Xenobiology 101 (ST:2009/ID, Spock) Secret Santa for Spoo

[RiversD]

So, teeechnically it's still January 3rd (I think). Hi Spoo, you're awesome. This is your secret santa, or the start of it at least. It seems nervousness causes me to break out in needlessly lengthy plots. Sorry about that (Feel free to skip to part 2 for fetishy content, part 1 is pretty much just me being a nerd). Hope you like preamble, because boy, have I pre-rambled.

So-

Fandom: Star Trek Reboot movies, of which I own nada.

Character: Mr Spock.

Author's notes: Set post-STID, sometime after the team are inevitably sent on that 5-year mission to, y'know, boldly go and stuff.

Also, I know there are official designs, but this is what I'm imagining for their Dress Uniforms at present.

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PART I

“Captain’s Log, Stardate 2261.35: The Enterprise is currently in orbit around the planet Capernia, in the Faulkner System. Capernia has applied for membership of the United Federation of Planets, and we have been ordered to meet with planetary representatives in preparation for the arrival of Federation diplomats next month.

The initial landing party will consist of myself; Mr Spock, in his capacity as Science Officer; Lieutenant Uhura; Ensign Hooper; Ensign Clark; and Dr McCoy, our CMO. Our task is to discuss arrangements for the diplomats’ visit, and to finalise the key topics for discussion. Much of this has already been sketched out over subspace transmissions, of course, but the Capernians prefer to finalise all such agreements face to face.

Starfleet Command has repeatedly expressed to us the potential value of this addition to the Federation, especially from a scientific point of view. Capernia lies in the path of a linear distortion in the fabric of space, officially determined a Warp Anomaly, owing to its unpredictable effects on ships travelling at warp speeds, but which some scientists have begun to refer to as a dimensional instability. Capernia is the only known world on which such an anomaly could conceivably be studied from ground-based laboratories, something that I am told could be of untold value in the study of other-dimensional space.

Since I know you’ll be listening to this log later, can I just point out to the members of Starfleet Command the evidence I just gave that I was, in fact, listening the first time, the second time, and every time you explained this, that I understand your concerns, and I fully intend to do the best job I can. A little trust would not be unappreciated at this point. Thank you.”

Captain Kirk closed the log entry, made sure the recording had stopped, then stuck out his tongue and blew a raspberry in the general direction of the microphone. It was childish, he knew, but if Starfleet Command didn’t stop treating him like a child trusted with an expensive toy pretty soon, he’d… He sighed, and began a new recording.

“James Tiberius Kirk, personal log: I don’t think I’ve seen Spock this enthusiastic about a mission in a long time. Not that he’d admit anything other than professional curiosity, of course. Vulcans don’t do excitement.

But Spock really does seem interested in the idea of multiple dimensions these days. Of course, this is natural, given that he’s met a version of himself from a future that won’t exist for us. But I can’t help worrying that his desire to learn so much about other universes might stem from a certain dissatisfaction with our own. I’ve made a personal decision to keep an eye on him, as much as is possible given our other duties tomorrow.”

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“What a day, huh, Spock?”

“It is pleasantly warm, yes, Captain.”

“That’s one way of putting it.” Jim squinted towards the brilliant sky, tinted closer to purple than Earth’s, and utterly cloudless. He’d had to be badgered into wearing the sunscreen Bones had been handing out, but it looked as though he’d be grateful for it later.

The locals were pretty affable, too. And their customs weren’t entirely incomprehensible from an Earthman’s point of view, which Kirk counted as a major bonus if he was going to have to play a diplomatic role here. Capernia had been a human colony, back in the days of hibernation ships, and there was more that was familiar than not about their society.

A short way off, a bell rang, signalling that the welcome party was ready to receive the Enterprise’s delegation. Kirk stood a little straighter, and adjusted the cuffs of his dress uniform.

“Well, let’s do this, shall we?”

The landing party followed him in tight formation, the two Ensigns to the rear. Spock kept pace at Jim’s elbow, the dress uniform lending him a certain polished dignity. Jim wished he could be sure that his was suiting him as well. He felt as though his collar was too tight.

And gold? Sure, it had probably seemed like a good colour for commanding officers in the design phase, but in reality there were only so many men who could pull off yellow clothing. One of these days he was going to have a word with someone about that…

“You seem tense, Captain.”

Spock’s voice cut smoothly in on his distracted musings. Kirk dragged his mind back to the job in front of him.

“Just keen to do this right, that’s all.”

“As long as we accurately convey the Federation’s position, there should be no great difficulty.”

Kirk knew it was true. They weren’t here to do any of the real negotiating, just to formalise things that had already been said, and yet-

“That’s easy for you to say. Your father’s a diplomat, you’ve been doing this sort of thing your whole life.”

“True, I am more used to the formalities of such things.” Spock conceded. “But of the two of us, I would say that you are the more natural diplomat.”

“You’re kidding.”

“I am not.”

“There’s no way I’m better at this than you.”

“And I did not say so.”

“Yes, you did! Just now.”

Spock sighed. “I said that you had a greater natural talent for such work. But you are unpractised, and therefore less skilful than more experienced diplomats.”

“Like you.”

“I did not say that.”

“You thought it, though.”

“I refuse to comment on any speculation regarding my thoughts, Captain.”

“That’s because you thought it.”

“A most illogical conclusion.”

“If you say so.”

Kirk surveyed the waiting line of dignitaries, feeling strangely buoyed-up. It occurred to him that Spock had carefully avoided saying that Kirk’s fears were baseless, but still… Yeah. He could do this.

Besides, smoothing over Jim’s little slip-ups was Spock’s specialty.

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As the afternoon wore on, Kirk felt more and more comfortable in his diplomatic role. Spock’s constant, steadying presence was a help there, as was Capernian food, which was both excellent and plentiful. Nevertheless, he was glad when the official business of the day was complete, and he was free to mingle without especial purpose.

By the time their group reconvened for drinks mid-afternoon, he was genuinely enjoying himself. Kirk liked meeting people, and took pleasure in finding out about the things they cared about. It was one of the qualities that Spock would say made him an exceptional candidate for diplomatic work, despite Kirk’s tendency to become more emotionally involved than was necessarily appropriate.

Now, he was cheerfully dividing his attentions between Spock, McCoy, and a lovely young woman in a complicated ceremonial robe, whose main function seemed to be to make the visitors feel as welcome as possible. Kirk certainly had no objection to this, although a small part of his brain couldn’t help but be distracted by her dress. He kept wondering how in the galaxy you were supposed to get in and out of it.

