Polar Opposites

by ilovemedia18

A new member is added to the Enterprise and she brings not only her talent at her job but the talents of her race as well, at least half of her race. She finds friends in the crew and a brother in McCoy, but what she finds in Spock is something neither was prepared for. They will all be tested when evil strikes and when one is willing to sacrifice everything to save ones friends.

10. Two of a Kind

For the next few days I did nothing. I was bored. I wasn't allowed to work in engineering or Sick Bay because I couldn't speak. I did manage to talk Leo into allowing me to spar with Spock and Sulu. It was far more fun to spar with Spock when we were alone.

'Spock, you move much faster than I ever anticipated.' He had me pinned, again, for the fifth time. He gave me a small smile,

'Your speed and strength has improved over the last few days. You have been pinned far fewer times.'

'You're just being nice.'

'I am a Vulcan, nice is not something we portray.'

'You are also half human. Nice is something humans are prone to. Besides, I think you enjoy pinning me.' A small smile crossed his face,

'I do not find it a displeasing position.' I smiled at him and leaned up a bit and pressed my lips against his. He kissed me back, it was slow and gentle as always and I smiled into the kiss. 'I believe you… enjoy this position as well.' I pulled away and another smile crossed his face,

'Maybe.' There was a chime and Spock let me up and pulled me up. He grabbed his communicator,

"Spock here."

"Spock, Admiral Pike's ship will be here in ten minutes. I suggest you and Amaya get cleaned up before he gets here. Kirk out." I shook my head with a smile,

'He always seems to know.'

'I believe he uses the ships technology to… spy on us.' We headed to my quarters,

'Well, he's probably wondering if we're a couple yet. Human's have the tendency to let their curiosity get the better of them when it comes to other's relationships.' He gave me a small smile as we arrived at my quarters.

'I shall be back to collect you before Pike arrives.' He took hold of my hand and kissed my knuckles before departing. I quickly showered and changed into a red shirt, black pants, and boots. I brushed my hair out and let it fall down my back. I thought about it for a moment before pulling out the hairpin Nyota had given me. I pinned part of my hair back like she showed me. My door chimed letting me know that Spock was ready for me.

'Enter.' He did and I saw a small smile appear on his face,

'Are you ready?'

'I am. Shall we go greet the Admiral?' He ran the back of his hand against my cheek and up to my hair,

'Your hair looks… very appealing this way.' I smiled at him,

'I thought you might like it this way.' He ran his thumb across my cheek before placing a small kiss on my lips. There was another chime signaling a call,

"Commander Spock, Lieutenant O'Callaghan please report to the transporter room." I smiled before kissing him again.

'I think we might be late.' He gave me another small smile and kissed me once more,

'I believe you are correct.' We left my quarters and made our way to the transporter room. When we got there Jim, Leo, Scotty, and Pike were all waiting for us. Jim smirked at us,

"It's nice of you two to join us." I gave him a scowl and he chuckled. I turned to Pike,

"Hello Amaya." He held out his arms and I walked into them. He gave me a tight hug before pulling away, "Doctor McCoy, Captain Kirk, and Engineer Scott here were telling me about all that had happened since I last saw you. I'm here to not only see you but to question Margoth as well. Then I'll scatter his atoms into deep space." I took hold of his hands,

'I'm fine Pike, really I am.'

'Amaya, you've lost the use of your voice. You're not alright. I've dealt with Margoth before. I'll get answers out of him. See what he knows about what happened to your father and if anybody else is coming after you.'

