A/N: This is long overdue and I'm sorry but I hope you all enjoy it. I haven't had as much time for writing lately and as soon as I finished this I wanted to get it out to you, so it might not be as well-edited as previous chapters (though I did my best). Lastly, to all of you who read and reviewed last chapter and asked after my grandmother she's doing much, MUCH better (thank goodness!) so thank you for your kind thoughts and words.

P.S. One more chapter to go and then this story's done! I can't believe it.

Chapter 17

U.S.S. Enterprise, Stardate 2261.294, 1243. Len clapped the junior doctor on the shoulder as they exited the delivery room, leaving the beaming parents (well, at least one beaming parent—the elf, he was sure, was beaming on the inside) with their newborn.

"That was a hell of a delivery, Geoff. One for the medical journals." He'd thought the same thing after Joanna was born but unfortunately the New England Journal of Medicine didn't quite agree. Bet they'd see things differently now though. Them and half the galaxy.

"Yeah, it was."

He watched Geoff amble over and pull off his bloodied scrubs then wash his hands again. If it was him he'd be hootin' and hollerin' but the other man was oddly quiet. Whatever was on his mind was chewin' at him from the inside out. "But…?"

"I'm just wondering."

Len waited patiently (patiently for him anyway) and realized Geoff was going to make him tease out whatever was on his mind. It was a small price to pay after witnessing the miracle he'd just pulled off. "Wonderin' what?"

He finished drying his hands and looked at him quizzically. "Why didn't you step in? This was your case. I mean, you spent months poring over the literature, you contacted Healers for consultations, you drilled us relentlessly and prepped us to handle every contingency…"

"I know I did, which is why I knew you could take care of the delivery." It was true—he'd just seen it with his own eyes.

"But what about the publications?" M'Benga asked. "I know it wasn't your main concern but don't insult me by denying you never thought what it'd be like: the articles for the journals, the conferences, the accolades…"

Ah, so that's what was worrying him; Geoff thought he was upset with him for being the one to deliver the baby. Far from it in fact. Len couldn't be prouder of his people. "I did think about it. So?"

The other man scowled. This was the first time he'd ever seen M'Benga truly angry and it was proving to be a very interesting study. "Doctor McCoy, please don't toy with me. I may be young but I'm not naïve. I know how things like this work, I've heard what happens on other ships."

Or maybe he was wrong. "What happens on other ships?"

Maybe Geoff didn't believe him, maybe he was just shocked or maybe 17 hours with a laboring senior officer were finally catching up with him. Either way he snapped back, "Senior doctors steal their subordinates' work and claim it as their own. As if you don't already have your own reputation and awards…"

Now wait right there, he thought. Leonard knew he was many things but he was most certainly not a thief. He'd earned his reputation by the sweat of his brow and would continue to do so, thank you very much. It was time he set Geoff straight. "Doctor, you just delivered the second known Vulcan-Human hybrid in existence; more importantly you just delivered a very healthy little girl from a high-risk pregnancy to two very anxious, first-time parents. I think you're owed the recognition, don't you?"

M'Benga's eyes went wide. "I…well I mean yes I do, but that's not why I…"

He grinned, which was both rare and off-putting and stopped Geoff's spluttering right in it's tracks. "Relax; you've earned this. I'm not going to take it away from you and never had any intention to. This is all yours." The tension finally eased out of M'Benga's shoulders and the tiniest smile crept across his face. "Now come on, I've got a nice bottle of bourbon in my desk that has Baby Sachin T-…Baby Sa-…" Oh who was he kidding? No one except Uhura could pronounce that last name. "…Baby Spock's name on it. We'll raise a glass in her honor and yours."

The other man proudly shook his hand. "Thanks, Leonard. I was a little worried about what you might do."

"Nonsense! Besides, I figure I'll get the next one."

Geoff's attention was piqued. "The next one?"

His smile grew. "Hell man, did you not just see their faces? You don't really think the Lieutenant and Commander'll stop at just one kid, do you?"

They were barely out the door before everyone pounced.

U.S.S. Enterprise, Stardate 2261.294, 1245. "Well!"

"Ees everything ok?"

"How are they?"

"Give us the news man! Give us the news!"

Bones had the audacity to laugh—LAUGH—right in their worried faces. When he finally got his breath back he gestured to M'Benga. "Geoff?"

Smiling broadly the other man declared, "Gentlemen, the Enterprise has a new crewmember and mother, father and baby are all doing just fine."

The cards got thrown up in the air and everyone just started whooping in relief.

