Desperately Seeking Uhura

Uhura arrived on Argelius without a hitch. The shuttle settled her down on one of the smaller continents where it was the height of the tourist season.

"Lt. Uhura, if you go to the tourist commission's office they will guide you to lodgings and even arrange a tour guide if you need one," her pilot had explained.

"No need. I think I'll have a look around and see what I find. It will be an adventure."

"Ok then, just be careful, the men here are frisky," the pilot said. The pilot and a few other crewmen were also taking leave on Argelius but Uhura's pilot was here to meet her husband, not to run away from him.

Uhura had packed lightly so that she didn't have too much baggage to lug around and she was grateful. Argelius was famous for its foggy nights but today it was hot and humid. She strapped her backpack on and headed off in search of a place to stay. After walking around the shopping district and resisting the urge to buy everything she saw stopped in a little cafe for lunch. She was starving. She hadn't been eating well lately and today was the first time in a long time that she felt like pigging out.

Uhura was not a vegetarian but she just found herself eating that way since spending so much time with Spock. He would not be offended by her eating meat around him, that would be illogical, however, she just chose not to do it. Most times she just ate whatever he ate. It dawned on her she had been silently following his lead for years. No wonder Amanda had admonished her to not lose her humanity.

So she ordered a fat juicy burger. She didn't know what kind of meat it was, and she didn't care. She was on vacation and when Rome you did as the Romans did. She was just licking her fingers, something else she would never do around Spock when a shadow covered her table.

"Madam, I could not help but notice that you are alone as you eat. That is unacceptable. You require a dining partner, no?"

It was one of those frisky Argelian men.

"No," Uhura answered and went back to her meal, hoping he would take the hint.

"But Madam-"

"I believe the lady answered you already." A familiar voice said.

Uhura nearly choked on her fries.

"Spock! what are you doing here?"

"I came to fetch you," he said and he sounded annoyed even though he was his usual calm self.

She scrunched up her nose. "Fetch me? For what?"

Spock turned to the Argelian, "if you will excuse us, we have a private matter to discuss."

The Argelian didn't seem interested in getting in the middle of this and he scurried off.

Spock took the seat opposite her.

"Do not let me disturb you, Lieutenant, continue your meal."

You already have, she thought. Uhura suddenly didn't feel like eating anymore.

"Spock, what are you doing here?"

"I came to fetch-"

"I heard you say that already," she cut him off. "But why? And you don't fetch me, I'm not something to be fetched."

"Forgive me, it was a poor choice of words."

"Forget your choice of words, how about the meaning behind them? Again, why are you here?"

"I am here because... I..." Spock hadn't planned what he would say when he found her. But now that they were face to face he found himself at a loss. How did he explain this bond that they shared?

"I cannot explain it."

"Well, then you can go. I'm here on leave, medical leave so that I can get away from my problems."

"I didn't know I was a problem."

"Spock that's not what I meant. You are not a problem but you are a part of my problems. I feel all out of sorts. I don't feel like myself. What happened in the gym... I don't know what came over me. Are you sure this Katra thing is not doing something to me?"

"I do not believe so. You have shared my katra for several years without incident."

"But now we have this marital bond too. I'm not used to having a psychic bond with anyone, its unsettling."

"I am sorry."

"Don't be sorry, just be understanding that this is all new to me. Can you respect that?"

"I do. I want to respect your wishes, but on this matter, I cannot. A Vulcan male cannot be separated from his bondmate so soon after...bonding."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, I spoke to my mother who informed me of the facts."

"How is Amanda? I haven't had a chance to talk to her since we've been home. I promised I would call but I've just been so..."

"Out of sorts?" he asked.

"Yes." They sat in silence for a moment.

"You should finish your meal," he suggested.

"I'm not hungry anymore. I guess my eyes were bigger than my stomach."

"Perhaps I will order, I spent the morning looking for you and have not had a meal."

"This is real meat she warned."

Spock made a face and Uhura laughed. "Spock, I've never seen you make that face."

"I did not know that you ate real meat."

"I don't normally, at least not since I, I mean not since we became friends. But I'm on vacation and decided why not, live a little."

"Unfortunately, the animal that you are consuming cannot share the same sentiment."

"Don't judge. This is Argelius, they eat meat. A lot of people do. I'm honestly surprised it by your attitude. I thought for sure you wouldn't be put off by a little hamburger."

