Disclaimer: See Chapter 1. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed. You really make my day, and I've seen lots of great ideas in the comments. Thanks again.

I slept badly that night. My dreams were nothing but darkness and grief, visions of Soval dying over and over again, or being taken away, or of my dad dying alongside his friend. I woke before the dawn, my heart racing from the last nightmare I had witnessed, in which I relived the events of Soval's press conference. Even though my eyes felt like lead and I wanted to go back to sleep, I knew I wouldn't be finding rest again for several hours.

So I rose from my makeshift bed and returned to my chair, and I set up vigil by my roommate as he slept the early morning hours away. In the dark, I couldn't see his chest rise and fall, but the room was quiet enough that I could hear him breathing. I debated whether or not touching him was warranted, and in the end I decided to do it, for my own selfish need for comfort. I reached out and brushed his exposed wrist with my fingertips.

His skin was warm against mine, his arm hairs tickling my palm as I gently enclosed my fingers around him. He shifted in his sleep, a soft sigh escaping his lips, and as my thumb swept lightly over the back of his hand, I thought I saw a small smile on his face. It was hard to see in the dark, but even then I could see he had shifted to face me, his eyes still closed, still fast asleep. But it seemed he might be aware of me even so; he murmured something in his sleep, but did not wake.

And so I passed the pre-dawn hours in silence, holding Soval's wrist and caressing him in the dark. It wasn't until the sun barely cracked the horizon and the sky was awash in gray that his eyes opened. He stared at the ceiling for a few moments before his eyes found my hand on his arm. I quickly retracted my touch, staring down at my bare feet in shame. He sighed.

"That felt pleasant," he whispered, and I felt his warm fingers trail down my arm. I raised my gaze back up to meet his, and he didn't look perturbed at my intrusive touch. His eyes almost gleamed as he took me in, but then he frowned. "Were you there all night? I thought you had gone to sleep."

I shrugged. "I just got up a little earlier, that's all." I leaned closer. "How are you this morning? Feeling better?"

He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, his brow furrowing. "I am healing, and that is what matters. The doctor will come soon to administer more of my medication."

My stomach growled, and I looked down at my abdomen, ashamed that he could hear that. His eyes opened, but he smirked in apparent amusement.

"If my memory is accurate, unless you ate something before my press conference while I was gone, you have not eaten since midmeal yesterday. When the doctor comes, I will have him fetch you something to eat."

"Thanks...sorry."

"There is no need to apologize," he said firmly. "It is still my duty to take care of you, and in our haste to see to my injuries last night, we did not think to feed you. An oversight on our part, and completely unacceptable."

"It was completely understandable," I countered. "You are far more important than my dinner."

His gaze softened, and he reached for me, his fingers lightly tracing my cheek. I fought to keep my eyes open. "Were your dreams pleasant last night?" he whispered, and I sighed, choosing not to answer. He frowned again.

"Genevieve?"

"They were just dreams." I forced a smile on my face and dared to smooth down his hair. He smirked, his fingers trailing back up my face.

"It pains me to see you unhappy," he whispered, and his hand cupped my face. "I wish for you to be content here. Your smile is too pleasant a sight to see so rarely."

My smile became genuine, and I sighed, longing to lean into his hand. "Thank you, you're so sweet," I replied, and he raised an eyebrow. He almost looked as if he were gloating, but over what I couldn't tell. Then he slowly withdrew his touch and settled back into the pillows, and only then did I notice Avarak striding towards us, medical supplies in hand. He spoke to his patient for a little while in Vulcan as he administered a few hyposprays and changed the IV bags. All the while, Soval's gaze crept back to me, as if checking to see if I was still beside him.

"Avarak," he said as the doctor made to leave. "Please call for some breakfast for her. She has not eaten since midday yesterday."

The doctor bowed and rushed off to make that order, and I leaned back in my chair. He closed his eyes and reached up to rub his chin, and I finally noticed the five o'clock shadow on his face had grown darker overnight. He caught me staring, his dark brown eyes glimmering with what looked like amusement as he asked me why I was so focused on him.

"You haven't shaved," I said with a grin. "So now I'm trying to imagine you with a beard."

