How to Raise a Half-Vulcan Family: Teenager Plots

By Enerdhil

Rating: PG

Genres: family humour romance

Keywords: bond

This story has been read by 869 people.
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Comments: That's my entry to the December 2010 Word Prompt. In ultimate terms, it's not exactly a TnT story, but one based on the stereotypes about a couple's relation, transposed to TnT space. Because of some deviations from her standard behavior, I assume T'Pol to have acquired some habits from Trip, after so many years together. It is somewhat related to my contribution to the September 2010 prompt, posted in the Forum topic.

I assumed that some Earth traditions are somewhat displaced on the 22nd century.

I acknowledge Mary for her kind beta reading and suggestions to improve the original draft.

Disclaimer: Star Trek names, features and borrowed dialogues are property of CBS/Paramount, all rights reserved. No claims.


 

VULCAN, December 2179

As the spacecraft entered orbit around Vulcan, Trip prepared to transport to the surface.  After almost 15 years of living on Vulcan, he felt as if he really was coming back home.  He grabbed his bag and the PADD with the results of the prototype's tests that were carried out at Jupiter Station and moved to the transporter room.  He was sure T'Pol would appreciate the results from the final test, which matched her model to the ultimate accuracy of the measurements.

When he cleared the customs procedures at the surface, he saw the figure of his daughter waiting for him in the Meeting hall. Being 17 years old, she was almost fully grown and had an extraordinary resemblance to T'Pol, except for the blue eyes. She was as beautiful as her mother.

"Hello father!  It is agreeable to see you returning home," was the greeting of T'Liz. "Mother is still lecturing at the Academy, she will join us later at home."

Trip moved close to her and gave her a peck on her cheek, "I'm still Human dear! How is my favorite daughter, after three weeks without her father? Have you managed to keep on good terms with your mother?"

"Not so bad father. We have managed to maintain our good rapport while waiting for you. Mother will not openly admit it, but she missed you. It was easy to deduce from her long periods of introspection. As always when you are away, she increases her meditation."

"Well, you can tell her that I missed her so much. I'm Human and I have feelings and emotional expressions, which include home sickness and missing you two. How was your term at school? Will you have some free days so that we can celebrate Earth's Christmas and New Year's Eve? Both your mother and I will be off duty from Starfleet for a few days. Remember, your birthday is included in the festivities."

"It is all settled father. My supervisor has agreed to give me a science project I can do on my own, in order to compensate for the free days. I will need to report to him after the period of time away."

"A science project, huh? What's it about?

"He asked me to modify a transport unit in order to accomplish a site to site transport demonstration. I will need to move an inanimate object from one site to another, given the spatial coordinates of origin and destination."

"Site to site transport? It will be a nice project. Have you already worked out all the details?"

"Not all, but the basics are already drafted. Tomorrow, inside the school building, I will make a test from one room to another. After that, I will need to calculate the necessary enhancement factor and the confinement phase of the beam, to achieve the desired range he stipulated. Then I have to implement the changes to the control unit and to the field generator."

"It appears you have already got it all planned."

"Once I know what I must do, it only requires a logical approach."

Trip noticed that his daughter's face changed for a moment, before resuming the standard Vulcan expressionless appearance. He knew her well enough to predict a problem or an awkward question was disturbing her. "What is daughter? Something is disturbing your thoughts?"

"Father, my birthday occurs on the first day of the Earth's calendar year. My friends at the Earth compound are organizing a commemorative New Year's Eve party. They invited me to attend it, and I would like to attend. I know that you would prefer to have mother and I close to you over New Years, but can I miss this year? We can commemorate my birthday at New Year's lunch, or maybe you and mother can invite me to a restaurant for a special dinner." 

"T'Liz, why do I have the feeling that you've already talked to your mother and she was not willingly to give you permission?"

