A few days after Jim's arrival, he was already beginning to look and feel better. His ribs didn't stick out quite as badly, he didn't feel like a walking skeleton, and his eyes were brighter, though still rather wary.

What a difference some food and sleep made! He had literally been worked to the point of being worthless to his master, who had decided to make him a "gift" to Sarek.

Amanda still wouldn't let him do much beyond helping with meal prep and tending the flowers in her little garden, but it made him feel good to show some kind of gratitude for the first human who'd been kind to him in years. Spock partly counted to, since she was half human. Jim actually thought the combination of Vulcan calmness and Logic and human empathy and humor was remarkable and just perfect.

Deep down in his jaded heart, something resonated the more he spent time with her.

She'd coaxed him into meeting I-Chaya close up and even petting the lumbering beast. Turned out, sehlats really were big softies, despite the intimidating looks. When Jim scratched him behind the ears, the big guy practically purred and squirmed in pleasure, big tongue lolling out of his mouth.

He was starting to get more used to the heat, but not enough to go outside for more than a couple hours in the morning or sunset. In the meantime, Spock was re-introducing him to chess, which he hadn't played since he was fourteen. He was finding it enjoyable and good mental exercise, even though he lost horribly every single time.

One evening, as they finished packing the board away after Jim had been slaughtered three times, he asked a question that he'd been thinking about all day. "

Spock, how do your parents make it work? There's got to be plenty of culture clashing between the logic and emotion. I don't think I've heard of any Vulcan-Human marriages before, but they seem pretty content together."

"It is the only known bond between the two species," Spock admitted. "There is an unfortunate amount of prejudice from both sides, but my mother and father are very attached to each other despite the differences. I often find myself...torn between two sides: Not Vulcan enough for my father's people, and not human enough for my mother's."

She said this all in a cool, matter-of-fact tone that made Jim sad.

"As I have grown better able to control my human half with logic, the subtle insults ceased to provoke a reaction."

"Insults?" Jim asked in disbelief. "I'd think Vulcans would be too logical to deliberately do that, Especially about a person's heritage."

He was used to being called a dog, pet, needy slut, lazy scum and worthless wretch, but who would dare say cruel things to Spock?

"I regret to say it does happen, unfortunately," Spock said, sitting ramrod straight on a cushion. "Not blatantly, but subtly done in what humans would call a "passive-aggressive" manner. And young Vulcans can be quite illogical."

"They bullied you?" Jim asked, deeply annoyed on her behalf. "Several of the more unenlightened

did. I admit I physically assaulted my own bondmate after he used a derogatory term for my mother."

Jim grinned. "You socked him one, didn't you?"

"If by "socked" you mean struck him with my fist, then I did indeed do so," Spock said, not looking repentant at all. But wait, what had she meant by bondmate?

"What's a bondmate, Spock? Your boyfriend?"

She almost smiled. "Not in the human sense of the word. Vulcans telepathic bonds are much more permanent and usually the mate is selected for them at an early age if the two minds are found to be compatible. Mine, however, was broken by mutual consent several years ago."

"It would be hard to be with someone who says stuff about your mother and probably thinks it too," Jim mused, running his fingers through his still long, wavy hair. "That wouldn't bode well if you can read each other's thoughts."

"We are taught to shield our minds as youths," Spock explained patiently. "Otherwise there would be many accidental invasions of privacy by sheer incidental contact. Even bonded couples must show restraint when necessary. Probing into someone's thoughts without permission is abhorrent in our culture. So you need not worry, James."

Wow, she'd cleverly turned that conversation away from herself again. Jim certainly had more questions about bonds, but he set them aside for later.

"I know, Spock. It's refreshing to find that respect at last. Where I've been, people take what they want by any means necessary. If I fought it, it only made things worse because I had no rights at all. Even being worked to the bone was preferable to that."

He got up and yawned. "Well, I'm going to hit the hay now, Spock. It's been good learning more about Vulcans. See you in the morning."

Spock looked puzzled. "There is no hay in the immediate vicinity for you to hit, Jim."

"It's a human figure of speech, Spock," Jim chuckled. "We have a lot of weird sayings. Just means I'm going to bed."

He could practically see her mentally adding it to her list of bizarre human expressions, probably many taught by her mother. The corner of her pretty mouth turned up a bit. "Very well, Jim. Sleep well."

"Night, Spock."