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The Dilithium Mission

Author - TLR | D | Genre - Angst | Genre - Romance | Main Story | Rating - R | T
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The Dilithium Mission

By: TLR


Rated R: Mild adult content.
Disclaimer: “Enterprise” is the product of UPN and Paramount Pictures
Summary: While writing the last chapter of Generational, I came up with this idea and just needed to put it to print. I think you will enjoy this little tale. This story picks up three weeks after Bound. Trip and T'Pol had made the decision that this bond thing wasn't such a big deal. For Trip it was business as usual. He was still having the nightly sweat drenched dreams and occasionally meeting up with T'Pol in her plain white space, but for T'Pol, it was a constant struggle to keep control over what Trip was feeling through their connection. Enjoy.

March 1st, 2006

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Trip, lay on his side on an adjacent biobed watching its occupant sleeping soundly. He had a sweet sense of satisfaction, knowing her mind was finally at peace. The events of the last two days seemed nothing more than a dream and yet the reality they brought forth was to the young Human, the most important change of his life. He lay back and looked to the shiny ceiling of sickbay, reflecting over the memories that would forever affect his life.

*** Two days before ***

"I'm tellin' ya Cap'n. I have never seen dilithium crystals crack like that." Trip stood in the captain's ready room brandishing the defective crystals before him against the ceiling light. Archer searched the sparkling purplish pink rocks for the flaws that made the gems worthless to them.

"What made it do that?" Jon was just as perplexed by the problem.

"They probably shattered during the attack buy the Orions. Most likely they cracked and we didn't even know about it." Trip was just guessing based on the change in performance since their run in with the green creatures.

"We've been at warp for two weeks, why are we only finding this now?" Archer seemed pissed at being disabled yet again.

"Ya got me… Kelby did a lot of damage when he short circuited the ship. And I am sure the prolonged warp 4.5 we've been doing lately didn't make the situation any better." Trip shook his head, and rubbed at his neck. "Maybe the defects were caused by the attack but got bigger with use."

"What ever the reason, what does this mean for the ship?" Jon was now tired of contemplating the problem.

"We're gonna have to find new ones Cap'n…. And soon." Trip was just as disgusted with the situation but knew he had no choice but relay it.

"Don't we carry extra crystals…? It seems to me that…" The captain hit his hand on the side cupboard he was leaning up against.

"These are the extra ones Cap'n." Trip stopped his friend's ranting. "The other ones were fractured during our excursion with the Augments. Remember they reduced us to impulse." Both men looked angered by that memory. The door chime sounded and Archer slapped the comm. with an extra effort. "Come in".

In walked T'Pol holding a palm padd in her hand. She looked from the Captain to Trip then back again. Eyeing her information once more she started her report. "I think I have found a solution to our problem. I took the liberty of doing some geological surveys of nearby star systems. I believe I found a planet with abnormally high dilithium levels." She watched as the two Humans looked puzzled.

"How did you know about this problem?" Archer asked, believing that he was the first one to hear of it.

Trip panicked, realizing that the Vulcan must have been somehow reading his mind. He chimed in before T'Pol was forced to explain.

"T'Pol was there when I discovered the problem. She knew of our need for more crystals. She just decided to do some research on her own." T'Pol looked at her mate, knowing he lied to cover their special situation. She waited a moment then continued.

"The fourth planet in this solar system is where these readings came from." She showed the padd to the captain with Trip looking over his shoulder at the readings. They were both impressed at the commander's work.

"Well that settles it…. Have Travis set course for the fourth planet, half impulse." Jon gave the order and both commanders filed out of his ready room. They shared a look once out of sight of Archer. On the bridge, the science officer returned to her station and the engineer entered the turbo lift, heading toward the engine room and his slightly crippled warp drive.

***

"I don't understand how you two are gonna pull this off by yourselves." Archer followed Trip and T'Pol about the shuttle bay as the two loaded what they would need into the transport.

"Dilithium is a very tricky mineral to mine. Laser mining equipment will set it off and digging the crystals out by hand needs precise movements in order to extract them correctly. Shape and size is crucial to their function in a warp drive." T'Pol was direct in her description, trying to get the captain to understand.

"Yes, but shouldn't you take a few more crewmen with you?" Archer was curious why his second and third in command were so set on going this one alone.

