Fic: Kings and Pawns - Chapter 5/22
Title: Kings and Pawns
Author: jlneveloff
Movie Adapted: The Count of Monte Cristo
Fandom: Star Trek (TOS Reboot)
Genre: Drama, Action/Adventure, Romance, Angst
Characters/Pairings: Spock/Uhura, Kirk, Pike, McCoy, Gaila primarily & Scotty, Chekov & Sulu to a lesser degree...Oh, also Nero, Spock Prime, Sarek and even Admiral Barnett has a part to play...So pretty much everyone.
Beta: slwmtiondaylite
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: ~2277
Warnings: Language, mild adult situations, violence and the occasional plot hole
Disclaimer: Star Trek and associated characters created by Gene Roddenberry. I own nothing at all. …which makes me all kinds of sad, ‘cause I really wanna borrow Spock for a while. Based upon the film The Count of Monte Cristo, written by Jay Wolpert (based upon the novel by Alexandre Dumas père) and directed by Kevin Reynolds.
Summary: In a Universe that has always known power and corruption, it is only a matter of time before the power takes over once again and innocent people are sacrificed. Spock/Uhura. Alternate MirrorVerse.
written for the LJ community reel_startrek, Round Two.
Author's Notes: This is my first...well, novel length story, so there is the chance that I may have plot holes...You have been warned ;)
This is also based on the film more so than the novel. I've never read the novel, but I am aware that the film diverted from it greatly.
CHAPTER FIVE
SECRETS
Laughing, Uhura rolled off Spock and onto the bed in the Warden’s House, the only building left on the island that wasn’t a complete pile of rubble. Somehow, it had escaped ruination, possibly through the caring hands of other students who may have used the island over the years for…’extracurricular’ activities. Spock and Uhura refused to dwell on the reasons why, as they were sure they didn’t want to know the answer and they never asked Kirk the details when he told them of the place. Nevertheless, the building was relatively unharmed, though it lacked amenities such as electricity and running water. But, it had been a place where they could be together without fear of being caught.
“I assume your laughter is a positive sign rather than negative,” Spock mildly boasted, rolling with her, carefully balancing above her to keep his weight from crushing her. He leaned down to press open mouth kisses along her long, slender neck as she laughed softly, running her hands through his bedraggled hair.
“You know it is,” she sighed happily. She giggled again, unable to keep it inside. “Wow,” she exhaled. “That was…” she fumbled for a word to describe their lovemaking. “…wow.”
Spock continued his exploration of her body, trailing his lips to her collarbone, down to her breasts, the tiniest of smirks on his face. “I am pleased you are satisfied, Nyota.”
“Oh,” she replied, pulling his face up to meet hers. “I am more than just satisfied.” She brought his lips down to meet hers. Spock eagerly accepted the kiss, pressing her more firmly into the soft mattress beneath them as he deepened it. The kiss grew more fevered and more passionate by the second, as the lovers desperately grasped each other. After many months apart, they did not dare to separate so easily.
A few moments later, Uhura pulled away from Spock, drawing in deep breaths. He rested his forehead against hers and they both caught their breaths after being caught in the moment. Uhura smiled, teasingly. “If it’s going to be like this every time you go away, maybe you should leave more often.”
Spock pulled back from her, his left eyebrow nearly rising to his hairline and he looked down at her. “Surely you jest.”
She giggled; this was the reaction she wanted. She lifted her hand to touch his brow. “Someday, your eyebrow is going to get stuck like that.”
“That is highly illogical,” he stressed good-naturedly, his brow rising once more to her glee.
He leaned into her once more, drawing her in for another deep kiss and effectively silencing her laughter. With his lips still on hers, he held her to him, rolling once more to lie on his back with her stretched out on top of him. A moment later, after breath became an issue, they pulled apart and settled into a comfortable silence. She rested her head against his chest and he twirled long strands of her hair, enjoying the feel of it between his fingers. She sighed contentedly, her eyes drifting closed.
As they enjoyed the bliss of the evening, Uhura felt her mind wander, unwillingly, back to Kirk’s words; his insistence that Spock was hiding something. She hated that she let that man get to her sometimes. She didn’t believe for a second that Spock would keep something from her but Kirk had planted the thought in her head and now it bubbled to the surface.
