First of all, a shout out to all the people who have sent feedback:

JadziaKathryn, Red Snowsled and ???-- More you say? Well, here you go.

Casey Greene and PJ in NH-- Thanks. We're debating whether or not Trip should make an official appearance or just stay the "horrible engineering ensign".

Finally, to Allison X-- We're not quite sure what you mean by 90210-ish (We're guessing this is what you were going for). We saw ourselves as more "Dawson's Creek" (just kidding!). We're not aiming for any sort of teen drama. There's going to be some more Star Trek-related things later on, don't worrry.

PART FOUR
EIGHTEEN

Friday, September 2, 2140

With the exception of a few barbed comments from Professor Storar, Malcolm was able to get through the day unscathed. After his five classes, he headed back to the Munitions Class. Professor Scott was just packing his briefcase. He had asked to see Malcolm after classes were finished.

Professor Paul Scott had two doctorates: one in engineering and the other in quantum mechanics. He was infamous with armoury experts. He had been working on weaponry since the beginning of Starfleet. He had been teaching for about a decade, on top of his work. Despite his age, he was incredibly fit. His green eyes had a youthful twinkle, seemingly out of place with his laugh lines. His hair was a shining silver, combed neatly at all times.

Clearing his throat, Malcolm stepped into the room. "Professor Scott?"

Professor Scott looked up. "Ah! Mr. Reed. I am glad you could come. I wanted to speak to you. I was checked the file the school has on you." He nodded, smiling. "You have an impressive record. Two black belts, you created canons, explosives and guns for science fair projects, planned training operation trips...."

"It's always been a passion of mine, Sir. I love weaponry. It's been my dream for years to get into security."

"I can tell." Professor Scott stood up. "Mr. Reed, I've been teaching for ten years. I haven't had many students with as much potential as you."

Malcolm felt the heat rise in his cheeks. He shuffled his feet. "Well.... That's very nice of you to say...."

"Anyway, I told you about the project I am working on for Starfleet. I was hoping you might be able to assist me with it. It would be an actual job, I would pay you. Are you at all interested?"

Malcolm's eyes widened. "Oh wow.... You're kidding right? I... I would be honoured to help you, Sir."

"If you're not doing anything tonight, I'm meeting some of the members of Starfleet I'm working with. I'd love for you to join me. I want to show off my new protege."

"Oh! Of course!" Malcolm's grin grew wider. "Oh.... Wait.... Tonight?" He sighed deeply. "I can't tonight."

Professor Scott frowned. "Oh? Why not?"

Malcolm rubbed his temples. "Well, today is kind of my birthday."

"Well, happy birthday."

"Anyway, my best friend, Kit, likes to do something special for my birthday. She always makes me keep it open so we can do something together. It's silly, but I don't want to disappoint her."

"Her?" Professor Scott raised an eyebrow. He laughed "Well, Far be it for me to tear you away from dinner with a beautiful woman." He patted Malcolm on the shoulder "Meet me at the Starfleet Base tomorrow at ten o'clock. I can show you what we've been working on and we can discuss the details of your employment in more detail."

Malcolm nodded. "Thank you, Professor. I'll see you tomorrow."

****

William got up as Malcolm walked into the dorm. "Well, well, well.... If it isn't the birthday boy himself."

He sighed deeply. "Kit told you, huh?"

Shaking his head, William gestured to the communicator. "Your mum called about an hour ago."

"Oh. I guess I should call her." He looked around. Kit was nowhere to be seen. There were no decorations, no cake, no presents. "Have you seen Kit today?"

"Yeah. She left about fifteen minutes ago. Fiona set her up with some engineer she met at the pub. Why?"

Malcolm growled. "You're kidding me, right?"

"Nope. He seemed like a complete dork. Skinny, pale complexion.... Hey, he actually looked a lot like you."

"Oh, shut up." He shook his head. "I gave up dinner with some really important people, based on the idea Kit had something planned as she has for the last eleven years and she ditches me! Now, can you please leave so I can call my mum?"

"Sure." William got up, grinning. "Is it just me or are you a little jealous of the engineer geekboy?"

Malcolm picked up a dirty t-shirt, tossing it at William's head. "I don't think of her that way. Now leave!"

