New Fic: (WIP) Star Trek Reboot Universe (Sp/Mc) pt 2b
Read pt. 1 and 2a first or it won't make sense.
Pt. 2b, too long for one post because Spock and McCoy are talkers, did you notice in the series? LOL Lots of bickering and red hot scene coming up next post...but there is a kiss that's hot to me, at least.
Spock began to pace the small room, somehow managing to not brush past the doctor despite the room’s small dimensions and limited floor space. “You are right to wonder why I asked you to come - it was a legitimate request - you are the one person I knew I could trust to handle the colony’s problems with discretion…I also wanted you to be aware of the condition should my counterpart experience it. Or perhaps I should say when he experiences it - it is unavoidable. At one time my human ancestry was a slight hope I would escape the experience, but I came to feel the Pon Farr and dealt with it in an inappropriate way. I wish to spare my counterpart his embarrassment, you will know what signs to look for now. Also…I do not know…perhaps you know, has he formalized his bonding with Uhura? I must admit I was surprised at their relationship at first, but then there are so many things different in this timeline. T’Pring did not survive the destruction of Vulcan. He no longer needs to worry - nor will he go through the pain of -” he broke off and turned to pace again silently.
McCoy was even more curious at the mention of this T’Pring and what pain the other Spock went through, but held back his questions again. He did not want the Older Spock to stop feeling he could confide in him so he returned the favor. “Actually, when I left the ship Spock and Uhura were no longer a couple. I don’t know exactly what went wrong, but shortly after the destruction of Vulcan he seemed more distant and I suspect there is a great deal of anger and grief he is still not quite dealing with. I think Uhura couldn’t take it anymore and gave him an ultimatum to seek psychiatric help, but he refused, of course.”
Spock looked sad at this and stopped pacing close to McCoy, a little closer than was comfortable, perhaps, but the doctor felt frozen in place. “No, he would not seek help. Meditation…focusing on his work…I tried to advise him, but he will do what he feels is right. I am only grateful he hasn’t left Starfleet. It is his best, first destiny. Time will heal his wounds; I would not worry overmuch for him. I am only sad is alone. When it comes time for the Pon Farr…well, things will unfold differently no matter what now that T’Pring is dead.”
McCoy couldn’t resist any longer, “May I ask who she was to you?”
Spock looked pained at the question, but answered readily, “She and I were bonded at a young age. I was to mate with her at the time of my Pon Farr, she refused and the repercussions…I was lucky to be spared them or I would have died. She ended up married to Stonn. Stonn survived, by the way, I do not know the details of their affair, but I believe he grieves her.” Spock didn’t sound like he grieved her one iota, but there was perhaps a touch of sympathy for Stonn in his voice.
“Thank you for telling me…I am sorry for what happened - in that other timeline. You say you survived not mating with her then…who did you mate with? All the research you and the other healers have given me tells me that once Pon Farr begins you must mate or die.”
Spock looked away at that, “There was a challenge…if one kills during the challenge the blood lust is sometimes fulfilled.”
McCoy was struck by that chilling fact, interesting that little bit of medical fact didn’t make it in the dossier. “You killed Stonn?” he asked quietly.
Spock seemed to be debating his next words, but then shook his head, “No…she chose Kirk for her challenger…I was made to believe I killed him - I did not want to, you understand, there was no choice…”
“Made to believe…?”
Spock smiled, this time broader than McCoy had seen before, “You tricked me. You slipped Kirk a drug to make him appear dead.”
The doctor wasn’t too surprised he’d done far worse things to save Kirk’s ass already. “I was there, too? Well, then of course I wouldn’t have allowed either of you to die…I didn’t end up in Vulcan prison for that?”
“Vulcans do not have prisons, and anyway, my father smoothed things over with T’Pau and the matter was allowed to rest.”
The doctor turned these new facts over in his mind. “Just thinking you killed Jim ended the Pon Farr? And when you discovered he wasn’t dead? None of this makes sense…”
Spock held up a hand. “I do not wish to discuss that event further. Suffice to say I survived as did Kirk.”
“And what of future Pon Farrs?” McCoy refused to let up, “you had to mate sometime…or did you go around pretending to kill people? Are you trying to tell me you’re a virgin?” he pushed - Spock needed pushing. They were ignoring the large elephant in the room - Spock’s denial of his condition.
Spock’s calm was shattered, his voice turned harsher and his speech sped up. “I told you not to pry in my private matters. What I told you was for your Spock’s best interests - I do not know what will happen now that he has no mate, he will have to find a new one if he and Uhura do not resume their relationship.
