They arrived at the Mayo shuttleport in Rochester, Minnesota, North America. For centuries, the Mayo Clinic had been a center for innovative medical care, and it attracted patients from the entire planet. The Clinic's flow of patients continued today as Spock and Nyota waited quietly while passengers in wheelchairs and other assistive devices disembarked. Only after they were off did Spock and Nyota move to grab their own belongings.
Spock's grandparents, Drs. Howard and Jeanne Grayson, had settled here for their careers and to raise their family. Howard, a surgeon, specialized in orthopedics. Jeanne, a professor, taught advanced writing and literature courses at a college nearby. Their daughters, Amanda and Margaret, spent most of their childhoods here as well until Amanda left for graduate school at Berkeley and Margaret studied art in Italy. Margaret eventually returned when her husband's career brought him to one of the many biomedical firms in the area. Amanda left the planet when she married Vulcan's ambassador.
The October morning air was chilly and crisp as autumn fell on this portion of North America. Spock draped a coat over himself. Nyota zipped up her sweater. The two had chosen civilian clothing to avoid drawing more attention to themselves than was necessary, but they never expected to blend in entirely with their fellow passengers or pedestrians. Nyota had her hair down to alter her appearance from the official Starfleet photos of herself and the rest of the Enterprise crew that were all over the media as they recapped the events surrounding Nero's threat to Earth. Spock, in particular, stood out in any Earth crowd, more so after Vulcan's destruction. Many people stared openly, knowing who he was. However stern and unsmiling Vulcans were intimidating to most humans, so they tended to leave him alone.
Despite appearances, his mood was not dark. Over the previous two weeks, with Nyota's encouragement, he had become more settled with the concept of this visit. Nyota's influence, in general, opened him to things that he never would have considered otherwise. But, once he finally accepted Margaret's invitation, something about it felt right, just as Ambassador Spock would have phrased it.
His elder self had counseled him on the value of taking leaps of faith. Looking back, he had made two such leaps in his life. His first leap brought him to Starfleet. His second brought him to Nyota. Each leap brought significant and difficult challenges, but each one had also brought his greatest rewards. Perhaps it was time to leap again. Perhaps he would find his peace. But he would take it at his Vulcan side's measured pace.
Nyota and Spock grabbed their bags and exited the craft, then made their way to the terminal's waiting area. Spock's height proved to be an advantage as he looked over the heads of the dense, hurried crowd and spotted Margaret quickly. The two made eye contact, and Margaret and Allen navigated their way through the busy flow to meet their guests.
Margaret smiled. "Hello, Spock. I'm so glad that you could come." Her eyes sparkled with warmth, and she had the easy Grayson grace.
Despite his new openness to this experience, Spock was not sure how to interact with his aunt and uncle, so he cloaked himself in Vulcan decorum. "We are honored by your welcome and hospitality," he answered formally. "You remember Nyota Uhura," he stated as Nyota stepped forward. "Nyota, Margaret Grayson and Dr. Allen Markham."
Nyota extended her hand to each and smiled. They seemed as nice as she remembered them on the day of Amanda's service. They smiled with an edge of nervousness. Spock's Vulcan mode was not helping. She would have to do something about that. "Yes, we've met. I am so pleased to see you again," she said, trying to put them at ease.
"Likewise," Allen returned. He remained confounded by what this charming woman saw in his nephew, who seemed as stiff and reserved as ever. "Shall we depart?"
"As soon as possible," said Margaret. "I have refreshments waiting for us at home."
Allen loaded their bags into the vehicle, and soon they were off. The late afternoon sun accentuated the golden tones of autumn's colors at their peak. The reds, golds, yellows, and hints of green created a mosaic of color in the hills and valleys as they left the city and travelled through the mostly rural landscape. Glints of reflected light scattered on the small creeks that wove their way through the landscape against a sky so intensely blue that it almost hurt to look at it. Tucked here and there, vintage gabled dwellings with porches and white picket fences peaked out through the trees. Many of their owners had decorated their entrances in traditional fashion with pumpkins, squashes, and colorful Indian corn stalks.
