eceived: from [66.218.66.96] by n27.grp.scd.yahoo.com with NNFMP; 18 Feb 2004 05:28:39 -0000 X-Sender: sil@sileya.net X-Apparently-To: ASCEM-S@yahoogroups.com Received: (qmail 18903 invoked from network); 18 Feb 2004 05:28:36 -0000 Received: from unknown (66.218.66.166) by m13.grp.scd.yahoo.com with QMQP; 18 Feb 2004 05:28:36 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO mailstore.psci.net) (63.65.184.2) by mta5.grp.scd.yahoo.com with SMTP; 18 Feb 2004 05:28:35 -0000 Received: from max (as4-d39-rp-psci.psci.net [63.92.109.135]) by mailstore.psci.net (8.12.2/8.12.2) with SMTP id i1I5S9Qa013334 for ; Wed, 18 Feb 2004 00:28:09 -0500 Message-ID: <009701c3f5e0$0904e120$87c5fea9@max> To: "ASCEM-S" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2800.1106 X-MIMEOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1106 X-eGroups-Remote-IP: 63.65.184.2 From: "Sileya" X-Yahoo-Profile: sileya MIME-Version: 1.0 Mailing-List: list ASCEM-S@yahoogroups.com; contact ASCEM-S-owner@yahoogroups.com Delivered-To: mailing list ASCEM-S@yahoogroups.com Precedence: bulk List-Unsubscribe: Date: Tue, 17 Feb 2004 23:28:26 -0600 Subject: [ASCEM-S] NEW:"Never a Bride" 1/8 (TOS:K/S:NC-17) Reply-To: "Sileya" Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit NEW: Never a Bride AUTHOR: Rae Trail CODES: TOS; K/S; NC-17 ARCHIVE:ASCEM, Allslash, Marianne, others please ask WARNINGS: Sorry, only one really explicit m/m sex scene, but if you are underage or that isn't your thing, go elsewhere. DISCLAIMER: Star Trek belongs to Paramount and Viacom, and probably other entities. This is a work of fanfiction, and no copyright infringement is intended. I make no money from this. SYNOPSIS: When the Admiralty discovers that Kirk and Spock are legally and irrevocably bonded, Nogura decides to play spin doctor, mothers get involved, and the boys get very nervous indeed! Never a Bride by Rae Trail part 1 of 8 "Oh my." Kirk re-read the message on his terminal, but the content didn't change on second viewing. He glanced over his shoulder toward Spock, who had stopped work at his soft exclamation and was watching him from his chair across the room, hands poised in the air above his padd and one eyebrow raised. "You know how we were planning to officially declare our bond and have a quiet, intimate little reception on the observation deck a few weeks from now?" Spock nodded. "I expect confirmation from my clan that they have received the Adept's written statement of our joining within the next 12 hours," he replied. Kirk cleared his throat uneasily and turned back to his screen. "Well, somebody jumped the gun, Spock. This is addressed to Captain James T. Kirk and Commander Spock, and it came through official channels. It's from Nogura." After another moment of silence, Spock gave a polite but interrogative cock of his head, and Jim shrugged. "Okay, okay. Uh... I'll cut to the chase here. Blah blah blah -- 'confirm or deny the rumour that you have established a marriage bond with each other under Vulcan Law. ' Spock, someone spilled the beans." The look on Spock's face was delightful. "Beans?" "Come on, you know exactly what I mean. Someone told command about us. Whoever it was didn't think we deserved time to test the waters, I guess, or else they're hoping to get us in deep with command, and we are squarely in front of the fan. This is frying pan to fire stuff. They've forced our hand, Spock," he went on, knowing the avalanche of metaphors, colourful aphorisms, and twisted sayings didn't really faze Spock, despite the launch of the second eyebrow. His partner only pretended ignorance of Standard's more interesting uses; the scientist in Spock had deciphered Standard years ago. "We did not expect to hide our relationship from Starfleet Command, Jim." Spock rose and crossed the room to read over Kirk's shoulder. "I know, but I wanted to be well past the Oort cloud before we let them in on it. Drop out of the limelight a bit, protect our privacy. You know, out of sight, out of mind." He tapped his fingers on the desktop and looked up sideways at Spock. "Is it possible that the leak came from Vulcan?" Spock shook his head. "Privacy laws forbid it. No Vulcan would do such a thing, regardless of their views regarding our union." Jim looked up at Spock. "Your mother isn't a Vulcan." "My mother functions under Vulcan law, however. I do not believe she would 'spill the beans'." He perused the document again and then stood back, folding his arms over his chest. "I expect that this is an example of the old saying regarding secrets in the military." "That there are none?" "Exactly." Jim chewed his lip for a moment and then gave a grunt of acceptance. "Well, there is absolutely no way we can ignore this message. Are you prepared to have our relationship put under the magnifying glass?" "I believe that my commitment to you, and yours to me, will hold up under any form of scrutiny, Jim." He paused briefly, and Jim could almost see him making the various connections, looking at the probabilities and the ramifications of their relationship being made public earlier than planned. "Your mother, however..." "Exactly," Kirk echoed. "Mom's thinks that I'm one hundred percent het, and that someday I'll give her grandchildren. Since Peter is her only other family, she's kind of counting on me. This will be a big surprise to her." He stood up and started to pace, and then stopped and threw up his hands. "Why is it that my mother's approval is so damned important to me? I'm a grown man, capable of making my own decisions!" "Obviously, as you are the captain of the Fleet flagship." Trust Spock to put things into perspective! Jim considered the taller man for a moment and then gave him a crooked smile. "Will you come with me to see her? We can compose a message to Nogura, ask him to give us a couple of days before making this public, so that we can tell her ourselves." "This smacks of the frying pan and fire scenario again, Jim." "Well, you're from Vulcan, after all. You should be able to take the heat." He crossed the room and put his hands on Spock's crossed forearms. The touch let him feel that Spock was slightly anxious, and he tried to alleviate that anxiety. "I'll do it myself, if it will make you too uncomfortable. I know how much you dislike emotional scenes. Well, with other people." Spock smiled at him, and Jim's heart twisted in his chest. He loved that he alone, of all the beings in the known universe, was allowed to see that smile. "Jim, the wedding vows of your culture include the phrase 'for better or for worse'. Whilst ungrammatical, the intention is obvious. I will share this task with you, as I will share everything else in our conjoined lives." "Thank you," he whispered, touched by the statement of support. He dropped his hands and turned back to the terminal. "I don't know why I'm worried at all, I know she'll love you. How could she not? I'll send a message to Nogura immediately. Will you proof it for me?" "I will. There is, as you would say, a bright side to this, Jim." "There is? What is it?" "Our absence from the ship will give maintenance the opportunity they have been seeking to refurbish and repaint our quarters. Once the crew is informed of our union, we can request a larger bed and have my quarters converted into office space, as we had planned." Amused, Jim swung around and sat down before the terminal again. "Commander, have I ever told you that I like the way you think?" * Admiral Nogura Heihachiro Jun had seen and heard many things in his tenure as Chief of Starfleet Operations, and in the long and colourful career that had earned him that top position, but this was an absolute first for him. Not that he didn't personally know several people in life-long relationships with beings of other species. Not that there weren't three married couples operating in the same chain of command on three ships of the line, though none in the senior positions. It was thinking of the fiery, restless, intuitive and intense personality that was Jim Kirk being bonded, actually mentally linked for life to a Vulcan, which was astonishing to him. The Admiral had met Amanda, Spock's mother, on several occasions when the missions of the diplomatic corps crossed interests with the missions of Starfleet. She seemed like a passive and introverted person, the kind of Human that would assimilate well into the quiet rigours of Vulcan society. Kirk, on the other hand, was the kind of Human that would be the proverbial bull in a china shop if forced to conform to Vulcan society. Jim was as likely to espouse the Surakian Creed of Logic and Non-Emotion along with espousing a Vulcan male, as he was to give up his career as a Starfleet officer to join the circus. Nogura had at first considered the message he had received to be a practical joke. He had to action it, of course; rumours of this sort could backfire on Fleet if they turned out to be true and Fleet appeared to be covering that truth up. Furthermore, for an anonymous message to reach him directly, undetected by the layers of bureaucracy that protected his office, meant that the sender was an insider of some sort, either of the Admiralty, Starfleet generally, or the Enterprise. So he had contacted McCoy in confidence and bluntly asked about the probability of the message being factual. McCoy had laughed out loud when Nogura questioned him. "Jim? And Spock? You've got to be kidding, no disrespect intended, Hichi," he had said. "Jim has done the horizontal tango with at least a dozen women since the mission started, even been in love once or twice, and not with anyone even close to the same gender as he is. He and Spock are inseparable friends, of course. I was surprised how close they got, considering Spock's like an iceman towards most everyone else." "But you're absolutely sure that the friendship couldn't have gone any further?" "Hichi..." McCoy had shaken his head. "Jim's Kinsey index is 4.7, you've seen the records. That means he is capable of swinging either way, but he's always preferred women. Spock, of course, can't be measured on the Kinsey scale, but his two encounters that I am aware of were with females, and in both cases he was out of his mind. You' ve seen those reports, too. Besides, Spock is Vulcan. Homosexuality is probably illogical." Nogura knew how wrong McCoy was on that front, and had told him so. "Vulcans are much more likely than Humans to prefer partners of the same sex, Leonard. Factor of 27 percent greater incidence, or something. Keep that under your hat, it's in the private Tenets, but T'Pau and I talk pretty often." "How can that be true?" McCoy had looked puzzled. "I thought sex was strictly about procreation for them. It certainly can't be fun. You read my report about that business on Vulcan last year, with T'Pring." "I did," Nogura replied, and then a thought struck him. He drew a deep breath. "Leonard, when T'Pau contacted me and got Spock off the hook for stealing the Enterprise, she intimated that it was a matter of mating or death for Spock. He is, apparently, still alive. So whom did he mate with?" "Oh, come on. Surely the battle with Jim must have burned out the fever, he was perfectly normal again afterwards." Nogura saw a hint of uncertainty in the other man's blue eyes. "At least, he seemed normal." "So he didn't mate?" "Well, uh..." McCoy had blushed and shaken his head. "No, not that I know of." "Didn't he and Jim go off on shore leave together shortly after that? They did, I remember authorizing it, at your request. You thought they both needed time to recover, as I recall, and to re-establish their trust in one another." Nogura snorted at the irony of that. "Hichi, this can't be true. Jim's my friend, he would have told me." "Would he have? What do Vulcans value almost as highly as life and logic? Privacy, Leonard. You don't have access to the Vulcan Tenets as it pertains to bonding at your level of clearance. If you had been informed, you would have been bound by the regulations you did have because of Jim's species. You would have forced Jim to take psych exams under threat of removing him from command. If you had received any indication of a change in his thinking, you would have benched him, and probably Spock, until you could have had a thorough evaluation and a second opinion. Wouldn't you?" "I would have seen that as my duty, yes!" "Friendship aside? You've bent rules for him before." McCoy blushed, but shook his head adamantly. "Bonding by non-telepathic persons must, by its very nature, change the mental landscape of those involved. Jim would have to be considered a potential threat to the ship if Spock's life became endangered." "Whereas under the laws of Vulcan regarding bonded couples, which they knew you didn't have access to, Jim and Spock are under no such obligation of disclosure before the bond is formally acknowledged by the Vulcan clan involved. Even then, they wouldn't be required to take any sort of psychic evaluation, despite your interpretation, your fundamentally correct interpretation, of the regulation for Humans. Not that I'd consider them a threat to the Enterprise even if they were both Human, but a Vulcan bond is not considered a potential danger in the same way a Human marriage can be." "What? Why not? Sauce for the goose..." "Vulcans are not geese, Doctor. They are perfectly capable of handling the requirements of command and of a private relationship, without one impacting the other. And, through a bond, the Human attains the same ability to separate church and state, as it were." He had smiled as McCoy grumbled back at him. "You sound like Spock." "I don't know if that's an insult or a compliment, but I'll take it as a compliment considering the difference in our ranks, Commander. I think I'd better go to the horse's mouth on this, Leonard. Until you hear from me, keep this close to your chest. Don't go running off to Jim's cabin and demand the truth. That's an order. This is going through proper channels." He had signed off then, and reread the short message from that had started all of this. 'I think that you should know, the Captain and the First Officer of the Enterprise are living together and may be bonded' It was possible that he was reading too much into the short communication. However, from his knowledge of Vulcans, he didn't think it possible that any Vulcan, even a hybrid like Spock, could simply be 'living together' with another in the Human sense. Spock would require a bond, or he would die. So T'Pau had said. Who would have written such a message? It was almost spiteful, and that didn't sound like any of the Enterprise crew. Perhaps a Vulcan, one who disapproved of Spock? Or even an old flame of Jim's, deciding that if she couldn't have him, he'd pay. The known galaxy must be littered with those. He had decided not to contact Fleet Security to investigate; that would start the rumour factory going at warp nine. Instead he had composed a message to Kirk and Spock, lacing it around with every title they and he had to make sure that they knew this was now official business, and then sat back to wait. It hadn't take long. The 'incoming official priority one' triplet tones startled him out of rereading the tattle-tale's message for the twentieth time. He slapped the privacy and decode pads and sat forward eagerly to see the screen. Admiral Heihachiro J. Nogura, he read, barely noticing that once again Kirk had gotten his formal name back to front. The various titles and office routing symbols followed, and then the body of the letter. He skimmed through the politeness, and finally fastened on the all important phrase: do confirm that Spock cha'Sarek of clan Surak, Shi'Kahr and I have established a Vulcan mating bond and are awaiting confirmation of our acknowledgement by clan Surak at this time. We were planning to inform you once that confirmation was in hand. Nogura sat back, absolutely stunned, and blew out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. Now that he was officially informed, he would have to make decisions about this. Was it good for Fleet or bad for Fleet? What line should he take? Who should he inform, and when, and how? After a minute he leaned back toward the screen and read the final paragraph. Heihachiro, we have a favour to ask on an unofficial level. I haven't had the opportunity to talk about this with my mother. Spock and I are planning to visit her later this week. Would you please keep this under your hat until then? I would much rather tell her in person than for her to see it on FNN. As a personal act of kindness, sir, can you wait? Also, we don't want a big fuss over this. Could he wait? Of course, and a few days was plenty of time. He could formulate a game plan that way, get his ducks in a row, figure out the best angle on this thing for the Fleet and the Federation. Would he make a fuss? Well, now, he just might. And Kirk would, for a change, have to grin and bear the consequences of his actions. End part 1 of 8 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ASCEM-S/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: ASCEM-S-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ From ???