Her First Christmas

By: Dee

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, blah blah blah. Have fun reading, and feedback please.

Archive: Melanie, Meana, and Molly (This story is brought to you by the letter M) all others ask.

1/?

She did not understand what all the excitement was about. Why were the humans, and even Phlox, getting so anxious? They were making her very uncomfortable. Of course she knew their holiday, Christmas was in a few days, but she still did not understand their energy. They were always smiling, always laughing. None of them seemed to be calm and collected not even the Captain. In T'Pol's opinion, their happiness could cause a problem if a dangerous ship approached them and they were not prepared.

She stayed uneasy for days. The crew kept smiling at her, giving her Christmas cards that they'd made. Chef made huge meals, which always included pumpkin pie. She had a hard time getting him to give her her usual meal. There was a Christmas tree in the mess hall, decorated with ornaments, which looked more like shiny balls to T'Pol, and lights, which blinked on and off. Ensign Reed had decorated the tree with a string of popcorn that became stale in a day. The smell of the popcorn, meat, and human made T'Pol steer clear of the mess hall.

Ensign Mayweather tried to explain Christmas to her. "It's the time of year that we put away our differences and embrace each other."

She did not understand why they set aside one date to be tolerant of others, but then go back to being indifferent, and sometimes cruel, after that day. The logical thing to do would be to be tolerant and 'put away their differences' all year long.

Christmas Eve brought T'Pol even more confusion. "We leave the cookies and milk out for Santa when he comes with our presents." Ensign Sato explained to her as she put the plate of chocolate chip cookies and a large glass of milk on a table near the tree. "Usually he slides down chimneys, but since we don't have one, I think he'll make an exception."

"He probably has a transporter." Commander Tucker said with a smile.

"You can't forget the carrots." Lieutenant Reed said, placing nine carrots on the plate with the cookies. "It's for his reindeer."

T'Pol made no attempt to understand who Santa was, why he had reindeer, or why he slide down chimneys to give people presents. She just said her good nights, and went to her quarters.

An hour later her door chime went off. She threw a robe on over her cotton tank top and sweats, then went to answer the door. Commander Tucker stood in front of her, smiling. He was carrying a book in his left hand, a small box wrapped in paper in his right. "Commander?"

"I came to tell you about Christmas." Commander Tucker said. T'Pol moved out of the way and let him in. "Got any eggnog?" He asked with a crooked smile.

"Eggnog?"

"Nevermind." He sat down on a chair and beckoned for her to sit next to him. He put the box on the table next to him, and held the book in his lap. "Ready for your history lesson?" T'Pol sat next to him and waited. He began by telling her about how Christmas began. How the Christians celebrate it as the birth of Jesus Christ. Then he told her how the holiday had become more commercialized, how people of different religions and faiths began to celebrate it as a joyous holiday. A time to show your family and friends that you care about them. He explained about Santa, his nine reindeer, including Rudolph.

After he was sure she understood what he'd said, he opened up the book and read her "'Twas the Night Before Christmas". "My father read this every Christmas Eve when I was a boy. I even read it when I moved out on my own. It's a holiday tradition that I plan to pass on to my kids."

"If Santa is not real, why did Ensign Sato and Lieutenant Reed make things for him and his reindeer?"

"Because sometimes it's fun to pretend like you still believe in the old fairytales of your childhood. I'd bet anything that in the morning, there will be presents under the tree, labeled 'From Santa'."

"How will they have gotten there?"

"Mostly likely the Cap'n will have put them there. In fact, he's probably doing it right now."

T'Pol's eyes briefly went to the box on her table. She wondered what it was, and if it was for her. But she tried to hide her curiosity.

Commander Tucker saw her eyes dart to the present. "You want to know what it is, don't you?" He teased.

"I was wondering if it had a purpose here." She knew she had not covered herself very well, but she did not care.

Commander Tucker smiled. He handed her the present. "A present for you."

She gently took the box from him. "I do not have anything for you."

"That's ok." He shrugged. "Open it."

"I should wait for Christmas." T'Pol said. That would be the logical thing to do, if she were to celebrate this holiday.

"In my family, we opened one gift on Christmas Eve. You'll get more tomorrow, so you can open this one tonight."

She nodded, then looked back at the box. She slowly took the tape off the sides and unfolded the paper. Commander Tucker was almost squirming in his seat. "Am I not doing it right?"

He softly smiled at her. "We just usually rip the paper off to reveal the gift sooner. You'll get the hang of it later."

She looked back at the box. It was made of black velvet. She opened the lid and revealed a golden necklace. On the end was a four-leaf clover made of gold. She took it out of the box and held it up. "Commander."

"My father gave it to me when I moved out. Said it'd always bring me good luck. It's always worked well for me, so I thought I'd share it."

