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) 2011 by Djinn. This
story is Rated R.
Pitching Woo
by Djinn
The
walls of the bar seemed to throb--or maybe that was just Chapel's head? How many drinks had she thrown back in that
shot contest?
She
stumbled, felt strong hands on her and debated whether to turn around and punch
the person or be happy to see whoever had caught her. Punching seemed better.
Whoever
it was wisely did not let go, and she was forced to stand still. "Christine. May I suggest it is time to go home?"
"Spock?" She wrestled her way free and turned to stare
at him. "Oh my. It is you."
"Yes,
it is I." He'd gotten some rest
since last night. Looked
good.
"You,
mister, are one damned handsome man."
"And
you, Commander, are inebriated."
"I
am, aren't I?" She laughed
softly. "Don't you get it? Drunk is the way to be today. That way we don't have to think about Admiral
Cartwright--my mentor and mentor to half of the people here"--she moved
her glass to demonstrate how many of them and booze sloshed all over--"
going to a Klingon prison."
"He
is a traitor."
"Shhhhhh.
Those are fighting words."
She pulled him away from the group.
"You
are concerned for my safety?"
"Maybe
I'm just concerned for mine. They'll
think I'm with you, if I'm not careful."
"Christine,
you are with me."
She
had to think about that. "Only since last night."
He
closed his eyes for a moment, seemed to be praying for strength--but she knew
Vulcans didn't pray. "You do
remember what transpired? You took antitox before we--"
"Before
we had wild monkey sex? Wild, wild, wild
damn monkey sex--may I point out that you are still really mad at Valeris? It made the
sex a little strange, I have to say."
She laughed again and motioned for a server to come over.
"You
have had enough to drink."
"I'll
say when I've had enough, lover."
"Christine."
She
turned on him, pushing him against a wall.
Several people cleared out of her way.
"They
are afraid of you," Spock said, looking around at the burly types who had
moved.
"Goddamned
right they are. And you should be,
too." She leaned into him, could
feel him reacting to her. "I let
you in last night and that was a big mistake.
I'm going to blame it on all the tequila I drank. But if I did it tonight, I'd have to swear
off tequila, and that is not going to happen.
So...you come back when you are not so angry over your little Vulcan
traitor. And be prepared to pitch some
serious woo. And maybe, just maybe, I'll
consider letting you back into my bed."
She punctuated each sentence with a finger to his sternum.
She
moved back, wobbled a little but stayed upright without too much trouble. "Okay.
You can go."
"I
have antitox."
He looked extremely hopeful, even for a Vulcan.
She
laughed; it was not a nice sound.
"I'd tell you where to put your antitox,
but I'm sure you already know." She
turned to one of the men walking by and said, "Carruthers,
I want to dance, damn it."
Carruthers visibly paled but led her to the makeshift
dance floor.
"Don't
be scared, kid. I'm not going to
bite." She took a deep breath. "Do you have any antitox? I just turned some down and it was really
stupid of me."
"In
my jacket pocket."
It
was a slow number so she was able to root around in his pocket till she found
the pills. She popped one in, felt her
head start to clear immediately.
"Was
that Spock, ma'am?"
"What? Oh, yeah.
He's a friend of mine. Sort of. Well, not
really." She took a deep
breath. "Carruthers, permission to speak freely. Do you think I'm mean?"
"Not
when you're sober, ma'am."
"So
I'm a mean drunk?"
"Well,
you've never been mean to me. But I
know Landon and Baker sometimes wish you'd lay off the sauce."
"Hmm." They were on the side of the performance
curve leading to village idiot, so this didn't really dismay her too much. "But I'm not mean to people who don't
deserve it, right?"
"No,
ma'am."
She let him go, feeling her buzz falling off as the medicine went to work. "Thanks for the honesty,
lieutenant. Now go dance with someone
you'd really like to be close to."
He
hurried off.
If
only Jan were still here she'd have someone to talk to. But Jan was off with Sulu gallivanting
through the stars, and probably getting it on like crazy--it had taken her
forever to realize Hikaru had the hots
for her and then some.
