Title: Cause and Effect
Author: Josephine
Rating: R
Genre: Romance/General
Pairing: T'Pol/Archer, Hoshi/Trip, Reed/Cutler
Summary: Archer helps T'Pol with a problem; her situation has a domino effect.
Disclaimer: Paramount owns the Trek dance hall; I like to call the steps once in awhile.
Chapter One
Archer woke up and stretched. Well, as much as he could stretch in his small bunk. Porthos noticed he was awake and jumped up on the bed.
"Hey fella, how are you doing? You wanna scratch? Does that feel good?" Archer degenerated into puppy talk rubbing Porthos' belly.
The complaints of his hungry stomach finally got Archer out of bed. :::Much better::: he thought, stretching again. After taking a quick shower he pulled on a clean uniform. "Come on, boy! Breakfast!" Porthos hopped off the bed and came running.
Even before walking in to the wardroom, Archer could smell the food. "Mmm, French toast and bacon. And melon. And orange juice. And cinnamon buns!" He sat down and started filling his plate.
"Hungry, Cap'n?" With a grin Tucker looked from the plate to Archer, then back to the plate.
"Starving. I have no idea why. How are you, Sub-Commander? How's you plomack soup?" Archer looked at T'Pol.
"I am fine, Captain. And my plomeek soup is also fine." T'Pol looked at Archer's rapidly emptying plate.
Tucker looked at her soup. "That's about the only thing you eat, why don't you branch out? The French toast is great."
"Trip ---" T'Pol interrupted Archer.
"Commander, what I eat is of no consequence to you. As I have repeatedly mentioned, I do not eat meat. Your French toast has eggs. A great number of the dishes you eat have animal flesh in them. So for the last time, I am a vegetarian. Now if you are finished with what is no concern of yours, I have work to do." T'Pol got up and left the room.
Tucker just stared after her. "What'd I say?"
"You asked for it Trip, you know she's a vegetarian."
"Yeah, but ---"
"Just let it go, Trip. And try not to antagonize her any more today."
"But ---"
"Good-bye, Trip," Archer tossed over his shoulder as he went out the door.
"What'd I say?" Tucker asked the empty room. It kept its own counsel.
----------
Archer sat on the bridge, staring at the view screen but not seeing it. His mind was on his science officer standing behind him. The past few days she had been edgy, short tempered. He was going to have to talk to her about her attitude; it was beginning to affect the crew. Archer still had suspicions about Vulcans in general, but he was beginning to trust T'Pol more and he was concerned about her for her own sake.
To Archer's left Hoshi sat entering information into the linguistics database. :::Whew. It's warm in here.::: She looked around at the other bridge members. No one else seemed uncomfortable. :::I also feel --- frisky? Already? It's not that 'other' time of the month for two weeks!:::
Tucker's Texas drawl caught Hoshi's ear. She was attracted to Tucker more each day ever since the away mission to the Axanar ship. His smooth voice got her thinking about a jug of wine, a loaf of bread, and her and Tucker on a blanket under a tree. Hoshi spent a better part of an hour following that thought to a most satisfying conclusion.
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At dinner that evening Archer noticed Tucker was behaving for once. :::I wonder how long it will last:::
"I'd like to see you at 1900 hours, T'Pol." She looked up at him. "Of course, Captain. In your ready room?"
"No, my quarters are fine." Archer took a last swig of his tea. "See you then." He nodded at Tucker as he left.
"T'Pol ---" Tucker looked uncomfortable. She looked at him.
"I - I wanted to say I'm sorry for raggin' on ya this morning. It won't happen again."
"I trust that it will not. Good night, Commander." T'Pol left the room.
"Now what'd I do?"
Tucker sighed and got up from the table. He passed through the wardroom, down the corridor to the turbo lift. The doors were closing when he heard a voice.
"Hold the lift, please!"
Tucker stuck his arm out and Hoshi slipped in under it. The scent of her perfume mixed with something else floated up and made his head swim.
"Gotta hot date, Hoshi?" Tucker inquired, taking in her decidedly non- regulation dress and hairstyle.
Hoshi turned to face him, looking into his eyes. "No, why do you ask?"
"Um - well - ya look very nice." Tucker swallowed nervously under her gaze.
"Thank you, Trip." Hoshi took a step closer. "That's very kind of you to say." She gave him a smile.
Tucker's breathing turned shallow. He could feel the heat radiating from Hoshi's body. He reached out for her ---
--- and the lift doors slid open. Tucker glanced up to see Reed looking at them both. "You all right, Trip?" he asked as Hoshi moved past him into the corridor. Both men watched her walk away.
"Yeah --- fine. Talk to you later, Reed." Tucker quickly followed Hoshi's retreating figure.
----------
Right at 1900 Archer's door chimed. "Come in!" he called out.
