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The Bond - Part 3

Author - TLR
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The Bond

By TLR

Rated PG:
Disclaimer: Enterprise is the property of UPN and Paramount Pictures.

Summary: This story picks up the morning following the last part's long and productive night. T'Pol had a range of experiences, from fear, to passion to sacrifice and was still quite shaky from the experience. Now she has the job of trying to contend with her new found insight into this mysteriously attractive Human's soul, and she doesn't even know it yet. Let's see how it turns out. Enjoy.

January 10, 2006

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Part 3

Trip walked down the passageways carrying the tray he'd brought from the mess hall. His hair still damp from the hot shower he'd taken in T'Pol's quarters just 15 minutes ago. She'd continued to meditate from the point where he fell to sleep onto early morning. She didn't flinch as he walked into the bathroom and turned on the water. It wasn't until he came out, all warm and glistening, did she even look at him. His hair wet, combed neatly into place, his skin steaming slightly, pink and shimmering, smelling of the same soap that the Vulcan had come to know and enjoy. At that point T'Pol couldn't keep from addressing him, his allure was too noticeable.

He'd left her quarters with the simple phrase, "I'll get us some breakfast", watching all the while as the Vulcan rose to similarly shower and change. Somewhere in Trip's mind, he could feel his curiosity about that subject peaking. For a moment, he considered staying behind just to be near her while she bathed, but then thought better of it realizing it was just his long stretch of abstinence talking. He left out quickly before he could change his mind,

Trip entered the cabin once more, after punching in the security override code. He carried the tray across to the small table that sat between the two sets of cushions. Listening, he heard the water still running, and wondered if she was aware he had returned. His mind drifted into the thought of her body, just as soothed and glistening beneath the steaming hot water. Trip's eyes darted intermittently toward the door and back to the tray again. He waited patiently for the female to complete her shower, dress and come out.

Trip began removing the items from the tray. His mind however, was busy thinking about the first officer. His hand slowed as he placed a covered dish in front of him. He looked up and turned once more to the bathroom, as the water sound ended abruptly.

In his mind, Trip began to loose himself to his thoughts of the alien woman. Although seated in the main room, the engineer's consciousness was now in the doorway of the bathroom, looking in. He watched as the slender figured female walked past him to the mirror at the other side of the room. She stood there, totally unaware of his presence, looking at herself. Trip's eyes were glued on her frame, the curve of her back, and the firmness of her bottom had him mesmerized. He watched as she began brushing the wet strands atop her head. Her body was dripping. The long trails of wetness sliding along her curves, holding the engineer's eyes locked on each drop.

Without his knowing, Trip began walking forward toward his friend. T'Pol now held a towel in her hand, slowly patting at the front of her body in a rhythmic pattern. Her eyes stayed in the mirror, watching the soft material as it came in contact with her skin. Trip reached the Vulcan in a few short steps. His eyes cast down upon her shoulders like they were admiring a fine artist rendering. He inhaled deeply, feeling the relaxing sensation that her scent of citrus brought to him. Trip's hands absently moved up, holding above the female's shoulders, just about to trace the line his eye had been studying. His fingers ran the length of her shoulders, down her spine and over her bottom. They circled back up along her sides finding themselves atop her creamy skin at the level of her neck.

Trip's eyes glanced forward into the mirror. They ran the length of her reflection from bottom to top, becoming aware of her eyes staring back at him in the glass. Her eyes were locked on him. A strange passion was coming from them, which held his eyes in place. Instead of shying away, this only made the engineer even bolder, as his fingers started down her collar bone. As they reached the sensitive skin of her breasts, Trip startled himself back into the here and now.

The engineer dropped the dish he held a short distance onto the table. A small portion of scrambled eggs slipped out from beneath the crooked cover. Trip looked back toward the bathroom, hoping the first officer didn't catch him in such an embarrassing daydream.

"Shit" Trip murmured as he saw the small amounts of fluffy protein lying on the table surface. He hurried to gather them up and put them back beneath the cover of the plate. He used his hand to try to wipe away the moist spots left and finally took the bottom of his tee shirt to finish the job, realizing he hadn't picked up any napkins while he was in line. As he completed this task, he looked up again to find the Vulcan standing in the doorway watching him with great interest.

"Is everything all right?" she asked as he eased back onto his cushion.

"Yeah…. Some steam came out from under the cover and it took me by surprise, that's all." Trip tried to weasel his way out of this one.

"Do you require medical attention?" T'Pol countered realizing that not all of what the Human male said was the truth.

"No…. It'll be just fine….See" He held up his hand and demonstrated he was uninjured. "You…hungry?" He asked trying to change the subject.

