You Would Even Say She Glows, chapter two
"Spock? Could you please come here for a minute?"
More than content to escape the scent of the eggnog Nyota had just prepared, Spock put down the knife and left the kitchen. He had found it difficult to stay with any single task until completion today, and apparently preparing the fruit salad was going to prove to be no exception. Nyota evidently knew what she was doing, however, because progress was clearly being made.
She stood at the fireplace with her hands on her hips. "I bought a bunch of holly for the mantle, but now I'm thinking that it might work better over the dining room door. Would you mind holding some of it up so I can see how it looks?"
"Not at all."
The holly was tangled up in a shopping bag, so he dug around until he had selected several branches. He positioned them over the large archway that separated the living area from the dining room and turned back to wait for her opinion. She tapped her foot a few times and frowned.
"No, that doesn't do it," she said. "I liked my first idea better."
"Very well."
He knelt on the floor and separated the branches, careful not to knock off the small red berries, and handed them to her one at a time. He could hear her humming along with the Christmas music that played in the background while she worked with the branches, experimenting with various combinations of candles and tiny holographic stars. When she finally exclaimed "There!" and stepped back to admire her results, however, his attention was on something in the very bottom of the bag.
He pulled it out and studied it. At first, he had assumed that it was merely another small piece of holly, but on closer examination, he saw that it was a different sort of flora entirely.
"Nyota, what is this?" he asked.
"That? That's mistletoe. The man who was selling the holly had some, so I asked him to throw in a sprig."
"What do you intend to do with it? It is too small to add to the mantle."
"I'm going to put it over the dining room doorway."
He looked at the door. "Why?"
"Because that's what you do with mistletoe at Christmas."
"Do you want me to purchase more of it? You do not have enough to make an attractive display."
"I don't intend to make an 'attractive display' with it." She crossed her arms. "You don't know about mistletoe."
"Of course I know about mistletoe. It is a parasitic shrub, native to—"
"But you don't know about mistletoe and Christmas traditions."
"Ah. Apparently not."
"I can't believe it! Something you don't know." She shook her head. "Didn't your mother ever put it up at Christmas?"
"My mother was raised in the Jewish faith."
"I still can't believe you've never heard about mistletoe. Here, take a little of this adhesive and put the mistletoe over the dining room doorway."
He did as she instructed, then stood underneath and studied it. "Are you going to tell me why we are doing this?"
"Nope. I think that you need to figure it out for yourself tonight. It'll be a challenge. No fair looking it up or asking anyone."
"Very well. I accept your challenge."
"Great!" She chuckled and moved into the open doorway with him. "Now, give me a kiss and get back to work. We only have a few more hours until the party, and we're going to have to get ready pretty soon."
He obediently kissed her on the lips, then returned to the kitchen.
...
Uhura lit the last candle on the dining room table, and then carried the lighter toward the mantle. "Everything looks so pretty," she said. "Thanks for all your help, Spock."
"You are welcome."
He stood rather stiffly in the kitchen, and she shook her head because he'd so obviously chosen a place that couldn't be seen from the front door. What did he think he'd do if someone arrived early enough to discover that he was here before the party started? Run?
Oh, well. At least he wasn't any further away than the kitchen. He'd actually wanted to go back to his apartment so he could arrive just like any other guest, but she'd managed to talk him out of it. He was the only person she knew who came exactly on time for a party; no one would question the fact that he was already here.
"Spock, you don't have to hide. Nobody will be surprised to see you."
"I am not hiding."
"I promise that no one will be here soon. Yes, it's just a few minutes until the official start time, but you're the only person I know who doesn't understand the concept of 'fashionably late.' Will you come over here and help me light the candles on the mantle? Please?"
He pulled his brows together and hesitated, but finally left the kitchen. "Very well. Do you have another lighter?"
"Yes, right here in the sideboard by the fireplace—"
They both froze at a signal from the door.
"Oh, no!" she whispered.
"So," he said. "It would appear that I am not the only unfashionably punctual person among us."
The door buzzed again.
Her eyes darted around the room until they landed on his cloak, hanging on the hall tree by the door.
"Quick!" she said. "Come over here with me."
"Why—"
"Just do it!"
They hurried across the room, and she snatched up his cloak just before opening the door. Dr. McCoy stood on the porch with a cheeseball in his hands.
"Doctor! Welcome."
He held out the cheese. "Merry Christmas, Nyota."
"Oh, thank you! Let me hang up Spock's cloak, and I'll take that from you."
Dr. McCoy leaned around the doorway, clearly unaware that Spock had been standing to the side. "Well, Spock! I'm surprised to see you here. I was afraid I might be early."
