Sarek squeezed her hands tightly for a moment before letting them fall. "What have you been told? How much have you discovered?" he asked in a soft voice.

Amanda took a deep quivering breath and whispered, "Sevok warned me not to get close to you, and T-Lar told me to avoid being nice. Whatever that means." Amanda dropped her eyes to the floor. "And I overheard you asking Shras to hire me."

She heard Sarek's sigh, and the sound made her raise her eyes quickly to search his face. He was looking at her so strangely, as if the heavy weight of Vulcan itself was bearing down on him. His dark eyes were heavy and filled with shame.

"Amanda...," he started to speak than stopped abruptly and closed his eyes. He shook his head as if to clear it. He began again, "You have to have some idea of the situation."

Amanda nodded. "Uh, for some reason everyone seems to think I'm acting like a tart and trying to seduce you. In so many words, I was told that you're supposed to be extra vulnerable right now, and if I were to be successful in persuading you, I would be in danger." Amanda chewed her bottom lip for a moment. Her voice was small and delicate sounding when she added, "This is about some kind of mating drive, isn't it?"

Sarek gave a small start at her answer, then he slowly blinked his eyes at her and nodded his head yes. He stepped backed away from her slightly so there was a good amount of space between them before he spoke. "Essentially you are correct, although I doubt Sevok or T-Lar truly believe that you are actively attempting seduction. For a human your behavior has always been proper and modest."

"But not for a Vulcan," Amanda added quietly. She took a step backward until she hit the wall and slowly slid down to sit on the floor. "Sevok gave me a whole list last year of things I wasn't supposed to do. I tried to stick to it, but then Shras offered me the job and I was gone so…" Amanda frowned as her words trailed off. "I haven't seen you for longer than a second or two spread out over a handful of diplomatic functions this entire last year."

Sarek dipped his head in acknowledgement. "That is correct. But the 'damage' was already done," Sarek's voice decreased in volume until Amanda had to strain to hear it, "well before their warning."

The banging on the door suddenly grew louder. Sarek glared in its direction for a long moment before he moved to sit beside Amanda on the floor. He allowed their shoulders to touch like they had on the Douglas. "I do not have long to explain before they break through. Thankfully the doors in the temple are made of reinforced stone infused with metallic ore."

Amanda couldn't help a nervous chuckle. "So you're just going to sit here next to me? Just watch their faces when they finally manage to knock the door down and find the two of us alive and well?"

"And fully clothed," he added with a near smirk.

Amanda couldn't help it. She started laughing hysterically. Sarek's mouth twitched into a near smile, and for the first time in a long while, she saw his eyes dance with mirth. At the sight, she stopped laughing and spoke softly, "I've missed your smile, Sarek. You used to smile like that whenever you'd send me off to meet with Shras on one of those foul's errands."

Sarek drew himself up stiffly and spoke with a mock offended tone, "I do not smile, Amanda."

She snorted with humor. "It's a Vulcan smile if I ever saw one. 'A rose by any other name'." Amanda shook her head, and then her tone became serious once more. "Will you be honest with me?" she asked. "What's going on?"

Sarek turned his face away from her before he answered. "You are correct. It is a mating drive, a fierce one. We call it Pon Farr." He paused for a long moment. "All of Vulcan fear the Time." His voice was no longer steady as the words slowly and painfully spilled forth, each one seeming to cause pain. "For a people who pride themselves on logic and careful thought, it is a terrible thing." He raised his head to gaze at the ceiling. "As we have evolved, our society has become structured around attempts at limiting its effects."

Amanda reached out her hand to comfort him, but remembering the dire warnings, stopped just short of touching his arm. Sarek caught her movement. His eyes looked so sad, gazing at her outstretched arm, that she threw caution to the winds and rested her hand lightly on his elbow.

At her touch, his mouth softened again into that near smile before he dipped his head to hide his expression. "I know," he began again, "that T-Lar must have explained some of this to you. Forgive me if I repeat, but I want you to be informed. Now that I have started this explanation, I will make it complete." Sarek sighed softly to himself and gently reached his hand out to cover hers.

