Disclaimer: I don't own. I don't profit either. So sad.
Special thanks to beta Notes from The Classroom.
Tremors
The movement beneath Sarek's feet stilled. He closed his eyes and reached out through his bond. Amanda was in front of her students laughing at a book they were reading aloud. Her students were all smiling...
Down the hall the human reader was helping Professor Karmac right himself. The elderly Vulcan wasn't even protesting at the skin-to-skin contact as she held his hand.
"Something's happened on Vulcan," said Josef.
The Embassy began to hum as monitors switched to news feeds from Vulcan in the offices and open areas. "Shi'kahr has just experienced an earthquake of 9.5..."
The ghost of the needles he'd felt in his hip disappeared. There was only one person left on Vulcan who he was bonded with emotionally --
"Are you alright, Sarek?" said Josef.
"Someone you know has been injured," said Trivant knowingly.
"I believe my mother may have been affected by the event," Sarek said.
x x x
Amanda was home with Sybok, slightly on edge. Sarek still hadn't been able to get in contact with his mother. He was certain she was injured and probably unconscious. No matter how Amanda felt about T'Dana, she did not wish the woman serious harm.
It was raining outside so there was no escape to the park. Inside days could be terror, but miraculously Sybok was contentedly creating collages with stickers, markers and construction paper.
The home comm chimed. Pulling the receiver from its nest on the wall, Amanda checked the number. Her brow furrowed; it was her brother Matt.
Pressing the accept button and the vid line, she said, "Hello, Matt?"
Her brother's face appeared on the tiny screen. "Hey, little sister...we just heard about what happened on Vulcan."
Amanda blinked at the pronoun 'we.' Who was we?
"I hope Sarek's family is alright," said Matt.
Amanda wasn't ready for an indepth discussion of Vulcan telepathy. Instead she just said, "He hasn't been able to contact his mother."
Matt's eyes widened. "That's terrible." He cleared his throat. "Well, please let him know that we're thinking of him."
Amanda was touched. It was so unlike Matt to reach out like this -- and when he said 'we,' did he mean Mom and Dad? She knew they didn't exactly approve of her relationship with Sarek. Especially her mother...
"We hope that you'll make it back to Chicago for Christmas this year," said Matt. "We're hosting it at our place. Sarek and Sybok are invited, of course."
"Oh, thank you," said Amanda, "We'd love to come. You mean Mom and Dad's house, right?"
"No, our place," said Matt.
Our place? The chime on the comm sounded again. Amanda looked down at the identity of the caller. It was Sarek's mother.
"That's Sarek's Mom," said Amanda.
"Go...see you at Christmas," said Matt. His image winked out.
Hitting the accept button, Amanda found herself face to face with a Vulcan -- and it wasn't Sarek's mother.
"Is this the residence of Sarek S'chn T'gai?" said a rather imperious-looking older Vulcan man in Standard.
"Yes," said Amanda.
"Where is Sarek?" asked the Vulcan.
"To whom am I speaking?" said Amanda, raising an eyebrow.
"I am his uncle, Neevak S'chn T'gai."
The name sounded familiar. Feeling uneasy, Amanda tried to place his face. It stirred a memory -- perhaps from the bond.
From across the kitchen, Sybock started to pound on the table. He'd been so patient...
"Shhh...Sybok, this will only be a minute," Amanda said, turning to smile reassuringly at the toddler.
"Where is Sarek?" said the Vulcan man.
"He is at the embassy still," said Amanda. "Do you have information on Sarek's mother? He hasn't been able to contact her."
"Who are you?" said the Vulcan.
Freezing in place, Amanda stared at the screen. There were many things she wanted to say. This was not the time. Warily she said, "I watch Sybok...from time to time."
Sybok dropped the scissors he was holding, slipped from the chair, and ran to her legs. He began jumping up and down, fingers outstretched. He wanted to link telepathically with her. A low cry was rising in his chest. Hushing him gently, Amanda bent and put him on her hip. His hand immediately shot to her face and he looked sideways at the screen.
Regretting that she couldn't block her unease from him, Amanda put her lips to his cheek.
Drawing back, Neevak whispered in Vulcan, "Humans are not capable of managing Vulcan children."
"We manage fine," said Amanda in her own heavily-accented Vulcan.
Neevak drew back again.
