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Snapshots - Part III

Author - Valleygirl
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Snapshots

By: Valleygirl

Rating: PG-13 (mild language, and suggestive stuff…)
Disclaimer: Paramount owns it all; I just wanted to fill in some of the gaps and envision a possible future...
Genre: Romance/Humor
Spoilers: All aired episodes (thru "Divergence"); the overall idea from "Bound;" any other similarities to spoilers real, imagined, speculated or made-up is purely coincidental.
Summary: Key moments or ‘Snapshots’ from Trip & T’Pol’s relationship, starting on the trip to Vulcan

A/N: If Chapter 5 seems familiar it’s because it is a longer/slightly modified version of the Season 3.5 challenge story “To My Daughter” (The beginning/end is completely new and the “letter” has been moved so that it is all together instead of interspersed throughout the story). And then there is the all-new Chapter 6!

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PART III (Chapter 5)

Chapter #5 - T’Lissa Beth Tucker

EnterpriseAugust, 2158

The away mission had been a complete waste of time; they could only hope the Captain’s team had been more successful in procuring the needed supplies. They still had another three hours before the shuttle rendezvoused with Enterprise and Trip was worried about T’Pol. When he had looked at her earlier, she seemed to be sweating and extremely tired, but as usual she had accused him of hovering. As he snuck another peek, she appeared to be resting comfortably, her hand gently lying on her swollen belly. Why he had ever let her go on this mission...he knew the answer to that...he was lucky she agreed to let him come along, although he suspected he had the Captain to thank for that.

*Damn those mental shields of hers,* he ruefully thought. *What the hell good is a mental bond if she can shut me out whenever she wants?*

His thoughts drifted back to that morning. She hadn’t slept well and he knew she was growing increasing uncomfortable. That and the fact she was being assaulted with human emotions on two fronts now as her bond with the baby developed. He just wanted to hold her, take care of her, do whatever she needed. As she got up off the bed he thought he caught a lingering wave of pain, as she grasped her back.

“T’hy’la?” he questioned her.

“It’s nothing” she had assured him “just a little morning stiffness.”

He watched as she slowly headed for a hot shower. It was then he realized they had less than 30 minutes to meet the rest of the away team in the launch bay, and dropped the subject for the time being. Besides, he wanted to stop by Engineering before he left.

When T’Pol arrived in the launch bay, she appeared to be the same Vulcan officer she had always been. Aside from her protruding middle and modified uniform, no one except Trip knew any differently. He caught her from behind massaging her tense shoulders for a moment. “You don’t have to go, you know. We can cover for you,” he whispered into her ear. That had earned him a menacing glare as she marched into the shuttle and promptly began to help Travis perform the pre-flight checks.

They had spent the day wandering through what was essentially an intergalactic flea market searching for spare engineering parts, metallic ore and interesting things to add to the food stores. The hike back to the shuttle was almost 3 kilometers, since they didn’t want to appear overtly conspicuous. Trip pulled Hoshi back and made a quiet plea for her to slip into the shuttle first and claim the co-pilot’s seat. He in turn promised to take any heat from T’Pol that the bold move would surely engender. Trip had also tried to fake a twisted ankle, thus requiring him to take frequent breaks. But T’Pol had cleverly suggested she and Travis return to the shuttle themselves and return to pick the other two up.

“I am glad to see your ankle is healing quickly, Commander” she commented.

“Yeah…thanks, Honey,” he rolled his eyes.

The entire team had been grateful to finally arrive back at the shuttle. Hoshi made good on her promise, as Travis started the pre-launch sequence. Trip was loading the few supplies they had procured into the back of the pod and securing them for the long flight back to Enterprise.

“Lieutenant?” T’Pol raised an eyebrow at the young woman in ‘her’ seat.

“Oh, I’ll take the first leg, Commander. Travis promised me some flying lessons and I can’t think of a better time to get started.” Hoshi easily commented.

Travis’ eyes bugged out. “Uh…Yeah, sure…no problem” he stammered as he felt a not so subtle pinch from his long-time friend. *Ow! Why doesn’t she ever clue me in to these things beforehand???*

“Very well. I can relieve you in two hours.” T’Pol conceded easily, much to Trip’s astonishment.

He watched her gingerly sit down in the seat beside him, close her eyes and sigh heavily. He quietly handed her a bottle of water, which she accepted and used to wash the sweat off her face and neck. He noticed her wince slightly then relax again.

*You feelin’ okay, Honey?*

*I am fine, Husband. Stop hovering!*

*Just you look like you could use some rest…*

*And rest is what I will get thanks to your little maneuver.*

*Well, someone’s gotta look out for you…*

*I cannot rest if you insist on continuing this conversation.*

Trip raised his hands in silent defeat. He leaned back in the chair and tried to relax.

He sighed and found himself dozing, halfway between asleep and awake. When he suddenly felt a hand on his arm, he was instantly jolted awake. He wasn’t sure if his new found consciousness was due to the vice grip his wife had on his wrist or the wave of pain that had flooded its way through their bond. He looked at her in alarm.

“The baby?” was all Trip could stammer out as he took in the pallor on her twisted face.

She nodded in response gripping him tighter. A wave of fear washed over him and he swallowed hard not sure as to its source. After being prepared for 99 different scenarios of this moment, his child would have to pick the 100th.

*‘Get a grip Tucker, prepared or not, this is it!’

“Travis! Contact Enterprise, give them our coordinates and tell them we need them to set an intercept course. Medical Emergency!”

Travis turned around from the pilot’s chair in surprise his eyes growing wide at the scene before him. The usually stoic first officer clung to her husband as if he were her only lifeline, her face clearly expressing the pain she was in.

“Right away, Commander...Uh, Sir? Enterprise says the engines are off-line.”

“What?!...Aw Hell!” At that moment Trip remembered his last minute orders to the Engineering team. Take the engines and transporters off-line and perform a level-one series maintenance diagnostic. It usually took between 4-5 hours, depending on the results. Since the ship was holding position for the away teams’ return, it seemed like a good time to do it, until now of course. Once started, the cycle couldn’t be interrupted, so Trip tended to put it off until the last possible minute.

“Hoshi?” Trip desperately addressed the final occupant of the shuttle, “I don’t suppose one of your many talents includes bein’ a mid-wife?”

“Sorry, Sir” Hoshi replied a bit amused. “I’m good, but not that good. Why don’t I see if I can hail Phlox maybe he can talk you through it...”

“It’s all right, Darlin’. We can do this.” Trip said in a slow smooth voice meant to reassure his wife and the 2 junior officers on board, not to mention himself. Eyes locked on each other, the couple silently gave each other strength for the task at hand, T’Pol relaxing, imperceptibly to everyone but her husband. Trip breathed a deep sigh and closed his eyes as he mentally pushed away all doubts and fears and concentrated all his focus and energy on his love for T’Pol and the tiny being that was quickly making its way into the world.

