Kirk and Spock materialized in the Enterprise's transporter room to find Lieutenant Nyota Uhura, ship's communications officer standing with her hands posed authoritatively on her hips and her dark brown eyes glaring daggers at Commander Spock. Next to her, the transporter chief cast a confused, but cautious glance at the red mini-skirted lieutenant before sparing the flagship's first officer a sympathetic look. Even Captain Kirk winced at the icy look the fiery Uhura gave Spock.
"I don't know what you're in the doghouse for this time, but good luck," Kirk muttered under his breath as he hopped off the transporter platform and strode out of the room. The transporter chief, also sensing the oppressive atmosphere in the room, followed his captain out into the hallway, leaving the hapless Vulcan/Human hybrid to answer for whatever relationship sin he'd unknowingly committed.
"I'm beginning to wonder if there are three people in this relationship," Uhura began icily as the door to the transporter room swished shut with a soft hiss. "Well, make that four."
Spock slowly stepped off the beaming pad and approached his angry girlfriend cautiously. Relationships with human females were fraught with misunderstandings and figurative landmines that Spock felt ill equipped to foresee or even deal with. He'd been assured by numerous human males that even they hadn't figured it out even though human men had tried in vain for millennia. And though Spock had never been in a relationship with a Vulcan female either, he knew that Vulcan women almost certainly had to be easier to reason with since they too, operated logically. Spock's best friend, Jim Kirk was confident, even arrogant, about most things, but Spock had never heard him speak of any long term romantic entanglements and Spock could understand way. It surely seemed as if there was a trap door underneath some good intentions with human women. Or at least this one.
"I am not certain I know what you mean…," the raven haired Vulcan said. His slanted eyebrows knitted together in confusion. Given the number of "unwelcome additions" she's so sarcastically alluded to in their relationship, he could guess that she meant his visits to Admiral Pike's pregnant widow to check up on her. Still, he found it incredible that he was "in the doghouse" as Kirk put it for seeing to the well being of a late superior officer's family. For a split second, Spock wondered if this was simply the irrationality that accompanied "that time of the month" for human women. Reasoning with Uhura during that week was akin to reasoning with a Vulcan male in the throes of Pon Farr. It was simply best to wait until that raging thunderstorm had passed.
"Nyota, the captain and I have both been looking in on Admiral Pike's widow. We both held the admiral in the highest regard and thought it appropriate to make certain that his wife and unborn child adjust as comfortably as possible."
"And I have nothing but sympathy and compassion for what she has gone through, but every time we return to Earth you disappear to go look in on her and never give a thought to spending some leave time with me. And don't bring the captain into this. Just because he goes along too doesn't get you off the hook. It isn't like he's holding a phaser to your head. I'm not stupid, Spock. I know Sadara has pointed ears. If you'd rather go make more Vulcans with her, just say it."
"Nyota…," Spock shook his head, hurt clouding his warm brown eyes. "You are assuming an intention I do not have. And keep in mind that we are only occasionally on Earth while you and I are together aboard ship everyday. Admiral Pike's wife is hardly getting the majority of my attention and absolutely none of it in a romantic sense."
A loud exhale escaped Uhura. She believed him as she'd never known him to tell a lie, but it still didn't sit well with her that one grieving widow was generating so much concern and attention. Seriously, didn't this girl have her own family and friends to lean on? Perhaps she did and Kirk and Spock did it all out of some lingering feeling of obligation to a man who did so much to support them. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to simmer down and consider the situation from other angles. She did feel a bit childish getting so wound up over the attention a pregnant woman was getting. Shouldn't she be happy that the poor woman was getting support? And beyond that, how threatening and sexy could someone's pregnant widow be anyway? Though sometimes men had a thing for vulnerable women… And Uhura was still angry that Spock was devoting time away from them in order to do it.
"Fine. Do what you want, Spock." Spock was stubborn and would do whatever he thought was logically best; and Uhura couldn't complain that it wasn't with good intentions. She only hoped that he wouldn't forget her along the way. Turning on her heels, she stormed out of the transporter room leaving Spock rooted to the floor in her wake. His right eyebrow lifted and a silent sigh escaped him.
"Fascinating…" He wasn't sure if he was being sarcastic or not. He wondered briefly if remaining involved with her would require more patience and tolerance than he was capable of. Sure, his own father had successfully and contentedly remained in a long term relationship with a human female, but Spock was half human himself; and though he cared for Nyota Uhura, loved her even, he couldn't deny that she was trying and difficult at times. Logic would dictate that he marry a Vulcan woman, or at least, a part Vulcan woman and help to repopulate the Vulcan race, but sometimes his Human half decided things instead.
