Chapter 2

With the ritual bonding of Toi-Chana, Spock's love for T'Naisa deepened. When they reached Arizona, James stayed with T'Beth in the main house so his parents could have the guest cottage to themselves. On warm days T'Naisa swam in the family pool, hoping the exercise would help rebuild her strength. But the stubborn cough remained and she continued to suffer sudden, inexplicable fevers.

Even when T'Naisa was not feeling well, she enjoyed Spock's grandchildren. At nine years of age, Bethany had grown tall and beautiful, with golden hair that reminded Spock of his slain daughter, Teresa. Louis was a sturdy, dark-haired boy of three who showed signs of high intelligence like the father he physically resembled.

Out of concern for her health, Spock never left T'Naisa for long, and invariably returned bearing some small present—a flower or edible delicacy to tempt her flagging appetite.

One day he produced a gift-wrapped box, and settling beside her on the cottage sofa, said, "I remember your fondness for cherries." He raised her hand to his lips and their eyes met as he kissed it—that same hand from which he had once knocked a bag of the fruit.

She opened the box and was delighted to find candied cherries covered in fine chocolate. "Oh, you're spoiling me," she declared and immediately sampled one.

He, too, was remembering that terrible day. "To think that I once threatened to kill you...and you were only trying to assist me."

"I remember your hands on my neck," she recalled with a shudder. "And that hateful look on your face. You had suffered a great loss and turned from the Shiav…"

His gaze left her and sitting back, he said low, "There was a time when I thought that no woman was safe with me. I'm glad that I told you of those incidents…and others. There should never be any secrets between us."

"Agreed," she said, laying her palm on his leg. He had long known of her failings, and before their bonding he had revealed several of his own. The illicit relationship with a Sy-jeera that led to T'Beth's birth, and his subsequent rejection of that child. His battle with drug addiction. The female ensign slain at his hands while under the symbiotic influence of an alien. The ugly attack on Lauren during the final moments of pon farr. "You confessed all that to the Shiav himself and he forgave you." Kissing his cheek, she told him, "Now you need to forgive yourself."

Turning to her, his eyes smiled. "My young wife is wise today."

"Only today?" she asked. Arching her brow in amusement, she offered him a candy. "Go ahead, one won't make you tipsy. As someone once said, 'A life without chocolate…'"

"…Is a Vulcan's life," he finished in his own words. Nevertheless, he accepted the offering.

oooo

For a time T'Naisa's health seemed to improve, and Spock began finalizing the necessary arrangements for the construction at Plum Creek. He looked forward to establishing a Yanashite retreat in the mountains of Idaho, for the news from Vulcan was not encouraging. In addition to vandalism, more bombs had been set off, leaving two Community members dead. Every day more Yanashites were leaving their home planet for the relative safety of Earth. Now more than ever, those immigrants would need a peaceful sanctuary.

In late April, Spock took T'Naisa to Starfleet Medical Center in Phoenix, where Doctor McCoy still worked three days a week. After introductions, Spock and T'Naisa briefly described her case history. McCoy asked T'Naisa a few questions of his own, then had her lie on a diagnostic bed for appraisal.

As readings appeared on the wall display, the old doctor remarked, "Curious. It's as if something has triggered her body's immune response. It sometimes happens with traumatic injuries."

He picked up a datapadd and made an entry. "T'Naisa, I'm prescribing a low dose immune suppressor—anything stronger would leave you vulnerable to infection." Then breaking into a grin, he said, "Hey, you two. Congratulations on your marriage!"

Following the appointment, T'Naisa faithfully took Doctor McCoy's pills and tried to hide her persistent weakness from Spock. She knew how it troubled him and she did not like playing the part of an invalid. All her life she had enjoyed robust health. She convinced herself that the upcoming move to Plum Creek would restore her strength once and for all.

Finally the day came, but their mountain homecoming brought an ugly surprise. They had just completed a bit of cleaning in the cabin. T'Naisa was putting together a simple dinner and Jamie was out exploring the creek when Spock took a phone call in the living area.

