The Enterprise Spring Vacation
By Anna Yolei
Chapter Eight: Cabin Fever
Originally, this fic was going to focus back to the R/S side of things. However, seeing as this is mostly A/T'P and I have so many ideas for this one, I decided it would be best to turn that plot into a companion fic, called "The Enterprise Holiday". For those of you who live in England, it's obvious how it got the title.
I love all the reviews I've been receiving for this fic. I really do. Some people didn't think it was possible for me, Anna Yolei, to write a decent violence- and profanity-free (almost) fic. I should start baking that crow and pass it around….
Summary: T'Pol gets pretty restless as Archer keeps a watchful eye on her. Can these two get through till tonight? As usual, I don't own Star Trek, Enterprise or any of the characters thereof.
And why hasn't Berman been fired yet?
***********
Trip looked at his communicator as the comm link with Jonathon went silent.
"Well, that was a 'lil rude to hang up on someone in a middle of a sentence," he said to himself. But even Trip knew he deserved it, and was lucky Jonathon hadn't kicked his ass for kissing T'Pol last night, even if it was on the cheek. Since T'Pol had been sick, however, Jonathon had probably forgotten how pissed off he was at him.
So, Jon's gonna stay and play nursemaid to T'Pol, huh? He thought. Good luck with that. Trip knew how stubborn she was with accepting any kind of help, especially if she was sick. Always tryin' to do everything herself, she was.
On that note, he stood up to head for the lake to meet Malcolm and Hoshi and hopefully get those two together.
********
As T'Pol put on the last of her clothing before stepping out of the restroom, she had thought about waking up in his arms in that fashion. Upon recalling the incident, she felt foolish for making such an advance on her superior officer, which she could just as soon forget. However, there was one thought that persisted—she had felt much too comfortable lying there with him like that.
Logic was telling the Vulcan that her illness was to blame for her lapse in better judgment. She had been recovering from a high fever and her mind may have still been under the effects of it. Yet there still was the persistence of the urge she felt to reach out to him. Jonathon had helped her to get through the night and that one night two years ago when she had been attacked. Maybe she had found it comforting that she had a friend there when she needed one.
But that is all it is: friendship, T'Pol told herself. There cannot be anything more between us. Jonathon--Captain Archer--is my superior officer. I would not risk jeopardizing Jonathon's career due to my personal feelings for him-- If they were to exist, she added. It would be best for our plutonic relationship that we put this morning's events behind us.
She picked up her bag and stepped out the door. T'Pol found Jonathon sitting on the edge of the bed with the communicator in hand.
"That was Trip calling," he said. "He was just inviting me to go on a hike, but I declined." Archer purposely left out the part about canceling her dinner plans.
"I thought you enjoyed physical activities," she said.
He nodded. "I do, I do, but there are more important things I have to take care of."
"Such as?"
"Well, I have to make sure you're going to be alright," he replied with a smile. Jonathon made sure to keep his hands to himself when he said this.
"I am fine, Jonathon. You should go catch up with Commander Tucker and enjoy your shore leave. You are the Captain."
"I also have the responsibility to look out for the well being of the eighty-two people under my command," he told her, "and that includes during shore leave. Now get over there and get some rest." He nodded in the direction of the bed. She looked at him for about two seconds before she turned around to lie down.
If there was one thing T'Pol did not enjoy, it was being incapacitated. It further frustrated her when she felt fine and Captain Archer insisted she get rest…such as this shore leave, for example. She didn't need a break from her work. But perhaps it was fortunate she did come on shore leave; it would have been difficult to reach Phlox from Enterprise when she became ill. And Jonathon wouldn't have been there next to her, worrying about her…
She was perfectly fine now, and didn't wish to stay still for the entire day.
"Do you have any preference for breakfast?" Jonathon asked her.
"The usual should suffice. Don't add any sweetener."
He nodded. "You just lie still."
T'Pol gave off a little bit of a pout. Archer thought he imagined it, but he already knew she didn't want to be there.
"Sorry," he added as he walked out. "Doctor's orders."
T'Pol heard a rustling noise coming from the direction of Jonathon's bag and leaned over to the side of the bed to investigate. There, with his head buried deep in the bag, was Porthos.
"Porthos!" she scolded in a firm voice. "Get out of that bag. Captain Archer will not appreciate you rummaging through his belongings."
