Path: newsspool2.news.atl.earthlink.net!stamper.news.atl.earthlink.net!stamper.news.pas.earthlink.net!elnk-nf2-pas!newsfeed.earthlink.net!newshub.sdsu.edu!border1.nntp.dca.giganews.com!border2.nntp.dca.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!wns14feed!worldnet.att.net!4.24.21.153!newsfeed3.dallas1.level3.net!newsfeed2.dallas1.level3.net!news.level3.com!panix!yellow.newsread.com!bad-news.newsread.com!news-toy.newsread.com!netaxs.com!newsread.com!POSTED.newshog.newsread.com!not-for-mail Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative.erotica.moderated Approved: ascem@earthlink.net Organization: Better Living Thru TrekSmut Sender: ascem@earthlink.net Message-ID: From: "djinn_fic" MIME-Version: 1.0 Mailing-List: list ASCEML@yahoogroups.com; contact ASCEML-owner@yahoogroups.com Subject: NEW: TOS In the Fullness of Time 2/3 (R) S/Ch Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Lines: 781 Date: Thu, 30 Dec 2004 13:55:13 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 209.198.142.218 X-Complaints-To: Abuse Role , We Care X-Trace: newshog.newsread.com 1104414913 209.198.142.218 (Thu, 30 Dec 2004 08:55:13 EST) NNTP-Posting-Date: Thu, 30 Dec 2004 08:55:13 EST Xref: news.earthlink.net alt.startrek.creative.erotica.moderated:86499 X-Received-Date: Thu, 30 Dec 2004 05:56:08 PST (newsspool2.news.atl.earthlink.net) TITLE: In the Fullness of Time AUTHOR: Djinn CONTACT: djinn@djinnslair.com http://www.djinnslair.com SERIES: TOS RATING: R CODES: S/Ch PART: 2/3 SUMMARY: This is a sequel to "Nexus." Healing will happen--in time. Christine waited with Spock in the embarkation lounge. The shuttle that the Embassy had arranged to take Sarek and his family home had been held up; their pilot was waiting for other traffic to clear the bays before it could dock to pick them up. She felt restless, and a little cranky. Her head hurt, and she felt exposed in the lounge area. She'd felt this way since they'd let her out of the detention center--like someone was watching her, always watching her. It was odd. In the Center, she had felt as if the walls had been closing in on her. Now, free of that place, she felt like there was too much room. "I'll be right back," she said, getting up and heading to the lavatory. She forced herself to breathe normally--she was fine. No one was watching her. As she started to walk back to where Spock and his parents sat, she saw someone turn from the refreshment counter, felt her stomach clench as Michaelson nearly collided with her. "Commander." His voice fairly dripped disdain. "Ron." He looked around, as if afraid that others would hear her call him by name. "That's Adm--" "--My mistake, Admiral." She tried to push past him. He stopped her. "You've got support now. Powerful support. I won't take on Sarek, if that's what you're wondering?" Frowning, she turned to him. "What are you talking about?" He laughed. "Don't play innocent with me. You think I don't see through your affinity for things Vulcan?" He leaned in. "I don't trust you. Don't think that just because I'm backing off that I'm giving up." She sighed. "Spock cleared me." "Yes. And Spock was quite close to Valeris, wasn't he? Maybe Spock's not to be trusted? No one ever bothered to check that, did they? And since the man who probably knew best died on the Enterprise B, how can they?" "Don't even-- "--That was an accident, right?" His smile got even snider. "Oh, wait. You were involved with Kirk, weren't you? And those rumors...about Spock and him. Maybe the conspiracy goes far, far deeper than anyone knows." "Jim stopped the assassination." Michaelson nodded, shrugging as if conceding the point. "Maybe Kirk wasn't in on it. But Spock? And You?" He leaned in. "I've never known Sarek to involve himself in the affairs of a Starfleet officer before. Unless it involved getting his son or his son's friends out of hot water. And you were the one who called him in for that after Kirk stole the Enterprise for Sarek's son, possibly at Sarek's request. My, how tangled is this web?" "Why are you doing this, Ron? You were Matthew's friend." His face clouded. "That was a long time ago." "Just because you were his friend, doesn't mean you're guilty. It doesn't mean that any of us are." He didn't answer, just gave her a cold smile and walked away. She could feel a chill settle over her. She walked slowly over to where Spock and the others sat. Sarek stood and turned to her. "Our ship is ready." He led Amanda down the ramp. "Spock. Maybe this isn't a good idea." She set her bag down. He picked it up. "Christine, the ship is ready." She looked down, fought to not cry. Then she felt his hand on her elbow, gently steering her toward the ramp. "I saw you talking with Michaelson. He upset you?" "No," she said, staring at the carpeting as it changed from red to black to