Spock was not used to situations where he had no idea what was going on. Or if he noticed that there was something he didn't know he would always make it a priority to learn more about it as soon as he could. But in that particular moment he could not understand how this Romulan could not know him yet.
"And you must be Carissa" this made even less sense. How could the Romulan know her, a cadet from the Academy? She seemed not very comfortable and he did not like the situation either. He found himself moving closer to her and stopped behind her chair. When she turned around there was terror in her eyes before she must have spotted him and immediately relaxed a bit. Trying to show her that she didn't need to afraid he placed his hands on the backrest of the chair before turning back to Nero, who explained that he had done research in order to know her and expressed his satisfaction about meeting her. He knew he should not have assigned her to the bridge. If he had assigned her to the biology laboratory, the Romulan would have never seen her. "Spock, there is something I would like you to see. Captain Pike, your transporter has been disabled. Don't try to resist me, the rest of your armada should be proof enough that you have no choice or chance. You will man a shuttle and come aboard the Narada for negotiations. And take Carissa with you, please" neither he nor the cadet like this announcement.
"May I point out that Cadet Wiley is only a second-year cadet at the Starfleet Academy? I doubt she will be of any use to you" Spock tried to change the Romulan's mind. Not solely because he didn't want Carissa to go on that ship or leave her out of his eyes but also because he had no idea what the Romulan wanted from her but he was certain that it couldn't be something good.
"No Spock, she is exactly who I want and I know she will be of great use" these words confirmed that he had something planned. His girlfriend tried to protest but Nero cut off the communication. Captain Pike stood up and came closer to them, only to be interrupted by Cadet Kirk who told them that they would be killed. Spock had to agree with the cadet. Pike thought for a short moment, then requested officers trained in hand-to-hand combat to accompany them. After the Captain had looked at her, Carissa slowly stood up and seemed to be struggling to keep balance so that Spock quickly stepped closer to prevent her from falling. She took hold of his upper arm and he felt her fingers digging into his skin. Had the situation been another or their relationship not a secret, he would have openly embraced her to help her calm down. Her balance was much more stable once they had walked to the turbolift and had she not been his girlfriend he would let go of her. Somehow, there he had an urge to pull her even closer and he even considered to volunteer to accompany them, seeing that he would have better chances against Romulans and was trained in combat. However, once the Captain started to explain that these officers would not accompany him but would be send to try and take out the drill that was blocking their transporter and communication signals, he knew it was his duty to stay aboard the Enterprise.
"Beam back aboard and contact Starfleet to tell them what is going on. If needs must, fall back and meet the rest of the fleet in the Laurentian system. Kirk, you're promoted to First Officer" Captain Pike said just after he had put Spock in charge of the ship. Spock had no idea what could have made the Captain name Kirk First Officer. He was only a cadet and not even allowed to be on the ship. Yet Captain Pike didn't answer his question. His glance fell to the female cadet who looked like she felt out of place and he understood why. He too would have preferred if she had been safe at another part of the ship instead of seeing her off so that she could go right onto the ship of their enemy. He inquired if they were to beam back him and Carissa once they regained transporter capabilities to which the Captain agreed. The door of the lift closed and Spock looked at it for a moment before he returned to the bridge in order to assess the damage they had suffered during the attack. His colleagues were already getting ready to monitor the three people that would take out the drill. For a moment he found himself thinking that he would prefer if Carissa was with them, despite the fact that she probably would have never dared to do such a jump.
After a few complications, such as Olsen (who had the charges) dying, the drill could finally be deactivated and Spock asked Ensign Chekov to find out what the Romulans' plan with the planet was. He knew that it could be nothing good but he would not have expected the situation to be so concerning. Once he had heard Vulcan had only minutes left he didn't think twice before he got up to save the High Council, knowing they would be in the katric ark. A moment he thought that maybe his decision wasn't solely based on logic because he knew that his parents were among them. However, it was the only way to get them out and it was imperative he saved them because they could help with preserving their culture. Of course the crew didn't like the idea when he told them that he would beam down to the planet but still obeyed. Once on the surface a strange sensation hit him but there was no time to dwell on it or look around, time was a critical factor right now. So he hurried to the katric ark where he found the individuals he was looking for.
