Author's note: I don't know if Spock got married in some novel or so. I just assumed he never did. TNG, DS9, VOY and the movies never mentioned a marriage as far as I know.

Chapter 9: The undiscovered country

When the ceremony was over Ambassador Spock was seeing a young woman heading towards him. Nyota Uhura. He was not certain if she knew his identity. If she didn't, he certainly would not tell her.

"May I help you, Lieutenant?" he asked casually.

"I… Will he be alright?" Nyota asked hesitating.

"So, you know who I am", he stated.

"Yes... And no – neither my Spock nor the Captain told me." She answered a question before he could ask. "How could I not know? How could I not recognize you? I can put two and two together. After all, I…" She hesitated to finish that sentence.

The Ambassador nodded. "…love him."

"What were we like in your timeline?... Wait a sec." She met his eyes. "You're saying 'him'. Not 'me' or 'us'. Is this because of this alternative-reality-thing or… in your timeline... we were not…?"

Wordlessly he shook his head.

"I see."

"I would appreciate it if you would keep my identity a secret. Though I will not exactly hide myself it would complicate things."

"Because of your knowledge about future events?"

"Yes."

"I don't quite understand. With Vulcan gone and so many dead... everything will be different."

"True. And still… My knowledge could shift the balance of force in the galaxy. That can never happen." He sighed. "As I already said to Spock – there are things I must tell. But for the rest…"

Nyota nodded slowly. "So… if I may ask… a personal question. If we didn't get together…"

"Who else did I get together with? Or you? Well, I never got married. My duty always came first."

"You regret it."

He smiled inwardly about her asking the same thing as his younger self. "I do. And this is why I am thankful for you and Spock being together."

"If he'll really let me stay in his life. Or in other words, if he'll stay with me considering the latest events. He said so, but I'm… I'm afraid. I don't want him to have to choose between his people and me."

"Well, for starters, there are two of us. And I have already taken care of New Vulcan's future. And secondly, he would be a fool if he did not stay with you, Nyota… I know he will. He may yet not be certain how to balance his life with Vulcan gone and having little connection to the human way of living. But he will find his way. Very probably a better way than I did." He locked on to her questioning gaze. "In my past there were moments between… us – me and her – … but, well, I am glad this Spock is acting differently."

Nyota lowered her head. It was so odd to be standing in front of the older version of the man she was in love with. Standing in front of a man who – more or less – knew how the next 129 years would play out for the Federation.

"He will not leave Starfleet and he will not leave you."

They stood silently for some moments.

Nyota barely managed to get her emerging tears under control. "What will the Vulcan government think of this? Won't they think he's abandoning his people? I couldn't let that happen."

The Ambassador shook his head. "This is a choice we have in common. There can only be Starfleet. Starfleet is a constant in his live. As are you."

She remained silent.

"I imagine that there are rumors. Do not give into them. Currently we know of 14.685 survivors. This is not much, but it is not too little either. Evolution tells us that this is more than plenty to maintain our race. Besides, we have common ancestors with the Romulans." He hesitated. "In my time… I tried to accomplish a re-unification of our two peoples. I failed. But perhaps… As a particular Jim Kirk once cited Shakespeare: The undiscovered country. The future."

"Won't you try to find a way back into your time and reality?"

"I took my ship near the Romulan sun which was becoming a supernova to save our 'cousins' as well as the Alpha Quadrant. In doing so I knew that I would probably not come back. Ending up here was of course not planned or anticipated either… I'm very old, even died once. It would not be logical to put my remaining lifetime into the quest for a reality that only might be still out there. Therefore I shall follow this new life. As someone once said: There are no endings – just new beginnings. My reality does probably continue to exist. I will start a new life in this one. I am here now and I am needed by my people. I also feel responsible for the latest events…"

Nyota was stunned.

"Now, go. Certainly, Spock will be waiting for you."

"I hope we will meet again", she replied.

A slight smile flickered around his lips. "I am certain we will."

She nodded and left the gallery. While watching her go, Ambassador Spock remembered again the dinner with the Klingon Ambassador when the older James T. Kirk had cited Hamlet.

The undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveler returns… The future was the undiscovered country. For himself, too. Despite his knowledge, from now on nothing would be happening the same way. Once treaded, the same paths could truly not be taken twice. One had almost to wonder if Shakespeare knew of time travel.

He slightly smiled again and literally could hear Jim Kirk's voice saying something else. "We're not in Kansas anymore", Spock whispered to himself.