Spock was on the bridge of the USS Enterprise, calibrating the sensors at his station. There would be fine tuning to be done closer to the start of the mission, but for now the task was to make sure everything was functioning nominally. He was giving his full attention to his work and didn't notice that someone had walked up beside him. He felt a touch on his shoulder, and knew right away who was there. He looked up.

"Nyota. I did not expect you to be back until tomorrow."

"The seminar ended yesterday. I had my days mixed up. How's the refit going?"

"I am calibrating the sensors for this station. Communications is up and running, but will of course need some fine tuning before we embark on our mission. The new main sensor array has been installed and will be calibrated over the next several weeks. Stellar cartography..."

Uhura put a finger against his lips. "You talk too much."

Spock didn't answer her. Instead, he looked around the bridge to see if anyone was watching, then stood and pulled her into his arms. She stood on tiptoes and kissed him. Spock felt that familiar sensation he got when Nyota kissed him. He stepped back and sat down.

She bent and kissed him again, more deeply this time.

"Nyota, please. This is not the time or place for such activity. It is quite pleasing to see you, but I have work to do."

Uhura smiled. "You started it. FYI, I'm claiming you for tonight, so I hope you and the Captain don't have any plans." Her smile faded when she saw him frown. "What? Is something wrong?"

"Jim is fine health-wise but he and I are not speaking to each other at the moment. It is a long story. If you wish, I will tell you more this evening."

"My place, 7 o'clock," she said. I'll make dinner, and then we'll see where the night takes us." She flashed him one of her beautiful smiles, turned and left the bridge. Spock watched her leave and hoped that tonight he would not be as awkward and uncomfortable as he usually was at the start of one of their 'dates'. Nyota had a disconcerting way of turning his ordered mind to chaos. The physical attraction he felt toward her wreaked havoc on his self control.

It is pointless to worry over something which has not yet happened. He gave himself a mental shake and got back to his work.

Later that same day...

Spock passed through the door of Uhura's apartment into candlelight and soft music. His eyes swept the room and came to rest on Nyota standing beside him. The soft golden light of the candles danced in her black eyes and turned her skin from mocha to something gold-gilded and exotic. She smiled at him and he felt his breath catch. She wore a loose-fitting, deep purple dress that complimented her skin and floated around her body. She had never looked more beautiful than she did in that moment. It came to him that he should tell her this.

"Nyota, you are... beautiful," he began, almost shyly. "The purple hue of your dress compliments your skin color. The subdued light in this room further accentuates your beauty."

"Thank you. You're looking especially handsome this evening. Come in. Dinner will be ready soon." At this point he caught the scent of whatever she was preparing, and felt his stomach growl. He hadn't realized he was hungry until that moment. She had, as usual, managed to pull him out of his carefully constructed, logical calm and into that mental chaos he'd been musing about earlier in the day. It happened every time they were alone together like this. His heart rate increased, he felt too warm and like something was bouncing around in his abdomen. He fought to regain his composure.

He cleared his throat. "What are you cooking? The aroma is very appealing."

"It's something I found online. It's vegan. I think you'll like it."

"I am certain that it will be... delicious." He sat at the table she'd set for dinner, and watched her move about the kitchen. His mouth was dry. He was about to ask her for a glass of water when she spoke.

"I wasn't sure you'd want anything alcoholic, so I made iced tea. Would you like some?"

"Yes, thank you." She brought him a tall glass filled with amber liquid and ice. He took a large swallow, almost a gulp. The cold tea felt good on his dry throat. He very much disliked the loss of composure he was experiencing. He was trying to analyze it when he realized she'd just spoken and he hadn't heard her.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I asked if you patched things up with Kirk."

"No, I have not spoken to him today. I plan to contact him tomorrow."

"What happened to cause you guys to not speak to each other? If you don't want to talk about it, it's fine. I'm just curious."

Spock was having trouble putting a sentence together. He definitely did not want to talk about Jim right now.

"I will tell you what happened, but not right now, if you don't mind."

"No, I don't mind." Nyota started bringing dishes of food to the table. Spock was relieved. If they were busy eating, he would not be required to make intelligent conversation, something he felt ill equipped to do at this moment.

The food was outstanding. Some sort of fluffy grain and a stew of vegetables both Vulcan and Terran. It was a delicious balance of flavor, texture and color. He said as much to Nyota.

"Thank you. When I read the recipe I knew it would be something you'd like."

Over dinner they spoke casually about her seminar, the refit of Enterprise and the current weather conditions in San Francisco. They touched briefly on the aftermath of Khan's thwarted attack on Starfleet Headquarters. The act of eating a meal had relaxed him somewhat. He was still a bit on edge, but felt much more in control. That was, until Nyota got up from the table. He rose, thinking she was about to clear away the dishes and that he could help her. But she put her hand on his and looked up at him.

"No, leave this for now. We'll take care of it later." She stood on tiptoes and kissed him, a deep, passionate kiss that set his blood on fire. He pulled in a ragged breath, swept her off her feet and carried her to the bedroom.

A few hours later, spent from lovemaking, they snuggled together on the bed. Nyota had loosened her long hair and it flowed down her back like a dark river, picking up glints of copper and gold from the candlelight in the room. She lay in the crook of his arm, her leg across his legs. A sheet barely covered them. This was the time he treasured; after all the awkwardness and confusion had given way to passion and the barriers finally dropped. At this point there was nothing left to hide. He relished the pleasant sensations in his body. Humans called it 'afterglow'. He knew it was merely the release that orgasm brought, but he enjoyed it nonetheless. He was brought out of his reverie when she spoke.

"So do you want to tell me what's up with you and Jim?"

Spock took a deep breath. "I have been trying to teach him how to do a mind meld."

"Seriously? I didn't think that was possible."

"Under normal circumstances it would not be, but, according to T' Pela, the soul bond will make it possible for him to learn. Frankly, I have my doubts."

"You don't think he can do it?"

"On the contrary, I am certain he can learn the skill. Learning to still his racing mind is another matter entirely."

"I can see where that could be a problem. But in his defense, that's what makes him a good captain. His ability to think on his feet."

"True, but in order to do a meld you must be able to still your mind and focus. I plan to do some research into how the skill is taught to Vulcan children. Perhaps I can employ some of those techniques to train Jim."

"That's a great idea, but it doesn't explain why your aren't speaking to each other."

"I think I pushed him too hard and we both became frustrated. With his predictable tendency to speak before he thinks, he said something which angered me to the point where I left his apartment. He has tried numerous times to reach me, but it seemed prudent to allow some space between us so that we both may gain some perspective. I plan to reconnect with him tomorrow."

"I hope you don't mind my asking, but how is this soul mate thing working out?"

"It has it's challenges, as does any relationship between two sentient beings. We work through the problems, overcome the obstacles and emerge with a stronger bond. I know it must seem strange to you, Nyota. It is sometimes strange to me as well. But it is a gift we have been given, and neither of us would trade it for anything. It is my hope that we will have your continued support. It means much to both of us."

Nyota propped herself up on one elbow and looked at him. "I told you before, I'm behind you guys one hundred percent. I love you, and I want you to be happy."

Spock pulled her down and kissed her. "I am grateful. And I love you too."

Author's Note: See? I wasn't planning to leave Uhura out of the story. Some of you may think that I'm writing her a little too tolerant and supportive of the bond between Spock and Jim, but I've decided to write her character as an evolved person who can see the bigger picture when it comes to situations like this. Thanks for all your favorites, alerts and reviews!