I am so sorry this took so long to post. Life was suddenly very busy, I decided to add another major after being almost finished with my current one and I needed to concentrate on my studies.

This chapter feels a little odd to me, rushed in some spots, weirdly descriptive in others.

Thank you all for reviewing and following this story even though it takes me ages to update on occasion.

I apologise for every error, I did my best, really, but I'm bad with finding my own errors.

Enjoy!

Encoded

Chapter 5:

Amanda was, mildly put, not at all what Jim had expected. There was nothing controlled about the smile she bestowed upon Jim when they shook hands, nothing that spoke of years spent in the midst of a culture built on emotional repression. Her dark brown eyes were framed by laughter lines and Jim could not help but feel comfortable in Amanda's presence.

However, beneath Amanda's friendly appearance lay a very resolute woman that did not appreciate not being told what happening in her son's life, made clear by the hard glare trained on her son's motionless features. Not to mention that the sheer strength of her judging stare made Spock straighten the collar of his own shirt for the third time in the span of five minutes in a display of obvious discomfort.

"You are telling me," Amanda said, tilting her head to the side as she let her gaze wander from Spock to Jim and back, "That Starfleet thought you both capable of taking care of a traumatised child? That doesn't sound very, well, logical, does it, Spock?"

A steep wrinkle appeared between Spock's brows. "I am aware, Mother, and I assure you that Starfleet would have not agreed to this, had the situation allowed for another solution. As it is, Elonat has latched onto Jim and no one wishes to cause a repeat of what happened the first time someone attempted to separate them. Taking Elonat away from Jim might have caused further damage to his psyche. In addition, we have been made aware that Elonat has linked himself to Jim, which further complicates matters."

Amanda nodded. "Yes, I can see how that could cause problems… I remember how you refused to go to school once you realised I wouldn't be there with you."

"I can assure you, Mother, Elonat's reaction was far worse. Understandable, considering what he has gone through," Spock said, the crease between his eyebrows deepening.

Suppressing a grin, Jim shifted Elonat until the boy was no longer drilling his knees into Jim's abdomen. It was almost frightening how even someone as collected as Spock, reverted back into their teenage years when faced with their parents. Amanda shook her head at her son, a cheeky smile playing on her lips, "Of course, Spock. Still, should you two feel in any way overwhelmed by the situation I will gladly offer you my help."

"Thank you. How long are you intending to stay, mother?" There was a small gleam of apprehension within Spock's eyes. It was something Jim would not have noticed before, but since they had been spending most of their time together, he had had no choice but to learn the Vulcan's subtle emotional cues.

"Why, seeing as your father is needed on Earth for further negotiation in how to solve the issue in regards to the lack of Vulcan healers to help the victims of Medea II, and will arrive in four days… at least a month," Amanda's face was brightened by an overly wide smile. "We will be staying at a rented house close to the embassy. In case you were worried we would be imposing upon you, son."

Jim snorted when Spock's eyebrows derailed spectacularly. There was nothing more satisfying than watching a Vulcan lose their composure. "Mother, that is not what I-"

"Oh, calm down, Spock," Amanda chuckled.

Elonat uttered a soft whine, pointing towards the corner of the living room where the child's toys had been piled up. A sense of annoyance mixed with something which promised tears in the near future, filtered through the skin contact between Jim and the boy. Listening to adults blather on about things Elonat must have heard over and over again already… Jim could understand why the little boy was feeling a little frustrated.

Standing, Jim threw an apologetic smile in Amanda's direction, which she promptly waved off, most of her attention still on Spock, who seemed a little frustrated himself. Biting down on an inappropriate guffaw, Jim ducked his head as he stood to carry Elonat towards his little play corner, a thick carpet visually separating the area from the rest of the living room.

Elonat's mood brightened the second Jim settled the little boy between the piles of stuffed toys and building blocks. With tiny grunts, the boy began to gather building blocks around him, building tower after tower as he went. Once Jim had ensured Elonat would be alright for the time being, he returned to his spot on the sofa.

