Margaret needed to take a break, and it was lunchtime. She had completed three sketches of her nephew and wanted her mind to process what she had just drawn. She would need to do more, of course, before she chose a pose, facial expression (so far there was not much from which to choose), and mood for her final work.
Allen went to the comm station in the study to check in with his work colleagues on the progress of his project. This had not been the most convenient week for him to take off, but it could not be helped. His director understood when Allen explained that the timing of his nephew's visit was Starfleet's schedule, not his. However, Allen kept in touch to keep the project on track while he was away.
Inviting her guests into the kitchen, Margaret set out pita bread, hummus, fried tofu, spinach, and various vegetables, nuts, dried fruit, and dressings for her guests to configure into sandwiches or salads. She remembered the foods she had prepared for Amanda and Spock's previous visit and duplicated the efforts. "I am making veggie lasagna on Sunday. Would you mind if I invited your cousins? Norah and Alaina would like to see you again."
Spock thought well of Norah and Alaina and his time with them years ago. While Amanda, Allen, and Margaret had visited with one another, the children shared some interesting adventures, many that simultaneously confused and intrigued him. The sisters had treated him well, better than most Vulcan children had. Their cultural differences did not seem to matter to the girls. If Spock wanted to participate in their activities, he was welcome. If not, then he was free to observe. Either way, they made a point of including him. It had been difficult to return to Vulcan after knowing that kind of companionship.
"Yes, it would be agreeable to see them again."
The prospect of vegetable lasagna was also agreeable to Spock, although he did not comment on this. It was one of the dishes that Amanda always prepared using traditional cooking methods, never replicated. The sauce came from tomatoes, onions, and garlic they grew themselves. Honoring the pact he made with himself earlier in the morning, he allowed himself to miss it for a moment, then concentrated on assembling his salad.
"Good! And Alaina's fiancé would like to meet you as well. Oh, I forgot to tell you about that. They just got engaged last week. His name is Safi. Safi Afua. He's a pathologist at the Mayo Clinic. Nyota, you have something in common. He's from East Africa."
"Hmm, I'd enjoy talking to someone from home," Nyota said. "I'm sure you're excited. It sounds like you are."
"He's a wonderful young man. Of course I am. Alaina was bouncing around so much when she called us. Her face hardly stayed within the comm screen." Margaret's face softened as a memory flickered behind her eyes. "Spock, it was just like your mother when she called to tell me she was marrying your father. Maybe it's a family thing. She hardly could sit still, either."
"I can see why she'd be hopping in her seat…." Nyota grinned, glancing to her side where her beloved now concentrated more intensely on a couple cucumber slices. He placed them with the same precision as he would have had he been reconnecting the delicate fibers of a sensor array. More often than not, he had an easier time facing down five Klingon warriors than he did accepting a loving comment.
Nyota sighed, smirking. "Well, even if he doesn't want to hear the story, I do. How did she tell you about herself and Sarek? Not just about the engagement, but from the beginning?"
"Well…," Margaret mused. "We only found out about their relationship after we heard about it on the news."
Suddenly his salad was not as interesting. Margaret had Spock's full attention.…
-o0o-
[33 years before…]
Margaret, Howard, and Jeanne Grayson had just finished supper, spending a rare evening together as newly married Margaret visited her parents while Allen was away at a seminar for his new job. Jeanne, a college professor, was on break between sessions. Howard had cleared his surgical schedule so he could be with them. Margaret busied herself at her sketch pad and Howard read a book while the three watched the evening holovid newscast.
"…Officials point out that relaxed restrictions from the Vulcan High Council through its embassy may open opportunities for scientific exchange and a strengthening of the Federation overall…"
Images of Vulcan and Terran officials in front of a United Federation of Planets logo flickered before them.
"…However, some sources, who request to remain anonymous, say that diplomacy of a more personal kind may be at play.…"
At full screen, Margaret's sister's image looked back at them all.
"Amanda!?" Margaret shouted.
Howard and Jeanne each looked at each other in horror as the reporter went on to describe reports of a dating, perhaps romantic relationship between Vulcan's Ambassador Sarek and Amanda Grayson, a PhD candidate at the University of California, Berkeley. By sources who wished to remain anonymous, of course.
Suddenly the comm station in the next room came to life, beeping as message upon message demanded attention. Howard had only seen machinery come to life like that during emergencies in the ER. As a surgeon, he was used to going into action. "OK. What do we know? Spill!" Howard commanded, his face sterner than a Planetary Defense Force drill sergeant's.
