Teresa had it all figured out. Walking over to her bedroom door, she shut it tight before turning to her favorite confidant, who also happened to be her twin brother.
"Look, Jamie, it's so simple. Mom's having Aaron Pascal over for dinner soon. T'Beth is already here visiting. All you have to do is tell Aaron that T'Beth really likes him. I'll tell T'Beth that he really likes her. You know they do; they've liked each other for a long time, so they should just go ahead and get married. That way Bethany will finally have a daddy."
One of Jamie's slanted eyebrows rose in a way that made him look very much like their father. Even his hair was dark and straight like Spock's. "No," he said adamantly. "Aaron and T'Beth are just friends. Besides, it's none of our business. Every time I go along with one of your big ideas, I get into trouble."
"That's not true!" Teresa's fair, shoulder-length curls swayed from the force of her objection. But her tender nine-year-old conscience made her add, "At least not every time. And for your information, married people can be friends, too. You're just afraid, that's all…especially with Daddy here for the summer." She alone called her father that. She always had and she always would, no matter how much Jamie teased her about it.
"I am not afraid," James insisted. "I'm just sensible."
Teresa wrinkled her nose at the word. "I'm tired of hearing about how sensible you are. I bet Simon would help me."
"Well, Simon's touring with the youth concert, and he wouldn't do it anyhow. He'd know better. He's sixteen."
Teresa huffed. "Never mind, I don't need your help anyway." She was about to kick him out of her room when her lips stirred with a secretive smile that made her look very much like their mother. "Besides, I have a new plan that's even better. And it involves Uncle Jim."
James perked up, just as she knew he would. Jim Kirk and his ranch were his favorite things in the whole world.
"So," she said coyly, "are you interested now?"
oooo
It had seemed so important to Jamie that she retrieve him from his weekend visit with the Kirks, and T'Beth's little brother so seldom asked her for anything. But when she arrived at the ranch, Jim's wife was in town at her art gallery, and finding him alone made T'Beth very uncomfortable. She was glad that she had brought Bethany along as an additional buffer, and stayed only long enough for Jim to show off a couple of his prize appaloosas. Then she thanked him, took Jamie, and headed home to San Francisco.
They would arrive in plenty of time for T'Beth to help Lauren with dinner. They were having a guest tonight. No one else knew it, but Captain Pascal had asked her to go out with him after Bethany went to bed. These past three years, they had kept in contact. In between her visits to Earth, they sent regular coms, often using the French language she had learned as a young child. Thinking of the evening ahead gave her a warm, pleasant feeling.
Teresa was waiting when T'Beth came through the front door. Giggling, she caught hold of Bethany's hand and rushed her upstairs to her bedroom. She loved her little Sy niece. At five years of age, Bethany was like a pretty golden-haired doll, and Teresa enjoyed dressing her in clothes she had outgrown.
After much changing, Teresa stood back and admired her niece in a retro pinafore dress that she had once worn in a kindergarten play. "Perfect. Now everything's ready for tonight and your new daddy."
There was a sound at the partially open door, like a throat clearing.
"New daddy?" spoke a deep voice.
Teresa froze and felt herself blushing to the roots of her hair. Her mind raced as she turned to face her father. His brown Vulcan eyes seemed to probe inside her as she tried to smile innocently. For a terrible moment she thought that he could see everything in her mind, even the credits she had scraped out of her savings to pay for tonight's Big Surprise.
"Hello, Daddy." Her voice sounded high-pitched and unnatural. "We…we were just playing a game. Dress up."
At that moment Mom called to him from downstairs. Spock turned and walked away.
Weak in the knees, Teresa went over and shut the door. Leaning her back against it, she met Bethany's unquestioning amber eyes.
"That was close," Teresa told her.
oooo
Aaron Pascal arrived on time, looking handsome in civilian clothes. Teresa knew the hardest part would be getting him alone for a minute or two. Everyone seemed to want his attention. He was talking to her father about an engineering project when she sidled up to him. Like always, he smelled good. There was a little touch of gray in his beard that made him look so dignified that she was sure he would be a good parent.
At last he took notice of her and right away she asked, "Do you like horses?"
"But of course," he replied in his suave French accent.
"Uncle Jim raises horses," she said, her heart hammering.
"Uncle Jim?" he questioned. "I thought your uncle's name is Larry."
Spock explained, "She is referring to James Kirk and his ranch in Idaho."
"Oh." Aaron nodded and smiled warmly. Turning back to Spock, he asked, "And how is Kirk doing these days? Physically, that is?"
