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Touching the Mind

Author - Peter Simons | Genre - Drama | Genre - Friendship | Main Story | Rating - PG-13 | T
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Touching the Mind

By Peter Simons


E-Mail: simons@cryp.to
Rating: PG13
Genre: Drama, Friendship
Disclaimer: It all belongs to Paramount, no infringement intended.

Summary: The friendship begun in »Healing the Mind« grows deeper.

Author's Note: Once more I owe gratitude to Clicks for proof-reading this text and for making many helpful suggestions how to improve it. Thank you! I'd also like to acknowledge the inspiration the great story »The Firebrand« provided, the ritual performed in my story is quite similar, as you will notice.

********

A week has passed.

********

»Commander. Please, come in.«

Trip entered her quarters and found them neatly arranged for his visit. The room was illuminated by meditation candles, which were carefully decorated around a spot in the center. There, she had prepared two pillows on the floor, opposite of each other, only a meter afar.

As they sat down, Trip couldn't help himself.

»Gee, Subcommander, this atmosphere is really romantic! I wouldn't have expected that from a Vulcan.«

»You are very perceptive, Commander.«

What was that supposed to mean?

»Uh. You aimed for a romantic atmosphere?«

»Of course. Vulcans do appreciate esthetic beauty, Commander. Many ceremonies are set in surroundings, which reinforce the meaning by symbolism … such as forms and lights.«

»Ceremonies?«

»Yes.«

»Right. Do you plan to hold a ceremony?«

»I hoped, you would agree.«

WHAT?

»Wait a minute, T'Pol. I am not su—«

»Perhaps, if you would let me explain what the ceremony is, Commander, you would be better prepared to decide?«

»Of course … I was just surprised for a moment.«

»Why are you surprised?«

»I don't know … the atmosphere, the lightning, the cushions … it's just surprisingly intimate. On Earth, I would feel as if I were on a date.«

»Thank you, Commander.«

Wait! What was going on here? Just what exactly had he just said? And what had she heard?!?

»Why do you say thank you

»It was difficult to estimate, what level of lightening you would perceive as romantic, as you put it. I was also uncertain of the right distance between us you. All these factors are highly subjective. It pleases me to hear, that I have been successful.«

»You appreciate compliments?«

»Of course.«

»Subcommander, I have to admit, I am starting to get very curious about this ceremony.«

»I will explain.«

She got up gracefully and fetched a small tray from her desk. She put it down between them, and sat down again. On the tray lay two stencils, a brush, and a small tank of liquid.

T'Pol pointed at the liquid.

»This is le-matya gisam — the venom of the le-matya. It is, of course, a medically refined substance, from which the toxic elements have been removed, but the substance does still have an acidic effect on skin.«

She paused to look at Trip. Then she took up one of the stencils and gave it to him. It had approximately the size of his hand and the material felt like thin cork. An alien calligraphy had been carved into it. He held the stencil with the back against a candle to see the symbols better. They were decidedly Vulcan. The calligraphy consisted only of straight lines and regular curves, but they were put together to form a complex shape, which appeared to be three-dimensional, even in this crude rendering. It was beautiful.

»This is a rendering of your name in Vulcan calligraphy, Commander. It is more of an artistic rendering than accurate writing, because it has to fit into the small space.«

Trip compared the stencil to his hand.

»Fits exactly on the palm.«

»Exactly, Commander.«

T'Pol showed him the other stencil.

