Chapter 19 – Yellow
"Your request is denied."
Sarek stared at the other council members, unable to believe his own ears or his comrades. For a culture that prided themselves on their mates, to hear them deny his son this…he looked at the young man. His eyes were wild, his stance stiff, and nostril's flared. He had hoped that he wouldn't have to go through this, being half human, but it seemed the calls of nature were too strong.
No. No! Sarek stood and addressed the man who said this, "Of all the times to deny a man his rightful mate, especially before his Time is the most illogical. He could die, and when our numbers are few already…why? Why do you do this to my son, Arev?"
"Sarek, I ask that you restrain yourself," Arev scoffed, "We need to preserve our race and you and your son are the direct descendants of Surak. I will arrange a female Vulcan for him to mate with instead since T'Pring is dead. Whether this outsider he pleads to have is human or otherwise, I will not have the line diluted any further."
"I doubt she even understands what this will mean for her, or them," another council member said causing the others to agree.
Sarek looked down at Spock, "What have you told her, if anything at all?"
Spock fought to control his facial expression as he glared up at the Elder Vulcans beside his father. How dare they speak so little of his beloved? For such logical and intelligent people, the Council were fools. "I have told /Bria/ that I wish her to be my mate, and that I am not well which is why I have come here to fix it. She is not unintelligent," he growled, his fists clinching behind his back. They did not have a hand in his father's and mother's affairs, yet they so desired to, as Jim would say it, stick their noses into his business.
"So you have not explained what will lay in wait for her if she so becomes your mate?" yet another member spoke up, "Then it is unknown if she would reject you if she were to know the truth."
"I will have no other mate, members of the High Council." Spock growled even darker, his nearly black eyes narrowing pointedly, "If I do not mate with Bria, I will choose death. There is no other option."
"Who will…Bria, have if you die?" Sarek's brows furrowed ever so slightly. He had met her briefly before the meeting when they had arrived. He had been pleased to see his son, know he was alive and well still even with his...irrational Captain. He had been confused he was not with Miss Uhura anymore, but after seeing how he and Bria orbited around each other like planets, and how torn she was when told she couldn't attend... "She needs you just as much as you need her, my son." Everyone else seemed to be against them, and he shot a glare at Arev, before glancing back at Spock. What could he do?
Spock's face fell slightly as he bowed his head. He...he had not considered the Council denying him his chosen mate. All he cared for was being with Bria. What his father hinted at tore at his insides. His Bria...all alone because he had been stubborn enough to refuse any but her...Yet she would be alone either way. He could not decide which would be more torturous for her; His death, or never being able to be with him because he was Bonded to someone else. "She will have no one whether I chose death or another..." he stated softly, his shoulders slouching. If he died...it would destroy her...perhaps if he chose another, she would understand. It would spare her the pain she would go through during his Time as well...
"S'ti th'laktra..." I grieve with thee... Sarek murmured softly, "I'll aid in the decision for who shall be your Vulcan mate." It was the least he could do.
Arev spoke, "In light of your Time fast approaching, the ceremony will be held either later this evening or tomorrow. Take the time to inform this woman of our decision and prepare yourself. Someone will be sent to you when we have chosen."
Spock did not acknowledge the council member as he turned and sluggishly made his way to the doors. What could he possibly say to her that would make her understand? He did not want this. If it were up to him, he would have the ceremony right at this moment and Bond with his Bria. Just the thought of sharing a Bond with another woman left him feeling ill. As he reached the doors, he turned to look back at the council, "Her name is Bria, not 'this woman'."
Spock pushed through the doors with a heavy heart. He had not understood the term for many years as a heart's weight could not change in a mere matter of minutes. Only when he lost his mother did Spock finally understand...and now he felt it once more... The Vulcan looked to the place that Bria said she would await him. Confusion filled him upon see she not only did not stand there, and was nowhere to be seen. "Bria?" he called out, but no response came. Where had she gone?
