Chapter 4 - Backstory
"The first time I met Commander Haynes was back at the Vulcan Embassy two years ago." She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "He knew my sister," she said quietly.
"Your sister? Hell, I always thought you were one of a kind!" Trip smiled at her.
"I believe the expression you use is identical twins. She is my twin."
"Your identical twin? God. Do you have any pictures?"
"Trip, she's my twin. We look exactly alike." T'Pol looked at him with a stony expression on her face.
"Sorry."
"My sister was always.different. She was born two minutes after I was and although we look similar, we were otherwise completely different. She, often, did not act in a.seemly manner for a Vulcan. My feelings towards her were perhaps unseemly in Vulcan eyes as well. Our parents died while we were still very young, and I had always looked after her." T'Pol's eyes gained a faraway look as she took another sip of her tea. Trip stared up at her enthralled, barely breathing for fear of disrupting her.
"We were both assigned to the embassy in strictly junior roles, but she was so delighted to be travelling to San Francisco. She was curious, always asking questions and when we got there, she was even more so. Free from some of the constraints that she felt were placed on her in Vulcan, she became totally irresponsible. Perhaps not what you would call irresponsible." Trip smiled to himself. "She met Tom Haynes at the embassy. She came home one evening full of him, of it. She told me they were in love that she was in love with him. And I tried to dissuade her, but she wouldn't listen to me." T'Pol's voice was becoming quieter and quieter.
"She insisted that I met him, said that I would change my mind about him when I did. My approval meant so much to both of them. So, I met him. And I tried to dissuade him. I told him that their cultures were so different that it could never work. That she would only end up hurt. She hurt so easily. Even when we were children. But he promised me, he said 'I'll never hurt her. I'll never leave her'. I knew that neither of them would be dissuaded, so I let them continue." She stopped altogether and began to tremble slightly. Trip's face had fallen. He knew the end of this story. T'Pol took another sip of her tea, and stared down at her mug.
"He was married. At the time. She found out when one of her 'friends' casually slipped it into conversation. He didn't deny it. I'm not sure what he did. The relationship ended badly and I didn't know how to comfort her. I couldn't help her. She was consumed by it, by him. She became more withdrawn and.she just cried all the time. And I didn't understand, I couldn't." She stopped again.
"What happened?"
"They used to tell me that she was too emotional. By anyone's standards. But she was my sister and I never could discipline her properly." T'Pol closed her eyes.
"T'Pol, what happened?"
"She waited until she knew that I was going to be late home from some assignment, I forget what. By the time I got home it was too late." Trip could do nothing but stare up at her, his friend, as she slowly began to disintegrate.
"She had taken, an an overdose. I tried to bring her back, I tried so hard but it didn't work. She had died hours before I got back. And she left a note. A note saying that she couldn't live in a world where she couldn't be with him. Not a Vulcan note. I'm not sure that a Vulcan would leave a note. Or do what she did. He found out. It was kept quiet, but he found out. The embassy was embarrassed, of course, so they tried to hush everything up as quickly as possible. He was there at the funeral, they insisted on having. He was watching as they buried her. He murdered her and he stood there watching as they buried my baby sister."
T'Pol slowly put the mug down and lifted her tear stained face towards him. "So, now you know. Now you can run back and tell the rest of the crew."
"I'm not going to run back and tell the rest of the crew anything, so you can stop right there" He slowly levered himself off the floor, went over to the bed and sat beside her putting his arm around her hunched shoulders. "I'm so sorry."
"Why?" She turned to face him. "You didn't know her. Why are you sorry?"
"Because I know you. And you're hurt because of it. And because she was your baby sister; she was your twin. I know her because I know you." He hugged her closer and she rested her head on his shoulder and they sat there peaceably until both their reeling minds had quietened down.
"The first time I met Commander Haynes was back at the Vulcan Embassy two years ago." She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "He knew my sister," she said quietly.
"Your sister? Hell, I always thought you were one of a kind!" Trip smiled at her.
"I believe the expression you use is identical twins. She is my twin."
"Your identical twin? God. Do you have any pictures?"
"Trip, she's my twin. We look exactly alike." T'Pol looked at him with a stony expression on her face.
"Sorry."
"My sister was always.different. She was born two minutes after I was and although we look similar, we were otherwise completely different. She, often, did not act in a.seemly manner for a Vulcan. My feelings towards her were perhaps unseemly in Vulcan eyes as well. Our parents died while we were still very young, and I had always looked after her." T'Pol's eyes gained a faraway look as she took another sip of her tea. Trip stared up at her enthralled, barely breathing for fear of disrupting her.
"We were both assigned to the embassy in strictly junior roles, but she was so delighted to be travelling to San Francisco. She was curious, always asking questions and when we got there, she was even more so. Free from some of the constraints that she felt were placed on her in Vulcan, she became totally irresponsible. Perhaps not what you would call irresponsible." Trip smiled to himself. "She met Tom Haynes at the embassy. She came home one evening full of him, of it. She told me they were in love that she was in love with him. And I tried to dissuade her, but she wouldn't listen to me." T'Pol's voice was becoming quieter and quieter.
"She insisted that I met him, said that I would change my mind about him when I did. My approval meant so much to both of them. So, I met him. And I tried to dissuade him. I told him that their cultures were so different that it could never work. That she would only end up hurt. She hurt so easily. Even when we were children. But he promised me, he said 'I'll never hurt her. I'll never leave her'. I knew that neither of them would be dissuaded, so I let them continue." She stopped altogether and began to tremble slightly. Trip's face had fallen. He knew the end of this story. T'Pol took another sip of her tea, and stared down at her mug.
"He was married. At the time. She found out when one of her 'friends' casually slipped it into conversation. He didn't deny it. I'm not sure what he did. The relationship ended badly and I didn't know how to comfort her. I couldn't help her. She was consumed by it, by him. She became more withdrawn and.she just cried all the time. And I didn't understand, I couldn't." She stopped again.
"What happened?"
"They used to tell me that she was too emotional. By anyone's standards. But she was my sister and I never could discipline her properly." T'Pol closed her eyes.
"T'Pol, what happened?"
"She waited until she knew that I was going to be late home from some assignment, I forget what. By the time I got home it was too late." Trip could do nothing but stare up at her, his friend, as she slowly began to disintegrate.
"She had taken, an an overdose. I tried to bring her back, I tried so hard but it didn't work. She had died hours before I got back. And she left a note. A note saying that she couldn't live in a world where she couldn't be with him. Not a Vulcan note. I'm not sure that a Vulcan would leave a note. Or do what she did. He found out. It was kept quiet, but he found out. The embassy was embarrassed, of course, so they tried to hush everything up as quickly as possible. He was there at the funeral, they insisted on having. He was watching as they buried her. He murdered her and he stood there watching as they buried my baby sister."
T'Pol slowly put the mug down and lifted her tear stained face towards him. "So, now you know. Now you can run back and tell the rest of the crew."
"I'm not going to run back and tell the rest of the crew anything, so you can stop right there" He slowly levered himself off the floor, went over to the bed and sat beside her putting his arm around her hunched shoulders. "I'm so sorry."
"Why?" She turned to face him. "You didn't know her. Why are you sorry?"
"Because I know you. And you're hurt because of it. And because she was your baby sister; she was your twin. I know her because I know you." He hugged her closer and she rested her head on his shoulder and they sat there peaceably until both their reeling minds had quietened down.