Disclaimer: See Chapter 1. As promised, Solok's POV.

I slowly drifted back to consciousness, and as I became aware of my surroundings, I was acutely aware of soft lips pressed to my forehead. As I continued to examine myself, I thought for a moment that I was free.

But no, it was still there, raging in my gut, and her soft lips and cool breath on my skin made it roar to life. It was unsatisfied, stronger than yesterday, hungrier than yesterday.

Yes, my gut moaned as she stroked my hair back from my forehead. Yes, please. My insides trembled, shivered in delight at the feel of her hand in my hair.

I quickly steadied my breathing, which had threatened to become uneven and ragged, then squeezed my eyes shut tighter before opening them.

Tia smiled wearily down at me. "You have a concussion and a fever. I think I've stopped the bleeding, but your fever won't go away."

"Mm," I murmured back, my voice no more than a croak. "Thank you for your medical attention, Ms. Valentin. But I must ask...why did you kiss my forehead?"

"For humans, the lips are one of the most sensitive parts of our bodies, more so than the back of the hand," she explained evenly. "I needed to see if your fever was going down, which it didn't...do you know what's wrong with you?"

I stared at her for a while and considered my options before answering. "Yes, and rest assured it is not contagious. Not to humans, anyway."

She nodded. "I hope you get to feeling better."

I bowed my head in reply. "As do I. You do not need to worry about me, Ms. Valentin. We have nothing to do but wait until we are rescued. If you don't mind, I would like to meditate for a while."

She nodded and moved to the other side of the passageway. "You won't even know I'm here."

I highly doubt that, I thought to myself as I folded my hands. I pressed my raised forefingers to my forehead and closed my eyes, trying to block the world out. But no matter how hard I tried, I could not focus my mind on any mantra. My thoughts dwelt on her,on how many steps it would take to reach her, on the exact amount of strength it would take to rip the clothes from her body. Ever since she had visited me in my quarters yesterday, I had been acutely aware of the distance between us. Last night's trek had been almost unbearable, with her arm draped around my neck and her ragged breathing in my ear. And carrying her up the mountain...her arms wrapped around me tight, her legs around my waist...I was loathe to let her go, but exhaustion from blood loss and my...condition had won out. But it was better that way, else I might have forgotten myself and made love to her then and there.

I opened my eyes when I heard her move, and I saw that she was kneeling in front of me, a torn piece of uniform in her hand.

"Your wound...its bleeding again."

I had been so focused on her and on not thinking of her that I hadn't even felt the slow trickle of blood down my forehead. She made to press the cloth to the wound, but my hand shot out and grabbed her wrist before she could blink. Her eyes found mine, and it tore at me inside to see the pain held in those warm, brown orbs. I slowly took the cloth from her and released her wrist, then tended to the wound myself. She quickly retreated to her place on the other side of the passageway.

She left me alone until night returned to the cave. I heard her shivering and opened my eyes again, and I hardly felt the sudden chill. But she was faring much worse than I, and when our eyes met, I opened my arms, inviting her to be warmed by what plagued me. The fever would keep her warm, at least. I resolved to be stronger than my carnal instincts as she gratefully moved toward me, but I found how difficult that would be as she nestled her nose into the crook of my neck. I wrapped my arms around her and leaned back against the hard rock. She adjusted herself as I leaned back, moving her head to rest on my chest, yet her cool breath did not ease the fever. It intensified it, and I threw myself back into my mantras.

The night passed slowly, and for the first time, I considered telling her about my condition, making her see how she had changed me. I hadn't missed the way she stared at me all those months, hadn't missed the prickle on my skin as her eyes examined me. I was sure she found me attractive, and the uncertainty in her eyes surely meant she was trying to determine my feelings toward her. Would it be so hopeless to tell her how I felt?

