Closer Than You Think - pt 2

Closer Than You Think

By Athena

Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Star Trek: Enterprise is the property of Paramount
Summary: T’Pol has difficulty moving forward with her relationship with Trip until Enterprise comes to the aid of a mysterious alien.

Spoilers: all the way through the end of the VCW arc although I’m sure this will be AU

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Chapter 4

On board his ship, Ellorik was attempting to go to warp. He had been unable to repair the comm.-systems and had abandoned the idea of trying to talk to Enterprise. If he could just get clear of the system he could go to warp.

Then Enterprise had fired on him. They must have been able to detect that Tucker was not on-board. He was about to go to warp when he was hit again. This time it was his own people. They had found him!

I can make it once I’m at warp, he thought. It was risky as he had no time to assess new damages to his ship. Still, it was his only option. He briefly wondered if Enterprise would be able to find Tucker, but Tucker’s well-being was nothing compared to his own.

He took his ship to warp as he detected the Ra’nell was firing again.

I can make it! he thought.

The phaser fire made a direct hit to his engines just as he tried to jump to warp.

He never made it.

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In Sick Bay, Phlox was smiling at the results of the scans he had just run. The weapon Ellorik had use on T’Pol hadn’t done as much damage as the standard Starfleet issue phaser would have, if it weren’t set to stun. His smile faded when Archer came through the doors. He looked as if he’d lost his best friend. Phlox felt a wave of grief overcome him as he realized that was likely what had happened.

Archer walked over to T’Pol and this time he touched her hand. Without looking up he said, “How is she?”

Phlox fought back threatened tears as he replied softly, “She’s going to be just fine Captain. She should come to any time now.” He paused before prompting, “Has anything happened that I should be aware of?”

Archer nodded but did not speak at first. Finally he said softly, “Trip didn’t make it.” Without looking up he continued, “Ellorik left him on the planet. He didn’t have an EV suit.” Archer trailed off.

Phlox put a comforting hand on the Captain’s shoulder. Enterprise had lost crewmen before, but there was something about Trip Tucker that made him special to everyone around him. Captain Archer had known him the longest, but Phlox was certain he, and every other member of the crew, would feel Trip’s loss nearly as potently. Then Phlox looked down at the sleeping Vulcan on the bio-bed. He felt another stab of pain as he realized there was one member of the crew who would feel the loss even more strongly than the Captain. Even with all the Vulcan discipline, he was sure T’Pol would find it difficult to cope with Commander Tucker’s loss.

Archer gave T’Pol’s hand a pat and started to walk away when T’Pol made a faint noise.

Phlox stepped forward and spoke gently, “How are you feeling Commander?”

Archer took a step back but did not appear to be leaving any time soon.

T’Pol’s eyes fluttered open and then shut and then they slowly opened again.

Phlox smiled down at her. “It’s all right Commander,” he said soothingly, “You are in Sick Bay.”

T’Pol nodded. “Ellorik shot me,” she stated in a weak voice.

Phlox nodded and continued to explain in as comforting a voice as he could manage. “He did do some damage to your lungs and some of the surrounding organs and tissue; however, none of those injuries were too severe and they will heal in time. Fortunately your heart was not damaged.” Phlox tried to sound as up-beat as possible.

Archer spoke up next, “Malcolm carried you all the way back to the shuttle at a dead run. He and Travis got you back in time.” Archer tried to smile but it seemed forced.

Phlox tried to compensate with a broad smile of his own. He knew she would have to be told about Commander Tucker eventually, but he hoped to delay that particular revelation as long as possible. As luck would have it, that was the subject of T’Pol’s next question.

“What is the status of Commander Tucker?” Her voice was a bit uneven but her face projected her typical calm expression.

Archer’s face took on a pained look. His eyes became moist and he coughed a little to clear his throat. Finally he replied, “Ellorik abandoned Trip on the planet unprotected. We, uh… we haven’t found him yet.”

T’Pol had already looked paler than usual and she became even more so after Archer’s revelation. Phlox had seen her express emotion in the past, during her Trellium-D addiction in the Expanse. Even though he knew that the use of Trellium had permanently affected her neural pathways, making it more difficult to control her emotions, he was surprised by the naked emotion evident in her expression and eyes. It could only be described as anguish.

When T’Pol finally spoke her voice was even and emotionless but her words were an admission that was quite the opposite. “Then, I believe the Doctor’s last statement is incorrect.”

Phlox stroked her hand gently. “I’m very sorry T’Pol,” he said.

Her lips began to tremble and she swallowed before turning towards Phlox and replying, “May I have a moment?” She looked as if she was fighting to control her feelings.

“Of course Commander,” Phlox replied and motioned for Archer to follow him out of the room.

Archer just stood there for a moment looking shocked and confused. Phlox stepped towards the Captain and nudged him. Archer seemed to come out of a trance and nodded at T’Pol before following Phlox out of Sick Bay.

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Now alone, T’Pol allowed the full impact of Archer’s words to overtake her. Ellorik abandoned Trip on the planet unprotected, the Captain had said. T’Pol was assaulted by images of Trip slowly suffocating surrounded by the planet’s foggy atmosphere. A wave of pain hit her so hard she suddenly felt nauseous.

