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ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
BETA: Bev
Morningdawn
By Olli
T'Pol lay in an empty bed when she woke up. For a second she wondered if it all had been a dream what happened last night. The warmth she had felt as she had touched Hoshi, the kiss and what had happened next. She ran her hand over her face. No, she decided it hadn't been a dream. She still could feel it - not only in her mind but in her body, too. She could smell it in the air and as she sat up und wrapped the sheets around her bare shoulders she could see it in her quarters: a blue Starfleet coverall lay on the floor, underwear, socks and shoes were scattered around the room; her own clothes were scattered around in the same way. But where was Hoshi, T'Pol asked herself. In the next moment the sound of streaming water answered her question.
T'Pol looked at the mess and sighed silently. What happened last night had been wrong! She shouldn't have allowed this! But why had she? What seemed to be so right yesterday evening, was a mistake, T'Pol knew now. She was Hoshis superior officer! It was against regulations! She was a Vulcan! It was against the traditions of her people! She had to talk with Hoshi and tell her that they couldn't go on with this relationship. But how could she tell her? It would hurt the young woman, and T'Pol would never want to hurt her.
She stood up and covered herself in a robe, and then she began to clean up the mess. She put Hoshi's clothes on a chair and picked up her own clothes, too. Slowly and methodically, the Vulcan began to change the sheets on her bed. With her hands on autopilot, she thought about how she could reject the human without hurting her and so she didn't hear the door to the bathroom hiss open and Hoshi coming back into the living room.
The human had wound a big bath towel around her body and sneaked with bare feet behind the other woman. Gently, she wrapped her arms around T'Pol, kissed her on the tip of her ear, leaned her chin on the Vulcan's shoulder and whispered "Morning, love."
The Vulcan had to control herself hard not to shiver. The warmth was there again as Hoshi touched her. `Love´ thought T'Pol; she had to end this before Hoshi was in too deep, because then it would hurt her only more.
"Hoshi," the Vulcan said as she turned around, taking Hoshi by her shoulders and making her step back. "I'm not a human. We can't be "
Hoshi laid a fingertip on T'Pol's lips. "I have to tell you something, please."
T'Pol looked at Hoshi's eyes, and nodded.
"I know you're not a human," Hoshi said and smiled. "I know that you have grown up in a different culture with different point of views. I know you're a Vulcan. I can see it and I can feel it every time I touch you. I know that you can never show your feelings in the same way a human could you have feelings for me, I guess?"
T'Pol did what she had learned a long time ago: she analysed herself. Yes, she had feelings for Hoshi. Vulcan's were in control of their feelings but to control something you must have it in the first place. Now she was in control but suddenly there were feelings. She had never experienced anything like that before! The nearest she could think of were the feelings she'd had when she'd been in the arms of her mother or father as a child.
But her feelings for Hoshi were different from that.
Noticing Hoshi's gaze full of expectation, T'Pol nodded again.
The human smiled and went on. "I know we'll never kiss in the mess hall and I know we'll never be holding hands on a movie night. But I'll accept all of that if you only will accept my love for you."
"How can you accept this?" T'Pol interrupted. "I know your expectations of a romantic relationship." She remembered the scenes in some movies Hoshi had described as romantic.
"To know that you have feelings for me will be enough for me. I promise I'll never embarrass you in public. I promise I will never make you uncomfortable in public. I know that must be very difficult for you. We are different species and you are my superior officer. I think this will be difficult for me, too but if you'd be willing to give it a try then I would be, too."
T'Pol was stunned. She had never expected that Hoshi would go so far! If Hoshi was willing to accept her completely as Vulcan, if a human was willing to put back her own needs in a way like this, how could she reject this offer? If Hoshi would do this for her then she could accept her feelings for the human, T'Pol thought. And then she thought about the regulations. Same gender relationships were not longer a taboo in human society today and Starfleet wasn't that strictly ruled organisation the human military was a hundred years ago. And Vulcan traditions they were traditions and not laws.
"I won't try to change your behaviour. I won't force you to be more human. I love you in the way you are and not as a human with ear tips," Hoshi declared. Then she stopped and waited for T'Pol's answer.
The Vulcan looked at Hoshi. She saw in her face a lot of emotions: hope, fear and love. T'Pol concentrated on this last expression, she thought was love. Never ever in her whole life had anyone looked at her in this way. "Ma" there was something in her throat and T'Pol had to swallow heavily. "Maybe, we can give it a try?" she whispered, repeating Hoshi's words. "Maybe we can see for some weeks if it works?"
"That would be great," Hoshi said and stepped closer. She embraced T'Pol again and kissed her. Without hesitation the Vulcan reciprocated the kiss. It was soft and tender, just a soft lingering of lips against lips, but T'Pol pulled Hoshi closer, holding her in a firm embrace. After some moments Hoshi broke the kiss and whispered in the Vulcan's ear, "That'll be great, love."
"We must dress. We have to be on the bridge in thirty minutes," the Vulcan said at last and caressed Hoshi's cheek.
"You're right." Hoshi said and stepped back. As she went to the chair T'Pol had placed her clothes on, the Vulcan watched her. She admired the view as the towel slowly slid down the soft curves of the young woman's body and the natural grace with which Hoshi began to put on her underwear. Suddenly the human glanced up at her and this broke the spell. T'Pol went to the bathroom, but when the door hissed open she turned around. "Hoshi?"
"Mmmhh?" the human mumbled struggling with her coverall put it around her shoulders.
"Why are humans so fascinated by our ear tips?"
The End