Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of its characters.
Ellara was on edge Saturday morning. Uhura and Jim had been sneaky all week, casting sly glances towards each other and giving cryptic replies whenever El asked what was up. She had a feeling she knew what the two had been up to, but Ellara wouldn't assume. Her dad never gave her much advice, but when he did, it was always good. For example, don't assume. Ever.
Saturdays were always a special occasion for their table, thought Kirk. After all, it was one of the only days where all of the senior staff would eat their meals together, and they'd had numerous food fights, usually started by Chekov or Kirk himself, ending with boisterous laughter. Today, however, was a special occasion. His wonderful girlfriend, Nyota, had a plan to get his First Officer and the ships lovely Counsellor in a relationship. The two were like a match made in heaven. Unfortunately, stubborn minds and cold fronts wouldn't allow them to see it… "Hey, Ellie." called Kirk, waving to the Rendorian he had been thinking of.
Ellara held up a finger to him, deep in conversation with Spock, her hands waving wildly with excitement. Jim wasn't sure what they were discussing, but he had a feeling it wasn't anything that'd interest him. Shrugging his shoulders, he turned to look at Nyota, a grin spreading across his face. "Is your plan ready?" he asked.
Nyota nodded. "Now remember, you just have to keep Spock distracted in the lunch line, and make sure he can't hear what El and I are talking about. He could probably actually hear a pin drop in this room."
Jim nodded to show he knew what he had to do, and got up to walk with Spock to get food. Meanwhile, Uhura practically dragged Ellara to the other side of the room.
"Jeez, Nyota, what's wrong?" exclaimed Ellara.
She'd begun to accept it when Jim and Nyota dragged her away to talk about lord knows what, but she hadn't expected to be accosted almost as soon as she walked into a room. "Spock likes you." was all Uhura said, a knowing smile on her face.
El blinked a couple of times in shock, completely overwhelmed. "Uh… um... Buh… wha… What?" she stammered out, tilting her head to the side.
"Jim, why are you dancing?" asked Spock, quirking a brow.
"Because, Spock", the Captain puffed out, "I came up with this routine to show Uhura" puff "for a romantic evening" huff "and I wanted to know if you thought it was ok!" Jim finished with a flourish, jazz hands and all.
Spock stood perfectly still for a moment, taking in the information given to him. "I believe that you may have to rethink a majority of those moves if your intention is to impress Lieutenant Uhura, Jim." was all he said.
Kirk shook his head. "C'mon, Spock. No need to be so harsh."
"I am not being harsh, I am just stating what I feel to be true. It was also an illogical idea to come to me for advice. A better choice would be Ellara, seeing as she learned ballet as a child."
Jim's head shot up, surprised. "Ellie knows ballet?" he exclaimed slightly too loudly.
Sulu, who had been standing in front of them, turned around to look at the two men. "No wonder she's so graceful when she fights." he offered a piece of information.
"No way, don't lie to me, Nyota." denied Ellara.
Her friend simply shrugged, as though there was no truth more obvious than that. Ellara thought for a moment before saying, "How do you know, then?"
Nyota chuckled. "He practically freaked out when he brought you into the med bay. He was so worried about your health, it was so adorable! And, when I asked him about it, he couldn't even answer."
Ellara began stuttering once again. "H-how do you know that he just doesn't think of me as a friend? You could be reading him wrong." It was a long shot, considering the history between the two.
Uhura apparently thought of this, too, as she gave her a look that just said 'Really?'
Ellara looked down in embarrassment. "You think he really does like me?" she murmured.
Nyota nodded, "Definitely. What are you going to do about it?"
Thinking, Ellara looked over to where Jim was… dancing? Dancing… in front of Spock. The half-Vulcan looked up quickly and caught Ellara's eye. The two had a mini stare off, before Spock's attention was grabbed by the finale of the Captain. El turned back to Nyota, a grin spreading across her face. "I'm gonna tell him." was all she said before stalking off.
