DISCLAIMER: The Star Trek characters are the property of Paramount
Studios, Inc and Viacom. The story contents are the creation and property of
Djinn and are copyright (c) 2004 by Djinn. This story is Rated R.
A Trip through the Multiverse
by Djinn
The party is raging around
Kirk, music blaring, hot and sweaty bodies pushing against him. He has had too much to drink, tried too many
of the alien beverages, and his head is spinning. He's so dizzy that he feels as if he will
fall down. Fortunately, his dance
partner is holding him up.
Who is his dance partner?
Oh yeah. He smiles.
"Hi, hon."
Chris just rolls her
eyes. "I leave you alone for five
minutes..."
"Try five
hours." He nuzzles her neck. This reception would be deadly dull without
her here. Not to mention he'd be on the
floor. "Did you bring the
antitox?"
"I did." She shoots him with the hypo, their bodies
are pressed closely enough that no one notices what she has done.
He closes his eyes, leans into
her. "Love you," he murmurs as
his head starts to clear of the combined effects of the plethora of alcoholic
beverages he's consumed. The Talathians insisted, said it was an integral part of the
signing ceremony for their mutual cooperation agreement with the Federation. So he drank.
And drank. And drank.
"Yeah, you say that to
all the girls." But she holds him
tighter. "You can say it again, if
you want."
"I love you," he
says over and over, saying it faster, all as one word as if it is a chant, a
mantra.
"Are you trying to
hypnotize me?"
"Right into my
bed."
"I hate to break it to
you, but I'm already in your bed."
He mock frowns. "Damn.
I'm seducing the wrong woman."
He pulls her closer, hears her laugh.
He loves to make her laugh.
He swings her into the dance,
feeling better now, more assured as the antitox clears his head. He's a great dancer. He knows it, and she is smiling. Fortunately, she can stay with him. Not everyone can.
"Did you see they have a
beach?" she says softly.
He smiles. "You want to go walking?"
She nods. "I have a great fondness for
beaches." She gestures over to
where Spock is standing against the wall, a look of disgusted forbearance on
his face. "And for a certain Vulcan
that pushed us together."
He smiles. "Yeah, we owe him."
"Let him go back to the
ship. That should be thanks
enough."
"Can't. The brother-in-law of the masseur of the son
of the first minister has a crush on him."
He points to the short, rotund man who stands a few feet from Spock,
staring up at him adoringly.
Spock is ignoring him as best
he can.
"You're making that
up."
Kirk laughs. "Well, he does have a crush, but he may
be the maitre'd here, for all I know."
She chuckles. "You're crazy." She nestles in, does something to his ear
that makes him shiver.
"Crazy for you," he
says as he swings her into the next dance.
"Crazy for you."
------------------------------
Chapel orders drinks from the
bartender. Beer for her, scotch for
Jim. She looks over at him. He's staring at her, and he smiles when she
turns. A very, very naughty smile. She smiles back, happy that she let him talk
her into taking leave and coming out to Starbase Four, happier still that he was
able to take some leave and join her.
"Jim Kirk, as I live and
breathe!"
Chapel sees an attractive
blonde bearing down on Jim. The woman
sidles up next to him. He smiles at
her. It's a cautious smile. The blonde sits down in her chair.
Chapel scowls. Then she feels a hand on her shoulder.
"Christine?"
She turns, sees Larry Porter,
head of Starfleet tactical, and before Jim one of her occasional lovers.
"I can't believe I have
to go offworld to finally see you, Christine."
She looks over at Jim. He's managing to both pay attention to his
blonde, and check out what is going on at the bar.
She turns to Larry, moves his
hand off her shoulder. "We've got a
table. Come join us?"
"Us?" he says with
a frown. His frown grows deeper when he
sees who she's with. "Captain
Kirk. I didn't realize..."
Jim smiles at him. "At ease, Commander..."
"Porter. Larry Porter."
"Nice to meet
you." Jim hooks a chair at the next
table with his foot, pulls it over close to him. Very close.
Chapel sits down on it.
"Grab a chair," she
says to Larry. Then she looks at
Jim. "And who's your friend?"
The blonde answers for
herself. "Elise Majors. Jim and I go way back."
"Hmm," Chapel says
noncommittally. She sees Larry check the
woman out. He can have her, with her
blessing. She feels Jim's hand come to
rest on her shoulders, his fingers pressing as he massages. She knows both Larry and Elise can see it,
that he intends them both to see it.
Larry doesn't react, but
Elise's eyes narrow for a moment, then she turns to Larry with good grace, making
small talk that soon turns into something less small. They turn toward each other, leaving Jim and
her out.
Jim leans in, says,
"Think they'll notice if we leave?"
"We can't leave. Our room's not ready."
He gives her a wicked
smile. "Think anyone will notice if
we do it right here."
