Spoilers: Singularity, Canamar
Pairings: Archer/T'Pol and Hoshi/Trip
Ch 8 Compass Points
Jonathan knew he was early, but then so was T'Pol. He stood in the shadows and watched her slowly sip her tea in the darkened Mess Hall. She appeared transfixed by something on the other side of the view port, and he couldn't help wonder what it was. Last night he'd kidded her about meeting her for a 'date,' but from the way his stomach was jumping, he realized he hadn't been joking. She looked different in the casual Vulcan attire she wore, instead of her uniform. The lines of her soft quilted jacket and slim fitting silky pants made her look feminine, while the shades of muted blues and purples that shot through the material, gave her skin a warmth that was usually missing. Smiling he was glad he had dressed casually, too.
Under the guise of collecting his thoughts, he took a few more minutes to admire her quiet elegance from a distance. She was a beautiful woman; he'd always thought so, even when he'd found her cold and remote. At first it had galled him that he'd think a Vulcan attractive, but as the months went by he began to forget she was Vulcan and to see her only as T'Pol.
She could feel him watching her. One moment she had been alone, the next she had felt his presence intrude on her thoughts. When she had suggested this meeting, it had seemed easy, but now that he was standing a few feet away, it was not. It was illogical that it should be so, but it was true nonetheless. There had been many times in the last months that they had dropped their professional persona, left their heritages behind them, and met somewhere in the middle. Tonight should have been no different.
"T'Pol?" Jonathan moved slowly into the room. "Would you like some more tea?"
"Yes, thank you." The silence in the Mess Hall surrounded them, as he brought their orders from the protein resequencer, along with a warming pot, he'd filled with more for each of them. "Captain…"
As he took his seat, he cocked his head and grinned at her. "I thought we'd leave the Captain and the Sub-Commander in their quarters tonight."
"That would be ideal, but Ensign Sato, has told me that part of what I have to say should have been said to the Captain weeks ago. Though it is of a personal nature, it is something that brushed on the honor of Enterprise." Vulcans kept their personal lives separated from their professional ones so it was a concept that she had not understood, and was glad that the Ensign had pointed it out to her.
"Why don't you let me be the judge of that?" Archer watched her eyes over his cup. She hid so much of herself behind a cool mask, but it was getting so he could read her more easily as time went by.
"Do you recall when Enterprise discovered the black hole with a trinary cluster?"
"That's not something I'm likely to forget anytime soon." Though he wished he could forget how he'd manhandled her when the radiation sickness from the anomaly had been at its worst. He still woke up in a cold sweat, from nightmares of the incident. In those nightmares, she had fought back, as he had gripped her shoulders and had shaken her. That was where his dreams always veered from reality. Instead of shoving her out his door, in the wild surreal dreams, he pulled her to the deck and took her with all the passion he'd been feeling at the time, mixed with years of accumulated anger toward Vulcans.
"It was not a high point for any of us." It had taken her many nights of meditation, but she had come to terms with her behavior while under the influence of the radiation. She had gone to Jonathan's quarters that last time in hope of getting him to help her save the ship, but there had been many layers buried under the simple actions. When she had crossed his threshold, carrying a thermos of coffee, she was very aware of the passions that had rolled off him, as he had thrown her out on her earlier visit. She had known that if she tried hard enough, she would be able to wake the unconscious man sprawled across his desk, but what she would find when he awoke, was another matter. She had been resolved that either they would get Enterprise through the meteor cluster, or they would die, but no matter the out come, it would be done together.
"T'Pol, your actions were above reproach." He was caught by surprise when she shrugged her shoulders in an oddly Human gesture, and fiddled with her large black cup. She appeared nervous, which only served to peak his curiosity.
"Thank you Captain, but this has to do with the dinner almost a week later." Green eyes met green eyes, as understanding flowed between them.
"Sub-Commander Kern?" His question was gentle, he'd promised himself he wouldn't push her on the matter, and the look of naked emotion that flitted across her face at the mention of the man's name added resolve to the promise.
