A/N: Okay, before we begin…
About Zachary Quinto coming out, what was it, last week?
Well, I'll be honest, Ferb, I didn't see this coming.
Ferb: Wait a second, who the bloody hell are you?
^^' Sorry, couldn't help myself. But in all seriousness, good for him! I'm proud of ya, New Spock!
Also, this chapter is based upon the TOS episode, "The Naked Time", though of course there are some differences (i.e. Chekov and Hanners being on the ship)
Around Seven months later…
"Say 'Daddy'. Can you say, 'daa-dee?'?"
The nearly one-year-old Hannelore crossed her arms indignantly, raising one blond eyebrow in a way that reminded Jim of a certain half-Vulcan First Officer.
"C'mon, Hanners, say 'daa-dee'!"
The eyebrow arched a little bit higher.
"Please say, 'daa-dee'?"
Hanners glared at him, a toddler version of Uhura's patented 'Bitch, shut up or I will make you shut up' face.
Jim sighed. Spock had told him that, since she was part Vulcan, Hanners wasn't like to speak before the age of one, but still! She already could stand up. According to most parenting sites he may or may not have visited, she should have said something by now. And yet, she hadn't said any actual words, just meaningless babble.
Maybe I should try Vulcan. Let's see, what's the Vulcan word for 'Father' again?... Sa-mekh? Oohh-kay, that's weird… Eh, won't kill anybody to try.
"Alright, Hanners, let's try a Vulcan word. Say 'Sa-mekh'."
Hanners gave him another look. Look, if I'm not gonna say it in Standard, what makes you think I'll say it in Vulcan?
"… Fine, enough trying to get you to talk. Let's watch a Disney Vid or something."
Hannelore smiled at the prospect of Daddy finally shutting up already.
Jim scooped the little girl, and then lifted her into the air above his head.
"Look, up in the sky! Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's SUPER BABY! Daa-daa-naa-naa!"
Hanners giggled at her human father's silliness. The two ran around the room like that for another minute before plopping down in the nearby rocking chair and loading Beauty and the Beast onto the screen's archives. As the classic cartoon started, Hannelore snuggled into her father, sighing happily.
The two were so lost in their little world that they had neglected to notice that Spock had come in.
Though he did his best to suppress it, Spock couldn't stop a pang of jealousy from washing over him. He knew that his daughter didn't hold the same affection for him that she held for the Captain, and she likely never would. As a Vulcan, Spock couldn't show emotion, for he must remain as logical as possible. Jim didn't have to follow those rules, though. He could say he loved Hannelore as much as he pleased, and once she learned the words, the girl would most likely tell Jim she loved him as much as she wanted as well.
However, she would most likely never say, "I love you" to Spock. If she was anything like Jim, then she wouldn't see a point of expressing an emotion she didn't feel was mutual.
Spock cleared his throat. "Captain?"
Startled, Jim looked up. "Uh, hey, Spock… How long have you been standing there?"
If he didn't know better, Jim would have thought Spock had chuckled. "I believe you were beginning your 'Super Baby' speech, Captain."
Jim bl- FLUSHED. Manly men like James Tiberius Kirk do not BLUSH. Blushing is for girls and Chekov.
"Uh… could you maybe keep this between the three of us?"
"I shall consider it. In the meantime, we have approached Psi 2000 and will be ready to beam down as soon as possible, Captain."
"R-Right. Sorry, honey, you'll have to watch the Vid without Daddy…"
Just as the Captain put the little girl down, Hanners began to whine, getting to her feet with some difficulty and taking a few shaky steps towards Jim. She took about three steps before landing on her butt.
"No, sweetie, Daddy and Sa-mekh have to go to work now. Little girls named Hannelore aren't allowed to go with them to the transporter pad."
Spock raised an eyebrow. "'Sa-mekh', Captain?"
"Shut up, I was trying to get her to talk."
There was no choice now. If Hanners wanted to have her Daddy Time (and she would have her Daddy Time), she had to use the Ultimate Baby Girl Weapon (and one of the only known weaknesses of one James T. Kirk):
The Puppy-Dog Stare.
"Hey, what is she- O-Oh, no."
She had him now. Hanners made the sweetest face she could make and added a lump of sugar to the top.
"Hanners, I-I said… stop… I refuse to give into the puppy dog eyes!"
-To Boldly Go-
"I can't believe I gave into the puppy dog eyes…" Jim muttered. In his embrace, Hanners giggled and waved at the crew, most of whom waved back.
Bones chuckled. "Jim, I can say this with certainty: The little elf has ya wrapped around her finger."
"Sh-Shut up…"
Just then, Spock and Lt. Tormoleon walked onto the deck. Because of the planet's atmosphere, the good doctor had requested they wear protective gear.
Bones had failed to mention that this 'protective gear' were baggy, bright orange HAZMAT suits that looked completely ridiculous on a certain half-Vulcan named Spock.
Jim couldn't help it. Along with most of the on-deck crew, he burst into laughter, tears running down his face.
Hannelore looked directly at her Vulcan father. Her eyes seemed to say I'm surrounded by crazy people, aren't I?
