Author's Note: Here's is my take on Terra Prime.It's AU in the sense that Elizabeth lives longer then she did on the show and then goes from there.It's a Trip/T'Pol romance with angst and friendship as well.Let's just go with…it's a little bit of everything and it completely ignores the finale.I'm rating it R just to be safe.All characters belong to Paramount and I make no money from this.The song Blackbirdis from the Beatles—they own it (unless Michael Jackson's estate now does…). Please read and review.

XXX

"Blackbird singing in the dead of night…" Trip sang softly as he walked Elizabeth around Sick Bay. "Take these broken wings and learn to fly.All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arrive…"

A quick beep happened across the room and T'Pol pressed a button to stop it.

"That's time," she said softly.

Trip leaned over the small child and kissed her forehead before he gently placed her back in her incubator and turned on the added oxygen.

He didn't take his eyes off the baby as T'Pol approached the incubator.

"I better get some sleep," he sighed softly. "Just two hours."

"I'll wake you if anything changes," T'Pol said softly as she placed a careful hand on his arm.

"Don't skip," he said softly, almost in warning. "She needs the contact."

"She also needs oxygen," T'Pol noted.

"It's two minutes every hour, T'Pol," Trip said, his voice strained. "She needs to know she's loved. She needs her mother."

T'Pol swallowed hard. Her dying daughter needed her mother.

"I promise," she said softly.

He turned and kissed T'Pol's forehead before he walked to a dark corner where a biobed lay waiting for each of them to take turns sleeping. Elizabeth had now lived twice the time that was expected. Phlox had initially given her two days, but here they were almost on day five and she was still struggling onward. Her tiny little body still fighting.

T'Pol sat watching her daughter for ten minutes before she started to hear Trip's steady breathing, twenty-two minutes after that heard a beep from the comm.

"Commander," the Ensign's voice rang through the comm.

"Yes?" T'Pol asked as she hit the button.

"I have a subspace message from the Vulcan Science Directorate," the Ensign said. "It's marked personal."

"Put it through here," T'Pol said as she walked to the nearest computer and entered her access code.

She waited for the message to load and was surprised by the Vulcan face that was sending the message.

"T'Pol," Huyal started. "I have heard about your daughter and I hope I can help."

Huyal was a lecturer at the university when she was a student studying science. Then he had become quite prominent in the Vulcan Science Directorate for his work on genetic manipulation. He and T'Pol were never close, and she always felt that as a lecturer he graded her rather harshly.

"I contacted Starfleet and had them send all of your daughter's medical records to me," he continued. "I think I have found a solution to help her, but it will involve a Vulcan healing trance and mind meld. Can you contact me immediately if you are interested in my treatment? I imagine time is of the essence."

T'Pol listened to the message three more times then she just sat and stared at the computer screen until the timer beeped indicating she could hold her daughter again. Jarred from her thoughts, T'Pol walked over to the sanitization centre and cleaned her hands before she started the timer on two minutes and then walked over to pick up Elizabeth.

Carefully she scooped up her daughter and looked down at her angelic face. What could a mind meld do to an infant child? Could she kill her own daughter with this meld before she had a chance to try this treatment? Elizabeth's eyes opened wide and blinked at her twice. They were blue like Trips, her skin was pale like his as well. But her eye shape was her mothers and her ears…they were hers as well. Could this perfect combination of Vulcan and human be saved? Could her daughter have a life?

"Imagine the shame that your children would endure," T'Pol muttered her mother's words under her breath as she looked at Elizabeth.

But how could such an innocent perfect girl be shameful?

T'Pol rocked Elizabeth gently in her arms and closed her eyes, had she time to meditate the answer may be more clear to her. She then felt Elizabeth reach and grab at her breast, pinching at the fabric.

T'Pol looked down at her and noted the child was enthralled with the material of her shirt and was pulling at it.

"You like the softness?" T'Pol asked her in a whisper. "I do as well."

Just then, the alarm started to softly beep and T'Pol wished for more time. More time to hold her child, to sing to her…she hadn't sung to her yet...to see her grow up and become a strong proud woman.

T'Pol closed her eyes and buried her head against Elizabeth's stomach and allowed herself to cry.