He is gone, she thought to herself. I will never see his smile or feel his touch again. Suddenly she was angry. She was angry not only with the man who had murdered Trip but also with herself for allowing her fear to keep her from admitting to Trip how she really felt about him. She suspected he knew she had some sort of feelings for him, but now he would never know how strong those feelings were, how much he meant to her. There had been so many missed opportunities.

There would be no baby Lorian. No living symbol of her love for Trip. Yes, it was definitely love, she finally admitted to herself. Now there would be no child to watch grow up and remind her of his father, whom both would have outlived even if Trip had lived out his natural lifespan.

After those last thoughts assaulted her she was no longer able to hold back the tears and, despite her Vulcan upbringing, T’Pol allowed herself to cry.

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Once outside Sick Bay Phlox and the Captain walked only a few feet before stopping.

Archer shook his head. He still could not believe the intensity of T’Pol’s reaction to the news of Trip’s death. He’d seen her lose control of her emotions before. He recalled her anger at his plan to attack the Illyrian ship and her distress at his decision to pilot the ship to destroy the Xindi weapon. Still, he was surprised at the raw emotion she had displayed. He thought back to her words, Then, I believe the Doctor’s last statement is incorrect. What had Phlox said? Fortunately your heart was not damaged.
Archer shook his head again. Could that mean T’Pol had indeed developed strong, romantic feelings for Trip? He knew Trip had a little crush on T’Pol. That much was obvious by the way Trip teased her and the looks he gave her at unguarded moments. But he had never detected anything from T’Pol to indicate such a powerful attachment. She’d gotten married for Pete’s sake!

He turned to Phlox. The doctor looked somber and thoughtful but he had not seemed surprised at all by T’Pol’s admission or reaction. Did Phlox know something he didn’t? It was time to find out. “She didn’t take it well,” he stated.

Phlox nodded sadly. “Well, that was to be expected.”

“She looked like she was crying. A Vulcan crying! You call that expected?” Archer’s voice was raised and sounded a bit accusatory.

Phlox sighed. “I take it that you are completely unaware of the … relationship that exists … existed between Commander T’Pol and Commander Tucker?” His statement made Archer feel like the class idiot. Clearly Phlox thought he should know whatever it was he didn’t know.

“There was something serious between them?” Archer asked, unsure his was ready for the answer.

Phlox sighed again. “Captain, there has been something between them ever since the Expanse. As to the details, well, if Commander Tucker never discussed it with you then you will have to ask T’Pol if you wish to know more.” Phlox’s voice became softer as he spoke again. “I’d wait on that given the circumstances. She will need time to mourn and time to regain her emotional control.”

Archer lowered his head sadly. “Trip never told me things were serious between him and T’Pol. I thought we were, well, I thought if he would talk to anyone about something like that it would have been me.” He couldn’t help feeling hurt that Trip had confided in Phlox and probably Malcolm as well, but not his long-time friend. Did we really drift that far apart? Archer thought, when did it happen? How could I not have noticed?

Phlox gave Archer a little smile. “Captain, it’s very possible that Commander Tucker did not actually discuss his relationship with T’Pol with anyone. Probably because the two of them didn’t seem to know how to define it themselves.”

“But you knew there was something there, at least you knew this thing wasn’t just one-sided,” Archer said defensively.

“Yes, but that was primarily due my interactions and observations of T’Pol,” Phlox admitted. “I can only recall one incident where Commander Tucker openly alluded to his feelings for T’Pol.”

“Would you mind telling me about it?” Archer asked. Was it possible that he had simply not picked up on the things that might have clued him in on the situation?

Phlox smiled and recounted the incident from some months ago to Archer.

----

Trip entered Sick Bay looking exhausted. He had managed to acquire another plasma burn on one of his hands.

Trip laughed softly and turned to leave Sick Bay. Before walking out the doors he turned back to Phlox and said, “Then I guess I’m only going ta hell for the daydreams I’m having while I’m awake.” He grinned and walked out the doors, leaving Phlox smiling and shaking his head.

--

Archer smiled as Phlox ended his narration. He could actually hear Trip’s voice making those comments to Phlox. Those weren’t comments he could have made to Archer without getting into a more serious exchange. Maybe that was why Trip had never come to him. Trip hadn’t wanted to truly face the situation so it was easer to joke with Phlox than have a heart to heart with him. Archer chose to believe that rationale, it made him feel better.

His smile faded as he remembered that the task at hand was recovering Trip’s body. He decided to head for the Bridge. Archer glanced back at the doors to Sick Bay.

“Take good care of her Doctor,” he said.

Phlox nodded. “Of that you can be certain, Captain.”

Archer lingered a moment longer, then he started towards the Bridge.

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

Back on the planet’s surface Trip was starting to get very worried. He had managed to get the transmitter working. It was pretty simple really. What if Ellorik never fixed the comms? What if he never intended to give them the frequency in the first place?

Trip decided to attempt to adjust the frequency to match the ones used by Enterprise.
Doing so would have been difficult but Trip just happened to have several useful tools with him. Still, the signal would be too weak to be detected from orbit, given the electromagnetic interference.

Suddenly Trip had a frightening thought. What if Ellorik didn’t fix the comms and Enterprise took off after him, not knowing I’m still down here? He knew Ellorik’s ship had to be fast. It seemed to be built for speed and not for luxury or exploration.