His eyes narrowed, but other than that, he hardly looked annoyed. "As I have already told you, it is...out of fashion to wear a beard in Vulcan culture. Not only is it uncomfortable in the high temperatures of our homeworld, it is more trouble than it is worth to most. Sorak can fetch my shaving kit and I will attend to my facial hair later."

"Well..." I sighed. "I gotta say...as interesting as it is to see you with the stubble, I think you look better just clean-shaven. It's too weird to see you with the scruff. I don't know why, it's just...not right."

Clever fingers explored the offending scruff once more, and the look in his eye turned pensive. "Considering I have maintained a clean-shaven visage in all my time on Earth, I do not think it would be wise at this juncture to introduce something as unexpected as facial hair. For one thing, I do not believe your...paparazzi...could stand such a motion."

"They would have a field day!" I agreed with a grin. "I can see the headlines now..." I leaned back in my chair, that stupid grin still plastered across my face, and I watched him drag his hand away from his face, to lay it gently on his upper abdomen. His left hand joined its twin, his fingers intertwining into that pose I had seen so many times: forefingers and thumbs extended and touching, the remaining digits folded down. He pressed his forefingers together, his eyes sliding closed, and I watched in fascination as he took several deep breaths, his chest rising and falling with the movement.

"Your breakfast should be here momentarily," he said, breaking the silence that had fallen between us. He kept his eyes closed, and I continued to watch him as he breathed deeply, his expression relaxing to a pointedly neutral expression. My gaze wandered over his hands, taking in the callouses on his fingers and the arm hair that extended almost to the back of his wrist. His fingernails were trimmed neatly, each one exactly the same length and cut in a perfect subtle arc. I could spy no dirt under his nails, nor hint of scars.

My contemplation was broken with the arrival of my breakfast, and I dug in immediately, too hungry and tired to care about what I looked like scarfing down my meal. Soval watched me all the while, and I tried my hardest to ignore him.

When I was done, an aide came and took my dishes, and I thanked him quietly. Soval watched him as well, his eyes narrowed in apparent distrust as the young man retreated.

"You alright there?" I asked, and he tore his gaze from the young man's back and focused on me again. He simply nodded and settled back into the pillows.

I heard footsteps behind me, and turned around to see Timok rushing towards the bed, a displeased expression on his face.

"Genevieve, I did not think you would be awake this early," he groused, putting a hand on my shoulder. "How long have you been up?"

"Oh, two hours maybe?" I said, shrugging. "And how are you this morning, old man?"

Timok frowned. "Two hours?" His eyes fell on the ambassador. "And in that time, you did not think to call me?"

"Why should I?" Soval replied with a raised eyebrow. "You require rest, my friend. There was no need to worry. I have not harmed the girl, if that's what you are thinking."

The old man sighed and fetched a chair. "You still should have called me."

"You underestimate Avarak's skill and sense of decorum," the ambassador replied stiffly. "You have nothing to be concerned about, honored elder. You are needed elsewhere. Tos and Sorak require your wisdom and assistance to run the Consulate in my absence."

He sighed again, and stayed put for another thirty minutes, watching our interactions very carefully. Soval seemed to be holding back on touching me, and spoke to me courteously, nothing out of the ordinary. I played along, following his pleasant conversation until Timok was satisfied.

"I will be back down around midday to check on you," he promised, standing. "You will be respectful towards her, or I will remove her from your presence and you will heal on your own in confinement."

Soval narrowed his eyes at the elder Vulcan, but conceded with a nod. Once Timok had closed the door behind him, the doctor approached us and adjusted the settings on the scanner. And once he was gone, a medical aide came by to ask me if I needed anything, but I declined and leaned back in my chair.

He wandered away, working on a scanner several beds away, but still within earshot for a Vulcan. Soval didn't seem very pleased with this arrangement, but he sighed and relaxed back into his pillow.

"You know I would never hurt you," he said after a spell of silence. He looked at me with dark eyes. "Timok believes I will, but I assure you, I never would."

"I know," I replied with a soft smile, patting his arm. "So...um...what do you want to do to pass the time? Do you just want to talk, or...do you want me to read to you?"

"It would be pleasant to hear you read to me. I would prefer that."

I shrugged and pulled out The Hobbit from underneath his biobed, and he leaned back into the pillows, closing his eyes in satisfaction. With a deep breath, I started reading to him, checking several times to make sure he hadn't fallen asleep on me.

