Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek.


Chapter Four (Spock's POV)

June 24th, 2249

I watched as Julia came racing back to me. My heartbeat increased as she approached, and I could feel my emotions swirling indecisively inside of me. For some reason that I could not decipher, whenever Julia was around me, I had troubled concentrating. I could not focus completely on the lecture today because she was sitting so close to me.

However, even though she distracted me, I could not bring myself to stay away from her. Nor could I bring myself to ask her to leave. There was just something about her that made me feel...warm and, for lack of a better word, fuzzy inside. What this feeling was, I did not know.

"Okay, Spock, we can go now," Julia said, looping an arm through one of mine. I flinched a little at the contact, not being used to such casual touching. Julia glanced over at me for a moment, her eyes worried. "Something wrong?"

"On Vulcan, it is not customary to touch someone so casually," I said, and felt a twinge of disappointment when she pulled her arm away from me. Logic told me this was the best way to have things, but my emotions disagreed.

"Sorry," Julia said, giving me an apologetic smile. "I don't know a lot about vulcans."

"It is all right," I said, pushing thoughts of her touch out of my head. "Did you find the information you sought on the Academy Entry Exam?"

"Sort of," She said, accepting the change in subject. She started walking out of the auditorium, and I followed, matching my pace to hers. "Captain Pike said he'd send a message to his superiors. And then I think I'll be contacted and told where to take the Entry Exam."

"Was Captain Pike not specific on how you were to be contacted?" I asked, watching as Julia shook her head from side to side. I found it oddly nice to see her hair swirling from side to side.

"Not really. But that's understandable," She said glancing behind her. "He said he had a Starship he had to see off in 5 minutes. I hope I didn't take too long in talking to him."

"Your conversation took approximately 2.62 minutes," I said. Julia turned to look at me with wide eyes.

"That was nearly 3 minutes!" She exclaimed, and I nodded. She shook her head and ran a hand through her hair. "I hope he isn't late because of me."

"I doubt he would consider it your fault," I said, hoping my words reassured her. "After all, he is your academic adviser."

"I guess so..." She mumbled, looking down at the ground. I merely nodded, not sure what else to say. Suddenly, a growling sound broke the silence, and Julia's face turned red. I glanced at her, an eyebrow raised. "Um, do you mind stopping by the cafeteria? I kind of skipped breakfast when I ran over here."

"That was highly illogical," I said, wondering how on Earth she could do that. Didn't she know that skipping meals was dangerous? "May I inquire why you did such a thing?"

"I set my alarm for 0800," Julia said, blushing, "So I rushed to get ready for today - but by the time I was dressed and everything - It was 0820. I thought about grabbing something to eat from the food synthesizer, but then I thought I wouldn't have time. So I ran straight from my dorm to the auditorium."

"Then I shall repeat my earlier statement," I said, "You should set your alarm for earlier. Then you will not only arrive early, but you will not have any excuse to skip breakfast."

"Geez, you sound like my mom," Julia said, scowling a little. I frowned a little, unsure what her comment meant.

"I am not sure I understand your comment," I said, "Also, I was merely trying to ensure that you do not harm yourself by skipping an essential meal."

"My comment meant you're acting like a mother hen," Julia said, and I raised an eyebrow again. I still did not understand her comment. She sighed and shook her head. "Basically, I was joking that you're acting a little over protective."

"That was not my intention," I said, feeling my ears turn a little green. My statement was true, I was not trying to be over protective - however I was trying to protect her. However, I was not going to tell her that. She had, after all, said I was like family to her.

"It was meant as a joke, Spock," Julia said, putting a hand on my shoulder. I glanced at her hand and she pulled back, remembering what I'd told her earlier. "Sorry. Old habits die hard...Um, maybe we should head to the cafeteria."

"Indeed," I said, nodding my head. Flashing me a smile, we continued on our way, and we silently but mutually agreed to put the past conversation to rest.


Julia's POV

I could not stop blushing when I was near Spock. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop the blood from rushing to my face. And that, coupled with the fact that he didn't understand many Earth idioms, made conversations with him awkward.

