The Enterprise Spring Vacation
By Anna Yolei
Chapter Nine: Bonds
Hi, readers! Sorry I took so long in writing this. The thing is that one: I had been working on this story nonstop for the better part of four months and was becoming burned out (And it shows a little in Chapter Eight) and Two: I did not like the first Chapter Nine. My betas thought it was fine, but if I don't like it, I don't publish it. To me, it felt as though the fic was losing it spirit…and to be honest, I was losing motivation for writing the fic with all the attacks I get over at TrekBBS for being an A/T'Per. (By the way, this fic almost became a T/T'P production, but I decided to write about something that wasn't canon).
However, I'm in a good mood now: I'm three weeks away from high school graduation (as of the time of publication), I'll be entering college as a Theatre Arts major with an emphasis on playwriting and I've begun working on my big space musical (the premise for that has changed considerably since I took the notion to write one :) ) So, life is good, and so will this chapter.
As usual, I don't own any of the Enterprise characters.
.........
"Ah, what a day," Trip grinned to Hoshi and Malcolm. The engineer gave Reed a friendly slap on the back. "And it's only gonna get better."
Malcolm eyed him cautiously.
"A good friend of mine told me there's a big party that's being held at the hotel we passed by on the way up the mountain. You two game?"
"Well, I wouldn't mind, what about you?" Hoshi asked Malcolm.
After a second he nodded his head. "Well, why not? Just make sure I don't get too much to drink, or I'll start saying things I shouldn't say." He remembered the time when Shuttlepod One had less than two days of oxygen left and he and Tucker were three days from Enterprise. The two of them raided some whiskey, which got him to confess his admiration for Sub-Commander T'Pol's bum. While he did still think it was rather nice to watch, he was more drawn to Hoshi's smile.
Besides, Reed thought humously, I know Archer loves her bum more than I do.
..........
Jonathon watched the sun set over the horizon of the lake. The third day of shore leave was almost over. Shore leave was nearly half over.
Yet he had spent most of that time in the room. Jonathon was not one for vacations; the first time the Enterprise crew had taken shore leave, he had felt a bit guilty that his name was chosen from the lottery to go. But T'Pol assured him that as Captain he needed to be in the best possible condition for command and that included a break every once in a while.
Well, she was right, he said to himself; although she could certainly take her own advise more often on that matter. Jonathon wondered quickly if her sleeping patterns had returned to normal since they arrived. T'Pol had complained about not being able to get a full night's rest in a while the first night they were here. He'd have to ask her about that when she got out of the restroom from changing into that gorgeous little dress.
Provided he could open his mouth without saying something stupid.
He mentally cursed himself for these persistent naughty thoughts he'd been having about T'Pol. Jonathon knew he couldn't think of her like that; she was Vulcan for one thing and had grown to become one of his best friends. He respected her and he finally gained hers as well. He'd never jeopardize that with a one-night fling. More importantly, Jonathon Archer knew that she'd never respect herself if she did a thing like that.
But that just won't happen. T'Pol is disciplined. I doubt those types of thoughts are an issue to her. So there's no point in laboring on that idea. With that, he set out to comb his hair and straighten out his jacket.
..........
T'Pol took a last look at her attire in the bathroom mirror. She normally gave little thought to her appearance other than normal grooming procedures, but for some odd reason, she was noticing every minute detail of her ensemble tonight.
The main thought that her mind focused on was the fact that the top part was so revealing and how Jonathon paid quite a lot attention to her chest. She rather enjoyed seeing him act that way, which she didn't fully understand; perhaps she was beginning to adopt some bad habits from the humans, one of which being a heightened sense of vanity. His fascination with her bosom didn't bother her in the least; in fact, it was very much welcomed.
This is only because of my lack of meditation, T'Pol told herself. My mind is lacking discipline. Of course, her inability to meditate was because of her persistent dreams about Jonathon Archer in the first place; T'Pol's subconscious mind was somewhat afraid of what she may discover if she did allowed herself to contemplate on those nightly images that plagued her dreams.
Jonathon turned to see her step out of the bathroom. He stood up in amazement at how incredibly sensual she looked, and just her body; her eyes seemed to radiate too. His face flushed a bit, but was able to keep his eyes from off of her amplified chest.
"You look…nice," Jonathon said and turned away, pretending to be interested in anything but her.
He doesn't seem to notice, T'Pol thought, a tad disappointed that her apparel didn't get more of a rise out of Jonathon.
"Did you just say something?" he asked.
"No. Shall we go?"
He nodded. I could have sworn I heard her voice…guess I was wrong. The two of them walked out of the room and Archer dismissed the thought.
...........
Once a ways from their room, Jonathon pulled out his binoculars for T'Pol to see where they were going.
"See that large building over there? That's where it is." From T'Pol's view, she could see there were quite a few guests already there and there would probably be quite a few more before their arrival.
