It was a strange feeling when Amanda realized that she had made this journey with Sarek once before. That time, of course, he had been a silent, sullen young man who had been a mystery to her, but one that she couldn't devote any attention to, in her excitement to arrive on Vulcan. Now, of course, it was an entirely different story. Amanda was still excited, though. It wasn't the same kind of excitement - instead of leaving her familiar home to discover something new, she was bringing something new back to share her home. Amanda couldn't help but cherish the feeling. Even though she and Sarek were bonded, sharing everything between them, she still had much to show to him. Amanda hadn't ever felt the real happiness that comes from being able to introduce the person she dearly loved to the places and people that had become a part of her. Yes, she was going home, but it felt so much more like home now that Sarek was with her.
When Earth first came into sight through the shuttle's windows, Amanda felt her heart leap in her chest. She and Sarek were together in his room, an elegantly furnished apartment that was much nicer than the one Amanda had stayed in on her first space voyage. Of course, she and Sarek were not staying in the same room, although Amanda's wasn't far away. Now she hurried to the window, pressing her hands against the cool reinforced glass and staring through the void of space that was the small blue dot of home.
"It is pleasant to see you so excited," Sarek said, coming up behind her and running a hand through her hair. Amanda smiled, tearing her eyes away from the little planet that was getting bigger all the time.
"I can't wait to show you everything," She said, leaning against him and glancing back out the window. "There are so many places we have to go." Sarek looked down at her and raised an eyebrow.
"I have been to Earth before, Amanda." He reminded her. "One does not get to be Ambassador without having actually visited the planet."
Amanda made a face at him. "I know that. You've been to Earth before, but you've never been to my part of it." This illogical statement seemed to cause a little confusion on Sarek's part, but Amanda just shook her head. "I know, illogical Human speak, but trust me. You'll see what I mean when we get there. And of course, I'm excited for George and Winnie's wedding."
To tell the truth, Amanda was a bit nervous about the upcoming event. In the week before her and Sarek's departure to Earth, T'Rea and Councilman Skon had increased the bridal pressure on Amanda. She had assumed that she'd gotten on rather well in suppressing her emotions in the company of Vulcans, but now it seemed like she hadn't been anywhere close. There were many more restrictions on how Amanda was to act, now that the wedding was drawing closer. It had become a spot of anxiety on Amanda's conscience, and although she really was happy for George and Winona, their upcoming ceremony was a nagging reminder of all the things she herself had to do. It wasn't that Amanda wasn't happy to be getting married. She truly was - every moment that she spent with Sarek was reinforcement to that fact, but the prospect of the actual event was beginning to terrify her. All of this, though, she had kept carefully hidden from Sarek. He didn't need her complaints, and she secretly suspected that she was just being a silly, soon-to-be bride. Didn't everyone go through this when they were about to be married? The fact that Amanda was marrying a Vulcan, at a Vulcan ceremony, in front of hundreds of Vulcans, only intensified the problem. But she would get through it - she had to.
The three day journey from Vulcan to Earth went by relatively quickly for Amanda. She and Sarek had both been incredibly busy in the week before the journey, and it was a welcome respite to be together without the worries of work pressing down on them. Amanda used the time to learn how exactly she could torment Sarek into throwing her down on his bed using just her mouth on his fingers.
When they finally landed on Earth, Amanda was nearly bouncing off the walls with excitement. Sarek looked a little dazed - apparently the transference of Amanda's happy anticipation was bleeding through their link and disrupting his own calm. Every time she caught his eye, however, there was the slight smile that she had learned to read. When the shuttle had completely docked and was entirely secure, Amanda had to resist dragging Sarek off the ship onto the landing pad. Finally, though, the doors were opening, and Amanda stepped outside to take her first look at Earth since she had left almost a year ago.
It was raining.
As soon as Sarek joined her outside, he gained a hunted look, like a cat that was trying to avoid something. Amanda was puzzled at his discomfort at first - it wasn't raining hard, only a kind of misty drizzle that was normal weather for San Francisco in the early spring. The air wasn't cold, only slightly chilly. The light rain was gently soaking Amanda's hair and plastering it to her forehead, but it felt good. It had never rained on Vulcan during her stay, in fact - "You don't like the rain, Sarek?"
