Going Home

Going Home

By Star Watcher

Rating – PG-13
Disclaimer – I do not own any of these characters, they all belong to Paramount
Summary – Set after the events of ‘Terra Prime’. After the death of Elizabeth, Trip and T’Pol are both sent on bereavement leave, and Trip persuades T’Pol to come home to meet his parents.
Genre – Drama/Romance.

A/N: This is a separate story from my other two, which are also stand alone stories in themselves, not part of a series – I realised after I had posted them that perhaps I should have put some form of disclaimer on them saying that they weren’t part of a series, think it might have confused some people!

Trip glanced around his quarters. He was all packed; there was a suitcase by the door to his quarters. Money. Check. Passport. Check. Leave pass. Check. Phone mom and tell her when I’ll be arriving. Check. He was ready to go home. Well, back to Earth. Since the Xindi attack had actually obliterated his home, he was going to his parents’ new home. They had moved to California, to a small town just on the coast, not far from San Francisco. Trip felt guilty about not having been home since the attack, but to be honest, he wasn’t sure how he would hold it together if he did, so he had stayed away.

He had told his parents about Elizabeth; he called them at three in the morning, after she had died, inconsolable with grief. T’Pol had been to see him, of course. They had spoken for a long time, and for the first time in months, he felt like they were actually in tune with each other, and could communicate honestly without fear of what the other would say in response. What was simply awful about it was that it had taken the death of their daughter to bring them, two sensible, rational, intelligent people to that point. After she had gone, he had been left alone, and called his parents. Once he had finished his story, both his parents were in tears. Their response had been simple; “Come home.”

Captain Archer had already made it clear before Trip had even spoken to his parents that he and T’Pol were to have a two-week mandatory bereavement leave before they were to even contemplate coming back to Enterprise, and he wasn’t sure if he was going to let them come back then, despite the fact that they were two of Enterprise's most senior officers.

“Captain, who will replace us in our absence?” T’Pol had protested. Archer had simply looked at her as if to say ‘what does it matter?’ but told her anyway, “Malcolm will replace you, and Rostov and Hess will manage in Trip’s absence. Enterprise is in good hands, T’Pol, don’t worry. The pair of you, take yourselves off somewhere, do something, spend some time together, just talk to each other, please, for gods’ sakes!”

They had been dismissed after that, and Trip had walked T’Pol back to her quarters. . Neither of them had said anything; they had simply eyed each other warily. Both concluded that the other looked terrible, Trip noticed that T’Pol, who was thin anyway, had not been eating and her uniform hung off her. She had noticed the same about him. Both had dark circles under their eyes from lack of sleep. They should have been comforting each other, sharing their pain and their tears. Instead, both of them had sought solace alone, one voluntarily, the other not. T’Pol pressed the release on the doors to her quarters. They opened with a ‘swoosh’. She went to go, but Trip grabbed her arm. He could tell she was upset; she did not chastise him for touching her in public.

“T’Pol-“

“Don’t, Trip.” She said, shooting him a warning look. He ignored it, and followed her into her quarters without waiting for an invitation.

“I want you to come home with me.” He said, without preamble.

“Come home with you?”

“Yeah, what else where you gonna do? Your mom’s dead, you’re not exactly popular on Vulcan at the moment, and we’ve just lost our daughter, so yes, T’Pol, I want you to come home with me!” He expected her to fight back with him, as she usually did. Instead, she simply sank into a chair. “What, no logical, snappy comeback?” He said, and then felt awful for saying it when she glared at him. “Stop being cruel.” She said.

“I’ll stop when you do.”

“Pardon me?”

“Our daughter is dead, T’Pol! I’m not like you, I need to talk to people, her mother most of all! Instead, you shut yourself away from me, like always.”

“We have talked.”

“Once! Can’t you see that I need you, T’Pol! I’m dyin’ cos of this! First Lizzie, now Elizabeth! I can only take so much and I’m nearly at my limit, and all you can do is say ‘we have talked’ in that Vulcan voice of yours-“ What ever he was about to say was cut dramatically short as T’Pol stood up and shouted at him, “Shut up, Trip, just shut up for once!” Her fist banged on the table, as if to emphasise the point. The force of her fist making contact with the table caused a beautiful vase to fall off the table. It shattered when it hit the floor, and they both stared at the pieces on the floor.

“That was your mom’s.” Trip said, shaken. It was not like her to shout, and she never used slang. He softened a little.

“Yes, it was.” She muttered, not caring about the vase. They both started to apologise simultaneously, before stopping to let the other speak. T’Pol spoke first.

“I know I have been selfish, Trip. I know that you need me to be there for you. I am trying, but I too have lost someone other than my daughter. My control is tenuous at the moment. Any more stressful situations and it may break altogether.”

“Can’t you forget your control just this once?” He said wearily, getting ever so slightly tired of hearing that excuse. But, rather than rise to his barb, she simply bent down to begin to collect the pieces of the vase that were scattered at their feet.

“I do not wish to fight with you, Trip. I am tired of fighting with you.”

“You’re what?”

“I am tired of fighting with you. When we spoke after Elizabeth’s death, it was the first conversation that we had shared for some time where we did not engage in an argument. Despite the topic we were discussing, it was . . . refreshing to converse with you without it degenerating into disagreement.”

“I want you to come with me to my parents’ house. I can’t face them without you with me.”

“And I have already told you that I will accompany you.” She replied.

Trip bent down to help her pick the pieces of the vase up. “I’m sorry, T’Pol. I always seem to take my shitty moods out on you. I’m just so, so . . .” His voice trailed off as tears overwhelmed him. T’Pol took his hands in hers in an attempt to comfort him. She could not, as much as she desired, and as much as he might require it, bring herself to embrace him. Maybe, given time, she would be able to.

“I know.” She said. They stood for a moment, pressed forehead to forehead, for a few moments, each silently comforting the other. Trip pressed his lips to her forehead and broke away. “I’m gonna go pack. Captain Archer said that a transport back to Earth will be leavin’ tonight. We’d best be on it, told mom we were arrivin’ tomorrow afternoon.”

“You informed your parents I would be accompanying you? You had not consulted with me. I may have said no.”

“You might have, but they were insistent, they wanted to meet their grandadughter’s momma. I’ll meet you back here in two hours.”

Trip walked back to his quarters via Malcolm’s, where he found the Security Officer dressed only in a towel. “Hi Mal, oh god, jeez, sorry, have I come at a bad time? You got Hoshi hidden in there?” Trip joked, referring to the pretty Communications Officer. The miserable look on his face took all the humour out of the remark, but Malcolm still blushed. “I wish, more like sweaty gym clothes!” He sat down on the bed. “You ok? I heard you’re going back to visit your parents, sounds like the best place to be at the moment.”

“Yeah, I thought so too. T’Pol’s gonna come with me.”

“That’s good.” Malcolm replied. Trip’s silence led him to think that he’d made a major blunder. “Isn’t it?” He asked. The last thing he wanted was Trip crying on him. He couldn’t cope when women did it, never mind his best friend.

“No, Mal, you’re right, it is a good thing. A very good thing.” Trip sat down on Malcolm’s bed, and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Malcolm said. Trip shook his head, but continued.

“We need to talk, T’Pol and I. My parents’ place is on the beach, quite isolated, from what I can tell. T’Pol’s never been to a proper beach, I thought we could take walks, swim, do somethin’ other than fight and talk about Enterprise.”

“You mean talk about you and her, and Elizabeth?”

“Yeah. I love her Mal. Not just cos of Elizabeth, or any of the stuff that happened before then, I don’t know when or how or why, but I love her. I need to tell her, where I know there’s not gonna be any interruptions. After it happened, when Elizabeth died, the other night, we talked for hours and hours. T’Pol said it was the first time in ages that we’d not fought, and she was right, and it felt good. For the first time, I felt like I understood her, and that she understood me.”

Malcolm remained silent, really at a loss for words. He really was terrible in situations like these. Especially when he was semi-naked. Instead, he patted Trip awkwardly on the back, attempting to hold his towel up with the other hand. “Look Trip, let me get changed, and we’ll talk about this properly, ok? Just give me 10 sec-“

Trip stood up, as if suddenly aware he had simply barged into his friends’ quarters. “No, Mal, it's ok, I’d best get packin’ anyway. I’ll call you when I get home, let you know what’s happenin’.”

“I’ll see you in a few weeks then. And Trip, if you ever do need to talk, well, I can’t guarantee I can offer any advice, but I’ll listen for as long as you want.”

Trip smiled, and knew that Malcolm, emotionally challenged as he was at times, really meant it. “Thanks Mal, I appreciate it.” He turned to leave, but not before adding, “You should just ask her, y’know. Hoshi, I mean. Ask her out.”

“Trip I just wish I could pluck up the courage to ask Hoshi for the time of day, never mind accompanying me on a date.”

“How’s it going on that front, buddy?” Trip was well aware of Malcolm’s desire for Hoshi. In Trip’s eyes, the attraction was there, one of them simply needed to make a mood. He also knew he’d been pretty wrapped up in himself recently, not without good reason, but he was aware that Malcolm was a good friend to have; he didn’t want to lose him. Plus, he was glad of the banter to take his mind off Elizabeth. Malcolm seemed only too happy to oblige.

“Don’t, really, just don’t! I think I spoke about two sentences to her today without getting tongue-tied.”

“Make you move Mal! She’s interested, I swear! Have you not seen how she looks at you during the Captain’s briefings?”

“No, I’m too busy trying to watch her without making it obvious!”

