A/N: Yay!!! I have reviews again!!! Thank you so very very much to all of
you who took the time to say what you think of this story. I now realize
that many of you choose to read and not review, which isn't exactly what we
authors want, but hey, at least you're reading! I feel so much more assured
now and I have a better idea of where I stand with all of you.
Now, as I'm sure you're all wondering, let's discuss the future of this rather lengthy story. I have a definite end in mind, but getting from the time that T'Pol is 2 months pregnant to ready to deliver, we have a full 8 months of space. I'm not going to dwell on those because there's only so much you can write about moody, pregnant women and the people surrounding them. Since this story revolves around T'Pol and K'Vel, we're going to get to the interesting bits and fill in the rest in the form of captain's logs, as was done in a previous chapter. And now, on with the story!!!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Jonathon Archer sat in his bed, absently going over his latest log files before turning in for the night. On his little pillow, Porthos dreamed, yipping every now and then at whatever he was chasing in those dog reveries. Archer smiled as he leaned over to better observe the twitching paws of his pet. It had been a long day, that was for sure. His mind began to wander again, and he shook his head gently. Back to business, he told himself firmly. He could ponder other things once he had finished reviewing his logs.
"Computer, play logs, beginning 8/16/52." "8/16/52 Captain's Star Log; Supplimental: Nothing very interesting has happened around here for a while. We've been following an earth trade route and are hoping to come across a cargo ship, primarily because we could use some contact with our own kind. We have nothing else to do around here besides watch T'Pol. Speaking of which, our SubCommander had her first 'fainting spell' as Commander Tucker calls it. Supposedly, this kind of thing is normal and will be occurring frequently. Needless to say, our increased vigilance over her is beginning to strain her Vulcan patience. I wonder how long it will be before she snaps at one of us."
The speaker chuckled to himself. Her patience thinned by the hour. There was even a pool running on how long it would take for the famed SubCommander to finally loose her Vulcan calm. Speculation on which she would blow up at was popular too. So far, the people most likely to suffer her wrath (according to Hoshi, anyway) were Trip, K'Vel, and himself. He only hoped he could stay out of her way until that point. No one, least of all the captain, wanted to be the target of T'Pol's unleashed irritation.
"8/26/52 Captain's Log; Supplimental: We came across a little Andorian freighter today. They would have steered clear of us, had we not hailed them and asked for directions to the nearby red dwarf system. They glanced curiously at T'Pol the whole time. Maybe it's because she's beginning to show. Anyway, that provided for some boredom relief. Other than that, nothing much to report."
"9/10/52 Captain's Log; Supplimental: We got a hail from the High Command today. Seems they weren't too keen on letting T'Pol stay: in other words, nothing unusual from them. Fortunately, one of the Command members spoke up for her, and she's being allowed to stay with us. I think that woman has a pretty strong influence. If we're lucky, they won't try to reassign T'Pol again."
Archer sat back in his chair, re-living the whole encounter. It had pretty well, considering the way it could have turned out.
~*~*~*~Flashback*~*~*~*~*
"You wish to remove me from Enterprise?" T'Pol inquired, eyes glittering dangerously. Beside her, K'Vel stood silently, watching the events as they played out. If needed, he would step in as a mediator. Afterall, diplomacy was his specialty.
"Considering your condition, SubCommander, we believe it would be for the best."
"To the best of my knowledge, others have served in deep space during pregnancy."
There was no argument to refute that, the High Command knew. The senior most of the five, an ancient man with a face marked by age and experience, spoke for the rest, hoping to appeal to the pride that lived, if subdued, in all Vulcans.
"And what will happen when your child is born, SubCommander? Maternity is a lifestyle. How will you continue to operate as the vessel's science officer and First Officer?"
T'Pol remained silent as Archer came to her rescue, "T'Pol has been able to manage several things at once in the past. And there's no reason to believe that K'Vel won't also be able to take care of the baby. I was under the impression that both parents are responsible for raising the child on Vulcan.
The elder's face remained passive as he considered a new angle. He was about to speak when a younger woman stepped out from behind him. From the looks on the faces of her 4 colleagues, this was unexpected. She spoke, her voice deep and cultured from decades of oratory practice.
