A/N: I apologize for the delay. I overestimated my ability to maintain an updating schedule while abroad. Anyway, I came home for break, and churned this baby out. Hopefully it'll be worth the wait. I'm trying to write as much as possible, because from the rough outlines I've done, this story will have 14 chapters total (15 including an epilogue). So I'm trying to complete this.

On an unrelated note, I saw Zachary Quinto, in person! I saw Angels in America (Part I) last week and saw him leaving the theater. I wanted to congratulate him on his performance, but I was too shy/embarrassed (I mean, he's a normal person and probably doesn't love being harassed by rando strangers). But I dunno, there's a Part II, which I'm seeing at the end of the week, so maybe I'll woman up for that. Anyway, without further ado:

Chapter 10 – Beyond Comprehension

"I must tell you,

That I was always afraid

Of the fury with which I loved you.

It overwhelmed me.

I thought it beyond comprehension.

Therefore, my silence."

Spock gently trailed his fingertips along Nyota's warm skin, which glowed ethereally in the early Sunday morning light. She sighed breathily and he closed his eyes and inhaled. She smelled like poppies and light soap. He watched her eyes flutter beneath her lids as she inhaled lightly and arched against his hand, which was spread across her naked lower back. Spock shifted his weight and leaned down over her to kiss her lightly on the forehead.

It was an unnecessary action, an illogical one even. Yet he found it comforting, being able to reach out and feel her next to him. It was the second consecutive night this week she had spent with him. Usually, he insisted that they limit their trysts to once a week, to avoid suspicion. The probability of being discovered increased at an exponential rate for every consecutive night they spent together. However, when she showed up at his door last night, out of breath and grinning sheepishly from what he surmised was an impromptu run across campus to see him, he could not bring himself to close the door on her, or even scold her.

Instead, he allowed Nyota to throw herself through the threshold and pull hastily on this belt buckle. While normally, he would have pulled away and told her to exercise some self-control, he could not suppress the instinctual reaction to close the door and surround her with a tight embrace.

And while every time something like this happened, he told himself he meant to talk to Nyota about self-control, he could not ignore the fact that he was particularly lacking in that department of late. It seemed that his strong hold on logic seemed to slip when she was around. When he voiced this as a worry to Nyota, she insisted that it was a good thing. But he could not help but be concerned. Vulcan emotions were strong, volatile even. The strength of what he felt for Nyota threatened to overwhelm him at times, especially during their moments of intimacy. Therefore, despite Nyota's impatient reassurances, Spock could not escape his quiet unease of the situation.

She murmured lightly and burrowed deeply into the covers, oblivious to his ruminations.

Spock ran his fingers lightly through her hair. She was becoming an increasingly important priority in his life. He could not afford to be careless with her. Becoming overly emotional meant inviting risk. Risk he was not comfortable with. His fingers paused at her temple. If only Nyota would agree to a telepathic bond. She valued the privacy of her mind and he respected that. However, the benefits of such a bond were difficult to ignore. It would make the intricacies of human relationships more straightforward at least. But Nyota was insistent that he be able to understand her without "cheating" as she called it. It was a little difficult not to be frustrated with her impatient dismissal of the idea. A telepathic bond was not something to be offered carelessly to just any partner. It was a terrible intimacy that should not be taken lightly. Of course, she had no way of knowing this, and he had no way of explaining it without revealing his own shameful disappointment and rejection, which like all of his other emotions, he kept tightly bottled.

He removed the covers and dressed himself as quietly as he could. After he folded her clothes that had been discarded on the floor, he left the bedroom to check his PADD, left forgotten next to his uneaten dinner, which had been interrupted by Nyota's arrival. There were several missed messages, all from Captain Pike.

Turning to the nearest screen, he dialed Pike's extension. After two rings, Pike's face appeared looking both bemused and impatient.

"Please forgive my delay, Captain Pike-"

"Chris," he corrected.

