A/N: Again, sorry for the delay... I've been having writer's block and motivational issues, LOL. But, I'm still here!
Chapter 11: Temper
Despite Sarek's opposition, the kitten, who turned out to be female, was soon named T'Lynn after a renowned Vulcan philosopher. He maintained that naming a cat after a highly-respected historical figure was undignified, and although he made no further remarks on the name Amanda had chosen, he refused to refer to the kitten as anything but "the feline" or "the creature you insist we keep."
It didn't take long for Amanda to fall into a routine with T'Lynn. She rose early in the mornings, even on weekdays before work, to mix softly-scrambled eggs and a special feline milk formula together for the kitten's meals. After her morning meal, T'Lynn roamed the halls and inspected every corner of the house -- often creating as much havoc as possible. It was not unusual to find broken vases, tattered curtains, or overturned potted plants where the kitten had last been.
Sarek seemed exceptionally annoyed with the cat -- especially when she managed to slip into their bedchamber at night and hid under the bed until they fell asleep. While Amanda thought it was adorable to wake up to find the kitten nestled between them, Sarek was not amused as he gathered her up by the scruff of her neck and deposited her outside the door.
Amanda was quickly discovering what it would be like to be a parent. When not at work, she fed and played with T'Lynn, took her to a veterinarian for vaccinations, cleaned out the litter box, cleaned up the messes she often made of valuable possessions... soon, the tiny kitten was taking up much of her free time -- and much of her patience. While she was very fond of T'Lynn, every time she turned a corner to find something broken, she was tempted to find Sarek and tell him he was right.
But she didn't -- either because of pride, or because T'Lynn made up for her behavior when she curled up on her lap while she worked. The kitten would purr contentedly as Amanda absentmindedly stroked her silky fur, PADDs spread out before her on the desk as she strove to complete her thesis. Something about having the warm weight on her lap was comforting, and no matter how annoyed she may be, she always felt her anger fade away.
One evening, Amanda looked in on Sarek's office, as she always did before going to bed. He usually kept the door closed to prevent T'Lynn from entering the room, but tonight it was wide open. When she stepped inside, she found herself looking at a sight she'd never thought she would see -- and even then, she was tempted to pinch herself to make sure it wasn't a dream.
T'Lynn, whom Sarek usually avoided as much as possible, was perched on his desk. Barely two feet away from him, she watched silently as he entered a series of glyphs into his PADD, neither acknowledging the presence of the feline nor shooing it away.
Fighting back a smile, Amanda folded her arms over her chest and leaned against the door frame. For all his insistence that he found the cat's presence unbearable, because of her troublesome nature, he didn't seem to mind the fact that she was sitting on his desk -- a fact he was undoubtedly aware of.
Several silent seconds passed, and she continued to watch the two of them. And then -- movement. Amanda watched with rising amusement and incredulity as she saw Sarek's hand rise -- and then gently stroke the top of T'Lynn's head.
She couldn't help it. She burst into laughter, making the kitten jump and tumble off the desk. Sarek looked up at her, a thread of surprise shining through their bond.
"So much for 'unbearable,'" she said after finally calming down, continuing to chuckle quietly as she stepped further into the room.
"She was creating no trouble," Sarek said, raising an eyebrow as if to add, "for now."
Still unable to wipe the smile off her face, she came around his desk and leaned against the edge.
"You're starting to like her," she teased.
"I neither like nor dislike her. It is her penchant for destruction that forces me to disallow her presence," Sarek responded. Then, changing the subject, "Do you require something?"
"I have good news," Amanda said as she sat on the edge of his desk, smiling smugly down at him.
"Good news?" he repeated.
"I finished my thesis," she said, eyes sparkling with excitement, "and I just sent it to my professor. Finally, after months of researching, writing, rewriting and editing...."
She sighed deeply, closing her eyes in bliss. When she opened them again, they fell on her husband.
"I'm actually going to have spare time again," she said thoughtfully.
"I am sure the feline will take up much of it," he said dryly, placing his PADDs in a desk drawer and standing.
"Not all." Amanda slid off the desk and smiled up at him. "I'll have time for you, too, so you won't get jealous."
Sarek exhaled rather forcefully, closing his eyes briefly as if asking for patience before looking at her again. "As I have told you numerous times, I do not 'get jealous.'"
Amanda slid her fingers over the dark fabric of his tunic, drawing him closer by pulling on his collar.
