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Jim was tired of this damn jungle. The tree trunks were six feet wide and kept getting the landing party turned around, insects buzzed incessantly around his face, and the humid heat had been pressing down on them for hours now. As he swatted at the fifth mosquito to fly into his face in the past ten minutes, he heard the chirp of his communicator.
“Kirk here.”
“Spock here, Captain. I believe your presence is required. Doctor McCoy may also be of assistance.” His tone sounded impassive, but Kirk knew his first officer well enough to tell that something was off, and after trekking through a labyrinth of undergrowth for so long, he was more than willing to meet back up with his bondmate.
“On our way. Kirk out.”
Jim waved Bones over, and they set out towards Spock’s coordinates.
Jim stepped over vines and colossal tree roots, Bones following close behind him. He pushed a vine out of their path and the two approached Spock, who was standing near a large purple rock, hands folded neatly behind his back.
“What is it, Mr. Spock?” Jim inquired, puzzled. Nothing seemed to be amiss. His first officer nodded towards the ground.
Jim circled the boulder to find a miniscule humanoid figure cowering behind it. She was hugging her knees tightly to her chest and her face was buried in her tunic. All that was visible of her head was a cloud of curly black hair. Clearly, the rationale was that if she couldn’t see them, they must not be able to see her.
With an urgent look at Spock and Bones, he motioned them aside.
“Where did she come from?” Jim whispered pressingly. This, to say the least, was not the turn he had expected this mission to take.
“Unknown, Captain. I discovered her exactly as she is now,” Spock rejoined with the slightest tilt of his head. Jim caught his eyes lingering a little too long and forced himself to focus again.
“Well, what’s she doing here?” spluttered Bones.
Spock leveled a cool look at him. “Also unknown, Doctor.”
Kirk straightened, glancing up at the sky, which was rapidly darkening. “However she got here, she can’t stay. That storm is getting closer by the second.”
All three men exchanged grim looks. They were well aware of this planet’s reputation for destructive weather.
Bones scanned the dense forest. “I don’t see anyone. How long do you reckon we have before that hurricane hits us?”
“Approximately eleven minutes and four point seven seconds,” Spock chimed in.
Jim shook his head, looking down at the small figure, who was now visibly trembling. “That’s not enough. Even if we could find her parents, our readings didn’t pick anything up that’s close enough to walk to in time.”
To confirm this assertion, he grabbed Spock’s tricorder, which hung at its usual place on his hip, and peered at the display. Above him, Spock quirked an eyebrow.
“We’d better beam her up with us, then,” said Bones, “and worry about finding her parents later.”
Jim exhaled sharply, raking a hand through his hair. His gaze met Spock’s.
We can’t just kidnap a kid -
It is unlikely that she will be found in time to prevent harm to her person, Jim. She will be safer aboard the Enterprise .
“Boys! Out loud please. Not all of us are tuned into your telepathic mumbo jumbo,” Bones protested.
“Right.” Jim turned to face the huddled form and crouched down beside her.
“Hey, kiddo,” he began gently, “can you understand me?”
The girl didn’t respond, but she reluctantly met Jim’s eyes, which were level with her own. With a jolt, Jim noticed that they were a dark orange. It was impossible to tell whether she knew what he was saying, but his soft tone appeared to be having a soothing effect on her. He extended a hand towards her; she shied away, but kept her attention on him. Jim raised his palms in a placating gesture.
“I won’t hurt you. We just want to help. See that storm up there?” Jim gestured towards the thickening clouds, and the girl’s head swiveled to follow his motion. When she turned back around, her eyes were bright with fear.
“We’re going someplace safe,” he continued, “and we want you to come with us.”
The child’s tunic rustled as she stood. There was a defiant set to her features as she turned towards the landing party. She carefully made her way towards them and planted herself between Jim and Spock.
With a quick look at his bondmate and Bones, Jim flipped open his communicator.
“Kirk to Enterprise. Four to beam up.”
Scotty’s voice crackled over the communicator, startling the small solemn figure.
“Four, Captain? I thought only three of ye beamed down in the first place?”
“Energize, Mr. Scott.”
“Aye, sir.”
