Disclaimer - The usual rhetoric; not mine, blah, blah, blah. (You know for pity's sake!) As to the story, I had to take a break to join my Mother in celebrating her retirement after more than twenty years with the DMV! And if you're wondering, yes, I am 'one of those', people! Bwa-ha,ha,ha,ha!
Making Due Part 2
When the light from the rising sun finally slanted in through the window, Archer groaned as he rolled off the bed and mumbled under his breath. T'Pol opened her eyes and watched him leave, presumably to relieve himself. She sat up and thought on the pervious night's events. A strange entity had conversed with her and the Captain, it was intrigued by their obvious differences, and lastly, it wanted desperately to learn about those differences.
Gruff shouting distracted her train of thought, it was Commander Tucker's voice. "Well son of a bitch! Anyone ever tell ya to knock before bargin' in on someone?!"
The Captain sounded quite angry as well, "Commander, can I have a word with you...privately?!"
Uncertain as to what had caused a dispute so early, T'Pol got up and stepped out of the hut. The two men were standing on the other side of the communal area, arms crossed and heads close as words flew between them. She went over to the hut Hoshi was in and peered in, the young woman was in a state of disarray, hair mussed and wearing only the light blanket she'd wrapped around her body. She blushed when she noticed T'Pol's presence.
The Sub-commander backed up and glanced back over to the combatants. It was apparent the Commander had been intimate with the Ensign, a clear breach of regulations, but under the circumstances one she could admit as being moot. There was really no way to tell how long they would be stranded on this world.
She paused a moment, then marched over and interrupted the private discussion. "Excuse me Captain."
"What?"
"Could I speak to you in private?"
He glared at Trip before following her a few steps to the side, "This better be important T'Pol!"
"Sir, I think under current conditions that you might wish to refrain from going too hard on Commander Tucker."
"Do you have any idea what he DID??"
"I assume he and Ensign Sato had sex."
His jaw dropped, then he quickly snapped it shut with it jutting slightly in agitation. He burst out angrily, "Do you know I promised her family that I'd make sure nothing would happen to her?"
"Since we heard neither protest or scream, it must be assumed the attention was mutual."
Archer sputtered as he tried to respond, he stalked off to their hut and slammed the door. Tucker came over, stood next to her and muttered, "Thanks, I owe ya!" He then returned to his own hut.
She waited awhile to give him time to cool down, then entered the dwelling silently. He was sitting on the bed with his hands dangling between his spread legs. His eyes glanced up briefly before returning to the spot on the floor he'd been contemplating. She went over and sat next to him and quietly asked, "Are you upset about what they did?"
He heaved a great sigh before finally answering, "No. I guess I should've seen it coming. I just feel like I'm losing control of the whole situation!"
She didn't know what to say, his sudden sullenness slightly alarmed her. Maybe that creature had tampered with other areas of his mind. She reached out and tentative placed her hand over his, trying to reassure him. The reaction of her gesture startled them both.
Through the contact she felt his mental turmoil as well as the shocking realization that he had a strong desire for her. It made her inhale sharply and she pulled her hand away. He gazed at her and whispered hoarsely, "I'm sorry."
His expression was one of regret as he turned his face away. Without warning he got up and left, the door closed before she could say anything. Rising, she rushed to the door and yanked it open, but there was no sign of Captain Archer. He had neatly vanished. T'Pol sighed as she looked about for any indication of which direction he may have taken. Nothing.
Jonathan Archer wished for the ump-teenth time that their circumstances were different, that this whole situation had never happened. Now he was certain his second in command thought him unstable. "Damn!"
The shout roused several small fliers from their hiding spots, he tracked them through the canopy. A shifting, blurring haze caught his eye as he watched. Taking a chance, he yelled, "You don't have to hide from me you know!"
He felt the startled voiceless response. *How you know it me??* He mirthlessly chuckled, "Great! I have ghost talking to me in my head!"
Hurt, appeasement, *Not ghost.* Puzzlement,*What is?* Glaring at the motionless form he shouted, "Could you come down here so I don't have to yell!"
