K'hat'n'dlawa

Exposure

Amanda groaned and rolled over in bed, pressing her pillow against her head in an attempt to drown out the sounds of the door being buzzed insistently. When it still did not stop, she sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes before getting up.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." she grumbled as she staggered toward the door, still only half-awake. They hadn't gotten back until almost eleven, and it was only eight in the morning. Who was buzzing at her door this early? "Who is it?" she asked.

"Who do you think it is?" came a familiar, annoyed voice. Amanda rolled her eyes before sliding back the bolts on her door and opening it.

"What are you doing here, Sarah?" she asked, stepping back to let her sister come inside.

"Sorry if I woke you- you must've had a really late night." Sarah said icily. She stood with her hands on her hips, glowering at Amanda as she closed the door.

"What?" Amanda asked, confused. Her mind was finally starting to clear. She ran a hand through her tangled hair. "Sarah, can you please explain why you woke me up at eight on a Sunday morning?"

"To explain this." Sarah was brandishing a PADD at her. "I figured you were dating someone, because every time we talk or see each other, you're a completely different person than you were before- always smiling and laughing. But I didn't think, even for a moment, that the person you're seeing would be a Vulcan ambassador!"

"How did you- what is that?" Amanda asked, staring at the PADD.

"I have a subscription to this E-News. Imagine my surprise when I got to page three, and saw you!" Sarah shoved the PADD into Amanda's hands. She looked at the screen, and inhaled sharply.

There was a picture- of Sarek pulling her through the crowd of reporters by her hand. The photo was captioned: "The Vulcan's Mystery Woman".

Amanda began to read the article, her eyes rapidly moving over the text. It was mostly about which diplomats had been at the dinner, and elaborating that the event had been held to encourage donations for a children's hospital. Then she reached the bottom.

It was just another diplomatic social event- nothing unusual. Dignitaries rushed past reporters, refusing to answer any of their questions, pictures were taken, etc. Until there came the biggest buzz of the night...

The Vulcan Ambassador Sarek. He, too, refused to grant interviews- but several reporters did notice as he left that he had a woman with him. She is as yet unidentified- but she raises many questions.

"Vulcans rarely, if ever, seek mates outside of their race." one xenoanthropologist has told this reporter. "But the fact that he is holding her hand in the picture speaks loudly enough- Vulcans are extremely uncomfortable with physical contact. He would not have touched her like that unless he was comfortable with her. I think it's safe to assume that they're a couple."

Why does this matter, you may ask? As far as we know, there has not been a Vulcan/human pairing in recent history. Ambassador Sarek is a very influential diplomat- he has been involved in several key treaties and agreements. He is in a constant spotlight, always of interest to the public eye. The fact that this very-Vulcan man may be seeing an emotional human defies logic- which we all know is precious to Vulcans.

One thing is for sure- everyone is going to be interested in following the relationship of this rare inter-species couple. Will they live happily ever after- or will their differences drive them apart?

Amanda stared at the PADD for a long time. Sarah finally pulled it from her limp fingers.

"Well? Why didn't you tell me that you're banging a Vulcan?" she asked impatiently. Amanda winced.