Spock didn't respond, so Uhura jumped into the silence. "You're not early at all, Doctor. You're right on time, just like Spock. C'mon, let me get you a drink."
As expected, the prospect of a drink made Dr. McCoy forget about his early arrival. She grinned at Spock as she led the doctor to the bar.
...
"Hello, hello! Come on in, everyone!"
Spock watched Uhura accept a cheeseball as she ushered another group through the door. She had not stopped moving since the party began, circulating around the room, seeing to her guests, hugging and smiling and chattering and laughing... She had even managed to express gracious delight at the cheeseball despite the fact that she had already received seven. He knew that he would not be allowed to stay in a corner and observe her all night, but it would certainly be easy to do so. This vantage point also provided an unobstructed view of the mistletoe, but so far he had detected nothing unusual about it. No one had touched it or commented on it, and even now, instead of providing the clue for which he had hoped, Mr. Chekov merely greeted Dr. Chapel affectionately as he walked beneath the mistletoe on his way to the buffet table.
When Spock returned his attention to the main room, he realized that Nyota had caught him looking at the mistletoe, so he joined her in the entryway.
"Haven't figured it out yet?" she asked.
"The evening is still young."
Janice Rand came up behind him with her date in tow. "This sounds interesting. What are you two talking about?"
He could tell that Nyota wanted to tease him, but he could also tell that she was uncertain about whether she should divulge the details of his ignorance. He signaled permission with a small nod, so she leaned close to Rand.
"I happened to learn," she said, "that our science officer doesn't know why people put up mistletoe at Christmas."
Rand threw back her head and laughed. "Is that what he has to figure out?"
"Yup. He's not allowed to look it up or ask anyone, either. He has to solve the mystery by sheer observation."
Rand's eyes grew wide with innocence. "Spock, I think you should go over there and stand right underneath it. That way you won't miss anything."
To his undeniable relief, a signal from the door interrupted their conversation. Nyota excused herself, and a moment later he heard two loud squeals of delight.
"Nyota!"
"Suzanne!"
He turned around to see that Nyota had her arms around a sandy-haired woman. The woman's face was obscured, but he had no doubt about who she was. His assumption was confirmed when Admiral Kirk stepped through the door behind her.
Kirk handed a cheeseball to Nyota. "Merry Christmas!"
"Thank you, Admiral." She gave him a quick hug and took their coats. "Come in and make yourself at home. Can I get you a drink? I have eggnog and spiced wine in the kitchen, as well as just about anything else you might want."
"Thanks," Kirk replied, "but we'll check it out in a minute. I have a feeling that Suzanne will want to examine all the choices before she decides."
Suzanne Brandt waved at several people as she looked around the room. "Your house looks great, Nyota. I love the tree. And what's that over your dining room door?" She motioned at Kirk, who was several steps behind her. "Hey Jim, there's something over there I want to show you—"
Janice Rand clutched Suzanne's forearm before she could walk away, and whispered in her ear.
"Oh, is that so?" murmured Suzanne.
Spock sighed as Suzanne relayed to Jim what she had just been told. Jim laughed and shook his head, then took Suzanne's hand and started toward the bar.
He patted Spock on the shoulder as he passed. "Spock, trust me. This is one human custom you need to experience. Fully."
"That is my intent, Admiral."
Spock met Nyota's eyes at the laughter that trailed after Jim and Suzanne, and she winked before following them. He turned toward the mistletoe once again, determined to unlock its secrets.
...
Careful not to burn herself, Uhura transferred some freshly-baked Deltan chetha tarts onto a platter. Of course, they weren't completely authentic, but she didn't want to get arrested for trying to buy the ingredients. It was just as well, anyway. The party might have gotten a little more exciting than she'd intended if she'd followed the recipe exactly.
She popped one into her mouth, picked up the platter, and left the kitchen. The party was in full swing, and she sang along with the group by the tree as she headed toward the dining room. She had to lift the platter over her head to squeeze through the dining room door, where her neighbor Mario was enjoying the mistletoe with her friend Jill from the seminar, but soon she safely deposited the tarts on the table. She checked the level of the punch, moved a cheeseball closer to the edge of the table to encourage people to eat it, picked up an empty bowl, and started back toward the kitchen.
Mario and Jill had left the mistletoe to check out the new food, so it was easy to make it through the dining room doorway this time. She saw Scotty heading her way, however, so she lingered there just long enough to get a kiss from him before she continued into the kitchen. She couldn't resist sneaking a peek at Spock, who was talking to Mary from down the street, and she wiggled her eyebrows when she saw that he'd witnessed the kiss she had exchanged with Scotty.
