So I started on The Winter Story. Wrote about 800 words so far. It’s nowhere near to being launched into the wider world. I plan to get very very far into it before that point. But I thought those of you who check me out here might want a sneak peek. So here you go.

“Hey! Are you okay? Hello. Can you hear me? Oh, man. You must be freezing.”

Spock blinked rapidly and his vision began to clear. Someone was rubbing him frantically, his frozen limbs, and he had to admit it felt good.

A man leaned over him and Spock’s breath caught in his throat.

Jim.

Startled blue eyes stared down at him. “How’d you know my name?’

Spock shook his head.

“Never mind.” Jim glanced to the side and then back to Spock. “We should get you up and out of here. Can you walk?”

It had taken a moment for Spock’s universal translator, carefully hidden amongst his clothing, to kick in. English. American English.

“Yes, I believe I am capable,” Spock replied carefully.

Jim reached down and helped Spock up from the snow bank. “Bad place for you to pass out. Have you been drinking?”

He had an accent, Spock noted. Eastern United States. New England. That made sense since that was where the Enterprise had advised Spock should go. He had prepared as best he could, wearing appropriate attire for the time period, and a woolen cap upon his head to hide his pointed ears.

“I do not drink.”

Jim stepped close enough to Spock that he could smell a spicy sort of aftershave. He was sniffing Spock. “All right. Sure. I don’t smell anything. Anyway, we’d better get you inside.”

As Jim linked his arm through Spock’s and around his waist, Spock was able to tell that this Jim was perhaps an inch or two shorter than the James T Kirk he knew on the Enterprise. But otherwise, he could have been Spock’s Jim. Not that Jim had belonged to Spock. He’d wanted that, yes, but it was so very complicated.

Jim led him up a cobbled twisted path to the front door of a small house, more of a cottage, really. Jim fished into the pants he wore and then pulled out what looked to be an old key. He opened the door and then pulled Spock inside, flicking a switch on the wall that illuminated the room in light.

“You’re lucky you passed out where you did,” Jim was saying as he removed his heavy black overcoat. “A few feet to the left and you’d have fallen in the water. Probably drowned.”

It was true that Spock had not been sure where exactly he would arrive in Jim’s small New England town. He had not intended to find himself lying in a frozen heap of wet white stuff.

Jim hung up his coat and then removed his own wool hat. He placed both of them on a wooden pole with arms. He wore jeans and a blue flannel shirt that set off his extremely blue eyes even more. He was absolutely stunning.

“I’m Jim, by the way. Jim Kirk.” He frowned. “Did you know my name?”

“Someone mentioned you in town,” Spock said. “I am Spock.”

“Spock? Kind of a strange name. What’s your full name?”

“Just Spock.”

Jim smiled a little. “Well. Okay. We should get you out of those clothes and into something warmer. I have a robe you can wear I guess while your clothes dry. Not sure I have like pants and things to fit you.”

Apparently this Jim was something of a babbler, Spock noted. Jim left him standing in the front hall as he disappeared toward the bedrooms.

Spock glanced around. It was a simple layout with just a living room with a fireplace, a kitchen, and a breakfast nook. The corridor Jim had gone through was short and led to what appeared to be three bedrooms and a bathroom.

Jim reappeared holding what Spock recalled was a terrycloth robe. It was a dark burgundy color. “My sister gave me this for last Christmas. Anyway, the bathroom’s there, so why don’t you take those off and put this on.” He thrust it at Spock, who took it. “I have some bean soup I’ll heat up. You want some coffee or something?”

“If you have tea, I would be appreciative.”

“Sure, I have tea. I even have hot chocolate if that’s your preference.”

“Not tonight, thank you.”

He took the robe and went into the bathroom, removing the cold, wet clothing. The robe smelled a little like the spicy aftershave Jim wore. He surveyed the bathroom cabinets and discovered a bottle of what was called, Old Spice.

Spock eyed himself in the mirror and decided except for his ears, he passed easily for a human here. He would be forced to leave the cold, wet woolen cap on so as not to startle Jim.

Spock had to be very careful. He did not know exactly what date the computer had chosen for him. He had instructed the computer to make sure that it would be well in advance of the day he came to prevent.

He was here to make sure that this human, his captain’s ancestor, was not murdered.