PART 53
Author: Witezon@aol.com
Pairing: A/T
Rating: PG-13
Everything belongs to Paramount/UPN
1630 (3 HOURS BEFORE THE GEGAN COULD DEPART)
IN THE TURBOLIFT
Ensign Watson decided he wasn't going to watch his Captain hold hands with this...person, so he watched the closed 'lift doors instead. Cutler was more embarrassed now, more so than she was before on the bridge. She didn't think that it was possible, but this hand-holding and that smile. That smile worries me. Looking at the floor, the she quickly took a peek at the Captain. Nope, he didn't appear any happier than she was.
He noticed her glance, he shrugged his shoulders at the situation. She gave him a small, but understanding smile.
Riann looked up at him, pressing closer, "Jonathon, I am so happy to be here with you. How is Jon? I imagine he has grown a lot since the last time I saw him. I hope he hasn't been spending a lot of time with those strange looking...beings. You just don't know what they could do to him."
He stared at her, furious, counting to ten so he wouldn't yell at her. Cutler raised her head in shock, looking at this woman. Watson just stood at attention, trying to use the lessons that T'Pol had taught them to not let the emotion control them.
Finally, Archer was able to say, "Riann, those people my friends, colleagues, and T'Pol is my.."
"COUGH, COUGH, CHOKE, COUGH." Ensign Cutler interrupted the conversation as she continued to cough.
Worried, Archer shook off Riann's hand and he took a step towards her, "Cutler, you okay? Do we need to get Nybm?"
Her face red, with embarrassment not illness, shook her head and replied in a gravelly voice, "No, sir." Another cough, "I just need to get a glass of water."
The doors swished open on their floor, "We can get some in the quarters, let's go." He led them out. Riann followed directly after him. Cutler walked out and Watson gently grabbed her arm. "I owe you a cup of coffee for what you just did."
"Yeah, but now I feel bad. The Captain thinks I'm not feeling well."
"Go, drink the water. You did the right thing, we don't need to hear this discussion."
They quickly caught up with Archer at the door of the quarters he and T'Pol shared last night. Keying in the code, he opened the door and went in, going directly to the restroom. Riann, again, quickly following. He came out and gave Cutler a half filled one.
She looked up at him, "I think you'll only need a half a glass, don't you agree?" He gave her the slightest smile in appreciation of stopping him. "Yes, sir, thank you, sir." She quickly drunk it off.
Watson spoke up, "Sir, if you don't need me, I'll be right outside." With a nod from Archer he was gone.
Riann looked around the room. Stopping at the strange bed. "That's a very strange bed. But I guess that when you're as alien as that greenish woman with those weird ears, you'd have a bed like that."
Grinding his jaws together, he started to speak, "Riann, I don't like all the things you've said about the non-humans. As I said, they're my friends and colleagues, and that kind of talk is completely wrong. I..."
"Sir, if you don't mind, I'll wait outside, too." Cutler didn't even wait for permission, she just left.
Riann watched her leave, then looked over her shoulder at Jonathon, "Finally, alone at last."
She turned back around, grinning unapologetically, "Oh, Jonathon. Of course, they're your friends. I'm sorry, but they're just so different. All those scales and I can't over get the fact that that greenish woman bled green blood and those ears. When we get home with Jonathon, we won't have to worry about people like that anymore."
Frowning, he was still trying to control his temper, "Riann..." He stopped and took a deep breath as T'Pol sent him some calming support. "Riann, why did you drug me and conceive Jon?"
Nodding sagely, "Ah, I was waiting for that question." She took two steps closer to him, "Because I wanted a child, of course. But if I had one with any man on my world I would have had to marry him. I didn't know anyone I wanted to marry."
She walked closer to him, flirting, "Then you came. Tall, handsome, and very mysterious. When you finally said that you weren't from my world, I knew that I could use your materials to make a child."
She studied him, speaking softly, "I like you, Jonathon. Quite a bit. I was hoping that you felt something for me, too."
As she reached out to touch his face, he grabbed her arm, stopping it. "Riann, on my world what you did is against the law. You drugged me and used my 'material' without my permission."
