Author's Note: Please see previous notes. Anything in italics is a bond interaction.

I know many of you are glad to see the back of Marlie. I really did like her, and I wanted to do her justice and not turn her into a stereotype of the wronged woman so I hope that worked. Now, we deal with the aftermath of her surprise visit and some questions Nova wanted to ask...

Let me know what you think. Enjoy!

XXX

Trip Tucker walked over to the sofa and sat heavily on it.

"I feel like I'm going to be sick," Trip said as he leaned heavily on his knees and breathed deeply.

T'Pol walked over to him and stood next to him rubbing large circles on his back.

"You know," Trip said. "I've always either been the one getting dumped or it was a mutual leaving."

"I didn't know that," T'Pol said as she continued to rub circles.

"Fuck," Trip swore under his breath.

T'Pol said nothing and just continued to rub.

She eventually stopped rubbing his back when his breathing evened out and instead walked over to the window and looked outside.

They lived in silence for another twenty minutes before T'Pol spoke.

"Are you in pain because you still love her or because you are displeased with your actions?" T'Pol inquired.

"If you re-opened our bond, you'd know," Trip said as he sat back and leaned his head against the back of the couch as he covered his eyes with one hand.

"I thought you'd desire privacy at this time," T'Pol said, surprised by his request.

"What I desire," Trip said with some edge. "Is to know what's going on with you in this moment."

And just as he finished his sentence the bond opened, and Trip felt himself being pummelled with her emotions. Her insecurity, her jealousy, her worry. She showed him the image of Trip and Marlie hugging by the window, of them exchanging words of love, of him crying and kissing the top of her head.

Then the questions: "Are you sure you want to do this? Do you still love her? Do you feel like you have made a mistake in choosing me? Do you feel regret? Do you really love me?"

Trip sat up and looked at her, surprised.

"I feel like shit, T'Pol," Trip said with some force. "Not because I want to be with Marlie, but because she had to get hurt. Because I was an asshole. Because I cheated on her. Because I should have told her sooner. Because she came all the way to Mars, god damn it!"

T'Pol, taken aback by his anger crossed her arms over her chest and turned back to look out the window.

"I'm sorry," Trip said softly as he rose to stand with her. "I shouldn't have…they are perfectly reasonable feelings and…"

"You were crying and saying you love her," T'Pol said sadly.

"Loved her," Trip said clearly. "As in the past. But I still have feelings for her. I still don't want to see her upset."

T'Pol nodded and felt him grab her shoulders and turn her to face him.

"I just wish we hadn't slept together before I had the chance to tell her it was over," Trip said as he met her eyes. "It doesn't mean I didn't want to be with you, or that you are responsible for all of that, it just means I wish I could have been a better man in this situation. That I'm not proud of myself."

T'Pol nodded and placed an open palm over his heart. "The bond was drawing us together last night."

"And the time before?" Trip asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That was your jealousy," T'Pol said quietly.

"Exactly," Trip said. "Had I just been a better person, I would have been able to look her in the eye and say nothing had happened with us, but I still wanted to call it quits," Trips aid sadly. "I wouldn't have been THAT guy."

T'Pol nodded and pulled back slightly as she looked into his eyes.

"Did Nova ask any questions about…?"

"She asked about Ms. Woods, and I said she was a friend from home," T'Pol said quietly.

"Anything else?" Trip asked.

"She wanted to know why I was so upset," T'Pol said as she dropped her gaze from his eyes.

"Because you were trying to get her out so quickly?" Trip asked.

T'Pol said nothing in response.

"T'Pol?" Trip asked.

He then got a picture across their bond of her taking an elevator to Jon's floor with Nova, T'Pol's body trembling so badly she couldn't press the floor button; Nova had to press it for her. Then of T'Pol leaning against the wall of the elevator and Nova snuggling into her legs.

Trip felt her embarrassment in her inability to control her emotions in front of her child. He felt her worry for their future together. He felt her paralysis regarding what was possibly happening in her apartment between Trip and Marlie. And finally, he felt her satisfaction in her ability to get Nova out of the situation before anything bad happened and traumatized their child.

"Darlin'" Trip said as he pulled her tight against him and kissed the side of her face. "Oh T'Pol…"

"She's so much better for you," T'Pol said quietly.

"Nothing is better for me than you," Trip said gently as he rocked her slightly. "Nothing."

XXX

Jon sat across from Nova and watched her pick at her eggs.

"Not hungry?" Jon asked her with a smile.

"My appetite has diminished," Nova said as she turned the fork in her hand and tapped it against the plate.

"Are you sure?" Jon asked.

"T'Pol was upset," Nova said as she poked at her eggs.

"I think she was just surprised you had a visitor," Jon smiled at her.

"She hugged Trip," Nova said quietly.

"Who?"

"Marlie," Nova said as she pushed her eggs to one side of the plate. "The woman who upset T'Pol."

"Maybe she and T'Pol aren't friends?" Jon tried to explain.

"Maybe," Nova said.

Jon lifted his coffee to his mouth and started to take a drink.

"I'm genetically linked to Trip, aren't I?" Nova asked Jon as she met his eyes.

Jon sputtered while drinking his coffee and placed his cup down, wiping his mouth.

"Why would you say that?" Jon asked, alarms going off in his head.

