Merged.

Chapter 30

T'Pol noticed again that her husband was not next to her in their bed. She looked at the clock. The digital timepiece showed three a.m. She knew she could reach out with their bond but instead she went into the room where she knew she would find him. She entered the semi-dark room softly and noticed the almost empty glass of scotch on the table next to the leather chair, the back of which faced her. She knew what she would see when she came around to the front. She found him, his face in shadow.

She cajoled him, "Jon. Come to bed."

"No. The nightmare will only come back again." His eyes were haunted as he recalled the pain his subconscious mind continued to present to him.

"It's just a dream." She said it as one who seldom dreamed.

Jon looked up to her, "This one is too ugly to face. I should've done something. I just went along with it."

"You couldn't have known this would happen."

He released a bitter breath. "I don't get it T'Pol. Your people are logical. There is nothing logical about any of this. Fourteen years old! Who in their right mind would push a fourteen year old child into the desert to survive for four months with only a knife? It just doesn't make sense."

T'Pol knew that Jon was looking at this from his human perspective. "Yes, Vulcans are logical. We live by logic in most of our activities. However, you know that many of our ways date back to the before time, back before the awakening. Back to a time before logic saved us from destroying ourselves. We still follow our traditions. They may be illogical, but they are what make us Vulcan. The tal'oth is one of those traditions."

His voice was cracked as he stated, "This was one of the traditions you should have left behind." He stopped, taking a final drink from the glass of Scotch, numb to the heat he should have felt as it flowed down his throat. Numb because he'd become used to it over the course of the night. "She was only fourteen, T'Pol! T'Les shouldn't have died this way, in a desert trying to survive her tal'oth."

"All Vulcan's do this at fourteen. It is our way. And Sontek is alive. We can be thankful for that. Our son has returned to us."

"I am thankful, T'Pol! God, I can't imagine what it would be like if we lost both of them. I know I should be able to separate this, but I can't. It's too hard."

T'Pol looked at him sadly. She stated, logically, "While T'Les's death is unfortunate, there was not a guarantee of success. Not all who enter the desert for their tal'oth return alive. I'm sure you knew that."

"Unfortunate! Is that what you call it? She was your daughter, T'Pol, the same as mine! I don't know what I believed. I guess I just didn't want to think of what the consequences could be. I wanted to believe they would both be safe, both come home. I…" His eyes shut tightly, his face mirroring raw pain. "…I can't believe that I gave her the blade she used to take her life. I handed it to her with pride. Pride! What kind of father does that?"

T'Pol had seen this man in pain more times then she should have. Physical pain, mental pain, emotional pain. She wished she could take it from him but knew it was a part of who he was. He may not like it but he wouldn't hide from it either. "One who is father to a Vulcan. I grieve that she is gone, Jon. Losing T'Les is like losing a part of me. It was unfortunate that the Sehlat attacked her. She tried everything she could to save herself, but it was not to be. Vulcan parents teach their children how to survive but ultimately, no one can know what they will face during their tal'oth. Death happens. It is natural. And there is nothing we can do to change it."

"There is nothing natural about pushing your child into a dangerous situation like this just to meet some ritual milestone. It didn't have to happen. She didn't have to die." A part of Jon knew he was putting a human face on a situation that would not take kindly to that mask. He still wasn't willing to accept what he now knew was the reality when dealing with a truly alien culture. He wanted this to make sense to him and he couldn't reconcile the two.

"Vulcan's have been following the tradition of the tal'oth since before we had a written history. To not participate in it would not be acceptable. The only Vulcans who forego the tal'oth are those who have been gravely disabled, and often even they will attempt it. Statistically the rate of failure is low."

His head shot up suddenly, heated emotion flowing from his lips. "T'Les wasn't just a statistic, T'Pol. How can you be so cold about this? You were her mother, for God's sake!"

T'Pol was silent a moment. "Trip didn't understand either."

"What?" He wasn't expecting this.

"Trip didn't understand why I didn't feel the pain of Elizabeth's loss the same way he did. He accused me of being made of ice. He accused me of not caring for our child." She stopped. "I never thought you would say that to me."

He looked to her, knowing his words had hurt her. Knowing she was correct, at least about this being a part of being a Vulcan. If T'Les's biological father had been alive, he would have handed the blades to T'Les and his son with the same pride that Jon had felt when he had fulfilled that role. Jon knew Sontek would have sent his two children into the desert and would have understood when one did not return. He would have understood her taking her own life to end the suffering she felt when she knew there was no way out. He would have felt pride that his son had passed the test and been grateful to welcome him back.