Jim was glad too but he had more pressing matters on his mind. "When can I see them?"

Len, who'd been heading to his office with an arm around M'Benga's shoulders and one of Scotty's cigars in hand, whipped around at the question. "You do realize Uhura's just been through 17 hours of labor without painkillers, right?"

Oh. Good point. "So…that's a no?"

He nodded. "Yes that's a no! Jesus, Jim…" Bones only took two steps before turning to glare at Scotty. "And while I appreciate the replicated Cubans don't none of y'all even think about lighting them up in here. Understood?"

"Yes." They looked at one another rather glumly 'til Scotty cried out, "To Engineerin'!"

"To Engineering!" Sulu and Chekov echoed back, following the enthusiastic Scot out the door and into the hall, passing out cigars and crowing as they went. The whole ship would know the good news well before dinnertime. Chuckling to himself he turned around and picked up all the playing cards before settling down in Chekov's seat.

"You're not joining 'em, Jim?" Bones asked. He stood in the doorway to his office, M'Benga thinking out loud in the background while pulling 2 glasses down off a nearby shelf.

He shook his head. "No. I think I'll hang out here for a little while if that's alright with you."

"Alright." Len glanced back at M'Benga before asking, "Care to join us?"

Again Jim just shook his head. Now was their time to celebrate, not his. "Maybe later."

The Doctor nodded. "Suit yourself."

Sickbay quickly settled back down into it's normal routine; ill or injured crewmembers limped in for treatment, doctors and nurses scuttled about treating patients, checking supplies and dispensing meds. Soon no one paid any mind to their captain sitting at the makeshift table in the corner and after shuffling the deck he carefully laid the cards out and began a game of solitaire.

After all, it wouldn't be the first time he waited around for a girl.

U.S.S. Enterprise, Stardate 2261.294, 1436. Christine came in to check on her patients. A quick glance at the bed showed Nyota was still resting comfortably but the bassinet beside her was empty. Her heart skipped a beat before she turned and spied the Commander sitting off in the corner with the babe in his arms. She watched with tears in her eyes as he gingerly traced the delicate tip of her ear with his finger and peered with such intensity into that tiny face…she'd have to remember to get a capture off the security vids later for her friend.

"Commander?" she whispered.

He did not stop staring at his daughter. "Yes?"

"Sir, I know it's not my place, but I just thought you'd like to know that there's someone waiting to see you outside. In fact, he's been waiting rather patiently for the last two and a half hours…"

Finally he looked away from the sleeping newborn's face. "Who is the visitor, Nurse Chapel?"

"It's Captain Kirk, Sir."

A flicker of emotion crossed his face at that, so brief that if she hadn't been staring right at him she'd have missed it, but she couldn't read what it was. Spock sat there a moment in contemplation then pulled the blankets closer around his daughter before rising to his feet. "Very well then."

She expected him to hand the baby back over to her care but instead he marched right out the door.

"Captain."

He started at the voice, having started to drowse sitting upright, and blinked into the bright lights of sickbay to see Spock standing straight as an arrow before him.

And in his XO's arms was a small bundle wrapped in a white and pink hospital blanket.

"Spock!" Everyone within earshot shushed him and he felt the blush creep into his cheeks. Suddenly Jim felt awkward and unsure of himself. He'd been waiting around for hours and for what? It's not like the baby would remember meeting him. And what was he supposed to say?

"Is this your daughter?"

The Vulcan shot him the equivalent of a 'Duh' look and Jim choked back his laughter. That one sign alone let him know that Spock was well and truly back. Welcome home.

"This is indeed my daughter," Spock finally answered. Peeling back the blankets he allowed him to get a good look at the baby and Jim had to admit he'd never seen a prettier child. She had a thick head of dark curly hair that just grazed the tips of her ears and he saw that she had her father's eyebrows and her mother's long eyelashes. She was going to be a heartbreaker when she got older, he just knew it.

"Would you like to hold her?"

His head shot up like a deer caught in the headlights. "A-are you sure? I mean, I've never held a baby before, especially not a newborn, and I…"

"I am certain that no harm will come to her while she is with you, Jim." The familiarity and trust reinstated his confidence and very carefully the baby was transferred into his arms. Looking down at her he was filled with nothing but wonder.

"Wow."

"I concur with your assessment."

He turned and took a few steps away, marveling at the little girl he held. "So what's her name?"

Spock tilted his head. "That is something her mother and I have yet to discuss." He looked down at his daughter and Jim swore he almost smiled.

