Payment in Full - Chapter 15

Payment in Full - Chapter 15 TITLE:                      PAYMENT IN FULL- CHAPTER 15
AUTHOR:                 PIPPIN
RATING:                   NC-17 (to be on the safe side)
PAIRING:                  Archer/Trip

SETTING: Minor spoilers: "Stigma"; "First Flight" and "The Expanse". Set after the events of "Savior".

FEEDBACK: Always! [email protected]

DISCLAIMER: Paramount owns the characters. I’m just borrowing them, and promise to return them safe and sound. The only thing I gain from this is some writing practice.

SUMMARY: Everything has a price.

Chapter 15

“Hey.”

“Hey yourself. Have a good sleep?”

“Yeah.”

Archer went over to Trip’s bedside, leaned over the rail and kissed him hello. Trip smiled lazily in response. He looked at the bedside clock, then back up at Enterprise captain. “Going somewhere?”

Archer leaned against the bedrail and folded his arms. “What makes you think that?”

“Because it’s after supper and you’re still in your uniform. And it’s a clean one, too. And I can still smell the soap you use, so I know you just had a shower. You only shower at night when you’re going somewhere.”

Archer shook his head. “Too smart for your own damn good.”

“Tell me about it.” Trip tried to sit up, but Archer easily pushed him back down.

He protested, but his lover was firm. “I’m not having a repeat of what happened yesterday.”

Trip sighed, and rolled his eyes. “You and Phlox. Always making a big deal out of nothing.”

“Nothing, hell. You scared me to death, brat. And Phlox was none too pleased, either. He actually threatened to have Porthos confined to a kennel.”

Trip looked alarmed. “You’re kidding!” He looked around for the beagle, and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw him lying on his little bed. Archer carefully hid his smile. When Enterprise’s mission first began, he alone was Porthos’ undisputed owner. Now? Trip had adopted the dog as his own, and, more importantly, the beagle had decided that the engineer was one of “his” people. As a result, he was a devoted nursemaid, never straying far from Trip’s side. Until yesterday, that had not been a problem.

“Porthos was just doing what dogs do,” Trip added. “Phlox shouldn’t be blaming him. I’m the one who should have had more sense.”

Archer tapped him on the nose, affectionately reprimanding him. “You’re absolutely right.”

Trip, realizing the trap he had just walked into, sighed, rolled his eyes. He was in trouble. Again. It was astonishing how often he managed to get into mischief, considering how seldom he actually set out to do so.

He’d woken up yesterday after a fairly good afternoon nap, and decided that a movie would be just the thing to tide him over until supper. He’d looked around for the remote for the wall-sized screen, and saw that it had somehow managed to migrate from his side to the foot of Jon’s side of the bed. Porthos, he had thought, with a touch of exasperated amusement. The beagle had a tendency to claim anything left on the bed or floor as his own and deal with it in his own doggy way. Trip had lost count of the number of socks that he and Jon had lost to this canine sneak thief. And while Porthos was fairly good at catching things, he was a lousy retriever. Obviously, “fetch” meant, “mine!” as far as beagles were concerned.

Well, since Porthos wasn’t likely to bring the remote back on his own (at least, not in this lifetime), it looked like Trip would have to do so himself. He had briefly considered calling someone, and promptly rejected that idea. He wasn’t totally helpless, was he?

He had then pulled himself upright, and leaned over to Jon’s side of the bed, reaching for the remote.

And the next thing he knew, Jon and Phlox had been frowning down at him. He had had a cold cloth on his forehead, and another at the back of his neck. “What happened?”

Jon did not answer. Instead, he had looked sternly at Trip, and asked, “Just what did you think you were doing?”

“I just wanted to get the remote,” Trip had explained. “Porthos had taken it and it was on the end of the bed. I thought I could reach it all right.”

“Well, you thought wrong,” Jon had said, a touch of irritation showing. “And you scared the hell out of me. I come in and find you passed out cold. Don’t ever do that again!”

“I can’t help it if I pass out,” Trip had replied, stung.

“No, but you know better. You need something, you ask for help.”

“I was just reaching for the remote,” Trip protested. “I can get the damn remote by myself, you know.”

“Oh, really?” Jon had asked with heavy irony. “Can you?”

Trip had glared at him, but couldn’t find an adequate response.

“That’s what I thought,” Jon had said. “Now behave yourself.”

“Unless,” Phlox had then put in, “you would prefer to spend the rest of your recovery in Sickbay.”

“No, no,” Trip had said hastily. “I wouldn’t like that at all.” He’d then looked up at Phlox. “No offence, Doc.”

“None taken. However, if this sort of thing continues, I will have no choice. Do you understand?”

“I understand,” he had muttered.

“No more of this,” Jon had then warned him. “My heart can’t take it. I just about passed out myself when I found you.” He had then held up the sensor bracelet Trip had removed earlier. “And I don’t care if it’s heavy. You wear this. All the time.”

“But – “

“That’s an order, Commander.”

Trip had sighed. “Yes, sir.” He had meekly submitted, allowing Jon to put the bracelet on his wrist. When Jon was like this, it was better not to argue. And the use of his rank had signalled to Trip that Jon was wearing his captain's hat. Trip knew from long experience that when he was in this kind of mood, Jon did not tolerate much in the way of backtalk. So he had quietly drunk the orange juice Phlox had provided, and did not protest when he was told that he was going to spend the remainder of the day resting. No movies, no reading, no visitors. Resting.

Now he sighed, and looked up at Jon. “You’re not going to make me spend another evening lying here staring at the ceiling, are you?”

