Daybreak - Chapter 6

Daybreak

by ShouldKnowBetter

Disclaimers in Chapter 1

~~~~~~~

Chapter 6 - On the Edge

“Captain to the Bridge.” The summons brought Tucker to his feet, as he gratefully discarded the tactical report he’d been studying. He couldn’t deny that it was an important topic, and Soval’s commentary was surprisingly insightful, but right now he was too tense for anything but action. The only reason he was in the ready room, rather than in his rightful place on the Bridge, was because T’Pol had quietly pointed out that his restlessness would lead the crew to believe that their captain was nervous. He’d muttered back that he was nervous, but had taken the hint to remove himself. Now he was being allowed back.

He saw why he’d been summoned the moment he stepped out onto the upper level of the Bridge: on the view screen, the thermobaric clouds that guarded the Delphic Expanse swirled gently, deceptively innocuous. “What’s our range?”

“Half a million kilometres, captain.” Graveney’s face was intent. “Three minutes to the perimeter.

Tucker grimaced at T’Pol for not calling him earlier, even as he moved forward to take the command chair. “No welcoming committee this time around?”

“Nothing on sensors,” Mayweather reported cheerfully. “I’d call that a good omen.”

The lift doors parted and Soval stepped out, catching Tucker’s eye in silent acknowledgement of the fact that he had no real business on the Bridge. The captain grinned inwardly, wondering whether the Vulcan’s timely appearance counted as another good omen – or a bad one. “Indulging in a little intellectual curiosity, ambassador?” Relations between them had been reasonably placid so far, but Tucker didn’t see that as any reason not to needle the older man whenever possible.

“T’Pol summoned me.”

Which neatly the dodged the issue, although Tucker had no real doubt that the answer to the question was ‘yes’.

“Thirty seconds to contact.”

Graveney’s warning was timely. Tucker turned his attention forwards again. “Reduce speed to one quarter impulse. Charge the hull plating.”

“You expect trouble?”

Soval had come to stand just behind the captain’s left shoulder, studying the cloud patterns on the screen before them. “Every day.” Tucker sighed, twisting to look up at the Vulcan’s impassive face. “Don’t be fooled, Soval. Just because nothing bad has happened in the last five weeks doesn’t mean our luck’s changed.” The thermobaric clouds closed gently around Enterprise, a faint change in the background noise indicating that they were no longer in free space. “Anything, T’Pol?”

“Nothing.”

“Keep looking.”

~

They kept looking for the next six hours, until Enterprise sailed serenely out of the thermobaric clouds and into the reality of the Delphic Expanse. Graveney leant back with a sigh, and glanced over his shoulder. “What’s our heading, captain?”

Tucker rose to his feet, coming to lean on the back of the helmsman’s chair. “189 mark 120.” He’d had that one memorised for the last nine weeks, ever since he knew they were coming back. “Warp 5.”

“Five, sir?”

“You heard me.” He smiled a little wryly. “If there’s anyone out there watching for us, I’d rather they didn’t know we’ve made a few upgrades.”

“There is no evidence of contact between the Xindi in the Alpha Quadrant and those in the Delphic Expanse,” Soval observed pedantically from where he was peering over T’Pol’s shoulder at her sensor readings, and Tucker sighed.

“Yeah, just like there was no evidence Tolan had been subverted by the Xindi. Besides,” the captain straightened, “I’m not gonna go looking for trouble when we’re all tired.” He glanced around the Bridge. “Get some rest, people. We might not have another chance.”

~

Tucker exited the shower, a towel caught around his waist, and halted to frown down at the woman curled up under the bedclothes. “T’Pol?” The only response was a sleepy murmur, and a fractional move away when he knelt on the side of the bed. “Hey.” He bent over to kiss a smooth cheek, deliberately letting his damp hair drip on her. “I thought you wanted to go to bed early.”

She raised a hand to wipe away the wetness. “I do. I’m tired.”

