A/N: Thank you guys so much. (Sniff!) First, it's been an absolute pleasure and a treat to work with Telaka and Goshabyn. Goodnight Enterprise is such an inventive and imaginative story, it begged to have Salanacon written. In the world that was created there, with so many unspoken moments in Archer and T'Pol's history, I think there are easily other stories that could be explored – when Shran debriefed Archer on the rogue Andorians, the day Archer and T'Pol went to the beach (I'd like to think they re-visited May-or) and Trip caught them in a moment, the day T'Pol had a birthday cake dumped in her lap, Hoshi's photo project …..
Second, the scene in the mirror – I'm glad it presents a side to reality. I think Archer was spot on when he indicated every human feels self-conscious. I'm betting there isn't a man or woman who hasn't caught their own reflection and been disappointed by it at least once.
----
Archer and T'Pol took in the scenery nearly every day and she mentally scolded herself for not doing so sooner. The captain was right, the trails had exquisite flora and fauna. The colors of the animals were brilliant and exotic, caused by a unique chemical reaction that she would have to search further when they joined Enterprise again. Creatures whirled overhead from towering trees; the animals, which reminded her of sa'durak – little primates that enjoyed the caves as their homes, were wondrous. Their small hairy faces appeared to always be smiling.
Dramatic cliffs lined some of the island's perimeter and every day she was astounded to see Archer creep just a little closer to the edge as if he was going to jump off, hurling himself below with the natives. Eventually, he'd sigh and return to her side, which made her heartbeat and breathing return to normal.
More than anything she enjoyed the warm sunshine on her skin and noticed a light bronze that began to build up – a color that managed to hide many of her imperfections. Although, she noted, she thought about her disfigurement less and less … or perhaps the captain was correct that time actually healed her wounds rather than hiding them.
True to her word, she also decided to venture to the beach. She dressed in a shortened version of a wetsuit with a coverall over it – the length protected her from the chilly sea and covered many of her flaws. When they'd reached sand, and her wheelchair could no longer assist her, Archer swung her into his arms and set her down before spreading out a blanket. Making chitchat, he would open his book, kick off his shoes and tug at his shirt while she pushed off her robe. They lay in the sunshine until one was ready to take the plunge.
The first time was the most traumatic. After stretching out on the blanket for a couple of hours to enjoy the sunshine, he finally looked at her.
"Ready?" he asked.
Timidly watching the gentle waves of the ocean, she provided a hesitant nod.
Lifting her, he started to take her from their blanket and toward the water. Her forearm, which was exposed, rubbed against his hairy chest accidentally and the woman stared up with concern.
"I apologize."
"It's okay," he said.
And then suddenly, her waist felt wet and for a moment panic alighted her eyes.
"I gotcha," he said.
He was about to let her go, probably so that her fingers would stop clenching his skin like talons, when she clutched him harder.
"I'm not ready," she said.
Giving a small smile, he nodded. "Okay."
Although she felt weightless, she clung to him for a few reasons. Despite having to pass a swimming test to serve on Earth, she'd never been comfortable in the water … especially since it'd been ten years since she'd last swum. She wasn't sure, when he set her down, whether she'd be able to stand and the thought of her legs giving way made her nervous. And then, finally, she realized being in his arms was safe. That was the thing about her strange friendship with Archer, she felt protected when near.
"Look!"
A furry, brown head bobbed up from the clear blue water. The animal had long whiskers – obviously mammal – with white spots and black eyes. Blurting out something between a honk and a bark, his webbed foot slapped the water.
"I've seen him almost every day but not this close," Archer whispered.
I wish I had my scanner, she thought as it dodged over her shoulder and out her sight
"Kinda looks like a cross between an otter and a seal. Can you see him okay?" he whispered.
Actually, she couldn't and before she spoke up, Archer shifted positions so that his hands wrapped loosely around her waist. Watching the animal, it took her a few minutes to realize the sea was up to her middle and yet … she still felt secure.
"I think there's a whole family living over there," he said. One arm carefully maneuvered away from her and pointed to a small cave that was barely within eyesight. "I saw a smaller one yesterday."
Before long, she left his protective hold to kick her weak legs and arms.
Within a few days of this routine, she noticed how much stronger her limbs were. And soon, like Archer, she looked forward to their trips to the beach. One of the things she enjoyed most was sitting on the towel and reviewing scans she'd taken of local flora and fauna. She even managed to sneak a scanner close enough to the sea creature to determine what it was. The native word was Goolari and it literally meant "silly one." Noticing the way the animal slapped its feet against the water and the splashing it amused itself with, she happened to agree. And yet, there was a striking similarity between the way the little creature zipped along in the water, poked its head out and splashed simply because it could and the way Archer bobbed in out of waves and splashed no one in particular simply because he could. In fact, he even chuckled for no reason other than pure joy.
