Is there even any hope for the future? Rose thought as she suppressed a laugh at the answer one of her classmates gave the teacher. Physics was practically making her yawn, this lesson being easier than others, not mentioning she'd already reviewed it.
"Though I don't expect most of you to master the Time Dilation Equation, I know one or two who will fly by it with ease." The teacher's eyes twinkled at her briefly. "I highly encourage you all to try for extra credit, nonetheless."
The class groaned in near unison, but a smile played on Rose's lips. Her extra credit assignment was already finished, neatly tucked inside her folder. She considered not giving it to Mr. Haynes, she didn't need the extra credit as her grade percentage was already 104.3%, but what was she going to do with it? Nothing of use.
Mr. Haynes begun the lesson, and Rose absentmindedly doodled on a sheet of paper. She wasn't in any near danger of being scolded by him, as she preferred sitting closer to the back of the class. Less lighting and it was much more comfortable.
Rose allowed her mind to roam over today's plans, tapping her pencil on the wooden desk. Katherine, her mother, had told her that they would be picking up their guests from the airport after school. Her mother's friend, Amanda, and her son. Honestly Rose didn't know what to expect; she'd never met them. The only thing her mother had told her was that Amanda and she practically grew up together, and Amanda had left their small town to discover bigger things. No one heard from her after that, not even her family. That was, until a couple days ago, when she contacted Katherine.
Amanda needed a temporary place to stay, somewhere close to where her mother was. Nan Liz was ill, with Alzheimer's. Of course Rose's mother understood and offered them a room in their house, as Nan Liz was staying with them as well. And that's how they were taking in two other people for however long it may have been that they were staying. Rose knew it would be quite lengthy; Amanda planned on enrolling her son in school.
Rose expected the call from the office that she was going home early before it even came. In seconds she scooped up her things, waved a goodbye at her friends at the corner of the class and stepped out into the empty hall. Once outside she slipped on her hoodie, the bitter cold wind whipping at her bare arms and face. Her mom was waiting for her, excited in a way Rose had never seen her.
The airport was buzzing, and Rose doubted they'd find them amongst the crowd. But when she heard her mother's name being shouted, it looked like they wouldn't have to.
Rose turned around to see a beautiful woman, soft brown curls framing a gentle face, brown eyes wide with emotion. She couldn't have been a day over 30. But Rose's attention shifted elsewhere, to a boy (man?) standing beside her.
He was tall and lean, silky black hair impeccably straight over his forehead and covering his ears in a grown out bowl cut. Of all things, a bowl cut. Brown eyes flickered here and there, barely hiding their curiosity. His posture was perfect, face expressionless. He was holding their entire luggage, which wasn't very much but still more than a handful, and for someone so thin it didn't seem much of a challenge at all. But that wasn't even the oddest thing. His clothes were. A long black robe was wrapped around his body held by a gold clasp on his shoulder. Certainly unlike anyone she'd ever seen. Her gaze veered off him when he turned her way. Couldn't be caught staring, could she?
After much needed hugs and tears from the two older women Katherine turned towards Rose.
"Amanda this is my beautiful daughter, Rosalie," she beamed, laying both hands on her arms. They shook hands, Amanda smiling brightly.
"Oh my, she is beautiful. Looks just like-" Amanda's words were cut short and her smile faltered before she regained her composure, "you, Katherine."
Looks just like her father.
Rose knew what she'd wanted to say. She gave Amanda a small smile letting her know it was alright. Everyone said it, anyway. Amanda nodded and gestured for her own son to come join them.
"Katherine, Rosalie, this is my son, Spock," she introduced, smiling.
Spock. What a weird name, Spock. Rose almost wanted to test the name on her tongue, imagining it rolling between her lips with a pop.
Since Spock didn't raise his hand Rose took the initiative, leaving it in the air. Two awkward seconds passed before she realized he wasn't going to take it. Instead he only nodded.
"Do they not shake hands where you're from? Or are you germ phobic?" Rose teased, eyebrows showing her amusement.
Amanda nudged her son, and he seemed to get it. "I apologize, my mind was otherwise… occupied," he spoke in a deep polite tone, setting the luggage on the floor and extending his hand this time. Rose took it, noticing how warm it was, like almost too warm.
"Nice to meet you, Spock," Rose replied just as politely, not making the comment about his clothes as much as she wanted to.
Rose almost missed the small shudder that seemed to run up his arm, but convinced herself she'd imagined it. They went back to the car carrying the small amount of luggage they had brought with them and were on their way home.
Spock seemed much more comfortable inside the car, where the heat was on high. She felt herself being observed as she texted her friends and listened to music, a feeling she wasn't used to but she didn't mention it.
"You know what they say, it's not polite to stare," she looked his way, a tiny smile on her lips betraying her tone.
