DISCLAIMER: The Star Trek characters are the property of Paramount Studios, Inc and Viacom. The story contents are the creation and property of Djinn and are copyright (c) 2002 by Djinn. This story is Rated G.
Just One
by Djinn
"Are they gone? Your...business associates?"
Mestral turned away from his study of the night sky to look
at Maggie. "They are."
"Do you miss them?"
He considered her question
and knew that in the past he would not have given it the least
consideration. There would have been no
reason to. To miss someone or something
was an emotion. An indication of regret
or perhaps loneliness. He was a
Vulcan. He did not allow himself to feel
those things. Did not allow himself to
feel anything.
Maggie settled down next to
him on the bench and smiled at him.
In the past, he had not
allowed himself to feel anything, he revised mentally as he felt his own
expression lighten somewhat in response to her.
But this was a new world, a new future.
A new life. So he considered
again her question. His people had left
him here as he requested. In all
probability, he would never see a Vulcan again.
Never see his home world again.
Did he miss them?
He realized her smile had
turned into a huge grin. "You are
amused?"
She nodded. "Anyone ever tell you that you think way
too hard."
"No."
"Hmmm." She regarded him for a long moment. Then she reached up and gently started to remove
the stocking cap.
He stopped her. "Do not."
"I want to see."
"I do not believe that
you do."
Her hand dropped and ran
along his cheek. "Your skin. The color." She shook her head, reached again for the
hat. "I have to know."
Again he stopped her. "You will not like what you see."
"How do you know?"
"I am nearly
certain."
"Nearly isn't good
enough." She dropped her hand
though. "Where did they go?"
"Away."
"Not very
specific."
"Far away."
"Up north, I
believe."
He nodded slightly. "Yes.
North."
"North as in
Alaska. Or North as in the North
Star?"
He turned to look at her and
tried not to let shock show in his expression, was fairly certain he
failed. "North as in New
Brunswick." He picked the first place
that came to mind.
She nodded. "Whatever you say." They sat in silence for a few moments, then
she turned to him. "Did you stay
for me?"
He forced himself not to look
at her as he shook his head. "I
plan to visit the city."
She leaned back. "How long will that take?"
"I plan to visit more
than one city."
"How many more?"
"I am not certain."
She stood up slowly. "So you want to see the world?"
He nodded.
She held out her hand. "Walk with me?"
He hesitated.
"I won't bite."
He finally took her
hand. She led him back behind the bar,
down a path that cut through the woods into a clearing.
She looked down at their
clasped hands. "Your skin is so
hot."
He tried to pull away but her
grip was surprisingly strong. He looked
at her in alarm.
"You are different, Mestral."
He tried to assess the best
response to her statement.
"Stop thinking so
hard!" She let him go. "Your skin is a strange color, you feel like
you have a fever, you talk funny, and you wear this stupid cap all the
time." Without warning, she
snatched the cap from his head and stared up at him. "That's it? That's what you were hiding? Elf ears?"
"Elf ears?"
"Pointed." She took a step closer. "May I touch?"
He knew he should tell her
no. Vulcans did not touch one another
there except in the most intimate of situations. It would be most improper. And yet he nodded, did not stop her as her
hands moved slowly to his head. Did not
try to stifle his gasp as her cool fingers touched the points of his ears.
"You like that?"
He nodded, suddenly at a loss
for words.
"Better than you liked
the kiss?" She sounded amused as
she held a finger to his lips.
"Don't answer that. I think
I'd rather not know."
"As you wish," he
said, feeling strangely bereft when she dropped her hands.
"Where are you really
from?"
"I cannot tell
you."
"I'm not going to tell
anyone, Mestral.
Besides, who would believe me?
You're the town hero after what you did in the mine. Nobody will hear a bad word about you."
"It is not that
simple." He turned away from her,
walked a few feet before looking at the sky again.
"Oh. That north." She laughed softly. "So I wasn't far wrong."
"I am not from
Mars."
"Where then?"
"Vulcan."
She laughed again. He turned, raised his eyebrow.
At his look, she
shrugged. "Both Roman gods. Both in love with Venus." Then she looked down at her dress. "Hardly a Venus though, am I?"
"Is a Venus a desirable
thing to be?"
She smiled. "She was a very beautiful
goddess." When he said nothing,
Maggie seemed eager to change the subject and looked up suddenly. "Jack could tell you which planet is
Venus. Would he be able to find your planet
too?"
Mestral shook his head.
"Are you really
leaving?"
