The Dilithium Mission - Part 3

The Dilithium Mission

By: TLR

Rated R: Adult content.
Disclaimer: Enterprise is the property of UPN and Paramount Pictures.

Summary: The story picks up where the last one ended. I backed up a bit to get you a running start. Trip and T'Pol are now learning to embrace their bond and just melded to get solidly in each other's consciousnesses. Trip has just asked the big question and T'Pol gives him the answer he's waited so long for. Enjoy……T

Warning: This section contains some subtle graphic, well what's the word I am looking for…..sex scenes, so have your moist towelettes and ciggy butts handy… Hee. Hee….

May 5th, 2006

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Chapter : Finale

"I can want no other. My actions in the past were from fear of my illogical feelings for you. I did not know of the bond and the strong emotions I had were not appropriate. If I had realized about the bond, our discussion afterward, and even our past year would have been much different." Her eyes pleaded with him to return to her mouth. He did so, pulling her body so tight against his, he felt he would crush her.

(God I love this bond….!!!!) There was a stray exclamation that came from his mind that garnered a rather eerie response. (giggle) the sound came soft and low from his mate's consciousness and it sent the Human's mind into a further whirl wind. He grabbed her up into his arms, scooping her frame from the ground and carrying her to the bed.

"Can we do this here?" He asked now wanting her body even more. He saw her nod. "And our real selves, will they be?" Trip wondered what was going on back in the cave.

"No… we haven't moved from our meld. This will be nothing more than a dream," She leaned in and felt a bit of hesitation on his part.

"I want the real thing….no more dreaming of this. That is all I've been doing for the longest time." His voice was heady, his eyes dark and steamy.

"Then choose to awaken from this dream and it will be so." T'Pol's hand came up and caressed his face lovingly.

"When I awake, will I find this has all been a dream?" He asked almost scared that their entire conversation could have been just mental manipulation.

"No… we have corrected our problems… It is time to put this bond back into order. To do so would require our being together…." She saw a faint bit of doubt and continued…. "I promise."

Trip nervously closed his eyes and began to concentrate on waking up. There was a small balled up feeling in the pit of his stomach, a force of habit that said he would not like what he found on the other side of this dream. He pushed down his disquieted nerves and began to search for a way out of this paradise. It was difficult, and as he started to fade from that happy place, the fear of his past came back bolder to meet his waking moment.

Trip opened his eyes to find the hand that T'Pol had against his temple moments before was now caressing his cheek. Its warmth brought back much of the wonderful feelings he had within the meld. His hand mimicked hers as it slid softly against her warm olive skin. He pulled her face to his and gently took her lips. The kiss was slight, a glancing movement that sent shivers into them both. They stood a scant distance from each other's lips, and yet the heat from their bodies seemed as if they'd been in contact all day. They were warm, a sensual feeling running through them like a lava flow. Trip opened his eyes again and saw the waiting face of his mate, eyes closed desiring his nearness. She smiled, a soft smile that told him he'd not dreamed anything. This was real and was about to happen. With that thought, the Human eased back into the kiss and allowed it to grow heavier with every passing second.

Trip's hands pulled her close into him, crushing her uniform to his. He ran them up and down her back, memorizing each curve with his fingertips. His mouth groped hungrily to taste that which had been away from him too long. Her scent intoxicated the commander's senses. His mind was flying, swirling about the room in a fantasy type state. But her touch upon his body was what he craved most. Up until now, it had been all his initiation. Trip was in need of her reassurances this wasn't going to turn into another exploration. These reassurances came in the form of her fingers slowly and methodically tracing the outline of his bottom. They ran from his thigh, and spread wide along his glutes, making their way up toward his head. They kneaded his back muscles, the sore ones that had come from his sleeping on the cold rocky ground.

T'Pol's hands were hot, like a medication patch of Phlox's, easing any soreness away in seconds. As they made their way to his hair, Trip could feel his mate's fingers plant themselves along the back of his skull. With a slight force, she pulled him down into her mouth, her own lips getting more engaged in their activities. This made the Human's head swirl harder. His body responded, hands growing bolder, skin heating and flushing as if growing along with his manhood. Trip eased back from this contact. He wanted to see in her eyes that which he felt through their bond. There it was. The same deep love and desire for him that was singing through his mind at that very moment. It was intense, calling him to take the beautiful woman before him without question. But Trip didn't want to hurry his desires. He instead chose to give into his desires for romance first.