It was times like this she furrowed her brow at the notion of leaving. Once, he saw her consternation and left the ocean to lie on the towel with her.
"Everything okay?" he asked.
"Yes," she lied. Her eyes noticed – despite his tan – his nose and cheeks had sunburned as they did almost daily.
"What's wrong?"
"I believe I said I was fine."
"You did, and I'm asking you what's wrong." He paused. "I know you, T'Pol."
"It will be difficult to leave."
He blinked. "I think so, too."
"Maybe we can come here again some day."
"I hope so."
The twinkle in his eye that shone, sparkled and then his eyes became a little dark before he averted them. His mouth opened, as if he had something to say, and then he closed it and turned his attention to the ocean out ahead.
-----
Each day her limbs grew stronger until one day, her wheelchair had disappeared completely. It was a conspiracy among the captain, Trip and Dr. Phlox, but one that had paid off entirely.
T'Pol opened her eyes in the morning slowly and instead of seeing the contraption by her bed, there was a cane – a sleek one. Ivory in color with Vulcan symbols strewn across it, it leaned against her nightstand.
Her conspirators had obviously done their homework – the Vulcans, despite being logical beings, saw large staffs as a sign of respect. The one that leaned against her nightstand was one that Surak would've been proud – pride: an emotion – to use.
Scenes had been painted onto it: Surak at Mt. Selaya, Master Katar (the man who'd helped perfect meditation principles that every child used), the a boy completing the kaswan ritual and other moments in the life of a Vulcan.
Counting them, she'd witnessed or been taught every one. At the age of seven, she had learned the Katar method of meditation, surpassing many of the children in her class. Her father had instilled the stories of Surak from a much younger age, and she'd been aware of every one. She herself had completed the kaswan ritual, left in the desert for several days. Every picture was her life. Everyone.
Still.
A knock disrupted her thoughts.
"Come in," she said.
"I see you found it." Archer pointed to the cane. "I just hope you're not too mad. We wanted to surprise you."
"It was unexpected." Pausing she held the staff in her hand. "When a Vulcan reaches 150, it is customary that he or she receives a staff such as this. It pays homage to their age." She paused. "It is to honor his or her wisdom."
He looked down.
"You knew," she said.
He said, "I've lived among Vulcans all my life. Storak retired while my father was still alive; he received a gift like this from Soval, in fact. My father explained what it was.
"I know you're a little too young to receive it …. But, you have a lot of wisdom to me and the rest of the crew. Besides, Phlox and Trip helped me get it."
"These staffs come in three colors – ivory, red and gold. I have always preferred ivory," she said.
"I'm glad to hear it," he said.
"You honor me," she said. "And I believe you and the doctor are correct. It is time for me to accept the next challenge."
"Good. We weren't sure exactly how you'd react." He gave a sheepish grin. "Trip said, 'I'm glad you're down on the planet with her and not me.'"
"Am I that stubborn and unwilling to change?" she asked.
Archer blinked several times before answering. "No more so than me."
His eyes sparkled as they sometimes did and he watched as she used the cane to leave her bed. The material in her hand felt smooth and sturdy. Almost right away, she was able to use it without bobbling back and forth. Marveling at it and running her hands over the sanded wood, she looked back at the captain and her eyes held a glimmer as well.
"Thank you."
He shrugged. "I'll start working on breakfast." And then he left.
Holding onto the stick, she reveled in her Vulcan tradition. She may be more emotional, but this symbol and the runes and pictures on it reminded her of her culture. Reminded her that she was Vulcan. Standing a little taller, she used the Kau to get to the bathroom.
-----
Three days before they were scheduled to return home, Archer and T'Pol took a walk along a pathway through a thicket of overgrown trees – ones that reminded her of Earth's mangroves in size and thickness without being suspended in water. The foliage everywhere was lush and for a moment, she was reminded of the movie Trip liked about killer snakes from the rainforest.
The Vulcan was slowed by her cane, but the human next to her continued to wait until she caught up or slow his gait for her to keep up.
She took scans of the various creatures and scurried along the trail or zoomed above her head as well as some of the mango-colored flowers that spewed red seed into the air where it rained down tiny bits of confetti. She'd learned they were called "Ma-yori" – a word that loosely translated to dreamers and that the plant released its seed once per day at random intervals. Although the flowers' pollen didn't have any hallucinogenic effects, she wondered if perhaps the lore of the humanoids connected to this one specific flora and made a mental note to ask El'ani.
Up ahead, Archer walked poking his nose in one, and then dusting it off when the plant exploded with a sneeze.
"Isn't this great?" he asked.
It was a new hiking trail that he'd discovered on one of his runs. Apparently he hadn't run down it, just saw it from a distance, but knew "it was one he wanted to hike before they left."
The thought of leaving brought a small frown to her face.
