Redivivus - Ch 2

Redivivus

by HopefulRomantic

Rating: PG, for a bit of course language
Disclaimer: Star Trek: Enterprise is the property of Paramount Pictures, Inc. All original material herein is the property of its author.
Genre: Romance, drama, T/T, ensemble, AU
Series Summary: The Reconnecting series is a reinterpretation of Season 4 that went AU shortly after Home. It focuses on the relationships of Trip and T'Pol and their extended family, and features characters introduced in Season 3, as well as original characters.

Date: 7-10-07

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Chapter Two: Taking Chances

“We would be ... How did they put it?” Trip savored another spoonful of Kuleto’s famed tiramisu. “I remember now... ‘symbols of the future of interstellar exploration’... ‘examples for others to follow regarding peaceful coexistence between our two species’...”

“Careful there, son.” Chuck refilled his wine glass. “You might not be able to fit your head through the door when we leave.”

“Let him bask, hon,” Catherine chided her husband. “He and T’Pol pretty near achieved the impossible today.” She smiled at Karyn and Lorian, who had joined them for the impromptu victory dinner at Trip’s favorite Italian restaurant. Kuleto’s owners had whisked them into one of the private dining rooms, where they had enjoyed a feast of Northern Italian cuisine in blessed privacy. “You all did.”

“Especially Soval.” Karyn raised her glass to the absent ambassador.

Lorian touched his glass to hers in salute. “His statement to the Board must have been quite persuasive.”

“What’d he tell them, anyway?” Catherine asked.

“He did not say, precisely,” T’Pol replied. “Only that he reiterated certain information of which the board members needed to keep aware as they weighed the matter over.”

Chuck surveyed the remains of their dinner. “Too bad he’s not the celebrating type.”

“Nah, he’s probably at the embassy,” Trip said. “He did spend most of the day cooling his heels at Starfleet, after all. I’d bet the only thing he’s thinkin’ about now is work.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Soval was thinking about T’Shara.

He’d had much time to think today, as he kept company with his friends at Starfleet. He had reflected on T’Shara, and their early-morning conversation on the beach, and his own affection for her, buried away for so long, but never forgotten. He was still pondering the matter when he arrived at the embassy to see about the backlog of paperwork that undoubtedly awaited him.

It was late; the premises were quiet and virtually empty. As he traversed the long hallway toward his office, he saw light spilling from the open doorway of the room directly opposite his. That was the office he had given to T’Shara to use, decades ago. After she left, he had it converted into a storage room...

Unobtrusively, he glanced inside, and drew in a silent breath. It was like looking thirty-five years into the past. The supplies had been removed, replaced by a desk and other office accoutrements. T’Shara was sitting amid an array of personal items and several stacks of bound books; she was paging through one of the volumes with interest. The sight reminded him of many a late night long ago, when he would find her here working diligently at her terminal, entering new historical data she had gathered for the Information Ministry, or translating an archaic book of poetry or myth.

He should not have been surprised at this development. But T’Shara had managed to keep him off guard from the moment she had arrived.

She looked up from the book in her hand, and her sable eyes brightened as she saw him. “Soval,” she said warmly in greeting. “I was thinking of you just now.” She indicated the books on the desk. “As I was cleaning out the room, I found these—the myths and legends I studied to better understand the humans’ culture.” She showed him the book she held. “Ovid’s Metamorphoses... I read to you from it one evening. Do you remember?”

Soval remembered. His awkwardness at being alone with her for the first time since she had saved him from the pon farr... her gentle acceptance, which had put him at ease... the intoxicating nearness of her as he looked over her shoulder at the ancient Greek text while she effortlessly translated it... he could recall every detail, every sensation, every feeling. They were as vivid to him as if they had happened days ago, rather than decades.

“Were you planning on telling me you had rejoined the Diplomatic Ministry?” he asked, hoping he sounded like a slighted superior rather than a petulant child.

“At my first opportunity!” T’Shara declared. “However, by the time I arrived at the embassy this morning, you had already left for Starfleet Command.”

“I see.” Sufficiently mollified, Soval indicated the room. “And now you choose to make your office here again?”

She began shelving the volumes in a bookcase against the wall. “I have many agreeable memories of this room.”

My memories of the two of us in this room have haunted me for decades, he thought as he watched her. Perhaps that is how I define “agreeable.” Aloud, he pointed out, “There are larger offices, more conveniently situated.”

T’Shara seemed amused. “But none more logical for my needs.”