"T'Pol?" Trip asked as he stood at the edge of the room. He'd felt a great sorrow in their bond; it was so strong, it woke him.

"I…I …I can't…" she sobbed as she clutched Elizabeth against her.

Moments later, she heard the alarm turn off and then felt his arms come around her and a kiss her on the back of her head as he slowly released Elizabeth from her tight embrace and lowered her back into the incubator, turning the oxygen on again. When he was satisfied their daughter was safe, he turned to see T'Pol almost wither to the floor before him. He caught her before she hit the ground and pulled her up against his frame.

"I…I…" he said softly as he held her sobbing body against him. "I'm so sorry, T'Pol. I'm so sorry."

The sobs raked over her body again and again until he lowered them both to sit on the hard ground. He sat with her encompassed in his arms, her body curled into a tight knot between his splayed legs, the side of her body pressing against his chest.

He said words of comfort and rubbed her back until she finally calmed and took a few cleansing breaths.

"Better?" Trip asked as she looked into her eyes.

He wiped a couple of stray tears with a thumb and leaned his forehead against her temple.

"We have a decision to make," T'Pol said softly.

XXX

"It's a solid scientific approach," Phlox said as he stood before them two hours later. Trip was holding Elizabeth for his two minute allotment, T'Pol felt she wasn't prepared to hold her again without breaking down.

"But?" Trip asked as he fed Elizabeth her bottle and looked down at her.

"It's theoretical," Phlox said. "In theory it should work, but in reality we have no data to support this course of treatment."

"What will happen if we don't do it?" Trip asked.

"Elizabeth will succumb to a coma within days and eventually her body will…stop," Phlox said. "She's already lived longer than projected, but she can't live forever with these genetic issues."

"Both yourself and Dr Huyal propose that she's lived longer than expected because she's a hybrid of both human and Vulcan DNA. Her weak human cells are supplemented by Vulcan ones, and her Vulcan weakness is supported by human cells." T'Pol explained. "How do we not know that these cells won't continue to divide, healing all problematic genetic issues?"

"That is even more improbable than this treatment Dr Huyal is proposing," Phlox sighed.

"And this treatment, what are the chances…?" Trip asked.

"41.2 percent," T'Pol said softly. "Less than half."

"And could T'Pol…could anything happen to her?" Trip asked as he lifted Elizabeth carefully onto his shoulder and burped her.

"T'Pol could…" Phlox began.

"I will be fine," T'Pol said forcefully, cutting off his explanation.

Trip narrowed his eyes at T'Pol and turned back toward Phlox.

"Doc?"

"T'Pol could suffer permanent neurological damage, her Pa'nar syndrome could re-appear, she could lose all memory, she could remain in the healing trance until she succumbs to death…"

"T'Pol, why are you thinking…"

"She's my child," T'Pol said as she met his eyes. "Our child. You'd do the same, if you could."

Trip heard Elizabeth burp and he cupped the back of her head with his entire hand while he leaned his face into hers. The alarm started to beep in the background.

"I don't think you can risk it," he said softly as a tear fell from his eye.

"Trip, she will die if we do nothing," T'Pol said as she walked toward him. "We have to try."

She took their daughter from him and softly placed her down in her incubator. Phlox turned on the extra oxygen.

"You could die," Trip said softly as he quickly wiped at his eyes. "I want Elizabeth, god, you don't know how much I want Elizabeth to live, T'Pol. But…but risking you dying as well? I couldn't…"

T'Pol reached for his hand and gripped it fiercely between the two of hers. "How can we not try?"

He dropped his head to her hands and kissed them before he stood back up and with one arm pulled her roughly into a fierce hug.

"We could have other children, in the future, it doesn't have to be…" he snivelled against her.

"I couldn't live with myself, and neither could you, if we didn't try this," T'Pol said. "I must."

Trip nodded against her and kissed the side of her face. They stood like that for a long time before he released her and roughly wiped at his face.

"So, what do we need to do?" Trip asked as he reached for her hand and held it in his.

"Well, we'll need Captain Archer to help assist with the meld," Phlox started.

"I can…"

"I would rather have support for such a delicate procedure," Phlox interrupted her.

"Fine," T'Pol sighed.

