Author's Note: I don't own Star Trek and I'm not making any profit from this story. Thanks to everyone for being patient as I finish this one up. I'm pretty sure I'm done tweeking the last bit, so there shouldn't be any more set up chapters. If you're curious about the references to Nyota's father, please check out the story Surprise Surprise-- which is the diametrical opposite of this story, but still contains some good S/U mush here and there. The next chapters are more action oriented and less navel gazey. Thanks so much for reading and your comments!
Spock displayed no emotion as the days moved ever closer to the Vulcan Science Academy's reopening but his behavior had changed. He ate less than his body required and his need for sleep increased, even though it rarely came. Sarek was concerned. He had been working very closely with a number of people to push for a preliminary vote to add more seats to the council and in the rush to prevent the council's measure from advancing, he had neglected Spock's condition. Spock would not give a satisfactory answer as to why he was allowing his condition to deteriorate but Sarek, after having spent nearly two Earth years with is son on this planet, thought that he had a clue.
Spock was nearly finished with his work. He had collaborated with the Vulcans that would be controlling the admissions process and was confident that they would accept the very brightest minds of all races for full admission instead of the less prestigious visitor status. He had contracted with publishers of textbook PADDs that taught of theories of all worlds and kept a realistic view of Vulcan contributions to the natural sciences instead of a narcissistic one. He had personally interviewed each professor to ensure that they would be both sufficiently brilliant and well suited to live on New Vulcan where they may well face very difficult prejudices. He had made provisions to keep the professors comfortable in the harsh and unmastered environment of the new center of Vulcan civilization. He even inspected the facilities to ensure that they met the most advanced specifications for their particularized uses. The only thing that he had left to do was to appear at the opening ceremony which would be attended by a variety of dignitaries and media. Spock was sure that his father would take over for Spock at that time.
Spock was relieved that his work was coming to an end. The task had been challenging in a variety of ways but he longed for open space, the possibility of new life and the variety of situations that would await him. Working on the planet was stifling to Spock, as though he was surely missing something unique elsewhere. Spock knew the thought was illogical since there was always something unique going on wherever he was, but for some reason he could not stop thinking about the Enterprise. Despite his ongoing mental inventory of what he would do once he had resumed his position as First Officer, Spock also sensed a deep sense of disquiet.
He was meditating more but almost every time that he closed his eyes and tried to cool the fast moving magma within, he would see the curious eyes of the Vulcan children that were adjusting to the planet. He projected an image of a small Vulcan child in his own mind, one with coloring of the coffee ice cream that his mother had favored over other flavors. The child had Nyota's bright eyes and his own even features. The tips of his ears gently rose to points beneath soft black curls. Spock was concerned about this fictional child more than he cared to admit, even to himself. He saw the child asking questions, logical questions, about where others that looked like him were, and why he could not see them. Spock felt fear rise in his throat when, even in his own mind, he could not answer his son's questions adequately.
Spock had struggled so much to be loved by Vulcan and he had been rejected so often that he was surprised by the inner conflict that he felt when faced with leaving New Vulcan forever. He had no choice. Spock would not give up his bondmate, nor would he give up his career, the one that brought so much satisfaction to his life. The council was steadily working through the issues that he had brought up during the attempted recall announcement. They'd begun promising that Vulcans who gave up their lives on other worlds would have prestigious positions in High Command cabinets, positions that would bring more honor and prestige on the new homeworld than even the most highly regarded position off world could offer. Spock heard the murmurs among those considering the recall and he understood the appeal of having one's indelible stamp on the future of a planet. Many Vulcans imagined themselves to have a chance to be the next Surak, their names forever remembered for bringing something epic to their people, their katras constantly tended; it was immortality for a members of a race that had recently known death too well.
The council was actually merging all of the things Spock had pointed out during the meeting into one objective. They offered those with careers off world positions in the government. They asked them to bring their minds to Vulcan to organize and mondernize the new planet. The council encouraged Vulcans to contact contractors from the planets and colonies that they currently occupied to arrange for construction and infrastructure. Vulcan was presently bursting with off world contractors seeking to profit on the needs of Vulcan, each one backed by a soon to be recalled Vulcan. In the few weeks since the meeting, Spock had seen the frames of more than 10,000 dwellings erected.
Most Vulcans that he encountered seemed to display a certain amount of enthusiasm about the possibility of New Vulcan. Spock could not share their optimism, although he wondered if he would if their situations were reversed. He had, after all, found the idea of rebuilding the academy in his own way incredibly satisfying. Spock knew that his father was working on some plan to prevent the recall from going into effect, but from what Spock saw, most Vulcans were welcoming it, especially with the promise of the bright future that the council outlined for them. Spock was not optimistic about the chances that the recall would be put off.
And then there was Nyota. She knew of the council's plan and had been thinking of ways to combat it, but as a non-Vulcan that had no visible ties to the homeworld, new or old, she was not encountering much success. She had suggested that perhaps if they announced their bond, more people would stop and think of the consequences. She reasoned that Spock was a very famous Vulcan. He was the first known human Vulcan hybrid, the son of a Vulcan ambassador, the First Officer of one of the best ships of Starfleet and had been the person who, almost single handedly, saved Earth from the fate of Vulcan when he destroyed Nero's ship. Nyota thought that announcing his predicament would certainly put pressure on the council to act, even if it was just an exception for him. She said that she thought that the recall could not be forever, after all, and if the council made an exception for Spock's circumstances, that they could still achieve their objectives while allowing for Spock to maintain a semblance of his life. Spock had been open to the idea, despite his deep need for privacy, but he did not think it would work. Spock having an exception would only undermine the council's authority and soon more and more Vulcans would request the ability to marry their non-Vulcan mates and live off world. The council had an explicit desire to avoid such a circumstance. Spock promised Nyota that he would keep considering options and reassured her that no matter what happened, she was his priority.
