A/N: Thank you so much for your patience. I've been slammed at work recently, so I have not had the time to devote to this that I would have liked. This concludes this particular story. Thank you for reading and I appreciate the reviews very much. 8-)
Chapter 4 (END): Better Late Than Never
T'Pol woke when Trip got out of bed that morning. She raised her brows at the early hour... and the fact that he had woken up prior to her. Of course, he had woken her up at least twice the night before. Not that she complained of that fact, his reasons were, after all, to both their benefit. When she sat up he looked over at her and grinned his best smile.
"I'm gonna take a shower... I won't be long."
T'Pol watched him head to his bathroom and cocked her head, remembering a long ago dream that she had in the Expanse. She hesitated only long enough to hear him get into the water then followed.
Trip turned toward the shower door at the sudden blast of air and felt his heartbeat increase when he saw T'Pol. She gave him a long look and quipped "I had this dream once, but I was never able to act upon it."
He swallowed hard and shook his head in wonder... and he had thought she lacked passion. Again he thought what a fool he had been to deny themselves for so many years. He grabbed the soap and pulled her into the stream of water. The only thing better than her smooth skin was her smooth skin all wet and slick with soap. Breakfast could definitely wait.
Kathleen was pouring a cup of coffee for herself when she saw her son and T'Pol come down the stairs. Her eyes narrowed as she watched them. Her son's demeanor was at odds with how he had been for the last week. He appeared calm and more at peace with himself. T'Pol too appeared much more at ease. Kathleen held her tongue and simply offered her son a cup of coffee and T'Pol a cup of tea as they entered the kitchen. After watching them for a few more moments while she prepared breakfast for them, she turned and smiled to herself. It was about time the two of them began the path to really working things out. She had been heartsick watching them tear at each other the last week, when she knew that T'Pol was as committed to Trip as any human woman could ever be and that Trip still held strong feelings for T'Pol.
Trip tried to keep from smiling like a Cheshire cat every time he looked at T'Pol... and tried to keep from reaching out and touching her just because she was there.
T'Pol could feel his exuberance from across the table and shared it in some part, which she of course would never show openly. Her Vulcan heart felt more content than it had in at least eight months and possibly for six years. All because of this human heart she had bonded with.
Charles entered the kitchen and caught his wife's smile. He smiled back and then turned to say good morning to T'Pol and Trip. It did not take him long to realize that something was different. Kathleen simply handed him a cup of coffee and a plate of food, then steered him to the porch table outside.
"I believe they have finally begun to break the shield between them. I can only hope that she can help heal the last of his wounds and bring this family back together."
"Here here..." Charles said raising his coffee.
"I have a feeling that Mom is very aware of what happened."
T'Pol watched him a moment before she commented nonchalantly "Perhaps it is due to the mind meld that we shared... or it could just be what you humans refer to as a mother's intuition"
Trip started to nod in agreement then snapped his eyes to hers "What? What mind meld?"
"Your mother was in great distress over your death. At the time it seemed the most prudent course of action in order to alleviate that distress. It worked to both our benefit. Naturally it also helped the two of us understand the other in a matter of moments rather than years."
Trips jaw hung slack as he digested this new information. It certainly explained a great deal about his parents' warmth and acceptance of a Vulcan in their home. He glanced at her, only to find her dark eyes boring into him with such intensity that had he been standing he would have stepped back a few steps. As it was, he leaned back in his chair warily. "What?"
"It has occurred to me that perhaps we could do away with much miscommunication if you allowed a mind meld between us."
"You wanna meld with me? I have a hard time with this bond thing we have... and you wanna get further into my mind?" Trip swallowed nervously, thinking of how she would be able to see into his memories of his dealings with Terra Prime, of how she would be able to see into his memories of her throughout their years together.
T'Pol leaned towards him and said earnestly "Your understanding of the bond would increase greatly as would your understanding of what we share. I no longer fear melding... and I certainly do not fear melding with my bond mate."
That brought all of Trip's thoughts to a halt. Bond mate ? Was that how she saw him? He realized just how much she had exposed herself by admitting to how she viewed their relationship. Could he ignore that? Could he still be such a coward after she gave that much to him? "I have to admit the idea sorta frightens me. I don't think I am ready to show you the horrors of Terra Prime just yet."
T'Pol responded evenly "You would simply have to tell me that those memories were off limits at this time. As a Vulcan, I could not ethically press your mind on something you were not ready to reveal, but I do hope that you will come to trust me enough to share that part of your life."
