1. Chapter 1

The screen surrounding the bridge of the space craft USS Enterprise was a blinding red. A high pitched siren rang out to alert all those who were sightless of the screen's message. "Fuel Reserve: Empty."

"I'm never wrong, "said Captain James Tiberius Kirk, almost calmly, seemingly unaffected by the screen's noise.

Lieutenant Nyota Uhura continued to watch her screens, rolling her eyes at the captain's comment. Several months with Kirk on the Enterprise had trained her to recognize the beginning of a useless narrative tangent and she was instantly prepared to ignore her narcissistic captain.

Next to her, the Vulcan Spock turned and gave his full attention to the Captain. Spock did not particularly enjoy the companionship of his captain as Spock Prime had insisted he would but he did respect the young man. And since there was nothing occurring at his station, it seemed reasonable to pay attention to the captain rather than stare at an empty screen.

"I'm never wrong," insisted Captain Kirk, repeating his point, "But I specifically remember sending Lieutenant Uhura and First Officer Spock to collect supplies on our last shore leave. And supplies which I'm sure I discussed with them, includes fuel."

Uhura's mind wandered to the last shore leave and instantly she crossed her legs tightly. She didn't remember anything from the shore leave except convincing Spock to rent a room together. And the sweaty, tangled-limbed mess on that wide clean bed that quickly resulted with the beautiful Vulcan.

"Apologies, Captain," said Spock, showing absolutely no humiliation, "I take full responsibility for the error. I was given the supply list and I was the one who misplaced it." Uhura looked explicitly at her work knowing her lover was doing the same.

There was a charged silence after that. Uhura could feel her neck burn as Kirk looked from her to Spock and back repeatedly, delighting in their distress. The rest of the crew's eyes wandered awkwardly, vainly looking for a suitable spot to rest their focus. Uhura knew without doubt she was having more trouble with this than Spock. Not only was he able to mask his discomfort but he, unlike Uhura, was not slowly becoming very warm in certain unfortunate areas.

Uhura was muttering a silent prayer in her mind for a distraction. Not simply to alleviate the mortifying situation but also so that certain memories would retreat to the back of her mind where they would stop bothering her.

Thus, when the transmission came through, Uhura was almost fanatic. She pressed on her ear piece and leaned towards her screen and away from the crew. It was an unnecessary move. The bridge was deathly silent but Uhura would have taken any reason to hide at that point.

The frequency carried a strange language. The dialect was similar to other languages so Uhura was able to pick up a few words but the message was basic and clear enough that she understood it completely. "Medical emergency. Need assistance," she said aloud.

"For what planet?" asked Kirk.

"They don't give a name. Just coordinates." Uhura scribbled the numbers down on a piece of paper and rose to hand them to Chekov. Analyzing the data for a moment, Chekov handed it to Sulu. Both men looked to Kirk for orders.

"Well?" asked Kirk, "Can we make it there?"

"Just barely," said Sulu.

Kirk leaned back in his chair, his fist against his chin, "We don't have enough fuel to get us back to a planet in alliance with the Starfleet. This planet not only seems friendly but they may be able to give us fuel or at the very least, hold us up until fuel can arrive from another source."

"Shall I set a course for this planet then, captain?"

"Sure why not?" Kirk leaned back on his throne, "I think I will personally take charge of the shore part this time. Just to make sure nothing is _lost_ again. "

*****************************

The bottom of Spock's tunic was askew.

Knowing he disliked looking disheveled, Uhura reached over and straightened it. Spock tensed visibly and Uhura froze. She was suddenly keenly aware of how close her hands were to him.

"Nyota, this is not an appropriate area for that kind of activity," he said, his voice strangely coarse.

"What are you talking about?" she scoffed. "I wasn't thinking about that. I was just fixing your tunic."

"Just as, I'm sure, you wanted that room on in Ursi for sleeping." Spock muttered.

"I thought we decided not to do anything sexual during working hours. Doesn't that agreement include not talking of previous encounters?" she bantered, "I was under the impression it did, despite how incredibly satisfying such interludes were."

Spock felt his body tighten and he looked down at the lieutenant. Nothing about her stance or movement or general air was even remotely sensual and yet she had this strange effect on him.

He was mildly surprised to find he was leaning into her, "There is a ninety five percent chance we will be caught, especially since Captain Kirk promised to return quickly."

Nyota stood on her toes and kissed his neck. His smooth skin was warm to her touch and she dragged her lips over his jaw line, agonizingly slow.

Spock's hands were clasped behind his back and he had to fight himself not to touch her. He knew if he did, he would lose himself in her again.

Nyota's mouth paused on his chin. Her arms were wrapped around his waist and she was holding him close. Spock looked into her eyes and was surprised to see that beyond the obscure lust and raw ardor, there was a deep emotion.

