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"Moving Forward" by luli27
Disclaimer: Nope, they still don’t belong to me. Chapter 2 “Yeah,” Trip growled, taking an aggressive step forward. “There’s no way T’Pol’s gonna mate with anyone but me.” “Trip,” she said softly, placing her hand on his arm to stop him and pulled him back to her side. Her touch seemed to calm him a little; he nodded and took a deep breath. “Ah,” Phlox said, looking from one to the other, nodding. “I see; that explains a lot,” he murmured. “Wait a minute,” he added, as something she’d said registered. “Your bonded mate?” “Yes,” T’Pol said with a small nod. “You two share a mating bond?” he asked for clarification and both Trip and T’Pol nodded. “How long?” he asked tightly. “We’re not sure,” Trip answered, frowning at the urgency in Phlox’s voice. “As far as we can figure, it happened sometime during our time in the Expanse. We think it was a combination of the neuro-pressure session and how close we got dealing with everything that happened that year,” he added, after shooting a look at T’Pol. “That was more than two years ago!” Phlox exclaimed, glaring at them. “Yeah,” Trip nodded. “What’s the problem, Phlox?” “The problem, Commander,” Phlox told him, “is that a Vulcan mating bond is a telepathic bond and all telepathic bonds have a physiological component. They might be perfectly normal for Vulcans but you are not Vulcan! There’s never been a case of a human bonding with a Vulcan; we have no idea the kind of repercussions there could be. I should have been informed from the beginning and you should have been monitored!” “Oh, come on, Phlox,” Trip said. “This is a private matter.” “That very well may be true,” Phlox told him, still glaring at him. “But it is also a potential medical problem and as such I should have been informed. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised you didn’t know any better, considering your normal aversion to coming to sickbay. But you,” he said, turning to T’Pol. “I’m surprised you didn’t come to me. You should have known better.” “Hey,” Trip protested, once again taking a step forward in front of T’Pol. “There’s no reason to talk to her like that.” “Trip,” T’Pol said, placing a calming hand on his arm, once again, and pulling him back from his aggressive stance. “It is alright. The doctor is right. I, we should have come to him. We do not know what, if any, effects the bond could have on you.” “But, T’Pol,” he protested, “at first, you didn’t even know about the bond!” “You didn’t?” Phlox inquired and both shook their heads. “When did you discover it?” “When Trip left for the Columbia,” T’Pol answered. “That was over six months ago!” Phlox reminded them, but at Trip’s glare and T’Pol’s unwavering gaze, he took a deep breath and tried to calm down. “That’s why you weren’t affected by the Orion’s pheromones,” it was as much a question as a statement. “Yeah,” Trip nodded. “As far as I know,” Phlox said, looking at T’Pol as something else occurred to him, “mating bonds are formed during marriage ceremonies.” When she nodded, he continued, “then how is it that you were able to marry someone else, when you were already bonded to Mr. Tucker?” “As we said,” Trip answered for her. “We didn’t know we’d bonded until after she was married and divorced,” he added in a low voice. “I know that,” Phlox said, sounding a bit impatient. “What I’m asking is how the priest and the groom did not notice that a bond wasn’t formed and that one already existed. Shouldn’t they have noticed such a thing? I can’t imagine it’d be easy to overlook.” When Phlox finished asking the question, Trip also turned to look at T’Pol; interested in hearing the answer. “Bonding is a very private matter,” T’Pol answered quietly, and no one that didn’t know her would realize how hard she had to work to keep control. “It is not something that is discussed openly in Vulcan society. As such, the only references we have come from stories that have been passed down from before the Awakening. No one really knows what a bond is like until they become bonded. Additionally, because the bond comes down from before the Awakening, most people had chosen to believe that it is a myth and, while it did not suffer from the same stigma as mind melds, the idea that two minds could bond was . . . distasteful. The more acceptable belief was that ‘bonding’ was a euphemism for marriage.” “So,” Trip summarized, “they didn’t find anything wrong 'cuz they weren’t lookin for it.” “Yes,” T’Pol nodded. “Also,” she hesitated before continuing, “while the bond is formed during the ceremony, it also needs close proximity and intimacy for it to fully flourish.” “Like you and the Commander had during your time in the Expanse,” Phlox commented, remembering that one of the reasons T’Pol had given for her use of Trellium had been getting closer to the crew and how he’d mentioned Commander Tucker as a specific example. Seemed he had been more right than he’d ever guessed. “Yes,” T’Pol nodded again. “That is the reason why bonded couples are expected to spend one full year in each other’s company after the marriage ceremony.” “You didn’t,” Trip pointed out. “No,” T’Pol shook her head. “That was one of the conditions I had for going through with the marriage. I was not going to stay on Vulcan for that year; nor did I spend any time with Koss after the ceremony. I went to a monastery and spent my remaining leave in meditation and contemplation.” “In other words,” Phlox interpreted, “not only weren’t they looking for a bond but you were actively trying to stop one from forming.” This time, T’Pol just nodded once. Surprised, Trip turned to look at her with a small, pleased smile. He’d known she hadn’t wanted to be married to Koss but to have additional confirmation that she had not wanted any bond with him was comforting. He supposed, they should have talked about this before but they’d had so many other things to go over that there hadn’t been much time. Besides, they both kind of avoided the subject of her marriage. It was still painful for both of them. “As interesting as all of this is,” Phlox said, breaking the moment between Trip and T’Pol, “I need to examine you, Mr. Tucker. So, if you’d please get into the imaging chamber?” “Come on, Doc,” Trip protested. “Is that really necessary?” “Yes, Commander,” Phlox said firmly. “It really is. So, if you please?” he repeated, waving his arm to indicate the machine. “Please, ashayam,” T’Pol entreated. “You really should be examined.” Trip started to protest but stopped when he saw how she was looking at him. With a sigh, he climbed into the imaging chamber. Half an hour later, Phlox was reviewing the test results. “Hmmm, interesting. Very interesting,” he said, looking from one screen to the next. “I’m glad it’s interesting,” Trip said sarcastically. “But what's it mean? Am I okay or not?” “Yes,” Phlox answered. “You are fine.” “Okay,” Trip said a few moments later when Phlox failed to add anything else. “So, what’s so interesting?” “Oh, your brain chemistry,” Phlox answered cheerfully. “You see here?” He asked, pointing to a spot on the image of Trip’s brain that looked pretty much like all the rest to Trip. “This is a portion of the human brain that is usually inactive. In fact, I have never seen this part of the brain active in any human. It seems that the bond has somehow activated it. Fascinating, really, how an alien telepathic touch was able to ‘awaken' as it were, previously unused portions of your brain.” “But it is not hurting him, is it?” T’Pol asked, concerned. She hadn’t really considered the possibility that the bond was re-writing his brain. “No, no,” Phlox hastened to assure her. “It’s perfectly . . . well, I was going to say normal but it’s not normal, is it?” He asked them with a smile that was not returned. “Yes, well, it’s perfectly harmless. The commander is not being negatively affected by the bond. Though,” he added in an intrigued tone, “his brain no longer looks quite human.” At the alarmed looks of both his patients, he hurried to explain. “It’s nothing to be concerned about; and it’s really very subtle. I wouldn’t have noticed it in a routine examination but when I look closer, I can see that here, here and here,” he told them, pointing at specific places on the image, “the readings are closer to those of a Vulcan than a human. Like I said, it’s very subtle and wouldn’t have raised any flags but – it’s interesting. Especially,” he went on as he brought up another brain image, “when you compare it to T’Pol’s scan and you find out that her chemistry is no longer completely Vulcan either and that the changes correspond to the changes in Commander Tucker. It seems that your brains have found a medium between the