You Had Me From Hello
Chapter Seven : Love Me Do
Spock
Starfleet Academy, San Francisco, Earth
February 2258
Wednesday
When they arrive at her dorm, there is already light in the sky. They will get no more sleep if they follow their normal schedule. He can still feel the chocolate, not entirely cleared from his system - it would not be a good idea to try to run. "Nyota, no track this morning. My muscles are still uncoordinated from the chocolate. Set your alarm later and get some more sleep. If you are late arriving at the office no one will know - it will be chaos this morning."
She stands in the circle of his arms, knowing just by that, that the chocolate is still influencing him. She had been right to give him such a small piece. Their foreheads are touching and she can feel him within, much softer than normal. "I will sleep in only if you promise to do so. And I will know if you are not honest with me."
He attempts to hide his intentions from her, then gives it up as a lost cause. He sighs. "All right. I shall promise not to arise until 0700. This will be sufficient sleep for me. Is this satisfactory?"
"Yes. I will reset my alarm for 0800, then. I will see you in the office." She lifts her chin and brushes his mouth softly with hers before taking a step back and then turning to enter her dorm, that tiny spark of connection between them still there. He is too tired, too relaxed and sated, to think about that spark now.
When she is safely inside, he continues on to his quarters, strips off his uniform and collapses on the bed.
***
He does not actually awaken until 0730. It is most unusual not to awaken at his predetermined hour, but he blames this on the chocolate. He showers quickly. While he is standing before the mirror in this bathroom, brushing his hair, he thinks to check his neck to see whether there are any new bite marks that he needs to hide. The can of skin spray sits on the counter beside the sink. Nyota had been so considerate to bring that to him. He dresses in a fresh uniform, eats some fruit and a bread roll, picks up his briefcase, and heads for his office. The campus is not quite usual this morning. There are ground crews cleaning up downed branches - one large tree is down near the Linguistics Building, also. He sees another crew repairing a buckled pathway. There is probably damage to some of the buildings as well.
The door to his office does not open when he taps on the touch plate. There must be damage to either the building's environmental computer or the electrical circuits. He retrieves his id chip from his jacket pocket and inserts it in the slot under the touch plate. This does not work either. Suppressing a sigh, he braces his briefcase against the wall and rifles through it, finding the small key in an interior pocket. He inserts the key in the lock and turns it, finding the seldom used mechanism stiff. With a large push, the door finally opens. The office is dark, the lights will not come on, the widow mechanism does not respond. Finally he figures out the manual controls for the window and light comes through. He sets his briefcase down in its accustomed place and looks about the office. There will not be any tea this morning. The computer system seems to be completely down. He does have PADDs to grade. But first he needs to check to see whether any cadets have made it to class. The classroom is probably dark and locked as well. He heads down the hall to his classroom.
Nyota
When her alarm goes off at 0800, she can barely crawl out of bed. She stumbles into the shower and turns it on full blast, instantly enveloped in shockingly cold water. She screams and jumps out of the shower stall. Now fully awake, she shivers as she dries herself off. She brushes her hair hard, trying to get it to look presentable. By the time she is dressed, Gaila is poking her head out from under the covers. Grabbing a ration bar to eat on the way to the office, because she really doubts the Mess Hall will be functioning properly if there is no hot water, she grabs her bag to leave, then thinks to tell Gaila there is no hot water.
***
Spock's office is standing open, the window setting is strange, but at least there is light. Nothing electrical seems to be working. Spock is not sitting at his desk, so he must be in the classroom, although she is not sure that classes will be going on as usual today. She drops her carrybag on her desk, and tries to figure out how she can make tea. She really needs a cup of tea. She wanders off down the hall, checking to see what is functional in the building. When she gets to the office of the head of the department, she finds someone has brought in a portable power supply and goes running back to the office to get the water pot.
When the tea is ready to drink, she carefully covers one cup and sets off down the hall to Spock's classroom. He will not have had any tea this morning before class, if there is a class. She reaches his classroom and discovers that he is standing in the hall, turning away students. Apparently he cannot even get the door to the classroom open. She walks up, stops at his left elbow and waits until he has finished giving an assignment to the two students in front of him, and then holds up the tea. He looks at it in obvious astonishment, his eyebrow high on his face, then takes the cup and inhales the warm steam before taking a sip. "Thank you, Nyota. How?"
She smiles at him. "I just went looking down the hall until I found a workman with a portable power unit."
