Author's Note: We're about halfway through this story now. Thank you to everyone who has been reading and reviewing. Hopefully I am giving you something new to chew on with this pairing. This chapter is largely transitory as we move into the next phase for this couple. If you've got questions, comments, etc., I'm happy to answer them. This chapter was edited by Aphrodite420.

Alekhine's Gun

Chapter 13

Sarek found himself once again in a familiar position. But instead of the hostilities he had faced two months prior, the mood was drastically different. It seemed the humans had finally accepted their financial position.

Now he sat at the head of the table, preparing for what would be the culmination of the most difficult months of his ambassadorial career.

Acting as intermediary to Vulcan and Earth, he had finally reached an agreement. It had taken months of careful planning, and Sarek had run the numbers himself over and over until he had come up with a plan to get Earth back into financial solvency.

Now, he sat waiting as Earth's president and the representative councils of state reviewed the documents.

In an effort to bring down its debt, the planet would have to cut its defense budget. To cut either education or social services would be illogical and do great social harm, but as a member of the Federation, the planet had the ability to call upon other members for its aid.

There was also Starfleet, which was situated on Earth. So the planet had essentially been harboring two separate defense systems, where only one was needed.

To talk the humans into partially dismantling their program had taken much work, but eventually, logic had prevailed. There was also the fact that, to put it plainly—they could no longer afford such a massively over-funded and counter-productive program.

It was also agreed that the planet would begin to transition into the Federation's credit program.

Over the next 10 years, Earth's monetary holdings would be converted to that of the system used by the rest of the planets. This would help keep inflation down, and stabilize prices not only on Earth, but throughout the rest of the quadrant.

That, too, was only logical. However, in transitioning to the new system, the humans would be giving up much of their control over Earth's economy.

He was absolutely certain that this would not sit well with some members of the populace, judging by the grumbles of their leaders.

But it must be was no other way. Economic stability was key to a planet's, and by extension, its government's, strength. When a people began to lose faith in their government, anarchy almost certainly followed and that government fell.

It was a basic tenet of what it meant to be a civilization.

The screen monitors glowed a soft blue, highlighting the faces around the rectangular table in the darkened room.

He listened in silence to the small beeps—each one a signature of the various heads of state, and he counted them one by one until he knew all signatures had been completed.

Without wasting time, he rose from the table; the others followed.

"Mr. President, heads of state, Vulcan thanks you for your attention to this urgent matter. We will begin the transitions immediately."

II

Amanda sat at the desk in her office at the embassy. It was still early in the morning and she was sifting through her messages when a blinking light on the monitor caught her eye. She selected it, and the documents opened before her. She skimmed them, and, as she read, a sense of resolution and wistfulness settled in her heart.

The annual faculty retreat was to start in three days. She sighed. How had she missed this before? Surely they had sent prior messages. With a few quick strokes, she pulled up more notices. It was not the university's fault; it was hers. She'd never even opened them. Today, it seemed, would be her last day at the embassy.

Silently chastising herself, she turned and began typing a new letter. Just as she was finishing her letter to let Silek know (and offering apologies on the timing of the notice), the comm system in her office beeped and Amanda promptly answered it.

"Dr. Grayson, there is a Dr. Templeton calling for you." Sakketh.

She frowned, wondering what could possibly be important enough for her friend and boss to call her at the Embassy.

"Transfer it to me, Sakketh," she answered, turning in her chair to face the monitor mounted on her desk.

The lights of the screen flicked on and soon she was face-to-face with her Department Chair.

"John! How are you? Happy summer!" she said, smiling at the gray face that greeted her. Templeton sometimes reminded her of a grandfather. Surely, he WAS someone's grandfather. And he sounded like it too.

"Amanda! You're a hard one to catch. I tried your house, but every time I called it said you weren't home. So I figured I'd try you at the embassy and got lucky."

"Sorry about that, John. I admit to being a little caught up lately," she said apologetically.

"I bet. How's the research going? You know everyone's talking about your position at the embassy. They're jealous. But it's no biggie. I saw you were at that diplomatic ball-thing they had a month back. Big things, Amanda. You're not planning on leaving us, are you?"

The laugh lines around his soft gray eyes showed he was joking with her.

"I'm not going anywhere, John. So, what brings your call?"

"Amanda, classes start up in a month. The faculty retreat is in three days."

Although she had just read the notice in the mail, the sound of Templeton's voice brought it all into focus for her. She hadn't even looked at her class schedules, or the courses she was to teach….

Suddenly, a brief moment of panic overtook her. She had missed so much while at the embassy!

"To tell you the truth, John, I completely forgot! I just got my notice today in the mail. I don't know how I've missed hit before. Don't worry, I'll be there."

The relief on his face was unmistakable.

"Alright, Amanda. See you in a few days."

The glowing screen faded to gray as Amanda leaned back in her chair. It was settled. This was officially her last day at the Embassy.

It almost felt surreal.

Here she was, only a few blocks away from her home and from the university. But when she was here, it felt like she was far away, on another world. And for the first time, she realized she now felt more comfortable at the embassy and on its grounds than she did at her own home and real office.

.

.

She stepped into Silek's office after the doors swooshed open for her.

The tall Vulcan stood from behind his desk to greet her.