With startling speed the creature scurried down from it's nest. Hesitance, *You all right?* "No, I'm not all right damnit!"
Sorrow, deep and pure, *We have caused you pain!*
He choked on what he'd been about to say, uncertain if any of this was real. A clawed hand was gently laid on his shoulder as it entreated earnestly, *Am so sorry friend. You are friend. We only wish protect you from attack. And to understand your people ways.*
Archer glanced up at it, saw moisture wetting the sides of its face. It continued, *Many, many ages, new ones come from the stars. They fear us, we leave alone. Instead, they try teach Hippea, Hippea no good. No have comparison for what Hippea are to us. They ourselves before.*
He tried to understand what the thing was trying to convey to him, but only grew more confused. "I'm afraid I don't understand."
Frustration, sudden inspiration, *Come. I show!* It rose to it's full height of almost two meters. Archer backed up, as it turned around and motioned to him. *Come, climb here.* "What are you thinking?" For an answer, it imagined him riding on it's back. He thought about it a moment and gave a mental shrug as he moved towards it, what the heck, he didn't have anything to lose.
As he settled himself on the broad back, he could feel the hard muscles ripple under his legs as the creature began moving swiftly through the forest. They emerged from the gloomy undergrowth into bright morning sunlight. Faster than anything he'd ever been on, the being carried him across the wide mossy plain and into the tall grass. It seemed like hours before they finally came to a stop on a small rise.
Below them, a large barren area was visible, a cave on the other side. From the cave, several Hippea came out and snorted and pranced as two of them butted heads. The opponents then loped to opposite ends of the field and began some sort of duel.
Arching their necks as high as they could, the menacing barbs along the edges were spread wide like a fan. Without any obvious signal, they charged each other and the barbs sliced through the spaces on each monster's neck. Coming to a halt at the end of the field, they repeated the charge several more times. Suddenly, one of the beasts marched into the cave and returned carrying some strange item in it's mouth. Dropping it's prize, it turned around and kicked the black baggy thing at it's opponent. It exploded in a fine powdery cloud on impact, striking the other Hippea square in the face.
Archer's host climb back below the rise and circled around to the other side where he could now see yellow lumps wriggling through the grass, making soft little shrill noises as they did. One of the peeping things was motionless except for strange bubbling at the center, as though something were trapped inside. Suddenly without warning, a snout poked through the skin, and from it emerged a beast very much like the one that had attacked Hoshi!
*From that, comes Hippea.* Archer finally got it. Metamorphosis! On several different levels if his guide was correct. Satisfaction edged with caution as it moved off, *We, I, come from Hippea.* It raced them back to the forest just as the sun was setting, Archer felt drained.
It carried him to the area the rest of the survivors were sitting, cautiously stepping to the center. As Commander Tucker lifted his phase pistol, T'Pol quietly said, "Wait." It gave her a nod before lifting the Captain from it's back and gently laying him on the decking. It's humble entreaty was clear to them all. *Not harm, no hurt. Only tired from hiding.* With that, it was gone as silently as it had come.
Trip rushed over and knelt next to his friend, "Jon! Can ya hear me!"
All he got was a feeble moan. "God damn! What was that T'Pol!"
"It 'visited' with us last night Commander, I did not think the Captain would venture off alone with it."
In fact, she was worried about what it might have done to him during his absence. Why was he so unresponsive? Surely hiding could not cause that much exhaustion in a man.
Trip's heated response recalled her, "Well shit, when were ya gonna mention this 'visitor' to the rest of us, huh?"
"I had assumed the Captain had."
"Well he didn't!"
Hoshi stepped from the shadows and touched his shoulder, "Trip, please. Let's worry about the Captain right now and save the rest for later, OK?"
He ducked his head as he grumbled, "All right." He took a few deep breaths before looking back at T'Pol. "Give me a hand, will ya?"
Between them, they got Archer on his bed and Hoshi pulled the cover over him. T'Pol regarded them, something in her voice eased the worry in Tucker's mind. "I will watch him tonight, to be certain he has suffered no lasting harm."