Trip checked his watch. If he didn’t hurry he would be late meeting T’Pol, and then they would miss their transport. “I’d best go pack. See you in a few weeks, Mal, let me know if anything happens!”

“I hope everything goes ok while you’re away Trip, and you’re feeling better when you’re back.” The two men shook hands, and then Trip left. He made a quick stop at Engineering to check everything was running smoothly, and to leave a number and address where he could be contacted. Rostov nodded as Trip talked to him; pocketing the slip of paper Trip had written the details down on, even though he knew that nothing, not even a warp core breach, would make him call his boss while he was away. Trip could tell that the man was uncomfortable around him now, as were many of his team. Trip knew that feeling well; he was always awkward around people who had recently suffered a loss. Even after his sister had died, he had not known what to say to T’Pol when he had learned of her mother dying, and what words of condolence he did offer to people usually went wrong anyway. He turned to leave; he knew he had trained his team well and that Engineering would be well looked after while he was away.

“Sir?” Rostov’s voice stopped him.

“Lieutenant? Is something wrong? A problem?”

The young man shook his head, clearly uncomfortable. Then he put an arm on Trip’s shoulder. “I’m really sorry, sir.” He said softly. Trip patted the young man’s hand, and nodded. “I know.”

“I lost my daughter a few years ago, before I joined Starfleet. My wife died in childbirth, and the baby with her.”

“God, I didn’t know.” Trip had worked with this man for four years, yet he had never known. Suddenly he felt terrible. Rostov seemed to sense this, and attempted to allay his guilt. “I never speak of it, sir. Brings back too many painful memories.”

“How did you deal with it?”

“I joined Starfleet.” He said. “Sir, when you come back, if you ever need to talk, I’m here.”

Trip nodded, and turned to go, “When I get back, we’ll have a long talk.” He said, before walking out of Engineering.

Once he was back at his quarters, he realised that he had spent longer than he realised running errands and saying goodbye to people, even though he would only be gone two weeks. They still had enough time to reach the transport. He packed quickly, grabbing all the essentials and as many clothes as he could fit into his suitcase, before zipping it closed and running a quick hand through his hair and making sure he smelt all right, before strolling towards T’Pol’s quarters. He suddenly felt very nervous about taking her home to meet his family. What would she think of them? What would they think of her? How would they try to comfort her? How would she respond? How would she react when he told her how he felt? Pushing these, and many other questions aside, he pressed her door chime.

“Enter.” She said. She had changed out of her uniform, and was dressed casually in jeans, a simple white t-shirt, and worn sneakers. He looked shocked. He had only ever seen T’Pol wearing off-duty clothes a few times. She was a snazzy dresser. He had never once seen her in just jeans and trainers. She looked almost human, well, if it had not been for the pointy ears. She noticed the look on his face.

“Is there something wrong with this attire? I purchased them during my posting in San Francisco, in order to blend in.”

Trip shook his head. “You look . . . well, I’ve just never seen you in earth clothes, you look . . . ” His voice trailed off.

“Thank you.” She took that to be a compliment, and picked up her suitcase. “Shall we go? He nodded, and went to take her suitcase from her. She looked at him quizzically, and then handed it to him. The pair of them headed for the shuttle bay.

The trip to earth from Enterprise was pretty uneventful. Trip’s parents, Catherine and Charles Sr., had agreed to meet the pair of them at San Francisco International Airport; from there the four of them would drive to Trip’s new home. After disembarking from the shuttle, Trip took the bags, and scanned the crowds for his parents. The airport was pretty full, but eventually, he spotted his father, standing head and shoulders above the rest of the crowd, as usual. He waved. Charles Sr. recognised him immediately and waved back.

“Over here, T’Pol.” Trip started walking towards his parents and motioned for her to follow, which she duly did.

She was greeted with a small, slim woman with delicate-looking features and a mop of ash blonde hair, and a man who showed her what Trip would look like in thirty years time. The similarity was uncanny; same height, build, eyes, nose and mouth, and, the same grin when he saw his son, which soon turned into a very sad expression when he saw them. “Trip, son, I am so sorry.” He said, giving his son a hug. His mother did the same. Trip embraced them for a long moment, enjoying the familiar feeling he got when he knew that he was home. Then both of his parents stared at T’Pol. “Charles, aren’t you going to introduce us?” His mom asked.

“Sure, mom, dad, this is T’Pol, we serve together on Enterprise.” Trip was unsure how to introduce her; Mom, Dad, this is Commander T’Pol, my superior officer, love of my life and mother of my dead daughter didn’t, somehow seem like such a good idea. He kicked himself inwardly; why was he making jokes at a time like this? Maybe it was because if the circumstances hadn’t been so tragic, it would have been hilarious. He cast his mind back to his first – and only – meeting with T’Les, for what it had been worth. She had only warmed to him when he had become her personal handy man and fixed all her broken appliances.

T’Pol, looked at him strangely. Why has he not informed them of who I am?

“I am Elizabeth’s mother.” She said. Catherine smiled sadly, and pulled T’Pol into her arms for a hug. “I know honey, I know. We’ve heard so much about all Trip’s crewmates, especially you, even before . .” Her voice trailed off, suddenly embarassed. She decided instead to introduce herself and her husband. “I’m Catherine, Trip’s momma, most people call me Katie. This is my husband, Charles. We’re delighted to meet you at last. I’m just so sorry it's under these circumstances.” Trip had told them that as a Vulcan, T’Pol was not used to expressing emotions in public, they were obviously trying to respect her wishes. Otherwise they would have all been in tears.

“We’re so sorry about little Lizzie, T’Pol, and then when Trip told us you were both gonna come stay, we were so glad. Parents need each other during times like this.” Charles said, shaking T’Pol’s hand before Trip could stop him. “I thank you for your condolences, Mr and Mrs Tucker-“ She began, before Katie interrupted.

“Katie and Charles, please! T’Pol, you’re family!” Katie said. Trip blushed, really unsure about how she’d take that last part. T’Pol appeared unmoved, but she did offer them a small smile. “It's an honour to meet both of you. I can see the family resemblance.” She said. Charles took both bags off Trip. “Shall we get going?”

Katie looked at T’Pol, who was helping Charles put the suitcases in the boot of their car. “She sure is pretty for a Vulcan.” She murmured. “Yup,” Trip agreed. “She sure is.” “Trip, I’m so sorry about Elizabeth. When you called us in the middle of the night, we thought that you had maybe had an accident, or you were drunk, we didn’t imagine that you had a daughter.”

Trip hugged his mum, suddenly realising that going home was the best decision he could have made. “We’ll talk about it when we get home.”

The trip to Trip’s parents’ house was not long, and soon they could smell the ocean and feel the moisture from the sea in the air.

“Here were are, home sweet home.” Katie said. They had arrived at a large white house, with a garden at the front and back, which led down to the beach, and a big porch at the front. The sun was gently setting, turning the sky deep shades of mauve and purple, and casting long shadows of the house, and gently illuminating the sea with pinks and purples. There were no other houses close by. Trip breathed in the warm night air deeply. “It's beautiful.” He murmured.

“You should see inside!” Katie exclaimed. “Charles has spent months doin’ it up, place was a shell when we found it.”

“It is very serene.” T’Pol commented. She too breathed the night air in deeply. It tasted warm and sweet, very unlike the hard, dry, acrid air on Vulcan. She had never been to the beach before. The house before her was very unlike her mother’s home; she noticed that the roof was slightly slanted at the right end, and that Trip’s father had missed several areas when he had been painting. But, none of that seemed to matter, and suddenly she felt very peaceful and at ease, finding an inner calm she had lacked for a long time. She looked at Trip; he was looking around, taking in the surroundings of his parents’ new home.

“Shall we go inside?” Katie asked, opening the door. Trip, T’Pol and Charles followed her inside. The hallway was slightly cool as they entered. It was long, branching off to a large sitting room on the left, a staircase on the right that went upstairs, and a kitchen straight ahead that looked out onto the back garden.

“I’ll take the suitcases upstairs.” Charles said.

“You guys hungry?” Katie said. Trip looked at T’Pol. “My ma makes the best catfish and pecan pie!” he said. She nodded. Katie beamed. “Great, I’ll get started, you kids make yourselves comfortable.”

Trip excused himself and went upstairs to the bathroom, leaving T’Pol alone with Katie in the kitchen.

“T’Pol, honey, just dry those plates for me?” Katie asked, handing T’Pol a tea towel. She duly started drying. There was silence for a while. “So, you’re from Vulcan?” Katie asked. T’Pol nodded. “Yes, I lived there for some years until I joined the Vulcan space exploration programme. I spent several years on Earth before joining Enterprise.”

“Really, where?”

“San Francisco, and some time in Sacramento.”

“You’re a long way from home.”

“Yes, I am. It can be quite difficult at times.”

“How long have you known Trip?”

“Since the beginning of Enterprise's mission. Our relations were initially . . . confrontational.”

Katie laughed. “That’s our Trip all right! He always did have a temper on him!”

“Indeed.”

There was silence for a few more minutes. “You have a beautiful home, Mrs. Tucker.” T’Pol said attempting human 'small talk.'

“Call me Katie, T’Pol, and thank you. Granted, it's not our home in Florida--now that was beautiful--but, well . . .” her voice trailed off, and the pair of them stared out of the window for a few minutes. T’Pol’s eyes fell on a picture on the window frame. She remembered it being taken; Captain Archer, Trip and herself during an away mission. Trip had his arms thrown round her shoulders. She was standing looking stiff. A small smile played around her lips at the memory.

