Title: The Flame Within

Author: Wildcat

Series: TOS

Rating: MA

Codes: S/U

Summary: After having been involved with one another for six months, Spock and Uhura must deal with some changes in their lives.

Disclaimer: Paramount owns Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Uhura, and company. I have just borrowed them for a while and will not profit from any of this.

This is part of my Spock/Uhura timeline. It takes place after You Could Even Say She Glows, although it was originally written to follow Almost a Kiss.

Thanks to Jungle Kitty for helping me figure out where Almost a Kiss ended and this story began.

This story won 3rd place for "Best S/U Story" in the 1998 Golden O Awards.

Feedback is desired.

The Flame Within, chapter 1

Intentionally delaying the moment she'd been anticipating since she had stepped into her quarters twenty minutes ago, Uhura stood by her shower door and watched the steam billow against its clear surface. This was going to be wonderful. She was going to open that door, step into her shower, and those hot, pulsating jets were going to wash away her fatigue and leave her feeling as refreshed as if she'd just returned from a relaxing day on Caldus Prime. The stress of the last thirty-six hours would simply gurgle down the drain, and she'd be sexy and revitalized and ready to stay up all night when she was done.

Yeah, sure, Nyota. And maybe you can run the Boston marathon while you're at it.

She slid the door open and stepped in. Closing her eyes, she let the water pound on her aching shoulders and neck. These last two days had been hell, but thank heavens they had located the last survivors of the earthquake and relocated them to the new city already taking shape on the main continent of Chaelia IV. The ruling council had been so grateful to the Federation for the relief effort and the promise of aid in preventing such future disasters that maybe they'd finally be willing to consider Federation membership. Ah, all in a day's work. Or two.

When Spock had beamed back up from the ruins, dirty and scraped but able to report that the evacuation of the city was complete, she'd wanted to jump up and hug him. Instead, she'd simply nodded as he strode past her and took his place at the science station. They'd have time to celebrate tonight. That is, if she managed to stay awake past the main course of the meal she had planned.

She opened her eyes and straightened her back with resolve. She'd been looking forward to this for days, damn it, and she was determined to enjoy the evening. She would stay awake! She knew that Spock was just indulging her sentimental desire to observe the six-month anniversary of that night when they'd first discovered one another on Dantria, but she also knew that he'd appreciate the occasion before the night was over. She grinned, imagining herself as a villainness in one of those bad holovids that Hikaru liked to watch. Oh, I have my ways, Spock. You will enjoy yourself tonight. Or else.

As she reset the jets so that her skin wouldn't be raw by the time she was through, she thought back over the last six months. Who would have thought that she and Spock would have made this relationship work as well as they had? After a few initial bumps, it had been smooth going all the way and had exceeded her wildest expectations. That was saying a lot, too, considering that during the three months between the time she'd left Dantria and the time he'd rejoined the Enterprise, she'd managed to come up with some pretty wild expectations indeed. They'd fallen into a comfortable routine with one another in their secret life together, and although he was far from actually residing in her quarters, he certainly spent a lot of time here. Some nights they ate together, some nights they worked together, and some nights they had incredible sex, but generally they just enjoyed one another's company.

She smiled, thinking about the few nights early on when they'd tried to stay in his quarters. She'd known at the time that he wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea, but she'd really wanted to do it. Spock's science staff was so used to contacting him at any time of the day or night, though, that she and he had been interrupted three times before she'd finally just gotten up and reset his computer to accept incoming messages without notification. Then, when they'd tried to sleep in his small bunk, they'd ended up elbowing each other all night. She sighed, figuring that one of the perils of longevity in a relationship was that you reached the point where togetherness in a small bed didn't seem so much cozy as just a nuisance. Three nights were enough, and they'd started staying in her quarters from then on. She was so glad that she'd requisitioned her large bed way back when the Enterprise was refurbished. Scotty'd teased her mercilessly when he saw it, so much in fact that she had started to wonder what was going on with him, but eventually he'd let the matter drop and she'd been grateful for the bed ever since.

She rinsed the last bit of soap away and turned off the water, relaxed and actually more refreshed than she'd expected. When she stuck her arm out of the shower to reach for a towel, though, she nearly shrieked to find it placed into her hand. Her heart pounding, she peered around the steam-fogged door to see Spock standing there, an eyebrow raised and an amused expression on his face.

"Spock! I was hoping that I'd find a way to wake myself up, but not by having my wits scared out of me. You're early!"

"I am not. You have been in the shower for a very long time."

She stepped out and began to dry her legs. "And how long have you been there?"

"Long enough."

Working her way up her body with the towel, she looked pointedly at his groin. "Long enough for what?"

"Long enough to have been disappointed when the door became so steamed that I could no longer see you clearly."

She dropped the towel on the floor and moved closer to him. "When I reset my door to recognize you, I never thought that you'd gain entrance for such nefarious purposes as voyeurism."

He pulled her into his arms. Kissing her neck, he said, "Perhaps you should reset it so that I cannot enter unannounced."

"Mmmmm. If you're not nice to me, I might just do that."

She laughed when he lifted her onto the edge of her sink. The surface was cold against her bare bottom. "Spock! What are you doing?"

"If you are 'nice' to me, you will find out."

"Oh, I'd say I'm going to find out, even if I'm naughty. Maybe especially if I'm naughty."

He was removing his uniform. "That is most likely a true statement."

