All Good Things
Chapter Fifty-two - Agreement
On Board the Enterprise
September 2277
Nyota
After the children were all in bed asleep, she headed for the couch, thinking to work on her latest knitting project for a while, and possibly persuade Spock to play his ka'athyra. But Spock stopped her, gesturing toward the table, his face calm and passive. Not entirely sure what he wanted, but knowing that it must be serious, she turned in that direction instead, but stopped before sitting. "Might I make tea?"
"That would be appreciated." He sat in his customary chair, still and quiet, while she drew out two cups and set them on the table, heated the water, and selected one of the small tins of tea from their stock. She set the teapot on the table, on the small stone they used as an insulator, and measured the leaves into the diffusor. When the water was hot, she carefully poured it in, and put the lid on the teapot. Returning the tin and the water container to the cupboard, she sat herself down across from Spock, waiting.
He said nothing until he nodded slightly to her, indicating that the tea was ready to be poured. She poured out two cups, setting one before him, and clasping her hands about the other. Still she had no idea what this was about, but his stillness was beginning to alarm her slightly. The bond was tightly closed as his end, and she found herself closing it down at her end as well. If there was something that he did not want to share with her, her reaction was sure to be more than he wished to experience.
He raised his eyes slowly from the steaming cup before him, until he was looking straight into her eyes, and then he began to speak. "Some months ago you made a request of me, and I promised to research and meditate upon the answer."
She knew immediately exactly what he was speaking of. Her heart did a quick flip-flop, and she struggled to remain calm. From his demeanor, she was certain she knew what his answer was, and it was not what her heart desired. But she only nodded slightly, so that he would be sure that she knew what he was speaking of.
"In each pregnancy, there is a 25% possibility that the fetus will have copper-based blood. Previous pregnancies do not affect this probability."
She could not refute that in any way. She simply sat there, looking at him.
"However, previous bouts of copper poisoning make it more likely that any future such episodes would be more likely to damage your body. This must be taken into consideration."
She pressed her lips firmly together, not to say anything at all. Her hands pressed more firmly against the sides of the cup, but the thought of actually drinking any of the tea had left her.
"The effects of three previous pregnancies on your body must be taken into account, as well as the fact that one of these was a twin pregnancy, which is more difficult. The possibility of a future pregnancy being a twin pregnancy must also be considered.
I have consulted with T'Nara and her staff on New Vulcan, as well as with McCoy. I have taken everything that they have said into consideration." Still his voice was calm, emotionless, his face still, giving nothing away, and the link between them was reduced to a faint murmur.
One slow tear began to wind down her cheek as she struggled to contain her disappointment and pain. She could not understand why he was prolonging her discomfort by stating all these statistics and reasons. Why didn't he just come out and tell her that he did not agree to another baby? She bit her bottom lip, trying to keep it from trembling.
For the first time since he began his speech, Spock tilted his head and one long finger came up and touched the tear on his wife's face. In a much softer voice, he asked a question. "Why are you crying, Nyota?"
"Just tell me, Spock. I can't stand any more statistics right now." Her voice shook and she was starting to tremble.
"I am telling you, Nyota, in the only way that I can. I have performed all the probabilities and done all the research, and have concluded that it is safe for you to have another child at this time. I have canceled our respective appointments for contraceptive injections, and informed McCoy that we will begin a new pregnancy as soon as we are both fertile. He has provided supplements which he wishes you to start taking immediately, and I have placed the container on the chest beside the bed, so that you can take one as soon as you awaken each morning, for they must be taken on an empty stomach."
She sat there, totally stunned. She could barely believe what she was hearing. And then she rose, leaving her tea on the table and went around to him, laying her fingers against his face. He put one arm around her, his hand splayed across her back, and laid the fingers of the other hand against the familiar points on her face. And the link between them opened wide, full of wonder and love, and she fell into the warmth that was Spock and was sustained.
At some point, he lifted her up and carried her into the bedroom, and demonstrated his technique repeatedly, to her great satisfaction.
.
In the following weeks, she thought that he seemed much more attentive than normal, and she found him burying his face against her neck and inhaling deeply on more than one occasion. She knew it was too soon, but she let him continue, touched by his dedication to her desire. And then it was time for the Faire.
In the morning, they took their children to the special events scheduled for children. It was the twins' first experience, both with the costumes, and with the Faire itself, and they stared wide-eyed at everything about them. And then turned to their parents with one question after another. After they had taken the children to the day care area, and were walking towards the stadium where the afternoon's events would occur, she leaned against his shoulder, laughing, and spoke. "It's a good thing that the twins are not going to witness this afternoon's events. They would almost certainly get ideas which would not help maintain the calm of the ship."
Spock shuddered slightly. "I fear that you are correct. The mounted events in particular seem to offer many options for mayhem which they do not need to be exposed to."
She was in complete agreement. Grayson might be expected to witness these things and remain unaffected, but the twins were another thing altogether.
When they arrived at the grandstand, she turned and leaned against his chest, raising her face to his, her eyes twinkling. "I expect to see some fancy footwork out there this year, big guy. My own personal champion."
His lips quirked slightly and his eyes twinkled at her, and he bent his head down and let her kiss him thoroughly, something they did not often do in public. And then he buried his face against her neck and inhaled deeply, growling at her as he did so. When he lifted his head, his eyes were deep and dark and smoldering.
She looked at him, and spoke hesitantly. "Spock? It's too soon, Spock."
"It is not. I shall prove myself worthy, Nyota." And he released her and stepped back, turning to head to the waiting area, leaving her standing there wondering. Her friends came along and tugged at her, heading up into the stands, and she went along, still not sure exactly what had happened.
There was no quarter asked nor taken that day, and only one remained standing on the field at the end of the final skirmish. He raised his sword and flipped it into the air, so that it came down point-first, right into his waiting hand, which slid it into the scabbard at his side with deft movements. And then he raised his hands to his helmet, and removed it, slinging it on the hook at his other side. His face alit, he turned about, receiving the accolades, before crossing the field to stand before her, where she waited with his laurels. There he knelt before her, his face raised, his eyes smoldering, waiting. She laid the laurels upon his head, and bent down to give him the victor's kiss.
He wrapped his arms around her and deepened the kiss until the stands erupted in a great roar, and then he stood, his arms still wrapped around her, and carried his prize off the field. It took him several minutes to find the disguised entrance to a storage room, but only a short while after that to enter and shut the door and give an override code that would require two admirals to reverse. One sweep of his arm, and the wide shelf attached to the wall was emptied, and she was seated there. Another moment, and her wide skirts were all lifted up, out of his way, and his face was buried between her thighs.
She trembled and cried out, and grabbed the edge of the shelf for stability. Twice he brought her to shaking ecstasy before he rose up from his knees and pulled aside his own clothing. His arms swept under her thighs, spreading her out, holding her tight, and he plunged into her well-prepared core, filling her up in one thrust. She clung to him, shaking, crying out at him, syllables that had no meaning other than to express her love and her delight in what he was doing. Her hands moved up his arms, until they found his ears, and as she approached her peak, she squeezed those sensitive tips until he roared at her and filled her with hot semen.
For some time, they stayed there, wrapped about one another, whispering softly, touching lightly. And then he stopped, completely still for moment, and she felt his wonder, his joy, across the bond. He knelt again, and laid his face against her bare belly, and laughed softly. She reached down, and laid her fingers gently against his face, and he shared with her, for the first time, the lifespark of their new daughter.
