Only You Ch12

By Athena

Rating: R

Disclaimer: Star Trek: Enterprise is the property of Paramount

Summary: As Pon Farr approaches for T'Pol she has to make some choices regarding her relationship with Trip. Of course nothing goes as expected and Trip and T'Pol must decide how to proceed with their relationship.
Spoilers: all the way through the end of Daedalus and AU after that.

Authors Note: Another warning here, the first part of the chapter contains some sexual content. I'm sure readers that have gone through a pregnancy will appreciate why I added it. ;)

Chapter 12

Trip was lying on the beach and letting the sun warm his body. He was enjoying the cool breeze and occasional spray of seawater as the waves crashed against nearby rocks. He recognized this particular beach on Maui. He was wondering what he was doing on Maui when his thoughts were interrupted by the presence of another.

T'Pol was standing before him. She was dressed in a two-piece Hawaiian bathing suit and wearing a flower lei. She was stunning. She knelt down between his legs as he pushed himself up. Then she placed a hand on either side of his face and kissed him. The kiss became more urgent and he felt himself growing aroused.

Suddenly she broke the kiss and looked around. "This is a beach on Earth?"

"Uh-huh. A little place called Maui."

"It is beautiful," she remarked.

"You're beautiful," he said reaching for her.

She turned her gaze back to him. "As are you," she replied before devouring his mouth once more.

He reached up and cupped her breasts. She gasped and threw her head back causing him to react in kind. He unfastened her top and it fell away exposing her breasts. He began to tease her nipples and she let out an almost animalistic growl.

Wanting to get closer to her he pulled her down to him and then rolled on top of her. He looked down at her, lying beneath him against the golden sand. She was naked from the waist up except for the flower lei. Trip's breath caught and he found it was difficult to even swallow. He was sure he had never seen anything so beautiful in his entire life.

T'Pol reached up and traced the side of his face and his jaw before reaching behind his head and pulling him down into a passionate kiss.

He began to slowly rock against her, eliciting soft cries and moans of pleasure. Her utterances were fueling his arousal and soon they were both caught up in a firestorm of passion. Something in the back of his mind reminded him that there was a problem. Suddenly it hit him, the baby!

That realization was enough to pull him out of the dream he'd been having. He realized he was on Enterprise in his quarters, well technically T'Pol's quarters but no one even bothered to look for him in his assigned quarters anymore. He was in bed and still very much aroused. T'Pol was lying beneath him. Her eyes were closed and she was moaning softly as she arched her back to press up against him. He realized he was still rocking against her.

He knew he should stop but he was fast approaching the point where doing so would be extremely difficult. He settled for slowing the tempo and tried to catch his breath. "T'Pol," he called out to her.

She opened her eyes to meet his. They were dark with desire and he was almost undone by that look. "We need to stop," he said through clenched teeth.

"Trip, please," T'Pol's voice was raw with need. He realized that it had been a long time for her and he could feel her need through the bond. Perhaps he could bring her to climax without penetration.

Yes! He heard and even felt her assert through their bond.

He turned his focus to T'Pol and how to bring her to climax before he was undone himself. Her mind was completely open to him and he instinctively knew what she wanted. He reached up and stroked one of her ears before capturing her in a passionate kiss. He could feel the fire his caresses ignited in her. She was so close now.

He broke the kiss and whispered her name as he realized there would be no holding back his own release once T'Pol's was achieved. The sound of his voice, thick with his desire for her, was all it took and she cried out as she spasmed beneath him.

He felt her call out his name in her mind as she clutched him tightly while she road out the waves of ecstasy assaulting her. Her mind was still completely open to him and, for the first time, he was able to experience and understand T'Pol's feelings for him. She had told him that Vulcans suppressed their emotions because they felt so strongly that their emotions overwhelmed them. He hadn't really been able to comprehend that until now. T'Pol cherished him above anything she had ever known in her life and the strength of her feelings for him terrified her. She felt completely swept away by her feelings for him.

Trip let out a gasp as the depth of T'Pol's love for him pervaded him and pushed him over the edge into his own release. "Oh God darling!" he cried out.

Moments later Trip collapsed onto T'Pol who then reached up to cradle his head against her neck. They were both still breathing heavily. Trip was in a daze. His body was still recovering from throws of pleasure and his mind was reeling from the impact of discovering the intensity of T'Pol's love for him. He reached an arm around her waist and pulled her even more tightly to him. His heart was still pounding hard in his chest.

