-1
Archer looked at the officers assembled in the small conference area on the bridge. Malcolm, Chang and Ryan were present, as were T'Pol, Travis and Captain Daniels.

"Here's the situation," Archer started. "We need to go down to the planet, find this and get back," he said, tossing a PADD onto the small table.

"That doesn't sound all that complicated," Malcolm commented.

"Except that phase pistols, tricorders, communicators and the transporter won't be working."

A hush fell over the table for a moment.

"You'll have to depend on your selves alone which is why you are all here."

"Malcolm, T'Pol, Travis and Captain Daniels will go to the surface to retrieve the plants we need. Our friendly MACOs will go along as well for some extra protection."

Archer turned slightly and nodded his head toward his Vulcan officer.

" T'Pol, you'll have to be the ears of the operation and Malcolm and his team will be the muscle. You are all to obey Captain Daniels while on the planet. Understood?"

Archer barely waited for nods of agreement before dismissing the meeting and heading back down to the med bay to see if Hoshi and Trip were back yet. Trip led Hoshi to one of the smaller tables in the back of the mess hall, hoping for a moment of peace and quiet. He didn't think either of them was going to eat, but they had to put up a good show to make Phlox happy.

Word had also trickled down to the m that they would not be part of the away team.

"I can't do this," Hoshi said before getting up and leaving the table.

Trip watched her go for a moment, trying to figure out how to keep her out of the med deck for another 25 minutes. Just as he got up to follow her he found himself trapped by a crewman from engineering.

"Sir? Commander? I was wondering. . ." he started, pointing to something on the PADD he was holding.

"Paterson, it's gonna haveta wait," he said as he tried to get around him.

"It'll only take a second sir," Paterson said as he started to talk again. Trip sighed and listened to the whole story.

"Fine, you do that, lemme know how it works out," he said as he finally pushed his way past. He glanced up and down the hallway for a moment, disappointed, but not surprised, that he didn't see Hoshi. He took a deep breath before he started to search for her. T'Pol stepped onto the med deck for a moment, relieved to see that Phlox wasn't there. She headed to the back and stood at the foot of T'Lin's bed for a moment. While she found it hard to understand Archer's attachment to Hallee, she was starting to understand why he had spent so long at T'Lin's bedside.

While her logical side told her that the amount of DNA she most likely shared with this girl was minimal, there was still a strong pull. She felt a need to ensure her safety and happiness.

T'Pol leaned over slightly and brushed some hair from T'Lin's forhead before she silently retreated from the room, pondering how exactly she and Archer were to spread their DNA over at least eight generations of Vulcans.
The group took a moment to find their bearings as they looked around at their surroundings. This planet looked like all the others as far as Malcolm was concerned.

"We will return in one hour," T'Pol said as she looked to Captain Daniels.

"Let's move out," he said, agreeing with her. "Keep your eyes and ears open, and be prepared for hand-to-hand combat if necessary."

"Do you really think the Suliban would come down here, sir?" Malcolm asked as he fell into line.

"What better way to get to Hallee than to gather a group of high ranking hostages to trade?" Daniels asked.

The group carried on in silence as they headed toward the clearing where the vegetation they needed was growing. "They have landed on the planet," an officer said from his console.

"Excellent," Silik said as he rubbed his hands together and got up, calling out to his away team to follow him.

If he couldn't get directly to the girl, he was going to bargain for her. Archer could be a stupid man at times, but surely he wouldn't risk a fair portion of his senior staff for this one child.

"We will return shortly," he said as the group headed off to the shuttle pods. "Ya can't keep runnin' off on me like this," Trip Tucker said as he finally tracked sown Hoshi in "The Sweet Spot," as Travis had named it.

"Go away," she said without looking at him.

"Hidin' away ain't gonna get them back any sooner," he retorted as he floated up to the ceiling toward her.

"Maybe not, but it makes the stares go away."

"Small ship, you had to expect it."

"Well maybe if they spent more time doing their jobs than staring at us, we wouldn't be in this mess!" she yelled back.

The two floated silently for a moment.

"I bet the away team has already found what they're lookin' for. I bet they're on their was back to the ship right now," he said, trying to reassure him.

"They've been gone 10 minutes," she said dryly as she looked at him.

He grinned and shrugged sheepishly. She couldn't help but smile back and shake her head. "You're hopeless," she commented.