"Yes. Before I was assigned to Enterprise, I was to finish out the year in San Francisco, then go home to Vulcan to bond with Koss, his younger sibling. I believe in Human terms it is the approximate equivalent of marriage." She was unprepared for his surprised expression. It was evident that Commander Tucker and Ensign Sato had kept her secret.
"You were engaged to that man's brother?" He was suddenly hit by a shaft of jealousy. Up until then, he'd never thought of her with another men in her life.
"I am unsure of the nuances of Earth matrimonial rituals, but I believe that would be a correct description of the agreement between his family and mine."
"This was between your families, you had no say in it?" Relief replaced the jealousy of moments earlier. He should have known she wouldn't have an emotional entanglement on Vulcan; it was too out of character.
"We choose not to be impulsive about our unions. Since Vulcans mate for life, it is taken very seriously. Tradition dictates that the knowledge of older generations should prevail, to keep families strong and give stability to our young. I have observed a number of other cultures that could benefit from this." Her brow rose as she nodded toward the Human across from her. "Koss and I had met twice. The first time when the agreement was formed, and the second for the preliminary bonding ceremony, which takes place just prior to the male reaching puberty."
"Let me get this straight," Jonathan angled his head and tried not to grin. "Kern was upset because you chose to disregard a lifetime commitment, that was made for you?"
"That is correct. But those events are unimportant." T'Pol took a deep breath, this was the hard part, the part she had not wanted to admit to anyone, least of all Jonathan. Her honor and her ship's had been slandered by the other Vulcan. "It is what transpired that night at dinner that I must apologize for. An important event for Enterprise and Earth was marred by insults due to my personal life."
"T'Pol, the shame is Kern's, not yours. You have nothing to apologize for." Jonathan reached across the table and covered her hand with his. "No matter what that man said or did, it doesn't take away from the fact that our two species finally did something together, for the betterment of all those who will travel in that region. By placing those markers and warning beacons, our two planets have saved lives."
"He was neither complimentary toward me nor my position on Enterprise, and even less so to Humans in general." She pulled her hand free, not wanting to continue with the line of discussion, but knowing she must. "If Kern were to rise in the High Command, he could prove difficult."
"That's just too damn bad, Humans are here to stay and I hope you are too." Archer's laughter was cut short by a terrible feeling that his carelessness had cost T'Pol more than he realized. "Who broke off your arrangement, and more importantly, when?"
"I did." She couldn't meet his eyes. No matter how much she had mediated, she could not come up with an answer to why she had gone against her family and tradition to remain on Enterprise, at least not a reason she was willing to accept. "It was early in the first year of our mission."
"Was that before or after Tolaris attacked you?" Archer felt as if his throat was filled with ground glass. The ramifications of his careless insistence that she spend time with a group of Vulcans who had chosen to embrace their emotions as well as logic, were mounting. He found his jealousy was back in full force. Had she ended it with the Vulcan male only because of her Pa'nar Syndrome? Had his actions cost her an attachment she had wanted and planned on?
"He had nothing to do with my decision." T'Pol's head came up, her words cool and precise, a stereotypical Vulcan. "I stayed on Enterprise by choice, not by necessity, and I still do."
"Why?" He thought he had known her well, but suddenly she threw out an odd piece of information and before his eyes everything twisted like a kaleidoscope! "Why did you decide to stay here, rather than go home and marry?"
"I do not know," she whispered. His question had caught her off guard. Gripping her cup, she lowered her eyes, unable to meet his intense scrutiny. She did not understand why she had chosen to turn her back on everything that she had been taught, to stay on the Earth vessel, but she had an intense memory of sitting in the Mess Hall, eating her first piece of pecan pie, the night the Vulcan cruiser departed without her. The sweet taste had been soothing and added validity to her illogical decision. She knew that from this moment on, she would always associate it with the man sitting across from her: sweet, strong, pleasing and highly illogical, but desirable.
………………….
Four Days Later"Ma'am, the Captain and the Commander have missed their second check in." Hoshi looked up from her communications board. She hoped her voice hadn't betrayed any of the worry that clutched at her insides.
