Title: Yellow Roses for Her, Orange Roses for Jim

Sequel to: Giving You Away for Someone Else to Take

Series: Trek Pod

Sub series: Redefining Happily Ever After

Inspired by: Eagle Eye Cherry - Falling In Love Again lyrics

Lyric excerpt:

I'm so tired
of falling in love
Finding it easier
to fall out
I can't deny it
I feel it inside
I'll keep its fire
you can't hide

I'm falling in love again
ain't nothing I can do
Falling in love again
this time it's with you
When I fall
it's always the same
and I'm so tired
of playing this game

It's so long now
since I gave up my heart
I've kept the light down
I don't wanna get it hard
So let me tell you now
I just wanna be sure
that you won't hurt me
Can you promise me that?

Got to tell me if you're gonna break my heart
If you don't wanna take the chance
And if it ain't true, all it's gonna be
is nothing but a poor romance
So, give me that promise to hold on now
I'll never let you go
I've got to have something go on, oh
then you know now

Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. Here is the second part.

Part two: James

To say that Spock was shocked by his conversation with his now former girlfriend of 2.7 years 30.6 seconds earlier would be a gross misrepresentation of the situation. He was not shocked by the discussion because Vulcans do not become shocked. However, he is willing to admit that he found the conversation uncomfortable, as he was not expecting it, even though he should have.

He continued to stare at the door even after she exited, reflecting on her words. He was upset as much as he would allow himself to feel the emotion. Her argument was logical. There were problems in their relationship, including communication difficulties on both sides. The major contributing factor to those issues was, he did not trust Nyota completely to accept him as he is. For the majority of their relationship he could not help the feeling that she would rather be with another human. That is why he did not force her to engage in a mind meld or even mention the concept of bonding.

There were many times he did not understand why she did certain things, but he was afraid to question her. For example, he was completely unaware until 3.2 minutes earlier that he was supposed to give her flowers on the earth holiday refer to as Valentine's Day. Though that would explain why she sent directions to his PADD to various flower shops and chocolate stores on February 13 of this year. He assumed that she wanted him to pick up dinner and a bottle of wine. He thought she sent him an article on the meaning of red roses, the year before because he was fascinated with various aspects of earth culture and his mother had an extensive rose garden on Vulcan. He found the orange roses more fascinating than the traditional red roses because it was a hybrid like him and it resembled the sunrise on the now destroyed planet of his birth.

However, just because he did not show his affection with intoxicating chocolates or roses, did not mean that his feelings were nonexistent. Nyota was very wrong in her assumption that he did not love her. He felt he was showing her love by not forcing her to come with him to the colony. His father forced his mother to move to a different planet, away from everything she ever knew to be treated like the dirt beneath their feet. Spock never wanted to do that to someone he loved. Even though his mother did pioneering work on the universal translator, she was forced to become the "ambassador's wife" because she loved Sarek.

He cared about Nyota too much to let her be treated like his mother. He respected her too much for herself worth to be tied to his existence in career. Nyota was too intelligent and too valuable of an asset to Starfleet to be forced to spend her time on the colony, where she would be unable to truly utilize her talents. It was not fair and he would never ask that of her.

Maybe Spock should have verbalized his rationalization for not inviting her to come with him before he left, but he did not. He did not feel comfortable talking to Nyota about many things. He did not feel comfortable talking to her about his feelings for her because he was brought up to not acknowledge the presence of emotions, least of all how to express emotions that he was supposed to not have. He did not want to burden her with his troubled relationship with Sarek, at least that's what he told himself at the time. Now he wondered if he stayed silent on the matter because Nyota had such a close relationship with her father. They had such a close relationship that Mr. Uhura threatened Spock with extreme bodily harm if he should ever break the heart of his little girl. He said nothing to her, because he was unsure if she could truly understand what he was going through.