X
She tried, but the harder she tried it just made the sobbing worse and the tears flow faster. She had found a balcony after running through the halls of the Embassy and gripped the railing, looking down at the courtyard. Everyone else was enjoying their shore leave, and she saw her sister and Jim at the fountain, splashing each other, trying to keep cool on this scorching hot planet. It was like an oasis here, but as she looked out further she saw the barren desert land. She had restrained herself from looking up pictures of New Vulcan on her PADD, wanting to be surprised, and it had been difficult to hide her disgust and pretend to be impressed. At least she wore a loose red tank top and black jean pants with red-strapped sandals, and she wouldn't die of heat stroke, or have an asthma attack thanks to the shot Bones had given her for it because of the thin air.
After spending a summer in Arizona once, she /loathed/ desert climates and never desired going to Texas where Sarah lived even when her grandmother had talked about visiting her aunt. She thrived in green, forest climates full of life. She even despised the prairies of South Dakota's east side of the river where she grew up. After realizing there was a /war/ going on, she had immediately taken up the opportunity to make their way to the Rapid City area west river where there were military bunkers in the Black Hills and the like. She had been able to hunt and survive there where they would've surely died in Sioux Falls.
She didn't want to be jealous of her sister now, seeing her happy with a human who despite the rumors, had sworn on his life and honor not to cheat on her, and would likely live a long time running off of his sheer dumb luck.
The thought of Spock /dying/ because of whatever this /Time/ was wracked her with a new set of sobs and she bent over, overlaying her arms on the railing and burring her face in them, just…letting it out. There was nothing she could do! He was being thrown into an arranged marriage because she wasn't /Vulcan/ and it ripped her apart. She had seen through the slight crack in the doors the way green blood welled in his palms with how tightly he was clenching his fists. His father was such a nice person, convincing him to agree to it, so he would at least be /alive/ even if she they couldn't have each other. "Damn it!" she cursed venomously in a choked half scream.
"Perhaps I may be of some assistance?" An older Vulcan voice called from behind. The elder-looking Vulcan male watched as the distressed human female whipped around. Despite her tears, the man found that she had a pleasant face, her eyes oddly drawing him in. As an ambassador to Earth, it was Spock's duty to keep relations between Earth and the Vulcan people in good terms. A distressed human typically meant otherwise. "I am sure whatever distresses you can be fixed."
"Who are you? How can you help me?" Bria reached up, wiping away her tears quickly, taking some tissue from the bag she had brought to help with cleaning herself up, "Why should I even tell you anything?" she didn't mean to be so snappy, but...Taking a second glance when her eyes weren't so blurry, she was...a little stunned by how he looked like an older version of her...ex-boyfriend? She didn't even know anymore...
Used to humans under such emotions, Spock waited patiently until she finished being aggressive towards him to answer her, "My name is Spock. I am an ambassador of Earth, and therefore may be able to assist you as it is my duty to see that human relations are kept in good terms. It is your choice as to whether or not you tell me your aliment. I simply am offering my help."
Silence. Disbelief was in her eyes and she stared at him, "I...but..." Her eyelids dropped half way and her mouth was in a thin line, "You know what...I'm not even going to ask, because I fucking came from the god damn past. If you're the future version of my boyfriend, you obviously live through whatever crap the council's putting your younger self through!" she pointed back towards the hallway in the general direction she had come.
Slanted eyebrows shot up at her words. Spock studied the woman in detail before cautiously answering, "I am not certain of what you speak of. However, it is plain that you know of my younger self. It is most curious...I do not know who you are, yet you claim relations to myself. As for what you said in regards to the Council, I do not know what they are doing. I did not have the same...past as my younger self. For you see, I came from the future of a different time." The older Spock continued to explain how he ended up here in the past due to a black hole and how Nero's actions permanently altered the past. "So you see, I lived through much different events than him. In the time I came from originally, I never met you."
It was quiet between them for a minute as she let this sink in, "Lovely..." she muttered sarcastically, "So it's up in the air whether or not my Spock will be okay..." her face fell, "If I can even call him that anymore." It was her turn to explain what was going on, admitting to her eavesdropping on the meeting even though she couldn't attend. His face was perfectly schooled in the Vulcan discipline as he listened, but she felt like he was honestly curious and willing to help her if he could. "So because I'm a not a Vulcan they're putting him with a woman they pick that way your line isn't /diluted/ any further as Arev put it. I can't bloody help I'm a Fylakas – doesn't matter my sister and I are the last of our /own/ kind."