The Beagle had no interest in Jonathon's belongings. He dug in the bag until he had found his favorite toy: a Frisbee. Porthos trotted up to the edge of the bed where T'Pol was and set it down for her. She knew what the dog wanted to do: he wanted to be outdoors, running without restraint. She did have a bit of empathy for his situation, but would never tell anyone about it. He sat and looked up with hopeful eyes and wagged his tail in excitement.
T'Pol looked out the glass door. There was a lot of space between the room and the shoreline. And she wouldn't have to leave the room, either. She picked up the Frisbee and walked to the glass door.
*******
Jonathon had just grabbed their breakfast and turned around to see Ensign Sato walking into the lobby with a rather wide package in her hands, followed by Malcolm. He went over to greet them.
"Hey, you guys. What brings you here?"
"Captain, I was hoping you knew where Subcommander T'Pol's room was," Hoshi answered. "This is a gift I bought her."
"For her birthday," Malcolm added.
Jonathon was a little puzzled. He was never good with date, but he distinctly remembered celebrating it eleven months ago. Now since it was coming around again, he already had been thinking about what type of gift to get her. But now…
"Hoshi, I think you're a little mistaken. Her birthday isn't for another month."
She smiled. "The Vulcan calendar is very different from ours. It falls on a different day each year on our Earth calendar. Last year was a leap year on Vulcan, so they added an extra month, which is why it's a little early, sir."
Jonathon nodded in agreement. "Makes sense. She didn't tell me it was her birthday today."
"It's not today. It's the day after tomorrow, but I thought she could use a early gift."
Malcolm noticed her smile got extra wide while speaking with the captain. Perhaps she's just being nice with a senior officer, he told himself, not wanting to seem jealous. He glanced over to the window and blinked in astonishment as he saw…a beagle of all things running after a Frisbee. Now how in the world did that happen? Then he realized there were no beagles native to this planet!
"Captain," Malcolm cut in and pointed to the dog. "That looks a lot like Porthos, doesn't it?"
Jonathon looked out the window and knew only one person who could possibly be playing with him…
"Lieutenant, hold this. Come with me, both of you."
He practically ran up to his room. Hoshi and Malcolm followed close behind and wondered in silence as to how Porthos got out. It was fortunate he discovered Porthos when he did. Neither suspected that Subcommander T'Pol, a rigid, cold Vulcan, would be standing outside the room, engaged in a game of Frisbee with a lower life form. Hoshi turned to look at Malcolm as he set the tray with the bowls down on the coffee table.
"T'Pol, I thought I told you to get some rest," he told her.
T'Pol turned around and stepped aside so Porthos could walk in.
"He needed some exercise." She handed Jonathon the Frisbee.
"Thank you, T'Pol, but it could have waited. You need your rest."
Hoshi stepped over to T'Pol and handed her the package. "It's for you. I know your birthday's in two days, so I got you something."
"That was not necessary, Ensign. Nevertheless, I will express my gratitude for your thoughtfulness." T'Pol herself had nearly forgotten about her birthday. There were no celebrations of one's day of birth on Vulcan; it was simply a day when one became exactly one year older. Although she was a bit curious as to what Ensign Sato got for her.
"You may open it today, if you like."
"We had better get going, Hoshi," Reed told her. "I see Commander Tucker's waiting for us on the other side. Can we take a shortcut?" He asked and pointed to the glass door.
"By all means, Malcolm. Have fun, you two. Tell Trip I said hi."
"Aye, sir." The two of them made their quiet exit and as Archer turned to face T'Pol, he looked down and noticed his bag was opened.
"T'Pol, you didn't go though my things, did you?"
"No. Your bag was already open. Porthos sought and obtained the object on his own. He was quite insistent that I play with him." She looked down at the dog, who was now sitting quietly by Jonathon's feet. "He is very swift, I might add."
"Most beagles are," he replied. "Now you have to lay down. Go on, now." She did so promptly. "There you go. Don't worry about a thing. I'm going outside to play with Porthos, since he wants to get out so badly. You stay put."
T'Pol turned to face the glass door, where Captain Archer was going out. He threw the Frisbee, but Porthos just sat there.
"Go get it, boy!" she heard him tell Porthos. "Go get it! Um…fetch!" Porthos finally relented and walked to the Frisbee and took his time returning with it.