“Oh.” He sat back, disappointment on his face. “I thought you meant the other sort of early night.”

“We are in the Delphic Expanse.” T’Pol’s usually precise voice was a little blurred around the edges. “You should rest.”

“I thought a little distraction would be kind of nice.”

“Malfor has submitted a new set of hull plating modifications.” She yawned even as she spoke. “Goodnight, Charles.”

Enterprise’s captain knew when he was beaten. He gave up on seduction and settled for the engineering report instead. It seemed that T’Pol had been tired for weeks, so tired that she never answered his questions about why she was constantly exhausted. If he hadn’t been so busy himself, he’d have stopped by to talk to Phlox, but with the future of the Alpha Quadrant resting heavily on his shoulders, there never seemed to be time for anything closer to home.

~

Cole removed her attention from the chessboard and reached for a handful of popcorn, putting a great deal of attention into nibbling each individual kernel. There was no response from her companion, however, and she directed a cautious look over at Soval. He was simply sitting there, frowning slightly at the board, taking no notice of the fact that she was deliberately trying to annoy him. Maybe it wasn’t completely fair play, but she had discovered long ago that the easiest way to beat him was to disrupt his concentration with impertinent questions or outrageous behaviour. “Ambassador?” He lifted his head fractionally to look at her and she studied him critically for a moment. “Have you got another headache?”

“No.” He drew a quick breath. “Are you intending to make your move in the near future, or should I fetch a book?”

So he had at least noticed that she had taken an unreasonable amount of time to think out her revised strategy. She pushed her remaining knight across the board, and returned to watching the Vulcan as he re-evaluated the situation. “Have you got the same headache?” He didn’t respond, which was answer enough. “You have to go see Phlox! You’ve had that headache for over a fortnight now.”

“Is that any concern of yours?”

He made his own move, but Cole ignored it to glare at him. “Of course it is! It might be quiet now, but we’re in the Delphic Expanse. We don’t want our negotiator to be ill.”

“I am fine.”

“No, you’re not.” She repositioned her queen and glared at him. “Checkmate. Your game’s off. Go see Phlox!”

He ignored her, instead leaning sideways to pick up a package from a nearby chair, placing it neatly in front of her. “Perhaps that will convince you to cease harassing me.”

She gave him a suspicious look and stared to work her way into the well-sealed box, while Soval put away the chess pieces, cocking his head at her when she gasped in astonished delight. “Chocolate! Oh, you’re wonderful! Where did you get it?”

“I have my sources.”

“I almost forgive you for thinking you can bribe me.”

He watched her indulgently, although she was too busy investigating her prize to notice. “Consider it a gift, if you prefer. It is your birthday.”

“Oh.” Cole tore her delighted gaze away from the contents of the box to turn a surprised look on the Vulcan. “I guess it is. I’d forgotten.”

“You gave me to understand that I would regret ever forgetting the event.”

“Did I say that?”

“You did.”

She grimaced, taken aback that she had dared go quite so far; she must have been a little drunk at the time. “Sorry.”

“You may return the gift if you wish.”

“No way!” She clutched the box protectively to her chest, coming to her feet. “I’m off to make a pig of myself.”

“I suggest you do not eat it all tonight.”

Soval had remained seated, and Cole’s mouth twitched before she pounced, to plant a swift kiss on his cheek. He pulled back, but too late, and she grinned down at him. “Thank you.”

He had lowered his eyelids so she couldn’t see his eyes, but he wasn’t frowning. “Goodnight, Sergeant Cole.”

“Goodnight, ambassador.”

~

Tucker looked up from his mug of coffee when the door opened, releasing a faint sigh as Soval stepped inside. “You’re kind of meant to knock.”

Inevitably, the Vulcan ignored the half-hearted rebuke to ask flatly, “You still plan on retracing your former course through the Delphic Expanse?”

