Chapter 5

Archer walked side by side with T'Pol, accompanying her to her quarters, just in case the medicine kicked in too soon. As they neared her door, she swayed slightly and he touched her arm, to keep her from falling. She looked down at his hand on her arm and then raised her eyes to meet his. She looked so vulnerable, so sad and he had the urge to gather her up into his arms and never let go. "Are you tired?" He asked, keeping his voice low.

"Yes. I believe the medication is starting to work." She mumbled, her eyes drooping slightly.



They stopped as the door to her quarters opened and she walked in. "Alright, well you just go on in and take a nap. If you need me, I'll be on the bridge." He said and smiled a small smile. He stood and watched her stumble to the bed then shut her door and made his way back to the bridge. Shaking his head, he walked onto the bridge, asking for a report as he sat down.

"Nothing to report, sir." Lieutenant Reed said.



"Great." Archer grumbled and sighed, settling in for a boring day.

T'Pol tossed and turned in her sleep. Sweat beaded on her brow and she moaned.

The desert was dark, very dark.

T'Pol looked up into the familiar sky seeing the old constellations her father had pointed out when she was a young child. She had grown to think them illogical, but now that she looked up at them, she saw what her father had tried to show her. It wasn't so much the images the stars were supposedly forming, but the fact that everyone needs to have a little imagination, an ability to jump to far-fetched conclusions in hope of finding some answers. She turned and looked at the sleeping man beside her. Koss lay on his side in the sand, his hair slightly blowing in the wind.

Why was she here with him? She understood the fact that she was dreaming of him because of his current condition, but why here? Why this place? Why the desert? She took a deep breath and turned to watch the barren land before her. Hearing a moan, she turned back to him to see his eyes open.



"T'Pol?" He murmured, and scrubbed his eyes.



"Yes, it is I." She whispered and moved closer to him.



"What are you doing here?" He asked and sat up; making her groan as another wave of need ran through his veins and pulsated into hers.



She shuddered and licked her lips.



"Koss, why are we here, in the desert?" She asked and closed her eyes when he fastened his hungered gaze on her.



"I left home. When I realized what was happening, and that I had no bond mate, I came out here." He said and reached for her.



She drew back from him.



"Why did you come out here?" She asked staying out of his reach. She could not allow him to touch her, for then, her resistance would be decimated.



"I came out here, to die." He said, and then curled up into a tight ball and cried.



She gaped at him, and then he was gone.

T'Pol opened her eyes and quickly ran to her comm. Pressing the button, she paged the bridge.

"T'Pol to Captain Archer." Her voice held a note of urgency to it and Archer jumped out of his chair.



"Archer here. What is it T'Pol?" He asked worriedly.



"I need...to speak…with you." Came the haggard response.



"I'm on my way, Archer out. Lieutenant Reed, you have the bridge." Archer said and rushed to the lift, completely missing Reed's affirmative response.



Pressing the button for C-Deck, he cursed the lift for not going fast enough. Finally he arrived at C-Deck and jumped off the lift, and sprinted towards her quarters. He opened her door, without permission, and stumbled in looking around for her. Spotting her sitting at her desk he kneeled down in front of her.

"What's wrong?" He asked noting her drawn _expression.



"Something is wrong with Koss. I had a dream. I believe he is dying." She explained, her face not betraying her emotions.



"What? A dream? How do you know he is dying?" Archer asked, completely confused.



"I am unsure. I just, have a feeling." She said, using the human phrase she had heard so many times.



"Have you contacted his family?" Archer asked.



"Yes, I sent a transmission after I paged you." She nodded.



"Well then, we'll just have to wait and see then." Archer sighed. "Are you feeling any better?"



"Yes, slightly. The emotions aren't as close to the surface as before, and I don't feel as…aroused as I was feeling." She responded, the tips of her ears flushing slightly, Archer noticed and smiled.



"Well that's good." He grinned and stood up.



"I am somewhat unsure if it is good or not. It could mean that Koss is very close to death and that is why I am not feeling the effects as much anymore." She said.



"Do you always have to be so pessimistic?"



"I am just relating all the possible reasons." She answered.



"Well let's just be optimistic for right now. We'll deal with it as it comes." Archer said and sat down in a chair.



"Thank you, Captain. I'm uncertain what I would do without you."



He just smiled in response.

Continued in Chapter 6