His thoughts continued down the same path, if that were the case how long would they chase that bastard before they catch him and realized I’m still MIA?

Trip suspected about an hour had gone by since Ellorik had left. If he had indeed told Enterprise Trip was down on the planet, Trip was sure his friends would be here by now.
Fear gripped him at those thoughts. Looking around, he noticed it was growing darker. The bright foggy mist was turning into a darker foggy mist. The suns must be setting, he thought. I’m gonna die alone down here in the dark and I’ll never see my friends or family again. I’ll never see T’Pol again.

That last thought hurt more than the rest because he realized he never told her the extent of his feelings. Even if they couldn’t have a future together he wanted her to know how he felt. Shaking his head he realized this must be why Sim had confessed his feelings to T’Pol. He had known he was going to die soon and he had wanted the peace of looking into her eyes and saying those words. Briefly he thought about recording a message for her but decided against it. He really wasn’t sure what he’d say and what if someone else listened to it first?

Trip took a deep breath to calm himself. He still had about five hours of air. Even if it took Enterprise two hours to catch Ellorik and two hours to get back, they still had an hour to find him and they should know where to look. He could still make it. He could still have that chance to tell T’Pol how he felt. Suddenly, fear gripped him again. Yeah, well you always were chicken shit when it came to girls Tucker, he berated himself.

Noting that he was losing the daylight, Trip set to work adjusting the frequency of the transmitter and trying to boost the signal strength as well.

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

Malcolm, Travis, and three other crewmen were leaving the Docking Bay in Shuttle pod One. The mood on board was morose. Malcolm idly wondered who would be the first to find Trip. He hoped it wouldn’t be him. He wanted time to prepare himself for that. He recalled Sim’s funeral. It had almost felt like Trip’s funeral even though Trip had been standing right there. That entire situation had been more difficult for Malcolm than he ever admitted. Often a loner, Malcolm didn’t really have a lot of close friends; but in the last four years Trip had become one of his closest friends ever. Losing him hurt a great deal. Maybe this was why he didn’t let people get too close.

Malcolm’s thoughts were interrupted as Travis spoke up, breaking the silence.

“Maybe Ellorik left him with an EV suit of some kind.” He turned back to the others looking hopeful. “I mean Hoshi was right, why would Ellorik just leave Commander Tucker to die when he had to know the Captain would blast him out of the sky?”

Malcolm snorted. “More likely, he and Trip got in a fight and Ellorik either shot him and dumped him outside or simply forced him to leave.” He suddenly became interested in studying the shuttle pod floor, not wanting anyone to see his eyes growing moist.

Travis turned back to the controls and said in a low voice, “I wonder if he was still alive when we left orbit to go after Ellorik’s ship?”

Malcolm closed his eyes tightly. He didn’t want to think about that. Nevertheless, his mind was filled with images of Trip fighting to breathe in the foggy atmosphere, wondering if his friends would find him in time. A few tears escaped from Malcolm’s eyes and he quickly brushed them away.

No one said anything else until Travis announced he was preparing to land.

Suddenly Travis whirled around and shouted to Malcolm, “Sir, I’m getting a signal on our communications frequency but it doesn’t match a Starfleet communicator!”

Malcolm was on his feet and at the control console in a second. “Do you think … could it possibly be Trip?” Malcolm was trying not to get his hopes up but it was difficult not to want to believe that Trip might actually be alive.

“Signals do bounce around down here but I’m sure it’s coming from near our last landing spot,” Travis replied in an excited voice.

“Get this thing on the ground now!” Malcolm said more sharply than he intended.

Travis didn’t seem to take Malcolm’s tone personally as he nodded and turned his concentration to homing in on the signal.

Malcolm’s heart was racing. If Ellorik had left Trip with a non-Starfleet issue transmitter then it was also possible he had left him with some form of protection. But then why the bloody hell wouldn’t he tell us?

Once the shuttle was on the ground Malcolm and the others couldn’t get out of the hatch fast enough. Each one had their tricorders set to track the transmission. Malcolm was the first one out the door.

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Trip heard the distinctive sound of a Starfleet shuttle landing in the distance. He could make out the light from the engines in the growing darkness. The relief he felt at his imminent rescue was quickly replaced by anxiousness to see T’Pol. He knew the Captain had said she was going to be okay but he wouldn’t really believe it until he saw her in person.

He stood up as he heard footfalls and voices approaching in the distance. He grinned as he recognized one of the faint voices as Malcolm’s. He removed the mask and yelled, “What the hell took you so long!”

“Bloody hell!” was the response as Malcolm came into view. He stopped running and bent over to catch his breath. Trip could see the sweat on his face from the exertion of running in an EV suit. Then Malcolm came right up to Trip. He grinned and said, “We weren’t sure we would find you alive down here.” He put a hand on Trip’s shoulder.

Trip gave Malcolm’s hand a pat. “Well, it’s been over 2 hours. What were ya doing, deciding if I was worth the trip back down to the surface?” Trip tried to sound annoyed but his joy at seeing Malcolm wouldn’t quite allow him to pull it off.