As she got rid of the bowl, she decided to rescue him from Mary. Mary had a good heart, but she tended to be a little excessive. Excessive hair, excessive voice, excessive perfume, excessive gestures. Everything was excessive about her except for the outfit she wore tonight, and you could even say that the outfit was excessive in terms of the excessive amount of skin it showed. Yes, it was definitely time to rescue him from Mary.
"Hi, you two," she said.
"Oh hi, Nyota." Mary giggled. "This is a wonderful party. I'm having a fabulous time."
"I'm glad to hear it! I just put out some Deltan tarts, but they're going fast. You might want to get in there and try one."
"Oh, I couldn't!" She giggled again. "If I eat one more thing, I might just pop out of my little dress."
Uhura smiled. "Mary, you might pop out of that little dress even if you don't eat one more thing."
Mary moved close, and Uhura could smell the rum on her breath.
"Only if I'm lucky," Mary whispered. She squeezed Uhura's arm, cast a glance toward Spock, and picked up her empty glass. "It's time for a refill, so maybe I could try just one while I'm over there. Spock, can I bring you anything?"
"No, thank you." He waited until Mary was gone, then said, "I believe the appropriate phrase is 'I owe you one.'"
"She's not so bad. Or at least, she's only bad when she wants to be bad. Was she hitting on you?"
"Why would she hit me?"
"That means flirting with you. Making a move on you. Trying to convince you of her appeal."
"Ah... Yes."
"I'm not surprised. She'll flirt with anyone, male, female, it doesn't matter. Just be careful that you don't end up alone with her."
He lowered his voice. "There is only one person with whom I intend to end up alone tonight, and that person is not her."
Unable to believe that Spock would be so daring right here in the middle of the party, Uhura felt her heart begin to beat a little faster. His demeanor hadn't changed a bit, and anyone looking at them wouldn't know what was going on, but that was definitely a provocative thing for him to say.
She shifted just enough to let her arm brush against his. "I wonder who it could be."
"Perhaps someone equally... bad."
She licked her lips as she looked up at him, wondering if maybe—just maybe—he'd be willing to slip away for a minute or two. Before she could continue, though, her timer went off in the kitchen. Damn. The second batch of tarts was ready.
"I have to take something out of the oven. Care to come help me? I don't think I'm ready to end this conversation."
"I will help, although I have doubts about the wisdom of continuing this conversation."
"Afraid of where it might take us?"
"If you are speaking literally, yes, I have my reservations."
She laughed and started toward the kitchen. As she passed the hallway that led to her bedroom, however, she paused.
"Spock? My bedroom door is closed. You haven't been in there, have you?"
"No."
The timer sounded again, so she hurried to the kitchen and took out the tarts, but she couldn't stop thinking about the bedroom door. Directing Spock toward the high shelf that held the dish she needed, she said, "It's really odd that my door would be closed. Someone must be in there. Have you noticed anyone missing?"
He stepped back so that he could see the main room. After a moment, he said, "Admiral Kirk and Captain Brandt are not in sight."
She motioned him close and whispered, "You don't think that they had the same idea we had, do you?"
"What idea would that be?"
"Of sneaking away for a little hanky-panky." At his look of incomprehension, she added, "Sex."
Both of his eyebrows flew up. "I did not realize that we were thinking of sneaking away for that."
"We were, believe me." She chuckled. "It wouldn't surprise me if they did. Suzanne said that she just got into town yesterday, so I imagine they have some catching-up to... Oh, no. Oh my gosh."
He frowned. "What is wrong?"
Her hand on her forehead, she said, "I just remembered something. I, uh, kind of left your meditation robe on the back of my bathroom door." He looked at her without responding, so she babbled, "I was cold! It was close to the bed, and I put it on when I got up to take a shower. I forgot about it."
"Nyota, for the moment we will overlook the fact that my meditation robe is not a bathrobe. If Jim and Suzanne are indeed... utilizing your bedroom at the moment, they are certain to use your bathroom, ah, afterward."
"I know!"
Sulu came into the kitchen, so she hastily started pushing the tarts around on the plate. He picked up a cheeseball, gave her a quick smile, and left.
Uhura raised both eyebrows. "I can't believe someone actually came looking for one of those."
"Jim will recognize my robe," said Spock.
"Of course he will, but what can I do about it? Do you want me to knock on the door and say, 'Excuse me while I get something out of my bathroom'?"
"Perhaps they are not yet involved. You could—"
"Spock, they've been apart for three months! They were probably 'involved' before they even shut the door!"
