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Bumps in the Road - Ch 3

Author - Angel
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Bumps in the Road

By: Angela Koerkel

Rated: PG
Genre: Angsty
Disclaimers: The usual, I still don’t own Star Trek and I’m still not making any money off of this.
Synopsis: Trip and T’Pol, and that’s all I’m gonna say.
Spoilers: ‘Home’, maybe leading a bit into the VCW area

Notes: This is the continuation of the ‘Aftermath’ and ‘Road to Recovery’ series. As always, thanks so much for reading and responding. Please continue to give feedback as it motivates the muse much more effectively than idle threats of “If I don’t write, I’ll have to do housework!”

More Notes: I’m trying desperately to keep this in canon, but I’m not sure what is going to come about with the VCW, so at some point, I’m going to veer off and head into totally AU. Just a head’s up!


CHAPTER THREE

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Commander T’Pol, the first Vulcan to serve in Starfleet, stood in the Enterprise corridor outside the airlock waiting for the pressure to equalize. Her lone companion was silently watching her profile, wishing he had more time with her. “I still wish ya’ woulda let Enterprise take ya’ home,” he finally stated.

She turned to him as the green lights on the status board lit up. “We have discussed this. It would not be logical for Enterprise to turn back for the convenience of one crewmember. The Sheva is headed back to Vulcan anyway, and it is capable of higher speeds. Logically, the sooner I arrive the sooner I can leave again.”

The airlock hissed as the heavy door rolled back on its track, effectively ceasing their conversation as several Vulcans came through. Trip and T’Pol raised their hands simultaneously in the familiar ‘V’ shape as she offered the verbal greeting. “Live long and prosper.”

As they returned the salute, the lead Vulcan officer said, “Peace and long life.” After the hands were all lowered, he continued, “Are you prepared to depart now?”

Trip stepped slightly forward. “I’m Commander Tucker, temporary First Officer, and the Captain would like to extend an invitation to your officers to visit Enterprise for dinner this evening.”

Without so much as a quick glance in his direction, the senior Vulcan officer addressed T’Pol. “It would not be logical to remain. We are expected at Vulcan within the week and should not delay. If you are ready, Commander.”

She faced Trip, their gazes locked. As she raised her hand toward him, he prepared to return the traditional salute, but was caught off guard by her when she instead extended two fingers. He had seen the gesture before, most notably between T’Pol and Koss during their bonding ceremony.

Using the techniques she had taught him, he maintained steady respirations as he offered her his hand with two digits extended. Their fingers touched lightly and she said, “Peace and long life, Commander.”

He nodded mutely as they held each other’s eyes a few more moments. When the contact finally broke, she silently picked up her bag and followed the Vulcan officers to the Sheva. As the airlock closed, Trip knew that something very powerful had just happened between them and that she had completely broken tradition by offering him such a greeting. He couldn’t help the large smile that he wore all the way back to his quarters.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Arid atmosphere pounded on T’Pol as she stepped off the transport in front of her Mother’s house. She had left Enterprise nearly a week before, and yet she felt Trip’s absence anew as she faced the gateway into the front garden. Longing for his strength, she took a cleansing breath and pushed open the wooden door. As she walked through, she noticed that the fountain was not running and things seemed to be in a state of disarray.

“Mother?” she called out as she made her way into the house. “Mother?” she cried a bit more desperately this time. She walked quickly down the hallway. As T’Pol entered her Mother’s private rooms, she noticed a figure standing near the window facing out over the back of her family’s lands. “Why are you here?” Venom dripped from her voice.

“Wife, that is not a proper way to greet your husband,” Koss replied as he turned to her.

“Perhaps if my husband were a man of my choosing, and not merely a partner in name, that would be true. However, that is the way I will greet you.” She stepped further into the room and stood near her Mother’s meditation pillows. “Now, I ask you again, what are you doing here? And where is my Mother?”

Koss sighed heavily. “Your Mother is hiding in the caves. She is with the insurgents. As for why I am here, why to meet you of course. We have much to discuss.”

XXXXXXXXXXX

“Let me make certain I understand you,” T’Pol began some time later. “Your family is, in fact, involved with the insurgents. However, as yet, you have escaped suspicion due to your Father’s position. My Mother was working inside the Directorate for your cause and therefore our marriage was a ruse to help keep her safe through the joining of our families.”

