Title: Hybrid Equine
Author: Ster Julie
Codes: TOS; S, Ch, Sa/Am
Rating: PG
Part 1 of 1
Summary: Spock makes yet again another false
assumption regarding Christine Chapel.
--ooOoo--
It took some doing, but Amanda
was able to pull some strings and procure an invitation to the
For her part, Christine was
both honored and floored. She rummaged
through her meager on-board wardrobe and declared all of the items unworthy of
the event, most especially her dress uniform.
Amanda came to the nurse's rescue and brought her a lovely sari-like
garment that could easily accommodate nearly any size and height. The two women giggled like schoolgirls as
Christine learned how to wrap and drape the folds. Fortunately, they both had blue eyes, so the
color of the garment complimented Christine's eyes beautifully. Amanda left the nurse to tend to her own hair
and makeup while she prepared herself.
The officers of the
"Would
you look at that!?" McCoy
exclaimed at the lavish native garb.
"Those folks are wearing live chickens on their heads! And that group's wearing nothing but thorn tree
branches."
"Bones, pipe
down," Kirk warned. "Vulcans
aren't the only ones here with super hearing, you know."
"Glad I brought my
medkit," the doctor continued.
"Someone might get splinters from dancing too close to them!"
Kirk turned to correct his
CMO again when he was distracted by the announcement of the arrival of the
Vulcan party. After Sarek's near-death
experience, Kirk wanted to see the ambassador up and on his feet and in his
element. There was a sharp intake of
breath from Spock as the entire party made their way down to the floor.
"Well, would you look who's
here! She
certainly cleans up well, wouldn't you say, Spock?" McCoy teased.
Instead of focusing on his
parents, Spock zeroed in on the face of Nurse Christine Chapel two steps behind
his mother.
"Did you know she was
coming, Jim?" McCoy asked.
"Yes," he said
simply.
Spock shot his captain a
dark glance for not informing him. Not only does she chase after me, now she
has curried favor with my family, he seethed quietly. Spock didn't hear another word that was said. He walked over to the group, saluted his
father perfunctorily, then took the nurse by the arm and dragged her away from
the group.
"How dare you insinuate
yourself into my family," he hissed.
"Mister Spock,
please," she begged.
"Is it not enough that
you throw yourself at me," he continued hurtfully, "must you also
ingratiate yourself… "
Spock heard a familiar, icy
voice behind them. "Unhand
her."
Spock turned and looked at
his mother. Amanda was livid at her son's
behavior.
"What do you think you
are doing?" she demanded.
"She is not in her
rightful place… "
"Christine is here at my invitation," Amanda said.
"But, Mother… "
"Don't you 'but,
Mother' me, Spock," she continued, "and don't talk over her as if she
was part of the furniture."
"I don't
understand," Spock blinked.
Amanda took the shaken
nurse's hand and patted it.
"Christine was a great source of comfort to me when you and
especially Sarek were so sick," she explained. "She went above and beyond the call of
duty looking after all of us. I invited
her to this reception as a way of saying thank you. I'll not have you or anyone else spoiling our
good time. Christine is a good woman,
and you'd see it too if you didn't have your head so far up your Vulcan… "
"Mother!"
"Don't worry,
Spock," she reassured in arctic tones.
"I'm too much of a lady to complete that sentence." Amanda took Christine's arm in hers and said,
"Come, my dear. We are going to
take our places and concentrate on having a good time while my son goes off and
figures out how he can make it up to you."
The two women started off arm in arm, as Amanda whispered loud enough
for Spock to overhear, "I'll just be happy if he stops acting like such a…
a… a hybrid equine!"
The women's crystalline
laughter didn't register as much to Spock as did the shock of hearing his own
mother calling him a hybrid. He stumbled
his way back to Kirk and McCoy. If he
wasn't under orders to be in attendance, Spock would have beamed up there and
then.
"What's wrong,
Spock?" McCoy asked. "You
looked liked you've been kicked in the gut."
"My mother called me a
hybrid!" he whispered.
"Well, you are a hybrid," the doctor observed.
"I'm sure there was
more to it," Kirk said. "What
else did she say?"
"Mother scolded me for
taking Nurse Chapel to task for attending the gala," Spock admitted
sheepishly. "I had no idea she was
Mother's guest."
"You could have asked
me," Kirk said. "I had to sign
off on her leaving the ship. Is that
when Amanda called you a hybrid?"
Spock lowered his head. "Actually she said that she would be
happy if I stopped acting like a hybrid equine."