"There is quite a gathering, which is predictable," she stated matter-of-factly as they continued their walk out of the village and into a wooded area. "I've noticed the Jyoran race are an exceptionally jovial species. They make humans look more dignified…with all due respect."
"I guess that's fair," he replied remembering the conversation they had had earlier. "Have you enjoyed your shore leave…you know, other than last night, of course?"
"It is a rather welcomed change of pace. And I do feel a bit more rested, thank you."
Jonathon noticed that T'Pol had wrapped her arms around herself. She didn't look too warm; after all, it was not quite spring on Jyora, and the design of her dress did little to cover up her small frame. Considering how sick she was last night, he didn't want to take the chance that she'd relapse, despite all of Phlox's reassurances.
T'Pol was looking around at the scenery surrounding them when she felt something covering her chilly shoulders. She looked around her side to find Jonathon had placed his jacket over her and continued to keep a hand on her.
"You're freezing," he said matter-of-factly, "and it shows. I'm not taking no for an answer. I don't want you to get sick again and…"
"Thank you."
Archer was silent for two seconds, taken aback by her complacence. "Oh…um, you're welcome."
T'Pol knew that Jonathon would insist upon her taking the jacket if she refused. Tonight, she was in no position to argue; her condition last night left Jonathon very worried and he did need to relax. The extra warmth from the cotton material was very much welcomed given the conditions of the air. And the human scent on his jacket did not bother her so much.
It did at one time, she reminded herself. That time felt so long ago…
…Flashback…
T'Pol had only been on Enterprise for about nine weeks, and Captain Archer (which was how T'Pol addressed him back then) and Commander Tucker had insisted upon visiting the P'Jem sanctuary. The three of them became caught up in a fight with the Andorians, who insisted the Vulcan monks were using spy technology to survey Andoria, which lead to the three of them being held hostage along with the other Vulcans.
That night, as Commander Tucker worked on a way to communicate with Enterprise, the other Vulcans slept. One blanket remained, and Captain Archer had it.
"You take it," he handed it to her. She looked at him condescendingly.
"You need it more than I do." T'Pol turned her head away from him as he covered himself.
"There's room for one more." Sure enough, if the two of them were to be lying next to one another fairly closely they would be able to fit,but the proximity did not appeal to her.
"It's been nearly twenty-four Earth hours since I've had my nasal numbing agent," she replied. "The cold is preferable to the smell."
Yet he still insisted. "You look like you're freezing."
T'Pol gave him a look, then decided to take up his offer. It wasn't a pleasant option, but it seemed that nothing else would satisfy him. It was rather awkward for the Vulcan to be so close to him, as a human as well as a fellow officer. It had surprised her that he was sensitive to her discomfort, considering he had been nothing but resentful of her presence ever since the ship left space dock. She sat up next to him, trying to put as much space between them as possible while still remaining covered.
They had a conversation than night, too: He asked if she would take his side if they needed to use weaponry in this situation. This question unsettled her greatly. Despite the fact that T'Pol had more far interstellar experience than he, she had never disobeyed any of his orders no matter how foolish it may have seemed to her. Yet he still wanted to know if she'd defend him in combat?!
Then again, they both had their preconceptions about one another at the time. She felt he was too impulsive; Archer felt he needed to have one eye on her at all time, and she got the third degree on just about every last order for the two days following that incident.
"Feeling better?" Jonathon asked her.
"I am indeed much warmer," T'Pol responded after a bit of a pause.
Jonathon continued. "I want to thank you for coming to this party with me."
"There's no need for gratitude. I was more than willing to come."
"I know Vulcans aren't renown for their party-going attitude. I realize they make you uncomfortable, like the surprise party we arranged for your birthday last year."
T'Pol looked up at him. "I hadtaken a bit offguard by last year's celebration; however, I've learned from you humans that the thought behind the gesture is important as well."
He nodded. "So you're okay with this?" He turned his head to look at the sun set behind the horizon of the lake.
"Certainly." And it was a welcomed opportunity to stay out of bed, she thought. Jonathon chuckled.
"I'm sure it was," he added.
T'Pol was certain she hadn't spoken out loud, but yet it seemed his comment was a response to her thought. That was impossible; the Vulcan Science Directorate had determined that humans did not have telepathic abilities. Most Vulcans experienced telepathy in various degrees, but hers was no stronger or weaker than the average female's.
However, said Directorate had determined time travel impossible, too…
The two of them began to hear the music from their destination, so they knew they were getting close. There were many guests surrounding the perimeter of the hotel; a rather large group stood around the entrance while some overlooked the large windows watching the other party-goers arrive. And all of them were smiling.
A large shrub with purple trumpet-like blooms lined the walkway into the hotel. T'Pol stopped at the sight of them and went to touch one of the blossoms. Jonathon stopped as he noticed her doing so.
"I guess there's some plant life that peaked your interest," he commented.
Without looking away, she answered, "It looks very similar to a tree shrub I found once on Vulcan as a child. It was called a Takari shrub and it grew behind my family's home."