"If he comes to, give me a holler, will ya?"
She nodded as left, then sat on her own bed. As she gazed at him, her own thoughts were a jumble in confusion. Why had she been so worried while he'd been absent? It was illogical, and then to be awash in relief at his return only added to her consternation. It made absolutely no sense to feel protective of him! True he had promised to be there for her, but that didn't warrant the unsettling emotions she was experiencing.
It made her want to do, something.... She averted her thoughts from going down that path. Taking a breath and holding it, she released it slowly as she tried desperately to reign her emotions under control. A slight creaking caught her ear, she glanced up and saw to her surprise, Ensign Sato standing with the door ajar.
"Yes Ensign, can I help you?"
"I was going to ask you the same thing Sub-commander."
"What do you mean?"
"I couldn't help but notice that you seemed, a bit distracted when the Captain had disappeared."
"Did I?"
"Look, I don't want to pry or anything, but even Trip mentioned it."
Avoiding the earnest look from the young woman, T'Pol looked back at the Captain. "Have you translated any of these writings yet?"
"Not much, although from what I have been able to decipher they were made by a people who called themselves Arbia or something like that."
"Interesting."
Hoshi padded across the room and seated herself at the foot of her bed. "I'm a pretty good listener if you'd like someone to talk with."
"You would not understand."
"What? That your people keep their emotions in a straight jacket at all costs? Or that you're to afraid to admit you might actually feel something for another person?"
T'Pol turned a stunned look at the linguist, who returned it with a sorrowful one, "T'Pol, we might be here an awful long time and I'd hate to see any of us miss out on being happy."
With that, she quietly rose and left the dim hut.
She was too amazed at Hoshi's observations to offer any comments. Was she hiding from her own feelings? Closing her eyes, she tilted her head back and rested it against the woven surface. Too many emotions were conflicting in her to allow her any sort of resolution, so to quiet some of them she began the process of methodically sorting through them one by one.
Towards midnight, T'Pol had finally come to the reluctant conclusion that she did have feelings for her Captain, ones that if the high command ever learned of would have made them regard her with disapproval. The slight movement from across the room alerted her that he was rousing. A soft whisper carried to her. "You awake?"
"I should hardly be sleeping in this position."
A low chuckled answered her, he paused before continuing in a more serious tone, "They're not like us at all. Their progression from infancy to adulthood is in stages like a moth's."
"Is that what our 'friend', was showing you?"
"Yes, out on the plains."
"Most intriguing."
"Our 'friend' was a Hippea once."
"Before it changed?"
"They're protecting us from them, like they did the people who built this city."
"But they are dead now."
"They couldn't adapt to raising families so far from their home world."
"How unfortunate."
There was a silence after she finished, what she could see of him through the darkness was a faint outline. His head resting in his hands, as he stared at the ceiling. She spoke, using as neutral a tone as she could, "Ensign Sato pointed out to me that we may be here for quite some time."
"I don't like to admit it, but she's probably right."
Gathering her courage, she had resolved to face her own doubts now, she walked over and sat next to him and continued in a softened voice, "She reminded me that survival is not just about staying alive till help arrives." He turned his eyes to her and she watched as his expression shifted to puzzlement, he propped himself up on his elbows as he replied, "What more is there?"
She could tell he was controlling his own emotions from the rasp in his voice, her proximity to him had aroused new sensations in her. As she began to continue, he shifted on his side and locked eyes with her, "I am not certain, but whatever the outcome, we will survive." Sitting up all the way, Archer leaned in towards her and studied her face a moment before finally making his move.
He hoped he was hearing what he thought he was, otherwise he was going to feel like a fool. Lifting his hand, he hesitantly caressed the side of her face, a shiver ran through her as she closed her eyes. But she did not protest the contact, which signaled acceptance to him.
Pulling her to him, he embraced her and saw more that tolerance in her eyes. He spoke in a husky tone, "Together?"
Her heart was hammering in her chest as she answered, a new urgency singing through her veins, "Yes."
