Author's Note: Please see previous notes. I decided that Snapshot 55 needed to be expanded a bit—truly not much, just a little. Let me know what you think.

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Trip's ship, the Nebulus, had been making its way back from a 'quick' (the term is relative in space) trip beyond the edges of the galaxy. It had taken 4 months longer than anticipated and they'd now been out of contact with Starfleet for 11 months.

"This is the Nebulus, Starfleet do you read?" Twilla, the Communication Officer asked.

The bridge was quiet, waiting for the response. When they left, Starfleet was experiencing a rare break in fighting and they had all secretly hoped the break was still occurring.

"This is Starfleet, Nebulus, welcome back," the voice called out to them. "Captain Tucker we will send updates through immediately."

A cheer sounded through the bridge. Not knowing anything for 11 months put everyone on edge.

"Thanks Starfleet," Trip smiled before he rose from his seat and walked into his ready room.

"Come on, " he secretly pleaded with the screen as he waited.

He needed good news. Starfleet would be receiving his reports now while he waited for theirs and they wouldn't be happy. The destination all their Intel pointed to as the location of a viral lab was false. Essentially, they'd pulled one of their best ships and strongest Captains for an 11 month mission that was pointless.

When the reports started scrolling down the screen Trips eyes lit up and he clicked on the brief update before he methodically spent the next 6 hrs reading about the larger events of the last 11 months. He wasn't quite done by the time his eyes were too blurry to read anymore but he needed to go to bed. He had many less urgent reports that he still needed to read to fill in the blanks but that would have to wait until morning.

Before retiring, he released two reports to the crew and made a brief announcement that would bring them all relief. The war was still going on but they'd made leaps forward in the last 11 months. Starfleet was faring well.

Just before he closed the screen, his eyes caught a transfer report from 6 months ago that he'd skipped over. It was entitled Command Change Hyperion. That was T'Pol's ship.

He clicked on the report and saw two lines that made his stomach drop. She'd resigned as Captain due to medical reasons citing an inability to continue in her duty at Captain. Gyk was now the Captain of the Hyperion.

Trips eyes, suddenly awake, looked through the list for any other reports from the Hyperion. She filed reports up until 6 months ago about skirmishes, fights with the enemy, damage suffered to the ship, supplies, leaves, repairs, personnel changes... nothing unusual. He hadn't noticed, in his haste, that the last 6 months of Hyperion reports had a different name on them; Gyk. He was Vulcan as well, so his style of writing was similar to TPol's, but not the same. Trip was too rushed and tired to notice the difference.

He furrowed his brow and walked to his quarters the entire time wondering about this new information and trying to convince himself that he could wait until morning to find out more. By the time he got to his quarters, he'd resolved to contact Malcolm for more Intel; he couldn't wait until morning. They hadn't been in the best terms these last few years, Trip's ship did tend to get favored by Command, but he knew Malcolm would tell him what was going on with T'Pol.

He sat down at his desk and placed the call. A minute later a disheveled and blurry eyed Malcom answered the video call.

"Sorry I woke you, " Trip said honestly.

As much as Malcolm rankled him in most of their encounters their friendship went back over twenty years. Maybe Malcolm was a little jealous of Trip's popularity with the brass and all the benefits that came with it, but Trip also has watched Malcolm happily married for ten years.

"I heard you were back, but I didn't..."

"Who's that?" Valentina Reed asked from behind him.

"Sorry Valentina," Trip apologized honestly.

She was a good woman, ironically, his Security Chief for the last twelve years.

"Hey Trip, " Valentina called sleepily with a wave of her hand before she dropped her head back onto her pillow and went back to sleep.

"I can call you in the morning and..." Trip started to apologize again as he reached for the button to end the call.

"I'm up, " Malcolm says as he wiped at his face. "You calling about T'Pol?"

"Yeah, why isn't she Captain anymore? And what's wrong with her?" Trip asked anxiously.

"I was going to call you in the morning, " Malcolm said with a yawn. "I thought it would take you longer to get to that report."