"The planet has only seconds left. We must evacuate" after what seemed like a short while of hesitation, the others listened and started leaving the place while Spock waited for his mother, to lead her out himself. The relief of having it made outside did not last long because in the time the transporter was getting ready to beam them up, the ground underneath them gave in, making his mother fall down into the abyss in front of them. As if it would save her, Spock reached out to grab her but of course it was of no use and, as illogical as hope was, he was hoping that the transporter had still managed to lock onto her signal. But once they were back in the Enterprise's transporter room, he saw the empty spot where his mother should be. It almost took a while to sink in what it meant and he stared at the spot as if his mother would just appear there if he looked at it for a longer while. And even once he realized that his mother was gone – gone forever – he couldn't help but continue to look at the place she was supposed to be before slowly stepping down from the transporter pad, avoiding everyone's gazes. Then he heard that he was being summoned to the bridge because the Romulans were hailing them again. There was a silence in the room and ordered to bring the wounded and the Vulcans to sickbay before he strode off to the bridge, not really caring that Cadet Kirk was following him. When he saw the Romulan's face on the viewscreen he felt a flash of anger and took a deep breath to calm himself.
"Oh, hello Spock" he was greeted "You seem a little… sad" Nero chuckled and Spock didn't budge, not even sure what to say. What could he want now?
"Vulcan was a peaceful planet. Its destruction was illogical and unnecessary" only now he saw Carissa a few steps behind the Romulan and a part of him felt relief that she seemed unharmed. At the same time he wondered where the Captain was and asked Nero what he had done to him.
"Oh, not much yet. And what I do to him depends on his cooperation"
"And of what use is Cadet Wiley to you?"
"She will play a valuable role in the next part of my plan"
"What plan?" the cadet behind Spock asked, stepping closer to him "let her go, she's got nothing to do with this" Spock agreed with him.
"I would be a more valuable hostage for whatever plan you have and offer myself in exchange for Cadet Wiley" somehow he was almost surprised about the words but he meant it. All he wanted was to get her out of there. Nero corrected him, saying that she wasn't a hostage and that he would need her and only her. He couldn't even start to ponder what he meant when Kirk spoke up again, threatening the Romulan to leave the two humans alone but got interrupted.
"Will you what, Kirk?" You have no chance against me. Our technology is far more advanced than yours"
"Cadet Kirk, I ask you to refrain from interrupting the conversation or I will have you removed from the bridge"
"Didn't you want to tell them what you're planning to do? That's the reason you contacted them" Carissa said and he almost thought that she knew what this was all about and even though he wasn't sure he wanted to know he still did.
"I'm sure Spock is starting to figure it out, isn't that right?" unfortunately, he had to decline when his girlfriend took a deep breath, telling them that the Romulans wanted revenge since their planet was destroyed and now they wanted to destroy other planets too. He had to fight back a wince when the Romulan at Nero's side backhanded her in the face that she stumbled back and fell down.
"Romulus is not destroyed, you must be mistaken"
"She isn't. You let my planet die, I've lost everything. Now it is your turn to feel the same, I promise you that" there was no time for a reply because the communication ended right after he was done talking.
"Oi, what the hell does that mean?" Kirk shouted at the screen.
-oO0Oo-
Never had he contemplated that long before a log-entry but it also was one of the hardest one to make, saying that your planet had just been destroyed and with it almost every member of your species. And he might not admit it but he appreciated the fact that Captain Pike had left him instructions to meet with the rest of the fleet because a part of him was almost tempted to go after Nero's ship so he could get Carissa back. It was absolutely illogical and solely based on emotions and he knew it which was even more important that he did not follow this instinct. Which also was one of the reasons he started treating Kirk quite harsh for his comments about going after the Narada instead of heading to the Laurentian system to meet the fleet. Because inside him there still was that part that hold him to throw logic overboard once and try everything to get his girlfriend back, not even being able to imagine what he would do if he lost her too.
"We can't just go back and meet the others. By then he might have destroyed another planet. And we all know he's headed to Earth now. And he might even kill our friends until then. I'm not letting that happen"
"Then I would like to remind you that I alone will make the decision"
"Well, I will not allow us to go backwards instead of hunting Nero down!" at this Spock finally had enough and he ordered security to get him out. But of course the cadet had to make it worse by fighting them off until he could subdue him with a nerve pinch.
"Get him off this ship" after Kirk was carried off the bridge it again was silent for a short while, until Lieutenant Sulu asked what they were doing now.
