Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

"Close your eyes and open your mind."

I looked into Solok's piercing gray eyes, then obeyed. We were in my quarters, on my bed. One of his hands was entwined in my hair, and the other was wrapped under my back. I was wearing nothing but my uniform undershirt and underwear, and he was bare-chested.

I focused on the itch in the back of my mind that plagued me when he wasn't near me, then on the relief that I felt when he was close. I saw darkness in front of my eyes, then it was like a tunnel of light opened between us. I could feel his presence like a ghost in my mind, and I smiled.

"Good," I heard him murmur. Now tell me what to do.

I could hear the second sentence as clearly as the first, as if he had whispered it in my ear, but it echoed in my mind as well. I focused hard on trying to enter his mind, and after much effort, I finally succeeded. I moved through the tunnel of light and found layer upon layer of organization, and I barely touched him, but I was there.

Kiss me, I called out in his mind. Pleasure, like a spark, passed between us and I could hear him moan softly outside in the real world.

As you wish.

His warm, soft lips pressed fiercely to mine, and I nearly lost focus on keeping the bond open, but he forced it back to where it was when I began to falter.

No matter what I do, you must concentrate.

-You said intimacy would make this bond stronger.

It will, Tia.

Desires and thoughts flew between us, like birds between branches of a tree. I traced the tip of his ear with a gentle finger, and he kissed my neck. With two fingers, I stroked his face, and he fingered the hem of my underwear. As he explored my body with his fingers, he explored my mind as well. Although at first I was reluctant to let him in, I eventually let down my guard.

My voice was one of the first things that attracted you to me?

-Yes.

Fascinating.

I focused on the outside world for a brief moment and realized he had stripped both of us naked. He pressed against me and I moaned, then I was sucked back into my mind.

His lips claimed mine again, then he was in me, in my body and in my mind. His thoughts intertwined with my thoughts, and we joined together in a new way. The effort it took to keep our bond open was lessening with every move he made. My voice seemed stolen from me, but I screamed out his name in my mind. It was a cacophony of sound and color and thoughts and feelings, but the only physical sound I heard was our ragged breathing.

If you need to vocalize, these walls are thick.

I screamed into his mouth, and then it was finished. My cheeks were slick with tears, and I gasped for breath, too tired to say anything.

"I never knew a bond like this would be so strong with a human."

"Solok..." I whispered weakly, stroking his face. He pressed his forehead to mine.

"If you want me to stay with you, I will. But you need to sleep."

I laughed. "Is that an order, captain?"

His eyes twinkled and he moved off me, gathering me into his arms. I laid my head on his chest and drifted off to sleep.

…

Solok opened the door to the house for me, then led me to a bedroom in the back where he placed his bags. I set mine beside his, then followed him back to the communal area, where there was a small kitchenette and what looked like a living room, with two covered bench-like pieces on a raised platform. It felt very Zen, very Vulcan. I smiled as I leaned against the cabinet and looked at the artwork on the walls. I saw an IDIC made of metal on the opposite wall, and then my gaze returned to the living area.

I could raise a child here, I thought to myself. We'd have to do something about the edges of that platform, but...

I felt his eyes on me and I turned to him, raising my eyebrows. He was staring at me with a mixture of incredulity and approval, and the next moment he was standing inches from me. In a very human move, I thought, he cupped my face with his hands and kissed me hard, then dropped one of his hands to my waist to pull me closer. I breathed in sharply, pleased and confused at his reaction, then I realized he must have caught that thought about children. I chuckled into his mouth.

"Ashal-veh," he whispered as he pulled away, "it pleases me that you wish that with me."

I simply kissed him again, and I saw an image flash across my mind: the two of us in a dim room, naked, intertwined. I felt myself heat up at the thought and I gripped him tighter in approval.

"That looks like a good idea," I murmured, nuzzling his neck. He stroked my hair.

"Then let us make it a reality," he said, his voice darkly mischievous. I grinned at him and pulled him toward the other room.

…

"You're absolutely sure about this, Tia?"

"Yes, I'm sure about this," I said to my father, smiling and shaking my head. My mother finished arranging my hair.

"Strange to wear purple to a wedding," she murmured, "but really, it looks good on you."

I smiled wider and smoothed the material of the dress Solok's sister had found for me. My parents were dressed in Vulcan robes, on loan from Solok's family. My brothers hadn't been able to make it, but they had contacted me yesterday wishing me congratulations.

"Purple is the color of our sky at dawn," said the old Vulcan priest, who was standing beside my father. "It is in a couple's joining that they find a new dawn. We associate the color with peace. Do you not wish that on your marriage?"

"I do. But on Earth, in most cultures, the bride wears white to her wedding. It represents purity," I replied with a nod to him. He solemnly nodded back.

"Interesting custom. And your mother is right, the color is agreeable on you."

I smiled at him, and we all turned when we heard a gong in the courtyard.

"It's time," the priest said. My mother led us out, with my father behind her, then the priest, and I was last. Solok was waiting, dressed in purple robes, and it struck me how handsome he looked, and I suppressed a smile as we knelt together. He held out two fingers toward me, and I did the same. I felt a pleasing spark when our fingers touched, and his eyes glittered as we stared at each other.

"What ye are about to witness comes down from the Time of the Beginning, without change," the priest said, starting the ceremony. "This is the Vulcan heart. This is the Vulcan soul. This is our way."

I couldn't help but let a tiny smile on my lips. I could feel his eagerness for this through his fingers, through the bond we already shared. He was mine.