Disclaimer: All things Trek belong to Paramount and Viacom. I just borrow them, and let them play. I promise to return them unharmed. The song that is mentioned toward the end is I Hope You Dance by Mark D. Sanders and Tia Sillers.
Rating: PG
Content: This is in response to the Christmas Challenge. The Challenge was to use names of Christmas songs in a story, but not as songs. Asterisks note all Christmas songs. Added bonus, one of the decedents of a character in this story was in two episodes of Star Trek the Original Series.
Pairing: Archer/T'Pol and Trip/Hoshi
*It Won't Seem Like Christmas Without You*
BY
Lattelady
"Captain's log December 25, 2152, 0200 hours. What had started out as an attempt to bring some holiday spirit to the crew has ended up getting out of hand. It began three days ago when an unidentified cargo ship approached Enterprise. Computer stop, erase this log entry". The captain sat as he contemplated one of two gifts that he had just finished wrapping. What in the hell was he doing? He shook his head as he thought back to the events that had started all this.
…………
December 21, 0800 Enterprise bridge
In the last year, Ensign Hoshi Sato had developed nerves of steel, or so she had thought. Very little rattled her anymore, except the occasional alien raiding party, random adventures climbing through tiny air ducts, or infrequent visits to ships full of almost dead, and very smelly Klingons. At least that was until a few weeks ago when she'd been caught in the transporter buffer for eight seconds, which had seemed like an eternity to her!
Now she discovered that she got the shakes over the least little incident, and all she wanted to do was sleep. It was classic symptoms of depression and she knew it. But the one person, who could have helped her with it, was on her never to be spoken to again, except in the line of duty, list. That would be Trip; she had to stop thinking about him that way. That would be Commander Tucker; she erased his silly nickname from her vocabulary, again.
A week after Thanksgiving, he'd reverted to type, and she didn't want to think about what had gone on between him and that alien princess while they'd been trapped on that planet. It made her blood boil and her heartbreak. Her one consolation was that she hadn't given into his charms, beyond the little kiss on the cheek she'd allowed him after he helped her clean up the terrible mess she'd made of the galley when they had all been suffering from radiation sickness.
Her mood wasn't helped any by the fact that Christmas was just around the corner and she was light years from home. Last year it hadn't seemed to bother her much. Space travel was so new, that everything was exciting, but this year it was going to be a very *blue Christmas,* unless something was done.
"Captain, I'm picking up an unusual transmission." Hoshi fine-tuned the sensors at the same time she opened a channel to the Captain's chair console and Lt. Reed's station. Suddenly loud raucous music pounded through her earpiece, making her gasp as she ripped it free, and stared at the tiny offending speaker that filled the bridge with jarring noise!
"Turn that thing down!" Archer yelled as he plugged his ears, and watched T'Pol cringe while doing the same. If it hurt his ears, it had to be exploding in her head.
"I'm trying, Sir." It took Hoshi a few minutes, but as suddenly as the blast of sound had hit them, it was gone.
"What was that?" Lt. Reed shook his head, and heard his voice echo back as his ears began to adjust to the quiet, again.
"We're being hailed." Hoshi watched her communication board signal and tentatively replaced her earpiece, prepared to pull it free at the slightest increase in decibels.
"Hello, big gray ship," A voice like an old foghorn filled her ear. "I come to trade, not make war."
"Nicholi?" Ensign Travis Mayweather blinked in surprise as he recognized the sound of a man who had been a frequent visitor on his father's cargo vessel when he had been growing up.
"Ya, t'is Nicholi. Who t'is that who know my name?" The man had a lilting accent that Archer couldn't place. "You da first ship I see in veeks. *I saw three ships,* from a distance, two month ago, but they vere Vulcan. Vulcan not stop for Nicholi."
At the communications station, Hoshi broke into Russian and received an enthusiastic response in the same language.
"Captain, he says his name is Nicholi Muddivitch and he's a trader." Sato quickly translated her conversation. "And he's asking permission to come along side."