The two of them began talking about Aaron's invention, the Cell Transmigrator, and the way it helped heal Jim and Daddy. Teresa had been small then. She could barely remember Uncle Jim in his wheelchair and the painful way Daddy had limped around.
She waited impatiently for a lull in the conversation. It was almost dinnertime before she could jump in and say, "I have some holos of Uncle Jim's horses. Captain Pascal, would you like to come upstairs and see them? It'll only take a minute."
"Teresa." Daddy's voice held an unmistakable edge that meant, Young lady, you shouldn't bother our guest.
Aaron smiled agreeably. "That's alright, Spock. Actually, I would like to see what Kirk's been up to." Then he was on his feet. With a courtly bow, he said, "Lead on, mademoiselle. You have precisely one minute of my time."
Teresa gave a nervous laugh and hurried him to her room. As they sat sorting through holos, she gave him a running commentary. "That one's my favorite," she said, pointing out a fine gray mare with black spots on her rump. It's T'Beth's favorite, too. She's always been crazy about horses. In fact, she was just at Uncle Jim's ranch today. She's known him for a long, long time…only she doesn't call him Uncle Jim."
Aaron turned from the holo viewer. His brown eyes calmly questioned her. "Oh? What does she call him?"
"Just Jim." Teresa swallowed hard and wound a curl around her finger. "I guess they used to be really close. Sort of romantic, I mean. Mom and Daddy mentioned it once when they didn't know I could hear them."
Aaron looked at her in silence. Even though he didn't say anything, Teresa sensed a change in him and felt sure that her words were having the desired effect.
oooo
When they sat down to dinner, Spock began to offer a Yanashite blessing in his native tongue. It had become a new custom in the family, and they freely alternated between Vulcan, Catholic, and impromptu forms of "grace".
T'Beth peeked at Aaron and had the distinct impression that her father's prayer made him uncomfortable. Or could it be that something else was bothering him? All through the meal she felt Aaron's eyes on her, but each time she caught him at it, he quickly glanced away. He had not acted like this before dinner. Where were the warm, gentle smiles she had come to cherish? These past months on Sydok, she had really opened to him in her coms, revealing things about her past and about her nature that she had not shared with anyone in years. Now he seemed to be pulling away, and it made her want to sweep him with Sy energy and compel him to show some affection for her.
The urge took her by surprise. After all, he was human. Hadn't she concluded that only a Sy male could satisfy her innermost needs? For years she had thought of herself as Sy, yet she was only one quarter Sy and half human. And there was much in the libertine Sy culture that she had never embraced.
Confused, she sat picking at her food.
The door chime sounded. Conversation lulled as Spock rose from the table and went to see who was at the door. A moment later he returned carrying a vase of red roses and fern fronds.
At the unusual sight, T'Beth rose from her worries to inject a note of humor. "Beware of Vulcans bearing flowers."
Father set the vase in front of her. "They are for you," he declared.
T'Beth thought he was making up his own version of a bad Vulcan joke. Flowers? For her? Not likely. Then she saw her name printed on the little florist envelope. With a shrug she opened it, removed the card, and the smile promptly died on her lips.
Close beside her, Bethany bounced up and down in her chair. "Who's it from, who's it from, Mommy? Is it my new daddy?"
The unexpected words magnified T'Beth's horror as she stared at the card's message.
"My love for you deepens each time I see you. The sweet memories we share are no longer enough. I am so glad that you are back in my life. Jim Kirk."
"Mommy, who's it from?" Bethany persisted.
T'Beth dragged her eyes from the card and found everyone watching her curiously. This time Aaron did not look away. There was deep pain in his eyes, as if he knew what was written. As if the flowers and the card had confirmed some earlier suspicion.
All at once she felt tears coming. Pushing back from the table, she escaped into the downstairs bathroom and locked the door. -
At the table Teresa cast a sidelong glance at James, in his usual place beside her. His part in this plan had been very small, and he knew nothing at all about the rest of it. He was already back eating his scalloped potatoes, as if nothing important was going on. But none of the others were eating…or talking…or doing much of anything.
Teresa sank down into her seat. It was not supposed to happen like this. She had a feeling that T'Beth was crying, and the thought scared her.
"Mom," she said without looking up. "Mom, there's something I need to tell you…"
Lauren sighed. "No now, honey." She got up and left the room.
Teresa peeked at her father. She knew how to read his subtle expressions and she could see that he was not at all pleased.
Very softly she said, "Daddy." His dark eyes found her, and she felt the last of her courage slipping away. "Daddy," she repeated, "I…I don't feel very good."
