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"Moving Forward" by luli27
Disclaimer: Nope, they still don’t belong to me. Chapter 3 A few minutes later, they were entering T’Pol’s cabin. “So,” Trip said as T’Pol started to set things up for meditation. “Would you like me to talk to the captain alone?” he asked, pretty sure he already knew the answer. “If you would not mind,” she told him, looking up from where she was placing the candle. “No, course not,” he shook his head; in fact, it might be even better if he went by himself. That way he and John could have a man to man talk. “Thank you,” T’Pol told him sincerely and Trip smiled before turning to leave. Before he touched the control panel, he hesitated and turned back. “T’Pol?” he said, hesitantly. “Yes?” she said, opening her eyes to find a nervous looking Trip Tucker looking down at her. “We’re going to be staying at your mom’s house while on Vulcan, right?” he asked and T’Pol nodded. “I was thinking that since we’re going to be on Vulcan, it might be a good idea to get married.” When she just stared at him without saying anything, he called out, “T’Pol?” “I’m sorry,” T’Pol said slowly. “You just took me by surprise. Are you sure you’d like to . . .?” “Get married,” he finished for her. “Yes, I’m sure. There’s nothing I want more than to be married to you. I know you’re not really comfortable with such an informal relationship. So, the only question that remains is: would you like to marry me?” She studied him for a long moment before nodding. “I would be honored to call you ‘husband’,” she finally told him and he let out the breath he hadn’t known he was holding. “Yes!” he cried out before stepping forward and hauling her up for a big kiss. “You won’t regret it, T’Pol! I promise to do everything in my power to make you happy.” “I am not in the habit of regretting my decisions,” she informed him firmly before breaking into a small smile and admitting, “I know you'll do your best to . . . ‘make me happy’.” “You bet I will,” he grinned and swooped down for another long kiss. “T’Pol,” he grinned when he came up for air. “Do you still have the robes you got married in?” “Yes,” she said slowly, not sure why he was asking. “Do you think you wearing them for our ceremony?” he asked her and he could feel how surprised she was through the bond, though the only physical reaction she had was a slow blinking. “You’re surprised,” he said. “Yes,” she nodded. “That was a difficult time for both of us. I am unsure as to why you would like to have anything at our wedding that would remind you of it.” “That’s precisely why,” he told her and only confused her more. He sighed and tried to explain, “T’Pol, that day was probably one of the most difficult days I’ve lived through. I’d just like to take away most of its . . . potency as it were. You looked breathtaking in those robes and if I see you walk towards me while you’re wearing them, I’ll be able to replace that awful memory of you marrying someone else with the memory of you marrying me. Seeing you in those robes on our wedding day won’t bring back any memories of your wedding to Koss, it will instead, replace that horrid memory with the beautiful memory of us finally getting our happily ever after.” “It does not sound very logical,” she told him with a tiny frown, “but I, too, would like you to wear my father’s robes. I’ll have the caretaker prepare the robes when I call her to tell her to get the house ready for our arrival.” “Thank you,” he told her sincerely. “One last thing,” he said and smiled sheepishly when she raised an eyebrow. “I’d like to invite the Captain, Phlox and Malcolm to come to the wedding. I know, I know,” he added when she opened her mouth to protest. “We wanted to keep our relationship low key and out of Starfleet’s knowledge, but Phlox already knows, the captain is going to know in a minute and Malcolm is a very good friend. Not to mention he’s the tactical officer and if anyone’s bound to accidentally find out it’s him; it’d be much easier all around if I told him now and gained his cooperation. He can be pretty discrete when he wants to.” “I am not averse to having our friends attend our wedding ceremony,” since she had no family and his wouldn’t be able to attend, having their friends there made perfect sense. “I am concerned about what Starfleet will say when they find out about us.” “Well, like you told me some time ago,” he shrugged, “we’re of the same rank and are not breaking any regs. Plus, we’ve already proven that we can perform our jobs without lettin' our personal feelings affect us.” When she raised one eyebrow even higher than before, he added, “Ok, so I left for the Columbia 'cuz of personal feelings, but I came back.” This time, she didn’t raise an eyebrow, but he could feel her feelings through the bond. “Okay, so that had something to do with personal feelings