Then again, because he didn't understand a lot about humans also meant he didn't realize I was crushing on him. At least, I didn't think he knew.

"I assume you are going to obtain a healthy breakfast substitute," Spock said, jolting me out of my thoughts. I blinked and looked up at him. He was still acting like a mother hen - which, I'll admit, was pretty cute.

"And what if I didn't?" I asked sarcastically. He raised an eyebrow.

"Am I correct in assuming that was sarcasm?" He asked. I smiled and nodded. He was learning fast.

"I'm glad you're catching on," I said, feeling the urge to ruffle his hair. But I didn't, because not only would it make him uncomfortable, but from what I've learned about guys - they don't like anyone touching their hair.

"There is nothing I cannot learn," He said, and I couldn't help but let out a giggle. Someone sounded sure of himself. He glanced at me. I shook my head, not wanting to explain my reaction.

"Anyhoo," I said, jogging over to the food counter. For some reason, Spock didn't come with me to the counter. "Lets see what they have on the menu…"

"Might I suggest oatcakes and honey?" The man behind the counter said. I looked up at him with my eyebrows raised.

"Oatcakes?" I asked skeptically. He lifted up a spatula proudly and puffed out his chest.

"I made them myself," He said, with a smile. "And they are much more appetizing than they sound, mind you."

"Really?" I asked, looking through the glass casing at what I assumed were the oatcakes. They looked like giant oatmeal cookies. "I don't know. They kind of look like pancake rejects…"

"I take offense to that," The man said, and I looked back up at him. He had a slight frown on his face. "Have you ever had oatcakes before?"

"Nope." I said, shaking my head. His eyes widened, and he scooped several oatcakes onto a paper plate, and handed them to me. I accepted them, somewhat skeptical.

"Trust me - once you taste these, you'll never get enough," He said. I looked down at the oatcakes, and considered them. Did they look a little odd? Yes, yes they did. But you couldn't always judge a book by its cover.

"Fine," I said, looking back up at the man. "I'll try them. But if I get indigestion because of this, I'm blaming you Mr..."

"The name's Montgomery Scott," The man said, extending a hand for me to shake. I reached out and gave it a firm shake. "But my friends call me Scotty."

"Pleasure to meet you Scotty," I said, smiling. "I'm Julliana Kirk, but everyone calls me Julia."

"Kirk?" Scotty asked, taking his hand back and raising his eyebrows. Oh no - he wasn't going to make a big deal about my dad, was he? I'd had enough of that in Iowa, and I didn't need more of that here. "Ye don't happen to be related to the Captain George Kirk, do ya?"

"He was my dad," I said. Then another thought hit me - what if he was asking because he was friends with my dad? If he had been, maybe he could tell me about him. My mom liked to tell Jim and I about him, but she never really talked about him."Why, did you know him?"

"I...might have," He said, his face scrunching up. "I think I might have ran into him a couple times when I was a Cadet. He looked a lot like you, actually. But I think he was a bit taller, and had wider set shoulders."

"Really?" I asked, feeling a little pride at his comment. He probably didn't know it - but that was a high compliment for me. I had always wanted to know who my dad was, and I'd heard the story of how he'd saved his ship (and me and my brother's life).

"Oh, aye," Scotty said, nodding his head and leaning down on the counter. "In fact, I remember when -"

"Mr. Scott!" A stern voice from the kitchen shouted. "Less talking up there - we have a cafeteria to run - not a social get together."

"Don't get your panties in a bunch - I was only talking to a customer!" Scotty called back. I watched this interaction, slightly amused. Obviously Scotty was a kindred spirit - he didn't like people telling him what to do. Kind of like me, and most definitely like Jim. "I don't mean to rush things, Julia, but I think it'd be better if ye left."

"No problem," I said, reaching for a fork and glancing back at Spock. He was standing by a table, watching me. Why on Earth hadn't he come with me, and how had I not noticed him standing over there. "See you around Scotty!"