"Care to entertain a suggestion?" he asked mischievously.

"Of course." Jim was about to respond when he got cut off with, "However, Nyota and I are both in agreement that she will not be named after you." This time he definitely saw the twinkle in his friend's eyes. He let out a soft laugh.

"Fair enough. Well then I'm fresh out of ideas." He peered down at Spock and Uhura's baby. "Hey there, little one! I'm your Uncle Jimmy! We're going to have lots of fun together you and me, just you wait…"

U.S.S. Enterprise, Stardate 2261.294, 1522. She was still exhausted and oh-so-sore but the hand shaking her by the shoulder was insistent. She could sleep for a week and still be tired, that's how exhausted she was, but the other person wouldn't leave her alone. "Nyota," she heard Spock whisper against the back of her mind. "Forgive the intrusion but our daughter requires sustenance. Nurse Chapel is insisting that breast milk is best."

What? Daughter? Feeling her belly, she noticed the swell of it was diminished and she dazedly opened her eyes. She hadn't even been moved out of the delivery room when she'd fallen asleep.

"Allow me to assist you."

Spock transferred their daughter out of his arms and into Christine's then helped Nyota into a sitting position. After a few false starts and some suggestions from Chris they finally got the baby to latch on and her friend drifted toward the door. "I'll be right outside if you need anything."

She stroked the cheek of their suckling little girl. Nyota was overwhelmed by a sense of awe and pride that was not entirely her own. Looking over at her husband she saw him staring at the two of them and she smiled wanly. "This is going to take some getting used to."

He raised an eyebrow. She had expected him to take her quite literally and yet heknew she wasn't speaking merely about breastfeeding; his response told her so. "I understand." He began to dampen the connection and withdraw from her mind.

"No! Don't do that." Her arm darted out and she grabbed his hand, forcing him to look at her. "Don't ever do that."

"As you wish."

The baby shifted and stopped and Nyota turned her focus back to her to help her finish her dinner. Spock's gaze did not waver.

"Come on, Sweet Pea, you can do this," she cooed.

"Sweet Pea?"

Nyota smiled. His incredulity, both spoken and not, was just so Spock-like and it felt so good to have everything sorted out and have him home again. "It's just a term of endearment. I was trying it out."

"Understood." The baby finished nursing and once she was burped he momentarily took her back in his arms so that she might close up her blouse. As she did so she could sense his amusement and alarm as he repeated the Sweet Pea appellation again in his head. He really didn't like it and she chuckled in the face of his distaste.

When Nyota was through she held her arms out for the baby and he transferred her back before settling in his chair beside the bed. "What shall her name be?"

Oh. Right. She looked over again at their baby girl. She had the middle name all picked out but the first name was proving to be a challenge. Over the last few weeks she'd whittled the list of potentials down to a chosen few with the idea that once she saw her daughter she'd just know. Now that she was here she stared into the baby's eyes and realized she didn't look like a T'Pala or a T'Janik at all.

"Illogical as your reasoning is I do concur. T'Mona does not suit her either."

"No," Nyota agreed with a sigh. "It doesn't." She began to fear their newborn would be nameless for awhile.

Spock brought his chair closer to the bed and cupped the crown of the baby's head. "If I may make a suggestion?"

She smiled and craned her neck to him for a kiss. "Of course."

He grinned across the bond and at the same time unveiled a small bit of subterfuge he had committed over the last several weeks. He'd been leaving their bed in the middle of the night to do research…on African baby names.

New Vulcan Colony, Stardate 2261.293, 1905 hours local time. It was not unusual for Sarek to be working on 2 things at once which was why when his in-box chimed he pulled open the missive without even looking at it, focusing instead on the PADD in his lap. Few humans of his acquaintance were ever punctual and he had been expecting the re-negotiated trade agreements from Earth 3.4 hours ago; now they were here yet he had already moved on to editing his proposal for the Council instead. Absently he clicked open the attachment while finishing up and when he finally stopped and looked up the sight that met his eyes took his breath away.

The sleeping face of his first grandchild greeted him on-screen and he instantly ascertained that she was the most beautiful creature he ever beheld; even Amanda would have agreed. The swaddled up babe was most certainly a daughter of S'Chn T'Gai not only because she had her father's ears or her mother's coloring but because in the next image Sarek opened he saw that she had her grandmother's eyes.

After the 20 images of the infant alone there were 12 photos of Nyota in various poses holding the child, tired but beaming as she alternately stared at her daughter and back at the camera. There was but 1 image of Spock holding his child, most likely taken without his knowlege as he held the baby out before him for inspection; and though his face betrayed nothing Sarek saw the wonder clearly in his son's eyes.