"One of us has to be," he said as he floated closer to her. "We wait here," Silik said as he scouted out a ridge to wait for his prey.

"They will be here shortly, looking for that group of foliage," he said, pointing to a cluster of plants with bright purple flowers.

"Are you sure they will approach that bunch, and not the cluster to the left?" One of the men asked.

"Yes. The path exists right there," he said, pointing to small clearing. "That is the closest group of plants. They will be rushing and will make simple tactical errors that will give us the advantage."

The men were satisfied with the answer and made themselves comfortable.

While neither side had weapons, Silik was certain that his team had the advantage. The cover they found was a start, but he also was confident that he had brought more men. He figured his group outnumbered the other away team 2-to-1, a distinct advantage when the hand-to-hand combat started

A small smile graced Silik's face as he hunkered down and waited for the right moment to spring his trap.

The group from Enterprise came to a stop at the forest's edge.

"There," Malcolm said, pointing to the bush of bright purple flowers. Daniels reached out and grabbed Travis' arm before he could head out of the forest.

"They're here," he said. He let go as Travis sat back down. The group looked to T'Pol to see if she had heard anything.

"He may be correct," she said as she scanned the ridge towering over the clearing. "If they were planning an attack, they would not find a better location."

The group sat back on their heels for a long moment as they considered their options.

"Over there," Malcolm said as he pointed to a second bush. "It's closer to the tree line as well. Perhaps we could reach it without leaving the cover of the forest?"

T'Pol, Daniels and the MACOs began to gage the distance in question.

"It does provide a better chance at a favorable outcome," T'Pol admitted finally. Daniels sighed as he considered their options.

"Alright, here's the plan," he said as he drew the group into a huddle.

"Surely it hasn't taken them this long to reach the clearing?" Silik frowned as he considered this question.

"No. They're out there," he said. "I'm sure of it."

He squinted against the sun as he continued to scan the forest for signs of the Enterprise crew.

One thing he had come to like about this group was that they never really took the time to find clothing that would help them blend in. Their uniforms and survival suits always gave them away.

"There," one of the officers said as he pointed to a group of moving branches.

"Wait until they enter the clearing, then attack," he reminded them as they waited for the right moment.

Travis held his breath as he continued to rattle the branches while the others made their way to the second bush.

A birdcall rang out through the woods and Travis slowly stopped moving the branches as Malcolm took over in a different location.

A third call sounded as Malcolm slowed and Ryan took over, drawing the Suliban attention away from bushes.

"Now," T'Pol whispered as she saw the Suliban shifting to the far left of their position. Daniels and the remaining members of the away team snuck out and quickly filled a canister with parts of the plant including roots, leaves and flowers.

"Now it's there!" An officer hissed as they saw a new tree beginning to move. Silik frowned as he watched this. This wasn't right.

"An animal, perhaps?" some one else asked. Silik watched as a third tree started to move and he was now. As he sat back to consider his next move, he saw the crewmembers going after the plant.

"It's a trick! Get them!" he yelled as he began down the ridge, the others following him as fast as they could.

"Run!" Daniels' shouted as he tossed the container to Malcolm, who caught it and tucked it under his arm. The others fell into the step quickly as they raced through the trees, avoiding the cut path.

As they ran, they tossed the container about, trying to keep the Suliban off balance long enough for them to all pile into the shuttle.

"STOP!" Silik yelled to the group as he watched his men tackle Ryan.

"We'll kill him!" he called to the crew. "He means nothing to us!" The Enterprise crew slowly came to a halt as they all tried to think of what to do.

"Go a head!" Daniels called out as he crept toward the shuttle. "We have what we want."

"Captain," T'Pol started to protest, Daniels cut her off with a gesture.

"Even if you do kill him, we can simply reset the time line and try again, only this time, I'll know what your plans are."

Both groups stopped at this and looked to their leaders for guidance.

"Kill him," Silik said.

"Go," Daniels said at the same time. They tried their best to ignore the screams, telling themselves it was for the best.

"Stop," Silik told his men after the Enterprise crew had made it to the shuttle. "He's worth more alive.

"Sir?" the men asked as they held the MACO up.

"Archer has far too much affection for his crew," he said as he headed towards their shuttle. "We will still gain what we want from this." Silik's men fell into step behind him as they dragged the unconscious officer with them.

