“Are you sure? Spock continued to be surprised by Jim. They had just been preparing for bed, when before getting into the hotel bed, he had turned to Spock and said those words.
“Spock, our time is limited. If you go back that is.” Jim shook his head. “And I don’t want you to.”
Spock nodded and opened his arms to pull Jim close. Jim went easily and Spock put his hand on Jim’s jaw and brough their lips together.
When they came up for air, he whispered. “Nor do I, but…I do not belong here.”
“Just…fuck me.”
They managed to get their pajamas off and fell onto the bed together. Spock kissed Jim everywhere and when he went to reach for a condom, Jim stopped him.
“Forget about that. I just want to feel you as you are inside me. Besides, in your time, surely they’ve eradicated sexually transmitted diseases.”
“They have,” Spock agreed. “If you are sure—”
“I am,” Jim whispered, kissing him with such intensity Spock felt dizzy.
Spock prepared Jim with the lubricant and then slowly pushed into the Human. His Human.
Spock knew perhaps he shouldn’t, but even as he moved deeper within Jim, he sought a deeper mental connection. His hand moved toward Jim’s face.
“What?”
“Vulcans are-are touch telepaths, I wished to-to do a meld with you. If permissible.”
Jim arched up as Spock thrust. “Will it hurt?”
“It should not, no.”
Jim moistened his lips. “Do it then.”
Spock did not need to be told twice. Now that Jim knew the truth of who and what he was, holding back a part of himself was not required.
He rested his fingers on Jim’s face. “My mind to your mind,” he whispered. “My thoughts to your thoughts.”
And just like that, he slipped inside Jim’s mind as though they were made for each other. No meld had ever been so easy, so welcome, so right.
“Spock,” Jim moaned.
In Spock’s mind he saw Earth, as it was now, and then he saw Vulcan as it was when he left, the planets moved to line up right next each other, which he knew was not their exact location, and then Jim, bathed in bright sunlight, like Las’hark, appeared. Spock saw himself bathed in the colors of the desserts of Vulcan. Jim walked toward him, hand outstretched, and Spock reached out and took it.
Spock’s hand slipped off Jim’s face as they both found their release together.
By the time I finish Totally Modern Jim I will have written a post pretty much every day for two months. It’s taking a major toll on me, not going to lie.
And we all know July and Christmas in July will be here soon enough and I know most of you look forward to that.
So…in June it’s going to be Flash Fic Fridays only (the only exception being J’s birthday). Sorry it’s gotta be that way.
Besides in June (at the end) M, sister and I are going to Morro Bay for a few days R and R.
Somehow I have to fit other updates in there too. I need to finish a couple other fics soon as I am getting a bit overwhelmed with my own pressure. And yes I pressure myself.
Let me tell you what I do NOT want to be. I followed a published writer for a number of years. I loved her work from the first story I read of hers and bought every story she wrote. Read them multiple times. She was the type who wrote a series, meaning you’d get couple A’s story in the first book, couple B’s in the next, couple C in the next and so on. I loved all her inter-related stuff and lots of others did too. She was always a bit “flighty” or “eccentric” and at one point she had promised story sequels that never materialized. She announced after one of her publishers went out of business that she was done and would never write those promised stories. Then last year she came back again, wrote a few of those “promised” stories and swore she was going to finish the story most of her readers wanted the most (not me, I preferred another story she had promised to write and it too was in the “queue” never to be written) I got excited again. Bought the stories I had missed and eagerly waited for the others. I checked her site a few days back and once more she has announced she doesn’t intend to EVER write those stories, and too bad so sad.
I do NOT want to be that person. I will never ever write a new story again before I will not finish those that are WIPS. I promise you the stories currently running will be finished. After that, I may quit. Honestly. But we will see. But not before they are all done.
Anyway, this is mostly to say, yes June will be light in flashes but not entirely bereft and I know that will be all right with all of you.
Spock found himself speechless and staring at Jim, unable to think what to say. He’d been found out. Now Jim obviously knew he was not “normal” and yet he didn’t look particularly bothered by Spock’s secret.
Jim sighed just a little then. More of a soft huff of breath.
“You know what? Let’s take care of your cuts first. The rest can wait. Lower your pants or take them off.”
He made it sound like an order and Spock wasn’t sure why, but he obeyed. He turned a bit from where they stood, undid his trousers and lowered them to his feet, and then stepped out of them.
Jim bent down and picked them up. “They’re definitely ruined. I hope you brought another pair.”
“I did,” Spock spoke softly. He was worried. He couldn’t deny it and it was not a pleasant feeling.