He did not feel comfortable talking to her about the loss of his mother, because she has never dealt with such a profound loss. It was easier for him to talk to James about such matters even though they were not friends and were just barely civil to each other. There was just something about James that made it easy for Spock to confide in him when it seemed impossible to do the same with Nyota. Sometimes it is easier to tell things to a stranger, than a trusted friend. James understood what it was like to lose a parent. James understood what it was like to be forced to live up to the unrealistic expectations of others but never could. James also knew what it was like to deal with a parent that one could never please. In addition to the long conversation at Amanda's memorial service, Spock communicated with James via e-mail several times. Spock found those digital conversations comforting. They were also the other deciding factor in his decision to return to Enterprise, besides the conversation he had with his other dimension counterpart.

Spock almost considered sending James a message now, but decided against it. If the rumors were somewhat accurate, James probably never dealt with the termination of a long-term relationship involving someone that he truly cared about or even loved. Spock would have to deal with this on his own.

Even though he never said the words, Spock did love her. If he could not express that he loved his mother, how could he express such love to his girlfriend? He loved Nyota enough to let go and not fight her on this. It wasn't going to be forever and he knew that coming in just like she did. Even though he did love her, he couldn't see himself bonded to her. He was not entirely sure if it was only for her sake.

Before he could meditate more on the demise of the first real relationship, that had lasted longer than a quick sexual encounter or a few days, he heard his door signal, alerting him that someone wanted to enter his quarters. Momentarily, he wondered if it was Nyota. Maybe she changed her mind about ending their relationship. If she did, what would he do? Although he did not expect the termination of their relationship on his first day back, he agreed with her rationalization, mostly. As he took a moment to ponder the situation, the buzzer sounded again, as if the person on the other side of the door was becoming more impatient. The individual actually knocked as Spock quickly opened the door. This led to his captain falling down on the floor.

"Okay, that hurt. We need more comfortable floors." Jim said as he got up. Spock decided not to respond to his comment. "You know I was this close to using my captain's override code to enter your room. Good to know that you haven't broken out the liquor yet."

"I assume that statement refers to the vast consumption of alcohol. The substance has no affect on my person. It would be illogical for me to consume alcohol for recreational purposes." Or to forget about the termination of his relationship with Nyota Spock added in his mind. However, he was half-tempted to break into the box of fine chocolates that Nyota bought him for Valentine's Day last year. He had half a box left, after breaking into it the day of his mother's memorial service. However, he would be on duty early tomorrow and needed to have a clear head. He also needed to go over the personnel files of the science department, and look over the various experiments that they were to work on in the upcoming months. He did not have time to give into his desire for self-medicating.

"Forget I mentioned it." Jim said quickly.

"That is impossible, due to my eidetic memory. What brings you to my quarters, Captain?" Spock asked.

"It is Jim or James right now. If I show up to your quarters unannounced after hours you have my permission to call me by my first name." James said nonchalantly.

"James, what brings you to my quarters after hours?" Spock said acquiescing to his captain's choice of address in private.

"Because you decided to become my first officer so suddenly, there's a ton of paperwork that we both have to fill out. I already e-mailed the files to your PADD an hour ago." Spock wondered if that was the real reason why his captain was in his quarters. James seems somewhat uneasy as he played with the hem of his shirt. The e-mail itself would have been sufficient. Spock could not understand why James stopped by his quarters personally.

"I will get to it first thing in the morning if that is acceptable, captain." Spock told his captain because he did not feel like doing paperwork at that moment, for the first time ever. He needed to meditate to deal with his feelings of uneasiness regarding today's events.

"It's James. It's fine if you don't want to work on it right now." James told him.

"If that is all, James I wish to retire for the evening." The excuse seemed too weak to Spock. Even if he was completely human he would not be retiring at 9:00 PM.

"That's not all. Look, I didn't come to get you to fill out paperwork. I despise paperwork and I would never force anybody to do it faster." His captain started rambling.

"I assume that it will be part of my job to make you finish your paperwork in an efficient and timely way." Spock said quickly trying to defuse the tension.