Malcolm’s grin faded as he explained, “Well, we didn’t know you were down here at first, so we chased Ellorik for a while. Then when we learned you weren’t on board… We did come back as quickly as possible.”

Trip could tell by Malcolm’s expression that they must have been pretty worried. He thought of T’Pol again. “Let’s get the hell off this rock,” he said replacing his mask.

Malcolm nodded but frowned as Trip grunted at the effort of lifting the duffel bag with his equipment. He turned to the crewmen who had just joined them. “Ensign, Corporal, please carry that for the Commander.”

The men nodded and rushed to take the bag from Trip. All three giving him happy pats on the shoulders or back.

Suddenly, Malcolm’s communicator beeped. Malcolm responded to hear Travis’s anxious voice. “Well, what’s going on?”

Smiling at Trip, Malcolm responded, “Commander Tucker wants to know what took us so long to retrieve him.” He paused and shot Trip a smile before continuing, “I told him we do have our priorities and we got down here as soon as it was convenient.”

Trip heard a loud “Woo-hoo!” over Malcolm’s comm. Followed by, “That’s great Sir! Should I inform the Captain?”

Trip answered for Malcolm, “Nah, let me do that. I think we’re almost at your location.” He glanced at Malcolm who nodded in confirmation.

Once on board the shuttle Travis jumped up to also give Trip an elated pat and then motioned to the comms unit.

Trip grinned and signaled Enterprise. “Shuttlepod One to Enterprise this is Commander Tucker. What was so damn important it took you two hours ta come get me?” Trip grinned back at Malcolm.

“Trip?” came Archer’s startled response.

“Yeah, Capt’n,” Trip replied. It suddenly occurred to him that everyone must have really thought he was dead.

“You're okay?” Archer seemed to have difficultly speaking; his voice was thick and uneven.

“Yeah, Capt’n I’m fine.” Trip turned to look at Malcolm and the others as he asked his next question to everyone. “Didn’t Ellorik tell ya I was down here?” He could tell before anyone spoke the answer out loud that they hadn’t been told.

Archer cleared his throat before answering. “He never responded to our hails. We let his people take over the chase once we found out you weren’t on board.” Archer’s voice took on an angry tone now.

Trip rubbed his neck and shook his head before answering. He hadn’t known his friends and shipmates had not expected to find him alive. “Sorry Sir, Ellorik’s communications systems failed before he left. He told me he could fix it.”

There was a pause before Archer responded. “Just get yourself back here, Trip.”

“Aye, Capt’n,” Trip said and took the co-pilot’s seat.

On the journey back, Trip tried a get a handle on what had happened back on Enterprise. He turned back to Malcolm and asked hesitantly, “So, um, you all, um… didn’t know I was okay down there?” It wasn’t a very elegantly phrased question but Trip wasn’t sure how to ask it.

Malcolm’s response was just as awkward. “Yes well, um, when we caught up to Ellorik’s ship we couldn’t detect any other life-signs or your communicator. So we thought you were back on the planet’s surface, which you were, but we thought… we didn’t know.”

“Yeah,” Trip cut him off saving him from rambling on further. He changed the subject to another topic occupying his thoughts. “The Capt’n said T’Pol was okay?”

Malcolm’s answer was louder and more certain. “Dr. Phlox said she’d make a full recovery. He said the damage wasn’t too severe.”

Trip was surprised by this since he’d seen her get shot in the chest. “No kiddin’? It looked pretty bad to me.”

Malcolm chuckled a little. “Yeah, Phlox said her lungs got singed but her heart wasn’t damaged.” He smiled mischievously as he looked at Trip before continuing, “turns out Vulcan hearts are lower and off to the side; right about … here.” He indicated where Phlox had said T’Pol’s heart was located.

Now Trip was stunned. “No kiddin’!” he repeated.

Malcolm chuckled again at Trip’s reaction. “I take it you were unaware of that little tid-bit of information about Vulcan physiology?” Trip merely nodded and Malcolm continued, “because I figured you’d know more about Vulcan physiology than anyone else on the ship, other than Phlox of course.” Malcolm flashed a grin that Trip could only describe as evil.

God, not this again! Trip thought. He shot Malcolm an annoyed look. “Look, I know just about as much about Vulcans as anyone else on the ship.” Trip knew it was a lame retort but he was flustered. Fortunately, although everyone in the shuttle was grinning, no one chose to torment him further as Travis announced they were approaching Enterprise.

Chapter 5

Archer was practically running to Sick Bay. He wanted to tell Phlox and especially T’Pol the good news. It really pained him to see T’Pol that torn up. He’d never imagined seeing a Vulcan openly displaying anguish like that. Sure he’d seen her upset before but that was nothing compared to how she’d looked when he told her about Trip.

Archer smiled as he wondered if he’d get an equally emotional response to the news that Trip was alive and well and on his way back right now.

As Archer burst through the Sick Bay doors, Phlox looked up from his work and gave him a quizzical look. Archer couldn’t hold back the news a moment longer. “Trip’s alive! He’s okay and they’re bringing him back as we speak!” Archer knew he must be grinning like an idiot.

Phlox mirrored his expression as he replied, “that’s wonderful news Captain.”

Archer then glanced down at T’Pol who appeared to be sleeping soundly. He raised an eyebrow at Phlox who merely nodded.

