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Date: Sun, 06 Jun 2004 23:38:49 -0400
Subject: [ASC] NEW TOS: The Lost Years: New Heading 3/4 [PG-13] Slayer Series
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Forwarded by the ASC-VSO 
Posted: 5 Jun 2004 20:00:26 -0700  
In: alt.startrek.creative 
From: djinn@djinnslair.com (Djinn) 
 

TITLE: The Lost Years: New Heading (Slayer Series)
AUTHOR: Djinn
CONTACT: djinn@djinnslair.com http://www.djinnslair.com
SERIES: TOS
RATING: PG-13
CODES: Ch, K, S, U, Others
PART: 3/4
SUMMARY: The eleventh and final segment in the Lost Years series. I
together (and ripping them apart).
Thanks to Rabble Rouser and Trekki for the beta!



Kirk followed Chris into the portal, heard Spock behind him.  He
couldn't help but smile.  This was really working.  They were
together, a team again.  The dynamics were different, but they'd get
used to that.  They'd be fine.

If they could just get through these first few days, he knew they'd be
fine.

Although he wasn't sure he'd want Chris anywhere around if Spock
suddenly came down with a bad case of Pon Farr.  Hell, he wouldn't
want to be around for that.  Spock might not take it so well that Kirk
had stolen her.

But other than that, Kirk would trust his life to his friend.  Hoped
Spock could say the same of him again.  He looked back; Spock raised
an eyebrow as he followed stoically, and Kirk smiled.

Just like old times.

There was a moment of bright white emptiness when the portal closed. 
When it didn't open right away, Kirk felt Chris's hand reach back for
him.  He knew she didn't like the portal's tight spaces, and he
couldn't blame her, not after the sewers.

He caught her hand in his and squeezed:  three short clasps.  "I love
you," was what he intended them to mean.  And she seemed to
understand.  She gave him one long squeeze, then sent the three short
ones back to him.

She loved him.  God, it was wonderful having her, finally having her. 
He knew that he had to hide just how good it felt, at least for a
while.  Spock wasn't over this, might never be completely over this. 
Kirk didn't need to rub his face in it.

The portal opened, and Chris let go of his hand as Spock led them out
into a brightly-lit field that was covered with brilliant blue
flowers.  They smelled odd, resinous, and slightly gamey.  He noticed
a group of slayers were trying to cut them down in front of an
Asian-looking house that stood off to the side.  Several other slayers
were training with quarterstaffs in the distance.  They stopped and
stared at the strangers.  One of the ones on flower duty ran into the
house and nearly collided with a blonde woman who was coming out. 
Kirk thought she looked familiar.

"Marion," Chris whispered.  

He saw Spock nod.  There were some parts of Chris's life that his
friend knew much better.  Of course Kirk had been a bit preoccupied,
first with Alma, and then with trying to cross over to the undead way
of life to catch everyone's names.

He felt Chris's hand on his back, down low where he usually touched
her.  It felt good; it also felt damned possessive as she gently
pushed him forward.  Is that the message he'd been sending her all
these months?  No wonder she'd never understood why he couldn't be
with her.

"Hello," Marion said from the steps.  "LaVelle said you were coming."

"And where is she?"

Marion shrugged.  "She came back from seeing you, told me you'd be
coming, and then took off again."

"And you're not concerned?" Chris said, pushing past the men and
walking toward the other slayer.

Marion smiled serenely.  "If there were trouble coming, I'd have seen
it."

"What do you call an infestation of wolfsbane if not trouble?"

Marion shook her head.  "I had no warning of that.  I don't think it's
as dire as Velle does."  She grinned.  "But then that may be why I'm
not the leader?"

"May be."  Chris gave her a quick hug.  

"She's getting a new slayer," Marion said, her look sad.

"Oh," Chris looked down.  "I'm sorry."

Marion touched her hand.  "She'll be all right, she'll be with us."

Chris nodded, then motioned Jim and Spock forward.  "You can come in."
 She grinned at them then disappeared into the house.

Kirk motioned to Spock and hurried to the house.  He saw that Chris
was mobbed with young women all asking a million questions.  She was
laughing as she gently pushed past them.  "Come on," she said to Spock
and him as she disappeared into an adjoining room.

Marion clapped her hands sharply.  The slayers all perked up and
turned around.

"Outside.  Now."

There was good natured groaning but they obeyed her.  The house was
soon empty.

