# Chapter 2 - Remembrance
~*~
Long lost words whisper slowly to me
Still I can't find what keeps me here
When all this time I've been so hollow inside
I know you're still there
~*~
"Home, sweet home!" Ensign Travis Mayweather sang aloud and manoeuvred the ship into the docking port. Everyone cheered, except for Charles Tucker. He clanged to the seat belt like someone who was close to drowning. "As far as I am concerned, the first thing I do is go and get drunk!" he joked.
"Travis? Open the hatch!" Archer ordered and Mayweather hurried to comply, with a huge grin on his face. As soon as the hatch opened, Lieutenant Malcolm Reed, the ship's armory officer, pushed through and jumped to the ground. All followed him, only Trip was hesitant to follow.
Hoshi asked: "For how long are we gonna stay here? I mean, if we'd stay for a couple of days, I could teach some students a little in alien linguistics." She smiled.
"Well, Ensign Sato, I understand that you want to stay a little longer than just a couple of days?" He paused for a moment. "What about a week?"
Both Reed's and Sato's faces lit up immediately.
"That'd be perfect!" Malcolm piped up. "I could use the time to upgrade the weapon store array..."
"I thought you might want to use the time to pay visits to relatives or maybe your parents?" Archer grinned. He knew that his armory officer wasn't the family-guy.
Malcolm blushed, just as Archer had expected him to. "Ahm, Sir, of course!"
Hoshi joined her Captain in a jovial laugh and then Malcolm got the clue.
Archer looked at his chief engineer. "You're gonna come or what?"
Trip still sat where he had been seated throughout the short flight from Enterprise to Earth. His blue eyes were tied to the brown ones of the Captain. "Come on, Trip, we've got a beautiful woman to visit."
It took them the better half of the day to get from San Francisco to New York by 'normal' transportation. Trip did not want to stop by at his parent's house, not yet. Maybe afterwards, after he would return from this now almost inevitable visit.
Archer sometimes looked at his friend, but never got a smile or anything like that back from him. Commander Tucker just sat there and stared out of the window. Landscapes flew by and an hour or so away from the capital city of New York, Trip became anxious and fidgeting. He tried to keep his mind busy with star-charts and power relays, but it just wouldn't work. His thoughts were running wild and the image of this one woman lingered in front of his eyes. Wherever he looked, he saw her. His head ached and when he raised his hands to rub his temples. Archer saw him perform this and he stood up to sit next to his friend.
"Why are you driving yourself crazy?"
"Better me than her. I don't think I can stand this, I can't just go and see her after such a long time."
"Sure you can. I believe she is happy to see you again. I also think she's been looking forward to ever since." Archer put on a slight smile, but did not receive one in return. "Trip! Listen to me!"
His mate shook his head in despair, suppressing up-welling tears, but he refused to look at the captain.
"Trip. Everything's gonna be fine. She'll he more than happy to see you. Guess I know why she fell in love with you. You are a charming Southerner with an offbeat sense of humor who is always on the hunt for the next big adventure. Whether it's deep-sea diving, constructing starships in orbit, or interspecies dating, you are good to go. So why just can't you go and see her?" Archer tried to cheer him up, but knew at the same time that it didn't work.
"Interspecies dating, just don't dare to tell her I've gotten pregnant. She'll probably think the worst..." He paused. "Well, if she's even able to think."
"I guess that'll be perfect for cheering her up and I don't believe that she's gonna believe that you had anything going on with that Xyrillian engineer."
"You know as good as I do that I can't sleep without the warp engines online, hearing the humming and so." Tucker sighed.
"That's a lame line."
"I know." But he couldn't think of anything better to say.
"Damnit, Trip! You know better than this!" Archer bent over and grabbed his mate's shoulders, shaking him. "I've seen both of you, together, and I've seen the love between the two of you. Why would you want to throw it away?"
"I am not throwing anything away. There is nothing to throw away." Trip's voice rose over the normal limit. Archer glanced up, he hadn't expected this strange behavior.
"I thought you love her..."
"I do! But I just can't go there! Is that so hard to understand?"
"It sure is your decision, but, yes, actually it is kind of hard for me to understand." Archer frowned again but avoided any further argument with his friend.
Trip buried his head in his hands and sat in this position for a couple of minutes. Then he sat back upright and clenched his jaw. "Ok, you won!"
