Work Text:
It was the day before Christmas Eve and Captain Pike had invited - or more like, insisted - the command crew to spend the holidays at his cabin in the woods of Montana while the Enterprise was being revised in spacedock. The shuttle dropped them off in the valley of Bear Creek, a good walk from the cottage, so they had to go on foot the rest of the way through the beautiful landscape. Wide fields and richs forests stretched as far as the eye could see over rolling hills covered with a thick blanket of glistening snow. In the distance, wind turbines turned in constant rotation on huge pylons and the air was so cold that each breath exhaled immediately crystalized into fluffy little clouds.
"Couldn't the shuttle drop us off closer to the house?" Lieutenant Ortegas whined from the rear of the small caravan, with her face buried so deep behind her scarf and hood that only the tip of her nose was still visible.
"No complaining, Lieutenant!" the Captain replied, leading the group with Commander Chin-Riley walking at his side in matching strides. He paused and turned to his officers. His cheeks were flushed from the cold, but his eyes were shining bright, sparkling with the same exuberant anticipation like a child on Christmas morning opening presents. "Just enjoy the beauty of nature - the fresh air, the smell of the pines. You'll be trapped on spaceships and space stations breathing artificial air soon enough again. But watch your steps so you don't slip."
"Maybe... we would enjoy nature a little more... if it wasn't so chilling, sir," Uhura piped in with chattering teeth, who seemed just as unenthusiastic about the weather conditions as Ortegas but chose her words a little more diplomatically.
"I don't understand what's the fuss about," Chief Hemmer joined the discussion. The Aenar seemed to be the only one who didn't mind the freezing temperatures and the harsh wind tearing at their clothes, feeling right at home among ice and snow. Lifting his face as pale as the white splendour around them, he took a deep breath while his long antennae twitched in delight. "This is like a walk in the park on a mild spring day on Andoria."
Unlike him, Spock seemed to suffer the most from the cold, though he tried to hide it with his usual stoic discipline. As half-Vulcan, his metabolism was used to much higher temperatures. Despite the thermal suit he was wearing and the heavy gloves covering his hands, he was trembling all over and the pointy ends of his ears had turned bright green. While La'an wasn't a big fan of this kind of weather, but she had to admit that the fairytale looking wintery scenery was a sight to behold. She took a deep breath, letting the fresh air smelling of frost and pines rush deep into her lungs, while her gaze wandered over the vast snow-covered hills and tree tops. Growing up on space stations and colonies with artificial habitat, snow had been nothing but a foreign concept for as long as she could remember. Her brother surely would have liked this place...
The snowfall was getting stronger by the minute. Countless fluffy snowflakes circled from low-hanging clouds and gathered on the frozen ground. Carefully, La'an put one foot in front of the other to avoid stumbling over any bump hidden by the snow, but before she knew it, she had already hit an icy patch, lost her footing and slipped. Hot pain shot through her body as she hit the ground hard with a thud. A groan of pain escaped her lips, catching the attention of her crewmates who surrounded her with worried expressions.
"La'an, are you alright?" Una asked who was the first to rush to her aide and knelt down beside her. Ever since the older woman had found La'an floating in space all those years ago after surviving the Gorn, she had developed a maternal protective instinct of her protege, for which La'an was both grateful and irritated - she was no child anymore and was quite capable of taking care of herself... yet, it was nice knowing someone cared so deeply about her that she could always count on them. Like family.
"Yeah, I just slipped," La'an replied. She gritted her teeth as she tried to get to her feet with Una's support, but couldn't suppress another painful groan in as she tried to put weight on her throbbing ankle.
Doctor M'Benga knelt down on her other side to scan her with his medical tricorder, confirming her suspicion. "Looks like you've sprained your ankle, Lieutenant. You should go easy on it until we reach the house and I can take a better look."
"It's okay, I can handle it," La'an grunted through clenched teeth, stubbornly pushing away the sets of helping hands reaching for her while she tried to rise to her feet. Without any warning, she was suddenly grabbed and lifted off the ground with such ease as if she were as light as a feather. Speechless and blinking in surprise, she found herself in the arms of the chief science officer of the Enterprise. The faces of the other crew members showed the same surprise at the Vulcan's unexpectedly bold gesture.
"What the hell, Spock!?!" La'an cried out in protest, her cheeks heating with anger and humiliation, underlined with a strange surge of excitement that made her stomach tight into knots. "Let me down!"
But the Vulcan refused to follow her command and shook his head as his dark eyes levelled her with determination. "You heard Doctor M'Benga's diagnosis, Lieutenant. It would be detrimental to put weight on your bruised ankle. I will carry you the rest of the way to the cabin."
