"Amanda!" A voice pitched high with youth, one Amanda had thought about more often than she should have in the week or so since she'd first heard it, sounded across the playground which took up the east side of her school. Immediately her attention was pulled towards the happy chirp, with Amanda crouching down to accept the dark-headed whirlwind as he flung himself into her embrace.
"Sybok!" She should have been looking for Kavor, but all she wanted at that moment was to wrap her arms around the child and breathe him in. He smelled of sandalwood and something crisp, like rosemary or green tea.
He burrowed into her, tiny fingers grabbing at the flowy cotton fabric of her blouse and holding tight. Joy radiated through her, happiness and relief like he was a salve for a wound she hadn't even realized she'd obtained.
It didn't last long. A shadow fell across them both, stealing the heat from the declining sun, causing Amanda to frown into Sybok's soft hair. Kavor, there to claim his charge once again. Although why Amanda should feel guilty at all, she didn't know. It was his fault he'd lost control of the boy yet another time.
Resigning herself to another pleasant encounter, Amanda shared a smile with Sybok, cupping his small cheek with her hand, before she looked up at the Vulcan standing above them. However, it wasn't the Vulcan she expected. Instead of the rumpled and irritated-looking, much-older Vulcan, there stood one of the most beautiful examples of the male form, human or otherwise, that Amanda had ever seen.
He was imposing, of course, Amanda didn't think that there were Vulcans in existence who weren't imposing. But that was where the similarity ended. Robes, which had been wrinkled and subdued on Kavor were well-tailored against the Vulcan above her. The angles of the cloth were cut and sewn in a way that was sharp and sleek, playing off the broadness of his shoulders and the strong features of his face. His eyes, though, were what drew her the most, backed as they were with an all-seeing intelligence. So well paired were they against the darkness of his hair and robes, that meeting his gaze left Amanda feeling breathless.
"Amanda," Sybok chirped from somewhere tangled in her arms and drew her back to the present, "this is my sa'mekh."
"Miss Grayson." The sa'mekh, whatever the hell that was, corrected. He made a gesture with his hand as if inviting the boy to his side, to which Sybok complied immediately. "It is improper to address her in such an informal manner."
Sybok nodded, assuming the prim posture he had taken with her on that San Francisco sidewalk. "Miss Grayson." He parroted, his voice much softer and reserved, the rugrat fading away into the polished Vulcan child once more.
"I don't mind." Rising, she ran her hands down her shirt, this time to dry palms which had become extraordinarily sweaty in this man's presence.
"It does not serve the child to indulge him." The gorgeous Vulcan replied, his features impassive as those eyes followed her movements.
"I disagree." Why? Why was she disagreeing? "Children should be indulged as often as possible, no matter their species."
He regarded her with cool silence. She wished he would say something because the longer they remained unspeaking she would just continue to look at him and marvel at just how insanely appealing he was. She'd met beautiful men before, even dated a handful of them, yet she had never found herself tongue-tied. Maybe it was his alienness. Maybe there was something about Vulcans that made them almost hypnotic to humans.
Except Kavor had in no way prompted this sort of reaction in her. Maybe she just needed to go out on a date, it had been ages since she'd so much as gone out for drinks. That had to be it.
"It is difficult to discern the needs of other species when you lack experience with them." He looked to the busy schoolyard, where parents were gathering their children at the end of the day. "Unless you instruct more than Humans in this establishment."
"No." Amanda felt sheepish, although he was only calling her on the considerations she'd already had. Still, it would take much more than black-and-white logic to ever convince her that children needed such rigidity in their lives. "Although I would like to." Shrugging off that insecurity, Amanda leaned into the comfort of her passion. "It seems like a lot of conflict could be avoided if we educated all children together."
He nodded, bringing his attention to rest on her once more. "A theory which has been posited by several individuals. If you wish to learn more an acceptable paper has been published, Cultiv-"
Amanda held up her hand, interrupting him as a grin tugged at her lips. "My paper." She moved to tuck a strand of escaping hair behind her ear as pride swelled in her belly. "Cultivating Cross-Species Harmony: A Comprehensive Approach to Fostering Diversity in Early Education Environments."
His brow furrowed as he tilted his head before his lips pursed ever so slightly. "You are correct, the lead author was A. Grayson." Another moment of silence as he observed her, "That research was funded by the Daystrom Institute. Teaching at this …" he paused, looking over the grounds again, "institution appears to be an illogical choice. Even for a Human."
Laughter fell from her lips as Amanda wrinkled her nose. "I like children a lot more than I like academics. They tend to be," she paused, holding back her amusement, "stuffy." Kind of like Vulcans.
