A/N: Major hotness ahead!

Chapter 20: Satiation

They stood there in silence for five seconds- and then Spock took her hand, drawing her toward the entrance to the cave. Nyota's heart was pounding with excitement as they ducked into the dark void.

He led her through the shadowy entranceway, deeper into the cave. She felt his own anticipation as they walked, and she squeezed his fingers lightly- he responded in kind, and lengthened his stride.

From up ahead, Nyota saw flickering, yellow light on the rock walls. A few seconds later, they turned around a corner and found themselves in the heart of the cave...it was about thirty feet in every direction. Candles were placed on the naturally-formed shelves in the walls, suffusing the air with a warm glow. Small pots of scented oil burned among them...Nyota noticed a passageway in the back corner, but couldn't guess where it led. The only thing that seemed out of place was a portable refrigerated unit, which presumably held their food for the next week, which was set against a far wall.

Nyota glimpsed a bed in the center of the room- a pallet with piles of blankets on top- before Spock spun her back around to face him. His eyes reflected the fluttering candle flames, but she could see the desire in them, as well as feel it. He rose a hand, stroking her cheek, while the other rested on her lower back, pulling her closer to him.

"Na'palesh-tor." he whispered. Nyota smiled, and he moved his fingers from her cheek to trace the curve of her lips.

"At last." Nyota agreed. His lips quirked up, and he leaned in toward her, his lips meeting hers tenderly. Her arms wound around his neck, pulling him as close as possible.

The kiss started off gentle, loving- but soon it became more urgent, passionate. Nyota pressed her hands to the back of his head, deepening the kiss, and he responded by tightening his hold on her waist and sliding his tongue into her waiting mouth, caressing hers gently. She moaned against him, and then she felt one of his hands on her breast, squeezing it gently, pinching the sensitive nipple. She clutched him even tighter, and felt his erection against her lower stomach. She broke away, panting.

"The bed." she said, and he nodded once. He slid his hands under her buttocks, and lifted her up. She wrapped her legs around him, pressing herself against his hardness as he carried her to the pallet, laying her down onto it gently. Then he continued to kiss her, moving from her lips to her neck, and then her collarbone, nipping gently at the skin before moving to place a kiss against the top of her bodice. Her need to feel him on her intensified. "The dress. Get it off me." she managed to say through the roiling waves of need that were encompassing her. He needed no further encouragement- his fingers found the seam of the dress, and began to tear it off of her- there was no time to spare in trying to preserve the gown. There was a reason why it had been made of such flimsy material.

She felt a slight breeze as the cloth disappeared from her skin, ripped forcefully until she wore nothing at all, the remnants of the gown pinned underneath her. Spock swept his eyes over her nude form- he appreciated the fact that she had not bothered with underwear. She hadn't seen any need- panties would have made them lose a few seconds.

"You're still dressed." Nyota said, taking his attention off of the sight before him. She leaned forward, touching his lok through his robes. She rubbed it, swiping her thumb over the head, keeping her eyes locked on his. "Take them off."

His eyes were still glued onto her as he began to disrobe. He did it slowly, teasingly. She withdrew her hand from him and laid back, tracing circles around one of her erect nipples. His eyes followed the movement almost hungrily.

He finally took off the last of his robes, revealing the hard, green organ that she so desperately wanted inside of her. She bit her lip at the sight, her sex throbbing anew and aching with need. She squeezed her thighs together, hoping to alleviate some of the ache- it did not help. Only one thing would help, and it was before her.

She reached out, taking his member into her hand, teasing the tip of it with her fingers. Then she leaned forward, and took the head into her mouth, like she had before, sucking on it while stroking the length of him. She watched as his eyes slipped closed.

She was surprised when he gently pushed her away, onto her back.

"My pleasure is unimportant at this time." he said, and kissed her breastbone, right between her breasts. Then he moved to take one delicate brown nipple in between his lips, tongue tracing circles around it before he began to suckle. Nyota's back arched toward him, and he sucked harder. She moaned again...he moved to inflict the same treatment on its twin- she felt his teeth graze against the tender flesh, resulting in tiny explosions of tingling pleasure.

He moved away from her nipple, and began to plant slow, hot kisses against her stomach, working his way downwards torturously slow. She whimpered in impatience, but he did not hurry his movements- he rested his hands on her hips, squeezing them slightly, and then moving to stroke the sensitive skin of her inner thighs, coaxing her to open up for him- it took very little coaxing. She spread her legs, arching her hips off the bed in silent entreaty.

