The Two Big Ones
Chapter ten - Honeymoon On the Water
Bretagne, Earth
June 2263
Spock
When morning came, the traffic on the river here near the coast increased considerably. Their little canalboat rocked in the wake of larger vessels. And there was noise from the river and from the footpath. Nyota stirred against him and murmured into his neck. He bent his face and whispered in her ear. "Would you like fresh croissants for breakfast?"
"Oh, you are a devil!" She stretched her body, rubbing against him very provocatively.
"I will go and buy them if you will make the tea and finish bundling up the laundry."
"That's a deal." She turned her face and kissed him once and then sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She started for the door to the hall and then remembered all the windows and came back for her robe.
He rose and dressed quickly, and was out of the boat and climbing the hill before she was even out of the bathroom. It did not take him long to reach the bakery he remembered, right at the top of that steep hill. He purchased the croissants and was about to take the bag when something else caught his eye. A quick question confirmed his suspicion and two more items joined the croissants in the bag. And then he was off, back down the hill, being careful on the cobblestones, still slick from the morning dew.
She had dressed in jeans and sweater again today and had the water steaming by the time he returned. She already had the cups and tea on the table. He set the bag down and slid onto the padded bench, watching her. She carried the steaming pot to the table and set it down on the mat she had placed there and reached inside the bag. What she brought out was not a croissant. Her eyes widened as she looked at what she held in her hand. She turned her face to him. "Pan de chocolate? Spock, you can't eat this for breakfast. We're heading down the river today."
"But this evening? Surely then."
"Yes, then." She grinned. "But I'm going to keep close watch on this bag until then." She reached back inside the bag and came out with two large croissants, passing one to him. And then she opened the jar of orange marmalade and spooned some onto her croissant. At the look on his face, she dipped the end of her finger into the orange glop and stuck it into his mouth. It was sweet and tart at the same time. Interesting. He added a much smaller amount to his. It went pleasantly with the tea. Why had he never tried this before?
While they ate, they read those brochures again, checking to be sure they knew how to do everything.
When all that was left were the two rolls reserved for the evening, Nyota folded over the top of the bag securely and disappeared with it. He did not watch her go, for he could smell it quite clearly. However, he would wait until this evening. But he would think about it between now and then.
She returned with the bundle of laundry. He rose and followed her out to the back deck, locking the door and then jumping lightly up onto the pathway. He reached down and took the bundle from her and held out his other hand to steady her as she climbed up beside him. Down the pathway, just a short distance, and they were at the laundry. Inside it took only a minute to give their instructions. All would be ready in an hour. They would use that time to buy a few more groceries, things they had realized this morning that they needed.
They bought what they wanted, put it away in the kitchen, and returned to pick up their laundry. And then they were ready. She went to the bridge and seated herself in the pilot's chair, starting the engine while he watched. And then he was out the back door again, up on the pathway, undoing the knots that held the ropes to the posts there. Tossing the ropes down into the boat, he jumped back on board and walked back to the bridge, the thrum of the engines vibrating against the soles of his feet. He stood behind her, hands on the top of her chair, as she slowly turned the boat away from the bank, and then started forward. When she had reached the center of the right half of the river, she slowly increased the speed, until they were moving steadily down through the lower part of the town. Sure now that she would not need his help, he moved to the other seat and settled in.
For some time there were boats tied up on both sides of the river, small businesses on the far side of the pathway that lined both sides. There was much traffic, and some of it moved much to fast, causing large wakes that rocked their boat. Once or twice she muttered a curse in Klingon as she struggled with the tiller, but she did not ask for help, nor did he volunteer. And then there were no more boats against the shore and no more businesses, just trees and hills. It was very peaceful. He found himself sliding softly towards a meditative state. He felt her, there in the back of his mind, calm and happy, and let himself slide even further.