He returned to the kitchen with a grim, preoccupied expression. "Our construction permit has been suspended pending further review. The official was most apologetic, but in light of the news…"

With a sinking feeling, she asked, "What news?"

"It is quite incredible. An 'inside source' is claiming that Yanashites are behind the recent bombings on Vulcan, that it is an attempt to discredit the Traditionalists and gain positions of influence in the government. This same 'inside source' has reported that the Plum Creek Sanctuary will be a training camp for similar terrorist activities."

oooo

"Come on!" Jamie called over his shoulder to T'Naisa. The Appaloosa he rode was spirited and took off galloping across a meadow.

T'Naisa pressured Biscuit with her knees and gave him the reins. The buckskin gelding needed no further encouragement. Leaping forward, he broke into a run that sent T'Naisa's hair streaming behind her like a red banner. Bending low over Biscuit's neck, she reveled in the sense of freedom. Jim Kirk had recently loaned them the horses, and she went out as often as her health permitted. It worried Spock so much that he insisted upon Jamie accompanying her. Despite his concern, she sometimes rode by herself, wearing a wrist phone in case of emergency.

The sun was slipping behind the mountains and the air was growing cool when she returned with Jamie to Plum Creek. Though the ride had put color in her cheeks, she was tired. Jamie volunteered to care for both horses. Grateful, she went into the cabin and found Spock seated on the sofa, viewing the latest news from Vulcan on their wall screen.

His face was somber as he said, "The 'inside source' has spoken again, raising the old accusation that Yanashites sabotaged the vrekatras at Gol. The investigation might be reopened."

T'Naisa felt a stirring of fear. "Can they do that…just on the word of an anonymous source? Wouldn't he have to come forward and publicly testify?"

"I should think so," Spock replied. "I would very much like to know the identity of this unprincipled 'insider'. His lies are damaging the Community."

T'Naisa settled on the cushions beside him. "I hope you don't get subpoenaed."

He sniffed the air. Turning toward her, he said, "You smell like a horse. A very lovely horse…"

As he drew her into a kiss, she did not need to say it aloud. A mule, you mean. With the mingling of their surface thoughts and emotions, he clearly read it, along with the pain her sterility caused her.

When they parted, the words sprang from the depths of her heart. "Oh, how I wish I could have your child!"

"I know," Spock said, but he was coming to believe that perhaps it was best, after all, that her body not bear the added strain of pregnancy.

That night, a thunderstorm awakened them in the new, roomy bed they shared. Lightning flashed and rumbled as hailstones rattled on the cabin roof.

T'Naisa sat straight up, her eyes shining. "Oh, isn't it beautiful? What power God has!"

Spock gazed at her in wonder. Strange, how the same childlike enthusiasm that he had once found so annoying, now brought him nothing but pleasure. With a bit of a wry smile he said, "Ask God to use some of that power defending his Yanashites. Maybe if you ask nicely, he will reveal the 'inside source' to you."

She took him seriously and closed her eyes in prayer. Then nestling close to him, she said, "Yanash told us to expect obstacles. Nothing will stand in the way of our retreat house if he wants it built."

Spock continued to tease her. "He knows that you really want to keep Plum Creek to yourself."

"Impudent halfling!" She took a playful swat at his bare chest, but he easily caught her hand and rolled over, pinning her beneath him.

Then he silenced her laughter with a kiss, and they made love as the storm raged over the mountain.

oooo

T'Naisa rose early and walked a damp woodland trail toward a vista point that overlooked a steep canyon. The rising sun was tinting a few residual clouds pink when a tantalizing aroma came drifting on the breeze. She followed the scent back to the cabin where she found Jamie standing at the stove, tending a skillet.

"It is bacon!" she cried. "But I thought your father…"

"Can't stand the smell?" Jamie shrugged. "I know, but he bought it. He said he can put up with anything if it pleases you."

T'Naisa's heart warmed. "He knows how I like it."

