Redemption

Chapter 15

T'Pol entered the café and was struck by the strong aroma of brewing coffee wafting through the air. Americans were known to be a nation of coffee drinkers — she doubted the selection of teas would be extensive. The place was busy; she squeezed past a few people huddled together near the entrance and then scanned the area looking for Dr. Johnson.

He spotted her first and called out to her. She turned in the direction of his voice and made her way over to him. A few heads had turned at the mention of her name — it certainly didn't sound human. But her being Vulcan didn't seem to cause any trouble, in fact a few people smiled at her as she walked towards the doctor.

A young girl, around seven years of age, tugged at her jacket. T'Pol stopped and looked down at her.

"You're the Vulcan lady from Enterprise?" she asked.

"Yes," T'Pol answered, in a whisper, not wanting to draw attention to herself.

"You're very pretty."

"Thank you."

"Could I have your autograph?"

T'Pol was wary of granting the wish — if she said yes to one child, more might approach her, or adults for that matter. But she didn't wish to disappoint the young girl, so agreed.

The girl took the Vulcan's hand and led her over to the table where she'd been sitting with her parents. When the couple saw whom their daughter had brought over they started to apologize. T'Pol assured them there was no need and asked for the girl's name so she could make the autograph out to her.

"Tabitha." Opening up a small pink handbag she produced a postcard with a photograph of the Enterprise crew. T'Pol recognized the picture — it had been taken a few hours before they'd left on their first mission for Qu'onos to return Klaang. "You and Captain Archer are my heroes." Tabitha continued, "I take this with me everywhere."

T'Pol turned the postcard over to the blank side, signed her name and returned it to Tabitha.

"Thank you so much!" the girl squealed with glee.

"You're welcome."

"Wait till I tell Anna about this — she'll be green with envy!"

T'Pol had no idea who she was speaking of but didn't enquire.

"She's this girl in my class," Tabitha explained. "She was acting all smug last week, going around the whole school boasting about an autograph her father had acquired from an Enterprise crewmember called Rostov. And I've got one from Enterprise's first officer, and in person!"

T'Pol wasn't quite sure how to respond to this, so didn't. "It was nice to meet you Tabitha. I'll be going over to join my friend now."

"T'Pol?"

"Yes?"

"T'Pol has to leave now, Tabitha. Her friend is waiting for her," the mother explained.

"It is all right," T'Pol answered. "What did you want to ask me?"

"Is Captain Archer your husband?"

"No," T'Pol replied, wondering how the young child had come up with such a notion. "He's my commanding officer."

"Oh." Tabitha sounded disappointed. "On the news reports I saw you standing by his side, and in photographs you are always together."

"Because I'm his first officer," T'Pol explained.

"I'm sorry," the mother said, "I have no ideas where she gets these notions from. She has such an imagination."

"It's not a problem, but I really have to go now. Nice meeting you. Goodbye, Tabitha."

The young girl bid her hero goodbye, then turned over the signed postcard to study T'Pol's signature.

T'Pol pulled up a chair and joined Dr. Johnson. "I apologize for the delay."

He smiled. "I'm in no rush. Looks like you've got yourself a fan."

"Indeed." She raised an eyebrow. "For some reason she thought Jonathan and I were married."

"Really? Interesting. Of course that'd be against Starfleet regulations, and I'm betting Jon's a stickler for those. Did she say why she thought that?"

"Because we were photographed together." She didn't comment on what he said about regulations but it made her wonder if Starfleet would be against a married couple working together on the same ship.

"I wouldn't let it concern you — probably just a childish dream."

"It doesn't," she stated.

"I'd surmise you don't care for the attention."

"Not particularly — I was concerned several people would want autographs if I granted one. Fortunately that was not the case."

"Yeah…guess it comes with the job. People do view you guys as heroes and saviours of Earth."

She didn't answer.

"Jon doesn't like it either, does he?"

His comment was interesting — a lot of humans enjoyed the limelight, and if it had been any other captain, she'd have expected them to bask in it. Jonathan probably would have tolerated it better if he'd actually felt he deserved a hero's welcome.

"Not really. How do you know?"

"Being Henry Archer's son wasn't easy. Henry's work received a lot of public notice — people knew Jonathan was the son of the famous engineer. He wanted to be treated like everyone else, but that wasn't always the case."

She was about to ask a question when he stopped her. "Let me get you something to drink first."

"Won't the waitress take our order?"

"It's self-service here. See the queue of people up by the counter?"

"Yes, I was curious as to why so many people were congregated there."

"So, what can I get you?"

She asked him what the selection was, he replied that they had English Breakfast and Earl Grey. She remembered Jonathan had chosen English Breakfast at the tea-room so decided on that, though she requested it black without sugar. Steve nodded and got up to order.

