The Rebound Proposal

Hello! Don't worry, I'm still writing new chapters for my story 'Bound to You' however, I find myself writing chapters for the end and I haven't thought of a good middle.

This chapter doesn't really fit in the story chronologically but I liked it and so I decided to publish it as a stand-alone prequel. I hope this makes up for not updating the main story for so long. There is more to come I promise.

Happy Holidays!

"She's lovely, Mr. Spock, Who is she?"

"She is T'Pring... My wife."

Uhura sat at her console as if in a daze. She didn't know why she was disturbed but she was. Mr. Spock, Captain Kirk, and had just beamed down to Vulcan where Spock was supposed to rendezvous with his wife.

His wife. Uhura has sat at her workstation beside Spock for years; joked, teased, and chatted up Spock for years and she never knew he had a wife! He sure could keep a secret. And she thought they had developed a friendship; they talked for hours about subjects like the Vulcan formal language and about musical theory and even the virtues of a Vulcan vegan diet, yet he never mentioned his wife!

And poor Christine. Uhura wondered if she knew that Spock was meeting his wife down on the surface right now? No wonder he never gave the woman the time of day, he was married all this time. Or was he? Was he married when he first joined Starfleet? Did he marry on a shore leave at home and just never mention it?

Good thing she'd never fallen for him like some of the other women on board or else she'd be a mess right about now thinking about Spock and his wife.

Uhura turned back to her console and tried to refocus.

His wife was beautiful, with classic Vulcan features, though she looked like a cold fish to Uhura. Her mind began to drift and she wondered how Spock and his wife had met, what they were like together, did they love one another? Can Vulcans even love? Did she make him happy? Of course not, Spock was never happy.

That last thought made her extremely sad and she didn't know why. Spock was always a quiet somber type of man. She had never seen him sad, but then again he didn't display those types of emotions. Yet there were times when he was less serious and almost playful and fun to be around. If he could experience some emotions surely he could experience them all? He could also be maddeningly dense too with his literal interpretations of statements or when his strict adherence to logic caused him to miss the bigger picture. Spock was special. Unique. Married.

For the rest of her shift, she worked as if in a daze. She could not take her mind off of Spock and his wife. What was happening on Vulcan? Spock had not been himself at all for the past few days, his behavior had been harsher and his emotions not so well contained. And when the ship began the flip-flop course corrections back and forth between heading for Vulcan and Altair Uhura was sure Spock had something to do with that. It would not be the first time Spock took the ship where he wanted instead of where Starfleet ordered. Just one more inconsistency in his beguiling personality.

They had been orbiting Vulcan for a few hours now with no word on the landing party. She was just about to end her shift when the call came from McCoy to beam him and the captain up. No word on Spock. Sighing Uhura handed off her controls to her relief and headed into the turbo lift where she was joined by Sulu.

"Heck of a day huh Uhura?"

"Hmm?" she asked distractedly, "oh yes, Sulu strange, I wonder what's going on?"

"With Mr. Spock? Who knows, you know how he is, keeping secrets and everything. They say Vulcans don't lie but they have more secrets than the Sphinx."

"Yeah, I guess so. I suppose it will all sort itself out as it usually does."

"Yup, Commander Spock is like a cat, he always lands on his feet. I mean besides being smart, he is one lucky s.o.b. Defying death on nearly every mission, and come to find out he has a beautiful wife waiting for him at home. I wish I was so lucky." Sulu said.

"Imagine leaving a wife like that behind. Though I suppose Vulcan marriages are nothing to write home about, they probably solve equations at night," Sulu joked.

"I suppose," she said quietly.

"Say, Nyota what's wrong?"

"Nothing. Why do you think something is bothering me?"

"You are being too quiet, you love to gossip and you've barely said a word. You've been a little distracted all day."

"Oh, I guess I am, its nothing, just some personal stuff."

