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1.
The first time it happened was during the siege of Angel's pirates on the Enterprise, a simple deceit to stop T'Pring from making an exchange La'an knew she wouldn't be able to accomplish.
There were many things that went wrong that day and for a fleeting second La'an wondered how things could have turned out differently had she not been forced to remain on board due to M'Benga's orders. She vividly remembers the look of shock she sent Spock's way when he spilled out the most ridiculous bullshit - that he, a Vulcan, was having an affair with her of all people! She didn't know whether to be upset or laugh at the obvious lie.
Angel seemed to share her disbelief as they laughed with genuine amusement, like they couldn't believe Spock would come up with something so ridiculous and expect people to believe it!
She realized very soon that they were running out of time and options as well and she made the decision that would alter the course of her life.
She just didn't know it at the time.
Instead, she steeled herself and briskly ran through all of her lessons in diplomacy and tactical training during dangerous situations, even though she was pretty sure what she was about to do wasn't portrayed in any of the manuals. Spock seemed to share her oppinion on the act itself, probably coming to the same conclusion that their act couldn't remain solid on strictly verbal spectrum.
So he acted.
He sneaked a glance in her direction, she knew that becasue she could feel his piercing gaze on her face, before he took a bold step and turned her around towards himslef by her shoulders. La'an looked up at him in shock, some form if understanding settling in her mind as his gaze flickered between her eyes and lips, like he was asking for her permission silently.
La'an had no time to think about possible pros and cons of the decision that already appeared to be set in stone for him as Spock closed the distance between them, his soft lips descending upon her's. The momentary shock of such bold move made her freeze in slight panic, her shoulders tensing as she fought the silent battle within herself, torn between pulling him closer and pushing him away. She remained unresponsive for a fraction of a second too long, her eyes opened as the onslaught of different sensations flooded her system. Ultimately, what made her give in to the moment was Spock changing angle, his lips gliding against her's in a sensual manner that she found impossible to resist. She gasped silently, going almost limp in his arms as her knees buckled when he swiped his rough tongue over her bottom lip before sucking on the same spot in a way that made her feel like she was falling into an event horizon, feeling infinitely small and powerless against the enormous pull of the singularity that he represented. If La'an tried hard enough, she could almost forget that this kiss was nothing but an elaborate plan to stop the bigger catastrophe from happening, her hands twisting into the fabric of his science uniform on their own violation as he lit her on fire like none of her previous kisses did.
All too soon and somehow not soon enough, Spock broke the kiss, his face showing uncertainty that La'an was sure she was mirroring - the kiss has left both of them breathless and she had a hunch Spock wasn't able to remain as indifferent to it's effect as she originally estimated.
The tense silence was broken my Angel's reserved input, something about their performance being fun - La'an wasn't sure as she was still relatively busy trying to wrap her head around everything that just happened. Either way, the moment was broken and Spock took a step back from her, even though his hand remained close to her.
La'an wondered why but it dawned on her when she realized she was still shaking.
2.
The second time was strangely under similar circumstances, only this time it was the two of them that were intruders on a rather popular tourist planet similar to Risa.
To be fair, it wasn't just them - Pike and Una were there as well, only they seemed to pull the longer end of a stick as all of the guards rounded on Spock and La'an who took off in the direction of popular square that was buzzing like a beehive due to the large number of people out on the streets. It was rather ironic, really, since it was Pike that actually said the wrong thing and Spock has tried to correct it in a peaceful manner but the officials deemed Spock bigger threat despite the fact that his whole species relied on peaceful negotiation.
La'an and Spock both panted as they ran as fast as they their legs could carry them away from the guards that seemed hell bent on taking both of them in even though they remained almost completely silent during the whole negotiation. She was in the lead as she glided through crowd almost effortlessly, her small frame squeezing through the tight spaces in between people - serving almost as an anchor for Spock for whom people moved out of the way once they saw her moving past them. He was also the one responsible for looking out for the guards, he was pretty good at that job because she was constantly receiving updates from him about the potential proximity of the people who were in pursuit.
