Daystrom

Spock and Cora rushed through the halls of Daystrom, the meeting facility for the heads of Starfleet, having been called there only hours after their meeting with Pike. They hadn't seen Kirk since then, not that they had a chance to. Cora had just stepped out of Pike's office when the Admiral had called out to them that Spock was to report to one of the medical wings for a physical of sorts, a routine medical examination he'd assured them. Which...was odd as his medical records were all on file and up-to-date by McCoy on the Enterprise systems. There shouldn't have been a need for yet another physical to be done, no matter if he'd been trapped in a volcano. It was true that McCoy hadn't gotten a chance to examine him as the event had only happened recently, but Spock was clearly just fine...so why was it needed?

It was truly starting to worry Cora to think on, because she knew that sometimes records like that were completed and rereviewed by a member of Starfleet outside a ship's crew as a means to make sure nothing was being hidden from the records. Scotty had told her that he'd had to get a second medical examination done after having just had one for the outpost so that he could be assigned to the Enterprise in a permanent and official capacity. But…why would Spock need one done if he was already assigned to the Enterprise? It concerned her a great deal as, logically (she could see now what Kirk had meant about Spock rubbing off on her) what it might mean was something she was terribly hoping wasn't what it really was.

If Scotty had needed another examination in order to be reassigned to the Enterprise...did that mean that Spock was...was he being reassigned?!

Starfleet…they couldn't separate her and Spock, could they? She was his mate, he was her…something…they had to remain a pair. The Fleet DID allow married couples to be on the same crew, Kirk's parents were proof of that, but equally she knew that, at times, they would separate siblings incase one ship was attacked. But she and Spock were the farthest things from siblings.

But…if they weren't separating them, why hadn't SHE been asked to take part in a physical as well?

She hadn't even gotten a chance to really ask him how it had gone either. She had been required to wait in a small sitting area outside of the examination rooms while he was checked out. They'd been waiting for nearly two hours before an opening arose for Spock to be examined, and then it had been another two hours of tests and examinations and, when he'd finally stepped out of the facility...their communicators had gone off, signaling that they'd both been requested to attend Daystrom. It wasn't quite odd for Spock to go, being a First Commander he was second only to the captain and required to be there. But for HER to be requested as well…it had to be serious.

When Empathics were involved, it was of the utmost delicacy and a very sensitive situation.

Spock had only managed to convey that not even HE was aware of how the examination had gone, that the test results would be sent to his communicator when they had been completed before they were rushing off. She had felt…on edge, especially when she'd felt his…nervousness, about the test results. It was like there was something he was dreading might show up in them, but that had to be impossible. He'd just been examined by McCoy a short while before the volcano incident and he'd been fine. Something couldn't have developed in such a short time as to make him so alarmed…not even something involving the volcano, he had been fully protected by his heat-resistant suit and the most that he'd been harmed was falling and landing in it and she could feel it herself that he had been fine soon after that.

She supposed all she could really do was hope that it wasn't anything too serious.

"Captain!" she heard Spock shout as they walked through Daystrom, she looked over to see that he had spotted Kirk walking ahead of them, the two of them rushing to catch up to him.

"Not anymore, Spock," Kirk sighed as he stepped into a lift, the two of them joining, "First Officer. I was demoted and you were reassigned."

"What?!" Cora's eyes widened, hearing that ONLY Spock had been reassigned.

Even Spock seemed a bit alarmed at that as he stiffened beside her, his eyes seeming to widen a fraction. His eyes immediately found Cora's for a moment, seeing the genuine fear and alarm in her eyes, before he couldn't bear to look at them and they shifted back to Kirk's...feeling an...anger rising in him. He could feel it, just the notion that he was about to be separated from his mate, and not even that, but that she would be left with Kirk, that she would be on a ship with others far away from him and…

He swallowed hard, clenching his hands into fists at his side to stop them shaking before the others could notice. He closed his eyes tightly, pushing the anger down, pushing it deep down, not…not wanting to let it get to him but it was…surprisingly difficult to do a that point. And he didn't know why. He felt like it was a more profound anger than it should have been. It was certainly more powerful an anger than he'd ever felt before, this idea of Cora not being with him, not being beside him.