"Patience, adun'a." Spock whispered against her lower belly. He then positioned himself between her legs, and continued to press slow kisses against her inner thighs.

"Spock." she keened, reaching down to lay a hand on his head, her fingers working their way through his hair as she began to gently guide him to where she wanted him. "Stop teasing."

He caught her hand and drew it away from him, pressing it against the bed.

"Do not touch." he commanded. She bit her lip again, and suppressed a groan of frustration- but she knew from his tone that he meant business.

He proceeded with his actions, kissing closer and closer...finally, after what felt like hours, he pressed a kiss against the outer lips of her kotik. This did not, in any way, relieve the ache that was now almost painful. She was breathing hard now, her chest heaving, breasts rising and falling. He kept his eyes on her as he began to run his tongue over the labia, not entering the moist crevice, but lightly brushing against the swollen nub at the top. She closed her eyes briefly.

"Do not close your eyes." he said in her head. "I want you to watch."

She shivered in desire, but obeyed. Her eyes felt unusually heavy as she looked down at the man below her. In reward for her good behavior, he slid his tongue into the folds, resulting in a sigh of delight from her. He licked the whole length of her wetness, and then began to swirl his tongue over her clit. She moaned louder now, fighting hard to keep her eyes on him. He looked up at her again as he caught the nub in between his lips, sucking hard.

She was unable to stop her hips from bucking toward him, and unable to stifle the cry that echoed in the cave. The sensation was white-hot, the pleasure so sharp that it almost hurt. Spock continued to suckle on the bit of flesh, and she felt his fingers stroking her entrance, before slowly sliding two fingers in. He crooked them slightly towards him in a 'come-hither' motion- and come she did, crying out as wave after wave of ecstasy crashed over her, her toes curling, the orgasm so strong that she felt her uterus contract in spasms.

When she came back to herself, he was sliding back up her body, kissing her everywhere on the way up, before finally kissing her lips again. His lok throbbed against her inner thigh.

"Your turn." she whispered, and pushed on his shoulders. He obediently laid on his back, watching as she began to stroke him again, fingers tight around him. She began to lean forward to take him into her mouth again- but he stopped her.

"No, not now. I want you." he said. At this, Nyota felt her own arousal quickly returning, fueled by his, which she felt across the bond. Soon, she was aching again, and she nodded.

She moved to straddle him, and he placed one hand on her hip, the other moving up to fondle a breast, rolling a nipple between two nimble fingers. Her wetness pressed against the hard flesh below her, already coating it in her fluids. She moved against it, groaning, before reaching down to position him at her entrance- she pushed down, and he entered her for the first time in a week.

She threw her head back, eyes closed, as he filled her, impossibly hot and impossibly hard. She began to move- his lok easing some of the ache each time she bore down, pressing against all the right spots. She opened her eyes to look down at him as she moved, sliding him in and out of her tightness.

His eyes were ablaze as he watched her, his gaze wandering from her flushed face down to her breasts, which bounced slightly every time she sheathed him, down to where their bodies were joined. She knew what he was thinking- he was admiring her beauty. He reached up to rub the pads of his fingers against her nipples again, and then his touch wandered lower, seeking her clit- as she lowered herself once more onto him, he pressed upwards. Again, that white-hot, burning pleasure that was almost painful in its intensity. She shuddered in her second orgasm, moaning his name as she did.

He took advantage of her momentary breathlessness, holding her tightly as he rolled them over, so that he was now on top. He began to move against her, filling her again and again, his breath hot against her shoulder. She could feel his own release building up, and he was taking her with him. Her whole body sang in anticipation, disregarding the fact that she had already had two orgasms- the ache was being sated, each glorious thrust bringing her ever closer to the edge of promised completion.

His movements were quickening, he was entering her harder each time- she wrapped her legs around him, her nails raking against his back, urging him on. She was moaning again, chanting his name, the crescendo beginning again, her whole body tingled...

"Look at me, Nyota." Spock thought at her. She wasn't aware that she had closed her eyes, but now she opened them. He was looking at her face even as he continued to move, and she met his gaze. "Come with me." he murmured, and that was all it took.

With one last, powerful thrust, they both tumbled over the edge into oblivion.

________________________________________________________

"How long have we been here?" Nyota murmured sleepily. They had spent nearly three hours after their arrival becoming reacquainted with one another, and after awhile Nyota had fallen asleep, her arms wrapped around him, head buried against his shoulder. When she had awoken, they had made love again.