The men had gone to the planet Kenoeeno, two days earlier. Since it was the major trading hub for the system, all parking orbits were reserved months in advance, so they had taken Shuttlepod One. The plan had been for Enterprise to backtrack, and do some repairs to the last communication satellite they had dropped, while Captain Archer and Commander Tucker participated in first contact with the Enolians. Hopefully, they would be able to negotiate enough orbit time to do some much needed trading, and for everyone to get some R&R.
"Anything on sensors, Lt. Reed?" The Sub-Commander sat on the edge of the Captain's chair, her relaxed composure of moments ago, forgotten. Her eyes swept the area of space visible through the forward screen, as if by sheer will, she could make the pod appear.
"No Ma'am." The Armory Officer quickly worked the controls at his station to intensify and broaden their range.
"Mr. Mayweather, head for the coordinates of the rendezvous." T'Pol gripped the arms of her chair in an attempt to squelch the lump that had formed in her stomach. "Lt. Reed and Ensign Sato keep looking."
After an eight-hour search, Enterprise finally found Pod One, floating free in space, hours off course. All power had been shut down and the emergency beacon taken off line. Malcolm wasn't sure what mix of sensitive hearing, voodoo, and female intuition had led Hoshi to the correct coordinates, but whatever it was, it had worked.
When the little vessel was brought up on the view screen, for the first time, T'Pol blinked to clear her mind and wipe any emotion from her face. The odd angle at which the pod was canted, spoke volumes, even if Hoshi's repeated unanswered hails had not.
It was another hour before all the data was gathered and carefully analyzed. It didn't look good. The Captain and the Commander appeared to have been abducted; both had been wounded in the struggle that had taken place in the Pod. Before heading to Archer's Ready Room, T'Pol gave the order to make best speed to the men's last known destination, Kenoeeno.
"Lt. Benson, you have the bridge." T'Pol temporarily turned over command to the beta shift officer who had taken over the science station while she had remained at the post he should have occupied. Though an emergency could happen anytime during a 24-hour day, nights were usually quieter, with fewer stations fully manned since key personal could be in place in a matter of minutes. But tonight, no one had left the bridge. Both alpha and beta shift had taken part in the search for their Captain and Chief Engineer.
…………………..
The soft swoosh of the Ready Room door closing knocked the steel out of T'Pol's spine. She hadn't realized she'd been holding every muscle in her body tightly clenched, to keep control of the unusual sensation in her stomach. As she reached for the Captain's desk, to steady herself, she found she was still holding the Padd that had been retrieved from the shuttle. With her thumb she reached across and played Jonathan's last log entry again. The warm sound of his voice was an odd contrast to the cool brown-red smudged fingerprint across the miniature screen. She hadn't needed Dr. Phlox's diagnosis to tell her it was dried Human blood.
The bell on the door chirped, bringing her attention into focus and away from things she could do nothing about. 'What has happened, has happened. I can do nothing about the past. I must concentrate on the future.' The words tumbled through her mind as she straightened and sat carefully at Jonathan's desk.
"Come," she called out, after she was sure she had removed any trace of what she was thinking from her face.
"Sub-Commander." Even Dr. Phlox lacked his usual levity. "I have taken the liberty of checking with Mr. Mayweather and it will be at least six hours before we are in hailing distance of Kenoeeno, I would suggest that the bridge crew be ordered to eat and rest. Some of them have been on duty for fourteen hours."
"Your suggestion is a prudent one." Technically beta shift was on duty, but Sato, Reed, and Mayweather had remained at their stations long after their shifts were over. The bridge had been crowded with each station doubly manned, but T'Pol had ignored the logical and let everyone remain.
"That means you too, Sub-Commander." Phlox could see she was tired, but determined. He didn't plan on letting her argue with him. "We will need your negotiating skills at peek performance. Besides I've always thought that the best leader does so by example, don't you agree?" He smiled his patented smile to take the slight sting out of his words.
………………………..
Twenty minutes later T'Pol entered the almost empty Mess Hall. Chef had quickly made up a plate of vegetable stir-fry for her, and she knew she had to eat it, even if her stomach rolled at the thought.
