A/N: I realize that in the last few parts, the word "shocked" has been used about a million times, so I attempted to change the word "shocked" to other things in the rest of the story via the computer thesaurus…
Chapter Six
After he left sickbay, the Captain left to go his quarters, trying to escape his thoughts. He decided he would watch some water polo to relax.
When he arrived, he began to sit down when a communication from the bridge interrupted his thoughts. He stood up and pressed the intercom button on the wall by his door. "This is the Captain."
"Sir, a Vulcan ship just dropped out of warp off our port bow. They're hailing us," Hoshi's voice piped over the speaker.
"Put it through to my quarters," he replied solemnly.
"Yes sir," Hoshi replied promptly before cutting the transmission.
"This is going to be interesting," The Captain told Porthos. He sat down at the desk in his quarters and pressed the "on" button for the monitor. A Vulcan appeared on the screen.
"This is Captain Archer. What do you need?"
"I have several passengers on board who need to speak with a Vulcan serving on your ship."
"T'Pol?' He asked rhetorically.
The Vulcan seemed to look over at another screen and nodded. "Yes, Sub-Commander T'Pol."
"Who needs to talk to her?" He asked.
"Several members of her family."
"Family?" He asked, stunned. He thought of T'Pol, then thought of how uncomfortable she'd been talking to her friends about her predicament. If she couldn't tell them without problems, how would she ever explain anything to her family, whom she most likely hadn't seen in person for several years. He was suddenly very worried for his science officer. He thought of what he could do for her, but everything he came up with was just too outlandish. There was no way to prevent the Vulcans from coming to Enterprise. So instead of using one of the dozens of excuses running through his head, he just smiled. "Well, send them over then. I'll inform T'Pol that she's going to have guests."
"Thank you, Captain," The Vulcan answered. The screen changed to the familiar blinking "end transmission," which soon disappeared as well when he turned off the console.
He stood up and walked over to the comm near the door, and nearly pressed it. But instead he thought better of it and walked out the door instead. He thought it better to tell T'Pol in person, rather than over the comm, about the coming Vulcans. He had to hurry, for soon the Vulcans would dock and T'Pol would need to be there waiting.
He reached her quarters in a very short period of time and pushed the button beside the door. When he got her permission, he opened it and found her meditating again--or was it still? She looked up when he walked in.
"I need you to come to the docking port right away," he told her.
"Why?" She asked stubbornly.
"Because a Vulcan ship is about to dock." This comment resulted in a harsh glare from T'Pol.
"Vulcan?" She asked, mostly to herself.
"There's more," he told her, somewhat reluctantly. "Several members of your family are on that ship. They came to talk to you."
This time T'Pol didn't respond. She didn't need to. He knew what she was probably thinking. If they found out she was pregnant with half-human children, what would they do? Especially when she didn't know who the father was. It wasn't him for sure, and he hoped it wasn't Trip, although he feared that it was. Still, she didn't have anything to tell her family on that issue. So what would they think of that?
"You could talk to them, then send them on their way. You don't have to tell them anything," he told her, hoping he sounded more encouraging that he felt.
"I can't lie to family," she told him still speaking stubbornly despite her obvious doubts about telling them.
"It's not lying unless you tell them flat-out that you're NOT pregnant. Not telling them the whole truth isn't lying."
She seemed to consider that for a moment. He expected to hear another protest, but instead she seemed to calm herself and relax. "Perhaps you're right," she right.
Right as he was going to respond, he heard Hoshi's voice over the comm. "The Vulcan ship is requesting permission to dock."
He walked over to the comm panel and pushed the button which allowed him to respond. "Tell them to wait a few minutes. Then they can go ahead. Have Trip meet me there."
"Yes, sir."
After Hoshi cut off the transmission, he turned back to T'Pol before opening the door to leave. "You'd better hurry. I expect you to be there when that ship docks."
She nodded and he walked out the door, making sure it closed him.
Chapter Six
After he left sickbay, the Captain left to go his quarters, trying to escape his thoughts. He decided he would watch some water polo to relax.
When he arrived, he began to sit down when a communication from the bridge interrupted his thoughts. He stood up and pressed the intercom button on the wall by his door. "This is the Captain."
"Sir, a Vulcan ship just dropped out of warp off our port bow. They're hailing us," Hoshi's voice piped over the speaker.
"Put it through to my quarters," he replied solemnly.
"Yes sir," Hoshi replied promptly before cutting the transmission.
"This is going to be interesting," The Captain told Porthos. He sat down at the desk in his quarters and pressed the "on" button for the monitor. A Vulcan appeared on the screen.
"This is Captain Archer. What do you need?"
"I have several passengers on board who need to speak with a Vulcan serving on your ship."
"T'Pol?' He asked rhetorically.
The Vulcan seemed to look over at another screen and nodded. "Yes, Sub-Commander T'Pol."
"Who needs to talk to her?" He asked.
"Several members of her family."
"Family?" He asked, stunned. He thought of T'Pol, then thought of how uncomfortable she'd been talking to her friends about her predicament. If she couldn't tell them without problems, how would she ever explain anything to her family, whom she most likely hadn't seen in person for several years. He was suddenly very worried for his science officer. He thought of what he could do for her, but everything he came up with was just too outlandish. There was no way to prevent the Vulcans from coming to Enterprise. So instead of using one of the dozens of excuses running through his head, he just smiled. "Well, send them over then. I'll inform T'Pol that she's going to have guests."
"Thank you, Captain," The Vulcan answered. The screen changed to the familiar blinking "end transmission," which soon disappeared as well when he turned off the console.
He stood up and walked over to the comm near the door, and nearly pressed it. But instead he thought better of it and walked out the door instead. He thought it better to tell T'Pol in person, rather than over the comm, about the coming Vulcans. He had to hurry, for soon the Vulcans would dock and T'Pol would need to be there waiting.
He reached her quarters in a very short period of time and pushed the button beside the door. When he got her permission, he opened it and found her meditating again--or was it still? She looked up when he walked in.
"I need you to come to the docking port right away," he told her.
"Why?" She asked stubbornly.
"Because a Vulcan ship is about to dock." This comment resulted in a harsh glare from T'Pol.
"Vulcan?" She asked, mostly to herself.
"There's more," he told her, somewhat reluctantly. "Several members of your family are on that ship. They came to talk to you."
This time T'Pol didn't respond. She didn't need to. He knew what she was probably thinking. If they found out she was pregnant with half-human children, what would they do? Especially when she didn't know who the father was. It wasn't him for sure, and he hoped it wasn't Trip, although he feared that it was. Still, she didn't have anything to tell her family on that issue. So what would they think of that?
"You could talk to them, then send them on their way. You don't have to tell them anything," he told her, hoping he sounded more encouraging that he felt.
"I can't lie to family," she told him still speaking stubbornly despite her obvious doubts about telling them.
"It's not lying unless you tell them flat-out that you're NOT pregnant. Not telling them the whole truth isn't lying."
She seemed to consider that for a moment. He expected to hear another protest, but instead she seemed to calm herself and relax. "Perhaps you're right," she right.
Right as he was going to respond, he heard Hoshi's voice over the comm. "The Vulcan ship is requesting permission to dock."
He walked over to the comm panel and pushed the button which allowed him to respond. "Tell them to wait a few minutes. Then they can go ahead. Have Trip meet me there."
"Yes, sir."
After Hoshi cut off the transmission, he turned back to T'Pol before opening the door to leave. "You'd better hurry. I expect you to be there when that ship docks."
She nodded and he walked out the door, making sure it closed him.