"Twelve hours, nine minutes, and-"

"I don't need to know the details." she chuckled, and moved up to kiss him. He tightened his arms around her. "Only twelve hours? Seems like longer than that."

"Regardless, that is the correct amount of time." Spock replied, now slowly stroking her bare back.

"I feel like I need a shower." she now said, arching her back as she stretched. Her inner thighs were coated with the remains of their pleasure.

"There is a natural hot spring in the cave." Spock said, drawing her closer to him. He arched an eyebrow. "For bathing, of course."

"Hmm." Nyota smiled. "I think I like the sound of a bath."

"Shall we go together?" he asked, biting her neck gently, his teeth scraping deliciously against her skin. She nodded, and he gathered her into his arms, lifting her from the pallet. She laughed as he carried her toward the passageway she had noticed before.

They found themselves in a smaller space, and there was indeed a hot spring there. The water was perfectly suited for Spock, although a little too warm for Nyota's immediate comfort. He eased down into the water, adjusting her so that her legs were draped over his lap. She rubbed his chest with her fingers, resting her head against the stone wall behind her.

"It's like a jacuzzi- just without the jets." Nyota said, smiling lazily. "Relaxing."

He moved his hands over her wet skin, massaging the muscles of her thighs and hips.

"I sense your discomfort." he said, his fingers moving in circular movements. "I may have been unnecessarily rough with you earlier."

"No, I'm fine- just a little sore. Nothing too bad, and it's already going away." she said. He moved her so that she was facing away from him, and he began to massage her shoulders and back. She closed her eyes, humming in contentment. "That's nice." she said.

It wasn't long before both of them were aroused again. Once they were both washed up, he carried her back out to the bed, her skin still glistening with droplets of water as he laid her there.

"I think this defeats the purpose of a bath." Nyota commented as Spock's hands moved over her body slowly, caressing each and every pleasure point she had- some of which she didn't even know about.

"Then there will be many more baths to come." Spock replied, laying his hand on her sex- not moving it, just letting the hot weight rest against her. She shifted her hips, pressing him more firmly against her, her eyes closing as her lips parted.

He watched as a flush crept up her cheeks, her collarbone...she was indescribably beautiful when her face showed her pleasure.

Contrary to her belief, Spock did not enjoy sex for the physical pleasure it gave him. Well- he did enjoy it, of course, no sane being could not enjoy it. But what he liked most about it was the pleasure it gave her- nothing satisfied him more than hearing her vocal expressions of how much he pleased her. He would be content with never sating himself, just as long as he could sate her. It was his duty to please his bond mate- and he had not failed her yet.

He slid his fingers into her moisture, the silk surrounding them. She sighed, and he continued the movements, his fingers sliding up to her clitoris, then down to her entrance, penetrating her. She rocked her pelvis against him, asking for more.

He withdrew his fingers- she was plenty ready for him. He positioned himself above her, and she wrapped her arms and legs around him.

It was not like before- when they had first arrived, and even after she was woken up, it had only been about sexual relief. But this time...they were not having sex, they were making love.

He kissed her tenderly, one hand stroking her cheek as the other supported his weight. He entered her slowly, and once he was completely within her, he paused to enjoy the feel of her as she surrounded his lok. Warm, wet, tight. He did not understand how human males- who did not have nearly as much control over their bodies as Vulcans- could last more than ten seconds inside such bliss. Perhaps he should give them more credit in this area.

He moved. She sighed against one pointed ear, tightening her hold on him. She was biting her lip, brow furrowed. Across the link, he felt her pleasure and burning arousal.

He kissed her again, and their lips barely separated for the rest of the time, as he slowly made love to her, one hand caressing her breasts, occasionally sliding down to stimulate her. Their warm breaths mingled together, their bodies sliding against one another effortlessly from the moisture left over from their bath.

As their pleasure increased, Spock began to kiss her everywhere- her eyelids, cheeks, chin, collarbone, neck...He sent her his love over their bond, and she responded.

"I love you." she murmured. He rested his forehead against hers, looking directly into her eyes as their climaxes neared, slowly. Even as his body bade him to move harder, faster, deeper, he did not. She did not urge him to- this was not sex for pleasure. They were expressing their love wordlessly.

Her soft sighs and moans filled the air as her peak neared. Still, he thrust slowly, tantalizingly. They were in no rush to bring an end to this.