It was funny, when she thought about it. The first time she'd ever seen him, she'd been hiding under a desk. Now she stood before him, barely coming up to the middle of his chest; now that she'd gotten to know him, she considered him a friend, almost a brother of sorts.

"You will be missed, Dr. Grayson. I hope your absence from us is not…permanent," Silek said solemnly, looking down at her.

She smiled.

"Well, if you don't mind me stopping in every once in a while…."

"Do you intend to pursue your physical training?"

She looked at him with surprise.

"Can I?"

"I do not see why it would be a problem. Perhaps you should consult with Sa'taan to set a schedule."

She beamed happily but stopped short of hugging him.

"I will do just that. And Silek," she called as she turned to exit. "Thank you for this opportunity. It has been invaluable to me."

"Vulcan feels the same, Dr. Grayson."

.

.

She met with Sa'taan and they agreed on a weekly practice schedule. When she got her semester assignments, she could better pin down a day, but so far, she was excited about continuing on at the embassy—at least for one hour, once a week.

And it seemed news of her departure traveled fast.

Most of the embassy staff had already come to bid her farewell, even those she hadn't known as intimately as others, and she was overwhelmed with how many of them actually knew her. She didn't think her presence had been that exceptional, but apparently, she had made just as big an impression on the Vulcans as they had made on her.

She was told that some were planning on venturing further out into the city, to learn more about Earth. Others were planning on taking lessons to improve their Standard, and a few of Sarek's own personal staff had even registered for classes at Berkeley, where she taught.

Sakketh was one of them.

She was placing documents in one of the many boxes currently gathered in her office when the young Vulcan appeared at her door.

"Dr. Grayson, I wished to speak with you before you depart."

She looked up and smiled, waving him in.

He moved and silently began handing her odds and ends to place in the box. She hadn't realized how much stuff she'd accumulated while at the embassy. It was looking like she'd need to find another container.

"I have decided to enroll for evening classes at your Berkeley College."

"Sakketh, I thought you already have a degree?"

"I possess credentials awarded to me from the Vulcan Academy of Diplomatic Sciences. However, I wish to learn more about Earth and its people. I will be taking classes in Political History and Cultural Anthropology."

She smiled, not even bothering to contain her happiness.

"Sakketh, that is wonderful!"

"I have come to thank you, Dr. Grayson. This is a recent interest. I do believe it will prove valuable to Vulcan and I wish to continue to communicate with you, if possible."

She was honored, and told him as much.

.

.

Amanda was putting the last of her belongings into a box when T'Nerual walked in. The Vulcan female looked only slightly fazed as she cast her eyes about the almost-bare space.

"You are leaving today." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes, unfortunately, the semester starts in a month, and I have yet to prepare lesson plans. The faculty retreat also starts in three days, which I completely forgot about. I got the call from my department chair earlier today." The last words were spoken through a strained grunt as she tried to lift the heavy box into her hands.

T'Nerual came to her aid and easily took the box from her.

"So, Vulcan females are just as strong as the men?" Amanda joked as they walked out of the front doors and towards her flitter.

"No, not as strong as the males, but we do posses superior strength, agility, dexterity and—

"It was a joke, T'Nerual," Amanda said laughingly.

"Indeed. Perhaps Vulcan humor and human humor are not exactly the same."

"I didn't know Vulcans joked."

"It is an acquired skill."

Amanda laughed again as they headed inside after placing the box in the flitter.

It seemed just as soon as it had started, the summer had come to a close with the advent of a single call. But she could not shirk her duty as a teacher. Young minds waited. And she certainly had a whole new perspective to bring to them. She found herself growing increasingly excited about the upcoming semester.

III

He had arrived back at the embassy over two hours ago, and spent much of that time undisturbed in his quarters, in meditation. In the recent weeks, his tempestuous spirit had been in a state of calm not realized for the past six years, and even his outlook had improved. Today's meditation session had brought with it a new perspective on his situation, and the cause of it. If there could have been a moment when Sarek began to feel alive again, he had finally pinpointed it. The realization had shocked him, and he realized he needed to learn more. And so he moved out of the living suites and back into the embassy facility itself.

Sarek took long strides down the hallway, his long coat fanning around his ankles as he walked toward his destination. He had resolved in his mind to attempt another conversation with Amanda, to try to further understand her position. And to be entirely truthful, he could not deny his own motivations, his desire to…get to know her better.

His footsteps slowed as he approached the door to her assigned office. He rang the chime for entry.

There was no answer. He chimed again, but still, nothing.

He turned away and moved back to the large staircase in the foyer, to go back to his office. As he was walking, he saw Sakketh emerge from one of the downstairs corridors which he knew to contain Silek's office. Perhaps his aide would know the whereabouts of Amanda….

"Sakketh, has Dr. Grayson been in today?" he asked.

Sakketh looked at him as they began to climb the stairs together.

"Yes, Osu. I thought you had been informed. Dr. Grayson has resumed her post at the university. She left at 1100 hours."

Sarek did not speak again for several minutes as they walked down the halls to his office suite.

"I thank you for the information, Sakketh," he said as they went their separate ways once inside. "I will be in my study. Please route all calls to me."

"Yes, Osu."

The heavy thlaxx doors closed gently behind him and, once alone, Sarek breathed a deep sigh, and closed his eyes momentarily.

She was gone.