She looks around the crowded
club. "They'll notice, but they may
not mind."
He laughs. "So is that a yes or a no?" His grin is unrepentant. He runs his hand down her leg.
She bites back a moan. It's been too long since they've made love. And she's not making love to anyone else
these days.
Larry shoots her a look, then
asks Elise to dance. They seem eager to
get away, and Chapel isn't sure if it's to get some privacy or just to get away
from Jim and her.
"Don't leave on our
account," Jim murmurs.
She leans in closer to
him. "Now I know why you were so
willing to give up the alien babes.
You've got more than enough human ones to take up the slack."
"For the record, I never
slept with her."
"Uh huh."
He laughs. "Okay, maybe just once. You're still ahead in the ex-lover count."
She pouts. "Only by one."
"This trip." He smiles.
"Do you suppose there's anywhere we can go where we won't run into
ex-lovers?" He makes a sheepish
face. "I sort of forgot how busy I've
been."
"And you got mad at me
for that, I seem to recall?"
"Well, mine are spread
out over thirty odd years. Yours seem to
be rather concentrated."
"I was making up for
lost time." She reaches under the
table, squeezes his thigh. "I'm
very boring now."
He gives her an intense
look. Finally, he smiles.
She wonders how long it will
take for him to completely trust her. At
least he doesn't seem to be holding it against her anymore.
There's something else she'd
like him to hold against her. She leans
in. "Maybe if we tipped the
reception clerk?"
He stands. "Worth a try." He
wraps his arm around her, pulls her close as they leave the bar.
"I've missed you,"
she whispers.
His arm tightens on her, and
she smiles.
He says softly, "You can
show me how much, hopefully in a few minutes."
"You sound pretty sure
about that. Just how much do you plan to
tip the woman?"
He smiles. "However much it takes to get a damned
room."
-----------------------
Kirk watches as Chris gets
ready. She is trying to decide what to
wear, and he's enjoying watching her move around her bedroom naked. He loves that she doesn't cover up in front
of him.
She looks over at him and
grins. "I still can't believe
you're here. Two months early."
He smiles. It was an
unexpected trip back. Nogura wanted to
see him; Kirk wanted to see her--it worked out all the way around.
"So who else is going to
be at this dinner?" she asks.
"His wife. Others, maybe. Don't know." He leans back in the bed. He doesn’t care who will be there, is finding
it difficult to take his mind off of Chris, off the sex they've just had and
the sex they'll have when they get back.
He's missed her since she
left the ship. He told her so
earlier. She gave him her sweet smile
and kissed him. He loves the way she
kisses him.
"So how's med
school?"
"Hard. Exhilarating." She grins as she holds up a couple different
dresses. "Which do you like?"
"Which comes off
easiest?"
She laughs, holds the green
one a little higher. "Why, this one,
I believe."
"Then I love that
one."
She gives him a silly grin
and lays it on the bed. She dresses
slowly, glancing over occasionally. He
smiles, enjoying the show.
"Come here."
"We'll be late."
"Come here."
She comes over. He pulls her down, into his arms, rolling her
over his lap and onto her back. She
laughs as he leans down and kisses her.
Her arms steal around his neck.
They kiss for a long
time. Then she pulls away a bit. "We really will be late."
He nods, lets her go. Gets up and pulls on some clothes.
"Any idea why the big
guy wants to see you?"
"Not a clue," Kirk
says. "Maybe he wants to promote
me." He laughs.
"That would be
nice...wouldn't it?"
He frowns. Would it?
He can't be an admiral and have the
"Or not," she says
softly.
"I'd be with you,"
he says.
"And I'd love that. But I want you to be happy." She pulls him to her for a quick kiss. "And we both know that you are happiest
on the ship."
"I don't know. I'm pretty happy right now."
She nods. "I am too. I'm glad you asked me to come to
dinner."
"I'm glad I had you to
ask. I thought Nogura was going to fall
off his chair when I said I actually did have a friend to bring." He makes a face. "There's just no good word for what you
are to me. Lover sounds pretentious, but
girlfriend sounds like we're teenagers."
He smiles. "Women get to say
beau, why don't men have a similar word?"
She laughs at him. "Friend is fine. I like being your friend."
"You're a lot more than
just a friend, and you know it."
"Yeah. I do."
She gives him the grin that he first saw after the Platonians.
He suddenly loves those
arrogant SOBs for bringing them together.
--------------------------
"Stop it,"
Christine says as she tries to mix the last of the frosting.
Jim pushes against her, his
hands are under her shirt and he is kissing her neck.
"It was your idea to
make Spock a birthday cake."
"I know." He reaches out from under her shirt, dips his
finger in the frosting and brings it to his lips. "Mmm. Not too sweet."
She smiles. "Where is the cake?"
He shrugs.
"You said you would make
the cake."
"No, I said, we'd be the
cake."