"What's gotten into you, Porthos? You were playing with T'Pol a few minutes ago. You don't want to play anymore?"
As if he understood what Jonathon just said, he walked in with the Frisbee in his mouth and jumped up in the bed next to T'Pol and dropped the Frisbee next to her. She looked at him, then up at Jonathon, who looked rather amused.
"I guess he likes you. You know he wouldn't leave the bed when you were sick last night until Phlox came. He got pretty mad at me for trying to move him away from you."
Her eyes widened slightly. "That is most unusual."
Jonathon shrugged Porthos's behavior off and got the tray and took T'Pol's breakfast to her.
"I could have gotten it for myself."
"Yeah, I know. I told you to rest, and I'm gonna make sure you do that." He sat the tray in her lap and watched her as she began to eat. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he made sure to keep a little distance between the two of them.
"You know on Earth," he began, "they have bed and breakfast suites. The hosts serve you breakfast in bed."
"That doesn't sound practical."
"Those are mostly reserved for romantic getaways," he told her. T'Pol looked up at him and he got nervous. "Um…but that's not my intentions for today—about the romance part or, um...anything." He stood up and walked to the other side of the room rather quickly. She assumed he was nervous because he thought she was attracted to him, which she knew with certainty that was not.
"I assure you I don't have romantic feelings for you, even if it may have seemed otherwise this morning," she said quietly. Jonathon turned to face her.
"I know you don't. I was very, very out of line for what I did last night." How they got in that position was still a bit of a mystery to him. He distinctly remembered talking about Phlox and his silly notions, then turning on his back. Meanwhile, it was just dawning on T'Pol that Captain Archer believed he had made the advance towards her!
"Jonathon, I must tell you something." She stood up. "It was I that…came on to you, as the term goes."
He stood silent for two seconds, and then laughed. "I don't remember that somehow."
"You were asleep." She blinked once slowly and looked away, blushing slightly.
"Don't worry about it, T'Pol," he told her. "That neurotoxin you came in contact with yesterday was very…scary, to say the least. You couldn't even hold a conversation…"
"A neurotoxin?" She asked with curiosity. Captain Archer had yet to tell her about how she became ill.
He nodded. "Yeah, while you were scanning yesterday. You pricked your finger on a thistle that produced the neurotoxin."
T'Pol looked down at her finger and sure enough, there was evidence to support that.
"So you're telling me my fever was caused by a neurotoxin which I came into contact with yesterday?"
"That's what Phlox says."
T'Pol turned a little pale. Jonathon noticed this immediately. "You're feeling bad again. Now, get some rest."
"I'm fine," she told him but knew it would be futile to argue otherwise with him. Upon her return to bed, she eyed the Crime and Punishment book she had started on yesterday. "Jonathon, if you insist upon my staying rested today, I might as well finish the story I started on yesterday."
"Go right ahead," he replied and handed the book to her. "I guess I should catch up on some sleep, too." He placed his bowl down on the coffee table and stretched out on the sofa. "Wake me up in a few hours."
"Very well."
Jonathon quickly closed his eyes and was asleep in moments.
About an hour later, T'Pol looked up from the top of the book and glanced for a moment at Jonathon. She allowed her mind to go back to what he said caused her fever last night. The neurotoxin had only been in her body for several hours. It apparently caused her internal temperature to rise to a high temperature over the course of those several hours, along with her headache she experienced at dinner.
That explained her illness last night, as well not remembering anything beyond 2200 hours until Phlox came to visit.
But if this neurotoxin had been in her system for approximately twenty-four hours, it could not have been the cause of her sudden feverish sensations she had experienced in the days leading up to that. And oddly enough, this only occurred around Captain Archer or when he was in her thoughts…most of which involved the both of them in a compromising position.
She briefly pushed that thought aside and diverted her attention to the package Ensign Sato had left for her. It was rather large, but not very heavy. T'Pol knew it was customary to wait until one's actual date of birth to open their gifts, but Ensign Sato had told her she may open it earlier. Seeing as her patience lately had been a little short, T'Pol chose to open it now.
And you could imagine the surprise T'Pol felt when she saw Ensign Sato had bought her a new outfit.