“I was concerned her … despondent state of mind would affect her recovery so I gave her something to help her sleep,” Phlox explained. “I’d rather not wake her, even to tell her the news, since her body needs the rest.”

Archer nodded, understanding that Phlox knew what was best for T’Pol. Still, he was disappointed that he wouldn’t get to tell her about Trip and see her reaction. Phlox would probably take care of that when she came around.

Archer stopped at a comms unit in the hallway. “Archer to the Bridge. What is the status of the shuttle?”

“They’re on final approach, Sir,” came the reply.

Archer grinned and headed for the Docking Bay.

He managed to beat the shuttle to the Bay and waited impatiently outside as the shuttle docked and the Bay was re-pressurized. Two crewmen from Engineering were also present. No doubt they won some sort of lottery in Engineering to be here when their Chief returned.

As soon as the Bay was pressurized again, Archer and the two engineers made their way into the Bay.

Malcolm was the first one to exit the shuttle, followed by another security officer and then, finally, Trip. Protocol be damned! Archer thought as he rushed to embrace Trip in a vice-like bear hug then pound him on the back.

“Easy there Capt’n,” Trip managed to gasp as Archer released him.

Then he was assaulted by the two Engineering crewmen shaking his hand and patting his back. “Good to see you Sir!” one of the men said. “Welcome home,” the other said. Both men were smiling and Trip gave them each a friendly pat on the shoulder.

After a few more cheerful moments of congratulations to Malcolm and his team, the group began to break up as the crewmen returned to their duties.

Archer gave Trip another pat on the shoulder. “You should have Dr. Phlox take a look at you.” He paused and smiled mischievously. “Come on, I’ll walk you to Sick Bay.”

As they entered the turbo lift Trip asked, “How’s T’Pol doin,?”

Archer tried hard to keep from grinning even wider at the Engineer’s question. “Phlox says she’s going to be fine. She was sleeping last time I saw her.” He paused a moment then cleared his throat and continued, “She might be in for a long recovery.” He turned and looked directly at Trip, “So I thought you might want to take some time off from Engineering to take care of her.” Archer was having a great deal of difficultly keeping a straight face but he managed it somehow.

Trip started to blush and he looked a bit uncomfortable. “Um, ya want me to take care of T’Pol?” He rubbed the back of his neck and looked at the floor. “Um, isn’t the Doc doin’ that already?”

They had come to a stop and the turbo lift doors opened as Archer responded. “I doubt she’ll want to spend a lot of time in Sick Bay, besides … isn’t that what good boyfriends do?” Archer couldn’t contain the smile as Trip choked and nearly tripped over his feet.

Trip’s face grew even more flushed and he quickly turned his head to either side to see if anyone else had heard Archer’s question. Then he turned back to Archer. “What makes you think that we … that I... uh… well…” Trip stammered and gave up trying to piece together an intelligible question. He stared at the ground again, his face still red.

Archer placed a hand gently on his friend’s shoulder. “We, thought you were dead… and that’s what I told T’Pol when she asked about you.” He stopped and waited until Trip looked him in the eyes before continuing, “Trip, I can honestly say that of all the unexpected things we’ve encountered since leaving Earth, seeing a Vulcan cry surprised me the most.”

Trip looked both worried and anxious simultaneously. “You mean she was …um… she actually cried?” Trip asked, now looking flustered.

“Well, not the type of overly emotional, open wailing humans are given to, but for a Vulcan I’m pretty sure it amounted to the same thing,” Archer said compassionately.

Trip stared walking more quickly, no doubt anxious to get to T’Pol. Then he stepped closer to Archer and asked in a low voice, “Um, did she say anything to you that…well… indicated anything?”

Archer smiled and gave Trip another pat on the back. “Why don’t you talk to her yourself?” Then he gave Trip a gentle push forward as they came to the doors outside Sick Bay.

Once they entered Sick Bay Phlox rushed forward to give Trip what was now becoming his traditional greeting since returning from the planet’s surface. Trip expressed his appreciation of the doctor’s delight in his safe return, but he appeared anxious to get to the bio-bed where T’Pol was lying. Stepping around Phlox, who still had a grip on his arm he moved towards T’Pol. Phlox smiled and released Trip, then followed him to the sleeping Vulcan.

“I’m afraid she’s still unconscious Commander. She was quite … agitated… earlier and I gave her a sedative to help her sleep.” He brought a chair over to Trip. “Please feel free to wait here until she wakes up. I’m sure your presence will be comforting to her and I can look you over in the meantime.” Phlox gazed at the back of Trip’s head, “It looks like you’ve got a lump forming there.” He gently touched the spot in question.

Trip winced a little. “Yeah, compliments of the same bastard that shot T’Pol.” Then he turned to Archer, “Do ya think they’ll catch him?”

Archer frowned. He knew he really ought to return to the Bridge. Sighing he turned towards the Sick Bay doors. “I guess I should go find out.” Turning to Phlox he said, “Keep me updated.”

Phlox nodded and Archer left Sick Bay for the Bridge.

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

As soon as Archer stepped onto the Bridge everyone stopped whatever they had been doing and looked at him expectantly. Malcolm and Travis had resumed their posts and Archer nodded to each of them before addressing the entire bridge crew.

