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A few weeks passed since the domestic animals of various crew members arrived on board the Enterprise and the initial turmoil subsided. Luckily, most of the pets adapted remarkably well to life on a spaceship and didn't disrupt work too much, as La’an feared at first. She had gotten used to her furry little companion as well and had to admit that the crew's morale did improve thanks to the presence of the pets, especially after the bar had been turned into a ‘pet cafe’, where crew members with no pet of their own could cuddle with the cute furballs.
Runa and I-Chaya learned to behave since La’an and Spock allowed them to spend time together on their "playdates", although it became increasingly difficult to separate the two afterwards again. To prevent more of her furniture from being broken by the giant sehlat, she and Spock had agreed that the playdates would take place in his quarters and La’an had spent almost more time at his place than her own over the last couple of weeks, resulting in a lot of wild speculation about the nature of their relationship among the crew. Him blurting out at captain’s dinner that he also obtained a set of bedsheets made of the finest Vulcan silk for her to go with her new bed, had been additional fuel to the fire.
Both denied that there was anything going on between them beyond chaperoning their pets. Nonetheless, the truth was that La’an enjoyed spending time with the stoic half-Vulcan. While Runa and I-Chaya played, they used the time for sparring sessions, Spock taught her how to play 3D chess and Vulcan meditation techniques, or they would simply enjoy each other’s company while writing their logs. They even had that long overdue conversation about their mind meld one evening.
As it turned out, they had a lot more in common than expected at first glance.
As it turned out, La’an started to like Spock…
“It is not a date! It’s a playdate !” La’an insisted, growing tired of having the same argument with Una over and over again. It wasn’t the first time she had interrogated the chief of security about her relationship with the chief science officer and alluded to romance blooming between the unlikely pair, even though La’an kept denying it.
“You mean for Runa and I-Chaya?” The tall Illyrian inquired, her forehead ceased into a skeptical frown as she accompanied La’an on the way to the shuttlebay. Runa was squirming in her arm, barely containing her excitement for the upcoming trip. Even though the pets had adjusted well to life on a starship, many of them weren’t used to being cooped up in a small space for so long. I-Chaya in particular was getting restless in her kennel and breaking down doors again which prompted Captain Pike to order an unscheduled stop at a nearby Class M planet.
“Exactly! Spock and I are just there to make sure that nothing happens and that I-Chaya doesn't eat Runa,” La’an clarified. “Not that she would do that. She’s just a sweet, big, cuddly teddy bear. Spock has trained her so well. It’s really impressive how he handles such a big creature…”
“Mhm…”
La’an glanced at Una sideways. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You are gushing over Spock.”
“I am stating facts!”
“And now you’re in denial,” Una teased her. “If you ask me, there are better ways for you and Spock to break your bed than letting I-Chaya pounce on it.”
The chief of security rolled her eyes, feeling a tentative mix of annoyance and embarrassment heat her face. Her voice turned into an evasive growl. “Stop it! I've said it a million times! There is nothing going on between Spock and me!”
Spock was just a crewmate, a friend at best... someone she might have occasionally fantasied about, but that didn’t mean anything and certainly wasn’t sothing that Una needed to know.
“Tell that to your cheeks! You’re blushing harder than Chris did when we attended our first traditional wedding on Betazoid.” Una smirked, pointing a finger at her face. “Besides, don't you find the timing a bit suspicious since today is Valentine’s Day on Earth.”
La’an’s heart missed a beat.
Valentine's Day ... just thinking about it made her shudder in resentment. She’d never understood the excitement people still felt for this day, maybe because she’d never had a real date that didn’t end up being a huge disappointment and while everyone else went off celebrating and finding love on this pseudo holiday, she’d always spend the day alone, working or training. She had no reason to assume this Valentine’s Day would be different. Even if Spock knew about the date, he was a Vulcan and probably cared even less about such outdated celebration of romance than she did…
La’an knew all that, so why was she still feeling a rush of excitement accelerating her pulse as they reached the shuttle bay?
Spock was already waiting for them with I-Chaya on a leash. La’an’s steps slowed as she noticed the large bag he was carrying. They would only be on the planet for a few hours, luggage was unnecessary.
“What’s in the bag?” she asked, eyeing the pouch with rising suspicion, expecting to get attacked any moment by whatever Spock’s hiding inside. She hated surprises!
“I took the liberty of packing a blanket and food for our trip,” he explained. “It is unlikely we will spend the entire time playing with I-Chaya and Runa and will need a place to rest.”
Una grinned at La’an and nudged her side teasingly. “A picnic basket! Spock has packed a picnic basket for your date! How sweet.”
The way Una pronouced the worddate made it obvious she still thought there was more to this playdate than La’an claimed.
La’an gritted her teeth, glaring at the other woman. “It's not a picnic!”