It had been...different to be on the Enterprise as opposed to the Academy. At the Academy he and Cora were only together a short amount of time, relatively speaking. They were together about six hours of the day three days a week and about four hours every other time, but, on the Enterprise, they were nearly inseparable. Even…even sleep was something they did together, JUST sleep. They had taken to sharing his quarters. He was not about to let her share a room with another Cadet, not now that she was his mate. Man, woman, alien, robot it didn't matter to him, she was his mate and he would not allow her to be in a room with another alone and unprotected. It was only logical that, as his mate, she share his room. It HAD posed the problem of the bed though.

He was quite sure that Cora was not ready for something like that, nor was he entirely comfortable with sleeping beside someone, to be so close that touch would be inevitable. During sleep, Vulcan's minds were more unprotected, he did not wish for his mind to join to hers unexpectedly due to the touching that the size of the bed would create and allow her to see his dreams. He could see hers, of course, there was the telepathic bond on his end that allowed him a more specific sense of her thoughts on things, much like there was an empathetic bond on her end that tied her to his emotions. But the reverse was not true unless he purposefully connected their minds via a mind-meld.

It was a conundrum of sorts as he was fairly certain that the physical touches of sleep would be welcomed by Cora, be something she would enjoy and wish to have…yet he'd thought the Vulcan half of him would take issue with that. His parents, he knew, while sharing a bed had more two beds pushed together instead. It was a compromise they had come up with so his mother could be closer to his father yet his father still felt some divide between them to avoid such touch. His bed was only one bed and not two. And while it was larger than a single crew member's bed…it was small enough where, lying side by side, they would gently be touching, it would be impossible to avoid it.

Which was why he had been so surprised when, the very first night, Cora turned on her side, to face the back wall, trying to give him space and not touch him…that he found himself…disliking that. He could feel her warmth only a short distance away, he could hear her mind, longing to be closer to him, and he felt himself…wanting that as well. He had turned on his side and held her, much like he had when she had been in the med-bay after Vulcan had been attacked. It seemed the human in him was a bit stronger when it came to their own bedroom, at night, just the two of them, just sleeping. It seemed to thrive on being able to hold her without others knowing, to just rest, to not be expected to do much of anything except hold her and touch her. It wasn't much different than his waking hours, he would always be more comfortable touching her when need be when no one could see him do so, touching being an intimate and reserved move for Vulcans, it just appeared...amplified in their own quarters, away from prying eyes, in such close proximity to one another. He had been very surprised that his Vulcan half had accepted such a way of sleeping though. But he supposed, that part of him recognized her as his Mate.

While there was one point in the Vulcan life cycle that happened every few years that drove them to distraction when it came to their mate, it was NOT the only time a Vulcan could engage in such actions. They could be with their mate, physically, whenever they wanted. However the matter was private and was never discussed with others. The Vulcan half of him had accepted Cora as his mate and seemed to find a level of comfort in touching her as well.

They didn't always sleep like that, so close and embraced, it had mostly been the first few nights, to show that they were both comfortable being so close to the other. At times he would lay on his back with her head resting on his chest, an arm around her. At others they would lay facing ach other, perhaps holding a hand. And sometimes they slept on their back with just their elbows brushing. It varied, but the point was that they were comfortable around each other, they shared a bed.

It meant they shared nearly every waking and sleeping minute together, more often than not. He couldn't imagine being separated from her as a result, months on end of this arrangement, both sleeping and waking had made it...the norm for him now. As quickly as she had become commonplace in his waking world while in the Academy, she had become essential to his sleeping world as well since he'd been on the Enterprise. To have spent so much time with her and to have her suddenly being threatened to be taken away…he wasn't sure he could do that.

But…he tried to look at this logically, he tried to look at it as a Vulcan would, to see the point and the rules and regulations and reasons behind it. And he did, but…it was hard to push through that anger he felt and get to that rational thought, harder than it should have been, "It is fortunate that the consequences were not more severe," he reasoned logically.