She suddenly realized their uniforms stood out like a beacon in a sea of short dresses and t-shirts that most tourists wore. Cursing her brain for not coming up with the idea sooner she turned around towards Spock who was only several steps behind him, his long legs easily keeping pace with her relentless tempo.
She tugged the shirt off of her, tossing it in the direction of the nearest trashcan, never slowing down her constant pace. "Take off your shirt! We are standing out like a sore thumb in this crowd!"
She didn't look back to see if he listened to her but she could hear the ruffle of fabric as he obviously deemed her order logical. Her eyes scanned the surroundings, searching for s secluded place away from the open square where they could potentially remain in the cover of shadows while they waited for the Enterpise to beam them up. She spotted a secluded alley few meters ahead, tossing a look behind them as she searched for the guards, exhaling a sigh of relief when she saw nothing.
She motioned for Spock to follow her as she took a sharp right corner and lead both of them slightly deeper into the alley. It wasn't as deep as she originally assumed but it was cloaked in darkness and it provided certain amount of privacy making them harder to spot.
They both breathed heavily as they tried to get as much air back into their spent lungs, having spent the best part of the last 20 minutes running. The break and relief was short lived, however, as Spock and La'an stiffened as the sounds of guards searching through the crowd could be heard. They pressed themselves into the wall behind them as much as possible, trying to regulate their breathing so that the sounds wouldn't give them away.
La'an's brain worked in overdrive as she made the parallel between the last time they were in a sensitive situation - her ears turning red as she also remembered the particular tactic Spock used to get them out of it.
She glanced at him in the corner of her eye, wondering if she would be overstepping boundaries if she tried to do the similar thing now, seeing as the sounds of security officers were getting closer and closer to them.
Without even realizing, she reached up towards his hair, her fingers ruffling up his pristine bowl cut and making the hair stick out in all directions as she looked down at her in confusion.
She gulped as her fingers brushed over the tips of his pointed ears, slight green blush making it's way to his cheeks. He cleared his throat. "What are you doing?"
La'an brought her hands towards her own hair, fingers undoing the elaborate hairstyle she spent over half an hour on this morning. "Just follow my lead."
Spock opened his mouth to inquire about her motives but the unexpected sound of security officer that seemed awfully close to their current position made him snap his mouth shut and ultimately made La'an react on instinct. She saw his eyes widen for a second as she fisted his black undershirt in her hand and tugged him towards herself with the force he probably wouldn't attribute to someone of such short stature. Neither had time to think their actions through as they once again found themselves lip locked, only this time it was Spock that froze, her hands coming up to his ears and covering the distinct shape to the best of her abilities as they kept kissing under the cover of darkness. Spock seemed to recover his bearings faster than she did the last time - and she really needed to stop thinking about the last time they kissed - his hands finding home on her hips and pulling her flush against his front while he walked her backwards into the wall. La'an let out a desperate moan as her back collided with the hard surface but didn't break the kiss that took a more passionate turn that one would expect from people who were both often called 'cold' by their colleagues. She wondered for a second what they would think about them now, if they witnessed them practically devour each other as they fought for dominance in a rather unusual way, a different approach to their normal sparring sessions before she quickly chased that thought away.
La'an wasn't even aware that Spock and her kept kissing for much longer than it was strictly necessary, the time became a variable factor - units of measurement no longer applying as it almost stood still. It wasn't until the air became an issue that the two finally became aware of their surroundings once again - the guards now long gone in a different direction.
Spock cleared his throat, his lips wet and swollen from their passionate kiss, he took a step back from her, leaving La'an almost shivering from the sudden chill that passed through her. An air of awkwardness enveloped them like thick fog, making their senses struggle to return to normal as both shuffled on their feet.
La'an opened her mouth to say something, anything, to disperse it but Spock's eyes that looked like they were blazing fire prevented her from uttering anything, her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. She didn't know how it was possible for such dark eyes to glow , but somehow Spock seemed like an exception to every rule and she made a mental note to stare at him a bit less once they were back on board. What she wasn't prepared was for Spock to suddenly take a step in her direction, one moment from taking her back in and returning to their previous activity if the passion in his eyes was anything to go by, but he was stopped by the fammiliar chirp of their comm as Eneotorise was finally able to establish contact.