Perhaps Kirk and McCoy could offer some useful advice.
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"But most women nag, Spock. Why do you think I'm not in a serious relationship?"
Captain James Tiberius Kirk of the USS Enterprise shrugged out of his gold uniform shirt and tossed it over a chairback. He had just come off duty and found his first officer loitering by his door, waiting patiently for his captain and best friend's arrival. When they had first met, it had been arguing over Kirk's tampering with the Academy's Kobayashi Maru simulation; and at the time neither could have anticipated becoming best friends. Over time though they had both come to realize that they each had qualities that the other needed. They still bickered often though; usually regarding Starfleet regulations.
"Your actions suggest you would not mind the possibility of becoming closer to Sadara."
"Spock, she's a gorgeous woman, but my concern is for her well being and the well being of her baby. I'm not trying to make a move on her."
"Jim, as I attempted to warn you the last time you visited Sadara, I believe you are influenced by multiple factors, not the least of which is an attraction to the vulnerability of Pike's widow as well as a deep sense of obligation to care for his family in his absence. The more time you spend with her and her child, the more attached you will become to her and she to you. She has already lost someone to the service."
Kirk stopped and stared at Spock in disbelief. "Okay, how did this conversation all of a sudden become about me. I thought we were talking about you and Uhura? And your opposition to my desire to help rise Pike's child is beginning to sound suspiciously like you want me out of your way so you can make a move on her. You've made far more visits to her since Pike's death than I have."
Kirk winked teasingly at Spock and moved into the bathroom to finish changing into off duty clothes.
"Nyota was of a similar mind earlier. She accused me of wishing to "go make Vulcan babies with Sadara."
That made Kirk laugh out loud and Spock's eyebrows hit his immaculate bangs. "I fail to see the humor in this situation."
"Spock, she's a woman. They get jealous and paranoid and possessive and all that. Well, human women anyway. If you wish to keep Nyota you may have to stop looking in on Sadara, not matter how well intentioned. Besides, she has me to do that."
Kirk's bright blue eyes positively twinkled as he reminded Spock of that fact.
The knowledge did nothing to put Spock at ease.
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The argument with Uhura a month earlier had done nothing to deter Spock from doing what he felt was right. The Vulcan/Human hybrid wasn't completely convinced that his best friend and senior officer really had the maturity to be a father, though he was convinced that Kirk believed he did. The raven haired Spock was also convinced that Kirk was motivated by a deep seated need to take on this enormous responsibility out of a sense of obligation to his late mentor and father figure.
To some extent, Spock also felt a sense of obligation, but more to the quarter Vulcan child Sadara carried rather than to Pike himself. With the survival of the Vulcan species in jeopardy, Spock felt a need to be in the child's life and help instruct it in the ways of the Vulcan people. Perhaps with enough influence the child might choose to follow the Vulcan path and marry into a Vulcan family. Sadara favored her human half and Spock wasn't entirely certain how much of the Vulcan culture she was actually familiar with and would be willing to teach her coming child. The challenge was to persuade Sadara to allow him to do that. Perhaps that was a factor in why he so vehemently opposed Kirk's involvement in the child's life. Kirk's enthusiasm and impulsive ways could easily impede everything Spock could hope to accomplish with the child.
As Sadara opened the door to her apartment, the first thing Spock noted was that Sadara looked exhausted. And in pain.
"Sadara?" Spock entered the apartment, his face a mask of concern.
"I'm alright. Just… contractions. They're not close together right now so it's too early to go to the hospital they said."
Her small hand rested on her baby bump as she went into the kitchen to pour some juice. Coming back out into the living room, the heavily pregnant woman handed one glass to the other Vulcan/Human hybrid.
"To be honest, I'm glad it's almost time. I was getting to a point where I could hardly breathe anymore," Sadara mumbled. "Chris isn't going to be there though obviously and that's upsetting to me still."
"I wish I had something of comfort to say," Spock said. He went silent a moment and then hesitantly reached toward her. "May I?"
Sadara nodded, curious as to Spock's intent. She thought he simply wished to feel the baby kick, even though at this stage of the game, that occurred with less frequency. "Of course.
Gingerly laying a hand on her rounded midsection, Spock reached for the psi points on Sadara's face with his other hand. It dawned on Sadara that Spock was working to share the child's consciousness with her. It was somehow easier for the males to accomplish this than the females even though the women were the ones who carried the children. Perhaps it was an evolutionary adaptation so the women weren't constantly inundated with the erratic, developing thoughts and minds of their unborn children.