"You sure? Do you want to talk about it, I've got a pretty strong shoulder for crying if you need it."

"It's nothing to cry about, just some personal issues, female stuff.

"Oh, female stuff," Sulu feigned a shiver, "well maybe I'm not the man you want."

"No," she agreed. "I just need a good nights sleep and I'll be fine."

The lift stopped on her deck and she departed bidding Sulu good night and leaving him to go about his business.

She made it to her quarters without running into anyone else. Inside she kicked off her boots and started to undress as soon as the door slid shut behind her. She was suddenly bone-tired. She didn't know what was bothering her but all she wanted to do was take a hot shower and curl up in her bed and zone out.

She got into the shower and set the water as hot as she could stand it and then let it just rain down on her. She lathered up with her favorite body wash and rinsed but stayed under the spray long after the suds faded. And then it happened, she began to cry. She didn't know why. It was none of her business who Spock was married to. She and he were just friends. Christine was the one madly in love with him, not her. But for some reason she was taking the news as she would a death; she felt grief for a loss of something she never possessed.

Her allotment of water was running low and the monitor beeped. Suddenly she felt herself the worlds biggest fool. She turned off the water and grabbed her fluffy bathrobe. No more tears over a man who doesn't even look at you twice. A married man at that!

She toweled her hair and walked back to her sleeping area where she started preparing for bed. She oiled her skin with her favorite lotion, braided her hair into to two thick plaits like her Grandma had taught her to do every night when she was little and slipped on her most comfortable nightshirt. Looking in the mirror she saw her eyes were still a bit red and puffy, nothing a good night sleep couldn't cure, and she got into her bed.

It was sometime later when she was finally drifting off that her door chime went off. Who could be calling at this hour? Without grabbing her robe she stomped to her door and opened it. Uhura was surprised to see Mr. Spock standing at attention across the threshold. Before she could curb her tongue she blurted out, "What do you want?"

Spocked looked taken aback but quickly schooled his expression.

"I...need to speak with you."

"You need to speak with me at this hour?"

"I...uh...well I must...uh...Yes," Spock fumbled.

Uhura stood blocking his path with her hands on her hips, breast heaving.

"And what is so urgent that it cannot wait until morning cycle?"

"May I come in?" he asked looking at his surroundings. There was still crewmen going about their business in the corridor.

"It depends." She said not budging.

"On?"

She wanted to say 'on your wife' but she didn't want him to know how that bit of information had rattled her.

"On why you're here, why aren't you still on Vulcan?"

"I concluded my business on Vulcan. There was no need for me to linger."

"If I may ask, what business was that Mr. Spock?"

"That is what I would speak to you about."

"Indeed?" She asked mimicking his favorite expression.

"Yes, may I enter?"

She waited for another moment and then stepped aside. "Alright, this better be good."

Spock entered Uhura's quarters with no small amount of trepidation. He hadn't planned what he was going to say, he didn't even know why he was here, but he had been drawn here as if by an invisible lead. He had an illogical desire to see her, to be near her. After his encounter with T'Pring, he felt the need for comfort and human companionship.

He had enjoyed the time he spent with Jim and Dr. McCoy after he had beamed back aboard. They had shared a celebratory drink and Spock was content to appreciate the fact that the captain was alive and that he himself was free of his bond and the Pon Farr. It was a liberating feeling to be free of his last obligation to Vulcan. But soon he became aware of the weight his loss. His bond, weak as it was, was severed, gone forever. He was alone in mind and spirit for the first time since he was eight years old.

The feeling should have frightened him. He didn't have a bond mate. Didn't have anyone to alleviate his fever should it return. And now that he knew he could experience the Time he knew it would return to claim his sanity in the future, it was only a matter of time.

He would need to find another bride. He would have to expose himself to the hurt and betrayal that T'pring had visited upon him. And he didn't know if he could put himself through that again. He didn't want to bind himself to some stranger who secretly resented him or worse yet, live the rest of his life without...without...

