Planet-Side by RitzBitz (and Lattelady)
Chapter 8- Two to Tango
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Since I was having difficulty with the end of this story, I employed the talents of one
Lattelady. I give all credit of this chapter to her, though I made a few small changes. She
did an EXCELLENT job!!! Thank you so much, Phyllis!
Sorry about the format, FF.net doesn't seem to like my speces.
**When T'Pol downloads information about the Tango, she uses film clips; the first is
Fred Astair and Ginger Rogers, the second is the Tango scene from the Wedding Planner,
and the third is the Tango scene from A Scent of a Woman. **
Before the contest began T'Pol took a few minutes to meditate. It was illogical
that the close contact with Captain Archer had caused her unrest, and made the dance
lessons difficult. Learning the steps of the dance should have been easy. No different
than learning new movements to any physical activity. But the proximity of the human
had forced her to focus an unusual amount of energy keeping her mental shields in place,
and it had been a distraction. She hoped extra meditation would strengthen those shields
until after the contest was over.
* * *
Taking a deep breath, and blowing out her candle, T'Pol stood and rechecked her
costume in the mirror. The meditation had been helpful; her Vulcan face was tightly in
place, and she felt in total control of the logic that was so much a part of her life.
She reached for the Padd that she had brought with her, and went over the
information one more time. Unbeknownst to any of the other members of the landing
party she had had Ensign Brown, who was covering communications on Enterprise, do a
quick computer search on the Tango, and had had the information downloaded to her
hand-held.
It was interesting to see the bits and pieces of film clips that the computer had
stored of famous couples dancing the Tango. Though she recognized none of them, she
watched again the movement of their bodies to the music. One was monochromic; it was
of a couple only referred to as Fred and Ginger. But they moved as if they were one,
gliding across the floor, with all their moves in perfect synchronization, but their bodies
never touched.
The next two clips were more modern, but still very old. Though they were in
color, she could tell by the quality that they were from sometime at the end of the last
century. The first was of a dance lesson. The woman was dark eyed with an olive
complexion; in many ways it could have been her. The man was tall and blond, with
craggy features. As they danced, they argued. Their argument seemed to slip into the
dance. She could see the emotions between the couple. The dance had become their
battleground. She couldn't help wondering if that was how she and Jonathan had looked
as Ensign Sato had tried to teach her the steps.
The last clip was her favorite. The man in it wasn't very tall, but he had dark hair
and eyes. The man and woman's movements were synchronized like the first couple's,
but there was a strength and power to them that had been present in the second couple;
though these two were not fighting. She found their movements hypnotic as they glided
around the floor with their bodies pressed together and the beat of the music surrounding
them. She closed her eyes and tried to picture herself dancing with Jonathan that way.
Yes, that was how she needed to look, like the woman in this clip.
"T'Pol?" Archer knocked on her door. "You ready yet?"
"Yes, Sir." She opened her door and blinked at the man who was standing there.
Instead of his usual blue uniform, or the more casual clothes she had seen him wear
during off hours on Enterprise, he was dressed in a black jacket and matching slacks,
much like the man from the last tape she had been so fascinated by.
"This may not be proper to say to a Vulcan, but you look beautiful, T'Pol." He
grinned at her in the slim fitting costume. It was a deep burgundy that accented her
coloring and fit her like a second skin. He had trouble keeping his eyes off the cut of the
neckline and the slit up the side of the skit that showed a shapely leg.
"Thank you, Captain, you look very. different yourself." She hoped her answer
was appropriate. Looking at him made her stomach feel strange and suddenly she wasn't
sure how good an idea this was.
Laughing he gave her a lop-sided smile as he led her from her room. "I'll take that as a
compliment."
A few minutes later they were all gathered in the large party hall. The rules of the
dance contest had been explained earlier in the afternoon. Each group of couples would
dance, and the judges would eliminate people until there was only one couple dancing.
Then there would be one final round and the winning couples from each round would
compete for a grand prize.
When the first group took the floor, the music started, and everyone turned to
watch the five couples dance; everyone except T'Pol. It was the same music that she and
Jon had used in practice, but it sounded very different. Here in the large hall the sound
seemed to fill the air she breathed. With each breath, the music seemed to move through
her blood stream and touch every part of her body from within. It was dizzying, it was
intoxicating, and it was hypnotic.
