Disclaimer is in the first chapter. Other than Vulcan words, letters in italics represent people's inner thoughts.

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Chapter 4: Discoveries Along The Journey

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When they reached the living room, Skon settled his bondmate gently on the blankets, covering her with another. Then he settled himself next to her.

However the fire was more than warm. T'Rama awoke, sat up, threw the blanket aside, and lazily stretched her body, enjoying the warmth.

Skon was uncertain if his heart skipped a beat. One thing was certain though. The room – the entire house – was dark, except in front of the fireplace. And the flames that lit the room created on T'Rama's form a mysterious game of shadows.

It was the first time Skon had ever seen her naked body illuminated by the ethereal firelight. A fiery aura surrounded his adun'a, her black hair shimmered and as the quivering light made it seem golden red, T'Rama resembled an ancient Vulcan goddess.

Light and dark merged and engaged in a mesmerizing dance on her body, and Skon found himself unwilling to blink – not even with his inner eyelids.

How illogical, he thought, as his mouth watered. Was there anything as interesting and aesthetically pleasing in the entire house to look upon, besides T'Rama's small breasts with these dark nipples that stood out so proud and hard and–?

"Skon?"

He blinked several times; his eyes were a little dry.

T'Rama felt sorry for him. Skon's lok was again hard. How long had he had that erection? Oh, her poor adun.

The faintest smile appeared on her lips. "We can mate again if you wish."

"But you haven't rested enough."

"I slept for almost an hour. I shall sleep in the morning. Come," she said, opening her legs invitingly. "Come."

As if he needed to be told twice.

Skon knelt in front of her and slowly laid them down. Earlier they had mated in a hurry. True, both he and his lok were eager to join her again, but his pride led him to a different path; this time Skon decided to take a different approach.

The flames that drew shadows in the room knew T'Rama's body better than he did. In his mind this was simply unacceptable. He had to explore that body bit by bit – it was the most logical course of action. And besides, he was certain that she knew his body too well. That needed to be rectified. Thoroughly.

He didn't enter her – not yet. It was still early in the night and they had plenty of time. Instead, he took her left hand and touched it to his face. Slowly he started sniffing and licking her fingertips.

Aroused by his touch, T'Rama let out a small hissing sound. "Skon? What are you doing?"

"I shall explore your body," he announced in a formal way, and noticed her cheeks and ear-tips becoming … greener.

Fascinating! T'Rama was embarrassed! In all the years they knew each other, Skon had never seen her blush. Now, it was him that through their bond sensed her discomfort.

"It is only logical," he explained. "Since we share our minds, our bodies must follow."

She almost gasped as he took her left hand and licked each of the fingers. Like every male, T'Rama thought, Skon had an excuse for everything. She was about to protest, but as he bit gently her index finger, T'Rama stopped breathing.

"Oh! I… I agree," she moaned, regretting the words the very moment they came out of her mouth. Oh, why did she agree? Why? Well… most probably because Skon's soft bites had started a fire between her legs.

"I am pleased," Skon purred, sniffing her arm all the way up to her armpit. The scent of her arousal was stronger there.

A slow rumble rose from her chest.

"Does this please you, k'diwa?" he asked.

"Yes …" T'Rama moaned.

His lips twisted in amusement. Of course an action such as licking her fingers would arouse her. Vulcan hands were very sensitive.

By now, Skon could smell her arousal; T'Rama was becoming wetter. She is impatient. Good, he thought. Unfortunately, his lok was also impatient. His erection had hardened. Traitor, he thought and tried to calm it down.

T'Rama's earlier enthusiastic reaction when he had tasted her didn't leave his mind. How else would she react during similar … attentions? Could he elicit another reaction from her?

It was only logical – and fair – to find out. He placed a gentle bite on her throat.

"And this?" he murmured.

"…"

Unable to respond verbally, T'Rama shut her eyes tight. Why was he doing that? Her neck was… very sensitive. Extremely sensitive. Skon knew that. And she knew that he knew that.

Another soft bite followed. "This? Does this please you?" he purred.