There was a pensive look upon Amanda's face, her a steep crease between her dark brows. "I cannot shake the feeling both Starfleet and the Vulcan Council is keeping something from you. As much as I want to believe they were looking out for Elonat's mental health, I cannot imagine they would twist their regulations like this for one child. They could have contacted a doctor specialising in paediatric development to help you out, Jim, instead of placing you two together like a patchwork family. Especially since they have begun to reel in non-Starfleet psychologists to ensure everyone was taken care of until they could be transported back to Vulcan. Something… something seems a little strange about this."

"Maybe Elonat is just not a priority," Jim answered, keeping his voice soft as to not alert Elonat to the dark turn their conversation took. "I've seen the other children. Some had to be sedated because they started biting their fingertips to the point of nerve damage. Elonat is one of the lucky few who, while affected, never had to resort to self-mutilating behaviour to deal with his trauma."

Amanda shook her head, "I'm sure Elonat is not the only one who was not driven to the point of hurting himself, Jim. I will speak to Sarek… maybe he knows why your little sunshine is getting special treatment."

"It's worth a try." Jim had not given much thought into the matter recently, too relieved about not having Elonat taken from them to question Starfleet's, admittedly, questionable decision.

But if Jim thought about it now, he realised just how secretive even Pike had acted when Jim had inquired about why the man had been so eager to place Elonat with Jim and Spock, despite the fact they did not see eye to eye at first. They still argued a lot, still, and Jim saw no way to put an end to their occasional fights in the near future.

"I do not believe being placed with two people with no training in paediatric psychology considered special treatment," Spock said.

"Beats him being placed in a hospital until a family is found who is willing to take him in." Jim gestured at the little boy, engrossed in stacking his building blocks around the stuffed lion Spock had bought. "He's happy here. Granted, we can't provide professional, psychological help, but we can give him a sense of security, right?"

Spock tilted his head forward in a slow nod, but did say nothing more. After a brief moment of silence, Amanda clapped her hands together and stood, "Alright, boys. Seeing as I have gained a grandchild-"

Spock opened his mouth to deny his mother's statement.

"-A temporary grandchild, I believe a shopping trip is in order. After all, as a temporary grandmother, I am obligated to shower little Elonat in the things you, as diligent caretakers, would not buy him to ensure he will not grow up spoiled."

Jim snorted, covering his eyes with one hand as he muffled his laughter with the other. Through his own chuckling, Jim could hear Spock give a repressed sigh before the Vulcan spoke, "I will be unable to accompany you, Mother, as I have a class to teach in 54.5 minutes. I apologise."

"Oh," Amanda blinked, then sighed, "I guess there is a reason for not visiting without announcing it beforehand."

Jim raised his head, eyes locking on Spock. Apparently, the Vulcan had never been a fan of shopping trips, no matter the occasion and they seemed to be reason enough to outright lie to Spock to outright lie to his own mother just to avoid going to the mall. A mischievous grin spread Jim's mouth. "It's Monday, Spock, you have no classes on Monday."

Mouth opening, Spock turned his head but did not speak, gaze darkening upon realising Jim had seen through his fib and beyond. Amanda placed her hands onto her hips, a pinched expression taking over her features. "Spock. I have had this same discussion with your father just two months ago. If you do not want to come along, you have to tell me. There is no need to lie. Now go help Jim dress Elonat in some warm clothes, it's very cold outside."

With his bottom lip caught between his teeth, Jim watched as Spock's cheeks turned a rather fetching shade of mint green and decided that, yes, having Amanda around would prove to be a very interesting experience.

Thirty minutes later, they had all bundled into Spock's car and were on their way.

Upon arriving at the mall, Jim hurried to lift Elonat from his seat and tuck the child against his chest to protect the boy's face from the cold rain. A moment later, Spock was at Jim's side, the large umbrella in the Vulcan's hand blocking out the icy droplets. From the sidewalk, Amanda waved at them to hurry, her bright yellow umbrella a cheerful blot of colour within their otherwise greyed surroundings.

Through the steady rain they moved, until they entered the safety of the mall, a sigh of relief falling from Jim's lips. And to think Jim had attempted to convince Spock to drive them to the outdoor mall just before they had gotten into the car. Shaking his head to himself, Jim tugged the hood off Elonat's head, brushing the tousled hair away from the child's brow.

"Do you still wish to take a walk through the shopping street, Jim?" Spock asked, the very picture of innocence, head tilted and eyebrows raised.

Rolling his eyes, Jim jabbed his elbow into Spock's side, a grin quirking the corners of his lips upwards. "Be quiet."