He lifted a single eyebrow, which she couldn't help but notice was very nicely shaped, almost amused. "I was merely observing. This is a cellular device, is it not? With which you communicate with others?"
"Are you serious or are you messing with me?" Rose asked incredulously. Cellular device? No way did this guy not know what a cell phone was.
"I assure you I am not 'messing' with you. It was a question of a serious nature."
Yes, he seemed very serious about it indeed.
Rose sighed. "Yeah, it's a cell phone. You have one right?"
"Not yet, but my mother assured me I would be acquiring one soon. May I see it?"
"Sure," she handed it to him, not exactly sure what he was all about. She prided herself on being able to tell what kind of a person someone was by observing them but she was stumped when it came to Spock; because he didn't give her any emotion or acts for her to build her hypothesis on. Maybe she just needed some more time.
He turned it over in his hands for some time, as if measuring its weight. His finger experimentally pressed the home button and from there it was all swipes of his finger on the screen. So he must not have been completely unfamiliar with technology. It vibrated with an incoming message and he handed it to her.
"Fascinating," he murmured, keeping his thoughts to himself for the rest of the car ride.
"You'll be staying here, and I'm here," Rose told him once they were home. She pointed out his part of the large room that was separated by wall with an arch in it, making it seem like it was one big room.
Spock appraised the space, nodding. "These are your quarters, I suppose?"
Rose gave him a weird look. "Well, yeah, more like my room on that side and my study area in here. It used to be two rooms but we knocked the wall down to make it a single room with only that wall separating. If you want privacy you could just pull the curtain over."
He walked over to their bathroom. "Your use of a hydro-shower is most wasteful, but it will suffice."
"Huh?" How the hell did he manage to make it sound stuck up with no emotion inflicted in his voice whatsoever?
"Do not concern yourself," was all he said. For some reason Rose didn't believe he was trying to rude, rather he was just appraising the room.
"Why'd you mention it then?" she mumbled.
"I beg your pardon?" he turned towards her, eyebrow raised. She could already tell that was going to be his trademark.
"Nothing," she smiled. "You can have one of the sinks, too. Do you need help putting anything away?"
"No, you have been of enough assistance," he politely nodded at her.
"Oh, okay well dinner is almost ready so don't be too long," she informed him, unsure if she really should just leave him there despite his wishes.
"Acknowledged," was all he said, almost expecting her to leave by the looks of it.
Rose just nodded and left him be, trying to decide if he was awkward or just reserved. Reserved, she concluded, yeah reserved.
When Spock was finished he came down the stairs gently, barely making noise as he came into the kitchen. Rose smiled to herself; stealth fit his personality. Well, what she could make of it anyway. She placed the last of the five plates on the table, sneaking a quick glance at Spock.
"I conclude my grandmother will be joining us this evening," he announced, clasping his hands behind his back. His ebony hair was immaculate as before, and he had on a sweater that Rose immediately classified as hideous. Was that wool?
"Uh, yeah, Nan's about to get home, stayed the week with some friends. Spock, it's like 85 degrees in here, why are you wearing a sweater? Aren't you burning up?" Rose swallowed a chuckle that was threatening to escape at just how horrendous the sweater was. She didn't believe people actually made those things.
"Not only was this sweater a gift from my grandmother herself, but I find the temperature in here mildly below what I am accustomed to. Thus, I am grateful for the extra layer of clothing," he reasoned.
Oh, so that was what Nan had been working on for months. She'd told Rose she was no good at knitting, but that it was made with love so it didn't matter. And just like that it hit Rose. Nan had known about Spock. She'd had contact with them both for years. Yet she hadn't mentioned a thing. Sneaky lady. Rose almost wanted to smile at the thought. But why hadn't she mentioned anything?
"Do you live in a desert or something?" she mumbled under her breath, more than sure Spock wouldn't be able to hear her.
"Affirmative," he replied, nonetheless. Exceptional hearing, she observed, unsurprised. Everything about him seemed to surpass any expectation she hadn't known she had. Just as she was about to ask him where exactly he was from, Spock walked into the light and she could hear herself gasp. He looked positively green, yet he didn't look sick. Not pale, just a faint green that was sprinkled over his cheeks and nose.
"Spock, are you feeling okay? You look green," her voice rose in concern, wondering how anyone had missed this. This certainly was not normal. Instinctively she felt his forehead, noticing how it was burning. Spock jerked away from the touch, a move that seemed out of the ordinary from the normal precision of his movements.
"My state of health is adequate," he replied curtly, gracefully moving away from her to stand behind his chair.
"You're green and burning up, Spock, don't tell me that's adequate. That's not natural, and anyone with a basic understanding of human biology knows that," she pressed on.
"I suppose," was all he said, turning to face elsewhere in order to cease all future conversation.