“Do you keep secrets from me?” she asked softly, caressing the skin on his chest, fingers combing through his chest hair.
“Secrets?” he asked; confusion in his voice. “No. Why?” She turned her head, propping her chin on the back of her hand, looking into his eyes. He caught her gaze, tilting his head as he does when he is attempting to solve a puzzle. “Ask me anything, Nyota. I will tell you whatever you wish me to.”
She pushed herself off his chest and straddled him, her gaze drifting downwards, a tiny smile crossing her features. She knew he would never keep something from her and she felt embarrassed for even allowing Kirk from poisoning her thoughts against him.
Spock sat up, his hand cupping her face, worry evident in his eyes. “The wait is nearly over,” he whispered, misinterpreting her questions about secrets as worry over their impending bonding. “As soon as the law forbidding our union is abolished, we shall be able to have our bonding cere-"
She shook her head emphatically. “I don’t need the ceremony, I don’t,” she stressed, stroking his pointed ears. “I know you’ve heard that every human girl dreams about her wedding ceremony, but I don’t need it. I don’t need all the bells and whistles, the white dress. Just you,” she declared, placing a kiss on his forehead.
“Nevertheless, the bonding ceremony is a sacred tradition among my people,” he explained.
“Can’t we just….elope?” She looked into his eyes, searching. “I don’t want to wait any longer.”
“I share your desire to bond, Nyota,” Spock affirmed. “But being bonded means more than the traditional human marriage. We will forever be linked, mentally; able to feel the other’s emotions in a way you have yet to undergo,” he explained, referring to the mind melds and links they experienced on a regular occurrence during their lovemaking and quiet moments together. “It is an experience unlike no other, or so I am told.”
“I just don’t want to be separated from you ever again,” she admitted.
“But the ritual is also dangerous if it is done incorrectly,” he stressed, running his hands down her back, kneading the flesh at her thighs. “My father will work to locate a suitable elder who is willing to perform the ceremony for us. I will not risk your mind by hastily seeing less skilled telepaths.” He finished, looking deep in her eyes.
She breathed heavily, tears forming in her eyes. “Spock.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Please," she whispered against his lips.
He brought his hands to the side of her face, fingers finding her psi points and entered her mind gently, just as he had done many times before. Suddenly they were bathed in emotions; the feelings of one another swirling around them. It was always a remarkable feeling. She leaned in and kissed him. He responded enthusiastically, lowering her to the bed, holding his weight on his elbows. They succumbed to their desires and gave themselves to one another, wholly and completely.
*********
James Kirk slammed the shot glass on the table. He grimaced, the alcohol sliding down his throat, burning. He hadn’t been able to sleep. His mind was working on overdrive. Intellectually, he knew he should be happy for Spock, for his promotion and the subsequent marriage between him and Uhura. Yet Kirk was struck with an irrational anger, intense anger, directed at Spock.
The stars always seemed to align in Spock’s favor; and he always got what Kirk wanted, without even having to bat an eyelash.
Kirk had never told Spock that the only way Admiral Pike had been able to persuade him to join Starfleet was because he was told he could get his own ship in three years. It had now been five years and he was still only a Lieutenant while Spock had shot up the ranks and was now Captain. Spock never had a desire to be Captain. But Kirk…he did. He craved it. The prestige, the power…the women.
The women. Kirk had never been shy about his love of the fairer sex. He craved them like he craved the captaincy. He could turn on the charm and the dashing smile and they would fall at his feet, smitten. Any woman he wanted, he could have. Well, all, save one. Cadet Uhura, first name unknown.
From the moment he saw her in the bar in Iowa, just after she had been recruited, ordering more drinks than a typical woman would have been able to handle, Kirk knew she would become his latest project. He turned on the charm, cracked a smile and attempted to woo her like he had done many times in the past with different women. This time, however, he had been rebuked. But Kirk was not one to be easily discouraged.
He continued to try and charm her in that bar. On the transport shuttle back to the academy. At the academy. Little did he know that she would turn from merely a ‘project,’ a puzzle to be solved and conquered, to the one woman who would capture his heart in a way that no other had done before. He had become the smitten.
