Author's Note: This chapter continues the depiction of the aftermath of the breakup of Spock and Uhura's relationship that began with Chapter 18. Spock learns of the East African's Directed Study with Sevat. Later, Spock frustrates then accommodates T'Lau's sexual advances. Rated T+.

Warning: The sex talk between Spock and T'Lau is intended to contain some humor, but admittedly can be a bit crude, at times. Also, some of you may cringe at how Spock treats T'Lau, even though the sex is consensual and not explicitly dramatized. If you feel it would be best to skip that section, you won't miss anything significant to the plot as long as you read the last five short paragraphs of the chapter.

As always, your comments are appreciated.

In his University of California-Berkeley office, Sevat ended his meeting with Spock by noting it was time for his next appointment. He informed his fellow Vulcan, "It is a Directed Study with a Cadet from Starfleet Academy." The Vulcans rise from their seats and head out the door.

"A student from the Academy? Are there not enough subjects, here, at Berkeley to secure your cover?"

"Of course, but I believe this particular one may serve more than one purpose."

From the moment they stepped into the lobby, Spock recognized the East African standing with her back turned to their view. His immediate anger with the revelation of the object of Sevat's instruction was quickly dissipated by her laughter that filled the air.

Sevat quipped, "Apparently, your assessment of her psychological state has proved quite inaccurate."

Spock had no immediate response for Sevat. While Spock did not desire unhappiness for her, he was curious how she had so quickly rebounded from her former distress over the termination of their relationship.

"Ms. Uhura." Sevat called to her.

As she turned to him, both Vulcans observed the human putting what appeared to be a folded sheet of paper back into her bag.

"Mr. Sevat, is it time for my . . . " Upon raising her eyes from her bag to Sevat, the East African appeared startled to see Spock with him.

Sevat glanced over to Spock who had assumed an erect pose with his hands clasped behind his back. A human would never perceive something different about this typical Vulcan stance, but Spock's variation served to amuse Sevat. The Vulcan agent noted how Spock's body leaned slightly forward toward Uhura. It was an unconscious gesture signaling a Vulcan male's association with a female.

Sevat asked her, "Ms. Uhura, did I startle you?"

The Cadet quickly regained her composure and moved closer to the Vulcans. "I would not say I was startled as I was somewhat astonished to see two such . . . " She paused for a moment to find the right words. " . . . distinguished Vulcans at one time."

"I do not know if such a characterization truly befits me." Sevat commented. "While well known in my field, I had not the advantages one acquires from being the son of an eminent statesman and scientist. In such cases, fame finds it way through a door already partly opened not due to accomplishment, but by relationship."

"Sevat." Spock addressed him in a typical indifferent Vulcan tone. "Why do you confuse me with someone who holds fame as a virtue? Unlike you, I am not concerned that I am known. I seek only to be worthy to be known."1

"If that be the standard, then we shall let someone be the arbiter not as familiar with your history as I. How about it, Ms. Uhura? Is Mr. Spock worthy of being known?"

Sevat would be mistaken if he had expected Uhura to betray her clandestine relationship with Spock by flinching at such a loaded question. Her tone remained steady as she answered him with no hesitation. "With all due respect, Mr. Sevat, I came here for my Romulan dialect lesson, not to drawn into the middle of some sort verbal volley. I value my time and at the moment it is being wasted."

Spock knew she had taken Sevat aback as it took several seconds to form his words, before retorting coolly. "Ms. Uhura, you will remember you are afforded this experience at my pleasure. Any more attempts to deliver an affront may be met with my dismissal of this unique opportunity."

"Sir, I understood that always to be your prerogative. I meant not to offend but to direct you to the task assigned to this hour. I apologize if this intent was not appropriately conveyed."

Spock could tell by Sevat's reaction he had underestimated Uhura. He reasoned they could not have been meeting long, if he were only now getting a taste of her quick wit.

"Then go to my office and wait for me there." Sevat ordered Uhura. "I have only a few more words for Mr. Spock before I join you." When Uhura began to open her mouth to add another comment, Sevat interjected. "Do not be concerned. You will receive the full benefit of your hour of instruction."

Uhura nodded to Sevat before giving Spock a perfunctory, "Good day, sir."

"Carry on, Cadet." Spock answered. He watched Uhura walk away until out of human earshot and then turned sharply to Sevat. "Exactly how long have you been meeting with Ms. Uhura?"

"Did she not tell you? Were you not privy to such details of this human's life?"

"You will end this."

"T'Lau's imposter must be convinced you have no further interest in Ms. Uhura."

"I informed you of the termination of my relationship with Ms. Uhura. What more could possibly be required?"

