Rose had to admit she'd made the air awkward, so she finished her dinner in a quieter manner. She resolved to ask Spock questions later, away from the eyes of everyone at the table. But no matter how occupied her mind was with the conversation that was before her, she kept wondering about the same subject.
She was thinking on terms of extraterrestrials actually existing. The fact that they could be so similar to humans was a bit unsettling. Shouldn't they have a different language, at the very least?
"Rose, it looks as if you're done eating. Why don't you and Spock head up stairs so you can tell him about school. He's enrolling tomorrow, you know," Katherine stated matter-of-factedly .
Rose's head snapped up from her plate, and she smiled. "Yeah, sure."
Once they'd put their dirty dishes in the sink, they left to go to their room. Once she'd closed the door, she turned to Spock.
"I have questions."
"I thought you might," he answered, stoic as ever.
"You might wanna sit down, I got quite a few," she warned, taking the liberty to plop herself down on the office chair. Spock sat on the edge of the bed. "How come you speak English, huh?"
"English is a language I learned, much as you would learn any other language. My native language is Vulcan, which I presume will be your next inquiry," he guessed.
Rose looked at him for a while. "Okay, well tell me stuff about your culture or something."
"Did you not say you would be asking the questions?" Spock raised a single eyebrow.
"Was that sarcasm?"
"What do you wish to know?" he asked instead. Rose crossed her arms over her chest, studying him for just a moment longer.
"What's special about you Vulcans? Or are you just like humans, regular and boring?" Wow Rose, you really know how to shake the answers out of a guy.
"Specify."
She sighed, exasperated. "Okay, you know what? You just tell me stuff about yourself and your beliefs or whatever. I don't know which questions to ask. I have too many but at the same time I can't think of any."
"Very well then," he straightened his back. "A topic you might find interesting is that Vulcans are touch telepaths, which is why-"
"Hold up, hold up. Touch telepaths? Does that mean you can read people's thoughts when you touch them?" She could practically feel her eyeballs bulging out their sockets.
"In a way, yes, but it is more complicated than simply-"
"So when I shook your hand at the airport you could see inside my head? You're lying," her eyes narrowed slightly. "Can you like see everything that person's ever seen or thought, or do you have all their memories in your head? How many people's minds have you looked into, then? That must be uncomfortable. A breach of privacy for the victim, if you ask me. What about-"
"If you would allow me explain, then perhaps some of your questions may be answered." In other words, shut up.
"Right, sorry," she said sheepishly.
"At the moment we first had contact, I could indeed know what you were feeling and see the immediate thoughts that you were thinking. I merely caught a glimpse, if you will. I am proficient in telepathy, though there are Vulcans who are much more advanced than I. Because of this ability, Vulcans do not tend to… initiate contact, as humans are accustomed to."
"So you don't shake hands?"
"No," he answered.
"What do you do then?" Rose hadn't realized she was leaning forward in her seat, so she immediately pressed her back against the chair again.
Spock raised his hand, making a "V" gestured with his fingers, two on each side, and his thumb and index finger making an acute angle. "This is our farewell gesture."
Rose tested it out, smiling when she got it. "Cool."
"I assume you believe me?" he asked, all the patience in the world.
"I… guess. It's just- you understand my doubts right?" Spock nodded once. She shook her head, looking down at her hands. "Tell me more about Vulcan. It seems interesting." Secretly, Rose did in fact believe him. She thought about his foreign planet, imagined the landscape and all the animals on it, the various plants that would be so different from Earth's. Then she finally started thinking about questions. Did everyone look like Spock on his planet? Or were people as diverse there as they are here? "How about the geological features of your planet?"
She thought she saw Spock's eyes sparkle for just a moment, but from one second to another they were just as expressionless as they'd been most of the evening.
He told her about the red sands that were a staple of Vulcan, dry winds and scorching heat. It was a desert planet, with a thinner atmosphere than that of Earth's. There wasn't much green vegetation; rather many plants were red in color. She listened to all this with growing fascination, trying to conceal how eager she was to learn more.
She asked about what they ate, and what their beliefs were or what they practiced. He responded in kind, stating they were vegetarians so they ate many roots, grains, and fruits that grew on Vulcan. Also explained was the way they were educated, which mildly baffled her. He spoke about how Vulcans adopted Surakian principles (along with a brief explanation about who Surak was), and that they learned to suppress their emotions with strict discipline starting at an early age. That, if they chose to, they didn't have to feel emotion.
"So you mean, you're like, emotionless? That's impossible," she gasped, horrified at the idea of having no emotions. "Can you not be sad, or happy, or be in love?"
"Not in the way you describe, no."
"Why would you choose to do such a thing?" To Rose, the concept of not being able to feel immense happiness, or love towards somebody seemed… almost cruel. She couldn't imagine why anyone would volunteer to do it.
Spock didn't go into much detail, as usual, but she managed to squeeze out of him some of the history of his people. Though they were a peaceful and logical race now, it wasn't always so. That before Surak, they were engaged in a gory war.
"Instead of being all logical like now, there was war between your people? So then everyone chose to suppress emotion and let logic rule over their lives?"