She had no doubt he got the small dig, and something seemed to zap between them as his gaze held hers. The moment, even if it was just one she had imagined, was interrupted by an impatient Sykbok who tugged on the older Vulcan's robes.
"Sa'mekh," The child whined, drawing the word out.
Looking down at the child, the unknown Vulcan raised an imperious eyebrow, prompting the boy to settle, but not without a pout.
"While impatient, my son is correct, we came here with a purpose." His voice was almost as stunning as the rest of him, deep and smooth, unhurried and full of confidence. What it must be like to live life in that manner…
"Your son?" Amanda's eyebrows were the ones to rise now, as her thoughts caught up to her hearing, her gaze moving between the boy and the full-grown version.
"Forgive me." He inclined his head in her direction, "I am Sarek." His hand moved in that fluid manner, gesturing at the child beside him. "My son is new to Earth and…"
"Wait," She held her fingers up, "Rewind. Sarek, like the Vulcan Ambassador?" She pulled a face, "Is that a common name on Vulcan?"
"No." A perplexed look crossed his features.
"Oh." She nodded, "That's gotta be really weird then, having the same name as the Ambassador."
"No." He began again, but Amanda kept going.
"Are you sure the Ambassador's name isn't Sarek? I was reading a treatise he wrote the other night, and I'm pretty sure it was Sarek. Unless maybe I'm pronouncing it incorrectly or the spelling is different."
"No, Miss Grayson." His tone became firmer, that depth reaching a new measure. "I am the Ambassador."
Amanda's mouth shaped into an o, but no sound came out. She'd often been interested in what the Ambassador was up to, especially since he'd been the catalyst for putting some impressive changes in place since being appointed only a year or so ago. But she'd never seen pictures of him, and always imagined him to be much, much older. Vulcans aged at such a different rate than humans, though. Still … his son was so young.
"Are you certain?" Because that was the most intelligent question she could ask at that moment.
Whelp, there went the feel-good over him having read her paper. Instead, she felt like running in the other direction because she was talking to probably one of the most important people politically on her planet, he was gorgeous, totally Vulcan married - which was more married than Human married, and she'd been poking at him (lightly) because it had been enjoyable.
"Quite." He drawled, looking entirely unimpressed.
"Forgive me, Ambassador." Was she supposed to curtsy or something? It wasn't like he was a ruler, but he negotiated between entire fucking worlds. She was going to hyperventilate or burst out laughing. "You said your visit had a purpose?" Because the only way she could manage to run away from whatever this had turned into, was for this to be over with.
If he was capable of it, and Amanda didn't know, she would have thought that a flash of disappointment flashed across his face. "Correct." His hand moved again, reaching down so that his fingertips just brushed the crown of Sybok's hair. "Kavor shared with me what you did for my son, and thus myself. I wanted to extend my gratitude for your quick action."
"Sa'mekh." This time the word was a whisper, a not-so-secret secret shared between son and father. "The box."
Those fingertips brushed over the child's hair once more, before Sarek moved to withdraw a small yet ornate box from the folds of his robe. "I also wished to replace the communicator which was broken during the incident." He extended the box to Amanda. "Sybok selected the packaging." A keen-eyed glance was spared in his son's direction. "He was very particular in his process."
Taking the box, Amanda dropped to a crouch again, turning the container over in her hands as she did so. It was made of many different types of wood, laid in intricate filagree, probably in some mathematical formation, knowing Vulcans. "This is very beautiful Sybok." She beamed a smile at him, that irrepressible joy she felt when connecting with children bubbling over all the nervousness that kept trying to push her back. "Thank you."
Sybok looked up to his father, hope written plainly on his features. There was yet another moment's pause before Sarek offered a terse nod. In an instant, Sybok was rushing across the space that separated him and Amanda, flinging himself into her embrace.
Holding him was more calming than that rush of joy. She shouldn't get so happy snuggling another woman's child, especially not the son of someone like ambassador, because of proprietary. But Sarek had given a nod, Sybok was behaving, and Amanda wasn't going to put him down until she absolutely had to.
"I would have requisitioned another." She said as she stood, resting the young Vulcan on her hip, where he'd fit perfectly only a handful of days ago. "But thank you as well, Ambassador." Sybok settled against her as he had before, resting his head against her shoulder as she drew her fingers soothingly down his back.
"I am indebted to you, Miss Grayson." He observed them, fingers flexing by his side before he tucked them into his robes. "Sybok arrived on Earth only two weeks ago." Sarek's gaze fixed on his son. "It has been a challenging adjustment."