Trip eased them both to the ground, spreading out the blanket as much as it would open. He helped T'Pol onto it, placing her in its center. Moving behind her, Trip watched T'Pol's eyes follow him longingly. He reassured her with a soft smile. Seated behind his mate, the Human eased the zipper of her burgundy uniform down to her lower back. He leaned in and began placing kisses along the exposed skin of her shoulders. Trip's hands slipped beneath the material of the formfitting wear, up across her shoulder blades and over the end of her collarbone. The Human's kisses grew heavier, his nose brushing long lines against her skin. As he reached the delicate softness of her ear, Trip heard his mate let out the breath she'd been holding. The sigh was long and heavy with emotion. He could feel from T'Pol, the waves of pleasure his touch was causing.

As her uniform fell from her front, Trip's eyes looked down over her shoulders at the roundness of her feminine form. T'Pol laid her head back into her mate's body and afforded him an unobstructed view. Her eyes were closed, feeling the heat of her lover's stare upon the thin undergarment she wore. Secretly it was Trip's favorite, seeing that the Vulcans were less regulation about items like that. He remembered his first time in decon with the young woman, how his mind grew hazy at the look and feel of her feminine form. Now Trip's hands were caressing that form for purposes that had nothing to do with the mission. It was all about his passions, ones he was fighting hard to keep to a firm control on. Within him, all Trip's mind could want was to have her, now without any delay. But knowing that his emotions frightened T'Pol the first time, the Human was trying his level best to lower their intensity. Little did he know that it wasn’t his intensity he was fighting.

As his hands began their journey down her arms, his fingers brushed lightly against the protrusion of her nipples that were now very much evident beneath the thin fabric of her camisole. A shiver of anticipation ran through the young woman and her breathing began to come in short gasps. Trip took this first as a sign of fear rising within her. But as the wave of pleasure overtook his mind, he realized those gasps were ones of ectasy and hastened his movements a little. Reaching her wrists, Trip moved his hands to the remnants of her uniform, sliding her delicate structure from each arm. She complied, still head back and eyes closed. He then slid his fingers beneath the gathered material at her waist. From each side he began pushing it lower and lower until the young Vulcan had to lift her hips to allow for its smooth removal. Now at her knees, Trip's hands slid back up along her thighs, teasing the front of them with the slightly rough edges of his nails. This brought another shiver to the alien, who was lost in the endless waves of passion she was feeling within her mate.

Trip's mind was hazy, now living the many dreams he'd had over the last 16 months. The feel of her skin, the sound of her pleasure was more than he'd ever experienced in those sweat drenched nights. It was only the memory of her confession that made him keep his desire to possess her under control. For once, Trip could see why Vulcan's went to such great lengths to keep their emotions under control. The emotions he was experiencing now made his most enraged state seem like a mere mood swing. The hunger, the need, coupled with the overwhelming desire to have what he'd been kept from for so long, even began to frighten the young Human.

As his fingers reached the upper aspect of her thighs, they darted inward slightly brushing against her most sensitive spots before stimulating the soft layers beneath the thin hip cut briefs. The navel Trip always found so unique, was now his playground as he slipped a finger atop the swirling mound and played with the winding pattern it displayed. He heard a soft gasp come from her lips as small gooseflesh appeared across her exposed abdomen. Bringing his mouth to her shoulder, Trip's eyes remained on the mounds that impeded his sight of what laid below. He glanced down the front of her covering, remembering the glee he felt that night she leaned over him and he was privy to yet another angle of these lovely bosoms. He could feel a soft smile come over his lips as he realized that T'Pol was not lost on his point of view that night either.

