Hello! I'm hoping this chapter will make sense and I'm sorry it took me so long to write it! Please review! I live for them!
Tishbing
Chapter Twelve
Selek ran one last scan. Everything was in place. Leonard had done his part in ensuring Jamie's biosign's were distinguishable from the crew by placing the tracker on her in the sensor bracelet. Nyota had ensured that communications were at the correct frequency for them to be affected and Montgomery Scott, a miracle worker even in this alternate timeline, had ensured complete chaos.
The comm from the lieutenant and the doctor had been disturbing, to say the least. It had taken an abnormally long period of meditation to control his more...base emotions and not simply contact his younger self and, as Leonard would have said, 'let him have it'. The sad part was, that he knew himself. During his youth, he had been an headstrong individual and a scolding, no matter how appropriate, would achieve nothing. It was ingrained in vulcans since childhood that the best way to learn from mistakes was to do it themselves and come to the correct solution even if it meant the worst was yet to come.
At this juncture, Selek had no choice but to intervene for Jamie's sake. To minimize the damage to her while Spock learned where he had erred. He had to protect this universe's version of his t'hy'la. Jamie Kirk was much like his own James Kirk in her independence and self-sacrificial nature.
Selek carefully twisted the dials and programmed the coordinates. Pushing the levers up, he watched as gold swirls formed into the shape of Jamie Kirk. Selek was shocked at her appearance and cursed his counterpart. He could see the small swell of her abdomen even though it was mostly hidden under a large t-shirt. It was smaller than it should have been at this point in her pregnancy. Her eyes had dark circles surrounding them, hollow cheeks and her normally vibrant blond hair hung limp. The blue sparkle was dimmed in her eyes and Selek knew he had arrived just in time.
"Wha-what's going on?" Jamie's eyes darted around the small transporter room and settled on him. He was pleased to see a small hint of warmth but it quickly diminished as she suddenly grasped her chest.
"Oh, God! It hurts!" Kirk gasped and he had moments before her knees wobbled and it was only due to his advanced reflexes that he caught her but he was completely unprepared for the immense emotions from her. They battered against his shields and Selek knew that there was more to what was happening than he had originally thought.
"Doctor Chapel! Captain Kirk needs your assistance!"
Selek reinforced his shields and moved his hands from any skin to skin contact. The fabric only muffled the intense emotions but it was enough.
Jamie's eyes were screwed shut, her right hand fisted in her shirt and her breathing erratic, the sensor bracelet was pinging with alarms as she struggled to control her reactions.
A blur of blond hair rushed into the room and Selek breathed a sigh of relief. Selek was grateful to have found Christine Chapel. Her skills were a close match to Dr. McCoy's.
"What happened?" Her eyes flashed to Selek's before going to the handheld scanner she was running over Jamie's body. They widened as she moved the device up towards her skull.
"Her neurological readings are all over the place!" Chapel continued scanning with one hand while the other loaded a hypospray, jamming it into Kirk's neck. Selek watched as the woman in his arms grunted and stilled, her eyes opening and blinking slowly.
"Let's get her to a bed." Chapel packed up her kit while he carefully picked up Jamie, her head lolled around until it landed on his chest. Selek was deeply concerned and suspicious. A simple transport should not have had an effect on Jamie.
His ship was small. Three sets of quarters, a small common area with a replicator, a bridge and an engine room but it was fast, had cloaking technology and was perfectly suited for his needs. He had stocked it with everything Dr. McCoy recommended to tend to Jamie's needs and he was thankful for his and the doctor's foresight.
Christine led him to the larger set of quarters and set to work while he lay his charge down. Her pallor was grey and she still seemed in pain. He wished to soothe her but he restrained himself until Dr. Chapel confirmed his suspicions.
She immediately set on her patient, her passion and dedication projecting despite their distance. Chapel jabbed the captain with several more shots despite the young captain's weak protests, her expression grim.
Selek was grateful for the woman. In his own time, he had known Chapel very well. This version had matured faster due to Kirk's forceful influence. After the Narada, Jamie had convinced the young nurse to finish her internship and get her MD. She had held off for her fiancé who had been missing for some time and had been listed as dead, putting her life on hold.
Kirk had convinced her to move on and that life was too short. Chapel had become a prominent physician, finishing her residency in internal medicine assisting in the resettling of the Vulcan people making up for their lack of qualified healers. The woman had been eternally grateful for the push and had been only too happy to help.
"Selek, these readings are not good. She's suffering from what looks like a diseased bond." She huffed and pursed her lips in worry, carefully brushing the stray blond locks away from Kirk's sweaty forehead. "I've given her some lexorin but it's only a stop-gap measure. There's several options. The bond could be broken but during pregnancy it's too dangerous. It needs to be healed or at least muffled until after the baby's born."
Selek looked up sharply. That had not been mentioned but, then again, Dr. Chapel had more experience with vulcans than Dr. McCoy.
"She needs a healer. The lexorin will help but not for long."
Kirk's grip at her chest loosened and her eyes started to clear but lines of tension still surrounded them. Once her gaze fixed on Christine, she groaned. "Oh, shit. Hypo nazi number two."
Chris smirked. "Pain in the ass number one." She greeted. "How are you feeling?"
Kirk ran a shaky hand through her hair. "Confused but...better? What's going on?" Her eyebrows drew together. "I was in my quarters talking to Spock and now I'm here?"
Selek reached out, squeezing her shoulder. "I was contacted by your friends. They were extremely concerned." He fixed her with a slight glare that had her hunch her shoulders. "I am disappointed that you did not think to contact me sooner."
Jamie flushed in embarrassment, stammering protests. "I'm fine. Things are just complicated."
Selek raised an eyebrow in reproach and Jamie smiled sheepishly. "Well, ok. I'm not fine but I can take care of myself."