Chapel
would love to think Spock had come to his senses and realized what she had to
offer, but she wasn't that stupid. Last
night had been a mistake. A wild, sexy mistake, but still a huge lapse in judgment.
On
both their parts.
___________________________________________________________________________
She
looked up and saw a delivery man standing in her office door. He was holding a huge bouquet of
flowers. "I think you have the
wrong office, toots."
"Commander
Chapel?"
"Yes." She got up and took the flowers. "Seriously?"
"Yes,
ma'am. Someone likes you a lot. These are really expensive. Flown in special from the Delmara Federation."
Delmaran
Roses? Holy shit. They would set her back a month's pay. She checked the card. It read: "I believe this qualifies as
wooing?"
She
laughed softly. "Wow, who knew you
could make flowers this nice unromantic?"
She smiled at the delivery man.
"You can go. Thank
you."
"You
bet." He turned around. "Is there a message back?"
She
frowned. "Huh?"
"There's
a place on the card. See." He walked over and turned it so she could see
a tiny input screen on the back.
"It goes right to the sender."
She
laughed. Carefully
typed in: "Beautiful, but you'll have to try harder."
He
read it and she said, "Hey, private message."
"Ma'am,
you do know how much these cost, right?
What did this guy do to you?"
"If
I told you, I'd make you blush. Now
scram." She had her "don't
fuck with me voice" and he scrammed in double time.
She
carried the roses to her window, and breathed in the scent of them as they
slowly warmed in the filtered sunshine.
"Oooh, nice flowers." Jan stood in the doorway, grinning like a
fool.
"Janice
Rand, you didn't tell me you'd be here."
"They
called us back unexpectedly. I thought
I'd surprise you. Who are these from?" She walked over to the flowers, picked up the
card. "Spock?"
"Spock."
A
stunned look was her answer.
"I
know. I think he might be courting
me."
"Why?"
Chapel
laughed at the disbelief in her friend's voice.
"That's an excellent question."
"Did
you sleep with him? I told you not to do
that."
"I
did. The night he got back from Khitomer."
"Oh. Angry sex."
"Yeah." She could feel the grin starting.
"Good,
angry sex."
"Oh,
hell yeah." She took Janice's arm. "Are you free for lunch?"
"I
just happen to be. And I want to hear
every sordid detail."
"Only
if you tell me what you and Hikaru have gotten up
to."
Jan
blushed deeply. "Nothing
to tell."
"Still
a really bad liar, my friend." She
laughed as they headed to the mess.
"At least some things don't change."
___________________________________________________________________________
Chapel
was just contemplating the contents of her chiller when the doorbell rang. She hurried to it, hoping against hope it was
a psychic delivery boy with some chicken enchiladas or maybe some lo mein.
Spock
stood in her door, filling the telepathy requirement but sadly bereft of
food. "Hello."
"Hello." She frowned.
"Did you send a comm I missed?"
"I
did not." He seemed content to
stand at her door but she was a little worried Kahless
the Cat would get out, so she pulled him inside.
And
not a moment too soon. The blasted
animal shot by her and was brought up short by the closing door.
"You
have a cat."
"No
shit, Sherlock." She picked up Kahless, who was complaining bitterly, the way only an
affronted Siamese could.
"I
like cats."
She
thrust the cat at him; he settled down immediately in Spock's arms. "Oh, of course. My cat likes you. He usually hates everyone but me."
"He
is quite attractive. His eyes match
yours."
"Yes,
and that's why I got him." She watched
fascinated as Spock and Kahless engaged in a rather
overt petting and snuggling ritual.
Spock managed to stay stone faced, but Kahless
was purring so loudly she could hear him from where she stood. "Give me him."
Spock
turned away, taking the cat to the sofa and making himself
comfortable.
"You'll
get cat hair on your nice robe."
"Clearly,
I do not mind." More
petting, more purring.
She
walked away and back into the kitchen. "I
was getting ready to make dinner."
"That
would be acceptable."
"I
did not say I was getting ready to make it for you."
"Do
you have enough for two?"
"Sweetie,
I'm not sure I have enough for one."
The cat, of course, had plenty of food stocked up. She was always responsible when it came to
his food, especially since she was called off world so often and had to get the
service to check in on him. She wasn't
half so careful with her own diet.
