A/N: This is the final chapter; thanks to all who have left kind reviews and given me things to consider. I tried to incorporate some suggestions in this chapter. Also, many thanks to my dear cousin (who goes by Silvawolves), for helping me through some technical difficulties.

Disclaimer: Nothing has changed. They still belong to Paramount, who abused them shamelessly.

Discernment

T'Pol rose out of bed and noted that Trip was soundly asleep. Not wishing to wake him, she quietly lit her candles and prepared to meditate. Her mate's peaceful sleep made it easy for her to slip into her meditative state, and she began to consider her memories. Events from two versions of the past six years were jumbled in her mind, but T'Pol was certain that if she could sort each timeline into a sequence, she could then teach herself to disregard the false memories.

She found a pleasant memory that existed in different forms in both timelines. It was over two years after Elizabeth's death, and though she still mourned her daughter, T'Pol found that each month it was easier to think of her without a flood of emotions. That setting was present in both recollections of the event.

It was a beach party thrown by the Freali in celebration of a peaceful and successful first contact with humans. In both of her memories, she and Lieutenant Reed were the only personnel to refrain from entering the water. T'Pol declined to swim on the basis that she did not know how, and perhaps someday she would learn, but it would certainly not be in front of most of the Enterprise crew and numerous others. The lieutenant insisted that he could not possibly maintain a thorough security watch while in the water. Doctor Phlox was not an especially proficient swimmer, but that did not stop him from joining the activities by 'wading.'

She had observed her crewmates and their joy. It was a fortunate thing that her people had not restrained human deep space exploration any longer, she reflected, because the universe was a better place for these emotional, exuberant, optimistic people. Yet, in T'Pol's second memory of the event, she was also considering her love for Trip and deep pleasure that they were bonded and married.

In both recollections, a volleyball game was eventually organized. Trip instructed her on the basic rules of the game while Ensign Sato, Captain Archer, and two of the Freali worked out the more subtle variations between human and Freali volleyball. T'Pol was not good at 'serving' the ball, she discovered, but her attempts were not entirely fruitless. Volleyball was played for a long time.

Eventually it was time for them to return to Enterprise and continue on their mission of exploration. The two Freali moons had risen over the tops of the trees and lit the shoreline brightly as they left the planet. Ensign Mayweather decided that he preferred the Freali variation of volleyball over the human version he was familiar with, which pleased their hosts immensely.

Beyond that, however, T'Pol found more in a parallel recollection of the event. That version was more emotional and layered with pleasant significance.

She and Trip agreed to leave the volleyball game and take a walk. They walked beyond the sandy beach the party took place on and found rocky cliffs which jutted out over the ocean. A metal sign had been driven into the rocks, but the curved Freali letters held no significance for either of them. T'Pol tried to commit them to memory in order to ask Ensign Sato what the sign said.

"Up for a little adventure?" Trip asked, eyeing the largest cliff.

"Do you think it is safe to climb these?" There were no visible signs of danger, such as slippery plants or cracking rocks, but it was her nature to be cautious.

Cautious, however, was not a word that most people immediately associated with her husband. He looked at the cliffs with excitement. "People've been climbin' rocks ta see the ocean forever. Of course it's safe!"

"We have no way to be certain that these particular rocks will be able to support us," she countered.

Trip sighed. "Do they look like they're goin' anywhere?"

"No, but that does not necessarily mean-" the rest of her logical objection was cut off by a tug on her arm. Trip had begun to ascend the cliff and was determined that she should follow. She carefully observed where he placed his feet while marveling at his excitement.

"Safe enough after all?" he teased.

"I would be unable to rescue you if I did not accompany you," replied T'Pol, although he could feel her own bourgeoning sense of wonder.

"Here we are, safe and sound." They took in the view silently. Waves crashed below them into a hollow, echoing and carving the rock away ever further. The ceaseless sound was soothing in a way that T'Pol had not anticipated.