Upon their return to the ship, she also made a mental note to ignore the butterflies that were still dancing in her stomach.
3.
The third time it happened, Spock had been contemplating the possibility of the Captian bringing them bad luck on away missions, because despite the absurdity of such argument, he couldn't help but to catch a pattern that their away missions always somehow seemed to go sideways when the Captain was present - and in no small percentage but one that reached astounding 67.835%.
It was a clear sign the Captain should remain on board during risky operations.
Although, if Spock was being completely honest, the nature of the mission wasn't supposed to pose any risk, seeing as survey assignments often went without a glitch. "It will be fine." His Captain has said. "What could possibly go wrong?"
Spock was tempted to sigh as the phrases 'famous last words' and 'jinx' came to mind but he kept his mouth shut - an error he will not be repeating in the future.
Doctor M'Benga also accompanied him, along with La'an who was a regular on almost all survey missions, only this time the shuttle that they were using was insuring on changing their routine, effectively turning their standard away mission into a rather uncomfortable experience with a single glitch that the enhmgineers didn't catch during their routine check ups.
The four were forced to cram into an escape pod that was usually only meant to take two passengers, but since the shuttle was hurtling towards ground at an alarming speed, so that not even Spock had the time to reboot the system, they had no choice but to squeeze into a rather cramped space.
Spock was thankful for small mercies as he was able to send a distress signal to the Enterpise before the capsule was ejected into the atmosphere and he estimated that they will be beamed aboard in the next 15 minutes as soon as Lt. Ortegas was able to lower them into the orbit so that they could pick up on their beacon.
The silence in the emergency capsule was interrupted by the sudden bouts of panicked breathing and Spock, as well as the rest of the occupants, turned around to locate the source. Something in Spock's chest tightened when he spotted La'an practically glued to the metal wall, her chest rising and falling rapidly in time with respirations. Even under limited emergency lights Spock could see her wide eyes that were fixed on a single point, her face set in a mask of terror.
M'Benga immediately jumped into action, his tricorder already out as he approached her but La'an just kept on glaring at a single point, not even acknowledging him.
"Lieutenant." He tried calling her but she remained unresponsive. "La'an." He ran his tricorder over her head. "La'an, you are having a panic attack. You need to calm down."
"It's dark in here. Like... like-"
She lost a train of thought and shivered, her whole body shuddering. Spock took a step towards her, slowly and carefully as to not startle her. "Like what?"
Her gaze slid towards him, his voice making her almost snap out of whatever trance she was in. "The Gorn. They-" Spock saw the line of her throat move as she gulped. "They put me in a raft and sent me off, I-"
Spock reached out, his hands cradling her forearms as he tried pulling her out of her memory via physical touch. "You are safe. The shuttle has crashed and we had to abandon it. The Enterprise will beam us out as soon as they are able to catch onto a signal transmitted by out emergency beacon."
"There's not enough air." She whispered, her breath coming out in pants.
"You are experiencing a panic attack." He tried reasoning with her, not darring to step any closer since she already complained of the lack of air and him crowding her space could only do more damage.
"I can't breathe." Spock saw her eyes well up with tears as her words came out in a form of a plea.
Without stopping to consider the wisdom of his intentions, Spock grabbed La'an's hand and pulled her into him with one harsh tug, gasp flying out of her mouth as she found herself moving against her violation, suddenly physically as close to him as she's been during the disastrous away mission when they ended up being chased by the security. Her wide eyes looked up at him but she had no time to say anything as Spock covered her mouth with his, kissing her so deeply that it felt like he was taking all of the oxygen away from her instead of breathing it into her. For once, La'an didn't mind it as she immediately surrendered herself to the feeling, unlike the first few times feeling no hesitation as Spock kissed her gently, lips sucking on her's gently. La'an let out a pathetic whimper and leaned more of her body weight into him, confident in his ability to hold her upright, his large hands cradling her face as he tilted her chin up for a better access.
