This is my first multi-chapter fic. It's something I wanted to do for a while and I hope it goes over well. I realize most of the dialogue here will be paraphrased or even quoted from The Holiday, but I'll try to add a little originality to it. Yes, I know Christmas is over. This story contains slash, so this is your first and only warning. I don't own anything from Star Trek or The Holiday.
The Holiday: Star Trek Spin
Chapter 1
Riverside, Iowa
James T. Kirk (Jim to his friends) sat at his desk at the Riverside Tribune, the local newspaper. He had just finished wrapping up his Christmas gift for Gary Mitchell, his ex-boyfriend. Maybe that wasn't the right term for him. He really wasn't' sure what to call him. They had kind of an on/off relationship for a while. They'd been pretty casual about their relationship, but there was a big difference between their ideas of casual. While Jim could have one relationship one week and a new one the next, he never let them overlap. He never dated more than one person at once. Especially when sex was involved. It was the one thing about his sex life that his best friend never gave him any grief for. Gary did not feel the same way. Not even when they'd decided to get serious. They'd dated more solidly for a little over a year, and were at the stage where they were sharing drawer space, when Jim had walked into Gary's apartment and caught him in bed with Janice Rand, another newspaper employee. Janice, who Gary was now engaged to. He didn't really blame her. She worked in the circulation department with Gary, while Jim wrote an advice column. They'd kept their relationship pretty quiet for the sake of professionalism, so Janice likely didn't know that Gary was taken. She seemed too smart to do be into anything risky or inappropriate. Though, that hadn't stopped Jim from running to his doctor (the aforementioned best friend) for an exam. Now, he was just trying to get his feelings back in order after breaking up with the first person he'd ever really committed to and was now trying to keep a friendly working relationship with. Still, it was hard. Part of him was still a little in love with the guy whose inability to commit was worse than his own. He'd even considered asking him to move into his house with him. But, that was all in the past. Here and now was a sort of pre-Christmas party, and Jim couldn't help but watch Gary schmoozing the head of the paper. As Jim mused over his situation, he failed to notice someone coming up behind him, until a loud, cheery voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Hi Jimmy!" Jim nearly jumped out of his seat.
"Jeez, Gaila," he groaned, turning to face a beautiful green skinned woman who was grinning at him manically, "you trying to give me a heart attack! That'll give 'em something fun to write about it in the obit section!" Gaila just laughed. She was an Orion, not a common sight outside of a Starfleet facility. She was also the only one who could get away with calling him 'Jimmy.' She and Jim had gone out a few times, but decided not to continue. When he had informed her of Gary's cheating, she'd first offered to tear him a new one, then made it clear she was available for rebound/comfort sex. She was serious, too. And she became serious now when she saw where he'd been looking.
"Aw, Jimmy," she practically whined, "when a guy cheats on you, you're not supposed to pine after him. You're supposed to knock him down on his cheating ass and never think of him again."
"Believe me, I'd love to," Jim replied, "but we've gotta work together, and no one's gonna be happy if we can't be adults about it. It could get us both fired." While working in a newspaper hadn't been his lifelong dream, Jim was pretty content where he was. He'd always had a special place in his heart for the written word.
"You know if there was a choice between you and him, it would be you." She told him confidently. "You're the better writer and the better worker. He's only done as well as he has here because you help him with his projects and practically took care of him for the past year and a half, cooking and cleaning for him. And," she leaned forward a bit, "you're much, much better looking." Jim couldn't help but smile. Even though they weren't sleeping together anymore, a compliment from a hot Orion female was worth its weight in gold, and the best ego booster there was. And, he supposed, she did have a point. He had acted more like a housewife than a writer when he was with Gary. Right then, however, he realized that he had yet to finish his column and submit it. He left Gaila to the party and rushed into another cubicle away from the noise to better focus. As he was adding the finishing touches, the door opened, and Gary walked in, a casual grin on his face.
"Jim," he said, "I take it you heard the news, about the book I'm writing?"
"Yeah," replied Jim, "it's really great news."
"It is." Agreed Gary. "And, seeing as I can't proofread worth shit, I thought you could give me a hand. You know, check my grammar, and give me feedback, any ideas to make it better?" Jim shrugged. A lot of people came to him for that sort of thing. If he wanted to stay professional with Gary, he was going to have to treat him like everyone else. Even if it was to his benefit.
"Why not? I'll have plenty of time on break." Gary grinned.
"Thanks Jim, you're a lifesaver." That said, he turned and went back to the party. Jim turned back to the computer and resumed his work. He submitted his assignment and got his stuff together and headed out into the cold winter Iowa night. He knew he'd promised himself he'd act like nothing was any different, but after that encounter, all he wanted right then was to go home and get drunk until he passed out. As he made his way out to his bike, he wondered if anyone else had to deal with this kind of trouble so close to Christmas.
