Special thanks again to my beta TheWindowView :)

Chapter 1

Five days was a long time to eat meals with someone without knowing them. Without talking to them, learning about them, asking how their day was going. Five days of sitting and eating in utter silence. Lunch every day, since she first stepped on board was met with quiet and eventually an easy kind of peace. Lunch, in silence with no expectations and no sudden scrounging for a topic. Not that dinners with or breakfasts with Nurse Chapel were stressful, but there was a clear effort to be friendly and to keep Nia from eating by herself. Lunches, however, were a different story.

Which is why it was so awkward to have him look at her on the sixth day.

Sometimes Nia just gets a craving for fresh vegetables. Spinach and other greens, broccoli, cauliflower, and … carrots.

On this day she picked carrots and it wasn't until the first loud crack! was then followed by several mortifyingly loud crunch crunch noises that she saw her mistake.

His eyes flickered up at her briefly, and Nia realized with horror that he could probably hear every sound of her eating her lunch, despite the galley being near full as usual.

The second carrot was just as bad as the first, and she nearly winced with every snap of a bite and grating crunch of her molars. By the time she was eating her fifth carrot Nia was attempting to subtly cover up the side of her mouth closest to him with her hand in an effort to muffle the noise. At the same time, she was also trying to watch him out of the corner of her eye. Normally she could use her hair as a visual shield, but today just happened to be the day she decided to elaborately clip the white mass behind her head. She'd eat something else, except the rest of her lunch was just as bad. Granola bars and apples?

It was not as if he had not eaten with her before.

On the first day in space, she'd arrived at the mess hall for lunch to discover the room was mostly full, and there were no empty tables in sight. There was, however, a table with only one seat occupied. Actually there were two, but the ensign had glared at her from across the room when she began to look for a seat. Instead, she approached the commander. She'd recognized him, knew his face as well as the captain's, even if the ears didn't give him away as the Enterprise's only Vulcan member.

"Excuse me, Commander." She said when she reached the table, noticing he was preoccupied with something on his PADD.

He looked up at her. "Yes?"

"Would it be alright if I sit here?" She indicated the seat across from him. "There is not much place else to sit."

"I do not see why it would be a problem."

She took that to be a "yes" and settled down in the seat furthest from him, determined not to intrude more than necessary.

They both ate in silence, Nia determinedly not looking at him to keep herself from bothering him. The first day wasn't the day to get off on the wrong foot with anyone, and disturbing them while they were busy was not the way to avoid that. So instead, she decided to read.

She didn't notice him looking up at her when she pulled a book out of the satchel she had been carrying with her, cracked it open and started to read. He tilted his head slightly to read the title. First Test. The cover appeared to be a hand drawn illustration, similar to what he had seen appear on children's books. Interesting.

Spock returned to his PADD and quickly finished his meal, before leaving without another moments glance at the woman seated across from him. It would be illogical to disturb her reading for something as insignificant as the customary human salutation.

The second day had followed nearly the same, and the third day Nia just sat there. Some days she read, other days she would just sit and eat. Usually, he was focused on something on his PADD, unlike today. The commander either expected and/or accepted her presence, or he didn't care. Either way, Nia was actually grateful for the ease with which lunches occurred.

Or at least, what had been ease. Now she was trying to focus on her reading and ignore Commander Spock as best she could. She winced as she broke off a piece of granola.

"If you think that your lunch is disturbing me, I assure you it is not."

Nia jerked slightly, and turned her head to see him looking at her, his face impassive. "Thank you for saying so." She told him, struggling with how exactly to respond. "I suppose it was my illogical reaction that disturbed you?"

He tilted his head toward her in acknowledgement. "You suppose correctly, though the disruption was not great."

"I apologize" was all she said before she returned to her book.

"Your apologies are accepted, but unnecessary." He told her as he placed his PADD to the side and returned to eating.

Relaxing in her seat, Nia found her focus while reading to be greatly improved and no longer bothered by how loud the sounds of her eating were. She felt the previous ease of silence returning.

"Might I make a personal inquiry?" A masculine voice once again spoke up from across table.

She glanced up, surprised. "You may." She answered.

