"So you don't hate him anymore, then?" George Kirk's voice was tinged with amusement as he addressed her over the console screen. It was late evening, hours after Amanda had visited Khaf-Spol with Selek and Sarek, and, as any young woman would, she wanted to tell her friend about it. George's Starfleet duties had taken him out beyond Vulcan to protect trade routes near a cluster of planets that Amanda knew very little about. George was less than eager to let any details about them slip, either, but she didn't press the matter. The tangled details of her own life were pressing down harder on her than any curiosity she had about Starfleet missions.

Amanda sighed. "I never really hated him, George. But, you know, like I said...we're friends." The saying of it eased Amanda's stress over the matter. She was truly interested in being friends with Sarek, but what worried her were the hints and snatches of feelings beyond friendship. She thought she could detect them in him, too, but it was so difficult to read a Vulcan. Sarek himself seemed to be cold for a Vulcan in any case. "Do you think that's a bad idea?"

"No," George said, with his easy smile that made Amanda feel a bit better. "I think you're fine. It's your decision what kind of relationship you want to have with him, after all. If you don't feel good about it later, you can always say so. Vulcans are pretty understanding on that score - it seems to me like they tend to take things at face value."

Amanda nodded. "That's true. It makes some things easier..."

George finished her sentence. "And some things more difficult. I know what you mean." He gave her a wicked grin. "It sounds to me like Vulcan men are a lot like Human women. You've gotta tread carefully!" She made a face at him. George chuckled, which pleased Amanda. He looked a little shadowy under the eyes, his expression somewhat drawn. She couldn't inquire too deeply into what he was doing in his mission for Starfleet, but she could tell that it was wearing on him.

"You should get some more sleep, George." She said, voicing her worries. "You look tired. I hope they aren't working you too hard."

"Nah," George said, waving a dismissive hand. "We're just busy. I've had to pull extra shifts on the bridge. Lang hasn't been feeling his best, so I've taken on some of his duties. Don't tell anyone, though." He added. "Nobody needs to know when a Starfleet captain is feeling under the weather."

"Except for his medical officer." Amanda said pointedly. "You should pay him a visit yourself."

"Her, actually. Our CMO is a lady doctor." George winked. "Don't tell Winona, she'll be jealous."

"I won't tell Winona unless you're doing something you shouldn't, George." Amanda said primly, although the tone between them was all joking. "I'm loyal to my friends unless they're being really stupid."

"Oh good, I'm glad to hear you have my back." George said, rolling his eyes. "I'll bet Sarek is happy with the terms of your friendship, too." Amanda blushed at his mocking grin.

"Stop slacking off and do your Starfleet stuff!" Amanda said, pretending to be offended. "Shouldn't you be saving the world?"

"Saving the worlds." George corrected her, his smile softening. "But yeah, I should be getting back. It was nice to talk to you, Amanda. I've got my leave coming up soon, I'll call you from Earth and you can finally meet Winona."

"I can't wait." Amanda said with a smile in return. She gave him a little wave as he signed off of the call. George had made her feel better, as she knew he would. It was a huge relief to have him to talk to. Of course, she could always call her parents and Georgia, but there was a distance between them now that she was experiencing so much of an alien world. George had seen many planets and traveled between distant stars - not to mention, he was just good company.

There was one thing Amanda hadn't mentioned to George, though. Her dreams were becoming very strange of late. It was getting to the point where she dreamed something vivid and odd every time she went to sleep, and she was getting the feeling that not all of the memories twisted up inside them were hers. Since she had dreamt of the Vulcan country villa where the young Sarek and the mysterious young lady had been, more and more images that she did not recognize were floating into her sleeping consciousness. It was unnerving to say the least, but she didn't know what kind of advice George could offer her on that subject. Perhaps it would be better to talk to Ataur about it. As a master of meditation, wouldn't he know something about dreaming? Or was that out of his jurisdiction?