Nyota
She turned her head just enough to see him there, his eyes fluttering shut, and smiled. This was good for him, then, just as she had thought. They were in a long, straight stretch of the river, with no locks anywhere near them, the weather was perfect, and there was little traffic. She settled down, relaxed, and let her gaze wander over the tree covered hills, down to the water, occasionally seeing someone walking along the pathway on one side of the river or the other. This was so nice. It had been the perfect choice.
After a while, she began to wish she had something to drink. She looked over in his direction, but he was still sitting there, so still, his eyes closed. She felt only a deep sense of peace across the link. Well, she could wait. When her bladder began to complain, however, she reluctantly decided she must rouse him. She extended a soft tendril down the link toward him, sliding gently into his awareness so as not to startle him. She watched as his eyelids fluttered against his cheeks and then he was opening his eyes and looking at her. "Yes, Nyota?"
"Can you take over for a short while?"
He rose and moved to her side, laying his hands on the wheel beside hers. She let loose and slid out of the seat, moving back so that he could sit where she had been. She bent over and brushed his temple with her lips, softly, and then moved quickly back through the boat to the bathroom. When she came out, she went to the kitchen and set about making tea. She came back to the bridge with two large mugs in her hands, and found the molded depression on the dash and set his there. She stood beside him, feet braced against the gentle rocking of the boat and sipped her tea, looking out over the bright water. They rounded a wide bend in the river and there ahead was a small town. She read the name on the sign on the end of the dock, and picked up the map from the table. "The first lock is about ten kilometers down the river."
He nodded. "When you have finished your tea, you should resume piloting. I will handle the lock." He picked up his cup and drank deeply. "Is this the tea you bought this morning?"
"Yes. Good, isn't it?"
"Very. If we see this again, we should buy some to take back to the Enterprise."
She ran her hand along the back of his neck, rubbing her fingers in the short hairs there. He made a small sound, happy. She finished her tea and took the mug back to the kitchen. When she returned, he slipped out of the pilot's seat, still holding the wheel, and she slid back in. When she had the wheel again, he took his tea from the dash and finished it, carrying his mug to the kitchen as well. He strode back through the boat, out onto the back deck, and examined the ropes lying there. Then he mounted the gunnel and slid along the side of the boat, onto the pointed front deck, covering the engine, and examined the rope there, recoiling it. Back along the gunnel, and he ducked down into the hall again. "Everything seems ready."
"I can see the lock."
He came to stand beside her, looking intently at the concrete structure, barely visible in the morning haze. "When we are almost there, cut the speed down almost to idle and line up with the lock very carefully, then use just enough speed to drift into the lock. Once you are completely inside the lock, cut the speed to idle."
She nodded, intent on the current now. The structure drew closer. Now she could see the round stanchions on the top of the lock. She lined the boat up carefully with the sides of the lock, trying to stay right in the center. She cut the speed back and they drifted slowly into the lock. He went back through the boat quickly now, and when she cut the engine down to idle, he leapt from the gunnel to the concrete pier, rope in hand. Quickly he wound the rope around the stanchion, and then he was down on the front deck, bending to grab that rope, and then back onto the lock structure again, wrapping this rope around the other stanchion. She watched him, so full of grace, and felt once again how lucky she was that he was hers. She felt him, there in the back of her mind, warm and contented, amused at her reflections. She smiled as she watched him.
The lockmaster was there now and she could tell that the two men were talking, but she could not hear the words over the rumble of the engine. Suddenly the gates opened and the water poured out, the boat rocking. Spock had the ends of both ropes in his hands, and let them out slowly as the water level sank, keeping the boat steady in the center of the lock. When the noise and tumult died down, the boat steadied. Spock unwound the ropes from the stanchions and tossed them back onto the boat. Then he balanced himself and leapt lightly to the roof of the boat, running down the length until he could step off onto the bench at the back. And then he was busy, recoiling the ropes, while she slowly increased the speed and headed on down the river. It was not long before he was back inside, once again sitting in the other chair, looking out over the river.