Somehow, or perhaps inevitably, the conversation had drifted towards the benefits of Federation membership to Capernia, and from there to scientific progress.

“We are all very excited to have Federation input on our science programmes.” the woman was saying. “It’s possible that we could make enormous leaps forward in the next few years, with the benefit of their advice. And a number of your scientists have expressed great interest in coming to study on Capernia, which is very gratifying.”

“Well, you’re a scientifically interesting planet.” Kirk accepted a fresh drink from a passing waiter. “I mean, what with the warp anomaly, or whatever we’re calling it today.”

That won him a quick giggle. Clearly she had noticed the small turf war among the interested scientists over whose field of study the ‘anomaly’ technically belonged to.

“Yes, your representatives talked about that quite frequently. We haven’t done any real study on it ourselves, of course. We don’t have the technology for it yet.”

“Which is not to say that scientists coming to study the anomaly would have nothing on which to build.” Spock interjected. “Even if you have not directly studied it, the anomaly has had an indirect effect on many branches of your investigative sciences. And you have scientific facilities placed close to its intersection with the planet’s surface, which could prove to be invaluable resources. For example, I understand that you have such a research station only a short way from this city, where the anomaly intersects with the Halsar Desert.”

“I- yes, we do.” The woman gave Spock a nervous smile, thrown slightly off balance. “Forgive me, I hadn’t realised you would be so well informed.”

“Mr Spock can have that effect.” Dr McCoy leant in with a smirk. “You’ll have to excuse him- I don’t think he knows how to be ill-informed about anything.”

“That is demonstrably untrue, doctor.” Spock pointed out. “There are many areas in which my knowledge is far from complete.”

“Yeah? What are they, then? I could use a laugh.”

“Knock it off, Bones.” Jim shook his head, and smiled winningly up at the bemused diplomat. “We read up a little before coming here. Figured it was only polite.”

She smiled back automatically. People often did, when Jim was being charming.

“Besides, Mr Spock here is the Enterprise’s Science Officer. He has a certain professional interest.”

“Oh.” The woman turned back to Spock. “Well, if you’re really interested, I could ask one of the researchers to show you around. They did the same for the- the first contact team?” She looked for confirmation that she had used the correct term. Spock inclined his head, and she continued, “So I’m sure they would be willing.”

Spock’s reply was careful, but his interest was obvious. “If it would indeed be no inconvenience, I would gladly accept such an offer. Thank you.”

“Well, then.” The young lady took a communication device from the folds of her costume. “I’ll see what I can do.” She stepped a short way off to make the call.

When she returned, she announced; “They say someone will be happy to show you around if you’re willing to come down now. They’re pretty busy tomorrow. But if you have other plans for your evening…”

“Not at all. We have concluded our business for the day.” Spock set down his drink. "Give me a few moments, and I will be ready to travel.”

Kirk nodded to the Vulcan.

“I’ll come with you.” He announced. Spock raised an eyebrow, mildly surprised.

“I would not wish to consume your time unduly, Captain. The discussion may become somewhat technical.”

“No, it sounds interesting. Besides, I should be trying to understand as much as I can about this planet, right?”

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The drive to the research station was sweltering, at least from Kirk’s point of view. Spock simply closed his eyes and relaxed into the heat, cat-like. Jim wished he could be half so composed.

They were greeted by a Doctor Bergholt, a short, dark-skinned man who talked in short, staccato bursts, as though his words were drag racing between stop-lights. As he talked them through his work- something to do with antigravity, apparently- Kirk began to wish he’d read more of the scientific articles that came in the Enterprise’s regular news update.

Even he could tell that this research station was well-outfitted, though. Every room Doctor Bergholt showed them contained an abundance of complex systems designed to aid experimental accuracy, and Kirk recognised several machines that bore striking similarities to those used in the Enterprise’s physics laboratory.

As the physicist took them through Lab Number 2, though, Spock gave a small exclamation of surprise. Their host turned to him with a quizzical expression, but Spock had questions of his own.

“Doctor Bergholt, your diplomatic envoy gave me the impression that the Federation was the first to propose serious research into Capernia’s astronomically anomalous qualities, but I see that you are already studying the dimensional instability. If I may ask, are you progressing in any particular direction at present?”

“What?” The scientist seemed entirely caught off guard by the question. “No! I mean- the dimensional anomaly is no part of our work here. Of course, the waves which emanate from it must be accounted for in our readings, but…” He trailed off, wringing his hands together pleadingly.

Spock’s brow furrowed, and he pointed to a machine in which a blue sphere was suspended in an intricate network of wires.

“But surely this is an Alcubierre Stabiliser?”

“I’ve never heard that term, sir.”

“Perhaps you would call it an energy-density stabiliser, or a field compressor. In either case, I fail to see its purpose if you do not intend to examine the instability in depth.”

“I don’t know about that.” Their guide was becoming more agitated by the second, the soles of his shoes squeaking on the floor as he twisted his feet to and fro. “It’s not a machine I have responsibility for. Hardy see it used, to be honest with you. If you like, I could get my supervisor, and She could let you know who uses it?”

Spock’s lips had tightened in a manner Kirk had no difficulty reading. The Vulcan was not in a mood to be trifled with. Still, he remained icily polite.

“If it would be no trouble.”

“I… alright. You wait here, I’ll go and… I’ll go.” He hurried out of the room, leaving the two officers alone.

Kirk drew a slow breath.

“Spock, correct me if I’m wrong, but I get the feeling we’ve been lied to.”

Spock raised a highly expressive eyebrow. “A feeling, Captain? I should have called it the weight of evidence.”

“Figure of speech.”

“Ah.”

Silence reigned between them until the door to the lab swung back again, reintroducing Doctor Bergholt. He was accompanied by a taller, red-haired woman in a white gown.

“Gentlemen!” she greeted them. “I’m Doctor Hamley. I understand you have questions regarding the energy field compression device?”

“Yes indeed.” Spock stepped forward to answer. “It seemed somewhat out of place in a facility unconcerned with trans-dimensional investigation.”

“Oh, absolutely.” The woman beamed at him. “As you have so astutely deduced, it has very little to do with Doctor Bergholt’s work. But there was really no room for it next door, so it is operated from here. If you gentlemen would follow me?”

She led them down a short corridor and into a larger room than they had just left, its walls lined with computers, pipes and wiring. In this at least, Hamley was telling the truth- there was certainly no room for any other machinery in here.

Two men looked up from their occupations as the group entered the room. Hamley smiled, and explained; “These men are with the Federation, lads. We’re giving them the full tour.”

