Disclaimer: Star Trek: Enterprise and associated characters are property of Paramount Pictures. I guess Chip and T'Mir could arguably belong to me, but, since their parents don't, I won't quibble over details. I mean no copyright infringement, this story is for entertainment purposes only.

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Trip/T'Pol Romance; Action

NOTE: I am still looking for a beta reader and idea bouncer-offer. Please send me a PM if interested. Thank you.

Chapter One - Only in dreams

There was little T'Pol could not explain with logic but even she was hard-pressed not to admit the scene was bizarre.

She was in her daughter's room, seated at the small table where T'Mir hosted formal tea ceremonies for the various dolls and stuffed animals her doting grandparents had showered her with.

Her young daughter was not in the room and T'Pol's only company was a plush rabbit, the oversized teddy bear she'd been given on the day of T'Mir and her brother's birth and a large doll fashioned in the likeness of Captain Jonathon Archer.

Her position and company wasn't what made the scene unusual. T'Pol often joined her daughter as she demonstrated the proper way to brew and present the traditional tea to her guests; the rabbit, bear and Captain Archer doll regulars at the table.

What was unusual was the earnest conversation T'Pol was having with the rabbit, with whom she'd never spoken more than a few words before and then only to appease her sometimes fanciful child.

"Your tea is cold, T'Pol," the rabbit was saying.

"The tea itself isn't important," T'Pol informed the rabbit, sipping at the tepid tea. "T'Mir is learning about tradition."

"And who teaches her about tradition? You are no longer Vulcan."

"I am Vulcan," T'Pol protested, her voice colder than the tea at the rabbit's impertinence.

"Your children are not Vulcan," the rabbit continued, ignoring her. "Nor are your children Human."

As he continued, the scene changed from her daughter's pale-walled bedroom to a humid forest she vaguely remembered. Gone were the table, stuffed bear and Archer doll. Sounds and smells assaulted her senses and T'Pol tried desperately to place her surroundings. She should know. She had to know. It was so important…

The rabbit turned, a plush arm stretched toward her as he suddenly became as tall — if not taller — than her.

"Your children are ours and we need them. You must return. You must remember."

Her eyes snapping open, it took T'Pol a moment to allow her vision to adjust to the pale moonlight that blanketed the bedroom. Taking a deep breath, the crisp breeze of the ocean greeted her lungs — Earth's ocean, not the tangy scent of an alien world she barely remembered — and even then only in dreams.

Dreams.

Less than a decade before, dreaming had been a foreign concept to T'Pol. Raised to follow a path of logic, she was trained to clear her mind through meditation before allowing her body its evening rest.

As a proper Vulcan should.

But it had been a long time since T'Pol had been a proper Vulcan.

An outcast of her people, the former sub-commander of the Vulcan High Command found it difficult to maintain the disciplines she had been taught since childhood. Now, in her life surrounded by Humans, her daily meditations had been relegated to a handful of times per week; nothing compared to the strict routines she had once held herself to.

Though there were times she may have wished for the structure of her former life, T'Pol would never give up the joy she had found in her new one. And, yes, joy was indeed what she had found. As a Vulcan, she had been taught to forsake emotion in favor of logic, to maintain the highest level of control of herself, her thoughts and her actions at all times.

But, as a wife and mother, she reveled in the treasures of her everyday life.

She turned onto her side and studied the man with whom she shared that life, who made it possible.

For seven years, he had shared her bed and T'Pol never tired of his reassuring presence as she slept. At the moment, his face was relaxed, a soft whistle passing his lips. His hair, an interesting blend of sun-tinted blond and dark undertones had only recently begun to show the first touches of grey.

She allowed her fingers to caress a stray lock of hair, causing her husband to sigh softly as he opened his eyes, their depths blue as the sea outside their bedroom window.

"Another nightmare?" he murmured, capturing her hand in his and bringing it to lay over his chest.

She felt the steady beat of his heart beneath their joined fingers. "Vulcans do not have nightmares."

Trip Tucker smiled lazily, his eyes opening slowly to regard her. "You say that every time." He sat up, softly pulling her with him so that she rested against his bare chest. Dropping a light kiss to the top of her head, he asked, "You still don't remember what they're about?"

T'Pol shook her head, a shiver passing through her. Trip pulled her closer and wrapped the blanket around them, offering both emotional support and physical comfort. T'Pol had lived with Humans for more than ten years and she was still chilled more often than not. Of course, Trip mused, his wife had been raised on a desert world - one she hadn't seen in years.

Though their marriage still earned them curious - and, occasionally, hostile – reactions on Earth, they were nothing compared to being ostracized by T'Pol's own people.

It angered Trip that the same Vulcans who had chastised Humans for making rash judgments and prejudices had so quickly judged and dismissed T'Pol's choices. T'Pol had always been proud of her culture - he knew the rejection hurt her deeply.

But he also knew, more than her own pain, was the regret their children were missing half of their heritage. The twins would likely never be accepted by their pointy-eared relations.

He didn't think the kids hurt for family, though. His own parents doted on them something fierce, as did his sister's and brother's families.

T'Pol's parents did make some effort, at least. Soval, though he had done little to support his daughter's decision - and, in fact, had tried on multiple occasions to change her mind - played a much larger role in his grandchildren's lives than Trip would have ever expected.

Thinking of his father-in-law, and sensing that T'Pol wasn't ready to talk about her nightmare, he asked instead, "You gonna talk to Soval before we leave?"

"He will not return to the consulate until the end of the week." T'Pol ran her fingers lightly over the hair of her husband's arm. "He has asked that the twins visit him when we return." Though she did not mention it, Trip knew T'Pol was anxious to see if her father would bring any news from her mother. T'Les had been known to record messages and include gifts for the twins - whom she hadn't seen since their birth.

"Maybe he'll keep them long enough for us to sneak away for a couple of days."

Though the idea held appeal, T'Pol warned him, "I doubt the Ambassador would approve of your intentions for such an endeavor."

"He doesn't need to know the illicit details." Trip shrugged, hugging T'Pol to him as he relaxed against the pillows. "Besides, it's been a while since we got away. Maybe, after the reunion, we can head up to Carbon Creek."

T'Pol listened to the soothing voice of her husband as he listed all the things they could do in the mountainous Pennsylvania region — things they never quite got around to the first or second time they'd visited. It was another of the unexpected delights of being married to her very Human mate; she couldn't imagine going more than a week without engaging in intimacies with Trip, let alone seven years — something she would have experienced as a proper Vulcan wife.

She smiled as Trip's low cadence lulled her back to sleep. There had been many twists in their journey together. She wondered what their future held.