Amanda smiled gently. "Good morning."

Sarek ignored his nudity and pushed himself up to his knees, eyeing her carefully. "Are you alright?"

"Of course." Amanda reached for her cup of tea but stopped half way there as the muscle in her side twinged. She hissed loudly and twisted to the side trying to stretch it out. "Just a little sore." she admitted sheepishly. "I'm not used to that much aerobic exercise. I think I need to do some warm up stretches next time." She rubbed her protesting thigh muscles, "And maybe we could try a position that doesn't require my legs in the air. I've got a lovely collection of books full of all sorts of possibilities to try out."

Sarek's eyes widened as he caught sight of the bruises on her leg. He rushed forward so quickly that Amanda yelped in surprise. He yanked her towel off and just stared at the rapidly darkening marks.

Amanda cleared her throat and tried for a joking tone. "Sarek! Can I at least eat my breakfast before you take me up on my offer? A girl needs her energy."

He ignored her and said nothing for several long moments, taking a full inventory of her injuries. His eyes raked from head to foot, pausing at each mark. "I injured you, he said softly, reaching a hand out slowly to touch the bruise on her side with a careful finger, his touch ghosting over her and causing a shiver to go down her spine. "I should call a healer."

"It's nothing." Amanda wiggled away from him and resisted the urge to retrieve the towel. After what they'd done there was no point in trying to fake modesty. His eyes followed her and catalogued every mark. He finally settled to staring at the bruises on her wrists, his eyes shadowed. Amanda could feel his growing horror at his actions and sighed. "I'm fine, Sarek. I just bruise easy. Always have." She pointed to a fading yellow mark on her left knee. "I got that moving boxes at T-Lar's a couple days ago. All I did was walk into an empty crate. It was purple the next day."

"I caused this." Sarek murmured, running a single finger lightly along her wrist. "I held you down."

"Really?" Amanda shrugged. "Don't remember."

Sarek's head jerked up. "You do not remember?"

Amanda took his hand. "Not a thing. I kissed you, the bond flared up, and that's about it." She arched her back and winced. "I'm just a little stiff. I took a couple pills when I got up. Give 'em a half hour and I'll be right as rain."

Sarek shook his head. "I should not have allowed this."

"Why not?" Amanda reached a hand up and lightly traced his jaw. "You seem calmer. The bond feels stronger. I think we can say the experiment was a success."

"You do not remember." Sarek shivered. "You lost an entire night." Sarek shivered harder and Amanda reached for his discarded robes and wrapped them around him. While she was more than comfortable in the heat of the room Sarek was cold from the stone of the floor.

"You didn't do anything wrong. I'm just not used to that much mental contact. When we melded I was concentrating only on our minds but last night I had other things to hold my attention. I got lost in you. It's not that I don't remember, exactly, more like the experience was consuming. I couldn't tell what was you and what was me. So I stopped trying. I can't remember single instances only a wash of the whole."

Sarek hugged his robes around himself. "You are not upset?" He looked up at her cautiously. "What you experienced was only a portion of what it will be like closer to the plak tow."

Amanda laughed. "People pay good money trying to get that kind of a high. I can do it naturally! Why would I be upset? So I blacked out. No big deal. I'm no worse for the wear. I'm sure with a little practice the mental contact won't be so overwhelming for me."

"You are bruised and injured." Sarek rubbed her wrist again, his touch so soft she barely felt it. "You need time to heal."

"True." Amanda shifted on the couch and tugged till Sarek joined her. He picked the towel up slowly and eyed it warily before helping her to wrap up in it again. "But you seem a lot...calmer today," Amanda continued once she was covered. "I think this helped. I know the fires will return and get worse, but for now you are in better shape than you have been. If we," Amanda hesitated, "if we try this again, do you think the experience might be a little less intense? Maybe we could go a little slower? If I have more time to adjust to your presence and the bond I might not become so lost."

"I will not risk doing you more harm." Sarek frowned and shifted uncomfortably. "You bit me." He sounded surprised at the realization, his hand moving unconsciously towards the bite mark on his hind end. His eyes darkened as he examined his memory of the night before. "You were...rather enthusiastic." He sounded more than a little shocked.

Amanda blushed. "Yeah. Not a Vulcan, remember? I wasn't about to lie back and think of England."

"I do not understand." Sarek raised an eyebrow. "England?"

