Part II—Fall

She drove the aircar up the winding drive, as always anticipating the moment when she would see it standing there, welcoming her to the only real home she ever knew. The leaves had started to turn gold already and it seemed that the tree was tipped in fire. It was an effect brought on in part by the frost of the last week, but today it was hot, hotter than it had been in almost a month. It was a true Indian Summer day, the last fading spell of the dying season, giving one futile gasp before retreating for another year.

This had been the first chance since classes had started for her to come home and she was determined to make it. Ideally, she would have preferred to have the house and her grandmother to herself, but she had been forewarned in advance to expect houseguests. The one thing Louisa Saint had always insisted on was that her home be large enough to house a small army and welcoming enough to make them want to stay. With 6 bedrooms and 7 baths, there was always enough room for the constant stream of visitors that seemed to find a way to her grandmother's lively country retreat, and this weekend was no exception.

Getting out of her car, Amanda squinted in the sunlight, trying to place a name and a face to each member of the party spread out across the lawn. Her grandmother Louisa sat in a large adirondack chair on the edge of the shade along with Dal Jermadan, the visiting minister from Lesser Antares maintaining a neutral ground. Deep within the shadows, she could make out Ambassadors Xchelam and Aik-it-tom trying to stay as cool as possible, and in the bright sunlight sat Naadiir along side an empty chair. Now who was missing?

She waved at the group, as she reached into the back seat of her car to pull out her luggage. She had tried to fit everything in one large piece thinking it would be easier, but instead it was cumbersome and heavy. Now the case had wedged itself behind the front seat of the small coupe. Amanda tugged and grunted, pulling as hard as she could, trying to set it free…

She landed squarely on her posterior; the suitcase finally winning the battle. She could hear her grandmother's laughter reverberating in the distance. Amanda cast a threatening look over her left shoulder in its direction. When she turned back, the suitcase stood by the side of the car and a hand was extended out in assistance. Trying to compose herself, she took the proffered hand and brushing herself off, turned to thank her savior.

Meeting his face, she tried her best to register neither the surprise nor delight she felt in seeing him again. All she could do was say his name.

"Sarek."

And he in returned replied, "Yes."


The weekends home were always a study in contrasts: individual moments passed in languid, quiet stretches, while the days themselves flew past far too quickly. It seemed as if it was time to leave before she had hardly said hello. In a few hours she would need to be on her way back to the city if she were to make it to her morning class.

Sometimes, she thought it would actually be better to leave as soon as she awoke, avoiding the torturous countdown to departure. But she could never bring herself not to savor every last moment, always staying until it was too late.

The warm autumn air enveloped her, enticing her to stay, forget school, forget her apartment in the city, forget every moment but this one. She looked up into the branches of the guardian oak, knowing that the next time she saw it, the limbs would be stripped bare, and the summer-like warmth would be only a memory. Absentmindedly, she twirled one of the oak's cast-off leaves in her hands, forming a farewell in her mind.

The door barely made a sound as it opened, and the footsteps across the porch were soft and sure. She waited until they were past her and on the walkway before she looked up and their owner turned to face her.

"I did not mean to disturb your meditation."

She felt a little leap in her heart when he spoke. Louisa had warned her when she had seen the signs. She tried to tell her granddaughter she would have better luck getting romantically involved with a Denebian eel herder, but Amanda couldn't help it. Sarek looked at her and it was as if every nerve in her body stood on edge.

"No, no," she stumbled with her words, " I was just killing time doing nothing, waiting until I have to leave."

"I am going to walk."

It was an pronouncement, yet he seemed to wait for a moment before going any further, "You will walk with me."

She wasn't sure if that was a question or a statement, but she got up and joined him as he made his way down the path, making small talk about the weather, if he liked it here on Earth, what she was studying in school. At the end of the well-worn walkway, he turned back toward the manicured gardens and lawns.

"Wait," Amanda held back for a moment, then gave into her impulse, "I know a special path that leads into the woods, if you'd like to go in further."

Without hesitation, he nodded and she led him through a narrow, hidden break into the bushes, and into her own private retreat. Already, the path was covered with the first layer of fallen leaves, softly rustling beneath their feet. It was always so silent back here, as if all other time and place had slipped away. The sound of a leaf falling shimmered through the air.

"When I was a child, this was my escape route when I wanted to get away," she took in a breath of the moist, woody smell that only fall could offer, "Did you ever have such a place?"

Sarek paused for a moment, as if trying to decide whether or not to share a confidence, "It was very… different than this, the desert."

"I can't really imagine not having trees around me. The thought seems so strange," She laughed and looked up at him, "But then I can't really imagine you needing to escape from anything, now that I think about it!"

"No?" He answered softly, "It is so."

He seemed to be lost in distant thought, then quickly diverted the subject back to her, "You have lived with your grandmother?"

"Well, since I was 2, when my parents got divorced. My father was- is, in Star Fleet. My mother got tired of holding down the fort while he played space cadet. I hardly remember him really. After the divorce we came and moved in with Gran."

"And your mother now?"

"She was offered a teaching assignment on Alpha Centuri three years ago. She, Gran, and I all thought it best that I finish my schooling here, then if I wanted to, I could join her in a few years."

"And do you think you will at that time?"

A lone scarlet leaf stood out among the gold, fluttering to its end. She reached out catching on its downward path, making a silent wish, both hopeful and hopeless.

"I don't know," she let loose a small sigh, "Maybe I'll be one of those people who stays Earth-bound all my life. There's certainly been enough shuttling between the stars in my family to last several lifetimes at this point. But maybe, at least once…"

She looked up at him, "Tell me what its like out there among the stars. Then tell me about your world…."


It seemed to her that they had only been walking for a matter of minutes, instead of hours. They circled back on the path, now leading them out from woods and onto the far side of the lawn. Coming finally to the oak tree, which stood as a silent sentinel for both the house and the forest that circled it.

"In a week these trees will be filled with color, and then it will all be gone. I hope you'll be able to see some of it before you leave. Its incredibly beautiful up here now," she glanced down at her feet for a moment then paused and looked up at him.

He had continued on for another step before realizing she had stopped. He turned to face her, tilting his head slightly and raising his brows in manner she had come to identify as a question.

"I wanted to let you know, I'm so glad that you were here this weekend. I've really enjoyed our walk," she paused for a moment, not knowing how he would take this admission, "I'm not insulting you am I?"

"Being insulted? This requires –"

"Human emotion, I know," she laughed, "but can you accept that I've enjoyed you being here?"

It seemed to her that a smile peeked out from the depths of his eyes, "Indeed, I would admit it has been a pleasant few days, and this afternoon a most welcomed diversion."

If this had been a romance novel, he should have swept her into his arms and kissed her. But this was not a romance novel. He was not Prince Charming, but a Vulcan. And as a stay leaf fluttered to the ground, marking the space between them, she knew she could expect nothing more.