Those hands that were causing such sensations came up to support her curves, cupping them softly for only a second, then brushing past their peaks and back outward to rest upon her arms. They kneaded her substantial muscle firmness, growing with intensity as his lips heated the skin along her collar bone with his breath. T'Pol slid her hands from her sides and over his thighs. She grasped at the material of his overalls, wanting with this intensity of seduction to rip the barrier from her way and have the cause of this temptation. Her manipulations began to stir the heat of Trip's already ignited inferno. He slid his hands to her ribs and gently pulled at the lower aspect of the camisole. Without resistance, T'Pol's arms went up over her head as if begging him to relieve her of this layer quickly. It went flying over the Human's shoulder and into a crumpled pile on the floor.

T'Pol turned in his arms, kneeling between his open legs enticing him to continue his play. He did so without hesitation, grabbing and taking each erect mound into his mouth like a hungry lion. His nose crushed against the warmth of her flesh, his breathing obstructed at times by her roundness. Uncaring, Trip continued as if suckling on these delights was the only life sustaining measure that would ease his torment. T'Pol leaned into his suction, adding her hands to his head to bring more force into the action. She would allow this a few moments longer, then took his head into her hands and eased him back away from her. The Human's eyes were hazy, his mind so lost in the luxurious feelings he was getting from her that he hardly realized she had stopped him. He stared up at her, heaving as his chest pushed against the restrictiveness of his uniform.

Gently, T'Pol unzipped the garment, pushing it from his shoulders with a bit more force than she meant too. It toppled Trip backward slightly, but with catlike reflexes, the Vulcan kept him from going all the way back to the floor. She yanked the stiffened blue denim to his waist then allowed him to go all the way back. Now supine on the floor, T'Pol could remove the garment from him with less restriction. It, plus her cat suit added to the pile that was her undergarment. All that remained between them was their briefs, Trip's noticeably stretched to the limit. He came to a sit as the young Vulcan returned to her kneeling position. It took her by surprise when the engineer's mouth began to suck at the outer layers of her panty. The gasp she let out filled her lungs to capacity as she almost fell backward from the onslaught.

Trip's hands came up and supported her lower back, pulling her deeper into this sensual kiss. His teeth played with the fabric, pulling it from her body and allowing it to snap back against her smooth spot. His hands slid down a bit, to grasp her bottom. With his fingers, he applied pressure to her cheeks to force his mate to open her legs more. When she did, Trip's mouth rushed in to go deeper into her sensual areas. The gasps continued to come from the Vulcan, who now was so overwhelmed by the sensations she could hardly think. She clutched his shoulders for support, as her body started convulsing in time to the feel of his tongue against the moistened fabric. The heat from his breath matched the heat that was growing within her.

Trip felt his mate begin to lunge forward with his manipulations, her steadiness in question. His hands went up to grab onto her hips and they clamped on there with vice like intensity. Restrained, T'Pol had no way to avoid the onslaught of his oral pleasures. Her eyes rolled up into her head as the first wave of orgasm started to erupt from her lower parts. As if on cue, Trip looked up at his beloved's face, now showing the sensations he could feel coming from her. A coy smirk came to his lips as she regained some of her strength to meet his gaze again. She was gasping, exhausted and yet her mind was not afraid. Instead it was the opposite, for now knowing they were bonded, T'Pol realized it wasn't her emotions that were being unleashed. They were his. She could enjoy the feel of these emotions without endangering her own control. The grin grew broader when his hands came up and slowly began to inch the now drenched underwear from her body. He started back to do some more serious one on one time with her muff, when T'Pol's hands pushed back on his shoulders. At first Trip resisted, wanting to please her more directly, however when he realized his mate needed a bit of a breather, he allowed her to take charge.

She leaned over him, at first in a dominant position. Her knee placement between his legs, afforded her at least a meter's height advantage. Coming to her hands and knees, T'Pol leaned into his package, as her breasts brushed once more over his lips. Trip hungrily tried to catch the playful twosome, but found T'Pol using the strategy of play to heighten her plans for his pleasure. As she eased downward, the Vulcan allowed her nipples to play with their counterparts, while her mouth started searching the Human's neck for his most sensitive spot. She found it just behind his ear lobe as he sighed heavily upon her hitting this area with her tongue. She suckled and nibbled, feeling his squirm beneath her. His privates were expanding and the groans she heard from him were becoming more and more gutteral. When T'Pol made her way toward the front, she latched on and began suckling her favorite spot, the Human's Adam's apple. The capture of this bobbing mound between her lips sent Trip's mind back into a dense black haze. He could only feel the sensations of pleasure that were hitting him square between the eyes and that was all he wanted at this moment. As T'Pol reached his chest, Trip's arms came up and instinctively began to grab for her. She didn't allow this, putting his arms back above his head and out of her way. He relented, allowing her whatever she wanted. It was the tugging on his briefs that broke the trance like state he'd fallen in. The Human raised his eyes to find his mate removing the last barrier to her desire. As she did so, it was like a wave of delight hit him and he could no longer believe these feelings were all his.

