Disclaimer: I didn't own this a week ago I don't own it now.

AN: I've been getting a lot of e-mails and reviews (luv ya guyz) asking about the disease and the cure and all that. While I do have the facts and such laid out, I didn't want that to become the focus of the story. So, while you can't find the info here, just e-mail me any questions you have or leave a review and I'll answer all the questions in a separate chapter. And yeah, this is the T'Pau from Amok Time. In my verse, she's T'Pol's sister.

My Mind to Yours

Part Three: After the Thunder Comes the Storm

"What?" Trip shouted.

"I believe I have a cure to the telepathic connection you share with T'Pol."

"Wait a second," Archer broke in. "T'Pol, why didn't you ever mention your sister? Are you two close?"

T'Pol wavered. "No. I am twenty-eight years her junior."

"You have a cure?" Trip broke in again.

Archer sighed at the chaos. "Perhaps this would… be easier to discuss face-to-face. Would you… like to dock and have dinner with us?"

T'Pau tilted her head. "I accept. Thank you."

/////////////////////////////////////

As they were walking down the corridors to Captain's mess, Trip pulled T'Pol aside, away from Archer.

"Look, I can sense how uncomfortable you are around T'Pau," he began. "Is there something you wanna tell me?"

"Certainly not, Commander," T'Pol replied cocking her head and starting away.

Trip grabbed her arm again. "T'Pol…" he said warningly. "Don't make me read your mind!"

T'Pol sighed (a trait she had acquired from Trip in their time connected) and relented (a trait she had not). "I'm only telling you this because the information is already at your disposal."

"I'd be a gentleman about it," Tucker said innocently.

"T'Pau and I never got along," T'Pol explained. "Although our age gap is normal for siblings on Vulcan, it made it hard to relate to her."

"Oh." They walked in silence for a few minutes until Trip started, "So. D'y'think she's got a…cure?"

T'Pol considered briefly. "Yes. If T'Pau says she does, she must."

"Oh." Tucker said. It didn't seem to be the response he was expecting/agreeing with/hoping for. He sighed. "It's gonna be weird, y'know. Having my thoughts to myself."

T'Pol merely made a soft noise in her throat and replied, "It will be… odd."

"Odd?" Tucker demanded, but not really angrily. More… nostalgically? "We've been hearin' each others thoughts and feeling for a month and it'll be 'odd' when it's over!?!"

"It was quite interesting, however, to hear you wake up at oh-three-hundred hours craving pecan pie," T'Pol said, raising her eyebrow. Trip chuckled.

"But I mean, you never… felt anything?" He asked, now serious.

"Like what, Commander?" T'Pol questioned.

Trip shifted. "Nevermind."

"No," T'Pol said. "Tell me."

Tucker didn't immediately reply. "You never felt anything… deeper?" He said, looking away uncomfortably.

"Like what?"

"Something… more than friends… oh, can't you just read my mind and figure it out? This isn't real easy to say!"

T'Pol cocked her head. "If you are asking if I ever felt anything non-platonic, the answer is no, Commander."

Trip threw up his hands. "I knew it. Shoulda never thought. Connected to me for a month and you still can't feel anything. Forget it. Let's go. I don't want to spend another minute like this!" He stormed off. But if he had stayed, he would have realized that T'Pol wasn't telling the truth.

////////////

"Excellent… salad tonight!" Archer exclaimed, his small talk topics running out.

T'Pol raised her eyebrow but didn't look up from her meal.

Trip sighed obviously and T'Pol winced.

"Sister, have you been perpetually tense ever since you joined the crew?" T'Pau posed innocently. Now it was Archer's turn to wince. This wasn't going in the direction he wanted. T'Pol didn't answer.

T'Pau seemingly took the hint, at least, better than any Vulcan Archer had ever seen. She even seemed to try to change the subject. "I am prepared for performing the ceremony when ever you are ready to go through with it." She said, in a tone that to a Vulcan was "helpful".

"Fine by me," Trip said, somewhat angrily. He pushed his food away without touching any.

Archer shifted in his seat. "How long will it take? To… perform the ritual, I mean."

"It should take roughly one hour and twelve minutes to reach a deep enough meditative state, and then an additional twenty-seven minutes to perform the transfer." T'Pau answer promptly.

"We're ready now," Trip pushed. T'Pol touched her forehead in the sudden surge of negative emotions she was forced to experience.

"T'Pol?" Archer said instinctively. If he hadn't known better, he could have sworn that T'Pol was frowning when she looked up.

"I'm ready now as well." She said firmly. Trip's mouth twisted into a somber sort of smile/grimace, half of triumph, half something else.

T'Pau looked slightly taken aback, but, being Vulcan, never missed a beat. "Very well. Captain, whenever you can free a room I am ready to perform the switch," she said in her heavy accent.

