A/N I don't own Trek, as sad as I always find that. This was a character request made in private, and a bit of a story prompt to go with it. I get the feeling this is going to be an interesting little romp...even if it starts off a wee bit sad ;) Peace and long life!

Sarah Blanc stood before the flag draped coffin of her husband, unable to shed a single tear. Every emotion she had was walled up behind a pain too great for her to comprehend. Her sons, Trevor and Tom, the twins, had come home from West Point and now stood beside her. Her husband, their father, had died during an accident on the Columbia, his remains were brought back to Earth, though she was told there wasn't much left.

Now, she stood grave side, staring down at the coffin that seemed too small to contain almost twenty five years of life together. She had been twenty, and working her way through school when they met and after one date had married. A lifetime ago, she thought, and then casting her eyes towards her twin boys she realized it was two life times ago.

She had stood next to the coffin for hours, greeting officers, friends, and dignitaries as they filed passed to pay their respects. Now, she had a hand full of dirt in her hand as she watched her sons ceremonially fold the flag. When they stepped aside, and the casket began lowering into the ground, she stepped forward and tossed the single handful of soil on top of the casket. It was a dumb ritual, and she didn't know why it was expected, but she did it anyway.

Just yesterday she'd been in her lawyer's officer, and discovered that her husband had spent their savings, on a small and so well hidden gambling addiction that not even she had a clue. She had enough money, if she cashed in his death benefit and retirement to make sure Trevor and Tom got to finish their private West Point education, but there was nothing left for her to live on. She couldn't hate him for it, and anger didn't make sense, she just accepted it as it was and before she could be selfish she paid for their schooling. She owed the children that, and at forty five she could still try and find some work.

People filtered away from the grave side, her sons asked to be able to take off and spend some away time with their girlfriends, she found herself answering it wasn't a problem even though she wanted to keep them close to her. In the end, she was standing alone at the grave of the only man she'd ever known, the only love she'd ever had, and her future seemed as promising as his.

From behind her she felt another presence and she turned to find Ambassador Soval standing respectfully a step away. "I didn't know you were here." Sarah said softly, "Did you know my husband well?"

Soval nodded, "He aided me several times. He was a more than competent engineer, and officer."

She turned away from him staring down at the hole, "Yes." she said blankly.

Soval got another step closer, "I grieve with thee, Sarah Blanc." he began, "If there is anything I can do, please contact me." he handed her a small card with his contact information.

She didn't move to take it but still staring down at the casket she pushed back the veil that had covered her face, "If you know anyone who is hiring, I'm looking for some place to work."

Soval's eyebrows rose, it was such an odd request, and he could not fathom why she asked. The only thing he could think was that somehow she'd been made destitute by the sudden passing, but it was too deeply personal to ask. "There is an opportunity, Mrs. Blanc, but it's a somewhat humble job for a woman of your age and ranking in this society."

Sarah turned to him, pulling her cloak tighter around her body, "I have no ranking in society, Ambassador. As for my age, in spite of the white hair," she motioned toward the single strand of white that ran through the temple area of her black hair, "I'm as fit as a woman half my age, with twice the determination." she began walking out of the cemetery toward her waiting flitter.

Soval took a double step to catch up with her, "If you wish, you can be on a job on Vulcan in two weeks."

Sarah paused, "Done. Tell me where and when and I'm there."

He held out his card to her, "I will schedule you on the next transport to Vulcan, you will be given the details then. The next Vulcan transport arrives Monday."

She looked down at his card, and then back up at him, "Thank you, Sir. You'll never know how much this means to me." She nodded once and then vanished behind the thick black door of the funeral flitter. It was then, in the comfort of solitude that she began to weep uncontrollably, and she wept all the way home.

Soval stood watching the flitter leave, perplexed at the stoic resolve of a woman clearly in pain, she was not vulcan, it was unexpected. The more curious thing was that she seemed like someone in a state of desperation, who questioned her own survival, so much so she'd take a job she knew nothing about, and go to a planet where she had no support or ties.

Getting into his own flitter he tapped on his padd doing some research, what he discovered, through secret means, shocked him. She'd spent the last of her money on securing her son's futures, where the rest of the money went seemed to have to do with her late husband, Roger. He didn't press for further information, he didn't need to. Sarah was an honorable woman to see to the education of her children at her own expense, he would do his best to secure as good a position as he could.

Kov approached his father's funeral litter slowly. He was the only person there, he'd timed that on purpose as the rest of his family did not approve of his emotional experimentation. He looked frailer than when he last saw him, but then when he last saw his father he was in good health and ordering Kov out of the house for his rejection of the path of logic.

He knelt beside the litter, placing his hand on the body wrappings holding the corpse in place and began weeping openly. There was so much regret in his heart that it threatened to tear him to pieces. All Kov had wanted was to try something different. All he had wanted was freedom from the repressed society, and in the inward repression of his emotions. In the end now, all he wanted was a few more moments with his father, to embarrass him by telling him he loved him more than anything.

He felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, and he looked up wiping the blur of tears from his eyes, he saw his uncle Kuvak. He sniffed and scrambled to his feet, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'll leave...I just wanted to pay my respects."

Kuvak gave Kov a sad, understanding, look, "Be still, my nephew." He said softly, "I'm not here to chase you off. My brother would have been most disagreeable to the thought that his only brother would not allow his son to pay his respects." He blinked.

"H-how would you know that?" Kov sniffed, "My father threw me out of the family, I would think he'd help you if he were alive."

