Spock was on his way back to his quarters to grade the last of the midterm papers he'd collected from his class two weeks before. Upon crossing paths with another student, he stopped in his crisp walk to discuss the student's question. His student thanked him and left, as Spock took a step to continue to his rooms, he heard several girls burst out in laughter. He glanced over and recognized two of five girls from one of his classes. He was about to approach these girls to ask how their research for their final projects was coming along. If they had time to sit around and laugh, surely they must be well under way. He quietly approached but stopped abruptly when he heard what had them laughing. "I mean honestly, he's attractive, but how can Lucinda even think of Commander Spock as 'sexy'?" one girl giggled and clawed at the air. Spock tilted his head; he knew the motion but had to sift through his memory to recall that it was a 21st century motion to indicate quotations around a word in a spoken sentence.

"I don't know, but she does." Another girl spoke up, her name was Uhura. She'd sat in on one of Spock's classes last semester; she was a first year cadet. "Last night, she and the commander were talking on their communicators about her latest project. I was ease dropping, I admit it, but every time he said her name, title or not, her shoulders would tense a bit. And you know how when she gets excited about something, she talks with her hands? Well, when she's crushing hard on someone, the hand talking stops completely. She says that she makes a conscience effort to stop it because she thinks it makes her look strange. Her hands didn't move from her lap once."

"Whoa, that is intense. I haven't seen her hands stop moving in months except…" a third girl, her name was Gaila, she'd been in Spock's class with Lucinda this semester, "Except in the commander's class!"

"Oh, she so wants him." A fourth girl smiled.

"Well good luck to her with that one, I don't think I've ever seen a man so in control of his desires. It'd probably be like making love to a robot!" the girls broke into laughter again; Uhura smiled but did not join in on the laughter. Spock inferred that this was because she did not enjoy seeing her friend and roommate laughed at behind her back. If that's the case, perhaps she should not have revealed such intimate information to these girls.

Spock stood there as the girls collected their belongings and dispersed. He was considering the information he'd just gathered. He could feel the human half of him demanding to feel flattered and rejoice that he had such an effect on one of his students. He also knew that if he ignored this, the human half of him would grow more curious. If he fed it now, removed all doubt that Lucinda did or did not feel this way for him, he could file it away under just another fact and move on. His decision made, he changed his course and headed to Lucinda Lucero's dorm. Upon arrival, he knocked on the door and was greeted by Uhura. She looked to be on her way out so he stepped aside and nodded at her, "Ears burning?" she smiled shyly and walked down the hall. Spock watched her curiously then turned back to the room.

"Commander Spock!" Lucinda stood, "To what do I owe the pleasure?" she asked. Spock glanced over her; she wore her red skirt and a loose tank top instead of the uniform jacket that accompanied the skirt. She was obviously staying in for the evening.

"I've just overheard a rather interesting discussion and thought I'd come to you to have it cleared up before continuing with my work for the night." Spock locked his hands behind his back and entered the room.

"By all means." Lucinda motioned for him to make himself comfortable, "Shall I make some tea, Commander?" she asked.

"No, I do not believe it will take much time." Spock did not take a seat but motioned for Lucinda to sit instead. "Cadet Lucero, upon my journey back to my quarters this evening, I overheard a conversation between your roommate and several of your mutual friends concerning yourself." Spock began. "This conversation suggested that you hold more affection for me than a student should for her instructor." He glanced at her, she was sitting extremely rigid and her eyes and grown wide in shock. "As there are only three weeks left of the term before you complete your training with me and may move on to internship on your first space mission, I thought there would be no discomfort for you if I confronted and cleared this matter with you." Spock had taken to pacing. Why was he pacing? He never did unless he had energy to burn or he needed an outlet for human nerves he did not wish to show. "Vulcans do not lie, Cadet Lucero, do me the courtesy of my people and do not lie to me when I ask this question. No judgment will be passed upon you, whatever the answer." Lucinda nodded, "Do you hold a romantic and even sexual attachment to me?"

Lucinda almost had to laugh; Spock could see it in her eyes. He'd often noticed that she held back her laughter when speaking with him, even if he made a remark that was intended to get a reaction out of her. Perhaps he made her feel that she could not show emotion when with him. Lucinda was fighting the urge to laugh now but stood as calmly and as dignified as she could, he just made her feelings for him sound so calculated and cold, almost in human, that Lucinda couldn't help but fight back a laugh. "Commander Spock, the accusations which you have put to me are indeed true. I have often spoken to friends of having romantic feelings for you, and have also confided in Uhura what I imagine a sexual encounter with you would be like." The laughter in her eyes was now fading away to embarrassment. Spock had not intended to cause her embarrassment; he simply had wanted to know if the information had been true. Now he knew, and now he knew why he was pacing: he returned these feelings.

