Trust

Bound Fic CHALLENGE

Trust

By: Gijane

Rated: PG
Category: Romance
Disclaimer: If I owned Enterprise or any of her cast and crew, I never would have cancelled it. However, I do not own them and THEY (Paramount) do. In addition, no money earned.*sigh*. And I totally rip off Disney’s Aladdin.
Spoilers: EVERYTHING Trip and T’Pol, from ‘Broken Bow’ onwards. This is my take on the events in and around ‘Bound’.
Note: This is my first Enterprise (and Star Trek) fanfic, so please don’t slaughter me. Italics are inner thoughts (duh). Many thanks to HopefulNebula for beta-ing and Greta2242 for all her Trek knowledge. :) Ya’ll can archive it.
Summary: T’Pol explains to Trip how she “feels,” the good old Vulcan way.

Trip Tucker laid down on the bunk in his old quarters aboard Enterprise, heaved a mighty sigh, and closed his eyes trying to catch some sleep. He had been gone from his ship for a couple of weeks and all hell had broken loose. Dr. Phlox had been kidnapped by Klingons, found, and rescued. Malcolm, of all people in this universe, had been thrown in the brig, and then released after admitting something to Captain Archer. “Mental note: talk to Malcolm. Find out what the hell he did to be thrown in the brig.” Commander Kelby, his replacement, it seemed, doesn’t know what to do with a Warp 5 starship engine, and the Cap’n had been in a bad mood for weeks. Then there was his own little stunt that he had performed to get onboard Enterprise from Columbia. “My whole damn life flashing before me as I hang tethered between two ships traveling at Warp 5.2. And who am I focusing on but T’Pol.” Trip sighed again. It hurt his head thinking about his love. They had done more dancing around each other these past weeks, both in the hallway towards the shuttle bay (“’Let me escort you Commander.’ Like I don’t know the damn way. And we both danced around each other’s questions. Trip, ya chicken!) and in Sickbay (“I got her really good there. ‘ Shouldn’t you be leaving with her?’ Like she’s trying to get rid of me. Cap’n had ma back when he said he asked if I could stay and assist with repairs but I zinged her with ‘It’s just temporary.’)
Now we have Orion Slave Girls running around the ship. Everyone, but me, actin’ all crazy. T’Pol’s more Vulcan-y than usual. Engineering’s a mess. Damn!)
Trip wearily rubbed his eyes, but they popped open at the sound of the door chime. He looked over at the clock. It was 2A.M. Trip instinctively knew who was at the door. He sighed and braced himself.

“Yeah, come in.”

The door hissed open and T’Pol entered. Trip wasn’t sure if he could really read her well or if she really did look it, but she looked very uncomfortable and uncertain, especially for a Vulcan. But she looks great in that blue catsuit. Trip mentally cursed at himself, and then sighed. He glanced over at her and in a voice that could freeze over Andoria, twice, asked,

“May I help ya? It is 2 A.M.”

T’Pol stayed at her position at the door. She raised that damn Vulcan eyebrow at him at his cold tone but that didn’t deter her.

“We need to…talk.”

“’Bout what?” Trip asked wearily. “I don’t think I can take either a ‘talk’ right now or that damn eyebrow.” T’Pol’s eyebrow went back up. Trip frowned. “Damn! I hope I didn’t say that out loud.”

“You did not,” she said smoothly. That got Trip’s attention. He sat upright on the bunk.

“Excuse me?”

T’Pol cocked her eyebrow at him again, “Never mind, for now. We need to talk about us.”

“US?” He looked over at her, laughing harshly. “There is no US darlin’. You made that crystal clear.”

“Trip…” she began, but was cut off.

“I can’t take anymore T’Pol! I left ma ship, ma best friends, everythin’, because of you! I can’t...take..anymore! I tried to stay away from ya, to keep our relationship ‘professional’, but I couldn’t. I’m sorry. I’m sorry I got the wrong idea about ‘us’, but in the Expanse ya did kinda send the wrong signals. Jeeze, T’Pol, we made love. I poured ma pitiful little human heart and emotions into it and ya tell me the next day ‘it was an experiment.’”

