Title: Close Encounters of the Regulan Kind
Author: Joules Mer
Rating:PG
Pairing:T/R
Feedback: julia_ocean_child@yahoo.co.uk
Disclaimer: Enterprise is the property of Paramount.  No profit was made.  No copyright infringement was intended.
Author's Note: Response to M.K. Surprise's fic request on EntSTSlash...just a short bit of fluff.  No beta and written really fast to boot.  Sorry for any errors.
Archive: Yes to EntSTCommunity, BLTS and Tim Ruben...anyone else please ask.


Close Encounters of the Regulan Kind


    Malcolm sighed in contentment as he let himself sag bonelessly against the warm body curled up behind him.  It was more than a week since their encounter with the Romulan minefield and his leg had finally recovered enough to permit bed sharing.  He felt a mildly painful scrape on his thigh, like the passing of an untrimmed fingernail, and then a light stroking.  He smiled, he hadn't thought Trip was awake.  He snuggled closer to his lover, enjoying the sensation.  "Mmmmmmmmm, that's nice love."

    "Hmmmmmalcolm."  The mumbled word was a soft puff of breath on the back of his neck.  He felt an arm wrap possessively around his waist and a hand lightly ruffle the hair at the back of his neck.  His heart positively sang with joy at feeling so loved, but he couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong.  He sighed, sometimes his own paranoia bothered him.  He mentally ran through the situation, trying to figure out what could possibly be amiss.  He was still on sick leave and the captain had ordered Trip to take 24 hours off.  The comm hadn't sounded and his computer monitor was dark.  He was snuggled warm in his bed with Trip.  Trip, who had an arm around him and was playing with his hair and now stroking his kneecap.  Wait a second.  Malcolm froze.

    "Trip?"

    "Yeah Darlin'?" Was the still sleepy reply.

    "Is your hand on my knee?"  Malcolm willed Trip to answer positively.

    "What? No."  Malcolm was out of bed and halfway across the room as fast as his healing leg would allow.  He could see something on his knee so he seized a padd from his desk and swatted at the creature.  Time seemed to slow down as the writhing creature cartwheeled through the air and landed in the lap of a startled Trip Tucker, who had sat up at Malcolm's rapid departure.  Trip's head snapped downwards and he regarded his lap in apparent disbelief.  Time seemed to slow down even more as Malcolm watched Trip's beautiful blue eyes roll upwards until only white remained.  Trip slumped backwards in a faint, knocking his head against the bulkhead on his way.

    Malcolm paused only to open the comm before leaping onto the bed.  He plucked the creature off his love and flung it away while calling for the doctor and a security detail.
 

__________________________________

    Once again, Malcolm lay in Trip's embrace.  They had both been released from sickbay an hour previously with orders to "actually rest this time" as Jon had so elegantly put it.  Malcolm remembered the looks on the faces of the captain, two armed security officers, and the doctor as they burst into the room.  He'd been straddling Trip's waist while he checked the other man's breathing, one hand with a death grip on a phase pistol trained on the lavatory door.  He must have looked like a complete lunatic.

    No harm had been done in the end though, with the possible exception of Trip's pride.  He'd suffered a fair bit of teasing from the captain after he finally woke up in the infirmary.  The creature had in fact been Phlox's Regulan bloodworm making its predicted reappearance.  Malcolm was surprised by how little it had hurt when the creature left him.  Maybe a numbing agent of some sort... An arm tightening around his waist drew his thoughts back to the present.

    "Hey Mal."

    "Hey you.  Feeling better?"

    "Yeah.  I'm sorry about..."  Trip trailed off and sounded embarrassed when he continued, "Passing out."

    "At least I can count on you, Mr. Tucker.  You'll pass out at the first sign of danger."

    "Hey!"  Indignation was clearly present in Trip's voice.  "It was just...Well, you know me and...creepy... crawly... squirmy things."  Malcolm could feel Trip shudder and took pity.

    "Hush, Love.  Give me a kiss.  You're really quite brave."

    "Ya think so?"

    "I know so."