Amanda hadn't been truly worried about her dreams until the night before. She'd awoken, midway through the night, seized with a strange, aching sadness that didn't feel like her own. It was accompanied by images of the red Vulcan desert and the sound and feeling of loneliness. It was a very bizarre feeling, experiencing emotions that just didn't seem to be your own. Amanda had never known abandonment or loss like she'd experienced in that strange midnight flash. From whom was she borrowing this bone-deep sadness? It hadn't come upon her again, for which she was grateful. She didn't need any more emotions clogging her mind than she already had. It was a hard enough task trying to get rid of her own, less complex ones.

She would have to banish these thoughts from her mind, however. The next morning she would be visiting her class again, and she needed to prepare for the next lesson. She felt more confident about it now that she had met the children and learned what kind of dynamic they had with each other. Amanda grabbed her PADD and flopped down on her bed, already scrolling through her notes. She would have to make some edits if she were to teach as effectively as possible.

"I do not understand, Miss Grayson. If the Egyptians were the most technologically advanced culture, why did their ways not survive? We have held Surakian principles for thousands of years."

"They did, in a way, Emonn." Amanda said, stepping away from the large screen displaying images of Egyptian art. "Humans and Vulcans are not only different morphologically. Humans are a little bit...fickle. We are more changeable, which can both be a strength and a weakness. Our developments and ingenuity come from the turnover from age to age, of one culture prevailing over another. It is not the most peaceful of ways, and although war is always to be avoided whenever possible, it is a rather effective way of melding two cultures together. Human societies grew through division and recombination."

"Like the evolution of a species." T'Ama said, her small voice quiet. Amanda wanted to smile at her, but nodded instead. She was one of the quieter children, though her large dark eyes were always observant.

"Yes, exactly. I don't wish to give you the impression that Humans are all violence, though." She looked down at her hand, resting on the back of her chair. "We are a multi-faceted race."

After the lesson was over, Amanda gathered up her things, wondering if she had perhaps let Humans and Earth down with her explanation. She couldn't very well avoid the bloody past of the Human race; wars and fighting had been a part of civilization since civilization began. It was so difficult to explain in a way that portrayed Humanity in a positive light, especially to Vulcans. Amanda sighed. There were so many different ways to be Human. How could she attempt to make any of them clear? Perhaps she would ask T'Rea or T'Sana about it later. They might be able to shed some light on her problem. T'Rea had, after all, been working with Humans for a large part of her career. Amanda resolved to ask the Vulcan woman about it, although she wondered if it was too personal a question.

"Excuse me, T'Rea, do you mind explaining to me your thoughts and feelings on Humanity as a whole?" Amanda said to herself as she left the room, imagining that she were conversing with T'Rea. "Or is that too forward of me?" As if in answer to her question, there was a little blip from her bag. Amanda juggled with the papers in her arms until she could retrieve her PADD from the bag's depths. The message was not from T'Rea, however, but from Sarek. Amanda's heart wiggled nervously as she opened it.

Amanda,

My father has informed me that you expressed an interest in viewing the Vulcan Academy for Artistic Study. If you are available tomorrow afternoon at 13h00, I would be willing to accompany you there to tour the school.

Regards,

Ambassador Sarek

Amanda paused for a moment, standing in the middle of the Institute corridor as she stared at the note. Was Sarek asking her out on a date? No, of course not. He was offering to accompany her on an official outing, so that she could see more of Shi'Kahr. Wasn't he? Amanda swallowed and stuffed the PADD back into her bag, shoving the message away so that she didn't have to worry about it.

