Chapter 21: Anger

A/N: Thanks for your review, romulanlover! Vreenak is a bundle of complexities and contradictions. He'll soon feature more strongly.

Mirek is a non-canon region on Romulus. I made up its environment :-)

"Kihika, sometimes I think you know my wife better than me," Thorek said. And Vekal tr'Jo'rek, he added as a silent afterthought.

"Oh no, Ihhai, the way I know her is simply different," Kihika said humbly. Thorek smiled. She was a shrewd young woman.

"I have been researching whatever I can find about trauma in Humans." He shrugged. "It seems similar to what Romulans would undergo."

"If I may express my thoughts on the matter, Ihhai?"

"Of course. Go ahead."

"I think you should just be with her instead of reading up so much. She needs your company more than that database you're researching."

He nodded. "Very wise. I see I made an excellent choice in you as an assistant to both of us."

Kihika inclined her head modestly, her ears turning green.

Asha didn't expect either Kihika or Thorek to visit her bedroom in the mornings as there was no hair to dress anymore. To her surprise, she heard the double knock as usual. She opened the door.

"You look surprised, Asha," Thorek said.

"Well, there's not much to braid," she said, indicating her hair and smiling.

"Surely a stroll in the gardens will be a substitute? I enjoy your company."

"You do?"

"It should be obvious. Unless my impression is not reciprocated?"

The dimples emerged. "It is very much reciprocated."

He smiled back at her and held out his arm, letting her pass before him.

During their stroll, they did not refer to the incident or speak about it. They practised her Rihan instead. It was soon going to be a year since her arrival on Romulus and their wedding anniversary. There didn't seem to be much to celebrate at first sight from Asha's point of view, but Thorek disagreed. Seeing how fluently Asha spoke and wrote the Romulan language and how familiar she was with Romulus's culture and people, he considered Asha's progress outstanding.

And then, in the afternoon, they received fresh news.

Their three assailants had been caught, and both Asha and Kihika were asked to come down to the security station to confirm their identification – that very same day. Asha closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was glad she wouldn't be going alone. Thorek and Kihika were accompanying her, and it was Thorek who drove the flitter to the station. Although Asha tried to display a calm demeanour, there were small things that showed her nervousness: the clenching and unclenching of her hands, pacing up and down and that frequent deep intake of breath.

It was in moments like these that Thorek felt helpless, not knowing what to do or say. He was convinced that Vekal, who had seen far more of life than him, and who always came across as serene, would have known how to interact with Asha in such a tense situation. He was grateful Kihika was sitting at the back next to her mistress, distracting her with a Romulan game which was the equivalent of Human chess.

The visit at the security office was very brief. The security officer they had spoken to last time greeted them. Thorek waited while his wife and Kihika were led to another room.

The two women were escorted to a series of holding cells, three of which were occupied. They all recognised each other at once. The one who had tried to strangle her got up from where he was sitting on the floor and approached the forcefield. Kihika protectively placed her hand on Asha's arm.

"Khoi-udt, ryak'na!" he hissed at her. Drop dead, garbage!

"Veruul!" Kihika used the Romulan insult for "idiot".

"No," Asha said softly. "He wants to provoke us, make us lose our composure. He is best ignored." She drew a shaky breath and looked at the security officer.

"I recognise him. He was the leader of the band, sawed off my hair and tried to strangle me."

"Yes, he insulted both of us in the flitter park before the assault," Kihika confirmed. They moved on to the other cells and reiterated that the right criminals had been caught.

"What will happen now?" Asha asked the officer.

"They will be sent to Remus to work in the dilithium camps until they die. All three have a criminal record for theft and burglary. They will not be released from this station and my employer will take the necessary steps to ensure their imprisonment on Remus."

"Will we have to testify before court as witnesses?"

"No. We have what we need, and they are in the hands of the Romulan law. I also have to tell you that the appearance of a Human witness would not be looked upon with friendly eyes, Ihhei, and I think it a pity. Your evidence, however, is supported by Romulans who know you well, such as your assistant, husband and doctor. It is also supported by the behaviour of the prisoners, who have given obvious signs of recognising you and your assistant. Their sentence is clear."

"Thank you," she said, "thank you for doing what you can to help me."

A small smile relaxed his grim face. "You are welcome. In my eyes, this is what belongs to the proper execution of my job."

Over the next few weeks, Asha behaved normally, and Thorek asked her from time to time if she was okay. Her affirmation sounded bright and jovial.

"They were caught and something was actually done about them so they won't pester other people anymore."