'Alright, just make sure that you don't take Spock with you to interrogation.' He smiled at me,

'That is another topic we need to discuss.' I rolled my eyes as he moved toward Jim and clapped a hand on his shoulder, "Let's go talk to Margoth." Spock took a step forward,

"Admiral I request to accompany you in the interrogation?" Jim and Pike smirked at each other,

"No Spock, I think not. Not this time at least." The two left and Leo chuckled,

"Alright darlin' let's take another look at your throat." We walked to Sick Bay together with Spock in tow. I sat down on a biobed and Leo went to work. He pulled the bandage back and gently touched the tender flesh. "Well, it doesn't look as angry. The wounds are starting to scab over." He ran his tricorder over me, "Your vocal chords are healing nicely. I think you're ready to start your vocal lessons." I smiled at him and grabbed his hand,

'Can I start today?' He chuckled,

"I think you could start today. However, you need to take it slow. Start out small. You should stick to humming for a few days. Get your vocal chords use to being used again. It'll hurt a bit but that's to be expected. If it starts to hurt too much I want you to come see me right away. And if you don't fess up to it, why, I'll just ask Spock." I scowled at him and he laughed, "You've picked up that scowl from me. Now I'm gonna put a new bandage on this and give you a hypo to prevent infection." He quickly bandaged my neck before administering the hypo. When he was through Spock and I left.

'I assume you wish to start practicing now?' I grinned,

'Yes, I'd like to start now if you have the time.' We stopped at his quarters and went in. It wasn't my first time in his quarters but I still found it to be a slight shock to my body whenever I entered. His room was so warm. Most humans can't stand the heat that comes off of Vulcan. I actually enjoyed the heat. It was… inviting. We sat down on the sofa in his room and began my vocal lessons. Spock took hold of my hand and placed the other on my throat.

'Try humming. Slowly.' At first my voice felt rough and scratchy but after a few minutes it mellowed out a bit. I was only able to hum for a few minutes before it hurt too much. Over the next fifteen minutes I would hum for a while then rest. It was after another fifteen minutes that Spock stopped me, 'I believe that will suffice for now. Tomorrow we shall try again.' I nodded,

'Alright, I'm just glad that I got to use it for a while. Even if it is only humming.'

'I must speak with the Admiral and the Captain. Do not try to use your voice, you may strain it.'

'Alright, I won't use it. I think I'll go see Nyota or Scotty.' He nodded his head before taking my hand and kissing my knuckles then leaving. I smiled a bit, Spock nor I have told anyone about our relationship. It was suspected but never confirmed. I hadn't even told Nyota, though she had already figured it out herself. I decided to go see Scotty and Keenser. I went to the turbo lift and went down to engineering. When the lift stopped I rushed out and looked for Keenser or Scotty. Eventually I found Scotty who had his back turned to me. I grinned and quietly snuck up behind him then I placed my hands over his eyes,

"Hmm, let me see. Who could it be? Small hands so most likely a woman? Now what woman would be down 'ere in the depths of the ship." He took hold of my hands and pulled them away before turning around. He grinned, "Amaya, my bonny lass!" He pulled me into a hug and laughed, "I've missed havin' ya down here. Keenser can only provide so much company." I took hold on his hand,

'Where is Keenser, Scotty? I haven't gotten to see him in a while.' He chuckled,

"I'll get him for ya'. Oi! Keenser, get down from wherever ya are! Amaya's here to see us!" And a few minutes later Keenser came crawling down one of the main frames. I smiled at him as he came up to me and hugged me. He grabbed my hand,

'It's good to see you. It's been boring around here without you.'

'Glad to know I amuse you.'

'When will you be back?'

'Soon I hope.'

'Well, it's still good to see you.'

'And you.' Keenser let go and climbed back up the main frame. I looked at Scotty who simply grinned at me,

"You lot are a funny pair. Now tell me, how's things between you and Mr. Pointy ears?" I grabbed his hand,

'And what do you mean by that exactly?'

"I mean, are ya gonna admit you're together or not?"

'What makes ya think we're together?'

"Oh nothin', just the way two act when ya think no one's lookin'. Don't think I don't see it, and I'm not alone in sayin' this either."

'Really? Who else Scotty?'

"Oh, ya know, no one specifically."

