See Chapter One for disclaimer, unless of course, you simply must have one. In that case, here goes. I don't own Star Trek, I don't make any profit from this, and by now everyone knows this!

Healing Continues

Spock and Nyota slept for several hours undisturbed. Eventually, however, the noisy morning routine of this household with children reached their ears. They lay in bed listening. Occasionally, Nyota giggles.

"My house was just like this growing up!"

"Dad, do you think they're still asleep?"

"I expect that they are awake now, Jason. Perhaps you could knock on their door and tell them that breakfast will be in thirty minutes."

"Okay"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Jason, I said knock on the door, not destroy it."

"Oh, sorry, Dad!"

Jason tried a second time, with a much gentler result.

"Come in."

"Good morning, Uncle Spock and Aunt Nyota. Dad says breakfast is in thirty minutes. Are you feeling better this morning? That was some rotten dream you had."

"Yes, I am much better this morning. I am sorry my dream disturbed your rest."

"That's okay. I'd better go so you guys can get dressed. See you later."

Jason scurried away, slamming the door shut as he went.

"Yep, just like the Uhura house!"

The breakfast table at Sirin and Rachel's was nothing short of organized chaos. This morning there were six adults and three children. Rachel's mother Esther was trying to persuade Hannah to eat her oatmeal while Rachel nursed T'Lonna and took a call from Starfleet Medical. Her maternity leave would be ending in a few days and her supervisor wanted to confirm her schedule.

Jason was eating a piece of toast with way too much jelly on it when he dropped in on the floor. It landed jelly side down, of course.

"Please clean that up, son."

T'Pau was watching it all with thinly veiled amusement as she sipped her morning tea. Sirin grew up in a home with servants who would have cleaned up the floor.

Sirin was on hold with Dr. Voorhees.

"Yes, I am still here. You can see them at ten today, at the Hyde St. clinic. Thank you. I will bring them over myself."

Sirin sat down next to Spock and Nyota. He took baby T'Lonna from Rachel so she could eat her breakfast in relative peace and quiet.

"We were fortunate. Ellen had a couple of openings because today is New Year's Eve. The clinic is in a neighborhood that will be familiar to Spock. His mother's house is close by."

"Perhaps we might stop by and see it. My father gave it to us as a wedding present. I have not been there in several years."

"I would like that, beloved. Are you sure you're up to it?"

"That house holds only pleasant memories, Nyota. I am more concerned about our appointment this morning. I had a procedure done as a teenager to determine my fertility. It was not pleasant."

Spock nearly shuddered at the memory of a very long needle and an elderly healer with a shaky hand. He had missed the mark a couple of times!

"Cousin, they do not collect semen samples in quite the same way on this planet. You may find it rather enjoyable, as Nyota will be there to help. I know that the VSA researchers thought you to be sterile at that time. However, I have a few doubts about the validity of their findings."

"Why would that be, cousin?"

"One reason is that it was probably done too early. You were not even close to being sexually mature at age thirteen. Second, the procedure was very seldom done, so no one at the VSA was considered an expert. If the same elderly healer who demonstrated it for me on a cadaver did your procedure, it may have been done incorrectly."

"He did have to make a few attempts."

Nyota looked at Spock curiously, and then finally asked the question.

"Beloved, why was a teenager having fertility testing done?"

"It was requested by T'Pring's parents. I believe that they regretted our bonding. The test results were among the reasons given for the bond's dissolution. I am quite content with the way things turned out."

Having said this, Spock entwined his fingers with Nyota's.

"Finish your breakfast, for we must soon leave for the clinic."

Sirin escorted Nyota and Spock into the Voorhees Family Planning Center and signed them in. They had barely sat down when the doctor herself summoned them to a back office. Dr. Ellen, as she preferred to be called, was a tiny, white haired woman of around eighty-five years of age. She and Sirin had met when he had to do an emergency hip repair on her, the result of a bungee-jumping incident.

She had them all sit in comfortable, padded chairs around a coffee table. An assistant in street clothes, not scrubs, brought them all tea. While Dr. Ellen scanned Spock's rather extensive medical file, the others relaxed. After about thirty minutes of reading, she finally spoke.

