Disclaimer: See Chapter 1. Thank you so much to xxxkris44, wolfen281, 2redbird, dinopoodle, Laura 2468, Icybay611, escape5, and the anon reviewer for reviewing!

A/N: Why do all of you (except dino) have numbers in your names? Also, sorry for the late update, guys. I got busy doing some personal stuff yesterday and forgot it was Monday. :P Here you go.

At our table were the two senators' wives who were previously in our way, their husbands, and another high-society woman named Pollyanna Mackleroy, and as she was seated next to me (placing me between her and Soval), she decided to adopt me as her conversation partner for the evening. I would have been fine with nodding my head to her drabble and eating as I did so, but Ms. Mackleroy decided to inundate me with rapid-fire questions about anything and everything. What was my opinion on this new exchange program? How did I like my roommate? Were the other occupants of the Consulate friendly? What was my stance on the Vulcans' presence anyway? I scarcely had time to breathe, let alone eat, and it seemed Soval was attune to my distress and distracted Ms. Mackleroy with a question of his own so I could shovel a few bites of chowder into my mouth.

"And how are you finding this exchange, ambassador?" Ms. Mackleroy asked in her flowery voice. "Is it satisfactory?"

"It is...interesting, and not what I expected. But Ms. Forrest and I cooperate with each other, and we seem to be able to tolerate our circumstances."

"Barely," I muttered with a playful wink at our talkative companion. She giggled, an annoying titter like a bird right outside the window at five in the morning. But I smiled as she tittered away, glad someone found me charming and amusing (and didn't seem to be faking it), and then I took the opportunity to eat more of my chowder. I finished the rest of the small bowl in two bites, just in time for the second course to be laid before me.

And so we steadily ate our way through four more courses, and I did notice that the servers placed vegetable dish after vegetable dish in front of the ambassador, as opposed to the beef brisket and lamb stew the rest of us were served. The food was delicious, but I would have enjoyed it better had Ms. Mackleroy not chosen to seat herself next to me. Soval and I silently agreed on a strategy, as one of us would engage the middle-aged woman while the other ate, and then switch, and thankfully my lamb stew was just as good lukewarm as piping hot.

I ended up pleasantly full, but I wondered why Soval hadn't received any chocolate cake for dessert. He instead dug into a bowl of fruit; perhaps he simply didn't like desserts. I knew my brother didn't especially like sweets, and I reminded myself to ask the Vulcan about it when Ms. Mackleroy went away.

But unfortunately, she didn't leave our table when the meal was over and everyone began switching tables and mingling again. The servers poured champagne and even brought out expensive liquor for the guests to sip at, but I stuck to water and stayed in my seat, in between Ms. Mackleroy and Soval.

"I remember when you were first instated to this world, ambassador. I was very young, but I remember. I'd never seen a Vulcan before, much less an alien, and I must say, you were not at all what I was expecting." She tittered into her champagne, and I raised a private eyebrow at Soval, who looked rather exhausted.

"What were you expecting, my dear? Green skin and antennae?" said a familiar voice.

"Oh, Silas!" the poor woman exclaimed, turning around to face our host. "I was...well, I was very young! That was years and years ago."

I knew Ms. Mackleroy had to be at least in her forties, and if Soval had arrived about thirty years ago, then she would have been a teenager. I decided to forgive her for that.

"Senator, she's right! Personally, I find it hard to believe that you were even born then." I noted with pleasure that she smiled at me, and I winked in return.

The senator laughed. "Ambassador, you must bring her again in December to the Gala!"

"If her schedule permits it, and if she is agreeable to the notion, I will bring her again."

"Please do," he said, smiling at me. "You're not the only one who enjoys her presence. Now, Ms. Mackleroy, I did have something to ask you...if you would?"

He held out his elbow for her to take, and she immediately stood and accepted his escort. He led her off to a group of male senators, winking over his shoulder at us as he walked away.

Soval sighed, and I sighed in solidarity. "Have you met her before? Is she always like that?"

He nodded and ran his finger absentmindedly around the base of his wineglass (filled with ice-cold water, like mine). "But she is charmed by you."

"My parents taught me how to be charming. It's not to hard to start, it's keeping it up that's the hard part. Dad has to do this a lot...you make the person you want to charm feel important. Humans love to feel important. I'm sure you knew this already, but Ms. Mackleroy is a good example. She seems like a very sweet lady at heart, but you did notice that she hardly gave me any time to eat."

"Yes, that was very rude of her," he replied. "I am...pleased you caught on to my plan to rescue you from her interrogation."

"I wouldn't call it rude, per say...more like ignorant. She was so caught up in finding out why you brought me here that she forgot it was dinnertime."

"She seemed genuinely interested in you."

I nodded. "Yes, she was...because she wants to know what kind of woman you brought to this occasion. Forgive me if this offends you, but you don't seem the type of man to bring a woman to these events. From what the senator said, you usually come alone, or with an aide. Am I wrong?"