"It is true that I asked her, but it is also true that she did not refuse. She expressed her need to discuss the matter with you before agreeing to my request. She says it is logical for both parents to agree on their child's off-hours activities, as I have not yet reached Earth's age of maturity."

"True Vulcan logic, of course, as expected from your mother. Well, I'll talk to her tonight, and tomorrow we'll tell you our decision."

"Thank you father, I appreciate that."  She looked sideways, like her mother - Trip couldn't refrain from smiling at how their daughter had inherited her mother's habits and expressions.


That night, after he and T'Pol finished tenderly making love, Trip relaxed and spoke to her about T'Liz's request.

"Honey, our daughter asked to attend a New Year's Eve party being given by her friends at the Earth compound. From the manner in which she asked me, it seems that you do not approve of her request. Do you have concerns on how she might behave at a human party? Are you concerned that she might be overwhelmed by her emotions? Don't you trust her?"

"Trip, it is not that I had approved or denied her request, I only wished to wait in order to enlist your opinion. For the last fifteen years, you committed to live on Vulcan in order that she might receive a proper, Vulcan education, and I recognize your need to maintain Earth's traditions to keep your link to Humanity. Earth's Christmas and New Year's Eve are traditional family festivities for Humans that you enjoy sharing with us, so I asked her to wait until your return."

"That's my true Vulcan wife speaking. Honestly, honey, I appreciate your thoughts about the Earth traditions I enjoy, but I also feel it is time that we give some freedom to our daughter. She has enough maturity to choose the activities that interest her more. If we restrain her from participating, she might feel she is not mature enough and she might assume that we don't have enough confidence in her choices. That would not help her to develop her independence."

"Your reasoning is quite logical, T'hy'la. I agree with you."

"Then it is decided," continued Trip, "We will allow T'Liz to attend the party at the Earth compound. Would you like to impose a curfew for her return?"

"Considering that the New Year will only be celebrated at midnight, I suppose we can ask her to be at home by 0200 hours. That will allow sufficient time to enjoy the festivities. We can book a hover shuttle to pick her by 0130 hours."

"There is a side benefit, too. That is the night that we commemorate our bonding, we can have a complete night for only us. We could watch an old Earth film - maybe a light romantic movie, I don't suppose you've ever seen "To catch a thief," it got extra fame because the star married the king of the region were it was shot. We can follow with a dinner for two and I am sure I can think of some special activities to spend with you afterwards."

"Considering your performance tonight, I can hardly wait for our personal party."


 

During the Christmas break, Trip and T'Pol often saw their daughter leaving the house to carry out several tests for the science project. She consulted T'Pol several times to check her calculations and asked Trip for some hints on how to implement the necessary changes to the transport equations to the portable control unit. Apart from her science task, she took several leaves to help her human friends in the planning and organization of the party's activities.

On the last day of the Earth's year she helped her friends to choose the Vulcan plants and flowers more appropriate for the decoration of the hall. There was only a small choice of Earth's flowers in the small Arboretum at the compound. As Trip and T'Pol had planned a late dinner and T'Liz was expected to dine at the party, the family made a light meal at 1700 hours.

Trip noticed how T'Pol was quite calm and serene about T'Liz taking part in the New Year's Eve celebration at the Earth compound. It contrasted strongly to his own mother's behavior the first time his sister, Lizzie was out at a similar party with her boyfriend and supposed to return home well after midnight. To be honest, he felt himself more anxious to the situation than T'Pol.

T'Liz left the house and Trip set the film to show. When it ended, while he explained some scenes, he helped T'Pol preparing their dinner. When he offered some wine to her, she refused - "You know how sensitive I am to alcohol, and I prefer to wait for the year's ending to taste the champagne you keep in the stasis unit. Otherwise I would be too dizzy to engage in our personal celebration afterwards. I am sure you would consider it very logical to have me in - as you would say for your engines - smooth running condition."

"Very, very logical thought. Now it's me who can hardly wait for it!"

