Chance Encounter

It was a rather unremarkable day in Shi'Kahr. 8-year-old Spock had agreed to accompany his mother to the market where she wished to purchase the ingredients for their dinner. Spock sighed internally. Despite passing the kahs-wan, he and his half human heritage were still looked down upon by his fellow Vulcans. He could recognize their disapproval, no matter how subtle they believed themselves to be. And his father was a different matter entirely.

He, dare he admit, enjoyed the time he and his mother spent alone. While he knew it was not easy for her that he'd chosen the Vulcan way, she supported him with all her might. Spock wondered if the people on Earth would be more accepting of him but dismissed the thought immediately. He doubted it. He didn't belong in either world.

"Excuse me," the quiet, timid voice of a young girl interrupted his thoughts. Spock turned around, slightly surprised at the girl's unmistakable British accent. The voice belonged to a short human girl, likely around Spock's age. She was delicate to the point of looking fragile, with pale skin, eyes such a dark shade of gray, it barely differed from the color of her pupils or the even darker ring surrounding her irises. Locks of fiery red, curly hair peeked out from under the light blue scarf covering her head. Her dress was ankle-length, had long, wide sleeves and was made from a light material of a darker shade of blue. Her feet were clad in light brown moccasins. "I have lost my father. Something caught my attention at one of the stands and he must have gone on without realizing I was no longer with him. Can you help me?" Her voice broke slightly at the end.

Amanda took pity on the child. "Of course, Dear. What does he look like?" she asked in a gentle tone she also used on Spock when she knew the other children had been picking on him again.

"He's tall, 41 years old, with graying red hair and he's wearing a black tunic, black trousers and dress shoes."

They started to walk into the direction the girl had come from. "It should not be too difficult to find a human man in a place almost exclusively frequented by Vulcans," Spock said, trying to calm her further. To his surprise, it seemed to work as she nodded and wiped at her eyes with her sleeve.

"I am Amanda, by the way. This is my son Spock. What's your name?"

The girl opened her mouth to reply when there was a cry of "Lydia!" and a man fitting the child's description ran over to them, fell to his knees in front of his daughter and hugged her tightly. "Thank heavens you're alright."

Spock fidgeted, knowing all eyes were on them because of the emotional display, but if the man noticed, he didn't care as he placed a kiss on the girl's head. He looked up at them. "Thank you for looking after my daughter."

Amanda smiled and waved it off. "It was nothing. We were glad to assist. Right, Spock?"

Spock nodded. "Quite, Mother. It was no issue, Mister…"

The man got to his feet, dusting off his trouser legs. "McGill. Ian McGill. Pleased to meet you, Spock. And you, Ms. …"

"Just call me Amanda. My husband's name would be too difficult for you to pronounce."

He shook her hand. "Then call me Ian. And this is Lydia."

Lydia nodded. "Good to meet you. And thank you so much."

They acquired the items they had come to the market for and the conversation continued after they had left the marketplace.

"You are rather well-spoken, Lydia."

Lydia looked down. "Thanks, Mam. My parents insisted I learn to speak properly."

"Is your mother here, too, or is she back in Britain?"

The change in mood was instantaneous. Lydia inhaled sharply and started shaking. Mr. McGill pulled her close to try to keep her from having a panic attack. His mother's eyes got an apologetic, concerned look. Then something strange happened. Suddenly, there was a strong wind atypical for this time of the year.

"Her mother is of no importance," Ian said gravely, still holding his daughter tightly, rubbing her back.

Spock thought feverishly about what he could do, while simultaneously attempting to wrap his mind around the sudden change of weather. "Do you have another name, Lydia?"

The girl locked eyes with him. There was a storm raging inside those nearly black eyes. She took a few shaky breaths before answering him. "Athena. My middle name is Athena."

Spock nodded. He could work with that. "No doubt named after the Greek goddess of wisdom, knowledge and arts. Her symbol was an owl."

His mother gave him a grateful smile. "Do you like owls, Lydia?"

Lydia sniffed and once again wiped her tears away with her sleeve before completely breaking the embrace with her father. The wind disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. "They are interesting creatures. Did you know that centuries ago, people considered the call of a barn owl an omen of death and therefore called the animal 'death owl' or 'demon owl'?"

Spock raised a teasing eyebrow. "Humans and their prejudices are most illogical."

Lydia smiled shyly. "Yes, we make no sense. And we'll probably always find something to be prejudiced against."

The adults let the children walk ahead of them, sharing amused looks as their children discussed various aspects of humanity.

That evening, Lydia sat in her room in the suite her father had booked for their stay on Vulcan, thinking about the day she'd had when there was a loud crack. "Master told Toodey to inform young Lydia that dinner is ready."

The girl smiled at her family's house elf. "Tell him I'm on my way." The creature nodded and disapparated from the room. The girl rose and went to the dining area. Her father had barely taken his second spoon of soup when she whispered: "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to change the weather."

The man sighed. "I know, Darling. You were upset. I know you can't control it. That's why we're here. We will find a way to fix this."

She looked doubtful. "What if it only gets worse? You'll be in trouble with the Ministry if they find out what you did. That you relocated your ill, out of control daughter to another planet, where she could be a real danger to the whole population."

He rose from his chair, kneeled in front of her and took her hands. "We will fix this. I don't care about the Ministry. You are all that matters to me. Do you understand?"

She nodded. "What about the boy we met today? You got along quite well. Should I ask his mother if the two of you could meet up again?"

Lydia's eyes lost some of their sadness. "He's nice. That would be great."

Ian nodded. "I will make the call tomorrow once I have figured out this muggle technology."

She smiled a little, then pushed her plate away. "I'm not hungry anymore. Can I go to bed?"

He sighed heavily before handing her a small vial of sleeping potion. "Of course. Sleep well, Honey."

After receiving a kiss goodnight, she retreated to her bedroom, changed and brushed her teeth. She slipped under the covers and drank the potion, falling into a deep, dreamless sleep soon after.

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