"The hell you will!" La'an grunted and tried to wriggle out of Spock's firm grip which merely tightened in response to her fidgeting to keep her from slipping away.
"La'an, let it go," the Captain interfered smirking and exchanged a look with his first officer, who could only shrug, suppressing a sigh. "It won't kill you to let Spock help you. Come on, everybody, let's keep moving."
"Yes! Can we please go before I freeze my ass off?" Ortegas whined in a choppy voice from the sideline, huddled close with Nurse Chapel and Cadet Uhura to keep warm against the dropping temperatures.
The small group continued their way and La'an had no choice but give in. Grumbling under her breath, she swallowed her pride and let Spock carry her the rest of the way. Despite her time on the Enterprise and her growing attachment to the crew, she still found it difficult to give up control and let others help her, to show any kind of weakness in front of others. Begrudgingly she had to admit that being carried by the half-Vulcan bridalstyle wasn't the worst way to travel. He held her tightly against his broad chest and she tried her best to ignore the enticing senation of his taut muscles pressing against her, but couldn't deny the soothing heat radiating from his body, couldn't deny how good it felt to be held in his strong arms, like he was her personal heater protecting her against the cold and against any harm coming her way. Every now and then she caught the envious look of Nurse Chapel who must be wishing to be in her place, stirring a smug tingling in La'an's chest. The gentle rocking of Spock's footsteps coupled with his familiar scent lulled her in with her eyes growing heavy as her body started to relax. Without meaning to she snuggled deeper into his embrace and let her head rest against his shoulder and Spock's grasp seemed to tighten around her ever so little.
They reached the cottage as daylight was beginning to fade. The shadows casted by the pines were getting longer and the cold was creeping even through the thermal suits they were wearing. The darkening sky was forecasting a heavy snowstorm and a frosty night. According to the Captain, the cottage has been property of the Pike family for several generations and as a child he'd spend almost every holiday here. The interior decor of the house displayed a rural, old-fashioned charm, providing only few modern conveniences in reminiscent of simpler times long past - when the west was still wild and before space became the final frontier. There was even fully functional fireplaces gracing the spacious living room as well as the bedrooms upstairs.
"First we should get the fireplaces running so it gets warm and cozy," Pike said as he stepped inside the house with the others following him suit, eager to get out of the freezing cold. He brushed pieces of snow off his jacket and from his hair which was frozen stiff and standing out in all directions like the spikes of a porcupine. "The house has a regular heating system, too, but it's old and why have a fireplace if we don't use it? It's part of Christmas tradition."
"Hemmer and I will get some firewood," Una announced with a nod towards the blind Aener. She strode across the room with the confidence and knowledge of a person who had been in this house before and headed straight for the small boxroom beside the passage to the kitchen to retrieve an old-fashioned ax which she swung over her shoulder in a casual manner, looking like she'd done this countless times before. With Hemmer in tow she walked out the backdoor towards the wooden shack adjoining the cottage and a few moments later the thudding sounds of chopping wood could be heard from outside.
After they had taken off their heavy jackets and boots, the Captain motioned for his guests to join him in the living room where he checked the air vent of the chimney. Carefully, Spock sat La'an down on the couch and helped her take off her boots as well. He remained standing by the backrest, hovering over La'an like a protective shadow or watchful tin soldier, drawing a confused frown from the chief of security while M'Benga knelt in front of her and took a closer look at her bruised angle. Her slightly swollen flesh was covered in a jigsaw of purple shades.
"Does it hurt?" the medical chief of the Enterprise asked, his voice the same calm baritone he used on all of his patients which immediately made La'an relax despite the dull ache in her ankle.
She answered his question with a shrug. "Not really. I've had worse."
"I don't doubt that," M'Benga chuckled and as he cautiously inspected and palpated her bruised flesh before he studied the readings on the display of his tricoder. "The sprain doesn't seem that bad. Thanks to your Augment genetics, you should be fine by the morning if you let your ankle rest overnight and cool the swelling." As if on cue, Nurse Chapel appeared at the doctor's side and handed him an ice patch which he tied around La'an's leg above the bruising. "Just take it easy, will you?" The doctor reminded his patient with a meaningful look that made La'an wince. She knew she could be a difficult patient thanks to her stubbornness and aversion against sedatives, most of the time having to get dragged by Una by forth to get her sheduled regular health scans done.
A chuckle escaped Chapel's lips. "Lieutenant Noonien-Singh taking it easy? Maybe Erica should have brought her cuffs so we could tie her down."
