*Spock*

The last three months of his deployment passed in tedium and discomfort. He allowed himself only brief subspace messages to Nyota Uhura, and few at that. Instead of deleting her responses, he instead found himself watching them over and over. She spoke of little of import, her studies and work with Professor Voss, but hearing her voice seemed to improve his mood.

Three weeks and 5 days after his last subspace communique from her, and 186 days 6 hours and 12 minutes since he had seen Nyota - his bonded, his betrothed - an annoyingly human, cheery voice within him reminded, the U.S.S Nelson docked at Space Station 1 in orbit of Earth. The ship was due for a full refit and its entire crew was standing down, her officers and crew reassigned, many of them on leave or assigned to planet-side commissions in San Francisco or Paris until the Captain took possession of the new flagship in six months' time.

There was a celebratory mood amongst the crew.

'Coming to the lounge Spock?' asked Captain Pike in a tone of voice that indicated he wasn't expecting an answer in the affirmative.

The crew of the Nelson were disembarking. The bridge crew and a good portion of the ship's officers were headed straight to the officer's lounge in the space station for the traditional end-of-tour-celebratory-drinks. Previously Spock had avoided such gatherings. They had seemed pointless. There was a shuttle scheduled for departure to the Academy within the hour. He could easily make it. Failing that, as an officer he could use the station's transporter to beam down directly. He could be back on campus in less than 10 standard minutes depending on the number of people wishing to use the transporters.

However he found himself wishing to delay his return to the Academy. He had felt an ever increasing sense of excitement mixed with dread over his last shift on the prospect and he sure it was not all his own. With their increased proximity he felt Nyota much more strongly. Spending a few hours in the company of Captain Pike, Lieutenant Commander Robbins and other officers of Nelson seemed perfectly logical. Thanks to the cadet he was so eager to avoid, he now after all had ample experience socialising with inebriated Starfleet personnel.

'I believe I will Captain.'

Pike actually froze mid step and turned to regard Spock in open surprise. 'Really?'

'Indeed. Perhaps you will join me for a game of dom-jot? As I recall you are quite proficient.'

The captain seemed inordinately pleased by Spock's comment. 'My proficiency has improved significantly since the last time we had a game and I'm only drinking the finest Andorian Whiskey tonight commander.'

Spock followed him from the bridge to the turbolifts. 'You are inferring that I will lose to you and as a consequence be forced to purchase overpriced alcoholic beverages for you captain.'

The captain smiled widely and slapped him on the shoulder. 'Got it in one my Vulcan friend!'

*Nyota*

Nyota pushed her dinner around on her plate.

She'd been in an ever increasing state of agitation all day. She'd awoken while it was still dark with her stomach in knots. Just looking at her breakfast had made her nauseous. The Nelson had docked at 11:30 hours and several shuttle loads of returning personnel had come down within hours. Bridge officers she knew would have priority to use the station's transporters, so Spock could have been planet-side within minutes of disembarking. She'd found herself staring at the little groups, hunting for a tall figure in red with dark hair. Every time she saw someone with even passing similarity to Spock her heart hammered and her throat went dry. She could feel that he was somewhere nearby. It was maddening.

They hadn't made any arrangement to meet - she'd only received four brief missives from him in the last three months, the last a month previously – but it was only logical they discuss their situation, so she had expected him to contact her soon after his return.

It was 19:37 hours however, and her comm was still stubbornly free of messages from a Commander Spock. She stabbed a bean viciously with her fork.

He was probably sitting in his new quarters meditating or doing algebraic sudoku or whatever it was he did for fun. She chewed the bean rather more forcefully then was necessary.

She binned her cold dinner ten minutes later and headed to her dorm.

Gaila was half naked, which in itself was nothing new, but she had covered her bed in a pile of clothes for her consideration, a task usually reserved for Fridays and weekends when she was going out. It was a Tuesday. For all her love of dancing and boys, Gaila was serious in her studies and rarely went out on weekdays.