T'Pol moved from the doorway to seat herself upon the cushion across from Trip. She sat down with a smooth, flowing movement. "Yes, I am."

Trip pointed to the bowl directly in front of the young woman. "Chef made you your usual plomeek broth". The engineer said with a rather pleased look on his face. "He said it is extra mushroom-y…. I mean he used extra of those mushrooms you like to make it from." He waited to see her uncover the bowl. The Vulcan's eye brow rose slightly indicating her pleasure at this point. Trip's pleased expression increased. He then pointed to the other covered dish beside the broth.

"I thought you might be really hungry so I brought you some oatmeal." He waited to see her uncover this dish then began to explain. "It's not meat… and I didn't put anything on it, but I brought some milk, honey and butter, so you can fix it to your taste" Trip seemed very pleased with himself for his own thoughtfulness. The Vulcan initially missed the point.

"I usually do not eat anything else for breakfast." She stated staring at the creamy white substance.

"I know, but you didn't eat much yesterday and I thought you could probably build up your strength a little." Trip seemed eager for her to like his act of kindness. T'Pol however was about to detail why. She tried to think of a good way to explain to him that her strength had not been affected, and eating this concoction wouldn't do anything to improve her circumstances. But when she saw the eager look on his face, she thought better of it. Humans, the Vulcan had noticed, were funny like that. Their compassionate nature could easily be hurt by correction of any kind. Instead of doing so to this male, she decided to simply go along with his idea.

"Most kind." She returned and saw his grin grow a bit. It was oddly warming to her to see his reaction and knew it was important to him that she be pleased with his efforts. T'Pol picked up her spoon and moved the creamy mixture around. She lifted it to her lips and found it strangely satisfying. It melted down her throat, easing some of the hoarseness that remained from her previous night's horrors.

Trip watched a few moments as T'Pol took several more tastes of the mixture. He felt greatly relieved by her acceptance of his act. When he was sure she was enjoying her porridge, he uncovered his plate and dug into the fluffy yellow eggs and buttered toast.

The morning meal went relatively smoothly, T'Pol interspersed amounts of oatmeal with broth and enjoyed every bite. After finishing, the two cleared the dishes back onto the tray. Trip set the finished items outside the cabin on the floor. He returned to find the Vulcan seated once more in front of her candles. He wondered after all the meditation she did earlier, could she possibly sit still any longer.

"You okay?" He asked wondering if she had something still upsetting her.

"Yes…. I simply thought a bit more meditation would be helpful." T'Pol returned, crossing her legs and placing her hands back into her lap.

"Oh…. You're probably right." Trip returned a tinge of disappointment in his voice. He watched her from the desk, moving to pretend he was doing his engineering work instead. He turned his head several times looking over in the direction of the flickering candle light. Finally when the Human was sure she was determined to do this, he started to concentrate on the equations before him. He didn't notice her looking back in his direction from time to time. After about 20 minutes, the door bell sounded. T'Pol looked up at the port, as Trip moved from his position to open it.

As the door swooshed open, there stood Phlox sporting his usual broad smile. "Commander…." He looked at the blond haired young male, then over his shoulder to the Vulcan. "T'Pol."

Trip stepped aside and allowed the doctor to enter. He watched as the rotund male went over to the raised cushioned surface and sat himself down. T'Pol rose from her position and took a seat beside him. "How are you feeling?" The alien started holding a scanner in the palm of his hand. He delayed opening the item, wanting first to hear the answer from the young woman's lips. Before she could answer though, Trip did so for her.

"She had a rather rough night, but ate pretty good this morning." The Human pointed in her direction, indicating he was all over the problem. "She's also had some good meditation." This statement seemed to please the engineer, as if he'd had anything to do with it.

"That's good commander." Phlox turned to him showing the sarcastic smirk that told Trip the doctor had wanted to hear it directly from his patient. He turned back to T'Pol when the commander realized it was time for him to be quiet.

"Is this true?" He asked encouraging her participation in this conversation.

"Yes. The commander is correct. I had some bad dreams last night, but managed to get about 6 hours of sleep. I also meditated long into the morning without any problems." The Vulcan looked to the Human who was standing there eager to hear how she was feeling, then added. "Also, the commander brought me a very nutritious morning meal. I tolerated it well." She looked back to the doctor, lending him a knowing smile.

Phlox turned to the young Human, seeing the eagerness the Vulcan had earlier. "Commander, I thought you'd like a chance to check in on Engineering. I need to examine T'Pol, so I will remain here with her until you return." The doctor dismissed him, turning back to the female. Trip looked a bit deflated, as the two began to converse amongst themselves.