"Be quiet, Skon … ah-h-h-hhh," she moaned as his bite became more intense. His teeth hit a sensitive nerve on her throat and T'Rama let out a squeaky sound. Surprised by her own loud reaction, she opened her eyes wide. And didn't like at all what she saw.

Skon had clearly left his good manners back in his bedroom. Because now he was looking at her in the same way a starving man just emerged from the Forge would look at a glass of kaasa juice. The bond was full of desire and lust and … was that a small touch of tease?

No, T'Rama didn't like it at all. Skon was looking at her the same way he would a few days before the fever.

"Oh," he pretended to be surprised, tossing her his I-am-so-logically-innocent look. His intentions, however, were far from innocent. "Do you find this pleasurable, adun'a?"

T'Rama fumed. Fierce anger rose, hindering her judgment. Quickly she subdued it. "You know I do. What is your logic?"

"And that?" he asked, while his mouth traveled down her throat … and then moved lower.

Exasperated and aroused at the same time, T'Rama let out a small sigh. She couldn't be angry with her adun for a long time. What will I do with him? Skon is acting like a pre-kahs'wan child with a new toy. What a boy he was sometimes …

While he was kissing her breasts, she placed small kisses on the top of his head and caressed him tenderly. She observed his hair; it was very soft and shiny.

He must have paid it special attention before he had come to her bedroom, T'Rama thought. How thoughtful of him.

Observing the top of his head, T'Rama's eyes narrowed. Hmmm . From that angle she had easy access to his ears. Which meant one thing.

Sweet revenge.

She caressed the sensitive tips, which caused him in return to start purring. The rumble became so intense that, as his mouth moved from one breast to the other, his entire torso was thrumming.

"And this?" Skon murmured, his teeth teasing a hard nipple. "Does this please you?"

"Yessssss …"

Using her legs, T'Rama tried to embrace his body and bring him closer. However, not only he was still too far away, but he was moving lower … and lower.

"Come closer," she ordered, and with a start T'Rama realized … she was piqued again. Her voice sounded harsh. Why was she angry?

Immediately, she analyzed her reaction. She only behaved in this way when … Skon was taking her in the caves. But then Skon was out of his mind, while now he knew exactly what he was doing. And suddenly T'Rama realized …

"I know what you are do–o–ing," she panted, while Skon's tongue played over her belly. Now he was tickling her navel. Bath'pa, she was on fire!

"Really?" he asked without stopping his attentions. "And what is that?"

"You are trying to arouse me and make me lose my control."

"Trying?" He moved between her legs and sniffed. Oh, they were both so ready… But he hadn't yet finished his exploration.

Skon smirked. "Trying?" he repeated. The scent of T'Rama's arousal filled the entire room. "Are you sure I am merely trying?" Although Skon was new at this … pre-mating game, he was becoming quite fond of it.

"Suc—succe–e–eding then," T'Rama was forced to admit in a voice that nearly broke into small whine. "But only in the first part," she added emphatically, in an attempt to regain her dignity. "You will lose in the second."

Her adun smirked again. "My ability to bring into completion every assigned task, regardless of its complexity or level of difficulty, is well known. And in my clan we are taught never to back away from a challenge. On the contrary, we welcome them," he said, raising an arrogant eyebrow. "And since you and I are bonded, you are quite aware that I always … rise to the occasion."

Skipping the sensitive dark area between her legs, he touched his cheeks on her thighs – T'Rama's skin was unbelievably soft! He began purring again when their eyes met.

"You will fail," she declared again in a determined tone. If only her legs would stop trembling…

"So say you," Skon murmured, nibbling at and licking the inside of her thighs. "I say… Time will tell."

T'Rama's anger rose again. Why that cunning oluhk! She understood his "Time" reference perfectly well: the time between right now and their imminent mating, time in which he meant to overcome her sense of control while he remained in charge – and his Time of mating, when he was too blinded by the fever to see T'Rama with her control utterly shattered.