The final photo was of the three of them together. It was an image he hoped to see repeated many times over in the future.

No sooner had he gone through the batch of images for a second time when the comm unit chimed. Spock greeted him with the closest thing to a smile on his face and said, "There is a new life for the clan. S'chn T'gai T'Alora Amadika was born on 2261.294 at 1228 hours and is in good health, as is Nyota."

Sarek was about to comment on his ko-fu-il* when his son added, "And I have also been cured."

Astonishment joy pride relief gratitude happiness flooded the bond between them, rendering Sarek speechless. The small smile on Spock's face grew. "Samekh, I believe you are in need of a Healer or perhaps, at the very least, a mirror."

A mirror? He turned to the window and caught his reflection in the glass; his visage was identical to that of his son's but he was too full of happiness to care about his lapse in control. "I am in full health and am not in need of a Healer at this time."

"I am relieved." Amusement twinkled in his eyes.

Sarek stared at the image of his son holding his daughter again. It reminded him of the first time he had held Spock.

The Healers had gone and the house was quiet. Night had fallen and Amanda, who had been dozing off and on since the birth, was once again asleep, this time in their room. He stood at the foot of their bed like a sentinel marveling at all she had endured to produce a child when the first thin cries of their son directed him to the bassinet in the corner.

He knew what he had to do—pick up the child, determine what it needed, provide for it and soothe it before it's cries reached a decibel that woke Amanda—and yet he hesitated. Sarek examined his dilemma and determined he was afraid. S'chn T'gai Sarek, son of Skon, who had stared down Romulan war parties without breaking a sweat, was afraid of his own child. This pregnancy, like the ones before it, had been fraught with peril and uncertainty for it's duration; now that their son was here he realized his concern throughout Amanda's confinement masked his subconscious fears that he would be an inadequate father.

He looked at Spock again whose tiny mouth was now puckered in a wail, and there was Sarek's proof; he was ill-equipped to be a father to such a remarkable child.

The cries grew and, fearing his wife would wake, Sarek tentatively leaned over the bassinet and gently scooped the newborn up. Spock's wails stilled in surprise and all 3602 grams of him settled nicely into the crook of his arms. Not knowing what else to do he tucked the blankets up tight under his son's chin and crossed the threshold out onto the upper balcony where the bright lights of Shi'Khar shone off in the distance. Spock began to squirm at the blast of cool night air, his tiny face scrunched up in anticipation of another good cry.

"Spokh." Amazingly the newborn paused and turned to him with a question in his eyes. The love that shot through Sarek in that instant was profound and impermeable; he felt what had eluded him all afternoon—what had eluded him for the last 11 months really—and that was a deep, abiding bond with his child. His earlier hesitation over whether or not to retrieve Spock from the bassinet was foolish; there was no place else he wanted his son to be but safe in his arms, forever.

"Be at peace, my son. All is as it should be."

Amanda crept up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head between his shoulder blades. "You're so good with him." She placed a soft, feather-light kiss on his shoulder. "Just like I knew you would be."

Examining the image of Spock now, Sarek saw that his son had not suffered from the same self-doubt as he had upon entering the world of new fatherhood; indeed, Spock had been enamored of his daughter from the first. The bond was set and Sarek was happier than he believed was Vulcanly possible. "T'Alora," he began, "Is a very aesthetically pleasing child. I believe she is very much like her mother in that respect."

"I also agree."

He looked at the live feed of his son and at the still image of his granddaughter and was again filled with wonder; they were each such precious gifts and pieces of Amanda that she had left behind…

"Father, I—my recent behavior—it was…that is I would like to…" With eyes cast downward Spock paused, cheeks burning emerald with shame.

Now Sarek did not pause. His son's prior behavior toward him was not undeserved and he would not have him continue to suffer because of it. "Say no more, Spock. The past is past; now is a time to focus on the future." His joy was such that he almost smiled some more. "Tell me more about my granddaughter."

U.S.S. Enterprise, Stardate 2261.299, 1316 hours. "Oh isn't she just adorable!"

"She is cute as a button!"

"Look at those eyes, aren't they gorgeous? Such long lashes…I'd kill for lashes like those…"

"You are just too cute, T! I could just eat you right up!"

"May I hold her after Janice?"