»This is my name, rendered in the same way.«

»You made these stencils?«

»Yes.«

»They are beautiful, T'Pol.«

»They also have a purpose, Commander.«

»And I can guess what it is. To apply the calligraphy to the skin with … what was the name?«

»Le-matya gisam. You are right. According to the ritual, you apply your name's calligraphy to your right hand, I apply my name's calligraphy to my left hand, and then we will press our palms together, so that the renderings will mix and form a unique and new rendering. In both of our hands.«

»How does this … stuff react on the skin?«

»It is a slow reaction. The le-matya gisam will mildly irritate the skin at first, but there is more to it. We will try to hold our hands together for as long as we can. Think of it as a way to measure our friendship, Commander. The sense of discomfort will rise over time. The longer we keep our palms together, the more severe the reaction becomes. The substance is, after all, acidic.«

»The longer we choose to bear the discomfort, the stronger our friendship is?«

»Yes.«

»This is really childish, T'Pol. I like it! In fact, we have similar rituals on Earth. Only, they are usually performed by children.«

»So is this ritual, Commander.«

Trip was moved by T'Pol's offer. She was asking him to become the Vulcan version of blood brothers. It really felt childish, but in a straight-forward way it was also profoundly intimate. He could tell it meant something to her. And he could see why. The thought of having their names branded on their skin for a few days was invigorating. It felt, like they were children committing some mischief!

»I am honored, T'Pol. I really mean it.«

»There is another element to the ritual, Commander. A spiritual connection, which is far more binding than the pain we share. While our palms touch, we can see each other's thoughts.«

»I'm not sure I follow …«

»Our minds will touch, so to speak, there will be a telepathic connection between us, which allows us to hear and to see each other's thoughts. It is very intimate.«

»I can imagine.«

»No, you probably cannot. Just consider this, Commander: It is impossible to lie. You will hear my thoughts the moment I think them, I will see your memories the instant they come to you. Neither of us can pretend — or withhold.«

»That sounds very intimate.«

»It is. According to the ritual, we will ask each other questions alternately. And because of the nature of the link, we can only answer truthfully.«

This didn't sound childish anymore. This wasn't just a ritual of blood brothers — this was Truth or Dare, but with both truth and dare rolled into one and magnified a thousandfold!

»It sounds incredibly intimate, T'Pol.«

»Either of us may break the touch, Commander, and the ritual will end. This is how the trust is measured. Neither of us is forced to reveal, we will only find out what we are willing to share. Besides, the discomfort from the poison will become significant after a short while.«

»You are willing to do this, T'Pol?«

»Obviously.«

It couldn't be so bad then? Could it? He was very curious to see her thoughts, but the price, that she would see his in return, seemed very high. He had no idea what inappropriate things might pop into his mind while they held hands. This ritual was a lot more intense than Truth or Dare.

He drifted in thoughts for several moments, before T'Pol addressed him again.

»Do you need time to consider your choice, Commander? You appear to be uncertain.«

»No. Let's do it. I admit the whole idea is a bit scary, but I am curious.«

T'Pol looked him straight in the face, and something glinted in her eyes as she spoke.

»So am I.«

Without further hesitation, she placed the stencil with her name on her left hand, so that the cut-out calligraphy rested centered on her palm. She took up the brush, dipped it in the liquid on the tray, and dispensed the venom on her palm, through the stencil, in slow and methodical strokes.

The mild reaction she had predicted came in form of a soft fizzling sound and a nauseating smell. Her skin turned dark green the instant it touched the liquid. Once she removed the stencil, he could see the calligraphy burnt into her skin quite vividly.

Trip swallowed.

T'Pol studied her hand with intensity. She stared at the symbol in her palm, and for a moment Trip thought, she would break into a smile. She seemed to be mesmerized. Slowly she raised her face to look at him. Her eyes were wide open and receptive, but her gaze was lazy, as if she were dreaming. A miniscule amount of sweat gleamed in the candle light on her brow and cheekbones. She looked breath-takingly beautiful.

Trip placed his stencil on his right palm, then looked at T'Pol, unsure what to do. She motioned him to reach out towards her, then she dipped the brush in the liquid thoroughly. The fizzling sound repeated itself, when she began to apply the venom to his palm. The pain hit Trip like a wall, before it subsided into a slight buzzing.