Spock nodded, "It is also due to trying to preserve our culture. As many of the elders of the tribes were killed, it is up to the Council to make the decision for marriages, which has not been their duty for far too long." He turned and looked out over the landscape in the distance, his face never once showing the sadness in his mind. This woman had strong emotions towards his younger counterpart. "Bria...may I ask what you know of the Time Spock is currently going through? Why he must Bond with someone?" the elder Vulcan asked, though he was not sure whether or not he would explain himself or have her seek out the other Spock.
"Very little…that he's going to die if he doesn't mate…" Bria looked down at her feet, "Which is why…I was out here…crying. I…It hurts, thinking about him dying. I'd rather he'd mate with someone else than have that happen." She felt the tears prick at her eyes again, "I love him enough to let him do whatever he needs to. I want to be the one he mates with, especially after when he more or less proposed to me on my birthday yesterday by asking if I wanted to be his. If…I need to let him go, for him to live, then I will. As long as I can see him alive and breathing a week from now. Even a year. Jim needs him, too. We'd have a very distraught Captain if he lost his precious First Officer…" she looked down at the fountain where Jim and Sarah were sitting on the edge and he was kissing her.
Spock followed her eyes curiously where he saw the young captain quite content in the kiss. Fascinating. He had never met this woman before yet Jim seemed...attached just by the way he watched her when they parted. The Jim he worked under would care for a woman, however, this was different. Perhaps, in this new timeline, the counterparts were in need of these two women which meant... "Bria...I will tell you this, what Spock is going through is called Pon Farr, the Time of Mating. It is nothing like what you may understand, for it is...maddening. Go seek out...your Spock, and have him explain it to you. Make sure he explains /everything/. If he wishes for you to be his mate, he has no right to keep the truth from you. I am afraid I have business somewhere else."
Hesitating, he placed a hand on her shoulder. A small shudder carried through his body, but he kept this suppressed from her, "If anything...spend time with him." With that said, the older Spock took his leave in silence as he made his way towards the council room. He would do his best, and if the council saw his logic, things perhaps will turn for the better...
Taking his advice, since even a different timeline's older self knew them better than anyone. It took a few hall turns, she hadn't realized how far she'd run, and she found herself lost, and was about to go to a computer consol to ask where she was when her face collided with the chest of the man she was looking for. With an 'omph' she stumbled back and rubbed her nose, then looked up at her man, "Spock! I'm sorry, I was curious and got lost looking around," probably shouldn't tell him she ran into the older Spock.
Spock's eyes widened slightly as he reached out to steady his Bria...she would always be his Bria. He looked to her eyes, ready to do his best to explain the situation when he noticed that they were red and puffy. He had seen many humans this way after they cried hard enough, so unless Fylakas were different, she had been crying. Gently cupping her cheek, his brows furrowed, "Bria...what happened? Why were you crying?"
Just out with it! "Tell me about Pon Farr." He froze, staring at her, "I told you last night I wouldn't pressure you, but that was before I knew you were going to /die/ if something wasn't done. Tell me. Right now. All of it," she demanded, "I eavesdropped on the meeting. I had to leave and walk around after I heard what your father said. How can you keep something like /that/ from me?"
Spock bowed his head slightly, "...It was not relevant as I had believed that you and I would be accepted to be mates. I did not wish for you to worry needlessly..." He averted his eyes from the glare she gave him, "As for Pon Farr, I do not know where you heard that term from. It is, in human translations, called the Time of Mating. Every seven years, Vulcan males become...subject to a primal need to mate. It is much more than a rut any animal goes through. Pon Farr strips Vulcans of their logic and brings a madness that, unless they are to mate, will kill them. Are you certain that you wish to know all of it? You...are going to be spared from the rest because the council is searching for a Vulcan woman for me."
