0Title: Holding Fast (5/5)
Author: klmeri
Fandom: Star Trek AOS
Pairing: pre-Kirk/Spock/McCoy
Summary: A diplomatic mission goes wrong. With Kirk’s life hanging in the balance, McCoy and Spock are forced to hold the Enterprise—and each other—together long enough to save him.
Previous Parts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
Epilogue
“So you’re the fella who keeps my grandson out in space.”
The man receiving the not-quite accusation grins sheepishly and runs a hand across his short blond hair. He sounds innocent, as if not understanding, when he says, “Ma’am?”
“You’re handsome,” the eldest McCoy adds, scooting closer to him, and her grandson—Leonard—covers his face, mortified, knowing full well he cannot stop what’s coming next. “Try charmin’ me, young man, and I might revise my impression of you.”
A wide-eyed Jim Kirk looks at Leonard with the expression of Is she serious?
Leonard offers him a wobbly reassuring smile. Then he promptly spins around, spots an escape route and, without ceremony, abandons Kirk to the whims of the most flirtatious of the McCoy family.
“Walk with me,” Leonard advises the person he rapidly approaches, “unless you want to be the next victim.”
Spock smoothly falls into step with him. They make a circuitous route around the camp. A stream of creative curses can be heard from the tent area, where the other tagalong McCoy had insisted he could handle setting up their sleeping quarters for the night. The tent is still partly collapsed, apparently with the man stuck under it.
“Your cousin appears to be in need of assistance.”
“He’ll be fine.”
“He is waving at us through that flap.”
“Better to pretend he isn’t, unless you’d like to have him ask your opinion on what he should do and then tell you that you’re wrong and make you watch him do everything completely backwards like the idiot he is.”
The corner of Spock’s mouth twitches, which on a human would signify amusement held in check; naturally Vulcans don’t do humor so Leonard must be misreading him.
Still, he demands, “What?”
“I was struck by the similarity.”
“Yes, fine, we McCoys are a stubborn lot. But he’s worse than me because he’s just mule-headed on principle!”
“Duly noted.”
Leonard says sourly, “I should have left you with Jim and Gran.”
Spock politely responds, “I appreciate your rescue.”
Something about that makes Leonard fight down a blush. It’s too hot outside, that’s what the problem is.
“Stop staring,” Leonard nearly stutters. Or, damn it, he really will overheat!
Spock obligingly faces forward. “I am told camping is a common activity for Terrans wishing to deepen familial bonds. On Vulcan, we would be sent into the wilderness alone.”
“You mentioned that before,” muses McCoy. “Given what I heard about how the planet’s terrain was, and when the ritual was usually performed, it sounds more like child endangerment to me.”
“Nothing so harsh, Doctor. Vulcan children are resilient from a young age.”
Leonard snorts, ready with several opinions about Vulcan parenting and none of them charitable. Before he can voice any of them, the underbrush ahead of them erupts.
A figure breaks free and runs toward them. It’s Jim, a little wild-eyed, a few leaves and twigs in his hair. He acts very furtive as he latches onto Spock and McCoy’s sleeves and drags them along a path winding through the trees.
“How did you escape my grandmother?” Leonard asks, suspicious.
“Escaping the Kairon was easier,” mutters Jim. “But, Bones, I had to. The kind of questions—” He breaks off and clears his throat. “Some of them were inappropriate, that’s all. Look, there’s a waterfall! Isn’t that nice?”
That’s a diversion tactic if Leonard ever heard one. Well, Jim is lucky Leonard is feeling magnanimous today. Since they had no trouble getting away from Headquarters after the official wrap-up of the Sular Incident and this rendezvous with his family members went to plan, well, McCoy hasn’t too much room to complain.
Except, of course, that his grandmother and cousin are tagging along on this excursion at all. Yet another thing he could bonk Spock over the head for, who took it upon himself to reach out to McCoy’s family in Georgia to formally apologize for the interruption to Leonard’s visit with them. Then Spock apparently spilled the beans about the original camping trip resuming.
