AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Although I do not own Star Trek itself, or any of the original characters, those characters which I have developed myself, and those situations which I have written about, and the story names I have created, belong to me, and may not be used by anyone else without my permission.
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All Good Things
Chapter Twenty-one - Hearts and Roses
On Board the Enterprise
February 2275
Nyota
She stood at the front of the room, filled with Vulcans, and explained the Earth holiday of Valentine's Day. There were many questions, which she attempted to answer as best she could. From there, she progressed the giving and wearing of flowers, how to issue an invitation to a dance or other event, and how to behave at a public dance. She ended with the announcement of dancing lessons to be held in the gym at 1100 each night next week. There were still a number of puzzled faces in the room, but she just couldn't do any more today. This was exhausting!
Wurok
He listened very closely to everything the Lieutenant Commander said to them, and mulled it over carefully before heading for the arboretum and approaching Ensign T'Vre. She pointed him to a particular PADD near the entrance on a small shelf, and he made his notation there. She told him when to come back and pick up what he wanted. After that, he headed for the lab where Lieutenant Jackson worked, and was waiting just outside the door when she stepped out. "Fancy meeting you here!"
He quirked his eyebrow at her. "I have met you here every day for the last two weeks at this time. I fail to understand your comment."
She just shook her head and grinned at him, tucking her hand into his elbow. "It's just a greeting. You'll get used to it."
"I do not believe that I shall. It is most illogical."
"Wurok. You will get used to my making illogical statements. I know that you will." Her voice was soft and pleasant, and he enjoyed it very much. So he did not refute her statement, even though he did not agree with it. What he did do was to very hesitantly invite her to attend the Valentine's Day Dance with him, for which he received a very swift squeeze from her hands against his arm, and a breathless acceptance. His temperature rose 3.4 degrees.
Tilek
When he approached the subject of the Valentine's Day Dance, T'Cila was not at first certain whether this was an activity that they should participate in, and then she remembered that the First Officer had said that he escorted his bondmate there every year, and danced with her in public. It must be acceptable then. She advised Tilek that they would follow that example, and attend, and he agreed with her, and then asked her whether she knew how to dance. They made quick plans to attend the dancing lessons that had been offered.
Pevek
He made a point of approaching Kurik when he appeared in the Engineering lab that afternoon, and asking him whether unattached males ever attended the dance without a partner. Kurik assured him that this was the case, and that he had done so himself. "There will be many unattached females there, waiting for you to ask them to dance. If you have not learned, it would be to your advantage to attend the arranged lessons."
He went and signed up immediately. Surely there would be someone there who would catch his eye.
Brack
He spoke with T'Kam, who told him she had already accepted Ensign Peterson's invitation to the dance, and that Leah had asked her three times whether she thought her cousin was going to ask her to the dance. And so he straightened up and walked down the corridor to the rec room where he knew she spent many evenings, and asked her if she would like to take a walk with him. She smiled and laughed and came right along, and when they got to the observatory, he stammered out his invitation and she accepted happily. He could not remember having such a reaction to anything else before in his life. His body felt very strange, almost as if it were floating. He would have to mediate on this, perhaps all night. But only after they walked some more.
Falon
T'Vela informed him that it was their duty to attend the dance and act as chaperones to the unbonded Vulcans who would be attending and that she must have a new dress and earrings to wear. Wisely, he did not object. He asked her if she would like some flowers, as well, and she bit his ear and growled at him. He followed up quickly and they spent a very entertaining hour showing each other what they would not allow the unbonded ones to do in public.
Karck
He was almost too late. He had waited about, trying to work up his courage, and there was another male speaking with his intended when he finally approached her. He drew himself up and glared at the interloper, who began to back away, and finally turned and walked off quickly without finishing what he had been saying. Lieutenant Moreau stood there and looked at him and shook her head. "You better be here to ask me to the dance after that, you big baby."
"I do not understand why you are calling me a baby."
She tapped his chest with one lovely finger, the nail painted a soft pink for some odd reason. "Do I get an invitation or not?"
"If you would do me the honor of attending the Valentine's Day Dance with me, I should be most pleased."
She smiled and patted his chest with the flat of her hand, causing all sorts of odd sensations to flow through him. "That's better. My dress will be blue."
When he only looked at her blankly, she sighed. "You need to know what color I'm going to wear so that the corsage you get me won't clash."
He nodded, not exactly sure he understood, but he had committed her statement to memory and would repeat it to someone who would tell him what to do. He would not disappoint her.
T'Bel
She received five invitations to the dance, all within fifteen minutes. She had no idea what to do, so she went straight to Chris for advice. Chris told her that etiquette said that she should accept the first invitation, but if she really didn't like that guy, to turn him down and accept one of the others. She had to sit down and think about it for half an hour before deciding which one to accept, and how to tell the others that she had accepted someone else. She finally had to go back to Chris for more advice.
Stuln
He asked Apask and Deltk and Skillar and Lonon what they were going to do, and all of them decided to 'go stag' as they heard the term used. They just weren't quite sure about this 'dating' thing yet. And all of them were still under thirty. Surely they could progress a little slower than the older men. Gron, on the other hand, had already asked three females, all of whom had turned him down. This was fairly alarming. They were not sure why he had been turned down, and were not in the least ready to experience that shock for themselves.
T'Vre
When the tall young lieutenant with the funny spots on his face that T'Cila had introduced her to asked if she would like to attend the dance with him, she blushed and accepted. She was very intrigued by those spots.
The Dance
The shuttle bay was decorated as usual, very dim lighting from lots of very tiny lights suspended above their heads, soft music to dance to, odd pink punch and sweet cookies in the shape of hearts. Those who had never been to an event of this type before looked around in wonder. Those who had never danced in public before did so stiffly, being very careful where they put their hands, and how close they held their partners. There was a great deal of soft talk, and a few tentative finger touches, and even some whispering in ears.
Those who had come without dates discovered that there were indeed many who would be willing to dance with them, or to stand along the walls and talk over a cup of that odd punch and a very sweet cookie. They began to loosen up, just the slightest bit. Perhaps they could learn this new skill in time, after all.
Those who had come with dates found that they were enjoying themselves tremendously. There was the dancing, touching carefully. And there was the quiet talking in the dim light, standing close together. It was all very interesting, and nothing at all like anything they had ever done before. They talked about it with each other for weeks afterwards.
The only unfortunate thing about it was that Nyota ignored her diet, and got too tired, and woke up the next morning feeling very bad. She went ahead and reported for duty, trying to hide the way she felt from Spock, but as the day went on, she felt worse and worse. He ended up carrying her to sick bay, where Len confirmed her fears. She had copper poisoning again. He read her the riot act for not coming in that morning. Spock just stood and looked at her, and the look in his eyes told her how dumb she had been. She sighed, and followed orders exactly, spending the next two days flat on her back in bed. And she promised Spock that she would not make any attempt to hide the way she felt after that. His very deep relief made her feel just that much more guilty, until he came and folded himself about her, and comforted her.