“I have Doctor Phlox for you, Sir.” Hoshi stated.

“Put him though...Doc? I could use your help right about now. T’Pol’s in active labor.”

“Are you sure, Commander? Vulcans can have pre-labor contractions, just like humans.” Phlox responded patiently, knowing the Commander’s over protective state of mind the past few weeks.

“Well the contractions seem to mean business and they’re comin’ less than every 5 minutes...” He broke off following a strangled cry from T’Pol, which was quickly followed by several quick breaths and an annoyed glare directed at the unseen Doctor.

“Uh, Doc?” Trip said a few minutes later, noting the puddle pooling at his wife’s feet “doesn’t a Vulcan’s water break at the end of labor?”

“Yes...” Phlox said cautiously.

“Then we’re further along than we thought!” Trip moved anxiously back to the mother-to-be’s side eyeing her suspiciously.

“Just how long have you been feelin’ these contractions anyhow?” he asked, not sure he wanted to know the answer.

“I’ve had a severe back ache since this morning.” she quietly admitted.

“This morning!! You mean before we left??!!”

“Commander!” Phlox’s voice filtered over the intercom. “You must listen to me! Because T’Pol has gone into labor 3 weeks early, there may be a serious complication!”

Trip’s eyes moved from glaring at his wife to looking helplessly at Hoshi. “Complication?” he mouthed silently to her. She moved from the Communications panel to the back and dampened a towel to help wipe off the sweat pouring off of T’Pol.

“All right, Doc, lay it on me.” Trip said taking a deep breath.

“The baby hadn’t turned as of her examination yesterday; you may be looking at a breech.”

“Meaning???”

“You’ll have to try to determine the baby’s position and then turn it if necessary. Otherwise mother and child might not survive the delivery.”

Trip couldn’t believe his ears. “You want me to do what?! I’m an engineer, not a physician!”

“Please, Commander, it sounds like you don’t have much time.” Phlox implored.

“How far away from Enterprise are we, Travis?” Trip asked clinging to a last bit of hope.

“At least 90 minutes, Sir, about an hour if the diagnostics finish on time and they can meet up with us.”

With Hoshi keeping T’Pol distracted, by talking to her softly in Vulcan, Trip attempted to follow the Doctor’s complicated instructions. He now knew why he had never opted for a career in medicine, not that it had really been a choice. Still, with the two lives he cared about most in the balance, there wasn’t much else he could do. Fortunately in the med kit Travis had dug up there was a pair of latex gloves.

With the baby in proper position, T’Pol was fighting the urge to push. Trip starting to sweat a bit himself, was trying to encourage her both verbally and through their bond.

“It’s okay, Honey. Go ahead and let it out. We won’t tell anyone.” Trip was grinning at poor Hoshi who felt like the bones in her hand were being crushed to dust.

Travis was concentrating on piloting the shuttle, eyes directly ahead of him, trying to put the scene behind him out of his mind. It was true he was a father himself, but watching Kara give birth, just about tested his limits. Watching his Vulcan Commanding Officer would have put him over the edge.

“Commander! Enterprise has engaged engines, they’re on their way.” Travis sighed in relief. Then he heard it. A cry like a banshee wailing, as T’Pol bore down hard. Hoshi’s sensitive ears winced as Trip saw a tiny head begin to emerge.

“I don’t think this kid’s gonna wait!” he yelled. T’Pol locked eyes with her husband as he reminded her to breathe properly. Another contraction overwhelmed them, as Travis was docking the shuttle in the bay.

As the Doctor hurried through the opening door, Trip was bringing T’Lissa Beth Tucker into the world and laughing like an idiot.

As Phlox gently took the screaming baby from her father’s trembling hands, Trip removed his green blood stained gloves and crawled up the side of the bench so he was face to face with T’Pol. “Do you hear that, Darlin’? We did it!” he breathed. “It’s a girl…we have a daughter.” T’Pol, too tired at the moment to speak, reveled in the tears streaming down her husband’s face. She brought a hand up to meet Trip’s and squeezed it with more strength then she felt. She closed her eyes as their breathing began to return to normal and the contractions slowly subsided.

Trip nervously turned his attention back to Phlox and his daughter. “Is she okay?” He watched as the Doctor ran his hand scanner over her small body.

“She’s beautiful, Commander.” Phlox replied with his characteristic grin as he continued to gently clean off the child’s skin.

“But she’s early…” Trip whispered, almost afraid to believe she was finally here and perfectly healthy.

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry too much about that. It’s probable we misjudged the due date because of the uniqueness of the pregnancy. It seems she was more than ready to make her appearance.”

With that Phlox walked T’Lissa over to T’Pol and laid her in her waiting arms. As if the baby recognized her mother, her crying slowed to a soft whimper. Trip took in the picture of his bondmate holding their daughter. A fresh batch of tears started trickling down his face as he let out a huge sigh of relief and felt the built up tension releasing from his body. It was replaced by other feelings, overwhelming love, protectiveness, pride. He smiled at T’Pol as he saw her shining eyes and felt his feelings reflected in her.

*Do you know how amazing I think you are?* he quietly asked through their bond.

*I couldn’t have done it without you, T’hy’la* was the hushed reply.

“Excuse me” Phlox interrupted softly. “Perhaps we should get everyone to Sickbay, hmm? Commander, if you would please assist your wife. I’ll see to the baby.” He then bent to reclaim the pink bundle from her mother’s arms.

T’Pol slowly sat up with Trip’s assistance. She made a move to stand and quickly started to wobble. “Oh, no you don’t” Trip said as he scrambled to his feet and gently scooped her into his arms.

“Charles, please…” in a tone of voice she only used to express disapproval.

Trip looked at her with chagrin. “Don’t you ‘Charles’ me. You still owe me for lyin’ to me this mornin’!”

“I am a Vulcan, I am incapable of lying,” she evenly replied.

He stared incredulously at her. “A lie of omission is still…” He broke off as he heard a small sigh and felt her snuggle her head into his shoulder apparently too tired to argue any further. He planted a soft kiss on her forehead.

Phlox looked bemusedly at the couple then smiled at the little girl in his arms. “Well, T’Lissa, I had hoped that becoming parents would have caused those two to stand down a bit, but as you can see you have your work cut out for you.”

As the away team stepped out of the shuttle, Lieutenant Commander Reed put on his best poker face. “Um, Commander, I’m afraid I’m going to have to put you on report.”

Trip stared at him with wide eyes, “Excuse me?!”

