PLEDGE
With one side dish left to finish, Spock's k'diwa couldn't find a clean pot anywhere in the busy kitchen. Maybe switching quarters with her boyfriend hadn't been such a good idea after all; most of her cookware remained in her quarters. Seconds of thought yielded an alternative.
Having planned this evening to the minute, she'd manipulated her lover into swapping quarters with her; Spock's place was larger and she'd need the extra room for the multi-course banquet due to the sheer poundage of food Spock consumed whenever she cooked for him. Thanks to a favor from Sulu, both were off duty today and the next three; she'd needed every remaining minute today to prepare, and she suspected they'd need every minute after dinner to recover.
Tonight was their "Vulcan" anniversary.
Four years earlier, on her 18th birthday, they'd taken their relationship to the next level. It had been a first for both young people, a fact that made their Vulcan mating bond nearly unbreakable (though they didn't know that at the time). Vulcan culture placed an emphasis on longevity and commitment but tended to have few celebratory rituals like the one Nyota had planned for her lover. He'd been chasing her a long time for that Terran marriage, at least by Vulcan standards.
Hours of thought in the Dim Mak training room he'd built for her made up her mind: she would marry him if he asked again.
With the table set and the foods in their serving bowls, Nyota rushed to finish her hair. Her Vulcan would be exactly on time and she wanted everything perfect. She'd just set the last curl when the door chimed. Why it hadn't let him in intrigued her; it was, after all, his door. With a last check in the mirror, she left a bedroom she spent more time in than her own and entered the living area, sending "Come" to the malfunctioning entrance.
It opened and there Spock stood (in the corridor) holding a huge bouquet of African daisies. He'd reasoned correctly that his failure to enter would force her to open the door and place her where his surprise would yield the most intense response. "His" Nyota's joy rewarded him.
"Spohkh, they're gorgeous! Thank you!"
She transferred the enormous flower bundle from his arms to the kitchen, searching for sufficient receptacles to arrange the blooms. Her love of flowers and plants (in his quarters as well as her own) had necessitated his purchase of three vases; these, however, were presently occupied with reddish-orange tea roses, the color of sunset in her home region on Earth.
"Sweetheart, I need to go to my place for —"
Turning, she grinned at him; her always-prepared paramour brought six empty glass vases (from her quarters) from the corridor.
"You've thought of everything!" she laughed, a sound that pleased him.
Grabbing the vases and a quick kiss, Nyota made short work of clipping the stems and arranging the results around the room. At the final location Spock joined her. From behind, he enfolded her in his arms and brushed her neck lightly with his Vulcan-hot lips, reminding her of the winds outside her desert home. Soundlessly, Spock cued his anniversary playlist without her notice.
Music subtly filled the space.
"You wore them in your hair. You instructed me on how to weave them into a crown. They matched your blouse in color and in beauty about your person. Did you think I had forgotten?"
No… she lied telepathically.
K'diwa?… he prodded telepathically, giving her a way out of her denial.
Well...I wasnt sure. They are beautiful. How did you get them?
I contacted your mother.
He had to be lying. But Vulcans can't lie. Except Spock Prime (who was actually almost her "Spock").
Why didn't Mama tell me when I spoke to her the other day?
Nyota panicked, nervously waiting for the ingredients she needed for tonight's meal — especially the African cacao powder. Her mother pulled strings to get them expedited to her.
Spock turned her, with gentle pressure on her shoulders, to face him. Reaching in his pocket, he removed a small box that could only contain one thing. Nyota gasped and looked up at him.
She consented to keeping my secret. As did your father when I asked his permission to join with you in a Terran marriage.
That's why she loved this guy: intertwined with his love for her was the worst case of nerves she'd ever seen from him.
You told me you wouldn't ask me again, remember?
All I await is your answer to my original request. You know my heart in this matter.
Her smile gave him her answer and his zen-like Vulcan calm returned as he brought her into his arms for a lingering, tongue-scorching kiss. They danced — a skill many were surprised to learn Spock excelled at.
Proximity and occasion — and a first course both spicy hot and loaded with the Vulcan aphrodisiac "cacao" — meant they only made it through the appetizers,. Aroused and impatient, Nyota's lover carried her from her chair to his bedroom (deciding dinner could wait but he couldn't).
In anticipation of tonight's celebration, she'd skipped her routine Sick Bay visits for the past few weeks.
It would be a great wedding present.
One week after their anniversary the invitations for the wedding went to the entire crew. One envelope sat unopened in the recipient's quarters.
Jim Kirk needed no additional reminders of another lost opportunity…
