Today I updated Didn’t We Almost Have it All.
I chipped off a hunk of tooth by an old filling eating a sweet tart. It doesn’t hurt but now there’s a piece missing which means I have to go o the dentist at some point soon to get it repaired. Grrr. I don’t go to the dentist. Or I haven’t in many years. This sucks!
Um, that’s it!
“Do you believe in ghosts and the like?”
“Oh, for God’s sake, Jim. I’m trying to study for a big exam here.”
Jim nudged Bones’ leg as he sat before his terminal in their combined dorm. Bones didn’t just have a cup of black coffee next to him, but a carafe.
Hand on one hip, Jim smirked. “I’m serious.”
“You think asking me if I believe in spooks is serious?”
“Uh-huh. I think I saw one.”
“How much did you have to drink?”
“Nothing! It was at the library. I was sitting at the table in the back by the philosophy section. All by myself.”
Bones snorted. “And you’re surprised? It was philosophy. Boring.”
“I know.” Jim rolled his eyes. “You’re a doctor not a philosopher.”
“Yep. Go away. You’re bugging me.”
“Anyway, as I was sitting there, he appeared…”
“Of course it was a guy.”
“Dark hair, pale skin, all dressed in black, and like a hooded cape on.”
“And that makes him a spook?”
“No. But I looked down at my PADD for like a second when I got a message from Sam and when I looked up the hooded figure was gone.”
“Hooded figure? You watch too many movies. He just went to another part of the library, Jim.”
“I would have thought so but I looked around everywhere and he was nowhere to be found.” Jim sat on the edge of Bone’s desk. “I think he was a ghost.”
“Sure, sure.” Bones leaned back in his chair. “Did you tell the professor?”
“No,” Jim said quickly. “He’d think I was crazy and illogical to boot.”
“Gotta agree with him there. I’m actually surprised you aren’t with him. Or he’s not with you. I thought you two had been sewn together or something.”
“Don’t be stupid. I asked if he wanted to be and he said no.”
Bones rolled his eyes. “Didn’t I tell you to get lost?”
“Yeah, yeah. He’s having dinner with his folks.”
“Didn’t invite you?”
“Not this time. It’s still pretty new, you know? And I think he’s waiting to see if he can stand me that long.”
“Oh he can stand you. I know from all the times I’ve seen his tongue in your mouth.”
Jim laughed and shoved him. “I’m going back to the library.”
“In search of ghosts?”
“Nah, philosophy. I still want to find a book I’m looking for. Haven’t found it yet, though it’s supposed to be there and no one has checked it out.”
“Woooowooo, spooky,” Bones said, sarcastically.
“Oh be quiet. See you later. And ease up on the caffeine dude. You’re shaking.”
Jim headed back down the campus to the library. It was a quiet night without many people around. There was a slight crisp in the air, the kind that would make his boyfriend pull on a sweater but Jim didn’t mind it.
It was a Friday night, so he knew hardly anyone would be around and though he’d mentioned his “ghost” to Bones, Jim hadn’t really believed it.
He went right up to the Philosophy section to look for his book. He’d been looking for about ten minutes when he decided to go to the table he’d sat at before and leave his book bag there. He turned the corner of the aisle and saw…
The hooded man. He was leaning over the table, placing something there.
“Hey!”
The man turned toward him and his hood fell slightly revealing pointed ears.
Jim frowned, heart thundering. “Spock? Is that…”
But no, the Vulcan looked older and…
He disappeared in front of Jim’s eyes.
“What the…”
Jim shook his head rapidly. No way. He went over to the table and looked down at what the figure had placed on his table.
It was the book he’d been looking for. He put his hand on it. Real.
His communicator beeped and Jim jumped. He fished it out of his pocket, looked at who it was, and flipped it open.
“Hi. You through? Yeah. Me too. I’m leaving the library. Meet you at your apartment. Bye.”
He closed it. Put it away and stuffed the book into his bag.
“Thanks,” he muttered and left the library.
So sorry I haven’t been around much this week. Work has been…work. And with crappy cell service, it’s been challenging. Then this weekend I have been busy too. I will try to be better about keeping in touch as I go forward.
