Title: Mother's Day

Author: Ster Julie

Codes: Am, Mc (S/Mc implied-SLASH)

Rating: PG

Part 1 of 1

Summary: Amanda receives a Mother's Day gift, but she suspects that it is not from Spock.

WARNING! Shameless plug of my daycare series story "The Mother's Day Gift."

-ooOoo-

Amanda's hand reached out to caress the fragrant, velvety blooms in the dish garden, as if to reassure her that it was real and not the product of wishful thinking. They were really there, the deep blue delphiniums, the fiery red intermingled with more genteel pastel snapdragons, a small cloud of fragrant sweet alyssum, and dainty miniature daffodils all interspersed with small green houseplants that would continue growing long after the blooms were spent.

Amanda kept going back to the card enclosed with this wonderful surprise. "To my mother, Amanda, with gratitude from you son, Spock." It was a wonderful card, but she was sure that it was not from Spock, not really. She suspected that it had either been sent in Spock's regard, or that he had sent it by coercion. For one thing, Vulcans did not celebrate anything as illogical as Mother's Day. If one did not honor his mother all the other days of the year, what good was honoring her on only one? Secondly, Spock would have made the dish garden to reflect his dual nature by including "alien" plants.

No, Amanda recognized the hand of someone else in this gift, and she smiled in gratitude. She went to the communications device in the study and put in a call to the most likely suspect on the Enterprise.

"McCoy here," came the reply.

"Greetings, Leonard," Amanda said warmly.

"Why, Miss Amanda!" the doctor exclaimed. "To what do I owe the honor of this call?"

"I want to thank you for the lovely flower garden," she responded.

"But, Ma'am, those are from Spock!" Leonard protested.

Amanda looked into Leonard's gaze and spoke frankly, blue eyes to blue eyes. "They may have been paid for by my son, but it's not Spock's style."

Leonard frowned. "And I tried to sound just like him," he mumbled. "Just out of curiosity, what is Spock's style?" he asked.

"Well, the first time Spock tried to honor me for Mother's Day, he tried to give me breakfast in bed," Amanda replied with a laugh. "He was barely three at the time, and I had to spend the next week trying to clean kasa juice and sehlat spit out of my white rugs."

"Sehlat spit?" Leonard echoed.

Amanda clearly remembered her precious, elfin child, dragging her plastic garden tote filled with a glass of juice, a bowl of cereal and milk, some kreya biscuits, jam and butter, (but no utensils or linens) into the room and up to her side of the bed. Following close behind was a lumbering, snuffling Ee-Chaya, eagerly licking up everything that spilled or sloshed out of the containers, through the tote's mesh holes, and onto her white rugs. She would never forget how Spock flung the drippy, sticky bag onto her bed sheets and lisped, "Happy Mudder's Day."

"Let's just say thatEe-Chaya tried his best, but he did not make a very good maid," Amanda replied.

"What else has Spock done to remember you on Mother's Day?" Leonard asked.

"Well, the other time, he made me an 'ocean in a bottle' when he was at that daycare/preschool," Amanda reminisced. "Fortunately, that one had remained intact over the years, or else my white rugs would be now be blue."

"Nothing since then?" Leonard remarked, shocked.

Amanda shook her head sadly. "He wanted to be a true Vulcan," she replied. "Vulcans do not give gifts to observe holidays."

"Damn cheap of them, if you ask me," Leonard retorted.

Amanda chortled. "No argument there, Leonard," she said.

"Well, Miss Amanda," the doctor continued, "the flowers really are from Spock. He just asked me to select something suitable since he was at a loss as to what to get you. But, I should have included something from myself as well, to thank you."

Amanda was puzzled. "To thank me?"

"Yes," he replied. "I want to thank you for taking such a fool risk and having this bi-species son, then raising him to be the amazing man that captured my heart."

Amanda's eyes filled with sudden tears. "That's so sweet, Leonard," she said with trembling chin, "but you have already given me a wonderful gift in return."

Leonard raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"I have? And what was that?" he asked.

" You have made my son so very content," she smiled back.

" I'm the luckiest guy in space," Leonard said through his own happy tears. He leaned closer to the screen. "Happy Mother's Day, Miss Am. . . Mom, from both of us!"

FIN