On Earth

ENDLESS SUMMER HIATUS CHALLENGE

On Earth

By stub

DATE: 9-26-04
RATING: PG-13
DISCLAIMER: I have nothing to do with Paramount, Star Trek, Trip or T'Pol. Not in reality, anyway.
SUMMARY: Trip takes T'Pol away for 24 hours on Earth. This is a long story about nothing. **NO Season 4 spoilers** It's safe to read if you're avoiding them.

AUTHOR'S NOTE #1: This is a summer hiatus challenge posed by the HoT Trip/T'Polers mods. Because they don't write their own fic, they pressure the rest of us to comply. And I love them for it. The words to be used in the challenge are in bold.
AUTHOR'S NOTE #2: This was kind of inspired by a song titled "Beautiful" by Avion. Essentially, the ordinary can be quite extraordinary when sharing with someone else. This story is pure fluff. It's beyond fluff, really. It's just a well-needed break from all the stress.
AUTHOR'S NOTE #3: Also, I've never tried a story from first person in T'Pol's POV. At least I don't remember writing one. It's entirely possible, I suppose. But since I don't recall doing it, we'll just say this is my first. I offer my apologies now.

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Vulcans do not experience fear, or so they have convinced the rest of the universe. Having served on board a Human vessel for three years I can attest to the above statement as being false. There is so much that I have learned about myself and my people. We are not invincible; we are not indestructible. Vulcans, are indeed, fallible.

I have also learned that there are many varying degrees of fear. Trepidation, caution, apprehension and heart-stopping terror can be born of fear. The many battles we faced, my personal failures, and the situation I currently find myself in all lend to the lie I had been told throughout my upbringing.

With the timeline correctly restored and Captain Archer rightfully back in place, the crew of Enterprise was given a much needed rest. I had arranged my schedule to return to Vulcan for several weeks but not before Commander Tucker insisted that I accompany him to Florida.

"C'mon, T'Pol," he'd persisted. "Just you and me for 24 hours. I'll be a perfect gentleman, I promise." He'd grinned at me and batted those long lashes in my direction. I found it difficult to decline.

In fact, I do not even recall giving him an affirmative answer. My lack of answer was enough to convince him of my acceptance. Commander Tucker knew me well…perhaps too well. For the first time in that 24 hour period I felt the slender tendrils of fear begin to coil in my chest.

At the time the commander made the suggestion, I had assumed he would take me around his native lands, proudly showing off the places in which he grew up. I expected a Tucker history lesson. I received none of that. Our shuttle dropped us off several kilometers from a cabin Mr. Tucker explained belonged to his family in the Florida Keys.

"The walk will do us some good," he said and tugged my elbow gently. "I was getting kinda sick of being cooped up in that ship. Feels good to stretch the ol' legs."

I nodded. It was refreshing. We followed a little used road through dense trees and marshland carrying food and provisions for our short stay. The day was warm but not unbearably so. The air was moist, the dew point higher than what I was used to, but still comfortable. The surrounding trees shielded us from most of the direct sunlight. A light ocean breeze rustled through the leaves.

"How're you feeling?" he asked. The question seemed to come from nowhere.

I looked at him, a bit surprised. "I’m fine."

He stopped walking and tipped his head to the side. "How's the humidity on those desert lungs of yours?"

"As you know, I haven't been to Vulcan for quite some time," I replied. "My lungs have long since adapted to the different environments I've been subjected to."

Mr. Tucker smirked at me. "Ok then. Just checking." He turned and resumed walking. "We're almost there."

I followed, absently marveling at the indigenous plant life that was spared by the Xindi weapon. Thick stands of trees and brush surrounded us, yet I could still hear waves lapping against the shore from somewhere beyond the greenery. The intense blue sky contrasted starkly against the foliage. It was very different from what I was accustomed to.

Within minutes our destination became visible. The trees thinned to reveal a small homestead built mostly of wooden logs surrounded by tiny, unkempt swards on all sides. A worn path led from a door out to the sandy beaches of the Keys. It was stunning.