“Standard away mission protocol dictates you come back with the same number of people you left with…”

“Very funny, Malcolm,” Trip smirked at his friend. “Perhaps you can make an exception for your Goddaughter.”

“Hmm, wouldn’t want to play favorites. Although…” he strained his neck to get a better look. “She is awfully cute.”

With everyone safely in Sickbay, Phlox had the new mother and daughter undergo a more extensive examination. “Just standard procedure,” he quickly assured the Commander whom he shooed off to a far corner of Sickbay. To the Doctor’s surprise, Trip fished a padd out of his jumpsuit pocket and began working with a quiet intensity. By the time T’Pol and T’Lissa were settled on a bio-bed, 45 minutes had past and an epistle had been written.

Vulcans do not experience fear, or so they have convinced the rest of the universe. Well I do, I’m not too proud to admit and never more powerfully than today, August 26, 2158. The most glorious day of my entire life (well one of three glorious days actually.) For today you were born T’Lissa Beth Tucker, my precious baby girl, light of my life. I fear I will never be able to express fully to you how much this day means to me, how many hopes and dreams I have for you, how very much I love you. I fear I may forget some part of this day as the years go by, so although I’ve never been much for keeping logs, I wanted to write down every thought and feeling. And while you may have heard the stories this record will contain, I hope that you will treasure this gift on your 18th birthday, and know how very much I treasure you.

It took a long time for your momma to agree to explore a relationship with me. Vulcans and Humans, it just wasn’t heard of. There were preconceptions to be challenged on both sides. I believe some of it was fear, but there were a lot of personal issues standing in our way, too. But anything worth having is worth waiting and working hard for. Oh, how I wanted her, as my colleague, my best friend, my lover, my wife, my bondmate, my t’hy’la, ashayam. I respected her in every one of those capacities and by the time I realized I was head over heels in love with her, I knew it was for keeps. She was the only woman in the universe for me, the only woman I wanted to be the mother of my children. The day she agreed to become my wife, was one of the other 3 glorious days of my life.

We were alone in a shuttle, your momma suddenly in labor without warning, when a wave of fear swept through me. Scared shitless is the closest expression I could come up with. But then I realized the fear I was feeling wasn’t only mine. In her weakened mental state, T’Pol was fighting her own trepidation. It was then that I realized that if she could feel everything I felt and vice versa, then the only way she was going to get through this was if I stepped up to the plate and projected an air of confidence and calm. Calm, a rare emotion for me, I know, but I turned back to her and got her (and me) started on the Vulcan breathing exercises we had both practiced. Maybe things would be all right. They had to be; after all we had been through to have you.

You know you were named after my sister, Elizabeth. A finer woman you’ll never meet. She died in the Xindi attack on Earth, her life cut short, all that potential wasted. My parents were never the same after that. I could only visit them 2 or 3 days at a time, before it became too hard on any of us. They had moved to a small cabin in Mississippi when Dad retired, so only Elizabeth remained at the old family house in Florida. I still had a room there where I stored the stuff I didn’t take on board ship with me, and I had always felt more comfortable spending my shore leave there. We had about 15 acres. Her favorite thing to do was take a walk at sunrise in the field out back. The grass all wet with dew, the katydids jumping around. Never take the people you love for granted T’Lissa, you can’t go around expecting the worst to happen, but you just never know.

Since I couldn’t bear going back to Florida, I spent most of that 1st leave after the mission in the Expanse on Vulcan at your mother’s invitation. We weren’t officially a couple then (I’m not sure we knew what we were), but she had been instrumental in helping me move past Elizabeth’s death. I had to, the nightmares were keeping me awake at night and Enterprise needed a fully rested (not to mention sane) Chief Engineer. We stopped off at Mars before taking the shuttle on to Vulcan. It was there that your mother opened up her heart to me for the first time. What she had to say was difficult to hear, and even made me angry, but in the end I saw that now she needed my help. It was the first hurdle of many in our romantic relationship, but had we not crossed it, you would not be here. Adversity breeds strength, T’Lissa, you have to meet life’s challenges head on.

I don’t know if we’ll ever get around to telling you, you weren’t our first baby. We miscarried a son after we had been married about six months. The hurt cut like a knife and almost tore us apart. But in the end there was still the two of us needing to be together, the only option was to pick up the pieces and move on. Phlox went right to work on studying Human and Vulcan genomes, so that when we were ready to try again, he would be too. It was much safer with you, but there still were no guarantees. Don’t get me wrong, I cried with joy the day we found out we were going to have you. Almost as much as I did the day I bonded with your mother (the third glorious day of my life). Like then, I had to believe that together we could get through anything.

I remember the day, I asked your momma to marry me. I think on some level we were bonded already and I just couldn’t imagine what my life would be like without her. I arranged for some time off on an uninhabited M-class planet we were surveying. We took a picnic of pasta salad, fresh fruit and iced tea to a nearby lake. I’d never been so nervous in my life, but she agreed, on one condition - that I allow her to teach me to meditate. If we were going to be bondmates she said, I’d have to learn to control some of my wilder and crazier ideas from popping into my head at the most inopportune moments. I agreed since she had already loosened some of her emotional control with me when we were alone. It wasn’t easy. From the time she lit those first meditation candles I peppered her with questions (you do this every night?), long sighs (are we done yet?) and lack of focus (is something supposed to be happening here?). But after months of practice, I started to get it and as much as I hate to admit it, I am a more rational human being. Compromise, that is what has made our relationship work and stand the test of time.

Growing up in the humidity of Florida, the desert was never my idea of a good time. Trust me to fall in love with a woman from a planet covered in one. But even on that first visit to Vulcan, it occurred to me that someday I might have a reason to live there and I’d better make the best of it. She took me sightseeing and told me about the sward near Mount Seleya were she had taken field trips back when she was in school. Of course she had to define the word sward for me (land covered with grassy turf, a lawn or meadow) and when I asked her why she didn’t just use the word meadow, she explained the difference to me, in great detail. That’s your Momma, T’Lissa, precise and logical. But emotions have their place too. As our daughter it’s up to you to find a balance, the right balance for you. Just as your Momma and I have done in our relationship. It won’t be easy, believe me, but I think you can take away the best of both sides of your heritage. And that will make you one special woman. Just like your namesake, just like your Momma, and I’ll count myself lucky to have known you and loved you.

Phlox turned and gazed with surprise at the sight before him. The Commander had slipped onto the bio-bed beside T’Pol and was now cradling his wife in his arms. She in turn cradled their newborn daughter. All three were blissfully asleep.

