Title: The Best Countermeasure
Author: T'Sia
Rating: G
Pairing: Sarek & Amanda
Summary: On her first day on Vulcan Amanda has a problem she cannot get rid
off, but the countermeasure is on the way...
Disclaimer and author's note: Star Trek belongs to
Thanks to Saidicam for the challenge and the comments
along the way and to Selek for archiving :)
The
Best Countermeasure
Stardate: 2006.25.06.
Amanda looked intently into Sarek's eyes while they sat facing each other on
the couch in the living room.
"Amanda? Are you sure, this will improve your condition? Your face has
taken on an... unhealthy...
complexion," Sarek ventured, concern swinging in his voice.
Amanda waved about her arms, his voice disturbing her concentration. Just a few
seconds longer, just... Her head felt about ready to explode. She was
sure it was as red as a fire extinguisher by now but if she wanted to get rid
of this nuisance, she had no choice. Stars began to dance in her vision and she
swayed. Then she made the mistake to look at Sarek again and gasped upon seeing
his quite concerned expression. He was probably thinking she was dying.
She interrupted the process of holding her breath and filled her lungs with
much needed air - just to realize the oxygen lack would not ease! Obviously,
she had not taken into account that Vulcan's atmosphere is not as oxygen rich
as that of Earth and inhaling deeply felt like taking a shallow breath. Her
eyes widened when she realized she was not getting enough air like that and was
close to suffocation. Coughing and gasping she put a hand to her throat and got
up in on-setting panic.
Gentle hands pushed her back down and she saw Sarek reaching for the travel
bag. He took out a hypo spray and injected her with a dose of tri-ox the
healers had given them to help Amanda adapting from Earth to Vulcan atmosphere.
Instantly coolness flowed through Amanda's veins and the air she filled her
burning lungs with seemed to be the most oxygen rich air she ever breathed, so
delicious in taste that she almost believed to be in a rich Earth forest. 'What
a few lung boosters can achieve,' she thought.
"Deep breaths," Sarek advised calmly. "It will ease
shortly."
She nodded, half amused and half embarrassed about his overly caring manner but
when she looked at him, she saw the flicker of earnest alarm in his eyes just
before it vanished.
"Sorry," she squeaked sheepishly between gulps of air. "I didn't
realize I had to stop sooner in order to get enough air to compensate the loss
quickly enough."
Sarek's eyebrow ascended slightly. "A clear miscalculation of
environmental variables," he confirmed, but his tone was teasing.
Amanda smiled. "Well, hopefully I got at least rid of that..." *hic*,
"Obviously I didn't," she pressed out, just before her abdomen shook
again. "I'm sure it's the excitement about the
move."
"This would cause such physical reactions?"
Amanda nodded, wisely refraining from speaking while she felt another spasm
coming. When it eased, she sighed exasperatedly.
"Should we consult a healer?"
Amanda smiled and extended a hand to stroke her husband's cheek. "No,
don't worry. It's not serious. It will go away once I have become used to the
surroundings and calm down. I will certainly not bother the healers with such a
mere nothing on my first day on Vulcan." She stroked his cheek.
"Besides, you would not wish to get in a public place again like that,
would you?" she teased when she felt the slight stubble of an emerging
beard that gave his cheeks a dark shadow.
She almost chuckled in remembrance of how scandalized he acted earlier this day
once he realized he was not able to remove the beard before their arrival on
Vulcan. Secretly, she favoured the image he presented but to him it definitely
affected his usually immaculate appearance and was therefore intolerable.
Actually though, the happenings were only half as funny as Sarek's fussing
about the beard. With a shudder, she recalled the last hours during the flight
from Earth to Vulcan. Since the shuttle had suffered a malfunction in the twin
engines which left one engine damaged beyond repair and the second only
operable to forty percent, the captain was very strict about power use. He did
not allow any luxuries and choose to shut off all systems except life support
and the remaining engine, of course. That meant heaters on minimal capacity
only, no food, no warm water for a shower and no power for any other electrical
devices - Sarek's razor included. The situation made her remind her husband of
the day they left Earth. When they had been packing the last loose items for
the trip she suggested for him to use manual shaving equipment during the
flight. Back then, he had answered that he failed to understand why he was
supposed to do so if the shuttle supplied power and the electrical device did
the work more sufficiently than a manual razor.
"Well, now you know why," she had said to him while he critically
regarded his image in the small cabin mirror. After this trip, he would know
better than to question her suggestions that easily.
Unaware of her musings he pondered her question and finally the inevitable
raise of an eyebrow occurred. "While the Captain did not permit further
power drain from the shuttle's damaged engine there is still a fully operable
power supply in this house and I will be well-inclined to use it before we
leave."