"Christopher," Spock amended. "I was otherwise occupied."

Pike scoffed lightly. "Figured you'd fit in a call to me before your girlfriend wakes up?"

"My…" Spock trailed off and raised an eyebrow. After a long pause, "Yes. My partner is currently sleeping. However, based on previous experience, she will not wake for another two hours and 26 minutes. We have time to discuss whatever was so pressing last night."

Pike sighed and leaned back in his chair. "We'll get to it later. How is she?"

"She is well. Progressing very well with her research and her office hours have helped her students immensely. She is a model student."

"So things are going well for you?"

"As for myself-"

"That was a plural you," Pike said with a half smile.

Spock raised an eyebrow. "Things are not without their…complications. But yes, she and I are both well."

"I think she compliments you well."

"Meaning?"

"Once in a while she manages to pull out the massive stick that's up your ass," Pike said tipping his chair back.

Spock frowned a bit, "Indeed."

Pike laughed good-naturedly, "It was a joke, Spock. But in all seriousness, I think having an emotional outlet is good for you."

"On the contrary, Christopher. My lack of emotional control around her is...troubling. It is something I am working on amending."

Pike frowned in confusion.

"I do not like exposing her to my lack of self-control. She is too important."

"Which brings me to what I wanted to talk about last night. What are you going to do next year, then?" he asked. "It's the end of her third year now. The Enterprise will be done next year, and she'll graduate. If I recall correctly, I placed you in charge of appointing new students to starships."

"Spock?" a voice called tiredly from the other room.

"Yes, Nyota," he responded evenly. "I will be there in a moment."

"I can assure you, Captain," Spock said lowly. "There will be no favoritism."

Chris nodded. "Good to know, but that's not my main concern. What I'm worried about is you. The Enterprise is on schedule to be completed within the first couple of months of next term. You will not be at the Academy for the full year."

Spock sat in a stunned silence for a long moment.

"I was not aware that the project would be completed so quickly," he said evenly.

"Well, it is. What are you going to do when you are separated from-"

"Spock!" she called again, a little more insistently.

"Forgive me, Chris," Spock said. "Was there anything else work related that you needed to discuss?"

He paused. "Minor details. They can wait until tomorrow. She goes back home tomorrow, doesn't she?"

"Yes," Spock replied lightly. "She's spending the summer with her family."

"Speaking of family. I heard your father was in town?"

"He is," Spock confirmed.

"And? You going to introduce him to the missus?"

"I do not believe that would be a wise decision," he responded honestly. "I will contact you tomorrow, Christopher."

"You got it. Ending transmission."

"Ending transmission." Spock confirmed as he shut down the monitor.

"Who was it?" Nyota asked wrapping her arms around his waist.

"It's nothing you need be concerned about," he responded evenly.

Nyota planted a kiss on the nape of his neck. "Alright," she said, not quite convinced.

"Forgive me, Nyota," Spock began. "Did I wake you?"

"No," she said with a shrug. "I just realized you weren't beside me, so I woke up."

He nodded.

"Is something the matter?" she asked. "You seem…off."

"Do not be troubled," he said shaking himself loose from her arms.

Nyota frowned, but let it go.

"I'm going to take a shower, is that alright?" she asked.

He nodded. "I will prepare some tea."

She turned to go, feeling a little uneasy.

"Nyota, I'm going to be occupied for part of today. Will that be a problem?"

"No," she said, a little surprised. "I leave tomorrow though. Is something wrong?"

He shook his head. "I simply have an appointment with someone. It shouldn't take too long."

"It's fine. I'll make us dinner while you're out. Who are you meeting with?"

"You'll want to use the last of the plomeek leaves tonight. They'll go bad otherwise."

Nyota frowned as he walked back into the kitchen.

"Sure…" she murmured with a frown.

Biting her lip, she shut herself in the bathroom and turned the water on, in the hope of washing away her frustration.