"Okay then, I'll check in really quickly and be right back." He murmured watching the doctor begin scanning the first officer. He left at the wave of the Denobulan's hand. "No hurry, Commander."

Trip felt uneasy at leaving, wanting to be of help. He knew that T'Pol would want her privacy for any type of examination, but for some reason the Human was feeling very protective of her after last night. He quickened his step and checked in with his staff, staying long enough to see that all the assignment details were hard at work then left to return to the first officer's quarters.

Upon reaching his destination, instead of keying in the code, Trip rang the bell and waited for someone to answer. When T'Pol opened the door, he saw the familiar glance that told him she was happy to see his return. He entered the room and found the doctor had left. "Where is Phlox?"

"He went back to sickbay, a medical emergency. I told him you would return soon, and he allowed me to remain here." T'Pol walked in behind him, Trip moving to the far end of the room in surprise.

"Oh….you okay?" He asked her again worried that she was afraid of being by herself.

"Yes I'm fine…." She reassured him feeling his need to be there for her. She sensed his relief at her response.

T'Pol walked over to her meditation cushions and prepared to sit down. She sensed a sudden change in the air of the room as Trip watched her movements. She turned, looking at him standing before her desk chair. Instead of seating herself, she leaned down and blew out the candle. Within a span of only seconds, the air of the room lightened, and the Vulcan found it odd that this Human would be so changed by her decision not to continue ignoring him.

Trip seated himself at the desk, flipping on the monitor and waiting for the screen to come up. As he did so, he turned to see the first officer just standing their watching him. "You sure you're all right?" Trip was now doing the sensing. T'Pol just nodded.

"Maybe you should lie down and try to get some more rest." Trip looked into her eyes, wondering just what she was really feeling.

"If I sleep any during the day, I may not be able to rest tonight."

"You're probably right." Trip turned and started studying the data on the screen. His face scrunched intermittently between soft sighs and chin rubbing gestures. The science officer began to wonder what was so frustrating for the young Human.

"What are you working on?" she asked stepping forward and waiting patiently for his explanation. She didn't look over the screen, trying to honor the young male's right to privacy. Trip looked up and saw her interest.

"I'm trying to find some similarities in these warp field trials." Trip got up and allowed the Vulcan a place to sit. He offered her a look at the equations that lined the screen. He waited patiently as she started to review the first several lines of numbers.

"I have been trying to find some similarity in these results for months." He leaned in over the female's shoulder and inched his face extremely close to hers. "I figure if I can find something to use, I can then adjust the engines to this new equation and keep us from blowing a gasket every time we come in contact with those anomalies. But so far I can't find any one way to adjust the engines." Trip started rocking unconsciously back and forth showing his anxiousness to find a solution.

T'Pol considered the data, page after page. She reviewed it steadily, her eyes moving back and forth, left to right. Secretly she was glad for the distraction from her current anxiety. She concentrated hard on the numbers and remained silent for several minutes.

"Guess you're having as much difficulty as I've been." Trip looked at her face studying the lines and curves of her features.

"You are correct in saying that there is no one equation that can be formulated from this data." She returned never once turning from the screen.

"Told ya…. I have been studying this thing for months." Trip straightened feeling himself justified for not having come up with a solution.

"I said there was no one equation that would take care of your problem. However, there could possibly be a resolution if you were to align similar data into groups and attempt to solve the problems that each group created." T'Pol began tapping on the keyboard. She set up smaller lists, moving the equations easily from one page to another. Again Trip leaned in over the young woman's shoulder. He saw the gist of her statement, as the data began to take on similar characteristics.

"Are you saying that if we find similarities within the smaller groups, we can possibly be able to write the equations which can override the problems?" Trip was becoming quite impressed at her seeing these matches so quickly.

"Yes, quite possibly. Each of these groups could have an equation written to help override the difficulties in stabilizing the warp field. With the new equations, you can quickly change the settings of the warp drive to meet your equation specs, which would theoretically stabilize the warp field and keep from any more explosions." T'Pol pointed to a few of her preassembled groups.

Trip leaned in closer and saw the similarities she'd used to correlate the lists. His eyes widened, seeing the possibilities she was talking about. His hand absently covered hers as he began to manipulate the data to expose the proper equation necessary that would countermine the affect of that particular anomaly type.
"Hey…. I think you're on ta sump'n…." His smile increased as the equation became clearer on the screen in front of them. Trip turned to her and displayed his pleasure at having this problem almost solved.

