Court and Spark - Chapter 8

Court and Spark

By Ragua

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimers in Chapter 1.

A/N: My God! It’s been more than a year since I wrote the last chapter? I am a bad, bad person. :-( If you want to return to the beginning for a refresher, here's Chapter 1

Chapter 8

T’Pol checked the state of her robes in the mirror and straightened them once again, even though it was unnecessary. However outwardly serene an appearance she presented, she could not deny the truth to herself: she was nervous. Her participation in the barbecue ceremony had been peripheral. Her participation in the wedding ceremony would be crucial.

She wondered yet again why Carlos had chosen her to stand up with him. Granted, he didn’t have any friends or relatives nearby, while Daniel, on the other hand, had a surplus. Still, she had only recently met the human. It did not seem logical. Or appropriate.

Finally, she could contain her curiosity no longer. “Carlos,” she addressed the man abruptly. “While I am honored that you have chosen me to...‘stand up’ with you, I still do not understand the reasoning behind your choice.”

The groom, making last-minute adjustments to his own ceremonial attire, looked up, startled by her question. After a moment’s silence under her quizzical gaze, Carlos attempted an explanation.

“It just seemed to make sense, T’Pol,” he said. “Danny’s got his whole family here, while mine’s spread out across the galaxy.” Carlos chewed his upper lip pensively before continuing. “I guess there’s a little opportunism and a little self-preservation involved in the choice,” he admitted with a slightly embarrassed grin. “I didn’t want Dan to have any time to change his mind and back out, so I guess I’m working with the materials at hand in order to expedite the matter.” He spread his hands out in a gesture of apology for the honest, if unflattering statement. “But that doesn’t mean you’re a makeshift measure,” he assured her. “I could have borrowed any one of the Tuckers to be my best person. It just seemed right to have you there.”

Far from being offended by this explanation, T’Pol appreciated his honesty and his logical way of looking at the situation. “I understand, partially,” she responded. “The aspect that still confuses me, however, is why I seem ‘right’ for this honor.”

Carlos’s brow furrowed. “I’m not really sure I can explain it,” he said, scratching his chin. “It’s just...from our first meeting, you felt like a kindred spirit to me. Quiet, reserved. A would-be outsider—if the Tuckers would allow such a thing.” The large man grinned affectionately at the thought of his soon-to-be in-laws. Then he raised his eyes to hers, his grin becoming sympathetic. “You got lured in by one of these crazy Tuckers, too. They’re a completely illogical mess to be around, but not being around them would be unthinkable.”

T’Pol considered his description of their mutual situations. It was a very apt analysis of the feelings she had for Trip. Apparently, Carlos’s own love for Daniel was much the same. She inclined her head, acknowledging his perceptive interpretation. “In view of your explanation, it now seems a very logical decision,” she said.

The big man smiled in appreciation and went back to straightening his suit. After a moment, he commented over his shoulder, “Plus, those gorgeous robes will be a really classy addition to the wedding party.”

The young Vulcan cocked an eyebrow at his mischievous grin and turned back to the mirror to straighten the outfit in question one last time.

***

T’Pol need not have worried. In the words of Mrs. Tucker, the wedding ceremony itself went off “without a hitch.” The local Justice of the Peace, drafted at the last minute to administer the rites, had either been well-briefed beforehand, or, being a local, he was familiar with the peculiarities of the Tucker clan. Either way, he did a very good job of sticking to his own script and overlooking the ad libs of the wedding party and their relatives.

In fact, T’Pol had been somewhat surprised that the ceremony had been so staid. The only obvious deviation from tradition had occurred at the statement, “If any know of any impediment why these two should not be joined, let him speak now, or forever hold his peace.” The young Vulcan would not have been at all surprised if the various members of the Tucker family had taken the opportunity to insert editorial comments, but they did not.

In the brief moment of silence it was Carlos, of all people, who spoke. “Last chance to run away, querido,” he whispered so softly that only the betrothed and their seconds could hear. T’Pol cast a concerned glance at her own mate, standing a pace behind his brother. Trip met her gaze with a speculative look of his own, then returned his attention to the drama before them.

