Nguyen waited for the door to close, engaged the privacy lock, and got down to business. "I'll ask this straight-up: Why are you here today, Commander?"

Humans were seldom this direct, and Nguyen displayed a new aggressiveness that made Spock more wary of him than usual. Like Nguyen, Spock kept his tone businesslike as he stated the obvious. "We are volunteering at a charitable function."

"Because?" Nguyen dug.

"Our appearance in support of an honorable endeavor satisfies Starfleet public relations objectives," Spock recited.

"Yes, it does. But there is more behind this particular appearance." Nguyen, standing squarely in front, met Spock's gaze and held it. Despite his smaller frame, he could display an intimidating toughness in facing down opponents or uncooperative subjects. "Look, Commander, I've been doing this too long for me not to pick up the clues. There are ulterior motives in play. Because you serve in Starfleet and wear its uniform, I have the authority to disallow your participation in this until I have the real story."

The two younger officers in question remained carefully calm. Nguyen sensed their active minds going into overdrive.

"I am not stupid. And neither is the press," he continued. "If I can see that there is something deeper here—and can take a good guess as to what that is—they will, too." He paused to let his words sink in.

Neither Spock nor Nyota moved.

Nguyen carefully eyed them, looking for any reaction. "Here's what my gut is telling me: Your big secret, for whatever reason, is about to be revealed. So now you are going on the offensive, trying to create a distraction. Otherwise, logically, why else would you, Commander Spock, want to call attention to yourself at a Halloween event? You have fervently resisted attention to yourself up to this point, yet suddenly, today, you are eager to talk. And you, Lieutenant Uhura, why are you spending your leave time here with Commander Spock and not with your family in Kenya?"

The Vulcan's eyes hardened as he threw up an even thicker wall. A flicker of discomfort crossed the young woman's features before she corrected herself, continuing to stare intently at a point on the wall behind Nguyen's head. Their stubbornness signaled to Nguyen that his assessment of the situation and line of questioning were spot-on.

Nguyen looked them over again, searching their faces and bodies for more clues. What were they thinking? Being the son of famous parents, Spock, especially, should have known better. The press obsessed on romances, and if that was what was happening here—Nguyen was positive that it was—keeping any gossip fodder whatsoever under wraps was imperative. Once speculation started, it would not quit, and the result would be an incessant accounting of and commentary about every move Spock or Uhura made.

A ranking Starfleet officer should have more sense, Nguyen thought, taking a couple steps from Spock to stand in front of Uhura as the frustration of dealing with this tightened his shoulders and constricted his chest.

Uhura's eyes closed, her lips thinned, and, though she remained perfectly still, she now looked like she was trying to keep herself from punching the wall. Spock's eyes, on the verge of a glare, followed Nguyen's movements.

Nguyen had seen this quiet defiance in younger officers many times. It was typically the passion of youth

Youth?…

Yes, of course. Maybe Nguyen had been looking at these officers and their situation the wrong way. As understanding dawned, his thoughts took a new, more sympathetic direction.

Their significant accomplishments, feats of heroism, and, to some extent, trauma suffered at their encounter with Nero had eclipsed Spock and Uhura's youth, making them seem older, far beyond their years on multiple levels. Everyone expected so much from them. Could it be that they, Nguyen included, expected too much, even from the Vulcan? In other circumstances, Spock and Uhura could have easily been college students or young professionals like others their age, free of the myriad responsibilities that they had thrust on them regularly, free to make the mistakes or take the missteps of youth that would season them into adulthood. Right now it seemed that they needed a guide more than a military disciplinarian.

Nguyen looked more closely. He sensed some fatigue in them and worried that they might be near some kind of breaking point. Perhaps he needed to cut them some slack in the "What the Hell were you thinking?" department. They were not stupid, just inexperienced in navigating the media of pop culture. Easing off slightly, he toned down the harsher commander's voice he had been using and relaxed his posture. He indicated a couple chairs next to the small table.

"Here, sit down," he said more quietly as he took a seat. "Please…"

Silently, they did. At first Spock looked like he might resist. After a moment's consideration, however, he took his place next to Uhura across the small, round table from Nguyen.

"Look, your personal lives should be no one else's business," he said sympathetically. "But you are two heroes, two celebrities. And Commander Spock is the Vulcan equivalent of royalty. The public is going to take interest in anything you do, even more so if there is more behind your story.

"Because legislative support and funding for Starfleet's objectives depends on our standing with the public, we have to care what the public thinks. If I were to just let you two remain on this course, trust me, this situation would blow up into a major media distraction." Nguyen paused, then took a breath. "We can't afford distractions, especially right now. You do realize what's at stake? Answer me, please."

