Rating: NC-17
Genres: dark, drama, smut
Keywords: bond, Mirror Universe
Lizzie stared down at the four different PADDs on her desk, all requiring her attention immediately. She sipped on her tea and organized them carefully one by one. The first contained recommendations about upgrades to the Defense grids, which she decided to implement using funds generated by the new trade agreement with Tellar.
The next one contained information about a labor dispute with the mining guild on Mars. She decided to send Grayson to mediate rather than send the MACOs in to break the strike, though that option had to remain on the table, at least as far as the miners were concerned. She authorized him to agree to safety upgrades and shorter working hours but no more than a 3% hike in wages until the capacity came up to 90%. She hoped the safety upgrades would reduce the downtime and compensate for the reduced hours.
The next PADD was an intelligence report, which contained information about Colonel Hayes's communication with Malcolm Reed, who was planning an invasion from the Romulan base on Vulcan. Thankfully, PADD number 4 presented a solution to that. If Lizzie agreed to put T'Pau and the Syrannite faction in charge of Vulcan, they would support the removal of the Romulan base from Vulcan. The Defiant would lead a small fleet of ships, including a Romulan ship that was in the possession of the Vulcans, and destroy the base.
The absence of the base would make an invasion harder for the Romulans. Harder, but not impossible. From what she was told about Romulans, the attack on the base would only make them more determined. Once the Romulans decided to annex a section of space, nothing short of the complete annihilation of their fleet would deter them.
"Their determination is both a strength and a weakness, depending on the circumstances," T'Ling, the Vulcan attache had said to her.
Lizzie sighed. A chime rang at the door, and in walked her sister-in-law, now dressed in a Starfleet uniform, complete with the bare midriff and a special green pip to indicate she was a member of the Imperial Family. Lizzie had promoted her to Commander and planned to make her a Captain if the mission went right.
The woman wore a blank expression, typical of a Vulcan. But Lizzie also saw something - a sparkle of curiosity in her eyes. She knew Trip wasn't the type to fall for a cold fish, and she was sure there was a whole lot more to T'Pol than met the eye.
"Good Afternoon, Lizzie," said T'Pol.
"Afternoon, T'Pol," she said, "Have a seat. Have you heard from Trip? Is he still up on The Defiant today?"
Her sister-in-law nodded as she sat down across from Lizzie. "He plans to transport back to the palace when his shift is finished. He wishes the engines to be in optimum condition for the upcoming mission to Vulcan."
"I hear you're gonna get to see your Mom, if all goes well. You must be happy about that," said Lizzie. Trip had told her that T'Pol and her mama had parted on tense terms.
"I am looking forward to seeing her."
"I'm glad," said Lizzie, "I'm sorry I can't authorize more than a few days. But the project to research and implement the tech from The Defiant and the Romulan ship - The Selok - is going to be based part time on Vulcan. So, you and Trip will be able to spend more time there in a few months."
T'Pol nodded.
Now it was time to bring up the awkward subject. Lizzie sighed.
"You know, I'm making you second in Command on the upcoming mission."
Her sister-in-law nodded again. Lizzie inhaled and bit her lip.
"I know Jon's . . .I know he can be difficult. But I think the plan we've developed is a good one. It'll be tough for him to screw it up, especially with you and Trip there to make sure he doesn't."
The Vulcan woman raised her eyebrow.
"You know him," said Lizzie, "His ego sometimes clogs his brain. That's why he has to be in charge of this. If he feels like he's not doing enough, he'll make trouble. And I don't want him in trouble. I want him happy."
"I will do my best to help you achieve all your goals," replied T'Pol.
Lizzie exhaled. "Good . . .Trip told me. . .told me what Jon used to be like. How he treated you. I really. . .I appreciate it. Things are gonna change. I can't work miracles, but I'll make him behave better. The Empire, too."
The Vulcan woman was hard to read, but Lizzie guessed she didn't know how to respond to that. She had a right to be skeptical. Hell, Lizzie would be skeptical if she were in the Vulcan's shoes. Lizzie thought it best to switch topics.
"Okay, on to more interesting topics. I had my head science guy do some checking around. There's a couple of Vulcan physicians that are working on making human/Vulcan hybrid children possible. They think it'll be best to try it first with a Vulcan mother and a human father. I took the liberty of volunteering you and Trip as research subjects."
T'Pol looked away for a moment, and then returned her gaze to Lizzie. Lizzie was gratified to see surprise on her face.
"I haven't told Trip," continued Lizzie, "I thought I'd run it by you first. Trip's always wanted a family. But I don't know about you. . . "
The Vulcan woman tilted her head to one side slightly and appeared to be thinking carefully.
"If the methodology was deemed safe. . .it would be gratifying to attempt to have a child."
