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Hand in hand with your beloved, even cold winter nights of lower Manhattan can be made bearable. Spock’s nose, the only part of him not covered by a woolen hat, a thick scarf or a long coat was however getting a little chilly and so Jim offered to find them a nice cafe to sit in for a while and warm up.
The sun has let hours ago, the street was illuminated only by lamps and lights from nearby storefronts, the warm orange lights as if holding the freezing white of the delicate snowflakes in the air at bay.
“Oh what about this one?” Jim pointed to a small building, tightly squeezed in between a clothing shop and a restaurant. The newly pained white walls contrasting with a much older paint on both sides made it seem as if this small little place one day simply appeared in its place, pushing the other two buildings aside in the process.
Spock looked at the name plate above the wooden frame of the door. “The time-lock caffe?”
”Looks cozy.” Jim remarked with an easy smile on his face, his cheeks growing red from the cold.
”If you say so, ashayam.” Spock allowed himself to be led closer and let Jim untangle his hand from Spock’s to push the door open for him. As he walked into the warmth of the establishment he sent a silent thank you through the silvery bond in the back of his mind with which he bound himself to Jim three years ago to the day.
At two small tables off to the side two couples sat, engrossed in conversation with various beverages in their hands. Further along the old heavy wooden floor- Spock noted that the interior barely matched the exterior of the building- stairs led to a lower level of the cafe where more voices could be heard.
A slow quiet piano played in the distance, most likely a recording played from a speaker system, the tunes carrying through the entire space lazily and reaching all the way to the back, where, behind a bar table, a few baristas worked in comfortable silence.
“Good evening, my name is Asuna.” A young lady of a species Spock didn’t seem to be able to recognize at the moment approaches the two. Her almost pristine white skin looked as if it had been cracked in multiple places and then re-combined by pouring molten metal into the cracks. For a moment Spock wondered if instead of her actual face, this pale faced lady wasn’t simply wearing an ornate mask. “If you would please follow me, I will help you find a table.” She smiled, her seemingly golden eyes shimmering in the light.
Jim gave Spock a quick look and the two followed the lady down a flight of creaky wooden stairs with a metal handle which curled in on itself at the edges.
Asuna led them through a half empty room, her delicate silky dress fluttering behind her. The garment was clearly designed with movement in mind as when it did so, all its intricate patterns sprung into motion, swerving and snaking around the clothes. It was almost like looking at an optical illusion only there was no way of figuring out how it worked and as Asuna walked, Spock found his attention drawn to her meaning he noticed the other people in the cafe only in passing.
Somehow however, he could not find it in himself to care about all this strangeness, his mind filling with calm and meeting only the background hum where the thin silver thread of the bond vibrated with ease and serenity.
”There.” The lady smiled, the tectonic plates of her face drifting to accommodate the motion.
Jim moved towards Spock, helping him out of his heavy winter coat and draping it over the back of one of the three armchairs. Spock gave him a smile he knew only Jim would notice and helped him out of his own snow covered jacket.
When they both sat down into the surprisingly comfortable red plush of the armchairs, Asuna re-appeared, the easy smile radiating from her eyes. “What can I offer you for your drink, gentlemen?” She asked.
Spock could feel the wave of confusion through the bond before he could see it on his husband’s face. “Excuse me, we have not yet received a menu card.” He offered calmly.
”Oh, no.” Asuna shook her head, but before Spock could open his mouth for a ‘do not worry, it is no problem’, he was beaten to it by a: “you do not need a menu card. Whichever drink you might desire, we can surely prepare for you.”
“Oh, are your drinks replicated then?” Jim asked with a smile, hoping to make it obvious he did not mean it as a criticism of any sort. While the process of delivering ingredients to restaurants and cafes has long become obsolete, most establishments still held onto a menu of items they prepared in the restaurant itself.
“Not at all sir.” Asuna smiled again, this was clearly not the first time she got this question. “Only the ingredients are replicated. The brewing and creation process is done right here by our amazing staff.”
Spock raised one of his eyebrows in a visible question mark but decided to not argue the illogic of it. If their staff wanted to learn how to brew an infinite number of diverse drinks from all around the universe without the help of a replicator, then he was not going to stop them. “I will have Vulkan spice tea then.” He answered instead.
”Can you make me some andorian filter coffee?” Kirk returned the smile to the lady who nodded with a quick “Of course” and walked away.
”Andorian filter coffee?” The second one of Spock’s eyebrows followed the first as he looked at his husband.
“They said anything.” Jim replied, defending himself but the bond betrayed his amusement.
“And so you must choose a coffee preparation method that is notoriously difficult to perform.”