"Grouping the data will allow you to edit the equation to control most any type of anomaly. It should be possible to make the changes to the warp field in a matter of seconds. This will help to keep the warp field stable, and keep us from loosing propulsion." T'Pol glanced to him, offering her best pleased look. It was strangely familiar, the same look she had whenever the two of them pulled off a particularly brilliant piece of work.

"This is fantastic. I never thought of grouping the anomalies. If I had, we could have had this problem solved months ago. Where did you learn to see things this way? I have been staring at this same screen for all this time and I never saw any clues to these groupings." Trip was lost playing with the numbers as the Vulcan just sat and watched him.

"Vulcans use a greater percentage of their brains than Humans. They have the ability to correlate things faster by noticing similarities quickly. "As T'Pol finished her statement, she noticed the Human starting to chuckle.

"Have I said something humorous?" She asked innocently feeling his sarcasm.

"No…. I just find it funny that all Vulcans seem to think they are smarter than Humans." Trip looked to her, his grin cocked sideways at his own realization.

"I stated the truth. Humans aren't trained to use more than 6% of their brain matter. Vulcans use more than 18% of theirs. It is just simple fact that we would be more productive in many areas…." She trailed off noticing his amusement starting to grow.

"Why do Humans feel Vulcans don't respect them?" That question took the engineer by surprise. He pulled back and gave her a mystified look.

"I didn't say they don't respect us." Trip seemed somewhat defensive. He straightened and took a couple of steps backward. T'Pol turned to meet his gaze. With the question still ringing in his ears, Trip eased back and sat down on the bunk edge. T'Pol remained silent, waiting for the Human's explanation.

"It's just that it's clear that some Vulcans don't particularly like Humans, that's all. I mean take Soval…. most of the time he can't wait to get away from us. And he's always trying to keep us from succeeding." The young male was now fidgeting having to explain his opinions to another of the species.

"You are misled about the Ambassador….. He most certainly wants Humans to succeed, or he wouldn't be here." T'Pol's voice was even with no tone of accusation.

"Hey…. We both know he got assigned to Earth. He doesn't want to be there any more than you did when you first came aboard Enterprise." Trip was feeling the heat and wasn't sure how to handle it.

"Ambassador Soval requested his assignment to Earth. No Vulcan offworlder is assigned to their post without requesting the assignment. It would be illogical to post someone to an alien environment that didn't wish to be there. They would not be productive in their position." T'Pol sat very still looking into the Human's eyes.

Trip listened curiously. "You mean he asked to be Ambassador to Earth?" T'Pol nodded in silence. Trip was truly surprised. He thought for the last few years that the Ambassador hated his work and took it out on the Humans he had contact with.

"Then why, if he wanted to be there, is he always so negative to Humans?" Trip had forgotten who he was talking too.

"Meaning?" T'Pol sat straight given him a confused look.

"You know… trying to stop our mission… trying to recall us after the tragedy on Paraga 2. Why if he wants to work with Humans, is he always questioning our abilities?" Trip leaned forward on his knees absently staring into the young woman's eyes.

"Perhaps he is trying to protect you." She replied, knowing full well that was what her previous mentor was doing.

"Protect us?" Trip sat back and chuckled. "Protect us from what?"

"Your own short sightedness." That response got the first officer a stern look back from the Human.

"Oh really…" Trip was wondering if this was gonna turn into one of their world renowned knock down, drag outs.

"Humans had little knowledge of what awaited them outside their solar system when they insisted on taking Klang back to Kronos. They were ill equipped to handle the dangers at the time and the Ambassador knew that." T'Pol stood up for the elder Vulcan, knowing all too well he had just cause to worry.

"Yeah… and we got him back there didn't we?" Trip was defensive, remembering just how much they relied on T'Pol to pull off that mission.

"As I recall, you didn't even have sensor capability to track the Suliban warp signature." Now the science officer was being direct.

"Well. Just because we got help from you, doesn't mean we couldn't have done it on our own if we had too. I seem to recall the cap'n saving your butt on that roof top. How does your Vulcan logic explain that?" Trip was beginning to enjoy this banter. It meant T'Pol was feeling like her old self again.

"I seem to recall him getting shot for that bit of illogical behavior. The logical course was for him to allow me to cover his movements and get back to the ship."

"Look here, Cap'n Archer is a gentleman. No gentleman would leave a woman stranded to save his own skin. That's not illogical, it's just good manors. Something Humans have a lot of." Trip inched forward to get a better whiff of her scent.

"Again it was illogical because it jeopardized the mission. Loosing me would not have been as great a difficulty as loosing the Captain. I was expendable, he was not." T'Pol lifted her chin in a more defiant motion.

