*Spock*

The USS Nelson and Captain Pike played reluctant host to the three young Romulans for a total of six weeks. Their existence was something of a diplomatic incident. Starfleet seemed at a loss and the matter was passed onto the Federation Diplomatic Corps. Several diplomats and cultural advisors specialising in Romulus came aboard and somehow managed to make the situation even more complicated than before. In response to Doctor Boyce's preliminary findings and the marked similarity between the Romulans and their own species, Vulcan High Command had sent a team of scientists and physicians. They were relentless in their efforts to run tests and examine the Romulans.

The two groups did not see eye to eye.

Spock attempted to avoid the entire situation, however Pike was eager to do likewise and he and Number one were often drawn into tedious meetings and talks by their Captain. He claimed he required Spock as a translator, even though with the Diplomatic Corps. party aboard there were several others fluent in the three Romulan dialects available.

As such he found himself sitting beside the Captain as an unlikely mediators in what would be the final, he hoped, such meeting. Three Vulcans, two scientists and a physician, were in attendance, as were five Federation Diplomats and four of the USS Nelson's security detail. Number one was on the bridge. Spock had to remind himself that Vulcans did not experience jealousy.

'But what were they doing so far out? They're children, not soldiers, what were they doing near the front line so speak?' One of the Diplomats, an Andorian, was asking. His point was valid and the Romulans themselves certainly hadn't been forthcoming with what they were doing in a Ferengi Brig in the middle of the Neutral Zone, but Spock failed to see how repeating the same question was getting them closer to an answer.

'A valid concern, but we still cannot agree to your request.' The senior Vulcan present, a Professor who sat upon the Vulcan Science Academy Council responded.

The Andorian huffed. 'Why not? It's a simple thing!'

Captain Pike shifted in his seat. He, like many present, wasn't comfortable with this particular subject of debate. Spock himself thought it a distasteful thing to argue over but of course gave no indication of that.

The Vulcan Professor's face was just as impassive. 'You are not Vulcan, you know not what you speak of. What you ask is impossible.' The explanation was concise, but Spock could see that the Andorian and some of the other non-Vulcan's present did not understand. He wondered if he ought to put it into terms that they would. He had after all, quite a lot of experience communicating effectively with non-Vulcans. He had no desire to be drawn from observer to participant however.

'Impossible! It would take a few seconds!' The Andorian responded louder than was necessary given the size of the room.

The Captain made the choice for him. 'Look Dignitary Sharn,' The Andorian turned eyes and antennae towards the Pike. '… If Professor Tapok says it's impossible then it is impossible. Vulcans don't lie. Let's focus on alternatives.'

Instead of placating diplomat the Captain's words seemed to anger him further. 'Oh don't give me that rubbish! Vulcans certainly lie when it suits them. They're hiding something. There is no other reason not to perform a mind meld on one of the Romulans.'

'We are present aboard the Nelson to study the Romulan's physiology. We are scientists, not politicians. We have no other purpose.' Professor Tapok sounded as unruffled as ever but Spock could tell he was becoming irritated by the Andorian. Their species had never been overly fond of one another.

'You're happy enough taking blood samples and running endless tests on them, why not a mind meld? It hardly differs!' Dignitary Shran retorted. His four companions seemed to be arguing quietly amidst themselves.

He deemed it appropriate to intervene before the situation could sink any closer to a full argument. 'Dignitary Shran.' He had not spoken over the preceding hour of the meeting and his voice now attracted the full attention of the table. 'Are you familiar with the mechanics of a mind meld?'

The Andorian nodded.

'And you are aware that we are governed by ancient laws with regards to this act?' Spock continued.

'Laws that you can bend when the situation calls for it. The security of the Federation is surely such a situation.'

'Perhaps. However such a decision, to ignore those laws, cannot be made by you, it must be made by the Vulcan who is to perform the meld. In this you must respect that Professor Tapok has made his decision and that his reasoning is both sound and logical.'

The Andorian regarded him silently. 'What about you then? You're a Vulcan.' He turned to the Captain. 'Order the Commander to interrogate the Romulans Captain.'

Spock raised an eyebrow in surprise. Clearly he should have remained silent and let the Professor and the Diplomat continue to argue in circles. The Vulcans present were watching the exchange with great interest.

Captain Pike didn't even hesitate. 'I will do no such thing.'

Spock felt a small measure of relief, not that he had been concerned his captain would carry through with that suggestion. 'You request I perform kae'at k'lasa upon one of these Romulan children?' He asked the diplomat. 'You are aware of the meaning of this?'

'Yes! You read their thoughts without permission!' Shran responded hotly.

