What the West Wind Saw, chapter 2
Deciding that it was time for sleep, Spock placed the padd he had been reading on the bedside table and turned off the light. He was pleased to learn that Saavik had continued to do well in school. Mr. Thras was methodical in his approach and conscientious about documenting her progress, and after reviewing the schoolwork recorded on the padd, Spock had uncovered very few areas in which he would recommend a change in the curriculum.
As he arranged the pillows for maximum comfort, he reflected on the day. Saavik appeared to be thriving in this environment, not only gaining a good education but improving in the area of social skills as well. He was satisfied that he had made the right decision in placing her here with Margaret. Although he could have continued to provide her education, he knew that he would have been less successful in teaching her how to interact with others. Truly, the best way for her to learn was by example. Elizabeth and Rosa were both well-adjusted, happy children, and Saavik would do well to emulate them.
Their walk this evening had been enlightening. Although he had intended to walk alone with Uhura and had been disappointed when the rest of the family expressed an interest in accompanying them, it had turned out to be a most agreeable experience. The adults had paired off, allowing him to have lengthy discussions with both Margaret about the health of her parents, and Phillip on the merits of Kschevel's innovations in interactive computer-based education. In addition, although it had required a certain amount of maneuvering, he had even been able to walk for nine point three minutes with Uhura, lagging far enough behind the remainder of the group to foster at least a semblance of privacy.
The most edifying portion of their outing had been his observation of Saavik's behavior in relation to that of the other two girls. Although he had no doubt that Saavik would always be "different" from the majority of people she would encounter in life, he could see that she was not uncomfortable with that difference. He, himself, had learned to accept himself only relatively late in life, and he still had quite a distance to go before he could state unequivocally that he understood all the subtleties of social interaction. Saavik, however, seemed to have picked up many of the nuances that made day-to-day life with other beings less difficult.
He closed his eyes. Easing his mind into a relaxed state, he allowed his thoughts to wander. It was good to be with Uhura again. Recalling his reaction to the first glimpse of her face today, he remembered that his heart rate had not only increased in anticipation of her arrival but had also increased even more when he actually sighted her. Fascinating. His respiration had quickened, too. Now she was on the other side of a narrow hallway, separated from him by a mere two closed doors, and he found that he was experiencing an entirely different physiological reaction to her proximity. Not so much arousal as... emptiness? A desire to simply be near her, to touch her, to feel her mind within his own? Would it be so wrong if he were to rise and seek her out?
As if in answer to his musings, he heard a light tapping at his door. He sat up in bed and raised an eyebrow.
"Come," he said softly.
The door eased open, and Uhura slipped into the room. He watched her as she moved toward the bed. Her flowing nightgown was diaphanous, rippling in the silver moonlight just as the sheer curtains were waving gently in the open window, and he was struck by the fact that she resembled a wraith, a nymph, or some other fictional creature. Swallowing, he swung his feet to the floor.
She stopped just out of reach and murmured, "I couldn't sleep." Her eyes glinted in the moonlight.
"Neither could I."
"I couldn't stand to be apart from you another moment. Make love to me, Spock."
He searched her face. "At the very moment that you came to my door, I was considering going to you, but even though I entertained the notion I would not have acted upon it. We are guests in this home, and the children are just down the hall. To act upon our urges would be improper."
A gentle smile had stolen across her face as he spoke. "You know that we can be quiet. Remember that very first night? No one ever knew."
"True..."
As if to convince him, she pulled her nightgown off over her head. She was beautiful, perfect in his eyes, and all that he could ever want or need. And she was offering herself to him without reservation. Suddenly he decided that it would be illogical to continue to resist, because he knew that he would not be able to send her away.
He drew her into his arms, and together they eased down onto the bed until he had half-covered her body with his own. The pure physical sensation of being next to her was so satisfying—the feel of her arms when they slid around his back and the pressure of her leg where she wrapped it around his thigh—that she fulfilled one need while arousing quite another. He pressed himself against her and worked his fingers into her hair.
"It has been too long since we were last together."
Her lips against his ear, she whispered, "Oh, Spock, it has. I've missed you so much. Ever since I left the Enterprise, my days have been filled with rewarding work, but my nights have been unbearably long and lonely. I've ached for the moment when I could be with you again."
Wishing to rediscover her with all his senses, he buried his face against her neck and inhaled, then worked his mouth across her ear, her jaw, her cheek. Her tiny moans were barely louder than the wind whispering through the window, and her skin was soft and smooth beneath his fingers. When his lips found hers, she drew him in eagerly, their tongues exploring one another's mouths as if it were all new again.
Unable to wait any longer, he found the contact points on her face and opened his mind to hers. Yes, yes, Nyota, join with me, be one with me, stoke our fires and revel in the heat, ease my burning with your cool completion, sate my need with your gentle acceptance. She responded in like, inviting his mind into hers, and their thoughts were one, intermingling blissfully into a single, soaring entity.
"Oh, Spock. This is so good." Her voice was rough and sultry.
"Yes, it is. Ah, yes. It has been too long."