Her mouth dropped open and she laid a hand on her chest, setting up a fake
shocked impression. She knew he was teasing but he deserved to think she was
mad for a moment. "Sarek, I am truly shocked. Are you telling me
that if your wife were dying you would rather waste time by shaving in order to
look flawless in public before you rush her to the hospital?"
'I even did that without a grin,' she thought. 'That'll get him.' Nevertheless,
she felt sorry for her ploy immediately afterwards when Sarek frowned and the
flicker of alarm in his eyes was back.
"You said your condition is not serious," he got up quickly and took
her arm. "If this has changed, it is wise to..."
Amanda smiled. "No, no, really. I was just
teasing," she touched his hand on her arm. "Sorry to make fun of
you," she whispered. "Apology?" she asked with big innocent eyes
and tilted her face upwards in clear invitation.
He frowned lightly on her banter but in the flutter of a second, the frown was
gone and he bent to her. "Accepted," he murmured and an instant
before their lips touched Amanda closed her eyes.
*hic*
"Damn," she muttered and looked down in embarrassment. "It won't
go away." She sighed and looked at her husband again. "Show me the
house, maybe it will occupy my mind enough to forget about the hiccups."
"As you wish," Sarek answered and took her offered hand to lead her
through their new home in Shi'Khar.
*hic*
The book Amanda held danced on her belly when her
abdomen seized again. She rolled her eyes and looked at the ceiling, then to
her side where her husband lay in the large bed of their new bedroom. How she
would have loved to christen this room in the first night of their stay. They
had been close to that but it was not to be. After she had seen the house, they
unpacked the first bags. A moment of sadness occurred when the first bout of
homesickness hit and she felt as forlorn as the few items she had brought to
this huge house. Although Sarek assured her several times that the impression
would change once the rest of her things came in a few days with the next freighter
from Earth she knew she would need much longer than that to feel really at home
here. The remainder of the evening had been decidedly nicer, however. After
Vulcan's blazing sun sunk below the horizon they had a pleasant dinner on the
terrace and talked well into the evening after that, enjoying the gentle
temperature and the wine until the night's air became too uncomfortable to stay
outside. When they retired, her anticipation did a leap. By then even the
hiccups had vanished... just to return when it started to get interesting in
their new bedroom.
She tried every countermeasure against the hiccups that she knew, but nothing
worked. She was already starting to get sore and rubbed her chest while she
thought about trying the dry swallowing again. Or should she drink more water,
perhaps? Her gaze wandered to the glass of water on the nightstand and she
chuckled lightly. Just half an hour ago - they had already given up any
attempts at more pleasant bed occupation than sleeping by then - she startled Sarek
by suddenly jumping up beside him and getting out of bed to try to drink water
while doing a headstand - not an easy task with the higher gravity of Vulcan.
Naturally, Sarek asked her what purpose she intended to accomplish by this
weird behaviour. Also naturally, she spilled most of the water on the floor
while trying to swallow upside down and Sarek's expression had been so funny
that she just could not hold up the tension any longer to maintain the
headstand. She only answered his question after landing rather ungracefully in
a giggling heap.
"There is probably no physical effect at all," she explained after
disentangling her limbs. "It might as well be the concentration that is
required to do it that makes the hiccups go
away."
"Interesting," he only answered and rolled on his back again. She
crawled back into bed but the hiccup got worse when she lay down, so she
remained sitting and started reading to occupy her mind, but until now that did
not seem to help either.
"Illogical action," she heard Sarek say beside her. He was obviously
not asleep and had seen the mental image of the headstand she thought of.
She smiled. "Call me crazy but I thought it would help," she said and
gently ran her fingers through his wavy hair. He opened his eyes and she looked
down on him. "Did you know that I feel like suffering from acrophobia each
time I look into your eyes?"
He frowned lightly, yet unable to grasp the analogy. "Is that so?
Why?"
Her smile deepened. "Because they are like the abyss that drags me down,"
she said lowly while she bends down to him. She did not even make half of the
distance when another bout of hiccup shook her. She gasped exasperatedly and
flung herself back into the cushions. "I am sorry."
Sarek came up on his elbows beside her and rolled over until he could place a
hand on her abdomen. "There is no reason to apologize, Amanda. It is a
physical reaction. If it does not ease, however, we should consult a healer in
the morning."
"Agreed," she said and briefly held her breath when her body shook.
Sarek looked down on his hand. Through the touch of her abdomen, he could feel
the intensity of the spasm. "Fascinating," he said and then looked
back at her. "Is this not painful?"
"Well, not at first. But it has gone on and on now for a while and I start
to get sore," she quickly continued when she saw him opening his mouth to
speak. "No healer necessary, yet. I swear,"
she said and held her hand up in the accompanying gesture for an oath.
"In the morning," Sarek repeated.
"Did you call your parents by the way?" she asked, trying to direct
her thoughts away from the hiccups.