Vulcan and Human chemistry. Much as you’ll have to do in your lives together, I imagine,” he finished, looking at them with his characteristic wide smile. Trip and T’Pol looked at each other and smiled. As disconcerting as finding out their brain chemistry had been altered, it was sort of nice to know that even their brains were looking for a compromise. “Commander Tucker,” Phlox said, once again breaking the moment between the couple. “How are you feeling?” “I’m good,” Trip told him, looking puzzled. “I thought you said I was okay?” “And you are,” Phlox reiterated. “But,” he added as he brought up various test results and seemed to be rechecking something. “Your testosterone levels seem to be quite high as are some of your other hormonal levels. And I’ve noticed that you’ve been more aggressive than usual tonight.” “Don’t know what to tell ya, Doc,” Trip shrugged. “I feel fine.” “Doctor,” T’Pol asked. “What are you thinking?” “I’m not sure,” Phlox said slowly. “T’Pol, when did your symptoms start?” he asked, seemingly out of nowhere. “I am not sure,” T’Pol answered. “A few days ago.” “Can you be more specific?” the doctor wanted to know. When T’Pol said, “I don’t think so,” Phlox turned to Trip who shrugged and answered. “;Bout five, six days,” he guessed. “Five or six days ago?” Phlox repeated. “Are you sure?” “Yeah, I guess,” he started to answer but he trailed off and Phlox jumped on that. “But?” he prompted and Trip rubbed the back of his neck before answering. “Well, there was this . . . episode about two weeks ago,” he looked at T’Pol, who had straightened in annoyance. “It wasn’t that big a deal,” he quickly tried to back pedal. “Really?” Phlox wouldn’t let it go so easily. “What happened?” “Nothing really,” Trip shrugged. “We had a . . . misunderstanding but we talked it out and everything was fine.” “And there were no more mood changes or anything out of the ordinary until five, six days ago?” Phlox needed to be sure. “No,” Trip answered but then he hesitated and added, “Well, she has been more irritable than normal.” “Are you sure you know what’s normal for her, Commander?” Phlox was genuinely curious. “Phlox,” Trip told him, “we’ve been bonded for two years; that means we’ve been in each other’s heads for all that time. We might not always have known about it, but trust me, I know what her normal is.” Through the bond, he had been feeling how uncomfortable T’Pol was with the conversation, but it was suddenly spiking and he decided to try and end it. “Phlox, where is this going?” “I need to be sure of when her Pon Farr started,” Phlox told him. “Wait, hold on a minute,” Trip said, holding up a hand. “Are you saying that T’Pol’s Pon Farr could've started two weeks ago? I thought you said it had to be sated within eight days! If she’s had it for two weeks that means she can keel over dead any minute?!” “Calm yourself, Commander,” Phlox said evenly. “She’s not about to keel over, as you so eloquently put it. Her readings are somewhat higher than I’d expect, but she’s stable for now. However, there are some anomalies that I’d like to investigate.” “Anomalies?” Trip asked, not at all calmly. “What do ya mean? What’s wrong?” “Nothing’s wrong,” Phlox assured him. “As I stated, Pon Farr usually needs to be sated within eight days. That, however, is a guideline; how long Pon Farr last depends on the individual. Normally, though, the onset lasts between 3 to 5 days; with the loss of control being minimal at the beginning and increasing in difficulty as the days go by, culminating in the plak tow, or blood fever, where all control is lost and only the urge to mate remains. That lasts another 3 to 5 days – again depending on the individual.” “Okay,” Trip said, slowly, thinking through what Phlox said and seeing where he was going. “But T’Pol's had the ‘symptoms’ for something like two weeks,” he stated, thinking out loud and Phlox nodded. “Has she reached this ‘plaek too’ stage yet?” “No,” Phlox shook his head. “According to my readings, she’s close but not quite there yet. And that’s another thing that has me intrigued: she’s so close to it that her control should be all but gone. But look at her,” he continued, turning to look at T’Pol with a critical eye, “she looks to be in complete control.” Trip thought that ‘looks’ was the operative word in that sentence because while T’Pol looked to be in complete control, in