**Nyota's mouth hovered over his, their lips barely touching. She muttered his name before she took him into her mouth. Spock was wanderlust by this. His hands seized the rear of her thighs and lifted her. Nyota grabbed his neck to keep from falling, her arms holding herself against him. His last rational thought was that his hands was covering her biceps femoris **

Nyota pulled away slightly, gasping, "I love you, Spock."

Spock stared at her, his eyes empty and emotionless. She waited for what seemed like hours for an appropriate response. She knew better than to expect an identical sentiment but he said absolutely nothing in reply.

He leaned to kiss her again but Nyota's arms had loosened and she slid back onto her feet.

She stepped away from him, her chest heaving and her eyes looking bright and rosy. Spock reached for her but she wrapped her arms around herself and retreated further.

"What is wrong Nyota? You seem to have become reserved."

"Nothing gets by you does it?" His chest almost burst when he saw tears stream down her cheeks.

"Why are you distressed?"

"Spock, you say you love me." This was only partly true. He'd said "I feel a deeply physical affection for you" once when the endorphins and intimacy of the situation had eroded his Vulcan nature. "But words are easy. I should know; I'm paid to decipher them and find the truth."

"I have come to accept that I can only have so much from you," she continued, "But I have been thinking of it for some time now and...I wonder that if you cannot show me your love, is it too much of an insane theory to believe there is none?"

"Nyota, I care for you very deeply."

She sobbed, hastily composing herself, "I'm the one who reaches for you. I'm the one who holds you when we sleep together. I'm the one who must initiate everything between us. Why do you never act first?"

He was silent. The utter lack of noise in the room broke Nyota's heart. Every second he said nothing, her pain intensified.

"It's almost as if you don't want the same from me."

"Forgive me Nyota. It's against my nature."

"I know all about your nature. I have tried to be accepting but I don't know if I can be with a person like you."

"I do desire…"

The moment was shattered as Kirk and Scotty burst into the room. Nyota slowly became vaguely aware that they were in the beaming room and moved to stand on one of the white domes. She wiped her eyes and forced her sadness back. Spock was already in position and was watching her.

"We've arrived at this mysterious planet. It's time to beam down to the surface," Kirk said. "Are you two ready?"

"Of course," said Spock.

Uhura was silent.

Scotty smiled at Spock and then Vulcan looked away. Scotty looked to Nyota, still beaming, but she looked away. He looked down, his grin fading, "How surprising. Drama."

Kirk stared at the two of them before taking a spot between them. "Why are your eyes so red?" Kirk looked at Spock, "What's wrong with her?"

"It's nothing," said Nyota, her voice even.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Please," she whispered, "I'm fine."

Kirk was taken aback by her plea and Spock felt an even deeper shame.

'Always so emotional,' thought Scotty. Back on Delta Vega, the most interesting thing that had ever happened was when his alien assistant had eaten the last sweet cake.

"Right," Kirk looked to Scotty, "We'll go down and see what's up. Chekov and Sulu are in charge. We'll make contact if we need you."

"Good Luck captain."

Scotty worked the control board for a bit and Nyota felt the itchy tickles of the energy of the beam but she was also keenly aware of how oversensitive and strange it felt on her numb skin.

Nyota Uhura wished she had chosen to be a navigator so she could stay with the ship.

A/N Please be brutal with it.


	2. Chapter 2

So my school just sent me and email informing me that drinking/consuming (and I shudder to think of what other bodily function would permit alcohol intake) alcohol is in fact, ILLEGAL. I know right, since when did THAT happen? And here I was thinking that prohibition amendment was nonsense and would never last. And by the way, was everyone but me aware that the earth is SPERICAL/ROUND? Because that fact is also obvious and yet it was not in the email.

Random. Here's the next chapter.

*****

Uhura had been beamed many times and she'd always thought it was a rather slow process. Being beamed felt something like being weightless but at the same time it was almost as if every molecule in her body was trying to forces itself away. Before, she had found these sensations almost unbearable. She often compared it to the feeling of a blood deprived limb only with the untreatable itchiness all over her body that only seemed to stop when she was certain she couldn't handle it any longer.

But this time was different. The annoying sensation made her completely forget the situation and she embraced it in its entirety. She was not heartbroken or impossibly in love with someone who was excruciatingly emotionally detached or even sad. She was just in a slightly amount of physical discomfort.

Then Uhura landed. It was more of a sudden, gentle presence of hard earth under her feet but since no other word seemed to carry the right connotation that is what Uhura called it. Either way, it irritated her because the solid surface brought with it gravity and reality.

