Chapter 49: Love

A/N: Hi Alaya Karangalan, wishing you all the best with your assignments, and thanks so much for taking time to leave a review! I'm delighted that you enjoyed the cliffhanger. Speaking of Star Trek: Picard, I believe it's the first time we see a Romulan kissing on screen! Yays! An official trailer was released about a week ago. Maybe the producers have been reading our fanfics?... ;-D

Romulanlover, I'm so glad you enjoyed the scene with Asha's oral exam! It was a lot of fun to write, particularly her disagreement with Hiren. I got tense myself during that scene! And yes, it would be in the Senate's best interest to give her full citizenship and thus strip her of any official ties to the Federation and Earth. The scene with Christine and Rhian occurred completely spontaneously. Stuffing the two of them into one room is just asking for trouble!

I'm also so happy that you both enjoyed the banter and chemistry between Asha and Vreenak. Many thanks to you!

Note: "Rihanha" (not Rihanna! :-D) means "Romulan citizen". "I-jol au": "I love you". "Those who march beneath the raptor's wings" occurs in the novel Beneath the Raptor's Wing by Michael A. Martin.

Sari (or saree): Indian dress wrapped around the waist and draped over the shoulder. Choli: sari blouse. Pallu: end of the sari draped over one shoulder. There are many styles of wearing the sari, such as with the midriff bared or covered, a long or short choli etc.


Asha looked at the timepiece on the wall and took her seat again. Her examiners were punctual. They returned and resumed their places as well. Asha's mouth felt dry despite the water she had gulped down after the exam. Her heart seemed to sit in her ears, thudding loudly like a drum. Three pairs of eyes stared at her from behind the impressive senatorial table.

"I vote in favour of granting you full citizenship," Cretak said.

"I, too, vote in favour," Tal'aura stated.

Hiren's word, however, carried the most weight, as he was the Vice-Proconsul. If he voted against her, they would be at an impasse and her application delayed until Proconsul Terik ruled over the matter.

Hiren studied her face.

"What would your first request as a person with full Romulan citizenship be?" he asked.

"If I may be so bold, I would ask for one of the beautiful lagga blooms in the vase to give to my husband."

Letant had mentioned that Hiren adored lagga blooms and in fact cultivated them and entered them for competitions with great success. Asha had no idea how handy this piece of information would come in and decided it was worth a try.

"What a modest, romantic request," Tal'aura murmured. Cretak smiled slightly.

"Come forward, Asha t'Darak," Hiren said. She obeyed. He placed a silver-coloured chain with a raptor pendent around her neck.

"I vote in favour. You have passed with distinction. You will find the details of your score and our individual assessments on this PADD. You are herewith a Romulan citizen with full rights and you are one of those who march beneath the raptor's wings. You are aware of your rights and duties as a citizen of the Romulan Star Empire. Furthermore, since dual citizenship is not recognised or valid on Romulus, you have waived your Federation citizenship and have explicitly consented to this provision." He handed her a PADD.

"Thank you for bestowing this privilege upon me. It's an honour I deeply appreciate and will always cherish," Asha said, her eyes shining, hand on her heart per protocol. Her knees were trembling slightly, and a flood of emotions was breaking lose within her, from joy about passing her exams to sadness about saying farewell for good to Earth.

"You will repeat the following vows after me," Hiren said. There were nine of them, and Asha repeated each one after him.

Afterwards, Hiren pressed a button and asked one of the guards to step inside the hall. The woman entered the room, and he said something to her softly. She marched to the vase of lagga flowers, picked it up and deposited it in Asha's arms, to her complete astonishment.

"Thank you so much, it is very kind of you," she said to Hiren, completely taken aback.

"They are from my own lagga farm," he answered. "The best you can find on whole Romulus."

"I am most humbled by your generosity. They are lovely!" Asha said, secretly amused by his arrogance. She bowed her head in thanks.

The three politicians bowed their heads back and rose, leaving the room.

The guards opened the other door for Asha and walked slightly behind her instead of on either side of her.

She was greeted by Kihika, Vereth, Thorek, Vekal, Christine, Rhian and Lilou. Kihika took the vase from her, and she threw her arms around each of them and finished off by burying herself in her husband's arms and bursting into happy tears. Thorek and Vekal began to cry, too. Christine grinned and mopped her own eyes. Kihika and Vereth were trying desperately to prevent Lilou from peeing against a statue of a dour-looking Romulan politician from times long past. They failed.