@??? Wed Feb 18 00:30:01 2004 X-Persona: Status: U Return-Path: Received: from n23.grp.scd.yahoo.com ([66.218.66.79]) by condor (EarthLink SMTP Server) with SMTP id 1aTkgG4LB3NZFjK1 for ; Tue, 17 Feb 2004 21:29:06 -0800 (PST) X-eGroups-Return: sentto-1978024-7827-1077082143-stephenbratliff=earthlink.net@returns.groups.yahoo.com Received: from [66.218.67.196] by n23.grp.scd.yahoo.com with NNFMP; 18 Feb 2004 05:29:03 -0000 X-Sender: sil@sileya.net X-Apparently-To: ASCEM-S@yahoogroups.com Received: (qmail 41753 invoked from network); 18 Feb 2004 05:29:02 -0000 Received: from unknown (66.218.66.172) by m3.grp.scd.yahoo.com with QMQP; 18 Feb 2004 05:29:02 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO mailstore.psci.net) (63.65.184.2) by mta4.grp.scd.yahoo.com with SMTP; 18 Feb 2004 05:29:01 -0000 Received: from max (as4-d39-rp-psci.psci.net [63.92.109.135]) by mailstore.psci.net (8.12.2/8.12.2) with SMTP id i1I5SZQa013757 for ; Wed, 18 Feb 2004 00:28:35 -0500 Message-ID: <009f01c3f5e0$188a44a0$87c5fea9@max> To: "ASCEM-S" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2800.1106 X-MIMEOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1106 X-eGroups-Remote-IP: 63.65.184.2 From: "Sileya" X-Yahoo-Profile: sileya MIME-Version: 1.0 Mailing-List: list ASCEM-S@yahoogroups.com; contact ASCEM-S-owner@yahoogroups.com Delivered-To: mailing list ASCEM-S@yahoogroups.com Precedence: bulk List-Unsubscribe: Date: Tue, 17 Feb 2004 23:28:52 -0600 Subject: [ASCEM-S] NEW:"Never a Bride" 2/8 (TOS:K/S:NC-17) Reply-To: "Sileya" Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Never a Bride * Part 2 of 8 Spock stood stiffly beside the aircar as Winona Kirk ran down the steps of the old wood frame farmhouse and flung her arms around her son. Jim hugged her and spun her around, both of them talking at once. "Jimmy, it's so good to see you, I wasn't sure if they'd let you take the time..." "Mom, you look great, you get younger every year..." Spock observed, trying and failing to imagine he and Amanda in a similar embrace. Eventually Jim set Doctor Kirk down and kissed her cheek, smiling broadly. "I'm glad to be home." "I'm glad you're here!" She glanced over his shoulder at Spock and her smile faltered. Spock inclined his head slightly as Jim turned toward him and beckoned with a hand. "Spock, come meet my mother. Mom, you've heard about him in dozens of letters over the last three years. My first officer, Commander Spock." The hesitation in the woman's stance was not lost on Spock. He schooled himself to remain absolutely neutral in stance and speech, and raised his right hand in the ta'al. "An honour to meet you, Doctor Kirk. Live long, and prosper." She blinked back at him, and then smiled. The smile seemed forced to Spock, but he reminded himself that he was, likely, the first Vulcan she had encountered. She pushed a lock of hair back from her forehead, the gesture remarkably like Jim's own, and nodded at him. "Commander Spock. I have heard a great deal about you." She turned back to her son. "Jim, you should have told me you were bringing a friend. The spare room is full of junk for the benefit fair next weekend, and I never replaced the bed in Sam's old room after the raccoons last year!" "That's okay, Mom. Spock and I will share my room. We're used to it." Spock saw that Jim's mother did not like the sound of that at all. Her smile faded, and her stare did not appear the least bit friendly to him. "Well, I guess I can pull the cot in there from the attic." "Let's worry about that later, shall we?" Jim stooped down and picked up the suitcase, smacking Spock's hand away in the process and grinning at him. Startled, Spock stood up again and wrapped his arms around himself. Winona was staring at him again as Jim continued. "I'm cold, and if I'm cold Spock must be freezing. Can we make a pot of tea and talk in front of the fire?" Winona finally looked away from him and gazed at her son. "Of course. Come in. Did I mention in my last letter that the Drakes have revived an old breed of Percherons on their spread? Beautiful animals, we should go over and see them. You always appreciated a good horse." "I prefer riding horses to workers," he said. He looked over his shoulder at Spock and smiled. "Come in, Spock. I guarantee you'll like the temperature inside a lot more." Looking at the frozen expression on Winona Kirk's face, Spock doubted it, but he dutifully followed Jim up the stairs and through the front door. Inside the big living room he crossed to the blazing fire and held his hands out, imitating Jim, while Winona stood and gazed from one to the other. Finally she cleared her throat. "Jim, will you help me in the kitchen? I made bread this morning, and I haven't had lunch. How about a sandwich?" "Sure, Mom." Jim clapped a hand on his shoulder, and the warmth of his affection came through like a healing promise. Spock relaxed. "Spock, you stay here and get warmed up." "Thank you, Jim." "No problem. Hey, Spock's a vegetarian, Mom, but a cheese sandwich would be good, he eats dairy. Got anything good?" Their voices faded slightly as the Humans walked into the next room and the door shut behind them. Spock bent to take another log off of the woodpile and add it to the fire, listening carefully to the distant conversation. Winona would be ignorant of the keen nature of Vulcan hearing, but Jim was not. He would know that Spock was eavesdropping on him. He might be counting on it. "Find whatever you want in the fridge. Jim, I'm a bit surprised that you brought him with you. Doesn't he have people in Seattle or something? I'm sure you told me that." Spock wondered at the content of some of Jim's letters home. He settled cross-legged on the floor close to the fire and leaned his back against the couch, listening to Jim's reply. "I wanted you to meet him, Mom. He's very important to me. Don't you like being able to put a face to the name?" "Lord knows I've seen his face enough on FNN, Jim. You're cutting that too thick." "I like a thick sandwich, especially with your homemade bread. There, that one can be for you, is it thin enough? Has this mayo got eggs in it, or... ah, no, that's safe. I'm surprised, Mom, you used to like meeting my friends." "Your friends, yes. Your Vulcan first officer is a different kettle of fish, son. And don't look at me like that, I know what they're like. Vulcans! I had to work with one of them at the Research Station a couple of years ago." Spock felt a chill, despite the fire. He recognized animosity in the Human woman's voice now. There was a pause, and Spock imagined Jim staring at his mother incredulously. His response verified the image. "Mom, you sound as if you actively dislike Vulcans. How can that be?" "What's to like? They're cold, mean, callous and snobbish. Why, I've seen one discuss the agony of a severely wounded heifer as casually as if he were discussing the weather. Not a smidgen of empathy. Not a caring bone in their bodies." "All I can say to that is you are dead wrong." There was an edge in Jim's voice that Spock recognized. He flinched slightly, wondering if Winona heard it and if she knew what it meant. Jim was supremely angry. "I hope that you'll learn differently over the next couple of days. Spock is an integral part of my life. Don't you trust my ability to judge character, to choose my friends? You used to." "Maybe you've been out in space among all those aliens for too long." "And maybe you've been in this parochial backwater, stuck among self-satisfied Humans for too long." "Jim! How dare you!" Spock felt his eyes widen. The conversation was getting very heated. "Mom, I'd like you to remember that I am the captain of the Fleet's flagship, in command of 430 persons on missions that would, frankly, curl your hair if you knew the details. And of those 430, 117 people are not Humans. I trust every one of them to do their jobs and to get along with the others in the crew. In fact, my crew is regularly reviewed with the highest ratings for teamwork of any Starship crew in the Fleet. I like them and I respect them, Human and non- Human alike. And as to the alien in the next room; he has been directly responsible for saving my life on more occasions than I want to tell you about." Jim fell silent. Spock knew he was seething, he could feel it in the way his internal link to his bondmate was trembling. "Well," Winona began, her voice unsure. "I'm glad that he's a useful shipmate, son. But I don't have to like him. Lord knows he'd never return the favour! Vulcans can't, you know." "Vulcans can't like people?" Jim's laugh stopped Spock as he was about to stand up and prepare to leave the house. That Jim was still able to laugh was a good sign, and he settled back against the couch. He could feel Jim's effort to control his anger, and was pleased for him when his next question came out sounding relatively normal. "Do you want pickles, Mom?" "Please. I'm sure there's a bottle of my spicy dills from last season, back of the top shelf." "Okay. Now, I'm only going to say this once, Mom. You are as fundamentally wrong about Spock as it is possible to be. He is perfectly capable of liking, or disliking, another person. And that like or dislike is based on the person's personality and their treatment of him and those around him, just as yours would be. And I seriously doubt he'll like you very much after what you just said about him and his people." "You won't tell him! That would be rude, Jim, and cruel." "I don't have to tell him, Mom. Vulcans have the best hearing of any bipedal hominid-type sentient species in the Federation. In fact, I'll be surprised if I don't find him waiting by the front door to bid you goodbye. He's always polite, even when he has been called... what was it? Cold, mean, callous and snobbish?" Jim came through the kitchen door then, carrying a tray heaped with sandwiches. He winked at Spock, and set the tray on the table beside him. There was silence from the kitchen. Spock waited, unsure what Jim wanted him to do. Jim himself didn't seem to know. He gazed at Spock for a long minute, and then grinned. "Frying pan and fire scenario, phase two," he announced, and settled on the couch so that his left leg was pressed against Spock's side. Through the physical contact Spock could feel his shame. "It is not your fault, Jim. Perhaps I should leave." "Please don't, unless you can't stand it. I know this has made you very uncomfortable." "It has made you uncomfortable as well, though not nearly as uncomfortable as it has made your mother. It was unfair of you to continue that conversation when you knew I could not avoid listening." The kitchen door opened and Winona appeared, her face bright red. "He has always been sneaky, Commander Spock," she said stiffly. Spock moved to stand up, a gesture of respect for elders ingrained in him from his youth, but Jim put a hand on his shoulder and restrained him, albeit gently. "Stay seated, Spock," Jim said softly. Spock subsided, accustomed to following orders from this man, and let Jim's leg rest against his side again. Such a display, in any other situation, would have been impossible for him. Here and now it felt exactly right. It was calming to his body. He drew a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm his mind as well, as Jim continued. "Mom, if you're willing to suspend that prejudice in favour of learning more about my friend, we'll stay. Otherwise, I'm sorry, but we'll just return to the ship. I won't have your mistaken ideas ruining what may be my last days ashore with him before our mission resumes." His hand had stayed on Spock's shoulder. Spock felt a gentle squeeze, and hoped that Jim was aware of the affection and support he was sending back to him. It was likely; Jim had become adept at interpreting Spock's emotions through their bond. He glanced up at Jim and saw the resolute look on the handsome face, then he turned and gazed at Winona. The moment stretched out, and the hand on his shoulder remained. After a minute Winona walked over and sat down in the chair furthest from the fire. "I'm sorry you heard all that, Commander Spock," she said stiffly. Spock considered. Not 'I am sorry I said it' but 'I am sorry you heard it'. Not really an apology, as he understood apologies. More a statement of embarrassment at having been caught in a social faux pas. "I, also, am sorry that I heard you, Doctor Kirk. I regret hearing any being judging another so harshly, on such superficial acquaintance. Perhaps it is a part of your character that inclined you to work with animals in preference to people." He could feel Jim's incredulous surge of delight, as Winona's mouth opened soundlessly, and then closed. She returned his gaze for a moment, and then said tightly, "Did you just insult me in my own home?" "No, I merely stated an hypothesis regarding the possible effects of your personal outlook as regards your career choices. I believe that I was the one who was insulted in your home. On Vulcan such a disregard for the rules of hospitality would be unthinkable. However, it was partly Jim's fault for not warning you about the superiority of Vulcan hearing." He looked up at Jim. "You did not tell me that your mother carried such strong opinions about non- Terrestrial persons, Jim." "I am just as surprised as you are, Spock. When we were growing up Mom always talked about the basic equality of all people. She must have encountered a lulu of a Vulcan at the Research lab to form such a nasty opinion of your species. Who was it, Mom?" Winona covered her confusion by reaching for a sandwich and then shoving the tray closer to the men. "I never could pronounce his name. 