"I did indeed. However, they were not at home. I left a message that we
will visit tomorrow and take the sehlat back with us."
Amanda played with the blanket. "Sarek, you know... couldn't we wait a bit
until we take him here?"
"Why?"
"Well, I'm not feeling comfortable yet having a bear in my backyard,"
she replied dryly.
"Sehlats are not bears, Amanda."
"C'mon, you know what I mean. They still scare me."
"How can that be? You never saw one before."
"I saw pictures and they look," *hic* ,"just
grizzly-like enough to make me uncomfortable."
"You do not need to concern yourself, Amanda. Sehlats are gentle
creatures. If this were not so, they would not guard children. The only
hostility that is shown is towards intruders and once the two of you have met
he will accept you into the family."
"Still...," she looked up at him pleadingly. "Just a few days
perhaps during which I can visit him a couple of times to see if he likes
me?"
Sarek was silent for a few seconds and then he inclined his head, "As you
wish, Amanda."
"Thank you," she smiled.
*hic*
She sighed, "Well, I know we have planned a lot for tomorrow. I don't see
a reason why not at least one of us should get some rest and you won't be able
to sleep beside me as long as I don't get rid of the hiccups."
Sarek looked thoughtfully. "What do you propose? I could use a meld and
try to alleviate your condition."
Amanda shook her hand. "The effect would be minor compared to the effort
it takes to accomplish it. Hiccups are common and generally harmless in nature.
Melding to resolve it is like ... I don't know," she waived about
her hands. "Well, would you put a cast on a paper cut?"
Sarek frowned. "Why would I wish to apply an excessive healing measure to
a minor injury?"
Amanda nodded. "See? Why would you do a mind meld to stop a," *hic* , -sorry- up?"
"Logical," Sarek murmured. "But still, what can be done?"
"Nothing can be done about it, dear. I'll be fine without a meld,"
she said and got in a sitting position. "You sleep and I'll just take my
book and go reading somewhere else until the hiccups are gone."
"Are you sure you will be comfortable?" he asked even as she slid out
of his grasp and got out of the bed.
"Don't worry. I'll be fine," she answered and put on her robe. She
blew him a kiss while she picked up her book and left the bedroom. "Sleep
well," she said from the doorway and left.
She walked soundlessly down the hall and
felt like a ghost in the white flowing robe. After a few steps, she passed a
mirror and stopped briefly. She pivoted on her toes to send the robe flying and
it billowed around her like a cape when she stopped and faced the mirror again.
Tossing her head back, she sent her hair flying and abruptly leaned forward
towards her mirrored image.
"Boooo," she said in a mock attempt to
scare the image. Getting a scare was supposed to help .
*hic* . 'Well, what use is there in trying to scare
yourself', she thought. 'Silly ghost you are.'
//Really, aduna // the mind voice of her husband rang through her
thoughts.
She felt embarrassment colouring her cheeks when she realized she had been
projecting. Nevertheless, she could not help to giggle. "Sorry,
dear," she said aloud. "I'll leave you alone now. I,"
*hic*, "promise."
A sonorous grunt was the only answer she got from him beyond the door and she
quickly moved on to grant him some rest.
'Where did I see the entrance to the study? Whew, this house is really large',
she thought and stopped at the juncture of several hallways, straining her eyes
to look into each. Somehow, the house looked different in the semi darkness of
the small soft glowing orientation lights. Since they had arrived too early,
the house had not been prepared fully and still lacked the standard voice
interface to enable the computer system of the house to activate the lights on
verbal command. Sarek had shown her the hidden levers to activate the light
manually but there was no way to find them in this darkness. Should she go back
and ask for his assistance? No, she had disturbed him enough already.
The weak light of the orientation bulbs dimmed her confidence to find her way
on her own, however. To Vulcan eyes, those lights might be as bright as street
lamps, but for her human eyes, their glow was barely enough to make out some
contours of furniture.
*hic*
'Oh man, I need something to occupy my mind', she thought and decided to take
the passage left of her. "Ouch!" she hissed after a few steps when
one bare foot crashed against an immovable object and for an instant, she
regretted that she had not retrieved her slippers before leaving the bedroom.
The pain was intense and the book she had brought slid out of her grasp and
landed with a loud noise face down on the floor. She leaned on the commode she
had collided with and listened briefly with her ears and mind to see if Sarek
had heard her - but everything remained quiet. Breathing deeply she carefully
put weight back on her foot. The bump still hurt but the pain was already
dulling. She picked up the book and set to continue down the hall, past the
shadows of unknown Vulcan objects and tapestries. Passing one particular item,
she stopped, thinking she recognize it and carefully tried the handle of the
door she was standing in front of. The door opened soundlessly and she sighed
in relief when she saw she had remembered correctly and the room beyond was
indeed the study. She could easily make out the layout of the room that was
illuminated by the pale light of Vulcan's sister planet T'Kuth
that shone in through top to floor windows.
