This is a Round Robin story created by the members of the Sarek and Amanda group.

 

Series:  TOS

Rating:  R

Character Code:  Sa/Am, Sarek’s parents T’Lara and Skon, T’Rea and Young Sybok

Round Robin Authors:  Elise, Saya, Joanna, Mary Stacy, Saidicam, T’Lea, Selek, Cheryl and T’Ryl

Disclaimer:  “Star Trek” and the “Star Trek” characters are copyrighted by Paramount Pictures Corporation and Viacom, Inc.  We’re playing nicely in the Universe.

Acknowledgements:  Thanks to EB for editing this wonderful piece of work. 

 

Summary:  Newlyweds Sarek and Amanda deal with the stresses of beginning their life together.  A new house, a woman from Sarek’s past, secrets revealed and a meddling mother-in-law who just won’t quit...

 

 

 

TRINITY

 

 

Amanda awoke in her new in-laws' home.  Sarek, her official husband of less than twenty-four hours, was already gone.  She sighed, wondering what time it was and how she was going to spend the day.  Gathering her wits, she quickly showered and dressed.  Maybe she would luck out and find that T'Lara, her mother-in-law, was gone, too.  No, she admonished herself.  That wasn't polite.  T'Lara had done nothing rude to warrant that thought.  Of course, she thought, T'Lara had done nothing to welcome her either.  In fact, she sensed, through Sarek, that T'Lara wasn't particularly thrilled to have a Human in the family.  Her father-in-law, on the other hand, had welcomed her with uncharacteristic Vulcan warmth.  Amanda liked Skon on sight.  He was so like Sarek.  Oh, well, I can't stay in the bedroom all day.  Squaring her shoulders, Amanda smiled pleasantly as she walked to the kitchen.  There she found T'Lara reading the morning news. 

 

Her mother-in-law looked up.  "You are awake," T'Lara stated coldly.

 

"Good morning, T'sai", said Amanda, flashing her most charming smile to her mother-in-law and walking past her to the replicator.  Typing in the code for her usual morning beverage, she noticed from the corner of her eye how T'Lara's delicate nose wrinkled the tiniest bit at the scent of fresh coffee.  Vulcans weren't extremely enthusiastic about coffee in general.  While Amanda was aware of this fact, she knew that T'Lara's expression of controlled disgust had very little to do with her Terran morning habits.  Although subtle, T’Lara’s contempt for her new daughter-in-law ran much deeper.  In fact, she seemed to be in an especially icy mood today.  Terrans and indeed even some Vulcans who claimed that the race governed by logic did not have moods, should have taken a closer look at this very family.  It was a ridiculous belief.  Amanda smiled inwardly remembering the special mood her husband had been the previous night.  She was quite happy that their sleeping quarters were located at the opposite side of the house, far from those of her in-laws'—that keen Vulcan hearing and all...

 

But her mother-in-law's essential mood seemed to be one of pride and a feeling of superiority.  When the only answer to her 'good morning' was T'Lara's indifferent stare at the newsreader and icy silence, Amanda thought it best to enjoy her coffee in the garden.  She enjoyed the early mornings in the desert.  The temperature was still pleasantly cool after night and 40 Eridani's rays descended partially onto the slate tiles of the porch from behind the house, thus saving her eyes from the direct exposure to her new homeworld's scorching sun.  Amanda sat down and sipped the hot liquid, again in awe of how beautiful the arid and barren desert really was.  Reddish sand contrasted sharply with the obsidian stone of the L'langon Mountains.  The wind brought a faint scent of desert flowers, those that bloomed only in the coolness of night and withered quickly under the day's scalding sun, to her nose.  She smiled, the scent reminding her slightly of the delicate Datura flowers in Arizona where she had spent many a summer as a kid on her uncle's farm, playing with her cousins.

 

Of course it would have all been too perfect, she thought a bit bitterly, without T'Lara's chilling attitude.  Amanda wondered if only Vulcan females were this haughty.  Her mother-in-law's character was such an exact opposite of her father-in-law's almost friendly and fatherly demeanor that she couldn't help wondering how they were able to tolerate each other at all.

 

But there was no use in spending the whole day brooding over facts that could not be changed.  Besides, she was newly married... Amanda relaxed and leaned back in her chair.  Closing her eyes, she remembered the many nights of passion she had spent with her husband.  Really, her husband!  Things had happened so fast she still had to remind herself that she was now indeed married.  And what a passionate Vulcan Sarek was.  She smiled slightly and felt a sudden jolt of arousal surge through her at the thought of her husband’s skillful hands on her body and his hardness pressing against her. 

 

The recently sealed bond responded immediately.  // I thought I already wore you out last night, my wife. //

 

Amanda could almost feel Sarek's slightly raised eyebrow and the little smile that was meant only for her, in private.  She sent a mental smile and images of love and passion back to her husband.  // You will never wear me out, my husband. //

 

// We will see this night, my wife. //

 

// I am so in love with you, my husband. //

 

// And I cherish you dearly, my wife. //

 

"You are aware that I have been against this marriage since the beginning?" T’Lara stood before her.  Apparently she had finished reading the news and thought best to make sure her daughter-in-law would not enjoy her new life too much.  Amanda sighed inwardly and summoned her mental controls.  There was no use in behaving impertinently or offensively.  In fact, it was best not to show any emotion at all.  Just listen and forget later.

 

"I am aware that your view and Skon’s view regarding this marriage are somewhat contradictory, T'sai," Amanda said coolly.

 

T'Lara sat down on a chair opposite Amanda and locked her coal-black gaze with her daughter-in-law’s sapphire.  "You are aware that, as descendants of Surak himself, our family represents all that is Vulcan.  The very soul and essence of our culture and existence."

 

And you do not want inferior Human genes to contaminate your holy bloodline.  Believe me, I understand more than perfectly.

 

"I am forced to accept this marriage, as illogical as it is, but I would advise you very strongly against getting pregnant." T'Lara's gaze swept over Amanda's body as if she was judging her daughter-in-law's ability to even bear a child.  Knowing how important producing heirs was for Vulcans, Amanda couldn't think of any decent reply to her mother-in-law’s shocking statement. "I must go and attend my businesses in ShiKahr,” T’Lara continued.  “Enjoy your day." And with that, she rose and disappeared back into the house.

 

Amanda snorted silently.  Apparently T'Lara's selection of moods included irony.  Her mother-in-law’s words had stuck a deep cord.  She hadn't mentioned anything about it yet to anyone, not even Sarek. 

 

Her period was nearly two weeks late.

 

Relieved that she would be free to make her plans without T'Lara present, Amanda used the Bellcom to access Sarek's contact list. 

 

What was his name?  Cor-something.  A Human name.  There.  Dr. Daniel Corrigan.  Amanda cleared the screen of T'Lara's news and used the computer to contact Dr. Corrigan's office.  Scheduling herself for an open morning appointment, she took her time filling out the new patient information form and provided her complete medical history.  That done she headed back toward her bedroom and the sonic shower.

 

Sarek had insisted on installing a water shower in their townhouse.  Damn that shower and all its delays.  They would have already been living in their own home if it weren’t for that.  Sarek assured her that in less than a week they would be able to move in.  He spoke of the house glowingly.  It stood on the very edge of ShiKahr and backed onto the Sas-a-shar and lands that Sarek's family had owned for generations.  Amanda knew he wanted to please her and didn't have the heart to tell him of this mother's attitude toward her.  She suspected he knew when he had mentioned last night that he was going to the townhouse today to check on the progress of the renovations.

 

Amanda dropped her robe on the bed and removed her panties to find that she had spotted a bit.  A wave of relief washed over her and she considered canceling her doctor appointment.  Surely I will start today.  But perhaps it would be a good opportunity to meet with Dr. Corrigan anyway.  After all, he would be her physician whenever she and Sarek were on Vulcan and since she was not assigned any classes at the Vulcan Science Academy as of yet, there was no time like the present.  And I will be out of this house.

 

Already the morning has heating up and Amanda wondered if she had made a mistake walking to the Academy.  With her destination in sight, she admitted to herself that she would have to find another way back to the house.  Designed around neighborhood markets and shopping districts, ShiKahr was, for the most part, a pedestrian city.  Sarek had said that there was public transportation, but she had yet to use it.  Perhaps the doctor could explain it to her.  Surely he would understand being a stranger in a strange land.

 

Amanda found Corrigan's office.  There was no waiting room; one simply walked straight into the examination room.  Amanda did a double take and Corrigan recognized her reaction instantly.  "T'Sai Amanda, please," said the smiling Corrigan as he rose from his desk to greet her.  "I know, it's different here.  On Vulcan everyone is on time, including healers.  There is no need for a waiting room.  It would be rude to make someone who has an appointment wait.  I am expected to notify the office if I am running late, have an emergency, whatever.  Consequently, I am always in trouble with one patient or another." He laughed at himself and Amanda liked him instantly.  It wasn't just his attitude either. He was so...Human.  Even his looks were un-Vulcan—thirty something, plump, and balding.

 

Amanda took his offered hand and he showed her to a chair across from his desk.  "I am glad Sarek contacted me about being your physician.  There aren't many Humans on Vulcan yet."

 

Amanda smiled.  "Yet?"

 

"Oh, surely you realize that the VSA is a jewel.  I have no doubt that it will soon be a Mecca for academics from all over the Federation.  I just hope the Vulcans are ready.  You will find, T'Sai, that some Vulcans bristle at the thought of their planet being overrun by outworlders as we are known.  Oh, yes," he added, "Vulcans do bristle.  Don't let them fool you."

 

There is at least one who is not even trying.

 

Amanda nodded her understanding.  "Please Doctor, call me Amanda in private.  I understand Sarek's position, but as a Human, I am not used to the honorific yet."

 

"Good," Corrigan said happily.  “Then call me Daniel.  Now, what's the trouble?"

 

"Well frankly, I was worried because my period was late.  But I spotted this morning so I suppose this is just an introductory visit."

 

"Please sit on the biobed for me, Amanda."

 

"Really, I'm fine."

 

"And I'm the doctor. Please."

 

Amanda went and sat reluctantly on the bed.  Instantly it began monitoring her vital signs.

 

"Amanda, forgive the question, but I must ask.  Vulcans don't believe in premarital sex, so...?"

 

"At least one Vulcan does," Amanda said softly.  She was a bit shocked to find that her husband was deviant.  He'll get his tonight.

 

Corrigan mentally added that to his list of Vulcan contradictions to ponder.  "Of course, you know Amanda, just leaving Earth may certainly have upset your timing.  Your medical history indicates that an irregular cycle appears to be your norm.  But I want a blood sample to be sure.  It may be nothing.  Or it could be implantation spotting.”

 

Amanda's eye widened.  T'Lara's words echoed in her mind...  I would advise you very strongly against getting pregnant.   "What?" she sputtered.

 

Corrigan took his sample and moved to the biocomp.  “Implantation spotting,” he replied, still leaning over the computer.  “When the blastocyst implants itself in the uterine wall it causes spotting in some women."

 

Amanda steeled her mind, but could not block the thoughts.  Oh, and damn these Vulcans with their perfect calculator minds.  Poor Sarek.  They will all know that he and I...  They will think...