He thought about what they had determined about his daughter's final moments of life. T'Les had tried to escape the Sehlat. Had there been only one, she probably would have succeeded. But the tracks found around her showed she had run into a mother, teaching it's young to kill. T'Les had fought a losing battle. As she ran from one, the other would attack her. From what the forensic analysis showed, she was most likely being eaten alive when she took the blade and sliced her own throat, spilling her blood into the Vulcan sand. The Sehlat's had eaten their fill of her and had left the rest in the desert for a scavenger to finish. If a flitter car flying over the desert hadn't seen her body, they might never have known even this.

Jon had continued to have nightmares since she had been brought back to the city morgue, three months after she had started her tal'oth. He and T'Pol had been asked to identify her body. There had not been much to identify. T'Pol had looked away, wetting his shoulder with her tears. They had each held the other, in pain together. Since then, in the nightmare, he saw her face. She looked just like her mother. When he saw T'Les, he saw T'Pol.

Jon thought about how the rest of his family was handling this. Henry had been confused. A part of him saw his father struggling with T'Les's death. Henry felt that pain as well, seeing the human heart with his own. Another part of him saw his mother, dealing with the situation logically, although he understood her pain was deep and real. He knew this was her way. Jon thought back to his own existence as a hybrid of the two species. While there was synergy there was also division. He hoped his son would find a way to reconcile the opposing halves.

Sontek had returned from his tal'oth a month after his sister's death, saddened to hear of her loss but accepting it. At first Jon had been angry that Sontek had accepted her death so readily. Then he realized that Sontek had also faced the cruelty of the desert during his tal'oth. That Sontek knew that a wrong move or a random occurrence could have turned the tables. Jon had tried to accept this as well, but the pain was too new.

"I'm sorry, T'Pol. I know you are hurting as well in your way. That I'm experiencing this from my human heart, but how can I not? T'Les was my little girl. To have lost her this way, I…" He stopped, putting his hand to his face. "I just can't believe she's gone."

T'Pol reached out along their bond. "Time will heal this somewhat. I know you are hurting. You would not be the man I married, the man I bonded with if you were not. But the wounds will someday not be as fresh. We have each other to get through this."

Jon nodded and accepted her gesture as she sat down on his lap and wrapped her arms about him. She held him, knowing that for a human, the loss of one's child was completely devastating; bringing forth an emotional response that was overwhelming. She knew he needed comfort now. When Elizabeth had died, Trip had grieved deeply. She felt Jon's grief was even deeper, having raised T'Les for fourteen years and therefore having more time to develop the relationship that had so violently ended. It would take time for him to lock this hurt away.

While she grieved deeply due to the loss of T'Les, it did not affect her in the same fashion. She was Vulcan, and while it did not lessen the loss, she would be able to address it in the manner of her species. He would grieve as a Human. She would grieve as a Vulcan. They both were deeply affected.

XoXoXoXoXoXoXoXo

Jon returned to the Federation Council two months after T'Les's death. The others who served with him conveyed their condolences, blending the concepts of death that each brought from their individual planets and those that they had learned were common to Earth. He appreciated their concerns.

He found that the work of the council kept him from thinking about the situation as much, gave him something else to occupy his mind. He also found that T'Pol had been right. Time was healing although he'd never be able to fully accept the death of his daughter. He decided to focus on the times they'd shared together such as her recitals when she played the Vulcan Lyre. He'd only missed two due to his duties.

The first was an Imperial Guard review. After Jon, still Jontek at that point, and T'Pol had stopped the genocidal plot against his people, Shran had requested they be made honorary members of the Imperial Guard. It had been bestowed and up until Jon had taken the position of Ambassador it had been just that. Honorary. After he started living on Andoria, however, his willingness to participate in functions had gone a long way toward soothing Andoria's pride that had been damaged by the actions of his predecessor. He'd had to resign his commission in Starfleet during that time as well as the Andorians were concerned that the same situation would arise with Starfleet as with Section 31. T'Les had been asked at the last minute to play for the arrival of the new Ambassador to Vulcan from Earth, Thomas Cooper. Jon had been unable to make it back to Vulcan for the performance, although T'Pol had sent him a recording of it.