William shrugged, leaving. Malcolm sat down at the desk, calling his mother.

Mary Reed came on the screen. "Oh Malcolm!" she smiled warmly. "It's good to see you. You haven't called since you left."

"Well, I didn't think you and dad really wanted to talk to me," he replied coldly.

"You know your father didn't mean it," she shook her head sadly. "He just wishes you would follow the fami--"

"The family tradition. I know, I know. Mum, I didn't call to listen to the same old lecture."

"I didn't call you to give it to you. I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday. Do you have anything planned tonight?"

Malcolm shook his head. "No. I thought Kit might have something planned, but she's gone out."

"You've met up with Christine." Mary bristled visibly.

"Her room is next to mine," Malcolm said, "We've been seeing each other a lot."

"I don't want to make judgments on your friends, Malcolm, but--"

"I know. Kit is a 'bad influence'. She's loud, she's obnoxious, she's dangerous...." He rolled his eyes. "I've heard all of your catty comments on her. She's my best friend and I'm not going to stop being around her."

"Well, you're a grown man." She sighed, "Would you like to speak to your father, Malcolm?"

"No."

"Oh, Malcolm...."

"I said no." He rubbed his temples. "I think I'm going to go out with my roommate. I'll talk to you later, Mum." He shut off the communicator.

There was a knock on the door. "It's open," Malcolm called out.

Fiona stuck her head in. "Hey, Malcolm. I'm trying to repair a cattle prod. Think you can help me? There's a pervert in my biology class I want to use it on."

"Sure." He got up, following Fiona to her room.

"SURPRISE!" Kit cried, throwing confetti in the air. She jumped up and down. "Happy Birthday, Malcolm!"

Malcolm laughed, brushing The bits of paper out of his hair. "I should have known."

Fiona smiled. "Well, I'll leave you two alone. Going to study in the library." She left the room.

Kit threw her arms around Malcolm's neck. "Did you really think I would ditch you on your eighteenth birthday? I'm insulted!"

He laughed. "I really don't understand why you go through the trouble."

She pulled apart from him, picking up the pizza box on her desk. "Now, I know I usually make you dinner, but I don't really have access to an oven.... So, pizza."

Malcolm wiped his forehead, sighing. "Thank God. Kitten, you're my best friend.... But you're a horrible cook."

She smack him. "Nice thing to say to someone who is treating you to dinner." They sat down on the bed, picking up slices of the pizza. Kit took a large bite. "I mean really, funding this little birthday soiree has gotten me down to my last hundred dollars. I need to get a job."

"Oh! That reminds me, I got a job today."

"Seriously?" Kit grinned. "Tell me about it."

"It's with Professor Scott. Remember how I was telling you about the weapons he's working on for Starfleet? He wants me to help him with it." He puffed up with pride. "He wanted to show me off to his Starfleet colleagues tonight."

"Sounds like he has a little crush."

"KIT!"

She laughed. "I'm just kidding, Malcolm. Congratulations." She paused. "Wait.... Tonight? Why didn't you go with him?"

He shrugged. "It's a tradition to be with you tonight. You do more for my birthday than my family does."

"Well....." She got up, going to the cake box on the desk. She opened it. "It's just what I do."

He smiled, looking at the cake. "Pineapple Upside-down Cake."

"I looked all over for a cake with pineapple in it." Her cheeks were flush. "I couldn't bring myself to buy one without."

"I think it's a tradition."

She shrugged. "It used to be the only thing I knew how to make."

Malcolm stood up, taking the cake from Kit's hands. He set it back down. "It's my favourite. Your pineapple upside-down cake is the only reason I take those injections for my allergies."

"I just remembered another tradition we have."

"Oh?" He arched an eyebrow. "What's that?"

"Me making you very uncomfortable by giving you a birthday kiss." She cradled the back of his head. "Get ready to squirm." She leaned in, pressing her lips to Malcolm's.

He shivered, his hands gripping her shoulders. The kiss started out as friendly. It slowly grew deeper; gentle, yet passionate. After a drawn-out moment, he pulled away. "Wow...."

"You're not squirming," Kit whispered, "I failed."

Malcolm gaped at the girl before him. "Kitten, that was definitely not a failure."