A myriad of possibilities, hardly any of them related to the daily operations of the Diplomatic Ministry, swirled in his mind. “Which are...?”

She turned to him, her face innocence itself. “If I am to hone my skills as a diplomat, who better to observe than the ambassador himself?”

He paused uncertainly, caught off guard once more. “You wish to... observe me? Is that all?”

“I have no intention of forcing myself on you.” T’Shara gathered up another handful of books and returned to the bookcase. “If you come to the same conclusion about our personal situation that I have, I trust you will inform me. Until then, you shall be my teacher. My mentor.”

He drew himself up, simmering at her. “If it is your wish not to call attention to my age, you are failing.”

She looked over her shoulder at him, her eyes sparkling openly with affection. “How I have missed your brittle disposition, Soval.”

He attempted to look annoyed with her, but in truth, he found it impossible. “No one else has ever made that claim.”

She tilted her head in a faint shrug. “Other men seem so determined to be paragons of Vulcan convention, to do and be precisely what is expected of them. I have always found their sameness quite dull. The Kir’Shara has made men of their sort highly disconcerted.”

Now he was intrigued. “Explain.”

“I speak of Surak’s perspective regarding IDIC.” T’Shara moved toward him as she continued to speak. “For so many centuries, it has been assumed that he wrote, ‘Acknowledge diversity’... but the Kir’Shara reveals that his true words were ‘Celebrate diversity.’ Rather than the ritual phrase of peace, ‘I accept our differences,” he said, ‘I rejoice in our differences.’” She came to a halt before him. “Upon my arrival today, I learned that humans are in the midst of a struggle to find the path of tolerance. Many on Vulcan will face the same struggle as the true word of Surak spreads.”

She was achingly close now, near enough for him to breathe in her delicate scent, the same scent that had interrupted his meditation so pleasantly on the beach this morning. He felt as if she had never left him.

“But not you?” he asked.

She turned her face up to his. “No. I have never been a paragon of convention, as you well know. It is an easy thing for me to rejoice in the differences of another.” Her lips were only a few centimeters from his, her eyes filled with serene promise. Her voice dropped to a soft caress. “In particular... a certain sour-tempered diplomat.”

Impossible woman! Soval didn’t know whether to take her to task, or take her in his arms. “T’Shara, you have been here for less than one day—”

Her eyes sparkled mischievously. “And I have much lost time for which to make amends.” She brushed past him, shutting off the light. “Good night, Ambassador.” With that, she glided out, leaving him standing in the dark, speechless.

By Surak, was he ready for such as her?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The bar at Callahan’s was a madhouse, but Kyle had a good rhythm going. When Enrique, her relief, appeared at her elbow, she almost dumped a strawberry margarita on him. “What’s wrong?” she asked, mopping up the spill on the floor. “Did I mess up an order?”

Enrique grinned. “That’s a good one, K. Tell me another.”

“C’mon, Rique. What’s up?”

“Nothing’s up. You’re on break.”

Kyle looked at the old-time analog clock on the wall beside the bar. It was just past ten. “You’re an hour early.”

“I know,” Enrique said as he whipped up another margarita. “Boss told me to break you now.”

Kyle frowned as she wiped her sticky hands on a bar towel. “What for?”

Enrique shrugged. “He moves in mysterious ways.”

Kyle tossed the towel and ducked out from behind the bar. “See you in fifteen, then.”

He shook his head. “Nope.” She stopped, turned, and waited curiously. “He told me to tell you to come back when you’re ready,” Enrique continued.

“When I’m...” She squinted at him. “You’re shitting me.”

He took a waiter’s drink order. “When the master decrees, I obey. Even when he sounds bonkers.”

Kyle was no fool. “I’m gone,” she grinned as she hurried away.

She skirted the crowded dance floor toward the spot where she always spent her breaks: the recessed stairway that led to Callahan’s upstairs office. Ducking into the shadowy alcove, she got about five steps up before she sensed there was someone else already there, sitting halfway up the stairs. She stopped as the stranger stood, her eyes sweeping up the tall, lean figure clad in a dark jumpsuit, and she realized it was... “Jon?”

She could just barely make out his smile in the dimness. “I was planning on stopping by after you got off work,” he said, his voice tinged with apology. “But I don’t think I’m going to last that long. I’m afraid I fouled up Callahan’s work schedule.”

“He’ll get over it.” Kyle looked more closely. Jon looked as if he was running on fumes. “How long has it been since you slept?”

