I’m off for the next 3 days to my wonderful second home, I wish LOL
We are headed to Solvang, Morro Bay and Cambria (my second home all of them and where I would retire if I had a choice)
Never fear, I have written and scheduled tomorrow and Monday’s Christmas in July flashes. Hope you enjoy the little surprises!
A conclusion
Jim woke to the smell of coffee and pancakes. Pumpkin pancakes, it seemed. His favorite.
He turned to face Spock, but the bed was empty.
So he wasn’t dreaming of someone making him breakfast.
For a moment, his gaze stayed on the new titanium ring on his left hand. The Vulcan inscription read One and Together.
Both his and Spock’s hand the same inscription, of course. And that had been Spock’s doing way back when.
The wedding had been spur of the moment, really, on a very brief mandated appearance at HQ. And yet even with just a few hours notice, Spock had managed to get a couple of inexpensive rings engraved.
The best laid plans, Jim mused as his gaze went to the ornament box he’d bought to present their new rings to Spock.
He rose from their bed, washed up in the bathroom, and went downstairs to the lower half of their townhome.
Sure enough, Spock had turned on the lights on the Christmas tree and placed a cup of coffee and pumpkin pancakes in Jim’s place at the dining room table.
“Good morning,” Jim said, as he took his seat. “Looks good.”
“Made from scratch,” Spock replied. “Merry Christmas.”
“Sit down with me.”
Spock carried a plate of pancakes to the table and sat in his usual seat.
Jim reached for his hand and Spock placed his hand in Jim’s.
“It’s okay,” he said softly.
“It is not okay that I hurt and disappointed you.”
“We’ve always known about our duty interfering with our personal lives.”
Spock frowned. “Maybe it’s time we reevaluate.”
Jim laughed softly. “Like what? Retire?”
“Would that be so bad?” Spock asked. “I should have let you know the meeting was off the rails.”
He laughed again. “Man, are you being influenced by me.”
“It was. I could get no one to shut up. And I admit I did not notice how late it really was.” Spock shook his head. “And those sound like many excuses and in reality I have none.”
“I wouldn’t say that. It’s not like you could stand up and say, hey, my husband is waiting for me.”
“I could have. I should have. You were upset.”
“I was, yeah. But I’ve had time to think about it. I’m not saying I don’t wish things worked out the way I planned last night. But there’ve been plenty of times I was late because of some stupid Starfleet or Federation thing. And in the end, there’s no one else I’d rather be stood up by then you.”
Spock looked confused and then shook his head. “That is illogical.”
Jim smiled. “So’s that slightly longer canine tooth on your left side of your mouth.”
Spock arched a brow.
“It’s cute. It’s always been cute. My point is, I don’t want to be with anyone but you, even if sometimes I still want to tear the bangs right off your forehead. I love you, warts and all.”
“There are some that say I am unworthy of you,” Spock whispered.
“Right back at ya.” Jim squeezed his hand. “We decided long ago we didn’t care what anyone said about us.”
“I know. But I still apologize. I am sorry I ruined Christmas Eve and I will endeavor to do better. And the new rings are appreciated.”
“Inscription and all.”
“Indeed. And when you are finished with breakfast, I would like to go for a walk.”
“Okay, sure.”
“What’s this?” Jim asked when Spock brought Jim back to the park and a live tree decorated with Christmas lights.
Spock took both of Jim’s hands in his.
“Will you marry me…again?”
Jim laughed, moved close to kiss him. “You bet I will. And I promise not to be late.”
Spock knew when he saw the empty table in the restaurant that he’d messed up. He didn’t realize how badly then. It was a table for two and there was a half-empty glass of red wine on the abandoned table. He also spotted a small individual teapot with a tea strainer and cup beside it.
Above the table was a giant red ball with a gold finial attached to it. It was sparkling with glitter. A Christmas bulb.
Guilt, shame, and disappointment in himself assailed him and his heart hurt.
He turned away and walked back toward the entrance of the restaurant where the hostess stood behind a podium.
“Excuse me. Can you advise me how long ago that man at the table left?”
