Domestic bliss? Not so much. Uhura and Spock still have a lot to discuss on their journey to Vulcan and to knowing each other.

Lies and Secrets

Uhura looked over the messages piling up on her DataPadd and tried truthfully to answer the inquires she had received about why she and Spock were both again off duty. She couldn't tell anyone the truth, but she hated to lie to her friends, so she had to get very creative with her responses. Recently she found herself lying and keeping secrets and it was making her feel awful.

"Adun, why do you suppose people lie to each other?" she asked offhandedly.

"Vulcans do not lie," Spock answered her without looking up from the DataPadd he was perusing.

"We both know that for the lie it is. Didn't you say Vulcans tell some subjective truth or something like that?" She asked.

"Of course, the truth is subjective, but if I had my choice, I would prefer to tell the unadulterated truth," Spock answered diplomatically. "Why are we discussing this again? Has something happened? Are you bothered by our discussion from last night?"

Uhura sighed and turned away from the desk. "No. I have to lie to my friends and I don't like it."

"Then do not lie to them," Spock advised.

"Easy for you to say, "you don't lie". But some of us have to lie sometimes and it's not as easy as you would think."

"You always have a choice, Aduna. Tell me, why must you lie to your friends?"

"Well, what else can I do? They want to know why we have been relieved of duty. Together. I cannot tell them about your virus or the incidents it has caused."

"You can simply tell them the truth, that doctor McCoy has placed us on medical leave. That is all they need to know."

"Some of your subjective truth?"

"Yes," Spock said simply.

Uhura shook her head. "How little you know Charlene and Sulu and Chekov and Scotty and..." she started ticking off the names of her friends on her hand.

"I get the idea," he said, interrupting her. "You have many friends. However, if they are truly your friends, they will accept your explanation until such time when you can provide more details."

"I hope so. I guess lying is just a necessary evil."

"It is unnecessary. Humans lie with very little provocation," he observed not for the first time.

"Really? If I had a credit for every secret you've kept from me, I'd be as rich as a Horta," Uhura said.

"Nyota-" Spock began to say but she cut him off. "By the way, you distracted me yesterday from our conversation."

"What conversation is that?"

"When I asked if my uniform is too tight?"

"Ah, I see. I believe we concluded that your uniform is within regulations."

"Mmm-hmm. But what is your opinion on my uniform length? Is it too short for your personal taste? I want to know what your thoughts are."

Spock was silent for a long moment. Why was she always asking about her appearance lately? "I prefer your uniform to be the length you are comfortable wearing. My personal taste does not bear scrutiny, as I do not have to wear your uniform."

Uhura stared at Spock from eyes framed with thick long lashes, which she batted at him flirtatiously. "Aduna? I'm never gonna get the truth out of you, am I?" She grinned.

"That is the truth," he protested.

"Yeah, right," she dismissed him, swinging around in the chair to face her computer console again to finish her correspondence. After a while she asked, "Spock, what do you suppose people will do when they find out we're married? Do you think our friends will understand that we lied to them?"

"I did not lie to them," he reminded her. "But Vulcans tend not to care what others think of them. Our egos can withstand valid criticism."

"Sure Spock." Uhura gave him a disbelieving smirk.

"I am being sincere. If I have done something offensive, I would want you to tell me. It would not shatter my sense of self to hear my faults," he assured her.

"Ok, I believe you believe that. But for as long as I've known you, you've always taken great pride in being a Vulcan and you make sure to point out our little human foibles compared to you."

"I do not take pride in being Vulcan."

Uhura couldn't believe Spock would even utter such nonsense. "No pride? Ha! But you do admit taking little digs at us wee fragile humans?"

"I don't think so."

"Oh, you are unbelievable! You told me yourself Vulcans think of humans as being just above pets."

"I was using your own words, Aduna. I do not think of humans as pets. Humans have many fine qualities to recommend them. Am I not married to a human? Isn't my own mother a human? You are most certainly not a pet to me, Aduna. Mother is certainly not Sarek's pet, but his most valued bondmate." Spock said, defending his family's honor.

"Why are we arguing?" she asked in a heightened tone.

"Yes, why are we?" Spock asked. He knew something was bothering his wife, and he was learning she did not come straight to a point. She danced around it until she was ready to confront it. "Nyota, is there something you want to tell me?"

She looked away unable to face him. "Spock, I hate to disappoint you, but I am not Vulcan. Sometimes I lie and keep secrets."

Spock stilled and asked calmly, "Have you lied to me, Aduna?"

She looked up at him then. "No! Never! Well... I don't think so... It depends." Uhura settled on.

Spock's proverbial heart sank. His wife had lied to him.

"Don't give me that look." She said when he said nothing right away.

"I am certain my facial expression has not changed," he said maintaining his composure.

"I can read you, Mister. You cannot hide from me, so get used to it."

Spock would not be deflected from the subject at hand any longer. He asked straight out, "Aduna, what have you lied to me about?"

"It's no big deal, just some little things I guess."

"Such as?"

"Well... like um... I didn't tell you before, but I had a few incidents with angry outbursts before the one that affected the entire ship," she admitted.

"Nyota, why did you not tell me this before?" Spock asked. He was not disappointed with her so much as he was worried about her wellbeing.

"I didn't want to worry you. See, I was sparing you the truth to protect your feelings. That's why I did it. But now I think I could have delayed you from being diagnosed sooner," she said sadly.

Spock held out his two fingers to summon her towards him, "Attend."

She left her seat and slowly walked over to his side looking at his calm face as she sat beside him on their bed. "Please tell me you are not angry or disappointed with me?"

"I am never angry with you, Aduna. And I am not even disappointed. You were reacting on human instinct and I cannot fault you for it. However, suppose we make a pact. You and I shall henceforth never lie to one another nor keep secrets that will affect the other? Agreed?"

Uhura touched her two fingers with his and smiled. "Agreed."

"Now is there anything else you want to confess?" he asked?

She shook her head. "No, that's it. And how about you, Adun? Do you have any more secrets?"

Spock did not say a word, but Uhura felt him tense up beside her. He looked as if he had been caught in his own trap. "Okay. Start talking Mister!" she commanded, and he did.