The Cultural Addition
a
Star Trek: Enterprise - based fan fiction
by: Joycelyn Solo

Summary: An unexpected pregnancy has some interesting consequences for Trip, T'Pol, the Enterprise and the future of Humanity.
Author's note: This story takes place Season Three, so expect general episodic references, but with definite AU qualities.
Disclaimer: Star Trek: Enterprise and associated characters are property of Paramount Pictures. I mean no copyright infringement, this story is for entertainment purposes only.
Special Thanks: To Stub: the alpha of all betas.
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Trip/T'Pol Romance; Mystery

Chapter Fourteen - The lights are on, no one's home

Malcolm Reed was not a happy security officer.

At the captain's request, he had seen to Rajiin's comfort in the four-star accommodations he liked to call the Brig.

Also, at Archer's request, Malcolm had made certain to double the usual compliment of guards outside her cell with the hope that her psychic parlor tricks couldn't work en masse.

Going one step further, Malcolm established a visual feed to his security station on the Bridge so that he could keep an eye on the alien woman himself while on duty.

After putting all these safety measures in place, imagine Malcolm's surprise upon looking at the Brig footage to find Rajiin having a cozy chat with Captain Archer while they both sipped from those large mugs T'Pol favored for tea.

Why do I even both with protocols? Malcolm asked himself. He stared at the station monitor, wondering what exactly the captain was thinking. Malcolm had thought it foolish to allow Rajiin to wander the ship as she pleased the first time she was aboard. He'd refrained from shouting "I told you so" to his commanding officer when the woman revealed herself as a spy for the Xindi and hoped the captain had learned a lesson about caution.

But now, Archer was repeating his earlier mistake and allowing himself to be placed once again under the woman's spell. Though he couldn't determine what, exactly, the two were discussing, Archer and Rajiin seemed awfully chummy considering that she was supposed to be a prisoner.

Unfortunate that I didn't think to patch audio up here.

As he moved back to the command seat, ignoring the questioning look Hoshi shot at him, Malcolm weighed his options. He didn't feel it his place to question a superior's actions, but the head of security couldn't very well sit by while Rajiin used her wiles to once again place the ship in danger.

It wouldn't be unusual for him to stroll into the Brig just to see how things were going, but he couldn't very well leave in the middle of his Bridge shift to do so. Especially when he was essentially going to spy on the captain.

Pressing the comm button on the command chair, he opened a channel to Engineering, "Bridge to Commander Tucker."

"Engineering," answered a decidedly female voice.

"Where's Commander Tucker?"

"The commander isn't on duty until 1700, sir."

Malcolm closed the channel, thanking the engineer -- he assumed it had been Hess but he couldn't be sure -- and frowning at the viewscreen.

"Commander Tucker is in T'Pol's quarters."

"What?" Malcolm asked, drawing his eyes toward the communications station.

Hoshi had the decency to look a bit sheepish as she repeated, "Commander Tucker is in T'Pol's quarters, sir. I took the liberty of finding him for you."

Malcolm smiled at Hoshi's "liberty" and opened a channel to the sub-commander's cabin.

No response.

He tried again.

Still no answer.

One last time.

By now, every set of ears on the Bridge was listening intently for someone to respond to the comm call.

"Are you sure they're in T'Pol's quarters?"

"Yes, sir," Hoshi said, checking her screen again. "All four of them."

It took Malcolm a moment to realize Hoshi meant Trip, T'Pol and the twins. On the verge of a smile, he remembered the reason he'd attempted to reach Trip to begin with --

What if Rajiin had gotten to them?

He walked back to the security station and sighed with relief at the sight of the captain and Rajiin still chatting it up like old friends.

But what if she snuck out after putting the captain in another of those weird mind trances? She could have knocked out Trip and T'Pol and went back to her cell before anyone noticed her absence.

His mind running at the threat of Rajiin systematically taking out the entire crew one by one -- with the captain none-the-wiser -- sent a trickle of cold sweat running down Malcolm's back.

"Hoshi, you have the Bridge," he said abruptly, moving to the turbolift even before he'd finished the command.

"What's going on?" Travis asked, swiveling his chair in time to see Malcolm step into the 'lift.

Without answer, the turbolift doors closed over the grim set of the lieutenant's face.

- - -

Even as he walked quickly along the corridor, Malcolm knew his first priority should have been to secure the Brig and be sure Rajiin was being a proper prisoner.

However, with the fate of his friends and unborn godchildren at stake, Malcolm found himself standing outside T'Pol's quarters and entering a security override to open the cabin door.

Rushing in, Malcolm's eyes immediately went to the huddled forms of Trip and T'Pol in the center of the cabin.

Malcolm knelt next to Trip and checked for a pulse. "Thank God," he whispered, moving to check T'Pol -- and grateful he'd asked Phlox how to do so if he ever found himself with an unconscious Vulcan again.

Even as his hand found the pulse point -- two inches below her ribcage and four inches from her spine -- T'Pol's eyes fluttered open.

"Malcolm, what are you doing?" Trip asked, pushing himself into a sitting position. He narrowed his eyes at the placement of Malcolm's hand on T'Pol.

"What do you mean 'what am I doing'? What are you doing?" Malcolm quickly pulled his hand away from, not liking the way Trip was scowling at him. "I thought Rajiin had gotten to you."