The Orion held up a glittery gold dress that was quite demure by her standards and turned to Nyota. 'What do you think?'

'That's… actually really nice Gaila. What's the occasion?' She walked past her roommate and sat on her bed to unzip her boots.

Gaila rolled her eyes. 'As if you don't know! The Nelson docked and all the officers are up at the station getting blitzed.'

Nyota raised an eyebrow. 'You're going to sneak into the space station officer's lounge? That's pretty crazy, even for you Gaila.'

Gaila shrugged and started wiggling into the dress. 'I know a guy working one of the transporter rooms up there tonight. And as for getting into the officer's lounge…' She smirked and struck a pose. 'I'm sure I can manage it.'

Nyota laughed. 'I don't doubt it. But why are you so eager to go? I didn't think you liked older guys.'

Her friend looked up from her position comparing shoes. 'Becaauussee Captain Pike and half the bridge officers for the Enterprise are up there. I want to try and make an impression. You're not the only one angling for a post on the flagship.'

Nyota smirked. 'What sort of impression are you going to try and make Gai?'

Gaila pouted. 'I'm not going to try and seduce anyone. I just want the Captain to notice me. Help me stand out a little when he's looking through the ensigns next year.' She put on a gruff manly voice. 'Ensign Gaila U'Aidat. Oh I remember her, that beautiful, intelligent Orion girl I had the pleasure of meeting at the spacestation lounge.' She mimed flipping through a PADD. 'What's this? Ensign Uhura? Sure she's got better grades, but U'Aidat showed initiative and that's what counts. The commission goes to the lovely Orion!' she switched back to her own breathless voice and turned to face the opposite direction. 'Oh thank you sir!' She saluted to thin air. 'I'm so fortunate to receive a commission upon the Enterprise!'

Nyota laughed. 'Sure. That's exactly how it'll go.'

Gaila poked out her tongue and smiled. 'You should come. You've been stressing all day and your Lieutenant Commander Spock is hardly going to be hanging around a bar.'

'Commander Spock' Nyota corrected absently.

'He got a promotion?' Gaila asked distractedly from within her closet. 'Where are my gold wedges?!'

Nyota stood and looked over the dresses spread over Gaila's bed. She picked up a red… thing. A skirt? A top? Surely not a dress. She dropped it and inspected a larger garment of a silky silver material. She held it up. It was actually a kinda nice dress. A little too short. And tight. She turned it around and inspected the back. There was none. She put it down but then picked it up again. It did have sleeves and the front was quite modestly cut. She held it up against herself appraisingly.

'Oh yes. You would look amazing in that Ny. I have matching shoes too.' Gaila had emerged from her closet with the pair of wedge heels she'd been hunting for. 'Put it on and let's go!'

'I didn't say I was coming Gaila.' Nyota turned and faced the mirror. The silver contrasted strikingly with her skin.

Gaila dug out a pair of silver heels from the closet and dangled them in front of Nyota. 'So you don't want the matching heels?'

Nyota tilted her head, considering. On the one hand sneaking into the officer's lounge was a stupid idea, and she had class tomorrow. On the other hand Spock obviously wasn't going to try and see her tonight and she did need to unwind. It would serve him right if he tried to talk to her and she was busy dancing. With some other handsome officer. Maybe she'd let an Admiral buy her a drink.

She reached out and took the shoes.

Gaila gave her a bright smile.

*Spock*

Captain Pike and Lieutenant Commander Robbins were on the verge of crossing the line between professional familiarity and fraternisation. Spock watched them 'dancing' with morbid curiosity. He wondered if he should remind the captain that they were in public. Not that the inebriated officers drinking, dancing and talking around the lounge were paying any notice. And not that he himself was in any position to offer advice.

Pike and Robbins having a physical relationship, although technically against regulations, was not the sort of incident Starfleet would pay any attention to. It could even be argued that as of that morning, since Robbins and Pike were no longer officers on the Nelson the chain of command did not come into play. An Academy Instructor and a cadet however…

Spock drained the terrible terran beer he had been served. It was 21:37 hours. The officers from the Nelson had been in the lounge for hours and showed no sign of retiring. Many were in extreme states of intoxication, but this only seemed to encourage them.