“Ah, well” the doctor sighed to himself, “Might as well let them sleep while they can.” He went and quietly lifted the sides of the bed around the exhausted family and put an extra pillow beside T’Pol. He then carefully placed a Starfleet issue blanket on top of them.

“Thanks, Doc...” he heard Trip mumble.

Phlox turned quickly as he heard the sound of footsteps running into Sickbay. He quickly put his finger to his mouth to silence the Captain, whose shuttle had just docked. Having heard the news of baby T’Lissa’s arrival, Archer couldn’t help but race to Sickbay, professionalism be damned. The Doctor quietly motioned him toward the bed in the far corner. As he peeked around the curtain a huge grin erupted on his face, rivaled only by the one still plastered on the face of his Chief Engineer.

Archer saw the pink blanket. “A girl?” he asked softly.

Phlox nodded. “Everything they could’ve hoped for. Blonde hair, blue eyes and little pointed ears!”

Archer stifled a chuckle as he reluctantly stepped away from the trio. “And everyone’s okay?”

“Oh it was a little rough there for a while, but no one’s the worse for wear. As prepared as the Commander was for Vulcan labor, I don’t think he ever thought he’d have to deliver the baby himself!”

“What?! You didn’t get to them in time?” The Captain was astonished, thinking next time maybe he should listen to the whole story before running off like a wild man. Then again, Malcolm wasn’t always the most forthcoming when it came to embarrassing details.

Phlox shrugged. “The transporter and the engines were off-line for the diagnostics, and apparently once she decided to come, she did so in lightening quick order. She was being born as we opened the shuttle door.”

“Huh...Sounds like she inherited her patience from Trip. Let me know when they’re up for visitors, I want to be first in line.”

“Of course, Captain. Welcome back.”

***

After a night of rest and a full checkup, Phlox was ready to release the new family to quarters.

“Thank you, Doctor” T’Pol acknowledged, baby T’Lissa wrapped securely in her arms.

“Oh, the Commander did all the work; I just cleaned her up a bit.” Phlox smiled taking a last peek at the sleepy pink bundle.

T’Pol threw a saucy glance to her husband. “I wouldn’t say he did ALL the work.”

Trip smiled broadly and planted a lover’s kiss upon her head. “Come on, Momma. I can’t wait to get my girls settled at home. Thanks, Doc.”

As they slowly made their way to their quarters the halls of the ship were unusually quiet. The few crew members they ran into quickly expressed their congratulations and let the family continue on. Trip savored the moment as he removed his hand from T’Pol’s waist to punch in the door code and they welcomed baby T’Lissa home. As the lights came on all 3 were greeted with a wonderful surprise.

As Trip and T’Pol took in the sight of their quarters decorated to the hilt with streamers, balloons and a huge “Welcome to the Galaxy!” banner for T’Lissa, the shock was clearly registering on their faces.

“When did you have time--?” T’Pol started.

“I didn’t. I wish I could take the credit…This is Awesome!” Trip started laughing.

“Oh, T’Pol, Look!” he pointed to a hand crafted rocking cradle in the center of a huge pile of presents tied with a big pink bow. He went over to look at the tag. “It’s from the Engineering team – isn’t it gorgeous?”

“It certainly is impressive” T’Pol said, still recovering from the shock. “This entire welcome is extremely…gratifying.” Trip glancing over at her saw her body starting to sag.

“Hey, why don’t you put your feet up, take a nap even. Maybe little T’Lissa here wants to try out her new cradle.” He carefully took the sleeping bundle from his wife’s arms and after a moment of fatherly adoration laid her in her new bed. T’Lissa cooed for a moment then settled back to sleep. “See, she feels at home already.”

“So how about you?” he turned his attention back to his wife.

“Trip, you don’t need to…‘baby’ me.”

“Indulge me, if just for a few days, Ashayam. Please?” he made a move toward her and wrapped her in his arms.

“I believe I will take a nap.” She deftly replied. Her face softened as she placed a lingering kiss on his cheek. He smiled and after watching her retreat to the other room sank down onto the sofa. After a short while a door chime broke him out of his reverie.

“Come in!” he called from his place on the sofa. The door swished open to reveal the smiling face of Captain Archer.

“Hey Cap’n”, Trip said standing. “Come on in.” The congratulatory handshake was followed by a quick hug along with the mandatory back slapping.

“I stopped by Sickbay this morning to check in on you tw—three. Phlox said he had released you to quarters already.”

“Yeah, everyone’s good, just tired. Both my girls are asleep.” Trip nearly busted with pride at his own words. “I was just sittin’ here tryin’ to take it all in…”

Archer caught the expression on his friend’s face and grinned. “She’s beautiful, Trip…I was able to take a peek last night. You and T’Pol did a great job…under some less than ideal circumstances I hear?”

Trip laughed. “It only goes to show you can’t be prepared for everything. Yeah, it was a bit dicey there for a while, but T’Pol pulled through like a champ!”

“Her husband didn’t do so bad either, I hear.” Archer smiled. “Well, I just wanted to stop by…” He started getting up.

“Hey Cap’n, thanks for all this. It means a lot…to both of us.” He motioned around the room.

“Me?” The Captain feigned ignorance

“Come on, who else could have thought all this up?”

Archer laughed and eyeballed his friend. “I learned from the best, Trip.” The younger man laughed knowingly.

“Besides, it wasn’t that hard, we had most of the stuff already prepared for a surprise baby shower we were going to throw you on Saturday. You just jumped the gun a little.” A small cry from the cradle interrupted the two men.

“Ah, guess that’s my cue. You wanna hold her, since she’s awake, now?” Trip asked.

“Uh, sure.” The Captain’s words underscoring his slight apprehension. It had been a while since he had held a baby.

“Here you go, just support her head. Oh, you’re a natural.” Trip smiled as T’Lissa immediately began to settle back down.

“I’m not so sure about that.” Archer replied gazing down at the very familiar blue eyes.

“Seems to me she likes her Uncle.”

Archers face brightened at that comment. “So anyways, I’ve ordered no visitors for 24 hours, after that you’re on your own. I thought you could use the quiet time.”

“Thanks, Cap’n. I appreciate it. It’s all been a little overwhelmin’ you know?” Trip’s face started to betray the tiredness he himself was beginning to feel.

“Well that’s why we changed up the surprise. Figured you’d get the sentiment either way. Oh, and I don’t want to see you on duty for 72 hours.” Archer stated as he gently handed the pink bundle back to her father.

“You sure ’bout that? I don’t even know how the diagnostics turned out.” Trip started to protest.

“I saw the preliminary reports…Nothing that can’t wait a few days. Your team’s already started on the small stuff. 72 hours.” Archer’s eyes got a far away look for a moment. “Family comes first, Commander. That’s an order!”

