Early days

Part 3

Nyotas point of view:

Nyota was walking back from class, thinking how Commander Spock has improved as a teacher. Granted most of the other cadets had quit and now in their third year there were five students left in the xenolinguistics class but they were, all of them, getting better and more proficient at a steady pace.

She was enjoying helping the others almost every time after class, and didn't notice that she was in a way translating from "Spock-speak" to human-speak.

About half way through, the semester, when they were in the lounge-area studying after a class she saw him walking by, with his hands on his back. Nyota pretended not to notice him. After all he was watching them from quite a distance. She just hoped he wouldn't think she was intruding in his teaching.

"No, Xasha. That's not the right translation… See, if you change the sentence structure, and put the verb before the object…" Nyota pointed to where Xasha should look. He thought about it for a moment.

"Oh, I see…" He changed what he had written and looked up with a smile "Thanks, Ny. It seems so easy when you explain it like that. Nyota smiled and turned to help Tanli. She often had difficulties pronouncing words, and Nyota had helped find some klingon tongue twisters she could practise.

Both girls laughed when Tanli almost physically tripped over a sentence. Nyota repeated the sentence slowly and listened while the other inched nearer some resemblance of what it was supposed to sound like.

"Hey, Geek-girl! Help!" she heard a voice in mock-panic call. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the commander taking a few steps closer as to better observe.

"What is it, Si?" She turned with a smile.

"Well… What would you suggest I looked up if I was to study, say… m'fasmuh?" Simon had a very innocent look in his eyes. She didn't buy it though.

"Simon. I suggest you do the thinking on this one. Surely, a clever boy like you can come up with something on your own." Nyota had soon discovered that Simon, though brilliant, had a very lazy streak. "So move your butt. And you're not saying it right. It's not "muh-fasmue"…"

She turned away to help the last of their group. A ginger-haired girl named Eve. Nyota couldn't quite figure her out. She seemed as normal as anything, but when she was stressed or needed help, it was like she emitted a soft glow, which made her features smooth and gave her hair a beautiful softness. It also made every male feel like a knight in shining armour.

As she turned she caught a glimpse of Mr Spock. He almost had a smile playing in the corners of his mouth, and his eyebrows were raised. Nyota looked directly at him as he turned to walk away, and she was sure she heard him mumbling "fascinating".

Nyota smiled and raised an eyebrow in imitation of him. She was having the time of her life. It had never really occurred to her how much she missed having somebody to talk to about this her greatest interest. How often had she had to keep quiet about something because she knew that people wouldn't get what she was talking about? She had never before had a group of people she could relax like this with.

One day in the spring, as the group was gathered once again at the lounge-area to study, Eve started to glow. The rest of them had learned to interpret this as some sort of distress beacon. Simon moved closer to Eve and obviously wanted to put his arms around her. Before he succeeded Nyota intervened.

"Eve? Do you have a problem? Need help?" Nyota had to admit that the soft glow even called to her protective instincts.

Eve shook her head and bended over her PADD.

"OK, it's just… You're doing that thing with the light again, and honestly, I don't think Simon can take any more of that. You're making him all… Gooey…"

Eve lifted her head to look at Simon. He was staring at her with sappiness written all over his face. The girl smiled a half smile and shot a glance at Nyota "Sorry." She mumbled. The glow slowly subsided. Simon looked like he was woken from a pleasant dream.

"That's some ability you've got there, Eve. Very handy…" Nyota smiled. "Why don't you just ask me, and if I can't answer we'll figure it out." She sat down on the couch next to Eve, who shuffled over to make room for her.

"I just don't get this… It's Romulan, and I'm pretty sure it has some cultural reference I don't know about. I've cross-referenced, but it's just… No good…" Eve began glowing slightly again, but Nyota quickly calmed her.

"Hey Eve, keep cool, OK? Deep breaths…" She thought about the problem. "Look, I'm gonna go ask the commander. He must be in his office now and it's right around the corner..." She shot a glance at Simon who still looked a bit hazy. "Just don't start the light show. I'll be right back." She stood up and walked in the direction of the instructors offices.

She had just knocked on the door and was checking her uniform-dress for lint or creases when she heard him call enter. His voice sounded different somehow. More mellow, even softer. She stepped in the office taking a few seconds to register the unusually dimmed lights. She was wondering what that scent in the air was when she finally saw him. He was sitting comfortably with his legs crossed and his eyes were only half open.

"I'm sorry Commander." She said in a voice that, to her, sounded al wrong. Why was she suddenly out of breath? "I… I can come back later, when..." she really couldn't remember what she was going to say. Maybe it was the way he had turned up the room temperature, or maybe it was the fact that he was sitting there with his shirt of, looking up at her.

"No, Ms Uhura. If you will give me a few moments I shall have finished my meditation and be at your service" He said, his voice still without that edge to it that she was used to. He was wearing some loose fitting trousers and had shed his usual black instructors' top. No doubt it was to constrictive to meditate in. She looked at his face and felt like the little air that were still left in the room, now completely vanished.