"Set a course to the Laurentian system" he said and the words were harder to say than he had imagined. Aware that everyone was looking at him he sat down in the Captain's chair, wishing he could do some light meditation right now. Instead he started on the official report for Starfleet which he might use during the meeting with the other Captains because Kirk was right that there was no time to lose.
-oO0Oo-
However, events again took an unexpected turn when suddenly Cadet Kirk and a stranger had managed to beam onto the ship even though they were at warp. He had them brought to the bridge but instead of answering his question, the cadet only taunted him again and if Spock did not know any better he might have believed he was intoxicated. But still he quite soon gave up trying to inquire how they got on the ship and only wanted Kirk to stop. Granted, the cadet surely was angry after he was sent off the ship and yet his behavior was unacceptable and even though he didn't want it, Spock started to feel angry at him. And eventually, when Kirk would not stop talking about his mother and how he never loved her, he felt the emotions take over and the next thing he really knew was his father calling out his name. Only now he realized that he'd gotten into a fight with the cadet and was currently strangulating him on the helm. Slowly he let go of him and took a deep breath, taking in all facts of the situation, realizing that despite his previous beliefs the mission had indeed compromised his emotions. So all he could do was relinquish command and after reporting it the to the doctor, he left the bridge, wandering through the corridors without a destination in mind, halfway listening to Kirk's ship wide announcement. It didn't surprise him when he found himself at the entrance to the transporter room finally and after a moment of hesitation he entered, again staring at the place he had wanted to see his mother earlier.
"Speak your mind, Spock" he heard his father.
"That would be unwise"
"What is necessary is never unwise" for a moment Spock still hesitated. Not sure if he should tell his father everything. Especially about Carissa but he knew that he needed to talk to someone about it and he couldn't really talk to someone from Starfleet because no one knew of the relationship and he preferred it that way.
"I'm as conflicted as I once was as a child"
"You will always be a child of two worlds. I am grateful for this. And for you" somehow the full meaning of his father's words did not get to him in that moment
"I feel anger for the one who took mother's life. An anger I cannot control."
"I believe, as she would say, do not try to. You asked me once why I married your mother. I married her because I loved her" this was not something he had calculated with and he looked at his father properly for the first time since he came here.
"The cadet Nero took hostage…" he was searching for a fitting way to phrase it "I love her. And while I do not know how, he knows. He will hurt her and I believe it is solely because of me"
"Even though you are not in command anymore, you can still help to rescue her" of course his father was right and he knew it too. After all, now that they went after the Narada directly time was not that much of a problem anymore but instead they needed a good plan to take them down. Giving his father a glance he gave a nod of acknowledgement and thanks before making his way back to the bridge where he found the others just discussing how they were to get onto the Narada undetected.
"If Mister Sulu is able to maneuver us into position, I can beam aboard Nero's ship, steal back the black hole device, and if possible, bring back Captain Pike and Cadet Wiley" Kirk protested "Romulans and Vulcans share a common ancestry. Our cultural similarities will make it easier for me to access the ship's computer to locate the device. Also, my mother was Human, which makes Earth the only home I have left" and Carissa is important to me too and I need her safe, he thought to himself. The cadet gave a nod.
"I'm coming with you"
"I would cite regulation, but I know you will simply ignore it"
"See, we are getting to know each other." Kirk commented with a slap to his arm as he walked past him, starting to list up more details of the plan before contacting transporter room so they could get ready to beam them to the other ship and giving orders to the bridge crew. Once everyone knew what was to be done, Spock and Kirk left for the transporter room while the ship would be brought into position. Spock already got onto the transporter pad while Kirk contacted the bridge again, ordering Sulu to open fire if they had a tactical advantage.
"Okey-dokey then" Mr. Scott announced "If there's any common sense in the design of the enemy ship, I should be putting you somewhere in the cargo bay. There shouldn't be a soul in sight."
"Energize" not even a second after they had materialized on the enemy ship there already were Romulans shouting about intruders and firing at them. They exchanged a glance before taking them down with the phasers. Spock had to admit, them being here held the advantage that he would not need the computer to get the information he wanted because he could also get it from one of the Romulans. And somehow, a part of him even felt slight satisfaction at fighting the enemy like this. Once all of them were stunned, he knelt down next to one of them, melding with him. After he broke the meld and blinked, getting up again. "Do you know where it is? The black hole device?"
"And Captain Pike"
"Great. And Cadet Riley?"