Nyota was used to this. Spending the night together usually had one of two outcomes. Either they would be brought incredibly close together or he would quickly become distant, perhaps due to the embarrassment of revealing his inner emotions.

The water was hot and she tried to relax. It always set her a bit on edge when he pulled away like this. If only she could just know what he was feeling. His peculiar secretiveness this morning was out of the blue. Usually he was incredibly straightforward with her, sometimes to the point of being a little rude (he never hesitated in telling her if a dress made her look fat). He never lied. His avoidance of her questions made her uneasy.

She would be heading back to Africa for the summer. She was leaving tomorrow.

Nyota turned off the shower and the water slowed to a drip.

Would he even miss her?

She shook her head. She was being ridiculous. Even if he seemed completely indifferent to her this morning, Nyota knew he cared about her deeply. Even if he never said it, it was apparent in everything he did – even if it was just the way he trailed his fingertips along her skin.

Nyota had come to accept his difficulties with emotions. She was even accustomed to a degree of emotional distance, especially when he didn't now know how to respond to her emotion needs. But it troubled her when there was clearly something wrong, yet he refused to discuss it.

She didn't even know what they were. How serious was this? While normally she wouldn't have cared, she realized she was entering her final year at the Academy. Where would they go from here? When she graduated?

She stepped out of the shower and wrapped the towel around herself. She inhaled. It smelled like him. With a sigh, she dressed herself and went to meet him in the kitchen, where he was pouring the tea.

"Spock," she said gently.

He didn't miss a beat or look up to her.

"Yes, Nyota?"

She looked up at his expressionless face. Normally he had a bland and calm, but inquisitive expression. When his face went smooth like this, she knew something was bothering him. Something was just under the surface, threatening to burst forth and this was the only way he knew how to contain it.

"What is the query you wish to ask?" He prodded.

"I feel like you're a thousand miles away," she said with a sad laugh.

"I beg your pardon?"

She shook her head. "It's nothing. It can wait. You said you had a meeting?"

He glanced at the clock.

"Indeed. I should be leaving soon."

She nodded and shrugged. "I'll get us organized for dinner while you're out. What time will you be back?"

"I do not know how long the meeting will take."

"This is my last day here. Will I even get to see you for it?"

"I will make sure the meeting does not go past five in the evening. Is this acceptable?"

She smiled uneasily and nodded. He watched her evenly, a carefully schooled expression on his face. Slowly, and deliberately, he walked over to her, leaned down gently, and pecked her on the lips.

"I will return shortly, Nyota," he assured her.

"You better," she whispered back teasingly.

He planted a light kiss on her forehead and after putting on his jacket, left Nyota in the apartment, alone.

As he walked to the nearest metro station, Spock absentmindedly straightened his jacket. It was clear that Nyota was concerned. She always was incredibly astute in noticing changes in his behavior. However, he worried that she would draw false conclusions from the data available to her. With an internal sigh, he swiped his card and waited at the platform. She undoubtedly assumed that his change in behavior was due to some sort of lack in interest of her. It was quite the contrary. He was coming to realize that he valued her quite highly; so much that it frightened him. He valued her too highly to be reckless or careless with her. Emotions were reckless and careless. Every time he failed to control them-

The metro car whirred to a stop in front of him and he got on. The doors closed firmly behind him and the car slid along the track towards the Vulcan Embassy.

To be completely honest, Spock had never much cared for the Vulcan Embassy. It was a cold and oppressive building made out of a type of beige stone. At the entrance, a large marble statue of Surak towered over him. He allowed himself a few moments to stare at Surak's cold face before straightening his posture and entering the building.