She examined her surroundings. They stood on a short green plateau overlooking a broad expansion of plains with an occasional shrub and a complete lack of large foliage, namely trees. Thick, rubbery grass came up to her knees and tickled her bare skin. Uhura had once visited Montana on an expedition for anaerobic microorganism who survived in geysers for one of her academy classes and for all visual purposes, the national park she had visited and this strange planet were identical. There were however a few simple differences.

For one, this planet had various, large bare patches randomly scattered throughout. In these impressive expanses there were intricate rocks. The tan sediment formed a massive tower which looked unlike anything Uhura had ever seen for. The lower regions of the rocks looked like mud dropped through one's fingers. From these stout and misshapen bases came branching tips that were vaguely reminiscent of stalagmites. The overall effect reminded Uhura of a drowning hand making one last effort to reach for safety.

Secondly, it was freezing for no visible reason. There was not a cloud in sight and there was a band of light, in lieu of a circular sun, that stretched across the sky which seemed like a viable source of heat. Yet, Uhura could feel herself shaking and rubbed her arms to retain warmth.

Finally, and Uhura was not certain the planet was responsible for this, was the air. It seemed almost thick. As she breathed, she felt her nose tighten and just as she sneezed, she heard a grating cough that could be from none but Kirk. She pitched her nose to keep from spewing but three more sneezes erupted. Something from this foreign air seemed to give one allergy symptoms.

Uhura was snapped from her observations by a hand on her shoulder. Thinking it was Spock, she shook it off, her eyebrows furrowed and ready to glare. The hand was not easily brushed off and Uhura was yanked by her elbow and pulled to the other end of the round plateau. There, Spock was kneeling and looking at something. Kirk pulled Uhura over to the Vulcan and the three of them, laying side by side (Kirk in the middle), looked at the scene.

Before them, between two of the interesting rocks was a small steaming pool. Three creatures surrounded the pool, one knee deep in the warm water and two standing on the edge. They looked to be in deep discussion. They were too far away for Uhura to see or hear them properly though.

"Suallgi," murmured Spock, his voice filled with an awe Uhura had never heard before.

"What?" asked Kirk?

Spock appeared not to have heard the question, "The females wish to continue on some sort of search for a missing individual and the male in the water is trying to persuade them to join him for a bath."

"Spock, do you know what type of species those individuals belong to?" asked Kirk, nudging his companion with his shoulder, "You said Suallgi?"

Spock looked at Uhura and Kirk like they were completely foreign to him. He had to blink several times before he responded, "They belong to the Suallgi race. The species was supposedly extinct. Ten year ago, only eighty were recorded to be alive in the entire known universe. None have been seen since that previous demographical survey."

Spock looked closely at the specimens. They were very humanoid in both body shape and posture. On Earth, they might have passed through a crowd, undistinguished. From this distance, he noted, they were bronzed skinned and of medium stature. Their hair was long and a shiny brown, as were their eyes. Their skin and bodies were firm and toned. They were dainty, specifically in their feet, hands and facial features. In his eyes, they epitomized all standards he had of beauty and he knew to others, they were be equally appealing but in distinct ways.

"Suallgi partake in a breeding ritual which allows for a mutation to be passed from generation to generation. Only those with those with the trait are allowed to mate and those said individuals are encouraged to be promiscuous within a specified community."

"Explain this trait," asked Kirk. Uhura did not speak but she appeared to be listening.

"They release a pheromone which makes all beholders hallucinate. In reality, if one couldn't inhale the scent, they would see only a plain being but with the scent, the observer will see an extremely attractive creature and be mesmerized. It works on almost all alien species but humans are particularly prone to its effects."

"I don't understand. What exactly is so beneficial about being good looking that a race of aliens breeds specifically to keep said trait intact?" asked Kirk, "I mean I like a beautiful girl as much as the next guy but it seems gratuitous and self serving to create a race of perfect individuals."

"The Suallgi enjoy having pets and slaves," explained Spock, "I would be more resistant to their charm because I am a hybrid but you and Uhura would not be able to withstand their advances if they lured you."

"I'll be honest," Kirk said, looking at the three Suallgi, "Even if they are attractive as you say, and I have to take your word for that because I can't see them, I don't think I'd be knocking anything out of the way to get to them. Their bait is not very good."

"That is not their bait. Their outward appearance is merely to gain your attention," he looked away from the creatures. They could not be stared at for too long, "They make a high pitch noise. When they are young it is merely to express fear. The Suallgi mothers make a similar noise to comfort their infants and the juveniles find comfort in it. Older specimen uses the noise to attract prey."

"They're hunters?" asked Uhura, speaking for the first time.

"Not these ones. As I said before I believe they are part of a search party," Spock glanced one last time at the creatures. From their relaxed posture and nonchalance, it did not appear they were aware of the trio. "But they are very quick and much stronger than even I, so use caution."

