Disclaimer: It's like what I've been telling you all along. I don't own Star Trek, any of the canon characters, nor do I make any profit from my writings.

Azizi

It had been only two days since Nyota finished the Jorian Language course and sent it off to Dr. Peng, the head of the Xenolinguistics department at Starfleet Academy. Peng must have spent all his free time reviewing the material because he had already made an eager subspace call, greeting Nyota in formal Jorian.

"Lieutenant, this is is very impressive work. We'll start using this program in the Language Lab next semester. I know that you and Commander Spock have another year left on the Enterprise. However, I

will have teaching positions for you both if you want them when the mission is over. This is definitely something you might wish to consider, as you have a child on the way."

"Thank you, Dr. Peng. We'll have to get back to you on that."

Even though Nyota had raised the temperature of their quarters somewhat, Spock was wearing three layers of clothes. It was Friday night and time for another holophoto, the latest in the series of side views of Nyota's belly that Spock had been capturing since they learned of the pregnancy.

Nyota put on the "red-hot lover" jammies she had "borrowed" from her husband. Initially, they had been huge on her. Now they sat low on her hips with the drawstring let out all the way, her tummy peeking out under the t-shirt. The legs, however, were still too long and rolled up. Nyota giggled as Spock snapped the picture.

"I don't know if these will fit for another two weeks. Anyway, Len seems to think it will happen before then. When I saw him this morning, he said my belly had dropped and Azizi was already in position with his head down. I'm anxious for him to get here."

"As am I, beloved, though not before it is time for him to do so."

Nyota lay on the bed while Spock rubbed her feet. Healer T'Mena had sent more of the tea herbs for a her foot bath as well as the same blend that had been mixed in a lotion. It really helped with the swelling. Nyota was nearly asleep when the comm link chimed. It was Alhamisi and M'Umbha calling from Kenya, as they had done every other night for the past three weeks.

"Good evening, children."

"Good evening, Mama and Baba. No, I have not had the baby yet. Honestly, we would call you!"

Nyota rolled her eyes.

M'Umbha crossed her arms in front of her, a little miffed at her daughter's attitude.

"Well, excuse me for worrying about my daughter so far away out there in space and depriving me of seeing my grandson's birth!"

Alhamisi pinched his wife and whispered not quite softly enough "Dearest, do not antagonize our pregnant daughter. Remember the hormones..."

"Baba! How dare you! I'm not hormonal!" Nyota now had her arms crossed in front of her.

Spock wondered if he could diffuse the situation.

"Mama, I am sending you a copy of the call list Nyota has prepared for me. You and Baba are the first to be notified after the birth."

M'Umbha seemed somewhat mollified.

"Okay, Spock, I will hold you to that. Goodnight, children."

"Goodnight, Mama and Baba."

Nyota actually growled at the screen as it went dark.

"Spock, you don't think I'm a hormonal mess, do you?"

Spock was uncertain as how best to answer, remembering Nyota's tears the last time he had answered a difficult question truthfully. Nyota had asked him if her favorite, but very tight red t-shirt had made her stomach look big.

"Nyota, you are my beautiful, very pregnant bondmate. Your behavior is within normal parameters."

"Spock, that's a chicken's way of saying yes."

Spock wisely said nothing as he helped Nyota get comfortable. He centered himself and placed his hand on Nyota's belly. Little bumps could be seen pushing out toward him, as though the baby's hand was seeking contact. T'Mena had said that Azizi was a strong telepath. Spock had felt his presence more strongly of late, but the thoughts were not yet organized. Mostly they were just shared sensations. Spock was not concerned. He would touch his son in person soon enough.

Nyota's parents were not the only ones anxious to hear about the baby. Over the next few days it seemed that everyone they knew found an excuse to contact them.

Spock's cousin Johnathan Grayson called to see how things were going and to inform them that his brother Jacob and wife Lydia were expecting another son.

T'Pela thanked them for the baby toys as she inquired about Nyota's health. Nyota had boxed up most of the duplicates they had received and shipped them to the young healer. T'Pela would be able to share them with her pediatric patients.