It was the sweetest moment in the Captain's life as he placed his lips over her's, the passion he'd kept restrained erupted unbridled.
When morning arrived, they were sleeping entwined on his cot. The sound of Commander Tucker's good natured salutations didn't alert them to his arrival until he had jerked the door open. A quirky grin crossed his face when he got a look at the scene before him.
"I can come back if now's a bad time Capt'n."
Archer grabbed a pillow and tossed it at the smirking visage, grumbling, "Didn't anyone ever teach you to knock first?"
Trip heartily laughed as he retreated, ambling back to the fire pit. Hoshi gave him a questioning look as he kept chortling. With a slightly peeved note, she asked, "What's so funny?"
"Our Capt'n seems ta have had a change of heart on the fraternizin' rule!"
"Huh? You don't mean...?"
He nodded, breaking down into laughter again, managing to say, "Guess we don't haveta be so discreet, eh?" He gave her a lecherous grin as he whirled, drawing her into a loving embrace and kissed her. He whispered lightly, "God only knows how long we're gonna be stuck here, I'm glad I got you to keep me company!"
She answered as only a wise woman would.
It had taken eight months for Lieutenant Reed to get back to the system they had lost the away team at, but since the unprovoked attack that had drawn them away had cause excessive damage, there had been no choice about getting repairs done before they could continue the search for survivors.
He watched the world swing into view and felt a pang of guilt, unsure of what they would find. With any luck, they would find all four members alive and relatively well. He turned and addressed the helm, "Any sign of them yet Ensign?"
Travis turned and shook his head, "None yet sir, but I think I've located the shuttle pod."
"Prepare an away team to investigate."
"Yes sir!"
Less than an hour later, they set down next to the ruined craft. The place looked like it had been attacked by large animals, huge prints in the soil gave evidence that whatever they were had trampled the place flat.
"Sir." Mayweather said, "I'm picking up Humanoid life signs in that direction."
Malcolm turned and gazed in the indicated direction. "Let's go investigate. It might be the Captain's party."
They climbed back into the shuttle and headed for the distant forest. They were forced to land on the perimeter since the under growth was to thick to penetrate. All sorts of muted noises greeted them when they entered the shaded woods. Reed stopped to take new readings as he scanned a wide area ahead.
"I believe I have something!"
Moving at an increased pace, he came upon the first real sign that someone had survived; a boot print in the soft mud at the edge of a stream. Encouraged, he shouted, "Hello, can anyone hear me?" A distant, "Malcolm?", made him look up.
There on an improbable path, was Commander Tucker. He waved and let out a loud, "Yee hah!", as he raced to a lower gantry that ended at a stairway. Jumping to the ground, the engineer rushed up and grabbed the armory officer and excitedly exclaimed, "My God! Ya don't know how glad I am ta see you!"
Breaking free from the exuberant display, Reed replied, "How are the others? Is everyone all right?"
"Sure, sure. Come on, I'll take ya there."
Climbing through the amazing highway, they were soon at the Central area of the town where a very surprised group was sitting, eating the noon meal. Their relief was plain as they crowded round the away team with grins and hugs. Captain Archer motioned for silence as he turned to Reed, "You don't know haw glad I am to see you!"
"Sorry we couldn't get to you any sooner sir, but we had an unfortunate incident with a group of marauders. We were forced to repair Enterprise before we could continue."
"You can give me the full report once we're back on board, for now though, we just want to go home!"
As the rescued crew were gathering up their supplies, Malcolm noticed subtle interactions between them as they did. If he didn't know better, he would have sworn that something had transpired between the Captain and the Sub-commander. He shook his head, impossible. Although, now that he thought about it, Commander Tucker was acting quite solicitous of Hoshi.
He waited till they were almost finished before quietly asking Tucker about it. Trip grinned and softly replied, "You'd be surprised at how close people can get when they only got themselves to depend on Malcolm. The less ya ask the better off ya'll be!"
"What do you mean by that?"