They surely would have kept kissing for who knows how long, time once again slipping from their fingers like sand, had there not been a rather loud and awkward throat clearing somewhere behind them. Spock fought against the embarrassment as the sound of their lips separating echoed loudly in an acoustic space, lightly turning his head towards the sound, only to find Pike's shocked and M'Benga's amused eyes on them. La'an herself groaned and buried her face into his science blue shirt, undoubtedly to hide the blush that was slowly turning her cheeks the same color as her uniform. Although Pike still looked relatively stunned at the behaviour two of his most stoic officers displayed, M'benga was already back in his professional mode, running a tricorder over La'an who still didn't move from his position.
"Although unorthodox, your method has certanly worked Mr. Spock." He said, amusement clear in his voice as he took in the readings. "Vitals are back to normal."
Spock nodded but didn't step away from La'an, letting her take in as much comfort as she needed at the moment.
And if he himself enjoyed the feeling of her pressed up against him - no one could judge him for it.
4.
He wished that the fourth kiss never happened.
The events leading up to it were blurry for Spock but the image of pale, blue lipped La'an has branded itself in his brain against his will, even weeks after the incident that was the only thing he saw when he closed his eyes, the image manifesting in the darkness behind his eyelids - all too similar to the dark waters that Spock pulled her out of.
He vaguely remembered the distress signal from the security team one - the one La'an was leading - the transmission wasn't prefect but Spock had managed to hear the world's La'an, lake and not resurfaced, clear as a day and it only took him a fraction of a second to sprint towards their location. Deep down he had hoped that by the time he arrived there La'an would be out on the shore, pissed off but breathing and alive, yelling at her security personnel about being "bloody idiots" in her distinct accent. However, his hoped crashed and burned as he cut through the thick vegetation of the jungle like terrain, bursting onto the cliff that several security officers were waiting at anxiously.
"Where is Lieutenant Noonien-Singh." He asked, just barely catching himself in using her professional title rather than her name, even though there was no hiding a panicked tremor in his voice.
"She's still under." One of her Ensigns spoke all too calmly and Spock felt rage claw it's way to the surface, his features morphing into an angry expression that had three out of five Ensigns taking a step back in absolute terror.
"And not one of you thought to jump after her?" His voice were a menacing growl as the Ensigns desperately tired to explain themselves but Spock paid them no attention as he ran off the cliff and into the dark waters bellow. The water was freezing, much cooler then one would have expected from a planet with an almost tropical climate but Spock pushed all of his discomfort aside as his eyes struggled to adjust to the darkness.
A glimmer of light hit just the right spot at the right time and Spock caught a glimpse of red in the sea of blackness as he quickly swam towards La'an who was dangerously still. As soon as he reached her, he grabbed her arm and pulled her to the surface, bright light of three nearby stars providing a stark contrast to the waters. Spock took in a lungful of air as he surfaced, cradling La'an's limp body in his. He looked up as he heard a shout of his name.
"Sir! The Enterprise is locking onto our signals! They are beaming us out!" And Spock would have thanked god at that very moment had he been a religious person.
He felt the golden warmth of transporter encase both him and La'an as he felt his particles accelerate to the point of becoming a pure energy that was able to be moved from one place to another with a speed of light before they slowed down again and his atoms pierced back together. As soon as he felt the hard floor of the transporter room beneath him Spock laid La'an down onto it, his eyes focusing on providing the first aid rather than the image of her pale and lifeless face that almost blended with the pale blue floors of the room. Spock counted chest compressions in his head, mentally freaking out as La'an still remained unresponsive. He wasn't even sure if the medical team had been called in as she continued with his task, unaware of the pitiful looks they received around the room.
Spock let out a howl of frustration as La'an refused to cooperate with him, stubborn even when it most certanly didn't benefit her. He stopped the compressions, his hands cradling her face and tilting her head back. "Come on!" He growled at her, his lips descending upon her cold and still one's, covering her mouth with his as he breathed air into her. "Come on! Do not do this to me!" He repeated the process once again, his fingers brushing against the meld points on her face, almost gasping at the electric current that went through him at the contact. He wasn't sure if the CPR or the accidental contact with meld points were responsible, but at that very moment La'an spluttered against his lips and Spock moved away from her as he helped her turn on her side, her frame shaking in his arms as she gaged and threw up a lungful of water.
