So sorry about the long delay. Life has been pretty challenging the last few months. Hopefully I can get another update finished before too long. I promise to try. For now, I hope you enjoy.


Days passed. When Maeve wasn't spending time between her work and visits to Solek, she was resting, or sometimes researching the Yolnarik. Grandfather had not been able to find anything about her mother's family beyond the information that her mother's grandmother had been born on an old Earth outpost. Maeve believed that must have been where the family came into contact with the Yolnarik. But records from those days were scarce, especially of such remote areas. Her grandfather promised to continue his search but was not hopeful.

Solek continued to caution her about her activities, as did Sarek in their communications. The healer also assured her that he was working on a solution to their problem and predicted that he might have something before Sarek's return.

Maeve was contemplating these things along with the future of their child as she sat on their balcony at the embassy on a warm afternoon. The air was clear and the sun unusually bright and although she knew she must be careful of the sun's rays, she was enjoying the feel of it on her skin. Remembering Solek's instructions to hydrate frequently, she left the balcony to retrieve a glass of water that she'd left in the kitchen earlier.

Just as she crossed into the living space, a spasm rolled through her and down her back. Extreme heat followed and then another spasm ripped through her. She paused, grabbing for the back of a chair for balance as another one came. Heat flooded her body, following the path of the spasms and then flushing her face. Her limbs tingled and she reached with her other hand to steady herself better.

She thought of calling Solek but before she could take a step, the rolling spasms hit her again and this time, she fell to the floor. Her mind struggled to identify the sensations; she knew they were familiar… just not this intense or frequent.

Light years away, as he sat in a meeting with his Letarian counterpart, a wave of distress hit Sarek. Through his bond, he felt that Maeve was in trouble and he tried to reach out to her mentally, his mind sending tiny fingers out to hers. What he felt was beyond distress and terror seized him.

His subspace call was not answered and he was forced to try another option. Solek answered his call immediately. As the healer rushed to find Maeve, Sarek was making arrangements for passage home. His Vulcan aides were astonished by his sudden energy and forcefulness as he willed schedules to fall into place so that he would arrive as quickly as possible.

Solek found Maeve on the floor, the waves still running through her mercilessly. Gently, he scooped her up and carried her to their bed chamber to lay her down. She whimpered and mumbled Sarek's name, her hands reaching for him.

Solek tried to access her condition but her activity was a hindrance. She continued to call for her mate, which did not surprise him. However, her hands also reached for him and she forced herself up several times, as if to go to him. At one point, she grabbed Solek's robe and pulled him to her. Solek believed she had mistaken him for Sarek because when she opened her eyes and looked at him, she pushed him away.

Finally Solek decided that he needed to touch her mind to understand what was happening to her. Carefully he placed his fingers on her face, finding the proper points and dared to reach in mentally.

After only a moment, he disconnected from her, shocked. He sat simply staring at her in disbelief, something that the old Vulcan no longer thought was possible. After a brief calculating moment, he made a decision and put in a call to Sarek.

"You must come back immediately," he told his kinsman.

Sarek stared at him through the screen, his normally green tinted skin suddenly pale and yellow. "She is…." He couldn't voice his fear; that yet another wife would leave him…alone.

"She is in danger, yes…but I believe your presence will … abate the danger."

Sarek simply stared ahead numbly. Then finally finding words he asked, "my presence will stop what is happening?"

"I believe so. She appears to be in some sort of…." The healer's voice grew very soft, "… female Plak Tow."

Sarek's eyes widened. "Is this possible? Humans do not suffer the phenomenon."

"She is not entirely Human. And we know little of the Yolnarik. But I believe is she doesn't have your attendance soon, she will die. She is already in agony."

Sarek closed his eye momentarily, understanding the understatement in the healer's words. This was an area that Vulcans rarely spoke about and when they did, it was in muted terms. That Solek was speaking so openly of her need for him told Sarek more than the actual words could. "I have booked passage and should be there in two point four days."

Solek nodded. Then another thought occurred to him and he called out before the ambassador could sign off. "Sarek, she is much like us in this…only you will do. She will accept no other."

Sarek lowered his eyes briefly and then looked at the screen again. "Understood," he said simply.

Solek spent the next two days with her, trying to find ways to ease her agony. He tried to induce a healing trance but she rejected it. Finally, he resorted to medications, choosing one that would suppress her urges but not affect the child growing inside of her. While it gave her some relief, she was still in distress and he knew it was only a matter of time until the medication would not help.

She called for Sarek constantly, moaning and whimpering even in her sleep. Her waking moments were worse, with her pulling and clawing at the bedclothes. Solek was at first embarrassed by her sobs for her mate, her mood swinging from self-pity to aggression. He had never seen a woman behave in such a manner before. But he quickly realized she was in no more control of her emotions than a Vulcan male in his time and consequently, her behavior must be overlooked.