'Liar.' He laughed,

"Alright, alright. It may have been another lass." I raised an eyebrow at him,

'And just, ah, who might this lass be?' He blushed at this,

"Oh, ah, no one. No one special." I smirked at him,

'I will find out Scotty.' He laughed a bit and rubbed the back of his neck,

"I'm sure ya will lassie. I'm sure ya will." I left engineering and found that I was bored… again. I was annoyed with the fact that I was useless. I ended up wandering back to my quarters and just lying on my bed. There was nothing for me to do, nothing at all. I reached over to my nightstand and pulled out my PADD. I began to flip through some of the old pictures I had saved on it. Most were of my home back in Ireland, My life in America, and Starfleet. There were only a few of actual people. There were a few of Thritha and a sad smile crossed my face. There was one of my mother, father, and I when I was very young. And the last one was of me and The Bloody Irish. There had been many more photos of us taken but this was the only one I kept. It was of me and five other members. Triskro the half human half Orion, his skin was a pale green and his hair a light purple. He was very spirited and tended to go into things he shouldn't. Jarek the Hupyrian. He was a tall humanoid, white-skinned, his face was very wrinkled. He was mute most of the time and rarely spoke but he was very loyal and devoted the gang. Kathliana the Suliban. She was a humanoid with mottled, greenish-tinted skin. She was a hard and unfeeling woman. She was deadly when it came to fighting. Maria the changeling. She was a humanoid with no sense of smell. She could morph into whoever she came across. She favored the Romulan look. She was very useful when it came to inside jobs. She took her job serious and yet found ways to be very light and cheerful outside of the gang. Leon the Ziblian. He was a humanoid but looked exactly like a human except the painting on the side of the face. It was a unique design and very well known custom to his people. He was my closet friend out of the six of us. We protected one another. We watched each others backs. He saved my life once. I sighed as I stared at the photo. What a ragtag group of kids we were. I ran a hand over my face before turning off the PADD. There were times when I wondered what happened to them. If they stayed with The Bloody Irish, if they were killed, did they get out? That was another time. A life time ago actually. There door chimed and I got up to press the button to open the door. Chekov and Sulu stood there with smiles and a wild plant. I grinned at them and stepped back, motioning for them to come in. They did and Sulu handed me the plant,

"Chekov and I were going through my collection of plants from other planets and we came across this one." It was a blue stemmed plant with a purple flower. It had a reddish tint to the inside of the petals. It was exotic and beautiful. Checkov grinned,

"It's from Betazed. We thought it might be nice for you to have something from your mother's home planet." I sat the plant down and took hold of both of their hands,

'It's beautiful! I love it. You two are so sweet. Thank you.' I kissed each of them on the cheek and Chekov blushed a bit.

"I send you some instructions on how to take care of it if you like."

'Yes Sulu, I'd appreciate that very much.' He smiled at me.

"Oh! And the Captain and Admiral Pike wanted me to tell you that they would like you, Mr. Spock, and Doctor McCoy to join them for dinner in the Captain's conference room."

'Thank you Chekov. I'll let Mr. Spock and Doctor McCoy know.' Sulu's communicator beeped and looked at it with a sigh,

"Chekov and I are needed back on the bridge. We'll see you later Amaya."

'Bye Sulu, Chekov. And thanks again for the flower.' After they left I picked up the plant again and sat it on my nightstand. It was very pretty and I liked it very much. I sent a message to Leo and Spock letting them know about our dinner plans. Then I went back to my plant. It kept me busy for a while reading up on it and other plants and animals on Betazed. I was so occupied with it that I was almost late for dinner. I showed up just as Leo did and we went in together. Spock, Jim, and Pike were already there talking over something that apparently they didn't want us, or most likely me, to hear, because they stopped as soon as we entered,

"Amaya, McCoy. Now that you both are here, let's eat. I sat across from Spock because Pike and Jim were on either side of him. His eyes told me he wasn't thrilled with the arrangement. Conversation carried on normally throughout most of the meal and I was left to wonder what exactly we were here to discuss.

'You seem very distant.' He raised an eyebrow at me,

'I am merely trying to process the conversation I had with the Captain and Admiral Pike earlier today.'