Sure, she was a cadet and technically off limits, but one could surmise that those rules were put in place primarily to prevent favoritism between professor and student, a loophole. And he certainly was not her professor.
Although, Spock...Spock was...
As Kirk continued his fruitless attempts to woo Uhura, Spock would sometimes be at his side, disapproving of his actions, saying his name in a scolding manner. Little did Kirk know that a clandestine courtship was occurring after hours in the darkened language labs, playing out almost like a Shakespearean play, between the object of his affection and his best friend. Kirk was aware that she was Spock’s teaching assistant, but he had never suspected a romantic relationship between them until one day he stumbled into Spock’s quarters, drunk off his ass, to see the Vulcan and human woman locked in an embrace.
He had initially shrugged it off, believing that he was seeing things, courtesy of the alcohol. But when he was confronted and begged to keep silent, he realized the gravity of the situation: they had become lovers. And Kirk was left watching the only woman who had claimed his heart fall head over heels in love with his best friend.
And he had kept silent.
Spock, the stoic Vulcan - technically half-Vulcan - won her heart without even trying. There had to be something he was missing. Something that would explain how that had happened. Kirk never lost. Not when it came to women. And never against Spock. If only he could put his finger on what made this different.
“Mind if we join you?” a gruff voice broke into Kirk’s thoughts. He looked to his side to see Dr. Leonard McCoy, known as Bones. He had been known to share a drink every now and then with the doctor but he wasn’t what Kirk would call a friend. Kirk respected him as he had proven his worth as a stupendous battlefield surgeon on the Enterprise, but his xenophobic comments were slightly off-putting for Kirk. Standing beside McCoy was none other than their superior officer, Commander Sulu, a man he was even less likely to call a friend.
Curious as to what brought them to his table, Kirk glanced between the two men, both of whom were known for possessing short tempers, and nodded. “Sure, take a seat.”
They pulled the spare chairs out, feet scraping against the floor, and sat down heavily. McCoy reached into his jacket and pulled out a flask, opening it and filling Kirk’s shot glass before pouring the blue liquid into his and Sulu’s glasses. Romulan Ale, the most intoxicating beverage in the Empire.
Kirk eyed the blue beverage in his glass, warily. He had never imbibed Romulan Ale before, not wanting to lose complete control of his actions. He watched McCoy and Sulu quickly gulp their shot without hesitation and followed suit. He was never one to be outdone. Swallowing thickly, he tried to suppress the cough but was unable to. The ale was more intense than he had expected. “Gentlemen,” he asked his voice hoarse. “What can I do for you?”
McCoy refilled the glasses and Sulu quickly downed his again, slamming the glass on the table. Sulu growled, clearly still upset at what occurred in Barnett’s office. He had never made secret his disdain for Spock or for his position in the fleet and getting passed over for promotion was not sitting well with him. Kirk turned to McCoy, waiting for an answer. Nothing.
Kirk sighed. He might as well be twiddling his thumbs, talking to a wall. McCoy silently continued to refill their glasses. “Well,” Kirk tried again. “It’s been an interesting day.”
Sulu snorted. Kirk looked to him, hoping that someone would finally tell him what they wanted. But sensing that Sulu was not going to offer up an answer, Kirk turned to McCoy. “Well? You guys gonna tell me what you want?”
McCoy studied him, kepping their glasses full. “How did you ever become friends with that righteous, green-blooded, pointy-eared hobgoblin?”
Kirk froze. He probably should have expected Spock to come up in the conversation, especially as Sulu was still holding a grudge, but he was still caught by surprise. Under normal circumstances, he would probably berate McCoy for referring to Spock in such a manner, but after the events of the day, he let it slide. He swallowed his ale and studied the glass, his thoughts drifting. He shrugged. “He claims to be my friend, but…”
McCoy and Sulu leaned in closer, metaphorically perking up at Kirk’s gloomy mood. “But, what?” Sulu asked.
Kirk shook his head, beginning to feel the effects of the ale. He took a deep breath to clear his head. “He keeps hiding something from me. Secrets.”
“Secrets?” McCoy asked curiosity in his voice.
Kirk looked up, noticing the two men leaning in, eyes watching him intently, waiting with eagerness for him to continue. He gulped, almost audibly. Where was this going?
