Chapter Six
Spock was doing homework outside at the picnic table, because it was a nice day. A group of boys were gathered a few yards away from the picnic table. Spock could hear them mocking him, but he tried to ignore them.
"Spock," said a familiar voice. Someone laid a hand on his shoulder.
Spock jumped to his feet. "Father!" he exclaimed. He was almost smiling. Almost.
Spock folded his arms behind his back, and Sarek did the same. Sarek glanced at the group of boys, who were giving each other the Vulcan sign, miming pointy ears, putting their hands behind their back, and pretending to look emotionless. Then they would start howling with laughter.
Sarek raised his eyebrows. "Son, I believe those delinquents are mocking us."
Spock waved his hand dismissively. "Just ignore them. They always make fun of me."
Sarek cocked his head. "Intriguing. I'll be back momentarily." Sarek walked over to the boys and spoke with their leader for a second. The boy must have said something that Sarek didn't like, because Sarek suddenly grabbed either side of the boy's face, his fingers splayed out to hit the proper pressure points. The boy passed out and the rest of them ran away in terror.
Spock raised his eyebrows at his approaching father. "The Vulcan death grip?" he asked skeptically.
"Indeed," Sarek replied smugly. "When the boy regains consciousness in a few hours, he will experience severe head and back pain, but he certainly won't experience any permanent damage."
"I was not expecting you, father," Spock said. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"
"Your mother told you I was coming this month, and I decided on a whim that I would stop by on one of my free nights and pay you a visit. You are my son, after all," Sarek explained. "However, I completely understand that my surprise visit may inconvenience you, so if you cannot afford the time, just tell me."
Spock considered this for a minute. He really couldn't afford the time away from his work, but he had missed his family very much and it was refreshing to see another Vulcan. "Of course it does not inconvenience me, father," he replied.
"Excellent," Sarek replied. "Let us talk over dinner." Spock nodded, and he followed his father to the shuttle Sarek used as ambassador.
"One of my favorite parts about coming to earth is Italian food," Sarek confided. Spock made a face, but said nothing. Sarek noticed, however. "What does that expression mean?" he asked curiously.
"I find Italian food to be an unsatisfactory source of nourishment," he admitted.
Sarek pondered this for a moment. "How very strange. Your mother has a strong dislike for Italian food also. That is why she never makes it. Curious, that you are like your mother in this way."
"I am like my mother in a lot of ways," he said quietly.
"I know of a good place to eat that isn't Italian," Sarek replied, deciding to ignore Spock's statement. He told the driver where to go, and then he settled back in his seat. "So, tell me how school is."
"School is going well. I am learning a lot. I expect that I will graduate shortly, and from what my instructors have said, I will be assigned to a starship almost immediately," Spock said.
"That is good. Do you think there will be any time for you to return home?" Sarek asked.
"Not in the foreseeable future," Spock said uncomfortably.
"That is unfortunate. Your mother misses you a great deal. She sends her love, by the way," Sarek added.
They arrived at the restaurant and they were seated and served in no time. Apparently, ambassadors got VIP treatment. "So, do you have any friends?" Sarek asked randomly, taking a sip of water.
"I suppose so," Spock said thoughtfully.
"Who are they and what do they aspire to become?" Sarek asked.
"My roommate, James Kirk, desires to become a Captain. Leonard McCoy, with whom I share a very colorful friendship, is going to be a doctor. And I have another friend who is going to be a Communications Officer," Spock replied.
"Colorful?" Sarek asked inquisitively.
"I inadvertently insulted his female companion, and he attacked me. Later, he apologized whilst intoxicated by alcohol, right before throwing up on me. I help him study for biology now," Spock said casually.
"It sounds like your life has changed drastically in the time that you've been gone," Sarek commented.
"Yes, I guess it has," Spock replied thoughtfully, taking a bite.
"What do you think of human culture? It is different from ours."
"Vastly," Spock agreed. "It has been hard to get used to. Being aboard a starship with nothing but humans will be a challenge, but it is one that I intend to face head-on."
"What have you experienced of human culture?" Sarek asked.
"I ate Italian food. I went to a bar and watched people get drunk. I rode on a bus," he said with a shiver. "And I went to a baseball game."
"Sounds like you have had some good experiences with human traditions. You mentioned you had a friend going into Communications. That is a very difficult field. This must be a very intelligent individual," Sarek mentioned.
"She is," Spock replied, taking a sip of his drink.
Sarek raised his eyebrows. "She?"