”Now, now mister Spock, that’s not true and you know it!” Spock lacked a third eyebrow to raise. “It's only notoriously hard to prepare so it tastes like it’s supposed to! So either I’ll end up with a perfectly ordinary cup o’ joe or I’ll get the best coffee known to man. That’s a win win in my books.”
Spock had to agree that the idea had some logic to it so instead he leaned back into his chair and took a closer look at his surroundings. The walls were made out of fake bricks which formed arches around the armchairs that stood directly next to it. From the wall wooden supports jutted out, for the lamps that illuminated the place with a low warm haze. Spock was quite sure he noticed a fireplace on his way but as each table with chairs sat in its own cubby hole, gaining privacy and blocking view on the other tables, there was no way to confirm this hypothesis without standing up and going to look for it.
“I believe that the human expression of cozy was quite correct.”
”I never would have believed that this entire place is somehow cramped in the spot where it is.”
”It is quite the feat of engineering.”
An easy conversation about the events of the day sprung up between them as Jim reminisced about the performance of an opera singer that they caught the performance of. And Spock was glad to delve into the meaning of the story behind her masterfully sung words as they both slowly defrosted from the, now long forgotten, cold outside.
”Here are your drinks, gentlemen.” Asuna returned eventually, holding a tray with two cups.
“Coffee for you,” She placed the tray down onto their table before picking up a cup filled with a dark brown liquid and a bubbling white foam, placing it before Kirk.
“-and a tea for you.” She picked up the other, larger, cup and placed it before Spock, who inspected the red tea inside with approval.
”Thank you.” He addressed the waiter who removed the tray from the table and took a step back.
But she didn’t walk away entirely. “Will you have a conversation with your drinks?”
”A conversation?” Spock was becoming more and more convinced this lady just liked to see her guests confused.
”Here are Time Lock Cafe we offer our patrons the ability to have a conversation with anyone they wish while they enjoy their beverages. From anywhere in the galaxy, from any time, alive or passed. Be it a friend whom you wish to see again, an enemy you need to set the record straight with our a loved one you sorely miss, as long as you know who they are, there is a conversation to be had with them, right here, right now.” Asuna recited her well prepared speech with ease.
Ashayam? Could I ask something of you? Spock buried his confusion deep.
Of course darling. Jim was clearly just as confused.
Might you be so kind as to tell this lady how illogical her statement is? I do not wish to come off as cold or harsh.
”Excuse me,” Jim spoke up. “Could you explain how that could possibly work? I- I do not understand if I should take that literally or-”
”if you would please humor me.” The mask of the server’s face remained still, a light welcoming smile and kind eyes of gold.
There must have been something in the air, or maybe a charm created by Asuna herself because Spock could not have been thinking when he said: ”My sister.” His voice remained calmer than it should be.
Jim shot his an almost terrified, although very discrete, look and Asuna shifted her attention back to him as well. She blinked and then her smile widened. “On moment if you will. Allow me to bring you the tea.”
”I already have my tea?” Spock protested.
”Of course.” She was not deterred. “One moment.” She disappeared anyways, her voice and stride steady.
“Curious.” Spock nodded to himself, taking a sip of his drink. Somehow, the flavor seemed even more familiar than usual, almost as if it was pulled from his own childhood memory of chilly nights on Vulkan.
“Spock?” Jim slid his hand across the table towards Spock but before he could say anything more, Asuna returned, this time holding a bowl in her hands.
Jim withdrew his hand and turned his head to her. His thoughts however tried to push some concerned care and support Spock’s way.
“I apologize for the holdup. Allow me to explain.” She placed the bowl into the middle of the table, the liquid inside was dark purple with miniature white petals and deep blue rose buds floating on the surface. The potion- Spock lacked a better way to describe the concoction- resembled a far off galaxy, unreachable yet radiating with light.
”Before the tea in this bowl growls cold, your sister, Michael Burnham will join you for a conversation. Please, allow me to not waste any more of your time together.” Asuna closed her eyes and for a moment it looked like her entire face was one solid surface. But then she opened them again, the gold pupils smiling at Spock and Jim before she backed out of the room.
Spock followed her with his eyes, only barely hiding his confusion and even less ignoring his growing anger. Before she left. And Spock turned his head back to the table to inspect the strange liquid. And out of the corner of his eye he saw a figure sitting in the previously unoccupied armchair.
Spock? Michael mouthed, her words disappearing behind her exasperated breath.
Spock felt like he was in a dream. Or maybe a shared hallucination. Or a time anomaly. Or maybe some other unexplainable situation. But the fact remained, that somehow, right in front of him, sat his sister.