Daniel Tucker raised his eyebrows at the challenge. “Last chance to escape the nuthouse,” he responded in kind. Carlos merely grinned. His mate returned the smile. Trip let out his breathe in exaggerated relief, tilting his head at T’Pol and winking. The Justice of the Peace ignored them all and went on with the service.

Once the vows had been spoken and the officially-joined couple had paraded up and down the hastily assembled aisle of folding chairs, allowing themselves to be pelted with uncooked grains, the ceremony quickly devolved into a gathering much like the family barbecue, only with far more people.

T’Pol knew that her mate came from a large and extensive family, but she had never expected to encounter them all in a single setting. By her estimate, there were as many as 150 humans present for the reception, only a handful of whom she knew well enough to speak to. Trip had obviously intended to keep her by him, and thus assuage the stress of encountering throngs of new people, but the enthusiasm of relatives and old friends who had not seen him for some time soon thrust them apart.

Not wishing to inhibit the familial interaction he so obviously enjoyed, the young Vulcan retreated to a shaded area near the buffet tables. It provided her with a brief respite from the tumult of human emotion being expressed as far as the eye could see. At one point, Trip looked over in concern, but, utilizing their newly-realized bond, she assured him that she preferred anonymity to attention in this setting.

After several minutes of human watching, T’Pol realized that she was not alone in her secluded niche. David Monaghan was standing several meters from her, hands in pockets, feigning interest in the beverage selection. From time to time, he would scan the assemblage and then hunker down behind the table more solidly. Like her, the boy appeared to be hiding.

T’Pol suspected the young human was unsure of how to socialize, and with whom. There were other adolescents at the reception, but they were all older than David’s thirteen years, which seemed to be intimidating to the newly-minted teen. Of the other children present, his sister Bernice was the next eldest, which left a four-year-gap on the lower end of the age scale. David obviously had no inclination to join the younger children in their games, which seemed to involve a great deal of running about and squealing.

T’Pol hesitated a moment, then walked over to the awkward boy. “It is agreeable to find that I am not the only person overwhelmed by the magnitude of this social function,” she commented smoothly.

David jumped slightly, startled to find that he wasn’t alone. After a quick glance at her and a clearing of the throat, he mumbled an agreement of sorts. “Yeah.”

“Vulcans do not normally interact in such large numbers,” T’Pol said. “Nor with such emotionalism,” she added, after observing a group of older women shrieking with laughter. “I would, however, like to learn more about your family. Perhaps you could help me, so that I do not later misidentify any family members?”

The gawky teen nodded and tentatively began to point out individuals and explain to the Vulcan who they were and how they fit into the family. After a few moments, the young man warmed up to the task, providing T’Pol with far more information than she had originally desired. Still, it was not at all tedious. As a cultural informant, David Monaghan was a veritable font of knowledge. T’Pol closely followed every detail and asked questions when she needed clarification.

The young Vulcan certainly didn’t get a dossier on every single family member present, but it wasn’t due to a lack of effort on David’s part. The human boy had morphed from sullen teen to enthusiastic family archivist before her eyes. Aunt Rosie apparently made the best hush puppies this side of the equator, but no one in the family said so openly, because it might hurt the feelings of Great Aunt Mildred, previous holder of the title. Cousin Minh had just won entrance to Johns Hopkins at the tender age of seventeen, but she wasn’t “snotty” about it at all, which seemed very important to David. Grandpa Charlie and Uncle Deke had a long-running argument over which Roman emperor had been the “nuttiest,” and it often resulted in “flare-ups,” “fireworks,” and sometimes “tussles” at family gatherings.

“Once, when I was little,” David said in a hushed voice, “Uncle Deke smacked Gramps across the teeth with a copy of Marcus Aurelius, and Grandpa Charlie put him in a headlock and started bashing him with Suetonius! Grandma and Aunt Beezy got ‘em to stop before they did any real damage, though.”

T’Pol got the distinct impression that David was hoping for a “tussle” or at least some “fireworks” between the old men before the day was over.

