Garage Door Company Cut it Wrong. Didn’t fit.
I am ready to cry.
Another three weeks at least.
There is no such thing as a reputable company anymore
A wee bit weird!
“Rumors are this place is haunted.”
Spock glanced at Jim with what could only be considered derision. “I am surprised you would listen to rumors, Captain. Especially nonsensical ones.”
Jim snorted. “Tell me how you really feel, Spock.”
“I always endeavor to do so.”
Jim sighed. Crossed his arms in front of him as he looked at the ruins of the ancient civilization. It was little more than abandoned decaying buildings and crumbling stone arches. It was kind of eerie but more than that it made Jim sad for what was lost. Whoever had lived here, had dreams and hopes and wishes for a future that never happened.
“Did you want to go into the dwelling further, captain? I do not recommend it. It looks dangerous.”
“I’m sure it’s fine. I’ll be careful. Report over to the chieftain of the village and I’ll meet you there shortly.”
“You do not intend to go in there alone.”
“It’s not haunted, remember? You said yourself.”
“Indeed, but they are crumbling ruins, Captain.”
“I’ll be careful.”
Spock hesitated, but he finally nodded. “If you do not return to the village in fifteen minutes—
“I will.”
He waved Spock away and headed into the ruins. He knew his first officer watched his every moved, but Jim ignored it. He’d chalk it up to their new-found…er…well whatever it was they were…more than friends, less than lovers? Jim sure as hell didn’t know—but Spock had been weird about watching Jim’s every move even before all that. Jim used to think Spock was looking for a way to file a report against him, but he no longer thought that.
Jim didn’t know all that much about this ancient, almost-forgotten civilization. The chieftain had told them that the ruins had been abandoned for hundreds of years, long before any of them were alive, and had long been the subject of stories about ghosts and hauntings.
Spock had barely contained his skepticism as the chieftain spoke, but Jim figured that was mostly because the chieftain had a huge crush on Spock and had been openly flirting with Jim’s second in command since they’d arrived.
The chieftain had suggested they go look at the ruins while he prepared the feast for them, but he’d wanted Spock to stay at the village and Jim to go alone. Jim had decided he’d just let Spock go back early. Especially since the Vulcan hadn’t wanted to go anyway.
Jim ducked under a half collapsed arch, trying to imagine what the people from this planet would have been like hundreds of years ago. They had jewel eyes now and lilac skin, attractive. It was unknown what their ancient ancestors looked like. Perhaps the same.
It had been an earthquake that had destroyed them, sudden and catastrophic. When they had rebuilt, it was on the other side of the planet, less prone to seismic activity, and this place was never rebuilt.
Jim stepped through what must have been a doorway into a house or something.
He heard a child’s laugh, merry and bright, and so real-sounding, Jim turned quickly. But there was nothing and no one there.
“I’m getting punchy.” He shook his head and decided maybe he was better off going back to the village sooner rather than later.
He took a step and fell through a hole.
“Shit!”
He didn’t know how far he fell but it seemed like a long distance and when he landed, his leg was twisted underneath him at a painful and clearly broken angle. He went to fish his communicator out of his pocket and discovered it was missing.
All around him was nothing but darkness. Even looking up, he couldn’t even see the sky. And he suddenly felt like it was all a setup from the chieftain.
He hoped he was wrong.
****
“Come on, Jim. Wake up.”
A gentle hand on his face. Light as a feather.
“Jim. Jim. Please. Wake up. Come on. You can do it. Come back to us. Come on, kid.”
He was trying. He was. Couldn’t-couldn’t whoever it was tell? He should know the speaker. He should. But he couldn’t think of them. Couldn’t…
So tired.
“Jim. Please. Jim.”
A different voice. But still familiar.
Drifting. Let me rest.
“No!”
Jim woke with a gasp and he sat up straight into strong arms that held him. He blinked hard, and stared into Spock’s dark eyes.
“Jim,” Spock said, it sounded almost like a whimper. He pulled Jim close.
“Easy, Spock. Easy,” Bones said. “Let him breathe. Let him catch his breath.”
Spock pulled back, but only a little.
Jim put his hand up to Spock’s face. Spock was shaking. “Medbay?”
“Yes. We…”
“You almost died on us again, Jim.”