"I just meant that I'm the active participation type." Amanda reached again for her tea, slowly this time. "Take a look at yourself, Sarek. I gave as good as I got." She gestured towards the large greenish bruise starting to form on his upper arm. She started to take a sip of the tea and stopped, the cup barely touching her lip. "Ah, do you mind my...enthusiasm?"

Sarek frowned slightly, his forehead crinkling as he debated the question. Amanda shifted uncomfortably and nervously sipped her tea. "Not as such." Sarek finally stated, "but it was different. I believe your actions may have pushed me further than if you had remained passive. I am not a healer, but I believe that your arousal combined with mine to create something like a feedback loop through the bond. This is likely what overwhelmed your mind and thwarted my attempts at self control."

"That's not bad, is it?" Amanda asked softly.

Sarek tipped his head to the side and raised an eyebrow. "It is potentially dangerous. Vulcan sexual behavior is different from human norms. I may, in the heat of the fires, mistake your enthusiasm for resistance." He gestured towards the bruises on her wrists. "I restrained you at one point. If I am not careful I could do more than bruise you."

"Won't you be able to tell that I'm not fighting you through the bond?" Amanda frowned. "You should be able to tell that I'm enjoying it, not trying to escape." She hesitated slightly. "And, while I'm sure you won't find this logical, I do rather enjoy...being held down. Now and then. A little bit. Sometimes." She blushed. "A lot actually."

"Logic has little place in mating." Sarek sighed and reached for his own plate of food. "Regardless, for now, I am calmer. Perhaps," He paused and flushed green. "Perhaps, if we are careful, we could attempt a more sedate mating?" He looked up quickly than back down at his plate. "When you have recovered. There is much I do not understand about what might please you." He eyed her wrists and the slight blush on her checks. "You will have to teach me your way as I will instruct you in mine."

Amanda pursed her lips and thought carefully how to phrase her response. "If you don't expect acrobatics than I'll be amenable tonight." She dropped her eyes and played with a thread from the towel. "I'm bruised but not...where it counts."

Sarek frowned. "Based on your visible injuries I assumed I had done damage in ... all locations."

Amanda coughed. "Actually, ah...I'm not sure how to say this."

"Honestly and bluntly will suffice." Sarek replied. "If we are both determined to stammer through this topic with obscure cultural references we'll remain ignorant for years." He looked down at his robes. "As you have ascertained, I am not always able to be forthright about all areas involving intimacy. There are times you will have to lead the way. I would appreciate your honesty."

"The thing is," Amanda began, "your species isn't....as large as a human male. I'm not complaining, "Amanda added quickly, "It's a good thing, all this considered, but..." She paused and sighed. "You didn't tear me or anything, not like I'd expected would happen after feeling your enthusiasm. Human women are capable of handling a lot of...vigorous activity in that area. It's not unusual that rough sex would end in a little bleeding or small injuries. I'd assumed that would happen last night but it didn't. If you were, ah, larger I'd be in a lot more pain and out of commission."

Sarek's mouth turned down in a clear sign of displeasure. "You find me...inadequate?"

"No!" Amanda shook her head and leaned forward to take his hands in hers. "Not at all! It's just...you aren't as likely to damage me as we'd both assumed. That's all. I'm relieved actually. I was a little worried about it to tell you the truth."

Sarek swallowed thickly. "I am not sure I am comfortable with this conversation."

Amanda took a deep breath and tried to fight her chuckle. "You and me both. I shouldn't have said anything. Size doesn't matter, it's how you use it." She bit her lip and smiled. "And you...use it well."

"I thought you did not remember last night."

"I don't have to remember the details to get the big picture." Amanda moved closer and curled up to his side. "We've got some biological and social issues to work out. We've got to communicate about this sort of thing. I'm sure there are some biological differences about me that you weren't expecting."

Sarek's hand crept up her thigh and she drew a quick breath as her legs automatically opened for him. His fingers combed through her curls and he tugged lightly. "A few."

"Sarek," Amanda closed her eyes and leaned back, opening her legs further. "Do we need to wait till tonight? I think I may have overestimated how long I needed to recover."

Sarek's hand stilled. Amanda cautiously opened her eyes to find Sarek staring at her, his eyes dark and unreadable. "Sarek?"

He withdrew his hand and stood up. She stared up at him for a long moment before he bent down and picked her up, carrying her towards the bedroom.

