Disclaimer: See Chapter 1. Thank you so much to vulcangiggles, Ahlysha, jackiemack916, and 2redbird for reviewing.

Solok wandered through the house and found Faith sitting on the hearth rug, petting a small black kitten.

"Hello, Greg," she said with a smile, patting the seat beside her. "This is Tiger, the ranch kitten. Do you want to hold him?"

Solok sat down holding his hands out for the kitten. "Tiger, this one looks like a panther. A fuzzy mess of one, but a panther none the less." he smirked, rubbing his finger between the kitten's eyes feeding it calm. The purring started to fill the small space.

Faith's eyes widened, "My that is some touch you have with kittens." she held up her hand, "He was so spunky he made me bleed just playing."

"He does have fire in him, doesn't he?" The kitten mewled and rubbed its head eagerly into his hand, and he obliged it, cupping its chin as he stroked his hand down its back. "I take it you like cats?"

"I do. I think cats are adorable."

"He's...adorable," he settled. He would have to stop himself from saying "agreeable". That would certainly tip her off. "Your cooking is superb, Faith. I thoroughly enjoyed the pie."

She giggled. "I could tell."

"It also seems that you enjoy my tea blend too, I've never seen anyone drink it down as swiftly as you did." Faith blinked, and cocked her head, "While you are seducing tiger there," she rubbed her finger over Tiger's now exposed belly, "Can I get you some tea or some cider or anything at all?"

"I desire more tea yes." Solok replied, but started to get up. Faith put her hand on his shoulder pushing him down.

"Sit and rub the kitty, I'll get you some tea, and an extra sliver of pie for you to take to bed with you." She grinned, then padded off to the kitchen.

Solok bit back a purr and turned his attention to the kitten, who was seemingly melting from his touch. "If only I could get her to be like you," he whispered to the kitten. "She's spoiling me, and the more she spoils me, the harder it is to maintain this facade."

The kitten simply purred and licked the tip of his finger, and he gasped, withdrawing his hand.

"Did he bite you?"

"No," he breathed. "He licked me. It...tickled."

Faith's eyes narrowed, and she set the tea and pie on the coffee table. "Let me see, I've never seen a man of your size jump like that and it not be a bite." she pulled his hand toward her and looked carefully at his fingers, running the pads of hers over his, checking for marks, "You lucked out Mr. Tiger, had you bitten him we'd have had to...well, no cat nip treats for a week!" With his hand still in her she reached over and scratched Tiger's ears. "My good lord, Greg." she picked up the kitten's limp leg and dropped it on his arm. "Now that is relaxed."

Solok was focused on her hand holding his, he made only a grunt in reply. He had the facts from her touch, she didn't work for the smugglers and in fact disliked drugs intensely. He caught a faint thought about Sarek, and it made him want to tear out of the house and beat Sarek with his lirpa. He blinked that was illogical...Sarek was bonded, her thoughts were admiration, it was human and compassionate...nothing more.

"Umm you're holding my hand." Faith said, "Hello, you zoned out there for a minute and now you are gripping my hand."

Solok looked down at her hand and let it go, and he frowned, now missing his excuse to kiss her. No matter. He would do it anyway, if he could manage it, because she was aesthetically pleasing.

"Tell me more about Vulcan," he purred. "Tell me all you know."

She laughed. "Oh, where to begin?"

She launched into a lecture, and he listened intently, silently correcting her when she gave him false percentages, however her grasp on his culture was impressive. She understood the logic behind vegetarianism and had a basic understanding of why only bondmates were supposed to touch, and once she began rambling about the native plants and animals, he could not restrain himself.

He leaned forward and lightly kissed her neck, waiting for a cue from her to continue.

Faith jumped feeling the warmth of lips on her neck. "Ooh" she squeaked, as he pulled away. She watched him sit the now sleeping kitten carefully in the kitty bed he was now facing her on all fours. He looked like a predator, and she felt like prey. She swallowed thickly, "I think you want more than pie..."

"Yes." he said moving forward.

"I should stop you..."

"Yes."

She blinked and leaned forward. The last thought she had before feeling his lips was what harm is there in kissing a handsome man?

Solok cupped her face and purred into her mouth, unable to stop himself from his biological instincts. He could not, however, stroke his fingers over her flesh as he wanted to...the spark it would cause would surely blow his cover. Her lips tasted sweet, like Earth spices, and he stroked a thumb over her neck. She breathed in sharply and melted into his touch, and he groaned when she took his hand.