Jim looked at Bones. “The ruins?”
“You fell down some giant crater thing. Lost consciousness. It took us a long time to reach you and you’d lost a lot of blood.”
He nodded. Looked back at Jim. “The chieftain?”
“Chieftain?”
“Of the village. He had the hots for you. I thought maybe he set me up to fall.”
Spock shook his head. He covered Jim’s hand with his. “There was no chieftain, Jim. The planet was abandoned. The ruins were from an extinct civilization. It is unknown what happened to the people from there.”
“But…they were lilac with jewel eyes and…”
“No, Jim. There was no one on the planet. We had barely begun to explore the ruins when you fell.”
He could barely believe it but his friends were looking at him like he was crazy, so he nodded. “Okay.”
“You gave me and your husband here a heart attack.”
Jim’s mouth hung open. “My-my what?”
“Ashaya, perhaps you ought to lie down.”
“You are unaware Spock is your husband?”
“Since?”
“For a year!” Bones exclaimed. “Spock is right. Lie down. I’d better check a
few things.”
Jim allowed Spock to ease him back down on the biobed and as Spock held his hand while Bones examined him, Jim heard the faint laughter of a child.
So I am struggling with the next part of Our So-Called Life. I kind of know what’s supposed to happen next, but I am not feeling the urge to write it. I tried. I opened it up and wrote a paragraph. And then closed it.
The answer? I’m going to put it away for now and mull on it. I may change what happens next slightly. We’ll see.
So while I am still working on my December stuff (6 and a half days done and scheduled. I should have the 7th done soon), I will move on to The Vulcan Who Fell to the Earth next instead. So expect that some time this week.
I’ve been enjoying writing the December stuff anyway. Other stuff will be updated as needed.
My three day weekend is at an end and it’s back to work tomorrow. Sigh. Wish I was rich. Don’t we all?
Photo by KIM DAE JEUNG on Pexels.com
Spock searched the whole house, looking for Jim, after he got out of bed and showered, but there was no sign of him. He squelched down the sense of panic that threatened to take hold. It was, of course, ridiculous. Jim was probably outside or even had gone off to the store in the city as he had done before.
There was nothing at all unusual in his absence. Jim insisted on his independence even after being so grievously injured, something Spock had been forced to get used to and accept.
Prior to Jim’s near fatal injury, Spock had only been friends with Jim, but as the mission had turned so dangerous, Jim had confessed his love for Spock. It wasn’t until Jim was revived that Spock could share his own deeper feelings. The fact he even could was…remarkable.
Sure enough, as Spock approached the back covered porch, he could hear Jim softly singing to himself. Next the scent of Jim’s pumpkin spice coffee hit his nose.
Spock pushed open the screen door. “Jim?” He didn’t immediately see him.
“Here, babe. On the ground.”
Spock looked down and noticed Jim sitting in the middle of the porch floor, knife in hand, tongue sticking out, with a giant pumpkin he had purchased at the pumpkin patch in between his spread legs.
“Ashaya? What are you doing?”
“Carving a Jack O Lantern. Didn’t your mom ever…never mind. She probably didn’t. But remember? I mentioned it at the pumpkin patch. Come sit down.”
Spock shrugged slightly and made his way over to the mess Jim was making. He had papers all spread out and gooey looking seeds all over the papers.
“You are killing it?”
“Already dead. I’m just pulling out its guts now.”
“A curious practice.” Spock watched as Jim finished gutting the pumpkin and then began to stab its flesh.
“I’m making a face for it,” Jim explained.
“I see. What is the purpose?”
“You put him out on your front porch all lit up for the harvest or whatever. Halloween. That kind of thing. I’ll just put him next to the uncarved ones. He’ll look cool.”
Spock thought, not for the first time, Earthlings were strange, and Jim, perhaps, stranger than many. And yet, Spock loved him. Almost obsessively so.
Jim looked at Spock and grinned. “What?”
“I am…” He cleared his throat. “I find myself very glad that I am sitting on your porch floor while you slaughter that member of the squash family.”
Jim laughed. It was an amazing sound. “Me too, babe.”
Spock doubted, really, that Jim actually got it. How much this almost didn’t happen. Couldn’t happen. Jim was there but he was out of it much of the time. And he didn’t think either him or McCoy, for that matter, could ever describe how horrible it had all been.
