A/N: I wasn't expected to post another chapter tonight but my beta is one amazing person! Thank you all for all your support and leaving reviews and asking questions it let me know that you have invested a lot of time in this fic and care about the characters. Thank you, you all make me feel that I am doing a good job, in telling a good story.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Star Trek...just my love for the characters and my imagination... Enjoy and thank you for reading!
Chapter Twenty One: Christmas in Africa - Great Minds Think Alike
Spock quickly terminated the call from Mr. Uhura as Nyota walked into his quarters. He was in the process of making plans for his marriage proposal and he did not want to risk the chance of her finding out.
"How was your run?" he asked, putting his personal PADD in his duffle bag.
"Great," she answered. "The weather is perfect for running." She went to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of juice. "You would have loved it."
"I had an urgent matter to attend to," he explained. "Otherwise our vacation would have been ruin."
His eyes swept over her slender body, glistening from perspiration, raising his temperature four point five degrees.
"Don't even think about it, mister," she warned him as she finished her glass of juice. "We have a shuttlecraft to catch in a couple of hours."
Spock stared into her eyes. Nyota looked away, shaking her head.
"You know I can't resist those puppy dog eyes of yours," she said, "But...it's not working…" she stammered. She felt herself giving in. "I have to take a shower and get ready…Spock stop staring at me like that." She giggled.
"Nyota, look at me," he requested. The corner of his mouth quickly formed a smile.
"Um…no, I will not do it." She bit her lip to stifle a laugh. "You are too irresistible."
"Commander Spock says, look at him."
Nyota couldn't help herself. She looked into his gorgeous dark, brown eyes. Her heart beat accelerated in her chest as the butterflies within her flitter wildly.
"You are not playing fairly," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Exactly," he agreed, raising his eyebrows half way, amused. "Remember what you did to me the other night?"
"Touché," she agreed. "I have taught my student well."
"I have an excellent teacher."
"Spock, I'm going to take a shower," she insisted, half heartily. "But…I need help scrubbing my back." A wide grin spread across her face. "Damn it Spock, you know I can not deny you anything." She entwined her fingers in his, leading him to the bedroom.
"I have a very efficient technique for scrubbing backs," he replied matter of factly. "It involves a lot of caressing and soap."
"I bet it does." She grinned. "I can't wait for you to try it on me."
She winked at him lustfully.
"Remember, my Nyota we have a flight to catch," he reminded her.
"We will make it…trust me."
***
Nyota laid her head on Spock's shoulder.
"I told you we would make it," she said, yawning. "I think I'll take a nap. Between the run this morning and uh…your invigorating back scrubbing technique, I find myself worn out, but in a good way," she added with a smile.
Spock rubbed his newly acquired bite mark.
"As an observant of your enthusiastic participation of my new technique, I agree."
Nyota shut her eyes. "Wake me up when we arrive in Africa."
Spock slipped his hand in hers and squeezed it gently. A few minutes later Nyota was fast asleep.
Spock thought about all the planning he had to do to give his Nyota the perfect marriage proposal. He literally read through thousands of old Terran magazine articles on the subject. The most intriguing plan that stood out in his mind was renting several hotel rooms, each one with a different theme.
Nyota would go into each room where a family member would be waiting for her and would ask her a specific question about their relationship. Upon answering correctly, she would be handed a red rose and a piece of a puzzle that will contain a clue. Once she collected all of the clues, she would put the puzzle together, which would instruct her where to go to find him, where he would be waiting with ring in hand, on bended knee to ask her to marry him.
Spock thought it was a nice idea, but it wasn't as personal as he would like.
He found hiring a hover cab to fly overhead with 'Nyota will you marry me' flying around on the bumper was not romantic at all.
The most illogical plan he read about was hiding the ring in the food – usually dessert. And once said jewelry was discovered, the Terran male would drop to one knee and propose. Spock could foresee too many things that could go wrong in this scenario.
Scenario A: Nyota would swallow the said jewelry undetected, in which he had to confess she ate the ring. He would take her to the medical center where she would be given a powerful laxative to wait for the ring to pass through her system. Hopefully, she would still want the ring and him as a mate.
Scenario B was more drastic: Nyota would swallow the ring and it would get lodged in her throat, blocking her air passage. The trip to the medical center would result in her having emergency surgery to dislodge the ring. He wouldn't have to worry about Nyota refusing his proposal because her father would make good on his threat and kick his Vulcan ass.
Spock bristled at the thought.