"I will first confirm that you have no serious injuries," He began, laying her gently on the bed. "If what you say is true, and I have not done you any more harm than a few bruises, than we may...may, attempt another union. But we will do so the Vulcan way this time. I am less likely to loss control or to do you more harm."

"You'll have to teach me." Amanda warned softly. "I'm afraid nobody's told me exactly what that means."

Sarek nodded sagely. "We will teach each other a great many things in the coming years, Amanda. We will start here."

---

He laid her out on the bed and gently removed the towel. "Lay back and let me examine you. If you are too injured you will retire to your study and lock the door and remain there until you are healed." He waited until she nodded in agreement before continuing. "I realize that it is against your nature, but try to remain passive. I need to..." he paused and his ears turned a deep green. "I need to explore you, Amanda. Not only to insure you are uninjured, but there are more differences between us than a book, or Shras videos, can adequately explain. I do not wish to cause you harm through my ignorance."

"When this is over, do I get the same chance?" Amanda asked gently. "After all, there are no books on you for me to read and if Shras has got videos I do not want to see them."

"I believe we can arrange something, after the fires." Sarek agreed. "Now please, let me make sure you are 'no worse for the wear' as you said. You humans have an annoying tendency to hide injury."

Amanda tried to control her breathing as she did as he asked, leaning back into the pillows and holding still. His eyes moved over her slowly, cataloguing every inch. By the time he reached her navel she was panting and he had yet to touch her. The fires weren't raging, but she could feel his arousal through the bond and his attempts to dampen it down long enough to insure her welfare.

"Are you well?" He asked softly. "Your heart rate has increased."

Amanda bit her lip. "Check the bond. What does it tell you?"

Sarek raised an eyebrow and Amanda could feel him reaching for her mentally. His eyes widened in surprise. "You are aroused. What have I done to cause this?"

"Would you believe that looking at me was enough?" Amanda shivered. "How's your control doing? Am I upsetting it too much? I can hold still but I can't control my arousal."

Sarek shook his head. "I am dampening the bond, keeping your impressions and desires out of my mind will allow me to remain relatively unaffected. I do not know how long this easing of the drive will hold, but so long as the fires do not rise I should be able to maintain my current level of self-possession."

"I'm not at all happy to hear that." Amanda frowned. "You're driving me up a wall without even a touch. I'd like to at least be distracting to you."

Sarek's eyes danced. "You are always a distraction." He let his robes fall as he crawled onto the bed next to her. He leaned forward and kissed her gently. "But currently I am engaged in a damage assessment tour. Will you comply?"

Amanda stretched out, reaching her arms over her head and curling her wrists through the slats in the headboard in an attempt to keep from touching him. "For now."

Sarek's eyes went to her chest and Amanda could feel her nipples hardening under his gaze. "Do they do that often?" He asked softly, running the side of his finger over her and causing her to shiver and the bud to tighten further. "It does not appear comfortable."

Amanda chuckled. "Try that again with the bond open and find out."

Sarek's nostrils flared and he shivered. "Perhaps I do not have as much control as I thought." He muttered and Amanda smirked. "I will increase the pace of my examination."

Sarek moved down the bed and gently nudged her thighs. She opened for him and watched as he stared down at her, a curious expression on his face.

"Is the moisture normal?"

Amanda couldn't help but laugh at his cautious tone. "Give me a minute and there will be a hell of at lot more, especially if you keep staring at me like that."

"And the color?" He reached a finger out slowly and prodded at her labia causing Amanda to wiggle and groan. "Is it supposed to be so...red? It is not a sign of injury is it?"

"I am red blooded." Amanda panted. "Trust me, I'm perfectly normal for an aroused human female that's just been well and thoroughly fucked for the first time in a couple years."

"Fascinating." Sarek cocked his head to the side and used his fingers to gently explore her outer folds. "I read that you create your own lubrication but I had not anticipated the results." He looked up at her questioningly. "I had wondered why your scent changed at certain times. Can you not control this response? There have been times during our work together that such a sexual response would have been inappropriate. Yet I distinctly remember this aroma. I had never thought it polite to inquire."

"You can smell me?" Amanda blushed deeply. "In public?"

"I was unaware that the scent indicated arousal." Sarek's nose flared again and his eyes darkened. "Now that I am aware of the significance I will pay more attention."

Amanda closed her eyes and let her head fall back. "I can't control it, Sarek. It's not a reaction I'm always happy about." She groaned in humiliation. "I think I'm mortified. Can everybody tell?"