"That is correct Captain. We only question the SubCommander's request because we do not wish to inconvenience you. You undoubtedly need a science officer, and it is a distinct possibility that SubCommander T'Pol's efforts will be less concentrated on her work and more on her new responsibilites."
Archer was mildly surprised. "I have every faith that T'Pol will continue to perform to our expectations."
"If you are certain, Captain, then we will not deny her request."
The last comment was made with considerable authority, and T'Pol and K'Vel were just as surprised as the humans. They had expected to fight the High Command to the very end, but here was one of them, obviously a junior, who was guaranteeing their hearts' desire. T'Pol could almost feel the weight lift off her frame, but she sensed the debate was not over yet. The ancient elder spoke again, confronting the young pair with all the unspoken Vulcan prejudice.
"And you plan to raise your child on the Enterprise . . . indefinitely?"
T'Pol's eyes narrowed as she felt the maternal instincts rise to the challenge. K'Vel sensed her wariness, and eased a strong arm around her waist; an uncommon gesture, even for him. But he knew she needed his support, and he was going to make it known to everyone, including her superiors, that he agreed with her in the matters being discussed His hand rested protectively on her gently swelling belly.
"Yes."
"If you don't mind my asking, how will you raise the child?"
Both K'Vel and T'Pol didn't like where this was going. They both knew he was questioning the motives behind their decision to raise their infant among humans. All that was left now was for one party to openly address the issue.
"We plan to raise it the traditional way, as all Vulcan young are reared." K'Vel answered in his diplomatically casual tone. His rigid stance did not support his air of indifference to the question.
"Among humans?"
There, that was it. T'Pol broke away from her husband, eyes sparkling terribly.
"With all due respect," she began, trying desperately to keep the emotion out of her voice. The hormones surging through her body were making it increasingly more difficult, "do you mean to say that my child will be negatively affected as a result of its being born and raised for a time on the Enterprise?"
The elder gazed at her, the very picture of Vulcan condescension and eccentricity. Not for the first time, T'Pol understood how some humans could dislike her kind so deeply.
"I am merely speaking in the interest of your child. It would be unfortunate if it was alienated from our ways."
K'Vel came to stand beside her again, leaving the bridge crew in the background. The humans watched in perfect silence for the climatic resolution of the problem.
Drawing himself up to his full height and authority as an ambassador, husband, and father-to-be, K'Vel spoke forcefully, leaving no room for debate.
"I assure you, we will do everything in our power to assure that our family is educated in the ancient ways of our society. We are confident, both from personal experience and documented research, that there will be no serious repercussions from our decision."
The elderly man was nonplussed by the response, yet he was finding it difficult to argue. The young diplomat had skill and wore authority like a mantle around his broad shoulders. Once again, the younger female of the group came forward. She met the eyes of her colleague with a steely glance that seemed to last for an hour. Finally, the elder man took a step back, yielding at last to the authority and generally more lenient attitude of his younger counterpart.
"Given the circumstances of your role and what has been said here today, the High Command has deemed your request suitable. How you raise your family is your business, and provided that it does not interfere with your work, SubCommander, you are allowed to remain in your current post."
T'Pol, exhausted mentally and physically by the hormones, emotions, and sheer relief, could only show her acquiescence with a polite, respectful nod. The older woman returned the nod, and cut off the connection. An audible sigh echoed through the room as the tension dissolved. K'Vel and T'Pol shared a glance, not needing words to know both were extremely relieved.
~*~*~*~*~* End Flashback *~*~*~*~
Archer was shaken out of the memory by Porthos, who had now chosen to jump onto the bed; his dreams of running in earthly fields gone and forgotten. Archer petted him and talked to him for a while, still listening to the logs.
"9/28/52 Captain's Star Log; Supplimental: We've sat a course for a planetary system about 12 lightyears away from our current position. Travis found it on the overnight scans this morning, and T'Pol believes it would be a good idea to take a look at it. Something about a theory she would like to test. If nothing else, it will provide for a change of scenery."
"Computer, end sequence."