"Wiley" he corrected "he did not know her location"
"Well okay. Let's find the device first and then go find Pike and her. I bet they put them both in cells or whatever they have" somehow he found himself hoping that was the case and that the Romulans left her alone instead of hurting her further. The biggest problem now seemed to find the place where the black hole device was and it took a lot of concentration to find the way that he had of course ascertained from the Romulan as well. But suddenly there was a sound. Not just any sound; one that sounded very much like Carissa. Without even hesitating, he sped up and ran in the direction the sound came from and before he even saw his girlfriend he saw the Romulan holding her. Upon getting closer he realized that he was strangling her and quietly sneaked up on them before subduing the Romulan with a nerve pinch. Carissa fell to the floor and held her neck, coughing.
"Carissa" he spoke softly, holding his hand out for her to take. Almost in surprise she looked up, choking out his name and simply stared up at him. Although he knew it probably wasn't because she was seriously injured he knelt down, embracing her tightly, not even wanting to suppress the relief he felt to see her. She leant against him, trying to get her breathing under control. "It is very pleasant to see you" she let out a little hum that he supposed was some form of agreement and he asked if she was gravely injured. Again she let out a sound instead of an answer but then spoke.
"Not that much" carefully he lifted her face to have a better look at the bruises on her face but then changed his mind and instead kissed her softly before leaning his forehead to hers. "No reason to rush things" she mumbled. He couldn't quite interpret the statement and before he could say something he heard Kirk
"Oh there you are. I thought you were crazy when you turned and darted away as if stung by… what the fuck?" only now Spock realized that showing his affection for Carissa this openly might have been a mistake but he found he didn't care. All that mattered right now was that she was alright and they got out of here. He pulled away, helping her to get to her feet.
"We ought to leave" he asked her if she could run, and then started to do so once she agreed.
"Are we gonna steal that? And what about Captain Pike?" Carissa asked when they had reached the ship that held the black hole device
"Cadet Kirk will take care of him" he explained as they entered the ship and his girlfriend remarked that the ship didn't even look Romulan. Spock, however noticed that its technology seemed more advanced than he thought and he wasn't sure if he could get it flying. But once he saw Carissa standing close to the red matter which was responsible for the black hole he stepped closer, gently pulling her away from it even though he knew that like this it was not dangerous. Of course she inquired what this red matter was and Kirk explained that it had been used to destroy Vulcan. Before anyone could say something else the computer must have switched on
"Voice print and face recognition analysis enabled. Welcome back, Ambassador Spock"
"Okayyyy?!" Carissa said with a glance at him and even Kirk commented it being weird. Spock started to have an idea what was going on, given the fact that Nero was from the future and seemed to want revenge on him and when the computer said to have been manufactured on Stardate 2387 he knew his assumption that his future self was the reason Nero now wanted revenge on him was confirmed. He went after the Acting Captain
"It appears that you have been keeping important information from me"
"And what's that about you and Clarissa?" she corrected her name and Spock refused to comment on the matter because it was not relevant to the mission.
"Fine. You'll be able to fly this thing, won't you?"
"Something tells me I already have"
"Good luck" the older cadet said as he leaved but Spock held him back, telling him to take Carissa with him because her chances of survival were much higher with him. But unfortunately she refused, wanting to stay with him. While he could not deny he liked that and also didn't want her to leave again he knew that she had to go with Kirk. He tried to tell her but again she protested.
"You do know you're sending me back to the Romulans, don't you? Beside, screw chances, I'm not going anywhere!"
"You being with him would also increase Cadet Kirk's chances of survival in case he is confronted by Romulans"
"God, there are days I feel like I'm talking to a wall. Besides, when I am with them I probably have a higher chance of being harmed further so no thanks" of course he had known she would not just listen and now even Kirk was on her side, saying that obviously she wanted to stay with him and he should let her.
"This ship was designed to be administered by one person. Therefore, her presence here is unnecessary" did he only imagine it or did Carissa now look hurt?
"That's not the moment to discuss this. I can decide for myself and I'd rather die than stepping one foot onto that Romulan ship again! And you see, I might actually die with you, so guess what?" while he doubted she could be fine with dying he understood that she'd rather not go back to her captors and therefore allowed her to stay, also knowing that further discussion might be fruitless and they needed to hurry. After Kirk had left, Carissa asked what the plan was and he told her. "Oh alright" was all she had to say and fell silent while he started the ship and got it out of the Romulan one "Is there anything I can do?" she asked and he knew that she understood he was capable of doing it himself and her question probably was just out of curtesy as humans often do he still explained her that he did not need her help. "And should I… I don't know maybe prepare the red matter so that we can use it afterwards?"