Sarek gave her a baleful look. "Water is coming out of the sky. Vulcans do not enjoy being wet." Amanda couldn't help grinning at that. He looked so sullen that she took his arm and led him off the landing pad towards a stand of trees. Trees - real, Terran trees. Amanda didn't realize how much she had missed them. She reached out and touched the bark of one slim trunk.
"You are glad to be back on Earth." Sarek said. There was no inflection in his voice - of course, there never was, but even to Amanda's keen detection abilities his tone was flat. Amanda blinked.
"Yes, I am." It was odd, but she felt that she could detect a hidden current of something unfamiliar in Sarek. Was he upset about something? Maybe it was just the irritation caused by the rain. They didn't have to stay out in it for long, though, because the taxi that Sarek had previously arranged arrived quickly. Driving through the shiny wet streets of San Francisco was like going through a dream world for Amanda. Everything that had been so familiar and boring to her a little less than a year ago was suddenly new again. She pointed out landmarks to Sarek, who looked and listened patiently, all the while wearing an expression of slight amusement.
The room Sarek had booked for them were in what had to be in the most luxurious hotel Amanda had ever seen. She supposed she should have suspected as much - Sarek was the damn Ambassador. And, to her happy surprise, he had reserved only one. One room, one bed, and they would be spending three nights there. Amanda was especially pleased when she saw what the room looked like. Very modern, but elegant and sumptuous. Amanda sighed happily and collapsed onto the bed. Space travel really was draining, and the cloud-soft bed was a welcome relief.
Amanda allowed herself on a brief doze, though. Sarek, blessed with his natural Vulcan energy, didn't need a rest. Instead he unpacked their belongings, while Amanda watched him with half-open sleepy eyes. It wasn't until he had finished that Amanda realized she should get in contact with George to tell him that they had arrived safely. She sat up suddenly and scrambled around for her PADD. Sarek quirked an eyebrow at her, an expression she knew well now. "I forgot to send a message to George," She explained, making a face at him. Sarek came towards her as she began to type out a quick 'hi, we're alive!' message, but she had barely managed to hit send when Sarek had gathered her into an embrace, making her drop the PADD back on the sheets.
The reply that came from George fifteen minutes later found Amanda a little breathless and ruffled, and Sarek with a distinct green tinge to his cheeks. Amanda straightened her dress and grabbed her PADD to read George's message. The words of welcome and excitement made her smile. "How do you feel about going out tonight? To meet up with George and Winona?"
"I don't believe I've met Lieutenant Kirk's fiancée." Sarek said, sitting up. His normally sleek dark hair was a bit disheveled, which completely negated the look of calm on his face. Amanda reached out and smoothed down the wayward strands.
"Would you like to? She's nice. I like her very much, actually." Amanda paused to think. "She's a little...uh...Human." Winona was incredibly vivacious and chatty, a quality that Amanda quite liked about her. How Sarek would react, however, was another question.
Sarek gave her a look, dark eyes gaining a mischievous glint. "Do you mean she is insane?"
Amanda tried to look disapproving, but the smile kept tugging at her lips until she let it go. "Yes. Incredibly insane. Just like me." Sarek leaned in to her and pressed a kiss to her cheek. The slight over-warmth of his skin made Amanda's tingle.
"No other individual is insane like you, Amanda. Not even other Humans."
Amanda was familiar with the bar that George had picked. She'd been there often while she was in school, and had been hit on there a few times, although mostly unsuccessfully. Amanda had hoped, actually, that Georgia would be in San Francisco at the same time as she and Sarek, but she was on a fellowship of her own in Africa. Amanda didn't much mind, though, because her excitement to see George drove anything else out of her mind.
Amanda was slightly dismayed, however, to see how packed the place was when they arrived. She'd cautioned Sarek on what sort of outing they would be going on, and encouraged him to dress appropriately. Sarek didn't seem to have an understanding of the world 'casual', though, and while Amanda was wearing a pair of jeans and colorful top that she'd brought along to Vulcan (in the mistaken idea that she'd get any use out of them), Sarek was dressed in his typical high-collared dark jacket and trousers. He did, of course, look quite attractive, but also incredibly out of place.
