Disclaimer - I own nothing Star Trek & I make no $ from this

Sorry this took so long. I had a little baseball playoff induced writers block. But now that my team is out I'm back.

Thanks to everyone who is faithfully reading (especially if you add a review) the story!

Special thanks to my Beta's T'Arrah and Tinkering (my grammer is much better now!)

Chapter 8 - Actions have Consequences

Chris Pike took one look at the pair entering his office and buzzed his assistant.

"Dianne, hold all calls, up to and including god." He leads Commander Spock and Cadet Kirk into his office thinking it is likely a disciplinary action and it must be pretty serious if Spock needed to bring Kirk here himself.

After the younger men were seated on the other side of his desk "Well Kirk I really wasn't expecting trouble this soon son." He shook his head disappointedly.

Jim smirks and exchanges a look with Spock. "Told ya he'd feel this way Spock."

'Hold on, don't make assumptions here Chris', Pike thinks as he starts watching their body language more closely.

Spock raises an amused eyebrow, glancing at Jim.

"You did indeed James"

He then looked back to Pike.

Jim's gaze joins his. "It's not what you think Captain Pike."

Spock takes over, speaking professionally.

"Christopher, James must withdraw from my xenolinguistics class at this late time in the term and I wish to determine if there is a way for him to do so without adversely effecting his academic records."

Pike looks more carefully back and forth between the two of them before drawing a conclusion. "Shit... you two are in a relationship."

Trying to be the clown to cover his nervousness Jim mouths off "Got it in one Captain!" earning him a raised eyebrow from Spock.

Pike ran his hand through his hair and shook his head "You couldn't have waited, could you." Looking back and forth between them he realized they are both more balanced than they were the last time he had seen them. Too frequently he had seen Spock freeze whenever put in an emotional situation because he would be overwhelmed. He couldn't think a young man more demonstrative with his emotions than Jim Kirk.

With a sigh he says, "When did this start?"

"Yesterday.'" Jim responds.

"Yesterday." Pike repeats looks at Jim pointedly. "Kirk, I think I just got about 50 new gray hairs thanks to you."

Jim says a smart "You're welcome." earning him a scathing look from Pike, which causes Jim to snort a flippant apology.

He glances at Spock briefly support.

"Look, to be honest, Chris, it started the first day of class, although I tried to deny what was happening. We formed a spontaneous empathic bond, which I didn't even know was possible until I talked to Mom. It drew us together." Jim nods in Spocks direction "I don't know how long it would've been before I did or said anything, he was the one to force the issue."

Pike does not allow his eyes to widen or his to mouth fall open at this bombshell and looks questioningly at Spock "is this true?"

"It is" Spock adds nothing more.

Jim holds in his laughter from the expressions that have just passed over Pikes face and the amusement coming from Spock.

Pike looks at Spock for several seconds realizing that his first prize student, Spock has decided to be stubborn. And he's realized that when Spock has decided to be stubborn, he might have more luck getting rocks to bleed.

He sighs and returns his attention to Jim, confusion plain on his face.

"Jim, I've known you're mother for a long time. Other Veenans as well. It was always my understanding that bonds took time to build. What's all this about a spontaneous bond?"

"Look Captain Pike, I'm not going into details about our personal lives, but we are empathically bonded, however, unlike most Veenan empathic bonds, this will only be severed if one of us dies." Jim pauses, looking at Pike hoping he will accept his explanation. "If you want, we can have a Shanquat verify it."

There was something niggling Pike about Spock and bonding so he looked his file up on his PADD while Jim was talking. Yes, that was it, Spock was bonded at the age of 7 to a girl named T'Pring.

He puts the PADD on the table and pushes it across to Spock who picks it up, takes in the information with a glance and raises his right eyebrow. Jim feels a flash of irritation from Spock who passes him the PADD. Jim eyes it and nods.

Pike watches their silent interchange and wonders what their future will bring. These are his two prize students and he must be sure that Spock understands about Jim's background. The last thing he wants is for either of these young men hurt because of personal details left out. Looking at Jim he asks quietly "How much does he know?"

Jim understands what Pike is asking immediately and knows that he only wants to protect Spock.

"All the negative stuff." Pike nods in response.

"Make sure to tell him the rest".

Then looking at Spock, Pike asks the pertinent question.

"What about this bond you have with T'Pring?"

Spocks irritation flares again making Jim look at him. "Spock chill, just tell him. He wants to protect me too. Just like when he wanted to know if you understood about me." Jim reaches over and pulls Spocks hand, which has become a fist on his lap, into his and intertwines their fingers.