Closing the door behind her, she walked to a comfortable looking chair and the
reading lamp beside it. After some failed attempts, she located the lever to
activate the lamp and light flooded the room.
"Whew, mission accomplished," she said to the empty room and put a
hand over her mouth when her body shook with hiccup. Rubbing her chest, she
slowly sank into the chair and began to read.
~*~
Half an hour later, she jumped up in agitation. Her chest really hurt now from
the hiccups and it had still not eased. The fact that she was drenched in sweat
since this room was not air conditioned during the night fuelled the fire of
her anger. Right, why waste energy on a room that held no occupants during the
night? "Damned logic.," she muttered. Too
bad the sensors to detect persons in the room were still missing, just like the
voice interface. She pondered the idea to get out into the night. Why not? The
sehlat was still with Sarek's parents and so there could not be any other large
predators in a fenced garden. She approached the windows and searched for an
opening mechanism - and did indeed find one. As it had been the case with the
lamp before she needed a few attempts to figure out how the mechanism worked.
She unlocked the windows and breathed a deep sigh of relief when one of them
slid aside and she could step out on the small terrace.
Desert night air engulfed her and for a moment, she did not care that she might
get a cold, exposing herself to the chilly air in her sweaty state. The stones
of the terrace still held the warmth of the day and she happily wiggled her
toes, her brief state of equilibrium disturbed only by the bumps of hiccup.
Inspecting the small terrace, she found a narrow path leading away from the
house. Her curiosity was tempted to inspect what lies beyond the next bend and
although she knew the house was fenced in against the desert beginning beyond
the garden she did not dare getting away too far from the house - not bare
footed anyway. Back on Earth, she studied a bit of Vulcan plant and animal life
but she definitely did not know enough to be sure not to step on a snake or
scorpion like creatures that might hide in the sand. Still she could not resist
setting one foot on the sandy ground and was surprised how cold it felt against
the warmth of the terrace stones. 'For the first time, I am really standing on
Vulcan soil,' she thought. Sarek would surely argue that she had walked on
Vulcan ground before, but still it felt different to touch it with bare feet.
The coolness of the sand was pleasant, she did another step, curiously bending
forward to peek around a bush with scrubby leaves, and thorn armoured branches
that blocked her view on the path.
The adventure feeling helped to increase the duration between bouts of hiccups
and she made another brave step. She froze when somewhere ahead dry leaves
rustled and a branch cracked. What could that be? A bird she had scared with
her movements? Or one of the rather cute looking rodents?
She shivered a bit in the cold and thought about going back inside but her
curiosity got the better of her and she reached for a thick branch of the
thorny bush and bent it towards her so that it gave away the view on the path.
Her lips tugged into a smile when she saw a small furry animal, not unlike a
mixture of rabbit and small kangaroo, sitting in the middle of the path. Its
long ears pricked in her direction and the big black eyes opened wide while the
whiskers twitched to identify her unfamiliar scent.
"Hey, you cute," she said and watched the animal tense. "Nah,
don't be scared..."
Abruptly the animal jumped and twisted in the air so that it faced the opposite
direction of the path. Now Amanda heard it too, a low grunting noise and more
cracking of dry branches. With a sense of on setting fear Amanda watched as a
huge, furry beast made its way out of the bushes onto the path, facing her,
obviously alerted by her voice. Amanda remained as frozen as the small rodent,
looking with big eyes how the huge bear like beast sniffed the air.
'Oh no, the sehlat is here,' Amanda thought. She had seen such animals on
pictures but eye to eye, it looked still larger and scary. She tried to tell
herself that this must be Sarek's former pet, not one of its wild relatives
that roamed the mountains, dangerous when being approached and deathly when
protecting their young. 'Run! It can't know you, it will deem you an intruder,'
a voice inside her screamed but she tried to ignore it and hoped for a better outcome.
"It's okay, I'm a friend," she tried to say in a calm voice but it
came out raspy. 'Just don't flee,' she thought. That would not only trigger the
hunting instinct of the sehlat, but also confirm she did not belong here - from
the animal's point of view.
The beast first tentatively, then with more agitation sniffed in her direction,
yellow eyes glinting in the light from the study, reflecting it like polished
metal. The sehlat's ears folded back when it sensed an unfamiliar scent that it
obviously perceived as offensive, judged by the increasing volume of the
grunting noises and the agitated shake of the heavy head.
