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Date: Tue, 17 Feb 2004 23:31:38 -0600
Subject: [ASCEM-S] NEW:"Never a Bride" 7/8 (TOS:K/S:NC-17)
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Never a Bride
Part 7 of 8

      *

There was a fine mist in the air as Amanda stepped out of the 
aircar in front of the Renaissance Hotel in San Francisco.  
She lifted her face into it gratefully.  Atmospheric humidity 
was something she very much missed from her youth.  The 
feeling of the skin on her face drinking in the moisture was 
pleasant, and she smiled broadly.

"I may have to stay on Earth," she said aloud to the doorman, 
who had picked up her bag and was waiting for her to enter 
the hotel lobby.  He smiled back.

"Most people dislike a Scotch mist like this, ma'am."

"They're out of their minds.  Thank you," she added, walking 
through the door.

The inside of the lobby seemed unusually crowded, she 
thought, as she crossed to the check-in desk and pressed her 
ID card into the slot.  The machine's screen flashed, and then 
went blank.  Suspecting a malfunction, Amanda removed the 
card to try again, but was distracted by a man in hotel 
uniform coming up beside her.

"Lady Amanda Grayson, of Shi'Kahr?"

He was speaking very softly.  Surprised, and a bit nervous, 
Amanda turned and looked at him.  "I am she."

"I am the concierge, ma'am.  Your room is ready.  We are 
having an unfortunate time with... crowd control, and it 
would be best if your identity were not known.  Is this your 
only bag?  I will escort you upstairs."

Amanda looked around, startled, and realized that many of 
the people in the lobby were watching her, some whispering 
between themselves.  "Very well."

"This way, ma'am."

When the turbolift door had closed behind them, the 
concierge smiled at her as he pushed the button for the 23rd 
floor.  "I apologize for the subterfuge, ma'am.  We flag VIP 
customers' names on the check-in computer so that no one 
can come up and read their ID and room numbers over their 
shoulders."

"I don't understand why I should be offered that treatment."

"It's your son, ma'am, and his partner.  Very famous.  If 
they'd recognized you below you might well have been 
mobbed."

"My goodness."  Amanda smoothed her jacket.  "Are they 
here now?  Can I see them right away?"

"Certainly, if you wish.  If you give me your card I will code 
the door of your suite, 2301, and take your suitcase there.  
Then I will deliver your card back to you in your son's suite."  
He pressed another button on the lift's panel and cancelled 
the call to the 23rd floor.  "They're in 2710.  You'll know it 
by the security outside."

"Thank you," she said, as the lift slowed.  "You've been very 
helpful.  I'd like to pass that along to your manager."

"No need ma'am, just doing my job."

Amanda stepped out of the elevator and glanced down the 
hallway.  As she'd been warned, two large men in Starfleet 
uniforms straightened and stiffened as they saw her.  She 
walked toward them at a leisurely pace, and smiled as she 
stopped in front of them.  Both, she saw, were armed with 
hand phasers.

"I am Amanda Grayson, Commander Spock's mother."

"Is he expecting you, ma'am?"

"I should think it highly unlikely."

The man who addressed her lifted a communicator in his 
hand and spoke into it.  She saw that he was wearing an 
earpiece.  He was silent for a moment, then he and his partner 
exchanged glances.  He then lifted a card and swiped it 
through the door's lock.  "Go right in ma'am," he said, 
pushing the door open for her.

"Thank you."

The door gave on to a large sitting room area, beautifully 
appointed and brightly lit against the grey outside the huge 
picture windows.  Amanda stepped in hesitantly, and gazed 
around at the gathered humans inside.  Three of them she 
recognized from her time aboard the Enterprise en route to 
the Babel conference, although she only knew the name of 
one.  "Doctor McCoy, wonderful to see you again."

"Lady Amanda."  He had risen from the couch at her 
entrance, and now crossed the room and held out his hand.  
The gesture startled her; no one had offered to shake her hand 
in years.  Giving herself a little mental shake she tossed her 
Vulcan training into an internal box, and took the doctor's 
hand warmly.  "We didn't know you were coming!"

"I had to," she said simply.  "Is Spock here?"

"I am."  She hadn't noticed the door opening across the 
room, but now her son stood there, casually wrapped in a 
terrycloth robe, his arms crossed.  Behind him stood Kirk, 
also in a robe.  Both men looked freshly washed.

Nervous again, she walked over and stopped a couple of 
paces from them.  "Spock, I came for many reasons.  But the 
most important reason is that I, and most of the clan, do 
approve of your choice of bondmate.  I could not have you 
thinking that I share your father's views in this matter.  
Captain Kirk, I am pleased and honoured to call you son."

The moment stretched, and then Kirk pushed past her son and 
held out his hand.  "Amanda, that means a lot to both of us.  
I'm glad you came.  Thank you."

She took his hand in both of hers and squeezed it.  "Thank 
you, Captain.  You are so obviously the perfect partner for 
Spock."  She looked up at Spock.  He uncrossed his arms, 
and the expression on his face softened.

"I, too, am pleased that you came."

