The next morning, Scott entered engineering central at 0600. Preston looked up from his work. By now he was used to seeing the chief engineer in the section well before his shift began. Scott noticed the gray eyes that watched him from across the room. He moved closer to where Preston was working, but didn’t acknowledge the junior engineer, except to say, “Did you behave last night?”

The young man looked away and muttered, “Yes, sir.”

Scott stood there for a moment watching him. “Lieutenant, come with me.”

Preston handed his tool to a nearby engineer and followed his chief to his office. Scott sat at his desk and motioned Preston to be seated in front of him. Preston sat down. Scott asked, “Do you like being treated like a child?”

“No, sir.”

“Do you have any idea why you get treated like one?”

“Because of my attitude?”

“So you know what the problem is, yet you continue to behave the way you do?” Preston looked at the floor and didn’t respond. “Your attitude is your main problem, lad, but there’s no reason any man should be condescending to you.”

“You haven’t been condescending.”

“Have others?”

“You know they have. Sir.” He tried never to forget to add that ‘sir’ when he talked to Scott. Just so there’d be no misunderstanding—Preston knew who was in command in this section. He’d never been afraid of a superior before…no, afraid wasn’t the word. He wasn’t afraid of Scott. He…respected the man. Yes, that was it…respect. He’d never truly respected anyone before, and he didn’t quite know what to do about it. Oh, he’d made the motions at the Academy, but somehow, in this situation, that seemed hollow. No—Scott deserved more than just empty motions of feigned respect.

He turned from his reflection when the chief engineer spoke. “Mr. Preston, I like your work. You seem to have a good grasp of engineering and how things work on a starship. You are thorough and very accurate. I reviewed that unauthorized job you did. You are a good engineer. I think you have more potential than anyone else has ever taken the time or effort to notice. You’ve only been here for a short while, and I can see a variety of both strong and weak points in you. We’ll work on them. Remember this, laddie—as long as you work with me, and do your best, we won’t have a problem. That includes following orders and no more unauthorized modifications of my systems. Am I getting through to you, lieutenant?”

“Loud and clear, Mr. Scott.”

“I certainly hope so. And the same holds true for Mr. Wilson. Now go on back to work. When Lt. Kincaid reports in, you can go to breakfast if she has nothing specific for you to do.”

“Yes, sir.” He rose and left the room. Scott grinned and turned to begin his work day.

The weeks that followed Preston and Wilson’s transfer to the day shift were uneventful. Neither man wanted to call Scott on his warning for them to behave. They had no desire to see him really angry, or to find out what type of punishment he would deal them. At dinner one night, in a discussion about the incident for which they’d gotten in trouble and their almost perfect behavior since, Preston said, “I’m not one for potato peeling and something tells me that’s next.”

“Potatoes? What potatoes?”

“I wouldn’t put it past him to replicate several hundred pounds of potatoes and two peelers, just for us.”

Wilson laughed. “You know, neither would I.”

The more time the two men spent working with Scott, the more he impressed them. It took them awhile to realize he actually enjoyed working with them. That was a new experience for them, especially for Preston. Wilson had grown up in a rowdy, but loving family. He was an only child, but he picked up his untamed habits from the ranch hands he grew up around. Preston was an orphan. He grew up in a series of foster homes and never found acceptance anywhere but Starfleet. Even in the Fleet, though, he had problems…until now. Scott’s willingness to set aside their rocky start and actually accept him for who he was…Ray had never known that before. Much of his cockiness was a front to protect a delicate ego. He had spent his entire life seeing himself as a worthless screw-up and here was Scott telling him he was more. For the first time in his life, Preston had a positive role model, a man he respected and admired, a man who earned that respect from him. Neither of the men was perfect, and Scott did not expect them to be. The chief engineer rarely jumped to conclusions and never without justification. He was fair and even-tempered, slow to anger, and he made them feel as though they were worth the time he spent working with them.

For Scott, as much as he had always loved his job, he was discovering a new dimension to his life in working with these three engineers. Preston and Wilson were bright and inquisitive, and they really loved their work. They began joining Scott and Kincaid during their extra training sessions and it was a relaxing time that Scott looked forward to more and more. Nothing in his life had ever meant more to him than the Enterprise…but these three engineers were drawing close. Life settled down for them into a comfortable routine, and the time passed.

