Epilogue:

The Future Is Secured

He certainly looked like he could possibly be the First Officer of the Enterprise. This Vulcan who just beamed aboard the ship next to Lt. Uhura and two children – Sytar and Sanaa... This Vulcan with deep, chocolate brown eyes, slanted eyebrows, a bowl haircut and pointed ears did appear to be a familiar Vulcan. He appeared to be Commander Spock.

Captain James Kirk and Dr. Leonard McCoy had seen this same Vulcan on numerous occasions, had been dear friends of his for several years, and yet... they both felt like they did not know the Vulcan that stood before them. Both of them stared silently as he approached them, lifting his daughter up from the ground as he did. Kirk studied him, suspiciously. He just did not look like the same Spock that Kirk was used to. Then again, he did not look like the Spock beast that had tried to kill him a couple of weeks before, either.

Spock paused in front of Kirk and said, "Captain, I have been made known that an apology is in order. I fear that during my time of struggle, I may have caused you some harm. While I do not remember this occurrence, I extend to you a sincere apology."

Kirk tilted his head and said, "No, don't worry about that. I was alright in a matter of days..." He clapped his hands together, once and stared at the Vulcan, "Spock... are you... alright?" Nyota walked up behind Spock with one of Sytar's hands in hers and Spock reached over to take her free hand.

"I am not alright Captain. I am surprisingly well," Spock answered.

Nyota nodded to Kirk and said, "Hello, Captain."

Kirk smiled and said, "Welcome back."

Dr. McCoy pushed past Kirk and reached for Sanaa. "I tell you, the whole group of you are bugging me! He's fine, she's fine, just as I told you they would be! Now, if you will all excuse me, my goddaughter and I are going to go have fruit and she's going to tell me about her trip. Sytar, you come along."

"No thank you, Dr. McCoy," Sytar said.

Dr. McCoy shrugged and immediately began talking to Sanaa as he carried her away, "Would you like to stop by your godmother's and see her? We could ask her if she wants to come have fruit with us..."

Kirk bent down to look at Sytar face to face, "Sytar, I believe that is just about the saddest face that I have ever seen you make. What's wrong, Buddy?"

"He has not responded well to having to bid his brother farewell," Spock stated.

"I know what will cheer him up!" Kirk suggested, "Uncle Jim can take you to meet more pretty ladies. You haven't met all of the ones on the ship, yet." Sytar tried to keep himself from grinning, but he was failing fast. Kirk grabbed him up from the ground and told Spock, "The two of you go get comfortable. I know that it may take a little while for your bodies to get used to the sense of time."

Nyota nodded and smiled, "Thank you, Captain."

"You can call me by name, Uhura. She's as bad as you, sometimes, Spock," Kirk said.

"Captain, was that a negative remark about my wife?" Spock asked. His tone was even, but his eyes meant business.

"It was a joke," Sytar said and rolled his eyes in disbelief.

"The kid knows his Uncle Jim," Kirk said. Then, he stared at Spock for a moment longer, then asked, "So, you are alright? I mean, everything's well within you now? Your logic and control have returned? Your... um... issue has been dealt with?"

"I am maintaining best functioning capacity that I ever have had the opportunity to experience," Spock said.

Kirk sighed and mumbled, "Definitely sounds like Spock." He watched him a moment longer, then commented, "It's just... You look different, Spock. You look so... happy."

Spock tilted his head, then looked at Nyota. She shook her head and said, "Don't let him get to you. You look as collected as ever before."

"Thank you, my wife," Spock replied.

Sytar cleared his throat and reminded Kirk, "I do not see any new pretty ladies, Uncle Jim."

Kirk's eyebrows shot up and he said, "Well, I guess that's my cue. I'll see both of you in a little while."

Nyota laughed and said, "Sytar is too much for me. Our son is a six year old playboy. That's pretty scary."

"I think that it is more alarming that our captain and our six year old son share the same interests," Spock said.

"In speaking of our captain, you do realize that he has not let the issue rest, right? He is going to question you deeper when I'm not around."

Spock simply told her, "He will receive no information about my personal matters."

"We've been doing a lot of opening up, lately. Tell the truth, have you and Kirk ever talked about..."

"Nyota, this conversation is in need of termination."

She gasped, chuckled and cried out, "You have! What was said?"

"I accidentally told Jim, one night that I found it most difficult to deny you when you wear green. It led to a barrage of inappropriate questions from both the captain and Dr. McCoy, but they did not receive much more information than that. They kept using the inefficient phrase "turn on" to describe becoming sexually aroused. Their frequent usage of said phrase irritated me."

Nyota laughed out loud and a few crew members passing by looked at she and Spock, walking through the corridors, holding hands! Then, Nyota leaned unto Spock and placed her head on his shoulder. "I have a question, Nyota," he said.

"Ask away."

"Were you telling me that I look collected to spare me shame?"

She answered, holding her arms out, "You look collected."

"It would not displease me to look happy, Nyota... Not to look happy when I am with you."

She looked at his face, "Spock, that is one of the sweetest things that you have said to me, and it makes my heart jump inside of my chest... and you still look completely collected." Spock made a wincing face and she suddenly became alarmed. "Are you alright?"

"This is not a smile, is it?" He asked. She stared at him, distorting his face, slightly in various ways. She laughed and his lips curled slightly into a smirk. "Ah, yes. This feels like it. I have never did it purposefully, so trying to do so actually proved difficult."

She poked him in the side and said, "You know that you know how to smile."

"Every smile that I have had has been completely by accident," Spock stated.

They went on walking and talking, all the way to their quarters. Nyota felt like there were miles upon miles put behind them. This was the first time, from the different times that they had left the ship for a while that they actually came back onto the ship and had plans to spend time together, when they did. Usually, Spock returned to the ship, changed into his uniform and immediately went back to the bridge. This time, he had already promised her that he would not return to his work until it was required of him. He claimed that he would spend as much time with her as was allowed.

Nyota smiled. Spock had come a long way. So had she... they had come a long way, together. She felt with all confidence that the worse part of their life together was now over. Nothing worse than what they had already been through would ever come up against them, and they had made it. From now on, she had no doubt whatsoever that anything could ever jeopardize their relationship again.

She stopped him just outside of the door of their quarters and threw her arms around his neck. Spock did not understand why she could not just wait until they made it inside of the quarters, but instead of questioning her about it, he simply returned the gesture. She backed away, slightly, with him still in her arms, to look upon his face. "I love you," she said softly to him. He found himself slightly smiling. It had been accidental, yet again, but genuine. There was nothing else he would rather be doing at the moment. He pressed his forehead to hers, then opened the door to their quarters, held her hand and guided her inside.

The End