TITLE: Need to Know
AUTHORS: stub&Joe
DATE: 6-8-03
RATING: PG
DISCLAIMER: We still own nothing.
SUMMARY: More Movie Night, more questions, more answers.
For the first time since T'Pol had been attending Movie Night with Commander Tucker, he seemed ill at ease. She had surmised it was this evening's choice that did it. She noted with reluctant dismay that he was less than enthusiastic and had even tried to excuse himself from going. When T'Pol asked why, she received an answer that puzzled her.
He shook his head. "It's a chick flick, T'Pol," Trip sighed. He was finishing up a diagnostic on his engines. The engineer swiveled in his chair and cast a pleading glance at the Vulcan.
"I beg your pardon?" she asked with a cocked eyebrow.
"It's the kind of movie guy's girlfriend forces him to watch, usually under duress." He was close to whining.
"What kind of movie is that, Commander?"
"Aw T'Pol, ya know, a sappy romance," replied Trip with another dramatic sigh. He punctuated it by running a hand through his hair.
T'Pol crossed her arms over her chest suspiciously. "I was under the impression you enjoyed romantic fare."
Trip glared at her. "I do. Usually. In a classic sense."
"So you will not accompany me this evening?"
"If I get this done in time, I'll think about it."
T'Pol nodded once and turned to leave. "I'm sure I can find someone else willing to watch this 'chick flick' with me," she said over her shoulder and walked away.
Trip's head snapped up as what she said sank in. "I'll be by at 1945!" he called after her.
***
"I still do not understand what your reluctance was," T'Pol said as the lights came up several hours later. "This movie was not nearly as bad as I was expecting. Nor as bad as you had made it out to be."
Trip didn't answer right away. He sat and stared contemplatively out the window.
"Commander?"
"I guess I haven't seen it in a while," he muttered. Trip looked at T'Pol and shrugged. "It wasn't *that* sappy. I must have remembered it differently."
T'Pol cocked her head to the side and regarded him curiously. "Why are you reluctant to admit that you like this movie?"
"I'm not!" said Trip indignantly. At her arched brow he continued. "I just think it's kinda...sad."
"What is?"
"That they'd waste so much time lookin' for their true love when the whole time it's sittin' right under their noses," Trip said. He sighed. His hands fidgeted in his lap.
T'Pol watched him closely. "Perhaps you claim to not like this movie because you can understand the circumstances the protagonists find themselves in." It wasn't a question.
Trip's head snapped up. "Maybe. Sometimes it's hard to see what's goin' on when you're all mixed up in it. They coulda been happy sooner if they'd just opened their eyes."
"I believe it's called 'denial.' They weren't ready to see it," replied T'Pol.
Trip nodded. "Until she kissed him. Then it all made sense."
"I recall you telling me something similar to that," T'Pol replied quietly. "You told me that 'a lot can be said with just a kiss.' I believe Harry and Sally proved your words to be true."
"Crazy how that works, huh?" Trip said with a smile. He allowed himself to gaze at her for a moment. Trip figured he could easily get lost in those brown eyes. Shaking his head slightly, he took a deep breath and looked away. He needed to change the subject. "So do you believe Harry's theory about men and women?"
"That men and women cannot be 'just friends'?" T'Pol asked. She paused for a moment to consider that. "I believe that statement to have merit, though I assume he's referring to heterosexuals."
Smiling, Trip nodded. "So you agree with him?"
"I think there is an underlying attraction that initially draws two people together. With members of the opposite sex, there is usually a sexual attraction involved."
"I've got lots of female friends and it's never gone beyond that," Trip pointed out.
"Do you know for certain that none of those women have desired you? Because nothing happened does not necessarily mean the attraction didn't exist. Perhaps one of those women did desire you but didn't act on it," said T'Pol.
Trip considered that. "Well, what about you and the Cap'n?" he asked. "You two seem to get along just fine. You'd call him a friend, right?"
T'Pol wasn't quite able to prevent the grimace that surfaced to her face. She suddenly realized where he was going with this.
Trip saw her expression and his eyes widened. "T'Pol?"
"The captain has indicated he is attracted to me," she replied. T'Pol looked at Trip. She watched as his face subtly changed from horror to anger to confusion.
"Do...do you return that attraction?" His voice was almost a whisper. His blue eyes were intent on hers.
T'Pol shook her head. "It would be inappropriate. I told him as much."
