"I'm sorry, could you get that, Mister Spock?" Chekov called from somewhere in the back of the house, presumably the bathroom, given the argument he was currently engaged in with his daughter. As Spock obligingly went to answer the door, he heard Chekov mutter, "Get in the tub."

"I don't want to. Spock's here, there's no time for washing! It'll take too long." The young human protested.

"It would take less time if you'd quit fighting me."

Spock opened the door and greeted Uhura. She didn't even blink in surprise, but smiled brightly at him. "Why, Mr. Spock." She greeted him. "I didn't know you were going to be joining us." She stepped inside just in time to hear Nakita shout.

"Help! He's trying to drown me!"

Uhura chuckled. "Don't you think you might have made sure she bathed earlier, Pavel?" She called.

In another room, Chekov grunted. "I did. She fell into a mud puddle on the way to the Academy. I told her all she had to do was get in the shower and rinse off, but-"

Nakita cut him off. "See! Nyota's here! It's too late for a bath!"

"I'll tell her to come back tomorrow, then." Chekov growled.

Uhura grinned at Spock before turning towards the back of the house. "We'll just go ahead and get dinner started, then, shall we?" She called to Chekov. "Come on, kitchen's this way." She said to Spock.

She led him confidently through the house and into the kitchen and began rifling through the refrigerator there without hesitation. "So have you met Nakita?" She asked conversationally.

Spock nodded. "She was present during the lecture I delivered at the Academy tonight." He informed her. "Afterward she came up to meet me."

"She's been very excited about meeting you." Uhura commented.

Spock hesitated. "I was not aware Chekov had a daughter." He said quietly. He was uncertain whether this was something that would be best left unmentioned in the presence of the young man or not.

Uhura sighed as she pulled out some vegetables. "Can you make a salad?" She asked. Spock nodded. She directed him to the counter, set out the lettuce, tomato, radishes, carrot, and cucumber. She also supplied him with a knife and a cutting board.

She turned her attention to filling a pot with water and setting it on the stove. "Did you know he was married?" She asked.

Spock opened his mouth to speak, but at that moment the doorbell rang. Uhura smiled apologetically. "I'll get it!" She announced as she disappeared into the living room.

She greeted Sulu and his daughter. "Glad you made it. Nakita fell into a puddle, so Pavel's making her take a bath. Demora, why don't you-"

"She can play in my room!" Nakita shouted. "She's not like Ethan; she doesn't try to steal my stuff!"

"Thanks!" The child shouted back. "I won't make a mess, I promise." She assured Sulu.

"Come on, Hikaru." Uhura's voice was coming closer. "We have an extra guest." She entered the kitchen, then, Sulu slightly behind her.

Sulu was surprised. "Spock!" He said with a grin. "Good to see you again." Uhura smiled and went back to her pot of boiling water.

"I gave him your job." She said as she reached for a box of noodles. "You get to do the garlic bread."

"And you've taken Pavel's?"

Uhura shrugged. "Someone had to." She said easily. The three fell into silence as they prepared the meal. When Uhura spoke again, her voice was low. "He met a girl and fell head over heels in love with her. They got married. He adored her. Practically worshipped the ground she walked on." She shook her head sadly.

Sulu picked up the story. "When Nakita was two years old, she left them both. Gone. No explanation, no warning. Completely disappeared." He said grimly. "I've never seen him such a wreck." After a moment he continued. "That's why he took the teaching job. So he could stay and raise her."

Uhura smiled reassuringly. "It's not taboo, but we don't bring it up often. You would not have been mistaken in asking him."

Sulu also smiled. "We'd much rather you asked us, though." He supplied. "Pavel gets a bit gloomy when he thinks about her too much."

The man in question chose that moment to enter the kitchen. "Oh, you already started dinner." He said brightly. "And I see you met our dinner guest. I hope you don't mind."

Sulu rolled his eyes. "Demora's going to flip, and the girls will probably be staring at him all night, but other than that, why would we mind?"

Chekov laughed. "So what do I get to do?" He asked.

Uhura scowled at him. "Nothing. Sit down and relax. You do know how to do that, don't you?"