I did update The Fling today.
I also posted the latest update to my Fall Guys this past Friday right here on the blog. Eventually, when their story is done, I will be posting the whole fic on AO3 but don’t look for that until the end of December.
I have to go to a party today, which I am dreading. Oh well. I will live through it.
Coming up next in updates will be My Devotion. I am back in the pattern of spreadsheet updates.
Finally, on October 23rd, our garage door will get replaced. TWO MONTHS later. But at least it will finally happen. I will be sure to post pictures of it when it does.
Wednesday coming up is an October related flash. And then Friday is the next update for the Fall Guys. Can’t wait for you to read it.
This week both of my co-workers are on vacation so I will be alone for much of it, working like mad to cover their jobs as well as mine. Fun fun fun. LOL
Talk soon
I decided to do the first October Walk With Me from my new work location.
Spock was knocked onto a giant pile of leaves that, fortunately, broke his fall. And normally he would be offended by the action, but since it was Jim who had done it…no, he was still offended. Even as his beautiful, laughing boyfriend lay atop him in the pile of moist, dead leaves of reds, browns, and oranges.
“Gotcha!” Jim exclaimed, gleefully.
“You already had me, Jim,” Spock replied, dryly. “There was no reason for an attack.”
“It’s not an attack, sweetheart.”
“You made a running jump upon my person and knocked me to the ground. How is that not an attack?”
Suddenly Spock felt something wiggle right under his shoulder and he jumped ten feet.
“There is an insect—”
Jim laughed like a maniac. “Spock, sorry, sorry. That was me.”
“What?” Spock’s heart was hammering in his side.
“I wanted to see your reaction.” Jim grinned and leaned down to kiss Spock, who moved his mouth out of range. “Ah, now I made you mad.”
“I am not angry. I just find your behavior childish.” Though perhaps Spock was very vaguely amused. Jim was appealing like this.
“Sorry, sweetheart. I forgot you don’t like to be teased.”
“I am not opposed to being teased as a means of flirtation, however—”
“I know.” Jim kissed his lips, Spock allowed it this time. “I didn’t know you’d jump. You’re so calm, cool and collected most of the time.” Jim moved off Spock and he missed the weight of Jim’s body immediately as Jim turned onto his back to lie beside Spock in the leaves, staring up at the sky. “October was always one of my favorites, you know?”
Spock turned his head to look at Jim. “Why is that?”
“The leaves. They start changing in September, but really, in October they go crazy. And they fall like this and you pile them up. November too. I don’t know. It was different. And it was also light a little bit later than it is in November. It got dark really fast then. But October? I loved lazy days lying around in leaf piles.”
“A strange custom.”
Jim laughed and shook his head. “Not a custom, mostly. Just…I don’t know. Fun. Before Sam left he’d lie here with me in the leaves, like you are. And in the late afternoon we’d watch the clouds float by and decide what they were shaped as.” He sighed. “I loved it.”
“You are sad, Ashayam.”
“Only a little. Memories do that sometimes, I guess. There weren’t a lot of good memories from my childhood, but that was one of them.” Jim sat up. “Ready to go back inside?”
Spock reached for Jim’s hand and drew him back down to him, to lie along Spock’s chest. “Not quite yet. Let’s stay a moment.”
“Yeah?” Jim smiled.
Spock pointed. “That cloud there? It looks like a cat.”
Jim chuckled. “It does. The one behind it? Might be a dog chasing it.”
“Perhaps. But it resembles a duck more to me.”
“A duck? You need glasses!” He snuggled closer to Spock. Spock’s lips twitched. “I love you. And thank you.”
“I love you as well. And it is a duck.”
Things are still looney at work but I guess we are settling in.
In the morning it is hot and stuffy in the office and in the afternoon it’s like a walk-in freezer! LOL. Oh well.
Workmen are all around us making noise as they try to get ready for the next group moving in, which I guess is this coming Monday.
The grounds are beautiful and on Wednesdays they have a bunch of different food booths that come.
