S'up people! My boards are going on (as you all know, given the fact that that's all I talk about in the author's note) but here I am, updating for you guys! Either way, I hope you were having a lovely day, and I hope this chapter made your day (or night, depending on the time zone) better!

Kathy hopped off the helicopter, stumbling a bit before standing straight as she observed her surroundings. The house; or rather mansion; had a structure similar to that of any other Terran home in the desert. Most of the house seemed to be made of a processed form of clay. 

A logical choice, given the hot temperatures...

Kathy mentally groaned. She had barely spent an hour on Vulcan, and was already thinking like them. Turning towards her right, she saw a similar house; at a distance. Kathy squinted her eyes slightly, observing the house which seemed to glow; metaphorically speaking. Even from a distance, it gave out a homely aura.

That must be Spock's house...

"We shall dine at our home at 13:30 hrs", Sarek said monotonously.

"What he meant", Amanda began, shooting her husband a warning look, "was that lunch will be served at our place in an hour or so. And you and your family have to be there. No arguments!"

"See you in an hour!" Nyota said, giving Kathy an encouraging smile.

Kathy waved at her, before turning towards the house in front of her, gripping her bags tightly as she walked up to the front door, pressing the door bell hesitantly. Kathy raised her hand to ring the bell once more, her hand pausing mid- air as the door opened, revealing the monotonous face of T'Lan.

"Uh..." Kathy mumbled. "Bonjour! Ah crap, this isn't France. I meant rom- aru... I asal... er, whatever." (Uh... Good morning! Ah crap, this isn't France. I meant good afternoon.. I mean morning... er, whatever.)

T'Lan merely shot Kathy a disapproving look as she stepped aside to let her step into the house. Kathy grinned sheepishly at her before walking into the house with her bags, only to pause with surprise. 

The house was bland.

There was barely any life; any color in the mansion. Hell, even the plants looked lifeless! Kathy sighed softly. This was going to be a long and unendurable weekend. T'Preth walked down the stairs, looking at Kathy with a raised brow before giving her a curt nod. Kathy awkwardly returned the favor before following her sister to the guest room. 

Kathy dropped her calm facade the moment the door shut, letting out a tired yawn as she flopped onto the bed. It was cold and hard.

Just like a Vulcan's heart...

That's not true, not with Spock at least...

But he's part human, so he doesn't count...

What about Aloran?

... point taken...

Kathy snapped out of her internal monologue. Where was Aloran? She hadn't seen him anywhere. Shaking her head slightly, she fell back on her bed. He must have gone to school. Kathy scoffed. It was an insult to call that hell hole a school.

Kathy showered as quickly as she could, before hurrying out and rummaging through her suitcase, desperately trying to search for something suitable to wear. Kathy let out a frustrated sigh and collapsed onto the mattress, regretting her decision to come to Vulcan.

Soon, in spite of the uncomfortable bed and her troubled mind, Kathy's eyes fluttered shut as she fell asleep against her wishes.

*** *** *** *** 

"Wake up, you insolent idiot!" T'Preth hissed, making Kathy let out a squeak as she sat up straight, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

"We need to leave in ten minutes! You better be ready, sister", T'Preth grumbled, storming out of the room.

Kathy blinked slightly, looking around in confusion. Shock and panic took over her facial expression the moment she realized where she was. Letting out a panicked sputter, Kathy dumped out the contents of her suitcase, frantically searching for something to wear while trying to get rid of the tangles in her wet hair.

"Ok, I give up!" She exclaimed, throwing her  hands in the air as she quickly grabbed hold of a frock.

After carefully making a sideways braid, Kathy all but hopped down the stairs as she tried to wear her cute, white flip flops simultaneously. 

"Aha!" She exclaimed, patting down the creases on her dress. "I'm ready!"

T'Lan gave Kathy a disapproving look; was it because of her behavior or her frock, Kathy did not know. Grinning sheepishly at them before making a face as the two Vulcans turned their backs towards her, Kathy followed them to Spock's house.

*** *** *** ***

It was awkward. Period. 

It was Amanda who had answered the door, welcoming the family as she complemented each one of them. Kathy barely had time to breath before she was tackled into a hug by a crazy bundle of madness.

"Audrey! I missed you girl! How are you?" Kathy said enthusiastically as the girl finally pulled away from the hug.