"Very logical thinking." His lips are quirked up at the corners. Another student comes rushing down the hall, stops when he sees his instructor just standing in the hall drinking tea, and Nyota turns to go back to the office. She has a huge stack of PADDs to grade.
***
She is sitting at her desk, grading papers, when they come looking for Spock. Apparently there is much damage in the message array lab. She directs them to his classroom, where he is still standing in the hall. In a few minutes, he is back, asking her to come with him. They have started out of the room when he stops and goes back for his briefcase. She grabs her carrybag and he locks the door again with that small key.
When they get to the message array lab, they both gasp. Equipment has toppled to the floor. There is a litter of broken view-screen pieces, shattered plastic moldings, and bent metal covering the floor. Thankfully, the electricity is off, so there have not been any fires. She hangs her carrybag on the coat hook on the wall beside the door, then adds her uniform jacket, pushing the sleeves of her sweater up as well, and starts to clear debris from the floor. Spock looks at her, considers for a moment, and then takes off his uniform jacket as well, however, he does not push up his sleeves. When she has her hands full of small pieces, she turns to discover that he has found a bin somewhere and set it in the middle of the floor. He is bent over, engaged in trying to turn a cabinet back upright, his uniform trousers stretched tight over his bottom. She stifles a giggle and dumps the debris in the bin, goes back for more. By the time her stomach starts to rumble, they have most of the floor clear. When he hears the rumbling, he immediately straightens up and goes to retrieve their jackets, handing hers to her. They will go and find nourishment together, he says. She smiles.
***
By the time it is too dark to really see the small pieces of debris on the floor and both of them have suffered small cuts to their fingers, they decide to stop for the day. They have made much progress. When he tells her that he had electricity in his quarters that morning, she offers to help with supper preparations in return for a hot shower. He has absolutely no objections.
It is quite late before she returns to her dorm room.
Thursday
By the end of the day on Thursday, they have most of the debris cleared and the electricity is back on almost everywhere on campus. As they lock up the lab, they make plans to begin checking equipment the next morning. They will not even go to the office. They go to the Indian restaurant for dinner and sit and talk, so tired. He walks her back to her dorm in the dusk and tells her not to stay up studying, but go to sleep early. He is obviously worried at her tiredness. She is afraid that she knows the cause, and once inside determines that she is correct. Well, crap, there goes the weekend!
Spock
Friday 0800
When Nyota walks into the message array lab, he knows immediately what her problem is. He recognizes that droopy look. He crosses the lab and stands behind her, helping her out of her jacket. When she reaches to hang it up, he places his hands on her hips, just below her waist, and begins to knead the tight muscles there. She leans into his hands and relaxes, sighing. He has helped her, then, very good. Although his plans for this evening are now drastically changed.
***
By the end of the day, they have checked out over half the modules in the lab. New consoles will be delivered on Monday. There is still much work to do, but it will wait until the weekend is over. They must rest - she must rest, and the only way he will get her to do so, is to be with her and enforce it. They lock up the lab and walk across the campus. He steers her straight to his quarters.
"Spock, I need to go change out of my uniform. I want something more comfortable to wear."
"I will provide." He was adamant.
She was confused, but did not protest any more.
When they reached his quarters and removed their boots, he went into the bedroom. From one of his dresser drawers, he pulled out a regulation tee-shirt and handed it to her. In the back of his closet he found the loose pants that he had purchased by mistake and never returned - the ones that were too small. These he also handed to her. She sat down on his bed and started to remove her uniform, folding the pieces into a neat pile. While he watched her, he removed his own uniform and hung it in the closet, dressing in clothing similar to what he had given her. She removed her bra, folding it on top of her uniform, then pulled the tee-shirt over her head. Then she pulled the pants onto her legs before standing up and pulling them over her hips and tying the drawstring. He knelt at her feet and rolled up the bottoms of the legs around her ankles so that she would not trip. She looked so tired still, but she must eat before she slept. He led her to the table and sat her down there while he made tea, bringing her a steaming cup to sip while he sliced fruit. He set a container of yoghurt and the plate of fruit on the table before her, brought her a spoon and a fork. Then he sat and watched while she ate, barely awake. When she had finished, he came and lifted her out of the chair, carrying her into the bedroom. At the last minute, instead of laying her on the bed, he set her on her feet in front of the bathroom door. While she was inside, he pulled the covers back on the bed so that when she came out he could settle her there. He put her in the middle of bed and settled down beside her, rolling her over on her side and curling around behind her to keep her warm. He flipped the blanket into the air so that it would settle over them and tucked it about her. Then he softly stroked the side of her face, murmuring softly to her, urging her into sleep. It did not take long.
