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"… and if you have never felt like your soul was being torn apart… then you've never loved anyone with your whole heart."

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Chapter 5

Archer frowned slightly at the message on his screen from Star Fleet command. Considering that Earth was supposed to be a civilized planet, with no discrimination or racism, it seemed a hell of a lot like racism to him. He leaned back in his seat and sighed, stretching his arms out behind his head before leaning forward and angrily banging his fists off of his desk. These two officers had been through their share of difficult times and deserved some peace and quiet.

Maybe he didn't have to tell them about this new development? He frowned slightly, and leaned back again. No, T'Pol would find out in about five seconds, and anything that T'Pol knew, Trip would know. He couldn't hide anything from either of them anyway. Not only because they were his first and second in command, but also because they were his best friends. If anyone had told him five years ago that T'Pol would be one of his best friends, he would have laughed them out of the air lock, and thrown her out behind them. But she had proven to be one his closest confidants, sometimes even more than Trip. And Trip, well, he could rely on Trip not only as a friend, but as a fine chief engineer that could never be replaced.

"Damn it!" he yelled, pounding his fists of his desk again. Why the hell did Star Fleet always make him be the bearer of bad news? Because they knew of the closeness all three felt? Because they felt like the crew was too close? They always made him the villain. Whatever the reason, he knew that they had put him in an inescapable position. He hit the comm next to his desk. "Archer to the bridge."

"Ensign Sato."

"Can you tell me where Commanders Tucker and T'Pol are?"

"They are in their quarter…s, sir." Hoshi replied. Archer could hear the smirk in her voice. Officially they were still living in their own separate quarters. In reality, well... the crew looked the other way.

"Thank you, ensign." He clicked off the comm. He hesitated to reach for it again. On one hand, it would get this moment over with, on the other, he didn't want to talk to them about it at all. Taking a deep breath, he reached for the comm again, and said, "Archer to Commanders Tucker and T'Pol."

"I wonder what the cap'n wants ta talk 'bout?" Trip said as he zippered up his uniform. T'Pol was sitting on the bed, putting on her boots.

"I suspect it may have something to do with the increasing xenophobia marches on Earth." She said coolly. Trip raised an eyebrow.

"How ya know about that?" He questioned, putting his hands on his hips. T'Pol looked steadily back at him.

"Similar ideals are held by many on Vulcan." She pushed herself softly off of the bed. "I have received many letters since the discovery of Elizabeth." She turned her back to Trip, her zipper on her uniform not being fully done up. He reached for the zipper, saying in a quiet voice,

"Ya didn't tell me about any threatening messages." He latched the top of her collar together, and patted it to let her know he was finished. Still facing away from him, she replied,

"They were nonconsequential, I did not want to worry you."

Trip reached a hand out to her shoulder to turn her around. "Hey, have ya been blocking any feelin's of distress from me?" She shook her head slightly, but her eyes gave her away. Without hesitation he drew her into his arms. "Damn it, T'Pol. I know ya aren't supposed to show that ya are afraid or anythin', but ya can't hold it in all the time." He looked at the top of her head, she was stubbornly refusing to look up at him. "I know ya can protect yourself, but let me take some of the burden. That's what partners are for." He felt her slump a little, and then she pushed herself back slightly, although still in his embrace.

"Vulcans do not outright threaten." She said. Trip chuckled.

"But they are superior at veiled threats." T'Pol's chin dipped slightly.

"Some have even suggested that I am a disgrace to Vulcan. That our child and rumored relationship ruins the bloodline of Vulcans." Trip shook his head.

"Seems like Vulcans and humans are more similar than they like to admit."

"Indeed." Trip snuck a quick kiss to the top of her head, and then released her. He squared his shoulders.

"Alright, let's go face the music." T'Pol shoot him an inquisitive look. "I'll explain it later." T'Pol nodded. She left first, as she usually did. They knew that it didn't make any difference if they left at the same time or not. Or if they went into the quarters at the same time either. This was a secret that was known and kept by everyone on the ship. He waited for a minute or two, then followed. He caught up to her just outside of Archer's ready room. "Fancy meetin' ya here." He whispered. If T'Pol was a human woman, her eyes would have been rolling. As it was, he felt what he could only describe as her internal image of her rolling her eyes. Just outside of Archer's room, they stopped. They looked quickly at each other, before Trip reached out and hit the chime.

"Come." Came the captain's weary voice. Sharing one more look, the door opened, and they entered.

Archer sat behind his desk, his hands clasped in front of him. Trip and T'Pol sat in the two chairs in front of the desk. Archer had been staring at them in silence since the entered a few minutes earlier. Finally, he let out a breath that he had been holding all that time. "As you know, it is my personal belief that it is none of my business what my officers do in their private time. Unless they are involved with an insubordinate." He paused. "And Star Fleet feels the same. As long as the offers act professionally, and with discretion, then Star Fleet feels that it is acceptable for officers to be in relationships. Especially now that our missions last years." He stopped suddenly, as though his speech had been stolen from him.