"They have poor sense so it is best if we remain distant." Spock stood, confident the Suallgi reportedly poor eyesight would not detect him and went to see the view from the other side of the plateau. "I detect a settlement a few miles north. I could advance and determine if that is the settlement which was requesting help and-"

Spock was interrupted before his suggestion could be completed. The sound of the Suallgi call returned sharp and swiftly. It was the perfect sound, like some strikingly seamless meld of everything good noise he had ever heard in his life. It sent a shiver of delight down his spine and he had to fight not to run to the source.

Kirk and Uhura were not able to make such a valiant attempt. Spock moved as fast as he could to hold them back but by the time he raced to the other edge of the plateau, all he could grab was air. The two humans had sprinted towards the Suallgi male like two well-trained but mindless puppies. They stumbled over through the thick grass, desperately clamoring for the marauder. Their eyes were vacant and fixed on the male. They would have run through fire to please their sudden intense, urgent obsession for the predator.

Spock held himself back, cursing slightly. Had he not been so careless, standing in plain sight, the Suallgi would not have seen his companions. His guilt burned deep in his chest as he watched Kirk and Uhura throw themselves down before the male. The male smiled, held out his hands to his prey. Perhaps being close to their desires object freed them from the spell of the creature or maybe she sensed the urgency of the situation because Spock saw Uhura pulled back in that last moment. She moved as if to try and escape but one of the females seized her. The second female grabbed Kirk who had not even put up a fight.

The two captured officers were each flung over the shoulder of a female and the male instructed them to follow him. They raced off, far too quickly for Spock to catch them.

He stilled tried though. Even though it was illogical, his human side pushed him away from the plateau and in the direction of the Suallgi. Despite his effort, it was futile. By the time he had arrived at the spot where the three Suallgi had been standing, they were gone. The only evidence that they had been there was a trail of dust and bent grass produced by their flight.

Spock followed the trail but at its end he found an immense cliff. From its base he managed to make out wisps of smoke and he noticed notches engraved into the stone for climbing. Spock felt certain the Suallgi had climbed this vastness to take their catch back to their village.

He reached for the first notch and stopped. The papers on the Suallgi had been incorrect about their senses but they were obvious fast and quite strong if they were able to carry off two humans like that. Even if the three were alone, they would easily overpower him. It infuriated him, but he must return to the ship for assistance.

He raced back to where they had landed. The sooner he returned with aid the better. He racked his brain for more information to hasten the journey. What he knew about the Suallgi physic, he'd told Kirk and Uhura but he had neglected to inform them of the effect fo the hallucinations on the victims of the species.

There were horrifying papers on the topic. If said research was accurate and his two companions emulated the behaviors of the studies' victims, it could be disastrous. In the study, each of the victims, despite age, despite gender, despite any independent variable, had lost all advanced behaviors. Under the spell, all humans had devolved into mere animals, incapable of intellect, rationality and other human traits and without memory of their former selves. If Uhura and Kirk were exposed to the Suallgi for too long, they might come to mentally accept the hallucinations as actuality and recognize the creatures as their masters. If such happened Uhura and Kirk could not be rehabilitated and would be beyond hope or help.

He was almost back to the landing spot was he heard the maddening sound again. The Suallgi had returned for him. It wasn't enough to destroy two human but they actually want to take him too. Spock turned ready to rip the Suallgi to shreds.

But this sound was different. It was somewhat helpless and not at all appealing. It came from within a shrub and when Spock reached in he felt a soft, warm form. He seized and pulled out an immature Suallgi. He held the adolescent away from the ground and examined it. It was not as attractive as its mature counterparts but Spock still felt a sick affection for it. Grasping the creature with one hand, he slapped the juvenile's cheek with the other and covered its mouth to silence the awful sound.

The creatures' foot was horribly deformed and hung uselessly. The other limbs smacked at him. Spock shook the Suallgi until it yielded to him and stopped fighting. The juvenile subdued and the beaming spot nearby, an idea formed in Spock's head.

He moved the Suallgi so it hung over his neck and he could hold its arms and legs with his hands. The creature, knowing his own defeat, did not try to struggle. It did however have the gall to bite him on the ear. Spock did not respond. The creature settled back to making that awful noise, which Spock found, was easy to ignore in his rage.

He would hold this juvenile captive. It was rational to think that this creature had been the object the adults had been searching for and that they would come looking for it. Even if they didn't, even if they were too pleased with their find to come after it, Spock would use the juvenile. He would force it to take him to the village and it would help him find Uhura and Kirk. He would use the youth as a shield even if it was necessary.

