If you are seeing this paragraph, the site is not displaying correctly. You can see the content, but your current browser does not support CSS which is necessary to view our site properly. For the best visual experience, you will need to upgrade your browser to Netscape 6.0 or higher, MSIE 5.5 or higher, or Opera 3.6 or higher. If, however, you don't wish to upgrade your browser, scroll down and read the content - everything is still visible, it just doesn't look as pretty.
I Told You We Weren't Going to Lose Touch - Part 2Fix the Finalé Challenge I Told You We Weren’t Going to Lose Touch by: Joycelyn Solo Rating: G Author's note: This takes place shortly after begins his speech at the end of These are the voyages (aka: The final episode of Enterprise, aka: What the heck were they thinking?) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Part 2 It was amazing how dying -- or getting awfully close to it -- could change a man’s perspective on life. Waking up six hundred years in the future and being told that he “died” was a bit of a shock to a man who, last he remembered, had been trying his best to bluff the Enterprise intruders into getting themselves blown up. Why he’d had the brilliant idea to blow himself up in the process, he really didn’t know. It had seemed like a good idea -- the only idea -- at the time. As far as he was concerned, getting Jonathon Archer to Earth, preferably unharmed, in time for the most important speech the man would ever give was a top priority. Trip didn’t mind being a minor footnote in history. But the captain...the captain was the future. He may not have wanted to take credit for it, but from what Daniels had said, Jonathon Archer was the single most important person for the future. And that was where Daniels screwed up. Seated in the Green Room with T’Pol, Trip explained how Daniels had tried to talk the captain out of sacrificing himself on a suicide mission to destroy the Xindi weapon. “Daniels told the Cap’n about his importance in the formation of a union of species throughout the galaxy.” “Daniels efforts were obviously in vain,” T’Pol commented. “The captain went ahead with the mission.” “Which eventually turned out all right,” Trip smiled crookedly, “What with us stopping the Xindi and ending up in an alternate alien-Nazi past.” T’Pol nodded, remembering the following year’s events all too clearly: Her marriage to Koss, the rift with Trip and the loss of their daughter Elizabeth. In the end, it had been too much for their relationship and they had drifted apart. “What Daniels didn’t count on,” Trip continued, “Was that the Cap’n told me about the role he was going to play in this alien union. I’m still not sure why the he told me. Maybe he thought I’d feel better about Elizabeth if I knew that children of mixed heritage would have a place in the future. I didn’t even think much about it at the time, not until we were called back to Earth for the summit and received orders for Enterprise’s decommissioning.” “Which was why you were so preoccupied with the captain’s speech.” “And why I was mother-Henning him about not taking any chances with his safety.” T’Pol frowned, a true frown that nearly surprised Trip with its presence on her usually smooth features. “That is why you sacrificed yourself.” Trip laid his hand on T’Pol’s, squeezing gently. “At the time, I didn’t think my own contribution to history meant a whole lot. The most important thing was the captain, and that was the only thing I could think of to ensure he would be safe.” “But Daniels brought you back.” “By telling the Cap’n and then the Cap’n telling me, Daniels messed up the timeline.” T’Pol was silent a moment, staring down at their joined hands. “I thought I had lost you. That I had lost any chance to tell you...” “I know,” Trip choked out, unsure where the wave of grief he suddenly felt had come from. He regarded T’Pol curiously, wondering if that bond-thing was trying to reestablish itself. “In those final moments, before I...died...all I could think of was you and how sorry I was to leave you.” Any response T’Pol had was interrupted by a round applause that thundered through the auditorium. Though his “death” had been for the sake of the speech being given at the moment, Trip was paying little attention to it. When the noise subsided, T’Pol asked, “Why did Daniels not simply intervene as he has done before and warned us of the attack?” Trip shrugged. “Daniels wouldn’t tell me more than what he already told you. In fact, he was pretty upset that