"I take it you like that?" she whispered, moving towards his neck. She began nibbling his earlobe, and he could not make himself stop her...it felt too good, too right...

"Faith," he whispered, his natural Golic accent coming forth. "Yes, that pleases me." It sounded more natural in Vulcan, so he didn't bother switching back to English.

Faith heard her name in Vulcan, it sounded like a real Vulcan, and it shot a spasm to her core. Her eyes fluttered closed feeling him kiss her as she nibbled at his ears. When she wrapped her arms around him he felt solid, strong, hot...She could almost imagine she was with a Vulcan man. Her eyes opened and she pulled away, "Um, I am sorry we...I need to stop."

Solok frowned, caressing her cheek fighting his urge to bond her, "Have I displeased you?" he asked in Vulcan, feeling through his touch for if he had harmed her.

"No, it's not you...it's...I wouldn't be...this isn't right for me to do." she blinked and stood. "I may hate myself in the morning but...I'm going to bed, Greg. I...you are lovely, and," she shivered to punctuate her feeling, "but all the time you are touching me I'm thinking of Vulcans. That wouldn't be honorable to lead you on, not that you aren't wonderful, but you need a woman who is thinking of...you as you." She bowed her head,"I'm sorry..."

Solok watched her go, growling in frustration once he heard her door close. He picked up the dishes and quickly washed them, then quietly slipped into his room and began meditation on his bed.

She desired a Vulcan, and he was a Vulcan...the sooner they completed this mission and were able to turn their attention to this new matter, the better. He would win her...he would make her see that she was indisputably his.

Strom put away the last dish and noted that Faith and Ammie had split up, and were no longer in the dining room.

"Ammie?" he called.

"She's outside on the porch."

"Thank you, Ms. Cloverleaf."

He strode outside to the porch and found her leaning against the railing, staring up at the bright autumn stars. He joined her, and although the feel of the cold air took the wind out of his sails, the sight of her bathed in cold moonlight was a very aesthetically pleasing one.

"They are lovely, aren't they?" he murmured, staring up at the stars.

Ammie grinned at him, "They are lovely." She pointed up at Vulcan's star. "Vulcan."

Strom wanted to growl in pleasure but he leaned against the railing next to her, trying to think how a human would think, "So, do I get to kiss the cook now or are you waiting for a handsome Vulcan to sweep you from this place?"

Ammie looked up at him, she felt like she had stopped breathing her lips parted, and she didn't even know what she was going to say or do...

"I only give you one piece of advice, Ammie," Strom said, letting his voice deepen as he gently cupped her cheek. "We tend to accept appearances as sacrosanct, when in reality, we should be more...observant of our surroundings. Do not let your eyes fool you."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You'll see," he whispered, kissing her cheek, "in time."

It turned out she was not involved at all in the trafficking scheme, and he smirked as he leaned back against the railing, hoping he hadn't revealed too much. "I enjoyed my kiss from the cook, Ammie," he said, staring up at the stars. "Your pumpkin pie recipe is divine."

Ammie swallowed thickly she leaned against the railing harder. "Would you like to walk the campus, Dr. Bob?" said abruptly, "The decorations are up and the lights are on, let's go look around and see if they scare us."

Strom nodded, "I would like that very much."

They walked down the stairs together, the cool autumn air picked up. Strom took off his flannel over shirt and wrapped it around Ammie's shoulders. "When I touched you...you seemed cool."

"But what about you?"

He licked his lips, trying to school his answer, "Then I will just have to walk closer to you."

Ammie led him into the haunted maze, picking up a flashlight from the box near the entrance. "One time, when I was little...I had a neighbor who I...strongly disliked, and she always teased me about my thick eyebrows and my clothes and the fact that I was poorer than her. So when her mom and her were putting up Halloween decorations, I watched from behind a tree. Her mom went in to get more tape, and I sneaked up behind her. She always whined when she had to go get her shots, loud enough for the entire block to hear her...so..."

She stopped him and put a hand on his shoulder, and leaned forward. "I know this is really mean, but I snaked up behind her and whispered in her ear, 'the doctor will see you now'." She used her best creepy voice. "And she screamed bloody murder and ran inside to her mom, and I bailed, and I feel kind of guilty for laughing now. Turns out she had severe iatrophobia."

"Fear of doctors?"

"Yup."