too, but they don’t have to know that, do they? Besides, if anything, that shows that we can’t be separated 'cuz we don’t deal well when we’re far apart.” “Do you think that will be enough for them to keep us together?” she asked. “It should,” he answered. “And didn’t you just say that Vulcan newlyweds are expected to spend the first year together? We can tell them either we stay together or we resign.” “Are you sure you want to do that?” “Yes,” he said firmly. “The fact is I don’t wanna be separated from you. As much as I love being on Starfleet, I wouldn’t wanna be on it if we're sent to different ships. Would you?” “No,” she answered, without hesitation, and calmed him down before he could really start to worry. “I just want to be sure you know what you’re doing. I wouldn’t want to hold you back or for you to do something you didn’t want to do and have you resent me later on.” “Trust me,” he told her, smiling. “I won’t. So, that’s settled, then? I’ll tell the captain and then invite him, Phlox and Malcolm to the wedding?” At her nod, he smiled. “Great! Now, I’m gonna go so you can meditate in peace. I’ll be back later.” With that he left a bemused T’Pol to try and meditate. A few minutes later, Trip was ringing the bell on the captain’s cabin. “Trip!” Archer greeted him with a wide smile when he saw who it was that had come calling. “How are you?” “Fine, Captain,” Trip answered, as he followed the captain into the cabin. “You?” “Fine, fine,” Archer answered as he sat down on his bed. “So, what brings you back this fine evening? Are you in the mood to watch some Water Polo?” “Not tonight, Captain,” Trip shook his head. “I actually need to talk to you 'bout something important. You got a minute?” “Sure, Trip” Archer answered, leaning forward and putting his elbows on his knees. “What’s on your mind?” “Well,” Trip said, rubbing the back of his neck, not sure how to begin this conversation. “I’m not sure where to start!” he said on a half laugh. “The beginning is usually a great place,” Archer said, grinning and curious. The last time he’d seen Trip that nervous, the younger man had asked for a transfer. He hoped tonight wouldn’t be a repeat; he’d sure hate to lose Trip again. “The beginning?” Trip mused. “That might be going a bit too far back. I guess first thing’s first. I just came from sickbay and . . .” At the word sickbay the captain had straightened and all levity had left his expression. “What’s wrong?” he asked, interrupting Trip. “Are you okay?” “I’m okay,” Trip assured him. “It’s not me, it’s T’Pol.” Before he could say anything else, Archer was interrupting him again. “What’s wrong with her?” he asked. “Is it serious?” “It’s pretty serious,” Trip answered. “Have you heard of Pon Farr?” “Yes,” Archer nodded once before standing up. “Is that what she has?” When Trip nodded, Archer didn’t wait for anything else before moving to the comm., declaring, “I’ll have Travis change course to Vulcan immediately. We’ll go to warp 4.5 and we should be there in less than a day.” “That’s not,” Trip started to say but Archer was too worried to listen to him. “John!” Trip finally raised his voice to get the captain’s attention. “Stop; calm down. That’s not necessary.” “Not necessary?” Archer asked, incredulous. “Do you even know what Pon Farr is, Trip? If she doesn’t resolve it in time she could die!! We need to get her to Vulcan ASAP. And why are you the one telling me this and not Phlox?” He demanded, just now realizing that the chief medical officer should have been the one delivering this type of news. “He’ll call you in a little bit,” Trip waved that aside and continued before Archer could ask any more questions. “We don't have to go to Vulcan because I’ll be . . . helping her with the Pon Farr. Although, we would like to go to Vulcan anyway, that’s the second thing I’d like to talk to you about,” he added but Archer had stopped paying attention at the word we. “You’ll be helping her . . .?” he asked, surprised and bewildered. “See,” he said after a moment, “that’s why you should start at the beginning. Otherwise, news like this just doesn't make any sense.” “Yeah, I know,” Trip admitted before taking a deep breath and telling John everything. Well, not everything, just enough for him to understand that Trip and T’Pol were in a committed relationship and wanted to get married before T’Pol’s Pon Farr stripped her control. “Wow!,” Archer said, after Trip had finished, as he leaned back on his chair. “That’s a lot to take in.” “I know,” Trip nodded. “And I woulda told ya sooner but, quite frankly, at first I didn’t know what the heck was goin' on or what I would tell you and later, there was nothin' to tell and now . . .” he shrugged and trailed off. “So,” Archer said after a few moments of silence. “You guys are bonded?” “Yep,” Trip grinned. “It’s this Vulcan thing couples have. . .” “I know what