Another request/suggestion
Advent Day 14
‘What’s wrong, lass?”
Nyota looked up as Monty moved to sit at her table in the mess room. She’d been staring into her cup of spiced tea for a while now so she wasn’t surprised he’d come to ask her what was wrong.
“I have a problem.”
“And what would be that?”
“I think Kirk wants to get with me.”
Monty frowned. “The captain? But well, now, are you sure?”
“Not entirely,” she admitted. “But I do have evidence to come to that conclusion.”
“What evidence?”
“You know how he came on to me when we first met.”
“That was a long time ago, lass.”
“I know, but I was with Spock for years, so obviously he wasn’t going to jeopardize his friendship with Spock and command over that. We’re not together now and ever since Kirk found out he’s been paying far more attention to me.”
“Oh?”
“Even had a drink in my quarters a few weeks back. We started talking about music and I was playing some holiday stuff. I admitted to him how much I loved In Dulci Jubilo.”
“The old hymn?”
She smiled. “Yes. Spock told me long ago that it was his mother’s favorite, even though, you know, she was Jewish, she loved that song and even sung it in choral when she was young. I told Kirk all this and I said when I listened to it, I fell in love with it. I thought it was so pretty and I play it every year since.”
Monty shrugged. “A few outings with the captain hardly proves he’s interested in you, lass. He hangs out with McCoy and Spock too.”
She waved away that. “They’re different. They’re his male buddies. You know what a hound dog with the women Kirk is.”
He pursed his lips. “Hmm.
“There’s more.”
“I’m listening.”
“He’s been acting mysterious lately. Throwing me furtive glances. So one night I kind of followed him. I wondered what he was up to and if there’s something mentally wrong with the captain, I think Starfleet should know.”
“Ny—”
“Oh, don’t get me wrong. I like Kirk as much as everyone else these days. Not at all romantically, of course.”
Monty smiled. “I should hope not.”
She laughed and touched his hand. “I just mean, I was worried about him. That mission on Alasidair was particularly hard as four crew members died and Kirk himself was seriously injured. So I found him in this little area of engineering no one else goes to. He was making something.”
“Making something?”
“Yes. Out of wood. Carving this little box. I couldn’t see what the carvings were but while I was there, he operated a mechanism in the box that played music and I realized he was making some kind of music box. It looked very pretty, honestly. The song he was playing was In Dulci Jubilo.”
“So?”
Nyota sighed. “Don’t you see, Monty? It’s obviously a gift for me. He was obviously grilling me that night to find out what I liked and he’s making it for me. Probably to give to me for the holidays to soften me up to the idea of him as a partner.”
“Surely he knows you and I are seeing each other,” Monty pointed out.
“I don’t know if he does as I haven’t told him, but even if he did, it might not matter.”
“I don’t believe that. You said yourself Kirk didn’t try anything once he knew you were with Spock.”
“True. Then he must not know. I just don’t know what to do when he presents the gift to me. I’m not at all interested in him. I’m with you. I don’t want to hurt him, but I have to be honest with him.”
Monty nodded. “Perhaps you should explain to him. But in private, not in front of others, so as not to embarrass him.”
“Yes, exactly. It’s not a conversation I wish to have with him, but he’s leaving me no choice.”
****
Nyota approached the captain’s quarters. As she started down the corridor she heard low murmuring, so she stopped her forward motion.
Standing in the corridor next to Spock’s quarters were Kirk and Spock. She could see from where she was that Spock was blushing. She didn’t quite understand why.
“It is calligraphic Vulcan,” Spock whispered.
“Yeah.” Kirk’s tongue darted out and he shifted nervously. “I, uh, I studied it. Wasn’t easy to carve believe me.”
“You carved it yourself?”
“Well, yeah. I made the whole thing from start to finish. Sam and I used to do a lot of woodwork when we were kids. Our Grandpa Kirk taught us. Making the boxes, carving, even the little musical parts. He taught us all that.” Kirk ran his hand over his hair. “It’s been a long time since I made one.”
Spock’s warm brown eyes were glistening as he looked at Kirk, somewhat in awe. “And the music?”
“In Dulci Jubilo.” Kirk paused. “Your mother’s favorite, right?”
Nyota’s breath caught in her throat and she put her hand to her mouth as she realized what an absolute fool she’d been.
“Yes,” Spock agreed. “How did you know?”
“A friend told me.”
Spock looked toward the door of his quarters. “Will you come in?’
Kirk smiled. “I’d love to.”
Spock opened the door and her two command officers disappeared inside. With a shake of her head, Nyota smiled, and went to tell Monty.
The next evening at the Enterprise holiday party, she was not at all surprised to see how cozy Kirk and Spock were.
December 14, 2021 at 4:15 am
Oh sweet summer child. I could have told you that!