The image of Uhura struggling vainly to escape erupted in his mind. He thought of Kirk subdued and powerless under the charm. He remembered the seemingly insurmountable cliffs and the unknown danger beyond them. Spock had failed and Uhura and Kirk might suffer a fate worse than death because of his mistake. He would find them. He would amend the error he had made. Even if it killed him, he would do everything in his power to save them.

Calming himself, he summoned the ship.


	3. Chapter 3

I didn't have time to proofread so it may be a little off at some points. This is for you Root Beer! Feel better, okay?

********

When Jim came too, he was surprised at how normal he felt.

He remembered being lured to the Suallgi. He remembered being thrown over one of the females' shoulder and he remembered being jostled around as they ran but it was hazed over in his memory like drugged daze. His neck had been wriggled like a cat toy and his brain had been shook around. Even after all this, he found he felt like he'd just awoken from a snooze.

Jim sat up and looked around. He was in a filthy cell made of a hard grey stone. Simply put it was just like the inside of a dark marble cube, with no visible door. There were numerous cracks through which he heard soft animal noises. The only furniture was a simple wood cot made form a cloth tied in a frame. In the center of the cot was Uhura.

They stared at one another for several minutes.

"What's going on?" asked Jim.

"I think we jumped a Suallgi. Judging by our current situation, they didn't like it."

"Where's Spock?"

Jim saw an emotion flash across Uhura's eyes but when she answered, her voice was even, "I think he was able to fight the temptation." She stared at the floor, "I wonder if he'll come after us."

"I know he will," Jim said, "Why wouldn't he?"

"He didn't do anything when we ran away," she offered, "What could he be doing?"

"I have faith in him," said Jim. He stood up. His feet were slightly weak but he felt fine.

"Was it me?" she whispered.

"What?"

"Nothing," Uhura murmured.

"He'll come. Have faith."

Uhura didn't answer.

*****

"Alright, I'll admit it's a reasonable pairing," Kirk put up his hands defensively, "But you have to admit it; it's strange that you actually thought of the combination."

"But it taste so good!" Uhura protested, "I mean if something is good then doesn't that make it moderately normal?"

"I'm sorry but I cannot see your side on this." Kirk leaned against the wall on his side of the cell, "Because parmesan cheese on ice cream is just not something one even thinks of as feasible food let alone delicious."

"I told you! It was an accident," Uhura said, "I was little and kind of clumsy. The cheese and the chocolate syrup were next to each other and I didn't want to throw away the ice cream because it was kind of a treat for me and…" Kirk made a face, rolled his eyes, "It's tasty!"

"You have to try it to understand it," Uhura shrugged. She pulled up her knees to cross her legs, "It's your turn now."

Kirk thought for a moment, "The weirdest things I eat was… sauerkraut and onion dip"

Uhura winced, "You must have smelled awful."

"Yeah," Kirk grinned.

"But they're kind of similar so I guess it's not completely revolting."

"Thank you."

"My turn?" A memory hit Uhura suddenly, "I used to really like red grapes and green apples with Caesar dressing."

"That's not that bad either. This getting boring." Kirk's eyes brightened, "Wait I have one. This one time, when I was home alone I started to run out of food options and I had to improvise so I had some of those pickled cocktail onions with yogurt."

"Those onions are gross! They must have made the yogurt taste awful."

"They sure did. And I ate it with that juice that Maraschino cherries come in," Kirk shook his head ruefully, "But I was starving at the time so I would have eaten molten lava."

"I thought were talking about weird foods we liked. Stop changing the topic!"

"I didn't know there were rules to conversations like this. Forgive me Lieutenant Uhura."

"Seems in this cell, even captains revert back to farm boys," she joked.

"I'm adding dimension to the discussion. Or initiating conversational evolution as I like to say. How can you say I'm low class when I'm using such big words and doing something so important sounding."

"And to think you make this stuff up as you go along," Uhura traced a design into the dirt covering the cell floor, "I have another. It's not strange though"

"Oh, then we don't have time to talk about it."

Uhura laughed to keep from screaming. There was a certain biting wit in Kirk's voice and it was not misplaced.

They had been in this prison cell for and undeterminable amount of time. They could have been there for a few hours or day. Time had no meaning without a sun and moon to regulate it and time dragged on endlessly. Besides the occasional meal from an indifferent guard, they were alone together. At this point, the only saving grace was the long conversations which were imitated. They talked about everything and the interesting, funny and sometimes weird thoughts were all they could do to ward off insanity.

"Peanut butter with oatmeal. It melts and you get this taste that I can't even explain."

"I could stand that."

They both lapsed into a comfortable silence. Some time ago, Uhura could not have imagined sitting with James Kirk like this. By now his flirting and crude humor would have worn down her last nerve. The cell, however, with its grime incrusted walls and free roaming rodents were enough to halt even James T. Kirk's drive and she found Kirk was almost human behind his amorous persona.

