AN: All Vulcan phrases borrowed from the Vulcan Language Dictionary, which has saved my butt in writing Star Trek fanfic, and written in italics for clarification. James and Spock are introduced for the first time in this chapter. Hope you like it!
2
Three years after James came to live with her, Leiani received a subspace transmission from Vulcan. It was a priority message from Ambassador Sarek, with a request. He requested her presence on Vulcan, and if she could bring James that would be ideal.
"What do you want James for?"
"David Horn wishes to see his son."
"Of course, Ambassador." Leiani smiled. Early on, she had told James the truth and the boy had long expressed a desire to meet his father. It was a secret long kept from his mother, which was as it would stay. After ending her communication with Sarek, she began packing. James arrived home from school an hour later.
"Leiani, I'm home!"
"I'm upstairs, James!" She studied the clothes laid out on his bed, frowning.
"What's up?"
"We're going to Vulcan." She waved him into the room, "Pack your things, we leave today."
"Vulcan? Cool! What for?"
"Your father wants to see you."
"Really?" he grew shy as he packed. She smiled and left the room.
"Really."
"Hey, Leiani?"
"Yes, James?"
"Thanks."
"You're welcome." She closed the door and went about closing up the house. James met her in the underground hangar where she kept the Prince William. She and James had, as a project, refitted it with an advanced warp-drive separate from the continuum drive array, so that interplanetary travel was possible without time-travel included. They opened the launch doors, took off, and set course for Vulcan. James slept for most of the trip, and Leiani put the Prince William autopilot.
They arrived at Vulcan within two days, and upon landing were greeted by Sarek, his wife Amanda and his son Spock, and by David Horn.
"Leiani, who's that?" James pointed out at Spock, "He's my age almost!"
"That is Ambassador Sarek's son, Spock. He's like me."
"Really? Cool! Do you think he'll like me?"
"If you're nice, maybe. Remember, not all Vulcans are like me."
"Yeah, I know. But there's Dad!" James was somber only for a moment. Leiani smiled and ruffled his hair.
"I can finish shut-down, go greet your father."
"Really?"
"And be polite to Ambassador Sarek, we're his guests on Vulcan."
"Okay. I remember everything you taught me." James said before racing out of the cockpit. It only took a few seconds to finish shut-down, she really stayed behind to let James and his father reunite without her interference. She was also curious to know how Spock and James would get along. It was a mutual curiosity, the two boys circled each other warily, like two puppies of different breeds meeting for the first time. Shaking her head, Leiani left the Prince William. Spock was sixteen, a little taller, a little stronger, a little more controlled than James, but she saw a possibility of friendship for them. As she set foot on the dusty ground of Vulcan, Leiani had the distinct sensation of coming home. She was welcomed by Amanda and Sarek, with whom she exchanged the traditional salute.
"Welcome home, talsu." Sarek smiled and embraced her, "We've been waiting for you." Behind them, the boys were making friends, James taking the initiative.
"Mene sakkhet ur-seveh."
"Sochya eh dif, ri-fainusu." Spock's greeting was that to a stranger, but James just smiled.
"Not for long. I'm James Kirk." He stuck out one hand in the traditional greeting of Earth. This was the moment of truth and Leiani found herself doing something very Human, she crossed her fingers behind her back. Amanda and Sarek were holding their breath, waiting. Vulcans tended to avoid touching hands except in special circumstances, what would Spock do? Spock studied James for just a brief moment and then took his hand.
"I am Spock. You are Leiani's orensu."
"Yeah." James nodded, "Yeah, I am." Spock fought with keeping a straight face for a moment before he finally gave in and smiled. The boys shook hands and then wandered off talking about something to do with computers. The exhale of relief was audible.
"Now correct me if I'm wrong, but did my son just make a friend?" David watched the two go off, his expression genuinely curious.
"Yes, I believe they did." Sarek was thoughtful, and Leiani had hope for this visit.
They were two months on Vulcan, during which time Leiani watched James forge two very important bonds. One was with David Horn, the other with Spock. It was not unusual for the boys to engage in games of physical strength, usually wrestling, which James absolutely loved. Spock was gentle with him, aware of his own superior strength, but thorough in teaching James how to fight back if fight he must. It was almost fun to watch the boys wrestle because they enjoyed themselves, and Leiani watched her ward become stronger. When they finally left, it was a sad goodbye for James and Spock. David decided it was time he be more proactive in his son's life and was coming back with them, much to James's delight. But James was still loosing the first real friend his age he'd ever had. It would be hard leaving Spock behind.
The day of their departure, the boys vanished after breakfast and were not seen again until nearly sundown. Leiani and David packed the Prince William but refrained from searching for the boys, knowing this could very well be the last time they saw each other for a very long time.
Meanwhile, James and Spock sat on a high outcrop that gave them a panoramic view of everything for miles around. Part of James wanted to stay behind on Vulcan, he liked it here. He liked Spock, too. The half-Vulcan boy was only two years older than he was but by far the best friend James had. Leiani was too old, she was more of a guardian figure. He fell backwards in the dust and sighed.