T'Pol lowered herself to his thighs, her mouth now stimulating the hairs along his legs. Slowly she inhaled his scent as she eased up toward his maleness, her hot breath making his manhood pulsate with unbridled need. It stood erect against its horizontal base. As T'Pol reached his package, the golden curls that nested it played with the tip of her nose. She allowed this bringing her cheek to brush against the underside of his stalk. There was a definite whimper as Trip's head fell back against the cold stone floor. His mind reeled, spinning with such veraciousness it almost made him pass out. T'Pol's eyes turned to him as he tried once more to raise his head. When Trip did so, he could see the down cast of her face with those smoke filled eyes locked on his with a wicked determinedness. This gave the Vulcan a sinister type of appearance, one that only heightened her mate's anticipation.

With slow and steady movements, T'Pol traced the length of his shaft with her lips, adding her nose and cheek to alter the sensation. The promise of capture was more stimulation than the actual act would be. Trip felt himself starting to be pushed over the edge by her manipulations and move to halt her before he erupted. She looked at him questioningly, as he held her face in his hand. The Vulcan saw in his mind what he longed for and decided that taking care of those needs was more important than her play. Without a word she rose to her hands and knees and positioned herself above him. With a single downward glide, T'Pol slipped him into her, taking in all his length without thinking twice about it. Trip groaned, this one coming from those loins that now throbbed to be free of their oversized load. He laid his head backward onto the rocky surface and watched as her face came over him with the same satisfied look he'd seen when she too released herself to him.

Slowly at first, T'Pol enclosed him, gripping down on her pelvic muscles to better feel him within her. The groans became louder and more frequent as she increased her rhythm in time to her needs. Waves upon waves of pleasure drenched them both, their bond alive and vibrant with the sensations they were creating. The occasional "Oh my God," escaped the Human's lips as he allowed her to tease him senseless with her own rhythm. Finally painfully throbbing, Trip felt a sudden urge come over him. He could not fight it, nor could he keep his body from obeying this command. Without another thought, he grabbed T'Pol by the waist and forced her over onto the Vulcan's back. He came over with her. Trip now perched between her legs, still engulfed by her folds. The look on T'Pol's face didn't change, as he began plunging himself in deeper and deeper. Possessed by this all consuming need for release, the Human found himself slapping hard against her body, putting everything he had into his thrusts. Sweat now poured from his brow, falling onto his mate's body. She laid there, eyes closed and hands digging at the rocky surface to help meet his thrusts. In his rational mind, Trip knew this was not the control he'd hope to have maintained. He worried, as before that his carnal thirst would once more frighten his beloved. But checking within their very excited connection, he found her to be just as in need as he. With this, his thrusts only increased in intensity and frequency, as if trying to rip her in two with his sex.

Finally, with a gut wrenching gasp, Trip exploded into her. Pushing harder against her body, not allowing any of his seed to escape, the Human's body froze in time awaiting the inevitable collapse. It came, his muscles too exhausted of fuel to hold him from her any longer. Trip fell hard onto her form, his head resting between the roundness of her bosoms. His breathing was ragged, his mouth agape trying to pull in as much air as he could with each breath. T'Pol as well, met his climax with one of her own. The waves of electricity that hit her sent shivers through the core of her being. Her rising pelvis met his movements, deepening his dive into her softness. She arched her neck, eyes closed and mind so into the pleasures, that any and all rational thought was long gone. Her chest was heaving, her ragged breaths meeting in time to her mate's.

