A/N: This story has been bopping around in my head for a while and I'm just now getting it out. In addition to writing about my favorite pairing, I want to explore the friendship dynamic between Uhrua and some of the other principle players. She seemed to have a pretty decent connection with just about everyone and I think that's an important part of her character. Here's hoping I can do them all justice. I welcome your insights. The rest of the A/N will be at the bottom of the chapter unless they desperately need to come first. I don't own ST, I just think about it...a lot.
She made people respond to her. It was kind of her superpower. That's why she'd become a communications expert and why she'd chosen Starfleet. She had a talent for making people react to her, regardless of what species they were.
So that's why Mr. Spock disturbed her so much. There was no response. Not in his eyes, posture or voice. If it wasn't for that dang cocked eyebrow, she would've thought he just couldn't see or hear her. And that's how he ended up occupying so much of her mental space. She reviewed every strictly professional interaction for a tiny glimmer of anything close to friendly. What went on in his head that made him so immune to her? Immune—like she was some kind of pathogen that just didn't affect Vulcans.
She told herself she was over it and was just starting to evict him from her off-duty thoughts. Then she made the mistake of wandering into rec room IV at the wrong time.
He was sitting in the corner, with the most elegant instrument in his lap. He had it wrapped in his embrace, holding it as close to his chest as his blue tunic. His fingers tickled the strings and the thing crooned for him. The melody was hypnotic and pulled her in stronger than if someone had actually taken her hand and dragged her into the space. She forgot to sit. All she could do was watch.
One of her hands moved to her collarbone and her fingers played against the neckline of her uniform. The other tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, her fingers stopping to worry her earlobe.
Everyone else was going about their business, like this wonderful sound was nothing more than background noise. And she thought it must be impossible. Of all the music she'd heard, from all the planets, this was by far the most entrancing.
He looked up and his stare met hers. She felt caught and wanted to turn and leave, but her boots had obviously adhered to the floor tile. He didn't look away. She felt like maybe she could read him from the first time, as he continued to play. There were no words, but she saw the lyrics in his eyes. Maybe she'd written them there herself, but she could see them nonetheless.
The song ended and her breath left her in quiet, soft pants. She had no idea how long she'd gone without breathing but she supposed she may have broken a record. She wanted to run over to him and grip him up by the shirt, demanding an explanation. What had he done to her, how had he done it, and how long until he did it again? But she managed to walk the floor slowly and come to stand by his side.
"Commander."
"Lieutenant." This time she was sure he was looking at her and not trough her. And nowhere in her recollection had his voice been as deep as it was right then.
"That song, I've never heard it before."
" No, I doubt you would have. It is an old Vulcan ballad."
"I see. Are all of your people's songs so…" disarming, enrapturing, seductive, "beautiful?"
"Your question is much too vague to warrant a direct answer, Lieutenant. Like earth, Vulcan has many styles of music, played on many different instruments. And the notion of beauty is completely subjective."
She nodded, missing much of what he'd just said, focusing on the delicate arc of the harp's long neck. Before she could censure herself, she reached out and touched the very top of it. He raised his eyebrow and watched her absentmindedly regarding the lyre.
"Would you like to hold it?" His voice broke her revelry. She wanted to, but she was also afraid. It seemed so precious and she didn't want to so much as exhale on it wrong.
"May I..."
He motioned for her to sit and placed it on her knee. Her fingers came dangerously close to touching his, but ultimately missed. She drew it close to her body, almost cradling it. Her hand hovered above the strings tentatively. She looked at it, touched it, held it like she was playing with a drug that she was tempted to try and terrified to become addicted to.
Finally, her fingertips moved over the strings and made a general strumming sound. She grinned down at it brightly, like it had just done her a favor and plucked the strings in the opposite direction. In its perfectly tuned state, it gave her relatively agreeable notes. And if it weren't so illogical, he may have concluded that this harp liked her as much as she liked it.
"I'd love to learn to really play this," she whispered.
"It is complex. Extremely so." His voice was low too, although he wasn't entirely sure why. "I have never heard of any human learning to play it."
"There is a first time for everything. I don't mind being the only human in the galaxy that can play this, if you don't mind being the Vulcan to teach me."
"If you truly desire to learn, then it would be illogical for me to refuse you. But I warn you that I am a demanding instructor. Coming under my tutelage would require diligence on your part."
"I'm never half-hearted in anything I do, Sir."