He had a more imaginative plan in mind…
One that was uniquely his…
***
Maputo, Mozambique, United States of Africa
"Uncle Spock! Uncle Spock!" Lanre shouted, running as fast as his little pudgy three-year-old legs could carry him. "Uncle Spock!" He wrapped himself around Spock's long legs.
"I had to bring him," Rowena explained. She had volunteered to pick them up from the shuttle port. "He would have pitched a fit if he couldn't see his Uncle Spock."
Spock reached down and smiled at his nephew. Nyota saw the warmth he felt for Lanre in his eyes.
"Hello Lanre, I am happy to see you, too," Spock replied. "It is nice to see you too, Rowena."
Rowena gave Spock a warm hug and a peck on the cheek.
"Welcome to Africa, Spock," she said. "This time we are expecting you."
"Hello, Rowena," Nyota greeted, embracing her sister.
"Ta, you are looking radiant," she said, looking sideways at Spock. "And so do you, Spock."
"Thank you," Nyota replied. She looked into Spock's eyes. "Life is good."
A small smile curved on Spock's lips as he excused himself to retrieve their bags.
"Lanre, let go of Uncle Spock's leg, he needs to get his and Auntie Ta's bags."
"I do not mind him tagging along," Spock spoke up.
He was relishing in his role as Uncle Spock.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, Lanre can help Uncle Spock carry the bags, right, Lanre?"
"Uh-huh," Lanre replied, looking up at Spock with pure adoration in his eyes.
Nyota and Rowena laughed. They watched Spock walk away with Lanre riding on his leg, holding on for dear life and laughing as if he was having the best time in his life.
"Spock is going to make such a wonderful father some day," Rowena said.
"Yes, I know," Nyota agreed.
She took Rowena's hands and squeezed them. She looked at her sister, her love for Spock written all over her face.
"Spock is the one Rowena, which is why I am going to ask him to marry me."
Rowena gasped.
"And I am going to need your help to help me come up with the perfect marriage proposal."
***
Shi'Kahr, Vulcan
Sarek's hands gripped the arm rest of the chair as he took several deep breaths to center himself. He could not believe what Amanda had just told him.
"Spock is actually going to marry this Terran girl?" he asked, his tone angry despite his stoic demeanor.
"Yes," Amanda replied. "Spock and Nyota love each other very deeply."
She held up the photograph of Nyota and Spock for Sarek to see.
"Look at them, Sarek, see how much in love they are with each other."
Sarek refused to look at the photograph.
"I could have sought another mate for him if he wished to bond."
"Sarek, our son does wish to bond; he has chosen Nyota Uhura," Amanda retorted. "It is a done deal, whether you like it or not."
"We shall go to Africa and stop him. That is what we are going to do," Sarek insisted.
"No, we are NOT," Amanda retorted, looking at her husband and daring him to go against her wishes. "You will NOT stop Spock from bonding with the woman he loves."
Sarek knew when Amanda used that tone of voice with him; it was illogical to talk to her.
"What we are going to do, my beloved husband, is wait here and enjoy ourselves until Spock contacts us with the good news. And if you wish to visit Africa, we will do so to meet our future in-laws. But only if we are invited." She kissed her husband gently on the forehead. "Do you remember how your family reacted to the news that you were about to bond with a Terran female?"
"Yes," he replied softly. "I am marrying the human Amanda Grayson because I am the Vulcan Ambassador to Earth, it is only logical that I bond with her, for diplomatic purposes." He remembers reasoning with T'Pau. Sarek omitted the real reason why he was bonding with Amanda, he was in love with her.
"I do not want that for our son," she replied. "I do not want Nyota to go through the same experience I did with your family."
"It will be hard to accept Spock bonding with a human."
"Why? You did and look how well our marriage turned out."
Sarek's face softened as he laid his head on his wife's bosom. She held up the photograph again and this time Sarek stared at it.
"Our son is his own man, Sarek. No longer will he allow anyone to tell him what he cannot do."
"The Vulcan High Council will never approve of his mate."
Amanda laughed. Her memory went back many years when Spock refused his admission into the Vulcan Science Academy.
"As if he really cares." She retorted.
tbc...
A/N: sorry about this being a cliffy but I just couldn't help myself...lol For everyone who asks if Sarek will meet Nyota the answer is yes, of course he has to check out what kind of woman Spock has chosen for a wife...hehehe. Amanda is simply amazing I love her in TOS and I love her in the movie. I really feel Spock loves the role of uncle, it's a sign of belonging, something he never had before.
Please R/R it feeds my muse....thank you for reading!