Through the contact, Spock was able to share with Sadara her baby's eagerness to join the outside world and its innate curiosity about its parents.
"That's incredible, Spock! I had no idea that its thoughts would be so developed." Sadara's sapphire eyes were wide with excitement.
"It is a fascinating experience, I agree," Spock nodded as he withdrew his hands after a few more moments. "One I thought you should have before the child arrived."
"I thank you for that."
Spock nodded. "Does Jim know you've begun labor."
"He does. He said he would be here within the hour so I expect him soon. I assured him it wasn't yet time to go to the hospital so he had some time to finish up his business for the day if he had any."
"In that case, we shall simply wait for him to arrive. Do you wish to go lay down for the moment."
"I think I'm alright for now, Spock, but thanks.
Sadara was pretty certain rest would be a fabulous idea given the ordeal to come, but she wasn't sure she'd be able to sleep through the contractions.
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Exhausted, Sadara collapsed against the pillows of her hospital bed, tears of joy spilling from her sapphire eyes as she cherished the sound of her newborn's first cries. On either side of her were Jim Kirk and surprisingly, Spock who had chosen to remain for the baby's birth as well even though it wasn't customary for Vulcan males to be present for such a thing. Sadara's mother, Solara unfortunately hadn't made it in time for the birth. She had moved to New Vulcan to help establish the Vulcan colony; and with the child's due date not set until the middle of October, she hadn't made arrangements to return to Earth until then. And Sadara's best friend, Kathleen Bradley was away on a Starfleet Academy field exercise. She would be disappointed at having missed it all.
Born on September 29, the newborn was at least two weeks early. At 7 pounds, 14 ounces, the baby was very small for a Vulcan baby, but average for a human one. Jim and Spock both watched with awe as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy cleaned the baby up and swaddled it gently in a thick, white blanket. Seeing that McCoy was about to hand the baby to Sadara, the blonde, bright blue eyed Jim Kirk let go of Sadara's hand.
"Well, I'd say your little tiger here is the spittin' image of his father," McCoy said with a rare, genuine smile as he gently transferred the baby to Sadara. "Except of course for the pointed ears."
Sadara smiled joyfully at McCoy and adjusted her new son in her arms. 'Thank you, doctor."
With a deep, contented sigh, Sadara gazed at her new baby. He did indeed look very much like his late father, Chris. A light shock of blonde hair grazed his head and the eyes were the same grayish blue. It even appeared that he'd have the same nose and lips. The moment was certainly bittersweet in ways. As overjoyed as she was that her son had arrived healthy and happy, the Vulcan/Human woman couldn't help but feel the sting of sadness that Pike wasn't here to greet his son with her. There was no way to truly know if her late husband was watching over them somewhere, somehow.
Kirk reached out to caress the little boy's hand and chuckled. "He really doesn't look a thing like you, Sadara."
Spock cocked his head. "The child does have Sadara's Vulcan features; her ears and eyebrows."
McCoy, who was only partly listening to the conversation between the three, was giving instructions to the nurses to straighten up around the room and have meals brought up now that his patient had delivered and would be able to eat again. He was certain that after 16 hours of labor, she would be ravenous.
"Do you have a name picked out?" McCoy asked as he made notes on a datapadd.
Jim peered at the baby for a long moment. "I think you almost have to name him after his father given the resemblance. Perhaps a Vulcan name as a middle name?"
Sadara thought about it for a long moment, trying to decide on a Vulcan name that might suit the child. "Sevel…," she murmured, trying it out.
Spock nodded. "Star of Prosperity. A name with an optimistic meaning and a nod to his father's fondness of space travel."
"Christopher Sevel Pike it is then," Sadara said, looking up at Doctor McCoy.
"Excellent. I'll prepare the birth certificate. You can have a look at it and return it to me when you're ready," McCoy nodded, vanishing into his office for a while.
Sadara continued to find it difficult to tear her gaze away from her new baby. While she was certain most mothers would argue their baby was the most beautiful, Sadara had to admit that hers had turned out to be a good looking boy.
"I wish Chris could have been here…" Sadara whispered softly, tears threatening once more.
Kirk's expression turned serious even as hers did and he squeezed her hand gently. "We'll all make certain he knows his father, I promise you that."
Sadara smiled and squeezed back. "Thank you both for being here for us. I couldn't have done this without you guys."
That statement made Spock raise an eyebrow. "One does not thank logic, Sadara. As a half Vulcan, you should know this."
Kirk snorted and chuckled, shaking his head. "Seriously, Spock?" He turned back to Sadara. "Don't mention it, Sadara. That's what friends are for."