"Oh, really? You don't get jealous?" she asked teasingly, slowly running her hands over his chest. "So you haven't missed me when I neglected you for the past few months? You don't feel that even the cat gets more attention from me than you do?"
"The feline does require more attention than I do," he replied. "However, I never felt 'neglected.'"
Amanda pressed her lips together in an attempt to keep her smile at bay. She decided not to challenge this statement, refocusing on her reason for being there instead.
"Now that my schedule has been substantially cleared up, what do you propose we do?" she asked, voice low and suggestive.
"As it is a Tuesday evening, you generally go to bed early," he replied slowly.
"And generally, I go to bed alone," she added, eyes dancing with mischief as she looked up at him, "but not tonight."
"This is... unusual," he said as she slid her hands under his tunic. His hard abdominal muscles rippled under her touch as her fingers caressed the warm flesh, nails scraping gently.
"You know, Sarek," Amanda said evenly, "it's okay to break from routine every once in a while."
"I never said it was not."
She withdrew her hands from him and stepped back, her smile wicked as she looked up at him. "Are you coming to bed with me?" she asked.
"I can only assume this is a human ritual when one accomplishes a project," he said slowly, raising an eyebrow.
"It's called celebrating," she said with a smirk as she tugged on his hand, backing towards the door. "Aren't you relieved I'm finished, too?"
"I admit to experiencing a sense of relief," he said, "as your exceptional workload has disrupted our former routine, to which I was well-accustomed."
When he didn't follow her, Amanda stepped closer to him again and stood on her tiptoes, Sarek's cheek warm against hers as she whispered in his ear.
"And of course we can't have your routine disturbed," she murmured. "We'll just have to re-accustom ourselves."
Just as she started to pull away, Sarek turned his head and caught her lips in a kiss. She sighed against his mouth, every muscle in her body relaxing. Sliding her hands up his chest to cup his face, she deepened the kiss, his alien, coppery taste lingering on her tongue even after he pulled away.
"Tell me more about this... celebration," he said, the corners of his lips lifting slightly in one of the "smiles" he reserved for her.
"I'll be happy to -- in our bedchamber, Ambassador," she returned with a playful smile, stepping out of the warm circle of his arms and towards the door again. "Unless, of course, you'd rather write reports all night," she added with a mock-serious expression, her face schooled into an impression of an almost Vulcan-like mask. She'd perfected the look over the past year at banquets -- but the amused glint in her eye gave her away.
When he raised one black eyebrow and then walked past her to the door, she smiled to herself before following him.
Friday evening found Amanda waiting up late in the living room, sitting on the sofa with her legs stretched out before her and T'Lynn curled up on her lap, purring loudly. Despite several attempts to read the information on her PADD screen, Amanda's eyes were out of focus as she stared blankly at the text.
Four hours before, Sarek had informed her via the bond that he would not arrive home until close to midnight. She didn't normally stay up when he was so late -- but after the day's events, she'd decided to wait up for him.
For the past three days, she had enjoyed her newfound freedom. She'd found time to do things she hadn't been able to do in months; she visited friends after work, read a novel, watched a few holo-vids... she had been so absorbed in her thesis work for so long, she'd almost forgotten how peaceful boredom could be.
But then... that day after class....
She had been anxious all week as she waited for her anthropology professor's feedback. Sarek, who had read over her final draft for her, had pronounced her paper to be "adequate," which from him was high praise -- but what would her professor think? Would all of her hard work be rewarded with bad reviews? Had she wasted her time -- damaged her marriage -- for nothing?
She had hoped her professor would find the thesis interesting and well-informed, and had dreaded his telling her it was terrible. But what he had told her after class that day, had not been what she expected at all.
The distant hissing of pneumatic doors drew her from her contemplation, and she looked up as Sarek appeared in the doorway. He stopped short when he observed her on the sofa, his surprise evident only through their bond.
"You're finally home," she said, smiling as she set aside her PADD and gently removed the kitten from her legs.
Sarek continued to eye her curiously, not saying a word. The oddity of the fact that she was still awake had not escaped him, and his black gaze told her he knew she had a reason for waiting for him.
Amanda cleared her throat as she stood, smoothing the wrinkles out of her silk robe. The excitement that had filled her since her conversation with her professor made it difficult for her to contain the good news as she opened her mouth to speak.
"I spoke to Professor Sharma today after class," she said, barely suppressing her grin. "About my thesis."