She laughs. "No, you didn't." She gives him a puzzled look. "Spock doesn't even like sweets that
much."
He rubs some frosting on her
lips, kisses it off. "He'll like
this."
A soft cough from the doorway
to the kitchen interrupts them. Spock is
watching them, a fond look on his face.
Jim holds out his hand. "Happy Birthday, Spock."
Spock joins them, takes Jim's
hand. Christine moves around behind him,
pulls his shirt off and up.
"Is this a birthday
ritual of which I am unaware?"
"Yep," she says,
kissing his back as she grabs the waistband of his uniform trousers, pulls them
down.
Jim is already painting him
with the frosting. She steps around and
he pulls off her clothing and adds some frosting to her. Then he hands her the bowl, and she smiles
evilly, waiting until Spock has stripped him to spread frosting in some very
hard to reach places.
Spock is nearly smiling. He pulls her to him, kisses her, licking
frosting off in the process. "Did
you make this?"
She nods.
He touches Jim, looks at
her. "You will help me with
him?"
"Oh, yes," she
says, already moving in.
Jim closes his eyes as they
begin to lick him, she in the front, Spock moving around behind him.
She meets Jim's eyes. "Wait a minute. Shouldn't this be Spock we're doing this
to?"
Jim just laughs.
Spock peeks around, shakes
his head. "It is not my birthday,
Christine."
Jim laughs harder.
"You," she says,
making him jump as she sucks off frosting with a great deal of vigor. "Are a very, very bad man."
He's too busy moaning to
argue.
---------------------------
From the bar in the living
room, Kirk turns and watches as Spock and Kerr talk to Chris. They are out on the balcony of the apartment
he shares with her. He never thought
he'd have another chance with her, much less be sharing his life with her.
Especially when she had those
two chasing after her. Together. Kirk smiles.
She chose him over them.
Or chose him over living some
other Christine Chapel's life.
Whichever. He still ended up with her.
He sighs, feels the tug of
sadness over the life he lost when he got Chris back. He misses Antonia, even if he's more than happy
with Chris. It's a strange dichotomy of
emotion, but he's become accustomed to it.
Spock touches Chris on the
arm, then comes in with Kerr's empty glass.
"You have been very quiet."
Kirk refills it. "Just watching the show." He grins, sees Spock's expression lighten.
"Watching? Or contemplating joining in?"
Kirk shoots Spock a
glance. "Why Mister Spock. I don't know what you mean." It is the old tone from long ago, and they
both enjoy the game as much now as they did when they first served on the
Enterprise together.
"Of course not,
Jim."
Kirk laughs. "Four might be an interesting
number."
"Indeed," Spock
says, but his tone is light as if they can both tell Kirk isn't serious.
"I have stout. You still drink it?"
Spock nods, watches him pour
the drink. "Does she miss us?"
he asks and his tone is wistful.
"She does. But I think she misses her Spock and Kerr
even more."
"I understand that. I miss our Christine more than I can
say." He looks out at Kerr and
Chris.
She's laughing at something
he says. Laughing hard and he's grinning
like a fool. Kirk finds himself chuckling
softly. She chose him over that.
He feels damn good. He hands Spock the stout and Kerr's refill,
then picks up Chris's and his.
"Randall shouldn't have all the fun with our woman." He smiles gently at Spock.
Spock nods. "I am glad she is with you. I know you will be good for her."
Kirk can feel his smile
fading. "I am sorry, Spock. I lost Antonia but I got Chris. You two..."
Spock shakes his head. "Do not feel bad for us, Jim. We have learned to live with this new
arrangement."
Kerr's laugh rings out. He touches Chris's arm. It's a rather possessive touch.
Spock sighs. "Or, at least, I have." He lifts an eyebrow. "He is very much like you."
"I can see that. Let's get out there now." He doesn't wait for Spock to agree, walks out
to the balcony, handing Chris her drink, managing to insert himself close enough
to her that Kerr has to back off a bit.
He waits until Spock has
handed Kerr his drink, then lifts his own.
"To friendly reunions."
The others murmur the toast
back to him. Chris moves closer, her
shoulder bumping up against his.
"To friends," he
says softly.
He shoots Kerr a look. Kerr shoots him one right back.
"To friends," the
rest echo.
"And younger versions of
ourselves," Kirk mutters as he stares at the younger, irritating version
of himself.
He hears Chris laugh,
smiles. She presses against him more and
he relaxes.
She chose him. In this crazy, mixed-up
world, she chose him.
And that's all that matters.
----------------------------
Chapel moves slightly, feels
Jim's arm tighten around her. The late
afternoon sunshine streams through his blinds, making slatted patterns on their
skin.
"I have to study tonight,"
she says.
"Okay." He sighs, as if he is finally relaxing. And he probably is. He's always tense when he gets home.