Trip smiled. “Aye, Aye, Sir.” His face got serious again. “Thanks again, Cap’n, for everything.”

Archer nodded. “Anytime, Trip. Give T’Pol my best.”

“I will. I’m sure she’ll be itching to get back to duty soon, too. But I’m gonna do my best to slow her down, for a little while at least.” Trip laughed to himself wondering how successful that venture would be.

“No rush, Lieutenant Stevens is enjoying the extra bridge time. Call if you need anything.” Archer made his way for the door.

“Thanks for stopping by, Sir.” As he watched the captain leave, he wearily settled himself in the rocking chair he had made for T’Pol’s birthday, noticing the big blue eyes blinking up at him.

“Well, hello there, T’Lissa Beth Tucker. Whatta you say you and your Dad spend some quality time together?” A short time later T’Pol arose to find father and daughter sound asleep.

Chapter #6 - The Accident

Enterprise - February 2160

With babies now a part of Enterprise’s crew compliment, adjustments had to be made all around. Archer, as much as he adored both children, was often reminded of why he didn’t have any of his own. He was beginning to understand what Admiral Forrest had been concerned about, allowing married couples and children to live aboard a starship. Wacky schedules, senior officers working from quarters, it just sometimes seemed to him he was losing control of his ship. Things weren’t as bad as all that, the Captain reflected. The four parents seemed to share a common bond, and Kara Mayweather was always ready to watch both kids during situations that required his senior staff’s full attention. Fortunately the Tuckers lived right down the hall from them and T’Lissa and Nikolai were great friends. Besides there was only about 3 or 4 months left in the mission; they were technically on their way home. There would be plenty of time to reevaluate past decisions and plan for the future.

***

Eighteen month old T’Lissa Tucker was babbling merrily to herself as she played with her toy blocks on the floor of the Tucker quarters, early one afternoon. By her side as usual were the handmade dolls ‘Auntie’ Hoshi had made for her from scrap materials the quartermaster had given her. She seemed intent on building a house for her little family, despite having a few structural difficulties. Her father was across the room working at his computer while discretely watching her. Smiling to himself, he thought maybe naming her after his architect sister had been fortuitous. His mind wandered idly as he waited for the results of some engine diagnostics he was having his team run.

T’Pol was on the bridge, expected home in less than an hour, so her husband could return to Engineering. The two active parents had tried to settle into a routine, working split shifts or from quarters so that one of them would always be available to be with T’Lissa. It usually worked, but it wasn’t always easy...on them, the Captain or their relationship. In a pinch, which happened often enough, the little girl happily found herself in the science lab, the Hydroponics bay with playmate Nikolai, or even on occasion Daddy’s office. Uncle Jon drew the line at the bridge, though. That had been established the day Nikolai Mayweather had learned to walk and wanted to help his father fly the ship.

***

“Engineering to Commander Tucker,” the call rang through the quarters.

“Go ahead, Jenkins.”

“I’m sending the diagnostics through to you now, Sir. The intermix ratio is off again. It’s causing the plasma injectors to run much hotter than usual.”

Trip frowned at the information appearing on his screen. “Okay…run through the diagnostics again, just in case you missed somethin’. I’ll be right there.” He sighed and closed the channel.

“Feel like takin’ a walk, Babygirl?”

The construction project was quickly abandoned as the little girl smiled up at her father.

“Dollies come?”

“Yep. You can bring your dollies.” After sending a quick message to T’Pol to meet them in Engineering after her shift, Trip picked up T’Lissa and headed down to the lower part of the ship.

***

After quickly settling his daughter into the ready made play pen in his office and shutting the door, Trip set about reviewing the troubling diagnostics with his team. Word quickly spread that T’Lissa, always a favorite visitor, was in Engineering and various crewmembers would periodically poke their head in to check on her as they walked by, just to help their chief out. Soon the report came that the little girl had fallen fast asleep, much to her father’s relief.

Trip was trying to ignore the nagging suspicion, that after ten years in space, they may have just stumbled across a serious design flaw in his engines. Emergency reroutes of power junctions and EPS bypasses were being performed at breakneck speed, but without being sure where the initial problem was it was difficult to know if they were being effective. The engines were still running only because shutting them down would have made the cascading problem next to impossible to diagnose.

“Matthews, what’s the current molecular pressure?” Trip called out.

The poor ensign didn’t have a chance to answer as a sudden explosion from the console he was working at caught him right in the face. Alarms started blaring, as Trip jumped up to the top of the warp core and tried to shut it down. Behind him he could hear a series of smaller explosions work their way around the room.

Back down on the floor he could see that plasma fires had broken out at various stations and his engineers were scrambling to try and put them out before…Damn! Trip thought as he heard the master alarm go off. “Everybody out!” he shouted, knowing full well they had 30 seconds to leave Engineering before the fire suppression system started sucking all the oxygen from the room. He barely noticed the large burn scorching his cheek as he mentally counted the heads of this people checking off the list in his head. “Jenkins?!”

“He took Matthews to Sickbay, Sir!” His question was quickly answered.

When he was satisfied everyone was out, he made a move to follow them. But then as a terrified thought crossed his mind, he wheeled quickly around in the doorway and a second later heard the automatic hiss and door lock behind him.

***

“Lieutenant Hess to the Bridge!” the young woman called out, frantically hitting the COM unit. She and the rest of the Engineering team were looking horrified, standing on the opposite side of the door from their chief.

“Archer! What the hell is going on down there?!”

“Chain reaction explosions, Sir. Not sure what caused the initial one. Commander Tucker was able to shut down the reactor, but there were a bunch of plasma fires set off. The suppression alarm sounded, and we had to evacuate.”

“Where’s Commander Tucker?”

“He’s still in there, Sir…He turned around at the last second…Oh, God!”

“Lieutenant?!”

“It’s T’Lissa, Sir. She was in his office.”

Six decks above, T’Pol was headed for the turbolift, not bothering to ask for permission to leave the bridge. Archer nodded to Malcolm to follow her, and he barely had enough time to slip through the closing doors to join her.

***

Trip wasted no time in getting to his office door, only to find it, too had been automatically sealed. It was then that he remembered his office was on a different ventilation system than the rest of Engineering, which was sort of a good news / bad news scenario. It meant that for the moment, unlike himself, T’Lissa was breathing clean air. But he also knew that the plasma conduits ran along the walls right behind his office, and at any moment another one could explode. The father in Trip took over…he had to get to her.

Although starting to cough and feeling the air quickly thinning, Trip pulled a panel off the nearby wall and started re-wiring the door controls. Another spark caused him to wince as the flesh on his palms started to burn. But the only option was to continue. If he didn’t get the door open, he would soon be dead, and unable to protect T’Lissa.

