Disclaimer: I don't not own Star Trek Enterprise or any of its characters. They belong to whoever owns 'em. I just took the general idea for a test jaunt. L'Ras, Ambassador Soval's aid is an original character created by myself.

Authors Note: After a long hiatus, I am dusting off this old relic and seeing where it takes me. Thank you to all my reviewers, I am thrilled you enjoying the new chapters!

When Opposites Collide - Chapter 24

He was halfway to the door before he hesitated. Looking back at her with a surprisingly expressive look that existed somewhere in between concern and curiosity. It was an expression that didn't show on his face, but rather in his eyes as he cocked his head and circled back.

"What did I do now?" She asked, half defensive and half joking as her thoughts reeled back to what she had seen play out on the monitors behind L'Ras desk. The recent interest from the media and public, the stares…the calculating looks. …God.

She shivered, suddenly feeling uncomfortable and completely out of her depth as all the insecurities of the past few days slammed down on her at once. Because seriously, what the hell was she doing here? An Ambassador? Really?! For Christ sakes, this was a diplomatic incident waiting to happen!

She knew next to nothing about Vulcan culture, what if she did something that was considered taboo? What if all the other Vulcans hated her? What if the press got wind of this? Oh Shit! Her job…her career…The Enterprise… she could put it all in jeopardy! What if he got fired? What if he got sent home to Vulcan in disgrace and the entire Vulcan-Earth alliance crumbled!? It would be all her fault! Just because she went and fell in love with a Vulcan!

…Whoa. Hold the phone. Love?!

"What troubles you?" He questioned, suddenly only a handful of steps away. His voice a low thrum as those keen hazel eyes pierced through hers, missing nothing as he took her in like a fine wine. And strangely enough, an odd sense of calm descended, trickling down her spine like a ray of sun in high summer.

She blinked. How did he do that?! She'd been five seconds away from what had promised to be a truly impressive freak out and then, just like that, his voice had cut right down to the heart of the matter, leaving only serenity and strength in its wake. It was almost as if he had sensed the nature of her troubled thoughts and soothed them in turn.

But how?

She took a calming breath and then another. "I'm sorry. I'm fine, just a bit out of my depth I think." She explained, sending him the ghost of a smile as he ushered her back towards the couch. – Uniquely aware of the way his warm palm rested briefly in the small of her back as he took a seat next to her, his expression expectant, but patient as he waited for her to speak.

"There is no need to apologize Amanda." He assured, relaxing his stiff posture incrementally until he was leaning back against the cushions. "We are in a unique situation." He continued thoughtfully.

"Some first date this is…" She muttered, rolling her eyes as she scrubbed her hands across her eyes. "I can promise you that not all human dates involve one of the parties nearly baulking before it can even start." She replied with a laugh. Unsure of who she was more frustrated with, herself or their situation.

"I am rather…new at this myself, Amanda." Soval replied. "Thus, I am sure some divergence from tradition would be considered acceptable. - However, am I right in assuming that this has something to do with our…relationship?" He prompted, seeming to hesitate over the unfamiliar word as he finished. Almost as if he were testing it out on his tongue as he uttered it.

"Yes. Well, no. I mean…urgh. I don't even know anymore. She sighed, seeming to deflate into the cushions as she trailed off. Restless hands running across the length of her thighs, smoothing the crisp material of her slacks as she tried to order her thoughts.

"You are frightened?" He asked, once again making a question sound like a statement as she shook her head and grimaced.

"To be frightened is illogical; you are not in any danger." He insisted, tone edging on forceful as he took a pointed step closer. Making it sound as though by somehow voicing his objection, he could make it true.

"Is it? I may not be frightened Soval, but I'm damn sure that I'm shooting in the dark on this one!" She retorted. Her temper getting the better of her as her pride surged to the forefront.

"I would never let any harm come to you." He replied, hazel eyes suddenly hard as he looked off towards some unknown point across the room. His large hands bunching and then releasing as he rested them in his lap, posture stoic and composed. Only she wasn't buying it…

"Christ, Soval! That's not what I meant!" She muttered, her exasperation earning her a cock of his head as he fixed her with a questioning look.

"Does your discomfort come from the particular focus of the new broadcasts today? Do the opinions of others concern you so strongly?" He inquired, his perceptions a bit too astute for her tastes.

"No! Well, yes. Kinda... I mean, you have to admit that it's a lot to come to terms with." She insisted. Trying to figure out how to make sense of the chaotic muddle that was her brain as she attempted to convey that it wasn't just her they were talking about. It was his career, his planet's involvement with Earth. Hell, the full connotations of what they were doing here were nearly too unfathomable to even consider!

She sighed. …Loudly.