"Nyota Uhura is a female, yes," Spock said, rather embarrassed now.
Sarek smirked, which was unusual for a Vulcan. "How do you find the human females?"
"I am not sure I know what you mean," he muttered, reddening slightly.
"They are different from Vulcan females," Sarek clarified.
"Yes, they are," Spock agreed. "These females expect things from me that I cannot supply. I think some of them are attracted to me. I don't like it."
"Yes, I found that human females behave like this around Vulcans. We are different than human males, therefore making us more interesting to them. Also, I think they like the ears," Sarek mused. "Does this girl, Nyota, fall under the category of female behavior that you speak of?"
"Unfortunately, yes," Spock admitted. "I think she has taken romantic interest in me. I do not like it because she does not know what she is getting into. It takes a unique woman to be able to put up with the fact that we do not show emotions."
"Like your mother," supplied Sarek.
"Yes, like mother. Any other woman would have gone mad. Nyota does not understand that what she gives, I cannot give back. Relationships are supposed to be give and take, right? Each person gives to the other, and takes what their partner has to give. I could just take. I couldn't give. It would be dysfunctional."
"That is what I thought when I met your mother," Sarek said quietly. "She was a schoolteacher, and very good at her job. She behaved quite similarly to the way you are describing. I tried to discourage her, but I will admit that I was quite enamored with her." He shrugged. "You know what happens from there."
Spock was greatly puzzled. His eyebrows knotted together in confusion. "I do not understand," he said slowly. "When I was a child, you told me that you married mother because it was the logical thing to do."
Sarek sighed. "That is what I told you, myself, and many others. But it was not entirely the truth. Yes, it was a logical thing to do, but was it why I married her? No. Spock, I married her because I loved her."
Spock blinked. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"
Sarek shrugged. "I did not think that it was wise at the time. You were still trying to choose your own identity. I tell you the truth now because you have chosen your path and are well-grounded in it."
"I am not so sure any more," he admitted. "I'm neither human nor Vulcan. I am…something else. It's just a matter of figuring out what that is."
"I hope that you figure it out, my child," Sarek said.
"I do, too," Spock said wearily.
They finished eating and Sarek took Spock back to the academy. "It was good to see you again, father, even if it was for so short a time," Spock said.
"I also enjoyed seeing you again, my son. I think we had a productive conversation tonight," Sarek replied.
"I agree," Spock said. "I will miss you."
"As will I," Sarek said.
"Tell mother that I…," Spock faltered. "Tell mother that I miss her," he decided.
Sarek nodded. "I will do that. Goodbye, Spock."
Spock embraced his father. "Goodbye, father," he whispered.
"Hi, Spock!" Uhura said cheerily, hurrying over to him in the hall. They had just got out of Xeno-linguistics class.
He glanced over at her. "Hello, Nyota," he said.
"Okay, so I was thinking…," she began. "I'm having a lot of trouble understanding the basic principles behind the language we were studying today. I was wondering if maybe…you could tutor me or something like that?" she asked.
He stared at her. "What causes you to think that I would be the person properly suited for this job?"
She shrugged. "You're a genius, so I figured that you could probably help me out a little."
Spock considered it. On the one hand, she could just be subliminally sending him romantic signals…or she really could be asking for help. Spock decided that he would help her, on the off chance that she was really having problems. "Very well," he said with a sigh. "I will attempt to assist you. Where shall we meet to study? Perhaps the library would be a good choice. It's usually empty."
Uhura made a face. "Um…I heard that a bunch of other people are going to meet in the library to study tonight. And besides, I was thinking we could…go to a coffee shop or maybe even grab dinner before we get to work. What do you think of that?"
"I believe that it would be efficient if we ate dinner together before studying," Spock replied, completely missing the point. "We can talk about why you're having problems during the meal, thus saving time when we actually get to work."
"Yeah, exactly!" Uhura encouraged. She took a pen from her bag and scribbled an address on the back of his hand. "Meet me here at six."
He stared at his hand like it was covered in raw sewage. "You wrote on me," he spluttered in disbelief.
"So?" she asked, seemingly unaware that Spock was having a crisis.
"It's odd. I do not like it. My cells are absorbing the ink as we speak."
"It washes off, but at least write the address down before you erase it, okay?" she said, trying to understand what was happening. She filed that fact away in her mind with the other things she knew about Spock. He couldn't get drunk, he didn't like Italian food, he liked soda, and he didn't like people writing on him.
Spock prepared for his outing that night by himself, since Kirk was otherwise occupied with Bones. Spock could only imagine what kind of mayhem and mischief they were creating.
