—Chapter 01—
Trip entered T'Pol's quarters in tears, then told her that Phlox had determined that Paxton's doctors had deliberately used a flawed technique to clone their baby Elizabeth in order to create a monster, yet she'd still been born a little angel, even if she'd died early. Despite doing her best to control emotion, T'Pol was clearly straining to keep from despair, and she reached out to grasp her mate's hand tightly.
"I have to tell you something, Trip," said T'Pol, "and I don't want you to misunderstand me."
"I'm listening," said Trip, dreading what he knew was coming: T'Pol would retreat to Vulcan, she'd disappear, and he'd never see her again. This was her goodbye.
"The emotions I'm feeling right now, the anger, the despair," said T'Pol, "are about to overwhelm me, and if they do I will not come out the other side for years."
"I understand," said Trip, wondering how he'd ever face the rest of his life without T'Pol: without his Bonded mate.
"Accordingly," said T'Pol, "I will retreat to the Vulcan Embassy. We have mind-priests there to aid us in dealing with such loss as we have just suffered, as well as the solitude and privacy in which to deal with such emotions."
Trip simply nodded his head. This was not what he'd expected.
"Understand something, Trip," said T'Pol. "We are Bonded mates, and I am not pulling back from you, but I have to get a handle on this, or my misery will overwhelm me, and it will overwhelm us because of the Bond we share, and the result will be more pain for us both."
"Whatever you need, T'Pol," said Trip, raising the Vulcan's hand to his lips, relieved that his worst fears were held at bay: in fact, after years of dancing, it seemed T'Pol now truly knew her place was by his side. "You know I'll wait for you."
"I do, Trip," said T'Pol, and it comforts me. "The Captain tells me the Enterprise is scheduled for some upgrades at the Mars shipyards soon, so the entire crew is getting some overdue shore leave."
"Yeah, I just heard that as well."
"What are your plans?"
"I have no plans yet," said Trip.
"In that case I ask a favor," said T'Pol.
"Of course."
"If you remain in San Francisco," said T'Pol, "come visit me now and then, but no more than once in every three days, and the visits will be fairly brief, by design. It will do me good to see my mate, and brief visits will not interrupt the mental regimen the priests will place me under. But don't stay in San Francisco just on my account. If it will help you to leave the city, do so. Do not stay here just for me. Promise me."
"I promise," said Trip, fully knowing that he'd visit his mate every third day.
The comm unit sounded, and T'Pol answered the call.
"Yes?"
"ShuttlePod One just returned to the Enterprise, sir. It waits at your convenience."
"Thank you," said T'Pol, then looked at Trip.
"Time to go?"
"Yes," said T'Pol.
Trip grabbed her duffel bag, and the two began making way for the Shuttle Deck.
"Will I see you at the service?" said T'Pol.
They'd already had a private service for baby Elizabeth, and her body had been cremated, and the ashes would be returned to T'Pol's clan on Vulcan, since both Trip and T'Pol were concerned that her resting place would be disturbed by Terra Prime members if her ashes were interred on Earth. Still, a public memorial service would be held for her, and the thought comforted T'Pol.
"Of course," said Trip, coming to a halt next to ShuttlePod One. "Here we are."
"Yes," said T'Pol, and faced Trip.
Trip longed to take T'Pol into his arms and hold her tight, and at the very least catch her scent, but a dozen crewmen worked the Shuttle Bay, and T'Pol's Vulcan sense of propriety would find such public displays of affection awkward. Accordingly, Trip handed over T'Pol's bag, and nodded to her, with a slight smile.
Trip was on leave now due to recent events, and would be off duty until he affirmed to Captain Archer that he was fit and ready to return, so Trip headed for his quarters. He had two bottles of sake in his quarters and he intended to kill at least one of them shortly. The sheer variety of sake is bewildering, but they all fall into one of a relatively small number of categories, and the sake Trip had just mentally selected for his debauchery was a ginjo, a premium sake with a light mouth feel, a complex flavor and a fruity fragrance. It was best served chilled, so Trip ran it under cold water in the sink while he showered, then took the bottle and two small sake cups to the coffee table he'd built to resemble the table in T'Pol's quarters. He was halfway into the bottle when the cabin's chime announced a visitor.