Trip nodded. He still looked confused. They sat in silence for a few minutes. Finally Trip rose to his feet.
"Can I walk you back?" he asked timidly.
"Of course," T'Pol replied. She was mildly amused at his sudden uncertainty. She stood and took a step towards him, intentionally brushing her arm against his. The Commander smiled shyly at her as they walked slowly out of the mess hall.
They strode leisurely down the corridor in companionable silence. They reached T'Pol's quarters all to quickly. She keyed her lock and stepped inside. Trip hung back in the hallway, leaning against her doorframe. T'Pol turned to look at him. He smiled at her.
"G'night, T'Pol," Trip said softly. His smile broadened as her eyebrow lifted almost imperceptibly.
"Goodnight, Commander."
With that, the door slid shut. Trip sighed and turned. He started down the corridor to his own quarters, thinking about the missteps Harry and Sally made. Trip stopped short. He turned around and marched back to T'Pol's quarters. Before he could change his mind he pressed the buzzer.
The door opened after several long seconds. The Vulcan stood inside, her head slightly cocked in curiosity. "Commander, was there something else?"
Trip stepped in quickly. Without saying a word he slipped a hand behind her head and pulled her to him. He pressed his lips to hers. He felt a jolt of something at the contact. Her lips were as soft and warm as he'd imagined. Trip had expected T'Pol to haul off and slug him. But she didn't. Trip's racing heart pumped even faster as he felt her return his kiss. He smiled against her mouth. She felt it too.
Reluctantly, Trip pulled back and looked at T'Pol. Her expression was impassive as always, but her eyes betrayed her. He shrugged sheepishly and said quietly, "I wanted to know for sure."
She blinked at him and nodded once. Trip smiled and stepped back out into the hallway. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Commander?" T'Pol ducked her head out of her quarters.
Trip was already walking back towards her. "Yeah?"
"I did not answer your earlier question adequately."
He waited, his head cocked to the side. "Okay."
T'Pol looked down for a moment. "The answer is no. I do not return the captain's attraction."
Trip released the breath he'd been holding as his face split into a huge grin. He nodded slowly, his smile growing wider as her eyes lifted to meet his. She nodded at him and disappeared back into her quarters. He turned and floated off down the corridor.
AUTHORS: stub&Joe
DATE: 6-8-03
RATING: PG
DISCLAIMER: We still own nothing.
SUMMARY: More Movie Night, more questions, more answers.
For the first time since T'Pol had been attending Movie Night with Commander Tucker, he seemed ill at ease. She had surmised it was this evening's choice that did it. She noted with reluctant dismay that he was less than enthusiastic and had even tried to excuse himself from going. When T'Pol asked why, she received an answer that puzzled her.
He shook his head. "It's a chick flick, T'Pol," Trip sighed. He was finishing up a diagnostic on his engines. The engineer swiveled in his chair and cast a pleading glance at the Vulcan.
"I beg your pardon?" she asked with a cocked eyebrow.
"It's the kind of movie guy's girlfriend forces him to watch, usually under duress." He was close to whining.
"What kind of movie is that, Commander?"
"Aw T'Pol, ya know, a sappy romance," replied Trip with another dramatic sigh. He punctuated it by running a hand through his hair.
T'Pol crossed her arms over her chest suspiciously. "I was under the impression you enjoyed romantic fare."
Trip glared at her. "I do. Usually. In a classic sense."
"So you will not accompany me this evening?"
"If I get this done in time, I'll think about it."
T'Pol nodded once and turned to leave. "I'm sure I can find someone else willing to watch this 'chick flick' with me," she said over her shoulder and walked away.
Trip's head snapped up as what she said sank in. "I'll be by at 1945!" he called after her.
***
"I still do not understand what your reluctance was," T'Pol said as the lights came up several hours later. "This movie was not nearly as bad as I was expecting. Nor as bad as you had made it out to be."
Trip didn't answer right away. He sat and stared contemplatively out the window.
"Commander?"
"I guess I haven't seen it in a while," he muttered. Trip looked at T'Pol and shrugged. "It wasn't *that* sappy. I must have remembered it differently."
T'Pol cocked her head to the side and regarded him curiously. "Why are you reluctant to admit that you like this movie?"
"I'm not!" said Trip indignantly. At her arched brow he continued. "I just think it's kinda...sad."
"What is?"
"That they'd waste so much time lookin' for their true love when the whole time it's sittin' right under their noses," Trip said. He sighed. His hands fidgeted in his lap.
