Rating: G
Genres: angst
Keywords: E2
This story has been read by 739 people.
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Summary: An E2 Thanksgiving mini-fic. Happy Thanksgiving!
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She found Trip on the observation deck at 0500, sitting at a table in his sweats and socks with a mug of pseudo-coffee in one hand, staring at the stars. He’d been unusually subdued ever since they’d confirmed the ship’s location in space – and more importantly, in time. His grief permeated the bond between them; pain twisted like a knife within her chest.
“Ashayam?” T’Pol whispered, concerned, and rested a hand on his shoulder. His smile was wry as he reached up to place his hand on hers.
“Just lookin’ at the stars,” he replied with his gaze still directed at the viewport. “I used ta lay on the grass with my dad and look at ‘em when I was a kid. I used ta wonder what was out here. Guess now I know, huh?” The spike of pain at the mention of his father gave her a clue. She followed where it led.
“You miss your family,” she told him, and took a seat beside him. Her hand traveled from his shoulder to the back of his hand. In response he turned his hand palm-up and clasped hers in an almost painful grip. He was silent for several seconds before he finally answered her.
“Yeah,” was all he said, his voice thick with unshed tears.
She knew that they would never see Earth again. There was nothing comforting that she could say that was not a meaningless platitude, so she said nothing. Her other hand joined his, and she began to gently rub the neuropressure point at the base of his thumb, the one that usually relieved his infrequent headaches. It was all she could think to do.
Trip cleared his throat. He was still staring at the viewport. “Did you know that back home today is Thanksgiving Day?” He chuckled bleakly. “How ironic is that?”
T’Pol studied his expression. Something about this day was tremendously important to him. “You celebrated this holiday as a child?” she prompted.
He sighed and settled back in his chair. She kept rubbing. He closed his eyes.
“We ate turkey and dressing and sweet potato casserole and pecan pie. We made a game of counting our blessings at the dinner table.” He smiled a wistful smile. “The person who came up with the longest list won the last piece of pie.”
“Blessings?” she asked, unsure of his meaning. He opened his eyes and looked at her for the first time since she’d joined him. His expression was somber.
“Good things,” he clarified. “Things that we were thankful for.”
“I see.” T’Pol nodded, then slowly reached up to cup his cheek with the palm of her hand. She wasn’t certain why she did it. It just seemed the best way to transform his expression into something less painful. To her satisfaction, he turned his head into her palm and kissed it.
“Each morning when I wake to find you beside me I find it impossible not to feel gratitude for the opportunity,” she whispered.
His gaze lingered on her face. Then he leaned forward and kissed her with heartbreaking gentleness.
“I love you, too, T’Pol,” he murmured.
Trip pulled her toward him. She left her chair to join him, and settled herself in his lap with her head on his shoulder. They sat looking at the stars. There were too many to count.
End
Distracted. Delighted to see an offering from your "pen". You captured in excuisite detail the saddness of loss that Trip feels. One we can all identify with even if never being in this precise situation. T'p\Pol's ability to read and respond to his pain is wonderfully depicted. I have no problem with the deviation, that others mentioned, in their relationship. To be truthful we never saw what occurred when Enterprise was thrown back only the result 110 years later. Who's to say that T'Pol didn't just acquiess to the altered reality and persue a relationship with Trip. A tender and well written scene. Thank-you!
Very sweet! Loved seeing another fic from you! Thanks!
Heh. You could blame that on my rose colored glasses... Or maybe on the fact that it's been several years since I've actually watched any of the episodes. :p
Either way, I appreciate the input.
A nice little fic, quiet and introspective. I am especially struck by the closeness of their relationship at such an early point in time (evidently right after they were thrown back into the past). it seems a little out of synch with what we saw on-screen, but I am certainly not complaining!
AWWWW,
Very sweet Dis. As someone who tends to reminisce about Thanksgivings past, especially of my youth, it was very touching. I hope yours and all else here had a most pleasant Thanksgiving. And for those of you folks who know not what it is, read up and then have the family over. Start your own tradition. It is simply one of America's finest Holidays.
A really nice and timely little fic.
We don't celebrate Thanksgiving over here in England so I'm not quite sure of the connotation, but this is a lovely story. The emotion in it is very genuine, and the sense of connection between the two of them is palpable. T'Pol may not be able to fully understand how Trip feels, but she respects his right to grieve. Wonderful stuff.
It was nice to read a Distracted story after such a long time.
Thanks for the positive strokes, guys. I really appreciate all of you taking the time to give me feedback.
I love to see how T'Pol has learned to understand humans, and this human in particular, well enough to follow the clues and puzzle her way to the root of his unhappiness. The tenderness is beautifully drawn; T'Pol may not be able to cure his unhappiness, but she offers him such comfort as she can. And in the end, we see that is just what he needs. It's love, plain and simple, and heartwarming to see. Thank you, Distracted, and Happy Thanksgiving.
Great story, I very much enjoyed it...I can't imagine the type of adjustment any of them would have to make to this situation, but especially for Trip - family is obviously important to him, and having just started coming to terms with losing his sister, losing (essentially) the rest of his family could have destroyed him...I assume T'Pol was probably what kept him going. When I read the last line, I couldn't help but think that maybe there were too many stars to count, but if they could they'd spend the rest of their lives sitting there trying to do it, such was the serene feeling this scene evoked. Excellent, and I for one (despite being a Canuck, with our holiday long since over for this year) am thankful you've shared this with us :)
That was very sweet, despite the angst warning. They'd made a lot of progress in their relationship between the episode and this, it seems -- feel free to do a prequel to fill in the blanks!
I'm thankful that on a bitterly cold and windswept night with the holiday winding down to a blustery end, that I came here and found this sweet and wonderful story waiting. The love, tenderness and compassionate insight TPol has for Trip are so simply and elegantly expressed here. She knows how to lift his heart without denying him his sadness. Thank you, Distracted. Beautifully done!
Pure satisfaction.
What a very nice Thanksgiving present! Thank you!
It's understandable that Trip would feel down on Thanksgiving day, especially since he knew that he would never see his parents again. It's a good thing that T'Pol is there for him. Even after being thrown back into the past, it's clear they both have a lot to be thankful for.