"Probably, I think I have a yeoman for that. I'm not sure. I'm still figuring this thing out. There's so much they don't teach you in captain school but most captains usually log in some time as an officer before they become a captain. Look the reason why I'm here is, I know about the super hot Uhura dumping you." James said in a rush not looking at him.

"I was not thrown on the floor by the lieutenant; she merely terminated our romantic acquaintance. In addition, she is not physically warmer than any other human being. However, compared to a Vulcan she would be considered slightly warmer. Vulcans have a lower body temperature than humans.*" Spock said in such a matter of fact way that most people would be unaware that he was joking. During his time on earth Spock realized that humor puts most humans at ease.

"Vulcans are physically colder than humans? I heard it was the other way around. I guess the kissing with fingers thing is another myth?" Jim asked with a smile.

"It is true that Vulcans kiss using their hands. However, the assumption about the higher body temperature is erroneous." Spock told him without blinking.

"I learn something new every day. This is so cute. We're sharing, that's the first step to a long lasting friendship. Look, I know you will not be engaging in any hand holding make out sessions any time soon because you two broke up. I just wanted to see if you were okay." Jim said that last part seriously.

"I am fine." Spock said, using a word that he detested because he was unsure of his mental state presently.

"I don't believe you. When I used that term in your presence this afternoon, I received a 2-minute lecture on the ambiguous nature of the Word 'fine'. Nobody is perfectly OK after a breakup. It's okay to be upset. You can even cry." Jim said actually touching his shoulder.

"Vulcan's do not possess the ability to cry. If you were paying attention in your xenobiology classes, you would know that Vulcans have no tear ducks. Considering you were unaware of the temperature of Vulcans, I assume that you missed that day." Spock said nonplused.

"More joking. If I didn't know better I would say you have a sense of humor and you're using it as a defense mechanism. I'm not a complete idiot. I tested out due to intense tutoring from my doctor roommate and firsthand experience. No, I did not get all the experience on my back or knees. I traveled a lot because of my mom's job growing up. What about you? You're not like other Vulcans. Your special, and that's what makes you great." No one but his mother saw his uniqueness as a good thing before, this made Spock happy, not that he would admit to being a little happier because of Jim's words.

"I did not mean to imply that you are promiscuous or unintelligent. In the short time we have been acquainted, I have come to realize you are a unique human being that is the complete opposite of what everyone assumes you to be. I do possess the ability to cry but I have never done so." Spock said extending his hand and a gesture for Jim to take a seat.

"It's okay. We all deal with breakups in our own way. When Ryan broke up with me because he thought I had no future, I stayed sober just long enough to destroy his perfect GPA by breaking into the computers at Iowa State. You don't want to know what I had FIRS do to him. That showed him that I had other marketable skills besides sucking cock. After that I stayed wasted and literally fucked my way through Riverside ending with getting beat up by four cadets and joining Starfleet on a whim. Okay, so I'm not the best example of what to do post breakup. Just promise me we won't have a repeat of the bridge incident." Jim said sincerely. Spock was surprised Jim actually had a long-term relationship before.

"There will not be a repeat of the bridge incident. Who was Ryan?" Spock asked.

"He was my boyfriend before I joined Starfleet. Honestly, I joined just to prove him wrong at first. We were together for two years when he finally decided to end it, right after graduation by insulting me and making me feel worthless. Why are you not shocked? Most people have their mouths on the floor when I mention I had a boyfriend before." Jim asked, once he noticed Spock's non reaction.

"Although I am surprised that you maintained a romantic relationship with anyone for that amount of time, I am not one to be shocked. I am Vulcan, we do not get shocked." Spock said quickly.

"I mean, you're not shocked that I had a boyfriend?" James clarified.

"Why should I find that surprising? I myself have engaged in sexual intercourse with male partners before." Just then, James started coughing profusely for some unknown reason.

"Would you like a glass of water?" Spock asked trying to be a good host.

