Damage Vignette

Damage vignette

By T2Fan

RATING: PG, Romance
SUMMARY: A scene they forgot to include
SPOILERS: "Damage"
ARCHIVE: Yes.
DISCLAIMER: Enterprise is the property of Paramount. No profit is being made.

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Phlox’s words still echoed in her mind. “It’s perfectly normal to be afraid. But you don’t have to go through this alone. My experience with these matters has proven that it is beneficial to the patient to have a “support group”. A person or persons that you can confide in - people who care about you and whom you trust.”

She shook her head wordlessly, and rocked back and forth slightly, on the edge of her bunk. “I cannot. It is - uncomfortable - for me to discuss this at all - even with you. I cannot confide in another.”

“Nevertheless, Sub-Commander, as your physician, I strongly urge you to do so. Your recovery may depend upon it. Just pick one person. Someone you feel close to. Someone who can look out for you. You can let me know who it is tomorrow, when you come to see me.” Phlox rose and placed his empty cup on a nearby table. “You should get some rest, now, T’Pol. I’ll see you in the morning. In the meantime you know where to find me if you need me.”

T’Pol raised her eyes to his briefly. “Thank you doctor. I appreciate your assistance... and your discretion”, she said.

Twenty-two minutes had passed since the doctor left. T’Pol still sat, rocking gently back and forth, back and forth. The door to her quarters chimed. She stopped abruptly. “Enter”, she called out automatically. Somehow, she wasn’t surprised to see Commander Trip Tucker walk into her room. Trip came to a halt, shocked at the pallor on her face, and at her expression of despair. All the anger and frustration he’d been feeling towards her due to her recent bizarre behavior fell away from him in one heart-stopping moment.

“T’Pol”, he dropped to one knee in front of her, and looked searchingly into her face. She would not look at him. Her head drooped lower, and her hands covered her face. “What is it?” he said softly, “Why won’t you tell me what’s wrong?” Gently he grasped her delicate wrists and drew her hands away from her face. His tender tone was her undoing. Her face was wet with tears, and the pain of her suffering seared through him. She still would not speak, but she gazed at him with such a miserable, yearning expression in her big brown eyes, that he did the only thing that he could. He took her into his arms and held her comfortingly. Her face was buried in his right shoulder, and he could feel her ragged sigh through the thin material of his uniform. He stroked her hair, and murmured comforting words as she wept in his arms. Something was horribly wrong, and he would get to the bottom of it, because he would let nothing harm this woman. She was important. She mattered.

Finally, as her shudders quieted, he drew away from her, so that he could look into her eyes once more. “You’d better tell me everything”, he said quietly. And she did. It came spilling out of her; her first brush with Trellium-D; her lingering cravings for it; the precious, intoxicating emotions that came along with its use. She heard his quick intake of breath when she told him of her recent, near-fatal foray into the cargo bay.

“And that’s when you went to Phlox?”, he asked.

“Not then”, she said.

“Well, what was it that finally made you go to him?”.

A fresh tear spilled down her cheek. “It was the dream”, her voice faltered, and her head drooped lower.

Trip’s voice was firm. “Tell me, T’Pol”.

“You and I were in a shower together. We were - touching - and kissing. I became more and more aggressive until, until-“.

“Until what, darlin’” he said as he cradled her cheek in one large, warm hand.

Her eyes darted away from his, and she passed her tongue over her dry lips nervously. “I, I suddenly attacked you, and began choking you!”. Her eyes flickered bravely to his, and she was astonished, and not a little indignant, to see his shoulders shaking in silent mirth.

“I fail to see the humor in what I have told you, Commander”, she said stiffly.

“Darlin’, if you knew how many times over the past three years I’ve dreamed of throttling you, believe me, you wouldn’t feel so bad.”

“But, Trip, I was trying to kill you!”, she said incredulously. Trip’s heart skipped a beat at her unthinking use of his nickname. He had heard it on her lips only once before, in a timeless moment of glorious release, and he felt the same, inexplicable exhilaration he had felt then.

