A/N: To my everlasting shame, my muse gave me a song fic chapter! Here's the reception and the song is Disney's Beauty and the Beast from the movie. I do not know who wrote it but Angela Lansbury sang it and Disney owns it.

Chief had outdone himself with the foods for the reception. The menu was vegetarian with everything from edible Earth flowers to traditional Vulcan wedding foods to an enormous cake that had frosting that wasn't too sweet for the Vulcan guests to eat. Catherine was in her element, recording the entire event to take home for the rest of the family to watch.

The reception traditions went off without a hitch. The eating of the cake was done with decorum, much to some of the younger crew's disgust. They had wanted to see at least one of the senior officers with cake all over their face. T'Pol threw her bouquet and Hoshi caught it, much to the envy of most of the women. Trip was of the silent opinion that T'Pol had done it deliberately. He was sure that making the calculations for such a shot would be easy for her. And Hoshi had done so much hard work in getting this wedding planned, including tutoring the bride.

When it came time for Trip to fling the garter, most of the men were disappointed to see her hand it to him. She had been wearing it, not around her thigh, but around her wrist. She had pointed out to Hoshi that for a Vulcan, it was far closer to the most intimate part of her body, her mind. Hoshi had laughingly agreed. T'Pol hadn't known why Hoshi had laughed but as soon as Trip took the garter she heard the men groaning and laughing. She surmised that for some reason they had wanted to see her thighs. Humans could be so odd at times.

The wedding presents were generally small objects, an artifact that someone had picked up here or there, a copy of an Engineering text that Trip didn't have or a Science one that T'Pol didn't and similar items. A few were handmade, like the wedding quilt that the Tucker's had brought from Earth and the Vulcan Harp that T'Les had brought. The other Vulcan guests had been informed of this custom and had also brought small items, mostly food as they knew T'Pol would not have access to food from home, serving as she did on a Human starship.

Once all the gifts were opened and the givers thanked, Hoshi stood up and walked over to the wall computer. "I'm sure that SubCommander T'Pol and Commander Tucker would like to get out of the spotlight but I've picked out a special song for them to start off the dancing with. To me this song exemplifies the rocky journey they have had traveling from disdainful allies to loving bondmates." Then she had the computer start the music and began to sing. Trip held out his hand and T'Pol took it as they traveled to the makeshift dance floor.

Tale as old as time

True as it can be

Barely even friends

Then somebody bends

Unexpectedly

Just a little change

Small to say the least

Both a little scared

Neither one prepared

Beauty and the Beast

Ever just the same

Ever a surprise

Ever as before

Ever just as sure

As the sun will rise

Tale as old as time

Tune as old as song

Bittersweet and strange

Finding you can change

Learning you were wrong

Certain as the sun

Rising in the east

Tale as old as time

Song as old as rhyme

Beauty and the Beast

Tale as old as time

Song as old as rhyme

Beauty and the Beast

The song confused the heck out of the Vulcans but the Humans thought it was both hilarious and accurate. Although for such a pointed song, few could say who had been the Beauty and who had been the Beast in that relationship. They had both taken on either role at one time or another. T'Les looked over at Catherine who was still busy recording. "I do not believe that calling one member of a just wedded couple 'Beast' is a good thing. Is there some significance I have missed?" Captain Sopek and T'Lan looked like they agreed but could not bring themselves to ask.

Catherine laughed and handed the recorder to her husband. "Don't miss anything honey. I want to make sure that the kids can see it all even if they can't be here." Then she turned to T'Les. "Do your people have teaching tales?" she asked.

"Yes, we have many such tales," T'Les said, although she still did not see what that had to do with the song or the relevance to the wedding.

"Beauty and the Beast is an ancient fairy tale that teaches not to judge by a person's appearance." Catherine quickly told the fascinated Vulcans the tale of the merchant's daughter and the enchanted prince. "This song is from a classic telling of the tale and is about when their tentative friendship turns to love, much like what happened to our children. One moment they are barely friends and the next they're bondmates."

The Vulcans listened fascinated not only by the tale but the lessons that it taught as well about hospitality, bravery and honor. These were things that were prized in Vulcan culture. This was an ancient tale from a people the High Command called little more than barbarians? A species that would not be civilized enough to truly enter the galaxy on their own for centuries?

T'Les reviewed the words of the song and admitted that they could indeed be applied to her daughter's unexpected bonding. Even Surak would have agreed that this situation was more than sufficient cause for her daughter to be a little scared. Bonding with an offworlder had long been thought to be a mark of perversion. But T'Pol had a Pudvel-tor katelau tel; the bond had formed on its own making it a bond created by the Other, the one who created the Elements. To call that perverted was to call the Other such and no Vulcan could do so. Change was coming to Vulcan, whether anyone liked it or not.

