Vulcans Do Not Lie. Usually.

Summary: There are occasional pitfalls in Vulcan/human relationships. For instance, when an illogical human woman poses questions that it would be extremely foolish to answer honestly, what is the logical thing for a Vulcan male to do?

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek, but it has staked out some substantial real estate in my imagination

"Did you find her attractive?" Nyota asked, hand on hip and brows raised in a look more accusing than questioning.

Droxine, the daughter of Stratos' High Advisor, was highly intelligent, articulate, artistically talented and, despite a sheltered life of privilege, had exhibited the character to accept sharing the burden of working her planet's mines as the just solution. She was also...quite aesthetically pleasing. Her slender body was rounded by soft curves and moved with willowy grace. She possessed a dulcet voice and a symmetrical and well-proportioned face crowned by a cascade of golden hair, similar in many ways to the long fall of dark tresses that had first drawn his eye to Nyota.

Indeed, their aesthetic appeal was similar, except that where Nyota brought to mind Lord Byron's verse about the velvet beauty of a tropical night, Droxine recalled Tholos Shran's ode to a golden sun reflecting on a field of snow. To say that he had not found her attractive would be a lie.

Vulcans did not lie.

A multitude of anecdotes immediately flooded from Spock's eidetic memory, all concerning the extreme foolhardiness of being totally honest with human women in such matters. He paused, calculating the probabilities of various lengths of exile from Nyota's bed.

"Well?" she prodded, irritation clear in both body language and voice.

Vulcans did not lie. However, they had been known to tell only select elements of the truth.

"The High Advisor's daughter possessed both vocal and physical qualities reminiscent of your own, Nyota. It would be illogical to expect that I would find such an individual unattractive."

His lover's brows drew down, but her tone and body language softened. "So you're saying that you only noticed her because she reminded you of me?"

Had he never met Nyota, there was a 98.9976% probability that he would still have 'noticed' Droxine and a further 23.8715% chance that such notice would have lead to interaction beyond just stimulating conversation. The probability that explaining this to Nyota would prove to be unwise exceeded 99.9999%.

Vulcans did not lie. Usually.

Spock lifted a single eyebrow in the manner of someone mildly perplexed. "I believe that is what I just said."

AN: I know, Spock is supposed to be a paragon of virtue, but even the best men aren't perfect and Spock is 'only half-human'. He's also not totally clueless or stupid.

For anyone who doesn't recognize the reference, Droxine is the pretty blonde from the TOS episode 'The Cloud Minders' - a woman Spock Prime referred to as 'a work of art' and with whom he very uncharacteristically discussed Pon Farr after only a brief acquaintance.

After rewatching the episode, I wondered what would happen if that 'work of art' comment got back to Uhura.

Please r&r