Star Trek Enterprise Bk. 02 - Inherit Ch. 07

After a night of intoxication and unbridled intimacy that ranged from gentle passionate love making to an intense hot thrashing, both Danaë and Archer were completely spent and sound asleep. Their exhausted, naked bodies were barely covered by their rumpled bedding and their clothes were scattered on the floor where they had fallen. The hut smelled of stale sex and both of them would have been content to keep sleeping, but all good things must end.

A loud knock on the door roused the captain from his sleep. At first he wasn't sure where he was or what was making that noise. It took another three or four bangs on the door before he fully woke up and realized what was happening. Quickly he threw on his pants and answered the door to find Xipilli standing there with the other elders. His large dark eyes looked at Archer and his state of undress then at the hut and Danaë, sitting up in bed and covering herself with a blanket. A broad knowing smile spread across his face, but he said nothing and instead gestured to an elder standing to his left.

"Your clothing has been repaired and cleaned," he said, then the elder handed the neatly folded uniforms to Archer. "We will be leaving in one hour to take you to the facility." With that the group of Gintare turned and left.

Closing the door, Captain Archer stood there a moment unsure of what to say to Lt. D'Arcy. All he could see were red flags flashing before his eyes and the sound of Starfleet regulations loudly echoing in his brain with every beat of his headache. He had no doubt Danaë was experiencing the same thing.

"Um, Xipilli says that they will be taking us to the magnetic field controls in one hour."

"Yes," she answered, pulling the blanket up almost to her neck.

"H-here is your uniform," he said, turning around and setting her clothes on the bed before silently going into the bathroom to change into his own uniform.

It wasn't that they were feeling regret or shame over what they had done, but puzzlement and uncertainty. Given the situation of rank and protocol, neither knew what to say or how to proceed. Starfleet barred them from any sort of relationship so what could they do? They also knew that neither of them were given to such impetuous behavior so why did they succumb last night?

Captain Archer came back into the room fully dressed in his uniform to find Lieutenant D'Arcy also dressed and beginning to pull on her boots. He sat down in the chair across from her and began to slip on his own boots. He paused momentarily to look up at her while pondering how to address the elephant in the room.

"About what happened last night," he began.

"Captain," Danaë's shoulders dropped and she face-palmed. "I have never behaved like that before..."

"No, no, I went too far and I know I shouldn't have." Archer interjected, accepting that he was just as much to blame as she was.

"I don't understand what could have made us lose all good sense like that," she sighed, grabbing her laces and quickly tying her boots. "Not just once either, but twice."

"Three times," Archer softly corrected, his face showing a twinge of sheepishness.

"Oh... right," she agreed, realizing she had forgotten about the time she got up for a drink of water and... well... they ended up against the wall. Trying to hide her own self-consciousness Danaë stood up and went over to a mirror and began to brush her hair and fasten it back up into a chignon. "We were at the New Years celebration and everything was fine." At the mention of the Gintare celebration, the proverbial lightbulb seemed to go off over the captain's head.

"That drink." Archer exclaimed. "That small sip of... whatever it was."

"Do you think it was some kind of hallucinogen or something?"

"It's possible."

"It would certainly explain why we did... what we did."

This seemed a satisfactory explanation and certainly a far better one than that their own foolishness could have led them astray. In fact, the more they talked about it the more they were convinced that the smallest sip of that Gintare nectar was full of mind altering chemistry and capable of bringing out the very devil in the most innocent person. They were intently discussing the possibilities of this when they were interrupted by a knock at the door. Xipilli and the elders had returned and now it was time to go.

They followed their hosts through a new maze of tunnels until they once more reached the surface and the control station for the magnetic shield. Lt. D'Arcy immediately went to work and soon managed to input the correct information to drop the barrier. Archer grabbed his communicator and tried to contact the Enterprise. At first there was no response, and both captain and lieutenant could only look at each other nervously. What if they had assumed they were dead and in an effort to continue the mission, they had traveled too far away? Worse, what if after they were taken prisoner the ship was attacked by the Xindi and destroyed? The 'what if's' were eating away at them but neither Archer nor Lt. D'Arcy could allow them to get too strong a hold. Not right now anyway.