His eyebrow climbed. Somberly he nodded, as if on a day like this, one could only expect more trouble. "In that case," he told her, "you had better go to your room and lie down."
At Lauren's repeated urging, T'Beth had unlocked the bathroom door. She found her stepdaughter slumped over the counter, sobbing, and slipped an arm around her.
"Honey," she said in a gentle voice, "what is it? What's wrong?"
"I don't understand," T'Beth cried. "All I did was pick up Jamie. I didn't even want to be there. Why…why is he doing this?"
Lauren was baffled. "Doing what? Who?"
Slowly T'Beth straightened. Struggling for control, she wiped at her tears and offered Lauren the crumpled card that had been clenched in her hand.
Lauren flattened it out and read the words. Her first reaction was utter disbelief. Then came a searing rush of anger that set her heart racing. She knew how easily T'Beth could ensnare a man if she set her Sy energy to work. In her youth T'Beth had tried it on Jim, but that was a long time ago. T'Beth had changed. Everyone thought that Jim had changed, too, from the days when he was known as a galactic ladies' man. He had retired from Starfleet and married a good, decent woman who now also happened to be Lauren's best friend. Soon Antonia would be giving birth to Jim's child. Now, of all times, had he lost interest in her? Is this how he was repaying his wife's devotion?
A full minute passed before Lauren could bring herself to look up and meet T'Beth's tearful eyes.
"I swear to you," T'Beth said, stressing each and every word. "I…did…nothing. Nothing!"
Though Lauren believed her, it did not ease the terrible ache in her heart.
By the time she returned to the kitchen, dinner was cold. A nauseating scent of roses hung in the air. Only Spock and Aaron remained at the table. Their conversation broke off as she sat down by her husband. The two men glanced expectantly at the rumpled card in her hand.
"It would appear," Aaron said matter-of-factly, "that T'Beth has an admirer."
"Yes." Lauren struggled to hold in her anger. "It would." She cast Spock a troubled glance. "All the way from Idaho."
The Vulcan eyes widened perceptibly. Then suddenly changing the subject, he announced, "Teresa is not feeling well."
Lauren understood. He wanted to keep any further discussion from Aaron's ears. Their friend appeared to be checking a message on his wrist phone. Then he was on his feet.
With a slight bow he graciously said, "Thank you so much for dinner. I know you were expecting me to stay longer, but a situation has arisen and I really must be leaving. Will you excuse me?"
Teresa was lying on her bed when the door cracked open. She jumped, thinking it was Mom coming to check on her. Then she saw that it was only James. His dark Vulcan eyes studied her as he came over to the bed.
"Are you really sick?" he asked with suspicion.
She didn't answer his question.
"Aaron left," he told her. "T'Beth went over to the Fell Street Temple. Father and Mom are on the downstairs phone. It's something really private, I can tell. They sent me up here so I wouldn't hear." His eyes narrowed. "What's going on?"
Teresa frowned in irritation. "How should I know?"
For a long moment he just stared at her. "Teresa," he warned, "you better not get me in trouble. I only asked T'Beth to pick me up, like you said. That's all."
"Then shut your mouth about it," she snapped. "Go away, leave me alone. I don't feel good."
Turning her face from him, she buried it in her pillow. After Jamie left the room, she began to cry. She really did not feel good at all.
oooo
Jim and Antonia Kirk were just sitting down to dinner when the phone chimed with the special tone reserved for incoming calls from Spock's home in San Francisco. Jim had spent all afternoon working a pair of young saddle horses, and he was hungry.
"We can call them back," he told Antonia.
But the phone cycled and began chiming again.
"Maybe it's important," she said. "They usually don't call this time of day." She started to rise, which was no easy matter in her late stage of pregnancy.
"No, stay put," Jim said. "I'll get it."
He went into the rustic living room, and leaning over, flipped on the phone screen. Spock and Lauren appeared side by side, and judging by their expressions, something was seriously wrong.
Jim blurted the first thought that sprang into his mind. "T'Beth made it back okay, didn't she? With the kids?"
Spock's eyes narrowed ominously. Lauren bit into her lip.
"They are here," the Vulcan said in as cold a tone as Jim had ever heard from him. "Is your wife home?"
"Uh…yes," Jim answered slowly. By now his every instinct was at full alert. "Do you want me to get her?"
"No." Lauren's quick response was equally frosty. "This is only for you. Go where you can be alone. Use the privacy lock."
Jim sighed. "Look, I don't know what this is all about…" Remembering that Lauren was a doctor, an unpleasant thought struck. "Wait. Is this about Toni? Is something wrong with her? With the baby?"