The sun began to sink into the horizon as they sat down on the rocks. Softly, the breeze ruffled their hair and brought the scent of salt water to their noses. In the distance sea creatures leapt towards the sky.

"Look at the dolphins!" exclaimed Trip.

"Dolphins?" she replied. "Your continual classification of alien animals by human terms would be taken by many Vulcans as a sign of immaturity." To anyone else, T'Pol's comment would have been an insult. To her husband, it was her form of 'teasing.'

"An' you love every immature bit of me," he said, putting his arm around her shoulder.

"Indeed. I believe the phrase is, 'You are stuck with me.'"

"I wouldn't want in any other way."

She pulled her knees up to her chest and relished the cool touch of Trip's arm. "Your dolphins look good in front of the sunset, t'hy'la."

"This from the woman who didn't want to come up here."

"I was mistaken."

"Uh-huh." They were silent as the sun descended below the horizon, enjoying their time together. Suddenly Trip looked up. "The first star, T'Pol!"

She followed the trajectory of his finger. "I see it. We should be able to see Enterprise soon."

"Make a wish."

"What?"

"You wish on the first star you see."

"I cannot do that."

"Why?"

His frustration melted away with her response. "Because I have nothing left to wish for."

There was no empirical method by which to measure her memories and determine which version of the events was false. One set of memories could be as easily fabricated as another. T'Pol wanted to find something that would validate Trip's claims that this was the "real world."

She considered the morning after Ensign Sato's twenty-seventh birthday party. Chef had served oatmeal and fruit for breakfast. In both her recollections of the event, Trip gave an overly dramatic sigh and eyed the oatmeal suspiciously. He considered the cereal inedible until it had turned a light shade of tan from the generous quantity of brown sugar he stirred in. She had eaten half her own bowl before Trip began his. The actual events in her memories were identical.

In one, however, she could feel Trip's love and admiration radiating through their well-nurtured bond, as well as his annoyance at being served plain oatmeal. The other memory of the event allowed her to feel only the vibrancy with which he was alive; carefully maintained mental shields kept the rest from her.

Trip claimed that they were married, but T'Pol still searched for validation. It was only logical to seek proof.

Quite suddenly she realized that Trip himself validated his claims. The love, respect, admiration, concern, and a myriad of other emotions that she felt in some memories were the same that she felt now. Though Trip was asleep, she could sense his emotions clearly. There was nothing held back between a bonded couple, and it was only her relationship with Trip that had been altered in some memories. Validation of an empirical variety she might never find, but her bond with Trip felt right. She simply knew, and wondered if this would qualify as an epiphany.

"You've got it just about all figured out now," said Trip suddenly, appearing in his pajamas in her meditation space.

"I'm sorry if I disturbed you."

"You didn't. I just woke up."

"Our relationship was the only variable in my memories. Once I determined that our bond as it was in one set of memories was the same as it is now, I discovered the key to discerning which memories were fabricated and which were real."

"I knew you'd find a way to figure it out."

"No, Trip. We did this together, just as you promised."

He smiled. "I have something to show you. I hadn't thought of it in years." With great concentration, he brought them to a playground on Earth. "I was fourteen."

A girl of about the same age smiled at another boy before walking away. Once she was out of hearing range, the boy grinned. "Sorry, Tucker. Some guys have it, an' some don't. You just don't. But I'm sure you'll find someone."

"I was devastated then," said Trip, returning them to the pristine white space T'Pol preferred. "Tommy told me I was never gonna get a smart, pretty girl."

She waited for him to reveal the meaning of this memory, which he did after exhaling. "I was just thinkin' about how wrong he was."

"I cherish every moment spent with you, t'hy'la. You are my beloved."

"I love you with all my soul," he replied. "An' when you woke up thinkin' I was dead, it broke my heart."

"Has your heart healed from this trauma?"

"It has now," he replied.

Empirical evidence could only be secondary to evidence of the heart where Trip was concerned, T'Pol decided. It was somehow quite…logical.