it is,” Archer interrupted what was sure to be a convoluted explanation. On the one hand, Trip was glad Archer knew and he wouldn’t have to explain what he wasn’t sure he himself fully understood yet. On the other hand, he was more than surprised that Archer knew what it was. “How?” was all he said. “I had Surak in my head for days, remember,” Archer answered, tapping his temple to indicate where Surak had stayed. “While I don’t remember everything the old guy knew, I do remember some stuff.” “And the mating bond is one of them?” Trip asked. “Yeah,” Archer nodded. “That’s a pretty important part of Vulcan culture.” “I know,” Trip said. “So, what else do ya remember from Surak?” Trip wanted to know. “Not much,” Archer shrugged. “Mostly, I don’t even know what I remember until something happens that makes realize I know something but I’m not sure how I know it. It’s not a lot, though, and the more time that passes, the less I remember.” “That sucks,” Trip sympathized. “I’m not sure that it does,” Archer confided. “I mean, as great as having his memories was, it was also a bit of a pain, you know? Having my own memories and regrets are more than enough. I don’t need another man’s on top of my own.” “Yeah,” Trip drawled. “I can sure understand that.” “Yes,” Archer said before going back to the topic at hand. “So, no need to go to Vulcan?” “No,” Trip shook his head. “Well, there’s no need but we would like to go nevertheless.” “Why?” “For one thing, there’s no privacy on Enterprise,” Trip answered him. “I have no idea what kind of excuse Phlox could come up to explain why T’Pol and I need to be confined to quarters for the next few days.” Archer grimaced as he thought of what that would entail. “For another, T’Pol and I would like to have a Vulcan marriage ceremony before going through it.” “Really?” Archer asked, thinking that he really shouldn’t be surprised at anything at this point. “Yes,” Trip answered firmly and decisively. “We both want to be married. Neither T’Pol nor I feel comfortable with such an informal relationship, not when we both know this is for keeps.” “I see,” Archer said slowly. “You know, I’d be happy to marry you guys.” “And we’d be happy to have you marry us,” Trip told him sincerely and, even though they hadn’t discussed the possibility, he knew it was true. T’Pol had a lot of affection for the captain and would be honored to have him preside over their wedding ceremony. “And when we have an Earth ceremony, you’ll be the one we call. But since we’re so close to Vulcan now and have this Vulcan mating bond and she’s goin' through this Pon Farr, we just feel that a Vulcan ceremony'd be more appropriate at this time, that’s all. Besides, we don’t know when we’ll be able to come back to Vulcan, so we wanna do it now.” “I guess I see your point,” Archer conceded. “And since we’re ahead of schedule and Admiral Gardner just finished telling me that Enterprise would have to wait a few extra days before it would be refitted, there were some problems with the NX-03, I think I can get us a few days’ stop on Vulcan without raising too many questions.” “Thanks, John,” Trip said earnestly. “We were thinkin' that maybe you could tell Starfleet that T’Pol has some family matters to take care of and it'd only take a few days at most.” “That sounds good,” Archer agreed. “We are ahead of schedule and staying a few days in orbit around Vulcan would be better than cooling our heels around Jupiter Station until they’re ready for us. I’ll give the crew a few days R&R so they can visit Vulcan, since the last time we were over here, they didn’t have the chance.” “Thanks John,” Trip said again before grinning. “So, I can expect you to come to the wedding, can’t I?” “Try keeping me away!” John laughed. “I’d ask you to stand up as my best man,” Trip told him with a chuckle, “But that concept doesn’t exist in Vulcan.” “I know,” Archer told him. “Don’t worry about it. I’m just glad I won’t miss it! And don’t think I’ll forget for one minute, about me officiating for your Earth ceremony.” “I won’t,” Trip assured him. “In fact, I have to talk to T’Pol, but we should plan something while we’re back at home. I’d like my family to come but, other than that, we could have it anytime.” “Well, better talk to T’Pol first,” Archer advised him, “before you go making too many plans. I have a feeling she’d like to be involved!” “You’re probably right!” Trip laughed. “Trip,” Archer said, seriously a moment later. “About Starfleet . . .” “You do what you have to do, John,” Trip told him seriously, not letting him finish. “We knew that you’d have to report us when we made the decision to tell you. But we didn’t want to start our new life with secrets and in the shadows. Just let them know that we are not open to the possibility of being separated. If we have to resign, we will but we won’t serve on two different ships.” “That