To Have Learned Nothing At All- Ch 6

To Have Learned Nothing At All

By Samantha Quinn

Rating: PG-13, Romance, Angst
Disclaimer in Chapter One
Spoilers: Teeny tiny for “Impulse.”
As always, thanks to my betas, HopefulNebula and K.Phillips.

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Chapter 6

The Dreams That We Dare To Dream

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Sleep came to T’Pol with more ease than she had expected. Her sleep was an uneasy one, however, and interrupted often by nightmares caused by sensations she had been unable to purge during meditation.

~ ~ ~

T’Pol stood in an area she had never been to before, and recognized only from geographic text book descriptions. She stood knee-deep in murky warm water, surrounded by plants of varying heights, some growing from the water, others along the shore. Tall cypress and black gum trees blocked much of the sunlight, casting a dark shadow over the Vulcan. The location was a swamp, specific to the southeastern portion of the United States on Earth.

Not understanding why she was standing in the swamp, T’Pol began to head towards the shore. As she walked, the water began to rise instead of receding. Distantly, T’Pol heard the low croaking of a frog that appeared to get closer and yet abruptly stopped. Growing concerned, T’Pol began to search the surrounding area for the creature. It had been so close – surely it wouldn’t simply cease making sound unless there was a sufficient reason?

Her search grew progressively frantic until it was interrupted by the distinct sound of a flock of birds flying above her. There were so many and they seemed to be fleeing. . . perhaps from the same threat as had overtaken the frog?

Determined to exit the swamp as quickly as possible, T’Pol took another step forward and felt the water rise again, this time reaching her knee. Her attention was quickly averted from the rising water level as a familiar Vulcan voice called to her.

Turning, her gaze fell upon Koss. It was, of course, an estimation of what his adult self would look like, as T’Pol had not seen him since childhood. Dressed in the traditional ceremonial sash of a Vulcan wedding, Koss beckoned to her with one hand while his other held firmly a copy of the Complete Teachings of Surak. The water around Koss came only to his ankles.

Refusing his proffered hand, T’Pol took a step in the direction to his left. The water became shallower, but she was again stopped by the image of Vanik. He too stood in shallower water than T’Pol and also offered his hand.

Stepping left yet again, she was confronted by the smiling face of Tolaris. Unprepared for such an unexpected and unwelcome surprise, T’Pol took a step backwards rapidly. She backed into a vine which appeared to T’Pol to have no origins and she jerked away from the unpleasant plant. Her actions turned out to be too rapid, as she quickly lost her footing. Still in the deeper water, she found herself flailing in an attempt to regain her balance.

Strong hands grasped hers and pulled her towards the shallow end of the swamp. When her panic dissipated, she realized her savior to be Solin, the former chief engineer of the Seleya. His face was not as T’Pol remembered fondly, but rather twisted and mutated from the effects of the Trellium-D.

Overcome with decidedly un-Vulcan terror, T’Pol jerked away from Solin and took two large steps backwards. The swamp water became irrationally deeper, as it now came to her hips. In the foreground came a low growl T’Pol did not recognize but knew instinctively to be threatening.

“T’Pol, that path is illogical,” scolded the voice of her mentor.

Soval manifested beside Solin. Although he wore a look of stern disapproval, he too held a hand.

T’Pol surveyed the Vulcans before her with a sensation of loss. All of them offered her their hand to help her reach the shore, yet she did not wish for any of their assistance. Regardless, she had to proceed to that side of the shore, as the water was too deep on her side.

Glancing momentarily downward, T’Pol noticed organic debris beginning to gather around her. Bits of bark, dead leaves, and matted fur were closing in on her at an increasingly rapid rate. T’Pol reached down to push them away, only to find that the more she pushed them away, the quicker and thicker the mass returned.