T'Pol watched him closely. "Perhaps you claim to not like this movie because you can understand the circumstances the protagonists find themselves in." It wasn't a question.
Trip's head snapped up. "Maybe. Sometimes it's hard to see what's goin' on when you're all mixed up in it. They coulda been happy sooner if they'd just opened their eyes."
"I believe it's called 'denial.' They weren't ready to see it," replied T'Pol.
Trip nodded. "Until she kissed him. Then it all made sense."
"I recall you telling me something similar to that," T'Pol replied quietly. "You told me that 'a lot can be said with just a kiss.' I believe Harry and Sally proved your words to be true."
"Crazy how that works, huh?" Trip said with a smile. He allowed himself to gaze at her for a moment. Trip figured he could easily get lost in those brown eyes. Shaking his head slightly, he took a deep breath and looked away. He needed to change the subject. "So do you believe Harry's theory about men and women?"
"That men and women cannot be 'just friends'?" T'Pol asked. She paused for a moment to consider that. "I believe that statement to have merit, though I assume he's referring to heterosexuals."
Smiling, Trip nodded. "So you agree with him?"
"I think there is an underlying attraction that initially draws two people together. With members of the opposite sex, there is usually a sexual attraction involved."
"I've got lots of female friends and it's never gone beyond that," Trip pointed out.
"Do you know for certain that none of those women have desired you? Because nothing happened does not necessarily mean the attraction didn't exist. Perhaps one of those women did desire you but didn't act on it," said T'Pol.
Trip considered that. "Well, what about you and the Cap'n?" he asked. "You two seem to get along just fine. You'd call him a friend, right?"
T'Pol wasn't quite able to prevent the grimace that surfaced to her face. She suddenly realized where he was going with this.
Trip saw her expression and his eyes widened. "T'Pol?"
"The captain has indicated he is attracted to me," she replied. T'Pol looked at Trip. She watched as his face subtly changed from horror to anger to confusion.
"Do...do you return that attraction?" His voice was almost a whisper. His blue eyes were intent on hers.
T'Pol shook her head. "It would be inappropriate. I told him as much."
Trip nodded. He still looked confused. They sat in silence for a few minutes. Finally Trip rose to his feet.
"Can I walk you back?" he asked timidly.
"Of course," T'Pol replied. She was mildly amused at his sudden uncertainty. She stood and took a step towards him, intentionally brushing her arm against his. The Commander smiled shyly at her as they walked slowly out of the mess hall.
They strode leisurely down the corridor in companionable silence. They reached T'Pol's quarters all to quickly. She keyed her lock and stepped inside. Trip hung back in the hallway, leaning against her doorframe. T'Pol turned to look at him. He smiled at her.
"G'night, T'Pol," Trip said softly. His smile broadened as her eyebrow lifted almost imperceptibly.
"Goodnight, Commander."
With that, the door slid shut. Trip sighed and turned. He started down the corridor to his own quarters, thinking about the missteps Harry and Sally made. Trip stopped short. He turned around and marched back to T'Pol's quarters. Before he could change his mind he pressed the buzzer.
The door opened after several long seconds. The Vulcan stood inside, her head slightly cocked in curiosity. "Commander, was there something else?"
Trip stepped in quickly. Without saying a word he slipped a hand behind her head and pulled her to him. He pressed his lips to hers. He felt a jolt of something at the contact. Her lips were as soft and warm as he'd imagined. Trip had expected T'Pol to haul off and slug him. But she didn't. Trip's racing heart pumped even faster as he felt her return his kiss. He smiled against her mouth. She felt it too.
Reluctantly, Trip pulled back and looked at T'Pol. Her expression was impassive as always, but her eyes betrayed her. He shrugged sheepishly and said quietly, "I wanted to know for sure."
She blinked at him and nodded once. Trip smiled and stepped back out into the hallway. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Commander?" T'Pol ducked her head out of her quarters.
Trip was already walking back towards her. "Yeah?"
"I did not answer your earlier question adequately."
He waited, his head cocked to the side. "Okay."
T'Pol looked down for a moment. "The answer is no. I do not return the captain's attraction."
Trip released the breath he'd been holding as his face split into a huge grin. He nodded slowly, his smile growing wider as her eyes lifted to meet his. She nodded at him and disappeared back into her quarters. He turned and floated off down the corridor.