"What you choose to eat is your choice."

"Thank you."

"I was just surprised that you would choose to consume animal flesh."

"Oh boy. See this is what I don't need today. Can I just eat my burger in peace?" She picked up her burger and took a bite and then felt a little nauseous. Well, it was worth it to show Spock he didn't control her yet.

She called for her check and when the server brought it to her Spock snatched it up.

"What are you doing?"

"I will pay your check."

"I will pay my own check, thank you."

Spock looked displeased by this as well.

"Is this another Vulcan thing?"

"I can provide for my wife."

"You wife can provide for herself."

"But-"

"Spock if it will make you feel manly they, by all means, pay it."

"This is not about my ego, it is Vulcan tradition, I will provide for you."

"Ok then next time I will get the check, agreed?" She held out her hand as if to shake on it. Spock only stared at the offending appendage.

"Now, what's the matter?" she said letting her hand fall.

"First, we should not touch hands in public and second-"

"Okay, I'm done here." She gathered her bags preparing to leave.

"Nyota, please wait."

"No. This is not right. I thought we agreed to take things slowly and be friends first. Why are you suddenly acting like my husband?"

Why was he acting this way? She was the one who rubbed herself all over him and then kissed him like she was his wife. Why was he behaving like her husband?

"Because I am your husband," he said to her retreating back.

/*-/*-/

"How did you find me?" Uhura asked as Spock sat down beside her in the little cafe she was dining in. She had made sure this place was well off the beaten path and far away from the touristy spots. She was also staying at an inn not far from here that had the same quality. It was in a residential neighborhood and it was a boarding house. It catered to offworlders who couldn't afford the prices of the mainstream tourist hotels and travelers who were on an extended stay and wanted someplace more homey and less flashy and expensive. It suited her needs just fine. And an added bonus was that Spock was less likely to find her there. Or so she thought.

"As all offworlders are required to register at the tourist office, I simply inquired as to your whereabouts. Your landlord told me she suggested this establishment to you, thus here I am."

"That is a complete and utter lack of privacy. How dare they give you my address?"

"That is Argelius. As you know they do not subscribe to our sense of privacy or decorum. It is a completely hedonistic society."

"Spock I think you should go. I'm just here for dinner then I am going back to my room and getting some much-needed shuteye. I'm tired. Of everything."

Including me? He asked.

Before she could answer a server came over with two drinks.

I didn't order these, Uhura said.

On the house, everybody drinks here.

She took a sip and scrunched up her nose. She didn't like liquor since she got drunk on the Gorn homeworld. She pushed her drink aside. Sock sipped at his drink and apparently, he liked the flavor as he downed it in one swallow.

Atta boy, the server patted him on the back. I'll bring you another. Full price.

No need he can have this one. She slid her drink over to Spock and he promptly downed that one as well.

See your fella likes them. the server said I'll be right back.

Spock, I thought you didn't drink alcohol.

I do not usually imbibe. It does not have the effect on me that it has on humans. That had a very fascinating taste.

Yeah, it tasted like something Amanda gave me before we got married.

I likewise though you did not imbibe.

I don't, it was for courage.

Did it work? he asked quietly.

"Let's just say it had a kick like a mule. I had a hell of a hangover," she laughed in remembrance.

"Well kiss my ass and call me crazy, a Vulcan in a bordello."

Spock looked up at the gentleman now standing above the table where he and Uhura were seated in the dark little restaurant.

Spock was about to ask why he should kiss the aforementioned ass when Uhura nudged him with her elbow and said 'idiom' as an aside.

"No thank you," Spock said to the man hoping that would end the exchange.

"I've seen a lot of crazy things on Argelius, but I never thought I'd see a Vulcan in an Argelius pleasure place. And with a little hottie too. This your woman? You two together?" the man asked as he leered at Uhura.

"Yes," Spock answered at the same time that Uhura said, "No."

Uhura elbowed him again.

The stranger eyed them both. "This guy bothering you sweetie?"

"No, he was just leaving." She said glowering at Spock.

"Alright, alright, then," the man said in a cheezy way. "So do you mind if I join you? We can get better acquainted." He said now totally ignoring Spock.

"Yes," Uhura and Spock answered in unison.

"Well if you're not together, and she's not your woman what's your problem man?"