Upstairs, Charles was showing Trip the rest of the house. It was beautiful; Trip was already starting to feel at home there.

“I’ve put you guys in here.” Charles said, opening a door to Trip’s room. It was decorated in pale blue, with a double bed and window overlooking the garden.

“It's not like that, dad. She’s just a friend.” Trip said firmly. Charles looked confused.

“But you said she was Elizabeth’s mother.”

“She is, but it's not like that. I’ll have to explain it properly.”

The beginnings of a grin on his face and the look in Charles’ eyes said something else. “Is she? Not by the way she’s looking at you she’s not!”

“Dad, I’m not in any shape to be havin’ a relationship with anyone right now. I just want to grieve for my kid.”

“I know, but I’m just sayin’-“

“I know.” Trip gave his dad a look that said ‘drop it’, and quickly moved the two suitcases to the end of the bed.

The pair of them made their way downstairs, to find T’Pol and Katie in the kitchen. Katie was stirring something in a pot, and T’Pol was inhaling deeply. “Very aromatic.” She said. Katie laughed.

“You wanna go for a walk 'round?” Trip asked T’Pol. She nodded.

“You have a lovely family.” T’Pol said, once they were some distance from the house. They leant against the fence at the end of the front garden, feeling the summer breeze gently whipping through their hair.

Trip smiled sadly. “Thanks. I wish you coulda met Lizzie. She was somethin’ else. I miss her so much.” He was silent, his thoughts on his sister.

T’Pol placed her hand gently over his, and Trip felt a little of his grief dissipate. “Thank you for inviting me here.” She said.

He smiled. “I’m really glad you’re here, T’Pol.”

“I admit, I too am . . . comforted by this place.”

“After dinner we’ll go for a walk along the beach and talk.”

He expected her to ask ‘why’, but instead she simply nodded in agreement. “We have some things to discuss.”

“I’m glad you said that-- didn’t want to have to start fight-“ T’Pol cut him short by quickly kissing him. Suddenly embarrassed, she looked away, concentrating on the view as the sun set.

“You have honoured me by telling your parents about me.” She said.

“Why wouldn’t I, you’re the mother of my child! You mean more to me than anyone!” Trip said, still reeling from her kiss. He had wanted to have this conversation with her after dinner, when he could collect his thoughts and talk to her without rushing it and saying all the wrong things, but they seemed to have stumbled into it anyway. He had promised himself that he was going to be straight with her about his feelings, and, so far, so good.

“I did not realise that you thought so highly of me.” She said.

Trip gently touched her shoulder. “T’Pol, you mean more to me than anyone. I mean that.” He turned her head round to face him. When she lifted her eyes to his, he saw the doubt and uncertainty in them. “Really?” she almost whispered. Trip cut off anything else she was about to say by pressing his lips to hers. Their touch was electric. Trip pulled her towards him, but before he could deepen the kiss, he heard his mother call for dinner.

Trip had never seen T’Pol drink anything but water or that disgusting thing that passed for tea, so he was very surprised to see her devour the red beans and rice, pecan pie and homemade lemonade his mom had made. He had been dreading coming to this new home, but now he felt oddly at peace here. It wasn’t home in Florida, but that house wasn’t there anymore. Perhaps this house would soon feel like home.

Later, he stole a glance at T’Pol as she stood in marigolds washing the dinner dishes. She had been most insistent after dinner that she and Trip clean the kitchen after Katie had cooked them dinner, and so now they stood, T’Pol washing and Trip drying, in the kitchen, feeling the residual heat from the sun warming the kitchen. She was intently washing the dishes, a small cluster of bubbles on the end of her nose. “T’Pol, you got some bubbles-“ he moved towards her to wipe it off with his tea towel, pausing a moment longer than was necessary after he had finished, looking deeply into her eyes. She blinked first, and returned her attention to the dishes.

“What do you want to do tomorrow?” he asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Well I dragged you out here, thought we may as well do something now we’re here. I want us to spend this time together, T’Pol, doin’ good things, relaxing’, not thinkin’ about Enterprise, y’know, try to heal each other a little?” All the things he wanted to say to her seemed to be slipping out now.

“Do you not want to spend the time with your parents?” T’Pol asked.

“Yeah, I do, but I also want this trip to be about us. How about we go into town and having a wander round? I’m sure mom and dad would like to join us, we could get some lunch, have a walk around, y’know, nice and relaxing?”

“Yes, that would be agreeable. It has been some years since I visited San Francisco.”

After they had finished washing the dishes, the pair sat outside on the two-seater rocker on the porch, Trip gently rocking it using his left foot. Trip was drinking beer, T’Pol, tea. For several minutes they simply sat together in companionable silence, looking at the night sky feeling the warm breeze around their bare toes.

Trip put his hand over T’Pol’s. “Thanks for comin’, T’Pol.” He said. “It really means a lot to me, you just bein’ here makes it so much easier, after Lizzie and everything. I thought it would be weird; new house, new stuff in the new house, new neighborhood, new everything. But it's not. It feels like home, and I feel almost guilty about it, like I should be sad.”

T’Pol turned to look at him. “You have nothing to feel guilty for.” She whispered. Both of them knew she was not just talking about his new house.

“I keep thinking about all the stuff I could have done differently.” He whispered back. His hand gently caressed her face, running her silky hair through his fingers. He felt her tremble.

“As do I.” She whispered. Trip pulled her towards him, kissing her frantically, needing to touch her. She returned his kisses with equal measure. He gently slipped his tongue inside her mouth, running it along her bottom lip. He heard her moan and open her lips further, allowing him full access to her mouth. He could feel her small hands tangled in his hair, feel the intense heat radiating off her body, and feel the chaotic beating of her heart. The sound of Trip’s parents returning from their walk interrupted them. T’Pol leapt away from Trip as though he was on fire, smoothing down her hair and concentrating on her tea. Trip did the same with his beer. He was sure his cheeks were burning.

“You kids coming inside?” Charles asked.

Trip nodded. “In a bit, Dad.” After they had gone, he turned to look at T’Pol. Her eyes remained fixed on her tea.

“Do you wanna go for a walk?” he asked. She nodded. They walked hand in hand down to the beach. Katie and Charles’ house overlooked a private beach, and it only took them a few minutes to walk down onto it, and soon they could feel the sand between their toes, and the roar of the waves.

Neither of them said anything as they sat down on one of the large rocks that lay scattered on the beach. It was high enough off the sand and waves to avoid them getting wet, but also afforded a magnificent view of the ocean. The night sky was warm on their faces, bathing them in the afterglow of the sun. T’Pol closed her eyes, listening to the roar of the waves and the feel of surf on her face and the wind whipping at her hair. Despite the great pain within her caused by Elizabeth’s death, she felt comforted by this place. Suddenly, she understood why Trip had spent so much time talking about the beach when they had been on Enterprise.

“I have never seen a beach before.” She whispered. Trip was watching her. She had never looked so beautiful. “So why have ya got your eyes shut?” He asked. It was only then that he saw a single tear escaping from her closed lids. “T’Pol? Are you ok?” He said? He didn’t think T’Pol had ever cried, at least, not in front of him. She nodded, but another tear fell, and then another. He gently wiped them away with his thumb. “It's so beautiful.” She murmured, opening her eyes.

Trip busied himself with brushing the sand off his feet when he spoke. “When we found out about Elizabeth, I promised myself that I’d bring us all to the beach. I grew up near a beach, spent all summer there every year. I love it. I promised myself I’d bring you to one as well, just the two of us.”

“I am glad you did.”

“In my mind it was gonna be a bit more romantic.”

“Vulcans are not romantic.”

“Vulcan’s don’t cry either.” He drew a deep breath before speaking to her. He couldn’t wait any longer; he simply had to get it off his chest.

“T’Pol, I love you. I’ve loved you for so long, but Elizabeth’s death made me realise just how much, and one of the reasons I brought you here was to tell you how I felt. I need you, T’Pol, and I want you. I promised myself that I was gonna be honest, with no sneakin’ round each others’ feelings like we do on Enterprise, but me just tellin’ you, man to woman, with no interruptions, no Hoshi or Captain on the communicator, no gossips in the mess that make me feel I’ve got to watch how much time I spend with you, just me and you. I love you, and I want to be with you.”

She looked at him, and saw the love in his eyes for her. “Your feelings are not clouded by Elizabeth’s death?”

He shook his head, and took her hands in his. “For once, my thoughts are perfectly clear. C’mon, T’Pol, I’m offerin’ you my heart on a platter here!”

“What about 'Romeo and Juliet'?” She asked.

“What?” He looked confused.

“Several months ago, you referred to Romeo and Juliet as having a better chance of a successful relationship than ourselves. I did some research using the Starfleet database, they were a pair of-“

“T’Pol, I know who the hell they were, just tell me, yes or no!” Trip said, taking her face in his hands.

“Yes.” She whispered, “your feelings are reciprocated.” Then she smiled. Trip returned her smile, and pulled her towards him, kissing her hungrily. They kissed for several minutes until Trip broke away. “Fancy a swim?” he asked. She looked at him, and then looked at the sea, dubious.

“Is the water clean?”

“Should be.”

“I did not bring my costume.”

He grinned mischievously at her. “Me neither.”

“I cannot swim.”

“I’ll show you.”

“Very well.”