'Please, don't attack,' Amanda silently pleaded. What should she do? She had
read about measures to protect oneself against bear attacks on Earth but they
did not guarantee the animal would not attack, not to speak of the effect they
could have on this alien creature. She had no choice than to try, however, and
lowered her gaze in order not to provoke the sehlat further. She held herself
ready to let go of the branch in her hand but when she lifted a foot to set it
backwards, the beast pounded the ground with big, clawed paws. She did not need
to be an expert for exo-terrestrial fauna to
recognize this as a gesture of aggression. The beast's patience with the
unyielding intruder finally ended and it bared its teeth and gave an
ear-shattering roar.
Despite her best intentions to keep calm,
something in Amanda snapped at the sound. In parallel motion both, the woman
and the rodent, which still sat on the path, until now frozen in shock as much
as the human woman, fled. The small animal needed not to worry since the sehlat
behind it had zeroed in another target, a strange animal with an offensively
foreign odour. With considerable speed, the beast set after Amanda who fled in
terror.
Carelessly releasing the branch in her grasp Amanda jumped back on the terrace,
not even noticing the several thorns that stuck in her bleeding hand. A
screeching howl remained unnoticed by her when the thorn armoured branch shot
back into its original position and hit the fast approaching sehlat square in
the face. Breathlessly Amanda reached the study and forced herself only with
some difficulty to stop and try to activate the closing mechanism of the windows.
Tears of fear gleamed in her eyes when she frantically fingered the device
without success, all the while thinking only how her first day on Vulcan would
also be her last.
// I am sorry, Sarek // she tried to transmit to him, sending all her regret
and sorrow about a life with him now lost forever along with the thought.
She wanted to scream when the sehlat, now a roaring hulk of fur and bleeding
nose jumped on the terrace, but like in a dream only a weak moan escaped from
her lips. Realizing it was useless to try to close the window before the animal
reached the entrance Amanda crossed the room and yanked open the door. Too much
in panic to close it behind her she rushed back the hallways she had come down
earlier.
//Sarek, help me,// she pleaded, her mental shriek
finally enforcing her vocal cry. "Help!!!"
Skidding around a corner, she dared a look over her shoulder and what she saw
made her blood freeze in her veins. She saw the contours of the sehlat's body
only vaguely, but its eyes trained for night vision, reflected the low gleam of
the orientation lights - as did the long ebony fangs. Growling only lowly now
the beast followed her like a dark shadow, the long claws clicking on the tiles
in a quickening cadence that indicated its increasing speed. The glowing eyes
that always remained on the same height while it moved - a sure sign for a
predator's eyes freezing on its prey - increased the scary image and only with
iron will, Amanda fought against the fear-induced rigour of a hunted creature
and turned.
For a moment time stood still and calmness flooded her upon seeing Sarek in the
opened doorway to the bedroom. The image was conceivably inappropriate at this
time but she could not help the impression that he looked like her guardian
angel, ready to rescue her while he stood there, framed by a corona of light
from the room behind him. The mystic effect lasted only briefly though, for now
she realized what she had done. She let the beast in - in its rage, it might
kill her and injure Sarek severely. 'No!' she though fiercely and began to run
again to close the door herself if necessary. "Close the door.
Quick!" she yelled.
To her horror, however, he did the opposite and came to meet her. She almost
ran into him with full force and grabbed his arms, trying to push back against
his Vulcan strength.
Sarek looked down in her fear-wide, horror-stricken eyes and wondered what
could have happened. He awakened to the feeling of terror and being hunted. At
first, he thought he had had a nightmare but after waking up fully, he realized
that he was not dreaming and the situation was not affecting him, but Amanda.
He jumped up and ran to the door, yanking it open to help her against whatever
she feared when he saw her already skidding around the corner. Looking back at
something that painted fear on her features she unintentionally projected the
mental picture of an agitated sehlat following her. 'I-Chaya,'
he thought with a start, for a split second wondering why he did not realize
before that the sehlat was here. Against her screamed warning, he set in motion
to meet Amanda half way through the hall and caught her when she ran into his
arms.
'What is he doing??!!' Amanda thought frantically but fear still choked her too
much to speak. They had to get inside their bedroom, hoping for the door to
hold out against the rage of the beast following her. However, instead of that
Sarek came to meet her! He grabbed her by the arms and pushed her in the
direction of the bedroom. Only then did she notice with relief what he was
about to do. 'Good!' Amanda thought. 'Back in there.' They had no time to speak
and she let him push her inside. Her eyes widened, however, when she saw that
he was about to stay outside and close the door. "Sarek!" she yelled
breathlessly, finally finding her voice. "What are you doing?! Come
inside, oh please come inside."
There was not time to explain to her, now was time to act to get the situation
back under control, Sarek thought. An agitated sehlat was not easy to calm and
this one perceived Amanda as an intruder and would not give up the hunt easily.