The smol helmswoman peaked up at the mention of her name and strode towards the couch, a cheeky grin stretched across her face as she wrapped her arm around the tall nurse's shoulder. "Who says I didn’t bring them?" She winked in Spock's direction, clearly enjoying to confuse the stoic Vulcan with her ambiguous comments whenever possible. Chapel rolled her eyes and playfully slapped the other woman's arm.
After Una and Hemmer had returned with a pile of wood and the fireplace had been ignited, everyone gathered around the Captain as it was time to work out the sleeping arrangements. Besides the master bedroom, there were unfortunately only two guest rooms upstairs which had to be shared.
"Erica, Nyota and I can share a room," Chapel proposed, gesturing between herself and her two friends. "We want to throw a slumber party." After a moment's hesitation, almost on second thought, she turned to La'an, looking unsure. "You can join us if you want, Lieutenant."
La'an pulled a face and waved her off, having no interest in joining them and whatever they had planned. "I think I'll just sleep here on the couch, if that's alright with the Captain. Then I won't have to climb the stairs."
"That's a good idea to spare your ankle," Doctor M'Benga agreed.
"But if necessary, she can let Spock carry her around again," Ortegas said smugly, giving both officers a suggestive look. "It seems they both enjoyed it. We're actually a little jealous, aren't we, Christine?" Chapel rolled her eyes and elbowed Ortegas in the side.
La'an glared at Ortegas which seemed to amuse the other woman even more while Spock kept a straight face, unphased by the taunting. "I am happy to assist Lieutenant Noonien-Singh whenever and in any form she requires," he told her looking her straight in the eye with a deadpan expression. Whether he was aware of the innuendo of his words was hard to tell, but it was enough to make Ortegas' mouth snap shut and to send a rush of heat coiling in La'an's stomach as she involuntarily remembered the feeling of being engulfed in his strong arms and pressed against his firm chest.
"Alright, Chapel, Uhura and Ortegas will share one room," Pike interrupted the little verbal brawl before Ortegas could make another remark, drawing attention back to the topic at hand. "Hemmer, Spock and Doctor M'Benga can have the other." The three males nodded in response, none of them having a problem of bunking together for the next few days - not even Spock who valued his privacy, but that was most likely due to the fact that Vulcans didn't need a lot of sleep.
"And what about Commander Chin-Riley?" Uhura asked and pointed towards the Commander having returned to the Captain's side, the only one who hadn't been addressed yet.
Pike cleared his throat and exchanged a look with his first officer. His cheeks blushed and a coy smile tugged at his lips as he rubbed his neck. "I guess she will have to bunk with me."
Ortegas grinned, speaking before Una even had the time to open her mouth. "Sir, I'm sure that's a sacrifice the Commander is willing to make."
Spock awoke early the next morning, long before sunrise, so early that the rest of the house seemed to be asleep still. But crescenting restlessness made him leave his warm bed and the guestroom he shared with Hemmer and M'Benaga. He hadn't been able to close his eyes all night thanks to the Aener's thundering snoring. Doctor M'Benga had taken a sedative to get some rest, but Spock hadn't gotten off that easily, not even meditating having helped him finding peace. Thankfully, due to their biology and disciplined minds, Vulcans could go days without sleep.
He sneaked out of the room as not to wake up his colleagues and after a quick detour to the bathroom to freshen up, he went downstairs to the kitchen. As he passed the living room, he caught a glimpse of La'an's sleeping form sprawled on the couch and paused for a moment. The sight was so surprising and peculiar that he couldn't resist but to step closer and survey her more closely.
He had never seen the chief of security look so serene and peaceful, her features smoothed and freed from any burden she seemed to care around while awake. A strange, warm tingling spread inside his chest as he couldn't stop staring at her still frame. He noticed that she had kicked off her blanket in her sleep and was now laying bare with her thin nightwear having rolled up and allowing him a glimpse of her toned abdomen covered in goosebumps. He picked up the blanket and carefully drapped it over her small frame again as he didn't want her to catch a cold, resisting the urge to brush a few wayward strands of hair out of her face.
He put another chunk of wood in the fire to rekindle the embers before he continued his way to the kitchen, where he was suprised to find that Captain Pike was already up and about preparing breakfast.
"Good morning, Captain. May I be of assistance?" Spock asked as he approached his superior officer and took a formal stance with his hands clasped behind his back in familiar fashion. The Captain greeted him with a toothy smile and waved him over to his side.
"Good morning, Spock. Sure. I won't say no to my best apprentice. There's still plenty to do to prepare tonight's Christmas dinner. So grab an apron and let's get to work!"
