Hi again! The next chapters will probably only be 2,000-3,000 words, but then I can guarantee the updates will be every week. Thanks so much for reading, and enjoy the chapter!

This was the first time in the while I had woken up on a Sunday and dreaded it. A week had passed since the party, and yet every time I woke up, a feeling of anxiousness and exhaustion greeted me with the alarm clock. I assumed the feelings would leave quickly, but they lingered. Probably because I still had not seen Spock. I was both grateful and nervous because of this.

Sulu would be working with me in the lab today. That alone was enough to encourage me to get up from my warm bed and get dressed. We would be studying another plant, this one from the Andorian home planet. When I first discovered I would be working on this project with Sulu, I was happy to say the least. It was a nice distraction and it meant more time with a close friend of mine. It also was a new project, something to busy my hands that seemed too idle lately.

Sulu was waiting in the lab when I got there, and a smile was on his face.

"Good morning Stella." He said. His lab station was already set up, and I saw the plant we were going to research perched in front of his microscope.

"Good morning. Should we get started?" I took the vacant seat next to him and prepped my station. We chatted as I did so, filling the time until I finally finished setting up.

The plant, though not extremely special in any aspect, was very beautiful. It had several blue buds that hadn't yet burst, but others that had already bloomed were a rich sapphire color. The plant itself could go weeks without any water or sunlight. For a normal plant from Earth, this was not common however the climate of Andoria had caused the plants to adapt rapidly. Along with that, the plant stored the water in tiny buds on the underside of the petals, keeping it safe from the sun.

Sulu and I were put in charge of studying the root structure of the plant. Again, nothing special however it was interesting.

"Plant number three hundred eighty two, Andorian Desert Weed, Class nine." Sulu slid the plant closer to me and I looked at the roots through the clear glass container. They were healthy and normal, ready for testing.

"Substance sixteen, liquid boron with potassium minerals." , I read the beaker and then began to pour it in the plant pot. Nothing happened at first, but within the first minute, it began to change. Typing onto a PADD and looking at the plant simultaneously, I watched as the light brown routes began to shrivel up, not dying but seeming to wither away slowly. The roots light brown color turned near white, but the plant remained the same for the next two minutes.

"Plant root has lost all of its minerals aside from the carbon base, but the actual plant has yet to show any changes. It will be kept closed until further testing." Sulu began to type on his own PADD, and I began to record more data on the changes that had occurred.

We worked on multiple Andorian weeds for the following hour, recording its root changes with various different substances and minerals. We went uninterrupted until there was a knock on the door, Sulu and I both glancing at each other before the Captain entered.

Following behind him was Spock, his hands behind his back. I managed an easy smile and stood up.

"Good morning Captain, Commander."

Sulu was next to me, standing up straight as Kirk smiled at us.

"Good morning it is, Lieutenants. I trust your research is going well?"

I was already questioning why he and Spock were here. I knew Spock would show up eventually to survey our work but not until much later in the project when we had discovered more things about the plant. But Captain Kirk took me off guard completely. I had never seen him in the lab, let alone this specific area of the deck.

"Yes, sir, we have already begun testing the plant with different substances for any unknown occurrences that may affect the ecosystem in Andoria's desert.", Sulu said, and I nodded, handing over my PADD to show him what we had learned. Spock had said nothing so far, and I didn't dare look at him. Awkward eye contact was not on my to do list.

Jim took the device from my hands and scrolled through it, browsing through the data and nodding slightly ever so often. Finally, he handed it back to me.

"Great job, keep it up. I should put you two together more often!" Jim laughed and I looked at Sulu. He was smiling, and I smiled back. However there was another uneasy feeling emerging. Was Jim still at it, trying to make Spock jealous again? I swallowed and scrolled through my PADD idly, trying to act a little bit preoccupied as Sulu began to talk with the Captain.