“I told you it was an exploration of human sexuality.” She managed to get in before being cut off again.

“Exploration, experimentation, same thing! I love you! I understand that yer very way of life has been challenged with the finding of this Kir’Shara. For 65 years, ya were told that Vulcans had one path, and now you’ve been shown ‘the true path.’ I know ya need time to study it all, but did ya need to shut me out like that? We coulda learned together. Why did you shut me out?”

T’Pol sighed. “I have to ask you one question. Do you trust me?”

Trip eyed her up and down, “Yes.”

T’Pol came over to the bed and offered Trip her hand. He took it and she escorted them to the center of the room. There they sat faced one another like the beginning of a neuropressure session. She began by placing her hands flush with his. T’Pol regarded him seriously. “I have come to the conclusion that we have bonded.” Trip’s eyes widened at that. He knew enough about Vulcan traditions to realize the implication of her statement. Bonded Vulcans were married. “I do not wish to break the bond.” His eyes widened more, but he didn’t make a sound. “I suggest that we complete our bond with the Bonding Ceremony. If we do, we will be bonded for life. I will have access to your thoughts and memories and you will have access to mine. You will have to return to the Enterprise. I know you love me. You just admitted it. What is your response?”

Trip stared at T’Pol. It was now or never. “I do love ya T’Pol. I’ve love you from the beginnin’. How could I not? I enjoyed arguin’ with ya. You infuriated me, but I always kept comin’ back for more. I left Enterprise for Columbia because you had distanced yourself from me and I couldn’t do the same. If you don’t want to break our bond, I don’t want to either. I love you.”

T’Pol regarded him for a moment, closed her eyes, then began the words to the ancient ceremony, “Our minds, one, and together . . . Touching, yet not touching; apart, yet never apart . . .”

Trip, his eyes closed, repeated the words, “Touching, yet not touching; apart, yet never apart . . .”

T'Pol finished,” We are one.”

Trip opened his eyes. He was back in the white room. T’Pol was standing two feet away from him.

“Fancy meetin’ ya here.” He grinned at her. She smiled, very subtly, at him and his jaw hit the ground.

“Did you just smile?!?” he asked, flabbergasted.

“Yes. Trip, I cannot grasp… the words to explain to you how I…feel, so this is how I will explain.” She closed her eyes and then they were in Captain Archer’s Ready Room. Trip saw himself sprawled out on the Captain’s couch and the Captain sitting behind his desk. “This is right before I come in to report for duty to the Captain.”

“Four years ago?” Trip asked.

“Yes. But you will see it, and all from my perspective.” The door chime rang and in stepped Past T’Pol in Vulcan High Command uniform. Trip leaned in and whispered, “I’m so glad ya got rid of that ugly thing.” T’Pol shot him a look. Trip watched the T’Pol of four years ago being introduced to himself and then suddenly grinned. “Did ya just take an extra sniff?” He turned to look at her.

“Yes. From the minute I walked into Captain Archer’s Ready Room I was attracted to your scent.” T’Pol closed her eyes and the scene had changed, Trip realized with a start. “Ya might have given me some notice!”

She looked smug. “It’s very odd seeing you like that.” He told her

T’Pol, again, shot him the smug look. “Why? I learned it from you.” Trip laughed. They were in Decon. Trip looked around. There he and T’Pol were slathering each other with decon gel. “Lookin’ at this now gets me excited, but you were then, weren’t ya? Was it the rubbing of the ears?” Trip teased her.

T’Pol looked his square in the eyes and deadpanned “Yes, it was. You were very ‘excited’ then as well. I could smell the arousal off of you.” Trip’s grin faded.

“But ya been in decon with others, including the Cap’n. Were ya aroused then?”

T’Pol could sense that he was holding his breath, waiting for the answer, “No, it’s just you and your scent that arouse me.”