One of the men nodded and went back to adjusting switches on his device. The other walked up to their group and extended a hand to Kirk.

“Doctor Baker, sir. The Federation’s a fine body, from what I’ve heard. We’re keen to be a part of it.”

“So I’ve heard. Your people have been most accommodating to us on this visit. We’re grateful.”

“Good, good, I’m glad.” Baker let go of Kirk’s hand and smiled awkwardly at them both. “Of course, if you two are at all interested in our work here…”

Spock was still being carefully polite. “We would be most interested in hearing about your work, Doctor. But I cannot understand why its existence would be kept from us until now.”

“Oh, not from you!” Doctor Baker looked mildly horrified at the thought. “My word no. Not deliberately at least. But it isn’t common knowledge on Capernia- people can get rather nervous when you talk about poking something that transects their planets. So it’s possible not all the diplomats were in the know. Still, now that you’re here…” He looked eagerly back to Spock, who nodded.

“Excellent!” Baker grinned, and practically bounded over to the nearest piece of equipment. “Now, this is our grading sensor display…”

Kirk followed perhaps one word in three once Baker got down to the real details of his computers, but Spock seemed fascinated, and he didn’t like to slow the pace.

“And this is the real keystone of our efforts.” Baker declared, drawing them both over to a wall where a fine mesh of wires had been suspended under a metal arch. He stood aside to offer his guests a better view, and the two officers stepped obediently into place in front of the arch.

“You see this little dial here?” Baker pointed towards the top of the machine. Kirk obediently followed his gaze. And something struck his back, hard, sending him toppling forward…

Edited February 6, 2017 by RiversD

[RiversD]

PART II

… onto snow.

The side of his face ploughed into an icy drift, and he gasped in shock, the cold temporarily cutting off rational thought. A yelp from behind him indicated that Spock had received much the same treatment.

Kirk pushed himself to his knees, and was slightly chagrined to find Spock already on his feet, brushing ice crystals off the front of his uniform. He offered the captain his arm, but Jim shook his head and scrambled to his feet unaided.

“Right. Where are they?”

“I believe a more pertinent question at this time would be: where are we?”

Jim stared blankly at his first officer for a moment, and then took in their surroundings properly for the first time. Spock was right- whatever those scientists had been up to, there were more pressing concerns right now.

Scientists, computers, the whole laboratory complex, had vanished. Now, the two of them stood on a snowy hillside, a few scattered trees holding bare branches up against a leaden sky. The air was sharp with the scent of snow. Kirk whistled.

“Yikes. Anything familiar to you, Spock?”

“Nothing sufficiently so to produce a conclusion, Captain.”

“Suggestions, then?”

Spock folded his arms, pulling his elbows in close to his sides. “Perhaps we could more capably assess our situation from the top of this hill.”

“See how the land lies, you think?”

“Yes, sir.”

Kirk cast his eyes up the slope. The summit didn’t seem too far off.

“Alright then. Last one to the top’s a rotten egg.”

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By the time they came over the brow of the hill, Jim was puffing hard. It had been a while since he’d taken shore leave in winter. He’d forgotten how much harder it was to walk through snow.

Somewhat to his surprise, Spock didn’t seem to be having an easier time of it. The Vulcan had just about kept pace with his captain, and for once it didn’t feel as though he was holding back for Kirk’s sake.

The two of them squinted at the surrounding landscape, eyes and extremities assaulted by a biting wind that seemed determined to erode the hill from the top down. Blinking away the tears this was creating, they looked down into a river valley, robbed of much of its detail by the obscuring power of the snow. Nevertheless, there was a fair-sized town down there, its dark buildings straddling the sparkling ribbon of the river. Kirk called across to Spock.

“Head for town, you think?”

“Yes. Our primary concern is shelter.”

“Agreed.” Kirk shivered as a well-timed gust of wind cut through the light fabric of his dress uniform. “Shelter, then better clothes. I might as well be wearing fishnet right now.”

He expected Spock to have a comment, and turned to face him when none was forthcoming. To his surprise, he found Spock with his eyes closed, one hand hovering in front of his face, clearly anticipating a sneeze. He breathed in slowly, unsteadily, then clenched his nose shut in one hand as he gave in to the reflex.

“hah-nGHT!”

To judge from the shockwave that ran through Spock’s body, a great deal of force had just been repressed. Spock blinked rapidly several times, and Kirk wondered if he had been caught off guard by the strength of the sneeze. Jim was mildly impressed.

“Bless you.” He offered.

“Thank you, Captain. Shall we descend?”

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The descent was pretty slow going. The slope was steep, and the two of them had to be careful of their footing.

“At this rate I’m going to be a popsicle before we even get to the bottom.” Jim complained. Spock grunted, but didn’t dignify the statement with a proper reply. He wasn’t talking much, presumably saving his breath for the climb. Jim, on the other hand, was chattering the chatter of a man determined not to dwell on how cold his fingers are.

“Mind you,” he carried on, ignoring Spock’s indifference. “If I have to keep waiting for you, it could take twice as long.” It wasn’t entirely untrue- Spock was certainly setting a slightly slower pace- but Jim hadn’t been hindered in the slightest.

“If my speed is problematic, Captain, I would welcome suggestions for its improvement.”

Jim clicked his tongue. He hadn’t expected to actually provoke sarcasm, however mild. He must have struck a nerve, somehow. Still… he scanned the scenery, and his gaze lingered on the closest tree, a particularly ragged-looking specimen, with large strips of dark bark peeling away from its trunk.

“We-ell” he smirked at Spock. “There’s always the option of-”

“No.”

“I didn’t even tell you what it was!” Jim protested, laughing.

“Captain, I will not entrust myself to a piece of wet wood for the sake of speed. It would be-”

Spock cut himself off with a gasp as his foot slipped from under him. He wobbled comically for a moment, then followed it, overtaking Kirk on his back.

Kirk wasn’t quite sure whether he was more shocked or amused. Either could have been responsible for the high-pitched giggle that escaped him as he followed Spock downhill. Vulcans were always so graceful- their feline ancestry showing through, perhaps. It felt strange to see Spock so much as stumble.

“Dangerous, were you saying?” he joked, reaching out a hand as Spock started to get to his feet.

“Yes.” Spock grasped Jim’s arm, and hauled himself up. “And my opinion remains un-unchanged.”

Spock’s voice wavered on the end of his sentence, his nostrils twitching in signal of the cause. He released Kirk’s arm and stepped politely back. Then he clasped his nose firmly between thumb and curled forefinger, and shuddered with the force of another tightly restrained sneeze.

