Sarek led them away from the colony into the rolling hills of golden sand until they reached a clearing surrounded on all sides by tall dunes. Steps had been built down into the open space on opposing sides and a small raised platform was set in the center. On the platform hung an ornate gong and striker.

"This is our place of Koon-ut-kal-if-fee, of marriage or challenge," Sarek intoned solemnly. "Our ancestors killed to win their mates, and we yet endure a similar madness during this Time."

Despite the heat, Sarek's words sent a chill coursing through Kirk. Madness? Weren't the Vulcans supposed to be all about logic? He thought back on Spock's strange, emotional behavior on the ship. His anticipation-turned-concern about Spock's bride-to-be shifted toward dread. He dropped back a few steps to have a word with McCoy. Maybe the doctor knew enough about Vulcan mating rituals to reassure him.

"I guess even that green ice water in their veins has to boil over sometime," was McCoy's muttered reply. Sarek shot him a very Vulcan-esque glare, while Selek gave him a scowl that did little to hide the laughter in his eyes. The doctor's humor in no way alleviated the Captain's concern. Spock ignored them all, descending slowly into the sandy hollow and oblivious to Kirk's growing unease over the situation.

They followed behind, the humans waiting with the Ambassadors as Spock approached the gong and rang it once. The doleful sound vibrated through the air, making Kirk's bones tremble with an odd dread he could neither justify nor place.

The jingling of bells filled the air, and from the stairs opposite them another party appeared and climbed down into the clearing. The bell-ringers preceded a very, very old Vulcan woman who was carried in on a chair. Behind her was T'Pring and several other Vulcans who Kirk assumed to be her family.

As they crossed the soft sand, Kirk tried to get a better look at the woman for whom Spock risked his sanity — but she kept her face turned slightly down and away, which only made the baseless anxiety rising in him worse.

Spock rang the gong a second time, distracting the captain. T'Pring and the bell-ringers moved to stand near the gong, while the Vulcan woman on the chair was settled gently atop a dais set into the edge of the clearing, midway between the sets of stairs and facing the platform with the gong. Spock approached her as the jingling finally ceased.

"Finally," McCoy muttered. "Those bells were giving me a headache." Kirk flashed him a slightly chastising look, nudging him with an elbow to pay attention.

"T'Pau," Spock said, raising his hand in the ta'al.

"Spock," she replied, returning the gesture and then stretching out her hand to touch his face. The meld was brief, and when it was over T'Pau turned her gaze on the two humans. "Given the destruction of our home planet, Spock, I find it concerning that you brought outsiders into our sacred place," she said, a certain coolness in her tone.

"They are Captain James T. Kirk and Doctor Leonard McCoy of the Starship Enterprise," he said, "and my friends. They assisted with the evacuation of Vulcan; Kirk himself stopped the Narada's drill, and the Doctor treated the Vulcan refugees. They are not outsiders."

T'Pau's eyes widened just slightly.

"I see. Do they understand their role in this?"

"They know not to interfere." It was not quite an answer to the question, and as he spoke Spock raised his voice to reiterate the point he had already expressed — repeatedly — to his companions.

"Very well," T'Pau said, gesturing the humans forward. "What you shall witness today has come down from the time of the beginning, without change. Before, each clan had their own sacred place, but for now we all share this one. Here you will see that which is the Vulcan heart, the Vulcan soul, the Vulcan way."

"We are honored," Kirk said. T'Pau inclined her head at him with a grace that belied her apparent age, and waved the officers back over to their places by the stairs. As they returned, McCoy noticed Selek staring at him oddly, an expression of what might have been expectation crossed with worry dancing over his almost-impassive features. It sent shivers down the doctor's spine.

"Kah-if-farr!" T'Pau said loudly to Spock, distracting McCoy from his thoughts.

The bells began to ring again as Spock returned to the gong and raised the striker. As he swung it, T'Pring suddenly stepped between him and the instrument, holding her hand palm-out to prevent Spock ringing it.

"Kal-if-fee!" she shouted, her voice trembling. The bells ceased abruptly, and Spock dropped the striker, his face displaying pure shock.

"Was she supposed to do that…?" Kirk muttered to McCoy.

"I'm a doctor, not a Vulcanologist, how should I know?" he replied.

Kirk chose not to tell his friend that Vulcanology still referred to the study of volcanoes in favor of paying attention to the proceedings uneasily.

Spock had retreated to the edge of the clearing, several feet away from Kirk and the rest of the group that had accompanied him. He leaned against the gradual slope of the dune, hiding his face in his hands as his whole body trembled. The slightly concern on the faces of the two Ambassadors unnerved the Captain.

T'Pring still stood in front of the gong, and a Vulcan bearing a frightening, axe-like weapon had taken up a place beside her. For the first time since the transmission on the Enterprise Kirk got a good look at Spock's bride-to-be; the woman was the Vulcan version of a hot mess.

Her hair, makeup, and dress were pristine and lovely with a shimmering effect that couldn't have been logical at all — but the trappings couldn't hide the distraught female underneath. The green lines of her veins could be seen in the whites of her eyes, an olive splotchiness marred her lower lids, and her lips were swollen and chapped as though they'd been gnawed upon frequently. Her whole body trembled, nearly as badly as Spock's, and the outstretched palm of her hand bore four deep crescent-shaped marks that leaked the same emerald fluid that stained the tips of her perfectly-trimmed nails.

The dread that had been brewing in Kirk's stomach erupted into full-blown alarm. Spock couldn't seriously be intending to marry this woman — even for a human she appeared to be a complete wreck, and to top it off, Spock's sanity was at stake!

After a moment, Kirk realized that wasn't the most unsettling part of the situation. That honor went to her wide, emotion-filled gaze.

Which was fixed directly on him.

TO BE CONTINUED

Sorry it took so long, guys. DLB48 is pretty much co-writing at this point, IMHO, not just beta-ing, so you have her to thank that there's even another chapter up. My life is NOT getting any easier...I feel really awful for leaving you all hanging. The twist really does hit NEXT chapter, which is written and in beta so hopefully I'll have it up soon, and the subsequent chapter is being written. The two chapters subsequent to that are written and in need of beta-ing, so if I can get it together you'll have fairly frequent updates for a while.

Prayers, thoughts, well-wishes, and the like are highly appreciated. I do read all of your comments, even though I don't have it in me to reply right now.

MarieKR