I do not own Star Trek, I don't make any money, but I'll accept truffles!
French Chocolates By The Fireplace
Sarek had given them five thousand credits to spend on their honeymoon. They would only be in Paris for three days and four nights. Nyota told Spock they should live it up a little. Spock thought that they should be frugal and not spend it all at once. A "discussion" ensued, with the usual result. Spock caved, as he always did in any situation that did not violate his morals or sense of duty.
There were those among his friends, mostly Jim and Bones, who would called the Vulcan "whipped". Spock would never admit to such a thing. He had chosen a human bond-mate and life in a mostly human culture. He also chose to have domestic tranquility whenever possible. And truth be told, Nyota always found a way to "compensate" him for any concessions he made.
They had arrived in Paris in the late afternoon on the day after Christmas, having survived a multi-cultural wedding and reception at Nyota's parents' home in Kenya. Spock had booked a quaint hotel on the Rive Gauche in the Latin Quarter, at the recommendation of a former student, Henri Bouchard, whose parents owned it. Henri told his parents that the young newlyweds were Starfleet heroes who had helped save the planet from Nero. The Bouchards felt honored to have such guests and did everything possible to make them feel welcome.
The first night, the young couple dined in an exquisite vegetarian restaurant, dressed in their very finest. This was followed by a visit to Palais Garnier, the Paris Opera House, which had recently undergone another renovation. Spock found the building to be somewhat illogical in its ostentatious construction and lavish use of expensive resources. Nyota thought it beautiful. They enjoyed a magnificent performance of Verdi's Don Carlos, a five-act Grande Opera.
When the couple returned to their hotel room, they found chocolate mousse and iced champagne waiting for them. Someone had lit a fire in the old-fashioned fireplace. Despite layers of warm clothing, Spock had gotten chilled to the bone. The evening had grown quite cold and the rain they had run through had been nearly freezing. Nyota grabbed blankets and pillows from the bed and set them on the floor near the fireplace. She persuaded her beloved to lie down next to her as they partook of the champagne and mousse. Soon Spock was feeling warm enough to dispense with first the blankets and then his clothes. He must have thought Nyota too warm, for he relieved her of her clothing also. They kept each other warm long after the fire died down.
Sometime during the night, Spock must have picked Nyota up off the floor and moved both of them to the luxurious bed. Nyota got up briefly for a bathroom run and then hurried back to bed and her nice warm Vulcan. Neither of them really relished the idea of getting up and going in search of breakfast. They had just about resigned themselves to such a fate when there came at knock at their door.
"One moment, please."
Spock rose quickly and threw on his pajama bottoms. He threw the top to Nyota. He answered the door, finding Monsieur and Madame Bouchard themselves with a room service cart laden with food.
"Bonjour, mes enfants. We have breakfast for you. Croissants, cheese, fruit, and tea. If the young monsieur would return to his bed, we can serve you both."
Spock quickly returned to the bed, which had not yet grown cold in his absence.
Madame Bouchard gave Nyota a wink and a thumbs up. Spock didn't look too bad shirtless.
"Ah, Maurice, how adorable they are. They share everything, even the pajamas. Now, tell us what you would like, and we will serve it for you."
Plates were made up for the newlyweds and served on footed bed trays. They each got a cup of tea.
"Come, Louise. Let us leave the young lovers alone. Au revoir, mes enfants. Mangez bien."
"Merci. Merci beaucoup. Spock, I could get used to this."
"You would be weary of it in a week, beloved."
It was even more difficult to rouse themselves out of that lovely bed now, but they had a full day planned at the Louvre Museum. They dressed in layers and hurried off to their destination.
Spock and Nyota spent two hours with the Old Masters. Spock especially appreciated the realistic style of Rembrandt and Vermeer, while Nyota preferred works from the Baroque period. They both greatly enjoyed Da Vinci.
The collection of Modern African Artists held a surprise for them An ancestor of Nyota's, one Azizi Uhura, figured prominently. His style was very minimal, but he used color profusely. There were aspects of his work that both of the newlyweds could appreciate. They purchased his biography at the museum gift shop, an actual hard-bound paper book. It contained photographs of many of his works.
They grabbed a quick bite at one of the museum's cafes. Then they were off to see a very special exhibit. One that would be leaving the planet forever, returning to the people who had cherished it, but no longer lived on the world of their birth.
There were over twelve hundred items in the Vulcan Antiquities Exhibit. Construction had recently begun on the New Vulcan Cultural Institute. The complex would house both an institution of higher learning and a museum.