Despite the fairly convoluted genealogical variations present, all relatives not of one’s nuclear family fell into two categories: aunt/uncle and cousin. Whether one relative was considered an uncle or a cousin by another seemed to depend on generational differences. For example, James Tucker—whose creatively-groomed facial hair elicited much enthusiasm from his young third cousin twice-removed—was a contemporary of Mr. Tucker, and therefore “Uncle” Jimmy. In contrast, eighteen-year-old Fergus, a surprise late-in-life child of David’s Monaghan grandparents—David had become slightly embarrassed attempting to explain the colloquialism “whoopsie”—was referred to as a cousin, rather than an uncle.

There were, however, some exceptions to this unwritten and perhaps unacknowledged rule. Some relatives, much older than thirteen-year-old David, were still referred to as “cousin.” Her informant’s editorial comments about these individuals led T’Pol to the conclusion that such an address was a subtle form of censure. Cousin Anna had “been through five husbands already!” (T’Pol was uncertain if Cousin Anna’s marital abundance was the result of widowhood or divorce.) Cousin Dodie was “dumber than a box of rocks, and only half as interesting,” and Cousin Rick was “a legend in his own mind.”

David’s eloquent dissertation on the various relatives present was interrupted suddenly and rather violently when an older man appeared and put the boy in a headlock, vigorously rubbing his knuckles against David’s scalp. “Davy, kiddo!” the man said far too loudly. “How’re ya doin’?”

T’Pol, who had been moving to stop the assault, hesitated. The man’s comments implied that he and David were familiar with one another. Yet his actions were certainly not being welcomed by the young man, who was unsuccessfully trying to push the interloper’s hands away. The Vulcan suspected that this man was a “cousin,” despite being older than any of the Tucker siblings—thus far, the only people she had seen giving others what David called “noogies” were teenage boys.

Suddenly, the man released David and turned to her, listing to one side and grinning maniacally. T’Pol was so distracted by his bloodshot eyes, stubbled face, and alcohol-laden reek that she was completely unprepared for the impertinent pinch he gave her bottom.

“And you’re Trip’s Vulcan hottie! Nicetameetcha!” He tacked a greeting of sorts onto the assault on her person.

Even had she not been fairly well-versed in human manners, David Monaghan’s horrified expression would have been more than adequate to illustrate the severity of the impropriety. “Cousin Travis!” the boy’s adolescent yelp cracked across several octaves. “I can’t believe you did that!”

Cousin Travis waved off the boy’s reproach, continuing to leer at T’Pol. “Ah, don’t getcher panties in a bunch, kiddo. I’m just bein’ friendly.”

David was at a complete loss. He clenched his fists and shifted from one foot to the other, obviously wanting to defend his Vulcan guest and her honor, but unsure how—the person doing the offending was an elder, for all he bore the ignominious title “cousin.” T’Pol, although certainly irritated at the repugnant human on her own behalf, was moved more by a strong sense of protectiveness for her young comrade. This intruder’s casual disrespect for the boy who had been so kind and helpful to her was completely unacceptable. She could not allow it to continue.

“An uninvited pinch to one’s behind is an accepted form of friendly greeting?” she asked Cousin Travis in a deceptively bland monotone. “I am unfamiliar with this custom.”

“Well, some folks are just friendlier than others, I guess,” Cousin Travis replied, directing his comments more to her breasts than to her face.

“Then the polite thing to do in this situation,” T’Pol said, “would be to return the gesture?”

Cousin Travis’s grin grew even bigger, and he held his hands up and out to the sides, as if inviting her to be “friendly” in return. So T’Pol leaned forward and did so.

*****

Trip was in the middle of catching up with his cousin Janey and his Uncle Ike when he noticed they were craning their head to look around him. He swiveled around to see what had grabbed their attention. A crowd was gathering over by the refreshment table.

“Looks like some kinda to-do!” Uncle Ike said. Then, eyes lighting up, he added, “Maybe your Daddy and ol’ Deke are at it again!” He hustled off in the direction of the commotion without so much as a “see ya later!”

Janey rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Might as well go check it out,” she said. Trip chuckled and offered his arm to his cousin. As they made their way slowly to the tables, a sliver of concern snuck into his brain. Hadn’t T’Pol been standing over here? If those old fools had involved her in their dumbass argument...!

Trip shuffled along even faster, dragging his cousin behind him in his sudden fear. Their bond would have let him know if something was really wrong, wouldn’t it?