Once they were inside, the bar proved to be full of relaxing students from the various institutions that were clumped so thickly in the city. Amanda saw red Starfleet cadet uniforms among the throng - the place was obviously a preferred hangout for the Starfleet-inclined. She managed to elbow a path through the crowd to a relatively clear spot (a very strange experience, after having been around no-touchy Vulcans for such a long time), but upon reaching it found that she was alone. Amanda looked around in puzzlement, but she soon saw Sarek. He was making his way through the press of people at a much slower pace, taking care not to touch anyone beyond an innocuous brush. Amanda bit her lip and hunched her shoulders a bit. "I'm sorry," She said, when he reached her. Sarek looked a little tense, and she could feel the vibration of his discomfort through the bond.
"It is of no matter," He said, reaching up to brush something fluffy off his sleeve. "As I've said...I have been to Earth before."
Amanda raised her eyebrows at him. "I'm sure you've never been to a bar like this before, though." She was unable to follow up on the 'wouldn't-you-like-to-know' look that he gave her, though, when she heard someone calling her name. She turned around, scanning the crowd for a familiar face, and privately rejoiced when she saw George waving at her from a booth across the way. Winona was at his side, laughing, a drink in her hand, and when she saw Amanda her eyes lit up. Amanda glanced at Sarek, who made a 'go ahead' gesture. This time, as she pushed her way through, Amanda was careful to make a wider path, elbowing people a little bit more roughly so that they got more definitely out of the way. Sarek seemed to find this easier going, and they reached George and Winnie without incident.
George immediately pulled her into a hug when they reached him. He was still tall and smiling, still incredibly blue-eyed and boisterous. As soon as he released the laughing Amanda, Winona swooped in to snag a hug too, giggling herself. "Ooh, Amanda! It's so nice to meet you in person, finally!" She said, words tumbling out of her like bubbles. She was rather shorter than Amanda, and she'd gotten a haircut since Amanda had last seen her. The shining waves of blonde hair now reached only to her shoulders, but the effect was just as pretty and somewhat spunkier, which suited her.
"I know! I'm so excited for the day after tomorrow!" Amanda said, laughing through her words as she hadn't done in several months.
"You and me both," George said, grinning bashfully. "Damn, it's good to see you, Amanda, and in one piece."
"George worried about you too much," Winona said, giving her fiance a playful chuck on the arm. "I told him you're a strong woman and can handle yourself!" Winona's attention finally turned to Sarek, who had been standing somewhat rigidly in the face of so much Human affection. She beamed up at him, and, without preamble, said "So this is the guy, huh? Wow, he is handsome! You weren't kidding."
Amanda felt herself blush, but she couldn't keep from smiling at the stricken look that flashed over Sarek's face. It was like watching a tiny, adorable kitten approaching a severe old dog and causing him intense panic. "Yeah, Winona, this is Sarek...er, Ambassador Sarek."
Winona's hazel eyes widened. "Oh, I forgot you're the Ambassador! Geez, I'm sorry, I should have greeted you better than that. Nice to meet you, Ambassador Sarek, I'm Winona." She squared her shoulders and held out a slim hand to Sarek - Amanda groaned internally. The look on Sarek's face was only slightly less alarmed than a cat's when it's about to fall into water.
"Win, Vulcans don't shake hands," George said, beating Amanda to the punch as he put a hand on Winona's shoulder. Winona immediately withdrew her hand, a blush coloring her freckled cheeks.
"Oh. Oops." She said. Amanda shook her head.
"No, it's okay, everyone makes that mistake -"
"Please do not worry yourself, Winona." Sarek said, his voice a little stiffer than usual, but Amanda could tell that he wasn't being unkind. Winona didn't seem to pick up on this, though, and looked cowed.
"Uh, c'mon, let's sit. Do you have drinks?" George said, nudging Winona back to the booth to sit down. When Amanda shook her head, he took a step towards the bar, then hesitated. "Oh uh, what would be...?"