"No time to explain, Amanda. Stay in this room and do NOT come out until I
tell you," he bellowed at her while he closed the door. Too stunned to
react Amanda watched him numbly. The image of his concerned brown eyes in front
of the dark looming picture of the approaching beast behind him was the last
she saw before the door shut with a heavy clang. Amanda felt sobs whacking her
in dread anticipation what was about to happen. The sehlat would attack him! He
would probably pay the attempt to rescue her with his life and it was her fault
for she had been so stupid to go outside alone! Pressing her fists to her
mouth, she tried to stop the sobs but did not succeed until she heard Sarek in
front of the door.
"I-Chaya, Kroykah!"
he yelled with a thundering voice, a commotion following the sound shortly
after.
Amanda paced the room. She could just not leave him. But what
to do? A weapon! She needed something to use for a weapon. Dashing into
the adjoining bathroom, she yanked the drawers from a commode, carelessly
strewing the contents on the floor. She screamed in frustration when she could
not find something to use as a weapon. Looking up into the mirror, she did not
recognize herself - hair mussed, face and chest drenched in sweat, eyes wide
with panic. She realized she was completely helpless.
'Helpless and stupid,' a voice inside her said. First, she went outside against
better knowledge and now she could not even help her husband. In this moment,
she hated herself for what she had done and before the realization of the
solution for her dilemma fully occurred to her, she had already reared back
with one hand and smashed the drawer she still held into the mirror. The mirror
shattered and large fragments of glass rained on the washbasins. 'Of course!'
she thought and picked up a large piece, paying no attention she was cutting
her hand further. Only barely avoiding the glass fragments on the floor, she
left the bathroom, flew back to the bedroom door and hesitated a moment to open
it. Beyond the door, the hall was deadly quiet. Was Sarek dead? Not knowing the
answer drove her crazy and she yanked the door open. Makeshift weapon in hand
she jumped into the hallway, ready to face whatever gruesome picture she would
discover... and stopped in utter amazement.
The hand with the weapon sank to her side
when she watched her husband kneeling on the floor a few feet away. Beside him
sat the sehlat on his hind legs, head bent into Sarek's hands.
"Wha
. what is it? Sarek?"
Amanda asked weakly.
Both heads, that of her husband as well as that of the sehlat snapped in her
direction. The sehlat's lips twitched and revealed some inches of teeth. In
order to underline its point the animal gave a low warning rumble. Gently but
determinative Sarek turned the sehlat's snout back to him so that the animal
had to look away from Amanda.
"T'hy'la, I-Chaya, T'hy'la," he repeated
soothingly. The animal licked its mouth and the head sank. Sarek's gaze
returned to her. "Are you injured?" he asked, his eyes searching her
form.
"No," Amanda answered. "I'm just terribly frightened and caught
some thorns from the bush."
Sarek nodded and turned his gaze away before his wife could see the raw emotion
of relief in his eyes. The intensity of the feeling was just too much.
"Amanda, why did you go outside?" he said after composing himself for
a few moments.
Amanda looked down, "It was so hot in the study that I just had to get
out."
"Did I not tell you that even the garden can be dangerous when you do not
know what to look out for?"
Amanda blinked in confusion. "Well, yes. You did. But I thought you meant
because of the heat or because of animals."
His gaze snapped up to meet hers sharply. "Is the sehlat
not an animal?"
"Well, of course it is, but I thought you meant snakes or scorpions
or something. You said the sehlat was with your parents. I did not expect to
find him here. I'm sorry. I know I should not have gone outside but I thought
as long as I would stay close to the house I would be fine," the
explanations bubbled out of her.
Sarek shook his head. "I am not blaming you," he answered. "It
is my fault that harm was close to befalling you. I assume, due to the
communication malfunctions of the shuttle, my parents did not get my message to
inform them of our earlier arrival. Obviously, they still have not yet returned
home either to see the message I sent earlier this day or otherwise they would
have warned us that I-Chaya is outside. He is usually
free to roam between my parent's estate and this place. A gate with a sensor
allows him entry from the desert side," he explained further and fingered
the neckband around the sehlat's neck from which the small sensor device
dangled. "I should have taken that possibility into account and remind you
not to leave the house. I should have also asked for a confirmation of the message .," he finally finished in a murmur.
"Well, a miscalculation of variables," she tried to soothe him and
lighten the mood by teasingly quoting his remark to her earlier, but by his
expression she knew the attempt fell flat. "You couldn't know I would
disregard your advice and leave the house," she attempted once more.
"Furthermore, you couldn't know that the sehlat was here," she said
and noticed how the sehlat glanced in her direction when she spoke.
"This is why I should have checked on both," Sarek persisted.
Amanda breathed deeply. "Okay. Then beat yourself up over it but whether
or not you should have checked, the damage is done." She hugged herself,
still feeling uncomfortable with the big animal near.
