Title: Sticks and Stones (15/17)
Author: klmeri
Fandom: Star Trek AOS
Pairing: Kirk/Spock/McCoy
Summary: Sequel to Many Bells Down; Riverside ‘verse AU. Khan is hell-bent on destroying everything and everyone James Kirk cares about until Jim surrenders the most important person of all—himself.
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Part Fourteen

“Bones,” Jim Kirk says in a low, warning tone, “give me back my helmet.” He receives a stubborn glare in response.

“There’s no way I’m letting you on that contraption, kid. You have a concussion. Here’s a basic rule concerning concussions, Jim: don’t operate machinery, especially the kind that move.”

Jim loves Leonard, he really does, but he won’t waste any more time on this dumb argument. He feigns resignation and slumps his shoulders. Leonard, after studying the sincerity of his expression for a second or two, relaxes his grip on the helmet. Jim, of course, immediately steals it, plunks it onto his head, and jogs toward his Harley, satisfied. Though he doesn’t expect McCoy to give up so easily, Jim flails in surprise when his boyfriend latches onto the back of his jacket and without a word starts dragging him to a silver BMW. Spock, standing on the opposite side of the BMW parked along the circular drive before the entrance to the Q compound, watches on in mild interest as Leonard tries to shove Jim into the backseat and Jim bows up like a cat refusing to go into a pet carrier. They are both sweating and cursing profusely by the time Pike shows up to find out why the three men haven’t left on schedule.

Jim, whose head is locked in the crook of Leonard’s elbow, struggles. “I’ll ride my motorcycle if I want to!”

“Get in the damn car, Jim!” Leonard snarls for the umpteenth time.

“ENOUGH!” Christopher Pike roars.

Leonard reluctantly lets go of Jim. Jim, pausing to look between Pike and McCoy (ha, suckers! he thinks), bolts for the Harley. Pike casually intercepts Jim halfway and drops his hand to Kirk’s shoulder, clamping it there like a vise. “I don’t think so, son. Why don’t you ride in the car?”

How condescending, Pike trying to reason with him like he doesn’t have any sense of his own!

Jim bares his teeth in a false grin. “I suggest you move out of my way.”

Pike seems amused. “You want to tangle with me again? We both know how that turned out last time.”

An ugly little monster made of anger rears its head. Jim forcibly removes Pike’s hand then sticks his nose in Pike’s personal space. “What I remember is you slinking away like a coward because of my mother.”

“Jim,” Christopher says, a hint of bite to his voice, “don’t.”

Jim has the very tempting urge to poke a finger into the man’s chest to see what will happen.

But Pike slowly and deliberately lifts his hands between them, palms out, and repeats flatly, “Don’t.” Then just as quickly, holding Jim’s eyes, he drops his hands to his sides again. “You can ride on the bike,” he informs Jim, “as a passenger.”

With narrowed eyes, Jim demands, “And who, exactly, would I let touch my baby?” If Pike believes he would let…

The older man’s mouth quirks to one side. “Oh, it’s not what you’re thinking, Jim.” He chuckles, mostly to himself, then half-turns to call at the double doors of the compound thrown wide open, “Did you find one?”

“Yup, I got it!” Nyota Uhura calls back as she lifts a fire-red helmet into the air for Pike to see. She descends the few steps from the entrance to the driveway.

Jim, suddenly grinning foolishly to see his friend, does a double-take when a thin figure slips down the steps after her but hugs her with boyish enthusiasm nonetheless. “Uhura!”

Her sharp eyes skim his person, missing nothing. “So you’re still in one piece.”

His grin widens. “I heard you were worried about me.” Then Jim’s gaze skips over to the man standing slightly behind her. “Pavel,” he asks, concerned, “what are you doing here?”

“Jim,” Pavel only says, nodding in greeting and not answering the question.

Nyota answers for him. “Pavel wants to help—we both do.”

“But what about…?”

“Sulu?” she finishes quietly.