As he reflected on Maeve's situation, he resolved to discuss matters with his own mate. He had never considered what she must suffer when it was his time. While he knew she would attribute her acceptance of his behavior as her duty, seeing another in such a state made him value her even more.

Although his outward appearance seemed calm, Sarek was nearly frantic by the time he reached Vulcan. Maeve's distress rippled through the bond, her need calling to him and reawakening his own. How could they survive this, he wondered, if they both were in such a state. He must control his own instincts, he concluded, until hers abated. But what if they did not? He drew a deep breath as he contemplated that thought while he disembarked from the shuttle that had brought him the last few light years. He hurried to their quarters, drawing curious glances from those he passed in the corridors. The entire embassy knew of the human woman's distress but not the details of it. To see Sarek so obviously concerned and rushing to her in such a manner worried them all. He was their best ambassador and for him to suffer another loss, especially so soon after the first, would be disastrous.

He steps were swift as he entered their rooms. Solek met him at the door to their bedchamber. "She is no longer able to rest at all," he told Sarek. "It is fortunate that you were able to come so quickly. I will leave you to attend her."

"Yes," was all Sarek could mumble as he looked beyond the healer to his wife, who was on the bed. "I will call if your assistance is needed." He heard the door to the corridor close and then moved closer to his wife.

She was mumbling, almost a cry. And as he sat next to her on the bed, he realized she was talking to him but not seeing that he was there. It was as if she were delirious, he thought. "I am here, my wife," he said gently.

Her eyes widened and she sat up, her hands grabbing his robe. Peering at him through reddened eyes, she began to nod her affirmation. "Yes, it is you…not the other. He is gone?"

"Yes." Sarek was surprised by her appearance. She looked tired and disheveled. Her eyes were red and her skin was pale. And the expression in her eyes was…predatory. He fought the urge to tremble as he gazed at her. There was something to be feared in her expression.

She smiled. "Then it is just you and I?"

"Indeed," Sarek answered. "What is it that you require, A'duna?"

Her eyes narrowed. And then she did something that almost unnerved Sarek. She licked her lips as a hungry beast might. "You," she answered. And then she pulled him into a heated kiss, one that melted away Sarek's own reserve and ignited the fires within him.

The next twenty four point six nine hours were a fiery blur in Sarek's mind. She took him; that was the only way he could describe it. As much as his own desire had been inflamed, it paled in comparison to hers. He tried to take command of the situation after the first coupling, but she would have none of it.

Oh, he could have turned the tables since he was stronger than she. But he was able to maintain just enough sense to consider the baby. The physical struggle that would have been required to subdue her might have injured the child. Besides, what did it matter really, he reasoned briefly. Their goal was the same. So he relented and let her have her way with him, a decidedly new experience for him.

And somewhere in all the fire and havoc, his fire grew quieter. The need was still there, but not quite so desperate. And somewhere in the fog of his thoughts between couplings, he realized that her obvious need for him was as great as his for her. And somehow that gave him a sense of security that he had never experienced before with anyone.

With Maeve, he need not fear what all Vulcan males feared… that his mate would find another who was more satisfactory. Maeve would only have him, he realized. She had said it before and he had attributed it to her Human emotions. But now he understood that it was also biological. His head began to swirl with a giddiness that he'd never experienced, one of pure delight. This woman who was lying next to him would only yearn for him; no other male in the universe could satisfy her need. She needed him as much as he needed her. And for the first time in his adult life, Sarek felt peace.

He awoke to bright sunlight streaming through the window and the feel of her on top of him. Her hands and mouth were claiming him once again, her lips warming him wherever they touched. She was perched over his tool, her warm, wet folds blanketing him, waiting for him to respond. Her hands teased over his body, tracing the lines of his muscle. It was a wondrous awakening, he surmised.

He lifted his hands to her arms and lifted her away from him to look into her face. "Good morning, my wife."

Her eyes flickered over his face and then settled into his eyes. A smile played across her lips as she looked at him with desire. But he realized this was different that the look she had given him the day before. Her fires had abated and while she still wanted him, her need was not so desperate. "Good morning, my love," she whispered to him.

They simply stared into each other's eyes for a few minutes, their minds touching in a way that their bodies could not. And then she began to smile again. "I hope I was not too… rough on you," she said with a hint of teasing.

He felt his own lips turn upward slightly in response. "You were not," he replied. "Though I must confess, I have never been… treated in such a manner before."

"Hmmm…. treated; I like the sound of that. Treats; yes, I think you are one," she added wickedly.

Once she had devoured him again, she settled next to him on the bed, her hand resting lazily over his chest. "I don't know what came over me, my husband. But my need for you was… unbearable. I apologize that it caused you to return before your mission was complete."

"It was nearly done. My assistants will complete the task. I…felt your distress and would return. There was nothing else to consider."

Her eyes widened at his unspoken revelation. "I love you too, my husband."