Trip just guffawed as he carried the last load into the shuttle. Reed scratched his head before following the final member into the craft. It lifted and was soon gone from sight, only a shimmering figure saw it's departure. *Be well friends. You kind be always guarded if come back*
Making Due Part 2
When the light from the rising sun finally slanted in through the window, Archer groaned as he rolled off the bed and mumbled under his breath. T'Pol opened her eyes and watched him leave, presumably to relieve himself. She sat up and thought on the pervious night's events. A strange entity had conversed with her and the Captain, it was intrigued by their obvious differences, and lastly, it wanted desperately to learn about those differences.
Gruff shouting distracted her train of thought, it was Commander Tucker's voice. "Well son of a bitch! Anyone ever tell ya to knock before bargin' in on someone?!"
The Captain sounded quite angry as well, "Commander, can I have a word with you...privately?!"
Uncertain as to what had caused a dispute so early, T'Pol got up and stepped out of the hut. The two men were standing on the other side of the communal area, arms crossed and heads close as words flew between them. She went over to the hut Hoshi was in and peered in, the young woman was in a state of disarray, hair mussed and wearing only the light blanket she'd wrapped around her body. She blushed when she noticed T'Pol's presence.
The Sub-commander backed up and glanced back over to the combatants. It was apparent the Commander had been intimate with the Ensign, a clear breach of regulations, but under the circumstances one she could admit as being moot. There was really no way to tell how long they would be stranded on this world.
She paused a moment, then marched over and interrupted the private discussion. "Excuse me Captain."
"What?"
"Could I speak to you in private?"
He glared at Trip before following her a few steps to the side, "This better be important T'Pol!"
"Sir, I think under current conditions that you might wish to refrain from going too hard on Commander Tucker."
"Do you have any idea what he DID??"
"I assume he and Ensign Sato had sex."
His jaw dropped, then he quickly snapped it shut with it jutting slightly in agitation. He burst out angrily, "Do you know I promised her family that I'd make sure nothing would happen to her?"
"Since we heard neither protest or scream, it must be assumed the attention was mutual."
Archer sputtered as he tried to respond, he stalked off to their hut and slammed the door. Tucker came over, stood next to her and muttered, "Thanks, I owe ya!" He then returned to his own hut.
She waited awhile to give him time to cool down, then entered the dwelling silently. He was sitting on the bed with his hands dangling between his spread legs. His eyes glanced up briefly before returning to the spot on the floor he'd been contemplating. She went over and sat next to him and quietly asked, "Are you upset about what they did?"
He heaved a great sigh before finally answering, "No. I guess I should've seen it coming. I just feel like I'm losing control of the whole situation!"
She didn't know what to say, his sudden sullenness slightly alarmed her. Maybe that creature had tampered with other areas of his mind. She reached out and tentative placed her hand over his, trying to reassure him. The reaction of her gesture startled them both.
Through the contact she felt his mental turmoil as well as the shocking realization that he had a strong desire for her. It made her inhale sharply and she pulled her hand away. He gazed at her and whispered hoarsely, "I'm sorry."
His expression was one of regret as he turned his face away. Without warning he got up and left, the door closed before she could say anything. Rising, she rushed to the door and yanked it open, but there was no sign of Captain Archer. He had neatly vanished. T'Pol sighed as she looked about for any indication of which direction he may have taken. Nothing.
Jonathan Archer wished for the ump-teenth time that their circumstances were different, that this whole situation had never happened. Now he was certain his second in command thought him unstable. "Damn!"
The shout roused several small fliers from their hiding spots, he tracked them through the canopy. A shifting, blurring haze caught his eye as he watched. Taking a chance, he yelled, "You don't have to hide from me you know!"
He felt the startled voiceless response. *How you know it me??* He mirthlessly chuckled, "Great! I have ghost talking to me in my head!"
Hurt, appeasement, *Not ghost.* Puzzlement,*What is?* Glaring at the motionless form he shouted, "Could you come down here so I don't have to yell!"
With startling speed the creature scurried down from it's nest. Hesitance, *You all right?* "No, I'm not all right damnit!"
