Things to Come

Harbinger of Things to Come

By Kevin

Rating: R (adult situations)
Disclaimer: The characters mentioned within this text are the sole property of Paramount Studios, UPN, and Viacom. I intend no infringement.
Genre: Drama
Summary: Trip and T’Pol reflect on their behavior during “Harbinger”. Each decides they need to speak with the other as soon as possible.

Trip stared up at the ceiling. He felt like shit. He’d done something pretty scummy.

It had nothing to do with lying to Phlox about where the scratches and teeth marks came from. Phlox wasn’t an idiot and didn’t buy his pathetic lie.

No, he felt like shit for an entirely different reason. He’d had sex with T’Pol tonight.

T’Pol was the most beautiful woman he’d ever met. It didn’t matter in the least she was Vulcan.

Well, actually, yes it does.

Part of her allure was those eyes, ears and skin that were uniquely Vulcan… Most of it though was her strength and intellect. He loved talking to her about engineering problems. There were many times he relied on her quiet self-confidence to ease his anxiety in difficult situations.

He sighed and banged his head against the pillow.

He’d fantasized for months about what it’d be like with her. But he never in a million years figured he’d ever have sex with T’Pol. She said Vulcan’s mated only once every seven years and he never expected she’d show any interest in a Human.

Boy was he wrong… On both counts.

Sex with T’Pol was beyond anything he dreamt about in his fantasies. It never occurred to him the difference brought about by her higher body temperature. He knew she was stronger than him, but had no idea of the flexibility and muscle control she possessed… He was still semi-hard just thinking about when she pinned him against the wall in the shower… Now that was hot!

And when she raised her hand and held her finger tips against the side of his face… He had no words to describe that feeling. She did that during each go around. At first he’d be a little disoriented but something would rapidly change. He couldn’t really describe it, but somehow those orgasms with T’Pol were stronger than anything he’d ever experienced in his life.

She might have actually ruined me for Human women! Trip couldn’t help but chuckle to himself.

Yet, what they did tonight was completely wrong. T’Pol was… jealous. Just the thought of that made his head hurt. He was certain T’Pol had sex with him only because of her jealousy… She wanted to make sure Amanda didn’t take him away from her. He kicked himself because their first time together was for completely the wrong reasons.

Even worse, he knew it was her first time… period. The slight resistance at first, followed by her short gasp, removed all doubt from his mind. Before tonight, T’Pol was a virgin. He closed his eyes and felt more ashamed than he could remember ever feeling.

He should have known it was probably her first time. Kov made it clear Vulcans were monogamous and sex outside of marriage was unthinkable. Even worse, he knew her motivation was jealousy. He should never have allowed this to happen. It was all wrong.

The guilt was eating him up inside.

It didn’t take him long to figure out she’d planned it all out before he even arrived. At first, he thought she was wearing the robe to put a barrier between the two of them. When she was very quiet, it was a natural assumption, he thought. Their sessions always progressed the same way. She would go through the postures on him and then he would go through them on her, at her direction. That meant her robe would be coming off that evening, revealing she wore nothing underneath.

Once she removed the robe and stood before him, he was lost. There was no way he could refuse the most exquisite woman he’d ever known. It didn’t matter if her motivation was completely wrong, he was helpless to resist.

Now he had to live with the consequences of that choice.

He had to make it clear to T’Pol he had no interest in Amanda. She wasn’t anything more than just a friend.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He was lying to himself.

Amanda was his attempt to distract himself from T’Pol. Thoughts of her were slowly consuming him and he wanted to push them away and pursue someone who could return his interest. He couldn’t violate the frat rules, so that meant a MACO… He couldn’t believe his luck when he found out Amanda grew up only a short distance from where he had. He enjoyed spending time with her and tried to take it to the next level.

In the end, though, he was only kidding himself. Amanda was nothing more than a substitute for T’Pol. He had been able to maintain his charade until Amanda kissed him. When she did that, he imagined it was T’Pol. After he opened his eyes and saw Amanda’s face, he felt guilty–like he was cheating on T’Pol. It seemed like a stupid reaction at the time but now he wasn’t so sure. Maybe he was?