It was late one evening when Scott and Kincaid entered the chief engineer’s quarters. He sat down at his desk and began looking through his technical journals. Warp theory was a difficult concept to master and Kincaid was having some trouble with one of the more nebulous aspects of the theory. This was the first time she’d been in his quarters. She looked around, her eyes straying to the set of bagpipes on the wall. She smiled. “Do you play?”

He glanced over his shoulder. “What?”

“The pipes. Do you play?”

“Aye.” He turned back to the journals.

Her voice was quiet. “My father used to play the pipes.”

“Oh? Doesn’t he play anymore?”

“I wouldn’t know.”

He looked over his shoulder at her, but the tone of her voice did not invite discussion. She wouldn’t look at him, so he let the matter drop and returned to his search. Finding the journal he wanted, he slid it into the viewer and called her over. “Read this over when you have a chance and see if it helps.”

She walked around the desk and looked over his shoulder. “You wrote this.”

“Aye.” He took it out and handed it to her. “See what you think of it.”

She nodded. “I will.” She looked back at the pipes. “Do you think I might persuade you to play for me sometime?”

She looked at him, noting a sudden change in his eyes, so swift she wasn’t sure she’d even seen it. She’d been noticing that a lot lately and she was beginning to wonder if she was imagining things. He smiled warmly. “Maybe.”

She reached out and ran her finger gently along the chanter. “I’ve always loved the pipes.”

“Where are you from, Fallon?”

He’d noticed the slight accent that colored her words, recognizing it as a Highland dialect, but it wasn’t pronounced and he couldn’t exactly place it. “I was born and raised in Aberdeen, but I left when I was 14 to live with my aunt and uncle in London. I never went back.” She sighed. “I loved Aberdeen. I have many fond memories from home.”

“Why did you leave?”

“It’s complicated and I’d rather not get into it.”

He backed off and she appreciated his respect. “What about you, sir? Where are you from?”

“A wee town called Kinarney, north of Aberdeen.”

She smiled. “I’ve been there a few times, when I was little. It’s a magical place.”

Scott laughed. This woman never ceased to charm and endear herself to him. The more time he spent with her, the closer she grew to his heart. “I’ve never heard it described in quite that way before. I suppose maybe magical could describe it, if you didn’t see it every day.”

“And if you did?”

He leaned back in his chair and studied her with warm eyes. “Then it’s simply home.”

“Home,” she repeated softy, sitting on the edge of the desk. He didn’t miss the wistful tone or the sadness in her eyes. “Couldn’t that in itself be considered magical?”

“I suppose it could at that. I’ll have to take you there someday.”

Her face brightened. “I’d love to see it again and hear all about it from someone who grew up there.”

He leaned toward her, his tone quiet and sincere. “And I’d love to see it through the eyes of someone who considers it magical.”

There was a pause as she met his eyes, and again their gazes locked. The emotions both fought came rushing forth for them to struggle with again. His eyes were dark and captivating; hers were warm and enchanting. She reached her hand toward his, lightly touching his fingers. He turned his hand over and closed it around hers. Her smile lit up her lovely face and he couldn’t help but return it. “I..I’d better go,” she said.

He said nothing and she didn’t move. “Scotty…” she whispered. “It’s getting late.”

“I suppose it is,” he muttered. He let her hand go and this time it was he who looked away first.

She stood and looked at him for a moment. Her mind fled back to Starbase 12 and the kiss they’d shared before they knew who they were to each other. Ah, the bliss of ignorance. And now…she adored the man. The more time she spent with him, the more she loved him. She felt his affection and sensed his attraction, but she had no idea how he truly felt about their relationship. She was afraid that if she pushed, she’d drive him away, and that would break her heart. So she left things as they were. “Good night, Scotty.”

Scott finally looked at her and he grinned, but there was a tension in his eyes she wasn’t able to define. “Good night, Fallon.”

She left the room and he let out his breath in a heavy sigh. What the hell was he going to do? He knew what he wanted to do, but the reality of his relationship with her always came back to haunt him. If he wasn’t so damn overwhelmed by her…he closed his eyes and leaned back in the chair. He had never known a woman who was able to spin him so completely out of control. And it was getting harder and harder to keep his bearings around her when they weren’t in the engine room. His engines kept him grounded but even their grip on him was beginning to slip when it came to his first engineer.