Work Text:
Poetic License
An Enterprise Story
By Alison M. DOBELL
Captain Jonathan Archer couldn't help himself, it was so damn funny. The balcony was the perfect place to hang on to and just let the tears roll down his face. His companion seemed more perplexed than amused though given all they had been through together it was not surprising.
"Captain, why are you laughing?"
He wiped a tear from his eyes and chuckled as he looked at Daniels. The man might be a temporal agent, have all the subtlety of a brick, but he supposed he owed him some kind of explanation. Once he got his breath back. Daniels was frowning at him.
"I hardly think the creation of Starfleet is that funny."
A pause, just shy of developing hiccoughs the Captain managed to get enough control of himself to form words. "No, it's not that." A longer pause, deep breaths, more concentration. Slowly he settled down into something approaching normal. "It wasn't the ceremony Daniels, nor the fantastic little glimpses into the future as entertaining and sometimes frightening as those could be."
Now Daniels was completely baffled. They were alone on the balcony of a futuristic Starfleet and all the past events that had brought them to this timeline seemed to curdle in the Captain's mind next to the seeming impossibility of it all. But it was the unintended humour that got him this time.
"I am *so* glad you took me to the Hall of Records, Daniels."
"Why?"
"Well," The Captain sobered as he replayed the last time he had seen it. The ruins. The desolation in his heart at all the devastation, the rubble fragmenting the hope that sagged in his heart at the possibility that they could fail. "Seeing it in one piece, the way it is supposed to be, being able to wander down those aisles and satisfy my curiosity as well as my intellect was..." He broke off, searching for the right word. Not being able to find it he chose the next best thing. "I so wanted to take it back with me."
Daniels was already shaking his head. "You know you can't do that, Captain. I've already bent more rules than most mortals know existed just to get us this far."
"And I appreciate it even if half the time I feel so mad at you..." His voice trailed off as a memory of a dying Daniels took the flash of anger away. It was kind of cathartic and it was not as if he had not done plenty of things he was ashamed of himself. The end did not always justify the means but sometimes it was the only way to achieve the correct outcome. The only result that would allow the future of Humanity to survive. "It was that holo novel."
"I don't remember a holo novel."
"The one with that future generation looking back and picking over our history?"
A light came on in Daniels' eyes but he still couldn't see what was so funny about it. Personally he thought whoever had authored such tripe should be shot. Not that he would ever say so, at least to Jonathan Archer. That would be tantamount to admitting he had actually sat down and watched it. All the way through. He sighed. It was like his grandmother said, sometimes things would happen that were SO awful you just had to watch it to the bitter end because you simply couldn't believe what you were seeing. The same with that damn holo novel. "Who was the author?"
"Some holographic doctor. I believe they called him an EMH."
"Emergency Medical Hologram." Daniels murmured, giving away the lie that he didn't know exactly what the Captain was talking about. "He was part of the crew of the starship Voyager."
Jon nodded and leaned forward, arms resting on the railing. Daniels could not remember the last time he had seen the Captain this relaxed. Certainly not when they were looking for the Xindi weapon. He would have to guard against becoming wistful. Liking this Captain and crew had not been his intention but it had happened all the same. Jon shot Daniels a calculating look. "I have a feeling this is the last time you and I will be meeting."
"Yes." Daniels straightened slightly but the Captain had been around him enough to know that he would not be the only one with regrets on that score. "We did what we set out to do. The Temporal War is over, the timeline has been largely restored and..."
"...you owe me one last favour."
A sense of shock stunned Daniels for a moment. Favour? "I don't owe you anything. *I* saved you. I saved you all!"
"You put us in mortal danger, not once, not twice but over and over again. Playing in God's sandbox was not the smartest idea you guys came up with but I'm willing to overlook the mistakes if..."
Now Daniels was wary. "If what?"
"It's only a small favour. Miniscule actually and it won't put you off your schedule."
"What favour?" Daniels snapped, knowing he was going to hate himself for practically begging but he really was on a tight schedule.
"I want you to bring Trip and T'Pol here so they can see this."
Daniels' mouth dropped open in utter shock and disbelief. "You're mad! I can't do that. Why would I do that?"
"In fact, while you're at it, bring the whole crew! We could have an improvised movie night, I'll bring popcorn and..."
"No, no, no, NO! Even if I could do it I wouldn't do it."
A little smile played over Captain Archer's lips and he got that sly twinkle in his eye that made Daniels take a step back. "Oh no you don't."
"If you don't then I am going to tell everyone what you've been doing. The whole enchilada. Your dirty little secret won't be secret any longer."
