An: Thank you, thank you, and thank you my lovely reviewers. For those of you that have waited oh so patiently… here it is. I was going to post next week, but consider this in place of that. So I'll be taking a week off.

Warning: Smut.

I own nothing. Please enjoy.

OoOoOo

Jim was forced to stop herself from reacting. Though she wasn't entirely opposed to this situation physically if the raging desire was anything to go by, it did not mean she was fully prepared mentally. This was still someone who thought he could just control her life. She stilled her tensed muscles from lashing out her leg, which would have struck at the Vulcan's knee in an attempt to disarm the situation.

"May I be permitted?"

She had no idea to what. If he was asking permission to sleep with her, then she was willing to give it. But, it was not because of her healthy libido. It was due to the previously set agreement that aside from judging their 'union' on Vulcan grounds, then Human customs would be taken into consideration. And, as far as Jim knew, the only way not to annul a marriage was to consummate it.

Okay, maybe it was a little more than 'Earth Customs'… because hey, Spock was sexy like this.

As clinical as her other reason sounded, she understood that by making this a marriage in name only, it was still up for contention with the Romulans and possibly Klingons. Because, no matter how much they said it was resolved, Kirk had learned not to trust wounds to the pride as far as she could through the Enterprise, on Jupiter.

It was not coercion; she would never allow herself to be browbeaten into that. They could shove a torpedo…. Well, someplace that made sitting a challenge for at least a month if they tried. Kirk wasn't a strategist, but she sure as hell was intelligent, and with intelligence she occasionally liked to think she'd gained wisdom. She also understood that most days, wisdom was the last thing she exercised, but in occasions such as this where all the cards were laid bare on the table; Kirk was the one of the worst opponents to underestimate.

Several had learned that the hard way.

She took a deep breath, and noted with some amount of interest that he was watching her still. His predatory gaze seemed content to gaze at her, and then he momentarily relaxed as it he had found something he had been searching for. His hands moved toward her face, and her sapphire eyes watched his fingers spread in some distrust. She did not pull away, however, for she was James T. Kirk and her backbone was still intact thank you very much.

She felt it then. It was a push, like someone opening a door. The world around her dissolved and suddenly she was standing on what appeared to be a plane of infinite nothing. The surrounding shifted and she was back in Riverside staring over hills she hadn't seen in years. Kirk looked around her, a question floating through her thoughts on the edge of consciousness.

'You are very much sane,' the voice of Spock floated around her.

Kirk bristled.

'What are you doing in my head?' The rebuke held venom and a touch of disbelief.

'I have been with you since our bonding,' he replied and images flashed in front of her. First the fight with T'Pring and then T'Pau asking if she accepted. Kirk stared at the images slightly mystified until her thoughts caught on and she understood.

'Bonding? That feeling,' she tentatively raised her fingers to her temple, 'here. That was you?'

'That is both correct and incorrect,' Spock's voice replied from around her.

'Well that is helpful,' she thought sarcastically. The thought was followed closely by a spark of some vague emotion rolling through her, perhaps it was embarrassment?

'Forgive me Aduna,' the voice felt like a caress across her psyche.

Well, it was a little strange, she admitted but it was far from unpleasant.

'The feeling as you describe it is in fact our bond. A manifestation of the psychic connection between us as bondmates," the last word was said almost reverently. And, though Kirk was a genius, it did not take one to understand this was quite serious to him. As were the strange endearments that moved through her mind too quickly to truly understand.

She refused to admit that it mollified her anger quite a bit. Amanda had been correct, he did care for her.

'Bondmates?' She prompts again, and as if a Dam has been burst, the understanding rushes through her though it is through his thoughts. It was so alien and surreal the idyllic scenery of Iowa flickers and nearly fades. Jim knows she is losing focus.

She feels as if she is falling into a void, though it is pleasant and filled with concern/care/affection/love. In an instant she understands. His affections for her, the way he sees her, and why he was so insistent on keeping her.