“Unless you’ve got a better plan.” Tucker took a sip of coffee, gesturing for Soval to take a seat. In a blindingly honest conversation, held very soon after the Vulcan joined Enterprise, they’d reached an agreement that Soval had so far kept: he was at liberty to question Tucker’s judgement, but only in private. In return, Tucker allowed the ambassador open access to senior staff meetings and any data they had on the Xindi - and to Enterprise’s captain. It was too early tell if the bargain would survive the realities of life in the Delphic Expanse, but it was a place to start.

“Malfor wishes to ensure that his family are safe.”

“I know.”

“It occurs to me that we should indulge him.”

“You think we might pick up information about the location of the Xindi rebels there?”
“I think we have no where else to start.”

Tucker grimaced. “I didn’t wanna take a diversion this early. You don’t reckon the easiest way to pick up the trail is to head for the heart of Xindi territory?”

“As I have said before.”

“Yeah.” Tucker sighed, leaning back in his chair. “Maybe I’m trying to rush this too much.”

“Impatience was ever a Human failing.”

“Thanks!” Deciding that that remark warranted a change of subject, Tucker finally got around to a question he had been meaning to ask Soval for at least a fortnight. “Have you seen much of T’Pol lately?”

“No.”

The answer was so short that Tucker frowned, recognising displeasure when he encountered it. “So you don’t know what’s wrong with her?”

Soval tilted his head slightly to look disapprovingly at the captain. “Other than the emotional problems you have mentioned before, no.”

Tucker grimaced. “I thought maybe she’d talk to you. She sure as hell won’t talk to me.”
The lurch of the deck beneath them spilt Tucker’s coffee, and put all thought of personal concerns from his mind. “Hell.”

“An attack?”

“I don’t think so.” The door from the ready room opened onto the Bridge and he stepped out, grabbing for a handhold as Enterprise shook again. “T’Pol?”

“A gravimetric anomaly.” She looked up, expression resigned. “Much as we encountered before.”

“Back us out, Mr Graveney.” Tucker went to peer over T’Pol’s shoulder. “Looks like our maps are out of date.”

“Distinctly!” She lifted her eyes to his, controlled enough when she was on duty. “We are several weeks away from the first anomaly we encountered previously.”

“See what you can do to plot their extent.” He sighed, glancing over at the other Vulcan. “Welcome to the Delphic Expanse, Ambassador Soval.”

~

“Based on our previous estimate of the positions of the spheres that generate the gravimetric anomalies, and the size of the anomaly we encountered earlier today, I have extrapolated.” T’Pol’s voice was cool and precise. “This is the result.”

It was Mayweather who broke the surprised silence in the command centre. “That’s one hell of an area.”

“Indeed.” T’Pol inclined her head in his direction, in acknowledgement of the observation. “I estimate that approximately 75% of the Delphic Expanse is now covered by anomaly fields, often overlapping.”

“Any sign that the expansion rate’s slowing down?” Tucker asked and got an uninformative answer.

“I cannot tell at this time.”

“Can we navigate around the anomalies?”

“No.” She met his eyes levelly, almost challengingly. “Not if you wish to penetrate much further into the Expanse.”

“We don’t have a lot of choice,” Tucker murmured, and looked over as the Xindi-Arboreal engineer shifted. “What is it, Malfor?”

The man tended to look apologetic at the best of times, and that expression intensified as he glanced between captain and first officer. “We must line the hull with Trellium-D, captain.”

It wasn’t the first time Malfor had raised the point, and this time Tucker nodded reluctant agreement, turning to Phlox, who had been invited along for that very reason. “How’s the research going, doctor?”

“The serum proposed by the Vulcan Medical Council certainly seems effective.” The Denobulan gave one of his characteristic shrugs. “In simulation.”

“Meaning you’d want to test it?”

“I certainly wouldn’t want to trap Sub-Commander T’Pol and Ambassador Soval in a ship lined with Trellium-D without first having ensured that I can protect them from its effect.”

