Devil's Advocate - Ch 8

Devil’s Advocate

By Triplover

Disclaimer: When I own all this I’ll be sure to go outside and watch the pigs flying cause it’s never gonna happen.
Genre: Mystery, Romance, Angst
Rating: R (for violence and other stuff)
Summary: After saving a cargo ship filled with many different species, crewmembers on Enterprise are found dead.

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Chapter Eight

Fear The Night

Trip had always found it odd that his feet would have a mind of their own. He’d want to go one way, they’d want to go another… most of the time that ‘another’ being T’Pol’s quarters. He just didn’t want to be alone. He needed to be with her, make sure she was okay. He didn’t want to lose her too after losing Harren, Lawrence and Rostov. After setting up the cameras he’d been so tired, but the fear of losing more people was keeping him awake. It would kill him if he lost T’Pol. He wanted to be with her.

This time he didn’t bother to chime in. He knew what T’Pol would tell him so instead he walked in, only to see T’Pol standing near the bathroom getting dressed. “Hey T’Pol,” he greeted.

T’Pol turned to see him and raised both eyebrows. “Odd.”

“What?” asked Trip.

“I fully expected that I would never rid you of your habit of waiting for me to let you in.”

Tucker smiled at her. “Trust me, I have never had the intention of doin’ somethin’ that wouldn’t get on your nerves, just didn’t feel in the mood today.”

Once T’Pol’s shirt was on, covering her beautiful chest, she walked over to him, kissing him lightly on the mouth. “Are you well?”

“Yeah, I’m well,” he told her before kissing her again. “I just thought I’d sleep here tonight.”

T’Pol seemed surprised. “That is pleasing to hear, I missed our… ‘cuddling’,” she said, making Trip laugh.

“I just gotta love it when you say cuddlin’. Anythin’ I’d never expect a Vulcan to say comin’ out of your lips is downright beautiful. The way ya say it makes it sound so awkward.”

T’Pol stopped herself from rolling her eyes as she lay down in bed, Trip taking a place right beside her. “I must admit that saying such words are awkward for me. I suppose that will always be a constant.”

“Perhaps,” he agreed.

T’Pol looked up at him from her place, head lying on his chest. “I was very saddened upon hearing that Rostov had been killed.”

Trip turned off the lights and closed his eyes. Stabbed to death… it was a horrible way to go. “Maybe we should get some sleep. We can talk in the mornin’.”

T’Pol settled herself closer to her mate before closing her eyes. She doubted very much that she would be getting much sleep in the state Trip was in. He was suffering, even if he was trying to hide it. She would have to wait for him to fall asleep and then she would try once again to meditate, anything to help alleviate her worry.

==

This was getting to be very frustrating. No matter how hard she tried, she simply could not relax enough to meditate. She had tried every exercise she had ever been taught, but nothing worked. Her worry for Trip was too great.

Finally T’Pol gave up and stood to walk over to her console to do some work. Perhaps work would help rid her of this stress. T’Pol began to look up information about the ion storm they had found the cargo ship in. Strange that with all the ship’s abilities it couldn’t get through that storm, especially since it really was quite strong.

There had been so much damage. Odd that the damage inflicted could have caused so much destruction on such a powerful ship. Obviously these cargo holders didn’t seem to threaten the Enterprise crew, but with three people dead T’Pol was beginning to wonder. Perhaps she should talk with the Captain. She had taken many scans of the ship. Some of the hull was more powerful than Enterprise’s. They had shields and their helm was very advanced. How could they have had this much damage unless… they wanted to get damaged? Still, why would the Captain of the ship allow such, unless…. T’Pol breathed in deeply, frowning. Could the Captain of the cargo ship be the one causing these murders? There was a chance. If this could help the investigation it was important that she tell the Captain.

T’Pol turned to look at Trip. Still, she didn’t want to leave him here. She’d known the reason he had wanted to stay here was because he didn’t want to be alone. She also knew he was scared for her; worried that one night she could be the next victim. Still, she needed to show this evidence to the Captain and Mr. Reed. T’Pol took in a deep breath and hit the com. “T’Pol to Captain Archer.”

“I’m up Commander.”

“I did not wake you?”

“I was… thinking.”

“I see. I wish to see you and Mr. Reed. There is something I think we should discuss about the… case.”

“No problem. You can meet me in the ready room.”

