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Happy Birthday

Spock was eating a light lunch when he received a call from his mother. "I'm sorry. I didn't wish to interrupt your meal."

He placed the cutlery on the desk. "It is of no consequence. The food cannot become cold."

"What are you having?" she asked curiously.

He gazed at his plate. "Rye bread with a specialty food a friend described to me as a mixture of butter, cream cheese, Camembert and different spices. She did not tell me the name, however."

Amanda considered the combination. "Interesting. Where is this friend from if you don't mind me asking?"

"South east Germany. This cheese mix is a Bavarian food and according to her, rye bread is a German's first association when hearing the word bread."

"What's her name?"

Spock frowned. Why was his mother so interested? "Tamara Pfaff, however, she goes by Tami as she does not find the way English native speakers pronounce her full name very agreeable."

"Tamara, huh? That's a Hebrew name. She Jewish?"

He shook his head. "Catholic, even though she calls herself agnostic."

"It's pretty. Did you know that a newer translation of it is 'life'?"

Spock raised an eyebrow. "Fascinating."

His mother smiled at him. "Who is this girl that made you wish to try the cuisine of her home region?"

He didn't really wish to reveal too much, but he couldn't lie, especially not to his mother. "She… is rather important to me."

"Is she your girlfriend?"

Spock nodded. "That is the appropriate term."

Amanda squealed. "Oh, Spock. I'm so happy for you. Tell me everything! What's she like?"

He hesitated. How much about Tami should he tell her? "She is considerate, intelligent, understanding, honest…"

She smiled. "You're smitten. I'd like to meet her."

"She is asleep. She has not been dreaming well. Her departure from her home was… rather unpleasant."

Amanda frowned with concern. "What happened?"

Spock looked away before refocusing on the screen. Then he told her about Tami's origin. His mother looked shocked. "How…?"

"We believe it has something to do with the protest she attended. The people there seemed very aggressive."

"Aggressive enough to beat a young woman to death?"

"If she has opposite political views, I would not exclude the possibility."

Amanda nodded gravely. "What are you doing today?" she changed the subject.

"I will finish my lunch and then I will attend a small birthday party thrown by Lieutenant Uhura for Tami to keep her mind off her friends and family back in 2017."

His mother smiled. "Well then. I won't keep you any longer. Give her my best wishes. Bye, Spock."

Spock nodded. "I will. Goodbye, Mother."

He met Uhura, Kirk and McCoy in front of Tami's door. Kirk was holding a small package, McCoy a bouquet of yellow and blue flowers and Uhura a cake covered in silver fondant and reading 'Ois Guade' with 23 lit candles on top.

"That's some cake," McCoy said appreciatively. "What's in it?"

Uhura winked. "You'll see, Doctor."

They rang the chime and were called inside by the birthday girl. Inside they found a beer bench covered by a lozenge-style white and blue table cloth. Sitting next to the piece of furniture was a small refrigerator with Tami's favorite beer.

Tami appeared, wearing Bavarian traditional dress, a low-cut short-sleeved white blouse under a light blue calf-length Dirndl with a dark blue apron, fastened with a bow over her right hip. She also wore an edelweiss necklace and her hair was braided.

Each of them shared a hug with her and gave her the gifts. "What did you bring, Spock?" asked Kirk.

"Nothing you can wrap in paper, Captain." he tapped his instrument case.

"Oh, a song. How sweet," Uhura cooed.

Tami blushed slightly. "Thanks for keeping me company today. You want coffee or tea with the cake? Tasse or Haferl?" At the last word she gave Spock a small smirk.

Kirk looked at her questionably. "A Tasse is a cup, a Haferl a mug," Spock translated.

So the humans opted for mugs of coffee, Spock for Vulcan tea he had left at Tami's quarters. It wasn't really her thing, but sometimes they would have some tea, chai tea with milk for Tami, together.

"Tell us about the outfit," McCoy prompted with a smile.

"This is a Dirndl," Tami explained. "They come in various colors and patterns. The blouse is usually white but can sometimes be black and can have different styles. The position of the bow indicates a woman's relationship status. Is it on the right, the woman is married or otherwise in a relationship, on the left it means she is single, at the front it traditionally means she is a virgin and at the back she is either a widow or the waitress."

Kirk and McCoy smirked at each other. "Good to know."

Tami managed to blow out all candles at once, earning her applause. The cake was filled with pistachio cream and strawberries. They chatted, had some beer and after a few hours, it was only the two of them left.

They cleaned up and then Spock led Tami to the bed where they sat down and he started playing a song for her on his lyre, quietly singing the Vulcan lyrics. She listened with awe. When he was finished she asked: "What was that song?"

"It is an ancient love song. Did you enjoy it?"

Tami hugged and kissed him, mindful of the instrument in his lap. Spock quickly put it back in its case before embracing her again. "Happy birthday, Tami," he whispered into her ear.

She sighed and rubbed his back. They kissed again and again, each kiss more passionate than the one before. She pulled him on top of her and gently ran her fingers over the shell of his ear, making him shiver. She smiled.

"I need to know if I am interpreting your actions correctly. Do you really wish to take this step?"

She placed a kiss on his cheek. "Yes."

They took their time and afterwards he held her close and rubbed her back, whispering reassuring words into her ear while she mourned her old life and finally let herself cry.

I know this is somewhat short, but I wished to write a birthday special and didn't have much time. Hope you enjoyed it anyway. I was wondering if I should write an M-rated version. Let me know your opinion.