Author's note: I had thought that "Closure" would be the last story in my TOS Spock/Uhura universe (thus the name, as much for me as for Spock), but I felt like I had to address the events of "Star Trek Beyond." This story can stand alone, but there are references to events in my other stories, especially "A Roll of the Dice," "The Waking Man," and "Closure."

Across the sea beyond the sand,

At sunrise I shall sail away,

To dwell in that enchanted land

Where Love does stay.

And up each lonely mountain peak,

Where'er the narrow path may lead,

Beneath its burning skies I'll seek

The One I need.

Across its plains by moon and star,

And darkest night my road shall be,

Until I clasp the hands which are

Held forth to me.

And if the storms be fierce and strong

To tire me ere the search be done

My peace will be more sweet and long

If peace be won.

-Across the Sea Beyond the Sand by Dollie Radford

Beyond the Sand, Chapter one

Standing on the terrace of his apartment on New Vulcan, Spock watched the activities taking place on the ground far below. He could not deny it felt wrong that he was not down there himself, touring the expansion of the hospital, directing the groundbreaking for the new school, deciding where the next group of single-family homes would be placed. Until recently, he had even begun to entertain the thought that he, himself, would build a modest home, but of course that would not happen now. In the limited time he had remaining, he must devote his dwindling strength and attention to transitioning his duties to Sarek.

It was fitting that he had been the one to observe the descent of his father's intellect into the confusion of Bendii's Syndrome so many years ago, and now, his father was the one who would witness the same in him. There was no cure for this disease in either the future he knew or the current time. From his experience with Sarek, he was aware that the symptoms could be alleviated with a mindmeld, but he had looked up the current treatment regimen for Bendii's, and there was no mention of a mindmeld so he would not pursue that option. At any rate, the disease was apparently going to be different for him, so it was possible that the mindmeld would not have worked, anyway. The doctor did not think that the emotional center of his brain would be impacted, given the structural differences between his brain and the brain of someone who was fully Vulcan, and it appeared that the doctor was to be proven correct. In the five weeks since his illness had been diagnosed, he had already noticed a lessening of his ability to process complex equations. He would almost rather lose his emotional control than his mathematical reasoning, but kaiidth. What was, was.

There were so many more things he had wanted to do here. He had learned that T'Val's parents were unable to leave Vulcan before it imploded, so he had accepted the painful truth that she and the children he and she had created would not exist in this universe. However, although he could find no record of the Vulcan science expedition that had encountered hostile Romulans and produced Saavik, the more he considered it, the more he thought it could be because the records had been lost in the destruction of Vulcan. Neither he nor she had ever determined her exact age, but the Vulcan scientists could have left Vulcan before it was destroyed. It was possible that Saavik was out there, waiting for him to find her. He had saved her, and in so many ways, she had saved him. She had taught him patience and unconditional acceptance. She had been the catalyst that brought him and Nyota together, and she was the only child he and Nyota were to be given. Her son, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and beyond had drawn a direct line from the two of them to the future. He could not bear the thought that Saavik might die alone on Hellguard, never having known that life could be anything other than an unceasing fight for survival.

He had sworn that he would say and do nothing to influence the future, but he would make an exception for Saavik. Before his mind deteriorated to the point that he could no longer communicate, he would write a letter to his younger self and put it in a box that he would direct be delivered after his death. It was possible that in this universe, Saavik would not come to mean the same to him as she had in his own universe, but at least she would have a chance to survive.

And Nyota…

He had been pleased to discover that in this universe, he and she had already learned what they could mean to each other. No one had spoken openly of it to him, but it was easily discerned through observation, especially if one knew where to look. He, himself, had not stayed at the Academy after graduation so he had not met her until she was assigned to the Enterprise, and even then, it had taken them many more years to come together. What had happened in this universe to change that? He had hoped to know. She had believed in an afterlife and he had not—other than the katra, of course—and he had once teasingly told her that if she was right, she could say "I told you so" upon their heavenly reunion. And he could imagine their conversation if he identified where he had turned left instead of right, and caused them to lose years they could have been together.

But… In this universe, Nyota was not dead. He had been amused at his depiction of their imaginary conversation, but it could not happen even in his wildest dreams. He still did not believe in her version of an afterlife, but she would have been greatly saddened to know that he was destined to die in a universe without the version of her that he had cherished for so many years. Perhaps the Bendii's was impacting his emotional control, after all, because he suddenly had to blink away the sting of tears.

