Star Trek:

Enterprise

Altered

Universe

Bonds That Grow

Immediately following the events of These Are the Voyages, the Articles of Federation are singed, And Enterprise returns home for the ceremony with one difference. Trip didn't die saving the ship. Upon learning of Trip's injuries, and after years of an on-again off-again relationship, T'Pol finally comes to realize that she loves him, and now has a choice to make. Should she tell him and let nature run it's course, or ignore it with the hope that her illogical feelings will subside?

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN STAR TREK; IT BELONGS TO CBS/PARAMOUNT/RODDENBERRY, ETC. NO PROFIT IS BEING MADE WHATSOEVER! THIS IS STRICTLY FOR FUN!

Chapter One

T'Pol didn't need Jon to call her to his quarters to know what the Captain was about to discuss with her. Because of the bond she had with Commander Tucker, Trip as she had grown fond of calling him off duty, she knew exactly why Archer had commed her. She spent nearly the entire distance to his quarters wondering whether he was going to die. Year ago, almost a year after the events of Terra Prime, they had both broken off their relationship at her insistence. Since then, however, she had continued to struggle with her emotions regarding Commander Tucker. It was illogical, yes, but she had ignored them for far too long, and now everything seemed to be crashing down. Trip was injured, that she knew. What she didn't know was whether Doctor Phlox was able to stabilize him and save his life, and that, illogical as it was, scared her. She came out of her train of thought when she found herself standing just outside Captain Archer's door. Before she could announce her presence, Doctor Phlox arrived. It was clear that the Captain wanted to see them both. If Phlox was here, it indicated either that Trip was dead, or he was stable. For the first time in nine years, T'Pol touched the mating bond she shared with Trip. It was still there, indicating that he was still alive. Had she not ignored it for so long, she would be able to tell what state he was in. She realized then that if Trip did die, she would have a very hard time accepting it. That's when the next realization hit her. She was in love with him.

"Are you alright, T'Pol? You seem…unsettled." Phlox asked.

"I am fine, Doctor." She replied in her usual manner.

"Are you sure, Commander?" he asked again.

"Yes. How is Tri…Commander Tucker?" she asked, momentarily afraid to hear his answer.

"Perhaps we should discuss this with the Captain as well. Wouldn't want to repeat myself." He answered, reaching for the door chime.

"Yes?" came the unmistakable voice of Jonathan Archer.

"It's Phlox, and Commander T'Pol, Captain." Phlox answered. Almost immediately, the door opened, and they both entered.

"Thanks for coming, T'Pol. I figured the Doctor could fill us both in at the same time, make it easier for all parties involved." Archer said, getting up from his chair by the computer terminal at his desk.

"Yes, I thought that best as well." Phlox replied.

"How is he, Doc? Is he going to be alright?" Archer asked, his concern for his friend clearly showing.

"Commander Tucker received mostly first and second degree plasma burns. Those were easily treatable, and there will be no visible scars once the tissue is fully healed. My only real concern is that one of his broken ribs punctured his left lung. This you already know, Captain. You were there when we put him in the hypobaric chamber." Phlox answered.

"Is he going to die?" T'Pol asked, he voice a little shaky. Archer glanced at her for a moment, but returned his attention to Phlox.

"We were able to repair the rib and stabilize him in time. I brought him out of the chamber a few hours ago. He'll be in some pain for the next few days, but he will make a full recovery. He is lucky to be alive. Had you brought him in any later Captain, he would have died."

"I'm glad he didn't. Can he take visitors?" the captain asked.

"Not until he is awake, and even then he may be a little groggy from the pain medication wearing off, so no, not at…"

"Sickbay to Doctor Phlox. You should get back here, Commander Tucker is awake."

"Well…I suppose that answers that question. Come along, you may see him after I've given him a quick examination to ensure the surgery went well. However, I can only allow you five minutes, and one at a time." Phlox said, and T'Pol nodded.