Breakfast was ready. She sat down to eat bacon and eggs with Jamie, who was not a vegetarian like his father. Between bites she said, "He's not still sleeping, is he?"

"No. On the phone, I guess. He got a call just before you came in."

They were finishing the last of their meal when Spock came out of the bedroom. One glance at his stony face and T'Naisa realized something was terribly wrong. Her heart sensed its way toward him through the bond they shared and met a disturbing resistance.

"Leave us," Spock told his son.

Jamie knew trouble when he saw it, grabbed his schoolbag, and headed out.

T'Naisa's heart began to pound out of control. "Spock, what is it?" she said breathlessly. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

His eyes never left hers as he settled into Jamie's chair and pushed the empty plate aside. His hand opened. Something clattered onto the table.

T'Naisa recognized her wrist phone. Was that what this was all about? "I only promised to wear it when I'm riding," she declared in a defensive tone.

His expression grew even harder. "You've made calls," he said.

"A few. Why?"

"Calls through a secret data link. Covert calls."

T'Naisa's tension deepened. "I don't know what you're talking about. Am I in some kind of trouble with the phone company?" She sensed his intense displeasure with her response. Her stomach knotted and she felt queasy. "Spock! Explain it to me!"

In the coldest of tones, he said, "Your calls to the press have been traced and voice printed. There is no mistaking the facts. You are the 'inside source'."

T'Naisa sat in shocked silence, watching him battle his anger and abruptly return to the bedroom. Her body began to shudder. She ran into the bathroom and lost her breakfast. For several minutes she sat on the floor sobbing, too sick to move. Phone records? Voice prints? How could he believe that she would do such a wicked thing? And did he really think her capable of hiding it from him…even in their most intimate moments?

The cabin was very small. Spock heard the sounds of T'Naisa's sickness, heard her tears. And he thought: It is the response of someone whose guilt has been revealed.

He stood staring out the bedroom window, his heart leaden as he called to mind her lawless past. So she had not changed, after all. Somehow she had managed to deceive him and deal a crippling blow to the entire Yanashite Community. And for what?

Bitter moments passed.

At last he heard movement in the house. The bedroom door opened. Knowing who he would find, he forced himself to turn and look at her. T'Naisa stood bracing herself in the doorway. Her face was white, her eyes irritated from weeping.

Suddenly there was no controlling his anger. "Why the hell did you do it? To prevent the retreat house from being built? To keep Plum Creek all for yourself? Well, you can have it all! You may stay here, far away from me, and receive the reporters at your leisure! " He took a step toward the door, but she was blocking his way.

A sob escaped her. "Is that what you think? That I'm nothing but a selfish, thoughtless…"

"Tell me then!" The words tore at his throat. "What else am I to think?"

She entered the room fully. Collapsing on the unmade bed, she curled up in a fetal position, looking utterly desolate and ill. Now was his chance to leave this painful mistake behind him and never come back. He would get James from school and return to Vulcan on the earliest possible flight. Why did he linger?

T'Naisa rose up on one elbow, her face hardening with resolve. "I don't know who you've been talking to, but it's a lie. God knows that—for once—I'm completely innocent." Sitting up fully, she said, "You think you know everything. Well, come here, then. Put your hand on my face and see how smart you are. Go ahead, search every corner of my mind. I have nothing to hide."

It was the last thing he would have expected. Did she believe she could keep the truth from him in a deep meld? He did not want to explore her deceitful thoughts. Most of all, he did not want her to see how badly she was wounding him.

As her eyes offered their silent challenge, he felt an inevitable stirring in his bonding center. He had entrusted this woman with his heart, and though his heart was bleeding, they were still bondmates. There was a deep biological pressure to respond.

"Afraid that you might be wrong?" she flung at him.

"I wish I were," he replied stiffly, "but the facts are indisputable." He accepted the challenge anyway and sat down beside her. No discipline could calm his inner turmoil as he placed his hand upon her face and closed his eyes. Steeling himself, he entered her mind.