"Would
you like to go to dinner?" Spock
was standing in the doorway, Kahless still in his arms
and looking as if he'd turned to feline jelly.
"Is there a place you have wanted to try?"
"The
place I want to try is impossible to get a reservation. Carlyle's?"
"I know it." He walked to her
comm unit, dialed in his own information, slung Kahless
over his shoulder, and had Carlyle's on in mere moments.
"Captain
Spock. This is an honor, sir." The maitre d' looked like he was ready to
fall down. "Would you care to dine
with us?"
"Tonight. There will be two in my party."
"Very
good, sir. I have a lovely table. When would you like it?"
Spock
turned to look at her.
"Now,"
she murmured
He
turned back to the screen. "We will
be there in fifteen minutes. Is that
agreeable?"
"Indeed, sir. We'll be waiting."
Spock
signed off and resumed petting Kahless, who appeared
to have fallen asleep on his shoulder.
"We
can't walk there in fifteen minutes.
It's across town."
"I
have a personal transport waiting downstairs.
I believe, when one is wooing, it is customary to provide
conveyance?" He thought about
something. "And pay for the meal,
which I am, of course, prepared to do.
Should I have brought more flowers?"
"No."
"You
did not like the roses?"
"They
were gorgeous. I loved them and they
smelled heavenly." She looked
down. "But they aren't enough to
win me, so don't overuse them."
"Ah,
save them for the 'big moments'?"
"You've
got it."
He
moved closer. "So there will be big
moments in our future?"
"Mayyyyyybe."
He
almost smiled. "I find that idea
most pleasing." He headed for the
door.
"Spock."
He
turned.
"You
can't take Kahless to the restaurant."
He
seemed surprised to discover he was still holding the cat. "Of course not." He set him down gently on the couch, and gave
him a last little stroke before he walked away.
"Being
nice to my cat will not win my heart."
He
looked over at her, his eyes gleaming.
"I already have your heart, Christine. It is your mind I'm endeavoring to
conquer."
"That's
crap. You do not have my heart."
He
moved to her, gently took her by the arms and pulled her to him ever so
slowly. She wanted to stop him. She did.
Really.
Just
before their lips touched, he stopped and whispered. "You see. You would allow me this, but you would regret
it soon after. I must get you to a point
where you do not regret it." He let
her go.
She
felt a little lost for a moment. She'd
been looking forward to the kiss--he was a damn fine smoocher.
He
didn't give her time to analyze that. Just eased her out of the apartment and to the waiting transport.
The
staff at Carlyle's fawned all over them.
She
liked it very, very much.
Spock
kept the conversation light, making her laugh more than once with his dry
comments on this or that.
She liked that even better.
___________________________________________________________________________
Chapel
saw Spock sitting alone in the departure lounge on Lattra
and walked over. "Hey,
sailor."
He
looked up and his expression lightened.
"Christine."
"Buy
a girl a drink?"
He
got up quickly, walked with her to the bar, found them two vacant stools, and
ordered her a tequila and tonic without asking if it was what she wanted.
Fortunately,
it was.
He stuck with just tonic. "I did
not know you were here."
She
however had known he was here. Since he
was wooing her, she didn't feel it was utterly stalker behavior to know where
he was posted. "I wasn't here. I was on Morella. This is a transit stop to get back
home."
"Ah. I am...glad." He met her eyes; he did not look particularly
glad.
"You
seemed deep in thought."
"I was. I was thinking of Valeris."
"Ohhhhhh."
"Not
in an angry manner. Just analyzing why I
didn't see what was right in front of me."
"Hey,
I missed it with Cartwright, too."
"You
were not melding with Cartwright."
"Oh. Okay, that is pretty stupid." She grinned to take away the sting.
"I
am afraid it was. I was blinded by my
feelings for her."
"She
was also a very adept little liar."
She leaned in and let her shoulder touch his. "Spock, she used you."
"Yes. Yes, she did."
"You
loved her?"
He
nodded.
"You
know, there's a certain stigma about being the rebound for someone."
He
met her gaze. "I am aware of
that."
