Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Spock, I’m in my quarters. Bones released me from Sickbay on one condition, that I come straight here and rest.”

“I will join you momentarily, Captain.”

Jim smiled to himself. That was the response he was hoping for. He flipped the toggle and leaned back in his desk chair. He knew he wouldn’t have to ask Spock to come. After nearly five years of friendship, Spock knew when he needed him.

His body still ached from the fall and he’d lied to Bones about the hypospray easing his headache. It still pounded, but he craved Spock’s brand of healing, not McCoy’s.

Vulcan telepathy was like magic to Jim. He and Spock had started mind melding “recreationally” about six months ago, after the defeat of Janice Lester, and it was addicting. When Spock’s mind had found his imprisoned in Dr. Lester’s body, it was such a relief. Spock knew him instantly. Jim felt not only recognition, but also his friend’s protectiveness and devotion. When the crisis was over and the ship resumed her normal rhythms, Kirk found himself wondering what a meld with Spock would be like under non-emergency conditions, just an unhurried exchange of thoughts for no reason other than leisure and companionship. 

Over a game of chess, he floated the idea and surprisingly, Spock was amenable.

Jim found their frequent melds to be very good for his health, both mental and physical. They soothed him. Communing telepathically with Spock was therapeutic. It was intimate in a way that should have made them feel uncomfortable, but it didn’t. Jim knew that his first officer and best friend looked forward to the melds as much as he did.

Just seeing Spock come through the door made Kirk relax. 

“Are you all right, Jim?”

Kirk knew Spock was eager to slip into his mind and find out for himself.

“Yes. Just a little battered. It could have been worse.”

“Indeed,” Spock said, remembering the look on his captain’s face when he lost his footing.

“Sorry I scared you,” Jim said.

Earlier in their friendship, Spock would not have admitted to feeling fear, but now Jim had an insider’s knowledge of his psyche that Spock couldn’t deny. They didn’t share everything during their melds, but both knew how important they were to the other and the stress it caused when one of them was injured or in peril.

Jim leaned forward in his chair as Spock automatically began massaging his back. He laid his arms and head on the desk and sighed as warm hands kneaded his muscles. Spock knew all the areas that were prone to kinks and tightness.

“Mmm”

“Is anyplace tender?” Spock asked, raising Jim’s shirt to check for scrapes or bruises.

“No. Bones fixed all the contusions. Just dull aches now.”

As Spock’s fingers eventually worked their way up to the tight cords of Kirk’s neck, he inquired, “Does your head hurt, Jim?” 

“Yes.”

“Then come.” Spock led him to the bed and sat beside him. Jim flushed in anticipation when long, gentle fingers found their familiar positions on his face.

Spock winced as he entered Jim’s mind. The pain was really quite strong. Dr. McCoy did not give you an analgesic?

He did. It’s just swimming upstream against this headache.

Spock quickly discontinued the pain and Jim sighed in gratitude. No one can do for me what you can, Spock. Thank you.

This 5-year mission has taken its toll on your body and your mind, Captain. I am pleased to offer you what comfort I can.

Jim knew it was more than just loyalty to a commanding officer that motivated Spock’s concern, but they didn’t speak of it. Their close friendship was not something to be scrutinized. Jim tried not to pry deeper into Spock’s mind, past what was being offered, but he was curious what plans Spock had for after the 5-year mission concluded. 

Kirk felt like they were both in a kind of denial that their service together could soon come to an end. It was up to Admiral Komack. Spock would likely be offered his own command, which he certainly deserved.

How will it be? Jim wondered. He doubted he would fare as well without Spock.

As his undisciplined human mind started spinning separation scenarios, Spock created a warm wave of telepathic comfort, like a soft shhh, coaxing his anxious thoughts to uncoil and embrace the contentment of togetherness.

I don’t want to think about it either, Spock, but eventually, we’ll have to.

Yes. But at the moment, you are under medical orders to rest. 

Mmm.

Show me Sedona, Spock suggested.

Jim had told him that the red rock formations of Sedona, Arizona reminded him of Vulcan and promised to show him memories of family hikes he’d taken there. Kirk concentrated on it.

That monolith is impressive, Spock remarked.

That’s called Bell Rock… because it’s shaped like a bell. And that’s Cat and Mouse Rock. See how the cat is perching, ready to pounce?

Yes.

These two are the Coffee Pot and Courthouse Rocks. The Courthouse has a difficult trail. Lots of shale and steep climbs.

Spock saw a 10-year-old Jim Kirk struggling to keep up with his parents and older brother. He loved the challenge.

Over there is Chimney Rock, Submarine, Cathedral…

Spock felt how Jim’s childhood mind had been captivated by the fanciful names of these majestic landforms. He’d memorized them all.

It’s really something how Sedona makes you feel, Spock. It’s uplifting. I think I like it even better than the Grand Canyon.

Spock sensed that Jim would like to take him there.

Iowa, too, Kirk thought.

I would like to visit your ‘hometown.’ By now, he had seen Riverside many times in Kirk’s memories. Jim was always so comfortable there, and also at his uncle’s ranch in Idaho where he’d spent several summers.

My uncle had 12 horses one year and I had my pick of them to ride. One was very ornery and used to walk under low branches to scrape me off. Sam, too. He was our favorite, though, the smartest one. Have you ever ridden a horse, Spock?

Never.

I could teach you.

Jim could feel Spock’s qualms and laughed.

What is the Vulcan equivalent of a horse?

There is none. No indigenous animals make suitable mounts.

Oh.

As proof, Spock offered up ancient paintings and sculptures of pre-Reformation battle scenes. None of the ancient Vulcans depicted were riding an animal into battle.

Hmm, Jim thought. He recognized the museum in Spock’s mind. We’re in ShiKahr.

Yes.

Spock as a child was walking with his mother, looking at the art and trying to suppress his natural emotional responses to it.

But art is supposed to move you, stir your soul, Jim said.

It was a useful exercise, Spock defended. The challenge was experiencing the emotions the art evoked without revealing them through my expressions. It became second nature eventually, but was difficult for me at that age.

Jim sensed that Spock was enjoying feeling his emotions as he viewed the various pieces of art. One large painting depicted a fierce battle where Vulcan soldiers were engaged in gruesome hand-to-hand combat. Another showed the murder of a young woman with the quick neck-snapping method Jim knew was called tal-shaya.

Why is she being killed? he asked Spock. 

She is a political prisoner being executed in what was then considered the most humane manner.

Her crime is being on the wrong side?

Yes. Her name is T’Lin.

The lady’s eyes showed a stoic acceptance of her fate. The expressions of the men around her ranged from pity to sinister satisfaction.

This took place in the fortress of Valaarn. Troops led by her father were laying siege and soon would have rescued her, Spock explained.

Kirk looked at her with sympathy for a moment, then they moved to another room in the museum. The first thing Jim noticed was a life-sized sculpture of a reclining couple. They were naked and wrapped loosely around each other.

Po’ yon? Jim questioned, reading the plaque.

It translates as After the Fire. The ‘fire’ in this case refers to plak tow, the blood fever of pon farr.

Oh.  

The lovers seemed at peace now and content in each other’s arms, but the woman had a variety of noticeable injuries.

She looks a little the worse for wear, Jim said, embarrassed to realize he was imagining the violent sex that the artist chose to imply had preceded this peaceful moment.

Spock didn’t say anything.

This doesn’t seem very child-friendly, Jim joked, neither do the war paintings. Don’t they have a children’s museum where you touch a generator and your hair stands on end, or a giant pendulum clock that knocks over pins every quarter hour?

Vulcan children are not sheltered from historical truths or unpleasant realities, Spock reminded.

Seems like a lot for a child to take in, especially with no emotional outlet.

It… was, Spock admitted.

Thanks for sharing it with me.

You are welcome, Jim, but perhaps a more restful experience would better align with the spirit of Dr. McCoy’s orders.

Jim gasped in delight as Spock’s thoughts turned from the ShiKahr art museum to a tropical beach. They were sitting in two webbed beach chairs with their bare feet in the sand and the warm sun on their faces.

Ahh. Oh, where is this? Earth? The Maldives? Jim asked.

It is from my imagination, a composite of several pictures I have seen. Not a memory of an actual place.

I love it.

I thought you would.

Can we walk?

They left their beach chairs and walked together for what seemed like an hour along the beautiful shoreline, until Spock finally said, “Are you ready to leave, Jim?”

Kirk had been enjoying himself so much that it slipped his mind what a strain it must be on his friend to maintain such a lengthy meld.

Oh. Yes. I need to get on that report, Jim said, but this has been wonderful, Spock, very relaxing. Thank you.

You are most welcome, Captain.

Spock slipped from his mind and removed his fingers from Kirk’s face. Jim sighed in contentment and stretched a languid stretch. He felt so sleepy.

“Are you tired, Spock?”

“No, and I shall write the report. You lie down and sleep if you can.”

It was only late afternoon on the Enterprise, but the long walk on the beach made Jim want to sprawl out and sleep like a cat for 12 hours. 

Spock rose and turned down the covers on Jim’s bunk.

Kirk smiled and agreed. He had no idea how Spock knew the location of his pajamas, but he opened the correct drawer on the first try and laid them on the bed before taking his leave.

“Sleep well, Jim,” he said, before the door whooshed shut.

On the way to his own cabin, Spock replayed the images of Jim at the beach, tanned skin glowing and the breeze catching his hair. His captain had a smile that lit up the world. Everyone loved him.

In the privacy of his own thoughts, Spock admitted, I love him.

***

“I hate him!” Lt. Palamas spat. 

It was the first time she’d said it out loud in a therapy session.

“Who? Captain Kirk?” Dr. Noel asked.

“Yes!”

“You blame him for the loss of Apollo, for ordering you to spurn him,” the psychologist stated for the record.

“I told him I was in love with Apollo. I told him he was kind and only wanted the best for us. We all could have lived in paradise…”

Dr. Noel regarded her. Carolyn Palamas had been a regular patient since her experiences on the Pollux IV landing party. That was over three years ago, yet her patient’s pain and grief had refused to wane.

“Carolyn, I’m sorry I haven’t been able to help you more,” Helen said gently. “You must know that I’ll have to report your statement about hating the captain and recommend a transfer.”

“Good,” she snapped. “I want off this ship.”

Lt. Palamas had watched Kirk’s star rise over the years. The Enterprise’s dynamic captain was a great conquering hero to the crew, a legend in the making… but her chance for greatness was over. With a cruel order, he’d forced her to snuff out her good fortune. She had true love and was going to be the mother of gods in an Eden of peace and happiness. What empty missions in cold space could hold a candle to that?

“My career in Starfleet is over, Doctor. I thought I would find what I was looking for out here… and I did, but it was taken away from me.” 

Tears didn’t fall anymore when she talked to Dr. Noel about Apollo. She used to lament his loss during their emotional sessions, pouring out her broken heart and her guilt over the way she’d let Kirk persuade her to reject him. Now, her beautiful face just looked hard and bitter.

“What will you do?” Helen asked.

“Archaeology, I suppose.” Carolyn said vacantly. She couldn’t summon any enthusiasm for the future. Opportunities for glory didn’t fall into her lap every week; she wasn’t James T. Kirk. No, a starship’s A&A officer didn’t see much action, and her one chance had passed. 

Dr. Noel looked at her with concern, wishing there was more she could do, as Carolyn shrugged and stood.

“I’ll work up my resignation and you can attach it to your report, Helen. I’ll have it for you by tomorrow morning.”

Dr. Noel could only nod as the lieutenant departed with a polite, “Thank you for everything, Doctor.”

Helen didn’t like failures. She stepped from her office into McCoy’s and said bluntly, “Well, we’ve lost Palamas.”

“Hm,” Bones responded. He knew things had been deteriorating in their therapy sessions. “I was afraid of that. She just couldn’t let things go. I’m sorry Helen.”

“She said she hates Jim.”

“Wow.” He knitted his eyebrows. “The captain saves us all from slavery and that’s what he gets for his troubles, huh?”

“Carolyn just could never see things that way… and technically, she deserves the credit for saving us all from slavery,” Noel corrected.

“True,” McCoy agreed, “and Jim’s report at the time reflected that. He gave her a commendation and everyone treated her like a damn celebrity for weeks.”

“I think that might have been part of the problem. She has enormous guilt and regret over betraying who she believes was her one true love. Accolades for destroying him were like salt in the wound.”

McCoy rubbed his chin. “That guy was a power-hungry maniac who wanted us tending goats and gathering laurel leaves. He nearly killed her with that fierce storm he whipped up. She doesn’t remember those nasty cuts on her forehead or how he brutalized Scotty with thunderbolt after thunderbolt? The man nearly lost the use of his arm, for Heaven’s sake!”

Helen nodded. “Remember when the ship’s historian, Lt. McGivers, left with Khan…?”

“Of course.”

“Well, Carolyn was so upset about it,” Dr. Noel recalled. “I didn’t know her very well then, but she stopped me in the galley and told me I should have intervened in the captain’s decision to let McGivers go. She said Khan was domineering and dangerous and McGivers wasn’t thinking clearly… yet she doesn’t see the same dynamic between herself and Apollo. It's frustrating.”

“Love is blind, I suppose.”

“Carolyn was close friends with Marla McGivers, you know. As historian and A&A officer, they worked closely together. Palamas told me recently, ‘I understand Marla now. She wanted to be loyal to the ship and true to her heart. Captain Kirk gave her a way to do that… but not me.’”

McCoy frowned. “Do you think it’s our proximity to Pollux IV that’s dredging all this back up for her?”

“Perhaps it did bring it to a head, but her feelings about Apollo have been a constant in our sessions for the past three years.”

“What a shame she couldn’t get past it.”

“I feel responsible,” the psychologist said.

“No, no, now. None of that. I’m meeting Jim for breakfast tomorrow; I’ll give him the heads-up about the resignation and the reasons.”

“Thank you, Leonard. I’ll go start on the report. How is the captain? Christine told me he took a pretty bad fall.”

“He’ll be fine. I released him for bed rest in his quarters. Should be tip top by tomorrow if he gets a good night’s sleep.”

“Glad to hear it,” Helen said and withdrew to her own office. The captain was a very special man. She, personally, held him in the highest esteem. It hurt her heart to be the one to tell him there was a crew member who hated him. 

As she began composing the report, she thought about Marla McGivers and Carolyn Palamas… both such capable, accomplished officers, seduced by powerful, manipulative men. What a waste, she thought. What a terrible waste.

***

Lt. Palamas slipped into her nightgown and hurried through her resignation letter so she could go to bed. Sleep was her only respite from pain and regret. In her dreams she could see Apollo again, shining in his golden splendor, speaking words of love to her, and promising her the world. She slid into bed and soon drifted off.

“I offer you more than your wildest dreams have ever imagined,” he said to her, “to become the mother of a new race of gods. You’ll inspire the universe. All men will revere you, almost as a god yourself. And I shall love you for time without end, worlds without end. You shall complete me… and I you.”

She smiled in her sleep to feel his arms around her again, his ardent kiss upon her lips, his pledge of devotion. The beautiful pink dress he’d given her made her feel like a goddess, and the way he looked at her… but Captain Kirk hadn’t understood. She should have tried harder to make him understand. 

“You can come down off Mt. Olympus now, Lieutenant. You have a job to do,” her captain had scolded.

She’d tried to convince him of Apollo’s benevolent intentions, but all Kirk wanted was to defeat him and get away from Pollux IV. He had given her terrible orders that no woman should be asked to carry out.

“Spurn him,” Kirk said, “You’re special to him.”

“Yes, I love him.”

Then, Kirk gave one of his impassioned speeches and confused her. He believed that if Apollo became angry and expended a lot of energy in his wrath, it would weaken him and make him vulnerable. He wanted her to lay the trap, reject him and provoke his rage.

“Oh, no. How can I?” She’d said at first, but listened to his words and faltered.

“Every life on the ship depends on you, Lieutenant.”

“No! Not on me!”

But somehow, he had convinced her that her duty meant breaking a lonely god’s heart and ruining her chance at happiness.

She moaned in her sleep and thrashed from side to side as she watched herself in the dream coyly delivering the lines she regretted so much.

“I must say, Apollo, the way you ape human behavior is remarkable, but there are some other things I must know… your evolutionary patterns and your social development.”

“My what?” he asked.

“I’ve never encountered a specimen like you before.”

“I am Apollo. I’ve chosen you,” he said indignantly.

“Oh, I’m sure that’s very flattering, but I must get on with my work now.”

“Your work?”

“I’m a scientist. My particular specialty is ancient civilizations, relics, and myths. Well, surely you know I’ve only been studying you.”

“I don’t believe it.” He was clearly appalled. “You love me.”

“Love you? Be logical. I’m not some simple shepherdess you can awe. Why, I could no more love you than I could love a new species of bacteria.” 

She’d delivered the lines well, with an airy nonchalance, and watched his heart break in front of her. She turned and walked away so he wouldn’t see her face crumple.

“Carolyn, I forbid you to go. I order you to stay!” he exclaimed.

She tossed one last insult over her shoulder to ensure the angry response the captain wanted.

“Is that the secret of your power over women? The thunderbolts you throw?”

She hurried away and didn’t see his face, but he let out a wail of anguish that was carried on the raging winds that he created. Dark clouds swirled and her hair and dress were battered by the storm until she stumbled and went down. 

“No! No!” she screamed as a starship-sized image of Apollo’s angry face bore down on her. Then, suddenly, he was gone. He’d realized his temple was being fired upon, that the Enterprise had found a way to use her phasers.

Apollo expended the rest of his energy trying to get them to stop firing, just as the captain had hoped. Thunderbolts flew from his fingertips, rocking the ship in low orbit, but Spock persisted and eventually Apollo’s marble temple lay in ruins. 

Once the storm stopped and she could stand, Carolyn stumbled back into the temple area and found that Apollo’s rage had turned to sadness and acceptance. The race of mortals he loved no longer wanted to worship him.

“I would have cherished you,” he wept, “cared for you. I would have loved you as a father loves his children. Did I ask so much?”

“We’ve outgrown you,” Kirk said, cocky with victory like he always was. Apparently, he’d been correct about the temple being the source of Apollo’s power. “You asked for something we can no longer give.”

Apollo looked at Carolyn, saw the cuts on her forehead and her disheveled appearance, and she knew he regretted his anger.

“Carolyn, I loved you. I would have made a goddess of you. I’ve shown you my open heart. See what you’ve done to me…”

She wanted to run to him then, tell him the captain had made her lie, but Scotty urged her back.

Tears were running down his face as he prepared to die, or as close as a god can come to dying. “Zeus, Hermes, Hera, Aphrodite… You were right. Athena… you were right. The time has passed. There is no room for gods. Forgive me, my old friends. Take me. Take me…” 

He spread himself upon the wind as he had described the other gods doing. Thinner and thinner he grew until only the wind remained. The last of the Olympian gods of Ancient Greece was gone.

Carolyn broke into sobs. In her dream she was so angry with herself. Why had she obeyed the captain? He didn’t understand anything. Apollo! Come back. I love you!

Dr. McCoy expressed some regrets and even Captain Kirk seemed to recognize it as a bittersweet victory, but the damage was done.

“I wish we hadn’t had to do this,” the doctor said.

“So do I,” Kirk agreed now that the danger had passed. “They gave us so much… the Greek civilization. Much of our culture and philosophy came from the worship of those beings. In a way, they began the Golden Age. Would it have hurt us, I wonder, just to have gathered a few laurel leaves?”

A fine time to get philosophical about it, Carolyn had thought. Over the next three years, she saw Captain Kirk’s pattern of ‘shooting first and asking questions later’ repeated over and over. Their 5-year mission was nearly completed and he’d received nothing but commendations for his methods. As far as she knew, he never gave Apollo a second thought after recording the incident in his log.

In her dream, she replayed Apollo’s final words to her, the last words of a broken-hearted god:

“I’ve shown you my open heart. See what you’ve done to me…” 

He died thinking I didn’t love him!

“No! No!” she woke up shouting. “Apollo!” 

In her despair, she did something she had never done before.

“Aphrodite! Goddess of Love! Hear my prayer. I betrayed Apollo, my beloved. I should have trusted in love, but I didn’t. I am sorry. Please, if you have the power, send him back to me. Please send him back to me, in the name of Love.”

She gave into sobs and immediately felt foolish, but Apollo had said that the gods don’t die. They are still somewhere, still part of the cosmos, and the ship was so near to Pollux IV right now. Her ancient ancestors believed that the gods heard and answered their prayers. Who was she to decide otherwise?

But they weren’t really gods, were they? Just a superior race of beings who journeyed to Earth 5,000 years ago, she reminded herself. Oh, I’m a fool. Grief and regret have made me a fool.

She sat on the edge of her bunk in her dark cabin and put her head down in her hands.

“Carolyn,” a gentle masculine voice broke the silence.

Startled, she looked up to find Apollo smiling down on her! She sucked in a breath and recoiled in shock.

“Aphrodite has answered your prayer, my love. I have returned to you.”

He lifted her by her elbows as she gasped, and gathered her to him in a warm embrace. Her legs were weak and he quickly returned her to the bed and sat beside her.

“Oh! Are you real?!” she marveled, barely able to believe her own stunned senses.

“Yes, quite real,” he smiled with happiness. “I thought you had forgotten me.”

“No, no, never!”

“You have been weeping,” he said tenderly. “It doesn’t suit you.”

She stared at his handsome face, mesmerized by his presence. He held her chin and kissed her lips, then pulled back and returned her admiring gaze.

“Will everything be all right now?” she asked with childlike hope.

“Yes, everything. The things I promised can still come to pass. Come with me to the planet. We will prepare it together for my children.”

“You mean our children?”

“Yes, darling, of course, but I was also thinking of your compatriots.” 

She glanced down, uncertain. “I am happy to go to the planet with you, live out my life there, but the others… well, Captain Kirk won’t be any more willing to bend his knee to you than he was three years ago.”

“Do not worry about your captain. We gods quenched many a fire in mortals such as he. I will create a haven of simple luxuries so alluring that Odysseus himself could not resist its Siren call. I wish to be worthy of my children’s worship. I met only five of you last time. There are so many more I want to know, protect, cherish.”

“I’m not sure the crew will want…”

“I erred before,” he admitted. “I asked for too much without offering enough in return. Your arrival then was a surprise, and I knew nothing of modern man. You will help me understand them, so that I may win their love, as I won yours. Your aimless wanderings through space can end if you entrust yourselves to my care.”

“Yes,” she beamed at him. “Who could not love you once they knew you? I can help them adjust, and I can teach you the history that has passed on Earth these last 5,000 years, so you will know the things that have shaped their attitudes.”

He nodded in appreciation. “Come, my love. Let us begin.” He rose and offered her his hand, which she gladly took. Unafraid, she smiled at him as they dissolved into thin air.

Chapter Text

“What do you mean ‘gone?’” Kirk demanded.

He gripped the arms of his command chair and spun to look at McCoy.

“No one has seen her for 24 hours, Jim,” the doctor said. “It’s like the girl just vanished.”

“Spock, instruct Security Chief Giotto to conduct a phase 1 search for Lt. Palamas. Tell him the last person to see her was Dr. Noel, yesterday at…” he looked to Bones.

“…Oh, I’d say around 17:00,” McCoy supplied. “She was Helen’s last patient of the day.”

“17:00,” Kirk relayed.

“Yes, Captain,” Spock said and turned to his console to comply with the order.

“You said she was going to resign?” Kirk prompted McCoy.

“Yeah, I planned to tell you over breakfast this morning, but you got held up…. Helen has been telling me lately that her sessions with Palamas weren’t going well, and yesterday… well, I guess the lieutenant said she… hated you.” 

McCoy whispered the last part discreetly, but Chekov heard and was affronted on Kirk’s behalf.

“Hated? The keptin?!” he choked in disbelief. “Vhy vould she say such a thing?”

Everyone was staring at Jim now, who looked uncomfortable.

Uhura knew Carolyn pretty well. She was aware that her friend felt unfulfilled in her job and still pined for Apollo. Uhura hadn’t met him, but the glowing way Carolyn described him made it obvious she still loved him. 

“It isn’t your fault, of course, Sir, but the way things ended on Pollux IV… it just really gnawed at her,” Uhura offered. “She hasn’t seemed happy in a long time.”

Kirk and McCoy nodded. They had engaged in many philosophical discussions after that mission about the way they’d handled Apollo and the toll it had taken on Lt. Palamas. Perhaps we should have included the lieutenant, Jim thought. It might have helped her work things through.

It surprised him to learn that she was still disturbed by the incident. It was three years ago, after all. You still think of Edith, he reminded himself. The things that love and grief could do to a person... 

Jim sighed, “Bones, you don’t think she would harm herself, do you?”

“I don’t know, Jim. Helen told her she’d be recommending a transfer after her comments about you, and the girl up and decided to resign from Starfleet.”

“Resign?” Sulu said. He couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to leave the Service.

“She told Helen she’d write it up and bring it to her this morning,” Bones continued. “She never came, so Helen went to her cabin and there was no answer. She let herself in and found the resignation letter, but no sign of Palamas… and her department head said she missed her shift.”

“Spock, any word yet from Security?” Kirk asked.

“Negative,” Spock replied.

“Give Giotto permission to recruit any off duty personnel for the search effort.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Uhura, make a shipwide announcement that there’s a search underway for Lt. Palamas,” Kirk directed. “Anyone who has seen her in the last 24 hours should contact Security.”

“Right away, Sir.”

“Vhere could she be?” Chekov pondered aloud.

“We’ll find her, Ensign,” Kirk assured. “Spock, we’re nearing the Beta Geminorum system. Could she have taken a shuttlecraft and headed for Pollux IV?”

“Sensors report all shuttlecraft are accounted for.”

“Scan for alien transporter traces.”

“None in the past four hours, Captain,” Spock responded after a few moments of searching. “Any transporter activity earlier than that would have become undetectable by now.”

Kirk nodded. “Mr. Sulu, lay in a course for Pollux IV. I’m playing a hunch.”

“Laid in, Sir.”

“Warp 6.”

“Jim, how could she be on that planet?” Bones protested.

“Well, she isn’t onboard or we’d have found her by now,” Jim countered.

“Ben Finney evaded a phase 1 search for days!” the doctor reminded. “If that’s what she’s playing at, then maybe…”

“Captain,” Spock interrupted with a tone of urgency, “energy of an unknown composition is on an intercept course with the ship.”

It wasn’t entirely unknown. Spock had seen this before.

“Screen on. Magnify,” Kirk ordered.

They watched as a glowing green orb of energy quickly overtook the ship and morphed into an enormous human hand.

“Och! Not this again!” Scotty groaned as he stepped out of the turbolift onto the bridge.

“Evasive maneuvers!” Kirk shouted, but the hand already had them.

“We’re stopped dead, Sir,” Sulu informed.

“Phasers non-operational,” Spock reported.

“Captain Kirk,” Apollo’s voice boomed as his smiling face filled the viewscreen, “we meet again.”

“I’ve already seen this play,” Kirk said casually. “I didn’t like it the first time.”

Apollo scowled for just a second, then his gracious smile returned.

“Welcome back, my children. I had the pleasure of meeting only five of you last time. This time, I extend an invitation to more of my dear ones. Come feast with me. We shall share the tales of old and new and re-forge the bonds of trust.”

“The entire ship heard that, Captain,” Uhura said. “I couldn’t block him.”

“I decide who comes and goes on this ship,” Kirk challenged Apollo. “Are you holding Lt. Palamas?”

“Yes, Captain. I am holding her… and kissing her… and planning to sire a new race of gods with her.” 

Feminine giggling was heard and the screen changed to show the two of them on the planet. Apollo embraced her and she laughed with delight. They were on a beach and behind them were vineyards, green pastures, and many grand villas dotting the hillside. 

Kirk whispered to Bones, “Get Dr. Noel up here.”

“I don’t need my psychologist, Captain,” Carolyn smiled confidently. “Tell her I finally have everything I need… and I forgive you. So does Apollo. He’s preparing a beautiful home here for all of us to enjoy.” 

She spun around with her arms wide, “The ocean breeze is fresh and the air is so fragrant!” 

Apollo had given her a new dress in the bare-shoulder style of the pink one, but this one was pale green. She loved it and felt like one of the Horae, goddesses of the seasons. Her hair was up and bound by green satin ribbons with purple flowers.

“It’s spring here, Captain. What a perfect time to start our new lives…”

“Carolyn!” Scotty spoke up from the engineering station. She hadn’t noticed him. “Are ya not rememberin’ the wrath of that angry god?!” The lovesick way she was acting was making his blood boil.

“Apollo is sorry for hurting you, Scotty. I told him you were just protecting me… that you had a little crush on me back then.”

Scotty’s face turned red and he seemed at a loss for words. Lt. Mira Romaine was his favorite now, had been for a long time. She reciprocated his affection and Carolyn thought they made a nice couple.

“Mira will love it here, Scotty. You’ll raise a family and be so happy.”

“Everyone will be assigned tasks according to their skills,” Apollo interjected. “Man was not made to have idle hands… but for now, there will be feasts and merriment. It is a time to rejoice, my children!”

“Captain,” Spock said, “the Enterprise is being pulled into orbit around Pollux IV.”

“Captain!” Uhura alerted. “Reports are coming in from all over the ship that people are disappearing!”

Just as she said that, she disappeared.

Kirk leapt from his command chair and strode over to her station. “Navigator, you’re at Communications,” he directed Chekov. “Summon Lt. Palmer to the bridge.”

“Aye, Sir,” the Russian said, hurrying to cover the vacant station until a communications officer could arrive.

The screen only showed the planet at a distance now, spinning slowly beneath them. It was obscured by a green haze and Kirk reasoned that the giant “hand” still had a grip on the hull.

“Sulu, try to break free. Spock?” Jim looked at his first officer for some hope that they’d be able to punch through, but Spock shook his head.

“Keptin,” Chekov said, listening with Uhura’s earpiece to reports coming in. “The missing crewmen… they are all female. Seventy-two in all.”

“That is all of the women on the ship,” Spock said stoically.

Scotty wasn’t as stoic. “Oh, no… Mira! What the Devil does that scoundrel think he’s doing?!”

“Scotty, get down to Engineering. I need you there,” Kirk ordered. Mr. Scott was best when he had something to do.

“Aye, Sir.” He knew the captain would do everything he could to recover the crew. Kirk was protective of all of his crew, but particularly the women. 

What’s he going to do with them? Jim wondered. Apollo has Lt. Palamas thinking it’s a big May Day frolic, but I don’t trust him as far as I can throw h…

His thoughts were cut off suddenly and he found himself standing in a marble manor house with grand colonnades and polished marble floors. Gossamer fabric in pastel colors was all that separated the outer arcade from the chambers within. They were blowing in the breeze. Kirk dashed outside to discover he was high atop a mountain and could see the ocean below in the distance. No one else was near.

Spock! he thought and reached for his communicator, but it was gone. He reasoned that he was on Pollux IV. The style of the house was Hellenic and resembled the temple they had destroyed three years ago, but on a much grander scale. There were no other structures around. Is this Apollo’s new temple? Kirk wondered.

There was a terraced garden on the grounds with plants in bloom. The scent was intoxicating. At first, all he could smell were flowers, then a draft from inside the house told of food. A strange painful hunger grabbed him. Cautiously, he parted the hanging fabric and followed the appetizing smells. Maybe Apollo’s holding the women in here, he considered.

“Hello?” he called out, but no one answered. A long table was set in smorgasbord style with hot and cold dishes that looked wonderful. It was enough for ten people, yet he appeared to be alone. It didn't make sense. “Is anyone here?”

He wanted to explore the whole building, but his stomach was growling and the food was so enticing. First order of business: survival, he thought. He sat at the table and began to eat the warm dishes first. He ate lamb in wine sauce, lemon fish, barley bread with honey, juicy figs and dates, and pickled quail eggs. He washed it all down with wine, and such a feeling of contentment came over him. He had a fleeting sense that he was supposed to be doing something, but he felt so full and lethargic; the need to rest became his only concern. He found a welcoming bedchamber and laid himself down. In a moment, he was in a sound sleep.

***

“Mr. Spock, why airn’t we doin’ more?” Scotty demanded in the conference room. “Those poor lasses are at his mercy, and he’s had them for five hours! And the captain…!”

“If you know a way we might conduct a rescue, Mr. Scott, I am open to suggestions,” Spock said in his maddening monotone.

In Spock’s opinion, they had exhausted all possibilities. Since the time the captain disappeared, Spock had methodically tried every option he could think of, and he seriously doubted he had overlooked anything. Despite his cool exterior, he was experiencing stress and a growing feeling of helplessness.

The “hand” still held them with a force field that extended around the ship, effectively sealing them in. All of Spock’s attempts to punch small holes in it, as he had done three years ago, proved fruitless. Sensors showed all life forms on the surface… with one exception… were gathered in an open space, like a town square, near the sea. The lone exception was atop a mountain, 16.5 miles away, inside a single structure.

The consensus among the bridge crew was that this was Apollo, but Dr. McCoy disagreed.

“That’s Jim!” Bones insisted. “Apollo would want him out of the way, so that he and Carolyn can indoctrinate the women, win them over.”

It was an interesting theory, Spock acknowledged.

“No,” said Scotty. “That’s gotta be Apollo in a new temple he’s built up on that mountain. If we fire our phasers at that, we will…”

“…kill the captain!” Bones insisted.

“Gentlemen,” Spock said, “at present, the point is moot. We cannot attack targets on the surface as the ship’s phasers are inoperative, nor can we leave the Enterprise by shuttlecraft or transporter.”

The senior officers sat in frustrated silence, until McCoy banged his palm on the conference table. “Well, we can’t just sit here while our women are held prisoner!”

“It is we who are the prisoners, Doctor,” Spock pointed out. “Sensors show that our female personnel are moving about freely.”

