Rating: PG-13
Secondary Pairing: Archer/Reed (implied)
Warnings: AU, M-preg
N.B.: For shakespearespot, thanking her for delivering my Latin exam. ~RB
Tucker sucked back an exclamation of concern as the bulky, shrouded figure next to him stumbled, barely remaining upright. With one hand, he steadied his heavily pregnant companion, biting his lip to keep from fussing. Fussing would draw attention to them in these crowded streets where everyone went about their business with a quiet efficiency. The last thing they wanted was to be noticed. If they were noticed, they were dead.
Two turns to the right and another to the left, and Tucker began to breath again. Their ticket out of here, out of danger, was sitting on the launch pad in front of them. It was a shuttle from a Vulcan ship, the T’Mur, captained by a woman named T’Pol. A passionate woman from a passionate people, T’Pol had a reputation for going out of her way to help those in trouble. So long as your cause was just, the stories went, she would take it up for you. She had never lost a fight, and she was the first one Tucker had contacted when he began to realise that he and his companion would need an escape from the ship they served on.
“I thought you were...” The Vulcan let his sentence trail off as he stared at the seemingly swollen abdomen in disbelief.
“A woman?” the young man asked, a bitter sort of humour sparking in his tired eyes. “That was the idea.”
“It’s a disguise then?”
“Not exactly,” Tucker broke in. “The skirts and cloak are a disguise, the belly’s not.”
“But ... how?” The Vulcan had heard of species, like the Xyrillians and the Hymoreans, who impregnated their males, the females only providing genetic material and nursing the young, but as far as he knew, Humans reproduced in the normal fashion.
“Long story. We’ll tell it later, when your captain’s around to hear it. For now though... My name’s Tucker, Charles Tucker, and this here is Malcolm Reed.”
“Soval,” said the Vulcan, extending his hand in the Human fashion. “Pleased to meet you.”
“You okay, darlin’?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. She’s just kicking a bit. Feisty little thing. Still think we should name her Helen. The face that launched a thousand ships...”
“Now, Mal,” Tucker said with a kiss to one of Reed’s gaunt cheekbones, “you’re the real Helen here.”
“Hmm... Perhaps we should name her Hermione then.” He frowned. “Not really appropriate, though. Hermione was sired by Menelaus, not Paris.”
And therein lay their problem. The one that had set a match to the whole works, anyway. Malcolm Reed, concubine-slave to Captain Jonathan Archer, was carrying Commander Charles Tucker the Third’s child.
Archer claimed that Humans should never be allowed to be sold to aliens, though his own treatment of his slaves was scarcely better than the Orions’. Tucker and Reed’s relationship had begun simply as one of giving comfort to the hurt. Tucker took care of the beautiful young man nights after Archer had used him, drying his tears even as he sopped up his blood.
Tucker had always planned to steal Reed away from Archer at some point, but the stakes became higher when Archer, in a rare fit of sentimentality, decided he needed an heir, and that Reed would be the one to carry it.
Tucker had known then that they had to get off that ship. The deception wouldn’t last forever -- sooner or later Archer would want a DNA scan done on ‘his’ child, and then the shit would really hit the fan. Besides, the last thing Tucker wanted was to have a child grow up under that sadist’s control, nevermind the damage he was already doing to Malcolm.
So, Tucker had used all of his skill as an engineer to send untraceable messages to Captain T’Pol, begging for her help. He’d counted on the Vulcan distaste for slavery and their belief in the near-sacred bond between t’hy’la, soulmates, in getting her to agree. Thank all the gods it had worked.
In a matter of minutes they were being pulled into the larger Vulcan ship, the shuttle’s ramp lowering again once the bay was repressurised. A plump young Vulcan met them at the door to the shuttlebay, medical tricorder in hand.
“Commander Tucker, I presume?” Tucker nodded, and the medic continued, “And this is your mate..?”
“Reed, Malcolm Reed.”
“Ah, Greetings, Mister Reed. I am Doctor Kov. You may address me simply as Kov. Let’s get you to Sickbay, why don’t we, and I can check on the health of you and your baby.”
Kov seemed a sympathetic soul, letting Tucker stay while he ran a full battery of tests on Reed. His habit of prattling on about how exciting it was to be dealing with a rare Human male pregnancy was annoying to Tucker’s ears, but it seemed to be lulling Reed into a relaxed state, so he couldn’t complain.
