Alive.

Ch 2

Uhura watched Spock walk to the door with a sinking feeling of dread. He was leaving and probably going straight to the Department Head to report her for sexual harassment. She would go down in academy history. She sighed. Then heard a click she looked up. He had locked the door and engaged the sound proofing. Oh! He meant to reprimand her here and now. She supposed it was considerate of him to ensure that no one else heard her dressing down. It was logical of course to deal directly with the incident at the time and then go to the Department Head. She could just imagine that scene. Spock's deep smooth voice reciting, "then the cadet ran her tongue slowly along the seam of my lips…" Well she had done it. No use regretting her actions, especially when at one level she did not regret her actions.

Spock returned and stood in front of her. "Cadet Uhura, I wish to clarify my understanding of your actions. Am I correct that when faced with the reality of your mortality you formed a desire to kiss someone?"

Uhura frowned, "Partly."

He nodded once, "You became formed a desire to kiss a …male?"

Uhura answered reluctantly, "Partly"

Spock titled his head, "You formed a desire to kiss a star fleet officer?" He had heard of such fixations before.

Uhura had the slightly hysterical urge to laugh, he just did not understand, she fought the urge down and answered, "Partly."

Spock's voice grew perceptibly colder, "You formed a desire to kiss an alien?"

"No! Yes! No." replied Uhura shaking her head. "This is ridiculous." She thought. She straightened and took a deep breath and looked him full in the face. "I became pressingly aware of a long held and suppressed desire to kiss you. A male, a star fleet officer and an alien, but not just any male, star fleet officer or alien; you, only you. Spock." She held his gaze. She tried to understand the flickers of emotion that passed over his face. Confusion, surprise, hope she could not tell, but he did not seem angry or withdrawn. Maybe he would understand that she had acted in emotional extremis and be lenient.

"This kiss …was by way of an experiment?" he asked.

"Well, this is no time to be faint hearted", she thought, "may as well be hung as a sheep and a lamb."

"I needed to see if the reality was as I had imagined." She replied, she paused and added, "I also believed the experience would reaffirm that I am alive." It sounded ridiculous when she said it aloud, this aching need to touch to kiss to hold him.

What was that expression? His eyes seemed to warm and expression softened. Uhura broke their gaze and looked down at her feet.

"You believed that my…kiss would affirm to you that you were alive?" he said very slowly.

"Yes,"

"Was you experiment successful?" asked Spock softly.

What! Was it ever? He had sat totally unresponsive and that kiss still bested all previous kisses by a wide margin. Actually it was not true that he had not been totally unresponsive, he had allowed her touch, he had tipped his head in response to her urging, he had opened his mouth under the touch of her tongue, his mouth had been soft and open under hers. Given his normal demeanour that was responsive.

"Cadet?" Spock looked down at her bowed head. He struggled to remain calm as hope and happiness bloomed in him.

Uhura frowned. His voice sounded warm and…? Was he laughing at her? She was expecting a reprimand and he was enjoying this? Well two could play that game.

She looked up, tipped her head slightly and frowned, "Not really."

HA! He did not like that. She saw that look, just a flash was it anger or disappointment?

"I see," he said, the laughter was gone from his voice and his posture stiffened.

"Perhaps,' said Uhura, "the experiment needs, perfecting, repeat trials could help. I mean if conditions are suboptimal then it is unlikely that the experiment would succeeded." Uhura held her breath she was really pushing her luck, following her instinct and need, but in the face of what she had already done what else did she have to loose?

His eyebrow quirked slightly and he replied, "Indeed." His voice was warm again.

"In the name of scientific rigor I feel I must run a repeat experiment," she stated.

"Maybe if we changed some of the parameters of the experiment?" Spock said. He pulled her into his arms and he kissed her. The kiss was intense, thorough and thrilling. She felt the kiss in her whole body, in her bones, on her skin and in her core. It was what she needed. She was alive. Her body tingled with life and heat and yearning.

When he stopped he was breathing hard. They stood with foreheads pressed together.

"I think the experiment was a success," Uhura whispered.

"Indeed" Spock replied.

Fin.