“He’s givin’ them the royal tour, I’ll wager,” Scotty said, “showin’ the lasses the idyllic, pastoral life he thinks we should all be wantin’.” 

Spock steepled his fingers in front of him. “There is a considerably greater number of structures, paved areas, and agricultural regions on the planet now, compared to when we visited three years ago,” he observed. “I believe that indicates Apollo’s intention to create a colony. Comments?”

“Aye. That’s what he wanted to do three years ago, but our arrival was unexpected,” Scotty said. “He wasn’t prepared and dinna realize he needed more than a bag o’ tricks to impress us. Now, he knows herdin’ goats isn’t our hearts’ desire, so he’s built a village! Art, music, theater, shops…”

“…a cultural center,” Bones chimed in, “with nearby country homes to live in, farms to tend. The best of both worlds.”

“Indeed,” Spock said. “It would seem Apollo is ‘sweetening the pot,’ I believe is the expression.”

“Well, is he goin’ to be lettin’ us laddies in on this utopia,” Scotty wanted to know, “or is it goin’ to be Apollo’s own private harem? …or whatever they called it back in Ancient Greece.”

“Unknown,” Spock said, “but our prior supposition about Apollo’s power being channeled through a single structure may have been in error. None of the current structures show any unusual energy signatures. I seriously doubt their destruction would impact Apollo.”

“Then how in blazes do we fight him?” Bones railed.

“Doctor, the unusual organ in Apollo’s chest that you scanned three years ago could have been…” Mid-thought, Spock suddenly found himself in a grove of olive trees. There was grass under his sandals and he was dressed in a short blue toga. 

He had an irrational wave of fear as he remembered the last time he had worn something similar. Parmen had forced him and the captain to dress this way and romance Nurse Chapel and Lt. Uhura for the amusement of the sadistic Platonians. 

Spock suppressed the memory quickly and took in his surroundings. He heard voices nearby and moved in that direction. The grove opened onto a glade where he saw Apollo and Lt. Palamas. Seated around them on colorful cushions were the missing crew members. The ladies were all dressed like Palamas and seemed to be having what Jim would call “a picnic.”

“Ah! Pan has arrived to play for us,” Apollo shouted cordially when he spotted him. All eyes turned to where Spock stood and most of the women rose out of respect for their commander, but Apollo urged them back onto their pillows. 

“Join us, Pan,” Apollo offered, gesturing to an open cushion near himself and Lt. Palamas.

“I am Mr. Spock, first officer of the Enterprise.”

“Yes,” Apollo said. “You’re the one who destroyed my temple. Carolyn has told me.”

Palamas glanced down guiltily.

“Well, it’s no matter,” Apollo said. “Pan always did get up to mischief, but his musical talent redeemed him. You play the lyre, I am told by this beautiful Ethiopian.” He indicated Uhura. 

“Carolyn told him I like to sing,” Uhura explained, “but I don’t play an instrument. I wanted you to accompany me on the lyre.”

Spock looked at her. She had obviously gotten him invited to this party. He knew that she did know how to play the lyre and several other instruments, so he searched her face for hidden messages, but found none. If she had a plan, there was no way to convey it here in front of their captor. He decided it was best to play along and bide his time.

Apollo handed Spock his familiar Vulcan lyre which somehow had been transported from his quarters. He took it and sat as near to Uhura as he could on an empty cushion. Perhaps in her choice of lyrics, she will send a message to me, he thought, but she sang the favorite songs she always sang without any changes. 

“Lovely, just lovely,” Lt. Palamas praised. “Isn’t she good, my love?”

“A true daughter of Achelous,” Apollo lauded Uhura. “Over time, I will teach you the poems of old, until you can recite them all. Then I can accompany you on the lyre. His golden instrument rested at his feet and Carolyn could tell he wanted to regale them with his own talent.

“Will you give us a sample now, my love?” she asked. “Teach us one of the stories we’ve forgotten?” He hated when she called them myths, so she tried not to do it. To him, the stories he knew were history.

Spock observed the faces of the women. They were obviously charmed by Apollo's gentle manner with Carolyn and praise of Uhura. Most of them had been on the Enterprise three years ago and read the report, yet none of them looked terribly afraid of thunderbolts. They were nibbling on grapes and dates, and appeared quite content and eager for more entertainment.

“You know, Mr. Spock can sing quite well, too, with a little encouragement,” Uhura said suddenly. “He even knows a song from Ancient Greece!”

This was news to Carolyn. It was news to everyone except Nurse Chapel who was one of the few who had listened in horror as Parmen forced the song from Spock’s throat. Uhura! What are you doing? thought Christine.

“Well, by all means, Pan, share it with us,” Apollo urged.

Uhura gave Spock an encouraging smile and nodded eagerly. “Please, Mr. Spock.”

He had no desire to perform for Apollo’s pleasure, especially that song, but until he could understand the communications officer’s motivations, he would take her lead.

He strummed a few chords and began singing. His perfect memory recalled all of the words:

“Take care, young ladies, and value your wine

Be watchful of young men in their velvet prime

Deeply they’ll swallow from your finest kegs

Then swiftly be gone, leaving bitter dregs

Ah ahhh… bitter dregs.”

Carolyn could see Apollo was pleased with the song.

“Yes! I know this poem!” Apollo said, taking up his golden lyre. “The next verse shall be a duet.” He moved to sit next to Spock and strummed the beginning chord. Singing together, they finished the song:

“With smiling words and tender touch,

Man offers little and asks for so much

He loves in the breathless excitement of night,

Then leaves with your treasure in cold morning light

Ah ahhh… in cold morning light.”

Carolyn started the applause and the women joined in.

Apollo bowed deeply and Spock inclined his head.

“Alcman of Sparta wrote that,” Apollo recalled. “It was a cautionary tale, performed at festivals during initiation rights for girls. How did you come to learn it, Pan… uh, Mr. Spock?” 

Carolyn smiled at his newfound respect for Spock. Musical ability seemed to be something Apollo prized. She had no idea the Vulcan could sing like that.

Uhura and Nurse Chapel glanced down. How well they remembered where Spock had learned that song. Will he tell Apollo about the Platonians? Christine wondered. It had been so humiliating for all of them.

“Captain Kirk and I learned that song together. Where is the captain?” Spock asked Apollo.

Nice deflection, Christine thought. Wait, the captain’s not on the ship? She exchanged a worried glance with Uhura.

“He is safe,” Apollo said curtly.

“The captain’s missing?” Uhura asked Spock.

“He disappeared shortly after you did, Miss Uhura.”

“Where is he, Carolyn?” Dr. Noel piped up from the back to ask her former patient directly. “Do you know?”

Carolyn turned to Apollo for permission to answer. With a look, he gave it. Carolyn smiled and drew closer to the group.

“Helen,” she said gently, “perhaps you are worried for the captain’s safety because of my ill-chosen words to you about him. I have forgiven Captain Kirk and I assure you neither me nor Apollo wish him any harm. In fact, I believe he may be enjoying his stay on Pollux IV even more than all of you are.”

Carolyn smiled impishly, like she and Apollo shared a delightful secret. In a louder voice meant for the whole group, she said, “Captain Kirk is safe here on the planet and all the other men are safe on the Enterprise, which is in orbit. They will be with us soon. Until then, we have Mr. Spock to play for us. Let’s dance. You all look so beautiful!”

Their concerns assuaged for the moment, the women stood up. Apollo raised his arms and announced:

“I will teach you a dance that the priestesses of Demeter performed to show her their gratitude for the return of the planting season.”

Suddenly, flower garlands appeared on the heads of some of the ladies, ribboned circlets on the others. They smiled with delight.

“I think we could use more shade, my darling,” Carolyn suggested. “Many of us haven’t had sunlight on our shoulders in years.”

“Yes, of course,” he obliged. With a clap of his hands, a multi-colored canopy of fine fabrics appeared high over their heads. 

“Now, form seven circles and keep your eyes on me,” Apollo instructed. “Music, Mr. Spock.”

***

Kirk awoke on an unfamiliar bed. Where am I? he wondered. He had no idea how much time had passed. It was either mid-morning or mid-afternoon.

The marble floor felt cool on his bare feet as he stood and looked around the room. He walked out to where he had enjoyed all the food, but this time, there was only a small table. It had an old-fashioned coffee pot on it and two China cups. He smiled at the thought of coffee and stepped forward. Then, he heard the sound of a woman singing in the room beyond. The kitchen perhaps. 

Suddenly, a short-haired brunette dressed in 1930’s style clothing emerged with a plate of cinnamon rolls. 

“Hello, darling,” she said casually in an English accent. “Come enjoy some coffee and warm breakfast buns with me.”

“Edith?!” Jim whispered.

“Well, it’s not really breakfast at this time of day. You must have really needed a good long nap.”

“I… how are you here, Edith? How can you be here?” He approached the table to get a closer look at her. 

She was wearing a mauve-colored dress with a ruffled white apron over it and looked just as he remembered her. Holding a plate of baked goods like that, she could have been working behind the counter of the soup kitchen in the 21st Street Mission where they met.

She gracefully lowered herself into one of the table’s two chairs and gestured for him to sit in the other. 

“There now. A cup of coffee will fix you right up,” she said in response to his dazed look.

He sat and just stared at her face. How many nights he’d dreamed of that face.

“I’ll tell you what,” she said, pouring the coffee, “I certainly wouldn’t mind my young man taking me for a stroll through the gardens in a bit. They’re beautiful. Have you seen them?”

“Yes,” Jim said, still drinking her in with his eyes. “I can think of nothing I’d rather do.” As he ate the sweet rolls and sipped his coffee, this odd situation started to seem quite natural. He and Edith were together and happy. They were on a holiday and everything was as it should be. There was no work to do, just leisure and romance. He smiled and let out a slow breath.

“This is good for you, Jim. You work too hard.”

“Probably true,” he laughed, although at the moment he couldn’t remember what his job was. It didn’t matter. “Shall we?” he asked when they finished eating. He offered his arm to help her up and they ventured out through the arcade. Where the marble gave way to dirt, there were conveniently placed two pairs of sandals. They slipped them on like it was something they did every day.

“The afternoon sun is so gentle here and look how the flowers open to it,” Edith said. “Have you ever seen anything more beautiful?”

Jim looked at her face in the golden light. “Yes,” he said with a charming grin. He kissed her lips lightly and wrapped his arm around her waist. They walked and talked on the garden path as it switched back and forth down the terraced hillside. They stopped to sit on a stone bench under a tangle of flowered vines.

Jim stretched out on the long bench and laid his head in her lap. He closed his eyes as she ran her fingertips through his hair, just as he’d hoped she would.

“Ahh,” he sighed. 

Edith laid her free hand on his chest and he closed one of his around it. He had the vague recollection that he’d experienced bliss like this before, but he couldn’t remember when or where. He decided it didn’t matter.

***

“They could all be dead! Well, probably not the women,” McCoy conceded, “but the captain and Spock definitely could be! Apollo’s plan to form a colony would have a much better chance of succeeding with the Enterprise’s exec officers permanently out of the way.”

“Carolyn would never let that happen,” Scotty said.

“Palamas resigned her commission,” Bones argued.

“Even still! She’s a bonnie good lass with tender sensibilities,” Scotty defended her. “She wouldna be lettin’ Apollo kill anyone. If he did, he’d be losin’ her affections for sure.”

McCoy shook his head. “Then why is Apollo blocking our sensors now? What is he hiding? Is Spock with Jim? Are they separated from the women?” Bones swiveled nervously in his conference room chair. “And who’s gonna be the next one of us to disappear? I have no love for the transporter, Lord knows, but I don’t relish the thought of being snatched from orbit at any moment either!”

“Aye,” Scotty agreed. “I’m not fond of waitin’ for Apollo’s next move m’self, but Mr. Spock was right… we’ve exhausted all of our options.”

“I’m sorry, Scotty. I know you and the bridge crew are trying everything. I miss Helen and Christine. They usually rein me in, settle my nerves.” Bones chuckled at himself. “Without them or Jim and Spock, I…”

“I know, Doctor,” Scotty said kindly. “We’ll carry on as best we can. We canna do much else for now.”

“Meet me for dinner later?” Bones asked. “Say around 18:00.”

“Aye. We need to remember to eat. I’ll be there,” Scotty accepted with a supportive clasp on the shoulder, then headed back to the bridge.

Unfortunately, a medical tech called the bridge at 17:30 from Sickbay with the news: “Dr. McCoy just vanished before my eyes, Mr. Scott! I was looking right at him and then he wasn’t there, Sir, just like Dr. Noel and Nurse Chapel.”

Chapter Text

“Why look, Jim darling. I believe that’s Dr. McCoy approaching, isn’t it?” Edith said.

They’d been spending the balmy evening outdoors in comfortable chairs around a fire pit, kissing and enjoying sweet figs and dates.

Jim turned to look and sure enough… “Bones! This is a pleasant surprise. We weren’t expecting you.”

Relieved to see Jim unharmed, McCoy rushed up. Kirk rose to embrace him and they slapped each other enthusiastically on the back. Suddenly, Jim got a flash of deja vu. Headlights were on Edith, getting brighter and brighter. She was in danger! He whirled quickly to look at her, but she only smiled sweetly up at him, then said, “Doctor, please join us. It’s good to see you again.”

McCoy took a better look at the attractive brunette beside his captain. He had never seen her before. 

“Uh, thank you, Miss….”

“Have some dates,” she offered. As she leaned forward, he took the opportunity to look deeper into her face. The firelight flickered, illuminating all angles, but no, he didn’t know her. He took the offered tray of dates and started nibbling.

“Have we met? Are you from Engineering, Security, or…?” he asked since she was in a red uniform.

Edith and Jim looked at each other with bewildered amusement.

“Well, apparently I’m not as memorable as I thought I was,” the woman said lightheartedly. She laughed and Jim seemed enchanted by her. McCoy knew that look on his face.

When Kirk could tear his eyes away, he turned to his friend and said, “Bones, you’re telling me you don’t recognize Edith Keeler?”

Then, he gazed back at her and added, “…the most incredible woman to ever grace this galaxy.”

“Oh, darling,” she melted and fell into his arms for a long kiss.” They didn’t notice McCoy staring at them stunned with his jaw hanging open.

Edith is dead. Why does Jim think this crewman is Edith? While they kissed, his mind whirred with possible reasons. He’s drugged or brainwashed, definitely a victim of some game of Apollo’s.

Their kiss went on and on like he wasn’t there. Finally, Bones cleared his throat and said, “Jim.”

The lovers parted and both looked at him.

McCoy gasped. What the Devil? It IS Edith! “What?!”

The woman opened her big eyes even wider and cocked her head curiously. Her face was familiar to him now. He didn’t know why he hadn't seen it before.

“Miss Keeler,” he said respectfully. “I’m sorry. I… I don’t know why I didn’t recognize you at first.”

She smiled forgivingly. “Well, don’t trouble yourself over it, Doctor. It was a long time ago… a very long time ago.” 

Jim smiled and laughed. The captain seemed to know that they met back in time. Why didn’t he remember the rest of it? And where is Spock? Does Jim know? Bones started to ask. A million questions were on the tip of his tongue, but he felt like they were growing wings and flying out of his head. The air smelled so sweet and the firelight gave the scene a dream-like quality. He leaned back and indulged in a few more succulent dates. 

“Here, Doctor, let me pour you some wine,” Edith said. 

She looks so pretty in that gray dress of hers, Bones thought. He remembered how kind she’d been to him when he was strung out on cordrazine. Why did I think she was a crewman? He didn’t know why and he didn’t particularly care. The wine was delicious, and socializing with her and Jim under the stars sounded like the perfect evening. They drank and laughed, told stories no one remembered a few moments after, but the camaraderie felt very good.

Three’s a crowd, briefly crossed McCoy’s mind, when Edith and Jim started kissing again. They couldn’t seem to keep their lips off of each other’s. McCoy remembered a time when he was like that with someone. He shouldn’t have ever let her go, let her marry that passionless old professor. 

Crater didn't even mourn for her when the salt creature killed her, didn’t avenge her, just protected her murderer. Oh, Nancy, I could have loved you so much better. I’m sorry.

“I forgive you, Plum,” a soft voice said from behind him.

He spun to see his Nancy, young and beautiful, just as he remembered her.

“H-how…?” he stammered.

“I’m so glad you still think of me, Leonard. I think of you, too,” she whispered. 

She was wearing the red sweater she wore at the Christmas party where they met. Her face glowed and his heart swelled with desire. 

“Oh, Nancy… Jim! Jim! It’s my Nancy!” he couldn’t help but shout. Jim stopped kissing Edith and looked at the newcomer. She had short graying hair and a dusty beige dress. He recognized her from M-113.

“Ah, hello Nancy. Welcome,” Kirk said. 

Edith smiled a greeting and suggested, “Why don’t we all head inside now. There’s some proper food at the house… and plenty of bedrooms.” She winked and snuffed the flames with an iron cover, then led Jim by the hand up the path toward the villa.

Bones looked hungrily at Nancy who seemed willing. He imagined what it would feel like to touch her again and his heart pounded. Part of him was asking how this could be happening, but it was silenced by his craving for her. He was about to correct a foolish decision made years ago. 

How he regretted that night. He had told her at dinner that his medical career came first and he wasn’t ready for marriage. She cried and then offered her body to him in a last-ditch effort to keep him…

“Oh, Plum, let’s just have one night together. One night, so my first time can be with someone I love.”

“Now, Nancy, that wouldn’t be right of me. You’ll find someone else, and you’ll want your first time to be with your husband.”

He took her home in silence and remembered her pleading eyes looking at him one last time outside her door. As he walked away, he patted himself on the back for his restraint.

God! What was I thinking to abandon this angel?  

He stopped on the path and pulled her into his arms. Her breasts against him made his blood race. His hips pressed toward hers and he groaned. “Oh, Nancy.”

Her hand found him and stroked him through his pants. Her nipples were obvious through the thin red sweater and he ran his knuckles over them like she used to like. That was really as far as they had ever gone, but now… now!

“Leonard, let’s go inside,” she panted. “Let’s find a bedroom.”

He took her hand and rushed through the columned arcade, past the hanging panels of fabric blowing in the breeze, and into the large house. He was hard in his pants with an almost painful throbbing. The large dining table was spread extravagantly with food, but they dashed by it, disinterested.  

Moans were heard from the first bedroom they came to and Bones inadvertently saw some naked flesh as they hurried by. Jim hadn’t closed the door. Then the doctor realized, There ARE no doors. He’d have to make love to Nancy in full view of whomever might happen by. Maybe Jim will see us. For some reason, that thought didn't unnerve him. And what if Spock is here? He never asked Jim, or did he? He couldn’t remember.

They chose the next bedroom and he had Nancy’s sweater and bra off in an instant. He laid her back on the bed and latched his lips onto one of her pink nipples, sucking and tasting like he’d always wanted to. 

“Ohhhh,” she groaned.

He pulled off her skirt and panties, then quickly removed his boots and stripped off his uniform. Gray chest hair caught his attention, then the wrinkled skin on the back of his hands. He looked at the young girl in the bed and a wave of shame went through him. This isn’t right. I’m nearly 50 and she’s… dead! Nancy is dead! Edith Keeler is dead, too, he remembered for a shocked moment, but then the moment faded. The girl in the bed was up now, pressing her lythe body against him, stroking him back to a firm length.

“Do you remember how I called you my sugarplum, because I met you on Christmas Eve and visions of you kept dancing in my head?” she cooed as her hand pumped.

“Yeah. Uh… ah,” Bones panted.

“Well, you’ve been in my head and my heart all these years, Plum, and now I finally get to have you for mine. Say you want me.”

“I do want you. Ohhh, I do.”

“You turned me down once. It broke my heart. Bob Crater never loved me. I should have been with you, my first love. Make things right, Plum. Make them right, please,” she begged, swirling her thumb through the fluid leaking from his tip. “Claim me now.”

She let go of him and spread herself back on the bed. This time he had no hesitation. 

“Oh, Nancy. Nancy. Nancy,” he chanted as he covered her body with his. He kissed her and touched her gently between her legs until they quivered. Then he pushed inside her.

She held him tightly as he thrust, gently at first, but when she lifted her hips toward him, he knew she wanted more. He let himself use more force and quicken the pace. Her moans told him what he needed to know.

“Ohhh, Len! Mmm, ahhh. You feel wonderful.”

He seated himself as deeply in her as he could, then started grinding, slow circular motions with lots of pressure in the right place. After a few minutes he could feel her body starting to shake.

“Oh, God. Oh, God!” she cried.

McCoy felt her clench around him and he came, too. Hard! It had been a long time for him and his body was grateful for the release.

He slid out and lay down next to Nancy. She ran her fingers through his chest hair and said, “I knew it would be amazing with you. You’re the only one I’ve ever truly loved.”

He kissed her slowly and reverently and bushed his knuckles across her nipples.

“Ahhhhh. Tell me you love me, Len.”

“Mmmm, I love you,” he whispered and drifted off to sleep.

***

The waves crashed onto the rocks below and threw a fine salty mist into the night air. Carolyn and Apollo sat together on a cliffside bench under the stars.

“Another wonderful day you gave all my friends,” Carolyn said. “Thank you for trying so hard to make them happy. Do you think you should have promised them any husband they wish, though? Many men in the star service do not want to get married.”

“It does every man good to take a wife, and if the woman is allowed to choose her mate, she will be true and the marriage will be strengthened. We need solid families in these homes.” He gestured to the villas dotting the hills behind them.

“And for us, my love?”

“We shall reside in the finest of the villas and raise a pantheon of gods to guide and cherish humanity.”

“Oh,” she sighed dreamily, loving the sound of his voice and the plans he was laying out. She leaned back into his chest and looked up to the stars.

He held her around the waist and slid one of his hands up to cup her breast. She turned and let him kiss her deeply. His thumb found her nipple through the shimmering green dress, and she groaned as he stroked it.

“I must marry you soon, Carolyn. Once the Enterprise men are all here and settled, we will have a large wedding festival. There will be feasts and celebrations for two weeks. All mortals will worship their new goddess queen.”

“Oh, Apollo.” His words and touch were arousing her. She arched her back and raised her breast to him, an invitation for more passionate caresses.

“Carolyn, oh, my delicate one, I promise in our wedding bed, I will be so gentle with you. It will not hurt,” he whispered.

“Why would it hurt?” she asked.

“Well,” Apollo said gently, as though she were a little girl, “sometimes it does… the first time.”

“Oh, I’m… I’m not a virgin,” she disclosed.

Apollo sucked in a surprised breath, and his hand fell away from her breast. Then, his face crumpled with concern. “Oh, my darling! You were attacked? I will kill him!”

“No, no. I’ve just had lovers before.”

Apollo looked like he couldn’t compute this information.

“Well, I’m 32. What did you think?”

“I thought you… valued your wine,” he said slowly.

“My wine?” 

He turned slightly away from her and stared out to sea.

“Apollo, modern women share their bodies when they need comfort or closeness. It doesn’t mean the men are stealing something from them. It’s mutually satisfying.”

“You are saying men no longer feel jealous, possessive? They no longer cajole and press their advantage?”

“I’m sure some do, but the men in Starfleet hold themselves to a higher standard. They’re our colleagues, our friends.”

“So these ‘friends’ help themselves to sexual favors without a struggle, without a pledge of fidelity?” Apollo looked scandalized. 

“When there’s mutual attraction and both parties…” she tried to explain, but Apollo scoffed.

“If a man knocked you down and forced himself on you, stole your treasure, this I could forgive you for, but to just offer yourself up, risk pregnancy and dishonor…”

She just stared at him, unsure what to say.

“Do you have children?” he asked stoically.

“No. Women control their fertility now and usually marry before they choose to have children… if they choose to have children. I have never been married.”

“But you have been… penetrated.”

“Apollo, I’m trying to explain that we don’t think of it that way, as one person using or taking advantage of another. It’s mutual. For pleasure and comfort.”

“Yes. So you said.” Apollo still looked displeased. “Pleasure and comfort can come from singing, dancing, feasting, telling stories, and communing with other women. Intimate acts with men soil a woman’s virtue and diminish her value.”

“What?!” Carolyn said angrily. This was starting to raise her ire. “You think I’m ‘diminished’ because of the relationships I’ve had?! That’s the most insulting thing I’ve ever heard!” 

She rose from their seaside bench and stormed off.

“Are all the women from the Enterprise like you?” he demanded.

“You mean are there any virgins? I don’t know!” She turned back and rolled her eyes at him. “I suppose there are girls who are shy or disinclined for whatever reason and are still virgins. We don’t talk about it. It’s nobody’s business what people choose to do in their private quarters!”

Apollo was still seated on the bench, but Carolyn was pacing angrily like she wanted to walk away.

“Carolyn, come sit down,” Apollo entreated. “I regret my reaction. I have insulted you.”

“Yes.”

“You promised to tell me how mankind’s attitudes have changed over the last 5,000 years. I wish to know. I want to understand.”

She softened and returned to the bench.

He took her hand gently and said sadly, “I did not expect to learn that a woman’s desire for chastity has been eroded by the sands of time. The centuries have passed me by and made a relic of me.”

“No. It is who you are,” she said. “I should not have felt so attacked. Perhaps women should ‘value their wine’ a little more. I’ve been disappointed many times by mediocre lovers.”

“No more,” Apollo said, puffing out his impressive chest.

She smiled. “Then you still want me?”

“Of course, my Carolyn, the one who summoned me back from oblivion with the force of her passion.”

She laughed. Whew, our first fight. I’m glad that’s over.

“I will marry you… but under the circumstances, I now see no reason for further waiting…”

He pulled her to him and planted his large hand again on her breast, more firmly this time. He squeezed it and rolled it around on her chest with a lustful groan.

“Oh!” she gasped as he took her hand and placed it on his bulge.

“Stroke me,” he commanded. 

“Apollo, people will see,” she said. They were alone, but occupied villas were nearby.

He raised his hand and a thick fog rolled in, concealing them from anyone who could be watching. He pulled her dress down, exposing both of her breasts to his eager hands.

“I’m… I’m cold,” Carolyn said.

“I’ll warm you. Touch me, Carolyn,” he said again, firmly pressing her hand down into his lap.

“Ohhh, yes,” he moaned as he hardened quickly beneath her hand.

Suddenly, his golden toga was gone and her hand felt bare flesh. She shivered as her beautiful dress fell away onto the dirt.

“Kneel, and warm me with your mouth. You know how, I imagine.” 

“Uh, yes, but… here?” She had in mind a comfortable bed in front of a fire.

He nodded and spread his muscular legs, coaxing her to her knees between them.

She stared at the organ in front of her face and hesitated. She wanted him, but this situation was feeling wrong. Still, she parted her lips and tentatively surrounded his tip. His hand was on the back of her head, urging her forward, gently at first, then more insistently.

“Uh… uhhhh,” he moaned. Lightning crackled around them, illuminating the mist with sudden flashes, as he plundered her mouth with deep thrusts.

Just as she started to gag, he released her head and pulled her effortlessly up off her knees and onto his lap. She straddled him and his fingers probed into her, evaluating her readiness. She wasn’t wet, so he rubbed ruthlessly at her clit to hurry her along. He bit and sucked at her nipples hungrily.

The wind howled and swirled around them. She felt his rigid length throbbing against her inner thigh. His hand was relentless and seemed to hum with an energy. Heat and vibrations made her gasp. His fingers were slippery now and he withdrew them to guide himself inside her.

“Ohh,” she groaned as he pushed up into her.

He leaned back on the bench in ecstasy as his hips snapped rhythmically, bucking hard against her. He was already deep and gravity was pushing him deeper. He put his hands on Carolyn’s slender shoulders to push her down even harder onto him. The ground seemed to tremble. Her discarded dress slid over the edge of the cliff and into the sea.

“Oh, Carolyn!” he roared, as the water beneath them raged. The wind had its way with her hair and tore the flowers and ribbons from it. It reminded her of the storm Apollo’s anger had created three years ago when she dared to spurn him. She’d feared he was going to rape her then. It felt like that’s what was happening now; he was an angry god expending his rage on her, exerting his power, driving out any lover who had been there before.

He’s punishing me for not ‘valuing my wine,’ she thought.

Her breasts bounced painfully as his sharp thrusts lifted her up again and again. Until finally, he shouted out his climax which echoed through the hills. When the last of the echoes died, Carolyn found herself lying on a warm, white fleece, inside one of the villas where five of the Enterprise women were lodging. She was sore and damp from the night air.

Apollo regarded her from several feet away. He was standing, perfectly groomed and resplendent in his gold tunic, but she was still naked and disheveled.

“Lt. Palamas!” a yeoman cried out when she came into the room and saw Carolyn sprawled on the floor. Nurse Chapel and Lt. Uhura followed and froze in place, looking between Apollo and Carolyn, trying to figure out what was happening.

“Attend her!” Apollo commanded. “She is with child.” 

He put his hands on his hips, thrust out his chin, and grew as tall as the vaulted ceilings would allow before vanishing from the room.

***

“Lt. Palamas is already defending him, Mr. Spock,” Christine whispered, after relating the troubling scene she had witnessed and her interpretation of it. “Yeoman Lawton wanted to run and get you right away, as soon as Apollo disappeared, but Carolyn stopped her… and we had all been ordered to attend to her, so we did. We lit a fire and warmed her up with some blankets and soup. I finally decided I should slip away and brief you. Lt. Uhura agreed. She’s the only one who knows I’m gone.”

It had been difficult discussing such a thing with Spock, but she was glad she had risked sneaking over to his villa. He needed to be kept informed.

“You are relatively certain the lieutenant sustained no life-threatening injuries?” Spock asked.

“Without a medical scanner, I can’t be sure, but she seemed all right when I left, embarrassed, but starting to joke about it.”

“Joke?” Spock asked, raising an eyebrow.

“You know, the things women tell themselves when they’re in love…?”

Spock’s blank stare made her realize she was going to have to elaborate.

“Well, she said he got carried away by passion… that he’s not one for afterglow… that making god-babies isn’t easy on a mortal… things like that.”

“Excusing his violence and disrespect,” Spock summarized.

“Yes,” Christine said.

“Then, she is still loyal to him?”

“Seems that way to me.”

“Were you able to ascertain if she is indeed pregnant?” Spock asked.

“No, but she believes she is… takes Apollo’s word for it.”

Spock began working to retrieve any information his mind might have stored on demigod gestational periods. He wanted to know when to expect there to be two ‘gods’ on Pollux IV instead of one. He was examining several Greek myths concurrently when Nurse Chapel unknowingly interrupted. 

“Earlier today, Apollo told all the women that they could choose any husband they wanted from the crew. Tonight, Carolyn told us that once the men arrive, there will be two weeks of celebrations and a big ‘royal wedding’ for her and Apollo. There will be many weddings apparently. I don’t think declining is an option; Carolyn says Apollo wants his new colony comprised of happy family units.” 

Spock nodded. That was as he expected given the size and number of villas.

“She does not know where Captain Kirk is?” Spock asked.

The nurse shook her head. “I don’t think so. Where do you think he is, Mr. Spock?”

She followed his eyes through the open courtyard of his villa to the mountains beyond. The tallest peak was silhouetted against the pre-dawn sky. Spock judged it to be at least a 12-hour hike. If Jim were able to make the journey, he would have arrived by now. 

“It is reasonable to assume that Apollo is holding the captain prisoner in a structure on that peak. Ship’s sensors detected one life form there. The others were here.”

“Couldn’t that have been Apollo? He did live on a mountaintop in Greece… Mt. Olympus.”

“I am aware, Miss Chapel, of the ancient myths,” Spock said.

Christine was used to his condescension and ignored it. “Are you going to climb up there?”

“Undecided.”

“You think you ought to stay here and protect the women,” she guessed.

“It is what Captain Kirk would do,” Spock stated.

She smiled. 

Then, Spock had an idea. “You said the women were going to be choosing their husbands. When will the selections occur?”

“Uh, I don’t know… soon.”

“One of you must select the captain.”

“Ah, of course.” She rather imagined that would happen anyway. She could name a handful of women who might be bold enough to ask for Captain Kirk.

“Senior officers and bridge crew should also be selected,” Spock instructed.

“What if Palamas sees the pattern? She will know if someone chooses a man to whom she has no emotional attachment.”

“Will she? As I understand it, she had been isolating, withdrawing from the ship’s social life for many months.”

Christine nodded. He was right. If done skillfully, she could be fooled.

“Obviously, Lt. Romaine will take Scotty. Yeoman Barrows has been sweet on Dr. McCoy ever since she played damsel-in-distress with him on that shore leave planet. Uhura can say a romance has developed between herself and Sulu, and Yeoman Landon has an on again/off again thing with Chekov…”

“Nurse, it is not necessary for me to know every permutation.”

“Who do you want to choose you?” she asked hopefully.

“No one need choose me as I am already here,” Spock said logically.

“Of course, but… what if we have to actually go through with these marriages? I don’t really see myself with Security Chief Giotto or Dr. M’Benga,” she hinted.

Spock looked mildly annoyed. “Nurse, within the confines of the assignment, you may select whomever you find personally compatible.”

“Wh-who would you choose, Mr. Spock?” she ventured.

An involuntary flick of his eyes toward the mountain peak revealed much. 

She sighed knowingly.

“Sunrise will occur in 27.5 minutes. You should return to your villa, Miss Chapel,” Spock said. “You have your orders.”

“I will see you in the agora then?” she asked. Apollo had told everyone to meet in the town’s central courtyard, which he called ‘the agora,’ an hour after sunrise.

Spock inclined his head in the affirmative and turned away.

Before departing, Christine reached out and touched his shoulder briefly. “I’m sure Captain Kirk is all right,” she said.

***

“That coffee just smells wonderful,” Dr. McCoy said, joining the others in the common area. 

