This is part of Dee and Kat's ongoing Pixie series.  If you are not familiar with the stories, some of this might not make sense.

For the CAVe for their ongoing encouragement.

R

The Kissing Lesson

Jonathan was exhausted. As his daughter’s piercing cries echoed through the room, he held his head. For the first time since her birth, Jonathan wasn’t very fond of his daughter. In fact he wanted to cry right along with her. He was tempted to have Phlox give her a sedative to make her sleep, but knew the doctor wouldn’t. It truly wasn’t necessary, but both he and T’Pol were run ragged. Pixie was only a month old, but already she had parents and the crew completely devoted to her. Tonight, however he was almost willing to give her away. He stood and walked over to T’Pol who was pacing with the child, steadily singing a Vulcan lullaby. She stopped as she bumped into him, her eyes locking with his. He reached a hand out to stroke the baby’s cheek, wincing as T’Lin screamed louder. “What is wrong with her? She’s been fed, she’s dry, Doc says she’s not sick? Why is she crying?”

T’Pol just shook her head and lifted the crying child to her shoulder. “I don’t know Jonathan. I can feel her unhappiness but she isn’t capable of communicating mentally any more than she can verbally. I’ve never had a child before.” He could see the strain around her eyes and hear it in her voice. He had just recently discovered that T’Pol had a mental link with their daughter, that she had had one before T’Lin was born, but it had become more substantial as the child had grown.

As they had done a hundred times that night, they played pass the baby. Jonathan cuddled the child close and cooed to her, hoping against hope to stop the ear piercing noise. It didn’t work, but he gave it a good effort. He caught out of the corner of his eye, T’Pol’s wince of pain, and knew with her sensitive hearing the cries had to seem twice as loud to her. He smiled in sympathy and cuddled T’Lin closer as T’Pol moved into her bathroom.

“I’m going to run her a bath. Perhaps the warm water will soothe her.”

Jonathan nodded, surprised they hadn’t thought of that sooner. While T’Pol filled the small baby tub and carried it into the nursery, Jonathan stripped T’Lin to her skin. He watched as T’Pol dribbled a softly scented oil in the bath water. He was familiar with the scent, it was one he often noticed on her and in the air when she meditated. As he handed her the baby he lifted a questioning brow at the bottle of scent.

T’Pol guided T’Lin into the water and began to wipe her down with a soft cloth. They both sighed in relief as the piercing cries drifted to soft whimpers. T’Pol continued to stroke the cloth over the baby. She glanced up at Jonathan briefly before turning her attention back to her task. “It is a oil that can be burned for meditation. The natural scent helps to soothe and relax. I also use the oil in my own bath on occasion. A diluted version is often used for children.” She glanced up at him again as if uncertain of his response. “I had Phlox check it to make sure T’Lin would not have a reaction to it. I haven’t used it in her bath before, but I was uncertain what else to try.”

He stroked a hand over T’Lin’s cheek. He marveled that the silent, sleepy eyed child in front of him could have been the screaming terror of only a few moments before. “As long as it settles her, I have no objections. I was ready to drug her myself.”

T’Pol stiffened. “It is not a drug…”

Jonathan raised a hand as if to ward off trouble. “I didn’t mean to suggest it was, I was just saying that her incessant crying was making me so crazy I contemplated drugging her. Not that I would mind you, but I considered it.”

Her eyes took on an odd look. “I wish I knew more about infants. I have rarely been around them, and T’Lin is not like the Vulcan children I have known.”

Jonathan gave in to the urge to touch her and rested his hand on her shoulder in a comforting response. “We’ll learn together T’Pol, but from what I have seen of human infants, her recent actions are normal enough. I’m just hoping its not chronic.”

“I just want to be an efficient parent.”

“I think we are on the right track. We care about our daughter and are dedicated to giving her a good life. We want to do right by her. Most parents just do the best they can, and some do it better than others.”

T’Pol nodded slightly. “Would you get her pajamas please? Now that she’s calm, I’m going to try to get her to sleep.” Jonathan nodded as he turned to get Pixie’s things. He quickly laid out a loose infant gown and diaper and brought T’Pol a towel. Once more they played pass the baby. As Jonathan dressed T’Lin, T’Pol grabbed a receiving blanket and adjusted her pajama top. Once dressed, T’Lin was passed to her mother who put her to breast. As he had uncounted times since T’Lin’s birth, he paused to watch the natural miracle of his daughter feeding. The beauty of mother and daughter nearly overwhelmed him. Seeing the ease with which his daughter took to breast, Jonathan sighed in relief. It seemed for the moment that the storm was over. He moved to the baby bath and carried it into the bathroom where he dumped it and set it off to the side so it wouldn’t be in the way. As he entered T’Pol’s room, he sagged down on the bed. He couldn’t remember a time when he had been so tired, and he imagined T’Pol was equally exhausted. Without thinking about it, he laid back on the bed. He was only going to rest a minute. That thought was his last as he drifted off to sleep.