"Well." He said. Lucinda wouldn't even look at him. He'd caused her shame. He took a step towards her and reached a hand out to her, he caught her cheek in his hand. She looked at him now, "I am pleased that you have told me the truth. It has revealed my own feelings to me." Her eyebrows rose, "I too share these feelings." He pressed his forehead to hers and felt her hands tentatively rest on his waist. He tensed at the touch but eventually placed his other hand at her lower back. She tilted her head to offer her lips to him and waited for him to decide whether or not they'd share a kiss. Something in him made Spock lean down and brush his lips against hers lightly. His first kiss, it was true, because he had no logical reason to engage in any of this type of affection with other Vulcans or humans. But if his human heart felt things for this girl, wasn't the next logical step to kiss her? He pulled back and looked into her face, he saw that she wanted more but also saw that she would let him chose the pace at which they took this relationship.

"I will see you in class tomorrow, Cadet Lucero." He breathed. Breathed? He'd never had occasion to let words slip through his lips in such a way before.

"Yes, Commander." Lucinda nodded and dropped her hands from his waist. Spock took one of her hands; he did it instinctively but didn't know what to do once he held it. He settled for a light squeeze then released her and walked out of her dorm.

Over the next three weeks, the relationship between Lucinda and Spock in the classroom and in his office didn't change. It changed in more private areas, such as her dorm room, his personal quarters, dinners, lunches, coffees at various food establishments away from the Starfleet. One day, Spock visited Lucinda's dorm but she did not answer. Instead, Uhura did. "Commander Spock! Lucinda is just in the shower. I can leave the door open so you can let yourself in when she's decent." She offered.

"thank you, Cadet Uhura." Spock stood aside with his hands clasped behind his back.

Uhura closed the door but did not lock it, "I'd say give her about five minutes" she smiled as she walked past him. Spock nodded and waited.

After five minutes, Spock let himself in quietly. He was about to announce his presence when he heard a music box, an old earth form of music which took the form of a jewelry box which held a small device that played music when wound. He noticed Lucinda in a slip that she'd wear under a dress combing out her hair while singing along to the melody the box played. "If the darkness came tomorrow, could I keep you in my mind, where you rise I'd gladly follow, just for the chance, to stand in your light." She swayed and then noticed Spock in her mirror. She spun around, "You startled me." She smiled.

"My apologies." He nodded, "Cadet Uhura left the door open for me and said I could enter in five minutes."

"I bet she did," Lucinda laughed, "She's going into xenolinguistics, you know? She's one of the brightest people I know. I have a feeling she will do even better than I did in your classes over the next few semesters."

"Is that so?" Spock asked.

"Yes, although, she's still finishing up her required classes. You probably won't have the pleasure of her sharp mind in the classroom until next semester has passed." Lucinda finished combing through her hair and moved on to choosing her dress.

"What piece of music is this?" he asked, motioning to the music box.

"It's a song by a man named Alex Day; he was an extremely popular artist in the 21st century. His music is still played once in a while. This song is called 'Good Morning Sunshine.'" Lucinda slipped her dress over her head and turned to see Spock still listening to the music box. She walked over to it and rewound it. "Do you like the song?" she asked.

"It is a pleasing piece of music." Spock nodded.

"Would you like to dance to it?" Lucinda held a hand out. "We can just do a simple box step."

Spock took her hand and let her show him how to move his feet. She sang the song under her breath the entire time. She wound the box a second time and sang along again, "Good morning sunshine," she looked up into the Vulcan's eyes, "I'm glad you're still here. My darling, it's hard when my friends can't be near, until I can be there to show them I'm true, I hope what they're seeing is as bright as you." Lucinda slowly brought one hand to stroke Spock's cheek. She brushed over one of the points that would have allowed her to mind-meld with him had she been Vulcan. He twitched and she withdrew her hand.

The music continued but she did not. Spock wondered at this. He very much appreciated the next set of lyrics and even enjoyed hearing Lucinda sing them. When it became apparent that she was worried she'd angered him, he whispered the lyrics with the little confidence he hand in his knowledge of them, "Good morning sunshine, I wish for your heart," Lucinda met his eyes again, "there is no point pretending that you will not burn out," Spock stroked the hair that hung just over her eyes, "but you are still a symbol to all that you meet, because you will keep on shining, you are extraordinary."

"If the darkness came tomorrow," she whispered.

"Could I keep you in my mind." They were alternating lyrics now.

"Where you rise I'd gladly follow."

"Just for the chance,"

"To stand in your light." She whispered and pressed a soft kiss to his lips.

"A pleasant melody but strange words. Why not state clearly what he means?" Spock whispered into her lips.