'A more accurate and literal translation in standard for kae'at k'lasa would be mind rape.' Spock remarked conversationally. The table quietened once more. He was aware that they would react emotionally to the term 'rape' and had used it intentionally to stress the seriousness of what the diplomat suggested. 'As you say, these are not soldiers, they are children. Children who have been gravely mistreated already. I am confident you will not find any of my race who would agree to what you suggest, because to do so would be abhorrent to anyone who understood what it entailed. As you do not, your confusion with regards to this can be forgiven.'

The Andorian was still frowning but Spock did not think he would continue with his insistence. 'I'm not suggesting you hurt them.'

'By very definition that is precisely what you are suggesting.' Spock failed to see how the Andorian diplomat could not realise that having one's mind read against one's will would be anything but unpleasant.

Pike once spoke once more. 'I don't think we can put it any clearer than that for you Dignitary Shran. It's not going to happen, so let's move on shall we?' He referred to his PADD. 'Now, we will be rendezvousing with a Romulan ship in 12 standard hours and our guests will be leaving us. If anyone has anything useful to add to the discussion, now would be the time.'

The Andorian started to say something. 'Dignitary Shran. If you say one more word about mind melds or telepathy I will have you escorted to your quarters.' The Captain was no longer even trying to contain his irritation.

The rest of the meeting passed without Spock feeling obliged to speak, for which he was grateful.

Exactly 12 hours later he was present in Transporter room 2 as the Romulans were beamed onto a waiting ship. It was the first time a Romulan ship had been within visual range of a Federation ship in over a century. The moment was something of a letdown. The Romulan ship jumped to warp just 18 seconds after the transporter pad had been cleared.

Starfleet Intelligence had little to offer by way of illumination to the situation as a whole. Usually such a mystery would have captured Spock's interest entirely, it certainly had most of the crew of the Nelson on edge and suspicious, there were even some pointed comments about the Vulcan resemblance to Romulans. Instead matters of personal interest continued to plague him.

Sleeping remained a trial. He exhausted himself daily in the Nelson's gymnasium with suus mahna exercises, but had discovered the only way he was able to sleep was to reach for Nyota Uhura through their bond. When he did sleep he dreamt of her. His situation had him at a loss. On the bridge his thoughts would wander and he'd find himself, (illogically), cursing his eidetic memory as he recalled the exact feel of her lips against his or the tilt of her neck when he fisted a hand in her hair.

Even worse than his irrational desires were the brief flashes of her he felt from within.

Disjointed emotions and thoughts not his own would flit across his consciousness. Worst of all was that most of what he sensed from her was sadness, or not sadness exactly, but something like it. His mother would be able to put a word to the emotion, but he could not. He was aware that he was the cause of this… pain Nyota felt, and the knowledge tore at him. His guilt grew daily.

He recalled that dizzy human feeling of affection she'd held for him. She had considered him a friend. A rare thing for a Vulcan and he had not repaid that affection as he should have. To this end he had dedicated no small effort to researching bonds formed during mind melds. He owed it to the cadet to free her from the undesired bond to him. Unfortunately he learnt little of any use.

He had had several stilted conversations with his father pertaining to the accidental bond, though he avoided referring to Uhura in all but the most casual, dismissive manner. He didn't lie to his father per say, but he omitted.

As far as Sarek was concerned his son had performed a mind meld on a student to ascertain her injuries. Spock mentioned nothing about his obsessive attraction to her or the manner in which she haunted his dreams, and he certainly didn't say anything about reciting poetry to her.

It had seemed perfectly reasonable at the time. Now, like many of his interactions with the cadet, thinking about it made him flush with embarrassment. He had recited Keats to her in High Vulcan. About the only redeeming feature of the entire incident was the fact that he'd helped her translate a soliloquy from Macbeth and not Romeo and Juliet.

Thanks to his father's influence he had been able to arrange a meeting with a Vulcan healer at a starbase near enough to the Nelson's patrol route to enable a visit during his rostered down time some eight weeks after his brush with death.

The healer, a woman named T'Sul, was not as old as his grandmother T'Pau, (one of her venerated stature would not deign to travel so far from Vulcan to wait upon a half human Starfleet officer, even if he was her own grandson), but seemed capable and treated Spock without the distain he often encountered from his race.

'S'chn T'gai Sarek informs me you have developed an undesired bond with a human female S'chn T'gai Spohkh.' Despite the careful stress she placed on 'female', the healer's frank Vulcan was for the most part free of censure or implications of a sexual nature.

Spock willed his own voice into a mirrored calm as he knelt opposite her in the receiving room of her suite in the star base, an asenoi set on the floor between them. 'Indeed. I was unaware of the bond until I suffered a serious injury.'

The healer nodded. 'Such a thing is not unusual. A small bond formed through a mind meld unnoticed until death or great injury to either party.' She was silent for a moment. 'You will tell me of the meld you shared with the female then I will examine the bond itself.'

