Tucker Me Slowly- Ch 4

Tucker Me Slowly

By Rocky Lane

(Email: rchornung@monarch.net )
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Summary: I recommend that you re-read Chapter 3 before reading this. I suspect it will make more sense that way. T’Pol and Trip confront their feelings for each other. Also, Corporal Cole’s plans don’t quite go according to plan. Reviews and critiques are welcome.
Rating: NC-17 (to be safe, but probably closer to an R)

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Chapter 4

Confrontations

She had always taken pride in her natural chronologic ability keep track of time. Not so tonight. Every second that passed that the Commander was not at her door seemed like an hour. T’Pol estimated that approximately 12 minutes and 34 seconds had passed since Charles had agreed to attend her quarters for a late night neuro-pressure session. In the past, the Commander’s tardiness while irritating, was tolerable and always related to his overly aggressive work ethic. This evening however, was different. T’Pol knew it was not work that was delaying Charles, but rather an eager young MACO by the name of Amanda Cole.

She fought the urge to march to Charles’s quarters and demonstrate to Ms. Cole the fine art of Vulcan nerve pinching.

What was the Corporal doing to delay Charles for so long? The possible answers played out in T’Pol’s mind like a series of bad Terran movies. Was she telling him her carnal intentions? Was she tempting him with promises of sessions of her own? Was she kissing him again? Or worse, was Charles kissing her back?

T’Pol scolded herself. It was illogical to entertain fanciful hypothetical scenarios. She plodded to her bathroom and ran hot water into the sink, making a concerted effort to calm her breathing that had remained laboured since Corporal Cole left her quarters. She placed her hands under the hot water and was surprised to discover that they were shaking. Not in a manner that was readily noticeable to an outside observer, but shaking nonetheless. She allowed the water to wet her hands, enjoying the distraction that the warm sensation provided. As the water continued to lavish her hands, she looked up and stared at herself in the mirror. Her mind wandered.

As she visually traced her features in the mirror, T’Pol found herself mentally compelling her reflection to change. First her brown eyes to a magnetic blue, then her dark hair to a perfect blond. Her jaw line was the next to transform followed by her cheekbones, forehead, and finally her lips.

She amazed herself at how easily she could imagine his image.

With Charles’s image engraved in her mind she allowed herself to imagine his touch. Against her better judgment, she removed her hands from the sink and ignoring their wetness began to caress the tips of her ears, all the while closing her eyes and imagining how he would react if he knew just how sensitive they truly were. As her ministrations of her delicate lobes continued, the stirrings of arousal slowly formed and the sensation of wetness that moments before had enveloped her fingers began to invade her elsewhere.

The erotic intensity of the moment forced her eyes to open, erasing the mental image of the Commander and replacing it with her own as it stared back at her from the mirror. She quickly moved her hands away from her ears, shut the hot water off and gripped the sides of the sink. She had temporarily lost control simply by the mere thought of him. And his image caused her to ….touch herself in a most erogenous place.

“If further thoughts of him provoke such responses,” thought T’Pol, “what effect will ongoing neuro-pressure sessions have?”

The crisp whistling tri-beep of her doorcom caused T’Pol’s stomach to tighten and contract. She was nervous, but determined to maintain her resolve. One way or another, she would determine the nature of her relationship with him. She composed herself and proceeded to the door of her quarters, pushed the doorcom and observed an apologetic looking Commander appear before her.

Trip was late and he knew it. Amanda greeted him at his door as he was leaving for T’Pol’s quarters. He wished he had more time to speak with her, but he had no intention of avoiding a neuro-pressure session with T’Pol. Especially now. He’d made up his mind to confront her with his feelings for her and let the chips fall where they may.

T’Pol was the first to speak and her words came as no surprise to Trip. “Commander. I was beginning to wonder if you were actually coming.”

“Yeah, sorry ‘bout that. Amanda was at my door and she told me about your session with her.”

“I am sure she did,” thought T’Pol bitterly.

Trip’s face formed a look of concern. “Look, T’Pol, are you sure ya want to do this?”

“I would not have asked you here if I did not Commander.”

“I suppose not, but Amanda seemed… very surprised when I told her you wanted to have a session with me tonight. She told me that you told her you needed to meditate. I know how important meditating is to you. Are you sure you’re up for a session with me?”

“I am fine Commander, T’Pol stated drearily, “Now if you will remove your shirt, we can begin.”

Trip removed his shirt and laid it, as he always did at the foot of T’Pol’s bed before proceeding to sit on the edge of it. “I have to confront her,” Trip thought, “and get this off my chest.”