But oh oh oh. How perfect is it that Jim made a music box for Spock. Wonderfully lovely and so thoughtful. I happy sighed.
Nicely done!
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December 14, 2021 at 8:12 am
thanks and of course yes, she never had a chance in hell lol
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December 14, 2021 at 5:35 am
Oh you created magic there! I love how you developed the idea.
To me, it kinda makes sense that because Kirk hit on Ny that very first night he met her, that he might – or she might THINK he might – try to date her again when she and Spock broke up. But I’ve never heard that idea mentioned by anybody since Beyond. And i think it’s kinda precious that it wouldn’t even cross Kirk’s mind that Ny might take his latest attentions that way – to think he was coming onto her again. Kirk is so cute when he’s clueless!! And so sweet to put so much thought into a gift for Spock, to show Spock how he feels about him.
And of course i LOVE that Ny and Scotty were getting together, as is, in my eyes, perfectly canon according to the later TOS movies.
Again, I’d love to see artwork of this! *sniff. But at least I can see it in my mind and heart.
Beautiful, gorgeous job! Thank you so much for this story.
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December 14, 2021 at 5:44 am
I can’t believe I found this. In Dulci Jubilo played by music box.
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December 14, 2021 at 8:14 am
Strange because on my phone your link shows but it’s not showing here!
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December 14, 2021 at 8:13 am
I think Uhura and Scotty are such a sweet couple together. They work way more than she ever did with Spock.
I really had no clue what I was going to do with this idea, but I finally managed to get it done lol
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December 14, 2021 at 9:27 am
you are always up for a challenge – sometimes those prove to be your finest hours! Nothing formulaic anywhere for this! it’s alllllllllll yours!
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December 14, 2021 at 9:32 am
And truly, had Spock …
1. NOT HAD pon farr in his future to worry about
2. NOT HAD the pressures from his father who always expected him to follow VULCAN training, logic, and traditions and
3. HAD met jim before he met nyota…
… i completely believe spock would never have given Nyota a first notice, much less a second – just like Spock Prime firmly put Uhura in her place – away from him – in the VERY FIRST TOS episode, when she flirted and tried EVERYTHING to hit on him – and then turned downright nasty on him when he didn’t give in to her.
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December 17, 2021 at 5:06 pm
I do agree TOS Uhura was rude when she said he’s the closest thing you have to a friend but she was coming at it as a human who believed Spock wasn’t showing any feelings whatsoever at the possibility Kirk was dead. Setting aside the flirtation part (which I maintain personally was a rather lame attempt on her part anyway) had I seen my co-worker (in this case also a superior officer) seemingly acting callous about the possible death of our beloved leader who was important and well thought of by most there I might be a little miffed he didn’t seem to care myself. Would I have said it outright? Probably not to someone in power but an equal I definitely would have. But I also think in the early episodes of TOS most crew people were nastier to Spock than they should have been, Uhura and McCoy were hardly alone, in the misguided effort by the writers to show that Spock was viewed as “different” because he was an alien
I don’t think she continued to be nasty to him the rest of the series though so I can excuse it because she was upset herself at the possibility of it being Kirk. We humans can some times be rude and nasty without thinking. My opinion only, of course.
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December 17, 2021 at 5:47 pm
The difference is, Uhura had just flirted with him for minutes, all ‘tell me I’m an attractive young lady’ (note how self-centered she was – ASKING HIM to tell her she’s attractive, not HER telling HIM HE is attractive) ‘or ask me if I’ve ever been in love? Tell me how your planet Vulcan looks on a lazy evening when the moon is full.’ all sugary, and leaning on the captain’s chair, and looking all moony eyed at him. On the bridge, on duty.
And then suddenly she turned on him like a snake and was nasty to him. Absolutely she didn’t understand him not caring that Kirk might be dead. But she turned on a dime from ‘oh swoon at my undeniable awesomeness’ 180 degrees while on duty. in front of everyone on the bridge.
The others who talked like crap to Spock at least didn’t flirt excessively with him first. i think part of her nastiness was her offense that she had just met a man who didn’t fall for her crap lines. She certainly looked like this was her very practiced move.
But that’s just me. i find no excuse for her, or especially for McCoy, who was supposed to be in charge of Spock’s physical and mental health. They wrote him as unforgivably cruel to Spock. And the other crew would have been court martialed.
But yes, they seemed to write Spock and uhura as becoming friends as it moved into the movies.
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December 17, 2021 at 5:54 pm
Okay we will just have to disagree and that’s fine
I just don’t see the scene as nasty as you do but that’s cool
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December 14, 2021 at 6:27 pm
Love the idea of Jim handmaking a music box for Spock ❤
This was so good.
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December 16, 2021 at 11:15 am
thank you!
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