I don't own 'em, but you knew that!

Hopeful

There was really only one place to celebrate a bonding ceremony between a Vulcan and a Terran. It was not the Vulcan custom to celebrate in such a manner, but the surviving S'chn T'gai clan were not your average Vulcan family. So Sirin and Rachel herded their bunch into the family vehicle and headed down to Wong's. Wong's Chinese Restaurant was the unofficial watering hole for inter-species couples, especially Vulcan-Terran ones.

When the family reached the restaurant, a hostess showed them to small banquet room. Several other inter-species couples were waiting for them, including three Vulcan-Terran couples that Spock and Nyota knew. These were friends that Sirin and Rachel had introduced them to during their first leave period after Spock's Pon Farr.

All three couples consisted of Vulcan males bonded with Terran females, and then married according to one Terran tradition or another. They all had small children and careers or businesses. Trethis, professor of Interstellar History and Computer Engineering at Berkeley, was bonded to Paula Howard, a cardiologist. They had an infant daughter, Saphone. Shinn, a civil engineer, was married to Lynne Wong, whose family owned the restaurant. They were parents of a two-year old son, Sloan, and expecting another son in a month.

In the corner of the room, newborn identical twin girls were getting attention from their parents. Chalise nursed Tamara, while Trevin changed Trina. Chalise owned a greenhouse, while Trevin was Head Groundskeeper at the Vulcan Embasssy. Chalise was of African and Native American descent and Trevin had coloring like Spock's, fair skin with dark hair and eyes. Spock and Nyota were immediately drawn to the twins, for obvious reasons.

When everyone had eaten their fill, the conversations started. With so many little ones present, they naturally became the topic of discussion. Nyota worked up her nerve and asked Chalise the question.

"How did you get twins?"

"Well, we were only going for a single, but the egg split! They were conceived in vitro, with some genetic manipulation. Trevin didn't want our child to inherit his hand defect. (Trevin was missing part of a pinky finger.) Believe me, this pregnancy was no picnic. I spent the last three months in bed with copper poisoning. The girls were born five weeks early, and spent their first three weeks in the hospital. They were worth, it though, right, Trevin?"

"Absolutely."

Paula and Trethis had conceived Saphone naturally. A first pregnancy had ended in a miscarriage. The couple hoped to have two more children in the future. Shinn and Lynne have decided that their family will be complete when Stephen is born. Lynne's pregnancies have been difficult, and they have endured several miscarriages. Stephen was conceived through in vitro fertilization with genetic manipulation.

T'Pau had some very interesting conversations at that dinner party. There were other Vulcans there who had bonded with various species. Some of them had wanted to come to the New Vulcan colony, but feared to do so because their bondings had not been officially sanctioned and registered. Though it was very seldom done, the Council of Elders had the authority to sever bonds that they felt were inappropriate. This was a very painful process for everyone involved. After she had heard the third Vulcan voice such a concern, she decided to take action. T'Pau stood at her table and struck the floor several time with her cane. When she had everyone's attention, she spoke.

"I have heard thy concerns. As long as I live and sit on the Council of Elders, I will not permit the severing of bonds between two who which to remain bonded. Do not fear to come to New Vulcan, as she needs all her children now. I will be staying five more days at the home of Sirin. During that time, I will cement and register the bondings of all who wish it to be so."

Over the next several days, twelve couples were bonded in Sirin and Rachel's sun room. When T'Pau registered these bonds, she discovered that five of the Vulcan males had been listed in the census database as missing or believed to be deceased. She wondered how many more Vulcans were hiding out in fear of prejudice or losing their families.

When they left Wong's that night, Spock and especially Nyota, were a little more hopeful about the possibility of children in their future. On the ride home, she snuggled up to him and rested her head on his arm.

Spock, those twins are so adorable. It almost makes me want to start a family now.

Perhaps we could practice in anticipation of the future.

You say the sweetest things!

However, there were a few matters to take care of first when the family returned to the house. While Sirin and Rachel put the children to bed, Spock located a recording device and Sirin's ka'athyra. Then he motioned for T'Pau and Nyota to follow him into the den. When they had assembled, he shut the door and began singing the first few words of the bawdy, ancient High Vulcan song from earlier that afternoon.

Ivan was very cooperative. He repeated the song, and added several verses they had not heard before. In each case, the amorous couple made love in a different location, fraught with dangers or potential public discovery. Hoping to get another song or two out of Ivan, Spock and Nyota engaged in a very suggestive conversation in High Vulcan. And while T'Pau struggled to contain her amusement, the "dirty talk" had the desired effect on Ivan. He sang them five more songs, three of which they had never heard before.

T'Pau gave Ivan a piece of fruit and told him "Well done, bird."

"Awwk! Thanks, babe! I'm here all night! Awwk!"

Nyota was nearly rolling on the floor with laughter.

"I wish I knew where this bird has been!"

"Spock, I assume thee will make me a copy of Ivan's songs, minus thy conversations and the bird's impertinence."

"Yes, Grandmother, I will edit it appropriately."

