I've been waiting to do this storyline for a little while, and while it will follow some of the basic elements of the TOS episode Space Seed, but with my own twist on it! I hope you enjoy the storyline!
Alex stood in front of McCoy as he poured her a drink, she smiled, accepting it and took a sip before she jumped back as the door opened and another team walked in with Kahn Singh on a stretcher.
"Stand back," McCoy said to her and she did as he set down his bottle and moved over to the patient and began to check his vitals.
"Is he alive?" She asked and he nodded.
"He's doing better than this one," he noted to the boy whose life support had begun to fail on the ship, and she stepped a little closer. Kahn was older than she remembered, he had been a scrawny sixteen year old in her time, and now he was a beefy man who by her count should be in his sixties- though he looked like he was in his late forties. Gray streaked his temples and his beard, and he had scars from a life hard lived, that much she could see.
"Will they survive?" She asked and McCoy looked at her.
"If I have something to say about it they will," he told her and she smiled slightly as she nodded before she lifted the glass to her lips and took a sip. As she did the door opened again and Kirk, Spock and Thal walked in. She turned around and looked at them curiously and Spock stepped forward and put his hand on her lower back, gently pulling her away from Singh.
"Alex," Kirk said and she nodded. "What happened over there was frankly unprofessional, and to disobey a direct order like that is a serious offense," he told her and she nodded, he wasn't saying anything she didn't already know.
"I know Captain, and I'm very sorry," she apologized.
"As it is- I'm afraid I'm going to have to order you to your quarters until a permissible response can be decided on,"
"Now wait a damn minute," McCoy looked away from Kahn and approached. "She had a reaction- a human reaction to seeing someone she hasn't seen in two hundred years," he said as he looked at Kirk with a frown.
"Bones-"
"No, no matter how much we may joke about her being a Vulcan like her chosen I don't know- mate?" He gestured at Spock who looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "She is still a human, and one we take for granted," he reminded Kirk, making Alex stare at the doctor in surprise, she had no idea the surgeon had such strong feelings about her.
"I have to disagree with the doctor," Spock said suddenly and Kirk looked at him in surprise. "As much as it may seem like Alex has acclimated to her current time- she is a woman out of time, one who has been thrown into a world she could not hope to understand, and she has not been given the opportunity to grieve her own past,"
"I don't need to grieve," she said, but Spock continued.
"It is for that reason I think it would be best if Alex were given a leave of absence, to be spent on Vulcan,"
Alex gaped at Spock's words, and then looked at Kirk who looked shocked as well, then his face changed as he considered Spock's words.
"I'll put in for the leave of absence," he said finally and Alex looked pleadingly at Dr. McCoy.
"I don't think we need to do all that," he said and Kirk shook his head.
"It's the best course of action," he agreed as he looked at Spock and then looked at Alex. "You are relieved of your duty, as soon as we can get these people to Starbase 12, we'll get you to Vulcan, do you think a standard leave will cover it?" He asked Spock who looked at Alex and then gave Kirk a nod.
"Oh this isn't over," she pointed at Spock.
"Thal, take Lt. Ramirez to her quarters," Kirk told the Klingon who put his hand on Alex's shoulder and turned her around.
"Don't touch me," she jerked out of Thal's grip and when he let go of her she stood with her head held high and finished the measure of alcohol that McCoy had given her in a single swallow before putting the glass down. She moved out of the room and Thal followed.
"What on Earth was all that?" McCoy asked when Alex left and Kirk gestured to Singh.
"Do you recognize him?"
"Should I?" McCoy asked.
"His name is Kahn Noonien Singh," Kirk explained and McCoy looked down at the man in surprise.
"Alex has had enough of a hard time by befriending Thal," Spock explained. "If it got around the ship that she was friends with one of the most deadly would be dictators and eugenicists of time, it would not fare well for her. It would be better if she was confined to our quarters until a time when Kahn and his people are off of the Enterprise,"
"You know you're going to catch a lot of hell for this," McCoy said as he looked at Spock who nodded. "It's like the old saying- hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,"
"I am perfectly prepared, Doctor, to deal with my mate as you put it," Spock assured McCoy who gave Spock a sympathetic look, obviously not believing that the Science officer was in fact perfectly prepared to deal with his mate.
Though if the Vulcan was honest, he wasn't entirely prepared for what awaited him in the shared room. She'd had plenty of time to stew over the apparent disruption to her career, so when Spock did finally return to the room, he found Alex pacing and muttering to herself in Spanish.