Mr. Tucker…Trip…grinned at me. "Gorgeous, isn't it?"

I nodded. "Indeed," I responded sincerely.

"Nobody's been down here for some time," he said. "We might have a bit of cleaning up to do before it's habitable."

"Very well," I said, but I didn't move. I couldn't take my eyes off the waves crashing to shore. The white birds circling and squawking were almost meditative. The light breeze swept against my face. I inhaled the salty sea air. Even if I had not brought my candles, I would have found enough solace in this place to accomplish my meditation. Perhaps I would try it on the beach. Another knot of…something…began to coil in my chest. Anticipation? Caution? I couldn't place it. It was too new.

I felt a light touch on my shoulder. I turned to find Trip gazing at me curiously. A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "C'mon," he said softly. "We've got all night to sit out here. Let's go get this place livable."

We reluctantly trudged inside the cabin, spending the next hour removing the dust sheets from the furniture, turning on the portable generator and making a general attempt at cleaning. We opened all the windows to let in the ocean breeze, to cleanse the stale air. It was a small home, two bedrooms, a lavatory, a small kitchen and common room with a fireplace surrounded by a rough stone mantle. It was very quaint and homey.

When fresh linens were on the beds and clean towels we brought hung up, Trip and I wandered out to the front porch. I hadn't noticed it earlier, but there was a large bench swing in the corner facing the water. Trip brought out a rag and wiped off the years of grime from the peeling paint. Then he took some cushions from the couch inside and laid them carefully on the swing.

"M'lady," he announced as he bowed deeply at the waist in an exaggerated display of old-fashioned chivalry, as I understood it.

I sat down and swung it tentatively to test the chains. They creaked but held. I looked up but Trip had disappeared inside once more. I allowed an inward smile. He was certainly enjoying himself.

Trip returned only a minute later with two bottles of water. He handed one to me as he sat down at my side. He opened his and casually threw an arm across the back of the swing. He took a long drink and grinned at me.

"This, T'Pol," he sighed, "is my idea of heaven."

"What did you have planned for us in these 24 hours on Earth?" I asked.

"Planned?" he parroted. He was silent for a moment, thinking. "Well…nothing."

"Nothing?" It was my turn to repeat.

"We're here to relax, T'Pol. A little R & R." At my raised eyebrow, Trip went on. "You know, rest and relaxation."

"I know what it stands for," I said. "I thought you would have had some hiking or sight-seeing plans made. Some kind of activities."

Trip shook his head. He looked slightly confused. "I just wanted to spend one day with you, away from everyone else. Someplace where you can let your hair down…it's a figure of speech…away from prying eyes and questioning glances." He leaned closer to me, his eyes intense. "I just wanted you to be able to be you without being under a microscope."

I blinked. That knot in my chest tightened at his words and the intensity of his gaze. I felt my heart rate begin to illogically increase.

"That's very…thoughtful of you," I replied. "It is easier to deal with these emotions away from others."

He said nothing, but smiled and nodded his head as if he understood. He finally looked away and said, "As much as I'd like you to think this was some noble gesture on my part, I did have an ulterior motive in bringing you down here."

This didn't surprise me. There had been considerable tension between us since our night together. However, being that he is a 'gentleman' I still didn't quite know what to expect from this man. He seemed very much at ease here, quite different than on Enterprise.

Trip looked over at me, almost sheepishly. He was waiting to see my response. I indulged him with a raised eyebrow.

"I could have come down here by myself," he said quietly. "I don't mind doing that. But it's so much prettier if I've got someone to share it with. Especially someone who's never been here before."

That wasn't the confession I was expecting to hear. I didn't know what to say. "Thank you," was all I could manage.

Trip slung an arm around my shoulders, gently pulling me into his side. I felt a sweat break out, the knots in my chest sunk to my stomach as my heart raced. What was I so afraid of? I trusted this man with my life, and I knew the same was true for him. He was a good friend, a one-time lover. I had no reason to fear this man. But my body told me otherwise.