Now, there is one other matter I need to discuss with you and then our meeting is at an end. In approximately ten years, if this universe is the same in this respect, you will be diagnosed with xenopolycythemia, I have the cure written down on this padd.” He drew out a padd from his robes and thrust it in McCoy’s hands. “You must leave now, I need to meditate.” The last words were spoken through grinding teeth, the doctor was so shocked at the last revelation and the padd in his hands he just blinked and stared at the padd - the coding was a blur, he couldn’t think…
Spock seemed to be pushing him towards the doorway, but then stopped, his hands had touched McCoy’s shoulders and Spock suddenly stopped his efforts to extract McCoy from his quarters and instead guided McCoy to the bed, by passing the hard wooden chair he’d sat on before. Spock sat on the chair instead, but pulled it closer to the bed. “I am sorry…I - I did not mean to impart that knowledge to you in that manner…”
McCoy glanced up blindly from the padd; he focused on the dark eyes looking intently into his own. “You’re messing with the timeline again…telling me this…did I die from the disease then?” his voice was remarkably calm to his own ears.
“No, no, I found the cure in time, but I cannot guarantee the Enterprise will be in the right place at the right time and that events will unfold the same. My own counterpart reacts differently from the way I did - I cannot trust even if you will come across the Yonada - that doesn’t matter anymore, though, I have given you the cure, you may make up whatever story you wish, but it is important you get diagnosed to be sure your body has the same disease and if so - administer the cure . At the time you found out you had perhaps a year to live. I had to give you that personally. I also have a few padds I wish you to distribute to certain members of the crew if you do not mind.” He pulled out a wrapped bundle tied in simple black string. “One for Jim, another for Scotty and another for my counterpart. I would appreciate it if you would make sure they receive them privately.”
McCoy shook himself out of his stupor over the rather devastating prediction of his potential death and latched on to what Spock was telling him now. “You have no intention to mate. You intend to let the Pon Farr kill you, don’t you?”
Spock was calmer now than he’d been when he’d tried to push the doctor out the door. Too calm. “I suppose you have earned that knowledge. Yes, I do not wish to mate again - it is my time, my fate. I cannot escape it this time,” he said with a small smile.
“Why?!” McCoy shouted angrily. He tossed the padds Spock had given him on a nearby table, suddenly he was the angriest he had ever been and he was going to take it out on this stubborn, stupid Vulcan. He stood up and stared the Vulcan full in the face, challenging him.
Spock seemed surprised. “Why not? It is logical. I do not belong in this timeline/universe. I have done my best to right that which I set wrong in this time and I have no inclination to mate even should I wish to remain here.”
McCoy shook his head and pointed a finger at him. “You’re a coward. You’re taking the easy way out. You still feel guilty at what happened and you are martyring yourself as if you still need to be punished.”
Spock’s anger returned. “Do not call me a coward. I have no wish to be a martyr and I am not punishing myself. It is my time to die and I do not fear it.”
“Why is it your ‘time to die’? That’s illogical - there are still plenty of Vulcan women who have not bonded - I suspect at least a few with the hopes of the honor of bonding with the savior of New Vulcan - whether it is you or your counterpart. And there is time still. Sarek sent me a list of names and a time for the ceremony to take place - all you need do is make a choice and show up. This is NOT your time to die!” McCoy panted with the exertion of yelling at the pointy eared moron. Here he tells McCoy he maybe be diagnosed with a fatal illness and then hands him a cure and tells him he’s going to crawl into some hole and die by choice! And even making him the messenger boy for anyone that might care for him in this universe - he had no doubt each one of those other padds were goodbye messages. Why wasn’t Kirk here? He wished he had Jim’s knack at handling this type of Vulcan stubbornness.
“Do not lecture me on logic!” Spock yelled, and then took a deep breath. “I do not wish to mate with any Vulcan woman on this colony.”
“You prefer a human woman?” McCoy asked eagerly, that explained Uhura.
“No, actually my sexual preferences do not normally lie in women, but that does not matter.” Spock spoke with resignation. “Even should I wish to mate on this colony, to do as my father wishes, even if only to save my life, it would be wrong to spread my hybrid seed amongst the colony. New Vulcan should not be contaminated with my blood anyway, I am surprised my father does not see this himself, perhaps his own need to bond clouds his logic. Vulcans need to propagate their own race; a mixed child would not be welcome here, anyway. Even on my own planet I was not welcome; here it would eventually become apparent that a mistake had been made in polluting the race. If my potential progeny were to mate with pure blooded Vulcans it would simply spread -“
McCoy flushed in anger at that, “Oh yes, heaven forbid human genes pollute Vulcan pureblood.”
Spock reached out a hand at that and stopped short of touching him. “It is not just my own viewpoint - I foresee even worse xenophobia and less tolerance for mixed-bloods in the future. Something I would never think possible, quite frankly, Vulcan was already intolerant of my kind, and we were few. I am not proud of it, but at the same time I see the logic in this case. We are an endangered species, Leonard. I do not wish to endanger it further.”
