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Morning After

Author - Aleda Gildeth | Genre - Humor | Genre - Romance | Genre - Vignette | M | Main Story | Rating - PG-13
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Morning After

By Aleda Gildeth

Disclaimer: If I was making money off of this, not only would I maybe be able to afford for you to sue me, you might even get something out of it. But since I’m not, there’s really no point.
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance, Angst, Comedy
Archive?: Yes, but please let me know. (medalsia@hotmail.com)
Author’s Note: This is not necessarily based on the previews for what happens in “Harbinger,” but could be. Feedback, especially constructive criticism is overtly welcomed.
Summary: Well, the morning after.
Spoilers: “Harbinger.”
*********************************

There was no sudden awakening this morning, no rude beeping of an alarm set the night before. Only warmth, like the warmth of the summer morning sun shining in through the window on his body, and the luxurious sense of being buried in down blankets. Trip didn’t even stir or open his eyes as he slowly drifted up towards consciousness.

The world around him solidified. The air did not smell of Florida sand and everglade marshes; it was sharp and stale, tinted with the smell of air recycling filters. The warmth was a soft body pressed against his, but this was no less comforting. He still held the small frame, and could feel smooth skin against the fore of his arm, moving slowly, repetitively as she breathed.

He opened his eyes. The night before had not been a dream, as he briefly had feared. T’Pol lay with him, her arms wrapped around him, her legs entangled in his, and her head tucked into the crook of his neck. He could barely see her face. Never before had he seen her sleep. Her expression was not vacant, but reflected his own peace. He pulled back slightly, letting her head slide to his arm – he wanted to see her. But she shifted in her sleep, finding him again. Her arms slid further around him, her legs sliding against his, and she nuzzled briefly against him, more entangled now than she had been before.

Nuzzled. A grin spread across Trip’s face. That was never a word he would have associated with T’Pol.

Sometimes the surprises of the morning after were almost as good as the surprises of the night.

He ran his fingers gently up and down her back, caressing her spine. The touch brought her to consciousness. She stirred slightly against him, the brush of her eyelashes against his neck telling him she had opened her eyes. Almost immediately there was a change. She didn’t stiffen quite, but he could feel her tense slightly with a cat-like anticipation of needing to react at a moment’s notice.

He didn’t worry. He knew this was her usual way. He could see it when she walked, when she moved, when he had touched her during neuropressure. It was power and control which coursed through her strong Vulcan body, not tension.

She retreated some, pulling her arms from around him, and looked up at him. Not all the peace had vanished from her face, but it was joined now by the ever-present awareness in her eyes.

“Hi,” he murmured, giving her a small smile.

“What time is it?”

“No idea… It feels early.”

She laid her head back down against his arm, her gaze dropping to his chest, deep in thought, and he felt a niggle of worry. Was she regretting last night? Was she ashamed?

“Vulcans don’t have sex with anyone other than their mate, do they?” He hated to ask the question. But he needed to know.

She glanced up at him briefly, surprise and uncertainty registering subtly on her features, and he could see he had hit the mark. “No. They don’t.” A heavy pause hung in the air. So many thoughts, so many things she wasn’t sure if she wanted to say. What would he think? The night before had been wonderful, but now they were hitting the aftermath of their two conflicting cultures.

He broke the silence. “Last night was your first…?”

She looked up at him and this time did not look away. “Yes.”

Trip frowned, raising himself up onto an elbow. Did she feel she had betrayed her culture, her people?. Would she ever be allowed to marry now that she had been with him? Guilt washed through him, and he couldn’t look at her. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking… I should have been thinking… I didn’t mean to make you do something you’d regret…”

She too raised herself up onto an elbow and with a hand she made him meet her even, steady gaze. “I regret nothing.” He looked down, examining the bed sheets with an almost Vulcan-like obsessiveness, not quite believing her. “I would do it again,” she whispered, her voice low. “I will.”

He caught the change in tenses, and looked back up.