"Yes, Sir," Nyota replied quietly, still staring ahead.

Spock took a deep breath, remaining impassive otherwise. "Yes."

Nguyen paused a moment to let the younger people consider his points. He looked from one to the other. Spock retained his intensity, though Nguyen's impression was that the walls of Vulcan reserve were not as fortified as before. Uhura had stopped holding her breath. Maybe he was making some progress.

"Good. All right. Commander, Lieutenant, let's start over," Nguyen began, attempting to establish a working foundation. "I am not your enemy. We all wear the uniform and are bound by our loyalty to Starfleet. Ideally that loyalty extends to each other. You've got my back, and I've got yours. You need to trust me, to be completely honest with me, or else I can't do my job, which is to protect Starfleet's interests and, to the best of my ability, yours. I think that you'll find them compatible in most cases. Work with me; I promise to help you in any way I can without violating more personal boundaries than I need to violate. But I need to know how we all got here today, or the show's off. Am I clear?"

Nyota and Spock looked at each other. Their previous confidence in their plan now diminished, each realized that they might need Nguyen's help. Nyota remained concerned about how far Spock was willing to go.

She was correct about Spock's reluctance. Trusting anyone outside a strict military environment, where rules and regulations took the uncertainty of interaction and expectations, was difficult. Though Spock understood that Nguyen had his orders and PR objectives, it did not make it easier when Nguyen insisted that he, even within the parameters of typical Vulcan mores, speak to media representatives about his experiences as a Vulcan citizen and Starfleet officer. Usually paired with Kirk during interviews, Spock had avoided this by letting—even encouraging—Kirk to do most of the talking. Nguyen and Spock had had many conflicts about this, and a quiet enmity between the two had developed.

However, Spock thought, was there a better option? Currently the paparazzi surrounded his aunt and uncle's home. Slipping away via transporter would only put off the inevitable discovery of his movements and, as a side effect, Nyota's. They were tired of hiding, but if Nguyen thought that there was a potential for grave repercussions of revealing their relationship, then Spock had to put aside his weariness and reconsider for the good of Starfleet's objectives. Nguyen had been an annoyance, but Spock never thought him incompetent. On their press tour, Kirk had often remarked that the man knew his job.

He really needed to meditate. Getting to know his mother's family over that last five days, though pleasant, had also been taxing as he had opened himself up to a greater degree than he had since childhood. Now the prospect of having the details of his personal life further encroached upon by society at large was almost too much. Nguyen's assistance was logical, but it was another breach of his privacy.

Nyota saw that Spock was having an internal struggle, one that he could not resolve with Nguyen in the room. "Sir?" she addressed Nguyen. "May we have a moment?"

The woman's tone suggested cooperation. Nguyen believed allowing her a few private words might secure the reluctant commander's acquiescence. "Yes, Lieutenant," he said, walking to the door, "but don't take too long."

Nguyen did not reach the door before they heard a knocking. Being just steps away, Nguyen answered it.

"Spock, Nyota! There you are! Ellen said that you might still be here," Janelle said brightly, brushing by Nguyen as she swept herself into the room, closing the door behind her. "Commander Nguyen, sorry to interrupt, but I have a whole roomful of people eager to meet Spock and Nyota. I was hoping that I could steal them from you shortly."

Temporarily shocked at hearing his charges called by their given names, he remembered the familial relationship that Spock had revealed to Karras. Lifestyle diva Janelle Devereaux was Spock's cousin.

"We were in the middle of a briefing," Nguyen said, trying to return her cheerful tone through his annoyance at the interruption. "I apologize for grabbing them. I hope you understand."

Janelle looked at the three Starfleet officers before her. They were not fooling the Grayson intuition. Clearly there had been some kind of intense discussion and impasse because Nguyen, despite his practiced friendliness, looked a bit tense. Nyota seemed tired, and even Spock appeared worn out—his mother's "spark" was not there. She walked to where Spock and Nyota sat and pulled up a chair to sit beside them. "You look troubled."

Maybe it was a Grayson family trait, or maybe it was coincidence. Either way, Janelle had Amanda and Margaret's empathic warmth. It called to Nyota who, after her crazy morning, needed a comforting shoulder to lean on, even if it was only figuratively.

"We are in trouble," Nyota said tiredly, echoing Janelle's word choices.

Janelle's eyebrows shot up. In trouble? Nyota's exhausted appearance left open a particular interpretation of that phrase.

