Just the Way I like It
One-Shot
Characters: Sp/Saa implied, OCs
Rating: G
Category: Humor
Summary: While on shore leave Saavik is urgently called back to her ship, leaving Spock alone with their twins. Chaos quickly ensues; however, Spock finds a way to bring the children back in line…
"Father, I do not wish to have plomeek soup tonight," T'Vis, his five year old daughter, said strongly. "The last time you made it, you did not put enough spices in it."
Spock quelled the desire to sigh as he took out the ingredients for the soup. He cherished his children deeply, but he was not sure he would be able to make it through one more tumultuous pre-dining ritual. "Not all of us enjoy foods as spicy as you do, my daughter. This way, everyone can enjoy their meal to their satisfaction."
"Father, we do not have any spices in this kitchen."
Spock closed the door to the cabinet a tad too forcefully, and he saw both his children jump slightly. Spock said nothing to T'Vis as he strode past her and her brother Tovik to the stove. He closed his eyes for a moment in silent victory. At last, he thought, silence.
"That is not the way Mother begins the soup," T'Vis insisted from near the disposal. The spoon fell and clattered on the side of the pot as Spock turned around.
"Perhaps you would like to prepare the dinner, T'Vis," Spock sternly said. T'Vis's head drooped, and she softly muttered she did not know how to make the soup. Spock's eyebrow rose in response to another possible victory, and returned to preparing the meal. "That is what I thought," he added firmly.
Mother, I apologize profusely for my behavior as a child. I ask for your forgiveness. Perhaps that is why I have been 'blessed' with vocal children. Or child, at least. The vocal behavior seems to have been limited to T'Vis. Perhaps then it is Saavik and not—
"Father, I am hungry."
Spock shook his head. If he did not do something, and quickly, the three of them would settle into an inescapable pattern. "That is why we are preparing the evening meal, T'Vis. It will be another fifteen minutes before the food is ready. If you do not believe you can wait that long—"
T'Vis's eyes widened. "I may have a snack?"
Spock removed the spoon from the pot and pointed it in the general direction of the estate's staircase. "No. If you do not believe you can wait that long without speaking, you may go to your room and wait until first meal tomorrow to eat."
Tovik sat during this entire exchange with a blank face, but after his ultimatum to T'Vis, Spock saw his son's lips curve upward in a small smile. Tovik looked to Spock, and then realized his father was watching him. The smile faded. Spock exhaled softly, and went back to maintaining the soup.
His daughter was evidently bored with waiting for dinner. Logically, she merely needed something to entertain her mind. "T'Vis," he called. "Come here. I will show you how to make the soup."
T'Vis walked towards the stove and stood at Spock's side.
"Father," Tovik asked quietly, "may I help?"
The thought of two children being close to the stove, cooking utensils, and foodstuffs had multiple endings, most of which ended with trips to the emergency room and explanations to Saavik. He knew, however, that he could not favor one child (even though he was simply trying to keep her silent and occupied) over the other, so he agreed. Tovik scurried over to stand on the left side of Spock.
Spock attempted to make preparing dinner interesting to them, which was not a difficult task seeing as he had been provided with an engrossed audience. When Spock began to add spices into the pot, T'Vis tugged on Spock's tunic.
"Father, may I put in the spice Mother likes?"
Spock could not remember Saavik putting anything 'special' in the soup, so he quickly put up his guard. His daughter was devious in some respects and it was very likely the soup would have the spiciest addition possible in it. Wanting to keep the peace, Spock acquiesced. He closed his eyes when T'Vis added the spices, not wanting to see what or how much she had put in.
When he opened his eyes, Spock saw his son trying to stifle a laugh, while T'Vis looked very pleased with herself. He merely took the pot off the stove and walked it to the table, the children close behind.
"Now," Spock said. "Before we begin to eat, let us set down one rule: if anyone complains about the quality of the food before us, that person will clear all the dishes from the table for the next week and shall wash them by hand in a bucket in the garden. Is this understood?" The two children nodded eagerly, and Spock dished out the food. They ate in customary silence.
Spock consumed three glasses of water during the meal, fighting to keep his composure. T'Vis managed to finish the soup with merely a half a glass of water, while her brother's face was a bright shade of green even as tears gathered at the corners of his eyes. Spock hoped the children had learned a lesson about altering the food and then having to eat it without complaint, but only time would tell.
The three of them began to clear the table, and T'Vis followed Spock into the kitchen with her bowl. "Did the meal please you, Father?"
Spock turned around to face her with a slight smile. "It was a bit spicy," he confessed, watching as his daughter's face lit up in triumph. However, he quickly added, to her dismay, "But it is just the way I like it."