Nobody asked for that, Spock! It’s as if the Vulcan knew exactly what he was doing by dropping such a tantalizing piece of information. Within the hour, Leonard had received a call from his cousin, who looked ready to throw down with him over the comm, and in no uncertain terms informed Leonard that his grandmother was owed that vacation time with him, or her spirits would never recover!
There’s nothing wrong with Gran’s spirits. She’s so spirited in fact that Jim has run away from her.
Jim climbs up a path of stone steps leading along the side of the waterfall’s pool. At the top, the outlook has no railing. Leonard’s heart skips a beat as Jim goes right to the edge and sits down there, dangling his legs over the side. Then the man twists at the waist and encouragingly pats the empty spot beside him.
Leonard settles next to him. Spock moves to stand on the other side of Jim, hands at his back. For a moment, the trio watches the waterfall together.
Jim is the first one to break the comfortable silence. “You know, I was thinking—”
“That’s always dangerous,” Leonard cuts in.
“On this point, Doctor, I concur.”
Jim leans back, bracing himself on his arms. “That right there is what I’m thinking about. Something’s different with you two.”
Leonard rolls his eyes. A part of him is still inexplicably nervous.
Jim hums momentarily, then cuts a look over to McCoy, who refuses to meet it. “Is there anything I need to know?”
That Spock and I fell apart without you? Oh no, Leonard has nothing important to share.
Besides, he thinks Jim probably already knows exactly what went on aboard his ship while he wasn’t there. Nothing about the Enterprise or her crew ever eludes Kirk.
When Leonard doesn’t offer anything, Jim tilts his head the other way, looking up at Spock. Kirk and Spock hold gazes for several seconds.
Then Spock asks, as dry as ever, “What would be different?”
Jim laughs. “All right, all right, there’s nothing to tell. I knew you and Bones could manage well enough without me.” The humor in his face flickers out of a moment, before returning to soften his features. “It’s good to have this officially rescheduled shore leave.”
Because there almost wasn’t one, thinks Leonard. He casts a look over Kirk’s head and sees in Spock’s dark eyes an acknowledgement of sharing the same thought.
“It’s not a rescheduled shore leave,” Leonard murmurs softly, and Spock finishes, “Rather, a reunion fulfilled.”
A promise kept.
Jim laughs and gracefully lets his upper torso fall backwards, folding his arms behind his head as he reclines on the outcropping.
He’s smiling as he says, “The best place in the galaxy is right here.”
Leonard runs a hand over his mouth; it doesn’t quite wipe away his grin. He couldn’t agree more.
“LEONARD HORATIO!“
The noise of the waterfall can’t drown out the echo of Gran’s shout coming through the trees.
Jim’s smile freezes. Leonard winces. Spock looks in the direction of the campgrounds, cocking his head as if listening to something very interesting.
“It appears,” the Vulcan informs them a moment later, “your cousin has complained that you ignored his plight with the tent.”
Leonard scrambles to his feet. “That jackass! I am a doctor, not his personal camping valet! If I have to fix that tent after his mouthing off all afternoon, I’ll tell Gran the whole truth about the Easterly sisters!”
Jim sits up, his expression somewhere between delighted and alarmed. “Bones, I have a feeling you shouldn’t rile up your grandmother with a fire within reach.”
McCoy pins his friend and captain with a sharp eye. “You gonna stop me?”
Kirk reaches out a hand, which Spock takes to pull the man to his feet.
“Of course not,” promises Jim, a familiar twinkle in his eyes, “we’ll be right behind you.”
The path back to camp is narrow, but for once, no one walks it alone.
The End
Six decades of Star Trek, of fans coming together to make something wonderful like this big bang event.
I am blessed to have found comfort and lasting friendship through this fandom. I am equally blessed to have an audience that shares my deep affection for Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. Time has taught me not to take these things for granted. So thank you all for being here. Thank you for the entertainment and for being entertained!
And of course… long live the Triumvirate!!! This shipper’s heart is with you, still. :)
Also, I was thinking… wouldn’t it be fun to have Jim’s POV as a companion piece to this? XD
Related Posts:
- Holding Fast (4/5) – from June 18, 2026
- Holding Fast (3/5) – from June 18, 2026
- Holding Fast (2/5) – from June 18, 2026
- Holding Fast (1/5) – from June 18, 2026