She sighed at that, but it didn't sound sincere to him, "Yes, well, I am sorry about that. I'm hoping that since I'm now cured and you've met Jon, that you'd want to come back with us to Akaali. He's such a sweet child, I love him so very much."
With quirk of his lips in acknowledgment of what she just said. "Yeah, its very easy to love him. Everyone who knows him, loves him."
A brilliant smile lit up her face, "Does this mean that you'll consider coming home with us?"
Shaking his head, "No. I'm married, Riann, and I love my wife very much."
The smile fell from her face, "Married? But you weren't married the last time I saw you."
"No, I wasn't. We started a relationship a short while after that." He stood watching her absorb that information.
Shock was quickly followed by anger, which quickly was hidden. She looked up at him with a shaky smile, "I guess I was hoping that since I'm cured, you'd want to be with me, and Jon, of course. We would be a family."
That hurt Jonathon to his very soul. He was already part of a family, him, T'Pol, and Jon. T'Pol felt his pain and softly sent him her love. He basked in it for a moment, letting it soothe him. He sent her his love and appreciation.
Trying to appear dignified Riann said, "I should thank her for taking care of Jon for me these -- how long have I been gone?"
"We think you've been gone for three months. We've had Jon for two months."
She nodded, "Then it wasn't very long, that's good. He won't be to attached to her."
Archer's temper shot straight up at that condescending remark. He ended up taking deep relaxing breathes, in the way T'Pol had taught him, trying to keep calm.
"That's not true. Jon is very attached to her. They're very attached to each other. I wasn't there for Jon's first two weeks on Enterprise. It was just the two of them and they bonded strongly together. They have a wonderful relationship."
With a slight, unpleased nod, "Oh, then I really do need to thank her. Do you suppose I could go to your ship and meet her?"
Watching her for a moment, "You already have. She's here on this ship."
Riann frowned, "What? Not that young waif who just ran out of here? You could do so much better than that."
He shook his head, "Ensign Cutler, while an extremely valuable member of crew, is not my wife."
Still frowning, she went over all the women she had met on the ship, "There's only that other woman who sat behind that table-thing. I'll have to go up and thank her."
Staring at her, he frowned, "No, I'm not married to Womack either."
Confused, "Then, who?"
She suddenly figured it out, "Not that green-skinned...thing with the pointy ears?! How could you marry something like that?"
She got red in the face, her voice raising with each word, "How could you!! Its bad enough that you would marry her, but to let my son, who I sent to you to keep safe, be around her! It makes me sick. She makes me sick."
Archer watched her in shock, trying to shield the bond so T'Pol wouldn't hear this crap. He could see Riann was working herself into another hysterical meltdown, so he tried to her attention.
He put out his hand, "Riann, just calm down. Calm down."
She stared at him with an incredulous expression, "Calm down? Calm down? You pig! You calm down!! You let a green thing raise my son. Our son!! Calm down?!"
Looking around the room, she found a statue. Grabbing it up, she threw it at him!
Ducking, "Damn it, Riann. Stop that! Would you get a hold of yourself?"
The voices got louder and one increasingly hysterical, causing both Watson and Cutler to look at the door. "I think the Captain just told Riann that he's married to T'Pol."
Watson leaned towards Cutler, "Between you and me, Riann may be pretty, but I have no idea what the Captain saw in her." Cutler nodded in agreement.
CRASH! Watson keyed the door open, then ducked just in time as a vase came sailing out at him.
As Riann looked at Watson, Archer grabbed her from behind. She struggled fiercely against him, trying to kick and bite him.
Watson, "Sir, what can I do?"
"Can you do the Vulcan nerve pinch?"
Shaking his head, "No, sir, sorry. Our hands aren't strong enough to put sufficient pressure on the nerve bundle."
Riann continued to struggle fiercely, and Jonathon hissed into her ear, "Just Calm Down. You're alright and Jon's alright."
"I want to see my son for myself! Who knows what you've done to him by allowing him to be with that....thing!!!" She was working herself into another hysterical frenzy, so Archer did the only thing he could.
BAM. He had swiftly turned her around and clipped her on the jaw, knocking her out.
"Nice hit, sir."
Exhaling, "Thanks. Cutler, get in here."
He gestured at Riann, now laying on the floor. "Take care of her and talk to Nybm. I'm beginning not to care about what a sedative will do to her or not."
