Quote:  of The Teachings Of Surak is taken from the book Spock's World by Diane Duane.

Spoilers:  Mainly for The Crossing and Judgment, though there is mention of things that occurred in a number of earlier episodes and T'Pol is beginning to have vague dreams of her time travel in ch. 7.

Additional disclaimer:  Any resemblance of Hoshi's old boyfriend to someone real or imaginary is on purpose, as to what really happened to him; let the reader decide.

ENJOY! 

Ch. 9 Alone In Empty Places 

The body of Lt. Malcolm Reed walked the corridors of Enterprise.  Moments earlier an alien Wisp had attacked his cerebellum. Once it was in control of his motor functions, it had migrated to surrounding brain tissue, sending the essence of the man, whose body it had taken over, to a different plane of existence.

The Wisp smiled as it walked, marveling at the wonders of corporeal life.  The deck beneath its feet was hard, and the sensation of movement was new.  In its natural state, the alien had more power and control than the fragile body it now occupied, but since it lived as pure thought, it could only measure accomplishments in theory.  Now, in this lesser form, it possessed tactile senses, and its yardstick had changed.  It understood the thrill of putting ideas into action, and it wanted more!

It reveled in the feel of air moving in and out of lungs. Though its world had shrunk to tangible space, the area was filled with new and unusual sights and sounds. Colors, and the dance of light and shadow throughout its host's ship, were strange, new experiences.  Suddenly its olfactory sense came online; an aroma that caused its body-covering to tingle and blood pound had caught its attention.  

The Armory Officer was gone, but the Wisp had retained some of his basic instincts.  Working the override on the female's door had been easy.  It stood and watched her from across the room.  This had been the source of the fragrance that had called to it from two decks away, this female!  Though the man whose body it occupied wouldn't have been able to sense the woman from that distance, the Wisp had!  That was when it knew for sure that these corporeal creatures would be an ideal host.  Their puny mental capacity had allowed them to be easily overpowered and their senses enhanced, with no damage to the cellular structure that acted as a new home to the Wisp.

The alien took a moment to enjoy the sensations of increased blood pressure, heart rate and respirations, which the sight of her caused. As she tried to use verbal force to gain control of the situation, and make him leave her quarters, it understood why these inferior beings had made no attempt to do away with the antiquated and cumbersome need for two genders.  The pleasure they received from interacting with one another, balanced out the inefficiency of their reproductive cycle.

T'Pol was careful to keep a distance between herself and the being that was occupying Lt. Reed's body.  Usually when she dropped her mental shields, she picked up residual emotions that the undisciplined Human mind broadcast, but it was not the case now.  Since the alien had taken over, Mr. Reed was left with a blank emotional signature, which was in odd contrast to the heated expression in its eyes. Though her first inclination had been to render it unconscious with a Nerve Pinch, the mixed messages she had received from the being left her uncertain as to the success of that approach.  The most expedient and safest action had been to call for help.  Without thinking she patched herself through to the one man she knew she could count on, Jonathan Archer.

…………….

"Are you all right?"  Archer looked her over carefully when the hatch closed behind the last of the Security Detail that had taken 'Malcolm' away. They were alone in her quarters and he knew it wasn't a good idea, especially with what had just transpired.  It burned in his gut that another man, even one under the control of one of those Wisps, had dared make advances toward her, especially when she was dressed as she was. He had first hand knowledge of what her body felt like with only the thin silky material of her green sleepwear separating it from his.  If the alien had touched her, Malcolm or no Malcolm, he would have broken its jaw.

 "Why would I be unwell?"  She turned, and coolly assessed the man beside her.  Five days earlier they had rescued him and Commander Tucker from a prison ship.  Nothing had been the same since.  She wondered what the incarceration had done to his Human psyche that would cause him to revert to the rude, often angry, person he had been in the first months of their mission.

"T'Pol," he gritted his teeth as his eyes met hers.  "Humor me on this one. Are-you-all-right?"  He knew she'd done nothing to deserve the way he'd been treating her, in fact, just the opposite.  But he'd woken in the night, when he'd first been rescued, and discovered she'd fallen asleep on the couch in his quarters, clutching a Padd that was still marked with his blood. It had made him realize that he had been playing a game with someone who didn't know the rules. Hell he didn't know the rules, how could he expect a Vulcan to?

"No harm was done."  She could see he was upset, but they had more important things to deal with at the moment.

"Good," he smiled and moved toward her door.  "I'll wait outside while you change, I'll need your help in assessing the damage." They both knew that if one crewmember had been taken over by the Wisps, it was likely that many others had been as well.

Archer paced in front of her hatch, he was worried about his crew, but at least the emergency helped keep his mind off the mess he'd been making of his personal life. He and T'Pol had moved from grudging enemies, to co-workers, to almost friends, and then suddenly it had exploded in his face.   For him the damage was done the first time he admitted to himself that he saw her as a woman as well as an officer.  But even then he could have extracted himself gracefully with no harm done, if she hadn't let down her guard and allowed him see the part of her most Vulcans kept hidden from the universe. Damn Menos, damn the Vulcan High Command, and damn him for letting himself believe, for even a moment, that they could be more than the roles, in life, they'd been assigned to play.

