Vulcan Shadows

By Estellio

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Spock goes missing and all evidence points to McCoy while he is following cryptic clues to find him. However, after discovering one of Spock's most shocking secrets will McCoy still be able to help or will he condemn his friend to death and commit professional suicide? First, do not harm.

WARNING: A little bit of graphic Violence

Also, I know you're reading so more reviews people! PLEASE! Big thank you to Kali-Ann. You've kept me going with your wonderful reviews.

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He knew she said to blow it up if she wasn't back in half an hour but McCoy couldn't do it. He had his hand poised over the control but he knew he couldn't push it. Why wasn't she back? It shouldn't have taken this long…she said to…she said…she said she'd be back. He waited.

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Spock felt the beginnings of lucid thought and fought for them. Grasping at the tiny tendrils of consciousness that coiled towards him, triumph flooded through him as his left eye opened. As groggy as he still was, he knew it has been a few hours since he had been sedated and he was a in a medical facility of some sort. He could smell that chemical smell that was unique to sickbay. The smell of sickness…of cure…and blood? The overwhelming smell of burn and blood assailed him and he fought the urge to gag. It was then he realised a heavy weight was lying across him…and it was cold.

"Get up." A rough voice grunted and the weight slid off him, landing with a sickening crunch. "Still alive, what'll we do with her?"

"Tie her to the other biobed. How is General Kekamon?"

"He's unconscious but should be coming around soon. He was lucky, she seemed intent on getting to the Ambassador. I don't understand it, she didn't try to stab him, she was cutting him free."

"Perhaps kidnap and ransom."

"Perhaps…What did she shout out before she fell?"

"I don't know, I don't speak…Was that Vulcan?"

"I think we've been lied to. Keep Kekamon occupied or unconscious or whatever until we can translate what she said and get some background on this."

"Her life signs are fading fast. I think I may have hit her heart."

"What kind of species has a heart in it side? Listen, keep her alive. I want my options open."

"Yes Sir." Footsteps faded away and he heard some grunting and shifting of cloth. Opening his eye he saw V'au being lifted onto the bed next to him and being strapped down tightly, face down. "Now, to see to those wounds."

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"Two ships on long range sensors." Deylap reported from his station.

"I.D?" Therris asked, staring out at the stars streaking past his small cargo ship.

"Not yet. We'll be within range in ten minutes."

"Shields up, arm phasers, open hailing frequencies once we're in range."

"What are we gonna do? Blow it up?"

"I'll cross that bridge when we come to it, now get to work you slime dogs!"

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She had been gone nearly forty five minutes. He had waited…he had waited…He was still waiting.

"Dammit, if Jim was here he'd know what to do." McCoy mumbled under his breath. "That's it! JIM!" He searched the console for anything that looked like hailing frequencies. "Found it…now what's Starfleet's secure channel? Come on, Uhura always had that song…Eh…" He closed his eyes, picturing the African Communications Officer. He could see her now, swaying in the mess hall and singing away to herself as the new frequencies came in and she was trying to learn them off. "Uh…Yes Captain Sir, opening hailing frequencies Sir. Secure channel one, frequency four, oh, five, two, six. Cracked by the Klingon…and the Romulans. If you want Channel two, I'm afraid I cannot do, three, two, five, one, two…everybody knows the tune. But secure channel three. Secretive, known only to me…That's one, oh, five, oh, three! Something didly dee…" He had no idea whether this was Uhura jabbering to herself or whether she was learning the new codes or not but by god he had to find some numbers to punch.

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"Right, that takes care of the phaser burns. See, that wasn't so bad. Now, to wake you up. The Captain will want answers." The Doctor put a hypospray against her neck but a grey hand grabbed his, pulling it away.

"You wont need to." Kek said, pulling the Doctor's hand away slowly, unaware the hypospray had already discharged.

"General Kekamon. We apprehended your prisoner but according to the act of…" The Doctor was hit so hard across the face that he was knocked unconscious and Kekamon pulled out a dagger.

"You Hlu-pak!" He growled. "You're good, I'll give you that but you're not a patch on me. Prepare to die." He raised the dagger and Spock could only watch in numb agony as it reached its apex. "Too late Vulcan." Kek snarled, bringing the dagger down quickly. V'au screamed as it punctured her chest, arching up off the bed but that only forced it deeper and caused her to spit out a clot of dark jade blood. She kicked out, catching Kek in the side and knocking him slightly off balance but he only wrenched out the dagger, thrusting it into her chest a second time, a third time and a fourth. Spock couldn't move! He couldn't move! His daughter was dieing and he was too numb to move!

