Author's Note: Please see previous notes. Bond discussions are in italics. This one is sad, but I think kind of sweet.

Let me know what you think!

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"Do I talk to you like that?" Trip asked his daughter with a stern voice.

"Nope," Leslie said back, annoyed.

"Excuse me?" Trip asked her while his eyebrows shot to his hairline.

"No," Leslie amended.

"Then in what world do you think it's okay to speak to me that way?"

Leslie just looked at him with a blank expression.

"I will gladly eat the fee for your internship then send an undeserving child to that program," Trip warned her with a finger pointing at her.

"I am not a child," Leslie said as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Excuse me? Is my choice of vernacular the issue we are discussing?" Trip asked, the annoyance seeping through his bones.

"No," Leslie replied.

"So, what do you think I deserve?" Trip asked. "Because you and I seem to…where are you going?"

Leslie had started up the stairs when she stopped.

"I thought we were done?" Leslie asked as she turned slightly to see him.

"Get your ass back here!" Trip snapped, his voice that of the commanding officer that had sent a couple of ensigns for an early trip to the bathroom.

Leslie stepped back down to the level he was on, her face red; she wasn't used to her dad using that tone with her and it scared her a little.

Trip walked up to her and used his height to his advantage. She was a tall 13 year old, but he was taller.

"Don't you ever walk away from me while we are speaking," Trip warned her. "Show some respect. I don't disrespect you, so don't you dare disrespect me."

Leslie looked away from his glare and toward her hands, the ones she was fidgeting with.

"I'm waiting," Trip said.

"I'm sorry," Leslie said. It didn't quite have the level of true remorse he would like, but he was so angry with her and her attitude he was willing to not continue this any longer.

"Go and get to your room," Trip said.

Leslie looked up at him about to protest that it wasn't her bedtime when she saw the 'don't tempt me' look in his eyes and thought better of it.

She skipped up the stairs, a passive aggressive tendency she had, to show him she was unaffected by the exchange. But it was her 'tell'; whenever she acted extra indifferent he knew she was upset.

Trip walked to the kitchen and stood with his hands down on the counter and his head hanging. He closed his eyes and concentrated.

"Trip," T'Pol's voice whispered.

He looked across the white space and saw her rising from the chair she had been sitting in.

"I don't think I can handle the teen years," Trip said as he walked up to his wife and pulled her into an embrace.

"She is dealing with a lot," T'Pol offered.

"She is?" Trip asked, incredulous, as he took a deep sniff of her hair.

"It's a difficult time for a young woman," T'Pol offered.

"What happened to the little girl who used to follow me around and adore me?" Trip asked. "She was there a year ago."

"It's been a difficult year," T'Pol said. "She started menstruation…"

"I hated that," Trip admitted.

"You hated her menstruating?" T'Pol asked.

"No, well, sort of, but I guess I hated that she only had me to help her get through that, it was not ideal," Trip huffed. "And please get rid of the thoughts of guilt, I didn't say that to make you feel…"

"I know," T'Pol said, but her grip on him grew a little tighter.

"Her hormones are raging, and girls are particularly mean at this age," T'Pol offered. "I know you think she's doing this on purpose to upset you, but I assure you she is not."

"Is it horrible to say I really want her to go to that internship camp just so I can get a break?" Trip asked her.

"No, it's honest," T'Pol said softly.

"I hate that I think that," Trip sighed as he kissed the top of her head.

"In my experience, it's when people we love push us away, that we need to bring them in closer," T'Pol said. "Love them even when we don't like them."

Trip swallowed hard. He wished she was here. God, he wished she was here.

"I love you," Trip said as he leaned back and kissed her softly on the lips. "I better go bring her in closer."

T'Pol nodded and let go of him. "Come visit me later."

Trip smiled down at her and nodded. "Always, darlin, always."

He watched her walk back toward her chair and opened his eyes.

The sun was close to setting and he needed to make this right before it went even more wrong.

"Bring her in, Tucker," Trip sighed as he pulled his hands from the counter and walked toward the foot of the stairs.

"I'm going for ice cream, you wanna come?" Trip called to Leslie, who was most likely in her room.

No answer.

"Les?"

He heard footsteps and saw his daughter appear at the top of the steps. She was now wearing her mother's sweater and it nearly broke his heart to see her clinging to it.

"Sure," Leslie said quietly before she walked down the stairs and put on a pair of sandals.

Trip turned and pulled out his keys to lock the door.

"I'm thinking it's time for grape," Trip said as they exited the house and he locked the door behind them.

"Grape was three ice creams ago," Leslie said as she turned to look at him with wide eyes. "Next is walnut."

"Walnut, really?" Trip scowled.

"Yes, walnut," Leslie said as she banged against his shoulder with her own.

"Did I really agree to try every single flavor or just a variety of them?" Trip asked as he narrowed his eyes at his daughter.

"Every, single, flavor," Leslie said with emphasis on each word. "No backing out."

"What if I was allergic to walnuts?" Trip argued.

"You're not," Leslie said as she playfully punched his arm. "You agreed."

"Fine," Trip said as he smiled at his daughter.

In that moment she was his little girl again and he loved the way they were with each other. He knew hormonal Leslie would rear her head again soon, but he had to hold on to the sweet moments like this and remember them when he wanted to strangle her.

"I like that colour on you," Trip said as he looked at T'Pol's sweater. "It goes nice with your brown eyes."

"Just like mom's," Leslie said softly.

"Yours have a bit of green to them," Trip said. "Hers were all chestnut."

Leslie gave him a small smile.

"We can pull out more of her things if you like, now that you're growing into them," Trip said quietly.

Leslie nodded. "I'd like that."

Trip wrapped an arm around his daughter and kissed the side of her head.

"She misses you," Trip said into her hair.

"I wish…" Leslie said quietly.

"God, I do too sweetie," Trip said, his voice hoarse.

Leslie wrapped an arm around his waist and buried her head in his shoulder a little. When she was born no parent-child bond had formed so, now that T'Pol was gone, Leslie couldn't access her like Trip could. He'd spoken with Vulcan scientists, but a mind meld was too dangerous for both of them. He wished he could give his daughter the gift of her mother again, but he couldn't. As much as he relished his bond with T'Pol and time with her, he'd give it all up in a second if it meant Leslie could have it instead. She needed her mother. These last two years without T'Pol had been hard on them both. Her especially.

Trip pulled Leslie into his shoulder a little closer, just as his wife had told him to.

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