Disclaimer: I don't own. I don't profit.

Special thanks to Beta Notes from the Classroom.

Chapter 6

T'Pera, T'Ping, T'Pura...

No, not there.

"I am getting some tea," his father said. "Would you care to join me?"

Spock looked up over his PADD. He was sharing his father's office in the Embassy. Being in close quarters with his father did not aggravate him as it once had. He felt more peaceful in Sarek's presence than he did with Nyota even - there wasn't the specter of impending separation, he supposed.

"No, thank you, father," he said. "I have just begun something. It would be best to finish."

"Of course," said Sarek, standing up from the long table they were sharing as a desk.

Sarek walked out of Spock's line of vision. The office door whooshed open and shut behind him. Spock scanned back up the list of Vulcan expats on Epsilon 1235. T'Laia. He scrolled over on the spreadsheet to the column listing bond mates. T'Laia's bond-mate was listed as Jonathan. It was her. Spock had been combining data from databases and spreadsheets for days. It was the first time he'd seen the name of a survivor he'd recognized.

The last time he'd seen "them," Jonathan, a human, had been embroiled in a debate with T'Laia over whether their children should have pointed or round ears. Jonathan was pro pointed, T'Laia wanted round, and since they'd have to use genetic engineering anyway -

He tilted his head. The doctors who had engineered him had perished in the destruction of Vulcan.

The door whooshed open and shut again. That was fast. Spock continued his perusal of the records.

"I found you."

Spock froze. That was not his father's voice. He decided not to acknowledge the speaker. Instead, he pressed a few buttons on his PADD and went back to his task.

Jim Kirk walked around the table. "Hey."

Spock looked up and raised an eyebrow. "State your purpose."

"They're going to make me captain of the Enterprise," Jim said. He was standing in his red cadet dress uniform. It was quite incongruous with his statement.

"I heard," said Spock. It was a publicity stunt, according to his father. Spock did have respect for Jim Kirk, but he was too young and inexperienced to be captain. Doubtlessly the 'honor' would go to Kirk's head.

"I want you to be my XO," said Kirk.

Spock stared at him. He only took on the task of being XO for Pike because Pike and Number One had essentially begged him to when Number One had become sick. He really didn't relish the task of being First Officer.

"...and my science officer, of course," said Kirk.

Spock raised an eyebrow. Now science officer, on the other hand...

He lowered his head and hit a few buttons quickly on his PADD to change the format of the spread sheet to one that could be imported into the main survivor database. "I am in the process of resigning my commission."

"You are still in your instructor uniform," said Jim.

"You are still in your cadet uniform," said Spock.

"Gotta wait for the paperwork to go through and -"

"Exactly," said Spock.

Without asking, Jim slid into a seat across from him. Running a hand through his hair he said, "Look, I'm not an idiot. This whole thing - me being a captain; it's a publicity stunt. I'm not ready to be captain. Even I know that."

Spock lifted an eyebrow. Apparently, the 'honor' had not gone to Kirk's head. Yet. "Then why did you accept the captaincy?"

"I didn't...at first." Kirk took a deep breath and looked away. "They can be very persuasive."

Turning back to Spock he said, "Half of them expect me to be monkey on a string for them, and the other half expect me to be so rebellious they can promptly demote me to some freighter ship on the edge of nowhere."

"I am unsure how my being your science officer and XO could prevent either of those scenarios from playing out," said Spock.

"I need the best, the best there is, to be my crew," said Kirk. "That's why come hell or high water I'm keeping Cupcake, and I'm going to convince McCoy, Scotty, Sulu and Chekov to join me." He looked Spock directly in the eyes. "And I'm getting Uhura, too."

Spock straightened. He'd heard how Kirk had tried to get Nyota three years ago.

Kirk rolled his eyes. "Easy there, Tiger." Taking a deep breath he said, "I'm getting her for my crew. She's the best communications officer there is. Geez, that was supposed to be a clincher for you, not make you -"

Spock tilted his head. "If you knew anything about me you would know that I put duty first and foremost, and whatever my relationship with Lieutenant Nyota Uhura -"

"Like on the transporter pad?" shot Kirk.