sounds like blackmail,” Archer pointed out. “It’s not,” Trip said firmly. “You know what being bonded means. Though no one seems to know what a mating bond with a human really means,” he added with a shrug. “The only thing we do know is that we don’t do well if we’re separated. It might be that my human mind is not capable of dealin' with the separation like Vulcans can. I don’t know. I just know that our bond is strong and I need to feel her mind on a regular basis, if I don’t,” he shrugged again. “I don’t do too well,” he repeated. “Just ask Captain Hernandez how well I did when I was on the Columbia.” “Yeah,” Archer nodded. “I heard you weren’t at your best over there.” “Nope,” Trip admitted. “I wasn’t. And I have a feeling that would only be worse now that we actually know we’re bonded and have begun to use it.” “I’ll do what I can,” Archer promised Trip. “I’d hate to lose you guys, but I do know what being bonded means and that has to come first. I’ll try and make that clear to Starfleet.” “That’s all we ask,” Trip told him. “Well, I better go now. I got a couple other stops to make before I call it a night.” With that, he stood up and offered the Captain, who had also stood up, his hand. “I’m glad we finally had this talk, John.” “Me too, Trip,” Archer said, slapping Trip on the shoulder and walking with him to the door. “And congratulations, I mean it; I know you and T’Pol will be very happy together. Well, as happy as Vulcans allow themselves to be!” “Thanks, John!” Trip said and, with a final smile, walked out the door. After stopping by sickbay to let Phlox know that the captain had already been advised of their situation and that he was invited to their wedding, Trip went to Malcolm’s cabin. “Trip,” Malcolm said, surprised at finding the Chief Engineer at his doorstep. “What brings you by this late at night?” “Mal,” Trip greeted him. “I just wanted to chat with ya for a minute. Can I come in?” “Sure,” Malcolm nodded, stepping aside to let the other man pass. “How ya doin'?” Trip asked, as he sat down on the desk chair. “Fine,” Malcolm answered, as he leaned back against the bulkhead by the door and crossed his arms. “You?” “Fine, fine,” Trip answered. “Good,” Malcolm said and then smirked. “So, now that that’s out of the way, you want to tell me what’s on your mind? Cause, I doubt you stopped by just to shoot the breeze. It’s been a while since you’ve come by just to chat.” “Yeah,” Trip said, regretfully. “Sorry bout that; it’s just been crazy lately.” “Yes, I know,” Malcolm told him. “Seems someone’s being getting cozy with our first officer again.” “Mal,” Trip said in warning but then sighed and gave in. “It’s complicated.” “Trip,” Malcolm scoffed. “Of course it’s complicated. T’Pol is a woman and a Vulcan; were you honestly expecting it not to be complicated?” “I guess I shouldn’t have, huh?” Trip asked, grinning sheepishly. “No,” Malcolm answered simply. “You shouldn’t have.” “Yeah, well,” Trip shrugged. “That’s kinda what I wanted to talk to you about.” “Really?” Malcolm asked, surprised and pleased. “Are you going to finally tell me any of the salacious details?” “No,” Trip chuckled and shook his head. “You know me better than that, Malcolm.” “Yes, I do,” Malcolm agreed. “More’s the pity. But, pray tell, what are you going to share with little ole me?” “Well,” Trip said, rubbing his neck, not quite sure where to start. “You know when you asked me, awhile back, if maybe there was more between me and T’Pol than neuro-pressure?” “Yes,” Malcolm nodded once. “Of course I do. Why? Are you finally ready to admit I was right?” “No, yes, well, maybe,” Trip answered, grimacing in indecision. “Which one is it?” Malcolm asked, amused at seeing the engineer so confused. “I guess,” Trip said after a deep sigh, “we were starting something more, something important though we didn’t know it at the time – or for quite a lot of time afterwards either.” “Trip,” Malcolm said slowly, “you’re not making any sense.” “No, I guess I’m not, am I?” Trip asked with a light laugh. He paused for a minute to think before speaking again, and then decided to just ask what he had gone there to ask. “Mal, do you want to come to our wedding or not?” He asked and had the distinct pleasure of seeing the usually unflappable tactical officer stunned speechless. “Mal?” he asked when a few moments had passed and the Brit officer still hadn’t said anything. “You and T’Pol are getting married?” Malcolm finally asked, sounding more than surprised. “When? How? Why?” He asked, more sputtering than anything else. “Ok, let’s take those questions one at a time,” Trip said, grinning and really enjoying the discussion now. “Why? Because we want to spend our lives together. How? We’re having a wedding ceremony, you know the usual way. When? We’re on our way to Vulcan right now.” “We’re on our way to Vulcan right now?” Malcolm interrupted