"Longer than as there has been a written history on Vulcan, there has been Pon Farr. Before Surak brought us logic there was very little attempt to control it, and our females suffered greatly until the Priests and Priestesses of this mountain took it upon themselves to institute certain cultural adaptations. They were only just gaining acceptance when Surak began writing," Sarek told her.

He drew a deep breath and started again more quickly, "Once every seven years on average, a Vulcan male enters Pon Farr. Occasionally a female will also show signs, but it is rare." His voice shook slightly, but he continued, "There are horrible fevers, Amanda. They strip away all control, all rational thought until there is nothing left but need." He paused again to regain his composure. "We mate or we die."

Amanda let out a tiny gasp and squeaked, "Literally?"

Raising his head, Sarek locked eyes with her before he nodded solemnly. "Yes, that is why I did not wish to approach you. I did not want you to make a choice out of obligation."

Amanda squeezed his arm under their joined hands and shook her head. "Sarek, please don't take this the wrong way, but I barely know you. I still don't know all there is to know about what's happening. We're barely even friends. I don't know if I'd be willing to agree to anything right now, even if it did mean your death."

Sarek's back straightened; he actually seemed pleased with that answer. "That knowledge would not be enough to sway a Vulcan female, but I did not know what your reaction would be. You are very kind, Amanda. I would not ask you to make such a choice…" His words were again drowned out as the noise from the corridor picked up.

Amanda snarled, stood up quickly, and crossed the room in four long strides. Wrenching the door open, she watched with delight as a ruffled T-Lar and Shras nearly fell in on her. With a fiery glare, she pointed behind her and growled, "He's fine. I haven't killed him, and he hasn't killed me. And as you can see, we're both fully clothed." T'Lar had just managed to pull herself upright and was helping Shras to stand when Amanda noticed the three stoic Vulcan officials standing behind them. Amanda rolled her eyes at the collective group, slammed the door again, and snapped the lock back into place. Through the door she yelled, "We're having a very nice, polite, and private conversation. Be good little Vulcans and LEAVE US ALONE!"

Amanda huffed and kicked the door once for good measure, earning a moment of pain in her broken leg for her trouble. Muttering to herself in satisfaction, she turned back towards Sarek. He looked distinctly amused and had one eyebrow raised at her in question. Sighing in feigned annoyance, she couldn't help smiling at him. "I'm afraid you're getting a grand display of my temper today. Perhaps it will be enough to persuade you this is a bad idea."

Sarek's mouth quirked and he shook his head as Amanda slid back down the wall to sit next to him again. "I am reluctant to confess, Amanda, that your temper coupled with your compassion is what has gotten us into this particularly unpleasant situation."

Amanda slapped him gently. "You were saying?" Amanda asked, urging him softly to continue his explanations now that the banging had quieted.

Sarek's lips lost their slight lift, and he again turned away from her, as if he couldn't bear to see her face as she listened. "As you know, nearly all marriages on Vulcan are arranged. It has been so since the Priestesses began to structure the Time," Sarek stated softly. "This is done so that the female will bond with the male prior to his time. So she will pity him." Sarek looked up at Amanda quickly. "It is thought that without prior attachment the female is likely to reject the male and leave him to die."

Amanda again reached out to put a comforting hand on his arm. "T-Lar told me that it is common for a Vulcan man to fear that his wife will abandon him."

Sarek nodded. "Yes, or worse." He wet his lips and swallowed hard before continuing, "When Pon Farr reaches the critical point, the female meets the male for the koon-ut-kal-if-fee. At this time, she may choose to renew her bond with her mate or designate a champion to fight for her. If she chooses to challenge, her champion and her mate will fight for her – it is to the death."

Amanda sucked in a sharp breath. Her voice shook with anger as she spoke, "Wait a minute. You're telling me that once every seven years you have to mate or die, and that your wife can turn against you at the last minute and have some adulterous jack-ass try to kill you?"

