Missing Scenes from Season Three - The Xindi

By Alelou

Rating: PG

Genres: drama humour missing scene romance

Keywords: Xindi

This story has been read by 1072 people.
This story has been read 1876 times.

This story is number 1 in the series Missing Scenes from Season Three


SPOILERS: "The Xindi," and it may not make sense without it.

DISCLAIMER: Star Trek belongs to CBS/Paramount.  "The Xindi" was written by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: And so we head into the Expanse and Season 3.  I'm not sure exactly how far I will take this season, since I have already written a lot of 'missing scenes' in the Commander Tucker series that fall after "Harbinger."  If I can find something different I want to say for those eps, maybe I'll keep going.  But at this point I make no promises for completion, or for speed.  (Reviews never hurt the prospects for either, of course, since they are the drug that keeps a fanfic author posting.)


She decided to finish the neuro-pressure session with the Commander's shoulders, though she quickly realized it would take more time than she had to release them sufficiently.  She had already spent most of the allotted time on his back, which had needed a great deal of attention. 

Of course, it was also possible that she had worked on his back for so long because she was avoiding the awkwardness of eye contact in such an intimate position.  She suspected he felt the same way, since he hadn't seemed to know where to look when she had finally asked him to face her.  He had also been unusually quiet, though he was perhaps concentrating on the breathing she had taught him. 

Although that was of course exactly what she had requested, she had found it increasingly awkward as the silent minutes passed.  Of course, a Vulcan did not change her schedule because of feelings of awkwardness.  So it was exactly 50 minutes from the beginning of their session that she lifted her fingers from his shoulders and said, "I believe we have accomplished as much as we can for one night.  How do you feel?"

He smiled sleepily.  "I feel great.  Thank you."

"I suggest you continue to practice your breathing technique until it becomes automatic.  It prevents injury and ensures maximum benefit from the neuro-pressure.  It also offers significant benefits of its own, especially if you are ever in pain but lack access to medical help."

"Thanks.  I'll keep that in mind."  He pulled his shirt down over his head.  "You know, Phlox probably would have had me agreeing to this in about a second if he'd just called it a massage."

"Indeed?"  She did not bother to disguise her skepticism.

"I'm serious.  Who doesn't love a massage?  'Vulcan neuro-pressure,' on the other hand ... that sounds a little scary - like you're going to -I don't know - reprogram my neurons or something."

"I still doubt you would have welcomed the idea of a massage from me."  She was certain she had not imagined the distinct increase in distance from him in the wake of her microbe-induced pon farr. 

He shrugged.  "Well ... it's a little confusing, that's all.  I mean, you are the same T'Pol who refused to shake my hand the first time we met.  I know you're not big on physical contact ... usually."  His face flushed.  "Which is probably why I kinda got the wrong impression earlier. Sorry about that." 

"Your confusion was understandable.  Neuro-pressure is a rather intimate exercise.  I would not normally have agreed to do it myself."

He frowned.  "Then why did you?"

"Dr. Phlox was insistent that you required assistance and that I could provide it."

"But if it makes you uncomfortable ..."

"Surak teaches us that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one."

"Last time I checked, I'm just one, not many.  Same as you.  So I don't see why you'd need to go outweighing your needs in favor of mine."

"As Chief Engineer you are vital to the success of this mission."

"We could say just the same about you as First Officer, or Science Officer."

"We could, but I don't believe I require assistance to the degree that you do right now, Commander."

"So that whole thing about having trouble sleeping really was just part of the set-up?"  He stuck his tongue in the side of his cheek and raised his eyebrows.  "You lied?"

Trust Mr. Tucker to find a way to try to find a way to needle her even about this.  "Hardly.  My sleep patterns have indeed been disturbed.  However, I can function well on far less sleep than a Human can."

His brow furrowed.  "So ... was that tiny little bit I did there enough to give you better rest tonight, or do you need more?"

Was he possibly just trying to get her to take her shirt off again?  But that seemed unlikely - his manner tonight had not struck her as sexually attracted in any of the ways she had ever observed among Humans and their entertainments.  He had reminded her more of a person gingerly dealing with dangerous explosives.   "It is late, Commander.  You should get some sleep."