Archer smiled down on him, and laid a light hand on Trip’s forehead. “No,” he said gently. “As long as you take it easy. You want something, you ask someone to help. Okay?”

Trip sighed again. “Okay,” he said reluctantly.

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

“Good.” And he leaned down, kissed him. “That’s a load off my mind.”

“You never told me what you’re up to,” Trip pointed out. “How about taking a load off of my mind?”

Archer grinned at him. “Diplomatic get-together. The Vesoram version of the old rubber chicken banquet. T’Pol and I are going down there tonight, and then a delegation of Vesoram High Council members are having dinner here tomorrow night.”

“Don’t let Chef hear you call it a ‘rubber chicken’ dinner. You won’t live long enough to make it through the first course.”

“Tell me about it,” Archer said dryly. He sighed. “I’m afraid you’re on your own, though, brat. We’ve been invited to spend the night.” He stroked Trip’s hair. “Duty calls and all that.”

“I think I’ll live,” Trip replied, then sighed in turn. “Although I bet Phlox puts me to bed right after supper.”

“He probably will at that,” Archer agreed. “Sorry I won’t be here to run interference.”

“I’ll live. You go and have a good time.”

“You have got to be kidding.”

“No, seriously. Go on. Relax. Try and enjoy yourself. Get to know the natives. If you want to, ah, study them closely, I’ll understand.”

It took a moment for what Trip was saying to sink in. Archer stared at him. “You’re kidding.”

“No, I’m not. If you get the chance, go for it.”

“What kind of guy do you think I am?” Archer demanded. He found that he was angry. “You really think I want to go tomcatting around while you’re lying here in your sickbed?”

Trip stared at him in astonishment. “Hey, whoa – “

“You must think very little of me,” Archer went on. “Or maybe you think all I’m interested in is getting laid as often as possible!”

“Hey, take it easy,” Trip said. He held up a hand. “Forget it. I’m sorry I brought it up.” He looked at Archer. “And for your information, I happen to think a great deal of you, and I know you’re not just interested in getting laid. Okay?”

Archer sighed. “Sorry. I don’t know what set me off.” He shook his head. “No, wait. I do.” All those counselling sessions he and Trip had had with Phlox paid off. He was often all too acutely aware of the reasons behind his actions, and such knowledge was not always comforting. Whoever said ignorance is bliss was right.

Trip raised an inquiring brow. “Care to share what set you off? Considering I was the recipient, I think it’s only fair.” He gave Archer a puckish smile. “And you know I won’t let up until you do.”

Archer rolled his eyes at that one, but acquiesced. “You hit a nerve,” he told Trip ruefully. “One of the High Councillors has been hitting on me. And she’s attractive enough so that I don’t mind. So when you said I could go and have fun … “ He didn’t finish his thought; instead, he shrugged. “I was feeling guilty to begin with, and your suggestion was just the icing on the cake. Sorry I took it out on you.”

“Not to worry.” Trip smiled. “You’re forgiven.”

Archer looked down at Trip. He was worried. All joking aside, was this was what Trip really wanted? He was tempted to let things go, but realized that to do so would be postponing the inevitable. If Trip wanted this, better to know now. “Trip,” he began, unsure of how to continue.

“What?”

“Is – is that what you want? An open relationship?”

“Why? Do you?”

“If it makes you happy,” Archer said.

“That’s not what I asked. Do you?”

“If that’s the only way to still be with you, then I’ll put up with it. That’s the price I’m willing to pay. But I won’t like it, and it’s not something I want, no.”

“Neither do I.”

Archer breathed a sigh of relief. “Good.”

Trip looked at him curiously. “You’d really let me?”

“There’s no ‘let’ about it, brat. You’re free to do whatever you want. You know that."

“I know. But let’s say – let’s say I did go out with someone else. Would you? Go out with someone else, I mean.”

“Probably not.” He smiled. “I think we’ve got a good thing going here. Why look for something else?”

“You’re right – on both counts.”

“Then why did you – “

“Call it momentary insanity. Or blame it on the drugs.” He sobered. “I guess I’ve been feeling guilty. You’ve been taking care of me, and you haven’t had much fun while doing so.”

“I don’t mind.”

“You may not mind, but it’s still no picnic. And don’t tell me otherwise.”

“I know you’d do the same for me.”

“I know. I guess I thought that you ought to have a break from me, that’s all.”

Archer stroked his hair. “I don’t want a break from you.” He looked at the bedside clock. “I’m going to have to get going. Can’t keep Their Royal High whatever they call themselves waiting.”

“And your own pet councillor. Just how attractive is she?”

“Never mind,” Archer growled. “Don’t make me feel any guiltier, okay?“

“For what? For looking? That’s only natural, Jon. Everyone looks.”

“Well, that’s all I intend to do,” Archer replied. “Glad you don’t mind, though.”

Trip shrugged. “My dad always used to say, ‘It don’t matter where you get your appetite as long as you eat at home’.” He looked up at Archer. “And I guess we’ve agreed we’re both going to eat at home, too.”

“That’s not so terrible, is it? To quote Paul Newman, “ Archer began.

“Paul who?”

“Actor. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Cool Hand Luke. Remember?”

“Oh, yeah. Right. And what words of wisdom of Mr. Newman’s were you going to quote me?”

“’Why should I go out for hamburger when I have steak at home?’”

“You calling me a piece of meat?”

“Yep. Prime rib.” Archer bent and kissed him. “With all the trimmings.”

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