A little later, the other crew members rolled in one after the other, lured awake by the delicious smell of brewed coffee and baked cinnamon rolls fresh from the oven. La'an was the first to join them in the kitchen and Spock couldn't help but raise his eyebrow at her sight, giving her a curious once-over. He tried to ignore the sensation of seeing her in casual clothing and with loose hair, stirring unfamiliar excitement inside him, but his treacherous gaze kept sneaking in her direction as she settled down at the kitchen table.
"How's your ankle, La'an?" Pike asked as he poured plenty of food onto her plate like he was trying to keep her from starving. H e was the last to join the group and sat down at the head of the table, watching his officers enjoy their meal with the same genuine expression like a caring father watching his beloved children.
"Fine. The bruising wasn't as bad as it looked. Doctor M'Benga scanned my ankle this morning and the swelling has already gone down," La'an replied between bites of scrambled eggs.
"That's good to hear. Then you can help with the preparations. There's still a lot of work to be done. I'll be busy cooking most of the day, so I'm counting on all of you to take care of the rest."
"Don't forget that you promised me a sleigh ride in the snow, Captain," Una reminded the Captain with a pointed look and a warm smile as she rested her hand on his arm in a gesture that couldn't be described as anything less than affectionate.
Captain Pike returned her smile, his eyes sparking with anticipation. "Don't worry, I haven't forgotten. I'll make room for it. Mr. Spock has already offered to help me in the kitchen. La'an can help you cut the Christmas tree." He turned to adress the rest of his crew. "Cadet Uhura, Nurse Chapel and Lieutenant Ortegas, will you take care of the Christmas decoration?" The three officers nodded in union.
"Hemmer and I are going to the lake ice fishing to catch fresh fish for tonight's dinner," M'Benga exclaimed from the other end of the table while digging into his own breakfast like a man starving.
"That sounds like an excuse so you won't have to help," Uhura pointed out with a giggle.
"We're just taking care of dinner!" Hemmer replied gruffly.
"Sure you are!" Ortegas mocked them with the rest of the room erupting in a gush of laughter.
Spock helped in the kitchen for the rest of the day. Working at the warm stove had the advantage that he no longer felt the cold, although his duties mostly consisted of chasing Lieutenant Ortegas out of the kitchen whenever she tried to steal from the freshly baked pasteries. The helmswoman of the Enterprise along with Chapel and Uhura took care of decorating the cottage and the tree cut down by La'an and Una. After they were done, they lounged on the couch in the living room with a cup of hot chocolate watching old Christmas movies from Captain Pike's collection.
While the Captain took Una on the promised romantic sleigh ride in the afternoon, La'an was demoted to kitchen duty and help Spock with the dishes. They worked together like a well-oiled machine with the science officer washing the dirty dishes and cooking utensils while La'an dried them off, both moving in sync almost like they had done the dishes together countless times before, almost reminiscing an old married couple. They worked mostly in companionable silence, absorbed in their own thoughts. Every now and then, jolly laughter echoed from the living room, making La'an envious of her colleagues for their carefree attitude. The last time she tried to be spontaneous and have fun, she played Enterprise bingo with Una and that backfired.
As subtle as possbile, she glanced at Spock from the corner of her eye, who was scrubbing the next plate in meticulous concentration. She studied his handsome profile in detail - his chiseled features, the slope of his neck and the curl of his earshell - and felt a fluttering reaction to his proximity, making her feel nervous in a way she hadn't experienced around him before. There was no denying of his physical attractiveness and they'd shared moments of great intimacy during their mind meld, but she never entertained the possibility that the attraction she'd started to feel for him was mutual, yet the way he'd held her while carrying her to the cottage and the concern he showed afterwards regarding her injury made her start to wonder otherwise now.
He must have noticed her stare as he turned in her direction with one of his eyebrows risen in his trademark fashion. "How is your ankle?" he asked, breaking the silence between them with his deep voice crawling down her spine in a pleasant caress.
"Good. Wasn't a big deal," La'an replied. She averted her eyes and pushed a few loose strands of hair out of her face with the back of her hand. Her neck started to prickle with heat upon feeling Spock's gaze lingering on her back. "You didn't have to carry me, you know."
"You were hurt and Doctor M'Benga adviced you to not move your ankle. It was the logical choice to offer my help," he pointed out as he continued with his task.
La'an sighed, having expected this kind of prosaic answer from the half-Vulcan, but the topic kept nagging at her brain like an unsolved criminal case at work did. "Still, you didn't have to carry me."