Ten minutes went by, fifteen and then twenty. How long could they spend trying to contact the Enterprise? For the captain the answer was simple, they could never stop so long as there was a small chance of rescue. The two humans exchanged desperate looks then the sound of T'Pol's voice suddenly broke through the silence. Hoshi had just barely been able to make out the captain's voice, but once she did she wasted no time bringing it to the sub-commander's attention.

When the Enterprise arrived at the planet, Travis Mayweather flew a shuttle pod down to the surface to pick them up. No vessel ever looked as good as that craft looked as it appeared in the sky and landed before them. Seeing that their departure was imminent, Archer turned and thanked Xipilli and his people for all of their help and hospitality as did Lt. D'Arcy. The Gintare Elder graciously handed them a small wooden box as a parting gift with the instructions that the captain and his chosen woman should partake when the time of the New Year came around again. Opening the box they saw that it contained a small bottle with exactly two servings of the strange nectar they had drunk the night before. The two humans eyed each other uncomfortably for a moment before once more thanking Xipilli for the gift.

During the flight back to the Enterprise neither Archer nor Danaë exchanged a word or even looked at each other. This behavior continued once they were back on board the ship. It was as if they believed that distance and silence could somehow erase whatever sin they feared they had committed. To further distance themselves from each other and their bad behavior, both fell right back into their work and made every effort not to cross paths.

In the silence of their private quarters Jonathan Archer and Danaë D'Arcy would tell themselves that it had been that cup of whatever that drink was that had caused the problem. The liquid had hypnotized them or made them hallucinate and forget who they were and all propriety. In fact, the captain was so convinced that the Gintare nectar had been to blame for their behavior that he took the small bottle from its box and had Dr. Phlox analyze the beverage.

Danaë didn't want to think about it and instead retired to her quarters. She had chosen to relax on her bed in only her boxer shorts, a tank top and a short cotton robe as she often did while trying her best to unwind. Sleep didn't come easily to her anymore than it did her father so she was attempting to settle down by practicing her fathers flute. She was actually getting pretty good at playing Frere Jacque and leaning back against the wall, she closed her eyes and trusted her fingers to hit the right notes. Danaë's abilities were a far cry from the masterful talent her father had possessed, but she was passable. She was midway through the second verse when her door chimes sounded breaking her out of her serenity.

"Come!" she called out. She figured it was either T'Pol checking to see where she had left off on her sphere research or (more likely) a crewman double checking the information she had given them at the end of her shift during turnover. What she was not expecting was the awkward and uncharacteristically timid face of Captain Archer. "C-captain... I... um... Do you need me to fill in for a crewman or is something needing repair?" As she put away her flute she was hoping against hope that this visit would be something as simple or blase as that.

"No, I needed to speak with you for a moment. No one was in the corridor so, uh, no one knows I'm here." This was a relief to both of them and Danaë nodded, glad to hear it. The last thing they needed was a lot of whispering gossip that was completely false... Well, mostly false. "About what happened on Dyfed..."

"Obviously we were given a drink by the Gintare people that had some strong, unforeseen side-effects. We can hardly be held accountable for actions caused from hypnotics or hallucinogens." She gave a light but obviously forced laugh in an attempt to ease the awkwardness of the moment. Archer didn't so much as smile. Instead, he heaved a sigh and furrowing his brow, he momentarily looked down at his feet.

"I had Dr. Phlox break down a sample of that drink in hopes of isolating what had affected us." He paused for a moment, choosing his next words very carefully. Unfortunately there was no easy way to address the truth. "There was nothing mind altering in that liquid. It is the same as any human intoxicant except that it takes considerably less to have any effect. The only thing it had the power to do was strip away our inhibitions."