Within this exhausted state they lay for several minutes, neither having the energy to make a move. It wasn't until they awoke did Trip even try to ease his weight from her. He rolled to his back, pulling her atop him and cradling her very moist frame in his arms.

"And I thought our first time was incredible." was all Trip was heard to utter, as he blinked hard trying to get his eyes to focus again.

"Yes… this was definitely more pleasant than the other time. Your performance has improved." T'Pol added equally trying to ease the intense nature of the past several minutes.

Trip looked at her with a puzzled expression. Like any male, his thought was to 'what did he do wrong the first time'? It wasn't he saw the soft smirk upon her face did he realize that his mate was practicing her attempts at humor again. He responded in kind, providing the chuckle she was loathed to release. "Glad I got it right for ya…Ma'am." And with that statement he curled his arms tighter around her body, allowing her to feel the warmth of his amusement between them. It would be a half hour or so before the chill of the caverns forced them to redress. They remained huddled and awake for the remainder of the night.

***

As sun rise came, the temperature in the cavern started to become more tolerable for the Human. He allowed T'Pol to remain bundled in the maintenance tarp as he busied himself digging for more Dilithium. When the temperature gained a few more degrees, T'Pol attempted to help him. Her bum ankle made standing at the rock face difficult and Trip subsequently ordered her to rest. As the Vulcan retreated to a nearby rock formation, she continued to watch her mate while he worked. Her mind became lost in the roundness of his bottom within the confines of his overalls.

Through their connection, Trip got the definite sense that T'Pol was ogling him. Her eyes burned pinpoints at different aspects of his posterior. Smiling at her fascination, Trip finally decided to address her actions.

"You know if you want a better view, I could take the uniform off." He spoke with his back to her, still digging at a particularly large crystal.

"I don't know what you are referring to", came the Vulcan's response trying to make light of her obvious fascination.

"The hell you don't." Trip turned with that one and decided that a break was probably in order. "You have been burning holes in my ass with your eyes, admit it."

"I was merely trying to meditate." T'Pol's voice was even, not wanting to give into his challenge.

"What and since you didn't have a candle to stare at, you decided to use my ass?" Trip's grin grew very bright.

"It seemed a logical replacement." Now T'Pol was getting the gist of Human banter. Trip snorted, his laugh was so hardy it obstructed his airway for a moment. This sound brought an even drier look to the alien's face. It tickled her Human mate all the more. Trip headed toward her perch, wiping the dust from his hands onto his overalls. As he reached where T'Pol was sitting, he took her face into those hands and brought her lips to his. He kissed her gently, pulling back to look into her large brown orbs.

"Why couldn't we have been sent on this mission a year ago?" He spoke his wish aloud and saw his desire reflected back from her.

"Perhaps we weren't ready to face this part of our bond yet, Thy'all." The use of the word was strangely soothing.

"Thy'all?" Trip murmured it wanting to know why it brought him so much pleasure.

(My mate.) was the response in his head that let the Human know their special connection was still alive and well.

"So I am still in that place in your mind?" He asked wanting to confirm what he already knew deep inside.

"Yes and you always shall be. It is a special place I have created just for you. It is the part of my mind that speaks to my heart. Is that not where Humans hold their loved ones?" At the use of those words, the engineer's heart started to sing. He nodded softly then brought her lips to his for another round of soft kisses. It would be another hour or so before the heat in the cavern approached intolerable.

Removing all but their undergarments, Trip and T'Pol tried to ride out the midday heat. The crystals acted like buzzard collectors, draining the heat from the outer rock surface and radiating it within the inner cavern walls. Even T'Pol began to sweat a bit when the temperatures started to reach far above that of a hot Vulcan day.

"We gotta get away from this heat." Trip started realizing just how a chicken feels at a barbecue.

"We could go deeper into the caverns to get away from the surface heat, but as the sun sets, the cold will return and it is bound to be more intense the further down we travel. Due to the crystals, my scans are not exactly accurate, but I think there may be a hot spring located about 20 meters below us, but again I am not certain.

"Well it's worth a try if only to keep from roasting up here. Worst comes to worst, we can simply come back after the laser show is over." Trip started to pack up some of their gear.