He blew out the air in his lungs and nodded. "It isn't an easy thing to share." He watched her a moment longer then took another deep breath and blew out again, smiling weakly "Ok, I guess we both have to take some chances on this...it's only been six and a half years"
T'Pol stood and motioned for the door "This is not something that I would conduct in public. I believe we should return to your room"
Once there, she bade him sit and face her. She then took a seat opposite him and lifted her hand to his face.
He tensed for a moment not sure what to expect. He...felt...her. Closer than just the bond and with much greater clarity. He suddenly felt as though he were sitting in a very ancient church where the sun blazed down through brilliant stained glass, but the interior was cool and comfortable. That beautiful pattern of spirit... or katra... was her. Without conscious thought he began to give up his own self to that pattern of light weaving itself around him. Clarity... without words he could feel the immense depth of her feelings for him: The quiet dedication, the insecurity and fear of being less than Vulcan for loving a human, the wonder and desire at the human touch, the grief at the shared losses, the regret at actions not taken, the determination to act now. It was drinking rich summer wine touched with honey and roses. It was swimming in crystalline waters. It was standing before the forge. It was everything.
T'Pol felt his mind meld with hers, unlike any other mind had ever done. She released herself to him letting him know in moments what should have been for years. T'Pol relaxed at the gentle touch of his mind. His own spirit was sun sparkling on water and the free sound of birds in flight. Their meld intensified and she delved deeper into his mind and memories. Like water it too held dark depths which churned and surged with torment and grief... it held all the memories of Terra Prime locked away in those depths. She felt his mind panic and began to withdraw from hers, to struggle against the bond and the meld. In an attempt to calm and reassure him, she opened herself even more.
Trip was astonished at her memories of speaking with her older self in the Expanse, of her vivid dreams of him, of her shy wonder at the bond they shared. He felt himself settle and he stopped fighting her. Share with me... it is the only way to heal. T'Pol encouraged. Trip found himself standing again in her newfound place of meditation and her standing before him. I am not afraid of what you did or saw. I am afraid of losing you as you retreat further from all of us.
Trip closed his eyes and reached out... sharing:
T'Pol was assaulted by the evil of Terra Prime. An organization which had grown even darker and more sinister once forced underground by Enterprise six years ago. Unreasoning hate led to a sickness and wanton lust for blood belonging to any non-human. Ceremonies held for the wholesale slaughter of kidnapped species of sentient peoples. Her heart quailed at what Trip had to witness.
Trip's breathing increased and his heart pounded... Memory.
Trip entered the dank halls buried within the earth. He knew from a conversation earlier that a "ceremony" celebrating the triumph of humanity was to be held here tonight. He had only heard tales from other members who attended these "ceremonies" what occurred there. Just hearing those tales gave him nightmares. Somehow Malcolm had convinced Terra Prime that he and Trip were ready to attend and fully devote themselves to the cause.
He could hear muted conversation from the large room at the end of the hallway, and paused to pull out a brilliant red cloak with a hood from his pack. Once it was on, he entered the room giving his "identity" to the guards at the door. The room was actually part of a deep cavern with a ceiling that spanned at least 50 feet above the floor. He wrinkled his nose at the musty acrid smell pervading the place. The altar? At the front of the room drew his eyes. Trip felt as though he had stepped back into time thousands of years to a primitive occult gathering. Surrounded by long white candles, there was a large slab of rock raised like a table in its center. There was no other decoration. He could not find Malcolm in the sea of blood red cloaks, which continued to pour into the room. Finally a tall man walked onto the front stage where the altar stone was placed. His face was hidden inside the cowl of his cloak. He lifted his arms and the gathered members quieted. The man began to speak, droning on about the importance of humanity and its purity. His speech turned darker as he spoke of the newly founded Federation and its assault on the human race.
Trip found himself slowly working his way to the front moving so that he drew little attention from the rapt crowd. The man's voice was sonorous and heavy. Trip felt the weight of it throughout the room. By the time Trip had made it to the front he saw Malcolm standing just in front of the speaker. Trip had never met the man, but deduced that this was the new leader Sholtz Baz.
Baz pointed suddenly to his right and Trip froze fearing that he had somehow been discovered as the last time he had stood at a Terra Prime meeting. Instead he heard a muffled shriek of terror and pain as an unidentified woman in a white gown was brought forward. She was Andorian. Trip tensed. The woman was pushed onto the stage and held there. Suddenly Baz's speech became clear in Trip's head.
"See here, this disgusting creature who thinks to invade our world and make Earth her home? Day by day she and those like her come in greater numbers to our planet. They will snuff out humanity! They will breed amongst themselves and with those humans willing to sell their own souls! They will destroy us! It is only fitting that we first destroy them!" Baz's voice grew louder and almost shrill.