Spock took a deep breath. That had been a breach of protocol...a concession to her...or to him? He had fully expected to die.

"Look, you thought you were going to die," Kirk said.

Spock tilted his head. He understood? Empathy was such a weak point for Spock. Despite Kirk's presumptions, Spock did not think the human was an idiot. From a purely objective standpoint, he knew Kirk was quite intelligent. Intelligence tempered with empathy could make him a very effective leader... someday.

"We can do great things together, Spock; I know it," said Kirk.

Spock felt himself go hot. "If you are basing this prediction on something you heard from my...counterpart, I must inform you that it is illogical."

Kirk pulled back and blinked; his jaw dropped. "You know about him?"

"I know about him and have met him," Spock said. "And as you will notice, the universe has not folded in on itself, nor is it scheduled to do so for another -"

"He set me up?" said Kirk scowling. "He set us up? You, me, the Enterprise, Earth...the fucking galaxy!"

Kirk stood up quickly. The chair he was on went sliding across the floor. "What the Hell!"

Spock tilted his head as Kirk began to pace the room. "Our interpretations of his behavior are much the same."

Kirk put a hand to his eyes and stopped pacing. "When he showed me...I mean...told me...he was emotionally compromised." Raising his hand he said, "But that doesn't matter. This isn't about the other universe. In that universe I had hazel eyes, too -"

"Really?" said Spock, feeling his anger fade. "How fascinating." The genes that control eye color were more complex than the simple Mendel square presented in beginners' biology acknowledged. Spock wondered where the mutation had occurred...and why had his counterpart told this Kirk that odd detail?

This line of thought was superfluous. He looked down at his PADD and the spreadsheet. Perhaps on the New Vulcan colony he would be able to put his interest in science to good use. If there was time. So much effort would have to go to establishing self sufficiency. His scientific abilities would go to implementation more than experimentation and discovery.

"I'm not talking about anything Spock...the other Spock, said to me," said Kirk. Pulling the chair back and sitting down, he added. "I'm talking about what I saw, on the Narada, on the Enterprise. You and me fighting together, and working together. We don't get along all the time..."

Spock tilted his head.

"Much at all..." said Kirk, "But that's what makes us good; that's what makes us work. You and McCoy will keep me in line...and your girlfriend, too, she's never been afraid to give me a piece of her mind. Think of it, you, me, Uhura...on the starship with the best science facilities in the galaxy..."

Spock's jaw tightened. He dropped his eyes.

Behind him the door whooshed open. He felt his jaw muscles relax of their own accord. "Spock," his father said in his most level tones. "We need to prepare for the memorial service."

Kirk stood up. He nodded in Sarek's direction and then turned back to Spock. "Think about it." And then he left.

Spock turned and watched him go before standing to join his father.

"What was the purpose of his visit?" asked Sarek.

"To request I be science officer and XO on the Enterprise," said Spock.

Something in his side near the location of his heart went tight. Spock wasn't able to trace the source of the emotion. His emotions did get jumbled of late - was he pained by the separation from Nyota, by the dullness of the tasks he would most likely face on New Vulcan? Most likely both.

He fell into step with his father and they passed the two children in the office next door. Their aunt still had not been found. Resolution burned inside him again.

"My duty is to my people right now," Spock said.

The tension in his side lessened.

x x x x

Spock and his father separated when they reached the site of the memorial service in Golden Gate Park. His father was to give a speech and needed to speak with some of the sound technicians. Spock was going to get Nyota.

She was at the predetermined location at the foot of the hill. It was difficult to reach her; humans and other aliens filled the pathways. There were Vulcans, too, but very few. She was standing on tip toes facing away from him when he slipped his fingers onto hers. Apprehension in his fingertips went to warm familiarity as she turned around. "Sneaky," she said, a smile on her face, without a trace of disapproval. And then he felt sadness, and her pushing it away. "I miss you doing things like that when we're apart."

Spock tilted his head down at her. He would miss doing things like that.

"Commander Spock," said a controlled voice from behind him. Nyota turned her eyes from him. She smiled. "Ashanti, Tyback."

Spock kept his fingers on Nyota's and turned to face the only other Vulcan in Starfleet.

