Summary: A very short coda to "Fallen Hero".

Codes: None. Maybe. I think. A little slanted toward Trip/T'Pol, perhaps?

Disclaimer: Paramount owns all things Trek, including Enterprise. This is just my little contribution to the prolific field of Trek fanfiction.

Spoilers: "Fallen Hero", naturally.

Rating: G

Feedback: Please! I love praise and constructive criticism, but flames will be used for a campfire.

Archive: Ask first, and I'll probably say yes.

Author's Note: This started as a drabble, but got to be 36 words too long, so now it's a vignette. For the record, I have no idea what they call those hand-held information thingies on the show, so I'm going with "PADD" from the later series. Just remember how, in the episode, V'Lar said something about how she and T'Pol were the oldest people on the ship, and you're set.

Awkward Question

By B.L.A. the Mouse

Trip stood by T'Pol's table in the mess hall, holding a heavily laden plate in one hand and a glass of iced tea in the other. She didn't notice him- or appeared not to, at least. "Mind if I join you?"

"No," she stated simply, not lifting her eyes from the PADD she was reading.

He sat and stared at his food for a moment before asking the question that had been nagging him since the dinner with her and V'Lar. It was not the most important, but definitely the most pressing. "So how old are you, exactly?"

T'Pol stared coolly at him, not betraying a flicker of emotion, then said something in Vulcan. The only words he could pick up were "V'Lar" and "Porthos". As he sat, dumbfounded and furiously trying to remember the few words of Vulcan he'd picked up, she silently got up and walked away.

"Trip to Hoshi," he finally requested, recovering enough to get over to the wall unit. "What does" and here he repeated what T'Pol had said as closely as possible without mangling it, "mean?"

There was a trill of laughter from the other end of the line. Obviously what T'Pol had told him was entertaining. "'Older than Porthos, but younger than Ambassador V'Lar. And it's none of your business.'" Hoshi giggled again, ending with a little snort. "You asked T'Pol how old she was, didn't you?"

Trip didn't answer, instead thumping his head on the wall and groaning, ignoring the odd looks from the rest of the mess hall.

The End