Shaking her head, Kit picked the cake box up. "So, cake?"

****

NEXT PART: Malcolm starts working for Dr. Scott, munitions expert

Replies to our reviewers:

Thank you to Josephine, Arwen and Astra for the kind words. And yes, Josephine, it should be famous.

For any interested parties, there are short character descriptions on the four main characters from "Where No Man...." at http://straykitty.com/deargirl/collection/enterprise/bios.html Including pictures of what each approximately looks like.

PART FIVE
SCOTT'S PROJECT

Saturday, September 3, 2140

Malcolm arrived at the Starfleet base at 9:30. He had been relieved to get away from the dorms for the day. William had been bragging about his slew of dates with Colleen, the redhead from his diplomacy class. As he was fond of saying, he had a thing for redheads. Fiona was bitchy, feeling overwhelmed by classes. Kit.... Well, Malcolm didn't really want to face her after the previous night.

No, he wouldn't think about it. Today was about weaponry..... He couldn't distract himself with petty problems.

The Starfleet base in London was much smaller than the one in San Francisco, but it produced some of the greatest machinery. Malcolm could feel his heart race as he approached the entrance.

A uniformed officer was at the entrance. He held a datapad in his hand. He stopped Malcolm. "Your name?"

"Reed. Malcolm Reed. Dr. Paul Scott is expecting me."

The officer nodded, looking over the pad. "Yes, I see... Go through. He's in section 12. Just follow the signs."

Malcolm went through, his eyes widening in wonder. He had never been here before. It was completely overwhelming just looking at the place. He looked at the sign. He was in section 3. He wandered around, following the signs. Section 4, 5..... 15?!?! Okay, he was lost.

He sighed, looking at his watch. It was 9:45. If he didn't find his way soon, he was going to be late for the meeting with Professor Scott.

A young man, not much older than Malcolm, rushed by. He bumped into him. "Sorry," the man muttered. He stopped mid-stride, turning around. "You look like you could use some help."

"I'm looking for section 12. I'm supposed to be meeting Dr. Paul Scott."

The man nodded. "Ah! You must be Malcolm." He held out his hand. "I'm Mark Latrelle. Dr. Scott has told me all about you. Come on." He started back down the hall.

"Oh?" Malcolm followed.

"Yeah. Dr. Scott's been taking on students every year to help with his projects." Mark rushed along. "I was the student two years ago year. He picked me up in San Francisco. I transferred to Cochrane last year to keep with the project. It was too good to give up."

"So Dr. Scott is a good guy?"

"Malcolm, he's the most brilliant men I've ever met. A perfect mind, completely focused on weaponry. I just hope he stays at Cochrane for a while. I don't want to transfer again."

"Wow."

"Believe me, he's the type of guy you want to be around. You'll learn more from him here than you'll ever learn in school."

"So what is Dr. Scott's current project?"

Mark paused. "Ummm... I'll let Dr. Scott tell you himself. Believe me, you won't be disappointed."

****

"Ah, Mr., Reed!" Dr. Scott cried, weaving his way through the large pieces of equipment littering the floor. He clapped his hands. "I'm so glad you could make it. I see you met Mr. Latrelle."

"He was kind enough to help me find my way here. I was a bit lost."

"I hope I didn't tear you away from your birthday celebration with your lady. I know Mr. Latrelle tends to linger with his girlfriend." Dr. Scott laughed, while Mark blushed deeply.

"She's not my lady," Malcolm blurted out. He wrung his hands together. "So... Uh.... What are you working on?"

"Big project. For the new NX-Class Prototype."

"Oh." Malcolm could feel the blood surging through his veins. Just the mention of weaponry for the NX-Class ships was enough to get his heart pounding. "Wow..... So, what is it?"

Dr. Scott pressed a button on the wall. The monitor turned on, displaying a complex canon. "This, Mr. Reed, is a pulse laser canon. I'm sorry that I can't show you the full schematics of it at the moment. Those are confidential. However, I'd very much like to have you working around here. Each year, I take a new student and bring them into my program. Based on your record and your interest in my class, I believe you would be a wonderful addition to my group. You can work on weekends and after classes. As the new kid, you'll be stuck doing a lot of the grunt work around here at first. I'm sure with your enthusiasm, you'll quickly be able to get passed that. You'll learn a lot. It will also look quite good on your application for Starfleet. I'm afraid the pay is not great, but it's better than you would get at most part-time jobs. Do you accept?"

