Title: The Adventure

Author: Wildcat

Series: TOS

Rating: T

Codes: S & U, Saavik

Summary: Saavik asks Uhura to take her on an exciting vacation, but everyone encounters more excitement than they wanted.

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

This story is a part of my continuing Spock/Uhura universe. It follows To Old Friends.

Thanks to my beta readers Jungle Kitty, who helped me find the story that was hidden here, and Suzie, the ever-optimistic.

Feedback is desired.

The Adventure, chapter 1

Dashing through the spaceport, Uhura concentrated on reaching Gate 298A. She'd known that this would be a tight connection, but if her flight had arrived on schedule, she wouldn't have run into a problem. Darn that man and his stupid in-flight grubs, anyway! Why couldn't he have just settled for peanuts like everyone else? Instead, he had to raise a big stink and demand that they wait until the shuttle attendant could locate a complimentary package of salted grubs back in the terminal. That man had been disgusting, too. Uhura sure was glad that she hadn't been seated next to him. At least ninety years old, he had bragged so loud about his wealth that everyone on the shuttle could hear him. And the way he kept poking his fingers in his ears—brrr. She'd never known a Ferengi to touch himself in public like that before.

There! Gate 298A! The boarding sign was still flashing, so she wasn't too late. She was so intent on her destination that she didn't notice when a young man stepped into her path. She plowed right into him, and her duffel flew off her shoulder with such force that it popped open and flung her belongings all over the place.

"Oh no! I'm so sorry!" She gripped the man by the shoulders in an attempt to untangle herself. "Are you all right? That was all my fault! Here, let me help you."

"I'm fine, I'm fine." The man pulled away and struggled to his feet. "I should have been more careful. Do you need any help?"

Frantically crawling around on the floor, Uhura began stuffing her things back into the bag. "I can manage. Thanks anyway."

"Well, okay."

She spared a quick smile for him as he nodded and walked away, but she immediately returned her attention to rounding up her belongings. Damn! Why wouldn't everything fit now? Leaving two sleeves and part of a sock hanging out, she hastily closed it and tried to lift it back onto her shoulder, but she immediately realized that the strap had broken. Great! It was too unwieldy to carry without a handle. She would just have to improvise.

Her eyes on the sign that had just changed to display the words "Final Boarding," she knelt beside her bag and tied the two halves of the strap together with a big knot. There, that should do it. She slung the bag onto her shoulder and dodged people as she hurried toward the gate.

Panting, she asked, "Am I too late?"

The attendant checked her ticket. "No, but you didn't have another second to spare. You're in seat 14B. It's a full flight, so you'll see that it's the only empty seat left. Hurry—they're waiting for you."

"Thank you."

She'd made it! She smiled with relief as she rushed down the long, breezy corridor. Trying to heft her duffel a little higher onto her shoulder, however, she realized that it was hung on something. And why was it so much breezier here than out in the spaceport?

Suddenly, she cursed under her breath as she realized what was causing the problem. In her haste to tie the strap back together, she'd caught the hem of her flowing skirt in the knot. She'd just walked through the spaceport with her backside displayed for all to see! There wasn't time to try to free herself, so she dropped the duffel on the floor and dragged it behind her. Just a few more steps, and she'd be on the shuttle.

Finally! She stepped through the door and searched for her seat. Seat 14B, the attendant had said...

Oh, no.

There, next to the only empty seat on the shuttle, sat the old Ferengi man. He smiled, displaying a mouthful of tiny pointed teeth, and rubbed his ear appreciatively.

She nodded as politely as she could, towed her duffel down the aisle, and sat next to him with a heavy sigh.

...

"Spock, I would have expected Nyota to arrive by now."

Seated at his desk, Spock did not look up from his work. "Patience, Saavikam. She had a long distance to travel, with three connections. It is very possible that one of her flights was delayed."

"But it is also possible that she cannot find this building. After all, she has never visited your new apartment. Perhaps we should contact the spaceport and inquire about her flight. If it arrived on schedule, she might—"

"Saavik." Spock rested his hands on his desk. "If she encounters difficulty, she knows how to reach us. She will be here. Sit down and at least attempt to relax."

The shadow of a scowl crossed her face, but she sat on the sofa and picked up her padd. Spock watched her for a moment before bending to his work again. He had hardly located his place before she rose and began rifling through her suitcase. He attempted to ignore her.

"Spock?"

Suppressing his sigh, he said, "Yes, Saavik."

"Do you think I should take a heavier jacket than this? Lisa McCormick stated that it often gets cool in the environmental dome over New Houston. When her family went to the moon last summer, they all had to purchase additional outerwear."

"It is my understanding that you and Nyota intend to devote the majority of your vacation to exploring Bailly Crater. If that is indeed the case, you will be wearing an environmental suit. Therefore, the heaviness of your jacket is unimportant. If it would ease your mind, however, by all means put it in your suitcase."

She thought about it for a moment. "No, you are correct. I do not need it. Do you think that Nyota may have actually missed one of her connections?"

Spock had just opened his mouth to reply when his computer signaled an incoming message.

Saavik's eyes grew big. "That is Nyota. She is calling to say that she missed her flight and cannot—"

Silencing her with a stern look, Spock turned toward his computer. "Spock here."

The ruddy face of Lieutenant Orris appeared on the screen. "Sorry to disturb you, Captain Spock, but Commander Scott says that there's a problem with the anti-matter inducer that requires his attention, and he doesn't have time to work with the trainees."

"I see. Where are his students at the moment?"

"They just beamed up to the ship. They're waiting in his office right now."

"Please inform Mr. Scott that I will beam up to the Enterprise in approximately four minutes, at which time I will assume responsibility for the engineering trainees. Please stand by."