"Yes, please." James answered between coughs as Spock got up to retrieve a glass of water.

"Thank you." Jim said, taking the glass and having a drink. "I guess what I was trying to say before I got completely sidetracked, is that it's okay not to be perfectly OK with a breakup. If you need someone to talk to, I'm here. My door is always open to you. I mean for some weird reason we even share a bathroom." Jim said that last part with a smile.

"Thank you for the offer, but I will deal with this on my own." Spock said in response.

"Just thought I'd offer, again, you're doing better than I did, but it's still early. I would probably be becoming acquainted with my good friend Jack Daniel's right now but you said alcohol has no affect on you. Is the chocolate thing a myth like the body temperature thing? If not, I may or may not have snuck a bottle of chocolate liqueur into my personal things. You're welcome to have it if you want." James offered.

"If you are referring to chocolate being an intoxicant for Vulcans, then yes the chocolate thing is true. However, because I will be on duty tomorrow it is illogical to become intoxicated." Spock said quickly.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that. I'm not sure how I'm going to do it, but I want to juggle the schedule for the next week so you and the lieutenant will not have to work together." Spock was surprised James made such an offer, without being prompted.

"That's not necessary. Being Vulcan, I can compartmentalize my feelings." Spock said rejecting the offer.

"My neck remembers the last time that happened. Besides your ex girlfriend is human and it is going to be a little harder on her. It's not like she's suddenly going to be okay with everything tomorrow and start making out with Bones behind curtain three. She needs time and space." James raised a logical point. Even though Nyota initiated the termination of their relationship, Spock knew from their physical contact that she was reluctant to do so.

"If that were to happen, I would suggest a full body scan as well as checking the ventilation system for various toxins and pathogens. Nyota would have to be drugged to behave in such an unprofessional matter while on duty. The incident on the transporter pad was a temporary lapse of good judgment on both our parts due to the circumstances." The

"And people say Vulcans don't have a sense of humor. You have been a regular comedian tonight." James said getting up from the couch as he placed his glass of water on the table. Spock suddenly realized that he did not want James to leave.

"Although, I do not find it logical to partake in the human custom of drinking ones feelings away, I would not be opposed to having company." Spock said trying to persuade Jim to stay.

"The only thing I have to do is paperwork and I already told you how much I hate that. I unpacked yesterday when I came to do one last inspection, so I'm yours for the night. Do you play computer games?" James asked.

"I do not find most computer games challenging. Most of the time I find myself reprogramming the game." Spock actually found reprogramming games much more challenging than playing.

"I do the same thing." Jim said with another smile.

"I am not surprised." Spock said remembering what James did to his simulation weeks earlier. That seems inconsequential now considering everything that has happened in the interim. "I usually play chess against the computer because I am unable to obtain a partner."

"You play chess? My Nana taught me to play when I was little before she died. She left me an old fashion set. The pieces are actually made of marble. It's one of the few things I brought with me. Do you want to come over to my quarters and play?" James asked eagerly.

"That would be acceptable." Spock replied satisfied that he would be spending the evening with James.

To be continued

This was originally only going to be it a two shot but you do remember I am the woman who wrote a 50,000 plus five and one. I don't do well with page restrictions.

Appendix:

*Even though it is very common in fanfiction for Vulcans to have a higher body temperature compared to humans, it is cannon for Vulcans to have a lower body temperature in comparison. This makes sense because why would you turn up the thermostat or wear extra layers if you were hotter than everyone else? My body temperature is just a degree or two below average and I always have to wear a sweater. I don't know about anybody else but when I have a fever I turn down the thermostat and put on a tank top.

The definition of Orange roses from pro flower dot com

"Being a literal mixture of the colors yellow and red, orange roses were often seen as a bridge between the feelings of friendship symbolized by yellow roses, and love associated with red roses. Giving a bouquet of orange roses could be a sign of emerging romantic feelings and the desire to move a relationship beyond the stage of friendship."