Spock had actually been considering bonding with Nyota in one of the many Terran customs that were available to them. He had spoken with her father about such a possibility over chess on a few occasions. They had revealed their bond to Nyota's father shortly after it had occurred but Spock had wished to wait until they had more time to plan an appropriate ritual Terran ritual. He thought that it would have pleased Nyota to have all of her friends and family members in attendance and he was touched that she would forego something that she had anticipated for years to ensure his continued contentment and connection to New Vulcan. Spock often felt that he was sacrificing more than he could but all he had to do was to look at Nyota, and see what she was willing to give up, to renew his strength.
Spock had been speaking to Nyota on a daily basis now that most of his work was coming to an end. Sarek had sought out a private view screen for their small domicile and Spock was glad of the privacy it afforded. Spock was practicing communication though the bond with Nyota most often, an activity that he found pleasantly distracting from the reality of his departure from New Vulcan. Sarek had occasionally observed their practice, offering them both advice in controlling the sensory and emotional input that was shared across the link. Nyota had met Sarek before, but they had not had an opportunity to speak in person since Sarek had been informed of their bond. Spock was not particularly anxious for this to happen but he found that Nyota, like her father, was easily accepted by many types of people so he did not deny Sarek the opportunity to speak to Nyota when his own conversations with her had concluded and he was needed elsewhere.
Fortunately Nyota had not noticed the amount of weight that Spock had lost under his long tunic and trousers. Spock simply had no desire to consume food. He suspected that she noticed the green circles around his eyes, but she said nothing and did not probe his mind for more information. In fact, Spock was somewhat surprised that, beyond the time that they practiced together, Spock rarely felt Nyota in his mind. He was walking toward the academy one morning and contemplating this when he suddenly did feel Nyota in his mind. The feeling was so sudden and overwhelming that Spock nearly stumbled in the red dirt. He shifted from surprised to shock when he saw Nyota, dressed in a traditional Vulcan tunic and trousers, her hair down, walking beside Sarek and toward him from the steps of the academy.
Usually Nyota would have run toward Spock, launching herself into his arms with as much speed and force as she could muster but she was quite subdued on this day. When he met her, the confusion was obvious in his eyes. She smiled faintly and nodded at Spock, keeping her hands clasped behind her back. Sarek watched Spock's reaction. Apparently Spock was, for the first time that Sarek had ever seen, speechless.
"Ah, Spock." Sarek said quietly, "I've asked Lieutenant Uhura to attend the opening of the Vulcan Science Academy. She seems to have a vested interest in its restoration, so I thought it logical to arrange for her presence."
"Good day Commander Spock." Nyota said evenly. Spock reached out to her with his mind and felt the restrained urges that she had to touch his skin and press herself against him, but she was resisting admirably. "I hope that you do not find my presence here to be distracting or unsuitable." Nyota's eyes sparkled in the suns of New Vulcan.
"To the contrary Lieutenant," Spock responded, an intense outpouring of happiness and anticipation pushing through his core that he shared with Nyota through the meld, "I am quite appreciative of your presence." Spock turned toward Sarek. "Father, Thank you."
"As I said Spock, I am always at your service." Sarek nodded at them both and wandered away, leaving the young couple to their own devices.
Spock had no idea that Nyota was capable of acting so...Vulcan. Her face had shown almost no emotion since she had arrived. Spock had taken her on a tour of the Academy first, and then shown her the communications station that he had, up until recent weeks, spoken to her from. He was concerned about taking her to the large dining hall, but she reassured him through the link that everything would be fine. Since Nyota's hair was down, she was not immediately identifiable as a human, although some of the occupants of the hall recognized her from news coverage of the Enterprise after the events that followed the demise of Vulcan. No one said anything and with the exception of one or two people, she barely got more than a passing glance. Fascinating.
Spock was not exactly sure that he appreciated Nyota's constantly placid expression. He found her smile to be one of her most appealing features, but it was interesting to know that she was able to restrain it. He wondered if this was simply a result of her greater fluency with the mind meld. Spock longed to brush his fingertips to hers and chanced it beneath the table when he was sure that no one was looking. Both he and Nyota were too excited about being together to transmit concrete thoughts and ideas through the links that they shared, but they both felt similarly and being together was sufficient. They dined on a meal of Vulcan curried lentils and Spock took her, silently, to the upper observatory of the Academy to watch the suns set.
"Oh, so those are the volcanoes that you've written about." Nyota's voice crept up an octave, her Vulcan-like neutrality starting to slip away. She sighed, "They're so beautiful Spock. I couldn't have ever imagined." Nyota sighed with wonder in her voice. Spock lead her to sit on the edge of the railing, his hand against her back, to ensure that she didn't fall.
"It is a scene that I watch every evening and invariably, I desire your companionship and commentary." Spock whispered into Nyota's ear. "I am very fortunate that I was able to fulfill this desire."
"Spock," Nyota turned to him. She had unshed tears in her eyes, betraying the emotions that he shared with her, "You'll be back. We'll see plenty of sunsets. You'll see." Nyota rested her arm across his shoulders, giving up on her version of Vulcan propriety at long last. "And the little boy that you see in your mind's eye? He'll be here with us too."