This wasn't just any outfit, mind you; it resembled a red cocktail dress, as the hem came down to her calves. The top part came a little off the shoulder. As she lay the dress down, T'Pol found there was a note at the bottom of the box. She picked it up and read it:
Hey, Subcommander-Happy Birthday! Don't look too sexy for Captain Archer!
–Hoshi Sato and Malcolm Reed
T'Pol raised an eyebrow at this most unusual behavior from Lieutenant Reed and Ensign Sato. She may have expected a gesture like this from Commander Tucker, but not them. Of course, she had no idea the two of them had some very strong drinks after they left from the café last night. Upon sobering up, they each thought the other would have removed the note from the box, but obviously that was not the case. (A/n: There will be more of this in ESV's sister series "The Enterprise Holiday.")
She hastily stuck the note into the Crime and Punishment book on the page she had been reading. T'Pol had had enough of sitting around and decided to go out for a run before Jonathon woke up. If she returned before that time, he will think she had gotten the rest she didn't need and his concern for her health would lessen. Perhaps then he would begin to enjoy his shore leave. T'Pol changed into attire which was more suited for running and headed out.
Porthos watched her as she left out the door, and scratched at it, wanting to join her. However, he wasn't quite tall enough to reach the handle. Perhaps his daddy could do it for him…
*******
"Ah, nothing like a good ol' sit-down in a hot tub," Trip said to Malcolm as he settled down in the steaming water. It was located outside at the top of the mountain and the heat from the water amongst the nippy conditions of the higher altitude caused it to be rather foggy. He noticed Malcolm didn't look too relaxed standing over the tub. "Hey, C'mon. The water's great!"
"I'm quite alright here, thank you very much." The Englishman took two steps away. "I don't need a spa to relax."
Trip eyed him.
"Malcolm, are you afraid of the water?!"
Reed's eyes grew big and he looked to see if Hoshi was anywhere nearby.
"Hoshi's not around. Now, come on and tell me about this. Perhaps Doctor Tucker can cure ya." Malcolm sighed and sat down, placing a firm grip on the edge of the tub. He lowered his voice.
"Well, if you really must know, I am afraid of drowning. It's why I didn't join the British Navy."
"Makes sense," Trip remarked. "I suppose it's a good thing you serve on Enterprise."
"Why's that?"
"Well, if you were in the Navy, you would have never met Hoshi…and fallen in love." Tucker turned away as Malcolm Reed, normally a pale man, turned a bright red. He climbed into the water and neared Trip.
"Trip Tucker, you had better not mention that to her or I'll pummel you so hard your grandfather will feel it." His eyes were unusually serious, even for him. Trip, who was able to egg on Jonathon the night before, got the feeling that Malcolm would actually follow through with this. He merely told him:
"I think she likes you, too, Malcolm." Reed laughed. "No, really! Do you see the way she looked at you when she saw you without your shirt on?"
"She wasn't looking at me, Malcolm. She's at least ten years younger than me and I out rank her. Besides, Hoshi is not that type of girl."
"Well, you never know. I mean, I didn't think T'Pol could be so…" Trip stopped talking immediately and Malcolm continued to look at him, wanting more.
"So…?" he asked. Trip shook his head.
"Never mind. T'Pol's my superior officer and I should shut my mouth."
Malcolm's eyes brightened. "Last night, I took a picture of her and the captain that I think you'll find rather amusing. I have it saved on my camera if you'd like to see." He let out a grin and Trip joined him.
"Hey boys." They looked up to see Hoshi in a bikini and suddenly Trip wished Malcolm wasn't one of his closest friends. She smiled and stepped in, sitting very close to Malcolm. His face was in a very wide smile. "So, what were you discussing?"
"I just told Trip about that picture I took of T'Pol and the captain last night. I bet you want to tell him about the gift we bought her and the note we attached with it," he said while laughing. Malcolm couldn't ignore the fact that her top left very little to him imagination...and he did have an imagination!
"Oh, yeah…we bought this cocktail dress late last night and placed a note in there telling her not to be too sexy for the captain." They all laughed at this. "Well, we came to our senses about the note, though. Malcolm, I'm sure you removed that note."
He shook his head. "No, I'm afraid not, Hoshi."
"Um…I didn't remove it."
Silence.
*******
Jonathon awoke to Porthos licking him on the face.
