I know, late on my sunday update, almost forgot... should prob make it saturdays instead so i have a little less going on ^_^
dont own star trek, though i will get some nifty calendars!
Episode 1-3.5 Christmas Joy or Not.
Saya woke in a good mood. She had finally figured out what to gift for Christmas. She had trouble converting the stardates to something she recognized but knew Christmas was soon. Meeting Spock outside her door she smiled and greeted him as they started walking to the mess hall. Spock still was stoic but either he had gotten more expressive or she had learned to read him better. she didn't really think on it much because both were possible.
after breakfast she was approached by asking if she would be free to help with setting up for the Christmas party. Saya looked to Spock who asked if Riley's team was not capable of doing the job themselves. "Well sir, it's Brenner, Wilson and I. We need a lady's touch to really spiffy the place up and every Yoemen we have asked is too busy or on other decks teams."
"I'm not sure i can really help but I don't mind if it's ok." Saya said softly.
"Make sure to do your reading as well as the essay for each day." Spock told her and when she nodded he said "You are assigned to stay with until leisure time." Saya nodded and followed Riley to the rec room being decked out, waving at Spock as she left. She wasn't quite sure why but she felt that Spock was not happy with something.
As soon as she entered the room she realized they really did need her help. there was plenty of beautiful decorations but the chaos almost hurt her eyes. "Umm… There…" Saya froze as all 3 men looked at her expectantly. She knew they all had decent rank and at the very least outranked her so she was uncomfortable telling them what to do.
" , for this project you are in charge. You hopefully can see the mess we made with what we have. we need this whipped into shape by the end of the week so boss us around as much as you need." Riley told her, seeing her discomfort.
"I'll try." she said shyly. "First i need your names but i might forget them so bear with me."
"This one is Wilson, he's Brenner and I'm Riley." Riley told her.
"Ok, to start Brenner please take down all of the holly and garlands. Wilson please move the tree to the corner opposite the buffet table and Riley please move the beverage table to the far corner on the other side." She said softly. when they jumped to do it she gained a little more confidence and started pulling down the wall decorations.
" , I've moved the tree. Now what?" Wilson said.
Saya was so focused on the task that all shyness left. she instructed him to remove all decoration from it then when Brenner finished she showed him how to hang the holly and garlands in a pattern to fit the room and look better. Riley she showed how to hang the decorations on said garland. soon hours had passed and the room was coming together beautifully and she and the other 3 had gotten on friendly terms.
Suddenly the laughing and joking stopped and she sensed someone at the door. "Good evening " she said without turning around. Since her back was turned she failed to see any of the shocked looks of the others at being able to identify Spock without hearing or seeing him.
"Fascinating." he said. Looking around the room he commented "the decorations are more pleasing to the eye now."
"That's all 's doing, Sir." Riley said.
"I need to finish putting the rest of the ornaments on the tree . If you don't mind waiting on me, I would rather not have dinner alone." Saya said as she kept working. "Um, guys, other than this I think we are done for the day. As long as okays it I will help the rest of the week until we are done."
"They require your assistance so you are assigned here during Alpha shift until the task is finished." Spock said and the men filed out. Once they had left Spock picked up a box of purple ornaments and started hanging them in the pattern she had half started. They worked quietly for a time finishing the task and enjoying the company.
"thank you. both for helping me finish and for waiting on me for dinner. so many meals alone make me rather loath eating alone again." Saya said as they walked. Spock only nodded. They got their meal and she told him quietly about her day and how funny the guys had been. she told him how she had been really uncomfortable and nervous at first telling them what to do but once she got into the task it was easy to guide them to get good results.
Suddenly stopping she looked down then back up "I apologize. it's probably boring to hear my stupid ramblings. I don't mean to monopolize the conversation."
Spock looked at her for a moment then said "We have, up until now, shared our days almost constantly. I am unaware of all that has happened in your day so I do not mind being informed."
Saya smiled again "ok, good. wouldn't want to bother you. usually i ask you a ton of questions about things i saw and heard but today i don't really have questions. decorating for Christmas is something i'm familiar with. I think tomorrow we will finish setting up the tables to receive their burdens and string the tinsel or whatever we have on the tree and in the garlands."
