Title: Consequences

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the star trek characters or anything.

Summary: AU. This is the sequel to "Mistakes." It won't really make any sense if you don't read "Mistakes" first.

Hoshi deals with the consequences of her mistakes, while Malcolm joins some old "friends" from his past with the mission to take down Terra Prime. Trip and T'Pol try to cope with being apart, as T'Pol is called back to Vulcan. Trip finds a kindred spirit in Q'ell and T'Pol begins to find who she truly is.

Spoilers: Terra Prime

A/N- Thank you to my beta Dinah.

Vulcan translations

tra'vek- it means group, but for my purposes I'm using it like the word squad in a platoon.

Svik- literally means betray. I couldn't find the word for traitor.

ne'ki ne- I think it kind of means war partner. So like a battle buddy in basic.

I'm kind of stretching the meaning of these words just because I don't have the patience to look up the exact right words… or learn Vulcan.

Chapter 2

=/\=

Trip

The flame in front of him burned evenly. Trip concentrated on his breathes as he sank deeper and deeper into meditation. This had never been a habit until after T'Pol had left. He'd done it one day on impulse, just needing something to make him feel closer to her. He had found lately that if he went deep enough sometimes he could almost feel T'Pol. Wisps of thoughts and feelings swirling in an incoherent wave, but it was definitely her.

Trip found the spark that was their bond and followed it. It had become easier recently, the first time he had done this he couldn't quite hold on to it. He let his mind open as he moved farther from his own consciousness and closer to hers. He felt the now familiar sensations of her mind, calm mixed with fire. He could have stayed there for hours, or even until she was in his arms again, but he knew it was late and he needed to sleep soon. Trip was pulling back when he felt her brush against him. The second before his eyes snapped open he felt her shock. Trip grinned, then quickly clenched his eyes shut. He was so close. He had felt her. He tried finding the spark again, but was too excited to concentrate.

Trip opened his eyes again, defeated. He would try again tomorrow. He blew out the candle and pulled off his shirt. He was about to climb into bed when his door buzzed. He sighed and pulled his shirt back on before he answered the door. He smiled when he saw who was standing in front of him.

"Q'ell!", Trip checked the clock behind him, "What are you still doing on board? It's pretty late."

"I missed the transport." Q'ell looked down embarrassed, " I didn't know who to talk to."

Trip smiled, "I can take you down."

"I'm so sorry, I know it's late."

"It will only take an hour, don't worry about it. You're not the only one who's lost track of time looking at warp engine schematics." Trip laughed.

Q'ell immediately perked up, "They're amazing, I've never seen any tech like them. I thought stripping down the processor was complicated. I'd love to take apart one of those engines."

Trip grabbed a sweater and pulled it over his head, then slipped on a pair of shoes. "You sound just like me at your age. But don't go anywhere near my engines if that's your plan." Q'ell laughed as Trip corralled him out the door and down the hall.

Once they reached the shuttlepod, Trip flipped on the power and began the startup sequences.

"UNSCHEDULED DEPARTURE" the computer shouted at him.

"I know, I know," he flipped the comm line, "Bridge this is Tucker, I'm taking shuttlepod 1 down to the surface. Q'ell missed the bus, so I'm gunna have to drive him home."

"Ok, sir. I'll put it in the log."

"Thank you, Ensign."

Trip finished running through the startup sequences as the shuttle bay doors opened. He patted the seat next to him. Q'ell sat next to him and buckled in. Trip pulled them out of the bay then flicked a button, "Okay, it's all yours," he turned and smiled at Q'ell.

"What!?" Q'ell shook his head vigoursly, "No! I've never flown a shuttle."

Trip laughed, "This is the shuttle we use for training, I just have to flick a switch and the controls return to me."

Q'ell didn't look convinced.

"The navigation is almost identical to the crawlers you're used to. We're in open space, what's the worst that could happen?" Trip smiled reassuringly, "I wouldn't let you try if I didn't know you could do it."

Q'ell hesitated a moment longer then cautiously pressed a sequence of buttons.