"I-" He paused, seemed to reconsider and rephrase his answer very carefully, his eyes avoiding her curious gaze as she looked up at his face in anticipation of his answer. "I wanted to... assist you, I mean." His answer was simple, yet his words conveyed a deeper meaning, hinting at his motivations being more than pure logic and platonic courtesy, that there might have been another reason to his chivalry that send heart racing. The green hue glowing on his cheeks indicated the same and La'an felt her pulse accelerate though she tried to hide it.
He handed her the next plate to dry off and without warning their fingers touched, making both of them gasp in surprise as the electric current charged between them upon skin contact. La'an turned away hastily, pretending nothing happened as she reached for a bowl of leftover chocolate icing and she succumbed to the temptation to steal a taste, licking the delicious frosting from her finger with wanton pleasure.
"Lieutenant, can you please hand me the-"
Spock turned towards her and immediately stopped in his tracks. His voice trailed off when he saw what she was doing, his eyes flickering down to her lips sucking on her fingertip, his body reacting to the sight in a way that was hard to miss. A shudder ripped through his tall frame as he stared at her. His eyes darkened with unmistakable desire as they raked over her body, so unexpected and with so much intensity that La'an almost swooned, the atmosphere in the room suddenly changing and charging with sexual tension, the heat engulfing them no longer just provided by the oven and pots frizzing around them. Like being trapped in a magnetic field pulling at their seams, they moved towards each other with their eyes locked, moving closer and closer until...
"Hey, you're standing under the mistletoe."
The spell between them was broken, just as sudden as it had build, by Uhura's melodic voice drifting across the kitchen as she appeared in the doorway with three empty cups in her hands. La'an and Spock jumped apart like being stung by phasers.
"Mistletoe?" Excited chatter echoed from the living room with Chapel and Ortegas rushing into the room shortly after Uhura, their eyes darting between the others. "Who's standing under the mistletoe?" they demanded to know in union.
Uhura pointed at La'an and Spock. "Well, don't you want to kiss? It's tradition!"
Both looked up in surprise, their eyes immediately settling on the green sprigs with the milky white berries hanging right above their heads. No idea who put it up there, though La'an suspected it could have been Captain Pike in hope to steal some kisses from Una during cooking. The romantic entanglement between the Captain and Number One was the worst kept secret on the Enterprise.
La'an exchanged an awkward look with Spock who's posture seemed even more rigid than usual. A part of her wondered if kissing him, albeit under the cover of a silly tradition, would be such a bad idea, given for how long she's been curious to taste him, even if she had shied away from indulging such feelings on the Enterprise, the same part that wondered what would have happened if they hadn't been interrupted by Uhura mere moments ago.
Feeling all eyes in the room settle on her face in expectation of her to make the first move, her head jerked back and she cleared her throat. "I'm not kissing him because of a stupid tradition!" she sneered and deliberately stepped backwards, out of the poisonous plant's orbit.
Spock's eyes narrowed. "I concur with Lieutenant Noonien-Singh. As I am Vulcan I am not bound to unreasonable human holiday customs," he claimed.
La'an felt a jolt of anger piercing her gut and a sharp sting clenching her chest at the thought that Spock had no desire to kiss her despite their previous moment of tension which she couldn't really fathom, though she shouldn't have been surprised by his emotionless reaction and it didn't even matter. It was nothing but an irrational, irritating thought that she pushed aside hastily as she flung the towel she'd been twisting between her hands in a vice grip on the table and pushed past Chapel and Ortegas to storm out of the kitchen.
In the evening, when the temperatures got even worse and the snowfall grew in intensity to the point that not even a shuttle would be able to navigate through the storm, dinner was served and everyone gathered around the set table, eating and drinking, laughing and exchanging stories in the festive atmosphere. As usual, the Captain served a lavish meal that included delicacies for everyone's taste. He rose his glass to give one of his famous speeches, praising the crew for their hard work and exceptional service.
"The Enterprise is more than just a ship," Pike explained with a tremor in his voice and moisture welling up in his eyes. "It's our home and you make it to our home. A family. I can't think of a better crew or anyone I'd rather be honored to serve with. May we have many more adventures together and bravely go where no man has gone before!"
Cheers erupted around the table after the Captain had finished his speech, and even La'an and Spock, who weren't experts at socialization and most often avoided to attend any social gatherings on the Enterprise, felt moved by his heartfelt words and enjoyed the cozy atmosphere among their crewmates and friends.
La'an had taken the seat next to Una at the table, but was surprised when Spock sat down across from her. During the dinner, he sought to catch her eyes across the table time and time again, his dark orbs conveying a message she wasn't sure she knew how to decipher. Did he try to apologize for the incident in the kitchen? Did he regret not kissing her when he had the chance?
