Then Comes Spock, 13/15
Title: Then Comes Spock: Great Ellipses
Author: teaoli
Characters: McCoy, Spock, Uhura, Ambassador Spock, Sarek, OFC, Enterprise ensemble
Summary: The Enterprise has completed its first mission & its senior crew have settled into their roles. Unusual circumstances send Spock and Uhura to the Vulcan colony. Sequel to Don’t Lose Your Compass, which is also available somewhere on lj and might even eventually make it to my journal.
( Read Hybridogenesis )
( Read Clarity )
( Read Business as Usual )
( Read First Comes Love )
( Read Down to the Bones )
( Read Tea and Sympathetic Natures )
( Read Basic Biology )
( Read Advanced Vulcan Physiology )
( Read Duty and Pleasure )
( Read The Medicine of Life )
( Read He Who Fails To Plan )
( Read More Mystery )
Nyota let out a squeal of delight.
“Gods, I’m so happy to see you! Did you just arrive? What are you doing here?” She tried to sit up in her excitement. Only Spock’s heavy arm just below her breasts kept her pinned to the bed and under the concealing sheet.
She blushed.
Upenda laughed at her predicament and gave the belly another soft pat.
“Stay still, dada. Please,” she said. “I’ve been here for hours. Unpacked and settled in and everything. Ambassador Spock and his Astra picked me up at the terminal and brought me here.
“Your husband thought you should have kīgwa kīa nyamūirū, bananas and sweet potatoes. I skipped the lamb, though,” she explained with a grin. “Anyway, since my partners are perfectly capable of handling my cases for a month or two, I’m here.
“But for now, I’m going to track down Len. I need to stretch my legs. I just didn’t want to go without seeing you first. And you, too, Spock.”
“That was most considerate of you, dada,” he said and shifted closer to his wife.
“No, Pen!” Nyota protested. “Give us a few minutes and we’ll be ready to show you around or something. There’s no reason to go rushing off now.”
Upenda Heard what her sister was really saying. “Am I not an Uhura woman?” She folded her hands over her chest. “When’s the last time one of us decided not to do the right thing just because it might be hard?”
Nyota squeezed her hand. “But, Penda, there’s no right or wrong this time. You don’t need to do this. And after what happened, you certainly don’t owe him any face time.”
“He’s your friend, dada. I don’t want things to be awkward between you two while I’m here. I don’t want things to be awkward for me while I’m here.”
Nyota sighed and released her sister’s hand.
“It’ll be okay, Ennie,” Upenda assured her. “Let me go slay this dragon so you and Spock can get back to doing what he had planned when I so rudely interrupted.”
Spock’s lips twitched up and Nyota turned her head to look at him over her shoulder.
“A fourth time, k’diwa?”
Upenda laughed as she stood and walked over to the door.
Bones groaned over the reports he’d been studying since just after Sarek, Spock and Uhura had left the conference. They were counting on him - okay, and Jabilo, too - to figure this out without calling in the healers. Starfleet Command was riding his ass pretty hard, as well.
He had no more answers than he’d been able to give them three hours before. It didn’t make sense to expect a solution to hit him out of the blue, but… but blast it! These were his friends, he thought fiercely. He wanted - he needed - to make things right for them.
His office door chimed and he called out, “Enter.” A distraction was just what he needed right now. If only I’d thought to pack a good bourbon.
The door swished open and he heard footsteps against the stone floor, but his visitor remained silent.
He looked up to see the most beautiful face he’d ever known.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
“Nice to see you, too, Len.” Upenda’s wide smile was obviously forced. She didn’t radiate the warmth and light and charm that made her so hard to resist. “I figured, since I was in the neighborho-.”
Bones cut her off with an irritated wave of his hand and shoved his chair back. “I mean, Doctor Uhura, what the hell are you doing on this blasted planet?”
She stiffened when she heard the title. He felt like a shit for using it, but it was safer than saying what he wanted to call her.
Luckily, Upenda wasn’t the type to show hurt feelings for long. It was one of her best professional attributes. A thin-skinned doctor may as well hang up her tricorder before she even got started, he figured.
_____
“I brought some things for an Agĩkũyũ post-birth ritual, “ she explained as if he hadn’t just treated her like an annoying stranger. “The twins are as African as they are Vulcan, so it’s only fitting.”