Kehel sent a message from Rigel, inquiring about Nyota's health and informing them that Chohara had given birth to a healthy son. They had named him Rhys.

Things were also going well for Shrelb. He had finally gotten married. Unfortunately this had not gotten Shras off his back. Now the old man was pestering him for a grandchild.

Tauril and T'Pau were a bit more subtle, allowing the children to make the subspace call instead. Saavik informed them that she was actually enjoying school, as two of her classmates had also been rescued from Hellguard. Big brother Sarek was back from Terra. He had finished her harp and started giving her lessons.

Senar thanked Spock for the Enterprise model he had sent and told him all about visiting the new starbase site with "Uncle Selek."

Selek and T'Mardis informed them that starbase construction was going well, as was T'Mardis' pregnancy. When Nyota asked about T'Ameela, Selek shook his head sadly.

"She and Vorel are keeping company, but I believe that she still misses the Doctor."

Sybok's wife T'Veri sent a very special gift. A Terran friend who did not know their customs had given the Vulcan couple a lovely baby book. Ever the artist, T'Veri had purchased a blank parchment book and and copied it, customizing it for Spock and Nyota. She drew the illustrations herself and left space for dual entries, so that data such as first tooth and haircut could be written in Kiswahili and High Vulcan.

Sarek and T'Sela demonstrated a bit more patience that Nyota's parents. They kept their communications brief and limited them to every fourth day. However, Sarek did manage to stress that he would appreciate news of his grandson's birth when it was convenient for Spock to inform him of such.

Old healer Thorgal contacted Spock to inform him that both females who had been inseminated with his "genetic contribution" were pregnant. Videla and T'Shen will have a daughter, Telen and T'Seva a son.

Nyota's favorite message was a nice long video that Sirin and Rachel sent from San Francisco. Their annual Valentine's Day party featured prominently.

There were shots of Esther dancing with Nyota's Uncle Rubanza, who was visiting San Francisco. It was shocking to see Chernal on the dance floor. Since her knee surgery, she had been taking salsa lessons at the Senior Center with Jack's mother Corazon. Both ladies had brought dates to the party, widowed brothers who lived next door.

It was quite the treat to see little Torel, healthy, laughing, dancing with Sonrisa, and then wrestling with Jason. Hannah, Krysta, and T'Lonna had all gotten into the cookies. Rachel sent cute shots of their frosting covered faces.

Sirin included images of the new addition being built onto Jack and Lewis' house. The place had gotten way too crowded of late, especially with the addition of two Bernese Mountain dogs.

The video ended with the S'chn T'gai-Silversteins and Wyatt-Mamakunians all assembled in the family room. Jack held up a finger.

"Okay, everybody...on the count of three...One...two...three!"

"We love you. Don't forget to call us when the baby comes. And send pictures!"

Nyota was starting to get a bit cranky with her confinement. She made her complaints to the good doctor at one of her now daily appointments. Bones decided that since the baby's lungs were now mature, she could begin doing a bit more.

"I still want you to take it easy, but you could do a bit more walking around, maybe 30 minutes twice a day. That will increase your stamina and make things a bit easier when it comes time to deliver. Just make certain you have the hobgoblin or someone else with you. No wandering deserted corridors alone. I don't need that kind of emergency."

"Okay, Len. I'll behave."

Spock was aching to partake in the planet side survey of Clerian V, with a climate much like the world of his birth. Jim could understand why, as he had recently visited Spock and Nyota's quarters. Nyota had the temperature set so low that even he, the veteran of many Iowa winters, was freezing his butt off.

Spock had taken a mid morning tea break with Jim. Together they had read Simon La Plante's fascinating report of the desert flora and fauna.

"Captain, perhaps I might visit the planet's surface for just a few hours. I would enjoy inspecting the ten meter edible cacti in person."

Jim looked at his Vulcan friend like he was insane.

