Green Blooded Hobgoblin

xStarletx

A/N: HERE WE ARE! Woo! Chapter 2. More problems. A better look at Teresa. Don't worry it picks up next chapter, just gotta set them up in order to take em down! Woo don't forget to Review!

Chapter 2

Spock looked at the Transwerian Tilly he had in the cage under his arm again. The furry little thing was petrified.

"Another pet for your zoo?" Kirk asked coming up behind him. Spock tried not to look surprised, emotions were frowned upon on Vulcan, nor did he want Kirk to think he was hiding something. Which he was.

"Yes." Spock replied more curtly then he intended. He hoped Kirk wasn't going to follow him.

"So, what are you going to do for you week on earth hmm?" Kirk probed. It wasn't the first time he had asked this, and it wasn't going to be the first time he got an evasive answer.

"Relax." Spock answered more carefully this time. He was heading towards the dorm that had been set aside for him, the opposite direction of where he wanted to go. But there was no chancing Kirk becoming curious and following him.

"What ever happened to all those other pets of yours? I never see them." Kirk asked.

"I perform experiments on them." Spock countered, which was a completely necessary lie. Kirk stared at him strangely, but didn't comment.

"Was that your attempt at a joke?" Kirk asked. Spock nodded. Kirk shook his head at him. "You need more practice."

Kirk left him at the front of his dorm building, chasing after yet another skirt he would probably make love to. Kirk really did have a way with women. Spock immediately changed course heading straight to the Starfleet center of Science.

He had walked these halls countless times over the last eight years, he knew where he was going and didn't have to put much conscious thinking into his steps. He found the right door and used his key card to activate the lock. He stepped through and found her where she always was.

She was perched, up high on a pedestal she had probably made herself tending to one of the habitats she had also created.

"Happy Birthday Teresa." Spock called out. He put the age on the floor. Teresa turned to him, her green hair was longer then when he saw her last, and she was at least a few inches taller. She leapt off the platform and landed gracefully in front of him.

"Spock!" She cried, hugging him quickly. "I thought you'd forgotten."

"Forgotten, how could I forget? Look, I brought you a new friend." Spock told her indicating to the cage. Teresa bent down to look in at the frightened creature.

"What is it?" She asked him.

"It's a Transwerian Tilly. He came from a dessert planet, he lives in a burrow deep in the sand. From what I know they mostly eat bugs." Spock told her. Teresa opened the cage door and extended a hand to the Tilly. She brought it out and assessed the bright orange fur carefully.

"Is it orange sand?" She asked watching it.

"Why yes, what a clever girl." Spock praised. Teresa smiled and turned away from him. She jumped up at least two ledges high to the desert habitat she had created years ago. She moved off to one side, and snapped her fingers. Instantly the sand turned to an orange color. She dropped the Tilly on that part of the habitat and began to mold out a sun and a moon for the habitat.

"Do you know how many Suns and moons Tranwer has?" Spock asked. He was often testing her knowledge when he was back on Earth, mainly because she wouldn't converse with anyone but him.

"If I remember correctly there are two suns and three moons." Teresa listed.

"Correct" Spock replied. Teresa wasn't really paying attention to him, she was having more fun with her Tilly.

"I think I'll name him Dilly." She told him. Spock smiled, she always named her pets like that Dribble the Tribble, Gryphin the Myftin, Wizard the Sky Lizard, and Fawke the Hawk.

"The scientist tell me that you refuse to let them test you." Spock began, wondering how to word the rest of the lecture. She didn't like the others here, and only stayed for him. She was a fragile teenager, small for her age. She hadn't been out of this building since she had gotten here, there was no telling what would happen to her if she felt the need to escape him as well.

"They're mean." Teresa snarled, turning away from Dilly the Tilly now that his habitat was finished. She hopped off the ledge and landed on the small regulation cot they had given her. She picked up the crude toy dog she had had when she first came to the Starfleet Center for Science. Spock had bought her a better one, but she still preferred that one to his. For some illogical reason that irked him.

"But they're here with you all the time, you can't hate all of them." Spock logically tried to deduce. Teresa hadn't ever adhered to logic even as she grew, no matter how much Spock tried to teach her.

"But I like you. Why can't I go with you on your missions? I'll learn more if I were with you!" Teresa cried, smiling up to him. Spock didn't like that idea either.

"Because space is dangerous, you'll be safer here." Spock tried to persuade, Teresa frowned. Spock felt horrible, it was party true though. The real reason was because he hadn't told anyone else, other than Uhura, about Teresa. He was relatively afraid that if he introduced her to the rest of the crew – namely Kirk – she wouldn't love him as much as she did now.

"Maybe if you do better on your tests, I'll take you with me." Spock reasoned. Teresa pouted.

"But they're not fair!" Teresa cried. Spock laughed, he clapped a hand to her shoulder. This was the most physical contact he had had with anyone. She was just easier to be around, she was the one person he could be human with, and he liked it. He pulled her to him, as if he were pulling her under the metaphorical wing.

"Come on, show the scientists what you learnt when I was away, and then I'll take you for a treat." Spock sighed flashing his keycard at the locked door. The door whooshed open and Spock led her out.

"Did you bring ice cream?" Teresa asked. Spock smiled, of course he had brought her favorite ice cream, Cherries Jubilee. If Spock didn't know any better, he'd say this is what having a daughter would be like. Maybe he should procreate soon, seeing as he was doing well with Teresa. Or maybe he should just take Teresa with him. But how would he explain her to Kirk, or keep her from falling for Kirks charm. It was bad enough they had to share a ship, Spock wasn't prepared to share Teresa with him as well. As they walked the halls, Spock listened to Teresa's wistful humming, it was a Vulcan lullaby he had sung to her once when she had had a nightmare. As Sock hummed along with her, he put his dilemma to the side. Right now he didn't have to worry about it.

WOO! Review people! And if you haven't guessed it. This dilemma oh yea, it's gonna come back and bite him in the ASS! WOO!