"Cap'n, T'Pol's right. This is a delicate procedure, but it is also a dangerous one. The fewer crewmembers that are in the cavern, the better. We will be fine." Trip backed up the Vulcan, while she continued to supervise the loading of equipment.

"I don't like the idea of leaving you here…. What if something goes wrong?" Jon had a problem continuing on with the rescue mission that they were about to start when the problem was discovered.

"You won't be too far away. You'll still be within radio contact." Trip reassured his friend.

"We will use the shuttle for shelter and take off at the first sign of trouble." T'Pol chimed in to help her mate calm the captain's nerves. Archer thought it out a moment then relented cautiously. He watched the couple climb into the shuttle and begin their pre-takeoff checklist. Jon left the area and watched on the monitor as the craft left the bay and descended toward the planet. He didn't leave orbit until he'd gotten the all clear from the wayward twosome. Once satisfied, he gave the order to the boomer to proceed ahead at full impulse to their original destination.

Meanwhile on the planet surface, Trip and T'Pol disembarked the vessel. They studied their surroundings, Trip eyeing the countryside and T'Pol running numerous scans of soil samples and geothermal readings. The Human finished his exploration and waited patiently for the Vulcan to finish hers.

"I'm getting increasing dilithium levels coming from that cavernous structure." She pointed directly to the cave they had intended to set down beside.

"Well…. Let's get started..." Trip climbed back into the shuttle and began handing out some of the mining equipment satchels. He slipped several nutrient packs into a knapsack with a pouch of water. T'Pol watched this with great interest.

"We will be returning to the ship for our meals, why are you packing food items in with the equipment?"

"Cause I get hungry when I am working. This way I don't have to stop and walk back to the shuttle to get a snack." He showed her a boyish smile. The first officer simply questioned him with her stare then turned to enter the cave. Frustrated, Trip rolled his eyes and exhaled heavily. Throwing the sac over his shoulder, the engineer followed her into the entrance.

As they made their way deeper into the cavern, the amount of glittering spots on the walls began to increase. They increased in number and in size. They hadn't gone too far into the cave before Trip determined the size of these crystals to be adequate for their need. He threw down his bag and went over to the walls for a closer inspection. T'Pol pulled out her tricorder and began making closer surveys to confirm size and shape of the crystals.

Trip came up behind her and tried to read the results over her shoulder. Ironically he could understand them, even though they were in Vulcan. This surprised the engineer as he tried to comprehend why this was possible.

"I don't read Vulcan and yet I can read this…. Is that part of this bond thing?"

"I am reading the data and your mind is merely picking up some of my thoughts." T'Pol didn't look up from the readings.

"Hummm. This could come in handy." Trip was very impressed at his new ability.
The Vulcan could sense his sarcasm and gave him a look that told him so.

"This wall has some particularly nice specimens. I believe we should start here." T'Pol put away the scanner and began to dig through the bag for the right tools.
They worked in unison, tapping and chiseling at different points on the wall.

Their goal was to get 4 perfect crystals, and after about three hours they had successfully gotten two unbroken specimens out and safely tucked away. The silence between them was almost deafening. There was a palpable uneasiness that had been coming over the duo for weeks now. After learning of the bond and Trip's return to Enterprise, instead of it bringing them closer, this bond seemed to be causing both of them some discomfort. This was never more apparent than when they worked together, neither seemed to know what to say to the other.

Suddenly there came a strong shutter of the cavern walls. The ground shook vigorously, taking our two miners off their feet. Trip grabbed at T'Pol's waist and eased her down atop him to cushion her fall. Over to the far end, the entrance was being filled up with loose debris and rubble. They saw that fact and scrambled to their feet. Trip and T'Pol had the idea to make a mad dash for the opening before it was closed off completely. As they started their run, larger rocks tumbled into the opening. The Human pushed his mate back against the far wall and away from the falling debris. She hit it hard and crumpled to the floor, as the Human moved to cover her with his frame. As the shuttering ended, Trip and T'Pol lay on the floor together.

"What did you do that for?" T'Pol corrected him, watching the entrance becoming narrower.

"There were boulders falling. You could have been crushed. Of course I am gonna pull you away from the danger." Trip was a bit miffed by her questioning his saving her.

