A Foolish Mission -pt 3

A Foolish Mission

By Aquila

Rating: R
Disclaimer: Nope, I don’t own anything connected to or with the Star Trek franchise.
Summary: Although this story stands alone, it follows the conclusion of C’est pour nous deux, la lune qui danse, which followed No More Blackened Catfish and Pecan Pie.

Part Three (Conclusion)

==

“Hi, honey.”

T’Pol turned from the computer screen. She swallowed hard at the vision before her. She knew he had been putting in some extra time in the gym with Malcolm. His face glowed from the exertion. His arms were pumped, his chest strained his T-shirt, damp with sweat.

When she could breathe, she said, “You are back ahead of schedule.”

“Malcolm was showing off for the female crewmembers.” He grinned ruefully. “I didn’t think it was right to give him any competition, not when the most beautiful woman in the Delphic Expanse and I are cohabitating.”

“The housing roster would not confirm your assessment of our arrangement,” she said churlishly.

He crossed his arms, grabbed the bottom of his shirt and pulled. He mumbled something that T’Pol could not hear while his shirt was over his head. She snapped a mental picture of the sculpted chest muscles and tight abdomen, before asking him to repeat his remark.

“The housing roster hasn’t change because you haven’t informed the Captain of your change of address.” He threw the shirt on their makeshift sofa and headed to the shower.

“I can’t inform the Captain, because you have not asked me to move my things into your cabin.” Her explanation faded away as he disappeared behind the bathroom door.

Before she could swivel the chair back to face the screen, he popped his head around the door.

“You’re saying it’s my fault that you have failed to publicly recognize our arrangement?” He sent her a piercing glance.

“What arrangement?” she snapped.

“I dunno,” he snapped back, “How about the one that has you sleeping with me every night, skivvies to skivvies. How about the one that has your toothbrush sharing the countertop with mine in this bathroom. How about the fact that we merged our PDA schedules?”

He slammed the door shut so hard that it rattled.

Seething with barely controlled anger, she threw the bathroom door open. Trip naked was leaning over the washbasin brushing his teeth. He turned his head to look at her, tooth brush still moving in his mouth.

“Sleeping in the same bed like we were sharing a tent on an away mission is not an arrangement. Cohabiting toothbrushes are not an arrangement. Merging our PDA schedules is not sufficient evidence of an arrangement to inform the Captain of a change in domicile.”

Trip spit then rinsed his mouth out. He placed the toothbrush on the counter next to T’Pol’s. He stretched across the shower stall to start the water running.

“What constitutes an ‘arrangement’ to you, darlin’?’” He put his hand under the running water. Satisfied with the temperature he stepped into the shower stall. “Come on T’Pol, tell me.”

She stationed her body at the door to the shower, which she held open slightly so that he could hear her.

He lathered his chest, his abdomen then bent to lather his thighs and shins. T’Pol longed to feel the interplay of muscles under her fingers as she pressed her body against his.

“Honey, if you aren’t going to answer my reasonable question, would you scrub my back?”

He could see her face in the shaving mirror that hung from the shower head. For a brief moment that would have been missed by someone not as aware of her interior life as he was, lust, longing and exasperation warred on her face.

She snapped the shower door shut with a precision that underscored her disapproval of his suggestion.

When he heard the click of the bathroom door he turned the tapped to cold. When he reentered the cabin five minutes later he was blue and she was gone.

==

For the better part of her adult life T’Pol had relied on the teachings of Surak to be a beacon of reason when all around her was dark with confusion. She lifted her copy, letting it fall open randomly.

Her eyes scanned the page until a meditation caught her attention: “We have differences. May we, together, become greater than the sum of both of us.”

She spoke the words over and over as she performed the rituals of meditation, changing her attire, lighting the candle, lowering the lights, setting the pillow just so. Eventually the words dissolved into sound and rhythm devoid of context. Her mind emptied and she was one with the universe.

“T’Pol, honey, I’ve been thinking...” Trip blew in on a wind of exuberance.

She had been so unsettled when she returned to her cabin that she had failed to lock the door.

“I’ve interrupted your meditating?” He knelt in front of her. “I’m sorry. I should have knocked, but I was distracted by the situation that I didn’t think.”

