Deep Blue Sea - Chapter 4

DEEP BLUE SEA

By Y2Kelly

RATED: PG-13 most of the way (chapter six, due to sexual content, is sliding to R)
DISCLAIMER: All characters belong to Paramount. No infringement intended here.
GENRE: Romance\Adventure
ARCHIVE: Yes
DATE: June 4, 2006
EMAIL: y2kelly@hotmail.com

SOURCES: Star Trek: Balance of Terror; Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home; Vulcan Language Institute.

SUMMARY: Under orders from Captain Archer, Trip and T’Pol, along with his parents, sail the Twilight vessel to Maui, Hawaii, where Admiral Gardner has a home they are to stay at in hiding while Starfleet and Section 31 continue to investigate the growing Terra Prime network and their assassination threats on the Commander’s lives. Along the way, the crew of Twilight encounters a wrecked vessel in need of repairs, and what better man is there for fixing a broken ship, but Commander Charles Tucker. T’Pol is forced to confront the Commander to discuss her Pon Farr, amongst other things she’s been keeping from him. And T’Pol has the strangest encounter with one of Earth’s more interesting species, but little does she know her encounter endangers them all. Far from the constraints of serving aboard Enterprise, Trip and T’Pol will discover the true meaning and purpose of their bond, and in doing so, they find that they have more to be concerned about than their own lives, as the Terra Prime threat knows no boundaries for them.

AUTHOR NOTE: This story is a continuation and ending to my first three chapters of "Deep Blue Sea.." Again, this isn’t a finale fix story, because from my point of view, TATV doesn’t exist. This is my first finished piece of fan fiction, so please give constructive feedback (but go easy on me people)! Sorry this took me so long to finish…some thing(s) came up. A very special thank you to John O. for being my beta.

No alien land in all the world has any deep, strong charm for me, but Hawaii, no other land could so longingly and beseechingly haunt my sleeping and waking, through half a lifetime, as Hawaii has done. Other things leave me, but it abides. – Mark Twain

CHAPTER FOUR: Dream a Little Dream

Trip estimated their transoceanic voyage would take approximately 15 days. They could do it in less time sailing Twilight, but he was in no hurry; they were safer from Terra Prime assassins at sea and the lengthy sail would give him more time to spend with his parents. On his father’s X19, their sail would have taken up to 30 days, but Twilight could easily cruise 200 nautical miles a day at sea. Even in the winter tropical storms she held up brilliantly. She was unsinkable. Their voyage was approximately twenty-one hundred nautical miles long and they were already a quarter of the way through the journey. With the winter waters calm the past four days, they were cruising comfortably on schedule to their destination, Maui.

Trip and his parents were fighting a light bout of seasickness. Since they only had the sleeping medicine his parents used as a remedy, they were all content to spend time resting and relaxing. Mr. Tucker was sleeping at the captain station with his feet up on the ledge of the controls and his Stetson hat over his eyes. Mrs. Tucker was in the kitchen, trying to take her mind off of the nausea by preparing the striped bass Trip and his father caught early that morning.

T’Pol was using this down-time to her advantage, meditating alone for the first time in her quarters since that first night. Trip had been joining her for her afternoon meditation, wanting to continue the practice that they had started aboard Enterprise shortly after they discovered their bond. But, with the onset of her Pon Farr cycle, she was finding it more difficult to focus on suppressing her emotions with him present, in close physical proximity. She required more time to meditate alone in the hopes of suppressing her urges long enough for their arrival to Maui.

She knew this day would come for over a year; feeling her hormones changing ever since she began to give Commander Tucker the Vulcan Neuropressure. Yet, what she could not understand was the fear she felt. She tried to rationalize this fear, telling herself that this was a normal biological function for a Vulcan female of her age, and that Commander Tucker was her bond mate and would be both willing and able to respond to her condition. T’Pol knew she had no control over it and no matter what she did; the Pon Farr would overcome her in order to satisfy the need to procreate with her chosen mate. But knowing how illogical this fear was made the feeling no less overwhelming to the Vulcan.