Finally, she gave a soft, quiet cry, her inner muscles clenching around him, and suddenly her entrance was even wetter than before. Her limbs were trembling as they clung to him....he allowed himself to have his own release. With a quiet grunt, he filled her with his seed.

They laid there like that for a long time, neither moving or speaking a word. He dusted her with kisses on her face and neck, lips brushing softly against hers. Finally, he slid out of her and laid beside her, gathering her to his chest.

"Taluhk nash-veh k'dular, ashayam." Spock murmured, and she smiled against his shoulder.

___________________________________________________________

They laid together on the bed, curled around each other- they spent much of their time like that.

"I never did open that heirloom box of your mother's." Nyota said.

"Why not?" Spock asked.

"I wanted to open it with you. I didn't realize that we wouldn't be able to see each other before the ceremony." Nyota said. "Do you want to open it now?"

"It is here?"

"Yes, someone came to get whatever I might need, to take it to caves." Nyota climbed off the pallet, and headed toward a corner, where there was a bag. It had escaped his notice, somehow, over the last four days- they had been rather preoccupied. She bent over to pick up the red box, and he admired the view as her most intimate parts were exposed to him. He was smirking when she turned back around, bringing the box over to the bed and setting it down before joining him.

"Have you seen what's inside?" she asked.

"Yes, but it was many years ago." Spock replied, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her to his chest as he sat up. "Open it."

Nyota slid her fingers under the clasp on the lid, and swung it back. Inside was an assortment of objects. Nyota took out the first- a silver hand mirror.

"Late nineteenth century, I believe." Spock said. "Many of the items in that box will be antiques."

The mirror was still in good condition. She held it up to her face and winced.

"What did you do to my hair?" she asked, patting it. It was a tangled mess. She caught his reflection smirking, and elbowed him playfully in the side.

"I did warn you about oral stimulation." he murmured into her ear before turning her face to his and kissing her.

"You hair doesn't look so good, either." Nyota commented. It was true- it was sticking up all over the place due to the amount of times she had run her fingers through it.

She set aside the mirror and reached back into the box. This time, she drew out an old framed picture.

"My mother and her family when she was at the age of ten." Spock said. Nyota looked closely at the picture. There was a man and woman that she assumed were his grandparents, and two little girls. The taller one was definitely Spock's mother. They had the same warm brown eyes.

"Do you ever see them?" she asked.

"My grandparents are both deceased. My aunt lives in New York City. I have not seen her since I was thirteen."

Nyota now set aside the picture, and reached inside for the next item. This time she withdrew a small box. She opened it to find an assortment of jewelry.

"She stopped wearing Terran jewelry when she moved to Vulcan." Spock said, reaching around her to take out a set of earrings with dangling red stones. "These will look especially complementary on you." he added.

"They're beautiful." Nyota said, fingering the red stones before putting them back in the box. There were also several bracelets and necklaces- and a ring. "This looks like a diamond engagement ring." Nyota said, holding it up to the light of the candles, which they relit every night when the sun went down.

"That is the ring my father presented her with when he asked her to marry him the second time."

"The second time?"

"I believe you would find the story humorous. Someday I will tell it to you." Spock said, and took it from her. "Perhaps I should have given you a ring, myself."

"You didn't need to." Nyota said.

"It is the left ring finger, correct?" he asked, sliding it on for her. She smiled.

"Correct." she said. She admired the glittering stone for a moment, and then closed the lid to the jewelry box. She reached back into the red one- taking out two photographs. The first was one of Sarek and Amanda, sitting on a sofa beside one another. Sarek's arm was around Amanda's shoulder, holding her against his chest. She was laughing, eyes full of humor- and although his face was as expressionless as ever, Nyota knew that Sarek had been happy, too.

"This was taken shortly after they married." Spock said quietly. Nyota wordlessly set it aside- it was hard to believe that that woman, who was so full of life, was gone before her time. She lifted the second picture, and immediately burst into laughter.

"Oh, that is too good!" Nyota said, wiping away tears of mirth. Spock studied the picture, and she could feel his distaste. The picture was of him at about a year old- covered in some sort of pasta. And naked.

"I will never understand why she kept that particular picture." Spock said. "I was a child. Children do...strange things."

She was still laughing, her stomach starting to hurt from the spasms. He plucked the picture from her fingers and set it aside, face down.

"If we have a daughter for you to bequeath these things to, I will ensure that picture is not one of them." Spock said, and tightened his arms around her. She was starting to calm down now.

