Spock did her best to not react while Kevin Janeway treated her like an old friend that he hadn't met in a very long time. The silence between them as they had their first meeting, was companionable and she enjoyed it thoroughly, which was slightly worrying for her. It was endearing and she wasn't sure how to respond to it or to the perceived instant connection they had.

She returned to her quarters that were better than her official residence and used the computer to look up the man and his career. It didn't take long for her to also find out how long Tuvoc and he had been friends. They served together for years and there was mutual respect and deference to each other, showing a level of trust that was rare.

Neither of them resented Janeway earning the command of a ship before Tuvoc, and Janeway brought her friend along as well. His benefits also benefited her, not that Tuvoc saw it that way. She would assume Janeway needed someone she could trust nearby and not think it was favoritism or nepotism. For some reason, Spock suspected that Janeway also didn't see it as favoritism or nepotism, either.

She went to the replicator and called forth several pieces of high Vulcan fashion, just because she wanted to tweak the ambassador's nose. She suspected the captain hadn't informed the man that she was onboard and she secretly delighted in what her being there as a backup ambassador was going to do to the man. She really shouldn't feel satisfaction about it and tried to repress all of her emotions, only to barely manage to suppress them.

Am I being affected by Janeway's reaction to my presence? Spock asked herself and shook her head as she stepped into the sonic shower to clean up before dressing. No, I am almost a hundred years older than him. He sees me as little more than another Vulcan that is thirty years older than his longtime friend, Tuvoc.

She dressed and spent a little more time putting her grey hair into a complicated hairdo that drew the eye and added a few accents to her dress that showed off her importance. It wasn't until she was halfway to the mess hall that she realized she had done much more prep work on herself than she usually did. It wasn't like her to be vain like that.

When the doors opened and revealed her presence to the gathered officers, everyone in the room turned to look at her. Everyone had looks of surprise on their faces, which told her that the captain hadn't told anyone but Tuvoc that she was onboard.

Why would he do that? Spock thought and her eyes met the ambassador's and the man looked at her with a deep-seated hatred. Oh, that's why. She thought and felt satisfaction at achieving the reaction she wanted.

Spock turned her head slightly to see Captain Janeway staring at her and she suppressed her blush at the intensity in his gaze. She also couldn't stop the small smile that appeared on her face as he walked over to her.

“Ah, Ambassador Spock! I'm so very glad that you could attend this momentous occasion on such short notice.” Kevin said and took her hand, bent over it, and placed a feather-light kiss on her fingers. “The federation ambassador only arrived a short time ago.”

Spock needed a moment to parse his words and his actions, because he just told her she had boarded his ship a full day before the actual ambassador to the Romulans and that meant a lot to her. Her heart was not fluttering from his chivalry. No, it was not. Stop it, heart!

“Captain Janeway, I must thank you for the personal invitation...” Spock paused and glanced at the ambassador and his wife. “...and for giving me such a warm welcome.”

Kevin chuckled and stood up straight. “Think nothing of it, Ambassador Spock. It's only a polite greeting, after all.” He said and motioned to the side of the room where most of the other people were mingling. “Please allow me to guide you and introduce you to the rest of my command staff.”

“I would be honored. Thank you, captain.” Spock said and played along, even greeting Tuvoc as if they hadn't met before.

It put a small smile on Tuvoc's face as well, because it was highlighting the fact the ambassador and his wife did not get the same 'polite' treatment. The couple being introduced last and as 'Ambassador Velorum and his aide', which was not polite at all, really had the man and his wife looking embarrassed.

The dinner was awkward for a while after a display like that, and Spock didn't care. She enjoyed talking with both Tuvoc on her right and Janeway on her left, and ate another Vulcan dish that was delicious. The only surprise of the night was that the captain had kept up with their conversation, no matter what she discussed with him and with Tuvoc.

As for the ambassador and his wife, both remained embarrassed for the entire meal and left before the after party gathering. The doors to the mess hall were not thick, so everyone heard the wife loudly berate the idiot for forcing the situation on them, because he was jealous that another man knew her name before they were introduced.

Spock was hopeful the lesson would be learned well and the man could accept his faults. He was a good diplomat and this was a prestige posting. If he could work past his limitations, he could become a great diplomat.