Lizzie pulled her chair closer. She wanted to reach out and grab the woman's hands, but she knew better. Instead, she chose to lock eyes with the woman. All the Vulcan stuff was taking some time to get used to.
"If all goes well on this mission," said Lizzie, "You can bring the scientists back and they'll begin the project. It's important to me. . .I want Vulcan and Terra to become closer. If there are royal children with Vulcan blood, that will certainly further my goal."
The Vulcan woman's hands absently went to her own stomach, and she looked down at Lizzie's stomach.
"The morning sickness is hell, but otherwise I'm doing great. Little Charles is doing just fine. And I think he'll want cousins, don't you?"
T'Pol furrowed her brow. "I did not realize humans had telepathic connections with their unborn children. Do you really know your son's desires?"
Lizzie smiled, and she was intrigued. Trip had made several references to Vulcan telepathy but she hadn't pressed him for details. "No, I'm just speculating," she replied.
She was also speculating about how useful truly loyal Vulcans could be to the Empire. Logic. Strength. Telepathy. Honesty. It was all going to add up to good things, as far as Lizzie was concerned. And with T'Pol as a member of the Imperial family, it was going to be easier to convince the Vulcans that things had changed at the the top tier of the Empire, at least.
Lizzie only wished that she could give the same treatment to the Andorians and Tellarites. It was too bad her other brother had disappeared into the outer colonies all those years ago. She heard this Shran, the Andorian that she needed on her side, was looking for a husband, and from what she'd heard, he and her brother Albert might have gotten along famously. She sighed and resolved to check on the secret police's search for her other brother as soon as she got a moment. Not only did she miss Albert, she had a dynasty to build.
Malcolm Reed carried an unconscious, naked Hoshi into his quarters. She'd endured the Romulans version of the Booth, which Reed himself had helped them upgrade, with great courage. But she broke, as he knew she would. Her pleas for mercy had nearly touched his heart, but he reminded himself that her pain was for her own good. She needed to suffer in order to be purified, and mercy would only harm her in the long run. He'd been proven correct in that instinct when her pleas turned to profane curses and promises to do him violence.
His servant, Tolaris, who was both blind and dismembered, but still quite strong and useful, followed closely behind him.
"Are you sure I cannot carry her for you, sir?" said the Vulcan in his artificial voice. Tolaris's conversion had taken as much time as Hoshi's, and Malcolm hadn't worried about damaging his beauty during the process. But Vulcan's were strong-minded bastards.
"No," snapped Malcolm, "She's my responsibility. I'll take care of her. You may return to your rooms."
Tolaris bowed and left him alone with Hoshi, who looked positively radiant.
It had taken nearly three days, but eventually she could no longer speak. She no longer recognized her name. The Romulan Booth, unlike the Terran version, left a few burns on her skin, but those would heal in time. The important thing was that she was cleansed of the filth that had infected her. She could be his now.
He carefully bathed her and dressed her in a white gown. He carried her to the bed and gently tucked her under the silver blanket. He slipped in next to her and gently caressed her pale cheek. She would be Empress again, and with him at her side, she would be protected.
Talas appeared on the viewscreen of The Defiant. T'Pol's immediate instinct was to greet her friend, but she stayed silent. Jonathan Archer was the ranking officer on the bridge, and it was his job to greet the captain of The Selok.
"You must be Talas, " said Archer, "I understand you're going to initiate the surprise we've got coming for the Romulans."
Talas's antennae twitched, and she smirked. "Unless your ship has a cloak, that's the plan."
T'Pol and Talas's eyes met, and T'Pol felt satisfaction that Talas would not prostrate herself to the Empire. She might be willing to join the mission and even take orders from a human, but she would not be a slave to the Terrans. Thanks to the new Empress, that was no longer expected.
"No cloak. Yet," replied Archer smoothly, "but give us time. The research project you've agreed to join should take care of that soon enough."
Talas smiled, "That reminds me. Say hello to your chief engineer for me when you get a minute. We miss him and his wife around here."
Archer turned and looked at T'Pol. "I'll send them over for a reunion, assuming everything goes smoothly."
"I'll hold you to that, Admiral," replied Talas before turning her gaze to T'Pol, "Your old room is just how you left it, Captain. We were hoping you'd return to us sooner rather than later. Of course, these were hardly the circumstances we expected."
T'Pol nodded.
"I trust these are better circumstances, with none of us as fugitives and all looking at a better future."
"I'll drink to that, once this is done," replied Talas before turning back to Archer, "Admiral, we've received the tactical instructions and will await your command to commence."
"Very good, Captain," replied Archer before cutting off communication. Archer glanced over at T'Pol curiously, but she did not look up at him. She didn't know what he knew about her life on The Selok, and she was in no mood to enlighten him.