"Mr. Mayweather, you know this man?" The captain walked over to the ensign at the helm, as he watched the florid mustached face that filled the view screen. The last traders they had met had been those large eared aliens who had tried to steel anything that wasn't welded to the ship, and a few things that were!
"Yes sir, I sure do. My dad dealt with him a lot as I was growing up. He's a boomer, like me, but he and his family struck out on their own. That ship of theirs is a traveling warehouse." Travis nodded toward the screen, his eyes sparkling.
"Can we trust him?" T'Pol watched the unusual human face on her screen. The man was right; Vulcans always avoided the motley group of space traders. As a rule they were little more than pirates.
"My dad never came away from a deal with him disappointed. Nicholi knew that if he crossed one boomer, he'd never deal with any of us again." The young black man grinned at the memories. "He isn't going to steal anything, but he bargains like nobody's business."
"We'll keep that in mind, Mr. Mayweather." Archer turned his attention back to the man on the view screen. "Captain Muddivitch, it'd be a pleasure to have you join us. Use the starboard docking ports, please. I'll send Lt. Reed to escort you aboard."
"Very good, Sir." Reed nodded, as he left his station and headed for the lift.
That was how it started. Archer wasn't sure whose idea it had been to have a gift exchange for the holidays, but he had a sneaking suspicion that it might have been Nicholi who had given Mayweather a nudge in that direction. It had been greeted with enthusiasm by all concerned, especially Hoshi, who had been having trouble reintegrating into the routine of things since her problem with the transporter a few weeks earlier.
…………………
"Cap'n." Trip knocked on Archer's door. "You busy?"
"Come on in." Jonathan was sitting fiddling with the Padd that contained the name of the person who he had drawn to give a secret gift to.
Travis had told them how it had been done as he was growing up. They placed everyone's name in a large sack and each person withdrew a slip of paper that told them to whom they were playing Secret Santa. On a large ship it was a good way for all to receive a gift, and no one be overtaxed by having to buy for large numbers of people. Enterprise didn't carry paper so everyone had the computer choose a name for them.
"Cap'n, I need some help here!" Trip slouched into a chair and tossed a Padd on the bed as pick up Porthos and began petting him. "I mean who would've thought she'd even take part in this darn gift exchange! It isn't her holiday. What in the hell am I supposed to give a Vulcan for Christmas?"
Archer's eyes sparkled at his friend's dilemma. "I gather from that little outburst you drew T'Pol's name?"
"I sure did." Trip fumed.
"Here, I'll trade." Jon held up his Padd, and tried not to look too anxious.
"Who you got?" The young engineer reached for the Padd, and then pulled back his hand. There was a trick in this somehow; the Captain had that cat that ate the canary look on his face.
"Oh no, either you trade sight unseen, or I guess you go shopping at Nicholi's for a Christmas present for a Vulcan. Besides, I thought Travis said the rules were that no one was to know who was giving what gift to whom." Archer fought to keep from looking pleased with himself. He knew if he made the trade too easy on Trip, his friend would suspect how important it was that he be the one to give a gift to T'Pol.
"Oh all right!" Trip reached for the Padd.
"You're sure about this?" Jon drove the knife home, as he pulled the Padd just out of the younger man's reach.
"Yes, damnit all!" Trip grabbed the Padd from Archer, and huffed out of his quarters to the sound of the older man's laughter. It wasn't until he was in the hall that he bothered to look at the name that he had ended up with: Hoshi Sato! Seeing her name there made him catch his breath and lean against the bulkhead.
"I've been manipulated," he muttered in exasperation. And here he'd thought he'd hidden his feelings for the beautiful ensign from everyone, including Jon. "Well I guess you're the Captain for a reason, nothing much gets past you!"
………………………
"May I join you Sup-Commander?" It dawned on Hoshi just how alone T'Pol really was. The Vulcan woman was sitting by herself, at a far table by the window, surrounded by the human crew, none of which sought out her company.