Amanda opened her mouth, then looked back at Sarek. She'd never had any alcohol of Human make on Vulcan, and didn't know if they actually had any, on the entire planet. Would this bar have k'vass? Maybe, as it was frequented by Starfleet types...
"Bourbon, please, Lieutenant." Sarek said. Amanda looked at him in surprise for a moment. Amanda saw a quick flash of his smiling look as he said "One does a considerable amount of drinking with dignitaries, as an ambassador." Amanda grinned at him, and she felt a slight ease of his tension through the bond. You're amazing, she told him, and in reply she received only another smiling look, but it was accompanied by a rush of warmth and affection.
"Just a beer for me, George, thank you," Amanda said to George as she slid into the booth beside Sarek. That left the two of them alone with Winona, who still seemed a little off-balance. Amanda wondered how many Vulcans she could have met, and decided it probably wasn't many. She decided to steer Winnie off the path of awkwardness and engaged her in conversation about the wedding. Winona was happy enough to oblige, although she occasionally shot Sarek a wary look. Thankfully, George returned soon - Amanda assumed he had some sort of arrangement with the bartender to be able to fetch them drinks so quickly. She felt her heart beat begin to pick up as he set down the drinks and sat down next to Winona. As soon as she and Sarek had arrived on Earth, Amanda had been full of excitement about announcing her own engagement to her friends.
George gave Amanda a puzzled smile as he slid her beer towards her. "What's up, Amanda? You've got a look on your face." Amanda did her best to repress her smile, but when she remember she didn't need to, she broke into a broad grin and glanced over at Sarek.
"Okay, well, I know we only just got here, but I've been waiting to tell you for ages and I can't keep it a secret any longer. Not that I want to steal your thunder, of course, I mean you guys are getting married in a few days. But I still need to tell you."
George laughed. "So get on with it already! What's this big news?" Winona, however, had started to smile too. Amanda could tell from the wicked gleam in her eye that she had picked up on exactly what Amanda was trying to say.
"All right!" Amanda said, laughing too. "Well, Sarek and I are engaged."
There's nothing better than sharing exciting news with a friend. George's reaction was immediate glee, exclaiming in surprise and reaching across the table to give Amanda a hug. Winona giggled, clasping Amanda's hand instead, as she couldn't reach. "That's wonderful news, you two! Congratulations!" George said, grinning as he sat back.
Amanda looked at Sarek, still a little breathless and pink cheeked from her excitement. He glanced at her, dark eyes soft in the dim light at the bar. Something felt off, though. Sarek wasn't displaying anything to her - there was a significant blank feeling where she had been accustomed to the warmth of his presence. Before she could say or do anything, though, Sarek had turned to George and Winona again. "Thank you. We would, of course, appreciate your presence at the ceremony."
The other two, of course, didn't realize anything was wrong. George kept grinning and said that they'd love to. "Although it might be difficult, with my Starfleet schedule. I'll try to get some leave, though! Or maybe we'll be back around to Vulcan by that time anyway. When were you thinking for the date? Or haven't you decided?"
"Uh, we haven't decided yet." Amanda said vaguely, her eyes still on Sarek. She felt a distinctly cold, a very unpleasant sensation. Sarek met her eyes for a moment, and she felt his leg gently nudge hers, a gesture of reassurance. What was going on, though? Amanda forced herself to turn back to George and Winnie and smile. "I think we've got a while yet. In the meantime, we have you guys to celebrate!"
"How about a toast, then?" Winona piped up, her hazel eyes dancing. "To you, and to us!"
"You can't propose a toast to yourself, sweetie." George said, grinning and clasping Winnie's hand affectionately.
"I'm not, not really. It's for us and Amanda and Sarek. Ambassador Sarek. What should I call you?" Winona looked over at Sarek and bit her lip, a perfect apologetic picture.
Amanda watched Sarek's face. Still nothing... "Sarek will suffice," Sarek replied evenly to Winona. "You need not call me Ambassador unless we meet in a professional setting."
Winona blinked at him, but smiled. "Okay then, Sarek." She picked up her beer bottle and held it aloft. "To Amanda and Sarek! And..."
"Winona and George," Amanda completed, grinning. "Happy wedding."
