Disclaimer: Star Trek: Enterprise and associated characters are property of Paramount Pictures. I guess Chip and T'Mir could arguably belong to me, but, since their parents don't, I won't quibble over details. I mean no copyright infringement, this story is for entertainment purposes only.

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Trip/T'Pol Romance; Action

NOTE: I am still looking for a beta reader and idea bouncer-offer. Please send me a PM if interested. Thank you.

Chapter Two — Clues Without Puzzles

Having found a few more hours' rest in her husband's arms, T'Pol was up before the sun and downstairs deep in meditation by the time Trip roused himself to the sound of the alarm.

He tossed off the covers and reached for the t-shirt he discarded the previous night, catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror. Allowing himself a moment of vanity, he flexed briefly and smiled. Being married to T'Pol, who aged much more slowly than her Human counterpart, gave him addiitonal incentive not to "let himself go" as some Earth-bound officers sometimes did. He may not be at the peak of physical fitness as he'd been back on Enterprise but he had to admit he still looked pretty darn good.

He donned his t-shirt and made the bed, one of his usual chores since he was the last one out it, and walked as quietly down the hall as he could in hopes of not waking either of the kids. It was still early and they had a big day ahead of them — and he knew neither one had gone to sleep when they were supposed to. Much like they did at Christmas, the twins talked to each other well into the night with excitement for what the morning would bring. The twins hadn't shared a bedroom since they were three but they didn't need to be in the same room to communicate. The bond between Chip and T'Mir, stronger than anything T'Pol was familiar with, allowed the twins to carry on entire conversations from, as it turned out, miles away.

Continuing his stealthy decent down the stairs, Trip walked through the den, to the kitchen and out the door to the solarium where he sensed T'Pol. Moving quietly through the personal desert Trip had created, he joined his wife on the patch of soft moss she was using and took his own deep breaths to join her in meditation.

Aware of his presence beside her, T'Pol extended her hand and touched her fingers to his, inviting him into her "happy place" as he called the plain of her mind's eye.

Through the bond they shared, one forged during the infancy of their relationship, T'Pol could sense her husband's thoughts, feel his moods, as he did hers. Over the years, Trip had developed enough control to shield his mind from her at will, though there was rarely a need save for the occassional birthday surprise.

The solarium had been one such surprise, one that took months to orchestrate and much effort to leave T'Pol none the wiser.

Though he'd done the brunt of the work himself, using the same materials for the windows that were in production for the Warp 7 vessels he and T'Pol helped design, he'd called in several favors for the project. The sand from the Florida coast had been provided by his brother Jim. Lieutenant Pamela Isley, a former Enterprise crewmate, had guided the selection of Terran and Vulcan plant life. T'Pol's father, after some urging by T'Les, used his influence to gain clearance for the procurement of the Vulcan vegetation.

Construction had taken three days — which conveniently coincided with a lecture T'Pol had been asked to give at Starfleet Academy down in San Francisco — and several of their own crew from Rose Lake had helped.

Though T'Pol had known her husband was keeping something from her, she had not pressed and had been suitably surprised to return from her lecture to find that her mate had re-created, to the best of his ability, a small piece of her homeworld.

That had been one of only a handful of times he'd kept any time of secret from her.

But that morning, joined in meditation, there were no walls. No secrets. All that T'Pol thought, felt…all that she was…was laid bare before Trip and he was open to her in return.

Feeling no shame, T'Pol shared the the fear and uncertainty her dreams caused. She'd experienced eight such disturbing dreams over the past three months, each leaving her with a feeling that there was something she was missing; a clue she was overlooking to a puzzle she did not recognize.

Trip, in turn, felt and shared his own fear and concern for his wife. As much as he teased her himself, she was the most unflappable woman he knew and he didn't like the effect these nightmares had on her.

The dream has passed, Husband, T'Pol thought, trying to reassure him as much as herself. And today is not a day to dwell on fear.

He agreed, giving her one more mental hug before returning to his own head. Opening his eyes slowly, he couldn't help but smile at the vision that was his wife.

"You're beautiful, T'Pol. Inside and out."

Knowing better than to admonish him for his preoccupation with aesthetics, T'Pol merely shared her own smile before pushing herself to her feet.

He took her hand in his as he stood, holding it as they walked back into the house.