"Not everyone, though most Vulcans, yes. There are some who embrace emotion, though they isolate themselves from the rest of the population."
That was all he offered, so she didn't push it. "You're telling me that you can't feel, say, happiness?"
There was only the slightest of pauses before he answered. "Emotion is illogical. It drives people to act irrationally and clouds their judgment, impeding their ability to make sound decisions. Vulcans meditate often to help with controlling our emotions. It gives us a serenity which other emotional beings seldom experience. Does that satisfy your curiosity? "
"Not quite, but I think I'll let it rest for now," she concluded, relaxing in the chair. They'd been talking for nearly an hour now, she realized. Damn, it didn't even seem like it.
Spock looked almost grateful for this, and he then began, "Did not your mother mention something about discussing school?"
Rose shrugged. "What is there to know? You show up, do your work, and leave."
"Your explanation suggests you do not have acquaintances."
"Yeah, well I have friends of course. Not sure you'll like them but I can introduce them to you. They might be too illogical for you," she joked, cracking a smile.
"I admit, I have not had much experience with illogical beings, but I have spent the evening with you." She didn't know how she knew, but something about his expression was teasing. Was it his eyes? They seemed to be the most human trait about him.
Rose's jaw dropped, and had she not known that it was good natured she might have been offended. "You might be Vulcan but you are as sassy as they come, Spock."
"Vulcans do not get "sassy"," he argued, maintaining his serious composure.
"Are too. Just look at the way you said it! 'I have not had much experience with illogical beings, but I have spent the evening with you'," she mimicked him, adding much more flare to the sentence than he had.
This earned her a raised eyebrow, and she grinned widely. "You are a quite fascinating human, Rosalie."
Now she laughed. "Well how do you know? I could be very boring and not interesting at all compared to other humans. You've only met a handful," she reminded him.
"I suppose. But you are fascinating to me, nonetheless."
Rose smiled as she erupted into a yawn.
"I would suggest you take the necessary time to rest, as I am fully aware humans need a minimum resting period of 8 hours for their bodies to function adequately. Therefore if you were to begin sleeping now, you will be able to achieve proper rest for tomorrow," Spock concluded, barely batting an eyelash.
"Well how would you know that, Vulcan?"
"Prior to my trip here I took it upon myself to learn as much about humans as possible. I have read several books about biology, psychology, and even geology."
Well that would make sense, taking into consideration the fact that the only human he had ever interacted with before coming to Earth was his mother. Rose got up from the chair, stretching a little before making her way to the bathroom. "You really are something," was all she said in response.
Rose woke up 15 minutes earlier than she was supposed to, but for this she was grateful. She'd had that dream again, the one that always came back to haunt her. The shudder than ran up her spine had nothing to do with the coldness of the room, but everything to do with the emptiness she felt in her heart.
She threw off her covers, her warm and toasty covers, and made a run for the bathroom. The room wasn't as cold as it usually was, and she briefly wondered if Spock had turned the heat as high as it would go. Most likely, she concluded. His bed was already made, and he was nowhere to be found. Early riser, too.
Rose stepped into the steaming shower once she'd stripped herself of her clothes, the water temporarily scalding her back. In time it felt like heaven. She could stand there for hours, the hot water pounding into her body and making her thrum with pleasure. Unwillingly she lathered up, rinsing slowly to enjoy the wonderful sensations that the shower provided.
Once she was out she wasted no time in choosing an outfit and hastily making her way downstairs, realizing she'd spent a little too much time basking in the warmth of her shower.
Spock was in the living room, talking with Nan in a low voice, but when he heard her come down he looked up at her, nodding his head in greeting.
"'Morning," she said to everyone, receiving the enthusiastic 'good morning's from the adults before they returned to whatever it was they were doing. Spock seemed genuinely interested in his conversation. He was bundled up and again a slight flush peppered his cheeks. Her breath caught at that, for reasons she didn't really want to look into. He was almost beautiful in a completely alien way, something unknown. She wondered briefly, and scolded herself as soon as the thought passed, how vulcans went about their relationships. How did they reproduce? No doubt logically. Her own blood crept into her cheeks and she poured herself some coffee, chugging it down to erase the thought. It wasn't her fault that he wasn't unattractive, but he himself had said he didn't feel anything. He suppressed his emotions. And who knew how illogical he saw even pairing up with someone if not for the mere act of reproducing, which could be done in other ways instead of actually having to perform intercourse with someone else.
Damnit Rose, time to stop.
Sure, she could admit he was alright, but starting a relationship with him was far from her mind. No matter what, he wouldn't reciprocate the feelings, so she shrugged it off. Relationship with Spock: definite no.
Katherine's car was parked near the road when she exited the school gates and she smiled, spotting Spock in the back seats. Amanda wasn't there, but surely she stayed home to be with Nan.
"Hey mom, Spock," she greeted when she jumped in the car, delighted with how high the heat was turned up. "I was thinking maybe we could get some pizza because I'm starving."
"We're headed to the mall, actually. Spock here needs clothes for school on Monday," her mom explained, already turning onto the freeway.
She turned to Spock. "Guessing you didn't bring any jeans with you?" she asked, appraising how he was wearing a robe again, this time a more casual one with a sash around his waist.