An even worse thought popped in his head, if that were possible. What if he was simply using Amanda to provoke a reaction from T’Pol? He didn’t think he was, but this whole situation was so messed up, he wasn’t sure what was going on any more.

All this made his head hurt more.

He pushed all those thoughts aside though. Regardless of how he got here, he had to make a change. He couldn’t believe T’Pol was attracted to him. He couldn’t imagine she ever felt the same way about him that he felt about her. Now that he knew, he had to make clear to T’Pol that it was she, and not Amanda, that he wanted. She had no reason to be jealous and he’d promise never to give her one.

But they couldn’t have sex any more, not until they both were ready. Sex would only mess everything up. Now that they had, and it was amazing, it would be a huge effort to refrain from giving in to temptation, but he didn’t think T’Pol was ready. He didn’t know much about Vulcan customs, but he knew the whole boyfriend-girlfriend thing didn’t exist. Marriages were arranged and they had sex every seven years. This was uncharted territory for her and probably nothing in her background prepared her for this.

He took a deep breath and released it.

He had to speak with T’Pol. He had to make sure he did not repeat the same mistake he made tonight.

T’Pol knelt in front of the candle. She struggled with her emotions. Within her mind, shame and guilt were at war with pleasure and anticipation. All were conspiring to wash away what little control remained. Weeks of ingesting trace amounts of Trellium culminated in her present situation. In fact, she took a slightly higher than normal dose this afternoon while preparing her plan for this evening.

She recalled when she made the decision to experiment with the substance. Doctor Phlox had released her from sickbay that morning and she decided to have lunch with Com… Trip.

Calling him Commander Tucker after seducing him and engaging in sexual intercourse three times seemed inappropriate.

At first, during their lunch, he seemed a bit uncomfortable around her but then relaxed and returned to his old self. She noticed a change in her reaction during that lunch. She… enjoyed… the taste of her fruit salad and the varying textures of each piece of fruit as it slid down her throat. She had never felt anything while eating before. She also found herself focusing on Trip’s eyes and fascinated by their alien blue color.

The final indication that something was different came when he made a joke underneath his breath. It was… funny… and she could not prevent herself from smiling. She had been able to hide her reaction from him, but it did happen.

She made her decision that evening after their neuropressure session. Normally her body betrayed her and she needed to meditate in order to control its reaction. Prior to that evening, it was nothing more than a biological reaction she must suppress. That night, however, she reveled in it. His scent filled her quarters and she inhaled deeply many times before it dissipated. She remembered how it felt to touch his body and have him touch hers. The very tips of her ears were on fire and the friction of the silk as it slid over her nipples was electric.

The next morning she started investigating ways to ingest trace amounts of the ore into her system to reproduce the effect it had on her.

She should have expected something like tonight would happen. It was a logical outcome of her decision. Before Vulcans learned to suppress their emotions, they were paranoid and jealousy ran rampant through their society. Jealousy over position. Jealousy over possessions. Jealousy over status. Jealousy over… mates.

T’Pol had come to believe… Trip was hers. She had taught him the very intimate art of neuropressure. She had kept him alive when he was fatally injured. Sim had confessed she was all Trip thought about. Trip had not formally claimed her, but she was certain that would happen if they were to return from this mission alive.

T’Pol’s view changed over this past week as Trip started spending time with Corporal Cole. She watched them closely to judge the woman’s intent. It did not take long to gather that she was trying to take Trip away from her. She could not tell Trip’s intentions, as he did not return her public displays. But it was clear he did nothing to stop them. After Corporal Cole made her intentions clear that morning, T’Pol realized she had to put a stop to that.

On reflection, T’Pol admonished herself for her behavior. Trip was not hers. He cared very much for her, but they were not mated. She behaved as a primitive, jealous Vulcan would. She allowed her possessive nature to override her logical mind. In addition to her other bad behavior, T’Pol violated Trip, not once, but three times.

She tried to control her instincts–to only engage in physical contact–but she was unable to resist. It was shortly after he first penetrated her and began to stroke her left ear that she raised her right hand to the side of his face. Even though she could not meld, she was amazed at how much she could sense from him. Either Humans must be more receptive to telepathic contact than she believed… or the Trellium she injected earlier this evening reduced her control to the point where almost no barriers existed.