……………….

Hours later they had moved the crew back to the catwalk.  Like the last time they'd set up temporary living spaces there, Enterprise was under attack from an outside force.  Before it had been a class 5 storm, this time it was aliens that had taken over a third of the crew.  Archer hated the forced inaction.  These were his people and their safety was his responsibility.  To make it worse, T'Pol had volunteered to act as bait for one of the Wisps, in hope that her much more disciplined Vulcan mind would be able to fight it off at the same time she found out what it really wanted.

"T'Pol, wait."  Archer stopped her as she headed for the hatch to the main part of the ship.  "Be careful."

"That is my plan."  She turned and gripped his arm one last time. "I will be fine Jonathan," she whispered and bent quickly to leave before he could change his mind and stop her.

He stood frozen as the hatch closed behind her.  She'd done it again; she'd initiated physical contact.  In the two years he'd known her, he didn't think she'd ever been the one to reach for him. Now in a space of less than five minutes, she'd done it twice!  'Keep her safe' His fists tightened into balls at his sides.  'Please, let me get a chance to tell her I'm sorry for the last few days.'

……………………..

Enterprise seemed big and empty.  With the warp engines offline, T'Pol could almost hear her footsteps echo in the passageways.  Suddenly a bright aqua light darted past, and circled her head, and then she froze.  The corridor appeared to pulse and throb as she felt the Wisp attempting to burrow into her mind.

*She was alone.  The corridor had expanded and the walls shimmered as if she were looking at them through water.  She could feel swirls of emotions nipping at the edges of her mind and battled them back by silently reciting from some of Surak's earliest teachings. 'Cast out fear.  To cast it out, you must first accept it; you must admit it is there.  Just past it, is the great leap to true power:  the move through the fear and helplessness, accepted at last, to what lies beyond.' As the simple mantra kept repeating in her head, she felt her control return.  The Wisp was still with her, but they were meeting on an even playing field.

As it burrowed through the outer layer of the Vulcan's mind, it grabbed onto the first image it found.

"T'Pol," her name echoed through her thoughts, and it appeared as if Jonathan Archer stood ten feet away.  "Come with me, T'Pol."  The image smiled and held out its hand.

"You are not who you appear to be."  She knew the Wisp had conjured him up, but did not understand why it chose him.

"Of course I am."  A door slid open behind him, one that hadn't been there a moment earlier.  "Step through this door and you will understand.  You will see the future you're trying so hard to forget."

"You speak nonsense." She stood rigidly in place when he stepped through the open door and turned slightly, giving her a tantalizing peek at what was offered on the other side. Then she began her battle in earnest, and this time she was fighting on two fronts.  One to keep in control of the portion of her mind that was still hers and the other to keep a door locked on an old memory.  It was something she had sealed off weeks ago and knew she must keep buried.  It was of an event that should not have happened.  She could remember a Jonathan of the future telling her that she must not remember!

"T'Pol," it smiled and cupped her cheek with Jonathan's left hand. "You've trusted me for a long time.  Trust me one more time."

"Do not touch me!" She wanted to turn and run, but it took all her concentration to keep from stepping through the door.  The Being was hacking away at her mental discipline. All thoughts of Surak's teachings had become jumbled. "You are only an image of the man I trust."  Even as her mind said the words, her body ached to look further into the room. 

"I am much more than that.  Why do you keep denying it?"

T'Pol could not move, if she did, she was sure she would step forward and all would be lost.  The Wisp was delving deeper in her mind, finding places she had carefully hidden from herself.  Memories of exploring the timeship that had been on Enterprise, and then waking up in the future, in Jonathan's bed, were peeking out from their hiding places.      

Almost as a background buzz she could hear Dr. Phlox's voice calling to her as he stepped beside her in the corridor, but she could not acknowledge him.  She had to stay focused, or the false Jonathan would win.

"Come, Love, let me help you through the door."  The Wisp masquerading as Archer caressed her face as it leaned in and kissed her.  When their lips touched, their minds fused, but unlike the Humans, she was able to retain a sense of self. She was T'Pol, she was the alien, and she was a new entity that was both Wisp and Vulcan. This allowed her to read its deadly intent, while keeping her trapped in the intoxication of the moment.

Logic screamed at her that the kiss was only a hallucination, but it felt so real that tears of longing and anger filled her eyes.  Then from somewhere very far away she head HIS voice, she heard the real Jonathan's voice, coming clear and strong over Phlox's communicator.  It whispered safety and she clung to it, as it gave her strength to mentally push against the thing that was 'standing in front of her.'  In the blink of an eye, the odd mental sensations cracked and broke apart, until she was free, a lone Vulcan in control of her thoughts and body, again. *

T'Pol gasped as Enterprise came into sharp focus around her. The Wisp that had been fighting for control of her mind bounced against the bulkhead then dispersed through it.  She felt light-headed and dizzy as the Doctor caught and steadied her on her feet.  The dream of moments ago began to fade, leaving only the knowledge that they were in eminent danger, the rest of it had been a trick by the Wisp and she would deal with the meaning of it later.

……………………..