"Come in, meet everyone," Kirk said, taking her elbow and 
steering her toward the conversation area of the big room.  
"You remember Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu and Lieutenant 
Nyota Uhura, don't you?  They have been helping out with 
this debacle that Starfleet is engineering.  McCoy you already 
met.  And this, Lady Amanda, is my mother, Doctor Winona 
Kirk.  Mom, Amanda Grayson."

Her life with her diplomat husband had given Amanda the 
ability to size up people very quickly indeed, and her 
appraisal of Winona Kirk was lightning fast.  She held out 
her hand and smiled, saying; "A pleasure to meet you, Doctor 
Kirk.  Your son is such a wonderful man, you must be an 
equally wonderful woman to have raised him so well."

"Thank you, Lady Amanda.  You've got a pretty great kid 
yourself."

"Just Amanda, please, everyone.  Why is Captain Kirk 
referring to this wedding as a debacle?  He must know that 
every mother wants to see her children married."

She shrugged out of her coat, not missing the grins that 
passed around the room, and set it over the back of a chair.  
Loosening her scarf, she sat down.  The others ranged around 
her, Spock and Jim together on the couch, McCoy down from 
them, Sulu and Uhura in chairs across the table, and Doctor 
Kirk beside her on a fourth chair.

"Well, they embarrass easily, Amanda.  And you call me 
Winona, please."

"Mom, anyone would be embarrassed.  Dress uniforms, 
Mendelssohn, flowers and wedding cake..."

"I vetoed the Mendelssohn, sir," Uhura said.  "Starfleet 
agreed that there was no bride, so you don't have to worry 
about that anymore."

"Thank god.  Amanda, they had us tape a talk show, it was 
excruciating.  'How long have you been together?  Do you 
plan to have children?  What's your favourite thing about 
your partner?  Does your family approve of interspecies 
marriage?'  I hate personal questions, and you can imagine 
how much Spock enjoys them."

"Not at all," Spock said.  "Having my personal life aired in 
prime time is one experience I would have forgone in this 
life."

"Well, I'd like to see it," Amanda said, earning more grins 
from the others, a definite frown from her son and defeated 
sigh from Jim.

"Me too," Winona said.  "It's on tonight.  We'll all watch!"

"Not us," Jim responded.  "In fact, I think that Spock and I 
deserve a breather from all of this.  Spock, what do you say, 
you and I will beam out of town for the evening, have dinner 
someplace nice and private and quiet, and leave all these 
other folk to amuse themselves at our expense?"

"An eminently preferable alternative."

"But, sir, where can you go?  Your faces are in all the news 
feeds, everyone will know who you are.  I'm sure that Mister 
Giotto won't approve."

"Isn't there a culture on this planet that respects the privacy 
of celebrities, no matter how trumped up that celebrity is?"

"Japan," Sulu offered.  "A Ryokan-

"Lieutenant Sulu," Kirk interrupted, "your knowledge is 
suspect.  I happen to know that although your ancestors were 
Japanese, you were born a stone's throw from this building."

"Sir, my auntie Tana has a Ryokan, a traditional inn, in 
Kyoto.  Lots of famous people go there.  It's isolated, private, 
great service.  You know anything about Ryokan?"

Spock and Jim exchanged looks and then turned back to 
Sulu.  "Apparently that is one area of Human culture we've 
both overlooked."

"They're lovely places.  All the rooms look out over a 
traditional garden.  At this time of year Tana's garden really 
shines with all the fall colours.  There's an ornamental pool 
and waterfall.  Relaxing.  Her best rooms are absolutely 
private, and have their own baths.  And she not only speaks 
perfect Standard, she is used to gaijin who don't know the 
rules."

"Rules?"  Spock asked.

"Gaijin?"  Kirk looked askance.  "White idiots, probably."

"Just foreigners, sir.  I can give her a call, see if she has 
room.  Let's see, it's 8 hours plus a day to Kyoto, so it's 
about eight o'clock tomorrow morning, there.  You could 
beam out as soon as you want, view the fishes, have a tea 
ceremony, a walk in the garden, a proper bath, a nice dinner 
and a relaxing evening.  Tana has some outstanding samisen 
players employed and I know Commander Spock will 
appreciate that.  Also a couple of the best masseuses in the 
country, and that's saying something for Japan, sirs.  There's 
even a dojo, so that you can get some exercise if you like.  I 
guarantee you'll feel better in the morning.  Ryokan are very 
peaceful places, and hers is really special."

"Are not the interior walls of traditional Japanese buildings 
constructed of paper?"

"Yes, but don't worry, Mister Spock," Sulu said, grinning. 
"Tana installed soundproofing as soon as the technology 
became available."

More looks were exchanged.  Then Kirk shook his head.  
"Amanda just got here, Spock.  It would be rude for us to 
go."

"Nonsense," Amanda declared.  "I will spend the time getting 
to know Winona and listening to Doctor McCoy's tales about 
your three years together.  I shall be perfectly content here.  
You are both under a great deal of strain.  A retreat to such a 
calming environment would be ideal for you."

Sulu had already risen and was crossing to the comm. 
terminal.  "Let's see if she has room for you, sirs."