"Report!" Archer called out as the shuttle came into communications range.

"They have Ryan," Daniels said, still slightly out of breath. The shuttle crew was quiet as they waited for Archer's response. Archer ground his teeth together for a moment before he responded.

"Is he dead?"

"I doubt it," Daniels said. "They're desperate, I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to negotiate."

Archer let a little sigh go. This was better than nothing.

"Shuttle bay is clear for landing, Enterprise out," he said as he cut the comm channel and sat back down in his chair. "Where's Admiral Tucker?" he asked after a moment.

"The mess hall, sir," the ensign manning Hoshi's station replied.

"Then I'll be in the mess hall," he said as he quickly left the bridge.

Trip lay on his back and contemplated the ceiling that hung a few inches from his nose. At least he thought it was the ceiling. He and Hoshi had been in 'the sweet spot' for a while now, he had lost track of time.

"Archer to Tucker." Tucker jumped and Hoshi woke up at the sound of the comm. Tucker made his way back down to the ground.

"Tucker here."

"The shuttle is on its way back," Archer told him.

"I'll let Hoshi know," he said as he closed the channel.

"They're back?' she asked as she came down to join him.

"Soon, darlin'," he said as he took her hand to pull her the rest of the way down before they finally left 'the sweet spot' and headed back to sickbay. The fact that Hoshi hadn't let go of his hand hadn't been lost on Tucker. He smiled a little to himself as he figured that they were going to be okay.

"I'm fine!" T'Lin insisted as she made a lunge at Phlox to grab her uniform. He sidestepped her and she stumbled.

"You are not fine, Lieutenant," he said as he tossed the uniform on an unused bed.

"You can barely stand up by yourself. Sit down," he ordered as he led her back to her bio bed.

"So what?" she asked as she allowed herself to be led to the bed. "Who needs to stand? There are chairs at every station."

"And how exactly are you going to find your way to your station if you can't take more then a few steps without falling over?" he asked as he started running a few more tests.

"I'd find a way," she grumbled as she sat on the bed and waited. Phlox gave her a shot and stepped back.

"All right, try again," he said with a sigh.

She slipped off the bed cautiously and stood for a moment before she tried to make a get away.

"You come back here immediately if you start to feel dizzy!" he called after her as she headed over to change.

"Certainly," she said, immerging a few moments later. "Thank you, doctor," she said as she left sickbay, intent on tracking down Admiral Tucker and finding out what exactly had been going on while she had been incapacitated.

"We will be docking in a few moments," Travis called out as he steered towards Enterprise. "Hold on a minute, I'm picking up a second ship."

"Suliban?" T'Pol asked as she slid into the co-pilots seat.

"Affirmative," Travis said as he looked to her. "I think we can make it," he said as he started to adjust the speed.

"No," she said. "Wait here, perhaps they have not detected us. Prepare for silent running."

T'Pol began turning off non-essential systems in the shuttle pod. The cabin fell silent as they all waited to see what the Suliban ship was going to do. Travis and T'Pol both craned their necks around as they tried to see what was going on out of the small windows.

"I think they found us," Travis said as they watched the ship turn about and head back into the atmosphere, where the shuttle was still sitting.

"I agree," T'Pol said as they began to quickly power the shuttle back up and make a run for Enterprise. "Hail Enterprise and advise them of our situation," she said as she continued to bring systems back on line.

"No response," Mayweather said with a shake of his head. "Communications are being jammed."

"Evasive maneuvers," she said as she tried to get around the jamming signal.

"Kinda makes you wish we had brought Hoshi along," Travis commented off-hand as he sent the ship tumbling through the atmosphere in an attempt to loose the Suliban.

"Do not destroy them," Silik said as they chased after the shuttle pod. "Can they hail Enterprise?"

"No, sir," one of the younger officers said as he adjusted the jamming signal slightly.

"Excellent," Silik said with a smile as they continued after the small shuttle, rapidly gaining ground on it.

"Lock a tractor beam on them! Welcome them to the shuttle bay," he said as he left his chair once the lock had been established.

"Sir, I'm picking up another ship," The officer at Tactical said.

"The shuttle?"

"No sir," he said as he worked away at his console. "It's Suliban."