Kuvak shook his head, and pointed to his temple, "Because I carry my brother's katra, until after the funeral is complete. He regretted his actions, Kov, and wished he had allowed you to stay." Kuvak paused, not knowing fully if it was his idea, or the desire of his brother's Katra, "Stay with me, Kov, stay on vulcan with me. My sons are gone now, they have lives of their own. My own career as Minister is over. I have done all that I have ever set out to do, and yet there is emptiness in my home. Come home, Kov, and let us explore the path together as uncle and nephew, I think this would please your father, and it would please me."

Kov shifted, "You won't force me to take the path of Surak?"

"If you do not force me to take the path of emotion." Kuvak said almost sadly.

Kov hugged Kuvak with one swift move, squeezing him tight as he wept against the elder vulcan's chest, "Does my father forgive me?" he whimpered.

Kuvak placed a gentle hand on Kov's back, "Yes, and he hopes you have forgiven him."

Sarah had spent the weekend cleaning and packing the house, putting most of her belongings in storage, giving away some, and selling others. She'd contacted the realtor to get the house put up for sale, that would at least give her a small sum to use as a back up if this job on Vulcan didn't pan out.

Trevor was instantly angry at her for selling the house, citing to her that dad wouldn't want her to sell. Tom was angry, but more subdued, trying to rationalize that she was too emotional and should wait at least a year before doing something so drastic.

Sarah stayed silent, and did not tell either young man why she did what she did. Their father was a hero to them, and she'd not utter a word against their dad to mar his image. It was easier for her to let them be angry with her. That they'd get over, that they still had time to mend, but if she broke their hearts about the secret their father kept, they could never take the time to mend that relationship. What was done, was done.

Instead she tried to get them just to calm down and help her. They were too lost in their own grief to hear here, and both of them left on Saturday after telling her she didn't want anything from their father but money. After they left, Sarak retreated into her room and cried for the rest of the night.

When morning came she realized she could not eat tears, nor could she change what was going on. One day, they might understand with some story they'd tell in their heads, or they'd hate her for as long as they lived. Either way, they'd have the best education and chance at life she could offer, and that was worth it all.

On Monday, bright and early, she walked out of the grand house she'd lived in for almost fifteen years for the last time. She carried with her two packs of clothing, and a bag of small mementos from her life. It was odd to her, because when she got married she had nearly the same amount of things she was leaving with, only then she felt like she had a lot, and now she felt she had so little. Time really changed her, more than she realized until just then.

The ambassador's flitter pulled up outside her house and an aid opened the door. Sarah looked inside with a frown. "I didn't expect you to pick me up, personally."

"The shuttle pad is on my way, and I wanted to give you the job specifications myself." Soval said motioning for her to get inside.

She did, and the aid placed her bags in storage. Sarah took the pad with one hand and ran her fingers through her black hair with the other, "Head housemaid?" she asked, looking at Soval.

Soval expected her to reject it from there, especially since the home she was leaving indicated a much more lavish lifestyle than a person who was a housemaid might have. "Yes, the pay is rated on performance, but it starts generously."

She saw the payment line and nodded, "That's fine, do I pay for room and board or is that included?"

"You may do either. If you live on the estate it's provided, but if you choose to live in the nearby city you must pay for your own lodgings." Soval said watching her reaction.

Sarah simply nodded, thinking that at first she'd live on the estate to save up some money, depending on how things were, she could stay there or later get her own place. "That's fine." she said nodding, "Who will I be working for?" she asked handing the padd back to him.

"You may have seen him on the Earth news feed. The recently retired Minister of the High Command, Minister Kuvak. His older brother just died, leaving his part of the clan the family estate. He doesn't have enough domestic staff to run the estate, and has requested humans, in a cultural exchange. He speaks your language, as does most of his family, but you'll be given vulcan language lessons and I have included a dossier on vulcan customs for your to familiarize yourself with." He paused, "Do you have any questions?"

"No, Sir. You have been most generous, thank you so much." She didn't look at him, couldn't look at him for fear of crying for all the grief and gratitude she felt, "I owe you a great deal, you just don't know."

Soval did know, at least some of the story, though he wasn't going to bring it up. "You look tired."

"Fatigued, yes. Grief is hard work, as is packing up a life." She said only glancing at him with a small sad smile.

"It will take three days to get to Vulcan, I'd advise you to to rest. The outgoing head housemaid, Skol, will meet you at the pad and take you to Kuvak's estate, he will brief you on the daily operations."

Looking out the window she tried to memorize the scenery, she didn't know when or even if she'd be able to return to Earth, and she didn't want the gentle blues and greens to fade too quickly from her mind, "Understood, Sir. I'll work very hard, as this is an incredible honor."

Soval fell silent, observing the quiet reserve of the woman before him. Her eyes were slightly swollen, and there was an ashen look to her skin. He'd seen this a few times in his time on earth, and he'd grown to admire people like her, whose quiet resolve handled the most devastating emotions with a beautiful grace he knew that he himself would not possess if faced with the same. No, he knew himself well, and if his emotions were not in check, and he was placed in her same circumstance he knew well the savagery and pain that would follow in his wake.

He allowed her to ride the rest of the way in the dignity of silence, raising the ta'al to her as she exited to go to the shuttle, "Peace and long life, Sarah Blanc, if you require anything else please contact me."

She nodded once and turned to face the vulcan shuttle. Sarah wouldn't look back, she couldn't, she had to face the reality of the future.