A/N: This fanfiction will follow the book series that begins with the Good that Men Do. There were a few gaps in the story, so I thought I'd try my hand at filling in these gaps.

Chapter 1

Minister T'Pau had kept her word about attempting to find Trip, but so far her search had yielded little results. The visions T'Pol had been experiencing since his disappearance were the same as before his escape pod exploding, but she had no way of telling if these visions were simply a manifestation of merely wishful thinking. In an attempt to clear her mind and focus more clearly on these visions she mediated in her quarters during her off duty hours. A week after Trip's pod had exploded, T'Pol was beginning to believe that these visions had indeed been fabrications of her mind and that Trip was dead this time, in a much more real sense than ever before. *Archer to T'Pol*. The comm in her quarters rang suddenly, bringing T'Pol out of her meditative state. She slowly rose and pressed the button on her comm.

*Go ahead*. There was a pause, then…

*Come to my ready room, there's something we need to discuss*. Her eyebrows rose at this, but she simply responded,

*Understood*. Thoughts were swirling in her mind, and although she tried to press them down quickly, they were still threatening to overwhelm her. Her meditation had helped in clearing some of her thoughts, but as it had been cut short, not all of her thoughts were straightened. Having not much more time to speculate, she dressed herself in a blue standard issue Starfleet uniform. She looked in the mirror over her sink, forming her face into a impassive mask, to cover all the battling emotions tumbling inside of her. When she was satisfied that no one would be able to tell that she was feeling anything, she exited her quarters.

She met very few other crewmembers on her way to the ready room, which meant fewer people who might see her façade slip. It was not too long before she reached the ready room, and pressed on the door chime before backing away to a polite distance. "Come in." came Captain Archer's voice from inside. T'Pol now opened the door and attempted to step into the room, however; Captain Archer was standing in the doorway, blocking the room from T'Pol's view. Archer was attempting to squelch a grin on his face. "You got here quickly." He said. One of her eyebrows raised ever so slightly.

"You told me that you had something to discuss with me. From your tone it appeared to be urgent." She responded. At this he laughed, her tone had been professional, but he knew that some irritation was hidden beneath her spoken words.

"That's right, I did say we had something to discuss." He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Have you heard from Minister T'Pau, about our friend Lazarus?" T'Pol looked away from him at this question. He knew as well as she that Minister T'Pau had not contacted her in anyway, he would know because he would have been privy to such sensitive information.

"No Captain, Minister T'Pau's search has turned up unfruitful. It appears that her search was unfounded." Archer had no control over the grin that now overtook his face.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." He said. T'Pol was about to question what he meant by that statement, when he finally moved to the side and the room behind him was now in sight. There was a human male standing behind him, a shy grin on his face. Although T'Pol had never seen him before he looked familiar. She stepped closer, feeling drawn to this man.

"Trip?" she questioned, not caring or realizing that she had used such an intimate name in front of the captain. The human male nodded, a grin spreading over his face. T'Pol paused a few meters from him, and looked at the captain. "I do not understand. Minister T'Pau could not find him. That would conclude that he was killed when the escape pod exploded."

"I was just as fuzzy on the details as you are. That's what we were just discussing." Archer said, motioning to Trip. Trip nodded, steeping forward.

"I'm not entirely sure what happened. I thought I was gonna blow up in that pod, in fact I thought I was a goner."

"Then how?" T'Pol was searching his face as he spoke.

"I was suddenly beamed out right before it blew. None of my sensors were working so I had no idea who'd picked me up. For a second I thought it was the Romulans. But then I saw some of the Vulcan crew standing over me. After that, I passed out. I guess all the excitement got the better of me."

"I still do not understand your human appearance."

"When I woke up, I couldn't see what I looked like at first. It wasn't until I brushed the side of my hair that I realized my ears weren't pointy like they had been." Archer smiled at that offhanded comment. "Then I was brought to a room within the ship. They wouldn't tell me who I was going to talk to, but when I got there, it was Minister T'Pau." T'Pol could barely conceal her surprise. "She debriefed me, told me she met with the Vulcan Ministry of Security. They discussed that it was best I stopped being an agent. While I had gotten the job done, it was dangerous that I remain undercover and possibly expose rumors of Vulcans spying on others."