There’s no designated smoking area outside though so you get hit with the smokers everywhere. They do have these weird things that look like bus stops but are little plastic enclosures for smokers to use but only a few seem to do so and I can see why. They reek like they have 10 years worth of smoke in them.
Next week both of my co-workers are off that do the same job as me so it will be a bit of a challenge to say the least. Oh well.
In other news, I had made a reservation many months ago to go to Morro Bay for the weekend of October 19th. While there I was going to see the Cambria Scarecrow Festival. Cambria is right next door to Morro Bay and also a favorite place. I was so looking forward to it. But, being broke and poor sucks, let me tell you. I made the difficult decision to cancel. It’s just way more money than I ought to spend at this time. So, hopefully, I can plan something for Spring 2020. Sad though.
Supposed to go to a friend’s party Sunday afternoon that I do NOT want to go to. I agreed though, so whatever. But sigh.
I did write a short song flash that’s up on AO3 today, Can’t Smile Without You. Check it out if you get the chance.
Every Wednesday in October you will get an October themed flash (including Halloweenish, though I will try not to make them too scary. Enjoy!
“Bones hates pumpkin spice.”
Spock looked up from his PADD to eye his captain who had just flopped down across from Spock at the table in the mess room. “While unfortunate considering your obsessive love for it, I hardly think it warrants the alarm in your tone, Captain.”
“Well.” Jim sighed and leaned his chin on his hand. “I’ve known him for, I don’t know, years and years, and you think you know a guy and…then wham. They declare such a blasphemy.”
“You could look at it as an indication that leaves more pumpkin spice for you.”
His captain smiled. “That’s true.”
“And also an indication that the doctor is not entirely right in the head.” Spock paused. “Although I have long suspected that.”
Jim’s smile widened. “Damn, but you do know how to make me feel better.”
“As first officer, it is my duty to do so.”
“Mm. I guess so.” Jim lifted a cup to his lips and Spock gave a sniff.
“Speaking of, is that…”
“Pumpkin spice tea. Yes. Uhura got it for me on Starbase 9. She said she saw it in the store and knew because I was a pumpkin spice nut, I would appreciate it. She was right.”
Spock considered. “It does smell good. But was it a recent gift, Captain?”
“Uh.”
“I wondered as this is the first time in my presence that you have had a cup and I could not imagine you were, perhaps, holding back from me that you had acquired it.”
“Uh.”
“As I recall Nyota returned from Starbase 9 a month ago.”
“Well.”
“The same as the rest of us. And I believe she also found pumpkin spice coffee for you at that time as well.”
Jim bit his lip. “How’d you know that?”
“She was excited to tell me about her findings. This may come as a surprise to you, Jim, but many of the crew think about your preferences when they are at places like the store on Starbase 9. They like to please you.”
“That’s so sweet,” Jim said with a wide smile.
“But you were, in fact, holding back the tea. And I don’t believe Nyota mentioned that purchase to me. Did you convince her not to tell me?”
“Uh.”
Spock shook his head.
“I’ll make you some tonight over chess,” Jim said in a rush. “And, you know…” Jim paused to let his tongue trace over his lips in a deliberate flirtation Spock was well aware of. “Before bed.”
Spock inclined his head. “Very well. And the pumpkin truffles, too.”
“Damn it!” Jim laughed, held his fingers out for Spock, who met them, and then went back to his PADD.
First day at the new office and there’s no cell service inside the building. If I get cell service at all, I have to go outside, so for emails and texts, that’s my choice. And apparently not all of them come through. Grrr. They are supposed to eventually fix but I am not holding my breath.
Anyway, desk is tiny. And everything is a walk but I did get all my FitBit steps for the day quite early. So…
Some of the things I got up to this weekend.
Er…coming up this week…The Mysterious One and The Fling. I think. Tomorrow I am at my new location so not sure how much work I will get done writing-wise first day or so. I’ll play it by ear. I have also heard cell phone service is sketchy there. But you will definitely have at least the flashes. The rest…remains to be seen
Spirk (with a small dose of Pinto) 