K'hat'n'dlawa

Gratitude and Guilt

Sarek placed his call to Vulcan and obtained the information he required. By the time he had done that and finished up several reports that were due it was time for the evening meal.

During his absence T'Shan had shown Amanda to her room and given her a Vulcan gown to wear while her clothes were drying. He found it both odd and pleasing to see her wear such different attire; she usually wore button-down blouses and pants or knee-length skirts to work. The full-length pale-blue gown that somehow managed to be modest even while clinging to her every curve made her look...mesmerizing.

A Vulcan should not be mesmerized. But how could he not be when her hair fell down around her shoulders, framing her lovely face, and the gown accentuated her physical features?

Dinner was pleasant; Amanda was an excellent conversationalist and always seemed able to find something to discuss. It was one of the traits he admired greatly about her- he himself was not very adept at "small talk". It was soothing to eat while listening to her voice.

It was amazing that she was able to pretend she was not in jeopardy. There were small signs that she had not completely forgotten it, however. Since becoming acquainted with her he'd learned to pay attention to the small details of human facial expressions and body language. He still did not understand many of them, but he was learning.

Such as now; even while talking animatedly about a class of hers, her hands were clenched on the table, knuckles white. They were usually relaxed, her long fingers curving gracefully. She sat up straighter in her chair than was normal, her back stiff. These appeared to be signs of distress.

He watched her mouth as she spoke...her lips had a pleasing shape to them. And they were so soft...much softer than he had ever imagined. Not that he had imagined...

Sarek found that he wished to experiment with this "kissing" more. The physiological response to this form of stimuli was fascinating. When they kissed earlier it had triggered a series of chemical reactions within him- most significantly the release of endorphins. He wished to see if different intensities of such contact produced different levels of endorphins.

For scientific purposes only, of course.

Before he could experiment further, however, he must eradicate their current problem. He had already overcome the first obstacle- but he could not continue until the next day when the embassy opened. He looked forward to telling Amanda he had fulfilled his promise to her; he had no doubt he would succeed. It would be over by the following evening, he was sure of it.

What disturbed him the most was that Karen could not have acted alone. She must have had an accomplice- or perhaps multiple accomplices. The idea that so many people would conspire against someone like Amanda astonished him. Humans were the most duplicitous creatures he had ever seen.

Except for his Amanda, of course.

"Sarek?" she said, breaking into his reverie. He looked up at her.

"Yes, Amanda?" he asked.

"You seem...distracted," Amanda said. Her brows were furrowed slightly, the corners of her lips downturned. This expression could mean many things; anger, disappointment, confusion. This time he was sure it was "concern".

"My thought patterns are more erratic than is normal. I must meditate longer tonight," he replied.

"Is that because of...you know..." Her voice lowered. "The kiss?"

"I do not believe so," Sarek assured her. It was a possibility, but he dismissed it. "It is nothing for you to be concerned about, Amanda. I am only planning for tomorrow."