"Damn it," Archer swore. "Red alert, all hands to battle stations!" he called out as he sat down in his chair. "Set a pursuit course. Doctor," he called down to sickbay. "Do you remember what we talked about?"

"Certainly, Captain," the Denobulan replied.

"Start working on it. Reports, sensor logs, everything."

"Yes sir," Phlox said as he closed the comm channel and set about his work.

"Sir, they're in the atmosphere," the lieutenant at the helm reported. "Enterprise wasn't designed to chase ships around in atmospheres."

Archer frowned.

"Get as close as you can then. When they're in range, lay down some fire and keep them occupied while the shuttle docks."

A rumbling of "aye sir" was heard around the bridge as his orders were carried out.

"Hoshi, hail the shuttle," he said when he saw her slide into her seat.

As glad as he was to have her at her station, he did worry. She looked tired, and tired officers made mistakes.

"They're jamming all channels," she said with a shake of her head. "I can't get through to the shuttle.

"Tactical, take out their communications and weapons!" Archer watched as Enterprise fired on the Suliban ship and he gripped the arm rests on his chair a little tighter, expecting the Suliban to fire back

"They're ignoring us, sir," the crewman reported.

"Keep firing," Archer ordered. "Helm, get us closer."

"Sir, they have the shuttle in a tractor beam." The bridge grew silent at these words. They could send out the grappling hooks, but they would do little more than pull the Enterprise along with the shuttle.

"Fire on the emitters, don't let them get the shuttle inside." Hoshi finally found a clear channel, only to have Silik appear on their screen

"Too late," she commented.

"Captain Archer!" Silik hissed through his teeth. "I seem to have found something that belongs to you, several somethings in fact," he said, quite pleased with himself.

"Let them go, Silik."

"Give me the girl," he ordered as he grabbed Ryan and pulled him in front of the view screen. "Send her over with your transporters or I'll kill him." Archer held his breath slightly as a phase pistol came into view and took aim at Ryan's head.

"She's dead," Archer lied. "She died shortly after we rescued her from you."

"Lies!" he yelled as he fingered the trigger. Archer watched as Ryan swallowed hard, but didn't say anything.

"I'm not. Our doctor is just finishing up his report on the matter. Would you like me to send it over?" he asked as he watched Silik crumble into a blind furry.

"You will send the girl over immediately," he said through clenched teeth. "You will send her over or I will kill him and then another member of the away team and then another until I have her."

Archer thought about it for a long moment. "Captain, my patience is wearing thin . . . " he warned.

"Fine," Archer said. He watched as Hoshi's head jerked up and looked at him in surprise and was pleased that she didn't say anything. "As soon as the shuttle is out of your weapons and tractor beam range, I'll beam her body over."

"Acceptable," Silik concluded. "A pleasure doing business with you, Captain," he said as he cut the comm channel. "Get them back to their shuttle," he said. "And keep a weapons lock on them."

"Sir. . ."

"If Archer deceives us, I want to be ready to carry through with my original threat," he finished as he sat back and waited.

"Archer to Phlox, are you ready?"

"Yes Captain. I'm on my way to the torpedo bay right now."

"Excellent, I'll be there shortly. Archer out."

"Sir!" Hoshi started as she jumped out of her seat.

"Ensign, calm down," he said as he gestured to the turbo lift. "I have no intention of turning her over to them," he said after the doors had closed.

"A few sensor ghosts never hurt anyone," he said with a slightly smile as they exited the lift and headed for the torpedo bay.

"I need you to help with the encryption code on the torpedo. I want it to take them a few minutes to crack it open since I intend to be well on our way when they find out there's nothing in it."

Hoshi swallowed hard and nodded. She clasped her hands together to keep them from shaking. She should have known Archer would never give up and roll over that easily.

"I'll do my best, sir," she said as she sat herself down in front of the torpedo and started to program, just as Phlox came in with his own PADD and started to input data.

"T'Lin is up and roaming the ship again," Phlox supplied as they worked.

"How is she?"

"She should still be in bed, but you know how you Archers are when there's work to do," he commented off hand. Hoshi smirked a little as she worked. "I imagine she's conferring with Admiral Tucker on the situation."

"That's what I'd do," Archer commented as she watched the progress over Hoshi's shoulder. "Isn't that a little simplistic?"

