On Thanksgiving, the four Kirks and Spock all sat around the table for dinner. Jim Kirk was doing much of the talking. "So all of a sudden," he said, laughing, "I notice that the pestilential things are gone! So I look around and everyone's looking at me like they're waiting for me to say something. So I ask, 'Where are all the tribbles?' Nobody would give me a straight answer at first. You see—and to this day, I have no idea whose idea it was to do this—it turns out that Scotty had somehow managed to transport every tribble on the Enterprise onto the Klingon ship before it went into warp!"

Peter burst out laughing. "You never told me that one," he said.

"Let this be a warning to you, then—never feed a tribble."

Kirk's parents were both chuckling. Kirk looked over at Spock. He seemed to be having a reasonably good time, but he wasn't saying much. Kirk had been telling stories about their times on the Enterprise, hoping that he would chime in. He wanted very badly for Spock and his parents to get to know each other. Spock, however, was his usual reserved self.

"So Spock," said Kirk's father suddenly, "You served as an ensign under Chris Pike, right?"

"Yes, I did."

"I worked with him when I was on the Enterprise."

"I recall him mentioning you. In fact, when Pike gave up the ship, he requested specifically that Jim be put in charge because he knew he was your son."

"I never knew that!" said Kirk.

Spock's eyes flickered down to his plate for a moment before he looked back up, wearing a faintly amused expression. "He told me not to tell you."

"But you're telling me anyway," said Kirk playfully.

"It doesn't seem to matter much anymore. He hasn't been seen in a long time, and you've been the captain for even longer."

Kirk smiled. "It's true."

Kirk's parents exchanged glances. "So," said Kirk's mother, "did you two meet for the first time on the Enterprise?"

"We had met once or twice before that, but only briefly," said Kirk, who was still looking at Spock with a kind of upside-down smile on his face, "We hadn't had a real conversation until I was told he was going to be assigned as my first officer."

"That's not true," said Spock, who was still looking at Kirk with twinkling eyes, "We met years before that at the Academy."

It was a night for surprises. "What?" burst Kirk, "I think I would have remembered that!"

"Apparently your memory deceives you," said Spock. "Perhaps it is better that you have forgotten."

"Oh, now you have to tell us," said Kirk's mother, grinning at her son.

All of a sudden, the memory hit Kirk. "Oh no, you weren't the guy who…"

Spock nodded. "I was a year ahead of Jim at the Academy, but we were in the same combat class for one semester."

Kirk decided to take preemptive measures by burying his face in his hands.

"He seemed to have the idea in his head that Vulcans are terrible fighters. He wasn't the only one, but he was the only one who voiced this opinion."

"I knew that Vulcans were smart, but everyone said they couldn't fight worth a damn. I believed them. What I didn't realize was that the fact that someone doesn't like to fight doesn't mean that they aren't…well, much better at it than I am."

"It was an advanced combat class, you see," explained Spock. "The teacher heard Jim questioning my presence in the class—rather loudly, I might add—"

"Sorry."

"So he called Jim and me up to fight each other."

"He destroyed you, didn't he?" Peter asked his uncle.

"Well, for the record, I went in overconfident. He caught me by surprise."

"It would not be the last time I would defeat him in such a way," said Spock serenely.

Kirk feigned anger. "I still beat you at chess! I've beaten you at least fifteen more times than you've beaten me!"

Spock pretended not to hear this comment. "It just so happened that the girl he was dating at the time was in the class as well and saw the whole thing."

"How did you know about Jess?" Kirk's mouth dropped open as the rest of the table exploded with laughter. "I barely knew you! Why do you know everything?" He turned to his parents and nephew. "How come he knows everything?"

Spock was not quite smiling, but for the look in his face he may as well have been rolling on the floor laughing.

Kirk's father protested that since he had cooked most of the dinner, he should not have to clean up. Spock, as a guest, was also declared exempt. Peter disappeared as if by magic. That left Kirk and his mother to do the dishes and put the leftovers away.

