Thanks for all the reviews and encouragement! I started writing Bound to You as a short story about 3 years ago and I planned it all out and wrote a lot of scenes all the way to the end of Spock and Uhura's romance. But your reviews give me so many new ideas and suggestions for scenes and then Nyota and Spock put their two cents in and I had to change the story around to fit it all in, lol. Now I'll have to cut some chapters that don't fit anymore. In my original outline, Spock and Uhura stay apart a long time but now they want to make up and go on honeymoons and stuff, smh. I love writing for them so it's all good, but updates will be slower as I revise things.
Grist for the Gossip Mill
It didn't take the wagging tounges on the Enterprise long to realize that both Lieutenant Uhura and Commander Spock were not aboard. And of course, that could only mean one thing. They ran off together. Again.
Since accurate accounts of the pair's affair were few and far between, dedicated gossips had to piece together a narrative. The Vulcan flu story that was the official account of their first absence was declared bullshit. Instead, the rumors were that Spock and Uhura had run off to Vulcan together. They had a falling out and when they returned from shore leave, Uhura turned to the arms of Lieutenant Sulu.
Spock became jealous, and he attacked Sulu, whereupon Uhura punched his lights out. Now it was rumored that the pair had a rendezvous planned on the planet Argelius. Everybody knew Argelius was for lovers and people looking for love.
The gossips couldn't wait for the pair to return. They were going to be on high alert to any small clue, any telltale sign that the two had been on a romantic trip together.
The women of the ship believed it was romantic that Mr. Spock had fallen in love with Uhura while the men didn't believe it. They said that Uhura was clearly in love with Spock just like Nurse chapel but just as with Chapel he had no feelings for Uhura other than friendship and therefore Uhura punched his lights out. Sulu was just a rebound. On and on the rumors raced through the ship.
Sulu was enjoying his breakfast in the rec room this morning, a stark change from being holed up in his quarters with Uhura, when he was joined by Charlene Masters.
"So, Romeo, I see you've lost your better half?" Charlene teased him.
"I haven't found my better half yet. Are you interested in the job? Apparently, there's an opening," Sulu said.
"No. I'm a single lady for the duration. But I hear somebody we know is not."
"Oh, who?" sulu feigned ignorance. Uhura had sworn him to secrecy and he was nothing if not a man of his word.
"Our mutual friend, Lieutenant Uhura. I hear she's been stolen from you by a tall dark handsome Vulcan."
"If I were you I wouldn't believe the rumors flying around. You know me and you know Nyota. We have always been and always will be just friends."
"If you say so," Charlene said not believe it for a minute.
"I do say so."
"So you've really never ever wanted more than that with Ny?"
"If I did, it doesn't matter, she didn't."
"How do you know?"
"A man knows."
"I guess you're right, besides she is clueless when it comes to men anyway. She fell for that loser Riley and anyone with half a brain and at least one good eye could see he was bad news."
"He wasn't so bad."
"How can you say you're Nyota's friend and defend that jerk?"
"I didn't defend him, just saying he was not that bad a guy."
"That's defending him. He treated her like crap. Not just the leaving her without a bye or leave, but the way he tried to control her. You just don't know. Some men like to mold a woman into what he wants her to be. Do you know he criticized her hair! And her makeup! And back then Ny was young and on her own for the first time. She fell into the wrong hands. Luckily he got transferred off before he did any more damage."
"It wasn't luck," Sulu said as he sipped his tea.
"What do you mean?"
"I happen to know that Mr. Spock recommended Riley for promotion."
"Why would Spock do that? Riley was a barely passable navigator, his communication skills left something to be desired as well."
"Well," Sulu looked around dramatically and then leaned in closer to Charlene, "you didn't hear it from me, but I suspect Spock conveniently got rid of Riley." He whispered conspiratorily.
"No! Not Mr. Spock. Why would he do such a thing?"
"Why do you think?" Sulu smirked.
"You can't mean he did it for Ny?"
Sulu nodded his head.
"Why would he do that for her?"
"Why does a man do anything for a woman?" Sulu asked.
"Sex," Charlene said, "but I doubt that was his motive."
"Charlene you have sex on the brain," Sulu laughed.
"And you don't?" she challenged him.
"Touché," Sulu conceded.
Charlene shook her head. "I don't understand those two, they run so hot and cold. One minute they are inseparable. Then the next thing you know they can't get far enough apart. Then they are tight like glue again, and then again they are not speaking to one another. Then they spend a week together on Vulcan then the come back as if nothing happened. Now they're off together somewhere again. Just get together and stay that way damn it!"