Ideas sprung to mind, crawled forth from the beastly voice that urged me to give in to the carnal pleasures of the pon farr. I obeyed the only harmless suggestion: I leaned forward and smelled her hair. Immediately, I closed my eyes, filing the smell away before it overwhelmed me. If she rejected me...she smelled of warm stone and some other scent I couldn't identify, but either way...it intoxicated me. It thrilled me, tantalized my senses, and I dug my fingernails into my thighs to stop my hands from ripping the clothes off her shivering body.

I moaned. The desire, the need I had for her grew with every passing second. Every hour that passed held a lifetime of torture, and it was driving me insane.

When the dawn crept back into the cave, she stirred, frowning at my chest until she remembered what had happened. She looked up at me, and her brown eyes seemed to pierce my skin.

"Good morning," I murmured.

"Morning," she mumbled, frowning at me. It was only then that I realized one of my hands had sneaked under her shirt and was resting on the small of her back, and the other was entwined in her hair. I hastily removed both and put my hands at my sides where they belonged.

"Forgive me, I...I do not recall how...forgive me."

She lightly pushed herself away from my chest until she was kneeling in front of me.

"Solok...what's wrong?"

I shook my head at her. "I cannot explain, Tia. No Vulcan could. It is...private."

She snorted. "I would really like to know why I woke up in your arms with your hands in places they shouldn't be."

"Tia, please, I told you, I cannot explain." My voice had risen to the edge of what was acceptable for a Vulcan.

"Why not?"

"If you understood what was going on, you would not dare question me about this!"

"Well, I don't understand. Why don't you enlighten me?" Her voice was more even than mine, and it ashamed me.

"Tia," I said softly. "For the sake of our friendship, please...do not question me further."

She stayed silent, and it seemed like she had dropped the subject for now. But eventually, she would have to know. I would have to confess my deepest secrets, my base desires...

"If you don't want to talk about it, I won't press you. But...just tell me if you need my help, ok?"

I managed a small smile. "I will do that."

She smiled back. "Did you sleep at all last night?"

I shook my head, and she frowned. "Ok...why don't you get some rest now and I'll take watch?"

I leaned further into the rock. "I will try. Thank you, Tia...I will...I will tell you about this...condition when the time is right."

Her gaze brightened ever so slightly. "Whenever you're ready. I'm here for you, you know that?"

Another small smile twitched my lips upward. "I do."

I closed my eyes, acutely aware that she had taken a seat beside me. Her hand brushed the hair off my forehead, presumably to check my wound; I did not stop her this time. Then after a moment, she tousled my hair playfully and removed her hand.

"Sleep well," she murmured, settling down. An hour passed in silence, and yet sleep was far from me. Her arm rested a mere two inches from mine, but I would not unfold my hands and invite myself to touch her. Not yet.

Finally, I could bear it no longer.

"Tia," I croaked. She looked at me, and I turned to her and unfolded my hands.

"What I am about to tell you must remain private," I began. "You saved my life, and...it is best that you know..."

She nodded and fully faced me, crossing her legs and giving me her undivided attention.

"Every seven years...mature Vulcans experience...a time of...illogic. The nuerochemistry in our brains becomes unbalanced, and if it is not corrected, it can be deadly."

The color nearly drained from her face. "Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"

I held up my hand, and she fell silent. "Please, let me finish...this imbalance is corrected by returning home and...taking a mate."

She frowned. "I don't understand."

I sighed. "This is the last remnant of our ancestry, the ancient drive to mate. It has plagued us, and we are, in truth, ashamed of this. It is a weakness in our race that we have had to deal with for thousands of years. The only cure is to take a mate, to engage in ritual combat, to experience extreme shock, or to meditate until the madness has passed."

"So you're saying that unless you..."

"Unless we copulate or choose another option, we will go insane and die."

She gasped. "I can see why you keep this private."

I nodded. "It is a time when our emotions are beyond our control. I believe I have already explained the implications to you."

She stayed silent for a while, and I could already feel her building walls against me.

"So how are you going to fix this?"

I bowed my head; why didn't she understand the heart of what I was trying to say? "Tia...perhaps now would be as good a time as any...I would like to declare koon-ut so'lik, my desire to become your mate."