"T'Pol," Jonathan looked down at her with concern. "Are you all right?"
"Hmm." Large green eyes looked up into his worried face.
He turned and gripped her shoulders. "What's wrong, T'Pol."
"Nothing, nothing is wrong-" she swallowed "-Jonathan." She whispered as she
shook her head and tried to drive the music from her system. It gave her the oddest
sensation of being light as a feather.
As three more groups went through the elimination process, Archer stood on the
sidelines, with his hand wrapped securely around T'Pol's where she was holding on to
his arm. He kept looked down at her with worried eyes, only to have her shake her head
at him and grip his arm tighter. Finally he slipped out of her hold and bent his head to
whisper in her ear, "You don't have to do this you know."
"I believe.I want to."
When their turn finally came, they moved as one onto the dance floor. Archer felt
T'Pol shudder slightly in the suddenly quiet room. She moved into the position that
Hoshi had taught her for the dance with her body very close to his. The second the music
started, her head fell back slightly and he could feel her take a deep breath. He couldn't
take his eyes off her face.
Jonathan was conscious of taking the first step, gliding his left foot forward, and
then everything faded. He was lost in a world of throbbing music, warm woman, and the
scent of the flowers that had been used to decorate the room. It seemed as if he was
leading and following, looking down at T'Pol and looking up at himself. It was as if they
had merged into one person, moving to a throbbing beat that carried them off into a world
of their own.
When the music stopped, they were the last couple on the floor. They had won
that round of the dance contest, but neither person cared. T'Pol stood in his arms, with
her head leaning lightly against his chest. And Archer had a terrible empty feeling as if
something had been taken away from him, but it was something he didn't knew had been
there, until it was gone.
"T'Pol, what just happened to us?" He turned her gently and walked her off the floor.
"I have made a grievous error, Jonathan. I am sorry."
"Talk to me T'Pol." He led her out into the garden where they could be alone.
"It is why Vulcans do not usually dance. The music, it can have a strange affect
on us." She knew she owed him more of an explanation than that, but it wasn't
something she wanted to talk about.
"So I noticed." He looked down at her. "But why did it affect me as well?"
"I was unable to keep my mental shields intact, so our minds brushed." She
licked her lips and cleared her throat. "Music in the wrong circumstances can loosen a
Vulcan's hold on his emotions. It is not something we talk about."
"I can see why. But why didn't it affect you earlier, and why in the world did you agree
to do this in the first place?"
"I believe I was not affected earlier, because I was concentrating so hard on trying to
learn the steps." She shrugged. "And I agreed because it was important to you."
"T'Pol," he shook his head at her odd answer. "You are never to put yourself at risk for
me again, and that's an order."
"I am your first officer. That is not an order I cannot guarantee to follow." Her brow rose
as she challenged him and told the truth at the same time.
"Maybe not as my First Officer, but as a woman, you can." He grazed her cheek
with the backs of his knuckles then took her arm and began leading her out of the garden.
"Let's go for a long walk. I think fresh air will do us both good."
"We still have another round to dance. I shall endeavor to keep my shields tightly
in place." She assured him. "Though I can understand why you would not want to dance
with me."
He stopped suddenly and turned to face her. "I want very much to dance with you again,
and I don't give a damn about the condition of your mental shields."
"I do. It is an intrusion on another that is unfair."
"Do I look as if I feel intruded upon?" There were times when subtle didn't work
with a Vulcan and this was one of those times. "T'Pol I enjoyed dancing with you very
much, it was a unique experience, but one that I think should take place in private."
She looked up at him and nodded. "I think you may be right about that Jonathan
Archer."
They walked for a while before they went back to the hotel, and their respective
rooms. The dance contest had gone on for hours after they left and both were sound
asleep in their own beds when the rest of the landing party came in weary but happy. Dr.
Phlox and Crewman Cutler had walked away with the grand prize trophy!
Neither of the commanding officers was disturbed when the rest came in, both
were dreaming happy thoughts about a dance that went on forever, and music that carried
them away to the stars. In the morning when each remembered the dream, they would
tuck it away until the time was right. But both would have happy memories to sustain
them until that time. Happy memories of a shore leave spent Planet Side.
I HOPE YOU LIKED THIS STORY, IF YOU WANT TO EMAIL ME, MY ADDRESS IS RitzBitz23@hotmail.com. THANKS AGAIN TO LATTELADY,AND TO DEE!!