"Woah Kat, you're looking hot!" Audrey blurted out.

Pin drop silence ensued.

"Not looking so bad yourself", Kathy mumbled in what she hoped was a tone of playfulness as she consciously tried to contain her blush.

Spock, meanwhile, had been sneaking glances at Kathy every now and then. She was looking like an adorable child in that frock of hers, her innocence shining bright. Her eyes literally twinkled with emotion as she tried but failed to conceal her attractive face with a cold, unfeeling mask. 

Spock mentally shook away his thoughts, before moving towards T'Preth and standing next to her, not noticing Kathy's eyes follow every movement of his. Sybock smiled reassuringly at Kathy, only to receive a hardly concealed glare from Kathy. Sybock gulped. He knew he was in trouble. 

The elders and Aloran sat down while Sybock and Spock brought in the various dishes. Kathy bit her lip as she tried not to giggle. A solemn looking Vulcan carrying a plate of salad was not something you'd see everyday, and believe me, it was actually quite funny.

Kathy turned away the moment Spock looked in her general direction. Her disappointment grew when Spock placed a hand on T'Preth's back and led her towards the dining table. Kathy waited for Sybock to enter the kitchen, before grabbing him by the arm.

"The least you could've done was tell her! Do you have any idea how upset she was?!"

Sybock shushed her softly, glancing at the table briefly before turning back to Kathy.

"Be soft, yeah? I do not want my parents to get involved in this."

Kathy rolled her eyes, mumbling a 'whatever''. Sybock grabbed her hand and turned her around.

"I'm sorry, I really am."

"That might work on Nyota, but it won't work on me," Kathy let out a low chuckle, "If you truly are sorry, then you have to prove it to me."

Snatching back her hand before grabbing the remaining plates, Kathy stormed out of the kitchen, head held high. Sybock swore under his breath before walking back to the dining table. Something had changed Kathy; something had made a part of her snap. And Sybock wasn't particularly thrilled by that.

*** *** *** ***

"So, who's going to pick Aloran?" Kathy asked, trying to break the silence.

Amanda and T'Lan were sitting together, having a deep discussion while Sarek had retired to his study immediately after lunch was over. The 'kids' were left to hang out together, thus leading to the current situation.

No one responded to Kathy's comment. Either they weren't willing to get up or they just hadn't heard her. 

"Well, I would offer to go, but I don't really know my way around here so..."

"T'Preth, would you accompany your sister?", T'Lan said.

T'Preth pretended to be asleep. Amanda gestured for Spock to take her to his room, and the Vulcan complied, gently shaking her awake before walking her up to his room. Amanda observed Kathy closely, wondering why the young girl hadn't reacted. Perhaps she was over her son?

Kathy played with her phone to hide her trembling hands, smiling at Nyota as the two friends struck up a conversation. Amanda watched as Nyota placed a hand on her friends shoulder, saying something along the lines of 'are you alright?', to which Kathy replied with a dismissive 'never been better'.

For a split second, Amanda saw sadness in the Cadet's eyes, before it was replaced by a mischievous glint. Amanda leaned back, slightly in awe of the girl. How she could hide her sadness from others, in spite of not going through the training Vulcans go through as children, was beyond her. 

"Spock, honey, be a dear and accompany Kathy to the school", Amanda said as she saw her son walk back down.

"Audrey can assist Katherina, for the two are acquaintances, can't you Audrey?" T'Lan immediately said while Audrey smiled innocently.

"I would love to, Lady T'Lan, but I really do wish to get to know my brother's girlfriend. I'm sure Spock doesn't mind. Do you Spock?"

Spock soon had two mirthful, two curious, and one monotonous stare fixed upon him. He cleared his throat.

"As you wish, mother."

Kathy followed Spock as the latter opened the door before stepping aside.

"After you, Cadet."

Giving him a nervous smile, Kathy complied as she attempted to look calm ad collected. On the inside however, her mind was freaking out. Spock's eyes were focused on Kathy, his gaze not wavering even once.

What is he trying to do, burn a smiley face into the back of my head with his piercing glare?!

Kathy exhaled softly, mentally beating herself for even bringing up the topic of Aloran.

This really wasn't how she had expected her trip to Vulcan to be...

So yeah... it was basically 2am when I wrote this chapter, so excuse the typos!

All the love,

Kit_Kat

xxx