Many thanks to my awesome beta, TheWindowView.
Oh my gosh! I totally didn't mean for over a week to go by since my last posting! I got so caught up with an exam and such, a week had gone by before I was aware of it.
So sorry for the wait! I hope you all enjoy this chapter :) Any comments are welcome.
"Is it a date?" He asked again.
Frowning, Nia thought about it. "I don't know."
She shrugged. "I'm not really sure what a 'date' is. That was something Henry and I kind of skipped. We were friends and we'd spend time together, and then we were more than friends and spending time together and then he asked me to marry him." Leaning back on the palms of her hands, she said "Maybe we shouldn't worry about it. Let's just spend time together."
"I was not worried and are we not spending time together now?" Spock both stated and inquired.
Don't roll your eyes. Just don't. Nia told herself. She knew if she did, he'd ask and she'd explain why and he'd get offended. Or something. "You are correct, though I was meaning something a little different." A thought hit her out of the blue. She was probably never going to get roses and candles from this guy, like Henry used to do. Nia had no idea how Vulcans were romantic, or even if they were.
"You should speak plainly then, that way your meaning is not misconstrued." He told her.
Ah! Don't do it! Don't roll your eyes!
She stared at him. "Sorry. My thoughts are a little muddled right now, and obviously my speech is showing that."
And maybe she was a bit grumpy too. Her rations, while high in fat, lacked in taste. Straight butter would have tasted better. What she wouldn't give for a heaping bowl of her mother's stew.
Deciding she'd had a long enough break, Nia pulled herself to her feet. Soon, she was going to have to return to the ship for some much needed rest. I'll leave when the remainder of the settlers have been placed.
"I'm not sure what else needs to done besides the heavy lifting." Nia told Spock, attempting to regain some sense of dignity. "For space reasons, most of the equipment and sheltering structures will be sent up to the Exeter or be left here. Most isn't needed anymore or is broken, so why waste the energy?" She shrugged.
"Indeed." He responded.
Nodding, Nia struggled for something else to say as the pair crossed the sand. She could tell him what she knew about the other settlers. She might appear intelligent then… but not if he already knows everything she knew about the settlers. Then she'd look like a dunce for unnecessarily repeating information. Unfortunately, Nia was sorely lacking in any comment or topic of conversation that would land her safely in the 'not a dunce' category in her Vulcan partner's brain. She was assuming his definition for 'dunce' was a stricter one than hers.
In the middle of a well-developing, mental 'dunce' definition babble, an errant thought crossed her mind.
"Is it alright if I call you 'Spock' now? Instead of 'Commander', I mean." She winced. "That was probably a stupid question, but I didn't want to assume anything and –"
Having the fortitude to sense the beginnings of nonsensical babble, Spock interrupted her. "To address me as 'Spock' is acceptable and appropriate. Given our history for assumption, I find the need for clarification logical." He then asked "Should I address you as 'Niniane'?"
Nia winced again. "If you want. I usually go by 'Nia'."
"Why?"
She bit her lip. "I've never really thought about it. I'm not sure." She told him.
Spock was somewhat curious. "Have you always been called 'Nia' instead of 'Niniane'?"
"Oh, no." Nia told him. "My parents and grandparents still call me 'Niniane'. In fact, most of my parents' generation and my grandparents' generation still call me 'Niniane'. My grandmother on my father's side once told me it seemed more proper." Nia shook her head. "Who was I to argue? I like my name, it's just 'Nia' is more familiar." Grinning, Nia turned her head to look at the male walking next to her. "In fact, it was my youngest cousin who first called me 'Nia'. She was just learning how to speak and couldn't say 'Niniane'." Nia smiled fondly at the memory. "So she shortened it. And it has stuck ever since."
"So it is the emotional connection to the name 'Nia' that causes your preference for it?" Spock asked.
Nia smiled. "Yes."
"Fascinating."
Pursing her lips, Nia held back from chuckling. She'd shared that story before with Henry, and while she was not comparing the two males, Nia couldn't help but notice the differences between the two experiences.
With Henry, she was uncertain how to behave towards him. The human courting customs had largely escaped her at the time. Telling that story to Henry had not seemed as significant as telling the same story to Spock. The way he listened, and truly listened, was comforting. Henry was sweet, but being a visual person meant he had a short attention span during conversations. Spock, however, didn't seem to have that trouble.
Spock listened, and that small act made her feel important. Made her silly explanation for why she was called 'Nia' seem interesting, or 'fascinating' as the Vulcan had put it.
They reached their destination and quickly set to work hauling the larger items onto the shuttles with a few of the other stronger species on the crew.
