Here is the last chapter. A big thank you to my readers and reviewers during these past few weeks.

The poll to vote for 4 new Special Months is now officially closed. You can view the results on my page.

§ 15 §

It happened on the following day, early in the morning, as he was running a diagnostic on the torpedo launchers. One moment Malcolm was looking at numbers and report messages scrolling on his screen, the next Archer was there. His eyes were no longer dull; the veil had been lifted from them. Malcolm's jaw dropped open: he had hoped to be through seeing the Captain that way.

"Simulations show that the port launcher is still fractionally slower than the other two when---"

The cut-off sentence prompted Malcolm to turn. Another set of green eyes was staring right back at him; these, though, were capped by a frown.

He cleared his throat, feigning normalcy. "I need to leave the Armoury for a while, Bernhard," he told his Second. "Would you run a simulation on the port launcher? I believe it's still a fraction slow to come online."

"…Aye, Sir."

It hadn't been the sharp reply which Müller had him used to, but Malcolm had no inclination to dwell on the fact. Running down the steps to the main floor of the Armoury, though, he felt his SIC's eyes on his back, and he was quite certain they remained on him all the way to the door.

Malcolm entered Sickbay not knowing what to expect. On his way there, he had wondered with some trepidation whether Archer might be awake; but had dismissed the idea. It seemed more logical that the man wasn't conscious, or he would have summoned him through a regular comm. link. At least he hoped so – the last part, that was. He didn't fancy having the Captain, via some strange phenomenon, suddenly popping into his mind for any reason at all, even – say – to invite him for breakfast. He shuddered. It might be enough to make him regret bringing the man back.

Phlox, who was talking to a rather sickly-looking Ensign from the Science department, cut himself off to acknowledge Malcolm's arrival. "Lieutenant," he greeted, discreetly herding the crew-woman into a more private part of Sickbay. "I'll be with you in a moment."

Malcolm eyed the privacy curtain around Archer's bed. "I'm fine, Doctor. I'd like to visit the Captain," he said, without mincing words.

Gaze turning professional in spite of Malcolm's profession of health – or perhaps because of it –, Phlox paused for a second. "All right," he finally said, in a way that said that all kinds of wheels had been set in motion in his bright Denobulan brain.

"I won't stay long," Malcolm anticipated him. Just a peek to see if I can get the man to stop using my brain for his strolling grounds.

Taking care to avoid that awful screech of metal on metal, he let himself inside the enclosure. Archer looked moderately better than when Malcolm had last seen him, on their way back in the Shuttlepod. More relaxed, if nothing else. But the man was clearly still unconscious.

So here he was. Indeed. And what exactly was he supposed to do, now?

Captain – he playfully told him in his mind – I'd be grateful if you refrained from messing with my brain, Sir. It's already messed up enough.

Hardly had the thought formed, that Archer's mouth curved into a smile, which very nearly sent Malcolm jumping out of his skin. This was much more frightening than seeing the man's eyes where a torpedo launcher's diagnostic should have been.

And then those very eyes cracked open.

Frozen in place, Malcolm held his breath; the weirdness of it all making him quite uneasy.

Seconds later Phlox was there.

"Kindly move aside, Lieutenant," the Doctor said as, with practised eyes, he checked readings and assessed his patient.

Malcolm didn't need to be told twice. He took a few awkward steps back and watched from a careful distance, still a bit shocked by what had happened.

"Welcome back, Captain." Phlox's tone was cheerful but kept comfortably low, his bedside manners, as always, irreprehensible. "How are you feeling? Here, let me disconnect this IV line."

"Doc… nice to see you," Malcolm heard Archer croak, his voice hoarse with disuse. "Is everyone okay?"

Phlox chuckled. "Of course. You have the best crew in the fleet, after all, haven't you?"

"I do…"

They exchanged another few beats of conversation, which Malcolm didn't catch because he had walked as an automaton to the comm. link to page T'Pol. The sickly Science crew-woman had left – he vaguely registered, as he informed the Acting Captain that the Real Captain had come to.

Five minutes later she and Trip were walking through the doors. They silently acknowledged each other; then Malcolm followed them back to Archer's biobed, stopping a couple of steps behind his superior officers.

"T'Pol, Trip."