Spock had expected as much. 'The human female was a student. There was an accident at the Academy and she was injured. She was unconscious. The building was unstable and it was necessary to move her. I performed a mind meld to ascertain that this could be done without inflicting further injury.'

He paused, carefully waiting for her to take in what he had just said. To perform a mind meld without permission was highly questionable. What he had done was not kae'at k'lasa - he had made no attempt to read the cadet's thoughts - but it was still suspect. The healer seemed to sense his unease. She was silent for 12 seconds before nodding slowly. 'Given the circumstances such an action was only logical.'

Spock felt a wave of relief. Although at the time he had been certain that his actions were justified, there had been a nagging guilt within him regardless.

The healer continued. 'This much I was informed by your father. There were no other relevant circumstances?'

Spock hesitated. He was loathe to reveal he had performed another mind meld with the cadet, but there was no point in keeping such information from the healer. She would soon discover first hand when she inspected his mind. Hopefully he could keep the poetry recital to himself.

'The human was in great pain and it was several hours before we were evacuated. She requested I dull her pain and I did so. It may also be relevant that she was concussed.'

The healer regarded him for a long moment. 'Indeed. If you maintained a meld for an extended period of time it is not surprising a bond of some sort was formed. Did you notice any sign of this in the days following?'

Spock nodded. 'There were small incidents over the next terran week. But they stopped completely and I noticed nothing further until I was injured. '

'This sounds common enough. I foresee no issue in severing it.' The healer motioned him closer. 'Come. I will inspect the bond.'

Spock rose and resumed his kneeling position next to the older Vulcan. Her fingertips were cool and dry as she confidently pressed them against his psi points. He felt her presence instantly, calm and detached, but at the same time intensely curious. He realised that she had chosen to answer his father's request for aid to satisfy her own curiosity about the mind of a human/Vulcan hybrid as much as to satisfy a sense of obligation to a member of the High Council. She made no attempt to hide this interest from him, it was honest scientific curiosity and she expected, correctly, that no insult would be taken were none was intended.

She slipped through his mind like water, flowing through him easily and leaving nothing behind. There was no sense of pressure or invasion, she made no attempt to press at the parts of his mind which were instinctually guarded. /Show me the bond./ Spock let himself sink down towards the lower parts of his consciousness where his familial bonds were anchored and she drifted down with him. He sensed her brief examination of his bond with his father and a more in depth exploration of that with his human mother and he wondered how they compared to that of full blooded Vulcans.

Of course she felt his inquiry. /Your bond with your father is diminished, but firmly rooted. Your bond with your mother is intriguing. It is as strong as that between a full blooded Vulcan mother and her child. I would be interested to observe the marriage bond between your parents. I had not thought a non-Vulcan could form such a bond./ She did not press her private interest however, and instead turned her inward attention to the weakest of the three bonds, that that linked him to Nyota Uhura.

She was silent within him for a long time. Spock could felt echoes of her internal thought processes, enough to realise how engrossed she was in her study, but he sensed little else from her. After a period of 17 minutes and 38 seconds he felt her thoughts clearly once more. /This bond is most unusual. It is far stronger than such a bond should be. If I am to be able to sever such a bond, I will need to understand how it was formed. Will you share your memories of the meld with the female?/

Wordlessly Spock thought back to the day of the explosion. He sorted through the memories, allowing the healer full access to them. It was embarrassing, however he owed it to Uhura to do all he could to ensure the bond he had unknowingly forged between them was dissolved. The healer made no comment on his obvious emotional attachment to Uhura and Spock was relieved. She carefully inspected the bond again with her new first-hand knowledge of its formation. At length she spoke within his mind. /There is more. Something occurred which strengthen the bond after its initial creation. You are attracted to this human. Have you engaged in intercourse with her?/

Spock struggled to maintain his cool detachment. The healer seemed puzzled rather than judgemental - honestly intrigued by the bond - but discussing such matters was distressing. /I have not./ It was technically true. Spock tried valiantly to not think of their encounter at the shipyard. However the memory flitted across his consciousness and the healer latched onto it. In mortification Spock relived the incident with the healer. As the memory faded he sensed her satisfaction and then she withdrew from their meld.

Spock sat back and regarded her warily. He felt naked and exposed. This woman was privy to his primitive urges with regards to Nyota Uhura. A human. His student. A completely inappropriate and illogical attachment. He could think of nothing so humiliating. She had seen proof that he was exactly what he had been ridiculed as his entire life. Less than Vulcan. A base half-breed.

To his surprise her voice held no scorn or superiority when she spoke. 'The bond was indeed formed when you melded with the cadet when she was injured. This initial bond was a simple one of a type I often encounter. However when you claimed her the bond was changed. I have encountered similar bonds, though always between full blooded Vulcans. They are quite rare, though becoming more common as betrothal practices become less popular amongst our race.'