San Francisco, California
Nyota Uhura was fuming. She had just accidently opened up a message to her boyfriend, Sean Finnegan. The note was from his secretary, saying what a wonderful time she'd had with him last weekend. Nyota was a film editor, and Sean was a composer. They'd lived together for about ten months, but rarely saw each other due to their individual schedules. Sean had given up on pestering her to spend time with him about two months ago, and she'd wondered if that was a sign of acceptance, or if it meant that things would be over soon. When she'd first met Sean, she'd thought he was funny, exciting, and just what she needed. But the romance had faded into a kind of monotony. None of that mattered now though. What mattered was confronting her boyfriend and finding out if he slept with that secretary of his. He walked in the door, and she shoved the letter in his face.
"What the hell is this?" She raged at him. "Are you actually so obsessed with sex that you're screwing your secretary?" He stared at the letter for a moment, and then looked at her.
"What do you want me to say, Nyota?" He asked coldly. "We haven't had sex in six months. You're too busy for me." Nyota huffed in frustration.
"Answer the question Sean! Did you sleep with her?" Sean looked resigned.
"Yes, okay, I did." Nyota's lovely face twisted up in rage, and she began pushing him toward the front door.
"Get out!" Sean began to protest.
"Nyota! You're blowing this out of proportion. I have needs too, you know!" This only angered her further.
"I'll send you your stuff. It's over." She slammed the door, ignoring his muffled protests. She then did the only thing she could do in a stressful situation. She went back to work.
She got to the studio where two of her co-workers/subordinates were debating how to wrap up the trailer for some new spy movie. Pavel Chekov, who was some kind of Russian super genius, was once again insisting that some odd thing was invented in Russia. Hikaru Sulu an Asian-American, San Francisco native, was insisting it was not. They hushed up as soon as she came in, and she gave the trailer she was working on one last check, and they both praised her on it. Despite the fact that another success was right in front of her, she couldn't help but let her thoughts go back to Sean. What if he was right, and she was letting her job become her whole life? Making a decision, she turned to her two friends.
"Hey, we're ahead of schedule, why don't we call it a day and get started on Christmas break early?" Both of them looked out her as if she'd sprouted another head.
"You, take off work?" Asked Sulu, looking about to laugh.
"I'm serious," she told them, "I'm thinking about going away for the holiday."
A few hours later, she found herself on her computer, looking at hotels. She thought about Sulu and Chekov. It was obvious that those two would be spending their break together. She really hoped it would work out for them. Sulu was twenty-six, and Chekov was only seventeen. If it really worked for them though, the age difference wouldn't matter. She turned her focus back to the screen. She was having a little trouble finding what she was looking for. She didn't want some impersonal generic hotel room in a big tourist trap city. Then, she remembered something she'd heard about at work. A kind of bed and breakfast thing. She typed in her search. She glanced over the list of results and one in particular jumped out at her: Riverside, Iowa. She clicked on the link, and found herself looking at a charmingly old fashioned farm house nestled in snow. She decided to send a message.
Jim was moping around his house with a beer bottle in hand. His feelings warred between self-pity and self-loathing. Really, he was twenty-four years old. He shouldn't be acting like a broken hearted teenager. It was his own fault. He'd opened the door for somebody to walk all over him. Before Gary, he'd never given commitment, or anything beyond temporary infatuation, a second thought. As he was thinking this, his computer chimed, indicating that he had a new message. Sitting down in front of it, he opened the message.
I saw your house on the home exchange site, and would like to make use of it. Is it available for the holiday? Jim frowned, and began typing a reply.
I don't know what you're talking about. Home exchange? The reply was almost immediate.
Aren't you Winona Kirk? Jim relaxed a bit.
Winona was my mother. She passed away two years ago. I had no idea she did this. In San Francisco, Nyota's eyes widened.
I'm sorry, I didn't know. I was just hoping to get away for Christmas. Jim was intrigued.
How does this home exchange work? I'm Jim, by the way. Jim Kirk. Great, thought Nyota, a guy.
I'm Uhura.
Just Uhura? No last name?
Uhura is my last name.
No first name, then?
I don't see why you need it.
Does it sound weird or something? I promise not to laugh.
It's not weird. It's also not your business. Especially if you're making a pass at me.
I just broke up with my boyfriend, and you're asking to come and stay in my house. So it really is my business.
You're gay?
Bi-sexual. And please focus on the issue at hand.
You make a good point.
So?
It's Nyota.
That's pretty. What language is it?
Swahili. It means star.
That's cool! Anyway, it just so happens that I too am in need of a break from my everyday routine. This home exchange means we switch houses and stuff right?
Pretty much. I'm interested in the next two weeks.
What is your place like?
It's alright. A little more modern than yours.
Not hard to be. How do you feel about animals?
What kind?
Mostly just cats and dogs. It's a farming community here, and they tend to wander between their homes. It's probably for the best if you make sure your shots are up to date. The house is pretty nice. A little cluttered, but I keep it clean.
Same here. I bring a lot of my work home with me.
What is it you do?
I'm a movie editor. You?
I write for the local paper. Is there anything else you need to know?
Are there any men in your town?
Zero.
When can I come?
Is tomorrow too soon?
That's perfect.
And just like that, they had a plan.
End Chapter One
Please review and let me know what you think. I'm already about halfway done with this fic right now, so all I need to do is type the last few and do a bunch of editing and stuff. I've gone over this chapter about seven times already. Tell me if I should continue or if I should give up and never think about it again. If you do like it, I'll be updating about every other day.