Malcolm gaped. "You had me at 'pulse laser canon'."

****

Wiping his sweat brow, Malcolm leaned against the heavy case of components he had been carrying across the room. His muscles were aching. He had been lugging around boxes for the last four hours. It was exhausting, but just being in the room made it worth it. He could hear the conversations of Dr. Scott and Starfleet personnel on the configurations of the canons, ideas for new weapons. Malcolm was almost giddy. He could listen to them all day.

Mark walked up behind Malcolm, slapping him on the back. "Come on, Reed. Let's go get a bite."

Nodding, Malcolm pulled himself up with a groan. "Sure."

Mark shook his head, laughing. "Don't be ashamed if you're tired. My first day, I felt like I was going to pass out after two hours. Come on, I'll show you where the mess hall is."

They walked down the sterile corridor. Occassionally, a member of Starfleet personell would breeze past them. Mark shoved his hands in his pockets. "So, how did a quiet kid like you get interested in munitions?"

Malcolm gave a shrug. "It always felt right."

"You're not the type, you know. Most of the guys here, you can't get them to shut up. They want to prove their manliness by getting a gun in their hands. Makes you wonder about them.... I'm sometimes worried these guys will go renagade and try blowing up building."

Staring down at his feet, Malcolm gave another shrug. "I really can't explain it. I mean, I don't like the idea of hurting people. I am completely for peace.... I guess I just believe that if you really want peace, you have to be ready for war."

"You're a smart kid."

Malcolm gave another shrug.

"You really are a quiet kid." Mark nudged Malcolm. "Any reason why?"

"Every single person I know doesn't know how to shut up," he muttered in responce.

****

Fiona looked up from her new tinkering job. Kit was sitting cross-legged on her bed. Her arms were carefully balanced on her knees. She rolled her neck, eyes shut tightly. Okay.... Kit.... Quiet. Something wasn't right.

"Hey, wanna help me with this, Kit?" Fiona asked, waving the small combox around. "It's fun and you can show Professor High-and-mighty-Vulcan-Engineer what you can do."

Kit simply took in a deep breath. There was a knock on the door.

"Who is it?"

"Prince Charming, Red," William called out.

"What does the royal poof want?"

"I picked up those energy cells you needed."

"Oh! Score!" She jumped up and raced to the door.

She threw it open. William was standing in the doorway, hands behind his back.

"Where are they?" Fiona demanded.

William dangled them before Fiona's face. "Now give me a kiss."

She snatched the power cells. "Doubt Colleen would be thrilled about that." she looked over the cells "Perfect, these will totally jack up the output..."

William cocked his head, looking at Kit. He approached her slowly. "Who sedated Kitty?"

"I was just working on it." Fiona went back to her tinkering. "I think she died. I've never see her this quiet."

Waving his hand in front of Kit's face, William frowned when he got no responce. "Hey, Kitty! Malcolm's stripping in our room!"

"I can hear you and I know you're full of shit," she murmured.

William beeped Kit on the nose. "Come on! What's new, pussycat?"

She grabbed him by the collar. "Never, ever disturb me while I'm meditating." She tightened her grasped, choking him. "I'm trying to reach enlightenment!"

William pulled away, gasping for breath. "Meditate harder, Kitty! I don't think the enlightened are supposed to try to kill people."

She shut her eyes again, taking in a deep breath.

There was a knock on the door. William answered it. Before he could say anything, Malcolm had run in. He picked up Kit, swinging her around. She shrieked. "MALCOLM! PUT ME DOWN!"

He set her back on the bed. "I just had the absolute BEST day imaginable!"

"Hey! Calm down, Malcolm!" She laughed.

Setting her back down, Malcolm smiled. He pulled Kit up. "Can we talk? Alone?"

"Sure. Of course."

****

Kit sat down on Malcolm's bed. She looked up at him quizzically. "Is there something wrong?"

"I want to tell you about my day." He said. "But first... We should talk about... Yesterday."

Cocking her head, Kit raised an eyebrow. "What about yesterday."

