And Baby- Ch. 2

And Baby Makes Four

By Samantha Quinn

Rating: PG-13
All disclaimers in part 1.

Chapter 2

In the Corridor

******************

The story had taken one hour, fourteen minutes, and thirty-four point six seconds to tell, T’Pol informed Trip and Malcolm once they had again tucked T’Lanna into bed and were standing outside in the corridor. Standing rather uncomfortably together in the corridor.

*How ridiculous*, Trip thought to himself. *After all we’ve shared together, one little story can still make us this uncomfortable?

‘Course, that little story had some mighty big effects on all of us.*

Trip was quite correct in his observation. None of the three were certain exactly what to say.

*Bloody hell, you don’t suppose the re-telling of a life altering event had anything to do with our discomfort with each other, do you?* Malcolm mused. A brief moment later Malcolm was glad the thought had remained a thought and not been verbalized. Even Malcolm realized how cynical it may have sounded. *Have I really become *more* cynical than I used to be? Eight years on a bloody space station will do that to you, I suppose.

A bloody *science* station at that*

T’Pol naturally did not demonstrate the same amount of discomfort externally as her male companions. *Living with humans has for so long has contaminated my logical processes,* she reflected. *Although I am certain that there is a logical and unemotional and entirely appropriate statement which I should make, I cannot fathom what that may be.

It is fortunate that I shall not be returning to Vulcan in the foreseeable future.*

“Well, I for one have an early duty shift tomorrow. As it is, I’m not going to be getting much sleep. So, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be heading back to my quarters,” Malcolm said, clearly feeling uncomfortable as evident by the shift of body weight from his left foot to his right.. “Goodnight, Trip. Good evening, T’Pol.”

“ ‘ Night, Mal.”

“May your sleep be uneventful.” T’Pol did not need to elaborate on her statement. Both Trip and Malcolm understood its unstated meaning. Especially in light of the story they had just told T’Lanna.

With a final nod, Malcolm turned and headed towards his quarters. Trip and T’Pol turned and began walking in the opposite direction to their respective quarters.

Neither made an attempt to converse. T’Pol had known Trip long enough to know when the engineer was trying to broach a subject with her.

*He was not always so cautious when speaking with me,* she reflected. T’Pol was not entirely certain that she appreciated the change. Still, she allowed him the silence he needed to formulate his words.

They came to Trip’s quarters first. Clasping her hands behind her back, T’Pol waited patiently for Trip to speak. He did not give cause for disappointment.

“Ya know, T’Pol, I was really surprised at the way you told the story to ‘Lanna tonight,” he blurted finally. This T’Pol had not expected.

“To what are you referring?” she asked, permitting the surprise she felt to appear in the form of one arched eyebrow.

“Well. . . uh, I mean, I was expectin’ ya to . . . well, use the policy of ‘brutal honesty.’ I figured that would be the most ‘logical’ thing to do,” Trip finished scratching his head thoughtfully.

“I surmise you are referring to my exclusions of mentioning the Suliban, the Temporal Cold War, Alanna, or T’Vel?” At Tucker’s nod, she inquired simply, “Do you feel that T’Lanna would have benefited in some way from hearing the details of the story which I left out?”

“No-“

“If you had felt that way, you could have assisted me in the telling of the story. I had requested your and Malcolm’s presence explicitly to aide me in the retelling of events.” She fixed him with a rather stern look. “Neither of you assisted me.”

“AS I WAS SAYIN’,” Trip replied, not addressing the nature of T’Pol’s complaint, “I figure ya left those things out to protect T’Lanna’s feelings.”

“She is half-human. As such, she is quite vulnerable to emotions that a full-blooded Vulcan would not be susceptible to.”

“So, in other words, yes.”

“Yes.”

Trip cocked his head and looked at her for a moment. “I didn’t think lyin’ to protect your kid’s feelings was a very Vulcan-like thing to do. Doesn’t seem too ‘logical’,” he remarked, reveling in the rare opportunity to question T’Pol’s logic.

T’Pol gave him the patented eyebrow of irritation but answered his question anyway. “On Vulcan we have a saying that ‘Sometimes logic fails where my child is concerned.’ It applied to the situation. Thus, I used it. ”

“What you’re sayin’, then, is that Vulcan parents are just as emotional as-" Understanding what Trip was going to imply, T’Pol quickly corrected him.