"I want them to have some success at first, so they don't get suspicious," she said as she kept going. Archer nodded and started to pace a little.

"Bridge to Archer."

"Archer here," he said, trying not to sound nervous.

"Sir, the shuttle is in range, the Suliban are becoming impatient."

"Tell them we'll be sending her over in a minute. We're . . .still saying goodbye." The comm fell silent as Archer looked to his officers.

"Done," they both said at the same time.

"Transporter room, lock onto the torpedo and beam it 500 meters from the bow of the Suliban ship."

The group watched as the torpedo disappeared.

"If they want it, they're going to work for it," he told Hoshi and Phlox. "Get the shuttle in here, I want to leave before they figure things out," he said as he headed off to the bridge.

"Where is it?" Silik hissed.

"I'm picking up a small object 500 meters off the bow. It's a torpedo casing. I'm reading human remains within."

"Bring it in quickly!" Silik commanded as he got up from his command chair. "Take her to sick bay and begin the procedure immediately!" he said as he left the bridge.

Archer returned to the bridge and silently urged the shuttle to hurry as he cast nervous glances at Hoshi.

"They've captured the torpedo and have brought it in," she said.

"The shuttle?"

"Docked," she said after a tense minute.

"Helm, get us out of here, warp 5. Archer to Engineering, give me all you've got. I want more than warp 5 if we can."

"Aye sir," Tucker replied as he set his crew in motion. "5.1 okay?" he asked after a while. "We can hold it for a couple of hours."

"Good enough. Keep an eye on the Suliban ship as long as we can. I want to know if they come looking for us. Have the Admiral and T'Lin meet me in sick bay," he said as he left the bridge in a hurry.

By the time Archer got to sickbay, T'Lin and Phlox were already arguing over her ability to help with the treatment. Just as he was about to step in, Tucker did it for him.

""Doctor, no one else here has the expertise to help you with this. You don't have much choice," he said as he laid a hand on T'Lin's shoulder.

"Lieutenant," he said quietly. "Take you time, don't make a liar out of me."

"Yes sir," she muttered as she looked down at her PADD to re-read what she had already programmed into it. Tucker stepped back to stand with Archer as they watched the two buzz around sickbay, gathering what they needed to start.

"Sending the empty torpedo over, that was a nice touch," Tucker said. Archer looked over at him and smiled a little.

"Who said it was empty?" Archer asked with a smirk. "There should be a lovely little radiation leak that will keep them busy for a while, give us a chance to get away."

Tucker laughed as they leaned against a bio bed.

"I knew there was a reason Starfleet kept sending you on impossible missions," he said with a chuckle.

Jonathon considered asking about other missions, but he was tired of hearing about this temporal prime directive.

"Will she be all right now?" Jon asked. Garrett sighed and considered things for a moment.

"Physically," he started. "She should be. Mentally . . ." he trailed off and Archer nodded.

"I expected as much." Tucker sighed as he stood up and straightened his uniform.

"I should go, see what kind of damage was done to the time line. T'Lin," he called out. "Contact me as soon as you and the Dr. are done."

"Yes sir," she said as she turned back to her PADD, pointing things out to Phlox as she went. Archer pushed off of the bio bed and lead Tucker towards the cargo bay.

"Are we going to remember any of this?' Archer asked. Tucker considered the events for a moment or two.

"Most likely," he said. "Considering that you haven't learned how to properly use any of the technology we had with us, I see no reason to reset your memory anagrams. Starfleet, might see different, so I won't make nay promises, but, we should be able to simply come back and collect Hallee when she's well and take her back home. She won't remember any of her adventures, however."

Archer nodded, that he understood. "I'll take my leave, Captain. Thank you for the hospitality."

"What about Daniels?"

"He'll stick around until T'Lin are ready to leave. Just in case. . ."

"Right. Thank you Admiral," he said as he offered a hand. Tucker shook it before stepping away into the open area of a cargo bay. Archer watched as he called for a transport and dematerialized.

Phlox looked over the chemical diagram T'Lin had provided.

"Starfleet has been working on a vaccine with these properties."

"It will be another 50 years before you are able to create a stable synthetic version," T'Lin replied as she checked over her work once more. "This may, however, shorten that time."

"Can you tell me more about what's making her ill?" he asked as he began to process the samples the away team had returned with.