"Do we move on?" Amanda chirped, headscarf now resting around her neck and allowing her dark hair to fall down her back in silver streaked waves. "Or would you like me to take Elonat to the toy store while you two continue bantering?"

Flustered, Jim took a step away from Spock's side, "No, no, there's no need for that, Amanda. Where do we go first?"

Amanda's smile grew, eyes crinkling at the corners, "A toy store, of course. Afterwards, we'll buy some adorable hats for little Elonat here. And maybe some sweaters. And, perhaps, I can convince Spock to purchase himself some shirts outside the grey spectrum, for once."

With her long coat twirling around her calves, Amanda turned around and began to walk.

"Spock, remind me to never introduce Bones to your mother. I think they'd take over the known galaxy with their combined sarcasm," Jim whispered as they began to move, following the chipper woman further into the mall.

Amanda spoke once more, causing Jim to flinch and Spock to straighten his back. "Who is this 'Bones'? I think I'd like to meet him."

"My best friend, Leonard McCoy. If you stay until tomorrow, you'll get to meet him. He's coming over to make sure I haven't lost any limbs or something by being an idiot." Jim shrugged, wincing when Elonat smacked his hand against his cheek. "Thank you, duckie."

"I'm looking forward to meeting him, then," Amanda said, veering to the left and vanishing into a clothing store.

An endless array of adorable, printed shirts and a ludicrous amount of toys later, they were seated in a secluded booth in the back of a small restaurant. Elonat was resting against Jim's chest, having stuffed himself with a plate full of ravioli drenched in tomato sauce, dozing as Jim attempted to adjust the bright green hairclip they had bought to keep the boy's hair from flopping into his eyes.

After the third, unsuccessful attempt, Spock took over and plucked the clip from the blond curls without much of a hassle. A lopsided smile curved Jim's lips as Spock gently replaced the hairclip, tucking Elonat's wayward curls away from the child's forehead. Elegant fingers lingered against the little boy's temple for a moment, a soft gleam dashing through Spock's dark eyes before the Vulcan leaned back into his seat once again.

Intrigued by the rare occurrence of Spock loosening the tight grasp he had on his own emotions, Jim found himself lost in his own thoughts for a moment. He could not help but peculate at what age the Vulcan had made the conscious decision to hide away the parts of himself Amanda displayed so easily.

Ironically, it was Amanda's soft chuckle which dragged Jim's attention away from Spock, "Looks like we missed Elonat's naptime."

Nodding, Jim rubbed his chin over Elonat's curls, the boy's breath tickling his throat with every exhale. "Definitely. I just hope he won't be cranky later on. Maybe the new toys will help with his mood, should it take a spectacular nosedive."

"I'm sure we will be able to distract him somehow," Amanda soothed, taking a sip of sparkling water.

Short fingers curled around the neckline of Jim's pullover, prompting him to glance down at Elonat, surprised to find the child's eyes wide open and staring up at him in return. Confused and disconcerted by the child's sudden lack of drowsiness, Jim spoke, "What's wrong, duckie?"

Elonat's free hand touched Jim's cheek, fingertips cold. For a moment, Jim tensed, waiting for the familiar sensation of foreign emotions bleeding into his mind, like a creek trickling into a large lake. But it did not come.

Instead, from one second to the next, Jim was overwhelmed by a flood of images, some blurred, some crystal clear, as reality began to swim out of focus. Then, Jim was falling. His stomach seemed to collapse in on itself, leaving a hollow feeling in Jim's abdomen when his conscious self was dropped into a kaleidoscope of memorised scenes, noises and scents.

Thick, pale moss cushioned Jim's feet. Beside him, thin trees stretched towards the powder blue sky shimmering through the crimson leaves. Like the rhythm of a large beast's breath, the wind brushed through the branches, swelling and waning in gentle waves. In the distance, a soft voice sounded, too far away to understand whatever its owner was saying.

Moving towards the voice, Jim made his way through the maze of slender tree trunks and oddly coloured shrubbery. The further he walked, the more Jim struggled to overcome the roots arching from the mossy earth, as they seemed to grow larger with every metre he left behind. Above him, the sun began to circle around itself, a low hum starting up and distorting the voice whose origin he was doing his best to reach.