Archer already looked much better. The back of his biobed had been raised.

Pushing to a straighter position, the Captain let his eyes track to Malcolm. "Lieutenant," he added, with what Malcolm thought was a knowing smile.

"It is agreeable to have you back, Captain," T'Pol replied for them all, drawing the attention back to her.

Trip blew out a breath. "Yeah. You gave us a good scare."

Malcolm, quite impolitely, just stared back at the man.

"Believe me, I gave myself a good scare," Archer said with a huff.

T'Pol latched her hands behind her back. "When you are feeling better, I will be interested in learning what happened to you," she said.

"Which," Trip piped in, "roughly translates into, 'I'm dyin' to find out what on earth happened to you after that explosion'."

Archer's merry eyes danced from one officer to the other as he let out a soft chuckle. "I can see no reason why you should wait," he said. "It was the strangest thing," he began.

"Ah, ah, Captain; we don't want you to get yourself tired."

Phlox's interruption was not welcome.

"Aw, Doc, come on," the Engineer begged. "Aren't you curious to know too?"

"My main concern is that the Captain not exert himself too soon," Phlox replied meaningfully.

Archer shot him a sly look. "You're the boss here, Doctor, but… I think I'll be okay for a few minutes."

The Denobulan sighed. "Very well," he relented. "But don't complain if you end up having to stay in Sickbay longer that you would have needed."

"I won't. Scout's honour."

Archer shifted to a more comfortable position, taking a moment to gather his thoughts; then began again.

"When Malcolm warned me to move away from that obelisk," he said, darting Malcolm a contrite glance, "I took a couple of steps and… There was a bright light and I was kind of… flying, weightless. A bit like being transported, except that I was conscious all the time. And then I… yeah, well, landed in the middle of this place, with trees and greenery."

Malcolm knew exactly what Archer was talking about, of course.

"That, I believe, is where Lieutenant Reed found you," T'Pol said.

"It is," Archer said, causing T'Pol's eyebrows to go up.

Indeed – Malcolm mused. How could the Captain, who had been unconscious, know where he had been found and by whom? But Archer was already continuing, and Malcolm focused back on his voice.

"Not very long after I had arrived there, I experienced... Well, for lack of a better word I'll call them hallucinations."

"Hallucinations?" Trip repeated.

Archer's gaze once again darted to Malcolm, who met it uncomfortably; after a moment Trip's and T'Pol's followed suit.

"Oh, ya mean Malcolm," Trip exclaimed. "He had them about you."

Archer bit his lip. "Actually, no; not about Malcolm."

Malcolm blinked, unsure if he was to say something. But the Captain went on.

"I couldn't quite see the person," he said, wincing. "And technically I couldn't even hear him, but I could... sense his message."

"Hmm, what a fascinating experience," Phlox butted in, in his singsong voice.

"It would appear it was telepathy," T'Pol reasoned, always the one who needed to find an explanation.

"Him who?" Trip enquired.

"A dweller from that planet."

"Captain, the planet is… uninhabited," T'Pol said, but the almost imperceptible hesitance betrayed the fact that she wasn't too certain about it.

"Oh, no, it's not." Archer rubbed two fingers on his temples, which prompted Phlox to pass a medical scanner over him. "Don't ask me where they live, or what they look like," he went on, with a reassuring wave at his physician, "but that planet is definitely not uninhabited."

"What did they tell you?" Trip wanted to know.

"They told me their species avoids contact with other civilisations. I had ignored the warning not to trespass into their territory, and my rightful punishment for that was to die in that limbo, unless..."

Suddenly Malcolm knew. "Unless someone believed you were still alive, and came to look for you past that obelisk," he said almost to himself, speaking for the first time.

Archer nodded. "Unless I was able to convince someone to have enough faith to believe me alive, and enough courage to come past that obelisk."

"The test of faith and courage," Trip wondered. He turned to Malcolm, who broke eye contact with Archer only long enough to acknowledge the warm blue eyes.

"Turns out those people hold faith and courage in the highest consideration," Archer said. "Enough to let trespassers be rescued only on condition that their rescuers prove loyal and brave."

Tilting his head, Trip gave a low whistle.

"Lieutenant Reed said he had visions of you," T'Pol said.