"So, Sulu, how long have you known Stella?" I glanced up briefly before looking down at the PADD. Spock had walked towards our lab stations and was examining the plant it seemed.

"Since she was assigned to the Enterprise, sir. I was assigned to mentor her for her first month aboard. She taught me how to use sign language."

"Ah. And you two have been close, seeing as you work very well together."

I was getting increasingly mortified as they continued to talk. I was scrolling aimlessly though facts about different plant species when the Captain said my name.

"Stella, what do you think?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Do you think you and Sulu make a good duo for research projects? If so, I can assign you together for them more often."

I paused before answering. Spock was still by the plant, but I had the slightest feeling he was listening. It felt like I was treading on thin ice, even though I knew I shouldn't care about falling through. He didn't care about my relationships with others, why should I?

"Yes, Captain, I do think we make a good pair. We're so close, sometimes it feels like we can read each other's minds."

Sulu chuckled and nodded, Jim smiling and his blue eyes crinkling in the corner.

There it was again.

The eyes, flicking up for the slightest second over my shoulder, clearly searching for something in the background of his perspective.

Jim looked me in the eyes again and smirked slightly, walking towards Sulu and I.

"Well then, I'll just have to put you guys together more often. Keep working hard." Jim was still smiling, and Spock was by his side again.

I mustered up enough courage to look at him.

"Good day Captain, Commander."

Spock's eyes, brown and empty now, were looking at me. His eyebrows were furrowed slightly but his face was placid as usual. But his lips, they were parted a centimeter as if he had something to say but he didn't. His posture was normal as well, besides his shoulders which had risen slightly and seemed tightly wound like a tightened coil.

"Carry on." Jim left with a smile still on his face as Spock followed him out the door swiftly. I was left uneasy but relieved things were not as worse as I first made it out to be. I had overreacted again. Sulu looked at me.

"Was it just me, or did the Captain seem a bit too…happy?"

I sighed and went back to my station.

"I think he's always like that." I force a convincing smile with ease. Sulu didn't say anything more, oblivious to the fact he was the Captain's bait in a ploy to stir jealousy up in Spock's mind.

"Captain, we're being hailed from Beta Quadrant four, three minutes away by warp."

Kirk looked over to Uhura and nodded.

"On screen."

Moments later a face appeared on the screen, freezing the blood of both the Captain and the Commander. The face was smiling, not sinister or evil, but kindly. Kirk wouldn't fall for it.

"Hello, Captain Kirk. Nice to see you again."

Jim clenched his fist and his jaw tightened. Parmen frowned slightly.

"Are you alright, Captain? I hoped you would be happy to see me after all this time."

Jim didn't say anything for a moment before speaking. He could sense Spock was looking on with a sense of alarm.

"Star Fleet has been assigned to peacefully make negotiations with your society. Is there something you need specifically from the Enterprise?"

Spock was now beside him, on guard and ready to stop his Captain from saying anything he would regret. Neither of them were fond of Parmen, even with the successful negotiations, and neither of them were ready to forgive.

"Ah, yes, what did I need. Well, we wanted to invite you and your crew members onto our ship, for a celebration. You see, now that we are in peace with your society, we have no need to protect ourselves from you. The treaty calls a need for a feast and ball!"

Kirk was astounded and angry. Protecting themselves? Is that what they called throwing them around with telekinetic powers and making them fight each other?

Spock's mouth was set in a firm line, irritation flooding him as Parmen spoke. He had hurt them, he had made them hurt each other. They had made him hurt Stella.

Jim forced himself to think rationally. He was aware of the peace treaty that had been signed, and encouraged by several Star Fleet officials. After all, a new planet in a separate quadrant had its benefits and almost no negatives. There were practically no risks to accepting the offer to a party, a party that was celebrating the new found relationship between two planets. However, it was hard to forgive and forget, to just ignore what they had done to the landing party without any valid reason. Jim calmed himself, and glanced at Spock briefly. His first Commander was looking at him, his face unchanged but his head tilted downward. Jim looked at the screen.

