Two months...I just can't seem to update this story regularly. My muse on this story likes to run and hide at the end of each new chapter. This is going to be the last time I apologize, otherwise each chapter will begin with one and future readers will wonder just how long it took me to update this story. So, apologies ahead of time for any late updates. Anyway, nothing much to say on this chapter. As per usual, please let me know if I've made any mistakes or just your thoughts in general. I hope you all enjoy. :)

Stardate: 2279.152

It was relatively quiet in the house, which in and of itself was a miracle. Alex's house was usually bustling with life and talk. So many members of the famous Enterprise's crew enjoyed stopping by and catching up with the Kirks. Although Elle felt more at unease with every unfamiliar face, she felt a strange comfort and safety with Alex there to act as a buffer for her poor people skills.

A lot of the visitors had taken her awkwardness in their stride, never commenting on it until they thought she was out of earshot. She often felt guilty for making them feel as though they had to walk on eggshells around her. They didn't have to. But it was their automatic response.

The one who had best embraced her lack of solidarity was Spock. Elle had been standoffish around the Vulcan, uncertain of him in every aspect. Would he realize the truth in her lies? Was he anything like her absentee father? How would he react to a supposed human so detached? But he had questioned little and pressed her for responses even less. In a way, he was the only one who truly respected and understood her solitary tendencies. And she admired him for it.

But Uhura was different.

Elle was sitting in the living room the day she met Uhura, reading off of the PADD Jim had bought her. She heard them coming before they entered the house, a few bags swinging from their fingers. It was impossible not to hear Alex speaking animatedly about some game or other that he had played with his friends from school. Sometimes she envied his ability to make friends so easily. She always felt out of place and lost among the other children. Except when she was with Alex.

Her eyes glanced up from the PADD to the woman beside Alex. She was long and lithe with skin the color of burnished bronze, dark hair pulled into a high ponytail, and strong, regal features. A warm smile graced her lips and Elle was painfully reminded of her mother. She had once looked at Elle in the same way this woman watched Alex. The woman gazed up at her, meeting her gray eyes.

"Hello," she said. "You must be Elle."

Elle nodded, "I am."

The woman took a seat across from Elle as Alex ran to the kitchen, dropping the bags down beside her, "My husband's told me a lot about you."

"Your husband?"

"Spock."

Elle stopped short at the name, realizing the woman before her was Nyota Uhura. She had known Spock was married, but no one had mentioned that Uhura was in fact human. Her thoughts turned to her parents and she wondered idly if they could have lived as Uhura and Spock did if things had been different. Even the idea of the two living happily with each other gave her an odd sense of peace.

"It is a pleasure to meet you."

Uhura's smile broadened, "Spock told me you were eloquent. He was right."

Elle could have slapped herself for the slip. Instead, she mentally reordered her syntax and gave a weak smile.

"I read a lot. So I pick up a lot of vocabulary."

"You're not talking about books again, are you?" Alex asked as he walked in.

Elle rolled her eyes, "Not everyone likes to roughhouse."

Alex plopped down on the couch beside her, gripping three bowls and a handful of spoons, and she was hyperaware of how close he was. But that was Alex. She shifted slightly in her seat, but didn't say a word. He grinned as he nudged her teasingly with an elbow. She couldn't help the small smile that crossed her lips at the gesture.

"That's 'cause you don't know how to have fun," he replied. "Can we have the ice cream now?"

"Ice cream?" Elle echoed in surprise.

Uhura leaned over and pulled a brightly colored carton from the bags at her feet, "Alex refused to come home without picking up some. He said you've never had any before."

She glanced at Alex, "You remember that?"

"Of course," he answered automatically, rolling his eyes as if it was obvious, and he handed her a bowl and spoon. "Here. We bought vanilla since I know you don't like chocolate."

Elle didn't say anything in reply, simply taking the objects from him without brushing against his fingers. She could tolerate the hugs and nudges, but she still felt uncomfortable when anything touched her hands. And she hadn't explained why she didn't like chocolate. She couldn't, not without him finding out the truth. It was easier to just say she didn't enjoy the taste.

She watched as Uhura took one of the spoons and scooped the frozen substance out of the carton and into the bowls. She could feel the cold radiating off the bowl as the older woman handed it back to her. It was a slightly uncomfortable sensation, as was the case with anything cold in temperature. Pulling her spoon from the ice cream, she tentatively brought it to her lips.

Elle could see Alex watching her in interest as she took the first bite. It took a great deal of her self-control to keep from crying out in surprise. The ice cream was cold, almost too cold, and caused her head to sting. But the flavor was pleasant and Alex seemed dependent on her enjoyment of the treat. So she smiled and studiously ignored the uncomfortable freezing sensation on her tongue.

"It's delicious."

