Part lll- New Year's Eve

The Tavarta were up to throwing grand parties for any type of occasion, inviting any and all business partners, diplomatic contacts, friends, any friends of friends. If they had an excuse to invite you, they did.

While the Terran New Year was not of any importance to them, it did constitute a good excuse for said party. Not sure of which of the above categories that she fell into, when sent an invitation, Amanda decided to take advantage of it. After all, she had no plans for the evening, and it seemed a good excuse to buy a new dress.

She was glad she had. The old reliable blue gown was certainly out of date for this crowd, and it this juncture in her life, Amanda felt it was too immature. The blue was a dress a teenager would wear, and at twenty, she was more than ready to set that aside.

"It makes me feel like an adult", she had laughed when she first tried it on.

This new violet one had a velvet strapless, drop waist bodice, and a skirt of iridescent taffeta, which shimmered in shades of violet, turquoise, and sage. With a short velvet cap sleeved bolero and full length gloves of the same material she felt like a princess entering the ballroom. Had not Louisa decided to give the dress as a Christmas present, she would have been broke for months. Now, she had been given a chance to impress- to be seen as something other than some little student.

She felt a bit uncomfortable going on her own, but Louisa had begged off due to a cold, and since they had each received individual invitations, her grandmother insisted she to go on her own. It was a waste of that new dress not to, wasn't it? Amanda was always good socializing and there should be plenty beings there that she already knew.

She smoothed her hands against the swell of her skirt, and took a deep breath as she entered the main reception room.

It was a mass of color and confusion. Though a good percentage of the guests were human, and equal percentage were not and it resulted in a somewhat chaotic whirl of the sentient species of the Federation. For a moment it would seem her senses were on overload, and she she paused for a few minutes on the edge of the room, looking for a familiar face to latch onto.

"Manda!"

A voice that she had not heard for several years caught her unaware. She spun around at the sound of her name to face Josie Macumba, an old classmate from Geneva. Since many of her fellow students' parents were part of inter-Federation politics on Earth, it was no surprise that she would find any one of them at such an event.

But Josie, in a slinky red number was not the skinny, young girl she remembered any longer, but a tall, curvaceous woman, making Amanda, with her slim petite figure, now feel a bit inadequate. No matter how she loved her dress, it could never give her curves like Josie's.

"It's great to see a familiar face here! Have you been to one of these before?" Josie's energy was bouncing off the walls, "I was so excited when Papa got the invite."

"I've never been to a Tavartan event, but I've known them by reputation."

"Well, I'm on the hunt tonight, Manda, how about you? Searching for a good looking male, species open!"

Just then a tall, bronze-skinned Rigellian came into their line of vision.

"And I see me a Rigellian that fits that bill. Wish me luck, Manda!"

She doubted that Josie heard her response, as involved as she seemed to be in her prey. Amanda nervously scanned the room looking for another familiar face to latch onto for a bit, but one found her before she could find him.

"Amanda Grayson."

She jumped at the sound of that voice, and another spin, this one totally unexpected.

Why did he always seem to surprise her by being where she was?

"Sarek! I did not expect to find a Vulcan at such a frivolous occasion as a New Year's Eve party."

"Indeed. there are some sensitive negotiations going on between our respective governments, so it was suggested that we attend this…event. The Tavarta tend to be very easily insulted, especially when it concerns social affairs."

"You do look very splendid this evening," She felt the need to comment. While he was in his usual pallet of wine and russet tones, the bindings of this tunic as well as the lining of his sleeves were in a shimmering coppery-gold fabric. No less impressive was the necklace which hung round his neck, gold inset with several large cabochons.

"As do you, Amanda."

She grasped the skirt and swirled it, showing off the colors, "Holiday gift from Louisa."

"Your grandmother is here?"

"No, she's down with a cold."

"Down with?"

"She's caught a virus."

"I see. You are here unchaperoned then?"

"Yes, I'm a big girl now. I can do this on my own."

He raised his brows, looking down at her, questioning the judgment it would seem.

She tilted her head and smugly smiled back. In an adjoining ballroom, an orchestra was striking up, "Do you dance, Ambassador?"

"No."

"That's a pity," they walked over to the dancers and she watched for few minutes, gently swaying to the music.

"Care to dance?" A slender young man in a tuxedo came up to her, braving the question.

She looked at Sarek for a fleeting moment, she did want to dance, but she wanted to dance with Sarek. No matter, that's not going to happen. But she did need to waltz in that princess ballgown at least one time…

"I'd be happy", she replied as stepped forward. Turning back she smiled at Sarek before starting the sweep of the dance floor.

When the waltz came to a close, she glanced over at her starting point. Sarek was gone.

oooo0000oooo

It was not until the final countdown had almost started that she found him again, on the balcony overlooking the embassy gardens.

"Too noisy in there for you?" She wandered to the edge of the railing that marked the length of the balcony and turned back to look at him. In the dark, with the lights of the ballroom behind him, only the strings of cool blue fairy lights reflected in his eyes.

"Indeed."

"Is it warm enough out here for you?"

He nodded to the heater a few feet away, and she moved a little closer allowing herself to feel the increase in temperature emanating from it before backing away a bit.

The air was crisp and cold, and she gazed out to the blanket of snow covering the gardens below. Then looking upward to the stars standing out on a blanket of indigo, she tilted her head and turned back to him for a moment.

