A/N Thanks to Guest and noro and Mojo01 for the wonderful reviews. They do lighten my load, make my day, make life worth living. This chapter has a section that might stretch one's credulity a little bit. It is most probably also medically incorrect. But I did enjoy writing it and beg your indulgence. Thank you.

I still own nothing.

It had been an exciting but often frustrating seven months but they had made steady progress toward a cure. It had become apparent early that they definitely were on the right path. One problem had been a way to test their findings. Although there were many volunteers, it was difficult to raise people's hopes only to have it fail.

There was also a difficulty in when to administer the drug. Especially in the beginning when they were still struggling with undesirable side effects. It was bad enough that the drug did not stop the onset of the fatal stage but it also caused additional suffering to the patient.

But now they were holding their breath as the latest subject had not incurred any side effects and it appeared that she had entered puberty. Like a man who was afraid he had gotten someone pregnant, they waited anxiously for her to experience her first period.

Trying to protect her feelings as much as possible, she was in the care of her mother, a female nurse, and Doctor Chow.

They all stood up when they saw Chow approaching. They tried to read her face but she was maintaining a stoic countenance. Then as she reached them, she broke into a huge smile, "Our little girl is a woman."

The others cheered and gathered around her. They knew of course that they still had a way to go. There still could be side effects and there would need to be further tests but they knew a huge milestone had been met.

As they celebrated, one of their assistants approached Doctor Phlox. "Excuse me Doctor, but I have been told that Ambassador Archer is trying to contact you."

Mary Robbins had been thrilled when Trip and Natalie had accepted an invitation to her weeding to Beth. She was also gratified that Henrietta had been so happy for her, telling her she knew Kathy would want her to find a new love.

They had a simple service and a small reception afterwards. They happily informed the others that they had decided to have a baby. The father would be an anonymous donor to a highly respected sperm bank and Mary would experience the pregnancy.

It had turned out that Lester Warren had been right about Trip. Under his leadership, Warren Industries continued to make great strides especially in the building of Starships. Not only had they returned to the level of production during the war but the ships were consistently getting more powerful and sophisticated.

It was a little slower in the progress on Warp drives. They had still to produce a Warp 8 engine, although they knew it was only a matter of time. With Vulcan still not building new ships and still contemplating reducing their fleet, Earth was quickly becoming the dominant power in the quadrant.

Malcolm had been informed that he would soon be offered the opportunity to be a first officer on a starship, a step on the way to captaining his own ship.

He and Penelope wanted to be married before he left. They hoped that Archer would return in time to marry them.

Travis and Hoshi spent a lot of time with Natalie and Trip. Hoshi was still hoping that Jon and T'Pol would be back before she gave birth.

Chef was a little bummed that it appeared Archer and T'Pol would not be able to be there for his Grand Opening, but was thrilled when the rest of the officer corps of Enterprise assured him they would all be there.

Natalie had enough. It was apparent something was bugging Trip. Every time she asked him, he just told her he was fine.

After the kids had gone to bed, she sat down next to him on the couch, "Are you going to tell me what's going on?" Before he could say anything, "And don't tell me you are fine."

Trip hesitated, "It's really stupid. I have a wonderful family, a beautiful wife, a great job…"

"But?"

"I want to be out there with Jon and T'Pol. I know its crazy. I know that time is past, but I can't stop thinking about it."

Natalie took a breath and smiled to herself. She found she was relieved. She didn't know what she was expecting, but she understood him feeling like this.

She smiled, "Why did you not tell me? Did you think I would be hurt?"

He looked at her, "I don't know. I have a family, responsibilities. I just didn't want to make you feel like I felt something was missing. I love being with you, with the kids." He smiled, "I need to grow up."

Natalie smiled and leaned forward to kiss him softly. "It's okay, Trip, I really do understand. I know how much Jon and T'Pol mean to you. I mean, for God's sake, think what you three have been through together. I would worry if you didn't somehow want to be with them, especially on an important mission like this."

Trip looked into her eyes, "How did I get so lucky to be loved by someone as beautiful and understanding as you." He reached out and touched her cheek, "I love you, Natalie."

She teared up a little, "I love you too." She said seriously, "But don't hide things from me, Trip, okay."

"I promise."

