Okay chapter 8!

"Puta Madre," Alex mumbled to herself as she walked out of the room one of the diplomats was staying in carrying the towels he had completely used through the day he'd been on board. She had been assured that she wouldn't normally be acting as a personal concierge to a ship full of diplomats but as they got more and more diplomats on board they had to make a lot of concessions for the diplomats, including Alex agreeing to be the go between with the diplomats and Kirk, as well as doing whatever the diplomats asked.

"Excuse me?" a crewman asked as he looked over at her and she looked up at him.

"You speak Spanish?" she asked and he shook his head. "I said excuse me," she said to him and he nodded quickly, stepping out of her way. "Thanks," she said before going to the laundry room, dropping the towels on the counter.

"What the hell did you do to these?" the woman who worked in the ship's laundry looked at the state of the towels.

"Diplomat Gormon needs more towels," Alex told her dryly and she raised an eyebrow before nodding.

"Oh I see that." she replied, Alex giving her a smile. She wasn't the sweetest fluffiest person on board and Alex loved that about her.

After giving Alex a stack of towels Alex made her way back to the diplomat's room to drop them off, smiling cheerfully at the member of the diplomat's team who opened the door and snatched the towels away quickly.

Rolling her eyes she turned around and found herself face to face with Kirk. "Captain," she smiled at him.

"Diplomat Gormon?" he asked and she nodded. "Is it just me or does he go through a ton of towels?" he asked as the two stepped away from the door.

"Oh my god, right?" Alex whispered as they walked together. "What does he do? Take the towels into the shower with him?"

"Who knows?" Kirk asked softly as he guided her down the hall. "I just wanted to say thank you for your hard work during all of this, and I decided to approve the request for a few hours off when we get to Vulcan."

"I didn't make a request," she told him, frowning slightly, a look of slight pain crossing his face.

"Spock made it- I realize now it may have been a surprise…" he said slowly, Alex chuckling at the look of pain on his face.

"Well, I won't tell him if you don't," she patted Kirk gently on the shoulder.

"I should get to the bridge, we have to get two more diplomats today and tomorrow we finish the rounds at Vulcan before heading to Rigel IV," he told her.

"Sounds good," she replied. "See you later Jim, I'm going to check on the Arthrakian Diplomat, she was looking a little green around the gills."

"Arthrakian hate ship travel" he explained. "Keep up the good work Alex."

"Got it," she nodded to him before going down the hall to the right door.

Later that night Alex sat in the rec room with a beer in her hand as she told her friends about the different diplomats.

"Oh, did you see the Gregorian diplomat's son?" Mindy sighed dreamily. "He was gorgeous."

"When he talks it's like he's whispering and shouting at the same time," Alex told her, Mindy sighing again.

"You're so lucky you get to spend time with them," Laura said as she looked at Alex.

"I mean, I just act like a go-fer for them," Alex shrugged.

"A- A gopher?" Mahasri asked with a slight tilt to her head. "Like a little ground rat?"

"No- no." Alex chuckled holding up her hands, sipping her beer and then explaining; "I mean a go-fer, it's like they say "Go for this, go for that," a go-fer."

"Oh," Laura laughed. "Oh that's funny, I've never heard of that phrase before."

"It must be an old-Earth phrase," Mahasri commented and Alex tapped her nose with a wink.

"Hey since you can talk to the diplomat's son you should flirt with him," Laura said suddenly, Alex chuckling.

"Ah, no, I'm good." Alex waved her hand.

"Why not?" Mahasri asked. "He's gorgeous and so are you, you'd make such cute babies."

"Yeah, and it's not like you'd be able to do anything with Captain Kirk now that he's your direct superior?" Laura pointed out.

"I wouldn't want to do anything with Kirk number one, and number two, I'm not interested in the diplomat's son." Alex assured them.

"Yeah, besides, isn't Alex interested in Mr. Spock?" Mindy asked and Alex looked at her quickly.

"What" Alex asked quickly and Mindy looked at her with a smile.

"Well, aren't you? I mean we always see you two walking and talking together," she explained.

"Oh, pfft, Mr. Spock doesn't have feelings." Laura waved her hand and Alex felt her face flush as she took another long drink of the synthetic beer, wishing for the real stuff in that moment.

"Spock has feelings," Alex looked at Laura. "He's a very complex person, but as a Vulcan they don't show their feelings. It's just a cultural difference."

"So you like Mr. Spock?" Mindy asked and Alex let out a chuckle.

"I- I don't see what that has to do with anything."

"So, yes?" Mahasri asked with a grin, nudging Alex who blushed and then sighed.