"It's so secluded," he said.
She remembered him complaining about running into too many tourists and travelers on a trail yesterday, one that he said detracted from the notion of "getting closer to nature."
"It is secluded," she said. And silently, she agreed on his other evaluation. The was one of the most scenic walks they'd taken and was made more enjoyable because no one greeted them on the trail. The forest belonged to them.
As they plodded ahead, T'Pol decided to say a few words about their trip … about everything. "Captain, I appreciate you …." There were really too many things that he needed to be thanked for, so she paused and then gazed at him, letting the remark stand. It was much shorter than she had intended and though unfinished, the words summed everything up.
He stopped and turned toward her with a smile. Without letting the moment become too intense, he continued to walk along the trail at a slower pace.
"Want to turn around up here?" he asked, pointing ahead less than a hundred feet.
She looked down at her own legs, which trembled slightly despite walking two miles.
"Yes," she said.
Marching ahead, he continued up the road as she spied something in her scanner. Pressing the blip on her screen, she gathered more details – mammal, approximately 67 kilograms, roughly 1 meter tall. The analysis: a garon.
T'Pol typed the information in to find out more about it as she called out to the captain. "There's an animal at bearing 3.4--"
Her head jerked up when she heard the animal rustle from behind thick foliage to show himself. It was enormous with wiry brown hair and large white tusks jutting out from near its mouth and snout. Behind it was a long spiky tail that smashed nearby leaves to the ground. The grunting sound it made caused her to halt in fear and she waited for further instructions.
"I didn't bring my phaser," he said quietly. "Or communicator. Did you?"
"No."
He was about to move, when she stopped him with her voice. "I recommend remaining still."
Quietly, she called up the information on the garon. Indeed the picture that showed – something that resembled a wild boar – displayed. Notes underneath indicated the animal was aggressive and was known to charge to protect its territory. Occasionally, it would attack if it was hungry or to safeguard young. Her eyes darted up and behind the creature where she heard the subtle sound of running water. Perhaps the garon had nested in the thick of the jungle and guarded her young. The moment her lips opened to convey the information and provide some suggestions, the animal charged.
In a split second, it had toppled Archer – leaping at his chest and sending him hard to the ground. The two wrestled; the captain struggling to free himself from the animal.
Hobbling toward them, she wanted to join the melee.
"No!" Archer yelled at her.
Watching the two thrash, she noticed her captain deliver several punches and blows, further infuriating the snorting beast. More over, she noticed the captain's shirt was doused in scarlet and torn slightly.
When she continued toward them, he fought. "T'Pol, I'm giving you an order!"
Poking the hog-like creature with her cane, it started toward her. But before it could reach her, she smacked it – with all her might – with the cane and sent it howling to the ground. Unable to stand on her weakened legs, she fell and as the animal was about to attack, she grabbed it and wrestled it to the ground. Wrapping her fingers around its thick shoulder, she pinched with all her strength. The beast twitched, as if impervious to the Vulcan practice. As she was about to revert to something more deadly, the garon slunk to the ground – unconscious. Catching her breath, she noted the animal bled, the cane must've drawn the blood, a deep brown color. It clung to its matted fur.
The blood on the captain's shirt is entirely his own.
"I gave you an order," he said. Pushing himself to sit up, he gave a mild groan.
"Starfleet regulations specify that during …," she began, letting her voice trail off. The man's face was paler than usual and she noticed his lips were stained with crimson. A drop of blood leaked from his mouth, trailing down to his chin.
Hurriedly, she crawled over to him as he attempted to stand and then fell helplessly back down. It's when she realized he'd been gored in the side by one of creature's long tusks.
Carefully lifting up his shirt, she saw the wound and her own belly revolted a little. The gash, it was that instead of a puncture, was longer and deeper than she would've suspected, injuring his intestines and other internal organs. She could see something pink and gelatinous, and wondered if his innards were exposed. Ripping a strand off her robe, a part that was clean, she pressed it gingerly to his side as he made a quiet protest.
"Hold this," she said.
Putting a little pressure to the garment, she took his hand and placed it there. Using the scanner, she checked his wound and gave a faint frown at the results: it had indeed ruptured his internal organs. His temperature had already lowered as well – he was going into shock.
He may bleed to death.
As if confirming her fear, she noticed his hands were already soaked where he tried to staunch the flow.
Her mind spinning into overtime, she tried to think of solutions. It took more than an hour to walk two miles, undoubtedly it would take her the same to leave and at least another thirty before someone was able to get back to him. Towing him would be impossible; the damage done to his body made it impossible to drag him over the rough terrain and again it would take him an hour to travel the distance.
"There are not many options," she said mostly to herself.
"I just need to rest for a second."
An eyebrow quivered. "The matter is more grave."
Glancing down at his red hands, he nodded lamely and with confusion.