Jim smiled, unexpectedly. “It’s all right.” He opened the bag and took out bandages and a small container of peroxide. “I can use this, right?”
Spock nodded.
He poured some out on a cotton ball, then knelt on the floor of the room in front of Spock.
“Just a few scraps is all. I was afraid you’d cut it bad enough for stitches.” Jim shook his head. “I’d have to find a way to sew it up myself obviously.”
“Jim.” But he stopped, not knowing what else to say.
“Does it hurt?” Jim asked after wiping the scrapes with the peroxide soaked cotton balls.
“Just a dull sting.”
Jim glanced up at him. “You can take your hat off, Spock.”
Spock did, still staring rather dumbly at this unusual Human.
Next Jim opened a couple of bandages and put them across the scrapes. He then sat back a bit to look at them.
“Good as new. Or almost.” He looked up at Spock again. “Want to help me up?”
Spock reached down and easily tugged Jim to his feet.
“You’re pretty strong.”
“I…have three times your strength.”
Jim’s tongue came out to trace his lips. “Do you?”
“Yes.”
Jim put his hand on Spock’s hipbone. “You want to put on a robe or something while we talk?”
“Perhaps, yes.”
Jim moved away and Spock felt a bit bereft by that, though that felt foolish.
He went into the hotel room closet and pulled out one of the terrycloth robes there and handed it to Spock, who put it on without comment.
Jim gestured to the table and chairs in the room. “Wanna sit?”
Spock let out a long breath and did so. He was surprised when Jim moved to the small kitchenette in the room and made them both cups of hot tea. The fact that Jim wasn’t running screaming from him was rather remarkable. Spock thought based on what he knew, this was quite remarkable.
Jim put the cups of tea on the table and then took the other chair.
“Honestly, Spock, that explains a lot.”
“Does it?”
Jim nodded. “Green blood, pointed ears. I never…they just look natural, I guess. The slightly different way you act. Just several things. You aren’t from here, are you?”
“I am not.”
Jim smiled faintly. “Or Massachusetts.”
Spock shook his head. “Not from Earth at all. And from the future.”
“Yeah?”
“You do not seem surprised.”
Jim shrugged. “I’m a little drunk but not that drunk. There are many things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”
“Shakespeare.”
“Yeah. But it applies. I’m a scientist. I know there are many things we don’t know. And that we don’t know we don’t know.”
“I am from Vulcan. Many years from now, our species makes first contact with Earth. How am I here? A colleague and I were on a routine mission when our ship—
“A space ship?”
“Indeed. A Vulcan ship. We were on a supply mission. We encountered some anomaly that thrust us into your timeline and then your air force became aware of our existence, though I do not know what they thought of us. They attempted to shoot us down and we crashed.”
“Crashed?”
“Yes. My colleague perished. I was able to survive and bury much of the wreckage. As far as I know my appearance here has remained a secret until you as I have been here for months trying to find a way back to where I came from.”
“And that’s why you say you are here temporarily.”
“Yes. I know it sounds fantastical but…all that is correct.”
“I see the evidence before my eyes.” Jim sighed and rubbed those eyes. “I just…I don’t know what to do about any of it right now.”
“Some Humans might wish to turn me into the authorities,” Spock said, carefully.
Jim gave him a look. “Why would I do that? And have you taken to some secret area in Roswell? Spock, I love you. I’m just…this is a lot to process.”
Spock was stunned. “You love me?”
Jim snorted. “Of course I love you. I just wasn’t aware I was in love with an alien from outer space.”
“I…have an attachment to you as well.”
Jim laughed then. “Good to know. We can’t do anything about any of this right now. Why don’t we finish our tea and go to bed?”
Spock nodded. Now that it was all out in the open with Jim it somehow felt better. And worse.
Photo by George Dolgikh @ Giftpundits.com on Pexels.com
It was evening now and Winona was trying not to be disappointed she hadn’t heard from Jim. That morning she’d gotten a message from Sam, his wife, Aurelan, and their son, Peter from Deneva where they were living.
But not a word from her baby.
She knew he was in space on a starship likely out of contact with Earth, but it was Mother’s Day and she was missing him.
So she took out a pint of strawberry swirl ice cream and she ate directly from the carton.
She didn’t get to hear from Jim often. He was an important captain in Starfleet, sent on many missions to save millions of lives. He’d called her on her birthday and before that on his. She never heard from him at holiday time.