Hoshi heard noises. Bad noises. It was the middle of the night, and she sat up in bed. She was alone with no sign of Malcolm, and she smelled fire and heard screaming. The air was strangely fresh, and she recognized the smell of the outside desert mixed with fire and burning flesh. The artificial atmosphere was gone.
She got up and ran into the hall, where Malcolm came running.
"C'mon, love," he said, "We're getting out here. Seems the Vulcans are evicting their cousins. We're headed for Romulan space," he said.
Hoshi looked up at the Vulcan sky through the hole in the ceiling. She saw maybe a dozen ships overhead, all of different design.
"The Romulans tell me," said Malcolm, "that your old friend Jonathan Archer is leading the charge. Seems he delivered the eviction notice."
Hoshi's body tensed at the name, and she seethed. She didn't remember why she hated the man attached to the name, but she knew that she did. She glared up at the sky. Malcolm's firm hand grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him.
"It seems the MACOs on Earth have been rounded up. No one knows if they are dead or in prison. Our plans to go home have hit a setback, but they will be permanently finished if we don't get out of here now. Our ship awaits."
She reached out and he took her hand as they headed toward their escape. As confused as she was, Hoshi knew this was not the end.
Talas and T'Pol made their way down to the engineering room of The Selok, where Tucker was busy helping Kov tune up the warp drive. He hadn't been assigned the task, but he had volunteered.
"I'm sorry to hear you will be returning to Andoria after the project begins," said T'Pol to Talas, "and won't be with us throughout the duration."
Talas sighed. "Part of me wishes I was staying, but even though the ships will be kept combat ready - there won't be much for me to do while you science types are finding out all her little secrets. In any case, I need to spend some time with my husband and my wife after the wedding."
T'Pol heard laughter coming from the engineering room. Human laughter. As she and Talas turned the corner, she saw Liz Cutler standing with Kov and Tucker and the three of them appeared amused by something. She even detected a slight smile from Kov.
"Hello Captains," said Liz. "We've missed you, T'Pol."
"And I you all," said T'Pol, "and I'm pleased you'll be rejoining Starfleet."
Liz grinned at Tucker. "Thanks to my sudden acquaintance with a member of the Imperial Family, I'm being commissioned as an officer and will serve here on The Selok as part of the science team. I'll also be serving as a liaison between the alien crew and Starfleet."
Tucker smiled just a little. T'Pol knew he had told his sister about the crew of The Selok, and that she'd be foolish not to make use of their talents now that the Vulcans were going to be full members of the Empire. As fearful as their situation was, some good had come from it.
"It seems like this might take quite awhile. No use going back to The Defiant tonight," said Tucker, "Think the Admiral will let you stay over with me?"
T'Pol raised her eyebrow.
"I'm not going to give him a choice. Besides, it will give him a chance to march up and down the halls of The Defiant with his dog. I just hope none of the crew shoots him in the back out of sheer annoyance," she replied.
Ten months later
Tucker was blindfolded and being led outdoors. He felt a breeze and smelled salt air. He gripped his wife's warm hand, and she squeezed it in reassurance.
"Lizzie," he said, "Where are we?"
His sister laughed. "You can take the blindfold off now."
Tucker pushed the silk off his eyes and squinted in the bright sun. He was in Florida, and he was standing on the beach near his parents's house. The one he used to sneak into as a boy.
Lizzie was standing there in one of her black dresses, with her little son in a sling at her chest. T'Pol was standing next to him, no longer wearing her Starfleet uniform but Vulcan robes that were more appropriate given that her pregnancy had just started to show.
"Happy Thanksgiving!" said Lizzie.
"You, too," replied Tucker.
Lizzie looked at T'Pol and grinned. "He doesn't get it."
"Lizzie, is giving you this beach. . .and the adjacent compound, as a gift," said T'Pol.
"It's not like the Senate ever made good use of it," said Lizzie, "So I appropriated it. The renovations are still underway, and they'll obviously consult you and T'Pol on the decor. But I thought it would be nice if you two had a home that wasn't the palace - a place for the new kid to play far away from curious eyes."
Tucker tried to form a few words of thanks, but he found himself speechless.
"You're welcome," laughed Lizzie, "and furthermore, I've had our Thanksgiving dinner moved here. T'Les, Albert, Jon, Mom and Dad are all waiting for us at the house."
Tucker managed a smile. "Are you sure it was such a good idea to revive this holiday. . .I mean. . .it's gonna be a strange dinner."
Lizzie nodded. "It's important. The war is coming and we all know it. We won't win unless all the people think this place is worth fighting for. . .and the holiday is a start. Besides, I think we should all spend some time together before Albert leaves for Andoria."
T'Pol turned to Lizzie. "I have not had a chance to tell you how inspiring your speech was two nights ago."