It had taken them another hour to regain control of the ship, but by morning all the crewmembers that had been invaded had been given a through exam by Phlox.

"You wanted to see me Doctor?"  T'Pol hurried into Sickbay.  She had submitted to the exam he had required before he would certify her for duty after her encounter, but that had been late the night before.

"I found something very interesting on your neural exam."  Phlox tapped the computer in front of him and pulled up the Vulcan's brainwave patterns from her last two physicals.  "I believe that your battle with our alien friend has had a positive affect on your Pa'nar Syndrome.  There is no other explanation for the results of these tests."

"In what way?"  She felt the muscles in her abdomen tighten as she examined the data Phlox had accessed.

"It would appear that you are in remission, at least for the moment.  There is a marker in your delta wave, but beyond that, there is no sign of the disease."  He turned and looked at the woman beside him.  "I must worn you, I have no way of knowing how long this will last.  It would be prudent to increase your check-up schedule for the next few weeks."

"That would be the logical thing to do." She took a deep breath to steady her flow of thought, as questions crowded her mind. 'I must focus on one issue at a time.'   "Am I still contagious?"

Phlox rose and looked her in the eyes. This was the part of his job he hated, giving bad news, even if this time it had been accompanied by good.  "I'm afraid so.  I waited to talk to you until I had researched my findings.  Even if you're never symptomatic again, you will always be a carrier, unless I can find a cure."

"Oh."  She nodded and turned quickly away.  Surak's mantra pounded in her thoughts.  Disappointment was an emotion like fear, all she needed to do was admit it was there, then move on through and get to the other side, then she would be in control of it.

"Sub-Commander?"  It was evident from the expression on Phlox's face that it was not the first time he had spoken to her.

"Yes," her chin rose as she regrouped.

"I should remind you that Pa'nar Syndrome is unique to Vulcans."  He felt sympathy for her; she was cut off from her species as long as she was contagious.  It had to be a lonely existence, even for a Vulcan.  If she could find companionship among the Humans, and he had reason to believe that there was one who would have gladly given her whatever emotional support she would take, Phlox felt it his duty to reassure her.  "You needn't worry about anyone on Enterprise catching it, even if you would, say, come in mental contact with him, or her."

"I am well aware of that, Doctor."  She stiffened her spine and refused to read anything other than medical courtesy into his words, but for a moment her eyes flared before she could get them back under control.

"I was sure you were." The Denobian had played a hunch and gotten an emotional response, from a very unemotional woman.

"If that will be all, I must get back to my duties."  Her brow rose as she turned to leave.

"Do I have your permission to tell the Captain?"

"Pardon?"

"Captain Archer went to great lengths to assure that you remained on Enterprise, when the Vulcan medical delegation discovered your illness, he deserves to be told of your progress."  His words were accompanied by a huge Denobian smile.

"Very well." The mention of Archer brought back vivid memories of her fight with the Wisp.  "Dr. Phlox, when the alien tried to move into your mind, what did you experience?"

"It was painful, like something was trying to bore into my skull."  He didn't want to share his experience, but the shock of finding T'Pol frozen in place in the corridor, as she had fought the alien, had been only slightly less intense than seeing a tear run down her face.

"Was there only the pain?"

"No, as it tried to take over my higher brain functions, it used images from my past."  He had known a great number of Vulcans and treated them for many ailments, but never in his life had heard of one crying.  He felt he owed her the truth, even if it was unpleasant for him.  "It tried to tick me into thinking I was with my son.  He was calling to me, asking me to walk along the river behind our home.  He…it, kept telling me it wanted to talk to me.  My son and I used to take those walks all the time, but haven't done so for years.  He and I aren't on good terms."

"How did you drive it out?"  The images in her memory were foggy, mixed with fragments of dreams and something she did not understand.  Almost as if it was an action she had forgotten but was trying hard to bring to the surface.

"I didn't, it just went away."  He shrugged his shoulders unable to give her the answers she wanted.  "I guess it gave up, and went off to find an easier, human mind, to join."

Over the years Phlox had become adept at working with Vulcans.  He had discovered it was often what they didn't say that was the most important, and at the moment, T'Pol was saying nothing, only nodding as if to agree with his experience.  He had had similar responses from most of the crew that had been 'invaded.' It was obvious that something disturbing had happened to her.

"T'Pol, whatever you experienced had to be difficult, if you need someone to talk to, I am always here for you."  

"Thank you Doctor, but there is nothing to discuss." She stiffened her spine, as her mind spun and flashed with images of the odd things she had seen while joined with the alien.  Reaching deep for the discipline that was usually second nature, she nodded to bring the discussion to an end. "You will excuse me, I have reports to finish." 

………………….

Hoshi Sato sat alone in her quarters.  She was wasting time and knew it, but she didn't know how she was going to face Trip at dinner.  When the Wisp had appeared above her duty station on the bridge, it had changed everything.  The memories it had built on, to take control of her mind, had been of one of the happiest times in her life, and it hadn't included Commander Trip Tucker!