reality, that control wasn’t complete and it was all she could do to keep it in place. “What does that mean, Doctor?” T’Pol asked, speaking for the first time in the last few minutes. “Does that mean that she won’t lose all control once she gets the blood fever?” Trip wanted to know. “I don’t think so, Commander,” Phlox answered Trip first. “Once the blood fever hits, the emotions will be too strong for anyone to control them. As for what does it mean,” Phlox added, looking at T’Pol, “I am unsure - other than the fact that you’ll probably be having one of the longest Pon Farrs ever.” “I wonder,” T’Pol said thoughtfully with a sly look at Trip. “Yes?” Phlox inquired. “I am the first Vulcan to have bonded with a human,” she pointed out and while Phlox looked intrigued, Trip looked uncomfortable. “Yes, you are,” Phlox agreed. “What are you thinking?” “Unlike Vulcans,” she began, “Humans know how to control their emotions. They do not repress them but rather embrace them; they know how to live with their emotions –even when they’re in emotional upheaval, they managed to still live productive lives – for the most part. What if Trip,” she paused minutely to look up at the fidgeting Commander, “has been helping me keep control?” “Hmmm,” Phlox said, thinking. “Interesting theory,” he mused. “But that would only be possible if . . .” he trailed off and then asked out of the blue, “Commanders, are you two sexually active?” “Phlox!” Trip exclaimed, his face slowly going red. “What's that gotta to do with anything?” “Mr. Tucker, please,” Phlox said, sighing. “It has everything to do with it. As you know, mating and the desire to procreate is the most basic, strongest primal instinct any species has. Frankly, given how stubborn Vulcans are, I think it is the only instinct that could break through their control,” he said, as an aside, but when confronted with Trip and T’Pol’s frowns, he went back to the topic. “As you also know, the Pon Farr is a culmination of all those repressed instincts coming out.” “So,” Trip said, frowning in thought. “You’re sayin' that because we’ve been,” he hesitated and rubbed his neck before finally admitting, “sexually active, her instincts haven’t been as repressed, the explosion isn’t as big as it could have been?” “Well,” Phlox answered slowly, “I’m not sure whether it's any smaller but it certainly seems to have a shorter fuse.” “So,” Trip concluded, sounding upset. “I’m basically makin' this thing last longer than it has to?” “Ashayam, don’t look at it that way,” T’Pol told him softly, turning to look at him and placing a hand on his cheek, showing more emotion that Phlox had seen in a long time. “Instead, concentrate on the fact that, without your assistance, these emotions would have already overwhelmed me. It’s because of you that my first Pon Farr will not be as bad as it could be.” “But if it wasn’t for me,” Trip insisted, feeling dejected, “it’d already be over.” “Trip,” she told him firmly. “It might be longer, but in the long run it won’t be as traumatic because of you. Please, think of it like that.” “She’s right,” Phlox agreed. “It might seem counter-intuitive but the fact that the Pon Farr is taking longer to reach critical point means that her body doesn’t have such a hard time dealing with all the changes. As a result, once it is done, she will have experienced far less trauma.” “What about when she gets the blood fever?” Trip asked again. “Will that last longer too? Will it not be as strong?” “Unfortunately, Commander,” Phlox said, shaking his head regretfully, “I just don’t know. You two are the first Vulcan/Human couple; we’re in uncharted territory. It seems as if being trailblazers is in your lot in life.” “Just what I always wanted to be,” Trip said sarcastically. “I’m sure you’ll do fine,” Phlox told him, with a wide smile. But then he turned serious, “We might not be sure what will happen exactly, but we know enough that I think it might be better if we ask the captain to stop by Vulcan.” “Why?” Trip asked him, frowning. “I thought it was settled that T’Pol didn’t need to look for a mate.” “Of course,” Phlox said, nodding. “I just meant that it is a very private time and, given the size of this ship, privacy will be almost impossible to achieve. Especially,” he added, “when according to these readings, T’Pol won’t be the only one going through Pon Farr.” “What?!” Trip