gray squares. The carpet in the detention center had been the same pattern. Michaelson wanted her to go back there. Or somewhere worse. Her and Spock and Sarek. But they'd done nothing. "Here, sit." Spock eased her into a seat, stowing her bag and his own, before joining her, sitting close to her, as close as he'd sat that time on Excelsior, when he'd convinced her to come work with him. She could feel his warmth even through the robe he wore, appreciated the comforting feel of him as he pressed his arm lightly against hers. "I should go." "It is too late," he said. And she felt the ship lurch slightly as it broke free of the spacedock and the pilot gave the impulse engines a kick. "Christine?" Amanda's voice was gentle. "Is something wrong?" "Michaelson." Spock looked at his father. "I thought he would leave you alone after I..." Sarek looked at his son, seemed to take a step back even though he hadn't moved. "Father, I asked you not to interfere." "Yes, Spock. You did. But I was in a meeting with him, and after something he said, I felt it prudent to say something to him in private." Christine felt as if she was underwater, could barely hear what they were saying. She pushed her head against the headrest and tried not to cry. Then she felt Spock's hand finding her own, gently squeezing and not pulling away, but tightening slowly on hers until she squeezed back. Until she held onto him as if he was keeping her from falling off the edge of a cliff. "He won't stop," she said. "He thinks I'm guilty." "He is wrong," Spock said, his tone brooking no argument. "And he is just one man." She sighed. Then she took a deep breath, was dismayed when it sounded ragged. "Let's forget it. Just forget it." Spock turned to look at her, his hand tightening on hers again, and she suddenly felt trapped. She tugged, saw him frown slightly, but he let go of her. "Christine?" "I'm all right. I'm just tired." She turned away, nestling against the cushion of the bulkhead. She closed her eyes, knew he was watching her and willed herself to pretend to fall asleep. She heard him sigh. The sound was as ragged as her own breathing. ------------------ "Father, if you have a moment," Spock said, as he saw his father pass his room. "Of course, my son." Sarek moved closer to the door. "I am uncertain why you believed it advisable to interfere in Christine's affairs, but I wish you had not." "I thought it best." Sarek's voice was the voice of old, the father who could never be made to see any point but his own. Spock could feel his mouth tightening. He had not wanted to bring this up at dinner for just this reason, could feel annoyance growing into something stronger. Something older. "Oh, Spock. Do not look at me that way. Admiral Michaelson will not make trouble for Christine any longer." "I am not certain that is true. But that is not the point that concerns me. This was a private matter, and I specifically told you that your aid was not required, yet you intervened anyway." Sarek's eyes seemed to glimmer for a moment, the way they had when Spock was young and arguing with him. "Spock, I have been dealing with humans for far more years than you have. I know how to behave. And what is required." "And I think you do not. And it was not your decision to make." "Nor was it yours, Spock." His mother pushed past Sarek. "You are acting as if Christine has no say in this matter. Did either of you think to include her in these deliberations?" Spock looked at Sarek, who only raised an eyebrow. "I thought not." "Mother, you oversimplify this." "Spock"--his mother took his arm--"you, my dear, are not thinking clearly where she is concerned. And your father"--she glared at Sarek--"seems to always have difficulty with reason when it has to do with you." She shook her head. "Come out to the main room. Both of you. Christine will be waiting." Spock let his mother pull him past his father. He was about to say something to lighten the mood, when he saw Christine standing at the door to her room, staring at them all. "Christine?" "This isn't going to work. You're arguing over me." "Oh, Christine, they'd argue over the color of the sky. Don't take it personally." "Michaelson said..." She looked down. "This isn't good for any of you. To be helping me." Spock pulled away from his mother, took a step toward Christine. "I have told you; Michaelson is one man. In a fleet of many more." "It's not as if he's not a rank ensign, Spock. He's an admiral. An admiral who wants me drummed out--or locked up." "He is only one admiral of many." "Not very comforting. I haven't seen any of the others rushing over to say hello lately, have you?" "Did they before, dear?" Amanda smiled at her. "I mean, if they did, and now they're not, well, then perhaps you have a point. But if not...?" "You've spent too much time