Winona thought she should be used to it but she wasn’t really. And it had been even longer since she’d seen him in person. He’d been in a hospital in San Francisco after receiving some injury he wouldn’t give her details about. She’d heard the name Khan whispered by that doctor friend of his. And saw his Vulcan first officer standing sentinel by his side. She didn’t really know anything else.
But she’d gotten to hold him for a full ten minutes.
The door bell rang as she was about to finish off her ice cream and she went to the door slowly. She guessed she was getting a flower delivery, probably courtesy of Jim. He’d asked someone to ask someone to ask someone to get flowers to her.
It was something, anyway, though she would rather hear his voice.
There was a knock this time as she reached for the knob.
“Okay, Okay. Keep your shirt on.”
Winona opened the door and there he was.
Her baby.
She burst into tears as he pulled her close and held her.
Happy Mother’s Day out there in the US. It’s a sad day for me. We lost Ma a year ago in May (21) and last year was the last Mother’s Day with her, though in all honesty she wasn’t very alert even then.
Everything had been going well between them until Spock tripped on a rock coming out of the restaurant and fell to his knees on the hard pavement.
It wasn’t like him to be clumsy, but his shoe rolled on the rock and down he went.
Spock felt his trousers tear at the knee where he fell and the sting of pain from the tearing of his flesh there.
“Spock!” Jim cried out, reaching for him, but it was too late, and the damage had been done. “Are you okay?”
“I am…undamaged.” Spock paused. “Mostly.”
“Yeah, you fell right on your knees. That had to smart.”
Jim hooked a hand under Spock’s arm to help him stand. His gaze went to the tear at Spock’s trousers.
“Looks like you scraped your knees. Ripped your pants too.”
Spock tried very hard not to panic. But it was summer and still quite daylight as they left the restaurant.
“I will take care of it back at the hotel room,” he said, trying for calm, though his heart raced hard in his side.
Jim was staring at his damaged knees though. His expression hadn’t changed or anything, but he was definitely staring there.
His gaze rose then, blue eyes searching Spock’s face. Spock expected to see some kind of recoil in those eyes that had become so precious to Spock, but there was no hint of anything like that.
“Yes, there should be a first aid kit there. Let’s go,” Jim replied.
He hooked his arm in Spock’s arm like there was nothing out of the ordinary and Spock began to believe that he had made a very close escape.
Outside the hotel office, Jim smiled just a bit. “Wait out here. I’m going to ask them for first aid stuff. Be right back.”
Spock watched as Jim flirted with the desk clerk, who produced supplies to Jim in a small paper bag.
Jim returned. “Lord, that was a pain.”
“Meaning?”
“I had to swear up and down you didn’t fall on the grounds and we wouldn’t sue. California’s a litigious state, my friend.” He grinned. “Come on, let’s get you taken care of.
They made their way to the room and Jim let them in.
Spock reached for the bag. “I’ll just go into the bathroom and clean this up myself.”
Bodega Bay was north of San Francisco but west of Napa. It was in the same county as Napa, but it seemed far enough from Jim’s family that he didn’t feel too guilty not swinging by to see them.
He’d talked to all three of them more than once over the last week and he was steadfast in his decision not to introduce Spock to them.
Admittedly, he had somewhat selfish reasons for it. For the limited time he was to have with Spock, he wanted that time to himself. Which was also why he’d told Nyota no when she wanted to double date for dinner with him bringing Spock.
Another reason for not wanting to introduce Spock to the family unit was that years from now he didn’t want Spock to be someone they all talked about in the past tense.
Gary the creep, Ruth the snooty bracelet thief, and Spock the one with pointy ears.
No thanks.
Bodega Bay was a beautiful seaside town, though most people knew it from the 1960 s Hitchcock movie, The Birds. Of course, Spock had never seen that movie and Jim was kind of glad. He didn’t want Spock giving the side eye to every bird they spotted while they were there.
He’d booked them a way too expensive room with an ocean view that was just steps away from the beach and right next door to an elegant seafood restaurant. He had reviewed their menu before making reservations there for dinner and did find a couple of sparse vegetarian choices. Spock had assured him it was fine.
After they got settled in, they went walking through the town, which really wasn’t very big. It was quaint and idyllic. If you came there expecting a great deal of nightlife, you’d be disappointed.
It was cool and breezy and even a little foggy as it often was in the summer by the northern beaches. Only natives knew that fall, winter, and spring brought much sunnier skies than summer. The fog rolled in every night in the summer. Or just about anyway.
Spock’s little knit cap didn’t seem out of place at all and both of them wore light jackets.
“It’s very pretty here,” Spock commented.
