Much Ado, Commander

By THECURSOR

I own nothing in this story please don’t sue

Note: This is an answer to the Shakespeare challenge on the ‘Gel-in’ site

“YOU WANNA HEAR WHAT YOU’RE PROBLEM IS?” Tucker was seething, turning red from anger. T’Pol leaned back in her chair listening to his tirade, ”I’m sure what ever problem you can imagine is not nearly as bad as your own inferior genetic structure.” She said in her usual monotone voice. Her continued inability to become angry with Tucker made him even madder. It was like she was being hostile WITHOUT actually being hostile. “WHY YOU LOUSY…”

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Archer sat down in the mess hall, hoping against hope that he would finally be able to find some peace. A little shelter from the storm that was Tucker and T’Pol’s increasingly heated exchanges.

“Obviously, you’re in the same boat as me sir.”

He was a little surprised to see Hoshi settling down beside him. Well actually that wasn’t true. Hoshi had recently pulled bridge duty with both Tucker and T’Pol at the same time. She probably wanted to enjoy a few last minutes of blissful silence. “Well, Ensign if you’re here trying to escape those two, Then yes, you’re right.” Hoshi just sighed, “You’re the Captain, can’t you do something?”

Captain Archer shook his head “Every time I try to say something I spark another argument.” Hoshi nodded at her Captain, feeling his pain. “What kills me, is that She so obviously wants him..” Archer nearly spit out his orange juice. “WHAT!?”

Hoshi smiled “Anyone can see it.”

“T’Pol? She hates him!”

Hoshi just shook her head “No she doesn’t, sir.” She said, “It’s just like that play where those two people fight all the time in order to hide their..."

A wicked grin spread across Hoshi’s face as a sinister plan began to develop. “Sir? Have you ever read any Shakespeare?”

TBC

“Sir, this is stupid…” Reed found himself cut off mid-sentence by Archer “Look Reed, until you get a better plan this is the one we’re goin with. Okay?” Reed released a long sigh “But I’ve never even read Shakespeare.” He muttered. Archer waved him silent. “Quiet! Here he comes!”

Archer paused,

“Wait a minute, If your English how come you’ve never read Shakespeare?” Reed just rolled his eyes “Oh and I suppose that just because you’re American you spent your days playing baseball and eating apple pie.”

Archer shrugged “Well, yeah.”

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Tucker had just planned on sneaking into the Mess Hall to grab a quick bite, but his curiosity got the best of him. It would have been hard not to notice them. Reed and Archer, that is.

The two of them just sitting there at the back of the room hunched over and whispering. Then, when he came in the room, they moved even closer. It was almost as if they didn’t want him to hear in what they were saying. Trip saw red.

How dare they!

People were always talking about him behind his back. Especially when that Goddamn bitch, T’Pol, was in the room, talking about how inferior he was.

Yeah, well, if what they were saying was interesting enough to be said then it was also interesting enough to be heard.

He subtly pulled his chair a little closer until Archer’s voice became clear enough to be heard.

“…poor T’Pol!” Tucker’s ears perked up. Oh, so there was trouble in the bitch queen’s emotionless paradise.

Tucker heard Reed take a deep breath and start talking. “I know sir. I feel really sorry for the girl. It’s not like she asked to fall in love.”

Tucker nearly choked on his food. T’Pol was in love with somebody? How was that even possible?

“And with Commander Tucker no less!”

Hearing that had the same effect as a bomb blast on Trip. T’Pol was in love with HIM? But she hated him! Those two had to be mistaken.

“So what did you say to her when she asked you about it?” Archer leaned into Reed, pressing him for details. Reed looked stoically at his Captain “The only kind thing I could.” He said,” I told her to forget all about any chance of a relationship with him.” Archer just nodded “I agree. There is no way that guy would be able feel anything for her.”

How could Jon say that about him? He was supposed to be his friend. He was supposed to understand him better then anyone. Tucker felt terrible about what he’d said to T’Pol. He’d been so mean to her and all this time she was in love with him. It wasn’t fair. He should go see her, at least to apologize. There was no reason some poor woman should suffer just because he was an ignorant fool.

If he had known about how she felt then he would have been a lot nicer. Hell, he probably would have asked her out.

As a friend.

Well, maybe not. It wasn’t like he hadn’t noticed how attractive she was. How gorgeous she looked.

It really wasn’t fair.

Dr. Phlox and Hoshi had been standing uncomfortably in sickbay for about an hour. “Are you sure she’ll be here?” Hoshi shifted here weight from one foot to another impatiently. The Doctor nodded his head excitedly “She should be, Her nasal numbing agent will be wearing off very soon.” The Ensign smiled at his enthusiasm. “You’re really getting into this aren’t you?”

“Absolutely! I’ve never had a chance to study Human Literature until now!” He was almost jumping up and down, “I am indeed intrigued about this human concept of ‘Drama’ and ‘Acting’.”

Hoshi laughed and turned towards the door.

“Oh, Ensign?”

“Yes?”

“What is my ‘motivation’?”

Hoshi Santo just rubbed her forehead and muttered “Actors.”

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T’Pol had been trying for hours to meditate with no success. Something had been intruding on her concentration and by the time she realized it was because her nasal numbing agent had worn off, she had lost valuable meditation time. She was almost to Sickbay when T’Pol heard voices. Apparently, the Doctor and Ensign Hoshi were having a conversation,

About her.

T’Pol had originally thought about merely interrupting them but then a particular sentence caught her attention. “ You were right not to tell T’Pol,” She was sure that voice was the Doctor’s. The thought that the only other none human on the ship was helping to hide something from her brought out a slight feeling of betrayal inside of her but she quickly ignored it. Inside the room, Hoshi seemed to take a long sigh “I know, but Trip was practically crying in my arms.”