Without further response, she unzipped her jeans and peeled off her t-shirt. She was not wearing any underwear. Trip drank in the sight of her lean, muscular body under the moonlight, and nearly broke his neck in an attempt to get out of his clothes. She walked to the water’s edge, watching as the tide came towards her with something resembling anxiety. She expected the water to be cold, but instead, it was deliciously warm, and trickled between her toes and up her legs. Trip joined her at the water’s edge, and, taking her hand, led her into the water.

“I am not sure this is a good idea.” She murmured as Trip pulled her towards him, further into the ocean. She walked until she could no longer feel the sand beneath her, and instinctively she moved closer to Trip, her arms curled around his neck. They stayed like that for several minutes, him treading water, their eyes fixed only on each other, each trying to comprehend what the other had just said to them. Their bodies were pressed together in the water, and the feel of her naked, wet body pressed against his made him stir. T’Pol moved her arms from around his neck so they were resting on his chest, feeling his hard torso with her fingers, gently stroking the smattering of dark brown curls that covered his chest. Her face was inches from hers.

“How do you like the sea?” He asked.

“It is . . . an interesting sensation.”

“You warm enough?” he asked her huskily, pressing himself even closer so she could feel his desire for her. She brought his face towards hers, kissing him passionately, wrapping her legs around his. Trip kissed her back until he realised that he was going to drown them both unless he got them to the side. He pulled her back towards the shore, and they found that the rock they had just vacated provided them with perfect cover. Once they were out of the water, he lowered her down onto the sand and thrust himself inside of her. She moaned gently as he made love to her, as he had after their neuro pressure session, biting down hard on his shoulder as they both climaxed. Afterwards, they lay together, naked, enjoying the feel and sound of the waves lapping at their toes, and of each other’s naked body, bathed in moonlight.

Trip awoke the next morning at seven, opened one eye sleepily, only to find the other side of the bed empty. He rolled over onto his side and looked around the room. The bed was messed up, with half of the duvet strewn on the floor, the other half on the bed. The shower was running. Downstairs he could hear his mom humming to herself. He looked down at himself. He was naked. Did I imagine last night? He thought, and then noticed the bite mark on his shoulder. Shit! I didn’t imagine it! His eyes fell on the clothes he and T’Pol had been wearing yesterday. They were folded neatly on the chair next to the bed. That meant that what they had said to each other at the beach was real, their sex on the beach, and on the floor of their bedroom, and, finally, on the bed, was all real. The shower stopped, and a few moments later T’Pol walked in, wearing nothing but a towel. Her hair was plastered down, her cheeks slightly flushed from the shower. She looked amazing.

“Good morning.” She said. He smiled at her, feeling a flush creep up his neck. She dropped the towel and began to dress.

“Good morning yourself! Sleep well?” he asked.

“Very well, thank you.”

Trip leaned over to kiss her. She tasted of toothpaste and smelled of citrus shampoo. “Last night was amazing.”

She gently touched his face. “It found it pleasurable also.”

“Always the romantic, hey T’Pol!” He teased.

She looked at him, almost sternly. “We will continue this discussion when we return from San Francisco. We will be leaving in approximately forty minutes. You need to dress and eat.”

The last thing Trip wanted to do that day was drag around San Francisco with his folks, but once they got going, he began to enjoy himself. His dad drove, his mom sat in the front passenger seat, with Trip and T’Pol in the back. Trip had gotten a quick shower and changed into a pair of jeans, white t-shirt with a blue shirt left untucked and unbuttoned before bolting downstairs for breakfast. T’Pol was already seated, eating a bowl of fresh fruit and drinking a cup of tea.

“Good mornin’” he said, giving his mom a peck on the cheek.

“Mornin’ son, sleep well?” Katie said, giving her son a knowing smile that made Trip blush.

“Uh yeah, Mom, like a log.” Trip mumbled.

Now, forty minutes later, the wind in his hair, the sun on his face, T’Pol next to him, Trip felt someways normal. He gently placed his hand over hers and squeezed. She looked at him with a small smile forming in the corner of her mouth and squeezed back. She looked beautiful today in a pale blue t-shirt and cream linen trousers, the wind whipping at her hair. He wanted this leave to last forever, where they could be T’Pol and Trip instead of Commander T’Pol and Commander Tucker; where they could spend lazy days and nights talking, swimming, meditating, walking, making hot, passionate love on the beach, and not having to face the reality of going back to Enterprise, where there were rules and regulations against officer fraternisation. He also knew that his parents wanted to talk about Elizabeth. They had wanted to bring it up yesterday, but he had simply wanted one day where he could not talk about it, and not try to forget her, but just put her into the back of his mind for a few hours. His heart ached at the thought of her. He wished that he could have brought Elizabeth home to meet her grandparents; they would have adored her. He looked away, tears suddenly pricking at his eyes.

T’Pol squeezed his hand. She could sense how he was feeling through their bond. It had formed when they had first made love. She did not know how, but it had been steadily growing and gaining strength ever since, despite the best efforts of both parties to ignore it. Now, after Elizabeth’s death and last night, she feared that maybe it would never be broken. She wondered if Trip could feel anything through their bond. She knew he had intruded on the space she ventured to during her meditation sessions some time ago, but was unsure exactly how much of her he could feel. She would talk to him about it later.

The four split up once they got into San Francisco, but agreed to meet for lunch later that day. Trip and T’Pol wandered around, looking at a few shops, but generally enjoying each other's company, both of them letting down their defences a little. “I do not remember the last time I perused shops for civilian clothes.” T’Pol remarked, as they passed another clothes shop.

“Do you want to go in any of them?” Trip asked. Too late, she had already ventured into one shop, and was admiring a fleeced, figure-hugging pullover in dusky pink. Trip found her size and held it up to her. “Try it on.” He suggested. She raised an eyebrow at him. “It would be highly illogical for me to try this item on. I already have plenty of off-duty clothes. I do not need any more. They are rarely worn.”

“Some clothes shopping is just about what you want over what you need, T’Pol, now try it on.”

Reluctantly, she slipped the sweater over her head. It fit like a glove, and suited her skin colouring perfectly. “Wow.” Trip said. “You look beautiful.”

T’Pol took it off and handed it back to Trip, who had the hanger clutched in his hand. “Satisfied?” She asked. A sales assistant came over to them. “Everything all right sir?” he said. Trip nodded and handed him the jumper. “We’ll have this.” He said. The sales assistant beamed, and took it to the till.

“What are you doing?” T’Pol asked.

“I’m buying you a jumper.” Trip said, handing the sales assistant his Credits card.

“I did not ask you to buy it for me.” T’Pol said in protest. He ignored her.

“No, but I want to. Call it a memento of our trip.” Signing the receipt, Trip handed the bag to her. Wordlessly, she took it, but as soon as they were away from the sales counter, she put it on. Trip reached up to her neck and gently removed the tag. “Don’t want you setting the alarms off.” He said. They looked at a few more shops before heading over to the restaurant to meet Trip’s parents. They were early, so took a table and ordered drinks, water for T’Pol, coke for Trip. They sat in silence for a few minutes until T’Pol spoke.

“Thank you for my jumper, Trip. You did not have to buy it for me, I would have bought it myself.”

Trip took her hand in his. She looked at him, then down at the sight of her small, elegant hand encased in his larger, slightly rougher one, surprised by his outward display of affection. “This is Earth, T’Pol, trust me, people do a hell of a lot more than hold hands in public. And, you’re welcome. It suited you, and you looked beautiful, and I wanted to buy it for you.” Trip said. There was silence for a few more minutes. Trip stabbed the ice in his glass with his straw.

"Thank you again for inviting me to stay with your parents.” She said.

“You’ve already thanked me, several times, and it’s still okay. Look, T’Pol, I gotta tell you, my parents, well, they know how I feel about you. Written all over my face, apparently. They think we’re an item, y’know, dating.”

“And are they wrong in their assumptions?” T’Pol asked.

“Well, that all depends on you. You know how I feel about you, and I know how you feel about me, but are we gonna act on those feelings?”

“I presume you mean pursue a romantic relationship?”

“Yeah.”

“I thought we agreed last night that we would.”

“Did we?”

“We were intimate.”

“We’ve been intimate before and I got called a lab rat.”

“Those were your words, Trip.”

Trip could sense an argument brewing. Well, they hadn’t had one for a whole thirty-six hours, they had one due. “I know they were my words, T’Pol,” he explained, attempting to diffuse the situation, “but you did refer to me as an 'exploration.'”

“I did not know that you required a relationship from it.”

“I didn’t, I mean, one would have been nice, but I didn’t require one.”

“Neither did I.”

“But you do now?”

“We have had at least two offspring that we are aware of, although Elizabeth was not planned. Most of the crewmembers are aware that we hold each other in high regard. I know that you care for me, and I regard you highly--“

“Hold on, you regard me highly, but you don’t love me? That’s not what you were sayin’ last night!” Despite his best efforts, Trip could fell himself getting a little angry with her.

“You have misunderstood me, that is not what I mean. I understand the depth of your feelings, and mine share that depth. It is very difficult for Vulcans to say ‘love’. My point is, now that both of us are aware of how we regard each other, it is logical to pursue a relationship.”

“Logical, huh? What about Starfleet’s non-fraternisation policy?”

“Are you prepared to allow such a policy to affect your decision of entering into a relationship with me?” She said. That surprised him. He thought she’d use it as an obstacle for why they couldn’t be together.

“No, not for a second! I told you, T’Pol, you mean more to me than anything, I’m not gonna give you up that easily!”

She looked down at his hand, where it rested atop hers, and raised an eyebrow at him.

