K'hat'n'dlawa

First First

It was Friday.

Sarek had been looking forward to this day all week. It was not logical but it was nevertheless true. He would see Amanda during her lunch hour- and then again for dinner. Why would he not look forward to it?

When she arrived with a sandwich and a bottle of water as she always did at noon, she was smiling and her eyes were bright. She was clearly pleased to see him- which in turn pleased him.

They had not seen much of each other since Monday. She'd mostly been working at her desk and when she did venture down to the third floor it was to deliver things to other ambassadors. It had been a disappointing week.

But now...she would be here for a whole hour. Although he did have a report to complete that was due to be sent to the Vulcan High Council the next day, he set it aside as she sat across from him.

"Good afternoon, Ambassador," she said.

"I was under the impression we had dispensed with formal titles," Sarek replied.

"So you want me to call you Sarek?" she asked, and he now recognized the lilting tone in her voice as 'flirtatious'. Although there was no further need for her to express her interest she was doing so.

"That would be evident, Amanda," he said. Apparently this was the correct thing to say, as her smile widened. He did not believe he could tire of those simple muscle contractions.

It was another pleasant lunch hour. She told him about a history class she was taking that concentrated on major historical events in all known alien cultures. They had recently begun to study the Vulcan transition from peoples of passion to logical followers of Surak. She had to write an essay on how it had affected their technological development. He was more than pleased to give her a Vulcan's insight into the matter.

By the time she left he was at peace. Her presence, oddly enough, had the same effect on him as meditation did. He found it easier to center himself and concentrate as he returned to his work.

He was unaware of his surroundings until he heard high heels on the marble floor again. He listened closely- but soon returned to his work again. He had learned to distinguish Amanda's footsteps from everyone else's and those were not hers.

He was mildly surprised when the footsteps stopped at his door. He looked up- and immediately felt something akin to dread. It was Karen.

"Hello, Ambassador," Karen said with the same flirtatious inflections she had used before. He decided he did not appreciate those inflections coming from anyone but Amanda. He sat back to observe her.

"Yes, Miss...?"

"Last name's Bennett but you can call me Karen, like I said before." She was blinking rapidly again. He was thankful Amanda did not have that particular habit...he may find it "annoying" and have to rethink a future proposal.

"Is there something you require, Miss Bennett?" he asked firmly. She sighed exaggeratedly and leaned on the button that closed the door, trying to make it seem like an accident. "Oops!" she said as it slid closed. "Clumsy me."

He really did not think he'd ever met a stranger woman.

"Have you consumed alcohol, Miss Bennett? I have heard it can affect humans negatively," he said. She giggled.

"Of course not!" she said and she came closer, hips swinging. She ran her hand over his desk, looking up at him from under her lashes. "You know, I've waited almost a month now for you to call for me."

"I did not need your assistance," he replied simply. She sighed again.

"You know, I think you're very good-looking, Ambassador Sarek," she said. "You caught my eye right away."