The meld was deep and thorough. Many thoughts needed airing and many emotions needed to be soothed before the couple withdrew from the mental joining, each to their own individual consciousness. Afterward, they held one another tightly for a long time.

T'Naisa knew that her fever had returned. She disliked the feeling of weakness it gave her, but for now she was content just to bask in her husband's presence, knowing that they had weathered the crisis and all was well between them. No matter how convincing the evidence, Spock knew beyond a doubt that she was not guilty.

Later, he left her to rest and spent the day reviewing the phone records. By noon, her name was on all the news services. Their phone jammed with unwelcome messages. Reporters who neared the cabin received an automated transmission warning them against trespassing. After school, Jamie rode a horse over to Jim Kirk's ranch for an indefinite stay.

Toward evening, T'Naisa began to feel a little hungry and ordered a mug of potato soup from the kitchen replicator. Spock was still at the computer, studying a timeline graph. Bringing her soup to the living area, she pulled up a chair and sat close beside him.

"Any progress?" She took a spoonful of the replicated soup. It was not nearly as good as homemade.

Spock pointed at the graph. "As you can see, the timing of each call coincides perfectly with your opportunities to use a phone in private. Usually you were on horseback, alone."

"Someone's out here, then. Someone's spying on us?"

"Or…"

She waited for him to continue. Deep in thought, he looked over at her and watched as she stirred the soup. An uneasy feeling settled into her touchy stomach. Lowering the mug, she said, "Or…I really am making those calls, but don't know it? In other words, I'm crazy?"

"Crazy?" It took a moment for him to answer. "Your mind is as logical and orderly as any woman's, but there is another distinct possibility. Mind control."

oooo

Within the week, Spock had T'Naisa quietly admitted to Starfleet Medical Center, where Doctor McCoy would supervise a battery of tests. T'Naisa's health had deteriorated. In addition to the fevers and cough, she was now frequently nauseous. It pained Spock to see her once hearty appetite dwindling away to nothing. Each day she seemed to grow thinner.

He told McCoy about his suspicion of mind control and wondered if some of T'Naisa's symptoms might stem from it. Aboard the Enterprise they had encountered many strange situations.

After the first day of testing, the doctor entered T'Naisa's room with a peculiar look on his face. Sitting at his wife's bedside, Spock prepared himself for some dire revelation.

"Well," McCoy said with a bemused expression, "I haven't turned up any sign of mind control yet…but I have found something that accounts for at least part of the symptoms. You're not going to believe what I have to say. It's a rarity, that's for sure…but facts are facts."

Spock turned to T'Naisa and looking into her eyes found a dread that mirrored his own. She reached for his hand.

McCoy said, "Don't look so damn grim. She's only pregnant."

Spock swung around, his mouth falling open in startlement. "Doctor…you are quite mistaken."

"It can't be," T'Naisa seconded. "I'm a sterile hybrid. My ovaries are underdeveloped."

Incredibly, McCoy agreed. "Yes, ma'am. Functionally, you are sterile…but just the same, you're pregnant."

Silence descended over the room.

Spock's grip on T'Naisa's hand tightened as he considered all the possibilities. "Then…you are telling us that an embryo has somehow been implanted…"

McCoy grinned as if he was enjoying the whole situation immensely. "It's my educated guess that an embryo was implanted in the usual manner. Spock, the child is yours…and T'Naisa's. Even with sterile hybrids, it sometimes happens. All it takes is one egg, and we know that you are intermittently fertile. Come winter, there'll be a new little girl in your family."

oooo

All evening T'Naisa felt as if she would burst with joy. Neither she nor Spock slept, though the hospital provided a lounge for him by her bed. The medication Doctor McCoy prescribed for nausea had settled her stomach. After midnight, she dressed and they went downstairs to the empty hospital cafeteria. T'Naisa had thought she would never want to look at another piece of bacon, but now she found herself craving it. Bacon and pancakes with maple syrup. Even the replicated food tasted good to her. Between bites she smiled at Spock, enjoying the look of perplexity in his eyes.