Sarek, confused by her annoyance, tilted his head and asked, "That is essentially correct. Why does this anger you?"

Amanda stuttered for a moment, grasping for words. "Why does it…Sarek! Your life is at stake. If somebody wants a divorce, that's about the worst time to do it."

"Vulcans do not divorce," Sarek corrected. "The marriage bond is a joining of the minds. There are only two ways it may be broken – death or challenge during koon-ut-kal-if-fee. The fever combined with battle is often enough to break Pon Farr along with the marriage bond. If the husband wins the challenge, there are dire consequences for the female. Since she is no longer bonded and has proven her disloyalty, she is considered chattel; the male has the legal right to use her as he wills. He may even kill her if he wishes. It is a risk that most females would not take. It is a rare happening in our time, but it is still an option that occurs on occasion. Prior to Surak, it was a common enough occurrence that there is a cultural, inborn, fear of such a situation."

"They must have designed it this way," Amanda shuddered at the realization. "The Priestesses, they got tired of the men going into Pon Farr and raping women so they created this koon-ut-kal-if-fee ceremony to give the women some power over the situation."

Sarek raised his eyebrow as he replied, "I had not considered that being a possibility. I have never meditated on the implications to my bond mate to the degree I should have."

The pounding started again on the door. Sarek leaned his head back against the wall, glaring. Ignoring the noise, he continued, "The long lasting results are that almost all Vulcans are bonded around the age of seven. This bond is less than a marriage but more than a betrothal as it can be broken only by the means I have described. This practice began in order to decrease the number of challenges. Because they are bonded since childhood, Vulcans mature and grow to know one another; they learn to trust and care for each other. Generally, this has meant that most Vulcan females go willing to their male during his time."

Amanda frowned as she asked, "But T-Lar said something about walking behind the male and going to them outside of the time?" Amanda sighed in confusion. "What is that all about?"

Sarek raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Your friend mentioned this, but did not explain the rest? It is no surprise you are confused, Amanda." He turned to face her more directly, as if this part of the explanation wasn't quite as embarrassing. "Even outside of his time, many males still have a periodic desire for mating. Some believe that by satisfying this desire, the next Pon Farr will be easier for both to bear. Surak's teachings encourage the development of the marriage bond. Since his writings have gained favor, many Vulcan females have acquiesced to their bond mates desires even outside the time."

Amanda snorted a reply, "You act like the women don't want to have sex. I mean, really, Sarek, they've got a sex drive, too."

Sarek gave a small frown. "No, Amanda, they do not. Vulcan females do not have a desire to mate, with the rare exception of those that are affected by the time."

Amanda's jaw dropped. "Wait a second. Are you truthfully telling me Vulcan females don't have any sex drive? None at all?" When Sarek nodded solemnly, Amanda's eyes widened in shock. She sputtered her next words, "Ouch!" She looked at Sarek and shook her head. "That has got to suck."

Sarek gave a human-like shrug. "Considering what they go through during the time, it is logical they would avoid any similar activities. Such strong negative associations would assure that. I am unaware of any studies attempting to determine whether this is a biological or societal effect. It matters little. At best, Vulcan women are indifferent. At worst, they come only when called for the koon-ut-kal-if-fee. Every species is different, Amanda. Not all can be as…excitable as humans."

" 'Horney.' The word you want right there is 'horney'," Amanda added with a smirk. "Alright, let's see if I've got this down," Amanda said as she started ticking points off on her fingers. "You lot are married at seven years old. At some point you finish puberty, then this cycle kicks in, and you have to mate. The women are not exactly happy about all this because the men are so out of control at that point, I imagine the males are rather rough with them. The guys are scared to death of losing their control. Worse, they fear that when they show up for the wedding their lovely bride might blind-side them by challenging the wedding, and bringing another man to fight them to the death. So, every seven years or so, the guy can never be sure whether he'll finish the year married or dead."

