CUSTOMARY DISCLAIMER: Of course I don't own anything "Star Trek," but I appreciate Paramount sharing Spock and Uhura with us all. This is my first fanfic- please let me know what you think!

The Gift

***

Uhura curled up into Spock's chest, tracing patterns on this skin. He kissed her forehead; she sighed and smiled.

"Comments, lieutenant?" How was it that Vulcans had such a great sense of comic timing?

She stretched, taking a moment to brush her lips across his shoulder. "Commander, permit me to claim temporary amnesia induced by intense stimulation. I forgot my own name at least twice."

He raised his eyebrow. "Should I contact Medical?"

"No, no, it's all coming back to me now." She continued stroking his chest, and met his eyes. " I would have to say that your emphasis on logic has caused you to deemphasise your intuitive nature and natural empathic ability. The revelation of these abilities was a most welcome surprise. I also admit to being quite taken by your..." she paused for a moment, trying to find just the right word"... alacrity." She grinned impishly.

He nodded, stroking the nape of her neck. "May I commend you on your equally enthusiastic response?"

She laughed, kissing his chest.. "So the exercise was worthwhile?"

"Oh, without doubt." He was still stroking the back of her neck, one of her most sensitive areas.

His voice became a bit more serious, almost shy. "I...I did not know how much I l'd enjoy watching the expressions on your face." He paused again. "I hope I pleased you."

"If Nyota had not already been completely, totally in love with Spock before, that would have been the statement that put her over the edge. As she was already completely and totally in love with him, it simply caused her to melt inside.

"How could I not be satisfied with such complete attention?' It was true- call it what you will, Spock had been extraordinarily sensititve, gentle at times, then more agressive as the situation called for it, and at all times cognizant of her reaction to whatever he was doing. Her girlfriends, who had all whispered and gossiped about what sex with a Vulcan might be like, had hypothesized that it would be like a medical exam- polite, clinical, and efficient. She'd known then that they were wrong- that any race who felt emotions so deeply that they'd developed an entire species-wide ethos of logic to control those passions was no race of emotionless robots. Although she'd proved herself right, she wasn't about to tell anyone, now or ever, just how right she'd been.

Spock had also meant what' he'd said. Above all else, he had been afraid that he might hurt her physically if he relaxed some of his control. But his concerns had been unwarranted- Uhura was strong and healthy, and once he knew she was enjoying his attentions, he was able to relax more and more control. And when he'd seen how unselfconscious, open and blissful she looked, all he wanted to do was please her more.

Spock had overheard his share of males bragging about their various sexual conquests, providing details about their private lives that no Vulcan would have ever revealed. But he had never heard any crude comments about the woman he now held in his arms-- even Kirk, whose reputation among the women of Starfleet Academy had been near-legendary, had never spoken about the (almost) lieutenant in an ungentlemany fashion. Cadet (almost lieutenant) Uhura had earned the respect of both students and instructors like- one instructor in particular.

Nyota stretched and sat up. "I'm thirsty. Would you like anything while I'm up?"

Spock nodded. "Water, please."

She got up, still naked, and started over to the replicator for a drink. Then, she spotted Spock's uniform shirt on the floor. Impulsively, she grabbed it and slid it on over her head. it fell just below her hips,.

"How do I look?" she asked cheekily, as she handed him his glass of water.

Spock joined the legions of men across the generations who found the sight of a beautiful women in their shirt incredibly stimulating. He propped himself up on one elbow to take the proffered glass.

"You look..." he searched for an appropriate word. "...adorable."

Nyota raised her own eyebrow in surprise. "That's a word I wouldn't have expected coming from you." She sat on the edge of the bed, sipping her water, and kept his gaze.

"On the contrary, it is wholly appropriate. You are worthy of being adored. And I adore you."

Several expresisons flashed across her face, and, totally unbidden, tears sprang to her eyes.

"Spock..." she leaned over, kissing him, as some of her tears spilled onto his face. She put down her glass of water and curled up against his body again.