"I
don't know why you're after me. Other
than I want you and always have."
"You
are making me work rather strenuously for someone who wants me and always
has."
"Well,
I'm stupid but I'm not easy. When I'm sober."
She winked at him. "You
picked me because I was a sure thing."
"You
are no longer that." He took a deep
breath, let it out slowly. "You did
not invite me in after dinner at Carlyle's."
"You
expected me to?"
He
nodded.
"Wow,
you really do think I'm easy."
"Perhaps
my assessment of the amount of wooing required to win you was on the low
side."
"I
think you might be right about that."
She leaned up against him again.
"Do you miss her? Valeris?"
"I
do. That is stupid of me, is it
not?"
She
shrugged. "I always missed you when
you weren't around. And you didn't even
pretend to love me."
His
lips tilted a bit. "Ah. That makes it all better."
"I
thought it might." She shook her
head. "I miss Cartwright. I miss his leadership. I miss his parties. I miss his confidences." She saw Spock's head whip up. "About everything but
the plot, Spock. You can meld with
me if you don't believe me."
"I
believe you."
"Maybe
you shouldn't."
"Do
you want me to meld with you?"
"No,
I'm saying that maybe part of the reason Valeris was
able to trick you is because you want to think the best of people. You did the same thing with your brother from
what I heard when he stole the ship. You
did it with T'Pring, too. Left her alone while you were on a ship and
expected her to be true."
"What
you say is accurate." This time it
was he who leaned into her. "Should
I not trust you?"
"You
can trust me, Spock."
"Good. I find myself on somewhat shaky ground these
days when it comes to that."
"You
can trust Jim."
"Yes. I can trust him."
"You going to the launch?" The Enterprise
B maiden voyage was the talk of Command.
Harriman was too, but in a completely different way.
"No. I have diplomatic obligations."
"Jim's
going. Don't
know why. He hates Harriman."
"You
spend time with Jim?"
She
shrugged. "We meet up for drinks
sometimes."
"But
nothing more?"
"I'm
not his type, Spock."
"You
are a scientist. I think he has shown a
marked preference for those."
She
laughed. "Okay, then maybe he's not
my type. Too open and
emotionally available for a gal like me."
"That
I am more inclined to believe."
"He
is pretty, though. Even
now."
"Yes,
he is quite handsome."
She
glanced at him, a grin growing.
"It
is merely truth, Christine. Expressing
this truth does not mean I wish to avail myself of his good looks."
"Ah." She took a deep breath. "Am I good looking?"
"You
are."
"I've
gained weight."
"I
did not complain the other night."
"No,
you did not."
"In
fact, you are probably better able to withstand a Vulcan at full passion with,
what is the phrase? Oh yes, some meat on
your bones."
She
laughed. "I was still pretty damn
sore."
"I
regret that."
"Don't. It was great sex."
He
looked very pleased with himself.
The
call for his shuttle to Vulcan came over the loudspeaker and he rose. "I look forward to seeing you when I am
next on Earth."
"Me,
too."
He
surprised her by laying his hand on her cheek for a moment, then
he was gone.
___________________________________________________________________________
Chapel
watched the news, numbly now that it was no longer the top headline that James
T. Kirk had perished giving his life to save another man's ship. The tributes and "inside stories"
had been playing all week, and she was saturated but could not bring herself to
turn the vids off.
It seemed disrespectful to the captain she'd served, the man she'd called
friend these last few years.
Her
doorbell rang and she hurried to it, not surprised to see Spock standing
there. She drew him in, shut the door, then pulled him into a tight embrace.
He
clutched at her, his breath coming in shallow rasps.
"I'm
sorry, Spock. I'm so sorry."
He
pulled away and tilted her chin up, staring hard at her. "I want to forget. I came here to
forget."
She
nodded and pulled him into the bedroom.
He stripped her clothes off gently, made love to her just as
sweetly. She kissed him and murmured
nonsense things to him and felt him relax against her.
"I
should have been there," he said so softly she had to strain to make out
the words.
"You
might have been killed, too."
"We'll
never know." He buried his face in
her hair.
