To Have Learned Nothing at All-Ch 13

To Have Learned Nothing At All

By Samantha Quinn

Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Nothing’s changed. I still don’t own Star Trek or its characters and am still not making any money from this. Please don’t sue.

A/N: Still chatty. Should change next chapter. Oh, and a quick warning: this chapter is sticky, cavity-inducing sweet in places. It should be balanced out in the end though.

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

Chapter 13

The Curtain Removed

~~~

He had never seen a Vulcan vomit before, Trip noted. The fact that he was now seeing that very sight only reinforced his hatred of the colonists. It was, after all, their fault that T’Pol was hunched over the toilet doing so.

“I still don’t understand why you ate the meat anyway,” Trip grumbled from his position at T’Pol’s side.

Fortunately, T’Pol was at a pausing point in her regurgitation and thus able to answer him. “The reason should be obvious, Commander.”

Trip sighed and wondered why they were back to “Commander.” They’d made such progress with “Charles.”

“Well, it’s not.”

“Admiral Forrest has made it clear that this colony is a diplomatic concern.”

“They were baiting you, T’Pol. No one would have blamed you if –"

“I was well aware of their intentions, Commander. During my experience with the Klingons, I was frequently subjected to such tests.”

“I still think we should go back to the ship.”

“As first officer, I still outrank you.”

“Why are you being so stubborn about this?”

“I am not. However, you are apparently allowing your personal feelings about this colony interfere with your professional obligations. It is-“

“Inappropriate. Yeah, I know.”

“It does little good to be aware of inappropriate behavior if you do not take steps to correct that behavior.”

Trip felt a momentary surge of irritation that disappeared completely when T’Pol leaned over and began to vomit again. Resting his head in his hand, he waited until T’Pol was finished. “Are you going to be all right?”

“I am nearly sufficiently purged of the animal flesh.”

*I’ll take that as a ‘yes.’* “Um, do you need anything else?”

“I do not.”

“Ya sure? Neuropressure, maybe?”

“Has your sleep been difficult this past week?”

Trip took one look at T’Pol’s disheveled appearance and decided to lie. “Nope. Not a bit. But if you need –"

“You can help me best by leaving me to my solitude.”

Trying not to take it personally, Trip nodded. “Okay, then. Holler if you, um, you need anything.”

The fact that T’Pol didn’t bother to tell him that hollering would have been unnecessary told Trip just how shaken up the meal incident had made her. Cursing inwardly, he retreated toward his room with only one thought in his mind. *I really hate these colonists.*

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

The quiet solitude of T’Pol’s attempts at meditation was interrupted seventy-four minutes from the time Commander Tucker walked out the door by the same sensation of fear that she had detected in the engineer before they had departed Enterprise. Its intensity was enough that it shook T’Pol out of meditation. Without a pause, T’Pol stood, and headed across the hall to where Commander Tucker’s temporary quarters were. Because the sensation of his fear growing steadily with each additional moment, T’Pol did not bother to announce her presence before entering.

She found him still asleep in the bed. Observing the disarray of blankets and the frown that adorned his features, T’Pol deduced that the fear she had detected was a figment of Commander Tucker’s dream state. Given her own experience with unpleasant dreams, T’Pol moved with all deliberate speed to his bedside, laid a hand on his shoulder and firmly began to shake.

The physical contact served to reinforce his panic. As he opened his eyes and saw her face, his relief became just as obvious.

“Hey,” he said by way of greeting.

“I presume you were dreaming?” T’Pol asked.

“Nightmares more like it.” The statement was accompanied by an appropriate shiver.

“Do you wish to discuss it?”

“Nah. I’m sorry I woke you.”

“You do not need to apologize.”

“I must have been pretty loud for you to hear me.”

The urge to lie was stronger than T’Pol was comfortable with. Telling lies was not something a Vulcan should do unless there was a clearly logical reason. The only reasons T’Pol could think of not only were not logical, they bordered on blatantly emotional. *But is there a logical reason to tell him the truth?* The only one T’Pol could come up with was if he was experiencing the same sensations she had. “Commander, it is extremely important that you tell me the contents of your dream.”

“It was just a dream, T’Pol.”

“Charles. It is important. You maybe experiencing a . . . side effect of the neuropressure sessions.”

“Oh.” He rose at that point, resting his body weight rested on the palms of his hands. “Well. . . um, you were calling out for me, and I couldn’t reach you. Since. . .since it matters, I suppose I should tell you, it’s not the first time I’ve had the dream.”

“It is not?”

“No. I, uh, all last week I had pretty much the same dream.”

“Then you were not being truthful when you claimed to have experienced no difficulty sleeping.” She took a moment to reflect on the displeasure this caused. Ultimately, she decided that her discomfort was caused by the importance associated with his being truthful in this matter.

“No. Look, I figured that I’ve simply grown too dependent on the neuropressure, and I didn’t want to bother you.” He cocked his head thoughtfully. “Is that what’s happened? Some type of addiction to neuropressure?”

T’Pol briefly wished that was a possibility. She also briefly yearned for the situation to be different, and for it not to be Commander Tucker’s right to know the truth.