"Fine by me, Doc." Archer replied, and they followed him to sickbay. Upon arriving, Archer was the first one to see him after Phlox looked him over, while T'Pol waited. She didn't mind, though. She was more concerned about what exactly she would say to him. One thing was certain, however. She had to tell him how she felt. She was certain he still loved her. He'd been hiding it, but whenever they were alone, it wasn't hard for her to notice. And now it was time for her to stop playing this children's game and return the feelings she'd ignored for too long, as un-Vulcan as they were. She loved him, and now she wanted to be with him. She wanted to marry him, and this was her chance to say so no matter how hard it was for her to do so. When Captain Archer finally moved away from Trip's bed, began to walk over.

"May I speak with him, alone?" she asked.

"I don't see why not. I think I know that look, Commander. It's about time too. Good luck." Archer replied, then joined Phlox on the other side of sickbay. When she approached him, he smiled.

"Didn't expect to be gettin' a visit from you, T'Pol." He said.

"I wanted to be sure that you were…unharmed." She replied.

"I'm alright, I guess. Feel a little groggy though. I think…"

"We should talk." T'Pol said.

"I was gonna say the same thing. I thought you said you'd never touch that bond we had again. When you did today, it woke me up. I really wish you'd just come out of that emotionless shell of yours and say it."

"That is why I am here. Trip…although this is difficult for me to say, I think it is time you know."

"Know what?" he asked, surprised she had called him by his nickname. She hadn't done that in years.

"That I am attracted to you. I believe that I have been since we began the neuro-pressure sessions. I didn't realize it until today." She told him.

"You know, I've been waitin' a long time for you to say that, and you know what? I can't help but think that we wasted the last nine years ignoring each other. We gotta stop doin' this to ourselves, T'Pol."

"Yes. I agree with you."

"You mean that or you just sayin' that? I don't want to go through all this for nothin' again."

"Are you implying that I am not being truthful?"

"No, of course not! It's just…after everything…I don't know T'Pol. I just need to think, that all."

"I understand. We can talk about it some other time." She replied. She didn't need Phlox to tell her that their five minutes were up. Without thinking, she bent over and kissed his cheek, then went back over to Captain Archer and the Doctor.

"I thought Vulcans didn't show affection like that?" Archer asked.

"Typically, they do not. However I…" she started, but stopped, trying to find the words to explain.

"It's alright, T'Pol. I think I understand. You're in love with him, aren't you?" he asked.

"According to Vulcan custom, I am uncertain, but in human terms, I believe the answer is yes."

"Doc, how long will he have to remain here?" Archer asked.

"I'd like to keep him overnight to monitor him, then perform one final examination in the morning. If he checks out, he'll be free to go." Phlox replied.

"Thanks Doc. Walk with me, Commander." Archer said, and both T'Pol and Archer left sickbay.

"Hey Doc, you were just kidding about staying overnight, right?" Trip asked, hoping he'd heard wrong. He really didn't want to stay in sickbay all night.

"I'm afraid not, Commander. I need to be sure your lung has healed satisfactorily before I can release you. Don't worry, I won't keep you here forever." Phlox replied with a smile. Outside of sickbay, T'Pol was accompanying Archer to the bridge.

"Seriously, T'Pol, how do you really feel about Trip? None of that Vulcan logic, just tell me how you feel." he said.

"I am not certain how to describe it. I feel a certain warmth when I am with him. When we are apart, I feel…inadequate, out of balance. I also have…some difficulty controlling my emotions"

"I know what you mean. If you really want a relationship with Trip, you're going to need to get used to those feelings. It's how humans feel when they love each other. Is a relationship what you want?"

"I did not know it was what I wanted until I was told he was injured badly."

"That will usually bring a couple that's been ignoring each others feelings together pretty quick."

"Indeed."

"This is my ship, my crew, even if it's only for a few more days. Besides, I'm hoping that after I tell Starfleet about our run-in with those pirates and Shran, they might just reconsider and opt for a refit. I don't expect they'll approve it, but I'll try anyway." Archer replied as they reached the bridge. They had much to do before they reached Earth, and they still had to drop off Shran, who was waiting for them on the bridge after being allowed to silently observe how they did things on a human ship.

"You run a very organized ship, Captain. I'm impressed. Do all Starfleet ships operate the same way as yours?" Shran asked.

