A/N: The author's note was in response to a question Arch asked. I apologize if anyone felt it was directed specifically at them.
I'll address something from a previous post: the way Archer acts. I don't think he'd be happy about a child out of nowhere and insist on marrying T'Pol. That seems a bit far-fetched. Why would Archer go on and tell her he loves her and try to form a family right away? I think he would feel the same as any of us: confusion, concern …. He might even feel a sense of irony; he was once bigoted toward Vulcans and now he has one as a daughter.
I don't want to give away the plot, but let's just suffice it to say: no phony baloney stuff here.
As for the whole, "T/T'P bond didn't happen over night" – I kinda disagree, but that's just me. Because they felt the bond more than a year later in one episode to me means: yes, it happened magically and overnight. Again, that's just me.
But, different strokes for different folks.
Now, that that's over, let's just all go back to the story.
--
They'd arrived at spacedock at 1900 hours, earlier than anticipated for a reason: Admiral Gardner had expressed concerned the press would be there, rushing to ask them questions. The area wasn't strictly military meaning they had free access to it. Moving up the time and trying to keep it on the "down low" would ensure that it wouldn't be a media circus when they arrived.
Gardner had been clear about something else, too. Archer and T'Pol were ordered to head straight for Starfleet headquarters, and Jon got the idea that a butt-chewing lay in wait for him when he arrived.
As the captain made his way to the door, he saw T'Pol and Commander Tucker standing by the airlock. At first he'd wanted to argue why his engineer needed to be there, but with a sigh – and no matter what his friend said – he understood. Knowing about their relationship, how his two closest officers and friends felt for each other, he couldn't deny Trip wanting to see this through with them.
"All right," Archer said.
It had cut off a long-winded and heated response from Trip, which he'd already launched into. And with a mark of satisfaction, Trip smiled at T'Pol.
"Starfleet's advised us not to answer any questions," Archer said.
Trip asked, "You can't even tell them it's not true?"
"No." The captain sighed, picking up his buddy's jealousy, and then patted his arm. "Not even a 'no comment.' Admiral Gardner just wants us to get to the shuttle."
T'Pol drew a deep breath and she and Trip waited as he thumbed the release for the door. The moment it began to slide open, a rush of commotion exploded and Archer felt himself freeze.
It may not have been a media circus, but their arrival wasn't on the QT.
Throngs of reporters shouted questions, swarming toward them when a handful of security guards met the Enterprise officers at the airlock door.
"This way, Captain," one guard said.
Jon gripped T'Pol's arm, hoping to protect her – from what he didn't exactly know – leading her through the long corridor and people where a shuttle awaited on the other side. Reporters, shouting out questions, huddled toward them and a fevered pitch of tumult buzzed through the room. Specific questions were yelled out as they passed, and yet most of them seemed from no one in particular.
"Did your relationship really start in the Expanse, Captain?" someone asked.
"T'Pol, what are you going to do about your baby?" another asked.
"Why did you give your daughter up?"
"Did you give birth on Vulcan?"
Archer looked behind him to notice Trip bristle, causing the captain to tighten his fingers around T'Pol's arm hurrying them forward.
Trip's going to throw a punch, Archer thought
"Captain, what do you think your father would say about your predicament?"
"What happens to your command now that Starfleet knows?"
"What does the Vulcan High Command think?"
"Do Vulcans believe in having children out of wedlock?"
"Are you thinking of getting married?"
"Is that why you stayed aboard Enterprise, transferring to Starfleet – because of him?"
"What about your drug addiction, Commander. Are those reports true?"
"Has the captain sexually harassed you?"
"Was it rape? Is that why you didn't keep your own child, Commander?"
"Archer, is sex better with a human or a Vulcan?"
"What's the Vulcan libido like? Reports say it's voracious."
"Do Vulcans hypnotize their partners? Is that how she got you to have relations with her?"
"T'Pol, there are reports you were also sleeping with other crewmembers. One newspaper has called you a 'Vulcan whore,' what do you say to that?"
The query made Archer stop in his tracks and scan the room to find the jerk who asked it. When his eyes landed on a skinny white male, donned in a pair of glasses and waving a PADD in his hand, he thought he had his man … especially when the reporter repeated the question thinking it just might be answered.
"No," T'Pol said.
She reached out to grasp the captain's arm, but he ignored her, striding toward his target.
When the reporter was in easy reach, he punched him squarely in the jaw, a right hook, sending the man to the floor. Silence took over the room, slicing through the commotion.
Archer, looming, threw the man a look of disgust and saw with some satisfaction blood trickling down his lip.
And then just as suddenly as the air evaporated in the room, it quickly came alive with the sound of clicking – cameras snapping - and more questions hurled in his direction, screamed.
"How did you feel when he called your girlfriend a whore?"
"Did you hit that reporter in a fit of jealousy?"