The sensations that first time were nearly overwhelming. He quickly identified the very tips of her ears and the places along her upper spine that gave her the most pleasure. He made sure to constantly stimulate them with his fingertips. She almost passed out when he ejaculated, due to the combined pleasure she felt through the intimate violation of his mind. She was wholly unprepared for the swirling emotions and feelings she received from him during that intense moment.

Fortunately, when he had finished he just lay on top of her catching his breath and regaining his senses. He gently stroked one ear while pressing his lips lightly against her jaw line. It allowed her to withdraw and bring her reaction under control. After that first encounter, she knew she would be unable to resist the temptation again.

She did not.

She violated his mind a second time when he turned on his back, pulled her on top of him and allowed her to control their tempo. Initially it took more coordination on her part, but soon they settled into an easy rhythm. This time he had both hands free to caress her. She was certain she lost consciousness for just a moment.

Even she was exhausted after their second time. She just lay on top of him as he slowly stroked his fingers up and down her spine. He appeared surprised at the intensity of their coupling. A warm flush passed through her body when he said it was the best he ever had. Somehow she knew he was being completely truthful.

She was not quite sure the purpose of taking a shower together until they were under the hot water and he used his fingertips and lips to stimulate all of the sensitive areas along her neck and ears. For several minutes he focused all his effort on providing her pleasure. She found the hot water cascading over them only added to the experience.

He eventually turned her around and started kissing her. She felt his erection return and pinned him against the wall in the shower. She was more aggressive this time until his little yelp broke her out of the trance. Without being aware of it, she bit down on his shoulder, breaking the skin. She was so busy focusing on his emotions through the link she forced on him, she was not completely in control of her own actions.

A short while later, they were lying on her floor together, both nearly spent, when a page looking for Commander Tucker arrived at her quarters. The Lieutenant needed his advice on a power fluctuation and he got dressed and left her. She had returned to the bridge when the alien they rescued entered main engineering and knocked him out. Trip went into harm’s way exhausted because of her behavior.

T’Pol knew her real crime was more than simply reducing his effectiveness at a critical moment. Her… violation… of him was far worse than Tolaris’ of her. She invited Tolaris into her quarters willingly. She was even willing to try the meld, at first.

Trip, on the other hand, still had no idea she violated him. He just knew the intensity of their intercourse was greater than he experienced before. She could not share the reason why. It was a lie of omission, but a lie nonetheless.

As she continued to focus on the candle, two thoughts were in her head. The first was that they must never do this again. After tonight, she knew it would be impossible for her to engage only in physical contact. Her primal urge to also touch him mentally would always win out. She would always violate him.

That led to the second thought–a question actually–she turned over in her head. Humans were not telepathic, not even minimally. But her people were unaware of how receptive they might be to telepathic contact. She had not imagined how receptive he could be until tonight. She maintained her mental barriers during their neuropressure sessions not just to preserve his privacy but also to protect herself from the obvious grief he experienced.

The only times she ever dropped her barriers prior to tonight where those nights during… his coma. She had to in order to keep him alive. But he was unconscious at the time and she was unable to gauge how receptive he was to her touch.

Tonight, though, with her barriers down, she felt his emotions as intensely as if they were her own–possibly even more intensely as he had not spent a lifetime suppressing them. How could that be? Were Humans receptive to telepathic contact more than her people believed?

She had to make sure this never happened again. She had no right to violate him to satisfy her own needs. Her behavior was far worse than Tolaris’. She also had no right to take him away from a Human female who could meet his emotional needs and provide him children. She could do neither. She had to do what was best for Trip. It would be painful… but she was Vulcan. She could control the pain–especially knowing the logic behind her decision was sound.

She had to speak with Trip. She had to make sure she did not repeat the same mistake she made tonight.

The End

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A whole mess of folks have made comments

Wow. I hadn't considered that Trip might also be remorseful about their first night together. Guess we needed a male viewpoint to point that out to us. Thanks, Kevin.