"Oh," the lieutenant answered softly as she wrapped her arms around herself. If things were uncomfortable between them before, they were doubly so now. Both had been aware that they were attracted to each other, but they had been able to contain it, ignore it and function as nothing more than two officers working together. What were they now? Was it even possible for them to continue as they had been? Did they want to? "So that was just us... us without a filter," she responded dryly then gave a slight half-hearted laugh. There really was nothing funny about the situation, but it was the best response she could muster.

"Lieutenant... Dani," Archer corrected. Under the circumstances it seemed ridiculous to be so formal considering the subject matter at hand. "There just can't be... anything between us." he stopped there. He wanted to say the words 'no matter how much we may want it', but couldn't. It wasn't allowed so there was no reason to entertain the thought or assume that she felt the same way he did. Lt. D'Arcy already knew the reasons why and to his surprise, and perhaps even slight relief, she cited the very statute.

"Regulation 1138: Starfleet members may not engage in business or romantic relationships with superiors in their direct chain of command, inasmuch as this may be harmful to discipline and/or the functioning of the organization. Clause Beta prohibits officer/enlisted relationships, Clause Gamma covers relationships between one officer and another subordinate officer, and Clause Theta prohibits a commanding officer or other unit head from being in a relationship with any other member of their unit." She quoted the rule perfectly. "In another two hundred years or so it will loosen up some, but that really doesn't matter right now."

"Then you understand."

"Of course.'

"Obviously there is no way to return to Earth and have one of us reassigned, so going forward I think the best thing is for us to continue as regular colleagues, just as we were before..."

"But with added caution. We probably shouldn't be alone for any reason..."

"Or allow ourselves to be caught in any situations that could be awkward or misconstrued," he added.

"Exactly," Danaë agreed.

Feeling more confident then he had when he first came to her quarters, Archer extended his hand so they could shake on the agreement, a warm smile filling his normally care-worn face. The lieutenant gladly took it and they promptly sealed the pact between them. It was a done deal, but at the moment when they should have released each other's hand neither did. They stared into each other silently wishing for something that simply could never be. Cognizant that the air between them was quickly becoming charged, the captain instantly dropped her hand then thanked Danaë before hastily exiting the room.

Once the door was closed they both stood silently contemplating the situation. Had they done the right thing? For a few precious seconds each resolved to themselves that they should at least tell the other how they felt and briefly took a step towards that sealed entryway that separated them. The lieutenant started to stretch her hand towards the button to open it at the same time that Archer was reaching out to press the chimes button. Neither pressed anything. It seemed like a futile effort to do so under the circumstances so both of them simply turned around and went back to their normal off hours pursuits determined to never visit the Dyfed incident again.

For months the entire episode had remained safely buried, but not anymore. The yamanu found it intriguing and savored the delicious sensations that the memory triggered in this human body. Suddenly it understood why the one this human knew as Captain Archer, or Jonathan, had invoked such an emotional response. Her host was his chosen mate, or so it reasoned. Somehow this still didn't quite seem to fit the creature's understanding of mating since there were no offspring. For humans it seemed to be about pleasure and emotional connections and not necessarily procreation like the other species it was familiar with. The animals it was used to inhabiting survived on instinct alone and it had never experienced anything as complicated or stimulating as this.

It looked over at the desk and the PADD laying on top of it. At this point all she needed to do was take it with her into the escape pod and as soon as she was safely away, click one simple button and start the virus. It would be so easy and no one would ever know what was happening. It was such a little thing and yet the creature was hesitant. Right now it wanted to know so much more about these creatures. Everything was so much more complex and multifaceted and if it was going to inhabit one of their bodies it should at least learn as much as possible about them, including their mating habits.

Yes, that one memory of Dyfed, held so dear to its host, had been more interesting than any other she had felt. It brought with it so many sensations and emotions that the yamanu wanted to sample it for itself. There was nothing saying that it had to complete its mission right this second and surely there was time for one final human experience. She knew where the captain's quarters were and judging by the memory it had tapped into, this body was his chosen partner, right?