T’Pol tucked T’Lin in with a sigh of relief. She was so tired. All she wanted to do in that moment was wish Jonathan a goodnight and crawl into bed. Her eyes swept over the room and she noted the dirty laundry scattered about the room. A brief flash of frustration welled inside her before she tamped it down. Jonathan was an excellent partner when it came to caring for their daughter, in fact it was unusual for him to leave anything for her to pick up. With another sigh, she scooped up the dirty items and dumped them in the laundry basket by the door. For once she couldn’t seem to dredge up any concern for draping the damp linens so they would dry. With a resignation reminiscent of mothers throughout the universe, she resolved to worry about it in the morning. Her child was finally sleeping and that was her ultimate goal as well.

She froze in the doorway of her room as she noticed Jonathan sprawled on her bed. She turned back to sleep in the nursery, but remembered the damp spot on the bed from T’Lin’s towel and changed her mind. Walking to her bed, she sat on the edge and shook Jonathan lightly to wake him. It had occurred to her briefly to sleep in his room, but that was quickly rejected as too personal. She also wasn’t certain she could sleep with Porthos in the room. At her touch, Jonathon groaned and rolled closer to the wall. T’Pol dropped her head in her hands. She simple didn’t have the energy for this. Once more she leaned over to shake him awake and softly called his name.

He shifted again, this time to his back and a soft snore drifted up at her. The urge to smack him was great but she managed to subdue it. This time there was no gentle to her touch as she shook him. His eyes fluttered open. For a moment she thought he registered her, but then they closed. A soft sound resembling a growl echoed from her and she lightly punched his arm with an exasperated “Jonathan!”

His eyes fluttered open once more and he shot her the most sensual smile she had ever seen from him. “Co’mere…“ His hand shot out, grasping her arm and dragging her down and onto his chest. As she thudded against him, his hand tangled in her hair and he drew her down for a kiss.

That first touch of his lips against hers sent a shock through her system. It wasn’t fear, but desire, sudden, nearly overwhelming. The move was so unexpected, so out of character for him that she was stunned into submission. It didn’t last long and she jerked back, afraid of what she suddenly seemed to need, breaking the contact. He smiled that sensuous smile again and whispered “love you, T’Pol.” With those words he drew her back to him until her head was nestled on his chest. Before she could respond, the tight band of his arm around her waist loosened, and he began to snore once more. Her eyes closed for a moment, just a moment she thought to herself, and sleep claimed her.

Jonathan was reluctant to wake up. His dreams were steamy and arousing as hell, and he was comfortably warm. He had dreamed he had kissed T’Pol. Hell he had dreamed he had done a lot more than that, but then he was used to dreaming. He shifted to full, startled awareness as the warmth beside him shifted and sighed. He took note of the soft, feminine form draped over him and nearly groaned as the thigh draped across his groin shifted higher and brushed over highly aroused flesh. He surveyed his surroundings carefully. T’Pol was positioned so that her head rested on his chest, right above his heart. His right arm was curled possessively around her, resting on her hip. A bare hip he added, stunned. At some point during the night his wandering hand had slipped beneath the waistband of her pajamas. His left hand was tangled with her right and resting low on his belly. He nearly groaned as he registered the fact that the position of her lower body would only require subtle moving for him to be inside her. In that instant he was both grateful and resentful of their clothes. He had to fight to tamp down the arousal, it was always with him now where she was concerned, and he wasn’t completely successful, but he was able to push it to the side enough so that he could savor the site of her sleeping and enjoy the feel of her in his arms.

T’Pol woke slowly. There was a strange smell in her nose, one she wasn’t used to waking to, but it was familiar also, and she was warm, inside and out. It took her mind a moment to process and she isolated the source of that smell. Jonathan. At one time it would have bothered her, but now she drew comfort from it. Her eyes fluttered open and she took in the knowledge that she was sprawled across him like a blanket. It occurred to her that she should be concerned with propriety but somehow she couldn’t bring herself to care. He was warm and solid against her and she was content. She lifted her head so she could look at him, surprised to find him awake and watching her. His eyes were filled with something she had only seen directed at T’Lin, and something else she couldn’t identify. His words of the night before fluttered in her brain and she needed to know they were real. “You told me you loved me last night.”

