Amanda sighed as she gently ran the cold washing cloth over her young son's face, wiping away the remains of dirt and blood that clung to his cheeks and pooled under his nose. His flawless features were distorted with bruises, swollen making him seem so ….pitiful. He was silent through the entire ordeal taking it all with the regalement expected of him by his family. After all, he was Vulcan and Vulcans do not cry.

"Spock, can you tell me exactly what happened?"

Brown eyes locked onto Amanda's own as she reached placing a stray strand of black hair behind his pointed ears. Her fingers ran over his cheeks gracing the large abrasion that was sure to mark him for a weeks. The youth winced drawing back; something he rarely did under his mother's caress. Guilt, Pain, Fear all poured into those revealing human eyes before he quickly turned away.

"It is nothing to worry about, Mother. I ….handled the situation."

Spock had indeed handled the teasing and insults with the restraint of a practiced adult, but he was not one. When the subject breech of his mother came to play, something had snapped inside him and like a wild animal he pounced. His bruised knuckles were tell-tale signs of the scrimmage and the part he played in it.

"Spock...."

He winced under his mother's gentle yet firm tone. He wanted to tell her, talk to her, explain the reason behind his actions. Justify himself as an acting logical member of the party, but he could find no strong reasoning behind his thoughts. Turning back towards her, Spock hung his head in shame his growing bangs covering up his eyes.

"There was a ...fight."

"I can see that, Honey, but I need to know why. I can't save you from your father or T'Pau until I know why...."

Spock tried to form the words, keeping his emotions in check like he had been trained to do, but at nine years old this was still a difficult task for him. It would always be difficult; his human side was far to strong to be suppressed. Even if he didn't see it himself, his mother did. As his frame began to shake, words breaking up with nervous anxiety and fear, Amanda leaned down pulling her only child into a tight embrace. Her husband would not approve of this indulgence and comfort, but he was not here now. She was free to care for her son as she saw fit.

"They...The....I don't know why, mother. They insult me, insult father...." A small pause filled the room with silence as Spock snuggled closer to her chest. "They insult you....I just couldn't take it anymore."

"Shh...." Amanda began to make a rocking motion as she had done when he was just an infant and in desperate need of a nap. "It's okay, baby. I'm sure there was a valid reason behind your actions."

"Why do they do this? ...Why do they hate me? It is illogical to do so and very Un-Vulcan. Hate is an emotion...a bad one."

"Oh, Spock...sometimes people can be cruel. I had hoped you would be spared this, but I guess even a place such as Vulcan has its prejudice..."

"How do I change it...."

A small sniffle. As Amanda had expected, Spock had been silently weeping against her robe leaving small wet patterns across her front. She pulled him back so that she could look him in the eye. She once again began to gently stroke his features.

"Hold You Head High. Don't ever let anyone kill that fire burning in your heart, my son." A small smile spread across her features as her hand reached the tip of his small ear. "Live with all the passion of a Vulcan and fight like a human...."