This is a short chapter but it felt like it needed to stand on its own.
They were children, in the kitchen, home on Vulcan, and his mother was making pancakes. T'Leiarel was cleaning the strawberries and removing the tops before handing them to Spock to chop. Setting down the cooked pancakes on the table, she ran her hand along Spock's cheek, a comforting and tender gesture he remembered well, though she'd always been careful to keep such displays private.
"I love you." Spock squirmed awkwardly, embarrassed, glancing sideways at T'Leiarel who was watching with her solemn green eyes. His usual response that he appreciated her presence in his life stuck in his throat.
"You should say it back." T'Leiarel commented, with the same certainty as when they had first met. "Embarrassment is just as much an emotion as Love is, logically it is better to express one emotion in a positive manner than to feel two in a manner that causes pain." Having decided that matter she bit into one of the strawberries, licking the juice from her fingers.
"You two take care of each other." His mother stood, walking to the door.
"Mother." She looked back at him. "I love you." She smiled, that beautiful smile he saw so seldomly, hidden behind the still performance demanded by her, but let out in small, rare, private moments.
"I know. Thank you for telling me." Then she was gone.
Spock awoke in a swirl of emotion so deep and confusing that he could not begin to name them all. It took several long moments before he reached trembling fingers to wipe away the tears on his cheeks. It was an odd pain.
He did not remember his mother having made pancakes before, they had always eaten Vulcan food for the most part, but he had been encouraged into trying them at the academy, and they did seem a very pleasant Human food. Perhaps he should see if he could locate the recipe in the food synthesisers, it seemed unlikely that they would not have such a popular Human food in the database.