Day 12

T'Pol found Solen on the observation deck. She had meant to seek him out earlier, but she was apprehensive about what he would say. It had been many years since she'd last seen him, though in her opinion, it hadn't been long enough. She wanted nothing more than to forget she had ever known him, which would be impossible now that he knew she was on board. She hoped Trip had believed her explanation of their relationship, but she didn't want him to learn that she and Solen had once been involved, which was why she waited until Trip had gone to bed to look for him.

She found him seated near the front of the craft, reading an abridged history of Earth. His appearance had not changed a bit, and T'Pol was relieved to notice that she felt nothing for him. "Solen."

He didn't glance up from the book when he responded. "T'Pol. It is agreeable to see you."

She raised an eyebrow. "I cannot say the same." She wished Trip could have heard her say that. He would have been proud of her.

Solen shook his head, still engrossed in his book. "You only say that because I'm aware of your relationship with the human, Commander Tucker."

T'Pol's breath caught in her throat, but she refused to give Solen the satisfaction of seeing her worried. She dripped as much disdain into her voice as she could allow and said, "You know nothing, Solen."

He glanced briefly at her. "I know you, T'Pol. You do not make invitations lightly, especially to humans. Asking this Commander Tucker to accompany you to Vulcan says more than you are willing to admit. Whether or not you want to believe it, others will realize that there is more to your relationship than there appears to be." Had he been human, he would have been smirking. It was evident in his tone. "It is the logical deduction."

T'Pol bit back a retaliatory comment. He spoke the truth. "Commander Tucker is a colleague. His home was destroyed during the Xindi attack on Earth, and he needed somewhere to go for shore leave."

He laid his book on the seat beside him and held up his hands in what she presumed to be a gesture of concession. "You do not have to defend your behavior or your choices to me, T'Pol. You will soon find that I am considered one of the more…open-minded Vulcans. It comes from my time on Earth, from several friends that I have made."

She sighed and tried another tactic. "I am not the same as I was when we were together. My time on Enterprise has changed me irrevocably."

He raised an eyebrow and pointed one finger at her. "You are not the only thing that has changed. Things on Vulcan are changing as well. I sense a great upheaval in our traditions."

Against her better judgment, she sat in the chair across from him. Solen had been on Earth for so long that the only way he could know about unrest on Vulcan was if it were serious enough to spread. "Is that why you decided to return?"

His face was impassive, as it should have been. "Perhaps. You know how I feel about our people." He sighed, a little too dramatically. "However, I feel obliged to help when I can. No matter my opinion toward others of my species, I cannot turn my back on my home when it is in danger."

T'Pol suspected that Solen was only trying to upset her. That was his personality. He had always been that way. "What proof do you have?"

"Nothing concrete at the moment. I have heard some rumors at the consulate. I wanted to examine things for myself." He paused, reaching for his book. "And I have missed my family. It has been a long time since I have seen them."

She nodded, understanding. "I as well."

Solen opened his book and began to search for his page. "Did you tell Commander Tucker the nature of our relationship?"

T'Pol's mood soured. "We do not have a relationship, Solen."

He clucked his tongue in apparent disapproval. T'Pol thought it to be a very human gesture. "I didn't think you would."

She stood, suddenly appalled by his presence. "Good night, Solen."

He didn't look at her. "Good night, T'Pol."

A/N: Halfway there!