He nodded.
"Why?"
"I wish to experience
your culture. I said I would keep
moving." He looked away. "I could contaminate too much if I
stayed here."
"Contaminate?"
"If my true nature were
discovered."
"So you think the city
will be better? What if you have an
accident?"
"I will not."
She frowned. "You might. It wouldn't be an accident if you could plan
for it."
He did not answer.
"Wouldn't it make more
sense, be more..." she trailed off and looked at him as if searching for
the word.
"More logical?"
"Yes. Wouldn't it be more logical to stay
here? Where people care about you? Where we keep our own counsel. Where your secret could be safe."
He did not answer.
She looked away, her laugh a
sad, bitter sound. "Of course,
maybe you don't want to stay? Maybe I'm
making an awfully big assumption? It's
not like you've been around much lately."
She turned to him. "And who
in their right mind would stay in Carbon Creek, anyway? What kind of culture are you going to get
here?"
She turned and walked down
the path, back toward the bar. "I'm
going to miss you, Mestral," she called over her
shoulder.
He let her go, sinking slowly
down to the meadow grass and staring up again at the stars. He tried not to think of the catch that had
been in her voice as she hurried away.
Or of the way it had felt to have her touch him. He tried to tell himself what he felt for her
was just curiosity. Normal, certainly,
in the face of the exceptional circumstances he had found himself in but
ultimately leading to nothing. He almost
had himself convinced when he heard soft footsteps coming back down the
path. He looked up at her.
"At least grow out your
hair."
He raised an eyebrow.
"If you look ridiculous
in that cap here, you'll only stand out like a sore thumb in it when you get to
the city. Grow your hair out and let it
cover your ears. Your friends did, you
can too. Okay, that's all I wanted to
say." She turned away again.
He got up. "They were not my friends."
She stopped but didn't turn
around. "No, your friends are all
here. In this town. Billy.
The boys at the mine. Jack."
"You." He moved closer and she turned to look at
him. "Your face is wet and your
eyes are red." As he watched,
liquid welled from her eyes and began to run slowly down her cheeks.
"I'm crying. Don't people from Vulcan cry?"
"We do not." He reached out to touch her skin, his finger
gently wiping the moisture away.
"Why do you cry?"
"I'm sad."
"You are sad because of
me?"
Another drop of moisture fell
and again he reached for it, but she pulled away. "You can't stop all my tears, Mestral. Not when
you're leaving."
"Will you cry when I am
gone?"
"For a while. But not for long." She straightened and seemed to arm herself
with the strong resolve he had admired from the moment he met her. "I'll be okay. I'll be fine." Her expression was no-nonsense and for a
moment she reminded him of T'Mir. "You be careful in the city. They'll take you for all your worth, if you
let them. Not like Carbon Creek. People are harder there." She turned and walked away deliberately.
"I stayed for
you."
She froze.
"I did not think I could
be with you but you were the reason I stayed."
She didn't turn. "If you want to see my world, I can show
you."
He took a step toward
her. "Yes?"
She turned around. "If you want to see the city, we could
go together."
"An excursion?"
"A day trip or maybe a
weekend trip." She blushed. "Only..."
"Only what?"
"People would talk. Two unmarried people taking an overnight
trip. Not really the way it's done in
Carbon Creek."
"But a mated
couple?" He noticed she blushed
again at his choice of adjectives.
"That would be the way it is done?"
She nodded. "But there are lots of women in the city
too, Mestral.
Younger than I am." She
looked down. "Prettier than I
am."
"I did not stay for
them." He realized as she looked up
at him and smiled happily that this time he had said the right thing. "There are many ways we are different,
Maggie. There are things that you will
have to know about Vulcans...about me."
She grinned. "Well, it's not as if we're getting
married tomorrow, mister. I expect you
to do some courting if you want to win me."
"Courting?"
"Wooing. Elaborate gestures designed to make me select
you for my mate."
He realized she was making
fun of the way he spoke but decided that he did not mind. "I do not know how to woo."
"Ask your friend
Billy. He's got plenty of
experience." She touched his ears
and smiled as he shuddered. "So
you'll stay here? In Carbon Creek?"
He nodded as he bent down to
kiss her gently.
When he pulled away, she
grinned. "Very pleasant."
He felt his mouth curl ever
so slightly upwards. "Only
pleasant?"
"You were hoping for
more?"
He nodded.
She grinned. "I did say very."
"I could try
again?"
She was already leaning in as
she said, "A little practice never hurt anyone."
FIN