[ You idiot, Jim. ]

When I saw the Captain he was in a state of extreme stress. I could not counteract this with words and as a result of our ... time, spent by the warp core's decontamination chamber, I felt it would be appropriate to circumvent speaking altogether. When I lay my fingers against his own he was wholly unprepared for it, though he gave his consent. The touch-telepathy allowed me not to access his mind, as such, but to convey concepts as they arose.

[ Emotions. Yet even in front of Nyota, he doesn't enjoy readily admitting he throws them around behind his Vulcan exterior. ]

I informed him that he was safe, there was every reason to trust me and that I would not leave him. I ... cannot. [ Spock looks at her and parts his lips for a moment before the words catch up. ] Even after I explained that a t'hy'la in no way usurps a mate or is deserving of their wrath, he was concerned for your well-being. I assured him your level of cultural understanding was exemplary, that you would understand the significance behind my selection of him and that it would not reflect on you poorly.

It does not, Nyota. I still ... feel for you. I did not stop.