The door opened to show T'Pol, still in her uniform. She entered to stand before Archer. "Captain?"
"Sit down, this is an informal talk." He waited until she had seated herself on the edge of a chair. Archer sighed.
"I'm going to speak to you frankly, T'Pol, and hope that I get an equally frank answer from you. I've noticed certain changes in you in the past week; you've been irritable and even more curt than usual. I know Vulcans have an excellent mastery over their emotions; your behavior makes think that something serious is wrong. Can you tell me what it is?"
T'Pol looked at him, then got up and stared out the porthole. "You are correct, Captain, there is something that is concerning me. I normally would only speak of it to a Vulcan, but as there are none here ---. You are the logical one to confide in."
"As you said, Vulcans, for the most part, have mastered their emotions. However, this does not extend to all of our physical --- urges. Every seven years pon farr comes over a Vulcan male, which coincides with his mate's. The mind link that they share prevents either from descending into madness. Without this link or a physical release, the pon farr fever takes over and we can die." Archer sat back, stunned.
She turned around to face Archer. "Yes, it is not a pleasant way to go. My time is coming soon, and since I broke off my betrothal, I have no mate. Without one, I will die. I had planned on coming to see you, and this meeting is as good a time as any. I have a request, Jonathan Archer, one that I hope you will find in it yourself to grant. I need to mate to prevent the fever from consuming me, and ask that you will be the one."
"Why me?" Archer blurted out. "I thought you were attracted to Trip. You both seem to have a love/hate thing going."
"While it is true that Commander Tucker would fulfill my - physical needs, pon farr is also a melding of thoughts. Our minds will touch; we will be linked for a week. I do not respect Commander Tucker as much as I respect you, and the idea of being melded with him does not -- appeal to me. He is reckless, and undisciplined; I need someone strong and focused. I need someone like you, Jonathan."
The use of his first name told Archer how serious and personal this was to T'Pol. "Tell me what it would involve."
T'Pol sat back down. "We would start by initiating the link between our minds, to accustom you to sharing your thoughts --."
"Wait, will you know everything I am thinking?"
"No, I will have barriers up to prevent that, and at our level we will share only strong emotions. When pon farr consumes me, our minds will be one. I do not want to overwhelm you the first time we mate."
"First time? There will be more than one?"
"Yes, the fever lasts about a week. But with each subsequent mating, the desires and urgency lessen. The first time is rough; you will need all you strength to control me. I am anticipating restraints will be required ---"
"I'll have to tie you up? I don't know if I -"
"Jonathan, you must. I will not be rational when pon farr starts, I could seriously harm or even kill you. It is necessary, believe me. The first few times I may have to be restrained, but the urgency fades with the fever. It should last no longer than a week."
Archer sat digesting the information. "What happens after? Will we still be linked?"
"I do not know. I am not aware of any Vulcan/Terran mind links, I believe once the fever has passed, the connection will be broken."
"But you're not sure. What if it isn't?"
"Then we will cross that bridge when we come to it. Do not worry, Jonathan, there are procedures for safely breaking a mind link. I do not think they will be necessary, though."
"Alright, when do we start?"
"Now."
----------
Tucker snuck a quick look around the corner. Hoshi was at the end of the corridor, a knot of crewmen around her. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves. The thought of all those other men surrounding Hoshi annoyed him. :::I'll pull rank, tell them I have to talk to her about -- about -- aw hell, it doesn't matter what about --::: Tucker turned the corner and stopped short. She was gone. He swore long and hard.
----------
Archer felt a presence. It was as if someone was in a room with him, and he couldn't see them; then he realized the room was his mind. :::T'Pol?::: Within the room he reached out for her. A wave of calmness washed over him. Archer took it in; let it sink into his consciousness. Another, smaller wave came close behind, this one was pent up desire. Archer could feel the heat building up in his loins. He needed release. He needed somebody, soon. He was going to grab the next female he saw and ---
Suddenly the hunger was gone. Archer opened his eyes to see T'Pol sitting in front of him. He could still feel the warmth from her fingers on his face.
"Are you alright, Jonathan?"
Archer found that he had been holding his breath. "I'm fine. Is that what you are feeling? The overwhelming urge to ---." He paused.
"Yes. However, Vulcans have greater control over their desires than Terrans do. Eventually it will be too much for me." She stood up.
"That's it? We're done?"
T'Pol looked at him. "We have established a link between our minds, that is all that needs to be done at this time. Dr. Phlox is helping me take care of other aspects of my pon farr. I will contact you when I need you. Good night, Captain."
Archer blinked as she left the cabin. "Good night, Sub-Commander."
----------
Both Tucker and Archer had vivid dreams that night; Tucker's focused on the hayloft of his family's barn, while Archer had visions of a hot, unfamiliar planet with an angry, red moon heavy in the sky.