Pavel abruptly turns away. “You are taking the car, da?” Without waiting for a response, he marches over to the BMW, nods hello to McCoy and Spock and settles himself into the front passenger seat. Spock lifts his eyebrows questioningly as he considers the young man now perched in the car.

Uhura levels an inscrutable look at Jim when he protests, “It’s dangerous. He shouldn’t come.”

Christopher Pike steps away from their small group, hands in his trouser pockets. “I don’t think it’s the boy you should be worried about. Take care, Jim.” His stare is intense but not unkind. “And don’t deviate from the plan. Find Gaila, retreat. Are we clear?”

“Crystal,” Jim demurs, betraying little.

Nyota lifts a hand and waves at McCoy, then grabs Jim’s arm. “I’ve got Jim! Let’s move out!”

Leonard says something to Spock, Spock replies at length, and the doctor, grumbling, finally jerks open a car door. Spock’s eyes touch one last time upon Jim; they share a look. Then the man proceeds to seat himself behind the wheel of the BMW and start the car’s engine.

Uhura winds her ponytail into a bun on top of her head before putting on her red helmet; she is humming to herself, pleased for some reason. Jim fits himself behind her on the Harley and hands her the key. “Don’t scratch her. She’s my life,” he adds rather dramatically before turning down his visor.

Her laughter is bright and sunny and slightly wicked. “Oh, no worries, farm boy. But you’d better hold on,” she warns.

Jim has pride—a very manful pride, in fact, which is what spurs him to wonder if anybody can hear him screaming for his life despite his helmet and the wind. He had forgotten what an excellent and terrifying motorcyclist Uhura is. She takes tight curves at 30-degree angles, so close to the road that Jim can feel the heat of the asphalt against his ankles, and gravity somehow makes allowances for her it would for no one else. Perhaps this is how Bones feels when clinging to Jim as he gleefully speeds from one destination to another.

No, Jim decides. He’d never scare Bones this badly.

The trip is both too short (because they are going too fast) and too long (because every second is a dizzying kind of agony for Jim) once it’s over. Uhura halts the bike with a flourish of spinning tires and flying gravel that nearly causes her companion to detach from his seat and end up headfirst a row of bushes. When she puts her foot on the ground, the final assurance they won’t be moving again, Jim is curled into a tiny, whimpering ball behind her. She lowers the kickstand and pries his fingers from her coat, complaining, “Hey, are you trying to choke me, Jim? Let go!”

His laughter is shaky as he releases her clothing. Jim tucks his ice-cold fingers under his armpits and slides off the motorcycle, not at all surprised when his legs think they’re on a ship on the sea. His friend removes her helmet in order to fix her hair back into a smooth ponytail and, to Jim’s gratitude, ignores his pitiful staggering to the nearest tree, which he hugs to stay upright.

A minute later, a car turns off the road to join them in the small side clearing Uhura had chosen. Spock parks alongside the Harley. Jim lets go of the tree, hurriedly straightens his clothes and finger-combs his hair—only to realize he hasn’t taken off his helmet. The fresh air is soothing once he chucks it aside. Jim closes his eyes, savoring the breeze that dries the sweat on his forehead.

Car doors slam. Uhura greets the newcomers. He hears Bones say, concerned, “Are you sick?” Jim opens his eyes when McCoy repeats his question. The doctor is addressing him. He smiles lopsidedly. “I’m good, Bones.”

Leonard’s eyes search his face. “You look like death warmed over.”

Jim laughs a little. “She’s crazy on a bike.” He doubts he needs to specify who, since there’s only one female among them.

“As we are now well-aware,” Spock says, joining them. “Leonard realized his mistake the moment I lost sight of you and Nyota on the highway. He could not be consoled.”

“What crazy fools would let these two have licenses?!” Leonard snaps, a slight flush to his face. “Damned near gave me a heart-attack just watching you. And I thought Jim was bad by himself!”

Jim gapes. “Wait, wait, wait. Why am I being blamed for Uhura’s driving? She’s the one—”

“Whatever,” the man snorts. “I need to get something out of the car.” Leonard trundles back to the passenger side of the vehicle.