"You know," said Kirk's mother, dropping her voice and leaning in conspiratorially as she loaded plates into the dishwasher, "I knew you were bisexual."

"Really?" asked Kirk, "How? When did you figure it out?"

"I had suspected it since you were five, but I didn't know until you were fourteen."

"I didn't even figure it out until I was sixteen!" said Kirk, "How could you possibly have known?"

"Well, I started to suspect something when you were in kindergarten and went around kissing all the other little boys as well as the little girls. You were that kind of kid. But when you were fourteen, I started to notice how you acted around Robbie."

"How did I act around Robbie?"

"The same way you acted around the girl you were dating at the time."

Kirk heard a faint noise from behind him. He turned around to see Spock standing in the doorway, looking faintly amused. "How long have you been standing there?" he asked.

"Long enough to hear about your elementary school escapades," said Spock, "I didn't realize you had been such a heartbreaker for so long."

"He never stopped, did he, Spock?" asked Kirk's mother.

"I'm not sure he knows how."

Kirk's ears turned red. "That's it," he said to Spock, "The next time we visit your family, I'm embarrassing you."

Later, Kirk rolled over in bed to talk to Spock. "I think tonight was a success."

"I agree," said Spock, turning to face him so that their faces were mere inches apart. Spock reached out to touch Kirk.

"No!" said Kirk, "Not here. You can hear what's going on in the guest room from every other room in the house."

Spock, evidently deciding it was better not to question how Kirk knew this, raised his eyebrow. "What do you propose, then?"

Kirk thought for a moment. "Get dressed," he said.

"That seems counterproductive."

"Just do it. Come on. Let's go."

The night was cold and clear. Kirk grabbed Spock's hand and pulled him along. He saw Spock's breath misting in front of his face. It occurred to Kirk that the Vulcan was not used to the cold the way he was. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea. Still, he sensed that Spock was eager to see what Kirk had planned, and so Kirk continued on.

When they reached the lake, Kirk stopped and looked around for the tree under which he had spent so much of his teenage years. He eventually spotted it. It looked much smaller than he remembered. Kirk's world had expanded infinitely since the days he had spent time under that tree, reading, playing chess with a friend, or making out with whomever he happened to be dating at the time. Kirk felt Spock smile inwardly as he squeezed Kirk's fingers lightly. They sat down by the tree and gazed over the moonlit water. "I see why you love this place," said Spock, "It is beautiful."

"And empty," said Kirk, "I'm not sure how everyone else failed to discover it, but I could always count on having my privacy when I went here."

"You weren't the only one to find this place, Uncle Jim," said someone a few meters to Kirk and Spock's right. In the semidarkness Kirk could just make out the face of his nephew.

"Peter!" he said. An attractive young girl was leaning on Kirk's nephew's shoulder and trying to stifle her giggles in the folds of Peter's tee shirt. "One of us is going to have to find a new spot."

"Normally, I would say 'I was here first,' but seeing as both of you are my superior officers…"

"Well-reasoned, Peter," said Spock. Peter and his girlfriend stood up to leave.

"So," said Kirk to Spock when they had left, "where were we?"

Kirk and Spock returned to the house two hours later. Trying not to make any noise, they crept upstairs and took a shower before going to bed. George Kirk, however, had always been a light sleeper. Roused by the sound of the water turning on, he looked over at his wife, who had also woken up. He smiled. "I'm happy he found someone," he said, "It can be lonely on a starship, and the captain has it worse than anyone."

Kirk's mother smiled. "I know. I never understood Vulcans, but I like Spock. I can tell that those two are right for each other."

Kirk's father nodded. "I never quite understood Vulcans either, but I know some things for sure about them—they never cheat or lie, and they always remain absolutely loyal to those they have committed themselves to."

Kirk's mother smiled and closed her eyes. "I don't think we have to worry about Jim as long as Spock's there."

On that note, they both drifted off to sleep again.


Thus, we leave our heroes in the shower. Have fun with that.