And if Nan hadn't burst through the door at that moment she wouldn't have let him enjoy his silence. Then she thought; when was there ever silence around Nan?
Nan's eyes found Amanda faster than Rose believed humanly possible, and the hug that ensued was the longest hug she'd ever witnessed, and felt the need halfway through to look away to give them their privacy. She could hear quiet sobs of joy, and she'd seen their shoulders shaking before she'd turned away.
Minutes later she got around to Spock, who was waiting patiently a few feet away from where his mother stood.
"Spock, look at you. Seeing you in video dairies does nothing to you in person, you're so handsome and grown up." Her voice cracked on the last word and she enveloped Spock in a choking hug, which Spock folded into rather awkwardly, obviously not used to this amount of contact.
"Hello grandmother," Spock said evenly as soon as she'd reluctantly let him go, though his eyes had softened the second they'd touched, as if he could feel the turmoil of emotion that was no doubt swirling inside her.
"Oh, you're wearing the sweater I knitted for you!" she wiped away the tears that had accumulated at the bottom of her chin. "It looks better on you than by itself." Her laugh filled she room, and she couldn't remember seeing Nan this happy, ever. The only other times she ever resembled anything close to this were the few times a year when she'd come back from San Diego. In these times Rose could never account for her sudden boost in mood, which lasted weeks.
"Yes, and it is quite comfortable. I appreciate it greatly," Spock bowed. Where had this guy learned his manners?
"You're most welcome, darling," Nan beamed. "I see you've filled in your eyebrows to look human. Very clever," she praised, moving toward the table.
Rose's mind stuttered before she looked at the two, baffled, then to Amanda, who was practically scolding her mother with her eyes. Nan disregarded the look, sitting down and gesturing for Spock to do the same. Rose's mother wasn't even fazed by the question as she set dinner on the table. So was Rose the only one who didn't know what was going on?
"Grandmother, we have not discussed the extent of my heritage to Rosalie," Spock commented, glancing at the food and looking at the main dish with mild disgust.
"Mom, is there some sorcery I should be aware of going on here?" Rose tried joking, hoping to get a laugh and reassurance that it was all a joke but she got nothing; instead Katherine sat at the table once she had set the lemonade down at the table.
Rose's head was spinning. Nan had said that Spock had filled in his eyebrows to look human. If he was human then what the hell was she talking about? The only other option was that he wasn't human, and god knows how crazy that sounded.
No one seemed to talk more about the subject, which positively killed her. Something was seriously wrong here. Rose settled with just observing what was happening before asking questions that would most likely make her look insane.
Everyone served themselves and began eating, and she noticed Spock steered clear of the main dish, which was just parmesan chicken. Instead he filled his plate with salad and steamed vegetables, along with the quinoa pilaf her mother had cooked.
"Vegetarian?" she found herself asking, then mentally slapping herself for it. Was that really all she could say?
"Yes. It is… not common to consume flesh of any kind where I am from," he offered to her, for which she was grateful. She couldn't make up all the conversation. But it gave her an opportunity to ask where he was from, which she reluctantly dismissed. No, it would be easy for him to brush off the question.
"Really? Huh," she pretended to observe a piece of broccoli on her dish. "And where did you go to school? Your use of the English language is… unusual," Rose smiled. "Not to mention your manners are on point."
"I attended school on Vulcan," was all he said, and chewed on a slice of carrot.
"Vulcan? Never heard of it. Where's it at? Here in the US?" The more specific the question, the better.
"No, it is not located in the United States of America."
Well, damn.
"Rose, we do have something we'd like to tell you, and we figured the sooner the better," Amanda spoke up. Rose had been so busy observing Spock she hadn't noticed she'd completely ignored the other side of the table.
"I'm all ears," she smiled, her mind already racing.
"It might be hard to believe at first, so you might have to hear them out, alright honey?" her mom spoke next. Nan just looked like she was watching a gripping movie.
"I've heard some pretty weird things before. Besides, I love surprises." Another easy grin found its way to her lips as Amanda looked at Spock and he cleared his throat.
"Rosalie, we are aware that your race has not officially had contact with other planets," he began, looking at her directly.
And Rose had been worried that she'd sound insane.
"Officially?" was all she could say.
"As in, the general population has not had interaction with alien races. Nor do they know that your government's technology is much more advanced than they lead you to believe. Vulcan has already made first contact with Earth, but the government had yet to decide whether they found it adequate to release this information to the public."
And it kept getting crazier.
"Wait, wait, so you're saying Vulcan is another planet? And lemme guess, you're from this planet right? You're an alien?" The incredulity in her voice practically dripped from very word.
Spock raised one eyebrow. "That is correct. The first time our race made contact with yours was many years ago, however, in which my mother encountered my father and was unintentionally relocated to Vulcan."
