A/N: Sorry about the wait! I wanted to continue, but didn't know how! Let me know what you think!

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"The best feeling is watching things finally fall into place after watching them fall apart for so long"

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Chapter 2

Trip walked into the mess hall, a grin nearly splitting his face in two. He walked over to the dispenser and grabbed his normal morning coffee. A short distance away, Hoshi and Malcom were sitting eating breakfast before their shift began. Hoshi nudged Malcom, who looked up from his food with a grunt. She pointed at Trip who was now looking for someone to sit with. "What do you think he's in such a good mood for?" She questioned. Malcom shrugged, and went back to his eating, almost shoveling the food into his mouth. Trip was now walking over to the duo, the grin still on his face. He gestured to the free chair at their table.

"Is that seat free?" Trip asked.

"Please." Hoshi said, gesturing to the chair again. Trip sat down with a plop and began sipping from his coffee. Hoshi watched him closely. She was not only trained in verbal language, but also in nonverbal, including body language. To others it may sound a tad stalkerish watching crewmembers so closely, but it was fascinating to her. It was also something to do when all she was doing was sitting on the bridge. She had come to know the commander's body language well, even though he tended to vocalize his feelings anyway. After baby Elizabeth's death, she had seen his body shrink in stance, his chest was not prominently out, and his head hung low. And here there was a man in front of her who was sitting up straight, and his chest was puffed out like he was king of the world. From watching his body language over the last four years, she knew that could only be the result of one of three things. Either they had found a new vessel that needed him to tear it apart, or he had just gotten some news from home, like them shipping in his favorite food... but neither of those things were plausible. If they had found a new vessel the officers would have been notified, and they had been to Earth a short while ago. And she knew that wasn't a fun adventure. The only option then… yes. That must be it. Hoshi watched Trip's eyes as they moved slowly from his cup over to the door. Hoshi chanced a glance over her shoulder. T'Pol had just walked in the door and was grabbing her usual cup of morning tea. Her back was to Trip and she was reading a PADD. Trip's eyes only stayed on her form a moment, and then T'Pol had left the mess hall. "You seem to be in a good mood." She chanced. Trip glanced up at her quickly in shock. Then he looked back at his coffee, chuckling a little.

"Guess ya could say that." He said, shrugging. Hoshi tried to make eye contact with Malcom, but he was still looking down at his meal, not paying attention to the exchange.

"It's a good look on you, commander." She said, getting up from her seat. She pushed it in and then held onto the back of it. "You should try it on more often." She walked away from the table, grinning to herself.

As she walked away, Malcom finally looked up, a little surprised that she had left before he had. Usually they walked together to the bridge to begin their shift. He glanced over at Trip. "You know mate; you don't hide it very well."

"Hide what?" Trip murmured into the top of his coffee cup. Malcom had to roll his eyes at this.

"The fact that you have finally figured it out with T'Pol." Trip looked up quickly, his eyes wide. "The grin you're wearing is giving it away." He said with a chuckle. Trip leaned back in his seat and put his hands behind his head.

"I wouldn't say we've completely figured it out." Trip admitted with a sigh. Malcom bobbed his head in acknowledgement, picking at what was left of his meal.

"But you wouldn't say she's on the market, right?" Malcom teased, leaning in. Trip glared at him while Malcom put up his hands in defense. "You never rescinded that offer. Last I knew, and I quote 'there's nothing going on between us, if you're interested'." Trip did not answer, while Malcom continued to pick at his food. "You know, I thought it was obvious back in the Expanse. But that was before her wedding and your baby." He paused, then glanced quickly. Maybe he shouldn't have said that last part. He continued on quickly, "but then I saw how you guys acted during and after the funeral, and I realized it wasn't just you that felt that way. She felt that way too." He put down his fork and turned completely toward Trip. "After all the stuff the universe had thrown at you guys over the years, it's a thing to watch you finally get it together." Trip nodded, deep in thought.

"After tryin to force the pieces ta fit, it's kinda nice when they just do." He said, swishing what was left of his drink in his cup. Then he stood up and pushed his chair in. "Gotta get to the bridge, I'll catch you later." Malcom nodded, putting his utensils on his tray. He watched the commander as he left. That man did not know how lucky he was. Maybe he did. Malcom shoved his chair in. So many men on this ship wanted to be with T'Pol, dreamed of it, schemed it. But the only man she seemed to have any interest in was Trip. She could try to deny it with her cold tone and off putting behavior. But if any other woman even feigned interest in Trip, she was killing them with her glare. It was about time the two of them were getting together. After all the had been through, put each other through. Malcom pressed the button to leave the mess hall. Watching them finally fall into place made him believe that maybe love could flourish in the vast emptiness of space. He straightened his collar and made his way to the bridge.

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Archer had to admit, they were trying hard to hide it. He attempted to hide his smirk behind his fork. He had invited them to the captain's mess for the first time since leaving Earth. He hadn't been sure how to approach it. No time was a good time to go back to business after the death of a child, but maybe going about business would help them heal. He wasn't sure.

He had been suspicious for years about the two of them, but had never had anything to go on. Sure there was a little flirting back and forth, but he had seen Trip flirt with plenty of women in his day. In fact, he had seen Trip's magic work on a few women on Enterprise. His suspicion grew as they met Trip and T'Pol's son from another timeline, but then he was too busy to think more about it. Now, he was certain. He looked between the two of them and placed his cup down. "The doctor told me that the moral on the ship seems to at its highest in months." Trip nodded and swallowed a mouthful of food.

