Title: Demons Part 3
Part/Chapter: 4 of 4
Summary: Set after 'Demons'. My resolve of the Terra Prime crisis. Read this, if you didn't like what happened in the last two episodes :)
Spoiler: 4.20 'Demons'
Rating: PG-13 (just to be on the save side, or is it 'T' now?)
Disclaimer: If Enterprise would belong to me, there would definitely be a fifth season. But since this isn't the case… All characters of Star Trek Enterprise belong to Paramount.
A/N: Sorry that this last chapter took so long, but it's exam time again and summer (finally the sun is coming out from behind the clouds…). I hope the length of this chapter will make up a little for the long wait.

Thanks for all the nice reviews and the help with some problems.

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Chapter 4

"You want me to lie!" Trip's voice cut through the silent white room. But his surprise and disbelieve were soon replaced with anger and anguish. "Are you already denying our relationship… again!" Hurt was evident in the engineer's voice.

T'Pol felt her mate's eyes bore into her body. She leaned forward and grasped her Human's hand, entangling their fingers. "I ensure you, Ashayam, this was not my intention – nor to cause you discomfort." Her bondmate relaxed visibly – not only because of her use of the Vulcan term of endearment.

"I was just suggesting, the easiest way to stay on Enterprise would be to convince the authorities of Starfleet Command that we both wish to take care for our daughter, but since we are merely colleagues, the only way to accomplish this would be to remain on Enterprise. Furthermore the non-fraternization rule would also cause no difficulties."

Trip was contemplating the young Vulcan's idea. "This would be an extra to the fact that Terra Prime is still out there and things on Vulcan aren't that rosy either… But we have already told Jon."

"After our breakfast yesterday, I was so free to ask the Captain to remain silent about the whole subject."

Trip watched the science officer's eyebrows furrow for a brief moment. "What's the matter? Something wrong with Lizzie?" He asked concerned.

"I believe it's her diaper again."

A smirk appeared on the young man's features noticing his mate's visible distress. "You are like a pro being a Mom, but when it comes to changing diapers all your superior Vulcan skills are useless." His grin widened when he saw her death-glare. "I better come and help, before my little girl has no oxygen left in her lungs."

"She is not crying yet."

"Not… then how do you know?" Now it was Trip's turn to frown.

"As I told you, Elizabeth is part of our bond. I'm sensing her uneasiness."

"Why don't I feel her then?"

"You will. The bond needs time to deepen and you need practice to use this connection."

The engineer sighed. "Practice." To him that sounded like studying a stack of old dusty books, though he knew what she meant.

"Meditation." T'Pol clarified. "I believe she will start crying soon."

"Fine. I'll come to your quarters and show you how to change her." Trip rose to his feet and turned around to leave, then hesitated. "Where is the exit again, darlin'?"

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Malcolm Reed entered his captain's ready room, a PADD in his hand and sadness on his face. "Sir, this is the report on the Terra Prime logs. Hoshi was able to decode them."

"Good work, Lieutenant." Archer noticed the uneasy expression on the young man's face. "Is something, Malcolm?"

"Sir, I recommend to not show those logs to Commanders T'Pol and Tucker." The commandant of Enterprise simply nodded motioning his armoury officer to continue. "Elizabeth wasn't their first attempt." He took a deep breath to steady himself. "There were three other children. … Two died during late stage of pregnancy and the third child… a boy, was born alive. But it seems those … bastards had blundered with his DNA … he fought for his life for six days… even the machines couldn't keep him alive."

"The body?" But Malcolm's expression told him, he wouldn't want to hear the answer.

For a moment a terrified expression was plastered on Captain Archer's features. There was no way his two closest friends would ever learn of that information. He realised the worried look Malcolm gave him and he caught himself starring at the grey metal plating of his room's wall. "They won't learn of this." Another minute past before Archer was able to form another coherent thought. "Did you get the list I asked for?"

"Yes, sir. The medical staff seems all right. … Travis helped me with suspicious individuals. We believe Commander Kelby, Lieutenant MacCay, Ensign Kowalski and Crewmen Asuka and Hawk aren't kosher."

