Violence

Patricia watched her daughter, T'Zanne, finger-painting as they sat in the private garden attached to their home. Despite all that was happening, she was able to flourish a little smile at her daughter. Had they all begun this small? She couldn't shake the persistent thought that her child was just so BEAUTIFUL! She was perfect and already so ladylike and more intelligent than Patricia could have ever wanted. It was the one bright spot in her life, the fact that she had T'Zanne. Sometimes she wondered if she'd traded in one thing for another. She had had a marriage before that was relatively healthy…difficult, but healthy. But now-

It was becoming more difficult for her to deal with the situation at home. Her father-in-law, Terek, had moved in with them less than six months before. A marriage that had been previously healthy, with the addition of a child, became much more difficult. But with the addition of the elder male, things were now catastrophic.

Terek was an aged man four decades shy of three hundred years. As a result of his advanced age and several injuries to the brain in his youth, he was in the middle of a serious condition. Patricia looked after him and her toddler every day, but the old man was becoming much more problematic in general. He had an ailment called Bendai Syndrome. Mariana had referred to it as Vulcan Dementia. But on top of the memory deficits, there were also verbal outbursts and emotional psionic transference issues with the older man. Since he was now unable to control his abilities, they prescribed drugs for him that were supposed to be able to dull his psi-points. It was not an exact science, though.

Unable to hide his inner thoughts, he was more than vocal about several things:

His Terran daughter-in-law was "distasteful to him". He did not even like the sight of Patricia so she tried her best when she didn't have to do things for him to stay out of his way. And his Terran grandchild was, in his words, "an abomination".

Soryn thought it improper to correct his father, not only because he was his elder but because he thought it illogical to correct someone for something they would inevitably say again. The thing that Patricia thought she would never forgive Soryn for was exposing them to his father on a daily basis once his violent rages began. He could sometimes become so agitated and aggressive that she was in fear of him striking her or their child. He did, at least, have moments of gentleness with T'Zanne until his dark side would rear its' head. But there was never any tenderness toward Patricia.

It stung her on the inside. She did everything for Terek. Cooked and cleaned for him, took him to his doctor's appointments, made certain he took his medications, even worried about and took care of him the time he came down with a serious virulent lung ailment. There was never a thank you from Terek, only complaints and condemnation. She knew he was mentally ill and for that reason tried her best not to complain. But every once in a while when it got to be too much, she would voice her frustration to Soryn. Soryn never said a word, he would only nod and continue on his way.

She was also no longer allowed to work at the school. Soryn thought that since they now had a child, her place was at home with that child. It was also her duty, in his opinion, that she take care of his aged father. When she asked Soryn, "When were you going to consult me about the change in my status?" he never answered.

Patricia sat in her garden and sighed, thankful for the almost mild day they were having. It was nowhere near as hot as it had been the past few weeks. T'Zanne's back was to her as she worked diligently on her painting. Since the child couldn't see, she allowed several tears to slip free. She wiped them quickly since her daughter had recently become very aware of her mother's changing moods. She forced positivity into her thoughts and tried to think of something else that made her happy.

She would make Soryn's plomeek that night the way he liked it with the special seasoning from the T'Klenim Hills and brew his favorite desert tea with the mint herbs added from Terra Prime. She forced her face forward and tried to assert within herself that things weren't all that bad. Soon, Terek would die and…

Her faced paled and she was horrified. She wanted to slap herself. The old man may have been making her life a living hell and she wished she didn't have to deal with his mood swings, but thinking of someone else's death as her release in the near future was just plain cold-blooded, in her opinion. She was determined to stamp the negative thoughts out and deal with her life the way it was.

She stood and went over to where T'Zanne was quietly putting paint on her papers with her fingers. "Don't tell your father I let you do this," she cautioned.

"Yes, mother."

Patricia looked at the sweet little face of her daughter and her heart bled. She was barely a year and a half and had learned how to hide herself. The sight of her grandfather caused her to walk in the opposite direction and conceal herself until she could tell what mood he was in. Her father had also become an exacting man toward her. Already she was required to learn advanced mathematics and repeat back to him the history of Vulcan, and their family, from the time of the beginning.