'What was it about?'

'I think part of it is what we are here to discuss.'

'And the other part?' He hesitated for a moment,

'The Admiral said something very… peculiar to me. His exact words were, 'Take care of her, I don't want any harm to come to her. And I don't mean the ship.' Could you explain?' I smiled at him and shook my head a little,

'He was referring to me Spock. He knows you will but he wants to… install that in you.'

'Then why did he not simply refer to you?'

'Because he's human, and doesn't realize that at times you must explain things in specific detail.'

"Hey! No mind talking you two!" Our heads snapped to Jim who was smirking at us while Pike and Leo were snickering. I turned to Spock and raised an eyebrow at him,

"Oh God she's beginning to act like the hobgoblin!" I smacked Leo's arm before taking hold of his hand,

'Hey, I can't speak so I have to "mind talk" as Jim put it, and Spock is the only one I don't have to touch to do so. Making it far easier to talk to him and let him be my voice. So shut up Leo.' He let out a laugh before turning to Jim,

"She has a point Jim, she can't talk and Spock is the only one who can communicate with her without having to touch." He still had that smirk on his face as he stretched and put his arms behind his head,

"Maybe, but it's still impolite to have a conversation no one else can hear. I mean what if you were talking about me right in front of me without me even knowing it?" I looked at Spock and smirked,

'He wishes we talked about him.' The corners of his mouth turned up just a bit but the others noticed,

"You're doing it again!" Pike and Leo laughed as I simply shook my head and smiled. Jim chuckled, "Well at least it's Spock and not Scotty or Bones here. Either one would rot your brain out." Leo scoffed at him,

"And what about you Jim? I think you'd not only rot her mind but probably make her lose her sanity as well." Jim put on a face of mock hurt,

"Why, Bones, I…I never knew you thought of me as-as the kind of person who could corrupt such a lovely girl like Amaya here." When he said that, three things happened. Pike laughed so hard he was crying, Leo rolled his eyes and slapped him upside the head, and Spock's aura became very tense.

'Easy Spock, he's just joking. He doesn't mean any offense by it.' I sent him a slow and steady stream of calm and warm vibes to try and soothe over the anger that I knew was bubbling up in him,

'That does no permit him to say such things.' Vulcan's were known to the public to be without emotion. What they failed to comprehend, however, was that Vulcan's felt deeply. They were very passionate creatures and had to control it or it would consume them. Protectiveness of one's mate was one thing that could draw that passion out of even the most controlled Vulcan if provoked enough. And Jim was treading that line.

"Please Jim, don't compare Amaya to the girls you used to bring home. She's no where close to them in comparison." Spock began to cool down at Leo's words and I was thankful for that. Jim and Spock were friends though neither would willingly admit that yet, and Jim didn't need to mess that up now. "You've corrupted many girls Jim, but Amaya will never be one of them." Jim laughed,

"No, no I know that. Believe me I knew I didn't have a shot with her. She was smart, and the smart ones don't come way." He chuckled, "But, Spock on the other hand…" The three men looked at Spock who looked right back at Jim with that expressionless look, "He has a much better shot than I do." The tension was a bit thick but thankfully no one lost their cool. Admiral Pike, sensing the tension, intervened,

"Well, I guess it's time we got down to business. To the real reason why we're here tonight. Amaya," He turned to me and folded his hands in front of him, "Jim and I interrogated Margoth, and we got some information from him. He willingly gave it to us though which makes me even more concerned. Apparently, there's a bounty on your head." I looked at Spock,

'Who placed the bounty?'

"She wishes to know who placed the bounty."

"That's just it. We don't know. Margoth said it was sent to him and to others. He doesn't know how many though. He never met the contractor. It just had a drop off place."

'How much?' Spock conveyed my question and Pike sighed,

"More than the Federation pays for a yearly shipment of Dylithium crystals." That was a large price. One that people would risk everything including their lives for.