She was amused to see the obvious relief on his face. T’Pol closed her eyes again and they were in Sickbay. Dr. Phlox was explaining that Trip was pregnant. Trip looked at the Past T’Pol and noticed the differences from then and now.

“This is when ya, for lack of a better term, mocked me, for going to an alien ship and winding up pregnant. Ya weren’t mocking me, you were jealous. Oh my God. T’Pol! Why didn’t ya just say somethin’?” Trip shook his head, took her hand, and kissed it. “Ya so Vulcan darlin’, it’s what I love about you the most.”

T’Pol regarded him for a moment then closed her eyes again. They revisited all her experiences regarding Trip and his women: Princess Kaitaama (“That one was no secret, sweetheart. Even then, I could tell ya wanted to scratch her eyes out.), Liana (“Ya didn’t like her either? She was so sweet. Ah, but you regarded her as the competition.) Trip smirked at her and T’Pol in turn cocked her eyebrow at him.

“I hate that eyebrow thing.” He told her.

“I know. We will start taking on some of each others more…endearing qualities. For example, you should become more logical.” Trip shot her an exasperated look. “The smugness I received from you. I shall have to concentrate harder while on duty, so it does not show. It is your fault. You are too smug sometimes.”

“I am not.” He mumbled under his breath. Trip then realized they were in another memory. They were in a training session in the Expanse. Trip saw himself sparring with Amanda Cole. “Ya didn’t like her either? Jeeze, T’Pol.”

“You knew that already. ‘ Which means you’re attracted to me?’ Remember?” She shot back at him.

Trip didn’t respond to her. She had gotten him good, so he focused in on the memory and saw Past T’Pol sparring with a male MACO. However, Past T’Pol wasn’t paying attention. She was watching Trip and Amanda, not sparring properly, and got herself punched in the face.

“Ouch! Not paying attention, sweetheart. So ya wanted to spar with Amanda Cole to kick the crap out of her for poachin’ on ‘your’ turf, huh?” T’Pol regarded her bond mate for another moment, and then nodded in the affirmative. Trip smiled.

“There is something else I need to show you. I have never told anyone about it except for Dr. Phlox.” Trip stopped smiling when he saw how serious T’Pol was.

“Ok, darlin’, show me. “

T’Pol closed her eyes. Trip realized they were seeing the Enterprise from inside an EV suit. Trip realized it was T’Pol inside the suit.

“Where are ya goin’?”

“You will see.” Trip watched as she picked her way through debris and nearly got killed trying to get down a ladder to one of the cargo bays. He watched in horror as Past T’Pol opened the HazMat containers that held the Trellium-D that he had mined before they had realized it was fatal to Vulcans. He sat in dead silence as he watched her returned to quarters, cook up the Trellium, and then inject herself with it.

“Where ya addicted to that stuff?” he asked quietly.

She was silent, and then abruptly answered “Yes.”

“Why?” Trip whispered.

“After my exposure on the Seleya, I realized I could more readily access emotions with Trellium in my bloodstream. You know that neuropressure is a very intimate act, usually only preformed by married Vulcans. I preformed it on you because I was attracted to you from the beginning, as you now know. Your insomnia was just an excuse for me. As we grew closer, I needed to be able to respond to your emotions. Therefore, I began to inject myself with small doses. “

“Why?” Trip asked again.

“I wanted to be with you but did not know how to tell you. The Trellium allowed me to respond to you. I could access the emotion that humans call love. We became bonded the night when we had rela…made love. We were attracted to each other and both wanted to be with each other but we have just been to…stubborn…to admit it to each other. We have been extremely busy in the past year. Therefore I did not realize we were bonded until you transferred off the Enterprise and away from me to the Columbia.”