Trip was still unaware of the seriousness of her situation. She was unwilling to discuss it with him; but, he knew something was very wrong with her after she refused his alluring attempts to make love to her for the past three nights in a row. He had no idea what to make of her behavior. She was even more stubborn than usual. After that first amazing night aboard Twilight, he was comforted by the thought that they might spend more passionate nights together in her quarters. Her aggression was uncharacteristic in their intimacy, but he assumed it was her way of letting him know how much she loved him without saying it. Through their bond, he felt her strong desire to be with him, and strangely, his own appetite for her had grown increasingly virile.

Since that first night, he wanted nothing more than to be close to her, breathe the same air as her, and make love to her like he had so many times before in his dreams. Instead, she was becoming irritable, distant, and he was now sleeping alone. T’Pol would not have to ask him to give her space. He knew she needed it, and with her insensate behavior, he was content to spend the entire journey alone.

T’Pol, however, after spending three long and lonely nights without her mate, was no longer able to focus in meditation. Distracted even in her solitude, she sensed his anxiety and loneliness each day increasing, as Trip invaded her every thought. Whilst the journey fleeted by at an immeasurable pace for the others, in T’Pol’s mind, the ocean currents were a lava flow, slow and ominous of the eruptions that lie ahead.

**************************

“That’s it, you’re doin’ it, baby girl! Remember, just like I taught ya’! Now I’m gonna’ let go. Ready? 1…2…3!”

Trip let go of her tiny waist and, just like that, Elizabeth was swimming all on her own. They were swimming in the bath-warm, shallow waters off the coastal shores of Ft. Lauderdale beach. Elizabeth was a small girl; about five years old. Her blondish brown, silky-straight hair and tiny Vulcan ears were all wet like her father’s.

“Look daddy, I’m swimmin’!” She said in a human display of emotions her mother would never approve of and her father would cherish.

“Yes you are, princess…before ya’ know it, you’ll be swimmin’ better then mommy!” He grabbed her and pulled her back into his arms to give her a little kiss on her forehead. “Now, I’m gonna’ let ya’ go an’ I want ya’ ta’ swim around me…just like I showed ya’.” He released her and she began swimming slowly around him in a doggy paddle motion. He was so proud of her…of what might have been…
Trip was on the hammock on the shaded side of the deck; resting and daydreaming about how life could have been if Elizabeth had lived. He imagined watching his little princess swim just how he would have taught her when, suddenly, T’Pol appeared in his dream, approaching him from the waters behind.

“Where is this place? Why am I…” She saw the child’s pointy ears and was disturbed. It just hit her who this little girl was. T’Pol found it most difficult to understand these daydreams in Trip’s mind through the bond. Their bond was more of a sharing of thoughts and feelings. It was times like this when she wished their bond was more revealing.

“I’m sorry you got dragged into this…daydream, T’Pol. This is one of the places in Florida I would've taken Elizabeth. I can’t help daydreamin’ about her…I think about her all the time, ya’ know what I mean?”

“I have similar thoughts. They are not quite as imaginative; however, they do involve a degree of affection for our daughter.” Hearing T’Pol actually admit she had mourning thoughts of their daughter sent waves of emotion through Trip. He remembered a time when she wouldn’t speak of any feelings for her mother’s death. As if sharing her thoughts with him at the time were too intimate for her.

“You know, I learned ta’ swim when I was about her age,” he said, staring off at the swimming child. T’Pol turned her head to look upon Elizabeth. Her face immediately tensed up. Trip could sense that she was touched. Her emotions were always closer to the surface in their shared dreams.