As they were doing so, Nia asked "Why are you named 'Spock'?"
His eyebrows lifted slightly "My parents named me 'Spock' as is customary."
Since he was looking the other direction, Nia rolled her eyes. "Fine. Why did they name you 'Spock'?"
"My full name is S'chn T'gai Spock." He missed the horrified look Nia sent him as she quietly mouthed the name. "'Spock' was chosen by my father. It is the name of one of Vulcan's early society builders."
Nia smiled softly. "It is a good name."
"It is," he agreed before thanking her for the compliment. They continued hauling gear as silence fell for a moment before he spoke. "You have told me how 'Nia' originated, but what of 'Niniane'?"
"Ah, yes, well my mother is in love with all things Terran." Nia stated. She attempted to lift another piece of gear only to find it much heavier than she anticipated. Spock quickly set down his load and lifted the other side of the crate. "Do you know many older Earth legends?" She asked.
"I do not."
"Hm. You might find the stories of King Arthur and his knights to be interesting. It was never confirmed if he really existed or not, but you will find few Terrans who truly believe otherwise." They set the crate down and the loaded shuttle left.
"It is for a character in these stories you are named?" Spock prompted when she grew quiet.
"Yes." She said. "The Lady of the Lake. To some she is Viviane, wicked and treacherous as she tricked a wizard into teaching her all he knew before trapping him." She began stacking smaller boxes for easier lifting. "For others, she is Nimue, a woman who aided the knights in various ways on their adventures. My mother's favorite was of Niniane, a mix between the two. She also studied the works in which Niniane was featured, so she may be a bit biased." Nia took a breath, and realized Spock had let her keep talking again. She wondered if he was a really good listener or if she was beginning to annoy him.
He seemed to still be listening as he asked "Do you share your mother's preference?"
Nia was surprised by the question. "No, actually, though I prefer the name she picked. However, I like Tennyson's portrayal of the Lady of the Lake." She snorted. "But then, I like Tennyson's works in general and am biased in that sense." Seeing that familiar inquisitive tilt to his chin, Nia added "Alfred, Lord Tennyson is a well known 19th century poet."
"I see." He said. "Are you in possession of any of his works?" He asked. Spock found it prudent to look into her interests.
He deemed his question to be a correct action when her smile brightened. "I do have a small collection of his works on board. I can lend them to you, if you would like?" Her smile turned a little sly. "If you would find it satisfactory?"
"I would find it satisfactory." Spock didn't hesitate to take the out she presented.
Nia had briefly thought about what it might take to make him admit emotion, but remembered Kirk's grim smile. Yeah, pushing him would definitely be a bad idea.
As the day wore on into evening, the sand finally cooled and a majority of the camp had been packed up.
A certain Vulcan had also taken to hovering.
He denied it when Nia called him out on it, but his constant presence was starting to be more irritating than sweet.
Knowing she was already irritable from the long day and excessive heat, Nia tried not to let it get to her.
Spock was concerned. Nia was not behaving normally and seemed to have pushed herself too far that day. Her footsteps were more unsteady than usual and he found himself keeping by her side to ensure her safety. She'd stumbled several times. At first she accepted his assistance, but as it grew later he'd move to assist her and she would shake her head quickly with an irritated look. She grew increasingly tense and agitated with each of his suggestions for her to return to the Enterprise.
He mistakenly attempted to follow her when she broke off from the group without announcement. Mig had shaken his head at the Vulcan while Nia gave him an incredulous look.
"She's just going to use the facilities before we finish loading the last shuttle." The Paladian man told him.
Spock merely nodded, glancing in the direction the Paladian woman had gone.
"I don't mean to intrude, but backing off may be the best way to ensure your survival." Mig told him, his accent lightly coloring his words.
"What do you mean?" Spock asked.
Mig sighed. "Clearly, you are concerned for her well being and she has obviously pushed herself to exhaustion today."
Spock opened his mouth to speak, but Mig held a hand up. "Her return to the ship is a valid suggestion and quite logical. However, this situation has upset her more than she is admitting to herself and it is showing in her actions." Mig shook his head. "She has her pride, and while it isn't the worst, it can be a detriment when she's not thinking logically."
Not seeing how this was connecting to the current situation, Spock kept listening. Maybe Mig would reach the point to his explanation soon.
Mig knew he was losing the Vulcan and Nia was bound to return soon. "She knows this is affecting her and she doesn't want you to see it and think it is weakness. To have her condition so obvious to you when she is already under stress is going to make her snap at the closest irritant." He paused for effect. "You, whether you realize it or not."