***
Spock did not dislike children. In fact, in his experience, he had sometimes found them to be rather entertaining creatures, capable of far more than people generally gave them credit for. However, he found this one to be quite inscrutable. He watched her, sitting somberly across from Lieutenant Uhura, who had been summoned from her post to attempt to coax some information out of her (“Just because I’m a woman, Captain, doesn’t mean I’ll be able to -” “Not at all, Lieutenant. You’re a Communications Officer, aren’t you? We need you to communicate.”)
The girl had not moved since Jim had left her here with them, and had hardly reacted when he had told her that he was going to have his crew run scans to find her family. Either she did not understand, or she was too overcome by apprehension to express herself. Whatever the case may be, she was silent. In some ways, Spock thought absently, she reminded him of himself in his childhood. He remembered that time, feeling alone and misunderstood by everyone around him. Jim was the only person who had ever truly allowed him to live fully as himself, despite the contradictions in his blood. When Spock was with him, he felt known. For a moment, he allowed himself to savor the warmth that was spreading through his chest before turning his attention back to the matter at hand.
Lieutenant Uhura had not made any progress. She sent a pleading look his way, and Spock rose from his seat at the edge of the room. The girl kept a wary eye on him as he took a place at the rec room table.
“I am Commander Spock of the U.S.S. Enterprise, the ship we are on now. Is there anything that you require? If so, we will attempt to provide it for you.”
The girl’s burnt-orange gaze met his, and she tugged at her hair. Hesitantly, she produced a ribbon from a pocket in her tunic.
Spock nodded.
***
Jim stepped into the Turbolift, sighing. Chekov hadn’t been able to pick up anything on the scanners through the storm. As the lift sped away from the bridge, he reached for the bond that he shared with Spock. Its presence never failed to calm him when he was on edge. Sure enough, it seemed to thrum with quiet assurance and strength. Jim felt the tightness in his chest loosening, and the beginnings of a headache dissolving.
By the time the doors swished open, Jim was in renewed spirits. He exited the lift and strode towards the rec room. When she saw him enter, their young guest seemed to perk up, and he flashed a grin her way. She was still sitting at the table, but her hair had been pulled back into two impeccable braids.
Jim shot a glance towards Uhura, whose answering look seemed to say, Don’t look at me . He swivelled to face Spock, whose smile would have been imperceptible to anyone but his bondmate.
Since when do you know how to braid?
My sister, whose hair is of a similar texture, often allowed me to assist her. I do not believe my efforts were particularly helpful to her at the time, however I did emerge with a rudimentary understanding of the practice.
Doesn’t look so rudimentary to me, Mr. Spock.
With a surge of satisfaction, Jim noted the slight green tint to the tips of Spock’s ears. He turned to Nyota.
“Did you get anywhere?”
“No, sir. Mr. Spock had more success than I did on that front.”
“Thank you, Lieutenant. You may return to the bridge.”
Looking relieved, Nyota swept out of the room. Jim made a quick mental note: when he had children of his own, he wouldn’t ask her to babysit. Just as quickly, he caught his own wording. When? He was the captain of a starship, for gods’ sake. Besides, would Spock even -
“We should take her to medbay,” he said, perhaps a touch too abruptly.
He tried to ignore Spock’s odd glance, knowing that his first officer had noticed his sudden change in demeanor. Eager to divert attention, Jim bent down to address the girl, who was utterly dwarfed by the chair that she perched on. She looked even smaller here than she had on the planet’s surface.
“We’re going to take you to see our friend that you met earlier. He’s going to make sure that you’re as healthy as you can be, alright?”
The girl didn’t respond, but she scooted to the edge of the chair and let herself drop to the floor. Jim beamed at Spock as she made her way over to him.
“Ready to go, kiddo?” he said, and though the girl didn’t answer, she shuffled closer. Jim took this as an affirmative answer and led the way towards medbay, Spock and the small visitor in tow.
***
Spock was troubled. Jim had seemed so at ease when he had first returned from the bridge, but only moments later he had seemed to draw back into himself. Spock had felt Jim’s mental shields lock into place, but not before sensing a sharp pang of… something.
