Hey guys! Sorry for taking so long with this chapter. I ended up writing it over four times and scrapping it in favor of a new idea. Now I know that a bunch of you were looking forward to some time with Bones but I felt like I needed to develop Spock's feelings a little bit more before I switched off to Bones. Sorry about that for those of you rooting for Bones!

But not to worry. Next chapter I'm planning on dedicating it to Bones and his plans to woo Audrey. hehe.

Anyways I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and please review like usual! Hope Spock isn't too OOC. Also I promise to have the next chapter up much faster.

Nyota quickly left Jim almost as if he had burned her. She was embarrassed and horrified that she had enjoyed their dance and that she had let him affect her in such a way. It made her feel guilty. The delicious heat of his body against hers as he led her in an intricate dance remained in her mind roped in her mind and yet the fact that she was with Spock remained. To have such feels towards another male let alone her captain was a terrible offense but to let it show was even worse. Unwilling to let it affect her behavior with Jim and others she nonchalantly walked over to Spock and led him to the bar where she ordered another drink. There she engaged in conversation and attempted to erase Jim Kirk's debonair smirk from her mind.

Leo never let his eyes off of the couple as they glided across the room. He felt an anger that bubbled in his veins towards the Vulcan. The knowledge that Audrey had once felt for the Vulcan and that he was now the one holding Audrey in his arms infuriated Leo. It was stupid Leo knew because lately Audrey had been showing good signs that she liked Spock and he was… well with Nyota. Even though Leo didn't like the green hobgoblin, he respected Spock and knew that Spock had honor. Downing the rest of his whiskey, he stood up and made his way towards Audrey the moment the dance ended.

"Damned hobgoblin. Can't believe he got to ask you to a dance before me." Shaking his head Leo ran his hand through his fingers. "But if I may say so myself, little lady, you danced beautifully. Mind if I take you for a spin?"

Audrey smiled and took his hand happily. "Anything for you, cowboy." Quite a few of the other crew members joined them on the dance floor and Audrey just relished being in Leo's arms. He always made her feel safe. While she knew that objectively she could protect him better than he could protect her, she felt like he could protect her no matter what no matter the circumstance. Leo was a rough man who was sarcastic, but also a loyal loving man who had just been hurt too many times.

She liked the way Leo seemed to soften around her in a way that he never did with others. The way he held her softly and the feel of his rough hands holding her soft small ones were what drew her to him.

After the sweet and comfortable dance, the rest of the night went by without much fuss. Leo and Jim got incredibly drunk, Ny and Spock left early, and Audrey found herself walking with Hikaru home. "Do you miss home?"

Hikaru smiled gently as he offered his arm to Audrey. "You mean Japan?" Audrey nodded as she graciously took his arm. "Yes, I do. I miss the people I have left behind and the memories I have of the place."

"Tell me about it."

"It is very similar to most cities on Earth. Very advanced with high reaching skyscrapers and hovercars zooming all around you. I suppose Tokyo is not that different when you think about it."

With a knowing look however, Audrey said, "But that's not the home you miss is it? It's not the city but…"

Hikaru looked at her in surprise. "Yes, it is what is outside of the city. My family, while we are not wealthy, owns a small traditional Japanese house outside of the city. It is… beautiful." He admitted. "It is a wooden house with a small yard. In the yard there is a small pond filled with small fish, and a cherry blossom tree that blooms every spring. When the wind blows, it is as if it is snowing beautiful pink blossoms from the sky. The most peaceful feeling I have ever felt was when I stood still in that yard listening to the soft tinkling of the wind chimes, feeling the soft kiss of the wind, and watching the pink petals float across the water."

Audrey had her eyes closed as he spoke imagining every detail. "It is breathtaking, Hikaru."

"I'll have to take you sometime. While some may see it as outdated, I know you would appreciate it." A look of understanding passed between them.

"Thank you, Hikaru. I just don't know much about where I came from."

"You've never visited home?"

She let out a small laugh. "Home? Home for me I suppose has always been wherever my dad was and that's always been Star Fleet. I don't know where I'm from. Dad told me that I was found on an underdeveloped planet abandoned by my parents a couple of years ago."

Hikaru gave her a look of sympathy. "It must have been hard." He gave her hand a gentle squeeze with his free hand.

"Nah, I don't remember anything about it… and I don't think I care to know. I'm happy right where I am."

"You aren't curious about your past at all?"