Marion smiled.  "Sorry about that.  We get new girls all the time, but
those of us who are older are an oddity.  And I don't have to tell you
how unusual it is for us to have men here."

She led them into the other room where Chris had pulled back a rug and
exposed a trap door.

"What are you doing?" Marion asked, a deep frown beginning.

"I'm afraid by bringing the amulet here, I've exposed you to more
danger.  I think it's what the people causing the wolfsbane to grow
are focusing on.  Jim can fix that."

"I can?" Kirk muttered and saw Spock's eyebrow go up.  "I can," he
said with more confidence than he really felt.

Spock's eyebrow went up even higher.  He moved closer.  "Can you?"

"Hell, if I know.  She obviously thinks I can."

"Obviously."

"Be glad you get to be the smart, strong one.  This magic stuff is
nerve wracking."

Spock shot him a look that was almost a smile.  "I'm sure you thrive
on it, Jim.  You have never been able to resist a challenge."

Kirk grinned at Spock, then moved to help Chris pull the trap door up,
which was stupid because she didn't need his help.  But she smiled
thanks at him anyway.  A houseful of slayers and he wanted to hold the
door.  Gallantry died hard.  And he thought Chris would be sorry to
see it go, if he ever did give up being chivalrous.

It was pitch black in the stairwell, and Marion handed them some
lightsticks.  As they walked down the narrow steps, he could feel the
magical energy growing thicker around them.  "It's a goddamned
beacon," he whispered.  He could feel it, even from the back.

Chris looked up at Spock.  "Do you feel anything?"

He shook his head.  

"Me neither," she said.  "And it's not causing you to lose sleep any,
is it, Marion?"

"No..." 

Kirk looked at her.  "Is there a but in there?"

"We recently took in a young girl.  She's not a slayer."  Marion
looked up at Spock.  "She's like you."

"A Vulcan?"

Marion nodded.  "She stays close to the door and keeps muttering about
something--we think it's power.  But we don't speak Vulcan and we're
not even sure that's the word she's using."

"Tepul?"

She shook her head.  "I don't think that was it."

"Where is she?" Kirk asked.

Marion pointed up.  A young girl, about ten stood at the top of the
stairs, looking down at them.  She was clearly Vulcan.

"Where did you find her?" Spock asked as he took a step toward her. 
"Do you understand me?" he asked her in Vulcan.

"Father?"  She seemed fascinated by Spock's ears, even as she peeked
out from behind the door.

"Saavik," Marion said softly, her tone obviously more important than
the words.  "Why don't you come down?"

Kirk leaned in to Spock.  "That wasn't Vulcan she was speaking, was
it?"  His universal translator had rendered the words fine, but he
could tell that something was off in her accent.  She didn't sound
like any Vulcan he'd ever heard.

Spock shook his head.  "It was Romulan. But she is not Romulan.  Not
completely anyway."  He knelt down, touched his ears, then pushed back
his hair, showing her his forehead.  He rubbed his hand on it.  "We
are the same."

Saavik rubbed her own forehead.  She slowly came out from behind the
door and walked down the stairs.  She leaned up against Marion for a
moment, then reached out to Spock, touching his ears and forehead the
way he had.  "Father?"  She smiled.

"No.  I am not your father."

The girl's face fell and she turned away.

"Way to go, Spock.  Crush the kid."  Chris walked over to Saavik and
knelt down.

Saavik stared at her, then reached out and touched the necklace around
her neck.  The invisible necklace.

"Wow."  Kirk moved up and knelt down.  He smiled at Saavik,
concentrated for a moment, then held his hand out.

She looked at him as if assessing him, then she smiled and set her
hand in his.  Power poured into him.  He didn't resist, just let it
run through him and out into the ground.  It was stronger than
anything he'd ever felt.

"She's strong.  So strong."  He ran his other hand down her hair,
trying to let his power run into her, trying to show her she wasn't
alone.

She laughed, slapping her other hand down on his, pressing it into her
head harder.  "More."

He shook his hand, gently pried his hand away.  "No.  No more."  

He looked up at Marion, then at Spock.  "She needs training.  This
kind of power can't be left undisciplined.  It could damage her...and
everyone around her."  He looked back at Marion.  "You said you found
her?  Where?"

"At a merchant camp where we go to trade.  They caught her hiding in
the cargo in their warehouse.  They know she smuggled herself out, but
they don't know from where."