He decided that he would borrow some of Kirk's clothes again, because he thought it would be wise if he at least made a small gesture to assimilate into human society. He put on the exact same clothes Kirk had lent him last time, only he skipped on the cologne. He didn't think he could control the urge to vomit this time.
He grabbed his backpack and glanced at the address on his hand. It was nearby, so he decided to walk. When he got inside the restaurant, the seating host asked, "Table for one?"
"Actually, sir, I am meeting someone here. Has a female by the name of Nyota Uhura arrived yet?" he questioned.
The host smiled slyly. "As a matter of fact…she's at that table right over there," he said, pointing.
"Thank you," Spock said politely, heading over to Uhura. His eyes widened when he got there. For one thing, she was wearing a very pretty sundress that definitely was not anything like the issued uniforms. It was a just hint too short and just a bit too low. For another, the table was completely covered with food. There was sausage, burgers, hot dogs, steak, ham, fried chicken, fish filets, sushi, chicken noodle soup, beef stew, sub sandwiches piled high with assorted lunch meats, shish kabobs, and beef and chicken tacos.
Spock barely managed to contain his shock. He put his backpack on the back of his chair and sat down slowly. He stared at all the food in wonder and disgust. He couldn't help but notice that Uhura was not dressed professionally and that she had not brought her backpack.
Spock had been suckered.
"So, Nyota," he said lightly. "This is certainly quite a spread you've ordered. You must be hungry."
"It's not all for me, silly," she said with a laugh. "I wanted to find out what you liked, so I just ordered everything. Go on; dig in!" she encouraged.
He surveyed the food on the table distastefully. There was a one huge, major problem with all of it. He squirmed uncomfortably in his chair. He knew there must be something socially wrong with declining food someone has bought for you. He was fairly certain that if he didn't eat the food, it would emotionally compromise her.
"Well, what's the matter?" she asked teasingly. "It's going to get cold." She was looking at him expectantly. Spock knew then that she had been trying to do something nice for him, and that she wanted to know if the fruits of her labors would pay off. She was about to experience a nasty shock.
"Nyota," he said, trying to sound gentle. He wasn't sure if it was working. "I'm a vegetarian. All Vulcans are."
Her face fell. "But you ordered sausage before!"
"Because I did not know what it was," he said gently.
"I should have asked…or something. I'm sorry, Spock. Uh…" She looked at him helplessly.
"Nyota, why did you ask me to come here tonight?" he asked simply.
She sighed, defeated. "I asked you out under the pretense that we'd be studying because I knew that if it didn't relate to school, you'd never come out with me. I'm sorry," she said miserably.
There was a long, awkward silence. Spock eventually stood up and took a wad of cash out of his pocket. "I think I'm going to go now. Here's for the food," he said, putting the money on the table. He grabbed his backpack. "Bye."
"Bye," she whispered, looking downcast.
Spock hurried back to the dorm as fast as he could. He went into his room and put his backpack down. Kirk was lying face down on the bed, groaning dramatically. Spock stared at him for a moment. "You humans are exasperating. You do things that give you pleasure for a moment, and then you spend hours in agony as a result. I do not see the benefit of having a fleeting taste of enjoyment and then paying for it painfully for the next day."
"Well, I can tell from that one statement that we have nothing in common," Kirk said, rolling over. He narrowed his eyes at Spock. "Are you wearing my pants?"
"I borrowed them, the shirt, and the shoes. I hope you do not mind," Spock said, changing into his pajamas quickly. He got in bed.
Kirk rolled out of bed and picked up the pants that Spock had hung over the back of the desk chair. He dug around in the pocket for a few minutes and blurted out, "I had like, a hundred bucks in here! What happened to it?"
"You treated Cadet Uhura to dinner," Spock replied, his eyes closed.
"Was it a good dinner, at least?" Kirk asked.
"No," he replied.
"Why am I not surprised?" Kirk muttered, tossing his pants on the floor. "Well, I'm going to go after Uhura for a while tomorrow. She'll be all over me really soon, Spock; I promise." He smiled wistfully. "She is a nice piece of work, if you know what I mean."
Spock did know what he meant and he felt an unfamiliar, hot feeling swell up inside of him. It was a strange and unpleasant sensation. It made Spock want to hurt Kirk. It made Spock want to hurt Kirk badly. It confused Spock very much.
"Did you hear me?" Kirk asked, getting back in bed.