He lay there beside her for an hour, until he was absolutely certain that she was in a deep sleep. Then he carefully arose from the bed, tucking the blanket closely around her to keep her back warm. He went back into the living room and activated his com unit. When her Orion roommate appeared, he spoke. "Cadet Uhura is ill. I have worked her too hard making repairs in the lab. Do not worry about her, I will take care of her. If you need to contact her for any important reason, you may do so. Otherwise, I would appreciate it if you let her rest."
"Understood, Commander. Do you need me to bring anything of hers to you?"
He thought for a moment. "I believe she would like some casual clothing. And clean underwear. Thank you for your consideration."
"I'll be there shortly, sir." She cut the connection. Oh, Nyota, that guy is so gone. She went immediately to Nyota's closet and pulled out pants and a pullover shirt that she knew Nyota wore when she was going to pull a long study session - clothes that were comfortable and loose. She added underwear - just the plain white ones Nyota nearly always wore. Then thought of something else and went into the bathroom to retrieve the small blue box sitting on the counter and added that to the pile. She stuffed it all in a carrybag and started for the door, stopping just before opening it. Nyota had come back from Commander Spock's quarters in different clothing Monday night. Those clothes must have already been over there. She wasn't sure how they had gotten there originally, but she knew Nyota had just done her laundry. She checked the pile of folded clothing stacked on the end of Nyota's bed and found the shirt and pants she remembered, adding them to the carrybag, then set out for the building where Commander Spock's quarters were. When she tapped the touch plate at his door, he opened the door almost immediately, took the carrybag from her, thanked her for her effort and started to close the door.
"Commander, how is Nyota?" She would have sworn that there was irritation on his face.
"She is sleeping. She is worn out. She has been working very hard to help clean up the lab every day since the earthquake. I failed to insure that she had adequate rest and nutrition. It is my fault. I will see that she rests all weekend and provide her with proper nutrition, so that she will function better next week." His head turned towards the back of the apartment. When he spoke again, his voice was lower. "Please do not waken her, Cadet. If I need any further assistance, I will contact you. I do thank you for your assistance." With that he closed the door.
Once Nyota's roommate had left, he prepared a simple supper for himself and then set down at the table to grade some of the PADDs that had accumulated while he was busy cleaning up the lab. He kept one ear tuned to the bedroom, but she was still sleeping, her breath even. After several hours, he slipped back into the bed beside her, wrapping her in his arms and drifting off to sleep himself.
Nyota
Nyota drifted awake, very warm. She felt like she was wrapped in a heating pad. A heavy one. She slowly opened her eyes. Where was she? It took her a moment to recognize Spock's bedroom. Ah, then that heavy hot weight across her ribs was Spock's arm. She had been so tired. She vaguely remembered Spock making her eat something and then tucking her in bed. Surely he hadn't been here the whole time? She knew he didn't sleep nearly as much as she did. She really needed to pee. Could she untangle without waking him up? She turned the blanket back, then rolled over onto her stomach, scooting towards the edge of the bed, out from under Spock's arm. Before she could get her feet on the floor, his hand closed over her arm.
"Where are you going, Nyota? It is not morning yet. You need more sleep."
"Spock, let me go. I need to pee."
"Oh." His hand released her arm. "Is this something that you normally do in the middle of the night?"
"Occasionally." She got her feet planted on the floor and stood up, abruptly sitting down on the edge of the bed as dizziness overtook her. "Whoa, headrush."
Spock instantly sat up and closed his hand back over her arm. The back of his other hand touched her forehead, feeling for fever. No, she was her normal temperature.
She took a couple of breaths, then slowly stood up. "Okay, I'm good now, you can let loose, I don't think I'm going to fall over."
He released her, but watched closely as she slowly walked around the bed and into the bathroom.
When she came out of the bathroom, he had rolled over and flipped the blanket back, making room for her on the closer side of the bed. She slid down onto the bed and snuggled up against him, wrapping her arms around him and nuzzling her face up against his neck. He spread his right hand across her back, molding her against him, his face in her hair.