"Asha, they did not pester you. They tried to strangle and kill you."

Her gaze froze for a moment, then she said cheerfully: "Well, in the end they didn't. That's the important thing."

"I can see you're not sleeping well."

She didn't answer, dropped her eyes and went outside to the garden. When she returned, he said. "I'm here if you want to talk about it."

"It's kind of you, but I'm really fine." She sounded stubborn. The fuzz on her head was thicker and darker.

He nodded, touched her cheek and went to his room to prepare his lecture. He was too distracted, however, and ended up contacting the Jo'reks. Christine received his call; Vekal was staying with one of his military friends to discuss a project. Thorek explained that he wasn't sure how to deal with Asha's sweeping the whole matter under the rug. Christine looked a little exasperated. "It is understandable, but she is still young, even for a Human, and thirty-year-olds cope with problems like ten-year-olds in the 24th century. I will visit you and handle her."

"I think she needs someone to understand her rather than handle her," Thorek remarked.

"It comes to almost the same thing," Christine replied.

And so Christine came to visit Asha after a few days. Asha was reticent to speak to her about what she was feeling, knowing that Christine could get impatient and seemed to regard her as, quoting her, "oversensitive".

"Surely a Human can walk alone in the woods even on Romulus just for enjoyment?" Asha said at one point.

"That's not how it works here. I'm sure if you had had Kihika or your husband with you, this wouldn't have happened. You should be knowing by now that Romulus is not always a safe environment for us Humans, young lady," Christine remarked.

Asha lost her temper. She slowly got up from her chair, her eyes blazing.

"You are smug because you think you know everything since you have lived here for much longer than me," she said in a furious low voice. "You always know what is good for other people to judge from the way you preach and hold forth, calling me 'young lady' as if I was stupid. You think you're so perfect with your perfect life. Let me tell you something, Ihhei Perfect. If you ever get beaten up on the way, I'll make sure to give you a detailed guide on how you might have been able to prevent it, because I bet you know the secrets of time-travel, too. Now, let me tell you something else." She leant forwards and stared into Christine's eyes, much as she had done with Rhian t'Merek such a long time ago when she had put her teacher in place.

"You don't know shit."

Christine got up, too, her cheeks flushed with anger.

"And you don't know what it's like to miscarry a child. I'm glad you think that's perfect." Her voice was stony.

"Nice attempt trying to guilt-trip me and getting the topic back to you. It's not going to work." Asha walked out of the room, eyes blazing.

"Kihika," she called. Kihika came running down the stairs. Her eyes widened at the outraged expression on her mistress's face.

"Could you please escort Ihhei t'Jo'rek out of the house? She has to leave urgently," Asha said politely.

"Of course, my Lady."

"Thank you, Kihika."

Christine pressed her lips together, mustered the remains of her dignity and left with Kihika, who wisely held her tongue.

When Thorek came home, he asked: "Christine has already left?"

Asha glowered at him. "I threw her out."

Thorek's eyebrows almost brushed his hair. "You did what?"

Gracious hospitality even towards people one didn't like was of paramount importance in Romulan households. Besides, Asha and Christine got on quite well, although she seemed more at ease around Vekal.

"She made me so angry," Asha hissed, her eyes blazing. He remembered when he had seen that expression before: at the Tal Shiar prison and when she had walked out on him after their argument.

"Asha, what happened?" he asked gently, putting an arm around her.

"That...creature...had the gall to tell me how I might have avoided being assaulted." Her eyes blazed again, and she had clenched her hands into fists so tightly that the blood left her fingers. She was breathing hard. "If I ever see that…know-it-all…again, I'll grab a scissors and cut off her hair and see how she likes it!"

She seemed to be breathing fire, like when he had met her for the very first time at the Tal Shiar prison. He shushed her, taking her fists and loosening her fingers.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry for dragging you through all this. I've been nothing but a burden since I entered your life."

"Don't say such things, my ailhun. You don't have to apologise to me for anything."

They embraced and he stroked her head. When she had calmed down, he whispered: "You got angrier with your fellow Human than with me."

She looked up and saw the twinkle in his eyes. She began to laugh a little. He touched her dimples.

"That's what I wanted to see," he said.

Two days later, Kihika escorted Vekal into the hall, where Asha and Thorek were going over her Rihan homework. The two Romulans greeted each other, and Vekal said: "I hope you don't mind my sudden visit, Thorek, but I urgently need to speak with your wife."

"I can think why. Please, make yourself comfortable," Thorek said dryly, going upstairs to leave them alone together.