"Enter," said Trip, and an instant later the door opened to admit Malcolm. "Malcolllllllmmmmmmmm!"
"Hey, Trip," said Malcolm with a smile, unsure of what he was seeing.
It was clear to Malcolm that Trip was drunk, and the wide smile he'd given Malcolm was a genuine smile of friendship, but Malcolm also noted the photo of T'Pol holding Elizabeth in Sick Bay, and Malcolm also noted the second sake cup propping up the photo, a sake cup no doubt intended to symbolize T'Pol, and the Lieutenant's heart broke for the pain Trip was in at the moment.
"Come on, sit down," said Trip, then slid the empty sake cup to Malcolm, and filled it with chilled sake.
"Thanks," said Malcolm.
"Now you fill mine," said Trip. "It's proper sake drinking etiquette."
Malcolm did as instructed, filled Trip's cup, and then they both raised their cups.
"Kanpai!" said Trip.
"Kanpai?"
"It translates to 'dry the glass', but essentially it means 'Cheers'," said Trip.
"Ah," said Malcolm. "Kanpai, Trip."
"No," said Trip. "Say it like you mean it. Kanpai!"
"Kanpai!" said Malcolm.
Trip laughed, and they put lips to cups. Malcolm watched Trip, and contrary to expectations, Trip sipped the sake, rather than chugged it, so Malcolm did the same, only to be rewarded with an exquisite symphony of flavors.
"Oh, this is good, Trip!"
"Glad you like it," said Trip.
They sipped some more, and Trip refilled Malcolm's cup, and Malcolm returned the favor, over and over again, and spoke of everything but T'Pol and Elizabeth, and when they killed that bottle Trip returned with a bottle of junmai sake, a more assertive category of sake, less nuanced than their first bottle, but compensating for that fact with it's own charms.
"You'll like it, but a sake purist would turn his nose up at this bottle," said Trip.
"Why?" said Malcolm.
"It's an infused sake," said Trip, wobbling slightly as he stood on his knees to pour Malcolm's sake. "Infused with the flavor of lychee, a tropical fruit."
"So let's have some," said Malcolm, and waited for Trip to take up his own cup. "Kanpai!"
"Kanpai!"
Though the Lieutenant was not a frequent drinker, he fully intended to drink Trip under the table if only to give him peace for tonight, for Malcolm had seen T'Pol leaving the Enterprise, and worried that it was forever, and worried over what her departure would do to Trip. Just as Trip had predicted, the lychee infused sake was to Malcolm's liking. Very much so.
So they drank and spoke some more, and eventually Malcolm said, "I saw T'Pol leaving tonight. Is she going back to Vulcan?"
"No," said Trip, his words slurred. "She's going down to the Vulcan Embassy, to get some help… controlling emoi. Controlling emotions."
"Oh," said Malcolm, relieved. "That's good, Trip. She'll be back soon."
"I hope so," said Trip, looking thoroughly miserable.
"Ok," said Malcolm, rising unsteadily to his feet. "You've had enough."
"Ok, I've had 'nuff," said Trip, attempting to rise.
With Malcolm's help Trip made it to his feet, and then made it to his bed, only to fall asleep the moment his head hit the pillow, and then Malcolm left Trip's quarters, only to bump into Captain Archer, twenty feet down the hall. Malcolm silently cursed his luck as Archer eyed him intently. Private stashes of alcohol were officially forbidden though overlooked so long as no one drank on duty, and no one was visibly drunk, on duty or otherwise. However, Malcolm was quite certain that he was visibly drunk.
"How is he?" said Jon simply.
"Having a hard time, Captain," said Malcolm.
"He's sleeping now?"
"Yes, sir," said Malcolm.
"Good. You do the same now, Malcolm."
"Yes, sir."