"Why are you so upset, it's their relationship, not yours."
"Because I love Ny like a sister. Whenever Spock breaks her heart she... She's not as tough as she pretends to be. She's not like Christine, she's not going to chase Spock. If he doesn't step up he's going to hurt her again and again and again."
"Maybe he's got his act together now. You see he went after her."
"Did he? What do you know?" Charlene said leaning in.
"I know nothing about why Spock went to Argelius. I only speculate like the rest of the gossips."
"Aha, so he did go to Argelius? Sulu you have the inside scoop, you should bet in the pool."
"The what?"
"A betting pool. The choices are will Spock and Uhura return the same as they left, will they be on speaking terms but just good friends or will they be all cozy and cuddly with the afterglow of Argelius in their eyes?"
"And what is the prize for such a silly pool?"
"Well, you just put your credits in and if you're the closest to the truth I think you win the entire pool. I guess you split it with anyone else who made the same prediction."
"It sounds invasive and foolish to speculate on other people's romance."
"So you admit there is a romance?" Charlene nodded knowingly.
"My lips are sealed. Ask Nyota yourself."
"I would if she ever stayed in one place. I just caught her on her way to Argelius and she barely had time to say goodbye."
"She's been through a rough patch. When she comes home just be understanding and be there for her," Sulu pleaded.
"Of course, I will. She's my best friend. I may have to pull a Spock and get rid of you though," Charlene teased.
Sulu held up his hands in surrender. "I'm her best male friend, you can be her best girlfriend."
"Deal. Especially since somebody we know doesn't seem to want the role." Charlene and Sulu looked across the room at Christine who sat alone and looked to be chewing on a bowl of nuts and bolts, if judged by the stiffness of her jaw.
/*-/*-/
"Morning Jim, what's the good word?" Dr. McCoy asked as he joined the Captain for breakfast in the canteen.
"Hello, Bones. Do you hear that?" Jim asked looking around dramatically.
"No. What is it?"
"Its the sound of peace. Peace and quiet."
"Is that what it is? You're sure it's not the sound of the ships gossip mill grinding away?"
"No bones, there is no one here to gossip about. Our quarrelsome couple is on a planet far away and I intend to enjoy my breakfast for a change" Kirk said tucking himself into a hefty helping of food.
"If you say so." Bones said as he took a bite of his eggs. "Say, Jim, heard any good jokes lately?"
"No bones I have not heard any new jokes, I suppose you have?"
"As a matter of fact," Bones said wiping his mouth with his napkin, "this one just came over the subspace channels. A Vulcan and a human walk into an Argelius brothel..."
"No! No Bones tell me they didn't?" Jim said with growing apprehension.
"They did. Unless there is another Vulcan/Human couple running around. And it's all over the subspace channels. A Vulcan male and a human female started a barroom brawl in a brothel." McCoy said leaning back in his chair and grinning.
"What the hell were they doing in a brothel?" Kirk nearly shouted and then got himself under control. "Bones why were my commanding officer and my chief communications officer in a brothel on Argelius?"
"I have no idea Jim, but I bet its a good story," Mccoy said and started his breakfast again.
"And you say they started a brawl?" Kirk could not believe it.
"That's what the news wire says, the couple fled on foot into the foggy night."
"Please tell me they were not in uniform?"
"No mention of it being Starfleet officers but Argelian security is looking for them."
"Well, they shouldn't be too hard to find, how many Vulcan male/human female couples do you suppose there are in the galaxy?"
"I only know of one other and I'm almost certain it was not Sarek and Amanda."
"Only almost?"
"Well, I doubt Sarek would do something like that but I wouldn't put it past that Lady Amanda."
"You know I used to think Spock was his father's son, but the more I think about it, he is definitely a mama's boy."
"At least we know one thing for sure," McCoy quipped.
"And what is that, Bones?"
"They're together."
/*-/*-/
Nurse Chapel heard them all and the more she heard the angrier she became. It was all lies. Spock and Uhura were not a 'pair'. They may be married legally but it was a marriage in name only, she was sure of it. There was no way Spock would treat his true wife the way he treated Uhura. He treated her no better than his first 'wife'. And there was no way that Uhura and Spock had run off together... again. She knew for a fact that Uhura was on medical leave. "And good riddance! I hope she never comes back," Christine thought.
But that did leave one mystery. Where was Mr. Spock? He had disappeared shortly after Nyota had, and he was not on any medical leave. Christine was certain of that. However, he was not aboard the Enterprise either. Could he be on Vulcan again? Could he really be on Argelius? And if so what did that mean?