Flash Fic

My Funny Valentine

Star Trek: The Original Series

When Spock first got to the lounge, he didn’t see him. He stood in the front area, surveying the crowd, and trying to decide if he had the wrong place or if he’d somehow missed him.

He pulled out the handwritten slip of paper and read the words again.

My Valentine. Meet me at Louie’s at midnight. J.

He glanced at the lit up sign behind the bar Louie’s.

Spock turned, about to leave the noisy establishment, when the sound of someone singing a song drifted over the chattering crowd.

“My funny Valentine, Sweet comic Valentine, You make me smile with my heart.”

He frowned. It was badly sung, there was no doubt about that. Sort of off-key and more spoken than sung, if it came to that. But the voice…

Spock moved forward, pushing through the crowd toward the singer of the song.

As he cleared through, he saw him, sitting at the piano, playing it, and singing, or attempting as best he ever could.

Like Spock, Jim had changed out of his Starfleet uniform, and wore jeans, a flannel shirt, and a beat up bomber jacket. Just as Spock reached him, Jim continued with the song.

“Your looks are laughable, unphotographable, Yet you’re my favorite work of art.”

“Captain.”

Jim stopped playing and singing, smiling at Spock. “You made it.”

Spock blinked. “Do you…you think my looks are laughable?”

Jim’s eyes widened. “What? No. No.”

“You did call me your Valentine.”

Jim slid out off the piano bench and said something to a nearby man who took his place at the piano. An instant improvement, really.

Spock admired his captain more than anyone, but singing was not his forte, though he clearly enjoyed doing it.

Jim cupped Spock’s elbow and led him away from the piano and further into the establishment. Spock was surprised that he found them an empty, rather private table, but it also appeared to have been reserved for them, and therefore planned by his captain.

“You are my Valentine, Spock,” Jim said after they’d been seated. “Or I hope so. After everything…”

“Everything?”

Jim frowned. “The truth is, I’ve never felt about anyone the way I feel about you. But that song? Was just an old Earth song. There’s nothing about you I find laughable.”

He opened a bottle of wine and poured himself some, then held toward the empty glass in front of Spock.

“No, thank you.”

Jim smiled wryly. “Did I ever tell you about Carol?”

Spock took a moment to absorb the seemingly abrupt change in topic. “I do not believe so.”

“We met when I was at the Academy. It was never terribly serious. At least, I think, from her point of view. For a while I imagined myself in love. But it wasn’t. Not really. Anyway, she got pregnant.”

“You have a child?”

The smile turned wistful. “Somewhere. Carol didn’t tell me. Whatever we’d had was over. It was her friend who told me. I’m not sure Carol ever would have. I confronted her about it and she, well, she made it very clear that there was no future with me for her. Or for our child. She knew I was all about Starfleet and that wasn’t the life she wanted. Later I learned from that same friend that she had a son. David. I’ve never met or even seen him.”

“I am sorry,” Spock replied, though he wondered why Jim was sharing this with him.

“And…Ruth. I thought…well, what I thought didn’t turn out to be true. We had a great time, but that was it. There have been times I was certain I was absolutely completely in love, Spock. Edith. I really thought I was.”

Spock gripped the stem of the empty wine glass in front of him. “Were you not?”

Jim shook his head. “Not really. I’ve always fell in love fast. You’ve heard the idea of love at first sight, right?”

“Yes. An illogical notion.”

Jim chuckled and it warmed Spock. “Yeah. I’m the poster boy for that. Edith. Miramanee. Reyna. God, I don’t even know how many.”

Spock did. He knew. But he decided that information was irrelevant to whatever Jim wanted to say.

“In love in a second and gone just like that,” Jim said, musingly. He took a sip of his wine. “But…then there was you.”

“Me?”

“You. I fell in love with you over time, Spock. Long hours of just…admiring your brilliance, your integrity, your wit, your courage, your loyalty. It snuck up on me. You did. For a long time I didn’t even know that’s what it was. I convinced myself you were just the best friend anyone could ever have. Playing chess, having meals. Hell, we were dating, and I never even realized it.”

Spock thought about this. Were they? He shook his head.

“The point of all this rambling, and I swear there is a point, Mr. Spock, is that loving you has made me realize that none of the others were even close to what real love is. You are. I can’t get you out of my heart now even if I wanted to and I sure as hell don’t. The rest of that song says, ‘don’t change a hair for me, not if you care for me’, and there’s not a thing I’d ever want to change about you. You’re magnificent just the way you are.”