But Cora didn't see it that way at all, and neither did Kirk it appeared, "You've gotta be kidding me," Kirk grumbled.

"Captain, it was never my intention to…"

"Not captain," Kirk cut in, Cora wincing as she felt how badly that hurt him, "I saved your life Spock. You wrote a report, I lost my ship."

"Commander," Spock amended, "I see now I should have alerted you to the fact that I submitted the report…"

"Now I'm familiar with your compulsion to follow the rules, I understand it more from her," he nodded at Cora, knowing it had literally and physically been beaten into her, "But, see, I can't do that. Where I come from, if someone saves your life you don't stab them in the back."

"Vulcans cannot not lie any more than Empathics can," Cora defended. She could feel it every time an opportunity arose, it didn't even cross Spock's mind to lie.

"Then I'm talking to the half-human part of him," Kirk turned to Spock, "Right? Do you understand why I went back for you?" he held up his hand to stop Cora answering as she opened her mouth to express what he'd been feeling at the time, "Don't Cor," he said, his eyes narrowing slightly at how Spock's eyes narrowed as well for his little nickname for her, "I want to see if HE knows himself."

Spock was silent for a moment, he was…having trouble focusing on the matter at hand, at the simple question Kirk was asking. All he was thinking about was Kirk's use of Cora's name in his head, at how familiar the man was with HIS mate. He knew that many members of the Enterprise had taken to calling her that as well, calling her 'Cor' though McCoy seemed to favor just calling her 'Red,' which he assumed had to do with her hair. He knew that it was an innocent name for her but...it was grating him. And the fact that Cora was seemingly trying to help Kirk explain, taking his side (in his mind at least), it was bothering him, distracting him...

What had the question been again?

"Commander Spock?" the lift opened as a black man peeked out, speaking before Spock could form an answer, "I'm Frank Abbott, USS Bradbury. Guess you're with me."

Spock's lips pursed at that reminder that hewas being separated from Cora, "Yes...Captain," he forced himself to say, stepping out of the lift.

"The truth is I'm going to miss you," Kirk admitted, stepping past Spock to join Pike by a round table in the middle of the room.

Cora hesitated, glancing between Spock and Kirk, "Spock…" she began, not liking this at all. Empathics were rarely ever far away from their 'husband' or family. She didn't know what would happen with them being on different ships, what that would do to their bonds.

She knew her own bond to him could never be truly completed, with him not being an Empathic or having a tie to his emotions like she did, he couldn't reciprocate the emotional bond that she shared with him. And, while she knew that she couldn't complete the mental bond with him, not being telepathic at any level, she did know that there was one more step left in a Vulcan mating. It had been...something she'd been aware of for quite a few months.

Spock didn't know but...she had been in contact with his future self, Spock Prime as she had taken to calling the man. She spoke with him every so often, when Spock was distracted or required elsewhere on the ship. Even though Spock Prime wasn't HER Spock, he was still A Spock, and she did care for him. She liked to check in and make sure he was alright, inquire how the Vulcan colony was doing as they were Spock's people and she respected them. Sometimes she would even ask him questions that her Spock...well, that she was a bit embarrassed to ask him because she felt like the answer would either be difficult for him to speak of or that it should be something she already knew and didn't want to come across as 'stupid' to him. She had learned a lot from Spock Prime about some Vulcan customs, especially the traditional matings and other things she doubted her Spock would bring up at that current moment in time and point in their relationship.

As a Vulcan-Empathic mating had never occurred before, she really had no idea what affect it would have on either of them. She knew, from what she'd seen of her people on Hestia, that to be separated from one's partner often left an Empathic female distracted and agitated and more...frantic with worry for their partner. She...didn't want to be without him.

This time it was Spock's turn to reach out and take her hand, "Everything will be alright, Cora," he promised her, squeezing her hand as he often did when promising something, letting her feel his sincerity, his belief in the promise itself, in his determination to keep it.

She swallowed hard but nodded, turning to head off after Kirk, expected to sit with her crew at meetings such as this instead of her…Spock. She really did need to see if there was a term for what he was to her.

She had just reached her seat beside Kirk when the man who had called the meeting, Admiral Marcus, arrived.