"I am not a politician Soval, so you'll know the risks better than I. But what if this negates everything Earth and Vulcan has worked for? You saw what happened with Terra Prime. Humans can be…well, nasty. And no offense intended, but Vulcans can be just about the same. There will be people that will try to tank everything we've worked for, space travel, inter-species alliances, planetary relations… The list is endless." She exclaimed, picking up steam as she went as something that felt suspiciously like tears stung in the back of her eyes.

"I'm just admitting to feeling a bit out of my depth in all this. And believe it or not, that's a first for me." She began, throat suddenly desert dry as she seized onto the heart of her fears and held on tight. She needed to face this. She couldn't let it rule her.

"I'm a soldier, Soval. It takes a lot to faze me. And while this doesn't sway my decision… if it did I wouldn't be here; I think what I am trying to say is that we come from two very different worlds, both metaphorically and literally." She breathed. Pausing for a long moment before she reached forward, letting her hand rest, feather-light and hesitant on his knee. Reveling in the reaction as his muscles tensed and then gradually relaxed underneath her careful hand.

"…And as much as I feel for you, and want to continue this to wherever it leads I can't help but consider the aftermath if this blows up in our faces." She continued softly. Unable to meet his eyes until his hand was suddenly there, tipping her head back it so he could look her in the eyes. Thumb tracing along the line of her chin as she leaned into his touch without a second thought.

"I believe I understand Amanda." He replied, his tone strangely gentle as he paused in place, letting his fingers brush across the span of her lower lip before he closed his eyes and exhaled. Suddenly looking very much like a man rather than a Vulcan as an undeniably pleasured look flickered across his face. Lingering there for a few heated beats before the curtain of calm swept back across his features and he seemed to come back to himself.

She'd heard somewhere that Vulcan's hands were sensitive, but holy damn if that hadn't looked…well… erotic.

"I'm not going to run from this, and I don't particularly want to hide it. But after all the media attention and with the events of upcoming trial I would prefer if we didn't make our…relationship public; at least not for the time being. - Whatever this is, whatever we have, I would like to keep it as ours for the time being." She proposed, taking some consolation when he nodded, feeling almost shy as he gave her that subtle Vulcan smile of his.

"Indeed. I am much in agreement. - However, it appears to me that you are only thinking of the negative connotations of such an incident. Consider for example, the possible benefits." Soval proposed, looking thoughtful as he steepled his fingers and gazed at her purposefully.

"If our relationship was made public, due to circumstances outside of our control of course, it occurs to me that as the Vulcan Ambassador to Earth such a…relationship could also serve to have significant advantages in regards to diplomatic matters. For example, it could represent a sign of progress in terms of Vulcan and Earth's relationship. In a very real sense, we would be providing a conduit through which a better understanding and respect of our two cultures could more easily flow." He proposed, expressionless and composed despite his clear enthusiasm.

She blinked. …Well, someone had certainly thought this through.

"Well, I suppose we are kind of jumping the gun a bit here." She admitted with a blush. "…Did I mention was a feeling a bit out of my depth?" She offered sheepishly. Patting his knee distractedly before she let herself pull away, sending him a warm smile as his body angled towards her, his body following her instinctively as she settled back into the cushions.

"Why would we attempt to leap over a primitive projectile weapon?" He asked quizzically, seemingly content to ignore her repetition in favor of questioning her Earth idiom.

She snorted out a laugh, unable to help herself as she teetered to port, dissolving into helpless giggles at the mental images as she tried to regain her composure. "It's just an expression Soval." She gasped, fighting for breath as she tried to hold back a full blown laugh attack.

"I am aware." He replied dryly, only flicking an eyebrow in her direction when she goggled at him in response.

"You just made a joke!" She exclaimed, voice rising in both tone and pitch as the sudden realization hit her like a phaser blast between the eyes.

"So it would appear." He replied, presenting her with the face of innocence itself when it was her turn to arch a disbelieving brow.

Why that crafty, pointy-eared hobgoblin!

They made small talk for a few minutes. Discussing the case against Gardener and the resulting fall out in the Admiralty and Starfleet command as a squadron of guard ships roared high overhead. Reminding them both of their recent encounter with Terra Prime as he informed her of some of the details pertaining to the High Council's attempts to route out a band of operatives rumored to be operating on one of their moons. But it wasn't until she paused in mid-sentence, mind flashing back to that self-absorbed, nasal voice that had echoed through the clearing, that Soval decided to drop the double-whammy on her.

"I sense that you are still…unsettled, and not simply about the possible connotations of our relationship." He projected, his question coming out more like an affirmation of the truth than anything else as he stared at her with what she could only guess was the Vulcan equivalent of a mulish stare.