"You are correct. In the current situation, regrets are illogical. What
has happened cannot be changed," Sarek answered and looked thoughtfully
from her to the sehlat. "Still, I wished to introduce you to my old friend
in another matter. He is a very gentle individual, but free to roam the garden,
he deemed you an intruder. This is why he attacked you. He is not
aggressive."
"Well, seen from his perspective he did what is expected of him. He
defended his home. But he scared the wits out of me," Amanda confessed.
"He could have killed me."
"Indeed," Sarek agreed gravely, the mere thought forcing him to
suppress a shudder. "However, sehlats are trained to immobilize intruders,
not to kill them."
"So are police dogs, but they can still do considerable damage.
If he had pounced on me with his weight and claws and teeth.,"
she shuddered, not wanting to follow that train of thought.
Sarek extended his hand, "Come."
Amanda made a step back, "But he's so big, even when sitting," she
said, still scared.
Instead of an answer, Sarek made a hand sign to the sehlat and the huge beast
sank down further to lie on its stomach. One hand on the sehlat's head he
extended the other in Amanda's direction. She approached slowly and noticed how
the sehlat's eyes followed each of her movements. Under the influence of
Sarek's soothing voice, however, the animal remained silent.
Carefully Amanda squatted half behind Sarek and laid the mirror fragment on the
floor beside her. She let Sarek grasp her good hand and watched while he guided
it to the sehlat's nose. The beast carefully sniffed to catch her scent. She
felt pity when she saw the thick thorns that still stuck in the skin of the big
nose that touched her hand. She was also surprised to notice the soft but dry
texture of the animal's skin. Slowly a long leathery tongue slid out between
the huge fangs and carefully licked her finger.
"Talk to him and keep your voice even," Sarek advised.
"Well, what can I say?" Amanda asked. "I hope you aren't trying
to get a taste of me after all," she addressed the animal but the slight
tremor of her hand belied her light tone.
Sarek shook his head, "Sehlats do not see very well. They tend to discover
their surroundings with other senses, like hearing and tasting."
"I see. Acquaintances made then?"
Sarek nodded. "The first step is done."
"Good. I'm glad we can make a fresh start. We were both quite scared, I
guess."
Sarek looked as if he wanted to say something but then his gaze dropped. A
muscle in his face twitched while he seemed to fight for some sort of decision.
At last, his gaze came up to lock with hers and she felt him reach for her
thoughts. //I too feared for your safety// he transmitted what he could still
not admit verbally, even in the privacy of their new home.
A rush of relief and tenderness accompanied the thoughts and the warm caress of
his feelings was welcome and chased away the last traces of fear. Amanda leaned
forward and touched her forehead against his. Both closed their eyes and
savoured the moment until the sehlat brought them out of it by emitting a low
whine. They watched as the animal rubbed a big paw over its face in the futile
attempt to get rid of the thorns still stuck in its nose and mouth.
"Poor dear," Amanda said and marvelled at how easily she exchanged
fear for pity, already forgiving the attack although she might never be able to
forget it.
"Stay with him. I will get tweezers and an ointment for both of your
wounds," Sarek said and got up.
"You leave me alone with him already?" Amanda said and cast a
pleading look up to him.
"Yes. There is no reason for fear. He will accept you," Sarek said
lightly and turned away.
"But," Amanda protested, but Sarek had already set in motion. One
sehlat ear and two pairs of eyes followed Sarek's movements while he walked
away. Amanda bit her lip briefly and peered at the beast before her. She was
startled but also slightly amused to see that the animal did the same.
'Well, no time as the present to get better
acquainted. I just hope he won't think I'm going to hurt him', she thought and
gave her voice the friendliest sound as she spoke.
"Who needs tweezers when having small female hands, huh?" she said
and gently reached for the sehlat's mouth when something stung her. The
animal's ears twitched when she gave a low hiss. "Wait, let me remove mine
first," she said and carefully plucked the thorns from her skin. She
noticed with amusement how the sehlat followed each of her movements with
interest but no aggression. When she finished she wiped her hand on the robe,
not taking notice of the red stains she left. Then she reached very gently for
the underside of the sehlat's mouth. To her surprise, the animal did not resist
and she held the muzzle steady while reaching carefully for the thorns stuck in
the nose and lips.
Holding her breath, she removed the first thorn, ready to jump should the
sehlat show aggression. However, the huge bear-like beast just grunted and
squeezed its eyes shut in pain here and there when she continued to remove the
thorns from its sensitive skin.
"Good boy," she soothed when she finished and stroked over the now
thorn free facial sehlat fur, surprised at its softness.
"Well done," she heard a male voice beside her and jumped. She had
been so intent on her task that she had not heard Sarek returning.