Actually, Distracted, I don't see Trip as being remorseful about the first night, just the emotions that led up to it. Knowing that T'Pol acted on jealousy and that he may very well be responsible for her perceiving the need to be jealous is obviously tearing him up. Now the sex? Heh. She ruined him for human women. :p

I really like this, Kevin. It makes Harbinger just a little more tolerable to me - I'm one of those TnTers who really don't like that episode for a multitude of reasons, one of which being the entire jealousy angle. One thing I do kind of wish you had done was a scene from Phlox's POV: I would love to read Trip's "pathetic lie" and observe the good doctor's reaction. After all, this is partially his fault seeing as to how you've established that Phlox knows how intimate VNP is.

My favorite line? "Calling him Commander Tucker after seducing him and engaging in sexual intercourse three times seemed inappropriate." I don't know why, but that line cracks me up. And I love how you set the basis for T'Pol's dream in Damage; nicely done.

that was awesome! you KNOW people want to see them talk now! ;) but if it was a standalone, I understand =D

that was great like distracted i never thought of the way trip would feel in the immediate after effects other then joy.
so when is the sequel, the conversation coming out???????????????
or am i just been hopeful

For me this topic is starting to get old, but your treatment of it is flawless. I totally buy all the regret and once again you added a new layer to an old story--with your addition of an ethically questionable mind melding.

Thanks everyone for the comments. We already saw their conversation on screen. T'Pol made sure she did not repeat her mistake the only way she knew how.

Basically I've come to hate "Harbinger". I wanted to make the next morning's conversation make sense. I also know that if I were in Trip's shoes, I would have felt like shit because they had sex for all the wrong reasons.

I also wanted Trip to feel guilty for skankin' it up with Amanda. :-)

Oh, I also forgot. I wanted to show two more things with the story.

T'Pol's dream in "Damage" is not a complete figment of her imagination, in my story world. In my story world, after she pins Trip against the wall, it goes NC-17, to both of their enjoyment.

I also want to show that a weak bond has already started to form and that's why she could feel Trip's emotions more than she expected when she touched the side of his face. In return, he could feel her and it made for some pretty good sex. :-)

I'm also one who didn't particularly like Harbinger, but this story was excellent. I loved how you played out Trip's thoughts and T'Pol's thoughts, it made it seem more real and more in character. And better emotions/motivations. Great story with amazing writing!

"Calling him Commander Tucker after seducing him and engaging in sexual intercourse three times seemed inappropriate."

I'm still laughing...

Great piece. I have a whole bunch of issues with "Harbinger", but it remains a guilty pleasure of mine. Although both parts of the story are great, I loved Trip's PoV.

That was amazing! Brilliant characterization, and I loved every minute of it! :)

I don't hate Harbinger, though I did when I first saw it. But back then I was irritated at how unVulcan T'Pol was--I hadn't caught the TnT fever yet. Now it's kinda fun. *shrug* It's amazing how shipper glasses can change your perception.

I also enjoy reading Jealous!T'Pol in fanfic (and watching in canon), probably because it seems Trip has done most of the suffering in this relationship. Then again, I also like reading Asshole!Archer (even though I like the dude, assholery sometimes makes Archer more interesting), so *shrug*. Sometimes currently unfashionable characterizations are fun! Whee!

On to actual comments on the story...
I enjoyed this story very much. I liked Trip agonizing over their *steamy* (rimshot) encounter. I liked T'Pol observations about the receptivity of humans to telepathic contact. This story gives "Harbinger" an interesting emotional rationale.

Thanks for writing this story, Kevin. I very much appreciate our writers and I enjoy the universes you create.

Yes, it certainly makes more sense than the original Harbinger, which was shocking (in a bad way). I like how Kevin (and other writers here) can take some of the shows' lemons and make lemonade.

Well, another quite inventive fic in your prolific production, as usual Kevin. The characterization and POV of Trip and T’Pol rings true. I like you working in the fact that Vulcans are stronger than humans – three times stronger if I remember correctly from canon. That fact is often overlooked in fight scenes where humans seem to go mano-a-mano with Vulcans and Romulans and at times, best them. Of course training can go a long way toward accomplishing this, but still…

I know that in T’Pol’s mind you have her think she was worse than Tolaris, but in my mind (and I think yours) she was not, as Tolaris tried to continue sucking out emotional gratification from the meld even after she asked him to stop. And he must have felt through the meld that she was in obvious distress. I don’t think Trip was giving the same distress signals in your fic – quite the opposite, LOL.