 

Corrigan rose from the computer and saw the tears welling up in her beautiful blue eyes.  He had thought that perhaps she would be pleased with the news he had for her.  He smiled gently and handed her a tissue.  "Not this time, Amanda.  I hope you're not upset."

 

"I'm not... " Amanda was too relieved to believe her ears.  So relieved in fact that she inadvertently allowed the emotion to flow across the bond.

 

// ? //

 

// Nothing, love. Tonight. //

 

Thankfully Sarek seemed to let it go and she was able to pay attention when Daniel repeated very clearly, "No, Amanda you are not pregnant.  But whenever you feel you might be you must come here at once.  No Vulcan/Human conception has ever survived to birth, but progress is made in genetics everyday.  I think that the minds here at the Academy may be able to cross that barrier soon.  None too soon it seems." He smiled at her again and she smiled back.  "After all, we wouldn't want them saying that Sarek married you because it was the logical thing to do."

 

Amanda took his meaning instantly and laughed out loud.  She watched as Daniel closed his eyes and savored the sound before he, too, began to laugh.

 

 

By the time Amanda left the VSA Extension Campus, it was still early enough in the morning for the heat to be bearable.  More like a late summer afternoon at home than the midday morning that it really was.  It was pleasant enough and she could take the opportunity to acquaint herself with the Outworld section of the city where regulations required most non-Vulcans to reside and work.  Life here was more like home: the pace more frantic, the noise level louder, the sights more colorful and varied.  Even the esteemed non-Vulcan VSA faculty was usually confined to living in this portion of the city.

 

Amanda let loose the deep sigh of relief she had held inside all morning long.  Her scare had been a real one and not only because of the implications for Sarek.  She was too young at twenty to have a child.  It was too soon.  She herself needed time to become accustomed to this new world, this new way of life.  And she had to come to terms with her new in-laws as well, something at least one of them was making most difficult.

 

Amanda wandered through the streets, crisscrossing her way through the city and finally passing through the gates that led back into the native section of ShiKahr, a place that seemed to be Vulcan alone, except for one, small and not entirely welcomed Terran woman.  It was the first time she had made the transition between the sections of the city and marveled at the difference.  Here it was quiet, clean, and peaceful, the only sounds the occasional fountain or a voice in the distance raised in song.  This was the world that gave her the man she loved, but she wondered how this same world could have its T'Lara’s as well.

 

Her mind wrapped up in thought, she continued to wander.  The heat of the day intensified as the hour grew later.  Suddenly Amanda looked around and realized that she was lost.  Had she exited from the proper gate into the main city?  Or had she been lost much longer than she thought and left the outworld section from another direction entirely?  She had no idea what time it was.  Probably past noon and the heat was becoming increasingly more uncomfortable. 

 

The public transportation even in the business districts was discreetly disguised.  Here in the residential part of the city, it had completely disappeared.  Midday in fact seem to hide most signs of life.  Amanda turned a corner hoping that luck would send her a PeaceKeeper along the way.  Seeking solace under what passed for trees, she rested in what scant shade they provided.  She wasn’t sure how much longer she could tolerate the rising temperature.   Amanda could see it now on the front page of the news feed:  "Bride of prominent Vulcan found dead in street of heat prostration." That would make T'Lara's day for sure.

 

Suddenly, Amanda spied a movement off to her left.  A lone child appeared, probably coming home too late or too early.  Either way she quickly decided to seize the opportunity.  While her knowledge of Vulcan was somewhat rudimentary, she could at least try asking for directions.  There were no formal house addresses along the neighborhood streets.  But if she just had some idea of where she was, she could turn herself around and continue home in the right direction.  She had studied the maps and the city's design was, well, logical.

 

"Section of the city here?" Amanda asked.

 

The child looked at her for a few seconds, not comprehending her question.  He’s looking at me like I have three heads, she thought.  It might as well have been the truth.  A lost, babbling, crazy Terran out in the midday heat of Vulcan. 

 

"Here." She tapped her foot on the ground and spread her arms attempting to communicate.  "Name city section here?" she asked again.

 

"N'ah'Seil?" the child replied.

 

Nodding her thanks, Amanda tried to think how...  Suddenly, she realized it was not just a step forward.  It was in fact a major move.  This was the section of the city that she understood her new home to be.  Maybe if she was lucky it was nearby!  Scanning the horizon for townhouses, all she saw were single one-story homes behind their respective walls.  Maybe she could try again.

 

"Sarek-house?" she called out to the child before he disappeared too far down the street.  The boy stopped and turned at the sound of her voice.  “Sarek-house?” Amanda asked again.  The child pointed toward a gate at the far end of the adjacent cul de sac.  Amanda smiled, fairly confident that she was indeed heading for the right place.  Moving closer to the gate, she saw a slight flurry of activity as workers engaged in various tasks.  This had to be the right place.  And if she dared be so bold, she would go beyond the gate.  She could see a lovely garden area on the other side.  Perhaps beyond the garden there might be some small townhouses and she could find the right one.  It would be a great relief to see her new home, the home she would share with Sarek alone, where there would be no sneaking into each other’s bedrooms at night and out again in the morning.  Nearing the gate, she drew the attention of one of the workers. 

 

"Sarek-house?" she asked hesitantly.

 

The worker nodded and pointed.  Good, Amanda thought, feeling more confident and secure.  However, what she saw as she passed through the gate was no common garden surrounded by small homes.  Rather it was the retreat of a single, large property, with fountains and greenery lush by Vulcan standards.  The expanse of the property and its beauty took her breath away.  A path of intricately crafted tiles led up to the large circular entryway of the house.  She paused a moment, unsure of whether or not to take another step.  Maybe the worker had been mistaken.  Maybe the entrance to their new house was nestled in a distant corner of the property.  Was this Sarek's idea of a townhouse?

 

The hum of voices in another room caught her attention.  Whether out of curiosity or bravado, she moved toward the sound.  While eavesdropping was certainly not the polite thing to do, for some reason...  A man and a woman were involved in a somewhat heated, by Vulcan standards, conversation.  Amanda was drawn to the sound.  One of the voices seemed intimately familiar to her.  Though she did not understand the words, she suddenly realized that the conversation was in fact an argument.  A man and a woman were arguing.  Sarek!  Amanda was certain that the familiar voice she heard was Sarek’s!

 

Quietly stepping around the corner, she stood, an inconspicuous observer of the drama that was unfolding before her.  In the center of the room, just as she suspected, stood her husband and a strange, yet stunningly beautiful woman.  A fall of satiny black hair cascaded loosely down her back.  From what Amanda had seen thus far, it was an unusual style for a Vulcan female to wear.  The long white robes she wore did nothing to hide the full figure beneath them.  She was exquisite with sleek refined Vulcan features.  Whoever she was, she possessed an exotic beauty that even the men of her people could not help but to admire.

 

Amanda watched the terse exchange for several more minutes before the woman's gaze suddenly darted in her direction.  The cool dark eyes quickly traveled Amanda's length; and although her expression did not change, Amanda could feel the disapproval radiating from the stranger.

 

And why wouldn't she disapprove? Amanda thought glumly.  I must look like the walking dead!  Self-consciously she ran her hand over her flushed cheeks and attempted to neaten her hair, which by now was plastered against her skin in sweat.  Why couldn't I have had the good sense to just die outside?

 

Ignoring Amanda, the woman turned her attention back to Sarek and uttered one more soft but affective statement.  "Quom'i t'du ki'lasha."

 

Amanda understood only one part of her sentence.  ‘Quom'i’ meant Human.  The woman was obviously referring to her; and she certainly got Sarek's attention as his head snapped in Amanda's direction and an expression of...  Panic?  Was that panic?  No, of course not; it was surprise, that’s all.  Stop being so foolish!  crossed his face before it quickly disappeared behind his stony façade once again.

 

The woman began to speak, but a harsh "Kroykah!" from Sarek silenced her.  As Amanda watched him talk to this woman she marveled at how odd it was to hear him speak his native tongue.  How it made him seem so...alien.  And what was he before, Amanda?  Canadian?  Quickly ending her self-admonishment, she tried once again to follow some of the conversation.

 

"Shant t'varb.  Ko'mekh yen-tor shitau t'ko-veh svi'ha'kiv t'nash-veh, ang t'du.  Kun-ut t'nash-veh tor'ri bolau gol'nev t'du." Sarek’s tone of voice was firm.

 

The woman stared silently back at Sarek and Amanda wondered what he had said to her.  Let's see, Kroykah is stop, I know that.  And kun-ut is a reference to marriage; and ko'mekh sounds familiar too...what was that word...mother?  But whose mother are they were talking about? Sarek's?  At any rate, they were obviously arguing over something personal and Amanda wanted to know who this woman was that had such a privilege with her husband and had yet to be introduced to her.

 

Finally the woman nodded to Sarek, accepting whatever his final words were, then turned and strode from the room, sweeping past Amanda without any acknowledgement of her presence.  Amanda watched her leave and then turned her attention back to Sarek.  He stared at her in silence.  "Who was that?" Amanda asked.

 

Unconsciously Sarek's eyes moved to the path the woman had just taken, the strain of his confrontation with her evident on his face.  However, when he looked back at Amanda, she could see the lines around his eyes soften.  "Are you well, Amanda?  You do not appear as composed as you normally do."

 

"I'm fine.  Just a tad overheated.  I was out exploring my new neighborhood and I guess I walked farther than I thought."

 

Sarek reached into a cooler and handed her a bottle of cold water.  "I am pleased to see you were able to find your way here, although I had not intended to show you our home until it was completely finished.  Let us go to the master bedroom.  I am testing the climate control there so it should be more comfortable for you."

 

As they walked through the house Sarek pointed out each room and what his intended purpose for it was.  There was a room for every possible occasion; formal entertaining, informal entertaining, family rooms, offices, absolutely everything.  They walked up a short staircase to the second floor where the hall was lined by more doors leading to still more rooms.  About halfway down the hall, Sarek ushered her into a room on the right.  It was very large and had several other rooms branching off from it.  Most important it was very cool.  Amanda sank gratefully against her husband.  "This is heavenly.  Thank you."

 

Sarek slipped his arm around his wife, supporting her.  "This will be our room.  Through there is the bathroom.” He pointed to each of the doors as he explained.  “There is a sitting room for you.  It overlooks the gardens and has a balcony that allows you to step outside if you would prefer.  Through that door is the nursery for our children until they are old enough to move to their own bedrooms."

 

The mention of children brought forth memories of this morning's unpleasantness with T'Lara as well as her own little scare.  Amanda pushed them aside in order to share in her husband's excitement.  "This is magnificent, Sarek.  How many bedrooms are there total?"

 

"Twelve."

 

 "Twelve?!  What on Earth do we need with twelve bedrooms?"

 

"Nothing on Earth, Amanda," Sarek replied with a slight smile at his own joke.  Realizing her verbal faux pas, Amanda smiled back at her husband.  "Here on Vulcan there will be occasions, rare occasions, but some nevertheless where we will need to house visiting dignitaries for short periods of time,” Sarek explained.  “I wanted to have the house fully prepared for those occasions.  The rear eight bedrooms are quite large and have their own private bathrooms.  The remaining three are smaller and there is a single separate bathroom that is available for those occupants to use."

 

"When can we move in?  The house looks complete to me." Sarek could hear the excitement and anticipation in his wife’s voice.

