Harbinger Vignette

Harbinger Vignette

By T2Fan

RATING: PG, Romance
SPOILERS: "Harbinger"
ARCHIVE: Yes.
DISCLAIMER: Enterprise is the property of Paramount. No profit is being made.
SUMMARY: How the ending scene between Trip & T’Pol could have been.

T’Pol sat on the chair in her quarters, the cooling cup of tea forgotten on the table beside her. What had she been thinking - what had she done? What kind of Vulcan acted with such disregard for convention, for logic, for protocol? What must he think of her? Her face flushed a soft greenish tint. She had initiated the contact with Trip Tucker. Had wanted it, desperately. The feelings their passion had stirred in her lingered still. She half-closed her eyes, remembering. Her pulse rate increased and she took a shaky breath. The beep of the doorbell startled her. She leapt to her feet. For a moment, her eyes flickered wildly around her quarters, involuntarily, illogically, seeking a hiding place. It was him. She knew it - could feel it. Slowly, she took a deep, calming breath. A bland mask settled over her features. She knew what she would do.

“Enter”, she called out.

Trip Tucker strode into the room. The tender look in his eyes, the half-smile, the absent way he ran his hand through his hair, nearly undid her. Instead, she steeled herself.

“Commander”, she said, and inclined her chin slightly.

“Commander?”, said Tucker, frowning slightly, “Last night it was Trip. What’s different today?”. It was then that he noticed the steely resolve in her eyes. No one else who saw her would recognize it, but he knew better. He felt chilled, suddenly.

“T’Pol?”, he said, “Don’t you think we should talk about last night?”.

“I suppose I should thank you, Commander.”, said the Vulcan, coolly.

Trip’s eyes narrowed, “Thank me for what?”.

“Since leaving the Vulcan High Command, I have wanted to explore human culture, including sexuality, more thoroughly. You gave me an opportunity to do so. I should thank you for that.”

Tucker’s voice was dangerously low, ”are you tryin’ to tell me that last night was just a damned experiment for you?!”.

“I wouldn’t use that term, exactly”, she said. Her voice faltered slightly, and she looked away from the shock and hurt on his face.

Trip fumed silently. “Look at me T’Pol”. When she didn’t respond, her grasped her chin in his hand and forced it up until her eyes met his. “Look me in the eye and tell me that’s all it was for you”. She remained silent. His hand dropped from her face and she felt an inexplicable yearning for its return. He replaced it with his face - inches from hers- so close their breaths mingled.

“Let me tell you somethin’, darlin’”, his voice was low, and tightly controlled, and his clear blue eyes bored into her brown ones, opened wide and mesmerized by his closeness. “I know you better than anyone on this ship. I know when you’re happy, I know when you’re sad. I know when you’re angry, or tired, or burned out. And don’t give me any bullshit about not feelin’ those emotions, ‘cause I know better”, he said when she opened her lips to speak. She promptly shut them again. “I can read you like a book. I know what you felt last night, because I felt it too”. He took a step back from her. “When you’re ready to acknowledge that, you come to me. But don’t wait too long.” He paused by the door and turned to look back at her when he heard her clear her throat to speak.

She regarded him stoically. “I assume the neuro-pressure sessions are at an end?”, she said. He surprised her with a sudden grin, sending a jolt to her heart.

“Hell, no, I still gotta sleep, don’t I?”, and with a wink, he was gone.

T’Pol sat down heavily in the chair. This had not ended in quite the way she had expected. An unaccustomed tugging around her lips made her gasp. The Vulcan woman was smiling.

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Seven people have made comments

I Like it better than the actual episode. Good job!

I love what Trip said. Every word was perfect, especially the last sentence. Wonderful!

That was great!. I would have loved to have seen this in the episode.

Great writing! I love how Trip knows her so well. And that little smile from T'Pol at the end? Damn if she doesn't know what a lucky girl she is! Thanks, Ali D :~)

Perfect! I loved what and how Trip that his piece.

Sorry, brainless moment. Not "that" but SAID!!

nice twist... I always thought Trip asking that the Neuropressure sessions to continue was whimpy of him especially after she had just dissed him. I myself would have liked to see him kiss her hard, leave her speachless and then tell her when she is ready to admit her feelings, then he was all ears.... Good job though.