Disclaimer: See Chapter 1. Thank you to Fameanon (Meral), Ahlysha, 2redbird, and maba7x for reviewing. And thank you to Fameanon. You know why, sweetie!
Judith finished the last bite of her ice cream, and she smiled as he licked his lips, cleaning the last of the praline confection from his lips. His eyes looked glassy in the late afternoon sunlight, and she stared at him, suddenly absorbed in his blue eyes.
"Der, Mister Vulcan man," she said with a grin, handing him a napkin as he reached for one, winking at him. "Nothin betta for soothin da soul den praline ice cream."
"It was...agreeable. High in unnecessary calories, but...agreeable."
"Oh come now, Mister Vulcan man," she teased, playfully punching his shoulder. "Dat is heaven in a bowl."
Meral frowned, "Why did you strike me? Did I say something offensive?"
Judith laughed, "No no Mister Vulcan man. I was playin' wit you."
He looked at his empty bowl of ice cream, "It was agreeable." He swallowed hard, then grabbed his glass of water. "It is unwise to touch a Vulcan male in that fashion. Especially one who is unbonded. Or as you would say...not married."
She raised an eyebrow and led him from the ice cream parlor, down the sunny streets of San Francisco. She felt so happy she could skip, and she grinned at him, spinning around with glee at the sight of the sun.
"What did I say, Mister Vulcan? Da sun come out, and all life grow wit it!"
She laughed, stopping herself of embracing him, but she did keep a grin on her face as they walked to the Consulate.
"Well, Mr. Meral, da sun is shinin'. I say we go to da park and sit in the sunshine, you and I. No need to be frettin' on a sunny day like dis!"
Meral frowned again. "I do not understand the term "frettin", Ms. Keeler. Could you please expound on what it means?"
"It mean to worry." she said with a smile. Emmie said she often had to explain things to L'Vek, and now she had that honor. "You be frownin' as if your best dog died."
Meral shook his head. "Worry is a human emotion. I do not worry, or as you say, frettin'." He paused, glaring at her as if she had killed his dog, but she simply smiled and absorbed the wonderful sunshine. "What are we going to do at this park you speak of?"
"We will walk, Mister Meral, or jus' sit in de sun," she said cheerfully, smiling at some blooming flowers by the sidewalk. She stooped and plucked one, then tucked it into her braids. "You need to warm up dem cold bones."
She grinned as he raised an eyebrow, and she skipped and shuffled beside him all the way to the park down the road. He kept steady stride with her, his hands clasped tightly behind his back, and she couldn't help but giggle at the way he looked. So uptight, so reserved. L'Vek gave off the feeling of being reserved, but he seemed relaxed, at home in his own skin. Meral seemed like with every step he took, he knew himself less and less, and found everything around him disagreeable and irritating.
"You know what you need? Sunny skies and da heat o' de tropics. You come with I, to Jamaica, me mudda country."
He made a scoffing sound. "I do not think that is going to happen. I have work, and Vulcans do not take vacations and time off like you humans do." He paused again, and she was learning that when he made that expression, furrowing his brow, he seemed to be gathering his thoughts, and would possibly negate his previous argument with another statement, or concede to a point. "The heat of a location would be agreeable though...on the hottest days here it still seems frigid."
She smiled in her victory, and pushed it home with a laugh. "I'll ask Emmie den, and she ask Mr. L'Vek for me...you come with I, one way o' anotha. You need da heat in dem bones, Mr. Meral. Don deny it."
She punched him playfully on the arm again and skipped ahead of him to the park, and she found an unoccupied bench at the top of a hill. It looked towards the city, whereas on the other side of the hill, through a copse of trees, the view was that of the Bridge and the Bay, so that vista was already occupied. She patted the seat next to her and grinned at him.
"Sit wit me, Mister Vulcan man. Let de sun get in your body."
His gaze lingered on her attire, and she supposed that with garb like his, he found her tank top and shorts disgusting and immodest. But what did he know?
"Why do you keep touching me, Miss Judith? I have stated..." She stopped listening, as she heard some reggae music coming from the couple walking past, walking slowly, dancing as she was. She folded her hands into loose fists and began to sway, dipping and shrugging her shoulders, rolling her body, shaking her hips. The sun was shining, the flowers smelled sweet, and reggae music was in the air. What was this Vulcan's problem? Couldn't he see the bright side of life and lighten up?
She turned to him and grinned at his expression. "Don be a cloud on a sunny day, man! Dis right 'ere...dis my paradise!"
She continued to dance in her seat, and she felt so happy she just might laugh with joy. She waved cheerfully to the couple as they passed their bench, and they raised an eyebrow at her companion, but she held up her hands, as if to say, "what else can lighten up this Vulcan than sunshine and some reggae"?
She was dancing with her eyes closed when suddenly the sunlight was blocked by a shadow, and she was drenched in his scent. She looked up, her eyes snapping open, and she saw Meral place himself in front of her. She glanced around him to look at who or what he was blocking, and she saw a man leering at her like she was the last pork chop on the buffet line. She rolled her eyes and retreated into his robes, and while Meral's back was turned, she took a discreet sniff of his scent.
She bowed her head and closed her eyes, breathing him in. He smelled like musk and spice, and something in that scent was warming her. She felt wonderful when she smelled his robes, and the sunlight and the dying reggae combined with the discovery that Mr. Meral smelled so good was making her heart beat faster than usual.
She made to take them off and return them with a thank you, but he placed a hand on her, holding the robes to her body. "No. Wear this while we are in this place. Human men leer, and it is not appropriate that they look upon you in that fashion."
She smiled and bowed her head, closing her eyes so she could smell his scent better. "Tank you, Mr. Meral." She buried her nose deeper into his robes. "Smells like heaven," she groaned, so softly he probably couldn't understand.
