Author's Note: A lot of people liked this one in the Snapshot series so I decided to extend it a bit. It will only be a few chapters and probably not as much as everyone would like, but more than just the snapshot. I repeated the start here so any new readers would know what was going on. Enjoy!

Let me know what you think!

XXX

T'Pol walked toward her room, unusually tired considering she's had 2.6 hours sleep already. She needed to see Phlox to get her iron levels checked. Or possibly, try and spend more time meditating.

"Hi T'Pol," Hoshi said as she stopped in the hallway. "Getting Elizabeth?"

"Yes," T'Pol said, stopping out of courtesy more than anything else.

"I saw her and Trip in the Lounge this morning, her walking is coming along," Hoshi smiled at the woman. How she and Trip managed with Elizabeth she wasn't sure, she could barely keep herself dressed and fed some days.

"Has she progressed?" T'Pol inquired.

"Not as many falls as yesterday," Hoshi smiled before the two women set off in opposite directions.

T'Pol rang his bell and heard him call for her to enter as well as a fit of giggles from their daughter.

"Hey mummy!" Trip said as he turned Elizabeth toward T'Pol and she took four steps toward her mother before she fell on her behind.

"That is one step more and far steadier," T'Pol said as she walked toward her daughter who was holding up her arms to be lifted. T'Pol hoisted her onto her hip and kissed her on the top of her head.

"She's been workin' real hard this morning," Trip said as he too stood and walked over to their daughter and placed a hand on Elizabeth's back. "I imagine with the task master the rest of the day…"

"Excuse me?" T'Pol asked with a raised eyebrow.

"T'Pol, you've got to admit that you are far more…"

"Vulcans believe that all children naturally meet their developmental milestones," T'Pol argued.

"Yeah, but with a big push from all those Vulcan parents," Trip laughed.

He walked toward Elizabeth's tray and looked down.

"She ate a good breakfast but wanted nothing to go with the crackers and cheese cubes," Trip said as he gathered up the leftover food. "She loved them at morning snack this last week, but…"

"It is almost lunch time," T'Pol said. "I will get her some soup."

"And keep an eye on that tooth," Trip said, reminding her. "It's coming in and she's not liking it one bit."

"I will," T'Pol said as she turned to leave with their daughter. "Have a productive shift, I will see you at 11pm."

"Yeah, hey, what's going on with the Andorian ship? Weren't they supposed to leave by this time?"

"An Andorian ambassador has requested lunch with the Captain before leaving," T'Pol said.

"So, that's why Jon asked me to join him for lunch today?" Trip asked as he rubbed at his chin.

"I imagine you are there to help entertain the ambassador," T'Pol said as she turned to look at him.

"Okay, bye Lizzie," Trip said as he waved at his daughter and she waved back. "I'll see you in the morning sweetie."

T'Pol left with their daughter and started toward her own quarters.

Meanwhile, Trip cleaned up the detritus that was a sign their one-year old daughter had been present. He had a few hours to himself before his swing shift started and he needed to get some things done. Cleaning up her toys, throwing her clothes in the laundry shoot and generally straightening up his room took less time than usual, and he was dressed for work and out the door in record time. Over the last seven months, he had got used to the swing shift and, as much as he hated missing movie night, he missed little else. It was more important to spend time with Lizzie than others, and he still had a few hours to himself before shift each day.

He made his way to Sick Bay and was greeted by a smiling Phlox.

"Commander Tucker!" Phlox greeted him enthusiastically.

"He Doc," Trip smiled at him.

"What can I do for you?" Phlox asked.

"I'm not feeling as well rested as usual," Trip said as he walked toward the doctor. "I'm sleeping for seven hours, Lizzie's a great sleeper, but…"

"Humph, why don't we take a look, shall we?" Phlox smiled as he gestured towards a biobed. "I imagine taking care of Elizabeth for 12 hours a day is pretty tiring. I can't imagine any new parents…"

It was then that Phlox stopped talking.

"What?" Trip asked.

"I think I need to run some more scans," Phlox noted.

"Why?" Trip asked, "I'm just tired is all, and…"

He stopped talking when he saw Phlox walk to the COMM.

"Doc?"

"Commander T'Pol," Phlox said.

"Yes?" T'Pol's voice called back.

"Why are you calling T'Pol?" Trip asked.

"I need you down in Sick Bay please," Phlox said, ignoring Trip.

"I was just about to get Elizabeth her lunch," T'Pol replied.

"I really need you to come immediately," Phlox said seriously.

"I will be right down," T'Pol said before the connection was cut.

"Why do you need T'Pol here?" Trip asked.

"I need to run scans on you both," Phlox said, mysteriously as he turned to his monitors.

"What scans?" Trip asked.

"I need to look at her neural network as well," Phlox said over his shoulder as he tapped at the screen.

"Doc, I'm going to need more answers than that," Trip said.

"I'm afraid I only have a theory until I see T'Pol as well," Phlox noted.

"Well, give me the theory," Trip said, anxious.

"You and T'Pol are bond mates, yes?" Phlox asked.

"You know we are, but there's nothing…"

"I know you have decided to not remain a couple since you discovered Elizabeth, and that neither of you has done anything to nurture the bond," Phlox said. "But I think that has caused some…neural upset."

"Come again?" Trip asked.

"Ignoring your bond for the last…seven months has caused your brain to create new neural pathways in an attempt to repair the bond," Phlox said. "If I observe the same phenomenon in T'Pol then…"

"Wait, my brain is trying to fix the bond?" Trip clarified.