"I'm going to ignore the fertility testing done at the VSA, Spock. You were too young for those results to have any validity. So, before we can draw any conclusions about the chances of you two successfully reproducing together, we'll need to run some tests. First, we'll collect a little blood from each of you. That will only hurt for a moment. Then, we'll need a semen sample from Spock, which shouldn't hurt at all."

"Spock, I will leave you and Nyota in Dr. Ellen's capable hands. I need to visit a few post-op patients at SF General. Call me when you need a ride."

Sirin collected his coat and was gone.

Nurse Luigi knew his job and did it well. The blood sample collections had been nearly painless. When he had finished, he led the young couple to the doorway of a special room and handed them a sterile specimen cup labeled with only a patient file number.

"When you've got it, place it in the little cabinet over the sink and then press the red button. I'll pick it up right away. There's no rush. We don't have another patient scheduled until the afternoon. Stay as long as you like. We've got holovids and other "visual aids", but I'm betting you two will do just fine on your own."

Luigi left them, so the couple entered the room, unprepared for what they would find.

This was not a typical exam room. In one corner was a king-sized bed with satin sheets. The walls were painted in fuchsia and violet stripes, and several large mirrors were hung upon them. Another large mirror was on the ceiling over the bed. A large bedside stand held a remote control and several drawers. Nyota's curiosity got the better of her, so she started pressing buttons on the remote.

The blue one made the bed vibrate. The orange one made the mirrors on the walls disappear. The green one changed the mirror above the bed into a screen for viewing holovids.

"Nyota, I believe that this room would be Jim's idea of paradise."

"Gaila would have loved it. Let's check out the drawers."

They found small bottles of lubricant and massage oil in the top drawer. The other drawers held assorted, single-use, disposable "toys."

"Apparently this is a multi-purpose room" said Nyota, giggling.

"So it would seem."

Nyota sat down on the bed.

"Come here, Commander. Let's collect that specimen."

After they had pressed the red button, the couple decided not to linger in the "pleasure palace." They had other tasks to accomplish. Dr. Ellen would contact them with her preliminary findings later.

They collected their coats and walked a few blocks to "Amanda's house."

The house was on a quiet street in an old residential area. It was built in 1907, after the big earthquake of the previous year. The two-story mission style dwelling was surrounded by a large, wrought iron fence. There were rose bushes in abundance.

The key Sarek had given them no longer functioned in securing the door. It had been replaced with a hand-print scanner when the family bought the house. Amanda had kept it for sentimental reasons.

Spock placed his hand on the scanner plate. He was recognized and the gate opened immediately. The process was repeated at the front door. Spock took a deep breath before he and Nyota entered.

Sarek had ordered the house cleaned and closed after Amanda's death. Sheeting covered the furniture. Amanda's clothing and most of her personal items had been removed.

"Spock, this is a beautiful house. I always thought your family lived at the Ambassadorial Residence."

"Most of the time, we did while staying on Terra. My father bought this house for Mother when I was ten. Her parents had died a few months earlier, and she was still grieving. She had always compared our life at the Embassy to that of a "goldfish in a bowl," so Father found us a place away from prying eyes and listening ears. We would come here on the weekends. He refinished most of the woodwork and paneling himself."

Spock took Nyota's hand and led her to the family room. There was a fireplace with a wooden mantle and a tile surround. Spock lifted a sheet, revealing a small, upright piano. He lifted the keyboard cover and touched a few keys, nearly winching at the sounds.

"That will need to be tuned."

He walked over to a large sofa and lifted the covering for a moment.

"Nyota, this is the most unattractive sofa on this planet. I do not know how Father persuaded Mother to buy it. We can either get rid of it or have it recovered, but I refuse to keep it in its present state. After they had it about a year, my Mother announced that it loked liked a Scotsman had vomited in the family room. My father refused to change it as it was only a year old."

The sofa was covered in a large plaid pattern of several different shades of brown.

"Spock, that abomination has to go!"

They replaced the sheeting and moved on to the kitchen.

"Oh, I like all these cupboards and the dishes. Would it be okay if we changed the wall color, though? The blue is nice, but I've always wanted a yellow kitchen."

"Then you shall have a yellow kitchen."

