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Jim woke in the morning to Spock carefully studying him.

It seemed that Spock had been up for a while as he was dressed,  and the drapes were pulled from the hotel’s sliding glass doors to reveal morning in Bodega Bay. Predictably misty and foggy as usual.

Jim felt a little groggy still, so he accepted the cup of coffee Spock handed him gratefully.

“Morning.”

“Good morning, Jim.”

Spock was staring at him much more intently than he normally did, so Jim knew something was up. And then there was the really strange clarity he suddenly felt.

“What’s up?” he asked.

“We need to talk. There are…something has occurred which you need to be aware of.”

Jim took a sip or two more of coffee, and let his gaze stray out the window. “I really have to pee,” he said suddenly. He set the coffee down, got up, and did his business in the bathroom.

Afterward he stared at his reflection. He looked pretty much the same and yet…

“Jim?”

He steadied himself for a moment by grasping the edge of the sink. He heard Spock speak with his ears and also…

Jim opened he bathroom door and looked out at Spock.

“Are we…are we still melded?”

“Not exactly.” Spock took his hand and led him over to the table and chairs where they’d sat last night. He brought Jim his coffee. “I advised you last night that we are touch telepaths.”

“Mm.”

“Vulcan also have telepathic bonds with each other. Familial bonds for example between a child and his parents. And many Vulcans are bonded as children to eventually marry their bondmate and live their lives as a bonded pair.”

Jim frowned. “Were you bonded as a child?”

“Negative. Vulcan children generally are, but in fact I am half Human and half Vulcan.”

“Yeah? I didn’t know that.”

Spock nodded. “My mother is Human. Given the unknowns with regard to my future, it was decided I would not be thus bonded. My mother argued for me to be allowed the bond of my choosing and in this, quite unusually, she was successful. Because of this, I simply never realized.”

Jim took another swallow of coffee. “Realized?”

“That I had a T’hy’la bond that awaited me. It is difficult to explain in your vernacular, but it is somewhat close to a fated soulmate.” He paused. “Last night when we melded while making love, we…consummated that bond and it fully formed between us.”

Jim stared at him. “Wait. Are you-are you saying I’m your fated soulmate?”

“Yes, we formed a telepathic bond last night. In simple terms, we are married.”