Spock knew the names and histories of all these items. He quietly pointed them out to Nyota and described their functions.
Soon a woman with two small children approached the couple.
"I am sorry to bother you, Monsieur, but you have such knowledge. I wonder, would it be possible for my children and I to follow you and Madame through the exhibition?"
"I would have no objection to this."
Spock and Nyota continued on the way. Spock spoke a little more loudly and walked a little more slowly. People must have thought it was a museum-sanctioned tour, because they were soon joined by a dozen more patrons. When they had completed their walk through the exhibit, Spock received a round of applause.
"Bravo, monsieur! Bravo!"
"Thank you."
Spock's ears and cheeks turned a brilliant green. He sat down on a bench and Nyota squeezed his hand.
"Spock, you handled that very well."
A little girl walked up to him and examined him curiously, then seemed to recognize him.
"Monsieur, you are Commander Spock, no?"
"Yes, I am Spock."
"I am so sorry for what happened to your planet, and I wish to thank you for helping to save mine. Thank you."
She gave Spock a quick and unexpected hug. Spock felt the child's sincerity. In the few years since the Narada Incident, Kirk, Spock, and the whole Enterprise crew had received many thank yous, medals, and commendations for the service they had rendered. But for Spock, this one from a small child was the most meaningful and touching.
"You are most welcome."
They had to hurry to make their next destination on time. Admiral Pike had given them a dinner cruise on the Seine as a wedding present. Spock and Nyota got a cab from the Louvre to the Eiffel Tower, where the cruise began.
For two hours, while they ate a splendid meal, they received a guided tour of various sights along both banks of the Seine. Live musicians played chamber music, but would stop whenever the small cruise boat came to an attraction. Then a tour guide would describe for them what they were seeing in great detail. As they left the Eiffel Tower, they passed under the Pont de l'Alma, an arched bridge built to commemorate a victorious battle during the Crimean War. The next bridge, Pont de Alexandre III was very ornate. It was named for Czar Alexander III and its cornerstone laid by his son Nicholas II.
The Musee d'Orsay, a museum dedicated to the works of French artists, was originally a train station. The French government converted it to an art museum in 1977.
The Musee du Louvre, where the couple had passed the day, started its life as a fortress in the twelfth century. It then became a palace, the residence for French kings, until 1672, when Louis XIV chose to move his household to Versailles.
The Pont des Arts, a pedestrian bridge, connected the Louvre to the Insitut de France, home to the Academie Francaise. The Pont Neuf, the oldest standing bridge across the Seine, was completed in 1607, under the reign of Henry IV, whose statue is on the bridge. It also spans the Ile de la Cite, an island in the Seine, inhabited since Roman times.
The Conciergerie, located on the Ile de la Cite, was first a palace and then a prison, the last stop before the guillotine during the French Revolution. The Cathedral Notre Dame de Paris, also located on the Ile. Construction of the Gothic style Cathedral began in 1160, but was not completed for nearly two hundred years.
The Ile Saint Louis, a small island close to Notre Dame, was likened by by the tour guide to a small French village someone might have dropped into the middle of Paris. She told of its many romantic cafes and quaint boutiques with unique souvenirs.
Nyota got very excited at this. Spock could feel it through their bond.
Oh, please, beloved. That sounds like so much fun!
Very well, but let us try to exercise some restraint.
Nyota sighed. Only a Vulcan could think of restraint in such a romantic setting.
The little boat crossed under Pont de Bercy, an arched bridge. The tour ended a few moments later, and the couple disembarked, taking a cab back to their hotel, which was a short distance away. Again, they had to run from the taxi to the hotel in freezing rain.
Someone had lit the fire for them again. However, instead of iced champagne, they found brandy and cerisettes, cherries soaked in cherry liqueur and then dipped in chocolate. The newlyweds removed their damp clothing and settled down on blankets near the fire, as they had done the previous night. When Spock placed one of the candies in his mouth, Nyota stole it from him with a kiss. Thinking it only fair, he stole one from her in the same fashion. Hiding the chocolate and stealing it quickly became a game, a rather adult game. Some of the hiding places were rather challenging.
The game ended with a bubble bath, to remove the last traces of chocolate and cherry liqueur. Then it was off to the lovely bed with its lavender scented sheets, an aroma intended to entice one to sleep.
They did sleep eventually, to be awakened again by a knock on the door. This time Nyota rose and put on her robe, tossing her husband a t-shirt. She opened the door with a smile.