"You are Doctor Niniane Sargent, specializing in xenobiology and xenoagriculture, correct?" He asked.

If she wasn't curious before, now she definitely was. She wasn't the only one who liked knowing who one was flying with. "Yes, that's correct."

He paused. She wasn't sure, but it seemed as if he was trying to figure out how to say what he wanted to say. Apparently he decided to be blunt.

"You are reading a children's book, are you not?"

"And you are wondering why." She stated, smiling and sitting straight. She placed a bookmark in the binding of the book before shutting it.

He also straightened, if that were possible. "I merely do not see the logic."

Sighing, Nia struggled with an answer he might relate to. "Well, simply put it isn't logical. I'm a scientist, I have no business in spending time reading fairy tales. Except," she paused. "I enjoy the contradiction."

Spock's brows furrowed slightly, but she continued speaking before he could start. "It is a relaxation, and an escape from a normally stressful environment. I don't have to put forth effort to understand or solve a problem. I merely need to turn a page." She grabbed her book and turned it so he could read the cover. "Besides, this isn't exactly a children's book. I'd be concerned if it were."

She was reading a complete collection of the fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm.

Spock thought about her statements for a moment, looking at a space not quite in beside her head. "I believe I understand. Only," He returned his eyes to her "I was not aware the Enterprise would be considered a stressful environment requiring the need for escape."

This time her smile was grim. "Commander, while I have not been cleared to actively work while on this mission, I am still under stress. A rather large group of my people is trapped on a near wasteland of a planet that is a close month away. I can only hope the fragile bindings of my precious escapes can withstand the pressure."

He nodded at her statement, and it seemed the conversation had ended.

Not bothering to open up her book again, Nia finished the last of her meal and stood to leave. "Have a pleasant shift, Commander."

He again tilted his head in acknowledgement, by now used to the illogical well wishing some species tended towards.

Walking down the hall, Nia wasn't really sure why she left the mess hall so quickly. Especially since her meals were really the only times each day that she had a break from the monotony of her day. She hadn't realized she would not be put on active duty when she was sent on this mission. Usually Starfleet protocol was much of a "waste not want not" mindset. Surely, having a scientist pointlessly wander the halls of the ship for at least a month, if not two, was the epitome of waste.

Or she could be over thinking her worth. After all, there wasn't much need for a xenobiologist on the Enterprise. Well, as far as she could tell.

Not only was she not on active duty, but the clearance that would allow her access to the labs on board was also restricted from her. So now last minute checking or musing over her data.

At least there was a gym on board. Otherwise, every muscle not necessary for reading, page turning, or eating would probably atrophy and leave her in a permanent state of uselessness. Or she would go stir crazy and self combust.

She began to think about just what it would take for her to self combust. Maybe it would be spontaneous. Just burst into flames from the utter frustration of being useless. Maybe it wouldn't be spontaneous, but the combustion would show itself in a more psychological fashion. She could kill someone. Possibly even the captain, or just a lowly –

Six days. Six days of being idle and reading children's books and she was already thinking about killing someone as an outlet from boredom.

How was she going to survive a month?

She turned around. She was going to the gym.

"Easy there."

Nia paused in her actions, and looked behind her to see an ensign seated on a bench behind her both clearly resting and watching her.

"I think it's dead." He told her, gesturing to the punching bag she was currently focusing on.

She snorted. "Exactly. Can't complain, now can it?" Turning slightly, she delivered what would have been a nasty upper cut on a living being.

He laughed. "And the treadmill?"

Nia froze, and then turned slowly to fully face him. He was smirking at her, knowing he'd gotten her attention.

"Ensign…" She left off, fully expecting him to fill in the blank.

He didn't disappoint. "Harris, ma'am." He told her, with that same smirk.

"Ensign Harris, just how long have you been watching me?" She asked. In all honesty, she wasn't sure why she asked, or if she wanted to know the answer. She was just bored.

The smirk turned into a cheeky grin. "Why, ma'am, just long enough to know what you are hiding under – "

Another gentleman approached, whom had also been working out recently, and interrupted Ensign Harris. "Ensign Harris, are you harassing a fellow crew member?"

Just like a switch, the grin was gone. It seemed the Asian man who had walked over was of a higher rank.