“Situation?” she had become First Officer T’Pol, donning her shell like armour.

“Walowsky paged you in my cabin.”

The information created a hairline fracture in her shell. “Why did she page me there?”

He sighed, “She is a bright woman. She found you with me at 3 in the morning four nights ago. Two nights ago it was at 2. The night after that it was 5 AM. She saw a pattern.”

“Are there others that you have identified a pattern?” As soon as asked the question she realized the illogic of it.

“Walowsky would have logged the change in sleeping habits…” he began.

“Which means my entire department was aware of the situation…” T’Pol finished.

“Darlin’, the Captain is probably the only person on this ship who doesn’t know you’ve been sleeping with me.”

“I have not been sleeping with you!” she choked.

“What else would you call it?” he asked innocently. He had to bite the inside of his cheek to refrain from laughing.

She inhaled deeply then exhaled slowly. “I concede that we have been sleeping together.”

“I was worried there for a minute,” he ran a finger down his cheek, “I thought I might have to ask Phlox to review the dosage you’ve been taking to keep your emotions in check.”

She rose to her full height, back stiff, hands clasped behind her back, “I concede that we have been sleeping together in the most literal sense. However, I suggest that the interpretation of our arrangement by others would be less literal and more euphemistic.”

“So we do have an arrangement? You said, not an hour ago…”

“Charles.” His name drifted between them. “Even Surak believes we have an arrangement.”

“How so?” he asked with complete sincerity.

“We have differences. May we, together, become greater than the sum of both of us,” she said running her hands over his chest.

He drew her into his embrace, “That’s how I feel when I am buried inside you, T’Pol, greater than the sum of both of us.”

“Show me, please.”

==

“Captain?”

The senior staff had gathered in the ready room for the weekly briefing.

“Yes, T’Pol.” Archer was intrigued, she almost sounded hesitant.

“You have remarked on occasion that it would be of considerable convenience if Enterprise had guest quarters.”

She was sitting on his right as usual. So he turned in order to look her full in the face. Her remark did not follow from their previous discussion, yet it clearly was of importance to her.

“Under the current circumstances, the need for guest quarters is at the bottom of the priority list, but yes, it is something that I think we need.”

His reply was to be expected, thought T’Pol. However, his innate understanding of the individual members of his staff is reflected in the manner in which he left the door open so that I am able to continue.

“A solution has presented itself, albeit, in an untimely manner.”

Archer suppressed a smile. She had acknowledged his timing comment, but continued to press her point.

“How is that?” asked Major Hayes, from the Captain’s left. He had a training exercise to attend in five minutes and feared that the discussion would be drawn out far longer than it need be.

The Captain frowned at the usurpation of his control, but did not comment.

“Commander Tucker and I,” T’Pol nodded across the table at the man in question, “Have agreed to continue our liaison in a much more efficient manner. At the conclusion of my shift, I am moving into his cabin and his bed.”

Every pair of eyes turned in his direction. You’d think I’d just got laid for the first time and my best friend had announced it over the PA system at half time, he silently chastised himself for flushing at the announcement.

Malcolm was the first to speak, “Congratulations are in order, I think. Commander Tucker is the lucky one. The First Officer, however, may live to regret her decision.”

The End

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Eight hardy souls have made comments

I liked this ending, Aquila! I can see their relationship progressing as you've written. And I loved Malcolm's comment at the end! Thank you!

Wow, shorter than your usual stories but happy ending, love it. Are you planning to continue with this story line? Hope so.

That was quite short, compared to your previous works. But I liked it. Alot.

Come on, you know you wanna write more. It's just so tempting. Don't resist!

Great story as always!
-Phaser Lady

Nice resolution, thanks. And I love Malcolm's comment at the end. I do believe he's correct in what he said too.

I really liked your story. It's been a long road... but it was worth it!

I absolutely loved the way you ended this. More oft than not, you had me laughing at Trip's wickedness and craftiness. Especially so when it came to their "sleeping arrangements". Wonderfully done, Aquila. I look forward to reading more fics from you.

Lovely story -- I can see their relationship unfolding this way. I'm slowly working my way through your stories and I'm enjoying all of them.

Ah, what a wonderful end! (And story!!)