"Oh, I'm keeping that one, without a doubt. Imagine what the captain would say if he saw that! And McCoy!" she erupted into fresh laughter again.

"You would not dare." Spock said stonily.

"Of course I wouldn't." Nyota said, and leaned against him, her ribs hurting from laughing so hard. She reached back into the box and took out several more objects- all of which were antiques, as Spock had guessed. An old ivory brush, several antique rock and roll albums, and a music box. Nyota opened the box- it was the sort that had a ballerina in it that slowly revolved and played a tinkling tune when opened. Nyota began to put the things back into the box.

"I just remembered something." Nyota said. "Your father...well, we somehow got into talking about Amanda. He mentioned something about geneticists..."

"Due to the differences in their species, my parents had to resort to scientific means to conceive me." Spock said. Nyota set the box on the floor and turned back to him.

"So that means...if we want to have children, we have to go through all of that, too?" she asked, disappointed.

"No." Spock said, drawing her against him again. "They ensured that I am able to reproduce with either a human or Vulcan female."

"So we can do it the natural way?" she asked.

"Yes, adun'a. Or else I would have told you not to bother with your progesterone hypos." Spock said. Nyota sighed in relief.

"Good. I mean- I know we won't have children any time soon, but I didn't want to have to go through all that..."

"I would not want us to, either. My parents had a particularly difficult time with it."

She rested her head against him, and closed her eyes. This was her husband...and now, she was realizing that one day, he would be the father of her children. The idea of it was heartwarming.

"You'll make a good father, I think." Nyota said. "You're a good husband already."

He kissed her forehead, and she felt his gratefulness for her...reassurance?

"Were you worried more about being a bad husband or a bad father?" she asked, pulling away to look at him.

"I wish to be an adequate husband to you. It is what you deserve." Spock replied. She smiled and hugged him again.

"You don't have to worry about that, adun. You're exceeding my expectations more every minute- and my expectations were high."

His lips quirked up, and he laid her back on the bed. She laughed softly as his hands began to roam over her body once more. "I believe it is time to exceed your expectations again." he said.

________________________________________________________________

It was their last night. They had moved outside, and were sitting on a large rock near the caves. Both of them were completely naked- Spock had been serious when he had said clothing was prohibited in the caves. They were covered only by a thin blanket.

Spock's legs were stretched out, and she sat between them, her back against his chest. His arms were around her, and hers over his. Nyota was looking up at the starry sky above them, but Spock's face was buried in her shoulder, his breath hot against her collarbone.

It was a beautiful night. Unlike Vulcan, New Vulcan did have a moon, although it was much smaller than Earth's. It was full tonight, making the white sands that surrounded them glow. The stars stretched across the wide expanse of black space, going on forever, hundreds of thousands of twinkling lights. Tomorrow, they would be back amongst them.

She was not looking forward to it. Soon, they would have to return to bridge duties, immerse themselves in danger once more. The last two weeks had been a welcome relief from their lives, and the last week had been almost criminally happy and peaceful. She had never spent such a long amount of time with Spock, uninterrupted, before. It was a nice change.

Spock had been extraordinarily affectionate the last week. Ever since their bonding, it had been easier for him to show physical affection with kisses or light touches- because now he knew when she wanted them. But she had seen a gradual relaxation in him since their arrival in the caves. He no longer hesitated to do anything emotional. When they returned to the ship, she knew that would be the biggest loss.

She leaned her head against him and closed her eyes. They had come a long way...

Back when their relationship first started, she had had trouble getting him to allow much physical contact. It had taken her four months to sleep with him. Neither of them had had sex before, although Nyota had experience in almost everything else. The first time they had made love, she had thought it was wonderful, albeit painful. Looking back, she now realized how awkward it had been- neither of them had known what they were doing.

But of course, Vulcans are very fast learners. By the time they had sex the third time, he was giving her multiple orgasms and had already perfected the art of oral sex. It was amazing how much he had progressed.

It was not only the sexual aspect of their relationship that had changed, however. Spock had found it easier and easier to express his emotions to her- and only to her. She had seen him in every possible stage of emotional torment, and helped him through it as much as possible. She was his rock...and he was hers.

But there was still that one, niggling little worry...why hadn't he told her about Pon Farr? She had successfully shoved it into the back of her mind the last week, but now that she thought about the dangers awaiting in space, she began to worry about other dangers that were closer to her. If he trusted her completely, why hadn't he told her that one day, he might hurt her?