“hh’GHTtch! Excuse me.”

Sudden concern drained some of the levity out of Kirk’s voice. “Bless. You alright?”

Spock gave a little shake of the head before speaking, almost as though he were checking the veracity of his answer. “Quite, thank you, Captain.”

Kirk wasn’t so sure. Of course, reflection from the snow would naturally make Spock seem paler than normal, but… still, he could be wrong. It was probably nothing to worry about.

“Alright. Come on, we’re nearly halfway there.”

[Spoo]

I cannot begin to express how downright ELATED I am that you're my Secret Santa, Rivers! And, as if that alone wasn't amazing enough, you've gone and written me STAR TREK. WAHOO!!!

I already love the story so much, omg. The "preamble" is FULL of beautiful (and hilarious) dialogue - I could not EVEN with that exchange between Spock and Kirk. "I did not say that." I also loved the Captain's Log (you have Kirk's voice down so perfectly), the rich descriptions (the whole dinner and Capernia science), and the 'DUN DUN DUNNNN' twist of the ending.

To be entirely honest, I would have adored/read this even if it wasn't fetishy. It's just that well written. Thank you so much. I'm literally bouncing to read more!

EDIT:

I somehow missed the second part???! Maybe the page wasn't loaded all the way when I read the first part, because I seriously JUST NOW read it. AHHHH! Spooockkkkkk. The cold doesn't agree with him, it seems. Or his nose. And omg, JIM! What a huge kid.

Edited January 4, 2016 by Spoo

[LeapYearKisses]

Aaaa, I haven't been into Star Trek for some time, but as soon as I got three paragraphs into this lovely fic, all my feels came rushing back. As Spoo said, I would definitely have read this even without "bonus content." Can't wait to see where you take this!

[AngelEyes]

Spock! You have the banter between Kirk and Spock perfect! And the plot. I love it. Excited for more!

[PetalsAndThorns]

Did someone say Spock and plot in the same sentence? I don't know if there will be more, but I am sure enjoying where this is going, and how it's getting there~. I love how you have Spock grounded in his stoic Vulcan-ness, but with little bits of humanity peeping through every now and again.

Spock sighed. “I said that you had a greater natural talent for such work. But you are unpractised, and therefore less skilful than more experienced diplomats.”

“Like you.”

“I did not say that.”

“You thought it, though.”

I love this back and forth!

who talked in short, staccato bursts, as though his words were drag racing between stop-lights.

This one sentence holds so much vivid description. I know it’s a small part, but it brought a lot of reality to the story.

Kirk wasn’t quite sure whether he was more shocked or amused. Either could have been responsible for the high-pitched giggle that escaped him as he followed Spock downhill. Vulcans were always so graceful- their feline ancestry showing through, perhaps. It felt strange to see Spock so much as stumble.

“Dangerous, were you saying?” he joked, reaching out a hand as Spock started to get to his feet.

“Yes.” Spock grasped Jim’s arm, and hauled himself up. “And my opinion remains un-unchanged.”

Heee! I love this little image. Spock is trying so hard to keep his Vulcan cool, and his body’s just like: “Nope. Now you face plant into the snow on top of your commander.”

Thank you for writing this! Looking forward to more Spock-ness if there is more to come~.

[Bruyere]

This was so good. You had the perfect back and forth between Spock and Kirk and I love all the plot and scifi elements in it as well.

[RiversD]

Remember when I thought I'd be updating this weekly? Lol. That was a pipe dream. That was folly. Still, now that my notes have returned from the war(by which I mean the bus depot a few cities to the north), I guess I'd best get typing lest this carry me past next Christmas.

@Spoo darling, all my apologies for the waiting. And now I've written a part 3 that doesn't even have sneezing in it! It's coming, I promise. And ahh, thank you so much for this comment! I'm dead relieved that Star Trek is okay, because I was surprised at how few of your fandoms I actually knew about. Thank you for being so nice about my character-voices. I think this got so long partly because I was having fun making the boys bicker and forgot which forum I was writing this for .

@LeapYearKisses Aw, thank you! I'm so glad it worked for you!

@AngelEyes Thank you! Always nervous about in-characterness.

@PetalsAndThorns Thank you so much for this! I love hearing what bits worked well, and just thank you for being so goshdarned nice.

@Bruyere Aw, you. Thank you!

I genuinely intend to get this back on the rails. Let's hope.

 

PART III

By the time the two of them stumbled onto a paved road, Jim was certain that something wasn’t right with Spock. The Vulcan’s lips were becoming so pale as to blur the line where they met the rest of his face, and his usually self-assured progress had been replaced by a slow and stumbling gait that meant that Kirk was genuinely having to adjust his own pace to allow for it.

With another crew member, he might not have noticed the change so quickly. But Jim was used to matching his pace to Spock’s without a second thought, walking and talking all over the ship, or sticking close together in less familiar environments like this one. He didn’t match so instinctively with anyone, except perhaps Bones, on occasion, and it threw him off to be out of rhythm with Spock, making him feel constantly on edge.

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It was getting on towards dusk as they moved within the city limits. By that time, Spock had wedged his hands into his armpits, and was walking with his limbs held as tightly in towards his core as he could. Kirk felt he was slightly overplaying it- it was certainly cold, but the walk down the hillside had acclimatised him to the worst of it, and at least here buildings could act as occasional guards against the wind. These were large, blockish buildings, too, with a distinctly functional look to them. To their right, what looked like a factory was closing up for the night, squat, green-skinned beings passing barrels through a hatch in the wall with their uppermost sets of arms.

Kirk didn’t recognise the species. But then, the galaxy was a big place. He was beginning to wonder if the prime directive was going to be an issue when he spotted the first indication of humanoid life- two figures manhandling a light fixture off the side of a building.

He nudged Spock. “Looks like we might not stick out too badly.”

Spock raised his head grudgingly and squinted at the figures on the gantry. Then, with something that might have been a nod, he withdrew into himself again. He looked about as close to curling up into a ball as someone could get while still walking.

Jim frowned. If he had been less uncomfortable himself, he might have been more charitable, but Spock’s silence was getting frustrating. He wished the Vulcan would just speak up when something was bothering him, rather than leaving all the heavy lifting to Jim. He wasn’t in the mood for guessing-games.

As they moved further into town, the buildings around them started to look less industrial, and they started to see pedestrians. Most of them looked human, but no-one seemed to pay attention to the two freezing strangers, all intent on their destinations, shoulders hunched against the icy wind.