"He
died on the Enterprise. Doing the right thing. Saving others. It's how he would
have wanted to go."
"Yes,
it is." He rolled to his back,
pulling her so she was resting half on top of him. "You are a comfort."
"Good." She kissed him gently.
"I
realize this does not mean my pursuit of you is over."
"Shhh.
We can worry about that tomorrow."
She kissed him as tenderly as she could.
He
met her eyes, his gaze fierce. "You
are not a rebound, Christine. You must
understand that. I thought of no one
else when I heard the news."
"I
was your port in the storm?"
He
nodded.
"That's
nice, Spock. Really."
"Would
I be yours?"
"I
don't know."
He
nodded, as if the answer was not unexpected.
"That will have to change."
___________________________________________________________________________
Carruthers sat with her in
the shuttle waiting to rendezvous with the marine troop ship heading back to
Earth. "Ma'am, you seem uhhh mellower."
She
glanced at him. "Yeah?"
He
nodded. "There's some speculation
as to why."
"Is
there an office pool?"
He
turned red. "Maybe."
"Have
you put your entry in yet?"
"No,
ma'am."
"Anybody
taken Spock yet?"
"Captain
Spock? The
Vulcan?"
"That
would be the one. I suggest you snag
that option." She nodded at his padd. "Now."
He sent a quick message.
"Thanks."
"No
problem. If there's a pool, I want you
to win. You're my favorite, Jack. But if you ever say I said it, I'll deny
every word and make your life a living hell."
"Yes,
ma'am." He was quiet for a moment. "I have trouble seeing you with a
Vulcan."
"Because
I'm not smart enough?"
"No,
of course not." He laughed
easily. "Because
you're rather....errr....volatile?"
"I
didn't use to be. Before Ops, I was Little
Miss Calm."
"Really?"
He shook his head, as if not believing it.
"I
was a nurse then. I needed to be
calm. It helped the patients."
"Ah." He had a funny look on his face.
"What?"
"I'm
just trying to picture you being ummm
nurturing."
"Listen,
buster, I can nurture with the best of them." She grinned at him. "But I admit,
you've seen little of that in me in this job."
"I
think I prefer this you. You make the
job interesting."
"Flattery
will get you everywhere, kiddo."
She smiled with satisfaction and turned her attention back to her padd, but was quickly distracted. She was looking forward to being on Earth
again. Spock was due back soon, too. He'd been called away the day after he'd come
to her. In a way that was good. Kept her from letting him
back in all the way. Gave him a chance to regroup, to collect himself after Jim's death. She didn't like angry sex; she liked grieving
sex even less.
Even
if it had been damn good.
Spock
was very, very good in bed, whether he was being tender or a wild man. It was a wonderful surprise.
___________________________________________________________________________
She
commed Spock from the departure lounge on Starbase 6.
He answered immediately, even though it was the middle of the night
where he was.
"Christine."
"I'm
close by. I can get to where you
are. If you want?" She made the last part very teasing.
"Yes." So simple. So direct. He steepled
his fingers. "Do you require
anything to make your stay more pleasant?"
The
chase was back on. Good. It had been several months since she'd seen
him. "A guest
room."
"I
can arrange that."
"Some
scintillating conversation."
"Also
at hand."
She
laughed. "Truffles. The chocolate kind not the rooty thing. Mocha truffles--or the local variation." She wasn't sending him on a wild good
chase. The people on the planet he was
helping to negotiate mining rights with were masters of the chocolate
trade. Or what passed for chocolate--and
quite frankly was even tastier.
"I
will procure them at once."
She
let her smile dim. "Are you all
right?"
His
expression changed a little. He nodded.
"Do
you want me there?"
"Did anything in my demeanor just now indicate I did not?"
"No,
but it hasn't been that long since the launch.
And if you want me to wait or if you want me to come and not have to buy
chocolates or pitch any woo, then I'll understand."
"You
mean I can sleep with you with no effort if I choose?"
She laughed. "Yes. That's what I'm saying."
"I
believe the effort would be beneficial for my outlook. A pursuit is a worthy diversion, would you
not say?"
"Have
you been wallowing?"
"I
regret that I didn't go."
