Trip came to the Captain's office in hurry because he was already late. He had to do some urgent repair, one of the turbolifts was not functioning without any particular reason. It took about 20 minutes to sort out the problem. Captain and T'Pol were already waiting, but it seems like they haven't started, yet.
''Sorry,'' said Trip
''I had a small problem with turbolift no.3,'' he continued.
''We know, take your seat, please,'' asked politely Archer.
'' What was wrong with that lift?,'' asked Captain.
''Actually, nothing serious, it looks like too many crewmen wanted to use the lift in the opposite directions at the same time,'' answered Commander Tucker.
''That is a classical example of the typical illogical human behaviour'' said T'Pol with her usual cold voice.
''Anyway, it is sorted out, now,'' said Tucker proud a little bit of the small job he had just done. Thanks God, that failures like this are sometimes happening. At least I can focus on my duty, thought Trip.
''Okay,'' said Archer with a smile on his face.
''Let's see what chef prepared for tonight, I am hungry like a wolf,'' continued Captain.
''Hmmm...smells like delicious Italian Pasta!,'' exclaimed Archer with an almost ecstatic expression on his face.
''Well, well, looks same good as it smells'' said Trip and without hesitation took his plate.
I will never understand what is so exciting in usual meal, thought T'Pol while she was watching carefully how Trip is putting pasta on his plate in hurry.
''Commander, it seems to me, that you haven't eat since a long time,'' said T'Pol with slightly aroused eyebrows.
''Well, actually, I was...busy since last few days,'' Tucker lied in unbelievable way.
''But you shouldn't have worry about me,'' Trip decided to try a small counterattack.
''Travis, brought some piece of pizza to my office, earlier on,'' Trip was waiting for T'Pol's reaction impatiently.
''What a unusual instance of courtesy," stated T'Pol while she was taking a glass of water.
Meanwhile Captain Archer opened a bottle of wine and fulfilled two glasses.
''T'Pol, Maybe you will finally decide to try?,'' he asked her, but he already knew the answer.
''No, thank you, Captain'' replied T'Pol gently.
''Well, actually, Ensign Mayweather, also brought me a meal to the table, today'' continued T'Pol.
''He seemed to be illogically concerned about next movie night and he was asking about you, Commander,'' this time T'Pol had trouble with suppressing the slight laughter in her mind, so her eyebrows aroused a bit more.
''Travis...brought a meal to you?,'' Trip seemed to be astonished and he wasn't able to hide it.
Meanwhile Captain Archer was observing his senior officers and had a real trouble with „suppression" the loud laughter.
''Since when Travis is a new waiter here,?'' asked Tucker with a rather ironical smile on his face.
''Is it something wrong to bring meals to other crew members?'' asked T'Pol with her usual professional manner.
''Actually...,'' she continued.
''I thought that eating outside restricted areas, for instance engineering, is not according to Starfleet regulations'' she finished with her head slightly turned toward Trip.
Tucker was totally unforced and he had no idea how to get out of this.
''Well...Trip, you know that T'Pol is right,'' said Captain who pretended professional behaviour, but anybody who knows him just for a while, especially Trip, could realise immediately, that he has got trouble to withstand without laughter.
You got probably a lot of fun when you are placing a knife into my back, thought Trip.
''I can't see anything wrong in bringing meal to the colleague, who is not able to get to the canteen on time, because of his duty,'' this time Commander Tucker pretended to be official.
''Even, if it is not allowed by the Starfleet regulations?" T'Pol again aroused her eyebrows while she was saying that.
Trip was discreetly looking at the T'Pol's ear and thought. There's no other option. These ears have to be responsible for making them such a impossible people. Sooner or later it will be scientifically confirmed.
I have no idea why Humans are so many times focused on our ears, but it seems to be some kind of mass obsession, thought T'Pol while she realised that once again, by some unexplained reason, she was reading Commander Tuckers thoughts without intention.
''Well...,'' Captain Archer decided to give a hand to his friend.
''What favour did Ensign Mayweather want from you, Trip?,'' asked Archer who didn't have to guess that it wasn't just a favour without any business.