Spock, who knew of the concept of 'happy tears,' correctly surmised that these tears were not the result of distress. He kissed her damp cheeks, tasting the salt on his lips. And then, he thought he needed to do something more. He pulled her even closer to him.

"Let me show you yourself through my eyes," he whispered.

Nyota looked up at him, eyes still bright with tears. but also uncertain. "What do you mean?"

"Will you trust me to share something with you directly, mind to mind?"

She still wasn't completely clear about what he meant. She knew from her studies that Vulcans practiced a number of psi techniques, but the references to them in Vulcan literature were as oblique as their references to sex. Still, at this point, she would have trusted him to jump out of an airlock. She nodded, and he touched the side of her face. She gasped as she felt the sensation of him reaching out for her mind, heard him reassuring her, urging her not to fight against the meld... and then, she felt his presence in her mind.

She remembered the first day of Phonology, but now she saw how Spock remembered it. She saw herself as an extremely competent freshman cadet, felt how impressed Spock had been at how quickly she learned not just the mechanics of phonology, but at the underlying structure of the languages she studied. She saw her extra effort to understand the cultural milieu in which languages formed. Her dedication to her studies was admirable,her natural ability unmatched in any other student he'd had.

And then, she saw herself walking across campus with some of her girlfriends, dressed for a rare night out dancing at a club in the Castro. She hadn't known he'd seen her that night, dressed to kill, but she was pleased now that he'd seen her on a night when she looked so good.

She sensed his amusement at her own pride in her appearance that night., and became somewhat defensive.

"It is completely logical to take pride in one's appearance. It's no different than with academics- God may give an individual the basics, but it's up to the individual to develop whatever gifts have been given. Damn right I'm proud of how I look. This takes work."

She felt him laugh in side her mind- something she'd never evened imagined him doing in real life. The sensation was wonderful.

Still smiling in her own mind, she felt his curiousity about how she saw him. She hesitated, but then opened up the portions of her memory having to do with him. Her first impression of him overwhelmed her- she'd never had an instructor who so motivated her to excel. Then, she was somewhat reluctant to speak to him, afraid she would make a fool of herself. Finally, she'd screwed up enough courage to approach him during his office hours and ask a question. Their academic relationship had grown from there- but he could also see this time how much of a schoolgirl crush she'd had on him, and how hard she'd tried not to let it show. She now knew that he'd known all along.

During her first week of class, several students (both male and female) whispered their own theories about Spock, filling in the blanks about what they knew about Vulcans with what they thought they knew. She felt his amusement at the rumors that had floated about. Some he had heard before, whispered when others thought he was out of hearing range, while others were new, and suprisingly creative.

He teased her . "So will you disabuse them of these notions?"

She responded with something that in real life would have been a snort."Let 'em find their own Vulcan."

And felt him laugh again.

And then...the memory changed, and she was seeing and feeling herself through his eyes and his self. She could smell her own perfume, feel the softness of her own skin through his fingertips, felt her body against his. She heard her own gasps , saw her own face as he pleasured her, and felt his excitement grow as she responded over and over again to his attentions.

She sensed his satisfaction, and decided to tease him. "Now who's the one feeling pride in his accomplishments outside the classroom?"

She felt him smile. "God may give an individual the basics, but it's up to the individual to develop whatever gifts have been given."

She laughed. "I'm so glad my logic had been found acceptable."

She felt his mind again, and sensed something in the back of his mind that he tried to discourage her from asking about. It had something to do with sex, she knew that, but the feelings around it were so complicated (shame? fear? lust?), she had no clue what it might have been about. She felt his mind again gently steer her away from that place.

"I...have much to share with you- but not all at once." She assented, knowing that he had exposed more of himself in one day than he had in years. Whatever the situation, it could wait.