"Ack! Get off, boy. What's gotten into you?" He sat up, wondering why T'Pol had not stopped Porthos from jumping up on him, then looked around and realized T'Pol was not in the room.
Damnit, she's always doing that! He thought. I told her to rest. It's for her own good! It was then that he remembered they had this same argument yesterday and that was why he left the room! He'd have to go out a find her before anything happened. Luckily, a dog's nose was a very useful tracking device. Jonathon grabbed the pillow she had laid on and held it up to Porthos.
"Go find her, boy."
Porthos immediately ran to the glass door and scratched at it. He opened it and Porthos took off around the lake and began to bark as the scent got stronger. Porthos led Jonathon to the other side of the lake and around a bush, upon which T'Pol was resting for a slight moment. Her back was turned to him.
"There you are," he sighed with relief.
The sight of Jonathon and Porthos startled her. She pushed off the bush and faced him.
"I went for some exercise," she told him. "I become agitated when I am not active. I thought you would be asleep for a while longer."
He rolled his eyes and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I think you've been active enough today. Now, I'm taking you back to the room and you're gonna get some rest, starting now."
Without thinking much on it, Jonathon put his arm squarely around her shoulders and used the other one to lift her legs up from the ground completely. She gasped. Needless to say, T'Pol had not expected this gesture.
"What are you doing?" She demanded, very shocked.
"I'm carrying you back to the room. It's not that far. Hold on to me."
She did as he told her, noting that from her view she could tell he had not shaved that morning. However the look suited his features perfectly. That feverish feeling came back again, and she sighed quietly as she rested her head on his shoulder.
The feeling this time was somewhat pleasing.
"Jonathon, if one of the crew saw us like this, they may get the wrong impression."
"I think the crew is a little more mature than that, T'Pol." Even if I do doubt that is the case with Commander Tucker.
She was tempted to mention the note that came with her gift, but seeing as neither Ensign Sato nor Lieutenant Reed were prone to fits of reckless behavior, T'Pol decided to ignore it. She didn't wish for Jonathon to become upset about them as well. T'Pol felt Jonathon's grip on her firm up slightly as he tried to hold her up. It was rather comfortable.
When the two of them arrived outside of the hotel, Jonathon stopped in his tracks. There, in front of them, was Fellis, the Jyoran from last night; T'Pol recognized him from the pool two days earlier. He turned around and waved at the two of them. Jonathon, with T'Pol in his arms, was unable to respond. He blushed as Fellis approached them.
"Ah, Captain," he said. "Nice to see you, T'Pol." Fellis pulled one hand of T'Pol's aside and kissed it. She jerked it away hastily and gave him a cold stare. Jonathon, for a slight moment, wanted to kick his ass.
"How did you know my name?" she asked.
"He told me!" Fellis responded, pointing to Jonathon. "He told me when I invited him to my grand celebration. Speaking of that I was just in town, gathering a few supplies for the occasion. I do hope the both of you can still attend."
Jonathon looked at her. T'Pol nodded. "We will be there."
"Glad to hear it," Fellis smiled, "because I don't think he'd enjoy it much if you weren't there." He darted his merry eyes in Jonathon's direction. Jonathon responded with a hardened glare. "You're a very pretty lady, heh heh heh."
T'Pol and Archer turned at looked at each other and he placed her down on the ground. Jonathon scratched his neck and let out a nervous laugh. In all the events of last night, he hadn't told T'Pol about the party, and had nearly forgotten about it himself.
"I told you, we're just friends." Jonathon put on his best smile as T'Pol continued to watch the both of them. Fellis pat him on the back and whispered:
"Just because you say it doesn't mean it's true." He let out a loud laugh and walked off. "See you tonight! Ha ha ha!"
Jonathon hung his head low and laughed as well. "Man, these Jyorans are some type of people. Makes us humans look like you at times…no offence," he added quickly.
"None taken, Jonathon," she replied as she smoothed out her outfit.
"Come on, let's go inside." The two of them walked in and T'Pol spoke.
"Jonathon, your friend mentioned a party that you apparently knew about. When were you invited?"
"Um…last night. I nearly forgot about it. I'm surprised you want to go to it."
"Social events are one way of finding out more about a species."
This was only partially true; T'Pol wanted Jonathon to enjoy some part of his shore leave and she did not wish to stay in the room alone. Of course, if Jonathon even thought she might get sick again, he would most likely not go.