She can tell he hates his
job. But he won't admit it. Not even to her. She knows why. To admit it, will be to make it real. Too real.
Too final. If he just pretends
that it's all right, or maybe even temporary, he'll get through it.
He never bends. Just finds his own way not to break.
It's just one of the reasons
she loves him.
She moves again, notices
something on his upper arm. A small
scar. "I missed one."
He looks down, where she is
pushing at his skin.
"I think it's a
burn." She kisses it. "I can get rid of it later."
"Leave it. I should have something from what we went through." He pulls her away from his arm, up to his
lips.
His hands run across her
back, warm, so warm. She hasn't been
cold since they came back to Earth. She
doesn't envision ever being cold as long as she's with this man.
He grins, runs his finger
down her nose. "Even without that
scar, I have something from Alesson. I
have you." He kisses her. "You're the best thing in my life."
"Right now." She strokes his cheek. When he frowns at her words, she sighs. "I can tell you're unhappy. If we can't talk about it..."
His jaw tightens. He looks away, but his hands tighten on
her. She waits. Waits in the silence that builds between
them. It's not an uncomfortable moment,
although it could be if she didn't know him so well.
He strokes her hair. "It's boring. And I do stupid things most of the day."
She relaxes, rests her head
on his arm. They are talking about
this. "Are there lots of meetings?"
He sighs. "I meet, therefore I am."
She laughs and feels him
chuckle, the amusement silent but real if she just gets close enough to feel
it. "I'm sorry."
"Bones was right. Not that I'll ever tell him that."
"No. Don't.
It will make him insufferable."
She kisses his cheek. "It's
people like you who will change the job, Jim.
You will make a difference again; you just have to figure out how."
He smiles. Then he shifts so they are facing each
other. "Are you still going to look
at that apartment tomorrow?"
She nods. It's a lot less convenient to campus than his
lovely high rise is. But more in her
budget.
"Don't."
"Don't go look at
it?"
He shakes he his head. "Don't move into your own place. Stay here.
With me. This can be our place,
not just mine."
"Are you sure?"
He nods. "Stay with me." He pulls her into his arms; his body is so
strong against hers.
She smiles as he takes her,
her hands raking his back, running over the now healed-over scars from
Alesson. The scars that brought them
together.
"Of course, I'll
stay."
She doesn't want to leave
him. Ever.
---------------------
Kirk catches the punk that
was stupid enough to attack Chris. The
man shifts in his grip, trying to use his knife. He's too scared to do it well.
"This is what's for
dinner?" Kirk looks at Chris,
shakes his head. "You couldn't do
better?"
"You expect me to whip
up a five-course meal on short notice?"
She laughs as her face shifts. "Can I help it he doesn't have any
friends?"
The punk struggles harder.
She turns back to him. "You said if I didn't do what you wanted
that you'd hurt me?" Her voice is
silky terror.
"No. That was just a joke. I was just teasing."
Kirk can smell his fear. The man stinks of it. Fear and guilt and some kind of twisted
darkness deep inside him that makes what Kirk and Chris have become look happy
and light.
"I don't think
so." Chris stalks toward the
man. She takes the knife away from him
easily, holds it up, runs her finger down the jagged blade.
Blood wells up on her finger,
and she sucks it off. Her cut closes as they watch.
The man whimpers.
"Five women have been
hurt very badly in this area. Didn't
they do what you wanted?" When he
doesn't answer, she holds up the knife again.
"My friend here knows magic; he can make this talk to him. Everything this knife has done is buried in
the metal. Blood, guts, pain. All those women you've hurt."
The man wets himself. "They were asking for it."
Kirk shakes his head. That was not the right thing to say.
Chris buries the knife in the
man's groin. He screams and Kirk bites
down, silencing the cry. He drinks until
the man doesn't move again.
Letting the body drop, he
looks at Chris. Her face has gone back
to normal.
"Feel better?" he
asks.
She nods. Stares at the man for a long time, then walks
away. Kirk reaches down and rifles through
the man's pockets. Several credits
richer, he hurries to join her.
She reaches back as she hears
him come up, her hand grasping his tightly.
"I keep waiting for it to go away.
This need to help others."
He smiles. "I think it's going to be a long
wait." He pulls her to him.
They kiss long and almost
frantically in the dying night. Morning
is close. They can both smell it, can
both feel it in their guts.
"Let's go," he
says.
She takes his hand, and they
disappear into the night.
----------------------------
Chapel watches Spock as he
sits across the table from Jim. He is
not happy that she is in the lounge. She
joined them for a few moments, could see he was irritated that she was
encroaching on his time with Jim.
It's not getting easier with
him. She hoped it would, but, if
anything, he seems to resent her the longer she's with Jim.
She knows Spock didn't think
she and Jim would last. It must be
terrible to realize you're wrong. To
realize that over and over again. Every
night when Jim goes to sleep with her and not with Spock.