The doctor raised an eyebrow at the use of his first name. He decided to drop the subject - for now. You said you don’t wish to be with a woman? That’s certainly different than your counterpart already. Well, that makes the whole subject of progeny moot then, would the Pon Farr be satisfied with a man instead of a woman or is it strictly breeding involved?” It wasn’t something covered in the information he had so far.
Spock raised his own eyebrow, “It is rare for men to bond, but not unheard of and they do go through Pon Farr and need no woman to abate the symptoms. I have no wish to find a Vulcan male on the colony to mate with, either, however, Doctor, so the subject is, as you say, moot.”
McCoy ground his teeth and all, but managed to resist pulling at his hair in frustration. Damn the old Vulcan - he was every bit as infuriating as his counterpart - no, more so.
“So, you send for me to keep your race’s little dirty secret, you give me a cure for a disease I might have and expect me to act as messenger boy for you to the Enterprise crew, and oh wait - let’s not forget - watch you die out of sheer stubbornness. You and your blasted fate and destiny and all that hogwash - you cannot have expected me to let you die. Is there some reason my counterpart would have given you leave to do so that makes you think I’d let this happen? Is that why you’ve kept Jim away? He wouldn’t let you die - no way. And neither will I.”
Spock stared deep into his eyes and then spoke quietly, “You are right about one thing, I have one other agenda - I could have sent those padds along in another way, I could have even contacted someone else in Starfleet Medical to help out with the colony, though I did trust you above all others, I did not call you here to watch me die, however…I wanted you here…I wanted you here because I wanted to see you one last time.”
McCoy blinked and frowned, “What - ?”
But he didn’t get to finish his question for Spock grabbed him by the neck and pulled him into a deep long kiss that lasted long enough for McCoy to nearly pass out from lack of air. Spock pulled back roughly, tearing himself away from him as if he had been burned. Putting as much distance as he could between them he continued to stare deeply into McCoy’s eyes. “I had to see you one last time. I had to see you here safe, healthy, young, strong, beautiful. Once upon a time, as humans say, in another timeline you and I were bondmates. And I never took another one as long as I lived after you died and I never plan to take another. So there is your final reason, Leonard. I am ready to die now. I have had a chance I never thought possible - to see you once more - to taste you, to touch you and now I can go in peace. Now please, I ask you, for the man I once knew, for the bondmate I once had, please do not interfere with my final wishes. There is another padd in that bundle for you which will answer many of the questions you will likely have later on. Now please go. //Go! T’hyla.//
McCoy numbly found himself obeying, scooping up the bundle and the padd with the cure and leaving the room. He heard a faint sound of a lock and he stood trembling outside the door without thought long enough for a passing Vulcan to ask him if he need help.
“Help?" Yes, no, I’m not sure…” he mumbled.
The Vulcan seemed to think this odd enough to direct him to the Medical center he’d set up and he nodded and accepted her guidance without thinking.
Spock stood with his forehead against the locked door and tried desperately to regain control, but it was no use. He had revealed far too much - he never meant for this McCoy to know of their relationship in the other timeline. He had gone too far. And not nearly far enough. He wanted nothing more than to physically wrench open the door and grab the man he still sensed on the other side and take him. Right then and there.
The Pon Farr…the madness…the burning…he thought of the other times the two of them had faced it together. But that was not THIS McCoy - this was not HIS McCoy and even if something did happen between them - it would not be love - it would be pity on the other McCoy’s behalf. It would most likely rise from his own personal medical principals and it would be nothing like what he had with Leonard. Leonard - his soul cried out for his own lost love. The years that had passed did not matter. Leonard had lived a long life for a human and it had not been all that many years since he was gone, but each year felt like a decade to Spock. Illogical, but true. Likely his own McCoy would make some joke about dog years and Vulcan/human years. He missed all those irritating and admittedly (only to himself) endearing jokes. Spock closed his eyes and thought of the first Pon Farr with Leonard…
End part 2
Part 3: Burning really hits Spock - how long can he hold out? How long before McCoy comes to grips with new ideas and feelings for Spock? Not long, I promise. Pon Farr has sunk in deep enough - enough talking, right?! Hope you enjoyed this. Please let me know.
ETA: Thank you for the feedback so far and for the factual error pointed out to me - I must keep remembering they are about 10 years or more behind the time of the original series so while McCoy may have the disease already or not, Spock would still want him to get diagnosed and cured faster, I'm sure. Thank you for pointing that out!! And if anyone else sees an error, please let me know. I'm flying without a beta as I always do, yet I reread my stories a few times before posting, but technical details aren't as easy to spot as spelling and grammatical ones. And I do know that tenses are all willy nilly in this story, but there are different timelines being discussed, memories being relived as if they are happening at the moment, confusion everywhere...Spock and McCoy are confused and the author isn't above using that as an excuse, either. lol