 

"Soon, t'hy'la.  While the inside is complete, the workers, as you saw, are still finishing the outside of the house as well as the landscaping and fencing."

 

"Who cares about that?"  Amanda turned in Sarek's arms and grabbed his tunic in her hands.  "I say we move in now!  Tonight!"

 

Amusement gleamed in Sarek's eyes at her eagerness.  "There is no furniture, Amanda."

 

"So we'll order take out and sleep on the floor.  I don't care, Sarek.  At least we'd be alone."  Leaning into her husband, Amanda reached up for a kiss.  Sarek’s lips met hers.

 

"It will be soon, Amanda.  I give you my word.  I have already hired a decorator to begin furnishing the house."

 

"The woman you were speaking with earlier?"

 

Sarek hesitated a moment, the harsh look returning for just a fraction of a second before he relaxed once again.  "No.  She is scheduled to begin tomorrow.  I told her that you would no doubt want to decorate the family rooms yourself and naturally you will have as much insight into the entire house as you wish.  She estimated the process should only take a few days; barring unexpected delays in obtaining our approval, of course."

 

Amanda laughed, the dark haired woman temporarily forgotten once again.  "Sounds like a typical decorator.  In other words, we should just shut up and let her do her job."

 

"I believe that is the sentiment, yes."

 

"Well, I do want it done as quickly as possible, but I'll be darned if I'm not going to be part of creating my own home.  I'll be here first thing in the morning to meet her."

 

 

****

 

 

Amanda hummed happily to herself as she began to mentally arrange the furnishings in what would eventually be her family's living room.  She had met with the decorator earlier in the morning and although the woman seemed a little uncertain about working with a Human, the two women quickly cast aside their doubts about each other and discovered that they in fact had very similar tastes.  The young Vulcan seemed pleased to work with someone who was willing to be a little unique, as she put it, with the furnishings.  After just a few hours, they had decided on the schemes for the downstairs rooms and the master bedroom.  At present, the decorator was out obtaining the desired items and Amanda awaited her return.

 

Hearing someone enter the room and expecting to find that the decorator had returned, Amanda turned, eager to begin putting their vision together.  Instead, however, she saw her new mother-in-law followed by the same dark haired woman who had argued with Sarek the day before.  Both women were carrying boxes. 

 

"These things arrived for you this morning." T'Lara set the boxes she carried down on the floor with a careless drop, then helped herself to exploring the house.

 

Amanda peeked inside one of the boxes then couldn't help but to look at the other woman with a beaming smile.  "These are my things from Earth!  Thank you for bringing them over.  It was very kind."

 

The black haired woman stood by the door and was silent.  But T'Lara glared at Amanda icily.  "Do not be simple, child.  I want you out of my house as much as you want to leave it.  It is only logical that I assist you in expediting the process."

 

"I see," Amanda replied, trying to achieve the cold aloofness that Vulcan woman seemed to speak with so easily.  She turned to the woman she saw yesterday.  "How do you do?  I am Amanda."

 

"She does not understand you," T'Lara interrupted from the window.  She had moved to look out at the gardens.  "She has been spared the misfortune of being exposed to the Terran tongue."

 

Amanda crossed her arms angrily.  She took three deep breaths, trying to find some control before she completely let loose on this woman.  T’Lara was being rude and disrespectful.  Sarek's mother or no, she had had enough.  Amanda opened her mouth to speak, but before she had a chance to voice her reply, the dark haired woman spoke briefly, then exited the house.  Amanda looked at T'Lara questioningly.

 

"Are you so uneducated, child, that you do not even know enough to offer refreshments when you have a guest in your home?  Especially someone as important as that woman?"

 

Amanda started at T’Lara’s words.  She hadn’t realized that she had offended the woman.  In fact, she had tried to be polite.  "Forgive me, T’Lara, but I don’t have anything to offer.  I'm not exactly prepared to entertain anyone in this house yet and I certainly wasn't expecting you to bring someone by today." T'Lara’s blank stare unnerved her.  "Who is she?" Amanda demanded.  She watched that peculiar Vulcan expression cross T'Lara's face; a cross between a grimace and a smile that they apparently allowed themselves on certain occasions.

 

"That, child, was Priestess T'Rea, Sarek's wife," her mother-in-law said.

 

Sarek's what?" Amanda breathed, in disbelief.

 

"Sarek's wife," T'Lara repeated.

 

"I am Sarek's wife," Amanda exploded, her hackles rising.  However, in the back of her mind, a sliver of nagging doubt surfaced.  Why hadn't Sarek introduced her to the dark-haired woman?  And why had they been arguing?

 

"Forgive me for not specifying," T'Lara intoned with a superior air.  "She is Sarek's Vulcan wife."

 

Amanda was stunned by her mother-in-law’s revelation.  Lost in the confusion of her swirling thoughts, the sound of the front door closing suddenly pulled her back and she realized that T’Lara was gone.  Amanda shook her head, clearing her mind.  Sarek's wife?  How could that possibly be when she was Sarek's wife?  Sarek had never been married before.  Amanda was sure of it.  Well, reasonably sure.  In all honesty, now that she thought about it, the topic had never come up.

 

Amanda remembered the look of near panic on Sarek's face when he saw that she had witnessed what appeared to be a very private altercation with the raven-haired woman.  He had been angry at the woman, Amanda was certain, although he would never admit to such an excess of emotion.  And the Vulcan woman's eyes had lingered on Amanda appraisingly.  Appraisingly?  But why?  It was clear to Amanda that Sarek had a personal relationship with the mysterious woman whom T'Lara insisted was his wife.  Perhaps there was something lost in the translation.  Could the dark-haired beauty be someone Sarek had broken an engagement with?  Could she be an ex-wife?  Her husband's words at their private bonding ceremony echoed in her mind...

 

"You must be certain, Amanda.  Vulcans are bound to their mates by more than custom.  They become telepathically linked, literally becoming one.  Once the marital bond is forged, it is so strong that it can only be broken by death."

 

His words had been solemn that day.  Their minds had been fused together, separate yet one.  Amanda’s union with Sarek, the formation of the bond between them, had been the most satisfying experience of her life.

 

But how could he be bound to her if he had a Vulcan wife?  Sarek had said that the bond could only be severed by death.  In Amanda’s experience, Vulcans did not lie.  Yet T'Lara had been most adamant about the woman being Sarek's wife.  Was Sarek himself lying to her?  Lying by omission?  Her mind wrapped around the image of him in heated discussion with the dark-haired woman.  Both had been very clearly discussing something about kunut.  Marriage.

 

Amanda’s mind reeled with possibilities, each one worse than the previous.  As far as she knew, there was no divorce on Vulcan.  But that would mean...  No!  Even as the thought entered her mind she felt her temper rising to a ballistic level.  Goddamn him!  She kicked a box full of her belongings until the material gave way.  No wonder he had twelve bedrooms in his retreat!  He needed all those rooms for his wives, no doubt.  How could she have been so stupid?  Walking three paces behind and to his right should have been an indicator to her what sort of a society she was dealing with.  But, no, she was young and now seemingly incredibly stupid and so in love with him.  Feeling tears sting her eyes, she willed herself not to cry.  That bastard!  Amanda picked up a flooring tile that the workmen had left for her to use in matching the decorating materials.  Before she could calm herself, she hurled it through the large living-room window.  The sound of shattering glass was strangely relaxing after weeks of carefully modulating her emotions.

 

Amanda looked around.  None of her things had even been unpacked yet.  No need for that, now.  She was getting off of this insane planet within the hour.  She pulled a satchel out of one of the boxes and began cramming it with clothing.  Her Federation passport and credit cards were in her handbag.  Rummaging around, she found it under the debris of the box she had kicked the stuffing out of.  Checking to make sure everything was indeed inside, she clutched the satchel and ran from the room.  Flinging open the front door, she collided with the interior decorator.

 

"T'Sai Amanda!" the woman exclaimed, juggling the load of fabrics that she had brought back for Amanda's approval.  Amanda, deep in her anger zone, her face barely concealing the malice that she felt for all Vulcans at the moment, strode past the startled Vulcan decorator, past the Vulcan workmen who halted what they were doing, curious as to the cause of her sudden emotional outburst and stormed out the gate.

 

"T'Sai Amanda, where are you going?" the decorator called after the obviously unbalanced Human.  Just when she was getting to stretch herself creatively, her benefactor was running away, obviously upset with her color choice for the flooring material, judging by the large hole in the window and the ochre-colored tile lying in the middle of the broken glass.

 

"Nowhere.  Somewhere.  Hell, I don't know!" Amanda yelled back through the gate.  "Anywhere.  All I know is that I'm getting off of this goddamn planet!" And with that, she disappeared.

 

 

****

 

 

Sarek of Vulcan entered his childhood home.  He knew that Amanda was meeting with the interior decorator at their new home to go over the plans for furnishing the house and he wished to speak with his mother alone.  Sarek was quite pleased with the progress the contractors had made.  However, he had not been pleased at the nature of T'Rea's visit to the home he was building for Amanda.  T'Rea's suggestion had shocked him emotionally with such a force that it had been necessary for him to spend the better part of the afternoon in meditation.  However, it had done nothing to alleviate his disquiet.  Sarek had learned in diplomacy that the best course of action was to begin with the root of an issue.  Focus not on the messenger, but rather on the one sending the message.  He was fairly certain that T'Rea was merely the messenger in this case.  And he did not relish the debate he was about to engage in.  However, it was necessary.  He needed to eradicate this problem at the source.

 

He found his mother in the sitting room, using a stylus and PADD.  Looking up, the corner of T’Lara’s mouth twitched upward at the sight of her son.  It was good to have Sarek back home, even if he had returned with that emotional quom'i in tow.  Sarek would again see logic eventually, after he was back on Vulcan long enough to purge the effects of an extended mission on Terra from his system.  He would not forsake his duty to the Clan.  Her son had always understood his role as heir of the House of Surak. 

 

Sarek walked directly into the center of the room and T'Lara knew by the set of his slanted eyebrows that he was organizing the points he wished to make in a debate.  Sarek glanced out the window at the orderly meditation maze.  T'Lara permitted herself another small smile at seeing one of her husband's expressions mirrored in her son's countenance.  Sitting back, she waited.  Let Sarek debate all he wanted.  T’Lara was logical and correct and deep down her son knew it.  She turned off her PADD and set it beside her on the couch, waiting for her son to begin his speech.  Sarek turned his attention from the window back to his mother.

 

"T'Rea paid me a visit today," he said without preamble, his voice clipped.

 

"Hast thee lost thy manners during thy stay on Terra?" T'Lara proclaimed in High Vulcan.  Her son was being quite discourteous.  No doubt he was picking up bad manners from his quom'i bondmate.

 

"I do not believe so," Sarek responded coldly.  "I doubt that you are qualified to lecture me on manners, given your behavior toward my bondmate these past weeks."

 

"I do not understand your attitude, my son.  I have extended your bondmate every courtesy." Sarek could hear the mild irritation in his mother’s voice.

 

"You extend better courtesy to a rabid lematya!" he provoked, tired of her denial.  He knew that she had been the catalyst behind T'Rea's visit.

 

"And your logic is uncertain where this quom'i is concerned, Sarek!" T’Lara shot back.  It was her place as his mother to be truthful with him.  She only wanted the best for her son, despite his efforts to taint the purity of Surak's line with Terran blood.