Cadet Nirsh Skann Tyback was nearly as tall as Spock, but his skin was slightly more olive, his shoulders broader. He was from another class of Vulcan than Spock, most likely by blood, but also by circumstance. Nirsh Skann meant "No Family."

Tyback had a most unusual mind. He had a memory that would be considered less than exemplary in a human. On Vulcan it relegated him to the status of "disadvantaged" - he'd been a tractor mechanic on his homeworld, but some human scientists had recognized that his analytical abilities were extraordinary for a human or Vulcan and recommended he apply for Starfleet. The only impediment had been Tyback's Standard - Nyota and Spock had arranged for him to get private tutoring from Cadet Ashanti Patel.

...who was now walking next to Tyback, fingers on his. Spock tilted his head. Tyback had been extremely motivated to find a bond-mate before his 21st birthday. Spock raised an eyebrow. The prospect of death focused the mind in war and love, apparently.

Neither of them were in Starfleet's graduating class. They had been safely on Earth when the Enterprise confronted the Narada.

"Are those rings?" said Nyota. Spock felt her excitement.

"Yes," said Ashanti with a smile. "We're married, bonded, the works." She looked at Spock. "A lot of it is thanks to your mother."

Spock looked down.

"We grieve with thee," said Tyback.

"Thank you. And I with thee." said Spock. He knew his mother had sent care packages to Tyback while he was in basic training...and even if he had not been acquainted with her, Tyback would have lost friends and colleagues - as they all had.

"Your mother's explanations of...things...really helped," said Ashanti. "We had the ceremonies over spring break. In India and on Vulcan."

Spock could guess what sort of things Amanda had explained. Pon Farr was a difficult topic -

"We heard you are resigning your commission," said Tyback.

Spock looked up.

"It is not illogical" said Tyback. "Your skill set is broad. You can do a great deal of good for our people establishing a colony."

Tilting his head, Spock said, "You are not resigning?"

"No," said Tyback. "In the Vulcan colony I would be a tractor mechanic - a valuable skill set, but one not particularly difficult to learn. In Starfleet I am a starship engineer."

"A very good one," said Ashanti her eyes went sideways to Tyback. "That is quantifiable."

Tyback regarded her for a moment and then said, "The colony will be dependent on Starfleet for protection for many years to come, and the fleet lost many good engineers. To serve my people best, it is logical I keep my commission."

Something like hope flashed in Spock's fingers, and then guilt. Spock stared at Tyback.

Nyota said to Ashanti, "You bonded - with no problems?" Envy burned in Spock's fingers. His attempts to bond with Nyota had not gone well.

Ashanti nodded, "Yes, we were really lucky; in 25% of human Vulcan couples it doesn't work...the humans become ill, nothing that is lethal, but headaches, nausea...The healer in Tyback's village had no experience with humans - if something had gone wrong I wonder how much she could have helped." She shrugged.

Looking down Tyback said, "It was necessary." The bent head was the only show of emotion Spock had ever seen from the rough Vulcan. Tyback was perhaps the most logical, controlled Vulcan Spock had ever known. He envied Tyback for it.

Ashanti put a hand on his shoulder, "It was great."

Tyback looked up. "The ceremony will begin in 3.5 minutes. We should proceed."

Spock nodded and the two couples made their way up the hill. For the first time, he felt doubt about the logic of his choice to go to the Vulcan colony. Would his skills really be more useful there? He was, quantitatively, a very good science officer and a good soldier, even if he doubted he had the leadership potential Number One and Pike believed him to have.

He felt uneasy.

As they walked through the crowd, murmurs went up around them. Whispers of "Vulcans, let them go to the front." They got close enough to the podium that Spock could look his father in the eye.

Sarek's gaze went to Spock, then to Nyota, and back to Spock again. For a fraction of a second the uneasiness intensified.

Of course Spock had told Sarek about Nyota. He had not had the energy to dissemble on the matter. He had also told his father that Nyota approved of his decision to go with him to the colony.

Spock nodded at his father. Sarek tilted his head, and Spock's uneasiness vanished.

A/N:

Read "The Girls Alright" and you can see who Spock is looking for. It's a lighter, funnier assault on cannon than this.

Almost done! If you read and enjoyed, please leave a review!