"Parmen, our senior staff would be honored to attend."

"Why not everyone in your crew? We certainly have enough space for everyone."

"Well, we need some people to make sure the ship doesn't crash while I'm gone." The laughter in Jim's voice was forced but Parmen just smiled.

"Understood. We welcome your senior staff to Platonia in two days' time. We will supply the appropriate attire for your group, and look forward to your arrival."

The monitor changed from Parmen's grinning face to the dark space in front of them. Kirk's smile fell.

"Mister Spock, please tell Doctor McCoy, Nurse Chapel, and Stella that we will be landing on Platonia in two days. I'll tell Doctor Marcus and Commander Levy."

Spock's eye brows lowered obviously.

"Captain, if I may ask, why do you require Lieutenant Anderson's presence in the landing party?"

Kirk looked up at his friend, a slight smirk on his face but good natured nonetheless, and sighed.

"I believe she deserves an apology. Plus, she's a very good dancer and I may need her as a partner during the ball."

Spock looked on, confused. How was he supposed to react to that? He had no doubt noticed the Captain's attempts to get closer to Stella and make him feel envy in the process. It had failed, as Spock liked to believe. But he wasn't sure if he could fool himself as far as his buried emotions went. Confusing as it was, Spock knew the line was still drawn, the line between professional and inappropriate was unbreakable. A boundary he shouldn't and wouldn't cross, and he was going to make sure of it.

"I see." Those were the only words that Spock uttered before sitting back down at his station, sending out the message to Doctor McCoy and Nurse Chapel. He decided to message Stella later, when his thoughts were calmer and it wouldn't make his jaw wind up when he typed her name out.

I read the message, my uncertainty growing with each letter. It took a good two minutes to believe what I was reading.

A party. With the people who had tried to kill us.

I wanted to see it as a joke however I don't think Spock would be the one to joke about something like this. Or joke about something in general.

I didn't want to go. Period.

However, Spock had stated clearly in the message that the Captain had requested my attendance at the occasion, and he would be deeply upset if I refused to go. I wasn't sure if it was worth it though.

I sat on the edge of my bed, pondering the idea of going. If I did decide to go, I would have nothing to wear, seeing as it said it was a ball. I didn't know the fine line between a party and a ball, nor did I know the dress code.

I had learned about these events, in my ancient history class. The only think I could recall was what attire was worn in ancient England, when monarchies were still in place. The pictures I had seen were porcelain, doll like women with fluffy hoop gowns with beads and pearly embroidering the hem with lace. It was almost comical to imagine myself, Carol, or Christine wearing something like that. It was also somewhat frightening.

My worries of wearing a dress like that were quashed when I read further into the message. An appropriate outfit would be supplied, because the dress code was most likely not fitting to our closets.

My next thought was why I had to go. Yes, the Captain had requested my presence, but why? Did he want them to apologize to me? To notice I had gotten my voice back without their help? The other people that were going were all senior staff, and while I wasn't a low ranked Cadet, I didn't hold the rank of a Commander or Captain. I was at most an assistant to a Commander, and only during my Alpha shift. It didn't make sense to me. I closed the message and begun to get ready for bed.

A ball. The term itself seemed daunting enough, but facing the people that had done what they had did…I didn't want to do that. Not yet, not ever. The peace treaty that had been written up and signed didn't mean much to me at the moment, and I wasn't sure even an apology would suffice for it.

But moving on from that meant becoming a stronger person, I wanted to believe that. I would just have to go with it.

Ooh, so Parmen is back, and so are the telekinetic powers! I had some fun writing this chapter, and I want to thank ShyxSkater for the story idea revolving around Spock feeling jealous about the friendship between Stella and Sulu. Thanks for reading and as always, review, favorite, and message me any ideas you might have! I would totally love to use them!

Have a great week!