"Such as?"

"Rather than his metaphors that may confuse the person listening to the song, why not state 'Good morning, one I love. I desire your affection, there is no point in pretending you will never sadden, but you still bring joy to those you meet, you keep moral high, you are an extraordinary person.'"

Lucinda smiled and chuckled, "I think it would have been too wordy."

Spock quirked an eye brow. Lucinda smiled at that and tugged on his hand, "C'mon, let's go to dinner."

Two weeks later, on the last night of Lucinda's time as a cadet, while Uhura and Gaila went home (they were only first years and had nothing to celebrate other than a few weeks between the terms), Lucinda stayed in the dorms to pack her things away. She'd be going on a five year internship to the Earth's moon to study the rocks and geometric makeup of the satellite. She wouldn't see Spock for five years.

While closing her final suit case, Lucinda heard a knock at her door. She opened it to find Spock standing there. "Spock. I'm glad you came." She smiled. Spock stepped through the door and glanced around her room.

"I see your packing is nearly complete."

"Yes, it's taken nearly all day."

"I don't see how it could have, considering you were in my class from 8:30 this morning until 11:00 for your final, eating with companions from 11 to 1:00 and then taking your combat final from 1:00 to 3:00." Spock still stood with his hands clasped behind his back.

Lucinda smiled and glanced at the clock, it read 11:00 PM. "Well, with all the detail and care I put into it, it felt like it took all day."

Spock walked to her window and looked over the university of Starfleet. "Speak your mind, Spock." Lucinda said.

"I am unsure as to how to word my thoughts." Spock said coolly, "I seem to be experiencing…fear for your safety on this internship." He turned to look at her.

"I am flattered that I could elicit such an emotion from you, Spock. But I promise that you have nothing to fear. This mission is perfectly routine." Lucinda took one of his hands from behind his back and held it in hers.

"Statistics say that any mission of this sort may have various complications…"

Lucinda cut him off, "Statistics are based on chance. Statics say that there is a 17% chance of this going wrong, or a 3% chance of someone getting lost on their way to the moon, it's all chance." She stood on tiptoe and pressed a kiss to his cheek, "the chance of this mission going wrong is 5 in 100, what does the probability tell you?" Spock locked eyes with her, unwilling to verbalize his response. "Spock…say it." She smiled.

"The odds are in your favor of returning to me." He nodded. Lucinda nodded and let a single tear roll down her cheek as she pressed the first desperate kiss she'd ever given Spock to his lips. She did not push for more than that, though she wanted to. She simply wanted him to know that she loved him without having to utter the words. It wasn't until she felt his hands grip tightly to her lower back and between her shoulder blades and felt him lean into the kiss that she knew he loved her too.

They softly lay on the bed and removed each other's cloths. This was Spock's first time and they were ever so careful with each other. Again, Lucinda allowed Spock to set the pace. He pulled back and looked her over. She'd never felt as vulnerable as she did with his calculating gaze sweeping over her bare flesh. She took a moment to look him over as well. She felt her heart rate rise. She saw him calculating what she would want based on her anatomy. She didn't want him to think about this, she touched his cheek and he locked eyes with her, "no thinking, not now." She smiled and guided his mouth to hers and kissed him gently. She felt his body relax a bit and he wrapped his arms under her to hold her close to him.

She brushed a hand through his hair and lightly touched the tip of one point of his ears. He jerked but moaned quietly too. "Can I touch them?" she asked.

"Please." He breathed almost raggedly. Lucinda maneuvered so that his lips would press into her shoulder and she could nibble at his ear. She felt his heart hammering in his chest. When she let her tongue lightly trace the tip of his ear she felt him thrust against her leg. He was moaning much louder now. She smiled and repositioned them so that on his next thrust he'd be inside her.

"Okay, are you ready?" she asked. He jerked his head in a nod. Lucinda returned her attention to his ear and licked the point again. His instinctive thrust buried him inside her. He shouted at the shock of sudden heat. He didn't move for a few minutes. Lucinda loved the feeling of him inside her but she needed him to move desperately. She turned so that she could look in his eyes. "Spock." She breathed, his eyes were shut tightly. "Spock, look at me." He opened his eyes, his pupils blown wide. "Oh god, ok, baby, I need you to move." He moved to remove himself from her. "No. No, like this." She pushed his hips so that he was almost completely gone from her then plunged him back into her. She shouted and heard him sigh in relief. He didn't need her guidance now and took over of his own accord.

"Let your human instincts take over." She whispered. He looked at her and she smiled, "or Vulcan, which ever are more urgent right now."