Trip stood back up and stopped T’Pol from sitting opposite him.

“Before we start T’Pol…I need to ……discuss something with you. It’s about us. These sessions.”

“What is it Commander?” T’Pol’s stomach turned cold as she anticipated his concern. Very likely he wished to end their sessions together. No doubt at the request of Corporal Cole. Neuro-pressure is after all a somewhat intimate exercise and…

T’Pol’s thoughts were interrupted as Trip continued. “I’ve found myself having to control a lot of my emotions lately and I …..”

A few seconds of silence followed. Trip was noticeably dismayed and frustrated at his momentary inability to articulate himself. A fact clearly noticed by T’Pol.

“Are our sessions together no longer benefiting you?” she asked

“Well sure. Yes,” replied Trip, “…and No. I mean, …look T’Pol, I’ve gotten better dealing with the long hours and sporadic work schedules... and the Doc says I’m recovering fine from the accident. The feeling’s I’m talking about having difficulty dealin’ with ….involve you.”

T’Pol could not hide her surprise. Both her eyebrows rose as she forced her head down and made her eyes stare at the Commander’s feet. She had not expected this. Ostensibly she invited Charles to her quarters to save him from the manipulations of Corporal Cole. However, she had also intended to explore and define the depths of her own feelings for him. It never occurred to her that he might be on a similar quest regarding her.

Perhaps Sim’s affection for her did originate from the Commander.

T’Pol composed herself and looked back up at him. “Perhaps if you tell me what these emotions are we can confront them. I must admit that I have recently come to discover emotions of my own that I am struggling to understand. My request for this unscheduled session was not entirely for your benefit, but also for my own. Today has been.....particularly trying for me. Over the last few months, it has been the combination of our sessions and my meditation that has proved to be the most efficient way to maintain my emotional control.”

T’Pol hesitated before continuing but decided it was important to add....

"I have grown accustomed to your ....ministrations. Your practised touch is something that I have come to.... value…. a great deal.”

It was Trip’s turn to be surprised. “Wow. I didn’t know that I helped you so much. I always thought that you didn’t think I was very good at given you neuro-pressure. I mean, I screwed up the whole thing with Amanda.”

The mere mention of the Corporal compelled an immediate defensive response with an undertone of irritation. “Your mistake with Corporal Cole is understandable. You do not have the experience to know all the subtleties of the art. With me however, you are familiar with the contours of my body, integrity of my musculature and, in particular, the feel of my spinal column. You have developed a practised familiarity with my body that, combined with my guidance, greatly mitigates the likelihood of injury.”

T’Pol continued, ignoring what looked to be Trip’s attempt at a reply.

“In this regard, I would suggest that you refrain from having any further sessions with Corporal Cole, or any one else for that matter. It has taken us over six months and many off-duty hours to develop the necessary compatible physical intimacy to confront the more challenging postures that advanced neuro-pressure demands. To engage in such practise with more than one person could potentially lead to far more deleterious effects than simply headaches.”

Trip stood silent for a couple seconds as her words slowly sunk into him, his eyebrows copying a movement that T’Pol herself had patented. Seconds passed before he finally spoke. “Uhh, right. I agree with you. I don’t plan on having any more sessions with Amanda. Sorry you had to get involved and correct my screw up.” Trip sounded regretful. “Guess I’m nothing but a burden to you huh?”

“You are not a burden to me Char….Commander. As I have already told you, I have derived many benefits from our continued sessions.” T’Pol released a heavy sigh and cautiously spoke her next words. “You spoke of “feelings” involving me. What kind of feelings?”

Trip could not answer. It didn’t feel right. She was staring intently at him and he could not help but think how beautiful her features were. And he wanted to record the image as he imagined that once he told her how he felt she would never allow him to be in such a position again.

“Commander?”

Trip continued to remain silent, a look of serious doubt growing on his face.

“Commander, I cannot help you unless I know …

“Desire,” Trip blurted.

T’Pol felt a surge of hope but she needed to be sure.

“What do you desire?”

Not ‘what’, Trip said, looking down avoiding her eyes, “but who.”

T’Pol’s stomach tightened and began to tingle as she asked the next logical question.

“Who do you desire?”

Trip looked surprised and disappointed at the same time. “You mean you really don’t know?”

I guess my attraction to her really is one-sided, he thought.

T’Pol’s became noticeably irritated. His propensity for answering her questions with more questions was frustrating at the best of times, but especially now. If Charles desired her why would he not simply tell her outright? T’Pol suspected she knew the reason.