“T’Pol…”

“Last night, you asked me what I wanted. I answered truthfully.” To his surprise, she sat up and, leaning forward, kissed him gently. “Vulcans do not lie.”

He chuckled, reassured, and returned the kiss, deepening it. He wrapped his arms around her, and she returned the gesture, moving closer to him and pressing her body against his, reawakening in him his thirst for her. He guided her down, on top of her. She pulled out of the kiss and looked up at him. “Do you know what else Vulcans do not do?” she asked, and he could see the teasing in her eyes.

“What?” he smiled.

“Mate the way we did last night.”

He laughed. “That’s because that wasn’t matin’, darlin’.”

She looked genuinely confused. “Yes it was.”

“No, it wasn’t.”

“By technical definition…”

“What we did was hardly technical.”

“What would you call it then?”

He leaned down and kissed her, murmuring against her lips, “Making love.” She returned the kiss.

BEEP!

Both of them jumped at the chime of the door. They looked at each other, horrified. Someone was at the door!!!


BEEP!

Frantically they both jumped out of bed, T’Pol throwing her robe on and Trip tossing on his skivvies. They rushed around the room, Trip grabbing their clothes discarded from the night before, T’Pol throwing the blankets back into place.


BEEP!

Trip rushed into the bathroom, hiding in a corner next to the door. Taking a deep breath to compose herself, T’Pol glanced back to see if Trip was visible, and, finding him not, opened the door.

Malcolm Reed stood in the corridor, looking rather vexed and curious. Calmly, T’Pol greeted him. “Mr. Reed, I apologize. I was about to get in the shower, which is why it took me so long to answer the door. How may I help you?”

“Captain wanted me to give you these reports…” he said handing them over. T’Pol took them and walked over to her desk, beginning to transfer the documents from the pads to her computer; Malcolm followed, stepping into the room. The door closed behind him. “And to see why you aren’t on the bridge.”

T’Pol glanced at the clock on her computer screen, and swallowed. She made a mental note to never trust Trip’s sense of time after only a few hours of sleep. “What time is it?” She asked nonchalantly.

“0826 hours.” T’Pol made no response. Malcolm stepped closer to the desk. “Sub-commander, is something wrong?”

She looked up. “Apparently my computer malfunctioned. The time is incorrect and the alarm isn’t turned on.”

“That’s odd…” He tried to glance at the computer screen, but she was standing in the way.

He was about to turn and leave when something caught his eye. “If that is all, Lt.—“

“Is that a shoe?”

“I don’t know wha-“

Bending down, he picked up a shoe far too large to be T’Pol’s. A grin slowly spread across his face. “Now, this looks familiar.” T’Pol was speechless, looking from the shoe to Malcolm as though hoping both of them would disappear. This only made the security officer’s smile grow.

He glanced around the room, then headed straight for the bathroom door. Helplessly, T’Pol opened her mouth to stop him, but could think of nothing convincing to say. Malcolm walked into the bathroom, seeing Trip immediately, pressed up against the wall next to the door, standing in his boxers with his arms full of both his and T’Pol’s clothes, some of which had fallen to the floor, and his face frozen in horror of being discovered.

Shaking with the effort of not laughing, Malcolm put the shoe on top of the pile of clothes in his friend’s arm. “I think you forgot this,” he said, and turned and headed for the door.

Stumbling, Trip exited the bathroom after Malcolm. “Hey, wait!” he called, stopping next to T’Pol. Malcolm looked back at them from the door. “…You’re not going to tell anyone… are you?”

“Trip, the whole of engineering already knows you’re late. The whole bridge knows T’Pol’s late. I don’t need to tell anyone.”

The look of horror on both of their faces as they looked first at each other, then back at Malcolm, was classic. Chuckling, he said, “See you guys later,” and the door closed upon his exit.

END


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A whole mess of folks have made comments

I LOVED this! Thank you so much for sharing it! I can only cross my fingers and hope the writers for the show can handle the "morning after" as well as you have! :-)

that was very good!
quills

This was really I was hoping some would write a story like this.Hope you'll writeanother story soon.

