Missing Scenes from Season Four: In a Mirror Darkly

DISCLAIMER: All things Star Trek belong to CBS/Paramount. "In a Mirror Darkly" was written by Mike Sussman.

Author's Note: Okay, so here we are in the Mirror Universe, The Realm of Terrible Acting and Nerdy Prop Fetishes. I generally enjoy fanfic set in the MU far better than the original episodes, but I've never wanted to write any myself - because, frankly, I'd just as soon pretend those episodes never happened. But after writing a missing scene for every friggin' episode so far (even "A Night in Sickbay"), I'm hardly going to skip one now. Language and non-explicit sexual content warning on this one.

If you'd prefer a sunnier vision of this time period in the REAL (Trek) universe, check out my missing episode from the RU – called "Darkness Intruding" - coming soon.

And many thanks as always, lovely reviewers!

Answering the chime, T'Pol pressed the controls to open the door of her quarters, her phase pistol ready behind her back. She didn't trust either Archer or Reed to leave her alive for one moment longer than they had to.

But it was Tucker who stood there, smirking. "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes. Come in." She backed away so she that could discreetly stow the pistol before he saw it.

There was something oddly endearing in the way their chief engineer still managed to leer at her with only one eye at his disposal. Already, his tongue was busy in his mouth – did he realize how much he tended to display it around her? Perhaps it was an attempt to advertise his skills.

He certainly did possess them, and not just with that tongue. Once, in the mess hall, T'Pol had overheard a group of women ranking the sexual technique of various men on board. Tucker had come out near the top. One had said, "It makes sense, you know. My momma always taught me that you'll get the best lay off of guys who aren't pretty and aren't rich. They know they're gonna have to work harder if they want to get some."

"That's a nice theory, but it doesn't hold up," another said. "Tucker was good in the sack even before his looks got ruined. It's the engineer in him. He just likes to figure out how to make things work."

"Skill is all well and good," another said. "But frankly, girls, that's not all he has going for him."

There had then followed a detailed comparative inventory of the sizes of the various male sex organs on board. Tucker had ranked fairly high on that list, as well.

At the time, T'Pol had considered these women irretrievably vulgar. Then the fever had struck her. Before she entirely lost control, she attempted to reason her way through the choices she faced. Vulcan males were known for stamina and brute strength, not for skill or size. They were also known for establishing mate bonds and then expecting their mates to follow them anywhere … and to bear their children. T'Pol was not particularly interested in prolonging the indignity of pon farr. Nor did she wish to become the bond mate of some lowly shipboard Vulcan, or to bring a child into this deeply uncertain existence.

So she'd made Tucker a proposition.

"What makes you think I'd want to fuck a Vulcan?" he'd said, though he was already pressing into her personal space with obvious interest – not that this was really anything new from him.

"It is well known that you will happily rut with any female on the ship at virtually any moment."

"Well, never while on duty," he'd said, with a grin. "But yeah, I guess I could help you out."

Oddly enough, she had no regrets about their liaison. Most of that time had passed in a haze, but not all of it. T'Pol had already been used by enough men of various species to appreciate when one took an interest in more than just his own satisfaction.

He'd even become a little protective of her after that, which she appreciated. Indeed, there were times when she almost regretted that Tucker was Human. There was something about him that piqued her sympathy and interest, and made her want to protect him from all those conniving sluts.

But he was Human, so there was no point in attempting to consolidate any incipient bond that might be forming. Still, he could, perhaps, yet prove to be a useful ally. "Archer never received any orders from Starfleet Command," she told him now.

Tucker scowled. "You know what's strange? The message I got had said something about you having a fever you needed help with."

She raised an eyebrow.

"I should have known that was just a way to get me here. I think I'll be going now…"

"It doesn't concern you that our captain has been confined to the brig while Archer takes us deep into Tholian space?"

He sighed. "Honey doll, I have a rule about these things. All I do is make the ship go. I'm not interested in command politics. Those'll get a man killed a lot faster than standing next to a warp engine. Take my advice: stay out of it."

He turned to leave.

"I can't stay out of it. He's named me his first officer."

He stopped. "I'm sorry. There's not much I can do about that one. If I were you, I'd enjoy the perks while you've got them… and watch your back. Reed isn't going to take kindly to that development."

"If you help me put Captain Forrest back in command, my position will be much stronger … and he'll be certain to reward you."

He didn't move, but neither did he look at her. "I didn't hear that, T'Pol. You do what you have to do. Just please leave me the hell out of it."

She intercepted him at the door. "I would be willing to exchange sexual favors for your cooperation."

He stared sourly down at her. "You're fun, but you're not that fun."

Clearly, the straightforward approach had failed. It was time for another. "I can see that you won't be persuaded," she said, and ran her tongue across her lips. "But that's not the only reason I wanted to see you. I have indeed been feeling somewhat … feverish."

"You're not going to get me to change my mind."

"I know. And I respect that in a man."

His lip curled. "Sure you do."

"Commander Tucker, if you're not going to help me take back the ship, the least you can do is help me cope with my ... condition." She opened her mouth and panted invitingly as she squeezed her breasts up between her two hands in as obvious an invitation as she could manage without actually shedding her top.

As she had anticipated, he couldn't resist. After some heated kissing and increasingly aggressive groping, he said, "That's more like it," and pulled her back towards her bunk.

Over the years T'Pol had become quite skilled at using mind melds to manipulate others – it was one of the reasons she had survived this long in an empire so hostile to Vulcans. It was a relatively simple matter to get him to do what was necessary. Indeed, she was a bit surprised to discover just how primed he was to please her.

Unfortunately, a mind meld was not entirely without risk in this situation – mostly of furthering an attachment that would do neither of them any favors.

This perhaps explained why, when he returned to her with his job completed, she rather recklessly decided to let him have what he'd wanted. He might as well get some pleasure for his trouble, even if she couldn't afford to allow him to remember any of this afterward.

Perhaps she could also consider it a small reward to herself for a mission accomplished.

He had suggested that she enjoy the perks while she had them.

Note from Triaxian Silk story posters (jT): SORRY! We decided not to post the second chapter of "Missing Scenes from Season Four: In a Mirror Darkly," (the story immediately preceding this one). It was a little too dark for Triaxian Silk. You can find it, along with all of Alelou's wonderful stories at fanfiction.net.

The next story after this one is "Darkness Intruding." It is not a missing scene. It is a full missing episode that takes place in the "real universe" during the Mirror Universe episode.