Nyota never really thought of herself as a cat person-until she found herself being adopted by a sweet tabby stray that liked to perch on her porch railing and stare longingly through the window at her.
"Oh, no you don't, kitty," she sighed, after the sixth day in a row of this. "You are not going to woo me into falling under your spell. I don't have time for pets. What would you ever do all day when I'm at work?"
The cat cocked its head at her, big yellow green eyes looking imploringly.
"Nope, don't you try that with me, cat. I'm not falling for that."
She really didn't have much of a choice in the matter. Once a cat picks you, you're theirs for life, apparently, and should be grateful that they've honored you, a lowly human, with their regal favor.
It wasn't long before Nyota found herself buying cat food and treats and researching the needs and habits of the feline species. She even went so far as to name the cat Macey, once she had established that it was indeed a female. Macey turned out to be more of a porch cat than a house cat, not liking being cooped up inside during the day.
Her neighbor, a reclusive man named Spock, also owned a cat-a very pampered black tom that wore a luxurious collar and was only let out exactly five minutes, twice a day. (Nyota had timed it and found Spock never wavered in calling the cat in at exactly the five minute mark).
As she found out later, five minutes was apparently enough time for a determined (and unfixed) tom to seal the deal with his lady love.
Macey surprised her human one evening with a litter of three kittens in her special porch cushion.
"Mrowwwl!" She said, looking almost proud of herself as Nyota gaped in shock.
"Macey! This is a surprise," she managed. "How did I miss you being pregnant?"
Feeling foolish for not having checked to see if Macey had been fixed or not, She noticed all three of the tiny, squirming kittens were an inky black color, just like the neighbor's cat. After she'd made up a cozy box for Macey to snuggle in with her babies, she decided to have a talk with the mysterious Spock. Marching into his porch, she took a deep breath and rang the doorbell.
Almost immediately, footsteps could be heard approaching and the door opened to reveal Spock, a very tall, dark haired man with the distinctive bowl cut and pointed ears of a Vulcan.
Oh, she thought, gulping a bit before plastering on a friendly smile.
"Hi, I'm your neighbor, Nyota Uhura, and I have a quick question about your cat.
"Greetings," Spock said. "I will willingly answer your inquiries concerning Midnight. Has he been misbehaving or caused trouble?"
"Not exactly," she hedged, trying not to stare. He was younger than she'd imagined and very good looking in the orderly Vulcan way.
"You see, I have a stray that kind of settled down with me and she had a litter of three black kittens last night. Is Midnight...um...intact?" Her face heated up with embarrassment just asking.
"If you are asking whether he is neutered, I must answer in the negative," Spock replied. "Do you believe he fathered your feline's litter?"
"Given that he's the only black tom in this neighborhood, I did reach that conclusion." She told him, with a weak smile.
Spock's slanted eyebrows drew close together as he pondered.
"It would seem unlikely, given how little he goes out, but the evidence shows otherwise. May I perhaps view these kittens?"
"Oh, sure," Nyota replied. "They're really tiny and adorable. I made up a box for them on my sunporch."
"Very well. I shall get footwear and accompany you shortly."
He disappeared into the house for a moment and Nyota tried to use the time to collect herself. She would NOT act like a teenage girl, she would NOT! But wow, it had been a long time since she'd felt attraction like this and it was tough to tamp down.
Spock returned very promptly and she walked with him the short distance to her small house. Up until three months ago, she'd had a roommate, but Carol had married a Navy captain and moved away. Affording the rent by herself had required a tightening of budget and working extra hours, but so far she was getting by. It was so much nicer than the cramped apartment she'd had previously.
"Here they are," she said fondly, pointing him to the box. "That's Macey and her babies."
Macey was on her side nursing the three tiny kittens. She saw Nyota and gave a mewl of recognition, paws kneading back and forth in contentment as her three black offspring suckled.
Spock's dark eyes softened as he looked from a respectful distance.
"It appears your suspicions are correct, Ms. Uhura. Those young felines are Midnight's offspring. I will make an appointment to take him to a veterinarian as soon as possible to prevent more such occurrences and am willing to provide financial aid to provide for their care if you wish."
"You don't have to pay me anything, Spock," she assured him. "I'll find good homes for them as soon as they're old enough."
"It was my own negligence that resulted in this," he began.
"And mine," she added firmly. "I could have prevented all this easily."
She laughed a tad hysterically and Spock's eyebrow rose.
"The good thing is, this is going to make sure I'm more social with my neighbor. Would you like to discuss our kitty caring arrangements over a cup of tea?"
"That sounds very agreeable, Ms. Uhura," Spock replied. "I regret I have not taken the time to meet you earlier. These kittens have provided an excellent opportunity to rectify that."
She smiled at him. "Okay, then, I'll put the kettle on. When you're ready to tear your eyes away from all that cuteness, come on in."
Turned out, The kittens weren't the only thing Spock would have a hard time tearing his eyes away from.