"Next time, then.  We could make it a little more even."

"Agreed.  I will see you here tomorrow night at twenty-one hundred."

"Tomorrow?"  His mouth dropped open.

"Will you not require sleep again tomorrow?"

"Are you saying we have to do this every night?"

She truly wasn't sure she'd ever felt quite so profoundly irritated in her life.  "Do you find the idea distasteful?"

"No.  No.  Of course not.  It's just ... it's time-consuming.  In case you haven't noticed, so far the Expanse is keeping us pretty damned busy in Engineering."

"You cannot hope to achieve lasting results from neuro-pressure without sustained effort."

He scowled and looked away.  "I'll see what I can do."

Given his affect, she anticipated that Commander Tucker would not return for neuro-pressure the next night, or possibly ever.  "You must do as you see fit," she said icily.  She had compromised her principles to help him sleep, spent almost an hour touching and smelling his bare skin at great cost to her own emotional control - for while he might not be feeling any sexual attraction, she could not escape the growing certainty that she was - and now he didn't even want to show up for the next session? 

She blinked, taken by surprise by the degree of anger she was feeling.  She hadn't felt such strong emotion since childhood.  Was this infuriated sense of having been personally rejected due to lack of sufficient sleep, or was it perhaps a hangover from that pon farr, or an effect of the Pa'nar syndrome?  There was no escaping that it was irrational.  There was no justification whatsoever for allowing herself to feel attracted to Commander Tucker, a professional colleague and a Human, especially during a mission this important. 

Perhaps she should tell him to forget about the neuro-pressure.  Given how it affected her, it would perhaps be foolhardy to continue.  And yet she couldn't bring herself to say the words.  She wanted that hour with the only man on the ship who ever seemed to truly see her - and he clearly needed it, even if he was doing his best to avoid it.

If he ever returned, she would just have to keep herself firmly in control. 

She could still do that, surely?  She turned away, afraid her face might betray some of her inner turmoil.  She didn't return Commander Tucker's "Well, good night, then," or watch him go.  Instead, she lit a candle and dropped down into her meditation posture.  

Seldom had she needed it more.


Comments:

Linda

A very nice scene.  I liked the line " the only man on the ship who ever seemed to truly see her".  

Aquarius

Delicious, Alelou.  The neuropressue scene was a lovely place for a missing moment.  I don't know what to say that hasn't been said already, except that I could eat this with a spoon.

Alelou

Enerdhil, you're right, I misspoke.  "Extinction" is the correct episode for a return to neuro-pressure.  Though I suppose it's possible it happened earlier, and he'd simply skipped more in the interim, since otherwise all these events are coming right on top of each other as we move from one episode to another.  (Still, I tend to favor the idea they're all piled on top of each other, at least until I sit down and do the math and realize it's impossible.)

Mary, I just assumed you weren't into the forum.  See that button on the left menu that says forum?  You can chat with others about TnT.  It's a discussion board.  Come join in!  For help navigating, check out the Welcome thread first.

Mary

This is great. I just returned from a week away to find these two episodes.I loved yout take on how T'Pol viewed the neuropressure. Trip was one of the few people on board who-as T'Pol said ,sees her, talks to her ,interacts with her. I think that she has feelings for him before the expance and just has touble acknowleging  this and acting on this. She puts up a good front but subtle signs are there and your vignette capitalizes on them.

 

Absolutely write more. If you don't do them all, episodes will feel snubbed and all us fans will have to use our much poorer imaginations rather than using yours. Honey attracts more fies than vinegar so consider this a whole bottle of honeYou mentioned a forum to BrandyJane. What and Where and how to access????

Enerdhil

Well ... it is a canon-friendly series.   - Well, it appears to me that those are the most interesting stories, because you're constrained by what was played on the show, so, it is also hard to write, but you handled it wery well. I enjoyed your writting for this scene, particularly on T'Pol having attraction to Trip so early - I usually thought they will spend a lot of sessions accomodating their own beliefs until discovering they were attracted to the other.

 And I may not be reading it correctly, but I think Trip can't go back for neuro-pressure until "Rajin," because that's when he apologizes for missing sessions by taking her those peaches.  - no that is a scene from 'Extinction', that cames just before 'Raijin'. In the later, when Trip arrives at T'Pol's quarters for neuropressure, Raijin has just attacked her.