Strom walked a little closer to her, "I find your eyebrows and clothes to be as-" he paused, nearly saying aesthetically pleasing, "beautiful as the night we stand in." He blinked hoping that made for a good save. "So, if you ever meet this person again, I will gladly introduce myself as a doctor, and pretend I am looking for a patient." He grinned down at her. "Just for you. I may even pull out a medical scanner when I do it." He reached out and put his arm around her, pulling her in under his arm.

He blinked realizing it was improper, but then he had seen many human movies that males did this kind of thing, yet...she preferred Vulcans for a reason. He dropped his arm, "Forgive me, I don't know...Umm...So tell me...what is so appealing about Vulcans that you find you want one for a mate?"

Ammie looked away, blushing hotly. "I don't know...they're sophisticated. They're usually more polite than the normal rabble of idiots most girls have to put up with. I think it's the restraint, and the mystery."

She was confused now, and she dared a glance at him. Something about the sight of him in the moonlight seemed...wrong...for a moment, she could almost imagine him in robes, with pointed ears and elegantly upswept brows...almost as if he belonged in them...

"How long have you spoken Vulcan?" she asked in Vulcan, wanting to change the subject.

Strom opened his mouth, willing a lie to come from his lips, but none would come. There was something about looking into the wells of her honey brown eyes that would not allow him to tell a falsehood to her, not even one as small as this. He blinked, and replied in Vulcan, "For as long as I can remember."

"But you said at supper your teacher was in college."

"He was, but that was High Vulcan, not everyone knows that dialect. I've spoken Vulcan itself for as long as I can remember." He reached out and gently pushed back a stray hair from her face. "I'm going to kiss you now."

He nodded, confirming it more to himself than to her, and bent, placing his lips over hers, gently caressing them with his own. She tasted like Earth smelled to him, full of life and water and the richness of bounty. He threaded his fingers into her dark hair, pulling her as close as he could without breaking even human propriety, before letting go of this kiss to look into her eyes.

"Am I fired for sexual harassment?" he asked weakly, an awkwardness settling into his mind.

"Only if I say no," she whispered, threading her hands through his hair. "I haven't said no..."

His lips and his hands were warm, and if she closed her eyes, she could almost see him as a Vulcan...

"You are a delight," she breathed, switching back to Vulcan, and his eyes flashed before he bent and kissed her again. She pressed herself to his body and stroked her thumb over the curve of his rounded ear, and he gasped into her mouth, his grip on her tightening. She could feel hard muscle beneath her fingertips, and it delighted her, making her core pulsate with warmth.

Strom picked her up and carried her into the corn off the path, and laying her down, he nuzzled in beside her, still kissing her lips, his fingers stroking the roundness of her ears. His mouth moved to her ear and he licked up the shell of it.

"Ashaya," he rumbled softly, in Vulcan. "May I never do anything that causes you to say no. It would displease me greatly to think I would." The rumble his katra felt earlier was a full-fledged tsunami. He was experiencing the engulfment. Every touch proved a challenge to his control, and though he was pleasing her, the beast knew other ways that would please her, Vulcan ways. If he dropped his mental blocks, he could let her feel his desire for her, but if he did, even a little, he knew she would know, and their cover would be blown.

He pulled back and looked into her eyes. What logic was there in keeping his cover? She was not a part of the crime, she could be his partner in bringing this man to justice. His mind was in tumult, so he pushed it away and kissed her lips again.

Ammie wasn't sure how long it was before he slowly pulled away from her lips and set his mouth at her neck. She gasped, gripping the straw beneath them as he lavished his tongue over her flesh. He murmured something in Vulcan that she didn't understand, and she tilted her head back, shivering with delight.

"Doctor," she murmured in slow, thick Vulcan. His lips and tongue felt exquisite, and for once, she could imagine him, as him, talking and dating...

A wolf howled in the distance, and she gently pushed him away, chastely kissing his lips. He had even nibbled at her neck, leaving tiny little marks she might regret in the morning. It was definitely going to be a hair-down kind of day tomorrow. That, or she needed to find a decorative scarf.

"We should go back to the house. It's getting late," she whispered, running a bold hand through his hair. "Thank you."

Strom nodded, bringing his biocontrols into order again, "Yes." He pushed himself up and gingerly helped her up to her feet, careful not to show too much strength. He walked with her back to the house. He let her enter first, and after walking her to her room he gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek.

"Good night." He wanted to say more, but couldn't think of anything.