“You’re here to meddle!” Len all but shouted at her. “Don’t give me that shit about any primitive African birthing rituals. I know you; you’re a woman of science. You just can’t stand the thought of anyone else completing the puzzle when the pieces are something you consider to be yours!”
Upenda bristled. He could almost feel the heat of her temper burning him through the patented Uhura death-glare. He wondered if the sisters had learned it at some sharp old auntie’s knee. He’s met plenty of those at Spock’s and Nyota’s wedding.
“Don’t be an ass, Leonard,” she retorted through clenched teeth. “It wasn’t even my idea to come here, okay?” She sat down in the chair facing his desk. “But it’s a good idea. I’m here because Ennie is lucky enough to have a man who actually cares about what’s important to her.” The unsubtle dig wasn’t lost on him. “I’m here to make sure my baby sister doesn’t go through this feeling cut off from home. This isn’t about professional competitiveness. This is about family.
“Maybe the traditions of my father’s people are too ‘primitive’ for you to understand and accept, or to at least condone and respect, but they mean something to us! My ancestors on both sides fought in their own ways to make sure we didn’t forget. I will help Nyota welcome these babies into our community.”
Len sagged and stared at his feet. He knew a little about the histories of the Uhura and Wakufunzi clans. The sisters had shared with him stories of both families’ struggles to preserve African languages, culture and the continent itself. He was ashamed of himself.
“I’m sorry, Pen,” he muttered, shoving fingers through his thick, dark hair. “You’re right, I’m being an ass. But I do respect you traditions. I do.”
He sighed, then looked up at her. “This is ain’t easy. Not having answers for Nyota and Spock. Seeing you when I can’t… It’s hard, darlin’.”
Upenda’s frown would have been as fierce as the ones her baby sister was wont to deal out if her eyes hadn’t been so sad.
“The word is ‘won’t’, Len,” she told him. Her voice was almost controlled, flat and even. “Let’s not pretend there’s anything but you holding you back.”
Bones wanted to reach for her then, but realized he wouldn’t be doing either of them any favors. “I’m sorry,” he said again, knowing it wasn’t enough.
_____
Upenda could barely breathe. That was wrong. She’d spent the short trip from Earth undergoing an accelerated acclimatization regimen in preparation for the colony’s lower oxygen concentration. The oxygen levels in her cabin had been pushed so low, sucking the planet’s air almost felt like getting a tri-ox hypo. This was just her body’s response to a stressful situation. And seeing Leonard McCoy for the first time in more than a year was stressful.
Inhale. She pushed aside the fanciful thought that heart was breaking. Been there. Exhale.
“Look,” she began when she was capable of speech once more, “I really am just here for Ennie and Spock. We need to be nice to each other for their sakes. None of this - the babies, coming here - has been easy on them. I bet it hasn’t been a picnic for you, either. Can’t we just… can we just try to be good to each other for now? You can go back to hating me after the girls are here and you’re all back on your ship and I’m back in New York and too far away to fuck up all your precious plans and promises to yourself. Okay?”
She’d rushed to get it all out before the threatening tears could color her tone. She was an Uhura, damn it. A warrior. Warriors didn’t cry over dead love affairs.
Len opened his mouth to speak, but the door swished open behind her and his head snapped around her to see who was coming in.
“Oh!” The startled voice was rich and male. Something in the faint accent sounded like home. Upenda was a Wakufunzi, as well. Trained from birth to hear such things. “I hope I’m not interrupting.”
Len quickly pasted on a smile. “Not at all, J.G.” He gestured to Upenda. She stood and turned. “This is Lieutenant Uhura’s sister. Doctor Jabilo Geoffrey M’Benga, meet Doctor Upenda Wanjira Uhura.”
The handsome newcomer was tall. His blue uniform tunic stretched over broad shoulders. His full lips were curved into an appreciative smile, but she could tell he was a man who took his work seriously.
She thrust out a hand. “Doctor M’Benga,” she said, smiling herself, “it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Spock sat up in bed, cradling a cool feminine form against his chest. He buried his nose in her hair and took a deep breath.
“Thank you,” he murmured.
Astra chuckled softly, stretched in his arms and then snuggled back into his addictive warmth.