Cogito

It's your universe, and it will play out any way you want it to - and I'll enjoy reading about it. But just to offer an alternative point of view, it seemed to me that Trip's apology was not so much that he had completely failed to go back for neuropressure after that initial session, as that they had become accustomed to a routine of regular sessions and then Trip had to miss a few.

 

Alelou

Well ... it is a canon-friendly series.  So I can't just pretend Trellium-D doesn't exist.  But I don't know how it will play out yet, because, well, I haven't written it yet.  And I may not be reading it correctly, but I think Trip can't go back for neuro-pressure until "Rajin," because that's when he apologizes for missing sessions by taking her those peaches. 

Cogito

I've enjoyed all your missing scenes, but the lack of TnT suger in the last series really put a damper on things. Now, at last, at long and very overdue last, we can see their orbits heading back towards each other.

Trying to understand Trip's reluctance to spending his evenings in T'Pol's hands I'm reminded of the opening of Nemo Blank's superb "Getting to know you". I think the reluctance isn't because he doesn't want it, it's because he does; he realizes how easy it would be to fall in love with this gorgeous woman and how utterly devastating it will be for him on top of everything else, when she can't and won't love him back. I'm afraid that his reluctance came across as being extremely ungrateful and unappreciative of the sacrifice she has made to undergo such an intimate procedure with him - I'm sure this would be considered absolutely scandalous behaviour in Vulcan society - and I hope that Trip does eventually come to appreciate the lengths she has gone to, to help him.

When Trip claimed he didn't have time to spend an hour with her every day 'cos he was so frantically busy in engineering, I thought T'Pol missed her cue to say "All the more important that you are well rested then.". And I thought that "She wanted that hour with the only man on the ship who ever seemed to truly see her" was extremely cute - as well as very promising for future missing scenes.

One thing I could without though, is Trellium as an excuse for all this to happen. I think the whole Trellium thing was demeaning to her, and insulting to Trip. Can't we have respect, trust, friendship, affection between them without her high on drugs? I hope we can, anyway.

Reanok

Alelou it's great to see T'Pol's growing feelings for Trip portrayed here and it's getting more difficult for her to supress her growing attraction and concern for him.It's very difficult and awkward situation when it comed Neroupressure. i hope you'll post a followup to this.

Elessar

LOVED.IT!  LOVED IT LOVED IT LOVED IT LOVED IT!  I don't really care about anything else going on Season 3 let's just see more NP :D:D

 

You have to at least open the next installment with him coming back for more NP and T'Pol barely hiding her relief and happiness that he's come back for more xD

Alelou

Thanks.  Dialogue tagging is definitely one of my weaknesses.  :(

justTripn

New and improved! (With less frowning).

bluetiger

Alelou, this was so enjoyable. It's nice to get T'Pol's thoughts during this first session. Her feeling rejected was sad. If she were only aware of his true feelings about her.

I totally buy into her feelings of attraction manifesting at this time. Everything seems to be falling into place nicely.

(speaking in soft evil voice) You know you need to do all four seasons just to preserve the symmetry ;). I'm only thinking of you :p

Alelou

He frowned.  "Then why did you?"

"Dr. Phlox was insistent that you required assistance and that I could provide it."

He frowned.  "Last time I checked, I'm just one, not many.  Same as you.  So I don't see why you'd need to go outweighing your needs in favor of mine."

"As Chief Engineer you are vital to the success of this mission."

"We could say just the same about you as First Officer, or Science Officer."

"We could, but I don't believe I require assistance to the degree that you do right now, Commander."

He frowned.  "So that whole thing about having trouble sleeping really was just part of the set-up?"  He stuck his tongue in the side of his cheek and raised his eyebrows.  "You lied?"

<SIGH>  For God's sake stop frowning so much, Trip.  I wish Word would flag mindless dialogue tag repetition....