The second time was after he'd left his Ambassador duties. He'd been called to serve on the council. There had been a potential situation brewing between the Klingons and the Tellarites. Jon had been involved in the activities surrounding that crisis and he'd missed her performance at the Starfleet Academy graduation.

Still, he'd tried to be the best father he could. He had loved his daughter and would have done anything for her. T'Pol had been right. T'Les'd had him wrapped around her little finger. He just wished she was there to wrap him around it again.

His four year term on the council was coming to a close. He thought about his service to his planet and the galaxy. He'd given ten years of his life to serving the Federation. Before that, he'd spent the bulk of his lifetime in Starfleet. He'd even served as acting Chief of Staff for a time.

He was now physically 44 years old. He thought back to where he was at this time before, halfway through Enterprise's ten year mission. Chronologically, he was 67 years old. He suddenly felt the weight of those years. So much had happened.

How did they live with their longer life spans? T'Pol was now eighty four and still young by Vulcan standards. He figured that she could conceivably live another 120 years. At best, Jon figured that with medical advances, he might have another 70 years at best. It depressed him to know that as much as he wished to grow old with this woman, he would be old and she would still have close to an entire lifetime to lead.

"This is not unknown on my world, Jon."

"You heard me thinking?"

"I felt your sadness."

"We'd like for Jonathan Archer to serve another four years on the council." He suddenly was pulled back into the conversation in the council.

"Excuse me?"

"We'd like to have you continue as Earth's representative on the council."

"Um. I'm not sure I…"

"Jon, this is where you need to be."

"It will be another four years."

"But it is worth it. You know that there is still much work to be done. The committee you are on to codify the Federation Directives for exploration are important. There have been several instances of severe contamination of a culture. This work is necessary."

"I know."

"Then accept."

Jon sighed. He was suddenly reminded of an Earth saying, 'behind every successful man is a woman.' T'Pol certainly fulfilled that role. "I am willing to serve if you will have me."

XoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXo

Henry had turned fourteen the week before. It was mid-September. His brother, Sontek was entering the Vulcan Science Academy in a week and would be leaving Earth. "I just don't see why I can't come to Vulcan as well."

Sontek turned a calm and stoic face towards his sibling. "Henry, I will be in studies. There will not be time to pursue other activities."

Henry nodded. "Yes. I know. But I still want to go to Vulcan. And now that Father has been nominated for Federation President, I'm not sure we'll go. I don't know how I'll be able to fulfill my tal'oth if I don't get to Vulcan sometime this year."

"Patience, sa-kai. But I wouldn't count on you having a tal'oth." Sontek could tell by the look on his brother's face and words of response as he took in this information, that he had not considered this possibility.

"What? Why not?" Henry's face mirrored confusion.

Sontek explained. "Father doesn't want you to go. Mother wishes to leave the choice to you."

"I have to do it, Sontek. How else will I ever be seen as Vulcan?" The younger boy was showing more emotion than was seemly for a fourteen year old male.

Sontek understood and commented, "You are also human. It would be acceptable for a human to not participate in the tal'oth."

"Other Vulcans would see that as weak." Henry had a determined look on his face. When his countenance took on this configuration, Sontek clearly saw that Henry favored his father more then their mother. T'Les was the one that had received the majority of her looks.

"Yes. But it is a fact that humans are not as strong as Vulcans. It would be logical to accept that you wouldn't face the desert." It was a logical argument.

The determination continued, this time answering what was perceived as a challenge. "You know that I can survive in the desert as well as you."

"What I know doesn't matter. Father still carries the memory of our sister who did not return. He does not wish to face a repeat of that. T'Les's death still brings sadness to him."

Henry's face turned analytical. "That is not logical. There is nothing that will bring T'Les back to us. He should accept that she has died."

Sontek agreed but knew it was wishful thinking. "While our Father can often produce an argument worthy of any Vulcan, he is still human. I do not believe he will ever be logical where T'Les is concerned. You should know this better than anyone."

Henry nodded his head. "I know. Still…"

"You need to accept that sometimes what we want and what we get are not compatible." He placed his hand on Henry's shoulder and then continued to pack.

XoXoXoXoXoXoXoXo

When the troop returned from the Boy Scout campout, Jon was there to pick up his son. He'd been proud that Henry had decided to follow in his footsteps, working towards becoming an Eagle Scout. He was at first annoyed and then concerned when he received the news.

"Henry didn't go with us this time."

"What?"

"He was at the last meeting before we left. He said that due to your duties, the family needed to go to Paris. That he wouldn't be back until after we left. He had a note from you."