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Author: Josephine
Rating: R
Genre: Romance/General
Pairing: T'Pol/Archer, Hoshi/Trip, Reed/Cutler
Summary: Archer helps T'Pol with a problem; her situation has a domino effect.
Disclaimer: Paramount owns the Trek dance hall; I like to call the steps once in awhile.
Chapter One
Archer woke up and stretched. Well, as much as he could stretch in his small bunk. Porthos noticed he was awake and jumped up on the bed.
"Hey fella, how are you doing? You wanna scratch? Does that feel good?" Archer degenerated into puppy talk rubbing Porthos' belly.
The complaints of his hungry stomach finally got Archer out of bed. :::Much better::: he thought, stretching again. After taking a quick shower he pulled on a clean uniform. "Come on, boy! Breakfast!" Porthos hopped off the bed and came running.
Even before walking in to the wardroom, Archer could smell the food. "Mmm, French toast and bacon. And melon. And orange juice. And cinnamon buns!" He sat down and started filling his plate.
"Hungry, Cap'n?" With a grin Tucker looked from the plate to Archer, then back to the plate.
"Starving. I have no idea why. How are you, Sub-Commander? How's you plomack soup?" Archer looked at T'Pol.
"I am fine, Captain. And my plomeek soup is also fine." T'Pol looked at Archer's rapidly emptying plate.
Tucker looked at her soup. "That's about the only thing you eat, why don't you branch out? The French toast is great."
"Trip ---" T'Pol interrupted Archer.
"Commander, what I eat is of no consequence to you. As I have repeatedly mentioned, I do not eat meat. Your French toast has eggs. A great number of the dishes you eat have animal flesh in them. So for the last time, I am a vegetarian. Now if you are finished with what is no concern of yours, I have work to do." T'Pol got up and left the room.
Tucker just stared after her. "What'd I say?"
"You asked for it Trip, you know she's a vegetarian."
"Yeah, but ---"
"Just let it go, Trip. And try not to antagonize her any more today."
"But ---"
"Good-bye, Trip," Archer tossed over his shoulder as he went out the door.
"What'd I say?" Tucker asked the empty room. It kept its own counsel.
----------
Archer sat on the bridge, staring at the view screen but not seeing it. His mind was on his science officer standing behind him. The past few days she had been edgy, short tempered. He was going to have to talk to her about her attitude; it was beginning to affect the crew. Archer still had suspicions about Vulcans in general, but he was beginning to trust T'Pol more and he was concerned about her for her own sake.
To Archer's left Hoshi sat entering information into the linguistics database. :::Whew. It's warm in here.::: She looked around at the other bridge members. No one else seemed uncomfortable. :::I also feel --- frisky? Already? It's not that 'other' time of the month for two weeks!:::
Tucker's Texas drawl caught Hoshi's ear. She was attracted to Tucker more each day ever since the away mission to the Axanar ship. His smooth voice got her thinking about a jug of wine, a loaf of bread, and her and Tucker on a blanket under a tree. Hoshi spent a better part of an hour following that thought to a most satisfying conclusion.
----------
At dinner that evening Archer noticed Tucker was behaving for once. :::I wonder how long it will last:::
"I'd like to see you at 1900 hours, T'Pol." She looked up at him. "Of course, Captain. In your ready room?"
"No, my quarters are fine." Archer took a last swig of his tea. "See you then." He nodded at Tucker as he left.
"T'Pol ---" Tucker looked uncomfortable. She looked at him.
"I - I wanted to say I'm sorry for raggin' on ya this morning. It won't happen again."
"I trust that it will not. Good night, Commander." T'Pol left the room.
"Now what'd I do?"
Tucker sighed and got up from the table. He passed through the wardroom, down the corridor to the turbo lift. The doors were closing when he heard a voice.
"Hold the lift, please!"
Tucker stuck his arm out and Hoshi slipped in under it. The scent of her perfume mixed with something else floated up and made his head swim.
"Gotta hot date, Hoshi?" Tucker inquired, taking in her decidedly non- regulation dress and hairstyle.
Hoshi turned to face him, looking into his eyes. "No, why do you ask?"
"Um - well - ya look very nice." Tucker swallowed nervously under her gaze.
"Thank you, Trip." Hoshi took a step closer. "That's very kind of you to say." She gave him a smile.
Tucker's breathing turned shallow. He could feel the heat radiating from Hoshi's body. He reached out for her ---
--- and the lift doors slid open. Tucker glanced up to see Reed looking at them both. "You all right, Trip?" he asked as Hoshi moved past him into the corridor. Both men watched her walk away.
"Yeah --- fine. Talk to you later, Reed." Tucker quickly followed Hoshi's retreating figure.
----------
Right at 1900 Archer's door chimed. "Come in!" he called out.