Spock showed her the rest of the downstairs, which included a pantry, laundry area, powder room, and a small study. There was also a small, enclosed sun room which looked out over the backyard.

"Let us go see the upstairs."

The house had four upstairs bedrooms and three bathrooms.

"My mother used this smallest room as her sewing room. The bedroom with the lilac wallpaper was a guestroom. This room with the blue walls was mine."

"Oh, your "little boy room." I have to check this out!"

The walls of Spock's room were decorated with photos of starships. Model starships were displayed on shelves, along with some actual paper books. One shelf, however, held a few stuffed toys that had been carefully stored in clear boxes.

Nyota opened the closet and found several items of clothing hanging there, including a pair of faded jeans and a Starfleet Academy first year cadet sweatshirt.

"Those can be disposed of, as they will no longer fit me."

"No way, buddy. I'm keeping these jeans. They'll fit me if I roll them up. Besides, they have sentimental value. Is there anything left in the dresser?"

"Probably just t-shirts and underwear. Those will not fit anymore, either."

Nyota pulled open the top dresser drawer, and started laughing immediately. She held up a pair of boxer shorts with starships printed on them.

"I fail to see what is so amusing about my underwear. My mother selected those for me herself."

"And you were too embarrassed by them to take them to the Academy."

"Perhaps."

"I think they'll fit me perfectly." Nyota slipped the boxers into her shoulder tote, along with Spock's jeans. Then she smiled to herself and lay down on top of the bed. Suddenly, it hit her.

"This was the room you showed me in your fantasy. This was the bed...."

"Yes."

They toured the master bedroom last. Nyota loved the beautiful mission style furniture. Spock explained that Sarek had built most of it himself.

"Spock, the bed doesn't seem to go with the rest of the furniture."

This was a true statement. The headboard and frame were made of a sturdy, reinforced steel. When the couple inspected it further, they found two sets of restraints on chains tucked away under the mattress on the left side, one set at the head, the other at the foot. The bed had a few scratches where someone had strained at the cuffs, but everything had held.

"This was my father's side of the bed."

"Oh. Maybe we should keep this, and just get a new mattress."

"That might be wise."

The couple decided to take a walk in the neighborhood while waiting to hear from Dr. Ellie. Spock showed Nyota the path he used to skate on and the park where he ran. He stopped in front of a beautiful white brick building. The sign outside said "Temple Beth Israel."

"I would sometimes go to services here with Mother. On occasion we would also tend the roses in the memorial garden. There is a plaque there in honor of my grandparents. I have not seen it in years."

Spock led Nyota through the gate and into the memorial garden. He easily found the plaque he was seeking. He was not prepared for what else was there.

A large black, marble slab bore the inscription "Dedicated To The Memory Of The Children Of Israel Who Were Slain In The Battle Of Vulcan." There were three hundred and seventy-eight names on the memorial, many of whom had been Spock's students. Nyota had tutored some of these.

They stood in silence and remembered them.

Nyota began to cry softly, and Spock pulled her close. They sat down on a bench in the garden, where the black slab could not be seen. They held each other for several minutes and then Spock looked up, his attention captured by a collection of miniature rose bushes, surrounding an inscribed stone. He stood and read the words.

"Dedicated To The Memory Of Amanda Grayson, Beloved Wife of S'chn T'gai Sarek, Mother of Spock, Teacher And Philanthropist."

Spock sat back down on the bench and buried his face in Nyota's shoulder. She held him until the tears stopped. Neither heard a third person enter the garden.

"Hello, Spock. I wondered when you would come."

"Rabbi Goldie. My mother's memorial, where did it come from?"

"Your father designed it himself. He comes here on occasion, the last time just a few weeks ago. He sits where you are sitting and meditates."

"I did not know."

"Who is this beautiful young lady with you?"

"This is my wife Nyota. Nyota, I have known Rabbi Goldie since I was three years old."

"And such a cutie he was. Still is. You make a lovely couple. How long have you two been married?"

"We been married for a week, bond-mates for over a year and a half."

"Newlyweds! I have to make a blessing!

The Rabbi blessed them for over five minutes, wishing them good health, a long life together, and of course, children. They had already begun walking in the direction of the clinic when Dr. Ellie called.

"Come back for your results."