Ticklish 5

Trip woke in sickbay with his head all muggy. "What the hell happened to me?"

"What the hell happened to me?" Trip asked himself again holding his head and squinting against the bright lights of sickbay.

'Wait, this isn't sickbay' Trip thought to himself, than he looked around, the room was dimly lit and there was music in the background, and T'Pol was standing in front of him.

"Oh Crap, not another dream"

"This is not a dream commander" T'Pol replied.

"Sure it is, I've had this one before" Trip said, "they always end with me and you..."Trip corrected. Why was his dream self so embarrassed... this one seemed too real...

T'Pol eyed him oddly and turned off her music, 'Had this one before, they always end with you and me... what does he mean' she wondered and raised an eyebrow. She sat down on her bed and watched him wake himself up further.

"Wait, this isn't a dream..." he said "What I said before about having this one before... I didn't mean it, I was just kidding!"

Trip rose than realized these were not his quarters, "These your quarters?" he asked.

"Yes" she responded a smile almost coming to her lips.

"I uh, I uh, I have a lot to do back in my quarters" Trip said than tried the door, it was locked, and he did not know T'Pol's combination, he was locked in.

T'Pol rose and walked towards him with an odd look on her face Trip had never seen before.

"Uh, T'Pol"

T'Pol didn't stop or answer his question. The look in her eyes told everything.

T'Pol's mouth claimed Trip's, and he finally reached his proper age of 31. When Trip next woke, T'Pol was sleeping next to him. Only this time, it was ok.

He lay there and tried to recall why they where laying next to each other sleeping... he could not.

He got up quickly and noticed he was in his skivvies, he found his clothes in a neat folded pile in the corner and put them on quickly and exited the room.

He rubbed his head he couldn't remember a thing that had happened the last two days, maybe it would come to him. He walked to the mess hall and got himself something to eat.

He got himself some lunch and sat down at a table by himself.

He noticed chef was serving chocolate cake, than hr remembered something he had gotten chocolate in sickbay, from Hoshi, and- suddenly the past 2 days flooded back to him everything "SHIT" he yelled and dashed out of the mess hall to find T'Pol.

Trip ran all the way back to T'Pol's quarters. T'Pol was just coming out when she saw him. "T'Pol."

"Commander." she said blankly.

Trip felt drowned. All this closeness he had felt, their friendship, hell their love- he couldn't-wouldn't- let it go.

"T'Pol," he started, unsure of what to say. "Look.... I didn't mean it. I-hey, what the hell am I talkin' about? You were the one who kissed me. Why did ya do it? Not sayin' that I cared or anything, but I guess I'm just trying to ask you why you-" Trip's rambling was cut off as T'Pol kissed him again. Unsure of exactly what to do, he just kissed her back.

"T'Pol..." He said. Tears glistened in her eyes as he pulled away.

"Commander...Trip...I can't...not love you..." Trip silenced her with a finger on her lips.

"What do you mean, T'Pol? I though Vulcans couldn't love anybody? Unless love isn't an emotion anymore."

"It is, Commander. I do not know why I...love you."

"But you do?" Trip asked uncertainly.

"Yes commander. Yet it appears you don't love me."

"That's not true." Trip exclaimed. Or tried to exclaim. It came out as a whisper.

Trip kissed T'Pol again pulling her close to emphasize his point. "This is not.... Logical…" T'Pol said almost weakly.

"Love isn't supposed to be logical...Polly" Trip threw in the nickname teasingly. T'Pol led Trip into her quarters for privacy. They settled together on the bed, arms around each other. Comfy as could be.

"Trip?"

"If you ever call me Polly again, I will have you killed."

Soft laughter was her only answer. She prodded him hard in the ribs eliciting more laughter and an "ow!" from the commander.

Trip leaned up close to her ear "Polly" he whispered.

T'Pol whipped her head around and looked at him glaring.

"Polly"

"I warned you" T'Pol said with a playful look on her face and he dashed out backwards of her quarters chanting "Polly Polly"

T'Pol came after him playfully and started chasing Trip down the corridor, who was still running backwards. Trip suddenly stopped running and looked suddenly serious, T'Pol picked up on this and turned around to see the captain looking bewildered at them. "Uh, Trip, Polly, can I see you in my ready room in 10 minutes with an explanation please"

"Sorry Cap'n." Trip said. "Me an' T'Pol are high-jacking a shuttle and going to Risa!"