"I imagine you'd like to talk," he said and she whirled around to look at him.
"Oh, you imagine?" She asked as she looked up at him. "What the hell is your problem- what's all this shit about me needing to be sent to Vulcan- why would you say that, your parents don't want me to go to Vulcan and get in their way!"
"On the contrary, when I spoke to my mother this afternoon, she was thrilled at the prospect,"
"Oh, okay- great," Alex said, a little surprised. "Well- I don't want to go there,"
"You and I both know you do want to spend more time on my home planet,"
"Not like this Spock," she growled through clenched teeth. "Not because I'm forced to because my partner things I'm too emotionally damaged to follow orders- I made one fuck up- One," she held up a finger. "And suddenly I'm- I'm… Grounded?" She asked before she stepped up to him and looked up at him. "I want to talk to Kirk,"
"The Captain is busy," he replied and she scowled before walking to their bedroom and slamming the door.
Spock stood in the larger sitting room they had- since they were two people sharing quarters, their new quarters resembled a small apartment, with a sitting room and kitchenette, a bedroom, and a lavatory. He moved to the kitchenette and began to cook, making something reconstituted wasn't hard, but Spock much preferred having the kitchenette, he much preferred cooking his own meals, and meals for Alex.
When he finished cooking dinner for them both he went to the bedroom and knocked on the door before opening it. "I've made dinner," he told her as he pushed the door open the rest of the way. Alex was laying on the bed with her face in her pillow, still in her Starfleet uniform.
He walked into the room and stared down at her for a moment before he sat on the edge of the bed, resting a hand on her back. "I don't understand what's going on," Alex said into the pillow and Spock, to his credit, did feel something akin to guilt for the hurt he was causing his T'hyla.
"Alex," he spoke softly, soothingly. She turned to look at him, and Spock registered the puffy red eyes of someone who had been crying. He gripped her hip a little and then looked away, he would not allow himself to be emotionally compromised by her tears- this was the best thing for her. "Do you trust me?" It was the best question to ask her, and she hesitated before nodding. "Then trust what I do, it is for the best. I am only doing what is logical," he told her and she sighed as she looked away from him, another tear rolling down her cheek.
Spock reached out and brushed the tear away with his thumb and held her face gently before he leaned in and pressed his forehead to hers. "I would never let anything happen to you, my T'hyla," he said softly and Alex sighed, wrapping her arms around his neck as she closed her own eyes.
"I know you wouldn't," she agreed. "I'm the one who keeps running off and doing crazy shit,"
"You do what you think is best," he replied, his voice taking the soft tone he took when he was speaking to her alone. "You are very human," he said and she looked down, but he lifted her chin, making her look back up at him. "I'm not one to speak about emotions- but," he said slowly. "It is one of the things I love about you,"
Alex looked up at Spock in surprise before she leaned in, pressing her lips to his. He kissed her back, gently and still holding her face before she pulled back and looked up at him. "I love you too," she admitted, lifting her hands to rest on his chest.
"Then trust me when I say, what I do in the next few weeks, the decisions I make, I make not just because they're logical- in fact some may not seem logical- but I make them because I love you, and because I have a plan,"
Vulcans don't lie, he had told her that very early on, and she sighed as she thought about that before she nodded. "I may not like it," she told him slowly.
"You most definitely will not," he confirmed, making her smile.
"I may not like it, but I respect that you have a plan… Do I get to find out what this plan is?" She asked and he seemed to hesitate, moving his hand from her face to her waist.
"Not tonight," he finally replied and she blinked in surprise before she nodded.
"Okay," she said simply.
"Now come have some dinner," he said as he slipped his hand into hers and gently pulled it.
When they were in private Alex had found that Spock was getting more used to displays of affection, holding her hand, cuddling with her on the couch, casual kisses, it was all things that would be considered distasteful to a Vulcan, but as Spock reminded her- she was not a Vulcan and he would have to meet her halfway at times- though she did have a sneaking suspicion that he secretly liked it.
She got off of the bed and followed him out to their sitting room where they had a tiny two person table, where Spock had placed their dinner. He had made a Vulcan dish, and she sat down before he did, as was the Vulcan custom. As they both lived in their shared space, it didn't matter who ate first, so Alex took a bite of the soup Spock had made. Like most dishes it was vegetarian- Vulcans seemed to be vegetarian more often than not it seemed- and Alex found herself eating meat less and less these days, not because Spock wanted her to, but because it just worked out that way.