McCoy did a spit take at
that proclamation. Kirk nearly choked
holding back laughter. Spock looked from
one officer to the other indignantly.
"I don not see the
humor… "
"You wouldn't!"
McCoy interjected.
Kirk put a hand on Spock's
shoulder and whispered, "Your mom said you should stop acting like a
jackass, Spock! It's an old euphemism
for 'idiot.'" Spock straightened in
annoyance. "She wants you to go and
apologize to Nurse Chapel for being so presumptuous," Kirk continued.
"I'll bet you'll get in
your mother's good graces again if you ask Christine for a dance," McCoy
urged.
"I have only ever
danced with my mother," Spock mentioned.
Kirk pushed his first
officer toward the Vulcan delegation's table.
"So start by asking Mom to dance," Kirk suggested, "you
know, to get up your nerve. Then switch
to Christine."
"And stop looking like
you're going to the guillotine, Spock!" McCoy ordered. "Parties are for having a good
time."
Spock turned back to his
friends. "I am not having a 'good time.'"
-
Christine had wanted to drop
into a hole when she saw the fire in Spock's eyes and heard the hurtful things
he was implying. If it wasn't for Amanda
coming to her aid, Christine would have fled the room burning with
embarrassment. You just have to stop
measuring me with the Psi 2000 virus for a ruler,
Spock, she thought as she took her place at the table next to Amanda. She studied her clenched hands as Spock's
mother quietly explained to Sarek what had happened. Christine noticed as the ambassador reached
and took his wife's hand. The couple
grew quiet and still as the private conversation continued telepathically. The nurse couldn't help but stare. She had never witnessed such an exchange
before.
"What would cause our son to act so
rudely?" Sarek wondered.
"Spock proceeded from a false assumption. That is so unlike him."
"I just wish he was young enough to spank!"
Amanda seethed.
"My wife, you never raised your hand to our son
in his life," Sarek
mentioned. Then his mind was filled with
the recent memory of Amanda slapping Spock across the face. "Oh. I stand corrected."
"Sarek, we have to make this up to
Christine," she pleaded.
"How can we 'make up' what we do not yet
understand, Amanda?"
"Let's start by pretending that nothing is
amiss, and by no longer ignoring her," she replied as she withdrew her hand.
"I would like a glass of
wine," Amanda announced.
"Christine, would you join me?"
"Certainly,
ma'am," she replied softly.
The women had only taken two
swallows of their drinks before the
"Mr. Ambassador,
ladies, guests," Kirk said with a slight bow. "This is a grand affair, fit for a job
well done."
"Indeed," Sarek
replied non-committally.
"May I have the
privilege of this dance with the Lady Amanda?" he asked as he took her
hand and bowed over it.
Spock started. It had been agreed that he should dance with his mother first. He stood there silently as Kirk and Amanda
left for the dance floor.
"Well," McCoy said
trying to relieve an awkward situation, "good. That means I get to dance with my favorite head nurse." He held out his arm to Christine who rose and
gracefully followed the doctor out to the dance floor.
Sarek indicated the seat
next to him. Spock obediently sat and
waited for a lecture.
"I sense that there is
history between you and Nurse Chapel, my son."
Spock nodded. He moved very close and murmured, "She has…
feelings… for me. She has pursued me
ever since she first came aboard."
"And what is wrong with
that?"
Spock reacted as if his
father had just spouted Klingoni. "I was bonded to T'Pring then," Spock
said in his defense. "I was trying
to stay true to her."
"You are no longer
bonded to T'Pring, my son," Sarek observed.
Spock paused. "I suppose I have become accustomed to
running from Miss Chapel," he said.
"The pursuit is one
thing," Sarek observed, "but there is much more pleasure in allowing
oneself to be caught." Spock shot
his father another surprised look.
"Your behavior toward Miss Chapel was unacceptable, my son,"
Sarek chided. "I expect you to make
amends with her before this event is over."
Spock bowed his head,
accepting his penance. "Yes,
Father," he said meekly.
"I trust your mother's
judgment," Sarek continued.
"Miss Chapel is an honorable woman.
She could be a suitable bondmate for you."
Spock pulled back from his
father. "Does this mean that you
and the clan will be choosing my wife again?" he asked stiffly.
"The clan chose so
poorly for you the last time, Spock," Sarek replied gently. "We will not choose for you, but we will
offer suggestions, if you will permit."
Spock withdrew further into
himself. "I will consider it,"
he replied.