him. “I thought we were on our way to Earth.” “We were,” Trip answered. “But the Captain just got word that the NX-03 has run into some trouble and we’re going to have to wait a few days for our turn in the Jupiter Station. And since T’Pol had some personal matters to take care of on Vulcan and we’re so close,” Trip shrugged. “The Captain thought it’d be a good idea to give the crew a little R&R on Vulcan since the last time we really couldn’t do any sightseeing, and that way it'd give T’Pol the time to take care of what she needs down there,” he felt a little bad for giving Malcolm the cover story but there was no way he was going to tell the other man the real reason why T’Pol needed to go to Vulcan. The Pon Farr was too personal. “And you guys are taking advantage of the unscheduled stop and getting married?” Malcolm asked, just to clarify things. “Somethin' like that,” Trip said. “You wanna come?” “Bloody hell yes,” Malcolm nodded, vigorously. And then paused for a moment before asking, “But don’t you think it’s a bit soon? Getting married right now, I mean?” “Soon?” Trip repeated. “No, I don’t think it’s too soon. I actually think it’s at least two years overdue.” When he didn’t say anything else, Malcolm frowned and asked. “You want to expand on that a little bit, perhaps?” “I don’t think so,” Trip shook his head. “You know how private T’Pol is.” “I know,” Malcolm said. “But you can’t drop news like that on someone and not give more of an explanation.” Trip started to shake his head again but stopped as a thought occurred to him. Like he had told T’Pol, Malcolm was the tactical officer and it might be a good idea if he knew about the bond. As much as he liked being bonded to T’Pol, he was realistic enough to recognize such a bond could present a potential problem. “Ok,” he finally said with a decisive nod. “I’ll give you a bit more information; but you have to promise you won’t say a word to anyone. It’s a very private matter and if anyone were to find out . . . well, let’s just say that you don’t want an annoyed T’Pol after you.” “I know. And I promise to not breathe a word to anyone. Scouts honor,” Malcolm made what was supposed to be the Scouts hand signal. “Mal, were you ever a Scout?” Trip asked suspiciously. “Ok,” Malcolm gave in. “I give you my word as an Englishman.” “Fine, then.” Trip took a deep breath before saying, “T’Pol and I are bonded.” “Bonded?” Malcolm repeated. “Isn't that like being married already?” “Sort of,” Trip answered. “I guess culturally speaking we might be, though not legally – that’s what the ceremony on Vulcan's for. What it basically means is that we share a Vulcan mating bond, a telepathic bond.” “A telepathic bond?” Malcolm asked more alarmed than surprised. “You mean like she’s in your head and you’re in her head?” “Yeah,” Trip nodded. “You can talk to each other telepathically?” Malcolm wanted to know. “Sometimes,” Trip answered. “But that’s only when we’re really concentrating. Usually, it’s more like we can feel what the other one feels, their mood - stuff like that.” “What the other feels?” Malcolm repeated. “I thought Vulcans didn’t have emotions.” “Oh, Vulcans have emotions, all right,” Trip said. “Believe me, they have them. And they’re stronger than anything you or I could ever feel. They just control them to the extent that they almost don’t feel them because to do otherwise would result in chaos. Uncontrolled emotions have already driven them to the brink of extinction once before. You really don’t want to run into a Vulcan that’s lost control of his emotions.” Malcolm, who remembered how out of control the Vulcans aboard the Seleya had been, couldn’t help but nod in agreement. “And now you know more about Vulcan culture and history than just about anyone,” Trip told him, looking steadily into his eyes. “I hope you realize what a responsibility that is and treat the information accordingly.” “I do, Trip,” Malcolm assured him. “Don’t worry; I won’t ever mention anything about it – to anyone.” “Good,” Trip nodded. “But,” Malcolm said, a few moments later, going back to the original topic, “you do know whether T’Pol loves you or not, right?” When Trip glared at him, Malcolm raised his hand and said, placatingly, “I don’t mean to pry, Trip. I just, well, I just want to be sure that you’re not in for a world of pain later on.” “Mal,” Trip said with a small smile. “I appreciate your concern, I really do, but there’s no need for you to worry. I know how T’Pol feels about me and, I'll tell ya, she’s everything I’ve ever wanted or will ever want.” “If you’re sure,” Malcolm said, though he didn’t sound too convinced. “It’s just that she’s so . . .” “You better not say ‘cold’ or anything remotely like that, Mal,” Trip said in a warning tone. “I wasn’t!” Malcolm protested. “I was going to say she’s no where near as demonstrative as you. Won’t that bother