And I like your depiction of T’Pol being unable to resist the instinct to meld. It was nicely played out. I have always wondered why it became so anti-social on Vulcan in T’Pol’s time. I would think that there are a lot of secret melders in T’Pol’s time because it is basic Vulcan nature to meld like it is basic nature to go through Pon Farr.

You have T’Pol thinking that there are no humans telepaths, but it is canon that there are as in the TOS episode “Is There In Truth, No Beauty?” (I think I have that episode name right, if not, it is close). But this is a hundred years before TOS time so maybe no one knows there are human telepaths yet.

I will have to review the Harbringer episode, because I had the impression that Amanda and Trip knew each other in high school because Amanda said their schools were sports rivals. And Amanda told T’Pol that Trip had often talked about Lizzy with her, which to me implies they are old friends. Trip does not discuss Lizzy with just anyone (remember the episode The Xindi, I think it was, where Trip even chewed his friend Malcolm out for asking about a memorial for Lizzy?), and at the point of this Harbringer episode, Amanda seems to know more about Lizzy than T’Pol. So that is the basis for my thinking they knew each other before Enterprise, though you said “he couldn’t believe his luck when he found out Amanda grew up only a short distance from where he had.”

Anyway, nice work. Keep them coming.

I don't think they knew one another before, Linda. The impression I always got from the episode was that Trip had been talking to Amanda while he was giving her neuropressure. I think the writers just wanted to play into the T'Pol jealousy angle and that's why they had Trip talking to Amanda about Lizzy. It isn't logical to the character or his relationships, but the writers used it to serve their purposes. Unfortunate, but true, I believe.

This fic has a completely different take on this episode than I'd ever considered. I never really thought of Trip feeling that way either, but it's certainly possible. It makes sense that he'd want to do what's right. Good job.

"It isn't logical to the character or his relationships, but the writers used it to serve their purposes. Unfortunate, but true, I believe."

^ Why is that a surprise? Far too often, the writers forced the characters to fit the story, usually to the character's detriment (take Archer in pretty much ANY episode for example). This is a perfect example: given what we've seen of Trip over the last three years, having him "cheat" on T'Pol in this way (even though they weren't an official couple yet) made NO sense and was completely OOC for him, just like the Trellium-D addiction was OOC for T'Pol. If there is one thing the producers were good at, it was trying to force the characters into doing things that they wouldn't normally do.

I prefer Kevin's explanation to that lack of an explanation we got on the show. And I completely agree with Linda: Trip was NOT broadcasting "distress signals" to T'Pol. :-D

It doesn't surprise me, but it does sadden me. I don't really understand it. If I created characters like Trip and T'Pol, they'd be like my children. I'd want to take care of them, do what's right by them, let them take the journey they were meant to...not sacrifice their integrity for things such as ratings, but that's just me. I probably wouldn't get too far in the business either.

I like Kevin's version here too. It's interesting to get a man's perspective on the issue.

Ok, you could be right about Trip and Amanda not meeting before Enterprise, but I still think they knew each other, if only slightly, being from rival small towns. I was assuming they did know each other in a fic I did on Soval's Annex last year about the Florida losses. And perhaps because both of them lost their home towns, it was healing for both of them when they talked during the neuro pressure sessions.

I don't get the sense that Trip was cheating on T'Pol here, as he is not aware of T'Pol's interest in him sexually, until she dropped that robe, right? It was Amanda that was making the moves - slapping his behind in weapons practice and then kissing him during the neuro pressure in his quarters, unless I missed something. I don't think he was initiating anything sexual with Amanda, just responding to her, and actually not responding much at all.

I guess there is a lot open for interpretation as many things are given only cursory explanation in canon. Thats what makes writing fan fiction so intersting!

Wow! Thanks everyone for the comments. It makes me happy that people really like my "fixes".