"I do."  Spock's face was a tight mask.  "It has always been a legend.
 Hellguard.  The planet where Vulcans are held captive.  Forced to dig
in the mines for the Romulans.  The planet that houses half-breeds
such as this child."

Kirk turned back to the girl, realized he could no longer feel the
power the amulet was putting out.  Hadn't been able to since she'd
come down the stairs.  "She's dampening the amulet's energy field. 
You could use that.  Has she been down here before?"

Marion shook her head.  "It's forbidden.  Not that she cares about
rules.  She does whatever she wants, but she's so sweet about it that
none of us ever gets mad."

"Sounds familiar," Chris muttered.

Kirk fought his grin.

Marion continued.  "But I've never caught her trying to sneak in.  She
sits near the trapdoor all the time though."

"Where's the amulet," he asked.

She pointed to a wooden cask.  "In there."

Kirk stood, took Saavik's hand and led her to the cask.  "Can you find
it? The powerful thing?"

She opened the cask and pulled out the amulet, gravely handing it to
him.

"Thank you," he said with a smile.  Then he knelt down.  "I need you
to go upstairs," he said very seriously.  "Just for a few minutes. 
Okay?"

She looked at him solemnly, then turned and ran upstairs, taking her
place behind the doorway.  She smiled shyly at him.

Chris turned to him with a grin.  "Is there anyone you can't charm?"

He looked up at the little girl.  He wasn't sure who had done the
charming in this case.  Then he looked back at the amulet, which
seemed to pulse in his hand and he studied it as he opened himself to
the power.  He could feel it as it stabilized the links between Kirsu
and the other dimensions. He followed the power, saw that it tore
holes in the walls between the dimensions, then tore other ones as it
came streaming back into Kirsu.  The holes closed, eventually.  But
while they were open, any magician who could find them, could get
through, perhaps not with his body, but at least with his will.

"Saavik," he called without turning around.  "Come here."

She pounded down the stairs.  "Hurts," she said as she touched the
amulet.  "Holes all around."

He nodded.  "Yes.  All around."

She took it from him.  "Fix them." She closed her eyes.

The power flow was suddenly gone.  He touched the amulet.  It was
still sending out the power, but in a tiny stream.  Just enough to
punch a pinhole through and back.  And the holes closed instantly.  He
touched her hand.  She seemed in perfect control of the device.

He felt a sudden chill go through him.  What if Nogura had been right?
 What if the Romulans were a bigger threat than anyone knew?  What if
Saavik wasn't an aberration?  Wasn't some kind of magical prodigy? 
What if she was a prototype?

He had to know what she was.  Was she evil?

"Chris, I need some extra power."  He reached back, felt her clasp his
hand, not asking why or how much.  Just trusting him.

He squeezed.  Three small clasps.  Then he said, "Let me in."

He felt her barriers drop, the same way they had when he and Weasel
had used her memories to manifest Laura.  Her trust in him nearly made
him gasp.  She had left nothing hidden this time.  Everything she had
was at his disposal.

He touched Saavik's chest, over her heart.  She did not flinch, just
smiled at him as if the power flowing between them could only be good.
 Then she opened herself to him too.  He closed his eyes in relief. 
There was no evil in her.  He'd been so afraid--what would he have had
to do to her if she had been evil?

He felt Chris squeeze his hand, felt her concern pour into him.  

Then Saavik leaned forward and laid her cheek against his.  She
slipped the amulet between her shirt and his hand and whispered,
"Protect."

It was as if an explosion went off in the room--and in his head.  He
felt something flare between him and Saavik.  He was flung back and
Chris caught him, but there was no one to catch Saavik. She flew back
and hit the far wall.  She sat stunned for a moment, then laughed and
held up her hands.

The amulet was gone.

"Oh, no," he whispered.

"Try your ring," Chris ordered Marion.  

As they slipped the rings on, two portals began to form.

"Pretty," Saavik said with a satisfied smile.  She stood up and walked
over to Marion.  "I'm hungry."  Then she walked up the stairs and
disappeared around the corner.

"What the hell just happened?" LaVelle took the stairs two at a time. 
"I heard an explosion and--"  She took in Spock, then Kirk.  "Why are
you here?"

"Your amulet was leaking," Kirk said, pushing himself to his feet and
trying not to look as unsteady as he was.  He felt like following
Saavik's lead--he was suddenly starving too.

"Where did it go?" Marion asked.

He shrugged and gave her his best "everything will be fine...really"
grin.

Nobody looked very convinced.

