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Jim tried not to flinch when Spock’s hand rested on his face. He didn’t think Spock would hurt him and he believed that they had melded before. It seemed right. But he couldn’t quite remember so he was apprehensive.

“It does not hurt.”

Jim nodded. “Just…” He waved his hand.

“My mind to your mind. My thoughts to your thoughts.” Then there was a pause. “Remember.”

“Bones, come up to the bridge. Lieutenant Gregory’s having some kind of seizure.”

“Hold on to him, damnit!”

“Doctor! You have injected the captain!”

“Jim no!”

The meld abruptly ended as Jim pulled away, Spock’s hand dropping from his face.

“Spock!”

“Jim, you remember?”

“Yes.” He blinked several times and then touched his head. “I’m still a little hazy but yes.”

“Jim—”

“Save it, Bones. I know it was all an accident. I know things got crazy.”

“But—”

“Seriously. We can talk about the circumstances later. We have more important priorities right now.”

“Indeed,” Spock spoke up. “We need to locate his companion, disable him, and the find the Guardian to go through the portal.”

Jim pushed at the Klingon’s leg with the toe of his shoe. “Any ideas where his buddy is?”

“His last known location was at the college where you taught courses.”

He frowned. “Who exactly was I supposed to be? Some of this is still fuzzy.”

Bones stepped closer and put his hand on Jim’s arm. “Near as we can figure, you had an ancestor in the late 1970s Riverside also named James Kirk who taught at the college.”

“And I took on his identity? Where is he?”

“It appears he passed away in late 1979,” Spock replied. “Not a lot of information can be found about how or why, however, you apparently resembled him enough to become him in the eyes of those he knew.”

“Such as Becky.” Jim shook his head. “So this poor bugger croaks and I just take over his life, even his girlfriend?”

Bones snorted. “Looks like it, Jim.”

“And you don’t know how he died? What if he isn’t?”

Spock shrugged. “Evidence suggests he is, however, if he isn’t, presumably he will reappear when we return to our time. This time period lacks a lot of technology to thoroughly investigate matters and our focus has been on you and the Klingons.”

“Yeah okay.” Jim looked down at the still unconscious Klingon. “How long can we keep him like that?”

“I can use an extended method to keep him out for hours. We will leave him in the farmhouse while we look for the other.”

“Okay. So, I have to ask, why were you two lurking outside my house?”

“Lurking?”

“Yeah one night I heard this big crash and there were some other times I swear I saw like glowing red eyes out by the scarecrows.” Jim eyed Bones. “It had to be you. I know it’s October and you have a weird sense of what’s funny.”

“Don’t look at me,” Bones denied it. “I’ll cop to the crash as we were here keeping an eye on your, Spock especially since you were cozying up to that girl but—”

Jim glanced at Spock and winced at his narrowed gaze. “I wasn’t in my right mind. And anyway, we only ever kissed.” He paused. “Maybe.”

“The point is,” Bones interrupted to get Jim’s attention back to him. We don’t have anything to do with glowing red eyes.”

“You were here for several months on your own before we could locate you, are you saying you did not have intercourse with her during that entire time?”

“Time has to move differently here. Don’t you think?”

“You are avoiding answering.”

“Can you two maybe do this later when we’re back on the ship?”

“Yeah, okay,” Jim agreed. “Let’s go get that Klingon.”

Spock suddenly stiffened. “I do not think it will be necessary to go anywhere.”

“What? Why?”

“I believe he is in the farmhouse.”