Spock opened his mouth to reply, but then Jim’s communicator blinked. He picked it up and grimaced. “So much for shore leave, Mr. Spock. Duty calls.”

Jim began to get up, but Spock stopped him with a hand on Jim’s hand. Jim looked at him quizzically.

“It is the same for me. You are my funny Valentine, too.”

His captain laughed. He touched his fingers to Spock’s. “Let’s go back to the ship.”

Spock nodded, rose, and followed his captain, as always.

February 12, 2020

Flash Fic, 02/07/2020

A little TOS, post-mission, pre-Motion Picture

“Are you going to stop him?”

Jim smiled faintly. “Stop him? No.”

Bones made a frustrated sound. “Why not, Jim? You’re just going to let him walk away? Leave Starfleet? Walk away from you?”

Jim looked at Bones. In the last year of the five year mission, Bones had been looking older, more haggard. They probably all did. The last five years had taken their toll on all of them. He wasn’t at all surprised Bones had announced to him that he planned to retire. He was done with space, he said.

“Yes.”

“I don’t get it, Jim. Why don’t you call him back right now?” Bones grimaced. “I can still see the back of that stupid hobgoblin. With his Vulcan hearing—”

“No, Bones.”

“But don’t you want to tell him how you feel?”

At this Jim deflated some. “I’m guessing he knows and is leaving anyway.”

Bones made an ugly face. “Wait. What? He knows?”

“I’ve not made my feelings a secret for the last year. I can’t give Spock what he wants.”

“Which is?”

“A life devoid of drama and emotions.” Jim shook his head. “That’s not me. We both know it.” Jim shrugged. “So.”

“And what do you intend to do now?” Bones demanded. “If you aren’t going after him.”

“I’m not. Why are you so passionate about it anyway? You’ve never even liked Spock.”

Bones scowled. “Well. I don’t dislike him. And if he made you happy…but now, well, you’re saying he doesn’t?”

Jim put his hand on Bones’ shoulder. “I’m saying, let it go. I’m not going to force Spock to be with me, Bones. And as for me? I have a promotion ceremony to attend.”

“Still can’t believe you’re going to be Admiral Kirk.”

“Me either. But I had little choice. Come on, Bones. There’s time for us to have a drink.” Jim paused. “I really need one.”

February 7, 2020

Flash Fic, 02/05/2019

“You can’t save Spock by sheer will, Captain,” Sulu declared.

Jim pressed on Spock’s gaping, bleeding wound. “Watch me.”

“Captain, we’re sitting ducks here in this clearing.”

“Do what you need to do, Mr. Sulu. In fact, that’s an order. But I’m not leaving him.”

“Captain,” Spock said weakly. “Go with the others.”

“No.”

“If you stay then we will both die.”

“Okay then.”

“Jim…”

“I’m not leaving here without you, Spock. So can it.”

“Keptin,” Chekov spoke up. “I have the Enterprise. They can beam us up.”

“Do it. Beam us up. All of us.”

It was much later that Spock looked at him with somewhat droopy eyes as he rested on a biobed, all patched up. Or mostly. Thanks to Bones.

“Captain, you should have left me behind.”

Jim smiled a little and squeezed Spock’s hand. “There’s an old saying from Earth, Mr. Spock. Used by comrades for hundreds of years. You go, we go.”

Spock just stared at him. Jim nodded and turned to see Uhura approaching.

“Stay with him,” he urged. “He’s in and out of it, but he’s doing much better.”

He went to move past her, but she put her hand on his arm.

“Captain, thank you. For what you did down there.”

“I would have done that for anyone. And you’re welcome.”

She looked thoughtful for a moment, looked at Spock and then back to Jim. “He’d want you to stay.”

“I’ve got work and anyway, I’m sure he’d rather have you.”

“No. You’re wrong. Maybe it’s not my place to tell you, but, Spock has…” She stopped, bit her lip, and sighed. “He has very deep feelings concerning you. He doesn’t know how to express them.”

“Lieutenant…”

“And I have a feeling you reciprocate those feelings. I’ve thought so for a long time. Whatever you think about Spock and me, right now, we’re just friends. It’s been that way for a while. He’d want to see you, Captain.”

Jim exhaled. “I do have reports and a few things to do. But…I’ll come back later.”

“So…what I’m telling you…it does have meaning?” She searched his eyes.

He chuckled low. “Yeah. It’s meaningful.” He patted her arm. “Thanks. I’ll be back later.”

“And you should clean up,” she said, arching a brow like her former, apparently, boyfriend. “You still have Spock’s blood all over you.” She frowned. “And your own?” Her gaze went to the red on his shirt. “Are you bleeding, Captain?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Has Leonard checked you out?”