The instant of pain had catapulted him into a state of alert; his body throbbed with life, the blood rushed through his veins, and the lightening in the room had become more intense. He blinked to clear his vision, and then he looked at the symbol branded into his palm. The calligraphy had remained perfectly clear, the lines were fine and graceful.

The sight was exciting. He could feel the subtle pain throb on his palm, he closed his eyes and felt the lines that were burnt into his skin. He could see the calligraphy in his mind with closed eyes, only by the throbbing feeling in his hand. It was mesmerizing.

»Commander.«

T'Pol's voice startled him. He opened his eyes and looked at her. She knelt on her cushion only centimeters away from him and held up her left hand, the palm towards him. He looked at the calligraphy in her hand and compared it with his own. He wondered, what the symbols would look like once they were printed over each other. Soon he would know.

His right hand reached out and met hers. Their palms pressed against each other with force and their fingers interlocked. Then Trip felt a flash in his mind.

********

»T'Pol?«

»Yes.«

»This is incredible! I can really feel you … as if you were a part of me!«

»In this moment, I am, Commander.«

»You really think of me as Commander, T'Pol?«

»You have never offered to be addressed by your given name, Commander Tucker.«

Trip laughed at the absurdity.

»I offered you to call me Trip the moment we met.«

»That is not your given name.«

»I see. Well, fine … my point is, I would never have minded if you had addressed me as Charles. I call you T'Pol all the time.«

»Indeed.«

»Did you mind?«

»No.«

»Why not?«

»It is my turn to ask you something, Charles.«

One more time, Trip laughed out loud. T'Pol was simply wonderful.

»You are priceless, T'Pol. Please, ask me something.«

»Why are you not married?«

Why did she ask him that?

»I am curious.«

»Wha—«

And then he realized: She could hear his thoughts!

»You can hear mine as well, Charles.«

»This is very intimate, T'Pol. I am not sure—«

»Please do not sever the link!«

Now he knew that he could hear her thoughts: T'Pol would never have said that aloud!

»No, I would not have.«

»This is frightening, T'Pol. This connection feels vastly different than the one we have during neuro-pressure.«

»Our consciousnesses are one, Charles. This is much more intimate than the emotional link we shared. Now we share thoughts, not just abstract feelings.«

»Do all friends on Vulcan perform this ritual?«

»You have to answer my question first.«

»Come on … mine was not a personal question. That doesn't count.«

»Of course it counts. I had already asked!«

»You are stubborn.«

»No, you are stubborn. Why don't you answer?«

»Fine. I am not married because I never found the right girl.«

»You seemed to be attracted to several females during the course of our mission.«

»Did I?«

Suddenly an image of Princess Kaitaama popped into his mind, but he had barely recognized her. She looked anorexic. Her limbs were asymmetric and awry. Her black hair was dirty and looked like straw. She was a witch.

»This is how you remember her, T'Pol?«

»Of course. That is how she looked.«

And memories popped into Trip's mind, he remembered her very differently. He remembered how she had kissed him, how she had ripped her clothes off her body and had looked at him with passion in her eyes. He remembered the touch of her skin on his, as they lay on top of each other in the midst of the swamp. He remembered the intimacy they had shared.

A powerful emotion interrupted his thoughts, and it came from her. Then he realized, she had shared all these memories with him!

»Charles, please do not sever the link!«

»I am sorry, T'Pol! It's inappropriate to … uh, I shouldn't have thought of, well, that.«

»You appreciated her. You think of her with warmth and respect.«

»Yes.«

»But you never considered her as a bride?«

»No. Our relationship wasn't like that.«

»But still you chose to share sexual intimacy with her?«

»Yes. And it would be unfair to say I'd regret it.«

»How do you distinguish a female you consider as a mate from one you consider for life-long companionship? I don't understand this aspect of your species.«

»There is no clear distinction. A bond of marriage encompasses much more than physical attraction. It's a deeper appreciation than sexual intimacy. It can grow out of sex — or sexual intimacy can grow out of appreciation.«

»You have never found a female you appreciated enough to consider a life-long bond?«

»No.«

»That's hard to believe.«

»I was close once. Natalie … Her name was Natalie. But before we had a chance to find out how deep our feelings are, ENTERPRISE was launched and we were separated. That was the end of it.«

And he had learned of it through a letter. He didn't even have a chance to say good-bye face to face.