“There can be no hand-holding in public until I feel more comfortable displaying affection in public.” At that moment, Charles Sr. and Katie chose to arrive. “Are we interrupting anything?” Charles said. T’Pol leapt away from Trip, her face flushed with embarrassment that she had only been caught holding hands with his son, then seemed to remember that they were not on Vulcan, and relaxed somewhat. Her hand still remained on her side of the table.

“No Dad, just er. . .” Trip couldn’t think of an explanation. His cheeks were burning scarlet. They seemed to be doing that a lot recently.

“That’s a pretty sweater T’Pol, you get that today?” Katie said, smiling at the sight of the flustered pair.

“Trip bought it for me.” T’Pol said, taking it off and putting it carefully in the carrier bag. It was making her hot.

“Yeah, after much protestin’ on your part!” Trip laughed.

There was silence for a few minutes as the four of them perused the menu. Trip snaked his arm around T’Pol’s chair to see if she objected. She did not. A waiter came over to take their order. The four of them ordered sandwiches. Once their lunch arrived, they made small talk, Katie and Charles asking T’Pol about her career, life on Vulcan, what she thought of Enterprise, other general questions. The four of them were skirting around the issue that had brought the pair of them back to Earth, but for now, they all played along.

“So, you decided to spend your leave on Earth rather than Vulcan? Bet your mom was pleased about that!” Katie exclaimed. T’Pol raised an eyebrow in response. “My mother died.”

Katie looked mortified. “Oh dear Lord, I am so sorry! I had no idea!”

“Do not trouble yourself, I had not informed you, you had no reason to know. We did not part on good terms, but I saw her as she was dying and we were reconciled.” The bill arrived. T’Pol insisted, despite multiple protestations, that she would pay. “It is the least I could do, since you have been so kind to let me stay in your home.” She insisted, handing the waiter her Credits card.

They arrived back at Katie and Charles’ house in the late afternoon. Charles said that he would make coffee, and they could sit on the porch and drink it. Trip and T’Pol said they were going for a quick walk, and headed down to the beach to sit on their rock.

“How much have you told your parents about our situation?” T’Pol asked. They were sitting watching the sun slowly set into the ocean, listening to the crashing of the waves against the beach.

“I told ‘em quite a lot, not about us, but about Elizabeth.”

“What shall we tell them? When we return they will expect us to explain the circumstances surrounding her creation and her death.”

“I don’t know, what do you think?”

“I do not see how they can fully appreciate the situation without knowing the full facts.”

“The full facts?”

“We do not have to reveal intimate details, Trip. A simple narrative will suffice.”

“Uh, ok.” Trip really wasn’t comfortable with telling his parents about how exactly he and T’Pol became involved, Vulcan neuropressure wasn’t exactly the same as having a few dates before you decided to sleep with someone, but maybe they could skirt around that.

“Trip, I need to ask you something.” She said. She looked serious; well, more serious than usual.

“Ok, what’s wrong?”

“Do you remember me explaining to you that we had become bonded?”

“Yeah, why?”

She took a deep breath, and focused her thoughts on him

<< Can you hear me? >> She said to him, through her subconscious. He blinked once, then twice.

“Was that you I just heard in my head?”

“Yes.”

“So this is what you wanted to tell me? That we can hear each other's thoughts?”

“Yes. I thought that the bond had been broken because we were not intimate after that one time, and for a period of time our relations were . . . cold, but then after Elizabeth’s death, and last night, I found this morning that I could sense what you were feeling.”

“You could?”

“Yes. When you awoke, you questioned the reality of our situation, and what we had said to each other.”

“Wow. Can you feel me now?”

“I can feel you all the time.” She did not mention that all she could feel from him was sadness and grief. “Can you feel my emotions?” She asked. He concentrated, and then shook his head. “Maybe it’s one sided?” He offered. She shook her head.

“It should be a reciprocal relationship. After we have spoken to your parents, we will discuss this further.” They stood up, and headed back towards the house.

Once they were back, the four of them sat outside on the porch, Trip and T’Pol in one rocker, Katie and Charles in another. For a few moments no one said anything, and simply focused on their drinks. It was T’Pol who broke the silence.

“Trip and I wish to tell you about Elizabeth. It is quite a convoluted story, and may take some time.”

“We’re not goin’ anywhere, T’Pol--that’s why you guys are here, to talk to us.” Katie said.

Trip continued, grateful that it had been T’Pol who had broached the conversation first. “We wanna tell you everything; about us, Lorian-“

“Lorian?”

“Our other child.” T’Pol said.

Katie and Charles looked really confused. “Your other child?”

T’Pol stole a glance at Trip. His parents would not fully understand unless they began at the beginning. “Let me start from the beginning, then you can hear everything.” She said. Between her and Trip they told his parents everything that had transpired since the Xindi attack, the neuropressure, their burgeoning feelings for each other (leaving out the first time they had made love), the weapon, Lorian, the Augments, T’Pol’s marriage to Koss, their constant bickering, and the bond they now shared. By the time they had finished, it was dark outside, and their drinks had gone cold.

Trip looked at his parents. Both of them had shocked expressions on their faces. He looked at T’Pol anxiously; he had never shocked his parents into silence before. “Charles? Katie? We have finished our narrative.” T’Pol said.

“Oh my, I . . . I don’t know what to say!” Katie said.

“So much for a simple narrative.” Trip muttered.

“And this has all happened in the past two years?” Charles said, still trying to comprehend what they had just been told. Vulcan neuropressure, Xindi weapons, Augments, and a grandson from an alternate universe who hadn’t been born yet but was a actually a hundred years in the past was a lot to take in during the space of a few hours. T’Pol nodded in understanding. “We know that this is hard to accept.”

“Look mom, dad, we know it sounds a little nuts, and it might take you a while to get your head around what we’re saying, but we just thought that if you were gonna hear about Lizzie, you deserved the full story.”

Katie looked at the pair of them, as if suddenly focusing on them for the first time that evening. They were holding hands. “So you two are . . . together.”

“If you mean involved in a romantic relationship, then yes, you are correct.” T’Pol confirmed, before adding, “It took us some time to realise that we shared romantic inclinations towards each other.”

There was silence again, until Trip could bear it no longer. “So what do you think?” He asked.

“Well, we’re glad you told us.” Katie said.

“Maybe the three of you should discuss this in private.” T’Pol stood up. Trip yanked her back down. “T’Pol, come on, you’re family.”

This time, Katie and Charles stood up. “I think we’ll go talk about this privately tonight. We’ll see you in the morning.” Katie pressed her lips to Trip’s head, as she had done since he had been born. “I’ll see you in the morning.” She went to do the same to T’Pol, but remembered that Vulcans didn’t like to be touched, and thought better of it.

After his parents had said goodnight, Trip and T’Pol were left alone outside. “Well?” Trip asked.

“They seem to be taking it . . . well. You must realise that to them the situation does sound somewhat illogical and implausible.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“I’m sure they will be understanding.” T’Pol said. Trip scooted over towards her, craving bodily contact. He slipped an arm around the back of the rocker and began gently stroking her hair.

<< Can you hear me? >> She heard suddenly inside her head.

<< Yes, perfectly. You said that you could not sense my thoughts. > >

<< Yeah, well, while we were talking I realised I could, guess I must have been tryin’ a bit too hard at the beach. > >

<< What am I thinking now? > >

<< You’re real sad about Elizabeth. And you’re worried that my folks don’t like ya. > >

<< You are correct. > >

<< This feels weird, talkin’ without usin’ my mouth. Do I sound ok? Normal, I mean? > >

<< You sound perfectly normal, Trip. > >

<< You don’t have to worry about my folks, T’Pol. They love ya, I can tell! >>

<< I am worried that they dislike me because I am Vulcan. > >

<< What! > >

<< Our species are very different, Trip. I may never be able to give you the emotional satisfaction you crave. >>

<< Well isn’t that what this mind-talkin’ stuff is for? So you can say stuff only to me that you can’t put into spoken words? > >

<< Very perceptive, have you been researching Vulcan mating bonds? > >

<< Maybe. >> T’Pol caught a glint in his eye. She sighed.

<< I wish I could have comforted you when Elizabeth died. I am unused to having to comfort humans. > >

<< You did ok considerin’ you’re Vulcan. > >

<< I wish I could have given you what you wanted. You left me alone, as I requested. > >

<< You’re here now. > >

<< Yes, I am. >> Trip suddenly felt a wave of anguish hit him. It was T’Pol. He pulled her closer. << Did that come from you? > >

<< Yes. I too am grieved for our daughter, Trip. > >

<< Yeah, I can tell. >>

<< I wish to go back to our rock by the beach. I find it extremely relaxing. Will you accompany me? > >

<< Sure. > >

They stood up and made their way down to the beach. It was dark, but they did not stumble. After a few minutes they reached their rock, and simply sat, facing each other, in silence. They did not need spoken words any more.

<< Are we gonna talk like this all the time? >> Trip asked.

<< I am sure there will be occasions when we need to converse verbally, Trip. Are you not appreciating the experience? > >

<< Well, yeah, but I’m worried in case my voice stops workin’! > >

<< I am sure that will never happen. > >

She was silent for a few minutes, lost in thought. Trip noticed immediately.

<< Oh no, you can’t hide your thoughts from me anymore, T’Pol, what’s up? >>

<< I wish to mind-meld with you. > >

<< What? Are you sure that’s such a good idea? > >

<< It would not be invasive or unpleasant. I have much I wish to tell you, but it would be easier if I simply showed you. Would that be all right? > >

After a few moments’ consideration, he nodded. She edged closer, placing her hand along the contact points on his face. Both closed their eyes. “My mind to your mind, my thoughts to your thoughts, my mind to your mind, my thoughts to your thoughts . . .“ she continued the mantra until she could feel their minds merging. When Trip opened his eyes, he was standing in the white space that he had been in only once before, when he had accidentally stumbled into her mediation session.