"But…?" Trip asked, with a 'get on with it' gesture. Archer took a deep breath,

"But, the general public does not seem to agree. With the ever increasing publicity about 'Romulans', and genetic avenues into cross-species breeding, there have been several protests. Star Fleet is concerned about the publicity a cross species relationship between officers may bring."

"What do they want us ta do?" Trip said, his tone edged with anger. Archer couldn't blame him. They as a couple had been to hell and back.

"They want this treated with the upmost discretion. No away missions alone, not photos sitting too close together, no rumors floating about the ship. No publicity. They want whatever image of Elizabeth the sects are afraid of, to go away." Trip now stood up in anger. Archer saw T'Pol quickly put a hand on his arm, then quickly let go. He knew it was gestures like this that Star Fleet wanted erased, but he didn't have the heart to tell them so. Trip took a stabilizing breath.

"Star Fleet always spouts the ideal of diversity. 'Bout exploring new frontiers. I know for a fact that despite people hatin' on my daughter, there have been people who finally realized that diversity is beautiful." He said passionately, tears beginning to form in his eyes. "They don't want us to be the poster children, that's fine .But I won't let 'em cower to these sects." A few tears trailed down his face. Archer felt himself well with pride. He turned to T'Pol.

"And you?"

"Many on Vulcan believe as those on Earth do. That the Vulcan bloodline must be kept pure. However, I, and others believe in the IDIC."

"Infinite diversity, in infinite combinations." Archer finished. Her chin dipped. He sighed. "Star Fleet has not forbidden any relationship that exists between you two. Only that we not inflame the situation anymore." Trip rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, keep our relationship secret for the rest of our lives."

"I hope it doesn't come to that…" but Archer couldn't finish the sentence. He didn't know the end goal Star Fleet's commands. "But I will tell you I will do what I've always done. I will fight to make sure that Earth makes first contact throughout the universe, and help racism and discrimination firmly cast from Star Fleet."

Malcolm put his cup of tea on his tray, and scoured the mess hall, looking for his good friend. He wasn't the most observant man, but even he had noticed Trip's crestfallen demeanor the last couple of days. He hadn't seen that look in over a year, ever since he had T'Pol had finally gotten their stuff together. It had to be something serious if all of sudden he looked like a kicked puppy again. He hadn't spotted his friend yet, so he moved between the tables in search of him. He knew this was the time of Trip's break, and even if he wasn't in the mood for eating, he couldn't deny himself a cup of coffee. Malcolm had almost made it all the way to the back of the room before he finally saw Trip, tucked into a back corner. As he made his way closer, he saw that he was indeed right. There was no empty tray of food in front of Trip, but he was slumped over a cup of coffee. Malcolm invited himself to sit at the table, across from Trip. Trip did not react at first, until Malcolm cleared his throat. "Commander, are you alright?"

"Ya asking as a fellow officer, or as a friend?"

"A friend, Trip." Malcolm replied, scrunching his eyebrows together. Trip sighed and leaned back.

"I just thought that we'd gotten more acceptin'. Ya know?" Malcolm raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"You and T'Pol?" Trip looked at him quickly.

"No!" Malcolm put his hands up defensively.

"Sorry, sorry. Now I'm lost."

"I thought that Earth had finally become acceptin' .That we weren't the barbarians that the Vulcans insisted we were."

Ahhh, now he was catching on.

"The protests?" He asked, finally picking up his fork, and taking a bite.

"But the Vulcans aren't any better." Now this was a surprise. "T'Pol said that many Vulcans have been telling her she's shamed her planet. Sounds like they and Terra Prime would get along."

"But that's just a few people, you know that."

"Yeah… but they've got big mouths." Trip said. Malcolm nodded in agreement, taking a sip of his drink. Trip dropped his eyes, almost in shame. "Ya know, I was racist… when I met T'Pol. I didn't wanna call it that, but I was." Malcolm almost choked on his drink, he started sputtering.

"You… racis…. What?" He finally accomplished. Trip shrugged.

"Think about it. I hated all Vulcans because of what some did to the cap'n's daddy. I thought they were all the same. Cold, unfeeling, and just unapproachable. Hell, I threatened T'Pol that one time." Malcolm pointed a finger to cut him off.

"Wait, wait. You were under the influence of a pollen." Trip gestured to dismiss him.

"That's the thing though. When ya aren't suppressed, then ya real feelin's come out. I might have thought I was acceptin', but underneath it all, I wasn't." Malcolm looked away, his thoughts whirring quickly in his mind.

"I think we all treated her like that, didn't we?" He felt a deep twisting feeling in his stomach, and pushed his food away. "We like to act like we're better, but we're really not, are we?"

"Not ta say that T'Pol wasn't racist either. She thought that all humans were stupid, and smelly." They smiled sadly at that. "But we got ta know her. We got ta care about her. We learned about our misconceptions."