“Michael?” And he should try and figure out how on earth did his sister just magically teleport into this cafe in the middle of the twenty third century New York. But instead he stood up, willing his legs to not collapse under him as he pushed the chair aside, almost knocking it, and rounded the table. Michael did the same, springing from her newly found seat in an instant, closing the gap between the two of them and falling into Spock’s grasp.
His knees gave out under the sudden weight shift and the two of them toppled to the wooden floor but Michael’s arms were wrapping themselves around Spock’s wais and he was returning the gesture in a most un-vulkan manner, holding her tightly as if she could escape him even through the smallest air gap. As if somehow at any moment, reality would tear them back apart.
“Spock? Are you alright?” Jim too stood up now, also making his way towards the two of them. Love, what is it? The bond vibrated with a shockwave of concern which was almost absent from his audible speech. Spock was never one for outward expressions of emotion, a fact that Jim respected, especially in already emotionally charged situations, opting instead to communicate his own feelings through the shared space in their minds. Are you alright?
Michael’s touch was still too much for Spock to process. The notion of having her back still too fresh for words to express it, his mind still reeling.
Joy! Surprise! Spock managed to convey the basic idea without flooding the bond with the infinite contradictions he was currently experiencing. Michael buried her head into Spock’s chest and soon he could feel a wet spot forming on his sweater from her tears.
Spock allowed one of his hands to leave the tight embrace, persuading himself that if Michael was indeed to disappear his embrace could do very little to stop it. Instead he placed the palm of his hand to the back of his sister's head, feeling her hair woven into a myriad of tight braids.
He began stroking her hair slowly and though the motion was meant to calm down Michael, it proved to have soothing qualities to himself. Slowly Spock managed to regain some preliminary control of his own emotions. I am alright. He finally replied. Please do not worry. Spock knew his husband and knew that this would have little actual effect on Jim’s emotions. He would continue to worry until Spock returned to his chair and actually explained the situation to him.
Can I help? Jim’s question barely carried through as if not to disturb Spock’s own train of thoughts.
Spock continued to stroke his sister’s hair, his other hand slowly loosening the grip he had on her. There is no need. All is well.
”How?” Michael’s voice was muffled through the fabric of Spock’s clothes.
“I do not know.” Spock managed to speak up, his own voice more uneven than he’d wish it to be. But that wasn’t quite the truth, was it? “We are in an establishment called The Time Lock Cafe. The waiter gave us a- drink of some kind. As long as that drink remains warm, we get to talk to each other.” As he spoke, he built back the confidence in his words.
His sister finally unburied herself from his chest, her teary eyes searching Spock’s for sincerity. Clearly she believed the explanation even less than Spock did.
From behind the two of them, Jim approached and squatted down next to them, placing one gentle hand on Spock’s back. Though the initial burst of fear now dissipated from his mind, an underlying notion of protectiveness remained.
Michael shot him a glance, suddenly realizing that she is in fact not alone in the entire room only with Spock. She cleared her throat and attempted a weak “hi.”
Jim hoped that the smile he gave her in return was devoid of the confusion he felt.
”Perhaps we can continue this conversation around the table?” Spock offered, sharing some reassurance with his husband.
Michael gave a quick nod, reluctantly removing herself from the embrace. As she began to raise herself from the ground, Kirk offered her his hand, which she took with a “thank you.”
Jim then turned back to Spock, helping him off of the ground as well, gently squeezing his hand in an attempt to show support in the situation he himself did not understand.
“I am alright, Jim. Thank you.” Spock dusted himself off and sunk down into his prepared chair.
“I know you are, darling.” Despite the reassurance, Jim continued to hover over his husband for a while.
“Oh yes,” Spock guided Jim with his eyes to look at Michael, “this is my sister, Michael Burnham. Michael, this is my husband, Captain James Kirk.” If Jim didn’t know any better he’d say he just heard a tinge of pride in Spock’s voice.
”It is a pleasure to finally meet you sir.” Michael, who by now managed to regain her own composure, extended her hand towards Jim.
“It’s an honor to meet you too.” Jim returned the handshake, her grip was stronger than he’d expected.
“Spock doesn’t shut up about you in his letters. But it’s nice to finally meet the real deal.” She added as Jim made his way back towards his seat, though he moved it slightly to be closer to his husband.
”Letters?” Jim asked in tandem with Spock’s “You received my recordings?”
“Yes!” Michael’s face melted into a grateful smile. “Every single one of them. Even the ones you haven’t written yet.”
“A logical assumption.”
You sent her letters about me? Jim asked, mixing flattery with amusement.