He blinked at her in surprise. He had thought that part of his dream. He wasn’t sure how to play this, for he was afraid of bringing up her guard. He figured honesty his best answer. “I do. I thought I was dreaming so it made it easier to say, but I do love you.”

Her eyes flittered down to his mouth and back up again. “Love is an emotion and one I cannot share with you.”

He wanted to shake her but understood that she had been making more sacrifices for them then he had in the past. He nodded. “I understand. I can accept what you can give. Whatever you are willing to give…” Her eyes flickered to his lips again and a strange thought entered his head. “I kissed you last night.” He hoped it was true and that was why she was fixated on his mouth, but then again it could be his breath, he thought.

She bit her lower lip and he knew he had her. “Yes,” she whispered.

He waited until her eyes met his. “I would like to do it again.”

Her eyes skittered away from his for a moment before coming back. Her logic had deserted her as it had several times in the past where this man was concerned. She knew what he was asking, and she knew what she had already sacrificed for T’Lin, for him too. Was she willing to take this further, to explore what could be between them? Yes. Her mind made up, she met his eyes once more. “May I… kiss you?”

He smiled, the sheer joy of it soaking his face and radiating outward to her. “I can think of nothing I’d like better.”

She studied his mouth for another moment, unsure what exactly to do. Oh she had the basics of it from last night, but that didn’t mean she knew what she was doing. The urge to try though was too much for her and she shimmied up his body until her mouth hovered over his.

Jonathan bit back a groan as certain parts of her came into contact with very aroused parts of him. He waited though, afraid to move for fear of breaking the moment, and nearly groaned again as her tongue swept over her lips. Finally she moved and his mouth was covered by soft warm lips. It was the most innocent and arousing kiss he had ever experienced. The light, tentative pressure amazed him and yet he let her adjust the slant and pressure and tried to savor the sensations. The urge to take over bit at him, but even so, he was content to let her explore. Perhaps it was that the move was hers and her first in all the time they had been together or perhaps it was him and that he realized that she was his. She was what he had been looking for and needing for as long as he could remember and hadn’t realized it until she had come into his life. Now he was determined to keep her a part of it.

T’Pol wasn’t certain what she was feeling but she was willing to acknowledge that was what she was doing. And while it felt wonderful, it didn’t cause that stunning flow of desire that Jonathan had sparked in her the night before. She raised her head and studied him for a long moment. There was a glimmer in his eyes that made her feel warm but it still wasn’t the same. “It’s different.”

He tried to keep his breathing steady and the smile from his face. “Yes.”

Her brow wrinkled in confusion. “I am doing something wrong?”

His hand came up to stroke her cheek. The smile broke free but it was tender rather than smug. “No, just different. You are learning.” He rather liked the vulnerable expression that crossed her face as she bit her lip again. He decided he was a bit jealous of her teeth.

“Vulcan’s rarely kiss. Only among the mated is it acceptable.”

His mind digested that piece of information as very important and considered it as such. “Humans are a bit more free with their kisses, but they are usually kept in friendly or intimate terms.”

“I do not understand.” Her head tipped slightly to the side.

Jonathan raised himself and turned so they were facing one another. “Let me show you.”

Again her brow crinkled but she didn’t tense up and she didn’t pull away. “Jonathan?”

His fingers traced her hairline. “It’s okay sweetheart. It’s just a kissing lesson. Any time you want me to stop say so.” He could see her running it through her head and then she nodded.

“Show me.”

He whispered a silent thank you, but continued to stroke her face as if learning the textures of her. “This,” he leaned forward, lips lightly brushing her cheek, “is a kiss you might give a friend or family member.”

T’Pol shifted into him, caught up in the spell he was weaving. “I can’t see you kissing Commander Tucker? He’s your friend.”

“No… Kisses are usually reserved for the opposite sex, but not necessarily. Two people may exchange kisses in friendship if they are comfortable with one another.”

“You don’t kiss me like that? I’m your friend?”

His lips brushed across her cheek again. “Yes. I’ve wanted to though, but I knew it wasn’t something you would be comfortable with.”

“But it is not how you kissed me before?”

“No, definitely not like I kissed you before, but this is a lesson on types of kisses. Shall I show you more?”

“Yes, please.”

As he leaned forward T’Pol automatically raised her mouth but was surprised when his hands cupped her face and he tipped her head down and placed a gentle kiss on the forehead. “This is also a kiss for friends, but more often family such as children. Affectionate but brief.”

“I have seen you kiss T’Lin like this.”

“Absolutely. But I’ve never really wanted to kiss you this way.”