"I heard you," he said tonelessly. He squeezed his eyes shut tighter, trying to push out this weird, painful, sad feeling inside of him. It wasn't working. "Good luck," he lied.
The next day, Spock managed to suppress this odd new feeling until he had basically forgotten about it. He was proud of himself. He was still being true to his Vulcan self, even whilst surrounded by humans. Except, today would be a really hard day to try and keep that up. Only, he didn't know that yet.
It started shortly after his first class. He was walking with Uhura, who seemed to have forgotten about their disastrous dinner. She was lugging around a bunch of stuff for a presentation she had later that day. Kirk seemed to appear out of nowhere, saying, "Hey, baby. Can I…offer you my help with that?"
She gave him a sidelong glance. "I'm fine without it."
"You are fine without it," he agreed.
Spock was beginning to experience that horrendous feeling again. He wanted to punch something…Kirk, a wall, a random student walking by, anything. Uhura, meanwhile, was laughing at Kirk's comment. "Thanks, Jim," she replied.
"No problem, baby," he said smoothly, smiling slightly. "So I was thinking…maybe we could go out sometime? We could have a drink…or grab dinner. I hear Spock's not much of a dinner companion, but me on the other hand…well, you get the idea."
Spock's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly and he clenched his fists. He should have just sucked it up and ate the meat.
What was he thinking? Where was all of this coming from? I am in control of my emotions…I am in control of my emotions…
"Thanks for the invite, but you're just not my type, Jim," she replied.
"What, you don't like handsome, funny, smart, sweet, amazing guys?" he said, running his fingers through his hair.
She smirked. "I like those kinds of guys…like I said, you're not my type."
"Ouch," he said, wincing. Spock hid a smile behind his hand and pretended to cough to further mask it.
Later, Spock, Kirk, Bones, and Uhura were eating lunch together. Randomly, Bones turned to Uhura and said, "So, you're really hot."
She turned bright red. "Um…okay…thank you?"
"We should go out sometime," he said encouragingly. Spock started sawing at his food with his knife, acting like he was oblivious to the situation. In reality, he wanted to punch something again…
"Um, no thank you," she said politely.
"What, is he not your type either?" Kirk asked dryly.
"He's more of my type than you are," she retorted.
Bones gave Kirk a triumphant smile and Kirk hit him on the back of the head. While they started bickering, a guy that Spock didn't know came up to their table. "Hello, Nyota," he said in smooth, masculine voice.
This guy was everything a woman wanted in a man. At least, what most typical women would want. He was certainly very attractive.
Uhura smiled shyly. "Hey, Jeremy." Spock immediately disliked this Jeremy person.
"I've been thinking about you a lot today," he said quietly, running his fingers through his hair. "It's been distracting me in class, which is bad because I'm going to be a Science Officer…"
Spock bent his fork in half. Whoops. Spock decided that this guy was an ugly, misshapen, slobbering idiot who should have never been accepted into Starfleet. This conclusion surprised Spock because there was absolutely no logical evidence to support it.
"What a coincidence!" Uhura said happily. "Spock is going to be a Science Officer, too!" she said, gesturing to Spock.
Spock looked at Jeremy. Jeremy looked at Spock. Then Spock said, "I have a 4.0 GPA; what do you have?"
"3.8," Jeremy replied, very confused.
Spock turned to Uhura and raised an eyebrow. Then he turned back to Jeremy and said, "I'm smarter than you are."
"Good for you," Jeremy said, before turning back to Uhura. "So, maybe we can…go out sometime?" He reached out and held Uhura's hand.
Spock almost choked. He was touching her. Without thinking, he kicked Jeremy under the table. Jeremy jerked backwards, accidentally knocking an open can of soda into Uhura's lap. She jumped up and squealed. Spock hid another smile behind his hand and a cough.
Jeremy, thoroughly embarrassed, apologized profusely and slunk away. Uhura sat back down and cleaned herself up, enduring the teasing remarks from Bones and Kirk. Spock was surprised at himself for doing that…and yet, he had a strange sense of satisfaction because of it.
At that exact moment, a guy that was about average height with short black hair and cocky brown eyes walked up. He looked very sure of himself, and walked with a kind of swagger. "Hey there, lassie," he said in a thick Scottish accent, winking at Uhura.
"Hey, Scotty," she said, taking a sip of her drink.
"Do ya wanna have dinner with me sometime?" he asked, leaning against the table casually. Spock was sorely tempted to stab him in the hand with his fork. Again, he was surprised with himself.
She gave him an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Scotty. You're my friend, but not exactly…boyfriend material."