“That is all correct,” Koss nodded fractionally. “Somehow your Mother was discovered and was forced to flee underground. We are still safe, for now, but I fear our position may be compromised soon. It was necessary for you to come home to assist us in maintaining the appearance of normalcy.”

“Commander Tucker was under the impression that you desired my covert skills.”

“Ah yes, how is the good Commander?” At T’Pol’s look of impatience, Koss said, “You realize T’Pol that I have no expectation of fidelity from you. Our marriage is in name only and, like you, I did not truly desire to be bonded. My only concern was for Vulcan’s future and how our marriage could aid our cause in that endeavor.”

Shocked, T’Pol staggered a little under this new realization. Finally regaining her composure, she stated, “It is irrelevant. Trip does not take marriage vows lightly, even those given in such a manner. So long as I am married, he will not permit a relationship between us.”

Koss bowed his head. “I am sorry for your loss, T’Pol. Hopefully this will be over soon and we will be able to dissolve this union in favor of ones more appropriate to our needs. In the meantime, know that I desire only a public wife.”

“I am grateful for your consideration,” she answered. “Perhaps we should get to work so that I may return to my ship?” He merely nodded.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was a quiet evening in Enterprise’s Mess Hall. The movie had ended nearly an hour earlier and now the only people left in the makeshift rows were the Captain and First Officer. As the older man took a sip of his beer, he took a close look at his friend. “You really miss her, don’t you?”

“Is it that obvious?” Trip asked sadly.

“Only to me,” Archer responded. “I’ve given you time. Are you ready yet to tell me what happened between you?”

Trip laughed and then followed it up with a quick swallow of his own malt beverage. “Ya’ know, I’ve wanted to talk to ya’ for so long, but now I don’t know what to say. We had somethin’, things changed, and now we don’t.” He downed the last of his bottle.

“What about dating? Moving on?”

Tucker hung his head low. “Nah, this was for keeps, Cap’n. It was either gonna be T’Pol or no one.”

Stunned, Archer drew back slightly. Recovering, he asked, “And you’re sure that it’s over? There’s nothing you can do to fix it?”

“She’s married,” Trip whispered. At the Captain’s look of surprise, Trip told him the whole story of their leave on Vulcan. “And now, she’s back there again. With Koss. God! I can’t believe I talked her into goin’ back! I must really be a sucker.”

“I don’t know what to say, Trip. I guess all I can offer is to be here for you.” As Archer patted his friend on the back, he thought over their past. He’d never seen Trip so lost, distraught.

Just then, the comm. unit buzzed and Hoshi’s voice filtered over the open channel. “Bridge to Captain Archer.”

Reluctantly, Archer left Trip’s side to answer the call. “Archer here.”

“Sir,” the Communications Officer’s voice returned quickly. “We’ve just received an urgent hail from Vulcan. There seems to be some sort of trouble on the planet, although they didn’t go into any detail. We’re requested to proceed there immediately per Ambassador Soval.”

Both men stared at each other for a moment and Trip’s heart nearly stopped. “All right, tell Travis best speed to Vulcan. I’m on my way to the bridge.” Closing out the channel, he turned back to the engineer. “I’m sure she’s okay,” he offered tentatively.

“I sure as hell hope yer right,” Tucker managed as both officers headed out of the room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Enterprise arrived in orbit around Vulcan ten days later. There had been radio silence from the planet for most of that time and no one was certain of what they would find. Trip was on the bridge as they began to scan the planet’s surface. “I read multiple recent explosions and massive destruction throughout all of the major cities,” he reported looking up from the scanners.

Breathing deeply, Archer turned toward Hoshi. “Open a channel, Ensign. Get me somebody from the High Command.”

A few seconds later, she responded. “I’m sorry sir, but there is no response on the High Command’s frequencies. I’ve also tried those of the Academy, nothing there either.”

Frustrated, Archer turned to Trip. “And ideas?”

“Yeah, one. Try this,” he said coming to stand behind Hoshi. He reached over her and keyed into her console the proper information for opening a channel.

“Sir, that’s the coding of a private receiver,” she stated.