"You'll have to meld with Elizabeth then enter into a healing trance," Phlox said. "Once your neural readings are in sync I can start with the procedure using your DNA, Commander Tucker's and a genetically altered version of the two."

"Shouldn't Elizabeth be given a sedative or…?" Trip asked.

"The healing trance will give her all the sedation she needs," T'Pol answered.

"Even if she's half human?" Trip asked.

"Theoretically, yes," T'Pol explained. "If there is an issue, our bond will alert me to it, and I will go deeper into the trance."

"Which I'm hoping won't be necessary because it will make it all the more…challenging to revive you," Phlox said softly.

T'Pol felt a wave of terror run through Trip's body. She tried to send soothing thoughts to him but the terror was much too real for him.

"What about the oxygen?" Trip asked as he looked down at their daughter.

"I'll be able to keep it on throughout the procedure," Phlox explained. "It should take me two hours before I'm ready for the procedure and you need to rest T'Pol."

"I'll be…" T'Pol started.

"She'll rest," Trip said as he pulled her toward the biobed.

"Trip, I would prefer…"

"I'd prefer you alive, darlin'," he said as he walked her in front of the biobed and gestured for her to lay down. "And it's my understanding that in a Vulcan mating bond, obedience is required?"

T'Pol looked at him surprised. He was using his position as her mate to order her to sleep?

"I believe there are only three paragraphs in the Vulcan database about mating rituals," T'Pol said with a raised eyebrow. He hadn't received that information from there.

"Soval sent me some other files," Trip said with a smirk. "They are very interesting reading."

T'Pol looked at him, alarmed.

"Did you know that as the male in this relationship, I could even demand that you eat a slice of lemon meringue pie that you called 'gelatinous and unnaturally coloured'?"

"You wouldn't," T'Pol glared at him.

Trip chuckled at her anger. "No, I wouldn't, and I'm not even ordering you to sleep. I'm asking you, for your sake and Elizabeth's, to get some rest."

He placed a hand on her shoulder and looked at her kindly. She nodded and got up on the biobed. He pulled the light sheet over her and kissed her softly on the lips.

"Rest," he said softly before he gave her a soft smile and left her to sleep.

Just before the two hours were up, Trip ran a finger down the side of her face.

"Is it time?" She asked, waking slowly, her face turning to him.

"Almost," he said as he smiled down at her.

He kept running a single finger up her jaw to the tip of her ear and then back again. It was a gentle, methodical and soft gesture meant to remind him of her face in that moment if things didn't go well.

She could feel his worry coursing through the bond.

"It will work," T'Pol said as she met his eyes.

"That doesn't sound like a logical conclusion," Trip smirked at her.

She stopped his motion by taking his hand into hers.

"T'Pol, I know you know this through the bond, but…" Trip said, his voice cracking.

"I know," she said as she kissed the palm of his hand. "I do too."

He leaned down and kissed her, trying to put all the love he felt into the physical gesture. She held his face to hers and tried to memorize this sweet moment; hoping with all her might, that she and Elizabeth would be fine after all this. If her daughter died…

Trip pulled himself from the kiss first and dropped the side of his face against her chest. "God, this is hard."

She gently ran her fingers through his hair and closed her eyes just feeling him against her.

"When this is finished," T'Pol said softly. "We will have to return to Vulcan so we can solidify the bond, legally, with a ceremony."

She could feel him smile against the top of her breast.

"Did you just propose?" Trip asked, his head still against her.

"We are already mated," T'Pol said as she continued to run her hand through his locks. "It is merely a legal…"

"Are you going to wear a nice dress for me?" Trip asked, interrupting her.

"I will," she said softly.

"Then I accept," Trip said before he rose up and kissed her softly on the lips.

"I hate to interrupt, but…" Captain Archer said from the edge of the curtain. He was looking at them with a sad smile; they had just found happiness and it could all end today.

"Sorry Captain," Trip said with a soft smile. "I just accepted a marriage proposal."

Archer was taken aback. "Well, congratulations to the both of you."

Trip helped T'Pol sit up and hop off the biobed.

Archer hugged Trip and shook T'Pol's hand before they started to walk towards the biobed next to Elizabeth's incubator. "And after this is done you three can be a family."

