********
Nyota spent the next several days going through possible candidates for the away team. This was a crucial step in her mission and she spent a considerable amount of time conferring with other Starfleet officers, looking over records and finally settling on the few remaining candidates.
She had decided that to not include Spock would be a bad decision. He was still brilliant and he had the skills she needed to assist in the mission. It was an generally decided by everyone that Spock Prime would be offered a slot as well, though, Nyota wasn't sure that was a good idea. Professionally, she couldn't risk both versions of Spock being possibly hurt or killed. But Nyota tried to fight an urge to push him off the nearest starship exit. She grimaced. Where had that come from? She thought, and immediately began to berate herself for feeling that way.
Then she straightened. She had a right to her anger. Though, it was fading daily, she was still hurt by what happened. But she would never let her personal feelings get in the way of professional duty. She sighed. Scratch that. She let herself momentarily drift into a daydream where Spock Prime, Kirk and Spock were all being pushed down a jettison tube and out into the coldness of space with Kirk screaming and kicking, "It's not my fault!" and Spock Prime and Spock both yelling profanities for what destiny had done to them. She chuckled evilly before turning to the task at hand. Okay, now, she would be consummate professional.
She picked through a few PADDs and made a few comm. link calls before taking a break. Her mind drifted back to the conversation she had with Christine almost a week ago. Since then, she had spent every available moment getting to know Dimitri—and avoiding Spock. She rolled her eyes at his attempts to corner her and speak with her the last few days. Yes, she told herself, she was evading, but she didn't want to think about Spock right now.
Right now she was thinking about the goodness that was Dimitri, the play of muscles rippling beneath his flawless skin, the way he held her hand and kissed it, his humor, his brilliance with almost anything technical, social or linguistic. She shivered when she remembered the way he had licked his Alorian ice cream, and winked at her, his eyes mischievous and smiling.
"I love a delicious treat every now and then," he teased her as he nibbled her neck before returning to his dish, "You will probably be delicious too."
.She shook herself. Must not think about sex. Must not think about sex… Must not…
Her train of thought was interrupted as Dimitri walked in, a picnic basket in hand.
****
"What's this?" she asked and he gently pushed away her PADDs and grinned.
"You have been working non-stop the last few days. So have I. If this is our last week of civilization, I think you and I should enjoy ourselves. So, I thought a picnic beneath the Kraelor sun would be relaxing."
Nyota laughed. "You really know how to spoil a girl. Be careful, if this mission goes off without a hitch, I'll be expecting this kind of treatment all the time."
His face grew serious for a moment. "Nyota, any man that does not treat you like the beautiful person that you are every single day, for lack of a better word—is an idiot."
She blushed furiously and he grabbed her hand. "Come," he told her and she stood and followed.