Disclaimer: Star Trek belongs to Gene Roddenberry. The movie rights belong to J.J. Abrams and Paramount. Thanks to Zachary Quinto and Chris Pine for inspiring me to write about the young versions of Spock and Kirk!

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed or commented on the first chapter! Feedback is such a great motivator. Now, let's turn up the intensity a bit. Angst alert! They really go for the jugular in this one, so to speak.

.~.

Teach Me

Ch. 2: James T. Kirk

I stood there, rooted to the floor in shock at the sheer impudence of this human. No one had ever dared to challenge me during a lecture. They knew that I could have them written up and sent to the headmaster, all without so much as batting an eyelash. As much as many of my students loathed me, they didn't want to risk receiving a demerit for such behavior. Alright, human, I thought with grim satisfaction. It will be interesting to see if you can sink or swim.

"You may proceed," I said, my voice as calm as ever. "If you give a full and detailed lecture I may not write you a referral."

"Then I'll make sure not to leave anything out."

The human called Jim winked at me, and with a smug grin, he began his lecture. I flushed a slight green, and hoped that no one noticed. Although he frustrated me to no end, there was something about him that called to me. If I must be entirely honest, I had not wished to turn the lecture over to this human brat. But I was quite rattled from our handshake, and was terrified I might let even the slightest emotion slip during my lecture, especially with Jim right there in front of me. So I let him give lecturing a shot.

I could not understand it, but nevertheless I had felt him, mind, body, and soul. And the frightening thing was that in that instant I knew he was just as lonely and afraid as I was. How I wished to know him, truly know him, as only a friend could. I could be his confidant. I could be his anchor in a storm. I could be… incredibly illogical at times. This was something I needed to meditate on, and soon. My thoughts raced through my mind at warp speed as I tried to digest what had just occurred.

This boy, Jim, was threatening to overwhelm my sense of logic, and all because he touched my hand! Of course, if the boy had taken my course on Interspecies Ethics, he would have learned that Vulcans kiss with their fingers, which are rather sensitive. I swallowed involuntarily at that thought, and firmly drew upon the ancient Vulcan techniques to purge my mind of such inappropriate musings.

Instead I focused on listening as Jim's voice painted the picture of the Kelvin incident in the most vibrant, accurate detail. True to his word, he wasn't leaving anything out. In fact, he seemed to be embellishing quite a bit. Jim was giving details that I had never heard proven to be facts, and the class was eating it up. Never before had I seen one of my classes give their full attention like this! I made a mental note to speak to him after he was finished lecturing.

Eventually, Jim's tall tale came to a close. I was about to ask him to take his seat when almost every hand in the audience shot up. I was utterly taken aback by the eagerness of this crowd to voluntarily participate in discussion.

"Yes, Gary?" Jim smiled and pointed at human sitting in the back.

"How did Captain George Kirk know that his plan would work on the Romulans?" Gary asked.

"He didn't," said Jim. "He took a gamble, and won. Of rather, he lost – it just depends on how you look at it." I took an unconscious step backwards as a wave of anguish radiated from Jim. I had no choice but to absorb it. It took all of my control not to react, to keep my features schooled into their usual mask. What was this human doing to me?

"Chekov, go ahead," Jim continued on as if nothing had happened. He had a tight outward grip on his emotions, I had to give him that.

"Jes, I was wondering how George Kirk came to be the keptin aboard that wessel. Er I mean, he was wery young, no?"

"You're correct," said Jim with a nod. "George Kirk was completely devoted to everything that Starfleet stood for. He worked hard and quickly advanced up through the ranks until he reached First Officer. And even though he was only captain for twelve minutes, he still holds the record for the youngest captain in Starfleet history." He paused to make sure that his spellbound audience was still paying attention. They were. Everyone in that room was enraptured by him - including me. "That is, of course, until I break the record." He smirked at his adoring public, who began to murmur amongst themselves.

It was at that point that I'd had enough of his incessant boasting. I could not yet determine the cause of my strange emotional reaction to this boy, but the fact remained that he was causing trouble in my class. Someone had to put him in his place, and it looked like it was going to be me.

"I believe this has gone on long enough." Jim turned to me as if he wanted nothing more than for me to participate in the discussion.

"Spock, did you have a question for me?" Laughter rang out for the audience while the tips of my ears tinged green.

"While you did present the facts in a chronological manner, I cannot ignore your blatant embellishments. I also cannot understand how the elaborated story of the birth of George Kirk's son is significant." More laughter. Jim looked like he was about to bust in amusement as well.

"Let's just say that I found it significant to include." Jim's twinkling eyes locked with mine and I found his gaze to be rather disconcerting.

"I do not appreciate your embellishments, nor do I condone them," I said stiffly. "You will repeat your lecture, pointing out which parts you embellished and which parts you did not."