"Tell me anyway. How long does it last? What's involved beside the obvious...like, rituals and stuff," Bria folded her arms, "I love you, Spock...of all things I don't want you to die...that'd break me worse than you being with someone else."
"...There is a ceremony in which a Bond is created between the mates, linking their minds together. However, the woman may challenge the male's right to her by the way of kal-if-fee. It is her right, and she chooses her champion who will fight for her in a battle to the death. If her champion wins, she is his. If her to-be-mate wins, she is his. After the ceremony comes the mating...it is not how you may imagine it to be for you see, Vulcan men become over come with what is called the Blood Fever. He is not himself...I would not be me. When I will mate; I will not care for my mate's needs. All I will seek is my own desires and satisfaction. My mate's pain will mean nothing to me. I will take her over and over until my Time passes or I am exhausted...it will last between two to three days..." Spock turned away from Bria, ashamed of what he had even offered to her the previous day. He wanted her, but...she would be in pain...
Two to three days of pain and constant sex. It...seemed like a small price to pay for a lifetime with your lover, completely and wholly theirs. Reaching out, she took him by the shoulder and made him turn around to face her, "From what I understand, that means your mother and father went though the same thing. You're 32? They were happy together, weren't they? All that time, spare a few days of Pon Farr every seven years. I'd endure it, like she did, if it meant being yours. I want to be yours, Spock," she squeezed his shoulder, "There has to be some way...is there a female version of kal-if-fee? Where two women fight over a man?"
"It...it is rare, but possible..." Spock slowly, tilting his head slightly, "You...still wish to do this despite what I have told you? I do not understand...I will not be able to control myself, I will not /be/ myself. Your needs will be neglected, even those of thirst and hunger...you may not survive..."
"I'll have Bones give me some tranquilizers in order to give you and I both a break. I'll keep them within reach, more than likely beside the bed," Bria slid her hand to cup his cheek, "You have a lot to learn about me, my love. Perhaps when we're Bonded you'll finally understand. Yes. We /will/ be Bonded one way or another. I won't let this other woman have you," she felt her own possessiveness take hold now she knew there /was/ a way, "You're mine, and I'm yours." She leaned up and brought him down as she kissed him thoroughly. No one else would have him.
There was the rough, gurgling sound of someone clearing their throat and with a frustrated growl she pulled away and snapped her head towards whoever it was. A young Vulcan woman inclined her head, "Osu Spock...um...Osu Spock has made an agreement within the council. Kal-if-fee will be held between Miss Bria and their chosen match, Iria, at the ceremonial grounds at sunset. It has been suggested that you inform her of the methods of kal-if-fee such as weapons and rules. Due to the fact she is an outsider, the ceremony will be shortened. Should she fail, it will start from the beginning and be conducted as it would. If she succeeds, you will be immediately Bonded and taken to the Cave."
Spock nodded, "I will do as suggested, T'Mar. Please go to my Captain and request a meeting on the Enterprise in an hour. I must explain things to him." Looking back to his Bria, he gently took her hand. "Come, there is much to tell you before I speak with Kirk. You will be facing a Vulcan woman who will not hold back as I have while training you." Nodding his head in dismissal of the servant woman, the half-Vulcan tugged his wanted mate towards a private room to explain all that she will need to know.
X
His office was the best place for this, no cameras or anything of that sort. Jim reclined in his chair and watched Spock walk in, "Alright, what's going on now, Spock?" he asked rubbing his forehead, "What did the council decide? Are you going to be okay?"
"I request an extended shore leave, Captain." Spock stated first, still working on what he would explain to his friend. "I am sure that the crew will not mind a few more days here." The knowledge that he would soon be with his mate weakened what little control he had, causing him to pace shakily.
"Deep breaths," Jim told him lightly, "I only got permission for a week, and I sent the report about the Greek Planet, so it'll be tough...but I'll see what I can do. You know how the top dogs are...er...top officials."
"If you must, I will take a shuttle to meet up with you after everything has been finished." Spock nodded, making calculations in his head over possibilities. "Jim...the council has ruled that I am to be arranged with a Vulcan woman due to the few numbers of my kind that remain. However, my older self managed to get them to agree that Bria is allowed to challenge for the right to be my mate...she will have to face that same woman in a match...I am...worried for her. She is strong; however she will be facing the strength of a Vulcan..."