"You're sad, James?" Spock looked at him, always confused by his Human emotions, he didn't really understand them very well. James turned his head.
"Yeah, I'm sad."
"But why?"
"Because I'm leaving Vulcan and you're the best friend I've got. Heck, I think you're my only friend. You're the first person I've met who didn't hate me right away, who didn't judge. Or if you did, that's all changed." He shrugged, "I don't have friends, Spock, so you're really one of a kind."
"Am I your…best friend?"
"Yes, I think you're my best friend. You are my best friend." He knew it was a big admission to make, but it only made sense. Spock really was his best friend.
"T'hy'la." Spock pronounced the word carefully, deliberately. James had learned several words of Vulcan, spoke it almost fluently thanks to Leiani, and knew the difference between that word for friend and a similar but very different word.
"T'hy'la." He sat up, repeating it for himself. Spock turned so they faced each other on the bluff, and held up one hand. Two months of carefully cultivated friendship had just reached a turning point. James almost forgot how to breathe as he and Spock exchanged the ozh'esta, the Vulcan "finger embrace" exchanged only between bondmates or t'hy'la. He leaned forward until his forehead rested against Spock's and they sat there like that for a good fifteen minutes, said nothing. He closed his eyes and focused until he could hear Spock's quick, cat-like heartbeat and his own heartbeat had picked up until it was nearly the same. He tried to remember exactly what that meant, he knew it was important, but couldn't recall. Finally, it began to grow late and he knew Leiani wouldn't wait forever. They watched the sun set behind Mount Seleya, and then Spock led the way back to Sarek's house, leading him by the hand.
Leiani looked up from the book she had borrowed out of Sarek's expansive library as the front door opened and closed again.
"That took long enough." David mused from the couch where he had dozed off, "What's the time?"
"Just a little after 19:30." Leiani smiled as the boys came into the living room together. She noticed that they had joined hands, and didn't seem too inclined to let go. Hmm. What exactly had they been up to all day? Well, none of her business. They seemed awfully subdued, she thought. With James safely back, it was time to leave. They said goodbye to Sarek and Amanda and took their leave of Vulcan. The boys said their goodbyes, and Leiani swore she heard them use the term t'hy'la.
"Rom-halan, t'hy'la. Mene sakkhet ur-seveh." Spock said quietly as he saluted James, who returned the gesture.
"Sochya eh dif. Nemaiyo." James said before turning away and boarding the Prince William. He said nothing to them as he buckled into the navigator's seat. Once they were away, she set course for Earth and engaged auto-pilot. James was out of his seat as soon as they entered warp.
"I'm a little tired."
"Go and sleep, James. You were gone for most of the day." Leiani excused him and watched him leave the cockpit.
"What was that all about?"
"He just needs to be alone. Did anything you heard on Vulcan make sense?" she looked at David, hoping she wouldn't have to explain the intricacies and importance of what James and Spock had said to each other.
"Enough to worry."
"Don't worry, I think this means the time-lines are setting themselves to rights." She smiled at David, "T'hy'la is a very sacred word reserved only for a certain kind of friend."
"T'hy'la means life friend, blood brother, soulmate."
"Yes."
"James and Spock?"
"You seem displeased."
"Shocked."
"Don't be. A friendship like theirs is truly one of a kind and even though it may hit a few rocky patches, it will be solid and long-lasting." She knew he still didn't understand, and didn't expect him to appreciate the friendship the way she did.
Shortly after arriving home from Vulcan, David Horn proposed to Leiani and married her two months later. It was a very small ceremony attended only by James Kirk and Ambassador Sarek, who was on Earth for a diplomatic mission. James had long looked up to Leiani as a mother-figure, his own being absent much of the time, and it made him very happy to finally have some closer claim to her. For the first time in his life, he had a real family. Leiani was his legal, court-appointed guardian after he had been removed from his mother's home at the age of eleven, the only family he'd ever really considered his. Now he had his father and Leiani. He was content, and they were happy together.
This restructuring of his family dynamic had a profound impact on James's future, and although he knew Leiani and David were both hoping he would go into Starfleet as they had, they allowed him the freedom of making his own choices. He found a love of computers and spent spare hours reprogramming old computers, taking them apart and then putting them back together just to do something with his hands. When he wasn't playing around with old computers, he liked to race cars on a semi-professional circuit. But that wasn't enough, it was never enough. Something was missing, there was something he hadn't done, something he wanted to do.
Translations of Vulcan phrases used in this chapter
talsu = finder; in this instance, a nod to Leiani's former occupation as a Federation Time Agent.
Mene sakkhet ur-seveh = Live long and prosper; traditional Vulcan greeting
Sochya eh dif = Peace and long life; response to "Live long and prosper"
ri-fainusu = stranger
orensu = student
Rom-halan = farewell/good bye; a parting salutation
t'hy'la = friend-lover-lifelong companion, blood brother/sister; soulmate; soul-brother/sister
Nemaiyo = thank you; a term of appreciation
