Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews, keep 'em coming. Any way, this chap's kind of 'on the planet' point of view and the next one will be the ship's at the same time. If you like having one chapter on the planet and the next on the ship of things happening at the same time, review and tell me because it might make it easier for me to write as well.

Summary: Trip and T'Pol are trapped in a cavern after a cave in, with minimum supplies. Will they make it out in time?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 7:

The Beginning of Understanding

**On the Planet**

The dust hadn't quit settled yet, causing Trip to cough. He pushed off some rubble that had fallen on him, then he quickly checked himself over to see if he had sustained any injuries when the cavern collapsed. Besides a couple of cuts and bruises here and there, he was fine. Then he looked around at his surroundings; the opening was closed off and rocks and dust filled the area.

He found his communicator next to him, but he couldn't seem to reach Enterprise. They were either out of range, which wasn't likely since they wouldn't leave without them, or something was interfering with his communicator.

A low moan knocked Trip out of his thoughts and reminded him of his partner. "T'Pol!" He shouted loud enough to be heard but not enough to cause another cave in. He started to move some of the rubble out of the way. After a few minutes, he found a slim, female body. "T'Pol. T'Pol can you hear me?" Trip asked, shacking her slightly while checking her pulse, relived it was still pretty strong.

T'Pol stirred and opened her eyes. "Commander?" She said in a hushed, scratchy voice.

"Don't try t' move, I don't know how badly you're hurt." Trip said when T'Pol tried to sit up. Trip notice some kind of green liquid on T'Pol's side, then he realized it was blood. "Yer bleedin'." T'Pol looked at her side as well, and saw that he was indeed correct. "Here." Trip ripped off some of his shirt and made it into a crude dressing for her wound.

When he was finished, T'Pol could see that he was worried, not just about her and not for himself, but something else. "What is it, Commander?"

Trip looked away and sighed. When he finally looked back, he said, "We've lost contact with Enterprise. It must be the material the cavern is made of, so if we can't get a signal out, they most likely can't scan us in here. Plus, from the cave in, we're stuck in here. And…" Trip obviously didn't want to say this but he knew he had to. "We only have enough food for two, maybe three days." T'Pol nodded, but immediately regretted it when an excruciating amount of pain surged through her body.

Trip had managed to stop the bleeding and give her something to eat and drink, while completely ignoring his own needs.

"How is it?" Trip asked when T'Pol took a bit of his 'cooking'. T'Pol answered with a raised eyebrow. "Alright, so I'm no gorma chief, big deal." Trip said sarcastically, almost laughing when T'Pol lowered her head to keep him from seeing her reaction. But Trip could have sworn he'd seen a hint of a smile on her face before she lifted it back up, stone faced and all.

They sat silently eating for a moment before Trip said, "Can I ask ya a question about Vulcans?"

T'Pol raised her eyebrow, clearly trying to determine if it was going to be a stupid remark or a thought out question. Then she nodded her head, a sign for him to ask.

Trip took a deep breath before asking the thing that had been bugging him for a while about the Vulcan race. "I understand Vulcans want t' be logical and all, but I never understood why they have t' get rid of their emotions."

T'Pol carefully thought about that for a moment. "We do have emotions, we simply suppress them. As for why, millennia ago we were a very savage race. Wars, killing, much like your world, but worse. It was our emotions that made us that way. By controlling them and devoting our lives to logic we were able to eliminate the savagery." Trip nodded, able to understand that, but he just couldn't seem to picture the Vulcan race savages, or things that happened on Earth any worse than they were.

Again, they were silence until, T'Pol broke it by asking, "Commander, may I ask you something about humans?"

Trip shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Sure."

"Why do humans follow their curiosity so blindly? For example, your need to explore space."

"Well, I wouldn't say blindly, not exactly," Trip sighed, "I guess we explore 'cause… we're a curios race. It's in our genes, we just gotta." Trip shrugged. "But, I guess, if ya have t' ask, then ya'll never understand." T'Pol simply nodded, lot in thought. She knew there was a lot about humans she didn't understand, especially Trip, but in time, she hoped to.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please R/R. Any suggestions, comments, ideas, or creative criticism are welcome but no flames please (not that I've received any). Merry Christmas, I hope you get everything you want.