He walked up stairs toward his room, when he was out of sight, Ammie opened up Faith's door and squealed. "Oh my logic, he is..."

Faith grinned. "You have a hicky." She patted her bed and sat up. "Dish, girl! What happened?"

Ammie felt her face flush, and she immediately moved her hair to hide it, but Faith pushed it back. "Ooh! Someone's getting lovebites!"

"He's so...by Surak's sexy pointed ears, he's amazing. You should hear his pillow talk in Vulcan...he sounds so good! But what I don't understand is how he knows Vulcan for as long as he remembers. That's what he said to me. I guess he knew a Vulcan who taught him? Was he taken in by Vulcans? I just don't understand..."

...

Strom walked into Solok's room by accident, and he was about to turn when he saw Solok sitting before a meditation lamp. His eyes went wide. "Solok! You know we cannot have such things...what are you doing?"

"Calming myself, Dr. Strom." He opened his eyes and looked to the doctor. "You have an injury on your neck."

Strom shifted on his feet. "Do not change the subject. Why are you using a meditation lamp? I thought we agreed on candles only."

"The sooner we complete this mission, the better off we will be. The caretaker...can we convince him to search the hayride operator when he arrives?"

"Solok, we must examine the chain of criminals that make this exchange possible. If we capture him now, we lose access to his middleman!"

"It is all fine and good for you...she adores you as you are..."

"She wishes I was Vulcan, and one day, she will learn the truth. It is difficult to know that with a few words, you could have her for yourself, but we have a mission to complete, and we must complete it."

Strom frowned, "It is not so easy. Your control protects her from you, that is an honor. Mine – and she is mine – will hate me if she feels I have deceived her." He went before Solok on bended knee. "Let us go now and tell them both who we are, who we really are, and why we are here. They are smart, they will be able to aid us in our mission. It is only logical, since they will have access to thing we may not.

Ammie is a good and pure spirit, she will dislike that the business they are working to build is compromised by thugs who would ship drugs from it, and in addition," Strom added blinking vehemently, "your Faith would aid us as well...and she would understand now, later perhaps they would both feel deceived. They both have Vulcan pictures, what if they were to go to Vulcan and one of them would be taken in an instant in a bond? Your Faith serves her friends, my Ammie is a giving spirit..."

Solok considered what he said. "The needs of the many and of the one would be served...it seems logical..."

"I don't know how he would know that. You should ask him in-"

Faith was cut off by a knock at the door, and she answered it while Ammie leaned back and gazed up at the IDIC poster above Faith's bed.

"May we come in?"

She turned when Greg and Bob walked into the room, standing primly with their hands behind their backs. They looked more Vulcan than ever, Ammie thought, and she frowned in confusion.

"I assure you," Greg began, "that we have only done this as a safety measure for you, to preserve a status quo and catch a criminal in your ranks."

"Say what now?"

"We are not human," Bob said, glaring at Greg. "Your hayride operator is suspected in taking part in a drug trafficking ring that transports illegal pharmaceuticals from Earth to Vulcan."

"I don't understand," Ammie said, standing. "What do you mean, you're not human?"

Greg smirked, his eyes on Faith. "My name is Solok, of Gol, and this is Dr. Strom of Raal. We were ordered to disguise ourselves as humans, but since we have found you two to be agreeable and trustworthy, we decided to reveal ourselves."

Ammie was silent for a few moments. "This is too good to be true."

Dr. Strom held out his hand to her. "Ammie, ashaya, come to me...listen to my heart and tell me what species I am. Prick me, cut me...my blood flows green, Ammie. I told you looks are deceiving."

Faith stood up and walked carefully toward this "Solok". He raised his hand and took a small pin from his pocket, and pricked his finger. Ammie and Faith stood in awe as a green droplet welled up on the pad of his finger.

"What did they do to your beautiful ears? What did they..." Ammie said, moving toward Strom.

"It is just a cosmetic affect, ashaya. One that, when the mission is over, we will have rectified." He reached out and slid his fingers down the backs of her hand, this time letting his guard drop so she could feel the tingle of a Vulcan kiss. It pleased him to see her swoon.

Faith looked closer at Solok, who was smirking down at her. "As he said, this humanity is an illusion. I believe it would be permissible now for us to continue the discussion we began downstairs without worry...don't you?"

Faith nodded, her mouth hanging open slightly, but no words coming out.

"Unbelievable..." she finally whispered.