Commander Tucker had been weeping? Why would they seek to keep that from her?

The Doctor spoke again, a little more urgently. “Yes, but if Sub-Commander T’Pol was to ever learn that Commander Tucker was in love with her it would seriously affect their working relationship.”

If T’Pol had been capable of emotional expression, she would have screamed in shock and fear, but she didn’t. She kept her control firmly in place. But the news still left her breathless. Commander Tucker held affections for HER?! That was impossible. Illogical. Highly unlikely. Her very presence brought out the worst of hostilities in him. Or…maybe He was merely using that as an excuse to avoid her. Perhaps that his emotional pain was so great that he wished to hide it from her by using harsh words. Something inside of her twisted in pain.

She

Was

Hurting

Him.

Meanwhile, the conversation continued onward. “What did you tell Mr. Tucker?” Dr. Phlox asked expectantly. “I told him…” Hoshi paused, “…to forget about any chance of getting through to that unfeeling bitch.” T’Pol felt genuinely offended by that comment. Vulcans felt emotions. They simply suppressed them. That was their way, their tradition. It did not mean that they were incapable of caring about someone. In fact, she had indeed begun to care about the Commander.

She had often found herself remembering that time in the Decon Chamber when Tucker had touched her ears. Touching one’s ears in Vulcan society is a sign of affection and ownership. When he had touched her there it made certain parts of her anatomy reach out and …

Meditation! This issue would require much reflection and consideration.

T’Pol walked quickly, not ran because that would betray emotion, back to her quarters. Then, for the rest of the night she tried desperately to purge herself of these new emotional feelings.

T’Pol could not take the pressure of guilt after realizing what she had done to Trip, all the pain she had caused him through her harsh words. If he was a Vulcan who had been trained at birth to ignore his own emotions then she would have been reassured but he wasn’t. He was human. They were unfamiliar at hiding their feelings, in fact it was very unhealthy for them. By keeping his love for her a secret he had been risking great psychological damage.

T’Pol had been halfway through her meditation cycle when the door chime rang.

It was Trip.

They just stood there looking at one another. Each one was trying desperately to analyze the other. Tucker smiled when he saw the softness in her eyes, like she was ready to tell him something.

Yup, she was definitely in love him. T’Pol on the other hand saw how he was smiling at her. He had come here to tell her how he felt, to express his love. The part of her she allowed to feel emotions was very flattered by his impending profession of affection.

Trip cleared his throat, this wasn’t going to be easy. “Can I talk to you?” he said, unable to look at her. T’Pol waited before answering, not wanting to betray anything. It would be better for him to make the first move. “Yes, Commander, we must speak.” And then he entered her quarters and all bets were off.

T’Pol had thought that allowing him to express how he felt first would allow her time to think of a dignified response, but suddenly nothing was clear anymore. She had to say something! Anything to let him know that he was not completely alone in his feelings, that she was not cold or unreachable.

Tucker had thought that by letting her speak first he’d be able to reassure her while keep his own control intact, but when he looked into her eyes, he saw something that had never been directed at him before.

Love.

God, he had to tell her before it was to late that he wasn’t completely unreasonable, that he could see past their differences.

They took deep breaths, opened their mouths, and said exactly the same thing at exactly the same time.

“I love you!”

With their mutual declarations of love still ringing their ears, they pulled into a long, beautiful kiss.

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Epilogue

Two years later, Commander Tucker and his recently pregnant wife, T’Pol, were having a very loud and public row.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN I’M DISAGREEABLE?!” T’Pol looked sternly at her husband. It was more then a little obvious that she had spent far too much time around humans because she was on the verge of actually screaming at him, “I merely stated that you occasionally jump to conclusions!” Trip steamed “THAT’S TOTALLY UNFAIR!”

“Well, if the shoe fits, DEAR HUSBAND!”

Off to the corner of the Mess Hall, Ensign Hoshi Santo and Captain Jon Archer sat desperately trying to ignore the firestorm of marital bliss. After a few particularly loud bursts from T’Pol, Archer took another sip of his orange juice. “Great plan, Hoshi.” He muttered sarcastically, “ We made it worse.”

Hoshi sighed “Shut up, sir.”



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BENEDICK: Soft and fair, friar. Which is Beatrice?

BEATRICE: [Unmasking] I answer to that name. What is your will?

BENEDICK: Do not you love me?

BEATRICE: Why, no; no more than reason.

BENEDICK: Why, then your uncle and the prince and Claudio Have been deceived; they swore you did. BEATRICE: Do not you love me?

BENEDICK: Troth, no; no more than reason.

BEATRICE: Why, then my cousin Margaret and Ursula Are much deceived; for they did swear you did. BENEDICK: They swore that you were almost sick for me.

BEATRICE: They swore that you were well-nigh dead for me.

BENEDICK: 'Tis no such matter. Then you do not love me?

BEATRICE: No, truly, but in friendly recompense.

LEONATO: Come, cousin, I am sure you love the gentleman.

CLAUDIO: And I'll be sworn upon't that he loves her; For here's a paper written in his hand, A halting sonnet of his own pure brain, Fashion'd to Beatrice.

HERO: And here's another Writ in my cousin's hand, stolen from her pocket, Containing her affection unto Benedick.

BENEDICK: A miracle! here's our own hands against our hearts. Come, I will have thee; but, by this light, I take thee for pity.

BEATRICE: I would not deny you; but, by this good day, I yield upon great persuasion; and partly to save your life, for I was told you were in a consumption.

BENEDICK: Peace! I will stop your mouth. [Kissing her]

Much Ado About Nothing By William Shakespeare

Act V, Scene IV

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THE END