It took Nyota a couple seconds to realize what she had said and how Janelle had interpreted it. She gasped, her skin flushing a deeper brown. "No, it's not that! Omigod!"

Spock, confused at Nyota's embarrassment, knew better than to ask about it for the moment. Nguyen briefly wondered what angry PR god he had pissed off. And what, exactly, was Janelle Devereaux doing here?

With some of the tension broken, Janelle chuckled softly, ignoring the consternation that was beginning to cross Nguyen's features. "You said earlier that it was 'a long story.' Were you telling it to Commander Nguyen when I came in?"

"No, we were not," said Spock.

"No? Perhaps now is the time to tell it?"

Nguyen shifted from one foot to the other uncomfortably. "Ms. Devereaux, if you would—"

"—Maybe Commander Nguyen and I can help," she interrupted, shooting Nguyen a glare insisting on his silence. "I know this isn't easy, relying on others," Janelle soothed as she returned her attention to the younger pair. "I understand. I don't always care for having some parts of my life managed by my PR people, and on many levels it's difficult to let go of that control over what I can say or what I should do. Some days I just want to scream. Amanda often told me the same thing."

The hesitance Spock and Nyota showed was the same sort that Amanda and Sarek had displayed when they realized that they needed outside help in managing information and press coverage through guidelines and protocols. An interspecies relationship such as theirs was too tempting for the media to ignore, and one that involved a public figure of Sarek's stature even more so. As bad as the media intrusion was, everyone knew that it would have been worse without the efforts and advice of embassy communications staff and cooperative family members.

"Take my advice," Janelle urged. "You can't do this alone, nor do you want to do so. You already have busy lives and difficult jobs. Trying to become an expert in media matters is a full-time job in itself, and it takes years to become good at it. So let us help. I promise you that Commander Nguyen is a professional communicator who is going take very good care of you…."

Janelle eyed Nguyen with a don't-make-a-liar-out-of-me look. "…Aren't you, Commander?"

Nguyen nodded. "Yes, of course I will." Though annoyed at her implied threat, he had to admire how she took charge. Too, it helped that she was on his side.

"…And you have the family behind you," she stated, returning her attention to her cousin. "We stood by your parents, Spock, and we will stand by you and Nyota. The Graysons take care of their own."

Allen had said this earlier. Janelle reinforced it: The Graysons take care of their own. Their own. Suddenly a rush of memories flashed through his mind: The conversations and meals at Margaret and Allen's. Allen's eagerness to have him tour his workplace. Margaret's care with his portrait. The party at Janelle's and the pumpkins that became t'katra yonet. His cousins' stories of snowballs and broken bed frames. All of Nyota's reassurances. He had been too afraid of rejection to let the meaning behind it all sink in, but it finally did.

Somewhere in that phrase, Spock realized that their own included him, as if it always had and always would. He would never be alone. Whatever happened to him and Nyota in their professional lives, within the realm of public opinion, or under the authority of Starfleet Command, Spock had a haven, a place to be, a family that claimed him openly. His mother's family. His family.

He also realized that Janelle had the resources and influence to follow through on her intentions. There was comfort in that as well.

Suddenly Nyota felt a jolt of joy ripple through her, a lightness permeate her heart. She looked up, stunned. Surely that could not have come from Spock. They were not touching, but she had felt it almost as much as if they had melded. Sure enough, even through his neutral expression, his features had softened minutely. He had resolved something—that much she knew.

Janelle also caught the change of mood. "Ah, that's better…," she smiled.

"Thank you, Janelle," Spock said.

"Anytime."

Spock looked to Nyota; she looked at him. A new understanding and agreement passed between them. If they did not talk now, Nguyen was right—their situation would blow up.

Spock indicated the last empty chair in the room. "Commander," he addressed Nguyen. "Your expertise is welcomed."

Finally, Nguyen thought, moving back toward the table and into the chair. He quickly censured his thoughts of frustration and channeled his energy into advocacy. He was ready to get to work.

"What must you know?" Spock asked calmly.

Spock's manner, though not haughty, had become aristocratic. Nguyen had seen Ambassador Sarek adopt the same bearing during tense debates when opponents came close to crossing the ambassador's patience. Obviously Spock still had some reservations about this course of action. Nguyen resolved not to cross more of Spock's boundaries than he absolutely had to cross.

Nguyen set his PADD on the table to begin his notes. "Lieutenant, perhaps we should start with you," he offered, wanting to relieve Spock of some scrutiny to ease tensions. "Tell me, from the beginning, how did you come to spend you shoreleave here with the commander, and what are your reasons for volunteering for this event today?"

Nyota thought carefully. How could she explain the complex journey that brought her here adequately, and how much should she divulge? "Sir, Commander Spock and I are very good friends," she said.

Very good friends. That's one way of putting it, Nguyen thought. Vulcan eyes met his almost defiantly, daring him to make a comment. Abstaining from any remarks was a better idea. Instead he nodded in understanding, prompting the lieutenant to continue.

"His aunt, Margaret Grayson, invited him here to get to know his mother's family better. I went along for moral support," Nyota continued. "We have been here since last Wednesday."

"What have you been doing during this time?" Nguyen asked.

"Mostly sitting around and talking," Nyota answered. "We went to a Halloween party at Janelle's on Saturday." She and Janelle exchanged smiles. "The commander went with his Uncle Allen to tour his workplace last Friday. Other than that, and a couple runs down the local walking path, we have spent most of our time at their house."

"But this morning, you somehow met David Swenson and volunteered for this event. Tell me about that, Commander."

"We went running to maintain physical conditioning," said Spock. "During the course of our outing, Margaret called to inform us that paparazzi had arrived and staked out positions outside the home and that the local law authorities had arrived. We were advised to conceal ourselves until they could devise a means for our secure return to the premises."

Oh, great, Nguyen thought. Paparazzi? Law enforcement? Not only were the PR gods angry, they intended to send him to PR Hell. In his most professional tone, he plodded on quietly. "That sounded like the wise thing to do, but instead you ended up volunteering for this event. How did that happen?"

Nyota took up the next segment. "We were not far from the clinic. Commander Spock had run the path earlier in the week and knew we were close to one of the clinics. We decided to find a waiting room and wait there until Margaret called us back with instructions. So we ran down the trail until we got to the clinic. Before we went inside, we stopped at a garden on the grounds to take a look."

"Why would you do that?"

"Because it is dedicated to Commander Spock's mother, and he wanted to show it to me."

There was more to the stoic commander than he let on, Nguyen noted. The commander really did have deep family roots here.

"Then David Swenson saw us and came over to talk," Nyota added. "The commander had met him on a run earlier in the week."

Some of the story was beginning to come together for Nguyen. "Your mother's friend, right, Commander?"

"Yes."

"He asked us why we were there," Nyota continued, "and we told him about the paparazzi at Margaret and Allen's. He offered us to let us wait in his office. When we got there, he had all the trick-or-treat baskets piled everywhere. We asked him about them, and he told us about the Reverse Trick-or-Treat."

"And you volunteered. Why?" Now maybe Nguyen would get some answers.

Spock and Nyota both went silent for a moment. How should they explain this? Nguyen waited.

"We figured that the paparazzi were going to 'out' us, no matter how we got back to Margaret and Allen's house," Nyota sighed. "We decided that if people were going to find out about us anyway, we would reveal ourselves engaged in a charitable event to the mainstream media instead of giving that exclusive to the paparazzi. We would rather lend our fame to generate interest for the hospital instead of earning credits for the paparazzi. It seemed like the right thing to do at the time."

"You could have called Starfleet and requested a beam-out," said Nguyen. "That would have avoided this."

"No." Spock was adamant. "It would, perhaps, have delayed discovery, but not have avoided it. After the media's initial interest, continued concealment would have required excessive attention and implementation of resources. The probability of success was 3.8 percent."

"We just wanted to get it over with," said Nyota. "We're not breaking any rules, and we're tired of hiding."

"I can sympathize. But didn't you think that revealing yourselves would make it worse for you?"

"My family has been the object of media interest always," said Spock. "My parents managed, and we opted to follow their example."

"Unfortunately, Commander, you have not followed their example entirely," Nguyen cautioned. "It will be worse for you unless we can contain and control some of the information that you just threw out there. As Ms. Devereaux just told you, they put themselves in the care of embassy staff communications professionals and implemented diplomatic protocols that offered measures of protection. It's a case study that PR professionals have reviewed and emulated for years. Don't get me wrong—I believe that you and the lieutenant are very capable, very intelligent people. But you are not experienced in public relations. Unless we sew up the loose ends of this situation, this whole thing is going to unravel."

"This isn't turning out the way we thought," Nyota admitted. "We messed up. What do we do now?"

"We'll start by setting ground rules. If anyone asks, you acknowledge your professional connection only. You never discuss personal relationships. Not even a hint, or else they'll be all over you. Understand?"

Spock and Nyota nodded. Nguyen was pleased with their cooperation. Things were looking up. Perhaps he could make this easier for them, after all.

"Next, we make your joint appearances commonplace so that people expect to see you together."

"How are you going to do that?" Nyota asked.

Nguyen, for the first time since they came in the room, smiled genuinely. "Well, we have been sending Commander Spock out with Captain Kirk on interviews. But I am starting to believe that, in an interview situation, the two of you may be more compatible. Kirk is a talker, and he needs to be paired with another talker, otherwise he tends to dominate the interview. In the interest of balance, I think we'll pair him with Montgomery Scott from now on.

"As for you, I will inform the media that Starfleet is pairing the two of you for this and future appearances because of your prior experience working together at the Academy and the lieutenant's expertise in Vulcan language and customs, as we believe that it will encourage more conversation from you, Commander. But for this to work, it means that you have to say more than two words during your interviews. Can you handle that?"

Spock had not minded being paired with the captain, as they were building their own friendship. It was true; Spock preferred to let Kirk do the majority of talking, as his nature was to listen more than speak. However, if Nguyen was willing to pair him with Nyota for future appearances, though he remained reluctant, he was willing to speak more than he had to this point.

"I will endeavor to do so," Spock answered.

Nguyen was making headway, gratified that the stubborn commander was being reasonable. Maybe this would get Command off his back. Maybe the PR gods were not so mean after all. "Good. Next, we have to tie up potential information leaks, specifically anyone who might discuss the personal relationship between the commander and lieutenant. Ms. Devereaux, who else attended your party on Saturday?"

"Say no more," said Janelle. "There will be no information leaks. Let me assure you; anyone who attends one of my parties understands 'The Rules.'"

"'The Rules'?"

"Yes, the first rule being, 'What happens at my parties, stays at my parties.' Anyone who's worried about his or her own ability to keep his or her mouth shut simply does not accept my invitation. It's a matter of trust, and I don't deal with people I don't trust. Ever. And they know it."

Nguyen believed that media powerhouse Janelle Devereaux could make her rules stick. He could only imagine the professional consequences for anyone who violated her trust.

"Besides, everyone, especially celebrities and executives, appreciate the chance to simply have fun without worrying about the world hearing about it," Janelle pointed out.

"The family members who attended…what about them?" he asked.

"No one knows 'The Rules' better than the Grayson Family. We've followed them since the Vulcan Embassy issued them just before the news broke about Sarek and Amanda. It's been so long that we hardly have to think about them anymore. We just follow them by default."

"Margaret told us about the guidelines," said Nyota. "I had no idea that the whole family followed them."

"Uncle Howard ordered everyone to obey them—friends, family, co-workers, anyone who knew Amanda. If you knew what was good for you, you didn't cross Uncle Howard. He could be a real S.O.B., but we knew it was all an act was to cover up his big, soft heart. He was only trying to protect Amanda. We Graysons became such experts at deflecting the media that they pretty much gave up on us after a few years," Janelle laughed. "People used to joke about our 'Code of Silence.' We guard our privacy with a passion." She leveled another look of warning at Nguyen. "I only tell you this on a need-to-know basis."

If he had any doubts about the discretion Janelle claimed for her party guests, they went away. Based on his own research into Spock's background, he had to admit that very little information about the Grayson family's private activities was available, which indicated that the family's Code of Silence was sound. "Have these rules changed since the Vulcan embassy first issued them? I may want to adopt them for the commander and lieutenant as well."

Janelle nodded sympathetically at the two young people in the room. "There have been a few minor changes through the years. I'll have Amy send you a copy and ask her to put the rest of the family on alert." She looked down at her PADD's chronometer. "I should get back. Is there anything else you need, Commander Nguyen? As I said earlier, everyone out there wants to meet Spock and Nyota. Will you be much longer?"

"We'll try to wrap this up in the next couple minutes," Nguyen smiled back. "Thank you very much, Ms. Devereaux. It has been a pleasure," he said, meaning it. In just a few minutes, Janelle Devereaux's assistance had secured Commander Spock's cooperation. His life just got easier.

Janelle smiled—she and Nguyen had an understanding—then turned and looked at Spock and Nyota. "Don't worry, things will work out. You'll see," she encouraged. "Amanda would be proud of both of you! See you in a bit!"

Putting on her best celebrity smile before she emerged from the room into the hallway, she took her leave. Each for their own reasons, the Starfleet officers left behind all were grateful for her help. It was a positive restart as they reviewed a few more ground rules as each understood the other and what they needed to do during the next few hours.