Archer looked from her to T'Pol to Trip, who refused to do anything but scowl. Though under other circumstances, it would have been funny. Now, Archer was merely alarmed. "I'll have Phlox prepare a room for you as soon as I can."

'As soon as I can' turned out to be twenty minutes, and now Archer stood watching T'Pau place her hands on the faces of both linkees.

"I don't think you're really, mmm, speeding up the process, Captain," Phlox said from behind him. Archer turned around to see Phlox looking up from one of his various creatures.

Archer made a sort of noise but merely replied, "It's my duty as Captain to keep tabs on my crew."

Phlox rippled in acknowledgement. "Certainly." He went back to watching the procedure, but the only thing in the room was two passively expressioned Vulcans and one human commander, twitching convulsively every few minutes.

Archer sighed. "How long has it been?" he asked a half-hour later.

"Seven-point-two minutes after you asked last time," Phlox replied cheerfully.

Archer frowned slightly. "How much longer will it take?"

"Probably another half-hour or so… patience, Captain!" Phlox shook his finger.

Suddenly there was a crash and Jon returned his stare to the room, shocked at what he saw. Both sisters were bent over Commander Tucker, who seemed to be having some sort of seizure. Momentarily, he stopped and T'Pau pushed open the door.

"It went as planned," she reported, gesturing at Trip, whose eyes were now open.

"Will he… be alright?" He asked.

"Yes," T'Pau said. "An expected reaction. He should be fine within ten of your minutes."

"Oh," Archer said. He wished he could say something more.

"Urghhh… what happened?" Trip moaned from the floor. Archer kneeled down.

"You get the number'a that shuttlepod that hit me?" The younger man grumbled. Archer smiled.

"Hear anything?" He asked gently.

Tucker looked at him oddly, and Archer realized how funny that must have sounded. Then one corner of his mouth lifted. "No, just me…" He seemed delighted by this, and somehow almost renewed. But when he climbed to his feet, his knee gave out and Archer moved quickly forward to catch him.

"Whoa…" Trip mumbled. "Thanks, Cap'n."

"How do you feel?" Archer asked.

"A little dizzy," he admitted.

Jon looked to T'Pau, who seemed unfazed. "He'll be…" but suddenly Tucker interrupted them all by doubling over, retching.

////////////Trip's quarters///////////////////

"Feeling any better?" Archer asked gently of his best friend.

"A little," Trip said groggily. "My head hurts... what'd that Vulcan do ta me?" He Archer opened his mouth but Trip groaned in response, "No, don't answer that." He sighed. "I thought it'd feel a lot better than this," he said softly.

"What'd'you mean?"

"Having my head to myself," Tucker replied, lying back. "'Stead I just feel…"

"Like hell?" Archer suggested helpfully.

Trip grimaced. "Yeah. I feel… empty sorta. And sick," he chuckled weakly.

"T'Pau says she's never seen anyone react like this," Archer said,

"Great," Trip said. "Don't tell me I'm gonna be a guinea pig." He smiled, then coughed.

"Wouldn't want that," Archer joked. He smiled, but stopped when Tucker went into a coughing fit. "Are you okay?" He asked again.

The engineer nodded, waving his hand, unable to talk. When it ended, Trip took his hand off his mouth and groaned. "Can you at least get Doctor Phlox to give me something? Like… knock me out?"

But Archer wasn't looking at his friend's face, he was looking at his hand.

"Trip…" he said uneasily. "You're coughing up blood."

/////////Sickbay//////////////////////////

"The closest I can come to, Captain," Phlox jargoned. "Is that Commander Tucker's side of the connection was, mmm, so strong, that it was approaching physical. When the two disconnected, it severely depleted to commander's immune system.

"What can you do?" Archer asked.

"I'm not sure yet," Phlox said cheerfully. "But I think we'll know soon… ah! The tests are done!" With a natural flourish, Phlox viewed the tricorder's read-out. Then his face fell slightly and he read it again.

"What is it Doctor?" Archer said hurriedly.

Phlox pressed I lips together tightly. "I'm not sure I understand the exact theory quite yet," Phlox said. "But I can tell you captain, that unless Commander Tucker and Sub-commander T'Pol are re-connected soon, Commandeer Tucker will die."

Archer's face fell.

"Possible solutions?" He said, trying to keep his voice above whisper.

"The only way I see to stop it is to re-establish the connection with Subcommander T'Pol. Shall I call her in?"

//////////////////////////////////////////

"You see why it's an… issue, Subcommander. I'm sorry to say this, but I'll have to ask you to…consider re-establishing your connection with Trip."

T'Pol shifted. "I'll consider it."

Archer reached over his hand to place it on hers but she recoiled. "In case you haven't noticed," T'Pol said coldly. "I'm not currently connected to any humans. Please don't touch me." And she walked out the door.

CLIFFY! I'm so evil! Remember, any questions you have, just ask. Later!