"Then we have an agreement, Ms. Uhura."
When she arrived to her room at the end of her shift, she stripped off her uniform and headed directly for the shower. The acoustics in the little stall were outstanding, and she started to hum the melody that he'd played earlier, promising herself that she'd be able to play it as well as him someday soon.
Checking her messages before bed, she found an invitation to visit the botany lab from Sulu, an advert from the ship's stores that Janice forwarded to her, and three large files from Commander Spock. The first was a digital textbook that had been run through the translator—Introduction to Post-Awakening Music Theory. The second was a playlist titled, "Vulcan transliterations of Terran music." The third was also a playlist called, "Ka'athyra."
She fell asleep somewhere in chapter seven, while the most intoxicating version of "Claire de Lune" she'd ever heard played in the background.
The next day, she took Sulu up on his invitation, deciding to spend her lunch break with him.
The botany lab was one of the most beautiful places on the ship, second only to the observation deck. As soon as the doors parted, a perfume of exotic flowers welcomed her. The temperature was tropical, the air just a bit humid, since most of the plants thrived in that environment.
"Sulu," she greeted, grinning broadly and setting a tray between them.
"Uhura! Glad you came."
"Sure, I wasn't about to let you eat down here all alone. You like blueberry pomegranate juice, right?"
"You remembered. You're a gem, you know that." He accepted the cup and sipped from it, nodding approvingly.
"So I've been told." She pushed the plate of lettuce wraps closer to him. "What'd you want to show me?"
He reached beside him and pulled out a hardback, leather bound book. "Have you ever heard of the language of flowers? I though as a communications officer you might appreciate it."
"Where'd you get a book like this?"
"Would you believe me if I told you that my grandmother bought it for next to nothing at a yard sale? We used to work in her garden together, she and I. She gave this to me when I enrolled in the Academy." He laid his hand reverently on the cover and eyes took on a faraway look. His usually strong and jubilant voice dropped to a whisper. "Before we shipped off, I arranged for the florist to deliver lilies of the valley to her every year."
"What do they…?"
"They symbolize sweetness and say "you've made my life complete." But more than that, my grandfather used to give them to her for their anniversary."
"Oh, Sulu." Her eyelashes fluttered, batting away tears.
"You can borrow the book any time you want." He said, his tone brightening.
"And all I brought you was a snack." She chuckled, crunching down on a piece of carrot.
They spent the rest of the hour flipping gently through the book. Sulu pointed out his favorite flowers and their significances. The idea that someone could send messages via flora did appeal to the communications expert in her. The idea of receiving a bouquet that meant, "I wish I could be with you, my heart aches for you," appealed to the romantic in her.
Just before she left, Sulu handed her a beautiful orange chrysanthemum in full bloom. "What's this one mean?"
"It means "you're a wonderful friend.""
She pressed a light kiss to his cheek before returning to the bridge, smiling and humming to herself.
They called it a store, but the few shelves and racks that they had aboard hardly satisfied Rand, Masters or Uhura. That still didn't stop them from going every weekend.
Janice sniffed the perfumes trying to find something she considered wearable but was having no such luck.
"That's what you get," Charlene said when Nyota had finished her anecdote about her latest attempt to get Mr. Spock's attention. "You should by now know that your charm isn't going to work on him."
"Vulcan has no moon, Ms. Uhura." Jan added, imitating the commander's voice and cadence. Uhura's friends laughed mercilessly at her, while she narrowed her eyes in their direction. Once the blonde caught her breath, she continued. "Please go be illogical somewhere else."
They were guffawing now, so she left them, moving to look at a small display of bracelets. She slipped a few over her wrists and waited for those two to compose themselves.
At length, they were able to join her. "Nyota, listen to me. Stop before you hurt yourself." Rand began. "What if you end up falling for him?"
"Who's falling? Falling and flirting, they're two very different things. I only want to fluster the man occasionally, just to know I can."
"He flusters you constantly. You talk about him all the time. You've got Spock on the brain."
"No."
"Yes." They retorted in unison.
"It's okay. He's pretty," Masters said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "And now that he's teaching you to play the harp, it's only natural that you develop a little crush. Just. Don't. Fall."
"Would you stop? It's not a crush, it's not the beginnings of love, it's all in good fun. Now can we finish shopping in peace?"
TBC... Sorry for ending with dialogue, but this was the most logical place to stop the chapter. Let me know what you think!