"May I join you Ensign?" She walked over to the table in the corner where Hoshi was pushing food around her plate and staring out the view port. Though she'd eaten with Ensign Sato in a group, and on the Catwalk, she had never sought her out. T'Pol could not explain the need to do so now.
"Yes, Ma'am." The young Ensign tried to smile but worry was clearly etched on her face. "Space is so vast." She muttered to herself, forgetting how acute T'Pol's hearing was.
"Vast, but not infinite." The Vulcan had almost quoted the Science Directorate, but something about the other woman's expression had stopped her.
"Will we be able to find them?" All Hoshi could think about was the huge empty hole that had been torn out of her insides when she realized that Trip was missing.
"It will take patience and logic, but this crew is capable of both." T'Pol closed her mind to any other outcome. "With proper discipline anything is possible."
Hoshi looked up into the cool controlled face of the Vulcan, whose icy features might have fooled anyone else, but the Ensign was a reader of people. It was part of what made her a leader in the field of linguistics. She'd learned long ago that body language told as much as the spoken word. Since that was true for Vulcans as well as Humans, she could see the message that T'Pol was shouting loud and clear. But it took her by surprise, nonetheless. Instead of the clinical detached need to solve a complex problem, that would be the expected response from a member of her overly logical species, T'Pol was worried. That in its self spoke volumes, but the worry had driven the older woman to seek out companionship. Which told Hoshi it was personal in nature. 'Could both of them have a man who they cared about lost, maybe dead? Hoshi had suspected it for a long time, but to come face to face with the stark reality of it took her by surprise. As the knowledge sunk in it gave her courage, and a kinship she had never thought she'd feel with the Vulcan woman.
"I hope you're right." Hoshi whispered and dropped any attempt to hide her feelings for Trip.
"I…" T'Pol gave herself a moment of relief, and relaxed her features. There was something about the young woman's quiet acceptance and deep longing that allowed her to just once she let her emotions show, even if it was only for the blink of an eye. "My second foremother, I believe you would call her my great-grandmother was an early space traveler. She lived most of her life among the stars. She often referred to…" She searched for the correct Human word and when she could not come up with it, spoke in Vulcan. "She often referred to va'car teran." T'Pol's mind spun, what was she doing, speaking of family to an outworlder? Why was she giving comfort to the young Human? It would take strength and courage to do what must be done. Platitudes would serve no purpose.
"Compass points?" Hoshi gave her the approximate English words. In a detached part of her brain that was always looking for new and interesting words, she filed away the ancient Vulcan expression for an outmoded navigational device.
"Yes, compass points." The Vulcan tried the words out on her tongue and nodded. She had started this, now she would finish it. Then it came to her, when Jonathan had handed over temporary command, he had also handed over the well being of his crew. Where Human's were concerned, that often went beyond the physical. She would try and do as he would in this unfamiliar situation. "They are those things in our lives that give us direction when all else fails. You told me once of your attraction for the Commander and I have observed his for you. You will not let him down, just as…. Enterprise will not let the Captain down. We will find them, but I cannot promise what condition they will be in, when we do."
"Thank you, Sub-Commander." Hoshi carefully schooled her face as she looked up into startlingly green eyes, that showed a depth of emotion and determination, that she remembered seeing only once before. It had been months ago, they had been on the bridge, and she just had informed T'Pol that Malcolm and the Captain were to be executed in an hour, on an uncivilized pre-warp planet.
As T'Pol excused herself to get some sleep, Hoshi's mind churned, 'compass points, what a random comment.' Her eyes followed the ramrod straight back of her dining companion as the Vulcan left the Mess Hall. 'Oh dear, she was saying…she was talking about…the Captain. He means that much to her?'
Standing slowly Hoshi moved to the view port and placed her hand against the plastiglass that protected them from the cold of space. She was seized by a deep sadness for them all. 'Please God, bring him home, bring them home.' Her silent prayer caused tears to fill her eyes, until the stars that warped by blurred, and became indistinct sparkling trails in night. 'And give me, give us, the strength we'll need to cope with whatever we find at the end of our journey.'
……………………….