'Dead or alive.' Spock stared at me,

'Amaya-'

'Ask him Spock, we need to know. You know we do.' He hesitated before nodding and relaying my question,

"Either one. And I'm guessing that if its people like Margoth want revenge on your father, that they'd want you dead." Jim spoke up,

"We're not taking on any new crewmembers until that bounty is gone. We're also not taking that tracker out of you either. I won't post a guard on you… yet. But there will be security in on every floor for the time being. And you're not going on any landing party."

'Spock, please tell him not to. At least not allowing me to go on away missions.'

'Amaya, it's too dangerous. I agree with the Captain.' I grabbed Leo's hand,

'Tell him I want to go on away missions. Please.'

'No, Amaya, it's safer for you on the ship.' I let go and threw my hands up before getting up and going over to Jim. I grabbed his hand and made him look at me,

'I'll agree with everything you've said but please let me go on away missions. What if it takes us months or years to figure out who put the bounty on my head but please let me go on away missions. I can't stay on this ship forever!' He sighed,

"Amaya, it's for your own protection."

'I can protect myself! I've gotten better at defense. Ask Spock and Sulu! Please. I'm not meant to be caged up for long periods of time. I need to breathe every now and then. You love the Enterprise, and so do I. But there are times when we need to be on solid land, breathing real air and smelling the soil and the grass. Please… don't take that away from me.' He sighed and ran a hand over his face,

"Alright, I'll make a deal with you. You're not allowed off the ship until your vocal chords are completely healed. That should take what four to five months? When Bones clears you I'll allow you to go on some of the away missions. But you're not allowed to rush the healing process either. And Sulu and Spock will train you, help refine those street fighting skills." I grinned,

'Deal.'

"Jim you can't be serious. She could get killed out there if a bounty hunter is waiting for her on one of the planets."

"I concur with Doctor McCoy. We do not need to put her in harms way when there is-"

"Spock, Bones we can't just keep her here on the ship. And besides, would we really do this for anyone else or is Amaya special?" Both men fell silent, "That's what I thought. She's special to us because she's part of our little family. And we want to try and protect her from those that would harm her. Now yes I believe in protecting her, but I also believe in letting her do her job. Admiral?" All eyes were on Pike as he gave a small smile,

"Boys, Kirk's right. You can protect her but you also need to let her live her life and do her job." Spock looked at me and I could see the emotion in his eyes,

'I do not wish to see you harmed again. Amaya… please.'

'Spock, I don't like causing you pain like this, but I have to do this. I can't just put my life on hold because somebody wants me dead. Spock, remember you can't always protect me. But you can teach me to protect myself like you can.' There was still pain in his eyes but there was understanding as well,

"Very well." His voice was but a whisper and yet it echoed in the silent room,

"Spock you can't be serious! This is Amaya! I won't let her put herself in harms way! She's like my sister! And I would never put my sister in harms way! And you!" He pointed at Spock, "You love her! How can you let the woman you love put herself in a position where she could get herself killed!" Spock took a deep breathe before replying very calmly,

"Because she will not be alone. As the Captain pointed out earlier she may call out to me whenever she wishes. I will train her in all of the defensive and offensive training I possess." He looked at me, "But I must trust that she is strong enough to protect herself." I smiled at him,

'Thank you.' Leo slumped in his seat and mumbled something about pointy eared and green blooded hobgoblin,

"I don't like it, but I don't have a choice do I?" Pike chuckled a bit,

"Not with Amaya you don't." And so it was set. We got down to the finer details of things before deciding to call it a day. Spock and I were getting ready to head out when Pike stopped us. Jim and Leo left leaving Pike, Spock, and I alone. He looked at me then at Spock. "So about what McCoy said…" He looked at Spock then to me, but when neither one of us finished his thought he continued, "about you loving her. Care to… elaborate on that?" I looked at Spock,

'Shall we get it over with?' He nodded his head before turning back to Pike,

"If you are inquiring as to whether or not we are together then the answer is yes. We are." Pike had a stern sort of look on his face. Like when a father meets his daughter's boyfriend for the first time.