At lunchtime, he sliced the bread and some cheese, added some of the small pickles and sliced a fresh red tomato. He brought these to her, feeding her with his fingers while she giggled at him. They passed another small town and a group of school children waved to them from the pathway at the river's edge. She waved back, smiling. Spock watched gravely.
Midafternoon they came to another lock. The river current was stronger here and she had more trouble lining the boat up correctly and keeping it from the sides of the lock. She finally cut the engine speed with a relieved sigh. When the gates opened, the water poured forth even more tumultuously than before. The boat shivered and rocked. She peered through the side window, up at Spock on the top of the lock structure and saw him braced, feet wide, hands clenched tightly about the ropes. The boat steadied, and as the water began to stabilize, Spock's posture subtly changed, becoming less tense. She relaxed and put her attention back to the boat, the river, the water level. And soon the ropes were flying through the air, hitting the deck, and she felt the slight jostle when his feet hit the roof. When he was back inside, she increased the speed, and soon they were headed down the river again, getting closer to the town where they had decided to tie up for the night.
They came out from between steep walls of stone, where the river had slowly eaten its way down, and the river widened, moving slower. On one side the ground was much flatter, giving way to farms, with crops growing in the fields. Spock peered from the windows, intrigued. He called her attention to people moving in the fields, apparently doing manual labor. And then there was a series of gentle bends, and there was the dock, the late afternoon sun shining brightly on the water. He stood and moved back through the boat again, taking one of the ropes and standing on the bench at the rear of the boat, ready to jump out onto the dock. But there was another man there, who motioned at him, so Spock tossed him the rope and ran lightly down the gunnel to the front of the boat, grabbing the other rope and leaping lightly onto the dock.
He stood there for a moment talking to the man and then was back into the boat again. She had cut the engine entirely, and suddenly the world was quiet again. "I have a recommendation for a restaurant for supper, if you are interested."
"Yes, I think a nice hot meal would be good." She bent and twisted, stretching out the stiffness from hours of sitting still. "And we could walk about the town as well."
He ran his hand along her back and she moved into him, leaning against his chest and looking up at his face. "And then, after the sun sets, we can eat our pan de chocolate." And she felt the heat flow out of him, into her, and grinned wickedly at him.
"I am looking forward to it." His bent his forehead down to hers and held her there, against him. "This was a most excellent suggestion, Nyota. I do not believe you told me who suggested this to you."
"It was my aunt Durra. You remember her. The one Selek was so taken with."
He cocked one eyebrow at her. "Taken with?"
"Yes. Attracted to. He hardly took his eyes off of her the whole time. You surely saw that."
"It would have been very difficult to miss. She did not seem to mind it very much."
She giggled. "She did not mind it at all. She asked me after they left if I knew how to contact him."
Again the eyebrow rose. "Are all the Uhura women so forward?" But the corners of his mouth quirked up at her.
"Not any more forward than the S'chn T'gai men. Do you remember, when the shuttle was leaving, that Selek asked something of me?"
"Yes, I only heard the word 'promise' though, so I do not know what he asked."
"He asked me to gently inquire whether his attentions would be welcomed. And then he made me promise to send him her contact information." She grinned widely at him. And then her face became more serious. "How much time does he have left to find someone?"
"A year, perhaps a little more. And my father not much longer." He held her quietly. "They could both do much worse than an Uhura woman."
She rubbed her face against his neck. "Slick talker. Such flattery."
He rumbled at her, the feel of her lips against his skin beginning to ignite him.
She sighed. "Perhaps we better go and find that restaurant now. Before we become distracted."
"That is most likely an excellent idea." He straightened up reluctantly, and turned toward the back of the boat. When they were on the back deck, he locked the door, and then stepped up onto the bench and from there to the dock, extending his hand to help her up. Linking their fingers together, they set off into the small town, completely happy with each other.