Somewhere on the physical plane, he knew that she was opening the fastenings on the front of his shirt, and he knew that he was slipping his arm out of the sleeve, but it was so far away that he was hardly aware of it. All that truly mattered were her mind in his and the aching need in his groin; everything else had faded almost to the point of non-existence.
...
Taking care to avoid that creaky floorboard in the hallway, Saavik wondered who might be up this late at night. It couldn't be Margaret or Phillip because she would have heard them on the stairs. It wasn't Elizabeth because she was sound asleep and snoring in the bed. Besides, the footstep had been too heavy for a child, so she knew it wasn't Rosa, either. That left only Spock or Nyota. Good! If one of them was up, she would like to sit and talk. She did not want to sleep anyway.
She stood in the hallway between the two closed doors. Nyota had been very tired from her trip today. In addition, of the two of them, Spock would be the one who would not desire so much sleep. Therefore the person who was still up was most likely Spock.
Easing closer to his door, she heard the murmur of voices. She could not understand the words, but it appeared that both Nyota and Spock were awake. Excellent! It had been much too long since the three of them were alone together, and if Nyota and Spock had sought one another out for company, they would surely be very pleased to include her.
She tapped lightly on the door. "Spock? May I come in, too?"
The voices became silent.
"Spock?"
"Yes, Saavik?" Someone was moving around in his room. Perhaps he was coming to the door.
"I could not sleep and thought that if you were awake you would like to talk. May I come in?"
"One moment."
Saavik waited while the noises continued. Finally she heard his footsteps approaching, and the door clicked and opened. Light spilled into the hallway, and she looked around him to see that Nyota was sitting in a chair close to the bed. She was wearing her nightgown. Evidently she had not been able to sleep, either.
Spock's expression was severe. "Saavikam, why are you up?"
Saavik sighed in exasperation. She had already explained this. "I said that I could not sleep and that I wished to talk. I knew that one of you was awake because I heard you. It is a waste of time to sleep anyway."
"It is too late. You must return to bed."
"But you and I used to stay up much later than this when we lived on Dantria," she said mournfully. "Do you not want to talk to me?"
Spock glanced over his shoulder at Uhura, who nodded. When he turned back to Saavik, his features had softened.
Stepping back from the door, he said, "Of course I want to speak with you, Saavikam. That would please me very much. I simply did not wish you to be overtired for our camping trip tomorrow."
Saavik bounced victoriously into the room. "What will we talk about?"
"I know the perfect story," said Uhura, "but I can only tell it if you sit next to me on the bed. Spock, do you mind?"
"Of course I do not. Make yourself comfortable."
While he seated himself in the chair, Uhura and Saavik climbed onto the bed and sat shoulder to shoulder with their backs against the headboard.
Uhura grinned. "Did Spock ever tell you about Khan Singh?"
"Yes! He told me that Khan Singh tried to take over the Enterprise!"
"But did he tell you how handsome and strong Khan was? How charismatic, and how one of the officers fell hopelessly in love with him and left the ship to be with him?"
"No! Spock did not tell me that part."
"Oh, he was a beautiful man. Tall and muscular. His biceps were this big around! And when he looked at you..."
...
"...and that, Saavikam, is why Admiral Kirk chose to create a new home for Khan Singh and his followers rather than take them back to Earth to answer for their crimes."
Spock waited, knowing that Saavik always had another question. She did not disappoint him.
"But why did Lieutenant McGivers decide to give up Starfleet and the Enterprise and everything just to be with him?"
"Do you understand the concept of romantic love?"
"I think I do. Some beings, such as humans and Deltans, believe that there is one special person who will fulfill their mating needs forever. Did Lieutenant McGivers think that Khan Singh was her person?"
"Yes, she did."
"Then she was foolish. If she had waited, she would have found another person, and she could have stayed on the Enterprise."
Spock glanced over at Uhura, who was slumped next to Saavik with her head resting awkwardly on her own shoulder. She had fallen asleep some time ago, exhausted by the events of the day.
"It is not that simple, Saavikam."
"Yes it is! Humans are so silly sometimes. They think that if they do not make another person love them they will simply die. Rosa talks about Jarel like there are no other boys in the universe. I am glad that Vulcans do not fall in love."
"But you are mistaken. While Vulcans do not subscribe to the notion of 'true love' and are not so obsessive about the pursuit of romance, they do believe that there is often one particular person who will best fulfill their needs. It does not always happen that one is fortunate enough to find that person, but when one does, one should make every effort not to let the person slip away."
"Do you think that I will find someone like that someday?"
"Perhaps."
"Have you ever found anyone like that?"
He paused. "Perhaps."
"Perhaps? You do not know?"
"One does not always know, Saavikam. That is one of the challenges of life." He stood. "This is enough for tonight. What do you propose we do about Nyota?"
Saavik studied the sleeping human. "She is very soundly asleep."
"Yes, she is. I believe that our best alternative would be to make her comfortable in this bed. I will sleep in hers."
"That is a good plan. Just remember that the bathroom is for girls only."
While Saavik scooted off the bed, Spock carefully pulled the pillow out from behind Uhura's back and eased her down, then covered her. He turned off the light, and together they walked quietly out of the room.
End chapter 2