Seleya's house was what Uhura would consider a nice single family home. There was a small area of land between her house and the neighbors. It lacked the scenic views of Sarek's house, but it seemed to a quiet sort of suburb, perfectly well suited to what she imagined daily Vulcan life to be.

When she came through the door, she was greeted with a courtyard, paved with terracotta colored stones and with non-flowering potted plants placed neatly in its corners. The air was scented by them, a spicy scent that reminded her of warm gingerbread. There was a statue of Surak—someone she could now recognize on sight—about three feet tall. Next to him was female figure she was less familiar with. There was a gong on the opposite side of the courtyard and a fountain, trickling water over river rocks in the middle.

Uhura approached the second door, which she assumed was the entrance into the actual house. She slid her shoes off and left them on the step next to a pair that was already there. She knocked gently on the wooden frame of the door and heard Seleya's voice tell her to come in.

The public area of the house had a very open layout, with no doors or partitions between the kitchen, dining area or living room. There was a corridor which probably led off to the woman's private living spaces.

"It is agreeable to see you," the Vulcan greeted, rising from her place in front of her comm unit where she'd been answering the morning's correspondences. She somehow managed to smile without ever curving her lips and Uhura felt comfortable enough to smile back.

"Good morning. You have a lovely home."

"I am honored. Can I offer you coffee or tea?"

"I'll take tea."

She followed her into the kitchen, not wanting to just stand in the middle of the floor looking out of place. Seleya gestured to a tall, bistro-style table and Uhrua took a seat.

"Thank you so much for agreeing to come with me. Kwil'inor is farther than I expected."

"I admit some surprise when you told me where you intended to go. However, I find your reason for the journey to be well motivated."

"Thank you." She said both for Seleya's reassurance and for the tea she'd just put on the table. She also sat with a mug of her own. "I keep telling myself not to worry. I keep reminding myself of what my grandmother-in-law said about repaying Spock for the house by making it a home. And she's very wise—been married forever—but when he keeps doing all these spectacular things and there's nothing I can really do for him, it's hard for me to feel like our relationship is a partnership."

"Your concerns are understandable, even logical to a certain extent. If one partner consistently shows generosity and the other consistently fails to show appreciation or never does anything to indicate that they return their mate's regard, this will put a strain on the marriage. Of course this is not limited to material things."

"I know. I just want him to know that I think about him, the way he always seems to be thinking about me."

"As I said, I believe this journey is well motivated, which is why I will be accompanying you."

"I'm really happy you said yes. I was kind of hoping that you and I could become friends."

"I do not believe that will be overly difficult to achieve, Uhura."

She smiled again before taking her first sip of the tea. It was mild, like white tea. "I'm surprised that you offered me coffee. I was under the impression that most Vulcans don't drink it." She was reverting to her old habit of making small talk. She didn't know how far this would get her with Seleya, but if she could tolerate it, then the future if their friendship was looking good.

"I don't drink it. I keep it in the house for Geoffrey."

"Oh? Is he here often?"

"Not recently."

"Well no, I suppose not, but before…"

"He would come when his circumstances allowed."

She really wanted to push this conversation further, but she didn't want to cross any boundaries with Seleya, nor did she want to just disregard Spock's desire for her not to interfere.

"I see. Have you ever been to the Voroth coast before?"

"Once, recently, with Geoffrey, Sovan and T'Lara. Geoffrey had just returned from a trip back to earth and he wanted to compare the Pacific Ocean with the Voroth Sea. I found the difference in culture to be interesting. The people by the coast are less affected by the heat so the fashion is different and the art as well. Also the food is vastly different. It is easier to grow near the coast so there is more variety and creativity in the cuisine."

"It sounds lovely."

"I would not be opposed to relocating, but my practice is best served in Shi'Kahr."

"Well, there's always vacation."

"Vacation is an unfamiliar concept to most Vulcans. When one needs to rest, they do just that, they retire to their bedrooms and rest. However I find it's occasionally helpful to meditate in new and unfamiliar places. Sometimes the change in environment fosters solutions to problems that one would not have considered otherwise."

"You can always take Geoff along and use him as an excuse."

"That seems logical." She conceded, tilting her head slightly.

She cleared away their mugs, put them in the sanitizer and wiped down the surfaces of her kitchen. After that she grabbed an outter garment off of a hook near the door and led the way into the courtyard.

"That's a really beautiful fountain."

"Thank you. It was a gift."

"Oh? That's quite a gift."

"From Geoffrey."

"Really?!"

"Indeed. He brought it back from the trip to earth I mentioned earlier. He returned with something for all of his close associates."

"He can be a really sweet guy."

"I assume you don't mean literally?" Seleya asked, looking at Uhura through the corner of her eye.