Despite emotions that were slowly manifesting and beginning to challenge T’Pol’s resolve, she maintained eye contact with Trip and clasped her hands behind her back in a vain attempt to appear casual. The tone of her voice however, betrayed her. “The corporal did mention that you… kissed her.”

“Was that hurt in her voice?” Trip wondered. No, he was obviously misreading her.

T’Pol continued, “And I have noticed that you have spent an increasing amount of your off-duty time in her company. I assume that she is the subject of your desire?”

“Amanda? What? No. No. I mean, we did kiss, but she was just thanking me for trying to help her with her insomnia after the neuro-pressure session. Don’t get me wrong. I like her and she’s attractive an’ all but we’re not together or anything.”

“The impression that I got from Ms. Cole is that her attraction to you was reciprocated.”

“What impression? What exactly did she tell you?” Trip was curious but could feel his irritation grow.

“It is unimportant. You have clarified the matter.”

“No, it IS important. What did she say? I want to know. I’m tired of not knowing what the hell is being said about me behind my back. I’m sick and tired of being the subject of constant gossip when all I’m doin’ is improving the engines, studying the Xindi hand guns or analyzing the Xindi database, or repairing food processors or lining more of the hull with trellium D, or almost getting’ myself killed or brain damaged……. or...........Godammit! I don’t have the bloody time to do half the crap I’ve supposedly done.”

Trip blinked hard, turned his head down and ran his fingers through his hair. He did not mean to overreact, but the gossip surrounding his relationships with women rarely, if ever reflected the truth. And if Amanda said anything to T’Pol that was not truthful he wanted to know. Not that he didn’t trust her, but it wouldn’t be the first time that he gave a woman the wrong impression.

He just didn’t want to be giving any wrong impressions tonight.

T’Pol was both surprised and concerned at his outburst. She studied him and noted that he seemed tense, yet determined. Clearly, something was on his mind. She attempted to calm him.

“It is only idle gossip Commander. It serves no constructive purpose in allowing it to upset you.”

“Well it sure as hell doesn’t do me any good by just ignoring it. I want to know what you and Amanda talked about T’Pol, especially if it was about me. Please.”

T’Pol took a deep breath and contemplated deflecting his query, but decided against it. “Very well Commander. Corporal Cole wished to know if there was any truth to the rumours regarding an intimate relationship between the two of us.”

“Oh. What did you tell her?”

“I told her that if there was any truth to such rumours it would be no one’s business but our own.”

Trip was taken aback. “You mean you didn’t just outright deny it?”

T’Pol repostured herself and did her best to appear steadfast. “I will not allow myself to be put into a position where I must account to anyone who cares to ask regarding the status of my personal relationships. To either confirm or deny the rumour would be to do precisely that.”

Trip was not convinced.

“T’Pol, surely you know that you probably only gave her the impression that there might be something going on between us. I told her we were just friends. Why didn’t you tell her the same thing?” He unintentionally sounded more annoyed than he actually was, but it was not like T’Pol to avoid giving a direct answer, unless she was trying to hide something.

Despite her best efforts, T’Pol began to appear flustered. “I am sorry if my response to the Corporal’s question upsets you. I did not realize that you had romantic interests in her.” She felt wounded and struggled to control the emotions that threatened to bleed out.

T’Pol’s assumption caused Trip’s earlier frustration to resurface. “What makes you think I have romantic interests in her? God T’Pol you’re a piece of work. Just because I spend a little bit of time with a girl when I’m off-duty doesn’t mean I want to sleep with her.”

“I am well aware of that.” T’Pol replied.

The emphasis and tone of T’Pol’s response was not lost on Trip. It made him angry and he made no attempt to hide it. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

T’Pol once again averted his gaze and looked away. For six months they had engaged in a variety of intimate postures and not once had Charles’ even implied any interest in her other than for purely professional reasons. Yet in the span of one session with a young promiscuous MACO, they kissed and had begun to spend more time together in other activities; the communal martial arts session being but one example that T’Pol was aware of.

But he did deny a romantic interest in the Corporal, so why was she not relieved?

Doubt still lingered and in particular, memories of Trip’s similarly defensive responses involving two other women. One that impregnated him despite what he steadfastly claimed was the absence of physical intimacy while the other shared an abundance of it with him as a reward for his role as protector. What made the memory of the latter scenario so irritating was that T’Pol was on the planet when they discovered Charles’ and Princess Kaitaama. He had only known her a few days, but it was clear that he did more than simply protect her. Yet he downplayed the incident and appeared uncomfortable whenever her Highness was discussed. It was quite possible that Charles’ was downplaying the significance of he and the Corporal’s kiss, just as he did with his other intimate experiences.