Chekov appeared to think about it for a minute. Finally he shook his head. "Nope. Never learned."

Sulu sighed as he placed a pan of bread in the oven. "I been trying to teach him, Nyota, but it just hasn't sunk in."

Uhura eyed Chekov critically. "Hmm. Well, he can be rather thick-headed sometimes."

"Ha ha." Chekov retorted. "I'll set the table."

Dinner was soon ready, and true to Sulu's prediction, both of the children sat and stared at Spock. Chekov and Sulu seemed not to notice, but Uhura seemed to find it mildly amusing. Spock, for his part, tried not to acknowledge the attention as he contemplated the spaghetti before him.

"Did you get your book report finished?" Chekov asked his daughter. She nodded, then slurped up a rather long noodle.

"I finished reading it Tuesday. I finished writing it Thursday. Do you want to look over it before I turn it in on Monday?" Chekov shook his head.

"That won't be necessary." He said. "Unless you want me to." She shook her head.

"That's okay. You can see it when I get my grade on it."

"What book did you read?" Sulu asked. Nakita flashed him a bright smile.

"The one grandpa gave me." She said.

Sulu frowned. "Isn't that in Russian?" He asked cautiously.

"She didn't say the book had to be in English." Nakita explained to him patiently. "She just said a book, and that it had to be a chapter book. Besides, I'll probably get in trouble no matter what I do. Last time she didn't believe I'd actually read the book because it was 'too big' for a second grader." She rolled her eyes. "Why do people always have to treat me like a baby?"

"Because you're young." Chekov told her tolerantly. "And you're small for your age."

"Well, I don't like it." She declared.

Demora nodded. "Wait till you get into third grade. Then when you act like a kid they want you to act grownup, but when you act like a grownup, they actually want you to act like a kid. It's very confusing."

"So what do you do?" Nakita wanted to know. Demora shrugged.

"I just act like a kid all the time. Then I only get in trouble for half the stuff I do."

Nakita giggled, then turned to Spock. "Did you go to school when you were little?" She asked. "Papa didn't. He was homeschooled."

"My dad went to school." Demora supplied.

"I went to school as well." Spock told them. "I did not, however, go to school on earth."

"Where did you go?" Nakita asked.

Demora sighed. "He went to school on Vulcan, silly!" She declared. "Right, Mr. Spock?"

Spock nodded. "I was born and raised on Vulcan. I did go to school there."

"Did you go to school, Nyota?" Uhura nearly spewed salad onto the table as she tried not to laugh. She managed to collect herself, however.

"Yes, I went to school when I was a child." Uhura replied. "And I didn't get into half as much trouble as you two did. Neither did Hikaru, for that matter."

"Uncle Hikaru says that's why Papa was homeschooled." Nakita said seriously. "He said that Papa was too much of a trouble-maker, that no school would have taken him. And Grandpa says that's why he never tried."

"My family traveled a lot when I was growing up." Chekov protested indignantly.

"Grandma says you were a monster." Nakita maintained. "She says you deserve me after all the trouble you gave them."

Sulu snorted at that. "Your Grandma's right." He informed her. "Pavel was just as unruly of a child in his time as you are now. I know, I've heard some of the stories."

"And those stories are not going to be shared." Chekov said firmly. "We don't need to give her any ideas."

"Heavens no, Hikaru." Uhura agreed. "Please don't tell her."

Nakita frowned. "Why not? I want to know."

Sulu winked at her. "When you're older. I promise." She scowled at him in response. He only laughed.

Dinner proceeded in much the same way, with relaxed, idle chatter. Spock didn't mind. It was agreeable to be able to sit and listen to the conversation around him without being expected to constantly provide input. The people before him knew him, and had accepted him for who he was.

After dinner they went their separate ways; everyone, it seemed, had something to do in the morning, or they would likely have stayed even longer. Still, it had been pleasant, while it lasted.

Nakita smiled and waved at Spock from the window as he left.

Disclaimer: Star Trek does not belong to me.

Author's Note: So the plan, now that school's started up again, is to update once a week, but I'm not making any promises. I'll try. Also, please review, of course. Though I hardly need say it, you guys are great about letting me know what you think. It's so gratifying.