She smiled seductively and started to unbutton her blouse, "And now, why don't you let me demonstrate what you would be missing if you were on a boring Starship."

Sometime later, Trip had to admit she had a very convincing argument.

The trip to Andoria had been uneventful. When they arrived, Columbia was informed by Starfleet that instead of them just waiting at Andoria, they needed them to make a delivery of medical supplies to a medical outpost nearby.

Telling Archer she would keep him apprised of her situation, Ericka left on her mission.

When Archer and T'Pol stepped out of the Shuttle, they were gratified to see Shran and Queen Helena waiting for them. But as they moved forward to greet them, they both sensed that something was wrong. They realized that something was deeply bothering Shran.

The Queen spoke first, "Welcome to Andoria, Ambassador, Commodore. It is wonderful to see you again."

Archer answered, "Thank you, your majesty."

She smiled, "It sounds like we will be spending a lot of time together. You may address me as Queen Helena."

Archer nodded and then turned to Shran; still sensing something was going on, he just said, "It's good to see you again, Shran."

Shran answered, "It is good to see you again, as well." He turned to T'Pol and managed a weak smile, "It is good to see you as well, T'Pol. It seems marriage agrees with you."

"It is gratifying to see you as well." She hesitated, "How is the expectant mother?"

They were both stunned when Shran's face contorted and they could swear they could see tears in his eyes. Before either of them could say anything, he shocked them by turning and walking away.

Helena looked sadly after him, "Please excuse him. He has been under a great deal of strain. There are problems with the pregnancy."

Archer quickly said, "Is it serious? Is Jhamel all right?"

She sighed, "You should talk to Shran." She hesitated, "If he will talk to you."

She then told them they had arranged for them to meet with her and Thrang in a few days. They had other duties they needed to finish up. Quickly telling her that would work out and saying their goodbyes, they hurried after Shran.

The Queen knew she should be slighted, but she had to smile at their obvious deep concern for Shran. She just hoped they could help him.

Archer and T'Pol caught up to Shran but he just ignored them and continued to walk away.

Archer wondered if he should just stay out of it, but then knew he couldn't, he had least had to try, to find out what the Hell was going on.

He reached out and grabbed his shoulder, turning him toward him. He was stunned when Shran took a swing at him. Before it struck his face, T'Pol grabbed the arm and held it.

Shran tore his arm away and started to turn when Archer said, "What the Hell is going on, Shran?"

Then he took a deep breath and said quietly, "Shran, it's us, Archer and T'Pol. Whatever it is, we are your friends. Let us in. We just want to help."

At first, his words appeared to have no effect, but then to Archer and T'Pol's amazement, he moved forward and enveloped Archer in a hug and began to cry.

Archer recovered and hugged him back. T'Pol moved over and laid her hand on Shran's back, softly rubbing it.

After a time, Shran regained control and motioned for them to follow him.

They made their way to a land vehicle and Shran drove off with them. Everyone sat silently until Shran, looking embarrassed, finally broke the silence. "Sorry about how I acted, I…"

Knowing Shran was probably ashamed of what he would perceive as weakness, Archer quickly smiled and said, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Shran smiled and nodded. They continued in silence until they reached what appeared to be an apartment building. They rode an elevator to the third floor and Shran unlocked the door and had them enter.

Talking off his coat he told them he needed a glass of Ale. He showed a little surprise when both Archer and T'Pol said they would join him.

When they all had taken a drink, he looked at them, "Everything was fine for the first three months. Then Jhamel began to experience pain and she started to bloat. At first, the doctors were stumped but then they decided her body was rejecting the fetus. Apparently, there was problems because we were different species, even though we are related."

"The trouble was, they couldn't really decide where the problem lie. At first, they checked out the DNA of us and the baby, but it didn't really show them anything. The baby was a mixture but nothing stood out. They then looked at the blood, but again saw nothing abnormal. The real problem was, they were completely at a loss. They really had no idea what they were looking for. This was outside anything they had experienced."

"In the end, they recommended performing surgery to remove the fetus. They agreed that if they didn't do something, Jhamel could die."

He finished off his glass and refilled it. "I was desperate and was going to tell them to go ahead, but Jhamel wouldn't hear of it. She told me if I forced her to do this, she would never forgive me. She was adamant. She said they just needed to keep working, to figure out what to do."