Situating himself in the bed and making sure Porthos quieted down, the captain turned off the lights and prepared to get some seriously needed rest. Afterall, who knew what tomorrow would bring?
Tbc.
Now, as I'm sure you're all wondering, let's discuss the future of this rather lengthy story. I have a definite end in mind, but getting from the time that T'Pol is 2 months pregnant to ready to deliver, we have a full 8 months of space. I'm not going to dwell on those because there's only so much you can write about moody, pregnant women and the people surrounding them. Since this story revolves around T'Pol and K'Vel, we're going to get to the interesting bits and fill in the rest in the form of captain's logs, as was done in a previous chapter. And now, on with the story!!!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Jonathon Archer sat in his bed, absently going over his latest log files before turning in for the night. On his little pillow, Porthos dreamed, yipping every now and then at whatever he was chasing in those dog reveries. Archer smiled as he leaned over to better observe the twitching paws of his pet. It had been a long day, that was for sure. His mind began to wander again, and he shook his head gently. Back to business, he told himself firmly. He could ponder other things once he had finished reviewing his logs.
"Computer, play logs, beginning 8/16/52." "8/16/52 Captain's Star Log; Supplimental: Nothing very interesting has happened around here for a while. We've been following an earth trade route and are hoping to come across a cargo ship, primarily because we could use some contact with our own kind. We have nothing else to do around here besides watch T'Pol. Speaking of which, our SubCommander had her first 'fainting spell' as Commander Tucker calls it. Supposedly, this kind of thing is normal and will be occurring frequently. Needless to say, our increased vigilance over her is beginning to strain her Vulcan patience. I wonder how long it will be before she snaps at one of us."
The speaker chuckled to himself. Her patience thinned by the hour. There was even a pool running on how long it would take for the famed SubCommander to finally loose her Vulcan calm. Speculation on which she would blow up at was popular too. So far, the people most likely to suffer her wrath (according to Hoshi, anyway) were Trip, K'Vel, and himself. He only hoped he could stay out of her way until that point. No one, least of all the captain, wanted to be the target of T'Pol's unleashed irritation.
"8/26/52 Captain's Log; Supplimental: We came across a little Andorian freighter today. They would have steered clear of us, had we not hailed them and asked for directions to the nearby red dwarf system. They glanced curiously at T'Pol the whole time. Maybe it's because she's beginning to show. Anyway, that provided for some boredom relief. Other than that, nothing much to report."
"9/10/52 Captain's Log; Supplimental: We got a hail from the High Command today. Seems they weren't too keen on letting T'Pol stay: in other words, nothing unusual from them. Fortunately, one of the Command members spoke up for her, and she's being allowed to stay with us. I think that woman has a pretty strong influence. If we're lucky, they won't try to reassign T'Pol again."
Archer sat back in his chair, re-living the whole encounter. It had pretty well, considering the way it could have turned out.
~*~*~*~Flashback*~*~*~*~*
"You wish to remove me from Enterprise?" T'Pol inquired, eyes glittering dangerously. Beside her, K'Vel stood silently, watching the events as they played out. If needed, he would step in as a mediator. Afterall, diplomacy was his specialty.
"Considering your condition, SubCommander, we believe it would be for the best."
"To the best of my knowledge, others have served in deep space during pregnancy."
There was no argument to refute that, the High Command knew. The senior most of the five, an ancient man with a face marked by age and experience, spoke for the rest, hoping to appeal to the pride that lived, if subdued, in all Vulcans.
"And what will happen when your child is born, SubCommander? Maternity is a lifestyle. How will you continue to operate as the vessel's science officer and First Officer?"
T'Pol remained silent as Archer came to her rescue, "T'Pol has been able to manage several things at once in the past. And there's no reason to believe that K'Vel won't also be able to take care of the baby. I was under the impression that both parents are responsible for raising the child on Vulcan.
The elder's face remained passive as he considered a new angle. He was about to speak when a younger woman stepped out from behind him. From the looks on the faces of her 4 colleagues, this was unexpected. She spoke, her voice deep and cultured from decades of oratory practice.