He wanted to stay like this forever. Suddenly he felt fiercely possessive of T'Pol. Mine! His mind declared forcefully. He noticed the ends of T'Pol's mouth curl up in the barest hint of a smile. Through their bond he understood that the raw emotion he was now experiencing was what it felt like for a Vulcan to be in love.

As the intensity of the moment faded, Trip loosened his grip on T'Pol and began lightly stroking her face and arm. "I had no idea how terrifying this whole thing, us, has been for you," he said softly.

"For Vulcans, the attachment to one's bond-mate develops slowly and after the marriage is in place. There is no uncertainty in the outcome of the relationship and no need to question the pairing. It has already been decided. Our situation is unique and I was ill prepared to cope with what was developing between us. My culture holds no roadmap from which I could seek guidance."

Trip nuzzled against her. "I'd say things turned out just fine."

"Indeed." T'Pol smoothed away locks of hair from his face. Trip smiled at the act. Playing with his hair had become a favorite pastime for her. He wondered of it was the color or texture she found so fascinating.

He sighed as he realized he should really clean up now. The aftermath of their recent activity had caused quite a mess. He was about to push himself up when T'Pol restrained him. She then proceeded to use the bed sheet to clean away the mess, which included divesting him of his underwear. Then she rose and tossed the old sheet away and retrieved a clean one.

Returning to the bed, T'Pol laid down on her side facing him and lightly caressed his chest. Trip took her other hand in his as his felt sleep begin to overtake him.

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T'Pol entered Sickbay and glanced around to find the facility empty except for Dr. Phlox, who was attending to his menagerie.

"Good morning, Commander," he greeted her cheerfully. "What can I do for you?"

"Have you been monitoring the status of the fetus?"

He regarded her with concern. "Of course. You may look for yourself." He brought the information up on the monitor. "Everything is in order. Have you been experiencing any troubling symptoms?"

"No, doctor. However, last night Commander Tucker and I engaged in sexual activity. Although we refrained from intercourse, I wished to ensure that our activity was not detrimental to the baby."

A wide smile appeared on the doctor's face. "I believe you and Mr. Tucker can safely engage in any type of sexual activity you see fit. Your last examination revealed the fetus is doing quite well."

T'Pol nodded and was about to make her exit when Phlox made a further inquiry.

"Have you been experiencing increased sexual desire?"

Had T'Pol been human, she might have become embarrassed by the question. However, she was Vulcan and this line of questioning fell within the doctor's purview.

"How did you know? Is there cause for concern?" She was worried that the Pon farr was returning. She had indeed been experiencing increased desire for her mate.

Her apprehension faded when Phlox began to chuckle softly. "No, Commander, there is no cause for concern. What you are experiencing is completely normal for a female in your condition. The heightened sexual desire is a result of the hormones and other changes your body is undergoing due to the pregnancy."

"Thank you, Doctor. I am relived that this matter presents no cause for concern."

As she turned to leave, Phlox called after her still chuckling, "I'm glad I could be of assistance. Good day Commander."

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Trip frowned down at his fiancée as she continued to hesitate to don her uniform. He had visited the quartermaster and had her uniforms altered to allow a bit more room around her abdomen. Although T'Pol had never complained openly, he knew the growing tightness was making her uncomfortable.

Finally, she acquiesced and pulled on the uniform. She stood and glanced down at her belly. "The additional mass due to the pregnancy is apparent," she commented. Her displeasure was evident in her voice.

Trip rolled his eyes. "Well that uniform of yers isn't exactly designed ta hide your figure. Maybe you should just start wearin' a standard Starfleet uniform for a while."

"The change in uniform would no doubt be noticed by the crew."

Trip's brows furrowed as he tried to make her see reason. "Look Honey, yer almost 12 weeks along, that's when most couples start spreading the good news. Phlox said everything still looks great. Why not just let everyone know we're expecting a baby?" He tried giving her his best puppy dog eyes, hoping to sway her.

T'Pol regarded him blankly then looked back down at the small bulge in her belly. "I was under the impression that pregnancy did not outwardly manifest itself for several more weeks."

Trip shrugged. "Everyone's different. Besides, where exactly did ya think you were gonna hide it? Yer pretty slender as it is."

T'Pol continued to stare down. "I was hoping for a few more weeks."