"Is Singh okay?" Alex asked a few minutes into dinner.
"We are unable to tell at the moment," Spock replied. "He has been given a new immune system, like you were, and he is under observation,"
"I know what he's going through," she said as she poked at the soup with her spoon.
"You are perhaps the only person who does," Spock agreed.
Alex was unusually quiet that night, Spock knew she was still upset about the whole ordeal from the day, and he did feel guilty about essentially getting her- well grounded was a good way to put it- but he and Jim knew that she'd never end up on the ground on Vulcan- as soon as they could get Kahn and his crew to Starbase 12, everything would go back to normal.
The next day Alex woke up at the same time she always did. Making coffee was her solace, and the ship's stores didn't have any she was familiar with, but she was able to make something almost like a Cuban coffee. She made one for herself and then set about making some breakfast.
When Spock came out of their bedroom he was surprised to see Alex cooking, and walked over to see what she was making. "This is a surprising sight,"
"I'm aware," she replied. "But since you're going to work and I'm not, I figured I'd cook today," she told him before looking over her shoulder at him.
"I see," Spock replied before laying a hand on her lower back. "So you've forgiven me for getting you placed on leave?"
"Oh absolutely not," she told him. "You go ahead and make all the plans you want about me and how I'm supposed to live my life, but the fact of the matter is, I'm pissed, and I'm not going to stop being pissed," she told him. "The thing is, you don't own me, I'm my own person, so whether or not I follow your plans is one thing, and the other is, I can be pissed, and I can still love you," she explained as she looked up at him. "But if you ever meddle in my career again," she dropped the smile and looked at him more seriously. "We're going to have a problem," she said and then looked back at what she was cooking.
When Spock left for his shift, Alex cleaned up, she went to the bedroom, Spock had already made their bed, but Alex fixed it, he wasn't as military tight as she was, and then she changed into her workout clothes- administrative leave or not, she was not going to miss Thal's morning fight like a Klingon class, and today, she really needed it.
Thal looked surprised to see Alex when she got there, but he grinned and clapped her on the shoulder heartily.
"Good, you have come," he said. "You especially cannot miss the class,"
"Me especially?" She asked. "Why especially? Do I need the most work or something?"
"No," he told her. "You show the most promise," she smiled at that- she couldn't help it- and then gently pushed his arm.
"Let's just do this," she said and he grinned at her before nodding.
The class was tough that day, but she liked it, she liked having the opportunity to learn, and since she was on leave at the moment, she and Thal were able to work together a lot longer than usual- he had no primary duties still, Kirk was still working on figuring it out, but it was looking more and more like he was going to be a security officer- should he chose to stay with the Enterprise.
When the class was over, Alex made her way to Sick Bay to check on Singh, however she was met by Dr. McCoy who barred her entrance. "I'm telling you Alex, he's just not awake yet," he told her and she sighed.
"I understand Doctor, but I'd still like to see him," she insisted and he shook his head as he put his hands on her shoulders.
"I'm afraid that's impossible for the time being- we need him to wake up in his own time, and you need to go back to your quarters,"
"But Doc-"
"Doctor McCoy," one of the nurses interrupted. "Lieutenant Briggs passed out in the hallway near Dorsal Observation Deck K,"
"Passed out?" he asked, looking at the nurse with a frown. "What on earth?"
"He was just in Thal's class," Alex told him and he rolled his eyes.
"Oh good lord, I wish these young guys would stop taking that class just to prove something to themselves," he sighed as he grabbed his bag and then took Alex by the arm. "Come on," he pulled her out of the Sick Bay and when he, Alex and the nurse were out of the room, he let go of her and jogged down the hall, with the nurse in tow.
Alex waited until they got into the elevator before she turned around and walked back into Sick Bay and opened the door to the patient's area. There were multiple beds in there, and in the third bed Alex saw the young man whose sleep pod had malfunctioned. He was still unconscious and she walked past it quietly as she made her way to the bed two beds down, where Singh was asleep.
When she got to his bed, she looked down at him, just taking him in for a moment. It had been so long since she had seen anyone familiar- the boy on the bed who had the malfunctioning pod, she didn't know him, but Singh she knew.