A moment later the door slid partially open. Trip despite his burnt palms had to push it further to be able to squeeze through it and then had to struggle again to close it. The physical pain was immediately forgotten as he turned to see two big blue eyes staring at him and a little lip trembling in terror. In two steps he was across the room gathering the little girl into his arms as she let loose a stream of tears.

Trip tried to soothe her as best he could, but his mind was still racing for a better solution. Feeling the rear wall with the back of one hand, he noted it felt much warmer than normal to the touch. It was not a good sign. The armory was next in line. However, extra shielding was in place there to protect the weapons, so even if the fires continued, they would be stopped at that point, causing only minor damage.

Tucker looked up and decided on a plan. The air ventilation ducts ran straight up from the ceiling and then branched off to feed other sections of the ship, including sickbay. If he could get up there, it was their best shot at moving away from the danger of the continuing fires. That and Sickbay was looking like a pretty good place to be at that moment. If only he could find someway to carry T’Lissa which left his hands and arms relatively free.

T’Lissa coughed slightly, and as Trip turned around he noticed the smoke from the plasma fires beginning to seep through the unsealed door. Still having a 25 pound weight clutching at his neck, Trip moved over to the storage locker he piled his away mission gear in. He struck gold, or to him what was better than gold. There was a black satchel, a breathing mask and a pair of magnetic hand holds used for climbing. Trip quickly set about turning the satchel in to a front loaded pack he could strap to his chest. He had to cut leg holes for T’Lissa’s feet to slide through and the little girl did not seem very happy when she realized what her father was trying to do. That combined with the breathing mask he had firmly attached to her face, was testing her patience and trust in this man. He hugged her to him, trying to speak softly to her. He attached the pack to himself and was just able to get the zipper of his jumpsuit over it for added protection. Having appeased his daughter somewhat Trip made a move to stand on his desk and open the panel. It was then he heard a blood curdling scream as T’Lissa reached back towards the floor of the playpen.

“No! No go!” She wriggled around unsuccessfully.

“Babygirl, we’ve gotta go. It’s too hot in here. We’re gonna go see Momma and Phlox.” He tried to reach up again, only to receive a small kick in his stomach.

“NO! Dollies stay!!!” It was then Trip realized, she was upset about leaving her doll family behind and needing her cooperation, he went to retrieve them. Hoping that the dolls would be enough of a distraction so that he could complete his task, Trip moved back to the top of the desk and got the panel to the air vent open. T’Lissa had settled down somewhat and he placed a gentle reassuring kiss on the top her head.

“It’ll be okay, Babygirl…I promise.” She looked up at him frowning, as he hoisted them upwards and began to climb. He closed the panel behind them, for safety purposes. It was only about 30 feel to the first branch in the vent, but to his arms it felt like a thousand. There were a few foot and hand holds in the passageway, but mostly it took just brute strength and concentration.

Finally at the first branch, which he was fairly certain lead to Sickbay, Trip was able to take a break. Breathing heavily and trying to clear his sore throat, he offered a smile and a light pat on the back to the warm bundle he was carrying. After a few moments, he started moving again, having to crawl through the narrow space the remaining 80 feet. It was then they heard the explosion, most likely the rupturing of the plasma conduits running behind his office to the armory. The fear once again crossed T’Lissa’s face as the air vent vibrated heavily and Trip almost lost his balance.

“Da-Da?”

“We’re okay, Darlin’…just a few more minutes.”

Trip began to sing softly and predictably slightly off tune, any old thing that popped into his head, memories from his school days to songs his mother had sung to him as a child. His voice was getting raspy as the smoke had settled in his lungs, but he continued on not sure whom he was trying to comfort more, his daughter or himself.

***

The doors to Engineering had finally been opened and a blackened, smoky mess greeted the crew and senior officers.

“No one could have survived in here for very long.” Malcolm said dully, before realizing T’Pol was standing just behind him.

“Agreed.” She answered, shortly.

He glanced behind him, instantly dismayed. “T’Pol…I didn’t mean…”

“Commander Tucker is still alive; therefore logically he is no longer in Engineering.” She stated the simple fact as calmly as if she was reporting on the composition of an asteroid.

“And T’Lissa?”

“She must be with him.”

“T’Pol, no offense, but how can you know that? And if so, where in god’s name are they?”

“I can still feel the Commander’s presence through our bond, and given his emotional state, T’Lissa Beth must be safe.” T’Pol took a measure of comfort in the fact that aside from a rush of adrenaline, Trip was fairly calm. In no way was he experiencing the panic or grief he would be if T’Lissa wasn’t safely with him.

“Bond?” Malcolm asked in shock, still trying to absorb what the Vulcan was tying to tell him.

T’Pol sighed. “Mister Reed! I do not have time to explain, but suffice it to say the Commander and I formed a mental bond, when we married. It is not often discussed outside of Vulcan society, but it does allow me to sense his presence and emotions. However, he is not close enough to get anything more from him at the moment.”

*Well that explains a lot,* Malcolm thought as he hurriedly filed the new information away, to be pondered upon later. “So where do you suggest we go?”

T’Pol looked at him blankly for a brief moment, before deciding on a course of action. She abruptly turned and started walking away from Engineering.

***

*Follow your heart.*

The words that her older counterpart had spoken so long ago had stayed with her. No logical reason propelled T’Pol toward Sickbay at a barely dignified pace as she pondered that small irony. Malcolm following at her heels, regarded her dubiously.

“Where are we heading, Commander?” he asked slightly out of breath from his ship-wide chase of the Science officer, whom he wasn’t entirely sure wasn’t completely out of her Vulcan mind.

“Sickbay” was the terse reply

“Why?”

“I’m following my heart.”

“What?!” he asked barely containing his shock.

He didn’t get a reply as she reached the doors to the medical facility and stepped inside. As Malcolm followed her in he quickly surveyed the room.

“Commander?” Phlox turned from his patient and queried the woman who had shown up suddenly in his Sickbay.

“Doctor,” she hastily greeted. “Have you heard from Command---” she broke off in mid-sentence and turned her attention to the eerily familiar banging sound from a panel off to her lower right.

*S.O.S.* she slowly said as realization dawned. T’Pol had never studied Morse Code, but suddenly it was as familiar to her as if she had learned it yesterday. That could only mean one thing.

“Mister Reed!” she urgently called as she quickly determined which panel the noise was coming from and knelt down on the floor. Malcolm’s ears quirked as he intently listened and picked up the signal. He rapped out an answer

*T.R.I.P?*

Malcolm and T’Pol breathed a collective sigh of relief as they both heard *Y.E.S.* after several seconds of silence.

