- "Love, whether newly-born or aroused from a death-like slumber, must always create a sunshine, filling the hearts so full of radiance, that it overflows upon the outward world. " –
Nathaniel Hawthorne in "The Scarlet Letter"
"Looks good," Leonard said, gazing at a screen that displayed various brightly colored charts, assorted data and the cheerfully flashing vital sign schematics of both Jim and Spock. "Surprisingly enough, you are both in excellent health and there is nothing particularly alarming about those brain scans. Now, I am neither a neurologist, nor particularly well informed about the nature of Vulcan bonds. A Vulcan might find something different. But for the moment, I think you're in no imminent danger."
"Good to know," Jim murmured. "Thanks, Bones. Though I still don't understand…"
Leonard raised his hands. "Ask Spock. Explaining this is his job, and I couldn't do it if I wanted to. I know preciously little about Vulcan telepathy. You keep that bit of your culture largely to yourselves." He looked at Spock, frowning.
"With good reason," Spock replied.
"Oh, I don't doubt that. But this is different. I think you need to be completely open with Jim at least."
"Since Vulcans cannot lie and his mind is currently linked to mine, keeping secrets is not an option," Spock reminded him.
"Oh, good," Jim said, grinning evilly, "Now I can ask you everything I've always wanted to know, but knew you wouldn't tell me."
Leonard laughed. "I'd like to be a fly on the wall during that conversation."
"I think Christopher would be somewhat disappointed if you turned into a fly," Spock told him, unblinking.
"Was that… humor? Spock, I didn't know you had it in you!" Leonard patted his shoulder, then retreated quickly, fearing retaliation. Spock was anything but fond of casual touches.
Spock looked displeased, but apparently decided not to act upon it.
"Well, I'll leave you to your entertainments, then. Just try not to kill each other. Who knows, humanity, Earth or even the entire Universe might find itself in need of saving again, so we'd all sort of like to keep the two of you around… preferably with all your limbs still attached." Leonard winked at them.
Jim rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, Bones. I think we should be able to manage without getting at each other throats."
"Well, Chris thought that, too, when he left the two of you in charge of his ship," Leonard pointed out.
"Back then we didn't know each other," Jim waved it off, "now, though…" He shot Spock a rather suggestive look.
"Okay, okay, no details, please. I'll leave now. Come by for lunch tomorrow, or at least check in with us once during the day; otherwise I'll likely have to pluck Sarek, Chris and Nyota off the wall."
"My father will contact me as soon as the healer arrives," Spock said. "I assume, there will be a ceremonial greeting at the residence. Taori is a highly honored member of the Vulcan community, but moreover, she is a distant relation of my father's first wife, and considering the state of affairs between Sarek and Saaravin, a meeting between members of our respective families would be delicate under any circumstances."
"Do you think she holds a grudge?" Jim asked. "Because of what happened between her… cousin and your father?"
"Actually, Saaravin would be closer to a niece of Taori, but the relationship is a bit more complicated than that and it seems strange to apply that term. And I do not think Taori capable of condemning my father for what happened between him and Saaravin, but she felt the repercussions of the rupture of their bond like everybody else in the family. Therefore, the meeting is going to be awkward at best."
"Great." Jim frowned. "Vulcan social structures seem to be a lot more complicated than I thought."
Spock smiled faintly at that. "The intricacies of our interpersonal relationships elude most members of other species," he admitted, "my mother used to complain that we were 'worse than a bunch of Scottish clans fighting their petty blood feuds'. I should probably warn you – Taori will consider you a member of my family and treat you as such as long as the bond between us lasts."
"Is that Vulcan tradition, counting bondmates as family members? Maybe I should congratulate you on getting married then," Leonard mused.
"Whoa, slow down. We'll have to talk about this some more before I'll accept any good wishes." He turned to Spock, seeking his hand and lightly touching the smooth, warm skin with his fingertips. Again, the strange familiarity of the bond flooded his mind, wrapping him like a soft, thick blanket of interwoven emotions, memories, half-dreamed dreams…
It is that serious, huh? He said to Spock, who felt awed at the touch and the discovery of all it held, but at the same time worried and guilt-stricken. He should not have placed Jim in such a situation. He should never have allowed things to progress this far. He loved Jim, how could he thus endanger him?
Hush. I don't want you to feel bad. It's not your fault.
Yes, it was his fault. Jim was just trying to make him feel better by saying that, which was very kind, but didn't alter the truth. Still, it sent a rich, golden wave of happiness and love trough the bond. Jim cared. Jim forgave. Jim loved.
Of course I love you, silly. And I would demonstrate it, if I wasn't afraid of giving Bones a heart attack. Although he might learn something from watching…
A new wave of emotions rolled ashore. Amusement. Excitement. Arousal. Thoughts Jim had entertained for a long while, but carefully kept hidden in the confines of his mind, and that were now emerging, waiting to become actions. Spock sensed a physical shudder running down his spine and he felt Jim's answering chuckle more than he heard it. The hospital, Leonard, everything seemed very far away.
It… might be prudent to move this someplace less public, Spock suggested, his mouth going dry with the promising allusions that short statement held.
Jim smiled. I agree.
Clear morning sunlight flooding through a gap between the curtains woke him, but he was carried into the day on the gentle rhythm of slow, even breathing, of a steady heartbeat that had aligned itself perfectly with his own. Jim blinked, trying to shake of the last remnants of sleep, but the glorious feeling of being more than one, of the unity of two minds and bodies that fit together as if crafted from birth to do so, would not leave him.