"In a manner of speaking, it does concern them," Spock replied, "and yes, something is definitely wrong."
"Hold on," Jim said hurriedly. He headed for the downstairs bedroom, where there was another monitor.
Antonia called out from the kitchen. "Everything okay?"
"Sure," Jim hedged, "at least I think so. I'm taking the call in the bedroom. Spock's being all mysterious. Probably some Starfleet scuttlebutt."
His heart pounding out of his chest, he closed the bedroom door, sank into the phone chair, and engaged the privacy lock. Spock and Lauren formed on the screen.
"Okay," he said to the grim-faced pair, "let's have it."
Lauren reached off-camera and brought a floral arrangement into view. For a moment no one said anything. Then, looking down at a piece of paper, she began reading from it in an unsteady voice. "My love for you grows each time I see you. The sweet memories we share are no longer enough. I am so glad that you are back in my life."
Jim stared, dumbfounded, at the ridiculous scene before him. He cleared his throat. Then he could no longer stand it and burst out laughing. Wiping at his eyes, he gasped, "I…I'm deeply touched. But…but it's not even my birthday!" And he began to laugh again.
"Stop it!" Lauren shouted.
She seemed so genuinely angry, that Jim sobered. He looked to Spock for some glimmer of sanity.
"Do you not recognize your own words?" the Vulcan demanded.
Jim felt his mouth drop open. "My words? What do you mean, my words?"
"Yes, your words," Spock repeated with emphasis, "addressed to T'Beth, with these flowers."
Jim was not sure how long he sat there, struggling to make sense of the bizarre accusation. Finally he said, "Is that what she told you?"
Lauren's blue eyes flamed. "Nice try, Jim. We were here when the flowers were delivered…in your name. I can't believe you'd do something like this to Toni."
At the mention of his wife, Jim lost his sense of humor. "Listen, you two—I don't know what you've been drinking, but this isn't very damn funny."
"I'm not laughing," Lauren snapped, "and neither is T'Beth. There's nothing the least bit funny about it."
"I suggest," Spock said icily, "that you give serious thought to the harm you have done today."
At that, the Vulcan reached forward and the screen darkened with stinging finality.
Frustrated and simmering, Jim stared at it. In the space of one phone call, his peaceful world had come crashing down. It was a while before he rose and left the room.
Antonia heard the door open and called to him. "Jim, come on! Dinner's waiting!"
He made his way to the table and dropped into his chair, but his appetite was gone, his stomach in a knot. Even without looking, he knew Antonia's eyes were on him.
"Jim," she said anxiously, "you look terrible. What's going on?"
Under the weight of Antonia's scrutiny, a very strange thing happened. He actually began to feel guilty—as if all his past indiscretions were somehow catching up to him; as if, without even realizing it, he was falling back into his old ways. Could he have actually sent those flowers? Was he losing his mind?
Antonia came to him. Enfolding him in her arms, she pressed her smooth cheek against his. She smelled of perfumed soap and oil paint and the casserole she had made for their dinner.
"Sorry," she said softly. "If it's Starfleet, they can't have you back. You're mine now."
Turning his head, he looked into the dark pools of her eyes and found a love so deep, he could never think of betraying it. No. He had not sent those flowers, but would she believe him? Antonia would notice even a subtle change in everyone's behavior. She would not be content until she got to the bottom of it. Then she would wonder why he had not confided in her. Then she would begin to suspect.
Steeling himself, he said, "It wasn't about Starfleet."
She looked relieved. "Well then, what can be so awful?"
And he told her.
oooo
Lauren sat brooding as the last hint of daylight faded from the living room windows. A dank summer fog was rolling in from the bay when she suddenly remembered that Teresa had complained of feeling sick. With a start she hurried to her laboratory, grabbed her medscanner, and headed upstairs.
The house was unnaturally quiet. Since T'Beth came home from the temple, everyone had scattered, each to their own room. Even Spock was keeping to himself and dealing with the trouble in his own way.
Quietly Lauren entered Teresa's bedroom and found her daughter sprawled atop the covers, apparently asleep. Tiptoeing over, she waved the scanner along the length of the girl's body. The readings reassured her. At least something in the house was normal this evening.
She picked up an afghan from the foot of the bed and carefully spread it over Teresa. Then she went up the hall to Spock's study. As she opened the door, the room's heat engulfed her, and tonight it felt good. A courtesy light came on, revealing Spock seated on his meditation stool.
He opened his eyes and stood.
"Teresa seems okay," Lauren told him. "That's one positive thing. And T'Beth wasn't upset that we confronted Jim."