“We’ve got to find a source of Trellium first,” Mayweather pointed out, and Tucker nodded more positively this time.

“That’s gotta be our priority. I don’t want Enterprise torn apart round our ears before we have a chance to locate the Xindi council. T’Pol, can you find us a course through the anomalies to the mining planet where we found that Xindi-Humanoid the first time around?”

“Possibly.”

She didn’t sound enthusiastic about the task, and Tucker cast her a thoughtful look before nodding dismissal to the rest. He waited until they had filed out, then leant back against a console. “Wanna tell me about it?”

“About what?” T’Pol had her back turned, as she began work on course possibilities.

“About why you’re mad at me.”

“Why should you think that?”

“Oh, I dunno.” He moved behind her, resting his hands on her waist. “Because your voice has tensed up. Because you won’t look at me. If you’re scared of being exposed to Trellium-D again, honey, there’s no need. Phlox won’t let you be affected again.”

“I am not scared!”

There was unmistakable anger in her voice and Tucker frowned, turning her around firmly. “Then tell me what’s wrong.”

“Nothing is wrong! Why do you keep asking me that?”

She pulled violently away from him, but she had finally alarmed Tucker enough that he wasn’t prepared to be brushed off again. He grabbed for her before she could leave the room. “Not this time, T’Pol. Talk to me.”

“No!”

The hand-off that accompanied the fierce rejection landed Tucker against the opposite wall hard enough to make him grunt. For a second they stared at each other, Tucker in stunned disbelief, T’Pol in fury. Then her expression crumpled into one of remorse and she flew across the room to bury her head in his shoulder, holding him tightly. “I’m sorry. Charles, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” The reasurrance was instinctive as he looked incomprehendingly down at the chestnut hair that was all he could see of her. “T’Pol.” He found that he didn’t even know where to begin. Her behaviour was so out of character, even by recent standards, that he was lost. “This isn’t normal, honey. There has to be something wrong.”

“I …” She broke off almost as soon as she began, face still hidden against him. “It is not something I have spoken of to you before.”

“Hey.” Tucker’s voice was gentle, encouraging now that it appeared that T’Pol was about to open up to him. “This is me, the guy who loves you. You can tell me anything.”

She flicked him a quick look, too brief to allow him to read the expression in her eyes, although her usually tranquil features were still a little twisted. “I,” she paused, “I have an illness.”

“An illness?”

“I contracted it when we encountered the V’tosh Ka’tur.”

“That was years ago.”

“Yes.” She gave him another look, fearful now.

“And you never told me.”

“No.” She shuddered a little in his arms. “It never seemed,” she hesitated, “relevant.”

“This illness,” Tucker was frowning, “it affects your emotions?”

“It degrades my neural pathways, with the result that I find it harder to control my emotions – particularly if I do not meditate regularly.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

There was a long pause, during which T’Pol concentrated on the top buttons of Tucker’s undershirt. Then she raised her eyes to his. “I was,” she hesitated, “ashamed. And then I found that I enjoyed the effect.”

“What?” Tucker shook his head to dismiss the question; he knew he’d heard T’Pol right. “Why?”

“Because, when combined with a reduction in meditation, it allowed me to access certain emotions, ones I wished to feel. I thought I could experience what I chose without succumbing to the negative emotions.”

“When did this start?” Tucker was hardly aware how cold he sounded, but T’Pol was well aware, as she stared doubtfully into his set face.

“After I had resigned my commission. After we entered the Delphic Expanse.”

“More than four years ago. After the neuro-pressure started.” Tucker’s voice was still flat. “Why did you do it, T’Pol? What emotions did you want to access?”

“My feelings for you.” She offered the explanation at once, as if hoping the admission would wipe away the coldness. “I had always been attracted to you. I had left the High Command. I had no one to answer to but myself. I wanted to become closer to you.”

“No one to answer to?” It was the star ship captain speaking, not the chief engineer who hadn’t always thought through the consequences of his own actions. “What about Enterprise? Captain Archer? You played around with your emotions during the most crucial mission we’d ever undertaken.”