According to Dr. Phlox, the alien had only used her body for a few hours, but in that amount of time, her mind had relived the summer she had met and fallen in love with Sam.  She'd been on leave from Star Fleet, working on her PhD in linguistics at the University of New Mexico, where he was teaching graduate courses in quantum physics.  Though he was a few years older than she, it hadn't mattered.  From the moment they met at a friend's party, she'd believed he was the man she wanted to spend her life with.

Sam and Hoshi had been extremely busy that summer, but they'd spent every spare minute together.  They were young, in love, and all was right with the world, until one night when Sam had been working late, there was an accident.  They'd told Hoshi that he had died instantly; no one could have survived the power surge that had been triggered by summer lightening hitting his lab. The explosion it caused had been so intense; there'd been no body, which had made his loss all the harder to accept.

It had taken her two years to put the pieces back together again.  Then another year of just surviving, living only for the projects Star Fleet sent her way and the promise from Captain Archer that the stars were her destiny. Smiling to herself, it dawned on Hoshi why she'd trusted the Captain so completely the first time they'd met.  He had reminded her of Sam.  The two men had similar expressions and gestures, and shared the same build and coloring. Though the Captain was probably ten years older and lacked the easygoing quality that had first attracted her to the young physicist, both men had vision and drive that caused others to gravitate toward them. 

How was she going to tell Trip what had happened?  How was she going to tell him that suddenly she was mourning the loss of a man who had died six years ago?  All the old ragged feelings were back!  It made her want to beat her fists against the bulkhead, because she knew that it had all been a hallucination, but longed to go back and hide in its comfort.  The hardest part had been to wake up on the floor of her quarters and live again those first seconds of knowing that Sam was gone.  In the place where the Wisp had sent her mind, they had both been alive and living the life they had planned to live, instead of one living a life alone, because the other died in a freak accident.  For the first time she realized that she'd never really gotten over Sam.

"Hoshi, come on darlin' let me in."  Trip knocked softly on her door.

She ran her hand through her hair as she reached for the knob; there was no time like the present to get this over with.  "Come on in.  We need to talk."

"Don't be mad at me, Hosh, it wasn't my fault."

"What are you talking about?"  She gave her head a quick shake.  She'd fully expected him to be angry because she was late, and here he wanted to be forgiven.

"When the Wisp was usin' my body, it sent my mind…well lets just say I wasn't with you."  Trip hated to admit to her, that in his mind, he'd been with another woman.  It had taken so long for her to finally trust him and let him close to her, he hated to think of the damage that had been caused by those aliens messin' with their minds.

"Join the club."  She grunted and waved him toward her desk chair as she slouched onto the end of her bed.

"You mean you weren't with me?"  Part of him was choked with jealousy, but as he took a good look at her he realized she was exhausted.  Whatever had happened to her and where ever she had been, it hadn't been to a picnic or barbeque.

"No I wasn't," she whispered as she covered his hand with hers.  "I'm sorry, Trip."

"Aw, Darlin' whoever he was, he meant a lot to you didn't he?"

"When he died, I didn't think, I'd care about anyone again."  She laughed softly as she remembered the intense attraction she'd felt for Trip, when Archer had introduced them a year before Enterprise left Earth.  "Then you came along. But now I seem to be back to square one."

"I know what you mean." Trip sighed.  "When I look at you my heart tells me you're everything I want in my life, but my head is sayin' I hardly know ya.  Ya think we can get it back, what we had the last few months, or did that thing messin' with out heads change us too much?"

Hoshi sat for a moment, quietly thinking.  Trip had seen her do it many times before; it was as if she was running an internal scan of all systems.  Whatever her answer was, it would be an honest one.

"I don't feel changed, not really.  What I'm feeling now, I've felt before."  The woman who was known for her ability with words searched carefully for the right ones, to keep from losing the man who was watching her carefully with worried blue eyes.  "It's more as if I've been displaced."

"I got an idea."  A dimple played along his cheek as he tried not to smile.  "We'll start from the beginnin'.  Ensign Sato," he held out his hand as if they were meeting for the first time. "I'm Commander Charles Tucker III, my friends call me Trip.  I'd be mighty pleased, if when not on duty, you'd call me that too."

"Only if you'll call me Hoshi."  As she played along with his game, she felt her heart break free of the coating of ice that had surrounded it, and needed badly to get some answers.  "Trip, kiss me."

"You sure 'bout that?"  There was nothing he wanted more, but there were still shadows of hurt in her eyes.

"Uhhemm," she cupped his cheeks to pull his face to hers.

His kiss was tender and gentle.  She could feel passion straining through his body, but he kept it light and easy as he held her close to him.  Pulling back slightly, she sighed as she looked up into blue eyes. Sam would always be part of her, but she could feel him moving out of her heart to make room for another.  For the first time in over 6 years, Hoshi felt a lightness of spirit and the sure knowledge of Sam's blessings for the future.

………………………………

Two weeks later ~

Jonathan Archer shivered in a prison cell on Narenda III.  Two days earlier he'd surrendered himself to the Klingons to keep them from destroying Enterprise.  It had started the week before, when the Earth vessel had intercepted a transport ship filled with starving and dying colonists.  Archer had promised to take them to safety, but before he could do that, a War Bird had appeared demanding their release.  Weapons fire had ensued, but Enterprise had gotten away.