 

Sarek started at her use of the word quom'i.  While it translated literally as Human, his mother's inflection twisted it and made it sound like a xeno-ethnic slur.  His brow furled together in a tight knot.  He would not allow his mother to address Amanda in such a manner.  His wife's family had accepted him unconditionally and he expected his mother to do the same for Amanda.  As far as Sarek could tell, T'Lara had made no effort to accept his wife.  Not once had she addressed Amanda as daughter as was the tradition of his people.  Squaring his shoulders, he rose up to his full height.  "You will not speak of Amanda in such a manner.  She is my bondmate, a member of the House of Surak and in time, she will be the mother of my children.  Her family becomes my family, and my family becomes her family." Sarek's eyes darkened dangerously.  It appeared that his mother did not comprehend the depth and nature of his bond with Amanda and he was determined to educate her.

 

"Mother of your children!" T'Lara snorted contemptuously.  His statement proved how uncertain his logic had become.

 

"Yes, the mother of my children!" Sarek's voice rose as he gathered momentum.  "How could you even suggest that T'Rea provide my heirs for the Clan?  I assure you that we do not require any surrogate services.  You have far overstepped your boundaries this time, Mother."

 

"It is for the good of the Clan.  Your quom'i bondmate will not be able to serve you," T'Lara said placidly.

 

"You do not know that, T'sai," Sarek replied formally.  If his mother would not acknowledge Amanda as her daughter, then Sarek was not about to acknowledge T'Lara as anything more than a stranger.  "This is a private matter between Amanda and myself.  It is not an issue for public debate amongst the Clan.  I hope I have made myself clear.  You will cease interfering in my personal affairs," he finished.

 

"My grandchildren are not a private matter,” T’Lara said icily.  “They are a Clan matter."

 

"Then you may tell the Clan elders that they should also stay out of my personal life!" Sarek retorted.  Anger flashed in Sarek’s eyes.

 

"You are the male heir of the House of Surak!  You do not have a private life.  Everything you do comes under scrutiny.  You have a duty, Sarek.  You would do well to remember that," T'Lara reprimanded him sternly.  If his father would not have this discussion with their son, then she would herself.

 

"I do not need you to remind me of my duty,” Sarek said between clenched teeth.  “The fact that T'Rea and I did not conceive a child does not mean that Amanda and I will be unable to have children." T'Lara's face tensed momentarily, then relaxed, returning to its normal lines.  Sarek's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.  Was his mother hiding something from him?  He refused to allow her to catch Amanda and himself in her web of Clan intrigue.

 

"T'Rea did not conceive during a single pon farr, my son," T'Lara said cautiously.  "That does not mean she is barren.  Your quom'i wife will not be able to produce a Vulcan child.  You must take steps to ensure that the line of Surak is preserved.  T'Rea is the most logical alternative."

 

"I fail to see your logic, T'Sai.  Amanda is my wife, therefore, logically, the mother of my  children.  There is no need for any alternative.  The decision is ours.  Amanda’s and mine."

 

"My logic is suspect, is it, my son?  It is not I who married a quom'i against my parent's and my Clan's wishes!" Sarek's jaw tightened with barely suppressed fury.  The discussion with his mother was rapidly deteriorating.

 

"Against whose wishes, my wife?" Skon's voice cut through the tension.  Sarek and T'Lara both looked to the doorway where he stood, his regal form filling the entryway.

 

"I did not hear your flitter, my husband," T'Lara said, rising from the couch to greet him.

 

"No doubt because the two of you had raised your voices to such a level that all other sounds were drowned out," Skon replied pointedly.  "Attend me, my wife.  I require tea and kreyla." His tone left no room for further discussion.  T'Lara bowed slightly then moved through the opposite doorway, disappearing into the kitchen.  Skon joined Sarek.  Father and son stood together looking out the window at the meditation maze.  "I would inquire as to how your day has been, my son, however, I believe I can logically deduce how it has gone thus far."

 

"Indeed.  I beg your forgiveness for my display, Father.  I will take my leave of you now as I am late for a meeting with Amanda and the decorator to go over the finishing touches on the new house.  It should be habitable tonight and I am certain that your wife will appreciate some solitude," Sarek replied, his jaw still tight with anger.  He would not permit Amanda to spend another minute under his mother's roof.

 

"Do not be concerned about your mother, my son.  Go undo whatever damage she has wrought.  Take care of your bondmate.  I will take care of mine." Skon placed a conciliatory hand on Sarek's shoulder and gently propelled him toward the front door.  Behind them, Sarek heard T'Lara set a tray on the low table.  He did not turn around to take his leave of her.  Skon's baritone reached him as he turned the knob on the door.

 

"Please tell Oau Ko'fu that she honors us with her presence in our home and that we look  forward to seeing her at the Clan gathering next week."

 

Sarek's lip turned up slightly at Skon bestowing the title Honored Daughter on Amanda.  He now understood why his father was such an accomplished diplomat.

 

****

 

 

Silently fuming, Amanda stood in a long queue at the ticket counter.  The next shuttle departing for the Deltan system was scheduled to leave within the hour.  And she intended to be on it. 

 

The pace of the line was infuriatingly slow.  You'd think that the oh-so-superior Vulcans would have implemented a more logical, efficient means of expediting travel arrangements, Amanda thought ruefully.  Vulcans believed in being methodical to the point of annoyance where interstellar security was concerned.  Of course, Vulcan had never had a major breach of Federation security.  As a result, their systematic approach was one most societies modeled throughout Federation space.  The few times Amanda had traveled on Embassy business she had breezed through the procedure.  However, this time she did not wish to alert the Vulcan Diplomatic Corps as to her departure.  Besides, she was so mad at Sarek that she didn’t trust herself to even speak his name.  Amanda began tapping her foot impatiently.  She didn't care what her fellow travelers thought of her emotional display.

 

She glanced at the chronometer on the wall for the hundredth time.  As her eyes marked the time, she noticed three large Vulcans moving toward her.  Shit, she thought.  Sarek sent his staff security guards to bring me back.  Didn't even have the decency to come after me himself.  The vein in her forehead began to pulse at an alarming rate as her temper ramped up.  Two of the Vulcans stationed themselves on either side of her; the third took up a position behind her.  Amanda decided to take a proactive approach. 

"What?!" she said sharply, making aggressive eye contact with the muscular Vulcan to her right. 

 

The Vulcan raised an eyebrow in response.  "Please accompany us, T'Sai Amanda," he replied politely.

 

"For what reason?" Amanda’s tone and stare were lethal.

 

"I cannot discuss the reason in public," the Vulcan said simply.

 

"Well, you're going to have to, because I am not leaving this line!"

 

Her tenacity startled him.  Again, he raised an eyebrow.  "It is of the utmost urgency, T'Sai," the Vulcan said calmly.

 

"Well that's just too damn bad because it is with utmost urgency that I wish to leave this planet!" Amanda’s voice rose in volume with each declaration.

 

"T'Sai, we cannot permit you to leave the planet," the Vulcan replied, his tenor unruffled by her outburst, every cord of muscle in his sinewy body seemingly relaxed.

 

"Oh really?” Amanda challenged.  “On whose authority?  I had no idea that my husband's word carried that much weight, even on Vulcan!"  How had Sarek discovered her absence so quickly?  He certainly had wasted no time in tracking her to Vulcan Spaceport Central.

 

The Vulcan who had been doing the talking looked to his companions.  Amanda followed his gaze.  The faces of the other two men remained expressionless.  Apparently they had nothing to add to the discussion.  His eyes returned to Amanda.  "T'Sai, I am not at liberty to discuss that with you.  However, I assure you that the request for your audience comes from the highest level."

 

"Highest level, huh?" Amanda did nothing to mask her sarcasm.  “Fine.  Let's get this over with," she replied tersely, practically throwing her satchel into the Vulcan's arms.  Turning on her heel, she strode toward the Spaceport exit, the three Vulcan’s trailing in her wake.  It wasn’t like Sarek to hide behind bureaucracy.  But with all that had transpired lately, it seemed that perhaps she really didn't know all that much about her so-called husband to begin with.  Their entire relationship appeared to be built on a lie.

 

 

****

 

 

Sarek's eyebrow raised in surprise as he looked from the front window to the shattered glass on the ground.  The contractors studiously ignored his gaze, focusing intently on the stones they were laying for the walkway.  Sarek surveyed the scene once more, then bent over and picked up the single ochre tile resting in the middle of the glass shards.  He could not readily see any logical explanation for the damage.  It was a floor tile, after all, not a roofing tile.  Even if it had fallen from the roof, Sarek could not fathom how its trajectory could have put the tile through the window, especially since it appeared that the glass had been broken from the inside of the house.  Sarek pursed his lips as he thought of the cost of having the window replaced.  It had been specially coated with a substance that would protect Amanda from the damaging rays of Vulcan's sun.  Sighing, he moved toward the front door.  Perhaps Amanda would be able to enlighten him regarding what force of nature had sent the tile through one of the most expensive features of their new home.

 

His eyes swept the living room, a look of disbelief transforming his normally placid facial features.  Panic welled inside him.  Who had done this damage?  "Amanda?" he called out loudly.  Crime was relatively unheard of on Vulcan, but sometimes it did spill over from the non-Vulcan quarter of the city.

 

"T'Sai Amanda is not here," came a voice from the kitchen area.

 

Turning, Sarek saw the interior decorator.  She stood in the doorway.  "Where is she?” he asked.  “What has happened here?" Sarek heard the minute quiver in his voice.  Though quite illogical, his mind was assailed by violent scenarios.

 

"I am uncertain, S'haile, except that she seemed quite...distraught," the decorator replied.

 

"Distraught?" Sarek questioned.  He had a most logical idea as to the source of his bondmate's distress.

 

"Yes, S'haile. She departed most hurriedly, saying something about leaving the planet."

 

"Leaving the planet?  What did she say, exactly?" he queried.

 

"I cannot replicate all of her Terran idioms, exactly,” the decorator admitted.  “However, I was able to infer that she was going to Spaceport Central."

 

"Specify."

 

"She was carrying a suitcase and said that she was, quote, getting off of this goddamn planet."

 

"Suitcase?" Sarek said, with wonder as he walked over to the obliterated box of his wife’s belongings.  He noted that her brown satchel was missing.  She had so many articles of clothing that it was difficult for him to be certain if anything else of consequence was gone.  His breathing slowed a bit.  Amanda had left under her own power.  But why?

 

"Perhaps T'Sai T'Lara would have more data bearing on the issue," the decorator offered.

 

"T'Sai T'Lara was here?" Sarek demanded.

 

"I did not observe T'Sai T'Lara on the premises.  However, I passed her just prior to entering the gate.  Logically, I concluded that she had been here."

 

"Yes, yes," Sarek said impatiently.  "Your conclusions appear sound." His jaw locked again.  He should have confronted his mother sooner.  But he had not relished the task.  However, that was no excuse for Amanda's destructive emotional outburst.  Sarek would have to instruct her more extensively on control techniques.  Although he did have to confess that T'Lara was testing his own controls to their limits.

 

"Please forgive me," Sarek apologized.  "I must reschedule our meeting for another time."