For the second time that night, T'Rama looked astounded at her mate, having difficulty believing how quickly he had adapted. Skon was a scholar, always busy, devising mathematical equations, studying alien philosophies and literature, losing himself among translations and essays. Quite often she reminded him about his meals as he often forgot them. Where had he learned all this?

Then she realized it – the only thing she had overlooked. Skon didn't need to be taught anything. Every mating action, every touch, every bite, was always there, under the surface, waiting for the proper time to arise – every seven years when his consciousness shut down and his instinct took over.

And with that realization, for the first time in that night, T'Rama feared for her control. The same control which, with extreme difficulty and great reluctance, she allowed herself to lose inside the caves, when Skon's mind was so lost in a havoc of lust.

"You will fail," she repeated. Only this time, she didn't sound as convinced as before.

By now Skon had reached her feet. He knelt there, looking at his mate, uncertain.

He wanted for her to experience the same spiraling loss of control that had so pleased him in their last encounter, a loss of control she herself had experienced with great pleasure. How could he continue pleasing her now in order to cause that reaction? What area of her body could he next stimulate …?

Ah, yes… Her feet – specifically the soles – where many nerves ended. They were sensitive and, according to his research in the Science Academy library, an erogenous zone.

He took her right leg and started massaging it gently, placing extra pressure on certain spots.

T'Rama felt safe – she could control this. It was harmless. She lay her head back, relaxed and allowed herself to begin purring. The foot massage was perfect and she was so tired … Soon, without her realizing, she began moaning from pleasure.

"Uh… uh… uuunnnhhh. Ah. Aaahhh…"

"My apologies," Skon smirked, his pleasure more than obvious. "But I didn't hear you before. What was it you said? Something about failure?"

Again, T'Rama was unable to answer; she found herself in a state where she was purring and moaning at the same time. Realizing she had fallen into a trap, she chose to bite her lips to regain some control and answer that question without entirely losing her self-respect.

However the challenge was far from over. And in a battle, the balances between the two parties could change very easy and quite unexpectedly.

Skon immediately noticed T'Rama's lip-biting. Being a biter himself – indeed, he took great pleasure in biting her neck and shoulders – it was far too arousing seeing his mate biting her own lips. In fact, it was as arousing as seeing her satisfy herself with her fingers.

His lok hardened; it felt almost painful. And this time Skon couldn't calm the traitor. It was a disgrace, to be defeated by his lok. But he just couldn't control it. So, with one hand he continued massaging T'Rama's sole, while with the other, he grabbed the restless member and began pumping himself furiously.

Raising her eyebrow, T'Rama gave him a victorious grin. "In case your hearing was temporarily impaired, let me repeat it. You. Will. Lose."

Skon glanced at her with fury in his eyes. That was it! This time he wouldn't show any mercy.

He overcame his arousal, with unprecedented effort. "We shall see," Skon growled. Throwing T'Rama a dark look, he grabbed her by the ankles and with a skilled move rolled her onto her stomach.

"Oh!" T'Rama let out another small yell of surprise. In the blink of an eye, she found herself prone with her posterior up. How did Skon manage not to take her then and there? Could it be that she underestimated his control?

For the first time in twenty-eight years, T'Rama realized something she thought she'd already known. She wasn't married to a scholar who translated alien documents in his free time. She was married to a male of the clan that had changed Vulcan's history.

His hard-earned victory softened Skon's face and his lips curved. He had indeed managed to conquer his arousal – he wouldn't take her yet. Not yet. They still had time. Instead he continued caressing her long legs; his skilled fingers massaged tenderly every small part of her soft skin. Slowly he moved between her legs, spread them apart, and continued massaging and sniffing her buttocks. Because of their previous mating, T'Rama's scent was stronger there. He could sniff her soft skin for hours.

She hummed lazily as his fingers trailed small cycles on her posterior.

Only what her adun did next caught T'Rama by total surprise. Skon separated her buttocks. With a pang, T'Rama realized his intentions.

"Skon!" Her voice came out so severe, the smirk disappeared instantly from his face.