"Lieutenant.  Japanese food..."

"Commander, Tana does great vegetarian.  Trust me."

"Very well."

     *

Jim woke feeling utterly relaxed and very confused, until he 
blinked around the room a few times and recognized the 
walls of the Ryokan.  The door to the garden was open, and a 
light rain was falling outside, making the red and copper and 
gold leaves of the garden shine against the myriad greens 
despite the greyness of the morning.  The fact that someone 
had managed to open the door without disturbing him told 
him that he must feel very safe here, indeed.

There was a faint, delicate woodsy scent in the air, and the 
sound of the rain on the roof was a peaceful counterpoint to 
the songs of birds in the garden.  Full points to Sulu, he 
thought.  It was even warm in the room, despite the open 
door.  He suspected an active forcefield of some sort, but 
didn't care enough to pursue the idea.

Instead he rolled over and snuggled up to Spock, enjoying the 
hard warmth of him.  Spock stirred and Jim could feel him 
waking.  A moment later Spock shifted and half lifted Jim 
onto his chest, Jim's head nestled against his shoulder.  
Without opening his eyes he said "Good morning.  If I were a 
man who made wishes, Jim, I would wish to repeat this 
moment every morning for the rest of our lives."

"You knock me out with the sweet things you say 
sometimes," Jim replied, turning to nuzzle Spock's neck.  
"And I'm the only person in the entire universe that knows 
about the romantic poet you really are."

"Please keep it that way." Spock smiled as Jim began to 
stroke his belly, and the smile went straight to Jim's groin.  
He moved again, pulling Spock over on his side, and gently 
made love to him.  Mouth to mouth and belly to belly, arms 
wrapped around his back, leg thrown over his hip.  No meld 
this morning, nothing intense, just the gentle exchange of 
pleasure for pleasure.

Both of them dozed for a few minutes afterward, and then 
Jim sat up and yawned.  "Shall we get cleaned up?  I don't 
know about you, but my internal clock is telling me that I 
slept until afternoon, although I'm sure it's barely dawn 
here."  He pushed back the covers and stood up, stretching 
widely.

"I am not subject to confusion about time based on planetary 
phenomena, Jim.  We have been here 22.5 hours."

"Feels like a week," Jim said mischievously.  Spock stood up 
and hugged him.

"I am glad you feel so.  I almost wish I could."

"Me too.  Let's shower, and then have a nice soak in the tub 
before breakfast."


     *

It was late Friday afternoon when they walked back into their 
suite to find all the usual suspects gathered.  Greetings were 
exchanged, and then Kirk turned from hugging Winona and 
glanced from Uhura to Sulu.  "It was great, and I am now 
ready to face whatever it is you are going to tell me."

Uhura chuckled.  "Your mother has had her new dress 
finished, and Lady Amanda's formal robes are just perfect 
with it for the ceremony.  The rings are here, your uniforms 
will be arriving within the hour for final adjustments, the 
guest list has been finalized, the dress rehearsal is at twenty 
hundred, and you both look almost indecently satisfied with 
yourselves."

Spock raised an eyebrow at her, and then retreated in silence 
to the bedroom, leaving Jim merrily glaring at Uhura.

"Is that any way to speak to your commanding officers?  Is 
there no bad news?  We're not required to dance a waltz for 
the edification of the guests at the reception?  Bones isn't 
going to make a toast?"

"Is that bad news, Jim?"  McCoy's slow drawl came from the 
couch.  "Cause I am going to make a toast.  I'm the best man, 
after all.  Well, one of them.  It's traditional."

"You and Scotty are going to propose toasts?"

"Sir, the reception details aren't really important for you, as 
you are required merely to sit and... smile, I guess.  Look at it 
this way, Captain," Sulu went on.  "At this time tomorrow it 
will all be over, and we can get back aboard the ship."

"Maintenance is finished with our quarters?"

"I'm told that the new carpet is being installed today and that 
means the furnishings can go back in tomorrow.  And I have 
some ship's business to go over with you."

"Better and better."  He moved to pull a chair up beside Sulu, 
then hesitated.  He'd caught sight of Amanda's glance toward 
his bedroom from the corner of his eye.  "Amanda, go ahead.  
I'm sure he would be pleased to see you."

She stood up, blushing slightly.  "You're very perceptive, 
Captain."

"Jim, please call me Jim.  Go on.  What about you, Mom?  
What are you planning to do for the rest of the afternoon?"

Winona shrugged, and looked over at McCoy.  "Leonard, 
how about taking me for a walk and showing me the harbour 
front?  I would like to get some air."

"A very good idea, ma'am."

"Thanks, I'll get my coat.  See you later, Jim."

"Take a couple of security guards, you two."  Relieved of 
social responsibilities, Jim turned his attention back to Sulu 
and rubbed his hands together briskly.  "What have you got 
for me?"

"Engineering, first."  Sulu began a long and detailed report of 
the work being done on his ship, and Jim felt the peace of the 
Ryokan filling him again.  Japanese inns were wonderful, he 
thought, but he would take his silver lady any day.

End Part 7 of 8


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