“And it is not a basket,” Spock added, oblivious to the exchange happening between the two women in front of his eyes, though it wasn’t lost on La’an that he didn’t correct Una for calling their trip a date.
The planet looked like paradise and just so reminiscent of good old Earth that you felt right at home the moment you stepped on the surface. Of course Spock chose the perfect spot for the playdate and landed the shuttlecraft in a remote meadow on a low hill rising above a vast valley with a beautiful lake located at the center. The earth was covered with a thick blanket of lush grass and radiant wildflowers and the water’s surface of the crystal-clear lake glittered beneath bright sunlight shining down from a peerless sky. It was the most idyllic sight that La’an had ever laid eyes upon, enchanting her with its peaceful atmosphere - which was all too quickly disturbed as soon as the door of the shuttle slid open.
I-Chaya and Runa rushed outside, barking with delight and basking in the warm sunlight and wide open space surrounding them after being living with artificial gravity and life support for so long. They sniffed at the flowers wagging their tails, rolled in the soft grass and frolicked playfully over the hill and along the lakeside.
“I should better get them before they get lost,” La’an announced and sprinted after the two 4-legged menaces, cursing under her breath.
It was no easy feat to catch the two pets with both of them unwilling to listen to her calls, but eventually she managed to catch them before they could run off into the adjacent forest to never be seen again. When she returned to the landing spot with the two runaways in tow, Runa tugged safely beneath her arm while I-Chaya followed obediently on her leash, Spock had already spread the blanket on the grass and set up everything for their not-a-picnic . He had brought a variety of food, including a bowl of plump red strawberries and a bottle of wine that seemed to stem from Captain Pike’s private stash. He met her gaze across the clearing as she approached, his expression somehow tense and expectant of her reaction. La’an’s steps slowed in contrast to her heartbeat quickening as her gaze roamed over the scene presented in front of her, the weight of her own realization hitting her like lightning, throwing her off balance.
The food, the wine, the romantic setting…
Oh no, Una was right! This was a real date!
It was a Valentine’s Day date!
Her mind started to race with the speed of light as she recalled all of the past playdates, all the times she’s spent with Spock alone in his quarters, talking and playing chess and dining together by the soft light of his Vulcan meditation candles… Sometime during the last couple of weeks they seemed to have slipped into dating without meaning to. Or maybe La’an has been the only one who’s been oblivious to see the signs or notice the signals they’ve been sending each other which now flashed through mind in neon letters.
Absentmindedly, she let Runa drop to the ground, scratched that spot behind I-Chaya’s floppy ear where the colossus liked it best and loosened the leash.
“Okay, you two, you can go and play a bit more, but stay close, got it?” La’an told them in a whisper, before she set the two pets free again. Without a moment’s hesitation, the two pets dashed away and continued to playfully race each other across the meadow, stirring a swarm of butterfly-like animals with fluttering colorful wings that had rested on some flat rocks lining the shore of the lake.
Shifting her focus back on the half Vulcan waiting in the distance, La’an felt a similar sudden nervous flutter in her chest like the motion of the fluttering wings of the butterfly creatures flying around her, her heartbeat increasing with every step closer. Joining Spock on the blanket, it almost felt like someone took off the blinders she’s been wearing and let her see him in a brand new light, every gesture and every word conveying a new and deeper meaning. When their fingers touched while he handed her a glass of wine, she felt sparks fly and judging by the slight widening of Spock’s eyes, he must have felt it too. When he glanced at her with those dark eyes gleaming in the sunlight and with the corners of his mouth lifted in an ease of a smile, La’an couldn’t help but notice how close they were sitting together and how easy it would be to lean over and kiss him.
And even more, she realized how much she wanted to kiss him and maybe had been secretly wanting to for quite a while and had been just too much in denial to admit it to herself.
They fell into companionable silence for a while, content in watching Runa and I-Chaya dash across the lakeside in the soft light of the slowly sinking sun while sitting side by side. It would be difficult to get the two of them back on the ship when it would be time to leave again with all the fun they were having and La’an could hardly blame them. She felt reluctant to leave this little remote spot of paradise they had found either.
“It’s a beautiful view,” La’an mused in awe of the spectacular sunset painting the sky in blazing colors.
“Indeed,” Spock agreed. She sensed his gaze on her, but when she turned her head to face him, he had already turned away, pretending to be completely focused on the sunset, though with the tense set of his jaw and shoulders and with the way he obviously forced himself to not glance in her direction, he wasn’t fooling anyone.
La’an studied his profile, trying to catch a glimpse of his thoughts beneath the surface. His handsome features and dark glossy hair illuminated by golden rays of sunlight made him look like a piece of art.
She averted her eyes before she would be caught staring and took little sips of wine to loosen her tongue until she mustered up the courage to speak what was on her mind.
