“This is all Spock’s fault,” Bones grumbled as he was chained to a rock wall next to me. He rattled the chains when he shook his hands.
“Bones, just…”
“Am I wrong?”
I blew out a long breath, making a whistling noise through my nose. “Yes. Your constant haranguing of Spock is getting on my last nerve, Bones. I don’t know why you can’t get along with him, but you give me a damn headache. Spock tried to prevent this whole mess and if it’s anybody’s fault—”
There was a loud splashing sound then, like a foot hitting a puddle in the stones that lead to where McCoy and I had been chained. The beat of my heart picked up as I realized this could be it.
After all the Klingons that had chained us here hinted at some creature that would be hungry from Human flesh. I thought it was all Klingon bluster and I hoped I was not wrong.
“Captain?”
“Spock?”
“Coming, Captain.”
And a moment later my first officer came into view. It took him only a short time to undo my chains and as my boots hit the solid ground I glanced toward Bones as Spock approached to let him out of the restraints.
“You sure you want to do that, Spock?” But I smiled to show Bones I was teasing.
“Har har,” Bones muttered as Spock got him out of the chains. “Thanks.”
Spock arched a brow but said nothing in response to Bones’ somewhat sour show of gratitude.
“The beam out location is this way,” Spock said and led the way.
As we followed after him, Bones stopped me with a hand on my arm. “Listen, Jim, about what I said back there. I was cranky and feeling—”
“A little afraid.” I nodded. “I know. Forget about it, Bones.”
Bones nodded. I hadn’t even told him that my relationship with Spock had been changing. There were some things that were better left private. At least for the time being.
Spock handed me my communicator. I smiled at him and flipped it open. “Scotty, beam us up!”
We’ve hit another month, folks, and a new theme/pattern.
Every Monday for August you can expect our intrepid Spirk team to be facing some sort of mission peril. That’s Mondays only for August flashes (there could always be an extra or two)
Spock shot him a look. “May I remind you that I suggested you stay onboard the Enterprise for this mission.”
Jim snorted. “Even if I said no, you can’t, you know you would.”
“Perhaps.” Spock coughed. “The smoke is getting to be a bit much.”
Jim dared to look down to see the flames licking ever closer to where they were hogtied to a giant contraption that kept dropping lower and closer to the fire that was supposed to, er, theoretically, end their lives.
“I think I saw this is a movie once.”
“Only once?” Spock scoffed. “I’ve seen it myself more times.”
“It’s definitely overplayed.” Jim shifted in the ropes, trying to reach his communicator which he had thoughtlessly shoved into the back pocket of his regulation uniform pants. “Go ahead and say it.”
“What am I supposed to say?”
“This is another fine mess you’ve gotten us into, Captain.”
“There is nothing fine about this. Your trousers are too tight.”
Jim moaned as he tried to maneuver his arm. “Damn that hurts. If I don’t get to this thing soon my pants will be burned right off me.”
“Chances are more likely that the material of the pants will stick to your burned flesh.”
“Reassuring, Mister Spock.”
“What are you doing?”
“I saw this guy dislocate his shoulder once so he could get out of a binding.”
“You saw this yourself?”
“In a movie, yeah.”
“We are doomed.”
“Now, don’t say that.” Jim shrugged, wrangled, and scooted. Finally his aching arm slipped from the knot and his hand into the pocket. He got it open too. “Kirk to Enterprise. Scotty, beam us up now!”
With a splat he and Spock landed on the transporter, free of the contraption, but not their binds.
“Jim!” McCoy came rushing toward them.
“See?” Jim said. “Told you I’d get us—” He blacked out.
Here’s a repost of “Independence Day” a flash from July 2020
“I now declare my independence,” Jim said as he walked beside Bones.
Bones smirked. “From Gary?”
“Gary and from all others. No more relationships, Bones. I am footloose and fancy free.” Jim turned around and started walking backwards, doing a little foot work as he did so, laughing at the look Bones was giving him.
He turned around then and walked straight into…
“Oomph.” Jim staggered back and a hand shot out to steady him. He felt himself blushing hot. And staring into the most beautiful pair of dark eyes he’d ever seen. “Uh. Hi. And, um, sorry.”
The guy, a Vulcan, arched a brow. “That was quite a dance.”
“Uh.” Jim laughed uncomfortably. “Yeah. I was…sort of celebrating. Jim Kirk.”
“Spock. What were you celebrating?”
“A, uh.” He moistened his lips. “A break up.”
“How fortunate.”
“It is?”
“For me,” Spock said, matter-of-fact. “Dinner?”
Jim heard Bones coughing nearby.
He ignored him.
Smiled.
“Yeah. Dinner sounds great.”
“Jim!”
“Uh. Hang on one second,” Jim said.