 

And welcome and thank you for delurking, Brandyjane!  Come hang out in the forum -- we don't bite (much).  :)

Brandyjane

I've been lurking on this site for months, and I've read all of your missing scenes, Alelou.  I've gone back and rewatched many of the episodes recently (CBS.com finally has them up for free viewing), and I've found that some of what I thought I remembered from the episodes is actually content from your missing scenes. :p  

 

While I definately think T'Pol was already attracted to Trip anyway, I also think she was having a reaction to the Trellium-D on his hands during that scene.  I like how you implied that with lines like, "She truly wasn't sure she'd ever felt quite so profoundly irritated in her life," and, "She blinked, taken by surprise by the degree of anger she was feeling.  She hadn't felt such strong emotion since childhood." 

panyasan

Hope it's okay to comment a second time, but a funny thing happened. When I read this missing scene the first time, I totally understood T'Pols anger at Trip. She is going beyond her cultural barriers, it's a real struggle for her to help him and he seemed to express that he isn't attracted to her at all (not in the slightest) and he also tries very hard not to come for a second time. Mixed this with Trips reaction to T'Pols Vulcan biology after Bounty, I fully understand she feels rejected by Trip. I would feel rejected. Then I read one of the comments about Trips POV and it suddenly clicked that his reaction is very much explained in the missing scene of the Expanse. I really enjoy how you tied Bounty - the Expanse - and Xindi together.

justTripn

Trellium D had soaked into his skin? Wow, I never knew that detail. Cool. I think, especially in the context of all these Missing Scenes but probably even without, that T'Pol knew at this point that she was attracted to Trip. To have her still be in denial about her feelings after all that has happened would be a little like having Sculley still be in denial about the paranormal after three seasons with Mulder. That is, at some point it just becomes illogical. As for a critique, I second what everyone else says. Thanks for supplying this drug! ;)

Alelou

Thanks so much, all.  SB, I am assuming that after that comedic little 'goose' that they went on to have some actual soothing neuro-pressure (or Trip wouldn't have referred to sleeping like a baby afterwards in "Extinction").  That might also have just been a really wired Trip over-reacting to the first touch. 

Honeybee, I'm also a little surprised at myself for having T'Pol already acknowledging an attraction to Trip, but I think it makes sense.  After all, she chose to wear those pajamas and also started lighting candles at the second session, and I just don't buy that it's purely innocent Vulcan ambiance.  And anyway for me it just seemed to flow naturally out of the way I had them both reacting to "Bounty."  Plus, there is a least some question whether the Trellium-D that had soaked into his skin might have been affecting her in that first session. (They seemed oddly insistent about that detail in the script.)

Honeybee

Nice. The episode left a lot open. We obviously know the session went well enough for them to continue, but I like the awkwardness - I'm a bit surprised that she recognized sexual attraction this early - though I"m right there with you on it developing - I like the idea of her picking up on it right away.

Silver bullet

Interesting. If I remember the episode it ended with Trip jerking upright and looking like he had just been goosed.  Maybe that is why he is a tad reluctant to do it again.

SB

Aikiweezie

Oh this episode was just perfect for a missing scene, wasn't it?  So it begins in earnest...this "thing" between these two.  Well done.

crystalswolf

I love how you have them so awkward and out of sync.  It's exactly what I would expect from them during their first neuropressure session.

Dinah

I really liked this.  For once we get to see how T'Pol felt about their first neuropressure session.  It's nice to know that she was had a strong emotional reaction to being around Trip, even if it was illogical.  This also shows that she still hasn't figured Trip out yet:  she his reaction to "Are you saying we have to do this every night?" as a rejection of her while he's trying to figure out how he's going to keep himself from jumping her bones if she takes her top off every night.  No wonder it took the threat of an up-close-and-personal encounter with some some of Phlox's creatures to get Trip back for another session.  :D

aadarshinah

*claps wildly in excitement* I dunno which line is my fav, panyasan's or "He had reminded her more of a person gingerly dealing with dangerous explosives," which jus made me giggle. I do hope you find a way to keep this going. It is most definatly a drug...

panyasan

Here is some "drug", Alelou, because I loved it. You showed the inner turmoil of T'Pol in a great way and also her anger when Trip isn't as eager as she found out she is, to continue. Best line: "She wanted that hour with the only man on the ship who ever seemed to truly see her - and he clearly needed it, even if he was doing his best to avoid it."

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