"I was… a long time ago, but I found that there is only pain in looking at your past. I didn't think I had the heart to move forward if I let the past consume me and so I decided to leave things the way they are." Audrey had a ghost of a smile on her face. They had reached the door to her quarters. Hugging Hikaru and kissing him on the cheek she said, "Thank you for walking me home. You're a gentleman, Hikaru."

Despite his relatively calm face, his bright red ears gave away his slight embarrassment. "Thank you Audrey for gracing me with your presence. And… thank you for your story. Someday, I will repay the favor." Audrey was about to tell him that it wasn't needed when he simply put his finger on her lips shushing her. Giving a little chuckle at her slightly peeved expression, he kissed her forehead as an older brother would a younger sister.

"Hey! I'm not that much younger than you," Audrey protested halfheartedly and with a smile on her face. Laughing at her antics, he simply smiled and began to walk the other way. Shaking her head, she waved and yelled goodbye as Hikaru disappeared from view.

It was nice talking to him outside of official duties and she hadn't realized how much she missed it. The casual conversations about their shared heritage and his unique insights were missed dearly. Smart and quick on his feet, Hikaru Sulu surpassed all of the other students in the class and impressed her. It was how they met and she was glad for it.

2258 – June 8 1000 hours

It was announced that it would be a couple of months until the Enterprise would be fully repaired after the Nero incident which left the Enterprise absolutely trashed. Although Scotty would work his magic on the Enterprise, the warp core had also been severely damaged leaving the crew on leave until the damage could be repaired. While many crew members, simply took it as shore leave, for the officers, many of them decided to teach for a semester at the Academy. Everybody with the exception of Scotty and Jim it seemed would be teaching. Even Leo who despised having to deal with cadets decided to teach. Truthfully, he had nowhere to go.

However with the spring semester ending, the new academic year would not begin for another two months. This obviously led to the incessant scheming of Jim to get us together for some crazy vacation. "Come on, prof!" He whined as he pulled on her sleeve. "Everyone's going! I asked Bones, Chekov, Nyota and Sulu and they all said yes!"

She snorted as she finished up some paperwork. "More like ordered them into doing it."

"This will be fun and you know it! Come onnnnnn. I've already got the place and everything planned out! We'll go swimming, clubbing, drinking, barbequing, whatever you want! Pleaseeeee~"

Audrey rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'll go."

Jim's electric blue eyes lit up as he whooped. "Yes! Now you just have to get Spock to go." Audrey was just about to yell at him again but he had anticipated it and was already out the door. "I know you can do it!" He yelled as he ran.

"Idiot," she muttered as a smile wiggled its way to her face. Putting in her headphones, Audrey put on some 21st century music and began to sing along to her favorite band. Maroon 5. "I know your insides are feeling so hollow. And it's a hard pill for you to swallow, yeah. But if I fall for you, I'll never recover. If I fall for you, I'll never be the same." Tapping her feet to the beat, she closed her eyes and let herself fall into the song as she sang along softly with it.

"I really wanna love somebody. I really wanna dance the night away. I know we're only halfway there. But you can take me all the way, you can take me all the way."

She couldn't hear the footsteps or see the figure standing at her door so she never saw Spock. He listened to her sweet soft voice sing as she sang this rhythmical earth song. Twirling a strand of her hair in one hand and the other moved as if it was guiding imaginary musical notes through the air. Spock was entranced by the calm ethereal look on her face as she sang. But it wasn't just her voice or appearance. The words seemed to speak to him as well and despite the logic in his mind telling him that she was not aware of his presence, he couldn't help but wish desperately that she meant those words for him.

"You're such a hard act for me to follow. Love me today, don't leave me tomorrow, yeah. But if I fall for you, I'll never recover. If I fall for you, I'll never be the same."

These words struck deeply inside of him bypassing all of the walls his logical mind setting off an emotional response that Spock found himself not rejecting. To others, they would find it highly irregular of Spock to be behaving in such a way but he had come to understand the reason for its occurance.

2258 – June 6 0200 hours Revisited

After the celebration, Spock meditated to find his answers. It was… disturbing that he would feel such emotions for Audrey. There were numerous reasons as to why it was not… right… and he needed to understand why.

However, after an hour or so of meditating he found that he had no real answer as of yet. Strangely enough he felt restless and decided to take a walk outside. Against the logic in his mind, he somehow convinced himself that a breath of fresh air would do him good. It seemed that Audrey's human antics were indeed rubbing off on him.