"We might have made it out. Now it is evident that we are stuck." T'Pol got up and moved closer to examine the situation.

"Well excuse me for giving a damn." Trip turned his back and walked deeper into the cave. He sat down on a large rock formation and watched the female begin to climb the loose rubble.

"What are you doing?" He asked almost annoyed by her attempts.

"I am trying to see if there is a way out."

"Would you get down off there, you're gonna fall." Trip shook his head feeling her determination on the matter. "Besides, there is still falling debris."

"I am an experience climber… I can take care of myself." T'Pol was almost to the top, reaching her neck out to examine a very small opening at the peak of the heap. Trip continued to shake his head, tired of trying to reason with the stubborn woman. There was another sudden round of quaking that shook the cavern and debris. Trip looked up and saw T'Pol go flying from the stack. She vaulted backward, the Human reaching out to try and catch her. He fell short, as the female hit the hardness of the dirt floor. She hit on her side, trying to roll out of the mishap but not reacting fast enough to keep herself from injury.

Within a micron, Trip was near her, seeing her favor the ribs to her left side. He helped T'Pol to her feet and moved her to the boulder where he had been sitting. She limped as well indicating her ankle may have also taken on some damage. The Human pulled the tricorder from her pocket and began running scans of T'Pol's injuries. The readings were still in Vulcan, but this time they didn't make any sense to Trip. He showed them to her and awaited her explanation.

"I have a fractured rib and a sprained ankle. That is all." T'Pol stated evenly through gritted teeth.

"Let me give you something for the pain." Trip said picking through the many items in the satchel of the medic kit.

"I am not in need of any pain medication. I can control the pain mentally. This is simply mind over matter." T'Pol straightened herself, trying with all her might to control the stabbing pain that was calling from her chest and her ankle.

"I told ya not to go climbing that mound. I knew you were gonna fall." Trip continued to search through the sparsely equipped medic kit. He found the hypospray and offered it to her anyway. As expected, T'Pol simply looked at him in defiance.

"You know you're in pain. Why don't you just use it?" He was getting a bit more pissed than before.

"Because Vulcans prompt their bodies to make their own medicines." Her response was eerily familiar

"Yeah…. Yeah…. Yeah…. In the meantime while you are prompting, your ankle and ribs are throbbing and I'm havin' to feel it." Trip was referring to the scant sense he had of her pain, but didn't tell her it wasn't more than a mild annoyance.

T'Pol considered this for a moment then took the hypospray. Putting it to her neck, she let the hiss fade away much of the discomfort she was feeling. She closed her eyes and allowed the relief a moment's consideration.

"Now, don't you feel better?" Trip decided to rub it in a bit. He got a displeased look in return. Turning, the engineer started to survey the problem. There was a huge mound of boulders, rock and rubble that blocked the entrance way. Only a small area of light shown through at the top, telling the Human at least there was oxygen getting through.

"Well at least we won't suffocate." Trip pointed to the small beam of light. He fumbled through his pockets and pulled out his communicator. "Hey, we can radio the ship for help." He exclaimed, his mind feeling more relieved.

"The range on the communicators will not be sufficient to reach the ship, only the radio in the shuttle has the power to contact them." T'Pol looked at the mound again, once more surveying their predicament.

"We will need to either escape quickly or close that opening." The Vulcan stated now examining her ankle. She tried to stand, but between the painful rib and the equally sore ankle, her attempts were in vain.

"What do you mean, close it up? Are you insane? That is our source of breathable air and you want to shut it off?" Trip sounded like he was at his wit's end with the woman. T'Pol stopped her attempts at standing and looked at him squarely.

"It will be sunset in 22 minutes. Just before that though, the angle of the sun will allow beams of light to come directly into this cavern. Any beam of light that hits a dilithium crystal will refract at high intensity. This cavern is filled with crystals. It would be very dangerous to remain." She saw a look of understanding coming over his face.

"It will turn this room into a laser show. We will be cut in two,…four….." He scanned the room counting the crystals that would eventually play a part in their undoing.

"Exactly. Now will you help me up? I will assist you to move some of the rubble and perhaps we can squeeze through before this happens." T'Pol shot a hand to him, one which he took quickly. As he pulled, Trip could see her wince from the fractured rib. He wondered how in the hell she would be of any assistance at all.