"Greta," she said suddenly. "What do you think of Greta? I've always liked it."

"This does not seem possible," he repeated for at least the seventh time.

"With God," she reminded him, "anything is possible. Like McCoy said, somehow my ovaries produced an egg. Don't keep questioning it. Just be thankful." Thinking of the tiny life inside her, she smiled.

"I can still scarcely believe it," he persisted.

T'Naisa started on another slice of bacon. "God is good. Maybe this is His way of consoling us in the midst of trouble. Just keep an eye on me so I don't make any phone calls."

"I will not let you out of my sight," he promised.

In the morning, Doctor McCoy ran a panel of psychological tests which proved negative. They were seated in a medical office as he admitted, "We're running out of options. T'Naisa, all along you've seemed to be havin' a heightened immune response, but I haven't found any reason for it. We have to consider the possibility that your body is reacting to something that shouldn't be there…something our instruments can't detect." Pausing, he rubbed at his chin. "I'm sure you've both heard of sensor-resistant nanobots…"

T'Naisa's blood ran cold, and beside her Spock sat up very straight. She had read harrowing stories about the infinitesimal, self-replicating robots let loose in bodies.

McCoy solemnly continued, "They're devilishly hard to detect. However, in theory, your son-in-law's Cell Transmigrator could sift a body and strand any potential nanobots in the matrix." Very slowly he added, "But if the problem is nanobots…and the controllers realize they're in danger of bein' exposed…"

Spock gravely surmised, "They may want the host eliminated before the truth comes out."

McCoy nodded. "It's impossible to know the sophistication of the programming. And of course," he quickly finished, "this is all conjecture."

Spock and McCoy turned their eyes on T'Naisa—a possible host—and a shiver of fear passed through her. "This Transmigrator," she said. "Would it harm the baby?"

"Shouldn't," McCoy answered. "It's a transporter technology, and pregnant women transport all the time."

oooo

The decision would have to come soon. For now Spock took T'Naisa back to the guest cottage on his daughter's property, where they could consult in length with T'Beth's husband. Spock kept close watch over T'Naisa and was present when an armed pair of Federation agents arrived to question her with a portable verifier.

Soon after the interrogation began, T'Naisa sprang from her chair, eyes flashing. With one hand on the verifier plate, she pointed her free finger at Spock and shouted, "Don't believe him! Don't believe any Yanashite! It's political power they want—assassination, murder—whatever it takes, they'll stop at nothing! Let me just tell you…"

On and on she railed, while Spock stared at her in dismay. There was a strong urge to clamp his hand over her mouth, but any attempt to silence her would only add weight to her charges. At last, with a petulant lift of her chin, she finished the damaging tirade and sank back into her chair.

The agents checked the verifier and turned their attention to Spock.

"Well then," one spoke very quietly, "what have you to say?"

Barely holding his voice steady, Spock replied, "My wife's statement cannot be taken seriously. She has not been herself since the bombing on Vulcan. At that time she sustained a serious head injury…"

"A concussion," the agent said in a dismissive tone.

"A serious concussion," Spock countered, "and is currently under a physician's care. I suggest you contact Doctor Leonard McCoy through Starfleet Medical Center in Phoenix."

"Then you deny everything she's just said?" The agent was openly skeptical. "You may as well know it—the verifier shows that she told us the truth."

Spock looked over at T'Naisa. Gone was the air of a hostile stranger; she appeared sick, weak and confused. "Most likely," he explained, "she believes everything that she said was true, even though it was not. In that case the test is invalid." Crossing the room, he placed his own palm on the verifier plate. "Here and now I deny every charge. Yanashites are not terrorists. We do not seek political power. We seek only spiritual advancement."

Both agents studied the scan and consulted in whispers. Then taking out a padd, the ranking agent said to Spock, "Doctor McCoy. The same one who served with you and Captain Kirk aboard the starship Enterprise?"

