The crowd from the ballroom spilled into the hallway where the presenters were set up to stand next to rolling screens and answer questions. Humans and aliens of all varieties strolled lackadaisically, cocktails in hand.
Despite Kirk's initial insistence upon making the acquaintance of one Dr. Vivian Vida, he'd been momentarily distracted by the attention coming from other women. Spock, on the other hand, maintained focus, and squeezed his way through the hall. He responded, briefly, when a familiar face addressed him, but continued at enough of a velocity to prevent the instigation of social pleasantries. A mental note was made to return to some of the physics screens later.
"Yes, well, I'm glad you enjoyed the presentation." A familiar voice finally became audible across the corridor, and through the sea of heads, Spock caught the sight of red sparkles.
As he pushed forward, something else caught his eye. Two chairs sat next to the rolling screen, two Vulcans sat in those chairs, and across their lap lay a small figure.
"We should probably make our leave soon." The woman informed the man, "He's had a busy day." Savon, the little boy, slept as his mother stroked his smooth, dark hair. His little chest moved slowly up and down. His little eyes twitched occasionally. His little round, rosy cheek smushed against his mother's leg.
Spock stepped forward, admiring the site. "You have a beautiful family."
The mother looked at him curiously for a moment.
"My apologies. I have not seen a Vulcan child in the flesh in some time…Come to think of it, I haven't seen a child of any variety in several years. He's quite remarkable."
Her gaze softened into somewhat of a smile. "Thank you."
The father spoke up, "Dr. Vida is the one worthy of thanks. Were it not for her research, our son would not exist. We hope to provide him a sibling in the near future."
"That would be most fortunate-"
"Spock! There are you! Where'd you-oh pardon my interruption." Kirk remerged and flashed a dapper smile at the Vulcan family. "Cute kid."
McCoy was but a step behind him. "Hi there little fella." He grinned at the small figure. "Man, it's been a minute since I've seen a kid. I about forgot how much I like 'em."
"Captain," They nodded at Kirk as they stood, the dad carrying the child. The mother seemed to say a goodbye to the doctor nearby. As they moved away, a window to her opened. Without hesitation, Kirk moved in.
It was Spock that hesitated. He came into her presence and froze. Perfume filled his nose- a sweet flower he'd only smelled on his own planet. His eyes moved to hers, deep and dark, only to find they were already fixed on his. He felt his pulse quicken and temperature rise.
"I very much enjoyed your presentation, Dr…Vida isn't it? I'm-"
"James T. Kirk, your reputation precedes you."
"And what exactly is that reputation?"
"The T in your name stands for trouble." Dr. Vida raised one slanted brow and cocked her head slightly.
"Ha!" McCoy butt in and squeezed Kirk's shoulders. "Hey look! She knows you already." He extended a hand, "Leonard McCoy, pleasure to meet you ma'am."
She shook his hand, but looked beyond him. "Pleasure to meet you…And you must be Mr. Spock."
Both of the other men turned to their friend, as naturally occurs in a conversation.
"That is correct. I found your presentation fascinating. How long have you been pursuing this topic?"
Despite his even words, McCoy noticed a slight change in demeanor. Slowly, as to not be noticed, he pulled a device from his pocket and aimed it at his pointy-eared friend. While the woman provided an answer, he measured vitals. Spock's temperature and heartrate were elevated. McCoy concealed the device again, but failed to conceal his smirk. Subtlety, he nudged the Captain, who was still too enamored to notice. The men carried on a surface level conversation for a few minutes before other curious passersby demanded the scientist's attention.
"She's really something, huh?" Kirk beamed as they strolled along.
"Wouldn't you agree, Mr. Spock?" McCoy grinned like a little boy with a secret.
Spock raised an eyebrow, picking up McCoy's tone without being able to identify it. "She's a talented scientist with an undoubtedly bright future ahead of her."
"Aw, come on Spock. Admit it- you like her!"
Kirk rattled out of his daze.
"I admire her intellect and respect her as a member of Starfleet."
"No, no! That's not it! I checked up on you while you were talking to her, and your vitals spiked. You're attracted to her."
"Dr. Vida exhibits physical characteristics indicative of high estrogen levels and fertility, which most males are drawn to. However, as we've discussed before Dr. McCoy, attraction only occurs for Vulcans during the specified time-"
"Ah-ah-ah! Isn't her research about disproving or getting around that very thing?"
Spock paused for a moment and considered that possibility. "The irony is not lost on me."
"Hey there's nothing wrong with having a special lady in your life." Kirk bumped his eyebrows, "I mean I had considered asking her for a drink, but if you're interested then by all means. I guess you can do the convincing to get her on board the Enterprise."
"Captain…JIM, I would not consider commissioning a member of Starfleet onto our vessel for the purpose of pursuing her."
"Yeah…well…I would." Kirk pat his friend on the shoulder and winked.