Spock almost fell apart at her words; she was willing to allow him to do anything he wished so that he'd enjoy this moment. He pressed an urgent kiss to her and slammed into her harder than she thought possible. Lucinda had quite forgotten about how strong he was. She held on for dear life to his shoulders and widened her legs a bit more to accommodate his swift thrusts now. When he broke their kisses she knew he was close, he was finding it difficult to catch his breath. "Keep going, Spock. You're doing splendidly!" she breathed. She'd been fighting off her own release for a while now; she wanted to come with him.

He stilled and for thirty agonizing seconds, he didn't move, Lucinda felt as if everything had slowed down. She was teetering on the edge and felt Spock lean down to her ear, "I will miss you,"

"SPOCK!" she shouted and they flew apart and shattered at the same moment.

They lay together for the next hour, Lucinda's head on his chest, his arm wrapped around her shoulders. "I love you, Spock." She felt him tense, "I don't need to hear you say it back, but I just thought I should tell you before I leave. I feel like I've loved you for a thousand years. That I will love you for the rest of time."

"That would be impossible considering that humans cannot live for such an extended period of time…"

Lucinda cut him off again with a laugh, "It's a metaphor, Spock. It means I feel like I've known you for longer than I have and that I will love you for the rest of my life."

Spock lifted her chin and did the most human thing she'd ever seen him do, he lifted her chin to look into her eyes and actually whispered, "I know." And kissed her, pulling her even closer to him.

It had been several weeks since Lucinda's internship started. Spock would check in on her from time to time. He could get a live transmission of her working on one project or another. More often than not, she was bottling dust and rock samples into small glass tubes. He saw her once in a while making small necklace pendants in various shapes with moon dust and moon stone in them. Her favorite shape had always been the moon, seeing her make glassblown pendants in the shape of a crescent with moon dust was of little surprise to the Vulcan.

New recruits were coming into the Starfleet university now and Spock had just failed a cadet by the name of James T. Kirk on Spock's specially designed test. It was just after this test was finished that Spock was called to the medical bay, Lucinda's mission had gone wrong.

The chances of this mission going wrong are 5 in 100.

Spock, say it.

The odds are in your favor of returning to me.

Spock ran to the medical bay and was directed to Lucinda's room. He arrived and found her with I.V.s taped to her arms, tubes down her throat and a bandage around her head. "How serious is her condition?" Spock asked the nurse.

"We've done what we can, Commander, the rest is up to her." The nurse whispered and left Spock to visit her. She slept for four days. Spock visited her before his classes and after he'd finished for the day. It was on the fifth morning that he sat by her side and felt relief flood through him when she opened her eyes.

"Good morning, Sunshine." She smiled weakly. Spock allowed his tears to fall but allowed none his grief to leak into his voice.

"Lucinda." He breathed and touched her hand.

"Will you do me a favor?" she asked. He nodded. "Bring me my jewelry box. It should be with my belongings from the black box on the ship." He nodded. "And I want you to hold it for me. Keep in in your quarters until I can claim it again." He nodded again.

Lucinda smiled softly and closed her eyes but opened them again when she felt her bed dip and felt Spock's warm breath on her cheek, "I love you." He whispered and kissed her. When his steps faded, Lucinda allowed herself to cry in joy. She cried herself to sleep.

When she woke again, she saw the music box on her bedside table, but no Spock. She refused to let her disappointment take over and, instead, turned to lay on her other side. That's when she saw him stretched out on the couch, fast asleep in the morning sun. She smiled and closed her eyes again.

A single note woke Spock from his sleep. A flat line. He opened his eyes to see the heart monitors on Lucinda's bed had flat lined. He shouted for a doctor who quickly came and tried to revive Lucinda. Spock was hysterical and had to be removed from the medical bay. An hour later, the doctor came to Spock's quarters with Lucinda's music box. "I'm so sorry, Commander Spock. Her injuries were too severe. Her heart gave out. We were able to revive her for a few moments and she asked that this be given to you." The doctor held the music box out for Spock to take. In firm control of his emotions once again, Spock took the box from the doctor. Lucinda's body would be in preparation for burial by now. "The services will be in three days." The doctor informed him and took his leave.

Spock wound the box and opened it. The melody immediately brought back the memories of dancing with Lucinda only eight weeks before. She'd been happy. She'd been laughing. She'd been moaning under him only six weeks ago. He let his tears fall now, in the privacy of his own quarters.

Three months passed, Spock was in his lecture hall preparing for his first day of class with new students. He heard the door opened but did not turn to see who had entered. "Commander Spock?" a woman's voice asked. Spock turned and saw a woman he'd only met briefly over the course of his relationship with Lucinda. "My name is Nyota Uhura. I'll be taking your class this semester."

"A pleasure, Cadet Uhura. I know you will do well in this course." Spock nodded. Uhura nodded back and took her seat in the front row of the class.