Leaning back on her hands, she watched him undress and wondered what he had in mind. She could feel herself becoming wet with arousal, and the sensation of her moist heat against the cold, hard counter was exciting.

Soon he stood naked before her. Stepping between her knees, he grasped her thighs and slid her closer to him. He was so tall that she wondered how he was going to manage this, but before she could say anything he had covered her lips with his own and was exploring her mouth with his tongue. Oh, he tasted good. She was so focused on the kiss that she gasped with shock when she felt his finger slip into the wetness between her legs.

He did not let her break the kiss. It was hard, so hard, though, for her to keep her head upright and her lips on his, especially when she felt his thumb on her clit. Fumbling between them, she found his erection and grasped it, and she was satisfied to perceive that she was causing him just as much difficulty in continuing the kiss as he'd caused her a moment ago.

She felt the tension mount deep in her belly as she began to stroke him in rhythm with the movement of his finger. Soon she felt a second finger enter her, and she tightened her grip on him in response. Their lips were still pressed together, but they were both gasping so much that it was nearly impossible to kiss. Suddenly, the tension burst from within her, and she cried out against his mouth and lost her grip on him. He shifted his lips to her shoulder as she writhed against his hand, pushing herself against him until the feeling had subsided.

When she opened her eyes, she saw her wet towel on the floor. "Roll up that towel and stuff it under me."

Obviously understanding her intent, he hastily did as he was told.

"Are you comfortable?" His voice was thick with arousal.

"Yes, I'll be fine as long as I don't fall off."

"I will not let you."

As she guided him into her, she watched his face, still as fascinated to see him lose himself in pleasure as she had been on that very first night. She smiled when he opened his eyes and caught her staring at him.

"You don't need to hold me with both hands, Spock. I'll hang on."

"Are you certain?"

"Oh, yes."

He quickly moved his right hand from her hip to her face, and she felt him explode into her mind. She almost came again from the intensity but stopped herself, wanting to savor the build-up of their shared sensations. It was incredible, still, to know both his hardness within her and her own softness around him, and to understand that he felt both, as well. She closed her eyes and hung on tight as he pumped harder and harder, oh, he was getting closer and closer, hold on, hold on... When he lost his rhythm, she was the one who cried out.

Eventually, his fingers grew limp against her face, and he rested his forehead against the top of her head.

"Spock." Her eyes were still closed.

"Mmph."

"Do you need to sit down?"

"Yes."

She pushed him gently away from her, and she had to smile when he simply flopped down on the floor near her dangling feet and rested his arms across his knees. He looked up.

"I believe that the appropriate expression is 'happy anniversary.'"

Delighted, she said, "Happy anniversary, Spock. You know, I had a meal planned for us and everything. Are you hungry?"

"Yes, actually, I am."

She slithered off the counter and sat beside him on the floor. "We'll go eat in a few minutes. I have to tell you, though, that you upset my plans for the evening. This was supposed to happen after the meal."

"You will be asleep after the meal."

She chuckled and stood. "You're probably right about that. C'mon, let's get dressed."

...

Kirk meandered down the hallway, not quite ready for sleep. The last two days had been exhausting, but he was still so pumped from the excitement of having rescued that last group of survivors that he couldn't unwind. He'd just left sickbay, having helped McCoy fill out his report, but when he asked McCoy to have a glass of brandy with him, his friend had told him to go away. Bones had probably been right in telling him to get some rest, but he wasn't quite ready yet. Spock would still be awake. Maybe he'd want to play a nice, relaxing game of chess.

Stopping by his first officer's quarters, Kirk signaled his presence and waited for Spock to open the door. Hmmm... no response. He pressed it again. Finally becoming impatient, he walked across the hall and slapped his hand on the wall next to the intercom.

"Computer. Location of Commander Spock."

"Commander Spock has invoked privacy. Is this an emergency?"

Kirk was dumbfounded. Spock? Invoking privacy? He, himself, had asked the computer to safeguard his location on many occasions, but Spock? Asking for privacy almost always meant only one thing. Could it be?

The inflectionless voice of the computer interrupted his thoughts. "Please state the nature of the emergency."

"Uh, no emergency. Cancel request."

"Request canceled."

Well. Damn. Kirk grinned. Come to think of it, he'd seen less and less of Spock since the Vulcan had come back on board three months ago. He hadn't thought anything of it, having become accustomed to not having Spock around at all, but he realized now that his friend had become very scarce in the evenings.

He headed toward his quarters, consumed with curiosity. Who could it be?

...

Just as Spock had predicted, Uhura had fallen asleep as soon as they finished dinner. He was rather tired himself from the events of the past two days, so he had known that she could not possibly go without sleep much longer.

Carefully lifting her feet so that he did not wake her, he shifted his position on the sofa to allow him to support his head on his hand while still preserving his ability to study her peaceful countenance. Ah, much better. He placed her feet back in his lap and rested his other hand on her ankle.

Although he had teased her about her wish to over-romanticize the fact that today marked six months since they had entered into a physical relationship, in reality the occasion was quite meaningful to him as well. He had never found himself in a situation like this before. Of course, he had been bonded to T'Pring for many years, but even during their ill-fated pairing he had never felt as if he knew her well, or even that he cared to know her well. In addition, his attitude toward the few women-very few, admittedly-with whom he had pursued a relationship between the termination of his bond and now had been nothing like this. Fascinating.

Perhaps he would share the flame of the t'hy'la'ke with her tomorrow.

End chapter 1