"Exactly what I was thinking," Trip said as he reached into the inclubator and picked up Elizabeth.

He kissed her on the cheek and held her before his face. "I love you so much sweet little girl."

A couple of tears came out of his eyes and he cuddled Elizabeth against him.

T'Pol approached the pair and wrapped her arms around Elizabeth and Trip. He took one arm and wrapped it around T'Pol as well. The family huddled together for a moment before they stepped back and Trip handed the baby to T'Pol.

T'Pol took her and stepped away from the group bouncing her slightly as she walked, whispering soft things to her daughter that were for no one else to hear. When she was done, she kissed Elizabeth and placed her in the inclubator.

"I'm ready," T'Pol said as she lay down on the biobed.

Trip walked up next to her and took her hand in his and leaned down to kiss her.

"You're the most amazing woman I've ever met," he whispered before he raised himself up to standing, gripping her hand fiercely.

"T'hy'la," T'Pol said quietly before she broke his gaze.

Phlox gave her a mild sedative and nodded for Archer to join them at the head of the bed.

Phlox helped T'Pol touch Elizabeth's meld points and nodded that she could begin whenever she was ready.

"Relax your emotions and open your mind T'Pol," Archer coaxed her.

She took a cleansing breath and then began "My mind to your mind, my thoughts to your thoughts, our minds are…one."

Trip watched as she took a gasping breath.

"T'Pol?" He asked, worried as he felt panic across the bond.

"Just give her a minute, Trip," Archer cautioned.

T'Pol felt a connection with her daughter. It was weak, soft, and fuzzy but it was there.

The connection was a series of soft colours blending into one another, her daughter's giggle, a feeling of warmth and love. It was amazing.

"You need to initiate the healing trance," Archer said with authority.

T'Pol didn't want to give up this time with her daughter; this soft moment of love.

She stayed a few seconds longer and then fell into the trance that would protect her daughter while Phlox repaired the damage the Terra Prime scientists did to Elizabeth.

Trip stood next to her holding her hand the entire time and wishing he could feel more then the colours across the bond. He could see fuzzy yellow and pink and green; it didn't make any sense but it felt…comforting.

He kept his eyes off what Phlox was doing to Elizabeth. There were long needles and scopes and punctures being made into her delicate back. He could tell she was still though and he was thankful for that one small miracle. Dr. Huyal was on a screen watching the entire time and instructing Phlox about the readings they were looking at and what they meant. It seemed as though the procedure altered with each phase; one part affecting the next, which affected the next. At one point, Phlox needed to leave them to adjust some of the cells before he injected them into Elizabeth. The wait made Trip nervous, he didn't like the extra delay and wanted both T'Pol and Elizabeth conscious and with him.

"Trip, release her hand a little," Archer said to his friend.

"What?" Trip asked.

He looked down and saw that he'd cut off circulation to T'Pol's hand he was holding it so tight.

"Oh, god," he said before he let go over her hand and started to rub it vigorously to get the circulation back. "Shit!"

"It'll be fine," Archer said clapping his friend on the shoulder. "All of it, will be fine, Trip."

"You don't know that," Trip mumbled.

"No, I don't," Archer said with a nod. "But I know that whatever god or entity there is in the universe can't be that cruel."

"With all due respect sir," Trip said as he eyed his family. "When you grow up Baptist, you are made quite aware of the wrath of the Lord."

Archer chuckled at his southern friend whose stories of being raised in the Baptist church would cause anyone to cringe.

Phlox returned with the altered cells and continued with the surgery. One hour later, he confirmed that the procedure was looking as though it would be a success.

"T'Pol, I need you to stop the healing trance," Archer said calmly.

Nothing happened.

"T'Pol," Archer said again.

"Commander Tucker," Dr. Huyal said from the screen. "You need to get her to stop the trance."

"And how do I do that?" Trip asked.

"Call to her and tell her you need her," Dr Huyal said. "She'll leave your daughter for a moment and that's all that is needed to break it."

Trip closed his eyes and concentrated on calling to her, on telling her that he needed her, that he was scared and that she needed to help him. When he started to finally feel like it was working, T'Pol suddenly opened her eyes.