Leaving his quarters, he began the walk towards the lift when he saw two individuals standing in front of what he believed to be Audrey's door. He watched as Audrey kissed Mr. Sulu goodnight and as Mr. Sulu laid his finger on her lips. Suddenly he felt a sickly green feeling wrench his stomach and felt the impulse to pummel Mr. Sulu. The feeling only increased as Mr. Sulu slowly lowered his lips to kiss Audrey's forehead. Unable to watch anymore, Spock turned on his heel and walked back into his room where he began to promptly pace. He was filled with anger, an uncontrollable desire to punch Mr. Sulu, and… with the fear of losing Audrey. Suddenly he was afraid at the thought of losing Audrey to another man.

In the sanctity of his home, he let his eyes widen in shock at the intensity of his emotions and also let his hand rest on his heart. Feeling the urge to meditate, he sat down and searched for the source of his emotions. Slowly going through every memory of himself and Audrey, every fleeting touch or smile, Spock felt warmth filling him and leaving him content. It was a feeling that he had not felt since before the Nero incident and his loss. As he reached the memories of the Nero incident, the ever so present emotions of pain came to the surface and increased only as he continued to progress.

He watched himself as she cried beating his chest. Telling him that he had condemned her father to die with his orders. That he was the reason she would be alone again. Those feelings were the same feelings he had felt for himself and they were magnified a hundred fold as he held her wrists attempting to stop her. It was then that Spock discovered something irregular. Delving deep into that memory, he found it strange that the emotions were felt so strongly and realized that it was the beginning of his mysterious feelings. This was the first time he had touched her for an extended period of time besides her fleeting kisses hello along with strong emotional content behind the touch. This was the first time his mind had connected fully with her mind and, he concluded, formed a bond.

It could not be. Opening his eyes, Spock simply stared at his hands in shock. That slight touch had irrevocably changed his destiny… or rather confirmed his destiny.

T'hy'la.

She was his bond mate. He was forever bound to her and his mind would always reach for the presence of hers despite any attempts to ignore or prevent it.

This discovery, Spock realized, came with many complications. He would have to explain this to Nyota quickly as it would be unseemly for him to be personally involved with one who is not his t'hy'la. Even if Audrey were never to accept him, he could not give himself away. His mind would reject it with an unspeakable force. The consequences would be… unbearable. However, they would only be second to… Audrey's rejection of him as a mate. The simple thought of it was enough to cause intense emotional and mental pain and turmoil. Audrey was not bound to Vulcan practices as he was and therefore would not feel the consequences were she to deny him but he would eternally be in pain. Eternally be alone and reaching for his t'hy'la.

This, he realized, was an extremely likely consequence as he thought of Dr. McCoy. He had seen how she responded to his flirtatious behavior, how Dr. McCoy held her during their dance, how he gazed at her so publicly. It made Spock jealous of Dr. McCoy and how he was able to express his emotions so easily. Audrey was receptive of his attentions and on multiple occasions has expressed explicitly that she would be open to the idea. The mere thoughts of her with another man sadden and angered him immensely.

However, he did not know what he could do. What was he supposed to do? He was at a loss and he felt desperation begin to claw away at his heart as the thought of losing his t'hy'la consumed his thoughts.

These thoughts could not be contained and so he sought help. Understanding it was very early in the morning and it was generally unacceptable to call on another at this hour, he found that he was unable to use that logic. His hands found its way to the console and quickly sent a message to the one person who could help him.

It did not take long for Spock Prime to reply. Instead of electronically replying, Spock found his older self standing in his quarters. His worn face looked as he looked upon Spock's tired and emotionally drained face. "Spock. I was visiting a friend in this complex when you messaged me. How can I help you this early evening?"

Slightly embarrassed, Spock found himself lowering his eyes. "I… I am in dire need of your help. It is… She… I am…"

Quickly picking up on his younger self's plight, he responded for Spock. "T'hy'la. You have come to the realization of her identity."

Spock's chest slightly heaved. "Yes. It is Audrey."

"However your dilemma is that you are currently seeing Ensign Uhura."

"Yes… But that is not the only difficulty. Dr. McCoy is… interested in Audrey and I believe that she is not adverse to the idea."

Spock Prime's expression became a little strained. "I see. Speak your mind Spock. It will help you in your time of need." Increasingly, the young Vulcan was losing more and more control as his desperate need for his t'hy'la grew.

"I… I am afraid that she will not accept me. We are friends and she will not want to change our relationship. She is attracted to Dr. McCoy who is nothing like me… I do not believe that she will see me as a suitable mate. I will… forever be alone." Spock collapsed in his chair as he felt the hell that his words condemned him to.