"Please," the other woman nodded and put down her fork as she picked up the Padd that was sitting beside her plate. "I was going to seek you out for some advice after I had eaten, but this would be as good a time as any, if you do not mind."
"You want my advice?" She knew T'Pol's English was flawless, otherwise she would have switched to Vulcan, to be sure the other woman was understanding her correctly. Hoshi couldn't think of a thing that the she could need her advice on, with the possible exception of clothing; somehow she doubted that was going to be the topic of conversation.
"Yes, Ensign, I do. It is about this." She held up her Padd. "I am unsure of the correct way to respond to this game that Ensign Mayweather has initiated."
"It's simple really, all you need to do is get a gift for the person whose name is on that Padd." Hoshi was dying of curiosity, but she knew T'Pol would abide by the letter of the rules and never divulge whose name she'd drawn. "I'm surprised you chose to participate."
"Ensign Mayweather explained to me that since my name had already been assigned by the computer, someone wouldn't receive a gift if I did not." She shrugged elegantly, as if that should be reason enough. "But it is hard, Vulcan's do not give gifts like this, and I am unsure of what would be appropriate for the person I have been assigned."
"I know it's against the rules, but I'm pretty friendly with most of the crew. I'd be glad to make some suggestions. In fact, I'm due to go to Nicholi's ship for my shopping after lunch we could go together." She hated to admit that she'd drawn the one person who was the hardest to buy for.
"That is very kind of you to offer." Logic told T'Pol, that it was more important to give the person on her Padd a gift he would appreciate, than to abide by the rules. "I have been assigned Commander Tucker and beyond giving him a text on engineering I am at a loss for ideas." There was only one person on the ship she knew well enough to buy a gift for. When she hadn't been assigned Captain Archer's name, there had been a hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach, which caused her a moment of wonder.
"Oh!" Hoshi's face fell and she put her glass of tea down with a thump. "You drew Trip's name?"
"I did not draw it, the computer assigned it to me." T'Pol could read distress on the younger woman's face, but was unsure of the cause. "Is there a problem Ensign?"
"No, well yes," she sighed. For a woman who made her living using words, she was being very inarticulate, so she tried again. "The Commander and I are friends. I made him a present, but that was before he was kidnapped by those aliens and ended up on that planet with that woman. I had thought if I drew his name I'd still be able to give it to him, and it would be, well--." She shrugged, unable to finish her sentence.
T'Pol dropped her mental shields slightly in an attempt to better read the emotion that the woman across from her was fighting to keep under control. What she picked up didn't make any sense. Hoshi was having the same physical symptom of a cold empty feeling in the pit of her stomach that the Vulcan had experienced when she had read Commander Tucker's name on her Padd instead of Jonathan Archer's.
"Ensign I would suggest we trade." In a flash of insight T'Pol realized that it was important to the younger woman to be able to give her gift to the Commander. She reached across the table and exchanged her Padd for Hoshi's.
"But you don't even know whose name I had, it could be anybody's." As much as she wanted to make the exchange, she couldn't be unfair to the woman who was showing her unexpected kindness.
"That is true, but you have solved my dilemma from earlier." Green eyes met brown ones with an unexpected glint in them.
Hoshi did a double take. T'Pol had a sense of humor, a very dry one, but it was there none the less. "Aren't you even going to see whose name is on that Padd?"
T'Pol took a deep breath. The hollow feeling in her stomach had been replaced by one that could only be described as a tickling sensation. She wanted badly to check the name, but the part of her that was ruled by logic squished it, refusing to acknowledge the tiny feeling of anticipation. Instead she ran some calculations in her head. Before when she'd been assigned a name, her chances had been 1 in 86 that she would have drawn Jonathan Archer's, now, with another chance, it was changed to 2 in 86.
She carefully picked up the Padd and checked. With one blink of her eyes, she erased any trace of what she was feeling; as she read the name she wanted the most to see. "Hhmm," she sighed. "I have already given him a book of Surek's teachings, that is most unforturnate."