This turned the tears into fits of laughter. Lilou flapped her ears and bared her teeth in a grin. It turned out that Christine had remarked how ugly she thought the statue was because the person it represented looked so grumpy. All the others had agreed with her and Lilou had decided to show her agreement in her very own manner.

Thorek scolded the set'leth half-heartedly, and the whole group left the area of the Senate building in two flitters to celebrate with a large dinner.

Asha was so tired after all the excitement and the hearty meal that she went straight to sleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. She kept the vase of lagga in the hall and her necklace proudly on the bedside table.

The next day, she updated Vreenak and Letant on her new status. She winced and Lilou barked when deafening congratulations were sent by the latter. Vreenak simply wrote: "I was expecting nothing less. Congratulations." He had also listed two dates for meeting and added a note that she would be welcome to stay the night. Asha picked one and sent off her message. Until then, she let the fact that she was a true Romulan citizen sink in. All authorities notified by the Senate about her citizenship proceeded to lift the restrictions her limited status had imposed on her. She was now fully in charge of her finances, healthcare, driver's license and could carry weapons on her person. And her book could be shortlisted, as Cretak had suggested. She wrote a thank you note to the Senator. If it hadn't been for Cretak's offer, she would not have become a Rihanha so soon. She also caught up with having fun between the sheets, much to Thorek's delight.

Finally, when it was time for her meeting with Vreenak, she chose a sari to visit him, the only one which had been in her luggage and which she had planned to wear for cousin Maya's wedding. She wore the raptor necklace around her neck. Thorek claimed that she looked like an empress and asked her to send him a message in the evening to wish him goodnight. His generosity and acceptance brought tears to her eyes, but he kissed her fondly and said: "Ashaya, I'll be here when you come back."

"I don't think I'll ever understand why you're being so generous and, well, un-jealous."

"I know you in a way he doesn't, and he knows you in a way I don't. Besides..."

"Yes, e'lev?"

"You loved me first. Why should you love me last? Why shouldn't you cherish another, and why shouldn't another worthy of you cherish you?"

"I-jol au, Thorek."

"And I you, my Ashaya."

They hugged each other.

Asha had already packed a small overnight bag and she drew a deep breath when Rovuxo drove up to fetch her.

Vreenak was waiting for her when she arrived, for the very first time without Lilou. As soon as they were alone, they walked towards each other, she in her sari, he in his formal grey tunic, trousers and boots. She wrapped her arms around him, and he pressed her to his chest.

"Jolan'tru, Asha Sen t'Darak, Rihanha," he whispered, drawing back a little to study her face and touching her necklace. "So you are a fully-fledged Romulan citizen? A celebration is in order."

Then he stepped back a little and looked at her dress.

"A very beautiful garment. What is it called?"

She explained about the sari. She disliked showy clothes and her silk sari was a discreet dove grey with a silver border and a matching choli. He touched the pleats of her pallu, then travelled up her neck, brushing the area with the knuckles of his fingers, then down her shoulder, her arm and finally intertwined his fingers with hers. She went on tiptoe and kissed him softly on the mouth. He lifted her up in his arms, kissing her back with such heat that they were thoroughly breathless.

"You are incredibly...intolerably...impossibly proud, prouder than the whole Senate, as I mentioned before," he half whispered, half growled between kisses. "Come, let us go to the garden and toast your citizenship." He set her down on her feet.

Autumn was breathtakingly spectacular on Romulus, and the Autumn Festival was drawing near.

Asha and Vreenak admired the seasonal change which brought lush autumn plants and a range of colourful insects and birds.

He poured them both some spiced wine, sweet and very mild for Romulan and Human standards, and gave her her glass and a small plate of fish patties, a delicacy served during formal occasions.

"What do you feel like now your exams are over?" he inquired.

"The same, actually. But I can feel a change, too. It felt like saying farewell to my loved ones on Earth, yet always remembering them. The likelihood that I will ever see or contact them is nil, Merken, and I have accepted that. I have made Romulus my second home despite how I came here and acknowledged it as such when I was sworn in as a Romulan citizen. Above all, I feel grateful and honoured."

"I admire your determination, a'rhea. Is there anything else you feel?" he asked. Asha smiled, knowing what he was getting at.

"Do you have to ask?" Their dialogue was reminiscent of the one they had had during Eitreih'Okhala. Back then, she had been confronting her feelings about him. This time, she was certain, and her question was full of tenderness.