The kids were all in bed, so the adults relaxed in the family room. Esther brought out glasses and a bottle of sparkling cider. They drank a toast to the New Year and to all things new in their lives. Baby T'Lonna, a new marriage, a new colony, renewed relationships, and above all, new hope.

Having spent a few days with Sirin and Rachel, Spock and Nyota had learned a few things about living with children. One of them was to always put your pajamas back on, no matter how sleepy you were. This was because children sometimes forget to knock, especially when their favorite relatives are visiting. Fortunately, they were prepared when Jason and Hannah came bursting into the bedroom. The newlyweds had neglected to lock the door.

"Come on, Hannah. It must be okay, because their door isn't locked."

Slam! Crash! The door banged into the wall in Jason's exuberance.

"Happy New Year! Guess what? There are live soccer games on telecom today! Uncle Jack and Uncle Lewis are coming over to watch with us. They always bring lemon meringue pie and root beer! You guys need to get up!"

"Good morning, children. If you leave us in peace for a while, Nyota and I will join you for breakfast after we are dressed. What time are Jack and Lewis expected?"

"At noon. See you at the table."

Slam!

Nyota groaned. It was 7:15 in the morning.

"You shower first, Spock. I am just going to lie here and pretend that this isn't our last day of leave."

"Pretending will not change the facts, beloved. This is such a large, pleasant shower. Much larger than our bathroom on the ship. It seems wasteful for only one person to use it at a time."

"Your logic is compelling, my husband, but I'm going to lock the door first."

"A wise precaution."

Everyone else had finished breakfast by the time Rachel was done nursing T'Lonna.

"Who wants a baby? I'm starving!"

Nyota reached for T'Lonna and Sirin gave his wife a plate of scrambled eggs and toast.

"Spock, I've been researching anti-depressants, and I think a herb called St. John's Wort would be the best fit for you. It's really the only thing compatible with both Vulcan and Human physiology. However, since Leonard McCoy is your primary physician, I'd really like to consult with him before I prescribe it for you. I need to do this anyway, because he'll have to order the sessions with the ship's counselor."

"I have no objection to this, Rachel. It is in my best interests to comply with my physician's and healer's recommendations."

Nyota and Rachel both rolled their eyes at him. He was not known to be the best patient in the galaxy.

"Is Leonard on board the Enterprise yet?"

Nyota laughed.

"I doubt that very much. He, Jim and Scotty are probably holed up somewhere nursing hangovers from last night."

"That is most likely true. I would really like to get Spock started on his meds today, though. Do you have Leonard's comm data?"

"It's all programmed into my unit. Hang on."

Nyota handed T'Lonna to Spock and retrieved her comm unit. She entered the code for the doctor. Seconds later, she was rewarded with a grumpy hello.

"Well, good morning to you, too! Where are you? Temporary bachelor officers' quarters?......We're at Sirin and Rachel's. They have a medical treatment question about Spock.....No, he didn't do anything stupid, and don't you call my husband a hobgoblin!.....I'm gonna hand you over to Rachel. Behave yourself."

"Hello. Leonard. Give yourself a hypo-spray.....No, I don't really think we should discuss it on the phone. Why don't you come over here? We're gonna have some other friends over and watch the soccer matches....That's okay, bring them along. The more the merrier. You've got the coordinates, right?.....I don't know, maybe some beer and chips....Yeah, ice cream would be great, but not chocolate or cinnamon! We've got kids here!...Okay, see you later."

"Oh, good grief, Rachel. You didn't just invite the terrible trio over to spend the day, did you?"

"Yep. Come on, Nyota! Where's your sense of adventure?"

"We get enough adventure in space."

Jack and his boyfriend Lewis were the first to arrive. Jack was Sirin's former housemate and had given him Ivan when he left Terra on a medical mission. He was a thoracic surgeon and Lewis a psychiatrist. They had just returned from six months volunteer work on the New Vulcan colony, having worked in the second settlement, New Shannai'Kahr. Lewis had brought three of his famous lemon meringue pies, safe for both Human and Vulcan consumption. Jack's contribution was root beer, which he made and bottled himself.

Spock and Nyota knew this couple, as Jack and Lewis had once helped rescue them from a bigot's attack. They had maintained contact ever since.

Jack looked around.

"Okay, where are you hiding the kids? You'd they they might have missed us while we were gone, but I guess not."

There were giggles coming from behind the sofa. Suddenly Jack and Lewis were under attack by children. They all calmed down when Rachel brought T'Lonna into the family room and handed her to Lewis. He smiled a huge smile.

"The next time we come over, we'll be bringing a kid of our own. We're adopting a little girl. She's a Romulan-Human hybrid. No one can locate any family for her. They found her wandering around an abandoned Romulan outpost. Her rescuers took her to New Vulcan, but she needs extensive orthopedic surgery. She has some leg deformities that I know Sirin can correct. As soon as we get the paperwork squared away, we'll go back and get her. She has the most beautiful smile. We're gonna name her Sonrisa, smile in Spanish."

Jack took a holopic out of his pocket. Sonrisa did indeed have a beautiful smile.