They both fell silent, but finally she picked up the tarts. "There's nothing we can do about it now. We'll just have to hope they don't look behind the bathroom door."
He sighed and nodded. Neither of them spoke as they left the kitchen. Before they had taken five steps, she felt a blast of cold air, and someone opened the front door.
Her cheeks rosy, Suzanne came inside. "You should see it out there, Nyota! The sky is so clear you can count every star."
Admiral Kirk shut the door behind them. "I froze my ass off."
Spock and Uhura watched speechlessly as Kirk and Brandt continued on to the fireplace. Finally, she met Spock's eyes and he shrugged lightly, then they both jerked around when the bedroom door opened in the hall behind them.
Mary stepped out. When she saw them both staring at her, she waved. "One of the straps on my dress was coming untied, so I went in there to fix it. I wouldn't want to accidentally expose myself!"
Uhura laughed in relief. "On purpose maybe, but not by accident."
"Don't forget accidentally on purpose. That's been known to happen, too." Mary ran her finger lightly down Uhura's cheek as she passed, but then halted and turned back. "Oh, and Nyota? I love your robe. Where did you get it?"
"My robe?"
"Yes, that gorgeous black robe on the back of your bathroom door."
"Er, ah, I got it on Risa. That's Risan silk, and, uh, I bought it. I bought it at a store."
"I tried it on, and it's so comfortable. And sensuous! I'll bet it feels wonderful against your naked skin. It smells really nice, too. Well, time to find my drink. I think I left it somewhere near the mistletoe."
Mary's curvaceous hips wiggled as she squeezed into the crowd, and Uhura just stood and watched her go. She could picture the expression on Spock's face, and she really didn't want to see it right now. Finally, though, she handed the tarts to him. He accepted them without a word, and she headed down the hallway to put away his robe.
...
As Suzanne left the buffet table with a mouthful of fruitcake, she noticed that their hostess was standing motionless just outside the kitchen door with the empty punch bowl in her hands, clearly watching something. Nyota had a little smile on her face, so Suzanne knew that it must be something more interesting than counting cheeseballs. Suzanne sidled up beside her and peered over her shoulder in an attempt to see what it was.
"What are you looking at?" she asked.
Nyota jumped. "Oh! Sorry, Suzanne. I didn't see you. I'm, uh, just looking at Spock. He's been there half the evening trying to understand why I put mistletoe over the door."
"If he hasn't figured it out by now, he probably never will." Suzanne put her hand on Nyota's shoulder and whispered slyly in her ear. "Maybe someone should give him a personal demonstration."
Nyota's mouth dropped open. "Huh? Not me," she stammered. "I wouldn't dream of, uh, I mean, who, what, uh, who are you talking about?"
Suzanne pointed to the other corner of the room. "Christine. Look at her. She's all fixed up with no one to do."
"Suzanne, you're evil! That's why I like you so much. C'mon and help me make some more punch."
They walked into the kitchen, and while Nyota poured several containers of fruit juice into the bowl, Suzanne checked out the selection of alcohol on the counter. As soon as Nyota turned away to get the ice ring, Suzanne uncapped a bottle and emptied the contents into the bowl.
"Suzanne!" exclaimed Nyota. "Stop that!"
"You asked me to help you make the punch, so I'm helping you make the punch. I hate to break it to you, but you needed my help with that last batch. It wasn't very exciting."
"Maybe not, but there are some people here who don't drink alcohol."
"Who? Spock? Everyone else is drinking."
"So what happened to the last bowl? Are you going to tell me he drank it all by himself? I know that Hikaru's wife can't have alcohol, and I'm sure there are some others who aren't drinking."
"Okay, okay. We'll just have to get rid of this so you can make some more." Suzanne picked up two glasses, filled them, and handed one to Nyota. "Cheers."
Scowling, Nyota accepted the glass and took a sip. After a moment, the scowl vanished, and she took a bigger drink. "This isn't bad."
"What did I tell you? The punch needed some doctoring."
"You were right." Nyota drained the glass. "Dr. Brandt, fill me up again."
...
"She's driving me crazy. She has all these weird cravings. I had to get up at two this morning to fix her a peanut butter sandwich."
Spock warmed the backs of his legs at the fire while he listened to Mr. Sulu describe his week. Although his words seemed to express annoyance with his wife's recent behavior, his proud expression and indulgent tone made it clear that he did not mind.
Sulu continued. "And she's obsessed with getting the house ready! I swear, I'm seeing pink bears in my dreams."
"Are you talking about me?"