"Correct," Sarek answered her. "Because my marriage bond was broken with my wife's death, I am now in the difficult position of not having a mate for my next Pon Farr." Sarek's face turned slightly green as he blushed. "The family sent someone to Earth intending that I bond with her. Unfortunately for you, she arrived too late."

Amanda sighed. "Okay," she stated, "I get this whole mating drive. It even makes some sense, even if I think it's a rather shitty way of leaving your husband. What I don't get is why you'd want to…" Amanda trailed off unsure of what to term the relationship or whatever it was that Sarek wanted from her. Instead, she used a rather vulgar hand motion.

Sarek reached down for her hand and grasped it in his as if he was afraid she would run. "We fear, Vulcan males fear, betrayal. My first bond mate was very loyal, and I had been bonded to her since childhood. An arranged bond with a stranger is very … intimidating," Sarek's voice broke a small bit on the last word. "I would have no way to insure that this new bond mate would not…cause me harm. From the way she looked at me, I could tell it took all of her control to remain in the same room with me. On Vulcan, unbonded males are treated like dangerous wild animals."

Amanda interrupted him to snort, "I can tell." She nodded at the door and the loud banging.

Sarek nodded grimly. "Yes, they know that because my bond was broken unexpectedly there is a chance I may spontaneously enter my time even though I am not near that point in the cycle. Broken bonds can have many types of adverse effects on the survivors. In many cases, if a bond as deep as the one I shared with T'Rea is abruptly broken, the death of the surviving spouse will soon follow. I have survived, but I am not undamaged," he confessed as he dipped his head. "Amanda, I realized shortly after you began work at the embassy that you had the qualities I most wanted in my next bond mate. But you are human, and I could not ask this of you. If you had agreed, it would be very likely out of guilt only. Then, when my time came, you might break and run in fear, and I might injure you in the process."

Amanda scrunched her nose in consternation. "What about just asking me out on a date for Christ's sake? I mean, hell, Sarek, you don't just come up to someone out of the blue and ask them to shag you in seven years."

Sarek tilted his head and regarded her with confusion. He narrowed his eyes as he asked, "Date? What is a date?"

Amanda's jaw dropped. "Date. You know, you tell a girl you like her and ask her out to dinner. She either agrees or tells you to go to hell. If you're lucky, she meets you and the two of you talk about life- that sort of thing. If it goes well, you do it again. And again. And again. Until you learn enough about that person to know if you want to make a commitment to them or not. You make sure you have the same life goals, all that."

Sarek's eyebrow was in his hairline. "Vulcans do not date," he replied with a small sneer. "We do not have that luxury."

Amanda frowned, but undaunted, she continued her questioning, "Okaaayyyy, explain?"

Sarek sighed. "An unbonded adult Vulcan male is rare as are unbonded adult Vulcan females. As such, we are biologically programmed to be vigilant in locating them. Once we find a suitable individual, we fixate on them. Once that choice has been made, it is difficult to reverse. That is why unbonded Vulcan females are very careful in their behavior. They are kept away from unbonded males unless their families are seeking a match."

Amanda swallowed thickly. "Which is why I got that list from T-Lar. All those things I wasn't supposed to do, that I was to avoid drawing your attention," she added.

Sarek nodded. "Yes, Amanda, but by the time Sevok realized what was happening, I had already fixated on you. This is the first time such a thing has happened outside our species. We did not know it was possible."

"But," Amanda began, "then your family sent that hussy…"

Sarek raised an eyebrow and interrupted her, "She is not a 'hussy', Amanda. She was merely doing her duty to her family by attempting to redirect my attention. She failed. After you left for the Andorian embassy, a healer attempted to bond us. My mind refused the bond. My fixation on you coupled with my grief for my prior bond mate would not allow the connection to be formed."

"Maybe you just didn't like her either," Amanda asserted.

"Perhaps I didn't like her," Sarek agreed with a tiny little lift to the corner of his mouth.

Amanda ran a shaky hand through her hair. "So, you are telling me that if I don't agree to marry you, you're gonna die?"