He didn't reply but his fingers kept exploring, parting her fully. Amanda's legs quivered as she tried to control her desire to move, letting him explore. He eased his finger inside her and her breath hitched. "The difference in texture is fascinating."

Amanda gulped and failed to control her hips as they rose off the bed trying to drive his hand further in. "Sarek..."

His hands broke contact with quickly. "Did I hurt you?" he asked quickly. "What did I do wrong?"

"Nothing." Amanda forced herself under control. "Nothing. You didn't do anything wrong. You did that right. Very right." She opened her eyes and uncurled her fingers from around the headboard. "You just skipped ahead in the foreplay a bit. I wasn't expecting it."

Sarek's eyes scrunched in confusion. "Foreplay?"

Amanda nodded. "Human women need time to...warm up. Normally there's a little more," she blushed, "kissing and touching before jumping to the...insertion part, fingers or..." she trailed off.

"You are wetter." He looked down than back up to her eyes. "Is the amount of moisture an indication of your being 'warmed up'?"

"Yes." Amanda nodded. "If I'm not aroused enough intercourse could hurt."

"Due to lack of lubrication." Sarek nodded. "I am beginning to understand. This is a preparatory response."e

"Is this too different for you?" Amanda's head dipped. "You don't find this...unappealing do you?"

Sarek laid back down next to her, his hand reaching for hers. "Vulcan women do not require lubrication as such. Their tissues are not the same. Our climate would prohibit such potential water loss." Sarek ran his hand gently down her side. "I find it decadent." He let a small smile play on his lips. "I rather like being decadent."

"Good." Amanda sighed and leaned into his touch. "Because if it repulsed you there wasn't much I could do about it."

"Nothing about you repulses me, Amanda. There are differences, yes, but nothing that cannot be adjusted to." Sarek's fingers strayed back to her curls. "How does one go about this foreplay?"

Amanda twisted on the bed to face him and smiled. "It usually starts with a kiss." She leaned forward till their lips meet. Sarek yielded to her and she ran her tongue along the edge of his teeth eliciting a sharp growl from him before she pulled back. "Then there's usually a little petting through clothes, but I think we can skip that part."

"Logical since we are both nude."

Amanda smacked his hip gently. "I'm teaching here."

"My apologies." He smiled faintly. "Please continue."

"Next is clothing removal, which as you noted is unnecessary." Amanda ran her hand down his side and pushed him over till he lay on his back. "The next step is usually an exploration of one another, pace determined by the amount of time available and each person's self-control."

Sarek quirked an eyebrow. "I believe that is what I was doing."

"True." Amanda giggled. "You were definitely doing that."

"So what is the next step?" Sarek shifted to lay on his side, his face inches from Amanda's. "Now that I have determined you are not more than superficially injured?"

"Well, this is where things get interesting." Amanda reached out to run a finger lightly down the point of his ear. "You see, humans are...creative with sex. Sometimes we like to play games, be a little silly, role-play... How long foreplay lasts and what it consists of depends on what kind of sex is happening."

"What kind is this?" Sarek asked softly, his eyes twinkling.

"The slow and easy kind, unfortunately." Amanda sighed and shifted uncomfortably. "I'm afraid I'm not really up to much else."

"H'mm," Sarek murmured. "Then I return to my original plan. You will refrain from showing your earlier enthusiasm and I will take the more active role. This will give you time to rest."

Amanda snorted. "I doubt that."

Sarek shrugged. "You cannot accuse me of not trying, Amanda." He smiled slightly again and Amanda shivered in response.

"You keep doing that and I'm afraid I'll develop a fetish."

"What?" Sarek reached out and drew her closer until their bodies lined up.

"That smile." Amanda squirmed trying to get a little friction where she wanted it. "You have this almost-smile you do, but only when we are alone. It's not a full smile, and it's mostly in your eyes, but...it...does things to me."

"What kind of things?" Sarek whispered, leaning in to kiss her neck just below her ear.

"You know damn well what kind of things, Mr.-I-can-smell-your-arousal."

Sarek hummed in response before kissing her deeply. "It is an entirely inappropriate emotional response on my part. I blame you."

"Guilty and happy about it," Amanda murmured and arched into him. "Weren't you going to teach me the Vulcan way?"

"So I was." Sarek flipped them so he was lying on top and, with more strength than Amanda expected, pinned her arms. "You may find the experience...boring."

