Chapter 16 – Live Long and Prosper

Spock glanced up from her PADD. "You are making excellent progress with your understanding of parasitical effects on host bodies. There are various points you must consider, and you have clearly explained several. However, I still cannot understand the appeal to your resting position."

Zia turned her head to face him. "I'm tired." She rolled over onto her back, tucked her hands under her head and crossed her ankles. "The floor looked a lot more appealing than the couch, especially since it has carpet. I love carpet."

He tilted his head. "Forgive me, but I still do not understand the appeal to your resting position."

"Never mind," she sighed. "Anything else?"

"No. I am satisfied with the quality of your work."

Zia stood, sat next to Spock, and took her PADD back. She read over the introduction once and nodded. "I'm happy with that. Thanks for helping me with this."

"It is logical, as I am well-versed in microbiology."

She put the PADD down and faced him. "Now that that's over, we've got more important things to do."

He nodded and held out his hand. "Do you wish to instigate the mind-meld, or shall I?"

"You do it." She closed her eyes and he pressed his hand to her face.

Immediately they appeared in a world of minds and emotions. She felt Spock lead her to a white emotionless state, which was strange because normally when she reached that state she saw black.

'To learn the necessary skills, first you must understand your mind. This is the joining of both our minds, and when you attempt this on your own it will be different.'

'What do I need to do?'

'You must do what feels natural.'

He fell silent. What to do? What to do? Maybe she could take charge and go to another part of her mind. That seemed logical. She took a deep mental breath and took control of the mind-meld. Now it was blackness dotted with stars and the different galaxies, and it was beautiful. Flushed with success, she imagined their corporeal forms and was rewarded as their forms appeared in her mind. Spock's form raised his eyebrow and her form flushed a deep green.

'It's the best I can come up with,' she admitted. Spock's eyebrows seemed to escape from his forehead.

'Regardless, you show an extraordinary amount of control. You may learn the necessary skills earlier than expected.'

'That'll be awesome, because then I don't have to worry about being killed by my brain exploding.'

Spock's form reached out and touched her shoulder. 'Take us somewhere else.'

She focused on the area around them and imagined a finger swirl around it. Her mind responded, and the image of space twirled around like a marble cake. The colours changed from black to white and their forms were on the Bridge of the U.S.S. Enterprise. The crew was at their stations, Kirk in his chair, Sulu and Chekov at the front, Uhura at her station and McCoy beside Kirk. She took an experimental step forward and her footsteps made no sound.

The scenario changed and instead they were in Spock's old professor quarters. A pot simmered on the stove and cushions littered the floor for meditation. Spock walked over to the kitchen and opened the pot.

'Fascinating,' he murmured. 'Your mind has conjured m'lu. It seems that you have been travelling to places where you feel secure. Very interesting…'

Zia sat down on one of the cushions. 'I'll admit I miss our old meditation sessions. They were a great way to wind down after a long day. Everything was so different back then.'

He put the lid back onto the pot and clasped his hands behind his back, lips pursed. 'Perhaps you would like to attempt emotional regulation?'

'Okay.'

She imagined a tunnel. When his emotions came she squeezed them through the mental tunnel like it was a sieve, to feel them a bit at a time instead of all at once. Loyalty to the crew, approval for her techniques, guilt for Caster-

She ended the mind-meld and pulled his hand away from her face. "What happened?"

Spock lowered his hand and stood and crossed the room. "I do not think it prudent to discuss-"

"Spock, whatever it is, it's bothering you. Couples share things that are bothering them." She stood and joined him.

He averted his eyes and instead took a deep breath. "I killed him, Zia. He accosted us during our escape and there was nothing I could do. I simply snapped his neck. It was… revenge. Yes, it was illogical of me to give into my primal nature, but I had to protect you." He hung his head.

She took his hands gently. "He was a monster. He was barely human. You didn't kill a human, but someone who had absolutely no humanity. Look at what he did to us. There was no honour in what he did."

"I killed someone, Zia." He pulled his hands away.

She gaped and threw her arms around him. He tried to pull away, but she held him fast. "Come on," she whispered, "I know just the thing." He read her mind.

"I do not see how those will assist in my situation."

"Trust me, it works."

He pulled away from the hug and went to the bathroom. She heard the tap for the bath run, and she typed Raspberry Tea into the synthesiser, grabbed the offered mug and took it into the bathroom. Spock sat in the bathtub and waited for the water to rise. Zia put the tea aside and fiddled with the bath settings, which added scented bubbles to the bath. A bar of soap popped out of a cabinet in the side of the tub and she dipped it into the water and lathered her hands in a thick layer. Spock took the tea.

"It does smell most fragrant," he sipped it slowly, "but has a high temperature."

She shushed him. "Just sit back and relax."

Yes, Spock was naked, but it wasn't anything she hadn't seen before. He obeyed and sat in the tub, and when the water reached mid-chest Zia switched it off. She knelt beside the tub and coated his chest with the soap. He really had a nice physique, broad but not overly-muscled shoulders, narrow hips, and beautiful marble skin, although that was marred by several green bruises. Her hands worked from his shoulders down his chest, his arms and stomach, gently massaging to relax and stroking to calm.

He exhaled and relaxed into the bathtub. Zia cupped water in her hands and used it to wash his chest. The smile widened as bubbles dotted his hairless chest. His closed his eyes and set the tea aside. She lathered her hands in more soap and massaged his scalp. In a moment of girlish weakness, she styled his hair into a Mohawk and fought giggles at how funny he looked. When she washed it off, she noticed the corners of his mouth were uptilted. She poured water over his hair and face and watched how it ran down the bridge of his straight nose, dripped down his full lips and onto his sculpted chest. More droplets stuck to his long lashes and ran down his supple cheeks, while others coated his pointed ears.

Fully washed, his muscles loosened, and his mind slipped from its control. Zia tip-toed from the bathroom to the lounge so she could sort out her Academy equipment for tomorrow. Once sorted, she went to the bedroom, took off her shirt and skirt and slid under the sheets. She couldn't stop the smile.

He joined her a while later, smelling of soap and vanilla, his body warm and hair slightly damp. He wrapped his body around her and buried his face in her long auburn hair.

"Dif-tor heh smusma," he whispered.

She smiled gently and laced their fingers together. "Live long and prosper."