As Spock gave a somber nod, she drew near and embraced him. His arms went around her. Resting her head on his shoulder, she said, "Your friendship with Jim has weathered a lot of storms."
"I am afraid," he replied, "that the damage from this particular storm will only worsen. Jim is behaving very foolishly."
A shiver caught her, and holding him close, she said, "It's going to be a chilly night."
oooo
Teresa awoke at the first light of dawn. Even though her stomach was growling, she just sat by her window, staring out at the fog. One by one she could hear the family getting up. She heard Bethany try to open her door and heard T'Beth shoo her away. Just before eight o'clock there was the sound of a skimmer landing somewhere out front. She waited for a door chime, but it never came.
Then the argument started. The voices grew so loud that Teresa knew exactly who it was—Aunt Toni and Mom. And then T'Beth began arguing, too.
Scared, Teresa ran from her room, over to the stairs. James and Bethany were perched on mid-level steps, looking wide-eyed at the fight in the living room. Teresa came down and sat beside her niece. She could see Mom and T'Beth standing close together, facing a very pregnant Aunt Toni, who was crying. Daddy was there, too, asking them all to calm down, but no one seemed to be listening to him.
Aunt Toni pointed her finger at the other two women. "My husband is not lying!" she shouted through her tears. "He did not send those silly flowers! I don't know who's behind all this, but it's not Jim!" Her dusky cheeks flushed with fury, she turned to Daddy. "And as for you—it this how a Yanashite behaves? I expected something better from Jim's friend! Well, I can see now that you're no friend of his!"
"Now wait just a minute," T'Beth began angrily, but Aunt Toni stalked out of the house and slammed the door behind her.
"The nerve of that woman!" T'Beth exclaimed.
"The nerve of Jim!" Mom added. "Think about it. He actually told her! What nerve!"
Only Daddy was composed. He seemed very deep in thought. "Yes," he said quietly, "what nerve. Unless…" And then he fell silent.
Teresa heard Aunt Toni's skimmer lift off.
Mom and T'Beth were staring at Daddy expectantly.
Seeing their interest, he began again. "Unless Jim is, in fact, innocent."
T'Beth exploded. "So I sent those flowers to myself? I'm the liar? Is that what you're suggesting?"
Daddy sighed. "I am only saying—"
T'Beth did not wait to hear more. Turning her back on him, she pounded up the stairs and squeezed past the children. Her bedroom door banged shut. Bethany's face puckered and she began to cry.
Down below, Mom gave Daddy an angry, accusing look. "Oh, for petesake!" she snapped, and stormed into her laboratory. That door slammed the loudest of all. It made such a vibration that a painting on the wall came partway loose. "The Expulsion from Paradise" dropped to a weird angle that made it look even uglier than usual to Teresa.
Her eyes went back to Daddy, standing alone near the foot of the stairs. All the misery that had been pent up inside her suddenly broke free, and she ran down to him. Sobbing, she threw her arms around his middle and held on tight.
"Oh, Daddy," she cried.
His strong hands caressed her hair. "It is alright," he soothed.
"No," she choked out, "it's not alright. It's not." Taking a deep, shuddering breath, she said, "There's something….something that I have to tell you."
Spock had never seen his youngest daughter so upset. The anguish he felt beating against his mental shields was certainly understandable, considering what she had just witnessed. It would seem that he was the only adult under control, the only one who could possibly calm her. As she wiped at her streaming eyes, he took her up to his office where their privacy would be ensured. There he settled her on his lap and put an arm around her.
"You are trembling," he observed. "It is unfortunate that you had to see so many grownups misbehaving."
A sob shook her. "Because of me!"
"Certainly not," he reassured the child.
"Oh, yes it is," she countered. Clutching the front of his sweater, she nestled against him. "It's all my fault. I did it. I wanted to say so right at the beginning, but then I got scared."
"You did it," he repeated. The claim seemed absurd. "What exactly do you mean by that?"
"The flowers. The card. It was me. I sent them." With the startling admission came more tears.
Now Spock began to understand, and a sharp sense of relief mingled with annoyance toward his ever-mischievous daughter. So Jim had not been unfaithful, after all. But what trouble this thoughtless child had caused!
Taking a firm hold of Teresa's arms, he raised her head off him and met her sorrowful blue eyes with a stern look. "I remember a very little girl whose only Christmas wish was that everyone would get along together. Now look at what you have done."
"But Daddy," she protested, "it was all for Bethany, don't you see?"
"No," he replied, "I do not see."