"I may not be able to traverse the rocky surfaces. Perhaps you should retreat to the lower levels alone. I am use to the Vulcan heat, I will be fine." T'Pol was trying to convince her lover, but it wasn't working.

"Yeah right….I will help you get down there, and I don't want to argue the point. Let's not spoil tonight's love making with another argument. If we do find a hot springs down there I'll show you what is meant by the term water sports." He came up to the Vulcan, grabbing her arm and assisting her to stand. The four dilithium crystals were now safely packed in her duffle, Trip's being full of the nutrient snack bars and the pair's water supply. They started down a darkened tunnel, T'Pol's arm slung over her mate's shoulder holstering most of her weight against his broad frame.

After traveling for about 20 minutes, the Human noticed the level of heat easing up a bit. He set her down against the rock wall surface and wiped at his brow with the back of his gritty hand. "I think you're right T'Pol.. It feels like the temperature is easing up a…." Trip's words were cut off by a sudden shift of the rock beneath his feet. As his footing gave way, the Human went tumbling along the downward sloping surface and ended up in a heap along a rounded rock ledge. The clothes and backpack he was carrying, both his and T'Pol's, fell past him into the depths of the blackness below.

Without thinking, T'Pol made her way to a standing position. She leaned against the rock wall and eased herself down its surface. Step by step she traversed the rocky area her beloved had fallen down until she got to the rounded ledge he lay upon. He was out cold, not moving and T'Pol held her breath searching for the pulse point at the mid of his neck. To her delight, the pulse was steady, although at an accelerated rate. She tried several pressure point areas to try and bring him about. The best she could get was the occasional groan or murmur. She placed her finger tips to his head and sought out the meld points to try and boost his system. With this, the Human's eyes opened tentatively. He looked at her, the worry showing in those brilliant brown orbs.

"I always was a bit of a klutz." He joked trying to ease her fears.

"That is something you share with Vulcan males. That is why the females are the better fighters. They have better coordination." To this Trip smiled even brighter. This reassured his mate a bit more. Trip looked around and realized his backpack was missing and wondered where it might have gone. He didn't have to speak his query out loud, for the Vulcan answered it without hesitation.

"The bag and our clothes are somewhere below. I don't think it wise to try and retrieve them at this point. Perhaps when you've rested." Her words were cut off by another tremble of the rocky surface.

"Oh no not again." Trip started and grabbed T'Pol's body close to his for protection. He covered her head with his arms, leaning over as much as possible to catch the debris before it had a chance to reach her. The tremors stopped much as they started, no major damage having been done.

"That is something we really don't need right now. I think we should go back up to the heat. It is much more preferable to the cold we will get down here." Trip was being fooled by her mental support of his body, for when he tried to get up, his head held him down quickly.

"You were unconscious… You need your rest. We will await sunset then return to the cavern above." She stated, beginning to feel the chill of this lower altitude a bit more. She shivered intermittently, which only made Trip hold her all the closer. There came another tremor, only this one leaving debris along their previous path and a large chunk of the ledge broke off into the depths below.

Seeing their new problem, Trip was speechless with worry. All T'Pol could say was. "Perhaps we should have attempted to start back sooner.

***

Hours passed, the chill forcing our resident lovebirds to huddle close for warmth. The metallic blanket afforded them little assistance, now that it lay on the floor of the pit with their clothes and knapsack. The commanders huddled in their skivvies, wrapped in each other's arms. The coolness of their skin sent shivers throughout them both. The shivers dimmed as they slowly lost consciousness and faded into a deep obtundent slumber.

"I think they are down here." Reeds voice could be heard as it echoed through the caverns. He came to the top of the ledge and saw the bodies of his friends huddled suspiciously below. With his gear, Malcolm tied off and allowed his security back up to monitor his progress, while he eased himself from the broken surface. Inching his way down, the Brit landed onto the ledge and went immediately to checking each for a pulse. His finger caught a faint one in the engineer, but was unsure about the science officer. Without hesitation he took out his communicator and called up to the ship. Minutes later Reed was beaming up with them onto the transporter pad.