Jim’s mind was still half-occupied with Spock’s unnerving quietness. He tried again to get a contribution out of him.

“What are the odds of anyone around here speaking Standard, Spock?”

Spock blinked at him in apparent confusion.

“There is insufficient data on which to base any c-conclusion, Captain.”

“Well, I know that!” Jim snapped, worry adding an unintentionally hard edge to his exasperation. “I was trying to- you know what, fine. Let’s get you some data. Look, we’ll try this guy.”

Before Spock could protest, Jim had moved to intercept a man moving down their side of the street, a bulky bag slung over one arm.

“Hello, sir!” he called out in cheerful Standard. “I wonder if you can-” The man growled something indistinct and hurriedly got out of Kirk’s way. No confirmation to be had from that corner.

Disappointed, Kirk turned away, and made accidental eye contact with a dark-skinned woman across the street. She smiled in apparent amusement and he, encouraged, endeavoured to present his most charming self as he approached her.

“Forget to check your calendar?” she laughed. She spoke Standard with an accent that gave it an oddly percussive sound. Full of relief, Kirk spread his arms, displaying his woefully inadequate uniform to its full effect, and pulled an embarrassed face that made her laugh again.

“Looks like it, doesn’t it?” he said, shamelessly playing up his own stupidity. “Not the first time, either. You’d think once would make a man learn.”

“Oh, never put your trust in common sense.” She scolded him, and it was his turn to laugh, really starting to like her. Still, he had needs a little more pressing than good company so, folding his arms around himself again, he asked;

“D’you know where a guy could find a coat around here?”

The girl turned and pointed back the way she had come. “Try the second street on the right. Sports shop.”

“Thank you.” Kirk stayed long enough to ensure the woman felt her kindness was thoroughly appreciated, then hurried back across the street to Spock.

“Hey, Spock. Reckon you can make it another few streets?”

“Necessity would seem to demand it, Captain.”

“Alright. Come on.”

[LeapYearKisses]

Omg, yay!  I'm glad this is going to continue to be updated (and that you got your notes back).   I love how you're writing Jim's worry and also his charm with the locals.  He's a faceted character and I'm so glad to see that reflected in your writing!

[RiversD]

15 hours ago, LeapYearKisses said:

Omg, yay!  I'm glad this is going to continue to be updated (and that you got your notes back).   I love how you're writing Jim's worry and also his charm with the locals.  He's a faceted character and I'm so glad to see that reflected in your writing!

Thank you! You're the best. Will I ever get to the point in less than 1000 words, though? Only time will tell.

 

Part IV

The sports supplier was easy enough to find. A bewildering array of implements  that Kirk struggled to imagine having any purpose outside a sporting event (and some not even then) filled one window, while a selection of outdoor wear posed invitingly in the other. The lights were on inside, and it looked open.

Spock nudged Kirk, and pointed to some small notices in the window. He had been making an obvious effort to talk on the way here, so much so that Jim was beginning to feel quite guilty for snapping at him earlier.

“Captain, th- huh-”

Jim looked back to Spock’s face at this, and saw that he had a finger pressed to the underside of his nose, annoyance pulling at the smooth lines of his mouth. As Kirk watched, the Vulcan’s nostrils twitched, clearly on the edge of pushing him to another sneeze. Spock kept the finger tightly in place though, bullying the urge into a grudging retreat. His shoulders relaxed, and he lowered his hand.

Jim placed a sympathetic hand on Spock’s back, but removed it when Spock ignored it, and simply resumed his earlier point with a brisk sniff.

“Look, Captain.” He pointed to the labels again. “Standard, with Capernian translation. While this city is plainly not Ostra, it seems to be Capernian. Or at least in frequent contact with- with Capernia.” He rubbed a finger against his septum, nose apparently still too sensitive, Kirk couldn’t help but notice that his hand was trembling as well.

“Come on.” he said. “Let’s pick you out a coat.”

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The shop was heated.

Behind him, Jim heard Spock give a little whimper of relief as the warmth swallowed them both. He didn’t blame him. Both of them were temporarily lost in the moment, the sudden prickling of Jim’s skin letting him know just how cold he had been out there.

A sharp click made him jump, and he looked up to see someone emerging from a back room into the main shop. It was a bulky man in a loose, robe-like garment, presumably either the proprietor or an employee. He stepped around the counter and greeted them in Capernian. Jim responded in kind, before tentatively trying Standard out for size.

“I’m looking for coats.”

The man nodded, switching languages without seeming to mind. His Standard was pretty fluent- much faster-paced than the girl in the street’s had been. “Guessed as much. Your friend over there looks half frozen.”

“Yes, he- uh…” Kirk looked over his shoulder for Spock. The Vulcan had located one of the shop’s heaters, and was hovering as close to it as was possible without actually laying hands on it. “He doesn’t like the cold,” he finished.

“Yeah? Best make him happy, then. See what I got here…”

The man ran his fingers along a rack of padded clothing, and pulled out a long dark coat, noticeably lacking in the ‘puffy’ look that so often plagued mainstream cold-weather gear.

“Designed for slip-knart players, of course,” he explained. Kirk nodded, hoping that he wouldn’t be asked to contribute any further on that front. Slip-knart had doubtless been described somewhere in the 280-page ‘Sports and Competitive Gaming’ brief, but that had been Ensign Clark’s sub-field and he had left her to it. Fortunately, the shopkeeper was obliging.

“I always order extras in, cause they do so well for everyday use.” He held out a corner of the coat for Jim to take. “Feel that?”

Kirk did, a denser layer of material beneath the soft outer fabric.

“Hyper-insulating weave. Traps the heat so well, you almost forget what wind chill feels like.” He winked at Kirk, and added, “Bet there’s a few slip-knartists wish they could, am I right?”

“Yes, I expect you are.” Kirk returned the man’s smile, trying to think of a suitable rejoinder, but was spared the exposure of his ignorance by a sudden burst of sound as Spock finally lost his grip on the sneeze from earlier.

“GHTch!”

Both men turned their heads to look at Spock, who was recovering with a somewhat hazy expression, hand drifting lazily away from his face. He caught them looking and murmured a soft, “Excuse me.”

“Sanzi.” The big man said, and turned back to Kirk. “What do you think, then?”

“Oh? Yes, sorry.” Kirk pulled his attention away from Spock, huddled against the heater like a scolded puppy, and back to the coat in his hand. “This seems just right for us. What sizes does it come in?”