The door opened to show T'Pol, still in her uniform. She entered to stand before Archer. "Captain?"
"Sit down, this is an informal talk." He waited until she had seated herself on the edge of a chair. Archer sighed.
"I'm going to speak to you frankly, T'Pol, and hope that I get an equally frank answer from you. I've noticed certain changes in you in the past week; you've been irritable and even more curt than usual. I know Vulcans have an excellent mastery over their emotions; your behavior makes think that something serious is wrong. Can you tell me what it is?"
T'Pol looked at him, then got up and stared out the porthole. "You are correct, Captain, there is something that is concerning me. I normally would only speak of it to a Vulcan, but as there are none here ---. You are the logical one to confide in."
"As you said, Vulcans, for the most part, have mastered their emotions. However, this does not extend to all of our physical --- urges. Every seven years pon farr comes over a Vulcan male, which coincides with his mate's. The mind link that they share prevents either from descending into madness. Without this link or a physical release, the pon farr fever takes over and we can die." Archer sat back, stunned.
She turned around to face Archer. "Yes, it is not a pleasant way to go. My time is coming soon, and since I broke off my betrothal, I have no mate. Without one, I will die. I had planned on coming to see you, and this meeting is as good a time as any. I have a request, Jonathan Archer, one that I hope you will find in it yourself to grant. I need to mate to prevent the fever from consuming me, and ask that you will be the one."
"Why me?" Archer blurted out. "I thought you were attracted to Trip. You both seem to have a love/hate thing going."
"While it is true that Commander Tucker would fulfill my - physical needs, pon farr is also a melding of thoughts. Our minds will touch; we will be linked for a week. I do not respect Commander Tucker as much as I respect you, and the idea of being melded with him does not -- appeal to me. He is reckless, and undisciplined; I need someone strong and focused. I need someone like you, Jonathan."
The use of his first name told Archer how serious and personal this was to T'Pol. "Tell me what it would involve."
T'Pol sat back down. "We would start by initiating the link between our minds, to accustom you to sharing your thoughts --."
"Wait, will you know everything I am thinking?"
"No, I will have barriers up to prevent that, and at our level we will share only strong emotions. When pon farr consumes me, our minds will be one. I do not want to overwhelm you the first time we mate."
"First time? There will be more than one?"
"Yes, the fever lasts about a week. But with each subsequent mating, the desires and urgency lessen. The first time is rough; you will need all you strength to control me. I am anticipating restraints will be required ---"
"I'll have to tie you up? I don't know if I -"
"Jonathan, you must. I will not be rational when pon farr starts, I could seriously harm or even kill you. It is necessary, believe me. The first few times I may have to be restrained, but the urgency fades with the fever. It should last no longer than a week."
Archer sat digesting the information. "What happens after? Will we still be linked?"
"I do not know. I am not aware of any Vulcan/Terran mind links, I believe once the fever has passed, the connection will be broken."
"But you're not sure. What if it isn't?"
"Then we will cross that bridge when we come to it. Do not worry, Jonathan, there are procedures for safely breaking a mind link. I do not think they will be necessary, though."
"Alright, when do we start?"
"Now."
----------
Tucker snuck a quick look around the corner. Hoshi was at the end of the corridor, a knot of crewmen around her. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves. The thought of all those other men surrounding Hoshi annoyed him. :::I'll pull rank, tell them I have to talk to her about -- about -- aw hell, it doesn't matter what about --::: Tucker turned the corner and stopped short. She was gone. He swore long and hard.
----------
Archer felt a presence. It was as if someone was in a room with him, and he couldn't see them; then he realized the room was his mind. :::T'Pol?::: Within the room he reached out for her. A wave of calmness washed over him. Archer took it in; let it sink into his consciousness. Another, smaller wave came close behind, this one was pent up desire. Archer could feel the heat building up in his loins. He needed release. He needed somebody, soon. He was going to grab the next female he saw and ---
Suddenly the hunger was gone. Archer opened his eyes to see T'Pol sitting in front of him. He could still feel the warmth from her fingers on his face.
"Are you alright, Jonathan?"
Archer found that he had been holding his breath. "I'm fine. Is that what you are feeling? The overwhelming urge to ---." He paused.
"Yes. However, Vulcans have greater control over their desires than Terrans do. Eventually it will be too much for me." She stood up.
"That's it? We're done?"
T'Pol looked at him. "We have established a link between our minds, that is all that needs to be done at this time. Dr. Phlox is helping me take care of other aspects of my pon farr. I will contact you when I need you. Good night, Captain."
Archer blinked as she left the cabin. "Good night, Sub-Commander."
----------
Both Tucker and Archer had vivid dreams that night; Tucker's focused on the hayloft of his family's barn, while Archer had visions of a hot, unfamiliar planet with an angry, red moon heavy in the sky.
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