So we whittled the day away, him relaxing, me reading, with the occasional check-up from Avarak or the medical aide. The latter brought me lunch around midday, and noon saw Timok's return. He seemed satisfied that Soval had kept his hands to himself this time, and after a few minutes, he left again, leaving me to enjoy my lunch in peace.

By 1400, I was yawning, and it was getting hard to concentrate on the words on the page. An olive hand gently took the book away from me, setting it on the bedside table.

His fingers completely encircled my wrist, almost holding my hand, but not quite. "You should rest," he told me, his voice as gentle as his grip. "You woke too early and must make up for that now. Remember, you are still my responsibility, and I will not have you dropping from exhaustion, no matter if I am incapacitated or injured. Please, rest for a while, Genevieve."

I nodded, stretching my arms above my head as I stood from my chair. I was almost done when I felt a warm finger trace a line from the top of my stomach to the hem of my shorts. My arms abruptly fell to my sides, my shirt falling with it, and Soval withdrew his hand, looking up at me with dark eyes.

I was silent for a moment, as I couldn't think of anything to say, but then I sighed and patted his shoulder. "I'm going to take a nap now," I said awkwardly, then retreated to my bed.

I could feel his eyes on me even as I huddled under the covers, the ghost of his touch still lingering on my skin. Maybe Timok was right and I was way in over my head, or maybe by the time the medicine wore off and he could manage his pain on his own, he would forget all of this ever happened and things could return to normal. He certainly wouldn't be hearing of this again from me.

I closed my eyes, pushing all these thoughts away, and I finally gave in to exhaustion.

…

When I woke, it was already getting dark outside, and my stomach was growling in hunger. I squeezed my bleary eyes shut a few times, trying to clear them, and I turned to the right to see if Soval was awake.

He lay still on the biobed, the gentle pulse of the monitor above him a twinkling reminder of his breathing. I watched his chest rise and fall several times, and slowly, carefully sat up and got out of bed, trying my hardest not to wake him.

"Do not concern yourself," Avarak said as he passed by the biobed. "He won't be waking for a some time. I made sure of that."

I must have looked concerned anyway, because the doctor raised his eyebrows. "He needs to sleep, Ms. Forrest. It will aide in his recovery."

I stared at the sleeping man before me, tracing my gaze over the lines carved into his face. "How long will he be asleep, you think?"

"Another hour at the very least. You have time now if you have things you must attend to, before he wakes and demands your attention again."

I sighed, brushing my greasy hair out of my face. "I need a shower...and I need clean clothes...if I brought a suitcase down here, would that get in the way of anything, or...?"

"No," Avarak said gently. "You may bring a suitcase down. There is a bathroom here, if you wish to use it. Perhaps it would be wiser for you to take your shower here, so you are close at hand when he wakes. He will wonder where you have gone." He glanced over at Soval's sleeping form. "Would you like for me to call Timok and have him escort you?"

I shook my head. "No, thank you, I'd rather have a few moments to myself. If he wakes up before I'm back, please tell him I'll be down as soon as I can, ok?"

The doctor bowed his head, and I quickly exited the infirmary, taking my bag with me. It was only when I entered the empty turbolift that I dared to relax, leaning heavily against the wall. The last day and a half had gone by in such a blur; I hardly remembered what had occurred before the press conference. Had we made plans for dinner? Was there anything I was supposed to go to? Did I have any meetings scheduled?

I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the wall of the lift. The most important thing now was getting Soval back to full health. Everything else could wait.

I thought I might have the turbolift to myself the entire ride, but unfortunately, a group of three men joined me on the second floor. They hesitated at first, but then filed in silently one by one, and stood on the other side of the turbolift from me, giving me space.

The lift resumed its course, and I stared blankly at the wall, hoping my smell wasn't offending them too much.

"T'Sai?" one said, and I turned to him, frowning. He raised an eyebrow. "Are you quite all right?"

I gave him a weary smile and sighed. "I'll be alright. Just tired, is all. And in desperate need of a shower."

The three of them exchanged glances, and I fought the flush crawling up my cheeks as I turned my eyes back to the wall. Sometimes I wondered if I would ever learn to just keep my mouth shut.

We didn't say anything more to each other, and two of them departed on the fourth floor, leaving me alone with the tallest one, a middle-aged man with silvering hair and piercing gray eyes.