Spock left. She was there. End of story.
Spock's eyes lock with hers.
"He sure doesn't look
happy with you," Rand says softly.
Chapel glares at her. For once, Rand doesn't look like she's
taunting her. Or at least, that's not
all she's doing. There is a slight note
of concern in her voice, in her expression.
"It'll be fine."
Rand shrugs. "Whatever you say. I sure wouldn't want to be on a landing party
alone with him. That's all I'm
saying."
"He wouldn't hurt
me."
"Vulcans are
different."
Chapel nods. "Yes.
They don't think like humans, for one thing. Violence is a human failing, not a Vulcan
one." Barring the Pon Farr, of course.
She frowns. Can it be the Pon
Farr? She can count to seven, can't she?
Jim looks up, sees her
watching and smiles at her. Then he
turns back to Spock.
He's not worried. Why is she?
She forces herself to relax,
concentrate on the game Rand is running away with.
"Is he good?" Rand
asks softly.
For a moment, Chapel thinks
she means Spock, then realizes she's talking about Jim. The question is not out of line, not for the
friendship they used to have, but now Chapel feels odd discussing Kirk with
her. "He is," she says simply.
Rand looks away, studying the
board far longer than she needs to for the simple move she ends up making. "If we can't talk about him, just say
so."
Chapel moves a game piece at
random. "We can talk about
him. Just...not like we used
to." Back when neither of them had
anyone. Back when they both hopelessly
loved men who would never love them back.
"Right." Rand suddenly takes one of her pieces, and
through a complex series of moves, ends up at the finish line. She gets up.
"Thanks for the game, Christine.
I'm going to turn in."
Chapel reaches out, touches
her arm. "Jan. I'm sorry.
We just have to find a new normal."
Rand nods, pulls away and
hurries out.
Chapel sighs. She changes the game to a one-person
version. Tries to entertain herself
while she finishes her drink.
"This seat taken?"
Jim asks as he sits next to her.
"By you." She smiles at him. It is so easy to smile at him.
"Spock's going to be
heading back to Vulcan for a while," Jim says quietly.
So she was right. "He's all right?" She wants to ask if he's a danger to them--to
her--but can't bring herself to say it.
"He will be." Jim's voice is sad.
"If you want--"
"--I don't." He reaches over, closes down her game.
She's losing anyway. "You're sure?"
"I'm positive. He'll be leaving later tonight. I'll be staying here. With you." His arm steals around her, rests low on her
back. "You ready to call it a
night?" His smile is open, his look
of lust the same as ever. For her, not
for some Vulcan he thinks he can't have.
"If you wanted him..."
"Chris. Let it go."
She looks down. "Okay."
"I want you. Now, let's get back to my quarters so I can
show you how much, okay?"
She nods. "I love you." It seems almost desperate to say it now.
He sighs. "I believe you. I just wish you had more faith that I love
you."
"I'm trying." She smiles, the gamest smile she can come up
with. "I do believe in
us." As she meets his eyes, the words
become more real. She does believe in
them. She loves him and he loves her and
it doesn't matter what he still feels for Spock or what Spock wants.
He's with her. She's his choice.
He smiles. Some of that realization must have shown on
her face.
She takes his hand, gives him
a lascivious look. "Let's go."
He smiles, the expression
happy and light. He loves her. What more does she need to know?
--------------------
Kirk leans back against the
bar in the rec lounge, grinning to himself at
something funny Chris said to him before she went back to the pool table.
"You look awfully happy,
Jim." McCoy walks around the bar
and orders up another drink.
"Something you want to tell me?"
Kirk nods to where Spock and
Chris are fighting it out for billiard supremacy. "It's just good to have her
back." He turns to McCoy. "Don't you agree?"
McCoy sips at his
bourbon. "Of course I do. I worked mighty hard to get her back
here." He smiles. "I didn't think she'd want to come
back. I was damned pleased to see her
show up yesterday."
"This is home,
Bones. She was ready to come back. Plus, she's tired. Burnt out on ops."
McCoy tries to hide a grin,
fails completely. "You seem to know
an awful lot about how she's feeling."
Kirk shrugs. "We talked at the seminar." He turns back, smiles as she sinks the eight
ball. "And that's game." He walks over to the pool table, McCoy
following him. "Care to play
doubles? Now that your death match is
over?"
"Doubles would be agreeable." Spock shakes his head. "I am normally quite skilled at
this."
Chris laughs. "You still are. I'm just better." She looks at Kirk. "Teams?"
He nods. "You and me. Spock and Len." He sees McCoy's knowing look, laughs. "Bones, we can't have two doctors on one
team."
"Well, you could play
with Spock," McCoy says.
"No," Spock says,
"he should play with Christine."
"Oh? And why is that?"