"Are you feeling better, Nyota?"
"Yes, and I'm going to go back to sleep, too. Thanks for taking care of me, Spock, it makes me feel very protected."
"It is my duty and honor to protect you." His voice was very soft in her ear. She sighed and relaxed against him, slipping quickly back into sleep. He lay there awake, softly stroking her hair, for some time.
***
The next time she woke up, soft sunlight was filling the room. She was alone in the bed. She stretched, feeling so much better. She got up and padded over to the bathroom again. When she came back out, Spock was standing in the living room door.
"Have you slept well, Nyota?"
"Oh, yes, very well indeed. I feel much better." Her stomach rumbled. "But very hungry." She grinned at him.
"I have prepared nourishment for you. Come."
She followed him to the table. She sat in her customary chair, caressed the tabletop and smiled. She looked up and found his eyes on her.
One eyebrow rose high, the corners of his lips quirked up. "I have thoroughly cleaned the table, Nyota."
She couldn't help it, she laughed out loud, rocking back and forth in her chair. She wiped tears out of her eyes. "I was sure that you had, Spock. I was just remembering..." her voice faded and she blushed.
"It is a very nice memory." His voice was soft and husky.
"Yes." She straightened up and looked back at him. "But I think I remember something about food?"
He turned to the kitchen and came back with a plate, which he set before her. Small bread rolls, cheese, fruit, a container of yoghurt.
"Spock, that's a lot of food."
"You have not eaten anything in 16 hours, 24 minutes, and 33 seconds. It is not too much food."
"I was asleep that long? I didn't realize I was that tired." She started with a piece of cheese in one hand and bread in the other. Before very long, the plate was empty. Satisfied, Spock took the empty plate to the kitchen and set it in the sink. He came back to the table and sat down. She watched him. For some reason, although he was not moving at all, he looked fidgety. He also looked very uncomfortable. She waited for him to speak. Finally, he raised his head and looked straight into her eyes.
"Nyota, I .. I have not done this before."
"Done what before?" She wanted him to be quite explicit, with no misunderstandings.
"All of this - the things we do together - I have no experience to guide me. Human practices are very different than Vulcan ones. I often do not know whether what I wish to do is appropriate. I am .. " he paused, took a deep breath. "afraid... at times, that what I do is not what you expect. That almost certainly I am not doing something that you do expect."
She reached across the table to where his hands were clasped together, gently prizing his fingers apart, hooking the first two fingers of her right hand around the first two fingers of his. He looked down at their clasped fingers, then back at her, startled. "Spock, feel my emotions." She watched his face as the expression in his eyes changed subtly, several times. Then saw tiny muscles relax around his eyes, his mouth. "Okay, now go on. I'm listening."
"There are things that we must discuss. I ask that you tell me if it is not appropriate to bring these things up at this time. I will abide by your wishes - although I do feel that it is important to discuss these things." He looked at her for a moment, his eyes unfocused briefly, then refocused, he nodded. "Each year at my Academy physical, they do perform checks for ... sexually transmitted diseases. Although there has never been a need for it, still they do it. And I have always been clean." He paused, took another breath. "They also administer the standard contraceptive injections." He paused again, dropped his eyes. "I do not know whether these are necessary. I am a hybrid. This often results in infertility." He shuddered. When he resumed, his voice was quite low. "If this is important to you now or at any time, I will submit to the necessary testing."
"Spock, look at me, please." He slowly raised his eyes to her face. She could see how it pained him to discuss these things, his eyes looked wounded. "I have never had any sexually transmitted disease. I have never had my fertility checked, either. I have no desire to become pregnant any time soon - I need to graduate and establish my career before I can even think about that. That time is years off. It is not anything that needs to be determined at this time, okay?" She saw real relief in his eyes. "Now about the contraceptives." She paused again. "I have never had the contraceptive shots, I always refuse them. Maybe that's stupid, but I just didn't want my own hormones mucked with." She was quiet a moment. "I told you that I wasn't very experienced, either. I...I haven't been with anyone since I was in high school. And I was so careful then. I just wanted to find out what it was all about - and I wasn't very impressed with the whole thing to tell you the truth." She watched him cock his head and raise his eyebrows. She laughed softly. "Oh, Spock, who you do it with makes so much difference."
He looked at her, obviously considering what to say. "Nyota, it is my understanding that the contraceptives work better when both partners use them."
"Yes, that's true."