Spock seized the opportunity to rescue his daughter before any cannibalistic harm might befall her. "No," he calmly replied in the face of Ensign Zenaub, "You may not." Breaking away from the men gathered around him he strode over and carefully plucked T'Alora from Yeoman Rand's arms. There were soft sighs of disappointment from all the women save Nyota who sat there beaming at him.

If he was following her train of thought correctly then she apparently found the sight of him holding their daughter to be incredibly pleasing and even a bit of an aphrodisiac. Perhaps he should have employed this tactic earlier when suggesting they put off such a gathering of their friends and colleagues to a much later date. His adun'a, however, was adamant that they host this party now.

"Spock, they just want to share in our joy. Everyone's been so supportive of us through everything and they just want a chance to meet her. Besides, I'm able to get around well enough and I promise not to do anything too taxing…" she had pleaded.

He relented, as she knew he would, though Spock was happy to wrangle a few concessions from her: namely paring down the guest list to a select few and restricting the gathering to no more than an hour and a half. 16.45 minutes in, however, he realized he had not won anything; he wanted their friends to leave much sooner than they would and yet he inexplicably knew they would be staying long after the imposed end time.

"Ah, look at the wee one!" Lieutenant Scott crooned over his shoulder. He came around and peered down into T'Alora's face "Such an enchantin' child ye have, Commander, absolutely enchantin'. And I'm sorry to have to disappoint you but I think I see a future engineer in the makin'…and I would know," he added with a wink.

Before he could reply the Captain came and joined their group, clasping the engineer hard on the shoulder. "Scotty, you think everyone should be an engineer. Hell, the first time you met me you thought I should be an engineer!"

"Aye, I did, and I still do—if'n this cap'n gig dinnae work out for you in the long term, that is."

The Captain laughed and was about to bite into the sweet roll—a Vulcan delicacy typically offered to guests after a child's naming ceremony—when the Doctor stayed his hand and scanned the food. With a nod he released Captain Kirk and set his tricorder aside. "Never can be too careful with you."

"Dammit Bones, are you ever not on duty?"

"I'm a doctor, Jim, not a light switch. You can't just turn me off and on when it suits your whims." Here the Doctor glanced his way and added, "Besides, if I weren't for me always bein' prepared you'd be dead a dozen times over. Like that time you ate the shellfish at that banquet on Andrell!"

"That is incorrect, Doctor; the incident you are referring to took place on Acquefor, not Andrell."

The Doctor met his level gaze. "My mistake…"

"It was a deliberate error on your part so that you would have reason to test my mental acuity. Do you now have sufficient data to compare to your previous results or would you prefer to query me again?" Spock looked down at the tricorder that was still activated and held loosely by the Doctor's side. Sheepishly, McCoy snapped it shut.

"Told you he'd catch on." The Captain smirked.

"Shut up. I'm only lookin' out for him since he can't be trusted to do it himself…like somebody else I know!"

Thankfully, Spock was saved from the escalating bickering by a cry from T'Alora. Allowing her to grasp his finger he determined that her diaper was in need of changing and strode off toward the nursery to see to her. Upon his return he found Nyota waiting for him with Chekov and Sulu by her side. "Spock, the boys were just asking me about her name and I thought perhaps you could enlighten them."

A simple, straightforward request, but something else was afoot—that much, at least, he could tell from across the bond—but he could not pinpoint what her end game was; all he could sense was his wife's delight. "Of course," he replied. She held out her arms and took the baby before heading back to the sofa, leaving him to answer the 2 men.

"T'Alora's name comes from the name Alora, originating from the Earth African continent in the country formerly known as Botswana. Simply put, Alora and means 'My dream'. As she is our daughter and therefore our dream we amended the appellation with the Vulcan prefix in acknowledgement of her heritage, thereby making the name her own."

Sulu nodded thoughtfully and sipped his drink as Nurse Mackenzie sidled up and slipped her arm through his.

"And Amadika? Vhat does her middle name mean?" The decibel level in the room decreased by 5.3% as the others attempted to listen in.

From across the bond Nyota sent him wave after wave of love as their daughter grasped her finger, such tiny movement only feeding the happiness loop. "Amadika was a name chosen for her by her mother. It is also African in origin and means 'Beloved'. We named T'Alora such in honor of my late mother."

The nurse went slack jawed and now all conversation in the room stopped. "That…that's beautiful, Commander."

"She's a lucky little girl to have you and Nyota for parents," Sulu added.

Spock was about to state that luck had nothing to do with T'Alora's conception when Nyota silently chided him to stop and simply enjoy the compliment as it was intended. "Thank you," he replied, eyes once again seeking out his wife. When her eyes met his her smile broadened to it's absolute limits. "We could not agree more."