We sat in silence, watching the waves and listening to the birds. The salty breeze swept our hair in all directions as insects buzzed contentedly around us. I finally felt myself begin to relax for the first time in a very long while. My heart slowed, almost to a meditative state and I allowed myself a sigh. The longer I sat in Trip's presence, the calmer I became. The sun crept steadily across the sky, sinking slowly to the horizon.

"I sure hate to break this up," said Trip softly, "but a man has needs." He combed his fingers through my hair and licked his lips suggestively. "I'm starving. How about you?"

I blinked. The knot that had begun to tighten in my stomach at his first words loosened. I thought he was going in another direction. I was uncertain if I felt relief or disappointment by his confession. I hadn't even thought about food. As soon as the suggestion was presented, my stomached growled loudly. I looked at him sheepishly.

"I'll take that as a yes," he laughed.

We went inside and gathered together a cold pasta salad primavera that Chef had pre-made for us, dishes and utensils, and a bottle of wine. At Trip's suggestion that we "picnic on the beach," I brought outside two blankets. I spread one out on the sand for us to sit on, while the other remained folded and unused.

"It might get a little chilly later," Trip explained with a wink and a smirk.

As we ate our dinner in the light ocean breeze, Trip regaled me with tales of his childhood. He spoke of his family's history of this cabin, about when he and his siblings were children they'd make up many games to entertain themselves. He told me how they'd run around screaming like "banshees" playing war games and making as much noise as possible. It was the only time his parents allowed such unruly behavior, how they let them just be kids. I saw how special this place was to him.

"How did such a small dwelling accommodate so many people?" I asked, sipping my second glass of wine. We'd finished eating, the dishes set aside in the sand. Trip was stretched out next to me on the blanket.

"Oh, there was always room for tents out here," he replied. "Mom and Dad kicked us out to the beach at night, hogging the cabin for themselves. But we didn't mind. Wouldn't have had it any other way." Trip was silent, lost in his memories. We watched the sun make its decent to the horizon. Storm clouds were gathering there, lighting the sky with deep oranges and pinks as they captured the rays of the fading day.

"Lizzy used to put katydids in my sleeping bag," he continued quietly. He looked up at me and smiled sadly. "Paybacks for the snakes."

"Snakes?" I prompted.

Trip nodded. "Yeah…a bit of sibling rivalry. She hated snakes, I hated bugs. We tormented each other like that for years."

I knew it was difficult for him to talk about his sister, the scars of her death still fresh in his heart.

"Perhaps we should talk about something else," I suggested softly.

He shook his head and sat up. "Nah…I'm ok." Trip looked at me and I could see the sparkle return to his eyes. "It helps to talk about her. It helps to be here."

I reached out and brushed away his tousled hair from his forehead. Trip's eyes widened in surprise at my gesture. A smile tugged the corners of his mouth.

"It helps to be here with you," he added. He caressed my cheek with the backs of his fingers.

"I am honored to share this special place with you," I whispered. The nervous fear returned with a rush as I gazed into his face. I felt strangely light-headed…perhaps it was too much alcohol. I watched as he tucked his tongue in his cheek, his eyes darted about my face. He suddenly seemed apprehensive.

"I wasn't sure you'd want to come down here with me."

I cocked my head to the side. "Why wouldn't I?"

Trip sighed and gazed back out at the setting sun. "I'm not sure where we stand, T'Pol. After…" He motioned with his hand in the air. "Everything that's happened." He glanced back at me. "I just wanted to share a piece of myself with you. I wanted you to see what makes me tick. I dunno."

I was uncertain how to respond. In a daring move only months ago I'd have attributed to the Trellium-D, I gently grasped his chin and turned his head towards me. I leaned in and kissed him softly on his lips. We slowly pulled apart.