“T’Pol’s still sleeping but I’m told she’ll be okay. Trip’s got a bruise on the back of the head but he’s all right otherwise.” He paused to take in the smiles of relief before continuing, “Any word from our Vistanii friends?”

Hoshi responded, “No Sir. Should I try hailing them?”

Archer nodded. “Go ahead, but I doubt they’ll answer if they went to warp.”

Archer walked over to Malcolm. “I’m thinking of assigning a MACO to accompany Trip every time he leaves the ship,” he said jokingly. “Do you have anyone you can spare to follow Trip around permanently?”

Malcolm chuckled at the Captain’s joke. “I don’t know Sir, would it include extra hazard pay?”

Archer smiled at Malcolm’s response. It was okay to kid around now that Trip was safely back on board but Archer still couldn’t forget how close they came to losing him. Maybe a MACO escort isn’t such a bad idea after all.

His thoughts were interrupted by Hoshi. “Sir, I have the Ra’Nell. Captain Vorenik is requesting to speak to you.”

Archer nodded and Vorenik’s face appeared on screen.

“Captain Archer, we are returning to your location and I would welcome an audience with you,” Vorenik stated.

“I look forward to it,” Archer replied. “Did you manage to apprehend Ellorik?” Archer tried not to let his anger penetrate his voice.

Vorenik frowned a bit as he replied, “We were forced to destroy his ship before he went to warp. If he had done so, we would have lost him again. After what happened to your people, we could not allow Ellorik to remain free.”

Archer nodded, not quite sure how to feel. He was glad Ellorik was gone, but the resolution had come too quickly and he hadn’t had the chance to ring the guy’s neck himself.

“We will be arriving at your location soon Captain. I would like to come aboard and offer my personal condolences for your injuries and loss. However, I understand if you would prefer not to have us aboard. You are also welcome to visit the Ra’Nell.”

Captain Vorenik looked remorseful so Archer thought it best to let him know about Trip. “You are certainly welcome to visit Enterprise, Captain. As it turns out, we found Commander Tucker alive on the surface of the planet. Other than a bump on the head he was uninjured.”

Captain Vorenik looked relieved. “I am very gratified to hear that Captain. I take personal responsibility for all the damage Ellorik has done since I am…was…in charge of his apprehension.”

Archer gave a short nod. He knew too well the burden of that kind of responsibility. “I understand how you feel Captain, but the only one who is responsible for what happened has been dealt with.” Archer gave Vorenik a small grin. “I’ll look forward to your arrival.” Vorenik nodded and the transmission ended.

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

Back in Sick Bay, T’Pol began to stir. Trip, who had been sitting by her side and holding her hand, called to the doctor. “Hey, Doc, I think she’s wake’n up.” He leaned closer to her and began caressing her hand gently.

T’Pol’s eyes fluttered open. They were unfocused at first but soon found their way to Trip. He smiled down at her and was surprised to see her frown in response.

At that moment, Phlox came up beside her on the other side of the bio-bed. “How are you feeling Commander?” he said gently.

T’Pol spoke to Phlox without taking her eyes off Trip. “I believe I am dreaming. Doctor, please allow me to awaken.”

Trip was shocked. She didn’t believe she was awake. She didn’t believe he was real! He gave Phlox a worried look.

Phlox smiled and even gave T’Pol’s shoulder a little pat. “I assure you, you are awake, Commander.”

T’Pol frowned again, still looking at Trip. “Then I believe I am … hallucinating.”

Trip’s frustration got the better of him. “Oh for Pete’s sake T’Pol, I’m right here.” Then he continued in a softer voice, “I’m okay, will ya talk to me?” He flashed her what he thought of as his most charming grin.

T’Pol turned to look at Phlox, who smiled and nodded. She then looked back at Trip. “The Captain informed me you had been abandoned on the surface without an EV suit. Logically, you could not have survived. Therefore, you must be a … construct of my thoughts.”

Her voice was beginning to crack and Trip felt his heart falter. He leaned even closer to her and grasped her hand more tightly. “Ellorik had a spare breathing unit and a transmitter that he left me with. His communications were out so it took the Captain and Malcolm a while to come get me, that’s all.” He reached up and stroked her cheek.

T’Pol still looked unconvinced. Trip looked up at Phlox. “What should I do Doc?”

Phlox chuckled softly. “I could bring you a medical tricorder. Then you could scan Commander Tucker to see that he is real.”

T’Pol tried to sit up and moaned at the pain the attempt caused. Both men rushed to gently push her back to a prone position.

“Hey, now, ya don’t seem ready to be gettin’ up just yet,” Trip said gently.

“The Commander is right,” Phlox added then he cleared his throat and stepped away, heading towards the back of the room. “I’ll give you a moment alone.” He smiled broadly back at them as he retreated.

Trip looked down, suddenly feeling very self conscious. T’Pol simply stared at him. When he looked back into her eyes they were moist. His heart skipped another beat as a wave of longing came over him. He opened his mouth to say something, and then shut it again. He wiped his hand over his mouth nervously and cleared his throat.