"Do you still have it?"

"Yes." The leader pulled out the paper which had explained the absence of Henry Archer. "We missed him. He usually is the one who helps the newer boys the most. He has a real gift working with them."

Jon read through the note. The information was presented in a logical fashion but held just enough human phrasing to be seen as something a parent would have written. It explained the dilemma the Archer family was facing regarding Jon's recent nomination as Federation President and expressed regret that Henry would be unable to participate in the week long campout. The problem was, Jon knew he hadn't written it.

"T'Pol. Did you know anything about this?"

"No, Jon, I didn't."

"Do you have any idea where Henry could be?"

"I can check with his friends, although most of them are in the Boy Scout troop."

A few hours later, they were becoming gravely concerned. Henry seemingly had fallen off the face of the Earth. Jon decided to contact Malcolm.

"Hello?"

"Malcolm? I have a problem."

His former armory officer was ready to help. "What's going on?"

"We can't find Henry." There was a bit of panic to his voice.

Malcolm caught the sound and wondered if the boy had been kidnapped. Politically motivated. "Do you think he's been taken?"

Jon didn't think so but simply wasn't sure. "We don't know. He gave a note to his Boy Scout leader I'd like to show you. It's awfully close to my handwriting, but I never wrote this."

"Are you at your house?"

"Yes."

"I'll be right over."

Malcolm arrived about fifteen minutes later. He looked over the note. He listened as Jon described his conversation with the Boy Scout leader. His own sons were in the troop. They had gone on the campout. Hoshi had gone to pick them up and they had just arrived back when Jon had called. He put in a call to his wife.

"Hoshi?"

She sounded distracted as if in the midst of preparing dinner. "Hi, Malcolm. What's happening. You left so suddenly."

"Jon has a situation." He paused. "It Hikaru around?"

"No. He went over to Michael's. They have a project in science due this week." He could hear the sound of the knife hitting the cutting board.

"How about Ian?"

"Yes. He's here."

"Can you put him on?" He waited until Hoshi put his younger son on the phone. "Ian?"

"Yeah, Dad."

Malcolm knew his children were honest. He also knew they valued their friendships. "I need to know something and it's very important that you're totally honest with me."

"Okay." Ian voice held an edge, as if he was concerned his father might push him on something he didn't want to tell.

"Do you have any idea where Henry Archer might be?"

"Uh…well…" Definitely something he didn't want to tell.

"Ian. I know that you and Henry are friends. However, this is serious. His parents are very worried."

"Well, I'm not sure. He said he had to prove he was as Vulcan as any full blooded one. He told me he wouldn't see me for awhile." That was the truth, although not all of it.

"You didn't think this might be something to tell some one about?"

"Dad. I'm not going to rat out my friends."

"We'll discuss this later, Ian."

"Yes, sir."

Malcolm hung up the phone. He looked at the worried face of Jon and the waiting face of T'Pol, knowing that she was concerned as well. She just didn't show it. "Do you have any idea of what Henry would mean by telling Ian he had to prove he was as Vulcan as any full blooded one?"

Jon's face turned white. "He wouldn't…he couldn't…how could he…?"

T'Pol turned to her husband. "He is our child. It does not surprise me that he can be rather...creative obtaining his goals."

Malcolm looked confused, "Would you mind telling me what you are talking about?"

T'Pol looked towards Malcolm. "It is likely our child is no longer on Earth. Considering he's had a week, he's probably already on Vulcan."

XoXoXoXoXoXoXoXo

It had taken awhile for the information to be pieced together. The Vulcan Spacedock Security had indicated that a young Vulcan male of about fourteen years had arrived a week before on a passenger transport and had been met by another young Vulcan male, approximately eighteen or nineteen who the younger boy indicated was his cousin. The boy's papers were all in order and as a citizen of Vulcan; no other flags had been raised.

When contacted, Sontek stated that he had no idea that his brother had taken a transport. He had last spoken to Henry after he had arrived on Vulcan to attend the Academy. Henry had told him he hoped Sontek enjoyed his classes. When Sontek heard that the other male had been designated as Henry's cousin, he suggested they contact T'Plorn.