He reached his two fingers toward Jim. He paused in his cutting to extend his to Spock, and he felt the warm jolt that seemed to accompany their skin contact, their joining in any way. Spock suspected he knew the reason, yet he waited to know for sure.
“I am going in to get some tea, if you do not mind, then I will return.”
Jim grinned. “Sounds great. I’ll be here.”
And yes, Spock thought, he would, and Spock felt gratitude.
For Fun, Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes
Hello Friends
I have scheduled the first flash for December, Comfort and Joy, which will appear on December 01. I am already working on the next one for December 02. I’ll be working on a few December flashes before I go on to update Our So-Called Life. I’m about to get a little angsty with that one.
In other news, I saw Addams Family in the theater on Tuesday. It was cute. This weekend I have a three day weekend as I scheduled myself off for Monday. This was originally the Morro Bay weekend that I had to cancel. I didn’t cancel my day off though. I hope to get some writing in this weekend for December etc. I may also go to the dentist.
Our garage gets done on Wednesday the 23rd. M will be home dealing with that. Two months later.
I have a Halloween Party on October 26th. Then I also have off October 28 and 29 to go somewhere with my sister and mother. It’s just an overnight trip to the Solvang area for some casino, dining, and wine tasting, but I was invited to go (asked to go really and the sister is paying for everything, so how could I not?). Obviously that means that weekend not much writing will be done.
I have much much writing ahead of me though so I have to get working on all this or drive myself crazy. For one of those days in December I may take an old posted and deleted Pinto Christmas short and expand it just a wee bit so I can call it new! HA.
After Our So-Called Life, for AO3 updating, I will be back to My Vulcan Who Fell to the Earth.
And then of course there’s still work and you know life stuff. I am crazed. Some of those December flashes will be short, just so you know.
Fall Guys continue tomorrow.
Featuring Pinto
Chris stepped outside as Zach held the door open of the Starbucks they had just had coffee at just moments earlier.
“Dinner next?” Chris wondered, because truth be told, he was hungry. The espresso he’d just downed hadn’t really done much to get rid of that.
He’d been vaguely surprised to even hear from Zach as he knew his friend had a pretty busy filming schedule right now. Still, Chris wouldn’t complain about any chance to spend time with Zach.
“Eventually, sure,” was Zach’s reply. “But it being October and just a couple of weeks until Halloween, I thought we’d do something else first.”
Chris eyed him. “Something else? Halloween? Oh, God. Please tell me you aren’t having us go to an Escape Room. I’m claustrophobic.”
Zach rolled his eyes. “I know that, Christopher. Not an Escape Room. A haunted house.”
“A haunted…damn it, Zach. Most of those are so lame. I haven’t gone to one of those since I was a teenager.”
“A very long time ago,” Zach cracked.
“Says the guy who is older than me. Okay, fine. We’ll go. But you are so buying dinner.”
Zach smiled amicably. “Sure, sure.” He clicked open the locks of the rental car. “Get in, my boy.”
Chris snorted, but got in. Zach remained mostly silent on the way to the haunted house. Beating a rhythm on the dashboard to Monster Mash playing on the radio.
He pulled into a parking lot that proclaimed it was for the Haunted House. To Chris it looked like one of those prop houses on the movie lots, but he shook his head, grinned good-naturedly, and got out to follow Zach up to the door where his friend forked over two five dollar bills as entrance fees.
A woman stood in the front entry way of the house, dressed in an outfit reminiscent of a Disneyland costume from the Haunted Mansion.
“Welcome, Victims,” she declared in a falsely eerie voice. She pointed to an elevator. “This way.”
Chris withheld his eye role and followed Zach and a few others into the elevator, which predictably dropped several flows below. There was a scream and the elevator went dark.
“Disney should sue,” Chris muttered. He put his hand on Zach’s arm.
The elevator stopped and the lights flashed on.
He turned to Zach to say something about the lameness when he saw his hand was on some other guy’s arm. He stared at Chris.
“Do you mind, dude?” the guy said, moving away.
“Zach? Where the hell did you go, man?” He glanced around but didn’t see his friend. Everyone was moving on to the next part, so Chris followed, all the while looking for Zach, figuring his impatient friend had gone on without him.