"Admiral Marcus, Sir," Frank Abbott greeted.

The man nodded, "Thank you for convening on such short notice," he gestured at the chairs, "Be seated," he sat down as did all of them, Cora shifting as she eyed the various men in the room, all too aware she was the only woman among them, "By now some of you heard what happened in London."

Small screens turned on before them, displaying news footage of a story that had been plaguing the Fleet since it happened, some sort of attack in London at one of the Starfleet bases. It had been an explosion that had taken out the entire historical archive and the surrounding buildings, killing some and injuring countless others.

"The target was a Starfleet Data Archive. Now it's a damn hole in the ground. 42 men and women are dead. One hour ago, I received a message from a Starfleet officer who confessed to carrying out this attack," they watched as a young black man appeared on the screen, "That he was being forced to do it by this man," another image replaced it, of a pale man with blue eyes and black hair, a serious expression on his face that had Cora frowning as she eyed it, already picking up on the minutest of expressive tells from just the images, "Commander John Harrison. He's one of our own and he is the man responsible for this act of savagery. For reasons unknown, John Harrison has just declared a one man war against Starfleet. Under no circumstances are we to allow this man to escape Federation space. You here tonight represent the senior command of all the vessels in the region. And, in the name of those we lost...you will run this bastard down. This is a manhunt, pure and simple so let's get to work..."

Cora glanced over to see that Kirk was flickering through images and new captures of the man, Harrison, escaping the scene, a bag in hand.

"Earth's Perimeter sensors have not detected any warp signatures leaving the system. So we know he can't be far. You will park ships at blockade…"

Cora began to tune the Admiral out as she started to shift in her seat, feeling…something odd. She glanced at the large window behind Marcus, unable to keep her gaze from it because...there was something out there. It reminded her far too much of when she'd been on the Enterprise for the first time, how she'd felt Kirk's desperation as he ran through the ship to get to the Bridge. It was JUST like that except...this something she was feeling...it was angry…and…it was getting closer and closer and growing stronger and stronger and…

She gasped, reaching out instinctively to grab the nearest object…which just so happened to be Kirk's arm, not seeing Spock look over at the sudden move and frown, his hands clenching into fists at the sight of her clutching another man.

Kirk looked over at her, "What is it?" he whispered, seeing her eyes wide with fear and alarm, "Cora?"

"There's someone out there," she whispered back, looking at Kirk, "He's angry, so angry I can feel it and…he wants to hurt us! He's going to attack!"

"What do you mean?" Kirk asked, an unsettling feeling hitting him at her words, his own suspicions about Harrison seeming to be confirmed…if she was feeling what he thought she was, if she was feeling a MAN coming…

"Commander Kirk, is everything ok there?" Marcus looked at them, having heard them whispering even if he hadn't heard what was said.

"No sir," Kirk looked back at him, steeling himself to speak out, knowing Pike wouldn't approve but that if Cora was feeling someone THAT angry from such a distance, it was someone VERY angry.

"Well if you have something to say, Kirk, say it. Tomorrow is too late."

"You're aware of my associate, Admiral?" Kirk gestured at Cora, who seemed nearly having a panic attack as he rested his hand on her back trying to help her, not seeing Spock's eyes narrow even more, the Vulcan's jaw tensing at being stuck across the room while his mate needed him…

"The Empathic, yes," Marcus rolled his eyes, "Spit it out son, don't be shy."

"She's sensed someone coming sir," Kirk stood, Cora trying to calm down, biting her lip as she stared at the window still, trying to feel more, to keep a lock on the emotion, see how close it was getting, "Harrison."

"And how does she know it's him?" Marcus frowned, "She hasn't met him before."

"With all due respect sir, Cora wasn't the one to identify him as Harrison, I was."

"What evidence do you have to support your claim?" Marcus asked, not quite believing it. He was of the impression that the Empathics weren't as useful as the rest of the Fleet would have him believe. He didn't see their achievements as outweighing their cost. To him, they weren't worth what the Fleet paid for them.