"I…" Archer frowned, and his gaze trailed to Malcolm once again. "I suppose I'll never know whether it was you who had the visions because you and I had shared that explosion of energy, or because you are my Security Officer; or even if I had any hand in choosing you; but suddenly I could hear some of your thoughts, Lieutenant, and I knew I could make contact; though I couldn't speak to you."

Malcolm licked his lips. "I could see your eyes, Sir," he breathed out. "But for a long time I thought it was my concussion, or…" He faltered.

Trip shot Malcolm a comforting glance. "You freaked the man out, Capt'n."

"I can imagine," Archer said with a huff.

Before Malcolm could comment, Phlox spoke.

"Captain," he said, one hand cradling his chin. "I found traces of alien substances in your blood. You obviously had nourishment and fluids, or you wouldn't be alive. Am I right?"

"There were fruits in that place, and some of them were filled with liquid; but they didn't much agree with human physiology. I tried some of them; but after a few days, I couldn't hold them in any more. I started getting weaker; the good thing was that, when my consciousness began to fade, contact, for some reason, became more easily established."

"I take it you couldn't just walk away from the place," Trip wondered.

Archer smirked. "Every time I went exploring, I found myself back in the same place. Besides, I knew that Enterprise was no longer in orbit, where would I go?"

A heavy silence met the words.

"Well, then," Phlox exclaimed after a moment, in that upbeat tone of his. "Now that we know what happened to the Captain, my patient needs to rest."

Archer gave a helpless shrug. "I guess you'll be Acting Captain for a little longer," he said to T'Pol.

"It is not a problem," she replied.

Trip smiled. "Don't worry, Capt'n. Enterprise is in good hands."

His blue eyes darted T'Pol a rueful glance, and Malcolm watched as something very close to surprise painted itself on her face. He was glad Trip was sort of asking forgiveness for doubting her. She too, in the end, had taken her test of faith and courage, proving loyal to the ship and courageous in standing up to V'Sir and Blake.

"I know," Archer said, settling against his pillow in contentment. "The best."

"Malcolm…" he added, as the three of them were turning to go. "Would you stay for a moment?"

"Captain," Phlox warned.

Archer lifted his eyebrows. "Please?"

Sighing, Phlox moved away.

"How are you feeling, Lieutenant?" Archer asked as soon as they were alone, eyes darting to the barely visible bruise on Malcolm's forehead.

Malcolm took a moment to answer. "It's been a rough ten days, Sir," he finally replied. "But I'm well enough."

"I must thank you," Archer said with feeling, after a beat. "Your loyalty has saved my life."

Another thank you echoed in Malcolm's mind, and the difference between the two was rather striking. He shook his head. "Captain," he croaked out awkwardly. "In the end I only did what…" He grimaced, realising how crazy this would sound – what a bloody idiot he was; Archer would know. "I only did what you ordered me to do, Sir."

Archer's mouth curved into a faint smile. "Not quite. You had to believe. Which leads to the other thing; I suppose I must also apologise for… intruding in your mind. Once I knew I could, I'm afraid I tried as hard as possible."

Malcolm pursed his lips, averting his eyes. He crossed his arms over his chest. "That was quite disturbing, actually," he said carefully.

He dared to look back. Was the man aware that he had popped into his mind no longer than half an hour before? And talking about hearing his thoughts… How exactly did that work?

"Believe me, I don't particularly enjoy using your brain as my strolling grounds," Archer said, knowingly. "And I don't want to mess it up more than it already is," he continued, with a teasing glance.

"Oh, damn," Malcolm blurted out, in a deep voice. This was more than he could stand, or hold in.

"But let me reassure you," the Captain hurried to add. "It's not as if I could access your mind as one does with a database. The thoughts I could 'hear' were all basically related to work, the ship's mission, and myself. Your private life has remained just that."

"Were?" Malcolm enquired, wincing. "Captain, you have just proven that you can still get into my head."

Archer grimaced too. "Alright, are," he amended. "But not for long; you'll be glad to know that my abilities are fading."

Malcolm blew out a breath. "I won't hide from you that it is a relief, Sir. With all due respect, I'd like to be able to carry out a diagnostic without having you appear on my computer screen."

"Sorry. It's not something I can fully control. I'll be relieved too, believe me, when things are back to normal."