Nia laughed, both at the assumption she was crew and at the look on the poor man's face. "Don't worry, he hadn't gone as far as harassment. And," she added "I'm not crew."

The gentleman turned to face her fully in surprise.

Nia held out a hand, going on a guess that the human gesture would be well received. "Doctor Niniane Sargent, civilian consultant."

He shook her hand briefly, before responding "Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu, helmsman."

"Nice to meet you, Lieutenant."

"Likewise, Doctor. You work in the medbay or the science department?"

She shook her head. "No, I am afraid I'm not on active duty. If I were, I would be in the science department. Xenobiology and xenoagriculture."

"Agriculture? You mean like farming and stuff?" Ensign Harris spoke up, confusion evident on his face.

"In a general way, yes. My work actually focuses on the compatibility and viability of crop types being crossed or when introduced to a non-native environment." She told him.

The look on his face didn't entirely change, but did soften as he realized he might have offended her.

"Neat." Lieutenant Sulu said. He turned to the Ensign sitting beside him. "Well, are you ready to get started?"

"You sound eager to kick my rear, sir." Ensign Harris said as he stood up and stretched lightly.

"Only if you try to pull an advanced move before getting the basics down. Again," replied Sulu.

Having caught the dismissal early on and turned back to her punching bag, Nia paused. She called to Sulu as he and the ensign started walking towards the mats for sparring. "Excuse me, Lieutenant?"

Sulu paused. "Yes, Doctor?"

"Nia or Sargent, please, Lieutenant." After seeing her sweat in her shorts, Nia felt 'Doctor' was just a bit too formal. She took a breath. "Do I understand that you are teaching the Lieutenant hand to hand combat?"

"Then I'm Sulu, Sargent. Yes, I'm teaching him the basics. Why, are you interested?"

She shrugged and gave him a self deprecating grin. "Well, I already know the basics, but I seem to lack a sparring partner. I'm not much more than a novice, but I'd rather not let even that training go to waste."

"Sure, I understand. If you are still in the gym when I've finished with Ensign Harris, I should have enough time for a short match." He told her and walked to the mat where the ensign was waiting.

Relief rushed through Nia at his response. She was relieved to have an additional escape from boredom, and for the opportunity to stay in fighting shape. Not skilled combat fighting, but enough to keep herself alive should the need ever arise.

And after her earlier thoughts on self combustion, that might not be a farfetched thought.

Almost an hour and a half later, Nia groaned as her back collided noen to kindly with the mat underneath her. They had been sparring for fifteen minutes and Sulu had dropped her. Twice. The first had been a basic trip that sent her flying, but the second had been a legitimate throw. She was starting to regret demanding that he not go easy on her. Sulu was skilled and clearly not afraid to show it.

She considered taking the coward's path and tapping out, just to save what little dignity she had left, but instead she swallowed the thought and hauled herself to her feet.

Sulu stood back, waiting for her to regain her balance before he came at her again.

Man, but he was fast. This time though, Nia expected his speed and just barely managed to block his move. She caught the second one too, and the third before starting her own offensive.

She almost got a hit in before he knocked her back. This time, she caught herself before falling.

This time when he came at her, it was obviously with the same style as before and with the same goal in mind.

Nia saw his smirk as she barely dodged, again, and realized what he was doing. He was purposefully leaving an opening for her, allowing her to learn how the move looked and figure out how to counter it. Well, Nia wasn't one for passing up a freebie and took the opening.

This time she got a hit in.

By the time they were finished, Nia had gotten two more hits in, but had been thrown more times than she'd cared to count. And throws like that were costly energy wise. As far as she could figure, either Sulu was a heck of a lot better than she'd originally thought or Nia was lighter than she thought herself to be.

She decided it was the latter and that she should take it as a compliment to keep her ego from being bruised.

Currently she was sprawled out on the mat, trying to get her breathing under control. Sulu was seated next to her, also breathing hard, but not near as hard as she would like. And he'd had two sparring sessions!

It's just not fair. She grumbled to herself.

A/N: Please tell me what you think :) Also, special prize to the person who knows where the names "Niniane" and "Nia" are from. Hint: it's a book.