"The dissolution of your personal association with the Cadet was fortuitous, indeed. Ending that attachment will no doubt better facilitate your ability to feign attraction for the pretender. Yet, it may appear rather peculiar if there was no apparent motivation for the discontinuation of your flirtation with the human. Therefore, I plan to give the impression Ms. Uhura has now turned her favors to me."

"Are you insane?" Spock spoke cuttingly. "Do you believe Ms. Uhura is so shallow she would debase herself this way?"

"Notwithstanding your offense, I do not require or seek the Cadet's knowing cooperation. The imposter appears so biased against humans, there are only a few allusions that need be conveyed to persuade her of the relationship's validity."

"There is no reason to involve Ms. Uhura and risk her safety."

"Can you not see how I am attempting to protect her? If you had not initiated the relationship with the Terran, this would not have been necessary. The imposter has proven herself to be a cunning and deadly opponent. Should we simply take a chance she will so readily believe your affections are no longer focused on the Cadet?"

Spock paused, considering Sevat's argument. He then reluctantly replied, "Your reasoning is sound."

"I am pleased you finally allowed logic to guide your judgment on this matter."

"I am Vulcan. I know no other way to govern my thoughts or behavior."

Although Sevat never thought of Spock of being more than a mongrel, he could not put the mission in jeopardy by making another slight toward his ancestry. However, the Vulcan agent could not resist taking another jab at Spock where he sensed him most vulnerable.

"I should now attend to Ms. Uhura." He told Spock dispassionately. "This morning, the sauce on her words was certainly quite tart. Providing her private instruction three times a week may prove quite fascinating."

While Spock's unperturbed face did not betray him, Sevat knew he had hit his mark. He left Spock standing mutely, unable to bring to his mouth a satisfactory retort to the Vulcan agent's subtext. Yet, he did not dwell long on his ineffectual response as his thoughts returned to Uhura and her business of putting a folded sheet of paper into her bag. It was the sheet immediately recognizable by him due to its custom-made size and color. It was the one written 2 ½ years ago upon which he offered his services to converse in Vulcan with her. It was the one upon which he had uncharacteristically added the phrase – Tevul-tor Vi' Tu .2 And now, he wondered if this impetuous gesture would lead to his undoing.

By the time Spock arrived at Starfleet Command late that afternoon, he had barely gotten there in time to address T'Lau's team to commend them on their work with raising the efficiency level of the warp drive system's containment field. Her staff easily perceived how her demeanor appeared to brighten with Spock's arrival. However, her outlook seemed to diminish when he extended an invitation to the entire team to join him for dinner. While a several staff members declined due to previous commitments, most took up the offer of the noted Science Officer. Future contracts with Starfleet depended on networking with the right officials. All knew Spock, although relatively young, ranked high among those who could green-light the award of a project.

The group piled into four SkyCabs taking them to a vegetarian restaurant in the Corona Heights section of the city. There, Spock held court while T'Lau's staff spoke with them glibly about the latest technological innovations in warp drive systems. Following dinner as staff began to board their cabs, her chief Engineer – Udo Koertig – turned to Spock with T'Lau standing beside him.

"Mr. Spock, are you sure you won't join us for a couple of drinks? Nonalcoholic beverages for you, of course, and we'll put it on my tab. I wanted to run an idea by you proposed by a former college classmate of mine who has been with Starfleet for a while now. He's got this crazy idea about the possibility of being able to transport someone onto a ship travelling at warp speed."

Spock replied, "I can save you the cost of those drinks and the time to discuss it by saying such a concept is impossible, unless somehow this person can change the laws of physics."

"I said the exact same thing to Scotty . . . Montgomery Scott is actually his name. I know what he said seems farfetched, but he's the sort of guy who somehow can make the impossible happen."

"I will need to find another time to listen to such notions of pure fantasy. I must now see Ms. T'Lau to her quarters."

Udo laughed. "All right, Mr. Spock. But if you change your mind, we'll be at Schmaltz for a few hours."

"I hope the team does not come to work tomorrow displaying the unpleasant physical effects of too much alcoholic consumption." T'Lau interjected.

"Don't worry, Ms. T'Lau." Udo replied as he entered the cab. "I'll make sure we're all ready to work at the level you expect. Good night, Mr. Spock."

As the SkyCabs sped off, Spock began to walk with T'Lau on her way to her apartment.

"Must you always crack your whip?" Spock commented.

"It is the way I know to keep them in line."

"They are not children."

"They behave as such."

"I believe your conduct this evening better fit that characterization."

