CHAPTER NINE

T'Pol was actually amazed at how much this universe's Trip Tucker was like her own.

He was first officer of this Enterprise. In spite of his loyalty to the captain, he was still compassionate to some, especially to his T'Pol. He was repeatedly risking his life just to see her, to be with her for a few seconds.

After he had left her quarters, she stood quaking for a brief two seconds. The kiss he had given her was powerful and frightening, even though it only lasted a brief moment. He had whispered a word that surprised her.

T'hai'la.

Beloved.

Right then and there, it all came together. Everything that was connected to this alternate timeline, and especially between her and Trip.

It had been four and a half hours. More than enough time to gather information and knowing Trip as she did, he would be getting worried. She reached for her hidden communicator. "T'Pol to Tucker."

He responded. "Go ahead."

She paused and reconsidered. "Prepare for beam-out." There was one last thing she had to do.

"Understood."

T'Pol laid her communicator on the desk and walked to the closet. This T'Pol would awake in half an hour's time. She dragged her out, laid her on the bed, and folded her arms over. She was unsure how she went to sleep, but she based it on herself. Making sure she was still unconscious, she went back and got the communicator.

"One to beam out."

She dematerialized from the alternate quarters for the last time, and then after a few extra seconds she reappeared. She saw Trip – her Trip – looking up at her, slightly frowning while she didn't move off the platform.

"T'Pol? What's wrong?" he said, walking around the controls to her.

A million things were literally going through T'Pol's mind, but she chose the relevant topic and spoke. "I've discovered numerous differences to add to the report. We should meet with the rest of the senior staff if the captain is still interested in conducting recon missions."

Trip slightly smiled as T'Pol matched her footing. "You wanna change first?" he asked as they both glanced at her outfit. It had helped her to blend in on her recon mission; now, the only thing it helped was Trip's imagination.

She nodded. "Can you walk in front of me?"

Nodding understandingly, Trip glanced down the corridors to check for passing crewmen. He quickly thought of the quickest route to her quarters.

"Come on."

She followed him willingly as he shielded her from other crewmen. T'Pol dashed into the turbolift and Trip made sure no one else was coming before he stepped in. He pressed the button for B-deck. "So what was different?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"Mostly, the vocal algorithms and inflections in the crew's manner of speaking."

"What about me?" Trip asked, barely loud enough to be heard. "Us."

"T'Pol is treated like an invalid by everyone – except you," she said.

Trip's attention was solely on her, until the turbolift halted and the doors opened to B-deck. "Hang on a sec," he said, looking to make sure there wasn't anyone lurking. When he was certain, he motioned for T'Pol to follow. She walked closely behind him to her quarters. She slipped in and Trip waited by the door. "I'll stand guard. And I'll make sure the senior staff is waiting on you."

Some days, T'Pol reflected, Trip lived up to another definition of his nickname. Some days, like today, Trip's actions only reminded her of why she had fallen in love with him.

She lifted her face. "Trip."

He turned around towards her.

In a graceful move, she left another kiss on his cheek. "Thank you," she said quietly. She retreated into her quarters, leaving Trip slightly staring at her door and smiling like an idiot.


Trip couldn't think for a moment, and when he regained his senses he pushed the button on the comm panel. He cleared his voice. "Tucker to the Bridge."

Archer answered. "Go ahead."

"T'Pol just got back. Says she's got some information the senior staff is gonna want to hear."

"We're all here, with the exception of you two."

"We'll be there in a few minutes. Tucker out."

Just as he finished, T'Pol stepped back out of her quarters. Her blue outfit was a major difference to the short skirt and skin-displaying blouse that she had to wear while on the other Enterprise. And Trip found the normal outfits she wore much more attractive, even though some would have given up many things to see her in the outfit that she had just changed out of.

And Trip would punch everyone on board before that happened.

"The captain and the others are on the Bridge," he said.

T'Pol nodded, and then began walking to the turbolift. Trip settled in pace next to her, but before he could quietly ask if she had saved the outfit or thrown it in the recycler, she abruptly asked, "Do you wish to continue our conversation?"

Oh, well. Her pajamas would settle. "That depends. Do we have enough time?"

"I don't believe so."

Was she playing games or what?

"However, if you would stop by my quarters later this evening, I will explain everything in detail for you."

Oh yeah, she was. Trip hoped he would be able to discuss a few things on his mind, too.

They reached the turbolift. They paused, waiting as he called the turbolift, and then she began, "I believe it would be prudent not to try and initiate first contact with this alternate timeline."

Oh, well. Back to business. "Why's that?" he asked, folding his arms as they stepped inside.

"Captain Archer, in spite of his cynical mentality, expressed an interest about pursuing further opportunities for contact with subspace anomalies, such as the one we found. And I thought you might like to know that their scans never picked up Enterprise's presence."

"Nice to know I'm not getting rusty in my work," Trip said.

T'Pol cast him a glance, and then assumed an expression as stoic as Trip had ever seen. True to his word, the senior staff was gathered in the situation room. Archer looked up and spoke first. "Commander, welcome back."

She nodded and then began her briefing. Trip watched her as she went over the subtle differences in the crew: first was Captain Archer's cynical mindset due to his hostility to Vulcans. "Although the crew respects him, I believe it is only due to fear for their lives, as Lieutenant Reed as at the beckon call of the captain."

Travis' torture made Trip shiver at the thought of emerging with frostbite. And apparently, it made Travis shiver as well. "I think maybe the original idea of never being born is more comforting to him."

Hoshi's sleazy appearance made the communications officer shiver, literally. T'Pol glanced at Hoshi, and said, "Apparently, you were in a relationship with the captain." In the second that followed, Trip swore he heard everyone breathing.

Hoshi glanced at Archer. "No offense, sir, but only in an alternate timeline."

Next on the briefing was Malcolm's goatee, which caused a shared smile to pass between Trip and Archer with the knowledge that if Reed ever did that on this ship, they would shave in a heartbeat, without the drunkenness.

Then when she got to herself, T'Pol braced herself. "T'Pol was held hostage by Captain Archer in response to a show of hostility on the Vulcans' part four years ago. In the time that followed since then, Captain Archer allowed her to put her expertise to work and she filled in occasionally as the science officer. After their incident with the Suliban, Captain Archer allowed her to work fulltime on the Bridge. Otherwise, T'Pol is treated like an invalid." She lowered her voice during the last few statements, and then raised it again for Phlox. "And my original assumption about Dr. Phlox was correct. He never came on board."

Archer considered pushing about Trip, but refrained. "Anything else about Commander Tucker?"

"Commander Tucker might have been a better candidate for the reconnaissance than me. There were virtually no differences."

Archer let it go. "Thank you, T'Pol. Dismissed."

The senior staff scattered back to their stations with the exception of the three ranking officers. T'Pol looked between them, then said, "If you don't mind, Captain, I believe a shower is in order."

"No offense, Commander, but permission granted. Personally, you reek."

T'Pol ignored the comment, walked to the turbolift, and left.

Trip glanced after her, and Archer at Trip. "So, Trip. Do you feel better now?"

The engineer smiled. "She's back on my ship, safe and sound. This is the best I've felt in a long time."