He looked back across the room towards the table he had been sharing with the Captain and a few other officers. The Chief Engineer was sleeping with his head against the table whilst the Chief Security Officer and two ensigns from Engineering played a card game of some sort. Since one of the ensigns was currently only dressed in his regulation boots and undergarments and the Chief Security Officer was no longer wearing pants, Spock gathered it was similar to a game he had been exposed to during his time as a cadet at the Academy.

He had no desire what so ever to join in. He had bored of the lounge several hours previously, when the last of his acquaintances had become too inebriated to play dom-jot, but lingered. Distasteful as he found the antics of his fellow Starfleet officers, he still couldn't bring himself to return to the Academy. He would need to soon however, he needed to rest or at the very least meditate. A short term solution occurred to him. He pulled out his PADD and connected to the station's system.

The bartender placed another beer in front of him. Spock looked up and raised an eyebrow questioningly. He had not ordered the beverage. The bartender made no effort to talk over the noise of the bar and instead waved to a section of the bar to Spock's left. Lieutenant Varth caught his eye and raised a glass in salute to him. Spock nodded his thanks and took a sip from his bottle. It was cold. That was about the only thing about it that pleased him. Satisfied he had shown sufficient gratitude to the Lieutenant, Spock returned his attentions to the PADD on the bar in front of him.

The space station housed several thousand permanent staff and always had ample additional accommodation available for personnel passing through. The request took only a few moments to process and then he had been assigned temporary quarters. He could retire for the evening and face the Academy tomorrow. He summoned up a floorplan and noted the location.

He was aware that he was avoiding the real issue - that his solution was cowardly and illogical, but he brushed aside those thoughts. He would examine them in more detail as in front of his asenoi at a later date.

He scanned the dance floor for Captain Pike, planning to bid him farewell and be on his way. He felt a warning, a trickle of awareness as his breath caught and his head turned to gaze across the room. There was an impression of a shapely figure in gold and green topped with a mass of red hair - Cadet U'Aidat - his brain helpfully informed him, and then his eyes slid across the Orion and settled onto the figure beside her. She was standing side on to him facing the bar. As if sensing his regard from across the room, which on some level she probably did, Nyota turned and her eyes locked onto his.

Spock felt his heart rate increase but found himself uncaring. He made no effort to calm it. His brain was suddenly quiet. That dark feeling that by turns horrified and thrilled him thrummed into life eagerly. She held his gaze steadily and he could not break from it. In his peripheral vision he was aware that she was wearing a dress in a silvery shade and had her hair in her customary style atop her head. But otherwise he found himself blind to the world at large. His perfect memory had apparently forgotten how dark and beautiful her eyes were. Her lips moved, formed his name, and he heard it as if they were completely alone and she had whispered it in his ear.

He found himself walking along the bar towards her. She did not look away and raised her face up towards him when he stopped beside her. Dimly he was aware that his hand was cold. He placed the bottle of beer upon the bar beside her. He was uncertain how long they stood regarding each other silently. He was aware that he needed to do something, but the only thoughts coming to him were impossible. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to take another step closer and pull her against him, feel the warmth of her body pressed against him. Offering her a greeting did not occur to him. Instead he stood stiffly and simply stared at her.

Abruptly she turned away from him and exchanged words with Cadet U'Aidat. Absently Spock lifted the bottle of beer and emptied it. He did not even register the unpleasant taste. When he lowered it to the bar Uhura was looking at him again.

There was a maelstrom of emotion within him and much of it was reflected in what he sensed from her through their tenuous bond. She licked her lips, leaning forward slight to speak, then she was jostled by someone behind her at the bar and she stumbled slightly towards him, her eyes widening. Reflexively Spock wrapped an arm around her, loosely pressing against her back and steading her as she regained her footing.