It was over! It had ended as quickly as it had begun; only the time in-between had stretched on forever. T'Pol stood beside the airlock with the bang and clank of pressure being restored to the docking collar, pounded in her ears. The hatch slide open and there he was, tired, angry, bloody and bruised, but alive and less than a foot away.
'T'Pol,' her name whispered through his mind, as he watched emotions flash across her face, before she was able to control them. 'She had been worried.' He fought to remember his anger at the Enolian government, or he would have forgotten everything and embarrassed them both by reaching out and holding her close. He and Trip had almost died, but he had felt her presence when they had been in the most danger. 'I knew you'd find us, I never doubted.' He could see she was tired, and it had cost her, but she hadn't let him down.
'Jonathan,' she watched him turn away, but kept staring at the space he had occupied a moment ago. 'Control, I must get control.' She reached deep inside of herself for the discipline that used to be as natural as breathing. She had to get through the crowd of people. She needed to meditate; emotions were too near the surface, she would do something that she regretted if she was not very careful. Crossing her hands behind her back, she followed the men out of the Docking Bay, but was careful to stay far behind them.
………………………..
Trip let hot water from the shower sluice over him. He was beginning to think he just might feel clean again, sometime soon. He and Jon had been kept in Sick Bay for hours. Phlox had insisted on a complete physical for each man, as he had patched up their various cuts and bruises. That had taken place only after the obligatory hour in decontam! Though the doctor had let them eat while they waited under the warm blue lights for a negative pathogen reading, the time had dragged.
He had used up a considerable amount of energy to keep from shouting at the Doc. They'd just been freed from one jail, and didn't need another. The look on Hoshi's worried tired face was the only thing that had made him keep his temper in check. She'd been careful to stay on the periphery of the activity in Sick Bay, but never took her eyes off of him. All he'd wanted to do was put his arms around her and hold her close until the reality of the last few days faded into the background.
Trip's features softened as he stepped out of the shower and quickly dressed. Steam filled his quarters when he opened the bathroom door, adding an eerie quality to the silence that greeted him. His face fell when he didn't immediately see Hoshi, who he'd left sitting on his bed, her nose stuck in her latest paper, The Variant Of Written Symbols In The Denobian Culture.
"Oh Hosh," he murmured as he approached the woman who had fallen asleep while he'd been trying to wash the nightmare away. They'd had no real plans, being together had been enough. He'd waited a long time to watch her sleep, now he wasn't sure what he was going to do about it. If she was any other woman it would have been easy, but she wasn't, and that was the problem. "You're as exhausted as I am." He knelt beside his bed and ran his hand through her long dark hair. It brought a smile to his lips when he realized she'd worn it down the way he liked it best.
"Trip?" She could hardly get her eyes open, but smiled as she felt his touch. "Sorry I didn't mean to fall asleep."
"It's okay, Darlin', you look like you need it as badly as I do." There were dark smudges under her eyes and the bounce had been missing from her step when they'd come from Sick Bay.
"I wasn't able to sleep while you were gone." She whispered and put the Padd she'd been reading earlier, aside. She'd promised herself that if she ever got him back, she'd tell him the truth, but it was harder than she had thought it would be. "I was afraid that you were dead, and I…" She shrugged, unable to finish.
"I'm not dead, Darlin', I'm right here, an' not goin' anywhere." He sat beside her on the bed and leaned over her until he could feel her soft breath on his face. Her eyes were large and brown and he thought he'd die a happy man if he could just look into them forever.
"We've wasted so much time playing silly games." She cupped his cheeks, as she made a decision. "Let me stay here tonight?"
"Darlin'." His voice was hoarse, as adrenaline short through him. "You real sure 'bout that? I've wanted you in here with me for a long time, but I know you've had some reservations."
"Charles Tucker III, I missed you." Her breath feathered against his lips, while her small hands moving up and down his back, and worked their way under his shirt until she felt the tingle of his skin against her palms. "And I'm very sure. When I thought you might be dead, all the distance I've kept between us seemed foolish."
"Hoshi," he loved to hear the sound of her name. There had been times on the prison ship he'd repeated it over and over to himself. As it had echoed through his head, her name, and the memory of her face, was what had kept him sane while being jabbered at by a talkative alien.