Sarek and Spock stood as the
dancing couples returned to the table.
Amanda took another sip of her wine as she looked curiously from her
husband to her son. No answer was
forthcoming from the twin stony faces.
As the orchestra began what
Spock identified as a waltz, Spock turned to take his mother's hand but found
himself intercepted by Sarek. "I
have a prior claim to any and all waltzes with my wife, my son," the
ambassador explained as he led Amanda away.
Spock needed no telepathy to
interpret the glower on McCoy's face.
The Vulcan sighed inwardly and turned to Christine as he extended his
hand.
"Miss Chapel?" he
asked. "May I have this
dance?"
Christine took his
outstretched hand shyly and moved to the dance floor. She prayed that Spock's mental shields were
firmly in place because she didn't think she could keep her confused, emotional
thoughts at bay. She agreed with Amanda
that Spock had treated her badly earlier, but she was also still overwhelmed
with embarrassment every time she thought of what happened between them around Psi 2000. She also
had a speech running through her head explaining that her behavior toward
Amanda during Sarek's crisis was nothing short of good nursing, of caring for
the patient and the family members.
Spock noticed that Nurse
Chapel's eyes looked haunted. No doubt
she was still affected by the dressing down he gave her earlier. He tried to look beyond that, beyond all
their history together—which was a paltry one if he was truly honest with
himself. He saw instead a woman of noble
beauty who possessed a keen, scientific mind and a nurturing heart. As the three-step patterned dance ended,
Spock concluded that she deserved an explanation.
-
Sarek kept his eyes on his
wife as she kept her eyes on their son and his partner.
"Well?" Amanda
asked. "What did he have to say for
himself?"
Sarek summarized his brief
conversation with his son, of his son's excuse for his deplorable
behavior. "And I told him that,
while he is free to choose his own mate, the clan will still make
recommendations," Sarek concluded.
"And was dancing with
Christine also a recommendation?" Amanda asked as she saw the couple exit
the room.
"Not
specifically," he replied as they finished the dance and led his wife back
to the table.
-
Christine knew she had made
another mistake in allowing Spock to lead her off the dance floor and onto the
chilly balcony. Her gown was made for
show and not warmth. She was sure her goosebumps had hatched goosebumps
of their own already.
For his part, Spock had
wanted to apologize in private to Christine.
He wanted to come to an understanding with the nurse, to explain that
his behavior over the past year was in deference to his promise to his fiancé,
that he was as yet unused to looking at other women as possible mates. However all of his good intentions fell by
the wayside as he realized two things.
First, the balcony was unbearably cold.
Second, there was no handle on their side of the door, no window, no
indicator that would announce their presence, nor could their knocking,
pounding, calling and screaming be heard from within. Even Spock's communicator would only function
inside the Great Hall due to the security screening for the conference, so they
could not call the ship or anyone inside.
Christine undid a couple of
folds of her gown so that she could pull some of the fabric over her bare
shoulders. She rubbed her arms and
walked briskly in a short path back and forth.
Spock tried to contact someone telepathically, but there was no one near
enough on the other side of the door.
Ever the nurse, Christine
went up to Spock and began to vigorously rub his arms and back. "Keep moving," she ordered through
near-frozen lips, "or you'll freeze to death."
Spock moved to study the
wall as he rubbed his arms. "Some
kind of mineral is obviously affecting the environmental shielding in this
area," he observed.
Christine moved around the
large balcony looking for anything to keep them warm. She found a chaise lounge with a thick pad on
it. She thought that they could use it
to cover themselves as they huddled for warmth, but the bed underneath was only
metal bars. Still, she dragged it closer
to the door. She knew that she could
only walk so far in her dress sandals, and after that she would want someplace
comfortable to lie upon when she froze to death.
Spock continued to try to garner
someone's attention by pounding and kicking the door, to no avail. He sat next to Christine on the couch.
"Surely someone noticed
us leaving the reception," Spock mused.
"And surely someone is
missing us by now," Christine added.
She made a strange noise and began to rub her arms again in
earnest. "I've never been so cold
in all my life," she admitted.
"I think it's time to share what little body heat we have
left."
The cold was becoming so
painful to Spock that he replied with alacrity.
"Agreed!"
He quickly joined the nurse
on the couch. They snuggled closely and
rubbed each other's arms and backs.
Christine could not suppress a giggle.
"You find this
humorous, Nurse?" he said through chattering teeth.
"In a way," she
admitted. "You never jumped onto a
Sickbay bed as quickly."