It was Hoshi's turn to blink. In the past she would have assumed the Sub-Commander was being serious, though she knew Captain Archer had the book that T'Pol had given him, she realized the Vulcan had just made another joke. In the last few minutes she had gained a new understanding and appreciation of her!
………………………
A very enthusiastic Nicholi greeted Hoshi and T'Pol, when Natalia, his wife, showed them into his cargo bay. It was a virtual storehouse of odds and ends gathered from all over the known universe. Though Hoshi didn't need to shop for a Secret Santa gift, she had promised to accompany the other woman.
"Aahhh Lady Vulcan, and da one who speak the language of Mother Russia, we are most honored!" Nicholi picked up a child of about four and handed him to his wife. "Dis my son, Harry. Always is the same in de family Muddivitch. First-born male child is Nicholi, and hes son be Harry, on down through de generations. Always was and always be, first Nicholi, den Harry."
"Fascinating," T'Pol muttered, as she moved past the man, unsure of the importance of his family history. "I need to buy a gift."
"I have something special for you Lady Vulcan." Nicholi pulled out a bottle that caught her attention.
Hoshi watched from a distance while Nicholi tried to sell T'Pol first one item then another, but she refused to be swayed from her purpose, though there were two items that had caught the Vulcan's interest. It had been painful to see the other woman deny herself things she had obviously wanted, but had passed off as foolish indulgences.
It took T'Pol an hour of looking before she found three leather bound books buried behind a warp coil. She had seen the Captain reading a computer stored versions of the trilogy, and she knew he had a small collection of antique animal hide bound books, because she had seen them in his cabin. But these volumes hadn't been among them. Another fifteen minutes of hard bargaining and they were hers!
"It is a human tradition to sign the inside cover of a book when it is given as a gift." Hoshi informed the Sub-Commander as they moved through the opened airlock toward Enterprise.
"Sign it in what way?"
"Something like, 'to Captain Archer, Merry Christmas, 2152, T'Pol. Though it's always nice to put a little personal sentiment in there." Hoshi shook her head. For a moment she had forgotten who she was talking to.
"It will not devalue the books?" The Vulcan was obviously trying hard to enter into the spirit of the occasion.
"No," Sato smiled at the other woman. "In fact, when it's a gift between friends, it increases the value tremendously."
"Thank you, Hoshi." T'Pol almost whispered the woman's first name. "I will remember what you have told me."
………………………
December 25, 2152, 0230 hours.
Jonathan Archer entered the mess and looked around. It was amazing what the crew had done. They had managed to *deck the hall* with *silver bells* mixed in with miniature *holly leaves and Christmas trees.* Nicholi had come up with a simulated pine tree that took up most one corner of the room.
Everyone had donated something for decorations. In among the strings of popcorn and cranberries, were origami birds. There were odds and ends from all over the ship. Trip had put together strings of lights from parts in engineering, but most touching of all was the small Vulcan medal that was hanging inconspicuously on a lower branch. Archer knew he had seen T'Pol wearing it when they met visiting Vulcan dignitaries.
He stooped to place his gifts under the tree with the growing pile, but thought better of it and he took one of them back. As he moved away from the tree, unsure of what he was going to do with the second gift, T'Pol walked quietly into the darkened mess hall. She was carrying a gift and moved with stealth until she reached the tree. Once there she carefully placed her package in among all the others.
"It looks like you've really gotten into the spirit of things." Archer would have liked to watch her unobserved, but there was something dishonest about the idea, and it didn't fit with the way he wanted things to be between them.
"Captain?" She pulled her hand back as if she had just touched a snake instead of a present. "What are you doing here?"
"Same as you." He smiled as she stood and backed away from the tree.
"But you still have your gift." She pointed to the small package he had forgotten he was holding when she came into the room.
"My secret Santa one is under the tree. This is for you." He stepped closer when he saw her brow arch almost to her mahogany bangs.
"But Captain, I only bought the one gift." She could hardly tell him that her Secret Santa gift was for him, it would be inappropriate.