~*~
Long lost words whisper slowly to me
Still I can't find what keeps me here
When all this time I've been so hollow inside
I know you're still there
~*~
"Home, sweet home!" Ensign Travis Mayweather sang aloud and manoeuvred the ship into the docking port. Everyone cheered, except for Charles Tucker. He clanged to the seat belt like someone who was close to drowning. "As far as I am concerned, the first thing I do is go and get drunk!" he joked.
"Travis? Open the hatch!" Archer ordered and Mayweather hurried to comply, with a huge grin on his face. As soon as the hatch opened, Lieutenant Malcolm Reed, the ship's armory officer, pushed through and jumped to the ground. All followed him, only Trip was hesitant to follow.
Hoshi asked: "For how long are we gonna stay here? I mean, if we'd stay for a couple of days, I could teach some students a little in alien linguistics." She smiled.
"Well, Ensign Sato, I understand that you want to stay a little longer than just a couple of days?" He paused for a moment. "What about a week?"
Both Reed's and Sato's faces lit up immediately.
"That'd be perfect!" Malcolm piped up. "I could use the time to upgrade the weapon store array..."
"I thought you might want to use the time to pay visits to relatives or maybe your parents?" Archer grinned. He knew that his armory officer wasn't the family-guy.
Malcolm blushed, just as Archer had expected him to. "Ahm, Sir, of course!"
Hoshi joined her Captain in a jovial laugh and then Malcolm got the clue.
Archer looked at his chief engineer. "You're gonna come or what?"
Trip still sat where he had been seated throughout the short flight from Enterprise to Earth. His blue eyes were tied to the brown ones of the Captain. "Come on, Trip, we've got a beautiful woman to visit."
It took them the better half of the day to get from San Francisco to New York by 'normal' transportation. Trip did not want to stop by at his parent's house, not yet. Maybe afterwards, after he would return from this now almost inevitable visit.
Archer sometimes looked at his friend, but never got a smile or anything like that back from him. Commander Tucker just sat there and stared out of the window. Landscapes flew by and an hour or so away from the capital city of New York, Trip became anxious and fidgeting. He tried to keep his mind busy with star-charts and power relays, but it just wouldn't work. His thoughts were running wild and the image of this one woman lingered in front of his eyes. Wherever he looked, he saw her. His head ached and when he raised his hands to rub his temples. Archer saw him perform this and he stood up to sit next to his friend.
"Why are you driving yourself crazy?"
"Better me than her. I don't think I can stand this, I can't just go and see her after such a long time."
"Sure you can. I believe she is happy to see you again. I also think she's been looking forward to ever since." Archer put on a slight smile, but did not receive one in return. "Trip! Listen to me!"
His mate shook his head in despair, suppressing up-welling tears, but he refused to look at the captain.
"Trip. Everything's gonna be fine. She'll he more than happy to see you. Guess I know why she fell in love with you. You are a charming Southerner with an offbeat sense of humor who is always on the hunt for the next big adventure. Whether it's deep-sea diving, constructing starships in orbit, or interspecies dating, you are good to go. So why just can't you go and see her?" Archer tried to cheer him up, but knew at the same time that it didn't work.
"Interspecies dating, just don't dare to tell her I've gotten pregnant. She'll probably think the worst..." He paused. "Well, if she's even able to think."
"I guess that'll be perfect for cheering her up and I don't believe that she's gonna believe that you had anything going on with that Xyrillian engineer."
"You know as good as I do that I can't sleep without the warp engines online, hearing the humming and so." Tucker sighed.
"That's a lame line."
"I know." But he couldn't think of anything better to say.
"Damnit, Trip! You know better than this!" Archer bent over and grabbed his mate's shoulders, shaking him. "I've seen both of you, together, and I've seen the love between the two of you. Why would you want to throw it away?"
"I am not throwing anything away. There is nothing to throw away." Trip's voice rose over the normal limit. Archer glanced up, he hadn't expected this strange behavior.
"I thought you love her..."
"I do! But I just can't go there! Is that so hard to understand?"
"It sure is your decision, but, yes, actually it is kind of hard for me to understand." Archer frowned again but avoided any further argument with his friend.
Trip buried his head in his hands and sat in this position for a couple of minutes. Then he sat back upright and clenched his jaw. "Ok, you won!"