"Why do girls where those tall shoes thing?"

"High heels? I don't know."

"I mean you complain they're uncomfortable and it looks like they make walking difficult and I know for a fact they can cause feet, knees and back injuries. So why do women keep wearing them?"

Uhura thought for a moment, "They accentuate the female form and you become taller when you wear them. It makes you more likely to attract favorable notice."

"How?"

"Well they basically exaggerate you body by making you stand straighter and push out," said Uhura gesturing at her chest, "And they make your legs look good."

"No they don't"

"I'll show you." She stood, letting him see her legs normally and then balanced on the balls of her feet. "See the difference."

Kirk said as she sat down. After a short lapse he muttered, "It's emasculating to be shorter than a girl. That's all I'll say."

"Well girls have to be shorter all the time so you know how we feel," she replied.

"Nail polish," he said too loudly, "Explain nail polish to me."

"I never really understood it either," she glanced at her black lacquered nails, "It's a self expression thing," Uhura grinned a little, "Why the curiosity?"

"I'm just trying to have everything figured out and get my facts straight."

"Considering a sex change captain?"

He gave her a look, "I'm developing my feminine side."

Uhura stretched. Her muscles ached and she felt drowsy. They had dozed for short intervals since their arrival but the cot had gone unused. She told Kirk about her fatigue.

"I was waiting for you to say something," Kirk looked at the corner which held the cot, "I wanted you to take the initiative."

"About what?"

"There's only one bed."

"Oh."

"This floor is a little hard."

Uhura pointedly stood and laid on the bed, her limbs taking up every spare inch.

"I see." Kirk stood and she saw him move toward the shaft where their food was delivered. She flipped on her side, not wanting to see the Suallgi. She heard Kirk knock on the wall, "I have to use the bathroom."

She held the wall slid away and heard Kirk moving away and she was surrounded by silence.

Uhura did not remember falling asleep but slumber came quickly.

She dreamed about San Francisco, the fisherman's wharf. Her friends Romy, Sarai and Tamar were with her. Romy had a crab cake and it smelled awful. Uhura turned her face away from it and inhaled the salty air. The wind was blowing her hair into a tangled mess.

They were in the old fashion arcade. Tamar was going at it against the arm wrestling game and was losing terribly. Sarai was trying to help. Uhura laughed and looked away. She saw Spock suddenly. He was in the corner watching them.

His gaze was steady. Romy commented that she felt like an animal being observed. Uhura didn't. It wasn't an intrusive stare or a disapproving glare but something else. She was flattered by his attention.

The scene faded away and Uhura heard the soft swish of a door. She felt a hand on her lower back and her heart race. Was it Spock? It was dream. They had not fought and she was not in jail. It was a gentle touch, pensive even. Like someone wakening another or simply reaching to touch them.

Another hand touched her thigh and she was rather rudely pushed over.

"Sorry, thought you were asleep."

"They took me to the bathroom," he explained, "But they said no to the a second bed or a separate room."

"Just don't feel me up any more."

"I wasn't feeling you up! And I'll sleep upside down to prevent any further accusations."

She gave him a look.

"Well it was a coincidence. Never pass up an opportunity as I say."

"When do you say that?"

"Just now. Come on Uhura, you're supposed to be a genius. "

"Only in xenolinguistics."

"Sleep on the floor."

The both looked at the aforementioned space. It was cold and hard and unappealing.

"Fine."

Uhura curled up and Kirk sprawled out. It was warm and cozy in her little ball and she became sluggish again. The separation lasted about five minutes. Kirk screamed and jumped into the mattress next to her. "Something scurried across my foot. "

"Stop touching me."

Uhura was kicked around and slammed into the wall as Kirk readjusted himself. When he was finished his feet were in her face and his hands were far away from her, "Happy."

"Yes, I'm content with this arrangement."

The cot is not big enough for two full grown humans and even as Uhura heard Jim's breath smooth out and felt his muscles go lax, she stayed awake. Her mind was desperate for rest but her body stayed alert.

She thought of when she was young, her cousins used to sleep with her, their backs pressed against hers, much too warm for comfort but oddly soothing. She didn't want to but this road lead her thoughts right to a certain being.

She remembers slight things, thing she'd just brushed off before. Quick glances, Spock standing closer than necessary in the lift, his breath on her neck when he thought she was asleep.

She is laid awake and she feels Spock touch her arm and keep his hand in that place of or a bit. He is asleep and this is the only time when his human aspects seem conscious.

She has been loved by his hands and his eyes and his body. Why had she cared about not being loved by some impartial words? How selfish had she been? All of her concerns have vanished in her survival mind, all unnecessary thoughts have vanished.

And the last thing he heard her say was that it was not enough. HE was not enough.