"I lived in upstate New York as a boy. I didn't have any plants in my small yard."
"I was only about five at the time when I discovered it. It was the first plant life to fascinate me. However"—at this point her voice grew somewhat tenuous—"I was unaware of the fact that the Takari shrub was a rather dominant plant, much like a weed. It cut into some of other plants my mother had. She had to remove it." T'Pol left out the part about being somewhat upset about its destruction for days to come. T'Pol took one last glance at the plant before continuing to walk, with Jonathon behind her.
Jonathon felt a wave of upset come over him after hearing her story. He didn't understand why this was; her voice lent nothing into her own feelings about the plant, or her attachment to it, if any.
Still, that's hard to lose the one thing you love at five years old, even for a Vulcan.
"Indeed. However, at five years old, most Vulcan children are disciplined enough not to cry over a loss, even if they cannot fully suppress their emotions. Our training begins almost at birth to--"
Before T'Pol could finish her sentence, a whole set of fireworks went off around the two of them. On Jyora, it was a custom to set out an innocent-looking welcome mat that was in fact rigged with wiring that would set off a system of mild explosives after enough cumulative pressure had been applied to it. Normally, the trap would go off at a much later hour, but the invitation list for Fellis's party had expanded quite a bit from previous years, and many guests had arrived already. It was a normal event for Jyorans, whose ears were not as sensitive as a Vulcan's, and usually the one who got pranked would laugh.
This event was anything but amusing to T'Pol, who'd never experienced anything like it. With worry apparent in her face, she reacted by pushing Jonathon and herself onto the ground. She had expected this gathering to be rowdy, but she hadn't anticipated weapons fire. There was no logical explanation for this, especially with the weapons fire going up in the air and in no particular direction!!!
Jonathon had little time to react to what the hell was happening around them before he was shoved to the ground on his back. When he looked up, he saw…rockets…in the air? Exploding?! He started to sit up.
"Lay back down, Jonathon! You'll get yourself killed!"
The noise subsided about ten seconds later, but T'Pol stayed still and the shallowness of her breathing became more audible to Jonathon, despite the cackles of the natives. With one hand he helped her up and she straightened out her attire.
"T'Pol, you okay?," he asked. She nodded. "We weren't in danger. Those were merely fireworks. They're just used in celebration and everything! I'm guessing you've never seen anything on Earth?"
"I have not," T'Pol answered, a little stiffer than usual. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to straighten herself up to maintain a dignified appearance.
"I can't say this didn't take me by surprise either." Not that he was very happy about this himself. Jonathon began to look around for Fellis to give him a piece of his mind.
That display was rather unnerving, she thought while Jonathon still had his back turned from her.
"Unnerving?" Jonathon asked. "You were downright scared!"
"Vulcans don't experience fear," T'Pol quipped before she had time to realize she hadn't spoken out loud. "And rarely does anything unsettle us."
"All right, then. You became unsettled." Jonathon soon spotted Fellis at the entrance of the large building. "Come on, there he is."
Fellis saw Jonathon And T'Pol marching up towards him. He grinned his wide smile that suddenly reminded Archer of Phlox when he was trying to play matchmaker with him and T'Pol.
"Welcome, friends," The man boomed and walked two steps over to the both of them. "I'm so glad to see you both… together. Ah…this is the most beautiful night of the year." Fellis extended his arms towards the clear night sky. He failed to notice that Jonathon looked less than trilled.
"Who put that trap out?!" he demanded suddenly.
"I don't know what you're….oh…right," he laughed. "Oh, that. I'm sorry if I alarmed you and your friend here with the…explosions that are set up. It's a tradition here in these parts, nothing to worry about."
"Nothing to worry about?!" Archer continued. "T'Pol was afraid that we might get killed!"
"Jonathon, I wasn't--" she tried to correct him, but he continued on.
"—And I'll be willing to bet she's not the only one to have ever been scared of those fireworks!! That's a bit of a dangerous trick, do you think?"
"Jonathon!" T'Pol's calm voice had taken a rather angered tone, but it quickly subsided. "Neither one of us are native to this area. There are bound to be customs that we are not familiar with and seem somewhat unusual."
He looked at her, the passion welling up inside of him. "There's no excuse for…"
"It is not wise to dwell on the past. Move on," she stated, glaring him straight in the eyes. T'Pol was beginning to feel more than slightly agitated due to Jonathon's behavior. Both of them had forgotten Fellis's presence until he spoke.
"If you don't mind, I can lead you to our finest dining room. Our kitchen staff has made quite a meal tonight, heh heh. Come!" Fellis led them inside into the grandest lobby of any hotel Jonathon Archer had ever been in. The inside was designed so that one could walk out of their room and looked down upon the lobby and it's exquisite pond.
Jonathon looked up to the ceiling. "Nice place."
"Extravagant," T'Pol added.
"Boy, I'll bet Trip would have loved to see this. He's a friend of ours," Jonathon told Fellis, who nodded.