“Good morning, Plum,” Nancy said, as Edith smiled and began pouring him a cup.

“You look happy, Bones,” Jim observed with a wink. Jim looked happy, too, enjoying an array of breakfast foods at the table.

The doctor took a seat next to Nancy, who leaned in for a kiss. Edith and Jim looked like they’d already shared several this morning.

“I slept like a rock,” McCoy said with a yawn. Nancy looked pleased with herself and squeezed his thigh under the table.

They were all wearing Greek-style tunics now. The men’s were short and the women’s were long. Their uniforms and clothes had been replaced by the tunics. Nobody minded. They slipped into them when they woke like it was the most natural thing in the world. 

Four pair of leather sandals were positioned neatly in the arcade and after breakfast, the two couples put them on and headed out into the garden. Walking hand in hand, they stopped often to inspect plants and smell the various flowers. 

“This one has quite an unusual scent, Edith,” Jim said, “like… banana bread.” He picked the white flower and held it for her to sniff.”

“Mmm, fascinating,” she said.

“You sound like Spock,” Jim laughed. He smiled a broad grin at the thought of his friend, but then his brow furrowed. Spock. Where are you? Why haven’t I thought of you lately? Like Edith once said, Spock belonged at his side, like he’d always been there and always would be.

Kirk looked to Bones and asked, “Do you know where Spock is?”

“On the ship, I guess,” he replied. 

Wanting to talk to Spock, Jim instinctively reached for his communicator, but grabbed only air. Strange, he thought, but Edith caught his hand and kissed it with her glorious plump lips and thoughts of anything but her flew from his mind.

Nancy kissed away the confused expression that had come over her lover’s face, too. “These hot pink blossoms have an intoxicating scent as well, Plum.” She brushed one lightly under his nose and his contentment returned.

Chapter Text

Spock stood in the agora courtyard, the only man among 60 or so women. 

“Good morning, ladies,” Apollo’s voice boomed from the steps of an impressive new building. Golden statues of the Olympian gods shone in the sun. He waved his hand to hush the burbling fountain and the crowd that had gathered around it. A few more women arrived and Apollo began:

“This edifice I dedicate to you, my dear children. A hall of records, a museum, a library where you may learn anew the great deeds of your ancestors and their gods. Much of your ‘history’ is incorrect or incomplete. My memory of the times my people spent with mortals on Earth is more accurate than your history books. You can relearn here the misinformation you’ve been taught.”

Apollo raised his arms as though it were a ribbon-cutting ceremony. “Come,” he said. “All are welcome.” He strode up the stairs, eager to show off his passion project. The women followed, awed by the size of the gold statues and monumental building that had somehow sprung up overnight.

Spock’s discerning eyes had failed to find Nurse Chapel, Lt. Uhura, or anyone from their villa in the crowd. Carolyn was not by Apollo’s side. It could mean one of two things. 1) They chose to remain in the villa, or 2) they were ordered to remain in the villa.

Several of the women who were present glanced at Spock, hoping for some signal or guidance from him, but he had only his calm demeanor to offer them. His body language said, “Go along for now,” so they went along.

“What a beautiful mosaic!” Yeoman Ross exclaimed to Yeoman Barrows.

“Those tiny glazed tiles! There must be a million of them,” Tonia Barrows replied.

Apollo smiled with pride at his depiction of the ancient Minoan civilization on Crete. The multi-scene mural reached the ceiling and stretched out for nearly 50 feet. Around the corner, was another mosaic depicting a later time period… and another… and another. Along the route were life-size marble statues of the Ancient Greek gods, demi-gods, rulers, and heroes. The hallway opened into a five-story library filled with scrolls and tablets.

“All the wisdom of the ancient world, for you, my children. We will return to the old ways and you will live as you were intended to live, with a god to protect you and guide your path.”

He led them through the library and into an atrium with a reflecting pool and frescoes painted on the walls. 

“I call this the Hall of Virtue,” Apollo said. The frescoes showed a variety of interactions between women and men: courtships, marriages, family life. “Carolyn has informed me that modern women often surrender to the lust of men before marriage. This is not to their advantage. I want your daughters to learn their value and maintain their dignity with suitors. The next generation must strive for a higher standard.”

Giggles were heard among some of the women and Apollo’s face grew stern. “Lasciviousness will not be tolerated. Men can too easily go astray. We must rely on the virtue of women to promote a flourishing family life. Our art, stories, and lyrical poems must encourage chastity outside of marriage.”

“I thought the Ancient Greeks held festivals where debauchery was rampant,” Lt. Romaine challenged. 

Apollo looked at her sternly, then softened. “Dionysus and I held different beliefs. His worshippers followed his dictates. You shall follow mine.”

She met his gaze with her intelligent blue eyes the same way Carolyn had when they first met.

“What is your name?” he asked softly.

“Lt. Mira Romaine,” she said.

“Are you a friend of Carolyn’s?” he asked, sure that he’d heard her name mentioned before.

“Not particularly. We dated the same man, though, Montgomery Scott, the ship’s chief engineer,” she offered.

The belligerent fool in the red uniform who sought to keep Carolyn from me three years ago, Apollo thought jealously. He motioned for the other women to move along and enjoy the exhibits, as he gently pulled Lt. Romaine aside.

“I believe Captain Kirk calls him ‘Scotty,’” Apollo ventured.

“Yes,” Mira said. “I call him that, too. We’re engaged to be married.” She beamed. “I’ve been concerned that he might not be able to adjust to this life, loving space as he does, but he would have liked everything you just said.”

“Oh?” Apollo said.

“Yes. He’s very respectful of women. Scotty agreed we should wait until we’re married… since I’m a virgin,” she whispered. She wasn’t sure why she wanted to impress Apollo with this very personal fact, but she did. 

“You are?” he asked, looking at her differently.

“Some women still like to wait. Not many, but some,” she explained.

“Who else?” he couldn't help but ask.

“Oh, I wouldn’t know that,” she said. She did know a few, but it wasn’t her place to say.

“Montgomery Scott sounds like a fine man,” he said, smiling.

“Oh, he is. The very best. Can I see him soon?” she dared to ask. “I miss him, and he must be terribly worried about me.”

“Tell me this and I will bring him down right now…”

Her face lit up.

“Why did he stop courting Carolyn?”

“Um, oh…,” she said, not wanting to gossip about Apollo’s bride-to-be. “I… I think she just started pining for you so hard, after the landing party returned to the ship. She had no more interest in him after that… and he eventually gave up. At least that’s what I think happened. I hadn’t come aboard the Enterprise yet at that point.”

“Do you know if they were intimate?” Apollo pressed, maneuvering Mira into a quiet corner.

“You should ask Carolyn about that, I think,” she said uncomfortably.

“I am asking you,” he glared, “and all marriages will be approved by me. Perhaps I will decide Montgomery Scott is better suited for someone else.”

“No, please! I love him and he loves me.”

“He loved Carolyn once. Did he lie with her?”

“I… I don’t know for sure. I haven’t asked him… but others have told me that yes, they were lovers briefly.”

A flash of anger swept across his face and his dark eyes flared, but he offered a tight smile and changed the subject, “You’ll want to look your best for your reunion with him. What is your betrothed’s favorite color?”

“His favorite color?”

“Of dress, for you,” he clarified. “I wish to give you a new dress… for your wedding, my child, which I think should be right away, don’t you?”

“Oh!” 

“There will be many weddings over the next week. Yours shall be first, and you shall have first pick of the empty villas to start your married lives.”

“Will the captain marry us?” she blurted in excitement. “He conducts all the weddings on the ship.”

“I shall consecrate all unions, here on the planet.”

Mira nodded. She wanted to ask where the captain was, but after his earlier anger, she didn’t risk it. And Carolyn was missing from this morning’s event. She wanted to ask about that, too, but chose to hold her tongue.

Offering her his arm, Apollo led Mira back under the vaulted ceilings of the Hall of Virtue. A group of women were admiring a wedding scene in one of the frescoes. It showed a smiling young bridgegroom, gazing adoringly at his bride, whose cream-colored dress was adorned with bright flowers. The pair stood in a green meadow, surrounded by well-wishers.

“From a mural I once saw in Athens…,” he said as he and Mira approached.

“It’s beautiful,” a red-headed yeoman commented. 

All of the other women agreed.

“Shall we recreate it,” Apollo asked with a confident smile, “for the wedding of Montgomery Scott and Mira Romaine?”

He stepped back and regarded Mira, then waved his hand across her and created the dress from the fresco.

“Oh! Ahh!” the women gasped in delight.

“And now…,” Apollo said dramatically, “the bridegroom.”

Before their eyes, a very confused engineer suddenly appeared next to Mira, wearing the groom’s simple white tunic from the painting.

“Oh, Scotty!” Mira cried and hugged him. “I’m so happy to see you.”

“Aye, an’ you as well, lass,” Scotty said, relieved that she and the other women seemed unharmed. He looked at her dress, then around the vaulted room at the artwork, “What is all o’ this?” he whispered.

“This is the Hall of Virtue,” Apollo said proudly, “a glimpse at the wholesome, uncomplicated life of happiness that awaits you and your people.”

Scotty eyed Apollo suspiciously. “We’re not staying here with you!”

“Scotty, don’t,” Mira warned, but Apollo just smiled patronizingly.

“Still as spirited as the first time we met, I see,” Apollo laughed.

The women moved away a bit, fearing a conflict between the men.

“I will give you some time together to get reacquainted. The wedding will be in one hour.”

“Weddin’?!” Scotty said with wide eyes.

Apollo vanished, and everyone relaxed a bit. The women crowded around the couple, glad to have their chief engineer back among them. 

“I… I think someone needs to be givin’ me a wee briefin’,” Scotty said, bewildered. The women laughed and all started talking at once.

Invisible, Apollo watched and listened, memorizing how the engineer moved and spoke.

***

“I wonder what is going on and why Apollo is making us wait here?” Carolyn fumed. “It’s got to be noon by now!”

The ladies couldn’t see anything from their villa, and being excluded from whatever events were going on in the agora made Carolyn furious… and nervous. It occurred to her that Apollo had access to dozens of women, and at the moment, she wasn’t sure where she stood with him. It was a precarious position to be in. And I might be pregnant, she thought anxiously.

He’d promised her the moon, but he could be capricious. Treating her roughly and then embarrassing her in front of her colleagues was not something she’d expected from him. It left her off balance and unsure of her place. 

“How are you feeling, Carolyn?”

“Nurse, if you ask me that one more time…” Lt. Palamas said tersely, then softened. “I’m sorry, Christine. I’m feeling fine. I don’t like… being cooped up in here.”

“I know. I’m sure it’s not for long,” the nurse comforted. “Here, try to eat a little more.” She gestured to the tray of berries and grapes on the table.

“Keep my energy up, is that it?” Carolyn smiled.

“Sound medical advice,” Christine said warmly. “I wonder when Apollo will bring down Dr. McCoy? Has he said anything to you?” she ventured cautiously.

“No.”

“If someone got sick and needed a doctor, would he allow him to beam down?”

“I don’t know, honestly, but he once said to me that mortals sicken and die and that’s the way of things. I don’t think he cares much for the medical arts.”

“Hm. Well, can he save someone from a life-threatening wound or fatal disease?” Christine probed.

“I’m not sure what his limits are, but I don’t think he’d be inclined to do that.”

“Even if it were you?”

“He said he’ll make a goddess of me, and gods are immortal.”

“Then, you’ll watch all of your friends grow old and die?” That seemed awful to Christine.

“New generations will be born. Apollo says it is very gratifying to watch mankind grow and develop over the centuries.”

“But we’ve already developed, reached for the stars and caught them. He’s starting us all over again from square one. For what?”

“We’ve lost touch with what’s important, Christine.”

“And what is that?” Chapel wanted to know. “We love, we strive, we explore, we try to treat others fairly. What does he think we’ve lost touch with?”

“You don’t understand.”

“No. Do you?”

“Listen, Christine, I have asked Apollo to let you all go. I told him I’d stay with him, live here with him, but he wants a community to provide for. He feels it’s his duty to protect you, guide you and future generations. He says there’s an order to the universe and…”

Uhura had been within earshot for most of this conversation and couldn’t stand it anymore. “Lieutenant, how many ‘superior’ beings have we met who believed they had a natural right to our obedience? Trelane, the Vians, the Malcotions, the Kelvins, the Triskelions, the Metrons... No one has the right to interfere with the natural development of another society. Obviously, Apollo’s race didn’t have a Prime Directive; they violated our right to self-determination 5,000 years ago and Apollo is doing it again now! Don’t you see?”

In the absence of the captain, Uhura can be quite a speech-maker! Christine thought, impressed.

“I wasn’t involved in any of those missions you mentioned, Lieutenant. Captain Kirk rarely saw fit to put me on a landing party,” Carolyn said spitefully. “I didn’t even meet the Platonians, even though I was the A&A officer and I knew more about Ancient Rome than anyone else on the ship.”

“They tortured us with their telekinesis. You’re sorry you missed that?!” Uhura shook her head in disbelief. 

Carolyn remembered reading the report about the humiliations Uhura and Christine endured with Kirk and Spock at the hands of Parmen, and she was immediately sorry, but she dug in her heels. “And when we came across a planet with parallel development to Earth, a Roman civilization that made it into the modern age with televised gladiatorial games and pension plans for slaves… did I get to spend ten minutes on that world? No.”

“It was dangerous!” Christine said. “All of Captain Merik’s men from the SS Beagle were slaughtered one by one in the arena to entertain television audiences. Spock and Dr. McCoy almost joined them! It was a bloodthirsty society.”

Carolyn shrugged. She didn’t want to argue with anyone.

“What if Apollo builds something like that here?” Uhura suggested.

“Oh, he would never make men kill each other for sport,” Carolyn defended.

“Why not? Who’s to stop him?” Uhura pressed. “You? You who fawns over his every move? …who is ready to fall at his feet even after the way he treated you last night?” 

Carolyn tensed. Apollo, get me out of here, she thought.

“You know, we women have a long history of being subjugated by men,” Uhura said. “Have you forgotten that? Is that what you want for yourself, for your daughters?”

Carolyn was getting visibly upset and she lashed out. “My daughters will be goddesses!”

“Indeed,” boomed a male voice. They all turned to see Apollo step out of the marble statue of himself in the center of the room.

“I instructed you to care for her, not to upset her,” he admonished. Then, focusing soft, loving eyes on Carolyn, he said, “I offer something to lift your mood, my love, if you are feeling up to it, of course.”

“Yes, yes,” Carolyn said immediately.

“I come to ask you to sit by my side as I preside over the first official ceremony in Palamas.”

She opened her mouth, then closed it. She glanced around at the other women to see if any of them understood what he meant.

“In… Palamas?” she finally asked.

“The city. Did I not tell you, my love? I am naming it after you.” He reached down and touched her cheek. “The mother city of our future civilization should be named after the mother goddess.”

Carolyn beamed. Oh, he does love me. Of course he does.

“There is a great library and museum that I have erected and introduced to our people this morning while you rested. I want to show it to you now.”

“Oh, yes, all right,” Carolyn said, standing to go with him.

“All of you will wish to attend this wedding,” Apollo said to the group. “The first of many.”

“A wedding? Whose is it?” Carolyn asked.

“A virtuous woman named Mira and your chief engineer.”

“Scotty and Mira are getting married?” Christine said with a genuine smile. Despite the situation, the idea warmed her heart. They were such a lovely couple and Scotty had been so lonely after Carolyn rejected him. He was just as moony over Mira and she returned his affection.

“That won’t upset you will it, my love, since you and this fellow were once… involved?” Apollo asked sweetly, but with penetrating eyes.

“Why, no, of course not. I’m happy for Scotty and Mira.” 

“Good. Then come and sit at my right hand and watch them wed.”

***

Throughout the ceremony, Apollo kept glancing at Carolyn.

What is he thinking? That I still care for Scotty? 

She surveyed the crowd, wondering who might have told him something he didn’t need to know. Her eyes met Dr. Noel’s and Helen quickly looked away.

No, she wouldn’t, Carolyn decided. She wouldn’t share anything I disclosed during a session. Who then?

Scotty did look handsome, if a bit overwhelmed. He probably would have been more comfortable in his kilt and red dress uniform shirt, instead of the embroidered cloak around his shoulders and laurel garland on his head. Carolyn wondered why he hadn’t fought all this. He fought against everything Apollo did three years ago, yet here he stood without complaint. 

Mira wore a traditional Greek veil of saffron over a crown that Carolyn knew was called a stephane. As an expert on archeology and anthropology, she knew all about Ancient Greek wedding traditions and wondered why Apollo hadn’t insisted upon the many rituals. She imagined future generations of brides would be taught to observe the rites and make the appropriate sacrifices to Artemis and Hera, but with the Enterprise crew, he was choosing to be less strict. That was wise. She looked over at him, but couldn’t get him to make eye contact with her.

After the ceremony, the wine flowed freely from several decorative amphora and there was dancing and well-wishes. Apollo again called on ‘Pan’ for music and Spock obliged, hoping to get Scotty alone for a debriefing, but Apollo successfully kept them apart. 

“The gods bless your union,” Apollo said. “Select a villa for your dwelling place.”

Mira had already chosen. “That one,” she pointed. “The one by the sea. You like the sea, don’t you, Scotty?” 

“What good Scotsman doesn’t?” he said agreeably.

“I'm sure you’re eager to see your new home, but first allow me and Carolyn to give you a tour of the rest of the Hall of Virtue.”

“I haven’t seen it yet either, actually,” Carolyn reminded Apollo. 

He offered her his arm and the two couples made their way through the exhibits.

“Aren’t these scenes just beautiful, Scotty?” Mira said. “Happy couples raising families in harmony with nature.”

“Virtuous wives, who kept themselves pure for marriage,” Apollo added. “You are a lucky man, Mr. Scott.”

Mira lowered her eyes shyly in what she clearly perceived as a compliment, but Scotty and Carolyn were shocked. 

“How wouldya be knowin’ that?” Scotty asked Apollo. 

“He’s clearly had a little talk with Mira,” Carolyn accused.

“Yes,” Apollo said, unperturbed. “We found our attitudes to be quite aligned, didn’t we, my child?” he said to Mira.

Mira blushed and Scotty didn’t know what to say. He didn’t like the idea of Apollo discussing such intimate things with his wife.

I wonder what else she revealed? Scotty thought. Surely she wouldna tell Apollo about me and Carolyn. That could get me killed!  

Scotty pictured himself chained to a mountainside like Prometheus with a giant eagle pecking out his liver. He glanced at Lt. Palamas, and Apollo noticed. Hopefully Carolyn knows better than to tell a jealous ‘god’ that we were lovers, Scotty thought.

The tour continued for a few more minutes, then Apollo said to the newlyweds, “Well, the Hall of Virtue will be here for you to visit as often as you choose. Let’s get you two settled in your new home, shall we?”

In a blink, the four were inside the main room of the villa by the sea.

“Oh, this is perfect. Scotty, we’ll be so happy here!” Mira exclaimed. She wanted to take her new husband in her arms, but with Apollo and Carolyn there, she contented herself with holding his hand and dragging him to the outer arcade to look at the view.

“Feel that ocean breeze,” she said after a deep breath.

“What’s the catch?” Scotty whispered to her. “Nobody’s gonna be givin’ us a house like this without expectin’ something in return.”

“Darling!” Mira gasped when she realized Apollo had heard.

“No, no, my child, he’s quite right,” Apollo said kindly as he came closer. “Mr. Scott, I was hoping to exploit your skills as an engineer.”

“What? How?” Scotty asked.

“I have plans for a canal system,” Apollo explained congenially, “to direct water down from the mountains to the city center, with pipes to carry it into every home and farm. I need your help to make it work.”

Carolyn looked at him, surprised.

“Surely a ‘god’ who can create a city outta nothin’ can manage some canals,” Scotty replied boldly.

Apollo kept smiling. “Buildings, roads, even harbors I have experience with. Canals I do not. If I could show you the plans I have mapped out, Engineer Scott, and the problems I am encountering, I would be very interested in hearing your suggestions.”

Scotty was incredulous, but Mira beamed with pride. Her new husband had skills valued by a god.

Apollo turned to Carolyn. “My love, surely the festivities have tired you. Thank you for being at my side. I will let you retire for the evening now.”

He kissed her cheek and before she could object, she found herself alone in the familiar surroundings of the ladies’ villa, dismissed.

Apollo smiled cordially at Mira. “I’ll only keep him an hour. I promise,” he said.

“Will ya be all right, lass?” Scotty asked. This seemed like strange timing to him.

“Oh, of course. I’ll just acquaint myself with the house. Thank you so much, Apollo.”

“You are most welcome, my child,” he said. “Your husband will be in your arms by sundown.”

She smiled as the men vanished.

Sure enough, just as the sun was setting an hour later, Scotty reappeared.

Mira ran to him in delight. “Oh, Scotty, we can have as many children as we want; there are so many bedrooms!”

“Did you choose one for us?” Scotty said suggestively.

“Mmm,” she purred, “but let’s watch the sunset over the ocean first.”

“You’re feeling shy,” Scotty ventured.

“Yes, a little. This has all been kind of sudden… and not the way we expected things to be.”

Scotty walked her out to the arcade. He sat down in a wide chaise and put his legs up, then pulled her down next to him.

“Were you able to help Apollo with his canal plans?” she asked.

“Aye.”

“Oh, I’m so proud of you, darling,” she told him.

He brushed her veil back and kissed her softly. “Let me remove your stephane.”

“My what?” she asked.

He took the crown from her head and set the veil down next to it on the small table by the chaise.

Her light brown hair was done up beautifully with beads and pins. He was careful not to mess it up as he stroked her face and planted light kisses down her slender neck.

“Oh, my delicate one, I promise in our wedding bed, I will be so gentle with you. It will not hurt.”

“Mmm. Oh, Scotty, I’m sorry to be nervous. I’m so happy,” she cooed. “We’re going to be together forever now.”

“Aye, lass.” He stood up. “Show me the bedroom you’ve chosen for us.”

She rose and led him wordlessly into the darkening house.

***

Jim lay in the dark with Edith in the bedroom where they always slept. His body was languid, but his mind was active.

“You haven’t noticed that the village by the ocean has grown? It’s more like a city now.”

“Oh?” Edith said sleepily.

“And today there was something new down there. I saw a gold glint, like a reflection. I wonder what it is?”

“Mm,” Edith hummed, nearly asleep.

“Tomorrow, we should try to walk down there, get a better look. I saw a trail.”

“It’s too far,” Edith mumbled. “Go to sleep, Jim.”

“Aren’t you curious?” It seemed to him like Edith ought to be curious. Spock would be, he thought. Spock’s mind was a wonder, such brilliance, so much control, yet he was a child when it came to curiosity. He had to know, understand. That trait had led him, like Jim, to Starfleet and their lives together.

Spock.  

Jim had hazy recollections of Spock freely sharing his magnificent mind with him. Lying here in the dark, with Edith asleep, he tried to pull them into focus. A vague awareness gnawed at him that life hadn’t always been as placid as it was now. There had been crises and obstacles, tumultuous times when his emotions were churning, times when anguish almost overcame him… and Spock had helped. 

Spock.

Jim recalled the comfort of Spock’s telepathic presence in his mind. It was the most soothing thing he’d ever experienced. So much gentleness and caring.

Spock loves me, Jim remembered, and I love him. The sudden awareness startled him and he gasped. They weren’t intimate physically, but only because Spock’s mating cycle was what it was. The mental connection they shared was profound and the melds they indulged in were incredibly satisfying. He glanced at Edith and felt guilt. What was he doing? He needed to get to Spock. 

Slipping on his tunic, he crept out to the arcade and looked up at the stars. Against the black sky, they shone with a fire that stirred his soul almost like a kind of lust. He and Spock traveled the stars together on the Enterprise. They were explorers.

My ship, Jim remembered. Is it in orbit?

He held a marble column and leaned out to search more of the moonless sky for motion, but there was nothing.

***

The library was a very different place at night. Apollo strode in with a torch and sneered when he saw Scotty asleep in a chair, slumped over one of the large tables with scrolls of diagrams and schematics laid out all around him. 

He regarded him for a moment, then bent over him in the flickering light. With his lips right by Scotty’s ear, he whispered, “You took something of mine, Engineer, and now I’ve taken something of yours.”

He started to laugh, just a chuckle at first, but soon his boisterous laughter filled the vaulted space. Scotty didn’t wake up.

“Go now, little man. Go to your ‘virgin’ bride,” he said as he laughed, and Scotty’s sleeping form vanished.

Chapter Text

“Plato would be appalled!” Apollo exclaimed in the middle of Yeoman Landon’s story. “I knew him well. He and his followers were moral men, a bit too inquisitive about the nature of the world for my taste, but upstanding Athenian citizens. Parmen must have gravely misinterpreted Plato’s teachings.”

“Well, however the Platonians started out, they turned sadistic after they left Earth and developed psychokinetic powers,” Martha Landon explained. “Parmen tortured the captain and Mr. Spock for his amusement… and after Dr. McCoy had saved his life.”

All of the ladies frowned and shook their heads. They all knew the story.

“I do not recognize the names Parmen or Philana, but I recall a small band of space travelers arriving on Earth during the time of Caligula. They told Zeus that their sun had novaed and he allowed them to stay, live among our children. They were very long-lived but not immortal like we gods. Zeus was impressed with their ingenuity and assiduousness. They contributed much, but alas could not save Rome from its eventual fall.”

“When we encountered them, they were lazy and complacent, spoiled by their telekinetic powers,” Yeoman Tamura offered.

“Idle hands lead to salacious forms of entertainment,” Apollo said. “It is a shame they dishonored Plato’s name with their perversity.”

“They forced Lt. Uhura and Nurse Chapel to kiss Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock,” Yeoman Landon revealed. “It really embarrassed Christine because she has a thing for Mr. Spock.”

“A thing?” Apollo asked.

“She likes him,” Landon clarified. 

“We shouldn’t be gossiping,” Yeoman Barrows said, “or telling other people’s stories.”

“Well Lt. Uhura and Nurse Chapel aren’t here,” Tamura protested, “and we’ve already told all of our stories.”

Apollo was enjoying this lively group of enlisted women. Their tongues were looser than the more guarded officers’. 

“Your stories have been splendid, ladies, and so well told. You should all be poets. The adventures of the Enterprise will long be remembered.” 

He knew in a few short generations these tales would be regarded as myths, far-fetched imaginings passed down from their ancestors. Yeoman Tamura’s tale would be called A Taste of Armageddon. Yeoman Barrows' story would be the song of Shore Leave, and Yeoman Landon’s poem would be The Apple. Future generations would likely not understand the Biblical references, but that would just add to their mystery and allure.

“Your captain has defeated many foes. He is a formidable man,” Apollo acknowledged.

“He is safe, isn’t he?” Tamura asked. 

“Oh, yes. Are any of you going to ask for him as your husband? He must be considered very desirable among the ladies.”

The women giggled and blushed. It was clear that they all found their young captain attractive. He’s probably bedded most of them, Apollo thought.

“Is he… romantically involved with any of you?”

They all quickly shook their heads.

“Oh, no, he would never!” Barrows said. “Not with a crewman.”

“He has quite a reputation for romancing women, but never someone under his command,” Martha Landon added.

Apollo looked from lady to lady and they seemed to be in unanimous agreement on this.

“Admirable,” Apollo said. “Captain Kirk must be a man of surprising restraint, to be surrounded by such beauty and not succumb.”

They all smiled at the compliment.

“Well, he has Mr. Spock,” Landon said.

“Martha! Those are just rumors,” Tonia Barrows objected.

“I just mean they’re very close friends,” Yeoman Landon defended. “They spend a lot of time with each other.”

“…in each other’s quarters,” a blond yeoman in the back whispered. The redhead next to her snickered.

Tonia was worried about her captain’s reputation and that Apollo’s moral code might judge homosexuality harshly, but the god seemed uninterested in whether this new information was true or false. To change the subject, she asked, “Why are you always called ‘Apollo’ in the ancient myths… er… stories, but Zeus is sometimes called Jupiter?”

“Yes, and Aphrodite is Venus,” Yeoman Lawton added, “and Poseidon is Neptune. Why is that?”

Apollo sighed. “After Athens fell and Rome rose to power, there were many changes in the way people worshipped. Rites and rituals were altered, gods were honored in new ways. I made certain the name Apollo endured, but many of the other gods permitted their renaming.”

“Why would they do that?” Tonia asked.

Apollo frowned. “Many of the gods were becoming apathetic, disinterested in humanity, and it showed. Without our guidance, people began commiting sacrilege, worshipping false gods. Cults sprang up that worshipped trees!”

”Trees?” Yeoman Tamura laughed.

”Trees, rocks, the moon….” Apollo rolled his eyes. There was even a Judaic sect that worshipped a baby, just because it was born on a night that a supernova was visible in the sky. The citizens of Rome grew increasingly gullible to superstitious coming out of the province of Judea, until even a sitting emperor started believing this baby could perform miracles and bestow everlasting life on mortals. Ha!” Apollo shook his head.

The ladies looked around at each other uncomfortably, not sure what to say.

“Yes, Carolyn tells me that particular ‘religion’ got a bit of a foothold over the centuries, and some of you may even be believers, but it is no matter. I will lead you back to the proper ways of worship.”

Apollo rose from his seat in the grassy glade and smiled. He wanted to recapture the pleasant mood. “And now, I have a surprise for you,” he announced, “as a reward for regaling me with your captivating tales of glory.”

Suddenly, they were all on horseback, riding in two single-file lines across a green meadow.

“Oh, my!” shrieked a few of the girls who had never been on a horse before.

“Just hold onto their manes and be calm. They are gentle beasts and they know the way back to the stables,” Apollo reassured.

“They’re so beautiful,” Yeoman Barrows said, patting the neck of her Palomino.

Apollo pulled up alongside her. “You’ve ridden before,” he said, admiring her poise and confidence.

“Yes. I’m from South Dakota. Lots of plains to ride there. I used to go out for hours on my mare, Brown Betty. This is wonderful!”

He watched as she took in a deep breath and blew it out with gusto.

“You enjoy nature,” he observed.

“Yes.”

“In your tale of the shore leave planet where a person’s dreams come to life, you said how happy you were at first with that planet’s exceptional natural beauty.”

“Before we discovered that our dreams could be deadly, yes. It was lovely after being in space for so long.”

“I would have liked to see you in that princess dress. You described it quite well, right down to the pointed hat and gossamer veil,” he said.

She smiled remembering how Dr. McCoy had encouraged her to put it on. Then, he’d looked at her like she was the most precious thing in the galaxy, a lady to be protected and defended. It was comforting after Don Juan gave her such a scare. 

“I think I may choose Dr. McCoy,” she disclosed. “I didn’t want to say in front of the other girls.”

“Why is that?”

She smiled. “He had a little crush on me for a while and a couple of girls teased me about his age. They called him ‘Grandpa.’ I always really liked him though.”

She patted the palomino's neck.

“I think older men make fine husbands,” Apollo commented. “Besides, you don’t want passion. Look how frightened you were of Don Juan.”

“Well, he tore my dress! He came at me with this hungry look like he was going to… like he wanted to…”

“…fulfill your fantasy?”

“No! I never wanted…”

“…to be ravished by a passionate lover in his velvet prime, a man legendary for his skill in pleasuring women?” Apollo asked. “That is what your mind created.”

She looked shocked. “No!” She wished she’d never explained to him who Don Juan was.

“Are you ever sorry you cried out, alerted the others? Do you wonder what it would have been like to submit to whatever he had in mind?”

Tonia was blushing furiously by now and felt affronted at Apollo’s inappropriate questions. She looked ahead and realized that they were falling behind the others, and that made her nervous.

“I… I much prefer a gentleman like Leonard McCoy.” She gave her horse a couple of hard kicks, but he didn’t walk any faster. “When I saw him dead, killed by that knight’s lance, I cried and cried. That must mean I love him, right?”

“And you shall have him if that is your choice.”

“But what if another woman also wants him? One of the officers… Dr. Noel or Nurse Chapel or…”

“He will be yours, I promise.”

“Oh… well, thank you.”

“But, while you are still unwed, I want to offer you something…”

His horse was very close to hers now and his muscular calf was brushing against hers. His eyes had taken on a predatory look that frightened her. The others were still within earshot. If she cried out loudly enough, they could hear her, but for some reason she didn’t. 

“I think you lie awake at night wondering how this Don Juan your mind conjured could have made you feel. It was a ‘pleasure planet’ after all, designed to grant every secret fantasy. You must wonder what sex like that would have been like… carnal… wild.”

Her breath was coming fast and her heart was pounding like a hammer. Their two horses had stopped. She couldn’t yell. She couldn’t speak. 

What’s he going to do?! I thought he loved Lt. Palamas, but he wants me. Me!

She felt damp and tingly between her legs, but she always felt like that when riding horseback. Oh, how she had missed that sensation, the rippling feeling of gentle arousal. But she was feeling more than that now. Apollo’s intense expression and muscular body reminded her of the Don Juan in the woods. Did she regret crying out? Did she wonder what that encounter could have been like?

“Your past lovers have disappointed you, Tonia,” he guessed correctly. “I will not. You will know, just this once, what true rapture is.”

The horses were moving again… turning toward the forest. The other riders were nowhere in sight. He hoped she wouldn’t try to run. Daphne had tried to run, even though he promised her such pleasure.

He’s taking me into the woods to rape me! I should try to get away, she thought, but the motion of the saddle-less horse beneath her was making her throb, and she could feel her nipples hardening against the rub of her tunic’s fabric. Unmistakable desire was rising in her. Oh, God. Oh, no! I want this.

They dismounted at the tree line and she met his hungry expression with her own. He smiled wickedly at the victory as he swept her up in his arms and carried her into the thick woods.