»I feel your sorrow, Charles.«

»It's not that bad, actually. Had she been the right girl, she would have waited, wouldn't she?«

»Yes, she would have.«

It felt wonderful to hear her say that.

»Wait — you have asked me dozens of questions by now, T'Pol! You cheated!«

»No, I asked only one question. I merely needed to clarify your responses, Charles. That doesn't count.«

»You can't be serious?«

»It is not my fault that your thoughts are so undisciplined.«

»Then I look forward to your disciplined thoughts, T'Pol! Tell me, why are you not married?«

»As you know, I broke my engagement to Kos because I wanted to stay on ENTERPRISE.«

»I know.«

»This is the reason.«

»That is all?«

»Of course.«

»You have no other thoughts concerning that?«

»No.«

»The only reason why you are not married is because it didn't fit your schedule?«

»The analogy is crude, but somewhat accurate.«

»There is no emotional attachment whatsoever?«

»This is a new question, Charles.«

»You are cheating, T'Pol!«

»I am more disciplined.«

»Fine. I have time. It's your turn.«

»Why did you hesitate to agree to the neuro-pressure treatments?«

Oh my god, what kind of question was this? Did he hesitate? Yes, he did … but why? A thousand thoughts raced through his mind, too fast to focus on any single reason. Why did he hesitate? Because—

»You were afraid of the intimacy?«

»Well, yes.«

»I would never have guessed this, Charles. It doesn't make any sense. Your behavior with … other females does not suggest you are afraid of physical intimacy.«

»You cannot compare that.«

»Why not?«

»The point is not the physical intimacy, T'Pol. We are colleagues. I didn't want to overstep any boundaries.«

»How could you overstep boundaries? I offered to perform the procedure.«

»It is more complicated than that, T'Pol. I have these volatile emotions, remember?«

»So you were really afraid of emotional intimacy?«

»For all I knew back then, I would have never thought you even understood the concept of emotional intimacy, T'Pol. I had no idea you were capable of forming a friendship — in human terms.«

»You cannot control whether you appreciate someone emotionally?«

»No. It's subconscious.«

»And you were afraid, you would appreciate me as a friend but I would not reciprocate? And that would have hurt you?«

»Yes.«

»How are these emotions of friendship related to the neuro-pressure?«

»I think that's a new question, T'Pol.«

»No, it is an attempt to clarify your response.«

There were moments when he hated her.

»Fine! … I was afraid, the emotions of friendship would turn into more.«

»You were attracted to me?«

»Yes. And that's the last thing I'm going to say on this topic, T'Pol! I have answered your question thoroughly.«

»Very well. What would you like to know?«

»I understand, Phlox had to convince you to agree to the neuro-pressure as well? You also hesitated?«

»Yes.«

»Why?«

»For exactly the same reason you did.«

»This is all?«

»Of course.«

»You are cheating, T'Pol.«

»Would you like me to repeat your words?«

»Yes, as a matter of fact, I would.«

»I felt attracted to you, but was uncertain you would be able to reciprocate on a mature level.«

»I beg your pardon?«

»Your previous behavior suggested you were rather instinct-driven.«

»WHAT?«

»There is no need to be angered, Charles.«

»Of course there is, did you hear what you just told me?«

»Only moments before, you told me you thought I was unable to comprehend the concept of friendship, Charles. This was not flattering for me either. We both misjudged the other.«

She was right, he knew it. Only a few weeks ago, he had seen T'Pol with completely different eyes. He had had no idea what she really was like. There was much more under her controlled surface than she allowed anybody to see.