"I do not have a problem but you might," Spock said starting to feel the effect of the drinks that he had consumed. In general, Vulcans did not imbibe, as alcohol tended to metabolize too quickly for inebriation. But he was only half Vulcan and he had downed several alien drinks in very quick succession. His mental controls were compromised.

"Look," the man said. "If she's not with you then she's with me. My credits are good here."

"Beat it, Mister, before you get more than you bargained for, I'm not here for you," Uhura said noticing Spock's strange mood shift. She didn't want a scene, she was only looking for a little escape. How had she stumbled into a bordello!

"Now look bitch-" the man had grabbed her arm but never finished his sentence as Spock's foot connected with the man's groin. The man Oomphed in a comedic fashion and doubled over.

After that everything became a blur. As the man howled in pain Uhura jumped up into action. She smashed him on the head with their table's centerpiece and then she grabbed Spcks hand guiding him towards the club's exit. They didn't get anywhere near the exit though before there was an all-out brawl going on all around them. Someone threw a bottle that just missed their heads but hit another patron. That patron seeing them running towards him jumped up to intercept them. They managed to dodge one set of grasping hands only to be arrested by another pair. Uhura and Spock didn't have time to think they just worked in tandem throwing kicks and ducking jabs somehow making it to the exit despite everyone in the club now being engaged in the fight.

Someone had called the guard and they came charging into the dimly lit space just as Uhura and Spock made it out into the foggy night. They began to run as soon as they reached fresh air as others spilled out of the club after them. They didn't dare risk being captured by the guard or the angry mob so they kept running.

After running several blocks, they slowed down. Uhura noted they appeared to be back in the tourist district. There were hotels, saloons, clubs, and restaurants all along this main thoroughfare unlike the little hole in the wall spot they had just escaped from.

Uhura was exhausted. Her feet hurt, her hands hurt from punching bare-knuckled, and truth be told she caught a couple of hits herself. Spock looked as if he'd gone a few rounds with an angry Gorn, there were bruises forming on his pale face, his shirt was torn, and his knuckles were in rough shape as well. They had just been in a bar brawl, she thought. In a Bordello! She and Mr. Spock! Suddenly she began to laugh.

"What do you find so amusing?" Spock asked massaging his jaw.

"You. And me. Brawling in a bordello. What would the captain think? What would your parents think!?"

"I do not plan on telling the captain." Then he looked thoughtful. "Mother would want to know if I won and Father would be disappointed, as usual."

"Aw, I'm sorry I mentioned it. She grabbed his arm. Let's go."

She limped a few paces before he stopped her.

"You are injured?"

"No, I broke my shoe. These were my favorite pair too." She reached down and took them off. She was ready to continue walking when Spock kneeled down to inspect her feet and ankles. "You cannot walk barefoot in the street. I will carry you."

He turned his back to her while still down in front of her.

Uhura looked at his broad back. "You expect me to be carried like a child?"

He didn't answer for a while and she just knew he was arguing in his mind trying to find a logical reason for her to concede.

Finally, he simply said "Yes."

It was Uhura's turn to do some mental arguing. If she refused he would insist and find some logical reason why he should carry her or he would just command her as her superior officer or her husband! She was bone tired and hurt and in no mood for this foolishness. It was simpler to go along with it this time.

"Oh alright. I haven't ridden piggyback since I was a kid with my brothers."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and her long legs around his waist and Spock effortlessly lifted her up onto his back.

"Where are we going?" she asked as he headed further into the tourist district.

"My hotel."

Uhura thought about arguing against that idea but then thought better of it. All the fight was knocked out of her for the moment. She had to admit it felt good riding on Spocks back. His back was strong, she could feel his muscles rippling beneath his tunic. She leaned her forehead against his neck. His hair was silky smooth and slightly damp with sweat. And he smelled so good, a heady mixture of his hair shampoo and the musky scent of perspiration which wasn't exactly human. She had an urge to lick the back of his neck or the pointy curve of his ear and taste him but she managed to restrain herself.

When they got to his hotel, Uhura assumed it would be some unassuming inn like the one she was booked in. However, it was the largest and most ostentation place on the planet. She felt very self-conscious as Spock carried her through the lobby. It was brightly lit and even at this late hour, there was still a lot of activity, with people going about their business. She and Spock must look a spectacle with their bruises, ruffled and torn clothing, and her bare feet.

"Spock put me down now." She whispered in his ear.

"No."

"I can walk, these floors are carpeted. I'll be okay."

"No."