He'd kept his promise and taken the colonists to a small uninhabited planet outside of Klingon Territory, but a day later, 5 War Birds had surrounded his ship and demanded the colonists, but had had to settle for Archer instead.  

Every time he closed his eyes he could see T'Pol's face, as he'd looked over his shoulder and saw her standing alone in the docking bay, watching him being taken away by two huge Klingons.  She had appeared fragile and alone, and it'd torn at his heart. Her eyes had simmered with a mix of emotions that caught him by surprise.

He damned himself for all the things he'd wanted to say to her since the Wisps had attempted to take over their ship.  'Hell he'd wanted to say them for a long time!' All those things he'd promised himself he'd say, when he'd been safe on the catwalk and she'd been out wandering the corridors trying to trap one of the aliens.  Now it was too late.  Odds were good that he'd never see her again.

When the Doctor had told him that her Pa'nar Syndrome was in remission, he'd thought they had all the time in the world.  On one of her many official trips to his Ready Room, he'd told her how happy he was for her, that she was doing so much better, but he'd left it at that.  What he'd really wanted to do was throw his arms around her and kiss her, his relief had been so great, but he'd backed off for fear of pushing her away.

In the dark, in the cold Klingon cell, he remembered a dream he'd had the night he'd spent in Sickbay when Porthos had almost died.  In that dream she'd kissed him.  He lay there, facing almost certain death and a smile played across his lips at the thoughts of kissing a Vulcan.  The universe had a sense of humor, after all!

His last waking thought was that Enterprise and his crews were what was important; he'd passed that message on with Phlox, when the doctor had been allowed to visit. He knew he could count on her to take care of his people, but damn, it hurt to think she'd never know how much he cared about her.  Then his eyes closed, sleep overtook him, and he found himself back under the warm blue light in decontam, with T'Pol in his arms.

…………………

T'Pol had escaped to Archer's Ready Room moments earlier.  The strain of waiting was beginning to tell on the crew.  She needed to collect her thoughts and rebuild her mental shields. The emotion that was emanating from all the Humans was overpowering, or that was what she told herself. She knew the trial had begun and it did not look good for the Captain.  She had notified Vulcan and Earth as soon as he had been taken into custody, but there was very little they could do from so far away, except exert diplomatic pressure.  At least Enterprise had been allowed to follow the War Birds back to Narenda III and wait out the results of the hearing.

As she watched the stars, she could not help wondering what they looked like from the planet below.  She knew they fascinated Jonathan, as Enterprise cut a warp trail through the universe. Would he find the same fascination in stars that appeared stationary? More importantly, was he able to see them from his cell?  Illogically it soothed her to think of him being able to look up and see the same lights in the sky that she was looking at now.

"Phlox to Sub-Commander T'Pol."  The communicator on Archer's desk jumped to life.

"Yes, Doctor, what can I do for you?"  T'Pol moved to the desk chair, but did not take her eyes off the view port.

"I told you two hours ago to eat and get some rest.  I'm making it an order this time."  He hated to do it to her, but the crew was looking to her for guidance and she was the only one who would be able to keep Com. Tucker and Lt. Reed under control if things went badly.  "We both know that no matter what the outcome, Klingon ceremony will demand at least two days worth of hearings."

"So noted, Doctor."  Her first instinct was to try to over-rule him, but the logic of his suggestion won out.  "Phlox," the voice that came over his communicator was so unlike T'Pol's he froze in his seat.  "Was there a window in the Captain's cell?"

"Aaahh," he searched his memory, but his focus had been on Archer, he hadn't noticed if there was a window or not.  Hoshi was standing beside him in Sickbay, she had come to him because she was worried about the Vulcan who had neither eaten nor rested since the Captain had been taken away.  He looked to her for help with the odd question he was being asked.  It didn't matter if Archer had a window or not, he wanted to know what T'Pol needed to hear, and give it to her. 

Suddenly the slim communication's officer pinched him and shook her head in the affirmative.  'Women, would he ever understand them? At least they understood each other, even if their species were as different as night and day.

"Aaahh, yes Sub-Commander I believe there was a window." 

"Thank you, Doctor."  The hushed whispered that echoed through Sick Bay made him shake his head and Hoshi pray all the harder for a quick return of the Captain.

……………………..

T'Pol kept her eyes on the dancing flame of her meditation candle. Tonight it did not guide her to deep focused concentration. Tonight, it only served as a reminder of the man she was trying not to think about. 'How many times had he sat across from her in this very room?'   The ringing of her door chime saved her from attempting to answer her illogical question.

"Come in," she called out.  Her mind was playing tricks on her again, because she had fully expected to see Jonathan leaning against the doorframe instead of Lt. Reed standing rigidly at attention.  "Yes Lieutenant?"  Her stomach began to churn, there could only be one reason why the man was there, they must have had a message from the surface.

"Um, Sub-Commander, we were told to expect a communication from Narenda III in ten minutes."  He kept his eyes straight ahead and refused to look at the Vulcan.  Though he remembered none of his actions while the Wisp had been in control of his body, he'd heard about them and was acutely embarrassed.