He sighed, "That was two months ago. Nothing has really changed. She is bedridden. I visit her everyday but have to admit it is difficult to see her like this. I am afraid that it makes her feel worse."

"They have continued to keep taking tests, but it is apparent they have no idea what to do."

Shran looked up, his eyes wet, "Jon, I just don't know what to do. She still won't listen to me or the doctors. The fetus is still alive but Jhamel seems to be getting worse. I love her and don't want to go against her wishes, but I can't let her die."

Jon looked at T'Pol, "Why didn't you let us know? You shouldn't have tried to take this all on yourself. It is apparent you can't go on like this, either."

"I wanted to, but Jhamel didn't want you to know. She was ashamed. She felt she was failing me. I told her it wasn't her fault, that you guys would understand but…"

T'Pol spoke up, "That is unfortunate she feels that way. I am gratified you have now decided to tell us."

She hesitated, "It is true that if anyone would understand what you two are going through, it would be Jonathan and I. At some point, we may face the same situation. We also have to face the fact that we would have difficulty having children."

She seemed to be considering something, "Do you think that I could visit her? As I said, I am perhaps one person she could relate to."

Shran looked at her, "I don't know if she will see you, but I am willing to try anything."

Deciding there was no need to wait, they left for the hospital. While Archer and T'Pol waited, Shran went to talk to Jhamel. Although at first she was angry with him about telling someone, she realized that she did want to talk to someone and she knew T'Pol was the one person who might understand.

When T'Pol entered the room, it took all of her Vulcan control not to show her shock at what she was seeing. What lay on the bed looked little like the Jhamel she knew. Every part of her body was badly bloated, including her face. T'Pol could not imagine that any part of her could move or function.

She was shocked when the mouth formed what she imagined could be a smile, "Quite a sight, huh."

T'Pol walked over to the bed. She wondered how Shran had held up as well as he had. "Are you in pain?"

"You get used to it. I agreed to let them use some painkillers but didn't want to make them too strong."

Jhamel went on, speaking so quietly that T'Pol was glad she had Vulcan hearing, "I feel so sorry for Shran. I know I am making him suffer by making him see me like this. I know I should let them do the surgery." She hesitated, "But I can't. I haven't told him or the doctors because it would just make things harder for them, but I sense the baby telepathically. I know it is alive and aware of me. How can I kill it?"

T'Pol suddenly remembered Elizabeth and how she had formed a bond with her. What it had felt like when she had lost her. "I think I understand, but even you must realize you can not go on like this. That it is possible Shran will lose both of you."

Jhamel nodded sadly, "I know, I know, but…"

Suddenly T'Pol remembered conversations she had with Phlox. Discussions about whether she and Jon could have a baby, that he had started to look into it.

She turned to Jhamel. "I have to go now. I need to check something out. I will be back to see you."

Jhamel nodded, wondering what had happened.

T'Pol joined Archer and Shran. She looked at Shran, "I do not know how you have managed to do as well as you have. I cannot image how horrible it must be for you to see her suffer like this."

She went on, also addressing Archer, "While I was in there, I remembered how I have talked to Doctor Phlox about this situation in reference to me and Jonathan. If there is anyone who could perhaps help, it would be him. I suggest we contact him at once."

For a moment, Shran felt a stab of hope, but then asked, "What can he do that our doctors haven't."

T'Pol went on, "He is a member of the Interspecies Medical Exchange. They constantly work with many species and have developed procedures that a regular doctor would not be aware of."

Archer broke in, "That's a great idea, T'Pol. We'll contact him at once." He turned to Shran, "How about it, Shran, we should at least give it a try."

"All right, but if nothing changes soon, I am going to go ahead with the surgery."

When Phlox answered the call, T'Pol quickly brought him up to date. He was deeply saddened and shocked but fascinated at the same time. Deciding that since the team had their breakthrough, he could afford to spend some time looking into the problem.

His first step was to ask if he could speak to the doctors. Shran was angry when they appeared to be reluctant to discuss the case; a quick call to the Queen changed their minds.

When they were connected, Phlox began, "I appreciate you willing to discuss this matter with me. I am Doctor Phlox, who do I have the honor to speak with?"