As the silence between them grew, so did Trip’s aggravation. “T’Pol. I asked you a question. I think I deserve an answer.”

“I simply make note Commander that your history reflects a predilection for misunderstanding and misinterpreting female attentions, regardless of how honourable you claim your own intentions to be. Given the negative effects that your neuro-pressure technique has had on Corporal Cole, I must emphasize the importance to you of not viewing the practise as nothing more than a glorified "massage" utilizing it for purely social or recreational purposes.”

"‘Recreational purposes’? Is that what you think I was doing with Amanda? For your information Sub-Commander she asked for my help after hearing how you’ve helped me. I didn’t use the session we had to try and seduce her.”

“I have not accused you of trying to seduce her Commander,” she quipped.

“Maybe not, but ya certainly implied it,” Trip stated accusingly. “Your opinion of me will never change will it. I’ll always be the ‘overly emotional, angry, unable to control his sexual impulses kind of guy’ with you won’t I?"

Before T’Pol could reply, Trip continued. “Well let me tell you something about control. I’ve been coming to these sessions with you for 6 months now and I’ve controlled all kinds of emotions where you’re concerned. I’ve....I’ve…….ahhhhh… never mind. Guess I’ll just have to get used to being defined by rumour and gossip.”

“I have not “defined” you through idle gossip, Commander. My attempts to understand you have been based on your actions. By what I have personally observed, by what you have told me and, perhaps more significantly, what you have chosen NOT to tell me.”

“What the hell are you talkin’ about? I …..

A realization hit Trip like a curveball pitch to the side of his face. He chastised himself for not appreciating the significance of it sooner. He didn’t personally inform T’Pol about the neuro-pressure session with Amanda, and he specifically chose not to inform her about the kiss. She only found out about both things because his flawed technique gave Amanda a headache, necessitating T’Pol’s involvement; a fact that apparently upset her far more than he realized. But the only reason why such a thing would bother her was if….she was jealous!

Trip let a smile form on his face as he let the words detailing his revelation patiently emanate from his mouth. “Oh my God. Will wonders never cease. Hah! You’re finally starting to make sense. I don’t believe it.”

T’Pol suspected that she knew what the Commander had just discovered but would not allow herself to openly acknowledge it. Instead she attempted to feign confusion but found it impossible to avoid sounding frustrated and annoyed. “What is it you do not understand Commander?”

“You’re jealous,” accused Trip. “And not just a little, but a lot. Amanda mentioned that you were eyeing us up during the training exercises, but I told her she was readin’ too much into it. I mean Vulcan’s don’t get jealous……do they, Sub-Commander?”

Trip’s tone was deliberately sarcastic and teasing. T’Pol glared at him, refusing to blink as his eyes stayed glued to hers while his body moved ever closer. With his face, mere inches from hers, T’Pol responded defiantly.

“That is correct Commander. They do<,b>not.”

Trip could see that he was getting to her. Her nostrils were flexing and her breathing was becoming uneven. He recognized the symptoms. T’Pol was either getting frustrated, losing the argument or both. In the past, Trip would have relented and changed the subject, or simply left the room, but not this time. This time he would keep pushing until he got a concession.

“That’s real interesting’ T’Pol because from what I’ve been able to piece together over the last 2 and a half years getting to know ya is that Vulcans don’t do a lot of things.”

“They don’t break traditions and cancel weddings...” Trip took a step toward T’Pol and she moved herself backwards to maintain the distance between them, small as it was.

“They don’t routinely engage in small talk…” Trip took another step, this time stepping his right foot on T’Pol’s left causing her to instinctively pull it back, which caused her to clumsily fall to her side. Trip however grabbed her with both hands just below her shoulders and firmly held her up. All the while, Trip’s eyes, forbade hers from looking anywhere other than back into his.

His grip on her tightened. “They don’t find movies fascinating. They don’t indulge in pecan pie, savour the taste of fresh peaches or enjoy letting milk chocolate melt in their mouth.”

T’Pol’s eyes began to water as emotions began to bombard her senses. His words were penetrating her mind even deeper than his eyes were peering into her soul. Everything that he had mentioned was a description of her. More significantly, they were qualities, characteristics and indulgences that she acquired as a direct result of her interaction with him.