"Thank you, Lieutenant." She leaned forward and blew out her candle then rose in a fluid movement that was second nature.  "Have Ensign Sato put it through to my quarters."

…………………….

T'Pol stared at her view screen.  It was over, they had sentenced Jonathan to life in the mines of Rura Penthe.  It was an underground world of ice and snow, where few prisoners lived longer than six months.  If the environment and hard work did not kill them, a greedy, stronger inmate did.  She quickly sent off the automated messages she had preprogrammed for Vulcan and Earth, and then went to the bridge.  Enterprise was expected to leave orbit within the hour.

The struggle with Reed and Tucker turned out to be less than she had anticipated, but it still took all of her discipline and training to give the order to break orbit.  She stood with one hand gripping the armrest on the Captain's chair; her eyes glued to the distant planet, until Enterprise swung around and engaged warp engines.

"Ensign Sato, may I see you in Captain Archer's Ready Room for a moment?" Even as she spoke, T'Pol did not take her eyes off the front view screen, until there was nothing but stars warping by.

"Yes Ma'am."

As the door closed behind the two women, T'Pol reached for a Padd on the desk.  She had hoped for the best, but had prepared for the worst.  Now it was time to put her plan into action.

"I need a channel opened to these coordinates, one that the Klingons will not be able to detect."  She handed the younger woman the Padd, and blocked from her mind the fact that it was the same one Archer had carried when he had been captured, and almost sent to Canamar.  "Can you do that?"

"Yes, Ma'am."  Hoshi studied the location for the transmission and devised a plan to confuse the Klingon tracking satellites. "If we use a very narrow beam laser carrier, and I can tap directly into the warp drive for power, I can send it on such a convoluted route, that anyone listening might think they were hearing an echo from the Big Bang.  Don't worry Sub-Commander, no one will be able to track it back to us."

"Thank you."  T'Pol cleared her throat, when her words came out a hoarse whisper.  "Let me know when it is ready."

Twenty minutes later T'Pol was facing the hawk-like features of Kardok, aide to the Klingon ambassador to Vulcan, and the real power behind any negotiations between his planet and hers.  They cut through the pleasantries, and she quickly outlined her plan to get Archer off of Rura Penthe.  They both knew the going rate for the kind of venture she suggested, so haggling was cut to a minimum.

"Who is this Earther that he is so important to you, Sub-Commander?"  Kardok would be taking a big risk if he helped her, but he had learned long ago that risks were what made life profitable, both in honor and riches.

"Captain Archer is important to my government."  T'Pol refused to be drawn into his game.

"If that were so Little Vulcan, I would be talking to Savol, not you."  He stared her down, his interest aroused.  He had worked with her in the past, and she was honorable, but he found it fascinating that she would be the one making the request on behalf of the Human.

"I am the representative of my government on this ship, as such I speak for Savol and the High Command."

"So you say," he grunted at her.  "What is in if for me?"

"We have discussed the price."  Her brow arched as they bargained.  "How much more do you require."

"If I were dealing with the High Command, that amount would have been sufficient, but since that is not the case…" He shrugged and grinned at her, showing rough sharp teeth. "You will pay the credits we have discussed, and a bit more.  This is a personal service, so I require something personal in return."

She stared at him, refusing to be the one to speak first.  Klingons respected strength in bargaining as well as fighting. He had called her bluff, now she had to silently wait him out, or it would weaken her position.

He sat back and watched her, but she gave nothing away, this was the experienced diplomat he had dealt with in the past. "I require from you a promise, nothing more.  Just a promise, that if someday I come to you in need of help, you will provide it, no matter what it is."  'The Little Vulcan played the game well,' he thought as he watched something flicker in her eyes, but as quickly as it appeared it was gone, to be replaced with stoic, expressionless, features that were the hallmark of her species.

"Done."  She nodded.  "The credits will be transferred to your account within the hour."

"When they arrive I'll send the codes needed for the contacts.  It was nice doing business with you Sub-Commander." He had asked for an open ended Blood Oath, and they both knew it.  Now he knew just how important the Human male was to her. A pity such a fine specimen of a female would choose to align herself with the inferior Earthers.

…………………………

Two days later, at 2000 hours, a meeting took place in Captain Archer's quarters.  T'Pol looked around at Ensigns Sato and Mayweather, Commander Tucker and Lt. Reed, they were sitting on the couch and sprawled on the floor, leaving the desk chair for her.  They had the Padds she had just handed out, which contained information on the planned rescue, and details on the part each person would play.

"It is of the utmost importance that whatever is discussed in the room be kept between the five of us." Her fingers danced over the controls of Archer's computer, and brought up a rough photo of the snow-covered surface of Rura Penthe.  "This is where the Captain is being held.  Since our governments are officially not involved, I need to reiterate the importance of complete secrecy regarding this mission."

"Everyone is gonna know about it when we get him back."  Mayweather didn't understand why they had to sneak around.  It bothered him that they were having to meet in the only place large enough to accommodate them and guarantee secrecy.  It didn't seem right to be in Archer's quarters without his knowledge.