“How far along did you say your pregnancy was?”
“Seven and a half months.”
“Yes, yes, that does seem about right. What would you say, Mister Reed, to delivering this baby right now?”
“Now?”
“Hey, Doc,” Tucker broke in, “you do know that gestation period for Humans is nine months, don’t you?”
“Yes, of course, but the child has already reached a size at which its movements are causing your mate considerable discomfort. It’s perfectly safe to deliver the child now, she’s quite healthy, considering, and it would save Reed a month and a half of almost constant pain. The decision is his, of course. I only offer a suggestion.”
“Very well,” said Kov. “I’m afraid that I am going to have to ask you to leave now, Commander. I’ll have someone show you to your quarters. You can take the time to freshen up and eat. There’s a food replicator in your quarters, and some fresh clothing as well. I promise to send someone to fetch you as soon as the operation is over.”
“Thanks, Doc.” Tucker brushed back Reed’s hair, planting a kiss on his forehead. “I’ll see you in a bit.”
His relief had gone beyond words when she agreed to await him on Kretassa, Enterprise’s next scheduled stop.
The shuttle’s ramp lowered as they approached, a silver-haired Vulcan man rushing out to help Tucker’s companion, who was visibly wilting from the stresses of getting this far. He settled the pregnant Human in a comfortable seat in the shuttle and signalled the pilot to take off. His shock was evident when the hood of the cloak was pushed back to reveal the haggard face of a young man.
It amazed Soval how aware of Reed Tucker was. The dark haired young man had only to put a hand to his belly and hiss softly, and Tucker was completely focussed on him.
The situation was dangerous enough, at first, to have caused both their deaths had they been discovered. Then, they had simply been in love. As Archer’s second-in-command, Tucker was more his dogsbody than anything, and had been put in charge of the Captain’s new toy when he’d purchased the young man from an Orion slaver.
Archer had managed to pry out of the Denobulan doctor he’d purchased for Enterprise that it was possible to create a foetus from the genetic material of two men and implant it for gestation in one of them.
Malcolm had cried on Charles’ shoulder for days after Archer had told him of this “honour” that was going to be bestowed upon him. Luckily, Doctor Phlox was sympathetic to his fellow slave, and suggested that he might at least carry the child of the man he loved, rather than of his master. So, it was done. Phlox replaced Archer’s genetic material with Tucker’s, enabling Reed to have some small say in what was happening to him.
Malcolm winced and hissed as the baby moved. “Do it. I can barely sleep for the pain as it is, I’m not going another month and a half if I don’t have to.”
The doorchime sounded, and Tucker lept up to open the door. He found his visitor to be a short Vulcan woman in a no nonsense uniform, sporting an equally no nonsense short haircut. She spoke before he could do more than open his mouth.
“I’m T’Pol. Kov just notified me that your mate is out of surgery, and that you may come see him and your child. I thought I’d escort you to Sickbay myself. Get to know you and discuss your options while I’m at it. Besides,” she leaned in conspiratorially, “I love babies.”
This brought a smile to Tucker’s face, and he breathed in relief that she didn’t seem upset to have learned that his ‘pregnant mate’ was not the woman he’d let her assume. Vulcans didn’t like liars, and while it was more of a lie by omission than an outright deception, he’d still been worried about her reaction when she discovered the truth.
Re-entering Sickbay, Tucker was lead into a private room where he found Malcolm lying in a larger than average biobed. The smaller man was propped up with pillows and was cradling his tiny daughter in his arms.
“Mal?”
“Oh Charles, isn’t she just perfect?” Reed looked exhausted, but he was smiling.
“Sure is, and she’s ours. That creep Archer ain’t never gonna so much as lay a finger on her now.” Tucker immediately regretted bringing up Archer. Malcolm began to look slightly ill and clutched his baby closer to himself.
“He’ll be looking for us.” The words were quiet, and Malcolm looked fragile enough to break.
“He will,” said T’Pol firmly, “but I will not let him have you or your child. You three are a family, and my guests; I will defend you with my life if need be. Archer is a barbarian. I will teach him that he cannot always have what he desires.”
Malcolm was on the verge of tears, but managed a shaky, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I had intended to discuss your future with you now, but I see you are tired. We can meet again in the morning. Perhaps Kov will release you then, and we may talk while you and your daughter get settled in your quarters. Good night, gentlemen.”