"Maybe we should just block the light. How long will sunset last…..what…. 10 - 15 minutes or so?" The Human was rethinking her original idea. "Once sunset is over, we can open it back up again." Trip watched his mate hobble from one foot to the other and back.

T'Pol leaned up against a nearby wall and watched as the Human started to climb over the fine rubble. He got his footing on the larger stuff and was making pretty good time to the top. Once there he looked around for several medium rocks he could use to block out the sunlight. There to his left was a large deposit of them. He grabbed them, shoving each into place like a finely size jigsaw puzzle. When the last remnants of light were gone, Trip knew he'd successfully accomplished his mission. T'Pol meanwhile, took out her scanner and hit the light button on the side. From the top, a strangely warming blue glow illuminated the room, giving her mate a way to see his return trip down the heap. Back on solid ground Trip came over and stood beside the Vulcan.

"I think that oughtta hold it.". The Human stood back and admired his handy work. T'Pol was feeling the return of her pain and this brought Trip's attention back to her. He eased her down, along the wall and reached for the sac.

"Here, have some water." T'Pol started to refuse, but saw the concerned look in his eye. Instead she accepted it and took a long swig.

"Thank you." She uttered, easing the tensions between them with that simple gesture. Trip sat down beside her and leaned up against the rocky surface.

"How long we got now?" Her mate asked, almost as worried as he knew she was.

"Five minutes…. We will know if your construction has worked at that time." T'Pol let out a deep sigh. The pain was returning and Trip could tell it.

"Want some more medication?" He asked holding the hypospray out to her.

"No thank you…. I will be fine." This time her answer was less Vulcan. There was an awkward silence between them, both not knowing what to say about this strange feeling. Finally Trip broke the silence.

"How come you didn't know about these earthquakes? Didn't the geologicals show something about it?" He asked, just happy to not be fumbling for words to say.

"My surveys were not taken at a time of geological instability. I didn't have the opportunity to study the planet for a longer period. It was unlikely I could have predicted this from the results I had. Do you feel I performed my examination incorrectly?" T'Pol however, was a bit more defensive.

"I didn't mean to say you didn't do a good job. Hell no, if anyone is thorough, it's you. I just meant that you'd think something like this would have shown up ….on a….. survey." His words got more and more sheepish, Trip realizing that no matter what he said these days, it was touchy to her.

"Perhaps this planet goes through phases of geological instability and we just happened to arrive during one of those phases." The first officer calmed down a bit.

"Yeah, well let's just hope that that was the last of those geological instabilities for a while." The Human murmured examining the walls of the cave.

"You are concerned there will be another cave in?" T'Pol read his mind from the expression on his face.

"Well we have been in here digging and the walls look none too stable as it is." He retorted, agreeing with her in the only way he knew how, emotionally. "What was that?" Trip shuttered and the hairs on his neck stood up.

"What was what?" The Vulcan replied searching the corners to see what he was afraid of.

"That… didn't you feel it. I think we're gonna……" before Trip could finish, the ground began to shake again. He put one hand on his mate's shoulder to help stabilize her, all the while looking to the ceiling for falling debris. Several rocks fell down the mound and rolled toward them. This got the attention of both occupants. It was the ones he'd placed to block the light. Now there were gaping holes in the entrance, as Trip saw the light start filtering in.

"Look out…." He yelled, pushing T'Pol to the ground and covering her with his body. Just as he did so, the first of the light hit a crystal and was refracted into several more beams. These beams shown throughout the cavern igniting other crystals. Soon there were hundreds of laser beams slicing the air at all angles. The light from these beams was almost blinding.

Huddled flat on the floor were Trip and his mate. He still covered her, a laser beam only inches from his back. "Don't move." The engineer warned her, feeling the heat from the beam's nearness.

"Are you injured?" T'Pol asked worried that her mate was in greater danger than she.

"No and I'd like to stay that way…. How long did you say this would last?" Trip felt very uncomfortable knowing the bulk of his weight was lying across an already injured female.

"The angle of the sun light will change in 2.5 minutes. Can you hold out that long?" The Vulcan's voice showed marked concern. This was oddly soothing to Trip who'd thought her only concern these days was for the ship.

