Music To My Ears
Author - mzsnaz
Characters - Amanda and Sarek

Summary - Amanda is confronted with a peculiar problem with, of all
things, a Christmas song.


Vulcans – or I should say, one Vulcan – is trying to drive me crazy.

Oh, I know, everyone gets aggravated at times with family members. 
That's completely normal.  What gets me are those unspoken Vulcan traps that seem to pop up when I least expect them.  It's difficult enough to enter into an alien environment with an uneven playing field.  I always feel as if I'm the last person to know something due to cultural differences which `everyone' – i.e. Vulcans – are well aware of.  Still, I know so much more than most humans.

I don't believe it will ever be enough.

My problem began yesterday when I received a music download from a Christmas concert.  I'd requested the concert for two years running, but it always seemed to get lost in subspace.  Sarek has been interested in music since I've known him, and so it seemed like a nice way to introduce him to some of the songs I've enjoyed over the years.  I had him sit next to me in the living room and excitedly started the music. 

First up - `Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'.

Not the best first choice I'll admit.  If Sarek asked me one more question about the nasal defects present in such creatures and the impossibility of flying Rangifer tarandus.

Next was `The Most Wonderful Time of the Year'.

He was right about one thing - I still don't know what scary ghost stories have to do with Christmas.  On the other hand, perhaps it has to do with Charles Dickens `A Christmas Carol'?  That's something to ponder.

I thought I was safe with `Sleigh Ride'.  After all, the version I received was the original instrumental one I knew from childhood and was the one I heard whenever my family went to the Symphony Hall.  That was one of my happiest holiday memories, and so I thought Sarek would be quite pleased with the song.

Was I ever mistaken.

He sat woodenly next to me as the song played, and once it was complete, he didn't move.  There was an uncomfortable feeling hanging in the air of impending disaster.  To say I was taken aback by this feeling would have been an understatement. 

"Is there a problem?" I asked innocently.  A very miniscule shake of his head was his answer.

He knows better.

"Sarek, tell me what's wrong."

He took a moment to compose his thoughts and then sternly looked at me. "The song is offensive."

"Offensive?"

"Indeed."

I sat there, flummoxed.  Offensive? In what way?

"Why is it offensive?" I asked – certainly a reasonable question under the circumstances.

"It should not be played in a public forum," he replied, as if that would be enough.

"It has been played many times in many public forums," I stated, aggravated by his statement.  "It's a traditional Christmas song!"

"Sometimes traditions should not be quite so… public."

I was close to a very loud exasperated sigh when, out of the blue, it came to me.  The problem really had nothing to do with the song.

It was the instruments, or I should say, one instrument.

"You're quite aware that humans have no qualms with playing bells in their songs," I reminded him. 

He pursed his lips. "The constant ringing is… unpleasant."

I ruefully smiled and shook my head.  He was right in his own way – a Vulcan male might become quite stressed by the constant ringing of those tiny little bells throughout the song.  I thought back to a very painful episode of struggling through an Andorian soloist performance at a diplomatic conference.  At times I feared my ears would start to bleed from the horrid sounds, and yet at the end there was a standing ovation by the majority of those present. 

"I'm sorry," I said, leaning against his arm.  "You know I wouldn't do anything to offend you."

He appeared somewhat abashed as he raised his hand to me, index and middle finger extended.  "I am well aware of that fact," he quietly said.  "I am certain that the song is quite acceptable.  My reaction may have been somewhat… exaggerated in its negativity."

I raised my hand to his.  "And I should have thought more about the instrumentation."

He allowed a small sigh, and then his right eyebrow shot up dramatically.  "Perhaps if the song were less simplistic I could have overlooked the unfortunate instrumentation."

I gasped in shock, letting my hand fall into my lap.  "Simplistic??  Sarek, `Sleigh Ride' happens to be one of my favorite Christmas songs!  Just because Mozart didn't write it doesn't mean that it isn't wonderful."

I knew, just as he did, that he was teasing me.  Vulcans love to drive humans crazy.

"I trust that there are other holiday songs on this download?"  He stood, apparently unfazed by my outburst, to check the computer since it had dutifully shut off when no request for a continuance had ensued.  I exhaled loudly, and he turned back to me, above suspicion.

"I'm not going to torture you with any more of my `simplistic' songs," I said, standing and trying to sound hurt.  It wasn't that hard to do.  "I'll just keep the download to myself and enjoy it when you're not around."

Perhaps I was being childish, but the more I thought about it, the more upset I was at his flippant assessment of the few Christmas songs he'd heard.  I would have left the room in a huff if he hadn't blocked the way.

"Listening alone is not necessary," he said, his tone offering the apology he wouldn't say aloud.  I knew I didn't have a chance when I looked up into his eyes.  It happens every time – he gives me `that' look, and I melt like a snowman on Vulcan.

"I… suppose I can force myself to let you tear apart a few more songs," I said in a mock haughty tone.  We sat back down and he turned to me.

"I shall withhold my opinion of the songs until the download is complete," he said solemnly.  Wickedly, I grinned.  That was just what I wanted to hear.

"Good!  Hopefully, some of my favorites are here."

And so we listened to `Jingle Bells', `I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day', `The Carol of the Bells', and `Silver Bells'.  Amazingly, Sarek didn't object in the slightest to my selections.  On the other hand, sitting close together in a darkened room might have distracted him, especially after a nice cup of hot chocolate.

Well, now that I think about it, he might not have heard the songs at all.

In fact, I'm not even sure what was playing.  For all I know, it could have been that Andorian singing – and I didn't mind at all.


THE END