”Yes, Jim. I made multiple personal logs addressed to my sister in hopes that she will one day uncover them in the future. While I never thought I could ever talk to her again, I saw no reason why I couldn’t keep her informed about my life. I, of course, mentioned you in these logs as we began our relationship.”
Michael chuckled at the comment.
“I do not see if I made a joke of some sort?” Spock turned to her, he still couldn’t believe that she was in fact there. Sitting right next to him and not centuries in the future.
“As we began our relationship?” She repeated. “Brother I thought that Vulkans are incapable of lying.”
“That is correct?” He phrased it as a question.
”And yet I’ve never heard a groser lie in my life.” Michael then turned to Jim, mischief in her eyes. “You must understand, I am one of, if not the, first person he ever told about his… huge crush on you. I swear, I had to wade through months of constant pining before he ever built up the courage to talk to you about it.”
Embarrassment shot through the bond in a matter of seconds and was then immediately shut off by Spock's mental shields.
”Awww!” Jim laughed, the thought of Spock, this emotionally very closed off person, recording a message for his sister to confess his feelings for Jim was intriguing to say the least. “Spock, you never told me.”
”I admit. I never expected these logs to ever be heard by anyone but you ages into the future.” He then addressed Jim. “But my sister exaggerates.” Spock insisted, sharing a look with her, which only made her laugh harder.
”Like hell I am!” She fought back.
”But you received his logs?” Jim decided to spare Spock from blushing. “In the future. So the federation records still stand?”
The smile diminished from Michael’s face and Jim wondered if he should have brought up the topic.
”The future is… different.” She settled for, in the end. “I don’t- I don’t know how much I should tell you, time travel is weird about that, but yes, some of the records still stayed. I was lucky to find Spock’s.”
”I see that you are still in one piece, so my advice to take care of yourself hasn’t gone entirely unnoticed.” Spock prompted when she didn’t elaborate, taking another sip from his tea and finally reminding Jim that he too ordered a drink.
As he took a sip of his own coffee for a moment he forgot about anything else as his senses worked double time to process the rich flavor combination of the drink.
“I found some new people to take care of me.” Michael allowed the expression. “It took me a year to find the Discovery.”
Something akin to sorrow spilled over through the bond.
”But I wasn’t alone.” She continued, reassuringly. “When I exited the wormhole,” Jim searched his own memory for Spock’s retelling of the story about Michael Burnham, officially lost in space but in truth forced to lead an entire ship far into the future to prevent a catastrophe.
“I got caught in the gravity of a planet and crash landed into Booker’s ship- he helped me get my bearings.” She was continuing. “Even after I wrecked his ship…”
“It is fortunate that this Booker should be at the exact coordinates of your exit.” Spock agreed, silently relieved at the news.
”If by that you mean I got lucky then yes. Discovery is doing good work out there.” Michael seemed to be firmly set on reassuring Spock that she was fine.
“I have no doubt that she and her crew have found a way to be useful in any timeline. I assume mister Saru is her captain now?”
Michael nodded.
”I was unsure of him at first, however he seems as capable a captain as any.”
”Oh! Stamets and doctor Culber adopted an alien kid! And Tilly is going to become a teacher at an academy!” Michael ran through a list of people that Spock clearly met aboard the Discovery when he was there.
“Congratulations to them all.” Spock listened with unparalleled interest, drinking in everything his sister had to give.
Michael stopped then, her smile dropping with a sigh and her expression changing into melancholy. “I missed you Spock. Every single day, I miss you.”
“As I you.” Jim watched Spock allow his face to actually show his hurt. There was very little he could do but reach out for his husband both with his hand and his mind, hoping that Spock would admit at least one of them.
Jim’s hand landed on top of Spock’s who turned his palm up, entwining his fingers with Jim’s.
Michael, who noticed the gesture, sighed again this time with something similar to relief. “Spock, can I just say- as your older sister, I am so incredibly proud of you.”
”What for?”
Michael gestured vaguely at the two men siting opposite to her. ”This. All of this. Despite everything, you did it… you reached.” Her eyes smiled as she spoke, new tears appearing in the corners of her eyes. Jim saw some shared understanding between the two of them. Something deep and personal and even though he did not want to pry, the warmth of those words spilled right over into his mind as well.
“I mean, look at you! You, I know that technically you’re older than me now, but… to see my little brother- I don't know- build up your life like this? I mean, you got married to a Starfleet captain!” She chuckled, wiping at a tear that threatened to spill over. “Oh Tilly was so mad when I told her!”