"In the last year and a half you've given me a great deal." He watched her face in the dark and wondered how he could ever have thought Vulcan women unattractive. "Most importantly you've taught me that I can't do it all on my own. Without you, this mission would've failed a number of times over. Let that be your gift to me."
"I—." She was receiving odd messages from him, but she didn't dare relax her mental shields in his presence.
"Just open your gift." He placed two fingers on her lips to keep her from saying anymore, and was surprised at the warmth he felt radiate through his body.
T'Pol fought to keep her hands from trembling as she removed the paper on her package. His touch had done something odd to her and she refused to let anyone see it, but when she got a look at what she was holding, she had to turn away for a moment. It was the bottle of Karara oil that she had seen on Nicholi's ship. Vulcan women used it often to keep their skin from drying and cracking in the hot climate of their planet.
"Thank you." She whispered. "It is easily obtainable on my planet, but unless I can get some when we meet Vulcan ships, I run out." She was glad he had given her this in private, though she was sure he didn't realize how intimate a gift it was.
"I bought it as much for me, as I did for you. I like the way it makes you smell." He hadn't meant to admit it; the words just seemed to come out.
"I do not wear it for the purpose of enhancement." It had taken her a long while to get used to the fragrance of humans, she hadn't realized they could smell her as well.
"Whenever I smell it, I think of you." He looked up and frowned, then took her by the shoulders and guided her gently two steps to the left. They were standing very close and he had just realized that someone had placed mistletoe at strategic spots around the room. "It's not something you need to worry about, but that is." He pointed to the green leafed plant, with little white berried that was hanging above where they had been standing."
"I do not worry." She stated as she pulled her cloak of logic around her. She had stepped very close to something she wasn't ready to examine yet, but she knew the time was fast approaching when she was going to have to make some hard choices.
"Well then you had better be prepared to be kissed tomorrow!" He wanted to grind his teeth. He had thrown away a chance to have his arms around her, and he was mentally kicking himself, though he knew it was the right thing to have done.
"Pardon me?"
"Kissed, you do know what a kiss is?" He asked as he pointed toward the mistletoe.
"Of course I do. I have studied humans for a long time now."
"Well unless you stay away from that little plant up there, you may find yourself studying them a whole lot closer, though you do have the advantage of rank." He ran his hand through his hair in frustration. If anyone tried to make a move toward her, he would likely belt him. "That's mistletoe and it's a custom for a man to kiss a woman if they are standing under it together."
"Thank you for warning me, Captain." She had suddenly become very formal. "I shall watch out for it in the morning." She turned and left quickly. If Archer didn't know her better he would swear she was disappointed.
………………..
On Christmas morning everyone had a wonderful time. It was apparent from some of the gifts that were given that Hoshi wasn't the only one who had used the opportunity of the Secret Santa to give something to someone special. Lt. Reed was given a computer-generated copy of, The Book Of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi; it was obvious from the way Lt. Sally Jensen blushed when he opened it, that it had come from her. They had been working together in their spare time on the force field that had been so helpful a few weeks ago.
When Jonathan opened his gift, he caught his breath. Someone had found him a hardbound copy of The Lord Of The Rings. He had been reading it on Padd, because there was so much about T'Pol that reminded him of Arwen, though he doubted he'd be able to read the last book, unless he was given a happier ending.
He flipped open the cover on Lord Of The Rings, The Fellowship Of The Ring, and his heart almost stopped. There in neat handwriting was the following inscription:
"Merry Christmas, Jonathan, 2152.
You told me once that there was a poem by Yeats that you enjoyed. These are a few lines by the Earth poet Tennyson, which I believe could have been written for you. 'For I dipped into the future, as far as the human eye could see; Saw the vision of the world, and the wonders that can be.' I believe, T'Pol."