*S.T.A.N.D.B.Y*

Four hands started flying, loosening screws and releasing pressure seals. Phlox stood by in shocked confusion, but he knew when to stay out of the way and keep his mouth shut, no matter how many questions he had.

***

Trip was at the edge of exhaustion when they finally reached the air vent in the back end of Sickbay. His voice was nearly gone, so he could only hope someone was nearby enough to hear him banging on the panel.

*S.O.S.* Surely most Starfleet personnel knew at least that much Morse code. Short of causing another explosion, he could not think of a better way to try and get someone’s attention over the low din of the impulse engines. If only T’Pol were nearby, maybe he could try to communicate with her. And yet she was there, almost as if she was following him through the ship, telling him to hang on.

A whimper from the black sack strapped to his chest brought him out of his reverie. T’Lissa tried in vain to wiggle from some of her constraints, letting out a frustrated cry.

“Hang on just a bit longer for me, Babygirl,” Trip said, gently patting her back trying to comfort her. “Momma’s comin’ for us.”

“Ma-Ma?” She looked up at him.

“Soon. I promise.” She seemed to accept his answer, laying her head back down and only letting out intermittent low sobs and sniffles. He sighed wearily and bent down to place a reassuring kiss on top of her curly head grimacing as her hair brushed across the plasma burn on his cheek. He leaned against the side wall and started the SOS signal again.

Trip’s focus was beginning to waver. The repetitive rhythm he was rapping out was lulling him into a fog. This wasn’t working, he needed another plan. He was starting to hear voices.

*T.R.I.P?* He froze for a moment. Was he imagining it or had someone finally answered him? *Well,* he thought to himself, *what the hell good are imaginary voices if you can’t talk to ‘em. Now what did they say? T_R_I_P? Oh, right, that’s me...*

*Y.E.S.* he replied.

*S.T.A.N.D.B.Y.* he heard.

“No problem,” he whispered. “Hear that, Darlin’? Looks like Phlox heard us after all.”

“‘Lox?”

“Yep. Doc ‘Lox.”

Soon, enough panels had been removed to allow the Commander room to climb out of the air vent and slide the short distance to the floor. As relieved as she was to see Trip alive, T’Pol felt her heart stop when she didn’t immediately see T’Lissa. Trip, sensing her distress moved to unzip his jumpsuit part way revealing the bundle he was carrying.

“Hey Babygirl,” Trip patted T’Lissa to get her attention. “Look who I see.” T’Pol saw a curly dark blonde head slowly poke up and carefully look around. As Malcolm helped Trip release the little girl from her confinements, she scrambled into her mother’s outstretched arms, a stream of tears pouring down her face. T’Pol gently removed the breathing mask the child had dutifully worn since they had left Engineering.

As Trip was overcome with a coughing fit, Phlox looked over at T’Pol.

“T’Pol, why don’t you take T’Lissa over to Crewman Lynch. She can examine her and make sure she’s okay, while I look after the Commander.” T’Pol regarded her husband a moment before complying with the Doctor’s request.

*It is good to see you, T’hy’la.*

*It’s nice ta be seen...* Trip smiled his reply at her.

“Commander, I need to get you to the imaging chamber and assess those burns.” Phlox said. “Can you walk?”

“Yeah…” As Trip made a move to stand however, a wave of nausea and dizziness immediately overtook him causing him to bend over at the waist with Malcolm and Phlox each grabbing an arm.

“No...” he recanted as he sunk to his knees. He felt the darkness envelop him as he crumpled to the floor.

On the other side of the room, T’Pol felt her husband’s loss of consciousness and immediately turned around. T’Lissa cried out as she watched Trip collapse on the floor in a heap.

For a little girl, T’Lissa Tucker had a big mouth. Her screams and tears of “Da! Da-Da!” quickly bordered on hysteria and she had to be sedated. T’Pol’s heart was quickly torn in two. She wanted to be at Trip’s side, but logically it was more important that she be there to help T’Lissa through her trauma.

***

Thirty-six hours later

Phlox summoned T’Pol to Sickbay. “The Commander’s physical injuries are healing nicely, but he seems to have reached a plateau in his recovery. His vital signs aren’t as strong as I would have expected or like.”

“Between caring for T’Lissa and overseeing the repair crews in Engineering, I haven’t been able to spend much time with him.” was T’Pol’s almost guilty reply.

“I’m sure he understands that, I just wanted to be sure there wasn’t something else going on.”

“I’ll speak with him.”

“Hiya, Beautiful.” Trip greeted his wife. “You here to spring me?” He got the expected eyebrow raise. “Just figured I might get more TLC back in our quarters.”

“I heard that, Commander!” Phlox cheerily called out as he walked by.

Trip grimaced, “How does he do that?! Here all I get is blue slime to drink.”

“And since your voice is still rasping, you are hardly in a position to complain,” T’Pol calmly pointed out.

“Traitor,” Trip sulked. T’Pol continued to watch him. “So anyway, the Captain stopped by this morning. Brought me a padd with the Engineering reports on it. Guess he figured if he appeased me a bit I won’t try to sneak back early. I noticed a few things on the repair schedule to point out to you. Damn shame about Ensign Matthews, he was a good kid - wrong place at the wrong time, I guess. Phlox said there was nothing he could do. He was too close to the flashpoint of the primary explosion.” He shook his head. “Anyway, Malcolm came by last night. Seems that the armory is almost back up to specs ahead of schedule. His people musta pulled double shifts to get that done. Maybe you can borrow a couple of ‘em for a few days to help out in Engineerin’...”

T’Pol laid her hand on his and looked him in the eye. *Trip. What’s wrong?*

He narrowed his eyes at her.

“You’re babbling...more than usual.”

His head dropped to his chest and his voice became a whisper. “How’s T’Lissa?”

T’Pol paused for a moment, not sure of how to answer. “She is spending the day with Kara.”

Trip nodded. *I’m sorry, T’Pol.*

She patiently waited for him to continue. *Everythin’ happened so fast, the first explosion, we realized that it was causing a chain reaction. We barely got the warp core shut down before the fire suppression system activated and we had 30 seconds to get out. It wasn’t until the last second that I realized she was in my office...* he paused to choke back a sob. *I counted the heads of my people twice and almost forgot my own daughter. A half-second more, and I’d have been on the wrong side of that door.*

*But you weren’t. You did remember her. You saved her.*

*She was in that office because of me, I got distracted.*

*She’s been in your office dozens of times, just as she’s been in the science lab and the hydroponics bay. We have both had to juggle our duties to the ship with our duty as parents. You cannot blame yourself....Sometimes accidents just happen.*

He sighed as though slowly accepting her words. He spoke again, “So how is she?” belatedly catching on that his previous question had not really been answered.