"No way, buddy. If something happens to you this close to the delivery, your wife will have my hide. I'm more afraid of her than I am of you. She might punch me in the stomach again..."

Jim was interrupted by a subspace call from Admiral Pike.

"Good morning, gentlemen. I was just wondering how the mission was going and whether Lt. Uhura has had the baby yet..."

Spock had hurried out of their quarters after an emergency call from one of the bio labs. He had to quickly change into his uniform, as he had not been scheduled to work a shift that day. He left his clothes on a chair and his sneakers on the floor, intending to deal with them later when the crisis had passed. He gave Nyota, who was still in bed, a quick kiss and ran out the door.

Nyota slept for a few hours and then got up to shower and dress. Spock had essentially waited on her hand and foot while she was restricted to bed rest. Now that Bones was allowing her to do more, Nyota decided that she could at least pick up after her hubby a bit.

She laughed as she folded Spock's heavy sweats and hoodie. The poor guy was freezing in his own residence, but made no complaint about it. The pregnancy would not last much longer and the rooms would have to be warmer for an infant.

When she bent over to pick up Spock's sneakers, Nyota felt a sharp pain. It was a contraction. There were still ten days left until her due date. She sat down on the bed and threw the offending shoes toward the closet.

Spock chose just that moment to return from the lab. As he crossed the room, he was hit in the left eye by flying footwear.

"Oh, Spock. I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"

"It is of no consequence, Nyota. However, I sense that you are in pain. Should we go to Sickbay?"

"Not yet. We should just call them to let Len know I'm having contractions. We do need to time them, though. This might take days."

"Very well, then."

The contractions were very mild and irregularly spaced at first, then evened out to one every ten minutes, then every eight. After about eight hours, they were coming in five minute intervals. It was time to go to Sickbay. Spock picked up the bags they had packed well in advance, one for Nyota and one for Azizi.

Dr. M'Benga was on duty. While he was preparing to check the degree of cervical dilation, Nyota's contractions abruptly stopped. M'Benga sent the couple back to their quarters with an ice pack for Spock's black eye. He ordered them to get some sleep. Labor might start up again at any time.

Nyota woke up at 03:39 with an intense contraction and yelped in pain. Spock tried to soothe her discomfort through their bond. It worked for a while. Spock entered each contraction in a PADD, recording its duration and the time elapsed from the last one.

By 07:15, the contractions were back to five minutes apart and lasting thirty seconds. It was time to return to Sickbay.

Bones checked her cervix and gave them the bad news. At only six centimeters dilated, the labor might go on for hours. He told them to leave their bags in Sickbay and start walking the corridors.

They walked for two hours, Nyota stopping every so often when a contraction hit. Spock would put a hand on the small of her back to support her and she would squeeze his hand until it passed. Spock was getting bruises where his wife's nails dug into his flesh, but still made no complaint.

When Nyota couldn't stand up any more, Spock carried her back to Sickbay. Bones did another quick exam and liked what he saw.

"Hey, we've made progress, eight centimeters. You can start pushing at ten."

Nyota groaned.

"How much longer will that take?"

"There's no tellin', darlin'. Might still be hours. I could speed things up a little bit by breaking the amniotic sac. I'd like to do that anyway, so I can have a sample of the fluid to test for meconium."

Nyota breathed through another contraction then asked "What's meconium?"

"It's baby poop. Sometimes they don't wait 'til they're born to drop a load. When that happens, it can get into their lungs on the way down the birth canal. If we know about it ahead of time, we can be prepared."

Nyota looked at her husband, who stood next to her, rubbing her back.

"I'm getting really tired. Spock. I'd like to speed things along. I also want that fluid tested."

"I agree, beloved. I think it might be best."

"Let's do it, Len."

Christine gave Bones a sterile instrument with a hook on one end and a sterile container to catch the fluid. The procedure itself was painless, but a powerful contraction followed.

Nyota grunted and flailed her arms, accidentally smacking Spock soundly on the mouth. He now had a fat lip to go with his black eye.