“I’m sorry darlin’, I didn’t mean ta’ disturb you from your meditation. You shouldn’t be here. I don’t understand why you keep gettin’ pulled into my head. I wasn’t even thinkin’ of you!” T’Pol lifted her head sharply in response. “I mean, it usually only happens when I’m thinkin’ about ya’.”
“My mind was unfocused in meditation. It was my thoughts about you which have brought me here, Trip.”
“Is there somethin’ you’re not tellin’ me, T’Pol?”
“Yes. Meet me in my…” Their connection was suddenly lost.

**************************

Mr. Tucker startled awake as his boots abruptly fell from the control panel and thudded against the floor. Twilight came to a sudden halt and the detection sensors started signaling alert with low pulsing sirens. With one look at the sensor screen, Mr. Tucker quickly became even more alarmed when he discovered that they were fast approaching another vessel head on.

The detection sensors and automated navigation systems gave him enough warning that he could switch on manual mode to maneuver Twilight off course and safely out of the path of the other vessel. Trip woke from his lucid dream at the unexpected course change and quickly made his way up to the captain station to find his father steering the wheel.

“Everythin’ all right, dad? I felt the engines power down an’ it sure looks like your steerin’ off course!”

“Detection sensors went off…seems we have company.” He was motioning out the window ahead. The vessel was still heading towards them, even after they changed course, and it was closing fast.

“Looks like they’re headin’ right for us. Anybody hailin’ through on the comm?” Trip wondered.

“No.” Mr. Tucker checked the comm panel. “Son, you and T’Pol better get in disguise…somethin’ tells me we’ll be havin’ some company.”

“Dad, we don’t know who these people are. You may wanna’ carry one of these.” He pulled a phase pistol from the cabinet below the control panel.

“Is that really necessary, son? By the looks of it, this ship couldn’t have more than a couple passengers. Maybe they just need our help.” Trip’s father was all too willing to help out. It was common among sailors to provide perfect strangers with assistance and to even invite them aboard for socializing. Usually, Trip would be just as willing to help as his father, but these days he couldn’t trust anyone he didn’t already know.

“Better ta’ be safe then sorry, right dad?” As he handed over the pistol, T’Pol approached from behind.

“Is there a problem?”

“We have company. C’mon, let’s get undercover.” Trip grabbed her arm lightly and they made their way quickly down the stairs to their respective quarters. Trip put on his ball cap, fake mustache, and glasses. T’Pol threw on her long, black-haired wig and sunglasses big enough to cover her eyebrows. Both looked completely different with the minor changes. They met back in the hallway. Trip handed her a pistol, which she placed in the hidden holster beneath her white robe, and he placed his pistol in the pocket of his windbreaker.

On the deck of the approaching ship were a man and a woman. Both looked to be about the same age as Trip. On the side of the boat, it said “Daydreams.” It was a smaller yacht, not as sophisticated as Twilight; more of a traditional sail boat. Trip and T’Pol made their way back up to the captain station just as Daydreams moved in a few meters away from Twilight.

“AHOY!! Our comm and nav controls were fried in the storm early this mornin’. We’ve been steerin’ blind til’ our sensors picked you up! Think ya’ could give us a hand?” The man shouted, as his ship was much smaller than Twilight.

“Storm? What storm? I haven’t seen anything on sensors in days?” Mr. Tucker said to Trip and T’Pol in a lowered voice. They were already suspicious of the couple.

“Sensor scans show a tropical-size storm, moving approximately 300 miles south of their course.” T’Pol directed to Trip. He and his father sighed in relief, now believing that the couple was probably telling the truth and just lost at sea.

“You say your navigational and comm systems were fried? I could probably take a look at ‘em for ya’, if you’ll allow me ta’ come aboard.” Trip yelled down to them. He didn’t want to invite them aboard Twilight. If they were having system malfunctions, he’d probably be able to fix them and send them on their way.

“I’ll throw over my line!” the man said eagerly.

“If I can’t fix their control panel, then we’ll have to give ‘em one of our mobile nav and comm units. I’d rather give it to ‘em then have ta’ tow ‘em to Hawaii,” Trip said discretely to his father and T’Pol.