"Can you walk to get help?" he asked.
"I'm not leaving you," she said.
"I'll be fine," he tried to reassure.
Resolutely, she contradicted him. "I'm not leaving."
Retrieving the scanner a few feet away, crawling to it, she typed in a few commands. Although they didn't have communicators, she could stream data to Enterprise and hope that Hoshi, or whomever was sitting in the communications chair, was watching the entries. Entering the message, she decided to leave it on replay as if an SOS. She typed: EMERGENCY! The captain is injured. Transport immediately.
With that, she left the coordinates, the hour, minutes and seconds of her entry, as well as the date.
The chance that Hoshi was actually at her chair and reviewing low-band transmissions – data streams - was rare. Extremely. So much so, that she refused to calculate the odds.
"Heck of a way to end a vacation," he said.
Although he had a small smile on his face – mildly bemused by the irony – she noticed his teeth chattered.
"Are you cold?" she asked.
"I'm all right."
Dragging her body over to him, she sat next to him hoping that would provide enough warmth. Fiddling with the scanner a little more, she tried to send a signal into the air above – a beam of light – to signify their location. It wasn't quite a flare, but she believed it may help them. Taking the case off the equipment she tweaked with the contents only enough to allow the modification without disrupting her continuous SOS. That was the most difficult part.
"You know, despite what just happened I've had a nice time here," he said.
His voice sounded a little hoarse. Without looking up, she reflected on the comment. Despite having to resolve many physical and mental ailments, she'd had an enjoyable time as well, especially the last couple of weeks.
"I'm glad we finally managed to get to the beach," he said.
"I am as well," she said, continuing her work.
He rattled off a list of highlights of their vacation as she worked feverishly to adjust the scanner. In his long list were small things, moments between the two of them, like seeing the sea creature together and watching her become nervous as he crowded near the cliff's edge as if he was going to hurl himself to the bottom. With each new item or detail, she heard his voice become weaker until it was barely a whisper.
Worse, blood pooled beneath the man and occasionally he coughed to free it from his mouth. It was clear he was on the verge of unconsciousness.
Like a laser beam, she focused on the scanner and began testing the shortened red beam the streamed out. It reached only to the treetops and not above. Determination bade her continue, and she worked rapidly to get it done.
"I remember when we first met at the medical facility. You remember?"
"Yes," she said, keeping her eyes on the contraption in her hands.
"I really didn't like you." His speech was slurred.
Looking out of the corner of her eye, she noted his lips curled up. "I didn't like you either."
"You thought you were better than me," he said. "I didn't like that."
Rigging the display, she tried to project the beam a little longer to no avail.
He whispered, "But, you were right."
She stopped. Staring into his eyes they looked a little vacant – as if the hue was being extinguished. A streak of panic worked itself down her spine preventing her from action.
"I don't think I'd be as strong as you've been, T'Pol. I don't mean just what you've done here … although I think it's taken a lot more chutzpah than I have … I mean serving aboard a ship of aliens …."
"I'm almost able to project the laser above the trees. If I have just a few minutes."
"Struggling with Pa'naar, being attacked by Tolaris …. How I've treated you … sometimes yelled at you. I know it hasn't been easy. And yet you've never complained."
Her voice trembled. "Listen to me. Someone will reach us shortly."
"I've been proud to be your captain and your friend. You mean more to me than you'll ever know."
His eyes slipped shut after the remark, missing by seconds the tear that escaped her duct and was wiped away quickly as if it was never shed. Hoping to rouse him from her slumber, she prodded him gently.
"Captain?"
Her hands wrapped around his wrist and felt a weakened pulse. "Captain?"
Logic flashed through her mind – to continue, desperately, working on the scanner which given another fifteen minutes would most likely work. But emotion overrode everything else and before she could think her hand for the first time stroked his face, including the tiny hairs of his cheek. Sighing, she swept her fingers to his temple and then diverted them to his hair, which felt thicker than she'd imagined … and softer.
Closing her eyes and bowing her head, she echoed deep inside mind. "Please."
It was a plea for her brain to work more quickly and with greater success. Or maybe it was to beg to be rescued. But, a few minutes passed and no one came. Continuing with the scanner was pointless. She'd need more than a few minutes to tweak the contents and it was folly to think she could do so in less than an hour.
"No," she whispered. Shaking his body with a little more force, she reiterated the words.
"No!"
As she took a breath, her heart pumped quickly, straining with emotion. There was yearning there. To save him would bring her delight and joy. If he never opened his eyes again, there would be a void – a profound and crushing one. For a moment, she recalled Trip's comments about love, and wondered if this was it.
"Jonathan," she whispered with a little more desperation.
Just as she was on the edge of destruction, a miracle happened – their forms tingled and twinkled with light.
TBC
A/N: I'm sorry! Okay, one more and we're done.