Chapter 1: Eyes Wide Open

First, he became aware of a tantalizing aroma. Next, he heard the low hum of whispered voices. Finally, he opened his eyes to see two figures in Operations red and one in Command gold huddled together.

By the table.

The phrase "not fair" and the words "mine" and "last" drifted through the air of the room and burrowed through his befuddlement.

Ponfo mirann! Instantly and fully awake, he sat up.

"Trashu!" he ordered the trio ogling the last slice of pie.

The whispering stopped. Engineer Scott and Ensign Chekov spun to face him.

Lieutenant Uhura did not turn from the table. Or the pie.

"That means he wants you two to leave," she told the Scot and the Russian.

.

.

The two men exchanged fearful glances before spinning around again and rushing from the room. Miss Uhura remained facing the table.

Spock swung his feet over the side of the bed and took a moment to search for the Standard words he needed to say.

"That order pertained to you as well, Lieutenant."

"Oh no, Mister Spock," she replied, without moving except to adjust a wide red strap crossing on a diagonal from her right shoulder to her left hip. "I can't do that."

He eyed the strap curiously. It was the same color as her tunic; he hadn't immediately noticed it upon waking.

"Why not, Miss Uhura?" he asked. The room seemed to spin as he got to his feet.

Carefully, he made his way towards her and the pie.

She turned and he saw that the strap was actually a sling slung across her chest. And it was… undulating.

"I can't take her outside in this cold," the lieutenant informed him.

He took a closer look at the heaving sling and at the tiny cinnamon-colored face latched onto a chocolate-colored nipple, sucking furiously.

The room lurched.

.

.

First, he heard the high-pitched wails reverberating through the room. Next, he became aware of a pounding in his head which almost made him wish he had not regained consciousness. Finally, he peeled open his eyes to see Lieutenant Uhura bending over him.

"Olau tu uf?" she asked in Vulcan. "Weh-rom ha?"

"Rai," he groaned, answering her second question first. "I believe the…kan-bu's cries are making me feel worse."

"Ahh," the lieutenant murmured as she tried to soothe the kan-bu by rubbing its back.

Illogically, she was smiling. "Kusut-patam ha?"

"Ha," he agreed, then switched to Standard. Or at least tried to do so. The words were hard to find through the throbbing of his head. "And it is getting even worse with each passing second. Can you not quiet your… ko-fu?"

Watching her shake her head in the negative made his skaun-sa'haf churn, so he closed his eyes again. The volume of the kan-bu's sobs increased.

"It is your fault," Miss Uhura told him. Fortunately, she continued to speak his native language. "She was content until you fainted. Stand up. Show her you are well, and she will stop crying."

Spock opened his eyes and peered around the not-quite-familiar room.

"I am most certainly not well, Lieutenant," he replied after ascertaining that he was, indeed, lying on his back. On the floor. In a sparsely-furnished room he was not certain he remembered entering.

"Pretend," she ordered in Standard.

Her tone implied disobedience would be met with dire consequences.

He sat up. The kan-bu quieted slightly, but not enough to ease his pain.

"I believe there should be a… kusut-nem-tukh with my belongings." Between the roiling in his stomach and the pulsating pain in his head, the Standard word eluded him.

Lieutenant Uhura handed him a hypospray, explaining, "I anticipated the need."

The powerful analgesic began to work almost instantly, and he was able to rise to his feet within seconds. The kan-bu, no... infant — that was the word! — lowered her volume again, but continued to sob in her mother's(?) arms.

Inexplicably, the normally amiable communications officer glared at him. He caught a glimpse of an enticing nipple as she pulled the baby from the sling. She looked up again just in time to catch him staring.

"None of that from you, Mister!" Lieutenant Uhura snapped in Standard. "That's what got us into this mess in the first place," she added in what could only be described as a frustrated mutter. "Here!"

Suddenly, his hands were full of wriggling infant, the lieutenant was hiding the best sight he'd seen since waking up and then… silence.

"See?" The note of triumph he detected in Miss Uhura's voice was reflected in her smile.

Spock raised a questioning brow.

"She's a baba's girl," explained the lieutenant. Her grin broadened.

"Sa-mekh," said the kan-bu. She patted his cheek with a plump little hand.

"Fascinating," said Spock. He examined the child's delicately pointed ears.

A/N: TOS-AU. Translations for Vulcan words and phrases are available at the Vulcan Language Institute Reclamation Project at the Star Trek Online Geekopedia and at the Vulcan Language dictionary.

Division colors (for uniforms) have changed throughout the history of Star Trek; Science has been the most consistent, mostly using shades of blue. For the purposes of this story, I'm using the colors most often perceived in TOS eps.

Disclaimer: I own no Star Trek concepts or characters. I do not profit from writing about them.