I've always said there are two sides to every breakup. For your consideration, T'Pring's side of things.
Note: I used some common Vulcan words I assume most ST fans know. I defined two that I haven't seen used before but found in the Vulcan Language Dictionary.
She really didn't want anyone to be hurt. However, she was unable to find logic in the options available to her. Stonn's suggestions—"I can fight!"—were less than appealing when one considered his opponent was trained in both Vulcan martial arts and Star Fleet hand-to-hand combat.
Facts: She wanted Stonn, and Stonn wanted her. Actually, they'd already had one another.
Fact: If Spock was aware of their connection he gave no evidence of his displeasure.
Fact: She didn't give away her initial shock the first time he bedded females after he essentially abandoned her for Star Fleet Academy.
She had always suspected that his Human half would eventually come out once he spent time with his mother's people. Truthfully, she really didn't resent him for this as much as she did for his just leaving Vulcan with no more than a quick comm to let her know his plans—sent, literally, on his way to the spaceport. He did not ask her opinion much less invite her to join him or even visit. So she muted the bond although she was vaguely aware when he became intimate with other females (and, she was sure, not just Humans).
They hadn't become particularly close even in the immediate aftermath of their koon-ut-la. For one thing, they attended different schools and Spock tended to be a loner. Later, when she learned from an acquaintance that he was mercilessly bullied by less enlightened children, she didn't reveal her connection to him. Logically, there was no reason for her to do this. It wasn't actually lying but omitting a fact that could make her a target had this become widely known. Besides, he never reached out to her through the bond for solace; at the time, she thought he was too proud to confide in her. Later she suspected he was ashamed.
As they became older, they still met very rarely, something her parents made clear was illogical on her part although she suspected they were simply eager for her to marry into a financial fortune. But she and Spock had so little in common. They entered different academic tracks and continued to attend different schools. Spock went into science (no great surprise given the lavish funding the Vulcan High Council spent on science) while she focused on history and to a lesser extent, art.
She met Stonn at University where she modeled for his art class, an action she was able to persuade herself was logical as it not only paid her a handsome fee but also contributed to the development of art, which had been defunded in favor of the all-important Sciences. Besides, it was pleasing to do something she knew would shock her parents and probably send that haughty Sarek into orbit—should they ever learn of it.
The students usually ignored her except for a few ko-ka-ashausus* who invited her to their private events (she did go, once, out of curiosity) and the occasional hapless unbonded male who erroneously thought a sketching class was an easy way to fulfill the University's Arts requirement. They were usually in Sciences, like Spock, although not nearly as bright as he or with any apparent artistic talent (Spock, at least, played the ka'athyra with some skill).
Stonn was unbonded and her utter lack of interest in, and to, Spock had essentially left her the same. So when he saw her after the semester ended and invited her to an exhibit of student artwork, she was pleased to attend.
They continued to see each other throughout their academic careers and became intimate. It wasn't a big deal, at least not at their second-tier school where parents, elders, and clan leaders were less conspicuous than in ShiKahr. But they both knew it would have to end once Stonn or Spock entered their Time. They didn't dwell on it too much. The men in Stonn's family tended to enter Time later than most, while Spock was a wildcard who might not ever have a Time given his Human genetics. And with his dangerous career, he might not even live to experience a Time. It was wrong to think this way, but then she would at least be free because divorce didn't happen on Vulcan before one's Time. That was hardly her fault, was it?
When Stonn finally did have his Time at age 25, he elected to engage the services of a priestess who could serve him without the benefit of a bond. His parents were mildly scandalized that their only son would not be properly bonded but chose to keep quiet. But, they told him, T'Pring needed to make a decision. It wasn't fair for him to be held hostage to the whims of a diplo-brat who barely knew her and who didn't seem interested in returning to Vulcan if the rumors were true.
Moreover, Spock was becoming quite well known. His Starfleet exploits, along with the gallant Captain Kirk, were great fodder for Vulcan's fledgling tabloid industry. The Ti'Valka'ain Nash-gad (Vulcan Today) program that often featured Star Fleet and therefore, Spock, was steadily climbing in the ratings for Vulcans under age 80. Spock, she realized, was becoming a legend.
Was she willing to become a consort to a legend? Consort is what she would be, as Spock made no effort over the years to contact her and clearly regarded her as little more than a receptacle who may or may not even be required.
T'Pring knew one thing. She did not want to be a consort. She wanted to be a wife, a partner, a cherished one, a t'hy'la. She could handle being the t'hy'la to a legend if she were also his cherished wife. But a consort? No way.
She would have to divorce him before she was truly bonded to him and before Stonn entered another Time.
She told Stonn of her decision 2.47 years after his Time. She couldn't wait much longer; once he passed a halfway point—and the Time could be as frequent as every five years—he'd be nearly as hard to control as Spock. Spock, she thought, had to be wondering as well if his Time would ever come. So she wrote him a letter, short and to the point.
"Star Date 3312.9
Spock:
I trust this finds you are well.
It has been 26.89 years since our koon-ut-la and 17 years since we last directly communicated. It is not logical for me to wait any longer. I do not believe we have ever been well matched. Would you be willing to come to Vulcan to sever the bond?