Before long, the three of them were in the dining room. As he looked around, Jonathon guessed there were to be at least forty or fifty Jyorans already seated on the long tables, having very lively conversations.
"Ah, here you go." Fellis showed the two of them their seats at the table that was closest to the large, wall-length window. "We should have the meal ready soon."
"Are there any courses without animal products?" T'Pol asked.
"Of course…about half the selections are meat-free, heh heh!! Don't you worry that cute little head of yours."
Jonathon shot Fellis an evil glance that was so quick neither T'Pol nor Fellis caught it.
"I'll so see what's left for drinks!" And away he went with a speed that was unexpected for a man of Fellis's hefty size.
Meanwhile the other Jyorans took an interest with the two outsiders. They were fascinated by the male's complexion that was a bit paler than their own as well as by the female's pointed ears. And when the off-worlders were out of earshot later that night, a consensus grew that the two of them were a very attractive couple; but never mind that now. The Jyorans wanted to know some more facts about where the two of them came from, which T'Pol decided to explain.
"Jonathon Archer and I do not come from the same planet. He is from Earth and I come from a planet called T'Khasi."
Jonathon looked at her strangely. "You mean Vulcan?"
"That is the term humans use for our homeworld. We call it T'Khasi."
Archer nodded slightly "I never knew the term you Vulcans used for your planet.". He turned away. I guess you learn something new every day.
"Indeed you do," T'Pol replied quietly. Jonathon blinked, knowing full well he hadn't said anything out loud. She couldn't possibly be…no, there was no way. Even T'Pol had once admitted that her mental abilities for telepathy were not very strong for a Vulcan. Before he had the chance to say anything on the matter, she continued.
"Our planets differ greatly. While Jonathon's homeworld is seventy percent water, mine is seventy-three percent sand and twenty-four percent plant life. As a result, Vulcans, as my people are known, have evolved to require less water to survive."
The Jyorans, a species known to be rather fond of the water, began to chatter about this.
"No surface water? That's impossible!" someone yelled. The talk continued until another man, and one that had quite a lot to drink, walked over to T'Pol and asked in a rather sleazy tone a voice:
"Could you explain about your mating rituals?"
The other diners seemed even more intrigued about this aspect of both species, but T'Pol seemed a bit silent and turned her head away.
I hadn't expected to answer such a question.
Jonathon patted her back slightly. "You don't have to. I'll do it."
I hadn't said anything. She didn't question this since he had obviously sensed her awkwardness of being put in such a situation.
He stood up to speak. "Well…Ahem Um, on my homeworld, a man would ask a woman out on a date…"
"The male courts the female?" An older woman asked. She thought in her mind about what a backward society this poor creature must come from.
He nodded. "He also proposes marriage, too."
A loud gasp let out in the room and the talking resumed. Exasperated at the continual interruptions, Archer sat back down, sighing as he did so.
"It is safe to assume that this is a highly matriarchal society," T'Pol told him.
"And it shows with all the gossiping," he added. "There's one difference between Vulcan and Jyoran women."
As the chatter subsided once more, another male yelled from across the room, "What about Vulcan mating rituals?" The men let out a hearty cheer at this question, being quite attracted to this Vulcan. She turned to Jonathon, with a hint of a pale green blush on hand. Before T'Pol had the chance to answer, some waiters came out with another round of drinks for the room, blue liquid in a small-size glass and the noise level rose to the highest it had been since T'Pol and Jon entered.
My assumptions are correct. This is a very jovial gathering.
Jonathon laughed mentally and turned to face her. Tell me about it.
T'Pol had been looking straight at Jonathon as their drinks were handed to him, and heard him speak.Yet he had not seen his month move at all. Here eyes held a look of curiosity as Jonathon became a bit confused.
"Did you just say something? Just now, about the crowd being jovial?"
"Not out loud." The two of them stared for a moment, knowing what they did not speak.
Can you hear what I was thinking right now? He asked he.
Loud and clear.
Suddenly, Jonathon felt a whack on his back from yet another male Jyoran. It was painstakingly obvious that he had far too much alcohol, for his breath was making Archer a bit dizzy from the smell of the liquor. His laughter boomed from behind him and Jonathon turned around to see him.
The man looked at Jonathon for a bit, then turned his sights on T'Pol. She gave a glare that was reserved only for times like these, when a male tried to approach her for…gratification.
"You're not like these local females," he told her. T'Pol continued to look straight ahead, not taking the man's bait. She quickly sensed Jonathon wanted very much to do something to the man…and it included violence.
He's drunk. There's no point in rationalizing with him.
You dirty son of a bitch! Flashed thought Jonathon's mind as he watched the man edge up closer to T'Pol.
"Tell me. Just what are your mating rituals? Do you wish to demonstrate some of them?"
Her agitation grew, and Jonathon was unconsciously feeling the effects of it. It was also adding to how pissed off the guy had already made him feel when he walked over to start with. His eyes began to burn with passion as the need to protect her intensified.
