A/N: I KNOW, I know, I know…. You're probably getting tired of nothing but Trip/T'Pol stuff… I mean, we all love T/T'P (ok, well I do), but I know, breaks are good…. So here's something different… Trip with the captain…. (get yer mind outta the gutter… no slash)…. Anyway…. Continuing the story…..
Chapter Ten
The door chime interrupted his thoughts as it rang again. He considered for a moment just letting the person stand there for a minute with no answer. Then he realized that, as captain, he had to set an example for the crew. Leaving them at the door without an answer wasn't a very good example. What kind of captain didn't answer the door! Finally, after the fourth ring he called out, "Enter." The door slid open to reveal Trip standing in the doorway.
"What took ya so long? Can I come in?" Even though it had taken the Captain a bit longer than usual to open the door, he knew that he would never deny Trip access.
The Captain regarded his friend with a nod of his head, gesturing to a chair in the corner of the room. Trip took the hint and sat down with an exhausted flop. "So how's she doing?" He asked Trip.
"T'Pol?" The Captain nodded unnecessarily. "She's doin' fine. I'm a little worried though. She's sittin' in 'er quarters alone. The Doc says she'll probably keep faintin' a lot so he gave me a hypospray to-" he tried to keep on talking, but the Captain cut him off with a raise of his hand.
"She's in her quarters?" The Captain interrupted.
"Yeah, that's where you said to bring her after engineering, something' wrong, Cap'n?" Trip asked, the worry evident in his voice.
"That's before I knew she would KEEP fainting. I sent her family there to wait for her."
"Uh-oh," was Trip's only reply.
"The Captain quickly went to the wall and the communicator, "Captain to T'Pol." he said, pushing the white 'talking' button.
"Yes, Captain." came a voice over the speaker.
The Captain tried quick to think of an excuse for her to get out of there. "Could you bring me those scans of the planet you took ten days ago." The Captain attempted badly.
"Cap'n?" Trip asked confused and bewildered. "We haven't run into any planets for we-" it finally dawned on him that the Captain was making it up.
As the Captain waited for reply he hoped that T'Pol caught on faster than his friend had been, or at least that she wouldn't say anything it out loud.
"Yes, Captain," was all she said in reply.
"Cap'n, I thought we wanted T'Pol to avoid her family. Why did you send them to her quarters?" Trip asked, confused.
"I was hoping that when she got there, she could clear up any problems they had and send them on their on way." He took a seat on his bed, reaching for his dog. "Porthos, come here boy," he said, slapping the bed next to him. The beagle jumped up next to him and laid down.
"She's been there for a while. I hope she hasn't already been forced to spill the beans…" Trip commented.
The door chime buzzed, informing them that T'Pol had arrived. "Come in," the Captain said. The door opened, and T'Pol stepped just inside. She had her hands clasped behind her back, and was wearing the Vulcan robes that she'd worn earlier. The Captain stood and walked over to join her.
She took her hands from behind her back, revealing a pad. Handing it to the Captain, she started. "Here are the scans you asked for."
He furrowed his brow and glanced at the PADD, realized there was something written on it. He read the words 'my family insists on following me around the ship' and relaxed his forehead. He typed one word into it: 'why?' and handed it back to her.
She stepped in at this silent question, assuming that he would have asked out loud if he had wanted to terminate the secrecy of his asking her here. The door closed behind her and he prompted her with a "Well?" and sat down on his bed again.
"They are following me because they sense I am hiding something from them," she said hesitantly.
"Who are they anyway?" The Captain asked suddenly.
T'Pol seemed to be caught slightly off-guard, but recovered quickly and looked at the captain oddly. "My family," she said, her tone suggesting that he was stupid to ask such a question. Trip thought that it was pretty funny and had to work very hard to suppress his laughter.
The Captain looked equally humored. "I know that already T'Pol. But how are they related to you?"
"We were born into the same family," she replied with that same tone, although this time just a hint of humor crept into her voice. It was at this point that Trip wondered why she wouldn't tell the Captain that they were her parents, as she had told him straight out. Then she realized that the Captain didn't know about Koss, let alone his parents and the fact that they were as mad as Vulcans could get at T'Pol for not marrying their son. Trip was afraid that the Captain would press her for more information, but fortunately that was not what happened. The Captain seemed to catch on pretty quickly to the fact that she wasn't going to answer that question.
"Well…" the Captain said after a few moments of silence. "…if you don't want to tell me, T'Pol, then that's your business. But I can help you a whole hell of a lot easier when I know what's going on."
She only nodded in reply.
"Are your… family members here now?" He asked her.
"Yes. They are waiting for me outside in the corridor."
"Do you still have that hypospray?" Trip asked her.
"Yes." She pulled it out of a pocket, which was covered by her outer robes. There was another thirty seconds of silence.
The Captain then turned to the Commander. "Trip, get the Vulcans off her tail. At least until we can figure out a more solution."
"Sure thing, Cap'n. That is, as long as T'Pol doesn't mind hangin' out with me for a while," he said, grinning at the Vulcan.
"That is acceptable," she replied.
"All right. The two of you are dismissed."
T'Pol turned around and waited by the door Trip stood up and walked to join her. She opened the door and he gestured toward the opening. "After you," he told her.