"I see...." Sarek said slowly, one eyebrow rising as he continued to look at her inquisitively.
"He... well, he liked it," she said, wetting her lips before continuing. "He showed it to my other professors."
"I do not see where this is going," Sarek said bluntly. "As I approved of your final work myself, it is only logical that your professor approve of it as well."
"One of my professors is the editor of an anthropology journal that is published monthly," Amanda continued. "The next issue is due to be sent out next week, and she was so impressed by my work, she wants to fit it in last-minute."
There was a pause, during which Sarek stared at her and she met his gaze defiantly, even as she experienced a sinking feeling in her gut. She wasn't sure what she had expected from him -- but the lack of enthusiasm over the bond told her something was wrong.
When he next spoke, his voice was so quiet she had to strain to hear it.
"I was under the impression only a few professional academicians, who can be trusted, were to read this paper."
"I thought so, too," she said slowly, "but I was wrong. They want to publish it."
"Ah." Another pause, and then; "Amanda, I assisted you because you assured me the number of readers would be small." His voice was still quiet, but laced with danger.
"What's the difference, Sarek?" she asked, brow furrowed as her excitement faded away, replaced with dismay. "A few readers or a few hundred -- why does it matter? You looked it over yourself. There's nothing in there you disapprove of."
"As I was comfortable in the knowledge that few would read it, I allowed you to include certain facts I may not have otherwise. I am not comfortable with it being widely read."
"It's not like I talked about Pon Farr," Amanda said, folding her arms over her chest and frowning at him. "I don't think anything I included in the paper would be damning to you or any other Vulcan --"
"Amanda, I do not believe you should allow this to be published," he cut her off matter-of-factly.
"You said yourself that you approve of it!" she reminded him.
"I would rather you not take a chance," he said. "There are others -- namely the Council -- who might disapprove of this."
Amanda felt her anger rising. Her fists clenched, nails sinking into her palms as she sought to control her temper. But, remembering her promise to herself -- and to Sarek -- to keep herself in check, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Her voice was even and carefully controlled when she spoke again.
"You know how hard I worked on this," she said. "You know how many hours -- how many days, weeks, and months -- I spent on this thesis. It took up every spare second of my time. It drained me, physically and mentally. So why are you trying to stop me from taking advantage of such a great opportunity for my career -- the only chance I might ever get? Does my career mean so little to you?"
"On the contrary, I take great interest in your career, and support it within the reasonable bounds," Sarek replied calmly, "but while I approve of the quality of your work, I cannot approve its being read by those who are ignorant of my people's ways and may misinterpret. The Council already has an ill opinion of our marriage, and this certainly will not help."
And then, with the air of one sure the discussion was over, he abruptly turned to leave the living room. He paused in the doorway to add, "It is late. Perhaps we should retire," before reentering the entrance hall and ascending the staircase.
Amanda stared after him for a moment, but then her features hardened and she drew herself up as she picked up her PADD from the sofa and followed. Quickly climbing the steps, she caught up to him and moved to block his way, her face determined as she glared down at him.
"I'm not backing down this time, Sarek," she said firmly. "This time, I'm not going to apologize for doing something you disapprove of. This is my paper, and my career. You can't keep me from publishing it just because you're uncomfortable with it. This is important to me, and you know that. You know you don't really care what the Council thinks -- and it's not like they could place any blame on you, anyway. I'm willing to take full responsibility. All I want is a chance to have my own career."
Sarek looked up at her calculatingly for a moment, one eyebrow slowly creeping upward as he surveyed her stony countenance.
"Then by all means, publish the paper," he finally said, voice even, "but know that I will have no involvement with it."
"Then don't," she said with a shrug, although his lack of support both angered her and filled her with disappointment, "but it will be published. A copy has already been sent in to the journal."
"As you said, it is your work, and it appears you are set on this," Sarek returned coolly.
"Then we understand each other, and this discussion is over," she said calmly, turning to head up the stairs. "I'm going to bed."
Neither spoke as he followed her upstairs and they entered their chamber. Amanda had been excited at the prospect of being published -- had looked forward to sharing the news with her husband. His cold response had not been expected, and as she climbed into bed and turned away from him as he joined her, irritation simmered within her.
But this time she knew she was right. She wasn't going to let Sarek make her feel guilty for taking this opportunity. No matter how much he disliked it, this could be her only chance -- and she was taking it.