"Logic sir," Kirk barely refrained from rubbing his forehead at how HE was starting to sound like Spock now too, "Why the Archive? All that information is public record...if he really wanted to damage Starfleet…this could be just the beginning."

"Beginning of what, Mr. Kirk?"

"Sir, in the event of attack, protocol mandates that senior commands gather. Captains and First Officers, at Starfleet HQ, right here. In this room."

Spock, who had stiffened considerably as Kirk spoke, started to relax only slightly as Kirk stepped away from Cora to look around the room, making his way to the window Cora had not looked away from yet, "It is curious Harrison would commandeer a jump ship without warp capability," he agreed.

"He's here!" Cora gasped, leaping to her feet.

"Clear the room!" Kirk ordered as a bright orange light sprang up out the window, an attack headed right for them. He ran from the window, seeing Spock was already at Cora's side, all of them diving to the ground as lasers began to fire at them from outside, striking a few of the men.

It was utter chaos after that as Cora tried to focus on what was going on, tried to help...but with the attack happening so suddenly and so many people hurt, she couldn't concentrate. It felt like everything was happening so fast yet had been in slow motion at the same time.

Something was flying outside the window, a shuttle of some sort, firing beams and lasers at them. Kirk had run from the room with a phaser from a guard to attempt taking it out from the side as she and Spock frantically tried to get the men out of the line of fire, her struggling to get to one commander…but she could feel it before she even reached him, the life leaving him, making her shiver, feeling cold.

"Cora!" Spock shouted.

She turned to see him struggling to get Pike, who had been shot, out of the room and rushed over, helping heave the struggling man's arm over her shoulder, the man between them as they half-dragged him out of the room.

They got him to a small table outside the room, the man gasping for breath and struggling to hang on, his wounds severe, so severe that they knew he had only moments left. Cora felt tears prickling her eyes as she reached out and took the man's hand, sensing the end was near for him, sensing his fear and pain.

Spock eyed him with a sad look, before reaching out to touch his hand to Pike's face, subtly mind-melding him, seeing what the man was thinking and feeling in his mind. Cora frowned, feeling it as well and closed her eyes, placing her other hand on Pike's as she sent him comfort and compassion, letting him know he wasn't alone, adding as much soothing emotion as she could, trying to numb the pain, remove it, make it as peaceful as she could...

Spock's eyes snapped open as he looked at her, seeing she was not about to let the man experience death alone and scared as he'd seen in the man's mind only moments ago. She refused to let him suffer as he passed. He watched her face carefully, seeing a tear fall from her eye as Pike breathed his last breath, Cora closing her eyes in sorrow at that, unable to bring herself to let go of his hand despite feeling everything inside him still and dim and fade and grow colder. She shuddered, feeling the life leave him, feeling everything just...stop...

Behind them the firing ceased, moments before a large crashing noise was heard as the shuttle that had been firing plummeted to the ground. Kirk came running around the corner, stopping short when he saw Pike lying there, unmoving, and Cora's devastated expression.

He shook his head and ran over, Cora standing to allow him closer to the man, stumbling back, shaking...only realizing that Spock had gotten up and moved when she felt him beside her, a hand resting on her shoulder, his method of offering her comfort when she was upset, when he was unsure of if a hug or embrace would be proper.

They watched as Kirk shook his head again feeling tears in his eyes as he leaned forwards and buried his face on Pike's chest, the man who had been like a father to him lost as well. Cora took a breath, steeling herself before stepping out of Spock's hold to reach out and place a hand on Kirk's shoulder, trying to offer him comfort as he grieved for the man.

~8~

"Spock!" Cora screamed as she shot up in bed, panting, shaking, a fine layer of sweat on her brow as she closed her eyes, shaking her head.

"Cora," Spock spoke beside her, waking abruptly from her sudden move and shout, "What is wrong?" he looked at her, his heart...racing at hearing the utter terror in her voice.

"I...I..." she swallowed hard, taking a breath, "I...merely had a...a nightmare," she admitted quietly.

Spock tilted his head, "About me?" he reasoned.

She nodded, squeezing her eyes shut even tighter, "It wasn't Pike."