Nevertheless, Sarek's note would not get out of her head, even as Amanda strolled through the noon bright market streets on her way back home. She had refused a hovercar transport back after her class, even though it was a trek back to her home from the Institute. Amanda had always enjoyed walking, and she loved the feeling of being surrounded by the Vulcan language, hearing it spoken by everyone she passed. She saw people of all types and ages in the shade of the market stalls, in the thresholds of businesses, restaurants, and bathhouses. She wasn't in a state of mind to appreciate it all, though. She kept thinking of Sarek, of her duties, of her studies with Ataur. Her worries chased each other through her head like puppies chasing tails. She was so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she nearly collided with two Vulcans exiting a shop. The young man automatically reached out and took the arm of the lady by his side, pulling her out of Amanda's path. Amanda, surprised and embarrassed at her own clumsiness, muttered a hasty apology. The couple nodded at her and walked away. Amanda watched as the man's fingers dropped from his companion's arm. Their fingers touched, very lightly, but deliberately - Amanda could see that they made the sign of the ta'al as they touched. What was that all about? She had never seen Vulcans touch hands in public before, even though the gesture had been discreet.

A puzzled and worried Amanda decided to stop at a nearby cafe to have a cup of cold tea and disentangle her thoughts. When she had purchased a cool drink and found a table in the shade, Amanda finally rescued her PADD from the depths of her bag and opened up Sarek's message once more. She chewed her lip, re-reading the words. Well, they were friends now - what was the harm in spending time with him? In fact, the idea was not at all unpleasant to her. She wanted to see Sarek again, to talk with him and hear him explain something interesting to her in his slow, measured tone. It was soothing, almost. Almost. Amanda's fingers hovered over her PADD for a few moments before she began to type her reply.

Ambassador Sarek,

I accept your invitation to tour the Vulcan Academy for Artistic Study. I look forward to seeing you again

Amanda paused again, wondering whether it was wise to include the second line. Would he be offended? Pleased? Did the statement indicate an affection that she didn't really feel? Amanda stared at the words on the screen for a few achingly long moments. Finally, she decided to keep them.

Ambassador Sarek,

I accept your invitation to tour the Vulcan Academy for Artistic Study. I look forward to seeing you again. Thank you for offering to accompany me. I expect you at 13h00 tomorrow.

All the best,

Amanda

Amanda drank a large swallow of her nearly forgotten tea before hitting send. The ending was certainly informal, but Amanda kept it, for two reasons: she wanted to reinforce her first name as her preferred mode of address, and she wanted to steer away from the stiff and businesslike way that she had become accustomed to writing. Seeing the words in a message to a friend made her feel awkward and rigid, even if that friend were a Vulcan. She was worried, privately, that concealing her emotions and acting constantly with proper Vulcan decorum was masking her true personality. Perhaps Sarek would not want to be her friend if she acted more like herself. That was an uncomfortable thought. I'm not a Vulcan, she told herself, seeking reassurance. Sarek knows that; I'm worlds away from being as formal and cold as they are.

As she walked home, Amanda hoped desperately that she when she returned home, the hard Vulcan mannerisms that she'd learned would chip easily away. She didn't want to become someone that her family and friends would not know; a cold stranger in their Amanda's body.

That night, Amanda dreamed of trees.

She was walking over roots and moss and dead leaves, the towers of ancient pines around her. These were her trees - a forest she had often explored as a child. Oregon. Amanda breathed in the scent of sap and the cleanliness of mountain air. Green surrounded her: she was sheltered by this mantle of living forest.

Amanda wandered further, feeling the springy earth beneath her feet. She heard the sound of a running brook, a song almost alien to her now, after months in a desert. She followed the sound, hoping to see the glass ribbon of the creek she knew was nearby. Something moved to her right, and Amanda turned to look. A deer sprang away from her, a lighter shape among the trees. Amanda watched it, puzzled. No, it wasn't a deer. It was something she'd never seen before. It was something like a deer, but definitely alien. It hurried away from her on long, thin legs, leaping over roots and rocks.

"What are you doing here?" Amanda asked the retreating creature.

"Quatill." A voice said behind her. Amanda turned. Sarek was walking awkwardly towards her, trying to give the trees as much berth as possible. He looked very out of place, in formal clothing that made him seem as suited to his environment as an octopus on a starship. Amanda smiled, which made Sarek look more edgy. He reached her after struggling to disentangle himself from a thorny thicket. As he brushed leaves off his sleeve, he said "They are herd animals of Vulcan."