Once their meal was finished Spock walked her to her Quarters and she quickly as possible did her reading and essay. As soon as she finished she knocked on Spock's door. "Umm ?" at his open she came in. "Would i be able to get some colored string or rope or something of the like from the ship requisitions?"
Spock got up and lead the way. she found some elastic like string as well as something that was much like cross stitching thread. muttering to herself and counting on her fingers she carefully picked colors. 'Spock green and blue. Uhura red and gold, McCoy blue and teal, Kirk green and gold, and Scotty red and black.' she thought as she picked out the colors. Once done she and Spock walked back. "Thank you. need to get started on this task right away." she said with a grin as she went to her room.
she started on Spock's bracelet and by the end of the night had finished one that didn't turn out perfect and started a second that was much better. That morning she went with Spock and had breakfast. After breakfast she went to the rec room and Spock went to the bridge. as it was a light day halfway through the shift Spock showed up and helped them finish the moving of extra tables out of the way. the chatter and friendly atmosphere cooled quite a bit when Spock joined them.
As soon as dinner was finished Saya hurried to do her reading and essay then worked on finishing Spock's bracelet. She even managed to quickly finish McCoy's bracelet before bed.
the next 2 days passed in much the same manner and Saya was able to finish Uhura's, Kirk's and Scotty's bracelets and was quite happy with the gift she would give each for Christmas. setting them all carefully in the top drawer of her desk she set about making wrapping paper.
For McCoy she drew a martini glass with a medical symbol. After wrapping and tying his bracelet with teal string she put it aside for Christmas. Uhura was gold swirls around a palm tree and she wrapped and tied her bracelet in gold string.
She knew Kirk would be the enterprise and Scotty would be the engine but she needed to make sure to get the right pictures for it. She thought for a while what she should do for Spock. She started drawing a Vulcan lute and 3D chess set on the paper. She wanted to put something in vulcan on it but didn't know what.
Quietly going and knocking on Uhura's door she asked for help. Uhura came to Saya's room and showed her the correct image of the Enterprise and of it's engine. When it got to writing something in Vulcan Uhura showed her how to write Spock's name as well as 'Live long and prosper' which was very important in Vulcan culture.
When she was finished Uhura asked "what is all this about?"
Saya grinned "not telling!" She teased and even though Uhura tried she couldn't get the answer. "You will find out soon enough when i am done with it all." Saya promised. Uhura relented and they said good night. Saya went to bed grinning excited about all her plans.
Spock had put extra effort into listening as he worked. He was curious but did nothing. He had no idea of why she would want to write his name in Vulcan or 'live long and prosper.'
The next morning Spock informed her that he would stop by at lunch if his schedule permitted. She responded happily to it and they parted ways. As she got to the rec room she knew something was off.
"We have a problem. No ladders are available at this time and won't be for at least a week but we need to hang the ceiling decorations." Riley told her as he showed her a box of snowflakes and crystals on different length strings.
She looked it over for a few moments then shrugged. " said he would stop by at during lunch. Maybe he can give us some ideas. In the meantime, we need to finish setting up seating and the bar."
They worked a little more quietly as Saya thought about what to do. The room looked nice but the ceiling decorations would finish it all. "with anyone?" She caught and looked up. "What?"
"I was asking if you were going to the party with anyone?" Wilson asked.
Suddenly she looked up. "Good afternoon ." She greeted him at the door. "I'm not sure i will even go." She answered Wilson.
"You put all this work in but won't even show up?" Wilson pressed incredulous.
Saya suddenly felt self conscious without quite knowing why. "I don't really like parties… Or crowds… I may show up for a little with Uhura though… Maybe… If i can find anything appropriate to wear."
"Save a dance for me then ok?" Wilson said.
"And me." Brenner added.
"I would love a dance with you as well." Riley said getting a little too close for Saya's comfort.
"You should stop for lunch . You still need to be careful with your health." Spock said. Something in his voice and expression as neutral as they seemed alerted her that he was ever so slightly angry.