Resist violence! T'Pol warned; however, the drunken Jyoran did not share the pleasurable temperament of his peers. Right now, he had needs, and this alien female wasn't responding like he wanted her to. Instead she sat in front of him, not saying a word! Well, he'd get her to respond, all right…
Jonathon watched as the man grabbed T'Pol's right shoulder. As soon as his hand landed on her, Jonathon pushed it off of her and tackled him to the ground, ready to teach this asshole about how not to treat a woman. Just as he was about to lay a punch, T'Pol stood up and grabbed Jonathon's wrist to stop him. He looked up at her calm face.
"He's not worth the effort. The man is clearly intoxicated, and I doubt he really knows what he's doing." Please, don't.
He turned from T'Pol to the man lying under him. Jonathon stood up, and let the man get up to his feet.
I would feel better kicking his ass!
It wouldn't solve anything.
The ability to communicate mentally with Jonathon was growing increasing rapidly since the moment they realized this link between them existed. If he could hear her little thoughts, Jonathon would soon be able to listen to her more intimate thoughts as well; the ones which most Vulcans would deny existed. Jonathon Archer was her friend and her captain. She couldn't let those thoughts become known.
"Jonathon," T'Pol said quietly, "we need to discuss our other situation. In private."
Can't we do it like this?
No, she replied sharply. Allowing him to practice would only make breaking this link more difficult for both of them.
"There was a garden area outside of here. I believe it should provide sufficient privacy."
A still slightly-agitated Jonathon nodded. "What ever you feel is best. I'm not very hungry anyway." He looked above the crowd, their eyes still dancing in the aftermath of the fight. "I apologize. I hope I haven't ruined your dinner. Males of my species don't take too kindly to men disrespecting the women they care about like that."
T'Pol looked up at him sharply and felt a rush of blood to her face.
As the two of them headed for the door, a younger, attractive, and very available woman stepped up to Jonathon's side and placed a hand on his back. He was very surprised by this display. T'Pol took notice of this very quickly, stepping an additional two steps closer to Jonathon's side.
"You haven't ruin dinner at all. That was Leral. He always make a scene like that at social occasions, but no one stands up to him." As she began to talk, the woman rubbed Jonathon's back. "I think you were very brave, Mr. Archer."
This woman has no concern for personal space, T'Pol thought a little irritably. Jonathon was equally uncomfortable with this.
Um…this is odd… He didn't want to hurt her feelings. She looked up at Jonathon, batting her eyes a little and gave a sweet, small little smile.
T'Pol reacted quickly to this situation. She grabbed Jonathon's closest hand and held on rather firmly to it, all the while looking a bit icily at this suitor. The woman quickly got the message and stepped aside to let the two of them pass by, still displaying the usual Jyoran smile that T'Pol did not return. Both she and Jonathon were quiet for about five seconds after that.
"You know, I heard that thought," he remarked.
"Your point?"
"It sounded like you were a little jealous."
"You were mistaken, Jonathon. You also thought I was jealous of the waitress at the restaurant we went to last night."
The couple walked by Ensign Sato and Lieutenant Reed a few moments later. The two officers looked at their commanding officers with a rather curious look.
Jonathon nodded at the both of them. "Hoshi, Malcolm."
"Sir, I was wondering if you knew of any where in the building that might be serving supper at this hour. I haven't had much to eat today." Reed tried to keep his eyes directed up at Captain Archer's eyes and not lower them.
Hoshi nodded at T'Pol's direction. "I see you're enjoying my, um, present."
"Correct," she replied emotionless.
Sato looked down at T'Pol's hand. "Um, Sub-Commander? May I ask why you two are…?" She pointed downward.
Both of them looked down simultaneously and saw what Hoshi was looking at. Their hands were still linked together and neither T'Pol nor Archer had made an attempt to separate themselves before now. Hastily, T'Pol pulled away and Jonathon took his newly freed hand and ran it coolly though his hair, pretending not to be ruffled by the event. Malcolm fought the urge to burst out in sniggers.
"Um…er, there's a dining area about…next door to your left…back that way." Jonathon pointed to the room behind him. Stiffly, Reed nodded, not speaking out loud for fear he may do something we'd surely regret.
"Thank you, Captain," Hoshi replied for him. With a bit of teasing implied, she added, "You two…have a good time tonight." She pretended not to notice the baleful glance both Captain Archer and Sub-Commander T'Pol were giving her as she walked away with Malcolm. This was one event that the two of them would be repeating to many a crewmate on Enterprise for months to follow.
As they continued to walk, T'Pol folded her hands behind her back silently.
"I'll say," he commented to her thought about being caught in a somewhat compromising position.
..........
At last, they reached the secluded area T'Pol had spoken of. Jonathon wondered how she found this place and how she even knew it existed. T'Pol pointed to a large bush that looked a lot like that Takari bush she had mentioned earlier.
"I discovered this while looking though the bush when we arrived," she explained.
