Character/Pairing: Spock/Uhura
Rating: K+
Summary: Spock begins his courtship of Uhura, but she still has worries.
Warning: UST.
A/N: So- I will try to write about every date. Maybe about six per chapter. Some will be more in detail than others. lol Takes place after Krismasi Busu. Next story: Ashayam
Later that night, Nyota lay in her bed, still thinking of Spock's Christmas kiss. What a gift that had been, an utterly delightful surprise. But now she was having a hard time falling asleep. She could still feel his kiss and body pressed against hers, and while she was still aroused by that kiss, that was not what was keeping her up.
Spock was still her CO, and even if he were a Vulcan, he was still male. And she'd certainly seen her fair share of romances fail because of the power imbalance in such relationships, or worse, a career, or two, ruined. She didn't want to be a statistic despite Spock's good intentions towards her.
She sighed and closed her eyes, then opened them again, resigned to being wide awake. Frustrated, she got out of bed and made some tea, sitting at her desk. Sipping the hot, fragrant liquid hadn't quelled the nagging thoughts in her head. And spurred on by them, she impulsively called Spock, biting her lower lip with worry as she waited for him to answer his comm unit.
Before she could wibble and disconnect the call, he answered, though audio only, 'Yes, Uhura? Is there an emergency?'
She squeezed her eyes shut, 'No! No...I'm sorry, Spock, for disturbing you so late...I....' Nyota took a deep breath, when had it become so hard to talk to him? 'I just had some concerns about your....' Proposal? Proposition? 'Your...future plan,' she finished lamely.
'Ah.'
Ah? That was all he could say? He was the reason she couldn't sleep! Frustration snapped her out of her timid state. 'Yes, Mr. Spock,' she said crisply. 'Your plans to--as you said, woo me.'
'Of course. Do you have any questions?' he asked.
She tried not to associate his tone with the impersonal query of a polite, though disinterested, customer service representative.
'Spock. Look, I really appreciate what you did tonight. That was probably the most romantic and unexpected thing that's ever happened to me. And I'll remember it for the rest of my life. But I have some serious misgivings about what you want us to do. People's careers have been totally ruined, for less even, because some affair ended badly--' She waved her hand as she talked, nervously running her words together.
'I am not seeking a short-term affair, Nyota.'
'Well...ok.' She'd figured as much, but that wasn't what really concerned her. 'Ok then, I realize that your intentions are good and all. But you know that the road to hell-'
'Is paved with good intentions. Yes, I understand.'
Bright light from her comm unit suddenly flooded the small quarters and she sat up, conscious now of the thin cotton t-shirt she wore to bed. She folded her arms over her chest, her nipples hardening in arousal as she was reminded of the heat of his gaze on her body earlier that night.
Spock's face filled her viewscreen and his head canted to one side as he silently observed her for a moment, 'You are worried that I will ruin your career.'
She huffed out a sigh in relief, thankful that Spock wasn't going to be dense about it. 'Yeah, I am. I've worked hard to get here. Well...I know you know that already Spock, seeing as how you accepted my professor's recommendation of me....but-'
'Nyota, I apologize that this is so unusually awkward for you. However, I have already assessed all potential ramifications of this relationship on your position in Starfleet and on the Enterprise. I have taken precautions.'
'What? Really?' Her computer inbox started binging. He had sent her something.
'Please read this carefully, Nyota. I believe you will find I have addressed your concerns.' He raised an eyebrow as she stared at him.
Realizing that he was waiting for her to read his message, she opened it and found that he had, in true Spock-ian fashion, clearly rendered...some kind of contract. She quickly scanned the document, reading the parameters for dating, the time period it would cover and, most importantly, his assumption of all responsibility for pursuing a romantic relationship with her.
She frowned, 'Um. You don't want me to actually sign this do you?'
Spock's eyes crinkled at the corners, just for a moment, 'No. Unless you wish to of course.' He watched her as she continued reading. 'But perhaps you wish to, as they say, sleep on it.'
Nyota looked into his eyes, 'I don't know what to say Spock.'
'Considering that this is new information, perhaps it is best that you do not answer right away. I shall be here tomorrow after all, and for the duration of the voyage.'
She raised her eyebrows at that, Spock often surprised her with his very dry sense of humor. 'I'm sorry I'm making such a fuss, Spock. This isn't really how a romance should be.'
'Nyota, do not apologize. The risk to you professionally is greater and not to be taken lightly.' He paused for a moment and then sat back in his chair, revealing a tantalizing portion of his neck and naked shoulders.
She idly wondered if he slept in the buff, 'Thanks, Spock. I do appreciate it.'
He nodded once, 'Please take as much time as you need to consider what I have sent to you. Nyota...I trust you implicitly. You are an exceptional officer and have been....a good friend. Indeed, that has been one of the criteria in my selection of you. While this trial period is meant to measure our compatibility for each other, this is more about proving to you my suitability as a bondmate.'
Nyota swallowed hard and tried not to read too much into that statement. He sounded like he'd already made up his mind and she suddenly felt pressure to not break his Vulcan heart. She smiled wanly, 'So, thirty dates and if all fails, no harm no foul.'
'Crudely succinct, but correct.'
'Even if I break your Vulcan heart?' She smiled slowly at him.
His eyebrows rose, 'You can not break a Vulcan heart, Nyota.'
She laughed, 'Ok then. Thank you for talking me through this.' She sighed, 'Well, I guess I should try to get some sleep now.'
'Yes, please try. And Nyota-'
'Yes?'
'You may call me at any time should you wish to discuss something that is bothering you.' His dark eyes searched hers, 'As my mother would say, 'Talking it out is often the cure for a restless mind'. A human solution, but effective nonetheless.'
She smiled at that, 'Thank you, Spock. I'll keep that in mind. Good night.'
'Good night, Nyota.'
The next morning, Nyota saw him as he entered the bridge. He gave her the barest of nods and continued to his station. She sighed and continued working on a side project analyzing a new subspace frequency to be used for encryption. She had finally slept last night, but she was still groggy. The morning's coffee had still not cleared her mind of cobwebs.
It wasn't until she took her break where she could go back and read his proposal again, but this time more thoroughly. He had asked for and promised discretion during their trial period. Spock had also listed thirty activities, grouped under general categories, for them to do. She wondered how on earth he arrived at such a list and at thirty! She knew of affairs that didn't last three dates let alone thirty.
Some dates were pretty standard and specific, like having a meal together, or enjoying a musical performance. Others were vague and seemed to stress a particular element that Spock wanted to evaluate, like communication or teamwork. She shook her head. Leave it to the Vulcan to suck all the spontaneity out of dating. But she figured he needed this, both for his own decision-making and to alleviate her concerns.
She tapped out a message to Spock on her padd: Hey Spock, just finished reading your contract again and I agree. But let's not follow your date list too closely. I'd like to see what comes up naturally for us. She hit 'send'.
Unsurprisingly, her inbox binged not three seconds later. Damn, he was fast. As you wish. If you are available tonight, I would like to meet you on the observation deck. Would 6:30 be convenient for you?
Nyota smiled, when Spock wanted something he sure didn't let the grass grow under his feet. Sounds good. I'll see you then. Now she just needed to figure out what to wear.
A/N: I was going to write out Spock's list of 30 dates, but I didn't want to commit to that. lol