Bones couldn't help himself. He had to chuckle a bit over this.

"Wow, she really popped you a good one! The good news is that the fluid is nice and clear."

Forty-five minutes later, Nyota had dilated to ten centimeters. Bones had Christine bring in the plexiglass bassinet and start warming it. He made Spock change into Sickbay scrubs and then sit on the biobed behind his wife.

"You're gonna help her hold her legs back when she pushes."

Bones looked at the monitor and saw that another contraction was about to start.

"Okay, darlin', push with the contraction, just like we taught you in childbirth class."

Nyota spent the next half hour pushing with her contractions. Azizi slowly made his way down the birth canal. Spock tried to encourage her and to help her control the pain through their bond.

"Remember, beloved, pain is a thing of the mind. It can be mastered. You must concentrate."

Nyota concentrated on pushing and the contraction she was having. When it had passed, she was a bit annoyed with her calm and logical husband. Instead of communication through the bond, she actually yelled at him.

"Spock, you should try pushing a soccer ball out through your nostril a millimeter at a time and see whether the pain is all in your mind!"

When the next contraction hit and Spock held her legs back, Nyota dug her nails into his forearms until they bled. Bones had to have another nurse come in and bandage them so that the delivery area wouldn't be contaminated.

Again, the good doctor couldn't hide his amusement.

"I wonder which of you will be in worse shape by the time this is over. Okay, I know you're getting tired, but give me a few good pushes and this will all be over."

Bones was right. After three more pushes, S'chn T'gai Azizi Solkar cha Spock made his appearance.

Azizi yelled his head off as Bones cleared his airway. The little guy had a pinkish cast to his skin, a strong pulse, grimaced when his foot was tickled, actively resisted having his limbs extended, and his respiration was excellent. A perfect Apgar score of ten! Bones placed him on the blanket on his mama's belly and cut and sealed the umbilical cord. He delivered the placenta while the parents admired their newborn.

Nyota cradled her baby boy and cooed to him reassuringly. Spock immediately touched his son's face to begin establishing the familial bond. Azizi recognized his father and felt calmer and more secure, though Spock could sense his annoyance at being evicted from his warm, safe, and dark abode. This new place was too bright and too chilly.

After a few moments, Christine took Azizi and gave him his first bath. She put a special diaper on him that would enable a urine sample to be collected. The Vulcan healers had told Bones of a few metabolic disorders that would not be evident in a DNA scan, but were easily tested for in urine.

When Azizi was warm, dry, and fully dressed, Christine gave him back to his exhausted mama. She wanted to hold her boy again before she fell asleep. Spock sat in a chair next to the bio bed, simply admiring them both.

When Nyota's eyes started to close, Spock reached over and took his son, holding him for the very first time.

Bones was certain he would remember that moment for the rest of his life, even if he forgot everything else. The logical, emotionally controlled First Officer of the Enterprise actually smiled a tiny smile.

Jim couldn't stand it any longer. Nyota and Spock had been in Sickbay for hours and no one had told him anything. When Beta shift ended, he made his way down there to see what was going on.

Bones stood in one of the small private rooms, having just completed a full body scan on Azizi. Everything looked good and most of the little guy's anatomy was Human. The major exceptions were his brain, dense skeleton, ears and eyebrows, and his genitals. Azizi had inherited his daddy's retractable "treasure."

The little guy's skin was the color of cafe au lait. He had inherited Spock's ears, eyebrows, and large brown eyes. The nose, chin, and hands were all Nyota. Azizi had gotten the best of both his parents.

"Everything looks fine, Spock. We just need to do the blood and urine tests. If you hold him and expose one foot, I'll take a little sample from one heel. That will probably make him mad enough to pee."

Spock did as the doctor requested. Bones cleaned off the little foot and gently poked it with a small device that collected a minute blood specimen. Azizi vocalized his anger until Spock was able to soothe him. Then Spock laid him down in the bassinet and Bones checked the diaper.

Neither heard Jim enter the room.

"He's here. Oh, he is so cute!"