Tilting his head, Selek slowly ran his gaze over her making sure the woman knew he didn't believe her.
"Ok. You're right." She huffed and tried to sit up only to have Chapel press her back down.
Jamie's eyes flicked between them. "What are you talking about bonded, anyways?"
Chapel moved away. "I think this might be better explained by Selek. I'll leave you two alone but I will be monitoring from the next room."
Chapel left and Selek sighed. "The doctor and I have reason to suspect that a bond was formed between yourself and the commander. I will need your thoughts to confirm this."
Jamie shook her head vehemently. "That is not possible. We've never melded. He hates me." Selek's heart twisted in his side as he saw tears pool in her eyes. "He has looked down on me since day one. He'd even gotten to the point of following me to stop me from doing things and pointing out my mistakes constantly." Kirk hiccuped and scrubbed her eyes furiously. "Stupid hormones." She grumbled.
Selek stilled her movements. "I cannot speak for my younger self's motives but it could have been concern he was expressing. The actions may have been overbearing but it is my hope that he meant no ill will."
Jamie frowned and picked at the blanket covering her legs. "But they hurt. They way he went about things. He was trying to take the baby away."
"He was wrong in the fact that he allowed his initial care morph into a more negative attempt at protection. Perhaps it started as an attempt to relieve you of the burden of, what was at first, an unwanted child but it changed to him focusing on the negative instead of trying to find the positive."
"Still doesn't fix what he did." Glaring at a space on the wall, she grit her teeth. "Nor does it explain what just happened to me."
Placing the tips of his fingers under his chin, Selek considered the recent event. "I believe that Spock unknowingly bonded with you. Can you think of any instances that you have felt emotions or sensations that were not related to the situation at hand?"
Jamie closed her eyes,as if in pain. "Yeah. A few times."
Raising his hands, the elderly vulcan moved close and positioned his fingers on her meld points. "I need to examine how this occurred."
Nodding her agreement, Selek initiated the meld.
Pain. His first impression was jarring. He could see the link between Kirk and Spock. It was strong and had potential to be beautiful but he could see that it was weak in sections, like a rope being constantly worn against a rough surface. Parts were frayed and Selek was surprised that Jamie had not been suffering sooner. He kept his search light, not wanting to intrude on Jamie's privacy to cause embarrassment and focused on facts rather than memories.
He dove forward to determine when the bond started and came across the moment of Vulcan's destruction. The shock of losing his betrothed, T'Pring, and his familial bond to his mother caused Spock's mind to automatically seek out a balm to sooth the ragged edges.
His anger and pain opened him to Kirk's mind as they fought. It made him vulnerable and Jamie's mental pleading reached out to his mind. His katra saw a compatible match to ease the painful chasm in his mind and formed a betrothal bond without either party's knowledge. Her strong spirit had been exactly what Spock had needed, allowing him to retain his semblance of self.
He saw the temporary break when Jamie had succumbed to the radiation in the warp core, the rebuilding of it during her long recovery as Spock started to unknowingly become a shadow to Kirk. His constant concern and care built it back up to a healthy bond.
Selek moved forward and discovered the moment that things had progressed. Trelane's meddling had, once again, made Spock's mind vulnerable. The false Pon Farr had lowered his defenses. He saw a flash of their time together and moved past but he could feel Jamie's love for Spock and saw the moment the bond solidified. A full mating bond. It had glowed a beautiful gold. Underneath Jamie's love, there was a small echo. She hadn't felt it because she had been so focused on her own feelings but there was a great deal of concern, gratitude and care that Spock had unconsciously projected. It was hidden well but it was there.
He watched as the next four and a half months started to cause damage. Spock's anger at his future being changed and fear of the unknown tarnished the golden thread, his distrust rubbed it and caused parts to fray, his neglect and indifference to his mate battered against Kirk's unshielded mind. While Spock was able to shield, Jamie had no such advantage. Jamie's feelings became more negative and sensitive caused by Spock's emotions bleeding into the bond and Spock felt the pain but it was interpreted wrong and affected him and caused him to lash out, not understanding what was happening. His single-minded focus on what he had been taught was expected of him allowed him to feed on the negativity.
There was only one option. Time and distance. For Jamie to heal and Spock to learn his true nature and to learn from his mistakes. Selek took hold of the bond, careful in his grip, and smoothed the edges. He layered it in protection, gently hiding the bond and blocking it from both ends. He felt Jamie's gasp as her emotions suddenly became her own, alone in her mind for the first time in two years. He made sure to heal what he could and moved through the layers of Jamie's mind. He could sense her exhaustion and sent a suggestion of sleep before he fully extracted himself.
Jamie looked peaceful, possibly the first true sleep she'd had since Trelane's visit. The lines had smoothed on her face, a small smile on her lips as she rested. He pulled the blankets higher and moved to a chair next to the bed.
"How is she?" Christine leaned on the door.
"I have blocked the bond temporarily and healed what I could. I believe that, given enough time, she will be back to her old self."
"Heaven help us all." Christine smiled.
"Indeed, doctor. We need to set course for Beta Sigma colony."
Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Spock felt numb. It was as if a part of him had been suddenly silenced and smothered, a void was in his mind. Their efforts to discover the whereabouts of their captain had proved fruitless. All avenues had turned up dead ends. With no ion trail to follow and no clues, Starfleet had ordered the Enterprise to remain in orbit and continue relief efforts until the Pegasus could take over tomorrow.
He spent a double shift trying everything to locate his captain. With her gone, it was as if a part of him had been carved out of his very soul and it was wrong. McCoy had forced him off duty and Spock found himself in Jamie's quarters. The scent of her remained and it soothed him for some reason. He was unable to explain it.
Kneeling in the center of her room, he began meditation in the hopes of finding answers.
