Disclaimer: No, I do not own, never have, never will, desperately want to though. No profit is being made, the characters are not mine, I am only borrowing them. They'll be put back where they belong alive and well, if not in one piece.

A/N: Hey there everyone, I hated how the powers that be ended "Demons" so this is my take on it where Elizabeth survives! Also, this will be Trip/T'Pol and they will get together! Paramount has issues, I'm telling you people! Anyway, here is Chapter One of Bonds of a Family. Enjoy!

Bonds of a Family
by:
Twighlightstar

Captain Jonathan Archer watched sadly as T'Pol and Trip held their dying daughter, a daughter that they had only just learned about and now, were being forced to say goodbye. "It isn't fair," he whispered sadly as he held back tears. Right now, his friends needed him to be strong as they couldn't be.

"No, it's not," Phlox whispered back. "No parent should have to witness their child dying."

"Isn't there anything that you can do?" Archer asked as he watched the baby slowly die right in front of his eyes.

"No, there's nothing I can do. The scientists, and I use that term loosely, did a shoddy job of putting together her DNA. The Vulcan and Human DNA are both fighting for dominance and it's causing her immune system to break down. The only thing I could possibly do would be to completely resequence her DNA so that the Human and Vulcan DNA don't fight each other off and have one become completely dominant instead of sharing a codominance.

Jonathan looked at him blankly for a second. "I'm sorry Doc but biology was never one of my strong points. I thought that the Vulcan DNA was dominant and the Human recessive due to the differences in the genetics."

"No, no, Captain. Right now, the two different gene pools are codominant which is why I believe the baby is dying. The genetics are just too different for them to be codominant. One needs to be dominant, and the other recessive," Phlox explained patiently.

"Okay, I still don't understand," Jon said frowning. "Why can't you resequence the DNA to do that?"

"I can't do it because it would require resequencing the baby's entire DNA, which with the amount of time we have left before she dies is impossible, not to mention that it's illegal and is highly dangerous," Phlox said sadly. He didn't care about the legality of the matter, there just simply wasn't enough time.

"If something went wrong, would the baby suffer?" Jon asked mulling the matter over in his head.

"No, at least, no more than she is right now," Phlox said wondering what was going on in the Captain's head.

"Doc, I want you to try the resequencing, damn the legalities involved. This isn't about changing genetics to make a superior human but to help a child with a life threatening medical problem," the Captain said fiercely. He would not allow Trip and T'Pol's daughter die, not if he could help it and there was even the slightest chance they could help her live.

"Captain, it is already too late," Phlox said.

"I don't care and I don't think Trip of T'Pol will either. It's a chance Doc. Yes, a very slim chance that probably doesn't have a hope in the world of succeeding, but we can at least try. So long as she is still alive there is still hope," the Captain said firmly.

"All right Captain, I agree with you. It will probably not work but there is still the slightest chance and the slightest hope that it will. It is up to her parents though," Phlox warned.

"What's up to us," Trip said with tears streaming down his face. He still couldn't believe that he had daughter only to have her dying from some shoddy work of lousy so called scientists.

"Trip, T'Pol, there is a very very slight chance that I may be able to save your daughter," Phlox said.

Both T'Pol and Trip's heads whirled around and stared at the Doctor with hope shinning in their eyes.

"You can save her?" T'Pol asked, sensing through her bond with Trip that he was at the moment incapable of speech. As it was, she had barely been able to speak those few words.

"There is a very slight chance T'Pol. I won't lie to you. The procedure is very dangerous and there is a high chance that your daughter might die during it," Phlox warned, wanting the parents to be aware of all the dangers.

"If she were to die during the procedure, would she be in any pain?" T'Pol asked, her emotions visibly near the surface.

"No, at least, no more than she is in now," Phlox said.

"Do it Doc," Trip said speaking up for the first time since hearing there was a slight chance his daughter could live. "I don't care what you have to do or how you do it, just save our daughter," he pleaded.

"I will do my best Trip, T'Pol. Now, I want you both to go to your quarters and get some rest. Your presence here would only disrupt me. I'll call you the moment anything changes, you have my word," Phlox said gently.

Trip and T'Pol looked about ready to argue when the Captain stepped in. "The Doctor's right you two. The both of you are already nearing, if not already at the point of collapse from exhaustion. Go and get some rest, and that's an order," he said sternly.

Trip's shoulders drooped as T'Pol looked down in defeat. "Call us as soon as there's any change," Trip said as he guided T'Pol out the door.

"Save our daughter Doctor," T'Pol said before she and Trip disappeared outside the door.

"Let's get started shall we?" the Doctor said.

Jonathan nodded and moved to help the Doctor save the life of his two best friends child.

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Trip and T'Pol walked back to T'Pol's quarters in silence. They knew that they had a lot to talk about but now was not the right time. All that mattered at the moment was their daughter.

Once at T'Pol's quarters, Trip dropped down onto the bed wearily as T'Pol gracefully sat down next to him. "I have been thinking, no matter what happens, our daughter needs a name," T'Pol said.

"Yeah, you're right. Do you have any ideas?" Trip asked. He refused to believe that he would name his daughter only to have her die. Giving her a name seemed the ultimate hope that she would survive. He refused to believe otherwise and he knew that T'Pol felt the same way, though she did not show it on the outside.

"Yes, I do have a suggestion that I believe will meet with your approval," she said.

"Well then, let's here it," Trip said.

"I am partial to the name Elizabeth T'Less Tucker. Elizabeth after you sister, and T'Less after my mother," T'Pol said feeling Trip's sharp rise of grief along with her own suppressed grief for her mother.

"I think that's perfect T'Pol, a beautiful name for our beautiful little girl," Trip said as tears streamed down his face. "Sorry," he said as he tried to wipe away the tears without any success as more just kept falling.