“You’d better not give ‘em anythin’. Offer to sell or trade it to ‘em. They may be suspicious if you just offer to give equipment away like that!”

“Ya’ have a point. Well, hopefully we won’t have ta’ give ‘em anythin’. Let me take a look an’ see.”

“Be careful, son.”

Trip nodded and gave T’Pol a concerned glance. “I’ll be back in no time.” Trip climbed down the ladder and stepped onto Daydreams. He was immediately greeted by the man and woman.

“I’m Mike Reed and this is my wife Melissa.” Melissa looked like a model; beautiful blonde, with all the right curves. Trip nodded and for a moment lost his head in her beauty. He was about to introduce himself as himself, when he almost forgot he was undercover.

“I’m Peter.” Trip returned to shake Mike’s offering hand. “If ya’ don’t mind Mike, I’d like to get started on your systems. Me an’ ma’ family are on a pretty tight schedule. Why don’t ya’ show me this fried control panel.”

“Sure, right this way, Peter” He led Trip into their cockpit. “Yeah, the storm caused a surge in our power distribution system. We’re very fortunate our ship sensors aren’t integrated in the main command panel, or else we would have never found you! I’m no engineer, but I don’t think your goin’ ta’ be able ta’ fix our systems…that surge literally fried the entire panel. We had to use a fire extinguisher to stop the panel from goin’ up in flames.”

“Not so fast, let me take a look. I have some experience with these things.”

“It’s this panel here, Peter.” Trip took one look at it and could see that the panel was clearly unrecoverable. There was only so much he could do with fried circuits, even with his ingenious engineering skills. Rather than waste time, he cut to the chase.

“Ooohh. I see what ya’ mean. I tell ya’ what Mike. I have a few extra portable nav and comm units. I’ll sell ya’ ‘em or trade ‘em to ya’. Have anythin’ of value you’d like to offer for ‘em?” Mike looked at his wife and grinned.

“Do you like wine, Peter?” Melissa said with a big grin.

“I’m not a big wine drinker, but my mom likes ta’ use white wine for cookin’ her fish. Why?”

“We happen to be wine collectors.” Mike explained. “In fact, we have some very rare bottles of wine that would fetch a lot of money on the market. We’re celebrating our fifth wedding anniversary and intended on drinking some of them, but they would easily cover your costs for the equipment.”

“Well, I don’t know a damned thing about wine. I’ll just have to take your word for it. Give me five minutes and I’ll be back with the parts you need.” Trip didn’t care. Mike could have offered him dirty laundry and he would have taken it just to get away from them. He still didn’t trust them completely.

“And we’ll have your wine ready.” Mike returned. “Honey, could you get a cooler from the kitchen?” He said to his wife.

“We’re forever in your debt, Peter. For sometime we thought we may never find another boat!” Melissa leaned in and gave him a big kiss on his cheek before running off to get the cooler.

Trip had to collect himself for a moment. He gave Mike a look of amused envy and headed back to Twilight. Little did he know that T’Pol and Mr. Tucker saw the whole transaction, including the kiss! Upon returning to the captain station, he noticed the look on T’Pol’s face and felt her rage through their bond.

“That was quick!” Mr. Tucker teased.

“Like the man said, their systems are fried! Nothin’ I can do ta’ fix ‘em. I just wanna’ get ‘em outta’ here and be on our way; we can spare the equipment. An’ ‘sides, we’re gettin’ some expensive wine from ‘em in trade for these systems. Mom will have’ some rare wine to cook with tonight!” As he approached the cabinet that the equipment was stored in, T’Pol cut him off.

“That woman kissed you,” she said in an accusative tone.

“What, that little peck on my cheek? She was thankin’ me for savin’ their lives, T’Pol. It was nothin’!” He threw his hands in the air. Mr. Tucker cleared his throat, amused by their quarrel as he left the station. T’Pol waited for them to be completely alone, glaring at him in the passing moments.