“I like it. Not that I come here that often. But I’ve been a time or two.” He shrugged and smiled. “I actually lived here in a cliffside cottage for about a year.”
“Did you? A rental?”
Jim shook his head. “Nah. I was a kept man.” He laughed.
“Pardon?”
“Surfer days, Spock. Or tried anyway. Never was all that great on a surfboard, but I looked the part. The beaches here aren’t that far from the vineyard, so I’d come out here and hang around, pretending I was straight out of one of those old fifties beach movies.”
He laughed again. He knew he was blushing, but Spock was staring at him intensely, like he was enormously interested in whatever Jim had to say. Not many ever seemed that interested.
“One day, this older lady, Mavis Vanderholt, very wealthy and sophisticated was Mavis. She was a widow. Not that old, really, but older than me. Her husband had died off a fishing boat in Bodega Bay. I was nineteen and she was in her late thirties. She started talking to me, you know, and then pretty soon I went to her little cliffside cottage, and we slept together.”
Spock arched a brow.
“She was a sexy older woman. I kinda never left for days and then pretty soon she said to me, I guess you live here now.”
“Wow.”
“Uh-huh. We spent our days having sex and going to the beach. It was lazy and bohemian. It went on for about a year. One afternoon after sex, Mavis looked at me and said, ‘Jim, it’s time for you to leave’. So I did.”
“A most unusual woman.”
“Pretty much. Never saw her again, to be honest. Five years ago, I saw an online obituary for her. Killed herself. She had a sister who sold the cottage. No idea who owns it now.”
Spock stared at him again. “You have led an interesting life, Jim.”
“You mean a weird one.”
“Not at all. I find you…fascinating.” He took Jim’s hand as they continued to walk along the beach. “I am glad you invited me to do this, Jim. I do not think I will ever forget this place.”
Jim smiled, leaned in and kissed him. “Yeah, me either.”
Spock opened the door to his apartment the next morning, Saturday, to Jim holding a silver tray packed full of delicious smelling pastries.
“Good morning. Can I come in? This thing is super heavy.”
Spock took the tray from Jim and stepped aside to let the Human in. He then carried the tray into the kitchen and set it down.
“What are these?”
“Cherry Danish. My favorite is cheese, but I didn’t have the cream cheese. They aren’t vegan but they are vegetarian.”
Spock had already scooped one up. “Did you actually make these, Jim?”
“I did. Long ago, before I became a physicist and then a teacher, I did a whole bunch of crap trying to ‘discover’ myself.” Jim did little air quotes with his fingers when he said this. “One of those was a brief time spent in culinary school. My absolute favorite things to make were desserts.”
Spock took a bite of the still warm cherry pastry. “This is…”
“Incredible.” Jim grinned. “I know.”
“It truly is,” Spock agreed. “I believe you could make me these every day and I would be beyond pleased.”
Jim laughed. “So make yourself some tea and I’ll make coffee.”
He moved off to the coffeemaker Spock had bought for him.
As he did so Spock contemplated Jim. He was incredibly gorgeous and just about the kindest, most interesting man of any species he had ever met. Should Spock be stuck here on Earth in this timeline there would be worse things than staying with Jim. But he just didn’t know.
Besides working himself to find a way back home, Spock assumed perhaps his father and other Vulcans might be engaged in the same thing. They would likely have better success than he would. And if that happened, it could be at any time and might afford him little time to say goodbye to Jim, if any.
But there were so many things he could get used to with Jim.
“I was thinking.”
“Yes?” Spock prompted, moving to the electric tea kettle sitting beside the stove.
Jim shrugged. “Next weekend.”
“Yes?”
“Maybe we should, uh, I don’t know. Head to Bodega Bay for the weekend. Well, we could leave Saturday morning, you know, so we don’t have Friday’s going home traffic. Get a room with an ocean view.” Jim smiled over his shoulder at Spock. “Totally casual, of course.”
Spock blinked. Flipped the switch on the tea kettle.
“Bad idea?” Jim asked.
Perhaps.
“I agree that it would be nice to go to Bodega Bay next weekend.
Jim gave him a sunny smile. “Sweet. I’ll get us a room.”
Spock nodded. He would merely have to be careful not to appear to “alien” to Jim. He could do this.
Another night of incredible passion, and then Spock had to say goodnight once more to Jim and go their separate ways to their own apartments. Well, Jim had.
After dinner they had returned to Spock’s apartment and headed straight for Spock’s bedroom. Jim was a very giving and gifted lover. Lying beside him after, Spock was spent in more ways than one, but Jim had risen up, got dressed and departed once more for his own place.