“I am coming there now.”

“Okay, see you then.”

T’Pol turned off the com and looked back at the bed. She frowned when she realized no one was lying on it. Where was Trip? T’Pol turned once again when she felt a presence behind her. It was Trip, but why was he looking her so strangely. “Trip, I must go. I will be back soon.”

T’Pol turned to leave when she felt a hand grab her sternly and turn her back around. “You’re not goin’ anywhere.”

T’Pol raised both eyebrows. She hoped this wasn’t another of his ‘foreplay’ games. She had something to do; she couldn’t just be ‘playing around’ with him! “Trip, I don’t have time for this. It has to do with the case.”

“Oh these aren’t games darlin’.” It was then that she noticed his eyes, not even close to the eyes she’d seen so often. She’d learned to read him well. This was not the same man looking at her now. He was very different. Tucker smiled at her before using the arm to pull her away roughly from the door. He threw her down to the floor before she could even react. What was he doing?! Trip would never try to hurt her! She tried to fight back, shocked at his power. It was not normal. It wasn’t to say that Tucker was a weakling; he just simply wasn’t as strong as she. She was, after all, a Vulcan.

Then the knife was pulled out, the same knife used on Rostov. No, this could not be! It could not be true! Her eyes widened upon realizing the truth. “It was you,” she whispered in shock.

==

“What’s taking her so long? Usually she’s far more prompt than even us!”

Malcolm watched his Captain pace the room. He seemed oddly uncomfortable. “Captain? Are you all right?”

Archer stopped and turned to look at Malcolm. “First Vince Harren, then Tess Lawrence and finally Rostov. I’m just worried that another person will make that list. And T’Pol being late is NOT helping!”

Again he began to pace until Malcolm grabbed his arm. “Captain, I think it best if you calm down.”

The Captain smiled at his security officer. With a sigh he took a seat. “I suppose I’m just a little… uneasy. I’m worried about Trip, he hasn’t been himself and I’m just starting to realize how much he’s changed. He believes a man named Jolen Croft is responsible for these deaths.”

“Then I suppose the next question should be, do you think it’s this man Jolen Croft?”

Archer paused. “I don’t know. Right now I don’t know what to believe.” Jonathan rubbed his eyes, sighing once again. “Where the hell is T’Pol?”

Malcolm let out a small smile before getting up and walking to the com. “Reed to Commander T’Pol.”

Nothing.

“T’Pol, please come in. I repeat, this is Lieutenant Reed to Commander T’Pol.”

Still nothing.

“T’Pol.”

Malcolm turned and looked at Archer, both frowning.

“That can’t be good,” Archer muttered before both headed for the door.

==

T’Pol tried to fight him as he held her neck tightly with one hand, knife in the other. Finally she knocked the hand away from her throat and pushed him off of her. She tried to get to the door, but Trip kicked her legs out from under her and she tumbled to the floor. T’Pol was ready for a fight, but when Trip stabbed her in the leg the shock of who was doing this to her made it difficult for her to deal. Perhaps it wasn’t that Trip was too strong, but that she was too weak. She could not believe what was happening to her. She could not believe who was trying to hurt her. It could not be Trip, but the fact that blue eyes were looking back at her didn’t make it any less easy to fight.

Trip took advantage of her distracted mind and stabbed her once again before his hand went back to her throat. She tried to move the hand away again, but this time she could feel the air leave her as the world around her blurred. Next Trip moved the knife out of her leg and prepared to stab her again, only this time the knifepoint was pushing at her chest. “I think it’s time I end this. Goodbye T’Pol of Vulcan,” and with that the knife moved up and he stabbed her hard in the chest. T’Pol screamed out in pain as tears streamed out of her eyes.

She tried to talk, to tell him to stop, but he again raised the knife, pulling it out of her chest and then plunged it back in even harder. T’Pol sucked in a breath and closed her eyes as the pain rushing through her body finally took over her senses and she could see the world grow black with each passing second. She was going to die, die by the hands of the man she loved most. Never in her relationship with Trip would she believe he would do this to her. Then again, this was NOT her Trip. Of that she was sure, and that was what kept her from losing all hope.