"I promise you, I haven't embellished anything," said Jim. "I have conducted… research on this topic. Many of the people who I have interviewed were George Kirk's friends who served with him on the Kelvin. I've also extensively interviewed Winona Kirk as to her role during the incident." The group of boys near the back which included the ones called Gary, Chekov, and a youth of Asian decent cheered and gave Jim the 'thumbs-up' sign.

"Do not lie to me," I muttered. "None of the official records mentioned anything about-"

"This isn't official business. Not to me," Jim said softly. A hush fell over the lecture hall as the students continued to watch us duke it out. I slightly shook my head at him.

"A boy like you never could have interviewed George Kirk's friends, much less his wife. It would be most illogical that they would wish to share their stories with one as insignificant as you." I sneered faintly at him. How dare he try to trivialize George Kirk, my childhood hero! If he'd actually met people who were close to George Kirk, I would renounce my Vulcan ways. "You mistakenly believe that you are special. Well, Jim, let me enlighten you. One such a you could never hope to be even half the man that George Kirk was. He was a man of selflessness and integrity, which is the furthest thing from what you are. "

Jim outwardly flinched at that – he couldn't hide that reaction from me, but he was concealing his inward pain well, which I appreciated. There, that ought to deflate his ego a bit. No permanent damage done. "You will take your seat." Jim didn't move a muscle. I started moving towards him but what I was going to do when I reached him I had not a clue. But then someone intervened.

"Alright, Commander Spock!" A male voice cheered from the back.

"Jim got told!" Cried another voice. I slowed my strides, looking out at the students in amazement. Never before had a student actually given me a compliment! As more and more students began to join in the taunting, I grew more bewildered. Don't get me wrong, a small part of me did enjoy the positive attention but I was more concerned as to what would cause the students to behave in such a manner. It was not logical that they would suddenly favor me. I had to be missing some vital piece of information, but what was it?

"Not so tough are we now, Kirk?" Came another jeer from the crowd. Jim turned to look at me and there was a fury in his eyes I had not conceived to be possible. Kirk? Overwhelmed with guilt, I lowered my eyes. But just because I wasn't watching him didn't mean that I wasn't feeling him. As he clenched his fists, I fought to absorb his mental barbs of anger as they shot carelessly toward me. Oh no. No. No. NO! Please tell me I did not just humiliate George Kirk's son in front of the entire class? But I knew there could be no other explanation. The boy was of the correct age and it would certainly explain how he knew so much inside information about that fateful night on the Kelvin. At that moment I tried to recall everything I had ever read about the Kirk family. George Kirk, deceased. Wife Winona Kirk. Two sons George Samuel and James Tiberius. James! My dark eyes widened a fraction as I put two and two together. Jim was the Terran nickname for James! How could I have not made that connection before?

As I watched, helpless to control the situation as it spurned out of control, Jim Kirk slunk off the stage and took the first available seat. Just watching him look so defeated was almost unbearable. I knew I had to have touched a nerve to receive this sort of reaction from James Tiberius Kirk, who embodied the confidence of his father. What had I done? I wanted to rectify my mistake, but how? Surely he knew I hadn't intended to humiliate him and to accuse him of lying and to compare him to his famous father…

Just then the lunch tone sounded. Over the din of the crowd, I reminded my students of their homework for the next class. Ashamed of my unseemly behavior, I gathered my notes together, hoping to make a quick exit. I was just about to leave when my ears attuned to one haughty voice in particular.

"Who was that pointy-eared bastard?" Is my wavelength tuned just to Jim Kirk? Although the insult stung, I didn't blame him one bit for his less than agreeable feelings toward me. At least this would give me an excuse to speak with him and apologize. I climbed off the stage, and waded through the crowd, my ears sharply attuned to his voice until I stood there before him and his friends.

"Mr. Kirk, you will accompany me to my office." He narrowed his eyes at me as he bombarded me with sarcasm. At least I think it was sarcasm. You never can be sure with humans.

"Actually, I don't have extra time in my schedule today but maybe next week we could-" I raised an eyebrow.

"That was not a request."

"Fine," said Jim, who looked like he'd just made up his mind to go with me. As if it had been his idea all along. "Lead the way." He said a quick goodbye to his friends, who promised to save him a seat at lunch.

.~.

The sea of students parted just enough for us to get through. I strode out through the corridor, not bothering to check to see if Jim was following me. I could feel that he was. I winced as I did my best to shield myself against the hatred he was directing at me. The worst part about this whole scenario was that I knew it was all my fault. Had I not humiliated him, perhaps we could be meeting under happier circumstances.

Finally, we reached my office. I was granted entry after I placed my right hand on the scanner. After taking a quick look around, Jim made no effort to conceal his scoff at how tidy my office was. I suppose he was right – I did tend to over organize my books and science experiment data files. But when you don't have a social life, your choices to occupy your time are sadly limited.

"Have a seat." I gestured toward the rarely used chair opposite my desk.

"No thanks, I'll stand." More rebellious sarcasm, this time I'm sure of it. I swallowed hard, as it was getting very difficult being in such proximity with one who was projecting such intense emotions. But my Vulcan mask remained securely in place, for which I was grateful.