”I am touched by the idea, however I do not see why she would have to be mad about my marital state.” Jim squeezed Spock’s hand again with a smile. ”Either way, it is most gratifying to see you too. I was-” the word ‘worried’ hung at the corner of Spock’s mind like an icicle ready to fall down. “-unsure to let you go into a future to which I could not follow you.”
”I know. I was so afraid to leave you behind. But it seems like we made it. Both of us.”
”It would appear so.” The idea warmed Spock close to his heart. As he took another sip of his tea he eyed the potion bowl in the center of the table. The previously smoking liquid was cooling, though Spock estimated they might still have about seven minutes and twenty eight seconds left. Somehow, the idea didn’t scare him as much as he expected it to.
Jim followed his gaze, understanding his thought process. Under different circumstances he would have a myriad of questions for her, but he refrained from them, giving the two long lost siblings all the time they could get.
”How are mother and father? I haven’t seen any traces of them.”
”They are well.” Spock returned his thoughts back to Michael instead of the bowl. “After so many years of insistence from our mother, father decided to retire from his position for the time being and move to live on Earth with her. They wish to travel the planet as well as the stars without any diplomatic obligations for a while.”
”Sarek retired?” Michael raised her voice in surprise.
“Temporarily.” Spock specified, but understood his sister's amusement. “Though I must say I was also quite surprised by the news.”
”You must send him my regards! Oh this is- this is the best news I’ve heard all day and I’ve been re-listening to the letter you sent about your wedding!” She joked. “I suppose some sort of proper congratulations are in order!”
”Thank you, though you are exactly five years too late.”
”Better late than never.” Michael then turned to Jim. “I’m not sure how… appropriate this is coming from a five year delayed time traveler but just imagine I told you this before you married my little brother.” She pointed a finger at him in a joke version of a threat “You treat him well, all right?” She was smiling too widely for it to have any of the intended effects.
”Yes ma’am!” Jim put on his commander's voice. “I wouldn’t settle for anything but perfection for him.” It was stupid and it was cheesy but it was the absolute truth, no matter how wide the grin on his face became when he glanced at Spock who had one of his eyebrows raised in a visible question mark again.
”I can assure you, Michael, That my husband has been nothing but kind to me. In fact I owe him my life, multiple times over.”
“Love you’re making it sound like I’m the only one pulling you out of trouble as if it wasn’t the exact opposite on a normal Sunday.”
“God you two are a lot.” Michael finally broke up the conversation, her fake disgust unable to withstand the pride with which she was beaming. “I uhm-“ She took a glance at the bowl in the middle of the table as well, understanding that it is what’s holding her here. “I guess I don’t have any good older sister wisdom to impose upon you this time.” She chuckled again as the liquid in the bowl cooled.
“Perhaps I could attempt to give one to you.” Spock spoke up, his voice on the verge of seriousness.
“Go ahead. But remember that between the two of us I’m the one who is proven to give good advice.”
Spock’s eyes smiled at her. “The future, it seems, holds many trials and I am certain that if you wanted to, you could find a way to fix every single one of them. You can do so much good, but that doesn’t mean you are obligated to. You may know my future, but yours is still being written, go write one you yourself will enjoy living.”
“I will.” She whispered, standing up from her chair. Spock shadowed the motion and the two embraced again in a tight hug. A proper one this time around.
“I am glad for every single second I got to spend by your side. You taught me well, Michael.”
“I’m glad you took my advice on the beard.” Michael Burnham joked as she slowly began to dissipate into the thin air just as the last traces of heat bubbled onto the surface and away.
“I love you sister.”
“I love you too Spock! You two have a beautiful life for me.” When Jim blinked next, she was gone and Spock was standing alone next to an empty chair over which two coats continued to hang.
Through the bond Jim could read Spock’s thoughts, a pang of sadness accompanied by resolve and finality. The tips of Spock’s lips were curled upwards in a hint of a smile when he turned around, returning to his seat.
Spock finished his drink and placed the cup next to Jim’s already empty one. “I believe I wish to go home.” He announced.
“Of course. Let me pay and get our coats.” Jim found himself whispering.
Asuna appeared in the hallways just as he said it with a bill in her hand. She handed it to Jim, not forcing a conversation and then leading them back out towards the front door. Even if before Spock’s attention had to be guided through the halls with the waitress’s living dress, this time he barely needed any persuasion to keep his gaze to himself and allow the other visitors all of their privacy.
“Have a good evening.” Asuna opened the door for them and Spock followed Jim back into the cold winter night. Jim grabbed hold of Spock’s hand leading them home.
On their way, neither of them noticed, that if they would turn around and look at where the Time Lock Cafe stood only moment earlier, they would find nothing but an awkward empty space between a clothes store and an overcrowded restaurant.