ShiKahr, Vulcan, Stardate 2292.299

Since his discussion with Amanda three days ago, Sarek had given more thought to how best to forge a relationship with his grandson. Amanda had advised him to deal with Losha as he would a non-Vulcan, but that was proving difficult. Humans were the species he knew best besides his own, yet he was not adept at this kind of familial relationship with them. On a professional level, he dealt with them at ease. And while he knew Amanda better than anyone else, a relationship with a mate was not the same as one with a grandson. He wasn't even sure if he should be trying to treat Losha as a human, since, after all, he wasn't human. But it was the best he could do, knowing Amanda had been correct in her judgment that he could not expect Losha to react as a Vulcan would, and therefore he should not treat him as such.

Though he disliked talking about Sybok, he had acknowledged that this dislike was a result of emotion, and, as such, he should not intentionally try to avoid the subject, however much he wished it. He also understood that were he in Losha's position, he too would want to know about his family. Not only this, but it was Losha's right to know. He would have to make an effort to put aside his trepidation surrounding the topic. He had attempted to do so the day after his discussion with Amanda.

With Amanda, Malar, and Naalem gone from the house, he had gone into the garden in an attempt to forge a connection with his grandson. He had intentionally brought up Sybok, and even discussed the nature of his relationship with T'Rea, a subject he had never broached with anyone aside from Amanda. He had hoped Losha would understand that he hadn't known his son in the way that he wanted to, the way a father should know a son, and that this was undoubtedly part of the reason for Sybok's behavior. Somehow, though, things had not gone as he had imagined. He had thought his actions had made it clear that he wanted a better relationship with his grandson than he'd had with his son, but his efforts had seemed to have the opposite effect.

Sarek had sensed a sudden anger arise in Losha when the topic of his father had come up, anger directed specifically at him. This seemed illogical, but he reminded himself that his grandson was grieving and that Amanda was once again right - when dealing with non-Vulcans, he must be patient. Still, it was unpleasant to have anger directed at him, particularly when he could not understand the reason. Losha had hastily ended the conversation, and had stated that he did not want to undergo telepathic treatment. Sarek had sensed that Losha had surprised himself with this declaration - that he had made a rash decision in anger. Still, outwardly, Losha held his emotions in check, so there was nothing to be done but continue to make an effort. The difficulty was in knowing at what point his effort would only serve to push his grandson further away. It was nearly the same situation he had been in with Sybok, though Sybok had been able to control his emotions so well that Sarek hadn't realized he was pushing him away until it was too late.

Things had improved after the surgery. It was clear that Losha was happier, and he had sensed no anger from him during his visits to the hospital. He could even sense that Losha felt more at ease when speaking with him. So it had been a bit of a disappointment when he'd been called to business the morning he had planned to show Losha around the property and neighborhood. He had hoped some more time alone with him would prove beneficial to their relationship, but he had gone to Shi'Kahr understanding that there would be other opportunities. What he had learned in Shi'Kahr, however, somewhat altered his plans.

He returned home in the late afternoon, the hottest part of the day. He found Malar and Naalem watching a film in the living room.

"Malar and Losha are in the study. She's working on some business and he's doing his exercises. Do you need to work in there?"

"No, I have no work to do at the moment. I'll join you."

He and Amanda didn't always have the same tastes in films, but her choices usually gave him insight into humans or other species.

"Oh, well, we're nearly halfway through."

"I don't mind. You can fill me in." The truth was, there was always work he could be doing, but he preferred to be in Amanda's company at the moment. If the film was uninteresting, there was plenty to think about.

"Naalem wanted to learn more about Vulcan, but I thought it would be better to watch an Earth movie so he doesn't have to read subtitles."

"We have an extensive collection of movies about Vulcan in Standard, Amanda." Surely she knew this.

"Oh, I know, Sarek. It's just that Vulcan documentaries aren't the most exciting, especially for a young person."

Sarek pursed his lips.

"So what film did you decide on, then?"

Amanda turned her head from him back to the screen. She looked straight ahead, avoiding his gaze. "Jonathan Archer and the Lost Pyramid."

"It's a really good movie." Naalem spoke up. "I didn't know all these things about Vulcan's history."

Sarek sighed. "It is very much exaggerated. If you are interested in Vulcan's history, there are more accurate films."

"Oh, I figured it was exaggerated." Naalem smiled. "We have films just like this on Senes. I think ours are even more exaggerated than this. But no one wants to pay to see reality. Isn't that the point of films?"

"Yes, well, I suppose that is the point of most Earth films."

"Don't mind him, Naalem. He likes an Earth movie every now and then too. This one just isn't his favorite." Amanda looked at him teasingly. "Do you still want to join us?"

He nodded his head and moved to sit next to Naalem, who instead moved over so he could sit next to Amanda.

He found the film just as ridiculous the second time as the first. Sarek had met Jonathan Archer when he had traveled to Earth with his father as a child. Though Archer was in his sixties at the time, Sarek was sure that he was never as well-toned and handsome as the actor who played him, who also appeared to be much younger than Archer was at the time he helped discover the Kir'Shara. Archer's role in the discovery was also highly exaggerated in the film. Not surprising, since humans often imagined they were the preeminent species in the galaxy and, as such, had a hand in almost every major development both on and off of Earth.

In addition, the actress who played T'Pau also did not resemble the real T'Pau in the least - her beauty was also much embellished. As to T'Pol, Sarek had met her on numerous occasions when he was younger and while he couldn't argue that she was especially beautiful, she would never have worn an outfit as ridiculous as her on-screen counterpart. A skin-tight jumpsuit was highly impractical as a starship uniform. The relationship between T'Pol and her human crewmate, Trip Tucker, also featured prominently in the film, despite the fact that Jonathan Archer, not T'Pol or Tucker, was the title character. Humans had to add romance, even when it was a distraction from the events, to everything. He sighed again. At the time the film was released, many on Vulcan, himself among them, had believed the romance between the Vulcan science officer and the human engineer was a creation of human imagination. A Vulcan and human in an intimate relationship? Highly illogical. He had since, however, revised his opinion of this particular aspect of the film.

When the film ended, Amanda prepared to head to the market to pick up some items for dinner. She was about to ask Losha and Malar if they wanted to join her and Naalem, when they heard laughter coming from the study. It was clearly coming from both persons inside. Amanda smiled and when the laughter died down several minutes later, she continued her approach to the study. Before she reached the door, it opened and Losha stepped out, wiping away what appeared to be tears streaming down his face. It was clear that he had been smiling, not laughing, however. For the first time since meeting him, Sarek sensed true happiness, something he hadn't sensed even in the hospital after the surgery.

"I was just going to ask if you and Malar would like to join me at the market. I have to pick up a few things before dinner."

"Sure. Let me just see if Malar is at a good stopping point." He was about to turn back to the study when he noticed Sarek standing at the end of the hallway. "Oh, hello."

"Good afternoon."

Losha nodded in Seenan fashion and then turned back into the room.

Once Amanda, Losha, Malar, and Naalem had left for the market, Sarek attended to business. When they had returned home again, Sarek noticed that Losha seemed very fatigued. Amanda chatted in the kitchen with Malar and Naalem, while Losha listened in from a chair in the dining room. He seemed to be only half paying attention though. The discussion Sarek had planned to have with him would have to wait.

Author's Note:
Thank you to LORIOVER50 for your latest review, and to my beta reader, TomFoolery. I had some time off in February and March, which allowed me to write this chapter as well as several previous ones, but I'm not sure when I will have the opportunity to write more. Thank you to those who have stuck with the story. It won't be abandoned - it just may be some time before I have the opportunity to update.