Nyota's flourishing smile was quickly wiped off her face as she realized what exactly that meant. "Wait, El, no!" she called, but it was too late.
Ellara was already halfway across the cafeteria, watching as Sulu, Jim and Spock spoke.
"Do you think she can do a grand jete?" asked Kirk as she approached.
"I can, but I won't be showing you now." Ellara spoke up behind him.
Jim jumped in surprise, not having heard the Rendorian walk up. "El, what're you doing here?" he asked nervously.
"I came to speak with Spock, if that's alright." she said confidently.
Jim shook his head quickly. "We're kinda in the middle of some-"
Sulu, who had been informed of the situation after overhearing Kirk and Uhura talk about, understood immediately what was going on and grabbed hold of his Captain. "Actually, I think Bones needs to stick a couple more needles in you, Jim." was all he said.
Spock stared at the retreating forms of his two friends, wondering what that was all about. Slowly, he looked down at the woman standing in front of him. Now that the two men were gone, a blush had sprung up on her cheeks, and she seemed much more nervous than before. Spock could not help but wonder if she was alright, if she was overheating or if perhaps she needed medical attention. Or what if she was like this because of something he had done? Had he insulted her in some way? Spock hoped to god he had not, because that would be absolutely horrible.
"Spock, I, uh, I have something to tell you." spoke Ellara quietly. Are you kidding me? She's left alone and she suddenly turns into a blushing schoolgirl? Dear god.
Spock swallowed, fearful for what she had to say. Please let it not be bad, please let it not be bad, was the mantra playing in his head. "I may or may not have some… romantic feelings for you." was all she said.
The blush on her face increased tenfold, and ran down to her neck, showing how embarrassed she really was.
He was taken aback. Both of his eyebrows shot up in surprise, not having expected that. Spock was completely silent as his stomach performed flips and his heart was pumping and his mind was yelling at him to say something. He had not felt like this for Uhura, that had been different. He had grown to feel affection for her during their relationship, whereas with Ellara… he could not deny that during these past few weeks, he had imagined what it would be like to be in a relationship with the Rendorian.
Ellara, who still couldn't read Spock's facial expressions that well (she was learning, though), mistook his pleasure for horror and was immediately downcast. "But, of course, I mean, that, uh…" she trailed off.
Spock immediately realized that he had left her standing for far too long, and that she now assumed he was disgusted. "I also have romantic feelings for you, Ellara." he finally shot out, less stiffer than he usually would. His composure was broken, but it was alright.
Their eyes met once again, and Ellara remembered something Nyota had told her a while ago. "It's in his eyes; that's where most of his expression shows."
And boy was that true now. He seemed a mixture of relieved, surprised, and ecstatic. Ellara giggled, happy to know he felt the same. The corners of Spock's lips turned up in a semblance of a smile, and a slight green tinge covered his cheeks and ears. The perfect example of a gentleman, he grabbed a tray for Ellara, and she joined him in line. The two started up their conversation from earlier, their expressions going back to normal.
From a distance, Jim and Nyota watched the situation unfold. "How the hell…" he couldn't even finish the sentence, he was so done with everything.
Uhura shook her head, kind of wishing she had some popcorn. "I don't know. I swear, only those two could admit their feelings to each other in the most clinical of ways."
"I also have romantic feelings for you." imitated Sulu, chuckling slightly. "That's them, though."
"Wait, so ya just told her that Spock liked her, and she marched over there like a woman in battle?" butted in Bones.
He had been filled in on what was going on, and was completely taken aback that the hobgoblin could even feel, much less for anyone as great as his little Ellie.
Uhura nodded, confirming what he'd said, and watched as Spock gave Ellara a tray. The two then continued their conversation they'd been having before they walked in, and the mouths of everyone at the table dropped open. "Bu-but they. They're not even embarrassed of each other now! They just went back to their bloody conversation. How do they do that?" cried Scotty in outrage.