"I wanted Aaron to think that T'Beth and Uncle Jim liked each other, so I said some things to Aaron when we were upstairs. I sent the flowers, too. I only wanted to make Aaron jealous, so he'd ask T'Beth to marry him. So Bethany would have a daddy." Her lower lip quivered. "But everything came out wrong…and…and I'm sorry. I really am."
"Ah." It was all coming clear. "So that is what you meant when you said 'new daddy'." Now that Spock realized she had not acted out of malice, he was inclined to pity her. But the child had to be made accountable. "Teresa, you have caused a great deal of trouble by meddling into adult matters. I am not the only one in need of an apology."
"I can't," she whimpered.
"You must." Brushing a tear-dampened curl away from her face, he said, "There is no other way…but I will be with you."
"Right now…?" she asked.
Spock considered for a moment. "No, not yet. First I will gather all the injured parties together so you can speak to everyone at once. Until then, I think it best that we keep this to ourselves."
oooo
Later that morning, when tempers had cooled a bit, Spock sought out Lauren and T'Beth. The grim, tight-lipped pair looked as if they were ready for another fight.
Without preamble, he announced, "I have received indisputable evidence that Jim Kirk is innocent."
Lauren's jaw dropped. "What?" she exclaimed—the first word she had spoken to him since abruptly departing for her laboratory.
"How can that be?" T'Beth asked with suspicion. She, too, had been coldly silent until now.
"Though I cannot yet reveal the name," Spock said, "the culprit has confessed. I must ask you to trust me until I can gather everyone who is involved. That will be the time for explanations and apologies."
"Who do you think you are," Lauren snipped, "Charlie Chan? I want to know now."
"So do I," T'Beth demanded, hands on her hips.
Spock had expected just this difficulty. He was withholding important information, and it was only natural for them to resent it. But the thought of Teresa kept him silent. In their current mood, Lauren and T'Beth were likely to treat the child as harshly as they had been treating him. Teresa had used poor judgment, but she was only nine years old and her intentions had been good. She had come to him voluntarily and told him the truth. Her one public admission of guilt would be punishment enough.
Standing his ground, he said, "I will say nothing more on the subject. It is my hope that you will come to understand my reasoning."
At that he left them, went up to his study, and promptly researched "Charlie Chan".
oooo
It took three days for Spock to persuade the Kirks and Aaron Pascal to make room in their schedules for a visit to his home, where he promised to produce the guilty party.
On the morning of the gathering, Number One Son arrived back from his concert tour. T'Beth immediately filled Simon in on all the commotion he had missed, making it clear that she still suspected Jim was involved. Lauren was also finding it difficult to trust Spock's judgment. At night, her resentment made it impossible to share a bed with him, so she had been bunking on a living room sofa.
After lunch, James cornered Teresa. "Well, are you happy?" he asked with sarcasm. "Everything is a mess and I know it's because of you. I hope Father gives you a spanking—right there in front of everyone."
That got Teresa worrying harder than ever. Though Spock had never physically punished her, maybe this time he would. The very thought made her want to curl up and die. Disappearing into her bedroom, she stayed there hoping against hope that everyone would just forget all about it.
oooo
The hour was near. Knowing that Teresa was quite anxious, Spock seated her beside him at the piano and encouraged her to join him in a simple duet he had recently taught her. He thought the activity might steady her nerves, but before long her hands left the keys and he was on his own. Simon brought down his violin, and for a while Spock played music with his son.
Almost precisely on time, the company arrived.
Teresa remained frozen at the piano while Spock ushered first Aaron, and then the Kirks into the living room. It was a cold, unsmiling group. When they were all seated, Spock stood in their midst and said, "Thank you for making the effort to come here today. I know this cannot be easy for you. In just a moment you will have the explanation I promised."
"Over the phone you mentioned an apology?" Antonia's voice was frosty.
"Yes," Spock said.
Aaron shifted uncomfortably in the corner chair he had chosen.
Spock turned to his friend. "Aaron, I particularly appreciate your participation in what must seem to you like a family matter. However, you will soon see that you are involved—that, in fact, you are at the very heart of the whole unfortunate affair."
Jim and Antonia stared hard at the officer, perhaps thinking that it was Aaron who had penned the infamous lines.
"Simon." Spock addressed his son, who had been standing at the base of the stairs. "Please call the others."
The teenager went up and returned with his mother and T'Beth. The tension in the room mounted perceptively. Dark looks were exchanged as the three made their way to a sofa. Meanwhile, James and Bethany huddled on the lowermost stair to watch.
"Okay Charlie," Lauren said with heavy sarcasm, "this is your big scene. Lights. Camera. Action."
