Turn (R)- Ch. 2

Turn

By stub & Joe

DATE: 10-25-02

RATING: R
Disclaimers in Part 1

Chapter 2

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As T'Pol made her way down to Engineering, she thought of how she was going to tell Commander Tucker about her new revelation. Perhaps not so much a revelation but rather a sane thought delivered in a moment of clarity. Would he balk at her suggestion or would he agree? Lost deep in her thoughts, she nearly ran into the main doors of Engineering. She rolled her eyes at herself in mild disgust, an action she'd no doubt picked up somewhere over the years from Mr. Tucker.

The doors opened and she entered. T'Pol hadn't been down here for almost two weeks, not since this whole thing started. They had silently decided to refrain from seeing each other while on duty, unless there was some sort of crisis. It was difficult enough to control themselves in their free time. Work time was supposed to be just that. She spotted him at his computer in the corner. One of his subordinates was hovering over his shoulder, both of them studying the monitor before them.

T'Pol hung back until the crewman returned to his duties. She slowly approached Trip, almost cautiously. He looked up, surprise marking his handsome features.

"Afternoon, Sub-Commander," he tentatively greeted her. He tried to force a smile, but she noted his eyes glazing over slightly with desire.

"Commander," replied T'Pol with a nod. She took a step closer as he stood up.

"What're you doin' here?" he hissed, instantly at her side. He bent his head and whispered into her ear, "You know jus' the sight of you is enough to get me all hot an' hard."

She remained stoic. "It is urgent we speak immediately after our shifts are over," she said quietly, a now familiar heat beginning to spread in her lower regions. T'Pol tried to push it away and remain professional. His breath on her face was intoxicating.

"Talk about what?" Trip asked. He folded his arms, trying desperately not to touch her. His mouth was so close to her pointed ear, and as he'd discovered, they turned him on like never before.

T'Pol closed her eyes and had to take a step back from him. She breathed in air that did not smell like him and opened her eyes. "I will meet you in your quarters at 1900."

Trip nodded, confusion replacing the lust. He watched as she turned and marched out of Engineering. He sat back down and sighed heavily. He momentarily closed his eyes and saw her face. He opened his eyes with a start, shook his head, and tried once again to focus on the statistics on his monitor.

Trip paced his quarters while waiting for T'Pol to arrive. He wasn't quite sure what she wanted to talk about, but he thought he had a pretty good idea. It was obvious now, after his talk with Archer, that his distraction and preoccupation with the Vulcan was becoming apparent to others as well. It wasn't a discreet affair anymore. He stopped short.

"Affair?" Trip muttered aloud. "Is that all this ever was?"

Just then the chime on his door went off. She was here and he would know soon enough. He went to answer the door. To his delight, T'Pol had changed out of her uniform and into one of her looser meditation outfits. Trip hated that skin-tight number she wore everyday. Even if it did accentuate each and every curve to a tee, it was hard to maneuver in the heat of the moment.

"Evenin' Sub-Commander," he greeted her with a broad smile. She nodded as she slid inside. Trip stepped aside and she breezed past him as she always did. He watched her move across his quarters, pausing at the portal.

"There is something we must discuss, Commander," T'Pol said, not turning around. She watched the stars streaking by.

Trip stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "What has you all bugged, darlin'?" His lips found her neck and he kissed his way to her pointed ear. "Can't be that bad, can it?"

"Trip, please..." she began. That familiar lustful heat that had been coiled in her belly began to spiral outward at his touch. She wouldn't be able to speak if she didn't move away soon.

"Please what?" he whispered into her ear, his tongue sliding slowly up to the tip.

"Don't," she managed. One arm came up to grasp him behind his neck. She meant to push him away but held his head in place instead.

"Don't?" Trip teased. "Don't what?" His left arm remained wrapped around her while his right hand wandered down her thigh and back up around to her bottom. He gave her right cheek a gentle squeeze.

"Stop," breathed T'Pol, turning around to face him.

Their gazes locked for a second before her mouth sealed to his in a crushing kiss. Her hands were in his hair while his stroked up her back and down to her cup her ass, pulling her closer.

T'Pol broke away first, trying to reign in her rapidly diminishing control. "We have to talk."

"We can talk later," growled Trip, suckling her neck again. His hands had found their way under her tunic, his fingers tracing patterns on her skin. He grabbed the hem of her top and yanked it up over her head, leaving her naked to the waist. He pulled her in for another kiss.

Once again T'Pol found all coherent thought evaporate from her mind as her primal instincts took over. Forgetting the reason she came here, she mimicked his previous action and slid her hands up under his shirt and over his head. As she discarded it to the floor, her hands trailed down his bare chest. Her tongue followed the path, which led to one of his flat nipples. It pleased her to hear a moan from him as she sucked his flesh, her hands sweeping down his hard stomach.

"Wait," he grunted and stepped back briefly. He gazed at her and upon seeing the lust in her eyes Trip pulled her to him again and kissed her deeply. He reached for the light and turned it off. He knew her body well enough already.

They made their way to his bed and he pushed her gently down. She wrapped her arms around him as he nestled himself between her legs. He moaned, the sound lost in their kiss...

After their frenzied love-making, he rolled off her and lay at her side. Neither spoke nor even looked at the other for long minutes, their respiration slowing. They both stared up at the ceiling. Not able to stand the silence any longer, Trip looked over at T'Pol.

"Now what?" he asked quietly.

She blinked, still looking up. Sighing softly she said, "We can't continue this behavior."