***

Kirk woke up screaming.

“Oh! Darling, what is it?!” Edith said.

“Spock! Nooo!”

Jim dashed out of bed and ran completely naked through the dark house, desperate to get outside. When he could finally look down toward the city by the sea, he was surprised to find no smoke coming from below, no wreckage. He stood there panting, with his eyes wide and his mind in knots, trying to make sense of it.

Edith met him with a bedsheet. “Jim, for goodness sakes.” She draped the sheet around his shoulders. “Come back inside.”

Bones appeared in the arcade, “What’s all this caterwauling in the middle of the damn night? What is it, Jim?”

The doctor approached his friend and saw his stricken face. “Hey,” he comforted softly, putting his hand on Jim’s arm. He followed Kirk’s wild eyes to the ocean, but all was peaceful.

“The Enterprise… it fell out of orbit… crashed down there.” He realized as he said it that it hadn’t really happened, but the dream seemed so real. Flame had streaked across the pre-dawn sky and the sonic booms had rattled the villa like thunder. The impact of the starship on the shoreline displaced thousands of tons of water and tore up the coast. Spock was dead. All of his crew were dead. He’d lost his command.

“Jim, it was a nightmare,” Bones said gently. “Everything is all right.” He rubbed Kirk’s back and tried to calm him.

“Let me make an early breakfast,” Edith offered. “It will be light soon. You’ll feel better when the sun comes up.”

Jim’s eyes still struggled to make out details from below. “What’s down there, Bones?” 

“Other folks on shore leave, I reckon,” McCoy offered. Jim was still riveted to the cliffside and made no sign of wanting to go back indoors.

“This isn’t shore leave, Bones,” Jim whispered. “If it were shore leave, we’d have our communicators. You’d have your medkit. Spock would be here.”

“Oh, I’m sure that pointy-eared hobgoblin is up there mindin’ the store so you can enjoy yourself and get some much-deserved rest,” McCoy drawled. 

“I want to talk to him.” 

“He’ll surely be in touch soon. I wouldn’t worry…”

“No!” Kirk said, refusing to be placated. “We’re leaving, Bones.”

“Leaving? To go where?”

“There,” Jim said, never taking his eyes off the dark city below. 

“That’s a day’s journey of difficult hiking,” McCoy complained. “The girls can’t make it.”

“They’re not coming.” Jim wrapped his sheet around himself and strode with purpose back into the villa for his clothes. Their uniforms had been gone for days, maybe weeks. How long have we been here? He couldn’t remember. The days and nights were a blur.

“Jim, we’d need boots for a hike like that. Be practical. We can’t do it in these flimsy things,” he said, kicking the row of sandals that were always laid out for them in the same place every day.

“We can and we will,” Kirk said with determination. 

Bones kept complaining, but he followed the captain’s orders. Soon, they were ready to set out. 

“At least take some food and wine, if you must do this, darling,” Edith begged. 

“No. It clouds my head.”

“At least some water then,” Nancy suggested to the doctor. “Please, Plum.”

“There’s a stream running along the trail. We’ll be fine. Come on, Bones,” Jim said, wanting to get out of there before he lost the desire for action.

As they descended on the steep, narrow trail, McCoy kept looking back over his shoulder at Nancy until she and Edith were out of sight. Then, he started concentrating on keeping up with Jim. The man was on a mission.

“Do ya know the state our feet are gonna be in tonight, Jim? Of all the hair-brained notions… and stop kickin’ up so much damn dust.” McCoy coughed to punctuate his complaint.

“You’re 49, Doctor. Stop acting like you’re 99.”

Bones huffed and fell silent. Parts of the trail were craggy and challenging, taking too much of his breath anyway.

By mid-morning, Jim finally stopped by the stream. “Let’s drink and rest for a bit,” he said. His mind was clearing and he could tell by the quality of Bones’ questions that his was too.

“How could Nancy still be that young, Jim? She was 25 when I was 32.” McCoy splashed his face and took his sandals off to soak his feet. “And Edith… how is she here? And where is here, anyway? Are we in the past somehow?”

“I feel like that city holds the answers, Bones.”

They drank their fill from cupped hands and sat on some large boulders until Jim decided it was time to move on.

“Do you think we’re halfway there?” McCoy asked.

Jim glanced up the mountain, then down. “No,” he said apologetically.

“Hm,” Bones grunted and fell in behind his friend without protest.

As the trek became more monotonous, Jim found himself lost in thought. Memories of Spock and their close friendship filled his mind. It felt comfortable, like his thoughts were accustomed to revolving around Spock and his warm feelings for him. He recalled telepathic moments they had shared where it felt like they were one person. There was no loneliness or discontentment when they were joined together like that. The world was bliss. Spock’s mind was incredible and being melded with it was a privilege. 

Jim remembered he had been foregoing relationships with women for over six months. He just didn’t need them anymore. Edith. What was I doing with Edith?

Bones nearly ran into Jim when he abruptly stopped dead in his tracks. 

“Edith is dead,” Jim said without turning.

“So is Nancy,” McCoy said soberly. He had just worked it out. She’d married the archeologist Robert Crater and the salt creature killed her at an archeological dig on planet M-113. “How did we forget that? What’s wrong with us?”

Jim turned around. “Some kind of mind control, but why? Who?”

“What is this planet?” Bones wondered. “That house we’ve been livin’ in looks like something outta ‘The Iliad.’”

“Apollo,” Jim suddenly recalled. “This is Pollux IV.”

“He took all the women!” McCoy remembered. “Do you think he’s holding them in that city?” Bones shaded his eyes and looked down on the Athenian-style settlement. “Could he be brainwashing them like he did with us?”

“We’ll have some answers soon,” Jim said, pressing on.

When they were about halfway down the mountain, Kirk realized the doctor was lagging. He slowed his pace to allow him to catch up, but McCoy urged him on. “If I fall too far behind, I’ll call out, Jim.” 

So, the captain blazed on ahead, eager to discover what had been kept from them all this time. Suddenly, he spotted a man coming toward him around a bend in the trail. He was dressed in a tunic and sandals, and the midday sun was gleaming off his shiny black hair.

“Captain,” Spock greeted.

“Spock!”

Jim smiled and ran to him. He grabbed his upper arms in the partial embrace that Spock allowed.

“I am glad to find you well, Jim. I have suspected for some time that Apollo had imprisoned you on Mt. Palladia. Did he hurt you?”

“No. Quite the opposite in fact.” Jim swallowed and Spock was puzzled by the guilt he saw in his friend’s eyes. “Bones was there, too. He’s just a few minutes behind me. We just regained our senses a few hours ago. We weren’t imprisoned in the traditional sense. Our minds were affected somehow with hallucinations; we didn’t want to leave… until today.”

“What changed?” Spock asked.

“I had a nightmare that cut through the euphoria Apollo created. I dreamed that the ship fell from orbit and crashed down there.” He indicated the beach. “You were dead.” Jim looked at Spock, drinking in his face. He longed for a proper embrace. “Maybe it was the food or wine up there, but leaving seems to have cleared our heads. Are you okay?”

“Yes. I have experienced none of the symptoms you describe, but the crew may be affected. They are adjusting to life under Apollo’s rule more swiftly than I would have predicted.”

“Oh?”

Kirk didn’t like the sound of that, but before he could find out more, McCoy shouted, “Well, I’ll be! You finally comin’ to rescue us, Spock? A little late, aren’t ya?”

“I see you have survived your ‘ordeal,’ Doctor,” Spock said with an eyebrow raise.

“Oh, Jim told ya about that already, did he?”

“Some of it,” Jim said. 

“Best jail I’ve ever been in, I’ll tell ya that… until Jim here decided he felt like a nice little hike,” McCoy grumbled. “How long were we there?”

“Two weeks, five days.”

“That long?” Jim said. He would have guessed a week.

“I had Apollo’s assurances that you were safe, Captain, but he would not disclose your location.”

Jim guessed the worry that had caused his first officer. Spock was very protective of him. Obviously, the decision to stay in the city with the crew had been a difficult one for him.

“Three days ago, I decided to climb the mountain, but Apollo stopped me,” Spock said.

“With a thunderbolt?” McCoy asked.

“No. I have not seen him wield power in that fashion since I arrived. He has been… restrained. No overt displays of anger. On the contrary, he has played a convivial host.”

“How did he stop you, then?” Bones asked. “Block your way with a maypole?”

“I simply found myself transported back to my villa, Doctor, where he politely indicated I should remain… but today, I tried again, and either Apollo allowed it or was otherwise engaged and does not know I am missing.”

“Perhaps this isn’t a coincidence, us escaping as you were coming to look for us,” Kirk said. “Maybe he let us go.”

“Possibly,” Spock considered.

“How much further is it to the Acropolis, tour guide?” Bones asked Spock.

Being with Jim and the doctor again really made Spock feel good, but he didn't let it show.

As they made their way down the trail together, Spock summarized events and fielded questions.

“So who am I supposed to tie the knot with?” McCoy asked him. “Anybody choose an ol’ country doctor with a friendly face and a passable bedside manner.”

Jim grinned.

“Indeed. Yeoman Tonia Barrows,” Spock informed.

“Well!” the doctor exclaimed, surprised and flattered. “Tonia, huh?” He’d always liked her, but thought he was too old to be her type.

“Don’t get used to that idea, Bones,” Kirk warned. “There aren’t going to be any marriages if I have anything to say about it.”

“There has already been one, Jim,” Spock revealed.

“Who? Apollo and Palamas?”

Spock shook his head. “Lt. Romaine and Mr. Scott.”

Bones and Kirk looked at each other in surprise.

“It wasn’t coerced?” Jim guessed. Everyone on the ship knew Mira and Scotty were in love.

“It did not seem to be, no.” Spock confirmed. “It was quite a grand, festive event with all of the planetside crew in attendance. I have not been able to speak privately with Mr. Scott since he arrived, but Nurse Chapel reported to me that Apollo sent him up into the mountains shortly after the wedding to survey for a canal project.”

“Is Christine all right?” Bones asked.

“Yes,” Spock said. “She and Lt. Uhura have been caring for Lt. Palamas who is reportedly pregnant.”

“So much for Apollo’s moralizing,” McCoy said, rolling his eyes. “Guess he wanted to start breedin’ that new race of gods right away.”

Spock looked uncomfortable.

“What is it?” Jim asked.

“Their mating was apparently… difficult for her,” Spock said.

“What do you mean?” Bones wanted to know.

“She was delivered to the communal villa, where she resides with Lt. Uhura and Nurse Chapel, in poor condition… the night it happened.”

“He hurt her?” the doctor asked with disgust.

“Apparently so. She recovered quickly and presided with Apollo over Mr. Scott’s wedding the following afternoon.”

“Has he hurt anyone else?” Kirk asked with a tight mouth.

“Not to my knowledge, but he only includes me in outings and activities when music is required.” Seeing his friends’ confused expressions, Spock elaborated, “He enjoys my singing and harp playing.”

They tried to hide it, but Spock caught the amused glance they shared.

With a raised eyebrow, he added indignantly, “He is also fond of my storytelling.”

McCoy broke out laughing. “You’re the court jester!”

“Bones,” Jim warned gently, then changed the subject. “We need to be making a plan. Spock, what weaknesses have you seen in Apollo that we might be able to exploit?”

“I have seen none. If anything, he is more powerful now than when we first encountered him three years ago. He is more tempered and less impulsive. Lt. Palmer reported to me that he intends to bide his time and not demand worship from the ‘first generation.’ He told a group she was in that he will not force the old ways on the Enterprise crew since modern people have forgotten. We are to be reintroduced to Ancient Greek traditions slowly and teach them to our children.”

“Are you gonna have children, Spock? They got a wife arranged for you who likes harps and pointed ears?”

“Bones,” Jim cautioned.

“Unknown,” Spock said. 

He glanced at Kirk, then turned back to McCoy. “I do not believe Apollo wants Vulcan DNA in his gene pool, but if a marriage is planned for me, I will not comply.”

The doctor huffed out a chuckle. “I’m sure Christine will be disappointed to hear that.”

Jim frowned. Pon farr might change his mind for him unless I can get us the hell out of here.  

Most Vulcan males, Kirk knew, are forced by their biology to procreate every seven years, ideally on Vulcan with their bondmate. But the woman Spock’s parents selected for him didn’t want him.

Spock nearly died, Jim recalled. He thought he’d be spared the pon farr, but it caught up to him. Who knows when it may come again? Seven year cycles are for full-Vulcans. Spock is half-human. His hybrid nature is unique, unpredictable.

Jim looked at his friend. Even in a ridiculously short tunic, Spock had a dignity that commanded respect. Kirk admired him. Seeing him stripped of his mental controls and betrayed by a raging sex drive had been upsetting. He hoped he’d never have to see Spock looking so humiliated ever again.

Turn to me, Spock, if and when your pon farr returns, Jim thought. Turn to me.

There wasn’t much of their minds Kirk and Spock hadn’t shared with one another by now. Jim was fairly sure that Spock knew he felt this way, but they didn’t speak of it. He asked him once if his parents were searching for another bondmate for him and Spock had slowly shaken his head while looking deeply into Kirk’s eyes. Jim hoped that meant what he thought it meant.

I love you, Spock, Jim thought. I’m so sorry about Edith. I don’t know why my mind created…

“Captain?” Spock said, realizing Kirk’s attention had wandered.

“Uh, what?”

“I was speculating about Apollo’s reason for asking me the birth dates of all male crewmen.”

“He’s bein’ so kind and hospitable… maybe he’s wantin’ to throw us all birthday bashes,” McCoy suggested sarcastically.

Spock ignored him.

“At first, I told him I would need to access the Enterprise’s computers for that information, but he knew I was not being truthful. He is familiar with Vulcan intellectual abilities. He told me Pan was a Vulcan who Zeus rescued from slavery. He was the captive of a space-faring band called the Bahruhn. Zeus drove them from Earth.”

“Hm,” Jim said. “So you gave him the information… about the crew’s birthdates?”

“I saw no reason not to.”

“You were right not to take a stand over something like that. It is curious, though,” Jim mused. “I wonder what he’s planning?”

***

Yeoman Martha Landon lay panting, her body still shuddering from the intense pleasure she’d experienced.

“Oh, ohhh!” she moaned.

Apollo ran the back of his hand over her hard nipples one more time, just to tease her, and her muscles clenched and stuttered as she came yet again.

“Ahh! Stop. Please, stop!”

He raised up and watched her writhe beneath him. She was beautiful. The Enterprise women were so beautiful. He smiled as she gasped and caught her breath.

“That was… unbelievable. I’ve never….” She looked up at him with wonder and he smiled at the praise. “You make love like… well, like a Greek god!”

He looked confused.

“It’s a saying,” she explained. “When a man is exceptionally handsome and virile, we call him a ‘Greek god.’”

Apollo looked pleased. “As well you should,” he said. “Are there any ‘Greek gods’ on your starship?” His expression was warm and playful.

“No, not really. My Pavel has some lovely qualities, but his biceps aren’t among them.” She giggled as two strongly muscled arms helped her up.

Apollo remembered introducing himself as a god to the landing party three years ago and Ensign Chekov’s snide retort: “…and I am the czar of all the Russias.” Such a young fool he was, unworthy of a beautiful woman like this. 

As they dressed, he told her the news. “Pavel Chekov is not an acceptable husband for you. You must select an older man to wed.”

“What?!” All the women had been told they could take the husband of their choice. She loved Pavel… more or less.

“I have decided this first generation of women will take husbands over 40 years of age. The younger men must remain single and available for your daughters to wed when they come of age.”

She was stunned. “Pavel is one of the youngest men, but in 20 years, he will be…”

“…quite ready for wedlock,” Apollo interjected. “He can even be your daughter’s husband perhaps.”

“Oh!” She recoiled. The idea of Pavel being her son-in-law disgusted her. “No, no! It’s…”

“…arithmetic, my dear. Arithmetic,” he said casually. “Numbers. The Enterprise men outnumber the women four to one. It troubles me that I need to amend my promise to you all. You may still choose your husbands… but they must, by necessity, be over 40.”

“Why can’t our daughters marry their peers?” 

“Your granddaughters can, but unless you want to consign ¾ of the Enterprise men to permanent bachelorhood, your daughters must be their wives.”

She wanted to protest, but had to admit she saw the logic in it. Perhaps she and Pavel could have secret liaisons. 

Her mind raced to identify a man over 40 who she was compatible with and might not mind sharing her with a young lover. After a moment, she said, “I don’t really know who’s over 40 and who’s not.”

“Mr. Spock has supplied me with a list of birth dates,” Apollo said. “I will be posting it today, but you may see it now and have your first choice…” He handed her a scroll. “…as long as it is not Dr. McCoy. He is the choice of Tonia Barrows.”

At the mention of Yeoman Barrows, Martha smirked knowingly. “Tonia told me what happened between you two.”

“Oh?” Apollo said, surprised.

“Yes, in the woods, after riding bareback,” she said in a sultry whisper. “Mmm. The ecstasy she described… well, I thought she must be exaggerating, but clearly she wasn’t.”

“She piqued your interest, did she?” He reached out and cupped her clothed breast and started stroking her nipple lightly through her tunic. Her breath caught.

“Do all of you women talk to each other about such things?” Apollo asked in a husky whisper.

“Some of us… in the bath,” she choked out as his fingers rolled her nipples.

He imagined a group of naked women, bathing and describing his sexual prowess. The image pleased him.

“Do you touch yourselves… or each other?” he asked, reaching between her legs with his free hand.

Oh, God! He wants more. So did she, but the first time had been so intense, Martha wasn’t sure she could handle a second go right now. She’d been making eyes at him all morning, telling the most sexually-charged stories she could think of about their missions, hoping he would try to get her alone like he had done with Tonia. 

This anteroom off the library was small and seemed constructed just for trysts. The oversized chaise was obviously more of a bed than a reading area and took up most of the space. He had locked the door behind them and done what he was doing now. His hand hummed with a heat and vibration between her legs. It made her knees turn to jelly and only the strength of his arm kept her standing.

“Ohhhh, Apollo! Ah, ahhh!”

“Can you touch each other like this? Make it feel like this?” he asked seductively.

“No. No!”

He was hard again and he put her hand on his shaft to pump it, but she’d lost all coordination.

“Ugh, uhhh, uh, uhhh!” She was starting to cry from the pleasure. The throbbing was becoming unbearable and her ears were deafened by the sound of her racing blood. She fell bonelssly onto the chaise when Apollo suddenly removed his hand to clasp his own throbbing body. He held himself tightly for a moment, then dove on top of her, pushing up her long dress and spreading her powerless legs. 

When he entered her for the second time, she screamed and seemed not to know where she was. Her body was just a trembling sheath for the hard heat radiating at its center. It threatened to consume her from within. Mindless joy rippled through her, quelling her desire to get away, to stop the invasion. His thrusts rocked her and her useless limbs lolled back and forth. The core of her body was clenching around the invader, though, trying to hold still the hammering piston that couldn’t be stilled. 

Help me! her mind cried. What’s happening?!  

She was producing so much lubrication the fucking sounds were becoming obscene. She couldn’t so much hear them, as she could feel the smacking of each stroke. Finally, something gave. Her tight core erupted with glorious waves of release.

“Aaaargh!” he growled as he came. 

When the spots finally began to clear from her vision, Martha saw that Apollo was dressed and about to open the door from the anteroom to the library. She struggled to get her dress pulled down in case anyone was out there.

“Come to the agora when you have recovered. Bring the list,” he said, then unlocked the door and left.

***

“This place is huge! How in blazes did he create all this?” McCoy marveled as they made their way down from the foothills to the city center. “All he had was that little temple before.”

“Our prior supposition that Apollo’s power emanated from that temple structure was erroneous, I have come to believe,” Spock said.

Kirk frowned. Apollo apparently had more to offer his crew than he’d thought. As Spock led them closer to the agora, the hum of a crowd filled their ears. 

“Perhaps I should take you to my villa by a different route,” Spock suggested. “I live alone and could conceal you there.”

“No, I want to see what’s going on,” Kirk said.

Apollo was standing on the steps of his library delivering what seemed to be unpopular news.

“Lt. Garrovick and I have been dating for two years!” Yeoman Teresa Ross shouted out in despair.

Apollo zeroed in on her voice and walked down to her level to look her in the face. “Two years, you say? Two years and this prōktós didn’t offer you marriage?”

She could tell by his tone that this was an insult.

“David’s a fine man!” she defended. “The best. His father was a starship captain.”

“Ah, yes, the ensign who helped Captain Kirk defeat the cloud creature.” He remembered the petite blonde relating the tale of Kirk’s obsession with the malevolent cloud creature.

“That’s right. He’s just young and…”

“…not yet ready for marriage, as I have determined,” Apollo said. “You must trust that I know what is best for your happiness, my child.” He held her chin for a moment, then with a patronizing smile, he ascended the library steps.

Dr. Helen Noel moved in to comfort Yeoman Ross as her tears started to fall. Jim, Spock, and McCoy slid into the back of the crowd unnoticed to listen. All eyes were on Apollo.

“Everything I wanted is over now,” Teresa sobbed softly to Dr. Noel. “I only want David.”

It was all Helen could do to keep her own tears at bay; she wanted the captain, who had just turned 38. Her mind, like Teresa’s, was churning with possible alternatives. Lesser alternatives, she thought sadly. She pictured a Jim Kirk in his 50’s with a child bride in her late teens. It seemed so wrong. She glared up at Apollo. 

Several members of the crew had confided in her, as the staff psychologist, that they had been seduced by Apollo. None of them regretted it and word was spreading quickly how talented he was in the bedroom. She wondered if giving them older husbands, who may not be able to satisfy them, was Apollo’s way of luring more women to his bed.

Will he still try to entice us after we’re married? she wondered. The rules of behavior as laid out in the Hall of Virtue clearly didn’t apply to a god.

“Temptation can be difficult to resist,” Apollo was saying, “so to maintain morality and to honor the vows of marriage, all men 39 and under will have their own colony on a suitable island, where they will reside until called forth.”

“What?”

“My God!”

“No!

“Why?”

The crowd protested.

“My children, think of your daughters. These young men will ripen with age and sire you fine grandchildren,” Apollo said over the sounds of dissent.

Uhura took a couple of steps up toward Apollo. “Our men are supposed to just live there alone with no women for twenty years?!” she asked for clarity.

“A fine test of their fortitude it will be,” Apollo said smiling. “Odysseus was away from his home and family for twenty years and his reunion with his loyal wife Penelope was made sweeter by the trials he endured.”

“It seems so cruel. That’s a quarter of a man’s life!” Nurse Chapel couldn’t help but say, even though she was realizing this turn of events might work to her benefit. Mr. Spock is 41. Without Captain Kirk, he will need someone…

“I can make the passage of time swift or arduous for them, depending on whether they please me with the tasks I set for them. When they have earned their brides, they may come to claim them.”

“What if they don’t want to marry teenaged girls?!” Lt. Palmer asked. The communications officer was in her forties and couldn’t picture any of the men she dated being interested in a teenager.

“Miss Palmer, perhaps you need Dr. Noel to explain men to you,” Apollo said with a berating sneer. His face was beginning to lose its cool, benevolent look. These ungrateful women were trying his patience.

“Apollo,” Tonia Barrows said sweetly from beside Nurse Chapel, “When can the weddings begin?” She wanted to help Apollo get things back on track, and she wanted to know when Leonard would be beaming down. After her intense experience with the god, she yearned for the doctor’s gentle touch.

Apollo smiled, “Well, my dear, as luck would have it, your chosen mate has just arrived…,” he announced loudly, “with your noble captain.” The crowd gasped and followed his line of sight, all turning at once to find a very dusty and tired Kirk, Spock, and McCoy.

“Captain!” the women in the back row shouted with delight, rushing up to him. Those near the library tried to push through to the back.

“Thank God the captain’s here,” Uhura said to Christine. They tried to get to him, but as soon as they got close enough to see through the crowd, the three men disappeared.

All eyes turned back to Apollo. “Our weary travelers need to bathe and rest. You will see them tomorrow at the wedding of Tonia Barrows and Leonard McCoy!” He said it like everyone would cheer, but no one did, not even Tonia.

Chapter Text

“We are in my villa,” Spock said as McCoy and Kirk spun around, taking in their new surroundings.

“Nice place,” Bones said. 

“Apollo sent us here?” Kirk asked.

“Presumably,” Spock replied.

“He doesn’t want us interacting with the crew,” Jim said.

“Apparently not,” Spock agreed. “Captain, I suggest that we…”

From a marble statue of Apollo in the center of the room, the real Apollo suddenly emerged.

“Captain, Doctor,” he greeted cordially. “I trust you have enjoyed my hospitality.”

“Not really,” McCoy quipped.

“Bones,” Jim cautioned, remembering how mercurial Apollo’s mood could be.

“Well your arrival is fortuitous. I was going to fetch you down from the mountain tomorrow anyway, Doctor. It’s your wedding day. The charming Miss Barrows has made her selection.”

“I’m flattered, but I’m afraid that…,” McCoy began.

“You needn’t be afraid, Doctor. Her expectations are quite low,” Apollo smirked.

McCoy opened his mouth to fire back, but Apollo cut him off.

“You all need to bathe. Perhaps the bridegroom would prefer to bathe with his wife-to-be…”

Suddenly, the doctor vanished.

“Bones!” Kirk shouted at thin air. 

Spock maintained the appearance of calm. 

“Where is he?!” the captain demanded.

“You will see him tomorrow at the ceremony. It will be at midday in the Hall of Virtue. Pan knows where that is,” he said, glancing at Spock.

“There’ll be no forced marriages among my crew!” Kirk yelled.

“I’m sure you will find your doctor to be quite a willing participant tomorrow,” Apollo said casually. He circled around them slowly, trying to ascertain if what he’d heard about them was true. They displayed no affection for one another that he could see. It will be interesting to watch them, he thought.

“Do you plan to keep us here indefinitely,” Kirk asked.

“You and Pan may share this villa… until you leave for the island, Captain Kirk, with the others. I would love to make an exception for you, Captain, let you stay, but the younger men will need quality leadership and Pan will need the space for his wife and family.” He winked at Spock and disappeared.

Jim and Spock looked at each other when he was gone. “Are we alone?” Kirk asked.

“I believe so, though I am never certain. He has appeared suddenly in my house before,” Spock said, “usually through that statue. We should be careful what we say and do.”

Jim nodded. He longed to mind meld with Spock, but it didn’t seem wise without a reasonable assurance of privacy.

“Let’s clean up,” Jim said, spotting the two deep, spacious baths. “The villa on the mountain had baths the size of swimming pools, too. How are your feet, Spock? As torn up as mine?”

Jim removed his sandals to reveal painful-looking blisters. He hobbled to the closest bath and started undressing. Spock looked away until his captain was fully in the water.

Then Jim did the same while Spock undressed and slid into the neighboring pool. They were still within talking distance. 

“My feet are not blistered,” Spock said.

“Good. My kingdom for some boots and socks,” Jim said. “Guess I should have just waited for him to transport us down here. Sounds like he was going to.”

“I, also, was tired of waiting,” Spock said.

Jim smiled at his friend and beckoned him to the chest-high barrier that divided the two pools. “I missed you, too,” he whispered when they were close enough. “Spock, can we meld? Does Apollo know about your telepathy?”

“I am uncertain, though I do not think so.”

“It might be a good way to share information without speaking,” Jim suggested.

“If Apollo suddenly appears, I will claim to be massaging your temples because you have a headache,” Spock proposed.

Jim nodded. He did have a headache… and a bellyache. He hadn’t eaten all day. The bath felt good, but the soothing comfort of Spock’s mind would feel better. I hope Bones is all right, he thought. He felt guilty for appreciating this time alone with Spock.

Spock finished first, dried, and dressed in a clean tunic. He laid one out for Jim then went to the kitchen to provide his captain ample privacy.

Soon, Jim joined him and found that Spock had made him dinner.

“The food here worries me, Spock. I thought perhaps it was the reason I couldn’t think clearly,” Jim said, hesitant to take a bite of anything.

“I have felt no ill-effects from it, and you must eat, Jim.”

“Well, if I start calling you Edith, shut me away somewhere and don’t let me eat anything more, huh?”

Spock looked concerned, but nodded. “Then, you hallucinated that you saw Edith Keeler?” he deduced.

“Saw her, talked to her, slept with her,” Jim confessed. Better now than later, he decided.

“I see,” Spock said.

How many times had he hurt Spock with his dalliances with women? He used to not know he was doing it, but now that Spock’s feelings were known to him, he felt terrible.

“Spock, I’m sorry. I don’t know why my mind chose her. For Bones, it was Nancy Crater.”

“Women of emotional importance to each of you,” Spock said simply. “Women who you have lost and grieved.” 

“Well, I’m glad the spell is broken and I’m out of there. Bones really didn’t want to go… and now it sounds like Apollo will twist his mind again over Yeoman Barrows.” His mouth grew tight. He didn’t like to see his friends and crew manipulated.

“What are we going to do tomorrow at the ceremony if Dr. McCoy appears to be a willing participant?” Spock inquired.

Jim thought about it. He could let the union happen. Back on the Enterprise it could be annulled for having occurred under duress. Or… he could make a stink and possibly get himself killed. He wanted to have Spock’s opinion and all the knowledge of the situation Spock had accumulated over the past three weeks. He finished eating and whispered, “Let’s meld.”

Spock glanced at the two beds behind a gossamer curtain, but led the captain to a chaise near the kitchen table. They sat and Spock touched Kirk’s face. Warmth rushed into Jim. The comfort of Spock’s familiar mind touching his was so soothing. It was like the full-bodied embrace he had craved when he first saw Spock on the trail. The joy of being together again this way filled them both.

Jim. Your absence was difficult for me.

I’m sorry I wasn’t fighting to get to you, Spock, but memories of you and the Enterprise were suppressed.

I know. He could see Jim’s experiences and his perceptions. There was no way Jim could hide any part of the experience and had learned not to try. Spock felt his rapturous adoration of Edith and let Jim feel his sadness.

Spock knew Jim wished it could be him in his arms, in his bed.

This is enough, Spock. This is everything. Truly, this merging of minds was the deepest intimacy Jim had ever experienced. He would give up all sexual relationships for the rest of his life to have this mental oneness with Spock.

Their thoughts and emotions wound around each other’s and soon they were floating in a place where one was indistinguishable from the other.

Love, admiration, acceptance, understanding flowed through their connection. Spock’s experiences filled Jim’s awareness and vice versa. Sharing in a meld was so much deeper than anything spoken language could provide… and faster. When Spock receded from his mind, Jim had a perfect knowledge of his thoughts and impressions, and the sun had barely moved in the sky. 

As Spock’s warm fingers moved to withdraw, they found Kirk’s temples and lingered there, massaging gently.

Jim opened his eyes and looked into Spock’s. There was no shame or embarrassment as self-awareness returned. Jim smiled.

“How is your headache?” Spock asked.

“Gone,” Jim said softly with gratitude and affection.

***

“You made a lot of promises to me, Apollo!” Carolyn said. “We were supposed to be one in this, building a glorious new world together. I don’t understand why I’ve been excluded, put on a shelf. The people should see me by your side if they are to respect me as your equal!”

“My equal?” Apollo chuckled. “Darling, the children you bear me will perhaps be my equals, but you are a mortal, a wisp of air, a breath of sweet fragrance before oblivion.”

“What? I thought you could make me immortal like you!”

“My love, you will live well and produce many children, but your mortal nature is what it is and we must eventually part.”

“Why marry me at all if our life together is just going to be a blip in time to you? What will we do when I am shriveled and old and you are still like this? How will we have a marriage then?”

“Carolyn, you shall be remembered in the ballads as the mother of gods.”

“I don’t want to be remembered. I want to live as long as you live and always be at your side!”

“My Carolyn, there is an order to the universe. I should have made that clearer to you.”

“If you are so in love with me, how can you bear to be without me for most of eternity? How can you bear it?”

“There will be others…” he admitted.

Her face grew cold. “There are already others. Aren’t there?!” she accused. You’ve kept me cooped up here so I don’t see, but I’ve been hearing the rumors. You’re making a fool of me!”

“The pregnancy is making your temperament fiery. The demigod inside you will tax your health and emotions. It is not everyday a mortal woman is given the gift of a child such as yours. You must try to calm yourself. Nine months of suspicions and anguish will take a harsh toll. Sit down, my dear.”

She did feel agitated past the point of normalcy for her. Perhaps it IS the pregnancy. Did I really expect to live forever like Apollo? He’s offering me so much and is just concerned for my health. That’s why he’s kept me sequestered.

She smiled and sat down, feeling a bit foolish as Apollo touched her cheek with the back of his hand.

“If you rest well tonight and are feeling up to it, I would like you at my side tomorrow morning, presiding over the marriage of Dr. McCoy and Tonia Barrows. I will make sure you are in the finest formal tunic of gold, like mine. Everyone will recognize you as the queen that you are.”

She smiled, placated. Tonia is no threat to me. I’m being silly. She’ll be Dr. McCoy’s wife and I will be Apollo’s. Everyone will be married and follow Apollo’s rules of morality. When the young men return to take brides, they will be so grateful for the gift of a wife, they won’t stray. Apollo is wise.

“Can our wedding be soon, my love?” she entreated. “I think that would help settle me.”

“Very soon,” he promised.

“I don’t want to live here in a communal villa with five other women.”

“You do not enjoy their company? They do not amuse and comfort you?”

“Not like you do. I want our own house. No servants, no guests, just us… maybe up in the clouds, like on Mt. Olympus.” Her eyes grew distant and dreamy. Apollo helped her to lie back on the chaise. She hummed in contentment, closed her eyes, and fell asleep.

“Ladies,” he summoned. 

Uhura, Christine, and Dr. Noel appeared from around a corner. 