T'Pol stared at him. He looked so sincere. "I cannot take this."

"I want you to have it." He said gently.

The tone of his voice made her decide to keep it. "Thank you Commander."

"It's Trip, and you're welcome." He stood up and took the necklace from her hands. He showed her how to unclasp it, then he placed it around her neck and clasped it back together. "It's a long chain, so you can wear it under your uniform and no one will ever know you have it."

She unconsciously touched the necklace as it lay against her chest. Tucker bent down and whispered in her ear, "Merry Christmas T'Pol." Before she could respond he left her quarters.

2/?

Trip woke up early the next morning. He smiled to himself when he remembered what day it was. His door chime went off. "Come in." He said as he crawled out of bed.

Captain Archer entered his quarters. "Merry Christmas Trip."

"Merry Christmas Jon."

"I hear Santa visited us. Hoshi and Travis are already in the mess hall, drinking hot cocoa no doubt." Jon smiled.

"Ok, I have something I have to do, then I'll be right down there."

"Do you think T'Pol will join us? I haven't tried to force the holiday on her, and she didn't seem interested at all."

Trip smiled. "I'll go see if she wants to come."

Jon nodded. "Tell her Santa brought her a gift."

Trip went straight to T'Pol's room. He hit her door chime and waited impatiently for her to tell him to come in. When he saw her he had to smile. She was still in her tank top, sweats, and robe from last night. He must have woken her up. "Good morning T'Pol."

"Good morning Commander." She looked at him. He was still in his pajamas and his hair was a mess.

"Come on, we've got to go."

"Where are we going?"

"To the mess hall."

T'Pol hesitated for a few seconds. "You go without me."

Trip's tone got softer. "T'Pol, we all want you there. Besides, I hear that Santa brought you a gift."

She unconsciously felt for her necklace. When she looked up at Trip he had a soft look in his eyes. "Let me get dressed first."

"No time. Besides, it's better to open Christmas gifts in your pajamas."

"I prefer not to celebrate that tradition."

"Then hurry, they're waiting on us." He left her room and waited outside in the hall.

T'Pol started to change, but then she stopped. If the tradition was to open presents in your pajamas, then if she went in her usual garb, she would stick out, more then she already did. The logical thing to do would be to dress as the humans in her pajamas.

When she left her quarters Trip smiled at her. "Good choice." He started off to the mess hall. "You're going to love this T'Pol. Seeing the look on everyone's faces."

T'Pol did not know if she would 'love' this occasion. She was already beginning to feel uncomfortable.

Trip noticed her uneasiness. He stopped walking and turned to her. "T'Pol, you'll be great today. Just relax and have fun." He said gently.

She looked at him and their eyes connected. As he started to walk again she felt the necklace lay warm against her chest. She'd never worn a necklace, but she decided that she liked it.

They entered the mess hall and the noise made T'Pol jump back. It was loud and bustling with activity. "Commander." She said quietly. He did not hear her as he continued to walk in. The only logical thing to do would be to follow him.

"Aw, T'Pol, you made it. Merry Christmas." Archer said from his seat in front of the tree. After T'Pol sat in an empty seat in the back he whispered to Trip.

Trip looked up from his seat in the front and waved for her to join him there. She shook her head. She was not going to sit in front. He stood up and walked to her. "Too soon to sit in the front huh?" He asked as he took a seat next to her.

"You do not have to sit with me." She said.

"I want to T'Pol." He turned his attention back to Jon as he handed out the first gift to Hoshi. She quickly ripped the paper off and lifted the lid of the box. She smiled when she saw that it was a purple translator. "Thank you Captain."

He coughed. "It was Santa, I just helped him."

The crew laughed as he passed out the next present. It took forty minutes before he got to T'Pol. He stood up and walked to her with his present, instead of passing it through the crowd like he had done with the others. "Merry Christmas T'Pol." He said.

She took the present and slowly began to peel the paper off. Trip coughed and she looked at him. She remembered that they ripped the paper off, so she did the same. She took the lid off and found a uniform neatly folded at the bottom of the box. She looked up at the Captain.

"In case you ever feel like wearing what we are all wearing. But, there's no pressure, just in case." He whispered. Then he walked back to his spot and passed out more presents.

3/?

T'Pol looked at her table. On it sat gifts from her crewmembers. Hoshi got her a pair of new boots. Phlox got her a dictionary of human slang. She almost smiled at the gesture. The gifts were nice, but none of them meant as much to her as the necklace she wore around her neck. She did not realize she was playing with the necklace until she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Out of shock of her absentmindedness, she dropped the necklace and busied herself with getting ready for bed.

The next morning everything was back to normal. Except one thing.