He gave me a distracted wave, and then turned to face whoever was yelling at him. I, meanwhile, made my way back to Spock. His eyes were very penetrating when I came over to him. I gave nodding for him to come sit with me at a bench. He did, thankfully.

"Hey Spock," I said, slicing through an oatcake easily. "Why didn't you come with me to the counter?"

"It was not logical," He said, and I held back a sigh. Him and his logic - it was something that was getting a little annoying. I mean, he did have feelings underneath all that logic...didn't he? "Also, you did not ask me to accompany you to the counter."

"I thought it went without saying," I said, taking a tentative bite of the oatcakes. They tasted...kind of dry. They weren't sweet like I'd thought they'd be, more sweet.

"Is your food displeasing?" Spock asked, and my eyes flitted up to his. I shrugged.

"Well, it doesn't taste bad…" I said, trailing off. I'd already accepted this food, and it would be really rude to throw it away and get something else. Besides, I was so hungry right now I didn't really care. "It just doesn't taste like I thought it would."

"Please elaborate," He said, and I held a finger up, putting another piece of oatcake into my mouth. I closed my eyes a moment to concentrate on the tastes.

"This tastes kind of like...unflavored oatmeal," I said after I'd swallowed. "Sort of bland, but not in a bad way. It has a sort of bready texture, and a little chewy."

"It sounds like saffir," Spock said, and I raised my eyebrows.

"Please elaborate," I said with a little smile. Was it just me, or did his eyes just twinkle with amusement?

"Saffir is a Vulcan desert that resembles bread," Spock said, looking down at my oatcakes. "However, from what you described these to taste like, they sound very similar."

"A desert that's bland?" I asked, and he gave a slight nod.

"Most Vulcan dishes are considered 'bland' by human standards," Spock said, "However, as I have had nothing to compare them to, I cannot say whether those statements are accurate."

"Here," I said, pushing my plate towards him. He glanced down at it, and then back up at me. "You can try a piece of oatcake."

"I do not wish to take away your daily nourishment," He said, and I held back a laugh. The way he said things so bluntly, while it was sometimes annoying, could also be extremely funny.

"I'll live," I said, taking the oatcake I'd already cut up and biting into it. Spock looked down at my plate, and tentatively, reached out to pick one of the cakes up. Then, carefully, he brought the food up to his mouth, and bit into it. I had to smile to myself as I saw his eyes light up.

"It is...agreeable," He said, looking down at the oatcakes. "What is the name of this dish?"

"I think they're called oatcakes," I said, a little more than surprised that he liked the cakes so much. If he thought these were good, then he should try strawberry shortcake - that was sure to take his taste buds on a roller coaster ride. "The guy behind the counter, Scotty, makes them himself."

"I believe I will get them more often," He said, and I nodded my head, still a little surprised. I mean, sure, the oatcakes weren't bad, but they certainly weren't my favorite thing to eat. Maybe if I had something to add to it.

"I'm glad you like it," I said, finishing up my oatcake. It had filled me up. Must have been the oatmeal. "But I don't think it's my cup of tea."

"Considering this is not a liquid," Spock said, his eyebrows rising, and I couldn't help but laugh. "I would assume that you are using an idiom."

"Uh-huh," I said, nodding my head. "And before you ask - it means that this particular food isn't my favorite food to eat."

"May I inquire as to what is your favorite food?" He asked, and I took a moment to think about that before I answered.

"I think I'll have to get back to you on that one," I said. Really, I couldn't decide what my favorite food was. I liked a lot of things, tuxedo cake, pizza (specifically meat lover's), french fries, and a lot of others. Which one I liked the best, though, I needed time to figure out.

In the meantime, however, I had Spock's endless curiosity and my Entry Exam to keep me occupied.


Hello again! I hope you all enjoyed this fourth chapter! I know I updated a little quicker than I said I would - but I got this idea this morning that I just had to write down. Anyways, how'd you all like the way I added Scotty in? (If you're wondering why he's helping out in the kitchen, that will be revealed the next time he and Julia meet). Till next chapter, live long and prosper!