Aaron and the Kirks gaped at her as if she had lost her senses.
As Spock studied the gathering, his confidence in human nature began to waver. Had he overestimated their capacity to forgive? Would they erupt with fresh anger? Might they cast the blame on Lauren and himself as Teresa's parents, thus keeping the painful feud alive? Lauren could then hold him responsible for handling the situation badly, and there would be no end of snide "Charlie" remarks.
But he had chosen this course and it was too late to change it. Turning to the corner where Teresa sat unnoticed at the piano, he held his hand out.
Her eyes shone with fear and a deep blush swept over her fair skin. She did not move.
"Come," Spock said gently.
It was a moment before she slid off the piano bench and slowly walked toward him. Spock gave her burning cheek a reassuring touch, then turned her around to face the others.
With his hands on her shoulders, he said, "Teresa will speak."
Everyone's attention locked on the child. Lips parted, faces frowning with displeasure, but they were waiting and they were listening.
"Go ahead," Spock told his unhappy daughter. Very quietly he reminded her, "I am right here with you."
"Okay, Daddy," she whispered tearfully.
"Loudly now. They all must hear."
Teresa drew in a deep, tremulous breath. Then in a bold voice she blurted, "It was me. It did it."
The confession created a stir.
Spock gave the small shoulders a reassuring squeeze. More words tumbled from her. In a steady stream they kept coming until the whole sad tale was told and she stood forlornly sniffling out her apologies.
When it was over, he took her by the hand and looking upon the shocked faces said, "It was never her intention to harm anyone, but nevertheless, much harm has resulted. For my own part in the misunderstanding, I too apologize. Jim. Antonia." He moved his attention to Lauren and T'Beth. "It may be that there was a better way to handle this. If so, Mr. Chan expresses his sincere regrets."
Without waiting for a response, he drew Teresa into the kitchen and sat holding her close while tears ran down her face. From the living room came the sound of voices, but there was no shouting. After a time, Lauren entered the room. Her eyes brimmed as she came over to Spock's side and enclosed both him and Teresa in a big embrace.
"My two favorite mischief-makers," she said.
The feeling of her affection warmed him. "I gather the hostilities are at an end?"
"Not a weapon in sight. They're all staying for dinner." She kissed their daughter's forehead. Then her lips rose to his mouth and delivered a sweet apology that reached to the very heart of the bond they shared. And Spock knew he would not be alone in their bed tonight.
oooo
The day that had begun with discord was ending in friendship and relaxation. Outside, the fog had been swept away by a warm offshore breeze. Spock's family and their guests mingled in the late June sunshine, enjoying Mr. Sakata's artful landscaping and the tantalizing aroma of barbecue.
Jim Kirk and Simon manned the grill, watching over a bounty of marinated shish-kabobs while Antonia and Lauren sat nearby, happily chatting about childbirth and babies. Teresa was curled up at her mother's feet, and as she glanced over at Jim, he winked at the girl and she returned a wan, embarrassed smile. Across the patio, Bethany and James were down on their knees, hunched over a fleet of toy figures. Not far from them, Spock and Aaron had become so deeply engrossed in an obscure point of science that they seemed to have lost all touch with their surroundings. But one of the men was careful to stand so that the back door was always in view.
T'Beth came out through the door and set a pitcher of lemonade on a patio table. Her eyes went to Aaron and found him watching. Aaron broke off his discussion in midsentence. Excusing himself, he walked over to her and they set off strolling down a garden path.
T'Beth sighed and said, "What a beautiful day."
Turning his head toward her, Aaron noticed how the sun glinted in her dark hair and made her hazel eyes seem almost golden. "Yes," he said, "beautiful…and so very peaceful."
She smiled self-consciously. "That little revelation in the living room was sure embarrassing. Teresa, the matchmaker. What a schemer."
"Yes," Aaron quietly agreed, "but big-hearted. And Spock as Charlie Chan was priceless. T'Beth, your family is very…unusual."
She laughed. "Human, Vulcan, Sydok. Yanashites and Catholics and…well…me with my own offbeat blend of faith. We're all mixed up, that's for sure."
"A good mix," he said kindly. Coming to a stop, he went on talking as he examined a stalk of purple foxglove. "I've know your father since I was Simon's age. Like you, I lost those who were dearest to me when I was very young. I'd been alone in the world for a long time, and your father knew it. He's been more than a mentor. I am very fond of him, T'Beth. I'm fond of each and every one of you."
