Fanfic - Changing History
Title: Changing History
Fandom: Star Trek (TOS & DS9)
Pairings: Kirk/Spock
Rating: PG
Summary: Sometimes the history books don’t have all the facts
Warnings: slash, possible blasphemy?
Author’s Notes: A few days ago the DS9 episode Trials and Tribble-ulations was on TV, so I just had to watch it! For those of you who don't know, Deep Space Nine is one of the spinoffs of Star Trek, set about 100 years after TOS. Anyway, there’s an episode where the characters accidentally get transported back to Kirk’s time, specifically to the events of the episode Trouble with Tribbles. It’s a very clever episode, and they splice the characters into the background of the actual TOS footage.
Anyway, it’s kinda weird how you can get so into Kirk/Spock that you forget that it’s not actually officially cannon. There’s a scene where Jadzia says something like “his eyes are so dreamy” or something, and then Benjamin says “Be careful, Kirk was a bit of a ladies’ man” (at which point Jadzia tells Benjamin that she was actually talking about Spock, not Kirk). For a while, I was a bit disappointed that Kirk & Spock’s Epic Love didn’t even rate a mention in history. Then a little while later I was half watching this history show about Elizabeth I, and there was this historian who was speculating that she might have had a love affair with some guy and actually had his child, based on some of the prayers that she wrote for herself talking about her sins, and then there was another historian who was all like ‘well no, I don’t think that she’s necessarily referring to her own personal sins, blah blah blah…’ It actually reminded me of what a debate between a slasher and a non-slasher might look like, y’know, reading different things into what they say & do. And then I got to thinking, well history is pretty speculative, and just because it wasn’t taught in history doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. Like, for example, the whole DaVinci Code thing as well... And then this story was born.
You don’t have to be familiar with DS9 or even have seen the episode to read this(though if you do get a chance, watch it! It’s really a fun episode). I haven’t actually seen many episodes of DS9 myself, so I apologise in advance for any OOC-ness. This is just meant to be a fun story to make me feel better about that scene.
Changing History
“Y’know,” Benjamin mused as he scanned another tribble, “I think there are more of these things left to scan than when we started.”
“The one with the bomb has to be in here.” Jadzia said certainly. “Darvon wanted to kill Kirk, it only makes sense he would have planted the bomb in Kirk’s quarters.”
“Good thing O’Brien knew how to beam us in here.”
Suddenly, the door to Kirk’s quarters opened, and in walked the famous Captain and first officer. Benjamin and Jadzia froze. Luckily, they were obscured from view by the mesh wall that separated the living space from the bedroom. As long as neither man looked in their direction, they wouldn’t be spotted, though they themselves still had a clear view of Kirk and Spock. Benjamin’s heart started beating faster. Here he was, not 5 or 10 meters away from his hero. The man himself, Captain Kirk, in the flesh! It was exhilarating to see history come alive right before his eyes.
Kirk absently picked up one of the tribbles that was lying on his desk. “I don’t believe this. First they’re on my bridge, and now they’re in my quarters!”
“It would appear that they have managed to infest all areas of the ship.” Spock observed.
“Infest. Very fitting, these things are a plague!”
“Mr Scott believes that they may even have invaded the food processors.”
Kirk spun around. “The food processors!” He rubbed his temples, exasperated. “Are you telling me I might find a tribble in my lunch?!”
Spock raised an eyebrow and took the tribble from Kirk’s hand. Jadzia couldn’t help but smile when he began petting it. She looked at Benjamin. “Who would have thought a Vulcan could be so… tender?” she whispered.
“Well, he’s half human…” Benjamin shrugged, not sure if it was an explanation or not.
She nodded, and they both continued to watch, mesmerised.
“Still immune to its charms, Spock?” Kirk asked with a grin. By now he was standing on the other side of the table.
“Indeed, Captain.” Spock replied, though he still continued to pet the tribble, looking down at it affectionately. “It would be illogical to be affected by a creature of so little use.”