He shrugged. "A guy can dream. See ya later, lassie." He left. Spock was glad.
Later, Spock and Uhura were doing homework together in the library. She had turned down many other guys that day. Spock didn't like it at all. He liked the fact that she was turning them all down, but he didn't like that so many men were interested in her.
He had been listening to her tell guys that they weren't her type all day, and now he was curious. What was her type? He decided to ask. "Nyota, what type of males do you prefer? Because obviously none of the males here fit your criteria."
"I wouldn't say none of them do," she replied casually. "I like tall guys with dark hair and brown eyes that are very sweet, funny in their own way, extremely intelligent, quiet, and…hard to get," she explained. "And they have to have pointy ears," she added under her breath.
"You have very strict criteria," he commented. "You were correct when you told James that he didn't match up."
"What is with Kirk lately, anyways?" she said suddenly. "He's flirted with me before, but never like this."
"I asked him to," Spock said simply. "I hoped that he would distract you, but he isn't. And besides, I've decided that I no longer want him to pursue you this adamantly."
Uhura looked interested. "Why don't you want him to anymore?"
"Well," he said, struggling to find words to explain it. "It's rather embarrassing, actually. It's an emotion," he said with disgust. "It makes me feel warm and angry inside, and like I want to hurt people."
Uhura grinned. "Spock…I think you're jealous of Kirk!"
Spock reddened. "Perhaps I am…," he admitted.
"Don't be embarrassed," she said. "It's a perfectly normal feeling. And besides, it means that you like me, and that's a plus."
"I don't like you!" he blurted out uncomfortably. "I won't like you. I refuse to let myself like you. You're making that very difficult, by the way," he added.
Uhura looked upset. "If it's so hard to keep from liking me, why won't you just give in and like me?! Am I that horrible, that you would try so hard to keep from liking me?"
"No!" he said, shocked. "On the contrary. I was thinking for your well-being when I made this choice. I would drain you emotionally. I couldn't satisfy your emotional needs. Our relationship would be dysfunctional."
"I don't believe that," she said thickly, tears rolling down her cheeks. Spock felt a pang of hurt in his chest. He hated to see her sad, and he knew that he had caused it. By trying to keep her from hurting, he had hurt her. How ironic.
"You say that now, but after a few weeks, a few months, maybe even a few years…you'll wish you hadn't," he said quietly. "You'll wish that you were with someone of your own kind. You won't want me anymore."
"How do you know?" she whispered, still crying. "How do you know that we won't be good for each other?"
"I don't," he replied, looking away. She leaned forward and rested her head on his shoulder. He reluctantly put his arm around her, feeling her body shake as she sobbed quietly. He rested his cheek on her hair. "I'm sorry. I never meant to…emotionally compromise you."
She looked up at him. "I know." And then she leaned upward and kissed him tenderly. It was by far the best thing that had ever happened to Spock, and he threw away the Vulcan in him for once in his life, letting himself completely enjoy her sweet kiss.
Spock went back to his dorm room shortly after kissing Uhura. He was in a daze. His mind was foggy. He had no idea what was going to happen next. Everything that he had strived for his entire life had been obliterated, and yet…why was he so happy? He didn't have an answer for that.
He found Kirk and Bones in his room. "Hello," he said vaguely, sitting down on his bed.
Kirk and Bones exchanged a glance. "What's happening, Spock?" Kirk asked lightly.
"I didn't kiss Uhura, if that's what you're implying!" he blurted out.
Bones practically fell out of the chair he was sitting in. "WHAT?!" he cried. "You kissed Uhura? Like, on the mouth?"
Spock turned bright red and refused to say anything else, which only intensified their curiosity. "Come on, Spock," Kirk pleaded. "We need the juicy details."
"I have no comment on this matter," he mumbled.
"Yes, you do. And you will tell us," Bones insisted.
Spock sighed and said. "We were in the library…"
Both Kirk and Bones leaned forward in their seats, their eyes wide. They looked mesmerized. "Go on," Kirk whispered.
"And we were talking about what kind of guys were her type, and jealousy, and how I could never be in a real relationship…and then she started crying," Spock continued.
Kirk and Bones blanched. "I hate it when women start crying," Bones commented.
"It was rather daunting," Spock agreed. "And…I tried to comfort her, even though I have no clue how to deal with emotionally compromised women."
Kirk and Bones exchanged a look. "Trust me, pal; you're in the same boat with every man on the planet."
"And…we kissed," Spock finished.
"And then what happened?" Bones asked.
