Credit to R4v3n Kn1ght and Daisukino for beta'ing. It's been helpful. (:

Also, right now I've used italics solemnly for emphasis. I thought I'd better point that out, lest there'd arise confusion about it.


"You did what!?" Uhura's voice burst through the air. She had practically jumped out of her chair and was now, literally, looking down on Kirk.

"I know, I know, it was stupid and I am sorry about it, but-"

"No you don't know, Kirk! You practically asked him to marry you!"

Kirk didn't reply. 'Most intimate gesture my people can offer,'had already sounded bad enough, but to have Uhurarephrase it like that added a whole new layer to Kirk's guilt. If one thought about it like this, he pretty much left Spock standing at the altar. To accidentally do such a thing, he must be the biggest ass in the universe! Not to mention that it wasn't entirely unlike something he had done years ago.

He had been dating a wonderful girlthat was beautiful and smart and just right for him. Their half year anniversary was coming up and he had stayed up very late planning and preparing to set up everything in order to make her feel like a sun that illuminated his world. They had agreed that he would pick her up at 11.30 the next morning. When he woke up, however, it was 2:00 PM. Panicking he went to search for his communicator, which he, unfortunately, had left lying around downstairs. The poor girl had broken into tears as soon as she'd heard his voice. Half-crying she had yelled at him about how she had tried to reach him like a hundred times and had even driven by his house and rang the doorbell. She had yelled about how horrible he had made her feel and the whole shebang. And he? He hadn't even bothered to try and explain or make it up to her. He had felt so bad about how he had screwed up that he thought he deserved her anger. So they broke up.

"So, what do you plan to do now?" Uhura demanded, not as furious as before, but still with some anger in her voice.

"I don't know! I want to help him, I want to make it up to him, but I don't know what to do. That's why I asked you to come over."

Uhura took a deep breath. Her body relaxed some and her features lightened a bit.

"Where would the universe be if there were no women to clean up after the men?"

An insult hidden in a joke. Kirk didn't have the spirit to fire something back at her, so he just gave Uhura a sheepish grin.

"Alright, Kirk, I'll go check on Spock, see what he needs. Then I'm going to see to it that any request he may have that I think is reasonable will be granted by you." She said that last part mostly because she wanted to know that Kirk would do in all honesty, it wasn't likely Spock would ask for anything. She was satisfied when Kirk frantically nodded. She herself then nodded in acknowledgment before beginning to pace out of Kirk's quarters.

"Thank you," Kirk mumbled at her. To which she replied, without turning around to look at him or even stop her motion: "I'm not doing this for you; I'm doing this for Spock."

Once outside Uhura wondered, had she been too harsh on Kirk? He had seemed pretty beaten up by the issue. Then again, maybe that's what it took for him to learn something from it. Though she did note to herself that if Kirk seemed distracted on the bridge the next day, she should perhaps hint at Dr. McCoy that he should go hang out with Kirk after their shifts. Hopefully he could then help to push him in the right direction, and if that was not possible, make him feel better. For Uhura found that even if it turned out Kirk had hurt Spock, there was no good in having him feel bad just for the feeling bad. Two wrongs don't make a right.

[Elsewhere:]

Spock's eyes fluttered open as he heard someone entering his quarters. In a graceful motion he abandoned his meditating position and stood up to meet Kirk properly.

"I apologize for not returning as soon as I had implied that I would. I found it wise to take some time to enter into a meditative state, so that-" Spock stopped when he noticed it hadn't been Kirk entering his quarters, but Uhura.

"Spock," she said with a tender smile, her eyes darting over him to see if there was but the smallest sign that could give away anything about how he was feeling. His hair was disheveled. That was extraordinary.

"Nyota," he acknowledged.

Uhura stood looking at him for a moment or two longer before speaking. "How are you doing?"

"I am in good health."

He stood there stiffly, his face blank. Uhura took a deep breath. With him this way, it was going to be a hard task to find out if Spock could be trusted to be okay. After all, when he was acting like this the differences between him being in control of his emotions and just pretending to be, where almost too subtle to notice even for her. This was scarcely odd, because both involved him not showing his emotions and acting especially typically Vulcan.

"You know that is not what I meant by that question. I talked to Kirk and he told me about what went on between the two of you. So please, I am asking you: How are you feeling?"

"There is no need to worry about me. I am Vulcan. I am in control of my emotions."

Uhura decided to use the small bond that still existed between them to try and peer into his mind. She had a certain feeling that his avoidant way of talking, implied that she had actually good reason to worry about him. However, her efforts were to no avail, as he was clearly shielding his mind form hers.

"Then tell me that you are not upset. No spinning around it. Just tell me," she demanded.

"You are no longer my 'girlfriend' nor are you my superior in any way, I have no such obligations to you."

Uhura's eyes widened and her mouth slightly parted. It was hard to believe Spock had just said that to her.

"It's not about obligations. It's about me trying to help you. It's about trust, Spock. I thought there was a certain amount of that between us."

Spock lifted his hands up, but left them lingering in mid-air for a moment as if doubting the gesture he had started. He then laid his hands on Uhura's upper arms.

"There is," he stated, but his voice was low as if he was afraid there was another in the room who might hear and wasn't supposed to. "I simply do not wish to discuss my feelings at this moment, because I fear that if I do they will overwhelm me."

Uhura raised a hand in front of her mouth. Then, before Spock could stop her she sort of dove forward and embraced him.

Spock was a bit startled by the sudden embrace, but then quickly relaxed to it. He even wrapped his arms around Uhura to return it. The comfort and compassion that radiated off of her were... pleasant.

They stood there in silence for a while before they both broke away.

"Shall I tell Kirk that you aren't going to come back tonight? You could probably use some rest now."

"I do feel worn down... Yes, I do believe I would like for you to inform the captain about me canceling the remainder of our appointment."

Uhura nodded and brushed her hand over Spock's arm in a comforting gesture once more.

"But please, do not 'beat him up too badly', as I believe the Earth saying goes."

She smiled and nodded. No, there was no need for that anymore. Kirk had gotten the deserved amount already.


270713: Don't worry dear readers, I even though I haven't updated this story for a while now, I will continue. It is just that the following chapter is a tad more complex to write as well that I've also been been busying myself with other tasks. On top of that it's been Vulcanly hot around here, tuning down my productivity rate.
I sincerely apologize and I hope you'll stick around for the next chapter.