Nova looked at him like he was a complete moron.

"Nova?" Jon continued to play dumb.

"He and I have many of the same physical features," Nova said plainly. "It's pretty obvious we are related."

"Is it?" Jon continued, his brain racing as he tried to come up with answers for the child.

"Is he my uncle?" Nova asked, her voice curious.

"I think these are questions for him, not me," Jon said.

"But I asked you," Nova said. "Trip is hard to understand."

"What?" Jon asked her.

"I can understand T'Pol so much better," Nova said as she scrunched up her face. "But I know something is wrong with Trip…I just don't know what."

"Do you feel these things?" Jon asked, curious.

"No, I can see them, just like I can see you are avoiding my questions" Nova said calmly. "So, is he my uncle?"

"Nova, you need to talk with Trip about that," Jon said clearly.

"Fine," Nova sighed.

Jon played with his napkin for a moment before he broached a topic he needed to.

"When you were travelling with your parents, did you ever encounter other Vulcans?" Jon inquired.

"Just saw them or my father did business with them?" Nova asked.

"Spoke with them, knew them in some capacity, either through a business or social contact," Jon clarified.

"My father did business with a Vulcan once," Nova said as she started to play with her napkin.

"Do you remember his name?" Jon inquired.

"No," Nova said. "I don't think I was introduced to him. But I knew his daughter, her name was T'Sar."

"What was the business about?" Jon inquired.

"My father transported goods for people," Nova said with a shrug. "I imagine he needed something transported."

"Can I show you a picture of a Vulcan, and you can tell me if it's the same man?" Jon asked her.

Nova looked at him confused. "Why are you inquiring about this man?"

"I think he was one of the doctors doing the tests on you," Jon lied. "We're trying to track them down to question."

Nova just nodded.

Jon took out his PADD and pulled up a picture of a Vulcan man that was his main suspect and showed it to Nova.

"Was it him, Nova?" Jon asked.

She looked at the picture closely and then handed the PADD back to Jon. "Yes, that's him."

Jon looked at her and smiled. "Thank you, Nova."

"Have you finished eating?" Nova asked. "I'd like to assist T'Pol…"

"Sure, uh, let me just see if they are ready for us," Jon said as he pulled out him comm to call T'Pol. She told him, succinctly, that he could bring Nova back with him.

Twenty minutes later they were walking into T'Pol's apartment.

Nova looked around and noticed that both Trip and T'Pol were sitting in the kitchen eating toast and fruit. They both seemed sad, but they smiled as soon as they saw her.

"How was breakfast?" T'Pol asked Nova.

"Good," Nova said as she continued to look around. "Where is Trip's friend?"

Trip's head snapped up and he looked at T'Pol worried.

"She just stopped in for a minute on her way to a business trip," T'Pol supplied.

"Oh," Nova said with a smile. She was happy the woman was gone; she wasn't sure why, but she knew it was better that Marlie wasn't there anymore.

"Nova said she's been working on a laser experiment?" Jon asked them.

"It's really interesting," Nova said wide eyed.

"Why don't you and Trip set it up, so I can see it?" Jon asked as he eyed his friend.

"Yeah, let's get that set up," Trip said, trying to lose the suspicion in his voice as he looked at Jon curiously. He rose form his stool and walked with Nova toward the project on the floor in the living room.

As soon as they were out of the kitchen, Jon leaned in to T'Pol. "She suspects that Trip is her uncle."

"What?" T'Pol asked, confused.

"I don't have time to explain," Jon said. "But please be prepared for that."

T'Pol nodded, her mind moving fast in her head to adjust the conversation they were going to have with Nova based on her conclusions.

"Everything is good with you two?" Jon asked quickly.

"He has informed Marlie of the situation and was greatly affected by the conversation," T'Pol said. "I think it is wise that we are seeing Dr Haddad this afternoon."

"Probably," Jon said as he looked at her concerned. "How are you?"

T'Pol gave him the same moron look that Nova had just used on him in the restaurant.

"Okay, but there's something important I have to tell you," Jon whispered as he looked over his shoulder. "Nova told me she met one Vulcan man and his daughter in all the years she travelled in space with her parents."

"Okay," T'Pol nodded.

"That same Vulcan is Bojan Heures," Jon indicated.

"How do you know this?" T'Pol asked.

"Video footage and badge swipes," Jon explained. "The man shown swiping the Bojan Heures badge on multiple days is Vulcan."

"Who is he?" T'Pol asked.

Jon pulled the PADD from his pocket and laid it on the table before T'Pol as he hit the power button.

Her eyes went wide, and she picked up the PADD to look at it carefully.

"And I think," Jon said continuing ahead. "He's also connected to Nova's creation."

"I'm ready!" Nova called from the other room.

"We're coming!" Jon called to her before he looked at T'Pol seriously. "You know who this is?"

T'Pol nodded seriously. "I do."

"I think he's the person we zero in on," Jon said as he pointed to the PADD.

T'Pol merely nodded, dumbfounded by the connection.

"Are you coming?!" Nova called to them.

Without a word, T'Pol rose from her seat and walked toward the living room with Jon following close behind her saying something about how lasers were his favorite science experiment.

The PADD sitting on the kitchen counter was on for another 10 seconds before it powered down. Clearly displayed on it was a picture of Koss.

XXX

TBC