A/N: Thanks to Valyria for once again beta'ing fer me and for KittyKatKawai for poking me into posting action (she's writing a god story too by the way. Pon Farr, need I say more?). All the rest of the typos are all me after the fact. Now sleepy time.

Spock shut down his comm after logging away the 2nd quarter of Pike's progress reports for Enterprise's construction. He had been working for 16 hours straight from the time he awoke, only pausing every hour to check his personal comm for any missed messages.

Still no calls or word from her. It was illogical to check the comm when he was perfectly capable of hearing the ringer or buzzer for any missed calls and even more irrational for him to even consider she wanted anything to do with him after yesterday's argument.

As it was he was still waiting for a response from both the Vulcan Science Academy and the monks at the rebuilt monastery at P'Jem as venues for his possible relocation. He very much doubted he would want to stay here on Earth after such a disgrace and after his short lived relationship with Nyota fell short of its fledgling potential.

He rose from his seat and walked past the dining room, careful not to look over towards the box containing the remains of Nyota's dress and her broken mug. Entering the bathroom he washed his face, with lukewarm water which shocked his system as much as cold water would for a human. Blinking both sets of eyelids he toweled his face dry and looked at himself in the mirror.

His skin was flushed bright green as he turned his face and looked it over in the mirror. A fresh crop of stubble lined his jaw while his eyes were sore and puffy. He should have slept more he scolded himself as he felt along his chin before deciding to forego a quick shave. He needed to drop by his office and retrieve the last of his belongings before his handing in his resignation on Friday.

From the door he could hear the soft, metallic chirp of his comm singing in his bedroom. Spock ignored it and carried on with his hygiene routine brushing his teeth and flossing when the comm finally quieted down and gave up. He ran his tongue over the smooth ivory of his teeth and felt moderately refreshed. Not wanting to waste time dithering around his house, Spock finished dressing and set out for main campus. The door was just shutting as his home comm gave a dolent ding to acknowledge the presence of video mail in his inbox.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Spock popped the collar a bit on his jacket and slipped on a pair of gloves. Though Earth was by no means Andoria, it was still quite chilly compared to his home planet. He resisted the urge to stuff his hands into his coat pockets and continued rigidly down the remaining blocks towards the main gate.

Passing through it, Spock surveyed the grounds, immaculately maintained and trimmed down to the leaf. It bought him a measure of peace to see something so well kept just because it should be. He wondered absently if the gardner was a Vulcan but he did not want to take due credit to the more likely human chief horticulturist.

Spock's eyes settled towards the northeast and he recalled Nyota being especially fond of the Sequoia sapling that was being nurtured at the quad's center. She commented to him over lunch 32 days ago in that off handed, human 'chitchat' sort of way about how in her short time of being here at the academy that the infant tree had already grown 6 and ½ feet.

" Just to think what it would look like when I return after my first five year mission gives me goosebumps!" she chirped, hugging her empty mug between her palms.

" If its current growth trend continues then I would surmise it would be another 10 ¼ to 10 ¾ higher." Spock said between sips of his own tea dredges.

Nyota looked at him with what almost looked like an inaudible sigh and gestured to the tree seen from outside the teacher's lounge with a quick nod in its direction.

" That's not what I mean, it's imagining how it would look that would be exciting. You know like walking up to this humongous tree that towers over you as it grows ever closer to the sky! Can't you imagine that?

Spock drained the last of his tea and tilted his head towards her. " Imagining the tree closer to maturity? What would be the point? I can just come back 5 years from now and see its actual height."

Nyota turned away and washed her mug, replacing it back on the rack. " Yes, I suppose you can."

He did not quite understand why she departed right after but he had a feeling that he had in some way disappointed her. Strange that in that possibility he felt that emotion mirrored in himself. From that day on he tried with little success to please her, make her happy in small ways but he could not deny who or what he was, and that being did not take pleasure in the what ifs, only the cool stability of Vulcan logic.

