Chapter 8

Archer ran to the comm unit in T'Pol's quarters and pressed it. "Archer to sickbay! Doctor Phlox, please prepare, I'm bringing T'Pol to you," He yelled out.

He ran over to T'Pol and picked her up, not even worrying about her weight. Holding her in his arms like a rag doll, he ran to the lift. Jumping on, he pressed the button for sickbay. The ride seemed like it took hours. He held T'Pol close to him trying to figure out if she was breathing. He couldn't tell. Oh God, what if she died? What would he do? The lift stopped and he ran down the hall to sickbay. Phlox rushed out to him, a scanner in his hand.

"What's going on," Phlox demanded.



"I don't know. I found her like this," Archer replied, holding back his tears.



"Let's get her on a table," Phlox suggested and moved with Archer as he set her down.



Phlox ran his scanner over her body. He looked up Archer, shaking his head. Archer, no longer able to hold back his sorrow, fell to the floor at her feet, sobbing. Phlox looked down at him and then back at the Sub-Commander. How had this happened?

T'Kel looked through the window of the small shuttle craft down to the barren floor of the wasteland below. The large finger formation came into view and she suppressed her urge to cry out in relief. "Set down next to it," She told the pilot and turned towards the doctor behind her. "Get ready." The old doctor nodded his head and grabbed his small box of medical supplies. The shuttle landed and T'Kel opened the hatch. She jumped out and looked around. A small figure lay in the middle of the hand. Koss.

Looking back at the doctor, she took off running towards her son. When she stopped at his side, she dropped to her knees. The doctor approached and set his supplies down, reaching in for a scanner. He ran the scanner over the mans body. When the scanner registered no life signs, he took a hypospray out and injected Koss with its material. The body lay still for a few seconds, then gasped and sputtered as it came back to life. "Koss," T'Kel cried.

"Mother," Koss rasped and choked back a cough.



"Let's get you back to the city, so we can end your Pon Farr." T'Kel grasped her son's hand and helped him up. Leaning him against her, she led him to the shuttle and back home.

Archer sat alone by T'Pol's side in the darkened sickbay. She had died, and she'd never know. He had only begun to realize the depth of his feelings for her. He had only just realized that he loved her, that he couldn't live without her. Now, she was gone and he would never get the chance to tell her. He was going to miss her so much, even her damn logic and stubbornness. He looked down at her hand enveloped in his much larger ones. A single tear dropped from his cheek onto their joined hands. His eyes shut involuntarily. He felt her hand twitch in his and darted his eyes open. Looking up at her face, he saw her eyes moving under her closed lids. Gasping, he rose and touched his hand to her cheek. Her eyes slowly opened and he smiled as they rested on him.

"Captain," She rasped.



"Oh my God," He cried and gathered her up in his arms, sitting on the side of her bed. She let him hold her, and surprised him, when she wrapped his arms around his waist.

"What happened," She asked, her voice hoarse.



He pulled back from her and moved his hands up to hold her face. Looking deeply into her eyes, he moved in and kissed her fully on the lips. She responded in kind. Pulling back once again, he let his tears fall once more.

"I thought I had lost you," He simply said.

"You will never lose me, Jonathan. Of that I am certain," She replied.



He smiled and pulled her back to him, holding her tightly, as if it was the last moment they had. He'd never take her for granted again.

2 Days Later

T'Pol looked at Phlox as he ran his scanner over her one last time. Shaking his head he looked up at her.

"You're hormonal levels have returned to almost normal. There isn't anything wrong with you. As far as I can tell you're back to your standard self," he said, pocketing his scanner. He turned to look at the man standing behind him. "I see no reason to keep her here any longer."

Archer visibly relaxed, heaving a sigh of relief. He smiled over at T'Pol, who seemed much better today than she had the past 2 days, ever since she had woken up after she had…died. He swallowed, still unable to believe that she had really died. It was a miracle. She was his miracle. Her bright eyes rested on him, and he could swear he saw a small smile form on her lips.

Phlox watched the small exchange between the two. Over the past few days he had seen a marked change in the way the two acted around each other. He smiled to himself and walked over to his desk to take down T'Pol's newest readings. Looking back over his shoulder, he saw Archer reach over and take T'Pol's hand and help her down off the bed. Smiling he turned back to his work, chuckling lightly after he heard them leave sickbay.

T'Pol was extremely aware of Archer's presence as he accompanied her to her room. She felt the light weight of his hand on her back, the heat seeping through warming her skin. The effects of the Pon Farr were completely gone, and she was unsure as to the reason. She didn't recall anything that had happened after her last transmission from T'Kel, and that was 3 days ago. She hoped everything was alright with Koss, and that her death and restoration did not mean that Koss had died. They stopped at the door to her quarters and she opened them, surprised slightly when Archer followed her in, the door closing behind them.

She flipped on the lights and her room illuminated. Looking over at her desk console, she noticed a light blinking. Making her way over to it, she felt Archer follow. Pressing the button, she watched as the message appeared. It was written in Vulcan. She quickly read it, her mouth opening to form an 'O' as she skimmed the contents.

Archer bent down behind her and she shivered as his breath danced over the skin on the back of her neck.

"Who is it from," He asked.



"It is a communication from Koss. Apparently, his Pon Farr has ended. His mother was able to find him using the information I gave her and he was able to bond with another to conclude his Pon Farr. It seems that he had died in the wasteland outside his city but that a doctor was able to revive him." She turned towards him.



"So because he died, you did as well," Archer asked.



"It would appear so," She responded.



His arms reached out and he placed his hands on each side of her, resting them on the arm rests, encircling her.

"Well then, I hope this never happens again," He said, his eyes shining at the memory of losing her.



"I trust that it won't. He now has a bond mate. I doubt that his Pon Farr will ever affect me again," She replied, looking at his lips.



"Good. I like that idea," Archer smiled. She raised her eyebrow in a silent question. "I don't like the idea of someone else affecting you in that way," He explained.

"Indeed," She said, moving closer to him. "Someone else?"



"Yes, someone else," He replied. He moved closer to her and brushed his lips over hers. She reached up and encircled his neck, pulling him closer. Reveling in his kiss, she realized that never again would she have to experience the wasteland of dreams. From now on, her dreams would be good.

THE END