Spock finally moves to speak. "There is nothing between myself and T'Pring. She despises my human heritage. Our bond has almost completely disappeared since James and I empathically bonded. As soon as I am able I intend to have that bond severed completely so that I can formally bond to James."

Pike nods at this, the wheels in his clever brain spinning a bit at all these two have imparted to him. Yet when those wheels mesh he finds that he is totally unsurprised by their news. It seems... right. He has a flash of the two of them at the helm of a Starship standing shoulder to shoulder: Kirk in command gold and Spock in science blues. He shakes his head to dislodge the sight and gives the pair a long appraising gaze.

"Alright, I will see what I can do to get Jim out of the class so he doesn't have to fail. I don't want to see that on his record anymore than either of you do, but it's pretty late in the term for a withdrawal.

"Also, we can't officially change your living conditions until summer when people graduate and new quarters become available. However, I'm sure that you'll make due."

He rolls his eyes at the look that they give each other. He had never seen Spock show emotion openly before. "I'm sure I don't have to warn you not to compromise each others work! As bondmates, under both Veenan and Vulcan law, you cannot be separated during your service so you will be working together on the same posting. However your behavior here at the academy will do quite a bit to determine that posting. Do you understand?"

"Yes Sir." They respond in unison, the atmosphere lightening.

Pike looks at them again and shakes his head "Dismissed."

As they stand they realize that they are still have their hands clasped and quickly disengage them to salute, both blushing. Pike can't help but find that endearing but he doesn't allow himself to smile until he is alone.

Jim follows Spock out of the administrative building where Pike's office had been located into the beautiful San Francisco morning.

"Looks like Pike saw through us pretty quickly." Jim looks at Spock who just keeps walking "But maybe that's because he knows both of us pretty well."

"That seems likely. However, it is concerning to me as well James." Spock feels the thrill it gives Jim to hear him say his formal name and catalogs it for later use.

"Well, all we can do for now is see how other people react." Spock nods in agreement.

When they have almost reached the science building Jim says "Listen Spock, tonight is a weekly poker game that's at my place this week and Bones won't be up to playing host, so it's up to me this week. And, since we really didn't get much sleep last night, I think I'll stay home tonight."

"That is agreeable." Spock nods to Jim with that tiny smile.

"Alright, see you tomorrow in class then." Jim sends him love through the bond.

Areel Shaw was proud of her job. She liked having some weight to throw around when it counted, so that she could help people. The comm came through this morning for that handsome Southern doctor, Leonard McCoy. His wife's lawyer caved in immediately when he received her letter with the weight of Starfleet legal behind it. She got him the requisite time with his daughter during the Christmas/New Years holidays. And this gave her the excuse she was waiting for to call him so she could ask him for a date, if maybe he didn't ask her first.

It was several rings before the comm was answered "Grand Central Station, Kirk here". He recognizes her immediately and gives her a bright as the sun smile as she giggles at his greeting. "Oh, hi Areel, I bet you want Bones."

"From the sounds of things, I'd guess you're having a party, I wouldn't want to interrupt. But, yes, I would like to speak to Leonard."

"Trust me, he wants to hear from you right away. And you're lucky, he's here. But he's not playing poker out here with us or he'd already be here, he's in his room. Hey, good or bad?" He couldn't resist asking but she merely shakes her head "Well, I had to try. Be right back." Jim walks away.

For a minute all Areel hears are the sounds of the poker game until she hears Leonards distinct voice coming closer, grumbling "Damn-it Jim, who the hell is it? I'm busy studyin for a practical in non-humanoid biology!"

The last word said as he turns in front of the viewer. When he sees who it is he smiles and his voice changes dramatically.

"Well, how-do Miss Shaw" He drawls smoothly "Aren't you looking lovely this evening".

Jim shakes his head, walking back to the game pointing back over his head.

"Check this out, just last week in my class on varying philosophical attitudes in the Federation we were discussing the Manrkian belief that there are no coincidences and that if that is true then everything happens for some reason or another. In steps an ugly legal problem Bones was having, I suggest he go to Starfleet legal. Turns out, the lawyer was in my class in second grade where I played a practical joke on her that got me kicked out of school. Since we first went over to see her she's been practically all he talks about, besides work... and tests... oh and, a did I say tests!" The loud 'tests' at the end was designed to see if Bones was paying any attention; he was not.

"Vat are you saying Jeem? Zat zere ees a plan to our lives?" Chekov attempts to interpret Jim's statement.

Jim shakes his head "No Pavel. I just think that the entire thing is really fucking weird."

He pauses, thinking of the best way to continue. "To run into Areel here and then have her working as a lawyer on Bones case and to top it all off Bones has a crush on her. Pretty odd, don't ya think?" Jim laughs and turns back to the poker table. "Now, where were we boys."