She frowned. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Another sigh escaped my lips. "The best human equivalent is a marriage proposal. I only ask that if you will not accept me, return to the shuttle, hide yourself from me lest I do something...unworthy of a Starfleet captain."

I bowed my head and waited for her to decide my doom. "Solok?" she murmured. I looked up at her after gathering my strength. Her eyes were shining with tears, and her soft lips were open as she gasped in air.

"You mean that?" she whispered. I nodded.

"I have come to admire you in a way that goes beyond friendship. When you came aboard my ship, I did everything I could to drive you away, and yet you stayed. You defied me, proved to me the worth of your people. Ever since then...I did everything in my power to make you stay. I did not realize the extent of my feelings until recently."

"How long is recently?"

"When you came to me after the Betac incident, and asked for council...I realized then how much I looked forward to spending time with you."

"And before that?"

I sighed. "As I said, I was trying to drive you away. I noted how uncomfortable you were in my presence, so I made more time between us to make your stay as uncomfortable as possible. My plan backfired when you defied me and showed me qualities desirable in a prospective mate..." I trailed off, uncertain. Surely she would hate me for admitting that I had tried to drive her off the ship.

"I thought it was odd that you liked to torment me so much," she murmured with a laugh. I winced; she did not realize how much those words hurt me now.

"That was wrong of me...I regret it every day now," I breathed, aware that she had moved closer to me.

A soft, tanned hand reached out and held my cheek, and I held back the lustful whimper that threatened to escape my lips, but I did lean into her touch. My eyes closed of their own accord, and I kissed the palm of her hand and murmured in satisfaction. The beast inside me roared for more, but I knew I had to restrain myself until she gave me her answer.

"So you're saying that because I displayed attractive attributes, you changed your opinion and plan for me?"

"Yes." My voice was no more than a hoarse whisper, as every muscle in my body was tensed for her answer.

"You changed for me?"

"Yes," I moaned. Several beats of silence passed as I waited with bated breath for a response.

Warm, soft lips were suddenly pressed to mine, and I breathed in sharply. The carnal beast inside me clamored in approval, and I clutched her to my body as if she were my lifeline. She was my lifeline, my salvation. My hands entwined themselves in her long, black hair, and my other hand pressed desperately and possessively to her face. Too soon, she pulled away, but I did not remove my hands.

"Solok of Vulcan," she whispered, tracing my left ear with a gentle, loving finger, "I accept your proposal."

The beast roared in victory, and I claimed her lips for myself before she could say another word. Sweet, beautiful relief settled over me, and I gave my body over to the throes of pon farr. My fingers, now beyond my control, violently yet deftly unzipped her uniform jacket and tore the undershirt from her body. She did not resist me, rather, she assisted me, then took off my clothes. Her warm hand trailed down my chest, and I moaned. I broke off the kiss and stared in amazement at her hand as it traced the outline of my toned muscles, then my eyes found hers again.

I pushed her down onto the cave floor, gripping her wrist and pinning her arm above her head. I kissed her again, fiercer than I had ever kissed T'Kara, and I explained the dangers she might face in the next few hours between each kiss.

"I should warn you...that I may...get violent...you know how...Vulcan emotions are..."

"I know," she breathed back as I moved on to her neck. "But I'd rather take a few punches than have you die...I don't want you to die..."

My fingernails dug into her arms as my teeth grazed her skin. Each consecutive kiss was fiercer, hungrier, and soon I was biting her skin over and over. But to my pleasure, she seemed to like it. Her hands, now free from my grip as I explored her bare skin, wandered gently over my back. She traced my spinal cord several times, and I recalled that hers was less pronounced than mine. Her hands came to rest on my rib cage, and my heart pounded against her fingertips. I moaned as she teased my skin, and in response, I bit down on her skin so hard that I tasted metallic blood.

She yelped and dug her fingers into me, but I only moaned again and continued to roughly caress her neck. But I broke away after a few more moments and gazed into her eyes, hardly believing the reality I was living. With strength I didn't expect from her, she flipped me onto my back and kissed me hard. Now it was my turn to explore her back, and my feverish hands crawled over her smooth skin. Her hair fell forward and engulfed me, and I was again overwhelmed with its aroma.