CONTINUED IN PART 54
1630 (3 HOURS BEFORE THE GEGAN COULD DEPART)
IN THE TURBOLIFT
Ensign Watson decided he wasn't going to watch his Captain hold hands with this...person, so he watched the closed 'lift doors instead. Cutler was more embarrassed now, more so than she was before on the bridge. She didn't think that it was possible, but this hand-holding and that smile. That smile worries me. Looking at the floor, the she quickly took a peek at the Captain. Nope, he didn't appear any happier than she was.
He noticed her glance, he shrugged his shoulders at the situation. She gave him a small, but understanding smile.
Riann looked up at him, pressing closer, "Jonathon, I am so happy to be here with you. How is Jon? I imagine he has grown a lot since the last time I saw him. I hope he hasn't been spending a lot of time with those strange looking...beings. You just don't know what they could do to him."
He stared at her, furious, counting to ten so he wouldn't yell at her. Cutler raised her head in shock, looking at this woman. Watson just stood at attention, trying to use the lessons that T'Pol had taught them to not let the emotion control them.
Finally, Archer was able to say, "Riann, those people my friends, colleagues, and T'Pol is my.."
"COUGH, COUGH, CHOKE, COUGH." Ensign Cutler interrupted the conversation as she continued to cough.
Worried, Archer shook off Riann's hand and he took a step towards her, "Cutler, you okay? Do we need to get Nybm?"
Her face red, with embarrassment not illness, shook her head and replied in a gravelly voice, "No, sir." Another cough, "I just need to get a glass of water."
The doors swished open on their floor, "We can get some in the quarters, let's go." He led them out. Riann followed directly after him. Cutler walked out and Watson gently grabbed her arm. "I owe you a cup of coffee for what you just did."
"Yeah, but now I feel bad. The Captain thinks I'm not feeling well."
"Go, drink the water. You did the right thing, we don't need to hear this discussion."
They quickly caught up with Archer at the door of the quarters he and T'Pol shared last night. Keying in the code, he opened the door and went in, going directly to the restroom. Riann, again, quickly following. He came out and gave Cutler a half filled one.
She looked up at him, "I think you'll only need a half a glass, don't you agree?" He gave her the slightest smile in appreciation of stopping him. "Yes, sir, thank you, sir." She quickly drunk it off.
Watson spoke up, "Sir, if you don't need me, I'll be right outside." With a nod from Archer he was gone.
Riann looked around the room. Stopping at the strange bed. "That's a very strange bed. But I guess that when you're as alien as that greenish woman with those weird ears, you'd have a bed like that."
Grinding his jaws together, he started to speak, "Riann, I don't like all the things you've said about the non-humans. As I said, they're my friends and colleagues, and that kind of talk is completely wrong. I..."
"Sir, if you don't mind, I'll wait outside, too." Cutler didn't even wait for permission, she just left.
Riann watched her leave, then looked over her shoulder at Jonathon, "Finally, alone at last."
She turned back around, grinning unapologetically, "Oh, Jonathon. Of course, they're your friends. I'm sorry, but they're just so different. All those scales and I can't over get the fact that that greenish woman bled green blood and those ears. When we get home with Jonathon, we won't have to worry about people like that anymore."
Frowning, he was still trying to control his temper, "Riann..." He stopped and took a deep breath as T'Pol sent him some calming support. "Riann, why did you drug me and conceive Jon?"
Nodding sagely, "Ah, I was waiting for that question." She took two steps closer to him, "Because I wanted a child, of course. But if I had one with any man on my world I would have had to marry him. I didn't know anyone I wanted to marry."
She walked closer to him, flirting, "Then you came. Tall, handsome, and very mysterious. When you finally said that you weren't from my world, I knew that I could use your materials to make a child."
She studied him, speaking softly, "I like you, Jonathon. Quite a bit. I was hoping that you felt something for me, too."
As she reached out to touch his face, he grabbed her arm, stopping it. "Riann, on my world what you did is against the law. You drugged me and used my 'material' without my permission."
She sighed at that, but it didn't sound sincere to him, "Yes, well, I am sorry about that. I'm hoping that since I'm now cured and you've met Jon, that you'd want to come back with us to Akaali. He's such a sweet child, I love him so very much."