Romantic, he thought. T'Pol, who had heard that, ignored the random thought and sat down on a nearby bench. Jonathon followed suit.
"All right," he began nervously, "I figure you know more about this than I do. So…um…explain. Please."
"You are partially correct. I do more some information on our…condition. As you know, Vulcans have the ability for mental communication. Some have greater abilities than others."
"Go on."
This was the part she didn't wish to explain to him. Jonathon may interpret more into it than what was actually there. However, the circumstances didn't lend T'Pol to very much privacy, and he'd most likely end up hearing about it from her in some form or fashion. She took a deep breath and continued.
"The mental bonds can become quite strong between two married individuals who trust one another greatly. These bonds can grow to be emotional bonds as well. One mate can feel what his or her other half is experiencing, if the emotion is strong enough."
Jonathon felt a bit nervous there, which surprised her a bit.
"Even before the time of Surek, mental bonds like these were strong between all Vulcan couples; however, since we as a race decided to suppress our emotions thess instances have declined greatly."
T'Pol studied Jonathon's face closely to see if he understood what she had said. She focused her energy and tried on purpose to hear what he was thinking, but could not hear a word.
"What?" he asked.
"I didn't hear anything you were thinking just now."
Jonathon nodded. "Well, maybe this is a temporary thing. After all, we've spent the last three days with one another. Perhaps when we return to Enterprise everything between us will go back to normal." Including our distant, professional relationship.
T'Pol blinked. "Is that a problem?"
Jonathon shook his head hastily and changed the subject quickly. "Is there anyway to …stop these thoughts from entering your mind or…anything?"
"There are a number of techniques to prevent actual thoughts from being heard at random intervals," T'Pol began to explain. She stopped before she had fully started her next sentence. She didn't need to.
"So…we can't completely drown out the effects of feeling one another's emotions?" he finished.
"Not completely."
And this scared the both of them. Jonathon had been spending the better part of three days to push those thoughts about her aside, to stop longing for something he'd never have. T'Pol was different from any other woman he'd ever wanted…which made her that much more special. Likewise, the Vulcan woman had been struggling with the nightly images of her and of Jonathon becoming closer than she ever could be in real life. Every day for the last three weeks or so, she woke up with elevated heart rates because of it. And she couldn't have Jonathon know how she envisioned him at night.
Knowing that Jonathon could feel her emotions was a bit frightening to T'Pol.
She soon heard Jonathon let out a laugh; had she not had the ability to communicate with him mentally, T'Pol would have mistaken that laughter to be for amusement. However, she sensed much anxiety from him, and the laugh was to try and pretend everything was all right with one another.
"I thought Vulcans don't get frightened," he quipped.
She couldn't lie about not thinking it, either. T'Pol took a breath. "As I was saying, it is best that we start these techniques as soon as possible, for your sake."
"My sake? I think you should be concerned with yourself. I'm not the one who's Vulcan."
"Just because I resist the urge to act on my emotions doesn't mean they aren't there, Jonathon."
Looking into her eyes at that moment, Jonathon got the impression that T'Pol was hiding—or at least trying to hide—something from him. And he had the slightest feeling it concerned him. He couldn't explain how; it was a feeling, but he trusted his emotions. He was one to talk with the way he thought about her at night. Jonathon pushed this aside and tried not to think too hard on it.
"A wise move."
He let out a disgruntled sigh. That was going to take some getting used to. "Okay, then. We know what the problem is. Now how do we make it go away?"
T'Pol grabbed his hand, palm-side up and covered it with her other hand; there was a very warm sensation felt by both of them from this gesture, and very pleasurable. She took a deep breath before she began to speak again.
"Close your eyes," she instructed. Jonathon did as he was told. "Now imagine that there is a pile of bricks by your side in an open field."
I can't really focus on anything with her soft hands on mine.
"Focus," replied T'Pol sharply. "And thank you for noticing," she added in a softer tone.
This time, Jonathon did imagine himself back on Earth. Out in the Ozarks of Missouri, he stood in a great wide plain, looking around until he found T'Pol standing away from him. The pile of bricks lay between them.
"Now, we must build a mental barrier between the two of us."
Archer walked over to the bricks and began to stack one on top of the other, as did T'Pol's mental counterpart. It was a rather daunting task, and Jonathon didn't know if he wanted to make one so wide.
"It doesn't have to be especially wide, just so long as you don't hear me on the other side."
"Ah…thanks."
Before too long had passed, a wall nearly two meters stood between the both of them, and Jonathon opened his eyes to find himself back in the garden.
"Wow…okay," he commented. Jonathon looked at T'Pol, trying to read anything in her face, but found nothing save a raised eyebrow. "What?"
"I am surprised that your mind could become so disciplined very fast. Usually a guided exercise like this only works this well when the two subjects trust and care deeply for one another."
Jonathon nodded solemnly. "I've always been a quick study," he joked.
