Ember, Spark, Flame

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Star Trek is not my intellectual property. This is for fun and not profit. 

Rating: NC-17, eventually

A/N: This is a prequel to my long imaginary season 5 story Family Secrets, though it can be read without having read that one. It takes place immediately following Terra Prime. The idea that TnT go to Vulcan to bury baby Elizabeth came from Martin & Mangel's finale fix book "The Good that Men Do" but the plot and manifestation is all my own. 

This was also inspired by the July 2010 word prompt, Sparks. And thanks to my wonderful beta, Lady Rainbow. 

New paint smells the same, no matter what planet it's from, thought Trip as he inhaled the cool, recycled air of his cabin. 

Trip stared at the ornamented, painted ceiling, which was just one of the strange features of the eerie, Vulcan ship. The ship was new, less than a year old, but the Vulcan script that adorned the ceiling and walls was ancient. T'Pol had told him that it was sacred text from the Kir'Shara, and even she needed concentration to understand it.

The ship's gravity was heavy, so heavy, it threatened to pull him into to sleep. Thankfully, he could at least adjust the temperature inside his own room so he wasn't sweating half to death. Vulcan ships were usually about as comfortable as the decon chamber. 

When he got sick of the Vulcan characters, he turned on his side to the face the window and its whirring stars. The ship was fast, especially for one of its size. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't be cloistering himself in his cabin this way. Captain Valrick had given him an open invitation to observe and even assist in engineering, and he would have loved to get a look at a small warp drive that could maintain warp 4.5 for long periods. 

But to get to engineering, he would have to pass by sickbay. Sickbay was where Baby Elizabeth's body was. He didn't know if the Vulcans, especially T'Pol, would be offended by his desire to visit her lifeless body. These Vulcans, Syrannite monks of some kind, had gracefully offered to transport T'Pol and himself to Vulcan so they could bury their daughter in peace, far from the prying eyes of the media and a scandalized public. The majority of the emotional outpouring had been positive, but some had been as ugly as Terra Prime had predicted it would be. Anonymous letters had arrived, some celebrating Elizabeth's death and others calling Trip a race traitor and a pervert. T'Pol had received a few messages in Vulcan which contained similar sentiments, only expressed in reverse and more logically. 

There was a chime on the door, and he sat up and put his feet on the floor. 

"Come in," he said. 

The door opened, and T'Pol, dressed in Vulcan robes, entered. Her face appeared serene, but not only did he sense her deep grief, he recognized it in her eyes. He wondered if emotion had always been visible in her eyes, and he had only learned to see it there or if she had begun to allow him to see it. 

"I came to see if you were comfortable," she said. 

"I'm starting to appreciate what it must have been like for you those first weeks on Enterprise, everything set to Earth comfort." 

"I had adjusted during my time on Earth," she said, "and I wore weights in my boots to help me adjust to the gravity. Getting used to heavier gravity is more difficult."

Trip noticed T'Pol shiver in the cool air of his cabin. He got to his feet and grabbed a throw from the chair in the corner. As he gently placed it around her shoulders, she reached up and brushed his hand with hers. The gesture created a faint spark between them, but she casually removed her hand and the moment passed. 

"It's funny," he said, "I don't remember having a hard time adjusting the last time we went to Vulcan. . .but circumstances were different then. That was a happy journey, at least on the way there." 

The last sentence came out sharper than he'd meant it, and she winced. 

"I'm sorry," he continued, "I didn't mean to bring up bad memories." 

"Our previous trip to Vulcan holds many pleasant memories for me," she replied, "at least before Koss arrived." 

Funny, he thought, I'd give anything for the day she married Koss to be the worst day of my life again. That pain seemed so light, so shallow compared to the loss of Elizabeth. At the time, he couldn't imagine anything hurting more. 

She sensed his thoughts, he could tell. He sensed hers as well. She was remembering the blissful days they spent on the transport to Vulcan, when everything felt so hopeful. She had believed that their journey would mark a new beginning for them, rather than an end. If had only been able to sense her thoughts like this back then, if they had known a bond had formed between them in the Expanse, he would have fought harder for her. 

After a moment's silence, she spoke.

"Do you wish to dine in your cabin or among the monks in the mess hall?" she asked, clasping her hands behind her back. 

"I need to get out. I'll eat with the monks." He paused. "Will you be there?" 

"Yes," she replied, "I shall see you there. The evening meal is served at 1900 hours." 

"See you then," he said, and she nodded at left his cabin. 

He inhaled sadly after she was gone. Before the Terra Prime craziness, they were starting to get back on track. They'd been together - really together - for a few glorious weeks. The discovery of their bond had sparked a fire between them that he wouldn't have thought could burn out. But Terra Prime and. . .and Elizabeth's death had practically smothered the flame. Sure, there were embers. . .the bond was there. . .but he couldn't imagine it ever being like it was before. 

TBC