Sorrow, deep and pure, *We have caused you pain!*
He choked on what he'd been about to say, uncertain if any of this was real. A clawed hand was gently laid on his shoulder as it entreated earnestly, *Am so sorry friend. You are friend. We only wish protect you from attack. And to understand your people ways.*
Archer glanced up at it, saw moisture wetting the sides of its face. It continued, *Many, many ages, new ones come from the stars. They fear us, we leave alone. Instead, they try teach Hippea, Hippea no good. No have comparison for what Hippea are to us. They ourselves before.*
He tried to understand what the thing was trying to convey to him, but only grew more confused. "I'm afraid I don't understand."
Frustration, sudden inspiration, *Come. I show!* It rose to it's full height of almost two meters. Archer backed up, as it turned around and motioned to him. *Come, climb here.* "What are you thinking?" For an answer, it imagined him riding on it's back. He thought about it a moment and gave a mental shrug as he moved towards it, what the heck, he didn't have anything to lose.
As he settled himself on the broad back, he could feel the hard muscles ripple under his legs as the creature began moving swiftly through the forest. They emerged from the gloomy undergrowth into bright morning sunlight. Faster than anything he'd ever been on, the being carried him across the wide mossy plain and into the tall grass. It seemed like hours before they finally came to a stop on a small rise.
Below them, a large barren area was visible, a cave on the other side. From the cave, several Hippea came out and snorted and pranced as two of them butted heads. The opponents then loped to opposite ends of the field and began some sort of duel.
Arching their necks as high as they could, the menacing barbs along the edges were spread wide like a fan. Without any obvious signal, they charged each other and the barbs sliced through the spaces on each monster's neck. Coming to a halt at the end of the field, they repeated the charge several more times. Suddenly, one of the beasts marched into the cave and returned carrying some strange item in it's mouth. Dropping it's prize, it turned around and kicked the black baggy thing at it's opponent. It exploded in a fine powdery cloud on impact, striking the other Hippea square in the face.
Archer's host climb back below the rise and circled around to the other side where he could now see yellow lumps wriggling through the grass, making soft little shrill noises as they did. One of the peeping things was motionless except for strange bubbling at the center, as though something were trapped inside. Suddenly without warning, a snout poked through the skin, and from it emerged a beast very much like the one that had attacked Hoshi!
*From that, comes Hippea.* Archer finally got it. Metamorphosis! On several different levels if his guide was correct. Satisfaction edged with caution as it moved off, *We, I, come from Hippea.* It raced them back to the forest just as the sun was setting, Archer felt drained.
It carried him to the area the rest of the survivors were sitting, cautiously stepping to the center. As Commander Tucker lifted his phase pistol, T'Pol quietly said, "Wait." It gave her a nod before lifting the Captain from it's back and gently laying him on the decking. It's humble entreaty was clear to them all. *Not harm, no hurt. Only tired from hiding.* With that, it was gone as silently as it had come.
Trip rushed over and knelt next to his friend, "Jon! Can ya hear me!"
All he got was a feeble moan. "God damn! What was that T'Pol!"
"It 'visited' with us last night Commander, I did not think the Captain would venture off alone with it."
In fact, she was worried about what it might have done to him during his absence. Why was he so unresponsive? Surely hiding could not cause that much exhaustion in a man.
Trip's heated response recalled her, "Well shit, when were ya gonna mention this 'visitor' to the rest of us, huh?"
"I had assumed the Captain had."
"Well he didn't!"
Hoshi stepped from the shadows and touched his shoulder, "Trip, please. Let's worry about the Captain right now and save the rest for later, OK?"
He ducked his head as he grumbled, "All right." He took a few deep breaths before looking back at T'Pol. "Give me a hand, will ya?"
Between them, they got Archer on his bed and Hoshi pulled the cover over him. T'Pol regarded them, something in her voice eased the worry in Tucker's mind. "I will watch him tonight, to be certain he has suffered no lasting harm."
"If he comes to, give me a holler, will ya?"