Spock let out a sound he didn't recognize as anything civil, pulling her cold body against his instinctively. "S-Spock." Her teeth were chattering due to the cold and temporary loss of circulation but Spock has never heard a sound so beautiful as La'an's raspy voice.
He let out a sigh of relief, his fingers gripping her shoulder. "You are alright, La'an. You are alright." He wasn't sure if he was trying to convince her or himself of that but he was too relieved to care at that moment.
At that moment, the doors to the transporter room opened and a sea of people dressed in white and light blue poured in, M'Benga in the lead as he dropped down next to both Spock and La'an who were still soaked enough that they continued dripping water will over the floor, tricorder running over La'an that looked visibly worse than Spock.
"Her vitals are low, she is hypothermic. We have to get her to sickbay." Spock didn't allow anyone to touch her, he simply picked her up and rushed out with her cradled in his arms, forcing down a smile as La'an snuggled closer to him despite the fact he was usually cooler temperature than humans, La'an was so cold even he seemed warm enough.
Spock wasn't returned to duty up until La'an was stable enough to be released from sickbay - but if anyone asked, it was because Spock suffered from hypothermia as well - at least that's what M'Benga was willing to put on his record.
5.
The fifth time it was La'an that pulled Spock out of a sticky situation.
It was obvious to anyone with an operating sense of hearing or vision that the princess of Ka'Toh took a shining to Spock. Not that La'an could blame her, he was a wonderful specimen that represented both the humans and the Vulcans, attractive by anyone's standards - and he was one hell of a kisser too.
La'an frowned in displeasure as something ugly and almost green reared it's annoying little head while she watched the purple skinned princess rub Spock's arm (thankfully the clothed part) affectionately and flirtatiously. Spock, for the most part, didn't look too happy about it, his feet kept shuffling backwards every few seconds or so as he tried to politely and diplomatically refuse the advances of a rather pushy princess.
"Oh damn. Looks like we'll be heading back home without a Vulcan." Una chuckled next to her and La'an just barely managed to stifle a gasp and a flinch as Una managed to sneak up on her while she was too busy glaring daggers at the pair several feet in front of her.
"He doesn't seem too comfortable." La'an muttered, her brows set downwards in a frown.
"He sure as hell doesn't." Una mused and nudged La'an in their direction. "Ka'Toh people are very monogamous." La'an shot her a look, unsure what Una was aiming at but the taller woman simply gestured to the pair with her eyes. "To flirt with anyone that's taken is strictly forbidden." It dawned on La'an what Una was hinting at and she nodded at her, thankful for the subtle input as she made her way over to the pair.
She cleared her throat when she was close enough and Spock turned towards her, his posture relaxing slightly. La'an smirked as she came to stand next to him, lacing her arm through his. She saw the princess glance at it confusingly.
La'an batted her eyelashes at him. "I leave you alone for a few minutes and women are already throwing themselves on you?" She made an offended face, her lips pursing almost teasingly.
She saw the exact moment a light bulb lit up above his head. "I apologize. The princess was simply offering me a drink." La'an had to give it to him, he was also a good actor when he wanted to be as he immediately wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her towards himself. "However shall I make it up to you?" He quirked up an amused eyebrow at her and La'an smiled.
She wrapped her hands in the collar of his shirt and tugged on it. "Aww babe, don't worry about it." The last word faded into a sultry whisper as she rose up on her toes and sealed their lips together. Spock let out a humm and brought her closer, fingers flexing on her hip as he moved his lips against her's in an almost chaste manner compared to the previous kisses they've shared.
La'an laughed against his mouth when he froze, his eyes peering open and falling upon a spot where the princess used to stand but was now nothing but an empty space. Spock let out a sigh of relief and La'an expected him to pull away but he simply pressed another chaste kiss on her lips before he allowed her to move away, effectively ending their intimate embrace.
"I owe you my gratitude." He murmured quietly but La'an was close enough that she still heard him perfectly.
She shrugged. "Don't mention it. Besides," she wiggled her eyebrows, "can't let someone else snatch you away with their charm. What am I supposed to tell the Captain - that his Chief of science got stuck on a planet because a princess managed to lay a kiss on him? I think not."