"I'm guessin' that's what you came here to talk about," he replied, his own gaze drifted back to the ceiling.

"Yes," said T'Pol simply. He nodded.

"Captain Archer spoke with me today about my lack of focus," she continued.

"Yeah, he came down to Engineering, too," Trip said. "I guess we're makin' it pretty obvious, huh?"

"Indeed," she agreed. "Perhaps the solution to our dilemma is the same as the reason this began."

"What's that?"

"Meditation," T'Pol replied. "You have stopped entirely since the explosion in Engineering and my own has been cut down drastically. I believe that is the cause of all this."

"Now wait a second, T'Pol. You think that us not meditatin' is the cause of us doing...well...what we've been doin'." He frowned. "I'm not sure I can buy that as easily as you have. To borrow a phrase, it's not logical." Trip sighed and added, "But I do know what you mean."

She furrowed her brow. "Perhaps you're right. I may have been reaching a bit by placing so much emphasis on our lack of meditation." She smiled into the darkness. "However, there is something quite illogical about our coupling."

"Well then." He stopped and thought for a moment. "Truthfully T'Pol, us not meditatin' may be part of the reason why we're where we are but it's definitely not the whole reason. There is a definite attraction and we both know it."

"Yes, there is." T'Pol agreed.

"There's a weird sort of irony to this whole situation, y'know," Trip stated matter-of-factly. He turned his head and waited for her prompt. He received a raised eyebrow and continued. "All this started 'cause three weeks ago I dared you to lose control."

She caught on immediately. "And now that one incident has had a 'domino effect' and the final result is the situation we're in now. The irony being that the entire dare to lose control has itself lost control. An interesting theory."

"Exactly," he said. Trip stared back up at the ceiling.

"So...Trip?"

He turned back to her. "Yeah?"

"What do you suggest we do about it?"

He turned his gaze back to the ceiling. "Well, since others are beginnin' to take notice of us, especially the Cap'n, we need to end it." It suddenly came to him. "I think the reason that you want to attribute this to lack of meditation is that you and I both need a reason to stop that doesn't come directly from someone else. We need to decide to end it on our own...an' get back that control we've had for the last five years."

T'Pol mulled this over. She hadn't even thought about that. "Maybe subconsciously that's what we want," she suggested. "We both need to realize or make ourselves believe that if we go back to meditating, we might just lose the desire."

"The lust, you mean," he corrected. "But whatever. Maybe we've just been channelin' our energies...differently. Replace that lust and desire with the control we've both displayed in the past," he shrugged. "It's all the same anyway, when you boil it down. We were both enjoyin' it." He turned to look at her. "I dunno 'bout you, but I lived for the moments that we made love."

She looked at him then. "We were hardly 'making love'. We were..." Her voice trailed off, searching for the right words. Trip sighed heavily.

"Fuckin'," he supplied. "The word you're lookin' for is 'fuckin'."

"Fucking?"

Trip's gaze fell from the ceiling to her. He smiled. "Yeah, it's an old human expression. Means havin' sex, usually devoid of anything other than lust."

She nodded and looked back up to the ceiling. "Then I suppose it is an accurate description of our actions the past two weeks."

"We're gonna self-destruct," stated Trip matter-of-factly. He looked at her, sadness in his eyes. "If we can't get that control back, we're both gonna get hurt, aren't we?"

T'Pol thought for a moment. "I think it is possible to regain the healthier relationship prior to our sexual activity. With some work, of course."

"You think we could just slip back to the way things were?" He snapped his fingers. "Just like that?"

"Well no," she replied. "With proper daily meditation...and a little time...I believe we can. If we 'channel our energies differently', as you put it, it is possible that we could get back the peace we once had with one another," she replied. "If we continue this 'fucking' then we will indeed fall apart. I can only see a violent end to this turbulent exercise."

"Turbulent exercise? I love when you talk dirty to me." Trip chuckled as she made a face. He continued, "Seriously, I don't wanna lose you, T'Pol." He took her hand and brought it to his lips for a soft kiss. "If I have t'choose between givin' up sex or givin' up you, I'll ditch the sex. You deserve more than a quick bang against the bulkhead at lunchtime."

T'Pol closed her eyes. "Thank you for your eloquence." She then rolled onto her side to face him, she said, "You won't regret it?"

"Not one second," whispered Trip softly. "I don't regret anything about bein' with you." He leaned in and kissed her gently on the cheek.

"I meant regret giving it up," said T'Pol.

"Nah...I got two hands for the more base needs of my body. With you, I'd rather have things back the way they were than takin' a chance screwin' up the one decent relationship I have with a woman. Even if there's no sex involved."

He opened his mouth to say something else but stopped for a second as if he was unsure. He closed his eyes and continued. "For what it's worth, T'Pol," he said, suddenly shy, "I do love ya. Always have.....as a friend, though." He opened his eyes to get her reaction. She looked at him, a thousand thoughts running through her head. Finally she said, "I know." T'Pol suddenly realized her nakedness. "I'm going to get dressed now. Perhaps you should do the same?"

"Yeah," Trip sighed. "I suppose I should."

They dressed together in silence. When they were done, each sized up the other. There was an awkward moment where neither knew whether a kiss, a hug or a handshake would be the proper way to end the evening. Trip tossed her a wink. T'Pol accepted it with a nod. She turned and walked out of his room. The door slid shut. It was over.

*** *** ***

Continued in Chapter 3

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