Trip could see into the hood and felt a bone cold chill at the burning fervor in those dark eyes. The woman's cry drew his eyes back to her and his heart skipped a beat. That white dress was now stained with a dark blue, which was spreading quickly down her front. It took only a moment before he was moving towards the stage in an attempt to stop the inevitable. Just as he reached the edge, the woman's eyes met his and glazed over. Trip could hardly breathe as he watched her fall to the ground.
Stunned, he attempted to grasp what he had just seen. Like the buzzing of a fly in his ear, he heard Baz continue speaking but his mind refused to focus. Looking up he saw yet another non-human being led to the altar. Trip's lungs felt like they would collapse as he witnessed a young Vulcan male standing with as much dignity as any adult Vulcan... No, this can not be happening. I won't let it happen! I will not let this happen!
Before thought could continue he had leapt onto the stage and found himself engaged with the two men holding the Vulcan boy. Trip could only focus on getting the boy away from them. Grappling with the larger man, he felt the searing pain of the long bladed knife used in their "ceremony" against his side and his arm. Grunting with pain and the effort of holding off the man doing worse, Trip held fast.
His memory grew sparse at this point, muddled by loss of blood and exertion. During the fight, Trip never even gave a thought as to what the blood thirsty crowd or their maniacal leader would do. His only concern was to save the child... save this child as he had been unable to save his own. Hate reared inside of him giving him the energy he required to defeat the man before him, to wrestle the knife from his grasp and plunge it into his throat.
He turned only to check on the child and opened his eyes wide as he witnessed a full melee inside the chamber. The Vulcan's hands had been freed and the boy had applied a nerve pinch to the other offending captor. Trip gasped as he felt another stinging blow from the knife at his back. Struggling to turn, he saw Baz walking past him with a grim smile on his face. "NO!" Trip screamed when he realized that Baz thought him no threat and that he was making his way to the boy. The boy...he could not let this happen! Trip forced himself to move past the gripping pain and dizziness threatening to overwhelm him. He forced himself to lurch forward and grasp Baz's robe. Baz flicked a glance at him as if surprised that Trip was still standing. Trip gave him no time to contemplate, but slammed into Baz with all of his strength reaching again for the knife. Baz was finally forced to concentrate on Trip and leave the Vulcan child alone. They fell to the ground and rolled locked in combat. Baz's eyes burned into his full of fury and insanity. Lost to any reason. Fueled by his mind's psychosis, Baz shoved Trip's head to the floor and lifted the knife over his head. Baz's lips curled back from his teeth snarling like a rabid dog. Trip was fast losing consciousness, but before losing himself to darkness he saw the Vulcan reach around Baz's neck and pinch...
Later Trip was to learn that Malcolm had called in the cavalry of agents. Section 31 had not been pleased to get an emergency call of such magnitude. However, once done, they did not complain nearly so much. Most all of the occupants had been dealt with by phaser fire or by their own fanatical hands. Baz was dead by an unknown hand. Trip was never certain if it was the boy who had killed him, but he was ever grateful to the boy for saving his life.
For now, Trip was just elated that the Vulcan had been delivered safely to his family. It was over.
The meld ended. Trip sat back staring at T'Pol for a moment before he started to shake. Great wracking sobs tore through him... relief that the boy had been saved, horror that he had not been able to save the Andorian woman or perhaps countless others at Baz's hands. T'Pol reached for him and simply held him against her while his emotions spent themselves.
She closed her eyes, wishing that she had not been a witness to such events, yet relieved that Trip had shared them with her. His trust, his heart were hers.
Much later, the two descended the stairs together and were greeted with cautious smiles from the Tuckers.
Trip lifted the corners of his mouth in a tired smile. His mother could still see the haunted shadows in his eyes, but they seemed less intense than they had been. T'Pol's eyes seemed just as tired and now carried some of those shadows.
Concern caught at her and she frowned at T'Pol when the woman looked at her. T'Pol nodded slowly. Kathleen breathed a sigh of relief. Everything was going to be alright.
Trip walked before them with T'Pol at his side. In a gesture that surprised T'Pol and confused his parents, he held out his hand with only two fingers extended. T'Pol met his smile with one that lit her eyes. Her face appeared as serene as ever.
"Mom. Dad. I just wanted to tell you that T'Pol and I, well we've finally come to the conclusion that we are bonded and there is just no gettin around that. So...T'Pol is to be my wife."
Kathleen and Charles Tucker beamed at the two of them. Both immeasurably pleased that their son had finally come to his senses.
T'Polmet Trips brilliant blue eyes and lifted her brow "Better late than never."
Trip broke into an honest grin. "Couldna said it better myself"