"The hell you were lady…. If it wasn't for you we'd never have found their base. We wouldn't have been able to get the Cap'n back either. Hell we probably wouldn't have gotten anything out of security on Rigel 10, for that matter. None of us having ever seen a foreign space port like that before." Trip was trying to make his point, but was in actuality making hers instead.

"My point exactly. You were not ready for a mission of that sort." Point, set and match, the Vulcan eased back having won her war of words with the commander.

Trip squinted his eyes, giving her his best perturbed look. Secretly he loved their exchanges. It showed him the Vulcan was getting better and the relief he felt made him more pleased than he'd been for the last week or so. He kept up his annoyed act more for her benefit than for his own pleasure.

"That still doesn't explain Soval's behavior." He finally replied, not able to think a way of countering the Vulcan's last statement.

"Vulcans sometime find it difficult when mentoring Humans. Their illogical responses to things often complicate the education process." T'Pol noticed the change in his expression.

"What do you mean mentoring? Who the hell do they think they are mentoring?" Trip was taken aback by the use of the word.

"In the years since Vulcan developed warp drive, they have met many species. Some with technology equal too or superior than our own, many more with capabilities that weren't as well developed. Our interactions with these species were limited, because we knew what damage cultural contamination can cause. It wasn't until we came across your species, did we find something special." Trip watched the science officer with great interest.

"The first reports of your species were quite impressive, by all accounts. They illustrated a species much like ours who were at a cross roads in their development. The first researchers found characteristics that showed great promise for Humans' future development. But the studies also showed a great capacity to go the other way and become a threat to the interstellar community. It was decided to continue to study the trends in your species' development." T'Pol tried to be as delicate as possible talking of their two people's interaction.

"So if we showed so much promise, then why did they hold back so much from us?" Trip was dying to ask that question, as was most any Humans dealing with Vulcans.

"Because they didn't want your people to go the same path that mine did." Trip returned her a confused look. T'Pol turned to the monitor screen and plucked at the keyboard for several seconds. The pictures changed rapidly, so quickly in fact that much was a blur to the Human. Finally the screen stopped on a lush green meadow, with waterfall and a bright blue sky. She turned back to her friend and watched as he studied the display.

"Where's this?" Trip asked, not recognizing any landmarks of the picture.

"Vulcan….." T'Pol returned and saw the shocked look upon his face.

"Hey, I hate to break this to you, but I have seen some pictures of Vulcan. It's a desert planet…. They don't have anything like this there, do they?" He looked back to her then studied the picture even more closely.

"It was Vulcan, many thousands of years before the 'time of awakening'. Surak…" She clarified for the Human's benefit. "My species was very intelligent, perhaps too much so for its own good. However our maturity level wasn't quite as advanced." Trip sat mesmerized by the revelation of what had happened to this once lush paradise.

"It was said that technology from an alien race jump started our own quest for knowledge. We were able to comprehend the technology, but we were not mature enough to handle it. We strove to make our lives better. Improved longevity, greater intelligence and enhanced empathic abilities. We did so through genetics. But rather than accomplish this in a lab, we simply used the technology provided us, to kill off those bloodlines that had inferior traits." Trip's eyes opened wide at that admission.

"Eventually all other bloodlines were suspect… and we began to annihilate ourselves trying to achieve these characteristics in our offspring. Paranoia and homicidal rage became common place." Trip recognized this statement from the young MACO in sickbay.

"Our war like actions raped the planet, destroying most of its ability to support life. Worse was the fact that this same technology caused a shift of our planet on its axis. Only a few degrees, but enough to move it closer to our second sun, Nevasa. Our planet couldn't recover fully from the devastation." Trip reached out his hand to touch hers. He could feel the sadness this admission was bringing out in the woman.

"You'd think with the devastation we caused to our planet we would learn, but we didn't. The limited resources just brought a new reason to continue our war like ways. We were on the edge of extinction when Surak finally got us to stop the madness and look at what our destiny was showing us."

"So because an alien species gave you the technology you wanted, you ended up using it to destroy yourselves?" Trip questioned the fantastic tale he'd just been told. T'Pol simply nodded.

"But you weren't even born yet, how come you know the story so well?" The Human eased forward and grasped her hands which had been lying in her lap the entire time.

"In order to not repeat your mistakes, you have to know of them. Every Vulcan child learns early of the mistakes that their ancestors made. In that way, it gives us a reason to continue Surak's teachings. It is not an easy existence, for our true nature is to be like the crew of the Sealy." T'Pol lowered her eyes and felt a wave of embarrassment run through her.

"Hey…. They were sick from the trellium. They couldn't help themselves." Trip offered trying to relieve some of her discomfort.

