Workbench

By Silverbullet

Rating: PG-13

Genres: drama

Keywords:

This story has been read by 851 people.
This story has been read 1221 times.


Author’s note: My thanks to my personal Superwoman, JustTrip’n. My beta has taken me down the right roads of writing.


Disclaimer: Just having fun. No infringement intended.



"I need a larger workbench," said Trip.

"Expecting company?" said Travis.

"Overnight guest for a little of the old slap and tickle?" asked Malcom with a grin.

 T’Pol walked in just then and stared at the welding project Trip was working on.

"Cut the comedy," said Trip. "No, I am a fairly large man, and I sometimes flop around like a beached whale. I am afraid I might fall out of bed."

"Oh, from at least a foot or foot and a half. He could hurt himself," laughed Travis.

"Knock it off guys," said a hugely grinning Trip.

"Workbench?" asked T’Pol, who had overheard the exchange.

"Yeah," said Hoshi. “He needs more room for whoever, I mean whatever, gets laid on this workbench. My . .  I keep mixing up my words today.”

"It is a bed," said Trip. "That is all."

T’Pol gave him a cold look and a raised eyebrow.

"For what reason will you have to lay someone on your workbench," T’Pol asked.

Travis and Malcom developed a sudden interest in the far wall, and Trip's face turned beet red while he looked at his console closely. "I didn't mean that," he said in reply.

T’Pol looked at Hoshi and she mouthed "For sex," at T’Pol.

“I see,” said T’Pol.

Now T’Pol was giving Trip an even harder look.

T’Pol stood up and walked towards the door leading off the Bridge. "I must go to the Science Section," she said, not looking at Trip. She disappeared out of the door and off the Bridge.

Later that afternoon, Trip was waiting for T’Pol to come for their evening tea. She had not been at dinner so he wanted to see her.

T’Pol walked into the dining hall and was going by Trip without speaking. Trip stopped her. "What's up, T’Pol? Sit down and have some tea."

"No, I have decided that I too have a workbench in my quarters and I am going to use it tonight." And she walked on.

Trip jumped up, trotted, and caught up with her. "Use it? How? When? What is going on T’Pol?"

"Nothing Commander. You just gave me an idea that I am going to carry out. It will be amusing to see how a workbench is used."

"T’POL! Dammit, what is wrong with you?"

They had reached T’Pol's quarters, which was just across the hall from Trip's. She keyed in the lock combination, said "Good evening, Commander," walked in, and closed the door.

"Damn," said Trip, as he turned and entered his own quarters. Trip fretted and stewed, finally opening his door, leaving it open, and watching T’Pol's door. A steward came to her door with a cart. He rang the chime, the door opened, and the steward pushed the cart in. He came out a minute later and departed. Trip walked out of his quarters, the door closed behind him, and he crossed the hall. He rang T’Pol's door chime.

He heard "Come in," opened the door, and walked in. The room was lit with only a few meditation candles. There were two more candles on the cart which were not yet lit. T’Pol was dressed in what looked like a robe with pajamas underneath. She stepped towards him saying "Trip . . ."

Trip cut her off angrily. “What in Hell is this?” He picked one of two wine glasses from off the tray and stared at it. “Are you expecting company?" Trip’s hand began to shake, and then the glass fell, or was flung, to the floor.

 T’Pol watched him, looking frightened.

Trip exploded, throwing out his arms.  “Who is it? Archer? Malcom? Travis? The new commander of the MACOS? WHO?”

 “It’s no one.”

 “Then what is all this?”

 "You humilitated and embarassed me today," she said.

"When? How?" Trip asked.

“When you said you needed a larger workbench," replied T’Pol.

Trip smiled with relief. "I was just joking,” he explained.

"You said you needed more room when you laid someone on your workbench."

"Hoshi said that. Not me."

"I was the one that you laid on your workbench."

"No one there knew that."

"I did. I was humilitated you said that. You ‘laid me,’ then bragged about it."

"No, I didn't mean that. You are wrong."

"I was a thing that you laid on your workbench."

“No, I didn't say it that way, I was just fooling around. The guys knew I was kidding. In my college days, we used to call a bed ‘the workbench.’ It's just a saying. Everyone knew we meant a bed."

"That hurt me. I thought our mating was private."  

"Christ, T’Pol. I just shot off my mouth without thinking."

"You do that frequently"

“I promise I won't do it again."

“You have said that before."

"I swear it won't ever happpen again."

"You have said that before too."

"I know. I speak before I think, a lot."

"It would be better if you promised to do your best to think before speaking."

"I will, I will."

"At least think of how it will affect me before you speak."