"There is no other place that I'd rather be right now," I said. I did not know how else to reassure him. And I did not know why I needed to. I had an overwhelming urge to comfort him.

He studied me for a moment, sucking in his bottom lip. Then he smiled and nodded, taking me at my word. Trip scooted behind me, spooning me, and wrapped the second blanket around both of us.

"Thank you, T'Pol," he whispered into my ear. He kissed my temple and rested his chin upon my shoulder. I allowed myself to relax against him. I felt his arms tighten around me. "I'm not after anything but some time with you."

We sat together and watched the sun disappear behind the storm clouds, which had blossomed considerably. We huddled in companionable silence as the last light of day faded and the light breeze had turned into a cool wind. The clouds loomed closer. Lightning arced across the sky. It forked and flashed brilliantly.

"So much for star-gazing, huh?" my companion said.

I turned my head to him so my words wouldn't be lost in the wind and distant rumble of thunder. "I prefer this view. We can 'star gaze' any time on Enterprise."

I felt his head nod against mine. "Good point. But I was still kinda hoping to point out the constellations to you, show you Mars and Venus from here."

"It is a romantic gesture, however, I've seen them from Earth. It's been a long while since I've seen a thunderstorm, however. And I've never witnessed one from a private beach on the ocean," I said.

"Well," replied Trip, "I think we're in for a doozey."

As if on cue, large raindrops began to spatter us. The wind velocity doubled within seconds.

"I think we'd better take this party inside!" Trip said as we scrambled to our feet.

We gathered up our dishes and blankets and hurried into the cabin. Despite the short run from the beach, we were soaked from a sudden down pour. The lightning was near constant, though thunder only rumbled lowly.

"It'll catch up soon enough," Trip assured me.

Depositing the dishes into the sink, we changed into dry clothing and met back in the kitchen. We washed and dried the dishes together, listening to the hard rain beating against the roof and windows. Trip taught me "an interesting trick" in gauging how close a storm is. Counting seconds between each clap of thunder indicates the distance of the storm to one's location. The thunder soon indeed caught up to the lightning. There were several tremendous crashes, causing both of us to jump.

The storm had not lessened by the time we finished cleaning up our dinner. I felt somewhat unsettled.

"Feeling all right?" Trip asked, as if reading my mind. "You looked like you spaced out on me for a minute there." He was studying me closely.

"I think it best that I meditate," I replied. "The events from the Expanse still trouble me."

"It's ok," he said. "I understand. I brought a book." He winked and smiled.

"It is not my intention to be abrupt," I started to apologize.

"Don't be silly, T'Pol." Trip grasped me by the shoulders and shooed me to the room I was staying in. "This trip is about healing. There's nothing more I want than to see you get better."

We stood at the threshold to the bedroom.

"Thank you, Trip," I said.

"You don't have to thank me," he said and dropped a kiss on my forehead. He turned and disappeared into the common room.

I closed the door and set out my meditation candles. The thunder had reduced to rumbles again, though lightning still flashed nearly continuously. It was rather soothing. I lit the candles and focused on the sound of the rain against the cabin. I attempted to clear my head, empty my mind of thoughts from the last ten months…from the last 12 hours. My mind, however, kept returning to Trip Tucker. Images of him laughing, scowling, concentrating, and smirking; angry eyes flashed at Degra, tearful ones pleading with me to understand his loss. I felt so lost that day, feeling unable to help this man who had grown to be such a valuable part of my life.

Each time his face flashed in my mind, I focused on the emotions it brought forth. I recalled the heady rush his presence evoked in me every time I heard his voice. Each time he entered a room, I felt my heart skip and relief wash over me. I thought of the way my stomach would twist when I detected his scent and the way it lingered after he left. I could still feel the texture of his skin, warm and soft over hard muscles. I even remembered how he tasted.