"I am Doctor Horak and this is my colleague, Doctor Morter."

"Would it be all right if I asked you a few questions?"

"Of course, Doctor."

"What areas have you concentrated your research on?"

"We have looked extensively at the DNA and the blood."

"Excellent, Excellent. Those are the very areas I am interested in."

He went on, "I assume you have samples from the father, the mother and the fetus?"

"Yes."

"What are your conclusions?"

"The father is of course Andorian, while the mother is Aenar. The baby shows a combination of both. We can see no abnormalities or anything that would have us believe it is not what is to be expected."

"And the blood?"

"Basically the same. Once again there does not seem to be anything out of the ordinary."

Phlox sighed to himself, it was as he had feared. They were just looking at the surface. Although he had to admit, they would have little experience in handling the situation.

"I of course have seen Andorian DNA. Is there anything you can tell me about the Aeran?"

"I am not sure what you mean. It is similar to Andorian."

"So, it is a unique DNA. You could find no other species?"

"I just said it was similar to Andorian. There were of course differences."

"Could you send me a sample?"

"I suppose, but we have told you all about it."

"I appreciate that, but I would like to see it myself."

When Phlox received it and examined it, he had to prevent himself from becoming angry. He had to remember they did not have experience dealing with many different species. It had given him an entirely different outlook. The DNA was not similar to Andorian, it was Andorian and another species. This other species also had characteristics of the Andorian DNA.

Now what he needed was the blood samples. Unfortunately, he did not just need the results of the testing, but the samples themselves. He could try to have them do what he needed, but he had an idea they did not have the expertise to do so. It was also true they were not likely to have access to the equipment required.

When he talked to them, his fears were confirmed. He was wondering if it would be possible for him to go to Andoria when he realized the equipment he needed was on the George Washington.

Although he could tell they were not happy about what was going on, he had the doctors give the samples to T'Pol. She took them aboard the ship and he worked her through the procedure to obtain the information he needed.

He was excited at what the tests revealed. While before the pregnancy Jhamel's blood was normally an equal mixture of Andorian with the other species, it was now almost all Andorian. At the same time, the fetus's blood was dominated by the other species. It had changed the ratio of the two species in Jhamel's blood by removing the other species.

He surmised that was what was causing the problem. Jhamel's body was reacting to the loss of the other species in her blood. It was also true that the fetus could soon have problems because of the change to Jhamel's blood, not being able to gain more of the other species.

He also realized that the surgery would have been for naught. It would not have changed Jhamel's situation.

The question was, what could be done. At first glance it appeared you could have another Aenar give a transfusion to Jhamel but that would not correct the imbalance since that blood would also contain Andorian blood. He also did not know of any method to separate the two species in the blood. They could try to do something with the fetus's blood, but there was a real danger in doing so. The truth was, the baby was 'normal' in that it was the result of the union between three species. It would be dangerous to go against nature.

He realized the only solution was a transfusion of the alien blood into Jhamel so the baby could continue to draw on it and to correct her imbalance.

The problem was, where did the alien blood come from? At some point there was a mating between an Andorian and this other species. They could be long gone. But there was the fact that the DNA did resemble Andorian. But Phlox knew of no other species on Andoria.

When he reported his findings to the Andorian doctors, they were astonished. They also immediately refused to accept it. Not only did it seem unbelievable, but they were worried that if it were true, how it would affect their reputations.

But when T'Pol backed him up, Shran made it clear he trusted her and Phlox.

But the problem remained, who was the other species?

Archer and T'Pol had reluctantly postponed their first meeting with Thrang and the Queen, but knew they could not delay their mission any longer. When they told Shran they had to meet with the Queen, it hit them all at the same time.

Helena was shocked when she heard what Phlox was suggesting, but that was nothing to the shock when they told her they believed her ancestors could be the missing species.

Not sure what she believed; she did agree to have a sample taken. When the test showed she was the alien race, she quickly agreed to offer her blood to Jhamel.

To everyone's joy, it turned out that Phlox was correct. Jhamel's recovery was amazing. In less than a week she was back to normal. She would have to be monitored to be sure she wouldn't require another transfusion and would have to be tested after the birth that her blood was again normal.

Everyone offered their profound thanks to Phlox and Shran and Jhamel considered the idea of naming the baby after him.