The realization that his words were affecting her only encouraged Trip to continue. For once he was getting a reaction out of her and he had no intention of letting up no matter how she reacted. For too long he wanted to confront her and he was damned if he was going to let up now.

“They don’t suddenly change their wardrobe to include bright colours like sky-blue and peach …and then follow it up by resigning their commission from the Vulcan High Command to serve with ‘illogical’ humans……”

Trip took another step forward as his firm grip on T’Pol forced her back. She made no effort to resist as Trip’s actions moved her back against the far wall of her quarters. Trip continued to move forward, wilfully blind to the fact that by doing so it would bring their bodies together like two magnets riddled with positive and negative charges making retraction almost impossible.

As their bodies pressed against each other Trip commanded his body to retreat, but it was too late. His lips grazed T’Pol’s and the sensation of contact, brief as it was made him hard. Instantly.

T’Pol’s eyes widened as the Commander’s arousal introduced itself to her left thigh. It was impossible to ignore, as was the rapidly increasing wetness between her legs. She struggled to regain her composure but was unable to do so. Her body ignored her every attempt at control just as her mind purged every attempt at suppression. She could not hold out for much longer.

Trip took advantage of their closeness and released his right hand from her arm and grabbed the back of T’Pol’s head, gently running his fingers through her hair before slowly gripping a fist full of it.

“AND,” Trip continued, intentionally brushing his lips across hers, “no self- respecting Vulcan would ever….EVER agree to give neuro-pressure sessions …. …..to a screwed up guy like me.”

The last straw of T’Pol’s resistance was obliterated as Trip ended his sentence with yet another caress of her lips. For the first time since Trip entered her quarters T’Pol demonstrated some physical aggression of her own. With his hand still gripped to the back of her head, T’Pol raised her right hand, breaking Trip’s hold on her arm and grabbed the back of his head in a virtual replay of his actions of a few moments before. Before he could respond, T’Pol forced her arm down tilting Trip’s chin up and forcing his knees to bend until their lips were perfectly parallel to each other. T’Pol abandoned all efforts to control her breathing and allowed her chest to rise and mouth to open as a response escaped from her lips.

“A self-respecting Vulcan would also never……EVER…. do this.”

T’Pol attacked Trip’s lips, ravishing them with her own. Trip responded in kind, worshipping the contours of her lips and exploring the depths of her mouth with his tongue. He moved both his hands to each side of her face and firmly inched them back until they covered her ears. He danced all four fingers on each hand across the delicate pointed tips of them causing her to moan for the first time. It would not be the last.

At least an hour had passed and they were both still standing against the wall where there passion first exploded. Trip’s mouth was smothering T’Pol’s bare breasts going back and forth between her sensitive nipples, flicking his tongue incessantly around her areolas before lightly biting the greenish pink tips in the center of them.

Trip’s attack on T’Pol’s chest finally abated as his hands slowly moved down and grabbed the firm globes below her waist. He squeezed her cheeks and could feel the muscles underneath as T’Pol’s body instinctively flexed in response to his touch. With a swift motion, Trip pulled T’Pol toward him and lifted her off the ground by her rear forcing her to react by wrapping her legs around his waist. He moved her toward the bed and brought her down lightly as she guided him back and forth between her breasts.

As he set her on the bed, Trip looked her in the eyes and holding her stare, kissed her deeply. When their lips finally parted, Trip caught his breath and without warning, grabbed T’Pol by her ankles and raised his arms forcing her torso to fall back on the bed. She gasped and forced her head up and her upper body to rest on her elbows as she stared intently at the blue-eyed Engineer who began to perform what she hoped would be a very thorough examination of her sex.

T’Pol noted with regret that she was still wearing her silk sweats. Her regret dissipated as he began to kiss her folds through the silk material that covered them.

Trip was in heaven, but he wanted to do so much more. “Permission to perform a full level diagnostic Sub-Commander?”

T’Pol moaned her answer. “Granted, Mr. Tucker.”

Trip’s grin was wide and enthusiastic.

Level one diagnostic involves a thorough inspection of the outer hull," Trip stated as he resumed kissing the silk material that covered her sex. T’Pol’s breath quickened as she released a string of gasps. Her lips parted and locked and her mouth refused to close as her eyes glued themselves to every nuance of Charles’s inspection.

He slowly and methodically traced his tongue over the hull lining being particularly careful to cover every orifice from bow to stern. T’Pol was not aware that diagnostic procedure involved such a thorough cleansing of the stern’s hull plating but felt the benefits of the manoeuvre as a graviton burst rippled through her directly to the warp reactor causing the ship to elevate forcefully against Trip’s face.

