Friends Past, Present, and Future

by Scottea

Kirk learns more about Spock's first few months at the Academy, about his treatment by the other cadets having an impact on his view of humans, how studying really became his solace and refuge, and how somebody understood. The main characters are not mine but I thank Paramount for allowing me to play with them. Reviews and comments welcomed.

3. Chapter 3

Quickly he had accessed Steven Harris's records and scanned it for the word Vulcan. Damn, nothing. So he had never been to Vulcan. As Harris had graduated from the Academy three years before they had they had not met there. He had been on four ships, none of which Spock had been on. Kirk let out a slow and low whistle, Harris had an impressive record of successful recoveries. He had only been on the Enterprise for eighteen months as part of a replacement group for those twenty crew members forced to leave for medical or family reasons and was due to rotate off at the end of the five year mission. There were no indications of how he knew Spock and Kirk was aware that Spock had not spent much, if any, time with him since he had been aboard. Their rosters clashed and so did their interests and personalities. Deep within him Kirk knew there had to be some point, some common ground where they had met, some event that had put them together but it was not on Harris's record and he knew Spock's almost as well as his own.

All the records showed was that it had been the first operation they had been on together and yet they had seemed to mesh as though they had worked together for years. He clearly saw again the look of shocked yet surprised relief that had flashed across Spock's face when he saw Harris appear on the planet as part of the second landing party. There had to be something he was missing. He checked Harris's record again and there was nothing, absolutely noting from when he went into the Academy right up to that landing party, to show how Spock knew him but it was obvious he did, and knew him well.

The one thing Jim Kirk knew was that he would find out what the connection was. Being the captain of the ship he had every right to know what their connection was as it could be a danger to the safety of the ship. He also needed to know before the next meeting with those twelve who would, no doubt, have a lot of questions he wanted to have answers for. He had to know what their connection was and for a moment stopped as he realized that this was one thing that Spock had not told him about. Even after they had returned to the Enterprise and McCoy had released them from Sickbay Spock had said nothing about Harris or about how he knew him so well. If Spock would not tell him of the relationship as a friend then he would, as the captain of the ship, demand his First Officer to tell him. For all he knew it could endanger the safety of his ship.

James Kirk stood looking at his First Officer knowing that from where he was standing he could not be seen. A part of him was telling him he had no right to see and hear what he was but another part of him insisted that if it had to do with his First Officer it had to do with him. He had seen his First Officer visit other officers in Sickbay but this was different. This was wrong. This was all so very wrong.

There had to be a reason for Spock to just stand there talking with the specialist from Starbase Eight who had come aboard the Enterprise to examine the officer. Although McCoy had clearly been against it Kirk knew he had accepted it as part of the procedures from Command. To have an officer committed to a Starfleet facility they had to be examined by a specialist. While McCoy had accepted it Kirk could tell from the way Spock was standing he was defending Harris and, from where he was standing Spock was physically blocking the specialist from getting back to Harris, protecting him. That was something Spock had never done before. Before he had always left and McCoy deal with the specialists and questioned him afterwards, this time McCoy had walked away and left Spock with the specialist. Everything about it spoke of a reason, a connection, a relationship he knew nothing about.

He had been concentrating so much on watching Spock he had not seen McCoy watching him and noticing his confusion, anger, and pain till he heard, "I've often wondered what would happen when this day came. I knew it would come I just did not know when."

At the unsaid Kirk and turned and looked at McCoy, "What day?"