"Captain, over here – what would your father say?"
"Are the allegations that she slept with other crewmen true?"
Security scrambled to collect Archer and he realized he lost visual sight of his first officer somewhere in the crowd.
"T'Pol?" Archer asked.
"This way," the security guard said.
"Trip?" Archer asked.
More questions were tossed in their direction, some so disturbing that Archer tired to drown it out. Luckily, it wasn't too difficult a feat, the pounding of his heart and in his head - worried about his friends - made it easy to shut out the noise around him.
"T'Pol!"
"She's in there, sir," a security guard said, pointing to the shuttle.
His head whipped in that direction and he saw her climbing in with Trip right behind her. Although his stomach still tingled nervously for some reason, knowing they were all right filled him mostly with relief. When he entered the shuttle the door began to close right away.
"You all right?" Archer asked. His first glance was over to T'Pol.
"Yes," she said.
"You?" he asked Trip.
"Yeah."
Just as Archer was about to say something, the pilot in the cockpit turned around. The pips on his uniform indicated he was a commander and the patch on his sleeve told them he worked for HQ.
He said, "Commander Tucker, I'm going to have to ask you step out."
Trip shook his head. "I'm seeing this through with them."
The man disagreed. "Sir, Admiral Gardner was specific – we're only transporting Captain Archer and Commander T'Pol. He'll relay orders to you later."
Trip said, "I'd like to talk with the Admiral before--"
T'Pol intervened immediately.
"I will be all right." The words were spoken softly.
"Cap'n?" Trip asked, confusion clearly setting on his face.
"We'll be fine, Trip."
The blonde scratched his head and then jabbed his thumb out the door. "I'm glad you hit that son of a bitch. If you didn't I would've."
Archer wasn't sure he should've smacked anyone, especially now that it gave them something else to print, but toppling the guy to the ground for disrespecting T'Pol made him feel better. Providing a lopsided smile, the captain nodded.
Archer said, "Take care of Enterprise."
"Yes, sir."
Trip exchanged a quick glance with T'Pol, who seemed to be saying more with her eyes and Archer averted his attention for a moment to let whatever was communicated happen in private.
With that, Trip opened the hatch and reporters rallied again thinking they had an opportunity to ask another question. The same security guards that escorted the captain to the shuttle met Trip to help him back. And then the door of the shuttle shut and a loud announcement was made to clear the deck.
The pilot said, "Might as well make yourself comfortable. It's probably going to take a while to clear the area. Damned reporters."
Archer folded himself in half, sitting down on a bench and blew out a long stream of air. When he'd collected himself, and it had taken a minute to clear the anger that nagged at him, he turned his attention to T'Pol.
"I'm sorry about what happened in there," he said.
T'Pol gave a small sigh and frowned. "It is rather distressing."
"Don't take what they said to heart."
"Their questions were rude."
He frowned, too. "Yes, they were."
The bench wiggled for just a second as she sat next to him.
"Is your hand okay?" she asked.
Looking down, he'd been surprised to see his knuckles already bruise. He must've punched the guy a lot harder than he thought.
"Yeah."
Another announcement blasted over the loud speaker to clear the area and the pilot sighed.
"Have you received any additional information from the admiral about our daughter?" T'Pol asked.
Archer frowned. "No."
She nodded, obviously disappointed and the captain noticed his mouth sagged a little more.
"I wish there was something we could do," he said.
"I also wish we could do something. Do we know what will happen when we reach Starfleet?"
Archer lowered his voice to keep it from the pilot. "The fact they asked Trip to leave means they want him in command for the time being."
"You are indicating they may be asking us to stay more than just for a day?"
"Maybe."
Again the announced to clear the shuttle bay boomed overhead and the pilot squirmed in his seat.
The pilot's fidgeting got his attention and for a split second, he thought about incapacitating him and flying down to Earth to find his child. Almost as quickly as it came to him the idea vanished.
T'Pol caught his eye.
"It is too risky," she said. "We should speak with the admiral first."
She can read me like a book.
"I wasn't going to do it," he whispered. Even if the pilot most likely had no idea what they were discussing, it made sense to speak quietly.
Another announcement came and with some satisfaction the pilot exhaled and turned around.
"Strap yourselves in. We're heading for Earth."
The launch bay doors opened in front of them and the pilot busily contacted various groups to check his flight status before heading out. It was then T'Pol leaned over to the captain and whispered.
"After our meeting with the admiral, I have something important to discuss."
Archer was about to insist they talk about it now, but a headshake met his unasked question. And for some reason, he decided she was probably right.
-----
Admiral Gardner watched Jon and T'Pol, hoping that his stare would elicit a response. But the office was silent, just as it'd been for the past ten minutes -- ever since he asked them to step in.