Suddenly, she felt anger that was not hers, and Spock lifted his face from her shoulder.

"Who told you?" he asked.

"T'Shan." Nyota replied. Of course, he had been listening to her thoughts. Sometimes, she still forgot about the link.

"It was not her place." Spock said, each word said with a bite. "She overstepped her boundaries."

"Spock, someone had to tell me." Nyota said. "T'Shan told me that your mother almost died once-"

"That is because she was unprepared. My father did not inform her about Pon Farr- it was his responsibility to do so."

"Just like how you never told me that you might kill me one day?" Nyota snapped. Spock fell silent. The link closed abruptly for the first time in a week, and she sighed. "I didn't mean that, Spock." she said, tightening her hold on his arms and pressing her head against his shoulder.

"I was going to inform you. I just had not yet." Spock said quietly, his voice not betraying the pain she knew he was feeling. "I do not even know whether or not I will undergo it. But my mother survived it...and I am sure that you will, too. You are a strong woman, Nyota. If you were weak, we would not be here now- I never would have risked it."

"Spock, this is something you should have told me, right from the beginning. T'Shan said this was something embarrassing- but you still should have let me know."

"I have made many mistakes in this relationship. It appears that this is another." Spock said, somewhat bitterly.

"How did your mother cope with it?" Nyota asked.

"I remember two incidents in my life where my parents had a very strained marriage. They both happened to coincide with my father's cycle." Spock said. "I assume she did not cope with it for several weeks afterward."

"And how did she get over it?" she asked. "I need to know...for the future. I need to know what to expect."

"I believe my father helped her through it. It was stressful for the both of them- they had to recover together. Pon Farr can be very violent...one cannot always stop when asked to."

Nyota nodded, understanding. "But there's a chance you won't have it."

"But there is also a chance that I may. I hope not- I have no desire to hurt you, ashayam. If I do go through it..." he trailed off, and held her tighter, burying his face in her shoulder again. "I cannot lose you." he whispered.

"If your mother could get through it, so will I." Nyota said, and raised a hand to stroke his hair. But now she was remembering something else T'Shan had said...Amanda had told her that she may have thought twice about marrying Sarek if she had known what he was capable of. Would she, someday, think the same thing? She couldn't imagine ever thinking that about her Spock...

"Let's not think about this now, k'diwa." Nyota said. "You can talk to Elder Spock sometime, ask him about it."

"That is logical." Spock replied. They fell silent, and Nyota returned to looking at the stars. Spock opened the link again, and they shared love. She felt her worries buried once more, dropping away. She would be concerned about Pon Farr when- or if- it occurred.

Nyota began to trace patterns on Spock's thigh, her fingers lightly skimming over the skin. She felt his lok stir, pressing against her lower back. He began to kiss her shoulder, gently sucking on the skin, his fingers dipping down into her sex. When they were both breathless and aching for one another, he wordlessly picked her up and lowered her onto him.

Her moans and cries of pleasure echoed around the surrounding rock, reaching up for the moon and stars, spiralling back down to the lovers below. Never had there been such serenity on New Vulcan.

________________________________________________________

Early the next morning, a hover-car came to get them. Dressed for the first time in a week- which felt strange- the couple met Sarek. None of them said a word as they got back into the hover-car and were taken back to the house- where they both had proper showers and breakfast that wasn't fruit or other foods that did not require preparation.

At 1000, Sarek took them to the Embassy, where the Enterprise would beam them up. He stood with them to say his farewells.

"Thank you for having us here." Nyota said, smiling at him. "And- thank you for Amanda's things."

Sarek nodded once, and looked down at the diamond ring she still wore. "You are welcome to them. I am sure Amanda would have given them to you herself. I suppose I should thank you for coming to New Vulcan."

"We were more than happy to." Nyota said, and Spock sent her a rather provocative image that she decided to ignore.

At that time, Spock's communicator- which had been entirely silent for the last two weeks- chirped. The Enterprise was in orbit and ready for beam-up.

"Live long and prosper, father." Spock said, raising his hand in the salute. Sarek returned it. "I am sure we will return someday." he added as he flipped open the communicator. Sarek stepped away, and Nyota nodded and smiled at him one last time before Spock instructed the Enterprise to energize.

With one last swirl of white light, New Vulcan disappeared- and then they were back on the Enterprise.

A/N: Well, there's the end of this little story arc ;) Let me know what you think!