"Welcome back," Trip leaned down and smiled at her.

"Elizabeth is out of the healing trance and is regulating her own neurological responses," Phlox reported.

"Did it work?" T'Pol asked as she grasped her head in pain.

"What's the matter?" Trip asked her.

"I have a headache, it's nothing," T'Pol said softly as she attempted to sit up but was kept down by Trip.

"Can you answer some questions for me?" Phlox asked as he stood next to her and placed a hypospray to her neck to relieve the headache.

She nodded.

"What is your name?"

"T'Pol," she said clearly.

"And you are from what planet?" Phlox inquired.

"Vulcan," she responded.

"What is the name of the ship you are aboard?"

"Enterprise," T'Pol said annoyed.

"And who is this?" Phlox asked as he pointed to Trip.

"Commander Charles Tucker, the third" T'Pol noted.

"And what date is it?"

"It's January 27, 2155," T'Pol explained, still annoyed.

"And finally, what was the purpose of the procedure that you were just involved in?"

"To help my daughter Elizabeth, so she may live," T'Pol said as she felt Trip grasp her hand and give it a squeeze.

"Good," Phlox said with a smile.

"Now was the procedure successful?" T'Pol asked, still massaging her temples.

"There were no complications, but over the next twelve hours we'll know if it was a success," Phlox explained.

T'Pol finally was permitted to sit up with assistance and everyone looked over at Elizabeth laying peacefully in her incubator.

There were tubes and IV lines attached to her and she was wedged on her side to allow some fluid to drain from her spine.

"You need to rest," Archer said as he looked at T'Pol's pale face.

"Captain…" T'Pol started.

"Why don't I stay with Elizabeth and Trip can take you back to your quarters?" Archer said as he eyed Phlox for approval. "The two of you should get some sleep."

"I'll take her back and then I'll…" Trip started.

"I won't leave Elizabeth's side and I'll call you if there's an issue," Archer said as he clapped his hand on Trip's shoulder.

"You have to hold her…" Trip said, unsure.

"Every hour for two minutes," Archer smiled at him. "Phlox informed me."

Trip nodded his head in resignation and helped T'Pol get up off the bed. If he wasn't this fatigued, emotionally and physically, he would never have given in this easily. He wrapped an arm around T'Pol's waist and they both walked over to look down at Elizabeth. T'Pol was weak, he could feel her entire weight sagging against him. Trip kissed his fingers and touched them to Elizabeth's forehead then watched at T'Pol gently touched her cheek. Then, he walked with T'Pol toward the exit to SickBay.

"I'll be back in two hours," Trip said over his shoulder.

"Four, Commander," Archer said with authority. "That's an order."

Trip grimaced at the words and then nodded.

"Aye Captain," Trip said softly. He knew there would be no consequences if he returned early.

Several minutes later, they arrived at her quarters and she dropped to the bed listless. They'd passed Hoshi along the way and she'd looked almost as worried as everyone else. It was comforting to have friends that cared so much about their daughter.

Trip looked at her flopped body and his concern immediately amped up.

"T'Pol," he said alarmed as he went to her.

She mumbled something incoherent and he turned her face up to see her better.

"Tired," she said softly as she curled into herself.

"God, you scared me for a second there," Trip said quietly before he went back and locked the door, turned off most of the lights and walked back to her.

He pulled off her shoes one at a time and dropped them heavily to the floor.

"Do you want me to get you into something more comfortable?" Trip asked her.

She shook her head in the negative and reached for a pillow to place under her head. Trip undid his own boots and shrugged out of his outer clothes and crawled into bed behind her, wrapping his arms around her middle and pulling her against him. He threw a blanket over the two of them and sighed into the embrace.

"Thank you," Trip said softly into her ear.

T'Pol closed her eyes and swallowed.

"I hope…" T'Pol started and then stopped. He could feel the sadness and worry through their bond and knew that a couple of tears were probably silently falling from her eyes.

She felt his grip on her tighten momentarily.

"I do too, darlin'" he said softly before he kissed the side of her face and then allowed his head to fall back onto the pillow hers was resting on.

The two Commanders fell into a restless, but needed, sleep before they had the chance to say anything more.