Sorry its taken so long, but I had essays and things. Hope you enjoy this next chapter.

"Perhaps it would be better to speak to the Captain. I…appreciate your speaking to me. Thank you, for understanding." T'Pol got up slowly and moved to the door. She turned at the hatch, turned back for a moment, then opened the door and stepped outside.

T'pol stood out in the corridor, reflecting for a moment on what had passed between herself and Ensign Sato. She debated going to see the Captain that very night, but she felt that more time was needed before she confronted her feelings, and left herself open to rejection if the captain didn't feel the same. Planning a night of meditation in preparation for her expected ordeal, T'Pol moved to her quarters and settled in for the night.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

On the other side of the ship, Captain Archer moved about in his sleep, before finally waking with a start. He had been dreaming and had an uneasy sense of déjà vu, the dream seemed oddly familiar and yet completely alien at the same time. It soon became clear that he would not drop back to sleep anytime soon, and his thoughts turned, as they had frequently in the last few days, to his first officer and the link which they now shared. Almost as soon as he thought of T'Pol he realised that he had been trying to feel her again, sense her presence on the ship. Archer had no idea how he was doing this, or if the sensations he described were actually happening. All Archer knew was that on some primitive level, his mind needed something, an indefinable piece of a mental puzzle, and that missing piece belonged to T'Pol.

For what seemed like the thousandth time, Archer thought about confiding in Trip Tucker, his best friend and Chief Engineer. He had so far avoided the subject, because he knew what Trip generally thought of Vulcans. On the other hand, Jonathon really needed someone to speak to. His nights had become a long round of sleeplessness, broken dreams and worry, and his days had begun to blend together as he put all his effort into running the ship and being a worthy representative of the human race in the vastness of space. That pressure alone was enough to affect even the most stoic of men, but Captain Archer had been chosen for this mission because of the extraordinary force of his personality as much as for his leadership abilities. Now he felt that his ability to function effectively was being compromised, and that was unacceptable to his strong sense of duty. Suddenly reaching his decision, Archer sent Commander Tucker a message through the internal comm. system, asking for a meeting the following morning. Having made a choice, Archer found that sleep came more easily, but the dreams, in which he was searching restlessly, continued to trouble his rest.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Come in" called Archer

The door cycled open and Commander Tucker stepped in for their 0800 meeting. They were in the Captain's private dining room off the main Mess Hall and as Tucker sat down the Captain's steward placed a plate of scrambled eggs on the table in front of each man. Trip started his meal right away; he'd pulled an all-nighter and was more than ready for breakfast. After a few bites he noticed that Jonathan wasn't eating, which was unusual, but on a second closer inspection, the Captain looked tired, drained even, so Trip put down his fork and looked at his friend, waiting for whatever explanation Jonathan felt he needed to give.

Captain Archer took a deep breath, then started on the speech he had mentally prepared as he dressed that morning.

"Trip, you remember those…phases I was having? When you took me to see the doctor?' at Trip's nod he went on, 'well, we found out what they were." Now that he was actually saying the words they sounded dumb, even to himself. Jonathan owed it to himself and his friend to be as honest as possible, but, he wondered to himself, how do you confess that you accidentally mind bonded with your Vulcan first officer? There was always the direct route…

"Trip, um, there was something else that the Vulcans didn't tell us. They're semi telepathic and it appears that T'Pol and I accidentally performed some sort of bonding while meditating. That's what the lapses were; I was trying to adjust, without really knowing what had happened."

Trip sat still in his chair, trying to absorb the information. He looked at Archer as if to make sure he wasn't joking, but he saw only resignation in his friend's eyes. He let out a long whistle, not really knowing how to respond, but then a flood of questions came to his mind.

"Did she know this could happen? Did she do it on purpose, another way of spyin' on us? What are you gonna do about it?"

Archer began to answer while Trip was taking a breath

"NO, Trip, she didn't do this on purpose. It's a very intimate thing for Vulcans, that's why they don't tell us that it can be done. It was an accident, a mental slip and we're trying to fix it. I just needed to tell someone, it's been driving me crazy, keeping secrets and avoiding her in the hallways"

With the uncanny sense that his best friends had come to expect, Trip knew there was something else that Archer wasn't telling him. A single quizzical look, perfectly placed, and a well timed question were the tools of Tucker's trade and he applied them with skill.

"What else did she tell you about this…bond that you guys have got?"

Archer sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "we've already tried to dissolve it, but something was stopping her. And I think that it might have been me" These last words were spoken so low that Trip wasn't sure he had heard them right.

"You stopped her from doin' whatever she needed to do in your minds?

"She said that both parties must want the link to be severed…and I'm not sure that I do."

Trip looked incredulously at his Captain, his friend, and comprehension dawned on the engineer.

"You love her, don't you?"

Looking almost miserable, Archer nodded slowly, then made his final confession

"And I've been trying to search her mind for some evidence that she feels the same"

"You can do that? Wow, that's pretty amazin' I'd love to see the mind of the woman I loved.' a small pause, then 'Jon, you know what you've got to do, and you don't need me to tell you. You've got to talk to T'Pol about this, the bond, how you feel, everything. And then get back to running the ship, what you're best at. Hey, you know, if you need me, I'm a willin' ear." and with that Trip got up and left the Captain alone with his thoughts.

But Archer didn't want to be alone, now that he had a plan he wanted to set it in motion as soon as possible. Knowing that T'Pol would be on bridge duty Archer left his dining room, passed through the main Mess Hall, barely returning the greetings of the crew, merely nodding at many of them as he moved with purpose towards the corridor. He was halfway to the turbolift when a voice sounded over the ship's comm.

"T'Pol to Captain Archer."

The voice was as clipped and emotionless as usual but something caused Archer's heart, clichéd as it seemed even to him, to beat a little faster. He answered the hail,

"Archer here"

"Captain, would it be possible to see you in your ready room? There has been a communiqué from Admiral Forrest and the Vulcan High Command."

"I'm on my way now Subcommander, Archer out"

Archer continued his way to the bridge, deep in thought, wondering what the latest news from the Admiral brought for the crew of the Enterprise. He sighed to himself…that talk with T'Pol would just have to wait.

A/N sorry it's still not finished, but it's getting there I promise! Please review if you have time or inclination, thank you!