"Yes. A politician always needs answers," Vreenak insisted.

She raised her hand and traced the curves of his forehead ridges. It was a courting gesture, as explicit as it could get. Vreenak closed his eyes, enjoying the sweetness of her touch.

"Love," she said simply.

Vreenak gazed into her eyes, leant his forehead against hers, then sat down on a bench near a little fountain and pulled Asha down onto his lap. They began to kiss passionately, and when her hand stole up his thigh, he whispered:

"A'rhea, will you spend the night with me?"

"Yes."

"Do you wish to mate with me?"

"Yes," she said again, looking firmly into his eyes.

"Your husband is still agreeable to your wishes?"

"He is."

The green blood rose to his face, his breathing quickened, and being squeezed against him as she was, she felt his erection through both their clothes.

"Then come with me to my bed, a'rhea."

They went together to his private rooms, holding hands. Vreenak's residence and furnishings suited his personality: no-frills, sophisticated, spartan. The bed was modern, the sheets plain with a spotless grey colour, and prepared for one person. The bed itself was extendable to fit two people.

He looked at her, leaving the first step to her. She touched his cheek, then went on tiptoe again and kissed him. Their hands wandered around, undressing each other.

She helped him with her sari, taking out the safety pins. He removed the pallu from her shoulder and placed his hand on her bare midriff. It was warm, rising and falling with her breathing. Then he buried his face in the curve of her breasts, covering her skin with hot kisses, and finally knelt before her, thrusting his tongue into her belly button. She sucked in her breath with a hiss of pleasure. Then he rose, and his hands sought the folds of her sari.

She put one end in his hand, then turned round and round, making it unwind itself from her body until she was in just her petticoat, into which the sari was tucked, and her blouse.

He gathered up the sari, folding it neatly and placing it on a chair. She removed his formal tunic and undershirt, caressing his bare chest slowly. He drew her petticoat and panties over her hips and down to her feet. She stepped out of them and raised her arms so he could remove her blouse and bra as well. Soon, all their clothes had joined her sari on the chair.

He slipped her bangles, one by one, off her wrists. He did the same with her anklets. They took their time, enjoying this new experience of closeness. Vreenak remembered Letant's question from long ago about love being involved if he happened to take her in his arms one night.

He suckled at her breasts, massaging them with his palms, then licked her sex until she was soaking. She carefully slid down onto him, and he exclaimed softly in Rihan, shivering at the sensation of being inside her.

They adjusted their position so that he was sitting against the pillows with their chests pressed together. In this manner, they could hug, kiss and caress each other to their heart's content. His eyelids fluttered half closed as they moved together.

"How I have wanted this!" he half whispered, half growled into her ear. "How I have dreamed of this and smiled at myself for my foolishness!"

"If there's one thing you're not, it's foolish," she chuckled, kissing him, "and I have longed for this, too."

He buried his face against her shoulder, and she played with his hair and drew random patterns on his back, addressing him lovingly in Rihan and English, telling him how good it felt to be with him like this. His fingers searched and found what they were looking for, surrounded by heat, moisture and movement. She cried out as he stroked her with his fingers. Her movements became faster.

He drew trembling breaths and when she suddenly collapsed against him, crying out again, he shuddered along with her. He clutched at her, dug his fingers into her back and bit into her shoulder. She did the same to him, leaving a green bruise on his skin. Their movements stilled, and they rested their faces on each other's shoulders. When they separated, a mess of bodily fluids between them, they smiled at each other and kissed softly, lazily, then with more hunger, and started all over again. Asha was an energetic woman and kept him well and truly busy. She asked him to make love to her from behind, claiming that his genital ridges felt particularly magical in that position, and he was happy to oblige as they spooned together and she folded one leg over his. Like Thorek, he was rather smug to discover that Human men were not biologically equipped in this manner, and conceited enough to show it.

"I don't have to look at your face to know how triumphant you're feeling," Asha teased him.

"It is shocking that Human men are lacking in this feature. How do they keep their intimate partners happy?" he wondered, teasing her nipples with his thumb.

"Merken, will you please move a little faster?"

He did until she was moaning loudly with pleasure.

Finally, in a state of exhaustion and sweatiness, they lay next to each other, face-to-face.

"A'rhea, I know that you are devoted to your husband," he murmured, "how is it that you find place in your heart for me?"

She caressed his cheek and brow ridges. "I simply do. I can't explain why."