“T’Pol?” He called out. She was behind him. “I am here.”

“So what was it you wanted to tell me?” He turned around, and she drew closer.

“This.” She brushed her lips against his.

Inside of a few seconds, she had shown Trip her entire life. He had seen her awkward childhood and adolescence, as she struggled to contain her emotions, failing several times, much to the distress of her parents. He saw her early years at the Vulcan Science Academy, her first posting, right through her career until her posting to Enterprise. He saw their developing relationship through her eyes; their verbal sparring which irritated her initially, but soon she began to enjoy it. He saw his less than gentle words of advice after he had accidentally stumbled upon her letter from Koss, how she was grateful, even then, that he did not tell her to go through with the marriage. He saw her pain for him when she learned of the death of his sister, and her initial reticence to participate in neuropressure sessions with him because of her fear that she could not mask her feelings towards him. He watched their relationship grow because of those sessions, from a frosty regard to a warm, trusting understanding between two people from completely different backgrounds and with a radically different attitude towards life. He felt her jealousy and hurt when he performed neuropressure on Amanda Cole--only now did he realise what an intimate act it was--and he felt her struggle with the desire to stake her claim over him versus a strict code of conduct instilled in all Vulcans. Her desire had won, and he felt her shame afterwards; the shame that had caused her to push him away, the shame caused by the fear that her Trellium-D addiction had caused her desire for Trip, not her feelings for him.

Then came her marriage to Koss. She brought him back to Vulcan, later hoping that he would dissuade her from marrying Koss, as he had done in the past. She interpreted his silence when she did marry him as indifference. Then Lorian and Elizabeth. He felt her joy of knowing that there might be a chance for them to salvage their relationship, which at that moment in the past had seemed all but lost to her. He felt her heart-wrenching grief when Elizabeth had died, and her utter inability to deal with the barrage of emotions it unleashed, never mind having to deal with his as well. Suddenly, without warning, they were back in the white space. T’Pol stepped away from Trip, suddenly embarrassed at what she had shown him.

“Now you know.” She said softly, and he did. He knew everything about her; her likes, her dislikes, what made her happy and sad, what made her laugh, every single thing about her, he knew.

“My turn.” He said, pressing his lips to hers, the same way she had done. Again, inside of a few seconds, she knew everything about him; growing up in a small Florida coastal town, his first crush, his first kiss, the first time he had sex, moving away from his family for the first time, his time at the Academy, his first meeting with Archer, his first posting in space. Then she came to Enterprise, and she saw their relationship through Trip’s eyes. His initial dislike of her, which soon subsided into a serious crush, which he tried to disguise by attempting to get a rise out of her at every opportunity. She saw him receive the news of Lizzie’s death, and the grief that nearly tore him apart. She saw his horror when the Doctor suggested neuropressure with T’Pol. He had been terrified that she would discover that he had feelings for her. She saw his flirtation with Amanda Cole, which in his eyes had been a passing fancy, something to distract him from his growing feelings for her. She felt his wonder when they had first made love; of kissing her, touching her, being inside of her, how he had fallen asleep that night and walked around the next morning with a massive grin on his face, slipping away from her quarters in the early hours, so no crewmembers would see him. Then she felt the sharp sting of rejection as she coolly informed him that he had been an ‘exploration.’ T’Pol felt that pain as acutely as if it were her own. She watched him battle his feelings for her, convinced they were not reciporocated. She felt his delight when he met Lorian; the encounter giving him some hope that maybe, just maybe, they might end up together. She felt the pain caused by his decision to transfer to the Columbia, and his joy when she told him that she wanted him to return to Enterprise. Finally, she felt his grief when Elizabeth had died; horrific, inconsolable grief for a daughter he had known only for a few hours, yet loved her as if he had delivered her himself.

She opened her eyes and looked at Trip. She now knew everything about him; his likes, his dislikes, what made him laugh, what made him happy, what made him sad. She knew everything.

“I know everything.” She said softly.

He nodded. “Me too.”

When Trip opened his eyes, they were back to themselves, sitting atop their rock, facing each other, their knees touching. T’Pol’s eyes were still closed, her hand fixed firmly in place on the side of his face. He did not notice that his hand had moved to her face, mimicking her. She opened her eyes slowly, as if waking from a long sleep. Her eyes, once cold and flat due to her strict emotional control, were now deep pools of conflicting emotions and desire. She removed her hand from his face, and he did the same. His hands and his face felt hot from where they had been connected.

“I know why you wanted to show me instead of tellin’ me all that stuff.” He said.

“So you understand? I was concerned that my transmission would be somewhat convoluted, I have never attempted a meld of that nature.”

“I understood perfectly. How was mine?”

“It was completely coherent.” They stood up in unison, and Trip put his hand in hers. For once, she did not mind holding his hand in public. They regarded each other with something bordering on awe; Trip could not believe that he had known her only four years; he felt like he had known her a lifetime.

<< That was the intention of the meld. >> He heard her voice inside of his head. He grinned.

They did not sleep much that night. They did not make love, but instead simply lay together, naked, their bodies pressed as tightly together as they could, the sheets a tangled mess on the floor. They did not talk; they simply watched the other. There was no need for words.

Trip finally dropped off in the morning around 0500, long after T’Pol, mentally exhausted from initiating the meld, had fallen asleep. He had simply watched her, not trying to sense her dreams in case she sensed him and awoke. When he woke at around ten that morning the bed was empty. He reached out through his mind to try to find her, but could not sense her. He’d need to work on that. He slipped into his pale blue cotton bathrobe that he grabbed from the still unpacked suitcase and padded downstairs. T’Pol was speaking with Katie. Both of them stopped and looked up when Trip came into the kitchen, yawning.

“Well aren’t you a sight for sore eyes!” Katie said, laughing.

“I do not believe I have seen you wear that . . . robe before.” T’Pol said.

“Mom bought it for me one Christmas. I never get the chance to wear it on Enterprise!” Trip said.

T’Pol stood up. “I think that I will go for a walk.” She said. Trip kissed her forehead as she went past him.

<< Talk to your mother. She understands. >> He heard her say. He took a deep breath, and sat down on the sofa next to Katie.

“Did you and Dad talk?”

She nodded. “I’m sorry if we upset you guys yesterday by walking out, but we were so shocked by what you had told us. Anyway, T’Pol and I had a really good chat while you were in bed. She’s such a lovely girl, Trip, I’m just so sorry for you both that things got so messy.”

“Yeah, well, we both seem to have a habit of getting’ ourselves into trouble!”

“Talk to her, Trip. She needs you as much as you need her to get through this. Just know that your dad and I are glad you’re back, we’re just so sorry-“ His mom stifled a sob, and Trip hugged her. “Its ok, Mom, it's ok.” He said soothingly.

Trip found T’Pol sitting outside, drinking some water, on the rocker on the porch, and looking out to the sea, a wistful look in her eye. Trip down beside her, still in his robe.

<< Did you speak with your mother? > >

<< Yeah, we spoke a bit. They’re both a little shocked, that’s all, I mean, it’s a lot to take in. > >

<< Yes, it is. >>

<< T’Pol, please talk to me, I can speak to you inside your head, but you’re holding something back. > >

<< I am thinking about Elizabeth. We came here to talk about us and grieve for our daughter. We have talked about us, now we must grieve. > >

<< I know. >> He took her hand in his, then asked, << How do Vulcans usually grieve? > >

<< Alone. In silence. > >

<< You want me to leave you? > >

<< No, I did not mean to imply that I wished to be alone. > >

<< You want me to sit here? > >

<< Yes. Just for a little while. >> And so they sat for a while not speaking, simply listening to the sounds of the ocean

<< Do you believe that Elizabeth would have liked it here? >> T’Pol asked. Trip nodded. << Yes, I think she would have. > >

<< So do I. >>

Trip sensed her tears before he saw them. There was only one at first, then another, and another, until they fell without stopping. She made no noise, and no move to brush them away. Trip could feel her emotional resolve slowly crumbling, and pulled her into his arms, tears streaming down his own face, and they sat together, her face buried in the soft cotton of his robe, for some time, mourning the loss of their daughter together.

After they had both cried until there were no tears left, Trip changed into a pair of shorts and a plain white t-shirt, and they wandered down back to the beach, where they walked, hand in hand, letting the waves wash over their bare feet. They did not speak much, they simply walked. “What happens when we return to Enterprise?” T’Pol asked suddenly. The pair of them sat down on the sand, and watched a family building sand castles not far from where they were sitting.

“I’m not sure, what do you mean?”

“We have already discussed our remaining romantically attached, but do we inform the crew, and the Captain, and Starfleet, or the High Command?”

“I don’t know--guess we’ll have to at some point.”

“They would transfer us to different vessels.” T’Pol said. Trip could feel her anxiety bubbling to the surface.
He put his arms around her waist and pulled her close. “Let’s not talk about this now.” He said, kissing the top of her forehead. “You need to meditate.”

She shook her head. “I am all right.”

“No, you’re not. You’ve just cried, and you’re letting me touch you in public.”

“I have just lost my daughter.”

“I know.”

<< I am worried that if I regain my emotional control I will lose you. >> She said to him, through their bond.