Spock seems to be at a loss
for words. While he figures out what to
say, Kirk steps closer to Chris.
"So, is it good to be back?"
Her smile is immediate, open
and happy. "God, yes. I had my first real sleep in two years last
night."
"That's
great." He looks over at
Spock. "Have you figured this out
yet?"
"Doctor McCoy and I will
play together." Spock begins to set
up the balls.
"I'm glad you're
here," Kirk says softly to her.
"I am too." She leans up against him for a moment, her
shoulder warm against his. "My
break?"
He nods. And watches her break the hell out of the
balls. She winks at him.
"So?" He turns to
Spock and McCoy. "Care to make this
a little more interesting?"
--------------------
Christine comes into Jim's
darkened quarters, sees him lying in bed, tossing. She walks over to the bed, sits, watching
him. She touches his hot forehead. The fever still hasn't broken, but at least
he's sleeping. She slips the hypo she
brought from sickbay against his skin, empties it into him. It will ease his aches without affecting the
fever--that has to run its course.
Lowering it artificially will only prolong the sickness.
She sighs. McCoy could have given him this when he shot
him full of the anti-viral. But he didn't.
Was he punishing Jim? Will he ever stop needing to do that?
She knows Len is with Spock
now. Sees that Spock is content but
wonders if McCoy ever will be. Even if
she were with him the way he seems to still want, she thinks McCoy would find a
reason to be unhappy.
Darkness seems to be in his
nature. Once, it called to her. But not anymore. Not when she has Jim to show her how nice it
is to live in the light. To make love in
something other than the lie of darkness.
His eyes are open, and she
wonders how long he's been awake.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to
wake you."
He smiles. Even sick as a dog, he can make her feel
special with just a smile.
"Are you thirsty?"
He nods, takes the water she
pours out. "You don't have to take care of me."
"I like taking care of
you."
He smiles again.
And he'll allow her to take
care of him. It is an unusual feeling,
to be this close to someone. To know him
so well. She lays her hand on his
forehead again--not to assess the fever, but to establish that she does
care. He smiles again, a soft, contented
smile.
"I love you," she
says softly.
They say those words all the
time now. At the oddest moments. Yesterday, he said it to her as she sat at
his table, reading up on a new vaccine series while he dozed fitfully. She looked up and he was staring at her with
the most tender expression.
"What?" she said.
'I love you," was the
answer.
It had filled her with
warmth. And a light, silly feeling. As if she could float over to the bed on
those three words alone.
He closes his eyes. "I love you, Christine." She loves the way he says her name. He has many names for her, some silly, some
lewd that make her laugh, others just variations of her given name. But sometimes he says Christine and it is
with a lilt that makes her stop and want to take a deep breath.
His love makes her
breathless. He makes her
breathless. He is the air she
breathes.
Although that air is getting
a little rank--the fever is making him sweat.
She settles down next to him anyway.
This is love, she supposes, when you lie down next to someone who could
use a shower and hold them. And when you
know that there is no other place you'd rather be.
She's damned lucky to have
found that.
They both are.
------------------------
Kirk watches as Chris moves
through the market. Her movements are
fluid, strong. He wonders if she has any
idea how much he is turned on by her strength, by her limber power.
She looks back, holds up some
wooden pegs. She makes a staking motion,
then begins to bargain with the merchant.
He supposes it is not a bad
thing to be prepared, even if he did want her in space to be free of vampires.
She hurries up to him, her
stakes wrapped in a small parcel. She
takes his hand, kisses him.
He kisses her back. It is such a luxury to be with her like
this. Free and easy and together on a
simple shore leave. Nothing in their
way. No reason to feel bad.
He sees her frown. Follows her gaze. Spock is walking with Rand. Kirk sighs.
"Let it go, Chris."
"I just don't like
it."
"He's not your business
anymore."
"I know but--"
He kisses her to shut her
up.
She smiles. "They're just shopping. It's perfectly safe."
He nods. "Yes.
Good. Just keep telling yourself
that. Now, let's go." He pulls her away, in the opposite direction
from where Spock and Rand are headed.
"Do you think he actually
likes her?" she asks. Her interest
sounds more like it is caused by casual disbelief, not any lingering longing
for Spock.
"He does go for ditzy blondes." He waits for her reaction, is not
disappointed. "You may have been
blonde, but you were never ditzy."
They kiss again, and her
mouth is like home to him. Her body
welcomes him as she leans in tightly; her arms are safety and love. She is everything to him.
He's suddenly glad she bought
the stakes. Anything to keep her
safe. To keep her with him.
She leads him to a fortune
teller's booth. He half expects to see
Tolvar sitting there.
"Want to have your
fortune read?" she asks.
He shakes his head. "I know my fortune."
"Oh yeah? What is it?" She bumps up against him again, and he closes
his eyes. He keeps waiting for this
raging desire he feels for her to fade a bit.
