XxX
Spock started to pace the length of the wall; his eyes locked on the Doctor as he worked.
"You need to blink Spock. Even your Vulcan eyes can't take being open much longer." Dr. McCoy smirked as he counted off the young girl's pulse.
Spock might be the king of the logic mountain, but I am the king of emotions, McCoy thought to himself. The young Commander hadn't left the girl's side since they found her passed out. In fact, Spock had been the one to find her in the first place.
The Vulcan had taken an unusual interest in the young Earth girl, keeping an eye on her. Spock always seemed to be there when something went wrong with her and he never missed an opportunity to talk to her.
McCoy constantly caught him staring at her; it was almost like the Vulcan saw her as a problem he could solve, one that had a simple, black and white answer.
"Well, she's going to be out for quite a while." McCoy concluded as he gathered his things, "She's strong but the entry into Earth's atmosphere takes its toll on everyone. Hermione's just not use to the sudden change in pressure."
Spock stopped pacing, his arms crossed. His eyes never once left her face.
Dr. McCoy stood and walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder, "She is going to be fine."
"She has a hearing before the council Friday; will she be awake and ready by then?" Spock inquired, his tone controlled and eyes dull as he turned to the Doctor. McCoy sighed and nodded.
"Very well." Spock started towards the door without another word. He dared one last look at the unconscious girl before the doors closed.
The Doctor turned to his patient, "What is it that has everyone intrigued by you? Hum?" He stood with his arms crossed, looking down at her peaceful face, "You even have Spock under your spell."
XxX
"Pulse is steady, no negative reaction to the medication." My eyes fluttered at the voice, "Ahh, morning Sleeping Beauty." Dr. McCoy's face started to come into view.
Slowly, I sat up rubbing my head, Dr. McCoy—"
"You know you can call me Bones, everyone does." He smiled his Kentucky smile.
I smiled back, "Bones, what happened?" I brushed my hair back, my eyes desperately trying to adjust to the bright room.
"Well, for starters we are back on Earth." Bones explained, "There is a change of clothes for you in there." He nodded towards the loo, "You've been out for about 26 hours."
My eyes grew and he chuckled, "It's actually not that bad. Most people who come back to Earth after their first space trip are out for a few days. I was out for four days my first trip."
Bones started to play with his instruments as he continued, "On the up side, Kirk got the Enterprise. They are awarding him permanent Captainship this afternoon. If you would like to go to the awards ceremony, I can have someone stop by and pick you up at 3. It will be good for you to get out and get some air."
"That sounds...nice." My voice was dry and crackly.
Bones nodded as he started to pack his things up, "I know exactly who I'll send to get you this afternoon. He hasn't stopped bothering me since you passed out." Bones stood, running his fingers back through his messy hair, "Damn hobgoblin always looking over my shoulder inquiring about this and that. Questioning if I know what I'm doing…" He mumbled to himself as I started to drift back to sleep.
"Try to get some rest." With one last smile, he stood and took his leave. I left my head fall to the side, my sore eyes looked towards the window.
Earth. Oh, I was happy to be on real ground again.
XxX
I briskly rubbed the towel on my wet hair. With a flick of my wand, my hair was dry and curly once again.
"I love showers." I cooed to myself as I started to dress in the fresh cloths. I had just finished when a knock sounded on the door.
"Come in!" I called. The doors opened and in stepped Spock. He froze, a surprised look on his face.
"What?" I asked, looking down to the simple grey dress and my bare feet. I looked to what he was wearing: a grey uniform decorated with badges and metals of every color and a hat in his hand. I bit my lower lip, feeling inferior.
"You look…acceptable." Spock nodded, placing his hat on his head. I twisted my hair up and stuck my wand through it.
"Thanks, I guess." Sitting back on the bed, I pulled my shoes on. I could feel Spock watching every movement I made.
"Ready." I jumped up, trying to fake a smile. He nodded and opened the door, stepping aside for me to go first.
I shifted my eyes to look at Spock as we walked down the hall; his gaze was set straight ahead. I had thought Scottie would be the one to come pick me up. Bones had said the he he would be sending had wanted to talk to me so it made sense it would be Scottie, wanting to talk more about Hogwarts and such, instead of Spock.
"Is Scottie alright? I thought he would be picking me up." I asked, trying to keep my tone even.
Spock looked to me with a hard brow, "Why would you assume Mr. Scott would be escorting you this evening?" He stated, his eyes shifting forward once more.
"Bones had said someone who wanted to talk to me would pick me up." I clarified, "Scottie and I had been interrupted in the middle of our conversation aboard the Enterprise so I assumed it was him." I was a bit put off by the short tone Spock had used.