"Rajiin has escaped?" T'Pol asked, the pitch of her voice throwing Malcolm off even more than the sight that had first greeted him upon entering the cabin.

"Rajiin's in her cell," Malcolm assured. "At least, I think she is."

At Trip's questioning look, Malcolm explained what he'd seen on the Brig monitor.

"Then why aren't you down in the Brig?" Trip asked, giving a hand to T'Pol as she stood.

Malcolm watched the way T'Pol allowed her hand to linger in Trip's a moment after he'd steadied her. "I came here because I thought you might be injured. We were worried when you didn't answer the comm hails."

"'We'?" Trip shared a look with T'Pol.

"The entire Bridge crew," Malcolm explained, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at Trip. "Just what were the two of you up to?"

"First off, it's none of your business." Trip glared back, "And second, shouldn't we go check to make sure the Cap'n's alright?"

- - -

The three officers stood in silence as the turbolift carried them toward the Brig, Trip's gaze intent on T'Pol as she stared ahead.

Don't be embarrassed, T'Pol.

I am not embarrassed.

It's not like Malcolm has any idea what we were doing.

It is his likely assumption that troubles me.

Growing up in a naval family, Mal's likely to have a dirty mind.

Malcolm stood unaware of the conversation going on in the 'lift. How could he know that Trip and T'Pol, as an aftereffect of the meld they'd shared earlier, had strengthened their bond to point of being able to read the other's thoughts?

The mind meld had been unlike anything Trip had expected. When T'Pol had described it as a "sharing of minds," she hadn't been kidding -- not that he expected that she'd joke about a sacred Vulcan rite. It was hard to believe, even with the lingering connection, he'd actually been a part of T'Pol; their minds as one during the the meld.

When they'd parted, Trip had been reluctant to return to himself and lose the touch of T'Pol's thoughts. He wanted nothing more than to wrap himself in the beautiful layers of her mind for as long as he could. She may not be able to tell him in words how she felt -- to be able to say she loved him -- but her mind told him everything he needed to know.

He completed her. Just as she completed him.

Vulcans may not call that love, but he sure as heck did.

Intent on savoring the memory of the meld, of being so close to the woman he loved, it had taken Trip a minute to realize that though T'Pol's hands were no longer touching the psi-points of his face, her mind was still touching his.

"This is unexpected," T'Pol had said. Actually, she'd thought it, but Trip had heard it in his mind as clearly as if the words had been aloud.

Unexpected, but nice, he'd thought back. And exhausting.

Neither Human or Vulcan had realized how draining the experience would be, both physically and mentally. Without speaking -- with no need to -- they laid down together on the mat, Trip's arms wrapped around T'Pol, and both fell asleep instantly.

Which was how Malcolm found them -- minutes? hours? -- later. The look on the security officer's face clearly conveyed what he thought the two of them had been up to. For T'Pol's honor, Trip figured he should try to set his friend straight, but knew it wasn't going to be any easier to explain than if they had been doing what Malcolm probably thought they'd been doing.

You are probably correct, Commander.

'Trip,' remember? You called me Trip earlier.

We were not on duty, then, T'Pol reminded, looking over at him briefly before turning her eyes forward once again.

Technically we're not on duty now. We're just going for a walk with Malcolm.

T'Pol didn't bother to answer, but Trip could feel her amused frustration -- a combination of emotions only his "unfeeling" Vulcan could pull off.

When the turbolift finally stopped, Malcolm led them toward the Brig. The absence of the Starfleet and MACO personnel that should have been posted outside Rajiin's raised immediate warning flags and Malcolm produced a phase pistol from -- as far as Trip could determine -- thin air.

I wonder if that's the one he sleeps with?

Lieutenant Reed sleeps with his armaments?

Trip locked eyes with T'Pol, remembering that he needed to be more careful with his random thoughts until the connection faded.

T'Pol broke eye contact and focused her attention on the sight that awaited them in the first Brig cell. Trip followed her gaze and couldn't believe his own eyes.

Though Malcolm told them what he'd seen on the monitor at his station, neither Trip or T'Pol was quite prepared to see the captain sitting in the Brig with a prisoner, sipping tea, and looking more relaxed than anyone had seen him since the start of the mission.

Before anyone could announce their presence, Rajiin placed her mug aside and stood. "Jonathon, we have company."

Craning his neck, Archer nodded in acknowledgment. "Hello, Trip. Malcolm. T'Pol. Come on in and make yourselves comfortable. Rajiin and I have been catching up on the past seven months."

Had the three officers been less professional, their collective jaws would have dropped to the floor at his invitation.

"Perhaps you should step outside of the cell, Captain," T'Pol suggested, her eyes focused on the captain even as she attempted with her own limited telepathic ability to sense if Rajiin were projecting some sort of hold over the captain.

"That isn't necessary, T'Pol. Rajiin has been enlightening me with the most fascinating story and I think you'll all be interested to hear it.

"It turns out," Archer continued, "That Rajiin here felt guilty for betraying us to the Reptilians, so she thought she'd help out by having this group of scientists find a cure for the bio-weapon."

With every day the Enterprise came closer to finding the Xindi, the threat of the bio-weapon the Reptilians were developing posed a more immediate threat. Having protective measures against such an attack would be a great benefit to the mission. "You have an antidote?" T'Pol asked, turning her focus to Rajiin.

The captain cleared his throat. "Actually, T'Pol, you have it."