"We.... Well, we kissed."

"I kiss you every year, Malcolm. Sometimes, I'll do it more than that."

"It was different and you know it."

Kit shrugged. "Did you mean for it to be different."

"DId you?"

The pair eyed each other. "I didn't mean anything by it..." Kit said carefully.

"Neither did I...." Malcolm replied.

Kit nodded. "It makes a lot of sense. I mean, we're away from home. We're lonely, all we really have is each other...."

"Right. And it's been a while since either of us has been romantic with anyone."

"It was a fluke." Kit nodded. "We're just... Friends. It's perfectly normal."

Malcolm smiled, sighing in relief. "That's good. I'm glad we have that sorted out. Now, I have to tell you about my day."

"I'd love to hear about it."

More feedback responces:

Josephine-- I really try to flesh out my characters. As demonstrated by this part, Malcolm and Kit are far from sorting everything out.

Skyrocket-- It is a good point. I will keep more aware of describing the setting. I think I have been avoiding it because it's a terribly boring enviroment.

Casey-- It's nice to have a fan. Yes, I think Kit and Malcolm are cute myself.

NorthernStar-- Reed is my favourite character too. I work very hard at writing my original characters, to make them actual characters and not mirrors of me. Your point, while valid, is easily explained. At Cochrane Tech, school starts in August and ends in July. They basically go all year.

Onto the story:

PART SIX
LESSONS

Saturday, September 24, 2140

"Come on.... It's not that hard," Malcolm assured Kit, placing his hands over hers. "Slide that converter in. It will compress the energy from the power cells to the conveyer."

"Is that power cell supposed to be sticking out like that?"

"We're leaving that for now. Do you understand how the power goes from the cell to the blast?"

Kit nodded slowly. "I think so." She slowly went through the electronics. Malcom sighed as she fumbled over the arrangements of the convyer.

"Kit, Kit....." He shook his head sadly. "Have you been studying you engineering datapad?"

She gave a noncommital shrug. "I guess so."

"I gave you all that information to study. I can't help you if you're not even going to try!" He sighed. "Just how the hell did you get in here if your engineering skills are so poor?"

"I cheated, obviously," she replied.

Malcolm pulled away. He shook his head. "Do you know how dangerous that is, Christine?"

"You're calling me Christine? It's that big a deal?"

"Of course it's a big deal! You cheated on your exams! You need to know this stuff! Are you going to cheat on your tests for Starfleet too?"

"You know it's like impossible to cheat on Starfleet exams." She sighed. "I'll learn everything I have to so I can pass...."

"CHRISTINE!" Malcolm shouted, jumping up. "This isn't about passing!" He grabbed her, shaking her. "If you get into Starfleet, lives are going to be dependant on you. You are going to have to know everything inside and out. If you're not even going to bother, than I won't be able to show you any support in joining Starfleet."

"I don't know why it bothers you so much." Kit retorted.

"It bothers me because I know how much you want to be in Starfleet! Maybe your professor is right about you. Here I am, trying to help you and you can't even pretend to be interested in it."

"I am interested!" she shouted back. "I'm just too stupid to understand anything you're telling me!"

"Oh that's not true and you know it, Christine! You're smart, but you get frustrated and stop trying. Why do you give up when you have to use your head instead of your fists?"

"Because you shouldn't try if you know you're going to fail."

Malcolm caught her chin between thumb and forefinger, lifting her head to look into his eyes. "Kitten, I wouldn't be so hard on you if I didn't think you could do this." He kissed her on the forehead. "Please.... Just try. Don't waste your potential."

Kit laughed, turning red. "You know, you're really good at guilt tripping a girl."

"I try."

****

Fiona glanced over Kit's shoulder. "What are you working on?"

"Malcolm lent me some of his engineering datapads. I'm trying to bone up." She smack Fiona on the shoulder as she reached for one of the pads. "Hey! I'm reading that!"

"Sorry, I don't have many pads on the engineering of munitions." Fiona rubbed her shoulder. "Lay off the weights, I think you broke my arm."

"Malcolm lent these pads to me. When I'm done, ask him if you can borrow them."

Fiona plopped down on the floor, looking at one of the pads Kit had since abandoned. "That boy is protective of you, isn't he?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean he really doesn't want to see you fail."