"Yes, we should all stop for lunch." She was glad to be able to put space between herself and the others. She didn't mind being one of the guys with them but disliked when they treated her as a girl. It made her feel uncomfortable and vulnerable.
As they all walked to the mess hall together she kept Spock between her and the other and said "I don't dance so I won't be having a dance with anyone. I'm sorry." Thankfully they left it.
As they sat eating quietly, Saya suddenly spoke up "Oh yeah! , we can't get a ladder to hang the ceiling decorations. Do you have any suggestions on what we can do. The tables sadly are just a bit too short to work."
Spock stopped eating and thought about it. "I have everything caught up so I would be able to assist you with that after lunch." Spock responded.
"OH! Great! I was worried we wouldn't be able to hang them." Saya happily responded. Lunch finished they walked back to the rec room together.
Spock told Riley to hold the box and Wilson to manage the hooks. "I can carry you on my shoulder so you can reach." Spock told Saya.
She blushed ever so slightly at the idea but agreed it was logical and functional. "And you being Vulcan means you won't have issue lifting me even though i'm heavy." She added.
Spock managed to gracefully lift her to sit on his right shoulder and held her there with both hands to keep her from falling. Wilson offered the first string and she wobbled slightly thankful that Spock was strong enough to keep her from falling.
Soon she had the hang of the balance and Spock was carrying her in a spiral out from the middle of the room to hang all the strings. Brenner had to return to his duty but Riley and Wilson remained to help finish the task. She actually was enjoying being carried by Spock, she kept telling herself it was because it was a novel experience.
By the time Saya was finished her neck, arms and shoulders ached. Spock gracefully brought her back down to the floor where she rubbed her neck and rotated her shoulders to relieve the pain. "Your arms and shoulders must hurt as well Mr. Spock." She commented as she surveyed the room. "This turned out wonderful! Thank you guys for letting me help. I think we can call this done and be proud of our work." She grinned at the other 2.
They agreed and beat a hasty exit and she felt like she might have missed something but shrugged. "I apologize for needing you for a ladder but I must say you have some serious strength and balance!" She beamed at Spock.
"I did not mind. You have done an excellent job here." Spock told her as they started walking back to their quarters.
"You know I'm probably not the best but I could give you a shoulder massage to make up for you having to hold me so long." Saya offered. She knew it couldn't have been easy not matter how strong he was.
Spock froze a moment and Saya observed him surprised. After a moment Spock answered and continued walking. "That is unnecessary. Vulcans do not express pain." The idea had greatly appealed to him but he rejected it as he rejected emotion.
As they got to their doors Saya looked at Spock and said "Vulcans suppress pain, doesn't mean you don't feel it. But if you don't want my help that's ok too." Grinning she went to her room to finish her presents.
Drawing the enterprise and wrapping Kirk's present, she tied it with an olive green string. it took her a little longer to draw the ship's engine but once done she wrapped Scotty's present and tied it with a red string. Scotty had always been friendly and made her feel welcome even if they didn't talk much.
She practiced a few times writing 'live long and prosper' in Vulcan and finally wrote it and his name on the inside of the wrapping paper she had made for Spock. Wrapping his gift, she tied it with a emerald green string and smiled.
"I can't wait to give each of you to your new owners." She said to the packages. Picking up the imperfect attempt at Spock's bracelet she decided she liked it and would wear it. She had learned how to make a tightner loop and so she slipped it on right above the elbow and tightened it so it would stay out of sight but she could still wear it.
Hearing a knock at the door she answered to find Spock standing outside. "Come in." She said as she swept the presents into a desk drawer and out of sight. Spock saw a few of the designs but said nothing about them.
"I am required to be at the party for a short time. It would be wise for you to go for a short while as well. Would you care to join me?" He asked.
Saya smiled "Sure but I don't really have anything party ish to wear… Maybe Uhura can help me out with it." She noticed the 'Spock smile' as she called it and wondered if he would show that smile when she gave him the bracelet.
Pushing the thought out of her mind she said "I should likely go talk to Uhura before I forget." Spock nodded and left and Saya knocked on Uhura's door.