<< Darlin’, you’re not gonna lose me, I’ll be right here! You need to meditate, even if it’s just for a little while. I’ll go back to the house, all right? Come back when you’re ready. I love you. > >

T’Pol returned later, after several hours of meditation on their rock. She still felt emotionally raw after the past few days, but much more at peace with herself. After she had stopped using Trellium-D, Phlox had warned her that she might never regain full control of her emotions. He had been right. As hard as she had tried, T’Pol knew that she would never have the same level of control she once possessed. Her relationship with Trip and the death of Elizabeth served to further weaken the control she did have. There was a time when such a scenario would have caused her severe distress. Now she felt like she might find peace with her emotions after all. It was ironic that in order for her to master them, she had embarked on a relationship with the most emotionally volatile person she had ever met. She found Trio in the garage with his father, with the bonnet of the Tucker’s car up. They were looking at the engine. Trip stopped what he was doing when he saw her approach, and wiped his hands on a rag so he could embrace her.

“You ok now?”

She nodded. << Did you speak with your father? >> She asked him through their bond.

He nodded. << We spoke for a few hours while you were at the beach. It’s all ok, they were a bit shocked that they had all these grandkids that none of us knew about. >>

<< It is a lot of information to absorb. I will join your mother in the house. Will we be going for a walk later on the beach? > >

<< Would you like to? > >

<< Yes. I find it relaxing. > >

<< Then that’s what we’ll do. I love you. >>

<< And I you. I shall see you shortly. > >

And that was what they did; for the next ten days, they went on lots of walks, meditated, engaged in neuropressure, and had lots of steamy, passionate sex, intensified by their newly-forged mental bond-S-now so strong that they could feel, sense, and hear every emotion, sound, and smell that the other experienced. Each night they would think of Elizabeth. Trip cried, and T’Pol held him, and slowly, they felt like they were healing.

At the same time, Trip had never known anything like it; he was completely and utterly in love with her, and he wasn’t scared at all. He wanted them to remain at his parents’ house forever, where they could take long walks on the beach, talk without speaking without thought of the repercussions, make love to her on the beach behind their rock, as they did every evening, before curling up in bed with her, only to have her still there every morning. The thought of returning to Enterprise, with no beach, hard, single beds, and awful memories of Elizabeth did not exactly help matters.

But they were returning to Enterprise tomorrow afternoon. His mom had arranged a party for the pair of them, hoping it would cheer them up. She had invited their family and some of the neighbours. They were not due to arrive for another hour, and Trip had retreated upstairs for some much-needed time alone. T’Pol was meditating, and if he was honest with himself, he was finding it quite hard to get used to hearing her inside his head all the time, and was glad of some quiet time. As he packed, he glanced at his Enterprise uniform, folded neatly in his bag, and his fingers lovingly tracing the three pips on his collar. He had worked damned hard to get to where he was professionally, and he didn’t want to give it all up. But what of his personal life? He knew that he was an attractive guy, he’d never had any trouble attracting the ladies. It was attracting nice ladies and then getting them to stick around that proved to be the hard part. It was not secret that while his professional career had skyrocketed since he had joined Starfleet, his personal life had been firmly on the ground, perpetually stuck in the repair dock.

Until T’Pol. She combined intelligence and beauty in equal measure, and she was nuts about him. It was only recently, after the mind meld, that he had truly come to appreciate the depth of her feelings for him, and vice versa. He knew that they wouldn’t be able to keep their feelings secret aboard Enterprise; all it would take would be one comment, one look that lingered a little too long, and that would be it. Game over. One of them, if not both, would be reassigned to ships a galaxy away from each other, and that would spell the end to their relationship; despite T’Pol’s protestations that that was what their bond was for, Trip knew that if they were parted for long periods, it would begin to fade; there was no way to get around it, he wasn’t a telepath like she was, and long-distance relationships were neither viable nor desirable, something of which Trip had first hand experience. He had to make a choice, and right now, he didn’t know which one it would be.

Sitting in the lotus position, listening to the sounds of the waves, and the feel of surf against her skin, T’Pol was having a similar conversation with herself as she meditated. She had been offered a commission in Starfleet before, and knew it was still available if she wanted it. It was likely that she would have to take a demotion, but the offer was there. She did not know what to do, but she was sure that if she remained with the High Command, or joined Starfleet, it was unlikely that she and Trip would remain on the same vessel. If their relationship was discovered, and it would be too difficult to keep it a secret. The crew already had their suspicions surrounding the pair of them, and had since their neuropressure sessions began. The appearance of Lorian and Elizabeth had only added to the rumours. Reassignment was not desirable. Enterprise rarely saw other Starfleet vessels, and if the High Command found out, she would be transferred back to Vulcan, or a remote science outpost, if she were not ostracised from them completely. She might never see Trip again, and that was unacceptable.

T’Pol had not really considered the ramifications this might have on their careers when she had informed Trip of her feelings for him. Both of them had acted on pure emotion alone, and now they were faced with a difficult choice. One, or both of them would have to change their career if the relationship was to continue. There was also the question of where they would reside. She knew that Trip would not want to reside on Vulcan, even if he were allowed, but would she be happy on Earth, or the Lunar Colony? How could she choose between Trip and her career? Which one did she desire more? Did he want her to make that kind of a choice? Did she want to have to make that choice? These, any many more questions swirled around her head as she stood up. Trip’s parents had arranged a party for them that evening, and she had to return to the house and prepare herself for meeting the rest of Trip’s family.

Trip had told T’Pol that he had a large family, but she did not realise simply how large until they all began to arrive in the late afternoon, and did not stop arriving until about eight that night. While Trip may have only had one sister, he had many aunts and uncles, and cousins, all of whom had children. There were also other people, members of Trip’s extended family; people who were close friends, who had watched Trip grow up. She was told that the Xindi, had killed several of Trip’s family aside from Lizzie, so some were absent. It seemed like all of his cousins had children of varying ages, who were now, in T’Pol’s opinion, running around, completely out of control, one wielding a long wooden stick while another child threw a ball at him. Trip, of course, was right in the middle of it all, his hand encased in a large leather glove--that is, when he wasn’t helping cook food on a large outdoor oven, or consuming bottles of alcohol with his cousins. T’Pol stood to one side, slightly away from the others, observing the scene, a glass of water in her hand. All of them had eyed her with interest when Katie had told them that she was Trip’s girlfriend. None of them knew about Elizabeth, or at least, she didn’t think they did.

Her solitude was interrupted by a woman, maybe Trip’s age, with tumbling blonde hair and brilliant blue eyes came up to her, a young child on her hip, no more than six months old. He too had blonde hair and blue eyes. T’Pol glanced around; they all had blonde hair of varying shades, and blue eyes. The Tucker genes were resilient, obviously.

“Hi, you must be T’Pol, right? I’m Julia, Trip’s cousin.” She held out her hand, which T’Pol shook. “Thought I’d come keep ya company, noticed you by yourself, they can be quite a lot to handle all at once!” She said, gesturing to the crowd of people.

“Yes, they can.”

“I see Trip’s helpin’ with the BBQ, like always! The last time we had one of these family BBQs, Trip was adamant that he could make it ‘more efficient’, we all told him it wasn’t a starship engine, but he wouldn’t have it, he nearly set the damned house on fire!”

“I can imagine that.”

“Trip’s had some pretty rotten luck with girls in the past, he always seems to miss out on the really nice ones and go straight for the worthless ones – sorry, I didn’t mean it as it sounded! Katie said you’re really nice, I had to come see for myself!”

“Is this your daughter?” T’Pol said, gesturing to the child on her hip, who was eyeing her with curiosity. Julia nodded. “Yeah, this is my little angel, my other angel’s playin’ baseball over there.” She gestured to a young boy, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, who was swinging a baseball bat that was almost at tall as he was.

“Your children are beautiful.” T’Pol murmured. If Elizabeth had lived, would she have looked like these children? Would she have been playing ‘baseball’, as they are now? T’Pol suddenly felt herself well up. Julia noticed, and put her hand on T’Pol’s arm. “T’Pol, Katie told me about what happened, I’m so sorry, if there’s anything I can do-“ her son tugging on her arm cut her short. “Mommy, can you come pitch for us? Uncle Trip was, but he’s improving the efficiency of the BBQ again!” He said. Julia looked at T’Pol apologetically. “I’m so sorry, I’ll just be a minute.”

“Take your time. . . do you want me to watch your daughter?” T’Pol asked. Julia looked at her. “Are you sure? I mean, if it’s gonna upset you-"

“No, play with your son, I will be fine.”

Julia gave the infant to T’Pol. “Her name’s Karen, I’ll be back in five minutes.” She said.

Now that T’Pol held Karen in her arms, she was unsure as to whether this had been a good idea. The baby looked at T‘Pol in wonder, and reached out a tiny hand to touch her dark hair. She sat down on a lounger, with the infant in her arms. “Greetings, Karen, I am T’Pol, I am your Uncle Trip’s mate. You resemble him quite remarkably.” She said. She was unaware that Trip was watching her. He had stepped away from the baseball game for a few minutes to get the BBQ going, after which he was planning on keeping T’Pol company. He knew could be a lot to take in one go. He had introduced her to everyone, and she had made small talk for a few minutes, before taking up position a discreet distance away. Then he saw her, sitting down on a sun lounger, holding Karen almost exactly as she had held Elizabeth when they had first found her, the same quizzical expression on her face. He felt his eyes fill with tears. That should be our daughter she’s holdin’, he thought. T’Pol sensed his anguish immediately, and gave him a look.