Amanda raised an eyebrow in response. "You on top of me, holding me down, in the same sentence as boring?" She squirmed under him and arched up making him hiss in response. "Unlikely."

Sarek eyed her critically. "I do not think you can approximate Vulcan behavior." He looked down pointedly to where her hips were arching off the bed. "I believe I will have to adapt my strategy."

Amanda started to question what he meant but was cut off, as Sarek flipped her in one powerful move. She landed on her elbows, her hands free but her hips suddenly captured and raised. She gasped in surprise at the change in position and felt a shudder of desire pass through the bond. Evidently Sarek liked the view.

"Are you alright... like this?" Sarek asked, his voice strained.

"Quite happy, thanks," Amanda replied breathlessly. She could feel the fire rising in Sarek through the bond despite his attempts to keep it controlled. "Maybe we shouldn't play around any longer. I think you are..."

"The drive is returning," Sarek acknowledged, his hands roaming over her backside and tugging her into a more suitable position. "Amanda?"

"It's alright." Amanda replied softly. "I'm here, Sarek. You don't have to control it."

He made a strangled sound and the bond opened wide between them. Amanda was more prepared this time and she was able to hold onto consciousness, barely. She felt Sarek enter her and she resisted the urge to move against him, trying to hold still for him. He may not have been as large as a human male, but he had enough length to hit her right where it counted. Amanda gasped as he thrust hard into her, his greater strength causing her knees to give out. His hands supported her and Amanda gave into his need, letting him take her without resistance. The feelings filtering through the bond, the rising fires, were making it hard for her to concentrate. She could feel her orgasm rising and it seemed to push Sarek further, making the fires rise in the bond. When she came the mental contact flared between them and she blacked out again.

The next thing she was aware of was a too warm body spooned up behind her and a dull ache in her back and thighs. She was awkwardly sprawled with one leg hiked up over a spare pillow and her arm pinned beneath her body. She could feel Sarek's sleeping mind through the bond even more strongly than in the morning. It seemed that the more contact they had, the stronger the bond grew.

Amanda shifted slightly, trying to get into a different position. Her left arm was going to sleep and her leg was getting quite tired. Sarek made a snuffling sound and grasped her tighter. It was only as he did so that she realized why she was pitched forward the way she was. He was still inside her and still...enthusiastic. And she was very, very sore.

Amanda stilled suddenly as Sarek made a slow sleepy thrust forward. She was going to have to revise her earlier statement. He wasn't as thick as a human male, but he was definitely longer. She moaned involuntarily as he stroked her deeper than she thought possible. The need she felt through the bond was blanking out her earlier discomfort and she could feel herself sinking into the fire.

Sarek stilled suddenly and Amanda could feel the instant he awoke. He started to pull away from her but she pushed backward, reaching awkwardly behind her to keep him in place.

"Mister, you have unfinished business here," she admonished softly, her voice deeper than she expected.

Sarek hugged her tightly to him, burying himself to the hilt in the processes and causing Amanda to let out another undignified moan. "You are not too tired?"

"You were the one fucking in his sleep." Amanda hissed. "Please, Sarek!" Amanda fumbled mentally with the bond, trying to convey through it how exciting she found their position and how very much she wanted him to continue.

It was slow. Amanda could feel herself drifting as he moved. Each thrust sent an electric thrill through her, the awareness from the bond a constant echo. She could feel her own cooler temperature around him, could feel what it felt like to thrust into it, the cold wetness driving back the fires like nothing ever had. It was the most unusual thing Amanda had ever experienced. She'd never understood why they called it the 'little death', not until Sarek finally found release and pulled her with him. It was as if time stopped and for a moment they were caught suspended in eternity, hung there as a single being while flames danced around them.

The next moment the bond calmed and she was alone again. She missed his heat as he pulled away from her, the loss of his higher temperature leaving her chilled despite the warm air. She turned over so she faced him and pulled him down for a slow kiss. His hand found hers, their fingers touching in the Vulcan fashion and Amanda moaned again as the bond flickered.

"Not again. Not tonight." Sarek murmured against her lips. "It has been hours, Amanda, since you last ate and neither of us has rested enough." He kissed her again, leisurely, before pulling away. His eyes were calmer than she'd seen them since coming back to Vulcan and she smiled at him. "You would think..." he shook his head, trying to find the words. "I am starting to think you might be the one in pon farr."

Amanda chuckled tiredly and pushed him over till he was on his back and she could rest her head on his chest. "Just doing my duty."