Smiling through clenched teeth, Amanda said, "Do you have information on Sarek's mother I may convey to him?"
"I will contact him at the embassy," said Neevak. The screen winked out again.
Neevak's identity suddenly came back to her. He was the member of the High Council who did not approve of the policy of accommodation for human-Vulcan pairs.
x x x
Amanda was waiting for Sarek at the door when he got home that evening, even though it was past midnight.
As soon as he stepped through the door she said, "I am so sorry" and put her fingertips to his.
She was saying she felt his pain. The inaccuracy of the expression was still vexing, but he wasn't in the frame of mind to point it out.
"How is she?" Amanda asked.
Neevak had contacted Sarek at the Embassy and informed him of his mother's condition. The telepathic bond between parent and adult child was too weak for words. Without Neevak's call Sarek would only have known she was alive and in pain.
"The hip surgery went as well as can be expected." Sarek withdrew his fingers and roughly pulled off his outer robes. "Vulcan architecture is built to withstand earthquakes. But..." He clenched his jaw. "There were a number of small tremors a week back that weakened the foundations of her home. She knew about it...The repair men were there when this accident happened."
It was illogical to be frustrated by the random vagaries of the universe. But he was. He felt tension building in his jaw.
"Will you go see her?" Amanda asked.
Nodding, Sarek said, "Yes." He walked towards the bedroom, Amanda falling in step behind him.
"Sarek?"
He could feel her uncertainty but not precisely what she was thinking. Human thoughts had a tendency to come from every direction at once. She didn't even know what she was about to say.
"Yes, Amanda?"
"Perhaps it is time to tell T'Pau of our bond," Amanda said. "If you go home. If Neevak finds out -- it would be good to have someone in the Council on your side."
Stepping into their room, Sarek peeled off the last of his robes and considered he statement. "Now is still not the ideal time."
"Is there going to be an ideal time, Sarek?"
Sarek took a deep breath. "After I finish the holoscope project."
Amanda said nothing.
Sarek was trying to keep his movements controlled. He was illogically angry at the universe. He was angry at Neevak. His uncle was undoubtedly conscientiously seeing to his mother's care...but he had been condescending to Amanda. Worse, when he spoke to Sarek he had questioned his logic in letting her care for his child. Neevak and his wife hadn't stepped up to care for Sybok when T'Yavi died...
And he was angry at himself. He was too far from his mother to help her.
Stepping towards him, Amanda put cool fingers on his forehead. She felt his frustration...and had nothing but sympathy.
And suddenly Sarek was frustrated with her. "Why do you not chastise me for my failure in logic?"
In cool, clipped words Amanda said, "Because your emotional reaction seems very logical given the situation."
Sarek looked down at her...and felt an illogical flash of desire. It came over him too quickly to shield it.
"Also, a logical response to the situation," said Amanda. "You are tense. You have been since the quake hit. You're seeking relief."
Pushing her towards the wall, Sarek said, "Meditation would serve just as well."
"It would," Amanda agreed.
But Sarek already had his hands on the hem of her shirt and his mouth was reaching for her bottom lip.
x x x
Sarek left early the next morning. The Embassy was arranging transport for employees whose relatives had been injured during the earthquake.
T'Lana, thankfully, also came early. She was from a province far from Shi'kahr; her family was all well.
Amanda was just kissing Sybok goodbye when the comm chimed. T'Lana answered it in Vulcan. "S'chn T'gai residence."
Even from the foyer Amanda recognized T'Dana, Sarek's mother's, voice. "T'Lana, please put Sarek on the comm immediately."
"He has already left, Ms. S'chn T'gai."
"I have already called his personal comm and the Embassy," said T'Dana.
"It is my understanding he is preparing to journey to Vulcan. Perhaps he is in route to the space port?" said T'Lana.
"If Amanda is there, please put her on the comm, immediately," said Sarek's mother.
Amanda was in the kitchen before T'Lana could open her mouth.
"I am here, T'Dana," Amanda said into the comm. T'Dana looked tired. Her hair was disheveled. She lay in a bed with a monitor behind her head.
Amanda felt helpless seeing her in pain. "I heard of your injury. I hope you are feeling --"
"Amanda," said T'Dana in her familiar imperious tone, "You must tell Sarek not to return to Vulcan. Now."
A/N:
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