Disclaimer: I do not claim to own Star Trek or any of the characters. The kitten is an original addition of mine, however.
Halo
A Star Trek fanfiction by IllogicalWoman
Dedicated to ™PυяεLσgιc;
"A single event can awaken within us a stranger totally unknown to us. To live is to be slowly born."
There was nothing more frightening than the unknown. For the approximated ten thousand survivors of the Romulan attack on planet Vulcan, the unknown was all they had left. The remaining Vulcans were now gathered in a clearing outside of the mouth of a large cave. It had taken the Federation many weeks to finally locate a planet with a climate and atmosphere that were suitable for the highly troubled inhabitants. It was quite dry and warm. The air was thinner than it was on Earth; making it difficult for the visiting Terran crew of the Starship Enterprise to breathe properly.
Lieutenant Nyota Uhura stood respectively to the side of the crowd; her eyes scanning the mass of Vulcans that had gathered for the first time since the incident. Their wounds had healed, but they remained a group that had been struck coldly by the hand of tragedy. Her ears would pick up snippets of conversation as people brushed past her – most in their native Vulcan tongue. Her heart bled for those who had no one left to talk with. As this thought occurred to her, Nyota snuck a glance at Spock, whose pale face was recognizable, even among the thousand others of his kind that were present. Her lips were pursed and her gaze trailed over the dark circles (faint, but visible) underneath his eyes. His hands were folded neatly behind his back and his posture was as flawless as it had ever been. His face wore the same, neutral expression as he would, any other day. Nyota was unable to grasp how this highly advanced race could willingly suppress their emotions to keep them from controlling their lives. They lived their lives according to logic. Was it not logical to grieve for the ones they loved?
Uhura was feeling and expressing every emotion that the Vulcans stubbornly refused to. She watched as Ambassador Sarek approached his son, and she turned away in a gesture of respect. The two Vulcan males that had been standing before her had lost a wife and mother; a woman who was the light of inspiration in both of their lives. She allowed them to have their conversation; for it was likely that they would be speaking of personal matters. Spock had decided to stay in Starfleet, and was now assuming a second-in-command position on the USS Enterprise under James Kirk. Said Captain had also beamed down to New Vulcan (to be respectful), and now stood at her side.
"Nyota." He whispered. Immediately, she felt her muscles tense. She would never get used to him calling her by her first name; and Jim was well aware that his doing so created a reaction within the young Communications Officer. "Nyota, look." She looked over at him and was puzzled with the sight she was met with. Jim was cradling a tiny orange kitten against his chest. Its claws dug into the yellow material of his Starfleet uniform as it climbed over his body to get to his shoulder. The Lieutenant raised an eyebrow and tilted her head, taking a few steps closer to him so that she could whisper quietly.
"Where did you get that?" she inquired, as curious as she was confused. Jim patted the kitten's head with his finger and shrugged. Uhura concluded that it must have belonged to one of the inhabitants. She turned away and sought out Spock once more. He and Sarek must have completed their conversation, for they stood a few feet apart and held their hands up; fingers separated in the Vulcan salute. They appeared to be reflections of one another. Sarek dipped his head at Spock and turned away, moving to stand and speak with three other elders. Deciding that this was her chance, she politely weaved through the crowd until she stood at his side.
He did not acknowledge her presence by looking at her, but he knew she was there. Spock's lips parted in a silent sigh and he dropped his head. Uhura was glad that he was finally allowing himself to feel some of what he had endured. Wordlessly, she slipped the palm of her hand into his. Spock looked over at her then.
"My father wished to congratulate me on the success of our mission." He spoke; his voice as soft as velvet. This received an understanding smile from Uhura. She knew that his father was not very fond of his decision to rebel against the Vulcan Council and join Starfleet rather than the Vulcan Science Academy.
"That's wonderful, Spock. You certainly deserve it." she complimented. Spock shook his head and laced his fingers with hers as he spoke.
"He did not support my decision, and, therefore, commending my accomplishments is not logical. It is also illogical that he congratulate only myself when it was the Captain's reckless planning that resulted in our success." His eyes had been focused on their joined hands as he explained, and he only looked up at her when he had finished speaking. Uhura wished to scold him for thinking so logically in a time where emotional responses were crucial, but she refrained from doing so. Spock used this temporary silence to focus his attention on the emotions that were flowing from her fingertips to his.
From the very moment Spock had returned to the Enterprise after beaming down to Vulcan, Nyota had been there to attempt to comfort him. Nyota was once his most promising Xenolinguistics student. She had now become a trusted confidante and he harbored an illogical fondness for her. Originally, he had not been as responsive to her shy gestures of physical affection. Now, however, Spock and Uhura could be seen holding hands almost regularly. The Captain did not seem to think that this was a very romantic gesture (of course he wouldn't). Jim Kirk did not understand that even touching fingers with one's lover was one of the most intimate gestures known to the Vulcan culture.
As the half-Vulcan's thoughts wandered to romantic gestures, he tugged lightly on the hand of the slightly-neglected woman before him. Uhura, confused, stepped forward and allowed him to silently lead her away from the crowd. The monotonous voices of the mass of Vulcans faded as Spock lead her further and further away from them. Once he deemed that they were far enough away, Spock stopped their slow-paced walk and turned to face her. He took her second hand into his free one and raised both of their hands up.
"I cannot express how valued your presence has been through this entire ordeal." He spoke quietly. Uhura blinked in response. Since she had cornered him in the Turbo Lift, Spock had not thanked her for her continuous support. She could do nothing but smile at him. His very human-esque gratitude was overwhelming. The Lieutenant nervously brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ears.
"Well…you're welcome, Spock." She spoke, following the statement with laughter. His thanking her was completely unnecessary. She had wanted to comfort him; to be close to him as she had once been back at Starfleet Academy.
"Nyota, you and I once had a deeply personal discussion in my classroom. Do you recall?" he asked. Nyota bit down on her lip to keep her smile from growing and nodded. She and Spock had spent hours in his classroom speaking of life, their differing cultures and of their homes. Uhura would never forget the feeling of closeness she and Spock had shared that evening. "Do you recall the agreement we made that evening?" Her lips parted to speak, but Spock continued to speak as if his question were rhetorical. "I did promise to show you what a Vulcan sunset looked like in person. Being that my home planet has been…" he swallowed before continuing, "destroyed, I am obligated to offer something as a substitute."
"Spock, we have plenty of time to find suitable sunsets on other planets." Uhura clearly referred to their future missions aboard the Enterprise. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his warm cheek in order to communicate to him that he needn't feel obligated to hold up his end of their agreement. Her back was to the horizon, and Spock wished greatly to show her the rapidly setting sun as it bled out into the sky in shades of red, orange and pink. Before he reached forward to take Nyota into his arms, he did notice how the setting sun rested perfectly behind her head; giving the appearance of a glowing crown of light.
End.