She noticed that Dr. McCoy and the nurses had left him in the clothes he had been wearing, and noticing a familiar looking cord around his neck, she reached out to touch it, her finger had just barely brushed the edge of the necklace when his hand shot out and grabbed hers. Alex gasped softly as she was yanked down towards the man, and his other hand moved to her throat, cool metal was touching her throat and she hissed as she realized Singh had a scalpel to her throat.
"What are you going to do Singh?" she asked as she looked down at him. "You gonna cut my throat? It may be best if you do- then I won't have to look at the old bastard you've become," she said as she stared down at the man she had known so long ago. He stared up at her, eyes wide, just taking her in for a long moment before she licked her lips and slowly moved her hand to the hand that held the scalpel to her throat. "Either kill me or don't hijo de puta," she whispered as she stared into his dark eyes. After a moment his face softened and he lowered the scalpel, but continued to stare at her, still holding her wrist.
"Holy shit," he whispered. "You're alive,"
"I could say the same thing for you," she said as she smiled at him.
"How-" he cleared his throat and then loosened his grip on her wrist. "How long was I asleep?" His voice was different, it was so weird, hearing him talk now, it sounded so grown up, and not at all like the sixteen year old she had first met in Basic Training.
"The year is 2270," she told him and gave him a slight smile. "Trust me, I know that's wild, and I get that you've probably got a ton of questions,"
"My people?" he interrupted Alex who glanced over at the other bed.
"That one hasn't woken up yet," she told him and he looked over before nodding as he sat up.
"What about the others?"
"They're still asleep."
"Where are we?"
"We're on the Starship Enterprise," she replied as she sat on the edge of his bed facing him. "In space,"
"And where is my ship?" he asked and she nodded.
"It's being towed behind us, we're making our way to the nearest Earth Colony,"
"I see," he rubbed his chin in thought and then looked at her. "And how did you-"
They were both cut off by the door opening on the other end of the room, and Dr. McCoy walking in. When he saw Alex first, he rolled his eyes and was about to say something before noticing that Singh was awake and sitting up. "You're awake," he said, obviously surprised by the turn of events.
"I am," he said slowly, looking over Dr. McCoy. "Who are you?"
"I'm your doctor," he said as he approached the bed. "Lieutenant, step back, let me run an exam," he said to Alex who nodded slightly- she should have seen that coming. "In fact Lieutenant, I believe you should be in your quarters," Dr. McCoy pointed out and she grimaced, but nodded. She knew he was right, but she had to see him, she'd just had to.
"Yes Sir," she said softly before looking at Singh again. "I'll come back when I can," she told him as Dr. McCoy stepped towards him.
"No," he said and Alex paused before looking back at Dr. McCoy.
"Excuse me?" Dr. McCoy asked.
"I will not submit to a medical examination," he said and Dr. McCoy looked over at Alex who shrugged before she started to back away from the two. When Singh noticed her backing away he pointed at her. "Stay there," he said and she paused before clearing her throat.
"I have direct orders to leave,"
"I would prefer you stay," he replied and she glanced at Dr. McCoy who looked between the two and sighed.
"Stay, Alex," he said softly and she nodded.
"Yes Sir," she replied and stayed where she had stopped.
"I would like to speak to your Captain," Singh said as he sat up in his bed and made himself comfortable.
"I'm sorry?" Dr. McCoy looked bewildered at the turn that the conversation was taking and looked from Singh to Alex before Singh spoke again, getting both of their attention.
"This is a starship, is it not?"
"It is," Dr. McCoy confirmed.
"And as such a ship has a captain, does it not?"
"It does," Dr. McCoy sounded a bit testier as he confirmed that as well.
"Then I would like to speak to your Captain. I have many questions," he said and Dr. McCoy looked annoyed but walked over to the wall and hailed the bridge.
"This is Dr. McCoy, I have a patient here with a lot of questions," he informed the bridge.
"Ramirez," Singh said and she lifted an eyebrow. "Come," he gestured to the spot next to his bed and she glanced at Dr. McCoy before he nodded and she walked over. He took her hand between both of his and looked up at her, looking positively enthralled to be looking at her. "I thought I would not see you again," he said and she nodded.
"I'm surprised to see you as well," she told him. "I look forward to you telling me what I missed on Earth,"
"Well, I'm sure there's much I missed as well," he said with a slight smile, but continued to stare up at her. He lifted a hand, running his fingers over her cheek before the door opened, and Thal walked into the room. Alex smiled when she saw him and Singh dropped his hand back to cover both of hers.