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Since I was having difficulty with the end of this story, I employed the talents of one
Lattelady. I give all credit of this chapter to her, though I made a few small changes. She
did an EXCELLENT job!!! Thank you so much, Phyllis!
Sorry about the format, FF.net doesn't seem to like my speces.
**When T'Pol downloads information about the Tango, she uses film clips; the first is
Fred Astair and Ginger Rogers, the second is the Tango scene from the Wedding Planner,
and the third is the Tango scene from A Scent of a Woman. **
Before the contest began T'Pol took a few minutes to meditate. It was illogical
that the close contact with Captain Archer had caused her unrest, and made the dance
lessons difficult. Learning the steps of the dance should have been easy. No different
than learning new movements to any physical activity. But the proximity of the human
had forced her to focus an unusual amount of energy keeping her mental shields in place,
and it had been a distraction. She hoped extra meditation would strengthen those shields
until after the contest was over.
* * *
Taking a deep breath, and blowing out her candle, T'Pol stood and rechecked her
costume in the mirror. The meditation had been helpful; her Vulcan face was tightly in
place, and she felt in total control of the logic that was so much a part of her life.
She reached for the Padd that she had brought with her, and went over the
information one more time. Unbeknownst to any of the other members of the landing
party she had had Ensign Brown, who was covering communications on Enterprise, do a
quick computer search on the Tango, and had had the information downloaded to her
hand-held.
It was interesting to see the bits and pieces of film clips that the computer had
stored of famous couples dancing the Tango. Though she recognized none of them, she
watched again the movement of their bodies to the music. One was monochromic; it was
of a couple only referred to as Fred and Ginger. But they moved as if they were one,
gliding across the floor, with all their moves in perfect synchronization, but their bodies
never touched.
The next two clips were more modern, but still very old. Though they were in
color, she could tell by the quality that they were from sometime at the end of the last
century. The first was of a dance lesson. The woman was dark eyed with an olive
complexion; in many ways it could have been her. The man was tall and blond, with
craggy features. As they danced, they argued. Their argument seemed to slip into the
dance. She could see the emotions between the couple. The dance had become their
battleground. She couldn't help wondering if that was how she and Jonathan had looked
as Ensign Sato had tried to teach her the steps.
The last clip was her favorite. The man in it wasn't very tall, but he had dark hair
and eyes. The man and woman's movements were synchronized like the first couple's,
but there was a strength and power to them that had been present in the second couple;
though these two were not fighting. She found their movements hypnotic as they glided
around the floor with their bodies pressed together and the beat of the music surrounding
them. She closed her eyes and tried to picture herself dancing with Jonathan that way.
Yes, that was how she needed to look, like the woman in this clip.
"T'Pol?" Archer knocked on her door. "You ready yet?"
"Yes, Sir." She opened her door and blinked at the man who was standing there.
Instead of his usual blue uniform, or the more casual clothes she had seen him wear
during off hours on Enterprise, he was dressed in a black jacket and matching slacks,
much like the man from the last tape she had been so fascinated by.
"This may not be proper to say to a Vulcan, but you look beautiful, T'Pol." He
grinned at her in the slim fitting costume. It was a deep burgundy that accented her
coloring and fit her like a second skin. He had trouble keeping his eyes off the cut of the
neckline and the slit up the side of the skit that showed a shapely leg.
"Thank you, Captain, you look very. different yourself." She hoped her answer
was appropriate. Looking at him made her stomach feel strange and suddenly she wasn't
sure how good an idea this was.
Laughing he gave her a lop-sided smile as he led her from her room. "I'll take that as a
compliment."
A few minutes later they were all gathered in the large party hall. The rules of the
dance contest had been explained earlier in the afternoon. Each group of couples would
dance, and the judges would eliminate people until there was only one couple dancing.
Then there would be one final round and the winning couples from each round would
compete for a grand prize.
When the first group took the floor, the music started, and everyone turned to
watch the five couples dance; everyone except T'Pol. It was the same music that she and
Jon had used in practice, but it sounded very different. Here in the large hall the sound
seemed to fill the air she breathed. With each breath, the music seemed to move through
her blood stream and touch every part of her body from within. It was dizzying, it was
intoxicating, and it was hypnotic.
"T'Pol," Jonathan looked down at her with concern. "Are you all right?"
