Love Unbroken

When Men are from Earth and Women are from Vulcan Fic Challenge

Love Unbroken

By Bether6074

Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Paramount owns Enterprise.
Genre: ME/WV challenge, angst, drama
Summary: This little scene takes place right at the very end of Terra Prime.

A/N: If you don’t like angst and sentiment, you might want to skip this teeny fic. I wrote it with the idea in mind that TATV doesn’t exist. I also wrote this with no dialogue, which was an idea I got from someone on the boards. Thanks to Distracted for her beta-ing help.

Trip felt T’Pol gently squeeze his leg. Instinctively, he reached out and pressed his hand to hers. The chain of the IDIC necklace slid through his fingers and fell silently down on to his thigh. Being so light-weight, it was barely perceptible as it lay across his leg. Small, yet still quite significant…

Beneath the tips of his fingers, Trip felt the circular metal object as it lay up against the Vulcan’s palm. He clutched her hand tightly and they both gripped the necklace with their handhold. It rested firmly but evenly between their palms.

From the moment T’Pol had first hung the IDIC necklace on the side of their baby daughter’s crib, Trip had understood. Perhaps he’d sensed it through the bond or maybe he’d just known that for T’Pol, it was a gesture of acceptance.

Acceptance of him … and perhaps a hope for what might be.

Trip closed his eyes, his human tears still flowing freely down his already dampened cheeks. He loosened his grip on T’Pol’s hand enough to feel the shape of the jewelry. It was designed with two entirely different geometric shapes—a circle and a triangle. Soft, rounded curves. Sharp pointed lines. One gold and one silver. The two shapes came together near the bottom and joined as one at the very top of the triangle. There in the center where circle and triangle met, was a small, round jewel. Its garnet color was striking compared to the subtlety of the shades surrounding it. The best of both worlds…

At that moment, and in the sharing of that thought with T’Pol, Trip eased his clutch from her hand and fell into her arms. He felt her body shift with uncertainty at first, but then all tension seemed to ease. She apparently knew this was what he, as a human, needed and now she seemed willing to give it to him.

Moments later, Trip wasn’t entirely sure how it had happened, but he and T’Pol lay on the bed together, their fully-clothed bodies wrapped in a tight embrace. Neither Vulcan nor Human uttered a word. There was no need.

Their means of expression may have differed, but they shared the pain of this loss together. They shared a love for this innocent child that belonged to them and always would. Trip drew strength from T’Pol and sensed that somehow she was gaining her own from him.

The hours slipped away and day turned to night. Vulcan and Human remained together, almost unmoving on the bed. Trip felt at peace in T’Pol’s arms, both comforted and awed by her presence. He knew such contact was not typical Vulcan behavior. But this wasn’t a typical moment… and it wasn’t a typical relationship. Both he and she would have to make adjustments to find a balance between their cultures.

Trip closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

########################################################################

Several hours passed. T’Pol lay asleep beside Trip, her body wrapped neatly beneath the covers and her head pressing down into her half of the pillow. She still hadn’t let go of the IDIC necklace.

IDIC: Infinite diversity in infinite combinations. Understanding the differences and celebrating them. Gaining from the challenge of knowing, of believing and of accepting.

Even while asleep, the Vulcan still clutched this hope in her hands. It was a hope that neither of them was willing to relinquish, even in the face of the tragedy that had befallen them.

Trip awakened, opening his eyes mere inches from T’Pol’s face, and watched with awe as she slept. He felt the warmth of her body as she lay serenely against him in their embrace. Though both of her arms were around him, Trip was only able to hug back with one. His injured arm remained motionless, resting against his abdomen.

Trip placed a finger to the back of the Vulcan’s neck and gently caressed her skin. Smooth. Soft. Delicate. He moved his hand downward along her back and squeezed gently, gathering her in.

He put his face up against the side of T’Pol’s cheek and nuzzled her contentedly. An errant strand of hair fell down onto her head, its blonde hue a stark contrast to the russet of hers. Light, coarse and wavy. Dark, fine and straight. Their faces touched. Ivory to pale green.

Trip lifted a hand to T’Pol’s ear and gently traced its pointed curve with a deft touch. The Vulcan stirred and opened her eyes. She looked back at him silently, making no attempt to free herself from his embrace. She raised her hand to his, with a faint glow in her eyes only he would recognize, and carefully turned his hand over. Trip was momentarily confused until he felt the warm metal chain fall on his skin. He gazed down at the symbol of their union as it rested in his palm.

Trip looked back up at T’Pol.

He knew.

Pale blue to dark hazel.

He believed.

He clenched his fingers around the necklace and held it firmly in his hand, smiling softly back at the Vulcan.

He accepted.

No one could steal their hope. Not now. Not ever.

End

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A whole mess of folks have made comments

I wasn't really sure this little fic fit the requirements of the Challenge, but Myst and I decided that the comfort and understanding Trip and T'Pol gave each other brought it close enough. Hope y'all liked it.
Bucky

Well, I liked it. Great stuff! Very well done, and it's nice to see a hopeful note for that episode. :)

Great writing. Very moving. I enjoyed it.

I got a chance to see this before everyone else, and I must say that I like it a lot. The reason that I think that it fits the challenge is the fact that this fic demonstrates the extent that T'Pol is willing to compromise to provide comfort to Trip, and it shows that Trip is well aware of the compromises that T'Pol is making. The way that Bether describes the IDIC symbol... as a concrete symbol of the union between two different cultures and the tiny life that resulted from that union... really speaks to me.

Excellent fic, Bether! Very moving indeed.

that was really beautifully written

Awe... that makes my heart feel better. I watch Enterprise re-runs on "Space" here in Canada and we were just subjected to that horrible pile of junk TATV last week. I shouldn't have watched it but I did and I think I felt even worse the second time around. Thanks so much for this :)

Very good. Deeply affecting moment. Good job.

Thanks for posting it Bucky if you had doubts. I guess I was trying to show that Trip and T'Pol had come to understand and accept the differences between them. And also, that some of these very differences could shine the brightest light on both of them.

Next time I'll try to write something a little more light-hearted. Thanks for reading everyone!

I agree with all of the previous comments: very moving, very well written. Excellent job and I recognized what you were trying to say in regards to the current challenge. IMO, it fits quite well.

Just wonderful. A depth of feeling. I see why you went without dialog.

I enjoyed this very very much and this was amazingly well written. I liked the fact that there was no dialogue, it gave the story a quality that was unique and very touching.

Liked it alot. The IDIC theme was very strong, so I totally get that it's a "Men are from Earth and Women are from Vulcan Fic." The "no-diaolgue" rule would have been very challenging for me, so I find your accomplishment here quite impressive.

I like it and it fits very well I think

Wow, this is really beautiful. Incredible job Bether. Your expression of such deeply felt emotions is very moving.

You can tell this story came from a poetic soul in the sensual descriptive details. The only part that kind of broke the pace was the definition of the IDIC in the middle. I think the definition might have worked better for me at the beginning or the end. But this story gives us a better feel for the IDIC than I have seen yet. Great job!

Great to see you back, Linda!

Writing for me is really difficult. Most of the time I write everything all out of order as little thoughts come to me and then try to sort it out later. I never considered that idea, but then again, there's often a lot I don't consider until it's pointed out to me. It might've been better as a starting point like you said. I'm always just so excited to get a thought, LOL! It might take me 10 years to write a 100 page story and then another 10 years to correct my mistakes. I'll keep trying.

Thanks for reading!

Keep on trying Bether, we like the results.

Quite simply, I just loved this. It was a perfect 'ending/new beginning.' It really touched my heart.