He could see her.

Interesting.

»Why did you propose to perform this ritual, T'Pol?«

T'Pol was startled. It was an obvious enough question, she should have anticipated that he would ask this. But why had she? How could she explain emotions she wasn't even supposed to have? Why did she long for his presence? Why did she feel off-balance, when she hadn't seen him for too long? Because—

»You like me.«

»Yes.«

»You feel conflict because of that?«

»Yes. I am not supposed to like or dislike anyone.«

»But you do.«

»Apparently.«

»Why do you feel conflict over that?«

»I feel, like I have become dependent on you. As if I were no longer strong enough to exist on my own. This is wrong.«

»Why is it wrong to depend on someone else? Don't you see the logical advantages of not being alone?«

»These advantages necessitate a significant amount of trust.«

»And whether you can trust me or not is what you hope to determine through this ritual?«

»Yes.«

»That's very logical.«

»Thank you.«

Trip smiled at her. His thoughts smiled at her. He suddenly understood what had changed. His perception had changed. She had concluded by logic to perform this ritual. Only six months ago, he would have seen this act as cold, as devoid of affection. But now, he saw that it was everything but cold. He had stopped seeing the logic, and begun to see the affection behind it. The care behind it. Now he was able to understand what this ritual really meant. He had learned to appreciate her.

»My perception has also changed, Charles.«

Argh, she had heard all—

»I have learned to appreciate the emotional intimacy.«

»You do?«

»Yes. It is soothing. I am much more efficient in my daily routine when I feel your presence regularly. Sharing my emotions with you makes them easier to control.«

»This is a wonderful compliment, T'Pol. Thank you.«

»I knew you would appreciate it.«

»I bet you did.«

They both focused on the mirth they felt, they shared it, they just looked at each other and smiled in their thoughts. In this moment, everything else ceased to exist.

Then the feeling was replaced by something else. By mischief.

»I have learned other things, Charles.«

He recognized the tone of voice immediately. She would now hit him with something he couldn't possibly handle, and she knew it, and she did it on purpose. He grinned at her.

»And what would that be, T'Pol?«

»Strong emotional control has certain benefits.«

»I am curious.«

»Would you like me to show you?«

And he knew exactly what she would do. His grin grew really wide now. He might be slow sometimes, but he recognized this look. He had been kissed before.

»Go on. Surprise me.«

But she kissed him with her mind. She grabbed his focus and forced him to attention, he felt powerfully drawn to her, he was drawn into her mind so completely that he forgot his body existed. And then the sensations began to wash over him, he saw how she kissed him. He could see the image in his mind, and it came from her. He was drawn into it — and suddenly it was completely real! She kissed him hungrily, and billions of small details registered in his brain simultaneously. Just the taste of her mouth overwhelmed him with impressions, her tongue was soft, very warm, and it caressed him with affection. Her hot breath hit his face, it mixed with his own erratic breaths and warmed his skin with promise. He longed for her like he had never longed for anything.

And then she was gone! Trip felt the loss powerfully, he was speechless. His mind was numb. His thoughts wavered, while he looked at her. And he saw her smile. He felt her emotions. He felt how pleased she was with his reaction. How pleased she was with herself! He had no idea how to fathom all this.

»Was the experience pleasurable, Charles?«

He knew that she knew damn well it was.

»I thought Vulcans didn't grin?«

»Why don't you answer my question?«

»You know it was.«

»I am pleased to hear that.«

Trip laughed out loud.

»You are full of surprises, T'Pol.«

He simply smiled at her. He saw an image of her mind, he saw past her control, he could see her return the smile. No-one else could. It was a wonderful gift.

