Disclaimer: See Chapter 1. Thank you so much to vulcangiggles, Ahlysha, 2redbird, jackiemack916, and IrishBug74 for reviewing!

Celia moaned as she felt fingers trail down her side, tickling her and thus fully waking her. She felt more relaxed and satisfied than she had felt in a year, and as the events of last night came rushing back to her, she pressed her body against his warm chest, rubbing his back with the flat of her palm.

"Good morning," she whispered, opening her eyes, loving the shock that ran through her body at the sight of his blue irises staring intently at her. She was getting used to it, and she hoped that never got used to it. Just the way his eyes made her spine tingle when he looked at her was enough to get her going.

"Did I hear that transmission correctly?" she continued, rubbing her groggy eyes. "We passed the Nautilus during the night?"

"We did. We will reach Vulcan tomorrow morning. They will not arrive until the afternoon. I received word concerning the funerals we will attend together. My family have robes you may borrow for the event. It will be...a somber affair, but your service was honorable, and their families wish to acknowledge that."

She nodded and stroked his cheek. "When is the first funeral?"

"Tomorrow evening at sundown."

He felt a flicker of desire passing through the bond to him. His eyes widened, and he knew...if she were a Vulcan, she would be purring. "Should I continue my ministrations from last night?" he asked, his voice a soft tenor, his hands already sliding down her body.

"Sopek," she whispered. "I never...thought of Vulcans as..." she gasped as he kissed her thigh, "hyper-sexual..."

Sopek lavished his tongue over her smooth flesh. "A Vulcan male will do whatever is logically available to him to keep his mate content. I feed from your desire vibrating our bond." His voice had turned low, almost a growl.

She leaned back, her head lulling into the pillow. She felt the moist touch of his tongue teasing over her center. "Oh, Sopek...I might not be able to wait to consummate our marriage." She gripped at the sheets as he licked her again, throwing her head back, whimpering.

Sopek looked up at her. "Tell me, ashaya...give me your word and I will take you..."

The com beeped, breaking the moment.

"Osu, I ask forgiveness for the intrusion on your private time, but there is a priority communication coming from Vulcan. It is your father."

Sopek growled and made to move off her, but she pulled his face up to meet her lips. He closed his eyes and groaned, but then tore himself from his wife's sweet embrace and moved to his comm unit. He tapped it and took a seat in his chair, and Celia covered herself with the sheet and watched his interaction with his father.

Stovik looked rather impatient, but Sopek schooled his expression and leaned back in his chair. "Father," he said, bowing his head.

"I hear you are on route to Vulcan, my son," he said calmly. "Is there a possibility that you will be visiting me? My brothers are here, and they have not seen you in two years. A visit would be welcome."

"Actually, father, I am planning a visit. I wish you to meet someone."

Stovik raised an eyebrow, searching his son's face. "A woman?"

"The most beautiful in the galaxy."

"May I see her now? Is she there with you?"

"She is, but you may not."

Stovik frowned. "You would deny this honor-"

"Father, she is indisposed. She is naked in my bed, and cannot come to meet you at the moment."

His father's eyes widened, he switched to high Vulcan, "Art thou cooling from thy...fire?"

"No, Father." Sopek answered simply.

"You are not..."He blinked, "I do not understand."

"She is human, Father. And humans have a different, more fluid sense of sexuality. For them, regular coitus and intimate touching is essential for contentment."

His father's mouth parted but no words came out. "Did she have the illness?" he said finally.

Sopek's eyebrows went up. "The illness?"

"There was an illness at their embassy, one whose cure was found in a bond with a Vulcan male."

"No, father. She...we will meet with you when we arrive on Vulcan. I must go now. My wife needs my attendance."

Stovik blinked. "We will meet you as you disembark." He raised the ta'al. "I congratulate our family on the increase of our house. Live long and proper."

"And you, father. Though it will not be long before our next meeting. We will arrive tomorrow afternoon."

His father nodded, then ended the comm link. Sopek stood and strode over to his wife, slowly caressing her bare shoulders. "He is most eager to meet you..."

"What did he say?"

