A/N: The people have spoken, and I do hear ya. Thank you all to those who cheered me on with my board report. Report submitted, accepted, approved, and praised! Thank you for cheering me on! I've heard the people, and welcome to the secondary plot line….
Skol tried to read some of the vulcan reports on humans and human behaviors. It sounded all a bit, grandiose, especially if Sarah were a measure of humanity and not an exception. It bothered him that there wasn't much information on mating or courting rituals, not that he expected he'd want to try such a thing, but because he didn't want to accidentally land himself in an awkward situation.
More importantly, at least in his mind, was the desire to avoid violence. If the anthropology reports were accurate, he may have to be concerned more for that than the romance side of things.
He folded his hand neatly in his lap looking out the window of his transport. This was his first time off Vulcan, he reminded himself, and many vulcans before him had made this trip, and worked with humans. So far, he knew of no fatalities, not even when his third cousin first landed on Earth, when they were little more than scavengers recovering from their last world war. It was logical then to assume, he was over thinking the matters. It pleased him to come to the logical conclusion, and a kind of tranquility filled him. Even if some of his more worrisome thoughts were accurate, Soval and the lady Sarah both had offered their aid. He would not be alone.
Skol stood and went from the observation lounge back to his quarters to pack up his belongings. He would be on Earth in a few hours, he wanted to be organized and ready for this, his first adventure.
Beth had the twins, both toddlers, one on each hip. The middle child, five, was standing with her hands fingering the lace of her dress, and the two oldest twins, both sixteen, a boy and a girl, were in their military school uniforms standing almost at a attention when the shuttle landed. Beth really didn't know what to expect. She'd met Soval and a few of his stuffy ministers, but she doubted they were a good snapshot of an everyday normal vulcan. At least she hoped not.
She'd tried to talk Soval out of the "help" he offered her, but just like Max said many times, once a vulcan got something into their minds it wasn't easy to change their minds. Soval had been good to their family since Max died, better than many of their human friends if she was honest, and she'd taken his small help graciously. This didn't seem small, and was much harder for her to swallow. She was about to get a whole person to help her and it wasn't costing her any money. The offer was so kind, and Soval so insistent, she could not say no, even though she tried.
When Skol stepped from the shuttle, Amber, her oldest girl chuckled.
"What?" Beth said in a whisper.
"He looks...like that Snape character in those books we read."
"Amber, shhhh, he doesn't." Beth said dismissing her, but in the back of her mind she had to agree with her daughter. He was vulcan and very dire looking, but he had a darkness around his features that made him look a bit like she'd imagined when reading the old Harry Potter books. She only hoped he didn't have that personality.
Beth stepped forward, adjusting the twins on her hip, thankful Vulcans didn't shake hands, "You must be Skol." she said with a welcoming smile. "I'm Bethany Forrest. Welcome to Earth."
Skol stood a bit straighter, and raised the ta'al as he observed her and the collection of children around her, "Your greeting is acknowledged, I've come to serve."
She sighed nervously, looking to her oldest children, "This is Amber, and Maxwell the second." they stepped up, and she is Noreen," the five year old stepped toward him, "And these are Christopher and Mary."
"You have a bountiful family, T'Sai," he said nodding his head to all of them as they were introduced. "Two sets of twins." he noted, "Twins are a rare and desirable thing on Vulcan."
"Yeah? Well, I have them thick in my family. I'm actually a twin myself." she said with a chuckle, "Amber and Max will load your luggage for you."
"Allow me to aid them," Skol said and began to move.
"No, no, they will get it, you've had a long trip! We'll get in the flitter and settle the kids." She said with a smile, "I hope you are hungry, we've got dinner ready at home to welcome you. It's human food, but all vegan. Soval said the diet of your people is that kind of food."
Skol shifted uncomfortably, "That is most generous of you, T'Sai." he said now following her toward the flitter. About three paces toward their transport he felt a small hand wrap around his pinky finger. He looked down and blinked, the middle child was staring up at him with big brown eyes.
"Mommy says I can't cross traffic wif-out a-dult." She said softly, "You count." she said walking with him, gently holding the pinky of his hand.
He bolstered his mental defenses a little, and walked slower to accommodate his small charge. When they got to the flitter, Beth was putting both toddlers in their seats. The little one with him released his finger and climbed up into her proper seat and waited for her mother to buckle her in properly. Beth turned unexpectedly and bumped into Skol, "Oh I'm sorry. No, don't have to sit back here," She said realizing she bumped him because he was trying to get in the back, "Please, get in the front seat. We'll only be a moment." She smiled at him and then turned to buckle Noreen in. "Hey guys," she said calling out the back to the oldest, "Be careful with that, don't carry too much." She buckled Noreen and then shot around the flitter to help her oldest children loading the rest of the luggage into the back.