"Have they made any comments about the baby? Or T'Pol and Trip?"

"Parsons had heard MacCay call the child names."

"Have an eye on him… and the others." The captain watched Malcolm turn around to leave, but the man hesitated a moment.

"Sir, may I ask if you know of the plans of Trip and T'Pol? Some of us would want to throw a farewell-party, if… when they leave."

"I don't know anything, Malcolm." Archer lied. "Time will tell."

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With a smile on his lips Travis left Shuttle bay more than glad to have had some last private minutes with Gannet Brooks, escorting her back down to Earth. They had talked and were able to come to terms again. Still, there was the pang of betrayal heavy on his heart – she had used him, his affection for her, to gain unlimited access to Enterprise and valuable information.

The Helms man shook his head and shifted his thoughts to more pleasant ones. He lifted the colourful paper bag he carried and allowed himself to have a last look on its content before he would hand it over to its orderer. The eyes fixed on the item, a smile on his face, Travis rounded a corner, bumping into a crewmember. Before he realized whom he had just ran into an apology had already left his mouth. "Sorry, wasn't watching."

"That's obvious!" came the remark in an unique southern accent.

Travis' head shot up, meeting Commander Tucker's amused features. "Oh, it's you, sir."

"Yeah, it's me." Trip's broad grin disappeared and the slightly older man leaned nearer and whispered conspirationally. "Did you get it?"

Travis nodded, the warm smile back on his face. "But I was so free to choose another color. The item with the requested color wasn't aesthetically pleasant – to put it in nice words - as I believe this one is." The ensign watched Trip opening the bag and peeking inside, the corners of his mouth rising – almost matching that impossible big smile of a Denobulan. "It's perfect, Travis." The engineer looked up his eyes sparkling. "Can't wait to give this to her! ... Thanks. I owe you a favour."

Before the next second had a chance to pass, Travis saw his friend rush down the corridor. A little startled he lifted his purse, winking after the other man. "Your change, sir."

Trip turned half around still walking down the walkway. "Nah, keep the money."

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Through the bond T'Pol sensed her mate approach her quarters, waves of pure joy radiated from him. She found her own curiosity growing about the reason for his extremely good temper. The Vulcan heard her daughter giggle and looked down to the frisky infant in her lap. "You are sensing your father's emotions as well, Elizabeth." The girl's blue eyes lit up as if she liked hearing her name. Gently the baby was taken by her mother and was held in front of the woman, her little feet 'standing' on her mother's lap.

"Your father is here." Informed T'Pol her daughter, when she felt Trip standing in front of her door. A moment past and Enterprise's SIC furrowed her brows in an almost human gesture when the door chime rang out. She wondered why he didn't enter the security code to open the door. "Come in."

The door slid open to reveal a smiling chief engineer. He stepped closer while his hands where clasped behind his back. "How are my two girls?"

"I'm hardly a girl, Trip. … But we are fine." T'Pol's eyes followed her mate's movement nearing the bed, on which she sat with her child. When he bent down to be on the same eyelevel his daughter was, the Vulcan sat Elizabeth back onto her lap, so the child would face her father.

Trip smiled at the cooing baby. "Hello, Lizzie. Daddy has a present for you." He slowly removed his right hand from behind his back and brought a multi-colored paper-bag into the little girl's field of vision.

Elizabeth starred wide eyed at the bag, more fascinated by the shiny rainbow-colors printed on the paper than wondering about the item it obviously held. Laughing heartily she clapped her small hands and teetered back and forth on her mother's lap.

"So you wanna see your present, sweety?" Trip grinned cheerful about his daughter's pleasure. He retrieved with his free hand a fluffy, yellow-brown teddy bear with big brown eyes and a red loop around its neck. Trip sat the stuffed animal down on his daughter's legs, watching a mixture of different emotions flew over the cubby face. First it was fear about the unknown object, then uncertainty about what the object's purpose was and then curiosity about the funny face and the soft material. "Teddy wants to be your friend, Lizzie." With those words the engineer laid the toy into the girl's arms.