Spock was wrapped around him, both mentally and physically, like a protective glove, shielding Jim from any unpleasantness that might threaten his well-being or worm itself into his thoughts. He was asleep, and his mind sent out a calm, gently lapping stream of emotions, like subdued colors.
Jim was unable to put into words or even thought what he felt, but he knew at that moment, knew with a fierce determination, that he was not prepared to give this up. He would allow no one, no Vulcan healer, no obnoxious family members (even though, to be fair, they all seemed supportive and surprisingly understanding), no Starfleet superiors to take away what they had.
Whatever that may be. Love. The bond. The thing I don't understand.
He felt Spock stir, saw and felt the flow of colors change as his mind became conscious once again. It was a unique experience.
Have I woken you with my ramblings?
A low chuckle. In the most pleasant way imaginable. I felt a sudden surge of affection from you. Intermingled with a bit of possessiveness, though.
Jim grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, well, I may be getting ahead of myself here."
"You are not," Spock assured him, "for now, I am yours to claim, both by Vulcan law and the common law code of the Federation, since it recognizes Vulcan bonds as a legally binding form of union. A decision passed by the Federation High Court states that a bond has legal status, even if it has not been formally recognized by means of the appropriate ceremony. The Vulcan in question filed a lawsuit after being denied express leave in order to visit his bondmate at the colony when she was injured in an accident. He argued that such a treatment was discriminatory, as he would have been granted leave, had he been married by Earth law and that the actual ceremony was a mere formality having nothing to do with the actual fact of the union. "
"Spock, you are the only person in the universe capable of quoting legal decisions two minutes after waking up and while still curled around your new lover. You never cease to amaze me." Jim yawned and stretched, careful not to hit Spock with a foot or elbow. He turned to face the Vulcan and smiled. "Your hair looks cute, all messed up like that."
"Compliments to you then, since you are responsible for leaving it in such a state," Spock countered. "We should get up and dressed, for it will certainly not be long until my father will call for us."
"Morning person, aren't you?" Jim yawned again. "Right… Sarek. I almost forgot that we are at his house. Which is kind of weird, by the way."
"Not at all. Sarek has seen the nature of our bond and accepted it. To him, it is natural to consider you a part of the family, and therefore, it is natural that you should stay at his house, since he is the head of the family."
"And here I was thinking that Vulcans were actually prudes," Jim teased. "Because I am sure Sarek knows that we've been sleeping together… among other things."
Spock raised an eyebrow at him. "If he does, I can assure you that it does not concern or interest him. Vulcans are a lot less nosy about these things than humans. The only thing he probably concerned himself with was making sure that Delia would not walk in on us. He would not consider that to be… proper."
"Me neither," Jim agreed. "There's a limit to what little girls should know. Even though in this case, the little girl in question probably already knows way too much about the matter. Possibly even from bad personal experience. She never had a real childhood."
"You pity her."
"Of course I do. No one really knows what she's already been through, since she's reluctant to talk about it, but from all I gathered, her life has been pretty damn horrible until now. Abandoned by her mother, rejected by her family, sold as a slave… how much worse can it get? I'm glad Sarek sort of adopted her, maybe now she will at least have some semblance of a normal life."
"As the half-Orion granddaughter of Ambassador Sarek and Princess Saaravin (1) of Vulcan? Probably not. But my father will take good care of her."
"And Chris and Bones will be watching from the sidelines to be sure she has everything she needs. For some reason, Chris has taken a particular liking to her, and Bones supports his every whim, so she'll probably be spending a considerable amount of time with them. Plus, I think she and Jo hit off rather well yesterday."
"All in all, 'problem Delia' appears to have resolved itself" Spock agreed.
"That only leaves the bond and all its implications, a pissed off ex-girlfriend and a child I never knew about to deal with," Jim said, sighing. "Wait – I did not actually tell you about that yet, did I?"
"You did not, but I assume that it was from lack of opportunity only. And I have known about David Marcus for a while. I was the first person Christopher called about it – right after conferring with Leonard, I suspect."
"I should have known," Jim said, shaking his head, "of course he would go behind my back!"
"It was a reasonable course of action," Spock replied. "He thought you had known about your son all along."
"You do mind, don't you, Spock?" Jim asked anxiously, feeling disapproval seep through the bond.
"I am not… entirely happy about it," Spock admitted, "mainly because I have never been fond of Carol Marcus."
"You are jealous!" Jim cried out in surprise.
"Obviously. Why does that surprise you?"
"I don't know, I just… it's a bit much right now, you know? You. Us. The bond. Carol reappearing with a baby. I am… confused, I guess. I feel a bit lost." He leant his head against Spock's chest and felt the feathery soft touch of fingers combing through his hair.
"We'll figure it out," Spock said quietly. "Together."
"Carol will be spitting mad at me," Jim sighed.
"That is very probable, yes. I will prevent her from doing you any serious harm, but I do think that you deserve to get yelled at."
"I probably do."
(1) It was said in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier that Sybok's mother was a Vulcan princess, but we never learned her name nor was it determined if Sarek had been married to her or not. Given Sarek's character though, I really can't see him having a one night stand or even a casual relationship with anyone, so I came up with the story about the broken bond. I feel that it makes more sense than to simply assume that Sybok's mother died conveniently before Sarek met Amanda.
I'm back! Took me long enough, and I'm sorry you had to endure such a long wait, but other things kept me busy. Oh well. At least, the next chapter is already half written, so I will not make you wait that long again. As always, tell me what you think. By the way - is this still a K+ rating or should I move it to T?