'S' something." "Uh-huh." Jim picked up a sandwich and handed it to Spock. "Cheese and lettuce with mustard and pickles." "Thank you, Jim." "See, now, that S, that Vulcan at the lab, he would never say 'thank you', or anything else pleasant. Just stare at you like you were dirt." "I recall my own confusion when I was first exposed to the illogical conversational methods that Humans employ," Spock said thoughtfully, watching the fire again. "Thanks are illogical, if every person does his or her duty according to the Tenets. The existence of such a phrase in Standard indicates to me that the normal mode of conduct on Terra is for people not to do their duty by others, or why would a behaviour reinforcing statement be required when they do?" "Spock, don't go all Pavlovian on me." "Jim..." Spock felt the pressure on his side increase, and glanced up at his mate before addressing Doctor Kirk again. "There is no 'small talk' on Vulcan, Doctor Kirk, nor any phrase that could be considered equivalent to the phrase 'small talk'. Greetings such as 'good morning' or 'how are you today' and so on are a waste of thought and energy. It has taken me many years of living among Humans and other aliens to learn to navigate the conversational pitfalls that most of my people find simply inexplicable." "No kidding," Jim said, laughing. "Three years ago you couldn't have come up with a phrase like 'navigate the conversational pitfalls'." "Do not tell Doctor McCoy. It would spoil his impression of me." "I won't. It's too much fun watching you tease him." "It is fun teasing him," Spock conceded. "Doctor Kirk, the ruling principles of my people regard the expression of emotion as, at the very least, in extremely poor taste and at the worst a sign of insanity. Thus you will rarely, if ever, see a Vulcan smiling, or frowning, or laughing, or crying. The philosophies of Surak work very well within our culture, making Vulcan the most peaceful world within the Federation. However, it is a sad fact that most Humans interpret the lack of expression of emotion as the lack of emotion itself." Silence fell. Spock bit into his sandwich, chewed and swallowed. "The bread is very good," he offered. Winona, eating her own sandwich, blinked at him, and then looked at her son, and then very pointedly at the hand Jim still had resting on Spock's shoulder. Jim seemed to catch her gaze and looked down, then smiled and continued eating his sandwich. Spock maintained his peace. He had spoken enough for now. It was up to Jim to steer the meeting in the direction he wanted it to go. The silence stretched to the point of discomfort, and then was slowly infiltrated by a sharply rising whistle from the direction of the kitchen. Winona stood up abruptly and walked away, and once the door to the kitchen had closed behind her the irritating whistle abruptly died. "You made her think, anyway, Spock," Jim said, snagging another sandwich. "As did you," he replied. "At what portion of the 'frying pan and fire' scenario are we now?" To his pleasure Kirk chuckled merrily. "Well, she really got off on the wrong foot with you, so let's give her a little time to regroup and see if she comes around. This is more of a 'watching to see which way she jumps' scenario, at this point." Spock fought his amusement at Jim's wonderful use of colloquialisms. He knew Jim employed them naturally, and was pleased that Jim was so very relaxed in his company that he never bothered to explain himself any more unless asked. He bit into a second sandwich and leaned against Jim's leg. Jim stroked his hair absently and then let his hand return to Spock's shoulder. "I concur. And you make a very good sandwich, Jim. Employing pickles in this fashion is not something that would occur to me. However, the result is most enjoyable." Winona had returned as he spoke, carrying a small tray on which a teapot and three mugs were perched. She smiled, a small smile but genuine. "That's an old family tradition, Commander. Pickles and cheese. Comes from our ancient Scottish heritage, I think." "Scottish?" He watched her set down the tray and then fill the three mugs. "Kirk is a Scottish name," Jim responded. "It means 'church'. And Mom's name before she took Dad's was McBride. But the Kirk family has been on this farm for centuries. We're no more Scottish today than you are, Spock. Thanks, Mom," he said, accepting a mug from her. Spock reached out as well, taking the offered second mug. "Thank you, Doctor Kirk. Is that peppermint?" "Among other things," she answered. She sat back in her chair and looked from one man to the other. "Jim, there's something you're not telling me, and I want a straight answer." "Yes, Mom?" Spock marvelled at the level of innocence in Jim's voice. "Grown men with a professional relationship, regardless of their friendship, do not sit like that. Especially not Vulcans. One thing I do know about Vulcans is that they don't like to be touched." Spock froze, eyes locked on the fire. The heat of Jim's leg against his side was suddenly very intense. He heard Jim sip his tea and knew that the mother and son were staring at each other, hard. "I didn't hear a question there, Mom." "Jim, you and your first officer are more than just shipmates, or even friends. It's painfully obvious." "Why 'painfully', Mom?" The hard edge was there again. "But yes, you're right. We are significantly more than just friends. We are, in fact, bonded partners and plan, in fact, to spend the rest of our lives together. I thought that you would be pleased for me, and that you would welcome Spock, but after your little diatribe earlier I wonder if that will ever happen." End part 2 of 8 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark Printer at MyInks.com. Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US & Canada. http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511 http://us.click.yahoo.com/mOAaAA/3exGAA/qnsNAA/5x3olB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ASCEM-S/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: ASCEM-S-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ From ???@??? Wed Feb 18 00:34:46 2004 X-Persona: Status: U Return-Path: Received: from n7.grp.scd.yahoo.com ([66.218.66.91]) by killdeer (EarthLink SMTP Server) with SMTP id 1aTkhajo3NZFlr0 for ; Tue, 17 Feb 2004 21:29:35 -0800 (PST) X-eGroups-Return: sentto-1978024-7828-1077082173-stephenbratliff=earthlink.net@returns.groups.yahoo.com eceived: from [66.218.67.198] by n7.grp.scd.yahoo.com with NNFMP; 18 Feb 2004 05:29:33 -0000 X-Sender: sil@sileya.net X-Apparently-To: ASCEM-S@yahoogroups.com Received: (qmail 38587 invoked from network); 18 Feb 2004 05:29:32 -0000 Received: from unknown (66.218.66.172) by m5.grp.scd.yahoo.com with QMQP; 18 Feb 2004 05:29:32 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO mailstore.psci.net) (63.65.184.2) by mta4.grp.scd.yahoo.com with SMTP; 18 Feb 2004 05:29:31 -0000 Received: from max (as4-d39-rp-psci.psci.net [63.92.109.135]) by mailstore.psci.net (8.12.2/8.12.2) with SMTP id i1I5T6Qa014162 for ; Wed, 18 Feb 2004 00:29:06 -0500 Message-ID: <00a701c3f5e0$2b19dae0$87c5fea9@max> To: "ASCEM-S" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2800.1106 X-MIMEOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1106 X-eGroups-Remote-IP: 63.65.184.2 From: "Sileya" X-Yahoo-Profile: sileya MIME-Version: 1.0 Mailing-List: list ASCEM-S@yahoogroups.com; contact ASCEM-S-owner@yahoogroups.com Delivered-To: mailing list ASCEM-S@yahoogroups.com Precedence: bulk List-Unsubscribe: Date: Tue, 17 Feb 2004 23:29:23 -0600 Subject: [ASCEM-S] NEW:"Never a Bride" 3/8 (TOS:K/S:NC-17) Reply-To: "Sileya" Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Never a Bride Part 3 of 8 "Good lord." Spock dared to look up then, and saw that she was as pale now as she had been red earlier. He wondered if she would faint. "That can't be legal." Jim's peal of laughter startled Spock, making him jerk so that the tea slopped over the edge of his mug onto his hand. He set the cup down abruptly, but Jim's laughter had already stopped and he had grabbed Spock by the wrist. "Are you burned?" "I do not believe so." "Let's run that under cold water. Come on, Spock." He let Jim pull him to his feet and lead him into the kitchen, aware that Winona was following. Jim thrust his hand under the faucet and turned the handle, and Spock gritted his teeth as the icy water cascaded down, washing away the tea and cooling the minor scald. "It is not serious, Jim." "I love your hands, Spock," Jim replied. "Hold it under there for as long as you can stand it. I know you hate cold." "I have some ointment for burns, Jim. Will that work on him?" "Ask him, Mom." Another moment of silence, but this time Spock did not let it go on. "I do not think that it requires anything further in the way of treatment," he announced, shutting off the tap and pulling his wrist from Jim's grasp. "It was clumsy of me. I apologize for spilling the tea, Doctor Kirk, and hope that it will not stain the carpet." He accepted a towel from Jim and blotted his hand dry. Across the room, Winona's face was as blank as a Vulcan's. He felt sad; this was important to Jim, and his mother was behaving very badly indeed. "Perhaps I had better go after all, Jim." "Spock..." Jim took his shoulders and gazed into his eyes. "Yes, if you like. This is all so unexpected, I'm very sorry. I'll get our bag and we'll head back to town." "I did not say that you should go too, Jim." "You're not leaving without me. Not now, not ever." He looked over at his mother and dropped his hands. "Mom, I'm sorry you're reacting like this. We wanted you to know before it gets into the news, which it no doubt will in a very few days. I hope that you'll think about it... please think about it. Spock is a part of my life now, and if you want to see me, you're going to have to accept that we come as a set. And always will." "You have never even had a boyfriend before! Or have you?" "Spock's my first, and my last." Spock almost smiled again, proud of his lover's courage and straightforward honesty. "I hope that you will come to appreciate what a wonderful man he is." "I... I need to think. Don't leave, Jim. Stay, let me think, let me talk to you. To both of you. I'm sorry, I realize I'm behaving badly. It is a shock." Jim relented immediately, Spock could feel it. However, he characteristically checked Spock's comfort level before capitulating to his mother. "Do you mind too much, Spock? I'd like to give Mom a chance to come to grips with this, and to get to know you. But if you're too unhappy here, we'll go." Spock shook his head. "She is your mother. You must give her the opportunity to understand your choices, our choices. My happiness is irrelevant as regards this issue; I shall be happy wherever you are. But I wish to be of use to you, and to facilitate your contentment. I will stay." Jim's smile was like sunshine, and Spock felt warmed right through. "Thank you." "You are welcome." * Jim knew that pushing Winona any further down the road to acceptance would be futile in Spock's presence, but he wasn't going to let Spock surrender the field, either. He toted the suitcase upstairs to their room, and threw it onto the bed before flopping down beside it. Spock, standing just inside the door, looked a little shell-shocked. "I swear, Spock, I had no idea it would be this bad. My mom has always been such a reasonable person! Can you forgive me for subjecting you to all of this negative emotion? It must be hell for you." He saw Spock's smile begin, and the small shake of the head. "No, Jim. Not hell. Unexpected, considering she is the one who had the main role in forming your moral character." "Strange, isn't it? Look, I think it would be good for her to feel free to talk to me privately for a while, but after that business in the kitchen she won't feel safe talking anywhere in the house. Do you mind if I ask her to go out for a walk with me?" "No, I do not mind. I think that may smooth the progress of her understanding, and her acceptance thereby." "Thanks." Jim bounded up and put his arms around Spock's waist, drawing the leaner man in for a hug. The hardness of Spock's body, the scent of him, was always arousing, and Jim pushed himself away reluctantly. "I would love to peel you down and make love to you." "You are feeling a little bit insecure right now," Spock replied. Jim had to laugh again. He opened the suitcase and pulled out a sweater, which he tossed toward his lover. "You're right. Why are you always right? Okay, I'll see you later. There are lots of books down in the living room, if you can't find anything on my shelves that interests you. Make yourself at home. We'll be back before dark, I'm sure. Will you remember to feed the fire?" Spock nodded solemnly at him. Swallowing his anxiety, Jim left him pulling the sweater over his head and bounded down the stairs to find his mother. It only took a few moments to convince her to walk with him. In stilted silence they pulled on coats, and Jim opened the front door for her. "Shall we walk down to the river?" "It's too cold to swim, even for you, Tadpole," she said, the outside air loosening her tongue. Jim grinned and linked arms with her. "Just to look. I think about the river sometimes, when things get tough out there. I imagine sitting on Flat Rock and watching the water, and it's as good as meditating. Do you ever go down there on your own?" Winona shook her head. Jim matched his steps to her shorter strides. There was a lot more grey in her hair now, he realized, looking down at her. "I don't really. After Sam and his family were killed, I stopped going. I used to love bringing a picnic down there in the summer for the two of you. There are too many memories, still. Maybe next year." She stopped, and Jim checked his step and waited while she bent down and picked up a scrap of paper, which she thrust into her pocket. "Where does litter come from?" "They manufacture it on Tellus," Jim quipped, then held up his hands in surrender as his mother glared at him. "I swear! I've been to a litter factory there! They have a huge fleet of ships to distribute it throughout the Federation. Tellerites are convinced that the galaxy would be better off if we all had the same thing to complain about!" "Jim!" She grabbed his arm and swung him around to her side, continuing to walk. "Tell me about Spock." "Oof." Jim shrugged and grinned. "Where to begin? Well, to start with he was the first Vulcan to enter Starfleet, and he did it against his father's demands that he devote his life to the Vulcan Science Academy and then follow Sarek's footsteps into the Diplomatic Corps." "Well, that tells me he's a brave and an obstinate man, so you're well suited in that at least." "You have these ways of making me feel so young. As in little. I think all mothers do, don't they?" "Speaking of mothers, what did Spock's mother think about Spock running away to join the navy? I know she's a Human, Jim. I told you I've seen him on FNN. They make a big deal out of him being half-Human, but following Vulcan tradition." Jim considered for a moment, and then shook his head. "I don't really know what Amanda thinks about Spock's career. I've only met her once. She's a lovely woman, a real lady, I think you would like her. I know she loves Spock, but she also loves her husband. Sarek, his name is. He's... well, he'd remind you of the Vulcan you worked with at the research lab." "Cold?" "No, actually. Sarek is very passionate, it shows in his actions and his work and his beliefs. But he's hard and determined, and as controlled as most Vulcans are." Jim scuffed his feet a couple of times. They were entering the area of poplars that grew for a few hundred yards on either side of the river and the leaves were all yellow and shivering in the afternoon sun. "When I first met Spock, when I took command of the Enterprise, I found him very intimidating. And so I decided to learn more about him so that he wouldn't intimidate me any more. You ever do that?" "Sure. I know what you mean." "Well. I suppose I waged a campaign to become his friend. Started to play chess with him. Joined him at meals. Talked about things unrelated to the ship and the mission. And the more I learned about him, the more valuable that prize of his friendship became. God, he's smart, Mom! And he cares, about everything he does. I don't know anyone else like him. When the day came that I could look at myself in the mirror and say that Spock was my friend, I felt as if I had really accomplished something." "Were you lovers then?" "No. Vulcans don't have lovers, not the way Humans do." Jim knew he didn't want to get into Vulcan sexuality and that, by the private Tenets, he was forbidden to. "They aren't casual about anything, Mom. You'll never catch a Vulcan doing something that doesn't have meaning. Their lives are about meaning, about making everything they do have a value for themselves and others. And casual sex is one of the things they find most offensive about Human culture, actually." "Huh. You must have offended the hell out of him in the beginning." She let go of Jim's arm as they came to the narrow and steep drop down to the river. He fell in behind her, and jolted the six steps down to the bank. When he was beside her again she was gazing up the river to Flat Rock, an erratic boulder that half-hung over the river and made a natural table. He remembered, as she did, many happy times on that rock, and in that river, and in these woods. His mother's voice interrupted his reverie. "So, you're telling me that your relationship with him is a life-long, committed, married-type of relationship." "That sums it up." "And Starfleet is okay with this?" "By the regulations, and our records, they have to be." He bent and picked up a stone, tossed it casually at Flat Rock and watched it ricochet into the river. "The hell with Starfleet, I only care if you're okay with it, Mom. After all, you're the only woman I've ever really loved." "Oh Jim." She put his arms around him and Jim hugged her back. "It's an adjustment. It is. Are you sure he can give you what you need?" "Certain. Absolutely. You can't imagine." "Well, I'll try, Tadpole. I promise to try." "Thank you." * Winona looked from the strange alien man to her