"We had dogs when I was little and they never could give up on chasing
hedgehogs and porcupines - animals with a thorn armor,"
she explained. "The dogs often ended up fighting with their intended pray
- and loosing. Afterwards we had to remove the thorns stuck up their nose. Must
have hurt like hell but I guess the hunt was too much fun. Hey," she
protested when she felt the sehlat's tongue again. Biting her lips, she
suppressed the urge to retract her hand upon feeling the sting of the rough
tongue on the wounds.
"I tend you, you tend me, huh?" she said and then looked at Sarek.
"Their salvia is not infectious, is it?"
Sarek shook his head, "No it is not. Otherwise they would be ill suited to
act as guards for children."
"Right," Amanda confirmed and carefully retracted her hand.
"Thank you," she said to the animal and stroked the big head with her
good hand.
Sarek's gaze fell on the mirror fragment still lying beside his wife. He picked
it up and looked thoughtfully at it while he sat beside her. "I assume
this is a piece of my grandmother's mirror that was hanging in the
lavatory?"
Amanda put her hand to her chest, "Is that your grandmother's
mirror?" she asked with a meek voice.
"It was," Sarek corrected.
"Sarek, I am so sorry," she said and lowered her gaze. "I
searched for something to defend us and I couldn't find anything and
then."
She felt Sarek's paired fingers on her lips and looked up in his understanding
eyes. "The loss is regrettable but the cause was sufficient. Material
things can be replaced - my wife cannot," he said pointedly and his gaze
was deep.
Amanda leaned over to him and kissed him on the lips. "What a sweet thing
to say," she murmured.
Sarek looked surprised. "'Sweet' is a word to describe a sensory
impression. I was merely stating the obvious."
Amanda rolled her eyes in exasperation but before she could start her usual
tirade about 'impossibly logical Vulcans' he spoke. "Show me your
hand."
That made her aware of her wounds again and as if on command they started to
hurt, so she did as Sarek told her and watched how he cleaned her wounds from
blood and sehlat salvia. A disinfection ointment and a band-aid did the job and
Amanda smiled.
"Thanks. In a few days I'll be as good as new."
"New?" Sarek asked.
Amanda laughed. "Don't take it literally. I mean I will be fully healed,
thanks to your care."
"Agreed," Sarek said and motioned for the sehlat. "And 'thanks'
to him."
"Ah, right. Thanks for the treatment, nurse," she said petted the
sehlat's head affectionately.
"No, I was not only referring to that," Sarek said and waited a few
meaningful seconds to resolve her confused expression. "Do you not notice
it?"
"What?"
"It is gone," Sarek observed.
Amanda sighed in exasperation. "What is gone, Sarek?"
"You did not have another hiccup for the past twenty-four point seven
minutes," he answered patiently.
Amanda's hand flew to her mouth when she understood. Anxiously, she waited for
the nuisance to come back. After a couple of long seconds, her hand sank and
she smiled.
"You're right. It's gone!" she squealed and tousled the startled
sehlat's fur. "At least this incident was good for something, huh?"
she said and then suppressed a shudder when thinking back only half an hour
ago.
She turned back to Sarek and forced her expression to remain serious. "You
know, we should seize the opportunity before it comes back," she said and
let her eyes wander in the direction of their bedroom. When her gaze returned
to Sarek, she could no longer suppress a teasing grin.
"Perhaps I should call a healer after all," he said. "The hiccup
came back before and we should not risk getting you - excited - again before
your condition is assessed."
Amanda's mouth dropped open, "Don't you dare," she said warningly
when she recognized the teasing gleam in his eyes. Then she grinned and gave
her best imitation of his way to speak, "Would it not be the logical
alternative if we assessed the situation ourselves and only call a healer
if," the grin widened and she emphasized the next word, "*need*
arises?"
Sarek hesitated but she could see he was just putting on a show, and then he
held out paired fingers to her. "Logical, my wife," he said and they
got up.
When they reached the entrance to their bedroom, something nudged Amanda's hip.
"Oh, right. We forgot about you," Amanda said and almost shrank back
from the large animal behind her - she had already forgotten how big the sehlat
was. However, the face of the large beast did not look frightening to her
anymore, despite the long fangs. She looked questioningly at Sarek and saw how
he exchanged a glance with the sehlat. To her surprise, I-Chaya
turned and lazily trotted back the way they had come.
"Where will he go?" Amanda asked.
The teasing gleam returned to Sarek's eyes. "He will roam the house and . keep out intruders."
Amanda punched him playfully in the arm. "You," she said
exasperatedly. She gave him a light shove and followed him into the room.
"You know, you're damned lucky *some* intruder came back in here
and�" the sound of her voice stopped abruptly and shortly after the door
shut. I-Chaya looked back at the clank of the closing
door and shook his heavy head upon the weird noises coming from the room
thereafter. After listening a few seconds, the sehlat continued to trot down
the hall, the clicking sound of its claws trailing away when it rounded the
last corner.
THE END