"Is the ambassador faring well?" he asked, and I shrugged.

"He's doing better, I suppose...but he's got a ways to go before he's back on his feet. He's alive and has very little chance of complications, so...all in all, could we really ask for anything better? Considering what he's gone through?"

"I suppose we are fortunate that he is still with us," the man admitted. "After all, it would not be fortuitous to have a new ambassador come to Earth at this time."

"What, with the new programs and all that?" I chose not to bring up the fact that this man didn't seem to care one way or another if his kinsman died, but he and the ambassador most likely didn't interact very much, if at all, and for most people in this Consulate, I supposed most just viewed it as a job.

"Yes. A change from the familiar at this juncture would be most unwise. Your people are used to Ambassador Soval, so to have him die at their hands, and in the middle of such a transformative program..."

The doors opened, and I exited first at his silent behest. We continued walking together towards the ambassador's quarters, as I wasn't keen on this conversation ending just yet.

"Well, it won't come to that. But..." I glanced over at him, and he raised a dark eyebrow. "What do you mean by transformative?"

"We have languished in ignorance for far too long, Ms. Forrest," he replied smoothly. "The more we understand about one another, the greater our alliance will become. And together, we can achieve great things. We have isolated ourselves for too long. Instead, we must reach a better understanding with your people. It is the best way forward."

I frowned at him, but he remained as stoic as ever. "So," I said after a moment, just as we reached my door. "What brought on this change of heart? Not to insult your people or anything, but it seems rather...uncharacteristic of you to suddenly want to be closer to us. With our differing opinions on emotions, and our reckless behavior...why now?"

"If you would care to have tea with me, I could explain everything," he said, and my frown deepened.

Timok and Soval had been adamant that I not fraternize with the staff, and even if that rule wasn't in place, I still had to shower and pack some clothes. And the clock was against me on this.

"Sorry, perhaps some other time," I said with an apologetic smile. "I really need to get back to the infirmary as soon as possible."

"As you wish, T'Sai." He bowed slightly to me, and took a step back. "I hope your day is pleasant."

"Thank you, and you too, Mr...?"

"My name is Novar," he replied, his voice nearly a purr. "Good day, Ms. Forrest."

"Have a good evening, Mr. Novar." He nodded and made off towards his rooms, and I ducked into my shared quarters, quickly shoving clothes and spare toiletries into a bag. I had wasted time talking to Novar, and I needed to get back to Soval before he woke up. Unfortunately, that meant once again inflicting my scent upon the Consulate, but maybe this time I could have the turbolift to myself.

As I zipped up my bag, my thoughts turned back to Novar, and his words. If you would care to have tea with me, I could explain everything. I knew deep down that there had to be some hidden reason why the Vulcans were suddenly so keen on strengthening our alliance, and Novar had just perhaps confirmed that belief. What more was there to explain unless the Vulcans were hiding something?

But more than this...he had invited me to tea, presumably in his quarters, and to be alone with a stranger just to get answers to my questions...was it worth it? If ever he asked again, should I take him up on the offer so I might satisfy my own curiosity? And why invite me to tea? Why not tell me the answer then and there? Was it so dark and unspeakable that any mention of it could only be made behind closed doors? What were the Vulcans hiding?

I sighed and shook my head; I wouldn't know that answer any time soon, and I was wasting time musing up here when Soval would surely be waking soon.

I didn't see anyone else on the way down, and the ambassador was still asleep by the time I returned. As Avarak tended to my roommate, I set my things on my biobed and made for the bathroom, toiletries in hand.

"Genevieve?"

I turned just as I got to the foot of his bed, and I saw him attempting to sit up, his expression dark, almost accusatory. I walked back to face him, and the doctor gently pushed him back down into the pillows and prepared more medication.

"Where are you going?" Soval asked. I held up the toiletries I was carrying.

"I need to shower and wash my hair. I'll be right in there," I pointed to the bathroom door, "if you need anything, ok? I won't be long."

He relaxed and nodded. "Do not dawdle. Dinner will be served shortly, and you need to eat."

"I know," I said, just as my stomach grumbled again, as if it could hear and understand our conversation. "I won't be long."

He nodded again, his eyes still on me as I rushed into the bathroom, and I swore I could still feel his gaze on my skin even with the door closed.