Grasping Spock's shoulder, the older spoke after a long pause. "Do not be so quick to resign yourself Spock. As humans would say, the game has just begun. It is not too late to change Audrey's mind. Given my previous encounter with her, I am led to believe that she was once very much attracted to you."

Spock's ears perked up at his older self's words. "That cannot be true."

"It is unlikely that I am incorrect. We had touched as she spoke of you and I felt the remnants of emotional attachment from her to you. However, I also felt the pain and hurt that came along with her more positive emotions."

"I have been with Nyota ever since I met Audrey. This would mean…"

"This would mean that she must have grown to harbor romantic feelings for you during your relationship with Nyota and came to the harsh realization that you would never return her feelings therefore leading to her pain." Spock Prime remembered the pain and it weighed heavily on his mind ever since his encounter with Audrey.

Spock remembered every blush, every smile, every moment that they spent together. There were so many indications of her hidden feelings for him and yet he didn't notice them. How could he not have seen it? However along with every sweet movement of Audrey's, he remembered his every cold brush off, every excuse to dismiss her requests, every denial of even the smallest show of emotion to maintain his pride and ego. With each brush off, each dismissal, each denial, Audrey's face of disappointment, humiliation, and sadness stared back at him accusingly. He could only imagine the pain he inflicted on Audrey's innocent heart.

Spock Prime watched as his younger self threw himself in his own personal hell. Unable to watch any longer, he pulled him out of it. "It is not too late, Spock. You must have confidence and faith. Simply because you could not be with her before does not condemn the future." The look of utter despair began to recede from young Spock's face. "You must not let despair consume you. Have hope."

"Yes. I must try." Spock slowly began to reign in the emotions with the help of his older self.

"Have you given thought to how you will tell Nyota?"

"I am… uncertain whether to tell her of the nature of the bond between myself and t'hy'la."

"It would be best to be truthful." Rising to his feet, Spock Prime clasped his hands behind his back. "You should meditate, Spock. It should bring you some peace for the upcoming trials. Remember. Follow your heart. I have found that it is the only road to happiness. It has helped me when I stood in your situation as well."

Rising to his feet as well, Spock took his older self's words to heart. "Thank you, Spock. Your advice is much appreciated in these dark times."

Lifting his hand to show the Vulcan salute, Spock Prime simply said, "Good luck" and made his departure.

Following his elder self's advice, Spock began to meditate once more. This time was to ready himself for the most immediate task at hand of telling Nyota.

2258 – June 8 1000 hours

"I really wanna love somebody. I really wanna dance the night away. I know we're only half way there. But you can take me all the way, you can take me all the way."

Knowing that he could not stand there any longer, he opened the door wide and made his presence known. A smile spreading on Audrey's face, she pulled out the earbuds. "Spock! I wasn't expect you!" She rose from her seat and came to greet him. Tiptoeing to kiss him on the cheek, Spock used every ounce of strength to suppress the shudder. Her touch was becoming increasingly potent and intoxicating. "You're just the person that I needed to see!"

He raised an eyebrow. "Do you require my assistance?"

"Well not assistance really but it seems that Jim's up to no good again. He wants to go with the bridge crew on a vacation for some 'bonding'. Coming from Jim that probably means that he just wants us to all get smashed and see what happens."

"And I assume that he has asked you to approach me?"

Audrey nodded her head. "Yup. I think he's planning on renting out a beach house here on earth. It sounds like fun though and I told him I'd go. Will you?"

Spock was not particularly inclined to grant his captain's request. However, it was Audrey who was asking it of him and if he were to go he would be able to spend time with her. "When is this supposed to take place?"

Audrey jumped with joy. "So you're going right? You're going!" Hugging Spock, Audrey giggled. "That was sooo much easier than I thought it was going to be! I swore that you were going to be difficult and say no."

"Be difficult?" Spock's eyes glittered with amusement as he watched her reaction.

"Oh you know what I'm talking about Spock. Don't play innocent." Swatting his arm playfully, she smiled. "Oh! But I haven't asked why you're here! Did you need something?" Audrey pulled him over towards the chairs in her office. Sitting down herself, Spock elegantly slid into the seat across from her.

"I came to ask if it was possible for me to take you up on your offer now." His intense look burned with determination but also gave away the inner turmoil underneath his control.

She tilted her head in confusion when she realized what he was talking about. "Oh! You're talking about the mind meld."