As an admiral, he found many times when he wanted people to confess a wrongdoing, he simply needed to watch and wait until they squirmed, wiggled in their seat; because they always did when they were guilty. Neither Captain Archer nor T'Pol fidgeted, although neither looked at ease.
Either I have some damned good liars or ….
He shook his head. It was the oldest story in the book: a captain fell in love with his beautiful first officer on a voyage and before long they had a clandestine affair. This one just resulted in a child, one that somehow got itself kidnapped by some whackos. Whackos who went to the press.
Besides since Enterprise had left, psychologists had predicted that long periods without sexual interaction was difficult for humans if not impossible. Starfleet always knew the men and women aboard Enterprise would dally, but he just hadn't expected it to be the captain and a Vulcan.
"Do you have something to tell me?" Gardner asked.
The two were silent.
"Captain?"
"No, sir," he said.
The admiral strode across the room and then back to stand in front of his officers. Heaving a sigh, the man decided to launch into his questions.
"T'Pol is that your baby?" Gardner said. It was abrupt, more than he'd intended to, but he was tired of pussyfooting around.
"Yes," she said.
I knew it!
"Nothing happened between us," Archer said.
The captain's too quick to add that. Gardner pointed to the Vulcan. "But, T'Pol just admitted that she was the mother."
"We were unaware of the child's existence," T'Pol said.
"I know you two were in the Expanse and I'm sure things happened, but--"
T'Pol said, "I have never been pregnant."
Hawkish, he peered down his nose at her and watched her sit still almost too afraid to ask what Vulcan births were like, thinking perhaps her comment was more a remark on her biology. Snorting the thought away, he watched the tortured look on Archer's face and decided to work on him.
"We know you're the father, Jon," Gardner said.
"It's not what you think," he said.
Yeah. "I've ordered an investigation into your case, Captain," Gardner said. "The media is hounding me for your story and --"
"There is no story," Archer said.
Gardner said, "Unless I start hearing some answers I believe, I'm going to have to do something drastic. Maybe even charge you with fraternization."
"We're telling you the truth," Archer said. "We're just as surprised," he gave a sideways glance at T'Pol and then corrected his statement. "We're more surprised than you."
"Did you sleep with your first officer?" Gardner asked.
"No."
T'Pol added a few words. "We have never been involved."
Gardner frowned. "Until we get this all sorted out, I'm taking the two of you off Enterprise and giving command to Charles Tucker III. This issue is like dynamite! And with Minister Samuels looking to conduct a meeting with the alien delegates--"
"Delegates that Enterprise has helped secure," T'Pol said.
The admiral shook his head. "Commander, you know I approve of the work Enterprise has done. But this thing between you and your commanding officer--"
T'Pol spoke with near-indignation, a real shocker coming from a Vulcan.
"Everything that Captain Archer said has been accurate. Neither of us have engaged in sexual relations with each other. Neither of us knew the child's existence until you contacted me two days ago."
Gardner loomed over the woman and crossed his arms. "You never explained why you joined Enterprise in the Expanse, T'Pol. And Jon pulled a lot of strings to keep you aboard that ship. Media says that looks suspicious, and … I have to agree."
Before either could object, he raised a hand to hush them. When both clamped their mouth shut, he gave a satisfied half-smile and explained they had a couple of days in Starfleet-assigned quarters until it was all sorted out.
Archer and T'Pol exchanged a quick glance.
Gardner said, "We've got pressure from all sides that think that men and women serving together is one giant mistake and that T'Pol shouldn't have been accepted into Starfleet. Hell, there's even speculation that Vulcan women have some sort of pheromone that attracts men."
"I believe they are talking about the Orions," T'Pol said.
"Taking us off Enterprise won't help the--" Archer said.
"That's final. Let's just investigate this and wait for the controversy to die down." Gardner continued. "And hell, I can't blame the press. I mean, shit, I've been on long assignments, too. A man can get lonely. You've been out there a long time, both of you."
With a flick of his thumb, nudging a button on his desk, security officers marched in.
Gardner pointed to the people in his office. "I'd like you to take them to E-Wing. They should have some rooms for them."
Giving one last look, he observed neither hung their head. Instead, Archer looked indignant with a scowl covering his face and his jaw clenched. T'Pol's eyes had narrowed and even her placid expression held a trace of contempt.
Hell, maybe they are innocent.
"Go ahead and take them," Gardner said.
The guards, weapons drawn, escorted the officers out and down the hall – their feet smacking on the linoleum. Turning to his monitor, he pulled up the headline for News of the World one more time – with Starfleet pictures of his two officers – and cringed.
Affair During the Expanse Yields Love Child
How the press got the photos from Starfleet, Gardner would never know, but he wanted that to be part of the investigation. Just like he was bound to call on Commander Tucker to see exactly what happened between his two senior officers.
What a way to start my day, Gardner thought, looking at his watch.
It was only ten o'clock.
TBC