Disclaimer: Want it desperately. However, not mine.
This is dedicated to Bucky, for being so patient. Smoochies to you!
xXxXxXxXx
"Have fun down there?" Trip asked around a mouthful of prime rib.
"Mmph," Archer mumbled. He swallowed and took a sip of milk. "It was certainly... interesting. These people say they
immigrated there from another planet a short ways away, to hunt the local animals." In went another chunk of rib. "The planet
doesn't have a normal axis, so it's always dark. Kind of spooky, actually."
T'Pol sat and ate her salad quietly. Trip glanced over at her to gauge the effect Captain Archer's comments had on her, but
as per usual, she was nearly expressionless. Trip sometimes prided himself on being able to vaguely describe what T'Pol was
feeling, based on her facial expressions (or lack thereof).
His eyes lingered on her mouth, watching as she neatly chewed a leaf of lettuce, accompanied by a Vulcan vegetable that
looked somewhat like a mushroom.
"So what did you two get up to while Malcolm and I were running around the Planet of Eternal Darkness?"
Trip started and found Archer looking expectantly at him. He tried to clear his thoughts. "We, uh... well, there wasn't much
in the way of chores to do when we got back, so I let Travis take the bridge," he offered.
Archer smiled. "He must have loved that." He set down his fork and knife and leaned across the table. "What about you,
Subcommander?" T'Pol looked up from her salad, a questioning look on her face. "Captain?"
"What do you think of the planet?" Archer asked. T'Pol raised an eyebrow. "It is an interesting phenomenon," she said.
Trip grinned. "Travis thought so - heard from Ensign Cutler that he was runnin' around the bridge orderin' anybody an'
everybody within hearin' range to get as much information on it as they could." Archer chuckled and sat back in his chair.
"He's a good kid."
The chef came in with a bowl of lime Jello and a scoop of lime sherbert each, just as T'Pol finished her salad and tea. The
bowls were set down and the chef left the room. "Mmm, Jello!" Trip enthused, picking up his spoon. Archer grinned and dug in.
T'Pol, however, sat and looked down at her Jello and ice cream as though it might bite back.
Trip looked up at the Vulcan. "What's wrong, T'Pol?"
She seemed uncertain. "Vulcans do not consume... gelatinous foods," she said, staring down at the green dessert.
"Aw, ya can't live with humans and not try Jello at least once," Trip prodded. "C'mon. Please? For me?"
T'Pol looked up. "Even if I were to try this food, how would I go about doing so?" she inquired.
Archer watched with interest. Trip's plea had made him curious - since when would a Vulcan do anything "for" a human? But
T'Pol seemed to be seriously considering tackling the wiggly gelatin.
Trip was showing her how to use a spoon with Jello. "Just hold it like this, an' scoop little bits outta it at a time. Or,
if that's not workin', ya can always use yer fingers," he grinned. Archer suspected that was one thing T'Pol was not ever
going to be willing to do, no matter how much Trip pleaded.
T'Pol grasped the spoon and scooped up a small amount of Jello. She put the spoon in her mouth, pulled it out, and attempted
to chew the Jello.
"No, no, ya just slurp it, like this," Trip told her, and swallowed a big spoonful. T'Pol tried again. This time, she got a
considerable amount of the dessert down her throat.
Trip smiled widely. "There ya go. S'easy, huh?"
T'Pol considered. "This is an agreeable dessert," she stated after a moment.
Archer laughed. "Now try the sherbert."
Trip grinned and wolfed down his own ice cream with vigour. T'Pol took small, dainty bites, wincing every now and then.
Archer noticed her expression. "Something wrong?"
"My mouth is... sensitive, Captain," she told him, frowning down at her dessert. "This dairy product is aggravating the
nerves in my teeth."
Trip grimaced. "I had that when I was a kid. Annoyed the hell outta me cause I couldn't eat ice cream without my mouth
feelin' like it was on fire." Trip glanced up at T'Pol. "Ya could probably ask Doctor Phlox to take a look at it - I'm sure
he could do somethin' 'bout it."
T'Pol gave Trip a grateful look. "Thank you, Commander."
Archer was distracted from the odd exchange by his wrist chronometer beeping at him. "Okay, gang, it's 2000 hours. Time for
the movie," he declared, standing up. Trip and T'Pol did the same, and followed him out the door.
xXxXxXxXx
Okay, so they didn't see the movie in this one. Next chappie, I promise.
