Summary: This is a double duty story. An attempt to answer Mykkhal's most recent speed challenge. Yes, I know I am slow. The names of the Tom Paris, Harry Kim or associated descriptives do not appear within the story. All I have to say is, thank goodness both men are Ensigns.

This is also a first time, Valentine's day story. Critiquing is encouraged and feedback is applauded.

This story is dedicated to Astarte who labors over my webpage. Thanks.

Rating: R

He found the first rose at his station when he reported for duty. Asking the members of the Gamma Shift left on the bridge earned him shrugs. They were more interested in getting off shift.

He picked up the rose. It was beautiful. A dusky, velvet blush-red that deepened to a true blood red. The fragrance was lush and full bodied.

"A gift, Ensign?"

"Yes, Captain."

"It's beautiful. My grandmother grew prize roses. That one looks like an American Beauty."

"Err, Captain?"

Correctly interpreting the body language from the ensign, she answered aloud.

"Of course Ensign. Put it in a vase and get it to your quarters."

Moving closer, she peered at the rose. The captain looked up at the ensign, "That rose is real."

The ensign was confused. "Yes?"

Relenting, Kathryn Janeway elaborated. "This isn't a replicated rose. Someone grew this in the hydroponics bay."

Extending one finger, she brushed the curling edge of one soft petal, "Who was it? This rose could give Grammy's some serious competition."

Shrugging, very embarrassed, the Ensign answered, "I don't know Captain."

A bright grin lit Janeway's features, "A secret admirer then."

Nodding in bemused agreement, the Ensign walked to the Bridge replicator and asked for a bud vase. He beamed the vase with its new occupant to his quarters.

Just before leaving the bridge for lunch, the paper materialized near his fingers. There was one line on the small square of paper, in unremarkable, block type. His eyes followed the script, "Roses are red...."

The second rose materialized near his plate while he was in the mess hall eating lunch. Neelix was trying something he claimed was sautéed onion rings. Presently there was a run on them, not because they bore any resemblance to onions, but because they tasted like chicken. Chewing the tasty rings, he was studying his padd, desultorily following the conversation between Jenny and her sister, his dining companions, when he heard the giggles.

A rose, almost a replica of the one he found this morning, lay next to his plate. Looking around, he tried to pick out his rose giver. No one appeared to be acting furtive or paying any attention to their table.

"Jenny, what do you know about this?"

Giggling, the Delaney sisters protested innocence and left him sitting alone with his rose. Studying it, he saw minute differences between this one and the one he had received earlier. It seemed the captain was right. These were roses that had been cultivated on Voyager.

Sighing he duplicated his actions from earlier in the day. Replicate bud vase with water, put rose in vase, beam vase to quarters. He wanted to comm his friend and tell him about the latest mystery in his life, but the Ensign had been on gamma shift and was probably still sleeping, having been awake the last twelve hours.

As soon as the turbolift opened, his eyes tracked to the console. Almost expecting it, he was unsurprised to find another rose waiting for him. Smiling Captain Janeway greeted him. "It materialized about ten seconds ago."

"Cap'n?"

"Yes Ensign, Go ahead."

The fourth one materialized just as he was going off shift accompanied by another square of paper. This one read, "Violets are blue...."

Although the teasing had been gentle for the last four hours of his shift, Captain Janeway and Chakotay proved to be merciless. Tuvok was no slouch either. Who would have thought it of Tuvok? If he didn't know better, he would have sworn the Vulcan had a highly developed sense of humor. Asked by the Captain if he could trace the identity of the person who was beaming roses through her ship, Tuvok answered with utter seriousness, mimicking the doctor perfectly. "I am a Tactical officer, Captain, not a detective." Though he had been the uncomfortable target of their jokes most of the afternoon, the Ensign found himself smiling when Tuvok answered.

With the fourth rose, he sighed. As soon as he was off shift, he planned to hack into the computer and find the culprit. But first he had a bud vase to beam back to his quarters.

His visit to Hydroponics netted him two roses, one just inside the door on his way into the bay and the other in the same position as he was leaving the large misty bay. However, he found no rose bushes. The count was up to six. The ensign was becoming a little frustrated.

Mentally, he went over his interaction with all the women in the crew. He wondered if it might be the Captain. Shivering, he banished that thought from his mind.

Very well, higher help was needed here. He commed his friend. Making arrangements to meet in a couple hours, he decided to use his time constructively. There was a programmer he wanted to unmask.

Stepping into his quarters, he saw the six roses in their clear crystal vases, marching in a row across his desk. The air in his room was heady, filled with a voluptuous fragrance that reminded him of warm Riissan nights.

A determined stride took him to his computer. Sitting at his station, he opened up his profiling program. Figuring that whomever had programmed the transporter's commands to beam the roses to his location would have encrypted the commands and placed several safeguards to prevent penetration, he chose to work around it.

A profiler was a deceptive program. It took a genius to use it to its full capacity. Instead of searching for a programmer the profiler would track memory caches. His secret rose giver would have had to use a large amount of memory, first to program the transporters for intra-ship transport, then to cover his tracks. All in all, large amounts of storage would be devoted to this exercise. Find the storage site and he would find the programmer.

Leaning back in his chair, he tugged off his boots. It would take a little time as the program chewed through all the memory stores of Voyager, eliminating them one by one. While waiting for the profiler to announce its results, he would be in Holodeck Two.

Leaving his computer running, he went to play his daily hoverball game. He collected four more roses during each interval of the four-quarter game.

Geron was openly envious. Chell did not understand the significance of receiving dead roses, but listened intently to the Bajoran's explanation. Towel slung around his neck the ensign returned to his quarters. He would be joining his friend in twenty minutes. That would give him just enough time for a sonic shower.

Emerging refreshed from the bathroom, he almost stepped on the small piece of paper.

Pouncing on the note, he perused it avidly.

He read the words aloud. "Roses are red....

Violets are blue....

I'm wearing leather,

And waiting for you."

Neurons firing quickly, understanding dawned as he put two and two together. If he took the note at face value and there was no reason not to, then his anonymous rose gardener was....

The chime at his door sounded. It was the only warning he received.

The door slid open to reveal his friend in leather.

Supple leather clung faithfully to every mound and valley on the ensign's body. It revealed firm calves, muscular thighs and a slow rise of material that was displaying a ridged swelling that the dumbstruck man ached to explore. An open leather jacket allowed a peek at a close fitting white undershirt.

"You." One step.

"Look." Two steps brought him closer.

"Edible."

Bringing his hands out from behind his back, the leather-clad ensign revealed two more roses. "An even dozen."

Breathing in the musky scent of leather, close enough to feel the waves of heat rising off the man in front of him, the two scents mixing with the lusty rose fragrance all coalesced into a sensual amalgam. The ensign pressed into his visitor's personal space.

"Thanks. Now, kiss me."

And he did and so did he.

The End.

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