Uhura steals a glance at Leonard, then at Jim and Spock and silently asks is everything okay? What can Jim do but nod? So she gives a shrug of dismissal and returns her attention to Pavel who, even with shoulders hunched, looks tense and antsy.

Spock remarks for Jim’s ears alone, “Mr. Chekov appears to be eager for our mission to commence.”

Understanding Spock’s subtle worry, Jim soothes, “We’ll keep an eye on him.” Meaning, I don’t intend to let him anywhere near Khan.

The last thing they need is Pavel in jail for mass homicide. Until now, he hadn’t thought of the young man as anything but sweet-natured. But it seems even a person with a mild disposition can be driven to a dark place. For Sulu and Sasha’s sakes, he doesn’t want Pavel to ruin his new life before he has a chance to begin it.

Uhura and Chekov join them as Leonard returns from the car. “We’re a mile south of the house,” she says as she slowly pulls on a pair of black gloves.

Jim squints in the direction he perceives to be south. Spock gently and wordlessly repositions his head to face the correct direction. Then it occurs to Jim that there is, indeed, something strange going on. He asks Uhura, “How do you know where Khan lives?”

“I’ve been there, as a guest of Gaila’s a couple of months ago. And while I was in the area, I scouted out a few places that might be useful in case I needed to come back.” Her mouth curves. “Unannounced, of course.”

Leonard whistles. “You’ve been plannin’, darlin’?”

“Only for contingencies. With Jim,” she says too sweetly, “there’s always a need to consider contingencies.”

“Amen,” Leonard agrees.

“Let’s stow the picking-on-Jim until everybody’s safe and sound and ten miles from here, okay?” Jim mutters, taking over the conversation. “So, first order of business. How do we break in?” Khan has probably doubled the eyes watching his property; no doubt, added some attack dogs too.

“We knock on the front door.”

Jim, Nyota, Leonard, and Pavel turn as one to stare at Spock.

“Spock, that’s crazy!” Leonard says at the same time Jim gasps “Spock, that’s brilliant!”

Spock agrees, “Yes, the idea is both crazy and brilliant.”

Uhura’s teeth tug at her bottom lip while she thinks. “Who do we send as the distraction?”

Pavel shifts on his feet. “I want to do it. I am not afraid. I could be good distraction.”

Jim almost says no but holds back and considers the look in Pavel’s eyes.

“For Sulu,” the kitchen boy adds softly.

He nods sharply. “All right. But remember, Pavel, your job will be to draw their attention. Uhura, I think you should go with him. In fact, take the bike up to the gate. You drove him here, and you want to see Gaila. Sound good?”

“It would be best if you provoke them to take you inside the house rather than remove you from the premises,” Spock adds.

“Da.“

Nyota cracks her knuckles inside her gloves. “Can I punch people?”

Jim has a hard time suppressing his smile. “Only if they ask for it.”

She looks annoyed. “Since when have I ever punched somebody without a good reason?”

“Oh, me,” he says immediately, “all the time.”

“You’re annoying. That’s a good reason.”

“Can we get back to the plan?” Leonard wants to know. “Standing out here is making me paranoid. What if someone comes down the road and sees us?”

“There’s a terrace that faces the woods,” Jim muses, mind racing ahead as he recalls his past encounter with Khan. “If Pavel can unlock the door for us, I doubt it would trip an alarm.”

“That sounds too easy, Jim.”

“Sure it is, Bones, but we’ll have to make it to the terrace first. I imagine that won’t be easy at all.”

Leonard sighs. “You look thrilled at the prospect.” He sighs again. “I don’t know how I got talked into this.”

Jim is serious when he says, “You can be our getaway driver.”

Which apparently is the wrong thing to say. “I’m NOT waiting in the car!”

“Okay, okay, it was just a suggestion.”

“You didn’t say Spock could wait in the car.”

Jim cuts his eyes to Spock. “He knows judo.”

