In Its Time and Place
Chapter 5

Archer pressed the buzzer outside of T'Pol's quarters and waited for a response.

Nothing.

He pressed the buzzer again, holding it just a little longer this time. Just before he was tempted to press it a third time, the door slid open to admit him.

He stepped into thick darkness. Every other time he had been in T'Pol's quarters, she had had some sort of soft light source glowing, anything from candles to the cabin's own lightening system set at a low level. Strangely enough for a person from a harshly-lit desert planet, she preferred her light soft and subtle. But now, the only light came from the few glowing stars in the portholes, barely breaking the darkness of space.

"T'Pol?" He called softly into the darkness.

"Please go away." Her voice was rough, and impassioned. "Just go away."

He took bearings on her voice, concluding that she was on the floor near the opposite side of the room. Moving slowly, he set off in that direction.

"I've seen the information that the Vulcans provided to Dr. Phlox."

"So?"

"If he's going to begin treatment, he needs to do it soon."

"Treatment? Hah." She spat out what sounded like a cruel chuckle. "Did they provide him with the stats on the survival rate after treatment?"

"He didn't show me any information like that."

"If they had sent it, he would have used it. He's great at manipulation, that one."

"Used it?"

"Didn't he tell you what the typical treatment for this is?"

Based on the location and volume of her voice, he decided that she was almost underneath his feet. He thought that he could almost see the faint outline of her body directly in front of him, so he settled down beside her and drew her into his arms.

"Why don't you tell me?"

"Don't do this!" She snapped at him, but didn't pull herself out of his grasp. "He did tell you."

"Yes, he did."

"Then go away."

"No, I won't." He brought her closer to him, feeling her rapidly beating heart and the flush of her skin against his hands. She fit easily into his lap, against his chest. "You were willing to go handle this among strangers?"

"Vulcans. We don't view this the way humans do. We don't view sex the way humans do. Please let me go."

"There are many different ways that humans view sex."

"It doesn't matter. It's my fault."

"What is your fault?" Archer didn't like this. Based on Phlox's medical information, he had thought he was coming to the quarters of a woman filled with urges she could not control, a woman whose needs it would be simple to fulfill, no matter what the consequences. But it seemed that she was out of control in more ways than one. And some of them bordering on self-destructive.

"This. This shouldn't be happening. I caused this."

"This is part of a perfectly normal Vulcan's life. Maybe it didn't happen at the best of times, but you shouldn't believe you should have better controlled this. It is happening and it needs to be handled."

"But it shouldn't be happening now. I caused this."

"How?"

"By being attracted to you." As he processed this sudden statement, she slipped out of his arms and curled against the bulkhead. "Please go away."

"No." He said gently, and he pulled her back to him. He knew that he had already made his decision, and nothing she could say to him could cause him to reconsider. He would not allow her to take the risks of medically treating this, or refusing all treatment, when a simple solution was available. He pulled her tightly against him, and found her lips with his.

She gasped against his lips, then hungrily pushed herself against him. He took the force of her motion and laid back against the floor, pulling her down on top of him. Her fingers tore at his clothing, and he helped her remove his uniform, unzipping each fastening by touch. In the darkness, he could barely see her shape above him, but he allowed himself a moment to trace the curves of her body. Her body quivered under his fingertips and she gasped as he lightly brushed his hands over her breasts, her hips. For a brief instance, she pulled away from him, and when she returned, he was holding a armful of naked woman, her skin burning against his.

He kissed her again, but held back his own desire and patiently waited for her to take the lead. She rolled onto the floor, pulling him on top of her. Her body arched into his, rubbing urgently against him, increasing his excitement. He quickly removed his briefs and undershirt, leaving them skin against skin.

He brought a hand down to gently stroke her, testing her readiness. No matter how urgent she appeared, he had no intentions of hurting her. But she was slick, and warm, and ready. Like she had been waiting for him ... he thrust himself inside her, feeling her warmth and wetness embrace him.

She gasped, and her fingernails pressed into his shoulders, little pricks of pain which only heightened the pleasure he was experiencing. In the darkness, he could not watch her face, so he could only listen to the sounds she made and follow the demands of her body. He slowly withdrew, then entered again, as she thrust her hips upwards to meet him.

She set a demanding pace, pulling him deep inside her on every thrust, and he began to share in the animalistic desperation driving her actions. Although some still sane part of his mind cautioned him, his body refused to listen. He ground his lips against hers, thrusting his tongue inside her mouth, entangling her tongue with his. He increased the pace, thrusting as deeply as her body would allow, as quickly as his would follow, drawing deep moans from her. He drove the both of them quickly and roughly towards climax, and felt her begin to pulse around him just before his body reached its own completion.

Archer collapsed onto his elbows, supporting his own weight so that it could not crush her slender body beneath him. As his breathing slowed and his heart rate returned to normal, his mind cleared of the passion which had consumed it and worry took it place. He withdrew from her and slowly traced her face with his hand, whispering "T'Pol?"

For a moment, she did not answer. Then she took his hand in hers, and turned her face into his palm. She laid a gentle kiss upon it, and whispered "Jonathan." Then she pushed him onto his side, and curled against him.

He was immediately overwhelmed by a need to sleep. But, before he allowed his eyes to close, he grabbed the blankets off the corner of the bed and covered the two of them. A small part of his mind insisted that Starfleet deck plating was not a wise place to sleep, but with the warmth of T'Pol at his side, and his sudden and insistent need to sleep, he ignored it and closed his eyes.