 

"Of course, S'haile, the decorator replied.  “I will bring some additional colors in floor tile that will perhaps be less offensive to T'Sai Amanda." She gestured toward the hole in the window.

 

"Yes, that would be acceptable," Sarek said neutrally, knowing full well that the color of tile was not the reason for Amanda's eruption of temper.  Without taking his leave of the young Vulcan woman, Sarek strode purposefully out the front door.

 

"Fascinating," the decorator said to herself, one eyebrow arching upward.  This job was turning out to be quite a gratifying experience.  Perhaps she would be able to specialize in furnishing the homes of emotional offworlders.

 

 

****

 

 

Sarek forced his hands to remain folded sedately in front of him despite his overwhelming desire to wrap them around the customer service representative's throat.  He would have to meditate on his interpersonal skills.  He had great difficulty in delegating tasks to his subordinates in the Diplomatic Corps when he knew that he could do the job faster and more satisfactorily himself.  He wanted nothing more than to snatch the customer service representative's computer terminal away from him and find the information himself.

 

"S'haile, once again, there is nothing in the registry for anyone under the names Amanda, Amanda Grayson, Amanda Sarek, Dr. A. Grayson, or any other combinations of those names or initials," the customer service representative behind the counter said.

 

"You are certain?" Sarek asked, craning his neck in an attempt to see the computer screen.

 

The customer service representative hit a key that blacked out the display.  He raised his eyebrow at the Vulcan standing across from him.  Ambassador or no, he could not permit anyone to see patron information without authorization from security.

 

"S'haile," the Vulcan began, as if speaking to a pre-kahs-wan child," I am one hundred percent certain.  If she had registered to travel offworld, the data would be here."

 

Sarek's shoulders slumped.  Where was Amanda?  He looked at the customer service representative forlornly.  "Try searching by Federation planet status,” he suggested.  “My wife is traveling on a Terran passport." His large hands gripped the edge of the counter.

 

The customer representative looked at the tall Vulcan placidly, then at the growing line of customers that was forming directly behind him.  For security reasons, the customer service representative always made a point of memorizing faces in his queue, no matter how busy he was.  As he typed in a search query, he recalled an earlier incident.

 

"This female was traveling on a Terran passport, S'haile?" he asked.  This time his eyebrow lifted in genuine curiosity.  He might be able to serve the ambassador after all.

 

"Yes," Sarek's replied hopefully as he saw the briefest hint of recognition flash on the other Vulcan's face.

 

"I am still unable to come up with anything fitting the parameters you have specified, S'haile.  However, I recall a Terran female being in this very line approximately ninety-one point three-two-five minutes ago."

 

"Specify!" Sarek demanded leaning across the counter well into the customer representative's personal space.

 

The representative automatically stepped back in an attempt to preserve his comfort zone.  He had never seen a Vulcan behave this illogically.  He wondered if this Ambassador Sarek might himself be a security risk.

 

"S'haile, remain behind the yellow line or I will be forced to call Spaceport Security," the representative said authoritatively.  To the representative's relief, the ambassador stepped back and looked down at the yellow line on the floor.

 

"Forgive my urgency," Sarek apologized.  He had no desire to be forcibly removed from Spaceport Central.  The security measures were in place for imminently logical reasons.

 

The customer representative nodded, pleased that ambassador respected his personal zone.  However, the tall Vulcan's dark eyes had taken on a dangerous quality.  The customer service representative had attended classes on conflict resolution.  The courses were useful when dealing with offworlders, but he had not expected the need to employ the skills on fellow Vulcans.  The only time Vulcan males became this agitated was when...  Perhaps that was why the ambassador was so adamant about finding his bondmate.  Particularly if she was attempting to leave the planet at such a time.  He would have to handle this particular customer very carefully, or there might be the potential for serious violence.

 

"S'haile," the representative began in his most soothing, logical voice, "do not be concerned about your bondmate's whereabouts.  I assure you that if she is here at Spaceport Central we will find her."

 

"Thank you," Sarek replied politely, satisfied that his finely tuned diplomatic skills had brought the customer representative around to his side.  What was it Amanda was always saying about gathering more flies with honey?

 

"Ambassador Sarek, as I mentioned previously, I saw a Terran female in this line.  Just before it was her turn at the counter, three large Vulcan males, who I presume were Adepts of Gol, approached her and engaged in conversation with her," the customer representative added.

 

"Adepts of Gol?" Sarek said incredulously.  Those seeking Kolinahr were not known to frequent Spaceport Central.  In fact, they rarely left the cloistered environment of Mt. Seleya.

 

"Yes, Gol," the representative repeated.  "They were dressed in plain garb.  However, their heads were shaven and they had an air about them.  I cannot explain any further." He found himself unable to adequately articulate the aura that seemed to surround the monks.

 

"And these Adepts spoke with Amanda?" Sarek questioned.  Two visits from Gol in the same week simply could not be coincidence.

 

“They spoke with a Terran woman in the line," the representative clarified.  “Whether or not she was your wife, I do not know.”

 

"Continue," Sarek encouraged.

 

"She left the line and proceeded to the North exit.  The Adepts followed directly behind her."

 

"She left here with Adepts of Gol?" Sarek asked again.  He had to be sure...

 

"I believe it is logical to infer that, Ambassador." The representative did not normally like to theorize without sufficient data, but this possibly unbalanced Vulcan male seemed desperate for any shred of information.  Without another word, Sarek strode from the ticket counter, heading for the North exit of the building.

 

 

****

 

 

Amanda closed her eyes and tried to relax.  Kaiidth, as the Vulcan's liked to say.  What is, is.  So far, the ride in the air car had been uneventful.  Perhaps because the three well-muscled Vulcans had maintained silence throughout the long journey thus far.  Where in tarnation were Sarek's security guards taking her?

 

Feeling the car come to a stop, Amanda opened her eyes.  The car door opened from the outside and a hand gestured for her to exit.  She looked at her three traveling companions.  The Vulcan who had done all of the talking earlier indicated that she should disembark.

 

"You are quite safe here, T'Sai Amanda," the large Vulcan assured her.

 

Amanda stepped out of the air car.  Taking stock of her surroundings, her breath caught in her throat.  This was definitely not the Diplomatic Corps headquarters.  Her mouth dropped open and she stood transfixed.  She had never seen such a beautiful view in her life, on any planet.

 

Soundlessly the air car pulled away, leaving Amanda alone to marvel at the breathtaking scenery around her.  But where was she?  And why had the three Vulcan goons simply faded into the night?  Enthralled by the spectacular surroundings, her confusion seemed to fall away and she felt no fear despite being alone in the middle of nowhere.  The very ground upon which she stood seemed to radiate peacefulness and tranquility.

 

She closed her eyes briefly and inhaled the fresh air deeply into her lungs.  Hearing the familiar cry of a la'nka'gar, a night-flier, she looked up and saw the delicate bird wheeling in the sky above her.  She smiled despite herself.  She had never seen a la'nka'gar before, only heard their distant keening across the desert at night.

 

"The la'nka'gar is magnificent, is it not?" a female voice came softly from behind her, the Federation Standard lightly accented with a Vulcan cadence.  Spinning around, Amanda found herself staring in the face of the dark-haired Vulcan woman whom she had seen arguing with Sarek.  "Welcome to the Temple of Gol, bondmate of Sarek," the woman said formally, bowing at the waist, her hands steepled as if in prayer.

 

Amanda stood up straighter, trying to make her petite frame seem imposing.  "I understand that I am not the only one who holds that distinction, Priestess T'Rea."

 

"Your information is not quite accurate.  Come.  Let us go inside.  Our private matters need not be carried on the desert wind." Turning her back to Amanda, T’Rea moved toward a stone door set in the ancient cliff side.  Amanda stood for a moment longer before her curiosity got the better of her and she followed the dignified Vulcan beauty through the archway.

 

Amanda's eyes adjusted to the dim interior.  Torches set in sconces along the narrow corridor provided the only lighting.  She followed T'Rea through the winding passageways for what seemed like an eternity.  Their course seemed to take them upward at a slight incline for many minutes.  When they finally entered a large room at the end of the corridor, Amanda was breathing hard, and she wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand.  She gazed in wonder at the huge chamber they had entered.  T'Rea took a long wooden match and lit candles situated on the low tables throughout the room.  Shadows from the candlelight danced against the smooth red stone walls.

 

The muscular Vulcan who had spoken to Amanda at the Spaceport silently entered the room from another doorway.  He was now dressed in a deep red tunic and wore a small round hat on his bald head.  He knelt before T'Rea and prostrated himself.  T'Rea spoke quietly to him in Vulcan and then rising from the floor, he backed out of the room.

 

"My trusted acolyte will bring us refreshment," T'Rea said, returning her attention to Amanda.

 

"That would be most welcome," Amanda managed as she gulped air in big breaths.

 

"Thee hast not had time to adjust to Vulcan's environment.  It was many days before I could walk the steps to Mt. Seleya without frequent pauses," T'Rea shared.

 

"I do not think that you brought me here to discuss Vulcan's climate," Amanda said pointedly.

 

"True," T'Rea replied.  "I see that you are not a Terran who requires small talk."  She was impressed with Sarek's bondmate.  The woman would adapt to her new planet and make it her home.  That was very satisfactory.

 

"I believe that we were going to discuss your relationship with Sarek,” Amanda said forcefully.  “And mine."

 

"Indeed," T'Rea said, impressed by Amanda’s determination.  But before she could gather her thoughts, a tiny voice interrupted.

 

"Ko'mekh, telv-tor net'no'kwa?" Amanda and T'Rea both turned to see a small Vulcan boy standing in the doorway holding an ancient scroll.  Amanda looked from T'Rea to the boy, then back again.  The resemblance was obvious.  There was something familiar about the child's eyes.  Suddenly her mouth felt very dry.

 

"Nirsh, ri'i Sybok-kam," T'Rea said gently.  She would read to him later.  The boy looked at her with a serious face and nodded.  He glanced at Amanda shyly before turning around and disappearing the way he had come.

 

T'Rea met Amanda's gaze.  The boy's appearance was not intentional, but it would certainly focus their discussion.  Just then her acolyte returned with a tray of cool drinks.  Amanda wordlessly took the nearest glass and drained it.  T'Rea was pleased to see some of the color return to Amanda’s face.  T'Rea selected a beverage from the tray and dismissed her acolyte.  Sipping the fresh kasa juice, she waited for Amanda to regain her composure.

 

"He called you mother," Amanda said, her eyes locking with T'Rea's.  "Is he your son?"

 

"Yes,” T’Rea said simply.  “And Sarek's.  That is why I must speak with you." Amanda slumped slightly at the confirmation of fact that she had already concluded.  T'Rea reached out a hand to Amanda’s elbow, steadying her.

 

Amanda pulled away from her touch.  "I don't think I want to hear this," she said, setting her glass carefully on one of the tables and moving toward the doorway.

 

"You must!” T’Rea’s voice was almost pleading.  “If you cherish Sarek at all, you must hear what I have to say.  You are his bondmate, the future mother of his children...  the future mother to mine."

 

Stunned by T’Rea’s words, Amanda stopped abruptly, frozen in her tracks.  She could not turn around and face the priestess with her emotions in such turmoil.  "What are you talking about?" Amanda whispered softly.  She willed herself to calm down.