"Spock,
it is what it is. You're here. You're alive.
And he's not. What Ifs and Should
Haves won't make things any better."
"Your
words are logical."
"And
yet."
"Yes. And yet." He took a deep breath. "I look forward to your arrival."
"Me,
too. For the record, I'm not sleeping with you if
pursuit is on."
"Does
telling me how this visit will end not take the...fun out of this?"
"Oh. Right. Okay, forget I said anything." She smiled at him. "I've missed you."
"And
I you. I am staying in a lodging a block from the
transport station. I have sent the
coordinates to you. I will see you
soon."
"Bye." She cut the connection and headed for her
gate.
She
wasn't really sure she wouldn't sleep with him this visit. Sympathy was a powerful motivator for
tenderness. But maybe he didn't need
sympathy. Maybe he needed a project.
Not
the most flattering way to think of herself, but probably accurate in a lot of
ways.
___________________________________________________________________________
Chapel
paced the small confines of the guest quarters she'd been assigned at the Sigma
Eight colony headquarters. She was
waiting for Nyota to answer her comms. She'd tried her a couple dozen times since
she'd heard about the Jenolen,
lost with all hands.
Scotty
had been one of the lost. He and Nyota had just begun talking again, repairing a
relationship that had started late and ended too soon.
And
now was over forever.
A
message came over her unit. Audio only
and recorded so she couldn't cut in. It
was Nyota.
"Christine, I really do appreciate your concern, but I need to deal
with this in my own way. I love
you. I'll be in touch soon."
Chapel
replayed the message several times, still felt restless. Jim. Now Scotty. Jan had
been injured a few weeks back--badly enough to scare both of them.
She
commed Spock, not caring what time it might be on
whatever world he was calling home at the moment.
He
answered immediately. "Are you all
right?"
"Where
are you?"
"I
have finished a negotiation. I am on my
way home. Would you like me to come to
you?"
"I'm
not home."
"Where
are you?"
"Sigma
Eight."
"It
is close. I will be there
shortly." He cut the
connection. A move
that in a human would be rude.
But she knew it just meant he was packing and would do as he said: be
there soon.
It
still took half a day and she was cycling off duty when he showed up in the
corridor of the Sigma Eight headquarters.
It always amazed her how much access the man had. She'd been nearly strip searched every time
she'd come in despite being temporarily assigned here to help with disaster
recovery, and he got in with no orders and no real business on the planet.
She
hurried to him. "Come on."
"Are
you hungry?"
"No. Come on."
"Are
you angry at me?"
She
met his eyes. "No. Come on."
He
wisely did not comment this time, just walked with her to her quarters. The minute her door closed, she had him up
against the wall, was tearing off his robe--or trying to. Why was he fighting her?
"Christine." He grabbed one hand, then another, forcing
her to stop. "Christine. I know about the Jenolen. And Mister Scott."
She
stopped, didn't meet his eyes.
"It
is why you wanted me here, is it not?"
"No,
I just--" She
stopped talking because he was kissing her, very gently, very tenderly.
It
broke her. When he let her go, she
clutched at him, felt a huge lump in her throat and said softly, "Ny won't talk to me.
She and Scotty...they had made up.
She was going to visit him after he settled in. See if they could make it work again."
"Everyone
faces grief in his or her own way. She
will let you in when she is ready to let you in."
"I'm
her friend. You let me in when Jim
died. Why won't she?"
He
eased her out of the entry way and to the main room. "Are you sure you are concerned about
comforting her? Perhaps it is you who
need comfort?"
"I'm
fine. I lost a friend. She lost a lover. Or an ex love, anyway--and maybe
future one."
"How
many bodies have you worked with here?"
His eyes were very gentle.
"How many times have you had to wash dead skin off your
hands?"
She
took a ragged breath.
"How
many times have you thought about Admiral Cartwright? Dying alone in that Klingon
jail?" The news had come a few days ago.
Just before she'd heard about the Jenolen.
She
tried to pull away.
"Christine. Stress accumulates. Grief builds.
It is not good to hold it in."
"Says
the master of holding it in."
But she let him ease her down to the couch and hold her. She felt his lips on her hair, heard his
murmured, "It will be all right."