Pat flip-flopped back and forth between wishing to get out and wanting to work things out. But she knew to just walk away would be wrong. She still couldn't find it in herself to do that.

Amanda saw the courier from the Betazoid embassy entering the Vulcan embassy. Her eyes squinted as she folded her arms. If that woman gets into my husband's face again…

She found herself stealthily following the female courier and trailing her to Sarek's office. The woman pressed the chimer and was given entrance by Sarek's secretary. As soon as she walked in, Amanda entered as well.

Amanda stood in the outer office with the courier and the secretary. The female Vulcan behind the desk merely looked back and forth between the two women, assessing the situation in her mind, but not saying a word about it. She pressed the intercom. "Ambassador, the courier from the Betazoid embassy and the Lady Amanda await your attention."

There was a pause. Even Sarek, who found no reason to look at a situation through a lens of emotion, knew there was some kind of test in this. "Send in she who is my wife, first," his voice finally came through the intercom.

Amanda smiled pleasantly at both females, but the Betazoid woman gave her a fake smile. "No matter, I'll still be here when you're gone."

The Terran woman said nothing as she entered Sarek's study. The door shut behind her and, "I want to talk to you," she hissed out, eyes squinting almost nastily.

"Amanda, there is nothing for you to be concerned about in this matter with Erani," he said, almost dismissively.

"Oh, who said anything about Erani?" Amanda asked a little too sweetly.

He knew he was on thin ice. It was times such as this one that he was grateful for the marital bond. He peered directly into Amanda's mind and saw exactly what it was she wanted. Maintaining eye-contact with his wife, He leaned forward and hit the intercom switch. "Send in the courier, at this time."

"At once, ambassador."

The Betazoid courier looked confused as she entered his office. But even Amanda did not anticipate what was going to happen next. Sarek turned his eyes to the courier and announced, "She who is my wife is has become unhappy with you violating my personal space. I also admit that I find it highly inappropriate for you to approach a man in such a way whom happens to belong to another. Therefore you will cease entering my space from this day forward. Is that clear?"

The courier began to sputter, "Wha—Who—What?"

"I see you have brought the appropriate documents. I shall deal with them now," said Sarek without pausing for one second to talk about the declaration he had just made.

Amanda simply smiled at her husband. "I'll see you later."

"Yes, my wife," he said as he reached out his fingers to her. "I shall see you during the mealtime." He felt one sensation from his wife at that moment. Satisfaction. She left the room then without a backward glance.

The expression on the courier's face said 'This isn't over, bitch!'

Patricia lay down in bed, eager to sleep just a few hours before either her daughter or her father-in-law demanded her attention. Her head hit the pillow and she was instantly there:

"You have come to speak with me again," said the mysterious man in the cloak.

"Yes," she said as she sat down. There was no more guilt on her part. The only thing she and the man in the hood ever did was talk. And she only sought him out when things grew to be too burdensome at home.

"You insist you will not depart from your husband."

"It would be wrong."

"Then why do you speak with me?"

She quipped with a slight grin, "Because I can't seem to get out of the house."

The male paused, said nothing at first. "You are forced to remain indoors at all times?" he finally asked.

It was her turn to pause. She knew she had been lying to herself, saying she didn't even need to go anywhere and that she was free to go wherever at anytime. She truly had been lying to herself! "Yes," she finally admitted.

"I do not understand why you allow this treatment to continue."

"The child is his! Their laws won't protect me if I leave with her! They'll just take her back and give her to him!"

He nodded. "Untrue."

"Untrue?"

"Here the child belongs to the mother."

She scoffed. "I'm an Outworlder. Who will give me anything?"

"Why must you be given anything? Why can you not simply take it?"

She sat there, thinking. "Leave? Just…get up and leave? Just like that?"

"Lady, I have only ever thought of your well-being. Do you not deserve more than what you have?"

"What do you know about what I do and don't deserve?" She felt dream tears swimming in her eyes. "I was in love, once upon a time. But I see now that that sort of thing is a fantasy. None of us deserves love."

"Is not happiness essential to one of your kind?"

She smiled through her tears. "Yes, but we all have to make it for ourselves."