"Hmm." Large green eyes looked up into his worried face.
He turned and gripped her shoulders. "What's wrong, T'Pol."
"Nothing, nothing is wrong-" she swallowed "-Jonathan." She whispered as she
shook her head and tried to drive the music from her system. It gave her the oddest
sensation of being light as a feather.
As three more groups went through the elimination process, Archer stood on the
sidelines, with his hand wrapped securely around T'Pol's where she was holding on to
his arm. He kept looked down at her with worried eyes, only to have her shake her head
at him and grip his arm tighter. Finally he slipped out of her hold and bent his head to
whisper in her ear, "You don't have to do this you know."
"I believe.I want to."
When their turn finally came, they moved as one onto the dance floor. Archer felt
T'Pol shudder slightly in the suddenly quiet room. She moved into the position that
Hoshi had taught her for the dance with her body very close to his. The second the music
started, her head fell back slightly and he could feel her take a deep breath. He couldn't
take his eyes off her face.
Jonathan was conscious of taking the first step, gliding his left foot forward, and
then everything faded. He was lost in a world of throbbing music, warm woman, and the
scent of the flowers that had been used to decorate the room. It seemed as if he was
leading and following, looking down at T'Pol and looking up at himself. It was as if they
had merged into one person, moving to a throbbing beat that carried them off into a world
of their own.
When the music stopped, they were the last couple on the floor. They had won
that round of the dance contest, but neither person cared. T'Pol stood in his arms, with
her head leaning lightly against his chest. And Archer had a terrible empty feeling as if
something had been taken away from him, but it was something he didn't knew had been
there, until it was gone.
"T'Pol, what just happened to us?" He turned her gently and walked her off the floor.
"I have made a grievous error, Jonathan. I am sorry."
"Talk to me T'Pol." He led her out into the garden where they could be alone.
"It is why Vulcans do not usually dance. The music, it can have a strange affect
on us." She knew she owed him more of an explanation than that, but it wasn't
something she wanted to talk about.
"So I noticed." He looked down at her. "But why did it affect me as well?"
"I was unable to keep my mental shields intact, so our minds brushed." She
licked her lips and cleared her throat. "Music in the wrong circumstances can loosen a
Vulcan's hold on his emotions. It is not something we talk about."
"I can see why. But why didn't it affect you earlier, and why in the world did you agree
to do this in the first place?"
"I believe I was not affected earlier, because I was concentrating so hard on trying to
learn the steps." She shrugged. "And I agreed because it was important to you."
"T'Pol," he shook his head at her odd answer. "You are never to put yourself at risk for
me again, and that's an order."
"I am your first officer. That is not an order I cannot guarantee to follow." Her brow rose
as she challenged him and told the truth at the same time.
"Maybe not as my First Officer, but as a woman, you can." He grazed her cheek
with the backs of his knuckles then took her arm and began leading her out of the garden.
"Let's go for a long walk. I think fresh air will do us both good."
"We still have another round to dance. I shall endeavor to keep my shields tightly
in place." She assured him. "Though I can understand why you would not want to dance
with me."
He stopped suddenly and turned to face her. "I want very much to dance with you again,
and I don't give a damn about the condition of your mental shields."
"I do. It is an intrusion on another that is unfair."
"Do I look as if I feel intruded upon?" There were times when subtle didn't work
with a Vulcan and this was one of those times. "T'Pol I enjoyed dancing with you very
much, it was a unique experience, but one that I think should take place in private."
She looked up at him and nodded. "I think you may be right about that Jonathan
Archer."
They walked for a while before they went back to the hotel, and their respective
rooms. The dance contest had gone on for hours after they left and both were sound
asleep in their own beds when the rest of the landing party came in weary but happy. Dr.
Phlox and Crewman Cutler had walked away with the grand prize trophy!
Neither of the commanding officers was disturbed when the rest came in, both
were dreaming happy thoughts about a dance that went on forever, and music that carried
them away to the stars. In the morning when each remembered the dream, they would
tuck it away until the time was right. But both would have happy memories to sustain
them until that time. Happy memories of a shore leave spent Planet Side.
I HOPE YOU LIKED THIS STORY, IF YOU WANT TO EMAIL ME, MY ADDRESS IS RitzBitz23@hotmail.com. THANKS AGAIN TO LATTELADY,AND TO DEE!!