But it only seems to get stronger over time.
"I get the girl. And live happily ever after."
She smiles. "Lucky me."
"No, Chris. Lucky me.
Lucky, lucky me."
They stare at each
other. He calls the ship for beam
up. They hurry to his quarters, and he
is glad that most of the crew is on shore leave. They look like two teenagers who've just
discovered sex rushing for whichever house has no parents in it.
As she pushes him down to the
bed, climbs on top of him, he can feel the magic that increasingly accompanies
their lovemaking gathering around them.
He groans and hears her make a similar sound as she feels the energy
rising around them. He's glad he has
wards on his quarters. He'd be worried
about the warp engines, if this kind of energy burst escaped the room.
He figures they'd feel the
pulse all the way to Romulus.
He only hopes the
soundproofing is as strong as his magical shields.
-----------------------------------------
Chapel stares out over the
alien sea. It rages far below the
cliffs, the purple sky turning the water a strange grayish-lavender.
"Remind you of
anyplace?" Jim leans against her,
pushing his hands around her waist, to clasp under her chest.
She laughs. "I was just looking for indigenous
mythical life forms."
"Me too." He kisses her neck, causing her to
shiver.
She has never had a lover who
could make her feel so much so easily.
His hands tighten and start
to inch upwards, towards her breasts.
She laughs. "What are you
doing?"
"Exploring the
indigenous life forms."
She puts her hands over his,
stopping his upward progress. "You
are insatiable."
"You say that like it's
a bad thing." He kisses her neck
again, then hooks his chin over her shoulder.
"God, it's beautiful here."
He squeezes her. "The view's
nice too."
She turns, kisses him. Hopes that no one gets offended, that the
natives on this beautiful, strange world are as easy going about affection as
the natives of Capri were. Soon, she
forgets to worry about it.
He groans. "You think this grass is high enough to
hide us?"
She lifts an eyebrow, a
perfect imitation of Spock's--the grass is mowed very short.
He laughs. "I guess not."
She kisses him again, feels
his hands go up, underneath her uniform shirt.
Warm, his skin is always so warm.
"I love you," she whispers.
"I love you," he
says fiercely. He looks back at the big
house where the negotiations are being held.
She follows his gaze. Spock is just going in. She wonders how long he has been watching
them. He has been different since V'ger. More emotional--although that finally seems
to be fading. But also a bit sad.
She does not dwell overlong
on it. She is no longer terribly
interested in Spock's state of mind, except as far as friendship goes.
"I better get back
in."
She nods. "I'm going to walk."
"Watch out for sirens
and nymphs and demigods."
She smiles. "I've got my own demigod." Her smile turns wicked; she lets her hand
brush against him. Low.
"Not so demi if you keep that up," he says, pulling her in for
a last kiss. Then he turns and heads
back to the house.
She watches him go, then
heads into the woods, following the winding road down to the water. She sits on the beach, enjoying the
oddly-colored sunshine. Yawning, she
lies back, sleeps.
Water drips on her and she
opens her eyes. Jim is crouching down, holding
a shell, and letting water pour out of it onto her face, a little bit at a
time. As she laughs and wipes her face,
he tosses the shell away.
"The rest went back to
town," he says. "I told them
we'd catch up."
The sun is just setting and
the planet's three moons are rising.
They sit over the dusky mauve sea, their light streaming across the
water, seeming to light Jim as he leans over her. He looks like something from a legend.
She pulls him down to
her. They move under the moons, the
small, round pebbles shifting beneath her as he pulls her uniform off, as he
loves her and makes her cry out. He is
not silent either.
They lie in the bright light
of the moons, and she looks out at the water.
He follows her gaze.
"You want to?" she
asks.
"Yes." He pulls her up. "It's safe to swim. But only barely."
She grins. "You checked?"
"I knew we'd both want
to swim. If we could." He is
leading her into the soft, warm water.
"And we can."
She follows him out past the
small breakers. Then they turn on their
backs and float, hands linked as the moons beat down on their naked bodies.
She looks over at him. His eyes are closed. Then he grins, somehow knows she is looking
at him. He flips onto his stomach, pulls
her close. She paddles backward, getting
them into shallower water where he can stand, can pull her up and to him. She wraps her legs around him, sighs as she
settles onto him. This is their
element. Just theirs.
"I love you," he
breathes to her as he moves.
"I love you," she
says back, just as softly.
The sounds seem to carry out
over the sea. She wonders if this
world's sirens can hear them.
If they can, she's sure they
would approve.
------------------------
Kirk moves closer to Chris as
they watch Spock with his Romulan acolytes.
His voice is like gravel, his every motion stiff, unyielding.
Chris looks at him, smiles
sadly. "He's changed so much from
when I last saw him. Maybe the Spock we knew is gone forever?"