"Nothing. I came back here. That's it," Spock finished.
"That's it?" Kirk asked, surprised. "Well, you're new at this, so I guess I shouldn't really be surprised."
Bones nudged Kirk. "Hey, man…maybe we could give the newbie some pointers. It's the least we could do, now that he's got himself a girl."
"That's a great idea, Bones!" Kirk exclaimed.
"I do not understand. What is going on?" Spock asked.
"We're going to teach you some sure-fire techniques that are sure to make you popular with the ladies. In this case, Uhura," Bones said.
Spock reddened. "No…that's not necessary. Really, I do not feel comfortable broaching this subject."
"We're trying to help you, Spock," Kirk said.
Spock squirmed slightly. "Well…alright, I suppose. Where do we start?"
"Well, when you go out with a girl, you want to make sure you look nice. Girls don't like going out with slobs. So put on some nice clothes…I guess there's really nothing you can do about your hair, eyebrows, and ears," Kirk said.
"She likes my ears!" Spock protested.
"Whatever. And make sure you smell good. If there's anything girls hate, it's a guy that smells like he doesn't shower or doesn't brush his teeth. So wear cologne, just to be sure," Bones added.
Spock made a face. "I do not like the smell of cologne. It makes me want to vomit."
"Well, the point is that she likes the smell of cologne, not you," Bones interjected. "Anyway, there are also some snazzy one-liners that you can say to girls to let them know that you're interested. My personal favorite is: baby, are you from another planet? Because your ass is out of this world."
"That's highly inappropriate," Spock said.
"There's also: If I could rearrange the alphabet, I'd put U and I together," Kirk said. "And my favorite one is: Are you from Tennessee? 'Cause you're the only ten I see."
"Did you bring your library card? 'Cause I am checking you out," Bones said.
"Did you bring a map? 'Cause I'm getting lost in your eyes," Kirk jumped in.
"Was your father an alien? 'Cause there's nothing else like you on earth!" Bones exclaimed.
Spock gave him a look. "I find that offensive."
"Sorry," Bones apologized.
"You must be from Pearl Harbor, because baby, you're the bomb," Kirk said.
Spock looked confused. "I don't understand. Pearl Harbor?"
"Just forget that one," Kirk said dismissively.
"If you were a booger, I'd pick you first," Bones said.
Spock looked alarmed. "That's revolting! I think I've heard enough of these one-liners for one night."
"We've got more," Kirk said.
"Loads more," Bones agreed.
"No, thank you," Spock said firmly. "Let's move on. Or, better yet, we could end this ridiculous discussion right now."
"We're not finished with you yet," Kirk said. "So, if you really want to let her know you're interested, whack her on the butt and tell her that she's hot."
Spock stood up. "Goodbye." He left the room.
Spock decided to take a walk. He didn't actually walk any farther than the picnic table in front of the main building. He sat there, alone with his thoughts. His thoughts, however, soon strayed to Uhura and to the advice Kirk and Bones gave him.
He immediately decided that he would not use any of the pick-up lines that they had recommended. He would definitely not perform the indecent act of perversion that Kirk had told him to do right before Spock left. He wouldn't really do anything that they had told him to do.
And yet, he knew one thing for certain. And that thing was mind-boggling. It went against everything he had done in his life thus far. But he had to do it.
He was in love with Uhura, and he wanted to be with her.
At that exact moment, his phone rang. It surprised Spock. No one had his number except for his parents. He fumbled through his pockets and finally unearthed the phone. He flipped it open and held it up to his ear. "Hello?" he said.
"Spock!" his mother exclaimed.
"Hello, mother," Spock said, a slight smile crossing his face. It soon disappeared.
"Spock, your father just told me something, and I cannot believe he didn't tell me sooner. And I remember you saying something about it, but you didn't stress the seriousness of the situation," she went on.
"Mother, I am most certain that I do not know what you are talking about," he told her.
"Of course you do! I'm talking about the girl who likes you!" Amanda gushed.
Spock reddened. "What exactly did father you tell you?"
"He explained to me how girls were behaving around you. Especially the behavior of one girl in particular. Nyota Uhura. He told me that she had taken a romantic interest in you. I'm quoting him when I say that. Tell me all about it!" his mother said excitedly.
Spock sighed. "I have no comment on this matter."
"Spock," she said pleadingly.
"Alright; fine. She has feelings for me, as you humans say. We…," he coughed, too embarrassed to continue.
"You…?" she asked, insatiably curious.
"Wekissedinthelibrarytonight!" he blurted out in a jumbled heap.