The dance continued well into the ship's night, long after Trip and T'Pol had left. Malcolm eagerly monopolized Hoshi for the evening while all around them crewmen were starting conversations with the Vulcan guests. Archer sat down at the table that held the wedding party. "I'm so glad that's over."

"This part is you mean," Charles chuckled. "We still have to get through a reception back on Earth and the wedding on Vulcan too. I bet you never thought that you'd be marrying Trip off did you?"

"Oh Lord no!" Archer laughed. "I never thought I'd ever meet anyone who could match him; much less put up with him." He sighed in satisfaction. "And I never thought that I'd be in a position to be the one to perform the ceremony. I always thought that if by some miracle he did find someone who'd say yes to him I'd be his best man."

"You did a fine job Jon," Charles said, "and whoever it was that arranged most of this needs to be complemented as well. Who did you get to do most of this? I know you were too busy and T'Pol really wouldn't have known everything that needed to be done for a Human wedding; although I'm sure she could have pulled off a Vulcan one."

"Ensign Hoshi Sato, the Maid of Honor," Archer said as he pointed her out. "She's our communications officer. She's a savant when it comes to languages. She can learn a new language in a matter of hours. Sometimes she can learn enough to make herself understood in a matter of minutes. She's a critical part of this crew."

"They all are according to Trip," Catherine said.

"May I ask why is it you call your son Trip?" T'Les asked.

"It is the custom in some Human families to name a son after the father. This can continue to outrageous lengths, although that doesn't happen often. My father-in-law, Charlie was the first to be named Charles Tucker. My husband, his son, is the second. My son is the third, and Trip is a shortened form of triple. He says that he doesn't mind his nickname but he won't be naming one of his sons Charles the fourth."

Archer chuckled. "T'Pol says they are and odds are running about 80 in her favor at the moment."

"Are your people betting on children already?" Charles asked amazed.

"A specialist I really can't tell you about since it's classified, genetically engineered them some children. They're already arguing names because T'Pol is insisting they be named before you leave for Earth. They're sending some of them with you and some with Lady T'Les," Archer nodded at T'Pol's mother, "to make sure that if something happens then some of the children will survive. That way if the worst is to happen, you'll just need a Vulcan surrogate to carry them to term."

"And they would know that their parents cared enough to name them before they died," Catherine whispered. "She's right; they should be named before we leave."

"Yes, but Trip's still holding out for anything but Charles the fourth!" Archer said with a laugh.

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Trip and T'Pol Tucker had finally been able to sneak off to their quarters and the argument that had been put on hold due to their time in sickbay was once more going strong. "No, T'Pol." Trip said as he changed.

"Yes, and we need to make a decision. He's the last one to be named." T'Pol hung up her dress and looked at the very odd pillow that was currently resting on her bunk.

"Anything but Charles the Fourth, I don't know and I don't really care," Trip said as he left the bathroom. Picking out 21 names both male and female had worn out his imagination. He saw where she was staring. "That's a body pillow. I'm what we Humans call a snuggler. That means that I hug whoever is in my bed with me while I'm asleep. With the pillow there I'll hug it and not you. I don't want to make you any more uncomfortable than I have to."

T'Pol was touched by his understanding of her reluctance with the situation. "Why do you not wish our son to be named for you?" she asked, wanting to understand his reluctance. She had not directly asked before.

"Because being named anything the fourth makes for a bad nickname. There is no way I'm sentencing our son to be called Quad," Trip said. She looked blankly at him. "Trip is short for Triple."

T'Pol considered this new information. She had not known that some nicknames could be 'bad'. "What are the other options for a nickname?" she asked.

"Charlie is the easiest," Trip said.

"Then his nickname shall be Charlie," T'Pol said firmly.

Trip gave in. "Ok, ok, Charles the Fourth it is." He was far too tired to argue anymore. Besides he didn't want to have to explain that parents really didn't have that much say over a nickname.

"Trip; there is something that I must explain to you." T'Pol said as they lay down on their bunk, one on either side of the long pillow.

"What?" Trip said sleepily. It had been an exhausting day.

"I have not had time to speak with you in private. You must never touch my ears in public again," T'Pol said firmly. She couldn't look at him while she spoke.

"Why not? I know that we really haven't gotten that far yet but I like your ears."

"Because for Vulcans it is an intimate area," T'Pol said, flushing a little green as she did so.

Trip pulled the pillow closer to him and looked over it at her. He saw her blush and realized just what he had done. 'Great going Trip, grope your girl in public!' "Ok sweetheart, I didn't know that. I'll wait until you're more comfortable with me to touch you there and I won't do it in public again," he promised.

"Thank you, good night."

"Night."