Sadly, she was right about that.
"Captain, if you are done laughing at the expense of others, I believe we should beam down to the planet."
After he calmed down a bit, and the crew did as well, Jim nodded. "Alright, let's do this. Wave bye-bye to Sa-mekh, Hanners."
The little girl did so, cooing as a form of goodbye. Spock stared for a moment, and then stepped onto the pad.
"Energize."
And just like that, the First Officer and the Lieutenant were gone.
-Where No Man Has Gone Before-
The crew of The Enterprise didn't know what to make of this.
They certainly hadn't thought that the scientists of Psi 2000 were all dead, that's for sure.
"Well, so much for bringing them home. Spock, come back up, there's no reason to stay here."
"Affirmative, Captain."
For a split second, Kirk thought he saw something move on the screen, but then he saw that Tormoleon was just scratching his nose.
A few minutes later, Spock and the Lieutenant were back on the ship, McCoy giving them a quick once over.
"How're things looking, Bones?"
"Well, besides the fact that the hobgoblin pretty much has no blood pressure to speak of, they're looking pretty good, Jim."
Spock raised an eyebrow, but made no comment. Suddenly, a sniffling sound made itself barely audible.
"Tormoleon, you oka- Good God, what's the matter with you?"
The Lieutenant in question looked up, a trail of tears running down his face. "I-I'm s-sorry, Captain, I-I just… th-those poor p-people…"
"That's enough, Tormoleon. I think this mission's got you a little wound-up, go get some rest."
Tormoleon nodded, wiping tears from his eyes as he left the transporter room.
"Well, that was odd. Wasn't he fine just a minute ago?"
"Perhaps a delayed emotional reaction to the deaths of the scientists, Captain?" Spock suggested.
Kirk shrugged, or as much of a shrug he could make holding a certain almost one-year-old. "Maybe. Well, whatever. C'mon, Hanners, let's get back to the bookish girl and the furry dude!"
Hanners cooed happily at that.
-SPIIIIIIIRK!-
"I still don't get your fascination vith it, Hikaru."
"Oh, come on, Pavel! It's awesome, and you won't lose any limbs!"
"Vhere is ze adwenture in zat? If zhere's no danger, zhen vhy ewen bother?"
"I kinda like having my arms and legs, man. They're kinda handy to have around, ya know?"
Chekov rolled his eyes as he and Sulu sat down at their regular lunch table. "I still think zat fencing seems boring and dangerous."
"Wait, dangerous? A minute ago you were saying that there wasn't any danger in it! Oh, hey Joe."
Tormoleon said nothing, didn't even make eye contact as he sat down.
"Are you alright, Meester Tormoleon?"
No response. Sulu was getting worried about the junior Lieutenant. He'd heard that Joe had had a bit of a breakdown after getting off the planet, but right now… it didn't even seem like Joe could hear them.
Sulu tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, Joe, you okay? Maybe you should go back to sickbay and have McCoy take another look at-"
"Get your hands off me!"
Sulu pulled back, startled at Tormoleon sudden outburst. The usual sunny smile that lit up Chekov's features dropped out of existence.
"Joe, Hikaru is just worried about you-"
Joe looked right at them, his expression maniacal. "Piss off! What gives you the right to…? You don't rank me, and you don't have pointed ears, so just get off my neck!"
Sulu folded his arms, full Lieutenant-ness showing. "Joe, I do, in fact, rank you. What the hell's the matter with you?"
Tormoleon stood up quickly, his chair flying back into the wall. If this exchange hadn't caught their attention before, it certainly had it now. "Nothing! Leave me the fuck alone!"
Something definitely was wrong. Joe looked like a wild man, spittle flying everywhere and his eyes wide and filled with paranoia.
Suddenly, the junior Lieutenant lunged forward, seizing a bread knife from the table.
"Joe, what are you-" Sulu started slowly when an announcement came over the intercom, interrupting him.
"Attention. Engine Room on standby alert. All on-duty personnel are to report to the bridge immediately."
The young Russian tugged at his friend's arm. "Hikaru, we hawe to go now. Someone is reporting this, see?"
Indeed, a blue-clad science officer had already gone to the intercom and was calling up Giotto. However, Sulu freed himself of Chekov's grasp.
"We're all crazy!" Tormoleon yelled from his position on top of the table. A few hushed whispers made their way through the mess hall.
"We're all a bunch of insane hypocrites! What're we doing out here in space? We don't belong here, using a bunch of goddamn machines to eat and breathe! What right do we have to be polluting and destroying everything?"
He pointed the knife at his chest. "We don't belong here! Six people died, for fuck's sake!"
"Joe, stop-"
"Yes. Stop. I'll make it all stop." And without another word, he plunged the knife straight into his chest.
Sulu ran forward, trying to pull the knife out. "Chekov! Get McCoy! Now!"
The shocked Russian nodded. "I can do zat!" He yelled, running from the commotion of the mess hall.
The Captain wasn't gonna be happy about this…
-STAR TREK-
"Tale as old as time, true as it can be. Barely even friends, then somebody bends, unexpectedly. Just a little change, small, to say the least. Both a little scared, neither one prepared, Beauty and the Beast."