A few minutes before midnight a video call from T'Liz arrived at the main communicator screen in the living room. The face of their daughter was shown, illuminated by colorful patterns of changing light. Trip noticed she was almost smiling; the corners of her lip bending a little up - an inherited habit from him - "she is certainly having fun at the party."

"Mother, father I wish to offer you greetings for the New Year's coming. I also thank you for allowing me to spend the night with my friends.  I haven't forgotten you and I haven't also forgotten that you commemorate your bonding at the year's beginning. I know that you consider your first night as your personal bonding date. I wish you a happy commemoration of your bond and I have a gift for you."

"Thanks for your thoughts of us, T'Liz. Your mother and I are glad but, how can you surprise us? I have not seen anything different in the house and you are too far away. What are you planning?"

"I will explain. Please, can you stay exactly 1 meter from the screen, symmetrically positioned? I am sure mother can pinpoint the exact distance. I require - no one is observing from this side, except me - that you both hold hands to receive my gift."

Trip didn't understand their daughter's request. He observed that T'Pol was also unaware of T'Liz's intentions, but she was already moving to the exact position and extending her hands to him. He took her hands and said, "OK honey, as you wished, we are ready."

"Mother, father, I wish you a great New Year and a sweet commemoration of your union. Maybe you can start by profiting from my gift to you. You will receive it at your position, just as the year ends. Now, there are only five seconds left, four, three, two, one, enjoy it!"

As T'Liz turned off the communication, Trip noticed a pattern of light appearing over T'Pol's head. A garland materialized a little over her and lightly dropped on her hair. T'Pol didn't move, but she said, "I recognize the fragrance; it appears to be Mistletoe."

"You are correct honey, it is certainly a mistletoe garland that our daughter positioned almost exactly over your head, she certainly mastered her science project to better than a centimeter resolution over all the distance from the party. Her tutor will be satisfied."

"I will be more satisfied if you don't forget the associated obligation!"

"What? Which obligation?"

"If I correctly understand Earth's traditions, and logically deducing from the hidden contents in T'Liz's message, you are supposed to start kissing the woman under the mistletoe."

"I would never skip such an obligation, especially with you!" He started to kiss T'Pol in a passionate way, and she reciprocated accordingly. She embraced him and held him tight against her body as their kiss intensified. He caressed her body and in a few minutes they dropped their robes to the floor. Trip talked to T'Pol softly, "We can celebrate all the way from here to our room. We have full two hours before T'Liz returns home and I plan to make the most of it!"

"Certainly a side benefit from our link. I will match you along the chosen path!"


 

After they finished, Trip felt asleep almost instantly. He woke up the next morning to discover that he was alone in the room. After bathing, he moved to the kitchen and met T'Pol there.

"'Morning honey, even after our celebration on New Year's Eve you still woke up too soon. What about T'Liz?

"I always have a relaxed sleep after having sex with you. I am fully recovered, even with a shorter sleep time. I have already meditated this morning. T'Liz arrived a few minutes after 0200 hours. I woke up when I heard her walking to her room. She will probably sleep a little more."

"She surprised me with her gift. I didn't expect her to make such a detailed plan in order to surprise us - that would be her half-human personality taking charge."

"That might be true. I noticed she has more friends than I had at the corresponding age, and she holds their friendships more closely. That appears to be a Human characteristic. But I was also surprised by her, and I must say that I appreciated it." She touched his face with the hand for a moment, before changing the subject.

 "Breakfast is almost ready; would you like to join me in picking some fresh g'spahr in the backyard, we can have fresh juice?"

"I'll accept your invitation on my terms! We must walk embraced; I feel it is appropriate to continue our commemoration. No one will see our display of affection."

 "A reasonable request from my bond mate and an agreeable proposition too, I shall acquiesce to it!"

As they walked and collected the berries, Trip talked to T'Pol about their child's infancy.