"You didn't get it officially severed," Phlox reminded him.

"Everything we read said that if we just ignored it, the bond would die," Trip explained. "We had to deal with Elizabeth, her medical issues, work…it was the logical choice to remove any romance from the equation."

"Well, logical or not," Phlox explained. "Your brain, and possibly T'Pol's, has decided otherwise."

"What does this have to do with being tired?" Trip asked.

"Building these networks is a lot of work for your body," Phlox explained. "You are tired because your body isn't stopping even when you are sleeping. See this?"

Trip looked at where Phlox was pointing.

"That new network is in the part of your brain that control emotions," Phlox indicated. "Have you felt unusually emotional or started to have feelings for T'Pol again?"

"I never stopped having feelings for her Doc," Trip admitted. "I love her just as much now as I did at the start, maybe more because of her love for Elizabeth."

A throat cleared behind him and Trip turned to see T'Pol standing holding Elizabeth in her arms. The surprised look on her face told him she'd heard that last bit.

XXXX

"How is this possible?" T'Pol asked as she looked at their scans.

"It's a phenomenon that I'm not sure has been studied before," Phlox said. "Most Vulcans nurture a bond, I'd have to…"

"Is there any way to stop the formation?" Trip asked as he shifted a squirming Elizabeth in his arms.

"I'd need to study it further," Phlox said thoughtfully.

"Do you have any suggestions that would…?" T'Pol started.

"I would like to propose a suggestion," Phlox said as he turned to face them. "Have either of you considered spending more time together? It may slow the progress until…"

"Wouldn't that actually create new pathways?" T'Pol asked.

"Possibly," Phlox shrugged. "But this pathway wouldn't continue to progress. It would be worth studying."

"I don't really feel like being a lab rat, Doc," Trip said, noticing the wince travel across T'Pol's face at his use of language. He knew they were the wrong words as soon as they crossed his lips.

"I would argue that the experiment has started whether you realized it or not," Phlox smiled at them both. "Now, it's just a question of what to do."

"I think Phlox's idea is at least worth exploring," T'Pol said as she met Trip's eyes.

"Spending more time together?" Trip asked with a raised eyebrow as he tried to control his daughter's squirming. "Lizzie, please just…for a second…"

"Here," T'Pol said as she reached for Elizabeth. Trip handed their daughter to T'Pol and looked between Phlox and T'Pol.

"Really? You are in for this?" Trip asked.

"I think it would be something worth monitoring," T'Pol said as she met his eyes.

"So, it's all about the experimentation, is it?" Trip asked annoyed.

"I just think…"

"I've got to meet Jon for lunch," Trip said before he leaned over and kissed Lizzie on the top of her head before he quickly walked from Sick Bay.

T'Pol looked toward Phlox confused.

"Perhaps Commander Tucker is less interested in experimentation, and more interested in a relationship," Phlox suggested. "You heard…"

"I need to get Elizabeth her lunch," T'Pol said before she turned on her heel and walked from Sick Bay.

Phlox shook his head and looked back toward the scans.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Trip had lunch with Jon and the Ambassador and went onto his shift. The shift went by without issue, they were doing routine maintenance. He left a few minutes early, as usual, and walked toward his quarters where he knew T'Pol and Lizzie would be sleeping. She had done his head in again talking about them as if they were an experiment. The word alone brought him back to that fateful conversation in the Mess about their first sexual experience. That had fucked him up good the first time and now, years later, a child later, they were back in the same spot again.

"Fuck," Trip swore under his breath as he got closer to his quarters. He shook his head and gave himself a small pep talk before he stepped in front of his door and pressed in the code so it would open.

He stepped into the darkened room. A room where his daughter and T'Pol had been sleeping for the last few hours. Secretly, he loved that his room smelled like them both each night he came home from work.

"T'Pol?" He whispered into the darkened space. Usually, she was meditating at this point, but he saw no sign of a candle, as was usually present.

"We need to talk," T'Pol said as the door to his washroom opened and he saw her standing in the light.

Trip nodded and followed her into the small space.

They stood closely in the lighted small room away from their quietly sleeping daughter in her crib a few feet away.

"Look, I think…"

"Trip," T'Pol said as she briefly touched his chest.

He huffed and placed his hands on his hips.

"I'm sorry," T'Pol said softly.

Trip looked at her surprised.

"I don't think I handled…any of this…well," T'Pol said as she met his eyes.

"How do you think?" Trip asked.

"I was…surprised in Sick Bay," T'Pol admitted.

"I was too," Trip said, talking about the scans.

"I didn't realize you still cared for me so much," T'Pol said quietly.

Trip looked down at his feet and said nothing.

"Trip," T'Pol said, quietly as she reached for his hand. "I've made many mistakes."

Trip chuckled softly and said nothing in return.

"I…"

"Look, T'Pol, just because I…"

"I still care for you deeply," T'Pol said as she met his eyes. "And staying away seemed logical and reasonable but, obviously, it wasn't."

"How was it logical and reasonable?" Trip asked, flabbergasted.

"I don't know," T'Pol replied. "I think we should try."

"Try or experiment?" Trip asked, annoyed.

"Try," T'Pol said.

"Well darlin," Trip said still unbelieving. "You're going to be late for your shift."

He opened the washroom door and started to step out when she caught his arm.

"Trip…"

"If you want me in this again," Trip whispered. "You're going to have to do better than that."

He walked toward his dresser and started to take out his pajamas. A few moments later he heard his door open and close. She had left.

XXX

TBC