It was potent, thrilling, and absolutely terrifying. Jim yanks herself from the void and there, all around her is nothing but the songs of birds, the sounds of a babbling brook, and the soft touch of the breeze. 'Summer,' she reflects dimly.

To him, she instinctually knows somehow, it is the representation of life. The greenery all around her is Kirk. It is a mental interpretation of her humanity to his Vulcan-ness. She means life and new beginnings to him.

If she could have managed a startled yelp in her mind, this would have prompted it.

She pushes, at the thing in her head, shoves and struggles.

Suddenly she is blinking wide open eyes, the sting causes them to water and she steps back hastily.

"What… was that?" She is not afraid as much as wary. Her sapphire eyes watching as his neutral Vulcan mask slips coolly into place, leaving no trace of the burning gaze from before.

"Forgive me. Though we are fully bonded, humans have not developed the necessary psionic abilities associated with Vulcans." He inclined his head, "a mind meld was the only viable option for enlightenment."

She raised a brow at the explanation. That likely made sense to his people, to her it sounded like a beating around the bush bullshit answer.

"Please explain," she stated slowly, "that in more detail."

Spock rested his hands behind his back, and stared at her stonily. "Humanity has evolved to be psy-null. Psy, being the abbreviation for psionic, and null taken in this case as a verb meaning by standard definition as zero."

Jim felt her lips twitch in the urge to frown at him.

"Due to this fact, even though I am Vulcan with established psionic abilities, I remain unable to freely exchange thoughts with a human. Though you do have a slight psionic ability that is nearly negligible-"

Jim nearly couldn't keep her head straight with all the compliments he was throwing her way.

"It is enough to allow bonding, but not of sufficient strength to allow similarity to a traditional Vulcan bond where the majority of communication is via psionic link."

She faced him, with her arms crossed over her midsection and one hip swung out in open human defiance. "So, what you're telling me, Captain Spock, is that you cannot interpret my thoughts without direct contact?"

"Affirmative."

Well, how very interesting. Jim filed that information away for later, with a true and easy smile. Her blue eyes flickered to his impassive face, with ideas forming and ebbing in equal measure.

And, hell she's suddenly nervous. She glances around and realizes they are still very much alone. She chews on her lip in indecision.

"Okay," she says louder than she intends, "pants off."

The Vulcan blinks slowly. "I beg your pardon?"

Jim would have blushed, but this wasn't her first waltz so to speak and she couldn't very well take the words back now. "Pants off," she tilts her head and smiles slightly.

If it had to be done for the good of the Federation… who was she to refuse? A smoky gleam appears in her eyes, and whether it is knowing he genuinely cares for her or the fact he looks so damn good in that armor; Jim doesn't know or exactly care what makes that stab of desire appear in her belly.

Coyly, she inclines her head. "Do you need my help… Adun?" She hopes she's said it right, because she's heard Amanda say it before and Nyota one time.

She thinks she has when his eyes darken and that heated look transforms his face. And, suddenly she is aware just how out of place she is on this harsh desert planet. Humans are composed mostly of water, and that scene in their mind… thingy, had told her that he saw her as a wild, blooming, paradise.

Water, shade, life, and sustenance all wrapped up in traditional Vulcan wedding attire. With only a touch of a blush covering her cheeks, Kirk slowly reaches her hand up to the opposite shoulder, and tugs the fabric down. She watches through thick lashes as Spock's eyes narrow in on the exposed flesh.

"It is… unadvisable for a human to expose a large majority of skin unprotected from the Sun," he states with his voice slightly thick.

Hm, how considerate of him.

Jim glances around silently and finds a shaded spot. It is a pillar that blocks the sun as it's backed up against the nearest looming mountain cliff. 'Perfect,' she thinks with conviction and all but saunters toward the protected area. She doesn't have to glance behind her to see if Spock is following, she can hear his footsteps on the sand behind her.

It's hot out here, what a surprise, but she hardly notices as she turns and backs the rest of the way into the shade until her back hits the rock softly. She eyes him with sapphire eyes, filled with thoughts and wants. Looking down for a moment, she shyly extends her hand toward him.

It's an invitation to join her, yes, but she remembers it is also their version of a kiss.