“I do not believe that it affected my ability to perform my duties.”

“How rational were you when you left Enterprise, T’Pol?” She didn’t answer, just looked fearfully back. “I know you loved me, but you cared for the captain just as much. How rational was your decision to leave Enterprise and go look for Captain Archer?”

Her mouth shook. “I don’t know.”

He released her abruptly. “I have to think about this one.”

“Charles …”

Tucker shook his head, backing away. “I’m sorry, T’Pol, but it’s kind of hard to find that the only relationship that’s ever meant a damn to me was the result of an illness.”

“It was not! My emotions for you were always there. Charles, please …”

“Start finding that course.” He headed for the door. “We’ll talk later.” He drew a deep breath and looked back from the door, his voice softening. “We will talk, T’Pol. I just can’t do it right now.”

She watched him go, her misery reflected in her face, even as she reminded herself that they were bound even more closely than Tucker knew.

~

Phlox looked up with his usual friendly expression when the doors to sickbay opened. “Ah, Ambassador Soval. What can I do for you?”

“I require an analgesic.”

“Perhaps it would be better if I decided that.” Like all doctors, the Denobulan didn’t appreciate patients who prescribed their own treatment. “What is the problem?”

Soval scowled at the doctor from under lowered brows. “A slight headache.”

“Hmm.” Phlox picked up a scanner, running it around the Vulcan’s head, a look of concern forming. “Hardly a ‘slight’ headache!” He gestured towards a biobed. “If you please, ambassador.”

For a moment, it appeared that Soval was simply going to walk out, but then he settled himself on the diagnostic table, his every movement managing to express irritation. “This is unnecessary.”

Phlox ignored the protest. “How long have you had this headache?”

“Approximately 70 years.” Soval caught Phlox’s startled expression and sighed. “A little over five weeks.”

“It started not long after you joined Enterprise?”

“It did.”

“Have you any idea why?”

There was a pause that the doctor did not seem to notice. “Perhaps it would be better if you decided that.”

Sarcasm was alien to Phlox’ nature, so he took the remark at face value. “I can’t detect anything wrong. Perhaps you should consider some lifestyle changes. Take some exercise, socialise a little.”

The advice earned him a disgusted look as Soval sat up. “An analgesic, doctor?”

The Denobulan shrugged a little. “If you wish.” He administered the dose. “Come back and see me if the symptoms persist. Perhaps we could try neuro-pressure treatment. I’ve been studying the technique and I’d welcome an opportunity to practise.” He missed the look that said very clearly that the Vulcan wouldn’t be back, because the doors opened to admit a pair of MACOs, one supporting the other, who was cradling his awkwardly aligned arm and looking unpleasantly pale. “Sergeant Cole, I have warned you that the incidence of training-related injuries amongst the security personnel on this ship is unacceptably high. Do you want me to report the matter to Captain Tucker?”

The woman glared. “It was an accident, doctor.”

“I fail to see how Corporal Hawkins ‘accidentally’ dislocated his shoulder.” Phlox had guided the injured man to a treatment station and was scanning the injury. “One more such injury this month, sergeant, and I will report you.”

“Sure, doc.” Cole’s attention seemed to have shifted. “I’ll check up on you later, Hawkins.” She ducked quickly out through the doors and sprinted after Soval, who had taken the earliest opportunity to decamp. “Hey.” She fell in at his side, hands clasped behind her, head tilted sideways to study him. “What did Phlox say?”

He gave her an exasperated look, but she only looked expectantly back. “That I have a headache.”

She wrinkled her nose at him. “So he couldn’t help?”

“Given that his recommended treatment constituted exercise and socialising, no.”

“You know I’m always ready to give you a personal workout, Ambassador Soval.” Cole accompanied the offer with a cheeky grin to prove that she wasn’t serious, although he still gave her a dirty look. Then she actually thought about it. “He might have a point. Skulking in your cabin the whole day can’t be good for you.”