The wave left evidence of its effect. The light silk blue coloring of the Outer hull began to darken as moisture from within demanded release. A closer examination of the warp core and port nacelles was clearly warranted. Trip reached his hands around each side of T’Pol’s waist and in one swift motion slid the obstruction away, discarding the hull into space.

With the hull gone, the coldness of space moved in stimulating further aqueous release. The able Engineer tried to plug the leak with his tongue but, much to his delight only aggravated the crisis. The ship went crazy. Every sensor overloaded with power. Red Alert protocol was initiated.

Commander Tucker, at no thought to his own safety, clasped his mouth around the warp core, fully enveloping it. In his experience, stimulating an ejection of the core was the most desirous option, and by God if he had to suck it out himself, he would.

The ship shuddered again as Trip relentlessly continued his selfless act, but his Commanding Officer had other ideas. Warp core breach was imminent. Full containment was the only option that T’Pol would accept. But there was no time to give the order, she had to take action herself. While Charles’s efforts reflected selflessness, boldness and ingenuity, a matter/anti-matter explosion stood a better chance of being avoided through the use of another tool. T’Pol quickly sat up, grabbed Trip’s head with her right hand and moved it astern while her left reached for the device so desperately required. It was surrounded by a force field, but Trip, sensing T’Pol’s intentions, lowered the field to a level allowing access.

Trip convulsed as she gripped his manhood and squeezed, causing his abdominals to tighten, his eyes to close and his knees to straighten forcing him to stand. She gazed at the streamlined rod, the instrument of her salvation. She yearned to shower it with as much inspection as such a fine piece of machinery deserved but it would have to wait. Precious few seconds remained.

She pulled her arm downward, speeding the new tool toward the docking bay. Mr. Tucker’s instinct took over from there. He assumed navigational control and fiercely penetrated the ship.

The warp core exploded encasing the entire ship with liquid lust. The only thing that saved the ship from oblivion was the simultaneous explosion of the device implanted near the core just moments before. Shockwaves ripped through both officers as they held each other and fell back into the void.

As they lay on the bed, exhausted and satisfied for the moment, Trip flipped so he was laying on his side looking at T’Pol. Visually, he gazed a trail from her feet up to her sparkling brown eyes which were staring right back at his.

Then it happened.

Ever so slowly T’Pol’s lips began to widen. Like a teasing erotic strip tease her porcelain white teeth began to show. Trip was transfixed as a smile he thought he would never see materialized before him.

"Eat your heart out Mona Lisa!" he cried as he let his fingers trace a line around her newfound expression.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The whistling tri-beep sound of T’Pol’s door-com interrupted the moment.

T’Pol’s smile evaporated as her eyes ballooned and eyebrows rose. She was not expecting anybody this late in the evening.

A look of absolute horror struck Trip’s face.

"Oh shit," he whispered loudly, "It’s probably Amanda. She insisted on meeting me here after our session. Wanted to take me to C-Deck for a snack. She wouldn’t take no for an answer, so I just agreed. I didn’t think that you felt the same way and I wasn’t expecting to.... well, you know. Oh God, T’Pol…. darlin’…. I’m sorry. I’ll talk to her. I just need to...

"No," T’Pol interrupted, "I will deal with Ms. Cole."

"But I..."

"Do not move Commander. That’s an order."

T’Pol calmly got up and strolled to the bathroom. Trip watched as moments later she emerged wearing a light orange silk robe that she had often wore during their sessions in the past. His heart began to beat faster as T’Pol unlocked the door-com allowing the door to swoosh open.

Feeling nervous and helpless, Trip instinctively pulled his legs onto the bed and closed his eyes pretending to be asleep, the wrinkled cotton blanket barely covering his torso and lower extremities. With his perception gone, he listened intently.

T’Pol was the first to speak.

"It is late Corporal. What do you want?”

Amanda appeared irritated. "Sorry Sub Commander. I’m here to meet Commander Tucker. I trust your session with him is complete? We have a date for a midnight snack.”

"Most curious. Are you certain? It is not like the Commander to forget important matters. He never mentioned anything.”

In the unlikely event that T’Pol failed to notice Amanda’s annoyance, it was conveyed by the tone of her response. “Yeah well, a date’s a date. It would be polite if you let him know I was here.” Amanda attempted to look around T’Pol into her quarters but T’Pol took a step forward into the corridor, forcing the Corporal to stumble slightly as she moved back. The door slid closed behind T’Pol.