"I'm starving.  I'll be with Saavik if you need me.  Hopefully, she
and I can figure out where we sent the amulet."  He turned to Spock. 
"Don't you have some plants to analyze?"

He left them staring after him.  As he bounded up the stairs, he saw
Saavik waiting for him.

"Hungry," she said as she held her hand out.

He took it.  "Any idea what we just did?"

She looked up at him.  "We fixed the holes."

"I got that part.  But how exactly?"

She shrugged.  It was a perfect imitation of his own.  "It's between
the worlds now."  She looked up at him, her face very grave. "Safer
that way."

She pointed out the window.  He saw that the flowers that had been so
intensely blue were fading, withering.  Dying.  The holes were closed.
 No more magic.

And if Spock didn't work fast, there'd be nothing left to analyze.  He
saw Spock at the doorway, saw him take in the scene, then hurry out
with his tricorder.

"Safer that way," Kirk murmured.

Saavik rummaged through the chiller and stuck a sandwich in his hand. 
"Eat.  You're hungry."

He took a bite and grinned at her.  It was the best sandwich he'd ever
eaten.

Chris came in, smiling as she watched him with Saavik.  He offered her
a bite of his sandwich, but she shook her head.

"Did you feel any of that?" he asked.

She nodded.  "But from far away.  I was just the generator, remember?"
 She grinned at him as she watched Spock hurrying from dying plant to
dying plant.  "I bet Nogura and Lori are cursing right about now."

Kirk nodded, then looked down, watching Saavik lean against him as she
ate.  "What are we going to do with her?"

"She's Vulcan.  I think that's Spock's decision."

"She's only half-Vulcan, Chris.  And she's full of magic.  Will they
know how to nurture that?  Or will they crush it all out of her."

Chris shot him a strange look, then said quietly, "It may not be
possible to crush it out of her.  She may have been bred for it."

He nodded, let his hand drop to rest on Saavik's head.  He felt the
comforting flow of her power, it curled around his now, as if they
were in perfect synch.  "She could have been a weapon.  If she hadn't
escaped..."

"I know."  Chris glanced down at the girl, then back at him.  

LaVelle came in, her stride heavy and rushed.  

"Calm down," Chris said before the other slayer could say anything. 
"We just helped you."

"You just sent our amulet god knows where.  I fail to see how that is
an improvement."

Saavik pointed out the window, her mouth too full of food to talk.  

Chris talked for her.  "No more stinky flowers.  Which is good,
because they might have built to toxic levels."

LaVelle stared out at the fields, covered now with dead and dying
plants.   "I owe you an apology."

Kirk laughed.  "Well, we still don't know where the amulet is.  Except
that it's between."

"Between what?"  For once LaVelle didn't glare at him.

"The worlds?"  He shrugged.  "I'm new at this and she's just a kid. 
We're not exactly the dream team."

The other slayer actually laughed.  "Well, you'll get no argument from
me there."  She turned to Chris, nodded with her chin toward where
Spock worked in the fields.  "So he's back too, huh?"

"One big happy family," Chris said easily.

LaVelle looked down at Saavik.  Her face was as gentle as Kirk had
ever seen it.  "She's not a slayer.  Can you help us with her?"

He nodded.  "Can she stay here till we figure out the best place for
her?"

"Of course.  She's no trouble."  LaVelle grinned at Saavik, then
turned to go.  "You can see yourselves out?"

"You're welcome," Chris called after her.

LaVelle turned around.  "It's a bit premature to say thanks.  We don't
know if this is a good thing or not, now do we?"

Before Chris could respond, Kirk touched her arm.  "Let it go," he
said softly.

"Fine."

Saavik giggled.  When he looked down at her, she said very softly,
"Fight, fight, fight."

He laughed, knelt down so Christine couldn't see them giggling
together at the idea of the two slayers coming to blows.

He touched Saavik's hair again, and she leaned into his hand.  All he
could feel from her was perfect trust...and the slightest hint of pure
mischief.  "You'll be safe here for a while.  Then we'll come for you,
okay?"

Saavik nodded.  She touched his ears.  "Different."  She looked at
Chris.  "All different."

"Human," he said softly.  "Just human."

"Human," she said.  She laid her hand on top of his shirt, just over
his heart.  "Come back."

He nodded.  

She smiled then ran out of the house, out to where Spock was working.


End part 3 of 4

--
Forwarded to ASCL by:
Stephen Ratliff
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