“Oh, the admiral? Twenty minutes ago. He was stood up if you can believe it.” She made a tsking sound.
“I can believe it.”
She then stared at him. Spock knew the moment when she realized. “Oh. You’re the one he was supposed to meet.”
“Yes.”
She reached behind the podium and withdrew a small ornament box. “He left this.”
Spock held it in his hands, further dismayed. “Which direction did he go”
“Toward the park. He said to watch the ice skaters.”
Spock shoved the ornament box in his coat pocket and left the restaurant, hurrying toward the park.
Around him he heard festive holiday music and he recalled the date was December 24th, Christmas Eve. And also the anniversary of when…that was a few years back now and it was not something Spock really thought about. Vulcans didn’t consider such things important, but Humans…
He spotted Jim huddled in a coat sitting on a bench observing a group of boisterous ice skaters on the temporary pond the city had set up for the holidays.
Spock rushed over and sat beside Jim, who continued to gaze out at the skaters.
“I am sorry I was late.”
“Late? Ten minutes is late. Ninety minutes is a no show.”
Spock swallowed the heavy lump. “I…the meeting went far past the time I anticipated. And I…did forget the day.”
“Christmas Eve,” Jim said softly. He shook his head. “I know you don’t care about Earth celebrations.”
“I care about you and what is important to you. It was thoughtless and insensitive of me to forget.” Spock withdrew the box. “You left this.”
“My Christmas present to you.” Jim took it from Spock and looked at it. “We never did get proper rings. They were flimsy and bought in haste. I guess I thought it was time to replace them.”
Jim flipped open the box to display two titanium men’s wedding rings.
Unbidden and unwanted tears sprung to Spock’s eyes and he found it difficult to speak. Jim watched him but didn’t say anything.
His hand shaking, Spock took the box from Jim’s hand. He carefully withdrew one and placed it on Jim’s finger. Then he placed the other on his own.
“Same inscriptions we got on the cheap ones,” Jim whispered.
:”I saw. Did you…did you want to go back to the restaurant?”
“No, I have a better idea.” Jim stood and held out his hand for Spock to take. “Let’s go home.”
“Wherever you are is my home.”
Jim smiled then and holding Spock’s hand they left the park for home.
“We’re about to close, Professor.”
Jim stood at the edge of the little alcove where he always found the Vulcan professor seated at a table. Since the Academy’s fall session started Jim found Professor Spock in the library almost every night going over the Academy’s science texts on a terminal there.
Spock glanced at him. “I did not realize how late it was.”
“Last night before the winter break,” Jim said, leaning against the wall to observe him. “Going to go home to Vulcan?”
Spock paused for a moment, then closed all his notebooks and signed out of the terminal. “Vulcan is no longer my home. San Francisco is.”
“Yeah. I mean to see your folks or whatever.”
“They are not on Vulcan at present. My father is ambassador to Earth. They are in New York.”
“Mm. So—”
“No, Cadet. My intention is to stay here during the semester break. And yourself?”
Jim smiled. “I’ll be here too. I’ve got no family on Earth right now to spend any time with, so might as well stick around here.”
He moved into the alcove and noticing Spock didn’t seem to be getting up yet, Jim took the chair next to him.
“You probably don’t really go for holiday celebrations.”
“As Vulcans, my father and I follow Vulcan culture and history. My mother is Human, however.”
“Yeah? What about her then?”
“She gave up most Earth celebrations to adapt to life with my father.”
Jim snorted. “I can’t imagine how difficult it must be to change your whole way of thinking and being just for one person.”
Spock inclined his head. “Indeed but it was a choice she made when she accepted my father’s marriage proposal.”
“Why’d they get married?”
“My father indicated it was a logical decision.”
Jim outright laughed. “Yeah okay. If you’re using logic to figure out your relationships, well…good luck.”
“You don’t appreciate logic?”
“Not when it comes to two individuals connecting on a deeper level. What have you been studying here anyway? A guy like you? I’d think you had pretty much all the modern equipment and knowledge in your own residence.”
He was surprised when Spock appeared to be blushing, and then hurriedly stood up.
“I should be going as you are wanting to close the library.”