"No! I've never…tasted him! It's an expression. Someone who's thoughtful or generous, someone who is generally kind, is said to be sweet." She chucked and pressed her hand to her chest. "That could be a serious misunderstanding."

"Indeed. Would your husband be one who fits your description?"

"Oh, he fits that description to the letter. He'll just never own up to it."

The car that Uhura had borrowed from the estate was waiting outside, along with its driver. He opened the door for them and then started them on their way. After Uhura put up the privacy glass, Seleya spoke again.

"Surak says pulau na'vathular k'nuhk meaning reach out to others courteously. So, I do not understand why so many Vulcans reject the idea of being kind or thoughtful. I believe it is illogical to be otherwise. It is not a weakness to show concern, for one's family or even for a stranger, it is natural and imperative for the continued peace of our people."

"I like the way you think."

"Many medical professionals work intimately with the mind, or the body, but my profession requires me to work intimately with the heart. This leaves me with thoughts and opinions that very few others share." She paused for a while and Uhura guessed that she was trying to find exactly the words she was looking for. "Geoffrey is the only human I'd interacted with before you, but I think that humans are more receptive to some of my…theories than my fellow Vulcans."

"Why do you think that is?"

"I think more Vulcans are dismissing their emotions rather than controlling them. I don't believe that you can control what you don't acknowledge."

"I'm inclined to agree."

"That's refreshing."

They arrived at the station where they would take an express air transport across the sea. The attendant stayed with them throughout their journey, not willing to leave his charge.

The ship was the smallest Uhura had seen since her training days at the academy. Thankfully the seats weren't all that close together but it was strange after spending so much time on a starship, which was built to substitute for a metropolitan city. The transport only stayed 12,000 meters above the ground. From there, the whole planet looked like an old satellite map, the terrain reduced to the most prominent landmarks, like the mountain for which here travel companion was named. Then the water stretched out under them, not as blue as the oceans she was used to seeing, but no less impressive. The sun glinted off Voroth and winked at her. It was incongruous with the rest of the planet that she'd seen, the hard packed dirt and craggy rock masses, even the towering volcanic ridges. It was an oasis, boastful in its beauty in comparison with the austerity of its surroundings.

She took out her comm and sent a text message to Spock. She'd left him early that morning, spent from the activity of the night before. She hadn't expressly told him where she'd be going, only saying that she was going with Seleya and that he could expect her home for dinner. At the time he'd been too tired to give any real attention to what she was saying and only instructed her to wear sunscreen because the melanin in her skin would not be sufficient protection from the Vulcan sun.

I want to name the house.

I have no objections. Suggestions?

Shi'masu—oasis.

Logical.

She smiled at her comm before remembering that she was on a ship full of Vulcans.

For an express transport, the thing sure seemed to take its time, never achieving warp speed. It took two and a half hours and she couldn't help but think that she could have been in a new system already had she been on her ship. The ride wasn't all that bad though. Seleya was good company, occasionally dispensing an interesting fact about the history of the area they were flying over.

It was notably cooler when they landed in Kwil'inor, more like a Terran summer, the kind of weather that instantly made her want to be in shorts and shades with a mint chocolate-chip ice cream cone in her hand. Everything seemed to be more vibrant, even the décor in the station.

"You weren't kidding about the difference."

"It would be an interesting point of study."

There was yet another over ground trek to the place the Uhura was actually looking for. They rented a car and the attendant drove them away from Kwil'inor until they were near Du-leb.

The shop was small and unassuming, the way she imagined it would be. It reminded her of the tiny apothecaries that were always in the middle of enchanted forests. The proprietor was probably ancient. For a Vulcan to look as old as he did, he was probably well over two hundred years old with wrinkled skin and snow white hair.

"Greetings. I'm Lady Schn T'Gai. We spoke over the comm."

"I have been expecting you. I have your item." He disappeared in the back with shuffling steps and returned a few minutes later with a wooden box, not unlike the one she kept her harp in. He donned gloves, opened the case and peeled back the cloth covering the contents.

Seleya reared back a bit at the sight of the gift. She'd never seen something so precious and her first thought was to question why something like this wasn't in a museum and her second thought was to question why anyone would ever part with such a thing.

The gnarled man gave Uhura a pair of gloves to inspect the item herself. She didn't really know what she was looking for, but she wasn't about to let on. So she tried to look as informed as possible as she looked it over. All she knew for sure was that Spock would love this—truly love it!

"It is acceptable." She said in her best imitation on her husband. "Let's complete the transaction."

"Yes, My Lady."

As they left the shop, Uhrua had the strangest feeling that if she returned to this very spot, even an hour from then that store would be completely gone and that no one would have any knowledge of it ever having been there.