He made a sound of protest that reminded her of a little boy who didn’t want to go to bed. “Why does everybody keep saying that to me?” He held out his hand, and Kyle took it. In one graceful move, he pulled her up to stand beside him. Before her brain even had a chance to process it, she found herself in his arms, her head nestled against his broad chest. It felt like the most natural thing in the world to hug Jon hello.

“It’s good to see you,” he murmured against her hair.

Kyle sighed contentedly. “I’ve been thinking about you all day.” Abruptly, she pulled away, mentally yanking her foot out of her mouth. “Oh. That sounded obsessive, didn’t it?”

He chuckled. “I’ve been thinking about you, too. There—now we’re both obsessed.”

She smirked. “I feel so much better.”

“Glad to help out.”

He was swaying slightly on his feet. Kyle kept an arm around him as she eased him back down onto the step. “Here, let’s sit you down before you fall down.” As she took a seat beside him, she noticed a tranquility on his face that hadn’t been there yesterday, or even in any of the pictures she’d seen in the news. “You found someone to take on the sin-eater, didn’t you?”

Jon smiled again. “How can you tell?”

She shrugged modestly. “You want to go to sleep. That’s a giveaway right there.”

“True,” he admitted wryly. “I haven’t felt like sleeping for a while.”

She touched her hand lightly to his cheek. “And... you look different.”

His eyebrows rose in surprise. Not surprise that she’d said it, but more surprise that she’d noticed. “Different how?” he asked.

She let her fingers lightly caress his face, moving up to his forehead, free now of worry lines. She felt him lean into her touch as he held her eyes. “The shadow is gone,” she told him gently. “You’ve made peace with your ghosts.”

He took her hand in his. “My ghosts...” Almost too softly for her to hear, he murmured, “Uncanny.” Then he nodded firmly. “Right again. I’m eyes-forward now, focused on the future. There are a lot of positive changes on the horizon—for Enterprise, Starfleet, Earth—”

She squeezed his hand. “And Jon too?”

He hesitated. “That’s more... uncharted territory.”

“So? You’re an explorer,” she said, with a twinkle in her eye.

He laughed out loud. Kyle listened to the joy of that laugh, the love of life set free again. Jon kissed her hand lightly, then pulled her into his arms again. As she felt the relaxed closeness of his body against hers, Kyle knew that wherever her journey with this man might take her—worry for his safety, inconvenience because of his celebrity, frustration when his job kept him away—it would be worth the love she felt growing in her heart for him with each passing moment.

For a while, they talked comfortably in the dark. Kyle found out that Jon was forty-three, his favorite sport was water polo—now there’s something she didn’t see every day—and he had a beagle named Porthos who lived aboard ship with him. She told him about her penchant for naming her cats after royalty, her fondness for counted cross stitch as meditative therapy, and her weakness for deep-fried ice cream. They even got into a lively discussion regarding the comparative merits of Mark Twain versus Charles Dickens before Jon finally, reluctantly got to his feet.

They walked down the steps hand in hand, just as they had the night before during the reception. As Jon reached the floor, Kyle stayed on the bottom step so she could look directly into those beautiful green eyes of his.

“I don’t know when I’ll be back,” he said, apologetic again. “Busy couple of days coming up.”

“I’ll be around,” she replied.

Neither of them said good-bye; Kyle had a feeling they would be avoiding that word from now on. Instead, Jon slipped his arms around her and kissed her. The moment was sensuous and lingering and delicious, and if it had lasted forever, it wouldn’t have been long enough. Then, with a smile, he was gone, and Kyle was already missing him.

She sat on the bottom step, unwilling to face the harsh, lonely reality of the real world just yet. She listened as Sammy and the band launched into a lively tune.

Here I go again
I hear those trumpets blow again
All aglow again
Taking a chance on love.

What the...?

Kyle poked her head out of her alcove sanctuary. The whole damn band was looking at her. Grinning like a pack of doting uncles. Jeez, as if Callahan wasn’t enough. Don gave her a little wave, and Sammy sang the next verse right to her.

Here I slide again
About to take that ride again
I'm starry eyed again
Taking a chance on love.

So much for her secret romance. Couldn’t hide a thing from these guys.

Good news was, they had a lot of respect for Captain Archer—they’d keep it in the family. Of course, they’d tease the hell out of Kyle.

But in a weird sort of way, she was looking forward to that.

~~ tbc ~~

Chapter 3

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