"Don't. You. Dare."

As if he would never have tried to fool her, Skon tried to sound as innocent as possible. "Ashayam?"

"Don't you ashayam me! And don't even think of going there!"

So… she was unwilling. Interesting, yet understandable, he thought. Skon filled away her objections for future use, placed a few light kisses and bites on her buttocks – they were far too firm and intriguing to ignore them completely – and moved up to massage her waist and back.

T'Rama relaxed and began purring again. Hmmm … This was harmless. She was grateful for the calligraphy lessons Skon had taken as a child. No wonder his fingers were so skilled … The massage on her spine and ribs was just … purrrrrfect ….

His relaxing touch and a few innocent kisses across her back made T'Rama lower her defenses. She closed her eyes and relaxed far more than she had intended. If that was the worst Skon could do, she was safe.

And that's what she thought, until her beloved adun pushed her hair aside.

Her long hair that covered her neck.

Her sensitive neck. He knew she liked for him to nip her neck.

Realizing she was in danger of losing their "battle," T'Rama attempted to shift her body, only to discover that Skon's weight on her made it impossible. She tried again to move; she placed her hands against the floor and tried to turn, or even twist.

It was a complete failure. Skon's superior strength kept her immobile. Slowly he had moved his body in such a way he was above hers. His legs were between hers, and she could feel his hard lok between her thighs.

But… but… How had he managed to trap her like that? Aroused and exasperated, T'Rama nearly broke into tears. If she could have cried, she would. This was unVulcan. His behavior was uncivilized. Why wouldn't he just take her? What was his plan?

"T'Rama," Skon whispered harshly at her ear, causing pleasant chills all over her body. "Adun'a …"

A deep moan left her lips. "Skon, adun …"

Both their breathing was labored, full of need and desire.

Skon's hands were moving all over her body, grabbing, scratching, tantalizing, pinching, caressing. One hand slithered under and cupped her breast; the other moved under her between her legs, and grabbed her sex hard. He kissed and then started licking her shoulders, before he moved to his intended target, her neck. He began tonguing, then biting… first softly… then harder and harder.

She moaned, while he was sucking hard on her highly sensitive skin. "Oh! Oh! Skon! Yes, yes, there, yes… Yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes…" Skon's bites became more violent, and so was his grip between her legs. And the more T'Rama moaned, the more aroused he became. She started groaning loudly in a near-yowl as his teeth first bruised, then scratched and finally broke the skin around her neck.

"YES! YES! YES!" T'Rama screamed from pleasure, as her body shook from spasms of intense pleasure, wild sensations she experienced only inside the caves. Her fists hit the floor repeatedly as Skon marked her as his.

"Mine," he growled, each bite harder that the previous. "Mine!"

It was a cave reaction; something instinctive and uncontrolled. With a strength she possessed only during his Time, T'Rama snapped. She spun her body, throwing him off her, and kneeled to face him. Panting, Skon slowly rose to his feet. And watched her reactions with fire in his eyes.

That was it – the moment he'd waited for. His adun'a without control, without restraint. A chance for once to see her primitive side; a reaction that mirrored his fever once every seven years.

T'Rama's eyes blazed with a threatening fire and she rose, letting out a warning growl. She challenged him by baring her teeth.

In return, he showed her his. The battle was on.

They attacked each other with a ferocity that matched the fever. Hands were wrestling, tongues were fighting, teeth were biting.

T'Rama grabbed him by the arms, surprised him with a deep bite on his left shoulder, and tried to trip him up. She used that technique often inside the caves to throw him off balance and ride him.

Only now they weren't in the caves. Skon was stronger and had full control. He pushed her hands aside, grabbed her by the waist, shoved her against the wall, forced her legs open and entered her fully with a deep thrust.

T'Rama was so wet, she was practically dripping. She groaned and as Skon grabbed her by the waist to steady her, she circled his body with her legs and embraced him tight. Her hands grabbed his neck, scratching on his back bloody marks of her claim.