"T’Pol, I am sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you, honest. I wouldn’t want to humilitate you for the world. I forgot you were there. And I really wasn't saying what you thought I said."

"I know. I spoke to Hoshi later and she explained that she did not know your sexual habits and was only guessing why a male might refer to a bed as his 'workbench.' She does not seem to know about us."

"But what you said to me in the dining hall—that you had your own workbench and would use it tonight—what all that about? What is all of this?" Trip asked, gesturing at the food and candles.

"Many time, you have said things to me that you later claimed were just a tease. So, I was just teasing you when I said those things in the dining hall. As for this, I planned a surprise candle light dinner so we could erase the hurt we felt. When you entered I planned to embrace you and explain things. You did not give me a chance."

She could feel the relief from him. He reached out to take her in his arms, but she stepped back.

"You did not trust me. You thought that I would allow another male in my quarters and be intimate with him. And you lost control and threw a glass."

"What?" said Trip.

"We mated and are bonded. You knew that the bond made it impossible for us to be unfaithful."

"No I didn't. All you ever told me about the bond was that we could share thoughts, emotions, feelings. You never said anythng about faithfulness. Besides, I thought I was forgiven."

"You are forgiven for speaking without thinking about the ‘workbench.’ You are not forgiven doubting me, or for your threatening manner when you entered my quarters."

“I was jealous. Wild-eyed, foaming at the mouth, kill-crazy, jealous. I wasn't thinking right.”

"You came to my quarters because you did not trust me to be faithful, and you thought you could intimidate me into being faithful."

"T’Pol, I was out of my mind. You were so convincing. You put me through Hell. T’Pol, I am a human male. I see how other men look at you. How they undress you with their eyes. Malcolm. I could throttle him. He is always looking at your behind."

“You looked too. You still do."

"Yes. You have the most beautiful face and perfect figure of any woman alive. I looked before because of that, and I look now because we are intimate, and I think I have a right to look."

"You do not have a right to distrust me."

“For god's sake . . . I told you I am a Human male. We meet our ideal woman, fall in love with her, and she falls in love with us. We think that all other men desire her and want to take her away from us.We stand ready to take on all comers. Some males want to build a fence around the woman they love to keep out others and keep her from wandering."

"I am not property.”

“I didn't say you were. I don't want to build a fence around you. I just want to keep those other damned males with their leering looks away from you."

“You believed a male was going to come to my quarters and thought the worst would happen. That I would welcome him into my bed.”

"T’Pol, the thought of another man holding you and the rest of it drove me out of my mind. I didn't think because I was so raging jealous and desperate to stop anything from happening."

“I go on away missions."

"Yes, and I hate that. I don't want you to go without me. But I cannot stop you from going. It is your job, so obviously you have to go."

“I have gone with Archer, Malcom, Travis. Several times I have been overnight with Archer. Once we slept in the shuttle. That was before you and I became intimate.”

"I knew the Cap’n  and the other officers would respect you. Besides, we both know that I am the first man you were ever intimate with. So nothing ever happened on those missions."

"You will be the only man I will ever be intimate with. Did you not believe my love for you would prevent me from being intimate with another?"

Trip suddenly asked. "T’Pol, what if I acted like I didn't care—that it didn't bother me that you had another male in your quarters and were going to be intimate with him--yhat it had no meaning for me? You would believe that I didn’t really love you. That if you were unfaithful, I would just ignore it. You would be hurt deeply."

T’Pol thought about it. "I would be heartbroken. It would wound me to the core."

"Then you can see that it’s because I love you so very much that I was out of my mind and not thinking. Just enraged. I was trying to protect us and our happiness. That and I was a damned fool too. Can we forget this and put it behind us?"

“Your jealousy . . ."

“Vulcans are jealous too. I remember a certain Corporal Cole . . ."

"That was different. We were not yet intimate."

“Baloney, you were protecting what you thought was yours. The same as I was tonight. You thought I was going to jump into bed with Amanda and you wanted to prevent that."

 “I never distrusted my mate.”

 “Look, T’Pol, we can debate this all night. What I did tonight you have done too.  I was just a little louder is all.”

“Trip, I believe we should stop our affair. Your distrust is unsettling . . . couples who are bonded always trust one another; you instantly supposed that I would be disloyal.”

"What! T’Pol, no, I love you. I made a big mistake, I know. But can't you forgive me? It was stupid of me, but I was so damned jealous I didn't think."

"I love you too. But I believe it is better this way. Upon reflection, I can see that my own actions toward you are also somewhat dysfunctional.  I am no longer sure of my path.  I want to study the writing of Surak to find some answers.”