Explaining the situation Uhura readily allowed Saya to look through her off duty clothes. She finally found a layered dress in various shades of medium to dark blues and greens that made her think of the ocean. The material was slightly elastic so it bounced and moved when she walked and moved giving her an even more active appearance.
It had a sweetheart neckline and sleeves that went from the edge of her shoulders to her elbows with layers to match the rest. Looking at herself with it on she couldn't help but grin. "I look quite nice in this!" She commented.
"Sweetheart you look stunning in that. I will have to work to outdo you tomorrow!" Uhura laughed.
"I hope not! You are always stunning. Besides, I just don't want to stand out. I'm not trying to get anyones attention." Saya smiled as she changed back and carefully folded the dress.
"You mean like ?" Uhura teased.
Saya laughed "You know that will never happen. Besides I would only be a burden to someone like him. I just need to try my best to make something of myself but sometimes it seems I won't ever catch up."
Uhura hugged Saya "You're right, it may never happen, but it's still possible." She winked and flicked Sayas hair.
Throwing a discarded shirt at Uhura, Saya laughed "You are a rascal!" Getting serious she added "The likelihood is slim beyond belief. Rather than have to kill hope painfully i would rather just not have it to begin with. Please don't try to stir it up." Uhura agreed and Saya went back to her room to make sure to get her reading and essay done for the day.
In the morning Spock greeted her and they walked to breakfast together "Most will be at the party so the bridge crew will be light and intermediate throughout the day. I will be assisting on relieving as many as possible. You are not expected to stay the entire time and you do not have to do reading or an essay today as it is Christmas." He told her.
Smiling she nodded. "Then after breakfast I need to find some people. May i join you on the bridge once I'm done?" She asked. Spock merely gave a nod. At breakfast McCoy and Kirk joined them wishing both a merry Christmas. Saya wished it back and Spock said "may you live long and prosper."
As they walked out Saya caught them both together and handed each their gift. "I know it's not much but I made these for you. You don't have to wear them if you want but they can be hidden under the uniform like this." She said showing them the one she was wearing.
"Thank you ." Kirk said as he examined the bracelet. "Did you make the picture of the enterprise as well?"
"Yeah, I couldn't find wrapping paper so I decided to make some. Figured custom images would work as name tags too." She said with a smile.
"This is quite well done. Thank you little missy." McCoy said as he gave her a hug.
"Merry Christmas and thank you for taking care of me." She paused then asked "Do you know where I can find Scotty?"
McCoy informed her that he was in the engine room for another hour and she promptly headed that way. She remembered visiting it once when Spock gave her the tour but got a little lost on the way. Thankfully Riley happened by and helped her get there.
Seeing all the hubbub of people trying to finish up so they could go to the party she almost didn't enter but Scotty spotted her and asked "Lassy, what are you doing here?"
With a smile she came over to him and held out the present. "Oy! This is the warp core. I'd recognize it anywhere!" He commented before unwrapping the present. She again explained it could be hidden if desired to be worn or just never worn."
"Ay, thank you lassy and Merry Christmas to you." Scotty said. With a grin and a 'merry Christmas' she headed to the bridge. Uhura had mentioned not being able to leave for quite some time so she knew she would be able to find Uhura there.
As she walked in she saw the Captain finishing up and Sulu leaving. Spock and Uhura were the only 2 left once Kirk and Sulu left to enjoy their Christmas's. "I have 2 presents for you Uhura." Saya said as she held out the package.
"This is lovely!" Uhura remarked opening the package. Saya showed her how to put it on so it wouldn't show and go against regulations. "You even made yourself one! When did you find the time?" Uhura asked as she put it on with Sayas help.
"Well this one is my mess up but i liked it so i kept it. It's simple once you know the weave. So i was able to make them quickly." Saya said happy to make her friend so happy. "I have another present for you."
Uhura asked what it was and Saya beamed " showed me how to run your station for a short period of time. I can take over for you so you can enjoy the party." In a hushed tone she added "and I can have a good excuse to avoid it as much as possible."
At Uhura's gleeful then stern look Saya added "don't worry. and I will stop by for a short time. Just so we can say we were there."