"Speaking of parties," he continued, "Hoshi tells me you have a birthday in two days."
"Correct."
"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked as he opened the door to their room.
"Vulcans do not celebrate our birthdays and I didn't want you to have a surprise party for me again this year."
Last year Jonathon, along with Trip's prodding and poking, had arranged a surprise birthday party for T'Pol. She had never attended a human party before and was very unfamiliar with birthday customs, least of all the types of drinks they were serving. While she did appreciate the gesture, she didn't want another party in her honor, and she had told Jonathon this the next morning…after the Bacardi wore off.
"It'd be a little hard to arrange a surprise party on such short notice," he chuckled. However, he did want very much to do something nice for her. He planned to go into town early tomorrow morning to pick out a gift for her.
As T'Pol sat on the edge of the bed, Jonathon looked over from the sofa and saw the dress lying on the bed. "Did Hoshi get you that?"
"She and Lieutenant Reed both did." T'Pol watched as Jonathon nodded.
Wow, that's a pretty dress…I wonder what it looks like on her….
"Perhaps I should wear it for the party tonight. The one hosted by…" T'Pol suddenly realized she had not learned his name.
"Fellis. His name's Fellis. You say you'll try it on?" His eyes lit up in spite of himself and he felt a sudden excitement. Jonathon nodded slightly and tried counting to ten in his head silently to calm himself. However, it was not enough to keep T'Pol from noticing this change and feeling a bit flattered.
"If you are so eager for me to do so."
"No, no…there's no rush," he said hastily. Act calm, Jonathon, before she thinks you're lusting after her…
It's just as well. I must decide on something to wear to the party in any case." She picked the garment off the bed and took it with her into the bathroom, wondering how Jonathon would react upon seeing her in the dress.
Upon putting it on, T'Pol found it to be a little…revealing, in certain parts of her anatomy. She found that the cut of the top portion of the dress made her bosom seem somewhat more ample than it was. She also remembered that human males were very attracted to females with an ample bosom.
I would like to see how Jonathon will react, she found herself wondering. However, I do not want him to think I want any advances made towards me, because I do not. I am not attracted to him, nor is he attracted to me. Jonathon is still the captain, after all.
Jonathon moved from the sofa to the edge of the bed facing the bathroom door, waiting for her to come out. Well, it can't be more revealing that what she normally wears, Jonathon reasoned in his head. I mean, who doesn't want to see a woman in a tight-fitting catsuit? It doesn't leave much to the imagination. Especially if she were to wear one that was flesh-colored…Oh, Jonathon Archer, you have got to stop that thought right now! T'Pol's my friend and she's Vulcan and it's not going to happen. I know can look at her when she steps out that door and not have thoughts of getting her out of that dress…
He looked at the Crime and Punishment book sitting on the nightstand and saw that T'Pol was about a fifth of the way done with the book. Next to that was the one about the teachings of Surek. T'Pol had given him a copy of that book when they went to Risa about a year and a half ago, but he never read it. Ah, this should keep my dirty thoughts at bay…
He opened the book to a random page just as he heard the door open to the bathroom. He looked up and saw the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen step out.
It was still technically T'Pol, but at the same time Jonathon Archer had never met her before. It was like a whole new person he was seeing. All the while he struggled to keep his eyes off her ample assets, which the dress made even more ample. His mouth hung open slightly and his eyes got as wide as T'Pol had ever seem them.
"Um…it's, um…" Jonathon struggled to speak as he looked down and noticed the dress also flattered her legs, too. "Hoshi's got some great taste in style. You should really thank her." And I should too! We don't have enough lieutenants on board! He turned his mind off to that, and focused on the book in his lap. "Um, Surek says a lot of great things in here, doesn't he, heh heh…Oh, yeah…" He opened the book to the page he had it on, but didn't place it up to his face or even gave it a second look.
T'Pol eyed him curiously. "Jonathon, I wasn't aware of the fact that you could read Vulcan."
"Excuse me?" he asked.
"That text is completely in gothic Vulcan, which is rather difficult to read, even for me." Sure enough, when he looked down at the page Jonathon realized he couldn't make heads or tails of it. He blushed, feeling foolish, and came up with a lie to get out of it.