beautiful son again, and shook her head. Spock wasn't even handsome, from her point of view. He was green, what kind of Human could be attracted to a person with green skin? It would be like forever looking at someone about to be seasick! She shook her head and managed to thump the thought down and sit on it. Jim was Jim. He had always seen with his heart, and not his head. It was part of what made him so loveable and so completely ungovernable. His father had been like that. George Kirk had been able to strike up a conversation with anyone, anytime, anywhere, regardless of what the other person looked like, what their species was, what their handicap was. George Kirk had gone off to space and gotten himself killed by aliens, somewhere. They'd never even found his body. Too damned trusting. He'd probably been reaching out to shake his murderer's hand when he'd been phasered out of existence. She looked out again from her seat on the porch. Two days they had been here, and she supposed she was getting used to this stranger who was endlessly surprising her. Just this afternoon Spock had been curious about the aqueduct, and had asked Jim to show it to him. She had been unbelieving, and then astounded, that a non-Terran would have any understanding of, or interest in, Human artefacts, but he had seemed so sincere. Jim's assessment of Spock's intellect was proving startlingly accurate. Now he was examining the old rock pillars, his mittened hands running over them, throwing questions over his shoulder to her son. Jim was an indecent hand span away, watching Spock as if he were god's own gift to the Iowa landscape. Well. She supposed that in Jim's mind he was. Winona sighed and pulled her jacket more tightly closed. It was cool, late September. Spock was bundled into one of Jim's old parkas with a scarf around his neck, a toque pulled over his ears, thick mittens on his hands and snow boots cushioning his feet. A desert creature, Jim had said. Creature. Strange that Jim had used such a word, a word that echoed in Winona's mind. The Vulcan at the Research lab had been the most stress- making creature she had ever had to work with, in all her years of working with foreigners and aliens. No one and nothing ever pleased him. She had felt sick to her stomach for most of the two months he had been there. Perhaps that was why the colour of Spock's skin nauseated her. It obviously had a very different effect on Jim. With another shrug of her shoulders, she accepted that Spock's skin colour was Jim's business. He was the one who had to look at it every day for the rest of his life. She wouldn't think about how that would be. The truth was, one didn't really ever think of one's own son like that, whether his partner was a man or a woman; green, blue, or grey. And it wasn't really that Spock was a green man, was it? It was just... he was different. He was too different from the ordinary, or even the extraordinary, women that Jim had previously been attracted to. A pang of guilt ran through her. Had her beloved younger son always been homosexual, and had he always been suppressing it? She knew he hadn't meant it when he'd said she was the only woman he had ever loved, but why then had there never been another man in his life? Did it have anything to do with her expectations of him? Spock straightened then and turned, with a look of surprise, toward her son. She could hear Jim's clear laughter, and saw a look of pure tenderness come over the Vulcan's face. It was shocking, in a way. As if the house, or a stone, or her aircar, had uttered an endearing word to her. She averted her eyes and stood up, just as the communicator in the living room chirped. Glad of the distraction, she hurried into the house. End part 3 of 8 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ASCEM-S/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: ASCEM-S-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ From ???@??? Wed Feb 18 00:34:47 2004 X-Persona: Status: U Return-Path: Received: from n36.grp.scd.yahoo.com ([66.218.66.104]) by cockatoo (EarthLink SMTP Server) with SMTP id 1aTki81AN3NZFkl0 for ; Tue, 17 Feb 2004 21:30:35 -0800 (PST) X-eGroups-Return: sentto-1978024-7829-1077082234-stephenbratliff=earthlink.net@returns.groups.yahoo.com eceived: from [66.218.66.160] by n36.grp.scd.yahoo.com with NNFMP; 18 Feb 2004 05:30:34 -0000 X-Sender: sil@sileya.net X-Apparently-To: ASCEM-S@yahoogroups.com Received: (qmail 46612 invoked from network); 18 Feb 2004 05:30:33 -0000 Received: from unknown (66.218.66.216) by m20.grp.scd.yahoo.com with QMQP; 18 Feb 2004 05:30:33 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO mailstore.psci.net) (63.65.184.2) by mta1.grp.scd.yahoo.com with SMTP; 18 Feb 2004 05:30:32 -0000 Received: from max (as4-d39-rp-psci.psci.net [63.92.109.135]) by mailstore.psci.net (8.12.2/8.12.2) with SMTP id i1I5U6Qa015022 for ; Wed, 18 Feb 2004 00:30:07 -0500 Message-ID: <00af01c3f5e0$4f24d840$87c5fea9@max> To: "ASCEM-S" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2800.1106 X-MIMEOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1106 X-eGroups-Remote-IP: 63.65.184.2 From: "Sileya" X-Yahoo-Profile: sileya MIME-Version: 1.0 Mailing-List: list ASCEM-S@yahoogroups.com; contact ASCEM-S-owner@yahoogroups.com Delivered-To: mailing list ASCEM-S@yahoogroups.com Precedence: bulk List-Unsubscribe: Date: Tue, 17 Feb 2004 23:30:23 -0600 Subject: [ASCEM-S] NEW:"Never a Bride" 4/8 (TOS:K/S:NC-17) Reply-To: "Sileya" Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Never a Bride Part 4 of 8 * "It is the formal acknowledgement of our bond," Spock said slowly, reading the High Vulcan script that had come to the Kirk farm without benefit of translation. "It is from T'Pau." "Finally!" Spock turned briefly to intercept Jim's grin, and felt his partner receive the disquieting emotions that were boiling in his belly. Jim's smile faded. From her seat on the other end of the couch Winona Kirk looked from one to the other. "What's wrong?" Spock held Jim's gaze and let his best Vulcan mask control his features. "Nothing is wrong, exactly. However, my parents do not approve the acknowledgement of our union. That means..." Kirk cut him off, his lightning-quick mind outracing Spock's reluctance. "You mean that the clan recognizes the union but Sarek disapproves." With a nod of agreement, Spock averted his eyes. "I regret that my family finds my choice of bondmate unacceptable," he said formally. "However, the clan acknowledges that the bond is made, and therefore you are a Son of Vulcan. This means..." "We are not welcome in Shi'Kahr?" "Not welcome, no, not as a Human would understand the term 'welcome'. It is still my home, our home, and should we choose to go there we could do so. In Human terms, I believe that clan Surak will tolerate us. Vulcan is open to both of us. But that is all." He hesitated, feeling the pain and disbelief emanating from Jim. "I am sorry, Jim. Our joining is logical from my point of view, and apparently from T'Pau's as well, but Sarek appears to have applied a different set of conventions than I. It is well that T'Pau is the clan leader. My father continues to disapprove of me. I regret this deeply." Jim stood up and stared at him. "Are you sorry we're bonded?" "No!" Spock was on his feet before he realized the impulse to stand. He stared at Kirk, and forced himself to relax. "No, I am not sorry. You are my life, Jim. I have never been the favourite son my father wanted. I am, however, an accomplished man, a celebrated scientist, a capable and decorated Starfleet officer, and a credit to Vulcan as a whole even though my father feels otherwise. It is the clan's loss that he insults us in this manner. I do not care. You know what my relationship to my father has been for the last twenty-one point three Standard years, the incident en route to Babel notwithstanding. I only regret that he is so narrow- minded. He is behaving in a most un-Vulcan fashion." He was distracted from Jim's face by Winona pushing herself up off the couch. "Are you saying that your father thinks my son isn't good enough for you?" A moment of hilarity came from his bond to Jim, but Spock regarded Winona seriously and nodded. "Yes, Doctor Kirk, that is the basic underlying message of the letter. Although in truth, I was never good enough for my father, either. It is interesting to me that he now wishes I had made a better match than Jim, when he has cared nothing for the other aspects of my life, within my memory." It wasn't quite a lie. Sarek had cared once or twice, trying to purge the shame of Spock's rejection of his plans by various means, but he didn't want to discuss that with Winona. "What, you're supposed to marry some nice Vulcan girl and have babies?" "Is that not what you were hoping for your son, that he would marry a nice Human girl and have babies?" "It was a pipe dream, Commander Spock," she replied, and spread her hands in a gesture so like Jim's that Spock almost smiled. "You took me by surprise; give me a little credit for having gotten over it. I know we can't force ourselves on our children. And, as I learned so painfully two days ago, we can't expect to play on their team if we reject their choice of team-mate." Spock puzzled through that for a second or two, and then felt a hint of pleasure. "Are you saying that you accept me... as a 'Kirk' team-mate?" Winona shrugged. Jim was looking at her with such bald affection Spock could almost see it moving between them. "My son is who he is. Like he said, I used to trust his judgement in people. I guess I still should. After all, Starfleet does. Besides, you have to have a family to go to somewhere, Commander." Spock bowed slightly, little of the overwhelming emotion that her statement caused showing in his face or bearing. Jim's mother had accepted him. It was very satisfying. Jim would be so pleased. He straightened up as Winona went on. "Tell me what this means, that your father rejects your choice but Vulcan acknowledges your bond. I'm afraid I don't understand, and if I'm in your corner I need to know the other guy's moves." Spock sat back down, reflecting that he knew now, beyond doubt, where Jim's patterns of speech had come from. "It is a long story, but as my adoptive mother you certainly deserve to hear it." "In that case, go and make some tea, Jimmy. I'm all ears, Commander." This time, and at that particular phrase, Spock did smile very slightly. "Please. Call me Spock." "And you can cut that 'Doctor' crap. My name is Winona." "Thank you. Winona. Let me explain the duty of a Vulcan child to his or her clan..." * "Thee hast made a grievous error, Husband. In fact, thee hast made several." Amanda dusted invisible flecks of sand from her robe and pretended to be staring out the window. "Where is thy logic?" Sarek, astounded, looked up from the report he was reviewing. "In what have I erred?" "I will not begin with the mistakes you made in assessing and attempting to control the nature and future of our son. You must, by now, be fully aware of your failings in that arena, and I had thought that you had made suitable adjustments in your familial paradigm to accommodate the difference between your expectations and your reality." "Do you not mean, 'Spock's reality'?" "I do not. Spock is no longer having difficulty with understanding his reality. It is you who fail to understand Spock's reality, and therefore are modeling your actions regarding him more as reactions to your faulty hypothesis than true actions aimed at re-securing his loyalty to the clan. That is a failure of your understanding of your reality, is it not?" He didn't respond, but his silence was as good as an admission. Satisfied, she continued. "This last case, which you encompassed without my permission or even consultation, is an obvious example. Your rejection of his choice of bondmate is almost certain to result in his never returning to Vulcan. He will be lost to the clan if your wishes are allowed to remain representative of Vulcan's wishes. All the honours he accrues will be independent of our people." She let her eyes move then, to the wide ones of her husband. "Is that your wish? And why did you not consult me regarding Kirk?" "As long as you have lived on Vulcan, you are still not completely familiar with Vulcan ways when it comes to our clan." Amanda noted that he had not answered her questions, but she didn't pursue it. "And as long as our clan has existed on Vulcan, it has yet to realise sufficient tolerance of other cultures. My Husband, you are behaving in a Human manner that I would describe as 'childish'. Our son is a brilliant man, covered with honours and glory by the Federation, and yet Vulcan still sees him as a rejected son because of your bile, Sarek. Yes, bile, I use the term advisedly. You so badly misunderstood him that he was the first of your species in eons to face the Kal-i-fee, and yet you still deny that which led him to his own choice of mate. Can you deny that the bond began that day on the sands? T'Pau does not speak of it, but her silence is deafening." "I will not speak of it either." The shields, that at certain times fell to allow them to share their innermost feelings with one another, were up firmly. Still, Amanda thought, he was so obvious, so transparent. "Because you did not choose it." She didn't shout. She knew better than to shout. Instead she let her hands spread before her and stared down at them. "Your choice of bondmate for our son was disastrous, and almost led to his death. You acknowledge that?" "Yes, yes." Sarek stood up almost testily. "Because of the nature of the Kal-i-fee, Spock established a bond with the combatant rather than the intended bride, you acknowledge that?" "Yes, yes, yes! However, this alternative match..." "Is not different in the realities of the clan than your bonding with me, Sarek." Amanda let her hands drop and turned back to the window. "I am no different from Kirk, in terms of the continuation of the clan. I could not have children by you without surgical intervention." "A child engineered by Spock with a Human would be too far removed from the bloodline." "Nonsense. I cannot believe that you would even say such a thing. The engineering of a child could include enough genes to make such a child as close to a full Vulcan as you wished. As close as Spock is himself." Sarek was absolutely still behind her. "It is not the question of offspring that is most troublesome to you. It is that Spock is bonded to a man who it the fundamental antithesis, in your mind, of the Tenets espoused by your clan. He is a warrior. You are angry, still, that Spock chose Starfleet, and now that he has chosen Starfleet again your anger is almost beyond your control." She turned now, deliberately, and faced him. "You are livid that he still denies you the right to control his destiny." Sarek was so still Amanda briefly feared for his health, but she kept her hard-won shields firmly in place. It was a shame that they differed so about their son. In all other ways she found Sarek the most wonderful and desirable of mates. Even now, in the extremity of emotion, he pulled himself back into focus and imitated her earlier spread of hands. "What would you have me do?" "I would have you acknowledge Jim Kirk as our son." "I will not." "Then you will, perhaps, not enjoy seeing me taking my proper place beside him on Earth, Sarek. Because I will let my son know that I, at least, approve and acknowledge him. That I am proud of him." "I forbid it." "You do not have that right. I am not to be denied in this, Sarek. If necessary I will lodge a complaint with T'Pau. Spock is my son, and I will speak my mind on this issue." She turned to the door and paused. "I will be holding a hope in my inmost, Human, heart, that you will review your logic and see the error of your ways. If you do, please join me on Earth to celebrate our sons' marriage in the Human tradition." "Marriage? He would not dare." "You are not the only one who wishes to control the strings to these poor puppets, Sarek. The Admiralty has been gracious enough to forewarn Spock's parents of their intention, which they certainly had no need to do considering how badly you have maligned Starfleet in the past. The file is on my terminal." * "Oh, no." Jim let his head down onto the edge of the desk and began to bang it softly. Across the