AN: So, this is the sequel. The bad news is, I'm going to be updating slightly less often than I did with Gradually Falling – I don't have as much as the rough draft finished, which makes me nervous, and I need some time to catch up and make some sense of the story. And school's going to start soon enough. So it's going to be every four days for now, and we will see whether that works out.

I still don't own this. All of the OCs I could argue to know have been killed off, so...yeah. Starting with a clean shield, you could say. Plenty of time to create more OCs to kill. Apparently, being an OC in my story is tantamount to being a red shirt in canon...

Enough distraction. Enjoy!

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At the end of her first ever proper shift aboard the Enterprise, Nyota rose to be relieved by the Lieutenant who was originally meant to be an alpha shift officer, before it was discovered that he couldn't distinguish Romulan from Vulcan during the Nero crisis. Nyota was pretty sure he must hate her, and so she tried to clear the station as quickly and inconspicuously as possible. Spock entered the turbolift with her. "Will you please join me in my quarters in two hours?"

She smiled at him. "Of course."

She was very curious to hear how it came to be that he was aboard.

While he went to do God knew what, Nyota accompanied others from the alpha shift to the mess hall, sitting with them for their first space meal.

"So, excited to be here?" Kirk asked.

"The biggest thrill of my life," muttered Leonard as he sat down, joining them.

"Come on, Bones, don't pretend it doesn't excite you just a little."

"Oh, I'm very excited. Think of all the new, unknown illnesses we can encounter!"

Nyota raised her eyebrow: "A great opportunity for research, isn't it?"

"I'm a doctor, not a researcher. I do actually care about my patients, you know. Though this does sound like something that pointed-eared Vulcan might say."

Kirk shot him a look, then shot another one at Nyota. Leonard didn't know about her...special relationship with Spock. No one but Gaila, Kirk and Engineer Scott did. If they hadn't told someone, that is. Or if Spock hadn't told someone, but she found that highly unlikely.

Another of Nyota's eyebrows went up. I probably shouldn't copy Spock's mimic too much, she thought, it might disconcert them. "Derogatory specieist references, Leonard? Really?"

"Well he does get on my nerves," he said defensively.

"Already? We have been aboard for eight hours, and you haven't even seen him for those eight hours," Nyota pointed out.

"Not just now. Generally, I mean," Leonard clarified.

"He's a Vulcan," Kirk said easily, "that's what he does."

Nyota shook her head. "Just warn me in advance when some of you plan to make some witty comment about me being black, so that I can decide how exactly I want to hit you."

The men seemed taken aback.

"You know I really don't mean it in a bad way, don't you?" The doctor asked, sounding unsure.

"Of course, Leonard. I wouldn't be sitting at one table with you otherwise. But I still think it's wrong." She smiled. "Have you noticed how none of the non-Americans at this table joined in?"

Kirk shot looks at Chekov and Sulu. Chekov looked like he wanted to have nothing to do with it, but Sulu smiled at her.

"I'm fully on your side, ready to come to your defence whenever you need me, Lieutenant."

"We'd better watch out, Bones," Kirk commented, "I saw what he did to those Romulans with that sword of his."

Nyota snorted into her drink and rolled her eyes at Kirk. She really wasn't sure making someone a captain at twenty-two was such a great idea.

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After the meal, Nyota went to her rooms and took a shower. Then she got dressed and did her hair. Then she wrote her log. Then she paced her quarters nervously for twenty minutes. She seriously wondered what was wrong with her. It was not like it was going to be worse than the last time she saw Spock – nothing could be worse than that last time. And this was actually supposed to be good, there was no reason to be nervous. But it was the first time they'd properly see each other since he stopped being her teacher. It was, at the very least, a special occasion.

She arrived exactly on time, and as he let her in his tiny quarters – not that hers were any bigger – she nostalgically remembered his rooms at the Academy. He motioned to the table: "Please, sit."

She did, a little irritated that he didn't even kiss her in greeting. But she brushed it aside as she asked, no longer able to contain her curiosity: "How come you're here?"

"I was convinced by a Vulcan elder that my place was in Starfleet," Spock explained succinctly.

Nyota frowned. "Wait...it wasn't another example of their racism, was it?"

"No, not in this case."

"Good. Though in that case I think it's strange they didn't consider you important enough to help them build a new Vulcan home." Not that she complained, but it was weird.

"The reasons were rather more complicated. I will explain later, but that is not the reason I asked you here." He paused, the said, looking down at her from his standing position: "While still at the Academy, our understanding was unvoiced and therefore very unclear. The actions taken by both of us during the Nero crisis were taken under extreme emotional pressure and therefore might not be indicative of normal state. I wanted to know what your wishes are for the future, concerning...us."

Oh, so it was this kind of discussion. Us...she liked the sound of it. Still, she wasn't sure what was the correct answer, so instead, she said, peering up at him: "What are yours?"

He raised one eyebrow. "I wanted to let you speak first so that you could state what you wished plainly, without being influenced by my preferences. But if you want, I may speak first."

She nodded. "I do want it."

Another pause. "I wish," he said then, very seriously, "to explore this relationship that has been growing between us for the past two years, to explore it freely on all levels, without the constrains placed on us while we were at the Academy."

She smiled brightly at him. "Then it seems we're in complete agreement!"

She thought that was it, but she was sorely mistaken. He sat down opposite to her, across the table.

"I am glad," he stated. "However, there are some things you should know before you commit any further. I asked this preliminary question because there would be no point in bothering you with the rest otherwise. I would gladly keep it to myself a little longer, since I feel I will be putting too much pressure on you with the information I am about to reveal, but I cannot do that in good conscience. This information is important."