"Some began to love her." Malcolm teased, leaning over to nudge Trip. Trip punched him in the shoulder slightly.

"Slowly, I tell ya. So slowly that I didn't even know it until I was there." He now looked down at his hands, blushing. "If I tell ya somethin', ya gotta promise not ta tease me." Malcolm opened his mouth to do just that, but he saw the look in Trip's eyes.

"Okay, I promise."

Trip continued to look down at his hands. "Ya know that T'Pol got married to Koss." Malcolm nodded. "What ya don't know is that is the moment I knew I loved her." Trip looked up at him. "Malcolm, my momma used to say that if your soul has never felt like it was being torn apart, then you've never loved someone with your whole heart. In all my thirty four years, I had never felt that about any woman. Even the ones I really loved." He leaned in, resting his elbows on the table. "But that moment that she told me she was gonna marry Koss, I felt like I was being ripped in two. The moment she went through with it, I felt like half a man. And that's when I finally knew what my momma had been talking about my whole life. I love T'Pol, Malcolm, with my whole heart."

Malcolm stared at Trip silently. He had never heard him spell it out before in such a way. He knew that Trip loved T'Pol, and T'Pol loved Trip, but he never knew the depth.

"And Malcolm, if Star Fleet, the Vulcans, or humans, tries to tear us apart, they'll be hell to pay."

Malcolm had never heard such resolve from Trip before, even though he had heard many pronouncements from him. Malcolm rested a hand on Trip's arm.

"Trip, we won't let them."

Archer was unsurprised to see several of his officers in his ready room. They all had a look of resolve that made his heart overfill with pride.

"How can I help you?" he smothered his smile. Hoshi stepped out in front, although she was not the highest ranking officer.

"Sir, we are concerned about Commanders Tucker and T'Pol. We have heard rumors that they may be forced off the ship."

"And how did you hear these rumors?" He asked, bemused. Hoshi pinked, but her voice did not waver when she replied.

"I have very, very, sensitive ears, captain." At this, he could not help the chuckle that escaped. He stood quickly behind his desk.

"Your sensitive ears have picked up incorrect rumors, Ensign." He made his way slowly around the desk. "The commanders will not be forced off Enterprise. This is their home, and they have served her faithfully."

"But…" Travis muttered, standing straight again after his accidental utterance.

"Star Fleet wishes the commanders to be discreet, in any rumored relationship they may be engaged in. Which, we will neither confirm or deny." Small smiles started to form on the officers faces. "We, as part of our mission, is to meet new species, and new worlds. Yes, there are those out there that are violent, but there are also those that have become dear friends." He sighed. "The Xindi didn't stop us from exploring, and I'll be damned if love is going to stop us. We will continue to seek out new life and new civilizations .And prove that diversity is part of the deal."

"Aye, sir." They all replied.

"Even if it takes a while for Earth to come around, they'll get there." He looked around at each of the officers. "Dismissed."

After they left, he sat at his desk, and chuckled out loud. The crew was nothing if loyal. Star Fleet may not like it, but the crew of Enterprise was a family. And families stick together.

Trip and T'Pol sat facing each other over a candle. "I'm sorry, for the way I treated you when we met." Trip whispered. T'Pol's eyes opened slowly. "I'm ashamed of how I decided who you were before we even got to know each other." T'Pol sighed so slightly anyone could have missed it.

"We both underestimated each other." She said. "However, that was many years ago. Vulcans do not dwell on the past."

"Bullshit." Trip said, moving the candle and scooting closer. "I was an asshole. Ya hated me, but we worked well together."

"I did not 'hate' you." T'Pol snuck in. He reached a hand out.

"Okay then, but ya did think I was a smelly, stupid human." She tipped her head slightly at this. "And I thought ya were stuck up, unfeeling Vulcan. Who would've ever thought that two people who had preconceptions about each other, would end up together?"

" I believe, we, as you say, got to know each other."

"If we can do it, why can't our planets?" he asked desperately.

"Perhaps we are ahead of our time." T'Pol replied, a tinge of sadness in her tone.

"Maybe. But we have also seen others come forward, just like us. We are not the first, and we won't be the last." He remembered T'Pol saying that human Vulcan children had never been able to be conceived .That did not mean that no one had tried. "Earth erased discrimination based on skin color, now it is time to erase discrimination based on what planet you come from."

"I believe it took hundreds of years to accomplish that goal." Trip chuckled sadly.

"Yeah, well maybe you'll still be alive then when they end this discrimination." T'Pol narrowed her eyes. He held up his hands. "If ya and I could change in five years, I have a lot of faith in Earth and Vulcan. We won't have ta keep us secret forever."

"Trip, we have already accomplished that goal."

"Star Fleet doesn't have to know that, though." He grinned, and leaned in to kiss her.

A/N: There it is. Sorry for the tremendous wait. I hope it was worth it! Leave a review!