I already found out more than I was supposed to while I was recuperating in the twenty-seventh century.” One eyebrow rose as T’Pol waited for Trip to elaborate. “Well, as advanced as their facility computers were, it wasn’t too difficult for me to access a couple of history files when none of the medical technicians were paying attention.” “That would explain Daniels’ apparent annoyance with you.” “You noticed that, huh?” Trip smiled. “Yeah. A little knowledge of the future can be a dangerous thing, as my ‘death’ proved. But I didn’t know Daniels planned on sending me back until after I read those files.” He took both of T’Pol’s hands in his. “When I pulled my little stunt, I was doing it for a future where our daughter could have lived. What I didn’t realize, was that I was doing it for a future where our sons will live.” “What do you --” “That role we’re supposed to play,” Trip interrupted, “Is as parents. We’re going to raise our daughter in a galaxy where she won’t be viewed as an oddity but a vision of what will come from the cooperation of all planets.” “How is that possible?” T’Pol asked. “Daniels warned me not to tell you too much, but I figure once our bond strengthens again you’ll know anyway.” Trip stood, pulling T’Pol up with him, as another roar of applause sounded in the auditorium. “When I told you before that we weren’t going to lose touch, I was right. According to history, we’re going to meet again at the Cap’n’s wedding...and a few years later we’re going to celebrate our own.” Before T’Pol could respond, Trip pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “And, a few years after that, we’re going to start a family.” T’Pol stared at him, it was all she could do for several minutes, as she processed this new information. “What will we be doing between now and our wedding?” “According to the files I snuck into, you go back to Vulcan and I’m assigned to Columbia, again.” He gave her hands, still in his, a small squeeze. “Of course, I don’t know how closely we have to follow history. Daniels and his friends have already mucked things up for us a couple of times now. I think it’s time we took things into our own hands.” She could not help the eyebrow that quirked above her eye. “And how, exactly, do you intend to do that?” “Well, as soon as I’m done shocking the Cap’n and Malcolm and everyone else, I think I’m going to take you to meet my parents.” He smiled. “Then, we’ll see where the future takes us.” Have a comment to make about this story? Do so in the Trip Fan Fiction forum at the HoTBBS! A whole mess of folks have made commentsSweeeeeeet!!! Sequel! Please! Sweeeeeeet!!! Sequel! Please! More, More, More.... This is really great. This works as a resolution all on its own, Joycelyn, but you've set up a wonderful future for the two of them with the potential for lots of adventures before they settle down... and a wedding for ARCHER... which is not something I've ever read on this site except for a fic where he marries T'Pol (Sorry... but that's just WRONG). Allow me to cast my vote for more stories. - D Oh I wonderful i really like your stories please continue this soon please.This is really getting good. Eeeeeexcellent. Most excellent. And Archer gets a woman too. He probably needs one. Anyway, love this, can't wait for more! :) Yes we need a sequal of this one!! I really want to see TnT rewritin history together.,,,,,, Pluss Im a sucker for punishment an love those fics where T'pol meets the parents. Great job on this to short a fic. ;) so get writin,, Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! That was really sweet! I'm on the badwagon asking for a sequel... I would love to see Malcom's and Archer's reactions as well. :) YES YES YES !!!! This is too cool! I love the future you've set out for them, which is something I'd always expected for the characters. This is great! Add my request to the others . . . more please! Thank you. OMG! This is sooo cute! To tell you the truth, I wasn't too sure about the first chapter, but this explains everything I didn't get before. Except for one thing: are they gonna have a daughter, a son, or both? Well, I guess that just means you'll have to answer that in a FUTURE CHAPTER. *Ahem...* Keep it up and take it slow; please don't just skip over their marriage and everything and jump to when they have kids--I wanna see it all! Love it so far, especially T'Pol's speechlessness; that's not something you see every day. Thank you for a great start (*hint, hint*) to a wonderful story!!!
Emily |