"I would say so. We haven't had any big disasters or acts of war. We're just back to explorin'."

"I agree captain. Our original mission appears to back on course." T'Pol supplied, grabbing her glass. This had been going on almost all dinner. Archer would supply a small conversational piece, Trip would answer, and T'Pol would continue his answer. They did not supply their own conversational pieces or give a longer answer than necessary. In fact, they almost appeared to be squirming in their seats. T'Pol's was subtler, she switched which leg she crossed every few minutes and placed her hands in her lap to wring them every so often. Trip was squirming more obviously; he was almost wiggling in his seat. Archer poured some ice tea into his cup, then settled back into his seat.

"Your moral seems to be unnaturally high as well, commanders." Trip's hand froze as it made its way to his mouth. He turned his head slowly towards Archer, his mouth hanging open. "Which is surprising, considering all you've been through." Trip placed his fork down gently next to his plate and wiped his mouth with a napkin.

"Cap'n, let's just say that some things have made some problems seem small." He supplied; Archer could practically see the gears turning in his head. He was trying to work his way around what he was trying to say, without saying it. "What I mean to say, is that after losin' someone that close ta ya, ya realize ya shouldn't be so worried about other things." He finished lamely, looking down at his plate. T'Pol looked at him with almost pity before putting down her own fork.

"What Commander Tucker means is that we have grieved, in private. We will always mourn our daughter's loss. However; we must also recognize those things in life that sustain us. Or as Commander Tucker says, 'brings us joy'. After the loss of a child, one realizes what is important, and what is not."

"Yeah, what she said." Trip said, his voice cracking.

"Well, that's a beautiful way to put it Commander." Archer said, his own eyes filling with tears. He lifted his glass, "To Elizabeth." Trip shakenly raised his glass, and T'Pol raised hers only a moment later.

"To Elizabeth." They murmured, then took a sip of their own drinks. Archer looked affectionately at both people at his table. They had been through so much over the years. He watched them butt heads, and also work together like no other duo he had ever seen. If someone had told him four years ago that he'd be watching his top two officers fall in love, he'd have told them to get off his ship. Now, he had a front row seat. And for once, he was glad to see things falling together, not apart.

XXX

Trip sat in his room, looking at a picture of his sister, Elizabeth. Next to that picture was a new one, taken in the few hours the subject had been alive. Baby Elizabeth had been taken out of her incubator, and was laying on a blanket. Her head was turned slightly to the side, one pointed ear visible. He had only known her for a few slight hours, even T'Pol had known her longer. But the love he felt for her was as deep as the sincerest love he had ever felt for any single being. Well, except for one, perhaps. He looked over at his bed, at the sleeping Vulcan woman on it. He smiled slightly to himself. When Malcom had asked, Trip hadn't lied. They hadn't completely figured it out. Hell, he didn't know if they ever would. He was human, she was Vulcan. It had taken them four years just to admit they weren't a fling; it could take a decade for them to work one kink. But, as he looked at her sleeping form, he did know they had worked out one problem.

When she had asked him to stay, she had meant more than a minute, a day, or a week. She had meant a life time. It took some consistent loving insistence, but she finally admitted that she had not wanted to get to attached, considering his lifespan was nearly half of what hers was. He was likely to die a full hundred years before she did. He tried to explain that loving and losing was better than never loving at all. But that was hard to explain to someone who didn't really get human phrases. He said instead that if she was the only woman he got to love for the rest of his life, that was alright with him. He couldn't promise that he wouldn't die, but he would promise to stick around for as long as he could. And for now, that was enough.

She was right, he knew. He would die long before she did. But he had never felt like this about any other woman he had ever known. Not for the three girlfriends he had on Earth, or with the few women he met on Enterprise. How he felt about her was something that could not be quelled, not matter how hard he tried. It was something that could be used by others to get what they want; it already had been. When Paxton's soldier had held up the gun to T'Pol's head, Trip would have agreed to anything to protect her. It was not the first time, or likely last time, their relationship could be used in this way. T'Pol turned over in her sleep, her arm dangling over the side of the bed. Trip smiled at this action.

There were a thousand reasons why they shouldn't pursue this. Scratch that, a million. They both knew it. Trip placed the picture of Elizabeth gently down next the picture of Baby Elizabeth. These two figures in his life had made it possible for him and T'Pol to realize what they had in each other. Before Elizabeth died, he didn't understand his feelings about T'Pol. He didn't greatly dislike her, but hardly considered her his friend. It was through Elizabeth's death that he formed and developed a relationship with T'Pol. And their daughter, well, she made them realize that they could not fight what they knew all along. His eyes lingered on the pictures for a moment more before making his way to the bed, his eyes heavy with sleep. He climbed over T'Pol gently, trying to avoid waking her. As he settled in however; he felt her stirring. He put a hand on her arm as she began to stir awake. "Sorry T'Pol, I didn't mean ta wake ya. Go back ta sleep."

"Trip?" She questioned blearily. Trip kissed the top of her head. And she settled farther back into him, making herself the little spoon.

"It's alright. I'll be here in the mornin' when ya wake up." T'Pol nodded, burying her face into the bed. He silently chuckled to himself, burying his nose in her hair at the top of her head. 'Nothin' could be better than this.' Was his last conscious thought before falling into darkness.

A/N: So, I have found using quotes at the beginning really helps me when coming up with ideas. Tell me what you think about that, and if this was an okay chapter!