His fingers brush over hers after a heartbeat and she can feel him through the touch. Their bond feels like it's expanding, and the prowling becomes like a low rumble of sensation. She can't hear him, but she can feel the ghosting of his emotions. Emotions are far easier for a human to interpret than a conscious thought.

He is there in front of her and in her mind, it's… well, it's strange to be honest, she's never experienced this before. However, it pulls at her baser needs, because she can understand that he wants her and cares about her. It's foreign to Kirk; she's used to being the looker and the 'go-getter'. Yet, right now she can't help but slide her fingers back against his, hoping she's doing this right.

The slight rumble in his throat tells her she is.

She hears him whisper exotic words, wondering what they are, but caught up in the sound of them. Conscious thought dissolves into touches, light at first, growing bolder. Her skin burned under his touch as it trailed down her body. That impressive Vulcan mask is nowhere to be seen, as his lips descend to her neck in feather-light kisses. Jim tilts her head back to afford him better access.

Her clothing is tugged away by strong hands, and it pools at her feet. Jim's hands splay his chest, helping out of armor and tunic. Kisses, both Vulcan and human occupy her too much to do more than feel. She thinks he enjoys that because the pulsing in her thoughts grows, and she feels her need heighten.

Vaguely she thinks they are feeding off each other's desire and the flame grows brighter. She's panting from the heat of the planet and from the heat of the male pressed against her fevered flesh. His strong grip tightens on her waist, and with a deep inhale at the base of her next, he lifts her. Jim wraps her legs around him not caring about the slight scratches on her skin as the delicate flesh of her back scrapes against the rock.

'It's not rug burn,' she thinks with slight amusement, 'but it is close enough'. Hungrily, she attacks his mouth. Their breath and tongues danced together in a frenzied rhythm, as she moans her approval into his mouth. His fingers dip low on her waist, and she feels him rub against her intimately. She breaks the kiss, seeking much needed air and attempting to clear the dazed feeling from her thoughts. Jim is all but mewling at his ministrations.

Spock's voice is low and nearly a growl at her reaction. Like a cat, he licks at her collarbone as she rests her head back against the rock surface. Her hips are wiggling in his strong hands, and around his manhood. He nips lightly at the same patch of skin he was licking as he lowers her slowly.

Their eyes lock and Jim cannot breathe. Her thoughts race and disappear before she can understand the way he's looking at her. As if she's everything. Her body trembles out of reaction. She is keening and pushes against the rock with her free hands for leverage. Spock whispers something, and then is baring her to the sand below. Their discarded clothing protected her skin from the coarseness.

The sensation of being filled by him, she cannot even grasp the words to describe. He is different from human males, but similar enough that Jim feels anything but out of her element. His second true thrust has her arching against him, as her hands skim his arms and shoulders. They begin to move in unison, and Jim starts calling out.

To hell if she knows what she's even saying, but it must be the right things because he's touching one hand to her face lightly. Her mind supplies that it is similar to when he melded them. She leans into the touch panting and demanding he do more. She's demanding he do things to her body that would make an Orion blush, and she can see by the hunger in his eyes that he enjoys every moment of it.

Then the bond pulses and his fingers lock into place. They are combined. She can feel as he does and knows that he can feel what she does. To feel herself taking and being taken was nearly too much for the psy-null.

"Fuck, Spock," she thinks… or cries out.

He knows the meaning of her words. All the things they convey and his mind brushes against hers with so much sensation, she's clamping around him. She feels and sees it through his mind. She sees that in pleasure she is his, and she is beautiful.

It should gall her, but it doesn't. He means it so earnestly that she gives herself ot the waves of crashing pleasure.

There. The bond solidifies for an intense moment and she feels him shiver and quake. She feels every emotion, thinks some thoughts in time with him. It is all consuming and she couldn't push away even if she wanted to, and she's not so sure she wants to. Suddenly she is swept up in his passion. The thrusting of his hips as he plunges in and out of her causes her nails to rake down his back, unable to vent the intensity any other way.