Spock blinked, not quite sure what she meant for a moment, before it dawned on him, she had dreamt that it hadn't been Pike that had been shot and killed but...himself, or he assumed it was him given her scream as she awoke. he reached out a tentative hand, curling a finger under her chin to turn her head to face him, Cora opening her eyes to look at him for the gesture, "I am fine," he reassured her, "I am still here."

"But you will not be for long," she reminded him, tears in her eyes at having to remind herself that as well. It was...his last night as a member of the Enterprise. They had been given rooms nearby after the attack, to recuperate, to be treated if they needed medical attention, and it might be...their last night together for a long while.

And that scared her, it was like her dream coming true in two ways. By dreaming him instead of Pike she relived the horror of what had just happened, and also represented the fact that he wasn't going to be there with her any longer.

It hurt.

Spock was silent for a long while, unsure of what he could say to that to make her feel better, to comfort her. Logically...he knew there was nothing that could be said. He had been reassigned, it was an order by Starfleet, it was not something he could change. He could petition them, argue, plead, with them to place him back with the Enterprise, but...there was no guarantee it would work and he couldn't bring himself to promise Cora something he couldn't keep.

"I am here now," was all he could think to say, "I am alive," he added.

Cora nodded, taking a deep breath, trying to calm down before she laid back on the bed, staring at the ceiling, her right hand resting on her stomach, her left lying beside her. He looked down at her a long while before lying down as well, staring at the ceiling as she was, before he reached out his right hand and took her left one gently. He squeezed it, feeling her shifting her hand, entwining their fingers as she squeezed it back.

"Many thanks," she whispered and he could see in her mind through the contact that she was referring to his holding her hand.

"You are welcome," he responded...before he frowned, getting another thought off her, "What was Lieutenant Uhura wrong about?" he inquired.

Cora sighed, "She claimed that you did not care for me," she said softly, "Because you refused to be rescued from the volcano. That you were selfish," she turned her head to look at him, "But you are never so with me," she smiled, squeezing his hand once more, his hand in hers all the proof she needed to know she was right.

Spock tilted his head to look at her in return, seeing that she truly believed that in her eyes. He looked at them, watching her, holding her gaze...his attention never wavering even as she slowly fell asleep once more, which he was thankful for. Cora had not...had many nightmares. Most were of her time on Hestia, but this...was new. He knew it was a combination of what had happened and the shock of his reassignment getting to her and...he wanted her to sleep. He knew that the mind processed things better when it was asleep and relaxed and he was hoping it would help her come to terms with what would happen in the morning.

If only HE could fall asleep and do the same. But he couldn't, he tried, but he felt as he had last night, that restlessness keeping him awake, keeping him from drifting off. He looked over though, when he heard his communicator beep off on a table across the room. He frowned, it was the middle of the night, there shouldn't be anyone contacting him at that time, not even the Enterprise. He glanced at Cora a moment before he slowly let go of her hand, careful not to wake her as he stood, getting off the bed and making his way across the room to the table. He picked up the communicator and froze.

It was the results of his medical examination.

He felt the air leave him at the data displayed before him. He was perfectly healthy...except for a growing imbalance of adrenalin, an imbalance that was steadily growing more and more rapidly...an imblance he had been dreading proof of.

He stiffened, looking back at Cora as she lay on their bed, sleeping, her head still turned to where he'd been lying, realizing what this might mean for her...because it wasn't just any odd imbalance...

It was the Pon Farr.

A/N: Pon Farr to be explained in the next chapter }:) But yay! He knows what it is! I'm very excited to see his reaction(s) to it ;) I felt so bad to write Cora in this chapter, with Daystrom and all that she learned and all that happened :'(

Poor Pike :(

But tomorrow we'll really see Pon Farr starting to set in. I think, once you're aware of something, it hits that much harder because it's on your mind and you KNOW it's there and are constantly thinking of it and trying not to think of it ;)

Some notes on reviews...

Lol, I love 'pointy' too :) I hate when plagiarism happens as well -sigh- :(

I'm very excited for Khan and his reaction to Cora too :)

I'm sorry it keeps happening too :( But thank you -hugs back!- :)