Author: jlneveloff
Movie Adapted: The Count of Monte Cristo
Fandom: Star Trek (TOS Reboot)
Genre: Drama, Action/Adventure, Romance, Angst
Characters/Pairings: Spock/Uhura, Kirk, Pike, McCoy, Gaila primarily & Scotty, Chekov & Sulu to a lesser degree...Oh, also Nero, Spock Prime, Sarek and even Admiral Barnett has a part to play...So pretty much everyone.
Beta: slwmtiondaylite
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: ~2277
Warnings: Language, mild adult situations, violence and the occasional plot hole
Disclaimer: Star Trek and associated characters created by Gene Roddenberry. I own nothing at all. …which makes me all kinds of sad, ‘cause I really wanna borrow Spock for a while. Based upon the film The Count of Monte Cristo, written by Jay Wolpert (based upon the novel by Alexandre Dumas père) and directed by Kevin Reynolds.
Summary: In a Universe that has always known power and corruption, it is only a matter of time before the power takes over once again and innocent people are sacrificed. Spock/Uhura. Alternate MirrorVerse.
written for the LJ community reel_startrek, Round Two.
Author's Notes: This is my first...well, novel length story, so there is the chance that I may have plot holes...You have been warned ;)
This is also based on the film more so than the novel. I've never read the novel, but I am aware that the film diverted from it greatly.
CHAPTER FIVE
SECRETS
Laughing, Uhura rolled off Spock and onto the bed in the Warden’s House, the only building left on the island that wasn’t a complete pile of rubble. Somehow, it had escaped ruination, possibly through the caring hands of other students who may have used the island over the years for…’extracurricular’ activities. Spock and Uhura refused to dwell on the reasons why, as they were sure they didn’t want to know the answer and they never asked Kirk the details when he told them of the place. Nevertheless, the building was relatively unharmed, though it lacked amenities such as electricity and running water. But, it had been a place where they could be together without fear of being caught.
“I assume your laughter is a positive sign rather than negative,” Spock mildly boasted, rolling with her, carefully balancing above her to keep his weight from crushing her. He leaned down to press open mouth kisses along her long, slender neck as she laughed softly, running her hands through his bedraggled hair.
“You know it is,” she sighed happily. She giggled again, unable to keep it inside. “Wow,” she exhaled. “That was…” she fumbled for a word to describe their lovemaking. “…wow.”
Spock continued his exploration of her body, trailing his lips to her collarbone, down to her breasts, the tiniest of smirks on his face. “I am pleased you are satisfied, Nyota.”
“Oh,” she replied, pulling his face up to meet hers. “I am more than just satisfied.” She brought his lips down to meet hers. Spock eagerly accepted the kiss, pressing her more firmly into the soft mattress beneath them as he deepened it. The kiss grew more fevered and more passionate by the second, as the lovers desperately grasped each other. After many months apart, they did not dare to separate so easily.
A few moments later, Uhura pulled away from Spock, drawing in deep breaths. He rested his forehead against hers and they both caught their breaths after being caught in the moment. Uhura smiled, teasingly. “If it’s going to be like this every time you go away, maybe you should leave more often.”
Spock pulled back from her, his left eyebrow nearly rising to his hairline and he looked down at her. “Surely you jest.”
She giggled; this was the reaction she wanted. She lifted her hand to touch his brow. “Someday, your eyebrow is going to get stuck like that.”
“That is highly illogical,” he stressed good-naturedly, his brow rising once more to her glee.
He leaned into her once more, drawing her in for another deep kiss and effectively silencing her laughter. With his lips still on hers, he held her to him, rolling once more to lie on his back with her stretched out on top of him. A moment later, after breath became an issue, they pulled apart and settled into a comfortable silence. She rested her head against his chest and he twirled long strands of her hair, enjoying the feel of it between his fingers. She sighed contentedly, her eyes drifting closed.
As they enjoyed the bliss of the evening, Uhura felt her mind wander, unwillingly, back to Kirk’s words; his insistence that Spock was hiding something. She hated that she let that man get to her sometimes. She didn’t believe for a second that Spock would keep something from her but Kirk had planted the thought in her head and now it bubbled to the surface.