==

When Archer pressed the code in for T’Pol’s door to open he had not expected the scene before him. T’Pol lay in a pool of her own green blood with Trip, over her stabbing her chest with the same knife used on Rostov. Reed was the first to act, running to T’Pol and pushing Trip off. When Trip moved to get up, knife in hand, Archer finally reacted and knocked the knife out of his hands, struggling to hold Trip. “What the hell are you doing!” he demanded angrily. Fire ran through his veins. Why would Trip try to kill T’Pol? Something wasn’t right!

Trip struggled under his Captain. Then suddenly blue eyes met the Captain’s brown eyes and Archer could see the hate inside them. “He can’t escape his fate! He’ll pay! I’ll make him pay!” With that Trip cried out, his eyes shutting, and when they again opened the hate was gone and fear took its place. “No!” he cried. He was practically hyperventilating. Something was definitely wrong here. Very wrong.

“Trip?”

Trip cried, tears rushing down his face. Archer’s eyes widened at the sight. Never had he seen his friend cry as he was now. “Get him out,” Trip whispered between sobs. “Please get him outta my head. Get him out. Out. Out. I just want him out. I just want him out.”

Archer blinked back his own tears as he moved off of the officer. As soon as he was off Trip turned over to his side, still crying. It was like a total break down. Archer stood and covered his mouth before looking over at Malcolm. Malcolm frowned. “We need to get T’Pol to sickbay. She doesn’t have much time.”

Jonathan turned to look back at Trip then nodded. “Malcolm escort Commander Tucker to the brig. I’ll take care of T’Pol.”

“Sir?!” Malcolm whispered in surprise.

“You heard me! Get him out of here! Now!” Malcolm scrambled to his feet and grabbed the Commander lightly.

He patted the man, lightly frowning. “I’m sorry, Trip,” he whispered and got him to his feet before taking him out of T’Pol’s quarters.

Once Trip was gone Archer gathered T’Pol into his arms and looked down at the woman lying bloody and broken. “I promise we’ll get to the bottom of this, T’Pol. I swear to god we’ll figure this out. Just don’t die on me. Trip could never live without you in his life. Stay with me.” The Captain ran out of the quarters towards sickbay with T’Pol still in his arms. “Stay with me, T’Pol. You’ve got to stay alive. Don’t die on me. Don’t you dare die on me now!”

He ran as fast as he could, but the fear that he and Malcolm might have gotten there too late weighed heavily on his mind. He didn’t want the last thing T’Pol saw before her death to be Trip with hate in his eyes. He couldn’t let that happen. He just couldn’t let things end that way. He situated her in his arms so he could feel T’Pol’s pulse. He couldn’t feel anything. Not a thing. He ran faster. No! He wouldn’t lose her! Not yet! Not like this! He wouldn’t let things end this way. He couldn’t let that happen. He wouldn’t let that happen. He just hoped he really wasn’t too late.

Chapter 9

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Nine of you have made comments

That is definately a twist. Poor Trip. He's going to have a hard time with this, knowing that it was someone else's mind, but his own hands, that practically killed his love. You are quite talented. I'm definately going to keep reading.

Yikes! Poor T'Pol, poor Trip! I want something very nasty and painful to happen to Urith and his sick crew. I just hope the Captain gets T'Pol to sickbay in time. Ali D :~)

Wow, never expected this! Great job, I can't wait to see how this all plays out! Poor Trip-- how could he ever recover from this! And T'Pol, if she survives, could she ever trust Trip again?

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!Not T'pol!!!!!!!!!She cant die! I want Trip to rip this guy in to bits!! And then he can piss on whats left of him!!! Then he can Burn Daniels alive for causeing this whole mess!!! Please let T'pol live! I think Trip would die if she dies! Heck I might die if she died! Please update soon!!! Gee and I thought if they stayed together all night that she would be safe I guess I was wrong!! But realy update soon I dont know if I can wait long to find out if T'pol lives!!

Wow!!! This is excellent, I can't wait for the next!

AAAUUUGGHHH!!! You're killing me here. Actually no, you're killing everyone else. Excellent chapter. A little short ;-).Can't wait for the next one.

I'm hooked to this story. Please write more!! I can't wait and now I'm going to spend my weekend wondering what is going to happen.

Now that was a twist. Never saw that coming. I just wanted to shout at the screen...move faster! Get T'Pol to sickbay FASTER! and think about it later!
Very good chapter. Looking forward to the next update!

with trip screaming get him out of my head that jon would have him taken to the brig instead of sickbay as well.