"Then you are to return to Starfleet, to Enterprise?" And in her mind she added, to me? Trip exchanged a look with Archer.

"That's the catch." Archer said. "Trip's already been declared dead in Starfleet, and again in Section 31. It may have been easier to resurrect him from the dead when he was only once dead. On top of that, he can never come back from the dead officially, because he would forever have a target on his back."

"Then… what is the situation?" T'Pol questioned. His new human look could not be for nothing, she presumed.

"His human appearance will give him cover. He's been provided a background and a new name. He would live a new life under a new name. He will be able to live a life that isn't run by undercover issues or by people looking for him. He's free of all that."

"The only thing left to figure out is where to spend that whole free life I've got." Trip said, looking at T'Pol.

"I assume you will wish to spend it on Earth." T'Pol stated, refusing to look him in the eyes. Trip stepped forward to now just a few inches between them.

"You gotta stop assumin' things." He said. They looked intensely at each other for a few seconds before Archer cleared his throat. They turned to look at him, Trip's face was now bright red, while T'Pol's eyes were wide.

"I'd recommend this conversation occur in another room." Archer said in a serious tone. T'Pol straightened herself with her hands behind her back.

"You are correct Captain."

"Good. Dismissed." T'Pol nodded, and moved towards the door, glancing back at Trip as she moved. As Trip began to follow behind her, Archer put a hand on his shoulder to bring him to a stop. "I sure hope you know what you're doing Trip." Trip's eyes danced with mirth.

"Me too Cap'n." He patted Archer's hand then followed T'Pol quickly out of the door. He found her waiting next to the door, and they began walking together. An awkward silence spanned between the two of them. Although they had seen each other a few times over the last few years, this would be the longest amount of time they had spent together in years. Trip was looking around the ship as they walked. It had been years since he had been aboard, and although a lot had changed with him, some things on the ship hadn't changed at all. "I see not much has changed around here." He commented, as they passed the mess hall. T'Pol did not respond, only lifted an eyebrow. A group passed them as they continued towards T'Pol's room. The group included Hoshi and Malcom, who did no more than glance at him before continuing on their way. Trip sighed. "Well, some stuff has changed." At this T'Pol turned towards him.

"Things have changed in more than one way." She answered briefly. Although she didn't say it, Trip knew what she meant. Their relationship had changed since his stint in the undercover business. Now that he wasn't allowed to ever "come back to life", he didn't know what that would mean for their relationship.

"You've got that right." He muttered. She turned around again and continued on her way to her quarters. Once there, she opened her door, and waited for Trip to enter. He shook his head and gestured for her to enter. "Ladies first." He insisted. She complied, knowing that he would simply refuse to enter until she had done so. He followed behind her shortly, then closed her door behind them. T'Pol had a better chance to look at him now. His new look was not too dissimilar from how he really looked. His eyes were once again blue, his hair was dirty blonde, and his ears now were rounded again. His features were only dissimilar from his real looks enough to not raise suspicion. T'Pol had always assumed that once his mission was over he would return to Enterprise as their chief engineer. Now there was no chance of that occurring. She turned away from him, and faced her computer monitor.

"You will return to Earth?" She asked again, not knowing the answer but needing to ask. She didn't get a response so she turned around to look at Trip. He was looking back at her.

"And do what?" he asked. "Live on the same planet with my family and never be able to tell them I'm alive? See my nephew grow up, and never be able to tell him I'm Uncle Trip?" He sat on her bed with a loud plop, and put his face in his hands. T'Pol hesitated for only a moment before sitting down next to him. He took his face out his hands. "And what about you? You would still be on Enterprise exploring the universe while I'm on Earth alone?" he questioned.

"No… you are my mate." Trip looked quickly at her, his eyes almost hardening. "I have… attempted to deny that this bond is more than an inconvenience for a long time, however; I have accepted what it truly means."

"And what is that?" Trip asked, sounding almost frightened.

"That we are mates. However illogical it seems for a human and a Vulcan to have a relationship, it appears that we… have formed a lasting union." T'Pol hesitated before placing her hand on Trip's thigh. He looked surprised before placing his hand on top of hers.

"What does that mean for us?" He questioned.

"That whatever choice you make, we make together." T'Pol replied, seeing tears beginning to form in the corners of Trip's eyes.

A/N: This is the first installment of this fanfiction. Please let me know what you think!