with Vulcans," Christine said, as she turned away. Spock hurried after her, catching her arm before she could get too far. "Christine. Do not overreact." She tore her arm away. "Don't tell me what to do." Then she rushed off. He started to follow her, but Amanda stopped him. "I'll go," she said. Spock stood in the hallway, realized his hands were clenched and forced them to relax. Sarek moved up to stand near him. "Your mother, at times, has made me clench my fists in just such a manner." He shared a long look with Spock. "It is a side effect of caring for a human, I believe." Spock allowed himself a sigh. "One also learns how to sigh quite expressively," Sarek said, with a knowing lift of his eyebrows. "Indeed," Spock murmured. Coming back, his mother shook her head. "She's gone out. For a walk, I think. You should go after her. And work on your apologies. Both of you." "Both of us?" Sarek looked at Spock. "Yes, both of you. You can also work out what it means, my husband, when our son tells you not to interfere in his or Christine's affairs. I think, for all of our future happiness's sake, that this is a discussion worth having." "As you wish," Sarek said, and Spock looked at him in surprise. "Concession is also a side effect," his father muttered as they walked down the hall toward the front door. --------------------- Christine heard the door to the courtyard open, then it closed again. The steps coming toward her were unhurried and sounded too light to be Spock. "I thought I'd find you here." Amanda moved easily through her roses, her robes swishing softly as she passed. She turned to look at Christine. "Spock and Sarek are out looking for you." "Both of them?" Christine shook her head. "Never underestimate the tenacity of the Vulcan male, my dear. And I may have indicated you went out the front door, not the side one. And that they both should go after you. It will give them time together and give us time. Win-win, wouldn't you say?" With a gentle smile, Amanda moved closer. "May I join you?" she said, indicating the spot next to her on the bench. "Of course." Christine slid over slightly, making room, although she didn't need to--Amanda was so tiny. "I love it here." Amanda sighed softly. "I used to come here when Sarek and I were first married. It didn't look like this then, but it was still a place to hide when I needed to think." Amanda reached over and took Christine's hand in hers, never turning to look at her. "Our marriage was rocky at the start. I loved him, but he was so different. And Vulcan? I hated it here. Loathed it with every fiber of my being." She did turn, smiling slightly. "The pain is far away now, but it was real back then." "I'm sure it was." "But time helps, Christine. It helps in so many ways." Amanda's eyes seemed to sparkle in the low light. "Look at my son, out there searching frantically for a woman he used to flee from." "Flee?" Christine made a face. But it was no doubt true. He most likely had fled from her. "Well, avoided at any rate. He is not avoiding you any longer, dearest." "I know." "Are you in love with him?" It took her a long time to answer. "Yes." Amanda laugh was brittle. "You don't have to sound so mournful about it, Christine." "I'm sorry." Christine grimaced; she was talking to Spock's mother, for cripe's sake. "It's all right. I think this is very confusing for you. And for Spock too." "He seems fine with it. Hell bent, even." Christine gestured to the garden, then the house. "Him bringing me here is a good case in point." "Yes, we were rather surprised. Although pleased." Amanda smiled. "You don't approve of his interest? It is unwelcome?" "No. I told you, I love him." "Then what's the problem?" Amanda sounded so like Jim that Christine had to blink back tears. "The problem is that I'm not good for him. Every time he tries to help someone, they see me, and question his judgment, his ethics. He has a suspected traitor by his side, Amanda. And he has to be above reproach." "My dear, I know how badly Valeris hurt Spock. If he believes in you--you who are so closely linked with her and with Admiral Cartwright--then I know you must be 'above reproach,' or he would not be able to bear having you anywhere near. I know my son, Christine, and if he believes in you, then I believe in you." Christine looked down. "And Sarek feels the same way. He and Spock may not always agree, but he does believe in his son. And in Spock's judgment when it comes to his friends." "Yes, look how well he did with Valeris. A woman of 'great' character," she said, embellishing Sarek's favorite compliment. "She fooled us all. All of us, Christine. Not just you and not just Spock. It isn't as if you were one or two in a crowd of people saying, 'Beware Valeris.'" Christine nodded, but she remembered how Janice couldn't stand