"I knew you'd like it!" he exclaimed as he shoveled a spoonful into his own mouth.

Elle cringed internally at the thought of what so much ice cream in one bite would feel like. Glancing down at the cream-colored dessert, she began taking as small of bites as possible without being noticed.

"I still can't believe your mom never let you have ice cream," he said, mouth full of ice cream.

"Alex, mouth closed," Uhura chided, though there was still a kind edge to her words. "And it was her decision to make. Sometimes parents don't want their children to have certain things."

She turned her gaze to Elle, who immediately looked up in rapt attention, "But, if there's anything you ever want, Elle, just tell me. Alright?"

Elle gave a short nod, "Alright."

The smile the older woman gave her made her feel more at ease. It had only been three years since her mother's death, but it still hurt to think Uhura reminded her so much of her only parent. However, she smiled politely and took another bite of the ice cream.

Stardate: 2291.008

I walked back towards the gym, two bottles of water in my hands, as I thought of New Year's Eve. Even though it had passed a little over a week and we were back at Starfleet Academy, I couldn't help but think about it. Elle didn't seem to remember anything from that night, but then my own memory was fractured and blurred. I suppose that came from my refilling her drink unknowingly and several times over. But there were snatches of seconds that I could just barely recall. Lights flashing over our skin, a glint in her eyes I had never seen before, and her higher-than-human body temperature radiating off her. But every time I tried to make sense of the flashes, they disappeared. Like cobwebs of an old dream you can't quite catch.

As I walked through the doors, my eyes immediately turned to Elle. She was on one of the many treadmills lined in a row. The monitor which would normally display heart rate, speed, and incline was turned off. She wore only a pair of form-fitting black pants and a white tee. It was the most revealing outfit I had ever seen her wear. But it was warm in the gymnasium and she preferred it that way. The treadmill itself was set to a speed just a bit quicker than any human could comfortably jog at, but it was barely noticeable. Even the slight green tinge to her complexion was so light it could be passed off as a trick of the light. However, the smoothness of her gait and the graceful movement of muscle under skin were unmistakable. As were the gazes of several men in the gym.

I rolled my eyes in disbelief. Sure, Elle was beautiful and it wasn't often she was out of the standard-issue red jacket and pants. But it wasn't as if she was the only woman in the gym. Squaring my shoulders, I walked across the floor and towards her. A few eyes followed me, both appreciative and envious, but Elle remained staring straight forward.

"That's set a bit fast, isn't it?" I asked, leaning against the wall to face her.

She shrugged, "Not really. Well, not for me, anyway."

I held out her water bottle and she turned down the speed before reaching to take it. She unscrewed the cap and took a swig without missing a beat in the steady rhythm she had fallen into.

"You have a couple admirers around here," I commented.

"And?"

"And it was just a statement."

"That was an observation, which means you bothered to take notice. Why?"

I scoffed, "Kinda hard not to notice when a guy is staring down a girl like a hawk."

"Are you jealous?" she asked with an amused expression and a sideways tilt of her head.

"Jealous? No. It would be a relief if you actually decided to go out on a date or have a fling or something. Maybe you'd loosen up a bit."

Elle gave a sharp laugh, "Yeah, no. I'm not interested."

I gave a noncommittal shrug as if to say 'I tried' and took a drink from my own water bottle. Her gray eyes glanced up and down my figure, a thoughtful look on her face.

"What?" I asked.

"Did you just come here to watch or are you going to do something?" she asked.

"We could go to the fencing arena," I suggested with a smirk.

She gave me a pointed look, "No."

I laughed at her answer. So much could be heard in that single word and why she said it with such vehemence. She may have Vulcan strength, speed, and stamina on her side, but Elle is no fencer. Sulu tried and failed several times to teach her, but she never took to the sport. I wasn't much of a swordsman myself, but I was surprisingly better than her.

"Well, then, don't complain," I replied. "Did you hear about the USS Enterprise-F?"

"Captain Picard's new starship? Yeah, what about it?"

"It's making its maiden voyage on Friday. Doesn't that sound great? Just flying around space, exploring new worlds?"

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't find it interesting," she said with a roll of her eyes.

"Isn't sass an emotion?" I asked testily.

She smirked, "First, I was raised here and emotions come with the territory. Second, sass is a personality trait, not an emotion. If you want proof, just look at Spock."

I gave an amused, cynical cough and Elle immediately gave me a questioning glance.

"I should have realized you were a Vulcan long before now," I muttered under my breath.

And, of course, Elle managed to hear me and offered me a half-smile, "Probably. But, as usual, you see but don't observe."

Pushing a button on the control panel, the treadmill slowed to a stop and Elle stepped off. She wiped the back of her hand across her head, ruffling her bangs and giving just the slightest view of her upswept eyebrows.

"I'm observant," I protested.