“Attend to her. If she doesn’t wake in two hours, help her to bed; she is in a very deep sleep. This pregnancy is taxing her energy.”

“If I had a medical tricorder and some of my other equipment,” Christine said, “I could monitor her health, make sure she and the child are all right. Without them, I’m afraid I’m not a lot of help.”

“I’m sure you women provide more help than you know.” He looked at Dr. Noel. “It was very kind of you today, Helen, to offer comfort to Teresa Ross. She seems quite fragile. In your professional opinion, will she be all right?”

“Yes. There are some circumstances, but…”

“I would like for you to tell me more about her, Doctor.”

Helen hesitated. “That would be violating doctor/patient confidentiality.”

He considered her. “Perhaps if I understood these ‘circumstances,’ I might be lenient, allow the young Lt. Garrovick to stay, be her husband.”

“Oh, would you?” the psychologist brightened.

“It depends. Let us take a walk.” 

Helen went with him with a glance back over her slim shoulder at a worried Nurse Chapel and Uhura.

“Helen… the face that launched 1,000 ships,” he said with gusto once they were outside. “I am pleased that name survived to modern times. You do it justice, Doctor.”

“Thank you,” she said warily.

“Captain Kirk certainly found your face mesmerizing, even before the suggestion that he was in love with you was placed in his mind by Dr. Adams using that… neural neutralizer device.”

“You have a good memory,” Helen complimented.

“Well, it was a riveting story, well told.”

“Thank you.”

“To think, Tantalus has a penal colony in space named after him! And the things modern man has created… a tool that can open a person’s mind to suggestion or empty it until he dies of loneliness.” Apollo shook his head. “A true tale of power wielded for ill. We shall call it Dagger of the Mind.”

“The machine was dismantled,” she reminded him. ”All of the affected Tantalus V patients eventually recovered from its effects.”

“When mortal man aspires to godhood, the Fates will strike him down.”

“I think Captain Kirk deserves some of the credit for striking down Dr. Adams…”

“So do you. You served your captain well on that mission, Helen, conducted yourself with bravery.”

She shook her head, “It was my fault Dr. Adams chose the suggestion that he did. I shouldn’t have played around with such a notion that Captain Kirk cared for me, was interested in me that way, just because he paid me some attention at the science department’s Christmas party. He was very understanding to forgive me for that. It doesn’t matter now,” she said sadly.

Apollo knew she had chosen Kirk for her husband, before the captain’s age had ruled him out.

“Tell me about Yeoman Teresa Ross, something beyond her involvement with the landing party that Trelane tormented. I have heard the Squire of Gothos tale.”

“Well, she was very glad that adventure was over. She was proud of her conduct on the mission, but happy to return to her normal routine on the ship. Teresa was never one to enjoy drama. Maybe that’s why she fell for David Garrovick. He’s like that, too, brave and competent, but unassuming, never wanting to be the center of attention.”

Dr. Noel was aware that she was offering a lot of information to Apollo and tried to quiet herself down as they walked, but Apollo pulled a sprig of purple blossom off a vine and put it in her hair. The fragrance was like lilacs. It loosened her tongue again.

As the sun set, he told her, “You look lovely in this lighting. Please tell me more about Teresa. I need to know before we reach her villa.”

“Oh, is that where we’re going?” She hadn’t bothered to ask. That’s strange, she thought.

“The girl may need her counselor,” Apollo said.

“Oh, we’re more than counselor and patient,” Helen revealed. “We’ve been lovers.”

“Oh?” said Apollo, intrigued.

“Yes. David is the first man she’s ever been with, before that it was only women. I enjoy both,” she added. Why am I telling him this?  

A lascivious grin spread across Apollo’s face in the gathering darkness. When they reached the communal villa where Yeoman Ross resided, Apollo told Helen to go retrieve her. “I know a place of solitude nearby that will calm her spirit. We can have a little ‘counseling session,’ the three of us.”

Helen went in to retrieve Teresa, who came bounding out of her villa after a few moments. She found Apollo in the darkness, almost glowing with his own light.

“Oh! Dr. Noel says you might change your mind about David, let him stay and marry me!” she said with hope in her eyes. “Is it true?”

She was arm-in-arm with Helen. The blonde and the older brunette were obviously comfortable being close with each other.

“Come, walk with me. We’ll see what deal might be struck,” Apollo said, leading the two into the night. They followed his eerie glow until they came to a natural hot spring. The steaming pool was surrounded by a dense thicket of trees.

“This is an ideal place to discuss civic matters, don’t you think?” he said.

They looked around. There were no chairs or cushions. Suddenly, the three of them were naked, sitting up to their chests in water around the edges of the warm pool. The women gasped. Their nipples were barely concealed below the water line. Apollo, on the opposite side of the pool, leaned back nonchalantly with his long arms stretched out lazily along the sides of the pool.

“Now,” he said casually, “Lt. Garrovick is 27. Captain Kirk is 38. Tell me why I should let them stay and be your husbands.”

The women looked at each other, eager to make a good case, but neither knew what Apollo wanted to hear.

“David is a very good person,” Yeoman Ross blurted. 

“Oh? Is he good with his hands?”

She wasn’t sure what he meant.

“Would he make a good ship builder or carpenter?”

“Oh, yes! I’m sure he would,” she said. “He would be an excellent carpenter.”

“Hmm,” Apollo sighed, then shook his head. “No. If he were a carpenter, he’d be coming home to you every night with callused hands like Daedalus, and you prefer soft, smooth hands touching you, don’t you?”

“Uh… I…” she didn't know what to say.

“You like soft hands, as well, don’t you, Helen? Soft, delicate, rose petal hands stroking you?”

Helen looked down with guilt, then glanced up at Teresa.

“You told him?!” the blonde whispered.

Dr. Noel opened her mouth to speak, but Apollo laughed. “My beauties, don’t be ashamed that you have indulged in each other’s charms. They are… considerable.” He looked approvingly at each of them, trying to glimpse beneath the waterline. “You know… the priestesses of Dionysus used to touch each other openly at gatherings. They made quite a show of their raptures and the display inflamed the men’s desires until…”

Two goblets of wine appeared on the pool’s edge between the ladies.

“Perhaps you would like to drink and put on a private show… for me? It might help persuade me to your cause.”

Teresa looked at the psychologist, hoping for guidance, but it was clear Dr. Noel saw no alternative for them. Teresa took up a goblet and handed it to Helen.

Apollo smiled as they drank. He would let them get each other ready for him, and relish the sight.

When the wine was gone, Helen kissed Teresa’s lips. It had been two years and she’d forgotten how sweet they tasted. She touched Teresa’s breast under the water and brushed her soft hand back and forth across the nipple.

“Ohhh,” Teresa moaned, remembering how good the sex had been with Helen.

Can David make her moan like this? Make her come alive under his hands? Helen wondered. 

She’d had some jealousy at first when Teresa started spending more time with Lt. Garrovick, but accepted it was what the yeoman wanted. Now, Dr. Noel had an opportunity to be with Teresa one more time, and she wanted to take it, even with Apollo playing voyeur.

“Mmm mmm, oh Helen,” Teresa cooed. 

Apollo watched as their delicate white hands savored each other’s breasts, then disappeared below to give pleasure beneath the water.

“Oh, oh!” Helen gasped as Teresa kneaded and probed. 

They were uninhibited now, kissing deeply and passionately as they had in the beginning, those late nights in Helen’s officers’ quarters. The forbidden intimacy with this young yeoman, ten years her junior, had felt so dangerous and exciting to the doctor then. She throbbed with arousal now, as the blonde’s slender fingers worked their magic.

Apollo touched himself and pumped his fist unseen as he watched the erotic performance. 

“Ohh,” he groaned.

Dionysus’ famous orgies had been delights of debauchery and he wished he’d invited more women tonight. The nurse and the Ethiopian. Yes. White skin and dark, wrapped around each other. He had seen a spectacle like that before and wanted to see it again, but before he fetched them, he remembered they were caring for Carolyn. Another time, he promised himself.

Helen and Teresa were scissored underwater now, their legs tightly gripping each other, grinding out their pleasure. Apollo joined them, nipping at their breasts and gently extracting them from their ardent embrace. He sat between them and moved Teresa to his lap. Her loud gasp alerted Helen that Apollo had penetrated her. 

Before the doctor could protest, however, a large hand insinuated itself between her legs. It buzzed with a jolting vibration that sent pleasure shooting through every fibre of her shapely body. Thoughts of defending Teresa were drowned in the ecstasy that claimed every nerve ending.

She looked up with hooded eyes at Teresa who also seemed lost in the throes of pleasure. Apollo moved inside the petite blonde and she was content to ride him, until the bucking got more frenzied. He clamped her around the waist with his free arm and held her fast as he jabbed himself up into her, deeper and faster, until she was crying for mercy.

“Please, stop,” she pleaded. “You’re too rough.”

“As I suspected,” he laughed, “an older husband will be better for you, my delicate one. A man in his velvet prime would use you up in a week.” 

He kept bouncing her mercilessly on his lap as she struggled to climb off.

“Let her go,” Helen was finally able to say.

“Feeling neglected, my dear? Yes, let’s see how sturdy the woman is who thinks she can handle the captain of a starship….”

In an instant, Yeoman Ross was gone and Apollo’s dark eyes were looking into Helen’s. He rose up out of the water to sit on the edge of the pool, then pulled her between his spread legs and said, “Suck. The flavor of your dainty friend may still be upon me.”

He laughed as she stared in fear at his erection.

“You pleased me very much with your display. Let us see if you can please me now that we are alone.” He put his hands on her jaw and began coaxing her forth. “Show me how much you want Captain Kirk,” he whispered when she hesitated, “and I may yet grant your request.”

“Teresa is safe?”

“Warm in her bed,” he murmured seductively, before the heat of her mouth enveloped him.

***

“So vee are going to live here like vee are at permanent summer camp?!” Chekov asked Apollo. “All 260 of us?”

The men stood on a beach in tunics and sandals. Snatched en masse from the Enterprise to the island only ten minutes before, they were all still reeling from Apollo’s words.

“If you are suggesting the labor will be light, Ensign Chekov, you are mistaken. Skills will be acquired, practiced, and honed. You are young and must earn your place in the main colony.”

“Without at least a skeleton staff onboard, the Enterprise cannot maintain orbit,” Sulu told their captor with concern. 

“Your ship exhausted its usefulness when it brought you to me, my children. Its fate is unimportant.”

“Unimportant?! Are you crazy?” Lt. Stiles erupted.

“Andy,” Sulu warned. He knew what a hothead Stiles could be. His temper and impulsivity had cost the lieutenant his bridge position two years ago and Captain Kirk had moved him around through the different divisions since then. At the moment he was in Security. Several of his men clustered around him, ready for instructions.

“Where’s our captain?!” Stiles demanded.

Apollo looked affronted. “You will be told what I wish to tell you and no more.”

“And the women… you say they’re all married and we’re the leftovers, consigned to bachelor hell because of your arbitrary decision?” Stiles railed. “What are we all supposed to do here for twenty years? Hump each other?”

“Mr. Stiles, let me handle this,” Sulu said in hushed tones.

“I’m ranking officer here!” Stiles bellowed so everyone could hear.

“Meester Sulu is in command, by seeniority and breedge officer status,” Chekov corrected. He didn’t want this bitter, angry man in charge of him or anyone.

Stiles gritted his teeth and signaled for his men to surround and attack Apollo, but the god froze them where they stood before they got close.

“Mercy for your men; death for you!” Apollo shouted at Stiles, rage flashing in his eyes. A thunderbolt of fire flew from his outstretched hand as he grew to nearly 15 feet in height. The large gathering gasped and shrank back.

“Let this be a lesson to you all. Bury this foolish man… and bury your notions of command hierarchies. You all answer to one leader now: your god, Apollo!”

For effect, he whipped up a wind that sandblasted them. “Through trials and deprivation, you shall earn my favor.”

Apollo vanished and the security men were released from their stasis. Lt. Stiles was dead.

***

“The men are here! The men are here!” Angela Martine shouted.

Women around the perimeter of the agora ran out of the shops and library to find that it was true. Apollo was nowhere in sight, but sixty-nine of Starfleet’s finest had suddenly appeared in the center of the square. 

The women squealed with delight and rushed at their husbands-to-be.

Startled, Lt. Commander Giotto gave the signal for his men to form a protective circle around the others, but it was evident soon enough that they weren’t being attacked. These were the Enterprise women, just very happy to see them.

“Esteban! Oh, Esteban!” Angela cried out when she spotted her boyfriend. How relieved she’d been that he had celebrated his 40th birthday not two months ago. 

Lt. Rodriguez swept her up into his arms when he saw her. “Angela! Are you all right? I’ve been going out of my mind.”

“Yes, we’re all fine.” She hugged and kissed him.

The other women found the men they’d selected and greeted them either with an exuberant kiss or a friendly touch, depending on the nature of their existing relationships.

Angela Martine thought of her almost-husband, Robert Tomlinson, killed four years ago in a Romulan attack that had interrupted their shipboard wedding. How young he’d looked in the chapel as Captain Kirk began the wedding ceremony. When she learned of his death, the captain offered her comforting words, and she remembered telling him, “I’m all right,” but secretly she thought she’d never love again… Now, here she was with this second chance. 

“Esteban, every couple is being given a big, spacious villa!” she said. “You’re going to love living here.”

“Living here? What do you mean?” he asked.

Angela suddenly realized that some of the women were crying. Somehow they’d thought their young lovers would be here, but they weren’t.

Yeomen Landon and Ross consoled each other when they couldn’t find Chekov or Garrovick.

“Oh, Martha, I thought maybe he’d be here,” Teresa said sadly. 

“I know. I look at all these men and expect to see Pavel’s face, but he’s not coming, is he? He’s really not coming.”

Lt. Cmdr. Giotto, security chief and highest ranking man in the group, saw the two blonde yeomen crying. There were a few others standing away from the new-arrivals who also seemed downcast.

“What is wrong, ladies?” he asked.

“All of the men under 40 years old are being sent to an isolated island,” Teresa said. “We won’t see them again for 20 years. Apollo wants them to marry our daughters.”

Giotto took in the information and was about to ask questions when Apollo appeared on the steps of the library. He seemed a bit taller than his normal 6-feet.

“Welcome,” his powerful voice boomed, “to a day of love and celebration.”

All fell silent and turned toward the god.

“You have been called forth, my children, to fulfill the hopes and dreams of these charming women. They yearn for home and hearth, fidelity and family. Men of the Enterprise, you have journeyed the stars to find your way back to me, back to green pastures, shining cities, and simpler times. Your wives will acquaint you with my expectations. I offer much. Tonight, you will all sleep in wedding beds, and awake to a new life.”

Shocked murmurs flowed through the crowd. Giotto stepped forward to address Apollo, but Apollo continued.

“All husband selections are final. Rejoice in your wives and focus your energies on making them happy. For the next week you have no other duties. Some of you will be her second or third choice; prove yourselves worthy of her. Ceremonies will begin in one hour with the wedding of Tonia Barrows and Dr. McCoy and continue until nightfall. Villa assignments are posted in the library. It shall be a night of celebration and reunion, feasting and dancing for all!”

With that, he removed himself from the scene, leaving the women to field the slew of questions.

***

“So, you’re happy that I chose you, Leonard?” Yeoman Barrows asked. “There’s no one you’d prefer?”

“To you? No,” Bones replied. “It is kind of sudden, though.”

“Yes,” Tonia agreed, “but I’ve had my eye on you for years.” She grinned shyly and he melted. 

“I didn’t know.”

“Didn’t you?” She took his hand and held it. “You weren’t just my favorite in the over-40 category either, in case you were wondering. I told Apollo I wanted you before he even made that rule.”

McCoy couldn’t help but feel flattered. Tonia was such a stunning young woman. “So we’re goin’ through with this, then?” He rolled back on his heels, then up on his toes nervously.

“Apollo isn’t giving us a choice… well, I mean he gave the women a choice of who we wanted for a husband, but opting out of marriage and family isn’t allowed, I don’t think.”

“So, everyone is just accepting his authority? We’re really going to bring children into this situation… captivity?”

Tonia felt uneasy with the word captivity. Personally, she’d never felt freer. The couple stood in the shady breeze of their private arcade, looking over a green meadow with grazing sheep in the foreground and groves of lemon trees beyond. She could already feel the joys that married life would bring: companionship, motherhood, purpose. 

“Listen Yeoman, we’ll go along with Apollo’s plans, and we’ll live together in this villa, but we don’t have to consummate a coerced marriage. That doesn’t sit well with me,” McCoy said. “The captain and Spock are gonna get us outta here, and then what would we do?”

“Live happily ever after like a princess of the realm and her daring knight,” Barrows said with a wink and a decisive nod of her head. She smiled at him and kissed his cheek. Spending the night with him, talking and enjoying his agreeable company, had only reinforced her certainty that she’d chosen wisely.

Tonia looked into his blue eyes, those gentle, ethical, kind blue eyes. Leonard is so respectful and decent, she thought fondly, but we’ll definitely be consummating our marriage tonight.

Chapter Text

From the statue in the center of Kirk and Spock’s villa, Apollo spied on the pair. Were they a pair? He couldn't tell. They gave no indication of being anything other than tight friends and close comrades in arms, but the rumors he’d heard from the crew intrigued him, so he watched unseen as they ate breakfast… and then he saw it. 

Kirk touched Spock’s hand and they looked into each other’s eyes. There was love there. Apollo was sure of it. He knew love in all its forms.

“Good news, Captain…,” Apollo said as he emerged from the statue into flesh.

Kirk gasped in surprise and Spock raised an eyebrow and pulled his hand free of Jim’s.

“…you will not be sent to lead the bachelor colony. I have decided to allow you to stay.”

“Oh?” Kirk said.

“Helen Noel has chosen you for her husband. And Pan, Christine Chapel has chosen you.” Apollo cocked his head like he couldn’t imagine why.

Jim went with his gut response and said defiantly, “We’re not getting married.”

Apollo took an angry step toward Kirk, and Spock instinctively moved to protect him.

Apollo only smirked. “I have known a few such as you, Captain, men who prefer the company of other men.” He glanced at Spock. “They were mostly playwrights, storytellers, poets… but some were soldiers like yourselves. You will find that I am quite understanding in such matters. I won’t keep you from your first officer, but you must take wives and produce children for the colony. It is a requirement.”

Jim was still calculating how to respond to this turn of events when Spock said calmly, “Nurse Chapel is acceptable to me, if Dr. Noel is acceptable to the captain. May I ask if Captain Kirk and myself might continue to reside here together, with our wives?”

Apollo looked scandalized, then amused. “If you are discrete,” he agreed. “This villa cannot become a palace to Dionysus. Bátalos behavior must be hidden.”

Jim followed Spock’s lead and nodded, although he didn’t know what bátalos meant.

“Sixty-nine of your men have arrived to be wed today, Captain. Enjoy the festivities. Your weddings can wait for a while, since the two of you were only just reunited.” He winked wickedly, looking back and forth between the human and the Vulcan. He couldn’t picture it, but was enjoying trying. He thought of the handsome demigod Achilles and his lover Patroclus, fiery gold and cool olivine. Kirk and Pan reminded him of them.

Apollo was standing too close to Jim and Spock didn’t like it. 

“I’m afraid I must bring you some unhappy news as well,” Apollo said with false sadness. “One of your lieutenants is dead.”

Kirk's jaw clenched. “Who is it?” he asked. 

“Andrew Stiles,” Apollo said. “Crude, foul-tempered man. I was much more impressed by your Mister Sulu.”

Oh, how Jim wished he could talk to Sulu. “You did leave someone on the Enterprise to man the controls, didn’t you?” he asked Apollo.

“Your ship is empty, Captain. It has completed its mission. Your people are free of its metal walls, synthetic food, and recirculated air. The dangers of space are no more; the children of Apollo are home.” He smiled a self-satisfied smile.

“The orbit will decay. She won’t be able to…” Kirk began, but Apollo cut him off.

“I will see you both in an hour at the library. Pan will play his joyous harp and Captain, you will stand before your men on the library steps and instruct them to accept the marital plans I have ordained for them. I wouldn’t want any more to end up like Lt. Stiles if you could prevent it.”

With that, he vanished.

Jim let out a breath. Spock was grateful his captain had not tried anything rash against Apollo.

“Stiles,” Jim said sadly. He’d been Kirk’s ‘problem child’ officer for nearly five years, but news of his death still hit home.

Spock had saved Stiles’ life during the Romulan attack that killed Lt. Tomlinson. Although he agreed with Apollo’s assessment of the man, Spock regretted hearing of his death. 

“Well, we know that Apollo is willing and able to kill,” Jim said through gritted teeth. “You did the right thing agreeing to the marriages, Spock… and requesting we not be separated. Well done. That was quick thinking. I hope Sulu is as wise and doesn’t try whatever got Stiles killed.” 

They didn’t speak openly about what Apollo thought they were to each other. After breakfast, Jim took a silken tapestry from the wall and draped it over the head of the statue of Apollo.

***

“Are you going to let the Enterprise burn?” Carolyn asked casually over dinner.

“I see no continued purpose for it except to fuel false hopes of escape,” Apollo said.

“Burn the boats when you land in Persia, huh, like Alexander?”

“Ah, you know the story of King Alexander of Macedonia?”

“Of course. We call him Alexander the Great,” she said.

“Rightly you should. Charon took him quite young, but he accomplished much in his short life. King Alexander knew how to galvanize his men, focus their minds.”

“Tales of leaders burning their ships to motivate their men also appear in Norse mythology,” she said, “and Cortez is reported to have done it in the New World to commit his men to the campaigns against the Aztecs.”

Apollo nodded despite his ignorance of those cultures. “A tried and true method.”

“Captain Kirk loves that ship like life,” she said. 

“All the more reason to destroy it.” 

“Just the threat of destroying it would keep him in line. With it gone, you won’t have that leverage,” she pointed out.

“I won’t need it,” Apollo said confidently.

“You know best,” Carolyn said with a hint of a scoff.

She disagreed with him and he didn’t like it. “You think you understand the captain’s psychology better than his staff psychologist?”

“You’ve talked to Dr. Noel about him?” she asked.

“Yes. She thinks that the destruction of his ship would crush his spirit. She is looking forward to comforting and soothing him,” Apollo said suggestively.

“Why did you choose her to marry the captain, anyway?” Carolyn asked. “I thought we had decided Marlena Moreau would marry him.”

“There were so many who requested him, my darling. Your captain is a very popular man with the ladies, considering his… proclivities.”

“What do you mean?”

“He and his first officer,” Apollo said.

“Oh, those are just rumors,” she replied.

“Not according to Hel… to Dr. Noel. She told me Captain Kirk once admitted to her his feelings for Pan.”

“…and still she wants to marry him?” Carolyn questioned. 

“He likes women, too. Some ladies have interesting tastes, I suppose.”

Carolyn wrinkled her nose. “I still don’t understand why my friend Marlena couldn’t have him. Ever since she learned that her counterpart in the Mirror universe was ‘the captain’s woman,’ she’s thought it was fate or kismet or whatever. Captain Kirk was very charming with her for a while when she was first assigned, but then later seemed to go out of his way to avoid her. Still, she thought they were destined to come together. Now, you give Captain Kirk to Dr. Noel, and Marlena’s second-choice husband won’t even make love to her.”

“What?!” Apollo said angrily. “He dares defy me?! Who is this man?”

Yikes, I don’t want to get Matheson killed, she thought. He was a courteous, soft-spoken geological technician supervisor. She’d always liked him.

“Harold Matheson. He’s a good man, maybe too good. He has a fiancée on Earth and told Marlena that he can’t cheat on her if there’s a chance he might get back to Earth someday…”

“Another reason to burn the boats!” Apollo said angrily.

Carolyn wanted to change the subject. “Well, most of the other couples seem to be good matches,” or else they’re faking it for appearances, she thought. “The weddings are all over now except Kirk’s, Spock’s, and ours. When will ours be? I feel our baby moving within me already; we should be married,” she said directly. She was tired of waiting.

“Ours shall be the most splendid…”

“So you’ve said, but when?” she persisted.

This was getting tedious. Apollo rubbed his head and said, “Soon, my love. I must go have a word with Mr. Matheson.” He moved to leave.

“What? Now? It’s so late,” she protested.

“You told me about it. Now that I know, I must act.”

He vanished and entered the statue of himself in the villa of Marlena and Harold. What she’d told Carolyn appeared to be true. The couple sat silently on opposite sides of the main living area. Their body language spoke of strain.

He waited for a few moments, hoping to overhear a conversation, but when none was forthcoming, he grew impatient and revealed himself. 

Harold jumped up and Marlena, who was in a tiny slip of a nightdress, gasped and tried to cover herself. 

Apollo looked her over approvingly. She’s obviously been trying to seduce him. The problem lies not with her, he decided. He turned a critical gaze on Harold.

“There is discord in this home and I am displeased,” he said directly. “You refuse to honor your vows, Mr. Matheson?”

Harold looked frightened, yet defiant. “I am honoring my vows… to my fiancée who waits for me on Earth.”

“She will have a long wait,” Apollo said sternly.

He softened his demeanor as he turned to Marlena. “Look at all that is before you,” he said as he walked slowly toward her. “A beauty to make any husband proud.” 

She looked down and smiled. Her brown breasts were on display and he didn’t conceal his approval.

“An exotic creature indeed. Persian, perhaps?” he guessed in a gentle tone.

“Yes,” she answered. “My mother is from Iran. You would know that country as Persia. My father is from France, what you would call Gallia or Gaul.”

She spoke like Carolyn but looked like Circe, and he found her enchanting. The way her wispy dark hair swirled around her face and her raven eyes pierced him.

“Behold the woman who has chosen you and hold yourself fortunate,” Apollo said firmly to Harold.

“She chose Captain Kirk,” Harold challenged.

“Ah, the true source of your refusal lies in your insecurities, I see,” Apollo teased. “You fear she will be thinking of him in your bed.” 

“I don’t care what she’s thinking about or who!” Matheson shouted boldly. “I don’t care about her at all... not that way. This is so contrived. It’s all manipulated by you and I don’t want any part of it! I don’t want to play house with a colleague. I want to go home!”

“This is your home and I am your god!” Apollo said angrily. “I have been more than generous. Do not try my patience,” he warned.

“Without my Josie, without my freedom, this is torture!” 

“Harry,” Marlena whispered urgently, worried for his safety. She could see how angry Apollo was becoming.

“Torture?! To live in a home fit for a prince, lay with an exotic wife, and have all of your mortal needs met? That is your idea of torture?!” Apollo felt personally affronted. 

Marlena urged Harold with her eyes to relent, but he stood stubbornly and unapologetically before Apollo.

“If you refuse to consecrate your union with this woman, I will show you tortures fit for Tityus!” Apollo threatened.

“Apollo, wait,” Marlena pleaded. “Harry’s just so heartsick. He and I can work this out….” 

But both men vanished before her eyes. The stillness left behind was eerie. When she caught her breath, she ran outside through the arcade to her terrace, straining her eyes to see into the black night. An owl hooted and crickets chirped, but other than that, all was silence.

Harry, I’m sorry, she thought with guilt. Where has he taken you? She stood at the beautifully chiseled balustrade, staring into the night, trying to decide what to do.

I should go tell the captain, if Apollo is serious about torture…. But what could the captain DO? Nothing. And Apollo might turn his wrath on ME if I run to Captain Kirk. 

The captain was a hero to her; she used to think there was nothing he couldn’t do. Like half the crew, she was spellbound with idol worship. But now… she stood paralyzed with indecision, not sure where to turn. Finally, after what could have been ten minutes or twenty, she heard footsteps within.

“Harry?” she called, but stayed frozen where she was as the shadow of a man neared.

Apollo came into sight and strode toward her. Harry wasn’t with him.

“Are you t-torturing him?” Marlena asked.

“You are concerned for him?”

“Well, yes, of course,” she said.

“Then you will be glad to learn I decided to show mercy…”

She sighed with relief.

“…and make it a quick death,” he finished.

“What?” she gaped. “Harry’s dead?”

“Another will be secured for you. Someone from the island.”

“Harry…” she whispered.

“…was undeserving, unworthy of you. What a trying week you must have had without the comfort of love. I wish to compensate you.”

“What? H-how?” 

“A child. A gift… a demigod.”

She drew in a breath.

“Not all of my children will be of Carolyn,” he said softly, coming nearer. “Certain special women of the colony will give birth to exceptional children, with abilities above the typical mortal. They will be leaders, gifts from a benevolent god.” 

He was leaning in very close now. What little clothing she was wearing was wafting in the breeze and she felt very exposed. His eyes were on her chest, which was heaving with fear. Could she refuse? Did she want to?

He killed Harry! How am I even considering this? Will he kill me, too, if I try to turn him down?  

Suddenly, his lips were on hers.

“No. No!” she said in a panic, backing away.

“Very well,” he said, looking none too offended by her rejection. “Tomorrow, you will choose another husband. Lt. Stiles was also sent to Hades for his defiance, but the other bachelors are eligible. The choice is yours.”

“You… you killed Andy Stiles?”

“I did. He was belligerent…” 

“I don’t doubt it,” she said. “I’ve had… run-ins with him before.” Truth is, she hated that guy. He was the only one on the Enterprise she didn’t have warm feelings of camaraderie for. She felt ashamed when she realized she was smiling.

Apollo smiled, too. “I take it you didn’t like him.”

“No. I didn’t. He was hostile and often disrespectful to me and my friends.”

“To Carolyn?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Strange. She admonished me for killing him.”

“Well, I wouldn’t condone it either, but I can’t say he’ll be missed. I don’t know why the captain tolerated him for so long. When his bigotry for Vulcans flared and he insulted Mr. Spock, that’s the only time I remember the captain really cracking down on him.”

“The captain and his first officer are close,” Apollo stated the known fact.

“Yes.”

“They are… lovers?” he asked.

“Oh, I don’t think so. Captain Kirk is one of the few people who really understands Mr. Spock, appreciates him beyond just that computer brain of his. Spock clearly admires him, too. They’ve saved each other’s lives many times during this five-year mission. Their friendship is legendary; you’ve heard the stories.”

“Yes. Others have suggested that their rapport is more than just friendship, but you don’t think so?”

She shrugged. “Mr. Spock is very protective of the captain. He’d follow him to the ends of the universe. But climb into bed with him? I’ve never heard of Vulcans doing that. Their libidos just don’t work that way, I don’t think.”

“Kirk is his superior officer. He could order it,” Apollo said suggestively.

“Oh, he would never do that! Spock would have to offer himself.” She giggled nervously. Why were they talking about this?

“If Spock did offer himself, what do you suppose Kirk’s reaction would be?”

She had no idea and shook her head. “I only know that James Kirk has been with a lot of women.”

“When I reminded Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock that they must marry and have children, Spock asked if he and the captain could continue to live together, with their wives. I have chosen to allow it.”

Well, that will be an interesting arrangement, she thought with a glimmer of satisfaction. Dr. Noel won’t like that. The pettiness made her frown with guilt and look down.

“Miss Moreau, you wanted Kirk and I promised him to Dr. Noel. I regret that you will now have to make a third choice of husband. A woman like you deserves better… that is why I offer you a superior child. Will you not accept this gift?” 

He asked so humbly and without any threatening moves, that she found herself reconsidering.

“D-does Carolyn know that you are… bestowing these ‘gifts?’”

“She… shares my desire for the colony to thrive, which is more likely with a dozen or so children of my blood.”

“A dozen?!”

“…or so.” Apollo smiled and moved in closer. He could tell Marlena was mulling.

“Wh-who else have you ‘chosen?’” she asked.

“Shhh,” he said, “Even they don’t know… and their husbands won’t know either. A few children will grow to be smarter, fairer, more sound of limb and body, better able to carry the weight of leadership upon their shoulders.”

“I want a child like that,” she said boldly, looking into his eyes. “When I was ten, my mother bore a son with cognitive problems,” she explained. “I watched her devote all of her energy to his care for years until she was utterly spent. I decided motherhood was far too risky and I’ve been afraid of it ever since. That’s mostly what motivated me to choose the captain. He is so robust. I thought…”

“I will breed in you a child beyond even those high expectations. He will be caring for you by the time he is twelve.”

She pictured that and smiled. She wanted to know who the other women were, but he clearly wasn’t going to tell her. His hands were reaching for her breasts and his eyes had the look of any other man she’d ever given the green light to. 

Let this happen, she told herself. It had been a long frustrating week trying to seduce Matheson. Now, here was a god ready to pleasure her and entwine his DNA with hers. 

He swept her off her feet into his strong arms like she weighed no more than a leaf and carried her into the empty villa.

Just don’t fall in love with him, she warned herself. He’s only mine for tonight.

***

Jim slid out of the mind meld in a euphoric haze. “I love you,” he accidentally whispered.

“I know, Jim.” 

Being melded with Spock was better than anything he’d ever experienced physically with a woman. It calmed him and fulfilled him so completely. Sometimes he felt like it was the only thing holding him together.

“We should leave now,” Spock said. “The walk to Dr. McCoy’s villa will take 13.5 minutes.” 

“I hope Yeoman Barrows is a good cook. I’m starving,” Jim said. “It’s not easy being a farmer.”

“As I am discovering.”

Their villa had a barn with four female goats and several laying hens. Spock discovered them on the second day, when the bleating caught his sensitive ears. The goats’ udders had been painfully swollen and Kirk showed Spock how to milk them. Neither of them wanted the animals to suffer, so they kept them well tended, letting them out to pasture in the daytime and calling them home at night.

“Let’s get the animals inside before we go,” Kirk said. “We don’t know how late we’ll be.”

They walked out to the pasture fence and that’s all it took for the goats and chickens to come running up. Jim led them to the barn and shut them in with a “goodnight, ladies.”

