In Our Own Time
"Phlox to Commander Tucker. I have some alarming
news." said a worried voice over the comm system a few hours later.
T'Pol turned onto her side and made a soft
sound as Trip extricated his right arm, upon which she had been sleeping.
It tingled, but the only thing that Trip could think of at that moment
was how beautiful T'Pol looked when she was asleep. He shook his head quickly
to clear it as Phlox's words penetrated both the drowsiness and wistfulness.
"What's wrong?" he asked, turning the lights
up to ten percent.
His voice was just loud enough to wake the
sleeping Vulcan. She sat up in bed and combed her fingers through her short
hair.
"I contacted Sub-commander T'Pol's quarters
a few minutes ago and received no answer from her. I am concerned, commander."
They looked at one another for a moment. Commander
Tucker smiled and stifled a laugh while T'Pol raised an eyebrow. Trip put
his index finger to his lips before she could speak.
"I bet she's in the shower or having an early
breakfast, doc. You want me to look for her?"
"Of course, commander. That would be most
satisfactory."
"Okay, doc. Tucker out."
"It would have been just as easy to allow
me to speak." said T'Pol, almost pointedly as she left the bed and straightened
her robe.
"I didn't think you'd want the doc to know."
"We haven't done anything inappropriate."
"Of course not." agreed Trip.
"Then I should perhaps have a shower and put
on my uniform. It would be advisable for you to do the same."
"Fine. Fine." said Tucker, rubbing his arm,
which was still asleep. He almost wished he could join it.
"I will see you on the bridge in a few minutes
then." said T'Pol curtly as she opened the door and left Commander Tucker
sitting on the edge of his bed.
"Maybe I don't want to remember this after
all." he muttered.
"I hope you told the doctor that you're all
right and everything." he told T'Pol when he saw that she was waiting for
him at the lift.
"Of course. I merely enlarged upon your explanation."
"Darn good one, wasn't it?" he asked, grinning.
"Indeed. One almost wonders how many times
it has been used previously."
"Not that many." defended Trip with mock indignation.
"Shall we join Phlox on the bridge?"
Trip looked at the floor for a moment and
shuffled his feet, but then he said, "I want you to know something."
"What?"
"These last couple of days, or how ever long
it's been, have been real special to me, T'Pol. I know the aliens told
us that we'd forget everything once we go back through that temporal rift,
but I want to remember this."
"You are being sentimental."
"Don't I know it."
"I have no more control over the loss of memory
than you do, Trip, but if it were possible, if I could control the effects
of the rift on our memories, I would also choose not to forget."
"That means a lot."
"It means nothing. Nevertheless, what we have
had here, this closeness and fondness for one another, we may certainly
have again someday in our own time. What has happened here between us may
yet happen again."
"Really?"
"It is only logical."
Then T'Pol leaned forward and lightly kissed
him on the cheek. Commander Tucker was too stunned to speak or even move
for several seconds.
"Wonders will never cease." he whispered.
"Strangely enough, that has been my experience
as well."
"Our ETA is currently sixty-seven minutes."
reported Phlox as he good-naturedly gave up his seat for Sub-commander
T'Pol. Trip sighed softly and felt the ache of loss that always comes when
a human tries to hold on to a time or a place that will not last.
"Do we have visual confirmation of the temporal
rift?"
"I don't think so, but then, why should we
be able to see a doorway in time?" questioned Phlox rhetorically.
With that remark the trio watched the stars
rush by in silence, waiting for the end of their strange journey to come.
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