"The Chronotrons and the Neutrinos in the barrier she passed through melded with her own cells. The concentration replicated every time her cells went through mitosis. It's a very rare occurrence. I believe the same symptoms have only ever been observed in a handful of people, most of whom worked in the cores of early time ships."

Phlox considered this for a moment.

"I've encountered Chronotron and Neutrino particles before, why couldn't I detect them this time?"

"If she had been on Enterprise when she started to display the early symptoms, you most likely would have been able to identify the particles and treat them. However, as time went on, not only were they multiply, but they were mutating until finally, they were no longer recognized by any of your scanners.

"There," she said, finishing up her calculations on the PADD. "This is the compound you need."

"Ingenious," Phlox said as he studied the PADD for a moment longer. "Ensign," Phlox called out to Cutler. "If you would please revive Hallee?"

"Are you going to alert Commander Tucker and Ensign Sato?" T'Lin asked.

"I think this will go much smoother if we call them in after we're done," Phlox said with a smile as he and T'Lin began to assemble the vaccine.

"Whatcha doin'?" Trip asked after he finally found Hoshi.

"Packing," she replied.

"I can see that," he said as he picked up a PADD of stories. "Why?" Hoshi shrugged.

"Why not? They're going to cure her and send her home. The sooner I get this over with, the better."

"Come on Hosh," he said as he crouched down beside her and stopped her hands from moving. "Who knows if they're gonna send her home. Maybe. . . Maybe the time line's been changed so much they can't. I hate to bring'er home and have'er askin' why all her stuff is put away."

"Charlie, she's not coming back here," she said as she finally looked at him. "We both knew this day was coming. Hoped it wasn't, but knew that it was. Besides, a Starship is no place to raise a kid. She needs to be back on earth with her parents and brother, not up here with us."

"Hoshi," he tried again.

"She's not our baby, Charlie," she said again, bringing her hands up to cup his face. "She needs to go home and forget about all of this."

His eyes frantically searched her face, but gave up when he saw the tears in her eyes. He knew everything she was saying was true and he finally gave in and started to help her pack.

"She should be up and about in a few hours," Phlox announced to Archer.

"Where's T'Lin?"

"She left to contact Tucker and Daniels, to see when they should return to their ship." Archer nodded and glanced over at the little red head on a bio bed. He watched as Liz Cutler buzzed around, taking a few readings before leaving the girl.

"Ah, Captain," T'Lin said as she came back into sickbay. "Is she awake yet?"

"No," Phlox replied. "Not for another few hours." Lt. Archer nodded and stayed silent for a moment.

"Lieutenant?" Archer asked.

"She won't be returning home," T'Lin said. "Captain Daniels and Admiral Tucker have studied all the available data and it is impossible, the time line has been changed to the point that even by resetting it, there will still be temporal loops. She must remain in this century."

Phlox and Archer stared at her for a long moment.

"What kind of loops? Surely. . ." Archer started.

"In one reality, her parents don't know who she is. In another, she never left, there would be two of her. In a third, she never existed." The Vulcan rattled off. "She must remain here. Admiral Tucker sent this for you." She held out a computer chip.

"Thanks," he said as he took it from her.

"I will take my leave now, unless there is something else?"

"No, no. Go ahead," he said absently.

"Thank you," she said as she turned on her heel. She paused at the door for a moment before turning around and coming back over to Archer.

"Lieutenant?" he asked. T'Lin smirked a little and gave into her impulsive side and hugged Archer for a moment.

Startled by this, he didn't respond immediately, but eventually did.

"See ya, Gramps," she said with a cocky little smile before her Vulcan mask slid back into place and she calmly left sickbay.

Phlox chuckled at the whole scene before he too wandered off to check on Hallee.

"Perhaps some one should alert Commander Tucker and Ensign Sato to this new development?" he suggested, glancing over his shoulder at Archer.

"Right," he said as he left sickbay, the computer chip still in his hand.

"Your task is complete?" T'Pol asked after T'Lin had found her.

"It is. Thought he outcome has been less than satisfactory."

"The child is not well?" T'Pol asked as she set a cup of tea down on the table for each of them.

"No, she is, only she must remain in this century. I suppose it's a small price to pay for averting a temporal war, but it seems unfair." Both women studied the rim of their cups for a moment.

"She will have many more advantages here than she would have in the 20th century. Superior medicine, education, quality of life in general."