 

"Please, let me explain,” T’Rea began.  “T'Lara has not presented you with the full details of the situation and it is urgent that you understand the circumstances completely."

 

Amanda turned around and walked halfway back into the room.  "Go ahead and explain," she challenged, her cobalt eyes flashing.

 

"Sarek does not know of the boy's existence," T'Rea said simply.

 

"He doesn't? But why wouldn't he know that he has a son?"

 

"It is somewhat complicated," T'Rea admitted.  She paced the room for a moment then approached Amanda.  "Sarek and I were bonded at the age of seven as is the Vulcan custom.  We were friends before our parents even promised us to one another."

 

"How nice for you both," Amanda commented dryly.

 

"Yes," T'Rea said, missing the sarcasm in Amanda’s voice.  "Logically we were well-suited for one another.  Sarek was offworld with his work and I was studying the ancient way of Kolinahr.  When Sarek's Time came, we were officially married.  Afterward, he returned to his work and I returned here to Gol to complete my studies.  In order for me to ascend to High Priestess, it was necessary for me to sever all ties with the outside world.  Including my marriage to Sarek.  However, we remained friends after our marriage was officially dissolved.  I had no reason to suspect that I had conceived his child, thus I took the vows of High Priestess."

 

"But you found out differently, I take it?" Amanda crossed her arms over her chest.

 

"Indeed,” T’Rea replied.  “I kept Sybok's existence a closely-guarded secret for Sarek's sake as well as my own."

 

"Excuse me for not following your logic, T’Rea, but how was keeping his son from him for his own good?"

 

"As I said, Sarek and I remained friends after we were no longer bondmates.  His communications indicated that he was already quite taken with a Terran woman named Amanda Grayson who worked at the Vulcan Embassy on Earth."

 

"So what does that have to do with you not informing him that he has a son?" Amanda held her ground.

 

"T'Sai Amanda, do you not know your own bondmate?  Tell me what you think Sarek's response would have been?" T'Rea led Amanda through the argument as if they were engaged in one of Sarek's debates.

 

"He would have wanted to be with his son!"

 

"Exactly," T'Rea said.  "He would have wanted to be with his son.  Let me enlighten you about Vulcan law.  If it were known that we had a child together, our marriage would still be considered valid.  My vows as a priestess would be nullified.  And Sarek's marriage vows to you would be invalidated."

 

"That is the most illogical thing I've ever heard,” Amanda said.  “Why the hell couldn't the two of you just divorce one another?"

 

"There is no divorce on Vulcan as I understand the Terran concept,” T’Rea explained.  “Marital bonds are not taken lightly.  They are forged for life.  The only exceptions are for death or for other extreme circumstances.  In the latter case, the bond can only be broken by a trained High Master.  If there is a child involved, the bond cannot be broken legally.  I wished to serve Gol as High Priestess.  And Sarek obviously wished to marry you.  My solution was the only logical one for both of us."

 

"Let me see if I understand what you're telling me," Amanda said skeptically.  "If Sarek knew about his son and had attempted to claim him, as we both know he would have, you could not be High Priestess and I could not be Sarek's wife."

 

"Yes, essentially," T'Rea replied, pleased that she was making headway.

 

"Shit!" Amanda exclaimed.  T'Rea raised an eyebrow.  Her knowledge of Standard did not extend to idiomatic phrases.  "How does T'Lara fit into all of this?" Amanda knew for certain that T'Lara was plotting something.

 

"T'Lara came to Gol seeking my assistance.  She was quite overwrought that Sarek had announced his intentions to seek a bondmate offworld," T'Rea said diplomatically.

 

"Let me guess," Amanda interrupted.  "She wanted you to talk him out of his madness."

 

"Yes, precisely.  I had no intention of dissuading Sarek in pursuing you as a bondmate.  His messages indicated that he was quite content and I wished him no ill will.  As you have already experienced for yourself, Sybok is quite curious.  He came into the room during our discussion and T'Lara knew immediately that he was her grandson."

 

"What did she say?" Amanda asked.

 

"She told me that she would not mention Sybok's existence to Sarek if I agreed to bear the rest of his heirs for the House of Surak.  She did not wish the bloodline to be...contaminated with non-Vulcan blood.  If I refused, she would tell Sarek.  Naturally I agreed to her proposal.  I saw no other logical alternative that would be of benefit to any of us."

 

"My God,” Amanda breathed.  “I knew T'Lara wasn't thrilled about having a Human in the family, but I had no idea she'd go this far.  How could she do this to her own son?" Amanda's voice rose with her temper.  "And what about poor Sybok caught in the middle?"

 

"Do not be concerned, Amanda,” T’Rea said.  “I have no intention of complying with T'Lara's demands in reality." T’Rea needed Amanda as her ally.  And Sybok would need her as well when the time came.

 

"But you just said there was no logical solution to the situation,” Amanda reminded her.

 

"That is what I thought at the time.  Recent events have caused me to revisit that decision," T'Rea said softly.  "Let me be blunt, Amanda.  I will not bear Sarek's future heirs because I have no future.  I am ill and will only grow worse.  I wish to spend what time I have with my son."

 

"You're ill?” T’Rea could hear the concern in Amanda’s voice.  “Surely there must be something that can...“

 

"It is terminal," T'Rea stated flatly.  "And the end will come soon."

 

"Then why go along with all of this?" Amanda asked.

 

"I wish for T'Lara to believe that I will comply with her wishes.  By the time she finds out about my death, it will be too late for her to interfere with your marriage to Sarek.  This way I will not have to give up Sybok and Sarek will not have to give up you." T’Rea’s logic was flawless.

 

"But once I return, Sarek will know he has a son."

 

"Only if you tell him," T'Rea said, locking gazes with Amanda.  T'Rea had no doubt that she would care for Sybok as if he were her very own.

 

"You can't be serious!  I couldn't keep this from Sarek even if I wanted to.  He'll know instantly through our bond.  I am not skilled in the Vulcan disciplines at all." T’Rea could now hear desperation and worry in Amanda’s voice.

 

"I can teach you to shield it from him,” T’Rea said.  “Through a mind meld.”

 

"Then why tell me at all?" Amanda asked.

 

"Because I wanted you to understand.  I wanted to see you with my own eyes and know that you would be a good mother to Sybok." Amanda could hear the sadness in T'Rea's voice when she spoke of leaving her son.

 

"You have to tell Sarek.  You can't know what he'll do until you tell him," Amanda said softly.

 

"Tell me what, T'Rea?" Sarek's baritone filled the large chamber.

 

T'Rea and Amanda looked up, surprised.  Neither had heard him enter the room.  T'Rea's acolyte suddenly appeared in the doorway, his jaw tight as he looked at Sarek.  With a gesture, T'Rea dismissed him.  The Vulcan looked hard at the back of Sarek's head, then bowed to T'Rea and left.

 

"Do not halt your discussion on my account," Sarek said.  He would put an end to whatever nonsense T'Rea and his mother had been planning.

 

"Telv-tor net'no'kwa, Ko'mekh?" a small voice came from behind Sarek.

 

Sarek turned and saw a small boy holding a parchment scroll.  A boy who had just called T'Rea mother.  For once in his life, Sarek, the Voice of Vulcan, was speechless.  His eyes were locked with those of the child.  Dragging his gaze away momentarily to glance at T'Rea and Amanda questioningly, Sarek again looked at the child, then at T'Rea, and finally back to Amanda.  "Perhaps you should start at the beginning," he said as he moved to a chair and sat down.

 

T'Rea told Sarek what she had just finished telling Amanda.  His eyes grew harder the more he heard.  He could not believe his mother’s audacity.  Nor could he fathom her hatred of Terrans.  With his father's career in the Diplomatic Corps, Sarek would have thought that his mother would be tolerant of any species.  Apparently she was not.

 

Sarek was torn.  Vulcan law was very clear; he must dissolve his bond with Amanda and re-bond with T'Rea.  But he did not wish to do so.  He wished to remain bonded to Amanda.  Sarek also knew that T'Rea wished to remain a Kolinahru.  She had worked hard for her position and he did not want to be the one who destroyed her life choice.  Calling on his skills as a negotiator, Sarek made the only logical decision he could under the circumstances.  Straightening in his chair, he took a deep breath.  "You will live out your life here, with your child, T'Rea, knowing that we are honored to look after your...our son after you pass.  We do not need to make my knowledge of the boy public."

 

 "Sybok," T’Rea said.

 

Her quiet voice stopped Sarek cold.  "I beg your pardon?"

 

 "His name is Sybok," she said softly.

 

 "Sybok, then," Sarek said.

 

 "You mean you'd lie?” Amanda asked in disbelief.  “I thought Vulcans didn't lie." She caught and held her husband’s gaze.

 

"Amanda, it is not a lie to keep the truth to oneself," Sarek explained.  "Further, Mother will not be able to...what is the Terran term...blackmail us if we know the truth about the child...about Sybok.” He turned to T'Rea.  "I have always valued our friendship.  I do not wish to be the one to destroy it by following an archaic law that does not apply in our case.  Can you understand this?"

 

T’Rea’s eyes met Sarek’s.  "Yes, I do.  However, I am concerned.  What will your mother say if you do not follow the law?"

 

"She will never know that I am aware of our son's existence.  It is a moot point," he said.

 

Amanda cleared her throat.  "Don't I have any say in all of this?  After all, I was just about to leave Vulcan for good just a short while ago."

 

Sarek and T’Rea turned their attention to Amanda.

 

"I have just found out that my brand new husband has an ex-wife, and that I have a step son,” she began.  “In a manner of speaking.” Amanda rubbed her forehead and sank down into a nearby chair.  "This has all been quite a shock."

 

"Most certainly,” Sarek agreed.  “However, my mother no longer has any hold over us.  Over any of us."

 

"Indeed," T'Rea said.  "I find that rather...liberating."

 

Sarek took his leave of T'Rea, telling her that if she needed him, to call immediately.  Then, holding out his paired fingers, he nodded to Amanda, who touched her fingers to his.  Together they departed, leaving T’Rea standing alone in the large room.

 

 

“Sarek, I want to move into our house today,” Amanda said as she and Sarek settled themselves into the flitter.  “I will not spend another day under your mother’s roof.”

 

"I was planning on it, my wife, but the main front window is broken, apparently by a floor tile.  Also, there is a mess in the living room.  Someone inflicted considerable damage to a box full of your belongings.  You would not have any knowledge of this, would you?" Sarek asked, looking at her.

 

Amanda met his questioning gaze.  "Well...I can explain.  That was just after your mother arrived, telling me about T'Rea.  Surely you can image the emotions I was feeling at the time, can't you?"

 

"Not really, but I accept your account of the events.  However, the desert winds will blow in through the broken window, chilling the house considerably.  It will be uncomfortable tonight," he cautioned.

 

Scooting closer to him, Amanda wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder.  "Oh, I can think of a way to keep warm, Mr. Ambassador.  Can't you?"

 

 

 

****

 

 

Sarek placed the boxes on the foot of the bed then sat on the nearby bench.  He watched Amanda somewhat warily, trying to gauge her mood as she busied herself unpacking items from the boxes with precise movements, organizing them in stacks to be put away later.