Trip put his hands on his hips, determined to get her dressed and out of their room before they were late to the staff meeting. "T'Pol, you've been holed up in here for two days wearing yer robe. Now that might be the most comfortable thing ta wear right now but ya can't show up at the meeting in your robe!" He handed her a blue Starfleet uniform. "Here, I picked this up just in case you didn't like the way ya looked in yer old uniform."

T'Pol frowned but accepted the new uniform and quickly changed. The Starfleet jumpsuits were a looser fit than her normal outfit and the slight swelling in her belly was only apparent because Trip knew it was there.

"See, ya look fine. Now let's get going before we're late."

T'Pol remained were she was so Trip took her hand and gently propelled her towards the door. Her grip on his hand tightened and she held onto his hand until they reached the turbolift.

To an onlooker T'Pol would have appeared calm and composed but Trip could sense her nervousness growing as they approached the bridge. "Hey, it's okay. Remember this is good news. Everyone will be happy for us," he reassured her in a low tone.

"No one will be questioning your fitness to perform your job based on my condition. I do not have that advantage."

She wasn't upset with him. He'd be able to tell if she were, but he was ashamed he'd never considered that the pregnancy would impact her life a great deal more than his own because she was the one carrying the child. "Hey, no one is gonna question yer ability to do perform yer duties. Pregnancy and babies are a fact of life. A very good one at that." He smiled affectionately at her.

"Not on a starship."

"I thought that was one preconception you wanted to challenge," he teased her.

"And we will be taking the first step towards that goal in the next several minutes," she replied softly as they entered the ready room.

The entire bridge staff and Dr. Phlox were already present. All eyes were immediately drawn to T'Pol's uniform. Phlox nodded to them with a warm smile. Travis merely looked confused but Hoshi's eyes went wide, then she turned to Malcolm, who was suppressing a grin. Malcolm shot a mischievous look back at Hoshi, whose grin widened as she looked down. The Captain was also smiling at them.

"New uniform T'Pol?" He asked playfully, feigning ignorance.

Trip couldn't hold back anymore and broke into a wide grin of his own. Hoshi was pretending to scowl at him, which caused him to grin even wider as he shrugged at her. She smiled back in return.

"The change in uniform became necessary." T'Pol replied evenly.

The Captain laughed out loud at her reply.

Travis kept looking around at all the grinning faces and suddenly seemed to clue into the situation. "Does that mean…" he stopped there, probably wondering if his question was appropriate.

"Yeah, Travis, we're expecting a baby." Trip knew he should probably act more professionally at a staff meeting but he was too excited that they were finally spreading the news about the baby.

Hoshi was closer to them, so she was the first one to reach Trip and give him a hug. "Congratulations," she said as they embraced. Then she turned to T'Pol. "Congratulations, Commander. If you need anything, night or day, just ask." She was clearly excited for them.

Travis was next to offer his congratulations. "Seems like I was the last to know, again," he joked.

When Malcolm didn't follow suit, T'Pol turned to Trip. "I notice Lieutenant Reed has not offered graduations. Or perhaps he has already done so," she said dryly.

Trip winced. Busted! "Yeah, well, um…"

"It's my fault Commander," Malcolm stepped forward. "I sort of wormed it out of him. My apologies. Let me offer you my congratulations as well."

Trip cast a grateful look at Malcolm. Silently he asked T'Pol to drop it for now.

She turned back to Malcolm. "Thank you Mr. Reed."

"Okay, now that that is out of the way lets get down to business," Archer declared amiably and everyone made their way back to the table.

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Archer made his way to his office and tried to mentally prepare himself for the call that was being transferred there. He'd been forced to inform Starfleet of T'Pol's condition once the news of the pregnancy had spread. He was still amazed at how quickly the entire crew had learned of their first officer's condition. She and Trip had informed the senior staff at a morning briefing and by mid-day it was old news. Given that the entire ship was aware of the situation, Archer had decided to inform Starfleet before they found out second hand. He had done so through the usually status reports and now Starfleet was making an unscheduled call. He was pretty sure the brass at Starfleet Headquarters wouldn't be greeting the news with the same delight as the Enterprise crew.

Taking one last, deep breath, Archer answered activated the viewscreen.

"Admiral Gardner, it's good to see you."

"I'm sure you know why I've contacted you Jonathan." Gardner appeared quite somber.