Skol watched, hesitant to get in the flitter, but not wanting to disobey what she had asked him to do. In the end, his proclivity toward obedience won out. He got into the front seat of the flitter uncomfortably waiting for his luggage to be loaded.
The back of the flitter closed and the oldest kids got in, followed by Beth in the driver's seat, "Like I said, we have dinner waiting on you, and I've gotten the pool house ready for you to live in. It's small, but it gives you some privacy for your days off. I've arranged a small flitter for your personal use. It's not much, but it will get you from A to B." she started the transport and pulled away, "Let me see, Oh, yeah your schedule. Monday through Friday, Nine to five, and naturally your weekends off."
Skol raised an eyebrow, "What is a weekend?"
Beth chuckled, "Well, Friday after work, you begin the weekend, it's Saturday and Sunday, days you don't work."
Skol nodded, believing he understood, "Nine to five what? Nine in the morning to five in the morning?"
"Oh dear lord, No!" she laughed, "Nine in the morning to five in the evening. Eight hours, not twenty hours. Skol we aren't slave drivers."
Skol frowned, "That doesn't seem like much work in a week, T'Sai."
"Oh, yeah, it's plenty, more than we dreamed or expected."
"As you wish, T'Sai." Skol replied, trying to sort out how he was going to care for the entire house, pool, lawns, children, and cooking in such a short time, with so much time off. The only conclusion he could come to was that he'd have to request further working time once he had determined how much time each task needed. It was a strange beginning to his new life, and his mind was conflicted already.
Sarah woke to the slow flash of a message on her com. She was feeling better after her cry, and her mountain of ice cream shared with her very kind employer. Rolling out of bed, she still felt a touch ice cream bloated, but it was worth every decadent bite. Plus, she got to experience Kuvak in a way she'd never experienced vulcans before, on a quiet personal level.
She wasn't going to look at her message just yet, it was from earth, but the code it came from wasn't from her boys, it was out in California. It could wait while she fixed her tea, went to the bathroom, and brushed her teeth.
Padding around she saw the discarded bowl sitting on her table, it brought a small smile to think she and Kuvak polished the whole thing off. She hadn't eaten that much sweet since she was a chubby little kid on the streets of Boston. It was just what she needed, and she hadn't realized it until it was happening. She doubted she'd ever see a vulcan get so many brain freezes all at once again, and it was adorable to see. Teaching Kuvak the brain freeze slap of the forehead brought her to tears giggling.
Once she had her morning routine down she sat before her com. The picture of Skol appeared on her screen and she paused it so she could finish fixing her tea. Skol was an interesting character, in her mind. To look at him, he seemed that he would be harsh, judgemental, and critical. He had a slender, almost hawk nose, and very angular pale cheeks that gave him a severe look. His hair was as black as hers, and he had it so perfectly cut and angled it just added to the mystique of his look. Everything about him was slim, angled, and frankly kind of overly perfect, in such a way it could be intimidating, especially since his eyes were dark. With his looks aside, she found him to be a very earnest and fair man. Not at all how his looks might portray him. He was the embodiment of the idea that you couldn't always judge a book by it's cover.
When her tea was the way she liked it she hit play on the com.
"T'Sai Sarah, I am sending this video message as I require your assistance and I know our times would not allow for a live contact conference without difficulty." he threaded his thin fingers before him on the table, and pursed his lips giving him a very disapproving aura, "I believe I am failing at my task of aiding Beth Forrest. In fact, I believe my presence here only adds further burden to her." he shifted in his chair, "From the moment I've arrived, I have been treated like an honored guest, and not as a domestic here to serve. She greeted me at the space port, drove, aided me in unpacking, has done my laundry, has cooked for me, and will not allow me to aid her. When I attempt my job, she orders me to sit down, relax, and then she plies me with tea and something called short-brea-d-cookies. I attempted to do the household shopping, she went with me and pushed the cart, and gathered the supplies. This is very concerning to me, and as you know since your studies, the tea service alone is an offer of being my mate, and the rest of it seems to support that conclusion. Please, T'Sai, help me make sense of this strange behavior. Tell me how I get her to allow me to do my job." He sighed, and looked down, it was clear he felt like a failure. Looking back up he raised the ta'al, "I thank thee for your service in this matter, Peace and long life, T'Sai Sarah."