"The trellium didn't make them violent… it merely destroyed their ability to suppress their violent tendencies. The crew of the Seleya had reverted back to those creatures that used to inhabit my planet, all those thousands of years ago. The stories I was told, the thing every Vulcan dreads the most is what happened to them. I now know how my people caused their own devastation and how they almost lost their right to survive." T'Pol swallowed hard remembering the feelings of anxiety that hit her upon entering the battered ship. Those feelings threatened to overtake her again, but this time she was better equipped to control them. Trip leaned in a bit and looked her level in the eye.

"So you didn't want what happened to your people to happen to mine?" He asked, feeling for the first time that he was finally understanding the aliens' motivation.
T'Pol nodded.

"Your species had been visited several times through the centuries by aliens. Some were benevolent, others not so. While I worked for the ministry of security's earth program, I was sent to retrieve many alien artifacts that could prove harmful to your people if allowed to fall into the wrong hands." This remark made Trip's eyes open wide.

"You mean we’ve had aliens on our planet before Vulcans?" His surprise was truly strange to the young woman who long knew of the Humans' beliefs in extraterrestrial beings.

"Do you really think your people knew how to build the pyramids, Stonehenge, Easter Island?" T'Pol wondered if she'd made an error in educating this man on something he was unwilling to comprehend from his own teachings.

"I thought they were just stories, you know like the one you told me about your great grand mother." Trip looked at her then swallowed hard realizing now that she probably didn't fabricate that story either. "That really happened, didn't it?" He inhaled fully and let it out in a heavy sigh.

"Just when you think you know what's going on…. Does our government know about these…..these….artifacts?" He stuttered feeling a bit out of control.

"Yes…They asked the Vulcans to help them rid the planet of the last remaining factions of criminals in order to improve their peaceful society. My father was one of the first waves of agents sent, after the development of the ministry on your planet. He found it very stimulating work and was responsible for many important captures that helped to seal relations between your people and mine." T'Pol noticed, for the first time the Human's hands upon her own. She didn't seem to mind the touch, even though it was not considered appropriate. Looking over the events of the last two days, this action was no more inappropriate then the other ones, so she didn't confront Trip about it.

"So your people's purpose was to protect us?" He asked still trying to comprehend this knowledge.

"We were there to allow you to develop naturally. Something Vulcan didn't have a chance to do. We hoped that with light guidance, your people would become as productive as we expected you to be. But Humans rely heavily on the barter system. You would not listen to our words without some technological assistance in exchange. So the Vulcans that were sent there had to move slowly, so as not to contaminate you like we had been contaminated. In hindsight, I would think that Humans might see that as holding back technology. But we did so for good reason. You weren't ready to handle the technology we had. Every Ambassador, teacher, diplomat and even trader that came to your planet knew this and had to keep from causing a similar form of contamination from taking place." T'Pol watched as her words finally started to click in the young man's mind

"So you saw promise in us, but didn't want to make the same mistakes that the aliens who helped you did." Trip suddenly had a whole new outlook on Earth's allies.

"It is a fine line to walk not knowing what could happen if superior knowledge got into the wrong hands. Even in a seemingly benevolent person, others would come upon it and use it for reasons that may not be peaceful in nature." T'Pol wanted him to see that it wasn't superiority or disrespect the Vulcans had for the Humans. On the contrary, it was an admiration for their hard work and a continued fascination with a species that could have been Vulcan had things been different.

"Wow…. I suddenly see why Soval is always giving us a hard time." Trip turned his eyes to the floor. Now all the bad thoughts and nasty remarks he'd made about the graying elder seemed inappropriate and he was feeling ashamed for ever uttering them, even in private. "I guess he is a pretty remarkable man, ……Soval, I mean…. It must have been really nice to work for him." Trip looked to T'Pol.

"He is very knowledgeable, but mostly he is fair. I dare say he has learned much sense his time in the military. My father spoke highly of him way back then." T'Pol turned back around and started pressing buttons on the screen. Trip's hands slid softly down her legs then returned to his lap. The picture finally stopped, one of Vulcan of today, a desert planet with orange sky and rock formations that went on as far as the eye could see.

"Your dad knew the Ambassador?" Trip continued leaning closer to see the picture she was calling up.

"Yes they were colleagues in the military together. Then my father served as protection for Ambassador Solkar and his staff, of which Soval was a junior member." T'Pol gazed longingly at the screen, a picture of her home sitting atop the hills, shown before her.

"Your dad served many years on Earth?" Trip started having never asked the Vulcan about her father.

"Intermittently, yes." T'Pol added still very far away in her thoughts.

