A man we passed just tried to stare me down

And when I looked at you You looked at the ground...

Who Is He (And What Is He to You)?

Song by Bill Withers

I get a lot of inspiration from music, can you tell? 😀 I was listening to this song and I thought it sounded like something Dark Mirror Spock would say to Uhura if he and she were walking through the halls of the ISS Enterprise and someone tried to stare him down. Yep, these are the weird thoughts I have and it leads to writing stuff like this chapter...

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Spock walked through the halls of the ISS Enterprise surrounded by his most loyal and trusted Vulcan guard. Everyone was on high alert. Things on the Enterprise were changing since Kirk had been assassinated and Spock had taken over, but he still could not trust the majority of his crew and he still had to look over his shoulder for some misguided idiot looking to move up in rank the hard way.

Today was a rare occasion when his exalted wife accompanied him as he made his way through the ship. It was their anniversary and though it was not known among the crew that they were indeed husband and wife, it was well known that Uhura was the captain's woman. And so to honor her and to assert his possession of her he was taking Nyota for a stroll and then to a lavish meal in one of the ship's better recreation halls.

It was not unusual for the crew to either turn their heads away in fear or look down when Spock and his procession passed them. No one wanted the undue attention of Captain Spock. Therefore the look that a crewman gave Spock as they passed him in the hall disturbed him greatly. The man stared at Spock with ill-disguised hatred and disgust. Even though Spock was surrounded by his personal guard, he felt trepidation. He did not worry for his own safety but for that of his lovely wife. But when he looked over to Nyota to ensure her well-being she was studiously staring at her feet instead of proudly holding her head aloft and walking with her usual confidence.

Curious. What was this? Spock wondered.

He looked back to see the crewman's retreating back but he was not soothed. He sent a silent message to his closest companion in the guard to investigate the man further and bring him answers.

He confronted Nyota back in their quarters.

"Tell me Nyota. Who was that man?"

"What man Spock?" She answered guilelessly.

"The man we passed who challenged me with his glance? Who is he and what is he to you?"

"Challenged?" Nyota laughed nervously. "Do not be silly beloved. Why would you think that?" she asked flippantly but it was the wrong thing to say and Spock was not amused.

"I do not think it, I know it. Now then, who is he?"

"I do not know Adun. He is just some foolish crewman. He should not have challenged you."

"Indeed he should not. Nevertheless, the deed is done. Now, who is he?" Spock asked a final time. He did not intend to ask again. When his wife did not respond he continued.

"Vulcans lack your so-called intuition but we make up for it with logic, and my logic tells me you are deceiving me, which greatly disappoints me, wife."

Nyota finally found her voice. "No Spock, my love I would never deceive you." She shook her head.

"Indeed?" He stared at her for a long moment. "You will attend me now." He held out his fingers to her and Uhura nervously stepped towards him to join her fingers with his.

"Spock. Adun. I am not deceiving you," She whispered with a shaky voice.

"Then you will not object to a meld?"

"Spock, love that is not necessary. I am telling you, I would never deceive you."

Spock nodded as if he agreed with what she was saying but he brought his other hand up to gently cup her cheek.

"You are very beautiful Aduna," he said as he tenderly stroked her cheek with his thumb. "And I want nothing more than to believe you. Because you promised me you would never lie to me."

"And I have not." She said with tears forming in her eyes.

"It does not matter. I will have the truth from you one way or another. And that man, whoever he is, you may forget about him. He has already been neutralized."

"What!? Why?" she cried.

"He coveted you and he challenged me," Spock said coldly.

"He did not. I tell you I do not know him. It was nothing..."

"What was nothing?"

Uhura remained silent.

Spock nodded again. "We shall see." His gentle caress turned firm as he placed his fingers on her psi points and he began the ritual of entering her mind.

Nooo!

Spock sat up in his bed and looked around the room. It was dark and quiet, so quiet he could hear his own heart pounding in his torso. Beside him, he felt Nyota sit up and place her hand on his arm.

"Spock what's wrong?" she asked.

Spock hesitated in answering, he was so shaken. He didn't like the idea of his counterpart harming Nyota even in a dream. "Nothing," he said finally.

"Did you have a bad dream?" Uhura asked.

Spock remained silent. What could he say to her? That Vulcans don't have bad dreams? Well, that would be a lie since lately he had been waking up from the most unusual dreams. Dreams that one could consider 'bad'. But he did not want to burden her with his dreams which Vulcans would definitely consider irrelevant.

"Spock," she shook his arm. "Tell me."

Spock took a deep cleansing breath and released it slowly. When he felt he was under sufficient control again he responded. "Yes, Nyota. I had an unpleasant dream. But I am recovered now."

"Aww, I'm sorry. I know how it is. Dreams can seem so real sometimes can't they?"

"Indeed." But was it a dream? Spock wondered.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

"Okay. But come lay down with me. I'll hold you until you fall back to sleep." She tugged on his arm to pull him back down into the bed.

"That is not necessary."

"I know it's not necessary. I want to. So humor me. Please Adun?"

Spock could not resist her pull so he lay down with her and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Do you know Spock, I used to be afraid of the dark? And when I was little I had terrible night terrors. Sometimes Bibi used to have to rock me in her arms all night before I would go back to sleep," she confessed to him. "Even when I was much too old for it, I still had dreams that would drive me from my room at night and I ended up sleeping with Bibi and Babu."

"And how did you overcome this terror?" Spock asked her.

"Well, I guess I just grew out of it I suppose. But do you know what really helped?"

"No, what?" he asked softly.

"My Babu told me 'There is nothing in the dark that is not there when the lights are on'. I guess when your mind matures enough you realize how true that is. There are no boogeymen in the closet or monsters under the bed. There's nothing in the darkness that isn't there in the daylight."

"Perhaps there is not," Spock thought. But there was something out there waiting for them. He just didn't know what it would be and where it would come from. All he could do was hold his wife and wait for the morning to come.

I was so tempted to make this the last chapter of the store and close it with Nyota singing Beyond Antares to Spock as she rocked him to sleep. I think that would be a nice sweet ending to their story. But then I thought, Nah, it's not over yet! This story Does Not end with a whimper 😈