First Sight

Summary: Thoughts of their 1^st meeting

Disclaimer: All characters and Star Trek: Enterprise belongs to Paramount. There's no infringement intended and no profit wants to be made.

Author's notes: Thanks so much Dinah for being Beta! Soooo, please R&R, criticism, suggestions and tips are greatly appreciated. Enjoy!

Trip's POV

"I dunno. I'd be more comfortable with Porthos on the bridge."

As soon as I heard a Vulcan was comin', I freaked. We don't need some cold, emotionless woman comin' aboard and contradictin' all our ways. THEY were the ones who tried ta hold us back again.

My best friend, Jonathan Archer, just laughed at me. Then the chime on the Captain's ready room door sounded. Jon took a deep and said, "Here we go...come in."

And in stepped an attractive Vulcan lady, with a look that says 'I am superior'. She started speaking in a monotone, "This confirms I was transferred to your command at 0800." She handed Jon the PADD and continued, "Reporting for duty."

This is gonna be just a peachy 8 days, I thought.

She started sniffing so Jon asked if there was a problem. She said there wasn't. He paused then said, "Oh, I forgot. Vulcan females have a heightened sense of smell. I hope Porthos isn't too offensive to you."

She just raised an eyebrow and said, "I've been trained to tolerate offensive situations."

I piped up at that point:  "I took a shower this mornin'. What 'bout you, Cap'n?"

Jon laughed once and introduced us. "I'm sorry. This is Commander Charles Tucker III, Sub-Commander T'Pol."

I rose and made contact with the deepest brown eyes I've ever seen.  When I politely extended my hand to her, I tried not to stare.

"Trip. I'm called Trip."

She simply glanced at my hand and said without emotion, "I'll try to remember that," before turning away from me. Geez! Where did Vulcans learn their manners? She could've politely declined but she just gave me a freakin' cold shoulder.

The Cap'n saw the interaction and decided to intervene, "While you may not share our enthusiasm about this mission, I expect you to follow our rules. What is said in this room and out on the Bridge is privileged information. I don't want every word I say being picked apart the next day by the Vulcan High Command."

Whoa, I thought, she just got the lay of the land. I had to stifle a laugh.

But she continued stoically, "My reason for being here is not espionage. My superiors simply asked me to assist you."

Jon nearly rolled his eyes and said, "Your superiors don't think we can flush a toilet without someone assisting us."

This time, when I tried to stifle my laugh, I saw her back stiffen. Damn that superior Vulcan hearing. Superior Vulcan this, superior Vulcan that. Ok, ya made yer point, yer better than us, so get over it.

"I didn't request this assignment, Captain."

Oooh, someone's getting emotional.

"And when this mission is over, I am certain that I'll be as pleased to leave this ship as you will to have me go."

Wow, THAT was cold.

Porthos chose that moment to lean on Sub-Commander T'Pol and she didn't like it one bit. "If there is nothing else..."

Jon nodded his head, trying to stifle a chuckle, "That'll be all."

I hope I don't run into her any time soon.

Sub-Commander T'Pol nodded and left the room. Jon and I exchanged amused glances. I'm sure we're both wondering what the hell we got ourselves into.

T'Pol's POV

My superior Vulcan hearing picked up voices from the adjoining room. One voice, with a very strong, distinctive accent, was saying, "I dunno. I'd be more comfortable with Porthos on the bridge."

My curiosity was mildly piqued. What was a Porthos? Then I recognized the laugh of the Captain. Listening in on people's conversations is very impolite. So I rang the buzzer.

I heard Captain Archer's voice. "Here we go. Come in."

As I stepped inside, I was bombarded with the offensive smells of two humans and a canine. That must be the 'Porthos'. I was aware of a presence sitting behind me and, upon closer investigation, the smell emitted from that presence was not all that unpleasant. It was rather...unique, and it carried a mysterious air with it.

"This confirms I was transferred to your command at 0800." I handed the Captain the PADD and continued, "Reporting for duty."

I sniffed, trying to seek out that scent, while avoiding the others. The Captain asked if there was a problem. "No, sir," I said out of courtesy.  

The Captain looks a lot calmer than when I last saw him. He had informed me he was going to 'knock me on my ass'.

Realization finally dawned on him, "Oh I forgot, female Vulcans have a heightened sense of smell. I hope Porthos isn't too offensive to you."

I raised my eyebrow and stoically responded, "I've been trained to tolerate offensive situations."

The man with the mysterious smell decided to enter the conversation. "I took a shower this mornin'. What 'bout you, Cap'n?"

I am still at a loss as to why the Captain found this funny. "I'm sorry. Commander Charles Tucker III, Sub-Commander T'Pol." I turned to find myself face-to-face with a tall, blond, blue-eyed, quite pleasing-to-the-eye gentleman.

He held out his hand and said, "Trip. I'm called Trip." For a fleeting moment, I had an irrational desire to run my hand through his hair.  What would it feel like?

Since Vulcans are touch telepaths, I declined the hand and responded, "I'll try to remember that."

I turned away and the Captain looked a little hesitant as he started to speak:  "While you may not share our enthusiasm about this mission, I expect you to follow our rules. What is said in this room and on the Bridge is privileged information. I don't want every word I say being picked apart the next day by the Vulcan High Command."

I was quite aware of Captain Archer's opinion of Vulcans, so I attempted to reassure him. "My reason for being here is not espionage. My superiors simply asked me to assist you."

The Captain looked very amused. "Your superiors don't think we can flush a toilet without someone assisting us."

I am sure that is not true. Humans are known to use sarcasm. Perhaps this is an example. 

"I didn't request this assignment, Captain. And when this mission is over, I am certain that I'll be as pleased to leave this ship as you will to have me go."

His disgusting canine started to lean against me. It was rather unsettling. "If there is nothing else..."

The Captain's face relaxed. "That'll be all."

I nodded, and left the room as quickly as possible without appearing to be in a rush. On the way back to my quarters, I found myself illogically curious about when I might see this "Commander Tucker" again...