AN: This is the last chapter. I want to thank you for keeping up with this short story, it means a lot to me. BTW, you may want to read the last part of chapter two before reading this one. It picks up right after it.

Chapter Title: The End of the Rocky Path

Chapter summary: T'Pol finds that giving Trip the wrong PADD was the best mistake she ever made.

……………………………………

Chapter 3

……………………………………

"I should not have rushed! How could I have been so irresponsible? I must go and get it. If he were to read that . . ." Just thinking about it made the bile in her throat rise higher. Her heart was hammering so hard in her chest that it was making the whole of her body vibrate with each pound. She picked up the schematics and walked hastily down the corridors to his quarters. Her body and mind could not and would not rest until she got that PADD back.

(A few minutes later)

T'Pol arrived at his quarters and rang the chime, waiting impatiently for him to answer. When he didn't after a few minutes, she searched their bond to find him in relaxation. Searching further, she found his relaxation was due to hot water. "I thought he showered before dinner," she thought to herself. She searched as far as she could through the bond. "He is unsettled by the conversation we had." T'Pol could feel his tense muscles relax under the hot stream. It almost soothed her, but she couldn't indulge in that right now.

Since he was in the shower, T'Pol found it to be a great opportunity to switch PADDs and get back to her quarters without being caught. Entering the security code, she quietly stepped in, not wanting to let him know she was here. His quarters were clean and filled with his scent. T'Pol inhaled deeply and reveled in his fragrance. It was so unique from any other she knew of and it always comforted her, even though it used to utterly repulse her. Her frazzled nerves calmed a bit and she became entranced in her bond mate's aroma.

She didn't notice, however, when the lavatory doors swished open to reveal a butt – naked Trip.

"Holy shit!" Trip shrieked and ran back into the bathroom to retrieve a towel. And perhaps some dignity. Wrapping it about his waist, he stepped back out. T'Pol was still frozen and wide – eyed. "Did she just lick her lips?" Trip knew he must have been seeing things. Looking harder, he noticed her lips were a tad bit wet. "Geez, T'Pol. I'm, um, sorry you had to see that." He laughed nervously.

T'Pol tried to redeem herself before speaking. "Nothing I – I haven't seen before," she almost stuttered. "I should be the one apologizing."

They stared at each other for a while before T'Pol handed him the correct PADD. "I gave you the wrong one," she stated sheepishly.

"Oh." Trip walked over to his desk and put the PADD she had just given him down. Picking up the one she had given him earlier, his finger accidently pressed the button that turned it on and what looked like a message appeared.

T'Pol watched as Trip's face suddenly was bathed in the soft, blue glow of the PADD's lighted screen. "No!" T'Pol exclaimed, but it was too late. He was shocked by what he was reading and couldn't stop. T'Pol didn't even try to grab it from him, it would only raise his suspicions. He was going to find out, anyway. So she just stood in front of him, waiting for the reaction that would ultimately come.

Trip just read it over and over again. He couldn't believe what he was reading.

Trip,

I have a few things that I need to say to you. But first, I should start out by apologizing to you. This apology comes from deep within my heart as I know I have hurt you countless times. I did so for my own selfish reasons, that being, I didn't want to lose my emotional control. I understand that I most likely ruined anything that could have happened between us.

Secondly, I need you to know that you were never an experiment to me. That night we shared in the expanse meant as much to me as it clearly did to you, or so I hope. However, the emotions it stirred scared me, so I fled from them and you. Trust me when I say that what I said hurt the both of us. And if you should know, I was indeed envious of you and Corporal Cole. That entailing that I was attracted to you . . . and I still am. However, what I feel for you runs deeper than simply "attraction."

I know that I have hurt you many times in the past and I'm deeply sorry for that. I was naïve and didn't understand the emotions you and you alone made me feel. That is when I became a . . . frequent user of trellium. I used it to get closer to you, to feel the emotions I knew you felt for me. In time, I became addicted. Thankfully, the Doctor helped me through that phase. I will always experience the residual side effects and emotions, however.

I feel somehow that in a way I failed you, Trip.

I am not sure I can go through with this alone. I need your kindness and understanding, Trip. I need you and I can only hope you can forgive me, but if you don't, I understand. I cannot even begin to forgive myself.

I believe the best way to conclude this message is to say . . . in the beginning, I didn't know how to follow my heart, but in the end, I did, and it led me straight to you. I want this bond between us to grow and strengthen, but I need to know that you want it too.

Yours absolutely and forever,

T'Pol

Trip handed T'Pol the PADD without even looking at her. So many things were going through his mind right now, that it overwhelmed him and T'Pol, since she could hear his thoughts in her mind. The way she tossed the PADD back onto his desk took him by surprise. Trip looked at the PADD then back into her dark and emotional eyes. "I want you to have it," she explained her actions. Trip looked at her for a moment before he took her in his arms. In turn, she wrapped her arms about his waist and laid her head upon his masculine chest.

"Why didn't you ever tell me, T'Pol?"

"I . . . I couldn't comprehend how to tell you."

"When were you going to give this note to me?"

"You actually weren't supposed to read it. The Captain suggested that I write this message to help clear my mind so I could find the right words to tell you everything you just read . . . and more. I was to delete it after I wrote it."

"Then why didn't you?"

"I couldn't. It helped to organize my thoughts and it raised my self-assurance for . . . confrontation."

"T'Pol, you know, I forgave you a long time ago. Don't you think it's about time you forgive yourself?"

"I don't know if I can, Trip."

"Why not?"

"I have hurt you way too many times. I don't deserve a person as forgiving as you. Who would want a recovering addict for a – " Trip silenced her with a soft kiss. Her voice had started to rise and she was on the verge of crying, so he couldn't find any other alternative.

Her lips were soft and warm. It seemed like every time they kissed, his heart started to beet faster and everything around them slowed down. It was a feeling that he would never get tired of. He gently ended the kiss and said quietly, "T'Pol, confronting your past is a brave thing to do. And I do forgive you, no matter what you do."

"Why?"

"Because I have always loved you, I love you right now, and I will love you forever."

T'Pol looked into his almost translucent blue eyes. "You love me?"

"Did you expect otherwise?" he smiled.

"I – "

"You don't have to say it T'Pol. I respect your culture and I know that Vulcan's don't indulge in silly emotions like love."

"Trip, I do though." "No! Be brave, T'Pol! Tell him! Say the words!" Taking a deep breath, she said passionately, "I love you, ashaya."

Trip smiled so large that it hurt. "What does 'ashaya' mean?"

"It means 'my love'."

"How long have you loved me?"

"A long time, Trip."

"T'Pol, I want this bond between us to deepen just as much as you do. I think it's only logical since we both love each other," Trip said, still smiling.

"Your logic is more than agreeable."

With that, T'Pol captured his lips with her own. Trip placed his right hand on the nape of her neck and the left on her cheek while T'Pol's hands rested on his hips. He ran his tongue over her bottom lip and she opened her mouth to him, warm and welcoming as a sharp tingle went down her spine. T'Pol untied his towel and let it fall to the floor.

Time for talk was now officially over.

…………………………………………………………………………