“T’Pol?”

*The potential pleasantness of alternate possibilities does not change the truth of the present,* T’Pol scowled herself. “You have not become ‘addicted’ to neuropressure, Charles. I will explain what I believe has occurred, but before I do, I want to make it clear that I would have warned you of the possibility if I had believed it possible to transpire with your one of your species.”

“What are you referring to exactly?”

“When we first met, you extended your hand, and I refused to return the gesture. Do you recall that incident?” At Trip’s nod, she continued, “I believe you took my rejection quite personally, though there was no need for you to have.”

“I know. Vulcans don’t like to touch, right?”

“That is correct. Are you aware why?”

Trip shook his head. “No. I just assumed it was because of that heightened smell. I wouldn’t want to touch species that I thought stunk either.”

“That is not why.” Unconsciously, T’Pol began to pace. “Vulcans are telepathic. Our touch telepathy is especially developed.”

“So . . . you don’t like to touch because when you do, you can feel what other people are thinking?”

“It takes a great deal of concentration to hear other’s thoughts, and such events are frowned upon by the Vulcan government. However, basic emotions and thoughts can – and are – broadcast through touch.”

Trip’s eyes visibly widened. “Then the neuropressure sessions – oh, T’Pol, they must be awful for you!”

The waves of concern washed over her and T’Pol wondered if that concern would still be present when she revealed what had occurred. “They were difficult, in the beginning,” she admitted. “However, I soon grew accustomed to them.”

“I’m sorry.”

That was not a response she had been expecting. “For what do you express remorse?”

“If I had known, I could have . . . I don’t know, I could have been less emotional. Or tried, anyway.”

T’Pol stopped pacing and returned to the side of his bed. “You are human. It is expected that you will be emotional.” When he smiled, she forced herself to continue, as much as she did not wish to. “I grew so accustomed to the sessions that I failed to realize . . . I failed to notice that our touching had instilled an accidental . . . bond.”

Trip frowned and looked genuinely confused, as could be expected from a species that had neither telepathic nor bonding capabilities. “What do you mean by a ‘bond’?”

“A bond is a telepathic link. Between Vulcan couples, it enables them to share thoughts. You and I have not linked that deeply; however, given the content of your dreams and my own personal experience, I believe we are sharing an empathetic link whereby sensations and emotions are felt.”

T’Pol waited for the anger she was sure would accompany her revelation. She received none. In its place was surprise and curiosity. “What exactly do you mean by your own ‘personal experience’?” he asked.

“I have been able to sense several strong emotions from you since you returned from your first visit to the planet.”

“Oh. Why haven’t I been able to sense anything from you? I mean, I know you suppress your emotions, but –"

“You have been.”

Commander Tucker’s look indicated his skepticism. “T’Pol, I’m not a telepath, but I’m pretty sure I’d be able to recognize if I was sensing anything from you.”

“Perhaps that would be true, if your connection was manifesting itself during your waking hours.” T’Pol resumed her pacing. It seemed a natural state. “Shortly after you departed I received an encrypted message from Soval.”

The rise in his anxiety was accompanied by a shift in his position as he threw his legs over the side of the bed. “Bad news?”

“Not as bad as it could have been,” T’Pol replied honestly. “However, Soval did express his distaste for what he views as my abandoning the path of Surak. His news was accompanied by distressful dreams in which I had to chose between Vulcan and the Enterprise crew. You were absent from the crew, I called for you, but you did not answer.”

He stood then, and crossed the gulf between them. T’Pol stopped pacing, as it no longer seemed a natural state. “Hey, I’ll always be here when you need me, T’Pol.”

She took a moment to observe the look of earnest desperation, realized how far their relationship had come in three years and wondered how the man standing in front of her could worry about how it began. “I do not doubt that. You are, after all, quite stubborn. However, I attribute your absence in my dream state to your absence and our bond.”

“Oh. Hey, since we’ve both been having a crappy week without any sleep, maybe we should have a therapy session before we attempt sleep again?”

“That would seem prudent. Disrobe.”

Mirth flooded through their connection but T’Pol waited until he had removed his shirt and positioned himself on the bed before asking, “Why does the word ‘disrobe’ bring you so much pleasure, Charles?”

He turned sharply to give her a worried look as she settled behind him. “Hey, that bond it really lets you know pretty much everything I’m feeling? That could become embarrassing.”

“I will teach you shielding techniques when the time becomes available. Perhaps once we arrive back to Earth.”

“We’ll add it to our list of things to do when we get back,” he agreed cheerfully as he relaxed under her fingers. “Along with a good thorough reading of The Wizard of Oz.”

“Turn around. I was under the impression you were not interesting in a ‘book club.’” T’Pol noted the wince that accompanied her recitation of his words back to him.

“No one said anything about a club, T’Pol.”

“I see. In that case I shall look forward to our reading.”

“Okay, now it’s your turn.”

T’Pol turned with her back facing him and removed her shirt.