“Do you keep secrets from me?” she asked softly, caressing the skin on his chest, fingers combing through his chest hair.
“Secrets?” he asked; confusion in his voice. “No. Why?” She turned her head, propping her chin on the back of her hand, looking into his eyes. He caught her gaze, tilting his head as he does when he is attempting to solve a puzzle. “Ask me anything, Nyota. I will tell you whatever you wish me to.”
She pushed herself off his chest and straddled him, her gaze drifting downwards, a tiny smile crossing her features. She knew he would never keep something from her and she felt embarrassed for even allowing Kirk from poisoning her thoughts against him.
Spock sat up, his hand cupping her face, worry evident in his eyes. “The wait is nearly over,” he whispered, misinterpreting her questions about secrets as worry over their impending bonding. “As soon as the law forbidding our union is abolished, we shall be able to have our bonding cere-"
She shook her head emphatically. “I don’t need the ceremony, I don’t,” she stressed, stroking his pointed ears. “I know you’ve heard that every human girl dreams about her wedding ceremony, but I don’t need it. I don’t need all the bells and whistles, the white dress. Just you,” she declared, placing a kiss on his forehead.
“Nevertheless, the bonding ceremony is a sacred tradition among my people,” he explained.
“Can’t we just….elope?” She looked into his eyes, searching. “I don’t want to wait any longer.”
“I share your desire to bond, Nyota,” Spock affirmed. “But being bonded means more than the traditional human marriage. We will forever be linked, mentally; able to feel the other’s emotions in a way you have yet to undergo,” he explained, referring to the mind melds and links they experienced on a regular occurrence during their lovemaking and quiet moments together. “It is an experience unlike no other, or so I am told.”
“I just don’t want to be separated from you ever again,” she admitted.
“But the ritual is also dangerous if it is done incorrectly,” he stressed, running his hands down her back, kneading the flesh at her thighs. “My father will work to locate a suitable elder who is willing to perform the ceremony for us. I will not risk your mind by hastily seeing less skilled telepaths.” He finished, looking deep in her eyes.
She breathed heavily, tears forming in her eyes. “Spock.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Please," she whispered against his lips.
He brought his hands to the side of her face, fingers finding her psi points and entered her mind gently, just as he had done many times before. Suddenly they were bathed in emotions; the feelings of one another swirling around them. It was always a remarkable feeling. She leaned in and kissed him. He responded enthusiastically, lowering her to the bed, holding his weight on his elbows. They succumbed to their desires and gave themselves to one another, wholly and completely.
*********
James Kirk slammed the shot glass on the table. He grimaced, the alcohol sliding down his throat, burning. He hadn’t been able to sleep. His mind was working on overdrive. Intellectually, he knew he should be happy for Spock, for his promotion and the subsequent marriage between him and Uhura. Yet Kirk was struck with an irrational anger, intense anger, directed at Spock.
The stars always seemed to align in Spock’s favor; and he always got what Kirk wanted, without even having to bat an eyelash.
Kirk had never told Spock that the only way Admiral Pike had been able to persuade him to join Starfleet was because he was told he could get his own ship in three years. It had now been five years and he was still only a Lieutenant while Spock had shot up the ranks and was now Captain. Spock never had a desire to be Captain. But Kirk…he did. He craved it. The prestige, the power…the women.
The women. Kirk had never been shy about his love of the fairer sex. He craved them like he craved the captaincy. He could turn on the charm and the dashing smile and they would fall at his feet, smitten. Any woman he wanted, he could have. Well, all, save one. Cadet Uhura, first name unknown.
From the moment he saw her in the bar in Iowa, just after she had been recruited, ordering more drinks than a typical woman would have been able to handle, Kirk knew she would become his latest project. He turned on the charm, cracked a smile and attempted to woo her like he had done many times in the past with different women. This time, however, he had been rebuked. But Kirk was not one to be easily discouraged.
He continued to try and charm her in that bar. On the transport shuttle back to the academy. At the academy. Little did he know that she would turn from merely a ‘project,’ a puzzle to be solved and conquered, to the one woman who would capture his heart in a way that no other had done before. He had become the smitten.