Spock wanted to stop him and ask him to stay. Tomorrow was Saturday and neither one of them would be required to go to work. But fear held him back and yes he could admit it.
Part of him feared he would do something that would make Jim realize he was not from modern Earth. A relatively simple thing like accidentally cutting himself with a knife while chopping onions could reveal his green blood.
Spock did not know yet if he wished to tell Jim where and when he was from. Jim was a scientist and would likely understand more than many other Humans, but that wasn’t a given. If Jim freaked out, that could well be a disaster for him there on Earth besides just being a disaster for their relationship.
Even if Spock told Jim and he accepted everything Spock revealed, Jim might not be into sleeping with an outer spaceman. Spock selfishly wanted to hold onto a physical relationship with Jim as long as he possibly could.
And if Jim believed him and still wanted to have sex, the plain facts of their eventual probable separation still existed. Spock didn’t want everything to end at all let alone prematurely.
He had feelings for Jim. Affectionate feelings and he was wise enough to know he had fallen in love and he was pretty sure Jim returned his feelings.
Which left everything else such a conundrum.
And so, when Jim got up and left Spock’s bed, and Jim told him not to get up, he could continue to lie there in bed, Spock did, and just listened to the sound of Jim leaving.
Contemplated what it would really be to leave Jim. And did not like that thought at all.
“This is nice,” Jim said a few days later, on Friday, when they decided to go out to a restaurant together.
It was one that would accommodate Spock’s vegetarian tastes as well as Jim’s not so much. He was used to Nyota’s eating requirements, and going to “health food” places, but at least this one was just a nice restaurant.
On the way there, and all the way to their table in the back, Spock kept his knitted cap on the cover his ears. Jim felt bad that he felt the need to wear it, but on the other hand, he also knew how people were.
Once at the table though, Spock did remove it.
“They have my family’s Cabernet Sauvignons here. I’m thinking of getting a bottle. Would you have some?”
“I don’t drink wine.”
Jim smiled. “Do you drink blood?”
“I beg your pardon?”
He laughed and shook his head. “Dracula. You know, from the movies. He’d sometimes say that. Like Frank Langella from the 70s, I think.”
Spock shook his head.
“No? Okay, well.” Jim just smiled.
“Unknown references notwithstanding, Jim, I do not normally drink red wine, but since it’s from your family’s vineyard I am willing to do so.”
“Good.”
When their waiter came, and he started staring at Spock, Jim gave him the stink eye and the waiter quickly looked away and covered.
“We’ll have a bottle of the Kirk Vineyard’s Cabernet Sauvignon.”
The waiter nodded. “Coming right up.”
“Is this okay?” Jim asked. “I mean I know going out was my idea. I just thought it might be nice for kind of a real date.”
“It is perfectly fine, Jim.” Spock paused. “And it is nice.”
“But?”
“Why do you assume there’s a bit?”
He sighed. “There’s always a but.”
The waiter arrived with the bottle and poured even for Jim to sample. Of course he was quite familiar with the taste.
“Great, thanks.”
The waiter poured them both wine in their glasses and Jim sent him away while they continued to look at the menu.
“You don’t mind if I get a steak, do you?”
“Of course not. You may order whatever you want.”
“What are you thinking of?”
“Possibly the pasta primavera.”
“Good choice. If you like veggies.” Jim laughed again.
“I do.” Spock’s lips curved and he took a sip of the wine. “While I am not entirely familiar with everything wine is supposed to be, this is pleasant enough.”
“I’m glad you think so. It’s Dad’s pride and joy.”
“You mentioned a but.”
“Right. Just…I don’t know. Does it seem strange or even stupid to go out on a dinner date when you’re going home to Massachusetts soon?”
“Massachusetts,” Spock repeated softly.
“That’s where Vulcan is, right?”
Spock nodded. “Yes, it is East of here.”
“Every time I get involved with someone I end up liking, well, something happens that ends things. In your case, obviously, you’re getting out of dodge.”
“Getting out of—”
Jim waived that away. “Another saying. It means leaving.”
The waiter hovered nearby and Jim gestured him over. They made their orders and then Jim waited for him to leave again.
“It seems to me,” Jim continued. “That this is all kind of a waste of time on something that doesn’t really have a future.”
“I know and I am sorry.”
He nodded. “But I like you so much, I can’t seem to help myself with waiting the time anyway. When you leave, I’m going to…well feel pretty crappy to be honest.”
“It will be the same for me.”
Jim reached over and took Spock’s hand. “Somehow that doesn’t make me feel much better.”
Spirk (with a small dose of Pinto) 