~~~
“We should go in now.”
“No. Let them finish their ‘therapy.’ Our evidence will be greater.”
~~

“I look forward to our reading too, T’Pol.”

They continued in amicable silence, both feeling more relaxed than they had in weeks.

“That is sufficient. Thank you, Charles,” T’Pol said as she pulled the shirt back over her head.

“You’re –" Commander Tucker was cut off in mid sentence as his room filled with armed colonists, lead by Hogan himself. “What the hell is going on here?”

“Keep your hands where we can see them,” Hogan replied. “T’Pol of Vulcan, you are under arrest for indecency.”

“Indecency?” Trip snapped. “You’re wearing loincloths!”

“Yes, but I am not female,” Hogan answered, as though that explained everything. “You, Mr. Tucker, will return to your ship immediately. T’Pol will be coming with us to our lovely Allorian style jail.”

“The hell she will,” Trip argued.

“Commander,” T’Pol said quietly. “You will return to the ship. That is an order.”

“But-"

“You can do nothing here.”

Trip looked from T’Pol to the guards and back to T’Pol again before coming to the horrid realization that she was correct. They were outnumbered, and neither he nor T’Pol had a phaser. Once he got back to the ship, they could work out a rescue. Feeling utterly hopeless, he watched as T’Pol was handcuffed.

“It will do you little good to resist, T’Pol. Those are Andorian style handcuffs. It turns out that they are quite adept at containing Vulcans.”

“Come,” a man Trip didn’t recognize stood at his side with a rifle pointed towards him. Reluctantly, Trip started to walk towards the door, T’Pol’s voice reaching him before he was completely out of earshot.

“Thank you for being logical.”

The knowledge that he was behaving logically did not help sooth Trip’s guilt at leaving T’Pol behind. *I’ll be back,* he promised silently, willing her to hear him through their bond. *And when I do, you’d better be okay, because if you’re not, I’ll kill Hogan with my own two hands.*

~~~

Chapter 14

Return to Chapter 12

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!

Eight hardy souls have made comments

Bloody bastards! Trip, you have quite a butt-kicking to do! And do it the hard way! Make them really sorry for what they've done to your girl! You've been right about those sick SOBs right form the beggining.

Bloody assholes! I'll kill 'em. Sonuvabitch! I knew it. I knew it! I mean, I hope Trip kills 'em all. They damn well deserve it. And, damn T'Pol for being so goddamned loggical and letting them lock her up.

But, it wouldn't be the same T'Pol that I love if she hadn't.

Indecency?? I'm really hatin' those colonists.
Anyway, great update. I liked the interaction between Trip and T'Pol.

I knew those colonists were up to something. Please hurry with the next chapter!

Please describe Trip killing Hogan soon... I really would like to read that chapter!

"Please describe Trip killing Hogan soon..."

I second that emotion!

Excellent job, by the way.

Growl, how dare they yank T'Pol off to gaol for - indecency? Huh, look who were playing peeping Toms. I think they should be forcibly aquainted with the saying, "People who live in glass houses should not throw stones". Hope Trip pays them back - with interest. Great writing, Ali D :~)

Another wonderful chapter. Why didn't anyone listen to Trip.?? I hope he comes back with reinforcements and and teaches those colonists a lesson.GRRRR.