He grabbed T'Pol and ran back to her quarters with her, leaving a confused captain behind them. Archer knew to let it go. Trip would tell him all later.

T'Pol looked at Trip he expected her to be furious with him. There was something else in her eyes though. Something she wanted to let out

"Trip, I..." she tried to say, but couldn't get it out.

"TripIloveyou" It all came out suddenly in one go.

"I love you too Polly." Trip said. He gasped as she dug him in the ribs. "That's it!" He exclaimed playfully.

Trip tickled T'Pol and the two of them chased each other around the small room for nearly a half hour trying to tickle each other. Finally, they stopped when the door chimed. T'Pol had to catch her breath before she answered it. "Come in," she said at last.

The door opened to reveal Captain Archer standing with a scowl. Trip suddenly looked a bit nervous. "'Loud,' Cap'n?"

"What do you mean 'loud'?"

"I mean, I could hear the..." he paused and looked at T'Pol. "The two of you... laughing... from down the corridor." He had an odd expression, probably because he was so surprised to have heard T'Pol of all people laughing.

"Sorry" Trip said sheepishly. "Guess we got a little carried away..."

"Yes well...please, calm down."

"Sorry sir. We will sir."

Trip closed the door.

Trip turned to T'Pol with a look of mischief in his eyes. "Well, did ya hear that? You need to laugh quieter." He chuckled a bit at this, obviously thinking that he was very funny.

T'Pol didn't seem to agree. "He was correct, Commander. However, he should not have had to come in the first place. I should not have been laughing."

Trip noted the scowl from T'Pol and realized that she was serious. He lowered his head until he thought of what to say. When he decided on a course of action.

Trip swept T'Pol into his arms and gave her a passionate kiss that made her blush deeply. "Why Polly," He said. "I do believe you're blushing"

He pulled her close again, and gave her another heart stopping kiss.

"I ought to go," He then said. T'Pol looked up at him confused. "Why?"

"Because you don't love me enough to laugh for me, and that's important. You gotta show emotion."

T'Pol growled as he turned to leave. She pounced on him and gave *him* a passionate kiss.

"Now commander," she said as she pinned him. "I believe it is you who should laugh quieter."

Trip looked at her dumbfounded and laughed quietly. "Now we have a quandary. How do you propose we settle this" Trip said jokingly pulling T'Pol close.

T'Pol flicked a switch on a piece of equipment that Trip recognized as an oscilloscope. "Uh oh..." he said. His voice registered on the oscilloscope.

"Laugh." T'Pol ordered him. Trip pursed his lips and shook his head. T'Pol sighed. "Commander, I cannot measure your voice waves if you don't laugh." Trip shook his head again.

Trip shook his head once more and T'Pol looked at him mischievously and raised her other hand to his neck. Trip looked at confused and said as much "What are you doing?''

T'Pol said nothing and raised the oscilloscope mike closer to his face.

T'Pol ran her hand down Trip's neck slowly. Trip swallowed. The microphone for the oscilloscope picked up this small noise. Trip squirmed hard, but he couldn't dislodge T'Pol's hold. His clothes rustled, and the mike picked up the soft sound. He shook his head urgently.

T'Pol held onto his neck but said nothing, Trip of course refused to talk because he knew the Big machine would pick up on it.

T'Pol looked at him with eyes which seemed to pierce into his very soul. "Polly..." Trip let out.

T'Pol moved her hand slowly down his back. "Polly..."Trip said apprehensively "What..."

T'Pol stopped moving her hand and put down the Big machine. She put her finger on his lips and whispered, "don't talk"

"Laugh." She said simply.

Trip wanted to scream. "Polly...no..."

"Trip, just laugh. That is all you have to do."

Trip smiled weakly. "Nothing funny."

His voice cracked. "Polly...no...I can't..."

"I can help you." She said, stroking his neck again. "I can easily give you something to laugh at."

Trip moved his head away from the mike, exposing his neck, which T'Pol kept stroking with feather light touches that were driving him crazy.

He scrunched his neck up, but there was no escape.

"T'Pol...stop...it..." He whispered, desperately trying to keep her hand from his neck.

Trip continued to squirm but could still not get out of T'Pol's hold. T'Pol pulled him closer to herself and whispered into his ear. "All you have to do is laugh" Trip pressed his lips tighter together and she stroked his neck some more.

