Let's Go Thataway!

Chapter Nine - Dancing Around the Christmas Tree

Enterprise

Mid-Late December 2263

Spock

He had almost forgotten the new 'feature' of the annual Christmas party, until Nyota just casually mentioned that she had entered them. He stared down at her in shock. "Why did you do that?"

"Because I will enjoy it." She grinned up at him.

"But...but...Nyota!" He spluttered at her. "This is not something that I do. As you are well aware."

She tilted her head and looked at him. "But this time you will."

He was speechless. He stood there, his mouth hanging open, as she continued to prepare for bed. He had still not decided how to respond when she came out of the bathroom, kissed him in passing, and climbed into bed. She rolled over on her side, facing away from him and snuggled down under the covers. He was still standing there in his uniform.

***

He decided that he would just ignore what she had said, but for some reason all the entries were publicly posted. He began to get all sort of unwelcome comments. After three days of this, he had had enough. He stomped into their quarters and towered over her. "You will withdraw our entry."

She looked up at him. "I will do no such thing. It will be fun. Just wait and see."

"It will not be fun. I will not do it."

She cocked her head and looked up at him through her eyelashes. "Oh, yes, you will."

He could not believe her. Where had this come from?

***

He was still in shock the next week when she declared they must practice. He refused. She pushed him out into the middle of the room and began to forcibly move him about. In order to avoid injuring her, he kept stepping back out of her way. She hummed and moved about him, studiously ignoring his lack of participation. Surely something seriously was wrong with her.

***

He waited until Saturday to approach her. "Nyota, it has come very forcefully to my attention that you are acting in a way not in accordance with your ordinary functioning. I feel that it is possible that some event has occurred which is affecting your normally clear thinking."

She tapped one finger against her lips and looked at him. "You know, you may be right."

He sighed in relief. She would stop this insane 'thing' then.

"I think it's the Christmas Party that's responsible. Yes, that's it." She grinned at him. "It's going to be so much fun this year."

He groaned. She was not giving up.

***

He continued to resist until the evening of the party. When he arrived at their quarters, she was already dressed, and had his clothing all laid out. When he tried to insist that he was not going, she got such a steely-eyed look that he hastily changed his mind. He hadn't seen that look since that day in the shuttle hanger. He shuddered. Not at all what he wanted. No indeed. He allowed her to dress him as she wished. And then she tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow and they were off. He did not know what he was going to do.

***

It was an hour into the party before the contest began. Thankfully, they were the last couple to compete. He didn't understand how that had happened, but he was very grateful for it. Maybe they would just escape notice entirely. But that was not to be. Their names were called and she pinched his hand, forcing him to accompany her out on the floor. The music started and he stood stock still, his hands clasped behind his back in his normal stance. He would not move from this position, no matter what she did. And then she began to dance about him, using his arms to swing from, wiggling her body in front of him. The audience roared with laughter.

She leaned against him, almost climbing up his body, and pulled his head down to blow in his ear. He turned bright green and the audience howled. She jiggled and wiggled and moved around him again, until he wanted to grab her and make her stop. And then she was moving up against his other side, her fingers wiggling across his stomach. He glared at her. He heard Jim and Bones behind them, hysterical with laughter. And then she moved away from him as the music reached its crescendo, and turned and flew at him, jumping up into the air. Without even thinking, his arms reached out to catch her, cradling her bottom as she slid her legs around him.

"See, I told you it would be fun."

___________

Author's Note : New Story starts today! "A Pearl of Great Price" - the courtship of Selek (Spock Prime) and Durra - starts as T and will change eventually to M.