This is dedicated to Bucky, for being so patient. Smoochies to you!
xXxXxXxXx
"Have fun down there?" Trip asked around a mouthful of prime rib.
"Mmph," Archer mumbled. He swallowed and took a sip of milk. "It was certainly... interesting. These people say they
immigrated there from another planet a short ways away, to hunt the local animals." In went another chunk of rib. "The planet
doesn't have a normal axis, so it's always dark. Kind of spooky, actually."
T'Pol sat and ate her salad quietly. Trip glanced over at her to gauge the effect Captain Archer's comments had on her, but
as per usual, she was nearly expressionless. Trip sometimes prided himself on being able to vaguely describe what T'Pol was
feeling, based on her facial expressions (or lack thereof).
His eyes lingered on her mouth, watching as she neatly chewed a leaf of lettuce, accompanied by a Vulcan vegetable that
looked somewhat like a mushroom.
"So what did you two get up to while Malcolm and I were running around the Planet of Eternal Darkness?"
Trip started and found Archer looking expectantly at him. He tried to clear his thoughts. "We, uh... well, there wasn't much
in the way of chores to do when we got back, so I let Travis take the bridge," he offered.
Archer smiled. "He must have loved that." He set down his fork and knife and leaned across the table. "What about you,
Subcommander?" T'Pol looked up from her salad, a questioning look on her face. "Captain?"
"What do you think of the planet?" Archer asked. T'Pol raised an eyebrow. "It is an interesting phenomenon," she said.
Trip grinned. "Travis thought so - heard from Ensign Cutler that he was runnin' around the bridge orderin' anybody an'
everybody within hearin' range to get as much information on it as they could." Archer chuckled and sat back in his chair.
"He's a good kid."
The chef came in with a bowl of lime Jello and a scoop of lime sherbert each, just as T'Pol finished her salad and tea. The
bowls were set down and the chef left the room. "Mmm, Jello!" Trip enthused, picking up his spoon. Archer grinned and dug in.
T'Pol, however, sat and looked down at her Jello and ice cream as though it might bite back.
Trip looked up at the Vulcan. "What's wrong, T'Pol?"
She seemed uncertain. "Vulcans do not consume... gelatinous foods," she said, staring down at the green dessert.
"Aw, ya can't live with humans and not try Jello at least once," Trip prodded. "C'mon. Please? For me?"
T'Pol looked up. "Even if I were to try this food, how would I go about doing so?" she inquired.
Archer watched with interest. Trip's plea had made him curious - since when would a Vulcan do anything "for" a human? But
T'Pol seemed to be seriously considering tackling the wiggly gelatin.
Trip was showing her how to use a spoon with Jello. "Just hold it like this, an' scoop little bits outta it at a time. Or,
if that's not workin', ya can always use yer fingers," he grinned. Archer suspected that was one thing T'Pol was not ever
going to be willing to do, no matter how much Trip pleaded.
T'Pol grasped the spoon and scooped up a small amount of Jello. She put the spoon in her mouth, pulled it out, and attempted
to chew the Jello.
"No, no, ya just slurp it, like this," Trip told her, and swallowed a big spoonful. T'Pol tried again. This time, she got a
considerable amount of the dessert down her throat.
Trip smiled widely. "There ya go. S'easy, huh?"
T'Pol considered. "This is an agreeable dessert," she stated after a moment.
Archer laughed. "Now try the sherbert."
Trip grinned and wolfed down his own ice cream with vigour. T'Pol took small, dainty bites, wincing every now and then.
Archer noticed her expression. "Something wrong?"
"My mouth is... sensitive, Captain," she told him, frowning down at her dessert. "This dairy product is aggravating the
nerves in my teeth."
Trip grimaced. "I had that when I was a kid. Annoyed the hell outta me cause I couldn't eat ice cream without my mouth
feelin' like it was on fire." Trip glanced up at T'Pol. "Ya could probably ask Doctor Phlox to take a look at it - I'm sure
he could do somethin' 'bout it."
T'Pol gave Trip a grateful look. "Thank you, Commander."
Archer was distracted from the odd exchange by his wrist chronometer beeping at him. "Okay, gang, it's 2000 hours. Time for
the movie," he declared, standing up. Trip and T'Pol did the same, and followed him out the door.
xXxXxXxXx
Okay, so they didn't see the movie in this one. Next chappie, I promise.