A smile played across Jim's face and he shook his head, "Oh, Spock..." He stood up and went over to his friend, "She's not human. If she were she'd probably get her ass kicked, but as it is, she's /not/. She's got the strength of will, the drive to /win/, and I think she'll do just that. That's not all that's on your mind, though, is it?" he coaxed, "It's the Pon Farr itself. You're afraid of hurting her, aren't you?"
Spock locked eyes with the Captain, "You do not know of what lays in wait for her...it is not something that Vulcans discuss...it is simply known. I...had to explain to Bria...I...am...not myself during my Time...her needs are nothing to me during the Blood Fever. She is speaking with McCoy to prepare for this, but...Jim, I could kill her..."
This was the first time he mentioned a Blood Fever and not being himself. Things just got more and more complicated and intense, didn't they? "Spock...could you meld with me?" He had hated the prospect ever since Delta Vega and old Spock did it, but he wanted to show Spock something that his words weren't getting through to him, "Or will it be too dangerous?"
Spock's brow furrowed as he mauled it over, "It...is not advised, however...I imagine that it will be of importance..." Placing his fingers on the melding points along Jim's head, the Vulcan joined their minds for a few moments.
When he said it would be okay, Jim had quickly planted his feet to stabilize himself. Seeing that slim-fingered hand reach for him had made him flinch a bit, due to memories, but he beat it down and closed his eyes, taking a breath and relaxing. What he felt from Spock absolutely floored him about the entire situation. Heat, burning, a dull simmer right now but building as time wore on. He saw the fearful images his imagination had conjured up with all the different scenarios should Bria succeed, as well as the awful torment that would ensue should she fail. Kal-if-fee filled his head and the fact this Iria would have no qualms about killing Bria as per tradition.
Alright. He had to put a stop to this /right now/. Grunting, mentally or outwardly he wasn't sure, but he turned the thoughts around. He brought up one of the few times he had joined the group in the training session. How each and every person fell to Spock's superior strength and he barely tried. Jim had held his own against the Vulcan man, but ultimately landed on his ass as well. Raiden even had a go and the two were an interesting matchup, since Torans were a bit stronger than humans as well, but not as strong as Vulcans as he was also thrown off. Then there was Bria. A smirk on her face and a glint in her eyes he couldn't place or explain. Their spar session lasted so long and got so heated that many left because they were bored, but Jim was absolutely impressed and stunned. She was going head-to-head with Spock and he /swore/ he saw sweat bead on that green-flushed brow. Holding back...what a bunch of bullshit.
Pulling out of the Meld, Spock diverted his eyes to the floor. He had...such doubt in his Bria when all along she had the ability to stand up to even himself. His protectiveness was...unneeded. Looking to Jim's smiling face, the Vulcan nodded slowly, "Thank you, Jim...you have put my mind at peace...for the most part. I still fear what lays in wait for her, but I will not worry about the challenge now."
He reached out at hugged Spock, wrapping him up and squeezing, "Good luck, Spock." He pulled back and held up his hand in the solute, "You're definitely going to Live Long and Prosper, especially with an outstanding woman like Bria at your side. I hope I can eventually say the same with Sarah."
The male was rather shocked by the hug, but humans were strange nevertheless. He nodded to him, raising his hand in the traditional Vulcan salute in return. "I believe the human term is, 'all good things in time'? It seems, however, that you both are quite attached. Forgive me, I must return to aid Bria in preparing for our time together." He was grateful for having decided to explain things to his friend. Jim managed to console him yet again. "I have a request, however. I am permitted to have my closest friends accompany me during the brief ceremony...I would like it if you would be there."
Jim's eyes brightened at being called Spock's 'closest friend' and he beamed his winning grin at him, "Of course! Let me get ready and I'll join you in the transport room." He nodded to him and watched him leave. This was the least he could do for Spock, of all things. If he wanted him to be there, then damn it he would be there!