“Why?”

“There is nothing childlike about you.” Except your experience with kissing, he thought to himself.

“There is more?”

“You have no idea.” He slid his hand down her arm and collected her hand. As he brought it up, he kissed it lightly. “This is a kiss that may be used for new acquaintances, usually female. It is an old courtly gesture generally signifying respect, possibly romantic intentions. It is rarely used.”

“Have you wanted to kiss me this way?”

The innocent curiosity in her eyes encouraged him. “Not quite this way love. Not quite this way.”

“You have not really kissed me in any way you wanted to. Will you?”

The question moved him so that he had to take a slow deep breath to calm himself. “Yes. There are many types of kisses T’Pol and most of them I do indeed want to do with you.”

“Show me.”

“In time Sweetheart. In time…”

“Jonathan?”

“Yes?”

“More.”

“Alright.” This time as his hands caressed her face, her breath shuddered in her throat. The pressure was a little different. Not rough, not urgent, just different. His eyes locked with hers. “This is more intimate. An affectionate pressure usually reserved for very close friends, spouses, and even lovers.”

Her eyes widened as his mouth lightly touched down on hers. The pressure was soft, gentle, the texture smooth and undemanding. When he broke the kiss her brow crinkled again. “That was like mine and yours, but still different.”

“Yes. Your kiss I can’t reproduce because it was a first kiss and those are always special.”

“You kissed me first? I don’t understand.”

“It was your first kiss. The first kiss you initiated. There is always something special and unique about a first kiss. Especially when it’s the very first.”

“It wouldn’t be the same if I were to do it again?”

“Similar but not the same. You aren’t the same now.”

“The kissing lesson?”

“Partially.”

Her arms curled around his neck. “More?”

He smiled and leaned into her. “Oh yeah, lots more.” He kissed the tip of her nose lightly. “Now this, this is more like your kiss.” Once more he laid his lips on hers and she could feel the difference. This kiss had a curiosity, a seeking to it. The pressure was light and undemanding, and similar to the one she had given him, and she understood it for what it was, a learning and a teaching. He pulled back a little and his hands slid into her hair. “And this… this is like the kiss I gave you last night.”

This time as his lips covered hers she felt the difference instantly. There was more pressure, more urgency, more of Jonathan. He was flush against her and demanding, but she wasn’t frightened. When the kiss broke, she slid her hands up to cup his neck. “Is that how you’ve wanted to kiss me?”

“Some, but there is more, so much more that I want to show you. They are the kisses of lovers T’Pol, and there are so many.”

“Show me.”

His fingers feathered across her brow and along her cheek until they settled on her lips. The tender stroking of his thumb along her lower lip sent shivers down her spine. “Do you realize what you are asking me T’Pol?”

For an instant a brief flash of uncertainty washed over her and then she looked in his eyes and realized that this was Jonathan. He was the one person she trusted with her life. She trusted him with her daughter, her honor and now her body. It seemed natural. “I think so.”

“Do you? I want you to be sure T’Pol.”

Her eyes slid away from him for a moment. “Sexual intercourse is the same among our species Jonathan.”

His thumb stroked over her lip again. “Ah that’s the difference Sweetheart, we aren’t just going to have sex. I intend to make love to you… that includes a hell of a love of kissing.”

“Love is an emotion.”

“Indeed. And I happen to like to experience them to the fullest.”

Her eyes dipped to his lips again. “There are really many other ways to kiss?”

“Yeah.”

“Show me?”

“Yeah.” He took another deep breath as he dipped his head. “If I do anything that makes you uncomfortable or if you want me to stop, tell me.”

“Alright.”

The smile that graced his face was infinitely tender. “You are so beautiful T’Pol. Absolutely perfect.”

“Jonathan?”

“Hmmm?”

“Shut up and kiss me.” The words were so out of character for T’Pol that he actually laughed. She didn’t take offense though. Her fingers tightened on his neck and pulled him closer. “Show me.”

His mouth closed on hers this time and the pressure was sweet and heady. His fingers stroked over her cheekbones and along her jaw. His lips left hers to trail along her cheek and jaw. “Open your mouth for me sweetheart.”

Her brow crinkled. “Why?”

The total innocence of that question floored him and he seriously considered stopping right there, but her responsiveness to him was too much to resist. “This is our kissing lesson remember. I want to show you a few more things.” Her confusion was priceless but the eagerness there was encouraging. She opened her mouth looking something like a fish, but he took it for the opportunity it was. His lips slid over hers once more only this time he used his tongue to trace the contours of her lips before dipping in and tasting her.

