by Trish Bennett

How do I get myself into these things?

Commander Charles Tucker leaned his head back against the damp stone wall, silently pondering his predicament. The day had started off well enough - a big, steaming stack of flapjacks for breakfast, a quick-witted jab at the Vulcan first officer, a brief shuttlepod mission to an uncharted planet...

And that's when it all went to hell.

"Go check it out," the captain had said, and he was all too willing to jump at the chance. Though Enterprise offered many comforts of home, there were some things she just couldn't provide. And any opportunity for fresh air in his lungs and sun on his face was just too good to pass up.

"Take Hoshi with you." Archer's words echoed in his memory. "It'll be a piece of cake."

Yeah, right. Tucker sighed. Apparently the prehistoric natives of this planet never heard of cake. Or they thought he was one. In any event, after watching them puree the shuttlepod, he had no intention of sticking around to find out.

So he and Hoshi ran... and ran... and at the risk of being monotonous, they ran some more. Those blasted neanderthal throwbacks were everywhere! And even with the fresh air now searing his lungs and the sun now scorching his face, he found time to make a mental note: Ask the science officer how she could so grossly underestimate this one tiny detail. Sparsely populated primitive culture, my ass!

They needed a place to hide, just long enough to contact Enterprise and get a rescue team down to the surface. Enter, the cave.

Tucker was certain one day he would remember that "cave" is the primary component of "cave-in". Today was obviously not that day. And now here they were, trapped for hours in virtual darkness behind a wall of fallen rock. But all things considered, knowing what was on the other side of that wall, it was probably the best of all possible scenarios.

He felt himself nodding off, but sleep was the last thing he could afford. Staying warm and staying alert were the top priorities right now.

The 'staying warm' part was the easier of the two at the moment. With Hoshi nestled snugly against him, the shared body heat kept that concern at bay. Unfortunately, it also kept him drowsy, which certainly wasn't helping priority number two.

Hoshi had already succumbed to the temptation, sleeping comfortably against his chest. Let her sleep, he thought. Maybe she'll forget she'd rather shoot her own foot off than go on a mission with me again.

Tucker shifted his weight carefully to avoid waking her, pulled her closer to him and kissed her lightly on the forehead before leaning his head back against the cave wall. It seemed so natural, he didn't even realize what he had done until he felt her body tense in his arms.

"Oh, God..." he said as she pulled back and raised her head to look at him. "Hoshi, I... I am so sorry. I don't know what I was thinking..."

She gazed at him as he stammered clumsily, her dark eyes curious and somehow sympathetic. I am such an idiot!

"Please forgive me," he said. "I promise, it won't happen aga--"

She stopped him with a firm kiss on the lips. It startled him at first, but he did not resist it - why in God's infinite universe would he want to? Finally, she pulled back, and Tucker opened his eyes.

"There," she said softly. "Now we're even."

This day is definitely looking up.

Did she...? Was she...? Should he...? He searched her eyes, every delicate line of her face, before leaning forward once more. Their lips nearly met when the stone barrier of the cave-in began to break free. They both jumped, startled, as Archer's face appeared in the freshly-made hole.

"...Am I interrupting something?" he said, surprise blending with amusement in his voice.

Tucker rose and reached out a hand to help Hoshi to her feet. "Just tryin' to keep warm, Cap'n," he said, refusing to cause her unnecessary grief. "It's about time you showed up."

They were freed from their confinement in a matter of minutes, and Tucker watched as a security officer led Hoshi out of the cavern ahead of him. Suddenly, he felt Archer close beside him.

"It's not really that cold in here, you know," the captain said lightly.

Tucker shot him a quick sideways glance, and a smile played on his lips. "It wasn't a piece of cake now, either, was it?"

Archer grinned. "Minding my own business..." he said. "Gotcha."

Besides, he thought as they headed for the exit, a little warmth never hurt anybody.