"So you are suggesting I not act so concerned for her wellbeing?" Spock asked.
Mig nodded. "Essentially."
Nia huffed as she slowly walked back to the remaining group, stopping to pick up the bottle she dropped. The sun had dipped below the horizon hours previous, but she hadn't taken a moment to notice the change in her surroundings beyond the necessity of portable lights.
Now, she paused to look out across the sand dunes beyond the edges of the remaining camp. There was no moon, but the stars were incredibly clear and a deep blue glow emanated from the sky to light up the sand. The stars were not as bright as the artificial lighting, but enough that she could see the orange glow of the sand in the distance.
She might have been standing there for two or three minutes when she felt a male presence behind her.
"Do you ever miss the desert?"
Spock's eyes flickered to her in vague surprise. She turned to look at him, noticed his look. "You have a certain scent" She told him. "It carries particularly well in this desert air, I've noticed." She grinned at him as his eyebrows rose almost imperceptively higher. "But I didn't smell you coming. I heard the footsteps first. A breeze blew when you stopped behind me."
He nodded, but didn't say anything. Believing a response to be unnecessary, he merely observed her instead.
She was relaxed, water bottle held lightly in one hand as she gazed out into the desert. The light color of her hair stood out against the backdrop of the shadowed sand. Nia's face was cast in shadow and her eyes just barely caught the light from the stars.
Even so, he could see that the amount of stress lines had decreased significantly.
"It is so beautiful." She sighed contentedly and as she relaxed, her hand slackened around the water bottle enough that it dropped from her grasp. "Oh for the love of –" She lifted her hands to her face.
When she didn't immediately move to pick up the fallen bottle, Spock knelt down to scoop it up for her.
Nia still had her face in her hands when he straightened up. With a small rueful smile, she delicately took the bottle from him. "Thanks. It's the second time I've dropped the darn thing." She dropped her eyes to the sand.
Neither said anything for a couple moments, until she looked back up at him. "You aren't going to suggest I go back to the Enterprise again?"
The barest hint of a smirk drifted across his lips. "I was told doing so might be detrimental to my survival."
Frowning, she stared at him. "Who-?" She started and then realized "Mig! What did he tell you?"
"He merely warned me from unknowingly implying you are incapable and weak when you are stressed." He paused and the smirk grew a little. "He appeared to be speaking from experience."
Groaning, Nia put a hand to her forehead. "Snap at a person once and they never let you forget it."
"I understood it to have happened more than once, to multiple victims."
"Victims?" She sputtered. "No, it only happened… well… you see, that time... crap." She couldn't help, but chuckle. "So I wasn't perfect growing up."
"Is anyone? It would not be logical to expect you to be." He told her.
Nia turned to him. "Oh? And what did you do?"
Spock suddenly looked uncomfortable and Nia almost regretted the question. Almost, because his reaction made her want to know the answer more.
"I once fought with a schoolmate." He admitted.
Pursing her lips, Nia said "Oh my, how terrible."
The sharp look he sent had her giggling. "I do not find sarcasm appropriate. It was a matter of disgrace to my father."
Nia quelled her giggles quickly. "I apologize. I don't mean to make light of it, but a single fight with a schoolmate shows remarkable restraint. Maybe not for Vulcans, but for Humans and Paladians most definitely."
"Then you have fought with schoolmates?"
"I've lost track of the number of fights. Mostly with my cousins, the boys were quite rowdy growing up. Jacek still is," she rolled her eyes "but Grego really matured."
"Doctor McCoy informed me that Grego should make a full recovery." He said, quietly.
She nodded. "Yes, I know. Thank you for telling me."
Suddenly, she bent over and let herself hang limply, stretching out the muscles of her lower back and hamstrings. She could feel them tightening as she stood there and without thinking about it, Nia decided to fix that.
"Are you well?" Spock asked, the sudden change in position catching him off-guard. It was not a disagreeable sight, however.
"Stretching." She mumbled in explanation. Nia straightened and turned back towards the shuttles. "Should we head back? The sooner we get done, the sooner I get a real meal and some sleep."
"Indeed, we should rejoin the others. However, such things as a meal and rest are available to you now."
Rolling her eyes at him, she started walking. "Yeah, yeah" She said. With her back turned, Spock couldn't see Nia grinning.
With her back turned, Nia couldn't see Spock's shadow of a smirk.
A/N Ok, so a little more Nia/Spock. I hope you all enjoyed it!
Thank you to TheWindowView, QHJumper, and crucherccme for reviewing, and thank you to all those who have added this story to their alerts and/or favorites. I really appreciate it.