T’Pol gasped, her fingers clenching in his hair as his tongue stroked along hers, encouraging her to return the favor. Fire curled in her belly as he sucked her tongue into his mouth. He deepened the kiss, nibbling on her lips before running his lips across her cheekbones and eyes before settling lightly on her mouth once more. Her eyes fluttered open, her breath coming in short little pants. “Jonathan?”

“More?”

“Please.”

“That’s what I was hoping you’d say.” His fingers slid to the fastenings on her pajama top.

Hers slid up to stop him. “What are you doing?”

He dropped his head forward until it was touching hers. “Kissing you… making love to you?”

“Oh sex.” Her tone sounded somewhat disappointed and he smiled.

“Only if you want.” His fingers stroked over hers. “I thought you wanted to learn more about kissing.”

“I do. I find kissing you pleasing.”

“It’s pleasing to me too.” He took another deep breath and released her hand. Slowly he rolled free of her and back onto his back. A soft whisper of breath escaped with the words “Too much too soon.”

T’Pol sat up slowly. “Jonathan?”

He smiled at her. “Too much too soon Sweetheart. You’re not ready yet.”

It took her a moment to realize what he was saying and she was flattered by his concern for her. Her hands went to the hem of her shirt and she pulled it over her head. “You’re wrong Jonathan. I am ready. I made my choice over a year ago, I just didn’t realize it until recently.”

His eyes nearly glazed as the took in the perfection before him. One hand reached out to caress the soft skin. “Are you sure? You told me that only bonded mates engage in these activities. I…”

She interrupted him with a hand to his lips. “I understand my choices Jonathan. You are a part of me now, as T’Lin is. I want to be a part of you.”

He slowly drew her down to him. “You are a part of me and you have been for some time. If we go through with this then I will consider you my mate… for life.”

T’Pol leaned down, her breath mingling with his. “Lifemates… Do you understand what you’re getting into?”

“More than I ever dreamed.” The rest of his words were drowned out by her mouth on his. It seemed to him that for all her inexperience in kissing she learned quickly. T’Pol leaned into him, the pressure of her slim body pressing him back into the bed. Her hands slid slowly up his arms to tangle in his hair and she replayed all the kisses she had learned in a tantalizing variety of patterns.

Jonathan’s hands came up to her waist and he groaned at the feel of smooth warm skin under his fingertips. Despite the arousal tugging at him, demanding he flip her on her back and finish it all, he held himself in check. He wanted to see just how far she would go. He was startled at the touch of her mind against his, and the soft mental whisper of *Jonathan.*

They both pulled back. There was something akin to fear in T’Pol’s eyes as the locked with his. Her hands smoothed lightly over his face. Once more her mind touched his. *You can hear me?*

He nodded. She stayed as she was, but he could see the wheels turning in her head. Cupping her face, he encouraged her to look at him once more. Small white teeth kept flashing at him as she worried her bottom lip. “What is it T’Pol? What is happening?”

“My people are telepathic through touch. It is one of the reasons we limit contact.” She caught the look on his face and quickly reassured him. “It’s not like we can read minds, only strong emotions or thoughts, and only when we are in contact with another. We can read all species, though humans are easier than most, but direct communication with another is limited to family and bonded mates.” Her eyes dropped briefly. “I didn’t think it would be possible with you. I would have said something if I had thought…”

“Does it bother you to know you would be mentally bonded with me?” His eyes searched hers as fear tugged at him.

“No. I am bonded to you already in so many ways. I was sure it would bother you. It is an intrusion that you did not expect.”

His hands slid into her hair and he drew her down, pressing a light kiss on her lips. “You were an intrusion I did not expect, but rather than be alarmed by all the things you bring me, I find that I can hardly wait to see what comes next.” Her eyes softened as he kissed her again. “I can’t say I’ll always be comfortable with it, but it’s a part of us, and I like who we are together.”

T’Pol dropped her head and nuzzled it into his neck, taking comfort as his arms banded around her once more. Her voice was a soft whisper sending tingles up his spine as the air brushed across his skin. “I like who we are together too.”

He rolled so they were once more on their sides, facing each other. One arm was kept firmly around her waist as the fingers of the other stroked her cheek. His lips closed on hers once more and this time as she pressed into him, the words were lost. The kissing lesson continued in a gentle exploration of flesh and as bodies finally merged, their hands clasped. With each slow stroke of his body Jonathan whispered vows of love, promising to love, honor and cherish until death separated them.

It was much later, as they stood over their sleeping daughter that T’Pol explained the bonding ceremonies of her people, and two souls found themselves bound.

Fin~