Jim almost never blocked himself off so completely from him. Ordinarily, they did not feel the need to hide any part of themselves from the other. Spock studied his bondmate. Jim had maintained a cheerful stream of chatter directed towards the child since they had left the rec room. He left her opportunities to respond every once in a while, but each time she remained silent, he carried on without missing a beat. He seemed genuinely happy.
Spock allowed himself to wonder what it would be like to raise a child with Jim. There were obvious complications, but he couldn’t deny that the idea appealed to him. If Jim’s conduct in this situation were any indication, it could be assumed that the thought was not altogether foreign to Jim either. He would almost certainly make a doting father.
Spock’s thoughts were interrupted as Jim announced, “Here we are!” Indeed, they had reached medbay. Doctor McCoy met them at the door.
“Hello there, little lady,” he greeted, rocking back on his heels. The child stared at him wide-eyed. Jim knelt in front of her.
“We’re going to leave you with Doctor McCoy here, who’s a very good friend of mine. He’s going to take good care of you, alright?”
He straightened, and he and Spock turned to leave.
“No!”
The sharp cry froze them in their tracks. Jim turned back to the girl. She was visibly more agitated than she had been just moments ago. Jim’s eyes met Spock’s own.
That is the first word she has spoken since she arrived here, Jim.
Then we can’t leave her.
Spock was surprised by the intensity of Jim’s response.
Our presence will not be required on the bridge for some time. We will remain in orbit for at least four more hours while the storm clears.
Some tension seemed to ease from Jim’s shoulders.
No harm in staying here, then. Just while Bones checks her out.
“Alright, kiddo. We can stick around for a while longer,” Jim told the girl. Satisfied with this, she followed Bones into the medbay, and with one last look at Spock, Jim fell into step behind them.
***
Twenty minutes later, Bones was wrapping up his health check. He turned to Jim.
“All set. Seems to be around four years old. She’s perfectly healthy as far as I can tell, but she’ll be needing a nap soon. Nearly fell asleep on me when I went to take her respiratory readings. The only problem now is where she’ll go.”
“Can’t she stay here with you?” ventured Jim.
“Damn it, Jim, I’m a doctor, not a babysitter!” Bones exclaimed.
“I would suggest you lower your tone of voice, Doctor. She is asleep.” Spock had wandered to the biobed that the girl had been sitting on. Sure enough, she was curled on the orange mattress, her slim shoulders rising and falling with every deep breath.
Jim felt a surge of protectiveness swell in his chest.
“We can take her to my quarters. I’ll have a cot set up for her,” he decided. Hazarding a look at Spock, he found his first officer standing pensively over the biobed, one brow raised. He glanced up at Jim, and the faintest hint of a smile crinkled the corners of his eyes.
“I see no better alternative,” he agreed. “I will assist you in assembling the cot.”
In a flash, an image came to Jim: Spock sitting cross legged, leaning on the foot of a small bed, a children’s book open in his hands. A small child laying propped up on their elbows on the bed behind him, looking at the pictures and barely listening to his words. Jim at his side, leaning against his shoulder, half-listening and lulled by the cadence of his voice.
Jim had to keep from physically shaking his head to dismiss the thought. This was getting out of hand. Even if they decided to raise children, and even if they settled down in some old farmhouse, Spock would probably think of bedtime stories as illogical or something like that. And anyways, they were both in the prime of their careers. No matter how much he wanted that future, Jim knew he couldn’t simply abandon that, much less ask Spock to do so.
Clasping his hands together, Jim stepped towards the biobed. Gingerly, he gathered the youngster into his arms. Her cheek slumped against his shoulder, and one of her arms wrapped itself across his chest. Her legs dangled near his waist. She was lighter than he had anticipated.
Bones was so delighted he looked as if he were about to keel over. Jim glared at him, knowing that he would never be allowed to forget the day that he, a big important Starfleet captain, had spent playing babysitter to an alien preschooler. Sighing, he turned to Spock. To his dismay, his eyes also glittered with mirth. Jim sighed.
“Well, what are we waiting for?” He grumbled without heat. Wordlessly, Spock led the way out the door.
***
The child was still asleep, and Spock sat with Jim in the next room over from her. Spock had decided to use the time to review the reports and administrative papers from the week. Besides today’s events, nothing particularly noteworthy had occurred, so he did not anticipate the work to be particularly strenuous.