"He will meet us when we disembark, and we will go directly to his home. I will ask if you may borrow my mother's robes."

"Will your mother be there too?"

"No, Celia. She is dead."

Her eyes welled with pity, and he gently guided her onto her back, kissing over her bare shoulders, licking at the marks he had made. "I thank you for your compassion, but she lived well. She had a neurological disorder, and was most ready to die. She passed in peace, thanks to my father."

"I'm so sorry...for both of you..." She stroked her hand over his hair, then cupped his cheek.

"And that, my dearest Celia, is why I will always care for you."

Celia was the first on the plank. She was struck instantly that three tall elder Vulcans, all with the same piercing blue eyes, were standing in a semi-circle at the bottom. They looked to be in their finest robes, and large pieces of jewelry adorned each of them. They each had their hands folded before them, and they looked up at her in an expectant way.

The one who looked to be in the middle age-wise stepped forward and raised the ta'al to her. She lifted her hand and attempted to return it, but she couldn't get her fingers working exactly right; thankfully she felt Sopek's hand on her shoulder.

"My wife, this is he who is my father, Stovik, and his two brothers." He raised the ta'al for her and looked to his father. "I did not know my uncles would also be gathering to meet us."

"Why would they not? It has been two years three months, five days and several hours since you have set foot on Vulcan soil. With that, and the news of your bonding, your entire family waits us at the clan estate."

Celia turned back to Sopek, who raised an eyebrow to her. "How big is 'your entire family', sweetheart?"

"Isn't sweetheart a human endearment?" the eldest Vulcan whispered to the youngest. The man nodded and exchanged a glance with Stovik, but Sopek turned back to her and lightly touched her cheek.

"Approximately sixty individuals. And that does not include children."

"Great," she murmured. "This should be...interesting."

He gently pushed her forward, nodding and raising the ta'al to his uncles, who returned it, and she closed her eyes as he spoke to her through the bond.

There is no need for fear, ashaya. I know you are not a...sociable creature, but they are most eager to meet you. It was always said in my family circle that I would die alone, with no children, and now that such a...constant has been challenged, my clan wishes to see the woman I chose for my wife.

Celia grimaced but followed behind Sopek as she was told to do. His father walked by his side, and the two uncles flanked her. She suddenly felt like the president or something, because they were treating her like they were her personal secret service. She kind of liked it, in a strange way it made the horror of Trent seem much farther away.

The family had a feast ready by the time they arrived, and Celia's stomach was growling. They walked through the house and people stopped what ever it was they were doing as she, Sopek and the group passed by. She couldn't get over how beautiful everyone was, and in spite of how many people were present, how silent it was. The smell of food permeated the house, and she coughed to hide the growl she knew was coming.

"I can feel your hunger," Sopek whispered in her ear as they were guided to the dining room. It was spacious and airy, and she liked the look of it. It was the opposite of the buildings she was used to on Coridan, and even Sopek's ship. She felt like she could breathe in this room, despite the cloying heat and thinner atmosphere. It was cool and clean, and Sopek sat her down at one of the head tables, nodding to his relatives as they passed by. Once everyone was seated, two old, bejeweled women stood up from the head of the table and strode over to her and Sopek. He stood, and she followed suit.

The elder of the two wore what looked like a tiara on her head, and she raised her fingers to Celia's temple, silently asking permission to touch her. Celia nodded. The old woman touched her flesh, her fingers worn, but warm, and she did the same to Sopek. A minute of complete silence passed, and Celia felt something tugging on the bond, as if testing its strength. Finally, the woman lowered her hands and announced something to the family, and Sopek relaxed. There seemed to be a collective sigh of relief, and Sopek led her back to her seat.

Stovik was seated across from her, and all eyes at the table locked onto him when he spoke. "We will be speaking Earth Standard now, and speaking during meals is part of their culture. Logically, it should be restricted to those nearest to you."

Everyone nodded, and the meal platters began being sat on the table by those of the family who took the mantle of honored house servants for the day. Stovik turned to Celia. "My Earth standard is...not up to par, I hope you will forgive any misspeaking." He looked to Sopek. " I would know your thoughts on the legal matters at hand regarding her court martial. We will not allow any harm to come to a daughter of this house. All of the family has spoken as such, our resources are yours."