A bland looking secretary gave him the customary greeting and mildly told him that his father would be out in a moment. While he waited, Spock stared at the walls, which were painted with landscapes from their home world. Spock was staring at the mural of Vulcan's Forge appreciatively when his father announced his presence. They exchanged greetings and then stood in an awkward silence. It seemed his father was still less than thrilled with Spock's choice to reject the Vulcan Science Academy's offer of admission. Most likely because it was less of a choice and more of an impulsive reaction to a particular council member's disparaging remarks about his mother. Perhaps this was the reason behind his father's disapproval. Regardless, his father ushered him down a series of halls and into his living quarters, which were plain but comfortable.

"I assume you still drink your tea without sugar?" Sarek asked while heating a pot.

"Affirmative," Spock replied while sitting down.

As Sarek strained the crushed plomeek leaves, Spock thought of Nyota. He had told her to use the rest of the plomeek leaves tonight. That was one of the last things he had said to her. He shifted in his seat uncomfortably.

Staring blankly at the cup of tea in front of him, he idly wondered what Nyota was doing right now. He pictured her sprawled out on the floor of the living room, PADDs scattered around her as she searched for some specific fact or detail. He imagined her propped up on her elbows, back curved, uniform clinging to-

"Your mother told me something interesting," Sarek said mildly.

"Indeed?" Spock replied lightly.

"Yes," he responded evenly. "She informed me that you are currently involved with a human female."

"I am," came the honest response.

Sarek was quiet for a moment, weighing his words.

"So you have made your choice between human and Vulcan."

"I continue to honor the Vulcan way in every aspect of my life, father. My involvement with the female in question has had no effect on this."

"Then you underestimate the emotional needs of humans."

Spock paused. "If you would elaborate, father."

"In human relationships, validation is based upon displays of affection. This is undoubtedly what your female is accustomed to."

"I can assure you," Spock said flatly. "My emotions have in no way escaped my control during my relationship with her."

His stomach churned uncomfortably. The statement was completely true, but still left a bitter taste in his mouth that could not be washed away by the bland taste of plomeek tea.

"Spock," Sarek lectured. "In the past three years you have rejected the offer of admission to the Vulcan Science Academy, and divorced T'Pring in favor of a life and female partner on Earth. Surely you can understand the assumption that you have abandoned our ways."

"The separation was T'Pring's choice," Spock replied, choosing to avoid the sensitive subject of rejecting the Vulcan Science Academy. "And despite appearances, I can assure you, I will not abandon Vulcan practices for my current partner, regardless of the consequences for our relationship."

Sarek raised his eyebrows and disappointment lurked at the back of Spock's mind. He pushed aside the pang of longing and regret and focused on the conversation with his father.

"What brings you to Earth?" Spock asked, hoping to change the subject. "I assume your visit is warranted by more than the minor details of my personal life?"

Sarek's vision narrowed, but he nodded.

"Yes, there's currently a debate regarding the Coridanites who are experiencing civil turmoil. I'm meeting with Ambassadors today to find a common standpoint on the matter. Some of them expressed interest in meeting you, actually. Are you in any way opposed to making their acquaintance?"

Spock glanced at the clock. Meeting with his father's colleagues would undoubtedly make him late for dinner with Nyota. Her last dinner before leaving for the summer. However, Spock knew there was no way for him to explain this to his father without directly contradicting all the assurances he had just given. It would be illogical to forgo the meeting for a dinner with Nyota. Nyota would be returning at the end of the summer. He would see her again. There were only emotional reasons to decline his father's offer in favor of an evening with his human partner.

"There is no logical reason for me to refuse your offer," Spock said evenly.

His father nodded and poured another cup of tea while Spock's eyes wandered over to the clock on the wall behind his father's head.

There was no logical reason to refuse. Yet, Spock found it difficult to ignore the quiet regret and growing unease for his decision, and the effect he knew it would have on Nyota.

Nyota stared at the clock. Spock was always on time. Always punctual, and almost always early. Yet the minute hand continued to tick away. It was currently almost eight and he had not come home. She would have worried, but she had received a message from him. It was short and succinct. Will be late. She sighed. How long exactly was she supposed to wait? Spock hadn't even told her to wait. He hadn't said if he would even be back at all tonight. She couldn't exactly wait around forever for him. It was getting to be a bit depressing, sitting around, waiting, staring at the tupperware full of plomeek leaves with no idea how to cook them.