He'd probably be a while, she thought. The queue looked lengthy. He'd left a PADD on the table and she leaned over to spy what he'd been reading. It was the latest edition of the San Francisco Globe. The main headlines in the press continued to be about Enterprise's return to Earth and the destruction of the Xindi weapon.

She slid the PADD over to her side of the table and began to read. It wasn't anything confidential so she assumed Steve wouldn't mind her doing so. She'd been intrigued by the words exclusive interview and wondered who from the Enterprise crew had given one.

It was an interview with Corporal McKenzie of the MACOs. T'Pol was surprised but continued to read. There really wasn't any information that could be divulged to the press, as it was all considered classified. How could this be considered an exclusive interview?

She finished the article feeling relieved. Julia McKenzie had been as vague as possible — there were no specifics about the mission. The only constant in the article was McKenzie's continual praise of Captain Archer — ending with the comment that without him the mission would surely have failed.

T'Pol would have expected her to at least mention her own commander, Major Hayes, who'd died saving Hoshi. But there wasn't a word about him.

Steve rejoined her, handing her a large paper cup of boiling water and a tea bag. "Careful, it's hot," he cautioned.

"Thank you." She placed the tea bag in the water and let it brew.

He sipped at his coffee, blowing on it in an attempt to cool it. T'Pol handed him back the PADD. "I had a read of the article while I waited for you. I hope that's agreeable."

"Sure, no problem. Interesting article. Bit vague though. You know this McKenzie well?"

"I worked with her a few times."

"She got a crush on Jon or something?"

"I wouldn't know."

"Talk about gushing over him."

"I'm not sure why you conclude the corporal is physically attracted to the captain because she praises his work on the mission."

Steve chuckled. "You don't know human women then."

"Perhaps not," she concluded. He had a point — the two humans she'd become close to on Enterprise were both male. In the first few months aboard Enterprise she'd hoped to cultivate a friendship with Ensign Sato, but for some reason that had never materialized.

"So it's true or not?"

"Is what true?" T'Pol asked.

"That Jon's solely responsible for the mission's success — or was it more of a team effort?"

"I don't think it's appropriate for me to discuss such things in public."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I need to have a read of Jon's logs anyway, so I'll know for myself in a few days."

"You have the security clearance to do so?"

"Yes," he answered.

"Is this personal curiosity?"

"Nope — work related. My first patient next week is actually a member of your crew."

"Oh." It seemed Jonathan wasn't the only one troubled by the events in the Expanse.

"You gonna try your tea?" he asked. "I think it should have cooled down by now."

"Oh, yes." She'd forgotten about it. It was probably very strong by now — but that was of no consequence, stimulants like coffee and tea didn't have an effect on her. She removed the tea bag and had a sip.

"You aren't working this week?" she inquired.

"No, they're still getting my office ready. I start on Monday." He sipped at his coffee again. It wasn't sweet enough so he added another sachet of sugar. "I assume you know what my speciality is."

"Pardon?"

"You strike me as a curious person, T'Pol. Or is that curiosity limited to the subject of Jonathan Archer?" he teased.

She raised an eyebrow at him and he smiled back at her.

"Don't mind me, T'Pol. I noticed you didn't ask why I was seeing a member of your crew. If it was a physical ailment I doubt I'd be needing to read the captain's logs."

"I'm aware of your speciality," she admitted.

"Okay, you did your homework then. I wouldn't expect any less from Enterprise's first officer."

She drank her tea, not meeting his eyes.

"Don't be concerned, I'm not analysing you," he teased. "I don't do pro-bono work."

"You were going to tell me about Jonathan." She wished to remind him of the reason for their meeting.

"Ah, your favourite subject."

"He's not—"

"Defensive and curious, huh?"

"The same could be said of you — you've asked me several questions about him."

"True, though it's a human trait. Is it a Vulcan one?"

"At times."

"Okay, no more teasing. So tell me, did Jon ever get hitched?"

"Hitched?"

"As in married."

"No. Most Starfleet captains are unmarried."

"Not all. Take Captain Ramirez — he's married with 2 kids."

The name sounded familiar; then she remembered he was the captain of the Intrepid who'd welcomed them back to Earth when they'd returned after the first Xindi attack.

"His assignments don't take him far from Earth. I would assume he has time to spend with his family."

"Perhaps…still I'm surprised about Jon. I presumed he'd have tied the knot by now."

"Why?"

"Cause the Jonathan Archer I knew was a big believer in marriage. He didn't strike me as the kind of guy who'd end up alone. It seemed to be something he wanted. But you say he's in Fiji with a friend — would this friend happen to be of the female persuasion?"

"I thought I was the one who was going to be asking all the questions."