At the next part, Chris jumped a little when costumed performers jumped out unexpectedly. And okay, maybe the first time his scream was a little high-pitched.
“Zach? Dude, where’d you go?”
He moved on to another part with a room full of twisted mirrors, but still didn’t find Zach. He was starting to get pissed. He hadn’t expected Zach to ditch him.
At the end, the last room had a mad scientist, and he was working on a mannequin in a chair. He pulled out a drill and aimed it for the dummy’s mouth.
And then the dummy screamed.
“Chris! Chris! Help! Help!”
****
“Hey, come on, Chris. It was a joke, okay?”
“Not funny.” Chris walked ahead back to the car.
“It was a little. You should have seen your face.” Zach stopped to double over laughing.
“Fuck you, Quinto.”
Zach straightened and scrambled after him. “Sorry. Come on. Sorry. Okay.”
Chris looked away, and wiped his eyes.
“Wait. Jeez. You…you aren’t crying, are you?”
“No.”
“Shit. Yeah, you are. Chris, man, no. I didn’t mean anything. It was just a stupid…” Zach grabbed Chris’ arms and turned him. “I would never…”
Chris laughed and smacked him in the face. “Crying. Get real.”
“You asshole!” Zach touched his face where Chris hit him. But he was laughing too. “You had me going.”
Chris smirked. “Yeah? That was lame, Quinto.”
Zach nodded. “Yeah, a little.” He searched Chris’ eyes. “So, we’re good?”
“Yeah.” He moved in close, putting his hand over Zach’s that still touched his face where Chris had hit. “Did I hurt you?”
“Stung a bit.”
“Yeah?”
“Want to kiss and make it better?”
Their hands lowered from Zach’s face and Chris smiled, leaning in, kissing his stubbly jaw.
“Did that make it better?”
“Hmm. Not sure. You’d better do it again.”
Chris chuckled, but he did, and just as his lips touched Zach’s jaw, he turned his face, so that Chris was kissing his mouth instead. Chris’ tongue teased the corner of Zach’s mouth.
“Better?” Chris murmured and kissed him again, this time longer.
“Way better. Dinner? How about we order a pizza and eat it at your place?”
“Best idea you’ve had since you called me, Quinto.” He kissed Zach long and slow, lingering over the stubble of his jaw as he pulled back. “Maybe you can try escaping from my room.”
Zach shook his head. “I’ll fail. Because I’m not leaving until morning.”
Chris laughed. “I thought surely that should be my line. You’ll never get away.” His laughter was sinister.
Zach opened the rental car. “Just get in, Pine.”
“Home, James.”
“Zach. Remember? Zach.”
Chris reached for his hand and threaded their fingers together. “Yeah. Yeah. I know.”
Below are a couple of pictures outside my building showing you that we still had quite a bit of smoke in the area from Friday’s fire this morning.
Last Friday, M and I ended up having to stay home the roads to work were closed due to a massive fire. We were never threatened but it did play havoc with work.
Well…today was not at all productive writing-wise. Work was nuts as I wasn’t there Friday and my co-workers were still off. I did begin the next chapter for The Space in My Bed but didn’t get far at all.
I did get two chapters done on My Heart Wants to Sigh over the weekend. Still working on December stories, too. So please be patient! Thank you so much for you continued support.
Fasting today so grumpy! LOL
Hello Friends
My Heart Wants to Sigh is live with the first chapter. It is the Spirk Sound of Music Story. I am excited to bring you this story and like my friend, J, said, I totally pictured Jim spinning around on the green hills singing his heart out. I think this is going to be a blast and I hope you agree. I hope to get another chapter up before I go back to working on December stories.
I should get an update done on The Space in My Bed this week, too.
Tonight M and I are watching Hitchcock’s The Birds. Watch it every October as I own it. You know I’ve watched it every year for many years and Rod Taylor really is an ass at the beginning. But I digress.
When Spock opened his eyes, he was staring into the intense blueness of his boyfriend’s irises. He blinked and let his gaze move down to the soft smile lighting up Jim’s face.
“Ashayam?”
“Nothing’s wrong, sweetheart. It’s morning.”
Spock’s gaze toward the window, noting the light streaming through. “I overslept?”