He blinked slowly, raising an eyebrow at me. "You are the first woman I've brought to an event like this...or at least a woman who was not my aide at the time. And even then, when she accompanied me, it was usually with several other aides. I have never brought one woman to these dinners, and never a human."

For a few seconds, I felt unreasonably pleased with myself, before a strange sort of terror gripped me. I swallowed and smiled softly, deciding to drive home my point.

"So it's no wonder they want to know who I am. What kind of woman gets to be the first female companion to the famous Ambassador Soval?"

"Infamous, perhaps...did you enjoy your meal?"

"Oh, yes, it was very good." I snapped my fingers, remembering what I had wanted to ask him. "So...you don't like chocolate cake? Do you not like dessert?"

He raised a wry eyebrow. "I'm sure you find that ludicrous."

"Not really. Max doesn't like cake either. Or really any dessert, for that matter."

Soval's eyebrow rose towards his hairline. "Interesting...in any case, I prefer fruit. Vulcans are not as good as humans when it comes to processing that much sugar. It does not do well for us."

"It doesn't do well for humans either, but occasional indulgences never hurt anyone. However, I haven't had dessert since I moved to the Consulate, and I do admit freely that it's done wonders for me."

He seemed to brighten. "In what way?"

"Everything you cook is nutritious. I may not always like you, but I've never turned down anything you cook. And to get away from you, I have to go run a few miles. So win-win for me. I guess win-win for you to, having some peace and quiet." I winked. "What I'm saying is that I'm probably the healthiest that I've been in years, living with you. I do appreciate your healthy habits."

Despite my ham-handed attempt at humor, and my compliment to his lifestyle, he sighed. "One day, I hope you will realize that I do not find your company intolerable, Ms. Forrest."

"I think you can be quite the companion when you try," I assured him. "I was joking...I know we've come to at least tolerate each other, which is a good start, wouldn't you say?"

"Yes, it is a start."

I smiled brightly at him and leaned forward, giving him three very light pats on his knee. He looked down at my hand as if he couldn't quite believe I was touching him, and I quickly withdrew my hand to rest in my lap. "I can't tell you how happy I am that we've come to that understanding, ambassador," I murmured, keeping my voice low, our exchange private. "I'd rather be your friend than a pain in your neck. I'd rather we get along."

"You were never a pain in my neck. That is illogical...but I understand your colloquialism," he stated before I could protest. "You were never a pain." His eyes seemed to soften, and I smiled in relief. Well, at least I wasn't a nuisance.

"I am not a pain to you, am I?" he asked tentatively. I snorted with laughter, smiling gleefully at him.

"Oh, my dear ambassador...you're insufferable sometimes, but you're not a pain." I leaned further forward. "I hope you realize that although we have our differences, it doesn't mean we can't cooperate. Don't you agree?"

His eyes brightened. "We have differences. May we, together, become greater than the sum of our parts," he breathed, and I smiled.

"Exactly."

He looked immensely pleased with himself and leaned back in his chair, and I followed suit, taking a long drink of my water. I raised my glass to him.

"Here's to mutual understanding, ambassador."

He raised his own glass, and I took another drink, smirking at him over the rim.

We stayed at the dinner for another forty-five minutes, which mostly consisted of Soval mingling with the other guests, schmoozing, as Dad called it. Apparently, Vulcan had given Earth's science institutes some new technology to play with, and the big brass were thanking Soval profusely for his planet's generosity.

"This is a time of change for Vulcan," the ambassador explained, I guess as a way of saying 'you're welcome'. "New policies are being pushed by the High Command, and Earth will benefit from some of them."

As the admirals expounded upon the new and wonderful things Earth would be doing with Vulcan's gift, I excused myself to go to the restroom, and McCabe flagged down his butler to show me to the nearest bathroom in the expansive mansion. Luckily, there was one just down the hallway from the back door, and I thanked the man for guiding me before slipping inside.

On my way back, I slowed my pace a bit, admiring the rich furnishings around me. A door was ajar up ahead on my left, the last door before the back entrance. A little shaft of light cut the dark carpeted floor, and I heard a quiet conversation, not whispered, but separate from the party. Obviously, the two men in the room on the left wanted privacy, and I tried to hurry past.

"–50 million credits, and more to come, the donor says," one said, a man with a deep, rich voice. His companion whistled in amazement, and I kept on, trying to ignore their conversation.

"The oddest part," this voice continued, "I asked Shelby to run a Level 5 security scan on the transmission...didn't want this to be some kid in a basement trying to hack us." The other man snorted derisively. "The oddest part is that the transmission came from off-world."

Suddenly I found myself slowing and taking one step back towards the door, putting my hand up against the wall so I could adjust my heels.

"Off-world?" the second man repeated. I pricked my ears. "Did Shelby say exactly where?"

"The bigger and better brass assure me its from legitimate sources, but they won't say exactly where. The donor wishes to remain anonymous. So 50 million credits towards infrastructure and educational grants, courtesy of who-knows-who."