"Yeah…I'm okay, but how you doing?" He remembered her fractured rib.

"I am well…." She stated knowing this would help him to relax. After a few more minutes the room dimmed a bit. Trip cautiously looked skyward and found all the beams were fading. Within a few more minutes, they were all gone, and so was the heat that accompanied them. Trip got up from his position and helped his mate to an upright sit. He looked to her side, seemingly trying to inspect her injuries with his naked eye.

"I am fine… You need not worry about me." T'Pol reassured him and found he was still very unsettled.

"Glad that's over." Finally Trip sat back and relaxed.

"For now." T'Pol added not wanting him to get too comfortable.

"What's that mean?"

"The surveys I did showed marked temperature swings. Where the days are very warm, the night time is very cold. We are in a cavern filled with crystals that magnify different types of energies. They will mimic the cold and intensify it." Now Trip was sure, T'Pol was trying to stress him out.

"So you're saying it's gonna get like an icebox in here?" She squinted at the use of his unfamiliar term.

"Refrigeration unit." He explained and saw a confirming response.

"Great… Now instead of being cooked, we're gonna freeze to death. This day is just getting better and better." He threw down a pebble he'd picked up. It bounced on the dirt floor and rolled to the far side of the area.

"I don't know if we are going to freeze, but it will become quite unpleasant if we don't get back to the shuttle."

Trip gave her a sarcastic look. "How are we supposed to do that? What, you think I got a portable blasting kit in here?" He held up the sac and showed her the contents.

"A portable blasting kit would only ignite the crystals." T'Pol made a point of bringing this to his attention.

"Ah gees…" he rolled his eyes and looked away in frustration.

"Perhaps we can enlarge the opening and crawl out before the temperature drops too much." T'Pol again tried to stand, but found a heavy hand upon her shoulder.

"You can't do anything, just stay here. I will try to open up the hole."

"Vulcans have three times the strength of Humans. I could help you with the larger rocks." She handed an arm to him for his assistance. Instead she got just another dirty look.

"What, you gonna heave them with your busted rib and bad ankle. You'll be lucky if you can crawl through the hole without assistance. Now just stay put and that's an order." Trip wasn't in the mood for this foolishness.

"I outrank you and am the head of this mission. You can not give me orders."

"We're the same rank…. And as for giving you orders, well….." Trip didn't have a good comeback for that, but knew somewhere inside he had the right to order her. This made no sense to the Human, but he just had a feeling. He went to the mound and began to climb once more. When he reached the top, he found something he really didn’t want to see.

The entrance was clogged by several large boulders, each of which came together tightly. The small openings filled in by the rubble were not sufficient for even the slender female to escape. After a few more minutes trying, the Human eased back down and prepared to break the news to her.

"It's no use… The boulders are blocking the way and there isn't enough room for us to get through." Trip moved over and started rifling through the duffle. He came upon a material like substance, metallic on one side and felt lined on the other. It was rolled neatly, but undone it was the side of a full sized blanket. He handed it to his mate. "Here."

"What is this for?" she asked him knowing the use of this blanket was for protection during welding.

"It's all we got. It'll help keep you warm when the temperature drops." Trip stood there holding the blanket for her to take. She stared at it a moment then looked away.

"I will not be in need of it. You use it." She steeled herself for his response.

"Look you said it was gonna get darn chilly in here tonight. So just take the damn thing." The Human shook it once more before her.

"I am Vulcan. I can control my reaction to cold far better than Humans can." This just ticked Trip off more.

"Okay, can we stop with the Vulcans are superior to Humans crap. I had enough of it from Soval during our first three years to last a life time. The fact is that you come from a desert planet. The temperature on average is about 40 degrees Celsius." He paused a moment to think of another convincing reason. "Hell, you even keep your cabin a whopping 37 degrees, and that is just so the rest of the ship isn't so cold to you. You even wear insulated clothing, so your body heat won't escape. Who do you think will do better in the cold?"

"Yes, but I have a more disciplined mind. I can control my reaction to the chill and not allow myself to feel it." T'Pol wasn't going to back down on this one.

"Regardless of whether or not you feel it, you will loose body heat and your threshold, I'm sure, is higher than mine. Now take the DAMN blanket." He chucked it at her, feeling a bit guilty, but mad all the same.