"Well how about an equal exchange of info, T'Pol? Come one, it's obvious we're both curious about a mutual friend. You can fill me in on his present, and I'll share some insight on a young man I knew 18 years ago."

T'Pol did some quick math in her head. "He was only 24 when you knew him?"

"Yeah, about that. Last I saw him was a few days before he graduated from flight school."

"Why do you conclude he wished to marry?" she asked.

"You didn't answer my last question."

"Oh the friend in Fiji. Yes, she's female. She's a former girlfriend of his. I believe the captain is rekindling his relationship with her. At least it appears that way."

"Interesting. Wonder what she's like."

"Will you answer my question now?"

"Okay. When I knew Jon he was very much in love with this girl. He planned to marry her. I even helped him pick out an engagement ring. I'd never seen anyone so head over heels. I used to joke that the two of them were joined at the hip."

"What happened?"

"I got my internship on the east coast and couldn't stay for his graduation. We said our goodbyes at the shuttleport, and he told me he was gonna pop the question that night. I assumed she'd said yes, and didn't give it another thought. I was busy with getting settled in New York. A week passed and I heard nothing from him…my first thought was maybe they'd eloped and were off honeymooning somewhere. I tried getting in touch with Jon, but he never answered any of my calls. So then I tried getting in touch with Maggie—"

"That was her name?"

"Yeah, that's what we all called her. Her full name was Margaret Mullin."

"So what happened?"

"I was able to reach her roommate in the end who informed me Maggie had moved to Denver. I was sure it had something to do with Jon. I was worried about him…if she'd refused him, which was something he hadn't even contemplated, I assumed he'd be in bad shape."

He'd been about to continue when his communicator went off. "Excuse me," he told T'Pol as he answered.

T'Pol could hear a female voice on the other end and remembered that she'd read in his Starfleet record that he was married. It was probably his wife.

"Looks like I'll have to cut our meeting short, T'Pol. I'm needed at home."

"Of course, that's understandable."

"If you like we could continue this another time, maybe over dinner?"

She felt a little uncomfortable at his suggestion especially since he was a married man.

"I know my wife would love to meet you," he added.

"Oh dinner at your house?"

"Yes of course, T'Pol. Why did you think I was trying to entice you into some clandestine rendezvous?" He winked at her.

"Not at all," she stoically replied.

"Great — we'll have to arrange something. How can I contact you?"

"I'm staying at Jonathan's apartment while he's gone. You can reach me there."

"Okay great." He got from the table, apologized again for having to rush off and left.

T'Pol finished her tea, mulling over what she'd learnt.

Jonathan opened his eyes lazily, yawned and glanced at the clock on his bedside table. It was 10:30am — he'd been in bed for almost 12 hours! Rebecca's sleeping pill had sure done its job!

He stretched and yawned again, then climbed out of out bed. He stumbled into the bathroom, turned on the shower and got in under the spray. He felt a little groggy but didn't mind. He'd had a dreamless sleep, and for that he was grateful.

He slipped on a T-shirt and a pair of shorts and went to find Rebecca. She wasn't in the house, so he went out on the balcony. He spied her lying on the beach, sunbathing. He went back into the house and ate a bowl of muesli, washed down with a cup of coffee.

As soon as the caffeine had worked its way into his bloodstream he felt more awake and decided a swim would be fun. He changed into a pair of swimming trunks, took a fresh towel from the bathroom cupboard and jogged down to the beach.

"Morning!" he greeted Rebecca.

She opened her eyes, shielding them from the sun. "Morning yourself. Sleep well?"

"Like a baby! That pill knocked me out."

"Glad to hear that. You going for a swim?" she asked, noticing his attire.

"Yeah. Wanna join me?" He asked noting that she was wearing a one-piece red swimsuit.

"I can watch you from here.""What's the fun in that? You came all the way to Fiji and you aren't even gonna try the waters out? I promise we'll stay in the shallow area."

"Okay," she reluctantly agreed.

He offered his hand to help her get up and led her to the water's edge. She dipped her toe in to test the temperature. "It's warm."

"Oh yeah, we're in the tropics, remember?" he laughed. "Come on," he encouraged, leading her by hand into the slightly deeper water. Soon it was up around their waists. Rebecca slipped on a random pebble on the normally sandy seabed, but Jonathan caught her. "Steady now."

"I'm fine."

This reminded him of when T'Pol had slipped at the scenic point overlooking the Golden Gate. He'd caught her in his arms just as he had Rebecca now. He'd held her close, not wanting to let go…wanting to press his mouth to hers and taste her honey-like lips again.

He imagined T'Pol with him now, decked out in a one-piece black suit or maybe dark green to compliment her olive complexion. Did she even know how to swim? He would have loved to teach her. How wonderful it would be to feel her arms around his neck if she slipped or if the water was too deep for her to stand up. He'd hold her and keep her safe.