She
wanted to cry, but she couldn't. But she
felt a wave of tiredness, accumulated sleepless nights catching up with her.
She
fell asleep in his arms to the unaccustomed feeling of being comforted and
safe, and woke in the morning, sprawled half over him, his hands still on
her.
___________________________________________________________________________
Chapel
was in the middle of some much needed downtime when her communicator
sounded. "Chapel,
here."
"Christine."
"Howdy,
sailor." She wondered just how many people were
standing around Spock. Then again, he
probably would have addressed her as Commander Chapel if they had an audience.
"I
am on Earth."
"I'm
not."
"I
am aware of this. The Vulcan embassy is
full due to a scientific conference. As Kahless is no doubt alone..."
"Oh,
sure, do you ever stay there when I'm in town?
You just love me for my cat."
There
was silence, and she waited to see what he might come up with. "I love you for more than that. I am, however, quite fond of your cat."
Wow. He'd said the L-Word without stumbling or
flubbing. Who knew?
"Christine?"
"Sorry. I'm still processing your last statement. Of course you can stay at my
place." Thank God she had a
cleaning service. "I'll set the
door for your code."
"Thank
you."
"You're
welcome." She grinned as she
asked, "So, are you going to sleep in the guestroom or in my bed?"
"Which
would you prefer I sleep in?"
Banter. Goddamned clever banter. She sighed happily. "Well, I prefer you in my bed with me in
it, too."
"A
coincidence of momentous proportion.
I, too, prefer that scenario."
She laughed. "Sleep wherever you
want. Kahless
will take the whole bed no matter which one you pick. He snores.
And he drools."
"As
do you."
"Hey,
buddy, do not even start on the snoring.
You have no idea what it's like to sleep next to you." He did not, however, drool so she left that
alone.
"I
do not; you are correct." He
cleared his throat a little. "My
mother's birthday is imminent and there will be a celebration. On Vulcan. I wondered...I wondered if you would like to
accompany me."
"As
your plus one? Your date?"
"Yes."
"I
didn't say we were dating, Spock."
"Are
you saying that is not what we are doing?"
"Well,
usually one works up to the sleeping together.
We sort of hit that first and are regressing."
"I
do not consider getting to know you better regressing." His voice was stern.
"My
mistake." She softened her voice as much as she could
to make up for it. "I'd be happy to
come with you. What should I pack?"
"If
I said things of silk and lace, would that be taken
amiss?"
She
laughed. "I meant what kind of
outfit will I need for this shindig?"
"It
will be casual."
"Which on Vulcan means only sort of casual. I know you don't want me showing up in shorts
and sandals."
"You
have very nice legs. I would not
object."
She laughed again. "I'll figure
something else out. I'm sure I have
something suitable to wear."
"Are
you not going to ask me when the celebration is?"
"Spock,
I was obsessed with you for how long. Do
you think I don't know your mother's birthday?" God, that was really creepy of her.
"Disconcerting
but efficient. I will arrange transport for you."
"Many
thanks. Have fun with the kitty."
"He
no doubt misses you. I do."
"Awwww."
She said goodbye before she could reply with something equally sappy.
___________________________________________________________________________
Chapel
followed Spock into his parent's house.
He led her to a room with a door that no doubt hooked up with his
room. He saw her looking at it and
nodded, as if he knew what she was thinking.
"Convenient."
"And
yet discreet." He almost
smiled.
She
saw a big vase of roses on the dresser, walked over and enjoyed the lovely
aroma. "Your
mother's?"
"Yes. She is quite accomplished. It is no small feat to coax roses out of
Vulcan soil."
"You're
a poet, Spock." She reached out her
hand as she continued to smell the flowers, felt him take it and squeeze.
"I
hope everything is all right in here?"
Amanda was smiling as she took in their clasped hands--Chapel tried to
let go; Spock didn't.
"It's
beautiful. These are beautiful."
"Thank
my son. He wanted to be sure I put these
in here. He said you liked roses."
Spock
actually flushed. "Mother."
"I'm
sure you would have done it anyway, Amanda."