»I would like to return that gift to you, T'Pol.«

»Go on. Surprise me.«

When he leaned in and kissed her on the mouth, T'Pol was startled out of her focus immediately. Her mental discipline ruptured, then collapsed completely. The sensation had taken her totally by surprise. He tasted different than anything she could have imagined. He tasted like a large cat, like a flesh-eating predator. His smell was virile. His kiss demanded her attention, she could only react to his movements, she was powerless to move on her on will, so lost was she in the wonderful intimacy of his caress.

Then she placed her free hand on the right side of his face and pulled him even closer, she returned his kiss hungrily, she longed for him like she had never longed for anything.

For several long moments, they kissed each other. She felt him break the kiss, because he needed to breathe, but she held him in place for one more instant, for one more touch and caress of his tongue, before she reluctantly released him.

T'Pol felt the loss powerfully, her mind was numb from the impact. She had never been kissed before! She had had no idea!

********

As their eyes met, they both realized their consciousnesses had returned to their bodies, their focus had returned to the real world. Their gasping mouths were only centimeters afar from another, their bodies were flushed with heat, sweat glinted in both of their faces, and their breaths were erratic and shallow. They kept their gaze looked onto each other, they felt like magnets of opposite polarity, they were powerfully drawn together. Their skins throbbed with desire to close the distance, they felt incomplete separated like this!

So they both looked at the only point where their bodies touched. They turned their heads in unison towards their hands. Their hands clasped to each other with so much force, their fingers had left marks on the other's back of the hand. Their fingers were white from the pressure. But it didn't hurt, because everything was overshadowed by the excruciating pain they felt on their palms. The intense pain shocked them out of their minds, they immediately let go of each other and struggled to control themselves.

Trip groaned in pain and clasped his right wrist with his other hand in a futile attempt to stop it from shaking. He barely noticed how T'Pol got to her feet and fetched another small tank from her desk. Once she had it, she just fell onto her knees next to him, she could barely walk herself. With shaking fingers she peeled the cap off the tank to reveal a white powder. She briefly placed her left palm on the powder and rubbed her hand slightly left and right in it. Then she withdrew her hand and offered the tank to Trip.

The powder felt soothing on his burning palm, it felt good. But when he withdrew his hand from the tank and looked at his palm, the pain returned instantly. His hand was covered with deep wounds, the venom had burned the lines of the calligraphies several millimeters deep into his flesh, and now the burns began to bleed.

********

Trip lay alone in his bed and looked at the wounds on his hand. It would be some time before he would be able to forget the expression Phlox had worn after T'Pol and he had rushed into Sickbay. He had chided them like children. And they hadn't dared to disagree, they had just stood there with their throbbing hands, and had listened to the tirade. Even T'Pol had kept her mouth shut.

He chuckled as he remembered her face in that moment.

The calligraphy was clearly visible now. The lines were burnt deeply into his flesh, but still they were graceful. The image of the rendering was amazingly clear, they had not smeared the liquid after they had touched. They must have kept their hands perfectly still the entire time. Over half an hour, according to T'Pol. She had said it was exceptional. She had insisted, it had been her fault, she should have aborted the ritual earlier. He loved her when she was protective.

He marveled at the rendering in his hand. The two images fit each other perfectly. It was no longer possible to distinguish, which part of it were originally his and which was hers. The geometric figures had connected, all the isolated lines and curves had been connected to form a new whole. The new shape appeared even more three-dimensional than before. It reached out from his hand towards him. He felt drawn into the image when he looked at it. He knew he would wear this mark for the rest of his life. Even if it were possible to remove the scars, he wouldn't let Phlox do it. He would keep this calligraphy in his hand. He would never forget this moment with T'Pol.

In this moment, T'Pol wore the same rendering in her hand, her wounds were the mirror image of his own.

And he longed for her.

TO BE CONTINUED?

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A whole mess of folks have made comments

"TBC?" ?!?! Yes, yes, YES! Please!!!

What a most wonderful fic! It´s great!!!