 

In the flitter on the way to their new home, she had seemed her usual self at first, teasing and pressing herself close to him.  Still mentally reeling from what had just taken place, Sarek had taken solace in her nearness, allowing the warmth and arousal her passion engendered in him to suffuse his being and ease the turmoil of his thoughts.  But there had been something else, something hidden he could not grasp.  As the journey to their new home continued, Amanda gradually withdrew into herself.  Although she remained physically close to him, even squeezing his arm as they pulled into their driveway for the first time together as husband and wife, an uneasy silence had settled between them.

 

Contrary to her denials, Amanda had become quite proficient at shielding her emotions when she chose to.  Had she not been, Sarek would have known long before today of the disrespect bordering on emotional abuse she had been suffering at the hands of his mother.  It disturbed him that she had not come to him, yet he understood.  It was not in Amanda's character to seek out another to fight her battles when confronted with an adversary, as she clearly saw his mother.  And rightfully so, Sarek mused.  He was still stunned by the lengths to which T'Lara had gone to undermine his marriage to Amanda and his anger flared with the memory.  It was unforgivable!  Not only had T'Lara sought to force him to abandon Amanda, but she had convinced, no, coerced T'Rea into going along with her scheme, using her own grandson as a pawn.  Sarek would never again address her as mother, not even for Skon's sake.

 

Amanda paused in her unpacking and turned to look at him, the expression in her large blue eyes troubled, as they grew wider.  Sarek realized immediately his controls had slipped and she was feeling his anger through the bond.  With more effort than he cared to acknowledge, he brought his anger back under control and searched for a safe topic with which to open a conversation.  The silence between them had gone on long enough.  All that had happened was now in the past and they would begin their life together anew, this night.

 

"It is fortunate Starn was able to find materials to partially repair the front window," he began tentatively.  "He is most efficient."

 

Amanda held his gaze a moment, then returned to her unpacking.  When she answered, there was very little inflection in her voice.  "Yes, it is fortunate.  At least we won't have to worry about freezing to death tonight."

 

Sarek rose from the bench and approached Amanda from behind, a small smile playing on his lips as he recalled her earlier teasing.  He slipped his arms around her slender waist and placed his mouth against the shell of her ear as he pulled her close, intending to coax her out of her solemn mood.  "Such efficiency can, at times, be most inopportune," he commented, deliberately pitching his voice low and soft, knowing the effect it would have on her.  "As I was anticipating the many ways in which we might attempt to keep warm tonight."

 

Amanda sagged back against him, reveling in his physical closeness despite what she was feeling.  The sound of his voice and the warmth of his breath sent a shiver down her spine and she inhaled sharply.  It wasn't fair that he could breech her defense so easily with a few words, a touch.

 

After the initial euphoria that Sarek would not be forced to divorce her, other emotions began to settle in its place.  She was not angry with Sarek.  No, that wasn't exactly true.  She was angry, but mostly she felt hurt and betrayed.  Why hadn't Sarek told her of his previous marriage to T'Rea?  Did he have such little faith in her commitment to him?  It hurt to know that he did not trust her with this part of his past.  And without trust, how could their marriage survive?  The odds against them were steep enough.  Theirs was not the first Vulcan-Human marriage, but the casualties of others were high.  In her mind, Amanda had rationalized that her love for Sarek was somehow different, deeper and more abiding and would be enough to conquer all of their differences.  But after today she was beginning to doubt the power of that love.  Perhaps it would not be enough.  But, oh God, how she wanted it to be!

 

Sarek tightened his embrace, nuzzling against her ear.  "You are troubled, t'hy'la."

 

You think so?  Amanda thought irritably.  She curbed the impulse to speak out loud, torn between her overwhelming love and desire for this man and the urge to throttle him.  Instead, she took a deep breath and pulled away from him just enough to turn in his arms and look up at him.  "The gift for Vulcan understatement never ceases to amaze me, Sarek.  But yes, I'm troubled.  It has been a troubling day," she added dryly.

 

Sarek stared down at her, knowing by her tone of voice and the slight stiffening of her posture in his arms that she was angry with him.  Worse, she had successfully closed herself off from all but a slender thread of the bond between them and he was helpless to read her as he normally would.  He could easily force his way past her shielding.  No Human was a match for a Vulcan on such a level and, after all, he had been her tutor in such matters.  He quickly discarded the thought as abhorrent, simultaneously realizing the lengths to which he might be willing to go to keep her.  Yet, he knew he would never use force against Amanda, on any level.  He would simply have to rely on his other senses to guide him, and he suddenly realized what a Human male must have to contend with.  It was not a comfortable feeling.

 

"We need to discuss this, Amanda.  Confront what has made you angry with me.  It would be illogical..."

 

Amanda quickly brought her fingers up to his lips, effectively silencing him before he could continue further.  "Please!  No more logic, Sarek.  Not tonight.  Tonight is for you and me, here in our new home.  Our home, Sarek.  What happened today, well, I don't want to think about it right now." She paused, tilting her head slightly and gazing earnestly into his eyes.  "Any discussion we need to have can wait until tomorrow.  Tonight, I just want you to love me.  I want you to hold me.  I want to know your touch, the smell and taste of you and nothing else.  At least for a time.  Do you understand?  Can you understand?" Her voice had grown soft, almost pleading.

 

Sarek studied her gaze, confused.  In the space of a few breaths she had completely contradicted herself, one moment angry with him, the next asking him to love her, to join with her physically in an act too intimate to allow the presence of anger.  Yet it was still there, he could see it hovering in the recesses of her eyes.  But there was also longing, desire, and perhaps fear, fear that what they shared together had very nearly been destroyed today.

 

The automatic refrain that Vulcans did not love died immediately upon his lips, for it was a lie and they both knew it.  Did he understand?  Not really, but it was of little consequence.  He only knew that his mate needed him, needed to feel his presence in both body and mind to ease the pain left in the destructive wake of his mother's actions.  In truth, he needed her as well.  Perhaps more than she would ever know.

 

Sarek brought one hand up, wrapping it around her much smaller one and tenderly kissed the fingers still placed upon his lips.  His other arm pressed her tighter against him.  "If you wish me to understand, you must let me in, t'hy'la," he urged quietly.  "Believe me when I say I wish to understand."

 

For the first time since their arrival in their new home, Amanda smiled at him, a soft, tremulous smile that caused an unexpected tightness to form in his chest.  Her eyes grew bright, sparkling with tears as she took his hand and guided it to her temple.  "Then come and be welcomed, adun.  All that I am is yours.  You have only to take it."

 

As the last words left Amanda's lips she opened herself to him and Sarek knew the sudden warmth of her presence as it flooded through him in a wave of longing that momentarily stilled the breath in his lungs.  His fingers splayed over the side of her face, instinctively settling into the pattern of her meld points.  Realizing he had forgotten to breathe, he exhaled then took another quick breath, closing his eyes as he leaned forward to capture her lips with his.

 

// T'hy'la! //

 

The endearment reverberated through Amanda, a sound so sweet, so poignant that it pierced through all the hurt feelings, the anguish and doubt as if they never existed.  It was Sarek's voice, the voice of her beloved, but much more, so much more.  A small muffled cry caught in her throat as she returned his kiss with a desperation she had never known before.  She wound her arms tightly around his neck.  Stretching on tiptoes, she rose up to meet him.

 

// Oh, Sarek! //

 

// I was afraid, t'hy'la.  When I went to the station and could not find you...  // Sarek paused to rein in the emotion that threatened to overwhelm him.  // I thought I had lost you, // he confessed, deepening the kiss, seeking to lose himself in the cool confines there.  His hand left her face, the physical contact no longer necessary as the bond opened fully between them.  His fingers trailed down to her jaw, caressing her tenderly as they trembled slightly, then past it to her neck coming to rest against the pulse at the hollow of her throat, the steady beat reassuring him of her presence with him.  // I could not bear it.  //

 

// I know, beloved.  When I think...  // Amanda's mind voice faltered as another cry escaped her.  The tight ache in her throat threatened to close off her breath and she swallowed hard against it.  She clung to Sarek, pressing herself against him as if she could meld their bodies as their minds were.  She felt his arms wrap completely around her, then the next moment was lifted up into them as he turned them both toward the bed.

 

Balancing Amanda against him, Sarek quickly swept away all the neat piles of clothing from atop the bed and settled her on the comforter.  Stretching her out beneath him, he followed her down, shifting his weight to avoid crushing her beneath him.  He slipped one knee between her legs, the hardness of his desire for her pressing between them.  Amanda moaned softly, arching up against him, her hands caressing his neck and shoulders then slipping down his back, urging him on.  Their kisses grew increasingly hungry and open mouthed with a desperation that shook them both in its intensity.  Sarek moved one hand down her body in a firm caress, stopping only when he felt the slender curve of her calf.  Slipping his hand beneath the hem of her gown, he slid it up the length of her leg, his fingers splayed out over the cool skin, taking the gown up with him, the heat of his touch blazing a trail back to the center of her.

 

Amanda cried out as he reached his goal, stroking gently, then they were both fumbling, grappling at each other's clothing in their haste between kisses.  At last there was nothing but the sensation of skin against skin, fiery heat and sweet coolness, then the swift joining of their bodies as their minds were joined, locked in a passion that sang back and forth between them in a never ending loop.  They stilled for a moment after the initial thrust, both nearly overcome with the sensations crashing down over them, shuddering breathless against each other.

 

// Amanda.  My Amanda. // Sarek pulled back slightly and opened his eyes, staring down into the face of his beloved, finding her gaze locked with his, face flushed, lips still moist and slightly swollen from his kisses.  Reaching out, he tenderly brushed back golden brown tendrils of hair from her face, his fingers trembling as they outlined the curve of her brow.  "Do not ever leave me again," he said out loud, his voice low and rough with emotion.  It was both an entreaty and a command.  "I could not abide life without you."

 

Amanda smiled softly as she reached up to touch Sarek’s face as well, the tips of her fingers trailing across his lips to his jaw line.  "I won't, adun.  I cannot imagine my life without you either." Her fingers followed the curve of his jaw to his ear, caressing upward to the tip and back down again.  Her smile reached her eyes, lighting them from within in a sparkle of sapphire blue.

 

With a quick intake of breath, Sarek closed his eyes and leaned down to bring their mouths together again as he began to move within her.  The fire between them quickly rose, Sarek inhaling Amanda's soft, strident cries as his thrusts became more urgent, the sound, taste, and fragrance of her igniting his passion to ever greater heights.  He reached deep into her mind, capturing all that she was, binding her tightly to him even as he steeled himself against the strength of her emotions.  A lifetime of discipline instinctively held him back but only for the briefest of moments before he consciously gave in, letting the incredible force of her emotions sweep through him as he always did at this moment, when release teetered at the edges, so tantalizingly near.

 

Amanda clung to him, helpless to stop the small cries that escaped her with every driving movement of his hips.  Her mind blanked to all but the two of them and the sensations that seemed to build one on top of another endlessly, taking them higher, then higher still until there was no place high enough.  Sarek was all around her, within her, mind and body, one.  She was him and he was her, one being, one heart that beat in a staccato of disparaging rhythms, yet strangely synchronistic and giving life to both. Suddenly, for one incredulous moment, it was as if time itself stopped.  No sound, no sight, no thought; only the heat of the forging of two souls and a blinding intensity that suddenly exploded around them.