He turned abruptly to her. "I will walk you home. I must leave and attend my...meditations." His voice was gravely, and he could not look directly at her.
"Come Judith," he insisted, walking away. "You must attend...we are leaving now."
She frowned slightly, but stood, wrapping the warm, deliciously scented robes around her, grinning contentedly like a kitten taking a luxurious nap in the sunlight.
"I understand, Mr. Vulcan Man. You want to get out of de wind. You get inside, you get warm, and you take dese robes dat smell like heaven wit you."
He gave her a look that seemed akin to shock, but she just patted his shoulder. "You keep de sunshine in your heart, Mr. Meral." She gave the robes one more appreciate sniff as he turned his back, then handed them back to him, and they parted ways.
…
L'Vek called Meral into his office when he heard news that he was back from his outing. He knew it was a high hope that Meral would stay out until the evening, but mid-afternoon was a good start.
"Was your outing pleasant, Meral?" he asked casually.
Meral raised an eyebrow, "My time out was...disagreeable. Despite warnings to the contrary, Ms. Keeler touched me repeatedly. She danced all the time, dressed in little more than what a Vulcan woman would wear to bed. Then a human man leered at her."
He shook his head and looked out the window. "Disagreeable. I do not know how you find their company appealing. Now, she wants to go to some place called Jamaica, taking me and I am assuming you and T'Sai."
He turned back to L'Vek. "I would respectfully request that you deny her request on my behalf..."
Emmie strode in and smiled pleasantly at Meral before leaning against his desk, holding her fingers for him to stroke. "Mr. Meral! How was your afternoon with Judith?"
"Disagreeable," he said curtly. "She kept touching me, and she dressed inappropriately. She kept dancing, and a human man leered at her." He shook his head, but Emmie raised an incredulous eyebrow.
"She touched you? How?"
"She kept punching my shoulder."
She smiled. "Oh, she was just playing with you, Meral! As for her clothes..." She pinched her nosebridge. "It's a good thing you've never been to the beach. Your eyeballs would pop out of your head, if you saw what some of those girls wear...Judith was practically dressed like a nun compared to them. And the dancing? That's Judith for you, Meral. She's a happy person. Get used to it."
L'Vek noticed Meral did not seem soothed by this information, and Meskhenet apparently noticed too, switching tactics. "What's this about a human guy?"
Meral looked to L'Vek in a way that begged that he not have to answer, but L'Vek insisted. Meral closed his eyes.
"There was a human man leering at her, T'Sai," he said simply.
L'Vek smirked. "And she wishes to take the three of us to her homeland, Jamaica. Does that sound agreeable to you, a'duna?"
He saw that Meral looked betrayed, but he ignored it. "I think it would be an agreeable. It might shock my colleague to see the beach wear you've mentioned, but I had you as a cultural attache...I believe it is time that Meral have the same expansion in his education." He slid his fingers down hers, silently begging for her to engage in this mischief with him.
She grinned in return. "How did you react when you saw the man leering at her? Did you...stand there and do nothing?"
L'Vek noted his ears turned green. "I do not wish to discuss it. If Osu believes my education can be expanded in Jamaica..." He sighed and hung his head in apparent defeat. "Then I will go."
"Very good, Meral," L'Vek said evenly. "Dismissed. As I said, you may use the day as you see fit. I will see you at the evening meal."
He waited until Meral was out of the room, then turned to his Meskhenet. "He desires her. I have never seen him so affected by anyone, Vulcan or human."
Emmie smirked. "Judith is going to love this..." She turned to L'Vek with mischief in her dark eyes. "Let's make a bet..."
L'Vek raised both eyebrows. "I am listening, ashaya."
"I bet before we leave Jamaica that Judith has him."
"Has him as in..."
Emmie nodded. "As in just that."
"I cannot bet against that for I think your observation is accurate."
She gave a wicked grin. "Then call Kuvak and see if we can get him in on this."
L'Vek gave an energetic nod as he turned on the comm, but he felt her hand over his.
"Let me revise that statement, habibi. Forget Kuvak. I bet you that before we leave for Jamaica - and let's say we leave in...three weeks. That should put us on schedule for the monthly field trip - that Judith will have kissed Meral. On the lips. And he won't pull away. If I win, I get to lecture you, and you don't get to lecture me back."
His gaze darkened. "If you win, you may lecture in any way you see fit, and I will allow you to do what you wish with me. Do we have a deal?"
He pulled her down for a kiss. "Yes, indeed we do, a'duna."
…
Judith...
A whisper, a breath of wind in his ear, speaking her name...
Judith...
Something stirred within him at the sound of that name, something deep in his core, suppressed, often dormant, but now awake, and trying to break free...
Judith...
The name resounded in his ears, echoed in his head...as if his body were trying to imprint the very sound of it on his soul...his soul was crying out...
Judith Keeler...
The cry of a sehlat brought him to a dream state. He was sitting cross-legged on a high rock, watching the sun set behind the jagged line of the mountains. The dark horizon glowed for a moment, and he stood, ready to make his way down the rock and into the desert. He had to travel on.
His eyes were fixed on the rugged path at his feet, but no robes hindered his descent to the desert floor. He was naked but for a loincloth around his waist, and in his hand, functioning at the moment as a walking stick, was a lirpa, its curved edge glowing in the ethereal light of T'Khut up above him.
His gaze was drawn upward, and there, dancing in the moonlight, was a dark figure, garbed in a loincloth as well, her waist and wrists encircled with beads...
Her.
The word sprung from his core, resounding in his brain. Her. A call to action, a cry for flesh. Her.
He awoke in cold sweat, his heart thundering wildly, and he contemplated the dream only a moment before banishing from his mind.
There was no way in the name of Surak that his katra was calling out for Judith Keeler.