As much as the creature was interested in human pleasure, it was also keenly aware that caution was still in order. There was no way to know who it might run into while it made its escape. As a precaution, it might be advisable to take something as a weapon. She had not packed everything and her eyes quickly scanned the room catching sight of a large knife on display and immediately it reached into Danae's memory to learn what exactly it was.

"D'K Tahg," It said to itself. "The Klingon blade." It took it from the shelf, but was unable to find a logical way of concealing it. Putting it back on the stand, It began to rummage through the other drawers. First it found a multi-tooled folding pocket knife, but it feared it would take too long to open. The creature put it back and as it continued to search, it discovered a small automatic knife. Carefully it clipped it on the inside of its waistband against its lower back. Taking up the back pack, it smiled in anticipation then stepped into the corridor.

A couple of corridors away Captain Archer was seated at his desk going over various reports regarding the ship's systems, crew and anything else that was necessary to keep the Enterprise running. Usually it was a boring read, but now and then he would find himself in awe of just how much ingenuity his crew had. At this point in the mission Trip was spending most of his time doing all he could to keep those engines running and Archer was fairly certain that they were nearly down to wrapping them in duct tape just to keep them from bursting at the seams.

Rubbing his eyes Archer got up and sat down on his bed. He was exhausted and already dressed for bed in his grey sweatpants and Star fleet regulation tank top. Porthos jumped up next to him and he softly scratched his head then apologized for not having any small left overs from the mess hall as a treat. As he reached to turn off the light, the door chime sounded and he heaved a big sigh. With this conflict going on, was there ever a chance to get any real rest? He gave a quick 'come in' then barely managed to stand up before the door opened and he saw who it was.

Standing there in the doorway with her hair loose down her back and dressed, or rather, nearly undressed, in a pair of bright blue Starfleet boxers and tank top was Danaë. She stepped into his quarters and smiled at the captain, her fingers moving slowly down her body and bringing attention to her curves. Her intense gaze was locked on to his as the tip of her tongue gently moved over her lips. Everything about this was damned irregular. The Danaë Picard he knew had been raised a Starfleet brat and at times could quote regulation better than he could. She would be the first to point out the inappropriateness of her coming to his quarters at this hour and in such a state of undress. This, along with all the other strange behavior she had exhibited in the last twenty-four hours, was totally out of character for her and his gut instinct told him that everything about this was wrong.

"Is there something I can do for you lieutenant?" he asked. Trying to keep things professional.

"I couldn't sleep," she answered, her fingers moving up her inner thigh before finally reaching up and twirling a lock of her hair.

"Dr. Phlox will have to help you with that, I can't."

"On the contrary, Jonathan, I think you can help me very much." This set off another red flag. She had never called him by his first name, except once, during their most intense and intimate moments on Dyfed. The Danaë he knew would never risk using it now when there was the potential of being overheard. She reached out her hand and ran her fingertips through the hair on his chest. There was no mystery as to what she was offering and he couldn't deny his temptation. He would be a liar if he didn't admit, at least to himself, that he had revisited their night together many times in his memory. Still, that was quite different from acting on such a desire.

His instincts deep inside were screaming at him that something was terribly off and he should be on his guard. Even so, as she approached him he couldn't deny that the woman before him looked like Danaë. As her lips pressed against his and their tongues danced together there was no doubt that she tasted like Danaë. Her small strong hands moved along the muscles of his arms before clasping the hem of his tank top and pulling it off over his head and tossing it aside. She pressed herself against him, her heart beginning to beat fast as she ran her fingers through his hair. Yes, she felt just like Danaë. Her lips moved down, kissing his chest as he inhaled deeply taking in the scent of the woman he knew so well. Dear God, she even smelled exactly like Danaë so how could this be anyone else?

For a moment the captain's fingers started to slip beneath the hem of Danaë's shirt, when Porthos began barking and growling wildly, breaking them both from the moment. The woman in his arms suddenly turned and glared at the dog and hissed. The look in her eyes was dark, cold and almost frightening. This was not Danaë. She started to turn her attention back to the captain but before she could even attempt to kiss him, he grabbed her by the shoulders and shoved her back against the wall.