room Winona and Spock looked up from their game of gin rummy and stared. He lifted his eyes to theirs and shook his head. "Spock, remember that ancient dream of quietly getting on with the mission and having a little reception with the command team in the observation lounge?" "Yes, Jim." "It has been phasered out of existence." He looked back at the message from Nogura and felt slightly sick. "We are commanded to attend a briefing regarding the official position on our bonding. It is this afternoon at 1400, followed by an interview with the Fleet PR department, with a press conference afterward." He swallowed noisily, and couldn't meet Spock's disbelieving gaze. "Nogura has announced that considering the nature of our work, our relationship and Vulcan's reaction to us, and furthermore taking into consideration the... Mom, I'm not making this up, it really says this... the adulation of the masses that the events of our voyage provoke, Starfleet has decided to throw us a proper Terran wedding." Spock's cards dropped to the floor, and the little link that told Jim what Spock was feeling surged so violently that Jim cringed. "Spock, shields, please." "Sorry, Jim." The violent feelings withdrew and Jim wiped his brow as he looked up again. The horror on Spock's face was something he had never seen before. "They are... throwing us a wedding, I believe you said?" "Lord, believe me Spock, I wouldn't lie to you about something like this." "When? Where? What sort of service? With whom?" "I guess that's what we find out when we go to this briefing," he responded, standing up and turning off the terminal. "Oh, my god, and we can't even escape to the ship, they're painting our quarters as we speak. You know, we'd better get out of here and find a hotel. Once this sort of thing gets rolling it will take on a life of its own. Mom will be swamped here. Damn Nogura!" "We cannot leave Winona to face..." "I'm not suggesting we do, Spock. Mom, how do you feel about a vacation in the big city, and a chance to help your son plan his shotgun wedding?" To his surprise, his mother chuckled and began to gather up the cards. "I'll go pack, Jimmy. If they're going to make this tough for you, I'm glad to help you deal with it. Honoured, in fact. Besides, just imagine how nice Spock will look in a tuxedo." "Winona, I have no intention of wearing such a garment." "Now now, Spock. When fate forces your hand the best thing to do is stare it down until it cringes and gives in. Right Jim?" Jim felt true mirth bubbling up in his belly. "Mom, you may have gotten off to a slow start, but you sure crossed the finish line in a hurry. You can help me pick out a morning coat, cause 'fleet is definitely not gonna get me into a dress monkey suit." "That's my boy. Go on, you two, pack your things. I'm thinking that Starfleet can pay for a fancy hotel, right?" Jim rose from his seat grinning, and then a sudden thought hit him like a punch in the gut. He saw Spock's body jerk in reaction, but he couldn't contain his dismay. "Spock. Bones. He's going to hear about this..." Spock rose and stood very still. "Doctor McCoy is our friend. We must contact him immediately, or his feelings will be very hurt. I do not wish that on him or you." "Not to mention my crew. They'll have to be told." "Perhaps you can deputize. In this instance you should not have to be the one orchestrating the entire crew. This will be very draining for you. I suggest you leave Commander Scott in charge of the ship and concentrate on getting through the next few days. You must allow the senior crew to help us with this; they would be dismayed if they were left out." Jim turned again at the sound of Winona's laughter "And I was worried about my little boy having an emotionally supportive partner. You're talking about Leonard McCoy?" "Yes. I really don't want to hurt his feelings, or have him caught by surprise. We couldn't tell him before, because he didn't have access to the private portions of the Tenets of Vulcan. He deserves better than to find out on the evening news." Winona nodded. "Spock and I will pack. You call Doctor McCoy. Maybe we can get a three-bedroom suite at that fancy hotel. Once you figure out which one of you is the bride, he can either give you away or stand in as best man." A smile grew over top of Jim's anxiety. "Mom, you're the best." "I'm making lemonade as fast as I can, Tadpole." Jim cringed as Spock's eyebrow rose. "Tadpole?" End Part 4 of 8 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark Printer at MyInks.com. Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US & Canada. http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511 http://us.click.yahoo.com/mOAaAA/3exGAA/qnsNAA/5x3olB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ASCEM-S/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: ASCEM-S-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ From ???@??? Wed Feb 18 00:34:47 2004 X-Persona: Status: U Return-Path: Received: from n20.grp.scd.yahoo.com ([66.218.66.76]) by sparrow (EarthLink SMTP Server) with SMTP id 1aTkiv5273NZFjV1 for ; Tue, 17 Feb 2004 21:30:59 -0800 (PST) X-eGroups-Return: sentto-1978024-7830-1077082257-stephenbratliff=earthlink.net@returns.groups.yahoo.com eceived: from [66.218.66.94] by n20.grp.scd.yahoo.com with NNFMP; 18 Feb 2004 05:30:57 -0000 X-Sender: sil@sileya.net X-Apparently-To: ASCEM-S@yahoogroups.com Received: (qmail 85494 invoked from network); 18 Feb 2004 05:30:56 -0000 Received: from unknown (66.218.66.216) by m1.grp.scd.yahoo.com with QMQP; 18 Feb 2004 05:30:56 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO mailstore.psci.net) (63.65.184.2) by mta1.grp.scd.yahoo.com with SMTP; 18 Feb 2004 05:30:56 -0000 Received: from max (as4-d39-rp-psci.psci.net [63.92.109.135]) by mailstore.psci.net (8.12.2/8.12.2) with SMTP id i1I5UUQa015593 for ; Wed, 18 Feb 2004 00:30:30 -0500 Message-ID: <00b701c3f5e0$5d38f880$87c5fea9@max> To: "ASCEM-S" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2800.1106 X-MIMEOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1106 X-eGroups-Remote-IP: 63.65.184.2 From: "Sileya" X-Yahoo-Profile: sileya MIME-Version: 1.0 Mailing-List: list ASCEM-S@yahoogroups.com; contact ASCEM-S-owner@yahoogroups.com Delivered-To: mailing list ASCEM-S@yahoogroups.com Precedence: bulk List-Unsubscribe: Date: Tue, 17 Feb 2004 23:30:47 -0600 Subject: [ASCEM-S] NEW:"Never a Bride" 5/8 (TOS:K/S:NC-17) Reply-To: "Sileya" Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Never a Bride Part 5 of 8 * Leonard McCoy looked around the faces of the gathered senior officers, and tried to keep his face from giving him away. It was fortunate, perhaps, that this week was dedicated to the installation of new computer terminals and programs in all departments; it meant that the department heads were all available. Jim had requested these four: Scott, Uhura, Giotto and Sulu. He cleared his throat and folded his hands on the table. "Friends, I have an announcement to play to you, and then I'm going planet-side for a few days, M'Benga will be running the Medical Department. This news will, no doubt, affect every member of this crew while we are still docked, but I believe that everything will return to normal once we are underway again." "What is it, Doctor? What's wrong?" Scotty was looking particularly dishevelled, as if he had crawled out of a Jeffries tube immediately before attending this surprise briefing. "Nothing is wrong, Scotty. Well, that's not entirely true. The basic news is good, but the reaction to it is irritating as hell. All right, Uhura, don't give me that look. I'll get there in my own good time." He picked up the data disc from the table in front of him and plugged it into the terminal beside him, then swung it to face the anxious quartet. "Computer, playback message from Captain Kirk, today's date." "Working." A moment later McCoy saw the little smiles that always appeared on the faces of Enterprise crew at the sight of their captain. He smiled himself, remembering the slightly tousled and sheepish look Jim had in the recording, the boyishness of him in a civilian sweater and carrying a secret. "Hello, everyone. I hope that I'm talking to Scotty, Sulu, Uhura and Giotto. If not, someone is AWOL this morning besides Spock and me. I'll get right to the point, I know you hate suspense. A few months ago, after a long courtship and lengthy negotiations, plus a pitched battle," he paused there and grinned, McCoy remembered, "I managed to convince my first officer that it was logical for two men in the same line of command to support each other in more ways than just the professional. The upshot of that is, Spock and I were bonded." They all gasped. They all sat back. They all raised a hand to their chests. McCoy grinned into each pair of widened eyes in turn and hit the pause button. "Thought you'd like that." "But..." "When..." "I don't..." "Dear god..." Holding up his hands, McCoy interrupted the simultaneous exclamations. "They bonded some time in the last year, and no, not even I knew about it. And a bonding, unlike a marriage, is not considered a danger to the line of command, so they weren't required to report it until Vulcan itself had acknowledged them. Which they wouldn't do until the captain and Spock saw an Adept at one of our last ports of call, to have the bond verified. Vulcan has received the verification, and has acknowledged them. Unfortunately, Starfleet is sticking its nose into things. You ready to see the rest?" The quartet nodded, and McCoy restarted the playback. Jim's voice flooded the room. "I think I know all of you well enough to expect a moment of shock, and then hearty congratulations. We were planning a party to announce this a couple of weeks out on the next leg of our mission, once we were far enough away from Earth to avoid publicity. You know how the general public views the exploits of this ship, and this crew. When the news gets out, it will generate a lot of media attention." "Unfortunately, Starfleet appreciates media attention." Jim sighed, and his listeners variously pursed their lips, nodded, or shook their heads. "I'd like to know who figured it out and leaked it to the Admiralty. They have decided that Spock and I are the flavour of the month, and have decided to hold a public marriage ceremony for us. We could, technically, refuse, but it might not be good for our records to, uh, decline their generous offer, or decline to assist them with positive publicity. So brace yourselves, lady and gentlemen. There's going to be a wedding." McCoy paused the recording again as exclamations of happiness broke out, and held up his hands. "People, people. There's more. Think; this will be hellishly difficult for them to go through." Scotty nodded thoughtfully. "Aye, it will indeed. Mister Spock is a devil for privacy." "Jim has never been one to flaunt his... well," Uhura stopped and looked around. "He'll hate this. What a shame!" "I agree. Neither of them is going to enjoy being in the spotlight." McCoy noticed that the chief of security was unusually pale. "Mister Giotto?" "I thought he liked women." "Well, he does like women. He just likes Spock more. Is that a problem for you?" Giotto blushed. "No, Doctor. No problem." McCoy grinned; he knew everyone's Kinsey index and figured that Giotto would spend a little while kicking himself that he hadn't made a play for the captain himself. "Damn." It was Sulu. "The captain will be furious with the Admiralty. What does he want us to do? There must be some way we can help, if only to buffer them from the attention." "Let Jim finish, then. He has some instructions. Computer, resume playback." The four people leaned forward to watch, while McCoy leaned back and watched them in turn. "We're on our way to a briefing in 'Frisco to find out just how bad it's going to be. Mom's coming too. We're booking a suite at the Renaissance, instead of coming aboard, because of the maintenance to our quarters. I'd like you to beam down later; McCoy will be joining us right after he finishes playing this for you. Please set your houses in order so that the refit work can go on for a few days without you, except you, Scotty. I know you'd like to be down here helping, but I need you to take over the supervision of Communications, Navigations and Weapons installations for the others, please. You have the ship. But come for dinner, you'll want to hear the whole story. Oh, and will you get on to maintenance for me? I think Spock and I have put up with those narrow bunks long enough." "Sulu, book rooms for yourself, Uhura, Giotto, and extra security, in the same hotel, charge it all to Starfleet. McCoy will be in the main suite with us. Mister Giotto will require beds for six; Giotto, I need you to bring five good officers with you, we're going to need security whenever we leave our rooms, and Starfleet is not above failing to provide adequate coverage in order to get more... exposure. Sulu, I want you down here to keep me abreast of ship's business and run liaison for Scotty on the Enterprise. There's a lot of work to do before we leave for our next leg, but the Admiralty seems to have overlooked that, and the experience will be excellent for your record." "Uhura, you are going to be our Public Relations Liaison Officer, as you are the most even-tempered person on my senior staff and the best at dealing with... things. Beam down as soon as you can, I'd like you present at the briefing at 1400 local. Please bring several extra padds so it looks like we're all busy, would you? And make an announcement to all personnel regarding this fiasco before you beam down. Be prepared to meet the press with us. Sorry, the post doesn't carry danger pay. Sulu, beam down with her, the more witnesses the better. Giotto, you too, soon as you can. I haven't received a progress on your department recently. Trying to hide something?" Grins and laughter greeted the various requests and orders, and then the listeners sobered as Jim's voice became grim. "I don't need to tell you that this was not on my agenda. I'm embarrassed, and you can imagine what Spock is... feeling. Still, it will all be over soon and we can get back to what we do best. See you later." There was no 'Kirk out', the screen simply went blank. McCoy ejected the disc and stood up. "Well, we've got our marching orders, gentlebeings. Uhura, Sulu, see you at the briefing. The Admiralty, 1400. After that there's an interview with PR and then a press conference. Giotto, think you can make it by then too, or do you need more time to set up a rotation?" Giotto shook his head. "My department is in order, we only had the one computer refit, and Mister Scott's department did most of the work. Most of my people are on leave, but I have enough staff still aboard to give the captain what he needs, and more." "Good. Because I think that the Admiralty needs to see this crew behind the captain and first officer, and I think Jim was right. The more witnesses the better. Okay, I'm on my way to San Francisco. See you all later." He stood up and hesitated. "I'd just like you all to know I'm tickled pink about this. Not the Starfleet wedding, but Jim and Spock as a couple. I, and the Medical Department, have absolutely no reservations about this bonding. Probably the greatest match either of them could have made, and I think they'll be an even better command team because of it." * Uhura could tell from her captain's body language that he was barely controlling an urge to lash out at someone as he stood beside her, a smile frozen on his face. Spock, rigid beside him, had retreated into what Uhura thought of as uberVulcan mode. They were listening to her read the short press statement prepared by the Admiralty's P.R. department, to the crowd of reporters jammed into Starfleet's main conference room. On her left, Nogura, Komack, Osterhauser and T'a'ss, were beaming out at the crowd as if they had all done something especially clever. Uhura got to the end of the statement, closing with remarks about the contents of the press package that was being handed out on disc to all those present. Biographies of the two men, selected fantastic adventures from the first three years of the mission, histories of clan Surak and the Kirks, overviews of Starfleet hierarchy, lists of both men's decorations, commendations and achievements. She finished and then