"You got it!" Trip encouraged, "Now we just sit back and enjoy the ride."

Q'ell grinned widely and gazed out the front glass, "I don't think I'll ever get used to this. I could stay up here forever."

Trip adjusted his seat so that it leaned back more and crossed his arms behind his head, "You know, that's what Starfleet's all about. You really could stay out here forever if you wanted to. You have a talent when it comes to machines. Starfleet could use someone like you."

Q'ell's smile faded, "That could never happen."

Trip sat up and leaned towards Q'ell, facing him, "Why not?"

He shook his head, "Because… I'm not from your world."

"Neither is T'Pol. She has a Starfleet rank though. If Starfleet is serious about a coalition of any kind, they're going to have to start being more open to the idea of collaborating with our alien allies. That means an inclusive Starfleet. It's just somethin' to think about."

Q'ell nodded and was silent for a moment, "Where is Commander T'Pol?"

Trip's good mood evaporated, "She had to go back to Vulcan."

"You seem to miss her very much. "

Trip nodded, "Yeah," he drummed his fingers against the console awkwardly. "How long have we got until the planet?"

Q'ell looked at the indicators, "Thirty-eight minutes."

Trip nodded, and then leaned his chair back again. The sight really was breathtaking, the green-blue of the planet against the stark black of space with hundreds of stars as far as the eye could see. He envied Q'ell's enthusiasm, it reminded him of younger days. Before the Xindi and

Terra Prime and now a betrayal of someone he considered family. Trip sighed as the familiar since of overwhelming loneliness sunk into his chest.

His entire world had changed in such a short period of time.

It wasn't just T'Pol he missed.

=/\=

T'Pol

Here in the sand and the heat it was easy to see the differences. Between her and them. It was both frightening and liberating. And she felt them both.

She felt them.

And they didn't.

She had changed so much since she had been here last.

She let her hand move over the sandstone wall of the meditation hall. It was quite and cool in the nearly empty room, T'Pol had always preferred meditating at night. She moved to the center of the great room and dropped her meditation pillow to the floor, settling on to it. The room had no ceiling, so while there were no lamps lit, the room was far from dark. The light from the stars and moons cast shades of navy and grey against the walls. T'Pol pulled a candle from her robes, holding it reverently for a moment before she set it down.

Trip had given her the candle before she had left. There was nothing obviously special about it. It was white, average shape and size, but Trip had made it for her. Before she left he melted the candle down and mixed in the cologne he wore before reshaping it. Sometimes when her eyes were closed she would imagine he was sitting next to her. But then the wind would blow, taking the scent away with it, and the illusion was broken.

T'Pol lit the candle and took a deep breath in, releasing the day's tensions as she exhaled. She had only been here a week but already it felt too long. She had noticed a general attitude towards her here. Sometimes it was one of pity, but more often it was one of contempt. Vel'ek had warned her that this might happen, but she had thought he was being overcautious. Her tra'vek had questioned her about her time on board a human ship. It was a reminder to her how little exposure most Vulcans had to Human society. If she thought back on when she had first joined the Enterprise she had thought very much as they did, Humans were like children that needed watching over. The longer she had been on board, the more she had found in common with them, and now her earlier notions seemed… amusing. The people who weren't curious were the ones that worried T'Pol most. They had already formed their opinion of her long ago.

Svik.

Traitor.

Those who had been allegiant to the old régime saw her as nothing else. Even T'Lin, a woman who had been her ne'ki ne since her first training cycle treated her with uncertainty.

T'Pol pushed these thoughts from her head, and concentrated on the flame in front of her. She breathed deeply, slowly. As her breathing evened to a slow pace she closed her eyes. In her mind she saw felt the spark of the bond and was filled with a renewed longing for her mate.

Sometimes she imagined that if she pushed far enough, maybe she could touch his mind. She smiled inwardly at the thought.

T'Pol let her mind wander through the spark, the further she ventured the warmer she felt until something brushed against her.

Trip?

TBC