"Are you not 'playing with fire' then?"
"It wasn't anything that needed care, Spock. It just wasn't necessary."
"But now?"
"Yes, now is different. I will have to think about it now."
He nodded, sat quietly. She waited. She didn't think he was finished. Briefly he ran his fingers down the sides of her, then curled then around hers again. After some time, he spoke again. "It was not acceptable for me to mark you where it was visible when you are in uniform. I do apologize. You were correct when you said I was not being discrete. I do not have any desire to affect your career in any detrimental fashion. If I attempt to do such a thing again, I hope that you will stop me."
"I don't think it will be a problem in the future, Spock. I think you understand why I was so angry and you will not do that again." She paused, then continued. "And I must do the same. I am sure you would be very uncomfortable if people asked questions about the condition I left your ear in." She grinned at him, at the dark green tint to his cheekbones and the tips of his ears. "Do you have more questions?"
"Not at this time. Although I do anticipate that there may be times in the future when more questions present themselves."
"Okay, I want to take a nice hot shower then, if that's okay?" She squeezed his hands and rose from the table. She was half way to the bedroom when she realized that he was not following her. She looked back over her shoulder at him, "Aren't you going to come wash my hair for me?"
He jumped up, then stopped. He wet his lips, looked at her, uncertainty plain in his face.
"Just wash my hair - nothing else. No sex today."
Now he came across the room towards her, understanding what was offered.
Spock
Sunday evening
He had escorted her back to her dorm room, certain that she was rested now. He had also made it plain that she would only work in the lab for two hours each morning - the two hours that he was not teaching a class. If the array was not back on line by Friday morning, they would work there for four hours, but no more. She had agreed. He was not totally sure that she really meant it, but she had agreed.
Monday evening
After supper, they sat on the couch and he played his ka'athyra for her. She sang three songs to his accompaniment, one hand flat against his thigh, guiding him. It was excellent. Afterwards they meditated before he walked her back to her dorm. He missed the touching, the kissing. He had been afraid to start anything, afraid he would not be able to stop. She was still using the items in the little blue box. He had counted.
Friday afternoon late
They were shopping. Together. Not just two people in the same store, but going down the aisles together, consulting each other about what they were buying. A first - one of many recently. She had a list which she was consulting, finding the items, dropping them into the basket he carried, crossing them off. He followed where she led, finding that he enjoyed this new experience much more than anticipated.
The basket held green onions and pungent larger yellow ones, plump peppers in several colors, bright red tomatoes, a very large eggplant so dark a purple that it was almost black, sprigs of fresh basil and oregano, a head of garlic, a round of cheese in a protective covering that said it was made from buffalo milk - she was planning to cook something interesting.
Now she was hovering over a large display of bread, looking first at one loaf, then another. He could not see that there was that much difference between the long round breads she was considering - not like the vegetables that differed much in shape and size - these were all very similar. But she was humming softly to herself, enjoying the selection process, so he just waited and enjoyed watching her.
She finally chose a loaf of bread, sliding it into a paper bag before depositing it in the basket. Now she turned to him. "You have butter, right?"
He nodded. He kept butter now, for her. As well as other things.
"Okay, off to the non-perishables then." She found the aisle she wanted, chose a bottle, handed it to him.
Headache remedy. He remembered her rubbing her forehead this morning while grading papers. He would have to teach her how to relieve that herself, without the need to resort to medication. He knew how she distrusted medication. But for now, he dropped the bottle in the basket. She was looking down the aisle, trying to find something. On the shelf beside him, he recognized something she kept in his quarters. There were very few left. His hand reached out.
"No. Don't get those."
His hand paused, still suspended. Only she might have seen the slight stiffening of his shoulders, the tension in the muscles on the side of his neck.
"I...I had the shot." Her voice was very low, hesitant. "I won't need them so often."
Startled, he turned to face her. "For me?"
"For US. So you wouldn't worry."
The hand that had reached toward the shelf, still suspended in the air, now drew near hers holding the list between them. Gently he drew his fingers down the side of her hand in a soft caress. "That was exceptionally considerate of you, Nyota."
She bit her lip, hesitating. "I should have done it before. Everyone else does." She shrugged, uncomfortable, then moved on down the aisle, consulting her list.
He followed behind. She had done this for HIM. Something she had resisted until now, something she had refused each year at her Academy physical. He was deeply moved. After supper, he would show her how moved.