"Yes. The same." Spock took T'Naisa's hand and gazed into her troubled eyes. "He is a man of high professional standing and unblemished character."

They located the doctor and he was available to speak. Thanks to the brief conversation with McCoy, the agents seemed satisfied for the time being, but it was at best only a temporary reprieve.

Afterward, T'Naisa stood watching Spock pace up and down the small living room of the cottage, and could sense his frustration. Choking back tears, she said, "I don't remember telling them those things…but I have to believe you. It's…it's as if I'm possessed!"

He came to a stop and his dark eyes searched her. "This cannot continue. If nanobots are influencing your behavior, the situation will only grow more dangerous. We have discussed the Transmigrator procedure with Aaron. Are you willing to undergo it?"

"Gladly," she told him.

"Tomorrow then," he said.

As he took her into his arms, the level of her fear subsided. "For better or for worse", the two of them would battle the unseen enemy together.

oooo

Spock sat in their dark bedroom watching T'Naisa toss restlessly in her sleep. Shortly after 1:00 a.m., moonlight entered a window and spread its silvery light over her face. As always, the sight of her fragile beauty moved him. He had lost one wife and daughter already; he could not bear the thought of losing T'Naisa and the precious child she was carrying. A new daughter. How strange it still seemed, yet the facts were undeniable. In some remarkable manner, T'Naisa's simple faith in the Shiav had been rewarded.

At precisely 1:15 T'Naisa rose from the bed and came to him. Wordlessly she settled onto his lap and rested her head against his shoulder. Her soft hair smelled clean and fragrant. For several long, peaceful minutes he held her, enjoying her nearness while her fingers gently caressed his neck.

At last her hand went still and she sighed.

Sensing a change in her, he whispered, "What is it?"

A little gasp escaped her. Then she said, "No…don't let them…"

There was no time to consider the meaning of the words, for suddenly her fingers clamped down tightly. A brief, tingling discomfort in Spock's trapezius muscle swiftly radiated through his entire body. As from a great distance he felt his limbs going numb, but a corner of his mind clung to consciousness. Nerve pinch. Hand small and ineffective. Revive. Must revive. Find her. Watch her.

Sounds registered. Footsteps. A door opening. A splash…

Adrenaline began to pump through Spock's system, drenching his nerves, awakening them in a dizzying rush of pain. Forcing his eyes open, he stumbled out of the chair and collapsed on the floor. He struggled back to his feet. Staggering outside, he grabbed hold of the pool's diving platform.

Moonlight rippled on the surface of the water. All was still…but deep inside himself he felt his bond to T'Naisa beginning to fade.

Dropping down on his hands and knees, he peered into the pool. A shadowy form lay near the bottom.

It was not a moment for logic. Considering his impairment, Spock knew that he might drown, but just now that did not seem to matter. Drawing a deep breath, he plunged into the cold water.

oooo

T'Naisa awoke suddenly. Shivering and confused, she lay face-down on the hard tile surrounding T'Beth's pool. She coughed and gagged until her stomach emptied of water. Yard lights shone as emergency technicians turned her onto her back and administered oxygen. Nearby, Spock stood wrapped in a blanket from their bed, his hair dripping wet. T'Beth and Aaron were with him.

The technicians lifted her onto a grav-stretcher and covered her warmly. Spock followed her into an air ambulance parked out front.

After they lifted off, she reached for his hand. It felt almost as cold as hers. Fearful of his reply, she asked, "What happened?"

"You don't remember," he said. Not a question, but a statement of fact. He did not expect her to remember. His eyes darkened with pain as he told her, "I found you at the bottom of the pool."

She was too frightened to question him any further.

The ambulance was landing in a bay at Starfleet Medical Center when T'Naisa felt her mind starting to slip again. For a time there was only darkness.

"I think she's back," someone said.

Now she found herself lying in an examination room. Restraint bands clamped her arms securely to the bedrails. To her right, Doctor McCoy and Aaron Pascal stood gazing down at her intently. Spock was on the left. He had changed into different clothes. His hair was dry and neatly combed.