He shakes his head. "I can't believe that." But he has to admit, this Spock is rivaling
post-Gol Spock for cheerlessness. "Let's go," he says softly as he
takes her hand, already fading out.
She follows him, the warmth
and brightness of the other place welcoming them back. Kirk closes his eyes, is filled again with
the peace he once thought he could only find in space or lying next to Chris
during their good periods.
She smiles and he knows she
is following his thoughts, their souls united through the touch of their
hands--of their energy.
"It's only good periods
here," she says softly.
He nods, pulls her
close. They stay like that for a long
time, then he starts to build them a world so they can be alone. She grins as the Idaho countryside comes to
life around them, as Caya and Kaiser find their way back to them, the spirit of
the mare no better tempered than the corporeal form was. She bites at Kaiser, who nickers
in a long-suffering way that makes them both laugh.
He just about has the
landscape perfect, has put down a blanket, some food in a picnic basket far too
bulky for the horses to carry if this were any place but their fantasy
world. It is like the Nexus, only there are no
limits, no entity trying to control him and make him stay placid. He can make love to Chris here and nothing
interferes, in fact he feels as if the whole place seems to breathe in their
affection, their pleasure. As if
everyone and everything around them is a part of their love. It should be eerie, but it's not. It's beautiful.
He is drawing her close to
him, has started to pull her down to the blanket when he sees someone striding
across the fields toward them. It is a
woman. Dressed in leathers and
furs. And armed with a bat'leth.
A Klingon woman. He looks at Chris, points with his chin to
the approaching warrior.
Chris turns, and as she sees
the woman a huge smile breaks over her face and she takes off running.
"Friend of yours?"
he mutters, following her as the two women catch each other up in a fierce hug. He sees Chris's whole posture shift as she
talks to the Klingon woman, as if she is becoming stronger, fiercer. He missed a lot when he was in that damned
Nexus. This is a Chris he wishes he had
gotten to know.
The Klingon woman stares at
him unabashedly as he walks up. "So
you are Kirk?" She inspects him as
if he is a specimen under a microscope.
Chris puts her arm around
him. "This is Khorta. The first lady of our House."
"I am honored to meet
you." His voice is low, calm. He doesn't look away from her as she stares
at him and he sees something, some kind of respect grow in her expression.
"You'll do," she
finally says. "Since Christine is
so fond of you." She smirks at him.
He finds himself
grinning. Chris talked to this woman
about him? Even when she was with
Spock? He thinks he loves that.
The woman looks at the picnic
he's laid out, the horses tied to bushes.
"I see you are busy. I just
came to tell you that Gramton has killed a sh'iril. There will be a great feast."
He looks at Chris. She seems to be salivating. She grins at him. "Fancy a trip to Sto-Vo-Kor?"
It wouldn't normally be his
first choice of destinations, but he sees the way her eyes sparkle at the
thought and can't bear to deny her anything that gives her that much
pleasure. "Sounds like fun."
And the scary thing is that
it does sound like fun. Raucous Klingon
afterlife here we come. He grins crazily
at Khorta and she laughs.
"You'll more than
do." She looks at Christine. "We have this ritual, the Day of
Switching Husbands. Have you heard of
it?"
Chris laughs loudly. "I
haven't."
"Damn," Khorta
says, and shoots Kirk a disappointed look.
He looks at her muscles and
is very glad that Chris is not the sharing kind. Even if the woman couldn't hurt him, not
really. Not here.
"I do wonder if you'll
still be so concerned with sharing when Spock finally comes home?"
Kirk thinks about that. He glances over at Chris, sees her look
down. He smiles, realizes that the idea
of sharing Chris with Spock doesn't scare him the same way being traded does. "Vulcans live a long time. We have some time until we find out if you're
right." He nods to her. "Nice of you to drop in, Khorta. You can see yourself out?"
"Subtle, you're
not." She grins. "It's very Klingon. I like it." Turning to Chris, she says, "I will see
you at the feast, Christine. We can
catch up on Hehnak."
Chris smiles. "I'd like that."
Khorta walks away, fading
much faster on the way back than she appeared.
Probably wanted a suitably dramatic entrance.
"Where were we?"
Chris says.
"A much safer
place," he says with a smile, pulling her to him again. "Am I going to have to share you?"
She can't hide her grin. "I think it's more that I'll have to
share you, love."
He thinks about that. "Well, that's all right then." He laughs, pulling her down to the
blanket. "For now, can I just enjoy
you?"
She nods, and words soon
become an unnecessary thing as their mouths find much more useful things to do.
"I love you," he
hears her say, feels her body crying it out to him. The grass and trees and even the horses seem
to echo it back to him.
She loves him.
"I love you too,"
he says and the words travel the same route.
The very air hums with his love for her.
He loves her.
And they're together again.
Heaven. It's heaven.
FIN