Heartbeats

Chapter Three

Their marriage was blessed with four children, three males and a female and it was Spock who was the first to detect and listen to each ones' heartbeat. He was the provider and protector of all who were his own. They had settled into life in San Francisco amidst an increasing number of Vulcan/Terran bondings. Their children now all grown had made their way in life. Their oldest son had taken up the robes of ambassadorship from Sarek and he and his bondmate were presently located at the Federation/Romulan Conference with Sarek present as an advisor.

Their middle son was head of Language Studies at Star Fleet Academy. Their youngest son was an instructor at The Vulcan Science Academy which, contrary to his own experience, attested to Vulcans' progress in the area of acceptance of other species.

Their daughter, the youngest had married Sulu's oldest son and they both worked with The Federation's diplomatic corp. So, at this time, they were not only parents, but grandparents five times over when they decided on taking up the invitation to join the old bridge crew for what was believed would be an uneventful mission of three months.

The now Admiral Kirk had 'pulled some strings,' 'stirred some memories' and made some in high places remember a promise made to him years ago. His statement to his old friends was simply,

"I was about to lose my mind, a desk job is suffocating and absolutely boring. This is where we all belong…SPACE, the final frontier."

The present crew of The Enterprise would serve as 'shadows' for the older bridge crew, who had received up-to-date training to deal with this new ship. Admiral Kirk had donned a captain's gold and greeted each of the old crew as they came aboard with the words,

"This is some ship, too bad we just have her for three months."

Sulu went to his chair and smiled at a much older Chekov and said,

"This ship has all the bells and whistles and can easily make warp twelve."

Chekov fingered his console and said,

"This ship has double the firepower of our Enterprise, plus an entire section can detach as an escape pod."

Kirk went to his chair and spun it around and noticed its communication abilities. Not even having to bend close to the microphone he said,

"Mr. Scott, how does it look down there in engineering?"

"Captain…sorry, Admiral she is purring like a kitten ready to hit warp twelve when you so desire."

Just then the turbo lift door opened and Dr. McCoy stepped out shaking his head in disbelief,

"How you managed to get me to agree to this form of torture is beyond my comprehension. I think I came just to make sure that you will die of old age and not a stupid bravado decision."

Spock and Nyota entered the bridge together. As a matter of fact when the door opened the couple was standing face to face to one another with foreheads touching. In Kirk's normal bid to annoy his first officer he said,

"I certainly hope that we did not interrupt something of a personal nature between you two."

Spock simply raised his eyebrow and then said,

"Admiral, Vulcans never kiss and tell."

Nyota simply got,

"Welcome aboard Lieutenant Uhura. You look as beau…"

Spock uncharacteristically cleared his throat and Nyota walked over to the communication station and took her seat. She then addressed 'the chair'.

"Admiral, how is your family?"

"All are well. Did you know that I am a grandfather seven times over?"

Nyota answered,

"Yes, Facebook is a wonderful way to keep in touch with old friends. Carole and I often exchange holovids.

The crew of the old Enterprise came together and it was just as if they had not missed a 'heartbeat'.

`0`0`0`0`0`0`0`0`0`0`0`0`

So it was that the mission was indeed uneventful up until the final week before they would turn around and head for Star Base I and home.

Spock and Uhura, along with three red shirts had beamed down to an uncharted planet to collect soil samples. The scan of the planet indicated that it was benign, however, the ground was unsteady and seemed to shift from some unknown energy source. They had beamed down into a crater and Spock observed the rugged cliffs surrounding their place of study. He wanted to secure some samples from an area within sight of Nyota's site because the ground was of a different color. Two of the red shirts were taking videos that were streamed to receivers on the ship. There was a loud snapping noise and a slab of rock seemed to fall backward against the adjacent site with Nyota between the two pieces of granite.

Spock saw the look of terror on her face as she realized what was happening and all heard Spock anguished cry…"NO…'. He and the other males blasted away at the rock and freed Nyota who was covered with blood. He immediately did a mind-meld that validated his worse fear. He called for beam up as he held his aduna in his arms.

"Beloved, I must leave you."

"Since our joining, every journey we have made together."

With that statement Spock aliened his fingers for the meld, and located his beloved cardio-vascular system.

"This will be a final journey together beloved. There will be no mourning for you on my part, no anticipated presence at a door, or a meal with one plate. I regret, in this one instance I was unable to protect you."

Nyota gave him a small smile and leaned over to kiss him. It was her breath in his mouth that was her last and his into her's as he held her.

When they appeared on the transporter pad they were locked into an inseparable embrace. Both of their dust covered faces exhibited the tracks of tears.

As Dr. McCoy confirmed, Nyota's injuries were fatal but not so with Spock. His hands had been bloodied by his frantic effort to rescue his wife. McCoy had looked at his ruined hands and said he had seriously endangered his ability as a touch telepath by that action, but apparently at that point, he knew he would never again have use for that Vulcan gift. He also had observed the positioning of Spock's hands that explained why both of their monitoring insignias indicated that both of their hearts had stopped at the same moment.

With McCoy's revelation Kirk was forced to remember his friend's statement from a long time ago, after Nyota had been severely injured,

"Without her I would be unable to exist."

Indeed, Spock, a Vulcan who could not lie, had acted in harmony with his words.

Kirk left the medical bay and the dubious comfort of Bone's observation and sought out the silence of his two friends' private quarters. Perhaps there he would be able to resolve his loss in the remembrances that that space would provide.

There, neatly displayed on Spock's desk he saw several addressed envelopes one to Sarek, the others to Spock and Nyota's children and to the side one that simply said, 'Jim'.

The Admiral sat down heavily into the chair in front of the desk and tapped the envelope against his left hand, took a deep breath and in a way, showing respect for his friend's very neat and precise way of doing everything, he carefully opened the letter…

'Jim:

Your reading of this missive indicates that I have ceased to exist. Not knowing the exact circumstances of my demise I can only assume that My Nyota did not survive some deadly encounter and she and I have taken our final journey together. If she had survived me, she would have put the letters that we composed together away and conveyed my thoughts to our children verbally. Long ago she had been advised of my decision as to my non-acceptance of the status of widowhood.

From my statement years ago, you are fully aware of my actions being logical. I cannot and would not desire a life apart from my aduna, my Nyota. Even if I had not chosen to end my existence alongside her, my extended and unending grief would have been worse than death.

My one request of you is simply look after our children. Not in the way they would have to be looked after if they were not adults, but serve as their advisor, allow them to seek you out and please be a source of comfort for them.

May your life continue to be enriched and I wish that you 'Live Long and Prosper.'

Your T'hai'la

Spock

THE END

A/N: Since 2009 I have imagined this couple in all sorts of settings. I have even killed off Spock and have had Nyota grieve. I did feel that this was a fitting end for that alternate universe I created that rounded out of old characters and introduced new ones.

I now will take a sabbatical and will return with a story that takes places years after the world I here created (except in my final entry, their relationship starts much later than the movies or any story I have written, and Spock becomes the captain of The Enterprise.

I wish to thank you so much for your support and readership and I look forward to my eventual return to .

If you care to keep in touch…just email me.

Botsey