Chocolate.

Suddenly, I recalled smelling a chocolate bar on Earth, back when I was a cadet, and I remembered that the smell was pleasant, if not a little too sweet for my tastes. But she smelled just like that intoxicating substance, and the scent filled my nose. I groaned and pulled her down into a violent kiss, and the warmth of her hair surrounded me. Her hand ran over my exact, black haircut, and she chuckled into my mouth.

"What is it?" I murmured with a slight grin when she pulled away. She tousled my hair again and smelled it, causing my grin to widen.

"I've always wanted to feel your hair," she whispered, laughing. "And by the way, you have the sexiest grin I've ever seen."

I laughed back at her, and we laughed together as the heat between us increased to a crescendo, and our bodies became one.

A cool breeze caressed my skin as I held my lover against my heaving chest. My hand wandered freely over her body, and I realized something was still missing. I glanced down at her and smiled.

"Tia," I murmured, and she looked up at me.

I acted on instinct, slowing raising my hands and cupping her face, and she gasped in surprise. It felt imperative not to let go, and her expression faded from one of fear and surprise into one of happiness and understanding. I began to pour myself into her, and her thoughts became clear to me. I began to understand emotion, to understand humanity, and I was open to ideas I had never thought possible. I felt a rush of heat all over my body, and it dawned on me that this telepathic mating bond brought us closer than any physical act ever could.

Tears streamed down my cheeks; I felt whole, complete, and it was unlike anything I had felt in years. The incompatibility, the uncertainty that lay with T'Kara was no longer there. Tia gave herself over to me, and we became one, body and mind. I didn't even realize what we were doing until I removed my hands, but we gave ourselves to each other until exhaustion made us curl up together on the cool stone floor.

…

I awoke and sighed in relief that the beast had crawled back into his cave, that I would not encounter him for another seven years. My chest was still warm, though, and I breathed in deeply as I realized Tia was resting on my bare chest. We were both naked, lying on the hard rock floor of the cave, and a small shaft of morning sun crept through a crack in the cave ceiling. I turned my attention back to Tia, who was still fast asleep in my arms. Black bruises were beginning to form on her wrists, and a violent bite mark marred her smooth neck. I held her tighter to my body and lightly kissed her neck, and she stirred. Her warm brown eyes lit up when she turned to me, and a brilliant grin brightened her face.

"Hey, cariño...what time is it?"

"1400, approximately."

"What, no Vulcan precision today?" she murmured with a laugh.

"Humans find it irksome," I replied. Her eyes glinted playfully.

"Not this human," she growled, capturing me in a sweet kiss before I could reply. Two of her fingers reached up and stroked my face, which surprised me.

She laughed as I quirked my eyebrow. "Isn't that how Vulcans display affection?"

A small smile twitched my lips upward. "Yes."

We dressed and sat together in contented silence, and, as if waiting for their cue, a rescue party arrived thirty minutes later, and before we knew it, we were sitting in her quarters, talking over a game of kal-toh.

"I promised my parents that I would visit them after my six-month commission here. I was going to explain to you soon, but..."

I nodded. "I understand. And you are free to take whatever leave time you need."

"Well...I'd like you to come with me."

I raised both eyebrows.

"They'd like to meet the man I'm going to marry. I promise we won't make mole."

I shook my head and nearly smiled. "As you wish, Tia. When did you plan on leaving?"

"Next week."

I nodded and we continued our game. I wasn't too concerned with this meeting, in fact, I was more concerned about presenting her to my parents. My father had taught me everything I had ever thought about humans, and I realized now how wrong he was. But I wasn't going to turn back now, not after pursuing Tia and the torment I had endured. My parents would accept her as their daughter-in-law. My father would be impressed with such a logical human as she, and it was logical to accept that if I had to marry a human, I would marry one such as Tia.

He would see. He would have to see, because I was bonded to her and I would have no other.