Rachel, Esther, and Nyota started squealing over how cute Sonrisa was. Sirin was much more practical, estimating from her missing front teeth that the child was about five or six years of age. T'Pau commented on how fortunate the child was to find parents with medical and psychiatric training, as she was likely to need both kinds of therapy for a long time. Spock silently rejoiced for this hybrid child who would find love and acceptance in this unusual group of extended family and friends.

The "terrible trio" showed up just in time for lunch, bringing a crate full of vegetarian junk food and a case of beer. Jack and Bones knew each other from med school in Atlanta. They would be rooting for Georgia Tech in the soccer game, but be outnumbered by the Stanford Medical School grads, Sirin, Rachel, and Lewis. Spock had completed post-doctorate work at Stanford. Jim and Scotty were just looking for a good game. Nyota was simply hoping her shipmates would not embarrass her in front of her family.

T'Pau found the rivalry fascinating. She had played soccer, or ash-ya'dukal, as a student and young woman. Soccer was one of the first Terran games to be played on Vulcan after First Contact was made. However, no permanent teams were ever formed, nor was there any institutional pride at stake.

Bones followed Sirin, Rachel, Spock, and Nyota into the den.

"So what's this all about, Rachel?"

"Spock has been having very disurbing nightmares. They started after the Genocide, subsided for a while, and have now come back with a vengeance. Sirin did a healer's diagnostic meld and found him to be suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. He has been since the Genocide. Elder T'Pau has melded with him a few times, which has been very beneficial. However, Sirin and I think he needs anti-depressant therapy and counseling. Since you are his primary physician, it would be best if you ordered these."

"Damn it, Spock, I wish I had known this."

"Doctor, I really did not understand what was happening to me. I was embarrassed by the problem and thought that I should be able to deal with it on my own."

"Okay. I'm not gonna get on your case. You sought help and I'm gonna do my best to make sure you get all you need. So, doctors, what do you recommend as drug therapy?"

Rachel produced a bottle of capsules and handed them to Bones.

"Sirin and I have agreed that St. John's Wort is probably the safest, probably 200 mg twice a day, given his Body Mass Index. You can increase the dose up to 1000 mg total per day, if need be."

"We should probably start him on it right away. Spock, you'll need to take these with food, so no skipping meals as you are prone to do. Photosensitivity is a possible side effect, so wear sunscreen and sunglasses when exposed to U.V. light. There's one more thing, Spock. Jim's gonna have to know about this. PTSS has the potential to affect duty performance. Also, he's your friend and he'll want to help. It would be better if you told him."

"Agreed."

At half-time, Spock asked Jim if he would like to see his antique Harley, which Sirin stored in the garage for him. Jim sensed that Spock wanted to talk about more than motorcycles, so he followed out to the garage without question.

"That's a cool bike, buddy, but I think you wanted to get me alone to tell me something."

"You are correct, Jim. I've been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, resulting from the Genocide. I have started drug therapy and will receive counseling when we return to the Enterprise. You needed to know this because it might impact the performance of my duties."

"Well, my friend, that's one more thing we have in common. I suffer from it, too."

"You, Jim? May I ask what happened?"

"My trauma was a two-parter. My mom was a Starfleet officer who left me with an abusive stepfather. Finally, he and my mom divorced and I was shipped off to relatives on Tarsus IV."

Spock nearly gasped.

"Tarsus IV?"

"I was one of just a few survivors, just hours away from being executed when Starfleet rescued us."

"Jim, I had no idea."

"It's okay. It doesn't really make for pleasant conversation, and I can't stand the pity that often results when people find out. So I'll keep your secret, and you keep mine, okay?"

"Agreed."

"Good. Let's go back in and see how Georgia's doing."

"I am supporting Stanford."

Georgia Tech beat the pants off of Stanford. Bones and Jack did a school "happy dance" in the middle of the family room floor. This brought a silent chorus of raised eyebrows from the Vulcans.

After they had all consumed pie and beer, the doctors got to talking. They all wanted to know what Jack and Lewis had done during their six months on New Vulcan. Jack had worked in a clinic, mostly doing general practice, with the occasional surgery. Lewis had done a lot of counseling. He estimated that roughly a quarter of the surviving Vulcans suffered from some form of PTSS.

That statement captured Bones' attention.

"Gee, Lewis, that's a high percentage! How are they treating it?"

"They generally start with mind melds. Obviously, I couldn't help with that. But then we use a combination of counseling and drug therapy. One more thing that seems to help is participation in some sort of leisure activity, something creative like art or music."

The resulting mental image disturbed Bones greatly. He knew both Spock and Jim had heard Lewis' comment. Now they would have an excuse to play that damn heavy metal music more often! Spock had been giving Jim guitar lessons.

After all the company had gone, Spock and Nyota packed everything they could, as they would be heading back to the Enterprise in the morning. It had been an interesting couple of days. It seemed that their circle of family and friends would continue to grow. They were a diverse group, but they had a genuine affection and concern for one another. They helped and respected each other. And as to the matter of offspring, it seemed everyone was doing it! Spock's and Nyota's outlook for the future was hopeful.