U.S.S. Enterprise, Stardate 2261.363, 1457 hours. The weeks following T'Alora's birth found Nyota settling into a new routine; not that anything about life with a newborn was routine but it eventually became the norm. After the initial shock of motherhood wore off it was an endless cycle of burpings, feedings and changings—the sheer number of outfits T'Alora went through in a day was staggering in and itself. Still, she never tired of their little girl, just as she never tired of watching Spock with her.

Shortly after Sarek's visit she go the all-clear from Len and went back on half-duty. Parenthood was a juggling act but it was one she was equipped to handle. It helped that the crew was as enamored with their daughter as she and Spock were, for although they'd been few and far between there were times when they needed an extra set of hands to help out. Chris and especially Janice were always at the ready to watch T'Alora if her and Spock's shifts happened to overlap, and that was nice.

Still, something was missing. She tried not to dwell on it but as the days and weeks passed it just ate away at her until she couldn't not ignore it. Ever since his recovery Spock had been treating her differently and Nyota didn't like it at all.

The link was always open, that was true, yet he kept his distance from her physically. She missed the way he used to take hold of her hand when they were both sitting on the sofa reading their PADDs or trail after her throughout their quarters seeing to her needs. True, she wasn't pregnant anymore and she wasn't an invalid—she could take care of her needs on her own—but still, it was nice seeing these small, physical gestures on his part that showed that he cared. Apparently she'd gotten too used to them.

Stepping out of the kitchen she chomped on her celery stick and looked down at her shirt front in dismay. Perhaps her physical appearance was part of the problem. Maybe Spock was no longer attracted to her and that was why he kept away. No doubt parenthood had changed him too and she'd heard enough stories of other marriages crumbling apart after the birth of a baby not to see the signs.

Nyota looked over to see him sitting at his desk working on a project on his PADD. Should she approach him with her concerns—no, it was foolish, she was just being emotional, she should leave it be. Besides, she saw how much he loved T'Alora, and wasn't that enough?

For the last 3.2 weeks Spock had become aware of his adun'a acting in a most disconcerting manner. Although the bond was always open her thoughts were myriad and disorganized and if she was not broadcasting directly to him he was not always able to pick up the thread and discern her needs. Tonight especially as she exited the kitchen and paused, sighing as she smoothed down the front of her t-shirt, he attempted to access the bond and tease out the source of her displeasure; however, she swiftly cut him off.

Ashal-veh, he asked, eyes seeking hers from across the living room, Please, do not hide from me.

Biting her lower lip Nyota slowly allowed him into her thoughts. He saw the two of them through her eyes: holding each other in their quarters before he beamed down to Kerrali; on the sofa, relaxing and engaging in ozh'etsa after a long work day; rubbing her swollen ankles and feet before T'Alora was born.

She missed his caresses; she desired them. And foolishly, in a post-natal fit of melancholia, Nyota believed she was the cause of their absence, which was far from the truth.

Since the bond had been re-forged he had forgone the intimate physical contact in favor of (for what was to him, at any rate) the more intimate mental one; as it turned out he had been sorely remiss in his duties as her husband. She was human; she required physical contact as much if not more than mental contact, and as the Vulcan son of a human mother he should have recognized that.

Sensing his wife's regret and feeling a hormonal surge coming on he watched Nyota turn away, ostensibly to check on their daughter and spare him any undue emotional display. Rising from his desk he caught her before she could make it to the nursery.

"K'diwa…"

"I'm…I…" she cried, sniffling and wiping away the tear that spilled down her cheek. "I have everything I ever wanted and now I'm…I'm…I shouldn't want more, should I? Never mind, that's rhetorical, I know I'm being stupid I know…"

He brought his hands up to her psi points to enhance the bond. "I am the one who has been obtuse, Nyota. To paraphrase the Earth poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning I love thee, and I intend to show thee in numerous ways." Spock easily scooped her up in his arms then, eliciting a nervous giggle from his bride before carrying her off down the hall.

"Spock!" she cried. "Spock, we can't! What about T'Alora, she…"

"Her nap should last approximately 35.8 minutes longer and she will not be aware of our absence for the duration that we are occupied," he replied, soundly shutting the door behind him. "And I believe we will be occupied for quite some time."

He proceeded to nuzzle her neck and lay her softly down on the bed, prepared to make any and all reparations necessary—and apparently she was of a like mind to permit him.

*ko-fu-il-Vulkhansu for granddaughter