My interpretation is that Amanda Cole and Trip Tucker did not know each other until Amanda was assigned to Enterprise and he let his eyes wander. That's my interpretation of Amanda's statements to T'Pol, although now that I've rewatched the scene, I can see how someone could think they already knew each other. It's pretty easy (and very likely) to be from two small towns and not know each other, especially with an age difference. Amanda's a corporal and Trip's a Commander. There's almost got to be at least four or five years difference there.

Trip's view right now is kind of messed up because he's missing an important fact. T'Pol's efforts in "Similitude" ("NWM: Vulcan Biology 101" and "The Song Remains the Same") turned a "CPU replacement" into a "CPU upgrade" and a weak bond has already formed. That, combined with his pre-existing feelings, and he truly does feel like he cheated on T'Pol. Also, he doesn't know it yet, but this weak bond is how T'Pol was able to direct his touch to all the right places. In my mind, a Vulcan female's most sensitive areas are her ears and the back of her neck and upper spine (not between her legs). I wanted to make a biological difference between Humans and Vulcans. Trip is having sex with T'Pol, not Jolene Blalock. :-)

Something it seems like I didn't make very clear was that T'Pol did not meld with Trip. She doesn't know how and believe she's incapable of it. I thought about why melding was such a taboo in "Stigma" and combined it with T'Pol's statement that neuropressure is very intimate. I ended up thinking along these lines. Vulcans touch their mates in order to share emotions but this is not a deep connection and just enough to build and maintain their bond to ensure the couple are drawn together during a male's Pon'farr. T'Pol's instinct was to also touch Trip so they could share the experience. What she expected was either nothing, or at most just the barest hint of feeling. Because I already set up that Vulcan females establish the bond, I made it so that it was her instinct to touch him. She doesn't know why the instinct was so strong, she just knew she couldn't resist.

What she got instead was something much more intense and a deeper experience. In return, Trip's experience was much more intense and far "stronger" than his previous encounters.

To me, a mind meld is a much deeper connection, that is far more intimate, and therefore abhorrent to a society which believes the only purpose for mating and Pon'farr is procreation. T'Pol has been taught that only a small subset of "deviants" are able to meld and she is unable to, so she doesn't even try.

In her lifetime, T'Pol only initiates a meld with two adults and both are Human and both are special cases. Hoshi is highly receptive to telepathic contact (from "Exile") and is a precursor to Human empaths. Trip (from "New World Man") is a special case because T'Pol unintentionally rewired him during "Similitude" (from "NWM: Vulcan Biology 101" and "The Song Remains the Same"). So she got lucky. If she tried to meld with Captain Skippy (Archer) or Captain Tight Ass (Vanik), she wouldn't have been successful.

BTW, Trip was sending T'Pol "distress signals", but they were the very, very, very, veeerrryyy good kind of "distress signals", just before their whole world exploded together. :-)

Good theory, Kevin, and it also explains why T'Pol touches Trip's face in almost the same manner each time she kisses him. That instinct is really powerful...

"Captain Skippy". LOL!

See, I have thought this through. :-) In "Similitude", her hand gets up to Sim's shoulder before she brings her instinct under control. In "Harbinger" she brings it right up to the side of his face, after only a brief hesitation. In "Bound", she doesn't even resist. In "In a Mirror Darkly", it's already there when she's kissing him.

The TnT geek in me has even thought through how they have sex and someday I'll figure out a way to work it into a story. Almost every explicit TnT story I've read is actually Trip having sex with Jolene Blalock. What's the likelihood that a Vulcan female "developed" in exactly the same way as a Human female?

Fortunately their differences can be compensated for, to their mutual enjoyment. :-)

I laughed at Kevin's mention of tight ass Vanik. I thought he was way out of line eating before hand when he was invited to eat on Enterprise. He was very insulting in the episode 'Breaking the Ice', to my way of thinking. Archer was miffed and asked him to leave, which I thought was appropriate and showed Vanik that his behavior was not acceptable. Someone else (who really hates Archer) said she thought Vanik was only being Vulcan and his behavior was ok. This just goes to show that we fans get such widely different interpretations from the same scenes.