Valeris. She'd always known...somehow. "My son is in love with you, Christine." At her look, Amanda nodded. "I know him. I know the signs. And he is not trying to hide it from us. He cares deeply for you, and you are pushing him away. It is most..." "Ironic?" "I was thinking more of unexpected." "One of Spock's favorite words." "Yes, well, he learned it from me, perhaps?" Amanda grinned. "He got something else from me. His contrariness. The more you are denied to him, the more he will fight for you." Christine laughed. "If only I'd know that back when I was making a fool of myself over him." "It wouldn't have worked back then. And you know what I'm talking about. He's stubborn. You have been unfairly accused. Some are telling him that it is ill conceived to associate with you. And now you are resisting--it will only make him hang on all the more." "I'm not sure he should." Amanda made a face. "You've never struck me as a quitter." "I'm not, but this is Spock who's being hurt not me." "If he doesn't mind, why should you?" "Maybe he's not thinking clearly." Amanda shook her head gently. "He's a Vulcan, dear. And nowhere near the time when he might not be thinking clearly. I doubt very much that he isn't fully capable of deciding for himself what is right." "You don't understand. I could go be a doctor. Anywhere. And they'd overlook my background--and my supposed treachery." She shook her head. "But being with Spock, I'm reminded daily by those around us how I don't quite measure up anymore." "Ah. Finally something that is about you." Amanda's hand tightened on hers. "Do you think I'm a stranger to that? What do you think it was like coming to this planet? To wed someone of Sarek's status? Me: a lowly human, and not a particularly brilliant one. And for love? Do you have any idea how hard it was to get from one day to the next?" Amanda got up, walked over to a particularly hardy bloom. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to grow roses in this soil? It takes tenacity. It takes cussed human stubbornness." She bent to smell the rose. "And it takes love." Christine looked down. "If you don't love my son, then go pack your bags, and I'll take you to the spaceport myself. But if you love him, Christine, then you need to fight for him." Amanda straightened up. "The way I did for Sarek all those years ago." Christine looked over at her. "Did he ever waver?" "Never. Only I did, when I got tired and afraid. I know you've been through a lot. I know you are tired--and that you're afraid. You're safe here. And you're welcome." Amanda walked toward her, reaching down and setting her hands on Christine's arms, shaking her a little. "Spock is like his father, you know. Once he chooses, he does not waver." She frowned for a moment. "Well, Gol aside." Christine laughed. "Let's consider that an aberration." Amanda nodded. "I'll tell you a secret. It gives me a little thrill seeing my half-Vulcan son choose to love a human." She grinned, the expression a little twisted. "He hasn't done so well with the full-Vulcans." "You're so sure that he'll do better with me?" Amanda nodded. "A mother knows these things." She cocked her head, as if hearing things in the thin Vulcan air that Christine could not. "Spock and Sarek are back. Perhaps you should go reassure my son that you have not vanished into thin air?" Christine smiled and got up. It was very difficult to fight this woman. "You should reassure him well, Christine. The rooms are quite soundproof." With a wink, Amanda left her alone. Christine bent down and smelled the rose that Amanda had touched. It was lovely--strong, and sweet, and smelling of Earth. She sighed, then hurried into the house. ----------------- Spock heard the door to the courtyard open and rushed out of his room. "Mother? Did she come back?" "She never left, Spock." Amanda smiled as Christine came into the house, through the courtyard door. "I was...concerned," he said. Christine didn't meet his eyes. "I know." She pushed past him, into her bedroom. But she left the door open. Following her in, he gently closed the door. "Are you all right?" She nodded. She seemed to be holding herself tightly, too tightly. The way she had at the detention center when he'd come to get her out. "You can't always save me, Spock," she said, as if she was reading his mind. He moved closer. "I was not aware you required saving." "I don't." She turned, and he was surprised to see that she was crying. "You need saving from me." "I do?" He let one eyebrow go up, was grateful when she laughed through her tears. "You do." She tried to push past him again, but this time he reached out and stopped her progress, pulling her close. He could feel her emotions thrumming into his skin wherever he touched her. So many emotions warring inside her: love, fear, pain, grief