T'Lau stopped walking to address Spock directly. "If you are not comfortable in my company, then it is certainly not necessary to see me to my apartment. I am within walking distance and perfectly capable of getting there on my own."

"T'Lau, you appear to be of such ill temper. Did your dinner not sit well with you?"

"When we spoke last night, I had not idea you would invite the entire team to dinner."

"Did their performance not warrant this token of appreciation?"

"Must I have been subjected to their barbarian manners? Putting two different food items on the same fork and placing them both in their mouth simultaneously? Using a piece of bread to push food about their plate and then eating the soggy remnant as though it were a delicacy? And their grotesque practice of talking with food in their mouth caused me to lose my appetite altogether."

"I noticed."

"How could you? You seemed quite absorbed with their discussion."

"You have a fine staff. To encourage their optimum performance, you must be willing to indulge their need to engage in these social activities."

"They have served the project well without such coddling. They are highly skilled professionals."

"They were highly skilled before they met you. As their Project Manager, in what way has the staff become better because you have made a difference in the way they think and go about their work?"

"Do you dare question my leadership ability? If it had been left up to them, the staff would have been satisfied with simply meeting Starfleet's efficiency requirements for the containment field, although the standard in our original design was superior."

"An effective leader creates the culture needed to make such interventions rarely necessary. If you can persuade your staff to understand and adopt the leader's vision and objectives at the outset, there will seldom be any ambiguities as to which standards should be met."

T'Lau cast her eyes down as though reflecting upon his words. When she raised them again, she told ask, "Will you continue with me to my apartment?"

"If I am welcome to do so." He answered.

They walked for nearly 10 minutes in silence, before T'Lau finally spoke, again. "I do not recall the principles of leadership you asserted as being among those taught at the Vulcan Preparatory Conservatory or our Science Academy."

"I came to know these tenets through experiential learning aboard Starships under the guidance of Captain Pike."

"I suppose it is logical to learn how to best manage humans under the tutelage of one of their own kind."

"If it is your desire to continue to work with Terrans after the completion of your current contract, you must learn to modify your behavior to better achieve the desired results."

"I frankly do not know what job I will next undertake." She said as they reach the door of her apartment. "However, I do know I would rather not take on another position that involved Terrans. At least, not for a long while. In contrast, you seem to have adapted quite well. For over 12 years, you have lived on this planet and served on Starships dominated by Terrans and their descendants. You must now think of Earth as your home."

"While among them, I have taken advantage of the opportunities afforded me. I have had access to certain resources and earned promotions in rank much more quickly here than I would have if I had accepted admission to the Vulcan Science Academy. During my time with Terrans, I have learned to tolerate their customs, behaviors and lifestyles. However, I never can be one of them. Earth is not now, nor can it ever be my home."

Spock could see his words had pleased her as a slight smile momentarily came across her face. T'Lau opened her door, then turned and asked, "Would you like to come in for a cup of tea?"

Spock nodded and walked inside. Once she closed the door, he turned back to her and quickly saw the offer of tea was but a pretense for her real objective. She removed her coat and bulky Vulcan knit tunic to reveal a thin beige undershirt seemingly inadequate to cover her ample breasts.

Noting her overtly suggestive display, he quipped, "T'Lau is that where you are now storing your tea?"

"Let me take your jacket." She suggested, ignoring his remark.

As Spock complied with her offer, she openly allowed her eyes to travel slowly down his body, before coming back up to his face. T'Lau did not hide the shameless desire in her eyes, but he was not quite ready to accommodate her lust.

"I did not realize I was on the menu for this evening." He commented drily.

"Spock, it has been much too long."

"T'Lau, you have never been the model of celibacy. Surely, you have not wanted for long."

"That fix provided only a temporary solution. I did nothing to still my hunger for your touch."

"Surely, it is not your need that encourages such cliché-ridden speech."

"Do not toy with me, Spock. I cannot bear it when you treat me this way."

"If role-playing is the game you wish to play, then you should assume a different character to portray. Your role as the delicate, fragile woman is quite unconvincing."

"Then, you tell me." She said as she moved to him. "What is it that you want me to be?"

Spock took up her wrists and held them tightly within his hands and squeezed until her face told of her pain. If she were a Romulan female, Spock knew she would respond best to such severe treatment. As if on cue, his confirmation soon disclosed itself as her nipples ripened, begging for attention. However, there were intimacies the Vulcan refused to grant to T'Lau.

"You make an offer you would never be able to satisfy. How could you ever be more than a stain which defiles all which comes in contact with it?" His words did not attempt to mask his contempt for her. Yet, despite this naked disdain of her person, it fed her licentious need for him.