Regaining her composure, Amanda attempted to speak but was cut off. “Tonight’s session was especially gruelling on the Commander. While Mr. Tucker found the exercises extremely satisfying, he also found them to be quite exhausting. He is currently asleep."

Amanda was not convinced. "Yeah, right. Look Sub-Commander, if you’d be so kind as to wake him up, I’d appreciate it. I can’t imagine you would want him to stay the night anyway. After all, you wouldn’t want to contribute more to the rumour mill than you already have. Besides, he was looking forward to having a snack before turning in."

T’Pol’s own irritation began to appear as she took one step toward the Corporal and moved her face within just inches of hers. “If the location of Mr. Tucker’s slumber this evening becomes the subject of the ship’s gossip, Ms. Cole, it will be clear who made the contribution. And as for your ‘lunch date’, I can assure you that any hunger Commander Tucker experienced this evening has been fully sated.

T’Pol stepped back and continued, matter-of-factly, "You can speak with him tomorrow. In the meantime Corporal, you look tired. I suggest that you retire for the evening. The neuro-pressure session we had earlier will prove more effective if it is followed by adequate rest.”

T’Pol noted the rarity of the moment. She was experiencing feelings of delight and satisfaction while simultaneously observing the antithesis of those emotions manifesting in the Corporal.

"Your concern is touching Sub-Commander" Amanda deadpanned.

T’Pol merely nodded, adding in a deliberately calculated but casual fashion, "If that will be all Corporal, I am quite ‘tuckered out’ myself this evening."

Amanda’s back arched and her eyes widened upon hearing T’Pol’s carefully chosen words before slowly thinning into a tight squint, glaring intently at the Sub-Commander.

Pretending to take no notice of the Corporal’s obvious change in demeanour, T’Pol turned around, stepped back, opened the door to her quarters and calmly strolled inside. As the door slid shut in front of her, Corporal Cole heard one last comment escape into the hallway.

"Sleep well Corporal, I know I will."

Trip jumped out of the bed when he heard to door slide shut. "What happened? I didn’t hear everything. What did you tell her?"

"That you were sleeping and that it was not advisable to wake you."

"You lied?"

"Yes. I did."

Trip smiled and chuckled. "I thought Vulcan’s don’t lie?"

"As you so aptly pointed out earlier Charles, Vulcan’s don’t do a lot of things."

There was silence as Trip walked over and pulled T’Pol into his arms, kissing her lightly on her cheek. "This’ll change things between us. What do we do now?"

"We will concern ourselves with that question tomorrow. You promised me a full level diagnostic. I intend to hold you to your word.”

With that said, T’Pol lightly broke their embrace and undid her robe, letting it fall to the floor revealing her beautifully contoured body in all its naked glory. Droplets of perspiration still clung to the valley between her breasts and her sex was still swollen from their lovemaking.

"You realize," Trip teased as he grabbed her back in his arms and kissed her, "that there are ten levels to a full scale diagnostic?"

"There are over twenty on a Vulcan starship,” T’Pol challenged.

Trip smiled as he leaned his mouth in close to her right ear. “Oh my,” he moaned as he bit her lobe, “I better get started then."

“Indeed.”

End

A.N.: Well, that’s it. I know I promised four alternate endings and I still might add them as additional chapters, but I think I’m going to convert some of them into separate stories. I had a bitch of a time writing this last chapter. I must have changed my mind a million times regarding how to bring Trip and T’Pol together. Please let me know what you think. Criticism is always welcome.

I must thank Aquila for writing the story “An Excerpt from Starfleet Engineering”. It was that story that led to the title of this story which is my first attempt at fan fiction. The idea that Trip’s last name would form part of engineering lingo was a good one. Also, I must thank Samantha Quinn, whose writing got me back to reading fan fiction in the first place. Samantha, you are the master of the POV piece and I love reading your stories.

And to Allison M. Dobell. I don’t know anyone who can write a sex scene better than you. Rather than try in pathetic vain to out do you, I opted for the “diagnostic” approach. I had fun writing it. Hopefully it doesn’t come across as too corny. Aquila’s Postscript to “Alpha Waves” (another entertaining read) gave me the idea. I would like to thank everyone who has encouraged me and wrote reviews. I appreciated all of them. Finally, I must thank my wife. Just because.

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A whole mess of folks have made comments

I loved it. Absolutely LOVED it!

;-)

Great fun, Rocky.