All eyes turned to T'Pol when she entered the bridge. Captain Archer tried to hide his smile, but failed. She was wearing the uniform he'd gotten her.

T'Pol did not look at anybody as she walked to her post, but as she got there she turned her eyes to Trip. She wondered what he was thinking. She saw a small smile spread across his face, then he turned back to his post.

No one asked her why she started wearing the uniform, and she was thankful for that, because she did not know herself.

December 31st - Three hours before the New Year.

"What do you think Hoshi?" Trip asked, holding up a suit.

"It's perfect." She smiled.

Trip nodded. He got dressed, then grabbed a tie. He fumbled with it for a few minutes before looking to Hoshi for help. She giggled, but helped him tie it. He looked at himself in the mirror. "How do I look?"

"Very debonair." Hoshi said approvingly. She'd been helping him get ready for his date with T'Pol for an hour. They decided that his hair should be down. She helped him pick out the cologne he should wear. Then she reminded him that he needed to bring T'Pol a gift. They decided on a half dozen yellow roses and another half dozen pink roses. To show friendship and perhaps more.

Trip picked up the roses he got from the green room, then turned to Hoshi. "Well, I guess I'm ready."

"Everything is done."

Trip blew out air from his cheeks, gathering his nerve. "Now the only thing left to do is convince T'Pol to join me tonight."

Hoshi giggled again. "Have fun."

When Trip arrived at T'Pol's door he had to quickly press her door chime before he lost his nerve. She answered the door and there was no other word to describe her reaction. Shock. He smiled at her. "Good evening T'Pol."

"Commander." T'Pol studied him. "Can I help you with something?"

"Actually, I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner with me."

She hesitated. "I." The logical thing to do would be to turn down the invitation. But, she smiled inside herself, he had brought her roses. Not that she liked roses, but the gesture was nice. "I would like to join you for dinner."

Trip handed her the roses. "Do you want to get dressed, or go like you are? I don't care either way."

She did not have a dress. But maybe she could find something equally suitable. "Let me change."

"I'll wait here."

She nodded, then went back inside. She laid the roses on her table, and then she went to her tiny closet and shuffled through the clothes. She noticed something that was deep, dark red hanging next to her uniform. She pulled it out to discover a silk dress. Attached to the hangar was a note. "Have fun T'Pol. Love, Hoshi." T'Pol smiled inside herself again. She put the dress on and looked in the mirror. It was a conservative dress, which was good. It was not too low cut, nor was the split at the leg too high. And the best part was that it showed off her necklace. Trip would like that. She noticed the pair of red high heels in her closet too. Hoshi must have given her those also. She slipped them on, finding them oddly comfortable and easy to wear. She went to her bathroom and opened her medicine closet. She remembered the perfume she had gotten from one of the crewwomen. She took off the lid and smelt it for the first time. Vanilla, raspberries, and blueberries. It smelt good even to T'Pol. She took a little dab, not wanting to use too much, and placed it on her neck like she thought the humans wore it. And just for good measure, she put a little extra in her hair.

When she opened her door again she heard Trip gasp slightly. "T'Pol.you look." He searched for the right word. Beautiful didn't cover it, gorgeous wasn't enough. "Ravishing." He decided.

"Thank you." T'Pol said.

He gave her another full look. He smiled when he noticed the golden four- leaf clover at the end of a golden chain around her neck. He offered her his arm, and off they went to their date.

4/?

It was fifteen minutes to midnight when Trip walked T'Pol back to her quarters. He knew the tradition, but she probably didn't. And besides, it was their first date. It was a great date though. They talked about their family, friends, and what they thought of life on Enterprise. He learned that she was growing more comfortable on the ship and was beginning to like it. At first she did not wish to be on the ship, but as the crew began to accept her, she began to accept them. Trip told her of how he met Archer. Why he went into Starfleet. And he told her that he loved being on Enterprise. That he could not wish for a better ship to be his home.

Trip even got T'Pol to smile slightly at a joke. He decided to act as if she smiled everyday, because he knew that if he made a fuss about it she wouldn't smile again, and Trip wanted to see her smile again. It brought a certain glow to her face. A glow of happiness, of contentment, of emotions. He was determined to make her laugh, if it was the last thing he ever did.

"Would you like some tea?" T'Pol asked when they got to her door.

"Sure." He smiled. Perhaps he'd get that New Year's kiss after all. He shook his head at himself when she turned to enter the room. He was kidding himself. But, the night wasn't over yet.

She poured the tea, then handed him a glass and offered him a seat at the table. "Tell me about the New Year's traditions. I have only heard a few things."

"Well, first we start by making a New Year's resolution. Something we want to stop doing, or even start doing. Some people make the resolution to stop their bad habits, while others make theirs to see their family more."