Phlox and his medical team stood ready with two stretchers to remove the half dressed duo to sickbay. He tossed metallic blue warming blankets over them and within seconds they were being carried along the corridors, past crewmen and into the turbo lift. Malcolm collected the duffle that contained the dilithium and followed close behind.

***

T'Pol awoke to find the bright lights of sickbay glaring in her eyes. She squinted and put her hand up against the brightness that was around her. Being in the cavern lighting for a few days had made the Vulcan sensitive to the change and she was quite shocked to remember how little clothed she was till this moment. Her bare arm came out, exposing the soft front of her camisole to the open room. Quickly, she pulled the covers back to her neck and started to examine the room for its occupants. Her mind searched their bond and found the soft glow of her mate, telling the woman she hadn't lost that crucial connection. The white curtain was pulled around his biobed, making it hard for her to gage just how injured he was, though their bond didn't denote any major problems. Then T'Pol's delicate sniffer caught the scent of another suspicious smell. It was the tell tale remnants of their intimacies that came from beneath the coverings, bold as day. The Vulcan's face turned three shades of green as she realized that the smell had to be strong enough for even the Humans to detect on some level. She hitched up the covers tighter about her neck, trying to keep the scent from getting too obvious. It was then she realized the curtain had been pulled back a bit and there lay her mate just staring back at her.

T'Pol turned to face him, a soft feeling of relief filling her being. (You are unharmed Ash'ym?) Her voice in his head brought a strange sense of calm to the young man's soul.

(Just a sprained knee, you unfortunately have a broken ankle. The medi scanner must have registered it wrong due to the interference of the dilithium.) Trip remembered her relaying the results of the scans she took and figured that's why her findings were in error.

(The dilithium was not to blame. I did not relay the actual findings I got from my scans. I felt they might cause you to worry for my safety. It was a clean break, there was no reason for concern.) T'Pol's thoughts were even, not belying any of the true feelings behind her efforts to block him from her pain.

"You knew you had a broken ankle and you didn't tell me?" Trip forgot and spoke out loud, calling the attention of everyone present to their little conversation.

(You are speaking aloud, Ash'ym…. Unless you wish those in sickbay to know our business, I suggest you attempt to use our bond to connect.) She shot him a stern look.

(Just like a Vulcan to be a martyr.) Trip's mind was a bit miffed for her deception. ( What's this Ash'ym you keep calling me….) The human wished to get his mind away from his current state.

(It means beloved.) T'Pol responded plainly, but her features softened and her heart seemed so much more open to him now. With that Trip's doubts and frustrations faded. He smiled softly laying his head on the crook of his folded arm. The human was content to just stare into her features, as she was his too. The curtain afforded them a bit of privacy, however it wasn't like they were alone in either of their quarters. They lay there a long while, just enjoying the closeness and contentment of their souls. It was Trip who spoke up between their bond and broke the calm.

( You know Malcolm isn't gonna let us live this one down.) He smirked through their bond and reminded the Vulcan of the obvious odor that was coming from them both.

(He detected our scent?

(What scent? I was talking about the fact he found us half dressed in each other's arms. What did you think I meant?) Now it was Trip's turn to start worrying.

(I see what you mean….. We need a shower.) The human hiked the cover up around his body as his mate had done earlier.

Just as they started to come up with a plan to get released from sickbay and take care of their hygienic needs, the Captain and Lt Reed came through the doors of sickbay. They spoke with Phlox for a moment, totally unbeknownst to our resident lovebirds, then moved over to where T'Pol lay on her side facing the white curtain. Getting closer, Malcolm noted that the closure was not fully pulled round and it seemed that the first officer was very interested in the contents of the cubical beside hers.

"Commander." The Captain's voice broke the concentration the Vulcan had on her roommate.
She turned to face the duo and saw a rather sly smirk come across the Lt's face.

"Captain." She answered back swallowing hard to hide the tension their impromptu visit had caused. This didn't go unnoticed by the Brit who turned to hide the chuckle he let slip at the feel of her nervousness.

"I'm glad to see that you and Trip are okay." With that the Captain whipped back the curtain and found the engineer turned to face in the Vulcan's direction. "Wantta tell me what went on down there?" He asked not really expecting an answer, but pleased to see that his officers had been able to survive their ordeal.