Spock smiled. He’d been doing that more lately, Jim noticed.

They headed across a field of tall grass with small white flowers that looked orange in the late afternoon glow. 

Jim’s hair and skin shone in the sun. Spock loved to look at him. Seeing his captain relaxed despite their situation made him feel at least partially useful. His intellect may have failed to find a solution to their predicament, but his telepathy was able to soothe Jim, and that gave Spock great satisfaction. 

“Scotty and Lt. Romaine should be there, too,” Kirk said. “It will be good to see everyone.”

“What is the purpose of this gathering?” Spock asked.

“Purely social… on its face, at least,” Jim replied. “Yeoman Barrows just said she’d like to have us over for dinner and conversation.”

Spock raised an eyebrow. “A meeting of four senior officers will not seem suspicious?”

“Maybe Scotty and McCoy have hatched a plan they want to run by us,” Kirk considered. 

It soon became obvious this was not the case. 

“We have some exciting news!” Yeoman Barrows announced after the initial greetings were over. She hugged her husband around the waist. Bones was grinning like the cat that ate the canary.

“So do we!” Lt. Romaine chimed in, grabbing Scotty by the hand. “Who wants to tell them?”

The Scotsman beamed with pride. “Aye, well I reckon the Doctor should be the one since he made the diagnoses.”

Jim and Spock had already guessed, but turned their eyes toward McCoy and kept their faces neutral as they waited.

“The ladies are expecting. We’re going to be fathers, Jim!” He rocked up on his toes and back on his heels, then patted Tonia’s tummy. “Spock, can ya believe it?”

“Yes,” Spock said simply.

Well, that’s it then, Kirk thought. Even if we escape, things will never be the same. Not now.

“Congratulations,” Jim said, forcing a smile, “Doctor, engineer, ladies.” 

“Oh, thank you!” Mira said. “Tonia, I hope you’ve made enough for an army; my appetite is crazy!”

“Oh, mine, too! There’s plenty for everyone. Follow me.” Tonia led the procession into the McCoys’ villa and Kirk and Spock brought up the rear. Jim turned to Spock and flashed a sad, helpless look. 

Unseen by anyone, Spock put his hand on Jim’s back. It would be an evening of pretense and forced social behavior. Kirk was much more adept at this than Spock, but Spock knew that under the circumstances, it would put considerable strain on his friend. He slid his hand tenderly down his back for comfort as they went in.

There were two empty settings at the table.

“I cooked for eight. I thought your fiancées might be joining us,” Barrows said.

“Tonia, let them enjoy their last few weeks of bachelorhood,” McCoy said warmly. “It would have been nice to see Chapel and Noel, though.”

“You would have talked shop all through dinner,” Tonia teased.

“Well, I haven’t had any colleagues to talk to lately,” he defended, “and the medical folks are really gonna have to coordinate and be on their game with all the pregnancies that’ll be comin’.”

“Dr. M’Benga is on the island…” Spock reminded.

“Yeah, that’s unfortunate,” Bones said.

“Not many pregnancies goin’ to be happenin’ on an island full o’ laddies,” Scotty said with humor.

The women laughed. 

“There could be injuries over there, though,” Mira said. “Carolyn says Apollo wants them working hard. They’ll be learning trades and doing some backbreaking labor. Apollo believes hard work is good for young men.”

“Oh, Captain, I’m so glad you’re here with us!” Tonia exclaimed. “Leonard says you’re 38. Why did Apollo make an exception for you?”

“I don’t know,” Jim answered. “He originally said I’d be going to the island, then he changed his mind and paired me up with Dr. Noel.”

Scotty smiled impishly. “You two will be makin’ a fine couple…”

“And Christine surely is pleased as punch to be gettin’ her first choice…,” Bones said with a wink, “or her second choice if you count Roger Korby.”

It always confounded him why his nurse was sweet on the Vulcan, but he was glad she was getting what she wanted. “You make that girl happy now, Spock, ya hear?” It sounded like a command.

Spock nodded but said nothing.

Bones knows about Spock’s 7-year cycle, Jim thought. Why is he acting like this forced marriage is a great thing?

The conversation turned to goats and chickens. The McCoys and the Scotts had them, too, and enjoyed taking care of them.

“You ever need to borrow our rooster for breedin’ you just go right ahead, Jim,” McCoy offered. “That gall-darned thing’s been wakin’ me up at the crack of dawn since I got here!”

“Our barn has two horses,” Mira said, “if anyone wants to take them out for some exercise. Tonia’s been over to ride them, but so far Scotty has been too busy with the canal project.”

“Aye. Believe it when ya hear Apollo values hard work!”

Spock and I have apparently gotten off easy. All we’re expected to do so far is mind our property and animals, Jim realized.

“How is the canal project coming, Scotty?” Kirk asked.

“Logistical nightmare at first, but I think I’ve got it sorted now.”

Mira took his arm and smiled with pride. “He’s found a way to route the water down from the mountains,” she said, “and Apollo has assigned him 15 men. They started digging this week.”

“Aye, the work site is a 2-hour walk from my villa. That’s been a bit tryin’, but otherwise…”

“He comes home with his legs all dusty and blisters on his feet,” Mira said.

“The blisters are calluses now, an’ I am actually startin’ to enjoy the walkin’. All the sea air…” Scotty smiled.

“Well, good for you, Scotty,” was all Kirk could think to say. He was apparently Apollo’s miracle worker now.

“Our villa is beautiful,” Mira said. “We must meet there next.”

Bones and his wife nodded at the invitation and Spock and Kirk did the same.

“What is your villa like?” McCoy asked Jim and Spock. “I’m sorry I haven’t made my way down there for a visit yet. Been kinda busy.” He ducked his head down and looked shyly at his wife.

“Leonard!” she whispered in mock embarrassment.

Mira giggled.

“I hear you’re sharin’,” Scotty said, looking between Spock and the captain.

“Yes,” Jim said.

“Y’all four gonna live there after you’re married?” Bones asked. He’d heard of a few couples in the colony sharing a home and imagined Jim would like keeping Spock close and vice versa.

“Yes,” Spock answered.

They ate in silence for a few minutes, then Bones said, “Do you think we’ll ever be able to go back on the ship, Jim? What I wouldn’t give for a medical scanner. I think of it just sitting up there, right where I left it and I just wish…”

“I know, Bones,” Jim said.

“Carolyn says Apollo can heal illness and injury if he cares to. I suppose that applies to childbirth,” Mira said, “but we will grow old and pass away eventually. Even Carolyn.”

“So live while the livin’ is good!” Scotty said, raising his wine cup. “To all our good health and the well-bein’ of our bairns.”

“To health. To health,” they all chanted.

“It’s been a pleasure seein’ ya all,” Scotty said as he stood, “but I have an early mornin’. Mira, you stay an’ enjoy the evenin’ longer if ya like.”

“No, darling, I’ll come with you,” she said sweetly. “Thank you for a lovely dinner, Tonia. Goodnight, Doctor.”

“We’ll see you at your weddings if we canna meet up again before,” Scotty called to Kirk and Spock as he left.

Everyone got up and saw them off from the arcade. Tonia and McCoy headed back inside, but Kirk hesitated.

“Uh, Bones, it was good to see you, but I think we need to be getting back. The goats need milking.”

Tonia laughed. “Captain, you’re supposed to milk goats in the morning.”

“…which an Iowa farm boy oughta know,” McCoy said with a question in his eye.

Jim looked unsettled to Bones, like he had something to say and wasn’t saying it.

“What is it, Jim?”

“‘What is it?!’ How can you ask that? We’re being held captive. Half of us are forced laborers on an island and the other half are expected to breed worshippers for an archaic religion. There’s no one left on the Enterprise; she’s at the mercy of Apollo’s whims. Did you know he murdered Stiles and Matheson?”

McCoy’s expression showed that he didn’t.

“Anyone could be next,” Jim said. “Anyone who rocks the boat.”

McCoy looked grim for the first time that evening. “You’re not thinking of rocking the boat are you, Jim? Is he, Spock?”

“Not that I am aware, Doctor,” Spock replied.

“No, we haven’t come up with some brilliant plan, Bones,” Kirk said. “We were hoping maybe you and Scotty had.”

“Well, um, we’ve been a bit distracted.” Bones chuckled, but Kirk looked angry.

Tonia peeked her head back out to see what was going on and sensed things were about to get ugly. “I’ll, uh, go clean up and put out some dessert.” She hurried back into the house.

“What are you doing, Bones? I can understand Scotty and Mira… they’ve been in love for years, but you and Yeoman Barrows? Apollo puts you together and now you’re playing house… getting her pregnant?!” Jim let the disapproval show that he’d been holding back all evening. “Spock and I have already told Christine and Helen it’s not going to be a real marriage. Apollo may force us through a ceremony, but he’s not going to force us into bed together! I’m not taking advantage of one of my officers.”

McCoy wet his lips and rocked up on his toes, trying not to get angry. “Well, that’s very noble, Jim. I had the same mindset myself a few weeks ago, but the women want husbands, not saints… and not martyrs.”

“I am not helping to breed a race of slaves!” Jim said defiantly.

“Apollo could kill you for refusing. Don’t be a fool, Jim!” He grabbed Kirk’s arm, but the captain tore it away.

“How will he know?” Jim challenged.

“He has ways. He once stepped right out of that statue of himself in our living room, and knew what we’d been saying to each other. Thank God it was nothing seditious. You and Spock need to watch yourselves. I’m serious!”

Jim remembered pulling the tapestry over their Apollo statue. 

“Listen Jim, I’ve already thought about this. When Christine fails to produce a baby, I can tell Apollo about Vulcan biology, tell him it will just take a little longer for them to have a child. But you… I can’t protect you, Jim.”

That took the wind out of Kirk’s anger and the captain bit his tongue while deciding what to say next. “I just… I think we should be defying him more than we are. He’s giving us this comfortable existence and we’re just rolling over.”

“Hey, passive resistance can be just as deadly as active resistance. First order of business: survival. Right? We’re surviving, Jim. We’re surviving together.” He glanced at Spock, whose body language suggested he agreed with the captain. “Christine will ensure Spock’s survival.”

Spock had been standing silently at the captain’s shoulder for this exchange and still didn’t choose to speak.

McCoy glared at him. “You should be thankful as hell she’s willing to save your damn life, Spock.”

“I am,” Spock said. “But, like the captain, I do not wish to bring a child into our current situation.”

Bones sighed. That ship had already sailed for him. “Maybe our children will be our salvation. Ever think of that?” he said. “Maybe they will be the ones to find a way off this world.”

Jim shook his head. “Our children will forget who they are and where they came from. We may never get help this far out, and if we do, what match are they going to be against Apollo? They’ll just become prisoners, too. In four generations, we’ll be goat herders, killing sacrificial deer and gathering laurel leaves.”

Kirk paced and chewed his lip. “What about what he did to us on the mountain? Nancy Crater and Edith Keeler? He stole our sanity from us, Bones! How can we be sure he's not doing it to us still?”

The doctor considered for a moment. “That was a… a holding pen, Jim, designed to be pleasant, I think. I can’t pretend that it didn’t hurt like hell to ‘lose’ Nancy again, but it was a mirage of our own making. This is real.”

“Can we be sure?” 

“Tonia is real.”

“Six weeks ago you would have sworn that Nancy was real,” Jim reminded. “You aren’t acting like yourself, Bones. Neither is Scotty.”

“And just how are we supposed to act in a completely new setting, with a completely different set of rules? Perhaps we’re just better able to adapt than you two.” He included Spock. “Because we have less to lose.”

“What does that mean?” Jim asked.

“It means that it’s not my command that’s been lost,” he said as gently as he could. “You two are the execs. It’s natural that you’d rail against this the longest.”

“We haven’t been railing against anything!” Kirk retorted. “That’s just it. We’re capitulating. Laying low, playing farmers, waiting… until the whole damn colony is pregnant, apparently.”

McCoy pursed his lips. “Life goes on, Jim. Adapt or die, right? Give Helen a chance. She’s a wonderful woman and she’s been sweet on you since that Life Sciences Christmas party.”

We won’t be celebrating Christmas here, Jim thought sadly.

“Would you rather be over on ‘Bachelor Island?’” Bones pointed over his shoulder with his thumb to where they imagined the island to be.

Jim paced. “Maybe I could help over there. Maybe they need leadership and I could…”

“They’ve got Sulu, and if it’s true that Stiles is gone, I'm sure he’s got things well in hand… and would you really want to be separated from Spock?” McCoy added softly.

Jim shook his head before he even realized he was doing it. “I just wish…”

“If wishes were fishes, we’d all have a fry,” McCoy quipped. “Things are as they are, Jim; don’t eat yourself up over what you can’t control. You and Spock deserve some domestic bliss. Swim in the ocean, get a couple of horses, enjoy your wives, invite your favorite doctor over now and then…”

Bones was trying hard to lighten things back up. He worried about Jim almost as much as Spock did and the last thing he wanted was for the evening to end in a fight.

“Tell ya what,” he said with a twinkle in his eye. “Leonard James Aka’-ar is taken, but how does James Tiberius McCoy strike you?”

Jim softened and grinned despite himself. “Lose the Tiberius and you’ve got a deal,” he said, “Thanks, Bones.”

“Nobody I’d rather name my son after.”

“You’d better run that by Yeoman Barrows… Tonia.”

“She loves you, Jim. We all do.”

And I’ve let you all down, Kirk thought, but kept it to himself. “Thank her for the meal. I’m going to pass on dessert.”

“Will do. You take care of yourselves.” McCoy watched as his two friends headed off down the path.

“What’s your read on that, Spock?” Jim asked when they were out of earshot. “Does Bones’ behavior seem logical to you?”

“It never has,” Spock said wryly.

“You know what I mean. And Scotty, too. Neither of them seem to be seeing the situation clearly.

“Humans have an almost unlimited capacity for seeing what they want to see.”

“Then you don’t think Apollo is tampering with their minds?”

“I did not say that, Captain. The doctor and the engineer are behaving in much the same way I observed the female personnel behave. I believe I mentioned to you that I found their adjustment period to be unexpectedly swift.”

“Then, you do think there’s more at work here that just a case of Tahiti Syndrome?”

“I suspect so. Even I may be susceptible.”

“What do you mean, Spock?” Jim asked with concern.

“I have found living with you and tending to our land and animals together to be… pleasing.”

Jim smiled. “Me too,” he admitted.

As Kirk and Spock made their way home, the darkness closed in. On a moonless night, Spock wasn’t sure how well Jim could see and offered his arm as they crossed someone’s plowed field. Jim took it gratefully.

“We should plow part of our meadow, Spock. Plant some vegetables. Plan for the worst.” The blight on Tarsus IV Colony’s food supply two decades ago, had caused near starvation; it made a big impact on Jim’s 14-year-old mind. 

“We would need to erect a fence to keep out the goats,” Spock replied, “but not the chickens, since avian manure is advantageous to the cultivation of most vegetables.”

Jim grinned in the dark. The things Spock knew. He clutched his friend’s arm and leaned into him. He felt safe despite not being able to see where his sandals were stepping. He trusted Spock’s Vulcan eyes to get them home.

Chapter Text

The next morning, after Jim and Spock finished milking the goats, they mapped out a plan for a garden and launched into the project after a quick breakfast. Plowing was hard work without horses and digging holes for the fence posts took longer than expected, but both men enjoyed being outdoors working together. By late-afternoon, they decided to take a break and returned to the villa to find Apollo waiting for them in the courtyard.

He didn’t look pleased and got right to the point: “Captain, I am told that you and Mr. Spock intend to make a mockery of your marriages,” he accused.

Jim looked at Spock. Had McCoy told Apollo? No. Tonia, probably, he decided.

Caught off-guard, Kirk responded with sarcasm. “Make a mockery of coerced marriages? Why would we do that?”

“Jim,” Spock warned in a sharp whisper, reaching for his arm.

Apollo scowled. “Captain, I have been generous and understanding of your and Pan’s relationship, the nature of which contradicts the goals of this community. But if you are conspiring to humiliate your brides, to deny one or both of them the comforts of a proper husband, then you will find yourselves living as far apart as possible.”

It was an effective threat. Kirk drew in a breath, preparing to be as contrite as he was able. 

Apollo looked him over. Sandy hair was falling onto his tanned forehead and his biceps were glistening with sweat. The way the proud captain was preparing to back down made him sneer with satisfaction.

He moved toward Kirk and gripped his shoulder with his big hand. It made Spock nervous and he tensed, ready to defend Jim from whatever might happen next.

Apollo sighed. “I think some time apart this afternoon would be just the thing to demonstrate that defiance will not be tolerated. I trust no future discipline will be needed.”

With that pronouncement, Spock disappeared. 

“Where is he?!” Jim demanded before he, too, vanished.

“Well this is just grand,” Kirk muttered to himself when he recognized where Apollo had sent him. He was alone on Batis Beach a good distance from the villa. Spock was nowhere to be seen. He must have been sent in the opposite direction, Jim reasoned. Damn Apollo.

He sighed and set out. It was at least an hour’s walk and the sun was already low in the sky. Spock would know what time the moon would be rising, but Kirk wasn’t an almanac of Pollux IV facts, so he just needed to make sure he was home by dark.

“Home,” he mused. “When did I start calling it that?” Spock had also referred to their shared villa as ‘home’ a number of times that Jim could remember. I’m playing house with a Vulcan, he thought. He liked having Spock close and suspected his friend enjoyed the living arrangement as much as he did. What a comfort Spock was. His serene, cerebral way was just what Jim needed when his natural fire started flaring.

They were like yin and yang, the sun and the moon. It had always been like that between them. This dynamic served them well, but Jim couldn’t help but wish now and then that Spock would relax his mental controls and express the passions Jim knew were there.

He wants to. I KNOW he does. He loves me. If only his body could show it outside of pon farr. 

They had decided to lie down for their most recent meld, and having Spock beside him on his bed had felt so good. They slept only a few feet apart every night, in separate beds, but feeling Spock’s body heat during the intimacy of that meld had been intoxicating. So close. Jim was a sexual person and couldn’t help but wish they had the physical relationship that Apollo thought they did.

Kirk frowned and trudged on. The sand was making travel slow so he moved closer to the water’s edge where it was damp and packed tighter. The sun had set and gorgeous colors painted the sky. He’d once yearned for a beach to walk on… with a beautiful woman. Now, all he missed was Spock. 

I wonder where Apollo sent him? This hike is tedious without him. The pebbled beach ended and he made his way over some rocky crags. He pictured Spock walking back from… wherever, probably worrying about him. Spock’s concern for his safety was like a warm blanket. Maybe someday his logical friend would decide to gather him into a loving embrace. He had very nearly done so a few times in the past when Jim had been in danger and Spock was feeling the relief of knowing his captain was safe again. 

The open display of emotions embarrassed Spock, Kirk knew. Jim thought back on T’Pring, Leila Kalomi, Zarabeth… all humiliating experiences for Spock. Lapses in mental control brought him no joy, only self-flagellation. He’d once advised Bones, “You must learn to govern your passions, Doctor. They will be your undoing.” For better or worse, Spock lived by this mantra that had been drummed into him in his youth. 

The next few minutes slipped by as Jim imagined Spock relaxing his rigid rules, letting his heart override his head. He sighed as Spock kissed and caressed him. Spock’s deep, velvet voice repeating words of love in his ear as they lay together. The feel of Spock’s body pressed against him… Mmmm… It was something Jim definitely wanted. 

Whether it ever happened or not was up to Spock.

The sky was almost entirely dark when at last Jim spotted their villa. The torches were lit, indicating Spock was home.

“Spock!” he called as he made his way through the courtyard. “Are you here?”

“Yes, Jim,” Spock greeted from within.

“Where did he send you?” Kirk asked. He grabbed Spock gently by the upper arms in greeting, then released him.

“Only as far as the agora,” Spock replied.

“Oh, good. You got off easy; he sent me to Batis Beach.”

“When night fell and you were still gone…” Spock trailed off.

“I know. I’m sorry. Wasn’t my idea to walk three miles in sandals.” Jim gave a weary smile as he untied them and kicked them off.

“Come and bathe,” Spock suggested, leading the way.

“Yeah, good idea,” Jim said, looking down at his dusty feet. 

The cool marble floor felt good as he followed Spock to the baths.

“I didn’t like the way Apollo looked at you, Jim,” Spock said.

“He’s just trying to rattle me, don’t worry.”

Jim loosened his tunic and was surprised when Spock didn’t turn away while he removed his clothes and entered the water.

“I think he may want you… sexually,” Spock persisted.

Jim laughed nervously and shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

“Apollo IS known to have had male lovers,” Spock stated.

“Oh?”

“Several, in fact.”

“‘Fact?’” Jim questioned. 

It wasn’t like Spock to call unverifiable legends from antiquity “facts”… but it also wasn’t like Spock to undress in front of him and join him in the bath like he was doing! Jim tried to stifle his surprise.

“The first was Thamyris, a poet with considerable musical ability,” Spock said as he slowly descended the steps. He seemed in no hurry to conceal himself beneath the water and paused at thigh depth almost as if he wanted Kirk to look.

Jim tried to avert his eyes, but he had never seen Spock naked before and his eyes would not obey him.

“Another was Prince Hyacinthus of Laconia,” Spock continued, “who was a superb athlete but died young from a discus blow to the head.”

“Hm,” said Jim. “The things you know, Spock.” He chuckled and tried to act casual, but Spock was fully in the water now, moving toward him without a hint of his usual modesty or self-consciousness.

“Then there was Cyparissus of Ceos, a shepherd boy favored by Apollo for his light hair and golden skin…” 

He’s going to touch me! Jim realized just before Spock moved boldly into his space and wrapped a strong arm around him, pulling him close.

Jim gasped when he felt that Spock was aroused. His eyes flew open wide and a jolt went through him. Spock was looming over him now, piercing him with his dark eyes, and tightening his hold.

“…This boy so inflamed the god’s desire,” Spock whispered seductively, “that Apollo took him with ardor in the open fields of Carthaean.”

Before a shocked Kirk knew what was happening, Spock was plundering his mouth with a passionate kiss, hot and demanding, stopping Jim’s questions.

Beneath the water, Spock’s hands explored Kirk’s body as his tongue delved deeper and deeper. 

Jim groaned into his mouth and instinctively returned the kiss. Oh, God! What is happening? Spock’s hands gripped Kirk’s backside and held him firmly as he rocked his slender hips into him.

Jim shuddered as their lengths slid against each other. 

“Ohhh, Spock,” Jim moaned. 

“I want you, Captain. Do you want me?”

Jim was speechless but nodded.

Spock reached between them with his hand and wrapped his elegant fingers around them both, squeezing them together in his grasp.

Jim could barely breathe. He’d never felt anything like this before… and it’s with Spock. Spock! The Vulcan’s hand moved up and down and his thumb caressed the heads of their penises.

“Oh! Ahhh,” Jim choked out, throwing his head back in pleasure. He couldn’t believe this was happening, but luckily, he was good at adjusting to new situations. He added his hand to the cocoon of heavenly pressure that surrounded their erections. Together, they pumped and slid against each other until the frottage produced an orgasm in Jim. 

”Ugh… ohhh!” Jim moaned and pulsed his fluids into the water. His knees buckled and Spock relaxed his tight grip around his waist, but didn’t release him. Kirk felt his body being turned 180 degrees, then the sudden invasion of a finger. Spock was breaching him, pressing past the tight ring of muscle that was fighting to keep him out. Soon there were two fingers, stretching him, opening him. It was uncomfortable and Jim wanted to say so, but he felt weak after his orgasm and didn’t protest what he sensed was coming next.

Spock’s going to penetrate me! The thought both aroused and terrified him. He’d fantasized about it, but the reality was different. Here in the bath, without a lubricant, it would hurt. He was about to suggest they move to a bed and use olive oil when… Ow! The sharp pain made him suck a quick breath through gritted teeth as Spock’s shaft pierced him forcefully. His instinct was to move away, but the Vulcan held him fast around the hips with his strong forearm. Spock’s chest was draped heavily over his back, pushing him forward until his face was almost in the water. 

“Uhh uh uh,” Spock grunted as he claimed Jim, deeper and deeper with each jabbing thrust.

Jim wanted to enjoy it, but he was a virgin to this kind of lovemaking, and his body rebelled. Fantasy Spock was always careful with him. This Spock didn’t seem to care if he was hurting Jim or not. This must be pon farr, Kirk decided. For a moment of panic, Jim wondered if he could get away from Spock if he tried. His grip was like a vice. 

Spock, stop. This hurts. Can you hear me? Jim reasoned that since Spock was mating with him, he must be bonding mentally with him as well. Wasn’t that the Vulcan way? He couldn’t feel Spock’s mind at all, though.

Spock shifted and the sharp thrusts became more undulating. Jim could feel the tip of Spock’s penis stroking his prostate now and pleasurable sensations began to replace the pain. A spark of joy radiated from that small point within him and made him yearn to feel Spock’s extraordinary mind merging with his, but still there was telepathic silence.

As the minutes passed, Jim’s pleasure began to give way to chafing and discomfort again. Spock was grunting and moaning, but seemed no closer to orgasm.

God! He’s got stamina. “Spock? Can we move to the bed… use some oil?”

Spock pulled out, panting, and released his hold on Jim.

“I was not aware I was hurting you, Captain.”

“No, no, it was good. I just can’t go much longer without some lubrication,” he explained. 

“Come.” Spock hurried out of the bath and grabbed two towels. His erection was still obvious. It bobbed pink and swollen as they quickly dried off. Jim had thought it would look more green. He shook his head in wonder, trying to process what had happened… what was still happening. 

He retrieved a small pitcher of olive oil from the table and took a moment to adjust the tapestry over the statue. It had slipped somehow, exposing Apollo’s stony face. He shot a wink at Spock as he covered it and quipped, “Three’s a crowd.”

Spock was standing by Jim’s bed and when Kirk joined him, he took the oil and pushed Jim down on the bed. Jim had been crafting a plan to oil his hands and give Spock a slow below-the-belt massage, but Spock quickly lubed his own shaft and pounced on him.

Oh, okay. I guess Spock has other ideas… Jim had loved the frottage and hoped for more of that, but in one swift move, Spock flipped him onto his stomach and drove into him. 

“Oh!” Jim groaned, not entirely from pleasure. God, Spock was strong. He squirmed to find a more comfortable angle, but Spock’s full weight was pinning him, covering him from shoulders to heels. Spock was not even raising up to thrust, just lying over Jim like a second skin, flexing his powerful gluts for small, but powerful jolts, working his way deeper and deeper into the opened body beneath him.

Kirk was grateful for the reduced friction, but the stretch was still a challenge to accommodate. He tried to relax and savor the feel of his friend throbbing within him. He ached for the soothing presence of Spock in his mind. 

This is new to Spock. Perhaps he can’t handle sex and mind melding simultaneously, Jim considered. Maybe afterwards…

Spock rolled them suddenly onto their sides with himself behind, still inside Jim. He curled his lythe body around him and kissed his neck as he continued to fuck him.

“Ohh, Captain, your body enthralls me,” he whispered in Jim’s ear. “It’s been so long. So very long.”

Kirk didn’t know what he meant exactly. As far as he knew, Spock had never indulged in sex. 

Maybe more happened with Zarabeth than Spock admitted in his report, Jim thought. Or maybe Leila…. He wasn’t sure. His first officer hadn’t elaborated and Jim didn’t press. It was hard to picture his stoic friend doing the deed with either of them, but maybe he just hadn’t wanted to picture it. 

He remembered the madness that had seized Spock on Vulcan during the koon-ut-kal-if-fee. He would have mated with fervor then had T’Pring not rejected him. The passion he was showing Jim was only supposed to be possible for Vulcans during their mating time.

He could breathe better with Spock’s weight off of him now, so he filled his lungs and asked, “Is this pon farr?”

Spock continued to move back and forth inside him and groan in pleasure. He kept kissing his neck and didn’t answer. Then, he reached over his hip to touch Jim’s penis. It was only partially erect, but Spock’s touch brought it to full girth. He kneaded and squeezed Jim’s scrotum with his clever fingers, making Jim gasp. Kirk’s body was curled and cradled within Spock’s taller frame and the heat of being surrounded by Spock and coupled with him was making him sweat.

Spock shifted slightly and now his slow thrusts were hitting Jim’s prostate dead on. The pleasure was intense, radiating outward through his whole body. Every nerve was on Red Alert. Spock’s moves were languid now, but Jim was becoming frantic from the ecstasy. 

How did a virgin learn to do THIS? Kirk wondered between cries of pleasure.

“Oh! My God! Uh-uh-uh, Sp-spock!” he sputtered as the unrelenting stimulation became almost too much to bear. 

Suddenly, Spock pulled Kirk onto his hands and knees and pushed his shoulders down, forcing his face into the pillow. Jim heard the sound of the pitcher being utilized and then Spock’s oiled hand was on his penis again, pulling and jerking underneath Jim, like he was milking a goat. Spock’s lubed shaft started sliding up and down along his cleft, teasing his opening with silky smoothness, until Spock once again spread it wide and re-sheathed himself in Jim.

His taut thighs were slapping against the back of Kirk’s and their connection points were smacking with the most obscene sloppy-wet sounds. 

Every stab of Spock’s cock was hitting the target with the precision of a photon torpedo, and the simultaneous stimulation of his penis left Jim whimpering for mercy.

“Please, please! Oh, God!” He shouted into the pillow. Stop. Please stop, Spock! I can’t take any more.

Spock’s thumb swept across the tip of his rigid length and he was done. 

“Aghhhhh! Uhh! Uhh!” Jim choked out as he came hard for the second time in an hour.

His legs were trembling and he could feel his passageway contracting in pulsing waves around Spock, who was still inside him. The Vulcan’s moans were almost frightening. They echoed through the villa’s vaulted ceilings like thunderclaps on a stormy night.

Air. He needed air. Turning his head to the side to catch a breath above the pillow, Jim felt Spock filling him at last with liquid heat. It was such a foreign sensation, but he was much more focused on getting oxygen into his lungs. He saw stars and knew he had to take a few more gulps.

Spock slipped free and lay down next to him, coaxing him back into a spoon position. Their hearts were pounding and Spock’s chest felt sweaty against Jim’s back.

“Glorious,” Spock whispered in Kirk’s ear. 

“Mmm,” Jim hummed in response. Perhaps now that their blood was slowing, Spock would mind meld with him. He smiled at the thought. To him, that was the ultimate intimacy: Spock’s mental shields down and his beautiful feelings open to Jim. That’s what Jim wanted most.

“Spock, can we…?”

“Sleep now, Captain.” Spock ran a finger lightly down his arm and kissed the back of his shoulder.

The words hit him like a command and drowsiness clouded his thoughts. Kirk wanted to turn over and look into Spock’s eyes, talk to him, understand all of this… but fatigue dragged him under and sleep took him.

Chapter Text

Jim awoke slowly to the sound of rain. It was morning. Mid-morning by the look of it, he thought. Rarely did he sleep much beyond daybreak, but his body must have needed it. 

He gave a satisfied, slow stretch, and a pang of soreness in an unusual place reminded him…

Spock!

He turned to find his bed empty and the space his lover had occupied cool to the touch. The bed next to his was empty, too, and made.

He must be outside working already, even though it’s raining.

Jim sat up and smiled at the aches he felt. Memories of the night’s passion flooded his mind. The sheets and his body bore evidence that it was not a dream. His mouth felt dry and he reached for a bowl of grapes that was by the bed. As he idly popped a few into his mouth, he reviewed every moment of the forbidden pleasures he’d just enjoyed with his first officer. Who would have thought Spock’s libido would spark to life so suddenly and dramatically? His ardent lovemaking had been almost more than Jim could take in one night.

Was that pon farr? he wondered again.

He’d asked Spock last night, but he hadn’t answered. Spock was half-human; maybe he’d been capable of sex all this time, just hadn’t allowed himself. That possibility made Kirk smile.

I should dress and go find him, make sure he’s okay. Jim hoped he wasn’t feeling upset or ashamed in the aftermath, but knowing Spock, that was likely.

Jim bundled up the bedding and threw it in the laundry pile, then cleaned himself. What a strange sensation it was to be filled with another man’s fluids. Hm, that’s different, he thought, as some of the hot jelly slid down his leg. Luckily, nature was calling and he was able to purge it. He dressed quickly and made up the bed with fresh linens, since his military training made it nearly impossible for him to brook an unmade bunk. 

Maybe I’ll be lying here with Spock again tonight, he thought hopefully. He looked at the bed and pictured making love to Spock at a gentler, slower pace, their bodies entwined and their minds melded…. Then Jim frowned, realizing it was more likely that Spock was filled with shame and regret right now, outside in the rain indulging in self-reprisals. I’ve gotta go find him.

He sat on a chaise and was lacing up his sandals when Spock walked in. 

He was drenched to the bone, but otherwise looked well… a little tired, but that made a wicked smile spread across Jim’s face.

“Captain,” Spock greeted, relieved to see that Kirk was all right.

“You got a pretty early start today… considering,” Jim said with a suggestive twinkle in his eyes. “I’m just waking up.”

Spock stared at him with a strange expression and didn’t respond.

Uh-oh, Jim thought. “Have you eaten? Come dry off and have some grapes and figs with me.” He grabbed a towel and held it out to Spock, but as the Vulcan came closer, Kirk realized he was more than just wet.

“Whoa, you’re filthy. What have you been doing this morning, digging fence post holes or a well?”

Jim wrapped the towel around Spock’s shoulders tenderly and led him to the baths. 

“You clean up and I’ll rustle up a bit bigger breakfast than figs and grapes. I think we could both use it, don’t you?” Jim winked and kissed him on the cheek.

Spock’s face remained neutral and Jim gave him a look he couldn’t interpret before heading off toward the pantry.