"Did you make one Commander?" She asked. She looked intrigued, if that was possible.

"Yes, but I prefer not to say what it is." He was going to get her to laugh by the next year's end, even if it killed him. She nodded. He continued, "Then we count down the seconds until the end of the year. When it gets to ten seconds to go, we all shout out loud the number of seconds left. When we hit zero we holler and shout out." He hesitated. Should he mention the kissing of a friend or loved one? He quickly decided. "Then we grab a friend or loved one, and give them a kiss. Then we break out in song."

She blinked. "You kiss a friend or loved one?"

"Yes. Kinda for good luck I guess. I don't really know the reason behind it." He pulled on his collar. It felt like the room had just gotten ten degrees hotter.

T'Pol looked at the clock. "Seven minutes until the New Year."

"It's about this time that we're picking up our noise makers and making sure we're close to the one we want to kiss." He explained.

"I do not have any noise makers."

"Do you have spoons?"

"Yes." She stood up to get some. "How many?" He told her four. She handed them to him.

He gave her back two, then showed her how to hold the spoons so the bottoms were against each other. Then he demonstrated how to make the spoons cling together. "I used to love doing this when I was a kid."

She practiced playing the spoons, then looked back at the clock. "Four minutes." She looked up at him and their eyes met. "Are you close to a friend or loved one Charles?"

He couldn't help but smile. She'd thrown him off guard. It was time to put on the charm. "Are you next to me?"

He saw her lips twitch in a small smile. "Is that a pick-up line? I have heard about those."

"They are used by people without natural charm." He smiled again.

"Which would explain why you used one."

"Oh, T'Pol gets a low blow!" He laughed. She was smiling openly now.

She was not used to smiling. She had never done it before this evening. But, she liked it. It felt good. And, she did not see anything wrong with it. It was just showing happiness, and how wrong could it be to show happiness? As long as she remained stoic while with the crewmembers. But with Charles, she felt free to express herself. She looked at the clock. "Twelve seconds."

Trip smiled. This was unexpected. Counting down the New Year with T'Pol. He'd never have thought. "Ten."

"Nine." Her breath was starting to become shorter in anticipation.

"Eight." He could feel his palms beginning to sweat.

"Seven." She stole a glance at Trip. He looked nervous.

"Six." T'Pol had never looked more beautiful to him.

"Five." She had to take a deep breath to slow her heart.

"Four." Could these seconds take any longer? Trip thought.

"Three." She'd thought of her New Year's resolution.

"Two." He wiped his hands on his pants.

"One." Her resolution was to kiss Commander Charles 'Trip' Tucker III. She looked at him and he looked at her. She did not how to proceed. But, apparently Charles did, because he leaned towards her, never loosing eye contact.

She he became inches from her face he closed his eyes and leaned in closer. Just as he was about to kiss her her door chime went off. He cursed and she quickly stood up to answer it. "Ensign?" T'Pol said at the door.

"I was just wondering how it went?" Hoshi said from the doorway.

"How what went?"

"The date!" Hoshi exclaimed excitedly.

T'Pol looked back at Trip. Hoshi peeked into the room and saw Trip sipping his tea. "Happy New Year Hoshi." Trip said, trying to hide his irritation.

Hoshi blushed to her roots. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt." She said as she backed up, then hurried down the hallway, holding in her giggle.

Trip stood up when T'Pol closed the door. "Well, I suppose I should be going."

T'Pol nodded. "Thank you Charles."

No one had called him Charles since his he was in elementary school. He used to hate the name, but hearing her say it, it was, pleasant. Like it belonged to her. "Maybe we could go out again next Friday. I hear they have another movie in. Something called Coyote Ugly. I've never heard of it, but, it's something to do anyway."

"Sounds interesting."

"Then it's a date." He smiled. She nodded, then walked him to the door. He pressed the button and the door opened. But, as he put one foot out the door he changed his mind and whirled around. He pulled T'Pol to him and quickly kissed her before either of them had time to think about it.

All of her senses felt him. She could hear his quick breathing, feel his heart beat so close to hers. She could smell his cologne, see his image in her mind. When he let her go he was smiling sheepishly. "Good night T'Pol."

She swallowed before she could reply. "Good night Charles." He left her room, and the door closed behind him. As T'Pol changed to get ready for bed she discovered that her fifth sense had been alerted. This was better then all of the other wonderful sensations. She discovered that she could still taste him on her lips. When she laid in bed she began to play with her necklace. She sighed deeply as she ran through the night's events in her head. Then she lightly laughed as she realized she must have been doing what other women did after their first date. Was it normal to feel so at peace? So calm? Well, it did not matter if it was normal, because she did feel at peace and calm. Maybe it was just Charles, but she decided that she defiantly was beginning to like Enterprise more.