The shopkeeper stood back and gave him an appraising look. “Oh, we’ve got most sizes in stock. Early season, see. But I’d say you both take a medium-going-on-large across the shoulders, and it comes in short, three-quarter, and full. Short’s a fashion choice. No real slip-knartist would touch it, but they’re popular with the other young men, you know how it is. Three-quarter and full length are both good. The long one hangs close around your ankles, cuts off the wind entirely, but of course, it’s heavier- less freedom of movement.”

“Of course.” Kirk considered this. “I think my friend had better have the longest one. I’ll take three-quarter, though. Never been able to pull off anything full length.”

The shopkeeper looked him over and shrugged. “Yeah, I see that. You want anything else besides?”

“Uh…”

In the end, they settled on two coats, two pairs of gloves, and a hat for Spock.

“Two-forty then, sir.” The man told him.

“I’m sorry?” Kirk’s confusion was a little too obvious. The shopkeeper laid a protective hand on the bundle of clothes.

“I’m saying that will be two hundred and forty credits. Is that a problem?”

Light dawned. Of course, Capernia still operated under a form of capitalism- something that would be a key topic at the diplomatic discussions. The enterprise party had each been issued an allowance in the local currency, stored on plastiglass tubes. Jim patted himself down, and felt a surge of relief to find his still in his pocket. There wasn’t much that would fit in the dress uniform’s pockets, and what did had a tendency to creep out if you were physically active. That was something else he’d take up with Starfleet one day. He held out the credit stick.

“Do you accept these?”

The shopkeeper glanced down at the little cylinder in Kirk’s hand, and brightened up.

“Oh, sure. You fellas just come through?”

“Through?” Kirk was momentarily blindsided. “From Ostra?”

“Where else?” The man “You’re a little too fresh to have come long-haul from the Pan Gate.”

“Ah, of course.” Kirk smiled back. “Silly of me. And to forget about the weather, too.”

“You’d be surprised how many folks that catches out. This shop’s future’s safe until the seasons line up again. Though they tell me that’s not for a few decades yet, which sounds like somebody else’s problem if I ever knew one.”

“Wise words.” Kirk watched anxiously as the man inserted the credit stick into his reader, and breathed a sigh of relief when it seemed to be accepted without difficulty. Life was much easier for a man who could pay his way. And now that the clothes were in the bag, as it were, he decided to try for a bit more information.

“I don’t suppose you know what the usual choice is for point of return?”

“Well, that’s pre-arranged, isn’t it?” The shopkeeper’s brows drew together suspiciously as he passed Jim his purchases. “Didn’t they give you an appointment?”

“Oh, of course.” Jim corrected himself hurriedly. “Yes, but… if something were to come up, is there a way to alter that?”

He was pretty sure that hadn’t done much to allay suspicion, but the man answered civilly enough.

“This close to the scar? Just call across. It’s not like they’re unreachable.”

“I see.” Not knowing how much further he could push his luck, Kirk began to pull on his coat, and asked: “Can you recommend a place to stay? We planned this on pretty short notice.”

“I can see that.” The shopkeeper eyed them up and down for a moment, then shrugged. “Well, whatever you boys are running from, it’s none of my concern. You want to go out the door, turn left, then take the second street on your right and keep walking. There’s a clutch of temporary lodgings down there, cheap and quiet.”

“Thanks. You’re a good man.”

“Whatever. You never saw me, you bought those coats in Ostra, and I wouldn’t know you if you came back tomorrow. Got that?”

“Perfectly. Thank you.”

They left. It seemed the polite thing to do.

[Spoo]

RIVERSSSSSSS.  Oh my goodness, this is fantastic! Poor, poor Spock.  (actually, I don't feel too sorry for him ). I'm still loving the plot, as well as the dialogue and pacing. I'm the luckiest person ever to be getting an updated fic!

 

[Subtly Clashing Wishes]

This is an excellent read. The plot is fabulous and I can't wait to see more of Spock trying to carry on despite his obvious illness. The dialogue is excellent and so are the descriptions of this world. 

[AngelEyes]

Yay for updates! This is such a cool story! I'm totally sucked in! What's going on? How are they going to get back? Are they being missed? What other trouble will they find? I need to know! Also I am intrigued to see ill Spock cope with situations. Yay!

[LeapYearKisses]

I'm on mobile, so forgive me for the short reply, but this is so awesome! Love the wonderful story development and the character of the locals.

[RiversD]

I am going to get this finished, gosh dangit...

@Count Spoocula You're wonderful, and I can only apologise for the many months this has taken me.

@Sinister Cries + Wails Thank you! I fully intend to make him worse before anything gets better...

@AngelEyes I'm both totally psyched by how excited you seem and totally guilty for making you wait this long.

@LeapYearKisses Thanks! I'm glad the plot isn't being too much of an annoying distraction. Balancing stuff is hard.

Onwards! Note: I am no Tolkien. Next to no regard has been paid to linguistic probablility or the mechanics of Capernian language.

 

Part V

Spock took multiple tries to get his gloves on. Kirk was mildly horrified by his sudden lack of co-ordination. When he had sorted himself out, he looked sideways at Kirk, and enquired;

“Lodgings, Captain?”

“Yes. It’s getting late, and you’re starting to scare me.”

Spock frowned. “Captain, if I have given any-”

“I mean I’m worried about you!” Kirk snapped. “For goodness’ sake, Spock, I’ve never seen you so- so- not yourself. It’s creepy.”

Spock gave him a look that suggested that he was considering a definitely-not-sarcastic-no-sir response to that word choice, but correctly judged Kirk’s mood and took a metaphorical step back. “I see. I am sorry.”

“There’s no need to- you know what, let’s just find this place. I don’t think either of us are in a fit state to finish this conversation. We get a place to stay and work out the next move from there.”

“Agreed.”

They turned the corner and walked on, unconsciously drawing closer together as a fresh flurry of snowflakes began to fall.

 

 

 

Following the shopkeeper’s instructions led them to a narrow cul-de-sac lined with tall buildings, almost all of which had signs over the door in Capernian.

Jim pursed his lips. This was a new problem. “Any idea which signs are good signs, Spock?”

Spock lifted his head at the question. He hadn’t exactly been curled up, at least not as far as Kirk had noticed, but there was an element of unfolding in his movement as he came to attention.

“Certain words do seem to be repeated, Captain.” Spock surveyed the array for a few moments, then nodded, punctuating the motion with a soft sniff. He pointed to one of the signs close by.

“This word- ‘nan’- is a commonly used negative in Capernian. It appears here in f-frequent pr-proximity to the word ‘ossipt’, though ‘ossipt’ also… often occurs on its own. Given the context, a tentative assumption could be made that-”

“That ‘ossipt’ means vacancies.” Kirk finished for him.

