Learning Human Nature

Summary: Spock has noticed Cadet Uhura and wishes he knew more about how human inter-act "romantically."
Rating: NC 17- nudity, sex
Pairing(s): Spock and Uhura
Feedback: reviews welcome.
Characters: Original characters - Uhura's father, Vernon Uhura; her sister, Kendra; her sister's lover, Max; a friend, Gabriel and the Vulcan, Sunval.
Author’s notes: This is my first fanfic. I hope you enjoy it. Story takes place 2 years before the movie begins.
Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek, Star Trek fandom or any of the Star Trek characters portrayed in this story nor did I receive any financial compensation for writing this story.


Learning Human Nature
Chapter 8- Wherever you go, there you are.


Just getting to the island was tiring especially after traveling all day from San Francisco. After the bullet train to the coast of Italy, they had taken a charter shuttle to Porto Torres, a city on a semi-circular bay in the northern part of the island. Uhura was impressed that Max had taken care of everything for them even to having a private vehicle waiting to take them to the villa he and Kendra had rented for the summer.

At the villa, Kendra led Uhura up a stairwell that wound along the wall to a second floor where two rooms divided by a hallway both opened on to a large balcony that gave a spectacular view of the sea and shielded the lower floor from the sun in the daytime.
“This is a beautiful room and it has a great view,” she said helping Uhura with the two light bags she carried. She turned on the bedside lamp and took some towels out of a drawer in a side chest. “Here’s some fresh towels. The bath is just over there,” she said pointing across the hallway.

“Thanks,” murmured Uhura. Kendra came over to her and gave her a completely engulfing hug.
“I know it must be something bad. But you know whatever it is, you can tell me don’t you?” she put her forehead against Uhura’s.
“I’m OK,” was all she could reply. Tears began to well up in her eyes then and she turned from Kendra lest she have to deal with her sister’s well intentioned but unwelcome ministrations.

Her sister left the room and Uhura unpacked her bags enough to find her sleep shirt and toothbrush. She crawled in between the clean, fresh sheets and closed her eyes trying not to think of Spock. How could this have happened? How could she have been so foolish? He must have thought she was another in a series of young women overly impressed with his intellect and cool demeanor.

He was aloof with everyone and somewhat “unattainable” and therefore much sought after among some of the young Starfleet cadets. As Gaila had put it, “lots of girls are hot for teacher.” Uhura supposed she was one of many. How many had gone to bed with him she wondered? That thought alone made her sick.

Her mind came back to what she knew in her heart. Spock had said, in essence, that he had no previous experience with human females. Did that mean she was the only one? Didn’t Vulcans always tell the truth? How could she have misread him so completely? “Some Xenolinguist I am,”she thought. She closed her eyes and banished the image that burned into her brain of the two of them entwined and passionate for each other.

It had only been 48 hours since that shared encounter with him. She shook head and let the tears flow for real for the first time since leaving San Francisco.


Uhura awakened to the sound of the Mediterranean Sea lapping on the nearly white beaches. She opened her eyes slowly and let the white light seep in in increments. Her eyelids were crusty with dried tears. The crisp sheets smelled of some light spice. She left her face covered for a few more minutes till her pupils could adjust, then she flipped the sheet off and stared at the room.

A mass of turquoise and white met her gaze as she looked across the room and saw the Mediterranean Sea shining blue and clear from the balcony. The breeze that blew gently through the room carried on it the scent of flowers which vined up and around the walls of the balcony and the villa. She stepped out onto the tile floor and walked out of the door of her room to the balcony. Her sister was lounging in a chaise on the other side of the balcony, a tray of fruits, breads and cheese along with juice and a large samofar of coffee stood on a side table.

“Morning.” said Kendra. “Coffee is hot and delicious. Help yourself.”
“Thanks, I will.” Uhura poured herself a large mug of black, steaming coffee and took a seat on a rattan chair opposite Kendra.
“Did you get any sleep?” asked her sister.
“Some, thanks.” She replied.
“I don’t want to pry…” started Kendra.
“Then don’t.”
“Nyota, you’re a wreck. You’ve got to tell me what happened.”
“Look, I made a big mistake. I did a stupid thing and I just need to be away for a while and get my mind straight before I go back.”
“Did the stupid thing involve a man?”
“Yes, well… yes.” Tears welled up and before she could stop them, trickled down her cheeks. Kendra took her hand and squeezed it hard.
“I’m so sorry ‘kubwa’ (my sister). Tell me, let it out.”

Uhura could no longer hold back the deep sobs of her sorrow. Kendra held her in her arms and the ocean envied her cheeks so wet with her salty tears.

In the end she told her sister about the brief affair and her feelings for Spock. About the semester of careful conversations and spare looks when she passed him in the hallway or stopped to talk in his office. She had not thought that she’d thrown herself at Spock, though she felt if she hadn’t gone over to his table that night he’d have never asked her out.

She talked about the night they went to the opera and how sad it made her to think that she and Spock could end up like Butterfly and Pinkerton. She put her hands over her face in shame.
“I can’t believe I am so stupid. How could I have thought there was more to this?”
“Maybe there is more to this. I mean you don’t know that he’s not off somewhere beating himself up for leaving you. Have you contacted him?” Uhura nodded no. “Maybe he realized he was compromising his and your career and decided to back off.”