"Sure you are," she said with a smirk.

I opened my mouth to answer when an unfamiliar voice called across the room by a far too enthusiastic voice.

"Elle!"

Both Elle and I glanced up to see a guy roughly a year older than us. He had sleep-mussed brown hair and shining green eyes. There was a crooked scar across one corner of his lips, giving an odd illusion to his crooked grin. He waved fervently as he approached. Looking to Elle, I raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Joshua McKinley," she said, offering the guy a smile. "He was in my anthropology class. Got bored and switched to Biochem at the end of the semester."

"You've never mentioned him."

She shrugged, "I never thought it mattered."

Before I could reply, McKinley had reached us and clapped a hand against her upper arm. She tensed almost imperceptibly at the skin-to-skin contact and I bit my tongue to keep from saying anything. This McKinley kid didn't even seem to notice how uncomfortable she was with the touch. But she easily brushed away his hand and gave a half-smile.

"You cut your hair," he noted, causing me to internally roll my eyes. "It's nice."

"Thanks," she replied, angling herself towards me. "Josh, this is Alex Kirk."

"So this is the famous son of Captain Kirk. It's nice to meet you at last," he said happily, offering his hand. "Elle's told me a lot about you."

"Really?" I asked, shaking his hand. "I've never heard of you before now."

I allowed myself a moment of satisfaction at his faltering smile. But my victory was cut short when Elle nudged me in the stomach with an elbow. I shot her a sideways glance, but understood her message.

"I hear you're being shipped off soon, Josh. Something about a new training program?"

"Yes," he said proudly, straightening up. "The new regime has some of the more experienced cadets going up to orbit around Delta Vega for a couple months, see how the training helps in the field."

"Anyone can join?" I asked, causing Elle to glance at me in surprise.

McKinley shrugged, "Any cadet in his or her final year."

I nudged Elle slightly, "What do you think? Sounds fun, right?"

She looked at me with a disbelieving expression, her eyes clearly asking about the state of my sanity. But McKinley immediately commandeered the conversation again.

"Your friend's right, Elle. You should sign up, live a little. Or would you send me up there without a friendly face I know?"

Before she could open her mouth to reply, the watch around McKinley's wrist began beeping and he cursed as he glanced down at it. He looked up with an expression that was a mix of exasperation and regret.

"I've got to go," he lamented. "But I'll see you later, alright? It was nice seeing you. And to finally meet you, Kirk."

With those last words finished, McKinley turned and ran out the door to do who knows what. He seemed decent in the few minutes we had spoken. But there was something about him that I didn't like. Maybe it was his attitude, or the blatant disregard for Elle's personal space, but I wasn't too keen on getting to know the guy any better.

"Well, he certainly was interesting," I commented dryly, turning to Elle.

"Josh has always been sort of flighty. I'm not sure he even knows what he really wants."

"He seemed pretty set on the new program."

She shook her head, "For now. He can't truly focus on one thing at a time. He'll get bored within a few months, but will be stuck with his decision."

"What's your opinion?" I asked.

"I think it might be commitment issues," she mused, throwing me off for a second.

I rolled my eyes, "Not about Cadet McKinley. I meant going into orbit around Delta Vega for the new training extension."

She shrugged, "It sounds interesting enough. But I think it would get rather lonely up there."

"I could go up with you," I pointed out.

For a split second, I knew Elle thought I was joking. She gave a long, highly-entertained laugh, apparently conjuring mental images of what in God's name I would say to Dad in explanation. But when her eyes caught my gaze, she realized I was being serious and abruptly stopped.

"You're not joking," she muttered, tone shocked.

"Of course not," I scoffed.

"What about Lyel and Jo?"

I gave a roguish grin, "Oh, I think they'll be just fine together."

She gave me an incredulous look, "You mean…"

"They got together on New Year's."

"Really?"

I nodded, "Caught them going at it in the guest bedroom a little while after we came back home."

"Oh, God…"

I laughed, "They didn't even notice I had come in. So I left before they could."

She shook her head, "Wow."

"I know," I replied. "So what do you say? Up to space we go?"

"You and me, going up to an extensive training around Delta Vega?"

I smiled, "That's the gist of it."

She gave a resigned sigh, "I guess it can't be too bad. And it could be a valuable experience."

"That's the spirit!" I exclaimed, throwing an arm around her shoulders. "I'll sign us both up, then."

"I'll send your father a message, then."

"We'd better pack our bags. We'll probably be in space by next Wednesday."

She shook her head with a smile, "You and I on a starship orbiting around a deserted planet with a couple dozen other cadets. What could possibly go wrong?"

In retrospect, I probably should have taken those words as a warning. But, being the short-sighted person I am, didn't read too far into Elle's words. After all, what could really go wrong during a field training class?