Her PADD beeped and her heart leapt. Fumbling, she checked the message. It was from Gaila.

Last night in San Francisco means getting you so drunk you can't remember your own name. Where are you? Get your ass over to the bar.

Nyota tapped her fingernails idly against the screen, before hastily sending the response that she would be there in five minutes. She didn't need much convincing. Between Spock, courses, research, and office hours, Nyota had little to no time to go out. She figured this was long overdue. And if Spock couldn't find the time for her, she wasn't going to waste hers. She wasn't annoyed, per se. Nyota was mostly impatient with Spock. Everything he did around her showed that he valued her greatly. She just wished that he would finally reach that conclusion. Who knew what would happen to them at the end of next year? With such limited time, they didn't have the luxury of a simple, uncomplicated relationship. If only he could just trust her a little.

"Nyota!"

Gaila was waving her green arms frantically, a wide smile plastered on her face. It seemed most of their class was in the bar, celebrating the end of the year, meaning there were plenty of young males willing to buy the Orion drinks.

"Gaila," Nyota shouted over the thrum of the music. "How many have you had?"

"This many!" The Orion shouted gleefully, holding up seven fingers.

Nyota and the rest of the students at the table laughed appreciatively. A bartender placed another pitcher of beer on the table and Gaila poured herself and Nyota a drink.

"Cheers," Gaila said before emptying the glass.

Nyota laughed and finished off her first drink while Gaila cheered her on. Gaila immediately shoved another glass of beer into Nyota's hands and peered over the group of students.

"Karaoke. You and I are doing karaoke," Gaila said eagerly.

"Gaila," Nyota protested. "No, there are too many people here."

Gaila waived her hand in annoyance. "Finish your drink. I already put us on the list."

"What?"

"Oh, look," Gaila said clapping happily. "We're next!"

Nyota shook her head and finished her glass as Gaila grabbed her arm and dragged her on to the stage. Their class cheered and Nyota looked for a rock she could crawl under and die. Gaila was oblivious to her friend's misery and started singing along to a particularly horrible rendition of "Orion Love Slave". It was a true gem among countless normal songs that Gaila could've chosen. Their one saving grace was that almost everyone was too drunk to even realize what they were singing. Regardless, the experience drove Nyota to finish off as many drinks as it took to make the humiliation go away.

"Oh please," Gaila said with a wave of her hand. "It wasn't that horrible."

"Speak for yourself," Nyota muttered inaudibly.

"You're just pouting because you'd rather be with a certain Vul-"

"Gaila," Nyota said sharply.

"Yeah, yeah," she said in annoyance. "Where is he anyway? Too busy trying to pull the stick out of his ass?"

"Hell if I know," Nyota said stubbornly.

"Ouch. So he blew you off?"

"Something like that," she responded dryly.

"I think that warrants a drink," Gaila said as she pushed herself off her bar stool.

"Gaila, no, I'm fine, really!" She protested. But it was too late. Gaila had already disappeared into the crowd.

"Well, isn't this is familiar," a smooth voice said.

Nyota turned to stare into a pair of electric blue eyes.

"Kirk," she said dryly.

"Uhura," he responded good-naturedly. "Am I gonna get your first name this time?"

"No," she responded flatly.

"You know what? I think you like me a whole lot more than you let on," he said in a mock sagely voice.

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, you know, I've been writing Mrs. James Kirk all over my notebooks."

"That's what I'm talking about," he said wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "Hearts around my name, poems about me."

"Yes, it's so convenient how mauling rhymes with appalling," she said sarcastically while picking his arm off of her.

He laughed and turned to someone calling his name.

"You wait right there," he said with a wink before sauntering off.

"He's so gorgeous," Gaila sighed, setting the pitcher down.