"I've never seen one."

"I have." Sarek gazed off after the creature. "It was afraid."

"Are you afraid?"

"No, I am not." Sarek said, petulance in his tone. He glanced at the redwood beside him. It was more than five times as thick around as he was. "These plants are...large."

"They're trees." Amanda said, wondering why she was explaining. "Why are you here? Why was that animal here?"

Sarek seemed more peeved. He looked around him, at the canopy of green leaves overhead, and shifted his weight on the dark, moss-covered ground. "This is your place. You brought me here."

"I did no such thing," Amanda said, bald annoyance in her tone. When Sarek looked surprised, she balled up her fists. She scowled fiercely, emotions boiling up out of the refuge in her mind and spilling over her. "I didn't ask for you." Despite her rage, Sarek was gazing at her steadily. He took a step closer to her. To Amanda's great surprise, a soft sort of sadness was written plainly on his face. His eyes are as dark as the depths of the forest, she thought. His hair, normally so neatly arranged, was falling across his forehead, mussed. Emotion, Amanda thought distantly as he approached, he's showing emotion.

"Did you wonder what this was?" he asked, holding out his hand. His fingers were parted in the sign of the ta'al. Without hesitation, he took her wrist, raising her fingers to meet his. Without thinking, Amanda copied his gesture.

"It is a kiss."

Amanda awoke with the scent of the pines still lingering in her nose. She sat up. She looked around. The room was still dark. The sun hadn't risen yet. Amanda looked down at her hand. Her fingertips felt warm and tingly, as though she had touched a very gentle electrical current. She wiggled them, trying to banish the feeling, although it was not unpleasant. A kiss? She would ask T'Rea, or T'Iva. And Ataur...Amanda chewed on her lip. She had wanted to tell Ataur about her strange dreams. He could, after all, explain many things about the mind and mysteries. Now, though, Amanda didn't want to share her questions with her meditation teacher, as kind as he was. This was strange enough, and personal enough, that she didn't want to ask. At least, not yet. After all, she thought, swinging her legs out of bed, things can get a whole lot weirder than that.

Fortunately, there was much to distract Amanda from her strange nighttime adventure. She was eager to teach her class again. She'd spent a lot of time the previous afternoon looking for more information and images from early Human civilizations. There was a wealth of knowledge in the Starfleet database on Earth. Everard hadn't been lying; Earth had certainly contributed a lot to Starfleet, in their eagerness to share and receive. Too bad the receiving hadn't gone as well.

As Amanda had expected, her little class was raucous with questions and debates. There was the occasional argument, but nothing so serious that Amanda couldn't sort it out with a gentle reprimand. She was thrilled by the children's eagerness to learn. They were, in fact, ravenous, and it was all she could do to keep up with them. Vulcan teachers need to be a whole lot quicker than Human ones, Amanda mused as she listened to T'See and T'Lun debate the Phoenicians. She was pleasantly surprised, however, when Rotah toddled up to her after the class had ended and presented her with a rather lumpily made Vulcan string charm.

"We made them in our previous class, sevensu." He explained solemnly. "That one is for you."

Amanda hid her little smile with a nod. "It is well done. What sort of luck will it bring?" She asked.

"It is a bonding charm," He said. "So you can find a mate and become married." Amanda stared down at him, not sure what to say in reply. Rotah couldn't have been older than five. He gave her a very formal bow and followed after his fellows as they left the classroom. Amanda was left alone with her risqué charm. Well, she thought, looping the charm over the handle of her bag, I need every kind of luck I can get. Maybe it will help me somehow.

Author's Note: I apologize for this chapter...so much filler . I hope it wasn't too hard to bear. There will be action aplenty next chapter, don't worry! And, as always, thank you for your reviews and favorites. They make me quite happy! :)