They all turned to see that Susan Ling was approaching. She had some difficulty squeezing between the Christmas tree and the overstuffed chair by the sofa, and she came very close to knocking a cheeseball off the end table, but soon she had joined them.
Sulu put his arm around her waist. "Now, why would you automatically think I was talking about you just because you heard the words 'pink bears'?"
"Because I know you prefer the pink bunnies."
Dr. McCoy laughed. "So, Susan, when are you due?"
"It was supposed to be in two weeks, but my doctor told me yesterday that it could be any time."
Sulu nodded. "I hope it's not a problem that I'm staying behind when you ship out on Tuesday, Admiral."
"Not at all," replied Kirk. "I approved your request for leave and sent it to personnel this morning, so you're all set."
"Thanks."
Someone opened the front door, and Spock edged closer to the fire.
"Brrrr. I can't believe how cold it is, but maybe I'm just accustomed to our weather in Honolulu." Susan rubbed her arms and moved next to Spock at the fireplace. "Oh, some of Nyota's candles went out. Does anyone see her lighter?"
Without stopping to consider his actions, Spock turned toward the sideboard, opened the drawer, and removed the lighter. It was not until he saw everyone's surprised expressions that he realized he should not have known where Nyota stored it.
"Ah... It was a logical place to keep it."
Susan stepped forward and took it from him. "Of course it was, right next to the fireplace like that. Now, does anyone want to hear the name we picked out for the baby?"
Spock silently thanked Susan Ling when the conversation returned to the impending birth of Sulu's daughter.
...
Propped up against the counter, Uhura wiped her eyes and tried to stop laughing. Her side was starting to hurt, her make-up was going to be ruined, and she didn't even remember what they'd found so funny in the first place.
She refilled their glasses. "Getting rid of this punch is hard work."
"Yeah," said Suzanne. "They're lucky we're willing to make the sacrifice."
"I wonder if anyone needs anything. It's been a while since I checked the table. Maybe I should make the rounds."
Suzanne stuck her head out the door. "Everything looks fine to me."
"Good enough." Uhura licked the inside of her glass, trying to get to a cherry from the ice ring. "We've eaten all the best food, anyway."
"If anyone gets hungry, they can just eat a cheeseball. You have enough of them to last until Y3K." Brandt snorted. "I told Jim we should have gotten wine, but no, he said, 'Buy a cheeseball. You can't go wrong with a cheeseball. Everybody loves cheeseballs.'"
"Oh, but your cheeseball was really special."
Brandt laughed. "Yeah, right. My CO thought it was, too, when he gave it to me yesterday. Don't tell Jim, but I didn't have time to go shopping."
"Your secret is safe with me."
Uhura continued to pursue the cherry, and there was a lull in the conversation until Brandt said, "Nyota, just what kind of party games did you plan for tonight?"
Uhura looked up to see that Brandt held a small package. "The balloons! I was going to decorate with them, but I forgot."
Suzanne snickered. "I thought they were little condoms."
"You did not. Let's blow them up."
Suzanne opened the package and handed Uhura a long green balloon. "Here, you can have a Vulcan condom."
Uhura's punch went down the wrong way, and Suzanne pounded her on the back until she quit coughing, then pulled a blue balloon from the package. "Look," she said. "Mine's Andorian!"
Uhura didn't trust herself to speak, so she just took the green balloon and started blowing. She tried not to laugh when the balloon stretched out in front of her, but evidently Suzanne had the same thought she did. Her hands over her belly, Suzanne sputtered, "That looks like a big Vulcan dick!"
Uhura tied off the end and held it out in front of her. "It doesn't look a thing like a Vulcan dick!"
"Oh yeah, how do you know?"
"Well, I read about it in a story. I think they look more like"—she put her hands around two spots close to the end and squeezed—"this!"
Suzanne doubled over with laughter, then grabbed the balloon and twisted it. "No, like this!"
"Ouch, no, that would hurt! Give it back!"
Uhura tried to wrest it from Suzanne, but she was laughing too hard to coordinate her attack. Elbowing each other, they had all four hands on the balloon when they heard a noise at the door. They looked up to see Spock standing there, an expression on his face that made it clear he thought they were both out of their minds.
There was a moment of silence, and then they both burst out laughing louder than ever. Just as he turned to leave, the air was shattered by a loud report, and the little green fragments of the balloon flew across the kitchen. They collapsed against each other, laughing so hard they had to hold each other up.
"Shit!" Suzanne gasped. "That's the funniest thing I've ever seen in my life! Now give me a pink one, and maybe we can lure Jim in here."
End chapter two