As he settled in front of the desk and turned on his PADD, he felt his bondmate lean down behind him and press a soft kiss to his temple. The Captain’s hands settled on Spock’s shoulders and began rubbing the day’s tension from them. Through the contact, Spock noticed with a rush of ease that Jim had dropped the shields from earlier in the day. In seconds, a thousand thoughts came flowing through the bond.
I didn’t mean to block you out.
You need not apologize, ashayam.
I’m sorry anyways.
Spock swivelled the chair around and stood to face Jim. He kissed him softly once, then pulled away, murmuring, “I confess I… had not anticipated that such a quiet life with children would appeal to you. I should not have assumed.”
Jim snorted. “Well, maybe not quite yet. I still have a couple years of action left in me. But eventually, you know…” He smiled, one of the most earnest and radiant that Spock had seen. It left him more than a little breathless.
“We should discuss this further at a later time. For the moment -” Spock froze in his tracks. He stiffened as a tiny hand slid into his. He peered down. The child stood beside him, rubbing her eyes groggily with her free hand. When he looked back up, he found Jim doubled over, racked with fits of laughter. Spock’s eyebrows had long since disappeared under his bangs.
Spock sensed flashes of the child’s emotions. He found anxiety, predictably; longing, presumably for her parents; but as the unlikely pair watched the captain convulse, he was surprised to find a pure, innocent delight. Before long, the child was laughing, the high, clear peals in stark contrast with Jim’s full, booming rumble. Spock watched his bondmate, his love, his captain, and recalled an exchange on the bridge not so long ago: Captain, you almost make me believe in luck.
***
Jim had no idea what to feed to a small alien.
“I don’t want to risk poisoning her!” He said firmly. Spock nodded in agreement.
“Here’s an idea. We take her to the pantry and walk her around. She picks out whatever looks familiar.”
Spock looked doubtful, but he didn’t seem to be able to offer a better solution. Jim decided to take this as an endorsement.
“Alright, kiddo. We’re going to get you something to eat. You just follow along and grab whatever you want.” The girl’s eyes brightened.
This was how, a quarter of an hour later, Jim found himself in the middle of the food storage of the Enterprise with an armful of cookie tins, cartons of ice cream, and a single tomato. Spock eyed the haul suspiciously but mercifully stayed silent. He didn’t need to speak for Jim to sense his skepticism.
The three of them were a strange sight as they sat together in the mess hall, a tiny girl shoveling mountains of sugar into her mouth flanked by the two highest-ranking officers aboard the ship. Jim was on high alert, glancing around him furtively every few minutes.
Finally the girl neared the end of her meal, and Jim was about to breathe a sigh of relief when he heard the doors whoosh open. He turned, the sinking feeling in his stomach telling him who the newcomer was before he even looked.
“What in the name of -” a familiar Southern drawl rang out. Jim cringed. Spock almost looked guilty. All too soon, Bones seemed to recover from his brief speechlessness as he took in the popsicle sticks, candy wrappers, and cookie crumbs that littered the table.
“Jim, I’m not sure how this happened, but even you have got to know that this is no meal,” Bones fumed.
“We let her pick out what she wanted. We figured she’d pick things that were familiar…” Jim began weakly, but elected to trail off before he embarrassed himself further.
“And you didn’t think to come to me? A doctor who just performed a physical on her three hours ago?” Bones was on the warpath, and there was nothing Jim or Spock could do but attempt to shield themselves from his wrath.
“Go get her some vegetables. I’m disgusted with both of you,” Bones said, exasperated.
***
With the child appropriately nourished, Jim had decided to return to the bridge. The girl seemed much more at ease now, and the captain had suggested that she might enjoy seeing her home planet from above.
Now as the doors of the Turbolift opened onto the bridge, she stood for a moment, awestruck, before tentatively following the captain out of the lift. For a precious few seconds, complete silence fell over the bridge crew as heads turned to watch them. Scotty broke the spell.
“So, who’ll the wee lassie be replacing?” He quipped.
“You, if you’re not careful,” Jim returned good-naturedly. “I believe she’s more than qualified for your job, Mr. Scott.”