"And, ah, how long has this been going on?"

"That depends, sir." A frown crossed his face,

"What do you mean 'That depends'?" Spock looked toward me silently asking if it's alright to continue. I nodded,

"What I mean is that Amaya and I are not simply together. We are bonded." That was when Pike's stoic look dropped. His jaw dropped and his eyes widened. Clearly this was the last thing he expected,

"Come again?" Spock looked him straight in the eye as though he were speaking to his own father. His father. Oh no, that was a whole other issue we had to deal with.

"Amaya and I have bonded to one another. Our minds are connected." Pike stared at him,

"Basically what you're telling me is that you're already engaged to my Goddaughter. Do I understand this correctly?"

"In a sense yes, but as you know it is far more complex than that."

"Well you better simplify it. And fast."

"When we decide to meld our minds we will be what you humans would consider married. We will be parted from each other but never parted, never and always touching and touched. Vulcan's create a much deeper bond with their mate as the year's progress. Amaya and I have created such a bond in merely a matter of months." Pike ran a hand across his face,

"This is almost as bad as having you tell me she's pregnant." Spock raised an eyebrow at him and fear crossed Pike's face, "You're not pregnant are you?" I grinned and shook my head no. I took hold of his hand,

'No, now relax. Go easy on Spock. He's a good man and you know it.'

'But bonded?'

'What were you expecting?"

'Courting! Dating! Whatever you want to call it. I just didn't expect you to get engaged. You've only known him for a few months, and you're only eighteen.'

'Well in a way we did "date" as the bond was being created. Yes I know I'm eighteen, I'll be nineteen in two months, and you know that age has nothing to do with this. You know Vulcan's are deeply passionate beings. Bonding's not something that's taken lightly. Yes we sort of stumbled into the bond but we both knew there was a risk to it and we both didn't really care. He cares for me. And I care about him.' Pike looked at his feet and I took my free hand and lifted his chin, 'I care about you too. And I'd like your approval on this.' He smiled at me,

'How could I say no to you? Besides, you're right Spock is a good man. And I know he'll take good care of you.' He pulled me into a hug and kissed my forehead before turning to Spock, clapping him on the shoulder, "Well Spock, I'm must admit I hadn't seen this coming, but I'm glad that it's you. Take good care of her and love her. She's a beautiful young woman." Spock stared me straight in the eye,

"Indeed, she is very beautiful." I was blushing. I knew I was because my face grew hot. Pike laughed,

"Well, I think I'll retire for the night. I'll see you both in the morning." With that he left leaving Spock and I alone in the room. I ducked my head to hide my blush but Spock closed the space between us and lifted my chin so my eyes met his,

'Why do you hide your face from me?'

'You called me beautiful.'

'Indeed I did, but why hide your face?'

'No one has ever called me that before. I do not think myself to be beautiful like you believe I am.' He placed his forehead against mine and took hold of both of my hands while closing our eyes,

'But you are. You have what my mother would call "a good heart" and that makes you beautiful. Your smile is beautiful. Your hair is beautiful. Your eyes are beautiful.'

'Most are scared of my eyes.'

'They are beautiful. Do you know why?'

'No.'

'Because they remind me of the night sky. They are dark and there is a vastness to them that I find myself getting lost in. Everything about you is beautiful to me.' I felt my heart melting. He was being so human with me. He was allowing himself to feel. And he was feeling… for me.

'Spock, I… I don't know what to say. I'm at a loss for words. You continue to amaze me and show me the kind of love that no one has ever showed me before.' He let go of one of my hands and I felt him run it through my hair,

'It's easier to be human around you. Just as you make it easy to be Vulcan. With you the constant war inside of me between human and Vulcan seems to calm and I can breathe.'

'Just as you make it easy for me to be both human and Betazoid. We are two of a kind you and I.' He gently kissed me and I kissed him back. I've come to realize it's possible to love with such passion and be loved in return with an equal passion. This was something new to me, and I enjoyed it.