"Yeah, I like him," she admitted. "But you guys-"

"Oh like we're going to tell anyone," Mahasri laughed. "Girl talk is sacred."

"Good," Alex grinned at them before finishing her beer. "Okay, I'm grabbing one more beer and then I'm going to bed because we have more diplomats coming in tomorrow," she told the girls.

After their beer Alex made her way back to her room and undressed before crawling into bed.

An hour later Alex woke up hearing her door open and looked over at the door to see Spock walking in. "Hey," she said sleepily.

"Don't let me wake you," he told her softly and she sighed as she lay back on the bed, a few minutes later he joined her in bed and she curled up against him.

"Tomorrow I get to meet your parents," she told him softly and he kissed the top of her head, stroking her hair.

"You are looking forward to it?" he asked and she nodded against his chest.

"Mhmm," she said softly. "Very much so,"

"Good," Spock said as she dozed back to sleep.

The next day Alex was running around like a chicken with her head cut off. Her hair was coming loose from her usual bun and she was feeling like a server working two sections at once.

She had to be there to help greet the new diplomats on the ship and escort them to their rooms with Captain Kirk, but then she had to fulfill requests from the other diplomats on board.

The initial meeting with Spock's parents went well, when she was acting as the helpful guide who offered to get them anything they needed as she and Kirk and Spock led the ambassador and his wife to their room, but the real meeting with them- that was a different story.

It started with a member of the Ambassador of Arthrakian's entourage, a creature whose species was not particularly find of space travel, and who didn't handle it well, Alex stumbled upon one of them in the hallway looking lost.

"Sir, do you need an escort back to your room?" she asked before the young looking boy open his mouth and vomited all over her uniform. "Okay, so that's a yes," Alex said after a long moment. After gesturing a crewman over she told him which room the boy was staying in before turning around to see Spock walking down the hall towards her.

"The Captain has agreed to give you and I two hours of leave on Vulcan before we make way," he told her, Alex watching him with a bemused smile before nodding.

"Sounds good," she said. "Should I go like this or would you like me to clean up first?"

"My room is closer," he ignored her sarcasm. "I will bring some of your things to my quarters, go take a shower."

"Sounds good." she nodded before walking to his quarters, stripping out of her uniform and getting into the shower. After washing off and being careful not to get her hair wet she wrapped herself in a towel and took her hair out of the bun that had started to fray.

Picking up his comb he kept on a shelf in his bathroom she started running it through her hair, gently smoothing it out before she heard the door open. "Hey babe, I threw my uniform into your laundry because it was gross, but don't forget to take it out before you bring your laundry down," she said as she walked out of the bathroom, stopping in her tracks when she saw Amanda, the wife of the ambassador, and Spock's mother standing in the door.

"I must have the wrong room," Amanda said after a moment, Alex staring at her blankly before nodding.

"Oh, yes, that must be it, who are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for Mr. Spock," she told her and Alex nodded.

"Right, so what you're going to want to do is-" The door opened again and Spock walked in. "Just wait here." she said slowly, Spock looking from his mother to Alex who stood there in her towel, thanking god she hadn't just dropped the towel and walked out naked.

"Mother," Spock said to her. "You have met Lt. Ramirez,"

"I have," Amanda said as she turned to look at Spock. "What is she doing here?"

"Lt. Ramirez is my t'hyla." Spock said.

"Lt. Ramirez would like her clothes." Alex said to Spock softly, Spock seemed to remember he was carrying a small pile of clothes and walked over to her, handing them to her and Alex walked back into the bathroom, closing the door and leaning back against it for a moment. "Holy shit," she whispered.

After dressing she fixed her hair, braiding it down her back before walking back out of the bathroom, a slight flush in her cheeks as she did.

Amanda was gone when she came back and Spock sat on the bed waiting for her. When she entered the bedroom he stood up and looked down at her. "We will be dining with the ambassador and my mother this evening," he explained. "I'm certain that my mother will have many questions for you."

"I understand," she replied. "But given we only have a few hours of shore leave, maybe we should talk about it later?"

"Agreed," Spock replied and they walked out of the room, Alex had noticed in the bathroom that Spock had given her some of her regular, that is to say not Starfleet, clothes, but he remained in his uniform.

"Would you like to change?" she asked and he looked at her before shaking his head.

"This is sufficient." he told her and she nodded.

"Okay." she replied.

After making their way to the transport bay they stood on the platform and were beamed down to the planet Vulcan.

The first thing Alex noticed was the heat, she had closed her eyes before they beamed down, and standing on the planet she took a deep breath, smelling the heat and smiling before opening her eyes.