Trip regarded her for a moment before he exploded. “What where ya thinkin’? No ya weren’t thinkin’! You purposely injected yourself with a substance that ya know was eventually fatal to Vulcans. And why? To feel?!? I mean I kinda understand that ya wanted to experience emotions, to feel love, but did ya think of the consequences?!? Why didn’t ya just tell me ya loved me. Ya got me to admit I loved you. Hell, even Sim told ya I was in love with you! It’s just three small words T’Pol, “I love you.” I wouldn’t ask for more. Ya should have just told me! Why did ya risk yer life? Not to mention the lives of the other 80 somethin’ people onboard Enterprise. What about them?” Trip suddenly stopped, then took a deep breath. “I can try to understand why ya did it, and I know you know it was wrong. I just can’t believe ya did something like that for me. Ya endangered yer health. It’s just three little words T’Pol, ‘I love you.’ But admitting those feelin’s, those emotions, wouldn’t be very logical now would it. And Vulcans are all about logic. How stubborn is that? I think stubborn is yer middle name.”

“Vulcans do not have middle names,” T’Pol told him. Trip rolled his eyes.

They could hear the com go off; sound like it was from afar “Archer to Tucker.” They both opened their eyes, coming back into reality.

“We’re discussin’…this later. I promise ya that.” Trip leaped up to answer the Captain,

“Tucker.” He tried to sound groggy, as if being woken up. T’Pol smiled at him.

“Sorry Trip. I know its 3AM, and you’re asleep, but the bridge just reported that the engine and warp reactor are acting up again. I’d figured you’d want to be there.”

“I’ll get right down there Cap’n.”

“Excellent. Get Commander T’Pol to assist you as you go past her quarters. You know her, ‘Vulcans do not require as much sleep as Humans.’” Archer mimicked, doing a fair impersonation of T’Pol, not knowing she was in Trip’s quarters. T’Pol’s eyes narrowed at the com panel, while Trip covered up a snicker. T’Pol shot him a look, and then stood up.

“Understood, Cap’n. Tucker out.” Trip ended the conversation. “WHAT?!?”

T’Pol ignored him and left his quarters. He ran out after her. “Come on, it was funny. Ya know how ya used to be.” Trip called to her as he jogged to catch up. ”And he did a pretty good impersonation.”

T’Pol sighed, and then came to a dead stop. Trip nearly ran into her. She turned back around towards him, grabbed him, and kissed him openmouthed, hard and passionately. After a moment, she let go and resumed her quick pace towards the turbolift.

“Why are ya always kissin’ me?” He called after her, coming out of his stupor. “Why can’t I ever kiss you, darlin’?”

T’Pol looked at him from inside the turbo lift. “You will need to catch me first.” She said, and then closed the doors on him.

Trip grinned at the closed doors, knowing that T’Pol had gotten the playful banter from him. “Damned woman, but I love her.”

“I love you too,” he heard in his mind, and smiled.

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A whole mess of folks have made comments

very very cute. I loved it! Great job! I hope you write more and continue this... pwease? anyway, I loved the added bits of humor and how T'Pol gets Trip's playfullness and smugness. lol

Awww short and sweet :)
For a first time fic I think it's pretty good. And I can just imagine that scnene of them kissing, having seen the small outtake of bound.

i loved it

I loved this fic. Great Job!!! And I'm happy to provide my knowledge of Vulcans for good.

Wonderful! Finally Trip spells out his feelings for her - Yippee! An end to the noble suffering - woo hoo! An' Archer got busted, too... Your Trip makes a good point - Think we'll see him plant one on T'Pol by the end of TerraPrime?

Ahhhhh - Great fic. ;)

Very sweet. :-)

Yay fresh fics. :)
Loved it. Especialy when T'pol was play full at the end.

Great first story! I hope to see more of your work.

I loved this! And sneaky T'Pol only admitting she loved Trip in his mind. I cracked up at Archer impersonation T'Pol over the com to Trip not knowing she was in his quarters. Payback is going to be fun. Ali D :~)

AHHHHHHHH... Now... that was GOOD... LOL.. I can totally see that happening... thanks for answering the challenge...

Very cute. I loved the end! :)

That was great! Please do not stop writing this storyine, I am eager to hear more!

aawwww thats adorable- would you be willing to make a sequal- or a next chapter...???