Title: Born Again
Summary: The Enterprise's second space anomaly encounter leaves the ship with a very different Captain Kirk. Can he be saved before it is too late? K/S Slash.
Disclaimer: I do not claim any rights to this franchise nor do I hope to make any profits from this story. Just borrowing the characters for a while. I'll give them back, I swear.
Pairing: Kirk/Spock
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It was the starship Enterprise's first unknown space anomaly since the detrimental encounter with the future Romulan ship. The battle with Nero was a sore spot among the crew, especially between the ship's captain and first officer. The exchange between the two during the mission that allowed James T. Kirk to take his rightful command of the Enterprise was hurtful to both involved. The biting accusations that Jim had unfairly aimed at Spock, although ordered by the older Spock himself, were distasteful even for his devil-may-care mindset.
Jim didn't care if people disliked him and he never did. But it was not a matter of Spock's regard for him that lodged a rock of guilt in his chest during and after the mission, it was the sadness he sometimes saw penetrating through his first officer's stoic mask. Jim was not the cause of the destruction of the planet Vulcan, nor the loss of Spock's mother, but he was the cause of the sadness. He had taken command away from Spock by using Spock's raw loss to his advantage, and how could Spock ever forgive him for that?
It wasn't as if Jim stayed awake all night every night choking over this guilt. He and Spock had been getting along normally ever since they saved Earth. There was a daily development of trust and even amiability between the two.
No, the guilt solidified into his heavy chest on those days when Spock was quieter than normal, with a set of lines of tension around his almost human brown eyes that betrayed the Vulcan's inner emotions. Jim knew on those days that Spock was reminded of his mother, and sometimes he would relieve his first officer of duty a little earlier than normal. It was the least he could do.
Now, with this second space anomaly that was fast approaching the starship, expressions of severe apprehension were etched over all of the crew's faces with the memory of their last. Getting a grip over his memories, Jim straightened up in his chair, quickly transitioning into an over confident captain.
"Commander Spock, what are the readings of this anomaly?" Jim asked.
"According to the ship's scanners, the electronegative discharge emanating from the anomaly is highly concentrated and is quickly altering the properties of the ship's sensors. I am unable to detect the depth of the plasma based field and highly recommend our retreat before we reach any possible gravitational pulls from its activity. The unknown nature of its electronegative derivative properties or the extent of its effects would make it unwise to investigate any further." Spock replied.
Tension was forming around his first officer's eyes and Jim squashed his guilt back into oblivion. This was not the time for personal regrets; if he did not act quickly he could put his crew in danger.
"To go where no man has gone before" did not entail malicious electronegative plasma based storm clouds with questionable altering properties.
"Sulu, Chekov, reset our course navigations to the nearest Federation planet in a roundabout route to avoid the anomaly. Initiate warp speed." Jim ordered.
"Yes, sir," both Sulu and Chekov responded.
Within seconds Sulu announced, "Course redirect implemented. Ready for warp, Captain."
Mere moments later, as Sulu had begun to push the silver warp lever, the ship's scanners began to go haywire as a formidable force shook the entire ship. Through the ship's window the entire crew watched the anomaly suddenly pulse towards them.
"Now, Sulu!" Jim ordered with a slight frenzy in his tone.
"We are in full warp, Captain," Sulu said with trepidation in his voice, "but it appears that the anomaly is as well."
A full three seconds of silence ensued before the anomaly pulsed again, and with a bright blinding light shot electric bolts that penetrated the ships walls, striking various machines, light fixtures, and most unfortunately, the captain.
Jim felt no pain, only light.
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Tingling, his body was tingling, and there were sounds. Voices? The muffled voices sounded worried and he wanted to know why but he couldn't focus on a single one to make out any sense. He was beginning to get frightened because he didn't know what was going on.
He tried to open his eyes.
Fuzzy images of tall blobs contrasted against a lighter background. This only added to the fear that was quickly rising up inside of him. He opened his mouth, and all he could do was cry his distress.
The entire crew looked upon the crying infant that was Captain James T. Kirk, all speechless.
Uhura began to approach the distressed baby, wrapping him in the shirt he had been wearing moments ago, but as soon as she picked him up he began to scream louder. Frightened, she held the shrieking infant an arms length away from her body. "Does anyone else want to try?" she asked in exasperation as Baby Jim began to add violent thrashing to his screams.
Uhura hastily handed him over to Chekov. "He's always been fond of you. Maybe he'll take to you better," she reasoned.