“I think we both know the pleasure was mostly mine this time, sugar,” she purred. “Later, I’ll have to do something to correct the balance.”
“Your efforts would be appreciated, but are unnecessary,” Spock told her. “I assure you, I derived a great deal of pleasure in pleasing you.”
Sliding her fingers through his steel grey hair, she pulled his head down for a kiss, tasting herself on his lips and tongue.
“And I will enjoy pleasing you,” she countered. “But later. I’m completely worn out right now.” She covered a yawn with one small hand.
“Of course,” said Spock. He slid down until he was flat on his back, still holding her against his chest. “I have demanded much of you during this visit.”
Astra grinned up at him. “Do you hear me complaining?”
__________
He watched her sleeping. Outside, the sky darkened with the setting sun. He would wake her before moonrise. Even if it wasn’t full, they never missed a moonrise when she visited him on T’Khasi Vokaya.
Tracing a finger along her clavicles, it took a strength garnered from years of training not to cup her breast and bend his head to take a dark nipple into his mouth. His lok hardened at the thought, but he forced it down again, compartmentalizing his lust and focusing on the treasure of her company.
“Spock and Nyota must be terribly busy today.” Her eyes were open again and she was smiling at him.
“I did not mean to wake you until the moon was rising,” he whispered.
“It’s okay. I don’t want to spend half my time with you sleeping, anyway.” She attempted to stifle another yawn, but failed utterly.
“You are still tired, Astra. Go back to sleep and I will wake you in time.”
She pulled out of his arms and twisted so that they were lying front-to-front.
“No way! I believe I promised you some payback, Mister!” She grinned up at him, then slid down the length of his body. “I’m almost as bad as you and Spock. I wonder if Nyota has it this bad.” She looked up again. “Do you think this will happen every time they decide to have a baby?”
She ducked her head, completely focused on her upcoming task before he could answer. He reached down and captured her chin between his thumb and forefinger before she begin.
“Did you ever desire to become a mother, Astra?”
The light in her eyes dimmed for a moment before being replaced with a less brilliant gleam.
“Not after he died,” she admitted. Her voice hoarse and low. “And then, I was traveling everywhere and everywhen and I couldn’t have done that with a child. And that would meant I never would have gotten a chance to meet you.
“Don’t worry, baby. I’m happy for Spock and Ennie, but I’m content with the way my life has turned out. Regret, after all, is illogical.”
The brightness that returned to her tone rang untrue, Spock did not comment on the fact. He grabbed her wrist and dragged her up his body so that he was better able to lock his fingers in her hair as he crushed her lips to his.
Nyota was happy to see Len and Penda weren’t staring daggers at each other, or avoiding eye contact altogether - really, she was - but this was getting to be a little much.
“Can you guys maybe not talk shop? Dinner is almost ready.” She speared the three medics with a look. “I could use a little help in the kitchen, in fact.”
Len just grinned at her and muttered something about damned vegetarians, but M’Benga and Upenda jumped to their feet. Nyota stuck her tongue out at the Southern doctor.
“We’re eating African tonight,” she told him. He didn’t respond because, she noticed, he was too busy watching the door through which her sister and Jabilo had just disappeared. She glanced over at Spock, who shook his head in warning.
“Dessert is peach cobbler. Just for you. If you come help me, I can show you how to do it yourself,” she offered anyway.
“Nah, that’s okay, beautiful,” he said. His voice was gruff and he didn’t quite meet her eye. “Too many cooks….”
Nodding, she headed for the kitchen.
__________
Dinner had been a good idea. For the first time since the conference with McCoy and M’Benga seven days ago, his younger son appeared to have enjoyed their company. In deference to his human guests, Sarek hadn’t recommended silence during the meal. The banter and gossip been of little consequence, but was interspersed with news of the universe and advances in the sciences and medicine - despite Nyota’s insistence that ‘shop talk’ be forbidden at the table.
Soon enough, Astra Boipuso had distracted his ko-fu with a discussion about what effects the advances in the study of subspace physics might have on communications engineering and Nyota appeared to have forgotten her own rule.
After the main meal, they’d adjourned to the small parlor he used to entertain friends and relatives. Eight adults eating dessert and drinking coffee or tea did not require the either of the larger, and more ornately decorated, formal sitting rooms.