He peered behind and noted that Valentina was snoring. This was not going to be his finest moment and he didn't want the woman he loved to witness it. He did like Trip, but years of watching him get kudos from the powers that be had worn on him. He was just as good a Captain but had been overlooked for all accolades. And now, many years after they'd parted ways, T'Pol, the love of Trip's life, was going to break his heart.

"I caught it by accident," Trip admitted. "What's the matter with her? Pa'nar back?"

Trip could feel his heart racing at the thought of her sick and alone. He'd been away and she'd needed him, and he hadn't been there for her.

"Her condition resolved itself about 3 weeks ago, " Malcolm hedged.

"What condition?" Trip asked.

"She had a baby, Trip," Malcolm said with a smirk.

"Excuse me?" Trip asked, shocked.

"A healthy boy, " Malcolm said.

Part of him secretly liked that he got to tell Trip this. That T'Pol had been obviously involved with some Vulcan dude on her ship. That the almighty Trip Tucker, didn't get everything he wanted.

"I haven't seen a picture yet, but apparently he's got olive skin, the ears..."

"Wait, T'Pol had a baby?" Trip asked, confused.

Malcolm saw the man's face fall and immediately felt badly for him. No matter how jealous he was of Trip Tucker, in this moment, he was not. The man had lost a child with T'Pol over twenty years before, they'd been together for a few years, and he'd roamed from woman to woman since. As much as Trip Tucker's professional life was to be envied, his personal life was not.

"I'm sorry, Trip," Malcolm said, sincerely.

"I need you to back up Malcolm," Trip said. "She left her Captaincy because she was pregnant?"

"Yes," Malcolm said. "There were some complications and she needed to go on bed rest."

"She's okay, her baby is okay?" Trip asked, worried again.

"Yeah, once she went on bed rest she carried through and…Valentina spoke with her a few times and…"

"And the father of the baby is with her?" Trip asked.

"There were four Vulcan males on board and none of them transferred off the ship," Malcolm informed him. "So, daddy stayed on the job. Valentina says that Vulcan women frequently…"

"Where is she?" Trip asked, anxiously.

"T'Pol?" Malcolm asked, surprised.

"Yeah, Mal, her," Trip said annoyed as he started to access the Vulcan database.

"She's moved to San Diego and Valentina said she's going to teach at the academy," Malcolm said.

Trip was only half listening as his eyes scanned the database.

"I gotta go Mal," Trip said as his eyes widened at one fact on the screen before him.

"Trip, please don't call her now, maybe calm…"

"Don't worry Mal," Trip said before he disconnected the call.

Trip called up the database and searched for T'Pol's name. He located her on Quincy Street in San Diego and looked at the chronometer. It was late and it probably wasn't wise to call her right now.

He looked down at the keyboard and back up to the one blaring fact on the screen.

Trip Tucker called her number and waited a long time before she answered.

When she did, he was greeted by a tired and confused T'Pol with a crying baby in her arms.

"T'Pol," Trip said as he looked at her.

"Trip?" She asked confused over the cries of the baby.

"We just made contact a few hours ago and I…I heard about, well about you, and…" Trip yelled over the crying baby.

"I need to feed him," T'Pol said, her voice unsteady.

"Uh, sure, I didn't mean to disturb you or…" Trip said, suddenly feeling foolish. There was no way the baby was his. He looked all Vulcan. She may have been pregnant when they last were together. Just because he wanted to be the father didn't mean it was the case.

"Can I call you back in an hour?" T'Pol asked.

"T'Pol, I know your time is valuable and I don't wanna be …"

"I will call you in one hour," T'Pol said before she disconnected the call.

Trip sat back and stared at the empty screen and then called up the Vulcan database again. A typical Vulcan pregnancy was 16 months. That would have made her four months pregnant when they were last together. Or, her pregnancy was only 12 months and that meant her half Vulcan , half human child's gestation period was somewhere between 10 months and 16 months. And that the child was his.

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