"Jon, why have we stopped?"

"Hmm?"

"The water's only at my waist, I think we could go a little further."

"Oh right, sure."

They ventured out until the water reached Rebecca's shoulders. "This deep enough for you?" Jonathan asked her.

"Yeah, any further and I won't be able to touch the bottom.""Okay, try swimming back to shore then."

"You coming?"

"I'll be right behind you," he assured her.

"That wasn't as hard as I expected," she said as they reached shallower waters.

"What did I tell you? If you feel confident enough we could go snorkelling tomorrow."

"Doesn't that entail swimming in water where I can't touch the bottom?"

"Yeah…but I'd be with you. Don't you trust me to protect you?"

"Sure Jon, but I'd be too nervous to enjoy it."

"Okay, no pressure."

Rebecca wandered back onto the beach while Jonathan said he was gonna swim a bit longer. He went out even further than before, enjoying the exercise.

T'Pol and the Illyrians — they were two constants he couldn't get out of his brain. If he wasn't agonizing over his guilt then he was fantasizing about his first officer. He didn't have much hope of eradicating his guilt, but he needed to work on his longing for T'Pol.

He missed her. He missed the sound of her voice, her logical reasoning, he even missed when she was annoyed at him, raising her eyebrow at him in a sign of disapproval.

Rebecca was good company, and she'd been patient with his moods and irritability…but she wasn't T'Pol. Oh, he couldn't think about this now!

He turned and swam back to shore. Tired from his swim he lay down on his towel next to Rebecca and closed his eyes. Within a few minutes he was sound asleep.

"Jonathan."

He opened his eyes and looked around. He was alone. There was no sign of Rebecca and the beach was completely deserted.

"Jonathan," the familiar voice called out to him again. .

He stood up, and walked over to the house. Standing on the balcony was a beautiful woman in a white flowing dress.

"T'Pol," he whispered. She was here — she'd come.

They walked towards each other and met at the bottom of the steps to the beach. He gathered her up in his arms and kissed her. Soon she was kissing him back with an intensity that quickened the pace of his heart and made him weak at the knees.

"I've missed you so much," he told her.

"You need me, Jonathan. I tried telling you that two years ago. When will you listen?"

"I'm listening now, sweetheart, I'm listening…" he whispered as he kissed her neck.

"Let's go inside," she suggested, and taking his hand led him to the bedroom. They sat on the edge of the bed, T'Pol tenderly kissing his neck. She pushed him back onto the pillows, and kissed him on the forehead, his closed eyelids, his cheeks and then gently on his lips.

"Tell me you believe me."

He opened his eyes. "I believe you, T'Pol."

"Will you let me help you?"

"Yes," he answered.

"You'll never doubt me again?"

"Never."

"I love you, Jonathan."

He felt his heart swell at the words — words he thought he'd never hear spoken from her lips. He was consumed with the feeling of indescribable joy, and then sensual pleasure as she trailed kisses down his chest and stomach.

"T'Pol," he gasped.

"Jonathan?"

That wasn't T'Pol's voice. His eyes flew open and he sat up to find Rebecca staring at him with a bemused expression.

"Must have been some dream."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Nothing," she replied, deciding not to embarrass him.

"Do you have any water?" he asked, feeling thirsty. He felt restless and pent up…the dream had felt so real. Moments ago he could have sworn he was lying on a bed with T'Pol kissing him. Recalling it now it felt more like a memory than a dream.

That night, a week ago when he'd been drunk and found T'Pol outside his apartment — had something happened he couldn't recall? When she'd tried to leave he'd stopped her, slamming her against a wall and kissing her. His memory ended there. T'Pol had said he'd gone to his bedroom and fallen asleep. Had T'Pol given him an abridged version of events? Was that the reason this dream he'd just experienced felt more like a memory?

"Sorry, I don't," Rebecca replied. "I can go up to the house and get some."

"It's okay, I'll go. I need to get ready for our afternoon sail."

Rebecca checked her watch. It was almost midday and they'd booked the sailing boat for 1:30pm.

"Yeah me too. Do you want to eat something before we leave or should I make something we can eat on the boat?"

"I'll make something for a change, and we can eat it on the boat. You're always preparing the food."

"Cause I enjoy it, Jon. And no arguments, okay?"

"All right," he agreed. "But something simple will be fine."

"Aye, aye, Captain!" she laughed.

He gave her a half-smile, picked up his towel and returned to the house.

After he left she sighed. He'd called out to T'Pol while dreaming on the beach. If he was in love with the Vulcan why wasn't he with her? It didn't make sense…he probably hadn't told the Vulcan how he felt. He was such a stubborn fool at times!

She folded up her towel and walked towards the villa, planning out a succulent dish that she'd whip up for lunch.

TBC