"Well, um…Hoshi has taught me some, um, Gothic Vulcan and Modern Vulcan, and, um...I wanted to...see if I could understand some of it on my own." He put on a very nervous smile, hoping T'Pol wouldn't say anything else on the matter. He was wrong.
"If you wanted to learn Vulcan, you should have come to me first." Ensign Sato had never mentioned this to her. In fact, she hardly ever saw her and Jonathon socialize off duty. Of course, T'Pol herself spent most of her off time reading or meditating in her room.
He tried very hard to brush it off. "Well, I didn't want to bother you with it, you know… because you're very busy with…sensor sweeps, yeah, that's it, and…whatever else you do on the ship." All the time he was babbling like a moron, Archer felt his eyes drifting towards her chest and made a conscious decision not to focus his attention there. He rubbed his hands together. "So, Um, T'Pol, do you like how it looks? The dress, of course."
She looked down at it and turned her head around to get a look at the back. "It is very elegant. Ensign Sato does indeed have good taste." Seeing Jonathon's reaction to her in this new attire and remembering the note that was placed in the box caused T'Pol to ask Jonathon a rather awkward question:
"Would you consider this to be too sexy?"
That was one line he never expected to hear a Vulcan say. Jonathon blinked several times in astonishment before he answered.
"It's a very beautiful outfit, T'Pol," he began nervously. He stood up and paced along the floor as he always did when he was feeling uncomfortable. T'Pol had noticed he did that when something was on his mind that was bothering him. Obviously, Jonathon wasn't comfortable with her question.
"I'm sorry to have upset you with my question," and she turned to put on her regular attire.
"No, wait, I'm not upset or nervous. I was just a little… surprised you'd ask me such a thing as… that." He took three seconds to relax before continuing. "There are some signals that women give out on Earth when they want to be attractive, such as wearing makeup or wearing low-cut clothing, which is, um, sexy in moderation. Like what you have on."
The room fell very silent as she raised her eyebrow. Jonathon could not believe he just said that.
"Therefore, you think I'm attractive," she stated. She found herself highly anticipating the answer.
"Yes. Um...I mean, no! I mean…I…" He stopped as he saw T'Pol staring at him with that look that he hadn't seen in a long time-- the one that meant he was being incredibly stupid.
"What I meant to say is that you are a very wonderful officer and that I respect you as a woman and a Vulcan and I'm sorry if it seemed otherwise." He walked over and extended a hand for a shake. "I don't think about you in that way." At least I try not to.
She looked at him and saw Jonathon was trying not to focus on her bosom for about the eighth time. T'Pol found this happened a lot since she served on Enterprise, and not just from other species, either, but from some of the crewmembers too…including a young female from Engineering. It was disconcerting when they did it. However, it didn't bother her as much when Jonathon did it. Perhaps it was because he showed some modesty or perhaps she knew he didn't mean anything by it. Nevertheless, she extended her hand for him.
"I know you mean well," she told him, "but I accept your apology nonetheless. I will go get changed." She walked back into the bathroom to get changed.
Jonathon walked over to the nearest empty wall and banged his head on the wall a few times.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" he whispered quite loudly. "Why the hell did I act so goddamn stupid?" He knew he'd have reprimanded any one of the crew if they had acted that way in front of her. Hell, he got pissed off at Trip last night and he had done a lot less than what he did…well, Jonathon hadn't kissed her, but still…How was he going to look her in the eye ever again without that image in his mind?
More importantly, why was this even an issue with her?!
Meanwhile, T'Pol took the time to ponder Jonathon's reaction to her attire and why she was enjoying it so much.
She stepped out of the bathroom to find Jonathon had a towel in hand.
"I'm going to take a shower now," he informed her. A nice, long, cold one. T'Pol merely stepped over to the side and allowed him to go by.
"And you had better still be here when I get out!" he added as he closed the door. T'Pol picked up the book on Surek's teachings and placed it back on the nightstand. While doing so, she checked the time on her chronometer; it was nearly 1200 hours and almost time for lunch.
*********
Jonathon stepped out the shower, and realized he was feeling a bit hungry. He looked around to see if T'Pol was still in the room. He was relieved to see she was there with a bowl next to her and a book in her hand.
"I brought you some lunch," she said without looking up. Jonathon looked over to the coffee table and saw a tray there.