She's sprawled underneath him, eyes glazed, and mouth parted with shaky breaths being drawn. His strong hands are on her again, caressing gently as if he cherishes her body. Jim licks her lips and gazes at him with glossy eyes as the desire spikes again. She knows his hands are on her hips again, and he's turning her onto all fours.

She doesn't protest, she knows he won't hurt her, and this position she saw for a brief moment in his thoughts. And, if Spock can make her a quivering pile of goo in minutes, she's happy to be on her knees for him. Jim can feel his thoughts in the bond, shimmering in direct contact, tempting her to embrace them. This isn't about proving dominance; it's about showing her she can trust him.

Trust him, the bond infuses her mind with the last thought.

Dear God Spock is going to be the death of her.

He slides into her gently, testing the waters so to speak. Jim moans and throws her head back, hands clawing into the sand as pleasure crashes over her body again. His hands are hot and like iron as he pulls her back onto his length at the same time he pushes in. Her blue eyes are wide and unfocused. Blindly she reaches for one of his hands, and pries it off her waist.

He still, and she can feel concern thrum across that strange pulsing. She glances back over one shoulder and brings one of his fingers to her lips. Slowly she sucks it into her mouth. Her hot tongue swirls and her mouth sucks on the digit as she continues to hold his gaze.

She watches as his eyes narrow, and he growls deeply, his face in open lust. He's breathing heavily, and his control snaps under her watchful stare. He wraps the arm not given up to her mouth around her waist and pulls her flush against his skin. Jim starts mewling as he lets go of the measured strokes. He's rutting her fast and hard. Her mouth cannot form the proper moans because she is busily sucking the finger that caused him to take her with more fervor.

He nips at her skin, alien and nearly too warm flesh branding her skin with his mouth. Jim feels as if she's being carried away by pleasure and lust so heady she can't think.

'Please,' she thinks wantonly not knowing exactly what it is she wanted.

But Spock knows, and she understand that the bond somehow tell him.

"Nahp, hif-bi tu throks. T'nash-veh shan'hal'la, Taluhk nash-veh k'dular," he whispers near groaning against her ear, and Jim shatters beneath him.

She's screaming, howling, bucking back into him with her eyes tightly shut as she rides the thunder of her peak.

Consciousness fades from her as she feels him cradle her close.

When she wakes, it's in his arms again. She feels the lack of heat and notes her clothing is draped over her as she sways gently. Her sapphire eyes glance up at him, and she sees that the world is moving. He's carrying her, to where she doesn't know but she closes her eyes again and leans her head against his chest once more.

Then next time she wakes, his lips are on her skin and his hands are caressing her flesh to desire once more. Jim notes the softness underneath her and returns the touches as they lay in a bed together.

OoOoOo

Spock wakes, his mental and physical capabilities working at maximum functionality. Instinctively he reaches for his mate. Instead, his arm lands on a barren bed. Concern and a flash of fear roll through him before he squashes them behind unyielding logic. Calmly he searches the dwelling, but finds no trace of her.

That was accurate, until he took a moment to re-check and found a message PAD slipped onto the nearest table. It was written in galactic standard. He raises a brow in reaction to the neat sentences.

'Captain Spock,' it read and he had no trouble imagining her voice behind the words, 'it is with a heavy heart that I inform you of my tendered resignation from the Vulcan Science Core. Also, I have applied for Earth citizenship, oddly enough; the paperwork came through just before our marriage. So, I remain your bondmate, and an earth citizen. Oh, and one last thing, you can congratulate me for being accepted into Starfleet…again. Admiral Pike sends his regards.

-Chief Engineer Kirk, USS Enterprise.'

"Fascinating." His dark gaze looks around the room and takes efficient not of her missing clothes.

The information PAD chirped melodiously, and he glances down at the newest entry.

'Checkmate, Mr. Spock.'

OoOoOo

Translations:

Nahp, hif-bi tu throks: Your thoughts, give them to me.

shan'hal'lak: Love at first sight.

Taluhk nash-veh k'dular: I cherish thee.

T'nash-veh: Mine, my