Jim drew closer.

"Hey, wait a minute. I thought you said he was a boy! Where's his "boy stuff?"

Just then Azizi's "boy stuff" made an appearance and released a stream of urine that caught Jim right in the face.

Bones nearly laughed until he cried.

"Well I guess we know what he thinks of you!"

Bones quickly grabbed another diaper and got it on the baby. He cradled Azizi in his arms.

"You're Uncle Leonard's good boy. We're gonna be the best of pals. I can tell already."

Spock sat down at the computer terminal in Bones' office. He uploaded his son's image and the family picture that Christine had snapped and then contacted Alhamisi and M'Umbha in Kenya.

"I would like to inform you of the birth of S'chn T'gai Azizi Solkar cha Spock."

M'Umbha started firing questions at him, but Alhamisi cut him off.

"Let the boy talk, woman. He looks exhausted."

"Thank you, Baba. Azizi arrived two hours ago. He and Nyota are both in good health and I am sending pictures. It is very late here and I must also contact my father. I am sending a few pictures. Nyota will most likely speak with you tomorrow."

"Good night, Spock. Sleep well, my son, for you will need it when the baby comes home."

Sarek listened intently as Spock told him of the arrival of his first grandson. He wholeheartedly approved of the name that had been chosen, one that honored the cultures and traditions of both the parents. Sarek also sensed that Azizi would be given complete freedom to choose his own way, not made to adhere strictly to one path or the other. Spock and Nyota would be good and understanding parents.

As Spock prepared to terminate the call, Sarek stopped him, noticing his son's bruised eye and lip.

"My son, have you been in some sort of battle?"

Spock sighed a small, tired sigh and told Sarek how he had acquired his "wounds." When the tale of woe was finished, he ended their communication and recorded a message which he sent out to the rest of the friends and relatives on Nyota's list.

Satisfied that his chores were finished, he returned to his quarters for a well-deserved rest.

Bones sat in his office with Jim, who had a seat opposite him. They were both sipping on Bones' treasured Kentucky bourbon. The usually cranky doctor still had a smile on his face. Jim could help but comment.

"You certainly seem happy."

"Why shouldn't I be? I delivered a healthy hybrid kid, Nyota beat Spock up, the hobgoblin smiled, and the little guy peed on you. This might have been one of my best days ever!"

Bones kept Nyota and Azizi in Sickbay for two nights, just to be certain that nothing was wrong. Spock borrowed a wheelchair and took his family to their quarters. The place was absolutely immaculate and warmed to 25.5 degrees. Spock had been very busy.

Nyota changed into a favorite pair of Spock's pajamas and nursed the baby before taking a nap. When her eyelids started to droop, she handed the little one off to his daddy.

Spock took his son to the rocking chair and settled in. He gently made contact with Azizi's psi points and strengthened the parental bond. As before, there were no real cohesive thoughts to be found, but the infant sent his father feelings of peace, security, and contentment. It was a very good beginning, the fulfillment of a wish Spock had not even dared to make a few years ago.

Spock had been taught to revere logic. Logic would have separated him from Nyota, sent him off to help build the new Vulcan home world, and had him believe that fatherhood was impossible. No, logic had not brought him to this place. Love had. Perhaps love was more powerful than logic.

When she awoke a few hours later, she found that Spock lying next to her. Azizi lay sleeping in Sarek's wooden cradle, which Spock had placed in the bed between them.

Spock must have sensed his wife's eyes upon him, for he stirred a moment later.

"Hi, handsome. Did you have sweet dreams? No nightmares?"

"I did dream, a very pleasant dream. You, Azizi, and I were playing in the backyard of my mother's house in San Francisco. There was someone else there, too. A tiny baby girl."

"That is a pleasant dream. I hope you have more dreams like that, Spock, and that they all come true."

The End

A/N: That's it for now. I need to finish some of my other fics before starting another Spock and Uhura story. I need to get Sarek and T'Sela to Europe and Selek and T'Mardis together. Thanks for sticking with me to the end.