"Yes, sir."

Spock adjusted his uniform as he stood. "Saavik, please give Nyota my apologies for having missed her."

Unable to hide her dismay, Saavik said, "Is it imperative that you leave? Perhaps another instructor could take over for you. You only arrived home a short while ago."

He softened as he gazed at her disappointed expression. "The trainees are waiting for me, Saavikam. This is their first full shift on the Enterprise, and I am certain that you can understand how anxious they must be at the moment."

"But... it is almost dark outside. I should not be left alone at this time of the evening. You have said so yourself many times."

"Ah. Then perhaps I should ask Mrs. Furguson to come sit with you."

"No." Saavik grimaced. "I would prefer to be left alone."

Spock kept the amusement from his voice as he pretended to pursue the matter. It had been quite some time since he had experienced any concern over leaving her at home alone. "Are you certain? Mrs. Furguson always enjoys the company and would not mind coming down to this end of the hall for a short period."

"I am quite certain. She is overly verbose, telling me how pretty I am and how quickly I am maturing, and she unfailingly asks me if I have a stupid boyfriend. She treats me like a little child, Spock! I am fifteen years old—far too old for such nonsense."

"Very well. You know where to reach me if you need me." He stepped away from his desk, but paused before calling for beam-up. "Leave a message before you go so that I will know when you departed."

"I will." Sitting on the sofa with her arms crossed, her voice was glum.

"Saavik." He waited until she looked up at him. "Please tell Nyota that I am sorry to have missed her, and that I... hope to see her upon your return. Enjoy your vacation."

Brightening minutely, she nodded. "I am certain it will be a good vacation. I told her that I wished to have an adventure, and she promised that we would. Goodbye, Spock. I will see you in two days."

"Farewell, Saavikam. Be careful." He spoke into his communicator. "Spock here. One to beam up."

He held her eyes as the room dissolved around him. And although Uhura was already twelve point four minutes late and he knew that she was unlikely to arrive during this last split-second, he could not help but strain to hear a possible signal at his door. Soon, however, the walls of the transporter room formed solidly around him, so he nodded to the crewman behind the console and headed toward engineering. He would have liked to see Uhura. Although he had talked to her recently about her upcoming trip with Saavik, he had not seen her since the day they retrieved his grandmother's photograph album, twenty point eight months ago. Perhaps he would see her in two days.

Turning his attention toward the matter at hand, he began reviewing the subjects that he needed to cover with the trainees tonight.

...

Uhura quickly keyed her credit code into the taxi, then grabbed her duffel and darted toward the front door of Spock's building. Just before she reached the overhang, she stepped in a big puddle and cursed under her breath. Why hadn't she let Spock come pick her up at the spaceport? He had offered but she had refused, not wanting to trouble him. But between her horrible flight, the lack of available taxicabs at the airport, and the weather, she figured that any trouble he went through wouldn't have equaled even a fraction of her trouble.

She paused in the doorway and brushed the water off her clothes. She was sure to look a fright, but there was nothing to be done for that now. Damn! If Spock had picked her up at the spaceport, she could have stepped daintily out of the shuttle, her hair and make-up perfect... Oh well. Telling herself that her appearance didn't matter, she nevertheless reached up to fluff her hair as she walked into the building.

She glanced around the lobby, looking for the lift. This was a nice place, spacious and new. She knew several people who lived here, and they were all very complimentary. From what they said, it sounded like the perfect place for an odd pair like a Vulcan Starfleet captain and an energetic young girl—near Starfleet Headquarters, near several good schools, with a combination of Starfleet personnel, families, and even some retirees among its residents.

Entering the lift, she requested the fifteenth floor. Her stomach rumbled nervously, and she rolled her eyes. Great. Not only did she look like a wreck, but her stomach was going to make embarrassing noises. She probably should have grabbed something to eat before coming over here, but she had thought that a nice dinner somewhere would be a good way to fill her evening with Saavik. Their shuttle to Lunar Station One didn't depart for another three hours, so they needed something to do.

As the lift opened onto the fifteenth floor, she smiled and shook her head. They could have gone anywhere for this vacation—the beach, museums, sight-seeing—but Saavik insisted she wanted an adventure and had practically jumped up and down with excitement when Uhura mentioned going low-gravity hiking on the moon. Personally, it didn't sound like much fun to her. She'd participated in more than her share of low-gravity workouts over the years, but if it made Saavik happy, that was what mattered.

Apartment fifteen-zero-four. Here she was. Closing her eyes for a moment to compose herself, she pressed the signal beside the door. A familiar young voice called out from the other side.

"Who is it?"

"It's Nyota."

The door opened, and Uhura stepped in to see Saavik's bright face.

"Nyota!" she exclaimed. "I am pleased you are here! We were concerned about you. I thought that you might have been lost, but Spock said that you would be here. Did you have problems with your flight? Did you miss a connection?"

Uhura laughed at Saavik's enthusiastic torrent of words. "No, I just had a little trouble getting a taxi at the spaceport."

"Spock had to go to the Enterprise. He told me twice to tell you that he was exceedingly sorry and disappointed that he missed you, and that he hoped very much to see you in two days."

"Oh." Uhura felt her face fall slightly, but she quickly smiled to cover it up. "That's all right. Those things happen. Well. Are you ready to go, then? I'm starving. Let's begin our adventure with a trip to a fancy restaurant."

Already moving toward the door, Saavik said, "That would be agreeable, as long as it is not German food. Spock took me to a German restaurant, and they put a drippy, stringy, and sour substance on my plate. I did not care for it."

"That would be sauerkraut. Okay, no German. How about Chinese?"

"Chinese is acceptable."

"All right. Chinese it is."

Saavik grabbed her duffel, and they left.

End chapter 1