stepped closer to Kirk as Nogura took over the podium and questions started to fly from the reporters. "Starfleet is one hundred percent behind this marriage and bonding," he began, waving a hand to quiet the crowd. "Captain Kirk and Commander Spock are two of our most decorated and successful officers, our best command team, and we have no doubt they will continue their work in the finest traditions of the Fleet. Their union represents the highest ideals of the Federation, the joining of two of our most active member species, demonstrating the principle of IDIC in action. However, the nature of their work leaves little time for personal matters, and so they have kindly agreed to allow Starfleet to plan the ceremony that will officially recognize their changed status under the laws of Earth, as they are already recognized by the laws of Vulcan." Uhura dared a look at Captain Kirk. The smile was still in place, but the cords of his neck were standing out plainly and his eyes had a glazed look. She willed him to keep breathing and not to scream as Nogura went on in his best affable grandfather imitation. "The Enterprise is scheduled to leave the Home System in just ten days, so the ceremony is planned for next Saturday, September twenty-first, at ten hundred hours in the morning San Francisco time. It will be held, fittingly enough, in the Cochrane Memorial Auditorium and will be by invitation only, due to the huge numbers of people who will want to attend. The press will not be allowed inside the auditorium, but will have access to the internal feed that Starfleet will provide, documenting the event. It will be broadcast live on the Federation News Network, of course. There will be a reception afterwards in the ballroom of the Renaissance Hotel. Photo opportunities will be provided there, on rotation, to accredited media personnel who apply through proper channels. Thank you, that is all for now." He stepped away from the podium. Uhura, seeing her cue, caught Giotto's eye and the six burly uniformed security men from the Enterprise moved forward and surrounded the three of them as the room erupted in questions. Jim and Spock turned to the door, following her, and they pushed their way out and into the adjoining hallway. Once clear of the room, Jim leaned back against the wall and sagged, covering his face with his hands. Spock crossed his arms and stared at the captain, but remained silent. Giotto and his men watched quietly while Kirk attempted to pull himself together. Uhura felt a rush of affection for the man. She reached over and put a hand on his shoulder. "Cheer up, sir," she said, and he looked up, dropping his hands. "It could have been worse." "Mister Uhura, in what possible way could it have been worse?" "They could have insisted on a church wedding, couldn't they? I noted in your biography that you were raised as a Baptist." She was pleased when he started to chuckle, and then to laugh outright. The other men joined in, all except Spock, but when Uhura looked at him she could see that the uberVulcan had vanished. He was almost smiling. "At least they agreed that we did not have to answer questions," he stated in his warm baritone. "That would have been worse too," Uhura agreed. The captain pushed himself away from the wall and straightened up. "Indeed, it would have, but Nogura knows perfectly well that I would have been tempted to speak my mind. How are you doing, Spock?" "I am undamaged," he responded, and the security men exchanged grins. "I would like to go to the hotel, however, and have something to eat. This afternoon has been very trying." "Worse than watching Captain Kirk fight the Gorn?" Uhura teased. "Worse than Elaan of Troyus?" "Infinitely." That earned him chuckles. Giotto gestured down the hall. "Shall we?" "We shall, Mister Giotto," Kirk replied. Uhura fell into step beside him and he glanced over at her. "Excruciating, Lieutenant, but you performed your part admirably. I was grateful for your negotiating skills several times today, and you managed the press conference with grace. I'd commend you for it, but I don't know exactly what the award would read." "Dignity under fire," Spock intoned. Uhura laughed and smiled up at the tall man. "Flattery, Commander?" "Statement of fact, Lieutenant." A compliment from Spock was a rare and valuable thing, and Uhura flushed with pride. Giotto waved them through a doorway and into a transporter chamber. "Four of my guys will go first, and then the rest of us will follow," he told the transporter operator, as the security men jumped up onto the platform. "Renaissance Hotel VIP transport suite." "I have the coordinates laid in." "Right. Energize." End Part 5 of 8 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ASCEM-S/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: ASCEM-S-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ From ???@??? Wed Feb 18 00:34:47 2004 X-Persona: Status: U Return-Path: Received: from n4.grp.scd.yahoo.com ([66.218.66.88]) by condor (EarthLink SMTP Server) with SMTP id 1aTkiY6JW3NZFjK1 for ; Tue, 17 Feb 2004 21:31:28 -0800 (PST) X-eGroups-Return: sentto-1978024-7831-1077082281-stephenbratliff=earthlink.net@returns.groups.yahoo.com eceived: from [66.218.67.192] by n4.grp.scd.yahoo.com with NNFMP; 18 Feb 2004 05:31:26 -0000 X-Sender: sil@sileya.net X-Apparently-To: ASCEM-S@yahoogroups.com Received: (qmail 90127 invoked from network); 18 Feb 2004 05:31:20 -0000 Received: from unknown (66.218.66.216) by m10.grp.scd.yahoo.com with QMQP; 18 Feb 2004 05:31:20 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO mailstore.psci.net) (63.65.184.2) by mta1.grp.scd.yahoo.com with SMTP; 18 Feb 2004 05:31:20 -0000 Received: from max (as4-d39-rp-psci.psci.net [63.92.109.135]) by mailstore.psci.net (8.12.2/8.12.2) with SMTP id i1I5UsQa015761 for ; Wed, 18 Feb 2004 00:30:55 -0500 Message-ID: <00bf01c3f5e0$6bca3800$87c5fea9@max> To: "ASCEM-S" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2800.1106 X-MIMEOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1106 X-eGroups-Remote-IP: 63.65.184.2 From: "Sileya" X-Yahoo-Profile: sileya MIME-Version: 1.0 Mailing-List: list ASCEM-S@yahoogroups.com; contact ASCEM-S-owner@yahoogroups.com Delivered-To: mailing list ASCEM-S@yahoogroups.com Precedence: bulk List-Unsubscribe: Date: Tue, 17 Feb 2004 23:31:11 -0600 Subject: [ASCEM-S] NEW:"Never a Bride" 6/8 (TOS:K/S:NC-17) Reply-To: "Sileya" Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Never a Bride Part 6 of 8 * "Rings, Captain." Winona poured a cup of coffee and handed it to Lieutenant Sulu, who smiled his thanks and set it on the table beside him. Over at the window, Jim turned and stared at the younger man. "That's not ship's business, Mister Sulu." "No, sir." Winona was getting a big kick out of hearing everyone call her son 'sir', but she wasn't letting on. She picked up her own coffee and sat down on the couch beside Doctor McCoy. He, too, seemed content to watch the pageant today, and she felt comfortable with him. "It's wedding business, and it isn't negotiable or avoidable. I'm sorry, Captain, but rings and special clothing are essential." "Sulu..." Jim sighed and paced over to the conversation area, practically throwing himself into a chair. "What about rings?" "Considering the mob in the lobby, I have arranged for three of the best local jewellers to visit in..." he consulted his padd. "About fifteen minutes. They should have something you like, and if not they can return with a second selection." "Can't we just have plain gold bands?" "We are required to wear rings?" Spock had come in from the bedroom, where he had been bent over his computer for most of the last two days. Winona had at first wondered at his anti-social behaviour, and finally realised that it was an avoidance technique, to keep him out of the messier aspects of what was going on in his and Jim's lives. Situations that were charged with emotion made him very uncomfortable. However, every time his opinion or input had been needed, he had appeared, spoken, and then vanished. Her personal knowledge of the acuity of Vulcan hearing explained how that little trick worked. And, as Jim seemed to thrive on the chaos despite his complaining, she hadn't minded. Jim was getting what he needed from Spock. She was liking her son- in-law more with every hour that passed. At this moment, though, he looked absolutely nonplussed. "I had forgotten that aspect of Human marriages. I am allergic to gold." Everyone stared at him, and McCoy set down his coffee cup. "You are not." "I am. I had a reaction to the gold pendant that I earned from my Khas-wan. It caused the skin of my chest and neck to turn pink." The three Starfleet officers stared at Spock aghast, and Winona began to giggle. "Well, for heaven's sake Spock! What about platinum? Or silver?" "What about running away?" Jim said, as he sprang from his chair and stared at Spock, both of them folding their arms across their chests. "Platinum." "Platinum." "Plain." "Unadorned." "Sulu, cancel the jewellers. Get us one jeweller, to size two plain platinum bands." "Done, sir. Now, clothing." Winona's giggles threatened to come back as Jim turned to her with beseeching eyes. "Mom, you said you'd help me buy a morning suit." "I will, dear, but I don't want to push through that mob either. You'd think you and Spock were famous vid stars, not respectable Starfleet officers. Hikaru, what were you going to say before my son interrupted you?" "Starfleet has 'requested' dress uniforms." "No," both Jim and Spock said simultaneously. Spock went on alone: "It is enough that Starfleet has subjected us to this circus. I will not be a walking billboard for them. I will wear the dress of my people, and Jim shall wear the morning suit that he spoke of." Sulu grinned. "The tailor will be here at noon." "Only one tailor, Sulu? Not three?" The threat in Jim's voice was obvious, but Sulu just stared back at him blandly. "The best one I could find, sir. Commander Spock's wardrobe presents certain difficulties, however. The only Vulcan tailor on the planet is in retreat right now, at a desert monastery near Tucson. I'm afraid my efforts to speak to the Vulcan consul in Seattle have met with failure." Spock frowned. Winona sipped her coffee and exchanged a wink with McCoy. "I have an acceptable set of formal robes aboard the Enterprise." "Oh no you don't, sir," came Uhura's breezy voice, preceding her from the entranceway to the suite. She came in, unwrapping her scarf as she did. "I looked it over, and frankly, Commander, I wouldn't let you take me to a miniature golf course in that outfit. It's actually threadbare in places! Totally unsuitable." "It is perfectly functional." "Not for a wedding it isn't. Sulu, I just got back from my friend Shanti's office, and she has a tailor in mind that will solve your problem. He's not Vulcan, but he has made outfits for Vulcans before and has a line to a clothing designer in Shi'Kahr itself. He'll come up around thirteen hundred this afternoon. Will that do?" "You're enjoying this," Jim roared, and the others fell silent, smiling at him. He stood still for a long moment, and then looked back at Spock. Winona had a tingling along her skin, as if she were standing outside in a lightning storm. After a moment her son drew breath and spoke. "We'll wear the damned dress uniforms," Kirk growled. Spock nodded sharply. "Kill the tailors, forget the morning suit, cut the Vulcan robes. We don't want Shi'Kahr involved in this, not in any way. I'd rather just wear the dress uniform." "Yes, sir." Sulu bent over his padd again. Winona set down her coffee cup and crossed her legs, waiting. "I'll get Starfleet's chief tailor here early this afternoon to size you both and get new uniforms in the works. So, that's clothes and rings, Captain. Now we have to talk vows." The look on her son's face, and the absolute stillness of the Vulcan, combined with the obvious attempts to hide glee by the other three humans, was nearly too much for her. She rose abruptly and walked toward the kitchen, pausing in the door as Jim spoke in a dangerously low voice. "Vows?" "Yes, sir. The ceremony..." "Vows? How about flowers, catering, and music?" A walrus wouldn't have missed the sarcasm, but Sulu retained his professionalism. "Starfleet is handling all of that sir, so I expect we will all be very embarrassed." "Nothing from Scotty about the ship, first? Not even about the refit of my quarters? Our quarters? Nothing about the new anti-intruder defences for the computer? The engine upgrade? The dilithium sequencer conversions? The food processors, for heaven's sake?" "Further down the list and not as time controlled, sir. Vows should be decided today so that the official for the ceremony has time to incorporate them into the rite." "I assume there is a standard set of 'vows' to work from?" "Yes, sir." Sulu handed a padd across to Kirk, not looking up from his own padd. Winona expected he was seriously fighting to maintain his control. "Look them over and make whatever adjustments you feel are appropriate. The marriage officer will read them out at the proper point in the ceremony and you will respond with the phrase 'I do' or 'I will'." Her son blew out a breath and clasped his hands together, the pad between them. "Vows, then. Starfleet didn't write them for us?" "No, sir." Kirk looked at McCoy, then back at Sulu. Down at Uhura, then over to Spock. "Mister Spock, I need to see you in the bedroom, please. Right now." "Very well, Captain." "And Sulu, order a bottle of scotch." "Yes, Captain." She watched them walk away, watched the exchange of looks among the Humans as the bedroom door closed behind the two men. Across the room Uhura was caught her eye and winked. "It's probably a good thing I didn't tell them that they're appearing on the Laurel Asten show tomorrow morning." Winona almost doubled over as they all erupted in gales of laughter. * "Much more of this and I'm going to lose my mind," Jim stated sadly, staring at the padd on the desk in their bedroom. "Why did we agree to go through with this?" "I believe it was considered to be no more than our duty." Spock put his arms around Jim from behind, and the shorter man leaned back into his chest with a sigh. The sound of laughter from the other room came to them, and Jim flinched in his arms. "Make it go away, Spock. Please. It's a nightmare." "I can, perhaps, take your mind off of it for a short time." He loosened his grip and turned Jim around, then bent down and brushed his lips against Jim's softer, fuller ones. "If you wish." Jim didn't reply verbally, just raised is head higher and brought his arms up around Spock's back. Spock felt him pressing forward as, ever responsive, his cock was already engorging. Spock deepened the kiss, then abandoned Jim's mouth and began to nibble down the side of his neck. "Are you forgetting your troubles yet?" "Uhhhh... more, please, Spock." Spock lowered his hand to Jim's buttocks and began to press and knead the round flesh beneath the trousers, continuing the little love bites on his throat. He loved doing this to Jim, loved the way Jim became almost helpless under his hands. Oh, Jim could do it to him, too, but when he needed to let go, Spock was more than willing to take control. "I am going to make love to you until you scream," he whispered, rubbing his growing erection against Jim's, the sensation of the cloth between them rough and stimulating. Jim let out a shivering breath and sagged in his grip, and Spock lifted him up and carried him to the bed. Taking time, he eased Jim out of his clothes, stroking and nipping as he exposed more and more flesh. By the time he was naked he was moaning steadily. Spock stroked the long, reddish cock for a moment, and then bent down to lick it before taking it into his mouth. Jim shouted his name and Spock felt hands tangling his smooth hair. He bobbed up and down on the cock, sucking gently and squeezing with his lips, as his tongue moved around the shaft. Supporting the base of Jim's cock with one hand, he used the other to reach up, pinching and teasing Jim's nipples. Through the physical contact he was deeply aware of the other man's arousal, and knew that Jim could feel his, as well. Jim came quickly, thrusting up off the bed into Spock's mouth and groaning his name. Swallowing and continuing to suck, milking every last