Skon began thrusting with a force he had never imagined or experienced before. It was a wild release and pure delight. It also was a surprise, but not as big as the realization that T'Rama could indeed match his fierce strength and his aggressive attentions. His adun'a moaned from pleasure and once again bit his neck. Skon groaned and thrust harder and faster…

T'Rama tightened her grip around his waist, holding onto him, the same way a desperate person clings to a cliff. Her legs grasped him tight but she felt that no matter how tight she held on to him, it would never be close enough. Their bond was flooded with lust that threatened to drown them any minute now … She was so close … and getting closer and closer …

This time her orgasm was familiar and came fast; she had already been aroused when Skon entered her. T'Rama blinked rapidly and then it hit her. It was so intense; almost like the ones she had in the caves, during Skon's Time.

Their Time.

"AaaahhHH!" she yelled and threw her head backwards, hitting it hard against the wall. Her vision blacked out as her body began ovulating. For several seconds – T'Rama was unsure of how many – she lost contact with her surroundings. But as Skon was still thrusting inside her, she quickly regained her focus.

Unlike her, Skon was far from finished – he hadn't come yet. He kept on thrusting inside her, purposely delaying his release. His mouth was on her neck, nibbling the bruised skin, taking frantic gulps of her scent. He too was getting closer and closer … His thrusts were shorter and faster ….

When T'Rama opened her eyes and came to her senses, she didn't focus on Skon. Her attention was diverted at the door behind them and to a pair of large pleading brown eyes.

The sehlat cub was standing at the doorway. And its pained look could soften even the strictest Vulcan heart.

"Uuuurrrrr," it let out a small cry of pain.

It cried. The cub cried. And its plea broke T'Rama's heart. Something – anything – had to be done immediately.

"Sko – uh! – on!"

"Oh, T'Rama..." her adun moaned, lost in unconquered lust.

"Skon!"

"Oh, T'Rama! Ashayam!" he groaned, unaware of his surroundings. He was soooo close…

"Skon! The cub!"

He gave her an incredulous look. "What?!" He did not stop his thrusts for a single moment.

"The cub," T'Rama jerked her chin at the door, opposite.

"Ignore it," he moaned. So close … So close …

"I cannot. Skon! Something is wrong, it cries! I can't ignore it!"

"Yes, you can," he panted, watching excited as her entire body shook in tandem with his moves. "Of course you can. It doesn't understand."

"The cub is in pain! We need to do something," T'Rama protested. "It's staring at us!"

Unfortunately, at this point, Skon wasn't certain if he was willing … or able to stop.

"It'll go away. Go away!" he growled to the cub.

"Don't yell at him! He's just a baby!"

Skon let out a low guttural sound. With a final thrust he bit her neck one last time, and emptied himself inside T'Rama sooner than he intended.

The small creature lowered his head and let out an agonizing plea. "U-u-u-u-u-uuuurrr…"

It took him 2.2 seconds to clear his vision and focus on T'Rama's face, instead of her two small breasts that had shaken up and down with his every movement, challenging his logic… Those breasts would be his undoing…

"We must do something!" T'Rama insisted. "Can't you see it suffers?"

He groaned. How could she be so cruel and so desirable at the same time?

"Yes I see! I suffer also!" Skon barked angrily back at her. He removed his limp lok from inside her, took her in his arms, carefully placed her on the blankets and gave her a strict look.

"Do not move from this spot, T'Rama. I mean it."

He walked toward the little sehlat, murder in his mind.

Sensing her adun's fathomless anger through their bond, T'Rama sat up. "S'chn T'gai Skon! Don't you dare harm him!"

Barely managing to control his rage, he grabbed the cub by the scruff of its neck and raised it so they were on an eye level.

"Your timing is most unfortunate, little one," he said, grinding his teeth. "What do you want?"

"Uuuur …" it cried as hot tears sprang to its eyes. This time even Skon felt sorry for it. He established a low mental connection … and his eyebrows rose in surprise.

Skon quickly took the cub in his arms, opened the balcony's door and ran out to the garden.