"Jumping onto a Sickbay bed has never been a matter of life or death
before," Spock countered.
"Sure it has,"
Christine replied, remembering all the times he had been sick or injured.
"I was not able to
'jump' at those times," he reminded.
"Are you reading my
mind, Commander?" she asked frostily.
"It is getting
difficult to maintain my shields while being in such close contact with
you," Spock defended.
"Well, read this,"
Christine challenged as she poured out her reasons for being at the Gala, for
the way she treated Sarek and Amanda, for why she pursued Spock last year, and
how she resented his treatment of her ever since her declaration during the Psi 2000 crisis.
Spock continued to stroke
her back and arms as he took it all in.
After a few moments to digest it all, he responded in kind, telling Christine
of his commitment to his bond with T'Pring, of how her proclamation of love was
seen by him as a threat to a bond he was trying to keep true, of how after the
disaster at Koon-ut kalifee, he
was in such shock that, although he knew he needed to find a new mate before
his next Time struck, he was not sure of what kind of woman he wanted. He always assumed that a Vulcan wife would be
that last proof of acceptance by his people.
Christine interrupted his
thought. "But that's so
illogical," she pronounced.
"It would only show the acceptance of one person!"
Spock stopped rubbing the
nurse's back. "You're right,"
he said in amazement.
Christine gave him a playful
punch in the arm. "Hey, I can be
logical, too, sometimes!" she teased.
Spock's eyes crinkled in amusement in reply.
Soon their arm movements
slowed then stopped as hypothermia began to set in and they fell asleep.
-
"I don't know where
they went," Amanda said with dismay.
"They went through some door near the dance floor."
Sarek, Amanda, Kirk and
McCoy prowled the perimeter of the Grand Hall.
Kirk had already checked with the ship to see if either or both of them
had beamed aboard. McCoy was still calling
both of their communicators with no luck.
It was Sarek that noticed
the door behind a table and two potted trees.
The buffet had been served on that table earlier but it had been moved
aside to make a larger dance floor.
Sarek would have ripped all the offending pieces of furniture aside
himself but was stopped by McCoy who didn't want the ambassador to stress his
healing heart and undo all of the doctor's hard work. While waiting for the wait staff to clear the
way to the door, McCoy put Sickbay on alert, just in case.
They found Spock and
Christine wrapped in each other's arms, asleep on the chaise lounge in the
frigid cold. Sarek and Kirk picked up
Spock and carried him inside as McCoy brought in Christine.
Sarek called for hot drinks
to be brought at once while McCoy had blankets beamed down. Spock came to
quickly and he downed a mug of hot tea in a few gulps. He turned to the nurse.
"Christine?" he
called rubbing her arms and back again.
"Wake up, Christine. We've
been rescued." Spock bent close to
hear thready speech coming from the jumble of
blankets. "What did you say?"
"I said, I want a hot bath!"
McCoy passed his scanner
over the couple and pronounced them fine.
His prescription was a long soak in a hot tub for the both of them and a
gallon of soup.
Christine snuggled closer to
Spock. "Mmm,"
she replied. "Sounds
good."
"What possessed you to
go outside, Spock?" Amanda demanded.
"I needed to speak with
Christine privately, Mother," he defended.
"It was not my intention to get hypothermia on the balcony."
"Well?" Amanda
continued, "did you get to talk?"
"Oh yes," Spock
answered, "in between trying not to freeze to death. Christine convinced me that she was not attempting
to get to me through you. She also made
me see that I was acting like a jackass."
"No argument
there!" Christine, McCoy and Kirk
concurred.
"And what have you
learned from this experience, my son?" Sarek asked.
"I believe that I will
take to heart what you told me earlier, Father," Spock said cryptically
before pulling out his communicator and requesting beam out for himself and
Christine. "Please excuse us as we
take our leave."
"And where do you think
you're going?" McCoy demanded.
"Why, to fill your
prescription, Doctor," Spock replied as he and Christine dematerialized.
McCoy was shocked at Spock's
ready compliance. "Well, what do
you know," he repeated.
Amanda turned to her husband
as they returned to their place at the table.
"What exactly did you tell our son, Sarek?" she asked
curiously.
"I merely told him, 'The pursuit is one thing, but there is much more pleasure in
allowing oneself to be caught.'"
Amanda laughed. "And did you tell him that you were the
pursued or the pursuer?" she continued.
Sarek stopped and touched
fingers with his wife.
"Does it matter, my
Amanda, as long as we are together?"
END