Missing Missing Scenes: Absence

Summary: Distance hasn’t solved the problem.

Disclaimer: Star Trek: Enterprise and its characters are copyright CBS/Paramount. No copyright infringement is intended by the author of this story, which is solely for the purpose of entertainment and is not for profit.

She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this warm and comfortable. She pushed back even further into his embrace and focussed on the slow double-thump of his heart against her back.

“So, how are my people taking to their new boss?” he murmured into her ear.

“Some people are having difficulty with the adjustment,” she replied softly. She knew he would understand what was left unsaid. “How is their boss taking to his new team?”

He sighed against the back of her neck. “Some people are having difficulty there, too,” he admitted. “They’re good guys, but ...” He seemed lost in thought for a moment. “It’s not the same,” he finished sadly.

“No,” she agreed. It wasn’t.

The comfortable silence was broken by the familiar double-chirp of an incoming comm signal.

“Don’t you think you should answer that?” she asked, when he showed no signs of stirring.

“Hmmm, it’ll keep,” he said.

The comm sounded again, more insistently this time.

“No, not yet,” he grumbled. “It’s too soon.”

And then abruptly the whiteness disappeared and she was alone in her quarters, with her back pressed firmly against the bulkhead and the comm signal ringing in her ears.

The sudden transition was disconcerting, and she held onto the memory of that peculiar dream for a moment longer before she climbed out of bed and stepped over to the comm. “T’Pol here,” she said briskly.

Hoshi’s voice was immediately recognisable. “The captain needs to talk to you about a problem in engineering. It’s urgent. Can you talk to him now?”

“Very well,” she said, glancing wistfully back at her warm bunk.

“OK, thanks,” said Hoshi. “Here he is now.”

Suddenly Captain Archer’s face filled the screen. Her eyes widened in surprise. Hoshi hadn’t mentioned anything about it being a video call. She made a mental note to review appropriate communication protocols with Hoshi at the next convenient opportunity, and tried to ignore the fact that she was most decidedly under-dressed for the occasion.

He smirked when he saw her, but at least Archer had the good grace not to comment on the oversize UWF T-shirt that swamped her tiny figure.

“Sorry to disturb you again. I know your shift doesn’t start for a couple of hours, but Kelby is still having trouble getting those new magnetic restrictors booted up. You and Trip worked on the latest upgrades together so I want you two to figure out how to get them back online. Hernandez is just getting Trip, so you might want to get . . . ah, here they are now.”

Without any further warning Archer’s face shrank into one side of the screen and Trip’s face appeared alongside him. He was in his quarters with his hair in disarray and wearing, she realised with distant horror, an identical T-shirt. At least he was wearing some shorts under it. After a moment the pictures shifted again and Hernandez appeared on the screen beside them.

From their amused expressions it seemed that both captains were enjoying her discomfort.

What was it with these people? As if it wasn’t enough to wake her in the middle of the night, it was clear that Tucker had also been woken for the call. And from the dark rings under his eyes, it was sleep that he badly needed.

She recognised the silken sheen of the pillow behind him, still showing the imprint from his head.

Her eyes darted instinctively to the plain cotton pillow at the head of her own bed.

Of course he had known who was responsible for the petty theft, but he hadn’t mentioned it. He had obviously found the pillow she’d left in its place and decided to take it with him though. That was acceptance of a sort, wasn’t it?

But why hadn’t he responded? Why hadn’t he at least mentioned it?

Could she have said “I want you in my bed” any more blatantly?

Why didn’t he answer?

Fin