with you, Ensign?" he asked.

"Uh, I guess so. But I'm still working. I'm not done until the dishes are out of the sanitizer."

"Can we talk while you go back to the kitchen, then?"

"Long as it's not too private,” she said, “Make sure the door stays open for me, please?"

They walked into a hallway. "Ensign, I just, I want you to know that I, when we were talking about not wanting you to be hurt, well, I truly meant it."

"I, uh, thank you, Lieutenant,” Lili guided the cart along.

"It's just, it, well, may I ask you something?"

"I suppose."

"Like I indicated, I didn't know Major Hayes too well. I know nothing of his private life or his innermost thoughts. We always and only talked about work,” Malcolm said, “What is, what is this iteration like? If that's not too personal a question, that is."

"That's fine,” Lili said, “He's very attentive, very intelligent. When we talk, he seems to be interested in what I do. Things like that."

"What, uh, what does he do?" Malcolm then visibly reddened. "I, I mean for work. Not other things. I don't mean to offend."

"No, huh, that's okay." They had arrived at the kitchen. "Actually, Lieutenant, he has your job now."

"Oh, interesting." Malcolm kept the kitchen door open as Lili got the cart inside and wheeled it over to the sanitizer. "I wonder what my counterpart is doing there. If I have one, that is."

"Yeah, it's strange, sort of makes you wonder what would happen if things were tipped in some slightly different direction, and circumstances were changed. Would you still be you?" Lili asked, while loading dishes into the sanitizer.

"Precisely." Malcolm started to help her.

"No, wait, um, put it in the other way. See the teacup handle? Down and to the left,” Lili pointed out. "There, that's right. Thanks for helping; I usually do this myself."

"It's unfortunate that you don't have any helpers."

"Well, that's just it. I'm the helper,” Lili said, “You remember, the Xindi War broke out and the ship had to be cleared of redundant personnel. Chef used to have a saucier, a Pastry Chef and a Sous-Chef. Those jobs were all combined into mine when I came on board. And that's when Doug – I mean, Jay – got here, too."

"I confess I did not care for him much when he first arrived,” Malcolm said, smiling wanly. "But I learned that he was very competent and thorough. Well-respected by the men and women under his command. And certainly capable of not only my job but probably most jobs on board, except in Engineering."

"Yes, you have to be a kind of special person to be in Engineering, I think,” Lili said, “My roommate, when she talks about work, I don't know what she's saying half the time."

"Your roommate is Jennifer Crossman, yes?"

"Yep, the Redheaded Bombshell."

"Oh, I, I hadn't noticed."

"Lieutenant, everyone notices."

=/\=

Doug walked back to his quarters. Tripp Tucker fell in beside him. "I got news for you." Tucker said.