His mother shrieked. Spock had to hold the phone away from his ear while his mom had an epic freak-out. "You kissed her? What was it like?" she hounded, when she had regained control of herself.
"It was…a very pleasant experience," Spock mumbled.
She laughed. "Oh, sweetie, I'm so happy for you. I'm so glad you found someone that you like. Oh, Spock…you're making me feel old," she said, laughing some more.
"Mother, what do I do?" he asked urgently. "I don't understand how humans think, much less how human females think. I don't know what to do next. I don't know how to make her…stay."
"Oh, Spock," she said sympathetically. "What's most important is to just be yourself."
"Great advice," he said sarcastically.
"No, I'm serious," she said. "Don't pretend to be someone you're not, because you can't keep up a charade like that forever. Be honest. Listen to her. Be sweet and courteous. Honey, you're not going to have any problems with this; trust me."
"I suppose," he said dubiously.
"I miss you, sweetie," she said wistfully. "I haven't seen you in so long."
"I miss you, too," he replied softly.
"I love you," she told him.
"I know. Goodbye, mother." He hung up the phone.
Uhura sat next to Spock at lunch the next day. She put her arms around him and kissed him on the cheek. "Hey, you," she whispered. Several people at the next table wolf-whistled.
Spock reddened. "Hello, Nyota. I wasn't aware that we were going to publicly display our affections for each other."
She kissed him on the cheek again. "Why not? We like each other, don't we?."
Spock started choking on the salad he was eating. He regained his composure and decided to ignore what Uhura had just said to him. He didn't know if he was ready to go around confessing the fact that he occasionally had emotions.
"So, I was thinking we could go out tonight," she said simply.
"What exactly do you have in mind?" Spock asked.
"There's this new exhibit at the art museum downtown that's focusing on alien cultures, primarily on alien cultures that are closely allied with earth. There's supposed to be a lot of Vulcan stuff there. I was wondering if you wanted to go with me," she asked.
He mulled this over for a moment. "I suppose it would be educational," he decided.
"How? You're from Vulcan," she said, puzzled.
"I meant for you. What better way to learn about Vulcan culture than to have a Vulcan explaining museum exhibits to you?" he explained.
She laughed. "How very logical of you."
Later that night, Spock borrowed some of Kirk's clothes, and Kirk and Bones had to wrestle him to the ground in the attempt to spray him with cologne. He finished getting ready and went down to meet Uhura. She was wearing a fitted black dress and had let her hair down.
Spock blinked. "Hello," he said, scratching his head.
She gave him an odd smile. "Hello."
"I find your appearance to be very satisfying this evening, Nyota," he said politely.
"Well, thanks," she said, grinning. She gave him a quick hug. "You're looking pretty spiffy yourself."
"Um…thank you," he replied, even though he was unfamiliar with this human slang term.
They took a bus up to the museum, an experience which Spock disliked so much that he blocked it out of his mind. They went in and went immediately to the collection of Vulcan paintings and Vulcan traditional objects.
The very first thing in the room was a wall-sized painting of Vulcan. Spock stared at it. Uhura took him by the arm and looked at it also, waiting for Spock to say something. "It's beautiful," she said finally.
"Yes," Spock said thickly. "It is. Let us move on. I do not desire to observe this any longer." Spock quickly surveyed the objects in the room and turned to Uhura, saying, "These exhibits display some deeply personal and deeply cultural Vulcan traditions. They are meaningless to humans, but since I am here, you probably expect me to explain to you what is happening. I will do my best, but I will forewarn you that very few humans know the inner workings of Vulcan culture, so this should be a privilege for you."
"I understand," she said solemnly.
The next two objects in the room were two traditional Vulcan weapons in large, glass cases. Spock cocked his head and almost smiled. "The lirpa," Spock said fondly, motioning to a large, axe-type weapon. It was a long, metal staff. At one end was a sharp blade in the shape of a half-circle. On the other end was a tear-drop shaped, solid metal bludgeoning device.
Uhura winced. "It looks dangerous. And kind of scary."
"I have many interesting memories of learning to wield a lirpa. They are deadly weapons when used accurately," he explained.
"I'm pretty sure they'd be deadly no matter how accurately they were used," she retorted, raising an eyebrow at it. She gestured to the weapon next to it. "What's that?"
"That is an ahn-woon," he explained. The ahn-woon was a long strip of leather with a heavy, metal sphere attached at each end. "They can be used to strike people and to strangle them. They are very effective, but difficult to manage if you do not know how to use one."