Live Long and Prosper,
T'Pring."
Getting him to agree to sever the bond would spare her from having to issue a kal'i'fee, or challenge, at the marriage ground. By the time that happened, if it ever did, she would have lost Stonn. Yes, he insisted that he would continue with the priestesses until someone phasered Spock out of existence and she believed his sincerity. Knowing Spock and his tendency to delay and evade, he'd finally have his Time just in time for her menopause. And she really wanted children.
What she didn't expect was a lack of reply. Months passed, and still no reply from Spock. She resent the letter, dimly hoping (such an illogical emotion!) that maybe the first one was misfiled. Maybe he'd taken up with the beautiful Communications Officer she'd heard about from friends who watched Ti'Valka'ain Nash-gad. Maybe she destroyed communications from Vulcan. She knew Humans could be like that. Or maybe, as some of her sa-ka-ashausu** friends hinted, he had something going on with the dashing Captain Kirk.
Whatever. She didn't care. She-just-wanted-a-divorce!
Then Stonn began to enter another Time, very early, which was unusual but not unheard of among young males.
Later, she admitted to herself that she had panicked. She thought she still had a couple of years to figure out a plan. But then she saw Stonn gradually begin to lose control. Instead of leaving him be, she encouraged it. She deliberately teased him, made him chase her around the small house they shared, made love to him in every room (except the kitchen, that would be unsanitary) and encouraged his Time to come on. By the time he was entering the Fires, he was more than willing to follow her lead.
The result: a shorter Time than she'd expected, less emotional trauma for Stonn, and an altogether enjoyable experience. She carried with her a mental picture of Stonn kneeling before her, his head thrown back and his lok sticking straight up, taking a deep breath as she lay in front of him, panting, waiting for him to enter her.
Afterward, Stonn swore he would burn for her the next time, and this time, she was determined to be there, again, and ready. But that damn problem was still there: how to get Spock to Vulcan to break the damn bond?
She awoke one morning a few weeks after Stonn's Time with a distant sense of unease. It had been 14.6 months since her last attempt to communicate with Spock who, it seemed was finally entering his Time.
Great. She was still a bit sore from Stonn, who was lovingly caring for her in, um, other ways they both enjoyed. She was enjoying the post-Time glow with Stonn. Spock was the last person she wanted to even think about, much less see.
Plus, she was pretty sure she was pregnant.
She told Stonn. She had to. This was growing into something bigger than herself and Stonn.
"I will accompany you to the marriage grounds," Stonn told her. "You will challenge him and choose me as your champion." He puffed himself up.
She looked up at Stonn, who, to be fair, was a pretty good-sized male. But he was a sculptor, an artist, not a warrior. Yes, he had the usual training most Vulcan males completed during adolescence and have even completed a kahs-wan. But he was no match for Spock with his Star Fleet maneuvers. And with Spock's Time coming so late, he'd probably be deep in the Fires and close to insane when he finally came to Vulcan.
They waited for Spock to call. And waited. Days passed.
Finally, she got the call from Vulcan Space Command and saw him for the first time in what, 18 years? 19? She couldn't be sure. Pregnancy made her a little sleepy. She stifled a yawn as she began her little speech: "Spock, it is I."
He didn't look like he was in Time. His face was as rigid as ever, perhaps even more. He was surrounded by his Human shipmates; at least one audibly gasped as he introduced her as his wife. He was coming to Vulcan. "We meet at the appointed place."
Stonn was all hyped up, jumping up and down and flexing his muscles. She ignored him. She could not, would not let him fight Spock. She would have to find another Challenger. This way:
· If Spock won, he wouldn't want her and would leave and probably never come back. But she would at least have his property (and money). Her parents, at least, would be satisfied.
· If Spock lost, oh well.
But the truth was she didn't want anyone killed. Not Spock, not a Challenger. Sure, she could call upon one of T'Pau's guards, which would at least be a more or less even match against Star Fleet muscle. But what if the guards were all bonded? Stonn was the only unbonded male she was sure would be there.
She looked outside at him swinging around a lirpa with extra weights.
She almost sighed. She'd done what she could to avoid this. She'd written to Spock, twice. He must know that she'd been with Stonn. After all, she was aware of his little romances including a fairly recent one with a blonde botanist who essentially tricked him into making love to her. At least that nurse who was in love with him (curious, also blonde) was an honest soul.
If only she had an insider on the Enterprise, someone who she could talk to and who wouldn't betray her. Someone who would understand what the Time was and why Spock had to get to Vulcan and hopefully, figure out a way to avert this mess.
Wait a minute—weren't Earth healers sworn to uphold privacy? As Spock's intended bond mate, she would have vital medical information the Enterprise's doctors had to keep confidential. Right?
She called a friend serving in the Vulcan Space Command. How could she get in touch with the Enterprise's chief healer or whatever he was called? Who was he anyway?
An hour later, she placed a private call to someone named McCoy. It was expensive as hell, but hopefully (again, an illogical emotion) it would be worth it.
*lesbians
**gay