The sun was shining through the window and falling in strips of light on the floor. You could see the dust motes flickering through it. The room was painted white and was very business like. On the back wall there was a filing cabinet and a hook to hang a picture. In the middle of the room sat a large oak desk with a computer terminal mounted into it. Behind the desk was a comfortable looking chair and in front of the desk was a less comfortable chair.
The door slowly crept open and a male head appeared around the door. The man stopped a minute to enjoy the look of the brand new office, his brand new office. He moved into the room and set down the box he had been carrying on the desk. He began to take items out of it. A framed schematic of a star ship, some stationary, a small model of the ship and a picture of the crew that he placed on his desk.
He looked around the room and smiled. It was a nice office. Of course, it would never be his office on the ship. It was far too big. He smiled to himself then sat down in his chair.
A few seconds later there was a hesitant knock at the door. "Come in," he shouted and the door swung open. Sub-commander T'Pol stepped into the room.
"Good morning Admiral," she said, stepping up to the desk.
"I've told you not to call me that," he replied smiling. "If I get called that one more time, I swear I'm going to scream."
"Of course Jonathan," she smiled at him. He gestured for her to take the seat at the other side of the desk and she did, perching on it uncomfortably.
"How are you finding it, living at the Vulcan compound again?" He lent back in his chair in a very casual way and kicked his feet up on the desk.
"It is different," she commented, looking at his feet disapprovingly. "Certainly more quiet then I am acustomes to."
He smiled at her and swung his feet down, leaning forward.
"Done any sight seeing yet?" he asked. She looked at him for a long moment.
"Sight seeing has not been added to my activity list since the last time I was on Earth," she told her, shifting under his gaze.
"Then it's about time someone put it there, come on." He began to move to the door but T'Pol stayed in her seat, looking at him.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"Well I thought we might start with the Grand Canyon." She stared at him blankly. He sighed and went and leaned against the desk.
"You can't live you entire life locked away in the Vulcan compound," he told her. "You've got to get out and see the world. Everyone ought to go see the Grand Canyon at least once in there life."
"Jonathan, I do not think that sight seeing would be a good idea."
"Why not," he leapt in. She paused for a moment.
"Savik says..."
"You shouldn't listen to him so much," Archer leapt in. T'Pol looked up at him disapprovingly. "Just because he doesn't do something doesn't mean you don't have to," he explained.
"He is Vulcan," she said, as if speaking some great truth.
"So what?" he asked. T'Pol seemed taken back by this question.
"You have some time on your hands, you're between assignments. I don't start my admiral duties for a few weeks yet and even when I do I'll be more of a figurehead. To young to retire, to old to captain a ship," he smiled. T'Pol watched him carefully. "So I thought we might spend some time together."
"I thought that after spending so long together on Enterprise you might not want me around."
He looked down at her, genuinely worried. He might not have wanted her around at first, but she had grown on him. She had grown on him to a point where he didn't know what he would to without her and really had no inclination to find out.
"T'Pol. I don't think I'll ever stop wanting you around. You're strong and intelligent and if I was to see you every day for the rest of my life I would be a very happy man."
She looked up at him, he thought he could see a hint of happiness in her eyes but he wrote it down to a trick of the light. She moved up close to him. So close there bodies were almost pressed together. She lent over so her lips were almost on his. He genuinely thought she had got his message, he loved her. He had wanted to say it for so long and now...
"How long will it take us to get to the Grand Canyon?"
He smiled. Maybe not today. Some day he would tell her how he felt, after all there was no rush. She knew, she must. He didn't mind her playing with him a bit. He would spend time with her first, then if she said no he would have those memories, but if she said yes, if she told him she loved him...
Well that is another story completely.
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