A large shadow darkened the ground. Jim's eyes were drawn upwards, towards the twisting sun, now covered by the body of a large bird gliding past. Its opalesque plumage shimmered in the light, speckling the tree trunks surrounding Jim with colourful dots. Before Jim's eyes, the rough bark of the trees smoothed out as the flecks spread, turning the sickly white of the tree trunks into shades of green, blue and yellow.

By the end of it, Jim found himself no longer looking at a growing forest, but a sea of enormous crayons, rising from the soft ground like spires. Hesitating, Jim twirled, taking in the new landscape and the sounds accompanying it. Gone was the whisper of rustling leaves and the scent of wet moss, entirely replaced by the familiar smell of warm milk and wax pencils, and the sound of a child's rattle. The voice, so soft and distant just minutes ago, was clear and bright now as it sang a wordless lullaby.

Jim hurried his step, hoping to reach the voice's owner before the song ended. His scheme was dwarfed and his gait forcefully slowed by the myriads of building blocks sprouting from the soft, russet dirt a few moments later. Their angles and sizes varied to the point of where Jim almost wished for the large tree roots to return.

Each footsteps now had to be set with the utmost care, his soles soon aching with every tiny, wooden hindrance Jim did not see in time to avoid. Before long, Jim had to use the crayon trees for support, his skin becoming stained with a rainbow of oily hues.

At some point, the crayons began to grow smaller, thinning out. Two steps more, then Jim's sore feet were soothed by the soft texture of a familiar, cream coloured carpet. Brows creasing, he turned, finding each and every crayon felled, cut at the base like one would an actual tree. The song had ceased, the air so still, Jim feared to breathe.

Slender hands touched Jim's shoulder blades, soft and somewhat cold, prompting him to freeze where he stood, unable to turn around to face whoever had approached him. Exhale. Inhale. In the distance, the cry of a bird rang across the sky. A warm breath tickled Jim's ear, as the person behind him whispered, "Rom-halan, Pi'kin-kur-veh."

Mouth opening to respond, Jim was shocked into silence as the earth cracked and fell away beneath his feet-

"Jim!"

Eyes snapping open, Jim gasped in a breath of air, blinking at the Vulcan leaning above him. Spock appeared a smidge frazzled, if one was to judge his expression by the steep furrow of his brows and the pursed state of his lips. Confused and disoriented, Jim croaked, "What happened?"

"Elonat performed a mind meld upon your person," Spock answered, voice low and clipped, as if the Vulcan was only just holding back whatever emotion simmered behind those dark eyes. "Seeing as he is too young to understand the necessity of careful weaving a temporary link between your minds, you suffered a mild shock and were pulled into Elonat's mind when your own became the dormant half. I was forced to enter the meld on a superficial level and break it."

"You made the ground vanish?" Jim asked, pushing himself upright, taking in his position. He had been laid out across the cushioned bench, with Spock sitting by his head and Amanda's shawl doubling as a make-shift pillow.

"Each mind creates individual images and environments depending on the person's thoughts. I sent a general impulse to force the meld apart and did not enter either of your minds on a deeper level. Thus, I do not know what you have seen, nor do I know how my signal was translated into the mind meld itself." Spock reached for Jim's half-full glass of water, still standing where Jim had set it before Elonat had reached for his cheek.

"I see… so, that woman I saw…? Could have been you, too?"

"Woman?" Spock raised an eyebrow, placing the glass into Jim's hand. "Perhaps. I cannot be sure, seeing as I was not actually present to witness what you have seen. It might have been a memory of Elonat's mother, nothing more. A child's mindscape is often constructed of the things they know and deem safe."

"Ah," Jim nodded. "Makes sense."

He took a sip of water, gaze trailing towards where he had expected Amanda and Elonat to be, a slight sense of panic twisting in his chest when he found them gone. "Where are Elonat and Amanda?"

"My mother took Elonat into the staffroom, your unresponsiveness was very distressing to him," Spock explained, standing from the bench abruptly. "I believe it is time to go home, Jim. Both you and Elonat are in need of rest."

Without another word, Spock stalked off, likely into the direction of the staffroom, and Jim knew this conversation was not over, yet.

Again, so sorry for taking so long! And, again, thank you for all your kind reviews, I really appreciate them!