April 4, 2156 1905 hours – Enterprise mess, in orbit around Andoria (Procyon VIII)
Trip looked around the mess as he entered. T'Pol was seated at their usual table, with her chair pushed back slightly, reading off a PADD with her legs crossed at the knee. Her plate was untouched in front of her. Well, I guess I haven't pissed her off too bad, he thought to himself. He collected his meal and approached the table. Here we go, he thought to himself.
"Am I welcome at the table?" he asked.
She looked up at him. "Of course," she said. She had found that her mood had lightened considerably after Commander Tucker had stuck himself to the cargo bay wall. She had been perusing the Kir'Shara to see if Surak had any wisdom on revenge. So far she had only found recommendations against it. Perhaps it was only appropriate in very small doses.
He sat down. "Did I get all the vinegar off?"
She took a delicate sniff. "Acceptable." She put the PADD down and scooted her chair in.
"I took three showers. Glad that worked."
"Perhaps next time you will read the instructions before opening an alien container. That could have been dangerous."
"You're right, you're right." Just let her have this one boy, he thought to himself. You can't win. At least she seems to care. "Cap'n says I was not being a gentleman last night and deserved whatever you did to me."
"The Captain said I should refrain from killing you," she replied.
"I'm sorry and I'll be better."
"It is forgotten."
They ate for a while in silence. When they finished, Trip stood up and got them a couple of mugs of tea. He sat back down, took a deep breath and said "T'Pol, I think the reason I was acting up was, well, I want our relationship to go beyond 'just friends' again. Is that going to be possible?" There, he'd put it out there. He didn't know what he would do if she said no. Maybe transfer again.
She looked into her mug for a long moment. "I'm not ready…yet," she said.
"Yet," repeated Trip.
"Yet" said T'Pol.
"Well, that's a lot better than 'no'. I can wait." He gave her a smile. Inside he was conflicted. It felt good that she hadn't shut him down but the waiting would be hard. Would she jerk him around again?
Her mind was whirring too as she looked at him over her mug. Could she open up enough to have a relationship with him? Would he accept her or did he really want her to be more emotional, more human? What would happen to her if she unlocked some of her emotional boxes? Would they all flood out and overwhelm her? She thought a little about her reactions the last few weeks. Did she really have her emotions as locked away as she thought? She stared down into her mug.
Trip couldn't stand the silence and said "So, what do you think about the power requirements on those shield generators?"
She looked at him. "Trip?"
He blinked, then grinned. She hadn't called him Trip in a long time. Well, in for a penny, in for a pound, he thought. "Yes darlin'?"
"Don't talk," she said gently.
They sat there for a while, looking out the window at the blue and white expanse of Andoria rotating above the ship, just a little bubble of silence in the busy mess, content just to be together for a while.