“I, um… Phlox says you’re gonna be okay. I uh, wasn’t sure and well… I mean, it looked pretty bad and I was, uh…” he trailed off, pressing his tongue to the side of his cheek and looked up. For crying out loud, say something intelligible! He shook his head slightly and looked into her eyes again. They were still moist. “I’m glad you’re gonna be okay T’Pol,” he finished softly.

Finally, T’Pol spoke, “I am relieved that you are well too Commander.” Her lips trembled slightly as did her voice.

To anyone else, this might have gone unnoticed, but to Trip it spoke volumes. He smiled down at her. “Malcolm told me that due to some, um, ….differences in physiology, even though you took a hit to the chest, he missed your heart.”

Trip had meant his teasing to be lighthearted but T’Pol’s expression suddenly grew intense. She grasped the hand he was lightly holding and gazed directly into his eyes. “Fortunately my heart was not directly damaged by Ellorik’s attack, however, given the circumstances that followed, injury was … closer than you think.”

Trip’s mind was slow to process her words. What did she just say? Does that mean what I think it means? Trip’s heart was pounding in his chest. He desperately wanted to believe T’Pol was telling him she had feelings for him. It wasn’t like he expected her to spout out “I love you!” but he still wanted to be sure he wasn’t reading into things, which is an easy thing to do when you happen to be crazy about someone.

Trip realized that T’Pol was staring at him expectantly. He swallowed and reached to caress her cheek again. “T’Pol,” was all he could manage to say, his voice thick with emotion.

T’Pol closed her eyes and turned her face into his hand, prompting him to gently stroke the side of her face. Then she reached up and placed her hand over his. Trip was consumed by a wave of warmth and desire. He wanted to pull her into his arms and embrace her. She opened her eyes again and caught his. He could see the emotions he was feeling mirrored in her eyes and felt those emotions intensify. God, how he wanted to kiss her! He was about to do just that when the doors to Sick Bay opened and Archer came in followed by a being who resembled Ellorik, only somewhat older and slightly stockier.

Both startled by the interruption, T’Pol released Trip’s hands and Trip pulled back from her to sit up straight. He could feel himself beginning to blush and knew he must look like a teenager caught kissing his girl by her parents.

He ran a hand through his hair and tried to sound casual. “Hey Capt’n.”

Archer smiled and looked amused. The man with him also smiled as he came to stand next to Archer.

“Trip, T’Pol, this is Captain Vorenik of the Ra’Nell. He wanted to meet you both.”

Vorenik extended a hand to Trip, who shook it and then nodded at T’Pol. “I am gratified that you are unharmed Commander Tucker,” he said to Trip. To T’Pol he said, “I am very sorry you sustained injury Commander T’Pol, however, I am very relieved to hear you will recover. I offer you any assistance I can give.”

“You can beat the crap outta that Ellorik guy for me’,” Trip said. Catching Archer’s disapproving frown he added sheepishly “Um, sorry.”

Vorenik gave Trip a bemused look before replying in a more formal tone, “We were forced to destroy Ellorik’s ship to prevent his escaping the system.”

“Oh,” Trip said surprised, then added, “can’t really say I’m sorry though.” He looked down at T’Pol. “I kinda wished I’d kicked his ass myself.” Why the hell didn’t I? Trip thought to himself and frowned.

Vorenik gave Trip a sympathetic smile. “Along with the ability to read your thoughts, Ellorik also possessed the ability to manipulate them; a rare talent among my people. No doubt he used this ability to influence your actions.”

“Oh,” Trip said again. Looking back at T’Pol he wondered if Ellorik had tried to mentally seduce her during his discussion about T’Pol’s personal life. Suddenly Trip was both extremely angry and irrationally jealous at the same time.

Vorenik laughed softly. “Commander, although it is forbidden for our people to listen in on the thoughts of others without permission, when one is projecting strong emotions it is practically impossible not to do so.”

Trip felt his face growing flushed. “Oh, uh… sorry.”

Vorenik shook his head slightly. “There is no need to apologize. It was I who came to apologize to you.” He then nodded at T’Pol, “To both of you.”

T’Pol merely nodded in reply.

Turning back to Archer, Vorenik stated, “I suggest we let Commander T’Pol rest and recover. Thank you for allowing my visit.” He started towards the door.

Archer smiled down at T’Pol. “Try to get some rest.” Then he clapped Trip on the back and followed Vorenik out of Sick Bay.

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

Once outside Vorenik began to chuckle softly.

Archer raised an eyebrow. “Something funny, Captain?” he inquired.

Vorenik nodded. “Vulcan minds are very easy to access. T’Pol was able to silently communicate her wish for us to leave.”

Archer frowned. “You think she was offended by your visit?”

Vorenik looked down shaking his head. “No Captain, I believe we interrupted a personal moment.”

“Ah,” Archer said with a smile, then tilted his head at Vorenik. “Any chance you can tell me when I should expect to be performing a wedding?”

Vorenik’s reply was very serious, “No captain but it relieves me greatly that Ellorik’s actions did not destroy the possibility of that future.”

Archer nodded and the two captains continued down the corridor pondering what might have occurred.

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

Back in sickbay, Trip reached for T’Pol’s hand once again. Bolstered by what had passed between them before the Captains had interrupted them, Trip began gently caressing T’Pol’s hand while holding her gaze. Neither said anything for a moment.