''It's all about movies, sir,'' replied Tucker.
''Seems like we have a small disagreement on board'' he continued.
''What's this all about?'' asked curiously Archer.
''Violence, like some people say versus a classical boring romance'' replied Trip.
''Which means?,'' Archer insisted.
''"Rocky" versus „Gone with the Wind", sir,'' explained Tucker.
''We've got more males on board so probably you'll see „Rocky"'' stated Archer without hesitation.
''It's not that easy, Captain, Phlox and other medical staff opposed this idea strongly. He said that since the beginning of the Xindi problem, he can see results of violence too often in the sickbay and he doesn't want to see the same on screen. Looks like it will be hard to persuade him,'' said Trip without enthusiasm.
''Maybe he is right, Trip,'' replied Archer also without enthusiasm.
''Anyway, I shouldn't interfere cause I'll be on the bridge on Tuesday's late shift and surely will not join movie night, this time,'' continued Archer.
''It's a pity, Malcolm and Travis were believing in you, sir'' said resigned Trip.
''You are illogical, Commander. I thought that you enjoy romantic adventures like last one on Risa, for instance,'' said T'Pol with a pinch of the typical Vulcan „arrogance'' in her voice.
''T'Pol, I think that you shouldn't use word „romantic" in this case,'' said Archer, this time he wasn't able to stop laughter.
Archer felt a little bit guilty about making jokes of Trip so he decided to help him.
''Trip, so what about different movie?'' asked Captain.
''Well, it's Sunday evening now, and I think that it will be difficult to propose something other than „Gone with the Wind" till Tuesday,'' replied Tucker, who seemed to be totally beaten on all of the battlefields this evening.
''Actually, I am not so sure'' said mysteriously Archer.
''T'Pol, I've seen you few times at the cinema here, am I correct?,'' asked Captain and it was easy to realise for anybody who knows him that he had something on his mind.
''Yes, sir, Doctor Phlox recommended that to me. He claims that it is logical to socialise with the other crew members and the movie nights can be helpful in achieving this goal'' replied T'Pol .
This man will never stop surprising me, thought Archer about Phlox.
How is this guy doing that?, thought Trip on the same subject.
''Very well, then, what kind of movies do you enjoy the most?,'' Archer intentionally didn't use word „like", he already knew that Vulcans are considering any expressions with this word as too emotional.
''I enjoy movies with some kind of mystery to solve, I can use logic then, but unfortunately it seems to me, that most of the movie directors on Earth didn't pay enough attention to the details,'' replied T'Pol in her usual way.
''Anyway, I suppose that there are plenty of movies of this type in our archive'' Archer turned his head toward Trip while he was finishing this sentence.
''Well...actually I think you are right, sir,'' replied Tucker with a sound of the slight concelation in his voice.
''By the way, sir, is it „Gone with the Wind" where action is taking place during the civil war and Atlanta is on fire?," Tucker asked Archer rhetorically, hoping that neither Phlox nor T'Pol aren't so familiar with the history of the Earth's cinema. Also now, he seemed to be fully recovered from the „wounds" he received earlier.
''Well...actually, I think you are right, Commander,'' certainly replied Captain.
T'Pol who was familiar with Earth's history, found it logical that Commander Tucker whose sister was among the 7 million victims of the Xindi attack, was not necessarily interested in watching movie about war and cities on fire. She begun to think about professional matters while the Captain and Commander too, already started to eat the second course, which was prosciutto . T'Pol took her plate too, and without a word started to put a vegetarian salad on it. Meanwhile Trip seemed to be much happier than during the whole day and he was waiting impatiently for the dessert. It also seemed, that he will not avoid T'Pol like he did since last few days. Captain Archer was happy that his chief engineer is not that sad as he was earlier this day. He was absolutely sure, probably much more than Trip and T'Pol were , that these two needs each other like a desert needs a rain. There is only one problem with them, how to make rain pour on the desert? It requires too many people to make this rain falling, thought Archer. In the future Starfleet should consider to assign a specialist familiar with this type of work on boards of the ships, especially if they will be planning to run longer term missions, Archer continued his deliberations.