Nyota and Astra sat in matching arm chairs near the tall windows. They continued to talk about the challenges of the field that still occupied one, and which the other had once pursued.
Sarek tuned in to the interesting conversation his ko-fu’s sister was having with his sons and the two other doctors. The five of them were seated on small identical sofas in one corner of the room.
“Think about it: Vulcans are at what appears to the end of their evolutionary journey. They’re rigid, not amenable to change. It makes sense that that’s why they have some ability in self-healing.
“Humans are, at best, half-way through, and still pretty adaptable. Did anyone ever discover why physiologically Spock is more Vulcan than human? It makes sense. And if Spock’s Vulcan half was trying to ‘heal’ itself, then yes, it makes sense for it to eliminate the human genes when it could. What better opportunity would it have than during spermatogenesis? Those cells are being stripped down and exposed, ready to be ‘fixed.’
“But that wouldn’t explain why the babies are female, now would it? What if, instead of being the eliminated, the human genes were somehow induced to mutate so that they mimicked Vulcan DNA?
“And, going with the ‘adaptable human’ theory, who’s to say that some of Ennie’s genes weren’t recruited to the other side early in the twins’ development?”
Doctor M’Benga looked at her with what Sarek recognized as surprise and admiration.
“Damned meddler!” McCoy exclaimed. He jumped up from his seat, grabbed Upenda and lifted her off her feet in an exuberant embrace. All other parties found somewhere else to turn their eyes when his lips descended onto hers for a hard, swift kiss. “Brilliant, beautiful meddler.”
“It would seem that human genius runs in the family, dada,” Spock told her.
Upenda blushed and waved him off. “That’s not genius; it’s looking for the simple solution. You three have been so bogged down in your complicated research, you failed to look for the obvious. And remember, I could still be wrong.”
Sarek hoped, as illogical as he had long believed hoping to be, that she was not.
A/N: Chapter title is inspired by Dorothy Thompson, who said “The kind of intelligence a genius has is a different sort of intelligence. The thinking of a genius does not proceed logically. It leaps with great ellipses. It pulls knowledge from God knows where.”
Author: teaoli
Characters: McCoy, Spock, Uhura, Ambassador Spock, Sarek, OFC, Enterprise ensemble
Summary: The Enterprise has completed its first mission & its senior crew have settled into their roles. Unusual circumstances send Spock and Uhura to the Vulcan colony. Sequel to Don’t Lose Your Compass, which is also available somewhere on lj and might even eventually make it to my journal.
( Read Hybridogenesis )
( Read Clarity )
( Read Business as Usual )
( Read First Comes Love )
( Read Down to the Bones )
( Read Tea and Sympathetic Natures )
( Read Basic Biology )
( Read Advanced Vulcan Physiology )
( Read Duty and Pleasure )
( Read The Medicine of Life )
( Read He Who Fails To Plan )
( Read More Mystery )
Nyota let out a squeal of delight.
“Gods, I’m so happy to see you! Did you just arrive? What are you doing here?” She tried to sit up in her excitement. Only Spock’s heavy arm just below her breasts kept her pinned to the bed and under the concealing sheet.
She blushed.
Upenda laughed at her predicament and gave the belly another soft pat.
“Stay still, dada. Please,” she said. “I’ve been here for hours. Unpacked and settled in and everything. Ambassador Spock and his Astra picked me up at the terminal and brought me here.
“Your husband thought you should have kīgwa kīa nyamūirū, bananas and sweet potatoes. I skipped the lamb, though,” she explained with a grin. “Anyway, since my partners are perfectly capable of handling my cases for a month or two, I’m here.
“But for now, I’m going to track down Len. I need to stretch my legs. I just didn’t want to go without seeing you first. And you, too, Spock.”
“That was most considerate of you, dada,” he said and shifted closer to his wife.
“No, Pen!” Nyota protested. “Give us a few minutes and we’ll be ready to show you around or something. There’s no reason to go rushing off now.”
Upenda Heard what her sister was really saying. “Am I not an Uhura woman?” She folded her hands over her chest. “When’s the last time one of us decided not to do the right thing just because it might be hard?”