Vekal looked stern. "Asha, I regard you as my daughter, and as a father I will voice my displeasure. I understand your struggle. I understand your anger. I understand a lot, although it is beyond my ability to understand everything. I realise that this is a matter between you and my wife, and I have no wish to be involved in your quarrel. But I cannot tolerate seeing my wife hurt and confused."

"It's her problem if she feels that way," she replied stubbornly.

"I do not like to stay in a house in which hospitality towards my wife has been so shamelessly breached, so I will leave now."

"Please stay a little." Asha's eyes filled with tears.

Vekal sighed. "Tears on either destination of my journey," he said, reaching out and touching her cheek briefly. "I hate seeing you cry, paenhe. Well. Now that you and my wife have hurt each other, you might as well patch it up, to use your terminology."

"I'll think about it," Asha said coldly.

"You are prouder and more stubborn than the whole Senate put together, Proconsul and Praetor included."

"Thank you for the compliment," she countered smoothly.

"It was not intended as such," Vekal said, raising a lofty eyebrow.

"I know."

"Are you going to throw me out of the house, too?"

She smiled. "Never, eneh."

Vekal shook his head, amused. Then he added: "Christine misses you. What do you think is more important? Pride or friendship? I will leave now to let you work out the answer, my paenhe, and to fight your demons." His face was grave. "What is swept out of sight can haunt you all the more. Some things make themselves more present when they are pushed aside. I hope no quarrel occurs with your husband as it did with my wife." He touched her forehead briefly with his lips and left.

Asha noticed how he had avoided saying "you", probably so she would not feel like he was accusing or blaming her for the disagreement, but at the same reminding her that she had to fight her demons by confronting them and not others like Christine.

A whole two weeks passed until Asha picked up her PADD and sent a message to Christine via the encrypted channel, asking if they could meet at a place of her choosing. Christine responded with a yes and chose the seafront near her home. Thorek looked relieved when Asha told him that she was going to meet Christine.

"About high time," he murmured.

She glared at him from the side and refrained from a scathing retort. She had already quarrelled with Christine. There was no need to bite off her husband's head, especially when he was supporting her so much, and not after what Vekal had told her. She noticed that she was growing increasingly irritable each day.

Christine was waiting when Asha arrived punctually. The two women looked at each other, uncertain who should make the first step. Asha did. After all, it was she who had asked requested their meeting.

"I've had a few days and a visit from your husband to think about what happened between us. I'm sorry. I behaved really shittily to you."

"Vekal was reluctant to tell me about his visit in case I thought he was sticking his nose into our business. He's very protective." She smiled fondly, then said: "And I should have listened to you instead of lecturing you."

"Well, I also have to admit that I let jealousy get the better part of me."

"But why are you jealous?" Christine asked, puzzled.

"I know how ridiculous this is going to sound, but you seem to have such a perfect life with a great marriage and…I keep thinking about that. I know that's really bad. I can't seem to stop sometimes."

"That's normal, Asha, and realising that comparisons are bad is already a first step."

She nodded. "Thorek is being wonderful. He's supporting me in every way he can, but I don't want to be a nuisance to him."

"Can you think of a time when you supported him?"

"Well…I tried to let him know that I understood his sadness after R'ëal chose another suitor. I hardly knew him back then and I didn't know what to do."

"You could have scratched out his eyes and judged him for continuing to see his lover after marrying you," Christine pointed out gently.

"What good would that have done? He had known her for a long time, and we had just barged into each other's lives. Especially I into his. How could I fault either of them?"

"That is very mature reasoning."

"Thanks. It's…logical, I suppose. As you know, I'd make a lousy Vulcan, though!"

It was a friendly conversation both of them enjoyed that afternoon, and they parted with an affectionate hug. Later that evening, Asha received a message from Vekal. It read: "I am most relieved that you patched things up. As you can see, I enjoy that particular Human expression. Since you are so fond of Romulan nature, may I suggest, in three months' time, a group excursion including our respective spouses and assistants to the Botanical Gardens of Mirek? Jolan'tru, Vekal."

Mirek was the capital city's neighbouring province, known for its exotic and aromatic plants. Asha asked Thorek about the Botanical Gardens.

"I was a child the last time I visited them. I still retain memories of their beauty, and they are said to have the finest Y'gora trees on the planet. I would look forward to an excursion."

Asha's face lit up. She almost suffocated him with a hug, then rushed up the stairs to inform Kihika. Thorek listened to her footsteps, and her laughter floated down to him.