Logic stood strong where emotion swayed and rocked within him like a stormy gale, picking up and dying out without warning. Where a fact was a hard almost tangible thought, his heart leaped these blocks of knowledge like hurdles, led by the invisible pull of his desire, his need for her.

He burned for her and when she received him, willingly, zealously it made him crave her all the more, to the point where his logic and emotions fought head on.

What was the point of pondering over a tree's height when logic dictates that it would surely grow taller if all its environmental and nutritional needs are met? Why sulk in his house because he forces his logic against her, against them and she had not called to reconcile? It was only logically that they should part but that did not negate the fact, a binding, irrefutable fact that he lov...

He spotted Nyota from all the way across the quad as the sequoia cleared from his view, sticking out like a sore thumb in the sea of red uniforms with the slouchy grey cable knit sweater and black leggings she wore.

Her hair swirled down around her face as the wind picked up and she absentmindedly combed it back with her fingers. A flash of anger constricted his chest while his heart leap at the sight of her. He was angry with many things, that the vision of her could evoke such an emotional response of longing within him, that she looked content if not happy while he was left feeling miserable after their quarrel but he was mostly irate with the fact that he could not rectify either of those issues.

He ducked inside a comm-booth and watched her as she made her way to the stairs based at the bottom of the Mayweather building. She stood there thumbing the shoulder strap to her bag, looking anxiously at the door while she waited near the base.

Spock was puzzled. As her casual civilian attire confirmed, Nyota was still on academic probation and had no need to be on campus and having knowledge of her spring semester schedule the cadet did not have any classes in the cartography and navigational arts building.

Spock watched her like hawk as he riddled over her possible agenda. Why was she there and who was she looking for? As she sighed and rubbed her neck someone caught her eye and she waved at them vigorously. Spock followed the direction of her wave and spotted a very slight, very pale male cadet. Pavel Chekov.

They exchanged greetings and Nyota fell in step beside the younger senior as they spoke in hushed tones Spock noted warily.

Nyota patted her classmate on the shoulder much to his delight and the console resting beneath Spock's hand crackled and hissed as he tightened his grip. It had not even been one full day and she was already huddled up next to another man. Another male. He gritted his teeth and exhaled loudly out of his nose as his face threatened to shape into a snarl of resentment.

A sharp tapping on the comm booth door brought his attention back to his current surroundings. He turned and eyed an impatient cadet waiting to use the comm system. " Are you going to make a call or what? I've been waiting here for 20 minutes!"

Spock's lack of uniform and unfamiliarity with the student who was standing puffed like a frazzled pigeon must have brought out the worst in the cadet. Had he been in uniform or if the cadet knew who he was then he would have surely waited, or at least addressed him in a more respectful tone.

Spock was too agitated to reprimand him or suggest the other booth not even two full blocks away, he simply removed his hand from the abused comm top and adjusted his coat.

" My apologies." he said absently, stepping out of the booth and feeling the cold nip at his ears. He ignored the rest of the huffy complaints flying out of the young students mouth and set off in the direction he last saw Nyota and Cadet Chekov heading.

Spock was just rounding a bend when he saw the pair entering the Senior boy's dormitory. Spock balled his fist and stuffed them into his coat pockets, determined to find out what exactly was going on between the two. He was just shifting his weight from his left to his right when Nyota emerged from the dorm's entrance some 34 minutes and 55 seconds later. She looked flushed with red dewy eyes while she rubbed at her nose with her sleeve. Had she been crying and confessing all to the cadet or had their meeting been more...intimate?

Before he had time to dwell on the notion his former TA and lover was off again, hair whipping behind her as she hurried to the Hoshi Sato language lab. He trailed behind her losing her every so often but he soon guessed her destination.

Spock entered his office there and found Nyota balancing haphazardly on the seat of his swiveling chair as she swept her hand on top of his filing cabinet. She turned with a gasp and quickly pocketed some sort of item into her back pocket.

" What are you doing in my office?"

