How Many Weddings Does it Take?
Spock was perplexed. Try as he might, he simply could not understand why so much ritual was necessary. As far as he was concerned, the night they had completed a mind meld in his quarters on the Enterprise had cemented their bond for all time. She was his and he was hers and that was all that was necessary.
Of course, there was all the paperwork to be completed for StarFleet, making their union legal in the military mind. He would concede that that had been necessary, if time consuming.
Then Jim Kirk had insisted that it was his right, as their Captain, to perform the wedding. In fact, he had ordered it. And so there had been a not-brief-enough ceremony on the bridge of the Enterprise, broadcast all over the ship, with a long, raucous celebration in the mess hall afterwards. It had been awkward and irritating, but Nyota had loved it, so he had endured. And when they had finally been alone in their quarters, she had rewarded him for his patience. He remembered that night with great fondness.
Then yesterday there was the formal bonding ceremony at the Vulcan Embassy in San Francisco, with her parents and his father in attendance and all the Vulcan and Terran dignitaries. Extremely uncomfortable Vulcan formal dress had had to be worn for many hours. It had been necessary to stand around 'chatting'. There had been many Vulcans, extremely polite Vulcans, who had found it necessary to examine his wife as though she were some strange object that he had purchased in a marketplace. It had been necessary to restrain his anger on more than one occasion during that interminable day. But it had pleased his father, so he had endured. And it had seemed to please Nyota, too. And she had been so lovely in the formal Vulcan dress his father had brought from New Vulcan for her. Standing there in front of all the gathered dignitaries, with their hands upon each other's faces, the bond blooming within them anew, he had been filled with so much pride and love that it had been hard to conceal it. When the gong rang and they turned and bowed to the assembled witnesses, he had realized that he had achieved status within his race that he had not had before. So there had been reasons for all the ritual, even if he had been resistant. And there had been another night of 'reward' - quite excellent rewards. He suppressed a smile, remembering. Yes, last night had been much more interesting than the day had been.
And now today, there was the ceremony here in her parents' home in Africa - with all the extended family. And his father had consented to attend this ceremony as well. Nyota had walked through the gardens towards him in the same elegant dress that her mother had worn to be married in. And, as always when she consented to 'dress up', she had taken his breath away. She was truly the most beautiful woman that he had ever known. He did not care that Jim and Bones laughed at him when he stated this with calm conviction, saying that every groom felt that way. It was a true fact. So they had repeated yet another set of vows, binding them in yet another way. And attended another long party, accepting congratulations and many teasing comments about large families. At least, this time, the people were her family and their friends. There had been more than a dozen of their shipmates here today. When she had fed him that piece of overly sweet cake with her fingers he had had much difficulty in repressing the lust that had flowed through him. She had felt it - she had run her fingers over his lips in a way that had been entirely unnecessary. But at last it was over and they were alone.
She turned from where she was hanging up her dress and looked across the room at him, smiling. She was definitely happy, their bond was singing in the back of his mind. He crossed the room to her, cupping the side of her face in his hand. "Do you truly feel married, now, beloved? Has there been enough ritual and ceremony for you? Have you satisfied everyone connected with us?" He let his amusement with her flow through.
"Are you asking me if there have FINALLY been enough weddings?" She smiled at him. "Oh, yes, I do believe that now we have been married in every possible way. There is no escape for you now - I have you forever."
"But you already did. There was no reason..." His words died as her lips met his. And through their bond he felt her response.
But everyone else needed to know that. It wasn't for me. It was for you.
For him? They had gone through all this ritual, all these ceremonies, for him? And then he realized that she was right - again, as usual, she knew what he needed, what was right for him, for them. The Vulcans now recognized him as an adult, the head of a household, a distinction he hadn't realized that he needed. Her family had welcomed him as one of them, giving him complete acceptance. Even his shipmates were treating him slightly differently - as though they now realized that he was not as cold inside as might appear on the surface. Stunned, he looked down into her face. My Nyota, always there for me, giving me what I need when even I do not know what it is. K'hat'n'diawa, you have proven your worth to me so many times. Let me prove my worth to you.
You have my permission to begin any time now. Came the laughing reply, encircling him in her warmth and love as she pulled him towards the waiting bed.