I'm still giggling...fun...

Ha! That was brilliant! I loved Trip's observation of T'Pol after he woke and she was still sleeping, and I love the interaction between the two. Very real. The thing I like most, however, is the twist on the end. In most stories no one knows about T and T until they decide to admit it. But this, with everyone knowing that BOTH are late for duty....genius. Thanks so much!

and only 5 days left...

Hilarious ending. Great job.

FANTASTIC! The begining was amazing. Trip watching T'Pol sleep, T'Pol assure him that she had not regrets. Malcolm I could picture Malcolm finding Trip in the bathroom. Hilarious!!

Wow! That makes me so happy - if only. . . Well, no point speculating until I see 'Harbinger'. Thanks so much for this!

Good....very very good! You know your readers will now want a part two to this story....love to see how Trip and T'Pol handle reporting for duty "late" and the initial reactions from the Captain and their crewmates! Figure there would be alot of teasing going on!

Oh. My. Gosh. This was so cute. I have a feeling the show will be more ... angsty than this, but I would love to see Malcolm "Sherlock" Reed digging up the dirt. Heh.

Very fun. Thanks for sharing. :)

Yep... a very sweet and entertaining story. I'd love to read more. Please continue it!

Oh, wow! That was EXTREMLY wonderful!!!

Please: Write mooooooooooooooooooore!

Woke up to this story this morning and it was the perfect way to start the day. Thank you so much it was Absolutely fabulous. You have to write another soon! Please!!!

Funny, I was thinking about that too... wondering what would happen that morning... you wrote it nicely! Any more of this? I'd certainly love to see more!

Oh wow, this was BRILLO PADS! I haven't laughed so much in ages, it was just wonderful. Of course I adored Trip and T'Pol waking up in each other's arms and how T'Pol reassured Trip that she had no regrets. It was Malcolm finding Trip hiding in the shower and handing him his shoe oh-so-calmly that did it for me, I just rolled up in a helpless giggling heap. Priceless, thanks hardly come close to recompense you for this much joy. Ali D :~)

Now I'm really looking forward to Harbinger. If the morning after is like that, I'd ask to be payed from paramount!!!!

Loved this!!! And I totally agree with what someone said earlier...we need a part 2 to see how Trip and T'Pol handle the reaction of their coworkers!!

This was a wonderful little ficlet, all sweet and amusing. Bravo!

Aaaargh, the shoe, someone always forgets a shoe! I love it, write another one, sooooon! Glad to see Malcolm didn't get all embarrased, much prefer the evil, twisted, calmness; watch out TnT, everyone who hasn't already guessed is gonna know any minute!

LOL!!!!! That was funny as hell. I loved it. And clicks is right, someone always forgets a shoe. Or for me, a bra, or a undies, or... lol. I'm an idiot. Loved It!!!!!

Wow, this was great. It had me giggling out loud towards the end.

Hilarious! I loved it!

that was great!!! nice job =D

I squeaked for T'Pol when Malcolm saw that shoe. he-he. Good story! ^_^

I squeaked for T'Pol when Malcolm saw that shoe. he-he. Good story! ^_^

Very cute story!

Great story...you should think about doing this for real, seems like a talent to me...too bad Harbinger didn't turn out that way...it seems
like there are going to be some angry folks after
the morning after in Harbinger...

Waaah!, Malcolm's not a gentleman. He's in need for some serious butt-kickin'.
Couldn't he at least 'pretend' he doesn't know what's going on? Or shoot some sly wink to T'Pol instead of "Sherlock-holming" :P
But nooo, he just 'had' to make them feel bad and guilty... Oh, I'd make him really sorry in a sequel ]:->

I loved the line "Sometimes the surprises of the morning after were almost as good as the surprises of the night"!!

I'm still smiling!! Keep up the great work.

hilarious

priceless

At least they enjoyed the first part of the morning after. That was good.

i think u should do another part 2 dis lol.
a gr8 story i lafed when malcom found the shoe hehe