“It was just a dream, T’Pol”, he said, “A nightmare. Haven’t you ever had those, before?”.

T’Pol shook her head. “Vulcans do not dream”.

Trip experienced another moment of shock. Was it possible that Vulcans had their emotions locked down so tight, even in their sub-conscious?

“Well, honey, humans do, all the time. You know that. It can be disturbing, but what you do in a dream doesn’t make you a bad person. Just because you attacked me in the dream, doesn’t mean it’ll happen in real life. It could mean a million different things.” He paused and considered her thoughtfully. “ You and I - there’s something between us, T’Pol, a closeness.” He continued with sudden perception. “You’re attracted to it, and you’re repelled by it, because of who you are, and what you are. The Trellium-D just makes things more confusing, and intensifies those feelings. If you really think about it, it’s not surprising that you would have a dream with such conflicting emotions. As for me.”, he gave a deep, throaty chuckle, “it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve wanted to throttle you and at the same time eat you up from the tips of your toes to the top of your pretty head”. His eyes were merry, and mischievous, and swept over her with a raw, wicked sensuality that left her skin tingling.

Trip cupped her face in both hands, his voice suddenly serious. “We have some things to sort out, you and I, and we can take as long as you like to do that. But, T’Pol - no more secrets. Not like this. You should have trusted me enough to tell me. Don’t you trust me, T’Pol?”. His voice was regretful, wistful.

T’Pol answered in the only way she could. “Implicitly”, she said, and wondered why her spirits soared whenever she saw his face light up, as it did now. Still cupping her face, he leaned towards her, and it seemed perfectly natural for her to meet him halfway, for their lips to touch and for the kiss to deepen into something neither could quite control.

*************************************************************************
Much later, Trip lay with his arms wrapped around her. He felt her stir against him, and he brushed her hair with his lips. “You finally awake?”, he said, teasingly.

T’Pol stretched languorously. She was awakening from the deepest, most restful sleep she’d had in a long time. “Tell me”, she said suddenly, ”What made you come to me tonight?”.

“Well”, said Trip, “I ran into Phlox in the mess hall. He said something about how now would be a good time to see you. That I needed to come see you right away”. Trip frowned slightly. “He was so damned cryptic, and so, so, I dunno, full of gloom and doom, I guess, that I nearly ran all the way here”, he finished sheepishly.

“I believe that the doctor has a great deal to answer for”, said T’Pol, thoughtfully.

“Yes he does”, said Trip, and then flashed the sudden grin that always warmed her, “God bless him”.

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A whole mess of folks have made comments

They definately should have got this in...I'm adding it to my mental version of this ep!

Nicely done...thanks.

Wow that was great. I hope that the actual scene next week flows as easliy as this one does.

I *adored* this! Perfect, just love how well Phlox reads and understands Trip and T'Pol. He seems to be wiser than the rest of them put together! Just love having Trip and T'Pol together, sigh. Hope it happens in the series. Thanks for a terrific piece of writing, Ali D :~)

This is a great story! These two have such a connection. I can see Trip doing coming to her just this way!

Excellent, really enjoyed this, seemed so natural, pity the episode didn't play the same.

You stole my idea. Ha ha...and did a much better job with it. I'm hoping they do this as well. None of this secrecy. The show has already shown the trust between these two, and I could see Phlox subtley pushing them into a situation to reveal the truth.

Good show.

wow great story =)

Nice! ;) I like these little Vignette things... more!

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I hated Trip's coldness to T'Pol in the episode (I guess it was his response to the "dismissed/get out" scene) -- I'm glad to see his anger "vanish in a heartbeat". A very well written story!

oh very good, a scene i hoped we'd get but i don't think we will..

Ah, Phlox the matchmaker, Phlox the healer. Loved that he was the one to send Trip. We I was reading it, it almost sounded like T'Pol summoned him instead. Liked how he soothed her about her dream. Delightful, if only TPTB would build up this relationship. If only the would use this scene.

Ah, I liked this VERY much!

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