you? Cause you know she’s never going to hold your hand in public or say ‘I love you’ or do anything remotely like that.” “I know that, Mal,” Trip told him, seriously. “And no, it won’t bother me; I fell in love with who she is, Vulcan reserve and all. Why would I want to change that now ?” Trip asked the same question he had asked of T’Pol two weeks earlier. “I see your point,” Malcolm acknowledged and, after a few seconds of thought, finally gave in to the grin that he’d been holding back. “In that case, let me be one of the first to offer my congratulations! I’m really happy for you guys, mate,” he walked up to Trip and slapped his back after shaking hands. “Thank you,” Trip laughed. “So, you’ll be comin' to the wedding?” Trip asked again. “Wouldn’t miss it, mate, wouldn’t miss it,” Malcolm reiterated. “About this bond of yours, though,” he started to say, tentatively. “I’m sure it’s great for you guys; but it does pose some security questions.” “I know,” Trip nodded. “Linked like we are, what affects one affects the other. That'll create some problems if one of us is injured or captured.” “Yes,” Malcolm nodded. “That’s one concern.” “That’s why I wanted you to know,” Trip said. “After the Captain and Phlox, as tactical officer, you should really be in the know – just in case. If you have any ideas on how to address those concerns, let us know.” “I will,” Malcolm told him. He hesitated a little before saying what was on his mind, “is that the only reason you told me? Because I’m the tactical officer?” “No,” Trip shook his head. “I’m telling ya cuz you’re my friend; I wouldn’t of told you if you were only the tactical officer. But having a logical reason for you to know makes it easier for T’Pol to accept.” “I see,” Malcolm smiled and nodded. “Well,” Trip said, rubbing his hands together and standing up. “I better go now. It’s late and T’Pol is waiting for me. Not a word,” Trip added, raising a finger to stop Malcolm when the other man opened his mouth to comment. “Not a word!” He repeated as he walked towards the door. “I’ll let you know the details 'bout the ceremony later. Have a good night, Mal,” he called out as the doors closed behind him. Malcolm shook his head and laughed as he went to the bathroom to get ready for bed. It was late after all. Less than twenty-four hours later, they were in orbit around Vulcan. Having left Hoshi in charge, all of the command staff had gone down to the planet with the first wave of R&R personnel. Archer, Malcolm and Phlox were all wearing their best civilian clothes and watched as Trip, wearing Vulcan’s ceremonial robes (T’Pol’s father’s robes), struck the gong that had been set up in the courtyard of what they’d learn was T’Pol’s family home. “I wish they’d hurry up,” Phlox said, fidgeting. And both Archer and Malcolm turned to look at him. “I thought you’d be happy for them, Doc,” Malcolm said, with a slight frown. “I am,” Phlox answered. “I just wish they would hurry up.” “Why?” Malcolm asked, grinning. “You have a better place to be?” “No,” Phlox shook his head. “It’s just . . .” but before he could answer, Archer interrupted. “Vulcan marriage ceremonies don’t last too long, Phlox,” Archer said, stopping the doctor from mentioning T’Pol’s Pon Farr; he knew the couple didn’t want that to be common knowledge. “They’ll be done soon.” “I hope so, Captain,” Phlox said, as he turned to study the area in the courtyard that had been arranged for the ceremony. “What’s he doing?” Malcolm asked Archer out of the corner of his mouth, motioning to Trip, when it became clear that he wasn’t going to get a straight answer about whatever was bothering Phlox. “He’s summoning the bride and her entourage,” Archer answered, also out of the corner of his mouth. “And announcing his intent to marry the female he’s summoning.” Malcolm looked at his captain with wide eyes, both surprised that he had known the answer and how he’d phrased that answer. Before he could say anything, however, the procession reached the courtyard and the acolytes took their place around the central area where two mats had been placed facing each other and a flame had been lit in a cauldron. Finally, T’Pol appeared. “Wow,” Malcolm breathed. “She’s beautiful.” “Yes, she is,” Archer agreed in a whisper. “But I suggest you keep quiet and remember how sensitive Vulcan hearing is.” Malcolm startled a bit but then nodded a few times before quieting down and observing the action as both Trip and T’Pol knelt down in front of each other on the mats provided. As Trip and T’Pol touched their index and middle finger together and stared into each other’s eyes, the priest began the ritual ceremony. “What ye are about to witness, comes down from the time of the beginning without change. This is the Vulcan heart, this is the Vulcan soul. This is our way.” The End |
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