Shorty after the resumption of the poker game McCoy walks over to the table and puts a hand on Jim's shoulder.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"'S'cuse me guys. Be right back." Jim can't wait to hear what Bones has to say and he jumps up from the table leaving the poker players throwing their hands up in disgust because it's his bet.

"But eets your bet Jeem!" Chekov squeels.

"Fold!" Jim replies as he walks off a few feet with his room mate. "Well, what?"

"Don't let it get to your head kid, but it worked. Ms. Shaw got me my time with my little girl, thanks." Bones' smile quickly turns into a frown as he looks at Chekov. "I think you better get back over there before the boy genius has a heart attack and I have to work and emergency in my own apartment." With that he stomped off to his room leaving Jim laughing.

"Hi Mom" Jim gave Winona his greeting and she returned hers, watching him like a hawk.

"Hi Jimmy, you're different."

She can see a big difference in her son. Jim smiles at her because he feels balanced for the first time in his life. "I wish I was there so I could feel you instead of guessing by looking. You seem untroubled for the first time since you left elementary school. Mothers' intuition is telling me you spoke with your friend."

Jim blushes, giving himself away. "What Mom, can't wait to get your hands on the juicy bits," Jim gesticulates wildly, laughing.

"You really are a bad influence on me Mother of Mine!" Laughing even harder he continued. "You know Mom, if Bones overheard this conversation it would sound almost incestuous thinking I'd be giving my mother the physical instead of the emotional details of my love life.

"Actually, I didn't say a thing... Spock actually got fed up with me avoiding him and pushed the issue." With that Jim went through the previous days events starting with sparring and ending with their meeting with Pike.

"Well baby it seems that this bond is doing good things for you. I'm glad you stopped fighting it." With a fleeting smile, Winona switched from mothering mode to thoughtful scientist.

"Now, I have some news for you. I heard from my geneticist friend Mike Tipersly, remember him?" Jim nodded slowly.

"Well, as he promised he would do, he let me know that Carol Marcus did take David in for genetic profiling to see if he carried your copy of the TK gene." Jim's eyes get really wide and Winona can see the question there.

"No, he's not a carrier." Jim visibly relaxed sighing.

"And, just in case you're curious, he is also not s'treu. What you did give him was your looks, Mike also told me that he is the spitting image of you as a 5 year old, seems you gave him more of those handsome Kirk genes than anything else."

Jim smiles a sad smile. "Nice to know that I contributed something good to the kid." Jim rubbed his face with his hands and mumbled.

"I wonder if I'll ever get to meet him."

Pausing wistfully he continued. "I'll never figure out why Carol decided it was my fault the birth control failed. We both took the shots. Would have to have failed on both ends really. Can't make a baby without two halves. But because I'm s'treu it had to be my fault. Kaiidth." He shook his head.

Winona smiled, fascinated. "Jimmy did you consciously just speak Vulcan or did that just come out?"

"I did?" Jim looked confused. "What did I say?"

Winona warms, laughing at the fact that her son is now using his mate's language "Kaiidth, perfect word to describe that situation, nothing you can do to change it. I too hope you get to meet David someday my baby."

Jim scrunches his nose at his mother calling him baby all the time "Mom, I know that I'm your youngest son, but must you always call me baby?"

She laughed again.

"Jimmy, you will always be my baby. But I suppose I should try to curtail it." She leaned into the monitor. "Gee whiz, wouldn't it be embarrassing to have your mother call you when you're a captain of a starship and call you baby on front of your crew?" Jim laughed at the sarcasm in her voice.

"Alright Mother I get your point. I could always call your ship and ask for the 'bitch who whelped me'." He retorts laughing evilly.

"I take exception to that baby as I am not a dog." They continue laughing but have to interrupt their conversation to catch their breath.

The plan was for xenolinguistics class to go as usual. And, although Jim sat in his usual seat and Spock did his usual routine, there was no interaction between the two of them.

Nyota Uhura was a very observant young women. She wouldn't say anything during class; they were scheduled for tutoring later. If Kirk showed up, she would bring it up there.

When she arrived at Spocks office she noticed Kirk was already there; no big surprise, he's almost always there first.

Except for the last couple of weeks. Kirk had been avoiding Spock for the last couple of weeks. Now they were interacting, over chess as if it was business as usual. But something was different. She couldn't tell what it was yet, but there was something and it was between them. Then she notices Spock take one of Jim's pieces and makes sure that he makes skin contact with him. Then Jim giggles! Wow, Mr. Testosterone, James T. Kirk just giggled. She's heard him laugh a lot, but never giggle!