Bones suddenly appeared. “Did I hear my name?”

“The captain is bleeding.”

“Uhura! Damn it. Bones, I’m fine.”

Bones grabbed him and hauled him away. “I’ll be the judge of that, you idiot.”

February 5, 2020

Flash Fic, 01/24/2020

A prequel…

Jim couldn’t remember feeling this bad ever. Mommy must have been worried too, because despite the fact Mommy’s new boyfriend, Frank, didn’t want to be bothered taking Jim to the hospital, because he told Jim’s mommy that Jim was just faking it for attention. That Jim didn’t want Mommy going out with Frank.

“If you had waited too much longer, I’m not sure he would have made it,” the nice doctor said to Mommy. Jim heard them talking near his bed, trying to be quiet. “He’s very sick.”

They left him alone then, to go talk some more, Jim guessed.

But then a man stood over his bed. One Jim didn’t know. But he was not human, Jim knew. He had pointy ears and dark eyes, that were kind when Jim looked at him.

“Are you a Vulcan?” Jim asked, weakly

“Shh. It is okay. Do not speak.” The Vulcan put his hand on Jim’s face. “You have a fever.”

“Mommy says I’m very sick.”

“You are, Jim. But I am here to help you.”

“Are you a doctor?”

“Something like that.” His finger spread out across Jim’s cheek. “Go to sleep, Jim. When you wake up, you will feel better.”

“But…”

The Vulcan smiled very slightly. “All will be well.”

Jim felt a warmth in cheek that flowed from his skin and seemed to envelope him. And his eyes felt so heavy. The fingers moved from his face as he fell into a deep sleep.

January 24, 2020

Sunday Flash, 01/19/2020

Probably a little too young for this story, but you get the idea

The tall mysterious Vulcan who would not give his name had saved Jim from a pummeling by his stepdad. Jim didn’t see what happened to Frank. He was told to go back into the house, so he had.

Then the Vulcan returned but Frank had not.

The Vulcan dropped to his knees and examined Jim. “Jim? Are you hurt? Jim?”

Jim frowned. “You know my name.”

“Yes. Are you hurt?”

He bit his lip, but then that hurt, so he stopped immediately. “My lip hurts.”

“It is bleeding.” The Vulcan produced a dermal regenerator. He ran it over Jim’s lip to heal it. “Where else?”

“My arm.”

The Vulcan’s eyes turned soft, brown, like chocolate. Jim liked chocolate. He fixed Jim’s arm.

“Anywhere else?”

“No. Frank…”

“Will never hurt you again. Are you hungry?”

“Yeah.”

The Vulcan stood, took Jim’s hand, and drew him into the kitchen. “What would you like to eat, Jim?”

“Macaroni and cheese? Please.”

“Very well. Sit there at the table while I make it.”

Jim moved to do as the Vulcan said. He watched him silently, but then, “I’ve seen you before.”

“Have you?”

Jim nodded. “I think so. When-when I was four, I got really sick and ended up in the hospital. You were there.”

The Vulcan said nothing, just continued to fix Jim food. He’d been in the hospital two years before.

“You came to me there and you put your hand on my face.” Jim’s frown deepened. “I told Mom later that you were there, but she didn’t believe me. No one did. They thought it was because I’d been delirious. I got better after you were there.”

The Vulcan walked over to the table and handed a plate of macaroni and cheese to Jim. It was heaping with food, but Jim was hungry, and he thought maybe he’d eat all of it. He took it and began to eat it while the Vulcan watched him.

“Are you sure Frank won’t hurt me again?”

“I am positive, Jim. He is out of your life now. You need not worry about ever seeing him.”

“But Mom—”

“She is on her way home to take care of you. She knows about your stepfather.”

“’Kay.”

“In the meantime, a man named Christopher Pike will be here shortly to watch over you while your mother returns from being off planet.”

“You can’t stay?”

“I cannot, I am needed elsewhere. But you can be certain that I will return whenever you need me.”

Jim nodded. “Okay. This is good. Thank you.”

“You are welcome, Jim. Please eat all of it. And when you are done, I want you to sleep. When you wake up Lieutenant Pike will be here.”

“Oh. Is he in Starfleet?”

“He is. He will take good care of you, Jim. He will not hurt you.”

“And no Frank?”

“I assure you that he is gone. Do not worry.”

When Jim finished eating, Spock took his hand once more and made him go lie on the couch. He put his long elegant fingers on Jim’s face like he did in the hospital.

“Sleep now, Jim.”