Instantly Elizabeth gripped for the round ears and black nose, burring her face into the bear's soft belly. She hugged the toy and pressed the head to her chest, kissing and chewing the animal's ear at the same time.

T'Pol observed fascinated her daughter's exploration of the toy that was almost as big as the girl herself was. It was obvious even without the parent-child-bond that the lifeless creature gave great pleasure to her child. Her gaze travelled to her bondmate who was visible exited about the positive reaction his gift had caused. After a while T'Pol remembered Trip's words and wondered about the Humans' need to give even things names and treat them as living and intelligent beings. It had taken her years to see more in the Captain's dog than a primitive life form.

"She likes it!"

A delicate Vulcan brow rose. "I don't see the logic in giving a toy in form of a dangerous animal to our daughter. She will grow up with a wrong impression."

"Hardly, darlin'. She will know the difference between her harmless teddy bear and a real bear with claws and fangs." Trip saw the disbelieving expression on the Vulcan's face. "Almost every Human child has a teddy bear or some other 'dangerous' stuff animal." She was still not convinced. Trip rose from the floor and sat down next to his mate, greeting her with a light and sweet kiss on her warm lips. His little manoeuvre seemed to have the desired effect. Both spent the next minutes in companionable silence watching their daughter giggle and play.

T'Pol's stubborn got the better of her and she asked, not facing the engineer. "The animal's color is incorrect."

Trip laughed loudly and placed a kiss on his Vulcan's cheek. "If you already don't like this color, than I'm glad Travis didn't buy the pink one I instructed him to purchase." He found himself suddenly faced with a disbelieving expression on his beloved one's beautiful features that said as much as 'PINK?'

Awareness of her small emotional outburst dawned on T'Pol and she rose her eyebrow at her mate's satisfied smile in an attempt to play down her not so Vulcan-like behaviour. She really had to meditate tonight - without any visits of Trip in her mind's refuge.

She felt a change of subject was needed. "I believe you have finally spoken with your parents."

"Yeah. They will arrive here tomorrow at 14:00 hours. After our first briefing with Starfleet."

A light uncertainty was audible in the Science officer's voice. "How did your family react?"

"Good." Trip smiled warily.

The young Vulcan studied her bondmate a long moment. "You did not tell them about us."

"Not exactly." He exhaled slowly and his eyes wandered to the floor. "No, I didn't. … Didn't find the right words. … I told them that I have to see them and that there are two very special people I want them to meet."

Carefully T'Pol inquired further. "So, you believe your parents' reaction won't be a positive one?"

"No, they'll love you and the little one. It's just a lot to take in for them." Trip felt worry slipping through his love's emotional barriers. He leaned forward and kissed her on her temple. "Don't worry, darlin'." He heard a hardly audible sigh escape her lips.

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The captain of Enterprise stood in front of the transporter platform readying himself for the 'bear hugs' he knew he would receive in a few seconds. He nodded his ok to Lieutenant Reed to energize the device and he watched two blue sparkling rays appear and then disappear into the materialized bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Tucker. Jon smiled when he saw the confused and somewhat frightened faces of the two elderly people. 'You'll never forget your first beam.' Jon smiled warmly and approached the visitors. He extended his hand and Mrs. Tucker gratefully took the offered help.

As soon as Kathleen Tucker had left the higher platform her arms encircled the commandant of Enterprise and she hugged him like a long lost son. "Jonathan!"

Tentatively Jon patted her back and was relieved being able to breathe again when the older woman released him from her grasped. "It's good to see you, Kathleen." Then he turned his attention to Mr. Tucker. "Charles." The older man shook his hand firmly and hugged him in a short embrace. "Jon."

In the meantime Malcolm had neared the parents of his best friend watching the exchange warily. He caught his captain's eyes and shook hands with both Tuckers, inwardly glad to not being hugged, when his superior officer introduced everyone.

Kathleen's eyes scanned the room and her features were covered in worry. "Where is Trip?"

The smile never left Jon's face, while he led the way out of the room, the Tuckers and Malcolm on his heels. "He's waiting in my private dining room. I'll show you to him immediately. He can't wait to see you."

"So do we." The woman's features relaxed and she tugged a silver-blond strain behind her ear.