She was beginning to feel really worried.

"I know you have studied the Vulcan culture thoroughly," he continued. "What do you know about Vulcan habits regarding selecting partners and marriage?"

"Not much," she admitted. "It always seemed like Vulcans were unwilling to talk about it, which is not very surprising. I know that Vulcan children are bonded at the age of seven – wait, are you bonded?" How did she never realize the possibility? Was she dumb? She had a degree in Vulcan and she missed something that obvious?

"Not any more," he stated flatly, interrupting her frustrated anger at herself, and she immediately realized what he was referring to.

"I grieve with thee," she said, with mixed feelings. So he had been effectively engaged the entire time? When he was singing her love songs on Valentine's, he was engaged?

"I do not grieve more for my bondmate than I do for any of the Vulcans who died in the Immeasurable Loss. There were no feelings between us, and we haven't seen each other for fifteen years. I was planning to have the talk we are having now after you graduated, and if the result of that talk was favourable to me, I would have had the bond removed."

It still didn't sound entirely satisfactory to Nyota. Apparently, he was unwilling to face any uncertainty, and he was at least emotionally cheating on that Vulcan woman. It must have shown on her face, because before she said anything, Spock looked her in the eyes and said: "Please, do not judge me before you hear everything I want to tell you."

Nyota grudgingly nodded. "Very well."

"It is not my late bondmate who I wanted to talk about, though she is connected to it. Have you ever wondered why Vulcan children get bonded so soon?"

She nodded again. "Many times. I suppose it's because it's the most logical approach? The future partners can get to know each other or something?"

"It is logical, but for a different reason." He paused, and if she didn't know better she'd say he was nervous. "This is very difficult for me, so I ask for your patience. It's a thing that is not shared with non-Vulcans, but since there is a possibility that you will be involved in the future...I have to tell you. Vulcan reproductive cycle is very different from the human one."

She stared.

He was apparently anguished. He twisted his hands and took a deep breath. "There is a thing called...pon farr. It happens to us every seven years. It is a state when Vulcan's logic is stripped away from him, replaced by a single urge: to...mate with his bonded partner."

She stared some more. He was looking at a point on the wall, several inches above her head, as he continued. "Bonding children at the age of seven ensures that no Vulcan will be without a bonded mate when the time comes for him. During the first pon farr of the couple's life, the wedding takes place. They always go though it at the same time – the bond ensures that. Sharing the blood fever of pon farr is considered a completion of marriage. Vulcans from all across the galaxy were going back to Vulcan to join their bondmates and go thought the pon farr for generations. I spoke to our Elders, and it is not certain what will happen now. Hopefully, Vulcan is not necessary to successfully complete the process."

"What would happen if it was? Or if someone didn't have a bondmate? Surely that must be quite common right now," Nyota argued.

Spock hesitated, still staring at the wall. "Are you certain you want to hear the answer? It might make later decisions more difficult for you."

"Yes."

He seemed to take a moment to steel his resolve, then he said: "There has been a large number of new bonds formed since the Immeasurable Loss. It is necessary to be sure, especially since there is now so little of us, because...if a Vulcan under the throes of pon farr doesn't get to his bondmate within ten days, he will die."

She put her hands to her mouth, horrified.

"Now you know why I needed to tell you. Pon farr is rather violent and it is not easy to go through for a human woman, however, it is possible. From what I learned from the Elders, it should be possible to create a new bond in the beginning stages of pon farr, even though it is slightly risky." He paused, apparently doing a sort of mental review, then said: "These are things you need to know about before you reach your final decision. I will, of course, give you as much time as you require."

She sighed. "What exactly is it you're asking me? To bond with you?"

"Not right now, as I said, there is time enough for that at the beginning of pon farr. I'm asking you to decide if you want to make a form of serious commitment. I would not hold you to it unconditionally, of course, but it is important to know if you believe there is at least over fifty per cent chance you would be willing to undergo this. If there wasn't, I..." he paused for a moment, closing his eyes. "I would have to go to New Vulcan and find a new bondmate."

Yeah, right. No pressure, Nyota though sarcastically. But of course that is precisely what he was talking about. It was pressure. He said he was sorry about that.

She sighed again. There wasn't really any choice. What he explained was a complication, it would probably be a bit unpleasant – though she had some difficulty forcing this rational judgment on the part of her mind that insisted that wild sex with Spock was never going to be unpleasant, and that, in fact, she wanted to start with it right now, because better be prepared, right? – and she didn't like the additional pressure on her freedom to decide, but these were all minor details. It wasn't anything major enough to change the basic fact.

"Of course I am willing to face this with you." She sighed again. "Spohkh," and he looked her in the eyes for the first time since he started talking about pon farr. "I love you."

He looked at her for a long moment, then rose from his chair and circled the table to her. "Are you quite certain about your decision?" He asked. "I am not sure it was clear from my description of Vulcan habits, but...as I believe you would say, 'Vulcans don't do casual'. I of course respect our cultural differences and understand your commitment is likely not going to be as absolute from the very beginning, but you should understand what I will be...feeling."

In the joy of hearing him admit that he felt something, she even let slide the assumption that she was less committed than he was.

"I am certain," she said as she rose to meet him.

And there was that deep look into her eyes again, the one that seemed to go down to her very core. "I love you, Nyota."

Without breaking eye contact, she raised her right hand in the ta'al. When he mirrored the gesture with his left and pressed it to her fingers, she thought she would explode with joy.