Love Knows No Bounds
Chapter One
It's an old familiar story for many- a woman meets a man, and falls in love. Chaos ensues until he realizes that he indeed adores her, too. This tale will follow that predictable pattern while containing a couple of twists.
For one, the woman, Amanda, was from Earth, and the man, Sarek,was an alien from Vulcan. Second, she was a school teacher at the Academy in her late twenties, while he was an ambassador to the Federation from his planet nearing the age of fifty human years. Amanda was a high spirited, kind, impulsive, and a compassionate woman with a magnetic personality whereas Sarek was a quiet, calm, mysterious, highly logical man, almost like a sage, who chose his words carefully. Opposites attract after all.
Wistfully, Amanda thought about her first interaction with Sarek two months ago. She recalled how handsome he appeared in his ambassadorial robes, his chiseled face and dark mocha expressive eyes. Despite Sarek's emotionless face, there was something undefinable there, but it indeed displayed a tiny bit of emotion. Sarek's young son, Sybok, was a student at the Academy where Amanda taught although she was not his teacher. Her best friend and roommate, Fran, held that position. She just happened to be present after the school day ended when the stoic broad shouldered Vulcan showed up. Consequently, the brown haired human female's mouth plunged open when she saw the good looking man approach Fran's desk. Amanda felt like she was viewing him in tunnel vision, and all of her senses seemed to be at attention with the ambassador's presence. While the two conversed, Amanda could not get over how attractive the man was and how he seemed to affect her.
"Ambassador Sarek, May I introduce you to a fellow coworker and my roommate, Amanda Grayson?"
Fran interrupted her reverie with her words.
In reverence, he tilted his head downwards towards Amanda. With extreme anxiety, she greeted the Ambassador as her heart beat strengthened at his attention. Sarek's eyes flickered over her for a second but she didn't notice. Amanda was too distraught.
Since then, the Vulcan returned to Academy weekly in the guise of checking on Sybok in order to see the captivating human lady until he realized he could request Miss Grayson's assistance.
" Miss Grayson, I heard you tutor students who want to learn English better," Sarek inquired, strolling into her classroom unannounced one evening as she prepared the next day's lesson.
Shocked, Amanda peered up from her PADD and gave him a baffled expression. She had been deep in thought.
"Y-Yes, Ambassador, I do," she stammered as the attractive Vulcan stepped into the room like he owned it.
Amanda felt shivers travel the length of her spine as he spoke to her in that commanding voice of his, no doubt coming from his top level governmental position.
"Would you be able to tutor Sybok once a week?"
Nodding, she didn't speak because the words didn't seem to come. The slim human female gazed into Sarek's eyes to discover the reason for his request. Before Amanda could respond, he requested that Sybok's tutoring occur on Thursday afternoons from three to five in the afternoon for the next six weeks. Consenting, she gave him a slight smile. Sarek seemed to stare at her for second before continuing,
"My aunt, T'Pau, will retrieve Sybok on occasion if I am unable to arrive at the appropriate time here. Please inform me of an appropriate amount of payment for your services."
Caught off guard by his focus on her, Amanda threw a random number, fifty dollars a day, out to him.
"Quite acceptable. I will make the necessary monetary transfer by Sybok's first session. Thank you Miss Grayson for accepting this additional duty," Sarek concluded.
"But Ambassador, I," Amanda started to say, but he had turned on his heel then exited her room just as mysteriously as he appeared.
Later, Amanda and Fran were eating their evening meal at their residence.
"How much instruction do you find Sybok needing in English," Miss Grayson questioned her roommate.
"Only a little, why?"
Amanda shrugged and revealed that the Ambassador requested that she tutor Sybok in the subject. Her face altered to pink when she made her statement.
"Strange," Fran responded, arching one of her eyebrows like characteristically done by the Vulcans.
"I thought so," Amanda remarked, scooping some rice onto her plate. However, she didn't mind seeing Sarek once a week but she didn't have to say that. Both human females thought him to be attractive yet aloof and on occasion, charming. That was the Vulcan way after all.
For the next three weeks, Amanda assisted the Ambassador's son of five years of age. She sought Fran's guidance first then designed lessons in order to to extend his learning. Amanda found that she enjoyed working with Sybok, and he enjoyed when she read to him although he could read above the reading level of the Vulcans of his age.
"Sybok, May I ask a personal question?"
"As you wish," Sybok blandly responded as he solved a puzzle that Amanda had found for him.
"Where is your mother? "
"My Mother passed away while studying kohlinar three years ago," he answered.
Amanda's heart sank when she heard his response, and she knew that losing his mother would affect him, emotionally.
"I'm sorry," she solemnly stated, putting her hand on his arm for a moment.
Sybok had the same demonstrative eyes that the Ambassador had, and when they turned on her, Amanda saw pain. For a second anyway.
"It is of no consequence," the young Vulcan child rapidly stated, moving away so Amanda's hand didn't touch him. They sat in silence until the great Ambassador strode in the classroom with authority.
"Sybok, will you please wait in the hall for me so I can speak to Miss Grayson?"
Dutifully, his son put the puzzle away and followed his father's instruction.
"How is Sybok progressing," Sarek questioned, clasping his hands behind his back. He stood next to the human woman, who felt his presence by noting that every hair on her arm was standing up.
"Quite well. Sybok's reading skills have progressed a grade level," Amanda reported, gazing at the good looking Vulcan man for a moment after she spoke.
When Sarek's eyes met with hers, he observed curiosity, excitement and a bit of desire there.
"That is illogical," he thought to himself but forced the thought out of his mind. However, the Vulcan and the human eyed each other in curiosity for a few extended beats.