"I will break the meld now, Nyota." She objected briefly, like a child pleading to stay up past bedtime, but Spock was firm. "We will meld again. This is not the last time- but it is enough for one day." And knowing he was right, she agreed, and felt his mind slowly separate from her own. When the bond finally ended, Nyota opened her eyes and looked into Spock's. He hadn't told her that her loved her, and she hadn't said it either- but after the meld, neither had to. But she did kiss him, relishing both his return kiss and the images that still remained from the meld.

One in particular she remembered... and she met his eyes again.

"Your first, Spock?" She said it in a whisper. "I was your first?"

He thought for a moment before he spoke. "You know from your studies and our conversations that it is customary among some Vulcan families to bond young children to each other and the consummate the marriage upon adulthood. I was bonded, but the situation with T'Pring..." he said her name almost as if it were a curse "... is untenable. I plan on returning to Vulcan to have our bond--perhaps you would call it an engagement-- officially terminated. One of my relatives has informed me that her conduct in my absence has been...unacceptable. I believe she has already found another she wishes to bond with, and I have already contacted her regarding an Unfastening. I am sure this will be as much of a relief to her as to me." He paused again. "But yes, Nyota, you were first."

It is just not fair to be that good at something straight out of the gate. "Let me guess- you took some time to familiarize yourself with human sexual practices?"

Spock shook his head. "It is not as if humans actually keep any of their sexual desires or practices private- there is more than enough information in art and literature to make any additional study unneccessary. Although I will admit to some ...relief... that you have expressed no interest in some of the more esoteric practices enjoyed by your rommate."

THAT made her laugh. "No, I am definitely not the expert that Gaila is- definitely a 'back to basics" sort of gal. You should see the equipment she stores under her bed."

Spock nodded. "Indeed. I have heard cadets mention her name with what I can only describe as awe. And the managers of the zero-g training rooms and the aquatic facilities have declared her persona non grata."

Nyota agreed. "That's why she ended up back at our quarters so much this term. But she really is a sweet girl- she just has some interesting hobbies."

The clock on Spock's desk caught her eye, and she knew she'd better head back to her own room soon. "Speaking of quarters, I'd better get back to mine pretty soon if I want to get even a little sleep. " She got out of bed and put on her uniform (without taking off Spock's shirt), which looked reasonably presentable, but the state of her hair was a dead giveaway. She managed to wrestle it into acceptability- with any luck, it would pass just enough to get her back to her quarters. He was standing by the door, wearing a robe she had seen hanging on a hook near the door of the sanitary cubicle.

"I hope you have another uniform."

His eyebrow raised again. "Collecting trophies, Lieutenant?"

She blushed. "Maybe- maybe I just want to smell you for the rest of the night." She kissed him again, relishing the touch of his fingertips on her throat.

"I have another uniform. I am pleased you wish to take that one with you. " He met her eyes, with that little trace of a smile that Uhura had come to recognize. " I had hoped to give you a more appropriate gift..."

She laughed. "There's still time for that. My birthday isn't for another two months. You've got time to think about it."

"Sleep well, Nyota." He kissed her one last time and watched her as she exited his room, checking first to make sure the hallways were clear. He returned to his bed, so he could smell her on his sheets, and wonder what she'd like for her birthday.

***

Uhura encountered no difficulties on her walk of shame back to her quarters. The two or three people Uhura passed in the corridors acknowledged her presence with a nod, but nothing more. When she got there, the room was empty. Gaila was, no doubt, off auditioning yet another suitor somewhere --maybe the hydroponics lab? She undressed and slipped into her favorite nightgown. She put Spock's tunic inside her pillowcase to keep it close to her, but hidden from sight. It would still be a few days until they could be entirely open about their relationship.

She fell into bed, still remembering the touch of his hands on her body, and his thoughts in her mind. Just before she drifted off to sleep, she remembered one thing from the meld that he had almost forgotten. That night he had seen her dressed to go dancing, something had piqued his interest...

"Next time," reminded herself,"wear the heels. And keep them on."