As the door closed behind them, the Vulcans walked over. Trip knew that this wasn't going to be easy.
Chapter Ten
The door chime interrupted his thoughts as it rang again. He considered for a moment just letting the person stand there for a minute with no answer. Then he realized that, as captain, he had to set an example for the crew. Leaving them at the door without an answer wasn't a very good example. What kind of captain didn't answer the door! Finally, after the fourth ring he called out, "Enter." The door slid open to reveal Trip standing in the doorway.
"What took ya so long? Can I come in?" Even though it had taken the Captain a bit longer than usual to open the door, he knew that he would never deny Trip access.
The Captain regarded his friend with a nod of his head, gesturing to a chair in the corner of the room. Trip took the hint and sat down with an exhausted flop. "So how's she doing?" He asked Trip.
"T'Pol?" The Captain nodded unnecessarily. "She's doin' fine. I'm a little worried though. She's sittin' in 'er quarters alone. The Doc says she'll probably keep faintin' a lot so he gave me a hypospray to-" he tried to keep on talking, but the Captain cut him off with a raise of his hand.
"She's in her quarters?" The Captain interrupted.
"Yeah, that's where you said to bring her after engineering, something' wrong, Cap'n?" Trip asked, the worry evident in his voice.
"That's before I knew she would KEEP fainting. I sent her family there to wait for her."
"Uh-oh," was Trip's only reply.
"The Captain quickly went to the wall and the communicator, "Captain to T'Pol." he said, pushing the white 'talking' button.
"Yes, Captain." came a voice over the speaker.
The Captain tried quick to think of an excuse for her to get out of there. "Could you bring me those scans of the planet you took ten days ago." The Captain attempted badly.
"Cap'n?" Trip asked confused and bewildered. "We haven't run into any planets for we-" it finally dawned on him that the Captain was making it up.
As the Captain waited for reply he hoped that T'Pol caught on faster than his friend had been, or at least that she wouldn't say anything it out loud.
"Yes, Captain," was all she said in reply.
"Cap'n, I thought we wanted T'Pol to avoid her family. Why did you send them to her quarters?" Trip asked, confused.
"I was hoping that when she got there, she could clear up any problems they had and send them on their on way." He took a seat on his bed, reaching for his dog. "Porthos, come here boy," he said, slapping the bed next to him. The beagle jumped up next to him and laid down.
"She's been there for a while. I hope she hasn't already been forced to spill the beans…" Trip commented.
The door chime buzzed, informing them that T'Pol had arrived. "Come in," the Captain said. The door opened, and T'Pol stepped just inside. She had her hands clasped behind her back, and was wearing the Vulcan robes that she'd worn earlier. The Captain stood and walked over to join her.
She took her hands from behind her back, revealing a pad. Handing it to the Captain, she started. "Here are the scans you asked for."
He furrowed his brow and glanced at the PADD, realized there was something written on it. He read the words 'my family insists on following me around the ship' and relaxed his forehead. He typed one word into it: 'why?' and handed it back to her.
She stepped in at this silent question, assuming that he would have asked out loud if he had wanted to terminate the secrecy of his asking her here. The door closed behind her and he prompted her with a "Well?" and sat down on his bed again.
"They are following me because they sense I am hiding something from them," she said hesitantly.
"Who are they anyway?" The Captain asked suddenly.
T'Pol seemed to be caught slightly off-guard, but recovered quickly and looked at the captain oddly. "My family," she said, her tone suggesting that he was stupid to ask such a question. Trip thought that it was pretty funny and had to work very hard to suppress his laughter.
The Captain looked equally humored. "I know that already T'Pol. But how are they related to you?"
"We were born into the same family," she replied with that same tone, although this time just a hint of humor crept into her voice. It was at this point that Trip wondered why she wouldn't tell the Captain that they were her parents, as she had told him straight out. Then she realized that the Captain didn't know about Koss, let alone his parents and the fact that they were as mad as Vulcans could get at T'Pol for not marrying their son. Trip was afraid that the Captain would press her for more information, but fortunately that was not what happened. The Captain seemed to catch on pretty quickly to the fact that she wasn't going to answer that question.
"Well…" the Captain said after a few moments of silence. "…if you don't want to tell me, T'Pol, then that's your business. But I can help you a whole hell of a lot easier when I know what's going on."
She only nodded in reply.
"Are your… family members here now?" He asked her.
"Yes. They are waiting for me outside in the corridor."
"Do you still have that hypospray?" Trip asked her.
"Yes." She pulled it out of a pocket, which was covered by her outer robes. There was another thirty seconds of silence.
The Captain then turned to the Commander. "Trip, get the Vulcans off her tail. At least until we can figure out a more solution."
"Sure thing, Cap'n. That is, as long as T'Pol doesn't mind hangin' out with me for a while," he said, grinning at the Vulcan.
"That is acceptable," she replied.
"All right. The two of you are dismissed."
T'Pol turned around and waited by the door Trip stood up and walked to join her. She opened the door and he gestured toward the opening. "After you," he told her.
As the door closed behind them, the Vulcans walked over. Trip knew that this wasn't going to be easy.