Spock discarded his wet clothes and walked into the bath. His leg muscles ached and there were blisters on his feet. Jim is acting strange, he thought. Spock touched the place on his face where Jim had kissed him and struggled to interpret the action. He washed and dressed quickly, so he could rejoin his captain.

Jim greeted him from the table with a smile and some boiled and pickled quail eggs wrapped in grape leaves. 

“Thought you could use some protein,” Kirk said.

“Indeed,” Spock replied as he sat down and reached for an egg. “I expended an inordinate amount of energy last night.”

Jim laughed. “Oh, thank God!”

Spock raised a confused eyebrow.

“I thought you might be going to pretend nothing happened between us last night.” Jim leaned back in his chair, relieved. “I love you, you know. Did I say that last night? …I mean when my face wasn’t smashed into a pillow?” Jim’s hazel eyes sparkled with mirth.

Spock opened his mouth, then closed it again. He glanced toward the covered statue of Apollo and back at Kirk. His face looked oddly different to Jim than it had last night. He couldn’t tell what Spock was thinking at all.

“Was it pon farr? You never answered me.”

Spock didn’t look inclined to answer him now either, so Kirk continued… he wanted to make sure Spock knew he’d enjoyed it. 

“Well, whatever it was, I’m pretty sore today,” he said in a sexy whisper, rocking up on one haunch in his chair to demonstrate the point. 

Spock’s face was a mask, but Jim could see the emotions churning beneath the surface. Why is he trying so hard to hide them from me? Jim wondered. He put his hand over Spock’s and asked in earnest, “Are we bonded now? I can’t sense your thoughts at all.”

“Jim…,” Spock said carefully, processing the full reality of what must have occurred, “I was not here last night.”

Jim gave a wry expression. “So, you are going to pretend nothing happened.”

I have to make him understand, Spock thought. He needs to know. Anger and hatred were rising in Spock, but they were outweighed by the compassion he felt for Jim, who was about to learn an appalling truth.

He forced himself to look into Kirk’s questioning eyes.

“Jim, Apollo sent me to the top of Mt. Palladia. It was a 12-hour journey home. I walked all night and only just arrived. I… I am sorry,” he added, not sure what else to say.

Spock watched as dozens of emotions played across his captain’s face: disbelief, confusion, shock, revulsion.

It was Apollo, not Spock! Jim’s mind was reeling. The room started spinning and he put his head in his hands. The grapes he’d eaten rose in his throat, requiring two strong gulps to keep them down. He gasped and a strangled sob escaped his lips.

“Jim…”

Spock reached for him, but he shrank away, wrapping himself in his own arms, trying to disappear.

No, no, no. Apollo can’t impersonate people, can he? His mind rebelled, fighting this new information, grasping wildly for any other possible explanation. He could find none. How could I have been fooled like that?!  

He sprang up and started pacing like he did when he was desperate to find a way out of a situation, but there was no way out of this. It was done. Apollo had tricked and used him. The soreness inside was revolting to him now and he stopped suddenly in the middle of the room in an attempt to feel it less. A wave of dizziness seized him and his legs gave out.

Spock caught him and eased him back into a chair. When the stars cleared from Kirk’s vision, he saw Spock sitting close beside him, stroking his arm gently, and looking at him with such sympathy. Jim glanced at his face then looked down. 

“I should have known it wasn’t you, Spock. I should have known,” Jim admonished himself. He shook his head helplessly and fought back tears. “I’m so sorry.”

“The fault is Apollo’s and only Apollo’s,” Spock stated stoically, keeping all hints of anger out of his voice. “He is a master of deceit and manipulation.”

Jim had been fooled by opponents before, many times over the years, but never in so cruel a way as this. It would be with him for a long time and impact his relationship with Spock. That thought made him groan and crimp his eyes shut. The squeezed-out tears rolled down his face and he shook with helpless rage.

“Jim, let me help,” Spock asked, tentatively touching his fingertips to Kirk’s face. Jim desperately wanted Spock’s comfort. How good it would feel to let Spock slip into his mind and soothe this pain that was threatening to overwhelm him. 

No! He’ll see, Jim realized and pulled away.

The thought of Spock seeing all the things Apollo had done to him last night… all the things he’d allowed him to do to him, shook Jim. He understood now how insidious the trap had been, laid in advance by Apollo, planned and executed with precision, with me as the prey, Jim thought. And I walked right into it. Right into it. 

It was bad enough that it happened, but Spock seeing it seemed unthinkable. “I don’t want you to… have th-those things in your mind, Spock,” Jim whispered to the floor.

“You don’t have to bear it alone. Please, Jim. This attack has injured us both. We can heal together. We are stronger together.”

Jim lifted his eyes to look Spock in the face again and nodded his consent before he could change his mind.

Vulcan fingers caressed his face, then found their positions. Spock was so skilled at this and their minds connected effortlessly.

Mmm, Jim murmured. This is what he had craved last night, Spock’s consciousness merged with his. He felt thankful that Apollo only had the ability to violate his body, not his mind.

Spock lowered all of his mental barriers and let Jim see the entirety of himself for the first time.

Jim felt admiration and devotion wash over him and fill him with joy. He sensed Spock’s protectiveness and his anger that Jim had been duped by his likeness.

That is a cruelty I cannot forgive, Spock said. I should have protected you, linked my mind to yours, so that you would always know me and could not be deceived.

Do it now, if it’s possible, Kirk urged. 

I always imagined that you would find it too intrusive, to hear my thoughts and feel my emotions, but now I see how you have desired that level of intimacy with me. I did not know.

Do you want it with me? Jim asked. I know you want to protect me, but a human mind can be quite a handful, I suspect.

The link can be undone, if either of us finds it insupportable, Spock explained. It is not a bond.

Will Apollo detect it? Is there any way he could use it against us? Jim asked.

He shows no signs of having telepathic abilities. I do not believe he will know.

Spock gently altered the position of his fingers and began moving deeper into Kirk’s mind. It was comforting and familiar and Jim didn’t even consider being afraid. This was Spock.

Memories of childhood joys and triumphs floated through Jim’s awareness. Things had been golden and uncomplicated then. Simple. This felt simple, as easy as a lazy Sunday on his parents’ farm in Iowa. Spock’s presence was like a sunbath in early spring.

He pictured the friendship they might have enjoyed if they had been boys together in Iowa… fishing, swimming, playing hide and seek in the cornfields. He could picture Spock at one of his lively family dinners, getting teased fondly by his older brother Sam. Jim secretly wished Spock had had the same upbringing that he did. He knew his friend’s childhood had been marked by harsh trials and bigotry because of his hybrid nature.

Our histories make us who we are, Spock said.

Yes. You wouldn’t have learned to do THIS on Earth. How DID you learn to do this, Spock? Jim suddenly wondered. Vulcan telepathy seemed like magic to him.

We train very young, pair off and practice the techniques to proficiency before our need for privacy develops and makes such encounters uncomfortable.

Oh.

I always liked how it felt, Spock admitted. 

Jim saw how Spock was accepted by his peers as a very young child, but as their awareness of his differences grew, they turned away from him. Most of his childhood had been very lonely, until he mastered his emotions.

I never quite accomplished that, not completely.

I know. Do you still think of the Kolinahr?

The purging of all emotion is the pinnacle of accomplishment for a Vulcan… but no, that is a pursuit I no longer contemplate.

Because of me, Jim knew.

I love you and have no wish to stop loving you.

Jim melted at the sentiment, but then thoughts of the previous night intruded and he shuddered. To remember those things while in the warm embrace of Spock’s telepathy was horrifying. He couldn’t stop the images from coming, though. They were filling his mind. He realized he was offering up the whole night for Spock to see, but he couldn’t stop. This is what he was afraid of.

Oh, God. Spock. I’m sorry.

Jim felt so embarrassed. Spock was surely judging him for enjoying rough, aggressive sex like that. He felt like he should explain.

I thought it was your pon farr and I was just excited to be with you, Spock, be the one helping you through it.

Jim, Spock soothed. You had a night of sexual passion believing it was me. Remember it as though it WERE me. I would make love to you in that way if it were biologically possible. I possess passionate feelings for you, I assure you, but regrettably, they cannot find physical expression outside of pon farr. Seeing what you are willing to endure for me when my time comes… It honors me.

Jim breathed slowly and listened to Spock as he continued.

What Apollo did was unconscionable, but you believed it was me… and now that I share the memories, we can recall those events as something that happened together.

Humans need time to recover, Spock. I don’t know if we can cheat that process, as much as I’d like to. If my mind were as disciplined as yours, then perhaps….

Jim, however you choose to deal with this, I will support you.

Well, we could kill Apollo, Jim half-joked.

We WILL defeat him, Spock said. 

I don’t know. We mortals don’t have much of a track record against the gods, Jim sighed. I wish his parents would come send him to his room for being cruel to his ‘pets’ like Trelane’s did. He laughed at the futility of it, but it gave Spock an idea…

Who among the pantheon of Greek gods was stronger than Apollo and likely to disapprove of his treatment of us? Spock asked.

Jim thought about it for a moment. Normally, he’d direct a question like that to his A&A officer, but Lt. Palamas was loyal to Apollo now. The ship’s historian might also be useful… had she not chosen exile with Khan. What is it with these women, Spock? Why do they fall for such villains?

Unknown.

Spock also felt disappointment with the Enterprise women. Most of them were so taken with Apollo and the life he provided that their loyalties to the captain could no longer be trusted.

Well, from what I remember, Jim said, Zeus was the most powerful. He was Apollo’s father, the king of the Olympian gods. His wife was Hera, but she was not Apollo’s mother. Apollo’s mother was a human. Hey, he’s a hybrid… like you.

Spock raised his eyebrow at the comparison. Even in the meld, with his eyes shut, Kirk could feel it and chuckled.

So, we can assume Apollo’s mother is dead by now, since that was 5,000 years ago. She’s not likely to turn up and reprimand him. How about his sister?

Artemis, goddess of the moon, Spock supplied. Her purview included nature, wild animals, hunting, children and childbirth, and protecting the chastity of maidens.

Jim perked up. Doesn’t sound like someone who’d approve of forced marriages.

Spock shook his head. There are legends of Artemis committing as many atrocities against mortals as her brother, and she was rarely in disagreement with him. Their stepmother, Hera, had great loathing for both of them. 

I wonder if SHE would be on our side?

I must point out the dangers of seeking help from another of Apollo’s race, Spock warned, even if we knew how to do that. We could find ourselves ‘out of the frying pan and into the fire.’

It always made Kirk smile when Spock used a colloquialism.

Who better to defeat a god than another god, though? 

Who better to help a god enslave us than another god? Spock countered.

Apollo doesn’t seem to need any help for that, does he?

Spock could feel Jim’s pessimism that they could ever defeat him on their own. 

Why is he so damned powerful this time? And how did he return from oblivion anyway? Jim wondered.

Spock didn’t know, but he recalled Lt. Palamas’ report three years ago. ‘When I asked Apollo if the other gods had died,’ she wrote, ‘he told me that gods can’t die, but there is a point of no return.’

When Apollo asked the other gods to take him and then he vanished, I thought he was passing that point of no return, Jim said. How was he able to come back?

While you and Dr. McCoy were in the villa on Mt. Palladia, Apollo told us many stories about himself… Spock shared them instantly through the meld … but of his return, he would only say that ‘true love’ brought him back.

His true love for Carolyn…

Or her true love for him? Spock offered.

Do you think SHE did something to conjure him?

Unknown. We need more information.

Yes. Hmm.

Spock felt Jim’s mind working the problem. He loved being part of that dynamic mental energy. 

Spock, I might have an idea how to get her to tell us. Go ahead and finish the mind link between us. We’ve got work to do. 

Spock was pleased that Kirk was feeling a surge of optimism, and his captain’s spirits rose even more when Spock told him it was already done. The link had been established.

Oh! You’re a wonder, Spock.

As he ended the meld, the link held and a huge smile spread over Jim’s face.

“Oh, this is marvelous!” he said aloud. I can feel you with me.

And I you, Spock acknowledged.

Jim reached out and squeezed Spock’s arm in affection and deep appreciation. They noticed a couple of flies had found their breakfast. “I’m not hungry anyway,” the captain said. “Let’s get to work!”

***

“How is married life, Uhura?” Nurse Chapel asked with a wink as she and Dr. Noel arrived at their friend’s new home. 

They knew that Uhura and Chief Kyle were only living together as friends, but mentioning that out loud too often would be foolish, since Apollo had eyes everywhere.

“Oh, it’s just wonderful. Those blue eyes and Yorkshire accent… I’m so glad I chose him,” she said with a smile. “Come in.”

They stepped into her villa, which was slightly less grand than some, but very comfortable.

“Honey, we have company,” she called to her husband.

“Oi! Nurse Chapel, Dr. Noel, tis lovely ta see ya,” Kyle said. He hoped they brought word from the captain.

“Please, sit down. Are you excited about getting married tomorrow?” Uhura asked carefully with a glance at her statue of Apollo. They all took her meaning; Spock had warned them of Apollo’s ability to lurk and listen unseen.

“Yes,” Chapel and Noel said in unison.

“We’ll be there with bells on,” Kyle said. “Everyone ‘as been instructed ta be there. S’posed ta be quite a party.”

“Yeah,” Uhura said, looking back and forth between Helen and Christine, wishing they could dare to speak more freely.

“Uhura?” Christine said. “I heard you’re having success growing spices. Would you show me your garden? I’d just love to learn your secrets and surprise Mr. Spock with a little spice garden for his plomeek soup.”

“Oh, certainly,” Uhura said. “Follow me.”

Good excuse ta go outdoors, Kyle thought. He was sure now that they had a message from Captain Kirk. His blood raced at the thought that the senior officers might have come up with a plan.

“I’m mighty proud o’ my wife and ‘er green thumb,” Chief Kyle said as they reached the garden. They squatted down and formed a tight circle around the patch of ground with the sprouting spice plants. 

In a low voice Dr. Noel said, “Our mission is to find out if Apollo returned on his own or if Lt. Palamas did something to bring him back… and if so, what?”

“Oh!” Uhura said. “I know that already. Carolyn told me.”

Christine and Helen brightened.

“She prayed to Aphrodite,” Uhura revealed in a whisper, “expressed her regret over rejecting him, and begged her in the name of love to return him to her.”

“How did she make Aphrodite hear her?” Helen asked.

“Even Carolyn doesn’t know that,” Uhura replied. “She was just at her wits’ end and did it in desperation during a fit of despair and anguish in her quarters, she told me.”

“Why’d she choose Aphrodite to pray to?” Christine asked.

Because she’s the goddess of love,” Uhura said. “Carolyn told me she had read stories where Aphrodite rewarded couples whose hearts were true by clearing up misunderstandings, reversing their misfortunes, or ending their separation. On impulse, she pleaded to her for help.”

“Did she actually see Aphrodite on the Enterprise?” Chapel asked.

“I don’t think so, but she credits Apollo’s appearance that night as an answer to her prayer.”

“You’ve been so much help, Lieutenant,” Dr. Noel said. “We’ll go tell the captain now.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t know he wanted that information. I could have told him sooner,” Uhura said.

“If he has any follow up questions for you, he can find you at our wedding tomorrow,” Helen said. My God, I’m marrying Jim Kirk tomorrow, she thought. 

Just as the four stood up, Kyle spotted a man and a woman in the distance standing by their barn. “Oi! It’s Apollo and Palamas,” he whispered nervously.

The four took a few deep breaths then waved casually and walked over to where they were.

Carolyn was holding a large wicker basket and smiled as they approached. She said, “I’m glad you’re all here. We’re bringing gifts…”

She put down her basket and gently raised the lid to reveal three beautiful kittens inside.

“Oh!” Uhura and Christine squealed. It was so unexpected and delightful. They both adored cats and didn’t have to fake a positive response. Dr. Noel was more of a dog person, but forced a smile. It felt so uncomfortable being in Apollo’s presence for the first time since their night in the hot springs pool.

“Mousers for your barns,” Apollo announced with a smile.

“Or purring balls of love for your laps,” Carolyn said.

The two lovers smiled at each other, apparently okay with their differing views on the uses for cats.

“I wanted to thank the three of you ladies for caring for my beloved,” Apollo said. He wrapped an arm around her waist and she smiled up at him lovingly. 

What would Carolyn think if she knew her ‘true love’ had made me suck his cock to keep Captain Kirk on the mainland? Helen wondered. Images of what he had done to Teresa haunted her. And she didn’t even get to keep David Garrovick. Teresa was off somewhere ‘married’ to her second choice. Helen wasn’t sure where they lived, but she hoped the man was keeping his paws off her.

“I’ll take the white one if that’s all right?” Uhura said. “He’s just adorable.” She lifted the kitten out of the basket and held him to her chest. Chief Kyle came and stood close beside her, trying to act the proper husband. He touched her shoulder and stroked the kitten’s head.

“This little tiger is the one for me,” Christine said, lifting an orange tabby up to her face… unless you don’t care for black cats, Doctor.”

“Uh, no,” Helen said, looking down at the last one left. “He’s a beauty.” She took the kitten and held it. Something about its fragility broke her heart. She held it close and tried not to look Apollo in the eye.

“It can be any color you like, my child,” Apollo said cordially. In her arms, it began changing rapidly from one color to the next… calico, gray, brown, tuxedo, long haired, short haired. Then, Apollo turned it bright pink. Everyone laughed but Helen.

“Black is fine,” she said tightly.

“Very well,” he said and turned it back.

“You’ll become Mrs. James T. Kirk tomorrow, my dear. I hope you both enjoy my gift.” He looked at the kitten, but Helen knew Apollo was reminding her of his generosity in allowing Kirk to stay and be her mate.

“Thank you,” she forced herself to say. When she looked up, he was subtly licking his lips. It made her feel sick.

Then he looked at the nurse. “Miss Chapel is quite brave taking on a Vulcan husband. Carolyn tells me the Vulcans… aren’t known for their passion.”

Christine wasn’t sure what to say. Is he probing to see whether we plan to consummate our marriage? “I’ve loved Mr. Spock for years. We understand each other,” she said honestly.

Apollo smiled. “I’m sure even the cerebral Pan will melt under your charms, my dear, and you will have a dozen pointed-earred children clinging to their mother.”

Maybe I should say something, Christine thought. If I don’t explain things now, he may not believe me later. “Apollo, I don’t know if Carolyn knows this, but Vulcans can only produce a child every seven years.”

Apollo didn’t seem surprised. “I was wondering if you would be sharing that with me. I am pleased that you did… and you needn’t worry, my child. Pan’s ways can be altered as easily as the color of a cat.”

Her eyes must have widened because Apollo looked amused.

Kyle and Uhura tried to keep their expressions neutral.

“Until tomorrow,” Apollo said as a farewell, and he and Carolyn vanished.

***

On the walk back to Kirk and Spock’s villa, Christine realized Helen was crying.

“What is it?” Chapel asked.

“I didn’t like the way he toyed with the kitten.” She clutched it protectively to her chest. “I don’t like the way he’s toying with all of us. I hate him.”

“What do you think he meant about Spock? I’m worried,” Christine admitted. “He calls us his children, but has so little respect for any of us.”

Helen wondered if Christine had had any intimate encounters with Apollo, but decided not to ask. They both knew that their fiancés were in love with each other and had no intention of consummating the forced marriages. 

Oh, how I could use your arms around me, Jim, the comfort of your body in my bed, Helen thought as they walked. She’d never say that to him nor try to make him beholden to her by revealing she was the reason that he and Mr. Spock weren’t an ocean apart.

“I’m glad Uhura had the information the captain wanted,” Chapel said. “He and Mr. Spock will figure a way to get us out of here. I know they will. I bet they’re working on a plan already.” She brought the orange kitten up to her face and kissed it. “You sweet little thing,” she cooed.

Helen tried to smile. She wanted to believe that the great Captain Kirk hadn’t finally met his Waterloo. Dozens of times over their five-year mission, they’d been down, but never out. The captain always pulled them through. This time felt different, but she willed herself to picture Apollo defeated and everything put to rights. As they passed a grove of trees, a root caught her shoe and nearly tripped her. 

“Ugh! These sandals. Are you okay, baby?” she asked the kitten. “Didn’t mean to jostle you. I’m used to wearing boots.” She patted its head and tucked her arms back around it.

Christine smiled. “Helen, can I ask you something?” she ventured, feeling close enough to the doctor now to ask.

“Of course.”

“Is it true that the captain thought you were a passenger when he first met you?”

“Yes,” Helen replied. She knew what Christine was really asking. “And yes, I let him think that for the whole Christmas party… and beyond.”

“Why?”

“I'm not sure really. I used to kind of like mischief and intrigues in those days and he was so handsome and flirty. I had just signed aboard the Enterprise, and at my previous posting we attended holiday parities in our civilian clothes. I didn’t know I’d look like one of the passengers we were carrying, and I didn’t realize Captain Kirk had such strict rules for himself regarding… fraternization.”

“Then, you and he… after the party…?” Christine was trying to be delicate, but she wanted to know.

“No.” Helen shook her head. “I mean, he took me to the arboretum and we kissed a little. I probably would have gone back to his quarters with him if he’d asked… but he didn’t.”

Christine didn’t know what to say.

“When Dr. M’Benga introduced me later as a member of the medical staff,” Helen continued, “I grinned and thought the captain would laugh about it, but he was so angry.”

“Well you embarrassed him. He doesn’t flirt like that with women under his command. He felt tricked.”

“Yeah, I really got off on the wrong foot with him,” Helen admitted. “I didn’t see that famous Kirk charm again for months. He gave me the cold shoulder every time he ran into me in the mess hall or rec room, and when Dr. McCoy assigned me to the Tantalus V landing party, he was as cold as ice at first.”

“He gave you a commendation after that mission, so you must have won him over.”

“Not at first. I was chosen for my expertise in psychiatry and rehabilitation, but I badly underestimated the danger of Dr. Adam’s neural neutralizer machine. His reputation was sterling and I couldn’t see past that. I made some serious errors in judgment at first, but when push came to shove… well, you read the report, I suppose.”

“You did some really dangerous stuff and saved the day, as I recall. You turned off the power to the whole penal facility, even taking out a guard to do it, right?”

“Mm.” Dr. Noel blew out a breath at the memory.

“When the lights went out, the captain escaped that torture room. You saved him. No wonder he forgave you,” Christine said with a smile.

They spotted the villa and turned toward it across the meadow.

“He would have forgiven me eventually anyway; he doesn’t hold grudges for long,” Helen said with admiration. “He’s a very special man.”

“That he is,” Christine agreed.

“So is Mr. Spock,” Helen added with a supportive wink. It made the nurse blush.

“Tomorrow, we’ll live here with them!” Christine said in amazement as they entered the courtyard. “Captain?” she called out.

Kirk came outside with Spock, eager for information.

“What do we have here?” he said tenderly when he saw the unexpected sight of kittens. Christine handed him the orange one and he took it, smiling at Spock. Cats were such a simple pleasure; he’d always liked them. He knew Spock did, too.

You know you want to. Go on, he projected to Spock through the link. Dr. Noel was holding out the black kitten for him.

He took it and the softness of the fur on his sensitive hands immediately soothed him. He held the kitten to his chest like Jim was doing with his and felt the purr. Kirk could feel his pleasure through the link.

“Where did you find them?” Jim asked. “These are the first cats I’ve seen on this planet.”

“Gifts from Apollo,” Christine said. “Uhura got one, too, a white one.”

Jim’s eyes went hard and suddenly the sweet kittens were a source of suspicion.

Spies? Spock said, reading his thoughts.

Do you think?

I do not know.

“Apollo suggested them as mousers,” Christine said, “and we couldn’t keep them in the house if we tried since everything is open-air, so I guess they’ll get to come and go as they please.”

“Why did he give you cats as gifts?” Spock asked.

“He said they were a ‘thank you’ for taking care of Carolyn,” Helen said.

“Will she move in with Apollo tomorrow, when you two move out,” Kirk asked, “or continue to live there on her own until they’re married?”

Helen shrugged. “I don’t know, but listen to what we did learn…”

They sat down in the courtyard and the women gave a thorough briefing.

When they were finished, Christine felt compelled to offer an apology to Spock. “Maybe I shouldn’t have said what I said about you, Mr. Spock. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision.”

Spock didn’t give her the instant absolution she was hoping for, and she babbled on, “…and now Apollo thinks… and he’s going to do something bad to you… or something… I don’t know. I should have kept my mouth shut, I guess.”

“You believe that we’ll be here for a long time,” Kirk accused Nurse Chapel with a scowl. “Long enough for Apollo to get angry that we haven’t procreated.”

She nodded reluctantly, knowing her captain saw it as a vote of no confidence. “It’s just… we’re so far out here and Apollo is so powerful. Even if another ship came looking for us, he’d just….” She bit her lip thinking about another crew being at his mercy.

“Well, for what it’s worth Lt. Moreau agrees with you,” Jim offered with a sigh.

“Marlena?” Dr. Noel asked.

“She paid us a visit today,” Spock said.

“Oh? How is she?” Helen asked. She’d always liked Marlena and hadn’t seen her lately.

“She married Harold Matheson, and Apollo killed him for ‘noncompliance,’” Jim said tightly.

“What?! Oh, no!” Christine exclaimed. “First Stiles and now Matheson?!”

“I can see him not wanting to betray his fiancée back on Earth,” Dr. Noel said. “He always spoke like he was 100% devoted to her. No women on the ship even bothered to try with him. I wonder why Marlena chose him?”

“Apollo is allowing her to select a new husband from the island,” Spock informed, “and she came to ask the captain if there were anyone he would prefer she choose.”

“Is there?” Chapel asked.

“I suggested Sulu, but she said it needed to be ‘someone who looks like Apollo,’” Jim said.

“Why?” Christine asked innocently, but Helen thought she knew.

“She’s pregnant by Apollo,” the doctor guessed solemnly.

Christine turned to look at her, then back to the captain. “Is that true?” she whispered.

“Yes,” he said, “and not just that. She wanted to tell me that Apollo has slept with several of the crew. Perhaps as many as a dozen.”

Christine gasped.

“He told Lt. Moreau that he wants the colony’s next generation to have demigods to ‘help’ us,” Jim explained with disdain. 

“He uses different tactics to seduce his targets, including disguises,” Spock warned, “so everyone must be on guard at all times.”

“Oh my,” Christine sighed, frightened. “Marlena doesn’t even want children… ever. She told me that once.”

Kirk nodded knowingly. “Lt. Moreau was promised a strong, brilliant child, who would not be a burden,” he said. “She told us that she confided in Apollo that her mother was burdened with a cognitively impaired son, and she was keen to prevent a similar situation.”

“That is primarily how Apollo was able to persuade her to let him sire her child,” Spock said. “He told her that most of the other women who were ‘honored’ with the gift of his godhead do not even know that they are pregnant yet. Others know they are expecting, but believe the child to be their husband’s.”

“Does he disguise himself as their husband sometimes?!” Christine asked.

“It would seem so,” Spock said, obviously not going to reveal what had happened to the captain. Of course I won’t tell them, Jim.

“Do all of the women who he seduces get pregnant?” Helen asked.

“Unknown,” Spock answered.

She considered telling them what happened to her and Teresa Ross, but the moment passed and Christine was already asking who they’d decided Lt. Moreau should choose from the island.

“She was leaning toward Lt. DePaul when she left,” Jim said.

“Hmm, he’ll be a good dad,” Chapel said, just to say something positive.

“Is she going to tell him that she’s already pregnant?” Helen asked.

Jim shrugged.

They were all silent for a moment, then Jim said, “Well, anyone feel like praying to Aphrodite?”

The ladies laughed, then realized he was serious. 

“Like it or not, getting another ‘god’ to intercede on our behalf looks like our best option at the moment. Now that we know how Lt. Palamas did it, we should all try.”

“Wh-what do we ask Aphrodite to do? Just take Apollo back where he came from?” Dr. Noel asked.

“That’s the idea,” Jim said. “Spock, you want to do the honors?”

Spock looked surprised, but he had been silently working on the wording of an appeal. He nodded once, put the kitten on the ground to explore, and assumed a kneeling posture consistent with Vulcan meditation. They all followed suit. Jim released his kitten next to Spock’s and the pair scampered off.

“Aphrodite, great goddess of love, hear our prayer,” Spock began. “Apollo has imprisoned us on the planet Pollux IV. He has enslaved, manipulated, and abused us… killed two of us. We ask for your help to free ourselves. Please return Apollo to the realm where the others of his kind reside, and restore the self-determination our species requires.”

Nothing happened. 

They didn’t really expect it to. It felt as foolish as a séance, but as they opened their eyes, it was still disappointing not to see a shining, charitable goddess come to save them.

That was beautiful, Spock, Jim praised privately. Aloud he said, “Well done, Spock. It was worth a try.”

Spock nodded. The four stood up and brushed themselves off.

“Well, I guess the wedding’s still on,” Helen said, trying to sound lighthearted. “Christine and I should probably go home and get some ‘beauty sleep.’”

“I’m sorry,” Jim said, helplessly. Spock could feel the pain this situation was causing him. The men knew very well that they may be forced to consummate their marriages tomorrow night. The best Spock would be able to do was simulate the deed, unless Apollo tampered with his physiology somehow, which he’d implied to Christine he might do.

A cold chill ran through Spock at the thought. He couldn’t hide it from Kirk. Jim looked at him with sad eyes.

“Listen,” Dr. Noel said seriously, taking Jim’s hand, “whatever happens tomorrow, whatever Apollo does to us, or makes us do with each other, we’re a team. We’re crew mates, colleagues, friends who have been through a lot together. We’ll get through this, too.” She looked between Kirk and Spock with soft eyes. “We love you boys, you know?”

Her sincerity made Christine's eyes misty. The nurse nodded vigorously to let them know the psychologist was expressing her thoughts, too. She wanted to touch Spock’s hand like Helen was touching the captain’s, but she refrained. How many times had she wanted to tell the Vulcan she loved him? Thousands. She’d only done it once, while infected with that substance that acted on their systems like alcohol. They never talked about that.

Jim embraced Helen, then Christine. “Thank you,” he said simply. “We’ll see you tomorrow.”

Chapter Text

It’s upsetting me more than I thought it would, Spock… seeing him, Jim admitted, since he knew Spock had already sensed his stress.

Spock sent all of his love and support through the link, as he stood at the altar next to Jim. It was probably delighting Apollo no end to have them so close together during the wedding ceremony, with their wives on either side like bookends.

Apollo and Carolyn gazed down on them with pleased expressions as Apollo pronounced the two couples married. The crowd cheered for their captain and first officer as they descended the stairs with their new brides. Jim spotted McCoy with Tonia on his arm.

“Bones,” he called.

“Congratulations, Jim, Helen!” He slapped his friend on the back, before turning to offer best wishes to Spock and Chapel. “Dreams do come true, eh Christine?” he winked. She blushed in embarrassment, but her saffron veil concealed it.

Scotty was pushing through the crowd, too. “Cap’n Kirk, Dr. Noel, if you dinna be makin’ the bonniest pair!” he exclaimed, shaking Helen’s hand and punching Jim in the arm. He seemed a bit tipsy already. He was with Mira who went to extend her congratulations to Christine and Spock. 

“Oh, Christine, you look so beautiful!” Mira exclaimed. “You’re a lucky man, Mr. Spock!”

Spock inclined his head in acknowledgment and was surprised when Mira pushed herself between them, linked arms with them, and said loudly, “Let this old married woman give you a bit of advice!” Then she pulled them close to her and her demeanor changed.

“I may not get another chance to talk to you, so listen,” she whispered urgently. “Scotty doesn’t remember our wedding night. I think it was Apollo. He made himself look and sound like Scotty and he fooled me. His moralizing is a sham. I know three other women who think he did the same to them. Be careful. Have some secret code between you…”

They were beginning to get jostled apart by the crowd. “Tell the captain and Helen,” she said before being pushed out of earshot. Others crowded in with well-wishes and Christine schooled her face to smile. She wondered how many other smiling faces were façades. At least Spock didn’t feel compelled to look gleeful since no one expected it.

The Vulcan wrapped his arm around his new wife’s waist to keep her close and it warmed her heart. She knew he didn’t love her, but he cared about her well-being and that felt good.

Spock instantly transmitted Mira’s message to Kirk through the link. He couldn’t see him anymore.

That bastard, Jim thought. Bones’ baby is probably also Apollo’s. He pulled his wife a little closer, too. This was a nightmare.

The festivities went on and on with Carolyn and Apollo overseeing. They mingled, checking on the contentment of the guests like good hosts. Everyone smiled as they approached and spoke with them, but most looked relieved as they walked away.

It was beginning to get late and Spock noticed both of them looking his direction. They seemed to be having an argument. Carolyn kept shaking her head and all at once she vanished from his side.

Apollo then announced that Carolyn had retired for the evening and people were free to return to their homes if they chose. 

As the party broke up, Apollo approached the four newlyweds and said, “I will see you back to your villa. I have a wedding present for you, Pan… and your lovely wife.”

Helen felt Jim tense by her side, then they found themselves in the main room of Kirk and Spock’s villa.

Apollo made himself comfortable. “As you recall, when I agreed to let you and the captain share this home, it was with the understanding that you would not neglect your marital duties once you took wives. Do you remember that, Pan?”

“I do,” Spock answered without objecting to Apollo’s nickname.

“How did you intend to do that if you’re impotent?”

No one spoke, including Spock.

Apollo’s demeanor remained cordial. “You must agree, that’s hardly fair to your lovely wife.”

He looked at Christine and cocked his head quizzically. “She chose you, even knowing your condition. Curious, isn’t it?”

The kittens made a small noise in the corner. Oblivious to the tension in the room, they scrabbled about in play, tackling and tumbling over each other.

