Though most would think otherwise, Spock dreamt. He mostly had simple dreams of his mother, and his boyhood on Vulcan. Many of them he forgot. It was picking at the scab of a too-fresh wound for him.
This dream was different.
He recognized the world immediately. It was a open space of desert he went on long walks to on Vulcan. He best gathered his thoughts there, especially after a long day of study and schooling. There stood a woman, shrouded in crimson, staring up into the sky. She had her arms wrapped around herself, and her face was turned from him. The sand danced around her feet. A hand reached up to fix the part covering her head, and her skin was a rich mahogany.
She turned to him, and it was Nyota.
She had aged somewhat, but it was unmistakably her. The lines around her mouth had grown a bit deeper, her frequently furrowing brow showing permanence. Her face was at first concerned, but soon bloomed into her familiar smile. She kept her wrap close as she stepped toward him.
Spock. Her voice was clear in his head, and she spoke in Vulcan. Her tone had aged somewhat as well, with a soft creak in it.
My love, he responded.
I was hoping you would join me. I know this place means much to you.
Spock looked up at the sky, turning toward darkness, but still with brushes of golden and orange light upon it.
It's as beautiful as you are. I've never seen it more brilliant.
Uhura smiled again, looking upward again.
The first time we came here, it was our first anniversary. You wanted to show me a place I've never been. Do you remember?
How could I forget? The memory was as clear as day, almost flashing in front of his eyes. She brought a blanket and made some Terran meals. "Best of both worlds," she said sweetly. It was a day of quiet, slow winds, preserving the food she made from red dust.
She nodded gently, then took his hands. Her cool, long fingers intertwined with his. He then noticed that his own hands were wrinkled somewhat. He squeezed her hands softly. There was a small burst of surprise, but then more affection came through the link.
"It isn't the same without you", she whispered.
She comes closer, and he holds her. Her eyes are closed, and he brushes her long hair.
The dream ended there. Or at least, to his recollection, it did.
One day, if he managed to leave Starfleet alive, he wished to move back there, maybe even have a house constructed close to the area. But, that was no longer possible. His dreams crushed years ago, in a time where this dream would have woke him in a start, closing his eyes to fend off tears he didn't wish to shed.
His plans then became to live with her until the end of their days in her homeland of Kenya. Maybe she had a similar place, and he did not know of it. One day…they would have their embrace under the stars there.
As long as she was there. That is what mattered most to him.