Above/Beyond... - Ch. 3

Above and Beyond Friendship

By Beeswax

Disclaimers in Chapter 1

Chapter 3

Dread

Trip looked at his reflection in the mirror and started over.

"So, T’Pol, I was wondering if you might like to join me for a walk up on the observation deck. It’s real quiet there after about 2200. We could sit up in the top chamber, maybe even lock the door for some privacy, anyway we could just sit and look at the stars. Not talk much, ‘cause when you talk you make me crazy, but we could just sit.... Yep, Tucker, that’s emotional support right there!"

The door chimed, interrupting his discussion with himself.

"Come."

T’Pol stood stiffly in the doorway. There was always stiffness about her anyway, Trip thought, but she was even more stiff than usual somehow.

"You wished to see me, Commander?"

"You know, you can call me Trip, after all we..."

"Are still officers on the same vessel."

"Yeah, we are." Trip took a deep breath. "Look, Sub-Commander, Doc says you might need someone to talk to about everything and I just wanted you to know that I’m here anytime you need to, ya know, talk. As a matter of fact, I was thinking we might go up to the ob...."

"Thank you, Commander, but that will not be necessary."

"Well, the offer is always open."

"No, I mean it is not necessary because I am leaving the Enterprise. I contacted the Vulcan High Command this morning. My relief should be here in three days."

Trip fought the odd panic he felt rising in his chest. Something was really wrong here. "Can you tell me why you are leaving?"

"My command capabilities have been compromised. I have had intimate contact with a fellow officer in my command."

"Uh-Huh. That didn’t bother you when you asked for my help last night. If that was going to be the issue, why did it matter that we were essentially the same rank and all that?" But even as he said it, he was already beating at himself. This was all his fault. He should have known she would never have asked for his help in her right mind. He should have been looking out for her as a friend and told her ‘no.’ In front of him, her stiffness intensified in response to his statement.

"I have had time to rethink my previous decision with out the mental distractions of Pon Farr and I feel now that I was... in error in my choice."

Trip heard the condescension in her voice. His voice was barely audible when he spoke again. "You choice of partner or your choice to deal with it here?"

"This conversation is unnecessary." With that T’Pol turned on her heal and walked briskly down the hall. As Trip watched her he felt an odd tickling in his mind, like a stray thought that wouldn’t settle. Then he understood. He raced down the hall after T’Pol.

He caught up to her just as she was about to step inside her room. Without waiting for an invitation he shoved in behind her and spun her around to face him as the doors closed behind them.

"You said that you could prevent bonding."

"Commander Tucker, please remove your hand from my arm and leave my quarters."

"Not until you tell me what I just felt in my head!"

"I have no idea what you are referring to."

"The hell you don’t. You were embarrassed and a little scared just now back in the hallway, and you are gettin’ downright terrified now. I can more than just tell that by your face and actions, I know it beyond any shadow of a doubt. How the hell did you get into my head?"

"Please lower your volume, Commander, most likely there is some minor residual connection that occurred during the intimate contact. It will fade quickly. Especially with my departure."

"This is why yer leavin’, isn’t it? You’ve plugged into my head and now your gonna tuck tail and run away? Jesus! You people take the cake ev’ry time."

T’Pol’s eyes narrowed briefly before she spoke.

"I regret any discomfort you may be feeling because of our... encounter." Her voice had begun to soften. Trip cocked his head as she took a big breath. Then she seemed to shake herself slightly and her normal monotone returned.

"Having never been in intimate contact before, I found it significantly harder to separate myself than I had initially anticipated. I regret that a bond may have been initiated, however I am confidant that once I am no longer immediately present the bond will quickly fade and we will no longer sense each other. Things will be as they were."

Trip’s head began to whirl with all the implications of everything T’Pol had just told him. He sat down hard on the edge of her bed.

"First time? You mean you had never... You were a ... That was your first time? You didn’t tell me that."

"It was irrelevant to the situation." T’Pol sat at the desk next to him.

"The hell it was. I had a right to know. I mean, I knew you had never been married, but... You, Vulcans I mean, don’t have... casual... relationships? I mean I may not have figured out the exact year yet, but you must be at least 50 years old. And you never..."

"No. We do not attach the same emotional value to intercourse that humans insist on. Conversely, we do not engage in it casually either, and normally only when we are driven by Pon Farr or desire children. We are instructed in the art of pleasure as part of a precursor to marriage, as marriage does need to be consummated as part of the bonding process. Most Vulcans have only one or occasionally two sexual partners during their lifetime." T’Pol kept her eyes on the wall behind him as she spoke. Trip noted that she was turning green again. He couldn’t decide whether to hold her, hit her or kiss her. He decided not to focus on that last thought.

"Damn it, T’Pol. I really just thought I was helping out a... fellow officer... I mean... a lady in trouble... ah, hell, a friend even. I never intended to get roped into the bizarre world of Vulcan Mating Rituals. It figures you guys would make something that’s supposed to be fun really complicated." He covered his face with his un-slinged hand for a moment, squeezing his temples slightly. It didn’t relive the pressure that had formed. Then he looked over at her sitting ramrod straight in the chair, her spine not even touching the back of the chair. That poignancy that she had worn outside his door the night before when she asked if she could come in had returned, making her look almost frail and rather lost. Something else was nagging at him though. He just couldn’t put his finger on it.

Her voice penetrated his concentration. "I do not need your pity, Commander. I am not a little puppy or a lost kitten. Please do not characterize me that way."

Trip jumped at her awareness of his mental comparisons. He vaulted off the bed and faced her.

"The last time an alien woman read my mind, Sub-Commander, I ended up pregnant. So I don’t take kindly to that kind of intrusion anymore. Get the hell out of my head!"

"I will be gone in three days."

"Good. Bon Voyage!"

Trip stormed out of the room knowing that this wasn’t anywhere near over.

Continued in Chapter 4

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