They rode quietly as conversation eluded them. Allen, unsure what to talk about, pointedly concentrated on driving. Margaret, still nervous, mentally ran down a list of potential topics to initiate conversation, dismissing each one in turn in her insecurity. Spock seemed content to remain silent, but Nyota could not stand it anymore and broke the silence.
"Look at the colors in the trees. Margaret, Allen, what beautiful country this is!" she said from the back seat. "Spock, don't you think so?" She stared and threw him her best I-expect-an-answer look.
Spock knew that look, and he decided that the benefits of answering outweighed the consequences of remaining quiet. He studied the foliage of plant life in seasonal transition. It was different from its appearance during his winter visit years ago, but he had seen the autumn pictures his mother had kept in an album. "It is pleasing," he allowed, practicing newly developed skills in small talk, trying to appease Nyota.
"Just 'pleasing'? Look, it's gorgeous! I could just eat it up!"
Spock tilted his head. "'Eat it up'?"
"In all the years you have lived on Earth, I can't believe you haven't heard that expression."
"Not in this context."
Nyota furrowed her brow. "Well, I give it an 89.0254 percent chance that you'll figure it out," she said tartly.
She was teasing him, as she did most every day. "On what do you base your calculations?" Spock asked drily, teasing back. "I am neither aware of the formula you are using, nor can I—"
"Oh, shut up and enjoy the scenery!"
"As you wish."
This was hardly the conversation either Margaret or Allen expected. Margaret, unsure if they were really arguing, tried to remain neutral. Allen, shocked and surprised, smirked at the banter behind him.
"Am I going to have to pull this car over, Kids?" he said quietly, more for his own amusement than anyone else's.
But Nyota heard him and giggled.
"Is this vehicle malfunctioning?" Spock asked.
Allen guffawed. He tried to suppress his laughter, but could not. "No, no," he said, waving one hand, attempting to dismiss the confusion as he manned the vehicle's controls with the other. "It's an old joke. Margaret, explain it to him."
Margaret was beginning to see the levity in the situation as she realized that Nyota was not serious and Spock was not offended. "Oh, goodness, I'm not sure how much experience you have with Terran children," she began. "Children sitting in the back seat often get bored, and when they do, they'll pick a fight with their brother or sister for no good reason. Then the parent has to pull the car to the side of the transit lane and deal out a more severe punishment. But sometimes it's enough to say 'Do I need to pull over?' to stop the fight."
Spock, an only child, never had to share a back seat with anyone in his youth. Even so, Vulcan siblings rarely carried on in such a fashion. "Is this common?"
"Common enough that it's a joke," Nyota pointed out. "Most siblings fight. I used to fight with my sister. She always started it, though."
Spock raised an eyebrow. Nyota, grinning impishly, knew that he was not buying it.
Margaret nodded. "Your mother and I had a couple of back seat scuffles when we were girls. Dad only had to pull the skimmer over once, and that was the last of that."
"I cannot imagine boredom provoking my mother into a physical conflict."
"No, I imagine not. Amanda was always the calmer, older sister. She could keep her cool. But I was her pain-in-the-neck younger sister." Margaret smiled, glad to have drawn Spock's curiosity. "I probably started most of the fights, and it took a lot to get a rise out of her," she confessed. "But Amanda could always hold her own."
"Interesting."
"What do you find interesting?"
"I had not considered such aspects of my mother's upbringing."
Nyota's eyes gleamed. "Why not? She was an 'illogical human,' just like the rest of us," she teased again.
Spock took up the challenge. "She was not an 'illogical human,'" he said in his most even, clinical tone. "Nor are you…97.6457 percent of the time."
"Spock!"
Nyota glared. Spock looked innocent. Suddenly the vehicle slowed and Allen did, indeed, pull it to the side of the road as hysterical laughter overcame him and he could no longer drive.
This was going to be an interesting week.
