Vulcan Tea and Water

Spock moved closer, and Kirk felt the hair rising on the back of his neck. At the same time, there was a little part of his brain telling him how ridiculous this was – and Jim wanted to listen to it, he really did - but Spock was still talking about Vulcan's past, deep and intent, and he had moved closer still.

"As the millennia passed, the Vulcan people developed medicine so that the mates could survive the Time without injury, and childbirth without death.

"They trained in physical combat, and in the mental arts as well, and mastered their bodies so that they could live, and heal.

"They learned to find and utilize resources efficiently, so that the line could continue.

"They defended their lands so that the clan had a place to thrive.

"And they learned to predict the weather so that the clan could prepare for what came.

"Throughout all of this, they enhanced their knowledge, preserved it, and improved the line so that the clan would be triumphant.

"And then, they killed."

Until Spock said that last sentence - which hung in the silence for a long, long time – the chatty little part of Jim's brain was telling him that, if you left out all the stuff about clans and lines and mates, it actually sounded a lot like Spock, himself.

For a full minute, Spock just stood and looked at him.

Then Spock did speak – and this time Jim asked, before he thought about it, "Excuse me?"

"Tea," the other repeated. His tone was that same bland, level, all-occasion Vulcan one that Jim was now deciding he used on purpose sometimes, just to confuse. "Would you care for a cup of tea?"

"Uh, yeah," Jim said ('Tea'?), "That'd be great."

Without another word, Spock went to the small alcove on the other side of the room and Jim could hear a very, very faint clink as he was there. His brain was informing him somewhat incredulously that the very terrifying Commander Spock was making him tea (for pity's sake!) – and that little thought made all of the tension go, straight away.

A moment later, Spock returned, empty-handed. After a bewildered second, Jim realized that the other had not simply pressed the order into the galley line, but was actually, really, making him a cup of tea.

Huh. Who knew.

So Spock returned, empty handed. He did not move toward the desk chair opposite, as Kirk had expected. Instead, he headed toward the empty space on the far side of Jim.

In silence, Jim watched him, felt him slip past – feeling, himself, just the tiniest bit adrift.

With a graceful motion that Jim could not possibly describe afterward, Spock lowered himself to the floor, his long legs tucked beneath him. After a second, he leaned his back against the wall.

Jim wanted to think that he looked like a little kid about to play with trains; but - in spite of the fact that Spock's leaning was clearly a relaxed attitude - he most certainly did not look like that at all.

He just looked very Vulcan.

But still, he was sitting on the floor, and he was leaning; and Jim had just had both visual and auditory confirmation of his intentions to brew tea. Jim wondered, just for a second, who had switched Spocks on him. He kinda liked this one – certainly more than the kinda scary one – but, honestly, he was really just getting used to the regular one, and missed, a little, the comfortable predictability.

They looked at one another.

"Vulcans mastered space flight before the development of iron in Earth's Middle East - before the cultivation of rice in Japan," Spock said.

Jim's complete inability to form a coherent sound in the wake of this pronouncement was apparently taken by Spock as a listening silence.

"In fact," he observed, "while Commodus was entertaining himself, Vulcan scientists were applying the technology gained from forays out-system to a complete redesign of our secondary water-production facilities in an attempt to further improve the efficiency of our sub-surface hydroponics."

He sat tranquilly for another full minute before murmuring, "Pardon me," and rising to his feet as gracefully as he had previously sat down.

Jim watched him walk away, perplexed. He was sure that Spock had a point, here, too, but he was damned if he could figure it out.

Spock wasn't being the coldly rigid Vulcan he was all day – was he? – but he was still being very Vulcan. For a second, Jim thought about trying to replay the whole day, to view Spock's other actions in this new light, but he figured he didn't really have time for that at the moment.

Then, he heard Spock's voice; and focused his eyes - still on the other's back - to see that Spock had half-turned to look at him. "Vulcan?" Spock repeated.

Jim's mind scrambled on that one.

Nope. Nothing.

"Excuse me?"

Spock put down whatever he was holding, and came back a pace or two. "The tea, Captain. Would you prefer Terran, or Vulcan?"

"Uh…"

Jim couldn't finish the thought.

Something in Jim's face must have given Spock pause, because he came back another pace or two, and said gently, "Captain, perhaps you are too weary to finish this discussion at this time."

Jim realized he was slouching in the chair, and he straightened his spine gamely before assuring Spock, as vigorously as he could, "No, no, I'm fine, Spock, go on."

But Spock shook his head in that single sideways motion, and moved deliberately to sit across from him again.

He flipped on his computer console, and quickly entered a few commands. He looked over it at his superior officer and said, formally, "Captain Kirk, I have chosen to relieve you for the remainder of this day." He continued in a tone a little less formal, "You may, as you prefer, relieve me on a future occasion, should you find it desirable to do so - but I assure you that that will not be necessary." And that last, Jim decided, was the voice of a friend.

Jim looked at Spock for a minute, and decided that - while he was sure he had Spock beat, still, on some other conversational tactics - when it came to unpredictability, it just might be a wash. He stretched and grinned a little, and asked, "Commander Spock, did you just give me the day off?"

And Spock nodded his small Vulcan nod, and answered, serenely, "Yes, sir. Yes, I did."