The planet was just like Spock had shown her in his memories, a beautiful red sky, and gorgeous mountains in the distance. "Oh wow," she breathed as she looked around.

"There is a restaurant not far from where I had the Enterprise beam us to," he told her and she looked over at him.

"That sounds great," she told him as she looked around. "Do you have a house here?"

"My family owns property here," he told her. "I reside on Earth."

"I get that," she said. "It makes sense with being in Starfleet."

The two walked, Alex feeling herself starting to sweat lightly, it had been a long time since she had been in the desert, but the thing about it that was really becoming apparent was the difference in the atmosphere. Spock seemed to notice that she wasn't walking at her usual quick pace and looked back at her, noticing that she was walking a little way's behind him.

"The atmosphere," he said as he looked up at the sky in realization. "You are not used to the thinner atmosphere."

"I'm not," she agreed as she put a hand on her ribs. "I'll get used to it though," she told him. "I'll just be a little slower until I am,"

After walking (a little slower than Alex would have liked) to the restaurant they were seated and both were handed menus. Spock seemed to decide what he wanted quickly and set his menu down before looking at Alex who glanced over the menu at him.

"You know what," she said as she set her own menu down. "You order for me, I'd like to see what you think is good."

Their lunch consisted of many vegetarian plates with vegetables Alex wasn't entirely familiar with, but they were delicious nonetheless, however Alex did get a few looks of disapproval as she chatted away with Spock, who paid no mind to the looks around them, running his two fingers over hers as they ate their lunch.

After lunch Spock took her walking down a row of shops, Alex looking in some of the windows before pausing at one, looking inside curiously.

"Would you like to go inside?" he asked and she looked over at him.

"Do we have time?"

"I have allotted us time to do some shopping before we have to get back to the Enterprise," he told her and she smiled in response.

"Then yeah, I'd like to go inside." she told him, Spock opening the door for her and the two stepping inside.

The clothes inside were beautiful gowns and robes, shawls and sensible shoes that were obviously made to withstand walking in the desert. Running her fingers over the cloth used on a shawl Alex found it was a sturdy, but very breathable fabric.

"The summer clothing," Spock explained. "It will remain very hot for some time on the planet before the winter."

"I'm from the desert Spock, I know how the weather changes," she reminded him and he gave her a small nod.

"Of course,"

"Are you getting anything here?"

"I don't need anything," Spock told her as he watched her look at the clothes with interest.

"Well I don't need anything either, it doesn't stop me from wanting things," she told him as she looked around and then back to him.

"Look at what you like," he told her and she shrugged before looking around the store, an employee standing to the side and watching as Alex looked at the clothes.

Eventually she made her way to a dressing room and then from there she took a few selections to the register, after begrudgingly putting back a gorgeous purple dress that was way more than what she should spend on clothes.

As she stood at the register and the employee started ringing in her purchases Spock stood next to her and handed over the purple dress she had been looking at. "Spock, I don't need it," she tried to tell him softly, Spock looking down at her.

"But you want it." he told her, nodding to the employee who continued to ring up her things, Alex thinking about the money that she'd have to make to pay off the dress before Spock moved his PADD over the register, transferring the money to the store.

"Oh- Spock, no, you don't have to pay for it," she tried to say but Spock accepted the bags from the employee who handed them over. When they stepped out of the store she looked up at him. "I could have paid for that," she told him.

"Two things," Spock told her. "You don't have your PADD," she looked down at herself, realizing that he was of course right, and she looked back at him, assuming he likely had made sure she didn't have her PADD when they left the ship. "And this is what humans would call a date, and as you are my t'hyla, I am content paying for you," he explained and she smiled lightly before gently bumping her shoulder against his.

"Thank you," she told him gently. "I didn't realize this was a date."

"I thought you would enjoy our first date being on my home planet."

"I do enjoy that," she agreed.

After being talked into going into a few more stores and spending a little more of Spock's money they had to return to the ship. When they got to the landing zone Alex paused before approaching it, looking out at the beautiful desert landscape of Vulcan and taking a deep breath as she looked out at the three suns, the gorgeous red sky and the mountains.

"Are you not ready to go?" Spock asked.

"Just-" Alex looked over at him. "Committing it to memory. It's so beautiful here, I always want to remember my first time on Vulcan."

Spock seemed to accept that answer and as they approached the beaming area he paused before looking at her. "By coming down to Vulcan with me and returning with many bags from shopping, and us two being the only ones given shore leave, you realize this will signal to the other crewmen on the ship that you and I are in a romantic relationship," he pointed out.