asked, alarmed. “Doctor, what do you mean?” T’Pol asked, surprised and alarmed herself. “The reason I asked whether Commander Tucker was feeling okay,” Phlox explained, “was because his hormones levels are indicative of the first stages of Pon Farr.” “What?” Trip asked again. “How can that be?” T’Pol inquired. “Pon Farr is a uniquely Vulcan phenomenon.” “So is the mating bond,” Phlox said with a shrug. “And yet, you share one. I think you two have pretty much thrown what, up to now, had been established facts out of the window. Like I said earlier, we’re in completely uncharted territory.” “Ok, so we’re trail blazers,” Trip said, still visibly startled. “But what's that mean for us right now. Am I gonna lose my mind too?” “Commander,” Phlox reprimanded him. “Vulcans don’t really lose their minds; they just lose . . .” “Yeah, Doc,” Trip interrupted him, anxiously. “I get it. I just wanna to know what’s gonna happen to me.” “I’m sorry, Mr. Tucker,” Phlox said, sounding genuinely apologetic, “I just don’t know. But given what I’ve witnessed tonight and the high level of your hormones, and the fact that they keep rising, I’d say that you are going to have a problem with control. Whether they’ll rise as high as T’Pol’s is impossible to say. What I can say is that you won’t be in complete control. You two need a more private environment than Enterprise provides.” “That’s true,” Trip said, biting his lip in thought. He was concerned about what going through Pon Farr might mean but he knew that whatever happened, he had to make sure his and T’Pol’s privacy was protected. “We're less than two days from Vulcan – less if we increase speed. Might not be a bad idea,” he told T’Pol. “We’d need to talk to the Captain,” T’Pol commented. “Yeah,” Trip agreed. “But we been meaning to anyway,” he reminded her. “Indeed,” T’Pol nodded once. “Whatever you decide,” Phlox told them, “you better decide soon. I need to let the captain know I’m placing you both on medical leave. Vulcans are notoriously possessive of their mates during Pon Farr; we wouldn’t want any accidents, would we?” “No, we wouldn’t,” Trip answered, thinking of the way T’Pol had reacted the two times she’d seen him with Jennifer and how he’d felt whenever Phlox acted the least confrontational with T’Pol. “Okay, Doc, can you give us a couple hours before talking to the captain?” “Yes,” Phlox replied. “But not a minute more.” “No problem, Doc,” Trip said, placing his hand on T’Pol’s lower back and guiding her out of sickbay. “Commanders,” Phlox called out before they could leave. “Given the uncertainty of Mr. Tucker’s prognosis, I’d feel better if I could monitor you while you go through the Pon Farr.” “Ah, Doc,” Trip protested while T’Pol frowned in distaste at the thought. The fact that Phlox could tell she was frowning indicated how much she didn’t like his suggestion. Commander Tucker's well being was his priority, however, and however much it might offend their sense of privacy, he intended to monitor them – even if he had to go to the captain. “I’ll be fine,” Mr. Tucker was trying to reassure him. “I’ll come see you as soon as it’s done, I promise.” “I’m sorry, Commander,” Phlox shook his head. “That’s not good enough. A lot of things could go wrong that would need to be treated immediately and I can’t be sure that either of you would be coherent enough to make sure you get that treatment.” He sighed and attempted a compromise when he saw how distressed both patients looked, “I’ll tell you what, if you both agree to wear cortical monitors, I won’t insist on personal check ups.” Trip and T’Pol looked at each other before T’Pol nodded and said, “That would be acceptable.” “Ok, then,” Phlox nodded and moved away to get the monitors. A few minutes later, he was attaching them to the back of their necks, neither one wanted to explain to curious friends why they were wearing them. “I expect full cooperation if I think I need to intervene,” he warned them, expecting their agreement, even though he knew he’d have a fight on his hands, because chances were both would react violently to any interference with the natural resolution of the Pon Farr. “Sure, Doc,” Trip promised him while T’Pol nodded her acquiescence. “And thanks!” he told him sincerely before turning to leave. “You’re welcome, Commander,” Phlox called after them. |
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