"Perhaps voicing your problem will provide you with some clarity?" He offered, filling in the silence unprompted when she only sighed and looked down at her hands. He read her far too easily… She was going to have to talk to him about that.

"Yes. To be honest there is," She admitted, eventually finding her stride as she turned her thoughts towards the feeling that had been bugging her ever since she'd woken up in sickbay after their run in with Terra Prime.

"Do you remember our friend from the clearing?" She asked, "Mr. Narcissistic-von-'I love the sound of my own voice'-cranky-pants." She muttered darkly, entirely missing Soval's confused look before he blinked and decided to simply go with it.

"Of course," He replied. "Given his actions, he has proven to be rather hard to forget." He concluded, clearly recalling the detestable man who had spoken over him in the clearing. Indication enough that it hadn't just been her skin he'd gotten under.

"Well, the little sonofabitch seems to have disappeared on us. Or at least we think he has." She grated, nearly grinding her teeth in frustration at the mere thought of him. - The little snake, he was still out there, she could practically taste it. Out there and biding his time if her suspicions were correct…

"Was he not with the bodies that Doctor Phlox and the other medical authorities were working to identify?" Soval inquired, posture noticeably straightening as he leaned forward and reached for one of the data pads arranged on the coffee table in front of them.

"I don't think so; I triple checked the identification records from the Star Fleet database, the criminal offenders' data base, and half a dozen other ones I don't even remember the acronyms for." She replied, completely exasperated as she clenched her fists at her sides, pacing across the room and then back again as he watched.

"I don't understand it. He knew too much, too much about me, too much about mission protocol, too much about Star Fleet in general not to be a member. I've gone through the records dozens of times, but I can't find a face to match the brief glimpse I got of him. I guess it wasn't much to go with in the beginning… But still..." She muttered, giving voice to the main source of her frustration as she entertained the thought that she could have seen his file a dozen times and simply not realized it.

For fucks sakes, she was shooting blind here!

"His possible disappearance is irrelevant. I am confident that our joint forces will be able to locate him and any others survivors of the organization in the coming assault." Soval offered, crossing the room and heading towards his desk as an incoming communication alert chimed in the background.

"An operation that I'm not cleared to attend." She responded blackly. "I still have no idea why I was taken off the mission. After all, I'm the best suited for this mission. I've had the most exposure in dealing with Terra Prime; I know their tricks, what makes them tick..."

"Besides, I owe that moron a fist to the face." She muttered darkly, still pissed off about the entire affair as she recalled the transmission last night from her CO. He'd looked annoyed and suitably contrite about the whole thing, but even that hadn't been enough to soothe her ire.

This was her mission! Terra Prime had gone out of their way to make this personal, and she'd wanted to see it through to the end. No…she had to see it through to the end. There was something here that they weren't seeing, something they were missing. She was sure of it!

"I prevented it." He responded simply, staring back at her impassively as her mouth dropped open. Completely at a loss for words as her lips moved soundlessly.

"What!? …Why would you do that?!" She demanded. Her cheeks flushing in anger and embarrassment as shock and frustration coursed through her like a poison. He had no right!

"I would think the answer would be obvious." Soval replied, looking down at his console for a long moment before looking back up to meet her accusing gaze.

"You can't do that! Choose what I can and can't do!" She shot back, tone scathing as she put her hands on her hips and rounded on him, instinctively cutting off his escape routes as she crossed the room with a glare.

"It is done." He replied, a certain finality entering his tone like the phrase itself concluded everything.

"You were not fit resume your duties. Perhaps if you were my interference would not have been necessary. – However, in this case it was. According to your medical files you were released from Doctor Phlox's care on a conditional basis. He has not yet cleared you for active duty and appears to have no intention of doing so for least another standard week." Soval explained, looking insufferably smug as she crossed her arms over her chest and glared daggers at him. Her temper getting the better of her as her anger only doubled with his complete lack of reaction.

"When I reviewed the files for the mission briefing and discovered your name on the roster, I realized that your superiors had not been made aware that you were not officially cleared for duty. So, I rectified the issue. Apparently they were under the impression that you were." He replied, a hint of censure entering his tone as he stared back at her.

Damnit. She might have been a bit less than…specific when she'd seen her CO. Phlox had discharged her, just not willingly, nor with the intention of clearing her for active duty. But she hadn't gone into detail when she'd talk to her CO, trying to wrangle her way onto the mission as soon as she'd been briefed.

Crap, Major Hanning was going to tear her a new one when he got hold of her.

"You still had no right to interfere. This is my career and my life and I can handle my own affairs, thank you very much." She interjected.

Just who did the pointy-eared menace think he was anyway?! She was a grown woman for christ sakes!