Spock attempted to fathom her meaning and failed. 'I am uncertain of your meaning Okosu T'Sul.'

The older Vulcan woman motioned to an assistant who had been standing off to one side. 'Tea for Osasu Spock and myself.' When the attendant had left the room the healer gave Spock a small smile. Spock was sure his shock at her expression registered on his face. 'In ancient times the males of our species would fight over the females. It is generally accepted that telepathic bonding evolved as a means of protecting females from unattached males. Our current traditions still reflect these… barbaric origins. You formed a bond with Nyota Chausiku Uhura,' The Vulcan woman pronounced the exotic human name carefully and with some relish, 'Albeit unwittingly. Most likely this bond would have laid dormant as such trivial bonds do, however, a rival male attempted to claim the female, and you responded instinctually.'

Spock was openly frowning now. 'I did not meld with Uhura during the... incident you refer to. How could it have affected a bond between us?'

There was something like amusement in the healer's eyes, but Spock could not be sure. 'A rival male attempted to claim the female you were bonded too. You defeated that male. You claimed the female and she accepted you. Does this not sound familiar to you?'

When put into those terms she could well have been describing kal'if'fee during a Vulcan wedding. Shame filled Spock. It had not been his time and he had behaved as if it was and now Uhura was unwillingly tied to him.

The healer seemed to sense his feelings. 'I saw some of the illogical scorn you have suffered at the hands of our people S'chn T'gai Spohhk. You feel they were correct in their assessment of you. They were not. There is little difference between your mind and that of a full blooded Vulcans. I do not sense any… deficiency within you. Your emotions are slightly different, but they are not barbaric as you fear, you simply have more of them. You believe this situation a result of a weakness of your human blood when your actions were those of a Vulcan, not a human. It was your human side that prevented you from slipping into plak'tow after your bonded was attacked. You would surely have killed the male and possibly injured others had that occurred.'

Your bonded. The term gave Spock an odd nervous thrill, part pleasure part dread. He was uncertain what he felt. On the one hand he was embarrassed that the healer had seen his innermost desires, but on the other he felt relief at her calm acceptance of him. He had not fully come to terms with what her findings really meant though. 'Can the bond be severed?'

There was a whoosh as the door opened at the healer's attendant returned with a tray carrying fragrant tea. The attendant served the healer, and then Spock, before returning to his post near the door. The tea was the perfect temperature and Spock distracted himself by sipping at it for a few moments.

At length the healer responded to his earlier question. 'I believe so, however it would be difficult and such a bond may not be removed without the permission of both individuals.'

Spock frowned minutely. 'I fear I do not understand.'

'She accepted your claim. As such her permission must be obtained to break the betrothal.'

Spock very nearly choked on his tea. He managed to keep his voice calm somehow. 'Betrothal?'

The healer inclined her head serenely. 'Did my earlier statements not make this clear? The bond between yourself and the human is a mating bond such as occurs naturally between our people without the interference of healers and formal betrothals.'

Spock was shocked into silence. 'But Nyota would not understand such a thing, she is human and not bound by Vulcan custom. I would never hold her to such a bond.'

'And should she wish to have the bond dissolved I will gladly perform the service for you. However, since I have observed she accepted your claim, I cannot remove it without her permission.' The healer sipped her tea. 'I doubt I shall be required however.'

Again Spock found himself confused. For a Vulcan she spoke in an exceedingly illogical manner. 'What do you mean?'

'I may be a different species to your Nyota, but I am a female and her regard for you is plain. I have bonded thousands of couples. The bond between yourself and your human is natural. Such a bond can only exist were it is desired. Speak to your bonded. I think she will not deny you.' The healer's face was as smooth and expressionless as any Vulcan, but Spock seemed to detect a very female amusement in her dark eyes.

*Nyota*

Nyota finally received a subspace communiqué containing more than polite inquires after her studies at the Academy and work with Professor Voss two months after Spock's injury. It had come through in the middle of the day and she had left her classes early to rush to her dorm and listen to it.

Unlike his previous messages, Spock had recorded this one completely in High Vulcan. The message itself was cryptic and unremarkable. He had met with a Vulcan healer. A bond had indeed been formed unbeknownst to them when she was injured. Such bonds were fairly commonplace. However there were complications to the removal of the bond which he would discuss with her on his return to earth. Nyota wondered why he had bothered using High Vulcan. There was nothing in the message that was inappropriate. He seemed very stiff and awkward though.

Nyota re-watched it a few times, but she could glean no hidden meaning from his words. She did note how Spock's skin was completely healed and his hair well on the way to its original length however.

She sent him a brief message in response, thanking him for keeping her informed and attempted not to feel hurt at his brusque manner.