"That is correct Captain. We only question the SubCommander's request because we do not wish to inconvenience you. You undoubtedly need a science officer, and it is a distinct possibility that SubCommander T'Pol's efforts will be less concentrated on her work and more on her new responsibilites."
Archer was mildly surprised. "I have every faith that T'Pol will continue to perform to our expectations."
"If you are certain, Captain, then we will not deny her request."
The last comment was made with considerable authority, and T'Pol and K'Vel were just as surprised as the humans. They had expected to fight the High Command to the very end, but here was one of them, obviously a junior, who was guaranteeing their hearts' desire. T'Pol could almost feel the weight lift off her frame, but she sensed the debate was not over yet. The ancient elder spoke again, confronting the young pair with all the unspoken Vulcan prejudice.
"And you plan to raise your child on the Enterprise . . . indefinitely?"
T'Pol's eyes narrowed as she felt the maternal instincts rise to the challenge. K'Vel sensed her wariness, and eased a strong arm around her waist; an uncommon gesture, even for him. But he knew she needed his support, and he was going to make it known to everyone, including her superiors, that he agreed with her in the matters being discussed His hand rested protectively on her gently swelling belly.
"Yes."
"If you don't mind my asking, how will you raise the child?"
Both K'Vel and T'Pol didn't like where this was going. They both knew he was questioning the motives behind their decision to raise their infant among humans. All that was left now was for one party to openly address the issue.
"We plan to raise it the traditional way, as all Vulcan young are reared." K'Vel answered in his diplomatically casual tone. His rigid stance did not support his air of indifference to the question.
"Among humans?"
There, that was it. T'Pol broke away from her husband, eyes sparkling terribly.
"With all due respect," she began, trying desperately to keep the emotion out of her voice. The hormones surging through her body were making it increasingly more difficult, "do you mean to say that my child will be negatively affected as a result of its being born and raised for a time on the Enterprise?"
The elder gazed at her, the very picture of Vulcan condescension and eccentricity. Not for the first time, T'Pol understood how some humans could dislike her kind so deeply.
"I am merely speaking in the interest of your child. It would be unfortunate if it was alienated from our ways."
K'Vel came to stand beside her again, leaving the bridge crew in the background. The humans watched in perfect silence for the climatic resolution of the problem.
Drawing himself up to his full height and authority as an ambassador, husband, and father-to-be, K'Vel spoke forcefully, leaving no room for debate.
"I assure you, we will do everything in our power to assure that our family is educated in the ancient ways of our society. We are confident, both from personal experience and documented research, that there will be no serious repercussions from our decision."
The elderly man was nonplussed by the response, yet he was finding it difficult to argue. The young diplomat had skill and wore authority like a mantle around his broad shoulders. Once again, the younger female of the group came forward. She met the eyes of her colleague with a steely glance that seemed to last for an hour. Finally, the elder man took a step back, yielding at last to the authority and generally more lenient attitude of his younger counterpart.
"Given the circumstances of your role and what has been said here today, the High Command has deemed your request suitable. How you raise your family is your business, and provided that it does not interfere with your work, SubCommander, you are allowed to remain in your current post."
T'Pol, exhausted mentally and physically by the hormones, emotions, and sheer relief, could only show her acquiescence with a polite, respectful nod. The older woman returned the nod, and cut off the connection. An audible sigh echoed through the room as the tension dissolved. K'Vel and T'Pol shared a glance, not needing words to know both were extremely relieved.
~*~*~*~*~* End Flashback *~*~*~*~
Archer was shaken out of the memory by Porthos, who had now chosen to jump onto the bed; his dreams of running in earthly fields gone and forgotten. Archer petted him and talked to him for a while, still listening to the logs.
"9/28/52 Captain's Star Log; Supplimental: We've sat a course for a planetary system about 12 lightyears away from our current position. Travis found it on the overnight scans this morning, and T'Pol believes it would be a good idea to take a look at it. Something about a theory she would like to test. If nothing else, it will provide for a change of scenery."
"Computer, end sequence."
Situating himself in the bed and making sure Porthos quieted down, the captain turned off the lights and prepared to get some seriously needed rest. Afterall, who knew what tomorrow would bring?
Tbc.