still, and guilt. Letting go of her with one hand, he brushed back her hair, his fingers lingering on her lovely non- pointed ears. "Why do I need saving?" he asked. She still would not meet his eyes. "Because I'm bad for you." "I do not think you are." "You're not exactly objective here." "No?" She shook her head. "And why is that?" She frowned, her mouth turning down as if she was angry with him for having asked that particular question. "You know why." "I do not. Please tell me." She tried to shrug out of his grip, so he pulled her closer. "Christine?" "You want me." "That is correct." He nearly smiled. It was quite easy to tell her how he felt when she did the talking. "What else do I feel for you?" His tone was too light; he saw that immediately by the way she tensed. "This isn't a damn game." "It is anything but a game, Christine." He pulled her closer, until their bodies touched in places that normally kept a respectable distance. She moaned, and he smiled, pleased at the reaction. It mirrored his own, even if he had not given voice to the shock he'd felt as her body rubbed along his. He forced her chin up so he could see her face. By the way she was still not looking at him, he realized she was not going to fill in the blanks any longer. "I care about you," he said. "Deeply." She swallowed hard. "Don't." "Why not?" The barrage of emotions slipping through his fingertips increased. "Do you no longer love me?" Closing her eyes, she leaned into him, her mouth lifting up to his in what he thought was an unconscious move. He felt irresistibly drawn to touch her lips with his own. The kiss was chaste--for a moment. Then she opened her mouth to let him in, and he did not try to temper what he felt, what he wanted from her. When he finally pulled away, they were both breathing harder. "You did not answer my question, Christine." "You know I love you." She pulled him back to her, kissing him with a passion he'd only ever seen in Valeris's memories. Now, this was his. Now, this was only for him. "As I love you," he murmured, pushing her back to the bed. He did not intend to lose momentum with her. She might try to run again if he hesitated. He pulled off her shirt, pushed down her pants. She looked up at him, surprise in her eyes. "I will stop if you do not wish to continue." "That's okay." She smiled suddenly, a brilliant expression. "You can keep going." "Perhaps, some assistance on your part...?" She began to tear his clothes off, and he knew that if she had looked up, she would have seen a very satisfied glint in his eyes. He made short work of her underthings, could feel her doing the same to his. Then they were on her bed, skin to skin, kissing like mad things. He had never kissed Valeris this way, although he was fairly certain Christine had. He pushed her to her back, kissing her places he'd seen that she liked in her own and Valeris's memories. She moaned, her hands grasping him in a soft way that became harder the more he touched her. When she bucked under his mouth, her cries echoing in the bedroom, he felt a surge of satisfaction--and also relief that his parents had been so insistent on soundproofing when they'd remodeled the house. Then she was pulling him up and he did not resist, kissing her even as his body joined with hers as if making love was something they had been doing all their lives. He did moan then, the feeling one of completion and rightness. Had he been meant for this woman all this time? What life had they missed because he had run from her for so long? She was smiling, her eyes half lidded as she kissed him again. "Christine...I know...it has been difficult...for you." He found it hard to talk, hard to do anything but move over her. "I had you," she said, her nails digging into his back. Closing his eyes, he abandoned conversation, but moved his hands to the meld points, then hesitated. The meld would enhance the sex, but it might also be too much, too soon. Sometimes insight could destroy, not bring together. He did not want to know that he was not pleasing her the way Valeris had. That she was comparing him to her or Jim or any other lover she might have had. He started to lift his fingers away from her face, but she pushed them back down. He opened his eyes, saw her watching him, her smile growing. "Do it." She looked so beautiful lying underneath him, her mouth opening for his again. He pushed his mind into her, heard her gasp at the possessive way he'd done it. Not like before, not like the gentle meld he'd used to find out the truth when she'd been in the detention center. This had been him claiming her. He let his mind wander, braced himself for truths he might not want to see. But there was only her pleasure and her love for him beating down around him. He could feel the ghosts of the others--Valeris, Jim, more