Leonard reaches behind his back, un-tucks something, and pulls it out for them to see. Nyota’s eyes light up like they do when she sees a purse she wants in a shop window; Pavel’s eyes narrow contemplatively.

“Bones,” Jim almost whispers, struck by an unnerving sense of deja-vu, “that’s a gun.”

“No shit.” Leonard pulls out its bullet cartridge to inspect how full it is. “Chris handed it to me before we left.”

Leonard is starting to scare him these days. “A gun, I don’t know…”

“You don’t think they aren’t armed!” McCoy protests, waving the muzzle of his gun in a southward direction. “Oh wait I musta forgot, Jim—they’re planning on fighting us off with lollipops and rainbows shooting outta their asses!” He continues grimly, “I know how to use a gun.”

“Can you use a gun?” Jim asks in a tight voice, posing an entirely different question.

Leonard’s mouth flattens for an instance. “Yes,” he says at last. “If I have to, I can—but only if I have to.”

“I know you’re not going to give it to me now, but if you think you might have to use it, pass it to me instead,” Jim offers. “I know how to shoot too.” His stomach lurches at the thought, but Bones has a delicate love for all life and it wouldn’t take much to destroy that part of him Jim loves fiercely, so he must protect his Bones.

He glances at Spock.

And protect Spock, too. Though the man isn’t opposed to what they are about to do, Jim knows Spock prefers to fight his battles with the law and, on some level, this goes against what Spock has worked hard to train himself to be.

Which means Jim will most assuredly have to ditch Bones and Spock at some point to carry out his real plan.

They’re going to get Gaila to safety but Jim has no intention of stopping there. He’s done with being the better man because it’s brought him nothing except more unwanted attention. His vulnerabilities play him right into Khan’s hands every time. Pike had been right, in a sense, because Khan knew exactly where to hit Jim to make him crack. And this will keep happening unless Jim stops refusing to fight back the way Khan wants him to.

Weakness is not for men like them. This Khan believes; this Khan lives by. Jim is beginning to understand why.

His thoughts catch up the conversation. Uhura is ready to go with Pavel. Leonard has found a spot for Spock to tuck the BMW out of sight. He wants to cover the car with branches or brush to make it less conspicuous, complaining that Lady Q could have given them something darker in color rather than a “silver steed” as she had so lovingly called it. The four people are working together like a unit, like a team that’s been together for years and who draws strength from each other’s determination to see the mission to its end. Jim is strangely proud in that moment of his friends—his family.

Khan can’t have them. Khan can’t have this town. The only way to stop Khan from taking everything in Jim’s life is to become his equal: a cold, ruthless, underhanded bastard of a man; a destructive force no one can withstand.

His fingers trace the lighter inside his pocket. Jim, for once, feels ready to meet Khan’s challenge; and whether he likes to admit it or not, he may owe some of his readiness to Christopher Pike, who had approached him two hours earlier with something to say:

Pike didn’t turn from the window overlooking the courtyard; his hands were clasped behind his back, a position of business and authority he was obviously used to. Jim stood close enough to talk without their voices carrying. At that moment, however, the silence between them was strained with the undercurrent of an issue they hadn’t dealt with, but Jim now saw an opportunity to address it.

“I won’t need it,” Kirk replied.

And he won’t need luck, because Jim doesn’t intend to walk out of Khan’s life until he is certain his enemy is utterly destroyed. After all, isn’t that what Khan wants to do to him?

A few notes:
1. The story-epiphany has arrived! There are two chapters left, maybe three at most;
2. The fanmix will be posted with the final chapter of Sticks and Stones; and
3. I should mention somebody is going to die by the end. No, really! Sadly, it won’t be one of the usual “fake deaths” or “almost deaths”. But we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Next Part

Related Posts:

• Sticks and Stones (18/18) – from April 19, 2012
• Sticks and Stones (17/18) – from April 17, 2012
• Emotional Much? – from April 17, 2012
• Sticks and Stones (16/17) – from April 13, 2012
• Sticks and Stones (14/?) – from April 9, 2012