With quirk of his lips in acknowledgment of what she just said. "Yeah, its very easy to love him. Everyone who knows him, loves him."
A brilliant smile lit up her face, "Does this mean that you'll consider coming home with us?"
Shaking his head, "No. I'm married, Riann, and I love my wife very much."
The smile fell from her face, "Married? But you weren't married the last time I saw you."
"No, I wasn't. We started a relationship a short while after that." He stood watching her absorb that information.
Shock was quickly followed by anger, which quickly was hidden. She looked up at him with a shaky smile, "I guess I was hoping that since I'm cured, you'd want to be with me, and Jon, of course. We would be a family."
That hurt Jonathon to his very soul. He was already part of a family, him, T'Pol, and Jon. T'Pol felt his pain and softly sent him her love. He basked in it for a moment, letting it soothe him. He sent her his love and appreciation.
Trying to appear dignified Riann said, "I should thank her for taking care of Jon for me these -- how long have I been gone?"
"We think you've been gone for three months. We've had Jon for two months."
She nodded, "Then it wasn't very long, that's good. He won't be to attached to her."
Archer's temper shot straight up at that condescending remark. He ended up taking deep relaxing breathes, in the way T'Pol had taught him, trying to keep calm.
"That's not true. Jon is very attached to her. They're very attached to each other. I wasn't there for Jon's first two weeks on Enterprise. It was just the two of them and they bonded strongly together. They have a wonderful relationship."
With a slight, unpleased nod, "Oh, then I really do need to thank her. Do you suppose I could go to your ship and meet her?"
Watching her for a moment, "You already have. She's here on this ship."
Riann frowned, "What? Not that young waif who just ran out of here? You could do so much better than that."
He shook his head, "Ensign Cutler, while an extremely valuable member of crew, is not my wife."
Still frowning, she went over all the women she had met on the ship, "There's only that other woman who sat behind that table-thing. I'll have to go up and thank her."
Staring at her, he frowned, "No, I'm not married to Womack either."
Confused, "Then, who?"
She suddenly figured it out, "Not that green-skinned...thing with the pointy ears?! How could you marry something like that?"
She got red in the face, her voice raising with each word, "How could you!! Its bad enough that you would marry her, but to let my son, who I sent to you to keep safe, be around her! It makes me sick. She makes me sick."
Archer watched her in shock, trying to shield the bond so T'Pol wouldn't hear this crap. He could see Riann was working herself into another hysterical meltdown, so he tried to her attention.
He put out his hand, "Riann, just calm down. Calm down."
She stared at him with an incredulous expression, "Calm down? Calm down? You pig! You calm down!! You let a green thing raise my son. Our son!! Calm down?!"
Looking around the room, she found a statue. Grabbing it up, she threw it at him!
Ducking, "Damn it, Riann. Stop that! Would you get a hold of yourself?"
The voices got louder and one increasingly hysterical, causing both Watson and Cutler to look at the door. "I think the Captain just told Riann that he's married to T'Pol."
Watson leaned towards Cutler, "Between you and me, Riann may be pretty, but I have no idea what the Captain saw in her." Cutler nodded in agreement.
CRASH! Watson keyed the door open, then ducked just in time as a vase came sailing out at him.
As Riann looked at Watson, Archer grabbed her from behind. She struggled fiercely against him, trying to kick and bite him.
Watson, "Sir, what can I do?"
"Can you do the Vulcan nerve pinch?"
Shaking his head, "No, sir, sorry. Our hands aren't strong enough to put sufficient pressure on the nerve bundle."
Riann continued to struggle fiercely, and Jonathon hissed into her ear, "Just Calm Down. You're alright and Jon's alright."
"I want to see my son for myself! Who knows what you've done to him by allowing him to be with that....thing!!!" She was working herself into another hysterical frenzy, so Archer did the only thing he could.
BAM. He had swiftly turned her around and clipped her on the jaw, knocking her out.
"Nice hit, sir."
Exhaling, "Thanks. Cutler, get in here."
He gestured at Riann, now laying on the floor. "Take care of her and talk to Nybm. I'm beginning not to care about what a sedative will do to her or not."
CONTINUED IN PART 54