"She is working with the Vulcan Embassy on a translator project for her doctoral thesis," Margaret recited. "She goes there several times a week. She has met the ambassador several times, but she mostly works with his staff."
"Has she said anything about the ambassador himself?"
"She likes him," Margaret answered. "She said that he's 'regal.' He's always been nice to her."
"Jeanne, what has she said to you?"
"That she enjoys her work, that Ambassador Sarek is helpful and respectful, and that she's fascinated with her subject matter." Jeanne shook her head. "Maybe we are dealing with rumors. You know how the media are. Before we fly off the handle, we need to talk to Amanda first. Now let's calm down."
Then something tickled in the back of Margaret's memories. Amanda did say that she had accompanied the ambassador to a reception celebrating the anniversary of First Contact. But would it not make sense for a Terran working on a Vulcan-Terran translation project to accompany the Vulcan ambassador on this occasion? It would be symbolic. Then how about the time that Amanda accompanied the ambassador to the San Francisco Symphony featuring Vulcan works? Then there was…uh-oh. She decided to keep this information to herself.
Suddenly the comm station beeped with the family sequence of tones indicating a priority call. The three left the living room, venturing into the office alcove where the unit sat. On the screen:
CommLink Requestor: Amanda Grayson
"Accept," Howard ordered the unit.
Amanda's face appeared, her mouth in a nervous, strained smile when she saw the rest of her family on the other end.
Before she could greet them, Howard broke in. "Amanda, what is going on? Is there something we need to know?"
The smile disappeared and Amanda steeled herself. "What have you heard, Dad?"
Howard kept his voice carefully even. "That you and the Vulcan ambassador are in a non-platonic relationship. But I wanted to ask you about it first because I would hate to think that I'd find out something like this from the newsvids and not from my daughter herself. Is it true?"
Amanda took a deep breath. "It is true." She did not look down or away. She seemed to adopt a Vulcan's calm and remained expressionless.
Jeanne gasped.
Margaret's eyebrows shot upward. In their childhood, Amanda had always been known as "Miss Perfect," but now she had, probably for the first time in her life, done something radical. It was usually Margaret who shocked and surprised the family with mild hijinks, nothing harmful, but Amanda had just done something no one had. And on a stellar scale, too! "Whoa…," she said.
"Nothing out of you!" Howard snapped at Margaret. "Amanda, why are we only hearing about this now?"
"Because the media do not know how to mind their own business," Amanda stated. "Sarek and I are just beginning to get to know each other. I had planned to tell you about our relationship if it appeared to be long-term. Had it ended, I would have liked to put it behind me without saying anything, for the sake of his privacy and mine. But now I do not have that option."
"And what is the nature of your relationship?"
"As you said, non-platonic," Amanda said, carefully controlling her voice. "No other details are pertinent to this discussion. I am 24 years old, and my choices are my own."
"You sound like a Vulcan," Howard accused.
"Thank you," Amanda said. She refused to be distracted. "I am sorry that this has upset you, but…." Then Amanda's detached demeanor softened. "Mom, Dad, Margaret, I have to be honest. I…I have never felt this way before about anyone. I apologize for using a cliché, but it's like he's my other half. And I'm having a hard time denying or ignoring that." She looked downward. "Please do not hate me. I really need to see where this goes."
Jeanne spoke. "Amanda, you have never been in love before. You've hardly dated before! Are you sure that you're not being swept up by the glamour and the exotic nature of this situation? What do you know about him? Do you understand that Vulcans are not just from another planet? They are a whole different species. We share similarities, but there have got to be some incompatibilities that no one knows about yet. You cannot let yourself be swept away by some dashing ambassador. This is serious. There are issues—big ones!"
Amanda tried to return to a more stoic manner. "I am aware of the diplomatic, cultural, and biological issues. I am trying to maintain rationality on this. Sarek also insists on this. Neither of us plans to rush things. "
"You do realize that your life just changed. Maybe ours as well."
"I do."
Jeanne took in a shuddered breath. "He's not trifling with you, is he? He's not having a fling with a human woman as some kind of an experiment? I have to ask."
"The potential fallout for him is greater than it is for me. Vulcans do not have flings. The culture forbids it, and the consequences—"
"And what about feelings? What about emotion? Can you be with someone who cannot love you?"
"Mom, Vulcans control emotions. They have them. To what extent, I have to find out for myself." Amanda now looked uncomfortable, but she forged on. "I need to make a request."
"What is it?" Howard asked.
