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Title: In Medias Res
Author: T'Bitch (kiwisama@yahoo.com)
Series: TOS
Rating: a weak PG-13
Summary: answer to a challenge: Write an S/Mc taking place around
the time Kirk and McCoy were being incarcerated on Rura Penthe.
Disclaimer: While I do not own the characters contained herein
(Paramount does), I own this particular arrangement of words. It
cannot be redistributed or archived without this header and my name
attached. That said, feedback is always welcome.
Author's Notes: This is a bit of a change from what I normally
write. Still, I'm quite pleased with it. If you happen to be
interested, my other (non Star Trek) fanfiction can be found at
http://www.geocities.com/kiwisama. At any rate, I am fairly sure
that this is not quite what Janet had in mind when she issued the
challenge, but I think everyone will find it amusing. Thank you,
Ma'am; may I have annuver?
cheers,
T'Bitch
*****
"Hey Bones." No response. "Bones, you awake?" A not so gentle prod.
A grunt. "If I wasn't before, I certainly am now."
"Oh, I'm sorry. Didn't mean to wake you - go back to sleep."
"Bullshit, Jim." Pause. "I wasn't sleepin', anyway. I'm just
sittin' here thinkin'."
"About what?"
A longer pause this time. Just as Jim starts to think he's not going
to answer, he says, "A house," in a peculiar, flat tone.
"A specific house, or houses in general?"
Leonard McCoy sighs and sits up, opening his eyes. The brig is the
same as when he closed them - dimly lit, battleship gray,
depressing. As if a transport ship to somewhere like Rura Penthe
would be cheerful! Jim is lying on the other bunk an arms length
away; there is no other furniture.
"The house Spock and I bought on Vulcan last month. I was just
wondering-"
"-if you'll ever see it again?" Kirk finishes. McCoy nods. "Never
figured I'd ever see you settled down again, especially on Vulcan."
"Us Georgia boys tolerate heat better than you midwesterners." Kirk
smiles at the weak jest. "Dunno, though. I guess I just decided the
place doesn't matter as much as the people, and that there were
certain people I didn't want to be without."
"Spock."
"Well, yeah." He sounds sort of amazed, as if he has never stopped
being surprised that he and the Vulcan are lovers. "And they asked
me to serve as chief of staff for the hybrid division of the Vulcan
Science Academy Medical Center."
"Sounds like fun."
McCoy ignores the sarcasm in Kirk's voice. "Yeah." Pause. "What
are you thinking about?"
"Bones, did you ever worry about the future?"
"What kind of an answer is that?"
"A diverting one. So?"
"Not until a few days ago."
"Why not?"
"I dunno. Maybe you worry because you feel you're missing
something. I've got just about everything I could want. Or I did
have.."
"We'll get out of this, Bones."
"Sure." He sighs, not really believing. What he wants to say
is, "Jim, I'm terrified I'll never see Spock again. I never got to
say goodbye." But he doesn't say anything.
He thinks about the last evening's events - or what he considers as
such. In truth it has been perhaps seventy-two hours since their
arrests, ten since the ill-fated trial. Klingon "justice" moves
fast. It has been a long time since he saw his mate, and longer
since he slept more than an hour or two at a time.
Spock had come to sickbay around 2330h after the disaster of a dinner
party. McCoy was slumped in his chair, a cup of coffee and a stack
of reports before him.
"Hi," he said when his bondmate walked in.
Spock sat down next to him in silence.
"I'd say it could've been worse, but I'm not sure that's true."
The Vulcan half smiled. "It went about as I'd expected. I had hoped
the two sides would be able to forget their grievances, but-"
"-you had no reason to believe they would," McCoy finished.
"Indeed."
The doctor gently grasped his hand. "We can only hope it gets
better."
"It could hardly be worse."
"Don't say that, Love. It usually can."
"I believe you may be correct, unfortunately." Spock tightened his
grip briefly on the human's hand. "Though the captain can be a
surprising man."
"That isn't always a good thing." McCoy sighed and leaned against
Spock's shoulder. For a while they sat in silence. "You've got
gamma shift tonight, don't you."
"Indeed.."
"You'd better get going then. Want to have breakfast afterwards?"
"That would be most enjoyable." Unexpectedly Spock leaned over and
their lips met briefly. "I will see you then, Leonard."
He had shooed him out good naturedly then, thinking that perhaps
things would get better.
Barely an hour and a half later he had only exchanged a glance with
the man before running out with Jim. Then McCoy had no time to think
about anything but blood and death and man's inhumanity to...other
beings.
"Can you talk to Spock?" Kirk asks, jolting him from his revere.
"I talk to him all the time, same as you."
"No, I mean...through your bond."
"It doesn't work like that." Len sighs. "I wish it did, though,
sometimes. And sometimes I think if it worked like that I'd never
get him to shut up."
Jim laughs aloud. "I'm sure he'd say the same thing about you."
"Gee, thanks. And here I thought I was a charming conversationalist."
He understands why Jim might think that, though. It isn't like last
time, when their minds were one mind, really. Last time he
remembered in patches. Being in the engine room and watching the man
collapse, blisters from the radiation forming on his brow.
Later the sad explanations made to Jim, after Sarek's visit.
"Bones...I can't believe you never told me..." The Captain sat down
heavily on the sofa in his quarters.
"We were going to, Jim, but then we got dragged into this whole mess,
and there wasn't time."
"I can't believe that I didn't figure it out...though...now that I
think about it, there were signs...I'm so sorry, Bones. This must be
hard for you." A shrug was his reply. "Were you happy together?"
"Yes."
"I'm glad."
A long bit missing there. He had the feeling that he had been
speaking to Spock's body at some point, trying to get the familiar
voice in his head to come back and tell him it would be okay. Then
he was standing on Mt Seleya and watching his bondmate walk by
without a trace of recognition on his handsome features.
It wasn't until after their return to Earth that-
"I'm sorry," Kirk says, jolting him from his revere.
"There's nothing you could've done. What happens, happens."
Kirk doesn't say anything for a long time, just thinks.
"Get some sleep, Bones. I have a feeling we're going to need it."
McCoy rolls over and focuses his mind inward. He can feel Spock
there, knows the Vulcan is far away but working to find the real
killers. The situation seems bleak. At least that Valeris is there
to comfort him when news of my death comes through. The thought does
little to sooth his mind, and he spends a long time listening to
Kirk's measured breathing before he drifts off.
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