The trip back seemed shorter and she was sorry to leave Kwil'inor without getting to see any of the sights. She made a mental note to ask Spock to bring her later.

To pass the time, Uhura told Seleya about Enterprise and its crew. She told her about talent night and how everyone loved Geoff's performances, their friendly competition and how naturally she and Spock still had the top spot. Then she recounted the details of their trip to the concert hall. The other woman listened graciously and with interest, only interrupting occasionally to have her explain some colloquialism she didn't understand.

The heat was newly oppressive when they landed back in the capital and Uhrua couldn't wait to be back in the air conditioned car again.

"I'd like it if you could come to the brunch my mother-in-law is hosting tomorrow."

"Unfortunately, I am required at the hospital."

"Oh, of course you have to work. I don't know what I was thinking. Thank you for taking time out today."

"This is typically my mediation day so there was no inconvenience."

"You meditate for the whole day?"

"I do. I meld with multiple couples on a daily basis. I require more meditation than most."

"I can imagine."

Seleya wasn't sure she could imagine, but she appreciated the sentiment.

They were back at her house a few moments later. There was a car from chief Vess' clan in her driveway when they got there. It was unclear whether or not it was Geoff or his adoptive sister, since both of them were known to be there when she got home. She'd never meant to get as involved with Geoff and the chief's family as she had, but there was nothing to be done about it now, and even if there was, she wouldn't change it.

"Would you like to come in, Uhura?"

"Any other time I would, but I promised Spock that I'd be home for dinner and the sooner I get that thing out of my possession, the better I'll feel."

"I understand. Until the reception."

"I'll see you then. Peace and long life."

"Live long and prosper." The attendant opened her door and walked her to the courtyard and then left to tend to his lady.

When Uhrua got back to the estate, everyone was gathered in the living room, waiting for dinner. They all turned to look at her when she entered, so she smiled and gave a general hello.

"Adun, can I see you for a second?"

"Yes, My Wife."

She took the package from the young man and walked in the direction of their bedroom, which she could find on her own now. "Are you curious about where I've been?"

"Yes. The car was at the Shi'Kahr Station most of the day."

"Were you tracking the car?"

"Obviously."

"I flew to Kwil'inor."

"Why?"

"We'll get to that. Seleya was nice."

"That's not a surprise. You've mentioned several times that you find her agreeable."

"And I get surer every time I see her."

"I trust that you did not make any attempts at matchmaking."

"I don't think I have to. She and Geoff already seem pretty close. He buys her gifts, she makes him coffee—it's all very domestic."

"Fascinating." He said drolly. She looked over her shoulder and rolled her eyes as they crossed the threshold.

She stood in front of him, clutching the box to her chest, rocking back and forth on her heels. "I thought about what I was going to say all the way home. I thought that maybe I should find some old song or poem to recite, because it works so well when you do it. But I didn't think that would really work for me. Then I considered singing, but I didn't want to make this cheesy." She chuckled and exhaled slowly. "So I'll just tell you straight. Thank you."

He didn't know what he was being thanked for, but he decided not to interrupt because it was one of the rare times that his wife was at a loss for words.

"You're wonderful. Too wonderful. The kind of wonderful that I'm a little afraid to get used to. But I am getting used to it. I mean you keep dazzling me—all the time—with the house and the harp and the Philharmonic. And you are a hard man to dazzle, Commander Spock." He granted her one of his almost smiles and cocked his brow. "But I'm no ordinary wife, you know?"

"I do know."

"And I have never failed to complete a mission. So I set out to dazzle you it took me all the way to Kwil'inor and back, but I think I've got a shot." She reached in her pocket and pulled out a pair of white gloves and dangled them in front of him until he took them and put them on. Then she handed him the case.

He walked it over to a nearby table and set it down. He opened it and peeled back the cloth, the same way the proprietor had. In the same second that he saw it, a smile, true and beautiful flashed across his face and a soon as it had come, it was gone.

"How did you get this?"

"I bought it."

He traced over the hand-bound, handwritten manuscript with his gloved hand. "The cover is real leather. This must be ancient. Such techniques haven't been used for centuries."

"That's what I was told. I did some research but I figured you'd know more about it."

"This is the diary of T'Vesh, one of Surak's foremost disciples. It's priceless."

Uhura though his reaction was priceless and that she'd buy him ten of these everyday if she could get that kind of response.

"Are you dazzled, Adun?"

He shook his head gently and turned to look at her. "Yes. And I am honored."

A/N: All the names of places are taken from the VLD. The Vulcan words are translated in the text or were translated in earlier chapters of this story, but let me know if there's any confusion. I'm thinking of putting supplementary Seleya/Geoff information in In The Interim, let me know if that's something you'd be interested in seeing. Thanks to everyone who continues to show and interest in this story. It's almost a wrap.