The BLTS Archive - Alone by Exploded Pen (exploded_pen@hotmail.com) --- Disclaimer=me no own~*~Just a one chapter dealy, I had to write this 'cause...welll I can't remember my exact reasoning at the time but I just do ok?!? Anyway on with the story~*~ --- "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Hoshi screamed, watching on in horror as if in slow motion the phaser was fired and Malcolm collapsed to the ground. The cell door slid shut again. Hoshi fell to the ground at Malcolm's side. He just laid there, unmoving. No sound escaped his lips, no breath escaped his body. "Malcolm?" Silence "Oh please baby say something" Hoshi's trembling fingers reached out to check his pulse, before she even touched him she knew he was dead. Tears cascaded down her face. "It wasn't meant to be like this" she sobbed. Reality hit her-hard. She was stuck in an alien cell with the dead body of her lover. She was alone. She was alone. He'd promised he'd never leave her. He'd sworn to stay by her side. He lied. Now she was alone. She leaned against him letting the tears flow. Her shoulders were wracked with huge heart wrenching sobs. --- One Week Later --- Hoshi watched on numbly as his coffin was loaded into the torpedo bay. Trip was stood at her side his arm round her shoulders. Archer cleared his throat. "I'd like to say a few words. In the years he spent aboard Enterprise, Malcolm saved all our lives on countless occasions, always there right when you needed him. Malcolm was a good friend and a good officer. I know he'll be sorely missed. I can hardly sum up such a man in so little words, I guess this little speech doesn't do him justice at all. So to Malcolm really all I could say is: Bloody good show Mr Reed, Bloody good show. I believe now Commander Tucker would like to say something" Trip stepped forward. "Ah'd say it was the hardest thing in the world getting' to know Mal, he liked to keep to himself a lot. Naggin' always wore him down though, he could never stand naggers. Ah don't think Ah ever really told him how much Ah valued his friendship and Ah guess it's too late now. The only thing Mal ever really wanted was acceptance. Ah think he found it too. First Ah lost mah sister and now Ah've lost mah best friend too. It just doesn't seem fair. He left behind all those who loved him. He didn't have the greatest of childhoods, havin' the Navy drilled inta him 'n' all that but he tried at least to protect us all. He's saved my ass quite a few times, Ah just wish Ah could've saved his." Trip stepped back again. Hoshi stared at the coffin, deep in thought. He lied. The bastard lied and left me. Why'd he have to die? He was just doing his job. Why'd he have to die? I loved him, I really loved him. My Malcolm. When I close my eyes I can hear his voice, smell his aftershave and feel his touch, but when I open my eyes I'm greeted by a void of hollow darkness. There will never be another Malcolm, he was one of a kind. But now. Now. I'm all alone, I have to stand alone. I suppose now is the time I should put on a brave face and talk with the others-after all talking is what I do. It's all I have left-empty little words and wasted moments when I could've told him how I felt about him how much I really loved him. But I didn't. Now it's too late. It's too late. Hoshi watched on as the coffin was sent out into space, knowing that none of those speeches did him justice at all-not that it mattered-Malcolm Stuart Reed was dead and that was all that mattered. --- The End