“I’m aware of that, Hoshi. Just try it.” He kept his face neutral as she completed the connection, but internally he was restless. He couldn’t stand sitting up here not knowing what was going on.

At last, she looked up again, this time in surprise. “Sirs, I’m getting something. Just a minute, let me tighten the signal.” She made some more adjustments and then signaled for the Captain to speak. “Audio only, sir,” she informed him.

“This is Captain Archer of the Enterprise. Who am I speaking with?”

“Enterprise?” came the response. “Is Commander Tucker with you?” The voice was female, but Archer didn’t recognize it.

Nodding at the unseen speaker, the Captain went on, “Yes, he’s here.”

Stepping up closer as if he might be heard better, Trip spoke up. “This is Tucker. T’Les, is that you?”

“No, this is T’Vay, mother of Koss. I regret that T’Les is not here to greet you, Commander, but she has said much about you. We must speak in person, soon.”

Receiving approval from Archer in the form of a nod, Tucker continued. “All right, T’Vay. I’ll be down soon along with my Captain if that’s okay? Should we meet at the home of T’Les?”

“That is acceptable. I await you, Commander.” With that, the signal closed.

“Okay, Trip, looks like you’re the golden boy on this one. Let’s go,” Archer ordered as he made his way to the turbolift. Together, they exited the bridge.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Trip led the way into the garden as Archer looked around curiously. “This is really T’Pol’s home?” He sounded amazed.

“Yeah, but it looked much nicer last time I was here.” They stepped around some debris that blocked the pathway. Tucker couldn’t believe how much damage had been done in such a short time. Looking around, he saw that most of the windows of the home had been broken and the sculptures that had decorated the garden were toppled over. He shook his head in sadness at the illogical loss of it.

Together, the men stood at the front door. Trip extended his fist to knock just as it opened to reveal a Vulcan woman that he recognized from T’Pol’s bonding ceremony to be Koss’s mother. He immediately raised his right hand in a move that had become habit by now. “Live long and prosper, T’Vay.”

Archer cast a sideways glance at his friend, utterly astonished at his obvious familiarity with the Vulcan greeting. He knew that Trip had spent his leave here, but he didn’t realize that he’d taken to the culture so deeply.

“Peace and long life, Commander Tucker.” The impressive woman turned to Archer. “You must be Captain Archer.” At his nod, she continued, “Please come in, it is not safe to remain outdoors for long.” The officers followed her at a respectful distance into the living area of the home.

“What happened here, T’Vay? Where are T’Les and T’Pol?” Trip asked his questions as he paced the familiar room, noticing that while the interior of the house was in better condition than the outdoors, it was still unkempt. His eyes fell upon a box sitting on the kitchen counter. He’d stood in the same spot just a couple of months ago and repaired several of T’Les’s appliances.

T’Vay walked over and retrieved the box that had caught Trip’s attention. “They are in the caves. I simply came here to obtain blankets and other supplies.” She turned directly to Tucker and Archer suddenly felt very much out of the loop. “T’Les, T’Pol, Koss, my husband and I have been a large part of the underground for weeks now. Unfortunately, T’Pol was injured during an attempt to break into the Academy computer system.” She looked deep into Trip’s eyes as she finished. “She is unconscious and in need of medical care.”


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

End Chapter Three



Chapter 4


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A whole mess of folks have made comments

wow, great, come on you can't stop right here, I love this story, more of it, quick please..please

I hope the bumps aren't speed bumps so that we get another installment soon.

just great. *sigh* if only something like THIS is what we actually see....

Ah! Why'd you have to stop there? This is great! Please update ASAP!

u r so awesome for updating quickly- hopefully u can maintain ur "awesomeness" for awhile longer *hint hint*

Great chapter. Love how all of this is unfolding. Keep up the good work, and please update soon!!! :-)

I just caught up with this and I love the storyline. Very believable, and close to what I hope we'll see on the show itself during the Vulcan arc. Can't wait to see what else happens!

Wow. This story is great. I can't wait for part 4. Keep writing! :-)

Yowser! Need more, FAST! Ali D :~)

you do short good and dang you are doing this longer cliffhanger thing great too!

It's nice to read a story where Koss is nice... yay! He's gonna let her out of it as soon as all this is over with!