"Now that there is media speculation about a relationship between Sarek and me, the embassy press secretary has issued guidelines for dealing with the press. I am asking you to read them and to follow them. None of them should surprise you. They are, of course, logical…." Amanda could not restrain a slight smile at that. "I will forward them to you. In the meantime, please don't talk to anyone. It will only make things more difficult."
Howard felt a surge of protectiveness. "Is anyone at the embassy in any way threatening you?"
"No, not at all. I worked with the press secretary long ago to draw up the guidelines, just in case."
"I see... Well, then... We will review them. If there are conflicts, we'll need to talk," Howard said. He hated the idea of Vulcan Embassy staff telling him what to do, but he understood the need for guidelines.
"I understand. Thank you," Amanda said. "I need to go. I am sorry. Please support me, even if you don't support my choices."
"Whatever you do, Amanda, you will always have our support," Jeanne said.
Howard nodded. Though Amanda was an adult, he feared that she would be hurt at some point. When that happened, he and Jeanne would be ready.
Amanda, almost reading her father's thoughts, still smiled. He always worried about her. "Good night, everyone."
"Good night, Amanda. Remember that we love you," Jeanne said.
The screen went dark, and the transmission information appeared at the bottom.
End of transmission. Secure line. Embassy of Vulcan, San Francisco, Terra.
-o0o-
"Did your parents support the relationship?" Nyota asked.
"No, that took awhile," Margaret said. "A Terran-Vulcan relationship was unheard of. Mom and Dad were upset, but who could blame them? They had not met Sarek yet, so he was a big unknown to them, and they were afraid. Complicating the matter was the media sensationalizing everything. For the first few weeks, our comm station beeped non-stop. Dad had to get a new pager for work because the code to his old one got out, and the reporters kept buzzing him. Amanda was followed everywhere. She couldn't take two steps without someone getting into her face. At one point, Sarek had to hire private security for her."
"We can relate to that, can't we, Spock?" Nyota said.
"There is a 32.543 percent chance that we will be accosted by a media representative before we complete our visit here," he stated. He narrowed his brow. "It is intrusive."
For Spock, in many ways, serving in deep space offered respite, although at times the Enterprise could be a fishbowl unto itself. But, for the most part, it was a closed community that offered a measure of privacy.
"I guess that's the 'reward' you get for saving the planet," Margaret sighed.
"So, when did your parents begin to accept Amanda and Sarek's relationship?" Nyota asked. "And how did you feel about it?"
"I thought it was great," Margaret said. "Really, because Amanda had never turned her head for any guy, although she had plenty of offers from some very eligible suitors, believe me. And I guess I was taken by the exotic nature of it all. How romantic! To find love with an ambassador from a faraway star…. OK, I admit, it sounds goofy, but I really was a hopeless romantic at the time."
Margaret sighed, laughed at herself, then continued. "But as I talked to her, I could tell that Sarek was 'the one.' She was so, so happy, and even more so each time I talked to her. It took Mom and Dad a bit longer to figure it out. But after a year into it, Amanda and Sarek looked like they were in it for the long haul. That's when I think they started accepting the inevitable. I think the thing that helped the most was when Mom, Dad, Allen, and I got to meet Sarek ourselves."
"What was that like?"
"First of all, it was fun because we did not meet at the Vulcan Embassy. We met in Maui."
"Maui?" Spock was incredulous. Were he human, his mouth would have hit the floor.
"It was neutral territory, it was relaxing, and, therefore, logical," Margaret laughed. "Amanda said it was Sarek's idea. He's the diplomat, so I guess he used to setting the stage for some careful negotiations."
Nyota giggled. The picture of Vulcans doing the hula popped into her head.
Spock suddenly looked at her. "Nyota…." Had he picked up her thought? Or simply guessed?
"Uh, sorry…."
"It wasn't your typical Hawaiian vacation, if that's what you're thinking," Margaret continued. "Maui has some very exclusive, secluded resorts, sheltered from paparazzi and other intruders. The scenery was peaceful. We were on the dry side of the island, so it was more comfortable for Sarek and his aides, but comfortable for us, too, as we had the swimming pool right outside our suite. We had the freedom to get to know one another without worrying about pressure from the outside."
"Did Sarek win your parents over during the trip?"
"I think they accepted him, although it was weird for Dad to have a prospective son-in-law who was older than he was, although Sarek looked younger. But they found a peace. Dad is more reserved than most people, and he has a more logical mind than most, so it was probably easier for Sarek to relate to him, too. I think that Mom saw what I saw, that Sarek was 'the one,' so that was good enough for us."