“pr- yes, Captain.”

“Nice work, Spock.”

Spock inclined his head and explained, “I acquired some basic vocabulary while Lieutenant Uhura was learning Capernian. I regret that I failed to reach her level of fluency.”

“well, you had your own stuff to bone up on,” said Kirk, already heading for a likely-looking door.

“…Yes.”

Kirk was keen to get inside, but not so distracted that he didn’t notice the sluggishness of Spock’s agreement. He knocked, and when there was no immediate response, turned to consider his first officer.

“You’re not seriously beating yourself up over that?”

Spock suddenly seemed to find some detail of the sidewalk fascinating. Kirk stared at him in disbelief.

“Come on, Spock, this was a two-day mission! Nothing about our job here suggested you would need to- ah, hello!” The door had opened. Not far, but it was progress. Kirk beamed through the gap at the sandy-haired young man peering at him from inside. “We were hoping to rent a room for the night?”

The man opened the door a little further, though not yet far enough to let them in. He seemed a tad happier to see them, however.

“Sure, uh… one room, two beds?”

“That sounds ideal.” Kirk kept up the smile, willing this person to realise that he was keeping his potential lodgers standing in the snow. Something seemed to land, anyhow, as the man nodded and released his hold on the door.

“Right. Best come in then.”

He shuffled back into the passageway, allowing the two men to slip inside. Spock closed the door behind him.

It was a long corridor, somewhat dimly lit but clean enough to pass the initial olfactory assessment. The youth led them to a boxy office at the far end.

It wasn’t a very small room, but the chaos of paper that dominated its surfaces made it feel more cramped than it was. Kirk was faintly reminded of his study space back at the academy. He stole a sideways glance at Spock and saw that the Vulcan was maintaining a carefully blank expression as he surveyed the room. Jim wondered briefly if he realised that the motionlessness of his other features called attention to the small involuntary movements- not least to the restless flicker of his nostrils, a faint flush of green accentuating their arch.

The young man reached the desk at the centre of the room, then seemed to remember his manners and turned to extend a hand to Kirk.

“I’m Gav. Should have said. I’m covering for Pilar until she gets back.” His tone suggested that he fully expected them to know who Pilar was, and probably why she was away. Kirk shook his hand, hoping that this was what was expected.

“I see. You can sort everything out, though?”

“Yeah, I know the ropes. No problem. Two bed, wasn’t it?”

“If it’s not too much trouble.”

“Shouldn’t be, let’s have a look…”

‘Gav’ yanked open a drawer and rummaged around in it, eventually producing a key with what looked like a hand-written label.

“It looks like number 5 is free. Has a bath, if that’s alright.”

“Absolutely. Why wouldn’t it be?”

“It just costs a little more, so some people prefer not. But if you’re good with that it’s a hundred and fifty for a night.”

“Oh, right…” Kirk pulled out his credit stick again. “do you-?”

“Yeah, yeah, I can take it from there, just give me a little time-”

Gav began to scrabble in the debris strewn across the desk, replacing things onto piles apparently at random if the movement caused them to slide. Kirk caught the brief look of distress that flashed across Spock’s face and fought to keep his own face straight until Gav straightened up, holding a chunky tubular contrivance a little larger than his fist.

“Found it.” He tugged a credit stick from his own pocket and pushed it into one end of the device.

Feeling that he could see where this was going at least, Kirk proffered his own stick again. Gav inserted it into the other end and started pressing buttons.

Glancing back at Spock, Kirk was momentarily distracted by the increased tension in his face. He had slightly scrunched up his nose, putting a disruptive crinkle in its usually smooth bridge, so Jim presumed that was what was bothering him. Again. He seemed pretty sensitive this evening. Then again, perhaps it was a little dusty in here. Jim would have expected to be affected before Spock if that were so, but… it could be.

Gav’s voice pulled him back down to ground-level.

“Is it just the one night you’re wanting?”

Kirk hesitated. “Actually, we’re not sure how long we’ll be in town for. I’m hoping our… business can be finished up soon, but it might drag into a few days, you know how it is.”

“Alright, tell you what...”

 Behind Gav, Spock took a sharp breath and stepped back from the others, turning his back on them both as he was forced to raise a hand to subdue his rebellious nose. Kirk did his best to pretend he hadn’t noticed anything amiss. Gav, as far as he could tell, was genuinely oblivious, concentrating on the transaction in hand.

“I’ll take three days’ worth now. If you leave sooner than that, come find me and I’ll give it you back.”

“Sounds good,” said Kirk, with all the nonchalance of someone dealing with money that wasn’t really his in the first place.

“Great. I’ll show you up, then.”

Jim felt his eyes drawn to Spock’s face as he turned to follow Gav out of the room. Nose definitely greener than it had been, there. He was also pretty sure that Spock’s eyes shone with more moisture than was usual, but conceded that this could be the ol’ confirmation bias at work. Spock seemed composed enough, after all, and a bit of flush was normal when you came in from the cold.

Nevertheless, he found himself paying attention to Spock’s breathing as Gav led them up a brown-carpeted staircase to the second floor. Slightly erratic, wasn’t it? Something about the exhale that suggested extra care was being taken to control it? But perhaps Spock always breathed carefully. It wouldn’t be a surprise.

Kirk stuck close to Gav as they climbed the stairs, Spock following a few steps behind. Kirk had to consciously stop himself from turning to look every time he thought he heard the Vulcan break step or pause.

They reached the nondescript door of number 5. Gav unlocked it, pushed the door partway open, and turned back to Kirk.

“Right. This is you, there’s a communal kitchen down the hall. Anything else?”

“No, this should be fine. Thank you.”

“Whatever, man.” Gav sloped off in the direction of the stairs. Kirk pushed the door open the rest of the way, and headed in.

It wasn’t a bad room, especially considering the mental coin-toss the choice of lodgings had been. Plain, but they wouldn’t be needing much. Window looked well secured, which probably boded well as far as draughts were concerned, and there were good thick blankets on the beds.

He heard the door shut, and relaxed a little. It was always nice to get a little privacy when you were trapped in an unfamiliar city. Well, as nice as anything was likely to be given, the overarching situation.

“Looks alright, doesn’t it, Spock?”

“Yes, I-”

Jim felt rather than saw Spock seize up and turned in time to see the Vulcan almost double over with the force of a viciously suppressed sneeze, fingers clenched tightly around his nose.

“hh’nGHXt!”