No one at the table could understand how the two were acting completely nonchalant. However, they'd all forgotten that the two people in question weren't all human. Dating customs were different, and for Spock, Ellara knew that it was a more private matter. They'd spoken and agreed to discuss it more in private that evening.
"So you think that the chemical properties of the plants you found on Rendoria Four could be helpful in lessening the chances of anxiety while the baby is in the womb?" reiterated Ellara, slightly excited at what Spock was telling her.
He nodded, glad to know she understood. "That is correct. Unfortunately, we were not able to garner a larger sample, seeing as Jim neglected to follow the protocol Nyota told him."
Ellara smiled wide. "But that's still amazing! If I could contact the current Rendoria, I could tell them about how Rendoria Four is still flourishing, and maybe the other planets are as well, and we could become a smaller colony. And if peace settles, we might even be able to get a hold of a larger supply of that plant to use. This would be great!"
The two placed their trays on the table, taking a seat. "What's so great?" asked Jim almost as soon as they touched the chairs.
"Spock found a plant on Rendoria Four that could help with preventing the chances of anxiety, and could be administered to fetus'." she said calmly, taking a bite of the egg in front of her. "Could you pass the pepper?" she asked Chekov, her nose scrunching up in distaste.
He did so, and Jim turned away from his friend in displeasure, thinking it was something more interesting.
Nyota smiled at Ellara and Spock, pleased to know that things were going so well. They were honestly made for each other, and being able to see a relationship flourish.. It was quite satisfying, to say the least.
"So, how was your day?" asked Ellara the evening, moving her pawn.
"Slightly underwhelming, however a productive one nonetheless." commented Spock, moving his rook.
"Checkmate." Ellara said after a few more moves.
Spock reset the board, and the two looked up at each other. "How do you think we should go about establishing a relationship?" he asked.
Ellara thought about it for a moment. "I'm not sure, to be honest. On Rendoria, we're engaged before birth, and then we spend every moment together until the youngest turns twenty, when we get married. The affection is practically forced on us." she replied.
"It is both similar and not with Vulcans. Mates are chosen for us by our parents at the age of seven, and we… bond, in a way, and are married once we reach maturity." Spock gave information on what his planet was like.
"Maybe we should just… continue to act as friends, but with some romance thrown in?" Ellara shrugged, not really sure.
"I do not understand what you mean."
"Well, we could continue doing what we do now, except we occasionally go on dates, and we do things that couples tend to do. Like…" Ellara trailed off, not exactly knowing what typical Rendorian couples did, and definitely not knowing what Vulcan's did.
"We could simply figure out as we go along." stated Spock, saving Ellara from feeling embarrassed with her lack of knowledge on the subject.
She nodded vigorously, glad to know he was on the same page. "I suppose in human terms, we are now… dating." he said.
Ellara nodded cautiously, agreeing with him. "I guess so."
After a few beats of silence, Ellara commented once again. "Something feels off."
"I agree."
"Do you think we should ask Jim and Nyota for advice?" she asked. "After all, this is sort of their fault."
"I believe we should."
"Great. I'll tackle Nyota and you can get Jim." At Spock's expression, she elaborated. "I don't actually mean fight, I just mean get information out of."
He nodded, and was about to get up, before she chimed in once more. "Tomorrow. I wanna finish my game with you."
Spock recomposed himself, and the two settled in for a long night.
Omg it happened so fast. I have to say, my least favourite trope is miscommunication, and it wouldn't make sense for if Spock or Ellara kept it in. Ellara knows what kind of trouble that can cause, and Spock is 100% honest and would probably believe Kirk if he had said Ellara liked him. Just as an fyi. I also had to google Vulcan mating rituals for this, because I have 0 knowledge haha. I hope you enjoyed, I'm already a quarter done writing the next chapter(I got excited), and until next week!
pearl. clark. 129: Yes, yes it is.
booklover1898: Thanks! And here it is. :)
Love. Fiction. 2016: I appreciate it.
- fangirl0012345
Updated December 30th, 2016.