Honeymoon Proper

Disclaimer: Star Trek is not my intellectual property. Not for profit.

Rating: PG-13

Here's my answer to Bluetiger's hammock challenge. This story is also a coda to my story Ember, Spark, Flame, which ended with T'Pol and Trip getting married on Vulcan and her recovering from an illness! This is also for Alelou, who wanted to to see Archer's reaction to the TnT marriage!

T'Pol opened her eyes, conscious of the warm sun on her nude body and the gentle swaying of the hammock in which she had been sleeping. Her husband's chest moved up and down, rhythmically indicating that he still slept.

She kept very still so as not to upset the balance of the hammock, which Trip had hung between two pillars on the back porch of her mother's house, now their house. She had a first questioned the logic of such a bed, but as Trip had explained its many practical, historic uses - on ships, for example - she began to see its merits. She also found the swaying very comforting, now that she and Trip had found the appropriate balance.

Her keen ears heard the communication panel beep from inside the living room, making the sound that denoted a subspace communication. She carefully moved to get up, causing minimal motion. Nevertheless, Trip's eyes fluttered open. She leaned over and kissed him.

"Continue your rest, Thy'la," she whispered, and Trip's eyes closed again. She was glad of it, since he had not had nearly enough sleep during her illness.

She swiftly moved into the living room, suddenly conscious of her nudity. She found her robe, which Trip had thrown on the floor earlier and put it on. She sat down before the vidscreen, smoothing her hair as she did so.

She pressed a button, and Jonathan Archer appeared. He wore an odd expression, and T'Pol assumed he had received Trip's letter about their marriage. In truth, he should have received it shortly after the wedding, which had been almost two weeks earlier. Trip had insisted on writing a personal letter, the contents which he didn't even divulge to her.

"You look well," said the Captain, "I heard from both Trip and Soval you were ill. Have you recovered fully?"

"The last tests showed my neural pathways to be functioning at 87.2 percent normal. There is still room for improvement, but I will be fit for duty when we return to Enterprise. That is, if Starfleet will allow us to return."

"Congratulations, by the way," replied Jonathan, "I'm glad you and Trip worked things out between you. And yes, I've convinced Starfleet to let you two to continue to serve. I assume you two won't make me regret that."

T'Pol heard the sharpness in the Captain's voice. He had not been happy about Trip's transfer to the Columbia, which had been a result of her relationship with Trip. Now, their permanent mating had likely placed him in a difficult position with Starfleet. Thankfully, the new Vulcan government supported the marriage.

"We will not," said T'Pol seriously.

At that, Jonathan Archer burst out laughing. Her eyes widened, and she wondered if he had gone mad or had been drinking. Then, she realized Trip had entered the room. She didn't need to turn around to know he was still unclothed. The Captain likely had quite a view across the lightyears.

"Yeah," said Jonathan wearily, "There's going to be nothing weird about this."

"Do you wish to speak to Commander Tucker?"

The Captain shook his head.

"Enjoy the rest of your honeymoon," he replied, "I'll see you two later."