Kit shrugged. "He's my best friend.... i think he sees something in me that I don't. He can be a little mean about it at time, but I know he means well. He takes after his dad...."

Fiona shrugged. "Well, I don't know about your potential, but I've got the feeling you're not going to give up until you make him proud."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well," Fiona stretched out. "You always want to make those you love proud. When I was dating Grant Jacobs, I helped him make a scan--"

Kit's head snapped up. "What did you say?"

"I said that when I was dating Grant Jacobs....."

"No, before that." Kit sat up, eyes going wide. "Those you love? You think I love Malcolm?"

"You're kidding, right?" Fiona laughed. "You're just being coy with me again."

"Coy? What-- I love Malcolm." Kit took a deep breath. "I love Malcolm."

"You're acting like this is a new discovery." Fiona looked over Kit's expression. The security major's eyes were wide, her mouth agape. "No way! It IS a new discovery? I thought you were just being a private person!" She burst out laughing. "You seriously didn't know?"

"I'm not in love with Malcolm, Fi....." Kit trailed off. "At least, I don't think I am."

"Okay, let's go through this step by step.... Is he your best friend?"

"Yes."

Fiona pursed her lips, steepling her fingers. "So.... Would you.... Throw yourself in front of a plasma bullet for him?"

"I'm a security major. It's my job to think of other people before myself." Kit felt the heat rising in her cheeks.

"Have you ever dreamt about him?"

"I've dreamt about pretty much every person I know." Kit shook her head.

"Not THAT kind of dream." Fiona rolled her eyes. "Have you ever dreamt about him naked?"

Kit's cheeks went a furious red. "Maybe.... Once or twice...."

Fiona raised an eyebrow. "That's actually very normal for a platonic relationship."

"A week." she finished.

"You're a complete and utter moron!" Fiona shouted. "You've dreamt about boffing Malcolm once or twice a week and you DIDN'T think you had feelings for him?"

"I figured it was because he's the only male I speak to on a personal level."

"Wake up, Kit! You're completely in love with him!"

Slowly, Kit sank down onto the bed. She covered her mouth with her hands, taking in a deep breath. "Oh my God...."

"Congratulations, you just admitted it to yourself. This is the first step." Fiona smiled. "You're welcolme."

"You're welcome?!?!" Kit cried shrilly. "You're WELCOME?!?! Fiona, you're a complete idiot!"

"What?"

"Why'd you have to tell me about this!?!" Kit demanded. She jumped to her feet. She grabbed Fiona by the collar, hauling her up. "I was doing fine before I knew!"

"You're mad because I helped you discover you love someone?" Fiona coughed. "Breathing becoming an issue!"

Kit let go of her roommate, covering her face with her hands. "Now I'm never going to be able to look at him!"

"I understand people like to look at the object of affection."

"Now when I look at Malcolm I'm not going to see my best friend! I'm going to see the guy I'm in love with!"

"Oh come off it, Kit!" Fiona yelled. "Do you REALLY look at him like that anymore? Or have you just been in denial?"

"I didn't know. I really didn't...." Kit sat down on the desk between the two beds. "Can I still be friends with him now that I know?"

"Why would you WANT to?" Fiona quickly grabbed the bits of electronics Kit almost sat on. "Malcolm would probably jump at the opportunity to.... Well... Jump you."

"FIONA!"

"I'm being serious. You think that he doesn't beat you down as an attempt to be physical with you? Really, Kit. you two are so Robbie."

"And Robbie is what?"

"My brother. He was best friends with this girl, Terry.... Anyway, he fell head over heels in love with her. For years and years he didn't tell her the truth about his love. Then, she started dating my brother Greg and...."

"Is there a point to this story or are you just trying to bore me to tears?"

"Now I have a sister-in-law named Terry Terrance."

Kit sighed. "So everything worked out. That doesn't mean Malcolm loves me."

"You would be surprised." Fiona picked up her bag, shoving several of her projects in. "Well, I'm heading down to the lab."

"Wait!" Kit jumped off of the desk as Fiona started to the door. "You never said if Terry married Robbie or Greg!"

"Well, she was close to both of them. Bye!" The door shut behind her, leaving Kit alone.