Arriving on the outskirts of the group, all Trip could make out was a buzz of conversation and sporadic laughter from the crowd. He left Janey and was attempting to shoulder his way through, when one of his relatives turned and saw him.

“Trip, honey,” Aunt Beezy greeted him with a wicked smile and a voice full of profound satisfaction. “Don’t look so het up. Your little Vulcan gal’s just done havin’ a little...cultural exchange.”

“What?!?” Trip squawked. “What happened? Did somebody...”

The crowd, recognizing his right to be front and center, parted to let him through. When he finally got to T’Pol, she was standing quite unharmed, raising an eyebrow at him, as though surprised at his concern. David Monaghan was standing next to her with a huge shit-eating grin on his face.

His ne’er-do-well cousin Travis Beauchamp was lying face-down in the dirt at their feet.

Trip looked up at T’Pol, torn between consternation and amusement. “T’Pol, what did you do?”

After a quick, conspiratorial glance at David Monaghan, T’Pol replied, “Your cousin informed me that a pinch is considered a friendly greeting.”

Trip’s levity disappeared instantaneously. “What the—? Sonofabitch! Did he—?!?”

T’Pol held up her hand to quiet her mate. “And, having been the recipient of such a friendly greeting, it seemed only polite to respond in kind.” As she lowered her hand, she flicked it explanatorily at the unconscious form lying between them.

The crowd of relatives had been silent up to this point, but now someone tittered. This was too much for David Monaghan, who erupted into hysterical laughter. This seemed to be a signal of sorts, because he was quickly surrounded by a group of older teens who all wanted the exact details of T’Pol’s “friendly greeting.” The rest of the crowd broke up, laughing. Several patted Trip on the back as they went, congratulating him on finding such a fine woman, while others offered verbal encouragement to T’Pol for her “wonderful manners.”

T’Pol continued to stand quietly with her hands behind her back, looking innocently at Trip. Trip grinned and shook his head, then stepped over his cousin’s unconscious body to stand with his mate.

“I didn’t mean to abandon ya, t’hai’la,” he said.

“You did not abandon me,” T’Pol assured him. “Your nephew David was providing me with a good deal of background information about your family and its members.” They looked over at the young man in question, who was now enthusiastically acting out the incident for the benefit of his enthralled cousins. “He was very upset at your cousin’s...behavior.”

Trip scowled down at the still unconscious individual. “Yeah, well, so’m I!”

“Your anger is understandable, ashaya, but completely unnecessary.” T’Pol also glanced down at the inert form of Cousin Travis. “I believe the incident has been handled quite adequately.”

Trip couldn’t help but laugh, not at her bland words, but at her sense of self-satisfaction, which came to him loud and clear through their bond. “I think you’re right, T’Pol,” he agreed. “You wanna come around with me and actually meet the people David’s been tellin’ ya about?”

“That would be agreeable,” the young Vulcan said. “I understand that there is also a strong possibility of...’fireworks,’ should your father and uncle decide to ‘tussle.’” Trip threw back his head and laughed. His mate’s sense of impish delight at both the potential “flare-up” and the humor it induced in him washed over him through their bond. Maybe he should introduce T’Pol to the world of professional wrestling!

Still chuckling and shaking his head, Trip offered T’Pol his arm. Despite the public nature of the gesture, his mate took it without hesitation, and they stepped away from the refreshment table and the now-groaning form of Cousin Travis.

Chapter 9

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A whole mess of folks have made comments

Oh yes! I've been so looking foward to this, and it hasn't disappointed. I love how you kept T'Pol in character, yet got her to teach that no good cousin Travis a lesson. I beg you, please don't let this be the end, because its too good to stop, and I want to see a T'n'T wedding, since they've both already had a trial run! LOL!

Can it really be? No, I'm probably hallucinating.

What a great chapter!!! This is definitely one of my all time favorite stories and this chapter was just great too! I liked how T'Pol's in character but a softer version who knows how to crack a joke. I really hope there's going to be more. Thanks for updating this and sharing this amazing story with everybody.

I am sooo thrilled to find you have updated this story! It is one I re-read alot even though it isn't finished. Great addtion, please, don't make us wait another year for the next chapter. :)

Ragua I'm so glad to see you posted a new chapter of your story. I loved T'Pol giving a Vulcan nerve pinch to Trip's sleezy cousin. A great scene I really laughed out loud at trip's families reaction. I hope you'll post more of your story soon.