Tucker sighed. With the impending war, Lizzie had given a speech to the peoples of Earth, Vulcan, Andoria and Tellar. She had spoken of putting the past behind them and banding together to fight the coming evil. She had promised to make the Romulans quake with fear and curse themselves as fools for daring to think the Empire was weak enough to conquer. It had sent a chill down Tucker's spine.
Over the past few months, Lizzie had proved stronger and tougher than he could have imagined. The MACOs had been dissolved, and most of them were dead or in prison. Colonel Hayes had finally given up information about Reed's plans, and for his trouble he had been granted a swift execution and a promise that his children would not forfeit his estate or be enslaved. Lizzie had kept all those promises.
Now, she was rallying the Empire against Reed and the Romulans at his back. She had spared no effort in painting Reed as a narcissistic sociopath and a puppet of the Romulans, and one by one the many confused factions of the Empire had lined up to support her.
"I owe it to my son to leave him a strong Empire to rule," Lizzie had said.
Lizzie suddenly stared up at the house with a sour look on her face. He turned to see his parents, Charlie and Elaine, all dressed up and standing at the top of the wooden stairs that led to the house.
Lizzie rolled her eyes. "They've been so nice lately. It kinda makes me wanna vomit. I feel better when they're mean because I know they're being honest."
"Bert once told me they weren't always like that," said Tucker, "He says that when he was little. . .they were different."
Lizzie sighed. "I wish I could remember."
T'Pol took his arm and began walking with him to the house.
"Family ties are important," she said, "To humans and to Vulcans."
"Well," said Lizzie, "If you can put up with a dinner with our family and not jump on the next transport to Vulcan - I'll be certain that you love my brother."
T'Pol stopped for a moment and locked eyes with her husband. "There's no need for such a test, of that you can be sure," she replied as they all headed into the house.
Fin.
T'Pol feels authentically Vulcan in this story.
*Standing ovation*
I'm sad to see this story end, but I enjoyed every word of it. Very well done. I anxiously await the sequel.
I may ask your permission to borrow your universe here...just long enough to write about a certain Thanksgiving diner!
(You guys shoulda SEEN that conversation!! LMAO)
Pregger T'Pol. I bow at your feet.
This was exactly what I needed after a rough day of packing and cleaning. Thank you.
And thank you again for immortalizing Elvis and Mr. Boo.
Thank you for this superb story! I am very glad that you have plans to revisit this universe.
I like that Lizzie can delegate authority to her allies and actively uses their help. It was interesting that the ideas supporting the research on making human/Vulcan hybrid children about occurred to her so early. I appreciate Lizzie's thought about building a dynasty. I am looking forward to see Shran as T'Pol's in-law. I hope that Hoshi was stronger than Reed supposed and that she was able to beat him.
Very nice to see Trip and T'Pol come out of things with a house on the beach and a child on the way. They certainly grew as this story progressed.
Thanks everyone! I have to credit Aquarius for the idea of ending the story at Thanksgiving - as it was her wisecrack about the Tucker family Thanksgiving dinners getting awkward that inspired it. Although, I think I did cop out by not writing it - I think it may be best if left up to the imagination. And in the sequel, I plan for T'Les as well as our three Andorians to be there! Panyasan - you hit the nail on the head. Archer is so not good enough for Lizzie - but he was in to her before she was Empress and was planning on helping her at risk to himself, and that counts a lot for a woman in her position. But I think its a rocky road ahead for those two crazy kids. And, making him a jackass is totally fun. It is the MU!
You created a wellcrafted MU (almost a AU/MU in my view) and 27 great chapters of that world. What I liked the most: - the development of the relationship between Trip and T'Pol, T'Pol as captain and the interactions between T'Pol and T'Les and T'Les and Trip. Your T'Les is problably the nicest I have read so far. She could have been a bit more agressive when Tolaris hurt T'Pol so bad. I love your Lizzie, so a great person, but I can't get over my strong dislike of Archer, not even the new and improved Archer. I tried! It's like seeing a great woman married to a jerk and wondering why she is attracted to him. As for the scene between Hoshi and Reed, it's downright creepy. Another favorite of mine is Talas. Loved the ending with T'Pol expecting - I wonder how their child is going be.
loved the ending and cant wait for the sequel
I love the ending. Makes for a happy ending and the calm before the storm. Can't wait to find out about this Albert in Andoria thing. It would be fitting that in one of the universes, Archer and Shran are family.
thanks for sticking with it. i loved the ending .
I adore your MU, so very good and you really kept everything balanced with good flow and charactersation. I love this story, its my favorite MU of all!
LOL. So Thanksgiving with the in-laws is a test of love even in the MU -- my God, they're turning normal!!! I'm looking forward to your sequel.