"Here's to who-knows-who...and here's hoping this isn't a hoax." The two clinked their glasses, and I blinked, then hurried back to the gathering outdoors.

I felt bad for eavesdropping, but it wasn't as if that information was extremely confidential. I hadn't overheard a plot to kill anyone, or declare war with another planet...it was just some generous donor out in the big wide galaxy giving some money to Earth. But then...that didn't sound right. Who in the blue blazes would simply dump a bunch of money into Earth's government, who wasn't from Earth themselves? The way those two had spoken, I suspected it wasn't some colonist who struck it rich, or a wealthy merchant giving back to his people. No...an alien world, or some alien individual had given Earth that money...but why?

Denobulans were almost infamous for their cheerful, buoyant personalities, but why would they simply throw money at my homeworld? The Confederacy of Centauri Alpha? Highly unlikely. And a potential enemy would never just fork over money towards Earth's infrastructure and education.

Vulcan was the only other option I could think of, and I stared thoughtfully at the back of Soval's head as he continued his conversation with the science senator (their discussion had turned to matters I had no experience with, so I zoned out in favor of my own thoughts). Vulcan had gifted Earth with technology and some superior medicines, and a mysterious donor had given Earth's government 50 million credits towards infrastructure and education. Were these one in the same? Come to think of it, this exchange seemed far too buddy-buddy for the Vulcan High Command, and yet at least 500 humans had been shipped off to Vulcan to participate in the program, or at least that's what my dad had reported.

So why the sudden friendliness with Earth? This seemed so unusual for Vulcan, so out of left field that there had to be ulterior motive. Or maybe the Vulcans were more alien than we thought, and we had passed some "friendship test" of theirs, so now we were worthy of their companionship (and their technology and medicine). I didn't have the answers, and I knew Soval wouldn't be giving me any answers either.

I pushed these questions to the back of mind as Soval turned to acknowledge me, and he sighed, glancing out over the heads of the crowd, perhaps searching for someone he had missed.

"I believe I have socialized enough," he murmured to me. "Are you ready to leave?"

"Whenever you are."

He nodded. "Then let us depart."

We made the rounds one last time, saying goodbye to everyone, and Senator McCabe walked us to the front door.

"It was such a pleasure to have both of you here," he said with a smile. "I do hope you bring her back to the Gala in December, ambassador. There will be more people there who will want to make her acquaintance."

"As I have said, if her schedule permits it and she is willing, I will bring her. Good evening, senator, and thank you for the meal."

"It was delicious," I chimed in with a lazy smile. It was getting late and I was dying to get out of my heels. "My compliments to the chef."

The tedium of parting was cut short by another pair who were bowing out early, and McCabe kissed my hand one last time before turning to the other guests, allowing us leave to depart.

The night air made me shiver, and I stared up at the clear sky above McCabe's mansion, or at least what few stars I could see. The lights of the San Francisco Metropolitan area made most of the horizon glow orange, leaving little room for distant suns to shine through the atmosphere. Soval seemed to note my gaze and stared up at the sky with me, perhaps confused as to why I was taking a sudden interest in the heavens.

As we walked towards the end of the drive where a Vulcan aircar was waiting for us, I contemplated the information buzzing in my brain, made all the more surreal by the cold wind and the silent stars above us. It struck me then how strange and out-of-place I felt walking away from that mansion, walking away from my first outing as a companion to a dignitary, as a companion to anyone. And yet it was all so real, as present as the strong breeze that whipped past my reddening cheeks, and I sighed, turning to my bemused comrade.

"How did I do?" I asked, confident I was out of earshot of the couple who had just left McCabe's presence.

"You did well." He opened the door for me and gestured for me to enter first, and then slid in behind me. The chauffeur lifted us off as soon as the door was shut. "Though I'm sure you knew that."

"Never hurts to ask. Was it worth it bringing me along?"

"What do you mean?"

I flashed him a mischievous smile. "Did I relieve the tedium of fraternizing with all those uppercrust?"

"You did," he assured me. "I've half a mind to do as the senator suggests and bring you to the Gala in December."

"When is it?"

"It usually falls around the second weekend of the month."

I tried to bring up my schedule in my mind's eye. "I should be done with finals by then...we'll just have to see."

"I should warn you...the Gala is much longer and much more crowded than this gathering–"

"– I figured," I muttered. He nodded and continued.

"There is a meal, but there is also toasting and speeches and dancing. You are sure you wish to attend?"

"I'm not sure of anything. I'm just letting you know I'm not entirely adverse to the idea, if you want to take me along to relieve the tedium again. I don't know about you, but I rather enjoyed our conversation tonight."

His eyes softened. "As did I. Your presence at the Gala would..." He trailed off, clearing his throat. "As you said, we will see."

I opened my mouth to question him, but decided it was ultimately pointless, considering I didn't even know if I would be going to the Gala. We would cross that bridge when we came to it, and I leaned back in the seat as we sailed over the Bay.

"In any case...Hester will be thrilled to see the gardens...and no amount of Ms. Mackleroy's questioning is going to ruin that for me."