Uhura happily left and Saya put on the earpiece to man the station. Walking to Spock, sitting in the Captain's chair she pulled the last present out of her pocket she offered it to Spock. "This one is for you. You really are the best. You say it is your job to look after me but there are many things you do that you don't have to. Those things make me happy so you do them. Thank you."
Spock opened the gift and saw the carefully constructed bracelet that was different in design from the one he had seen Uhura receive. He had noticed the one Saya wore was almost identical. "Thank you." Spock said with one of his smiles as he rolled up his sleeve and fixed the bracelet in place. Pulling his sleeve back down he watched the view screen and Saya went back to her station.
Once Saya had started reading again Spock looked over the paper she had wrapped his present in. There was a twitch on his lips as he saw the lute and chess set on one side and a more pronounced twitch as he saw the Vulcan words on the other side. Carefully folding the paper he pocketed it to deal with later.
Spock and Saya enjoyed the quiet bridge together. Saya read, but made sure to always be listening for messages. When lunchtime came 2 crewmen were sent to relieve them for an extra long lunch. "If we go to the party now we can say we went then return to the bridge and the quiet." Saya offered.
"That is acceptable. I will change." Spock answered. In his room he carefully pulled out the wrapping from his gift and placed it in the top drawer of his desk. Saya changed into the dress Uhura lent her and pulled her hair up a few different ways before finally settling on a japanese top knot with the tips of her hair fluffed around the base.
She would have debated makeup but realized she had none. Shrugging she went to her door to see Spock waiting in his formal attire. Looking him over she didn't notice him doing the same. "You look very nice ."
"As do you ." Spock said in a slightly deeper baritone than usual.
As they walked down a deserted corridor Saya started twirling "it feels like wearing the wind!" She laughed as she twirled until she got dizzy. Leaning against a wall laughing she waited till the dizziness went away before again walking next to Spock with the usual bounce in her step.
Spock had watched her and blushed ever so slightly. She may have felt like she was wearing the wind but watching her was like feeling the wind. By the time they got to the rec room any hint of a blush was gone.
Saya stopped at the doors and looked frightened at the mass of people in the room. Scooting to the edge she sat down and tried her best not to run. 'Too many people. Way WAY too many people.' She thought over and over. Spock sat next to her and his presence helped to sooth her slightly.
After a few minutes Uhura came by and chatted with Saya for a little before winding through the crowd again. Kirk and McCoy wandered over and Kirk complemented Saya. "You look quite lovely today! Would you care to dance?"
"I don't dance. I'm sorry Captain." She quickly responded.
"I didn't know you would get all gussied up Saya." McCoy commented.
"Well, I have to look the part and I don't want to stand out." She said with a shrug. After a while she finally broke and quickly said to Spock "I need to go." Before darting out the door.
As soon as she had gone down the hall a ways she took a few breaths and calmed herself. She realized she smelled Spock and turned around to see him walking towards her. "I'm sorry. I can only handle crowds for so long." She said.
"I prefer to not be in a throng of others as well . Shall we return to the bridge?" He calmly asked.
"Well I need to change first. I wouldn't want to risk damaging Uhura's beautiful dress." Spock walked Saya to her Quarters and both changed back into their uniforms. Returning to the bridge they relieved the crewmen and took their seats again.
"Is there a culture's book I can read?" Saya asked after a time.
"We have the Starfleet Cultural database. It lists all species that are a part of Starfleet. Those that aren't are listed in other sections." Spock answered.
"OK! Thank you." Saya said as she pulled it up.
Saya started with Humans to see if there was any change in how they were. surprisingly the database was massive. she hoped all of the culture things she read would be as informative. She barely made a dent by dinner time.
Soon it was dinner and a Yeoman brought them meals. they stayed on for beta shift to help as well. once dinner was finished Saya got up and asked Spock something she had been wanting to. "This may be rude and you may not want to answer. if so just let me know." at Spock's raised eyebrow she smiled and continued. "You mentioned an ancestor marrying a human female. Kirk commented about it being bad blood. Is it bad to have a human with a Vulcan and does that mean in whatever small way you are part human?"