The small group entered the next turbolift and Jon tried his best with a little smalltalk. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but due to the tumults caused by the Terra Prime sympathizers outside every Starfleet facility, we couldn't risk bringing you via shuttle pod."

"That's fine, Jon. I had never thought I would be …beamed." Kathleen Tucker still seemed a little dizzy from her 'travel'.

Charles Tucker's face grew a little darker. "They aren't completely wrong." This comment caused an exchange of worried looks between Jon and Malcolm. Neither of them knew what to reply and both were glad when they finally arrived in front of the captain's dining room.

"Here you go. Take as much time as you need with your son." A last smile appeared on Jon's face. "I'm needed on the bridge. It was good to see you."

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Trip was in front of the door, pacing impatiently back and forth, while T'Pol stood silently next to the large window holding their daughter. She felt her mate's anxiety about the upcoming meeting, which caused her just more difficulty to suppress her own concerns about finally meeting her lover's parents. The day before she had thought the greater part of her concerns would involve the briefing with Starfleet in the morning - which had been relatively short and quite successful, despite a final word was not spoken yet – but now she was facing disturbing emotions that kept her mind occupied.

A hiss of the door indicated the arrival of the Tuckers. Trip immediately stopped in his tracks and turned to the entrance, just to be greeted by a warm embrace of his mother's. Despite the burning sensation in his chest the young engineer held his mother tight, happy to finally see her after almost two years.

His father stepped closer and laid his hands on his son's and wife's back, somehow joining the hug with this gesture. When he saw his son's face contort in pain, he instantly withdrew his hands. "Is something wrong, my boy? Are ya injured?"

This statement brought Kathleen back into reality and she watched terrified how her eldest son held his chest for a brief moment, steadying himself.

Trip's expression changed from pain to his custom brilliant smile, signalling his parents and T'Pol that he was ok. "I'm fine, Dad. Just a scratch." His beam widened. "I'm so happy to see ya. How was the transport?"

"Fast." Charles laughed heartily and watched his son step to one side, revealing a woman holding a baby in her arms. A Vulcan woman – his smile faded.

Kathleen saw the expectation on her son's features. "Ya remember I told ya I want ya to meet someone special." A moment of silence lingered in the room before the engineer continued. "May I introduce. This is Commander T'Pol. T'Pol, these are my parents Kathleen and Charles Tucker, jr.." Trip turned around indicating the Vulcan woman, who wore a very un-Vulcan-like blue catsuit and make-up, and who extended her right hand – also in a not Vulcan way of mannerism. Before Kathleen could shake hands with the other woman the engineer gently picked up the baby the Vulcan was holding.

Unsure what to say Kathleen just grasped her hand carefully. "Hello."

T'Pol shook briefly hands with Trip's mother her eyes wide with expectation. Then she held her hand in Mr. Tucker's direction, but the old man made no sign he would accept her greeting, so she tipped her head. She watched him return the nod.

Though her face was serene as ever Trip felt T'Pol's concern grew by his father's lack of blandness. He sent support through the bond, while he balanced baby Lizzie on his hip. "And this young lady is Elizabeth T'Mir Tucker." Hearing her name again the little girl cooed and griped for her father's collar.

Kathleen observed the small child, the chubby face, the blue eyes and the pointed ears. "In the news they said the baby was a hoax." She inwardly begged this information was right.

Trip tightened his grip around his daughter. "Baby Lizzie is no hoax."

"Tucker… is she yours?" asked Kathleen wide eyed, she hardly dared to ask.

Gently Trip kissed the downy crown of the blond baby and traced the edge of her pointed ear with his finger. "Your long wished granddaughter."

Kathleen was shocked. It was true. Why had it to be her son of all people? "Why … didn't ya tell us earlier?"

"We just know of Lizzie for not even a week."

"I don't understand?"