“When I wake will you be gone?”

“Yes. But Lieutenant Pike will be here and then your mother. You will not be alone. I promise.”

Jim smiled a little. “And will you tell me your name?”

The Vulcan returned the smile, even more slight then Jim’s. “Someday, Jim. Someday.”

January 19, 2020

Flash Fic, 01/17/2020

A visit with Mom continues (12/29/2019)

Jim was tempted to hold back from returning to the restaurant on Rigel 9 after his, fortunately, brief conversation with Admiral Fremont, just to see Spock sweat some more. Metaphorically speaking, of course.

But in the end, he just couldn’t do it. Spock’s body language was screaming how uncomfortable he was. Jim’s mom was great. She was. But he didn’t want to give Spock any ideas about leaving Jim alone with Sarek.

“Hi there. I’m back.” He stopped at the table with a smile.

Spock gave a very quick nod and was already sliding out of the booth. “In that case, Captain. I will leave you to it.”

Jim was almost mean enough to order him to sit back down, but he actually had a great deal of affection for Spock, so yeah, he let him slip away.

“It was wonderful to meet you, Commander,” Jim’s mom called out after the quickly retreating figure of his first officer.

Jim sat back down. Licked his lips. “Yeah. Um. Where were we?”

“Something about your love life.” She picked up her wine glass and sipped. “You do have one, don’t you?”

“Didn’t you grill Spock on that?”

“Not much time. He’s quite tight lipped. He was all ‘the captain this’ and ‘the captain that’. Didn’t give me anything to go on.”

“I’ll have to thank him,” Jim said with a smirk.

“James Tiberius.”

He laughed. “Well.”

“Is he your something or not?”

“He is,” Jim admitted. “But it’s very very recent, Mom. And he’s very shy.”

“How recent?”

“Nosey much?”

“It’s a mother’s prerogative.”

Jim leaned his chin on his hand. “Right before we got to Rigel 9.”

“You got here yesterday!”

“Yes. So it was the night before.”

“You weren’t kidding about being recent. So…have you…”

“Mom!”

She had the grace to blush. “Well.”

“And don’t say it’s your prerogative.”

“Well.”

Jim cleared his throat and reached for his own drink. “We have.”

She laughed.

“Several times.”

“Jim! I didn’t need to know that much.”

It was his turn to laugh.

She smiled. “It’s so good to see you. And happy.”

He returned her smile. “It’s great to see you too, Mom.”

Then he held his drink toward hers. “Cheers.”

“Cheers.”

January 17, 2020

Cold…Flash Fic January 10, 2020

The first indication that something unusual was wrong was a very loud and sudden sneeze.

Jim turned so fast in his captain’s chair to gape at his first officer, he had to hold on not to fall out.

Sulu and Chekov had also turned around to stare.

Uhura, predictably, was up off her feet and rushing over to him. “Spock? Are you okay?”

He gave every one of them a look of consternation. “I sneezed.”

Jim nodded.

“You never sneeze,” Uhura said. Also predictably, she added, “I shared a bed with you for years and I never once recall you sneezing.”

Jim tapped his fingers on the arm of his chair and counted to ten. Spock, likewise predictable, glanced his way surreptitiously.

Spock glanced back at Uhura. “It is nothing, Nyota.”

Which made Jim turn his chair back around. Jealousy was ridiculous. Jim knew that. Spock wasn’t with Uhura anymore, he was with Jim. Sorta. Recently. Yeah. But, right.

There were no more bridge sneezes, but after their shift when they were standing near the replicators to get food, Spock sneezed again.

This time Bones was with them and he narrowed his eyes.

“I heard about that.”

Spock, wiggling his nose, peered at Bones. “Heard about what?”

“You sneezing.”

“I had one sneeze.”

“And this is the second,” Jim pointed out.

“You’re sick.” Bones poked a finger at Spock’s chest.

“I am not. Please do not touch me.”

Jim rolled his eyes at Spock. “If I hear even one more sneeze out of you, mister, you’re reporting to the medbay.”

“Captain, that is hardly…”

Jim gave him a quelling look and Spock closed his mouth.

Dinner passed without further incidents, but later, in Jim’s quarters, while he was bent over trying to set up the chess set he heard a peculiar noise out of his Vulcan. Well, not his. Not yet. Or sorta. Maybe.

Jim straightened and turned to stare at Spock with his captain look again. “That wasn’t you trying to suppress a sneeze, was it?”

“Would I do that?”

Not exactly a denial, which meant Spock was trying to say no, but without actually lying about it.

“Maybe we should postpone this.”