Spock nodded but remained quiet. My shoes squeaked as we continued down the hall.
He stopped suddenly and turned to me; I awkwardly came to a halt and met his eye, "My mother would like to offer you an invitation to stay with us until your hearing."
I froze, not sure how to respond after our little upset. I chewed on my lower lip, trying not to get whiplash from his mood swings.
"You may think it over and give me your answer after the ceremony." Spock concluded. He gave a single nod and we continued on our way.
The sky was growing dark as we stepped outside; a few stars had started to appear just above the horizon.
"Stay close." Spock ordered as we started to make our way through the crowd outside the auditorium. Thankfully, seats had been saved for us close to the front.
The ceremony was simple but the significance and meaning wasn't lost to me. Jim had received a great honor and everyone was proud of him, the audience applauded as he relieved the former Captain.
Whistles filled the auditorium and people filed out of their seats to greet the new Captain of the Enterprise. I stood, just as excited as everyone else as I clapped.
"Aye! Aye!" Scottie made his way towards us with Lieutenants Sulu and Pavel trailing after him. I smiled as they stopped in front of us, chattering away per usual. Soon we were joined by Spock's parents and idle chit-chat began as we made our way down to greet Jim.
I saw Spock's mother stopped and usher her husband and son to move on without her. She waited for me to get closer before addressing me, "I don't believe we have been properly introduced—I'm Amanda. Amanda Grayson, Spock's mother." Amanda was beautiful, her dark mahogany hair shone in the light and her dark eyes were inviting.
"I'm Hermione Granger." I replied.
"Yes, I have heard quite a bit about you." Amanda smiled sweetly, "Did Spock tell you about the invitation?" She asked, linking arms with me as we continued down the stairs.
I nodded, my face growing warm from the attention, "He mentioned it when we were walking over."
"Please don't feel obligated to accept." She explained, "I'd just heard about your situation and Spock has told us so much about you, I wanted to help in any way I can." I could tell that she sincerely cared and that made my decision easy.
"I think I will take you up on it." I smiled. Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
"I'm very happy to hear that. I look forward to having you stay with us, Hermione." Amanda gave one last smile before excusing herself and attending to her husband and son.
I sighed, knowing I had made the right choice as I joined in on Scottie and Jim's conversation. Scottie spit on Jim's new badge and pretended to shine it.
I burst out laughing, "Congratulations, Jim. You have officially been christened with Scottie's spit."
Jim smiled, giving me a playful wink, "Maybe we should go out and have our own celebration later." I blushed and turned away, feeling the innocence of my age. Scottie chuckled.
Spock caught my eye and started to make his way towards us, "My mother informed me of your choice." He looked to Jim and then back to me, "May I escort you back to retrieve your things?" I nodded and let him lead the way through the large crowd.
My eyes gazed up at the stars as we started outside. Orion was bright and strong.
"Do you see the Pleiades within Taurus?" Spock asked, his eyes following mine, "It's very faint, you can only see a few stars in it."
I nodded, "It's beautiful." Spock didn't bother to disagree this time, he simply nodded.
I didn't have many things to gather, just my Muggle cloths and the dress I had worn aboard the Enterprise.
"Ready." I said, pulling the strings of my bag closed. Spock nodded and we started towards his parent's house. The moon was bright as it shown down on us, the stars twinkled in welcome.
My eyes widened as I saw the grand building grow before us, "This is where you live?"
"This is where my father and mother live when they are on earth." Spock stated, "The Vulcan Embassy."
I stopped and looked at him, "I thought you said—"
"I stay with them when they are on Earth." Spock explained as he started up the stairs. I shifted my bag and started after him.
If I was impressed by the outside, I was floored by the inside. I gently brushed my fingers against the beautifully carved furniture as my eyes took in each portrait. The outside might have been 2258, but the inside looked like a beautiful Victorian manor.
"The kitchen and the dining hall is off to your right and the library is across from it. You will be staying in this room, next to the stairs. My room is across from yours." Spock took authority as he pointed out each place. I could tell he'd spent a lot of time here.
"I will give you a tour tomorrow. For now, I will let you get settled in." Spock nodded and headed towards the adjacent door.
I watched him move across the hall and enter his room without a second glance. I moved to my door and quietly made my way in. The room was elegant, the bed had a canopy and there was a dark wooded vanity and wardrobe. It was just like Hogwarts.
Dropping my bag onto the bed, I walked towards the French window.
I crossed my arms as I looked out over the city, "Now what?"
XxX