He looked up, and ten feet away from him, T'Pol was sitting cross-legged on the deck, under the tree. She was holding a round crystal, almost as big as her fist, and as her body heat slowly transferred from her palm to the almost transparent ball, its center began to glow a deep yellow with blue and red flashes. He was struck by the look of wonder on her face.
……………..
Trip pulled Hoshi out of the crowded mess hall as soon as he opened his gift. It was evident to him that she had made it before the gift exchange had been planned. He took her to a place that Travis had shown him before they'd left space dock.
Sitting in the sweet spot of the ship, with the music disc that Hoshi had made for him playing in the background, he hoped he could get her to believe him that nothing had happened between the alien Princess and him.
"Trip what are we doing here?" Though she had to admit it was fun to be at almost zero-g's, and still have the safety of the ship all around her.
"We're listenin' to the music you put together for me, and I hope when we're though talkin,' you'll know me a little better."
"I made that thing after you helped me clean up the galley a few weeks ago. You
told me at the time that you liked songs from the late 1900's and early
2000's. So I made you a mix. No big deal! I couldn't see letting it just
go to waste and since I did get your name, it would have been surly of me to
not give it to you." She pushed off the
wall to put some space between them, but over compensated and ended up needing
to grab onto him to keep from bouncing off the opposite wall.
"Easy there darlin.'" He wrapped one arm around her and pulled her present out of his pocket. "I wish I could say I got your name, but I had to trade the Cap'n for it."
Hanging thirty feet above the deck, with his arm around her, she opened her package. "Oh, it's lovely, Trip." She sighed as she pulled out a silver chain with a compass the size of a quarter on it. The casing was feminine with swirls in a design of the stars.
"It's incase you ever get lost again, you'll be able to find your way home." His voice shook as he remembered the terror he'd felt when she'd been caught in the transporter buffer.
"Thank you," she whispered as she moved closer to him.
Trip's arm came around her neck as she looked up and there in the sweet spot of the ship, he kissed her for the first time, as a long ago woman sang about 'when you get the choice to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance.'
……………………..
December 25, 2151, 1155 hours.
Jonathan Archer was restless, it had been a wonderful day, but for some reason he couldn't sleep. He'd left Porthos sleeping soundly on the bed; warn out from the day's excitement.
When he entered the mess hall he was surprised to find the Christmas tree lights still going. But even more surprised at the person who was watching the tree. "T'Pol what are you doing still up?"
"I find this tree astatically pleasing to my eyes." She was drinking her usual mint tea, but standing in a darkened corner, facing the tree, instead of sitting by the window.
"If that's your way of saying it pretty, I'd agree with you." He got himself a cup of tea and stood beside her.
"Thank you for the gifts, Jonathan." She whispered as she placed her tea on a near by table and turned toward him. "I know the Meditation Crystal was from you. Hoshi was the only one who saw me admire it. It is a rare and special gift."
"Even if she hadn't mentioned it to me, I'd have known you'd have liked it." He couldn't get the picture of her sitting under the tree with his gift, out of his mind. "And thank you for the books."
"I've seen you reading that story, it seems to have caught your interest of late." She looked up at him, and her eyes followed to the ceiling. Another foot and they would be under the mistletoe. "We seem to be understanding each other better."
"A lot of things have caught my interest of late." He wanted to touch her, but didn't dare unless she initiated it. He knew Vulcans never touched, though she had let him recently. There was too much at steak to push her. "I'd like to get to know you better." He added in a whisper.
She blinked slowly as green eyes met green eyes. She seemed to let out her breath, but he couldn't be sure. All he knew was that she reached for his mug and put it on the table beside hers. Then she took his hand and they stepped to the left.
"I would like that Jonathan." She looked up at him, then the ceiling.
As his eyes followed hers, everything became very clear. They moved toward one another. His arm around her back and neck, as she wrapped herself as close to him as she could. He covered her full lips with his and felt the ship rock as they kissed. He pulled back for a moment, but there was no Alert Warning going off, except in his body. Then she pulled his lips back down to hers, as she muttered, "I think this is another human custom I find very pleasing."
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