"Then you must leave. If you wish to make your happiness, you must leave."

She thought about it from time to time. "To leave…to leave…" But could she? "It would be wrong to leave…"

Patricia was awoken by a very rough shaking of her arms. Her eyes opened to the almost angry face of her husband. "Soryn?"

"The words you speak, wife, betray you!"

She turned beet red. "I said something?"

"Do not feign ignorance toward me! What is the meaning of this? Your continual whispering of leaving? And your dreams being shielded- from me?"

For the first time ever, Patricia felt afraid of him. "I can't help what I dream!" she protested loudly on an almost wail.

"Your dreams are a manifestation of that which is in your treacherous mind!" he said as he grabbed her arms and lifted her almost roughly. "You will promise me now that you will never leave," he said. His voice was now cold as were his eyes and his expression.

Despite her fear and the fact that he was holding her arms in an almost vice grip she felt a blaze of deep anger in her heart. "With the way you behave toward me, treating me like your house captive, what makes you so shocked that I would want to leave?" she screamed her pent-up rage into his face.

Before either one of them could believe it, one of his hands left one of her arms, heaved back and slapped her face quite swiftly. He was immediately grabbing her arm again with the same hand. "You are mine. And the child is mine. And you will never leave. Is that understood?"

What bothered her the most, besides being slapped for the first time by her husband of so many years, was the fact that he was so calm about it. Something, some inner sense of self-preservation, told her to simply nod in acquiescence. "I understand," she bit out.

He practically dropped her back into bed and began to walk away. His last words to her before he left the room were, "Since you have caused me to strike you, I must go now and meditate to clean my mind of excess emotion."

As the door closed behind him, she sat back in half shock as she touched her face. Disbelief and horror sat on her as she wondered what she was going to do now. She was close to tears, but instead fed her emotions with anger, refusing to allow the tears to fall. Swift, unbending anger would become her ally now. Anything less would lead to her becoming weak for Soryn again. And she was never going to be weak in her want of him again.

Amanda caught Sarek on his way out to his interrogation session with the Office of Terran Affairs. The investigation had been underway since Cassie's father's accusations broke via the press. But she had something important to tell him.

"Sarek, there's been an incident on Vulcan, on the V'Tosh side!" she said hurriedly.

He stopped in his tracks. "An incident?" He pulled out his communicator and alerted his shuttlecraft operator to hold his shuttle for the time being.

He followed Amanda into the media room of the embassy. The entire staff were already there, watching a live newsfeed from Vulcan.

Their brand of journalism was extremely stark and reported simply the facts. "On the V'Tosh Ka'tur side there has been a riot undertaken by certain elements of the populace. The monastery in the Khetrekt Mountains are being protested as a deliberate attempt to convert more V'Tosh Ka'tur to the ways of Syran. The interpretation of Surak as set forth in the kir'shara, having been rejected by the V'Tosh Ka'tur, is seen as unacceptable in any form on the V'Tosh Ka'tur side. However, it is not understood at this time why the protests have manifested themselves at this time. The monastery has been in existence in that precise location for well over two centuries."

The news report continued onto other things important to Vulcan and the rest of the Vulcans of the embassy continued on their way. Sarek looked down at Amanda. "I must depart now, my wife."

"Wait a minute. That's it?" she asked, shocked. "They riot outside one of your monasteries and that's it? Aren't you going to get the monks out of there?"

"The monks are well aware when they begin serving on the V'Tosh Ka'tur side that their lives may be taken at anytime by one of their less logical and more violent contemporaries. I must depart."

As Sarek departed, Amanda realized she was not the only one standing there, still puzzled. Her eyes connected with Zurel's. "Why now?" she asked. "After two centuries, why are they protesting now?"

He shook his head. "I do not know. But I suspect what this that has begun is only the beginning."

"You think there'll be more riots?"

He never wanted to admit to gut instincts or intuition. So he simply said, "My people, without logic, are a most dangerous and volatile mass of thought. I believe a disease of paranoia has only ever spread that much more quickly once it has been released. Add in the factor of a telepathic population and the condition spreads with phenomenal rapidity."

She swallowed back fear. "In other words, this is going someplace not good, and fast."