Together {Star Trek Enterprise Fan Fiction}

Jumping off the Cliff

They had showered and were being dried off. Lili approached Melissa, "I want you to know, I'm not angry with you."

"Oh. I guess you've got a right to be," Melissa said.

"Well, I was before. But I'm not anymore. It doesn't seem heh, productive," Lili found her clothes and put them on, "Melissa, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"You are, he hasn't hurt you, has he?" Lili asked quietly.

"No. Lili, was he hitting you?"

"No. Oh, no. It's during relations. Has he injured you?"

"I don't get it."

"I don't want to be drawing a map but, he's, uh, there's a lot there. And he's not always good with control or, or being careful."

"Ohhh," Melissa paused to put on her dress, "I'm fine, at least so far, although the first time did hurt quite a bit. But no injuries."

"Hmm. Maybe he's holding back somehow. I don't want you to get hurt, is all."

=/\=

Back in the cell, Lili listened for the men. This time, Doug didn't swear at Malcolm. Progress, perhaps.

Malcolm was pushed back in. She handed him a tube, "Dinner is served."

"Uh, thank you."

They sat down on the mattress - the only place to sit.

Lili spoke, "I wanted to talk to you some more about your department's gift."

"You already thanked me for that. No reason to do so again," he said, between downing bits of paste.

"I know. It's not about that, not specifically. I'm quite sure I've figured out the real meaning behind it."

"Meaning? There is no meaning. It's a wedding gift to you and Doug, nothing more."

"No," she said, "That's just the cover story."

=/\=

Chip and Yimar were running out of tricks to show Joss. Chip had made paper airplanes, done the folded napkin mouse trick and had produced Denobulan coins from behind both of Joss's ears. Every time a new trick was begun, it would hold Joss's attention for a little while, but then his mind would wander and he'd alternately suck his thumb and call out for his mother. The intervals between the calls were getting shorter and shorter, and Yimar was beginning to really get panicky.

It was the cafeteria, and she couldn't just keep feeding him. Finally, Chip said, "Look, I'm pretty much tapped. I'm sorry. I'm just not a kids' performer. And I don't think you want me to be telling him any dirty jokes. I hate to leave you in the lurch like this, but I need to get some sleep. With no Hoshi," he paused for a second, as he did miss his boss, "I'm doing double duty even before I hit the Borscht Belt here."

"What's a Borscht Belt?" asked Yimar.

"Uh, never mind. It's too much to explain. All I'm saying is I gotta be fresh to do my work. Entertaining him is taking too much outta me. I gotta go," he departed.

She sat there with Joss, who was sucking his thumb and staring out the window, "'Ommy home?"

She sighed, "Not yet."

He went back to crying.

=/\=

"Cover story? What the devil are you on about?" asked Malcolm.

"Yes. It's hidden in plain sight, really," she said, "The box - it's from a big British store."

"Well, I'm the Department Head. So?"