After seventeen years of marriage, Sarek had deduced many facts about Amanda Grayson. The most important of these facts was that under no circumstances could he assume anything about his human wife. Perhaps he was wrong in his beliefs that humans could not control their emotions, or maybe she was just better at being a Vulcan than he thought. But no matter what the cause, Sarek learnt the hard way that his wife was extremely adept at hiding her feelings when it suited her.
It was both amusing and illogically frustrating that she could read him so well, all the little nuances and tells that he wasn't even aware his face betrayed until she pointed them out with a laugh. Yet when it came to her, his human wife who made no move to hide her own feelings, he always came up short. In that respect he believed the Elders to be wrong; humans were complex beings, especially women.
So when Amanda leant herself against the doorway to his study, watching him as he ran a careful thumb down his PADD, he couldn't put his finger on what she wanted. Turning his attentions away from his work with what would have been an exasperated sigh if he had been anything but Vulcan, Sarek fixed his wife with a curious look.
"Do you require something k'diwa?" he questioned, hands steepled carefully beneath his chin as he took her in. After so many years together, and in the privacy of their own home, Sarek allowed himself to study her form which was still pleasing to him. From the dirt not quite cleaned from her fingertips, Sarek deduced that she had been in the garden with Spock - quite a common activity for them to engage in while he was working and his son was not in lessons. She never required his presence in the garden – and he had offered several times – so clearly it was not that which had brought her to his study.
Allowing his eyes to fix back on her face, Sarek attempted to gauge her motives. Amanda respected his work and rarely disturbed him, just one of the many facets of her personality he enjoyed. She was not distressed, on the contrary; she was wearing a faint smile, the edges of her lips quirked up in what he believed to be amusement. However she had still not answered his question or moved from her place in the doorway. Fascinating. Perhaps this was one of her games in which she encouraged him to discover her needs himself. It was one he was familiar with, though it was normally restricted to their bedroom.
Perhaps that was it, Sarek thought to himself, reaching out with his mind through their bond to try and detect some form of arousal in his wife. To help his efforts, he stood and moved over to her, pressing his fingertips lightly against her temple.
"Do you require physical stimulation perhaps?" He couldn't sense any lust in her but neither could he guess why else she would cut short her weekly activity with Spock. So the only logical thing to do was ask. "I would be happy to oblige after our work is completed."
"No, I don't require physical stimulation." Amanda finally replied, reaching up to place her hand over his. Her smile had grown wider and Sarek allowed himself a moment of relief that his question had not offended her. At occasional points during the month, Sarek had found Amanda not at all pleased with his offers and not amused with his choice of terminology. It was highly illogical but he had found the best way to deal with these instances: leave her alone.
"Is there another problem troubling you?" Probing further into her mind, Sarek could sense nothing out of the ordinary except- there it was. Spock was weighing heavily on her mind, though the cause of this extra worry was not accessible. "Spock is troubling you?"
Her smile faltered a little and she clasped her fingers around his and gently guided his fingers away from her temple. It would have been quicker to just press her thoughts onto his mind but as always Amanda preferred to talk these things out. "Yes and no. He's..." Here she paused, brow furrowing as she tried to find the correct words. "Going through a change."
"It is to be expected, k'diwa. He is fifteen years of age, and both his Vulcan and Human physiology deems that he experience physical changes."
"I know that, but it's not that kind of change. Not exactly." Amanda replied with a shake of her head, her smile once again appearing. No doubt at his expense. "The kind of change that you must explain to him."
Now he was confused.
"I do not follow. Has he not read the Vulcan biology books I purchased for him?"
"Yes, and I'm sure he has studied them at great length. But I think it's more his... primal urges that are bothering him." Amanda clarified with a vague motion of her hand, heat rising to her cheeks. "I tried explaining it to him but, well, these things are better coming from you. From a father. A man."
"You mean..." His words died on his lips as he felt his own cheeks rise in temperature, flushing a bright green that caused Amanda to laugh and reach forwards, pressing her palms against them.
"Yes Sarek." she grinned. The pads of her thumbs ran over his jawline, an intimate gesture that she thankfully reserved for the privacy of their own home. "That talk. It's time. He's been having urges and don't you dare just tell him to meditate them away." Her voice deepened, her smile taking on a more mischievous quality. "You and I both know that doesn't work."
There was a long pause. "Perhaps a woman's opinion may-"
"Oh no. You knew this day was coming." She cut off any further protests with a chaste kiss to his lips before giving him a push out the door. "Take him out, teach him to ride the hover-bike. Bond."
With one look at his wife, Sarek knew he'd lost this battle before he even began fighting. There was nothing for it, he would have to have the talk.
As he made his way to Spock's bedroom, he wondered if there were any upcoming off-planet ambassadorial trips he could attend after this.
