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His Mother's Son
From the time Spock was first born, Sarek had heard the same thing from everyone who knew them. It did not matter if the speaker was Terran or Vulcan. The phrasing might vary a little, but it all boiled down to the same thing. You could definitely tell who the boy's father was. There did not appear to be much of his human mother in him, except for the eyes. The eyes were all Amanda Grayson.
As Sarek knew, outward appearances can be deceiving.
The first time he noticed his son's resemblance to wife occurred when Spock was 15 months old. He was standing in the family room of their home on Vulcan, singing and dancing to an old Terran rock song. To protect his Vulcan dignity, Sarek had feigned shock and disapproval. Secretly he had been amused at his son's actions, so like Amanda's. Even now, the memory cheered him.
When Spock was three years old, the family had gone on a tedious diplomatic mission. They traveled to Joria on a high-velocity Vulcan ship, but it was called away for a rescue. The return trip was via a slower Federation starship. Sarek witnessed his son in action. The boy had his mother's charm and wit, practically taking over the ship, "wrapping the crew around his little finger." And he supposed, this is where his son's love of space and exploration had begun. For two years after that, Spock drew pictures of starships, read books about them, and even once talked his father into a visit to Starfleet Academy.
Sarek had taken this as a rejection of his Vulcan heritage, so he became very strict with his son insisting that the Vulcan way was the only way that would be tolerated in their home. Sometimes, he was ashamed to admit, he had even closed his eyes to the prejudice and brutality Spock had faced daily on his home world. All Vulcans were not bigots, but it was unfortunately true of many of those in power. They considered their xenophobia as merely the protection of their race and culture.
Sarek had once falsely believed that if Spock could prove himself worthy, all of Vulcan would treat his son with the respect he deserved. It was not so. Spock excelled in everything he put his mind or body to. It was all to no avail however, for his dual heritage was regarded as a "disadvantage".
Sarek felt anger and betrayal when Spock rejected his acceptance to the Vulcan Science Academy. He did not eject his child from his home, nor did he formally disown him. Sarek simply stopped speaking to his son. He made his disapproval clear.
It was not until sometime later that he realized that he also felt a certain sense of pride. Spock would make his way in a place where he would be evaluated on his own merits. Spock knew this would never happen at the VSA. He was not "cutting off his nose to spite his face."
Her son had inherited much from Amanda, her love of learning, language, and music. Amanda had left her home, fell in love with a man from another world, another species, making his home her own. Spock had her curiosity about the alien, the different. And in those rare moments when Sarek was being truly honest with himself, he realized his own curiosity for the new and the different had drawn him to Amanda in the first place.
TBC