T'Plorn told them that she had contacted them two weeks prior when Henry had contacted her, asking if he could stay with the family a few days while Jon and T'Pol attended a symposium. The communiqués she had received had certainly seemed to be from them. The arrangements had been made and her husband's nephew, Sarek, who had been staying with the family during his first year at the Academy, had been the one to pick Henry up. Henry had stayed with them for two days and then indicated that his parents had returned to their home on Vulcan and he was going there. She'd asked for and received confirmation of his arrival. When the communiqués were analyzed, it was obvious that the same author of the letter to the Boy Scouts had written these.

Past that point in time, it was as if the boy had disappeared off the face of Vulcan. Jonathon confirmed that the lock had been expertly picked on his desk. He had never noticed, never felt it was a problem. There was only one thing in that drawer. The blade that T'Les had carried into the desert.

Jon felt a fear grip his heart unlike any he had felt before. The closest analogy he could make was when he had brought T'Pol into sickbay, after their sojourn on the Seleya. He'd been fearful he would lose her. Now he felt the same fear about his child.

T'Pol and Jon left immediately for Vulcan.

XoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXo

Another week had passed. The Vulcan Government did not wish a diplomatic situation on their hands and the fact that the human nominee for the Federation Presidency was requesting they find his son was causing great concern. Jon and T'Pol had worked their way through the bureaucracy up to the Trinary Council. They had a meeting with T'Pau. They entered her office, the one in which the Kir'Shara was first revealed to the Vulcan High Command. The one with the stained glass renderings of Mount Seleya.

T'Pol offered the traditional Vulcan hand 'V.' "It is agreeable to see you, Jon and T'Pol, although I wish we met again under better circumstances."

Both T'Pol and Jon returned her greeting. "It is agreeable to see you as well, T'Pau. Thank you for seeing us."

They sat down together in a small grouping of chairs. "How may I be of assistance?"

Jon spoke. "Our son has decided to attempt his tal'oth."

T'Pau asked the logical question, "How old is your son?"

T'Pol answered. "He is fourteen."

"Then he should be ready." She did not see the problem and wondered why they had been contacting various departmental heads seeking action.

Jon shook his head. "You don't understand. Henry is not full Vulcan. He is half human. I'm not sure he'll survive in the Vulcan desert."

T'Pau's head tilted. "As I recall, you handled it well when we carried the Kir'Shara."

Jon looked at her and answered plainly, "That was different. I was older than fourteen. I'd had extensive desert training. And I had the help of Surak."

T'Pau thought for a moment about what Jon had said. "Your son wishes to be seen as a Vulcan. Otherwise he would not have attempted this. He should be allowed to find if his blood is Vulcan or Human."

Jon shook his head. "He is just a boy."

"If his heart is Vulcan, he will survive." T'Pau still did not understand the problem.

Jon words were more heated. "I know that is not true. T'Les was Vulcan through and through. She did not."

T'Pau was surprised. "You lost a child in her tal'oth?"

T'Pol answered, "Yes. Sontek's and my daughter."

"Then she died a Vulcan."

T'Pol replied. "Indeed."

Jon wasn't going to let this end without some action being taken. "T'Pau, I feel you do not see my dilemma. Regardless of the concept of whether my son is Vulcan or Human, I wish to have him found. He did not have our permission to travel. He did not have our blessing to engage in his tal'oth. He also took the blade he carries without permission. I would like my son to be located. We need your help."

T'Pol weighed the situation. While she felt that the boy deserved a chance to prove himself or die trying, she also knew that this situation could diplomatically present a difficulty. She agreed to help them.

XoXoXoXoXoXoXoXo

It had been four months. Jon had lost hope. At least with T'Les, they'd recovered her body. Not a trace had been found of Henry. The Vulcans had spent the first month focused on finding the boy. This had tapered off over the months as there continued to be no sign of Henry Charles Archer.

At first, Jon had thought that the fact that T'Pol's and his bond was intact it meant that Henry had to still be alive. After all, the bond she had with Trip disappeared after Elizabeth died. When he'd suggested this, T'Pol had explained that because Elizabeth was still an infant her bond with Trip was tenetive. Since their relationship was only friendship, the bond had died. The bond with Jon, in contrast, had strengthened through the fourteen years of Henry's existance. This meant that the bond would continue whether or not the Henry was still alive.

He knew that T'Pol had not been responsible for Henry's disappearance, but her statements that he should be allowed to choose what he wished to do in this matter upset him. He felt that by saying so, she'd given him the motivation to strike out on his own.

The loss of another child had hit Jon hard. The fact than Henry was both his and T'Pol's made it even harder. He had never shown favoritism with the children, treating them equally. He certainly considered himself the father of T'Les and Sontek. Still, now, in the stillness of the home that T'Pol's mother had left her, he considered the fact that Henry was his flesh and blood.

