Author's Note: Forgotten had a couple of opportunities for Trip/T'Pol wonderfulness but I decided to merge a couple of them instead. Please review and let me know what you think.

XXX

"You are the ones to be envied," T'Pol said as she felt his second hand reach up and clasp hers as it rested on his shoulder.

He cried on front of her without guilt, or inhibition, or shame. She stood, stoically, in front of him quietly waiting for the emotion to pass and for him to feel better. He needed no platitudes or soft words, he just needed her.

"Thank you," he whispered when he was done.

She, realizing he was now spent, stepped toward him and wrapped her one free hand around his waist, placing her cheek against his chest. He dropped her hand and wrapped both his arms around her waist pulling her against him even more.

"I'm sorry, for the loss of your sister and for crewman Taylor," T'Pol said softly against him.

He smelled of Trip and engine fluid, coolant, oil, insulation and dust, but she didn't care. She inhaled him completely and relaxed against his frame fully with a sigh.

"I love you," Trip said softly into her ear.

"I know," T'Pol said quietly.

He chuckled slightly knowing she would never say it back, but hoping just the same.

"And I hope you know," she said quietly as she shifted slightly against him. "I feel the same about you."

"I know," Trip smiled softly.

She allowed a small smile to cross her lips, knowing he would never see it.

"Commander?" Rostov asked confused as he approached the pair of them.

Trip and T'Pol immediately jumped away from each other and looked toward the source of the question. He had dried tears on his face and a blush rising up his neck. She was looking anywhere but at the engineer who interrupted them.

"Rostov?" Trip asked, all business.

"Uh, I can…"

"I should go back to the bridge," T'Pol said clearly.

"What do you need?" Trip asked Rostov as he tried to not watch T'Pol leave.

"I'm sorry, sir," Rostov started.

"Just…how about you just tell me what you need?" Trip chuckled.

"I need you to approve this shift change," Rostov explained as he handed Trip a PADD.

Trip took the PADD from him and quickly looked it over before entering his code to approve the change.

"It looks good to me," Trip said as he handed the PADD back to him.

"Sir, I'm sorry if I…" Rostov started.

"Don't worry ab…" Trip started.

"I won't…rest assured that I won't…" Rostov stammered.

"It's not really much of a secret anymore, I guess," Trip said as he rubbed his hand across the back of his neck.

"Probably not, sir," Rostov smiled at him uncomfortably.

Trip shared a secret smile with him and turned to work on a panel he'd been meaning to get at.

XXX

Trip just finished recording the letter to Crewman Taylor's parents and he looked across the room at T'Pol leaning against the wall.

"Goodbye Elizabeth," he said as he kissed his fingers and touched Lizzie's picture before he rose from his bed and walked toward T'Pol. She had just shown up to his room after his shift was over and unobtrusively taken a place in his room while he recoded the letter.

He walked to her and pulled her against his frame.

No tears came now, just a quiet acceptance of something that now sat a little easier with him.

She breathed in deeply and felt the shift in his thoughts as if it were a waterfall washing over her.

She unzipped his uniform and slowly lowered it down over his shoulders and his legs. He shrugged off his black top and undershirt and he reached around to her back and started to undo her zipper.

She nuzzled his neck as he shucked off her uniform and then lowered himself down so she could gingerly pull her legs out of her uniform.

Then, when she stood utterly naked before him, he slowly raised himself up her body kissing and licking his way back up to her face.

"Have I ever told you how much I appreciate it that Vulcans don't wear underwear most of the time?" Trip snickered as he ran his tongue along the pointy edge of her ear.

"I wear them when going off the ship because of DECON," T'Pol mumbled. "But on the ship…"

"But on the ship, I have easy access," Trip whispered just before he cupped her centre and started to maneuver his fingers inside her.

"You do," T'Pol whispered. "Only…only you."

Trip lowered himself slowly to his knees and spread her legs placing her one leg, then the other, over his shoulders so her centre was before him, her heels were against his back, and her back was against the wall for support.

He attacked her centre with vigor and started to lick, suck, and lathe her lips with his mouth until he heard her gasping for breath.

"Trip," she gasped as her fingers twined in his hair and her head fell back against the wall with a 'clunk'.

"You okay up there?" Trip asked as he pulled his mouth away from her and looked up into her eyes.

She had no words and merely nodded in agreement; her hands moving to his shoulders.

He placed his mouth back on her lower lips and the heat from his mouth accompanied by his hands massaging her buttocks sent her over the edge and she felt something inside her 'pop' as she orgasmed.

She rhythmically gyrated against his face before her upper body collapsed overtop of his head.

"Success," Trip mumbled against her thigh.

It took a moment before she re-gained herself but then she finally spoke.

"I'm sorry, this…this experience shouldn't just be about me," T'Pol said.

"I like that it's about you," Trip said as she sat back against the wall and looked down at him.

He felt her lower her legs to the floor and awkwardly stand before him, like a new foal who has just found her legs.

She took his hand in hers and guided him toward his bed when she lay down and pulled him on top of her. He found her wet centre with little issue and was soon pushing himself inside and outside of her in a dance they were both quite familiar with. It was a slow, tentative, love making and almost an hour before he released inside of her and felt the completion that he'd given her earlier.

Afterwards, they were falling asleep when Trip finally remembered something.

"The crew…they know about us, or at least most of them kn…"

"We've been candid," T'Pol explained.

"Not…not too candid," he yawned as he spoke. "Apparently."