"Yes they will, but neither Earth nor Vulcan will make inquires as to how he returned, at least not publicly." From the moment she walked in the door, she could smell Jonathan's scent and knew that she missed his presence. She was also reminded of the vision the Wisp had created in her mind, so she erected a barricade to keep any reminders of him out.  Better to have nothing, than to have the bad overshadowing the good.

"Lets just get on to the plannin'," Trip cut in.  "We all know to keep our mouths shut.  None of us want this to gettin' back to the Klingons.  Hell, with some luck they won't know he's gone."

"I would not count on that Commander, but that would be ideal."  T'Pol nodded, then turned toward the helmsman, "Ensign Mayweather, you have the coordinates for the rendezvous.  If we are on schedule, we will make contact with the supply ship, for the mines, at 1400 tomorrow.  It is your job to have us their at the appointed time, and keep us hidden until Captain Archer is back aboard."

"Ensign Sato and Lt. Reed you will coordinate sensors and communications."  She stood and walked around the bed to look out at the stars, as they flew past the view port.  "Look for anything out of the ordinary, and report it to me.  We must be prepared to abort the mission, if there is any chance Enterprise is at risk.  The final decision lies with me, is that clear?"  She looked around at each of them to be sure they understood that she would brook no interference if things went badly tomorrow.

"With all due respect, Ma'am."  Reed stood to argue.  "The Captain has risked his life for each and every one of us, we would do the same."

"Lieutenant, Captain Archer's last order was to keep Enterprise safe."  It took all her effort to keep her voice from breaking.  "He was not just talking about the ship.  We will honor him by obeying that order."

"Yes Ma'am."  She was right and he knew it, but it went against his grain.

"Commander Tucker, I'll need you in engineering.  If we get into trouble, you will have to be the one to get us out of it, because there will be no weapons fire, tomorrow. If that were to happen, not only would Enterprise be lost, but it could precipitate a war between Earth and The Klingon Empire."  She leaned back against the view port and stared at them across the room.  "I've mapped out an escape route.  It is on your Padds.  Enterprise can do warp 4.5 until we reach the Koli Nebula, but it would be unwise to negotiate the Nebula at anything greater than warp 3.  What we lose in speed, we will make up for in stealth.  It will blind all sensors, and will be a good place to hide, or lose anyone who may have followed."

…………………..

Two hours later T'Pol walked quietly through the corridors.  If anyone had seen her they probably thought she was going to the Mess Hall for tea, enough people knew she often did that at night.  What they did not know was that it was a habit she had stopped, the night the Captain was removed from the ship, though she had taken to wandering the halls, too restless to sleep.  Tonight she had a specific destination in mind.  She stopped on deck B and rang a door chime.

"I was expecting you, Sub-Commander."  Lt. Reed opened his door and let the Vulcan slip in.  She had left a gaping hole in her rescue plan.  "Someone needs to go in on that supply ship and get the Captain out." He and Trip had talked about it after the meeting.  Each man wanted to be the one to go, but both were afraid that T'Pol planned on doing it herself.

"That is correct, Lieutenant.  I will not order you to do so, and no one will know if you choose not to, that is why I asked you in private."  Given his background, he was the best possible candidate for the job, but part of her hoped he refused. Then she could be the one to go.  It was not logical, the strong need she felt to be the one to sneak into the mines at Rura Penthe, but it was soothing.

"Like bloody hell!" He was horrified that she thought he might turn her down.  Archer had almost died saving his life when Enterprise had gotten caught in a minefield and one of the mines had attached itself to the hull. "Count me in!"

"You realize that if anything goes wrong Enterprise, Earth and Vulcan will deny any involvement in the rescue."  She needed to make it very clear to him what he was getting into.

"All the more reason why you should send me.  As far as the Klingons are concerned I'm a nobody, just a hotheaded Human who took it upon himself to try and rescue his Captain."  He'd always admired her as part of the Command Team, but never more than now when he saw how much the last few weeks were costing her.  She was a Vulcan in command of an Earth vessel, and trying very had to run it as if its Human Captain were still aboard.

She handed him an additional Padd, which contained detailed maps of the interior of the mines. "I would advise you to commit these to memory."  She turned to leave, then thought better of it.  "Lt. Reed, Captain Archer once told me he did not recruit his Tactical Officer to sit on his….ah…backside…when he was threatened.  I see that he was very correct in doing so."

"Thank you Sub-Commander," he couldn't help grinning at the serious expression on her face.  "But are you sure the Captain used the work 'backside'?"

"Are you questioning my memory?"  Her brow rose into her bangs.

"No, Ma'am."  His smile turned into a chuckle.  He'd never realized she had a sense of humor, before.

"Good."  As she reached for the door, she turned and looked over her shoulder.  "By the way, please try not to get caught by the Klingons, it would reflect very badly on my abilities as an acting captain, if they thought I could not keep my Human crew under control."

"I'll do my very best, Sub-Commander."  It took an effort to not laugh until she was out the door.  He'd joked with a Vulcan, now he knew anything was possible!

……………………

Enterprise breathed a collective sigh of relief.  Her Captain was back, though only a handful of people knew what really happened, few if any other than the alpha shift bridge crew knew that Reed had been absent from the ship for over three hours.  At the moment they were hiding in the Koli Nebula.  It appeared as if the escape had gone off without a hitch, but the plan had been to let the Nebula cover their trail for the next week and they were sticking to the plan.