"Shhh, it is okay to cry Trip," T'Pol said feeling her own grief, worry, and suppressed anger coming to the surface as a tear slipped down her cheek.

T'Pol's words and tear seemed to be the catalyst for the heart broken engineer. There, in the arms of the Vulcan woman he loved more than life itself, he allowed himself to cry for his sister and for his daughter Elizabeth, whose fate was, as of yet, undecided.

Human and Vulcan, entertwined both physically and mentally, allowed their combined tears to be shed.

How long they stayed like that, neither T'Pol nor Trip knew but it felt like it had been an eternity when they were suddenly paged.

"Archer to T'Pol and Trip," Jonathan's voice came over the intercom.

As one, both T'Pol and Trip flew over to the intercom. "T'Pol here," she said having beat Trip to it by only a second.

"I am very proud and extremely relieved to tell you that you are the proud parents of a perfectly healthy half Vulcan, half Human little girl," they heard the Captain say.

Trip whooped and whirled T'Pol around the room while laughing all the way. "Did you hear that T'Pol! Our baby girl is just fine!" he laughed.

"Okay you two, how about you come down here and greet your little girl," Jonathan said amused at their antics.

"We'll be right there Jon!" Trip said before turning off the comm and heading straight out the door, pulling an unresisting T'Pol with him.

Scant seconds later, they rushed into sickbay, eyes darting back and forth looking for their daughter.

"Where is she Captain?" T'Pol asked not seeing her.

"She's right here and I think she wants to be held by her mother and father," Phlox said as he came out of the private wing with a wrapped and wriggling bundle.

T'Pol, in what could only be described as eagerly, held out her arms for her daughter. After several days of not knowing whether Elizabeth would live or die, she was aching to hold her now healthy daughter.

"Hello Elizabeth, I'm your daddy and the gorgeous Vulcan holding you is your mama," Trip said staring over T'Pol's shoulder.

Elizabeth gurgled and smiled up at her parents and then looked at the Captain, her blue eyes riveted upon him and the Doctor.

T'Pol noticed where her daughter's gaze was focused and a hint of a smile tugged at her lips. "In human terms Elizabeth, that is your "Uncle" John and "Uncle" Phlox," she said.

Trip grinned, feeling T'Pol's amusement at John and Phlox's shock through their bond. "Would you like to hold her?" he asked taking Elizabeth from T'Pol and tickling her.

"Uh, no, I couldn't, I really don't have any ex..." Jonathan started to protest but was interrupted as he suddenly had a baby resting in his arms. Elizabeth looked up at him and gurgled happily, her deep blue eyes blinking sleepily.

"You said Elizabeth, is that going to be her name?" Phlox asked as the Captain gently rocked her.

"Yes, her full name is Elizabeth T'Less Tucker," T'Pol said sounding every inch the proud parent, not that she would ever admit to that.

"Elizabeth T'Less Tucker," Jonathan murmured. "I think your sister would be honored Trip, as I believe so would your mother T'Pol."

"Thank you Captain," Trip said eyes suspiciously watering again.

"Doctor, may we take Elizabeth home with us now?" T'Pol asked.

"More than likely you can T'Pol but I would feel more comfortable keeping her overnight for observation," Phlox said.

"All right, but we're staying put then," Trip said crossing his arms, mentally daring anyone to challenge him.

No one dared though as they all had a rather keen sense of self-preservation. No one had even planned to dare request that T'Pol and Trip leave their daughter.

"That's fine Trip, we'll set up a couple of extra beds for you and T'Pol," Jonathan said. This would work out better for him anyway. He needed to do a couple of things for Trip and T'Pol without them knowing it and if they were here in sickbay, so much the better.

"We'll leave you with Elizabeth now," Phlox said ushering out the Captain and going into his office to give the new parents some much desired private time.

"There you go precious," Jonathan said lying Elizabeth down in the cradle before leaving. "Don't worry about your duty shifts tomorrow, I'll take care of everything," he before leaving.

With everyone else out of sickbay, T'Pol and Trip turned their full attention to their daughter lying in the crib. "I guess that we're going to need to make some new arrangements huh?" Trip said.

"That would seem to be obvious," T'Pol said.

"I've been meaning to talk to you about somethings and now seems to be as good a time as any," Trip said.

T'Pol raised an eyebrow while gently stoking Elizabeth's hair. "I too have been meaning to talk to you but with current events, I have not had the chance."

"Oh, okay then," Trip said shuffling nervously. "Why don't you go first?"

"No, you may proceed," T'Pol said.

"Okay, well, I don't know how to say this but to be bluntly honest. T'Pol, I love you more than life itself and I know that Vulcan's can't love or can't show love on the outside, but I want to be with you, I want to be your husband. Besides, I think it would be best for Elizabeth if we were together," he said in one large rush.

"Trip, in Vulcan terms, we are already married and if I did not feel the same way, the bond we have between us would not exist. You are my Thyla. In human terms, my beloved," T'Pol said, her normally stoic face showing her feelings very clearly.

For a moment, Trip gaped before coming to his senses. Bending down on one knee, he grasped T'Pol's free hand. "T'Pol, I love you so much and more than anything, I want you in my life for life. T'Pol, daughter of T'Less, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

In the moment it took for T'Pol to answer Trip's proposal, time and space seemed to stretch for an eternity. All of his hopes and dreams rested on his beloved T'Pol's answer. Then, as quickly as time had slowed down, it sped up again and T'Pol began to speak.

"Yes Trip, I wish to become your wife by human standards as well," she said feeling tears of joy glittering behind her eyelids.

Once more, Trip whooped and spun her around the room happily. For the first time in what seemed like ages, everything was going right in their life.

TBC