"What are you doing here?" Dr. McCoy asked testily.
"I was asked to report here," Thal replied, not taking his eyes off of Alex and Singh. "Ramirez," he said and she started to step towards him but Singh didn't let go of her hands.
"I would think you will all understand- with me having slept for as long as I did, I am reluctant to lose the company of a close friend, and the only living person I know in this century," he said to the others in the room when Thal took a step forward.
"Of course," Dr. McCoy said as he put a hand on Thal's arm. Alex watched the scene between the two before looking at Singh's hands enclosing her own. There was something they weren't telling her- and she realized that it had something to do with the man in the bed holding her hands. She hesitated but then smiled at Singh, and gently pulled one hand from his grip.
"Of course they understand Singh- you're just the second person in our history to be woken up hundreds of years later," she explained as she put her hand on his shoulder and gave it a slight squeeze. "They treated me with kid gloves when I was waking up too," she assured him, and he let go of her hand but looked up at her with a smile she was almost tempted to describe as condescending.
"You and I are very different Ramirez," he told her softly and she gave him a questioning look before the doors opened and in walked Captain Kirk, Spock and a crewman Alex had seen before, but wasn't entirely sure of her name.
"Oh my god," the crewman said softly and Captain Kirk looked at her sharply.
"Lt. Ramirez, please," Spock said, gesturing for Alex to come back to his side. She stepped forward and Singh caught her arm making Spock and Captain Kirk tense up.
"I would prefer it if my old friend were to stay by my side," Singh told the others before glancing at Kirk. "You must be the Captain," he said and Kirk nodded.
"I am,"
"I see," he said simply, glancing him over. "Well, I have some questions for you,"
"And I you," Kirk said as he looked at Singh.
"What is our heading?" Singh asked in a tone of someone who was used to being in charge, and used to being told what he expected to know.
"We're headed to Star Base 12, a planet in the Gamma 400 star system," Kirk replied as he looked Singh over as the latter had done to him. "Our command base in this sector. Is that of any use to you?" he lifted an eyebrow and Singh looked mildly annoyed as he seemed to realize that the information didn't actually give him any clear information.
"Captain," the crewman Alex didn't know spoke as she pushed her red hair behind her ear. Kirk turned and looked at her and she sighed. "I don't think it's fair to overload our guest with that kind of information."
"When I need your opinion Lt. McIvers, I will ask for it," Kirk replied and Singh looked at the woman before glancing back at Kirk.
"My people," he said. "I would like to start waking them up,"
"When we get where we're going, we'll do just that," Kirk said and Singh's jaw twitched as Alex observed the interaction between the two men. "And your name?" he asked and Singh glanced at Alex before smiling tightly at the Captain.
"Kahn, you may call me Kahn." he said simply.
"Our Lt. Ramirez prefers to call you by your surname- Singh, isn't it?" Kirk asked and Singh glanced at Alex again, this time with what could only be described as disappointment in his eyes.
"I see," he said. "Well, we are from a military background. In our time, we rarely used first names," he explained as he gave Alex's arm a tight squeeze.
"Of course," Kirk replied and the two men stared at each other tensely.
"Well, I will have to ask one more question," Singh said. "Is there any sort of reading material I may peruse? I was something of an engineer in our time, and it would seem I have much catching up to do,"
"Yes, of course," Kirk replied. "If you're going to be living in our time, you'll need to do a bit of catching up. The ship's libraries are all digital, Dr. McCoy will show you how to use them," he said as he glanced at Alex. "Lt. Ramirez, I believe it's almost time for your shift to start,"
"Sir," Alex said, catching onto what he wanted from her. She looked at Singh who didn't immediately let go of her arm, but when he finally did she gave him a slight smile.
"You will come back," it wasn't a question- it was an order and Alex nodded.
"As my schedule allows me," she replied before touching his shoulder. "It is good to see you again Singh,"
"And you, Alex." he said as he looked up at her before she moved away from his bedside. His eyes followed her as she walked past the other beds, and to the doorway where Thal, Lt. McIvers, Dr. McCoy and Spock were standing and then she passed by them and out the door.
When Alex left the medical bay she leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes, her arm hurt where Singh had been gripping it, and the interaction between him and Captain Kirk left her with a million questions- questions she knew they would all be reluctant to answer.
I hope you're enjoying this! Please let me know what you think of this storyline in the comments!