The Ornament Exchange

Part Two of The Crew Tree

By: Dee

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, I just borrow them to amuse myself and others. I also make no money from these characters, nor do I want any. It's an honor to be able to write them.

Notes: For those of you who asked, here's the second part. Enjoy!

Hoshi came up with a great idea. If any member of the crew wanted to get to know anyone else better, then on Valentine's day they were to give their ornaments to that other person. "Wonderful!" Archer smiled at the idea.

"I don't know Cap'n, what if some members of the crew don't get an ornament?" Trip asked.

Archer thought for a moment. "For those who don't get one, I'll have a personal dinner with them, one on one."

"That may not make some feel better." Trip said.

"Oh will you shut up? You know you'll get half the women's ornaments, so what are you worried about?" Hoshi asked in jest.

Trip smiled at her. "Will one of them be yours?"

"What? And make T'Pol hate me, I don't think so."

"T'Pol? What are you talking about?" Trip asked.

Hoshi looked at Archer then burst out laughing. "Nevermind Commander."

When the tree came down after the New Year everyone was handed back their own ornament. Most kept it on a shelf, to remind them to give it to their 'crush' on Valentine's Day. Others put it next to their bed. And a few put it in a drawer to forget about it for a while.

Malcolm Reed was one who put his in a drawer. He didn't want to look at the stupid thing for a month. It was nothing special, just a tiny replica of a torpedo. He did make it himself out of plaster. He did paint it himself. He did put a lot of time into it. But no one noticed. He had put his up before Trip. And Trip's blew his out of the water. Then came T'Pol's. Hers was better then anyone's. So no one even mentioned how realistic his ornament looked. How authentic. It didn't matter anyway. Who'd want to receive his ornament on Valentine's Day? Porthos maybe. It might make a good chew toy.

Travis Mayweather proudly hung his ornament up in his room. He'd made it of various things he'd found around the ship. It was a picture frame with his family in it. He smiled at it every morning as he prepared for work. He smiled at it every night as he went to bed. It was a reminder of where he came from. Of his past. Of his family. He wondered if she'd realized how special it was to him. If she'd know how special she was to him.

Archer didn't know what to do with his, so he just laid it on his desk. It was nothing spectacular. Just a bright star to commemorate the holiday spirit. But, it had a double meaning for him. It also signified how much he loved living amongst the stars. How much he enjoyed flying around space, meeting new species, making lasting friendships with his crew. Speaking of his crew, he wondered if it was right for him to give his star to a crewmember. Sure, it would be just as friends, but the rest of the crew would talk. Well, he had over a month to figure it all out.

February 13th

The ship was in an uproar again. Everyone was excited about the evening's events. There was going to be a special dinner where they would exchange their ornaments. Chef had prepared a feast for the occasion. Archer was glad he was able to get Chef for this mission. Any other chef would balk at all the demands he made on them. But Chef seemed to rise to the occasion.

Trip entered the mess hall and found several other people gathered. He smiled at them, then went to the punch bowl. When the room started to fill up and the exchange began Trip chastised himself for not picking T'Pol up on his way. He was about to go get her when she entered with Hoshi. T'Pol was wearing casual clothes, not her usual garb, and she looked beautiful. He had to catch his breath before he could talk to her.

As Trip walked up to her T'Pol looked at him. "He looks dashing." Hoshi said from behind her. Then she scampered away when Trip walked up.

"You look great T'Pol." Trip smiled.

"You look," she hesitated, "dashing." His soft smile made her relax.

"The exchange has begun." He told her as he handed her his ornament. She looked at him. His eyes were soft, his smile gentle.

Malcolm was drinking punch when Hoshi walked up to him. "Having fun Malcolm?"

He looked at her above his glass. "I suppose."

Hoshi squeezed her ornament in hesitation. She'd lost her nerve. She sighed, then downed a glass of punch. "How's the cake?" She asked.

"Haven't had any." Malcolm shrugged.

"Happy Valentine's Day Hoshi." Travis said from behind her.

She turned to look at him. He was holding up his ornament. "Travis."

"Anytime you want, just let me know." He pressed it into her palm.

Hoshi squeezed her ornament again. Malcolm was clearly not interested, but Travis was. She smiled as she gave Travis her ornament. "Next Friday, dinner." She said with a wink. It wasn't like she was in love with Malcolm or anything.

Malcolm watched the exchange in envy. He turned from the couple and stared out the window. He wasn't sure how long had gone by before he felt a tap on his back. He jerked around and saw Lieutenant Jessie Lancaster smiling at him. "Cheer up Malcolm."

He looked at her. She had wavy brown hair that reached her shoulders and chestnut colored eyes. She smelt of vanilla. He feebly smiled at her.

"Happy Valentine's Day." She said as she put her ornament in his pocket. She leaned close to him and whispered, "I loved your ornament by the way." As she walked away he looked down at his pants. He reached in his pocket and pulled out the ornament, examining it. He couldn't believe someone wanted to get to know him better. Maybe Valentine's Day wasn't so bad after all.

"What'd you do with your ornament sir?" Phlox asked Archer.

Archer smiled at him. "I hung it above my door to my quarters."

Phlox nodded. "That's a good idea." He reached in his pocket and took out his ornament. It was made of a miniature spoon, fork, and knife, glued together. He'd said earlier that he was most thankful of human food, so he decided to show that. He gave Archer his ornament. "I just wish I had enough ornaments for the whole crew, but since I don't, I figured why not start by getting to know the Captain first?" He smiled at Archer.

"Sounds good to me. You can be my first guest at dinner next week." Archer said.

T'Pol put her ornament on the shelf as she changed for bed. It had been an interesting night, to say the least. But, something was bothering her, and she did not know what. She crawled into bed and turned off her light. For an hour she tossed and turned not able to go to sleep. Then she suddenly figured it out. She had wanted to give her ornament to Commander Tucker, but never did. Since he gave her his, she thought that would be enough. But, she did not show that she reciprocated the want to get to know each other.

T'Pol got out of bed, put on her robe and tied it close to her, then grabbed her ornament. She went to Commander Tucker's quarters and touched his door chime. She heard him groan then open the door. "T'Pol?"

She handed him the ornament. "I meant to give it to you at the dinner."

He looked touched. "I'm glad to know we have mutual feelings for each other." She nodded, then turned to go. "T'Pol."

She turned back around. "If I'd have known that I was going to be giving you my ornament, I'd have put more effort into it. You deserve more effort."

She couldn't stop the small smile that spread across her face. "Put a little extra effort into our relationship, and I would say that we are even."

Trip smiled back at her. "You've been around humans too long. Are you sure you want to get to know me better? I could be a bad influence."

"I do not think you could be a bad influence. Good night Comma- Trip." She smiled again, then went back to her quarters, leaving Trip to stare after her.

The End.