 

Amanda flung her head back into the pillow and cried out, much louder this time, as Sarek's deep, exultant groan joined their voices for a few brief seconds and hung in the silence of the room.  Their bodies grew taut, then stiffened as they crossed over into sweet release, shattering and shattered, then somehow miraculously whole again as they slowly began to descend.

 

 

****

 

 

Light brown eyes fluttered open as the morning sun pierced through draperies that adorned the window of the master suite.  Normally, Sarek would have been up and about one point four five hours ago, as it was customary for him to meditate prior to his wife's awakening.  However this morning he had felt himself worn from the night’s activities.

 

With the slightest curve of his lips, Sarek watched Amanda a moment, listening to her soft rhythmic breathing with the hint of a whistle coming from her lips.  She would deny she ever made any such noise, but Sarek had watched her from the first night they had shared the same bed as husband and wife.  There was something about her mannerisms even in her sleep that he found quite captivating.  He was still hardened by the fact his mother almost destroyed what he and Amanda shared.  However, that was in the past and would no longer be a concern.  Sarek had decided and would willfully live with the fact that he no longer had a mother in more then just the physical term.

 

Careful not to awaken his sleeping wife, he rose from the bed and retrieved his favorite mediation robe.  Standing in the doorway, Sarek took one last look at his wife.  If it were in his power, he would never again allow her to feel such pain.  Leaving the room, he proceeded to the garden for his daily mediation.  There was much to contemplate today.  He had a son and by Vulcan law, a Vulcan wife.  However, his choice, if it were to be made today, was to have Amanda.  And T'Rea had given him the freedom to keep the mate of his choice.  He could only hope that Amanda, with all of her deep set emotions, would be able to move beyond the pain that she had endured the first week of her new life.  Clearing his mind to find the peace that meditation offered, Sarek settled into his meditative stance.

 

 

Amanda awoke to an empty bed as she normally did.  This morning she was relieved to find she was alone.  Never in her marriage to Sarek had she felt so many different emotions as she had yesterday.  Anger—at T'Lara for being so cold, at Sarek for not telling her of his previous marriage, with herself for letting the views of others affect her marriage.  Sadness—with the fact that Sarek had a son and she was not sure they would ever be able to conceive together.  Pride—Sarek had chosen her, a Human, as his wife.  And finally, most importantly, love—the gentle reassurance of Sarek's unspoken feelings for her expressed in the only manner that would not forsake his upbringing, the way they made love together.

 

Amanda set out to begin fresh in their new home.  The past was the past, and the future though uncertain was theirs for the making.  Although she still did not quite have the knack of preparing Sarek's favorite morning meal, when she could get him to stop and eat a morning meal, she was determined to make him breakfast.  The first task was to remember where the kitchen was.  "Getting lost in your own house will be rather embarrassing," Amanda chuckled to herself.

 

As she made her way to the kitchen, Amanda stopped by each room to get a sense of the atmosphere each would require.  She had already hoped to make her home like the garden, a pleasing representation of the Federation.  The main living areas would have a Vulcan influence with a touch of Terran thrown in for balance.  However, the other rooms that Sarek said would be used by visitors, would do best to be furnished with décor from various Federation planets. 

 

One room would match an Andorian style, as it reminded her of the room she had stayed in when she did her studies of Andorian literature.  Whereas another reminded her of Delta.  There was so much that could be done to her home and she was glad she could stay busy with it. 

 

Having finally found the kitchen, Amanda noticed that Sarek had installed top of the line food preparation units.  Even T'Lara's kitchen was not as full and fancy as this one was.  Sarek had wanted her to take on a cook, but she preferred to handle the food preparation for her family herself.  It would be agreeable, however, to engage outside help during times when her twelve rooms were full of guests.  She had even considered hiring a chef that could teach her how to prepare Vulcan foods that would be safe for both Vulcans and Humans.

 

With little effort, Amanda retrieved the dishes she would need along with the ingredients necessary to prepare her first meal in her new home.  Although Sarek did manage to have a few basics delivered to the house earlier, the main food stock was scheduled for delivery later in the day.  Humming softly, Amanda began to work.

 

With the eggs were settled in the cooker, she prepared to make a tea.  However, the question was how did one make Vulcan tea?  Sure she'd had it, but, unfortunately, she had never had the occasion to watch it being prepared.  It couldn't be all that difficult to get it right?  After all, she had made a variety of teas on Earth.  Amanda set out to make the Vulcan tea as she assumed it would be made, much like the teas of her native home.

 

 

Having finished his meditation, Sarek rose and went into the house.  Dropping his shields briefly, he allowed the gentle laugher of Amanda's mind to wash over him.  The sweet tranquility of her mind was something he had come to miss over the past few days.  Entering the kitchen, he looked at his wife who was happily humming as she made their morning meal.  Silently, he crept behind her and placed his arms around her waist pulling her toward him.  "You appear to be quite relaxed this morning Amanda," he whispered in her ear.

 

Turning to face him, Amanda looked into his soft brown eyes.  "I am.  Today is a new day and it's the beginning of our new life together." Her smile was warm and inviting, the memory of the night they had shared intensified by their closeness.  Pulling her petite body up to his taller form, she kissed him and was quite pleased when he returned her Human gesture. 

 

Standing silently in the glow of their shared desires, the main doorbell suddenly rang.  Amanda sighed under her breath as they parted.  "I shall not be long, t'hy'la,” Sarek said.  “Perhaps it is a mover with the remainder of your belongings.” He made his way toward the main doorway of the house.

 

Amanda finished preparing breakfast so that they would be able to eat as soon as Sarek returned.  Overcome by a sense of uneasiness, she couldn't help but to think this visitor was not a delivery person.  Having set the table, Amanda decided to join Sarek.  It wasn't customary for a Vulcan wife to be nosey when it came to visitors, but since when was she a true Vulcan wife?

 

"We will come later," Sarek replied to the unknown visitor.

 

"The logic of the request bids that you attend now Sarek," the visitor replied. 

 

Amanda knew it to be the same voice that had met her at the Spaceport.  "Sarek, what is it?  What’s wrong?" she asked, approaching the two men.  Her blue eyes moved from her husband to the visitor from Gol.

 

Sarek looked to his wife.  "T'Rea's health is degrading more rapidly than she had originally anticipated.  She asks for us to attend to her, to stay with her, so that we may both become familiar with her son."

 

Amanda frowned.  “You mean she is dying, now?" Amanda knew she would take on young Sybok, but she had hoped it would not be so quick in coming.  She looked to Sarek.  "If T'Rea wants both of us to be present, then that is what we will do." His wife's willingness to help T’Rea spoke volumes about her character.

 

“We will attend as soon as we are able,” Sarek informed the visitor.

 

 

****

 

 

Having finished breakfast, Sarek and Amanda prepared to leave for Gol.  This would indeed be quite historical.  Amanda would be the first non-Vulcan to visit the Temple and sleep among those that sought the knowledge that the temple presented.

 

 

****

 

 

The days passed quickly and within a week T'Rea reached a point where she was no longer able to complete the simplest feats without help.  Amanda, the compassionate person she was, helped T'Rea as much as she could.

 

The final day of her life, T'Rea made a simple request of Amanda.  It wasn't a request she asked for lightly, nor was it something she would have spoken of had she not thought Amanda capable.  Knowing that she had come far in her training of mind control, T’Rea asked Amanda to keep a small part of her essence.  In this way, Sybok would always be able to touch his mother. 

 

For all the teachings Gol had given T'Rea, her bond as a mother to Sybok was etched much deeper in her thoughts.  She wanted her son to be able to feel comfortable with the Human that would soon be his only mother. 

 

It was not easy for Amanda to think that she would forever hold a piece of T'Rea within her.  She knew that Vulcans were able to transfer their katra to other Vulcans but to transfer it to a Human?  As far as any of them knew it had never been done.  It did help Amanda knowing that T'Rea trusted her with the most precious thing that had been given to her, her own son.

 

Moments before T'Rea's end, Amanda went to her and though shivering, kneeled before the bed T'Rea was laid upon.  The High Priestess T’Pau aided the transference from T’Rea to Amanda only the parts which T'Rea had requested.  All of the unspoken emotion she had for her son was given to Amanda, with the T’Pau taking the bulk of her katra to be joined with the others in the Hall of Wisdom.

 

Once the transference was completed, T'Rea stared into the Human's bright blue eyes and held them as her chest rose and fell one final time.  "T'Rea is no more, T’Pau said.  “However, her katra will live on within you and in the ancient Hall of Wisdom." The wizened old High Priestess could no longer look at this Human in the manner T'Lara had always presented her.  Amanda had a strong mind and had, over the course of the past week, proved to be quite logical.

 

After Amanda steadied herself she returned to Sarek who had been waiting with Sybok. "She is gone," Amanda said softly, her sapphire eyes filled with sadness.  She had gone from feeling great jealousy toward the Vulcan woman to an even deeper friendship and compassion for her.

 

Sarek bowed his head.  “Let us return home so that we may grieve in a proper fashion,” he said, taking up the small boy that was now under his care.

 

 

****

 

 

Two weeks had passed when Amanda felt the same symptoms that she had no more than a month earlier.  Remembering her promise that she would see Dr. Corrigan as soon as she thought she might be pregnant, she made another appointment.  This time she would see that Sarek joined her.

 

"Amanda." She felt a small tug on her dress.  Looking down, she saw Sybok.  He met her gaze, his brown eyes so like his father's.

 

"Yes, Sybok," she said, kneeling down beside him.

 

"Why do you want a baby?" Sybok asked insistently.

 

Amanda smiled down at her small stepson.  No, her son, she thought to herself.  After T’Rea’s death, by Vulcan law, Amanda was now the boy's mother.  Looking at Amanda, Sybok easily returned the now familiar facial expression.  "Sybok, I have always wanted a child.  However, my dear, if it is not meant to be, I will always have you." She planted a kiss on his little forehead.  "Would you like to help me make some cookies?"

 

Sybok's eyes gleamed, as he nodded his acceptance to her offer.

 

"Good then let's get everything we need," Amanda said as she reached for the main ingredients for her special cookies.  It had taken a great deal of trial and error to formulate a recipe that lacked the ingredients that might be harmful to Vulcans.  The first batch had been too bland, the next too full of Vulcan spices for a Human.  On her third try, she found the right combination to blend her taste with those of her husband’s.  She still thought it rather ironic that everything in her life had become the perfect blend of Vulcan and Human elements.

 

Inwardly she smiled as she thought how elements of her characteristics and Sarek's would be intermixed to give them a perfect child when the time came.  She couldn't help but think such a time would be very soon.

 

Looking back down at her husband's small son, she was glad that she would have the chance to practice being a Vulcan mother on Sybok.  It would have been hard enough learning to be a mother to a Human child, but being a mother to a Vulcan child was an entirely new realm for her.  All she could hope for was that she would be everything and more than what T'Lara had thought she would be.

 

Amanda laughed at the very thought of T'Lara.  She couldn’t help but to recall the look on her mother-in-law’s face when Sarek had brought Sybok to see his grandfather.  The utter look of surprise was less than becoming for a Vulcan.  In the end, Sarek had ended up with both his son and his wife, and all T'Lara was left with was the very shame of it all.

 

 

 

 

 

Finis