Nyota blinked at his tone, a haughty frown slowly pulling at the corners of her mouth as she eased her way down the chair which was made more difficult by its unruly revolution on her descent to the ground. She straightened and picked her bag up from her former desk. She gave him a look that was equal parts venomous and forlorn as she pulled back her hair with her hand and gave it a gentle shake before huffing out a defeated sigh.

" I was just getting the rest of my stuff outta here." she mumbled, breaking her gaze to look down at the floor with a look that Spock associated with humans experiencing pain.

" I do not recall you ever placing any item of yours on top of my filing cabinet. Its location would be highly illogical for you or anyone for that matter as it is hard to place or retrieve one's belongings."

He looked at her face and she shied away further, ducking behind the black curtain of her hair.

" Alright, illogical or not I had to check and see if I left anything here."

He stepped closer and she backed away, clutching her bag to her midsection.

" Anything like what Cadet?"

She shook her head with a shrug and continued to back away as he advanced towards her.

" A PADD? A lipstick? A camera?" he whispered in his throat.

Her breath hitched and he caught the flicker of her eyes to him and back towards her pocket.

" A camera then? Ah, what a fool I was to think of you as my friend. Who could really be comrades with one who threatens exposure on something they set up as blackmail?"

She held up her hand, still holding firm to her bag with the other as she waved his accusation away.

" I didn't do that letter Spock, nor did I do the camera."

Spock remained silent for a time before speaking again and when he did his voice was barely recognizable. " If you didn't do it then who? Cadet Chekov? He would certainly have the know how to facilitate this sort of operation."

" What?! No! Pavel's nothing like that! Why would he even do such a thing?"

Spock ignored her question and cornered Nyota against the wall, looming above her ominously.

" First name terms? And what did you have to do to get him to betray his commanding officer? Did you spread your legs for him as you did for me?"

Spock saw the movement, he even reacted and pulled away but he still found himself shocked when Nyota's hand swatted fiercely against his cheek. She looked up at his face, her expression the most angry he had ever seen it and her body shaking with the strength of it when her facade cracked and she sobbed and gulped at the air. " SHUT UP! JUST, SHUT UP! I can't even believe I'm trying TO HELP YOU!"

He huffed and started to reply but she fluidly slipped to the side and out of his way. She was almost to the door when he blocked her path. " Nyota."

" Move." she hiccuped, wiping her runny nose with the sleeve of her sweater.

" You must understand how all of this looks to me. Nothing that you're telling me logically makes sense."

" Move. Now."

" I will report you for breaking and entering into my office and for striking an officer."

" Whatever Spock. You may as well add improper relations with an officer too, right? You know everything and you can do no wrong and when you do you follow every rule to the letter on how to stick it to someone!" she sucked her teeth and sighed, starting over once more.

" Look I'm trying to help you but I can't tell you much more than that because I can't trust you to..."

" You can not trust me? How would you even come to such an imbecilic conclusion?"

Nyota screeched and shoved him as she exited his office. He ran after her blocking her path with his body, as he avoided touching her. To do so would be highly inappropriate in both public and manners and given her emotional state he felt it would also be a good deal uncomfortable...

" Nyota, I will report..."

She stopped and held up her hand so close to his face that he actually fell silent. She took a breath and squared her jaw as she glared at him with tired eyes.

" You don't owe me anything Spock, not a damn thing but I need you to do me one favor. Stay away from the brass until Friday. Until that time do whatever it is you do on medical leave and leave me to figure this all out. After Thursday at 12:00am feel free to do whatever your precious logic tell you to do but please stay away from anybody until that time."

She walked away not waiting for a reply and he watched her disappear onto the turbolift.

Spock ground his teeth silently as he changed the schedule of his well ordered day to accommodate Nyota's request, not that he felt she deserved it. For all he knew she had done it all and was fickle in her commitment to see him ruined.

He clenched his fist and started to the stairwell and headed towards the Vulcan embassy. He would give her until Friday to sort out what was looking like her meddling all along.