Uhura decides it is the opportune moment to walk in on this, she wasn't sure what it was. "Aru, Commander Spock, Kirk. Tches gla-tor nash-veh, u' tsuri." (Afternoon, Commander Spock, Kirk. Chess I see, as usual)

Kirk smiled at her. "Ha, tches rom na' nah-tor, etek tishau." (Yes, chess good for thinking, we like.)

Uhura's eyes twinkle with humor as she asks "Du nah-tor teretuhr i'?" (You think together now?) She takes her usual seat next to Kirk, across from Spock.

Kirk laughs. "Ha." (Yes)

Spock chooses this time to interject his piece, almost simultaneously with Kirk "Ha" with a raised brow.

"Ra ong nash-gad?" Nyota enquires. (What topic today?)

"Wehk ong, u' kwon-sum." Spock answers. (Many topics, as always.)

Right on his heels, Jim says in perfect deadpan, "Ein awek, ein tsatik, (Some private, some secret...) - if you knew what was said we'd have to kill you."

Nyota can't help herself but laugh, 'that laugh sounds a bit hysterical there Ny'. It was too much watching Kirk do a perfect imitation of Spock, with Spock sitting right there. And then to have Spocks only reaction be to glance at Jim and look smug. 'Have I entered another universe where Spock is totally different?' She shakes her head to clear it, pony tail swishing around her head like a horses tail chasing flies.

"You have both come quite far this term in your Vulcan language skills. It is frequently difficult language for the human pallet to handle proper pronunciation. However you are both exemplary students in this area. I would recommend you take class with the Cllthylcalct professor to try to understand him without a universal translator." Spock suggests.

Uhura thinks she's seeing things when it looks like Spock has a small smile on his face. Professor Kcalcm teaches astrophysics, there's no way she's taking astrophysics.

Kirk starts making a series of clicks, grunts, squeals, sucking like noises and other various sounds she is sure she can't make which she recognizes as Cllthylcalct speech. She watches Spocks eyes open really wide as he hears him speaking this extremely difficult language. All she understood were the names spoken in standard, so she started to form a picture. "Fascinating. Would you please repeat that in standard for Cadet Uhura."

"Sure. There were several Cllthylcalct families that lived with us Veenans on Tarsus IV. The way they can use their tentacles they were lots of fun to play ball with so we kids got to be friends. They came to be with Hoshi too. If it wasn't for the UT they wouldn't be Federation members." Kirk sighs.

"Most people don't have time to listen to all the subtleties of their language. They just think it's a bunch of noise."

Kirk gives Spock a hard look "I was planning on taking astrophysics, but I don't want to take a professor just to listen to his language. I want the best instructor. You know I want to learn from the best." He gives Spock an affectionate smile.

Uhura speaks slowly then. "Somehow I feel like the elephant in the room."

Spock tilted his head and said in his usual deadpan. "You in no way resemble a pachyderm."

This sends both Uhura and Kirk into laughter, for similar, yet very individual reasons: Uhura because she is certain that if Spock just told a joke she has definitely entered another dimension and Kirk because he knows that Spock really did just tell a joke.

Kirk tries to help her out. "So, Uhura, why are you feeling left out?" He looked at her innocently.

She points between them "You two. What the hell is going on?"

She huffed continuing. "In class you two didn't even acknowledge each other, yet normally you constantly banter when given the chance, even the past month when you've hardly spoken outside of class and tutoring. Now, here, you're like... you're like two peas in a pod. What?"

At the phrase 'two peas in a pod' Spock tilts his head and looks at Kirk who mouths the words 'very close' to him and shows him crossed fingers. As Spock nods Nyota says shrilly. "That shit is exactly what I'm talking about!"

Jim thinks Uhuras reaction to them is hysterical and has had enough fun for now teasing her so he decides to be a little more straight forward, but only if...! "Alright Uhura, I'll tell you what's going on, but only after you tell me your first name." His eyes are twinkling and he is smiling his 'lady killer' smile.

She huffed and sputtered before retorting.

"Oh shit, I'm sure you could find out any time you wanted, because I know you can hack into computers. You know it's just been a matter of principle Kirk." She smiles at him and reaches out her hand "I'm Nyota".

Jim takes her hand, grinning. "Please, call me Jim. Around here the name Kirk calls up the image of my dad. I'm me, not him. So, please, call me Jim." She nods.

"Ok now. That was the easy part..."

Jim goes on to explain the bond to Nyota. At first she is shocked, but as she thinks about the things that Jim says, with Spock interjecting for clarification, she recalls things over the past weeks that should have been signs if she would have been observant.

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