“Captain, I feel fine.”

“Still. You should rest. It’s already late. You need sleep, Spock. We can play another day.” And he meant that about more than the stupid chess game. He didn’t even like chess. But Spock did and Jim was pretty okay at it even though he didn’t care for it.

Spock hesitated. “I…very well.”

“What?”

“I did not really wish to retire to my quarters just yet.”

“Oh. Well. Um. You want to-to sleep here? In-in my bed?”

Great work at sounding like a love struck teenaged boy, Jim.

“If agreeable.”

Jim grinned. “It’s totally agreeable. And I’ll, um, try not to attack you. For now.”

Spock nodded. “I appreciate that. My sleeping robe…”

“You can borrow some jammies.”

“And I like to have tea.”

“I’ll make you some.”

Spock’s nose twitched. He sneezed.

Jim walked up to him, put his hand on Spock’s forehead. He sighed. “You have a fever, honey.”

“Honey?” Spock blinked.

“Yeah. Honey. You got an issue with that?”

“I do not.”

“I’d better call Bones.”

“I do not wish to go to the medbay.”

“He’ll make a house call. And then after, you can go to sleep in here. It’s not like no one knows.”

Spock nodded. “Very well. I do not usually catch colds.”

“But you are half human.”

His Vulcan sighed. Totally his Vulcan. “Yes. And it rears itself up at the most inopportune times.”

“Of course.” I patted his cheek affectionately and commed Bones. “Hey, can you come check out Spock? He’s sick.”

“Be right there.”

Jim smiled. “Now for those jammies and tea. You deserve some pampering, honey.”

“Well.” Spock looked rather pleased. “If you insist.”

January 10, 2020

Flash Fic Friday 01/03/2020

For January, we are back to Flash Fic Fridays. In February I will add back in Wednesday Flashes.

Spock should not have been surprised to look down and see Vanik standing beside him as he checked himself in the mirror in the bathroom of his apartment. It was becoming all too common to find the boy nearby. He was fond of his nephew, but he would not be all that unhappy when Sybok and Anoria took their leave of Earth with their precocious son in tow.

And yet…he was surprised. Illogically.

“What are you doing here?” he demanded.

“I have come to learn what progress you are making with Jim.”

Spock eyed him balefully. “That is not your business.”

“I believe that it is. Since I am the one who first introduced you to Jim…”

“We became acquainted with Mister Kirk on the same day.”

“And I arranged for your first date.”

“It was an outing, not a date. And you tricked us.”

Vanik shrugged. “You were getting nowhere on your own. Which is why I am inquiring as to whether you require my assistance again. You have now been on no less than four dates with Jim, not counting the sleigh ride.”

“We rode in a carriage, not a sleigh,” Spock pointed out. “An expensive one at that. It was false advertising.”

“There would be no place in San Francisco to pull a one horse open sleigh so improvisation was required,” Vanik said simply. “Jim did not seem to mind.”

“As he is your elder and you are barely acquainted, you, perhaps, should refer to him as Mister Kirk.”

“On the contrary, he told me when we met his name was Jim. He has not rescinded the personal use of his name.” Vanik paused. “To either of us. Are you scheduled to have a date with him this evening?”

Spock sighed. “Yes. I am preparing for it now.”

“That is good news. Have you had opportunities to exchange implications of favorable softer emotions?”

Spock blinked, feeling somewhat dizzy with such a convoluted sentence. “I am quite sure that is not your business. Nor is any of the specific details of my interactions with Jim.”

Vanik frowned. “But you do…like him?”

He hesitated only a moment. “Yes.”

“And he likes you?”

It was on the tip of Spock’s tongue to advise the boy to direct that question to Jim, but then he realized Vanik would, and Jim certainly didn’t need to have the boy pestering him with personal inquiries.

“Yes,” Spock replied instead.

He was saved from further invasive inquiry by the blurp of Vanik’s communication device. The boy flipped it open and Spock heard Anoria’s voice.

“Vanik! You ran off again. Get back here right this instant.”

“I am with Uncle…”

“I know where you are. Stop bothering Spock. Come back to the hotel immediately.”

“I will be there soon.” Vanik closed his device and nodded at Spock. “I must go. I hope you have a most productive date with Jim.”

Spock did not reply as his nephew scampered off. Instead he looked at his colognes that had been gifts from his brother and sister-in-law just this past holiday season. He chose one and splashed it on himself.

Then he turned away from the mirror to prepare to retrieve Jim for their date.

January 3, 2020

Spirk (with a small dose of Pinto)

Fan Fiction and Personal Ramblings

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