“What I am saying, Charles, is that my half-human daughter would have been disturbed by the truth. As her parent, I saw no logic in disturbing her more than necessary.”

Trip contemplated briefly with the informing T’Pol that she had just completely and utterly contradicted herself. He finally decided against it. He’d let her win this battle, but store away that particular little weapon and bring it out for the next round.

*Good grief. Am I thinking in terms of battles and weapons now? Way too much male time spent with Malcolm,* Trip decided.

“If that is all, Charles, then I shall be returning to my quarters,” T’Pol stated in a less agitated manner than her previous tone had been.

“Okay, good night. Don’t let the bed bugs bite.”

“I do wish you would refrain from using that phrase. Particularly in front of our daughter. For the past two weeks before she will enter the bed she insists on having her covers and mattress inspected for the so called ‘bed bugs.’” T’Pol furrowed her eyebrows together in agitation as Trip tried-unsuccessfully-to stifle a laugh.

“Sorry. That’s probably part of her bad human blood, bein’ all emotional about bugs that way,” he teased.

“Indeed.”

“T’Pol,” he said more seriously, “do you ever regret the fact that ‘Lanna is half human? I mean . . . do you ever think about how it might be like to have a full blooded Vulcan daughter?”

T’Pol took a deep breathe before replying. Trip waited for it to be accompanied by the squaring of the shoulders, and when that action did not come, he breathed a sigh of relief.

When T’Pol finally spoke, her voice was lower than it had been a moment before. “Do you regret that your daughter is not a full blooded human?” she asked evenly.

“No!” Trip exclaimed emphatically. “I love T’Lanna with all my heart.”

“I too am most . . . gratified . . . by her presence in my life,” T’Pol assured him. “Further, you know as well as I do that my future never included a full-blooded Vulcan offspring.”

Trip wondered how and why when they were so far away from Vulcan, the woman still held so strongly to her Vulcan views. Why use gratify? Why not just say what she really meant?

Why not tell the person she loved that she did?

It irritated Tucker. In retaliation, he used the only defense that would work. “Aw, that sounded awfully emotional T’Pol- sure your logic isn’t failin’ ya when it comes to your child?”

The comment had the desired effect. The change in her facial structure changed just enough to let Tucker know he’d won this battle. A passing stranger wouldn’t have noticed. But Trip had spent ten years with T’Pol and was able to pick up on the change immediately.

It was a look like no one else had ever given. It simultaneously said she was pissed and she was amused. Along with a bit of ‘but the next battle will be mine.’

While her face showed exactly what she was feeling, she refused to verbally acknowledge his victory. Ignoring his comment, she remarked, “Malcolm has an earlier shift than you or I scheduled for tomorrow. I believe it will therefore be your turn to rise T’Lanna?”

*Stupid science stations. Too few crew means we aren’t all on specific shifts like we are on star ships. * But Trip decided wisely not to voice that opinion. “Yep, T’Pol, it’s my turn. Ya joining us for breakfast?” he inquired.

“Yes, I will have time before my shift starts. Since Malcolm has to miss breakfast, he has arranged to take his lunch during the scheduled school time so that he may spend an extra meal with T’Lanna.”

And they would all meet for dinner, of course. Sometimes Trip really struggled to get through those dinners. He loved spending time with Lanna, but looking across the table and seeing T’Pol and Malcolm brought an incredible sense of déjà vu of dinners on The Enterprise. Not that he particularly wanted to think about the man Malcolm had replaced. The memory of the last conversation with Jonathan Archer still brought a bitter taste to Trip’s mouth.

“Pleasant dreams, T’Pol,” he told the mother of his daughter. He half expected her to remark that Vulcans don’t dream. An assertion he no longer believed, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t try to make him believe it anyway.

Instead she nodded and replied, “You as well” before turning to head for her own quarters.

Neither Trip nor T’Pol had particularly pleasant dreams that evening. For that matter neither did Malcolm. Their dreams consisted mostly of unpleasant memories.

And their dreams didn’t leave out any of the details.

****

Continue to Chapter 3

Return to Chapter 1

Back to Fan Fiction Main Menu

Have a comment to make about this story? Do so in the Trip Fan Fiction forum at the HoTBBS!