"You didn't have to, but thanks." Jonathon walked over to the sofa and sat down. "Didn't I tell you to stay put?"
"No, Jonathon. You said, and I quote, 'You had better still be here when I get out.' As you can see, I am still here."
Jonathon let out a little chuckle at this remark. "Well, I guess I had better rephrase what I say next time." A few moments of silence went by. "T'Pol, I thought you didn't care for parties. You've only been to the one I had for your birthday last year on Enterprise. Are you sure you want to come to this one? The Jyorans are pretty wild people."
She looked up from her book. "As you've stated before, there is safety in numbers and you should enjoy your shore leave. After all, you are the captain."
He nodded. Jonathon had expected this answer in a way. She was always so concerned about his enjoyment that sometimes he felt she neglected her own comfort.
"Are you sure you want to go?"
"Very sure."
A scratching sound was heard as Porthos pawed at the glass door to go out on a walk. He looked over in T'Pol's direction. T'Pol looked at Jonathon. He got up to open the door, but Porthos took a running leap up on the bed next to her, then jumped off back towards the door.
"That is most odd," she commented. "He doesn't know whether he wants to go outside or sit on the bed."
Jonathon laughed, having seen this behavior before. "That's not it. He wants you to take him for a walk. Porthos has certainly grown to like you."
"Indeed." She looked at Porthos, who wagged his tail happily and barked. Jon smiled. "Perhaps I should go outside with him. Some exercise will do us good."
He sighed a little. He gave up trying to make her rest.
"All right, then. It seems Porthos wants to play with you today. I'm coming with you to make sure you're okay."
T'Pol said nothing as she stood up. "You should get some more rest, Jonathon."
"Ditto. But it's not going to happen, is it?"
"Vulcans can go for three weeks on end without sleep and still function normally. You need your rest more so than I do."
Archer shook his head in amusement. For a Vulcan that didn't like to show pride, she sure could brag. It was pointless to argue reason with her. She beat him every time. "Come on. Porthos doesn't like to be kept waiting." The three of them walked out the room.
*******
1600 hours
As he went to reach for the door, Jonathon felt a dull ache in his shoulder blade. His other arm went to grab it involuntarily.
"Are you okay?" T'Pol asked.
"It's fine," he told her. "It's just an old water polo injury that flares up from time to time."
This was one of those times. He hadn't felt that pain since before he left Earth, but he had spent a few hours throwing back a rather large stick with Porthos using that arm, forgetting about that injury. T'Pol eyed him as she opened the door. A idea occurred to her as to how she could help.
"Jonathon, perhaps a session of neuropressure could help to alleviate your discomfort."
He looked at her. He had heard Trip say it was pretty intimate, and right now he was scared it might become too intimate for his own good. Come to think of it, I wonder exactly how intimate it's been between them…
"It won't be necessary," he replied. "This'll go away in a day or two on its own. Oh, look at the time. We should get ready for the party. It begins at sundown."
TBC
*********
From Anna Yolei:
Well, that was fun. Chapter nine will be better, I promise.
Yep, Porthos got a lot of page time in here, didn't he? I have a beagle myself (Although it's technically my brother's because he fell in love with them after "Cats and Dogs" came out), and I can tell anyone that they are mischievous little pups. Don't get one if you don't have patience and money to buy new shoes.
As for the fic: The party itself might span over two or three chapters. There is lots of fun in store, so I'm not going to spoil it. There won't be much of the romance going on during those chapters, so I'll make up for it with--
Archer: Us getting' it on?
Anna: Well...probably way later. I was gonna say neuropressure.
T'Pol: Yeah, but does it lead to sex?
Anna: It could, but then that would make it seem a lot like "A Night in Sickbay," or Voyager's "Human Error." Or even worse than that, "Harbinger."
T'Pol: As I was saying, I can't wait to rub my hands on Archer and not do it with him.
Anna: Mmmmm…
T'Pol: Are you looking at him?!
Anna: Ahhh…no. Anyway, pleas R&R, and check out some of my earlier fics, most notably "What the Hell?", my first chapter fic written about two years ago. It's funny.
Archer: No it wasn't.
Anna: Hey, I haven't written that NP scene in yet, bub.
If you want to become a beta for this fic and others in the future, let me know with your review or though e-mail. E-mailing me tells me you're serious.