“Hey, it’s all right. You have a few minutes.” Jim rose too. “In fact, I don’t know. Maybe you want to get some coffee with me?”
“That will be acceptable.”
Jim smiled. “Great. Let me just go take care of a few things and I’ll meet you at the exit doors.”
Jim met Spock there about fifteen minutes later and after locking up, they made a short walk to a coffee and tea place.
Jim got a peppermint chocolate latte and Spock got a gingerbread spiced latte with cashew nut milk.
“So, what are you going to do with your winter break then?”
“I do not know,” Spock admitted. “Most of those I have become acquainted with have other plans.”
“Except me.”
Spock’s gaze rose from his coffee. “Except you.”
“You never did say what you’ve been studying at the library since September.”
Spock sighed. “I have been studying you.”
Jim blinked. “Me?”
“I have been fascinated by you since I first laid eyes on you.”
Jim laughed. “Why didn’t you ever say anything?”
“I am…shy.”
He reached over and put his hand on Spock’s. “We are definitely spending the winter break together.”
This is as good a time to update you as any since there is no flash today
I should shortly be posting an updated chapter for A Heart Needs a Second Chance. I’m a bit behind on A03 update but am working on it.
I have just 5 more Christmas in July flashes left. Time flies!
I have no particular theme for August. Or any particular posting schedule for it. I’m away July 28-30 (a beach trip this time not a gambling one LOL). I’ll post at my whim for August. I hope to get everything that needs updating in August. I hope to finish Cosmic Love entirely.
I might do an Academy theme for September.
Once October comes around I will begin writing a lot of holiday stuff as I have at least two full fics to do for the holidays, but I’ll see what I can get up for flashes related to Fall/Halloween etc.
Beginning in September, my company is requiring us to go back into the office at least one day a week so I don’t know yet how that will affect my productivity.
If you’re still with me and reading my little slice of heaven of AOS Spirk, I truly appreciate it. It’s been a long time since there were any movies with them (even longer since TOS of course), so I know it’s easy to move on from reading stories about them, so if you love them anyway like I do, thank you!
Spock was engrossed in correspondence from his father when a tiny hand touched the sleeve of his upper arm.
“Fix it.”
He turned his gaze to see his daughter with Jim staring at him with wide eyes and a tear-stained face. She had in her hand the stuffed reindeer Jim had secured for her for her birthday. At first he could not see any issue with it, but then noticed an ear clutched separately between her fingers.
“What happened?” Spock asked, as he scooped her up into his lap. She instantly looped her free arm around his neck to snuggle closer.
“He got his ear caught in the gate of his reindeer pen,” Amanda told him.
“Did he? And how did that happen?”
“Trying to escape.”
Spock frowned. “Why would he want to escape? Is he not happy here with you?”
“Sure he is,” she told him, her bottom lip trembling. “But Martin misses the other reindeers.”
“I had not thought about that. No doubt he wishes for a companion of some sort. Other than a humanoid one of course.”
Amanda smiled a little. “Exactly, Father. Fix it.”
Spock took the reindeer and his ear and examined it. “Give me one moment while I see what I have for this.”
He carefully untangled his daughter from his neck and set her on his chair by herself, taking the reindeer with him.
“Wait there. I will be back.”
Spock went into the bathroom and examined the contents of the medicine cabinet. He also took a moment to message Jim.
When he returned to the living room, Amanda waited expectantly with her hands folded neatly in her lap.
“Can you fix Martin, Father?”
Spock held up a box of bandages, a thermal generator, and super glue.
Amanda shook her head. “No. You gotta sew his ear back on!”
“Not just glue it?”
She huffed.
“I admit that sewing is not a skill I ever learned.”
“Daddy can sew.”
Spock withheld a sigh and just stopped himself from sarcastically and illogically saying ‘Daddy is perfect’. Vulcans were by nature not given to fits of childishness.
“Then we will wait for Daddy to come home to repair Martin.”
She made a face but Spock distracted her with a promise of reading a story while they waited for Daddy.
An hour later, Jim appeared, looking gorgeous and sunny, and stealing both of their hearts all over again.