"I have a…vested interest in your health." Soval returned smoothly, lacing his fingers together as he shook back his resplendent blue sleeves and met her gaze. His expression as inscrutable as ever as he stared back, refusing to defer to her even in expression as the silence lengthened.

Oh, he was good…

She shook her head, frustration and irritation slowly draining away as she let herself consider both his words and their situation. - It burned her to admit that he was right. She wasn't fit for duty and she knew it; she would be a liability at best, blinded by revenge and stubborn pride. But still, she was going to have to nip this kind of behavior in the butt right here and right now. She couldn't have him checking her movements every step of the way, no matter how well meant his actions were. If he kept on pulling shit like this, this would be over before it had even started.

She sighed audibly. "I understand what you did, Soval and in a way I'm even flattered by it. But next time, you need to come and talk to me about it." She insisted.

"I doubt you would have been receptive to my advice." He pointed out. "You are remarkably persistent when it comes to your duties. And I would have been remiss not to be concerned considering the events of this past week." He finished, his expression as impassive as ever as she snorted in disbelief.

"That's rather rich coming from you." She muttered, pushing away her irritation and wounded pride as she attempted to see the situation from his perspective. After all, he knew how capable she was. She couldn't equate his actions as sexism or even as him being overly controlling. She couldn't afford to make assumptions on a culture she barely understood. She had very few points of reference for this kind of a situation; besides, from everything she'd seen, Vulcan's treated their women equal to themselves, if not with more respect. Most clans had a matriarch rather than a patriarch, and from what she'd read, they pretty much ran the show back home.

"No, I probably wouldn't have. But by now I think you know that we humans tend to prefer to make our own decisions rather than have the decision made for us. – You above all people should know that I value my independence and freedom." She explained.

"Consider what I do for a living Soval. I am a soldier, and that isn't going to change. So we're going to have to work something out or we are going to have issues before we've even started." She insisted, trying to make him understand the seriousness of their situation as he arched a brow and made to reply.

"I believe I understand…Perhaps unwise decisions were made on both sides." He allowed, inclining his head slightly as she rolled her eyes and smiled fondly. Figuring that was as close to an apology as she was going to get.

She had a feeling that they were going to have to work on this whole communication thing for a while. Even she had to admit that she wasn't used to not getting her way, and she had the sneaking suspicion that Soval wasn't either. Neither of them handled defeat or concession particularly well, all mighty logic or not.

She sighed, forcing herself to relax as she uncrossed her arms and ran a hand through her hair. "I realize that this isn't going to be easy. And yes, we are going to hit some road blocks along the way. There are going to be disagreements, just like this. You are going to be too logical and I am going to be too human. But I want to make this work. We're just going to have to be patient with each other." She replied after a moment, her mind working a mile a minute as she re-examined their entire conversation. Hyper alert for any hint of what she might have missed. A social clue, a batted eyelash, anything.

"As do I, Amanda." He replied, entering a few commands into the console before powering it down and stepping forward, closing the gap between them in only a few strides. - Seeming to hesitate, if only for a moment, when she reached forward and rested her hand on his arm, feeling the skin twitch underneath the thick cloth as she let her thumb rub across the span of the rich material.

She was trying to think of something more to say. Something to catapult them off the edge they'd been walking for what seemed like months. The second step, stage, or whatever…Something, anything…

But her revive was cut short by the sound of her stomach rumbling, suddenly reminding her that in her nervousness she hadn't eaten at all that morning. - Her cheeks colored as she looked up at him through the veil of her long lashes, stifling a laugh as his eyebrow rose up into his hairline, hazel eyes shining with amusement as she patted her stomach mockingly.

"Shall we eat?" He offered, his expression warm as he motioned towards the door with a sweep of his hand.

"By all means Ambassador." She replied, a happy grin flirting with the edges of her lips as they left his offices together, barely noticing the startled glances from his staff as they cut a path through the lot of them. His hands posed stoically behind his back as she matched his pace and gestured expressively.

Already deep in discussion about the latest diplomatic challenge concerning the remnants of Terra Prime as they made their way towards the transports that would take them to the restaurant. Walking close together in easy confidence as she threw back her head and laughed at something he said, causing human and Vulcan alike to turn around and stare as they headed out into the bright afternoon sun.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed, Soval-shaped cookies if you know who the reference to Vulcan's as "hobgoblins" is referring too! I couldn't resist a tiny tribute!

A/N #2: 09Sasha asked if the water ceremony meant they were engaged, and I just wanted to clarify that point here. They are not. It was more of an offering to represent his 'feelings' and intent. Keep in mind the original meaning of the ritual that I mentioned in the last chapter, to show respect and admiration to another Vulcan. In a sense this ritual officially references his interest in Amanda, as per the customs of his people.