Leaning over, Spock touched the meld points of her face gently, as if testing her thoughts.

"What's wrong with me?" she cried in confusion.

McCoy spoke. "That's what we're going to find out."

Suddenly she felt her back arching. The strange spasm passed upward through her body and the room faded from view.

oooo

In appearance, the Cell Transmigrator was similar to the CAT scanning devices from the late 20th century. Spock had been one of the first patients to enter the claustrophobic tube after Aaron developed the technology. This time he stood on the outside watching as T'Naisa was drawn into the chamber. She was quiet now. An injection of medication had sedated her and put an end to the alarming convulsions.

Doctor McCoy walked over and stood beside him.

After a moment Spock ventured to say, "Leonard…what if there are no nanobots?"

McCoy was slow to answer. Finally he said, "Let's just wait and see."

Spock watched his conscientious son-in-law oversee the technicians operating his invention. At last, Aaron was satisfied with the settings. The machine hummed to life. Inside the chamber, a bright light bathed T'Naisa. Though her body began to shimmer and sparkle, it never fully dissolved. After three minutes the process visibly slowed until she returned to a solid physical state and the machine went silent.

Aaron and the technicians studied the Transmigrator readout screen.

Aaron called over his shoulder, "Spock, McCoy, look at this."

They joined him, and with relief Spock saw some unspecified element trapped in the matrix. There it would remain, securely contained, until the FIA lab could claim the evidence and analyze it. As T'Naisa was drawn out of the chamber, it seemed to Spock that her face had regained some of its former color. He followed her to the recovery room and sat at her side, waiting for the sedative to wear off.

The greater part of an hour passed before she began to stir. Then opening her eyes, she saw him and managed a smile.

"I was dreaming," she said. "I was healthy and strong. I was holding our child in my arms. We named her Megan."

oooo

Back home in Plum Creek, T'Naisa found it hard to believe that she had ever resisted the idea of building a Yanashite Sanctuary. The sound of the carpentry tools seemed like music as she gardened in the new planting beds along the cabin's foundation. Flowering shrubs, hardy perennials, and a few vegetables that tolerated shade.

Biscuit nickered from the small stable built to shelter him and their burro, now that the barn was being transformed. Jamie would have to tear himself away from the workers long enough to exercise the horse. Although the fevers had left T'Naisa and was feeling much stronger, she would stay out of the saddle until the baby was born.

The baby. Thinking of the little one safe inside her, she smiled. The child would not be born under a shadow. A crime had been committed—not by T'Naisa, but against her. The same Vulcan radicals responsible for the bombings had implanted nanobots during her stay at the hospital in Tareel. Once again, the Yanashites had been exonerated of all wrongdoing.

She heard a footstep behind her and looked up from her gardening to find Spock standing nearby. Wordlessly he reached out to her. Brushing off the worst of the soil, she gave him her hand, and though it was still dirty, he grasped it and helped her up. A shared memory of his first wife stirred and T'Naisa's heart ached with love for him. He would never forget avoiding Lauren's dirty hands in his last moment with her.

"Walk with me," he said.

They set out together and she stopped to rinse off in the creek. The sounds of construction gave way to birdsong as they followed the shady trail to the overlook. As they stood on the ledge together, a warm fragrant breeze swept through the pines. Thunderclouds towered in the sky, sending plumes of rain sweeping over the distant mountain slopes.

T'Naisa sighed. "Our own little 'Inspiration Point'. Isn't it beautiful? I hope there's a storm tonight."

"You are beautiful," Spock replied with his attention upon her.

Smiling, she turned to him and as their eyes met, she said, "I wonder what she'll look like."

"Megan?"

"Nell."

His eyebrow quirked upward. He might have said in complaint, "Woman, will you ever make up your mind?" Instead he gently smiled and drew her into an embrace so tender and loving that for a moment she closed her eyes and the world faded away, leaving only the three of them.

oooOOooo