"Your assumption is correct," he replied.
"Well I hope you'll let me help you pick out your clothes because your fashion sense isn't exactly sensational," she muttered, scrolling through text messages. There was one from Nyota who was inviting her to go bowling next Friday after the football game and a similar message from Christine. Maybe she'd go, maybe she wouldn't.
This earned her a smack on the arm from her mother. "Rose," she scolded her merely with her tone. "That's not his fault."
"I know, I was kidding… sorta," she couldn't help but grin just a little. She rather liked seeing if she could push Spock's buttons.
"I am not offended," Spock offered, though he was giving her that look like she was an ant on human legs. "That is why I suggested you accompany us, however."
"I'm flattered you recognize I have fabulous taste," she winked in his direction.
The mall was fairly packed -it was a Friday after all- mostly overflowing with teenagers that were just wandering the shops. Katherine had decidedly ditched them, claiming she didn't know much about teenage fashion anyway and she'd be better off out of their way. Aka her excuse to watch some extremely sappy movie and indulge in mindless shopping.
So, Rose was on her own and she had no idea where to start. She wasn't very aware of what the latest men's fashion was but she knew enough. The only stores she could think of sold apparel for both genders, so she headed towards one of those.
Spock looked uncomfortable among so many people, and she remembered what he said about touch telepathy. It was like he was reading the immediate thoughts of all the people who brushed his skin. She made every attempt she could at blocking such thing from occurring, and had she been looking at Spock she would have seen the grateful look he gave her.
They entered the first suitable store she spotted and she made a beeline for the men's section, pausing when they'd reached it and looking expectantly at Spock.
"Just pick some things you like and then you can go try them on," she explained, wondering how they shopped where he came from. Probably had exact measurements so they didn't even have to try on the clothes, just chose and bought them.
He stood there, giving her a look that practically screamed 'what the hell am I supposed to pick everything looks hideous'.
"Alright um…" she turned toward the racks, then back at Spock. Her best bet was a medium, so she took a few long sleeved cotton shirts that looked alright, appropriately without design, and two pairs of jeans she could estimate were his size, shoving them at his abdomen. She pushed him slightly toward the dressing rooms, and he gave her a 'cease touching me' look. How she was able to tell between what look meant what she didn't even know. "Just go over there and try on the clothes to see if they fit. Call me over when you have them on too; I want to see how they look."
Spock looked reluctant to do so but eventually left to the dressing rooms, calling her over in no more than a minute with a quiet "Rosalie."
"Spock, I told you to call me Rose- Oh," she stopped midsentence, shocked. He looked… pretty good. Some makeup, maybe, a hair cut too, and he'd look normal. The shirt fit him just right, perfectly in fact. The jeans were a little tight, but she wasn't complaining. Those robes he wore hadn't allowed her to realize just how nice of an ass he- nope, nope, nope. "The shirt looks good, but I'll get you a size larger in jeans. Wait here," she commanded, just as she felt her cheeks warm up.
She grabbed quite a few jeans a size bigger than the first ones she'd picked and took them back to him, with more shirts. After all, they had to basically buy him a new wardrobe.
By the time they reached the fourth store she could almost see Spock frowning, so she tried to get him through it as quickly as possible, and their hands were filled with shopping bags when it was over. Katherine was waiting for them in the car, chatting about the new shoes she'd bought and a few things she'd picked out for Rose. Rose herself was beat, just happy that they were headed home and Amanda had ordered pizza.
"Spock, you don't eat pizza with a fork and knife. You eat it with your hands," Rose insisted, lifting her own slice up as if to show him how.
"I fail to see the logic in that," he stated, cutting a piece from his pizza and neatly placing it in his mouth, chewing efficiently and swallowing.
"Well I fail to see the logic in using utensils when you could just use your hands," she retorted, eating her pizza with less grace. "What's your deal anyway, are you going to try to fit in and act human or are you just gonna act all weird and Vulcan-like?"
"I assume you mean to inquire as to if I will attempt to act 'more human' in front of your peers on Monday?" he rephrased her question.
"Yeah, that," she muttered, taking a swig from her glass of lemonade. "'Cause if you are then you have a lot to learn."
Spock thought about it, before answering her. "I will be observing behavior patterns in an attempt to seem more… human, yes."
Rose grinned. "Lucky for you I could just teach you a few things about being illogical. You are half human, after all aren't you?"
Author's Note: Dammit, I can't stop imagining Spock in a long sleeve cotton shirt (black, maybe?) that hugs to his body and jeANS, lord. *fans self*
This is just a filler chapter accounting for some of the time spent between Spock's arrival and his first day of school. The next chapter will be in Spock's point of view, though I can't tell you how good I'll be at that. If I get anything wrong about Vulcan culture or history or whatnot just play along with it, because after all this is an AU where a lot of things are different so you can't expect everything from Vulcan to be the same as in TOS. Sorry for the sorta bad first chapter (and any mistakes in this chapter) but I promise it'll get interesting soon enough. The rating will go up, as well. I'll try posting 1-2 times a week if homework allows me, but basically yeah thanks for reading :)