bit of pleasure possible out of this act for his partner, Spock felt a deep satisfaction as well as a growing need to possess Jim even more intimately. When Jim relaxed, one leg out flat on the bed and the other bent at the knee and trembling slightly, Spock stood up and smiled at him. "Remain there." "I will." Spock walked around the bed and removed the tube of lube from the bedside table, then quickly peeled off his own clothes. He climbed back on the bed, between Jim's legs, and began to stroke lubricant the length of his cock. Jim was watching him, eyes half-lidded, smiling. The sight must have pleased him, Spock knew, because his cock, half- flaccid a moment before, twitched on his belly. Spock moved his slippery hand down between his lover's legs, and Jim obeyed the silent request for access by bending his knees and rolling his hips forward slightly. Pressing one finger against the tight bud of Jim's anus and slipping it inside, Spock raised the other hand towards Jim's face and found the meld points. This was making love. Emotion, thought and sensation twined together between them, each experiencing everything the other did. Spock lost track of his physical actions, his body on automatic as he stretched Jim, preparing him for penetration, his main awareness focussed on the feelings he was causing in Jim's body and the love that was shifting between them like a tangible fog. He had to release the meld briefly, feeling the usual tugging sensation of loss, in order to support himself as he pressed his cock into the waiting warmth of Jim. Jim pushed back onto him and Spock groaned as the meld reawakened spontaneously through this most intimate of connections. The first time this had happened he had been confused and almost frightened by his lack of control, but now it was as wonderful and natural as the love-making itself. Jim was an intensely sensual creature. Spock's mind became a whirl of strange and wonderful thoughts when he loved Jim in this way, but Jim's mind retreated completely from words, devoting itself wholly to the sensations of his body, loving Spock back in an almost animalistic passion. The only coherent word Spock had ever heard in Jim's mind during intercourse had been his own name. It came now, almost a chant, and the excitement of it inflamed Spock. He began to thrust rapidly, panting, hearing a thought pass through his head and marvelling at it 'I should be sweating' and Jim's mind laughter and the steady groaning overwhelmed him. The spasms started deep in his groin and he was coming. Marvellously Jim was having a second orgasm, triggered by his own Spock experienced that state beyond words that was Jim for several long seconds, wallowing in pleasure, and then collapsed onto Jim's chest. His cock was deflating rapidly. Spock shifted slightly and set a hand on Jim's face, maintaining the meld, then slid his weight off of his lover, lying beside him on the bed. They communed without words for a long while, sharing their many memories of other moments like this, giving and receiving love and trust and admiration and respect. Eventually Spock began to withdraw, and Jim let him go reluctantly. "That was beautiful," Jim whispered. Spock nodded and rolled onto his back, his body utterly at rest. "It gives me a new perspective on the requirement for wearing our dress uniforms to this heinous event we are being forced to participate in," he said. Jim shifted beside him, coming up onto one elbow. "Yes? Care to share it?" "While I am wearing it, while I am being placed on display like a prize farm animal and put through this embarrassing ceremony, none of those watching will know that the only thing I am thinking about, the only thing that is worth thinking about, is getting you out of your dress uniform again." Jim laughed and kissed him on the cheek. "I thought exercise that will help me get through it as well. Thank you." "You are welcome." End Part 6 of 8 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ASCEM-S/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: ASCEM-S-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ From ???@??? Wed Feb 18 00:34:47 2004 X-Persona: Status: U Return-Path: Received: from n12.grp.scd.yahoo.com ([66.218.66.67]) by vulture (EarthLink SMTP Server) with SMTP id 1aTkjs4dg3NZFl50 for ; Tue, 17 Feb 2004 21:31:57 -0800 (PST) X-eGroups-Return: sentto-1978024-7832-1077082309-stephenbratliff=earthlink.net@returns.groups.yahoo.com eceived: from [66.218.66.157] by n12.grp.scd.yahoo.com with NNFMP; 18 Feb 2004 05:31:49 -0000 X-Sender: sil@sileya.net X-Apparently-To: ASCEM-S@yahoogroups.com Received: (qmail 87312 invoked from network); 18 Feb 2004 05:31:48 -0000 Received: from unknown (66.218.66.218) by m17.grp.scd.yahoo.com with QMQP; 18 Feb 2004 05:31:48 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO mailstore.psci.net) (63.65.184.2) by mta3.grp.scd.yahoo.com with SMTP; 18 Feb 2004 05:31:48 -0000 Received: from max (as4-d39-rp-psci.psci.net [63.92.109.135]) by mailstore.psci.net (8.12.2/8.12.2) with SMTP id i1I5VLQa015964 for ; Wed, 18 Feb 2004 00:31:22 -0500 Message-ID: <00c701c3f5e0$7bdd83a0$87c5fea9@max> To: "ASCEM-S" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2800.1106 X-MIMEOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1106 X-eGroups-Remote-IP: 63.65.184.2 From: "Sileya" X-Yahoo-Profile: sileya MIME-Version: 1.0 Mailing-List: list ASCEM-S@yahoogroups.com; contact ASCEM-S-owner@yahoogroups.com Delivered-To: mailing list ASCEM-S@yahoogroups.com Precedence: bulk List-Unsubscribe: Date: Tue, 17 Feb 2004 23:31:38 -0600 Subject: [ASCEM-S] NEW:"Never a Bride" 7/8 (TOS:K/S:NC-17) Reply-To: "Sileya" Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Never a Bride Part 7 of 8 * There was a fine mist in the air as Amanda stepped out of the aircar in front of the Renaissance Hotel in San Francisco. She lifted her face into it gratefully. Atmospheric humidity was something she very much missed from her youth. The feeling of the skin on her face drinking in the moisture was pleasant, and she smiled broadly. "I may have to stay on Earth," she said aloud to the doorman, who had picked up her bag and was waiting for her to enter the hotel lobby. He smiled back. "Most people dislike a Scotch mist like this, ma'am." "They're out of their minds. Thank you," she added, walking through the door. The inside of the lobby seemed unusually crowded, she thought, as she crossed to the check-in desk and pressed her ID card into the slot. The machine's screen flashed, and then went blank. Suspecting a malfunction, Amanda removed the card to try again, but was distracted by a man in hotel uniform coming up beside her. "Lady Amanda Grayson, of Shi'Kahr?" He was speaking very softly. Surprised, and a bit nervous, Amanda turned and looked at him. "I am she." "I am the concierge, ma'am. Your room is ready. We are having an unfortunate time with... crowd control, and it would be best if your identity were not known. Is this your only bag? I will escort you upstairs." Amanda looked around, startled, and realized that many of the people in the lobby were watching her, some whispering between themselves. "Very well." "This way, ma'am." When the turbolift door had closed behind them, the concierge smiled at her as he pushed the button for the 23rd floor. "I apologize for the subterfuge, ma'am. We flag VIP customers' names on the check-in computer so that no one can come up and read their ID and room numbers over their shoulders." "I don't understand why I should be offered that treatment." "It's your son, ma'am, and his partner. Very famous. If they'd recognized you below you might well have been mobbed." "My goodness." Amanda smoothed her jacket. "Are they here now? Can I see them right away?" "Certainly, if you wish. If you give me your card I will code the door of your suite, 2301, and take your suitcase there. Then I will deliver your card back to you in your son's suite." He pressed another button on the lift's panel and cancelled the call to the 23rd floor. "They're in 2710. You'll know it by the security outside." "Thank you," she said, as the lift slowed. "You've been very helpful. I'd like to pass that along to your manager." "No need ma'am, just doing my job." Amanda stepped out of the elevator and glanced down the hallway. As she'd been warned, two large men in Starfleet uniforms straightened and stiffened as they saw her. She walked toward them at a leisurely pace, and smiled as she stopped in front of them. Both, she saw, were armed with hand phasers. "I am Amanda Grayson, Commander Spock's mother." "Is he expecting you, ma'am?" "I should think it highly unlikely." The man who addressed her lifted a communicator in his hand and spoke into it. She saw that he was wearing an earpiece. He was silent for a moment, then he and his partner exchanged glances. He then lifted a card and swiped it through the door's lock. "Go right in ma'am," he said, pushing the door open for her. "Thank you." The door gave on to a large sitting room area, beautifully appointed and brightly lit against the grey outside the huge picture windows. Amanda stepped in hesitantly, and gazed around at the gathered humans inside. Three of them she recognized from her time aboard the Enterprise en route to the Babel conference, although she only knew the name of one. "Doctor McCoy, wonderful to see you again." "Lady Amanda." He had risen from the couch at her entrance, and now crossed the room and held out his hand. The gesture startled her; no one had offered to shake her hand in years. Giving herself a little mental shake she tossed her Vulcan training into an internal box, and took the doctor's hand warmly. "We didn't know you were coming!" "I had to," she said simply. "Is Spock here?" "I am." She hadn't noticed the door opening across the room, but now her son stood there, casually wrapped in a terrycloth robe, his arms crossed. Behind him stood Kirk, also in a robe. Both men looked freshly washed. Nervous again, she walked over and stopped a couple of paces from them. "Spock, I came for many reasons. But the most important reason is that I, and most of the clan, do approve of your choice of bondmate. I could not have you thinking that I share your father's views in this matter. Captain Kirk, I am pleased and honoured to call you son." The moment stretched, and then Kirk pushed past her son and held out his hand. "Amanda, that means a lot to both of us. I'm glad you came. Thank you." She took his hand in both of hers and squeezed it. "Thank you, Captain. You are so obviously the perfect partner for Spock." She looked up at Spock. He uncrossed his arms, and the expression on his face softened. "I, too, am pleased that you came." "Come in, meet everyone," Kirk said, taking her elbow and steering her toward the conversation area of the big room. "You remember Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu and Lieutenant Nyota Uhura, don't you? They have been helping out with this debacle that Starfleet is engineering. McCoy you already met. And this, Lady Amanda, is my mother, Doctor Winona Kirk. Mom, Amanda Grayson." Her life with her diplomat husband had given Amanda the ability to size up people very quickly indeed, and her appraisal of Winona Kirk was lightning fast. She held out her hand and smiled, saying; "A pleasure to meet you, Doctor Kirk. Your son is such a wonderful man, you must be an equally wonderful woman to have raised him so well." "Thank you, Lady Amanda. You've got a pretty great kid yourself." "Just Amanda, please, everyone. Why is Captain Kirk referring to this wedding as a debacle? He must know that every mother wants to see her children married." She shrugged out of her coat, not missing the grins that passed around the room, and set it over the back of a chair. Loosening her scarf, she sat down. The others ranged around her, Spock and Jim together on the couch, McCoy down from them, Sulu and Uhura in chairs across the table, and Doctor Kirk beside her on a fourth chair. "Well, they embarrass easily, Amanda. And you call me Winona, please." "Mom, anyone would be embarrassed. Dress uniforms, Mendelssohn, flowers and wedding cake..." "I vetoed the Mendelssohn, sir," Uhura said. "Starfleet agreed that there was no bride, so you don't have to worry about that anymore." "Thank god. Amanda, they had us tape a talk show, it was excruciating. 'How long have you been together? Do you plan to have children? What's your favourite thing about your partner? Does your family approve of interspecies marriage?' I hate personal questions, and you can imagine how much Spock enjoys them." "Not at all," Spock said. "Having my personal life aired in prime time is one experience I would have forgone in this life." "Well, I'd like to see it," Amanda said, earning more grins from the others, a definite frown from her son and defeated sigh from Jim. "Me too," Winona said. "It's on tonight. We'll all watch!" "Not us," Jim responded. "In fact, I think that Spock and I deserve a breather from all of this. Spock, what do you say, you and I will beam out of town for the evening, have dinner someplace nice and private and quiet, and leave all these other folk to amuse themselves at our expense?" "An eminently preferable alternative." "But, sir, where can you go? Your faces are in all the news feeds, everyone will know who you are. I'm sure that Mister Giotto won't approve." "Isn't there a culture on this planet that respects the privacy of celebrities, no matter how trumped up that celebrity is?" "Japan," Sulu offered. "A Ryokan- "Lieutenant Sulu," Kirk interrupted, "your knowledge is suspect. I happen to know that although your ancestors were Japanese, you were born a stone's throw from this building." "Sir, my auntie Tana has a Ryokan, a traditional inn, in Kyoto. Lots of famous people go there. It's isolated, private, great service. You know anything about Ryokan?" Spock and Jim exchanged looks and then turned back to Sulu. "Apparently that is one area of Human culture we've both overlooked." "They're lovely places. All the rooms look out over a traditional garden. At this time of year Tana's garden really shines with all the fall colours. There's an ornamental pool and waterfall. Relaxing. Her best rooms are absolutely private, and have their own baths. And she not only speaks perfect Standard, she is used to gaijin who don't know the rules." "Rules?" Spock asked. "Gaijin?" Kirk looked askance. "White idiots, probably." "Just foreigners, sir. I can give her a call, see if she has room. Let's see, it's 8 hours plus a day to Kyoto, so it's about eight o'clock tomorrow morning, there. You could beam out as soon as you want, view the fishes, have a tea ceremony, a walk in the garden, a proper bath, a nice dinner and a relaxing evening. Tana has some outstanding samisen players employed and I know Commander Spock will appreciate that. Also a couple of the best masseuses in the country, and that's saying something for Japan, sirs. There's even a dojo, so that you can get some exercise if you like. I guarantee you'll feel better in the morning. Ryokan are very peaceful places, and hers is really special." "Are not the interior walls of traditional Japanese buildings constructed of paper?" "Yes, but don't worry, Mister Spock," Sulu said, grinning. "Tana installed soundproofing as soon as the technology became available." More looks were exchanged. Then Kirk shook his head. "Amanda just got here, Spock. It would be rude for us to go." "Nonsense," Amanda declared. "I will spend the time getting to know Winona and listening to Doctor McCoy's tales about your three years together. I shall be perfectly content here. You are both under a great deal of strain. A retreat to such a calming environment would be ideal for you." Sulu had already risen and was crossing to the comm. terminal. "Let's see if she has room for you, sirs." "Lieutenant. Japanese food..." "Commander, Tana does great vegetarian. Trust me." "Very well." * Jim woke feeling utterly relaxed and very confused, until he blinked around the room a few times and recognized the walls of the Ryokan. The door to the garden was open, and a light rain was falling outside, making the red and copper and gold leaves of the garden shine against the myriad greens despite the greyness of the morning. The fact that someone had managed to open the door without disturbing