"The climate changes, Cap'n" Trip started up nervous as all get out. "They were freez'n cold in the evening and blister'n hot in the day light. Even in the caves…." He trailed off feeling a knot in his throat starting to form.

"Indeed… it was necessary for us to take measures to withstand the different climate changes. We were forced to remove our outer wear to survive the heat and went so far as to try to move deeper inside the cavern to get away from the scorching temperatures." T'Pol tried to keep her voice even, however she continued to cling tightly to the covers that were now about her chin.

"That's right Cap'n. I was carry'n our clothes and supplies cause of T'Pol's bad leg. When I fell down the ledge I lost everything to the pit below. We started back up the path, but the tremors took out the ledge before we could get back up there." His tone was that of pure anxiety now, trying to get his friends to focus on the truth and away from the smell he was so self conscious of. Trip's blanket was conspicuously about his chin as well.

"It was only logical that we try to keep each other warm the best we could. I believe your survival training teaches using body heat to get through subzero situations." T'Pol picked up where he left off. She saw Archer's hand raise, indicating he wanted no more explanations from the two.

"I'm just glad you're okay." He chuckled and turned to leave the wayward duo alone. As he left, the captain could be heard to call out…"Get some rest you two, I'll check in on you later."

With that Lt Reed started to leave. Before doing so, he turned away from T'Pol to face Trip. He gave him a look that told the young engineer, the security officer expected a full report of the actual events once he was released from sickbay, if not sooner. Apparently the Brit's sniffer was almost as sensitive as the Vulcan's, for as he turned away from his friend, Trip swore he heard the man murmur.. "Yeah, survival......right."

After the two were gone, Trip looked to his mate. (You know Malcolm didn't believe us about the survival thing.) He found her confirming his statement with a simple glance.

(Perhaps he can be discrete?) That notion only made the Human begin to laugh uncontrollably. He was still laughing as Phlox came over to check on his patients. T'Pol turned on her back and began mentally requesting her beloved be more discrete in his amusement. This only tickled the engineer all the more. Finally she stopped communicating with him at all, not answering him mentally or physically. It would be another day before either was allowed to leave the confines of sickbay. Trip hobbled his way to her quarters and was met with a slightly hesitant reception. But with a moment's convincing, he was in through her door and back into her heart as well.

The End

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Sorry again for the delay. I had started this in May, but then had to hit the books harder for a particular class. Have been doing so ever since. Glad you all like it. I will begin my next phase of Trip, T'Pol and family in "Warp 7" starting next week. Till then, T…..

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Half a dozen of you have made comments

Wow! And I am even the first!!! It was so-o-o wonderful that it was definitely worth the wait. Steamy and delicious. Trip's emotions and worries, and how he was assured were all so real. And T'Pol's explanation and attitude were very believable. The lovebirds in sickbay were really cute. And how they wanted to bury this "scent" factor were totally hilarious. And Malcolm!!! So-o-o-o Malcolm (LOL)! You do such an amazing job, TLR. Keep writing!

Great job TLR, I've been looking foward to this sequel for ages, and I'm happy to say, that it didn't disappoint. I love how Trip and T'Pol settled their differences, and I look foward to anything else that you write.
Thanks

I think you meant "voraciousness" instead of "veraciousness"... but who really cares with everything else that was going on, LOL! And T'Pol using Trip's "blue peach" as a meditation focal point was priceless. Very funny. Thanks, TLR.

Great story, like how you ended it. Looking forward to your next stories.

I love it. The truth but not the truth lol. Those two just could not get a moment privacy could they lol.

Glad you all liked the piece. I felt it was a lot of fun and only made sense to keep Malcolm on their tails, so to speak. I mean he is the only one that Trip has confessed to, sorta. Phlox knows, but Trip really never came out and said anything, he just didn't denie things when the good doctor asked. I enjoy writing so, it beats my job. We are so short staffed, that everyone has a nasty disposition and it's times like these that make me want to become a hair dresser instead. It is too bad that people have to be so crabby, but I get that is the same everywhere, especially during the summer months. Take care, and I am already starting on "The Warp 7 Project". ......T.