I gave Vanik a very racist brother in one story, just because I thought he was from that sort of family. And now that you have me thinking of Vanik...another story line is forming. I want him to get his, like I did with Solok from 'Take Me Out to the Holosuite' in DS9 in my second ever Trek story (also ancient history so don't ask). I love Vulcans, but can't stand the really obnoxious ones. Just gotta do them in. So why was I infatuated with Soval right from the start? Don't know. I think I need an analyst.

You are probably right about the age difference between Amanda and Trip, but even though it is possible for people living in close proximity not to know each other (even on the same residential street, LOL) I chose to think Amanda and Trip were at least passing acquintances. I had Amanda observing Lizzy at a football game. That is probably still ok as Amanda could be in junior high and Lizzy in elementary school or junior high, accompanying Trip as a senior to the game. I am assuming an 8 year difference between Trip and Lizzy, because that is the difference between me and my brother - and I assigned myself early on as mentor and protector of my brother. We are STILL closer than the
in-between-us siblings. So my theory that our stories are more about ourselves than these characters (at least in my case) still seems to hold. Anyway, that story is history as far as I am concerned,LOL. And if we all wrote the same, it would be no fun here, right? So go where your impressions and creativity take you!

I think that Archer is often misunderstood. he had to be a captain. But we all got spoiled by Kirk who crossed every line in the book.
I tend to think he was underused and misused after season one.
The Trop / Tpol thing works but it could hve been handled better. I say miscommunication was the biggest issue and cultural misunderstandings. Or a a friend at Sarek and Amanda calles it.
Cultureal BLindness.

I agree with Kevin that the Vulcan in fan fics aren't alien enouph when it comes to sex.I beleive that T'Pol does not have exactly the same parts as a human female, that Trip and T'Pol are not totally sexually compatible, but that they do work around the "problem" to their mutual satisfaction. (Isn't that touching). I am not brave enouph to submit a more specific theory, but Kevin is doing a fine job filling in the blanks. His interpreation of neuropressue, the instinct to touch the face, the ears. Kevin, I hope your contributions become T'n T-site "canon."

Yes, it makes sense that sexually there would be some physical differences between Vulcans and Humans, more than are dealt with in most stories. If you go to the physiology page on the Vulcan Language Institute site, there is suggested an interesting twist to the male physiology.

Now this is not an NC17 story here that Kevin has here, so how should I put this? It was suggested on the Vulcan Language site physiology page that the male organ is more enclosed because it needs protection in the harsh Vulcan climate. Think dog or horse and you will get my meaning. But do go visit the site and maybe try to write a story incorporating this little physiological difference into a story. I touched on this in one of my stories and I think it worked out ok. Now lets see more work in our fics on these physiological differences!

However, given that most if not all of the humanoid species in the Trek galaxy were "seeded" by the Preservers, and given that there appears no CANONICAL evidence that there are substantial differences between humans and Vulcans sexually (exactly the opposite, IMO), I personally have no problem with them actually being compatible (sexually.) At the same time, I have no problem with Kevin's theory/idea that the ears and upper back are more sensitive for the Vulcan female primarily due to their telepathic natures.

I still hate female pon farr though. :p

I am not saying Vulcans and humans are incompatable sexually or otherwise. But they do have species differences to overcome - or we wouldn't have the great dramatic material we play with here. But I don't think we have to be slaves to canon, especially where canon is vague or silent. And canon often contradicts itself. Even taken as a given that the Preservers seeded different planets, I think differences are logical depending on what ocean your ancestors crawled out of or in the case of Vulcans, what rock they crawled out from under a couple of million years ago. Oh, that last doesn't sound too good, LOL. But since there are rounded ears vs pointed ears, green blood and red blood, there probably are other differences and fan fiction writers have every right to play with them. Kevin's innovations are great. I'd like to see people play with other innovations in differences between Vulcans and humans too, and I am just encouraging people to explore them. Whether a reader accepts them in their personal ST universe is up to them.

Oh, and female pon farr is not a significant factor in my personal ST universe either, LOL. erv

That 'erv' was a finger stumble, no deep meaning there, just human error.

I took you at your word and made up a bunch of differences for T'Pol. I don't know if I can go back now. ;-)