T'Rama watched them, astounded. "Skon? Where are you going?" she yelled. But he was already gone.

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Hurriedly, Skon closed the door behind him, ran down the stone pathway and placed the cub next to the first bushes he found.

"Uuuuufff…." The little sehlat let out a long gurgle as he relieved himself.

Skon watched the small creature, amused. His sister T'Pau was right. The cub was indeed careful around the house.

"Please accept my apologies. I didn't realize the … urgency of your situation," he said solemnly to the sehlat cub that was urinating without pause …

… on T'Rama's chaya plants.

Realizing his mistake, Skon raised an eyebrow. He shouldn't have put the cub near those chaya plants. They didn't grow on this side of Vulcan; T'Rama had brought them from her mother's homeland, a small village in the south.

And both T'Rama and her mother were quite fond of them.

I have erred.

A mental tingle came through his marital bond.

"Skon?"

He nearly jumped from his spot.

"Adun'a!"

"What happened? The cub?"

"All is well. Apparently it drank too much milk."

"Oh, of course! Just make sure it doesn't go near my chaya flowers."

"Err… very well. I … shall…" … …the next time. His ears turned so green he felt they were on fire.

But … but … he couldn't tell her! T'Rama was so fond of those plants, she might never forgive the cub, and his household would never recover from this. From now on, he promised himself he would make sure the cub would never again approach these flowers. Just as he had promised his bondmate. He would make sure of it.

T'Rama's voice rang again through their bond. "Skon, hurry back inside! Isn't it cold out there?"

"Indeed it is, adun'a. In a minute."

Skon realized how chilly it was for the first time, standing naked in the cold. He shivered and slightly raised his body's temperature.

Nevertheless he decided to accept the chill as a punishment of sorts, for his inexcusable behavior towards the small creature he had brought home a few hours before.

Skon lowered his head in shame. What was wrong with him? He had never reacted in such a violent way. In fact this was his and T'Rama's first argument. But again nobody had ever interrupted their mating – he'd never consciously experienced mating before tonight!

He considered the matter. No one who would knock on their bedroom door would be a challenger or an enemy …. With a sigh, Skon decided he needed to strengthen his control while mating with T'Rama. And perhaps he could increase his time in meditation prior to their coupling? Interruptions should be avoided, but again unpredictable events were common in everyday life. They would definitely need to take precautions. Privacy was the most essential part of their lives.

Defeated by his nature and humbled by guilt, he looked down. So much for his large erection. It was long gone. But that could be rectified, he thought as the image of T'Rama awaiting him near the fireplace made his eyes shine. He had to return quickly inside, to his warm and soft and willing bondmate. Quickly.

"Are you finished?" he asked the cub that now marked the soil and the surrounding plants for future reference – and use.

"Yup! Yup!" it barked happily.

He knelt and caressed its head. "In that case, little one," Skon said softly, picking it up, "let us go indoors."

The cub, grateful for the company and wanting to show affection, rubbed its snout on Skon's chest and waved its small tail.

On his male friend's skin the small sehlat could also smell the scent of the female person. His tall male friend smelled like two people. Obviously - because he had been squeezing his kind female friend against the wall. It had looked uncomfortable, but she hadn't seemed to object. The little sehlat yawned. He was very sleepy and would think about his new weird friends, who squeezed each other, in the morning.

Skon walked into his house grateful for the fact that they had no neighbors. It would be most undignified to be seen in the middle of the night walking naked in the garden, carrying a sehlat cub.

By the time he placed him in the basket, the cub had already fallen asleep. Skon made sure it was warm and comfortable and went to the bathroom to wash his hands and feet. Then he returned to the living room, where his bondmate awaited him.

His warm bondmate. His eager bondmate. The mother of his children.

Once again fire swelled inside him.

Only the sight of T'Rama was not what he expected. Walking into the living room, he discovered she had covered herself with a blanket.

"The cub?" she asked, unable to hide her concern.

"It sleeps. I already told you, he is well. Are you cold?"

She shook her head.

"Then, why are you keeping yourself from me?"