His eyes were very dark and more expressive that she had ever seen them. They lingered at her legs and slowly wandered up to appreciate her body and her long neck and finally stopping at her mouth. It seemed like he hadn't had the time for putting all of his usual barriers up against the world.

He breathed in deeply and moved to stand. She looked at the flat muzzles in his stomach and shoulders. In fact she was getting an eyeful as he stood up. It had never quite occurred to her that her instructor commander was not only very attractive but also very sexy. She openly gawked at him, appreciating how the yellow-green complexion and the dark chest hair seemed to accentuate his toned body.

"How may I be of service Ms Uhura" His voice snapped her back to the reality of what she was doing and where she was. Her eyes tried to find a place to fix and found his eyes. In them she saw a glimpse of interest and humour. Suddenly she was nervous like she hadn't been before. She also felt an annoying shyness.

"Uhm… I… We, that is, I… We had this question concerning the Romulan assignment…" She recapped Eves question, without being able to even hear her own voice.

Mr. Spock moved to his table and found a black T-shirt. Her eyes had apparently decided that they had to look at him; at least she could not look away. It was only when he pulled the t-shirt over his head and raised his head to look at her she blinked and lowered her gaze.

How embarrassing was this? Openly gawking at her instructor commander, like she was some kind of fan-girl. She hoped he hadn't noticed it or that he would be to polite to EVER mention it.

It dawned on her that while she was busy being embarrassed he had explained the answer to the problem. That was just great! Too caught up in drooling over an instructor just because he looked fit with or without black t-shirt… marvellous!

She tried to make her ears hear what was actually being said; "…and the result of you teaching the rest of the group has had an apparent effect. You have a remarkable talent for languages, Ms Uhura" He had still a sparkle in his eyes, a leftover from meditation.

She was still transfixed by the way the T-shirt fitted perfectly and she made a modest answer: "Oh, I don't know. I guess I always had an interest in any language… Really, I think it's fun…" She stopped, confused but focusing on what he had said. "I'm sorry… My teaching? Mr. Spock, I… I'm afraid I don't follow…"

He furrowed his brows slightly, standing with his hands at his back. "Ms. Uhura. You can not be ignorant to the fact that your helping the rest of the class is the prime reason that we are almost done with this year's schedule. I did not think it was possible, but with your aid, both concerning my teaching methods, and your after-class tutoring, the class is almost ready for this years exam."

He shifted his weight a bit, and for a moment she thought he almost looked embarrassed. "I confess I did not take sufficient time before taking on this teaching-assignment, to acquaint myself with the learning capacity for humans. I suspect I took it for granted that the teaching-style of Vulcan would translate directly to the academy, but I see now that I was in error. I thank you, Ms Uhura, for pointing out my mistakes. It has been most educational."

Uhura was completely transfixed by his gaze. That had to be the closest thing he had ever come to saying that she was right and he was wrong. And he was giving HER the honour of the class having achieved such a high level. She wanted to give another modest answer, but in the back of her mind she knew she had been a big part of the process.

She smiled. "Alright. I get it. I'm to cool for my own self…"

Spock raised an eyebrow and regarded her with a glint of humour. "Ms. Uhura, while I don't feel qualified to comment on the exact temperature within your organism, cold is not the word I would choose to ascribe to it…"

Nyota stared at him. Did he just…

His eyes had taken that neutral look that told her nothing.

"No," she thought "He just took what I said literally." She had seen him do that so many times before in class, and sometimes wondered if he really misunderstood. "Get over yourself" she whispered to herself in her mind and gave him her biggest smile to hide her confusion. She made her tone formal, almost mimicking him.

"Well, Mr Spock. It is my honour to have part in such big progress." She thought she saw him relax a little. "I wonder, Mr. Spock, in light of our cooperation, if you would like to use my first name instead of "Ms Uhura?"

Even though his expression remained the same she could suddenly sense a tension in him. "It would not be proper for such familiarity between an instructor and a cadet." He said; his eyes focused at a point just above her head.

"OK then," she said. "Then… How about when there's no one else around? Then you could call me Nyota. It would make me more comfortable."

He lowered his eyes to catch hers. "Very well" he complied "That is acceptable"

She waited. Looking poignantly at him.

"…Nyota." He said, and she thought she saw uneasiness in his eyes. He blinked and went to his desk. "Was there anything further you needed to ask, concerning today's class?" He asked, now sitting at his desk, folding his hands.

Nyota blinked. Damn, that question. Had she asked it? Did he answer? She debated if she could ask him to explain again, but gave up. No way was she admitting to not listening. She smiled again. "No thank you, I think I can take it from here… Spock…" She hesitated for a beat before turning and walking out.

As she returned to her classmates she had decided what to say. "I'm sorry. He wasn't in. You'll just have to ask him next time in class…" She was so pleased with herself that she didn't even hear the whimper from the classmates.