T'Pol was poised to speak to his comments then felt his guilt. He hadn't meant to speak to her in that way and it was bothering him even though he was angered by her words. This she thought had to be part of their bond trying to keep the peace. Thinking better of her argument, she simply replied. "Thank You." Her hands grasped the blanket and started to cover her swollen limb.

This got Trip's guilt up further. He interpreted her giving in as if being hurt by his stern tone. "Look T'Pol…. I am sorry for being so rude, but where I come from a guy doesn't let a woman freeze to death while he's nice and warm. I was raised to be a gentleman and sometimes you don't understand that." He never met her eyes, only gazed at the dirt covered floor.

"Indeed, you have always shown me great respect. I apologize for my being so determined and for not realizing your need to take care of me." These words got his attention. He didn't know why, but they sounded right some how. He reached in the knapsack once more and pulled out a nourishment pack.

"We don't know how long Enterprise will be, I guess we'd better ration these out." He thought a moment and a big smile came over his face. "Now aren't ya glad I packed these in here." Her mate held up the packet of wafer like cookies and waved them to and fro. He saw her brow rise, as if not wanting to admit he was right.

Trip opened the packet, breaking the book sized wafer into two pieces. He gave the slightly larger one to T'Pol and began nibbling on his half. The Vulcan sniffed it hesitantly, realizing it was simulated protein and tons of sugar. "The nutrition in this bar is questionable." She stated holding off that first bite as long as she could.

"Yep, but it won't let us starve. Eat up Commander…. I wish I could say there is a lot more where that came from, but I only packed four of those things." Trip took another small bite. He enjoyed the creamy sweet flavor, even though the texture was like cardboard. They finished their makeshift meal in silence once again. Each of them took a swig from their limited water supply to wash the dry thing down.

The air began to chill, but only to the Vulcan's notice. She stilled her body's reaction by concentrating on many ancient disciplines. They weren't working all that well, as she reached for the ends of the blanket and pulled it around her shoulders. Trip noticed this move and a small satisfied smile came over his lips. He shook an illuma-stick. The small crystals inside the stick rattled, as the slender wand began to glow. The defused light, greenish in hue, reflected from the crystals, but ignited none of them since it didn't produce direct energy. The room went from almost completely black, to being a warm shade of green. The twinkling of the crystals that dotted the walls, looked like stars that were just starting to come into the evening sky.

Trip looked over to his mate and saw her wince whenever she tried to move. "You need more pain medicine?" His question got her attention.

"The pain is controllable. I will hold off using any more of the medicine at this time." She sat up straighter and held the blanket in for more support. Her mate reached over and pulled the edges of the material closer about her neck. He smiled softly, as his touch brought a sweet calm to her mind. He sat down beside her and leaned into her shoulder. Laying his head back, Trip tried to get a bit of rest.

"Should we not try to get our remaining two dilithium crystals?" She asked thinking the activity would ward off the cold a bit longer for him.

"Not enough light…. The last thing we need is for me to hit one of the crystals and ignite a spark." He looked over to her, as she gazed back at him.

"The crystals are not gaseous. There would be no fire." She replied, a soft shutter to her voice.

"No but the light beam it might create would turn into a laser beam and I don't know what direction it would go. Best to be safe and wait until there is enough light to see the shape of the crystal in the wall." He thought a moment and wondered if his being close to her was bothering her.

"Why are you so eager to get me to work….." He grinned slightly. "Afraid you won't be able to resist me if we stay together too long?"

"I thought perhaps if we accomplished our tasks, that tomorrow we could investigate what is further down that passageway. Perhaps there are underlying hot springs that we could use for warmth." Her voice was really jumping now and Trip lifted his arm and put it about her shoulders to help.

"Why don't we go now, if you're cold…." He was cut off by her response.

"No…The further we travel into the cave, the colder it may get. We have no indications of hot springs, but could get trapped down deep and have a real chance of freezing to death." Her head leaned into his shoulder, a fact that gave him a strange sense of pleasure.

"I guess you're right… We can look for that tomorrow when the temperature comes up." He lay his chin atop her hair, bringing with his closeness added body heat that decreased her shivering. Trip thought a moment to comment on how well she seemed to be controlling her response to the cold, but decided better of it. They sat like this for many hours, both drifting in and out of light sleep states. It wasn't until the dead of night when Trip woke in a start.