"Spock please this is silly now."

"Nyota..." he snapped in a voice she didn't even recognize. It sounded a lot like Sareks when he was admonishing Amanda! Oh no he didn't. Who did he think he was talking to like that?

She felt his hand on her leg and then she heard the thought in her mind. "Wife."

Nyota froze. "DId you just say something?"

"Did you hear me say something?" he asked as they reached the lift bank.

"I thought I heard you say 'wife' in my head."

"Did you indeed?" he asked now they were in the lift as he pressed the button.

"Yes, I did and what did you mean by that? Where are you taking me? I can get my own room you know?"

"I do not think you could book a room in this establishment."

"Why can't I?"

"It is quite expensive for a serviceman's ration."

"Really? Then how can you afford it? Ah yes, I almost forgot you're practically a Vulcan prince. Of course, you can afford it. But how do you know I cannot afford it?" She challenged him.

"I can afford it because I save my rations and do not live beyond frugal means."

"This is frugal?" She looked around the fancy mirrored elevator in a hotel that was more expensive than a month of rations she supposed. And their lift kept going up and up.

"Are you on the top floor or something?"

"Yes."

"The penthouse?!"

"Yes. It was the only room available. You will note that this is the tourist season for this region of Argelius."

"So you booked the most expensive room? I found a nice little inn off the beaten path."

"I suppose it is like the nice little 'restaurant' you found off the beaten path?"

"Hey, it was recommended to me by the innkeeper. She said the locals favor it so if the locals like it the food must be good right?"

"I suppose that holds a certain logic."

As they reached the top floor the lift emptied into a small hallway. Spock exited the lift and headed right towards the door at the end of the hall. He used his palm to open the door and when they entered Uhura was taken aback. It was a magnificent suite. Decorated in Argelius fashion with pillows festooned on the floor in different areas and bright colors. She was blown away by its beauty.

"Wow! This is the kind of place you bring a girl when you want to impress her" she whispered in awe.

"And are you sufficiently impressed Luitenant?"

Uhura ignored that and said instead "You can put me down now."

Spock likewise ignored her request and started walking with her still on his back to the adjacent room where there was a very large round bed also festooned with pillows. Finally, he turned, bent, and gently sat her down on the bed.

You couldn't get angry with gentle treatment like this, but somehow Uhura was still annoyed. He was treating her like...like...she didn't know, like a delicate woman! But she was Lt. Uhura of the starship enterprise, not some chick you just picked up and bossed around when you felt like it. And that was a new side of Spock too, he was bossy!

This man acting all chivalrous and starting barroom brawls was not the Spock she knew. This Spock was trouble. This Spock was dangerous. This Spock was acting emotionally!

"Spock, are you okay?"

"Okay?"

"Yes, I mean are you... I don't know, are you healthy?"

"I am completely healthy at the moment aside from a slight intoxication."

"Okay, but I mean you're not experiencing any chemical imbalance or fever..."

"You are asking if I am suffering from The Fever?"

"Yes," she said hesitantly.

"No, I am not."

"Well, you don't seem yourself."

"Whom do I seem like?" he asked as his eyes pierced her.

He had her there. She didn't know. His eyes were so dark and intense. He was looking at her like she was the only thing in the world with laser-like focus.

Uhura thought she knew Spock. He was her friend, her mentor, her commander. She thought she knew his personality, what he would and would not do or say in a given situation. But she finally realized something Sulu and Charlene had tried to tell her. Spock was a man and she had never really looked at him as one. She always kept him at a distance. This man sitting next to her was a mystery, and it was as frightening as it was exciting.

She was in a hotel room alone with this man she didn't really know at all. All the times they had spent in each others quarters, she had thought nothing of it. They were just colleagues hanging out, talking, learning, playing. But now it was not so innocent. Now it felt like something more intimate.

She looked around the room. There were high windows with sheer drapes, silken pillows, and shiny objects d'art. Everything sparkled and glittered. Spock had asked her if she was impressed. Yes, she was impressed. She was seeing Spock with new eyes. The eyes of a woman, not a colleague. And what she saw was a very handsome man. And she realized this handsome man was treating her like a woman, not his communications officer or his friend. Right now in this penthouse suite they were not just hanging out or playing around, they were not commander and lieutenant, they were just a woman and a man and this was unchartered territory.

Uhura looked around her surroundings and thought "I don't think I'm in Kansas anymore."