Huge thanks to my beta, JenniferLupin.
This was written for a Challenge on the Yahoo! Group SpockMcCoyHaven. The Challenge was to write a story about a song that meant a lot to one of the boys. So in this story McCoy sings a song that triggers a memory in Spock.
"All the Pretty Little Horses"
Hushabye, don't you cry,
Go to sleep my little baby.
When you wake, you shall take
All the pretty little horses.
Blacks and bays, dapples and greys,
Coach and six of little horses.
Hushabye, don't you cry,
Go to sleep my little baby.
Free time was a rare commodity on the Enterprise, especially if you
were an officer. And so when Spock and Dr. McCoy both found that
they had plenty that evening, they took advantage of it by spending
some time together in Spock's quarters. Leonard busied himself
making drinks while Spock sat nearby glancing through an old
fashioned paper book McCoy had given to him as a gift. After a few
silent moments, Leonard began absentmindedly singing to himself.
"Hushabye, don't you cry
Go to sleep my little baby
When you wake you shall take
All the pretty little horses…"
Spock raised an eyebrow at this. He opened his mouth to ask the
doctor if he realized he'd broken into song when something tugged at
the back of his memory.
"T'hy'la, what is that song?"
Leonard, who was still humming the song, looked up.
"Huh? Oh. It's a lullabye I used to sing to Joanna when she was a
baby. I guess I had it on my mind since I had a comm call from her
today." He smiled gently as if remembering.
"I always become a sentimental old fluff when she calls."
He looked over at Spock and noticed the distracted look on his face.
"Is something wrong, Spock?"
Spock stood and walked to the other side of the room.
"A memory…"
The fuzzy memory started to push its way up from the recesses of his
mind.
He was home on Vulcan. Someone was him. His mother. She was so
young. She stroke his hair and sang in a soft, sweet voice.
"When you wake you shall take
All the pretty little horses
Blacks and bays, dapples and greys
Coach and six of little horses…"
Then she leaned down and kissed him on the forehead. "Sleep well,
baby."
The memory faded away and Spock found himself with a very concerned
looking Leonard standing next to him.
"Spock, are you ok?"
Spock sighed. "That song. I had forgotten. My mother used to sing
it to me when I was a baby. She would it in a low voice until I was
asleep." He turned to Leonard. "Vulcan mothers don't sing to their
children. It isn't considered a logical course of action. However,
my mother is a most illogical human."
He paused.
"I always loved that song," he said softly.
Leonard wrapped his arms around Spock and sighed. "How about we put
a comm call through to your mother later today?"
Another pause.
"That would be acceptable."
Leonard nodded his approval and leaned into Spock, who responded in
kind. They stayed that way for a very long time.
END