They moved on to the next painting. It was a large picture depicting a male Vulcan crouched on the ground, a savage look in his eyes. Uhura drew closer to Spock instinctively. When Spock didn't say anything, she asked, "What's wrong with him?'
"Pon farr," he said after a long pause. He said it very quietly, almost inaudibly.
"What does that mean?" she asked.
"It is difficult to explain…," he murmured. "It is a very private affair. There shouldn't be a painting of it. Humans…do not understand."
"Try me," she argued.
"It has to do with…biology. Vulcan biology," he said uncomfortably.
"Like…reproduction?" she asked, thoroughly confused.
"Don't say it out loud!" he hissed. "Every seven years…a Vulcan must return home to be with his or her spouse or they will die. It is an ancient tradition, and unfortunately, it is inescapable. It strips us of all our logic and turns us back into the primitive, emotional beings that we once were. It is an extremely painful and humiliating time for all Vulcans. We do not talk about it amongst our people unless absolutely necessary," he explained.
The next painting was of a Vulcan woman and the man from the previous painting standing in front of a large, rectangular gong set in the middle of a large, rocky arena type place. They were flanked by men dressed in strange outfits, bearing boards with bells on them and lirpa. "What's happening in this painting?" Uhura asked.
"He has found his mate and now they are going through koon-ut-kal-if-fee…the Vulcan marriage ceremony," Spock explained.
The next painting showed two Vulcan males fighting with lirpa. Both were battered and bloody and on the verge of death. The entourage from before and the woman from before were standing off to the side.
"She has rejected the man that was chosen as her mate and invoked kal-if-fee. Now he must fight against her lover if he desires to fulfill pon farr and fulfill the commitment that he made to her as a child," Spock explained.
"Wait, what?" Uhura asked, doing a double take. "What do you mean that he made a commitment to her as a child?"
"They made commitments to each other as children of but seven years old. They vowed that they would marry when they came of age and pon farr took them. She is technically defiling her agreement and kal-if-fee is rare, but it does occur. It is the right of the female," Spock explained.
"I don't understand," she said, visibly upset.
"Have you not ever wondered how Vulcans choose their mates?" Spock inquired.
"No. Not really. Now I have to know…Spock," she said, giving him an evil look.
"Vulcans are betrothed as children, knowing that when they come of age and experience pon farr, they will marry. They can separate from each other if the female invokes kal-if-fee, or if another male wishes to wed the same female, but as I said before, this is rare," Spock explained, wondering why she wanted to know so much about pon farr, koon-ut-kal-if-fee, and kal-if-fee.
"So…how did your father marry a human, then?" Uhura asked.
"My father's fiancée died in a tragic accident shortly after they were betrothed. My father was then free to wed anyone he wished, including a human," Spock said.
Uhura's eyes filled with tears. "What about you?"
Spock was quiet for a long time. He understood now why she was so upset and why she was so curious. She wanted to know if he was free for the taking. "I am betrothed to a woman named T'Pring. I haven't seen her since I was seven," he whispered.
Uhura slapped Spock across the face. "How could you lie to me?" she hissed. "Why didn't you tell me you were supposed to get married?"
Spock grabbed her wrists. "Nyota, calm yourself," he said soothingly. "It is not like you are thinking. I feel nothing for T'Pring. Socially, I am obligated to her, but I am emotionally obligated to you. Do not concern yourself over it. I haven't gone into pon farr yet and maybe by the time I do, T'Pring will not desire me, or she will be dead, or something convenient like that. Please understand that I did not mean to deceive you. I had not even remembered T'Pring until seeing these paintings. I apologize for the miscommunication."
Uhura sniffled and eyed him warily. "What does she look like?"
Spock looked dumbfounded. "I…I don't know. I haven't seen her since I was seven. I barely remember her as she was then, and I have no idea what she is now."
Uhura rolled her shoulders and pried her arms from his grasp. "I guess that's good enough for me," she sighed. She gave him a half smile. "I guess I'll just enjoy you for as long as I can." She hugged him.
"Let's leave this place," Spock suggested. "As refreshing as it was to see the relics of my homeland, it has begun to make me feel strange and heavy inside, and learning the inner workings of our culture has proved to be too much for you, Nyota."
She rolled her eyes, but she agreed. After they got home, Spock walked her up to her dorm. "Goodnight, Nyota," Spock said quietly. After much difficulty, he managed to say, "I…I…care…about you…deeply."
She smiled and kissed him. "I care about you deeply also, Spock."