Trip shook with barely suppressed laughter as T'Pol continued to stroke is neck. He gave a sudden snort, and T'Pol knew she'd won. She was ever so careful with him, treating him like a delicate flower. And her feather soft touches were the worst tickling Trip had ever endured.

Trip finally gave in, laughing very hard, hoping that this would end T'Pol's strange attitude, but also hoping that it wouldn't make matters worse. T'Pol, true to her word, backed off slowly, allowing him some room at last. He was ready to jump up and leave, but before he could, she came back toward him.

"No...T'Pol...No more tickling! No more!" Trip gasped out with as much authority as he could muster. Then he calmed down a little. "T'Pol, it's your turn."

"I don't wish to have a turn. I think that my point has already been proved."

Trip shook his head "uh-uh! That's not fair. You have to laugh now!" He moved in on her but she backed up. "You know you want to, everybody else is doin' it!" Trip joked.

T'Pol narrowed her eyes more than seemed physically possible. "Trip...."

She turned quickly and dropped the instrument. She turned and darted out of the room with Trip in hot pursuit.

T'Pol dashed her way to the mess hall and Trip ran in after her. The mess hall was completely devoid of people.

Trip grabbed hold of T'Pol and picked her up. He carried her to his quarters because they were closest. Trip flung T'Pol onto the bed and switched on his oscilloscope. Then he held the mike up to her face. "C'mon Polly, just a little giggle, s'all I need..." He said coaxingly.

She did exactly as Trip'd done. She squeezed her lips together in a very un-Vulcan fashion. Trip gave T'Pol's neck a quick tickle. T'Pol squirmed trying desperately to get him off her.

"No...Trip...NO!"

"C'mon Polly, just a little giggle is all I need"

"No!" she yelled.

"Yes, T'Pol. You had your fun. Now it's my turn. I just need a little giggle."

"No, Commander," she said, emphasizing the use of his rank. "You can not force me to laugh... or giggle"

"The hell I can't!" He yelled. Suddenly, he launched his biggest tickling attack yet.

She resisted laughing at first, but after a short while, she was unable to resist any longer. She was soon laughing as hard as he had been earlier.

Then, just as suddenly as he had begun, he stopped. She slowly regained control and stopped laughing.

"I gotcha to laugh" Trip said smugly. "I gotcha to laugh."

"Yes...now match the detail between the two sound files and we will see who laughs louder."

Trip rolled his eyes. "Bet it was you."

"I'm sure it was," she told him in an unhappy tone.

Trip realized that she was truly unhappy at being tickled uncontrollably. "Look, I'm sorry Polly. But you did it to me first. You deserved it," he told her in a teasing tone

T'Pol merely nodded. Trip sighed. "You know, tickling is seen as a sign of affection in humans."

T'Pol said nothing. "Polly, you know I'd never hurt you. I promise now I'll only ever tickle you sometimes."

"As little as possible." She said suddenly.

"Promise" Trip said. "Scouts honor."

"Thank you," she told him gratefully.

"You're welcome."

"But remember Polly, that works both ways," He said suddenly.

T'Pol nodded and tapped a few buttons on the oscilloscope. The two sound waves showed on screen, with Trip's being much louder than T'Pol's.

"Well I'll be..." he told her, noting the volume his laughing had been. "You weren't louder than me."

"I guess not," she agreed.

He laughed suddenly. (boy, does he make a lot of sudden movements) "God, an I thought your laughing was loud...I've exceeded the screen!"

T'Pol gave him a small smile. "Maybe it was because I was tickling you. After all, I am sure you laugh a lot louder than that normally and no one complains."

He didn't respond to that. He just surrendered and let her win this one. "So... what should we do now?" he asked her suddenly, trying to change the subject.

T'Pol thought for a little while a finally answered. "Are you hungry Mr. Tucker?"

"Uh…What? I suppose a bit hungry…"

"Come with me…please?"

"Um.. ok..." Trip was now confused but couldn't seem to get that goofy smile off of his face.

A/N Ok I know.. Totally Out Of Character.. But ya know.. It is an IM story… What else do you expect? Anyway it was fun writing.. And I JUST realized how many times they kiss in this chappy.. My bad.. Oh well…next chapter is very confusing.. So oh well…