His gaze became even more persistent and intense as the evening progressed up to the point that La'an almost felt its heat like a caress of her skin. He'd never looked at her like that on the Enterprise, he'd never looked at anyone on the ship like this, and somehow she doubted it was just the result of the intoxication from the chocolate sweets he'd allowed himself to consumate.
Neither of them paid much attention to the conversations happening around them, the atmosphere becoming more boisterous and tipsier as time passed, but La'an's focus stayed on the half-Vulcan stitting across from her with the same single-point attention centered on her, captivated by the graceful movements of his hands and the way his long fingers traced the slender neck of his wine glass, the sight making her long for his touch on her skin, making her imagine he would have taken the seat beside her and caress her under the table, hidden from prying eyes. She wondered how telltale it would be for her and Spock to steal away together to the kitchen, to return to the mistletoe and fulfill the tradition...
After dinner everyone moved to the living room to gather around the fireplace. Ortegas served homemade punch which La'an suspected contained a good dash of Saurian brandy, and Uhura performed a set of Christmas carols accompanied by Spock on his Vulcan lute which he'd brought along on the trip. The exchange of gifts was supposed to happen on Christmas morning, but being surrounded by her crewmates La'an didn't really need any more presents. She felt like she'd already received one of the greatest gift she could imagine and kept receiving it every single day she served on the Enterprise - she finally felt like part of a family again, to have a home again. Something she hardly thought possible after the death of her parents and brother and all the years of emotional isolation and loneliness that resulted of her loss.
At some point when it was getting late, the Captain got up on shaggy legs as he got a little tipsy himself and clapped his hands. "Okay everybody, time for bed or Santa Claus won't be coming to town."
With a lot of protesting everyone started to head upstairs to their rooms while La'an made her bed on the couch once again. Despite her ankle feeling much better she had no desire to share a room with Uhura, Chapel and Ortegas, especially not since she caught Ortegas smuggling the rest of the punch upstairs, suspecting her three colleagues weren't done celebrating yet. Spock was the last to leave the living room, lingering by the couch until it was just him and La'an left standing in front of the fireplace.
"Good night, Lieutenant," he announced, his mouth twitching like he wanted to say more, the heat in his eyes still palpale, but no further word slipped past his lips.
La'an straightened her spine, mimicking his formal posture, determined to push any thoughts of kissing him under mistletoes out of her head for the rest of the night. "Goodnight, Mr. Spock."
Spock wasn't getting any sleep for the second night in a row, but this time it wasn't due to Hemmer's snoring keeping him awake since the chief engineer had decided to camp outside with his sleeping bag beneath twinkling stars after the snowstorm had finally subsided. His thoughts centered on La'an and the attraction he had been starting to feel for her that he could no longer deny. A part of him longed to return to the living room, urging to reveal his true feelings to her and let his primal insticts take over like they'd almost done hours ago in the kitchen, but the Vulcan inside him held him back.
Additional to his troubled mind, it was the noises coming from the other bedroom that caught his enhanced hearing and kept him wide awake. Starting with a set of low giggles echoing down the hallway, the sounds soon turned into something far less innocent. A raunchy symphony of telltale moans and cries of pleasure painting a very clear picture in his head of what was happening in the room shared by Nurse Chapel, Lieutenant Ortegas and Cadet Uhura, and making him contemplate Ortegas's statement from the previous day about having brought her cuffs and was putting it to good use now. He tried to ignore it all as best as he could, tried to calm his mind with traditional Vulcan meditation techniques, but when he heard similar noises from the Captain's room and Commander Chin-Riley refer to the Captain as 'sexy Santa' while moaning to punish her for having been naughty, he couldn't stand it any longer and fled out of his room back downstairs.
He wasn't surprised to find La'an being awake as well, probably having been disturbed from slumber the same way he had. She was sitting on the couch, wrapped in her blanket and staring into the twitching flames lost in thought. For a moment Spock remained by the doorway, enchanted by the sight of her silky skin bathed in the warm glow of the fire dancing over her mesmerizing features until La'an must have sensed his silent presence somehow and turned her head in his direction. She raised her eyebrows at him questioningly.
"Can't sleep either?"