"Nyota, I apologize for disturbing your rest. I found myself unable to... I found myself...uh... alone." he settled on finally.

"Alone?" she asked.

"Yes, alone. And I did not want to be alone tonight."

"Well, Mr. Spock what about your wife? Where is she? Shouldn't you be with her?"

"I have no wife."

"No wife? But I heard you say on the bridge that the lady on the viewer was your wife."

"I misspoke earlier. T'Pring was to be my wife. Our parents arranged our marriage when we were children. I was to complete the bond with her today. However, she decided she wanted to marry another."

"Really?" Nyota questioned still disbelieving her ears.

"Yes," Spock said simply.

"So now you're...?" she let the question hang in the air.

"I believe the Earth term is 'broken up'."

Nyota smiled in relief. "Yes, Mister Spock that is precisely what we say on Earth. So it sounds like you've been...um... jilted, dumped, drop kicked to the curb?" Nyota chirped, her mood picking up. She should feel sorry for him but she didn't.

Spock wrinkled his nose in distaste. "Yes, all that," he confirmed.

"Alright then, come on, sit down", she said ushering him to her little sofa. Nyota couldn't explain why she suddenly felt as light as a feather. But she did and now all she wanted to do was make Spock feel better too. After all, what were friends for?

"I've been dumped before too," Nyota said as she rummaged around in her kitchenette. "It sucks, doesn't it?" she called over her shoulder.

"Yes, indeed it does," Spock said thoughtfully. He was very confused. When Nyota had answered his call she seemed upset, now she was flitting around her quarters like she didn't have a care in the world. He looked around the dimly lit room and wondered what he was doing there. He had no right to be there looking for comfort from Nyota. This was wrong. He was about to stand and leave when Nyota came back carrying two mugs and sat down beside him.

"Here you go, hot plumeek tea, spicy and sweet just like me." She grinned and handed him a mug of piping hot tea just how he liked it. They sipped their tea in silence for a while before Nyota said, "If I may say, Mister Spock, this T'pring made a huge mistake. She'll regret losing you."

"I very much doubt that she will suffer any remorse. But I wish her well. I had no desire to wed her in the first place. That was my father's choice for me. T'Pring and I are now both free to choose the lives we want for ourselves."

"And what do you want for yourself?"

Spock looked over his mug and studied Nyota. Her eyes were puffy, her hair was twisted up into two crooked plaits, and she was wearing a threadbare nightshirt that barely reached her knees. But she had never looked more pleasing to him. Perhaps it was the lingering effects of the Pon Farr, but what Spock thought was that he would like to have her, that's what he wanted for himself. But he did not have the courage to say it to her. Not now. He could not stand the thought of being rejected again today.

"I want what everyone wants", he finally answered. "To live a fulfilling life."

"But do you want to get married and have a family?"

"Someday, yes. It is the Vulcan way. All Vulcans must mate baring extraordinary circumstances. It is why our parents pair us in childhood." He didn't want to explain Vulcan mating practices just yet and frighten her off so he quickly steered the subject away from himself.

"What about you, do you wish to marry and have children someday Nyota?"

"I suppose so, but I've never really given it much thought. I'm just trying to get through this mission in one piece. And then who knows, maybe I'll be commanding my own ship one day. How could I run a ship and a raise a family?"

"You could do it. You would make an excellent captain," and wife he thought.

"Thank you, Mr. Spock, that means a lot coming from you. You'd make an excellent captain yourself. You could have your own command right now if you wanted one you know?"

"No. I prefer to devote myself to my scientific studies. I will leave the captaining to those with the temperament better suited to command."

"You have the temperament. You're a natural leader."

"The Murasaki 312 mission and the crew of the Galileo Seven belies that claim."