him told him that he must feel very safe here, indeed. There was a faint, delicate woodsy scent in the air, and the sound of the rain on the roof was a peaceful counterpoint to the songs of birds in the garden. Full points to Sulu, he thought. It was even warm in the room, despite the open door. He suspected an active forcefield of some sort, but didn't care enough to pursue the idea. Instead he rolled over and snuggled up to Spock, enjoying the hard warmth of him. Spock stirred and Jim could feel him waking. A moment later Spock shifted and half lifted Jim onto his chest, Jim's head nestled against his shoulder. Without opening his eyes he said "Good morning. If I were a man who made wishes, Jim, I would wish to repeat this moment every morning for the rest of our lives." "You knock me out with the sweet things you say sometimes," Jim replied, turning to nuzzle Spock's neck. "And I'm the only person in the entire universe that knows about the romantic poet you really are." "Please keep it that way." Spock smiled as Jim began to stroke his belly, and the smile went straight to Jim's groin. He moved again, pulling Spock over on his side, and gently made love to him. Mouth to mouth and belly to belly, arms wrapped around his back, leg thrown over his hip. No meld this morning, nothing intense, just the gentle exchange of pleasure for pleasure. Both of them dozed for a few minutes afterward, and then Jim sat up and yawned. "Shall we get cleaned up? I don't know about you, but my internal clock is telling me that I slept until afternoon, although I'm sure it's barely dawn here." He pushed back the covers and stood up, stretching widely. "I am not subject to confusion about time based on planetary phenomena, Jim. We have been here 22.5 hours." "Feels like a week," Jim said mischievously. Spock stood up and hugged him. "I am glad you feel so. I almost wish I could." "Me too. Let's shower, and then have a nice soak in the tub before breakfast." * It was late Friday afternoon when they walked back into their suite to find all the usual suspects gathered. Greetings were exchanged, and then Kirk turned from hugging Winona and glanced from Uhura to Sulu. "It was great, and I am now ready to face whatever it is you are going to tell me." Uhura chuckled. "Your mother has had her new dress finished, and Lady Amanda's formal robes are just perfect with it for the ceremony. The rings are here, your uniforms will be arriving within the hour for final adjustments, the guest list has been finalized, the dress rehearsal is at twenty hundred, and you both look almost indecently satisfied with yourselves." Spock raised an eyebrow at her, and then retreated in silence to the bedroom, leaving Jim merrily glaring at Uhura. "Is that any way to speak to your commanding officers? Is there no bad news? We're not required to dance a waltz for the edification of the guests at the reception? Bones isn't going to make a toast?" "Is that bad news, Jim?" McCoy's slow drawl came from the couch. "Cause I am going to make a toast. I'm the best man, after all. Well, one of them. It's traditional." "You and Scotty are going to propose toasts?" "Sir, the reception details aren't really important for you, as you are required merely to sit and... smile, I guess. Look at it this way, Captain," Sulu went on. "At this time tomorrow it will all be over, and we can get back aboard the ship." "Maintenance is finished with our quarters?" "I'm told that the new carpet is being installed today and that means the furnishings can go back in tomorrow. And I have some ship's business to go over with you." "Better and better." He moved to pull a chair up beside Sulu, then hesitated. He'd caught sight of Amanda's glance toward his bedroom from the corner of his eye. "Amanda, go ahead. I'm sure he would be pleased to see you." She stood up, blushing slightly. "You're very perceptive, Captain." "Jim, please call me Jim. Go on. What about you, Mom? What are you planning to do for the rest of the afternoon?" Winona shrugged, and looked over at McCoy. "Leonard, how about taking me for a walk and showing me the harbour front? I would like to get some air." "A very good idea, ma'am." "Thanks, I'll get my coat. See you later, Jim." "Take a couple of security guards, you two." Relieved of social responsibilities, Jim turned his attention back to Sulu and rubbed his hands together briskly. "What have you got for me?" "Engineering, first." Sulu began a long and detailed report of the work being done on his ship, and Jim felt the peace of the Ryokan filling him again. Japanese inns were wonderful, he thought, but he would take his silver lady any day. End Part 7 of 8 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark Printer at MyInks.com. Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US & Canada. http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511 http://us.click.yahoo.com/mOAaAA/3exGAA/qnsNAA/5x3olB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ASCEM-S/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: ASCEM-S-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ From ???@??? Wed Feb 18 00:34:47 2004 X-Persona: Status: U Return-Path: Received: from n26.grp.scd.yahoo.com ([66.218.66.82]) by robin (EarthLink SMTP Server) with SMTP id 1aTkjL6ln3NZFjX0 for ; Tue, 17 Feb 2004 21:32:17 -0800 (PST) X-eGroups-Return: sentto-1978024-7833-1077082333-stephenbratliff=earthlink.net@returns.groups.yahoo.com eceived: from [66.218.67.194] by n26.grp.scd.yahoo.com with NNFMP; 18 Feb 2004 05:32:14 -0000 X-Sender: sil@sileya.net X-Apparently-To: ASCEM-S@yahoogroups.com Received: (qmail 113 invoked from network); 18 Feb 2004 05:32:12 -0000 Received: from unknown (66.218.66.166) by m12.grp.scd.yahoo.com with QMQP; 18 Feb 2004 05:32:12 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO mailstore.psci.net) (63.65.184.2) by mta5.grp.scd.yahoo.com with SMTP; 18 Feb 2004 05:32:12 -0000 Received: from max (as4-d39-rp-psci.psci.net [63.92.109.135]) by mailstore.psci.net (8.12.2/8.12.2) with SMTP id i1I5VmQa016408 for ; Wed, 18 Feb 2004 00:31:49 -0500 Message-ID: <00cf01c3f5e0$8bf0cf40$87c5fea9@max> To: "ASCEM-S" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2800.1106 X-MIMEOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1106 X-eGroups-Remote-IP: 63.65.184.2 From: "Sileya" X-Yahoo-Profile: sileya MIME-Version: 1.0 Mailing-List: list ASCEM-S@yahoogroups.com; contact ASCEM-S-owner@yahoogroups.com Delivered-To: mailing list ASCEM-S@yahoogroups.com Precedence: bulk List-Unsubscribe: Date: Tue, 17 Feb 2004 23:32:05 -0600 Subject: [ASCEM-S] NEW:"Never a Bride" 8/8 (TOS:K/S:NC-17) Reply-To: "Sileya" Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Never a Bride Part 8 of 8 * It could have been worse, Jim thought later. Much worse. Strangely, now that it had happened, that it was over, he was surprised to find a little corner of his heart that was pleased he had gone through with it. He told Spock that it was just for the sake of their mothers, really, but some part of him was happy to know he was legally, Humanly, married. He had been absurdly proud, as he had entered the auditorium with Winona a scant pace behind Spock and Amanda. Spock was so handsome and dignified, quiet confidence seemed to radiate from him. Jim's modesty forbade him to imagine that the looks of awe and pleasure on the faces of the gathered host reflected the same dignity and confidence radiating from him, though he did know that he looked good in the new dress gold, all the honours of his career shining on his chest. And Winona, in her russet and gold, was so beautiful! Amanda, severe in Vulcan ceremonial dress, looked as austere and controlled as her son. McCoy, also in dress blues, and Scott in his kilt and dress red tunic, handled their parts in the ceremony soberly. Jim had been afraid that Bones would wink at him or something, and crack him up - Jim had never been good at keeping a straight face during a solemn ritual. While listening to the voice of the official listing the duties of a married couple a feeling of deep joy had stolen over him. Spock was his, and he was Spock's, and they would never have to hide their relationship again! It was a moment of relief so intense that he almost missed his cue, but he caught the thread of the ceremony again in time to voice the required "I will". And when actually placing the ring on Spock's hand, and having Spock do the same for him, he felt a momentary urge to cry but stomped it down hard. It would not do, it would never do, for James Tiberius Kirk to be caught weeping on FNN, not even at his own wedding. They had been pronounced, they had signed the register, and they had been announced to the crowd, which to their surprise surged to its collective feet and cheered. Giving what he hoped was a dignified smile and bow, he had taken Spock's arm and the two of them had walked sedately out of the auditorium and into the stretch aircar awaiting them outside. It was done. Mercifully enough, they hadn't been required to stay long at the reception. Once the dinner was over and the dancing had begun, once all five hundred people had shaken his hand and offered Spock 'peace, long life and prosperity' or some version of that, he and Spock had snuck out of the hall and up to their suite, where McCoy, Scott, Sulu and Uhura quickly joined them. Then, at last, up to the ship. A bone-deep feeling of belonging stole through him as he materialized once again in his favourite place. "Gentlefolk, it is very good to be home," he announced, stepping down off of the platform. The transporter operator came around the control dais and offered his hand. "Congratulations, Captain, Commander. It was a very nice ceremony." "Don't tell me everyone up here saw it too?" "Yes, sir. Every screen in the ship was one for those who pulled duty, but the main party is in recreation. They're waiting for you down there." Kirk looked over at Scott, who was staring at the ceiling and whistling tunelessly. "Scotty..." "Ye canna have a weddin' wee oot all the family, Captain. T'would be unfair to the lads and lasses." Jim rubbed the bridge of his nose, then held out his hand and stared at the ring. "Spock, do you suppose you can manage one more hour of celebration?" "I believe Mister Scott is correct. It would be considered unfair by the crew if they were not given the opportunity to congratulate you." "Us, Spock. That's what this is all about, remember? All right, Scotty. Lets go. I hope you stocked the bar properly. I need a drink." "A drink you shall have. After you, gentlemen." The crew of the Enterprise were as hard playing as they were hard working, and it was much longer than an hour before Jim actually sat down in recreation and set his drink on the table beside him. His fingers and palm actually felt chapped and sore from shaking so many hands. He kept his eyes down for a few minutes, to discourage anyone from joining him, and sipped his drink. When the bottom of the glass appeared he looked up, and met Spock's eyes across the room. "You did a good job, Jim," came McCoy's voice from over his shoulder. Jim craned around as the Doctor plunked a bottle of whisky on the table and sat in the chair opposite him. "I'm proud of you. Despite everything, you and Spock looked like you'd actually planned the whole thing yourselves. How ya feeling?" "Put some of that," he replied, pointing at the bottle, "in there," he went on, pointing at the glass, "and I will soon be feeling much better. Did you know it starts to get painful after a time, shaking hands?" "I'll get you some cream for it. Damned Vulcans are smarter than I thought. Speaking of which, where's yours?" "Just over there, talking to Chapel." "There's a heart that will never mend," McCoy drawled. He waved a hand, and Spock and Nurse Chapel moved toward them. "Christine, would you mind going to the dispensary and getting me a 60 millilitre jar of bag balm?" "Bag balm?" Jim and Spock chorused. McCoy nodded. "So called because it was invented to treat and prevent chapping of cow udders due to milking. The Captain has a case of 'glad-handing', Chris." "I wondered," she said. "I'd be happy to get it for you, sir. Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly before you use it, and don't touch yourself anywhere , Captain, especially your eyes, until you have washed. No doubt you are carrying a million bacteria you don't normally, and possibly even some viruses." "Thank you, Nurse," Jim replied, remembering how many times he'd rubbed the bridge of his nose tonight, and probably touched his eyes in the process. Great, he'd probably get a million diseases and it would all be Nogura's fault. "I'll wash right now. Spock, save my seat for me?" He stood up and walked to the adjacent head, where he gave his hands and lower arms a thorough scrubbing. Looking up at himself in the mirror, he saw the lines forming under his eyes that meant he was tired, but he felt strangely buoyant. He was on his ship. He was bonded. He was married, as well. When he walked back out and rejoined Spock and McCoy, he was smiling. "What's up, Jim?" "I was just thinking. Three more days, and then I probably won't set eyes on Nogura, or anyone else from Command, for another two years." He looked at Spock and saw the twinkle in the dark eyes. "Indeed, Jim. A consummation devoutly to be wished." "Spock, nobody uses the word 'consummation' on their wedding night! At least not in public," Jim replied, blushing and grinning. "Spock just did," McCoy replied. "Hell, it's not as if you two haven't been doing some consummatin' for quite some time, is it? I can't believe you had me fooled for so long. I never even guessed." He slugged back his whisky and poured himself another, topping up Jim's glass as well. "I feel badly about that, Bones. But we couldn't tell you! You would have removed me from command, and I couldn't have taken that. And imagine how terrible you would have felt later, when you learned you were wrong." "I know, I know. Spock, you're awfully quiet." "Did you wish me to apologize as well, Doctor?" "I do not, you pointed-eared elf!" "Nevertheless, I am sorry about the deception. It goes against my nature to be 'sneaky', I think is the word you would use." "Sneaky! Downright devious, a real snake in the grass!" "Doctor McCoy, I assure you that I have no relationship whatsoever to the suborder Serpentes of the order Squamata, Species Reptila. I am demonstrably more 'warm blooded' than even a Human." "Warm blooded! Why, you're the coldest blooded being I have ever..." "Bones, please!" Jim fought a ridiculous giggle, hearing his lover tease his best friend again. "Spock, what am I going to do with you?" Spock rose to his feet and regarded Jim with a look that he knew well. "I suggest that you begin by taking me home, Captain. I would like an opportunity to further investigate the differences in our blood temperatures. Furthermore, I believe I heard something about a new bed." Complete astonishment came over him as he realized that for the first, and probably only, time in his life he was being publicly teased about sex by Spock! He looked at McCoy, whose mouth had dropped open. McCoy blinked rapidly, and then said "Spock! You're nothing but a big fake!" "No, Doctor. I am a big Vulcan. A married, and more importantly bonded, big Vulcan. And I would bid you goodnight." Jim got up hurriedly, taking Spock's arm and swinging him away from the Doctor before the fireworks could resume. "Sleep tight, Bones." He led Spock out of recreation, absolutely sure of one thing only. He, too, was looking forward to the new bed. Finis Rae [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark Printer at MyInks.com. Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US & Canada. http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511 http://us.click.yahoo.com/mOAaAA/3exGAA/qnsNAA/5x3olB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ASCEM-S/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: ASCEM-S-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ From ???@??? Wed Feb 18 00:34:47 2004 X-Persona: Status: U Return-Path: Received: from n35.grp.scd.yahoo.com ([66.218.66.103]) by emu (EarthLink SMTP Server) with SMTP id 1aTkks1UF3NZFnx1 for ; Tue, 17 Feb 2004 21:33:00 -0800 (PST) X-eGroups-Return: sentto-1978024-7834-1077082362-stephenbratliff=earthlink.net@returns.groups.yahoo.com