Amanda ran to him, flinging herself straight into his arms. He laughed and spun her around. Spock went and kissed him much more sedately, though with just as much enthusiasm.
“Martin’s ear got torn off, Daddy.”
“Mm. So I heard. We’ll sew that right up.”
Amanda shot Spock a smug look. He arched his brow back at her.
Behind his back, Jim shoved a bag at Spock.
Spock stepped back as Jim brought their daughter further into the living room. He opened the bag and pulled out another stuffed reindeer.
He followed them to the living room.
“Guess what,” Spock said.
“What?”
“Just a moment ago Santa dropped another reindeer down so that Martin could have a companion,” Spock told her, feeling fairly silly, but happy to do so when she smiled excitedly and clapped her hand as he presented it to her.
“Yay!”
“What’s this one’s name?” Jim asked.
Amanda pursed her lips. “Cornelius.”
Spock nodded. “A very wise name.”
Jim smiled. “Okay, let’s sew up Martin’s ear and he can show Cornelius the reindeer pen.”
Barely withholding a smile of his own, Spock returned to his seat as Amanda and Jim went to the sewing machine.
He typed out to his father.
Life is very good.
I uploaded a story called Whom Gods Destroy (after the episode) “anonymously” for a couple of reasons.
Anyway, so I don’t know. I started chapter 2 already but now given the decided lack of apparent interest I may just delete it and call it a failed experiment. I wasn’t intending to maker certain details super graphic but again there would be some pretty heavy angst.
So yeah. I just don’t know.
J wanted some Regency Pinto and though I didn’t feel like setting this little snippet of their life at Christmas (I’ll get something like that done at actual Christmas time), Christmas IS mentioned so I decided this qualifies for Christmas in July!
It was a lazy summer day with Chris spending most of the day in his parlor reading.
The day was warm in the country, warmer than he generally enjoyed, so he decided to stay inside.
He was half asleep on the settee when there was a brisk knock on the parlor door.
“Hmm?”
“Sorry, milord, but you have a visitor.”
Chris straightened and wiped his eyes. “A visitor, Lang? Who is it?”
Lang was one of only three servants he kept at the country estate regularly. The other being his housekeeper, Mrs. Dunphy, and the cook.
“Viscount Quinton, sir.”
Excitement and happiness bubbled up inside him. “Zachary? Wonderful. Show him in at one, Lang.”
He stood and smoothed down his cotton lawn shirt, discarding his already loosened cravat in a nearby chair.
Zach came sauntering in a moment later, looking the picture of perfecting in fawn colored breeched and coat with a cream colored shirt and cravat. His hair had gotten a touch longer and he held it back with a neat bow.
“Lord Christopher,” he called out, smiling.
Lang stood just behind him. “Tea, milord?”
“Tea, Zach?”
“Not just yet, Lang. I’ll ring for it later if required. Just some privacy if you please. Have Mrs. Dunphy set up the bed chamber next to mine. And do tell Cook there will be an extra person for supper.”
Lang bowed and closed the door.
Immediately Zach came to him and folded him into his arms.
“This is unexpected,” Chris murmured against him. “Though not unwelcome. I thought you were in London.”
“And I was. But I haven’t seen you since Christmas and I’ve missed you so.”
“You are staying?”
“For at least tonight if not a second night. Then I must return to London.”
“Whatever time we can have together is wonderful.”
They found each’s mouths then, enjoying a long lingering kiss. Zach touched Chris’ jaw.
“You’re quite bristly.”
“No need for shaving when there’s only me.”
“I don’t mind it, believe me.” Zach closed his eyes. “It’s been far too long.”
“Agreed. But it can’t be helped. Come lie here on the settee with me. We can have a lazy day together. Dreaming of more Christmases to come.”
“Mmm. Sounds perfect.”
And yes, Chris thought later, it was.
After a two day ordeal (the guys showed up at 8:30AM Friday and didn’t leave until 5:30 but they couldn’t get it to run) I have AC!!!
They sent over a technician today and after another hour a half of him redoing a bunch of things they did yesterday, it’s up and running.
I am getting much cooler and happier as we speak.
Here’s a pretty neighborhood picture