At that exact moment, Trip was walking along the trail inside the garden with a friend of his he'd met at the party by the name of Dax. Tucker stopped his Trill companion at the sight of his commanding officers holding hands, alone in the moonlight and sitting rather close to one another. Trip shook his head and grinned. Dax noticed the expression.
"Why the smile?" he asked.
Trip leaned over and whispered, "They pretend they don't have feelin's for each other whenever any of the crew's 'round. Watch this. Hey, Cap'n! Lovely night for romance, isn't it?"
Both heads quickly whipped around in Trip's direction and disjoined their hands. They stood up and Trip and Dax approached them.
"Oh, um…Trip. I didn't know you were here." Archer had a very nervous grin on his face.
"You two seem like ya'll were havin' fun."
"Commander, could you introduce us to your friend, please?" T'Pol demanded, a bit snippily.
Trip nodded to Dax. "Captain, T'Pol, this is…this is…I can't remember your first name, Dax."
"That's quite all right. Dax is the name of my symbiot, which is over a hundred years old. Everyone calls me Dax. Anyway, I was showing Mr. Tucker the native plants of this planet, and this is the perfect place. I have a strong interest in plant life, and science in general."
Jonathon glanced at T'Pol as he responded, "I've never heard of a humanoid with a symbiot. Have you had many…hosts?"
"Three so far."
Jonathon thought on that and a new idea occurred to him.
"You know, I work for an organization called Starfleet. Our mission is to explore new life, which includes plants too," he said laughing. "Perhaps one day, when your species travels to Earth, you'll give them a call."
Dax nodded. "Thanks for the recommendation, sir."
"Hey, if ya don't mind, I'm gonna join them now. Would you like to come with us?"
"No, thanks. Have a good time, Trip," Dax said before continuing on his way. Not one of the Enterprise crew would live to know this, but Dax did join Starfleet-three times, to be exact. And Jadzia Dax was quite fond of telling the story of Dax's meeting with Commander Tucker of Chief O'Brien, who happened to be a distant relative to Tucker.
Jonathon, Trip and T'Pol continued to walk towards the entrance of the hotel. Trip was still curious about what T'Pol and Archer were doing, holding hands like that. Did Jonathon and T'Pol finally tell one another about their obvious feeling for one another? He wanted some details about what he had seen, so he tapped Jon on the shoulder.
"Hey, um, Jonathon? Can we talk about…you know? When I came by?" The last words came out in a whisper, but T'Pol's sensitive ear caught it anyway. She turned around.
"I'm sure Commander Tucker requires an explanation about what he perceives we were engaging in, and what was actually happening." Her tone was especially icy and short.
Jonathon nodded. "Sure, you go ahead inside. It's too cold out here. You still feel…okay?"
"I'm fine." T'Pol knew exactly what he meant by that, even without their link. As she walked away, Trip turned to Jonathon with a smirk on his face.
"So…?" Trip patted Jonathon on the back swiftly.
An exasperated Archer told him, "It's not what you think."
"Well, what was it then? Looked pretty intimate to me. Almost like you enjoyed it." Jonathon replied very quickly, nearly cutting off Tucker's last words.
Well…um…T'Pol and I, er…somehow, we've gained the ability to hear one another's thoughts. I don't understand it at all."
Trip's face lit up. "So you found out that she likes you?! And you like her?!"
"Commander, can you take your mind off of being the ship matchmaker for one moment?" he growled. "That's all I've been hearing since we got in the shuttlepod this week, from you, from Phlox, even from that Lilora or whatever her name was from last night. Why does everyone think I'm in love with her? Or…or that she likes me, huh? Every where I go, everyone says we make such a good couple, but you know and I know and she knows it's not gonna happen!"
Jonathon took a deep breath as Trip stared at him, trying to avoid eye contact. An awkward pause lay between them.
"Um…Jon…I have to tell ya something-not about you and T'Pol," the engineer added quickly as Jonathon gave him the evil eye. "Ya know I've been doin' that Vulcan neuropressure for a few months now?"
"Yeah, T'Pol mentioned something about it."
"And you know how Vulcans don't like to be touched?" Jonathon nodded. "The first session I went to, T'Pol gave me a bit of a warning about what could happen between us. She said…and this is what she told me…Vulcans don't do a lot of touchin' 'cause that…brings about arousal."
Jonathon took a deep breath, resisting the temptation to lay his best friend out cold. "Trip…is this going somewhere?"
"Of course…er, sir," he added quietly. " It's not always sexual arousal. It's just…" Trip lowered his voice closer, pulling Jonathon closer.
"Neuropressure is reserved for a female and her mate or another female. Now I assure you that I don't feel anything for her. We're just too different. But I think your bein' around one another and your attraction to each other has awaken something in the both of you."
"Thank you so much, Counselor, for you help," Jonathon sharply replied with a hint of sarcasm in his voice and began to walk away before Trip's voice stopped him.