“T’Pol, why should we stop being intimate? Damn it, I don’t understand. When did you decide this?"

“I have been thinking of this for some time. Tonight’s events made up my mind."

"Why break off our affair?"

 “If we continue to be intimate, I will not be able to concentrate or mediate properly. My medititation time would be consumed by you and our intimacy."

"How long, T’Pol? How long?"

"I have no idea: the writing are deep and must be studied carefully. It will take as long as it does.”

"That is no answer," said Trip.

"It is the best I can give. I am sorry. Please believe me that I will continue to love you, but that I am unsure of what our future may be."

"My God, T’Pol, you cannot do this."

"You must understand, this is what I need to do."

"I understand, but I don't have to like it."

"It is better that you leave my quarters now. It would only be harder if we have the romantic dinner and make love afterwards. I must regain control."

It was a saddened Trip who walked out of the door and possibly out of the life of the woman he loved.

T’Pol pushed the cart out of her room, called the steward to pick it up, took out her meditation pillows, and sat on them. After a long while she found herself in her white room.

Did I make a mistake? We are mated and bonded. Should I have done this with a human? Can my study of Surak’s writing make me a whole Vulcan again? Is this what I want? T’Pol mind was in a turmoil. The only thing she knew for sure was that Surak’s writings would lead her forward. She would start her journey tomorrow. Then an unbidden image of her mate's face rose in her mind. She knew then that no matter where her journey would lead it would end with him.

finis.

 


Comments:

evcake

While T'Pol seemed slightly out of character (and Trip too...what happened to the "perfect gentleman?") It brought to mind that not only might T'Pol have to deal with things that could hurt and bewilder a Vulcan woman, but those that could hurt and bewilder a human woman as well. Well done, IMHO.:)

Lemontree

T'Pol looks more like a nagging, pouting human women in this fic. She also has a double standard: she and Trip make the same jokes and draw the same conclusions. The jealousy was nicely done, but T'Pol only looked T'Pol to me in the last lines.

WarpGirl

Seriously, a "Workbench" that's what men call it? No way, that can't be true. Jealousy OK I like the idea, but a few things... T'Pol's dialog is still a little immature for a grown woman. And according to Vulcan tradition she IS his property, and guess what... he is HER property as well. Not in the buy, sell, give away sense, but still property. And if T'Pol knows she's bonded no way would she leave Trip. Unless you want to completely destroy her entire identity as a Vulcan. Deadalus she was not trying to break Trip's heart. She wasn't.

Asso

If I can say something about what pdsldl wrote, I think I am able to understand her.

Actually, when T'Pol speak to Trip in "Daedalus", she is unaware that she and Trip are bonded (Even if I think personally that the Bond started just since their first night, as I implied in my "Depths".) So, what she says to Trip can sound more "natural" than in this present story.

But that doesn't be anything else but a little remark.

Silveerbullet

PDSIL, in Daedelus (sp) T-Pol says basiccaly the  same thing but not so dirctly.  Trip says he understands that but 'at least his  engines stukk beed me' T-Pol is saying that her studies are the only thing important and implies that Trip has no place in her life.

justTrip'n

I also like the firey dialogue. The pain and urgency is real as T'Pol voices her complaints and Trip desperately tries to salvage the relationship. Like pdsldl said, you see the depth of their connection.  T'Pol's arguement that she needs to end the relationship to study Surak also strikes me as a little odd, but the canon version of this made even less sense.

And I like how this whole thing is set off by a seemingly harmless comment.

Good job.

pdsldl

Much to like here with the depth of their connection and the jealousy but the final logic of T'Pol's choice didn't ring true at all.  I can't see a Vulcan who knows she is bonded rejecting her mate like that.  Asking him to remain with her and abstain from sexual intimacy for a time yes, but seperate all together no.  That goes against the teachings she's says she would be trying to study.

Linda

When is this story set?  Was it soon after the breakup of T'Pol's marriage with Koss?   The story does sound very realistic of jealousy between couples.  Nicely done. 

Asso

I am happily struck.
There is depth, here.
In between your always appreciated mood, your delightful firm belief  - like mine - that T'Pol and Trip can live together their love in spite of any more or less welcome angst, you put in this story, with a light hand, the awareness of their possible difficulty to do it.
But - you and I are sure - all will end well. ;)

TCP

seriously liked the build-up, the attempted break-off "felt" slightly out-of-character for T'Pol though (conversation-wise) and was somewhat of a surprise (oh nooo, heart sink- grade), spose that's a measure of success when a writer can spark those kind of things in readers though. 

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