He looked to T'Pol, still and cold beside him, seeing a darker green hue about her lips and eyes. He reached up and touched her cheek, as her head dropped downward limply.

"T'Pol………T'Pol…… " Trip shook her and got only the minimalist of responses in the form of a grunt. Unwrapping the blanket, Trip lay back bringing her body down on top his. He felt the cold marble sting of the floor coming through his clothing. It nagged at his sore muscles and already chilly skin. With a bit more effort, Trip rewrapped the blanket back around them both, tucking the sides in beneath him as close as possible. He slipped his hands below the cover and began rubbing her back and arms to restart more of the Vulcan's circulation. He could hear her groaning as his hands disturbed the pain filled rib cage to her left.

"Come on T'Pol…. Wake up…..You can do it…..Wake up…." Trip took her head and tucked it deep into his neck. The icy feel of her skin brought shivers to his body. He felt her move, only slightly as once more his hand hit that delicate spot.

"Trip.." She murmured, hoarse and low into his ear.

"Thank you god…" Trip mouthed to the cave ceiling and continued his rewarming techniques. Soon T'Pol was once more conscious. She noted the peculiar position they were in and wondered how this came to be. When Trip retold the facts, she was amazed to realize how close to dying she came.

"I think we need to stay awake…Want to try walking about to generate some heat?" Trip asked wanting more to get off the icy surface for a while. T'Pol nodded and eased off him. He helped her to a standing position, wrapping the blanket around both of them. T'Pol couldn't step down on that foot, her ankle now the size of a large grapefruit.

"It is no use Commander…. I will not be able to walk with you. Please do so to keep warm anyway." That name got the blood running hot in the Human again.

"Listen…. When we are on the bridge or in engineering around other crewmen, then call me commander. But when we are alone, call me Trip…..You do it when you want something." His face got back some of the hue that it had lost lying on the floor. Instead of easing her down, as she requested, Trip stood directly in front of her.

"Hold the blanket." He ordered then hoisted her up about the waist. He brought her too him, directing her legs to either side of his bottom. The surprised Vulcan watched in silence.

"Now hold on…" He started marching around the room, making pass after pass with military precision. His body temperature rose steadily over several minutes, as the pink returned to his face and hands. Though T'Pol was not physically working out like her mate, her efforts to stay on him created some rise in her body temp too. With that, she started receiving the radiating heat from the Human's body and her senses became more and more alert. When Trip was exhausted, rather than returning her to that cold floor, he went over and sat atop the boulder in the far corner again. T'Pol positioned on his lap, was forced to stay there and wait for his next motion.

"Are you all right?" she asked hearing his breathing and feeling the racing of his heart.

"Yeah… nothing like a good workout to get the blood pumping." He smiled thinking about the current situation and how the Vulcan must be trying to deal with it. He decided to get her temperature up some more. "You've gained some weight."

T'Pol looked at him with daggers coming from her eyes. "My weight is a constant 47.5 kilograms. That is normal for my height by Vulcan standards."

"Whoa, now you're telling me your weight. We are getting really intimate here." This statement only further flustered the young woman.

"There is nothing intimate about one's weight. It is a matter of my medical record." She stared at him as he began to laugh.

"I don't know what you find so amusing about these comments." Now even the Vulcan's body temperature was returning to normal. This made a nice change for Trip, since his body temp was the lower of the two. She radiated soft warmness that started to break the chill of the icy seat he was on.

"Now we're cooking." His remark once more irritated the female and gave him even more to laugh about. "Ready for another couple of rounds around the cavern?" Without warning, he yanked her up and came to a full standing position.

"Ever play horsy on Vulcan?" He asked before taking off in a little trot. The bumping of their bodies together rose both their heat levels, but for grossly other reasons. T'Pol hung on, pulling her chest to his and resting her head on his shoulder. The feel of the friction between them was igniting the bond in ways she hadn't wanted it too. Their closeness, this being together and even the heat that he supplied her body was arousing her senses. She could feel the same arousing sensations in him, knowing to fight this would be almost impossible. Their breathing grew rapid, as Trip stopped his motions in the middle of the room.

