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Disclaimer: Paramount owns Enterprise and its characters.
Author: d.e.Miller
Summary: T'Pol, Malcolm, a fireplace, and...
Notes: This story preceeds "North Star". As that episode is from season three,
laggers beware...

Rated PG-13 for cheeky humour.

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When the Ship's Away...


Enterprise discovered the humans at North Star and sent T'Pol and Malcolm
to do some preliminary reconnaissance. The two, dressed in native attire, had only
been on the planet a few hours when Archer hailed them and said that the ship had
to leave orbit to answer a distant distress call. T'Pol acknowledged him, and they
waited by the shuttle pod for two days, growing increasingly concerned when
Enterprise did not return.

Finally, after a long, worrisome week, T'Pol and Malcolm were contacted by a
Telluride freighter. The officer told them that Enterprise had somehow been damaged
and could not go to warp. He said, however, that they were in route to pick them up
at full impulse.

"Full impulse," Malcolm scoffed. "It will take them three months to get here at that
speed! Just what are we to do in the meantime?"

"I suppose," T'Pol said flatly, "we will have to improvise."

T'Pol used her scanner and located a deposit of gold ore in a nearby cave.
Though it was hard work, she and Lieutenant Reed managed to collect several
rich samples, and then they quietly took the ore into town and sold it. Using the
proceeds, they were able to get a room and purchase some basic necessities.

"We won't last a week with this pittance," Malcolm whined.

"Then we will simply have to gather more gold," T'Pol noted.

Malcolm and T'Pol went to the cave every day, and though the work was
backbreaking, they managed to find enough precious metal to sustain themselves.
After a month of hard labor, however, T'Pol noticed that they both were becoming
increasingly agitated. One evening, she suggested that Malcolm go into town.
When asked why, she replied simply:

"To 'kick up your heels,' as Commander Tucker would say."

Malcolm agreed to consider it, and shortly after the Sub-commander went
to bed, he slipped off into the night.

At half past two, he finally returned and quietly snuck inside. He was shocked
to discover that T'Pol was waiting up for him over by the fireplace - she was sipping
a glass of wine and looking at him strangely. T'Pol commanded him to approach her,
and he did so reluctantly.

"Unbutton my blouse and take it off," she said.

Trembling, he did as she directed.

"Now take off my boots."

He did as she asked, ever so slowly.

"Now take off my socks."

He removed each gently and placed them neatly by her boots.

"Now take off my skirt."

He slowly unbuttoned it, constantly watching her eyes in the fire light.

"Now take off my bra."

Again, with trembling hands, he did as he was told and dropped it to the floor.

"Now," she said, "take off my panties."

By the light of the fire, he slowly pulled them down and off.

Then she looked at him and said:

"Lieutenant, if you ever wear my clothes into town again, you will be severely
reprimanded."

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*Author's note: this is a somewhat revised version of an email joke that recently
found its way to my inbox. ) Many thanks to the anonymous writer.

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