“Bless you. Again?”

Spock nodded, unable to summon the breath to speak past the overriding need.

“hngx’TCH!”

That seemed to deal with whatever was bugging his nose for now. Spock rocked gently back on his heels, apparently slightly dazed. Kirk winced.

“Bless you. Isn’t that uncomfortable?”

“Immensely,” Spock sighed. Jim wasn’t sure whether he had meant to be quite so honest, but took what the moment had given.

“Don’t hold them in, then. It’s only us, and I won’t mind.”

Spock didn’t answer, but the look he gave Jim suggested that he had his doubts on that.

Edited July 11, 2017 by RiversD

[LeapYearKisses]

I love Spock's silent, suppressed build-ups, the way he's just pretending everything is okay.  And Kirk paying him all that attention, but quietly.  I must reiterate that I love the way you're written their character dynamic and the plot continues to be a wonderful balance to the kink.  I'm really, really looking forward to Spock not stifling, though!  Thanks for continuing on with this, and I eagerly await the next installment!  Your story can pull me back into Star Trek no matter what else is on my mind.

P.S. I love your signature. Jeremy Brett was awesome!

[Subtly Clashing Wishes]

Oh so happy to see an update!  Poor Spock! It's just going to get worse and worse for him. At least he's got a roof and warm blankets. The mention of a kitchen makes me think Kirk is going to have to cook. That would be amusing. 

[Alabaster]

Agh! I'm so greedy, I was so excited for the update and I want more! These are wonderful. 

[Red]

Wow, that's awesome! I found your fic today and I read it in a row. I so love it! Especially the idea of a sick, sneezy Spock alone with Jim in an unknown place, spending the night together in one room. Awwww... 

No matter how long it will take, I'm looking forward to the next chapter! Thank you so much for this  

[Shamaël]

Wow, the whole story is great! (Spock sneezing is always great, but when there is a good plot, some Jim's POV and humor it's even better )

On 18/10/2016 at 7:27 PM, RiversD said:

Nevertheless, he found himself paying attention to Spock’s breathing as Gav led them up a brown-carpeted staircase to the second floor. Slightly erratic, wasn’t it? Something about the exhale that suggested extra care was being taken to control it? But perhaps Spock always breathed carefully. It wouldn’t be a surprise.

I don't know why, I especially loved this part.

I am looking forward to the next update (especially if Spock doesn't stifle anymore...).

Oh, and I totally agree with LeapYearKisses : Jeremy Brett is indeed a good idea for a signature!

[Spoo]

My dear, please take all the time you need! The fact that you're still continuing/progressing along with this fic makes me feel crazy grateful and appreciative of your hard work and excellent writing. Seriously, I feel so spoiled by this Spirk-tastic goodness.   

Jim fussing over Spock and finding Spock's condition legitimately concerning gives me life. Ughhh. And God, that torturing hold back was driving me crazy (nevermind driving Spock crazy). I'm so glad he got a bit of relief, even if: 

On 10/18/2016 at 6:27 PM, RiversD said:

“Bless you. Isn’t that uncomfortable?”

“Immensely,” Spock sighed.

Poor baby!  Hopefully he'll listen to Jim and not stifle, but that seems easier said than done... Again, this fic is very well written and the story itself is incredible. Yes, the fetishy bits are great but I would read/adore this fic even if it didn't involve any of that. Thank you again for giving me more!  

Edited October 19, 2016 by Count Spoocula

[AngelEyes]

Yay for an update! This made me happy! I love where this is going. I'm seriously happy about them spending the night in the same room. Yay! And Spock not stifling, although I feel like that may prove a challenge.

On 10/18/2016 at 0:27 PM, RiversD said:

“Bless you. Isn’t that uncomfortable?”

 

 

“Immensely,” Spock sighed. Jim wasn’t sure whether he had meant to be quite so honest, but took what the moment had given.

I like to think Spock didn't necessarily mean to be so honest either. Moment of vulnerability.

[LostGirl2.0]

GAH, thank you so much for this!  This may be my favorite Spirk story EVER!  I love love LOVE it and am so glad you're going to finish!!!  Your writing is incredible!

[NoThankYou]

Just found this fic, and am so excited to read it! One nice thing about coming late to the game is I'm not affected by the gaps between updates... except of course now I want more! (:

On 5/30/2016 at 7:11 PM, RiversD said:

Will I ever get to the point in less than 1000 words, though? Only time will tell.

On 5/29/2016 at 6:40 PM, RiversD said:

I think this got so long partly because I was having fun making the boys bicker and forgot which forum I was writing this for .

I really love your writing style, and please, continue how you're doing it! I'm here for the writing as much as the sneezing - more so, honestly. The back and forth between Kirk and Spock is VERY fun to read!

Oh, and I loved this:

On 5/30/2016 at 7:11 PM, RiversD said:

Light dawned. Of course, Capernia still operated under a form of capitalism

I love the de-normalization of capitalism. It's fun to see familiar concepts looked at through unfamiliar eyes.

Looking forward to more!

NTY

[RiversD]

@LeapYearKisses Ahh, I'm blushing, thank you so much! You're so kind, and Jeremy Brett was a very beautiful man.

@Sanguine Cheerful Worrier Yeah, I always think I'll be quicker next time and yet... The boys have definitely lucked out with the room- I couldn't bring myself to be realistically cruel in that regard. Whether Gav's over charging them or not doesn't really matter, given that it's not their money in the first place, so all's well that ends well. I can neither confirm nor deny any future role the kitchen may or may not play.

@Alabaster Thank you! And welcome, by the way. I'm really glad you're enjoying this!

@Red Thank you so much! Welcome to the grindingly slow process that is my fic.

@Aliena H. Hello again! Thank you, especially for the details of what bits about it you liked! Helps me to remember the things that work.

@Spoo Ahhh! I'm so glad you're still enjoying this, long though the journey has been. I also like that you picked out a few bits I added very late in the construction of that chapter, as well as one of the first bits I wrote of the whole fic, so hopefully the process isn't entirely self destroying.

@AngelEyes Again, your enthusiasm gives me life, joy, and a desire to get on with this.

@LostGirl2.0 Wow, thank you! I hope it lives up to your keenness.

@NoThankYou Thanks. I always worry about how much blurb I have in sneezefic, despite enjoying other people's lengthy asides very much indeed. It's always encouraging to hear the bulk of the writing is appreciated as well as, um... the other stuff. And to know my attempts to be semi-consistent with the world of Star Trek are not wasted.

You guys are great. Thank you for your patience!