"Nonsense! You were just doing what you thought was right. You did everything anyone in command would have done, what Captain Kirk himself would have done. The problem was not you Mister Spock, it was your crew. They weren't loyal, well, all except for Scotty. He told me how the others behaved. Disgraceful!"

Nyota had been furious on Spock's behalf when Scotty told her about the mission and how Dr. McCoy and the others had questioned every logical decision Spock made. She couldn't believe her ears as he detailed the disrespect they paid him. She had personally given Bomer a piece of her mind the next time she saw him.

Spock would not admit it, but it made him feel good to know that Nyota had defended him that way when he heard of the incident. He had berated himself about that mission over and over in his mind; questioning if his logic had failed him. But Nyota believed in him and his decisions even when he did not, and she had not shied away from defending him publically.

"A good leader inspires loyalty in her crew," he said.

"That may be, but I think we both know that some people are just not fit to follow orders. The captain has given orders that you didn't agree with, but I never heard you flat out challenge him in front of everyone. I heard Bomer and the others were borderline insubordinate!"

Nyota had her dander up again and Spock had not intended for her to become upset. That was the last thing he had wanted.

"Nyota, it is over. I am over it. There is no need to rehash those events"

"I'm sorry. I'm supposed to be cheering you up and here I am bringing up bad memories."

"Cheering me up?"

"Sure, what else? You've been dumped today. If you were human you'd be feeling down on yourself. Of course, I know you're above all that kind of emotion. But it still stings to be rejected, doesn't it? Even if its just a prick to the ego. I know, I've been there a time or two."

"Yes, it does indeed sting," Spock admitted.

"Welcome to the club," Nyota said.

"Club?"

"Yes, the 'I've been dumped, so what' club. Members only." She raised her mug towards his. "To freedom," she said proposing a toast.

"To freedom," Spock repeated and tapped his mug to hers. As they sipped their tea in companionable silence Spock thought that he didn't want to be free. He very much wanted to be bonded again, to the right woman, of course. Perhaps to someone who was as spicy and sweet as his tea.

He looked over the rim of his mug at Nyota and saw her stifle a yawn.

"I should go", he said setting down his cup and rising.

"I have kept you far too long and you have an early shift. You need your rest."

Uhura smiled. "You know me too well Commander. As much as I enjoy your company, I am tired."

She rose and escorted him to her door.

"Spock, I don't know what happened on Vulcan between you and T'Pring, but I want you to know that if you ever need someone to... I don't know, to talk to and have tea with, I'm your woman."

"Yes, you are," He said and bid her good night.

As the door slid shut behind him, Spock agreed that Nyota was indeed his. There was nothing Spock could not achieve once he made up his mind to do it. Tonight he had made up his mind. He needed to secure a new bond mate before his Time. And he wanted a wife, one he could care for and who could care for him and accept him just as he was. For the first time since he was eight years old, he could freely desire a woman who was not T'Pring.

But it all came down to time. Spock did not have time on his side. As he walked back to his own quarters he thought of his dilemma. He did not know when his next bout with Pon Farr would occur. When it struck he would need to have his bride already secured to his side. He had spent his entire adult life shunning his human nature and his attraction to human women along with it, but now he was free to pursue his own interests.

His father had demanded that he be Vulcan so he had been Vulcan. But Spock now understood he could never be fully Vulcan. There was too much of his mother in him. Sarek had a human bride and enjoyed a life filled with loving and caring yet he had tried to deny his son those things. Well, fuck Sarek. Thanks to Sarek's choice in bondmate, Spock was now divorced. T'Pring's betrayal left Spock free to live as he saw fit and free to love as he saw fit with the wife he chose for himself. Or the wife who had chosen him.

Nyota had served him in her home, she had said she was his woman. And Spock had accepted her proposal, he had agreed. Nyota didn't know it yet but they were now engaged. She didn't understand such Vulcan traditions but she would, in time. In time, she would be his wife. Decided, Spock walked confidently back to his quarters where he would contemplate the next phase of his life.