"Perhaps," T'Lin agreed with a small shrug. "But she will also have to live with the knowledge that she may never again see her parents or brother."

"She will adapt," T'Pol assured T'Lin. "They will always carry a place in her life."

A comfortable silence fell over them as they finished their tea. "You are going home then?"

"Yes. I have already said my other farewells." T'Pol nodded as she stood and gathered the dirty cups.

"Live long and prosper," T'Pol bid her as she stood as well. "My child," she finished.

"Peace and long life," T'Lin finished, almost in a whisper. They two looked at each other for a long moment before T'Lin quietly slipped out and headed to the cargo bay.

"She's staying," Archer said all at once. Trip and Hoshi stopped what they were doing and looked at him. "Something with the time line, she can't go home."

They looked at each other.

"When can we see her?" Trip asked, the first to get his voice back.

"Now, if you want. Phlox says she should be awake in a couple of hours."

"Thanks Cap'n," Trip said.

Archer simply nodded and left, still a little shocked by the whole turn of events. Trip and Hoshi looked at each other for a moment before he finally enfolded her in his arms.

"Maybe she is supposed to be ours," he whispered into her hair.

"Maybe she is," Hoshi said as they pulled apart to look at each other. "I guess we shouldn't have packed this all up."

"Unpacking is easy," he said as he dumped the toys in one corner, the books and PADDs on the coffee table and left the clothes folded on Hoshi's bed.

"All done," he said with a goofy smile that she couldn't help but return. "Come on," he said as he took her hand and led her towards sickbay.

Captain's log May 20th, 2154

We're still a few weeks from earth and the conflict that is waiting for us there. Commander Tucker and Ensign Sato have decided that, if necessary, they will both resign their commissions to keep custody of Hallee. While the crew is still reeling from the events of the past month, life aboard Enterprise is slowly returning to normal.

"End log," Archer said as he sat back from the computer terminal and glanced over at Porthos who was laying near the door, waiting and hoping for a certain friend to come and play with him. "Begin personal log," he said after a long moment.

Captain's personal log. May 20th, 2154.

We're still a few weeks from earth and, after some advice from the ship's doctor, we've decided that some leave is in order, if only to delay the return to earth. A few weeks on Risa has been arranged for the crew, with everyone getting at least one day and night on the planet. Everyone has a fairly good idea of what awaits us there and we're in no hurry to deal with it. Trip and Hoshi have both decided that Hallee is more important to them then Starfleet, something I expected from Hoshi, but never from Trip. I guess being in love does strange things to a man's goals in life. . .

Hallee is. . . . Not the same little girl we found on board this ship a month ago. While Phlox assures me that she will eventually over come her fears, I still find it discouraging to watch her struggle through a day, afraid of what may be lurking behind corners and in empty rooms.

As much as it pains me to admit it, Trip and Hoshi leaving Starfleet may be the best thing for her.

T'Pol and I are another mess that needs time to sort out. While no specifics were given as to how our relationship will change from professional to personal there is now a space 8 feet wide between us. Whether intentional or not, we are still avoiding each other.

T'Lin's little impulsive action in Sick bay hasn't really helped me feel any better about the situation . . .

"End personal log. All right," he said with a sigh. "If she's not going to come to you, let's go find her,"

Archer said as he stood and grabbed Porthos' leash and ball. "Off ya go," he said as he opened the door and let the beagle head off to find his kid.

Archer smiled as Porthos finally tracked Hallee down in the mess hall. The little dog trotted over to her and flopped down at her feet.

"Hi Porthos," she said quietly as she scratched his head a little.

"He's missed you," Jonathon said as he crouched down next to her chair and held out the ball. "I think you've missed him, too."

Hallee looked at the Captain and cautiously took the ball from him before casting a glance at Hoshi.

"I think you two could use some time in the cargo bay," she said as she grabbed one last piece of fruit off of her tray and stood up.

"Come on Porthos," she said as Jon handed her the leash. She smiled as the little dog jumped around at her feet and tried to drag her out of the room faster.

"Take all the time you want," he said to them as they left the mess hall and he stayed behind. "Trip!" Jon said when he saw him. "How about that water polo match?" he asked as he lead the engineer off to watch their favorite sport.

Slowly, but surely, things were getting back to normal.