Nyota squeezed her hand. “But, Penda, there’s no right or wrong this time. You don’t need to do this. And after what happened, you certainly don’t owe him any face time.”
“He’s your friend, dada. I don’t want things to be awkward between you two while I’m here. I don’t want things to be awkward for me while I’m here.”
Nyota sighed and released her sister’s hand.
“It’ll be okay, Ennie,” Upenda assured her. “Let me go slay this dragon so you and Spock can get back to doing what he had planned when I so rudely interrupted.”
Spock’s lips twitched up and Nyota turned her head to look at him over her shoulder.
“A fourth time, k’diwa?”
Upenda laughed as she stood and walked over to the door.
Bones groaned over the reports he’d been studying since just after Sarek, Spock and Uhura had left the conference. They were counting on him - okay, and Jabilo, too - to figure this out without calling in the healers. Starfleet Command was riding his ass pretty hard, as well.
He had no more answers than he’d been able to give them three hours before. It didn’t make sense to expect a solution to hit him out of the blue, but… but blast it! These were his friends, he thought fiercely. He wanted - he needed - to make things right for them.
His office door chimed and he called out, “Enter.” A distraction was just what he needed right now. If only I’d thought to pack a good bourbon.
The door swished open and he heard footsteps against the stone floor, but his visitor remained silent.
He looked up to see the most beautiful face he’d ever known.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
“Nice to see you, too, Len.” Upenda’s wide smile was obviously forced. She didn’t radiate the warmth and light and charm that made her so hard to resist. “I figured, since I was in the neighborho-.”
Bones cut her off with an irritated wave of his hand and shoved his chair back. “I mean, Doctor Uhura, what the hell are you doing on this blasted planet?”
She stiffened when she heard the title. He felt like a shit for using it, but it was safer than saying what he wanted to call her.
Luckily, Upenda wasn’t the type to show hurt feelings for long. It was one of her best professional attributes. A thin-skinned doctor may as well hang up her tricorder before she even got started, he figured.
_____
“I brought some things for an Agĩkũyũ post-birth ritual, “ she explained as if he hadn’t just treated her like an annoying stranger. “The twins are as African as they are Vulcan, so it’s only fitting.”
“You’re here to meddle!” Len all but shouted at her. “Don’t give me that shit about any primitive African birthing rituals. I know you; you’re a woman of science. You just can’t stand the thought of anyone else completing the puzzle when the pieces are something you consider to be yours!”
Upenda bristled. He could almost feel the heat of her temper burning him through the patented Uhura death-glare. He wondered if the sisters had learned it at some sharp old auntie’s knee. He’s met plenty of those at Spock’s and Nyota’s wedding.
“Don’t be an ass, Leonard,” she retorted through clenched teeth. “It wasn’t even my idea to come here, okay?” She sat down in the chair facing his desk. “But it’s a good idea. I’m here because Ennie is lucky enough to have a man who actually cares about what’s important to her.” The unsubtle dig wasn’t lost on him. “I’m here to make sure my baby sister doesn’t go through this feeling cut off from home. This isn’t about professional competitiveness. This is about family.
“Maybe the traditions of my father’s people are too ‘primitive’ for you to understand and accept, or to at least condone and respect, but they mean something to us! My ancestors on both sides fought in their own ways to make sure we didn’t forget. I will help Nyota welcome these babies into our community.”
Len sagged and stared at his feet. He knew a little about the histories of the Uhura and Wakufunzi clans. The sisters had shared with him stories of both families’ struggles to preserve African languages, culture and the continent itself. He was ashamed of himself.
“I’m sorry, Pen,” he muttered, shoving fingers through his thick, dark hair. “You’re right, I’m being an ass. But I do respect you traditions. I do.”
He sighed, then looked up at her. “This is ain’t easy. Not having answers for Nyota and Spock. Seeing you when I can’t… It’s hard, darlin’.”
Upenda’s frown would have been as fierce as the ones her baby sister was wont to deal out if her eyes hadn’t been so sad.
“The word is ‘won’t’, Len,” she told him. Her voice was almost controlled, flat and even. “Let’s not pretend there’s anything but you holding you back.”
Bones wanted to reach for her then, but realized he wouldn’t be doing either of them any favors. “I’m sorry,” he said again, knowing it wasn’t enough.