"Bonjour."
"Bonjour, Madame. How are we this fine morning?"
"We are fine, Monsieur and Madame Bouchard. Please come in."
"Merci. Perhaps Madame would return to the bed so that she might enjoy breakfast with Monsieur."
Nyota did as requested.
"This morning we have palmiers, yogurt, strawberries and tea."
"Madame Bouchard, you are going to spoil us rotten. We'll never want to leave."
"That is the idea, mes enfants. Then you will return to us the next time you come to Paris, perhaps for your anniversary."
When the couple was finally able to convince themselves to leave their comfy room and brave the cold December air, it was catch public transportation and spend the remainder of the morning at the Institut de France. There they spent the morning with Professor Robert Le Brun, a member of the Academie Francaise.
He was very interested in the interactive language teaching method Spock had developed. One of the goals of the Academie Francaise was to preserve the integrity of the French language. Le Brun felt that the best way to do this was to make sure that people learned it properly in the first place. They conversed on the subject for some time in French. The old professor was most impressed with how well Spock spoke it, considering he was not Terran-born. Vulcans generally had a more difficult time learning French because of all the unpronounced letters. There must be some validity to the young man's teaching methods.
All too soon, Le Brun had to excuse himself to give a lecture. Spock and Nyota found a small cafe nearby and had an excellent lunch of soup and croissants. Spock made sure to eat a filling lunch, as he would need his strength for carrying all of Nyota's packages.
After lunch, Spock and Nyota made their way to the shopping district near the Place De La Concorde. While en route, they passed by the offices of the President of the United Federation Of Planets. Spock had visited this several times as a child in the company of his parents. Nyota had never seen the impressive building before, nor the satellite Vulcan Embassy. Spock was able to point out to her the window of the room where he had slept many times as a child.
"It is a very interesting building, beloved. Perhaps we could manage a tour."
"Oh, I don't think so. You're not getting out of shopping that easily."
"It was worth a try."
Spock was start to chafe at the idea of spending the whole afternoon shopping. Nyota had already purchased a pair of shoes and some underwear.
"Nyota, was it really necessary to purchase twelve pairs of panties?"
"I wouldn't need so many if a certain someone didn't shred them in his impatience! I must wear underwear in order to comply with uniform regulations."
"You do make a good point. However, I do recall another certain someone saying that she found it quite arousing to have her panties removed in that fashion."
"Yes, I did say that. Maybe twelve pairs is not enough. I should really get some more."
Spock sighed. Perhaps he should not have commented at all.
They had stopped at another cafe for a cup of hot tea. That was when Nyota spied the window display across the street. It was a men's clothing store and the mannequin was wearing a very form-fitting pair of black jeans with embroidered pockets. The mannequin had the same slender build as her husband.
Nyota smiled at Spock and then at the window, then back again. Through their bond, she sent him an image of a fantasy involving himself and that pair of jeans.
They quickly finished their tea and made their to the boutique.
"I am very sorry, Madame, but the only pair we have left are the ones in the window. I was about to remove them. Monsieur is quite slender, but it may be a disappointment. But of course, you must try them."
They were even the perfect length, no alterations were necessary. When Spock stepped out of the dressing room to model the jeans for Nyota, the two middle-aged sales ladies were fanning themselves
"I think we'll take those."
"Madame, it would be a crime against nature not to, given Monsieur's natural "assets."
When the couple had left the shop, the ladies were still fanning themselves.
"Marguerite, it is suddenly quite warm for December."
"Oui, Monique. Quite warm."
Spock managed to haul all their purchases back to the hotel. The bags were really not all that heavy, even with three dozen pairs of panties. The couple freshened up and got ready for their night on the town.
Nyota was a vision in a gold knee-length dress. Spock wore his new jeans and a black pullover sweater over a blue turtleneck. They had dinner in a quiet bistro near the hotel. Spock fortified himself again. Nyota's fantasy of the afternoon had involved dancing in a nightclub.
It was a foregone conclusion that Spock and Nyota attracted attention whenever they went out in public. They were a very attractive young people and together made a very handsome young couple. Though the galaxy was a somewhat different place than when Spock's parents had met and married over thirty years ago, it had not changed enough for most humans to accept an inter-species couple.
Spock and Nyota had become accustomed to crude and bigoted comments. Spock had even learned to deal with the occasional male, Human or otherwise who might think himself capable of stealing Nyota away. However, neither of them were prepared for Phaelen, the Deltan Ambassador to Terra.