George tilted his glass to her, his easy smile affectionate. "And happy engagement, to be followed by a wedding." He said. Amanda felt herself blush happily. If I had known, last time I was in this bar, that the very next time I came here I'd be with my future husband...Amanda took a swig of her beer. Future Vulcan husband.
They spent the next little while talking about nothing, laughing and chatting. At least, the three Humans did. Sarek remained strangely unresponsive, although he added the occasional dry comment that made Amanda smile. It was wonderful to be able to talk to George and Winona in person again - it made Amanda realize how much she had missed expressions. And modulated tones of voice. And hand gestures. And all of the giant, erratic sphere of Human communication. It was, at the same time, though, a little unnerving. Amanda found herself automatically rephrasing sentences to be more Vulcan-appropriate, when there was no need to. Smiling came a little less easily to her than it had before, and Amanda wondered what exactly had her so on edge. There seemed to be quite a lot of noise in the bar. It felt crowded, too, although Amanda could remember occasions when the place had been a lot more packed. On the whole, though, there was just a little feeling of disjointedness in her conscience, as if she were half-dreaming. It was unnerving, especially with the added strangeness of the absolute silence on Sarek's part. Amanda pushed herself to keep talking and smiling and laughing, though, because damn if she hadn't missed George.
A little while later, when Amanda and Winona had both finished their beers, and the men were nearing the end of their own drinks, Winona leaned across the table and gave Amanda a conspiratorial look. "So tell me, just between us girls," She said, lowering her voice a bit, even though Amanda was certain that Sarek and George could hear. "How did Sarek propose?"
Amanda gave her a half grin, shifting in her seat. She was about to reply when Sarek said, in his strangely even tone, "I did not propose."
Winona blinked at him, the picture of surprise. "You didn't? So Amanda...oh, that's awesome!" She laughed. "So how did you do it, then?"
Amanda frowned slightly, thinking back to the rather embarrassing night at Skon's estate. She still felt a little clinging mortification about how she had acted that night, and her whole aggravating interaction with Theleia. After a moment, Amanda just shrugged, trying to look casual. "I don't know, I just asked."
Winona scoffed. "Boring. There's got to be more to the story than that." She grinned and scooted a little closer to Amanda, lowering her voice. "I bet he's secretly really romantic, right?" Amanda was certain that Sarek had overheard, although he refrained from commenting. Her certainly mostly came from the fact that the tips of his ears had turned a slightly darker shade of green. Amanda grinned.
"Well, yes, but...I don't know, Vulcans don't do big grand proposals. Once you get into a relationship with someone it's sort of a given that you're going to get married." I wish I had owned up to that sooner instead of being such an idiot,Amanda thought, although without much chagrin. If she never made any mistakes, she'd never get anywhere, after all.
Winona's brow creased. "So I guess that's why you aren't wearing a ring? I mean, if that's not rude to ask...Is it?"
Amanda shook her head, smiling. "No, it's not rude. But yeah, rings are another thing that Vulcans don't...do." Amanda sent a sidelong glance at Sarek, who had engaged George in conversation. Of course, it's not like I wanted any of those big romantic things. I don't need them.
"So what do Vulcans do, then?" Winona said, looking good naturedly exasperated.
Amanda laughed. Maybe it was the slight tipsiness she was experiencing, but she gave Winona her most wicked smile and said airily "Three-day long sex marathon after the ceremony."
Both of the men turned to stare at them when Amanda and Winona collapsed into laughter.
Author's Note: Guys! I'm back! And I'm really happy to be writing this story again! I missed it a lot, really, and even though I'm in the middle of finals week, I decided to pick it up again. And I mean that - I'm going to get this story finished if it kills me (ps. it won't, I leave for home in a week, and then I'll have an entire month off of school to write and write and write)
In terms of what's going to happen, I have it all planned out, and there is a definite end in sight. Here's the thing, though, I was kinda bummed when I realized the story would be over and I wouldn't get to write it any more. So be prepared for a sequel. I hope. We'll see. I might start off on another story, perhaps involving a different Kirk and a different Vulcan. Well, half-Vulcan ;) Anyway, I'm really happy to be back, I hope you guys are excited for more Amanda/Sarek fun.