“But he just walked away…. Without saying anything.”
“I know, but after everything else you’ve said, he just doesn’t sound like the type of man who would walk away for nothing. Maybe he was afraid he’d have to punch this Kirk guy in the mouth if he didn’t walk away.

Uhura didn’t know what to believe and she couldn’t accept that Spock had fled to scene to keep from taking down Jim Kirk. Surely his Vulcan side had that under control. Kirk didn’t even do anything except make a smart remark. No she believed that Spock walked away because he couldn’t face the humiliation of their affair being discovered. She wondered how long it would be before the hollow feeling in her gut went away, or if it ever would.

The next few days were filled with sunshine and spent lazing around the villa or on the white beach watching the waves lap the shoreline. Kendra and Max had been true to their word regarding their friend and neighbor, Gabriel.

He was a handsome Frenchman, a colleague of Max’s at the Sorbonne in Paris. A painter, and a brilliant strategist at the game of bridge. He drifted in for lunch and stayed till midnight almost every night for the first two weeks. He was witty and charming and he made a special effort to get Uhura to smile. He eventually received a smile from her after a long battle between he and Max over who would be partners in the afternoon game of bridge.

“I’ll be devastated if I have to play with you one more day my friend.” He said sadly to Max. “You couldn’t bid a 6 heart hand if your life depended on it.”

Something about the way his handsome face contorted into the sad clown just struck her funny and she smiled. He noticed immediately and announced,
“I claim my prize! The Lady Nyota is mine! I have made her smile,” and lifted her hand to kiss her fingers. Uhura started to jerk her hand away but he loosened his grip so as not to force the gesture.

Relaxing, she let him have her hand for a swift touch of his lips.
“Merci beaucoup, mademoiselle.” He said in his native French. He swept his arm across his chest and bowed gallantly. “Now we shall win the game!”
“De rein,” replied Uhura, ‘it’s nothing.’ But she felt something lift from her soul in that one gesture. She held herself in the rest of the day, occasionally lost in thought and wagering whether or not she had decided to let go of her misery or if her merry “fool” was just a good distraction.

Spock spent the first weeks of his holiday on Vulcan meditating and attending lectures at the Vulcan Science Academy. With a “never let your guard down” tactic in place he moved through his days compartmentalizing his thoughts, like files on his computer, stacking them and organizing them relentlessly until at day’s end his mind was neat and clean as a well swept floor.

His father spoke to him when he needed to know something or wanted to share an opinion with him. But otherwise they never broached the subject of his Starfleet career or his affair with Uhura. And he received no word from anyone at Starfleet regarding his career or his infraction of the rules. His messages were full of student evaluations and submissions for student projects for the next semester.

He heard nothing from Uhura, nor did he expect to. And it was only at night, alone in his old room that he allowed the barrier in his mind to drop long enough to think of her.

He sat at his desk, reading a translation of a sub space transmission in an obscure Romulan dialect he had used as a test for students in the linguistics lab. He saw at the bottom of the document that it was signed, Lt. N. Uhura, and the date.

Had it only been a month ago that he held her and explored her body with his hands and mouth? Only a month ago that they had shared the secrets of their desire with each other? Someone knocked softly at his door.
“Spock?” he heard his mother’s voice. “May I come in?” He rose and went to the door, opening it for her.

“Please mother, come in.” He ushered her inside. She continued past him and walked outside to the small balcony that overlooked the Vulcan landscape. He followed her outside.

“Spock. I have been waiting for you to come to me with your pain.”
“Mother… I cannot.” She sighed and walked over to the ledge that rimmed the balcony. “I love this place. I never thought I would, so foreign and volatile. But after nearly 40 years, I find I love it.”

“I am glad you are happy here Mother.”
“I made a life for myself on a path that was not one everyone could travel.” Turning to him she asked, “Do you think I could do this if I wasn’t strong?”

“No. It must have been very difficult to leave Earth behind and learn to live in a world alien to you.” She came over to him and took his hand in hers. His hands were like his father’s hands, strong with long elegant fingers.

“I know you are full of sorrow and loss. But I also know you are strong, like me. You are not all Vulcan, Spock. Have you considered that your human side has as much to offer you as your Vulcan side? To feel this much pain you must have felt an equal amount of joy.”
“I do not know Mother. I am conflicted about my feelings.”
“I’m only asking you to listen to your human side and do what feels right.”
“My human side…” he looked down and shook his head. “I have hurt someone I care about deeply. And I do not know what to do to rectify it.”

Amanda put her arms around her son and hugged him, feeling him stiffen in an effort to maintain his Vulcan composure.
“Spock, You have a great capacity to love and be loved. Go and set things right with her.”

He looked at her in surprise. He had not thought his emotions so transparent and he knew his father had not discussed his situation with her.

She continued, “No career, no culture, nothing is worth throwing away love. If you don’t believe me, ask your father. He almost lost me once.”

He glanced at his mother and raised his eyebrow. Taking her hand and kissing it gently he said,
“Thank you Mother.”