"Let's sit down first." Carefully Trip laid his daughter back into her mother's arms and sat down beside her, opposite his parents. "What you'll hear now is highly classified. You are not allowed to tell anybody." He briefly exchanged a glance with his mate before he continued. "Enterprise had a Terra Prime spy aboard and after our arrival from the Expanse, he stole two DNA samples out of sickbay and gave them to Paxton. Those samples were from T'Pol and me." He paused a moment. "Lizzie was conceived without our knowledge. One week ago Lizzie's nurse, also a Terra Primer, had looked up T'Pol and gave a single hair to her. Our doctor examined the DNA and came to the conclusion that there was a child out there that was T'Pol's and mine." Again a pause. "We began to search for clues immediately and came to the conclusion that answers might be found in the mining colony on the moon. The two of us went undercover and found our daughter in the hands of Paxton and his loonies." Anger flashed in Trip's eyes for a short moment, but then a beat later his expression softened. "As you can see we were able to save Lizzie."

Charles had been awfully silent the entire time. His face was as unreadable as the one of a Vulcan, but inwardly his anger boiled. How could have Paxton dared to use his son for his experiments! There was no doubt; this child was not part of his family. Sometimes his son was too good-hearted to see what was good for him. Despite his inner tumult, the older man stayed calm. "Since this child is just an experiment you don't have to feel responsible for it, son." Kathleen's head snapped abruptly to face her husband.

"What?" Trip starred in pure shock at his father, anger rose within him. "I can't believe you said this! Elizabeth is my child! My flesh and blood!"

"Without genetics the kid would never exist! Nature wouldn't allow this to happen!" His cold gaze travelled from his son's features to the little creature in the Vulcan's arms.

"Charles!" Kathleen was furious about her husband's behaviour. Didn't he see they were gonna loose their son because of his words?

Trip hissed sickened. "God, and I'd told Lorian that you would have been proud of him." Trip shook his head disgusted. "How stupid I was!"

"Lorian?"

For the first time T'Pol spoke, her voice slightly unsteady, but her face wore still the stony unreadable Vulcan facade. "Our son." She held Lizzie tighter to her chest. "We lost him during the Xindi War." T'Pol couldn't bear the silence neither could she withstand Mr. Tucker's stare that was glued to her and her daughter. "If you excuse me, I believe Elizabeth is hungry." She exchanged a brief gaze with her bondmate and then fled out of the room.

Trip's eyes followed his love leave the room, feeling her anger and pain coming in waves through their connection. As soon as the doors had slid shut, his own anger got the better of him and he addressed his father shouting. "Are you nuts? I can't believe you did this." He thought for a moment. "You have hurt T'Pol."

"She has no feelings I could have hurt. She is a Vulcan, if you have forgotten."

"Vulcans have emotions they just suppress them. T'Pol is the most passionate woman I know." He remembered the night a year ago that'd changed everything between the two. "Without her I wouldn't have left the Expanse alive. She took care of me after my sister's death."

"So ya got her pregnant after all?" Kathleen asked tentatively.

Trip shook his head. "Lorian is a long story, even longer than little Lizzie. But also classified." He thought for a moment. "But I can tell you he was bright. He had my blue eyes and T'Pol's pointed ears, just like his sister." A proud smile was on his lips. "T'Pol denied everything concerning our son. Never talked 'bout him. Until now. I believe Lizzie is helping her to accept Lorian and his … fate." He glanced from his mother's confused face to his father's with hatred filled one. His own anger came back to the surface. "I'm just glad Lizzie is too small to understand what you have said." Before either of his parents could say anything, Trip had moved toward the door. The moment before he left, the engineer faced his father once more. "And stop referring to my daughter as 'it'!"

In total shock Kathleen had watched her son leave. She saw her family fall into pieces because of her husband. This wasn't the man she had married forty-three years ago. Slowly tears welled up in her crystal blue eyes. "I don't know you anymore. You would rather loose our son than accepting that little baby?" More tears ran down her flushed cheeks.

Charles hissed disgusted. "Trip will come to his senses eventually, Kath."

"You are the one, who needs to come to his senses! Can't you see that Trip loves the child … and her mother, Charles!" With that Kathleen stormed out of the room, desperate to save what was left to be saved.

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TBC…

A/N: The other half of this chapter will be up tomorrow. I just have to reread and fix it a little.

PLEASE UPDATE