_____
Upenda could barely breathe. That was wrong. She’d spent the short trip from Earth undergoing an accelerated acclimatization regimen in preparation for the colony’s lower oxygen concentration. The oxygen levels in her cabin had been pushed so low, sucking the planet’s air almost felt like getting a tri-ox hypo. This was just her body’s response to a stressful situation. And seeing Leonard McCoy for the first time in more than a year was stressful.
Inhale. She pushed aside the fanciful thought that heart was breaking. Been there. Exhale.
“Look,” she began when she was capable of speech once more, “I really am just here for Ennie and Spock. We need to be nice to each other for their sakes. None of this - the babies, coming here - has been easy on them. I bet it hasn’t been a picnic for you, either. Can’t we just… can we just try to be good to each other for now? You can go back to hating me after the girls are here and you’re all back on your ship and I’m back in New York and too far away to fuck up all your precious plans and promises to yourself. Okay?”
She’d rushed to get it all out before the threatening tears could color her tone. She was an Uhura, damn it. A warrior. Warriors didn’t cry over dead love affairs.
Len opened his mouth to speak, but the door swished open behind her and his head snapped around her to see who was coming in.
“Oh!” The startled voice was rich and male. Something in the faint accent sounded like home. Upenda was a Wakufunzi, as well. Trained from birth to hear such things. “I hope I’m not interrupting.”
Len quickly pasted on a smile. “Not at all, J.G.” He gestured to Upenda. She stood and turned. “This is Lieutenant Uhura’s sister. Doctor Jabilo Geoffrey M’Benga, meet Doctor Upenda Wanjira Uhura.”
The handsome newcomer was tall. His blue uniform tunic stretched over broad shoulders. His full lips were curved into an appreciative smile, but she could tell he was a man who took his work seriously.
She thrust out a hand. “Doctor M’Benga,” she said, smiling herself, “it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Spock sat up in bed, cradling a cool feminine form against his chest. He buried his nose in her hair and took a deep breath.
“Thank you,” he murmured.
Astra chuckled softly, stretched in his arms and then snuggled back into his addictive warmth.
“I think we both know the pleasure was mostly mine this time, sugar,” she purred. “Later, I’ll have to do something to correct the balance.”
“Your efforts would be appreciated, but are unnecessary,” Spock told her. “I assure you, I derived a great deal of pleasure in pleasing you.”
Sliding her fingers through his steel grey hair, she pulled his head down for a kiss, tasting herself on his lips and tongue.
“And I will enjoy pleasing you,” she countered. “But later. I’m completely worn out right now.” She covered a yawn with one small hand.
“Of course,” said Spock. He slid down until he was flat on his back, still holding her against his chest. “I have demanded much of you during this visit.”
Astra grinned up at him. “Do you hear me complaining?”
__________
He watched her sleeping. Outside, the sky darkened with the setting sun. He would wake her before moonrise. Even if it wasn’t full, they never missed a moonrise when she visited him on T’Khasi Vokaya.
Tracing a finger along her clavicles, it took a strength garnered from years of training not to cup her breast and bend his head to take a dark nipple into his mouth. His lok hardened at the thought, but he forced it down again, compartmentalizing his lust and focusing on the treasure of her company.
“Spock and Nyota must be terribly busy today.” Her eyes were open again and she was smiling at him.
“I did not mean to wake you until the moon was rising,” he whispered.
“It’s okay. I don’t want to spend half my time with you sleeping, anyway.” She attempted to stifle another yawn, but failed utterly.
“You are still tired, Astra. Go back to sleep and I will wake you in time.”
She pulled out of his arms and twisted so that they were lying front-to-front.
“No way! I believe I promised you some payback, Mister!” She grinned up at him, then slid down the length of his body. “I’m almost as bad as you and Spock. I wonder if Nyota has it this bad.” She looked up again. “Do you think this will happen every time they decide to have a baby?”
She ducked her head, completely focused on her upcoming task before he could answer. He reached down and captured her chin between his thumb and forefinger before she begin.
“Did you ever desire to become a mother, Astra?”
The light in her eyes dimmed for a moment before being replaced with a less brilliant gleam.