others than he'd expected. He could hear her chuckling. "You weren't interested. Did you expect me to be a saint?" "No. Of course not." She laughed again--they could both tell that he had expected exactly that. "I love you," she said, and there was a lilt in her voice and in the emotions spilling into him that had not been there before. "I love you," he said mind to mind, and with his voice, letting his lips follow up the theme as he kissed her, moving faster over her. He reached the peak, felt himself beginning to fall and could feel her holding him. "Let go," she said. And he did. Riding her almost brutally, he felt no fear from her, only exhilaration--she too had feared that he would compare her to Valeris. He and Valeris had never...not like this. He opened his eyes, saw her grinning. "Welcome back," she said, kissing him softly. A sigh was his only answer. He eased off her, felt her moving so she was cuddled against him. Pulling her closer, he wrapped himself around her, suddenly wanting to protect her, needing to protect her. He did not realize the meld was still active until she whispered, "You can't protect me, Spock. But I love that you want to." "If you were to marry me, they could not say anything against you." "Yes, they could. They just wouldn't." She kissed his chest. "I won't hide behind you." He felt a surge of emotion. "You do not wish to marry me?" "I didn't say that." She laughed softly, a bit sadly. "But not yet. Not if it looks like I'm running away from something." "I understand." He turned his face away, felt another emotional barrage from deep inside him. He was disappointed? She pulled him back so she could kiss him. "Ask me again. When the talk dies down. If you still want me then?" She stroked her hand over him, making him jump. As if reminding him why he might still want her then. "I will still want to marry you," he said. She laughed. "Something is funny?" She nodded. He tried to read her expression, but her head was against his chest, and he could not see her eyes. "Us. We're funny, Spock." She burrowed more firmly against him, and he realized she was crying. "All this time...and now..." Stroking her arm gently, he enjoyed the feel of her skin against his fingers. Soft, she was as soft as he had imagined her all those years ago--when he had allowed himself to imagine what it might have been like with her. "It is..." "Unexpected?" He allowed a small smile. "I was thinking of ironic." She began to laugh, and he was not sure why what he had said was funny. "Ironic is the better word," she said, then she pulled away from him and met his eyes. Tears were bright in her eyes, and she blinked, letting the tears fall down her cheeks. He kissed them from her face. "We will be fine, Christine. In time, everything will be fine." Smiling, she eased down next to him. "Has anyone ever told you that you're a Pollyanna, Spock?" He knew the reference. "I am a pragmatist." He tugged at the spread, somehow managing to get it over them despite their lying on top of it. "Right." She began to move her hand lower, lower, and then-- "You're very sensitive," she said, her voice low and throaty. He touched her in a similar place, felt her jump. "As are you, Christine." He knew that his eyes were unusually tender when he kissed her, not letting go of her, making her jump again. And again. She didn't let go of him either, but she did bat his hand away from her long enough to kiss her way down to where she was causing so much trouble. Laughing, she did something with her mouth that Valeris had never done. And he was glad she never had. When she came up from under the covers, she was grinning. "Mine." Her voice was triumphant. He nodded. He was hers. What she had done to him was hers. It was all hers. He pushed her to her back, resumed what he had been doing. "Mine," he said, in exactly the same tone she had used. "Forever, Spock." Then she gave herself over to him. His. She was his. It was ironic and unexpected. And wonderful. He felt some part of him that had been in pain for a very long time finally settle down. Could sense that some part of her also relaxed- -the brittle, hurt part that had risen up in the detention center although it might have been created long before that. "We'll be fine, Spock," she said, whispering back his own words, as she curled against him. "Yes," he said. She had said he could not protect her, and she was right. But he could watch over her. As she drifted off to sleep, he stroked her hair and kissed her cheek. Then he just watched her for a long time before he finally let himself sleep too. End part 2 of 3 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ASCEM messages are copied to a mailing list. Most recent messages can be found at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ASCEML. NewMessage: