The Morning After
Humlaalu scanned the commissary and found Ms. Uhura beginning a meal. She approached and greeted Prafali's human avatar with a formal bow.
"Did you speak with Ms. Chandri?" Uhura asked, returning her greeting.
"Yes." She stretched her lips in imitation of what humans called a smile.
{And?} Uhura asked in Trubese.
{I have expressed my interest, but I think negotiations must wait until Mr. Sorenson is more fully recovered.} She narrowed her eyes in speculation. {It is as well. You were correct: there is a bond between them. I must consider what I may offer to pry him from her.}
Fortune's avatar made a pleased sound in her chest, almost like a purr. {You understand that you could still request him as a purely technical liaison even if the offer is declined.}
Humlaalu's whiskers curled. The avatar was sly. {To be the one to bring him, even if he were not aligned with me, would be a cause of envy ...and perhaps when their time is over, some arrangement could be made.}
{Perhaps.} Uhura bore her teeth in friendly warning. {But it is more likely you would face her sword.}
{Yes.} Humlaalu's ears drooped. {As Ambassador, she will wish to keep him for her own status and I think his heart rests with her.}
{Do not be downhearted.} The avatar advised. {Your request will make it easier for her to have him at her side. It is no small thing to have a Federation Ambassador's gratitude.}
Humlaalu nodded, purring understanding of the avatar's direction and took her leave as she noticed Uhura's mate approaching.
Nyota looked up as Spock placed his tray across from hers and sat down, lifting an inquiring eyebrow.
She loved Spock. She really did. But she had not intended for him overhear that bit of constructive interference. "I thought you had an appointment for a physical?"
"Dr. McCoy was unavailable when I arrived, which was most fortunate. Dr. M'Benga quickly and efficiently determined that I am well within the prescribed parameters for a healthy Vulcan." He resumed his questioning look. "I hope that I did not interrupt anything of importance?"
She decided to try nonchalance. "Just girl talk."
A single eyebrow edged higher. "Strange. It sounded more like machination. One might even say ...matchmaking." He quickly masked a small smile by taking a mouthful of cereal.
Nyota sucked her cheeks in. After the all times she had called him on matchmaking, he was not going to let her off easily. "That match is already made. I'm just smoothing the road for them a little."
He gave her an incredulous look while chewing very slowly, almost sarcastically.
"Sisters are allowed to do that." She added taking a sip of coffee.
"So I have been told." He tilted his head slightly. "How fortunate that you can play that role."
Nyota nearly choked on her coffee. "Spock, I was not using my resemblance to Prafali and that was a terrible pun."
"Pun?" He raised his eyebrows innocently.
"Oh, don't you even try." she scolded. "Do you know what Selina calls that look?"
"What look?"
To anyone else he might have looked genuinely puzzled, but Nyota knew better. She leaned forward. "She calls it the 'You look so innocent you must be lying look'."
"Lying? I have only asked questions." His eyebrows rose higher. "And, to the best of my knowledge, she has never applied that observation to anyone but Allen."
"Yeah, well you do an impression of him almost as good as the one he does of you." Nyota grinned. "Which is all the more reason to make sure you two get to be brothers."
"Only time will tell. However, it is an outcome I would much approve." Dark eyes regarded her with sly warmth. "Hence, I note that for the next standard hour, I am free to court Prafali's favor in the matter."
McCoy strode up behind Jim and snatched the communicator off his belt. He flipped it open and cocked an eyebrow. "How about that? Looks to be in perfect working order."
"Huh? ...I mean, I've had plenty of time to replace the power pack." Jim lied as he snatched it back.
Bones glared. "You ever pull that faulty comm act on me again, I swear I'll sew a transponder where the sun don't shine."
"You're being awfully huffy considering you disappeared without a trace. Spock and I showed up right on time for our physicals and there was no one but M'Benga and Chapel to handle it." He tried to pout, but couldn't quite hold back a grin. "I'm in perfect health by the way."
"For now." Bones eyed him threateningly.
He held his hands up. "Hey, 'do no harm', remember?"
"You should have paged me." Bones tried to scowl, but Jim could see his heart wasn't in it.
"I did check your quarters, you know." Jim looked up innocently. "Didn't look like your bed had even been slept in."
Bones sucked his cheeks in, bouncing slightly on his heels. "Well, maybe I had a better evening than expected."
"Me too. That Trubese chick is really athletic." Jim grinned broadly. "So-o… where were you?"
"A gentleman does not drop names, Jim. Not that you'd know anything about that."
"Fine." Jim rolled his eyes. "It's just a good thing Selina told Spock not to expect her for breakfast since setting Allen's memory right was going to take awhile. Otherwise, you might have had him worried."
"If Vulcans worried, it would have served him right." Bones drawled. He frowned a little. "You know, talented as she is, Selina isn't a trained psychologist. I hope they're making out alright."
.
"…Oh …Faf …yes …ah …harder …yes …mmmm…"
Allen leaned over her, working at the small knot in the middle of her back, and laughed to himself. "You know, anyone listening would think we were up to something else entirely."
She lifted an eyebrow without opening her eyes. "You are the one who wanted to enjoy a little time alone in your own head. I see no reason the time should not be put to good use. …Mmmm …a little more to the right."
Bossy. She was bossy, willful, and under that calm exterior had a temper like a hornet's nest. ...And there was something seriously wrong with him, because he was unreasonably happy about the prospect of being stuck with her for as long as she was willing to put up with him. (In fact, just for good measure, the devious part of his brain - formerly known as Erik - was compiling a small list of female and/or married doctors who might be persuaded to apply for an embassy job on a new world).
He massaged up from the base of her spine, eliciting more obscenely happy sounds. "Careful," he teased. "You're going to start projecting."
"Ah-ahhh." She arched against the pressure of his fingers. "The rest of the ship should be so lucky."
He strongly suspected that she was hamming it up to extend the massage, but it was nice to feel like he could repay her a little. While he'd fallen into a blissfully exhausted sleep, she must have stayed awake working on his subconscious and uncovering the bits of memory that hadn't been where she'd left them. He'd woken no longer feeling like a record pocked with bad sectors or like his own doppelganger. The only thing better than that had been realizing that Grey was nestled beside him wearing little more than a smile.
His stomach growled, reminding him he should have food before he let himself start thinking down those lines again. When he'd asked for unlinked time, he'd originally been hoping for a game of chess over breakfast. He began tracing increasingly light circles down the curve of her back.
She opened one eye. "Who said you could stop?"
"Grey, I'm hungry."
"You will not starve." She closed her eyes with a smug smile. "Keep rubbing."
A particular response sprang to mind and he bit his lip, weighing the high probability of getting in trouble against Nyota's advice to be himself. All things considered, 'insufferable' had almost become a term of endearment. He put both hands on her shoulders and leaned close to her ear.
"Yes, Mistress."
He barely had time to grin before she clobbered him with a pillow.
.
Sometime later, Selina finished drying her hair and left the bathroom only to be greeted by the sound of snoring. Faf's head was hanging over the back of the couch and one leg stretched so far across the coffee table that his heel nearly rested on the opposite chair. Although she hadn't taken that long, she told herself that she shouldn't be surprised; she had shamelessly taken advantage of him after denying him breakfast and now he was completely spent.
Still, this would not do. She had told Spock that they would meet him for lunch and they were nearly late as it was. If he came to find them, he would surely note the fluff of exploded pillows that littered the room. While it would be amusing to watch his ears turn green, he would never allow her live it down.
"Get up, Faf. It is time to eat."
::KsnrZzzktZkZZzz::
Of course he hadn't heard her over that. She briefly considered touching his thoughts, but though it might be flattering to find he was dreaming about her, if he was dreaming about pizza ...not so much.
She prodded his shoulder. "Wake up."
::ZZzkZsnrrKzrsZtZ::
Out cold. She should really hate anyone who could fall asleep so easily and sleep that soundly. There was probably something terribly Darwinian in the fact that she found him appealing instead. On the other hand, he was bull-headed, introverted, and given to obsessing over projects to the point of disappearing for weeks, not to mention frequently endangering himself in the process.
Perhaps she had become unbalanced reaching into his mind while he was unwell, because (though she hadn't allowed herself to say it yet) she did love him. It was not the magnetic attraction she had felt with David, but when she thought Faf had died, the way her heart had torn had been the same.
On impulse, she leaned over and kissed his cheek. "I love you, Faf."
Barely the slightest stutter in that broken chainsaw snore. In any decent story, he would have opened his eyes and responded.
Well, time to resort to proven methods; she leaned close. "Food, Faf: Deep dish pizza so loaded with toppings that it resembles a casserole."
::KsnZZ - ? - ZZ::
That his subconscious had noticed. "Cold beer" she added seductively. "If Jim can find scotch, we can find stout."
One eye cracked open. "Real stout? Not the synthahol stuff?"
She looked him in that eye. "How long have you been faking?"
"I love you too, Grey." A smile broke across his face and he gave her quick kiss. "Even more than pizza - and that's saying a lot, because right now, I'm REALLY hungry."
If he joined her on Trubey, in a year's time she would either marry him or kill him. She just wasn't sure which.
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AN: Forgive me. I had to do one more mostly fluff chapter before good-byes.