Spock quirked an eyebrow as he listened to her talk, La'an has grown to know him enough to recognize it as a Vulcan equivalent of a smirk. "I assure you, there is only one person I desire to kiss." He locked his eyes onto her's, his gaze piercing through her and La'an swallowed a lump in her throat as she had a feeling Spock could see through her.
She cleared her throat and tugged him towards Una who was watching them with a smile, her cheeks blazing hot - and she was pretty sure Spock was smiling at her.
+And one time they meant it
Spock and La'an sat on an empty observation deck, their legs folded underneath them as their hands danced over the chessboard set on the table. For once the day has gone without the incident, both of their departments earning a gold star of approval from their superiors as they successfully finished a rather taxing away mission - one that had both of them anxious due to their unfortunate track record. They have both been holding their breaths, as humans were fond of saying, during the duration of the mission, their nerves on pins and needles at the possibility of approaching disaster.
They fears proved to be unjustified as their teams finished their tasks with more efficiency that either of them has recorded before, both of them exhaling silent sighs of relief once they were beamed back aboard and Spock was sent to analyze the samples.
Relieved by the good results, the two met up on an empty observation deck as per recent agreement. La'an has expressed her wish to learn how to play chess and Spock has been more than willing to be her teacher in the process, although the actual process included Spock struggling to lay a finishing blow as La'an got better and better with every passing match, quickly learning almost all of his strategies and forcing him to play out of the box more often than not.
Tonight proved to be no different.
"Today was... surprising." La'an said as her fingers moved her rock down to a different level to B4.
Spock narrowed his eyes at her illogical move but he knew better than to tell her that since La'an's tactic often changed rapidly when he pointed out something and with a rather delicate situation on a chess board, Spock couldn't afford any risks.
"I agree. I had estimated that our chances of successful mission without any disturbances were 26.395%." He countered her move with a pawn to A2.
"I know, right? This has been the most surprising outcome." She moved her bishop to an upper level to C6, her gaze flicking up to find his eyes already on her. "I was half expecting we'd have to kiss again."
Spock hummed. "Our previous missions have truly developed a pattern." He placed his queen at D8 of a third level - a rather risky move on his part. "I have been... looking forward to it." He cleared his throat when La'an froze, her hand halfway up in the air with a pawn in her long fingers.
"The uh," she cleared her throat and placed the figurine at the rather illogical place, with her pawn on C5 Spock now had a clear path to her queen and if he managed to take her, he could have her in checkmate in the next three moves, "the kissing?"
He nodded. "Indeed. It is the most anticipated part of a mission."
"Except for that one time I almost drowned, right?"
"Certanly." Spock brought his rock to D7, now almost certain of his victory.
"Spock?" La'an asked quietly, her eyes set straight on him. "What if you don't have to wait for away missions to do that?"
He felt his heart race as blood rushed to his cheeks. "Pardon?" La'an moved her queen to A5 and Spock frowned.
"You could just kiss me without the elaborate circumstances that have required of us to do it in the past." She shrugged and Spock gulped, his fingers moving his king one field to the left.
"I would... like that." He admitted quietly, his eyes mesmerized by the way the light front the stars they were warping past illuminated her face.
"Spock?" She practically purred his name and Spock felt a shiver race up his spine.
"Yes La'an?"
Instead of answering, La'an picked up her bishop and set it at E3, effectively caging his king. He looked up at her in astonishment, zeroing in on her smirking lips.
"Checkmate."
Spock didn't care about the fact that he just lost in the most epic way one could loose, his eye set on a prize much bigger than the feeling of pride he felt whenever he managed to beat her. His hand shot out and he wrapped her fingers around her wrist as he tugged her across the table toward him, his other hand reaching towards her upper arm, effectively dragging her to his lap as the chess pieces fell onto the ground in a messy pile.
He swallowed La'an's laughter with a kiss, lips finding each other for the first time in an embrace that wasn't forced by some other circumstance that was looming over their heads.
It was their best kiss yet - Spock and La'an knew that it most certanly won't be their last.