He reached for the buttons on her blouse as he lay beside her, then rolled her beneath him, as their lips met. He wanted to touch her everywhere. The feeling was so intense it made his hand shake, as he brushed her hair out of her eyes. "God, Hosh, you're so beautiful." His words mixed with kisses as his lips worked their way down her neck.
……………………..
On another deck, a man slept fitfully. His body ached from fistfights and his mind shuddered from the knowledge that he and his best friend had almost died. Jonathan Archer shook himself awake to be rid of the nightmare of being back on the prison ship. He stared at the ceiling and concentrated on Porthos's deep even breathing.
Porthos? It couldn't be, he'd left the dog with Ensign Cutler, who'd been taking care of him during the Captain's absence. The little animal had been asleep when the men had been returned to Enterprise, and he hadn't wanted to disturb him. Suddenly the hairs on the back of his neck rose! THERE WAS SOMEONE IN HIS QUARTERS!
Carefully raising his head he looked into the night and the shadows until he found a slim dark uniformed woman asleep on his couch. 'T'Pol? What the hell are you doing here and why hadn't I heard you when you came in?' Part of him wanted to go to her and carry her to his bed, but sanity reasserted itself before he got any further than pushing back the covers.
Jonathan lay back with his hands under his head. She had been acting strange ever since his return. Had she missed him? He grinned when he considered the possibility. He'd sure as hell missed her. Who would have thought his life would come to this. His eyes slowly closed and he let himself drift off to sleep to the quiet cadence of her breathing. 'I'll think about it later, but, oh yeah…I could get used to this'…was the last thought that flitted through his mind before he fell into a relaxing sleep.
…………………………….
Archer turned over and slowly woke-up. As he stretched and listened to the soothing sounds that were uniquely Enterprise, he realized something was missing. Suddenly he remembered the night before. T'Pol, had she really been here? He looked over to where he thought he'd seen her, but she wasn't there. He tossed back the sheet, and in two quick strides covered the distance between his bed and the couch. Kneeling he ran his hand over the smooth cool surface. A smile crossed his lips when he touched the place where he remember her curled up, with her head on the padded arm. It was still warm! 'Damn,' he grinned. 'She must have just left, it hadn't been a dream.' A bubble filled his chest and it made it hard for him to breath. Someday, somehow, she was going to have to tell him why she'd been there, but until then, he'd file it away as a happy memory. It was enough that she'd felt the need, and been comfortable enough to do so.
As he stood his eyes fell on the corner of a Padd, which was wedged between the couch cushion, and the arm. 'It hadn't been there last night.' He knew that for sure because he'd sat in that very spot when he'd undressed. The second he pulled it free, he realized it was his portable log. The one he'd been carrying on Shuttlepod One. He hadn't seen it since the attack and had assumed it was stolen. It had been because of that type of unfamiliar technology that the Enolian Rangers had thought they were smugglers. He had assumed they'd 'confiscated' everything.
In the light of day it didn't take him long to see his fingerprint in dried blood that smeared across the tiny monitor. T'Pol must have had it with her the night before, when she'd fallen asleep watching over him. No wonder she'd looked so drawn and tired when he stepped through the airlock hatch. He remembered what it had been like to come face to face with the reality of her blood, as it spilled out onto her uniform after she'd been shot. He didn't even want to think what it would have been like if he'd been the one to find Vulcan blood on an object he knew to be hers, and nothing but silence as to her whereabouts. 'Aw Babe,' he whispered to the spot where she'd slept the night before. 'I'm so sorry.'
Slipping the Padd onto his desk, he turned and headed for the shower. It was a new day and he suddenly felt very much alive. What had once been easy, just a game to while away the moments between first contacts, an experiment to see what was really beneath the surface of a women whose species he didn't really understand; had changed, become complicated, and very serious. They were coming to a point in the road when both or either of them could get badly hurt. A decision had to be made: game or for real?
"Damn," he muttered as hot water beat against his sore muscles. "Even if I can figure out what I want, how am I supposed to find out what's in the heart of a Vulcan?"
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