Chapter Text
“Sa-mekh, I wish to discuss a personal matter.”
Somehow Saavik was exhausted. She had no lack of sleep, and it would be extremely difficult for a Vulcan to fail to get what little sleep they needed, but Saavik still felt as though her eyes were heavy and her thoughts and emotions difficult to control. At first she attributed these challenges to stressors endured on the surface of Ceti Alpha V, but no matter how much she tried to deny it, the real cause was her accidental bond to Maya Noonien-Singh and the distress it gave her. She thought about the human woman and felt her presence more strongly than her own bondmate, and her attempts to keep Maya at arm’s length did nothing to dissuade these feelings. And so she followed Demora’s advice, something she should have done a while ago and reached out to her father.
“What is on your mind, Saavik-kam?” Spock asked. Humans found Vulcan’s difficult to read, but Saavik could see the slight signs of worry on his face.
“I have experienced something that I previously thought was impossible. I believe I have bonded with a second mate, a human.”
Spock raised an eyebrow. “An uncommon situation, but not an impossible one. Rare, but not unheard of.”
“Such information offers minimal reassurance, as it does nothing to uncomplicate my situation.”
“Saavik-kam, relationships are complicated more often than not, even for Vulcans.”
Saavik spoke with her father for hours, and for the first time–with his family or with anyone else–Spock shared deeply personal and private stories. He told her of when he first knew that Jim Kirk was his T’hy’la, his failed engagement to T’Pring, and a brief dalliance with a human nurse that left both of them hurt. Hearing these stories showed Saavik the vulnerable side of the person who had always been the strongest and most stable presence in her life, and being trusted with the knowledge of such personal memories brought the two of them closer, but it did not give Saavik insights into her own circumstances.
“Sa-mekh…” She began. “I appreciate your sharing your personal experiences, but I am in need of more direct advice.”
“Saavik-Kam, no one else can tell whether or not you are bonded with this woman. However, if you are, and if you part ways forever, you will regret it the rest of your life.”
Saavik looked down and silently considered her father’s advice. When she spoke her response, she still did not look up at the screen. “Thank you, Sa-mekh. I know what I need to do. End transmission.”
Maya sat in front of the viewscreen with a cup of coffee–a cafe lungo, essentially a full cup of pure espresso. With a palate that preferred bitterness and a high caffeine tolerance, it was a better fit for what she expected from a cup of coffee. La’an still had not responded to her latest communication, but Maya went ahead and reached out to Earth’s social services again, even though she had nothing new to say.
She held her cup of espresso in both hands when the image of the case worker from Earth appeared on the screen. “Maya,” he began. “I have great news.”
“Go on.” Maya had taught herself to not expect sudden and unexpected changes to the situation. This “great news” was probably something insignificant.
“There’s been an applicant to adopt the girls, all three of them.”
“Really?” Maya sat up straighter and leaned forward. She was not expecting to hear that, maybe not ever. “Can you tell me who it was, I’d love to talk to them.” She took a long sip of her espresso as she awaited a response.
“I…figured you had already. It was La’an Noonien-Singh.”
Maya suddenly swallowed her mouthful of coffee, and so much hot liquid at once burned her throat. She covered her mouth and turned her head away to cough a few times. “Excuse me. I may have mentioned it to her, but she never told me that she was serious about going through with it. Can we talk again later? I need to speak with La’an.”
“Of course, we’ll keep in touch.”
The screen went dark, and Maya took another sip before putting in the commands to send a communication to La’an. Her heart raced as she awaited a response, she couldn’t stand to wait to talk about this…or maybe it was the caffeine starting to hit her. When La’an appeared on screen, Maya’s nerves did not dissipate.
“So, when were you going to tell me?” Maya demanded, skipping over any usual pleasantries.
“Tell you about…oh!” La’an gasped. “I was hoping to wait until after it was too late for you to try to talk me out of it. And, truthfully, you are in no position to criticize me for a lack of communication.”
“Fair, but I still think you’re out of your mind for wanting to take in three teenagers, especially when I’ve never known you to want any children.”
“I don’t think it’s so different than when I took in an Augment with a criminal record, or you for trying to adopt a nephew you never knew.”
Maya smiled. “Maybe not. I had very briefly entertained the idea myself. It’s just…three is a lot.”
“It is, but I’m not one to change my mind easily once it’s made up.”
“If this all works out, La’an, you’ve gone and solved a problem I didn’t think could be solved.”
“Glad to hear it, but I’m not doing this for you.”
“I know. I’ll keep in touch, and I mean it this time.”
“You had better.” La’an teased. “End transmission.”