...OK. For how long have you been observing my family? ;)

Very nice. Please don't make us wait a year for the next part, too...

So pleased you have started writing again. Thanks. And that was a great use of the Vulcan neck pinch!

Fantastic! I am so glad you've returned to this, Ragua, and this chapter was well worth the wait. I swear ... this gathering sounds like the last time I was in Florida with my own extended family...

Good job!

I'm so very glad to see another chapter up. I'm loving this story so much...

It may have been long in coming but this addition was well worth the wait. I just hope the wait for the next chapter will not be quite so long.

I just reread "Homecoming" and "Court and Spark" yesterday because they make me laugh! I am so happy to see this new chapter! Hilarious as usual. Glad to see Carlos and Danny got married, can't wait to see how Trip and T'Pol are going to explain things to the family. Please keep this going.

ROTFLMAO! LOVE the "cultural exchange". I definitely recognize some of those people from the last family reunion I attended. I wonder if Vulcan neck pinches work better when the recipient is three sheets to the wind, or whether alcohol provides relative resistant due to its numbing effect on the central nervous system? Cousin Travis seems to be waking up mighty quick, so maybe it's the second. I'm sure T'Pol wouldn't mind testing the hypothesis by repeating the exchange when he's sober. ; )

Great chapter was wondering when this story would get another update

very long wait but it was worth it.

Worth the wait, good chapter. Looking forward to the next.

SWEET DEAL!!! Another chappie? Really? Honest and true? HECK YES!!!!!!

Ahem. I was also happy that Danny and Carlos did tie the knot, and I can't wait to "see" the looks on everyone's faces when they find out our favourite couple is already married. Nicely done with the VNP, and I'm soooooooooo glad that you've added more! Please update soon! :)

I was just rereading these stories the other day, and wondering what happened and BAM! A new chapter has been posted. Too bad the lotto doesn't work like that.

I really liked this chapter. And the Cousin Travis pinch was GREAT! This chapter, like the rest has a great flow between the comedy and the plot of the tale. I hope to see another addition soon!!!

Fantastic! Glad you posted another chapter! Loved the Vulcan Nerve Pinch setup. :) Nice....

I'd about given up hope that you would continue, but I am SO glad I didn't! I had to re-read this from the beginning just because I wanted to, and I can't tell you how many giggles it got! I love this story, and I can't wait to read the next part! THANK YOU for not abandoning it!!! (Though, I'm sure it's just as much fun to write as it is for us to read it.)

Verra nice. I always did like this series and I'm glad to see it continued.

Oh my god! When I saw it I couldn't believe my eyes!
Continue of one of my favorite stories! Really I lost all hopes many month ago! Thank you! Thank you!
Thank you! Hope you continue it and we would be wait another year!

Your story makes me laugh so hard I cry! The putt-putt chapter is the best - every time I've read it! So glad you've written another chapter - but what about Mr Tucker's spying from the palor? More please!

The Tucker clan is a stitch. Thanks for another great chapter.

OMG! I love this story and was so excited to see another chapter. We must have more though! I was laughing in this. Very nice!

Just realized I didn't comment yet. Thanks for updating this story. It's so much fun. I just love the humor in it. :)

I cannot tell you how much I have enjoyed you piece. Laughed my ass off back around part 3, I think it was. I especially like how you handled little Bernie and the mean old Vulcan. I hope there is more to come.

Wow i thought u stopped writing but no, wow here u are agen with another fab chappie. i do hope theres more. absolutley loved the nerve pinch to the end

you gonna keep going?

Hi, I am so glad that you have written this story and other story. I hope that you keep on writing this story to the finish. Please, please, finish this story.

More please! How is T'pol going to deal with her father-in-law? And Soval's reaction to Bernie made me laugh out loud. I also liked that you allowed us to retain some sympathy for him.
BTW, my reaction to jello was the same as T'pol's.
I know it's been a while, but I'm really hoping for more - maybe even T'pol and Trip going to Vulcan. And that boy deserves some more sparkin' than just kissing and hand-holding!