"Remember when you bought that baby stroller for me to push T'Liz? The first time I walked her through these gardens, we picked berries. I remember how she was very happy and excited, smiling and laughing! And she ate a lot of berries just picked from the vine".

"I remember. When you came back home I relaxed the emotion control over her mind to allow her the full effect of the joyful experience she had just had with her father. I assumed it would benefit her relationship with you."

"You did that?  Against all your Vulcan emotion control logic?"

"Not only once, but I did it in several other similar situations during her childhood. I decided it was better to her to perceive her emotions more intensely. T'Liz is half-human, she needs a certain amount of emotions and feelings. I only took care in educating her to not be overwhelmed by her emotions. I sense she has now obtained that control".

"T'Pol, after 25 years as your mate, you still surprise me. That's one reason why I love you!"

"I find it agreeable when you say that to me. I apologize that I cannot express the words to represent the same feeling to you, t'hy'la."

"I know that, and I'm not worried about it!  When I sense your thoughts through our bond, you let me explore the hidden feelings you have for me." She stopped to pick some berries and he kissed her. T'Pol responded for a few moments, and then she pushed him apart.

"Don't exaggerate your caresses Trip. The backyard is hardly place to engage in sexual relations. Outsiders might not see us, but T'Liz could catch us, and she has very good Vulcan hearing!'

"That's too bad! I'm still excited after last night."

"You had enough until my next pon-farr."

"What? You're kidding, aren't you?"

To be true... she paused introspectively for a few moments, looked sideways in her peculiar manner and confessed..." I am!"

 She took his head and kissed him again.


When they returned home, they found T'Liz already in the kitchen. Trip noticed how the daughter was able to perform like the mother. Even having reduced sleep, she had every braid of hair correctly arranged and displayed a fully recovered face. He smiled at her but, before he could say a word, she addressed them:

"When I arrived this morning, I found two robes on the living room floor. It appears you and mother took my suggestion seriously about profiting from my gift."

"C'mon daughter, we Humans do not talk openly about other's sexual activity - even implied - unless they start the subject. You have to learn to keep some deductions to yourself. But you are essentially correct."

"Daughter," said T'Pol," both your father and I appreciated your little surprise to us. Thank you. We assume you achieved a remarkable feat related to your science project and we are very proud of you."

"Your mother is correct T'Liz, we found it remarkable. I hope you include the technical details - excluding your personal opinions and suggestions - in your science report. And I also thank you for your thoughts for us. But now, how was your party?"

"I found it fascinating. They had a lot of music, dancing, typical food and some beverages. I tasted very little of the alcoholic type, because mother had previously advised me about the disturbing effects on Vulcan physiology. But I enjoyed the tasteful sparkling wine they offered at the midnight. And I also profited from some Earth's traditions."

"Profiting from Earth's traditions? What are you speaking about?"  - asked Trip.

T'Liz stopped introspectively a few seconds, her lips corner turned up lightly and she looked sideways before returning, - "I also wore a mistletoe garland during the festivities. It was an agreeable experience. I had to kiss five lads before Arthur Reeves took courage to approach to kiss me, but it was worth the effort. I lingered kissing him, he is so cute!"

 

 

 


Comments:

Linda

Cute story.

Cogito

I really like this T'Liz, it seems to me that TnT have done a pretty good job raising her in both cultures. And it's nice to see that she has inherited her mother's cleverness as a scientist as well as her looks, together with engineering skills from her father. It makes me hungry for more tales of daily life with TnT and their daughter.

Asso

So, that's the first story of 2011. Okay.
And I am the first reviewer of new year; and happy to be that.
Let's see: T'Pol has acquired some habits from Trip, after so many years together. That's what you said.
Excellent! Yes, excellent: judging by the outcomes that she (and I believe with a bit of contribution from Trip) she reached in educating their T'Liz. But also - and even more - judging by the story you wrote, by virtue of her efforts.;)
Well done!

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