V'au's head turned slightly and saw he was awake. She took in the distress in his eyes as well as the slightly glazed over look one only gets after a heavy dose of tranq's and realised she was on her own. Her father wasn't there to protect her. She had failed…

He could see her lungs were punctured by the bright frothy green blood that gurgled out of the chest wound and from her mouth. She turned her head, trying to draw a raspy breath without pulling in the liquid to her lungs. She could spend an age dieing like this. Much longer than it would take a human, due to Vulcan's larger lungs but lower need for oxygen. She was going to suffer horribly and Spock was going to sit by and watch.

Oh dear goddess of my ancestors. If you do indeed listen to the prayers of your people. Don't let her die, not like this, not like this.

"Nem-ta, Sa-mehk." She cried out while she was still able, Spock watched the blood fill her mouth and dribble out the corners as convulsions wracked her body. Her eyes rolled back into her head and she made incoherent noises, lime froth forming around her lips.

"No." hissed as Kek raised the dagger again.

"I'm not a cruel man, Arie. I shall end your suffering. You tried your best. That's all I could ask." His vision dissolved as the dagger was pressed against her throat and his last vision was of Kek's muscles bunching in his shoulder as he prepared to drag it across her throat.

"NNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

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Enterprise: 2252

When Spock entered his cabin, he found V'au asleep on the couch, curled up in a small ball with her head buried in his pillow. He shook his head and bent to pick her up. She stirred in her sleep, murmuring softly and turning onto her other side. Spock paused a moment, reflecting back on his own childhood. How many times had he fallen asleep, curled up against I-Chaya on the couch as he waited for his father to come home, only to wake in the morning in his own room, unsure of whether it was his mother or father who had moved him.

He brushed back a lock of he girls chestnut hair and watched her sleeping form. She looked so peaceful, had his own father done this? Watched him as he slept and wondered what would become of him? Wondered what the future of his child would behold?

She's not my child. Spock told himself sternly. I am too young to have a child. She belongs to someone else and at Jupiter Station they'll find out who. If not, they'll at least give her a good home. Something I can't give her, no matter what she believes. Liya is not right, I know what is best for my…for V'au. He thought back to his evening with Liya.

After they had danced, they had looked for V'au but discovered she had already left the dance, they instead went for a walk on the deserted observation deck. Couples in love would no doubt find their way here a little later in the night to stare at the stars and cuddle but for now, they were alone.

"Spock, you know what V'au is trying to do? Don't you?" Spock nodded as he gazed out at the stars.

"I believe I have a fair idea but I would like to hear your thoughts on the matter, also."

"V'au is trying to bring us together because she believes that if we do get together then we can keep her. Mother and father kind of scenario but… As much as I like you Spock, I don't think I love you." She chuckled, resting her hand on top of this, unaware at how intimate a gesture this was on Vulcan. "Spock. If you let this girl go, it'd kill her. She's just learned to trust. She's made a family on the Enterprise. I'm surprised after all she's gone through she can learn to trust…to love at all. Spock, if you let her go she'll see it as a betrayal. She'll clam up, maybe never to open again. She can't remember her past but she knows this." She gestured to the ship around them with her free hand. "She likes being on a Starship and she doesn't get in anyone's way. She is learning fast, I've never seen anyone learn English so quick and the girl puts most of my nursing staff to shame. While you're on duty, a yeoman could look after her."

"A Starship is no place for a child."

"Seems to me like she's getting on grand. We wont be getting to Jupe Station for a while. Think about it, think about keeping her." Spock shook his head.

"I…I wouldn't know the first thing about caring for a child."

"And you think most parents do? There's no training course you can do Spock, no manual you can read. It's instinct. Spock, go on, try and tell me you haven't grown attached to her." Spock slid his hand out from under hers.

"It is not a matter of what I want. She is a young child, she can not stay on a Starship. She is not my daughter, no matter my attachment for her. If we can not locate her parents she will be given to a loving family who will care for her far more ably than I can. Once she is gone I can resume my usual shift and get back to being a Starfleet Officer rather than a surrogate father. If I am to have children they will be my own and I shall be unable to unburden myself of them."

"Is that what you see her as? A burden?" Spock didn't say anything, he simply turned away and left. "Spock! Think about what I have to say…How do you feel about this?" The doors slid shut behind him.

I feel…sad. I know this must end…sooner…or later.

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A/N: Oh dear, perhaps I should name this chapter: Super mondo mega SHORT chapter. My summer exams are coming up in May and I have a LOT of projects to finish so I've found very little time to write fanfiction anyway but for the next few weeks…Well… two weeks at least, I wont be able to write so you'll have to wait a while for the next post. I thought this was a nice teaser to end on.

Tune in next week (Ish) same Bat time, same Bat channel. (Was it just me or was that a great show, Batman I mean. Ah well.)

P.S: Nem-ta, Sa-mehk is meant to mean, I'm sorry father. I couldn't find the Vulcan word for sorry so I improvised. Nem-ta : ) And sorry about the short, cutting all over the place Paragraphs. I seem to be doing that in a lot of fics lately. I'm getting somewhat scatterbrained but by the next chapter it should be back to normal.