“Vulcans do not socialise.”

“T’Pol does; a little, anyway. You could come to movie night.”

“No!”

She ignored the flat rejection, thinking aloud. “I bet you haven’t worked on your combat skills since you left Earth. I know Trip let you talk your way out of attending the senior staff sessions, but you ought to practise.”

“I have just seen the result of one of your training sessions. They appear injurious to one’s health.”

Cole snorted. “As if I could hurt you!” She stopped their slow amble along the corridor, turning to face the Vulcan. “Meet me in the gym at 2100.” She read the subtle changes in his expression and grinned, knowing that he’d accepted the offer, however reluctantly - she could nearly always persuade Soval if she kept at it long enough. “And leave the robes behind, ambassador. They get in the way.” Then she took to her heels before he could change his mind.

~

T’Pol retired to her cabin as soon as she had delivered the course changes to the Bridge, where Tucker had been notable by his absence. She hadn’t enquired after him, just taken herself quietly away to attempt to meditate. But now it was well after the time they usually ate together and still he hadn’t come. Several times she had nearly gone looking for him. Once she had nearly gone to find her father. But each time uncertainty had held her back. Her meditation had not helped, but then it rarely did these days – on the occasions when she actually tried. She had lost the habit since Charles had entered her life again. For the first few days, she had been so happy at having him back that she had wished to spend every waking moment with him, and she had rediscovered the pleasure of experiencing certain emotions. She had thought that she had the balance right – just enough meditation to control the negative emotions, not enough to prevent her accessing the ones she wanted – but now it seemed to be slipping away from her. And then there was the question that Tucker had raised in her mind, whether he had meant to do so or not: had she contributed to Earth’s destruction by her wilful self-indulgence? She had never considered the point before. She had simply accepted, as she thought they all had, that Enterprise’s mission had failed because Jonathan Archer had made the wrong decision when he determined that the Xindi weapon had to be destroyed. But now the doubts were there. Had she done everything she could to persuade him otherwise? Could she have made him see that his self-sacrifice was selfish and illogical? Had she not succumbed to her emotions, but remained on Enterprise, could she have done anything to avert the launch of the weapon? She did not know and guilt was adding to the pain that Tucker’s earlier lack of sympathy had caused her. And what if, a tiny voice asked in the back of her head, he too blames you for Earth’s destruction?

The door to her cabin slid open and she looked up to see Tucker’s outline silhouetted against the brighter light of the corridor outside. Neither said anything for a long moment, then he moved forward and the door closed behind him as he crouched in front of her. “I owe you an apology.” T’Pol stared at the unexpected words, and he added gruffly, “I shouldn’t have walked out on you earlier. I’m sorry.”

“You do not blame me?”

“For being an idiot? Sure, I blame you for that. For caring for me?” He shook his head, expression rueful. “If there’s any blame, T’Pol, we share it. I abandoned Enterprise, and spent a year too drunk to know my own name half the time, because I couldn’t bear the thought that you loved someone else. About the best you can say of either of us is that we deserve each other.”

In silence, she moved around the candles between them and into his arms, feeling them close tightly around her. She wanted to ask about Earth, if he thought she was responsible for its destruction, but she lacked the courage. Maybe another time, when she was stronger.

Tucker’s cheek rubbed against her hair. “Does Phlox know about your illness?”

“Yes.”

“He thinks you’re fit for duty?”

She tensed at that question, which came from Enterprise’s captain, not from her lover. “Yes.”

“Sorry.” He must have felt her reaction. “But Enterprise needs you, T’Pol, just as much as I do.”

“Yes.” There was not a lot else she could say. At least she had what she had sought, the Human engineer who had appealed to her physically, intellectually and emotionally from the first moment she had met him. He had changed just as much as she over the last seven years, but the attraction had not faded. She raised her head from Tucker’s shoulder to stare into his eyes, letting him see the depth of her passion for him. Despite everything else that had changed, speaking of the emotion aloud was still difficult for her.