Kirk said, "Are you crying Uhura?"

'Was he asleep?' she wondered, "Why?"

"Don't worry," he grinned, "It'll all be better after the play."

"The play?"

"I'm Benedict; you're Sophia or something lame."

Uhura laughed as she rubbed her eyes dry. She heard Kirk snore and moved in a more comfortable position. The last thing she thought of was of a transporter room.


	4. Chapter 4

"What is going to happen to us?" Uhura asked for umpteenth time. There was no one around but Kirk but at this point even he was too out of it to response to questions anymore. They might have been imprisoned for weeks or months now.

"I don't know. Maybe they will make sweet, beautiful love to you and murder me. Or vice versa," he said to her surprise, "They're just biding their time now."

"And this is alright with you?" she snapped, "Why aren't you formulating an escape plan?"

"I'm extremely open minded thank you," Kirk said, "Getting some from hot aliens wouldn't be the worst thing in the world."

"They hunted us like animals," Uhura responded, "I highly doubt they want to be intimate with us. I'm leaning towards your latter suggestion."

This snapped Kirk out of his fantasies and they began to formulate a plan. They both had a plastic phaser hidden in their packs. Plastic phasers were flimsy and meant to be only temporary. They were usually meant to be snuck past metal sensors. But they would use them anyway and make a run for it. If one of them made it back, they would send for help. Perhaps, they concluded, if they were quiet and quick, the plan might work.

Around noon, their cell door opened. Two Sullagi entered. One was armed with a lethal cross bow-like weapon and the other held a large bundle, some papers and a squirming baby. Kirk and Uhura glanced at one another for a brief second.

"Now!" Kirk shouted.

They both leapt up and shot at one of the aliens. Nothing happened. The two aliens stared at the prisoners seemingly impassive to this surprise action.

"Phaser recharges were on that list," Kirk said, "Right after fuel and before milk."

"I don't like milk so it's not all bad."

"I hope you enjoyed your time with Spock was good because it just may be the last you were with him."

"It might be anyway."

"I knew it. He broke up with you. Pointy eared bastard."

Uhura wanted to say something about this. They were only having a fight, that it wasn't anyone's fault and that they would go back to each other but she couldn't. She honestly didn't see this situation resolving itself. If she every even saw Spock again, she realized with a shock of fear, she might never be with him again. Instead she pulled Kirk to the ground and tried to look harmless for the Sullagi's sake.

The armed guard nodded to the other Sullagi and step out. The baby was released to explore the cell. The Sullagi (She looked female) laid her bundle down and then sat next to it. She pulled back the wraps of blanket and revealed a sleeping infant. Then she laid her papers down and pulled drawing utensils from a pouch around her waist. She took one long look at Uhura and Kirk and then began to draw.

"Why are you drawing us?" asked Kirk.

"It is my job," she said, not lifting her eyes from the paper, "I am a documenter. On Earth you call them historians."

"Do you enjoy drawing humans?" Uhura had found her voice.

"It's better than drawing our horrifyingly brutal historical murals," she replied, "Which would be my alternative. I draw many things though. But I like drawing so it is a good assignment for me."

"Is that how you learned English?" asked Kirk, "By drawing people?"

"Everyone in this village speaks every language that was even spoken," she told them, "They just liked to be tricky about it."

"How is that possible?" asked Uhura, "I know about 83% of all federation languages but there must be hundred no one has ever heard of or documented."

"We are one of a few species which demonstrates Lamarckian Evolution. That's what the researchers told us long ago," She said, "We pass on their mental superiority to their offspring. Everything they know is given on. He has the body of a child and the mind of a genius. He cannot speak but he knows much."

She was referring to her toddler who was trying to climb onto Kirk's head. Uhura began to grasp why this civilization but so much emphasis on breeding. They thought their genes were the best.

Then she did something surprising. She glanced over her shoulder, and when she saw no one was watching, she broke one of her tools. She made a great fuss over this and knocked on the door. Her companion looked in. They had a brief dialogue and the companion left with her tool in hand. She picked up her infant and knelt near Kirk and Uhura.

"While he is gone," she said, "You look at him. They told me you were scientists."

"I have medical training," Uhura said.

Kirk scoffed.

"I do! I took a class."

"Your experience is overwhelming," He said, "I'm sorry for having doubted you."

Uhura analyzed the child. She measured his pulse, looked into his eyes and ears, measured his reflexes, she even held his chest close to her ear to listen to his heart beat and breathing. She annoyed when all she could discern was, "This is a very sick child."

"I know this," the Sullagi said sadly, "His sister is so healthy and he is so sick." She pointed to the toddler, "They are twins."