“Not after he died,” she admitted. Her voice hoarse and low. “And then, I was traveling everywhere and everywhen and I couldn’t have done that with a child. And that would meant I never would have gotten a chance to meet you.
“Don’t worry, baby. I’m happy for Spock and Ennie, but I’m content with the way my life has turned out. Regret, after all, is illogical.”
The brightness that returned to her tone rang untrue, Spock did not comment on the fact. He grabbed her wrist and dragged her up his body so that he was better able to lock his fingers in her hair as he crushed her lips to his.
Nyota was happy to see Len and Penda weren’t staring daggers at each other, or avoiding eye contact altogether - really, she was - but this was getting to be a little much.
“Can you guys maybe not talk shop? Dinner is almost ready.” She speared the three medics with a look. “I could use a little help in the kitchen, in fact.”
Len just grinned at her and muttered something about damned vegetarians, but M’Benga and Upenda jumped to their feet. Nyota stuck her tongue out at the Southern doctor.
“We’re eating African tonight,” she told him. He didn’t respond because, she noticed, he was too busy watching the door through which her sister and Jabilo had just disappeared. She glanced over at Spock, who shook his head in warning.
“Dessert is peach cobbler. Just for you. If you come help me, I can show you how to do it yourself,” she offered anyway.
“Nah, that’s okay, beautiful,” he said. His voice was gruff and he didn’t quite meet her eye. “Too many cooks….”
Nodding, she headed for the kitchen.
__________
Dinner had been a good idea. For the first time since the conference with McCoy and M’Benga seven days ago, his younger son appeared to have enjoyed their company. In deference to his human guests, Sarek hadn’t recommended silence during the meal. The banter and gossip been of little consequence, but was interspersed with news of the universe and advances in the sciences and medicine - despite Nyota’s insistence that ‘shop talk’ be forbidden at the table.
Soon enough, Astra Boipuso had distracted his ko-fu with a discussion about what effects the advances in the study of subspace physics might have on communications engineering and Nyota appeared to have forgotten her own rule.
After the main meal, they’d adjourned to the small parlor he used to entertain friends and relatives. Eight adults eating dessert and drinking coffee or tea did not require the either of the larger, and more ornately decorated, formal sitting rooms.
Nyota and Astra sat in matching arm chairs near the tall windows. They continued to talk about the challenges of the field that still occupied one, and which the other had once pursued.
Sarek tuned in to the interesting conversation his ko-fu’s sister was having with his sons and the two other doctors. The five of them were seated on small identical sofas in one corner of the room.
“Think about it: Vulcans are at what appears to the end of their evolutionary journey. They’re rigid, not amenable to change. It makes sense that that’s why they have some ability in self-healing.
“Humans are, at best, half-way through, and still pretty adaptable. Did anyone ever discover why physiologically Spock is more Vulcan than human? It makes sense. And if Spock’s Vulcan half was trying to ‘heal’ itself, then yes, it makes sense for it to eliminate the human genes when it could. What better opportunity would it have than during spermatogenesis? Those cells are being stripped down and exposed, ready to be ‘fixed.’
“But that wouldn’t explain why the babies are female, now would it? What if, instead of being the eliminated, the human genes were somehow induced to mutate so that they mimicked Vulcan DNA?
“And, going with the ‘adaptable human’ theory, who’s to say that some of Ennie’s genes weren’t recruited to the other side early in the twins’ development?”
Doctor M’Benga looked at her with what Sarek recognized as surprise and admiration.
“Damned meddler!” McCoy exclaimed. He jumped up from his seat, grabbed Upenda and lifted her off her feet in an exuberant embrace. All other parties found somewhere else to turn their eyes when his lips descended onto hers for a hard, swift kiss. “Brilliant, beautiful meddler.”
“It would seem that human genius runs in the family, dada,” Spock told her.
Upenda blushed and waved him off. “That’s not genius; it’s looking for the simple solution. You three have been so bogged down in your complicated research, you failed to look for the obvious. And remember, I could still be wrong.”
Sarek hoped, as illogical as he had long believed hoping to be, that she was not.
A/N: Chapter title is inspired by Dorothy Thompson, who said “The kind of intelligence a genius has is a different sort of intelligence. The thinking of a genius does not proceed logically. It leaps with great ellipses. It pulls knowledge from God knows where.”