“No, no. It’s only ten.”
“Ten? That is late.”
Jim laughed. “Guess I wore you out. I brought your tea. I wanted to know if you wanted to go to the pumpkin patch with me.”
“Pumpkin patch?”
“Yeah. You know what a pumpkin is.”
Spock nodded as he sat up. “Of course. Ever since our arrival on Earth you have been obsessed with pumpkin spice everything.”
Jim had even purchased pumpkin spice tea for Spock and it mostly tasted like cloves and cinnamon, so Spock didn’t mind.
Spock didn’t mind much of anything that made Jim happy at this time. Only a short time ago, Spock had feared he’d been robbed of Jim once again.
The mission had been untenable from the start and everything had gone absolutely wrong culminating in Jim’s life threatening injuries. Both Spock and Doctor McCoy thought more than once Jim would succumb, but he’d come out of it, thankfully, wonderfully, alive. Starfleet had ordered Jim to take an extended medical leave, a minimum of three months. At first, Jim had balked, until Komack had agreed Jim could take that leave on Earth, with Spock by his side.
Jim was much improved. He still limped slightly, but even that would eventually go away. And Spock found himself filled with gratitude and abiding love for Jim.
“Right. But this is pumpkin. I mean just the fruit. The squash. You go to this place and it’s filled with all kinds of them. Some you can carve and some you make into pie and just…you know. I want to go.”
Spock nodded. “Give me some time to get ready and then we will leave.”
Jim smiled and leaned in to kiss him. “You got it. Tea’s on the bedside table. See you downstairs.”
Spock watched Jim walk stiffly from the room and when he was gone, Spock closed his eyes. Jim was still with him. Yes. And mostly better. They’d even been able to enjoy intimacy.
He rose from their bed and went into the bathroom to shower and get ready for the day. His mind had been disordered since the ‘incident’. No doubt the real reason he’d slept all the way until ten.
He took his tea with him and went downstairs to be greeted once more by Jim, this time with a slice of fresh baked banana bread. Even though it was Jim who had been injured, Spock noticed Jim seemed determined to take care of him.
The pumpkin patch turned out to be crowded with families, but Jim seemed unbothered by this. He wandered up and down the aisles looking at pumpkins of various sizes. Some he said were sugar pumpkins, the kind used for pies, and others were carving pumpkins for what he said were Jack O Lanterns.
By the time Jim had chosen several pumpkins, Spock could tell that Jim was suddenly, incredibly exhausted. He’d lost several shades of color and was very pale. Spock immediately rushed to him.
“Jim, ashaya.”
Jim sagged against him, clutching the sleeves of Spock’s sweater. “I’m okay, sweetheart. Just a little tired.”
“You have done too much. We need to return home.”
“I won’t argue with you, but I want to buy these pumpkins first.”
Spock blew out a breath. “Very well.” He lowered Jim to a bench. “You wait here while I arrange the purchases.”
When Spock had paid for all Jim’s pumpkins, he got Jim into the hover car and drove them back to the farmhouse.
Jim moved to get himself into the house and then protested when Spock came toward him. “I can walk, Spock.”
“I know but—
“I’m okay, I promise. Just got too much sun exposure and did too much, I got tired. That’s all.”
Once inside, Spock made Jim sit again.
“Spock—”
“Indulge me. You almost died again and—”
Jim took Spock’s hand and drew him down onto Jim’s lap.
“I am too heavy.”
“Oh be quiet,” Jim said with a laugh. Then he put his arm around Spock to hold him there. “I’m here. I didn’t die, okay?”
“Because of Dr. McCoy’s expertise. You take too many chances.”
“Spock. Just…kiss me.”
Spock did lean down and place a chaste kiss on Jim’s lips. He then got up when Jim let him. “Pumpkin soup for dinner?”
Jim smiled. “Sounds great. Want my help?”
“Are you capable?”
“Give me five minutes. Then we’ll cook together. Come here.” Jim pulled him back down. “I love you. Thank you for going with me to the pumpkin patch.”
“You are welcome. And I love you. More than I have words to convey.”
For fun here is a link to a pumpkin soup recipe: https://thesaltymarshmallow.com/easy-pumpkin-soup/
Spirk (with a small dose of Pinto) 