This is (sob) probably the last chapter in over a month. For reasons, see my bio. I am going to miss all of you so much! Warning: major, major hints for upcoming chapters! R&R please! I got NO reviews last chapter. Reviewers get a nice lovely personal note, even if they are flames! (major hint number one)

The days grew shorter and colder, and still Spock showed no sign of wanting to leave. Not a single person the two had met was at all warm to the idea of unification. Jekri figured there was no pro-unification group and the rumors were made up as a distraction or something.

"Maybe the rumors meant to say 'Telvah,'" Jekri said, pointed the other town out on the map of the continent Spock had on his padd.

"No, because the rumors also said it was a small, mountain town, and Telvah is not in the mountains, nor is it small," he pointed out.

One morning, some weeks later, Spock and Jekri woke to two inches of snow on the ground, with some still falling, though lightly. They agreed not to go anywhere that day, as snow was rather new to both of them. Coming from a desert planet, Spock had only seen snow before on away missions, and had never heard of things like "snowball fights" and "snowmen." In the area of the capital where Jekri lived, there was so much traffic, it was hard for the snow to even reach the ground. The little that did turned gray because of so many Romulans and ground cars.

At breakfast, Symakhos announced a snow sculpture contest that was being held in three days for the city. Taveth and Jekri immediately turned to each other and began planning what type of sculpture they would build. Spock gave the most minute roll of his eyes possible and returned to his breakfast.

As Telzah was a ski resort town, snow continued to accumulate all day. Jekri and Spock spent the morning on a loveseat by an old fashioned wood fire, Spock reading, and Jekri trying to read, but unable to concentrate. Not that she could concentrate on any one thing for very long. That afternoon, Taveth decided to teach Spock and Jekri how to have snowball fight. She enlisted the help of several children who were staying there.

"I do not understand the purpose of this activity," Spock said as he help Taveth scoop snow onto the front wall of what she said was "their fort."

"Telek, you have to lighten up! Have some fun! That is 'the purpose of the activity,'" she mimicked.

"If you were trying to mimic me, I said 'this.' You, incorrectly, said 'the.'"

"You sound like a Vulcan," Taveth commented with a shudder of revulsion.

"I most certainly am not," Spock said. With that, he grabbed one of the snowballs Jekri was making and threw it at Taveth, where it hit her in the face.

"You asked for it!" Taveth laughed. She grabbed another snowball and threw it at Spock, who ducked. Jekri, seeing what was going on, joined in... helping "her husband" of course. However, to her, the funniest part by far was when she and Spock ducked behind the wall of the fort the children had made and abandoned, preferring to fight in the open.

"Am I acting sufficiently emotional to distract Taveth from the second when I acted Vulcan twenty-two minutes and three point eight seconds ago?" Jekri could not answer, as she was laughing so hard.

That evening, Spock, Jekri, and Taveth sat in the living area with large mugs of hot chocolate. Spock was especially grateful for this, having spent the entire day wondering why anyone would want to live on a planet that had a winter cooler than seventy degrees.

Three days later, there were about six feet of snow in the untouched areas, including the large meadow where the snow sculpture contest was to be held. Here the citizens and vacationers of Telzah gathered. Jekri and Taveth had decided on a simple sculpture involving two people on skis kissing each other. Spock's human side felt sure that Jekri had done this just to annoy him. His Vulcan side ignored the surprisingly logical assumption.

Jekri herself knew that this was true. That was the only reason she had decided on that sculpture in the first place. Taveth had wanted them to be merely standing, but Jekri had overruled her. She was amazed that Spock had still agreed to help them. But then, it did allow him another chance to act emotional.

"Okay people!" the man in charge of the contest said. "Start building your sculptures at eleven and finish at four. Winners will be announced at five. Go!"

"First, we must make a large mound of snow," Spock said. "Then we can carve out the rough shapes. Once this is done, we add finer details."

"My perfectionist husband," Jekri muttered loud enough for Taveth to hear.

"I heard that!" Spock said teasingly from where he was already beginning to gather the snow. Jekri laughed, though she knew it was all an act, and went over to help him.

"When did you go from 'completely and totally annoying' to 'tolerable every other millennium'?" she hissed.

"I was not aware that such a change had been made in your mental evaluation of me," Spock whispered back in an even and calm tone.

"Don't worry. This is an 'off' millennium," she whispered back.

Jekri actually found herself enjoying herself as the day went by. Even Spock looked downright happy... for a Vulcan. Taveth walked to a nearby café and picked up some hot chocolate and lunch, and they made a small picnic right there in the snow when noon came. The only annoying part was when Jekri was beginning to make the male's legs.

"Jekri, dearest, you are scraping too much snow off the left leg," Spock said. "He will collapse if you do not put more snow back on."

"Telek... it is absolutely fine. He looks fat if you put too much snow on. He'll hold." No sooner had she said this than the poor man's left side slid off the rest of his body to become one with the snow on the ground. Jekri stuck her tongue out at Spock and began to gather the fallen snow.

At four, the three stepped back from their sculpture with pride. Thanks to Spock's precision, theirs was by far the most detailed. However, the man's left leg still looked fat, even to Spock. Nothing could be done though. Jekri and Taveth decided to browse a few nearby shops during the judging. The headed off, laughing.

Spock eyebrows drew together thoughtfully as he watched them go. This was about as much emotion as the Vulcan could show. He was thinking back on Jekri's odd statement about annoyance and tolerability. She confused him more than even Doctor McCoy. Yet, surprisingly, this absurd statement made sense. He found that over the season, he had grown accustomed to her presence... in a good way.

This was all very illogical though. He shut his human side out and pulled out his padd. He had to plan the next week's activities. There was then the report back to Unification HQ, and he had to respond to messages from Saavik and Uhura... yes, there was plenty to occupy him for now.

At five, Jekri waited nervously with about thirty other groups for the winners to be called out. Her sculpture was good, but so were several of the others she saw.

"All of your sculptures were very good," the Romulan said. Jekri and Taveth laughed softly at this lie, noticing a sculpture that looked like a mound of snow that only vaguely resembled a warbird. "Honorable Mention goes to the one we have titled 'Commander M'Ret.'" Three teenage boys went up to receive their award. The sculpture itself had a Romulan commander with a disruptor at the ready. It was not bad either.

"Third Place goes to the one we have entitled '3D Chess,'" he said, and an older woman went up to receive this award. It was simply a sculpture of a 3D chess set, but it was remarkably well done.

"Second Place goes to the one we have titled 'Mountainside Couple,'" he continued.

"Yes!" Jekri screeched, jumping up and down. She and Taveth hugged and the three went up to review their award- one day of free skiing for each of them.

"By the way, was that a sculpture of you two?" the Romulan asked Spock. Taveth and Jekri both turned to him, Jekri with a very evil grin on her face. The two people actually did look somewhat like them, aside from the fat left leg.

"Do you really think my leg is that fat?" Spock asked, grinning. The crowd burst into laughter and he walked over to the statue with the girls.

"I think, that after sixty or something years, you have finally learned to tell a joke!" Jekri whispered in astonishment.

"That was practice in emotional behavior," Spock whispered back. "I do not think that it should be classified as a true 'joke.'"

"So can we go skiing next week?" Jekri asked, this time out loud.

"Certainly, to celebrate our glorious victory!" Spock said emotionally.

"I built the stupid thing too, you annoying lovebirds," Taveth muttered. "You just want to make like a statue and kiss on top of a mountain." Jekri laughed again, but this time it was at poor Spock's confusion.