"Kids hate it when their routines are upended." Amanda combed at Sybok's hair. "I'm sure Kavor will have him settled soon." She didn't really believe that. She didn't really like Kavor. But she liked the little boy in her arms and only wanted happiness for him. Part of her wanted to ask about Sybok's mother, but many parts of her felt that would be all sorts of not appropriate.
Silence passed, which seemed to be a thing in conversations with Vulcans, and she filled the space by rocking Sybok, who managed to melt more fully against her.
"If there is ever anything I, or my office, can do for you." His voice sounded rough, no not rough, maybe heavy was the more accurate term for it. He couldn't seem to rip his gaze from his child, and Amanda wondered what that was about. Had he never witnessed a calm, almost snoozing five-year-old? It was the end of the day. Vulcans probably needed naps, right? Hell, she was the one who needed a nap.
"I don't think I'll ever need a favor from an ambassador." She laughed, keeping her tone soft so as to not disturb the boy.
"It is not a time-sensitive offer."
"Oh!" She said, suddenly, causing Sybok to jolt up and frown in her direction. "Oh, I have a great idea. Can I bring my class to the embassy?"
Any pensiveness that had just been seeping from the Ambassador was closed off like a light being extinguished. "Your class?"
"The children would love it. The embassy is right down the road and they make up all sorts of stories about the stuff that happens in there. If they could just see what goes on inside, and see Vulcans and Humans working together, it could become a place of interest, rather than fodder for scary stories." Her excitement was palpable, but not so much that it continued to bother Sybok, who settled back against her.
"You wish to bring Human children to the Vulcan Embassy?" There was an air of incredulousness to his words.
"Yeah. Like a field trip. Do they do those on Vulcan?" Amanda didn't care that he was incredulous, in fact, she kind of expected it. When had children ever been brought into a space where serious Vulcans were doing serious work? She took her classes to all sorts of places, they wouldn't be perfect, but she trusted them to behave enough.
"Our learning is structured in a very different manner." He was back to looking at his son, furrow forming between his brows.
"Oh, well." She hummed a little, "They're pretty common here. I take the children places to show them more than just PADDs and displays. We go to the zoo, the aquarium, Starfleet Acadmey, although they have a whole week geared towards school children, and various governmental institutions. I have always felt that experience is the best way to learn."
"Perhaps." Sarek tore his gaze from his child, now furrowing his brow in Amanda's direction.
Uncertainty surged through her. "Do you want him?" She shifted to hand Sybok over, but the Ambassador held up a stalling hand.
"No." The idea was apparently such a distasteful one that he took a step back. "There is no valid reason for him to be held."
"I dunno," she nuzzled in against soft, dark hair. "It seems like he could use a good snuggle."
"Vulcan children are not snuggled." She had a vision, a fleeting one, of this beautiful yet cold man, cradling his child. How could a parent choose to miss that connection?
"You should give it a try sometime." Amanda smiled, her cheek still pressed against Sybok's hair. "That and some vigorous exercise might calm this one down a little bit."
Why she was giving parenting advice to someone who, again, managed the politics of entire worlds, Amanda had no idea. It wasn't even like she was a parent herself. But surely her experience with her classes counted for something.
"I do not anticipate a positive outcome." At first, Amanda thought he was talking about snuggling Sybok, but then realization dawned he was back on the subject of the field trip. "However, I will have my aide reach out to you to coordinate this outing."
It had been a spur-of-the-moment thought when she'd brought it up, as were most things that Amanda did, but she didn't actually think he'd agree to it. She couldn't help but dance a little bit, holding Sybok closely. "Fantastic. Thank you so much."
"Wait until the visit is over before you decide if thanks is appropriate." Another Vulcan she'd failed to notice materialized from Amanda's peripheral vision, signaling to the Ambassador with a nod. "It appears that I am needed elsewhere."
Sighing, and not knowing if she would ever get a chance to hold Sybok close again, Amanda squeezed him tight. "Remember," she whispered into his ear, "mind Kavor and don't run into anymore roads, okay?" He nodded vigorously, tiny fingers clinging to her blouse until the moment she set him on the ground.
Then, like magic, the child morphed into a mini-Vulcan, falling into step at his father's side.
"Until we meet again, Miss Grayson." Her heart fluttered in that. He just meant at the embassy, but it caused a catch within her.
"Until then Ambassador." She inclined her head, feeling silly the second that she did it, but using the movement to smile at Sykbok. "And you too, little one."
Just like the week prior, Amanda watched them walk away. Unlike before, Sybok did not look back, instead doing his best to mimic the measured gliding that the older Vulcans had apparently mastered.
Would it be weird if she looked Sarek up? There had to be a biography somewhere. Maybe something about a wife…