"That will not be necessary" she expressed her confusion about how they would launch it at the Narada then and while he was trying to find a way to tell her that she would not 'freak out' she must have come to the realization herself and was shocked. "That is why I wanted you to go with Cadet Kirk. Because the Narada has longer than this ship does" a part of him had expected her to be worried but she just told him that knowing this wouldn't have made her change her mind and somehow the words felt good even though he surely can't have been the only reason she wanted to stay on this ship.
"And don't you even dare telling me how illogical this decision was or whatever"
"I did not plan to comment on this at all" not before he knew what he even thought about it and besides he had to deactivate the drill right now which he was achieving by firing at the cord that held it in place. "However, I cannot help but admit that a part of me feels a form of contentment due to your presence"
"I appreciate you telling me this. I know it must be hard for you to admit your feelings and talk about them" her hand went to his arm and he looked at her briefly, trying to find words to tell her that he also was glad that she was relatively unharmed and he had her back in general. But before he could say something, Nero hailed the ship.
"Spock, I should have killed you when I had the chance. But know that Carissa will be joining me at any moment and then you can watch her die" it would appear he had not yet realized she was not on the Narada anymore and Spock also didn't need him to find out but in that moment, she leant closer to him, probably that Nero could see her as well.
"I don't think so. Unfortunately for you I found out that Romulan ears are quite sensitive as well, so I managed to escape" with that the Romulan turned to his subordinates, ordering them to fire on the shop and kill them. "Bad kitty" Carissa said and while he was confused at first he then realized it was because the Romulan shared the name of her tomcat. As the first missiles were fired from the bigger ship he moved over to make some space for his girlfriend so she could better hold on for when he needed to evade. But shortly after he went to warp to meet up with the Enterprise again and draw Nero away from the planet as had been the plan. Carissa asked if he thought that Nero would even follow them
"He will. After all you managed to make him angry enough to forget about anything else. Which is our luck because he would never make the choice to follow us if it was not based on emotions like anger"
"See, it's good you took me with you so I could make him angry" she pressed a smug kiss to his face and he glanced at her, acknowledging her latest statement and that it made him feel some slight amusement too. He dropped out of warp again and once the Narada appeared he flew straight at the ship "Do you reckon he'll figure out what we're trying to do?" he agreed, shortly commenting the computer's warnings, knowing they needed the Enterprise to help them and she appeared only a short while later, destroying all the missiles. He contacted the ship so they could beam Carissa back on board that she was in safety but due to their closeness it wasn't possible. Which meant he'd need to trust Mr. Scott to beam them out in the right moment. Carissa took hold of his arm when the other shop drew nearer and nearer and then he felt the transporter beaming them off and he couldn't help but admit he felt relief once they were in the transporter room of the Enterprise. Kirk had managed to find and free Captain Pike, which was very fortunate as well. He headed off to the bridge and his girlfriend still clung to him and he didn't mind. However, when they met medical personnel he stopped, thinking it better to get her examined and he also let go of her because they were now back on the Enterprise and he would not want people to ask questions right now about their relationship.
"There is no reason for you to come to the bridge with me" he told her, wanting to tell her that she better got checked up in Med Bay but she was already listing up all the reasons why she would come to the bridge and frankly he did not mind if it meant she would be close to him and he'd have an eye on her as he initially wanted by assigning her to the bridge. After all, now there was little that could happen if she was on the bridge. Of course Kirk followed them too and he hailed the Romulan, offering him their help, which both confused and angered Spock but the Romulan did not even want help. So the Acting Captain ordered that they fired on the Narada, which the crew did until the ship had disappeared in the black hole. And it seemed that the hole also was about to pull their ship in as well, despite them being at maximum Warp. Only when Mr. Scott ejected the core and detonated it did it create a blast that pushed them away from the black hole so that they were out of reach of the gravity well.
"Let's go home" Captain Kirk ordered and Spock knew that all the crew was relieved about this and he had to admit, he was too. Even though he was certain that there would be quite an aftermath which's impact he could not yet ascertain.