"Really, is he still there or back on Vulcan?" Trip assumed since she was staring at her homeland, T'Pol was getting a bit homesick for her family.

"My father is deceased….He died when I was 14." T'Pol responded, a twinge of sadness in her voice. She continued to stare at the picture as it filled the screen with a warming orange hue.

"I'm sorry to hear that….What happened, an accident?" Trip assumed given Vulcans long life spans.

"He was killed by one of the people he was sent to apprehend. Shot in the chest at close range." Now Trip's heart really sank and he put a hand upon her shoulder.

"I guess you know what it is like loosing someone you care about so suddenly." He was feeling her pain, and yet he couldn't distinguish it from his own.

"It was a long time ago. I don't speak of it anymore." T'Pol stopped him before he could get them both caught up in his emotions. Trip nodded his understanding. There was a long silence between them, Trip's hand remaining in place for added support. Finally when it was broken, the Human wanted to help her away from the hard memories.

"So you've known Soval for a while then. That explains a lot." Trip dropped his hand as T'Pol continued to stare into the view screen.

"Meaning?" she asked a bit defensively, turning to face him again.

"Well, now I know why he is always so protective of you. Your dad and he must have been friends." Trip saw her confused look. "I mean when you talk, he listens… and he is always trying to get you off Enterprise and away from us pesky Humans…. I dare say, it seems he feels protective of you. Your job at the embassy… don't you think Soval knowing your family had something to do with it?" He didn't mean to appear condescending, but the Vulcan seemed to take it that way.

"My father and the ambassador were colleagues. As for my position at the embassy, I was offered that after my tour at the Ministry of Security was finished. It was the next logical step in my career, and Soval simply thought my assignment to Earth was more logical given my time there with the ministry." She stiffened her jaw and addressed him not wanting to spill the real reason her ministry of security position ended.

"Hey I didn't mean anything by it." Trip started realizing how the young woman took his statement. "It's just that he seems to be different around you…. More like a parent than a boss. I just thought that perhaps he considered you special given your father's……. you know…. you're right it isn't any of my business…. I should just…" Trip cut himself off feeling he was putting his already oversized shoe into an even bigger mouth.

"The Ambassador has been my counsel for many years since my father's death. He has made many suggestions about my career advancement. The embassy position was one of his ideas." T'Pol could sense his feeling left out of her life. Strangely enough, it tugged at the Vulcan's heart, knowing he wanted only to be there for her, not criticize.

"The position at the ministry of security was my desired field, as it was my father's before me. There was an unfortunate incident that altered that for me. The Ambassador simply challenged me to change direction and consider a diplomatic position instead." T'Pol's admission was low and reverent, knowing full well this Human's predilection for curiosity.

"You liked playing James Bond?" He asked causing her to look at him sideways. "I mean being an agent and working covertly?" T'Pol nodded.

"The work for the Ministry required me to work independently… The assignments were given out and I had to find my own way to work through them. I worked with no one, having not to be concerned with anyone else's safety save that of my own and my target." T'Pol looked down into her hands that were folded neatly on her lap.

"I guess having to learn to work with Humans was hard." Trip smiled softly which helped the air of the room to recover.

"Yes it was difficult, and proved to be quite a challenge. My first experience was limited, working under the Ambassador in his dealings with Starfleet. When I was posted to the Enterprise, I found it very daunting trying to work out a safe solution to our problems, while taking into consideration the lives of 83 Humans and a Denobulan. I know now what the Captain has to go through every day of his command." T'Pol was expressing her respect for the man who learned from his mistakes on that first mission and asked her personally to stay aboard and help him learn further.

"The unfortunate incident….. You want to talk about it?" Trip could sense her reluctance, but put the offer out there anyway. Secretly though, T'Pol hoped it wouldn't happen. Since her and the Captain's mission to retrieve Manos, she had to learn to deal with the emotions she'd tried so hard to suppress. To skim over it now would be the same as trying to hide it again.

"I was in foot pursuit of two targets… One fell and it became a hand to hand struggle. He went for his concealed weapon, and I drew mine first……." She paused, feeling the pain of her actions coming back to her. "It must have been the close proximity, or perhaps the cargo they were smuggling had gotten onto his clothing, but when I fired my weapon, he was killed instantly… He disintegrated in front of my eyes." Again T'Pol swallowed hard, trying to fight back the horror of that moment. But her owning up to it was a positive thing, something the Captain had told her would happen. She needed to deal with the memory, not simply have it erased. These Humans did have a better way of dealing with their mistakes, than Vulcans and she knew it was a smart thing, her asking him to assist her on that final matter.