Archer had been taken directly to Sickbay.  Phlox gave him Sleepez, a natural mix of herbs that kept the human body in a resting healing sleep until the reversal was administered.  The Captain was able to sleep through the long physical exam and repair to cuts, bruises and three broken ribs, as well as an extended time in decontam.

"Doctor, how is he doing?"  T'Pol slipped quietly through the curtain that separated Jonathan from the rest of Sickbay.

"Fine, just fine, but what are you doing up so late?"  It was three in the morning; Phlox had pulled medical rank, and ordered her out of Sickbay and to bed, hours ago.

"As First Officer, it is my duty to check on the Captain."  The quilted tunic and pants she wore, with her hands resting loosely behind her back, made her look young and unsure, very unlike the First Officer who had faced down the Klingon Empire to get her Captain back.

"If you'd like, you may remain."  He realized the futility of arguing.  Short of having her physically taken to her quarters and locked in, he doubted he'd get her out of Sickbay until she was ready to leave.  "In fact you can help, I'm going to wake up the Captain.  He needs some nourishment before he sleeps again."  As he spoke, he touched a hypospray to Archer's neck.

"Where am I?"  Green eyes opened and looked around, sure he was dreaming.  T'Pol was standing beside him, looking worried. 'He must still be on Rura Penthe, having another dream.  Kolos had said he called to her in his sleep more than once.  The old Klingon had chuckled at the thought of the Human murmuring a Vulcan female's name as he slept.'

"Captain?"  Dr. Phlox spoke until he got his attention.  "Give yourself a few minutes, it takes that long for the reversal agent to clear all of the Sleepez from your system."

"I'm really back."  Archer sighed as his memory returned completely.

"How are you feeling?"  The Doctor watched his monitors as he spoke.  They were green across the board.

"Hungry, and relieved."  His eyes strayed to T'Pol, but she hadn't said a word since he woke up, all she did was watch him from behind the doctor's shoulder.

"Ah yes, I imagine you are." Phlox smiled at the Captain and then the Vulcan who hadn't moved since the sleeping man had woken.  "Sub-Commander, would you see that he drinks that broth."  He pointed to a mug that was on the table beside Archer's bed. "It contains all the nourishment he needs at the moment, and should make him feel much better. I would appreciate the help, I have a long day tomorrow."

"Of course, Doctor."  She turned and reached for the mug, as the covers rustled on the bed beside her.  When she turned back, Jonathan Archer was sitting with his back propped against the wall, wearing nothing but a week's growth of beard, and a blanket across his hips and legs.

Phlox watched silently from the door while the sick man drank deeply from the mug and T'Pol took a seat beside his bed, then the Doctor quietly slipped out of Sickbay.  The Captain and the Vulcan both needed sleep, but it was his medical opinion that neither of them would be able to do so, until they had assured themselves of the other's safety.

T'Pol could not take her eyes off the man beside her.  Vulcan's did not have facial hair or excessive body hair like Humans.  She had seen him in the gym, with torn and skimpy exercise clothes, but she had never thought what he must look like with no shirt on.  'Then why did he look so familiar?' Why did her hand know the contour of his chest and how the springy hairs that grew there would tickly against her skin?  It was like a dream or a memory.

"You took a risk getting me back."  He looked at her and never wanted to stop.  She had been staring at him openly, but he didn't care.

"It was a calculated one."  Her voice was breathy.  "I would not have let any harm come to Enterprise."

"I know."  He put his empty mug down, and reached for her wrists.  "Come here, sit beside me."  He tugged gently as she stood and sat on the bed facing him.

"Thank you."  He whispered as he breathed in her scent.  'God he had missed her!'

"For what?"  She could almost see the memory that was eluding her, but the harder she tried, the more she heard his voice telling her she must not remember.

"For my life."  He smiled and slipped his hands to her shoulders.  "For being there for me when I needed you most, and for keeping my ship and my crew safe."

"It was the only logical thing to do."  As she spoke her hand moved, and her finger dragged along his cheek.  His beard was rough and scratchy, but somehow she had known it would be.

"T'Pol," he whispered her name as he put his arms around her and pulled her close.  She may call it logic, but her eyes told him it was much more than that, she just wasn't ready to see it yet.  He was reminded of a quote from Voltaire. 'Love is of all passions the strongest, for it attacks simultaneously the head, the heart, and the senses.'   No wonder they were both so confused, if he was right, they were under attack on three fronts.

She gasped as she felt the warm contact of skin against her cheek; the soft hairs on his chest tickled her ear and face, while his scent surrounded her.  Her arms moved to awkwardly encircle him.  For just a moment, she would surrender herself to the memory, or dream, or Wisp induced trance, whatever the odd state of mind she found herself in was called.  She didn't know what it was, and it did not matter, all that was important, was that Jonathan was back.  She let her eyes flutter closed and her breathing match his.  Soon they were both fast asleep.  'We've done this before,' a thought echoed through their minds.  Neither knew who originated it, since it was a shared thought, and for the moment that was all that was important.

To Be Continued

Reviews and comments greatly appreciated!