"Yeah, if you like brain dead pretty boys," Nyota said digging in her pockets after hearing her PADD ring.

"Oh, trust me, I do," came the appreciative response. "Is that your boy calling?"

Nyota glanced at the caller ID. It was his number. With a laugh, Gaila snatched the phone away and answered it.

"Nyota's phone, Gaila speaking."

"Gaila!"

Gaila easily kept Nyota at an arms length while she chatted away to Spock.

"You know, you've driven her to drinking," Gaila said amiably. "You should really pay more attention to her. Especially when Cadet Kirk has his eye on her. Nyota herself said that he's quite the pretty boy, albeit a little brain dead-"

"Gaila!" Nyota grit out while reaching for the phone. "Give it!"

They grappled with it for a few moments before it escaped both of their grasps and landed in the pitcher of beer. The screen went dark and Nyota stared blankly as it swam at the bottom of the golden liquid.

"Oops." Gaila said succinctly.

Too drunk to really be upset, Nyota sighed and fished it out of the pitcher.

"Does it still work?" Gaila said innocently.

"Oddly enough, dropping an electronic device into a pitcher of beer causes it to cease functioning," Nyota said dryly.

"Well, that sucks."

"Indeed."

"At least you have other PADDs," Gaila said with a shrug.

Nyota sighed and nodded. "What did he say?"

"Oh, something about needing to talk."

Biting her lip, Nyota pushed herself away from the table, reasoning that he had probably finally gotten home.

"Does this mean I get the room to myself tonight?" Gaila said hopefully.

Nyota looked down at Gaila's puppy dog face and nodded with a sigh. Gaila clapped and turned to call over to Kirk while Nyota stumbled out of the bar and into the cool night air.

It took Nyota a bit of extra effort to key in the code to Spock's living quarters, but eventually she managed to get it open and she stumbled into the living room. Spock was in the kitchen making tea. He tiredly looked up at her.

"Hey there," Nyota said softly.

"Good evening, Nyota," he said evenly. "My apologies for being late. There were unforeseen circumstances."

"Care to share what they were?" she said tightly.

"My father was on Earth today," he said avoiding her gaze.

"You could've just told me," Nyota said with a frown. "I would've understood."

"I was uncertain of what your response would be, so it seemed simplest to avoid explaining the situation."

"Fair enough," Nyota said carefully.

There was a long, awkward silence and Nyota cleared her throat.

"Gaila said that you wanted to talk?" She asked gently.

Spock nodded. "As you know," he said evenly. "Next year will be your last…and I will shortly be assuming the role of First Commander of the U.S.S. Enterprise. It is due to be finished at the beginning of next term."

"What?" Nyota said incredulously. "Why didn't you tell me this?"

"I was not informed until this morning."

"Then you should've told me this morning! Spock, why would you keep this from me? I was under the assumption we had another year together…what, did you think I would expect you to-" She cut herself off and tried to reign in her temper. "We're not supposed to keep secrets from each other," she said finally.

"I do not know what I am 'supposed' to do." Spock said blandly. "This is my first experience in an intimate human relationship."

Nyota bit her lip and nodded. "Okay, so finish your thought. What's the point of telling me any of this?"

"You and I need to consider what our next step will be from here. Next year, I will not be a full-time lecturer. I will be leaving the Academy once the Enterprise is ready for duty."

"And?" Nyota asked, her voice raising an octave.

"And it is illogical for our relationship to continue."

Nyota stared into his deep, brown eyes and heard her blood rushing in her ears. The room felt hot and there was a ringing sound she couldn't seem to make go away.

"I don't understand," Nyota bit out. "Our relationship was never logical to begin with."

"Indeed. However, I did not foresee it becoming as serious as it currently is. This is the logical solution. You would be more suited for a fellow cadet your age, such as Cadet Kirk-"

"Don't you dare!" She said furiously. "Cadet Kirk is an idiot farm boy who can barely string two sentences together. The only one I want- the only one I've ever wanted- is you, Spock. It's always been you."

