TITLE: Dear Hoshi
AUTHOR: MikeJaffa
SYNOPSIS: Tag for "Harbinger:" T'Pol has questions about relationships between human males and females and can think of only one person to turn to.
DISCLAIMER: Enterprise is owned by CBS. I am making no money off writing and publishing this fic.
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"I'd appreciate it if we could keep this between us," Trip said, sitting at a table with T'Pol in the mess hall. "In fact, we should probably just forget it ever happened."
"Agreed," T'Pol said.
Trip smiled. "Doesn't mean we can't keep doing the neuro pressure, though."
T'Pol looked at Trip over her tea cup. Something about his affect did not agree with what she would expect from a human male who had just been rejected, certainly not one who had just been fuming about being compared to a lab rat.
It didn't seem like Trip at all. Then again, the subject of intimacy had never been discussed, so she did not know what to expect.
She would have to meditate on the subject. She felt certain that between meditation and the ship's database, she would comprehend the situation. But in case that wasn't enough, she would have to seek advice.
The only question in that instance was whom to ask.
…2100 hours the next day….
The door chimed.
T'Pol was seated at her desk. She said, "Come in."
The door opened and Hoshi entered T'Pol's quarters.
"Thank you for coming, Ensign," T'Pol said. She gestured at a chair. "Please, have a seat."
Hoshi sat.
"I need your…insight on a personal matter," T'Pol said. "I did some more research, and I concluded I need more than academic information. I need to talk to someone with personal experience. My first thought was to ask Phlox, but he is not human. He could keep it in confidence, but at the same time, it might be more academic than what I needed. On further reflection, I also decided a female point of view would be appropriate."
Hoshi nodded slowly. "I see…I think. So…you and Trip really did it?"
"'It'?"
"You and he finally had sex."
"Yes…'Finally'?"
"Yeah, it's been the worst kept secret on this ship that you and he were attracted to each other."
"It was?"
"Yeah, it *was.*"
"And how did you know we had…'done it'?"
"Ensign Fenway is right under you. She heard the noise."
"Noise?"
"From your bunk. You know, the squeaking it makes?"
"Squeaking?"
"Yeah." Hoshi crossed to the bunk and pressed on it with her whole body weight, producing a rhythmic squeak. "Wow! That's loud. There must be a loose bolt somewhere."
"I…didn't notice it."
Hoshi smiled. "Really? He was that good?"
"He was my first human, so I have nothing to compare the experience to."
Hoshi chuckled. "Ok."
"Hoshi. This is serious."
Hoshi suppressed her laughs. "I know. I'm sorry."
"I guess I have to accept that the whole crew knows."
"More or less. Some people thought someone had snuck into your room, but I pointed out that no one—other than me, I guess—would cry out in Vulcan."
"She heard that too?" T'Pol said. "Wait…you cry in Vulcan when you climax?"
"Actually, Klingon these days. I haven't kept a boyfriend for more than a couple of days since that started. So I'm not seeing anyone at the moment."
"I suppose some males would find it disconcerting to have their partner vocalize in Klingon while in the throes of passion."
Hoshi snickered. "It was actually kind of funny to watch a big, strong, MACO try and get away from the tiny little Asian chick as fast as he can without looking like he's running for his life. But enough about me. This is about you and Commander Tucker. One thing: He used protection, right?"
"'Protection'?"
"Oh boy. Then again, you're Vulcan, so you don't have to worry. But it's good to know if he-"
"Ensign…Hoshi. It's not the…physical details that I'm concerned about. It's the relationship aspects that I don't really understand. I thought I was more…informed than other Vulcans, but not enough."
"Well…I can try. What do you want to know?"
"Uh…perhaps I should start at the beginning…"
T'Pol went through the whole sequence of events from Phlox talking her into giving Trip neural pressure treatment through to her and Trip's coupling and the conversation the next day.
"…and his affect left me a little confused," T'Pol finished.
"Permission to speak freely, T'Pol."
"Of course."
"That is so messed up it's not funny."
"I won't dispute that. Do you have anything helpful?"
"Well…maybe. This may take a while, though."
"Take as long as you need."
…45 minutes later…
"Hoshi, I think I may have to take some notes. And would you mind if we backed up a bit?"
"To what, T'Pol?"
"Acutally, would you mind if we started over?"
…two days later…
Trip sat on the edge of T'Pol's bed and puzzled over how T'Pol was bent over a half a dozen PADDs at her desk. He said, "Whenever you're ready."
"Ok." T'Pol crossed to the bed and poked Trip in the shoulder.
"Trying to tenderize me?"
"Making sure you're real," T'Pol said as she sat, "and that humanity is not a mass delusion Vulcans have."
"Seriously?"
"Well…I'm sorry, but I took Hoshi into my confidence and discussed our situation. I needed to do more research."
"Really." Trip looked over his shoulder with a strange smile on his face. "You 'researched' human sexuality with Hoshi?"
"Uh, yes, I had some questions for her. She was helpful."
"Wish I'd been here to watch that. I wouldn't have been in the way."
"Why? It was an academic discussion."
"'Course." That strange affect again. "Was it good?"
"Uh, if by that you are asking I found the discussion informative, it was," T'Pol said. "In any case, based on what Hoshi told me, according to my calculations, humanity should have gone extinct roughly 305,000 years ago because males and females would have been too infuriated with each other to reproduce."
"Well, I guess they had a lot of make-up sex."
T'Pol nodded. "Yes, that is probably it."
…and about an hour after that…
The door chimed.
"Come in," T'Pol said. (T'Pol had called Hoshi immediately after Trip had left.)
Hoshi entered. "Yes, T'Pol? What is it?"
T'Pol was sitting at her desk. "About our discussion a few days ago?"
"Yes?"
"I think you forgot something."
THE END