Baby Jim stopped his wailing at the switch of hands…
For a moment or two…
He began crying again, momentum building with each passing second. Chekov looked even more out of place with the wailing baby than Uhura had. "Keptin, it is okay. Ples stop crying," he said to the child. Chekov tried to pass Baby Jim on to Sulu but the man backed away shaking his head. Chekov redirected his advances toward Spock, who also was staring at the infant captain with shock and dare one say fright?
Spock wasn't given much choice than to take the screaming captain into his arms, lest he be dropped by the lack of Chekov's.
Baby Jim stopped crying again at the switch of the person holding him. He raised his tiny red fists and squinted his eyes at first to look at Spock, deciding to then open them exposing the familiar shocking blue. Baby Jim then grasped the front of Spock's uniform snuggling into his body. From the physical contact and his touch telepath nature, Spock could slightly get the meaning of "warm" across from the connection from Jim, as the infant began to drift asleep.
Spock looked up from the baby to the shocked faces of his fellow crew.
"I'm taking the captain to sickbay. Lieutenant Uhura, contact Scotty to inform him that he is temporarily in charge," he ordered, and briskly walked out of the bridge with Baby Jim.
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To say that Bones was genuinely disturbed was an understatement. Not only would the situation of his best friend and Captain being carried into sickbay in the arms of the irritatingly logical hobgoblin be enough to cause this dismay, but the fact that his best friend and Captain was inexplicably an infant threw him over the edge.
"What have you done to him?!" Bones accused.
Spock but merely lifted a steep eyebrow, "You are to imply that I not only have the capability but also the desire to harm the captain in this way? Were you not aware of the powerful electrical anomaly that penetrated our defenses at warp speed, Doctor?" There was a distinct level of acidity in Spock's voice that was enough to make Bones feel sheepish for his uncalled for outburst.
Not that he would ever admit that to the Vulcan.
Bones made no reply as he went to retrieve Jim from Spock's arms, but Jim was having none of that. He had awoken from the argument and currently had a death grip on Spock's shirt. He began to cry again once Bones attempted to pry him off.
"What's wrong with him? Why won't he let go of you?" Bones wondered out loud.
"That is precisely why I am here. It is imperative that you find out how to change the Captain back to his rightful age in a timely fashion. The Enterprise needs its Captain, and I cannot hold him until he naturally ages." Spock answered, worry lacing his voice now.
Bones began to scan Baby Jim with the tricorder, checking the baby's vitals, and everything else he could possibly do with him attached to the Vulcan. "He seems to be functioning normally, but there is something interesting in the scan readings…" Bones murmured as he intently looked through the results.
Spock waited patiently, shifting Baby Jim into a tighter embrace as the baby began to slip. Bright blue eyes stared up at him, and a hiccup that resembled a laugh came from the baby's lips as he got comfortable in the adjusted position. Spock began to feel shrouds of other emotions coming through his touch telepath connection with Jim.
Feelings like trust…
Affection…
Spock ignored the feelings that were not his own coming through the connection as he inquired Bones, " What about the scans?"
After another irritatingly silent few minutes, Bones finally answered. "It seems as though Jim has been reverted back to his infant form by the anomaly, that his DNA is rapidly replicating. It's almost as if he's aging before our eyes."
Bones and Spock both looked down at Baby Jim. He did not appear to be the newborn that had been wailing on the bridge. He looked to be several months old, as he was successfully supporting his head that now seemed to have a light dusting of blonde hair. It also explained the uncharacteristically strong grip on Spock.
"So, the captain will quickly grow to be his normal age naturally?" Spock inquired the doctor.
"At this rate, it appears that Jim will be able to regain about four years back within a 24 hour period." Bones whispered in amazement as he looked back down to the results.
"You claim that the captain will be back to normal in less than a week then," Spock concluded.
"Ideally," Bones replied with hesitation, "but the question is…will his rapid aging cease at his normal 25 years of age…or will it continue to progress?"
A thick silence ensued, to be broken by Spock as he peered down at the little captain within his arms that had taken to sleeping once more. "If it does progress in such a manner, Jim will be dead in less than a month," he practically whispered.
Spock's buried emotions were steadily creeping to the surface, and all he could feel was fear for his captain…for his friend. With the slightest brush through Baby Jim's downy blonde hair, it greatly disturbed the Vulcan that the soft curls in his hand had not been there moments ago.
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Reviews are lovely! Tell me what you think. Chapter 2 is on its way.
Much love, M.R.