I Respect You

She entered his apartment just behind him and removed her shoes. She saw the almost Spartan layout and made her way to his couch, one of the only pieces of furniture he owned. Ironically, she was the one that had picked out this couch for him. Apart of him hiding her in his life had been her not being allowed into his embassy quarters more than twice in the nine months they'd been together. He was at her apartment nearly three to four times a month.

After he presented her with a glass of wine and she grudgingly took it, she watched him place himself right next to her, his own glass of wine on the low coffee table in front of them. She was resisting the thoughts in her mind of how much she wanted to reach up and run her hands over his hair, how much she wanted to sit closer to him and run her face along his, for them to touch fingers like they'd only just started doing a few weeks before.

Now that he had her where he wanted her, in his home, he didn't quite know where to start. It was unlike him to not think anything through. Being attached to this woman was causing his logic to slip, but only when it came to her. It was then that he realized Amanda did not detract from his professional life in anyway. If he thought on this subject further he also realized she only added to his personal life. And professionally she had even helped him on more than one occasion, especially in the area of Human-Vulcan relations. He hadn't given her the credit she was due, previously. It was time for that to stop, here and now. "I respect you, Amanda," were the first words out his mouth.

She almost jumped, surprised by his sudden speech but also by what he'd said. "What?"

"In your message to me you mentioned it was obvious that I did not respect you and that such a relationship could not continue. You are correct that a relationship where one party does not respect the other cannot continue. However, you were in error. I sincerely respect you on every level."

She hadn't expected him to cave so soon. But she knew he never lied so he had to be telling her the truth at this very moment. "Like?" she asked, wanting examples. If they were going to reconcile there could be no doubts in her mind about him.

"I respect you professionally. You are serious about your line of work both as a teacher and tutor and as a member of the Universal Translator staff. I respect your intelligence and thought processes. I respect you as the woman in my life and I respect you as a logical being. And though your emotions are allowed more free reign than mine, I respect the fact that you did not grow up the same way I did and that your way of being is just as legitimate as mine."

This was not at all what she expected to hear from him. And she admitted it. "Sarek, I didn't think you thought of me in any of these ways."

"And I apologize for the way I have represented my thoughts concerning you."

She frowned. "Who are you and what have you done with Sarek?" she asked.

He seemed confused by the enquiry and realized it was an attempt at humor to lighten the situation. "I am quite myself, I assure you."

And finally she smiled at him, truly smiled, for the first time since that awful night over a week ago in the botanical gardens. "And I apologize for forgetting who I was with. I'll try to remember in future who you are and why you are the way that you are and that you're just fine that way."

He felt illogical fear as the question passed his lips, "Are you still done with me, Amanda?"

"That depends," she said.

Just when he thought they'd made progress… "What are your conditions?" he said, willing to make further concessions to keep her.

"Well it depends on your reaction to what I'm about to tell you."

He saw blood green swim in front of his vision. Did what she was about to say have anything to do with the male she'd been out with tonight? He was swamped with a thick cloud of jealousy. "Have you allowed the male who escorted you to dinner this evening to touch you while you were in the state of a one-way ceasing of our relationship?"

Her mouth dropped open. What the- "John?" she asked, incredulous.

Sarek bristled at the name of the man. "His name is unimportant to me. What is important is to establish, has he touched the woman who happens to be mine?"

She couldn't believe it. "And you're supposed to be so logical! And what would you do if he had touched me, Sarek?"

The question was a hypothetical but feelings of anger were swimming through him…but not toward Amanda. He found himself closing the distance between the two of them in less than 1.3 seconds, his hands on her hips pulling her down beneath him on the couch. "It is my duty to have you forget his touch," he said huskily as his body covered hers and his fingers placed themselves on her face. Then his mouth met hers.

She inexplicably found herself accepting his heated open mouth kisses. Not that she had planned to do anything like this tonight but it was the first time she'd seen this side of him. He'd never once in their whole time dating grabbed her this way, touched her with such fierce abandon. She was going weak with the emotions coming at her through the touch of his fingers to her face. He was going to make love to her for the first time, that night. And she saw more than that in the meld. He had already decided he would never let her go.

"Sarek," she whispered into his mouth. She couldn't allow him to do this for the wrong reasons. "I have to tell you the truth."

He nodded his head. "You do not."

"I do," she said as she looked up at him. She ran her hands over his hair. She'd missed doing this, something as simple as touching his hair. "You have to let me tell you, I wasn't with anyone else while we were broken up."

His eyes were still hot with passion as he looked down at her. The passionate look in his eyes was still there as he let slip one tiny grin of satisfaction. "No other has touched you?"

She smiled. "No, Sarek. I'm not that kind of woman. You should know that by now."

He reached down and made contact with her lips one more time. "I know you aren't, Amanda. Being separated from you for over a week was more than unpleasant for me. Forgive my assumptions."

She smiled up at him. "I'm glad you care."

Even though he knew there was no reason to keep her this way, underneath him on his couch, he did not relinquish his position but instead leaned forward and gently nipped at her chin. "Tell me this condition you have for us to remain together."

"It wasn't a condition, Sarek, it was only a piece of information I thought you should have."

"And what is that," he whispered as his tongue and lips began to work at the junction between her neck and collarbone.

She inhaled sharply. Was now really the time she wanted to reveal this? She felt him take a gentle bite where he'd just been licking and sucking at her. She inhaled again and found herself spill out on a moan, "Everyone knows about us."

He released the piece of skin he'd only just been working on and looked down at her, his eyes curious. "Define 'everyone'."

She saw he wouldn't release her from her spot and thought maybe that was a good thing. Her body was already humming with the attentions he was lavishing on her. "I don't understand how or why but people have seen us various places and have put two and two together. I don't know if it's the same at the embassy, but if humans can figure this out from just circumstantial evidence I don't see how Vulcans wouldn't come to the same conclusion."

He nodded, only slightly disturbed by this piece of news. But he had allowed himself to go too far with Amanda now for the night to end on this note. "I no longer care who knows," he decided as he reached up and hastily pulled off his outer layer of robes.

She found herself swallowing in anticipation. He no longer cared? "Sarek?" she whispered.

"You are mine," he said, his chest wearing only in a light shirt as it came back to cover her upper body. "And I no longer care who knows. In fact my previous position was not logical. I now wish it known so no other can try to take you from me," he said as his eyes bored into hers.

"Sarek," she whispered as she reached up and pulled his face back down to hers. The heat of his body was sinking into her and she wanted more from him now.

After a long, deep, hard kiss, he dipped his head and began to nibble at her neck again. Already his mark had formed in the last place he'd bitten. "Say you're mine," he almost demanded as his hands reached up to touch the correct psi points on her face.

"I'm yours!" she said wholeheartedly as his feelings and hers mingled telepathically. He glimpsed the feelings she held for him, her misery without him that past week, how much she wanted what was about to happen, the love that was still unspoken between the two of them. There was tenderness and violence there for her, in his mind. But she was never once afraid. She was his.