"Captain, I must insist that you rest now," Phlox said in his no-nonsense tone, approaching the bed.

"I'm all yours, Doctor," Archer complied. He hid a yawn behind a hand.

"Excellent."

"Have a good rest, Sir," Malcolm wished. "As the Commander said, Enterprise is in good hands."

"Thanks," Archer drawled out wearily.

And the ship was in good hands – Malcolm mused, as he watched his CO's eyes droop closed. T'Pol had proven her loyalty; Trip was a brilliant mind and a faithful friend; Hoshi and Travis were devoted and reliable. Indeed there wasn't a single person aboard Enterprise who wasn't a fine man or woman. Well… with one exception, at least for the time being: that bloody idiot of an Admi---

"Malcolm?!" a surprised voice said. Archer's eyes cracked open again.

Brilliant.

"Captain---"

"Not that I don't agree with you," Archer interrupted, green gaze closing again. "The man's a jerk; but let's keep that between you and me."

The phrase had never sounded more appropriate. Malcolm felt a smile creep up his face. There seemed to be a positive side to sharing thoughts with his Captain.

"Lieutenant! Are you still here?"

Phlox was definitely losing his patience, and he was one person Malcolm had best keep as a friend.

"Sorry, Doctor," he quickly apologised. Then, just as quickly, he left Sickbay.

The Mess Hall was full; and noisy. But for once Malcolm didn't mind. It was the normal hustle and bustle of lunch time, and normality was a wonderful thing.

"Wait till Shran hears about this," Trip said with a chuckle, spreading his napkin over his legs. "Faith and Courage championship: Pinkskins one, Andorians zero."

Malcolm snorted. "I wonder what colour Andorians get when they blush. Purple?"

"I doubt blush is in their vocabulary," Hoshi commented deadpan. "Let alone in the list of their physiological abilities."

Malcolm stopped with fork in mid-air at her abrupt tone. "What's the matter, Hoshi?" he enquired, becoming aware of her peeved expression.

Hoshi's mouth quirked irritably. "It's that message. I've never failed so miserably before."

"What d'ya mean, failed," Trip wondered, jerking his chin down and back. "You translated the two words that made all the difference."

"Trip is right," Malcolm agreed. "Without your cue, I probably wouldn't have risked a court-martial by knocking a superior officer unconscious to go to the rescue."

"You didn't knock me unconscious," Trip specified with narrowed eyes. "I was only stunned."

"I went easy on purpose."

"Oh. Are you expecting a thank you, Lieutenant?"

Malcolm shrugged. "Since I'm collecting them these days, you might as well, Commander," he said, letting playfulness dance in his gaze.

Hoshi's mouth finally curved up. "You guys are… are…"

"Wonderful?" Trip suggested.

"Insane?" Malcolm countered. He couldn't help seeing things from a more pessimistic point of view.

Hoshi's eyes tracked from one to the other. "Unique," she eventually blurted out.

Malcolm considered the word. "That doesn't tell us much," he teased. "Each of us is. At least I hope there aren't many other Commanders Tucker roaming around in the universe."

"Or Lieutenants Reed," Trip was quick to add.

Hoshi leaned over the table in a secretive way. Trip and Malcolm did the same.

"Or Admirals Blake," she said, keeping her voice low.

Malcolm groaned and Trip rolled his eyes.

"I see that you are in agreement about that," Hoshi said with a smile. Turning serious, she added, "Anyway, what I wanted to say is that you guys are---"

"Senior Staff please report to the Bridge," T'Pol's unreadable voice broke through the comm. link.

Exchanging a look, the three of them dropped their cutleries and got up. A few moments later they were in the turbo lift.

"Special," Hoshi suddenly said, breaking the silence. Her eyes shifted from Trip to Malcolm and back. "You guys are special."

Malcolm blinked and turned to Trip. Trip looked back at him.

The turbo lift slowed down and stopped. "Commander, Lieutenant: after you, Sirs," Hoshi said almost proudly, straightening her posture.

"Thank you, Ensign," Trip replied, with a warm smile.

Malcolm followed his friend out on the Bridge. But another friend was right behind him. More friends were in the situation room, and as they joined them he wondered what the universe would throw at them today.

After all, this was another normal day on the Starship Enterprise.

THE END

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