"Then punish me." She demanded. "Punish me, Spock for not being what you most desire." In her heat, T'Lau no longer cared if her sexual behavior resembled that of a Vulcan woman. "Show me no mercy. Only you can match the fire that now consumes me."

Spock released her wrists. "Is there no poetry in you, T'Lau? Just what is the source of your mawkish dialogue?"

"Do you not know you have made me this way? I hardly recognize myself beneath this pathetic exterior. My need for you has altered me in ways I would not have thought possible."

"Give me no credit for your current disposition. Your insatiable appetite for affairs of the flesh cannot be attributed to any one male. However, I must agree with the other lines of your refrain. There is no doubt your present appearance fails to capture who you really are."

T'Lau fell to her knees before him with her face near his crotch. "Then, is this what you want? Have you become so accustomed to their ways, that I too must imitate their disgusting practice to ready you for our joining." She reached up to take hold of his waistband, but before she could grasp it the Vulcan pulled her rudely back to her feet.

"Join with you? Why use such a genteel euphemism when it fails so miserably to convey what you so desperately want?"

"Then f**k me, Spock!" She screamed. "F**k me!"

"T'Lau, you must quiet yourself or one of your concerned neighbors may feel the need to summon the authorities."

"Is it your wish to drive me insane? If I don't find a release soon, I'll surely go mad!"

"If that is all you require, then I'm sure you can find assistance from one of the well-worn devices by you bedside."

Screaming incoherently, T'Lau lunged at the Vulcan and struck several blows against his body. However, Spock quickly gained control of her, pinning her arms behind her back with one hand.

"Don't worry, T'Lau." The Vulcan pushed her roughly against a wall and with one jerk pulled down her pants and underwear to her knees. "I have already been contaminated by you. I lose nothing tasting your poison once again." He told her as he opened his crotch. "So, if this is what you require to fill your sordid vacant room . . . "

T'Lau bit her lip as she gratefully felt him thrust himself forcibly within her.

" . . . then this unchaste remedy you so crave will surely satisfy your lusty ache."

Spock's sexual ministrations held no semblance of tenderness or affection. He closed his ears and eyes to the auditory and physical cues that signaled ways to heighten her experience. And, as he moved within her, he strangely felt a numb feeling spread across his body as if a shield against any pleasure or satisfaction such activity might bring. What the two shared had no kin to delightful eroticism, but was instead a fierce expression of base animalistic instincts.

Spock doubted if T'Lau could tell the difference, but he knew better. Once he had dreamed of discovering such feelings together with her . . . my Nyota. Although their relationship was no more, he wondered why he felt as if he was somehow betraying her.

In Spock's mind, he was giving T'Lau what she had asked for . . .

Punishment . . .

Punishment for what she could never be . . .

Nyota . . .

My Nyota . . .

My Nyota . . .

My Nyota . . .

After T'Lau could take no more, Spock left her spent and barely conscious upon her bed. He then went to the bathroom and carefully washed himself to remove any fluids or smells resulting from the evening's carnal activities. After he dressed and headed out the bathroom, T'Lau found her voice to call to him.

"Spock, don't go." She pleaded. "Stay with me tonight."

The Vulcan heard T'Lau, but did not respond to her. A good showman knows how to leave them wanting for more. He sarcastically thought as he left her alone in the dark.

As Spock stepped out of the SkyCab and onto the Academy grounds, he did not bother to zip up his jacket. Despite the cool night air, he felt unusually warm and oddly . . . unclean. The Vulcan continued to walk through campus until he found himself outside Uhura's residence hall. He looked up to the fourth floor to the window corresponding to her room and beheld a darkened window.

This night he refused to give any more thoughts to Nyota's "lessons" with Sevat or whether Kirk would find a way to win her for himself.

He reasoned. Such concerns are immaterial, for I willingly pushed you away from me and it can never be set right, again. Accepting the reality of the circumstances, I know what is the best course.

Then, he cast down his look as another more disturbing thought came to mind.

Still, I wonder why - like a madman – can I not cease to worship at the altar of Nyota?

He glanced at his chronometer and read the time as 12:03 AM.

The Vulcan then raised his eyes once more to her window and whispered, "Tevul-tor Vi' Tu."

Author's Note: The next chapter (or, possibly two) reveals what "lessons" were learned between Sevat and Uhura. Also, Kirk attempts to make his move on the East African.

I am now finished grading papers for the semester, so (hopefully) it won't take me so long to post the next chapter.

Your comments are always appreciated.

1 A paraphrase of a quote by Confucious.

2 Translated as "Crash Into You."