He remembered an incident that had happened shortly after Vulcan's destruction, when he was on Earth overseeing the provisioning of the ships that were to take the remaining Vulcans to their new home. He had fastidiously avoided this strange new version of her, but one day in the hanger deck he had turned and found her standing before him.

"Ah, greetings," he had said, forcing his expression to remain neutral even though his heart was racing.

"Hello," she said. She glanced down at her feet, and he thought that he observed nervousness, but then she met his eyes again with such resolve that he decided he must have imagined it. "Spock told me that it would be better if I didn't try to talk to you, but I couldn't resist. I just had to know what he will be like someday, long after I'm gone."

"As you can see," Spock said drily, "his face will become considerably more wrinkled, his voice will weaken, his posture will become somewhat stooped, and his hair will turn completely gray."

She smiled and shook her head. "Sorry, this is so weird. You're entirely different, and yet you aren't."

"And I must confess, this is no less 'weird' for me. In my timeline, we did not meet until you were older."

"Really? That's surprising. Why not?"

"I took a starship assignment immediately after I graduated from the Academy, so we were not here at the same time. Can you tell me why I stayed to teach in this reality?"

"You reprogrammed the Kobayashi Maru test as part of your senior thesis, and you did such a good job that they asked you to stay as an instructor."

"Fascinating. In my reality, I did not teach at the Academy until many years later. I would be interested to discover what prompted my early interest in the Kobayashi Maru test."

"I don't know. You were already in charge of it when I met you." She caught her lower lip between her teeth. "It's not a secret, exactly, but we've always tried to be discreet and there aren't many people who know, but, uh, you and I, I mean the other you, and I, well…"

"You are romantically involved."

"How did you know? We've told almost no one."

"It was obvious to me."

"Well. Okay. I know that you can't divulge anything specific about the future, but can you tell me… were you and I, um, together in your reality? You know, together together? Even though we didn't meet at the Academy?"

He raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Yes. We were quite certainly together together. We were very content with one another for many years."

She smiled shakily, inhaled, and blew out a heavy breath that seemed to him like a sigh of relief. "Oh, good. I hope it works out that way in this universe, too."

He nodded. "As do I."

"And now… are you happy?"

Spock looked briefly at the ground and clasped his hands behind his back. "Happiness is an emotional state."

"Indeed it is," she said, in perfect imitation of him.

"I have lived a long life. I have accomplished much. I have had rewarding relationships with others. Does that sound like happiness to you?"

"Yes, but…"

"But?"

"You aren't where... when you belong."

He nodded. "There is that."

They looked at each other for a long time, but finally she said, "I guess that I need to let you get back to work. I'd say that it was nice to meet you, but that doesn't really fit the situation. Anyway, thanks for talking to me. Good luck with New Vulcan."

"Thank you. I enjoyed our conversation."

At that, she had given him one last searching look and raised her hand as if she were going to touch him, but then she had dropped her arm, turned, and walked away. He had watched until she exited the bay, and he had continued to stare at the door long after she was gone. He had often heard humans say that something tugged at one's heartstrings, but he had never understood until this moment that something could, literally, feel as if it were tearing one's chest apart. When she had reached for him, he had felt a similar impulse to reach for her, but of course that would have been improper. This version of Nyota was so different from his, not as soft in either body or personality, more urgent and intense than the woman he remembered, but it was still her. He had been overwhelmingly grateful to have seen her beautiful face one more time, to have talked to her again, to have been close enough to touch her if he had only dared.

His thoughts turned again to T'Val, so different from Nyota but no less beloved. He had shocked T'Val the first time he professed his feelings for her. He had never been able to tell Nyota easily that he loved her, but she had always known that he did. It had taken her death, his long period of solitude, and his reawakening when he met T'Val to convince him that there was no shame in speaking openly of his feelings. Of course, it was not in his nature to overshare such things, but it was also no longer in his nature to avoid them.

He had two exceptional children with T'Val, a son who took readily to the Vulcan disciplines, and a much younger daughter who did not. He had learned only days before he left Earth to help the Romulans that his son had developed a serious relationship with a human woman, and he wondered what had become of that. He pictured his little daughter the last time he saw her, so animated and outspoken, very much like Saavik as a child. She would most certainly try T'Val's patience as she matured, just as Saavik had tried his. If only he could return to them, even if only for a day or a week or a month…

His gaze traveled beyond New Vulcan to the sandy void beyond, and then he took a heavy breath and returned to the interior of his apartment.

End chapter 1