“Spock, I think we need to talk about this...” She gestured between them in reply to Spock raising one of his eyebrows at her in question. “Do you know what day it is?” He stated the current stardate without missing a beat.
“No, I mean what day it is on Earth,” she clarified.
“February the 14th, according to the most commonly used Gregorian calendar,” Spock replied, his forehead ceasing into a frown. “Is there something I should know about this day?”
La’an shook her head, feeling a tad foolish to discuss this kind of subject with Spock of all people. Vulcans weren’t known to be romantics and she doubted Spock would be aware of the special meaning of this day, or at least it would be irrelevant to his logical Vulcan mindset.
“No, it’s just something Una told me about this day… but it’s not important so forget about it.”
She tried to shrug it off, but Spock was persistent as usual. He put his glass aside, turning the woman sitting beside him into his sole point of focus. “It is important enough for you to mention it. Please elaborate. I would like to know the reason for your query.”
After a moment’s hesitation, La’an took a deep breath.
“She reminded me that today is Valentine’s Day on Earth,” she mumbled, her voice sounding soft and brittle and her eyes blinking rapidly in a nervous habit. “And she thought… that this playdate might mean something more like… Spock, are we dating?”
“Yes.”
“Yes??? ”
Spock fell silent for a moment, lost in thought and she almost thought she could see the gears turning behind his eyes. “Judging by our behavior pattern and the frequency of us spending time together and engaging in activities together beyond our social obligations, I estimate that we have been dating for 27 days.” He frowned, his cheeks turning a faintly darker shade of green compared to the rest of his complexion, the Vulcan equivalent of a blush. “I thought you were aware.”
La’an blinked in confusion, still processing the blunt admission in his words. “No... Not really.”
They have been dating… they were dating!
My God, she was really bad when it came to romance, wasn’t she?
27 days! And they haven’t even...
“Do you wish to terminate our amorous relations or proceed with the next logical step?”
She noticed the hesitation in his voice, as if fearing her answer, or maybe that was just her imagination.
“What would be the next step?”
“It seems to be the appropriate time for our first kiss.”
Her pulse accelerated and sat up straight as she tossed the words over and over in her head. Her stomach clenched with a variety of emotions rushing through her. The thought of kissing Spock was overwhelming, both frightening and exciting and a million other things she couldn’t name. Inevitably her eyes dropped to his sensual lips casting a seductive spell on her, beaconing her to close the gap between them.
“If you want to kiss me, then yes.”
Spock leaned closer and tilted his head a notch to the side, desire gleaming his dark eyes. “I have wanted to kiss you for 27 days,” he confessed in a husky whisper before he closed the gap between them.
Their lips met and La’an felt fireworks explode inside her.
The kiss was everything she could have hoped for, if she’d dared to hope. Shyness and clumsy experimentation melted away quickly under the sensuous dance of their lips and the soft exploration of their tongues, the intimacy of the moment wrapping them in a glowing haze of enrapture. One of La’an’s hands reached up, her fingers curled into the front of Spock’s uniform to hold him close as his presence seeped through all of her senses, though leaving or breaking the kiss seemed the last thing on the half Vulcan’s mind. He deepened the kiss, drawing a symphony of low moans from La’an’s chest with his surprisingly passionate affection.
For several blissful minutes, they surrendered to the moment, getting lost in the sensation of feeling and tasting each other, their mouths sauntering against another in a natural fit, almost like they were made for kissing each other, and La’an would have gladly continued if it wasn’t for Spock to pull back reluctantly, allowing them a second to catch their breath.
“That was a satisfying experience. Do you concur, La’an?”
La’an hummed in agreement, licking her lips, still dazed from the sensation of feeling Spock’s mouth press against hers, already craving more of his sweet taste.
“More than satisfying… but perhaps we should do it again. To make sure it wasn’t a fluke,” she suggested shyly, hopeful.
“That would be logical,” Spock replied, his eyes dancing with sparks of unleashed desire.
They leaned in for another kiss, but before their lips could meet once more, they were drowned in a splash of cold water as I-Chaya pounced on the blanket and shook the water from her thick fur after apparently having taken a swim in the lake. The giant sehlat plopped down beside La’an and rested her head in her lap, nudging her snout against her arm, begging to be petted with pleading button eyes. Runa jumped into Spock’s arms, her little tail wagging like a haywired fan as the tiny dog covered his face with puppy kisses, seeking his attention.
La’an and Spock’s eyes met across the blanket with the same sobering expressions. Unfortunately, it didn’t look like they would be able to engage in more kisses until they returned to the Enterprise and locked the two domestic troublemakers in one of their quarters.
Nevertheless it was safe to say that this playdate was to be considered a full success in more than one way and that it was only the beginning of the relationship between the two pet owners, with more playdates and real dates waiting on the horizon.
The End