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A Step in the Right DirectionA | Author - ginamr | Genre - Friendship | Genre - Romance | Genre - Vignette | Main Story | Rating - G | S
Fan Fiction Main Page | Stories sorted by title, author, genre, and rating A Step In The Right Direction By ginamr
Author’s Note: Tribute to the deceased Jane Taylor. Takes place before the events of "Demons" and "Terra Prime." Here’s the story you wanted, Linda ;) She’d been gone a little over a year and a half…just a bit longer than Lizzie. Losing Lizzie had been enough to shake the little naïveté he had left in him pretty hard; but losing Taylor and nearly losing his chance with T’Pol had been enough to shatter it to the point of being irreparable. He couldn’t even remember the days when he’d been a whole man--some time before Enterprise’s launch. The last four years had been hell to live. He had almost been able to feel the pieces of himself slipping away into some lost oblivion with each death, each failure, each disappointment. Taylor had reminded him so much of Lizzie. She was so energetic, so full of life, living each day to the fullest. She had had the drive and the brains to make a hell of a chief engineer someday. Losing her had been like losing Lizzie all over again. Writing that letter to her parents had been like saying goodbye forever to Lizzie and at first, he hadn’t been ready to do that. But he’d known if he didn’t, he’d be dishonouring her memory. She’d have wanted him to live the way she had. Trip smiled remembering Taylor’s insistence that he ask T'Pol to one of the weekly movie nights. ********** "I hear this week’s movie is going to be " The Notebook.” “Uh-huh,” Trip offered, only half paying attention. Suddenly, he felt a jolt of electricity go through his fingers. “Ye-ow!” he screeched, pulling back so suddenly that he hit his head on the top edge of the conduit. He slid all of the way out, rubbing his head with his uninjured hand and muttering a string of curses under his breath. He looked up to see Taylor standing over him, her face beet red. “I’m so sorry, Commander! Trip grinned. “I’m all right. “No, you’re not! Hold still and let me get a med kit. ” When she returned, she dug through the kit for some burn ointment. “I know how it is around here: someone always gets hurt. So I asked Phlox for a few things to keep here.” She paused. “This might sting a bit.” She offered her other hand for him to squeeze just before she applied the ointment. A small sound of surprise escaped as he gritted his teeth and gripped her hand. “Jesus,” he breathed. “Okay, I lied. It hurt a lot, didn’t it?” she asked, smiling shyly. “I’ve had things hurt worse.” She laughed, kissing his finger. “Better? ” Trip chuckled. “It definitely helps.” He sighed. “You have a great bedside manner. Ever think of becomin’ a nurse?” Taylor shook her head. “I prefer axle grease to blood any day.” “My kind of woman,” he teased. She grinned. “If I wasn’t engaged…” “If you weren’t engaged, you’d be gettin’ engaged. I can’t imagine a man not wantin’ a piece of that bedside manner of yours, darlin’.” Taylor laughed and hit his shoulder playfully. “Anyway, quit changing the subject.” “It was that shock that changed the subject, not me.” “You should ask Sub-Commander T’Pol to movie night! This week’s movie is terribly romantic.” “I’m not goin’ to ask her, Jane.” Taylor frowned. “Why not?” “Because I’ve asked her before and she always says ‘no’.” “If you keep asking, she has to say ‘yes’ sooner or later.” Trip sighed. “I know you mean well, Jane. But there’s nothin’ between us.” Taylor smiled faintly. “Time will tell another story, I promise you.” **********
Have a comment to make about this story? Do so in the Trip Fan Fiction forum at the HoTBBS! Half a dozen of you have made commentsThank you. I like it a lot, please continue ! this story is getting good I hope you'll continue this please. Thanks, Ginamr! Taylor and Lizzy deserved more of a part than they got in the series, still with just the little we know of them, they capture your heart. And their small scenes (plus Connor's heartbreaking performance) were all we needed to feel the pain of those losses. Nice closure in your story for Trip, and also paving the way for future joy. This makes me feel I must get of my duff (or back on it) and finish my Tides of Space sequel. Great stuff. I really loved the scene you painted, and I hope you write more! :) That was a really nice little story. It gave so much meaning to the episode that followed. This is a lovely scene, thank you. A lovely piece of writing. |