Miss Grayson did exhibit the characteristics of a human woman who was attracted to someone- her eyes were dilated and her breathing slightly ragged.
She was one of the better looking human females that he had met, her chestnut brown hair flowing down to her shoulders with a hint of a curl at the bottom, her luminescent hazel eyes sparkled as she smiled, and her voluminous glossy lips teased him when they conversed. The erudite Vulcan found himself pleasurably engaged ruminating about the lovely human woman standing in front of him.
"Ambassador," Amanda softly questioned, breaking the trance.
"Yes?" Sarek suddenly felt himself stand straighter as he snapped to attention with a feeling of guilt for letting his mind focus on her for so long.
"I would like to bring up a topic with you of a personal nature," Miss Grayson fearfully wondered, her hazel eyes looking down at her fidgeting hands.
Raising an eyebrow, I nodded for her to continue. It was about Sybok, and his late mother, T'Rea. Miss Grayson felt concerned that he wasn't letting himself feel the loss of his mother.
"Vulcans rarely show their feelings in public, if ever," the Ambassador replied stiffly.
"Forgive me for intruding, Ambassador. It is only out of concern for your son," she hurriedly exclaimed, her voice raising an octave. Miss Grayson turned her attention to an object on the table behind her until I broke the silence, perplexed,
"Most peculiar. Are you under the impression that I am unhappy with you?"
"Yes, I..was, Uhm, nosy," Amanda regretfully responded, facing me.
"I'm not familiar with that term, nosy. Please explain," Sarek responded, his mouth changing into a thin frown.
"Interfering," the human woman swiftly clarified.
"That is highly illogical. You have taken time to tutor my son, and you brought up an issue with which you were preoccupied. I don't call that 'nosy'- I call it…caring," Sarek mentioned, stepping closer to her. The way the Vulcan said that last word displayed his awe of the earth woman.
Miss Grayson's eyes lit up in joyfulness at the compliment, and felt her cheeks redden. She could smell the Ambassador's nautical cologne from the short distance between them, and she felt a wave of desire float through her body. Amanda wanted to throw her arms around Sarek's waist and crush her lips against him intensely. However, this was her life not a fairytale so she instead whispered, "thank you, Ambassador."
Sarek's lips on the right side twitched upwards for a moment before he said his goodbye, leaving Amanda in a daze.
Five weeks later
Amanda's contract to teach on Vulcan ended at the resolution of the term, which was now only one week away. She and her roommate had taught for two years here and one on the Tellurite planet. In their contracts, it stated for every three years an educator taught in space, she would spend teaching on Earth for a minimum of six months without exception afterward.
Both Fran and Amanda as emotional human females felt remorse about leaving their respective students. The latter felt strongly about leaving too because she would no longer be in contact with Sarek. Her disappointment only grew as the time passed as did her admiration and affection towards him. For the past four weeks, Sarek had spent fifteen minutes after Sybok's lesson in the pretense of inquiring about his son's progress to converse with Amanda. He inquired about her time on the fiery Vulcan planet and any hobbies that she enjoyed. Meanwhile, Amanda learned that he was the second son and third child out of seven in his family and originally had an occupation as an astrophysicist. Their conversations were quite pleasant and engaging.
The last tutoring session Amanda and Sarek lingered in her classroom as Sybok went to use the restroom.
"When do you leave, Miss Grayson?"
"Next Tuesday then I have a one week vacation before I report to my next teaching assignment," Amanda informed, sighing at her half empty classroom. She would have to use the whole day tomorrow to finish cleaning it.
"I see. I hope your time on Vulcan has been acceptable," Sarek replied.
"It has, I enjoyed it much more than the Tellurite planet I was assigned to before," Amanda commented, lowering her head and peering at the Vulcan through her eyelashes. She batted them at Sarek afterwards and gave him a coy smile. Amanda wasn't sure if she would ever see him again and desperately wanted to kiss him. Moreover, she wanted to see if he would kiss her back.
"May I say goodbye to you as one would to someone on Earth?"
Inclining his head, Sarek wordlessly gazed at Amanda. She told him to close his eyes first before she inched closer to him and felt his steady breath on her face. He was even more handsome up close. Viewing Sarek's lips, Amanda moved so she could be liplocked with the Ambassador.
His lips were delightful, smooth as silk and tasted like something familiar she couldn't put her finger on. Amanda did not want to press her luck by possibly offending him so she reluctantly withdrew from the tall Vulcan. Happily, she opened her eyes to observe his reaction.
Sarek's eyes held a mischievous twinkle as he peered, and Miss Grayson giggled.
"Would it then be appropriate for me to do the same?" He seductively inquired, placing his hands on the sides of her waist. She noted that Sarek's able hands were warm yet gentle.
"Yes, Ambassador," Amanda huskily whispered, attempting to hold her excitement down to a minimum.
At that moment, Sarek exerted a bit of force to pull her body against his chest, then he claimed her mouth with his own confidently. The two began an blissful open mouth kiss for an extended time. Sarek knew that he shouldn't be kissing Amanda, that it may lead to more dangerous things that have consequences, but he couldn't find it in his heart to care. His hormones raged as they kissed and held each other close.
" I…will… miss… you…so…Sarek," Amanda murmured after she broke off the kiss. She needed to breathe and was currently panting. Shutting her eyes, Amanda placed her head on his broad chest as she put her arms around his waist. He moved his right arm protectively over her back. Both relished the moment of closeness together in silence while simultaneously communicating their fondness for each other.
"As I will miss you, Amanda," Sarek replied
A light beeping from the comm interrupted their intimate moment.