At the moment, the two Humans were fussing over where to put the baby’s cradle, while T’Pol held their child, making cooing noises at her. The little Human seemed quite taken with the Vulcan woman, tiny blue eyes never leaving her face save for when she made a grab for the woman’s pointed ears.
“I want the cradle on my side of the bed, Charles.”
“Mal honey, it’ll be better if it’s at the foot, that way we can both reach her. If she’s over next to you, you’re always gonna be the one gettin’ up to feed her in the middle of the night. That’s not fair. You need your rest; Kov’s practically threatened to take you away from me if you don’t get enough sleep and start puttin’ on some weight. Let me do my part, okay?”
Malcolm looked at him thoughtfully for a moment, alabaster skin pulling taut over his high cheekbones. “Fine. Put it at the foot of the bed.”
“A wise decision,” said T’Pol, bringing the baby over to Malcolm. “Now, the two of you have another decision to make. Where do you wish to go? I can take you to Earth, Terra Nova, Vulcan, anywhere you wish.”
“I sense a ‘but’ coming,” said Tucker.
“But ... you must consider where you will be safest. I would not recommend any place that Earth has authority over. As much as you might prefer being among other Humans, those are places in which Archer would hold power. It would be a simple matter for him to take you back.”
“I take it you’ve got a suggestion.”
“Vulcan. It is a harsh planet, but you would be safe there. I have already contacted my parents, and they have said they would be happy to help you establish yourselves in the community. Your daughter would be able to grow up unafraid, with children her own age, and receive an excellent education. She would not even be the only alien there; my parents tell me an Andorian family just moved in with four children, one only a few months older than yours. In any case, you would find my people most welcoming.”
Tucker would have liked a moment to discuss this with Reed alone, but his lover had turned pleading eyes on him, and he knew what he wanted without asking. And what Malcolm wanted, Malcolm got.
“Vulcan. Take us to Vulcan.”
T’Pol wouldn’t let that son of a bitch out there take his family from him. He had to believe it.
“You, barbarian, are in no position to demand anything. The T’Mur outguns the Enterprise and can outrun her as well. You have only caught up with us because I have allowed it.
“The child is not yours, nor is Reed your concubine. Tucker, likewise, is no criminal. He is simply a man defending his family.”
Archer laughed at that, albeit in a forced way. “Look, lady, I don’t know what that thief told you, but that baby Reed is carrying is mine, not Tucker’s. I want it back.”
“It is your word against his, and in any event Reed is the bearer of the child. His desires in this matter supersede yours, and he wishes for he and his child to remain with Mister Tucker.”
“Reed is my property...”
“Vulcans don’t approve of slavery, Archer. We have laws against it. The moment Mister Reed set foot in this ship he became a free man. I will fulfil my contract with him and his mate to take them to the colony of their choice. If you’ll excuse me, I’d like to get back to that.” T’Pol cut the communication with a disgusted curl of her lip.
The great ship rocked slightly as Enterprise opened fire. T’Pol ground her teeth and began issuing orders. “Tactical, disable their weapons and warp drive. Helm, when that’s done, resume course for Vulcan, warp seven.”
“C’n I ask ya somethin’, Mal?”
“What?”
“Why ‘Cana?’”
“Cana was my great-grandmother’s name. It’s Turkish for beloved. And canna is Latin for reed. Cana Tucker. She’s named for both of us, in a way, see.” He turned a radiant smile on his lover, then shined it on his daughter again. She squealed in delight when he planted a noisy kiss on her cheek, waving her arms about and grabbing for his ears.
“Seem we’ve got an ear fetishist on our hands,” Tucker laughed. “She does the same thang to T’Pol.”
“Oh, but ears make such nice handles, don’t they, darling? Don’t they?” Malcolm lifted Cana up, snuffling at her bared midriff while she giggled and shrieked. He laughed right along with her, making Tucker smile at their antics.
Malcolm had been happier, he’d noticed, since T’Pol had come to tell them of the encounter with Enterprise. The ease with which the Vulcan ship had evaded her seemed to put Reed at ease. It had allayed a number of his fears that Archer would be able to either take him back by force, or kill them all, as he had been known to do in the past when others displeased him.
Now, all they had to do was to sit back and relax. They could simply be Malcolm and Charles taking care of their baby. They could be a family.
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