"I do realize that," Alex agreed after a moment of thought. "Is that something you're ready to acknowledge on board?"

"I am," Spock told her and she smiled before reaching out, pressing her index and middle finger to his before they stepped into the beaming zone. As Spock was holding Alex's bags he looked over at her. "Will you take my communicator from my belt?" he asked and Alex took it and opened it, holding it out to him. "Spock to Enterprise."

"This is the Enterprise."

"Two to beam up," he told them and a moment later they were beamed safely aboard the Enterprise.

After materializing the first thing Alex noticed was how cold it was on the Enterprise compared to the desert air they had just left- and the second thing she noticed was the headache she had as she took a deep breath.

"If you're feeling a little light headed come with me," Alex was surprised to see Dr. McCoy standing there and looked over to Spock who gave her a nod.

"Yes Sir," Alex agreed, following Dr. McCoy back to the med bay. When they got there he gestured to one of the beds and she sat on it as he ran a monitor over her.

"I wish Spock had come to me about bringing you to the surface. I could have given you a booster to help you absorb the Vulcan air better," he grumbled as he looked at the readouts. "Yeah, you just need a little oxygen," Dr. McCoy said as he walked to a cabinet and pulled out a oxygen hose, bringing it over to her he handed her the part that went in her nose before plugging in the end to a valve in the wall and pressing a few buttons.

Alex looped the hose over her ears and stuck the end of it into her nose, breathing deeply as she felt the oxygen start to run through the line. "Will I be better in the next hour or so?" she asked.

"You'll be fine in about twenty minutes." he told her and she nodded.

"Okay," she said gratefully. "Spock is introducing me to his family this evening at dinner," she explained.

"I heard about you and Spock," he said as he looked at his medical PADD, obviously trying to speak casually. "Have you and Spock discussed his Pon Farr?"

"We haven't," she told him.

"Ask him about it sometime," he said before looking at her. "Have you talked about contraceptive?"

"Again- no." she told him, thinking back to the amount of unprotected sex they had had.

"Humans and Vulcans don't often procreate easily, but if you're ah- regularly…"

"Yeah." she nodded and he looked grateful to not have to say it.

"Well, as it is, I can give you a shot, a birth control that will last you five years." he explained and she nodded quickly.

"Give me the shot," she said and he looked relieved as he went to a cabinet and got a hypo.

"This may make you a little tired for a few days and give you some cramping." he explained as he took her arm and gave her the hypo.

"Thank you," she said softly. "I never thought about that, but it's a good think to just know is taken care of."

"You will need to get a booster every year, but that's not a big deal," Dr. McCoy told her and she nodded.

"Agreed," she nodded.

After the oxygen treatment finished Alex went to her quarters to unpack her things and found they weren't there so instead went to Spock's where she found he had put not only her dress on a hanger but had folded and hung the rest of her things. Smiling softly she heard him in the bathroom getting ready for their dinner.

Alex opened the door, slipping out of her clothes and stepped into the shower with him, wrapping her arms around his waist, pressing into his back. "Dr. McCoy gave you an oxygen treatment?" he asked as he placed a hand over hers. She nodded and he ran his hand up and down her arm gently. "I unpacked your purchases."

"I saw," she told him and he turned around in her grip, running his fingers through her hair before dipping his head to press his lips against hers. Alex kissed him back with a deep sigh, moving to wrap her arms around his neck as he slid his hands down to her waist, pulling her tighter against him as he deepened their kiss.

When the kiss eventually broke apart Alex looked up at him and smiled gently.

"You did not need a shower," he said after a moment of realization. "You took one today."

"This is my third shower today." she chuckled as she shook her head. "But after sweating on the planet, I thought it would be respectful to your parents if I freshened up." she explained as she tilted her head back, letting the water rush over her chest.

Spock watched her before letting go of her gently, Alex pouting when he did. "I am going to collect the rest of the things you need for our dinner," he told her as he opened the shower curtain.

"Spock, no," she pulled him back into the shower, moving to kiss his neck. "Stay here with me,"

"As much as we would both enjoy that," Spock said gently. "I think it is smart if we start to prepare for dinner."

"After dinner?" she asked and he raised a hand to brush his thumb over her jaw ever so lightly.

"Of course," he promised and she smiled before letting him get out of the shower.

She sighed hearing him moving around, drying off, getting dressed and eventually leaving the room, Alex standing under the shower before she leaned her head back, hoping that her third meeting with Spock's mom went better than the second.

Alright, what did you think of their first date on Vulcan?