But Uhura hasn't given her full observation. She wanted to say something else but her thoughts didn't fit. What she was thinking wasn't even in the realm of realistic and yet there it was. She held back not only because she was afraid of what they would say or do if they heard her thoughts but because it was too much to say without more consideration.

Compared to his sisters, the child was...off. Not sick but just not right. He was lazy, unresponsive and blank compared to his vibrant interactive sisters. But it wasn't in a bad way. In fact, compared to her concepts of Terran babies, he was perfectly fine.

Suddenly the door smashed open again. The companion had never left. He still held the woman's broken tool in his hand. "That is Anda's child is it not?"

The woman nodded.

"You betrayed your race. He was not a Sullagi."

"That is true," the woman said, "But you will not tell anyone."

"What makes you so certain?" the companion asked.

The woman moved in a flash. In a second, she had imbedded one of her utensils in the man's chest. He sunk to the ground. "I loved someone who I should not have had feeling for. I still loved him but it tore me up inside. I am sorry."

She let the body fall and then hastily grabbed her babies in her arms. "Come, I will help you."

*****

The immature Sullagi kept trying to lose Spock. But it wasn't fast enough or smart enough to do so. Every so often, they wasted precious seconds as Spock pulled the creature off a tree or yanked him from under a rock.

Finally it led him to a clearing. There in the center was a trapdoor. The Sullagi pointed at the door and grunted. Spock pulled on the handle and looked into the dark abyss. "This leads to your village?"

The creature nodded, "I stay here. I do not want to raise suspicion by coming through here with you." With that, he raced off.

Spock could have forced the creature to go but that would waste time. Uhura and Kirk were at the end of this tunnel. He had to take this risk.

A second before he was about to step forward, the very prisoners he was going after appeared.

"Spock!" Uhura rushed forward and embraced him. Kirk pulled them both into a group hug. Spock was too shocked to do anything.

"I saved them," Spock saw a Sullagi with two young children come out of the tunnel, "Now, I wish for you to give me a favor."

"Anything," Kirk said.

"Within reason of course," Spock added.

The woman held out her smaller baby, "He is obviously a half breed. Take him to earth so that I can tell the elders he died. "

"Exactly what happened while you were gone?" demanded Spock.

"She is a Sullagi and she was only supposed to mate and make more Sullagi but she went after something a little more exotic. If they see that the kid is an inferior being, it will be evidence she," Kirk gestured towards the woman, "Fraternized with others and they will put her and her child to death to keep their blood line pure."

"She explained this in the tunnel. It makes more sense if you heard it there," Uhura added.

"If they see he is not growing as fast as his sister and that he does not look like a Sullagi, all will know he is a hybrid. But if he's not here. There can be no doubt and there can be no evidence. He and my former lover will be safe. They will lay this matter to rest. I don't mind suspicion," the woman said.

"And you?" Spock asked, "What will they do to you?"

"I will not pretend like this isn't a selfish endeavor. I choose life for him, even if it is a life without me," the woman said, "They might put me to death."

"Alright," said Spock at last, "We will put him in the hands of the Federation. They will be able to study him and will care for him."

The woman's eyes were wet now, "Thank you. Go quickly before they see you are gone."

*****

Uhura felt the comfortingly familiar feeling of the beam. Her very atoms seem to shiver and then she was back in the control room.

"Nice work, Mr. Scott," said Kirk.

The engineer behind the control panel grinned, "Nice to have you back Captain. I trust your stay on Sigma Xi was not too harsh?"

"It was a brief but enjoyable sojourn." Kirk said.

Scott chuckled and turned off the transporter. Kirk looked at Uhura, "Can I call you Nyota now?"

"No."

"That's harsh but fair," Kirk looked at Spock who hadn't taken his eyes off Uhura since they had been reunited. Kirk went and took the baby from Spock. "Come on Scott. I need your help with something."

When they were gone, Spock stepped towards her, "Nyota, I will be tactful. I feel a need for control and just as I could not ask you to give up your intelligence or independence for me, you cannot ask me to give up that need."

"I think I understand now," she said, "You felt it was wrong to want me but you still did."

"Yes," he said, glad she understood, "I feel guilty for loving you, my dear. I was raised Vulcan and I was always taught to look down on emotions, especially given my heritage."

"So having feelings for me is hard for you?"

"Yes, but I would not forsake them for my own comfort."

"It's not rational but I enjoy the thought. It doesn't make your love any weaker or any less meaningful."

Nyota held out her hand. Spock took it. Nyota liked the feeling his hand in hers. It felt complete.

"I misunderstood you Nyota. I thought you were an emotional person who desired verbal confirmation of love. You are not. For you, I think and perhaps for all humans, actions speak louder than words."

"I accept you as you are Spock."

"I will always carry this doubt for you Nyota but I will always fight it for you as well."

That was all she wanted.


End file.