Horror stole over Daniels' face. He was well aware that the Archer he knew now would dare literally anything if he set his mind to it. Those useful little things called conscience, duty and self control had become more and more elastic as the starship Captain had been forced to bend or re-write the rule book over and over again. Some of it was Daniels fault. "If I did that..."
"I wouldn't tell and it would only be for an hour or two. Long enough to see the movie in style then in a blink of the eye you send us all back." Jon smiled. "What harm could it do?"
* * * * *
Commander Trip Tucker was feeling a little confused in a vague unfocused way. His friend, Malcolm Reed, called him on it. "Trip? Are you sure you're feeling all right?"
"Yeah, it's just this feels kind of... strange."
His distraction amused the Armoury Officer. "I thought you all but invented Movie Night?"
"Yeah but..."
"And T'Pol agreed to come so what could be the problem?"
Trip stared. He couldn't put his finger on it but something felt 'different'.
"Close your mouth before you catch flies in it, Commander."
"Hardy har-har, very funny. Speaking of T'Pol I thought she'd be here by now?"
They had finished walking along the corridor to the improvised theatre. The hall was beginning to fill now. "Don't worry, she'll be here. Hoshi said she'd help with the baby so don't fuss."
"I still think Lizzie's too small to sit all the way through a movie."
Malcolm Reed smirked. The Captain had given him a bit of a heads-up so he knew a little of what was coming and couldn't wait. The real reason he had persuaded T'Pol to bring Lizzie was not so the child could watch the movie but so Hoshi wouldn't be roped into baby sitting. It had been nearly six years since Trip and T'Pol had formalised their relationship on Vulcan and he had yet to pluck up the courage to ask Hoshi to be his bride. He was supposed to be the most dangerous man on the ship, a man who feared nothing. Yes. Right. Nothing but that little shiny ring on his finger. And yet there was nothing else in the whole universe he wanted more. He wanted Hoshi not just as his girlfriend or treasured friend. He wanted what Trip and T'Pol had. Marriage, children, the whole 'happily ever after' bit. Perhaps tonight would be the night to pop the question? He hoped so, and as he held on to that hope with all his might he could not help but notice how his hands were moist with sweat. Oh yes, definitely the most dangerous man on the ship!
* * * * *
Stunned. There was no other word for it. Even the sight of Captain Archer guffawing and crying with laughter could not shift the sense of sheer disbelief lodged in his mind. "What the hell was that rubbish? I can't believe you dragged us all to see this pile of..."
"Commander!" Barked the Captain just firmly enough to remind Trip that tender little pointed ears were listening.
T'Pol did not seem disgusted or offended. Her _expression was calm and showed no sign of the emotions running riot through her human partner. "It is a work of fiction, Ashayam."
"Yeah, but," Trip spluttered. "They make me sound retarded." He wailed.
Malcolm could not stop chuckling. "That's because you *are* retarded, Commander."
"Now, now," Laughed Archer. "Play nice kids or I won't let you come to another one."
"Huh, if it's as bad as that don't bother." Grumbled Trip, only slightly mollified when T'Pol placed their child in his arms. For a moment he forgot to be annoyed and just gazed in awe at his beautiful little miracle. The crowning achievement of Dr Phlox's career. Lizzie burbled and blew saliva bubbles at him. Trip laughed and dropped a kiss on her forehead, all fatherly pride. He caught a smile in T'Pol's eyes then remembered what they were discussing. "And what's with makin' Chef big, fat and smug? He doesn't even have a beard; an' another thing, there's no way I'd'a said all that to him..."
"Not even for a piece of pecan pie?" Teased Malcolm.
"Well," Drawled Trip as he put his free arm around T'Pol, smiling at the way Malcolm was trying unobtrusively to do the same with Hoshi. "Maybe for a WHOLE pie..."
The Captain chuckled, felt his heart swell with happiness and pleasure just as everything rippled. Gone. Past. Present. Future. His step faltered only momentarily. The present, HIS present, solidified all around him. The sounds of his ship alive with voices he had come to know and love, the hum of the deck plates, the metallic scent of her filling his nostrils like an echo of home. His feet unerringly led him to the bridge. The Temporal War was over. The Xindi threat had been beaten. The Andorians were now their allies and one other thing had happened that he thought he would never live to see. Malcolm had finally plucked up courage to ask Hoshi to marry him. Captain Archer could not wipe the smug happy smile off his face. It was good to be Captain but he still wished Daniels had let him keep that damn holo novel.
end