Kirk’s pouted slightly as he made his way slowly around the table again to meet his first officer. “I only wish you were so immune to my charms.”
Spock looked almost playful as his eyes rose to meet the Captain’s. It looked so incongruous that Benjamin did a double take. “Indeed I am, Captain.” Spock replied. “It would not be logical for me to, say, ‘get lost in your eyes’, I believe is the human expression.”
“No, of course not, Mr Spock. You would never do that.”
“Are they…” Benjamin began to whisper, not quite able to put his finger on exactly what he was seeing.
“Flirting?” Jadzia finished for him. Yes, that was it. Exactly.
Benjamin shook his head. “Unbelievable. History has this man pegged as the Casanova of the 23rd Century. As a young man, he was something of a hero of mine, for that very reason. A very young… hormonal… teenager.” he added, at Jadzia’s raised eyebrow. “But… if he managed to get Ambassador Spock scratched onto his bedpost… the man’s even more talented than I thought!”
“Oh my God.” Jadzia whispered suddenly.
“What?” Benjamin asked.
“Y’know… I remember reading an interview once not long ago. Ambassador Spock was giving a talk on Vulcan culture and he was taking questions from the audience, most of them young cadets. One of the female cadets asked him if he had a girlfriend or was married, and he said… I can’t remember what his exact wording was, but something along the lines of ‘I have come to realize that I could never marry a Vulcan or a human, as I have never fully belonged to either world. In fact, the only place I have truly felt at home was on The Enterprise, with Captain Kirk.’ Benjamin, you don’t suppose…?”
“No.” Benjamin whispered, though he was entirely unconvinced even as he said it. “I mean… it couldn’t be. Could it?” Every textbook he had ever read, every history professor he had ever had, had touted Captain Kirk as a ladies’ man.
“Well, history isn’t always accurate.”
“That’s true. On Earth in the early 21st Century there was a very famous controversy about Jesus, and the possibility of a relationship between him and Mary Magdalene.”
“Are you comparing Captain Kirk to Jesus?” When Benjamin didn’t respond, Jadzia rolled her eyes. “Talk about hero worship…”
When Kirk suddenly spoke louder than before, Benjamin and Jadzia realized that they had missed part of the conversation. “I most certainly do not stare at your rear while you’re bending over your console!” Although he sounded indignant, there was a definite gleam in Kirk’s eyes.
“My mistake, Captain. I apologise for misjudging you.”
“Thank you, Mr Spock.” Kirk folded his arms smugly. “Besides, you should be well aware that it’s your ears that captivate me.”
“Indeed, I did surmise as much from your actions last night, which I still find incredibly perplexing. I continue to maintain that my ears are made of the same skin as the rest of my body, and therefore should not have a different taste.”
Benjamin and Jadzia could only look at each other in shock as Kirk spoke. “Well now Mr Spock, I put forward the very valid and scientific argument that you are physically unable to taste your own ears, so you’re just going to have to trust me when I say that they taste very different.”
“Science, Captain, would call for at least three separate trials of an experiment with the same result in order to confirm a hypothesis with any certainty.”
“Then, as an avid supporter of the scientific process, I guess I have no choice. I’ll meet you in your quarters after we leave the space station. But for now, I still have a ship full of tribbles. Come on, Spock. Let’s go have a chat with Mr Jones.”
~.~.~.~.~
“Did you tell them?” Jadzia asked. She didn’t have to explain further; Benjamin knew what she was referring to. He had considered it, but then, who would ever believe him? Kirk and Spock? He wouldn’t have believed it if he hadn’t seen it for himself. He still wasn’t entirely sure. But did it ultimately matter? Wouldn’t history still remember Kirk just as fondly if it turned out that he had been in a relationship with Spock?
“They didn’t ask” Benjamin said simply. And ultimately, he had decided that it wasn’t his place to change history. He and Jadzia knew, and maybe that was enough.
.