How the hell did you just accidentally take someone light years away from their planet and whisk them away to another?
"Your government has determined that they will be allocating this knowledge with the rest of your race soon, which is the single reason we were granted this trip to my mother's home planet."
Nut jobs. "Okay, so let me get this straight, and you tell me if this is right. Your mom got taken to another planet, named Vulcan, in which she got with your dad, had you, and returned back to Earth years later and now you're here? Which makes you half human and half…?"
"Vulcan. Yes, you are correct."
And because Rose didn't know what to do, she laughed. Laughed until her sides hurt and she was gripping the table for support. "And you just happened to change your appearance to look human? How very convenient for you," she managed to get out after several deep stabilizing breaths.
"If you require further explanation, or perhaps visual aid, I would not be averse to providing these for you."
And Spock looked deadpan serious, hadn't cracked a smile since he started explaining. In fact, everyone at the table looked serious but her.
"Alright what can you show me? I expected aliens to have like tentacles or some nasty stuff like that. Can you like, spew slime from your pores?" she was merely joking but she received an amused raise of an eyebrow from Spock.
"My eyebrows do not naturally take this shape," he started, then ripped something off his face. And damnit, she'd known something was off about those eyebrows. Apparently something had been covering the top part of his eyebrows, connecting to a piece that gave his the allusion of rounded eyebrows. Which he did not have, might she add. Instead they slanted upward.
She scoffed. "Well eyebrows are hardly proof."
Another eyebrow shot up, and she couldn't help but think that it actually looked right and had a higher affect on her when his eyebrows were like that.
"Indeed." Spock lifted his hair to uncover his ears and Rose nearly fainted.
"Holy shit."
"Rosalie!" her mother scolded. "Language."
"Mom. He has pointed ears. I think I'm allowed to let a word or two slip," she choked out, not taking her eyes from Spock's ears. The bottom of his ears looked normal, but curved up and sloped to a delicate point. Her eyes narrowed in sudden suspicion. "How do I know they're not fake?"
"Vulcans do not lie. However, it is logical to have such suspicions. If you wish for further information about my biology-"
"Damn right I do," she cut him off. Everyone at the table seemed surprised at her outburst. Okay, so even if he was a total psycho, which seemed more the case after every sentence he uttered, she shouldn't be so rude. Especially because he was entirely serious and his eyes looked nothing but truthful.
It wasn't like she didn't think there could be life on other planets. She always hoped that there would be, and that maybe they would be friendly enough to draw up some kind of treaty with her own twisted chaotic planet.
Her brain started chugging, like a train leaving the station, and it was catching up speed. And she thought about it. She observed Spock closely, noting just how strikingly different he looked, especially in comparison to his grandmother next to him. His dark hair looked so silky; she couldn't help but want to run her fingers through it. His skin really did look green, but in a healthy way that she could only compare to a human that was flushed with warmth. Sharp facial features were all at once complicated curves, slanted lines, and neat angles. His eyebrows and ears really topped off the whole picture of exotic, one that exited her more than she wanted it to.
Her complete ignorance set aside, what if Spock was actually telling the truth? If he really was an alien, that could explain how warm he is, how he's used to extreme temperatures, and the greenish hue to his skin.
Before she could stop it, her relentless curiosity, the one that got her in trouble more times than she could count, sprouted from her mind with so any questions it made her dizzy. And the only way to get answers to those questions was to keep her mind open to all the possibilities this universe had to offer, no matter how absurd they seemed.
Why? Because if Spock was being truthful, then humans were not alone in the universe after all.
Author's (long ass) Note: So, this is my first piece of fic for this fandom (not hard to believe, I know), and I have tons of ideas for this story. It's supposed to be kinda funny at times, taking in some of Spock's reaction to the world we live in today. There are going to be parts in his point of view, and hopefully I can still make Spock sound like Spock. Y'know? Also, I didn't know anything about Amanda's family so I just invented some stuff in there. I know some things will be off but this universe will have a lot of similarities to the original one (Pon Farr cough cough). I'll be filling in the plot holes as the story progresses. Warning: it will get angsty but I got to be honest, I kind of love some angst. Just saying.
I don't know how I did in this chapter, and feedback is always welcome! Constructive criticism and suggestions too. I keep an open mind and I only have a basic outline of future events for this story so if you guys have ideas or whatever I'd like to hear 'em :)
Anyway, this is very different for me because my ultimate ship is Jim/Spock but I've only seen a handful of Spock/OFC fics and of course, I was tempted to write some. I know I'm not the best writer but I like doing it and it keeps me entertained.
I'm the only one who reads and makes sure that there are no grammatical errors and whatnot so if there are any, that's entirely my fault.
And if you've actually read this entire thing then I love you. hehe