Amanda
smiled. "Of course I would
have. Who do you think taught him to appreciate
flowers?" She took Chapel's
arm. "Come, my dear. You can unpack later. I have so much to grill you about."
"Mother."
"Oh,
Spock. I promise to be gentle."
He
gave up in the face of motherly determination.
Chapel laughed as she and Amanda walked toward the kitchen.
"I
was thrilled to hear he was bringing you, my dear. I couldn't stand Valeris. And voila, I was proved right in the end,
wasn't I?"
"Well,
I'm sure you didn't call her being a traitor."
"Well,
no. But I knew she was a little bitch. Excuse my French." She grinned, and Chapel had the feeling there
might be a lot of excusing of her French when the family was alone. "I could not understand Spock's
infatuation with her. Neither could
Saavik. Sarek wisely did not comment
since he is trying very hard to be supportive of his son while also maintaining
his spot in our bed."
Chapel
laughed again. "They are rather
driven by the whole bedroom access."
"They
are, aren't they?"
Should
she be talking about the Vulcan male sex drive with Spock's mother? That seemed a bit off. "Happy Birthday. I should have said that before."
"I'm
old and now I'm older. By one day. Woop tee
doo." She laughed. "Indulge me. Drink champagne with me? No one else will."
"You
don't have to ask me twice."
Amanda
sighed happily. "So, so, so glad
he's with you."
___________________________________________________________________________
Chapel
came home from a very long day to find Spock stretched out on her couch asleep,
Kahless cuddled into his neck.
He
hadn't said he'd be back. It was no
doubt a testament to the strength of their relationship that he could crash
without warning, and that she could walk in and not be too surprised to see him
on her couch, stealing her cat's heart yet again.
She
took a shower and put on some comfortable clothes, then walked out to the
kitchen, throwing some food together that he would like and that she could
tolerate too. His rabbit food diet left
something to be desired. She didn't tell
him, but she was hitting the barbeque places pretty regularly after he
left. Meat, and lots of it, was what she
wanted after a long visit. How did
Amanda do it? Maybe she had a beef stash
the way an alcoholic had booze squirreled away.
Then again, booze tended to keep better than meat, so maybe not.
She
heard an annoyed "Mrroowww" and then
footsteps from the living room into the kitchen. "You're awake," she said without
turning around, mainly because she loved the feel of him pressed against her
back, his arms under her chest.
He
did not disappoint. "I
am." He turned her, pulled down her
sweats, and eased her onto the counter.
She
slowly raised an eyebrow.
"Do
you object? Must I woo you more?"
"You
think you can come into my apartment, sleep on my couch, and then just have sex
with me?"
He
thought about it. "Yes, apparently
I do."
"Well,
just as long as we're clear." She
pulled him to her and laughed as he kissed her.
He
wasted no time in the having of sex, making sure she
was very, very happy before finding his own bliss.
"Come
into my kitchen anytime, Spock."
She felt boneless. "I made
dinner."
"I
see." He kissed her and walked over
to a cupboard, finding Kahless's dish and food.
She
realized the cat was hovering around the cabinet. "Oh, my God. He wasn't watching us, was he? He's just a kid. We've scarred him for life."
"I
have my doubts as to the veracity of that statement."
"You
wait. He'll be in counseling in
weeks."
Spock's
lip ticked up as he set the food down for Kahless.
"You
really like him, don't you?"
"Not
as much as I like you, but yes, I am inordinately fond of this cat."
"Well,
he's in love with you, too, you big lug."
She held out a hand to him.
"Come back here and kiss me."
"Agreeable
if unnecessary." He walked
over and let her pull him back into the circle of her arms and legs.
"Oh, this is very necessary. You
want to keep me happy, don't you?"
He
stroked her hair back. His expression
was exquisitely tender. "I do. For a very, very long
time."
"You
pitch wonderful woo, Spock."
"I
have done my best." He nuzzled her
neck. "May we eat? I am very hungry."
"Typical
man." She laughed and jumped down off the counter,
pulling on her clothes before handing him a plate. "I love you, by the way."
"I
am gratified to hear it." This time
he did smile. It was a teensy tiny
smile, but a smile nonetheless.
FIN