I'm sorry. Really, it's terrible...terrible..." Amanda said. She wiped what appeared to be a tear from her eye. His plight moved her after all.

Ooh the misunderstandings are only getting more and more hilarious!

Ah, already comparing her men to Sarek is she? I loved how you slipped that in there!

Uh girl, neither of you know it yet, but he's so your Vulcan XD Again, this fun ironic foreshadowing!

Sarek, the walking dictionary, returned.

LOL

I believe this points game will get much more interesting down the line when they're together and Amanda is very capable of eliciting responses from him!

Also, I just love your ironic foreshadowing here!

I also appreciate how you show the difficulties that come for a scientist trying to become, essentially, a politician!

"An opportunity for intellectual exercise...it was hard for Vulcan minds to resist such a pull. And it was quite welcome...he had been right before; she was an acceptable sentient being."

Awh, Serak's first (version) of a compliment! Oh, that last moment was so cute with them :3

Happy to 'pay' for such a good story! I love this added mystery to keep the story interesting in its early days! Thank you!

I was just dying laughing during their language class! It's so fun to read an early fiction where Serek is just learning humans and not the masterful Ambassador he will one day be with a full grasp on humans!

You write it excellently, and I concur that it's most likely what happened canonically! Thanks for writing!

Hello,
An amazing beginning! I already love how you write them and just how in depth you've gone into the beginnings background! I'm so glad another fic I read recommended this story! Thanks for writing!

Gosh, Poor Sarek has been through so much loss. :(

I'm a sucker for angst and I can't wait to see what more this story brings! 3

So, I'm re-reading this story after several years. The one thing that always stood out to me, was how the characters view T'Zena's 'decision' to break her bond with Josef. Everyone seems to implicitly - or sometimes explicitly - blame her. Even half mad, sweating and shivering, the subtext of Josef's final statement in this chapter is: "Don't choose to do this to Amanda, as T'Zena has chosen to do this to me".

However, my interpretation of this chapter was, and continues to be, that T'Zena was assaulted by her family and then forced into an arranged marriage. This is a case of sexual assault and Vulcan trafficking. If you ply someone with alcohol (altering their mental state and removing inhibitions) then have sex with them, we now understand that to be rape. The victim was in no fit state to give consent. Even if that victim is your spouse. I don't see that being any different to what you have written about here.

I guess what I am saying is that it feels extremely odd to me that T'Zena is so quickly blamed for everything that went down. When she is the biggest victim in the entire story. It would be interesting to understand why you wrote it this way. And, if you still feel the same given the #MeToo movement and resulting consent debates.

I found the beginning of this story on ao3. Thank you so much for sharing it there and linking to here! It was an incredible story...I may or may not have binge read the whole thing!

I love this story. I love the slow burn, the intrigue and the original characters. I cried for T'zena and Josef. I'm like Amanda, I would also like to know what happened to T'zena. Thanks for sharing your talent.

I know that this was made 10 years ago, but i just have to say that it was probably the best fanfiction in the Star Trek universe that i have ever read, and perheps just the best fanfic in general.

The characters ae very well written, and i love the connection between Amanda and Sarek. It was a slow burn, but the best stories are.
I read it all during the day, and into the night, and read it again the next day.

I really like the social issues you bring up, like the envorimental groups that don't want to help vulcan. And the issue of interspecies marriage which reflects well on both interracial, and homosexual relationships. The politics are also very thought out, and in my opion realistic.

It was great to read the backstory of Sarek and Amanda. There are not enough pairings of them, so it was very rewarding and great to find one of such quality.

Thank you so much for making this333
(sorry for any spelling mistakes)

very well done. I love Sarek and Amanda stories. I have read almost all and I have found your take refreshing

Hi. Where can we purchase your original works?

It's sad that someone had to suffer first for us to realize what to avoid. but it's always the case with learned history.

what did you do to poor innocent Josef?