"Just about. I'm sorry we can't take you to Andoria ourselves, but we're on a pretty tight schedule." Archer replied.

"There's no need for that, Archer. I've been in contact with my government. They've asked me to attend the ceremony on Earth and sign it on behalf of Andoria."

"And just when was my communications officer going to inform me that we were receiving calls from Andoria, Hoshi?"

"Don't blame her, Captain, it's my fault. I was the one who initiated the contact. I had to announce my return from the read to them somehow. The chancellor was most pleased to see me."

"I'm guessing he also wanted you to return to the Imperial Guard?"

"He did. However, that would take me away from my daughter and mate. As much as I'd like to return to the Guard, I don't like the idea of leaving them to fend for themselves and missing out on raising our first child."

"Perhaps you might consider enlisting in Starfleet? Their rules are less relaxed, and allow for families, even between superior and junior officers. I believe they would be willing to find you a post where you could also live with your mate and child." T'Pol said from her station.

"Starfleet allows for families at their postings?" Shran asked, surprise evident in his features.

"Only recently. It's probably the only reason both my first officer and chief engineer were allowed to remain onboard." Archer replied.

"Do I take that to mean they're mates?"

"Not exactly. There are still things that will need to be discussed between us, but for the most part you are correct." T'Pol replied.

"I see. By the way, how is Commander Tucker?" he asked.

"Phlox says he needs to spend the next few days resting, but he should be up and about by the time we reach Earth. Which reminds me. Travis, reverse course, take us to Earth." Archer said. Travis nodded, then turned back to his station to make the necessary course corrections. He then went to his ready room, signaling Shran and T'Pol to follow.

"If I may ask, Captain, have you completed writing your speech?" T'Pol asked. How typical of her. The again he shouldn't be surprised about her asking after nearly 13 years with her as his second in command.

"You're giving a speech, pink skin?" Shran asked, trying and failing to hold back a smile.

"The Prime Minister asked me to present the opening speech to the ceremony. I haven't finished it yet, but it's almost done." He replied. Shran simply grinned for a split second before leaving the room.

"Two weeks. You had two weeks to write it and now the ceremony is two days away and you still are not finished."

"Don't give me that, T'Pol. Besides, we spent the last week helping Shran and I spent the last two days worrying about Trip, and don't tell me you haven't either." Archer said.

"I have not. If you will excuse me, Captain, I have considerable work to do." T'Pol replied. Archer nodded his approval and she returned to the bridge. Archer sat back in his chair in the ready room. He entered the sequence on his panel that would open a channel to Starfleet so he could speak to Admiral Gardner.

YES, I have begun writing a Trek story! In the past, I have steered clear of writing Trek fanfiction, mainly because every time I tried I could never come up with a good storyline. I would always come up with my own ship name, my own crew, my own just about everything.

Then I started watching Enterprise. I found that I absolutely hated the ending, These Are the Voyages, which I understand about 99 percent (exaggerated number, of course) of trek fans do not consider canon. The fact that really threw me over the edge and got me pissed was that they just HAD to kill Trip. I was annoyed at that for weeks. In fact, to this day, it still annoys me. Then I started to read Enterprise fanfiction on this site after having read a ton of Star Wars fanfiction and writing (which I'm still doing, in fact) some myself.

I saw that the majority that wrote Trip/T'Pol fics took place either right before or right after TATV, ignoring the shameful episode either somewhat or altogether. So then I figured, since I HATED that episode, I'd write my own story about it, and so that is the purpose of this story. YES, there will be Trip/T'Pol, and NO, I will not separate them as was done in the series. As to what I'm going to do with them...well...I'll just leave that up to your imagination while I weave the story! If you need more info, feel free to visit my profile or contact me via email (address to which is of course listed in my profile).

Anyway, here's the first chapter of Bonds that Grow, and before you ask about sequels, I haven't even written half the story yet, so I don't know where this is going to take me right now. I'll figure it out as it goes, and when I near the end, I'll have a better idea of where this will be going sequel-wise. With that, I shall shut up! Enjoy, and don't forget to review!