Sopek nodded, and Celia quietly gave him a very heartfelt thanks. "Trent is very angry over the legal proceedings," Sopek began, and he quietly urged her to eat as he talked. "He feels threatened by my marriage to her, and has most likely deduced that we have searched her records. They have been tampered with."

Stovik shook his head. "And this is the man Earth has chosen to represent them?"

"I didn't choose him," Celia said, biting back her anger. "I'd much rather have someone else."

"Your people will have to choose another ambassador," Sopek said, lightly touching her knee under the table. "Trent will fall into disgrace, and everything he has now, he will lose. His prestige, his power, his position...all will be taken from him. He is not worthy of holding them."

She nodded and continued to eat in silence, remembering Sopek's crash course in Vulcan etiquette on their way over here.

Stovik leaned over the table towards her. "You may speak as you eat. We researched the etiquette of humans as they dine. We had a meeting and have decided to embrace this new diversity with you." To punctuate his point, he raised his spoon and ate a bite of soup. When he swallowed, he spoke again.

"So tell me, are there many human females that are agreeable to Vulcans?"

Sopek grimaced. "Father..."

"It is only a question, my son. Since the great illness at the Embassy, many have been seeking human women. They have been successful in their bonds, and their human mates are already earning places of honor within their families, and found to be loyal and compatible. A few Vulcan women have found comfort in the arms of human men. The speculation on where this might go has been a topic at the anthropological center. My brother told me of this." He glanced at Celia. "Sopek's uncle sits as the Dean of Anthropology at the VSA," he explained.

"Well...my experience with humans, Coridan and Andorian males have been...negative. My dad died when I was young, and he was one of the few nice human men I've known. But Sopek has been nothing but kind to me from the moment we met."

"How did you meet?"

Celia felt her face turning red, but Sopek took over. "She saved my life, father. I would have met the same fate as my crew, had she not acted as quickly as she did."

"It was...logical to get you out of there, Sopek. They would have killed me too."

Stovik was engrossed in their conversation, and his son turned back to him, continuing the story. "She led me to a cave system, and we kept each other alive."

"And then he subsequently saved my life again. I got shot in the back, and he beamed me aboard his ship."

"That shot was aimed at me," he said gently. "And you took it for me. You said it yourself."

She sighed and took another bite of soup. "Well, anyway, we're both here, alive and healthy."

Stovik's eyes were neutral but when they finished he nodded, "We will add this to our family book. It is important that all of our family for generations forward know of such things. Your children's children."

He motioned for more tea to be brought, and then turned back to them, "So, have you mated yet? Should we call for a healer to see if you have produced heirs yet?"

Celia's eyes widened and she blushed.

"You are turning a color!" Stovik said, less calm than his normal tone. "Let us get you a healer...perhaps she is allergic to some of the food..."

Sopek closed his eyes. "Sit father, it is a natural human response to intimate questions that should not be asked over dinner."

Stovik blanched. "Forgive me...I was given to understand that human dinner topics were liberal."

Celia sighed and grinned. "It's ok, sir. I just didn't expect such an open reception."

"We have not mated, father," Sopek interjected. "But that does not mean we have not been intimate. I will...tell you more later."

If you will allow it, he said in her head. I do not want to intrude on your privacy. But my father has always been curious about aliens, and he would appreciate the information you have given me for his own purposes. It seems he wants a human mate for himself.

That's fine, she replied. Just not around me. That's not...typical conversation that you have with your new father-in-law.

They quickly changed the subject, sparing her from saying much more. Stovik and his brothers were very curious about her life, her service in the military, her past, everything about her, and she tried her hardest to be polite and patient. Finally, Sopek said it was time for her to get ready for the funeral, and she rose from the table, nodding to the servants who cleared the table, and to Stovik and his brothers.

"Come, my wife," Sopek said clearly, holding up his fingers for her to take. She obeyed. "Excuse us, father."

Stovik nodded and turned to his brothers, exchanging a meaningful glance, but she turned away and followed Sopek out of the room.