Una quirked an eyebrow at his stuttering attempt to start, to voice whatever it was on his mind. She caught herself a moment later, straightened her own features. There were times when giving him a hard time was, perhaps, both justified and perhaps even good for him. This, however, certainly did not seem like such a moment. The words which followed, the clench  of his jaw, these confirmed her suspicions. No, whatever this was, it was a serious matter, and therefore one she must treat most carefully.
     If she might have had her way, theyâd have had the conversation then. Not there, of course, in the midst of the crew, but now, before Spock might change his mind about discussing whatever preoccupied him to the point of distraction â and to the point of reaching out to her. She was not to have her way, however, for she had but five minutes left of her lunch break and would be due in a meeting. Wordlessly, she reached for the padd sheâd discarded upon his arrival, not in dismissal nor in lack of interest, but to check her calendar.
     As ever, her schedule left scarcely a momentâs rest, but if she rushed a few of the more verbose department heads through their updates, she could rearrange it to grant herself at least a half hour. It might take nearly that long for him to get to the point, she thought wryly. It was not something she was accustomed to with their straightforward Lieutenant Spock.
     She made the arrangements. Shortening appointments, shifting them.   â 1545? â   she said at last. Itâs only half a question; she can see to it that if heâs expected elsewhere at that time other arrangements are made. But if she remembers duty shifts right, it shouldnât require alterations.   â My office. â
Relief came first, then shame. He had to clench his jaw to keep either emotion from registering on his face. Everything was too close to the surface without enough sleep or meditation. He could only be grateful that sheâd stated it as an order. That was part of why he came to her. She did not react with a level of emotion that would make it more difficult to manage his own.
Finally, he managed to say, âYes, sir.â He got to his feet again. He did not wish to take up any more of her time than necessary, and he certainly did not wish to remain in such a crowded setting. However, before he left, he added, âThank you.â
Luckily, in the time between scheduling the meeting and the meeting itself, there were no further incidents. His focus had come at an expense, though, and when he arrived at her office at three seconds before 1545, his state of exhaustion had intensified.
At least their conversation would be away from the others, and he trusted that, even if he was unable to maintain this facade of perfect control, she would not tell anyone the details. Although perhaps she would feel the need to inform the captain. He could not fault her for that.
He took a deep breath and pressed her door chime.
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