"Jim, I just wanted to-"

"Mr. Kirk," he said coldly. "You don't get to call me Jim. That's reserved for my friends only." Ouch. I couldn't deny that that one didn't hurt. Maybe one of these days he would find it in him to forgive me and then we could be friends. But at the moment that seemed very unlikely.

"Mr. Kirk," I relented, "Although it is very difficult for me to speak of such things, I wanted to apologize for my rude behavior during class. It was not my intention to embarrass you like that. I promise, on my honor as a Vulcan, I had no idea that you-"

"Just shut up, will you?" He growled. I did not go on, even though I so desperately wanted to. I had to let him know that I hadn't known he was George Kirk's son!

"When I first saw you today, I thought, maybe it's wrong what people say about Vulcans. Maybe he isn't cold on the inside. He must have feelings; everyone's got feelings. But after what you did to me today? I guess everyone was right. Do you have any idea what it feels to live life in your father's shadow?" He was yelling by this time, and my ears were beginning to ring.

"Yes, actually," I said, letting the sadness seep through in my voice. He took an unconscious step backward from me, mimicking my actions from earlier when I had been bombarded by his pain. He couldn't by any chance be feeling my emotions, could he? No, that's impossible, I told myself. He's not a Vulcan and if he were an Empath he would know how to guard his emotions from others. Stop looking for what isn't there!

"It's no wonder you don't have any friends." Jim shook his head at me. "You're just an empty shell. But there are times when I've seen that Vulcan control slip." I did not like where this was going. Not at all.

"Mr. Kirk, you must believe me when I say that I did not know that you were George Kirk's son. If I had known, I would have gladly let you teach the class."

"I don't believe you," he said coolly.

"Vulcans never lie," I countered. Then he gave me a chilling smirk, all devoid of former mischief. I must have badly wounded him, and now he was looking to return the favor.

"I don't think you are full Vulcan." I froze at that. Perhaps he was just bluffing, as his father did with the Romulans so many years ago. "Is it true what they say about you? That you're a half-breed? That you have human blood in you?" I stiffened at the accusation. How had he discerned so much about me in such a short period of time?

"You do not know anything about me," I said. "You do not know what it is to be Vulcan."

"I do know that you are here with us, and not studying at Vulcan Science Academy. You couldn't fit in there, and you certainly don't fit in here." He's just trying to get a rise out of you, don't let him! I tried not to move a muscle, really I did, but my left eye twitched. I knew that Jim had seen it. "That's it, isn't it?" He crowed. "You can't make up your mind about which you want to be."

"I am Vulcan. I caution you not to say any more," I seethed. "You do not want me as your enemy."

"Oh no, Spock, it is you who doesn't want me as your enemy." He graced me with a cold glare, and I almost shivered. "I'm in a position to make your life with the students a living hell." I knew he could do it too.

"You forget that I hold influence over if you graduate from the academy, or if you fail," I reminded him. "I can think of at least one test in particular that I could… tweak and not in your favor."

"You speak of the Kobayashi Maru." Both my eyebrows flew up to my forehead at that revelation. How on Vulcan had he known that? He gave me his standard smirk.

"Oh, don't look so surprised, Spock. I've done plenty of research on the subject, as I intend to beat the test. Yes, I know that no one has ever done it," he added at my look of disbelief. "I also know that you're the one who designs and programs each new scenario for the test."

"Which means I can design something especially unique for you," I said, growing more confident in the fact that I had a stake in Kirk's academic future.

"Design away," Jim said flippantly. "You'd be wasting your time. I will beat that test one of these days. I'll prove to you that it can be done."

We just stood there for the longest time, each staring the other down. After closely studying his face, I could no longer could I deny to myself how attractive he was. The air almost seemed to crackle between us as his burning gaze linked with mine. I could have stared at him for hours and not get tired of the game, but I had a pressing appointment right after the lunch break. And the lunch break was almost over. So, begrudgingly, I broke the silence. Logic won out. With me it always did.

"We seem to be in deadlock," I observed. "I have power over you, and you have power over me."

"It seems that we are destined to be rivals, then," said Jim. He didn't appear to mind the idea in the slightest.

"It seems so," I agreed.

"Well," Jim mused as he leaned in towards me. Although he was invading my personal space, I was powerless to move away. And worst of all, he knew it! Jim's eyes flashed with bitter triumph as he whispered in my ear, "I always enjoy a challenge." His hot breath on my sensitive ear caused an involuntary shudder through out my entire being.

Then he turned on his heel and left my office, shutting the door just a little bit harder than necessary. I let out a quiet moan at the loss, disgusted by my reaction to his treatment of me. Was I really this starved for attention? By all rights, I should hate him. So why does it feel like he took a piece of me with him when he left? I recalled the warning in my dream about the elder Spock from this morning, and knew that, without a doubt, I had finally met him.

For better or for worse.

A/N: Thoughts, questions, comments? Feedback is most welcome.