I opened my eyes and stared at the flames before me. These thoughts and emotions were not fearful. They were comforting. This should not be shameful. I cared about Trip. He was my friend. Nervousness, shortness of breath, rapid heart beat, cold sweats…these were symptoms I'd been attributing to fear. But there was another emotion associated with these. I realized that it was this emotion that was frightening. And I welcomed it. Perhaps instead of fighting these emotions, embracing them would be more beneficial to myself as well as Trip and others around me.

With this revelation and new understanding of myself, I extinguished the candles. I wasn't certain how long I had been in the room. The storm seemed to have passed, though I could still hear the wind gusting outside. I silently crept into the common room, expecting to see my friend reading his book. Instead he was lying on the couch, the book propped open on his chest. His breathing was even and slow. He was sound asleep.

I watched him for several moments before tugging a homemade quilt from the back of the couch. I gently draped it across his body. I continued to study his sleeping form, a guilty pleasure I did not get to indulge in enough. Finally satisfied that he was peaceful in his dreams, I returned to my room and crawled into bed. I sighed deeply and closed my eyes. For the first time in a long while, sleep came almost immediately.

* * *

An enormous booming noise startled me awake. A sleepy glance to the window told me that another storm was raging. I rolled over and knocked my head against something hard. I pulled back. It was Trip's head. He was looking sleepily at me. His arm snaked around my waist, tugging me closer.

"Got scared," he mumbled. "Thunder." He smiled faintly, sighed and drifted back to sleep.

Too tired to think about it, I relaxed against him and returned to my own slumber.

I awoke the next morning alone in my bed. I wondered if improper meditation or over-tiredness had induced some bizarre dream of Trip snuggled with me. I thought it was real but then thought to another dream I had. A dream in which Trip's hand had found its way between my legs, his lips and tongue caressing my ear and neck. He was spooning me again and I felt his erection pressing into my buttocks. As his fingers worked, I remember thrusting my hips, rubbing against him. Perhaps I even managed to get a hand behind me. In my dream we climaxed together. I turned over to face him and kissed him deeply. The slow dance of our tongues and the part moan part grunting noises he made only aroused me again.

It had to have been a dream. I didn't recall what happened after that. To be sure, I lifted the sheet covering me. I was relieved (disappointed?) to find myself in the tank top and panties I wore to bed. I felt around next to me for evidence of our activities. I found nothing. My sense of smell was so accustomed to Trip that it was all I could smell, on the sheets and pillows. That much was real, I surmised. Otherwise I detected nothing unusual.

Trip wandered past then. He stopped and padded back to the doorway.

"You're awake," he stated. A towel hung low around his hips and his hair was wet.

"I am," I confirmed. My heart began to pound inside my chest.

He smiled. "You should come outside."

"Why?"

"There's something I want to show you."

"What?"

"Come on and find out." He turned and disappeared into the common room.

I stared after him for a moment. He was being very cryptic. I threw back the sheet and crawled out of bed.

Trip was not inside the cabin. I did, however, find his towel tossed aside haphazardly on the side of the couch. I looked out the open front door and saw him squatting in the sand. I stepped outside and was struck by a cool wind. It sent a shiver down my spine but it felt refreshing. I wrapped my arms around myself and wandered slowly out to the beach. I inhaled the salty wet ocean breeze. It smelled of fish and seaweed. I could see the tide line and ring of seaweed from when the tide had risen.

As I approached Trip, he looked up at me and smiled. "Hey," he said.

He stood up. I allowed my gaze to roam over his naked form. This morning felt different and I was not ashamed to appreciate his body openly. I stepped close to him. Trip cocked his head at me curiously, but he didn't back off. When I slipped a hand behind his neck and pulled him closer, he started to say something. I cut him off with a kiss. His mouth opened to mine and he wrapped his arms around me. His body was warm yet his skin was slightly damp from the moist ocean breeze. I felt his hands slip under my top and slide up my back. I raised my arms over my head and he tugged it off, breaking our kiss.

Trip pulled back then. He raised his eyebrows at me. "Everything ok?"