Spock studied her for a few minutes contemplating his answer. Saya wondered if she misstepped but he didn't seem angry. "My mother is Human. I am half Vulcan and half Human. Interspecies relationships are looked down upon and children of them often have to deal with additional prejudices, however not all pairings can produce offspring." Spock explained.
Saya thought about it for a bit. "It must be similar to half black, half white kids when i grew up. Hated as the other by both sides but claimed by both sides. You must have had to deal with quite a bit growing up. Especially since Vulcans work so hard to use only logic and repress emotion and Humans make most all decisions emotionally."
Saya took her seat again and stared blankly at her P.A.D.D. as she thought about Spock. Spock for his part thought about the strange female from the past that accepted things so easily. Voicing a question he had thought of Spock asked "You celebrate Christmas yet, you avoid the onboard celebration. Why?"
"Hum… Well to start Holidays right now hurt. It's illogical but not being able to celebrate with my mother is very painful. Second I really don't like crowds or parties." Saya got lost in the memories "Mom and I would cook and play. We always discussed life and meaning. Holidays weren't just fun, they had meaning and value."
Spock turned to watch Saya as she recounted her memories. "Christmas we would pull out and decorate our little tree. We had a tradition, every year after Christmas when the ornaments went on sale we would get to choose one each. So when the next christmas came around we got to smile and remember each we had gotten to choose."
Saya pulled her knees up and hugged them fighting the tears. Right then the next shift came and she quickly got herself under control. The walk back was silent as Spock watched her fight her emotions and she tried to not break down in the hall. At her door he softly offered "If you would like to talk more on it I would be interested in how you celebrated your Christmas in the past."
With a small smile and a nod she invited him in. Getting her blanket off the bed she wrapped herself in it and sat in her desk chair hugging her knees. "I always got to feel so big picking my ornament when i was a kid. Once i got older i tried to keep the tradition going. It was special, we got to hang a little piece of us with every ornament we choose. Our tree always represented our family so well." This time the tears overflowed as she blindly pictured the tree.
"We always did something silly and fun." She hiccuped "Presents was my favorite, not for what we got but for watching everyone get things they wanted. We had one play santa, I always loved getting to." Sniffling she continued "They would pass out the presents one at a time and everyone would watch how the person with the gift would react. It was so fun to see the joy and laughter. Especially with the silly gifts. we may not have had much but Mom loved us."
With a watery smile she buried her face in her knees as silent sobs shook her. Spock moved to get up as Saya sniffed, hiccuped then took a deep breath. "Sorry about that." She said as she blew her nose. Spock gently wiped her tears away and pulled some of her pain into himself. Saya looked up at him and grinned "Honestly talking about it helps some. it's nice to remember the good times. besides I get to learn things that would have never been possible in my time." She had managed to push away the last of the bad feelings, she had to admit even if only to herself that Spock seemed to help with that.
"Emotion is part of what you are, no need to apologize." Spock said.
"On a different subject to avoid more discussion of this one." Saya said with a grin, "The gym is likely deserted right now. would you mind showing me how to use the equipment?"
Spock did his customary lip twitch as he lead her to the gym. showing her the tumbling area for the females predominately she asked about the sparring side as well. He showed her how to turn on and use the sparring dummy as a partner when she was unable or unwilling to find one. "It's been a couple of months, can i play with this or would that be bad for me?" she asked.
"You should have no issue, I will stay just in case." Spock notified her. Soon she was sparing with the dummy with a combination of all fighting moves she knew.
after about 15 minutes of it she was breathing heavily and grinning. "That is fun!"
"Do you require instruction in proper fighting techniques?" Spock asked.
Saya's eyes lit up as she nodded. The rest of their time before bed was spent teaching Saya proper hand to hand combat. Spock had shown her how to set the computer to teach her as well if she ever wanted to learn alone. as they walked back for the night Saya said "Well , I will have to do that again. Took a few good lumps, hopefully they don't bruise… but I feel better than i have in… over 200 years." she said with a chuckle. Spock raised an eyebrow and wished her goodnight. Taking a shower she quickly fell into a deep sleep of one who had physically and emotionally spent everything.
*END*