"I understand," he said calmly. "However, I can not provide for all of your emotional needs. It is not the Vulcan way."

"I don't need you to take care of me," Nyota said bitterly. "I'm a big girl, I can take care of my own irrational, illogical, emotional needs."

"We knew from the beginning that our relationship had an expiration date, Nyota."

She buried her face in her hands. "Spock," she said tiredly. "I get it, okay? You're not used to relationships or emotions, and you don't like them clouding your judgment. But I don't see anything incompatible with that and loving someone. You have emotions. You experience them. I know you do."

"What you say is true, but you and I have very different understandings of that experience," he murmured quietly.

She stared at him and saw emotions swimming in his eyes. Pain, regret, determination, love. Nyota closed her eyes and felt a tear escape beneath her lids and fall down her cheek. She knew there was nothing she could say to change his mind. To a degree, she knew he was right. At the start of next year, they would have mere weeks, a couple months at most, until the Enterprise was finished. It was the logical choice. And yet, it was so wrong. There was nothing logical about two people who loved each other – needed each other – separating.

"This is logical," Nyota choked out. Her eyes were still shut but he knew that he was nodding silently. "But that doesn't mean it's the right choice."

She opened her eyes and he was frowning quizzically.

"I do not understand," Spock said.

"That's the problem," she said sadly.

Quietly, she walked up to him and kissed him lightly on the lips. His eyes slid shut as pressed his forehead to hers and wrapped his arms around her. Silently, she took his hand and placed it at her temple.

"Please," she whispered longingly.

He was quiet for a long moment.

"Spock," she murmured quietly. "Please."

He shifted his fingers slightly and leaned down to kiss her as she opened herself to his mind's embrace.

Nyota stared numbly at the starship in front of her. Gaila rubbed her shoulders sympathetically.

"I'm sorry, babe," she sighed.

"No, I'm sorry," Nyota said. "I didn't mean to interrupt you and Cadet…what's his name again?"

"Don't really know," Gaila said absentmindedly. "I don't recall asking for it. And don't worry about it. Easy come, easy go. I'm more worried about you."

"I'll be fine," she said flatly.

"So convincing," Gaila responded sarcastically. "Go home, see your family, find a cute boy to make you forget about Spock."

Nyota closed her eyes and sighed, "That's not going to happen," she muttered.

"You don't know what's going to happen," Gaila explained gently. "You don't know what next year will bring. Who knows, there might be some sort of freak accident and the Enterprise needs another three years before taking off. Things like that happen all the time. There could be an emergency and we're all commissioned for duty. You don't know. So chin up, you haven't seen the last of Spock. Nothing is final."

"Except death."

"God, you're so depressing right now. And after my inspirational monologue, too."

Nyota smiled weakly. "Sorry, Gaila. I know you're right. Don't worry about me. I'll suffer through it."

"That's the spirit!" She said heartily, clapping Nyota on the back. "Now go get your butt on that starship back home."

Wearily, she huggled Gaila goodbye and got on the starship, leaving her friend standing wistfully in the hangar. As Gaila headed back to the waiting area, she paused next to a large supporting pillar, which Spock was discreetly leaning against.

"You're not going to say goodbye to her?"

"She and I have already exchanged goodbyes."

"Then it's not very logical, lurking about here in the shadows."

"I know," he said, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. "Nothing I do concerning Nyota is logical."

"Except dumping her," she said bitingly. "Do you regret it?"

He offered her no response. He simply stared longingly at the spot where Nyota had been standing.

A/N: Woo, so there we are in the double digits. Sorry if the plot twist came as a surprise/disappointment for you. Don't worry; they won't be apart for long. This just made the most sense to me given how the movie revealed their involvement. Let me know what you think, even if it's just to berate me for dragging my feet on updates.