The engineer’s booming laughter startled the girl, who edged closer to Spock’s leg.
“Don’t worry about him, sweetheart,” Sulu addressed her, “He’s loud, but he’s harmless.”
She seemed emboldened by this, and with a parting glance to Spock, she wandered towards the helmsman’s station. Spock was surprised to feel a surge of nerves and pride as he watched her navigate the two steps down to the lower level of the bridge, clinging to the railing. Sulu, delighted, entertained her to the best of his ability, and Spock made his way back to his own station.
The storm had cleared enough that the ship’s sensors were able to function as normal. As he scanned the planet below, he thought of the exchange he had had with Jim while the child was asleep. Spock was not one to rely on impulses, or ‘hunches’, as the humans around him insisted on calling them. However, in this particular matter, he was inclined to believe that logic was not the best approach. When his bondmate had conveyed to him his visions of the future - their future - it had felt… right.
His thoughts were interrupted by a flash of the sensors. Looking closer, Spock analyzed the readings that they were picking up. A cluster of life about two kilometers away from the coordinates where they had picked up the child, and the only one in a radius of thousands of kilometers. Without a doubt, he had found her point of origin.
“Captain.” He straightened and turned towards Jim. “I believe I have located the child’s village.”
As his eyes met Jim’s, Spock knew that the wrenching feeling in his heart was mutual.
***
Most of the bridge crew had gathered in the transporter room to send them off. Sulu waved to her with a wink, Bones offered her a handshake, which she solemnly returned, and even Uhura managed an awkward goodbye. The last thing they heard before they dissolved was Scotty’s cheerful “It was nice meeting ye, lass!”
Just as Jim had expected, Spock’s landing coordinates were calculated to perfection. They appeared in the dead center of a small, bustling village. All around them, people were hard at work clearing debris from the storm, hauling branches and sweeping vines away from surprisingly intact structures.
The first villager to notice them began to shout. Before long, it seemed that the entire village had gathered around them. A pair of women burst from the throng. With a shriek, the girl broke from Jim and Spock and hurtled towards them. The three collapsed into a heap on the ground, tears and assurances and laughter mingling. The girl spoke to her parents rapidly, gesturing back towards Jim and Spock, then up towards the sky.
The shorter of the two women approached Jim and Spock and spoke in accented Standard.
“I cannot begin to express our gratitude. My wife and I… we assumed the worst.” Tears sprang to her eyes anew, and she was momentarily overcome with emotion before she could continue.
“Noémi has a habit of wandering, but I believe it is safe to say she has never gone so far before.”
Jim smiled. “We were happy to help. Noémi was a pleasure to have aboard.”
The other woman and the girl walked up to join them, hand in hand.
“You must stay for a celebration! It is a small gesture to repay what you have done for us, but -”
Jim was already shaking his head.
“We thank you for your hospitality, but unfortunately we cannot stay. We have to report to an outpost in a few days, and…” he trailed off. The women nodded.
“We understand,” the taller of the two spoke. She placed three fingers on her heart, then reached out to place the touch on each of the men’s chests.
“A gesture of gratitude,” she explained. “My heart to yours.” Spock didn't bother to correct her.
Jim smiled, then crouched down to face Noémi.
“Take care of yourself, kiddo. And who knows? Maybe someday you’ll be able to wander in a ship of your own.”
The young girl grinned brightly and threw her arms around his neck. Jim grunted softly, but patted her on the back. He watched with a lump in his throat as she approached Spock. He raised his right hand in the ta’al.
“Live long and prosper, Noémi.”
The girl raised her own hand in a clumsy imitation, and Jim felt a surge of affection as his bondmate flashed one of his rare smiles.
They watched the group dissolve and Jim flipped open his communicator.
“Scotty. You can beam us up now.”
***
Epilogue:
Careful not to spill either of the mugs of tea that he was carrying, Jim rounded the corner and paused in front of the door. He could hear his husband’s low, even voice, and as he leaned in the doorway, he watched Spock slowly flip to the next page of the old Terran picture book. Adair’s eyes passed ravenously over the page, enthralled in the colorful illustrations.
Without looking up, Spock sent a thrum of warmth through the bond, and Jim smiled. They were home.