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Kirk moved the salt and pepper shakers for the fifth time to a different place on the table. Exactly in the middle? Moved to the left? Salt and pepper? Pepper and salt? Should the tableware be on the napkin, or sitting next to it? Maybe he needed placemats? A tablecloth? Too formal?
Music? No. Maybe. Candles? Too fussy.
Wait! Was there a clean towel in the bathroom or not?
Butter or a dish of olive oil? Cut the bread now or right before they eat? Put the bread on a plate, or in a basket?
He grabbed a handful of hair on each side of his head and pulled. The anticipation was KILLING him!
The USS Enterprise was parked in Spacedock, and all personnel had been released from the five year mission. Most of the crew scattered, to different ships, to new assignments, to civilian jobs, some even to retirement. Many were taking some kind of personal leave, awaiting a new long term space mission. The command crew had been grabbed by the scruffs of their necks and dragged from debriefing to interviews to publicity campaigns to guest lecture spots at the Academy.
Kirk finally blew up when a parade was planned.
At last, all the foo-foo and folderol was OVER. Kirk had settled into a short-term lease in a small apartment near Starfleet headquarters and was trying to become accustomed to fresh air, bugs, and non-replicated food. The Powers That Be were still dickering over his next duty assignment, and he intended to enjoy his time planetside while he was here. The apartment could never really be home to him, but he was doing his best to make it lived-in.
Spock had sent him a message that he had returned from New Vulcan and was now staying at the Ambassador’s quarters at the Vulcan Embassy. He accepted an invitation from Kirk for dinner that night, and Jim felt like an excited little kid on Christmas Eve, preparing for a visit from Santa.
It had been several weeks since they’d last seen each other, and months since they played chess.
James T Kirk felt like a lost soul.
The front door chimed. His eyes zoomed like arrows towards it, and his heart did a double-gainer in his chest. Spock!
Kirk opened the door and smiled. “Please come in, Mr Spock. Can I take your jacket?”
Spock was wearing a heavy Vulcan tunic with a hood, and when he removed it, Kirk was surprised to see him in a plain, button-down shirt, denims, and athletic shoes. He didn’t know why he expected a uniform, but hey, Spock in sneakers?
Kirk couldn’t keep the smile off his face. “It’s good to see you again, Spock.”
“I welcomed your invitation tonight, Captain.”
Kirk’s grin got bigger. GOD, he missed this!
They sat at the table, and Kirk brought out a stasis caddy from a top-rated French bistro. Two plates of steaming, fragrant ratatouille were inside, and Kirk added a loaf of freshly baked bread to the meal.
He wanted non-replicator food, he wanted vegetarian, he wanted it perfect for Spock.
While Spock ate, Kirk just looked across the table and smiled. “Are you not hungry, Captain?”
“I guess I’m still full from lunch. Do you like the ratatouille, Spock?”
“The combination of vegetables and herbs is very pleasing. I have never had this particular dish before.”
“I’m really glad I picked it out, then. I’ve never had it before, either, but it sounded like something you would enjoy.”
Spock finished his meal, then set his folded napkin next to his plate. “Thank you for thinking of my personal dietary preferences, Captain.”
Kirk stood, and picked up the plates from the table. “Go on in the living room. I’ll be there in a minute, I have something I want to show you.”
After leaving the kitchen, Kirk sat next to Spock on the couch and handed him a small box. He smiled, and said, “This is for you.”
Spock opened the box to see a most striking rose. The center of it was a creamy pale blush, and the petals unfurled to reveal edges that looked as though they had been dipped in the rusty reddish sands of old Vulcan. He turned to Kirk, a look of curiosity on his face.
“Do you like it?”
Spock ran a finger delicately along the edge of one petal. “It is a beautiful specimen.”
Kirk beamed. “I remember you telling me about the rose gardens your mother had on Vulcan. It’s a long story, but the only thing that is important now is for you to know this particular rose is the ‘Amanda Grayson’ hybrid.”
Spock looked at Kirk. Kirk’s face softened into yet another smile, and just looked back at him.
This time, it wasn’t a staring contest. This time, both were ... gazing.
Kirk placed his opened left hand on the couch between them. “Touch me.” The same words Spock had groaned at him, almost five years before. Kirk said them as a whisper now.
Oh, so gently, Spock set his right hand on top, so their palms met and their fingers rested on top of each other.
Kirk watched as Spock rotated his hand, and interlaced his fingers with the hand below. Who knew which one brought them to stand up facing each other?
Arms slid around and embraced and each pulled and was pulled closer and closer and closer and they fit together perfectly.
Kirk had his head buried against Spock’s neck, and he chuckled. “I’ve ripped myself up all day about how to say anything to you, and it looks like I didn’t need to worry at all.”
Spock pulled away, just enough to allow him to place his hands on each side of Kirk’s face. He brushed his lips against Kirk’s mouth so tenderly, it was like the passing of a butterfly wing. “I have been waiting for you to find me.”
“I love you, Spock.”
“And I cherish thee, Jim.”
Later, much, much later, Kirk’s laughter rang out from the bedroom. “Oh, it IS green! I had hoped it would be green!”
To my readers: first, let me thank you from the very bottom of my heart for reading my work!
Then I need to explain. When I first began here at the K/S Archives, I had no idea what my direction would take. I wrote my first little story, and received wonderful encouragement here! So I wrote another little story. And another. And another. They were all linked. I DID go back and put the stories in series, but it is still difficult for many to follow just what in the Hell is going on!
Not only have I gotten carried away, I’ve taken a lot of people with me! So here is the sequence:
Friend—Team—Spark—Interplay—Gotcha—Newbies—Remedy—History—Addedum—Green—Pledge—Alliance—Consortium (series Provenance)
Favorites—Abysm—Misery—Details—Reprise—Faces—Scroll—Entwine—Answer (series Paramount)
Rose—Three—Curls—Kiss—Goal—Toll—Conclusion (series Progression)
For anyone wishing to read the whole mess in one shot, contact me. I’ll send it to you in an email.
And once again, I thank every single person who has read my stories here. I love you al! ~AKO