"Can you see Vulcan from here?"

"It cannot be seen in this hemisphere."

"Oh," She could not keep the trace of disappointment from her voice. She was quiet for a few minutes, wondering what it was like to be so many light years away from where you were born,
" Do you ever get homesick?"

"Homesick? This would be a human emotion, I believe?"

"Yes, I suppose it is an emotion. But truly, don't you ever find yourself thinking of home?"

"When it is cold like this? Most certainly, one prefers the comfort of warmth that my home world provides."

"Is it very hot there?"

"There are parts of your world which are comparable: Death Valley, the Arabian Peninsula, the Outback. Other places on Earth might match in temperature, but the humidity makes it far too uncomfortable."

"I don't suppose that you get many tourists?"

"In order to be permitted entrance, you must have a logical reason to be on Vulcan, be it political, scholarly, or business related. Leisure visitors are frowned upon, though from time to time they do manage to get through."

"Don't you think that it's a bit off-putting? I mean if people could see your planet, they might be able to better understand Vulcans."

"Perhaps 'understanding' us is not something that we require or desire."

"You have quite a unsavory reputation. It might help."

His raised his brows, "Unsavory?"

"Well, you know people say…"

"'People' say?"

"Well that Vulcans are very standoffish, thinking that they are better than everyone else, for one thing."

"You think this of me?

"No, I've never thought this of you. But say ,the Ambassador in residence, T'Furgah, she has quite a reputation for being disagreeable."

"T'Fregla'a," he corrected her, "I see."

"I suppose if that's you like, being thought of in that way-" she laughed," Before you can say it, I know, to like is a human emotion."

In the dark she imagined him smiling at that, wondering what he would look like if he actually allowed himself the indulgence.

"Since I'll never be able to visit then, tell me about your world? And I don't want statistics," She caught him before he had started.

It took a moment for him to regroup his thoughts from the dry facts she had dismissed, "There are times, when surrounded by the greens and blues of your world, I consider my own, It is not a place where the environment would welcome a human, but we call would call it home."

If the lighting had been better, Amanda could imagine that he had a faraway look in his eyes as they gazed off to a point in the distance. His voice seemed soft and wistful.

"Do you live in the desert?"

"Do you imagine we live in tents like some nomads from your Arabian Nights?"

"Of course not, I'm sure where ever you live is…logical. What is it like where you call home?"

"My father's family estate is in the mountains overlooking ShiKahr. My mother's family comes from the far side of the Llangon Mountains," he paused for a moment, "ShiKahr is one of our larger cities, and the political capital. The city was built on an oasis at the foot of the mountains. Much of my time was spent with my father and grandfather on various missions when I was younger. It was not until I entered the Science Academy that I spent much time there. "

He then spoke to her of cities filled with fountains, skies filled with flocks of silver birds, of sandstorms and monsoons. She closed her eyes and could see them all unfold before her, as if his memories were coming alive in her. The rise and fall of his voice seemed to be taking her into another world, his world.

Finally, Sarek fell silent. She opened her eyes, and looked up to him, questioning, not him but herself.

Amanda didn't know when it happened, when what her grandmother had labeled as a "schoolgirl crush" had evolved into something more. She watched him silhouetted against the sky- the impressive brow, the Roman nose, the full mouth, the sharp angles of his cheekbones, the way his hair would curl in the breeze. She took him in, breathless in wonder how such a creature could exist. And that did not even take in account the brilliant mind behind it all.

In the main ballroom, the countdown to midnight started to toll. She knew there would be no midnight's kiss to bring in the New Year for her. But would a new year bring? In the distance the firework finale exploded, framing Sarek in an aura of green and gold shimmers. She hadn't meant for this to happen, she hadn't wanted it to. They could have remained friends forever, but instead she found herself in love with him. Without any coaching, without any encouragement. There it was.

Still looking off in the distance, he bent his head slightly in her direction as the countdown was completed in the other room, followed by loud shouts, whoops and much kissing.

"I believe the proper response to all this is Happy New Year, Amanda Grayson."

As the ballroom behind them filled with confetti and glow streamers, balloons and noisemakers, before them was only the void of the star-scattered night.

She joined him in looking off in the distance, as the final glimmer of fireworks faded into the night, "Happy New Year, Ambassador Sarek."

And who knows what it would bring….

oooo0000oooo

As they re-entered the ballroom, Sarek caught Ambassador T'Fregla'a out of the corner of his eye. He would have thought she had long departed this chaos, as soon as protocol would have allowed. Why she was still here, he could not logically explain. For a moment, their eyes met and she froze before looking away.

"Anything the matter, Sarek?" He looked down at Amanda's questioning eyes.

"No. All is well," he nodded and they wove their way through the crowd, the floor now littered with golden confetti that glistened beneath their feet.

oooo0000oooo

For the guest reviewer for Chapter Two: per your request, this is the "Chapter That Wasn't" . The story has indeed been pretty much finished, just waiting to be posted, when you got me thinking where could I have possibly added something? I thought about it for a while, and New Years bobbed up to the surface. It was then up to the characters to decide if they were going to cooperate and tell me about it. They did, so you now have before you the chapter that wasn't meant to be. I hope you enjoyed it and I thank everyone who has been reviewing. Remember that it really does mean something!