T’Pol hesitated.

A look of anguish crossed Trip’s face “Nightmares?” he moaned. His forehead fell on T’Pol’s shoulder as his hands lightly grasped her waist. *What have I done? She trusts me to keep her safe and I let her down*

T’Pol reached up and took his face gently in her hands. *She doesn’t see you as the man who brought her to Engineering. She sees you as the man who got her out.*

At that moment, it was all so clear to her. Father and daughter were so much alike. Trip was crying because he needed to know T’Lissa was okay.

“T’Lissa needs to see you,” she suddenly said.

His tear stained face stared at her in surprise. “What?”

“She saw you collapse in Sickbay. With all the confusion, I’m sure she doesn’t know what to think.”

“Don’t ya think all these bandages and tubes will just scare her more?”

“She needs to know that you’re all right, that you’re healing.”

Trip nodded thoughtfully.

T’Pol gave her husband a long last look. “I’ll speak with Doctor Phlox. Get some rest, Ashayam. I’ll bring her by later.”

He smiled weakly. “Love ya, Darlin’.”

“And I, you,” her Vulcan non-smile flitting across her features just long enough for him to see.

***

At short time later, Phlox had a small frown on his face as he considered T’Pol’s request. “I normally wouldn’t recommend it, but I suppose the psychology is valid,” he said nodding his head. “Logical, you might say. When did you become an expert on the human psyche?”

“I’ve had ample time to study it,” T’Pol said dryly.

“Hmmph! Well, I suppose as long you are with her it can’t hurt. I’ll see you here later this afternoon then, hmm? I’m sure we can get the Commander down to one IV and the nasal oxygen tube, but you might want to prepare T’Lissa for what she’ll see.”

“Thank you, Doctor. I will let you know before we come.”

***

Late that afternoon, with T’Lissa Beth in her arms T’Pol walked back into Sickbay. With Phlox discretely hovering in the background, she walked over to Trip’s bedside and sat down. His face immediately brightened. T’Lissa, clinging to her mother stared at him with wide eyes.

“Hey, Babygirl.” Trip rasped softly. He slowly reached out and with his fore and middle fingers gently stroked her arm. Little by little she relaxed and quirked her little eyebrow at him. T’Pol, who hadn’t seen her daughter’s face, found herself wondering why her husband’s eyes bugged out for a second as he struggled to control a laugh.

T’Lissa reached down and picked up his hand carefully examining the bandage on it. She then leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on his palm. She did the same with his other hand, while Trip watched her smiling in wonder.

The emboldened child then crawled up the bed and placed a small hand on Trip’s cheek as if observing Phlox’s work on his largest plasma burn. After a final feather-light kiss she seemed satisfied, her fears appeased.

In a sudden surprise move, T’Lissa scrambled up his torso and laid her head on her father’s chest. Trip groaned for a moment as her full weight plopped down on top of him. The position was not unfamiliar to either of them. Trip had often held his daughter as an infant trying to get her to go to sleep. For some reason listening to the sound of his heartbeat had always been a source of comfort to her.

T’Pol reached out to pick T’Lissa back up, but the little girl wriggled out of her grasp and held onto her father tighter.

“Stay.” was her stubborn declaration. T’Pol raised a surprised eyebrow at the insistence of her child.

“We’re okay,” Trip assured his wife. He reached down and shifted T’Lissa’s weight slightly making his breathing easier and began to rub her back. She sighed and immediately settled down.

Trip smiled happily at T’Pol. *I thought she was gettin’ too old for this.*

*She will always need you.*

Trip closed his eyes and let an incredible feeling of peace wash over him. A few minutes later, T’Pol was startled out of her watchful vigil by the sounds of the Captain entering Sickbay. She placed her hand on Trip’s shoulder.

*Get some sleep, Husband. I will be back soon.*

Trip gave a slight grunt in reply, his thumb still idly straying over T’Lissa’s back as he fell into a deep slumber.

“Captain.”

“How are they?” he asked, looking at the unusual sight.

T’Pol glanced back to her family. “They are healing each other.”

The Captain nodded. “That’s good to hear. Getting Trip back on his feet is the priority, but at some point in time, the three of us need to sit down and talk.” Archer looked pointedly at her.

“Understood.”

“Good. Well, if they’re asleep, I guess I’ll stop by in the morning. Have a good night.”

“Good night, Captain.”

***

One week later

Jonathan Archer had his speech all planned out, with just the right balance of logic and emotionalism to appeal to both Tucker and T’Pol. Or so he thought…Actually he never got the chance to give the speech to anyone other than Porthos. For when T’Lissa’s parents came to meet with him as requested they had already made heartfelt decision. When the mission was over, it was time for them to leave Enterprise behind. Putting themselves in harm’s way was one thing. But when it came to their daughter, Trip and T’Pol had both agreed they were no longer willing to make that kind of compromise. Feeling a bit like the wind had been knocked out of his sails, Archer understood completely the need for the Tucker family to move on. Either way, he had a very interesting report to deliver to Admiral Forrest and Starfleet Command about children, senior officers and the call to duty. Having seen both sides of the issue, after all T’Lissa and Nikolai where always a huge morale booster, it was not going to be a easy report to write.



Part IV (Chapter 7)

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A whole mess of folks have made comments

Great story! A little sad at the end.

Ohhhh, does Trip now have a scar just like his MU counterpart?

Wow, that was wonderful!!!!!!!!!!
And sooo cute!!!!!

Starwind - I guess it could be seen as sad, but they have been on the ship for almost 10 years at this point...rest assured everyone will be moving on to bigger and better things ;o)
as for the scar...I wouldn't dream of doing that to such a beautiful face...no, Phlox worked his "magic" and he will be fine
oh btw, I forgot the TBC at the end :o)

Love this story!
Trips letter to T´Lizza was so awesome it made me cry.
The end was a little sad but it was wonderful written how the "two Tuckers" heal each other.

I loved this, very excellent! But do you know the very best bit of it? The news that it is TBC! Yay, there is a God, and He has blond hair, blue eyes and... cute little pointed ears!!!! Ali D :~)

Excellent story. Can't imagine not having Trip and T'pol on Enterprise but I guess its time to move on.

Awww.. that was so sweet I loved this story "Why does it have to end?"

WOW what a real sweet story.
Cant wait for the next update.

Great Story! Loved the birth chapter - especially, “You want me to do what?! I’m an engineer, not a physician!” - OMG! So much like that ole Southerner SawBones, "I'm a doctor, Jim, not a miracle worker!"

The accident chappie was good, too - sad to know they're leaving the ship, but it is logical ;)

Very sweet story... I hope there will be more!