This is sort of an Easter flash.
“Jim, what are you doing?”
Jim frowned as he looked up from the hard-boiled egg he held in his hand. “Huh? I’m making Easter eggs with Joanna.”
Bones made a noise somewhere between a laugh and a snort. “Yeah. About that. Can we speak privately, please? And bring the egg with you.”
Jim glanced at Joanna. The five year old was busily brushing an egg with a paint brush dipped in pink.
“I’ll be right back, okay?”
She nodded. “Okay.”
Jim rose and followed Bones out of the dining room where they’d set up their egg dying.
“What’s up?”
“Why are you here?” Bones asked.
“Because you asked me to come with you for Spring Break. Are you going senile, Bones?”
Bones smirked. “I know I did. Because you were weeping and wailing back in San Francisco and acting like the world was over.”
Jim felt himself flush. “I did not. There was no weeping. And hardly any wailing.”
“Uh-huh. I thought coming along with me was better than you moping back there for the week but now you’re moping here so I’m not sure there’s much improvement.”
“Well…”
“Let me see that egg.”
Jim reluctantly let Bones take the egg.
“How did you get that dismal gray color on it? I thought it was pink and purple and green.”
Jim scowled. “I don’t know. The colors sort of ran together.”
“And are those eyes and a mouth? Why did you do a frightening face?”
“It’s not frightening. It’s supposed to be a bunny.”
“Only if it’s some kind of rabbit horror movie for Halloween. Geez, Jim. Don’t quit the Academy and decide to be an artist.”
“You’re a big help, Bones.”
“Look, kid…”
“Uh-oh. Whenever you call me kid I’m in big trouble.”
Bones ignored that. “I get why you didn’t want to go to some party town for Spring Break. I know you’re upset about what happened between you and the hob…Vulcan.” Bones quickly corrected. “But you walking around here with your hang dog face isn’t helping anyone.”
“I’m not trying to bring anyone down, Bones,” Jim protested. “Okay, so I thought maybe Spock and I could possibly make some sort of relationship between us work, but I was wrong.”
“Well you couldn’t be any more wishy washy even when just talking about it. Did you actually talk to him about your expectations?”
Jim shrugged. “I started to. And that’s when he said he was going to spend Spring Break on Vulcan visiting his parents.”
“And what did you say?”
“Maybe I should come with you.”
Bones winced.
“Too soon, right? I know. I think that’s what scared him off. He mumbled—and believe me Spock does not mumble—that wouldn’t be wise or something like that. And then he was gone in a flash and I haven’t heard anything since. So, yeah, pretty sure we’re done almost before we got started.”
“Yeah,” Bones agreed. “Not sure seeing each other for a week counts as much of a relationship, Jim. Did you even…I mean… you know.”
Jim rolled his eyes. “No. But we were working our way toward that. I think. We’d kissed. You know both ways. And I actually thought we might spend Spring Break together and it might happen then, but then that’s when he said he was going to Vulcan and I said my idiotic thing.”
“I get it. But you’re acting pretty broken hearted for something that wasn’t even much of a thing yet. That’s not like the Jim I know.”
Jim blew out a breath. “Yeah. I just…I really liked him, Bones. A lot.”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll try to be more cheery. Let me go back in there and finish those Easter eggs with Jo and then I think day after tomorrow, I’m going back to San Francisco.”
“That’s a couple of days early. You don’t have to do that.”
Jim smiled. “I know. But I want to. Get a good start on studying for the classes coming up.”
“Now I know you’re delirious. Okay, Jim. I’ll let you do what you want to do.”
“Thanks, Bones. Now why don’t you come help us with those eggs.”
Bones nodded. “Will do.”
Two days later, Jim opened his dorm room and stepped inside. He tossed his carryon bag into his bedroom and went into the kitchen to get himself a cold beer.
Now he had a few days before classes started back to decide what to do with himself. The truth was the whole domesticity in Georgia had been starting to get to him.
He took a swig of his beer and was about to take another when there was a knock on his door.
He set the bottle on the counter and made his way over. Not for the first time he wished there was a peephole in the door because there were at least a dozen individuals he did not want to see.
With a sigh, he cracked open the door and peeked out.
“Sp-Spock?”
Yes, Spock stood there at his door, dressed in black slacks and a navy sweater. Too hot for this time of year, but that was Spock.
Only Spock was not alone. Next to him stood a Human woman, with a flowery headscarf covering a lot of her dark hair, and dark eyes that resembled Spock’s or maybe the other way around because he very much feared this was Spock’s mother. On his doorstep. Unannounced. While Jim looked like something the cat dragged in.
“Jim?”
Jim swallowed and opened the door wider, hoping he didn’t look nearly as freaked out as he guessed he did.
“Spock, uh, what are you doing here?”
“I learned you had returned from Georgia and wished to invite you to have dinner with my mother and me.”
And just like that Jim’s ability to think crashed out. He blinked stared.
“Can-can you excuse me? I’ll be right back.”
Jim turned and left them standing at the door. He went into his bedroom, shut the door and sat on the bed, head in hands.
A moment later the door opened and in walked Spock.
“Jim? What is wrong?”
Spock now knelt in front of him, and he reached over to remove Jim’s hands from his face.
“Talk to me.”
“I-I…I think I’m having a panic attack.”
Spock nodded. “Why?”
“Wait. How’d you know I was back from Georgia?”
“Your friend Leonard McCoy advised me. As it turns out, my parents came to San Francisco, so I did not go to Vulcan, however by the time I had this information you had left to Georgia.”
“You-you really want me to have dinner with your mother? I thought…maybe you didn’t want that. I know it was too soon. But I figured maybe you didn’t want me to ever meet them.”
“I did think, perhaps, that it would be too soon to bring you to Vulcan for a variety of reasons. However, it was fortuitous that they came here and when I spoke of you, Mother wished to meet you.”
“You mentioned me to your mother?”
Spock was silent for a moment. “Was I in error? It was my understanding that expressing an interest in my family meant a specific interest in me, but…”
Jim grabbed Spokc’s face and kissed him hard.
After a moment Spock pulled away. “Then I am not wrong?”
“No, you aren’t. But Spock…I’ve been traveling all day. I look like—”
“You look good.”
Jim puffed out a breath. “I do not. I haven’t showered. I’m sweaty. My hair is a mess.”
“She will like you,” Spock said quietly.
Jim shook his head.
“She will. Because I do.” Spock stood up and helped Jim to stand. “Come. It will be all right, Jim.”
“All right. Okay.”
Spock led Jim back out of his bedroom and saw that Spock’s mom was at least standing inside his dorm instead of outside waiting.
“I’m, uh, I’m really sorry for that,” Jim said to her. “I was a little overwhelmed.”
She smiled. “And no wonder. We just showed up with no notice. I’m sorry about that. I’m afraid that was my eagerness to meet the man Spock won’t stop talking about. My name is Amanda. Forgive me?”
Jim returned her smile. “There’s nothing to forgive. And I’m Jim.
Jim Kirk.”
“And what do you like to eat Jim Kirk?”
“Anything but hard-boiled eggs.”
“What?” She laughed.
“Never mind. Italian?” He glanced at Spock, who shrugged.
“Very well. Italian it is. Let’s go.” She put one arm in Jim’s and one in Spock’s and off they went.
Happy Easter if you celebrate.
Spirk (with a small dose of Pinto) 