T'Beth's heart began to beat faster. They had reached a secluded corner of the property. The voices from the patio seemed distant and unreal as she said, "You've been a good friend to us. You restored my father's health. You made it possible for Jim to walk again."
"It gave me great pleasure." His eyes left the flower and met hers. "T'Beth, there's something else I've been wanting to say to you."
She felt her face flushing. Was she only imagining his interest, only wishing it? She held herself very still, clamping down hard on the Sy part of her that longed to make him reach out. Yet suddenly Aaron took both of her hands into his own. He had never been this near before, and it made the breath catch in her throat.
In his charming accent he said, "T'Beth, your sister might not be as foolish as everyone seems to think. For a long time I've had my eyes on you, watching you grow and mature. Then, one day, you began to watch me. I knew then that something had changed between us. I thought that perhaps, after all, I had a chance. I hope I haven't misinterpreted your interest." Taking a breath, he said, "T'Beth, mon cher, at the risk of embarrassing myself, at the risk of losing you and your entire family, I have to confess that…that I love you. I've loved you for years." And he added, "Have you ever thought of me as a husband? As a father for Bethany? Would you be my wife?"
Joy flooded T'Beth's soul. Her heart yearned for everything this kind, courtly man offered. She, too, loved him—that much was now completely clear to her. But she loved him far too much to let him take her on, sight unseen.
"Aaron…" She struggled to find just the right words. "Aaron, what do you really know about me? About my Sy blood? Yes, I've told you some things about my past, but…" Blushing, she fell silent.
"You were young, confused, rebellious. T'Beth, I've read enough about Sydoks to know that you are perfectly capable of monogamy. As for myself, I am just an ordinary human, but I will show you so much love that you'll never have to look for it anywhere else."
He was still holding her hands, and though she could not bear the thought of losing that affectionate touch, she had to speak up. "Reading is one thing, but experiencing Sy…intimacy…is another thing entirely. Up to this point, we've never even kissed."
Above his neatly trimmed beard, his lips curved into a shy smile. "Oh, but we have…many, many times…in my heart…and in my dreams."
Gazing into her eyes, he moved closer. The scent of his cologne enveloped her as he leaned over and touched his mouth to hers. The brief, tender kiss was unlike any that she had ever received from a man. It proved to her that his love was genuine and sincere, not the feverish by-product of some stray Sy energy that had unwittingly escaped her. Yet that same energy that she worked hard at containing was also an integral part of her biology. It would come, and once he experienced a full Sy-jeeral rush, he would look upon her very differently. How would he respond? Would its alien intensity disgust him?
With pounding heart, she reached behind his neck and murmured, "C'est qui je suis." This is who I am. And then she drew him into a lingering Sy kiss that would have made all of France blush.
When it was over, she stood back and let him catch his breath, all the while searching his startled face for the inner conflict she expected. Gradually his expression did change, but not in the manner that she had feared.
With a look of bemusement, he exclaimed, "Mon Dieu! That was worth waiting for!"
And then they kissed again.
oooo
On the patio, Teresa closed her eyes and rested her head against her mother's leg. Everyone was being so nice to her, as if all the trouble she had caused was not so very important, after all. But she still remembered all the shouting and ugly words, and the way everyone had sat earlier today, so stiff and unfriendly. She didn't think that she would ever forget it, and maybe that was a good thing if it kept her from making that kind of trouble again. Next Saturday she would definitely be standing in line for confession at St. Bridget's.
Someone jiggled her shoulder. Raising her head, she found Jamie standing nearby.
"Resa," he said, using the special nickname only he called her. "Want to play?"
She was not sure, after the way he had been acting.
He squatted down at her side. "I guess I was sort of mean to you. But I'll be nice, now. I promise. Come on, Resa…"
Her heart warmed to him and she began to get up. That was when she noticed T'Beth and Aaron walking side by side on a garden path, slowly heading toward the patio.
Pointing at them excitedly, she said, "Jamie, look!"
He stared at the couple with a blank expression.
"Their hands, Jamie. They're holding hands!"
They were closer now and Teresa could see their faces clearly. Her heart leaped. Some budding feminine instinct told her exactly where they were going. Rushing over to her father, she waited beside his chair. A moment later T'Beth and Aaron stood before him exchanging loving glances, their fingers still intertwined.
Daddy's slanted eyebrow raised up.
The couple looked at him and smiled. Then Aaron cleared his throat and said, "I have asked for your daughter's hand in marriage, and she has graciously consented." And he added, "With your permission, sir."
Teresa did not wait to hear anything more. Tingling with excitement, she leaped off the patio and circled the garden in a dance of joy.
oooOOooo