Title: Home is Where the Heart Is, 1/6
Author: Chocolatequeen
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I'm broke. Don't sue.
Archiving: Ask first, send a link.
Summary: In the aftermath of the attack on Earth, two of the Enterprise
crew struggle to find where they belong. Parts 1-5 are vignettes focusing
on various characters, and part 6 is the conversation.
Chapter 1: Between a Rock and a Hard Place
It was late. Enterprise was quiet, most of her crew asleep. Most them that is except for her chief medical officer. Dr. Phlox was puttering around his sickbay, tending to his menagerie and finding room for the last minute supplies he'd had brought on board, including one case of 200 snow beetles.
As his gaze settled on the crate, his lips quirked up into a slight smile. "I wonder what the Sub-commander will decide," he mused, thinking about their earlier conversation. "I knew what she was going to ask the minutes she walked in," he told the bats as he fed them their nightly insects. "I suppose she thought she was being subtle, but it was rather obvious.
"I found it interesting the way she tried to deflect my own questions however. I can't decide if she truly believed it is out of her hands, or if she wanted to believe it so she wouldn't have to make the choice. I'm inclined to think the latter, but I'm just not sure. Either way, I gave her something to think about on that count."
Closing the cage, he looked down at the nocturnal animals. "I envy you, you know," he said conversationally. "You don't have to make hard decisions about whether to stay or to go. You have no conflicting loyalties. I'm afraid it's not so easy for humans or Vulcans, or even for Denobulans." He paused for a minutes, considering the ramifications T'Pol's choice could bring.
"I do hope she understands all of what she would be turning her back on if she returned to Vulcan," he sighed. "I tried to remind her by juxtaposing her loyalty to the High Command against her clearly growing feelings for Captain Archer, but I'm afraid she might brush aside my implications as emotional."
Finally satisfied that his work for the evening was done, Phlox dimmed the lights and walked to his quarters. "Sometimes I feel more like a marriage counselor than a doctor," he muttered as he drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 1: Between a Rock and a Hard Place
It was late. Enterprise was quiet, most of her crew asleep. Most them that is except for her chief medical officer. Dr. Phlox was puttering around his sickbay, tending to his menagerie and finding room for the last minute supplies he'd had brought on board, including one case of 200 snow beetles.
As his gaze settled on the crate, his lips quirked up into a slight smile. "I wonder what the Sub-commander will decide," he mused, thinking about their earlier conversation. "I knew what she was going to ask the minutes she walked in," he told the bats as he fed them their nightly insects. "I suppose she thought she was being subtle, but it was rather obvious.
"I found it interesting the way she tried to deflect my own questions however. I can't decide if she truly believed it is out of her hands, or if she wanted to believe it so she wouldn't have to make the choice. I'm inclined to think the latter, but I'm just not sure. Either way, I gave her something to think about on that count."
Closing the cage, he looked down at the nocturnal animals. "I envy you, you know," he said conversationally. "You don't have to make hard decisions about whether to stay or to go. You have no conflicting loyalties. I'm afraid it's not so easy for humans or Vulcans, or even for Denobulans." He paused for a minutes, considering the ramifications T'Pol's choice could bring.
"I do hope she understands all of what she would be turning her back on if she returned to Vulcan," he sighed. "I tried to remind her by juxtaposing her loyalty to the High Command against her clearly growing feelings for Captain Archer, but I'm afraid she might brush aside my implications as emotional."
Finally satisfied that his work for the evening was done, Phlox dimmed the lights and walked to his quarters. "Sometimes I feel more like a marriage counselor than a doctor," he muttered as he drifted off to sleep.