He did it for her. “I love you.”

She kissed him, as the best response she could offer, and preceded to demonstrate that he was just as susceptible to seduction as he had ever been.

~
When Cole entered the exercise room adjacent to the gym, Soval was waiting for her, seated on the floor with his hands clasped on his folded legs. She hadn’t been completely sure that he would turn up, and she smiled as she came to stand over him, even though she could see that he still didn’t look well. “Are you ready, ambassador?”

He stared up at her for a long moment. “My name is Soval.” She blinked at his lapse into informality, and he added dryly, “I left the robes behind.”

Suddenly and unexpectedly shy, because she was tried to give him his title, however mercilessly she teased him, she stretched down a hand to help him up – and a second later found herself flat on her back, a couple of metres away. She scowled up at the amused man looking calmly down at her. “That wasn’t very fair.”

“You did ask if I was ready. I assumed that you were also.”

“Mean old Vulcan.”

“I said my name is Soval.”

Cole bounced to her feet, lashing out with one leg, but he swayed easily out of range, and she grinned. Sparring with Soval was fun, as she had found out on Earth when she had bullied him – his choice of word – into brushing up his self-defence skills. He might be a hundred years her senior, in late middle age if one were generous, but he was Vulcan, stronger and quicker than any Human, and he had once been well trained in a martial arts tradition different to her own. He had taught her a good deal, but he could still catch her out unless she concentrated.

It was certainly a lack of concentration that was her downfall this time. Maybe she allowed herself to be distracted by the fact that Soval looked tired. Maybe it was because, without his heavy robes, she could see that he had lost weight. But he could still move fast when he wanted to. She blocked a blow aimed left-handed at her stomach, started to counterattack, and then she was on her backside, head spinning from a punch she hadn’t even seen coming. “Hell.” She raised a hand to feel her jaw gingerly. “I thought you pulled your punches.”

“I do.”

Soval was standing a metre or so away, watching her warily, as if assuming that she was faking in order to take him unawares. But for the first time he had really hurt her and she would have been grateful for a helping hand back to her feet. She made do with the wall instead, leaning against it when her vision blurred, and running an exploratory tongue along her teeth: all still there, at least.

Warm fingers touched her chin, tilting her head up. “You’re bleeding.”

Hurriedly, she licked away the blood that came from a cut lip. “I’m okay.”

His eyes, so dark they looked almost black, frowned into hers. “You should visit sickbay.”

“Oh, no. You heard Phlox this morning. Any more training-related injuries and I’m on report.” Soval’s frown deepened, and his fingers left her chin to run gently along her throbbing jaw, brushing her torn mouth. Cole’s breath caught, and he stilled for a moment before stepping back. “Ow.” She hoped the exclamation sounded genuine. “Maybe I’ll go.”

“See that you do.”

With the curt instruction, he turned and left. Cole watched his retreating back, cursing herself. Soval was her friend, the best friend she had left. There was nothing more to it than that. The problem was that she hadn’t had sex in months, or her whole body wouldn’t have reacted to the unexpected caress. Not that Soval had really caressed her, of course. He’d just been confirming that he hadn’t damaged her too badly. Soval never touched her anymore.

Cole shook her head sharply and headed for the shower. She needed to get laid - the sooner the better.

~

They were very nearly asleep after having demonstrated that, physically at least, they were still in tune, when Tucker said one last thing. “Promise me something, T’Pol.” She murmured sleepily into his shoulder. “Don’t keep secrets from me anymore. This mission’s too important. We can’t afford to get distracted.”

There was a long pause that he put down to fatigue. “I will tell you the truth.”

“Okay.”

He was asleep within seconds, so didn’t notice that T’Pol stayed awake for once, wondering if her Human had noticed that she had not stipulated when she would tell him the truth. And wondering if her most recent life-altering decision had really been as logical as she had believed.

~

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