Sure, she was a cadet and technically off limits, but one could surmise that those rules were put in place primarily to prevent favoritism between professor and student, a loophole. And he certainly was not her professor.
Although, Spock...Spock was...
As Kirk continued his fruitless attempts to woo Uhura, Spock would sometimes be at his side, disapproving of his actions, saying his name in a scolding manner. Little did Kirk know that a clandestine courtship was occurring after hours in the darkened language labs, playing out almost like a Shakespearean play, between the object of his affection and his best friend. Kirk was aware that she was Spock’s teaching assistant, but he had never suspected a romantic relationship between them until one day he stumbled into Spock’s quarters, drunk off his ass, to see the Vulcan and human woman locked in an embrace.
He had initially shrugged it off, believing that he was seeing things, courtesy of the alcohol. But when he was confronted and begged to keep silent, he realized the gravity of the situation: they had become lovers. And Kirk was left watching the only woman who had claimed his heart fall head over heels in love with his best friend.
And he had kept silent.
Spock, the stoic Vulcan - technically half-Vulcan - won her heart without even trying. There had to be something he was missing. Something that would explain how that had happened. Kirk never lost. Not when it came to women. And never against Spock. If only he could put his finger on what made this different.
“Mind if we join you?” a gruff voice broke into Kirk’s thoughts. He looked to his side to see Dr. Leonard McCoy, known as Bones. He had been known to share a drink every now and then with the doctor but he wasn’t what Kirk would call a friend. Kirk respected him as he had proven his worth as a stupendous battlefield surgeon on the Enterprise, but his xenophobic comments were slightly off-putting for Kirk. Standing beside McCoy was none other than their superior officer, Commander Sulu, a man he was even less likely to call a friend.
Curious as to what brought them to his table, Kirk glanced between the two men, both of whom were known for possessing short tempers, and nodded. “Sure, take a seat.”
They pulled the spare chairs out, feet scraping against the floor, and sat down heavily. McCoy reached into his jacket and pulled out a flask, opening it and filling Kirk’s shot glass before pouring the blue liquid into his and Sulu’s glasses. Romulan Ale, the most intoxicating beverage in the Empire.
Kirk eyed the blue beverage in his glass, warily. He had never imbibed Romulan Ale before, not wanting to lose complete control of his actions. He watched McCoy and Sulu quickly gulp their shot without hesitation and followed suit. He was never one to be outdone. Swallowing thickly, he tried to suppress the cough but was unable to. The ale was more intense than he had expected. “Gentlemen,” he asked his voice hoarse. “What can I do for you?”
McCoy refilled the glasses and Sulu quickly downed his again, slamming the glass on the table. Sulu growled, clearly still upset at what occurred in Barnett’s office. He had never made secret his disdain for Spock or for his position in the fleet and getting passed over for promotion was not sitting well with him. Kirk turned to McCoy, waiting for an answer. Nothing.
Kirk sighed. He might as well be twiddling his thumbs, talking to a wall. McCoy silently continued to refill their glasses. “Well,” Kirk tried again. “It’s been an interesting day.”
Sulu snorted. Kirk looked to him, hoping that someone would finally tell him what they wanted. But sensing that Sulu was not going to offer up an answer, Kirk turned to McCoy. “Well? You guys gonna tell me what you want?”
McCoy studied him, kepping their glasses full. “How did you ever become friends with that righteous, green-blooded, pointy-eared hobgoblin?”
Kirk froze. He probably should have expected Spock to come up in the conversation, especially as Sulu was still holding a grudge, but he was still caught by surprise. Under normal circumstances, he would probably berate McCoy for referring to Spock in such a manner, but after the events of the day, he let it slide. He swallowed his ale and studied the glass, his thoughts drifting. He shrugged. “He claims to be my friend, but…”
McCoy and Sulu leaned in closer, metaphorically perking up at Kirk’s gloomy mood. “But, what?” Sulu asked.
Kirk shook his head, beginning to feel the effects of the ale. He took a deep breath to clear his head. “He keeps hiding something from me. Secrets.”
“Secrets?” McCoy asked curiosity in his voice.
Kirk looked up, noticing the two men leaning in, eyes watching him intently, waiting with eagerness for him to continue. He gulped, almost audibly. Where was this going?