Puzzled, T'Rama looked at the blanket that covered her shoulders. "I … For no particular reason. I am not accustomed sitting naked in the living room, Skon."

He raised an eyebrow. They had mated against the wall and she felt embarrassment sitting naked? "May I assume that this will change from now on? It is only logical." He took the blanket and threw it aside. "Logical …" he said, answering his own question.

His gaze traveled again over her exposed body. By now, the entire house was quite warm. And their bodies were on fire.

"Now," he gave her a hungry look, "where were we?"

T'Rama's mouth twitched. "I believe we were producing an offspring," she teased, raising an eyebrow.

"Hmmm, yes… I remember now." He settled them down and covered her body with his. "Laborious task ..." he purred, his eyes caressing her skin.

"Oh, if it is such a burden–" T'Rama didn't manage to finish her tease. Skon gave her a hard kiss on her throat, followed by many smaller ones on her neck and breasts.

Fondling each of her small breasts, Skon realized he was getting very good at this. And he could tell that T'Rama took great pleasure from his attentions. Illogical as it was, with that thought, his ego and pride increased considerably. And as his pride increased, he grew bolder.

Sensing his thoughts, T'Rama became curious. Why was Skon so fixated on her breasts? While he was preoccupied with them, he was becoming more and more… aroused!

"Getting comfortable?" she asked.

He looked at her without stopping sucking a nipple. "Ves, vey cuftbl, thak yu."

"Oh, I live to serve," came her sweetly sarcastic reply. T'Rama smiled faintly. She wanted to say that they had to start mating again but seeing Skon sniffing and licking her body, she changed her mind. Her adun looked like a scientist discovering a new study area, who couldn't leave it for a single moment.

T'Rama heaved a sigh. The healer's negative report they'd received ten days ago, had been standing like a barrier across their bond. Between them.

Perhaps this was what they had both needed after their latest Time and the unpleasant outcome. Each other. They needed each other, not just mentally, but also physically. T'Rama caressed his head, as Skon placed soft kisses all over her chest.

Her adun was … pleased. And so was she.

His attention was drawn to her long hair. He grasped a wisp and sniffed it.

"Your hair is beautiful," he said, admiring her dark curls.

"You are most kind."

His gaze darkened. "Mine," Skon murmured, eyeing what he held in his hand.

T'Rama raised a surprised eyebrow. "My hair is yours?"

"Yes, it is mine."

"That is illogical," she shook her head, amused.

Only Skon wasn't joking. The dead-serious look on his face spoke volumes. "You. Are. Mine. Mine… Mine," he murmured before moving down to her belly.

One day… he vowed. One day I will fill her belly. And it will swell, expanding with new life. Life we will create. Together.

"A little girl," he whispered, his breath hot against her navel. "Beautiful and clever, like her mother."

"No," T'Rama shook her head.

"No?" He eyed her puzzled.

"A little boy," she smiled faintly. "Strong and stubborn, like his father."

Skon's facial muscles softened as he thought about this. He very nearly smiled.

He wouldn't object to fathering a stubborn little boy at all. But first ...

According to his research, there was one last erogenous zone he hadn't touched yet.

Skon placed a gentle kiss on T'Rama's forehead. And after that, there was nothing left to be said.

To Be Continued…

Vulcan words (from the Vulcan Language Dictionary)

Adun/Adun'a: husband/wife

Ashayam: beloved

Bath'pa: damns

Kaasa: a blue-green fruit often made into juice

kahs'wan: test of passage to adulthood

lok: penis

Oluhk: snake

Chaya: a Vulcan plant, author's idea.

Author's note: SpockLikesCats, who edited once again this chapter, is a life savior. I am not exaggerating. An inexperienced author, who writes for the first time an adult scene in a foreign language, is a recipe for disaster. Thank you, SpockLikesCats, for all your advices.

This is a Vulcan couple, so I wanted to do them justice by keeping the human element completely out of the story. Your opinion, dear readers, is not only encouraging but also informative. Let me know if you think it worked.