The social gathering lasted for another hour and Spock enjoyed it. She kept her composure, even though Kevin continued to act like they were longtime friends. Again, it was endearing and she wasn't sure what to do about it. It wasn't hurting anyone, it was just confusing.

Was he confusing Spock with his longtime friend Tuvoc, or did he assume that because he was friends with an older Vulcan, whom was also her friend, he was automatically friends with her as well?

The gathering broke up and she gravitated towards Kevin as he bid everyone a goodnight. He saw her approach him and he smiled, which reminded her that he had smiled at her every time she looked at him all evening. Did he do that with everyone or was it just her? She hadn't observed him long enough to figure that out, or anything else. Should she say something to him about it?

Tuvoc bid her a goodnight, then did the same with the captain, and left them there. It was then Spock realized that the two of them were the only people left in the mess hall and they were all alone. It didn't bother her, because she knew he was an honorable man. However, she did have the thought that the situation itself gave them a more intimate setting than their earlier meeting.

Without a word, the man took her hand and placed it on his arm, then escorted her out of the deserted mess hall and through the ship, all the way back to her quarters. They didn't speak the entire time, and neither of them felt awkward or needed to break that silence. It was comfortable, just as it had been earlier, and Spock enjoyed the walk with someone of equal height and stride.

They reached her quarters and Kevin waved his hand briefly before he hit the admittance button to open her suite's door. Spock stepped inside and felt his hand take hers, which surprised her, because she hadn't seen him move.

“Spock.” Kevin said, his voice serious.

Spock turned to face him and suddenly had the feeling she should discourage him from pursuing her. “Kevin, I am a hundred years your senior. I am much too old for that.”

Instead of her words discouraging him like she thought, he smirked at her.

“Two things.” Kevin said and looked at the door's threshold.

“You may come inside.” Spock said and his smirk grew to a grin as he stepped into the suite and the door closed behind him. Her eyes widened when she realized what she said could be taken as a very specific and a very intimate invitation.

“The second is more personal.” Kevin said and stepped close, their eyes locking together. “When was your last Pon Farr?”

Spock felt a shiver go down her spine and closed her eyes. She was definitely too old for him if she could so easily forget how close she was to the end of her seven year mating cycle. It did explain why she was having much stronger and confusing feelings, though. Her hard-won and practised control was starting to fray and she hadn't realized it.

“How did you know?” Spock asked and opened her eyes to see his intense look.

“My first clue was when everyone at the dinner saw how happy you were when you shocked us with your outfit. My second to fifteenth clues were you smiling back at me every time I smiled at you.” Kevin said and reached up to lightly caress her face. “It doesn't take a genius to figure it out.”

“Did you just call yourself stupid?” Spock asked, the joke coming out before she could stop it.

Kevin clamped his mouth shut and muffled his laugh. Their faces were so close that he didn't want to bark the laugh into her face. Spock smiled at him and her hand reached up and caressed the side of his face in a copy of his movements, which just so happened to reflect the initiation of a bonding ritual.

“Do I dare attempt a mind meld and mate with someone that thinks so little of themselves?” Spock asked in a whisper. “With someone so much younger than I? With no training in the mental arts?”

Kevin lost the smile. “I will only say one thing in response to that, Spock.” He said and stared intensely into her eyes. “Trust in yourself and all will become clear.”

Spock sucked in a sharp breath and her mind instantly went over everything she felt the last two days. Meeting with Tuvoc, eating meals that tasted like home, having feelings she didn't usually have with someone she just met like she did with Captain Janeway, then she realized she had addressed him by his first name, both in her head and out loud.

Instead of voicing her thoughts, Spock closed her eyes as she leaned in and kissed him. It was chaste at first, then she felt her blood boil and her need to have him grew so intense and powerful that she tore off both of their clothing to have him ravage her. In fact, she demanded he do it and kissed him passionately, as if he needed the encouragement, and then they were on the bed and he was inside of her.

Spock screamed her pleasure as her body burned for him, then she came and her composure completely crumbled. She acted like a tormented animal and she ravaged him as much as she made him ravage her. She needed to dominate him and have him dominate her, equals in height, in passion, in need, and in satisfaction. He would come for her and he would come often, just as she would for him.