He'd never thought to be a biological father before he'd begun raising Sontek's children. The joy he felt in parenthood, difficulties and all, had lead T'Pol and he to seek out Phlox's help. The Denobulan doctor had been happy to continue the research that had lead to the first successful biological Vulcan/Human hybrid. While one could argue that he, himself, had been a successful hybrid, Henry had been born that way.

The day the boy was born, Jon had held his son, recognizing the line that reached back through his father, and grandfathers, and great-grandfathers, and all other others to the misty beginnings of humanity. He had been humbled by the experience.

Growing up, Henry had wanted to emulate his older siblings. They were Vulcan and so he was as well. He'd also wished to be like his father. It had been a difficult childhood for the boy who was of Earth and Vulcan and neither one at the same time. Yet for all the difficulties the boy faced, including quite a few on both planets that decided that the concept of a Vulcan/Human hybrid was not one that should have been pursued, he had been growing up to be a man that Archer felt an inordinate amount of pride in.

Now that was gone. He'd never see his son decide the path he would take. Instead, all indication was that the boy had been lost to the desert sands of Vulcan.

Jon had heard that he had been elected to the Federation Presidency even though with the situation at hand, he had not campaigned. The landslide vote had been satisfying on one level, but at this point his heart was not in it. He was wondering if he should resign before he even began.

Jon got up to go into the courtyard. He found the sound of the fountain sometimes soothed his mind. It was late day as he walked into the courtyard noting the final rays of the Vulcan sun for that day. As he watched the shadows play, he found himself growing tired. So tired. He closed his eyes against the feeling.

"Father?"

It was a dream. It had to be a dream. He'd had dreams after T'Les had died as well although they had been nightmares. Maybe this was a dream because Henry hadn't actually been found.

"A'nirih?"

It seemed so real. He couldn't imagine why he was dreaming in both English and Vulcan. That seldom happened. He could hear in Henry's voice the changes that accompanied adolescence. The crack that happened when the boy's emotions were triggered.

"Father, are you sleeping?"

Jon opened his eyes and saw his son, sunburned badly, his clothes worn, and his body gaunt. Holes in the fabric had been repaired using the fibers of a plant similar to southwestern yucca on Earth.

"Henry!" He reached out, wanting to hug him tightly, but afraid that he would hurt him if he touched the damaged skin.

Henry's eyes were steady but concerned. "I'm sorry I had to go against your wishes, Father, but I had to do this. I had to prove my human half was stronger than they thought. That my blood was truly Vulcan."

"Where have you been? We've had all of Vulcan searching for you."

"I hid when I heard the flitter-cars or when people were around. I saw you and Mother once."

Jon was surprised. His eyes and forehead crinkled. "When?"

"When you were searching the Forge. I was in a cave. I heard you talking. I know you thought Mother was somehow responsible for my doing this. That she had encouraged me."

Jon was incredulous, remembering the day they had joined the search in the Forge. "That was two months ago."

"Yes." He paused. "Do not blame Mother for this. I wished to do this. I wished to show my Vulcan heart."

Jon looked at him with both pride and sadness. He knew that Henry had truly passed through a rite of manhood and had suceeded brillantly. His son had chosen his path and Jon was unsure what this would mean. "You have chosen then? You will turn away from Earth, from humanity? You will be Vulcan?"

Henry's mouth upturned slightly. He stated with surety, "No. It would be illogical to ignore the other side of the equation. I am of Earth. I am of Vulcan. I will cultivate the best of both, just as my parents have taught me."

T'Pol had overheard the conversation through the bond and she had come rushing back to the house. She hurried into the courtyard. She knew he had chosen to follow the tal'oth. She would great him with Vulcan respect.

She spoke, her voice calm. "I am pleased to see you, sa-fu.

Henry's head bowed slightly towards her. "I it agreeable to see you as well, ko-mekh."

"You have given us cause to worry."

"I apologize but it was necessary. I felt you would understand."

"I do understand, Henry. I am proud of you. But if you ever do something like this again, the way I may address it may be …illogical."

They figured it would be best to have Henry examined by a Healer. He and T'Pol headed to the flitter-car, their son between them. The world had shifted again and Jon found that he looked forward the role he would play as the Federation President. He understood the IDIC as never before. Only time would tell what the future would bring.

FINIS