Spock gave a sharp nod in reply. La'an shuffled to the side and gestured for him to join her on the couch. Hesitantly, he complied and sat down beside to her with his back straight, making sure to leave enough room between so that their bodies wouldn't touch. They didn't talk for a while, just stared at the crackling fire that was slowly consuming log by log while trying to ignore the muffled sounds from upstairs. The heat radiated by the fireplace wasn't enough to keep Spock from shivering in his sleepwear which didn't go unnoticed by the woman sitting beside him.She moved closer, catching Spock by surprise with the way she snuggled against his side to share her blanket with him. He nodded his thankfulness and felt his body relax due to the additional warmth provided by the wooly fabric as well as La'an's proximity. The pleasant scent of her shampoo tickled his nose as he tilted his head to breath in.
They continued to sit side by side in comfortable silence, trying their best to ignore the carnal sounds of passion echoing from upstairs which were slowly crescending to the inevitable climax. Between Uhuras's highpitched moans coming from one of the guestrooms and Captain Pike's erratic grunts coming from the other, Spock couldn't stop his primal urges from resurfacing more intently than before, not with the way La'an's soft body pressed to his side and the tempting swell of her breast brushing against his arm. He couldn't help but notice La'an wasn't unaffected either even if she had to perceive less than he did thanks to his advanced hearing, her pulse accelerated, her natural scent sweetened with the intoxicating lure of pheromones as evidence of her stirring arousal.
Her body shifted toward him as she leaned in to whisper in his ear. "Technically I still owe you a kiss," she said softly, alluding to the unfulfilled custom under the mistletoe. Spock turned towards her, ready to assure her that she didn't owe him any dept, but halted upon noticing the flames of desire burning in her eyes as she bit her lower lip in the most erotic fashion, making his mouth turn dry and his blood rush south.
"It seems... we both owe each other," he corrected, his words sounding more husky than intended.
La'an moved to straddle his lap with the blanket slipping to the ground in a messy pile, but neither of them cared. Spock barely felt the cold anymore with La'an's body pressed against his in all the right places, her touch tingling on his skin as she cradled his neck, her eyes boring into his. His eyes widened in surprise at her boldness but felt no reason to protest. Gently she ran her fingers through his short hair, humming in relish at the softness of their texture against her fingertips, and tilted his head back against the backrest of the couch for better access. Spock stared at her, watched the flames dance across peerless skin, her dark eyes shining like molten lava in the dim light of the living room.
He reached for her waist with no more hesitation, overcome by the surges of feverish desire flaring up his system, the yearning to receive the kiss she promised him. His fingers curled firmly around her hipbones, holding on tightly, his fingernails digged into her flesh, but not hard enough to hurt, just with the right amount of pressure to let her feel the possessive claim of his touch through the fabric of her nightwear. He licked his lips in anticipation as she slowly lowered her head to close the gap between them.
La'an sealed their lips together, the first touch sending ripples of fire through Spock's body. Nothing about the kiss was chaste and his response was equally feverish as La'an's, chasing any doubts from his mind that this wasn't meant to happen. The kiss got more heated, both of them getting swept up in the sensation of their mouths devouring each other with their breaths mingling and the their tongues dancing relentlessly until they had to break apart for air. Spock's hands travelled beneath her top, letting his sensitive fingertips brush over her bare skin, tracing her spine in featherlight touches raising goosebumps on their paths over her back. A muffled mewl rushed from her lungs as she realigned her position in his lap to claim Spock's plump lips once more with additional passion, plunging her tongue deep into the hot cavity of his mouth, craving more of the ambrosia offered by his sinful taste.
The desire welling up inside La'an set her body alight and jolts of arousal pooling between her legs made her roll her hips and start to rock against Spock's groin. His palms glided down her sides to squeeze her rear and help her guide her movements, grinding her against the bulge straining the front of his pants. Their mouths parted but stayed hovering inches from each other, their panting breaths bleeding into one as La'an rotated her hips back and forth in smooth swiveling circles, chasing that wonderful, tantalizing friction she needed to quelch the ache burning in her sensitive core.
Spock studied her every move in avid detail, drinking in the flush spreading on her skin and the hitching in her breath every time she brushed over his swelling erection, mesmerized by her slow sensual and feline movements. His nostrils flared with the rich scent of her arousal saturating the air, yet he need to be sure she wished to continue just as much as he did.
"Do you wish to stop?"
His breathless question reached her ear through the exhilarating haze of lust clouding all of her senses, his voices sensually rough sending enticing shivers down her spine. His eyes met hers, searching for the answer he seemed to long for, every emotion he usually tried to hide from the universe apparent in his hungry gaze. La'an seeked out his lips for another passionate kiss and softly nibbled at his lower lip.
"No, I want more," she breathed. Her hands trailed down his broad chest, coming to rest on the waistband of his pyjama pants. "I wish to have you."
