Chapter 10 - Sisters again
The door chimed.
"T'Pol."
"Trip."
"Are you OK?"
"Yes. Yes, I am." She was sitting at her desk, consulting a PADD, which she had put down on the table. She looked up at her expectantly.
"Do you.."
"Commander?"
"Do you have any pictures of her? I'd like to see her." T'Pol was silent for a few seconds. She reached into a drawer beside her desk and took out what looked like a faded, tattered picture.
"Tom took this". She handed it to him. He took the picture from her and sat down on the bed and stared at it intently. It was a picture of T'Pol, a T'Pol he had never seen. This T'Pol could have been, would have been a Polly. Her cheeks were flushed, her brown hair was in disarray, and she was smiling, laughing into the camera, her arm around her sister as she was bent over laughing at something, up at someone. Her sister was looking back at him, with a look of adoration in her eyes. Her hair was longer, fashionably cut, and she laughed back too. The sisters looked back at him, laughing and in love.
"You look like you were having fun."
"We were."
"She's beautiful."
"Yes. She was. Especially when she smiled."
"You two are a lot alike" Trip couldn't stop himself saying it.
"In some respects. I could never do what she did. I could never lose myself like that. Not for anyone." She looked at him, into his eyes, for what felt like the first time in years. He handed the photo back to her, and they sat in silence.
*******
The door chimed.
"T'Pol."
"Trip."
"Are you OK?"
"Yes. Yes, I am." She was sitting at her desk, consulting a PADD, which she had put down on the table. She looked up at her expectantly.
"Do you.."
"Commander?"
"Do you have any pictures of her? I'd like to see her." T'Pol was silent for a few seconds. She reached into a drawer beside her desk and took out what looked like a faded, tattered picture.
"Tom took this". She handed it to him. He took the picture from her and sat down on the bed and stared at it intently. It was a picture of T'Pol, a T'Pol he had never seen. This T'Pol could have been, would have been a Polly. Her cheeks were flushed, her brown hair was in disarray, and she was smiling, laughing into the camera, her arm around her sister as she was bent over laughing at something, up at someone. Her sister was looking back at him, with a look of adoration in her eyes. Her hair was longer, fashionably cut, and she laughed back too. The sisters looked back at him, laughing and in love.
"You look like you were having fun."
"We were."
"She's beautiful."
"Yes. She was. Especially when she smiled."
"You two are a lot alike" Trip couldn't stop himself saying it.
"In some respects. I could never do what she did. I could never lose myself like that. Not for anyone." She looked at him, into his eyes, for what felt like the first time in years. He handed the photo back to her, and they sat in silence.
*******