“You were excited when that female touched you.”

“What? I was not!” He would never admit that he really was for a second, but only because it wasn’t everyday a woman so becoming kissed him on the cheek.

“I’m taking the equipment over. I will not allow this female to touch you again.” She motioned towards the cabinet. Trip clasped down his hand on the door to prevent her from opening it. His voice lowered to a whisper as they were face to face.

“How do ya’ think it’s gonna’ look with you bringin’ the equipment over?”

“No other female shall be permitted to touch you, t'hy'la…you are MINE…” she said in a low-toned, trembling voice; focusing on his lips. Her words rang loud and clear through the bond. She was in a delicate state of mind. He knew this had something to do with their earlier conversation. Suddenly, she began sniffing him. “Your scent is contaminated by her fragrance” She said with a disgusted demeanor.

“What’re you doin’, T’Pol? That woman’s no threat ta’ ya’, darlin’! Trust me, I’m not gonna’ allow her to touch me again, an’ I’ll be right back!” What has gotten’ into this woman? Trip wondered.

She felt a strong need to touch him and reclaim him with her smell. She closed into him, kissing him fully, while her hands ran through his hair. As she pulled away from his mouth, she focused again on his lips and then on his eyes. Trip opened his eyes, delighted by her show of jealousy. There was nothing more attractive to him than seeing T’Pol get jealous over him.

“I’ll be waiting for you in my quarters, t’hyla.”

Whoa! I know that look. “I sure as hell don’t know what this is all about, but when I get back, your gonna’ have a lot of explainin’ ta’ do!” In bed He inwardly thought, but was certain his thoughts crept through when T’Pol raised a brow in response. He kissed her one last time and winked at her as he left with the equipment.

************************

Aboard Daydreams, Trip showed Mike how to use the new mobile navigation and communication systems, while Melissa regretfully filled a cooler full of her favorite wines.

“Peter, we can’t thank ya’ enough for your help here. You saved our lives! Here, take my business card.” He handed it to Trip. “We have a little Tour Guidin’ business near Kaanapali Beach, Maui. We’re headed back home now. We do all kinds of tours, but this time of the year we have some real nice guided tours for whale watchin’ in the protected Auau Channel. We can take ya’ all kayaking for a personal, up-close tour! If you’re gonna’ be out that way, just give us a call. We can show you all around Maui an’ we’d love to take you an’ your family out to dinner.”

“Hmm. I might just take ya’ up on your offer, Mike. We have a pretty tight schedule, but I’m sure we’ll be keepin’ in touch. Ma’ mom thanks ya’ for the wine, ma’am. You both take care now.” Trip shook Mike’s extended hand and awkwardly waved at Melissa. True to his words, he would not touch her. He wondered what T’Pol would do to him the next time she smelled Melissa on him.

When he returned to Twilight with the cooler of wines, he found his mother in the captain station with his father. He set the cooler down right in front of her. “Well ma’, I think you’ll have enough wine to drink an’ cook with for longer ‘an our entire journey.”

“What’s all this, dear?”

“Let’s just say we gotta’ fair trade!” He winked at her. Trip knew how good her fish could be cooked in different wines. He really meant “fair trade,” as he would be rewarded with her gourmet cuisines.

“Oooohh, Roederer Cristal 2112, French White Wine!! Do you know how rare this is Trip? This will go nicely with the bass!” She ran off with the Roederer and a few other bottles without even waiting for his response.

“Dad, I’m gonna’ go talk with T’Pol. She’s still pretty pissed about that kiss.” He shook his head. “If ya’ don’t see me at the dinner table, you’d better come lookin’ for me, I’m probably gonna’ be unconscious.” He smirked at his father.

“Son, I don’t think she’ll be lettin’ ya’ off the hook quite that easily! Ha, and they say Vulcans have no emotion!”

“Thanks dad, just what I needed…some reassurance!” He laughed and headed off to T’Pol’s quarters.

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