It was apparent to the Human, this little horse play had created some adverse feelings. The only problem was that these feelings were incredibly pleasurable and he wasn't sure if he could stop himself. His manhood was beginning to get into the act, trying against the pressure of her pelvis to find room to grow. Now both their minds were tuned to the same thought.

Easing his mate from him, Trip rested T'Pol on her one good foot. He held onto her, keeping her balance and her closeness safe within his embrace. His eyes searched hers for some sign that this was what she wanted too. It was there, clear as day, in the oversized orbs that seemed even softer in the dim lighting. He reached down and placed a soft hand to her jaw. His touch sent shivers through both of them and the Vulcan closed her eyes awaiting his kiss. The pleasure of this moment, frozen in time seemed intoxicating, disabling all their senses. No longer were they in a cold damp cavern. Now they were safely back in each other's arms.

It seemed the longest moment, waiting for her mate's touch, but it finally came, dissolving all thought in either of them. They kissed passionately, holding each position their mouths found for an extended taste. Trip's arms came up and engulfed her small frame. Even the pain from her injuries was forgotten within the grandeur of this touch. T'Pol's hands moved up to lose themselves in the blond strands at the back of his head. She pulled him deeper into their passions, gasping with every parting of their lips. She devoured his mouth, groping and searching with her tongue, through the soft areas there.

Finally coming up for air, the surprised lovers were at a quandary. Their bodies ached to be together, but they knew their last encounter only brought with it hard feelings. For T'Pol giving into the needs of the bond was second nature. She had long desired his touch, but he made it clear that he wasn't as thrilled with that idea. His words to her after learning of their bond, "And this thing between us… inn't that big a deal", kept holding her back from addressing his distance with her.

For Trip however, his love for the young commander hadn't changed. His constantly meeting resistance though, had him very shell shy. The thought of getting another "exploration" speech in the morning was enough to dampen even this level of arousal. He wanted nothing more than to take her, here on the spot, but his mind nagged at him over and over again. He decided to try to get a clearer picture of her thoughts on the matter.

"If we go through with this…." His voice was ragged and husky as he tried to speak. He exhaled several times, his mind swirling in several directions at once. He tried to find the words to say, but was answered before he could ask.

"It would raise our body heat exponentially." T'Pol was equally as husky, her face darting forward to try and entice his. Her mind was as heady, lost fully to the pull of the bond. She could feel his desire halt almost as fast as it started. To her surprise, Trip walked over and set her down on a nearby rock. The look on her face was hard to hide, as he pulled away and left her there. The Human stood with his back to her trying to cope with the sudden shock to his libido.

(You wanted an answer, Trip old man, and you got it didn't you. Well I guess it's better before you put your heart out there again. At least this way, there is no embarrassing morning after to deal with.) He leaned up against the cave wall red faced and ready to cry.

T'Pol sat there totally shocked by his refusal of her. It was as she thought. Her mate did not wish to be bonded to her any longer, but was going through with it because he was, as he stated, a gentleman. This made her remain quiet for a long time. It would be nearly an hour before anyone would speak again.

*************************************************************************


Part 2

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A whole mess of folks have made comments

Ah... the wonders of shared bodily warmth. You do realize that all of the survival texts emphasize that in sub-zero temperatures, skin to skin contact is much more effective at maintaining body heat than contact through clothing, don't you? } : )

Now distracted, don't be impatient. They've got another day down there. And Bucky, you were right. I did notice a few oop's. I ran it through reader and gram/spell 3 times each. Yikes.

Happy Easter everybody. Hope your day is a great one ......T

Oh, so-o-o cliffy! I cannot wait for the next chapter. Great story so far.

Great one. Mean cliffy, looking forward to the next chapter.

What a cliff but a great story! I can't wait to see where this goes. You really have a knack for writing the greatest stories...

left us hanging.... great story so far, really enjoying it! cheers!

yeah, i get so excited when some one posts a new story (if only i could write)
please hurry the anticipation is killing me

Don't mean to be cliffy? Well for that you did it well... I like it, can't wait for Wednesday...

oooooohh this is turning out to be a very intriguing story, Oh please do update this very enjoyable & extremely well configured fic soon...

Laser light zapping around in a cave, yikes! What imagery! I hope none of my crystals at home are really dilithium, LOL.