"As a Christmas gift?" he teased.
"Yes!" she replied bluntly, making Spock chuckle.
She untangled from his embrace and stood to get rid off her pants while Spock lifted his hips of the couch to push his pants down to his knees, just enough to free his half-hard cock. With a hiss he wrapped his hand around his aching member and started to pump it a few times to relieve some of the pressure boiling inside him, all the while his burning gaze stayed trained on La'an, watching her shimming out of her pants. Driven by new bolts of hunger upon seeing him touch himself, she returned to his lap, straddled him like before and wrapped her fingers around his shaft. His eyes fluttered shut, he revelled in her touch as she stroked him languidly until he was fully erect and throbbing for more. His snapped open again and he lurched forward to press his lips against La'an's collarbone, sucking on her pulsepoint like a man on a mission eager to leave his mark.
One of his hands dipped between her legs in search of her hot center, his thumb circled her clit while his long thick digits plunged into her moist core, caressing and thrusting in matching rhythm to her strokes on his cock, eliciting a soft stream of moans from La'an's lips. She weaved her free hand through his hair, tugging lightly as she threw her head back in pleasure and arched into his divine ministration. With skilled precision and firm touches it didn't take long for him to caress her in a frenzied state of arousal and coax the first orgasm out of her trembling body.
La'an shifted her weight after coming down from her searing high, her body ached to be filled by more than just Spock's fingers. She aligned the bulbous tip of his shaft to her sobbing entrance and slowly sank down on him. Her mouth fell open at the delicious the stretch due to his immense size. Spock's strangled groan filled her ear as he pulled her all the way down until he was fully sheathed inside her enticing tightness. They stilled for a moment to adjust to the new sensation and just feel each other in such intimate way.
"You feel wonderful," Spock cooed with his head rested in the crook of her neck, his nose nuzzling, his hot breath tickling against her skin.
"I wanted like this for a while," La'an confessed, gently running her fingers through his hair and caressing his back. "But I thought it was just a silly fantasy... That you would never want me."
Spock pulled back to look at her. "That is an illogical assumption. I have felt compelled to you for just as long. You have not left my thoughts since our mind meld. I thought that my feelings were quite obvious." He reached up to brush a piece of hair from her face and cupped her cheek in his palm. "But I was respecting your boundaries and did not want to impose myself on you if you did not reciprocate my feelings."
La'an chuckled softly and rested her forehead against his. "Guess we were both fools then," she whispered in his ear before she started to lick along his earlobe and suck on the pointy tip, elicing an eregous groan of pleasure from the half-Vulcan.
"Indeed."
She braced her hands on his shoulders and set a sensual pace, riding him leisurely without breaking eye contact, letting his length slide almost all the way out before filling her again. Spock's hand rested on her lower back, pressing her closer so that her sensitive clit dragged over his pelvis, his other hand snatching beneath her top to massage her breast, the firm yet soft mold fitting perfectly into his palm.
La'an found the right angle and gained momentum as she started to bounce harder on top of him, setting a maddening rhythm with her movements becoming more and more erratic, chasing the release of the tense pressure she felt building fast in desperate ecstasy. Spock's hips buckled upwards as he met her moves, pounding up into her while the couch was creaking and bending beneath their unbridled passion.
Her fingers clawed at his back, cursing them inwardly for not having gotten rid of the rest of their clothes prior to their passionate eruption so that she could leave her marks on his bare skin. Spock reached between their joined bodies and flickered his thumb over her clit to make her peak for the second time. Crying out in pleasure, she came undone, clenching down on him as her orgasm ripped through her body in powerful contractions, and Spock followed shortly after, her fluttering heat triggering his own climax, filling her in one long, hard thrust.
They locked eyes, fighting for breath, their bodies humming with the aftershocks of their passionate rapture. La'an curled up against Spock, exhaustion slowly crept into every fiber of her body, making her eyelids heavy, but she felt too content to move from her position in Spock's lap and the half-Vulcan was just as unwilling to part from their comfortable entanglement. He hugged her against his chest, picked up the blanket of the floor and wrapped it around their half naked bodies to provide them warmth once their heated skin cooled down as well as offer protection against prying eyes should someone stumble upon them in their compromising position. He took her hand in his and she felt a warm tingle surge between them as he slanted his fingers against hers in what she would later find out to be a Vulcan kiss.
A peaceful quietness settled all over the cottage with no more sounds coming from upstairs, implying that the other guests of the cottage must have finally gone to sleep. Dawn was still hours away, outside it had started snowing again, and La'an and Spock remained snuggled up on the couch together until Christmas morning arrived.
The End