Your comments about having difficulty with the ending reflect our policy change as of 2004. First time authors won't be archived until they finish their story.

But, good job with this one. I enjoyed it all the way.

Um, *gulp* need a few more metaphors for that mix?

Rock Lane you are amazing! When I read this ending I was in total shock! Don't worry about out doing anyone you are one of the best already! I loved this! I think the writers for Enterprise should use your ideas! I mean good god! You are really good! This story was really good. I hope to see more stories in the future! I promise I'll be reading them all!

That was absolutely brilliant!!!. I LUUVED the way you brought Trip and Tpol together. The love scene was amazing and so original, I never wanted it to end. I will definitely read this many more times. BRAVO!

Thanks for writing the players' manual for the Warp Drive Diagnostics...you captured the subtlties of the game beautifully!

Excellent finish to a great story and well worth the wait! (Everyday I kept looking for the next chapter) and you did not disapoint your fans! This long awaited much anticpated moment between T'Pol and Trip is close to what I imagine it would be...I would love to see the magic you captured here show up in the Feb 11th episode Harbinger...sigh! Your "diagnostic" approach was refreshing and my imagination was going wild! It's a different approach for a sex scene but delivered with the same smashing effect, very pleasurable indeed! Thanks and keep up the great writing!

That was great! I loved it! My fav part where was when Trip says just cuz he spends a little time with a girl when he's off duty doesn't mean he's gonna sleep with her, and T'Pol says " I am well aware of that". That was the funniest thing I have ever read. Seriously, that was awesome.

Interesting. With 20 levels on a Vulcan diagnostic....May I request 19 more chapters?

Absolutely brillo pads! I loved this to bits, especially the initial misunderstanding between Trip and T'Pol changing to dawning realisation and it was inspired of you to liken the exploration of T'Pol's body to the ship. A Chief Engineer's dream come true! And that quip towards the end where Trip reminds her there are ten levels to a full diagnostic which T'Pol trumps by saying there are twenty on a Vulcan vessel. I laughed so much, it was wonderful. And I confess, I thoroughly enjoyed T'Pol putting Amanda firmly in her place. Hooray and much kudos for a terrific story with the just the ending I would have wished for. Sigh. Thank you so much, Ali D :~)
Still laughing and chuckling with delight

OMG!!! I love the frustration you brought us all too with this mangled attempt by Trip and T'Pol to get eachother to admit something without revealing anything!

Oh My! The hardware version of sex! Oh too bloody perfect. how did you keep from alternating between cold showers and laughing your ass off while writing this.... cuz that is what i needed to do.

HAHAHAHH! oh yes more endings or more stories I care not just do it!

My kind of story... I wish that the star trek guys would hire you they could have numbers over the top of any show on the air. i just loved it...Keep up the good work.

Again, you outdid yourself. Loved the sex scene and the verbal cat fight! You're amazing, as always.

The whole "Vulcan's don't..." bit with him backing her into the wall was really...wow. Sex scenes aren't sexy if they don't have a delicious lead up. Couldn't choose between laughing, and fanning myself with the level-one diagnostic. Really well written, and all I have left to say is, "you go T'Pol, keep that West Point chic away from your man!"

that was so good! Loved the catfight!! I was even surprised about what T'Pol told her! no way she's lettin' Ms Cole near her Charles!!

sweet lord jesus, this was entertaining! I enjoyed the hell out of this last chapter (especially the dialogue between T'Pol and Amanda). keep up the good work. :-D

Haha, this thing about 'every hunger' being already satisfied must've been like a hammer strike to poor corporal. T'Pol can be intimidating, har har.
Oh yeah, violating 'Vulcan territory' can be dangerous, so watch out girls! ;-)

Come on Rocky .....where is the sequel???

Goodness, I haven't laughed that hard in awhile. Tho I liked the episode, your version would have been MUCH more entertaining. And to use the diagnostic analogy, I couldn't believe you went there, but you did, and you did well. Even though I was starting to get a little confused with all the technical terms. :-) I also loved the T'Pol/Amanda interaction. Wicked! Great to see T'Pol give as good as she got.

I loved the mona Lisa bit it was hilarious... I'm amused by simple things I know but to tell ya it was an awsum fic... so um Sequel maybe?

Holy #$%^*..... I laughed my a$$ off! Hoo-Hah!

this was hilarious!! I loved it; I wish we'd seen something like this on the show. Fat chance!
Anyway, I really like your style of writing and would love to see more fanfics. You're a natural!

i loved this, hopefully there will be a sequel very soon?