He inhaled sharply when his hand came into contact not with her dress as he had anticipated, but her warm bare skin. Instantly the blurred things he sensed through their bond came into focus. Frustration, anger, that sad feeling he could not understand and great waves of her dizzy human affection. He could also feel her delight at feeling his hands on her. Her desire for him. She shifted slightly closer. 8.2 seconds had passed since he'd moved to steady her.

He needed to remove his hand and step away from her.

He swallowed and summoned his considerable will power. His hand dropped to his side.

Instantly the bond quietened to a murmur. Spock desperately attempted to gather his thoughts. He looked over Uhura's shoulder, away from her dark eyes. He needed to leave. He needed to mediate. If he stayed in Uhura's proximity… He could feel her staring at him. He stepped backwards. He had never done anything so difficult. Her eyes were full of emotions he didn't understand. He could think of no appropriate farewell. As always when in doubt, he simply nodded at her. 'Cadet.'

She stared at him a few seconds longer as if in disbelief that he was dismissing her, then without bothering to acknowledge him, turned her back on him angrily and leant on the bar.

Spock stared.

Her dress had no back.

The silver material ran straight down her sides from her shoulders and only met again so low on her back that the dimples below the base of her spine were visible. The sight arrested him. He had a powerful urge to wrap his hands around her hips and press his thumbs into those indentations. She looked back at him over her shoulder. She did not smile or wink or exhibit any other the other human indicators of sexual desire that he was aware of, but her invitation, or more accurately, challenge was clear.

He found himself taking a step towards her when he should have been turning and leaving the lounge. He stopped beside her at the bar. Her hands were resting against it, a small purse held between them. Spock focused on her elegant fingers. Inside his mind he was at war with himself. Logic dictated his need to distance himself from Nyota Uhura and the effect she had upon him. She was a cadet. He was a Starfleet officer. He had unwittingly formed a betrothal bond with her that she was not even aware of. The situation between them was complicated and needed to be discussed in a more formal setting than a bar and when he was in control of his emotions enough to speak to her rationally.

She turned and leant towards him so as to be heard over the noise of the bar. She stopped when her mouth was approximately 12 centimetres from his right ear. 'Have you reported to your new posting yet Commander?'

The mundane question was not at all what he had been expected based upon her behaviour of the last few minutes. He found it calmed him somewhat. She turned her face so he could lean down and reply within an audible range. He could smell her perfume. 'Negative cadet.'

He straightened so she could respond in kind. He could feel her warm breath against his ear and neck. 'So as of this moment, you are not currently a member of the Academy teaching staff?'

Spock abruptly grasped her implication. This time when she met his eyes she smirked slightly at his enlightenment. The main argument against involvement with the cadet was suddenly invalid. Until he reported to Admiral Barnett he was not a member of the Academy staff and there was no conflict of interest between them. He was not in a position of authority over her. There was no relevant chain of command. No fraternisation. As this realisation washed over him he was forced to accept he had reached the limits of his control, Vulcan or otherwise.

He allowed himself to shift infinitesimally closer to her so that the cloth of his uniform just brushed against her shoulder. Her left hand lay palm up on the bar in front of her. His heart rate increasing at his daring, Spock reached out and pressed his right index and middle finger against her own and allowed a spark of his desire for her to pass between them.

She was not Vulcan or a touch telepath so the effect was slightly muted, but she gasped slightly and her pupils dilated as he held her gaze. The burst of joy he felt from her was almost humbling. He curled his fingers around hers and pulled her towards him. He could feel that familiar dizzy feeling from her. Her affection for him she'd said. She followed his lead, turning from the bar and standing so close they were all but embracing. Spock didn't give a thought to the people around them, to proprietary or modesty. He let his left arm wrap around her and pulled her against him, delighting in the warm bare skin beneath his hand. A single thought was coming to him through his fingertips so clear he could almost imagine she was repeating it under her breath. /Kissmekissmekissme/

He could deny her nothing.