"Sir, I wasn't suggesting anythin' between the two of you! I was just thinkin' 'bout that now that neither of you are workin' and spending nearly every wakin' moment that your strong feelings about each other…"
"There aren't any…"
"—has brought this about. Wait a minute! You had to hold her up when you two went swimming two days ago! And what about when you two got tangled in Porthos's leash?"
Jonathon quickly made a connection about what Trip said about touching and those two events.
"And what about when you went dancin' after dinner last night? Oh…Malcolm an' Hoshi were more than eager to tell me that today, but I tried to stop them…"
Jonathon waved his hand to stop him. "Yeah, T'Pol had I have…been in close contact with each other a lot this week, yeah, I get it. Still, none of it was like the neuropressure you two do. She's been giving you sessions for months and you haven't experienced anything like this."
"That's not entirely true. There was a week back when we first started when we kept finishing the other's sentence without meaning to. Ya remember that?" He did, quickly. "But we didn't hear what the other was thinkin'."
Jonathon was silent with contemplation. T'Pol and Trip do this intimate procedure three nights a week for five months, and the most to come out of it is finishing the other's sentence? But yet he and T'Pol have only recently had any sort of measurable physical contact, and now he can hear her thoughts? Maybe, there was something more than he had wanted to face before…
"Trip, I wanna know something. Are you attracted to T'Pol?"
Tucker's expression did not change. "I already told ya I don't feel a thing for her…well, no more than the average fellow. She's nice to look at, but I'd rather have a woman that's a little more personable. Why…oh…you're finally getting' out of denial and startin' to face the fact that you're in love with her."
"I didn't say that!"
"It was implied!" Trip nearly pulled at his hair for the headache he was starting to get. " Do you really need to be told that now?! If this mental link isn't proof that you two care about and trust each other, I don't what is. We've been doin' more intimate things than dancin' and I ain't felt a thing."
Oh, boy. Trip loves to go on about how damn intimate that neuropressure is!
"And just how intimate is this neuropressure, since you seem to like rubbing that in my face?"
Even before completing this sentence, Jonathon knew he sounded more than a little jealous. Trip rarely brought up his session unless Jonathon asked him about it, which wasn't that often. Trip looked back at him, wide-eyed.
"So…ya don't care about T'Pol? Riiiight."
Wait a minute. If I don't care about T'Pol, then why would I care how intimate they become? What the hell am I doing?
Jonathon Archer got no answer, for T'Pol came back. She had been wondering what could be keeping the two of them so long. She also had some rather surprising news to share with him...or rather someone else did. The mental block did little to block strong emotions that Jonathon was feeling, for as soon as she saw him, T'Pol felt very tense for no plausible reason. From the way he was looking at Commander Tucker, she assumed their discussion had become heated.
"Gentlemen."
Jonathon turned his attention to the Vulcan woman and calmed himself quickly. "Sorry I kept you waiting. I had to discuss a few things and clarify some issues that Trip was having."
Something in Archer's eyes told Charles Tucker III to watch what he said for the rest of the evening—for real, this time. He knew what Jonathon was just letting himself realize, so his job was done anyhow.
"Jonathon, there is someone that would like to see you." The two men followed T'Pol into the building.
I probably should apologize to Fellis for leaving his dinner so quickly, he thought.
"We'll do that later," T'Pol replied. Her back was turned to him, so she didn't know he hadn't spoken out loud.
That was freaky, Trip commented to himself. He didn't need to know what just went on there.
The next event was just as unexpected. Jonathon had no idea who might want to speak with him. At first he thought it could be Reed or Hoshi, but T'Pol would have simply have said so. He quickly got his answer at he was greeted by the sight of a man with blue skin and a pair of antennae on his forehead.
"Captain Archer," Shran welcomed Jonathon, who stood in shocked silence. Trip looked at the both of them.
"Well, this is a kicker," he quirked.
TBC
From Anna Yolei:
Well, that was surprising…much like the twins were in the finale of Friends. Anyway, sorry for the delay, but it was worth it to have a decent chapter nine, in comparison to the other one I had. Lots of good things in here, do you think? I'll explain some of them:
Mental linkage: I saw "Attached" from TNG a few days before I started the first draft of this, and I thought it would add something extra to the story. As you probably caught from the ending, T'Pol's methods didn't break the link completely. It will be important in future chapters, most notable Chapter Twelve.
Dax: Again, this came up from the other draft, and had a far smaller role. And that Chief O'Brien stuff is a bit plausible; in "Breaking the Ice," Trip mentioned he had a nephew in Ireland, which means he had a brother or sister there too, so it could be possible. Not likely, but possible. (Besides, you can't see any family resemblance to Torres :) )
T'Khasi: I didn't make this one up. According to the Vulcan Language Institute, this is the true name of their planet, given to it by the Vulcans. Makes sense; Vulcan is the Greek god of fire (or volcanoes.), and there's a lot of warm weather on Vulcan.
Hmm…this chapter got way longer than I planned. Ah, well. Chapter Ten coming soon—um, as soon as I figure out what I'm going to do with it!