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Announcements
T'Rysa scurried around the kitchen of the Vulcan Embassy's Ambassadorial Residence. She had been the Domestic Assistant to Sarek and his family for over fifty years, living on Terra for most of that time. Therefore, she and her husband Stohl had been spared from the Genocide.
Tonight Sarek would be entertaining guests. Spock was coming and bringing an acquaintance, a young Terran female. T'Rysa had a deep regard for her employer's son, almost as if he were her own child. She would serve several of Spock's favorite dishes.
Sarek answered the door chime himself. He greeted Spock and Nyota in the traditional way. "Welcome, my son. Welcome, Miss Uhura." Standing so close to his son, he could sense it. "Yes, they have bonded." Sarek had a sense of something else as well. The civilian clothes Spock was wearing hung a little too loosely on him. His face appeared pinched and tired, the look of one who had recently undergone Pon Farr. "I will say nothing, allow them to tell me in their own time."
He led them to the dining room, where a sumptuous repast awaited them. Spock made sure to compliment T'Rysa's cooking every time she came in with another dish. He ate far more than he usually did on the ship. When the meal had ended, they took tea in the family room.
"Father, Nyota and I have recently bonded. In the near future, we would like to make our bonding official with a ceremony on New Vulcan. Perhaps in six months time, if you will be residing there, and if you are willing to make the arrangements."
"Your bonding is good news, my children. Welcome to our family, my daughter. I will gladly arrange for your ceremony. Will there also be a Terran wedding of some type?"
"Yes, Mr. Ambassador, I mean, Father." Nyota realizes her error. It will take time to learn to call Sarek father. "We will have a wedding at my parents home in the United States of Africa, some time after the bonding ceremony."
"I look forward to these events." Sarek gathered his courage. Now is the time.
"I have an announcement of my own. It appears that a suitable bond-mate has been found for me."
Nyota looked at Spock, feeling his anxiety and a bit of sadness through their bond. He reassured her. "I am alright, beloved. This is a necessity for my father."
"I am ...pleased for you, Father. Tell me of her."
"Her name is T'Sela. She was a professor of history at the Cultural Institute. Now she teaches at the elementary school level. She lost her entire family in the Genocide. She is several years younger than I."
"I hope that you will find comfort in one another, Father."
"Thank you, my son. Your good wishes mean a great deal to me. Ah, there is one more thing..."
"Yes,...?" Spock is a little nervous about just what his father might say next.
"Your mother brought her Grandmother Grayson's trunk here to the Embassy for storage. She intended to give it to you when you became bonded. It seems she knew you would be staying in Starfleet. I would like you and Nyota to take the trunk now. It contains one item in particular which seems especially relevant."
Sarek rose and walked to his study. He returned with a battered looking antique wooden trunk, and a plain brown paper bag. He set the trunk down on the floor in front of Spock and Nyota, who were sitting together on the sofa.
As Spock lifted the items out of the trunk one by one, Sarek explained their significance. He was amazed at the items his mother had set aside for him, particularly the scrolls attesting to his parents wedding and his birth. He had not known that his parents held a bris for him! Spock was truly touched by the photo albums of his childhood and the scrapbooks of his accomplishments. His baby blanket and a lock of hair saved from his first haircut nearly brought Nyota to tears.
Sarek picked up the last item himself and held it for a moment, a small blue velvet box.
"I gave this to your mother when I asked her to be my bond-mate. Such things were not worn on Vulcan, so she put it away for you, to be given to your bond-mate. She knew her son well." Sarek handed the box to his son.
Spock, suspecting what the small box might contain, turned away from Nyota, at the same time blocking his thoughts from her. He opened the box and found what he expected.
He faced Nyota and took her left hand. On the third finger he placed a two-carat heart-shaped emerald ring. This time, Nyota was unable to hold back her tears.
"I...am...honored."
"Amanda would be very pleased."
While Nyota dried her tears, Sarek took his son aside and handled him the paper bag he had brought from his study. The father silently indicated that the contents should remain hidden from Nyota. Satisfied that she was still occupied, Spock looked inside and pulled out the book he found. The title read: The Joy Of Sex (Inter-Species Version).
Spock put the book back in its bag, and looked at his father. "I really could have used this last week."