Sarek's eyes darkened. "That is why I did not tell you to begin with. You feel guilt for this; I can sense it - the projection of your thoughts."

Amanda grabbed her hand back from Sarek as if burned. "That's not fair! You're a touch telepath!" she cried.

Sarek shook his head. "No, you are loud enough that I do not have to touch you, Amanda. It is likely you have some latent psi ability which might be contributing to your capacity to attract me," he quickly explained. Giving another sigh, Sarek contiunued, "I cannot ask this of you, Amanda. I will not ask this of you. The time is brutal to even a Vulcan female. I could accidently kill you."

"I haven't agreed to anything yet," Amanda mumbled. "Isn't there some sort of fail safe? It doesn't make sense that a drive meant to procreate would mean you'd kill your incubator."

Sarek raised his eyebrow in surprise again. "There have been cases in which, because the female had been injured or ill, the drive was lessened or negated to provide for the situation - but only if the bond is strong."

Amanda took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I can see why everyone was reluctant to talk about this. There's a lot to take in, and it's rather hard to grasp. I just don't understand why you'd fixate on me. I mean, T-Lar explained about Vulcan flirting and all that, but it seems so very innocent. To me, it seems ludicrous that just because I baked cookies for a sick co-worker, you would suddenly get the hots for me."

"Biological drives are not logical," Sarek supplied rather unhelpfully.

Amanda shook her head in exasperation. "I'm starting to get that. So what happens now?"

Sarek eyed her carefully. His tone was soft as he replied, "That is your choice. I will not ask anything of you, Amanda."

"Yeah, but you'll imply it," Amanda muttered and then waved a hand in silent apology. "Basically, it's me or death, right?"

When Sarek nodded once in confirmation, Amanda groaned and hung her head. She bit her lip and let her chopped-off hair fall around her like a curtain as she tried to get her thoughts in order. Finally, she raised her head and looked Sarek in the eye.

"The damage is done right?" she asked in a firm voice. This time when Sarek nodded, Amanda smiled and raised an eyebrow. "In that case, would it make any difference if we got to know each other a little bit before I make a choice? I mean, I don't want to put you though a hell of not knowing, but I'm not about to agree to anything like what you're suggesting without knowing a lot more about you. I've barely talked to you outside of work."

Sarek's expression stilled as he considered her proposal. "It could do no harm," he spoke slowly. "I have already fixated on you. I will have no other. As I have been through the time more than once and can recognize the signs, I will not be a danger to you despite what the others may believe." He nodded once in decision. "We will 'date' then."

Amanda let out a startled laugh. "You have to ask, Sarek. You can't just state it like that."

"Indeed," he stated. Then, raising an eyebrow, he climbed quickly to his feet and offered a hand to help her. "Then, Amanda Grayson, may I formally inquire of your willingness to take dinner with me tomorrow evening, as a date?"

Amanda placed a hand over her heart and gave a small curtsy. Using her best Southern-bell accent she quipped, "Why, of course, Mr. Sarek, I'd be delighted."

He quirked his eyebrow at her again clearly missing the joke, but he offered her his arm as he'd seen human males do at Federation functions and lead her to the door. Outside the door, they found the same group, this time setting up some kind of equipment obviously intent on overriding the door codes.

T-Lar blinked at them in confusion before her eyes settled on Amanda's hand where it rested inside the bend of Sarek's arm. "Amanda, are you alright?"

Amanda gave a brilliant smile and moved away from Sarek and started towards her room. "Perfectly fine, T-Lar. I've got a date for tomorrow night," she told her friend sweetly.

"Date?" T-Lar asked in confusion as Amanda walk away.

Shras' laughter followed her all the way back to her room where Amanda fell into bed too tired to even contemplate the full implications of what she'd learned and agreed too.

By the time T-Lar recovered and came to make sure she had really gone to bed, Amanda was already in a deep if somewhat fitful sleep.

A/N: Thank you again to my wonderful beta elise!