"I loved you from the moment I first saw you," he confessed. "The way you looked into my eyes with such pride! Unforgettable!"

Asha chuckled. "When I attended your speech for the first time, you claimed you had forgotten our first meeting. You asked me to remind you as it had slipped your mind."

"I lied, of course. I wanted to hide my feelings from you. We Romulans are very fiery in our emotions, and we have to maintain a mask, which can take a lot of effort. If we have to lie, we will."

"You hid your feelings quite well."

"Quite? Only quite?"

"You hid them very well," she modified her answer, smiling and playing with his fingers. "As you mentioned lying...I lied when your colleague Senator Cretak asked me if I was in touch with you. I'm not sure Vice-Proconsul Hiren believed me. In fact, I don't think any of them believed me, but the last thing I wanted was your home or mine to be flooded with manipulated rathakir."

Vreenak laughed. "I doubt they believed you, a'rhea, but they can ask me themselves and they'll get the same answer. Thank you for your dishonesty on my behalf and yours. You are truly a Romulan."

She laughed, too. Then she became serious. "I know that our love will have to remain a secret. My husband and closest friends know. Does Rovuxo know?"

"It would be astonishing if he didn't. He'll know at the very latest when he drives you home tomorrow morning. He has every reason to be loyal to you, since you showed him mercy and he's still in my employment."

They lay in bed for a little longer, talking. Then they had a bath and ate supper outside in the garden, watching nocturnal fauna flit about the trees and shrubs. The murmur of the fountains placed all around the garden was soothing, yet Asha wondered how Thorek was, and if he was happy having the bed all to himself for a change.

Vreenak's bed, though comfortable, was still foreign to her, as was Vreenak's presence as he lay behind her, kissing her neck every now and then.

The next morning, they both rose early, made love, bathed and breakfasted together. Then he left for the Senate building and she for home, wearing a fresh dress. Rovuxo drove her back without comment. He had to know what was going on between her and Vreenak, yet he treated her with deference as usual.

Thorek had already left for work. Kihika, now promoted to the head of house staff, was busy seeing to the house and greeted Asha in her usual affectionate manner. She knew about the arrangement and she also knew her mistress very well. She had seen Asha struggle with her feelings for both Thorek and Vreenak and that she was truly in love with both Romulans. She was relieved that Asha had the freedom to share her life, albeit secretly, with two bondmates; an arrangement which was frowned upon in Romulan society. Personally, however, she considered the Senator rather unworthy of Asha, given his arrogance and austere manner.

She discreetly carried away Asha's sari and underwear to the laundry once her mistress had unpacked her overnight bag. Asha was very hands-on about her personal articles and she still found it hard getting used to having someone else pamper her, as she put it.

Vreenak, in the meantime, went through his senatorial duties in the morning and was happy to lunch with Letant after several very busy hours. Letant, of course, immediately addressed Asha's citizenship.

"Now she's a Romulan like you and me," he remarked in order to draw out his friend.

"We spent last night together," Vreenak said, eating his soup and knowing very well what Letant was up to.

"You mated?" Letant half asked, half stated.

"Yes," Vreenak replied succinctly.

"I knew it was only a matter of time!" Letant exclaimed exultantly. "Now I can bask in the triumph that of the two of us, it is you who enjoyed the nocturnal company of a real Human while I only had holograms at my disposal. And this after your unflattering descriptions of Humans as puny!"

"What we did at night made me forget that she is Human and I am Romulan."

"It was enjoyable?"

"One of the most beautiful nights I have experienced," Vreenak answered, his voice low and rough with passion. "It has been decades since I was so much in love."

"Ah!" Letant sat up and threw out his arms in an exaggerated dramatic gesture. "Finally. You admit it! There's just one problem. Well, quite a few of them. But let's start with the fact that she is married, thanks to your former employers acting as priests. Then, she is a Human-"

"You take the shape of the thoughts I would like to excise from my mind," Vreenak stated acerbically.

"On the other hand," Letant continued relentlessly, "it is obvious that the two of you are happy together and her husband not only tolerates, but also encourages the situation. Besides the fact that she is as spirited as a hundred Romulans, and I myself think highly of her."

"He tolerates the situation because he loves her and she loves him. Asha is devoted to him. She always speaks of him with affection. At the same time, she is very much her own person."

"Undoubtedly," Letant agreed. "Quite a peculiar little person, but in a most agreeable way. You know…" he leant over confidentially, "I can't imagine a more suitable mate for you than her."