They went through many positions, extracting as much pleasure as they could as quickly as possible, and they soon ended back on the bed and in the traditional missionary position. This was perfect for Spock's currently overwhelmed mind, because she finally remembered she needed to initiate a mind meld to properly benefit from the effects of the Pon Farr.

Despite already benefiting from it physically, she needed the mental component as well, to put herself back into the proper balance. All of one or all of the other, wouldn't work as well as having both in equal measure. Since she had never had a fully successful one before, because it was always unbalanced, her mind rejoiced as the mental bond snapped into place with almost no effort.

Her mind almost stuttered to a stop when she discovered Kevin was a full telepath, with a nearly unlimited planetary range, and he had fully respected her privacy and didn't touch her mind or brushed against it to test her defenses. She didn't know anyone strong enough to resist like that and she wallowed in the man's organized mind and his power, which he let her use.

Spock felt every one on the ship, all their brightly glowing minds, and felt their emotions and their happiness, even the ambassador's, as his wife had forgiven him because he promised to apologize to the captain in the morning. Now that he knew, Kevin planned to have another dinner, only this time less formal, and it would let everyone relax.

Admiration and a touch of love entered Spock's heart at such a good man allowing her to use him for her own selfish needs, then Kevin bit her nipple and made her cry out as she came hard. She knew he was being selfish as well, because he couldn't let himself live a life here without having her at least once.

Spock couldn't help herself and gave each of them a mental command to meet up again in seven years to make things official between them. They hadn't gone through the courtship rituals or anything yet, so heading to Vulcan now to perform the various ceremonies would be pointless. She was also surprised the man wasn't married or had any significant others that could potentially be.

He did have one encounter when he was younger, only she didn't want to be a stay at home wife to a man that was gone all the time. If they were to get married, he was to be there as her partner and not as an occasional visitor she would only see every six months or so during his shore leave.

When their lovemaking finally ended several hours later, Spock was amazed she wasn't sore, or feeling her advanced age of 135. She actually felt invigorated and like she was back in her 60 year old body. She had also ended the mind meld and was again surprised that she could still feel a connection to Kevin in her mind.

You gave yourself limited telepathy. Kevin said into her mind as he cuddled her and nuzzled her neck in a spot she didn't realize she liked someone kissing her there. We will always have this connection for as long as we live, no matter where we go.

Spock thought about the implications of that and turned her head to stare at him.

Yes, anywhere in known and unknown space. Kevin thought to her. When they finally get the Array Program set up and the logistics worked out in six months, I'll be in the Delta Quadrant and can talk to you like this while you're on Romulus.

Spock blinked her eyes at him. How did you know I'm going to escape the ship to stay there? I haven't worked out how I'm going to do that yet.

Kevin chuckled. You've got it in your head to try and bring the Romulans and Vulcans back together and no one, not even me, can convince you to not at least try. He sat up and gave her a kiss, which she didn't react to.

Spock watched his nicely muscular form as he stood up and dressed. She hadn't really appreciated the male form until now and she had to admit that it was quite nice.

“You also don't have to try and escape the ship, Ambassador. You're not on a mission. You are a guest on Voyager and taking a tour of Romulan space.” Kevin said and her heart sped up at what he was implying. “Just walk off the ship whenever you want and wave goodbye to us.”

“Starfleet...” Spock whispered.

“I believe you volunteered to become an ambassador to achieve peace.” Kevin said and reached down to pat her hand. “As long as you send in regular reports and stay in contact, say every four to six months, no one is going to question you about it.”

Spock laid there and stared at the man that had wrecked her physically and was doing a wonderful job doing it to her mentally as well.

“Anyway, we can have fun for the next six days of your Pon Farr to keep your mental processes functioning.” Kevin said and walked out of her bedroom. “I'm available every evening whenever you need me.”

Spock nodded, even though he couldn't see her, and then she felt a mental nod back. She closed her eyes and let her mind flow out and into his to explore their connection. She had never experienced anything like it before, not even during several taxing mind melds she had experienced before with an untrained mind.

Her permanent connection to Kevin was smooth and welcoming and Spock let him feel her gratitude to him for everything, including and not limited to, making her come so many times. She was also grateful that she was too old to become pregnant, because she was damn sure she would have been after everything they did.