Hannelore cooed. This was one of her favorite parts of this movie. The fact that she got to watch it with her daddy was even more awesome.
At least, it was awesome until a certain blond yeoman decided to interrupt it.
"R-Rand? What are you doing here?" Jim asked, quickly pausing the movie.
Hanners scowled. She now did not like Rand at all.
"Tormoleon… stabbed… mess… hall…" Rand blurted out, breathing heavily after running all the way from Sick Bay.
"Someone stabbed Tormoleon in the mess hall?"
Rand quickly shook her head. "Stabbed… himself…"
"Wait. Tormoleon stabbed himself in the mess hall?"
Janice nodded. "In… Surgery…"
"Um, crap. Okay, Hanners, stay with Rand while Daddy goes to yell at Tormoleon for being an idiot."
Hanners whined.
"I'm not gonna look at you, Hannelore Amanda Kirk. You shall not hypnotize me this time!"
-Dammit Jim, I'm a doctor, not a…!-
"He's dead, Jim."
Kirk blinked. "Wait, what? Who's dead?"
"Tormoleon. He died in surgery."
"… Must've been a pretty big knife."
"Actually, it was just a butter knife."
Jim's eyebrows shot up. "WHAT? B-But… A frikkin' butter knife? You couldn't save a man from a frikkin' butter knife wound?"
"It wasn't the wound, you idiot! If it had just been that, he'd still be alive. Tormoleon… it was like he'd simply lost the will to live."
Jim sighed, resting on a nearby table. "God, what drove him to suicide? Until today, he seemed fine…"
"There was something else. A virus, of sorts. It was the same thing that the scientists had. I'm thinking Joe got infected when he took off a glove to scratch his nose…"
Jim's eyes widened. "But then… that means… Spock…"
"Captain, my metabolism is drastically different from that of Lt. Tormoleon's. As I have exhibited no symptoms at this time, I believe that it would be illogical to confine me to the Hospital Bay. Furthermore, it would be counter-productive to keep me away from where I am needed most in this time of crisis."
Jim took a good look at his first officer, and then sighed. "Fine. But just in case, don't go anywhere near Hanners. Even if there's little chance that you have the infection, I don't want our child to get sick because we were careless."
Spock raised an eyebrow. "Why would our child be in any more danger from the illness than any other crew member, Captain?"
"For someone so knowledgeable, you certainly don't know some important stuff. Little kids don't have as good of immune systems as adults. Something like this could get Hanners really sick."
"I see. I will attempt to, as humans say, 'steer clear' of Hannelore."
Kirk nodded and the two proceeded to exit the Medical Bay.
"W-Wait!"
Jim and Spock turned around; Chapel was running towards them.
"Miss Chapel? Is something the matter?" Spock asked.
"M-Mr. Spock, please… Don't go!" Chapel's eyes were huge and pleading, and she looked as if she was about to burst into tears.
"Nurse, I am needed at the bridge." Spock stated, a hint of confusion highlighting his usual calm.
"B-But… no! I…"
Suddenly she leaped forward, wrapping her arms around Spock's neck.
"I love you!" She blurted out, leaning forward and pulling Spock's lips to her own.
The silence of the empty hall next to them seemed to suffocate everyone.
Kirk wanted to break something. What the hell was Christine doing to his Spock- Wait, what?
Bones wanted to kill Spock. What did that hobgoblin think he was doing with his Christine- Wait, what?
A nearby Yeoman cleared her throat as Chapel pulled away from Spock. "Uh… Captain? U-Um, you and Mr. Spock are needed at the bridge immediately, sir. Sh-Should I tell them you'll be there in five minutes?"
Jim immediately snapped out of his fog. "Y-Yeah, I-I should probably go check on Rand and Hanners." He cleared his throat, patting Spock's shoulder sympathetically. "G-Good luck, Spock."
The First Officer immediately turned towards his Captain. "Captain, I-"
But Jim was already gone.
-SUSPENSE-
Heavy breathing was heard as a certain Captain rushed down the hall.
What… What the FUCK was that? M-My Spock? Why did I think that when Christine… kissed him?
Jim narrowly dodged a passing yeoman as he turned a corner.
He's not mine. Why would I think that he was MY Spock? Spock… Spock doesn't belong to anybody!
Another corner. Dodge Science Officer.
I mean, yeah, Spock's kinda my best friend next to Bones, but… He can date whoever the hell he wants, can't he? I don't care if he goes out with Chapel. I can't control him, and why should I want to? Just cause I feel like my heart's gonna stop whenever I'm around him, or I can't help but smile whenever I see him, or I find myself thinking about him all the time… It's not like I have feelings for Spock or any- Oh.
Jim stopped dead in his tracks as the realization hit him.
Oh.
"I-I'm… I'm in love with Spock, aren't I?"
The empty hallway's silence was his only reply.
A/N: Okay, fangirls.
Jim realized it. You may now squeal if you like.
And 'Super Baby' is a game that Dad used to play with my sister when we were all little kids. Ah, memories…
I do not own anything but Hanners and this fic.