Sarah smiled all the way through the message. It sounded like Beth perfectly, and it sounds like how Beth used to treat Max. Thinking about it for a few minutes she tapped the com.
"Hello, Skol, it's good to hear from you and I am sorry you are having challenges." With a thoughtful sigh she smiled, "Beth is a military wife, Skol, as a general rule those types of women, and now I am speaking from experience, are driven and independent. They are often forced to move on a moments notice, with children, and very little help and sometimes no help at all, especially when the husband is sent well in advance. Her husband, Max, worked long hours, and was off world a good bit. He's been gone some time now, so Beth is so used to doing everything by herself it's probably a part of her. Then, there is the fact that when Max was alive, she treated him very much like that. He never had to lift too much of a finger to do anything. I'm going to recommend a couple of things. First, you need to sit her down and be honest with her about what serving you means on Vulcan. She may know it already, and if that is the case, then Mazel Tov on the increase of your household." she grinned broadly, "If she doesn't know, that will help her cut back on some of that behavior, I'd think. Second, you need to outsmart her. Learn her routines, and then do what she does before she does it. If she shops on Friday, get the list and take it on Thursday. If she changes the sheets on Sunday, do it Saturday night. If she doesn't iron the sheets, iron the sheets. When you see her get things to put in the laundry, set a timer and be there before they come out. Slowly, she'll get it and you may have to talk to her about it, tell her that you feel like you are failing when you aren't allowed to help, but that will begin the discussion. Let me know how things go, and if you need anything else, please don't hesitate to ask." She raised the ta'al to him, "Live long and prosper, Skol."
She clicked send on the message and then grinned. She would give just about anything to see his reaction when she teased him about Beth knowing she was flirting with him. She wondered of Skol could blush…
Kov caught up with his uncle walking in the rock gardens. Kuvak was standing and looking at a particularly colorful, strangely shaped chunk of volcanic amethyst. "Uncle! I came to see you at the breakfast chamber, but T'Sal said you did not come for food this morning." He grinned, "Did you...stay with T'Sai Sarah?" Kov asked hopefully.
Kuvak's brows furrowed together not catching his meaning for many moments. When he finally did his eyes went wide, "Of course not, Kov." he chastised in the most stoic way he could, while clearly shocked at the implication. "I was not in need of nutrition this morning as last night's ice cream still lingers in my stomach. It's a very filling and heavy food."
Kov clearly looked deflated, "But did you have an agreeable time?"
Kuvak did a double take at his nephew and began walking away from the rock formation, "She was in pain, Kov, that hardly makes for an agreeable time. I simply grieved with her." He paused, blinked and then slowly began again, "Though, she did not, as I expected, speak of her emotions."
Kov chuckled, "Humans get embarrassed by their emotions, Uncle. Not as much as Vulcans do, but they do not flaunt every emotion they have. Some of their emotions they hide, just as we do."
Kuvak's eyebrow raised, "Her pain embarrassed her?"
Kov shrugged in an exaggerated way, "I can't speak for her, Uncle, but probably. I'd think that not the emotions themselves embarrassed her, but her inability to control them and push through to continue on like nothing was wrong."
Kuvak was silent as he contemplated that and all the implications. Kov was watching him with interest, but he was so deep in thought that he did not realize. After a few minutes Kuvak spoke thoughtfully, "I was given to understand that humans were completely ruled by their passions, and moved with the sway of their emotions. It seems that was poorly gathered and understood information."
"It is, just as we were speaking of the other night, Uncle. You are seeing it now for yourself." Kov said with a smile. He let silence fall between them again as they walked, allowing his uncle time to digest his new discovery. "They are highly compatible with us, Uncle. One might even consider a human for a...mate." he said casually.
Kuvak looked at him, "Mrs. Blanc only just lost her husband, it is clear she needs time to heal from the loss."
Kov's eyebrows shot upward, "Uncle!" he chuckled, "I wasn't talking about her, but obviously the thought has crossed your mind."
Kuvak's head jerked like he'd been slapped, "No, it is due to the fact we were only just speaking of her," he said a little more awkwardly, "What or who were speaking of?" Then something dawned on him, "You?" His mind was working at rapid fire, "You are mated with a human aren't you?" Kuvak pieced together, adding the time he was gone to now, he'd have gone through one pon farr and did not return to vulcan. It suddenly dawned on him why Kov had programs for human treats, and why he knew about the hidden secrets of the human mind, he had bonded with one.
Kov blushed hot green and he didn't try to hide. He hadn't expected his uncle to sort it out so quickly. He sat down and bid his uncle to sit across from him, "We have much to talk about, Uncle. It's time, I suppose, to be completely honest…"