The Vulcan, Spock, looked past him to Bones. “Your keeper?”
Jim laughed. “Nah. He only thinks so. Give me one minute.”
Jim scurried back to Bones. “Hey, I’m…”
“Yeah, I figured that,” Bones said sarcastically. “What happened to all that talk of Independence with a capital I?”
“Well, I did say of relationships,” Jim pointed out.
“Uh-huh. So this thing with that guy, who’s a professor at the Academy, by the way, is just gonna be a one-night stand?”
“Or two or three or you know whatever amount it takes.” Jim winked.
“Should I expect you home tonight?”
Jim glanced at Spock who narrowed his eyes. Jim licked his lips, swallowed. “No. No. I don’t think so.” He patted Bones’ arm. “Or maybe for a couple of nights.”
“A couple of nights? Jim…”
“Longer even.”
“Jim!”
“See you, Bones.”
He scrambled after Spock who had begun to walk away. He fell into step beside the Vulcan.
“Professor huh?”
“Yes, Cadet. So do…behave.”
Jim stumbled, then blushed. “Yeah. Yeah.”
“Yeah?”
Jim cleared his throat as he struggled to keep up with Spock’s long strides. “Sir. Yes, sir.”
Sorry for the short flash today, had a very full weekend and just didn’t have much time to get something done. I barely managed this. I’m working toward the end though. Hopefully!
I’m off Friday from work but am doing a quick overnight trip. I’ll have Friday’s flash up though!
Jim was pacing around this strange place. If he hadn’t been brought there himself he might have not believed it, no matter what Spock had said, and how green Spock’s blood was, which he’d seen himself.
Vulcan was hot. Jim had been to Palm Springs in the summer. It was that hot. And apparently Vulcan was like that all year round.
While Spock’s brother, Sybok, and the doctor, McCoy, planned how to get Jim’s dad there so that he could be treated and returned without notice, Spock’s father had proclaimed that he wanted what he called a “Vulcan Healer” to examine Jim and Spock to determine if Spock didn’t know what he was talking about as far as his T’hy’la bond.
Jim didn’t really want to be examined by anyone, but Spock seemed unfazed by the idea, so Jim assumed that meant Spock wouldn’t be worried that they would hurt Jim. He trusted Spock, so he’d allow it.
As long as they helped his dad, he’d agree to anything.
Waiting with Jim while Spock and Sarek went to get the healer was Spock’s Human mother, Amanda. So far Jim found that she was very kind, the most kind of anyone there except Spock.
“You must have many questions, Jim,” Amanda said, patting his leg.
They were seated in chairs, sipping a cold drink Amanda had brought them. Jim kept leaning forward, impatient, even though he knew there wasn’t much he could do to speed things up.
Sybok and McCoy were meeting in some other area about getting to Jim’s dad, so for now it was only him and Amanda.
“Uh-huh.”
She gave him a sympathetic look. “If they can help your father, they will. Leonard is a very skilled and kind doctor.”
“I’m going to be kind of freaked out until I know,” Jim admitted.
“Once we have everything sorted out we’ll know what to do. My son cares a lot about you, I can see.”
“We…yeah, we fell in love where I’m from.”
“Spock won’t allow them to separate you,” she said, obviously trying to reassure him.
Jim looked at her. “What if that means him returning to my time and my Earth with me?”
Vulcans did not feel nervous, Spock reminded himself, and he’d lived his entire life trying to be a model Vulcan.
Still, it took all he had within himself not to shift his position while standing as George Samuel Kirk, “Sam” as he was introduced, surveyed him.
Sam was taller than Spock and used that to his advantage, staring down at Spock with barely disguised intimidation.
He did not comment on Spock’s woolen cap covering Spock’s ears, but Spock suspected that Jim informed his family of Spock’s pointy ear coverup when they’d first arrived, as Jim had hurried into the house prior to the introductions.
“Scientist, are you?”
“Indeed.”
Sam’s cool blue eyes narrowed slightly. “What do you like to drink?”
Jim returned at that moment from having used the bathroom. He had left Spock in the front hallway with a somewhat hostile older brother.
“He doesn’t drink wine,’ Jim explained. “An occasional sake, but not much else.”
Predictably, this made Spock more suspicious in Sam’s mind.
He wrinkled his nose. “Sake.”
“I did try your cabernet sauvignon.”
“And?”
“He tried it,” Jim interrupted. “Come on. Let’s have you meet Mom and Dad.”
Sam’s gaze shifted to Jim and he softened immediately. “I was going to call you, kid. Dad’s had a bit of a setback.”
Jim frowned. “I saw he looked a bit weak and was sitting with a throw around his shoulders in the chair.”
“He’s got an appointment tomorrow, but yeah, I guess he’s not doing as well after they bypass surgery as they had hoped.”