She nodded as left, then sat on her own bed. As she gazed at him, her own thoughts were a jumble in confusion. Why had she been so worried while he'd been absent? It was illogical, and then to be awash in relief at his return only added to her consternation. It made absolutely no sense to feel protective of him! True he had promised to be there for her, but that didn't warrant the unsettling emotions she was experiencing.
It made her want to do, something.... She averted her thoughts from going down that path. Taking a breath and holding it, she released it slowly as she tried desperately to reign her emotions under control. A slight creaking caught her ear, she glanced up and saw to her surprise, Ensign Sato standing with the door ajar.
"Yes Ensign, can I help you?"
"I was going to ask you the same thing Sub-commander."
"What do you mean?"
"I couldn't help but notice that you seemed, a bit distracted when the Captain had disappeared."
"Did I?"
"Look, I don't want to pry or anything, but even Trip mentioned it."
Avoiding the earnest look from the young woman, T'Pol looked back at the Captain. "Have you translated any of these writings yet?"
"Not much, although from what I have been able to decipher they were made by a people who called themselves Arbia or something like that."
"Interesting."
Hoshi padded across the room and seated herself at the foot of her bed. "I'm a pretty good listener if you'd like someone to talk with."
"You would not understand."
"What? That your people keep their emotions in a straight jacket at all costs? Or that you're to afraid to admit you might actually feel something for another person?"
T'Pol turned a stunned look at the linguist, who returned it with a sorrowful one, "T'Pol, we might be here an awful long time and I'd hate to see any of us miss out on being happy."
With that, she quietly rose and left the dim hut.
She was too amazed at Hoshi's observations to offer any comments. Was she hiding from her own feelings? Closing her eyes, she tilted her head back and rested it against the woven surface. Too many emotions were conflicting in her to allow her any sort of resolution, so to quiet some of them she began the process of methodically sorting through them one by one.
Towards midnight, T'Pol had finally come to the reluctant conclusion that she did have feelings for her Captain, ones that if the high command ever learned of would have made them regard her with disapproval. The slight movement from across the room alerted her that he was rousing. A soft whisper carried to her. "You awake?"
"I should hardly be sleeping in this position."
A low chuckled answered her, he paused before continuing in a more serious tone, "They're not like us at all. Their progression from infancy to adulthood is in stages like a moth's."
"Is that what our 'friend', was showing you?"
"Yes, out on the plains."
"Most intriguing."
"Our 'friend' was a Hippea once."
"Before it changed?"
"They're protecting us from them, like they did the people who built this city."
"But they are dead now."
"They couldn't adapt to raising families so far from their home world."
"How unfortunate."
There was a silence after she finished, what she could see of him through the darkness was a faint outline. His head resting in his hands, as he stared at the ceiling. She spoke, using as neutral a tone as she could, "Ensign Sato pointed out to me that we may be here for quite some time."
"I don't like to admit it, but she's probably right."
Gathering her courage, she had resolved to face her own doubts now, she walked over and sat next to him and continued in a softened voice, "She reminded me that survival is not just about staying alive till help arrives." He turned his eyes to her and she watched as his expression shifted to puzzlement, he propped himself up on his elbows as he replied, "What more is there?"
She could tell he was controlling his own emotions from the rasp in his voice, her proximity to him had aroused new sensations in her. As she began to continue, he shifted on his side and locked eyes with her, "I am not certain, but whatever the outcome, we will survive." Sitting up all the way, Archer leaned in towards her and studied her face a moment before finally making his move.
He hoped he was hearing what he thought he was, otherwise he was going to feel like a fool. Lifting his hand, he hesitantly caressed the side of her face, a shiver ran through her as she closed her eyes. But she did not protest the contact, which signaled acceptance to him.
Pulling her to him, he embraced her and saw more that tolerance in her eyes. He spoke in a husky tone, "Together?"
Her heart was hammering in her chest as she answered, a new urgency singing through her veins, "Yes."
It was the sweetest moment in the Captain's life as he placed his lips over her's, the passion he'd kept restrained erupted unbridled.