Finally, Trip broke their comfortable silence. “You were telling me um…about your heart,” he prompted gently. His own heart began to race again.

T’Pol held his eyes for another moment before speaking, “When we encountered the other Enterprise in the Expanse, I visited my future self. She told me that, in time, I would come to know what my heart truly wanted.” She paused for a moment and her voice faltered slightly when she continued, “I believe I now know what my heart desires.” She raised her free hand to Trip’s face and gently traced his cheek and jaw.

Trip felt the electricity between them as her touch left him feeling breathless. He leaned in to kiss her a last, pausing only a moment to search her face for approval. Seeing the certainty reflected in her eyes he quickly closed the distance between them.

He had kissed her before but he was still surprised by the surge of desire and passion their kiss ignited. Aware that T’Pol was still severely injured he began to pull away from her but she moved her arms around his neck to capture him. He allowed himself to indulge in their passionate exchange a few moments longer, then forcefully broke away. He was breathless and his whole body was aching for more than was possible given T’Pol’s condition, not to mention their current location.

He looked back into T’Pol’s eyes, which were dark with desire. Trip swallowed and finally found his voice. “You really should rest ya know,” his voice was still heavy with emotion.

T’Pol’s mouth curved somewhat into a slight frown, but she nodded her agreement. Trip stood to leave but T’Pol grabbed his arm. She tugged him back down to her with more strength than Trip would have thought possible with T’Pol’s injuries.

“Stay,” she commanded. Her eyes locked on his and he saw the intensity of her desire to keep him with her. Trip didn’t think he could have resisted her if he had wanted to. Silently he nodded and sat back down on the chair next to her biobed. Trip took T’Pol’s hand in his once again and laid his head down next to hers on the pillow. T’Pol turned towards Trip and nuzzled against him.

When Phlox came back in to check on them after a long silence, he found them both asleep. Trip was smiling in his sleep and T’Pol looked very content as well. Phlox retrieved a blanket from a cabinet nearby and placed it over the sleeping human. He smiled down at them once more before drawing the curtain around them to ensure their privacy.

Fin.

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A whole mess of folks have made comments

Aww! Too sweet! :)

Very good story. Well written with good characterization of all of the crew members. You obviously worked hard on the little nuances in this story and it shows. It reads well. Great job!

I'm curious about your name. I assume "Athena" is a nickname. Regardless, you should check out the Wonder Woman comic book where Athena is plotting to overthrow Zeus. She is the goddess of champions and wisdom (and information technology)....in the comic book anyway. And Athena's champion is Wonder Woman. Go check it out.

Anyhow...

Fantastic! Absolutely an exellent job. I was riveted from beginning to end.

Loved this! It was so great to have T'Pol and Trip finally show each other what they truly felt. I did chuckle at Trip wishing he had kicked Ellorik's ass. Damn right! Ali D :~)

I wish they'd do this on the show, so sweet.

Yay, it's posted! :) Good job. My favorite parts to this story are the T/T moments and the Malcolm and Trip moments. And the ending of course is very sweet. :)

This was really loveley. Thank you! (And a whole story all at once! What a treat!) Great job, I can't wait to read your next endeavor!

Very good. I read it from start to finish and it only took me an hour! ;) During that time I laughed and cried, so it's a winner! :)

I just love happy endings!
But I love happy begings more!
Great story!!!!!

Can't count how many times a screamed "he's alive, damn you!" and the comp, nor how many times I sniffled and said "awwww!" This is gold!

What a wonderful story -- no Koss!! :)

You write for all of the characters so well. I could almost hear the words being spoken as I was reading along -- especially from Trip. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Thanks!

Wonderful and entertaining! Great job on making all of the Enterprise crew believable and in "character".

This was very well crafted. The story was interesting, the characters were believable, and the reading flowed smoothly. I was interested throughout the story. It had me rooting and wanting to scream out - but, he's alive! That happens when the characters are alive and the story moves along. Well done.

Wow, thanks for your comments everyone! Thanks again to Jenna and Boushh for all the constructive commentary that helped shape this story. :)

What a great read! I'm glad you posted it all at once because the suspense would have killed me! :)

Beautiful story!
Loved how TT acknowledged their feelings for each other.

aaaaaawwwwwww

Brilliant! Definitely the best story that I have read on here. If they made episodes of the series like this story then there would be no worries about the ratings or the cancelation of the show.
Once again brilliant!

Great story, Athena! I read the whole thing at once and it was a wonderful read -- thank you. I particularly liked the TT interaction and the way you allowed them to express their feelings for each other without overdoing it. They stayed in character. Good work.

Very Very Nice..... I liked the action and suspense......The relationship was nicely formulated too.....T

This is a really lovely story; I can't begin to tell you how much I enjoy your writing! The characters/dialogue etc their reactions are all so true, it's so easy to believe you're reading a script for the show. Thanks!!

You wrote all the characters beautifully, well thought out, thanks for your efforts.

Excellent job. I liked this from start to finish and really enjoyed your characters. Nicely done...

Im really impressed.. you kept the characters true while spinning a new story. Very believable and enjoyable! Well done!

I'm pretty bad about not leaving comments on stories but I need to say I love this story. I hope you come back and write some more. I would love to read something new from you!

Really I am impressed from your work. Still, a lot and so, please!