“What’s the next step? What are they going to do?”
Sam shrugged slightly. “Guess we’ll find out Monday. It’ll be all right though, I’m sure. He’s got excellent doctors.”
He squeezed Jim’s shoulders. “Come on.”
Spock followed the Kirk brothers out of the hallway and into the “living room”. The house was quite large. Jim had called it a Spanish style villa and advised Spock it had something like ten bedrooms and seven bathrooms.
It was not the house Jim first lived in when they’d moved from Riverside, but that house had been turned into the “guest house” and this villa built as soon as the Kirk Winery had begun to make a decent amount of money.
On the way from Bodega Bay to Napa, Jim had also told Spock that Sam was pushing Jim to move back to Napa and to live with his family.
Spock had to agree that the older Human male sitting in a large Easy Chair covered with a throw did not look well. He was quite pale and seemed to have a bit of perspiration dotting his forehead.
Still George Kirk managed a smile for Spock.
“Nice to meet you. I’d get up but—”
“That is not necessary,” Spock assured him.
“In fact, why don’t we all sit?” Winona Kirk suggested.
Jim took the seat on a loveseat next to Spock, but he leaned forward toward his father.
“Are you sure you don’t need to go to the hospital, Dad?”
“I’m all right. I’ve been in contact with the doctors, son. Basically, I’m in heart failure.”
“And that’s not an emergency?” Jim asked sharply.
George Kirk shook his head. “I’m taking the medicine they said to take. And I’ll see them first thing in the morning. I don’t feel any pain. Just weak and tired.”
Winona directed a wan smile in her husband’s direction, then turned to Spock. “I’m so sorry we aren’t meeting you in better circumstances, Spock. Jim has spoken about you, though. Briefly.”
“You’re Jim’s neighbor?” George asked.
“Yes, I have the apartment next to Jim’s and I work at the San Francisco Science Institute.”
Winona rose again. “Since you’re here, why don’t we all have some lunch? I’ll make us sandwiches and soup.”
Jim smiled. “Sure, sounds good. But, uh, Mom, Spock’s a vegetarian.” She nodded. “I will keep that in mind.”
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.
Jim bent down and grabbed himself a bottled beer from his fridge.
“How’s Dad doing?” he asked his brother. He had Sam on speaker phone, his cell phone lying on the counter.
“Pretty good. Getting his strength back. He’s been out to the vineyard once even. Has to take it pretty slow but I think he’s going to be okay.”
Jim smiled. “I’m so glad. I was really worried. Wish I could see him more often.”
“You could move up here. There’s enough bedrooms and bathrooms for you to have your own ensuite. I might even be persuaded to get some constructions guys out to put in your own direct access door straight to your rooms.”
He rolled his eyes, well aware Sam couldn’t see him. But this was a constant with his family. Always trying to talk him into moving to Napa.
“That would be far too much of a commute from the University,” he said dryly.
“The winery’s doing well enough these days you could give up teaching. Dad and I can give you pointers on what you’d need to know about the wine business. You’ve said before you’re getting a little tired of teaching.” Sam paused. “Unless you’re getting along really good with that neighbor of yours.”
“Spock.”
“Strange name. Spock what?”
“I don’t know. It’s just Spock.”
“Hmm. So are you?”
“As a matter of fact he’s coming over here when he gets home from work.”
“Aha, so you are. When are you going to be bringing him up to meet the family?”
Jim laughed, twisted off the cap from his beer and took a long swig. “Never.”
“Never? You guys aren’t getting close?”
“Define close.”
“Sleeping together?”
“Sure.”
“Then why not bring him? Are you embarrassed by us?”
He sighed. “Nope. I mean, yeah, who wouldn’t be, but that’s not it.”
Sam snorted. “What is then? Why don’t you want us to meet your boyfriend?”
“Because he isn’t.”
“Isn’t?”
“That’s right. Not my boyfriend. We’re dating or seeing other, sleeping together, I guess, but the truth is it’s really temporary, so we aren’t getting serious.”
“It’s not really like you to sleep with someone casually though.”
“I know. But this time that’s what’s going on. I would have liked something else, but Spock’s not sticking around. His life here in San Francisco is temporary. He’s going back to where he came from soon.”
“I see. And where is that?”
“Some place called Vulcan. I think it’s back east. Like Massachusetts or something. So there’s no point in bringing him to meet the folks under those circumstances.”
No matter how much he was falling for Spock. Idiot that he was.
“Yeah I get you. Well, when he is gone, you should give serious consideration to my offer, Jim. We all want you here in Napa. If you don’t want to work on the vineyard, there are colleges up here for you to consider teaching at.”
“I’ll think about it,” Jim finally conceded.
“Good. I gotta go. I’ll talk to you again in a few days. Bye.” Jim disconnected the call and sighed. He was expecting Spock in about an hour, so he had work to do on grading papers in the meantime.
“God, that’s just…incredible,” Jim breathed against Spock’s mouth.
“I agree.”
Jim’s chuckle was hot against his face. “No, I mean…that you’d buy a coffeemaker just so I could…you know what? Who cares. We need to be…do you have the stuff?”
Spock was distracted from answering by Jim’s lips on his again. He liked Vulcan kissing, he did, but it had nothing on the way Humans kissed. And Jim was obviously an expert.
Jim pulled away, looking a question.
“Stuff?” Spock asked, unable to think about anything but having Jim’s mouth on his again.
“Condom and lube?”
Spock blinked, stared, and then shook his head. He hadn’t even thought far enough ahead to think about actual sex with Jim. And he absolutely should have because he’d be lying if he said he didn’t want it.
There were complications though.
While his penis looked very similar to a Human male’s penis, and Spock was half-Human himself, he couldn’t hide that his blood was green and therefore that would cause his penis to be a different color than Jim’s. His penis also secreted some amount of self-lubrication.
He’d also forgotten sexually transmitted diseases would still be an issue in this time period, and therefore condoms still widely used. Perhaps a condom might hide some of the difference in color should Spock wear one, but the fact of the matter was he did not have any such “stuff” as Jim called it.
“I do not,” Spock admitted reluctantly. “I had not thought—”
Jim kissed him again, hard and soft at the same time. When he pulled back, Spock refused to let him get far.
“Hang on, hang on. I do. I have them. I just…” Spock nibbled on Jim’s jaw, which pulled the most erotic moan out of Jim, Spock had to almost bite his own tongue to keep from coming. “I have to-to go next door and get them.”
“Yes,” Spock agreed.
“You have to let go of me to be able to get them,” Jim said with another warm laugh.
Spock nodded and released his hold on the Human.
“I’ll be right back.”
And Spock let Jim go, leaning against the wall, closing his eyes, panting.
Jim had been thrilled when Spock invited him over. It was totally unexpected and after the too long drive south which had exhausted him and made him irritable, it was definitely welcome.
Before being banished from Spock’s kitchen, Jim had found himself a cup to poor his coffee in. The cup looked like something maybe Spock had for a long time or had gotten second-hand as the lip on one side was chipped and it had World’s Best Dad written on it.
Jim frowned. Was Spock a dad? He hadn’t really thought about that. To Jim he’d been giving off gay vibes, which he guessed was silly considering he’d told Nyota he hardly had gaydar. Of course he sure could be bisexual like Jim himself was. But he guessed there was also the possibility Spock only liked women. He wouldn’t have thought so given the looks he’d given Jim, but hell, Jim had been wrong before.
There was always the chance that Spock had an ex-husband too and they had a child together through adoption or surrogacy as the Sulus had.
Only one way to find out. At least about the dad part anyway.
He took said mug full of coffee and made his way back to the kitchen. The edge of it anyway. Jim leaned against the counter and spent a moment or two watching Spock work the waffle maker.
Jim didn’t know why but there was something about watching Spock work that he found appealing. Maybe it was the man’s ability to super focus on it.
“Hey, Spock?”
And yet Spock didn’t jump or anything like he hadn’t known Jim was there. He simply turned around and looked a question at Jim.
Jim held up the cup. “You get this from your kid?”
“Negative. I secured it from the Goodwill as I did this waffle maker.”
“Oh, okay. I wondered. So, uh, you aren’t a dad?”
“I am not, no.”
Apparently though Spock must be of fairly low income prior to getting the job at the Science Institute if he did so much shopping at the Goodwill. Which was cool. But Jim was glad he’d gotten a better job.
“You paying alimony?” he asked, rather unthinkingly. It was probably a bit of a rude question. But Jim knew a guy whose much younger husband decided he was just too hot to be married to one guy and up and left him to move to New York. Even though it had been that young stud’s choice to end the marriage, Jim’s friend was paying a whopping amount of alimony for his ex to live in New York City.
Spock’s brows furrowed. “I am not.”
“You’ve never been married?”
“No.” Spock paused. “Have you?”
“God no.” Jim laughed. “Er that came out wrong. I’m not like completely opposed or anything, but I’ve never found anyone good enough…” That sounded bad too.
“For you?” Spock asked.
Jim laughed again, feeling his face heat. “That came out wrong too. I have foot in mouth disease.”
“Foot and mouth?”
“In. You know, the saying?” But Jim could see Spock did not. “Anyway, you know what? Never mind. I just haven’t found the one who makes me want to get married.”
Spock nodded then and turned back to pay attention to the waffles. Probably a good thing for Jim.
Still, Spock didn’t order Jim out of the apartment or anything so that was good.
Spirk (with a small dose of Pinto) 