A distinct hissing sound- one she recognized to belong to a snake- forced her gaze up and away from the debris surrounding her waist. Although she could not identify the snake, Koss, Vanik, Tolaris, Solin, and Soval took a step closer, and began forming a circle. T’Pol’s options were running precariously low. She could step forward, take the hand of one she did wish to hold, or she could attempt to make it to the other shore. The likelihood of the latter plan succeeding, however, was not high. Coming from a desert planet, T’Pol had never taken the time to learn to swim.

Regardless, T’Pol turned her gaze towards the shore opposite of her fellow Vulcans and was relieved to discover five hands outreached towards her. Captain Archer, Dr. Phlox, Lieutenant Reed, Ensign Sato, and Ensign Mayweather all stood together, holding out their hands and beckoning her to follow them. To reach them, however, she would need to cross the gulf of deeper water. Behind them stood a deer, nibbling quietly on the grass and gazing at T’Pol quizzically.

T’Pol glanced from one Enterprise crew member to another and then back towards the opposite shore. *If I go with the Vulcans, the path is safer, but less desirable. To go with the Humans, the path is more dangerous, but also holds a more desirable outcome.*

As she pondered her choice, she became aware of a presence standing beside her. Turning her head slightly, she acknowledged Surak.

“You are troubled, T’Pol?”

“Which path should I chose?”

“You have weighed the options?”

“Yes.”

“Then whatever path you chose, I shall go with you.”

“Thank you, Surak.”

“Be advised, T’Pol, that if you chose unwisely, I shall suffer the same unfortunate fate as you. Take my hand, but remember, I do not know how to swim either.”

Taking Surak’s hand, T’Pol gave one last look towards Koss, Vanik, Tolaris, Solin, and Soval before turning back towards the Enterprise crew. Her decision made, she looked for the crew member she had grown to trust the most during their time together.

He was not standing beside the others.

*Where is Commander Tucker?* The overwhelming sensations of fear and confusion meshed and compelled T’Pol to call out to him, “Charles!”

The familiar sensation that had overcame her as she received Soval’s message returned. Sensing her hesitation, Surak spoke again.

“We cannot stay here, T’Pol. The water is rising. If we remain, we shall both drown.”

~ ~ ~

T’Pol awoke with a start.

*An entirely illogical and irrational dream,* she mentally scolded herself. *Surak would not-could not-ever be in a swamp on Earth. Nor should I have grouped Tolaris and Soval together. Their motivations were utterly different.*

Still, it was not the inherent illogic of the dream that disturbed T’Pol the most. The main disruptor of her calm was the end. Commander Tucker had been gone for only a day. There was no reason she should notice his loss that strongly. *Unless. . . *

*No. It simply is not possible.* After all, their touching had not been that extensive. *Even if it had, Commander Tucker is a Human, not a Vulcan, and therefore not a telepath of any sort.*
Logic aside, T’Pol could not shake the distress his absence had caused her. The physical and mental experiences that had plagued her during the previous day were returning with renewed vigor. *It is to be expected. I did not achieve meditation.*

Not entirely pacified by her deductions, T’Pol sought solace in the fact that Vulcans required little sleep and rose. She was determined to be productive in the absence of sleep.

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To Be Continued. . .

A/N: See? I told you there was a plot unrelated to The Wizard of OZ. ;)

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Three people have made comments

This is very good. I particularly like the dream imagery. I almost got the feeling that T'Pol's irrational fear and sense of loss in the dream somehow was sensing something wrong with Trip as if they had formed an empathic link. Very good. I was also amused by T'Pol's conversation with Hoshi, though I am not so sure that Travis does not have romantic feelings for Hoshi. Can't wait to see what happens next! Ali D :~)

Great job. I loved the dream sequence. I was waiting for her to look for Trip. Took her a while. Hmmmm, gee, I wonder what exactly T'Pol was talking about? How could WHAT not happen since Trip isn't a telepath? Goodness, it couldn't be something LIFE ALTERING, now could it?

Loved Hoshi getting all jealous over Mackenzie. Maybe a demonstration or two of how exactly Malcolm acts differently around her?

Great job, again. Can't wait for the next chapter!

Looking forward to the next chapter:)