Excellent, really enjoyed this story, made perfect sense, combining T'Pol's logic with Trip's chaotic emotions, resulting in both revealing a previously hidden & secretive side to each other, would love to read another chapter to this most enjoyable read, well done..............

wow very mature nice very nice, will you write another please :-)

This is wonderful! Continue? Of course, I can't wait to see how this relationship develops and what they face as a result of this unique joining. Well done and thanks, Ali D :~)

Peter,

This is wonderful. This story makes real the very physical manifestation of the love, desire and longing intrinsic to the T’Pol- Trip dynamic.

In my mind, the one fact that makes love a real entity is the idea that you cannot say good bye or even let go of a person. Your use of the symbol of hands joined in friendship and the morphing and branding of the symbols perfectly illustrate the progression from friendship to love.

I am quite interested to see how you might continue to chronicle this evolution.

I would really be interested in seeing this continue! Well done. Like others I'd like to see what happens next!

I would really be interested in seeing this continue! Well done. Like others I'd like to see what happens next!

Peter,
Wow..all I can say is like...WOW!

And MORE please!

Exceptional writing Peter. You amaze me at the speed at which younseem to raddle off your stories. Great stuff!

Good lord you must keep this going! I long for more!!!!! Please continue!

Part 2 was definitely worth the wait…and we didn't even have to wait that long!! I too, loved ''The Firebrand'' and this story, in my opinion, is just as wonderfully intense. Great job and I am looking forward to chapter 3.

Part 2 was definitely worth the wait…and we didn't even have to wait that long!! I too, loved ''The Firebrand'' and this story, in my opinion, is just as wonderfully intense. Great job and I am looking forward to chapter 3.

Absolutely yes! Please continue... look forward to seeing your stories. Thank you.

Wow, thanks a lot for the great feedback guys! Who would have thought there are so many old-fashioned romantics out there? I'm glad to see I am not alone. :-)

As for part 3 ... let me tell you: You thought this was romantic so far? You have seen nothing yet. I aim for True Love, and I intend to pull out all the stops. Expect the sunshine to break through the Mess Hall, expect white doves to fly around the happy couple, expect T'Pol to cry rivers of tears when she speaks her first »I love you« -- ah, it will be _wonderful_.

Or, maybe I'll just skip all that and jump straight to the Pon Farr. Let's stop pretending, we all know that's what True Love is about. I can see the title already: »Broken Restraint II: This time it's serious, baby!«

On the other hand, I have always felt that True Love must end in deadly tragedy to be really meaningful ... So many possibilities!

Gosh, I imagine, it must be quite annoying not to know how the story continues. :-)

Peter...you're being very cruel!

Both parts of this story are amazing. It is wonderful that both of them know exactly how the other feels without having to guess or misinterprit words, actions, or emotions. I would love to see the reactions of the crew to the renderings on their hands.

I would love to see the story progress as your comments above indicate, *except* for the tragedy. Please inform us if you are going to go the tragic route. I like happy endings ... especially with this story. You have set it up so well.

Again...thanks

Clicks is right. My remark was cruel, and I apologize. I should never have started to write continued stories, it's just too much power for a fan-fic author to stay honest. :-)

The good news is: I am writing the third chapter right now and hope to get it out within the next two or three days. And there is no Pon Farr, no character death, but lot's of romance. Plus, there's a significant chance that S'Ter and T'Pon will make a guest appearance. :-)

Well, there is certainly something to be said for the abuse of fanfic!Power! Peter, you are becoming the Machiavellian prince of T/T fanfic, this story is truely exceptional! Please don't stop now, don't make me beg like a cheese-addicted beagle in a McDonalds. I'll do it. Don't think I won't!

*g* Great part, please continue!

I like it! More please!

I like it, but I find the use of <> in place of "" to be very strange and distracting.

The next part is on-line. It is called »Loving Minds«.

Once again, loved it. That was brilliant. *grins*

It's unanimous. That was wonderful!