When morning arrived, they were sleeping entwined on his cot. The sound of Commander Tucker's good natured salutations didn't alert them to his arrival until he had jerked the door open. A quirky grin crossed his face when he got a look at the scene before him.
"I can come back if now's a bad time Capt'n."
Archer grabbed a pillow and tossed it at the smirking visage, grumbling, "Didn't anyone ever teach you to knock first?"
Trip heartily laughed as he retreated, ambling back to the fire pit. Hoshi gave him a questioning look as he kept chortling. With a slightly peeved note, she asked, "What's so funny?"
"Our Capt'n seems ta have had a change of heart on the fraternizin' rule!"
"Huh? You don't mean...?"
He nodded, breaking down into laughter again, managing to say, "Guess we don't haveta be so discreet, eh?" He gave her a lecherous grin as he whirled, drawing her into a loving embrace and kissed her. He whispered lightly, "God only knows how long we're gonna be stuck here, I'm glad I got you to keep me company!"
She answered as only a wise woman would.
It had taken eight months for Lieutenant Reed to get back to the system they had lost the away team at, but since the unprovoked attack that had drawn them away had cause excessive damage, there had been no choice about getting repairs done before they could continue the search for survivors.
He watched the world swing into view and felt a pang of guilt, unsure of what they would find. With any luck, they would find all four members alive and relatively well. He turned and addressed the helm, "Any sign of them yet Ensign?"
Travis turned and shook his head, "None yet sir, but I think I've located the shuttle pod."
"Prepare an away team to investigate."
"Yes sir!"
Less than an hour later, they set down next to the ruined craft. The place looked like it had been attacked by large animals, huge prints in the soil gave evidence that whatever they were had trampled the place flat.
"Sir." Mayweather said, "I'm picking up Humanoid life signs in that direction."
Malcolm turned and gazed in the indicated direction. "Let's go investigate. It might be the Captain's party."
They climbed back into the shuttle and headed for the distant forest. They were forced to land on the perimeter since the under growth was to thick to penetrate. All sorts of muted noises greeted them when they entered the shaded woods. Reed stopped to take new readings as he scanned a wide area ahead.
"I believe I have something!"
Moving at an increased pace, he came upon the first real sign that someone had survived; a boot print in the soft mud at the edge of a stream. Encouraged, he shouted, "Hello, can anyone hear me?" A distant, "Malcolm?", made him look up.
There on an improbable path, was Commander Tucker. He waved and let out a loud, "Yee hah!", as he raced to a lower gantry that ended at a stairway. Jumping to the ground, the engineer rushed up and grabbed the armory officer and excitedly exclaimed, "My God! Ya don't know how glad I am ta see you!"
Breaking free from the exuberant display, Reed replied, "How are the others? Is everyone all right?"
"Sure, sure. Come on, I'll take ya there."
Climbing through the amazing highway, they were soon at the Central area of the town where a very surprised group was sitting, eating the noon meal. Their relief was plain as they crowded round the away team with grins and hugs. Captain Archer motioned for silence as he turned to Reed, "You don't know haw glad I am to see you!"
"Sorry we couldn't get to you any sooner sir, but we had an unfortunate incident with a group of marauders. We were forced to repair Enterprise before we could continue."
"You can give me the full report once we're back on board, for now though, we just want to go home!"
As the rescued crew were gathering up their supplies, Malcolm noticed subtle interactions between them as they did. If he didn't know better, he would have sworn that something had transpired between the Captain and the Sub-commander. He shook his head, impossible. Although, now that he thought about it, Commander Tucker was acting quite solicitous of Hoshi.
He waited till they were almost finished before quietly asking Tucker about it. Trip grinned and softly replied, "You'd be surprised at how close people can get when they only got themselves to depend on Malcolm. The less ya ask the better off ya'll be!"
"What do you mean by that?"
Trip just guffawed as he carried the last load into the shuttle. Reed scratched his head before following the final member into the craft. It lifted and was soon gone from sight, only a shimmering figure saw it's departure. *Be well friends. You kind be always guarded if come back*