"The small connection that we shared that night was not a mind meld but a less invasive connection. A mind meld would allow me access to all your thoughts and memories if you have not had any previous Vulcan training, which you have not. It would also give you access to mine as well."

"That sounds amazing and very intimate. I can only imagine how it would feel like to have your mind connected with another's and share everything. There would be no secrets, no lies."

Spock nodded his head in agreement. "Yes, it can be freeing for many but for obvious reasons, it is also very intimate as you have picked up on."

"Wait, so did you want to do a mind meld with me? Or something like what we did before?" Spock desperately wanted to perform a mind meld on her. He felt a deep urge rooted in his very being to bind himself and his t'hy'la in the most sacred of ways to Vulcans but she was not his. He could not do this without her understanding his situation without understanding who she is to him.

"Not a mind meld but something in between. It will require physical contact as it did before." Audrey nodded her head and pulled the chair closer to his. Their knees were almost touching and Spock could feel the heat coming off of her legs. She waited with soft eyes for him to initiate the contact. "Are you sure that you want to continue?"

She didn't answer him this time. The only answer he received laid in her unwavering smile. Ever so gently, he reached for her hands and wrapped his hands around them his palms touching the tops her hands. Spock's body felt a jolt of electricity that ran down his arms almost burning away all of his control as it went.

Audrey felt the warm presence of his mind gently tugging at hers to bring hers closer to his. "Well, hello there." Audrey giggled in her mind letting it reverberate between their minds. "You know, I don't think I'll ever get over just how cool this is."

"It is a remarkable experience." Spock saw the beautiful dance of colors representing emotions in her mind. For a moment, he simply let himself drift off into the sea of colors in her mind allowing himself to get lost in her mind. The bond was slowly growing stronger and stronger. Spock was aware of this but found himself unable to stop himself. It felt right. It felt good. However, it wasn't long before he felt a slight tug. While he was falling easily into her mind, she had gone off wandering in his mind poking her head into different areas.

"You know, your mind is really different from mine. It's so… neat."

"Vulcans are disciplined to keep their minds organized and clear to allow maximum efficiency and productivity." He felt wonder coming from Audrey as she explored the neat black boxes stacked in rows.

"Wow. This is amazing. Mine's a total mess compared to yours!" Audrey laughed looking back her own mind with its floating wisps and dancing colors.

"It is different from my mind, yes, but it is not… unpleasant." The deep green color of friendship rolled in at his words. Followed by a wave of light blue signifying sympathy and affection.

"I suppose it's time we get to the topic at hand, huh?" Spock felt a warmth spread through him that was not his own. He remained silent for a moment but let sadness slip through their bond.

"I have made a decision regarding the relationship. It is no longer possible for Nyota and I to continue our relationship." Audrey expressed sadness at those words as well. They had been together for such a long time but what worried her the most was that Nyota didn't seem aware of the turmoil Spock was going through or at least that's how it seemed.

"I'm sorry. I can see that there's no changing your mind but were there problems in your relationship before? Have you talked about this with her? She just seems so… happy."

There was a slight hesitation from Spock and Audrey felt that he was conflicted. "I have not outwardly expressed myself to her. However, there is no other alternative."

"No other alternative? What do you mean?"

"The incident on the Enterprise was merely the beginning of my doubts of the relationship. In regards to the way I viewed the relationship, the incident critically undermined the foundation on which it was built on. As you astutely put it, I could not forget the horror in her eyes. It was… disturbing. However, that is not the reason as to why I have decided to end the relationship." Spock opened his eyes and was watching the little expressions Audrey was making as she concentrated on his words. She bit her lower lip in concentration and Spock watched as the blood rushed to it making it bright pink and utterly kissable looking. "Are you aware of the Vulcan concept of a 'bond mate'?"

"Bond mate? It's similar to a soul mate isn't it? When you meet that person, you instantly fall in love with them right?"

"Not exactly. You are correct in your comparison however it is much more than that. When a Vulcan meets his bond mate, he is forever bonded to her. He can never give himself to another nor ignore the calling of his bond mate. To ignore such a bond would result in dire consequences for said Vulcan."

"I see… so I'm assuming that the problem is that Nyota isn't your bond mate and you've found your bond mate?"

At those words, Spock tightened his hold on her hands. He could tell her everything right now and at that moment, had no other desire than to do just that. The bond that existed between the two consumed his mind. It was not possible for him to concentrate on anything else besides her. Quite illogical but instinctual. He could not refuse his bond mate.

"Correct. She is-" Before Spock could finish, he was interrupted by a loud cough.