<< Please, do not to think like that, Trip. There will be other children that we can bring to these gatherings. You may even teach them to play ‘baseball.’ > >

<< I’m sorry, T’Pol, but seein’ you with that baby girl just kills me. >> He turned his head away, and busied himself with getting a good flame on the BBQ.

The party began winding down about eleven, by which point many of the children were asleep. T’Pol and Trip were tidying up. Trip had forgotten how good it was to see all his family again, and how much he had missed them. Again, thoughts of returning to Enterprise bubbled to the surface. There had been a time when he couldn’t get back to Enterprise fast enough after spending his leave with his parents and family, not that he disliked spending time with them, just that they could be a little hard to handle all at once. Now, however, he was beginning to wonder if he really wanted to leave all that badly.

He watched T’Pol carefully putting paper plates into a garbage bag. He could sense that she, while being overwhelmed initially, had also enjoyed the party. He sat down, and glanced around the garden. The last time they had had a party like this had been the last time he had been back on Earth. Before the Xindi attack. Before Lizzie had died.

A drop of rain hit the chair he was sitting on. Then another, and another. Inside of a few minutes there was torrential rain. Trip and T’Pol ran for cover under the porch, both of them soaked, despite the fact that they had only been out in the rain for a few minutes.

<< Did you enjoy yourself today? >> He asked her. She raised her eyebrow at him, and he chuckled. His old friend had returned.

<< You know I did, you can sense my thoughts. > >

<< Just bein’ polite. > >

<< You enjoyed yourself. > >

<< Yeah, I did. It was great seein’ ‘em all again--don’t know when I’ll next get the chance. > >

<< It could be a considerable period before we are next granted leave, and are able to return to Earth. > >

<< T’Pol, did you mean what you said before, about there being other children, that we could bring to these things? > >

<< If we are to remain romantically attached, and bonded, it is logical that we will, at some point, have a family. The Doctor assures me that it might be some time before Vulcans and humans can have children, but there is no reason to doubt that we will not have children. > >

<< Do you want to have my kids, T’Pol? > >

She paused for a few moments before answering, formulating her answer.

<< When Lorian revealed his identity to us, I was shocked, but after we discovered Elizabeth, I realised that I would be honoured to have your children. > >

<< Really? Wow. It really tore me up, seein’ you with little Karen, I kept thinkin’, ‘that should be Elizabeth you’re holdin’. > >

<< It was not meant to be, Trip. Elizabeth was created to prove that Vulcans and humans are fundamentally incompatible with each other. We know that is not the case. > >

There was silence for a few moments, before Trip spoke, out loud this time.

“T’Pol, I’ve been thinkin about what we’re gonna do when this leave is over.”

“As have I. What is your conclusion?”

“Well, way I see it, we’ve got three choices.”

“And those choices are?”

“Number one; we go back to Enterprise, keep quiet, pray that no-one realises what we’re up to.”

“I find such a choice to be highly illogical, unless it were for a limited period of time. We could not maintain a façade of indifference indefinitely. People would find out eventually. Besides, the deception would be dishonourable.”

“Agreed. Number 2; we tell the Captain, and accept the consequences.”

“That option is a shorter version of option number one, and is also undesirable and illogical. Even if the Captain were to be accepting of our relationship, it is highly probable that Starfleet would want one of us to be transferred, and the High Command would demand it.”

“Your career would be over.”

“As yours might be. I would possibly be ostracised from Vulcan. What is choice number three?”

Trip took a deep breath. “I want you to hear me out before you say anything.”

“Very well. Continue.”

“We leave Enterprise, both of us. We get jobs either outside Starfleet or on a Starfleet base, maybe here, or even Washington, even on the Lunar Colony, and we live together, no hiding our relationship. Then we don’t have to worry about the High Command or Starfleet breathin’ down our necks, especially not if we leave Starfleet. There’s any number of private engineerin’ firms that would snap the pair of us up.”

T’Pol was silent for a few moments, considering Trip’s third option. “Your third proposal has a certain merit, and logic. It is the only way that we could be open about our relationship, and not jeopardise it by risking a transfer.”

“But, at least one of us would have to give up workin’ for Starfleet, or the High Command, or both. That would spell the end to any dreams either of us had about havin’ our own ship.”

T’Pol turned around to watch the rain fall. “But we would have each other.” She said. He nodded.

“What do you say?” He asked.

“I do not know.”

“Me neither. I love you, T’Pol, god, I do, more than anything, but I’ve wanted my own ship for as long as I’ve been in Starfleet, longer than I’ve been in Starfleet. It’s not an easy thing to sacrifice, and to go back to bein’ Earthbound after this long in space. Well, it’d be hard.”

“I agree. I too have always wanted a vessel of my own.”

“But, if we stay in space, we may as well consign our relationship to the dustbin.”

“An interesting analogy, but yes.”

“Could you live on Earth, T’Pol with me?”

“Could you live on Vulcan, with me?”

Neither of them answered that question. Instead, they simply watched the rain fall.

Trip awoke early the next morning to find that the space next to him in the bed was vacant. He looked out of the window. It was still raining heavily. He went to put on his robe, but it was gone. Instead, he slipped into an old white shirt with very fine blue lines on it, and faded, ripped jeans. He padded downstairs barefoot. The house was deathly quiet. His parents were still asleep. He found T’Pol, dressed in his robe and nothing else, sitting on the porch, watching the rain. There was a glass of water next to her. She had one leg drawn up to her body, resting her chin on it, the other foot gently pushing the swing. He slid an arm around her.

“Come to bed.” He whispered. She shook her head. “I am not tired.” She shook her head again, and turned to face him. Her hair was messed up from where she had been lying on the bed. Worry was etched onto her beautiful features. “I cannot think of anything but our conversation last night.” She said.

He sat down next to her, and took a sip of her water. “Me neither.”

“I care for you, Trip. I know that you know, but I also know that you like hearing me express it verbally.”

“Yeah, I do. Sounds kinda nice.”

“I have made my decision.” She said quickly. He tried to sense what she had decided, but she had shielded her thoughts from him.

“And?” He wasn’t sure if he wanted to hear this.

“Of the three choices you laid before us, I found the first two to be completely unacceptable. I do not wish for our relationship to end, nor do I wish for it to be conducted covertly.”

“So it’s choice number three?”

She nodded. “If that is acceptable to you. It means us abandoning any career aspirations, but I believe that is a price worth paying. I do not wish to lose you.” She gently placed her hand over his, interlocking his fingers with hers.

He nodded, relieved that she hadn’t wanted to end it. “Yeah, I mean, it's not the ideal choice, but after this past fortnight, I’ve realised how much I’ve missed being home, not just back on Earth, bein' with my family, back in my folks’ house. I don’t even own my own house, and I’m 33. I always wanted to be married and have a couple of kids by the time I was thirty, yet all I’ve got is a berth on a starship that keeps getting’ the crap kicked outta her!”

“You also have a successful career and are the one of the most respected engineers in Starfleet. That is a heavy consolation, and your dream since you were a small child.” T’Pol reminded him. He nodded in agreement. “I just thought recently that havin’ somethin’ a little more permanent would be nice. But I’ve also realised that I couldn’t ever bear to lose you-- you’re worth far more than a ship of my own.”

“So we are in agreement about our options?”

He nodded. “Guess that means we’re not goin back to Enterprise, huh?”

“We can return and see what Captain Archer has to say. If the news is not promising, we will leave.”

“We’ll have to start looking around for jobs, where do you wanna live? Any ideas?” He pulled her closer to him and kissed her, feeling an overwhelming love for her. She returned his affection readily.

“Somewhere with a beach.” She replied.

FINIS

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!

A whole mess of folks have made comments

Wow...very nicely done. I really like the characterizations and the development/pace of the story.

Very nice. VERY nice!

There were two things that bugged me a little, though. Trip's Dad was a Junior, not Senior. Trip is Charles III. That means Trip's Granpa was Senior, and his Dad Junior.
Another thing was that the water temperature in Northen California. I thought it was all very very cold. I have seen people go scuba diving fully dressed in wet suit and hood, or maybe even in dry suit. But not anyone going skinny dipping. I thought you need the body fat of California seals or sea otters to go into the ocean not to freeze in there, even in the warmest time of summer. With body fat of T'Pol's, or lack thereof, she might just become frozen after 30 seconds.

But over all, it was very nice. I really liked how they each learned how the other was feeling. And I also really liked the conclusion that they reached. It was not easy. But it was very believable and satisfying.

Star Watcher,
So well done, so believable. Don't you worry about the little things. You've written a first-rate future for our favorite couple, and it couldn't be more satisfying. I really loved the imagery of them at peace at the beach, healing. Perfect setting. I loved how you wrote the two of them, their miscommunication and then the meld. That meld was one of the best ones I've read, and there's been more than a few on this site! But that one rocked. Great work!

Great story.

Very nice, well done! :)

gr8 r u gonner do a second part 2 this when they get bk 2 the ship??
anyway gr8 story thnkxxxz

wonderful, just wonderful, very well written. One of the best fics I've ever read. ! Thank you

Outstanding story! But please continue it! We've GOT to see what Archer's reaction is, and what he does when they get back to the ship.

WONDERFUL ABSOLUTLY.... WONDERFUL.... I LOVED THIS THANKS FOR SHARING!

What a beautiful story - the characterizations were spot-on! Please continue the story and don't worry about the little things people were nitpicking about. I didn't even notice. Who know, maybe in 200 years, the water in N. CA will be warm! :)

Thanks for making Trip's parents normal people and not tera prime freaks!!!!!

This was a great story.