"I'm guessing it has to do with T'Pol," Archer tried to keep his tone light, despite the Admiral's appearance.

"That would be correct Captain. I'm not going to ask how this happened. What's done is done. I just want to know when we can expect to have to replace her."

Archer frowned. "As a member of Starfleet, she is entitled to three full months of maternity leave with an extension if circumstances warrant."

"I'm not talking about kicking her out of Starfleet. I wouldn't let go of the first Vulcan to sign up with us. She's too much of an asset. I just need to know when you'll need a new science officer. Commander Tucker can take over as XO."

Archer felt his frown deepen and steeled himself for a debate that could turn ugly. "I think we can make due with our current staff until T'Pol is ready to resume her duties. I agree that having Commander Tucker take on the first officer's duties in the meantime is a good idea." Here it comes, he thought to himself.

"Archer, are you suggesting T'Pol stay aboard after she's had the baby? She can't raise the child on a starship! We'll find her a suitable position on Earth, hell, we can even assign her to Vulcan if she wants."

"Actually Admiral, if you've read the reports of the Enterprise we encountered in the Expanse, you'll see that it is quite possible to raise a child aboard this particular starship."

"Those were extraordinary circumstances, Captain, and you know it." Gardner was frowning at him. "Regulations prohibit children to be stationed on Starfleet vessels."

"I've reviewed the regulations Admiral, and they only apply to children who would be joining their parents on board. There is nothing in the regs to prevent a child who is born on board to two members of the crew from staying." Archer prepared himself for a scolding. He knew he was twisting the intent to serve his cause.

"You're playing a game of semantics Jonathan. You know the regulations were meant to prohibit children on aboard Starfleet vessels. You of all people know how dangerous a ship posting can be."

Archer nodded. "I take it then that Starfleet won't consider letting the child stay on board Enterprise?"

"You know that's just not possible Jonathan. Trust me, we'll find something for T'Pol. I'll personally see to it she is taken care of."

Archer nodded again. Time to play the Ace. "Whatever you find, it will have to include a position for Commander Tucker as well. I think he'd prefer the San Francisco area." Archer watched as Gardner's feature registered shock, then confusion, and then anger.

"Commander Tucker would give up his position on Enterprise?"

"Trip's a family man, Admiral. He wouldn't want to be separated from his wife and child for extended periods of time, especially for the first few years." Archer waited for the Admiral's response. He knew the man wasn't going to be happy about having to replace Enterprise's Chief Engineer along with her first officer. It meant filling the Science Officer and Chief Engineer positions with personal capable of handling the XO duties.

"Tucker can't leave Enterprise. We just lost Hanson for the same damn reason. What's with these Warp Five engineers? You have to convince him to stay." Gardner looked as if he was about to say something else when his brow furrowed. "Wait a minute! You said wife? Don't tell me you've gone and married them already?"

Archer let a smile break as he shook his head. "No, Admiral, they aren't married yet. Trip wants to plan the ceremony to include his family. I think he's even trying to get the Vulcans to perform an official Vulcan ceremony in addition to an Earth one."

Gardner pressed his lips together. "Tell me Jonathan, is Tucker just reacting to duty here or is it more?"

Archer turned serious as he replied, "If you are asking if Trip's just marrying her because she's pregnant, the answer is no. They had to go through quite an ordeal just to conceive a child. You aren't going to convince either one of them to split up for the good of Starfleet. I'm pretty sure they'll resign if that's the only way they can stay together."

Gardner was shaking his head vigorously. "Damn it all. She's Vulcan. How did this thing even happen?"

Archer let himself laugh softly despite the Admiral's mood. "You should see them argue."

"I'll have to get back to you, Captain. I didn't anticipate needing a replacement for Commander Tucker as well."

Archer straightened. "Very well Admiral. I'd still like to add that I think we can make it work and keep everyone on board."

Gardner frowned again. "I don't think that's going to be possible Jonathan. I'll contact you again once I've spoken to the men and women at the top."

"I'll look forward to it," Archer replied with more sincerity than he felt. When the screen went dark he sank back into his chair. Well, he'd done all he could for the moment. It was likely that Starfleet would simply reassigned Trip and T'Pol, but at least he would do whatever he could to try to keep them on board.

Tbc

A/N: Thank you for the reviews. It's really the only way I can know what works about this story (and my writing in general) and what doesn't.