"Geez, T'Pol, I didn't know… I'm so sorry…. You okay?" Trip could feel the sorrow of her actions as if it was his. He mourned the loss of life, sure as if he'd caused it himself. T'Pol could sense this too and looked up into his eyes curiously. How could this male know the feeling, having never killed anyone?

(Cause I'd know how I'd feel if it was me) came the simple thought into her brain without question of its origin. The two sat in silence for a long while, just quietly grieving the loss of life, criminal or not. They would eventually return to formulating the equations until lunch time came. For a change, Trip escorted the Vulcan down to the mess hall, for a good old fashion outing. It did her good to get out of her quarters, but the science officer still felt self conscious, knowing how quickly news traveled within the confines of a Human vessel.

***
(Dream)
That night, Trip tossed and turned on the cushioned surface, trying to catch up on the sleep he'd lost the night before. He thought better of asking to sleep with the Vulcan, seeing as how she was feeling better and her control was now coming back. He lay there fully aware of his surroundings. The soft blue light created a luxurious atmosphere, too bad he wasn't able to make use of it. As he turned once more, he felt a soft hand running up the front of his thigh.

He looked over and found the first officer kneeling beside him, looking much too calm to have been woken by a nightmare. She glanced down into his eyes and saw his questioning return. At first the engineer wanted to ask her, her intentions, but when he saw her leaning down over him, his thoughts turned to jelly. Her lips were now a breath away from his, her hand massaging the long muscles of his thigh, over the material of his sweat pants. Occasionally that hand would dip dangerously close to his manhood, but then retreat, as if wanting to torture the Human with her sexual ways.

The hot breath coming from the alien sent Trip's mind a whirl. His hands came up and absently encircled her, pulling downward to bridge the distance. Their lips met, soft and full, the feel of hers to his was overwhelming to the already aroused Human. He hungered for more, taking her lips, one at a time into his. He nibbled sensuously at them, inhaling deeply the scent that always seemed to be on his mind these days. That scent, sent warm waves of passion to his nether regions, causing a swelling to form that hadn't been there moments ago. The Vulcan's hand brushed up against that swelling, which caused Trip to let out the occasional groan in pleasure. Their mouths took each other in, tongues playing between lip locking matches. Trip pulled her into him, crushing her breasts to his chest as hard as he could. He felt the alien's hand move up and slip beneath the elastic of his pants. That same hand made a bee line down his hard abs causing him to shiver in response to the stimulation. His breath caught in his throat, his teeth clung to her lower lip, not wanting to release the choice flesh that they'd found. His chest heaved as his arousal was taking on a fevered pace. Trip felt his mind would burst if her stimulation of him continued. He wrenched his head back, his mouth gaping in ecstasy as her hand clasped round his manhood and gave a substantial pull….

TBC

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A whole mess of folks have made comments

WHAT THE?!?!!! You did NOT just leave a cliffhanger like THAT!!! Have you no sense of decency?! That is a dream, right? It says it's a dream... holy crap. Thursday cannot come too soon, I gotta see what's coming next! :\

... Congrats on your paper, by the way. :)

Hey you know my rule about 20 pages..... At least I got the pull in, I could have left him with blue b*lls.....One more line and it would have been 21 pages. Don't worry it's worth the wait and I have also started my next project that I think you guys will just love. It's a take off of season 3 and it's a whole lotta fun. It should be out soon too. T.

Mean Cliffy, looking forward to read more. Congrats on your paper from me too.

That is so mean! Can't wait for more. Glad you did well on your paper.

Interesting look at Vulcans and their attitudes.

Loved the backstory on Vulcan's motivations, very well done.

Thank goodness for internet access in hotel rooms!! Looking forward to next week!

I can 'see' this so clearly! Liked the Vulcan history. Congrats on your paper, roll on next week!

I'm so glad you all are enjoying this. I wondered how well the reason Vulcans were so persistent about their treatment of the Humans. But I always believed that the reason they make such a big deal about the problems of cultural contamination is because they have either suffered from or saw a bad example of it themselves. This way, it give a more personable trait to the Vulcans, and made them less sticklike beings. T.

I KNEW T'Pol had a thing for yankin' Trip's chain!

OMG!!! You did not just end this chapie like that!! LOL Your Evil TLR just pure Evil,, ;) leavin Trip hangin like that. :p

I loved the explanation as to why Vulcans held back an baby sat Humans for all those years,,, Deffinatly gives a whole new perspective on it. Loved the banter that it brought out in TnT to,,,,, an the fact that T'pol revealed one of her deeper fears to Trip,,,,, This one's really got some tender scenes in it,,,,, Im really likin this version of how the Bond formed,,,, An I cant wait fo the next update. Great work.