My eyes roamed his face. "I believe we'll be fine," I replied.

He narrowed his eyes at me, another gesture of his curiosity. He nodded and slipped his fingers under the waistband of my panties. "These should come off, then," he said with a wink.

I stepped back and obliged him. I placed them with my discarded top on the sand. We stood there just looking at each other for a few moments in the early morning sun.

"What did you wish to show me?" I finally asked.

Trip took my hand, laced my fingers with his and we began to stroll up the beach.

"It stormed last night," he said.

"Yes it did."

"Lots of good stuff washes up on shore after a rip like last night." He stopped, let go of my hand and squatted down again. I watched as his fingers deftly sifted through the sand and crushed shells of the beach. After a minute or so Trip made a sound of triumph and stood up. He held out his hand, palm-up, in front of me.

I peered closer. In the middle of his palm was a triangular shaped object. Two of its edges were smooth while the third appeared serrated. I carefully picked it up and examined it.

"Shark tooth," Trip said by way of explanation. "We used to come out here every morning and collect as many as we could."

I looked at him. "Fascinating," I replied sincerely. "These are quite beautiful."

"Just like you," he said and leaned forward to kiss me.

As his lips pressed softly to mine, I was no longer afraid. While this excursion to Florida would soon be coming to an end, my journey with Trip had only begun.

FINIS – (finally)

Author's note #4: I haven't read anyone else's challenges. I wanted to finish mine so as not to be influenced in any way. I'm so glad this is done! I can finally catch up on my fanfic!!

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A whole mess of folks have made comments

Great story, Stub. I could hear T'Pol's voice in this quite clearly (and "sward" is absolutely a word she would use!). Nice work.

Great story Stub, though I was surprised at the PG-13 rating coming from you! LOL You're so right, it was a great break from all the stress. I just love fluffy do-nothing stories. Thanks! :)

Lovely, no apologies needed. This was a joy to read.

Beautiful! Very, very beautiful!

The end reminds me of Adam and Eve in paradise ;-) I soooo hope we´d see something like this in the show.

This was lovely and had a beautiful flow to the story so that the key words didn't intrude but seemed to be just perfect in the setting used and having Trip and T'Pol together always makes my shippy little heart beat a bit faster. Wonderful, thanks. Ali D :~)

Loved it!

The depiction of the storm was so vivid I felt I was there. Great job.

That was such a great story Stubs! I really enjoyed this. The details in this story were perfect, I could totally visualize everything!

Great story Stub I really liked your description of the storms and the beach I could picture vividly Trip and T'Pol in your story like a movie .Thank you for another wonderful story to read.

Perfect setting!
Perfect characters!
Perfect story!

You do have a talent for capturing these characters perfectly, stub! Thank you for this. I absolutely loved it and you did a wonderful job with T'Pol's POV. :-)

Really ebjoyed your story

Why hasn't Paramount in league with M. Coto contacted you yet? There'd be a Trip and T'Pol spin-off for sure! Superb as ever, and thanks so much!

Excellant!! As always.

Okay you got my vote for this challenge. I have enjoyed almost all the challenge responses but this one hands down my favorite!

Beautiful. Just beautiful. I love the walk on the beach *sigh*.

Great story Stub! You write your Pg-13's as well if not better than your NC-17 stories...LOL I guess it's more challenging to write the former!

I love everyone's challenge stories--it has helped me "maintained my sanity" during the LONG summer waiting on October 8th to get here! I can't believe it now less than a week away!!!

Wait wait wait... were they walking down the beach NAKED? Ow ow. LOL.

love this one! course I don't know how you can leave them walking down a beach NAKED and just stop?!!

every time I read this I think I like it more than the last time. I can so picture these characters in this setting and behaving in this manner. thank you.

every time I read this I think I like it more than the last time. I can so picture these characters in this setting and behaving in this manner. thank you.

Hhmmmm? :)
very nice. I'm also working on a "vacation" story. Hope i can get it out as a christmas present.