Apollo looked at them and smiled. “Do you like your young mousers?” Apollo asked.

“Yes,” said Kirk, hoping to sustain this change in subject. “I’ve liked cats since I was a boy.”

Apollo looked pleased. He turned to Spock. “Have you also liked cats since you were a boy?”

“Cats are not indigenous to Vulcan. I encountered my first one on Earth in adulthood,” he answered.

“Carolyn said you have a sensitive side that animals… and women… are drawn to,” Apollo said.

Spock had no response to this.

“Is that why you chose him, my child?” he asked Christine.

She looked flustered. “Uh, Mr. Spock is kind and quite brilliant.”

“Ah. You married him for his intellect,” Apollo said. “And you don’t mind forgoing the carnal pleasures every woman dreams of?” He glanced at Helen. She was angry and it made him chuckle. 

Christine just looked nervous.

“When our virile captain sweeps his bride off her feet and carries her down the hall to their bedchamber, will you be content to sit here with your chosen one, listening to him recite poetry and stroke his lyre?” Apollo persisted.

Christine looked back and forth between Kirk and Spock for a signal how to handle this. But Apollo didn’t wait for her answer.

“Contrary to what your scholars believe, the Pan of antiquity was not a son of Hermes or a satyr from birth. Your legends have it wrong,” Apollo explained. He moved away from Christine and began slowly circling Spock. 

I am all right, Jim. Remain calm. Spock knew the captain had a bad feeling and the hair on the back of his neck was rising.

“Shall I tell you the true story?” Apollo suggested breezily. “Before I bestow my gift?”

They reluctantly gathered around at his urging.

“Pan always bored me,” he began. “He was a Vulcan, I now realize, who my father rescued from some space travelers. Zeus valued him for his intelligence, and my sister Artemis admired his musical ability. Pan would entertain her nymphs in Arcadia with the lute and the lyre when I was engaged elsewhere. One day, he managed to displease her… I never did ask how… but she turned him into a satyr.”

Apollo laughed. “Oh, he was quite a sight: half man, half goat, horns curling up out of his black hair, hooves stamping the ground. But, the peculiar thing was how amorous the transformation made him. He’d never bothered Artemis’ acolytes before, but now, he was chasing them all through the mountains, along the streams, catching them and ravishing them. Artemis eventually had to strike him dead with one of her arrows, but the potency of the satyr was long remembered… until Homer apparently got the story all wrong.”

Apollo sighed and rubbed his chin. “I need to add that tale to the library. I shall do that now and leave you to your… private celebrations.”

They all felt relieved that he was leaving.

“No,” he changed his mind. “I’m simply too curious. I must watch for a bit.” His lips curled into a wicked grin.

The kittens in the corner began hissing and arching their backs. 

“Oh!” Christine shrieked in horror as she saw horns growing up out of Mr. Spock’s hair!

“Aaagh,” Spock groaned as his body began to change. Goat hooves split his sandals and crooked, hairy legs warped his rigid posture.

Jim and Helen looked on in shock.

Spock tore at his tunic, suddenly needing to be free of it. It fell to the ground and he stamped it with his hooves in a frenzy. Jim could feel his mind through the link, but it was more the mind of an animal than a man. Logic and fear were turning to a raging lust.

“Ugh!” Spock cried. “Agh! Aaaa aaaaa!” He was sounding more and more like a goat with each utterance. 

Apollo smiled broadly, delighted with his creation. “Your groom no longer lacks potency, I see!” he said to Christine as Spock turned, displaying his engorged phallus to them all.

The women instinctively sought protection from Kirk, who pulled them behind him defensively.

Spock snorted and moved menacingly toward Jim… but he wasn’t trying to get at the women. Hot breath was in Jim’s face and two hands had his arms in a tight grip.

“Urrr aaaa” he bleated as he nudged his swollen organ against Jim’s belly.

“Oh, no we don’t. None of that. You have a wife to attend to,” Apollo told the creature.

“Best if you take your leave now,” he said to Helen and Kirk, who found themselves instantly transported into a bedroom at the far end of the villa… the only one with a door, which Apollo had locked.

“No!” Jim shouted. Spock, don’t!

“Captain!!” Chapel screamed from the main room. “Help me!”

“Oh, God!” Helen said. 

With wild eyes, they pulled at the door, trying everything. Jim threw his body against it again and again. Helen went to look for something to pry it open or batter it down, but found nothing. It was a windowless room and very dark.

Christine kept screaming.

Spock! Stop! Jim sent through the link.

Suddenly, Apollo was with them in the bedroom.

“Stop this! Let us out of here!” Kirk demanded.

“Why don’t you pray to Aphrodite? That should work,” Apollo sneered, then vanished.

“Is this punishment for what we did yesterday?” Helen cried. “Oh, Jim! Christine…”

She was still screaming, and apparently running, because the direction of her voice kept changing.

“Christine! Run. Get away,” Kirk shouted through the locked door. “Spock! Leave her alone!”

The satyr’s bleating grunts and hoofbeats echoed through the stone villa. Jim was only receiving one message through the link: must rut must rut must rut

It was disorienting to have the link that usually calmed him surging with sexual desire. Spock’s logic was gone and Jim’s with it.

“Do something, Captain!” Helen pleaded. “He’s going to rape her!” 

Animalistic urges were bleeding into Jim’s mind and he turned to the woman who was grabbing his arm, crowding her body against his by the locked door. She looked frightened… and vulnerable. Images of what he could do with her shot through his thoughts. They were in a bedroom and she was no match for his strength.

No. NO! He told himself, as she looked at him, confused. Through the link he felt Spock’s frustration. Christine was eluding him and his desire to mate was driving him mad.

Spock! Come to me. It’s me you want, Jim projected across the link. I’m at the end of the hall. Break down the door.

Kirk was leaning silently against the door with his eyes closed now, and Helen asked, “What… what are you doing?”

“Trying to draw him away from Chapel.”

“How?”

“We share a mental link, Spock and I… I’m trying to reach him telepathically, but he’s so far gone. I don’t think…”

Just then they heard hoofbeats coming down the hallway and bleating snorts.

Here! I’m in here, Jim encouraged.

He told Helen to back away from the door and they waited with wide eyes as the satyr roared and stamped his feet. What a horrible sound it was. Spock’s fists pounded on the door and his strong goat legs kicked at it, until with a roar of rage, he broke the lock.

“Go!” Kirk told Helen, while the creature’s eyes were trained on him. “Find Christine and get out of here!”

Helen dashed out and heard the door slam shut behind her. She found Christine hiding in the courtyard and the two women ran, past the barn and over a plowed field into a grove of trees.

Panting, Christine asked, “What about the captain?”

“He told me to get you and run.”

“Where should we go?” It was three or four hours before dawn and the quarter moon wasn’t offering much light.

Helen quickly considered, then decided. “Dr. McCoy.” 

Christine nodded and took Helen’s hand. Together they ran toward the road to his villa.

***

“I don’t think we should, Len,” Tonia whispered. 

“We have to do something!” McCoy flailed his arms.

“But, telling on Apollo to his wife?!” Tonia shook her head. “…well, she’s not his wife yet, but almost.”

“She’s the only one who has any sway over him,” Bones argued, “and there’s no way she would approve of Apollo turning Spock into a sex-crazed satyr!”

“No, but…”

“Lt. Palamas was my patient for three years,” Helen interrupted. “She has very gentle sensibilities, a strong sense of right and wrong. She’s been sublimating that for Apollo, but if we can get her to come to our villa, see for herself what her beloved has done to Spock… she’ll be disgusted.”

“Do we really want them fighting, though?” Tonia asked. “Apollo will blame us for causing a rift between them.”

“Ohhh, this is all my fault!” Christine groaned from the fireplace, where McCoy had her bundled in a warm quilt with a cup of soup. “What was I thinking?! I shouldn’t have told Apollo about Spock’s biology.”

“Well, hell’s bells! That’s no reason to turn him into some damn horny Billy goat!” Bones yelled. “He’s gone too far. You can stay home, Tonia, but I’m taking Helen and Christine to see Carolyn. She’s the only one who can rein him in.”

“But it’s the middle of the night, Len,” Tonia argued. “Apollo could be with her!”

“Something tells me he won’t be,” Helen said. “We lived in her villa until tonight, and he’s never had a… conjugal visit… since he got her pregnant.”

“That’s right,” Chapel called from her spot by the fire.

“Finish your soup, Nurse. Let’s go!” McCoy ordered. 

Helen smiled and Tonia just looked worried. “You’re gonna get my husband killed like Stiles and poor Matheson,” she whispered to Helen through her teeth.

***

As predicted, Carolyn didn’t believe their story.

“Come and see for yourself, Lieutenant,” McCoy asked, trying to make it sound like an order.

“You haven’t even seen yet, Doctor. What makes you believe their fanciful tale?”

“I trust my medical staff, my colleagues and friends,” Bones said.

“So you say this was a fertility gift gone amok?” Carolyn asked for clarity.

“And a punishment for something the four of us did recently,” Chapel admitted.

McCoy knitted his eyebrows. “What did you do?” This was the first he was hearing of this.

“We prayed to Aphrodite to free us, take Apollo back where he came from,” Dr. Noel revealed.

Carolyn looked affronted at first, then just laughed. “Apollo says there is an order to this universe and the sooner you accept your place in it, the happier you’ll be.”

Helen decided to seize this opportunity. “The other gods, are they happy with how Apollo is ruling this colony? Are they watching him?”

“His friends have… moved on,” Carolyn sighed. “He misses them.”

“You successfully contacted Aphrodite to appeal for Apollo’s return,” Helen pressed. “How did you do that?”

“Even Apollo can’t explain it,” Palamas said proudly. “He thinks it was the sheer force of my love for him that impressed her… opened a gateway to her.”

“Could a gateway be opened to any of the other gods? Gods who may not approve of Apollo holding us prisoner?” Helen probed.

“Enough of this!” Carolyn said, turning angry. “The three of you wake me before dawn to complain about your idyllic lives? Apollo has done so much to make things comfortable and joyous for you. He gave you a beautiful young wife, Doctor… and Helen, he let you marry Captain Kirk… and you, Nurse! You’ve been pining for Mr. Spock’s affections as long as I’ve known you. Now, he is your husband and you complain?”

“Well, I expected my husband to have pointed ears, not pointed HORNS!” Christine cried. “Please come and see, Carolyn, see what monster out of a myth terrorized us while your ‘kind,’ ‘generous’ god laughed!”

Carolyn pouted like she was going to refuse, but then unexpectedly agreed. She got herself ready and they headed toward Kirk and Spock’s villa.

“How do we know this lecherous Pan will still be there?” Carolyn said flippantly. “He could be rampaging through the hills by now, playing his flute, ravishing every maiden in sight.”

“That’s not funny,” Helen whispered to her. “He came really close to raping Christine last night. She barely escaped. The captain had to draw him away from her.”

“How did he do that? I thought you said you and the captain were locked in a bedroom?”

“He… called to him.” Helen knew better than to reveal the special link Kirk and Spock shared. Had Spock turned his lust on Jim? She thought that’s probably what happened, but hoped Kirk had somehow been able to restrain and capture him. What will we find when we get there? The captain torn apart and dead? The creature dead?

They armed themselves with farm tools from the barn when they arrived, then cautiously headed into the house. Some cold, pre-dawn light illuminated the living area, showing furniture still laying where it had been knocked over. For the first time, Carolyn pictured the events her shipmates described as if they might actually have happened. All was quiet. She felt a sense of dread as they approached the bedroom where the creature had last been seen. 

Dr. McCoy lifted his pitchfork and slowly pushed open the battered door with it. The room with no windows was very dark.

“Jim?” McCoy whispered. There was no answer. “Go light a candle,” he said.

Christine was back in a flash with two small lighted candles. She handed one to McCoy. The wax smelled of honey and lemons, a strange contrast with the eerie surroundings. 

They heard something stirring on the bed. “Jim,” Bones called again when he was close enough to see a sandy head against a white pillow.

“Mmm,” Kirk groaned.

Spock lay next to him, held in a loose embrace. He was quite himself again, though his sleek black hair was in disarray. He didn’t move.

“Bones,” Kirk said when he opened his eyes. He untangled his arms and legs from Spock and moaned in pain.

“You okay, Jim?” Bones asked. 

Kirk saw the ladies in the doorway. “Oh, good. You’re safe,” he said to Christine and Helen. “Why is Lt. Palamas here?”

“Hello, Captain,” she said awkwardly, trying to be respectful while averting her eyes. “They w-wanted me to see what Apollo did to Mr. Spock. I didn't believe them, but…” She gestured toward the battered door and the obvious signs of violence within the room. “I’m glad he’s… over it now. Did he… hurt you badly, Sir?”

“Damned if I can tell without my tricorder!” Bones yelled in frustration. 

“I’m all right,” Jim said. “Check on Spock.”

With a head motion McCoy sent Christine to Spock’s side of the bed to examine him.

“Vitals are sub-normal, for Spock,” she said after a moment. “Breathing is shallow and heart rate is too slow. Could it be a Vulcan healing trance, Doctor?”

“Was he injured, Jim?” McCoy asked.

“Uh, I…” Jim yelped as he tried to sit up and just then, Apollo appeared.

“Apollo! Did you turn Mr. Spock into a monster?!” Carolyn accused angrily.

“A monster, no. A satyr, yes. It suited him quite well, I thought,” Apollo said casually.

“He nearly killed the captain, and Christine and Helen had to run for their lives! Why did you do that… and on their wedding night?!”

He wasn’t liking her tone. “Christine revealed to me her husband’s… limitations, and asked me to improve his virility.”

“I did not!” Chapel defended.

“Your eyes did,” Apollo retorted with a smirk, before turning back to Carolyn. “It was a wedding gift, my love, just for one night… a gift of passion and potency, to be expended on his bride, not his captain.” He looked judgmentally at Jim, who was strangely silent.

McCoy looked at Jim and realized he was pale and trembling. “He’s injured and I think he’s in shock,” Bones said forcefully. “Spock is unconscious, and I can’t help either of them without my medical kit!”

“Oh, darling, please let him have it,” Carolyn asked Apollo. “I know you didn’t mean to hurt them, but you have. Please make it right.”

Apollo smiled, deciding on benevolence. He waved his hand toward the bed. “There. They are healed,” he pronounced dramatically.

Spock began to stir on the bed and Jim’s breathing evened out.

“No need for your medical technology when you have a god looking after you,” Apollo said.

McCoy nodded a reluctant thanks and schooled his face not to look awed.

“Whose idea was it to fetch Carolyn?” Apollo asked casually.

“Mine,” Helen said after a short hesitation.

“You did the right thing, my child.”

“We should go now,” Carolyn told Apollo, “give them their privacy.”

“Yes, of course.” He offered his arm to Carolyn. She took it and they vanished.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, except Spock who was just coming around.

“Before he’s fully awake, can everyone go?” Jim asked. “Please. Just to the living area. We’ll be there in a little while. Just… just give us some time.”

“Of course, Captain,” Christine said. She really didn’t want to see the look of shame on Spock’s face anyway, assuming he remembered the night’s terrible events.

McCoy clapped Jim’s shoulder in support, then hurried out with the others.

When they were alone, Jim shrank back under the covers and took Spock into his arms.

“Wh-what is happening?” Spock slurred as he slowly opened his eyes.

Shhh, Jim said to his mind. It’s over. We’re both fine. Christine and Helen are fine. It’s all over.

Jim felt Spock’s mind sorting through the ordeal: images, feelings, actions. Surges of shame and guilt welled up like Jim knew they would.

Barbaric, reprehensible… Spock tried to roll away from Jim, a sob rising in his throat, but Jim clung fast to him.

I’m all right, Spock. It’s not your fault notyourfaultnotyourfaultnotyourfault

Spock tucked his head under Jim’s chin and they cried.

***

“How can they love you, if you hurt them?” Carolyn felt frustrated and worried. “How can you have thought something like that was a good idea?”

They walked along the starlit beach where Apollo had transported them to watch the sunrise, but Carolyn was not finding it romantic. 

“The Vulcan is impotent,” Apollo defended. “He can reproduce only once every seven years. Christine told us herself.”

“So? If Christine only has a child every seven years, so what?”

“My love,” Apollo laughed, “a woman not serviced more often than that by her husband will stray.”

“You turned Nurse Chapel's husband into a goat! Was she supposed to find that sexy?”

“The captain apparently did,” he smirked.

“Well I don’t know what happened there, but…”

“Would you like to? We can watch if you’re curious?”

“Watch?” She made a face. “What do you mean?”

Apollo gave a mischievous grin and made a table of his hand. A palm-sized chunk of square glass appeared there.

“A Kronos cube,” he said simply.

Carolyn just gave a blank stare. She’d never heard of it. She knew Kronos was a Titan, a forebear of the Olympian gods.

“When Zeus defeated Kronos, he found these cubes. They can reveal and capture in perfect detail events that occurred in the past. I have found them very useful and… stimulating.”

She looked warily at it. It seemed no more than clear glass.

“How does it work?” 

Apollo transported them to Kyle and Uhura’s property, near the place they were standing when they delivered the basket of kittens. Suddenly, it was broad daylight.

“Behold,” he said.

The scene unfolded exactly as it had before. She saw herself and Apollo talking to the four of them. Uhura was choosing the white kitten, and everyone was saying exactly what they had said then.

“They can’t see us?”

”No.”

“It’s like being inside a tricorder video,” Carolyn marveled.

“Better. All you need do is stand in the place where an event occurred and it turns back time, so you can see it happen like you were there… or see it again if you were there. Cubes can even store images so you can watch events over and over.”

“Amazing. How does it operate?”

Apollo shrugged. Even I do not know all the secrets of the Titans, but these cubes can be very informative… and entertaining.” He winked and took Carolyn by the waist. Pulling her close, he whispered in her ear, “Would you like to know what lurid acts transpired between Kirk and the satyr before we arrived, watch them with me?”

Carolyn was appalled at the suggestion and pulled away, “No! Of course not.”

“Very well. I shall return you home,” Apollo said flatly.

“No, Apollo. Come with me…” Her last word hung in the air as she vanished.

With her gone, Apollo went back in time to Kirk and Spock’s villa. As the satyr banged on the door, the god crouched in the corner of the bedroom like a ghost, smiling in anticipation. This was going to be a very erotic show and he had a front row seat.

Both Helen and Kirk looked terrified as the beast broke through.

“Go!” Kirk told Helen, “Find Christine and get out of here!”

Helen dashed out and Kirk slammed the door behind her, closing himself in with the satyr who was bleating and snorting with animal lust.

“Spock! No!” Kirk yelled as the creature came at him. The captain was able to evade him, even strike him several times with an iron curtain rod from the bed frame, before the monster turned it on him. Kirk put up a good fight and dodged as many blows as he took, but it was a small room and soon the satyr had his quarry cornered. 

Kirk lashed out, punching and kicking for all he was worth, but the desperate goatman pressed him deeper into the corner, rubbing his painfully engorged phallus against the captain’s belly, wanting to penetrate him.

“Baaaa aaaaa!” he bleated and stomped his hooves in wanton need and frustration.

Apollo licked his lips, eager for what was to come.

“Spock! Stop!” Kirk shouted, then he went quiet and so did the satyr. They looked into one another’s eyes as though communicating somehow. Unseen, Apollo crept closer to see exactly what was happening; it was so dark.

The satyr was still breathing heavily, but he wasn’t stamping his feet anymore. He’d given the captain a little space, but instead of trying to escape, Kirk was reaching out gently. Spock threw his horned head back in pleasure as Jim’s hand encircled him and began to pump.

“Aaaa aaaaa,” tore from his throat.

His head snapped back up, and again his eyes locked with Jim’s for a few intense moments. Then, he leaned in and kissed the human. Kirk kissed him back, still stroking him vigorously. Spock’s hand found Jim’s crotch and rubbed it gently beneath his tunic. Apollo was amazed at the restraint.

“Ahh,” Jim gasped.

He removed his tunic and led Spock to the bed. Again they held each other’s eyes in silent communion. Then, Kirk lay face down on the bed, naked.

He’s giving himself to that beast! Apollo thought in perverse wonder.

The satyr’s thick member bobbed ominously as he moved quickly over Jim. He lowered himself and claimed the captain.

Apollo marveled that Kirk didn’t cry out, and he watched in lurid fascination as the mating took place without resistance. The satyr rocked his hairy goat hips and moaned out his pleasure in throaty grunts.

How is Kirk enduring this, being taken by a goat? He knew the pain alone from that massive organ must be horrible to bear, but the humiliation, the nauseating visceral trauma of being pierced by an animal…

Then, Spock raised up a bit and Apollo realized he wasn’t buried deep in his lover; he was sliding himself along Kirk’s cleft, rocking and reveling in the sensation of being surrounded on three sides by his captain’s flesh. From the sound of it, Kirk was enjoying the sensations as well.

“Ohhh,” he was moaning. “Mmm.”

Spock lowered himself again to kiss his neck and cover his body. He continued the slow rocking, thrusting in controlled undulations that gradually grew faster and more frantic.

This is obscene, Apollo thought, transfixed, as the satyr’s grunts and snorts grew louder and fiercer.

Suddenly, Kirk cried out and managed to throw the satyr off of him, but he didn’t run. He faced him on the bed, and sitting up, they entwined their legs until their throbbing lengths were frotting. The satyr’s was nearly twice the size of the captain’s in girth and length, but Kirk managed to grasp them both at the base in one hand. With the other, he pumped hard, swirling his thumb over the slickness at their tips. It was only a few times until they exploded.

Apollo realized he was painfully hard, but it would have to wait. He was too engrossed in this scene of debauchery. 

The satyr’s seed was copious and Jim’s chest was covered. They both fell exhausted onto the bed and Jim barely got a sheet pulled over them before they passed out in each other’s arms.

Apollo saved the experience in the cube and went to his villa to relieve his arousal in comfort. Reclining on a chaise, he replayed the frottage portion, stroking himself as Kirk stroked the satyr. After he came, he pondered whether the satyr’s seed, spent properly inside Nurse Chapel, would have produced a satyr offspring.

That would have been interesting, he thought.

Chapter Text

“Let me make you some plomeek soup, Mr. Spock… or as close as I can get to it without any plomeeks or val’dafut on hand. You haven’t eaten enough in the past three weeks.”

Spock still didn’t have much of an appetite. He shook his head, and without looking up at her, kept stroking the kittens napping together in a ball on his lap. They were growing steadily and barely fit on a lap together anymore.

“The last time I offered you plomeek soup, you threw it against the wall and yelled at me,” Christine said, trying to get him to engage with her. “Do you remember?”

“Yes,” he said softly, keeping his eyes downcast. 

“You apologized to me then, when things were over on Vulcan and you were back on the ship. You apologized for frightening me… but I was frightened for you, because you were ill and not yourself.”

She knelt beside his chair and tried to look into his eyes.

“Spock, you were so ashamed then, too, and you didn’t need to be. I know you could never hurt me when you’re in your right mind. I don’t blame you at all.”

“You should,” Spock said, his eyes still on the kittens.

“Why?” she asked gently, joining him in petting the kittens. “Because that brilliant mind of yours can’t override the will of a cruel god? Or the laws of Vulcan biology? Only a fool would blame you for things you can’t control. That wouldn’t be logical.”

Her hand touched his and she clasped it, bringing it to her lips for a kiss. 

She quickly let him go, not wanting to cause him any more stress. He’d been in and out of meditation for the first week, then quietly contemplative, trying to work through this. The captain had chosen physical labor as his method. He was out in the barn right now, caring for the two horses that had appeared there as either a wedding gift or an apology from Apollo. 

Christine rose and made an attempt at lightheartedness. “After you threw that soup at me, you told the captain it was undignified for a woman to serve a man who wasn’t her own. Well, you’re mine now…, so there’s no reason to refuse my cooking.” 

He looked up at her with gratitude and affection and she smiled her first genuine smile in three weeks.

“All right, Nurse,” he said.

“Christine.”

“All right, Christine.”

They’d been sleeping in the same bed, as had Helen and Jim, careful not to invite Apollo’s wrath. They knew he could be watching, even though they kept the statue covered. As much as Spock hated it, he had to admit to himself that he was afraid of Apollo. He knew from the link that Jim was, too. Sleeping in their wives’ beds was a wise precaution to avoid provoking their captor, but it felt like defeat.

Three years ago, when Apollo faded away after the Enterprise’s phasers had destroyed his temple, they’d concluded that their hypothesis about him was correct: his powers were dependent on that structure. Now, Spock saw no evidence that Apollo relied on any outside energy source to perform his feats. If his powers originated with him and didn’t flow from any mechanism they could disable, how would they ever defeat him? 

Spock blew out a breath and decided he needed a distraction from the pessimism his mind was succumbing to.

“I will assist you with the soup,” he offered.

“Don’t be silly; you have cats on your lap,” Christine replied.

Spock smiled inwardly. We share the same views on disturbing sleeping cats, he thought. He tried thinking fondly of Christine, the way a husband would think about his wife. It wasn’t difficult. She was kind and intelligent. Her company was pleasant. Lying next to her at night was awkward, but he predicted with time it could become a comfortable routine. 

She headed for the kitchen, leaving him alone with his thoughts. After a few moments, they naturally turned to Jim. The link told him that his captain was brushing the horses, admiring and talking to them after mucking out their stalls. As much as Kirk wanted to reject this mea culpa gift from Apollo, Spock could feel how much Jim liked them, a sorrel and a bay. 

I do, he admitted. Will you ride with me sometime, Spock? They’re very gentle.

Jim felt Spock’s hesitation.

I know... I should ride with Helen. Kirk hated being under Apollo’s yoke. Every inch of him railed against it. Laying low and playing Apollo’s game ran contrary to his nature. Without this link, I'd go mad, Spock. Thank you for not dissolving it.

Spock had suggested it that first week, since meditation was challenging with the link intact. Jim’s concern for him flooded his mind. Without mental controls, Kirk’s own distress also poured in, making the solace of meditation impossible. 

Jim had been against dissolving the link, though, even with Spock’s assurance that it would be temporary. “No. We heal together, like we did before,” Jim had said. As usual, his captain was right. Sharing their anguish, humiliation, and rage was wrenching, but after a while, the emotion burned itself out, giving way to a manageable anxiety.

I want to tell Nurse Chapel we are linked and what our intentions are, Spock stated. She deserves that courtesy.

Helen may have told her already.

I do not believe so.

Well, be kind. She loves you.

Yes.

Jim slapped the neck of one of the horses as Spock stroked the kittens. They realized they were both using animals for comfort. 

Just not the goats; I can’t even LOOK at the goats yet, Jim said, hoping it wasn’t too early for jokes. 

He didn’t feel any mirth on the other end of the link. He could feel Spock imagining his next pon farr. The Vulcan dreaded violent, dangerous lust even more than ever now. 

What if it’s worse? Spock was thinking. What if it’s even worse?

We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Spock was unspeakably grateful that Jim was able to reach his mind on that terrible night, draw him away from Christine, and diffuse his own attack. The way he had offered himself and endured the ordeal with such trust and generosity… Jim Kirk was truly an exceptional man to sacrifice his dignity to help him.

Spock, we both know the arousal you were feeling bled through the link and grabbed me pretty hard. It wasn’t entirely a sacrifice. I felt pleasure. I wanted you.

You risked a lot trusting me in that state, Jim. I know you were concerned that I might not be satisfied with… external gratification, that I might seize on your vulnerable position and…

‘Concerned’ was an understatement. 

During pon farr, I could be similarly aggressive, perhaps have even less restraint than I had that night, Spock warned.

But you won’t be hung like a satyr… I’m assuming, Jim said with a shy wink in his tone. He hadn’t actually ever seen Spock naked, and neither had Apollo; he’d had to guess at Spock’s proportions that evening when he seduced Kirk in the bath.

It sometimes amused Spock when Jim was unexpectedly crude, and an almost-chuckle disturbed the kittens.

No. I am more or less as you are imagining, Spock reassured.

Jim blushed. He hadn’t meant to imagine anything, but his errant thoughts couldn’t be kept from Spock.

“The soup is ready,” Christine called cheerfully. “I had it half-prepared already.”

Spock placed the two kittens gently on the floor and came to the table.

“The aroma is appealing,” he said honestly. “Thank you for making it.”

Christine smiled. “I substituted leeks and carrots.”

Spock tasted it. It bore little similarity to plomeek soup, but the flavor was acceptable to his palate.

“Any good?” Chapel asked.

Spock nodded as he sipped. “Will you join me?”

She dipped into the kitchen again to get herself a bowl, then sat across from him at the table.

“Where did you acquire these vegetables?” he asked.

“Traded for them,” she answered.

“Then… you have been to town?” Spock knew there was a shop in the agora dedicated to trading food stuffs from the various farms.

“Yes. We had a surplus of chestnuts and pistachios, so I traded some nuts for root vegetables.” 

“I see.” He admired the nurse’s initiative and bravery in venturing out. The thought of seeing Apollo had kept him cloistered.

“Did Dr. Noel accompany you?” 

“Yes. I wanted to see what was on offer at the market, and she wanted to see Yeoman Ross, who is working there. If you’re feeling better, Spock, you could come with me next time,” Christine suggested. “A little hand-holding in public might be a good idea… for the captain and Helen, too.”

Spock considered. “That would be wise,” he had to agree.

“Just a little play-acting,” she whispered, leaning toward him. “You can act. I’ve seen you.”

To Spock, being disingenuous was tantamount to lying. He thought of the missions that had required subterfuge. They were his least favorite. Deceiving the amorous Romulan commander in order to steal her ship’s cloaking device had strained him the most. She had tried to seduce and recruit him with her feminine wiles and promises of glory if he defected. He’d been compelled to behave as though he were romantically interested in her, and had surprised himself with how good he was at it. Despite the success of the mission, he felt considerable guilt over his actions.

Nurse Chapel is correct. I CAN act, he acknowledged to himself. The skill brought him no satisfaction.

Spock’s brow was furrowed now as he sipped his soup in silence, and Christine hoped she hadn’t insulted him. To have something to say, she blurted, “Helen and Teresa Ross were lovers once. Did you know that?”

Spock’s eyebrow rose. “I did not.”

“…until Teresa fell for Lt. Garrovick. She’s still upset that he was sent to the island, but she’s getting along well with Roger.”

“Roger?” Spock queried. There were six Rogers among the crew. He quickly narrowed it down to two, based on age.

“Roger Lemli,” Christine said. “He was her second choice. They’re just living as roommates and he isn’t trying any funny business with her, she told Helen. He’s a good man.”

“Hm,” Spock said. He remembered Mr. Lemli from many of their missions. He was a competent, if unnoteworthy officer, still an ensign in his mid-40s.

“They hold hands in public. I suppose a lot of people are just pretending. After what happened to Matheson, they are scared.”

“Justifiably so,” Spock said.

“Yeoman Ross is really mad at Lt. Moreau… and none too pleased with us, either.”

“Oh?”

“After Matheson died, Lt. Moreau was allowed to choose one of the younger men from the island and she didn’t choose David Garrovick. Teresa thought we should have encouraged her to do that, especially Helen… but she and I weren’t even here when Marlena came to tell you about Matheson and the choice Apollo was giving her, if you’ll remember.”

“Mm,” Spock said, sipping his soup.

“Anyway, Marlena wanted a husband in her bed, not just in name only, a dark-haired man like Apollo, remember? …because of the baby. So she chose Sean DePaul, and from what I hear, that’s working out. Still, Teresa thought she should have used the opportunity to rescue Garrovick.”

Spock nodded absently, staring down at his soup.

“Oh, you don’t care about this gossip,” Christine realized and laughed.

Spock looked up. “The report was not arranged in a traditional format, but conveyed considerable information. In light of the informal setting, ‘gossip’ is appropriate.”

Christine chuckled. “I wasn’t really giving a ‘report.’ Just making conversation.” 

“Is it not the purpose of conversation to convey information from one individual to another?”

She looked at him with warm eyes and reached across the table to take his free hand. “Oh, Spock, I’m so glad that you’re over 40, and that Helen lobbied Apollo to let the captain stay even though he’s not. We’re all together and I’m so grateful for that.”

Spock raised an eyebrow. “Dr. Noel lobbied Apollo on the captain’s behalf?”

“Uh, yes. He was going to be sent to the island with the other young men, but Helen persuaded Apollo to let him stay and marry her.”

“How did she accomplish that?” Spock wondered.

“She was a little vague about it. Maybe we shouldn’t ask, if you know what I mean,” Christine made a face that Spock interpreted as an indication that the situation was delicate.

Thousands of possibilities shot through his mind at light speed.

“She doesn’t want Jim to know, so don’t tell him,” Christine said.

“I just did.”

“What do you mean?”

Jim was still outside. He’d been keeping himself distracted with chores but this news brought his focus right back to the link.

“Christine, the captain and I are telepathically linked,” Spock revealed. “He can see and hear everything that I can, and vice versa.”

Chapel stared with wide eyes for a moment. “Well, I guess I let the cat outta the bag then. I… I thought we were alone.”

“I should have told you sooner.” He regretted what now seemed a deceit. She was still holding his hand and he wished she would let it go.

“No, no, you two can have your secrets. Are you bonded to him, then?” Her lip started quivering. Her dreams were dying.

“No. Several weeks ago, Apollo disguised himself as me and was able to deceive the captain, trick him into believing he was me. To prevent that from happening again, I linked my mind telepathically with the captain’s. It is not a bond. It can be undone when it is no longer needed for defense.”

She brightened a bit. “Oh.”

“However,” Spock began carefully, “if and when I enter pon farr again, it is Jim I wish to take as a bondmate, a t’hy’la.”

There. He had done it. He hoped he’d been sufficiently gentle.

“What is t’hy’la?” Christine asked.

“The Vulcan term for bondmates who are both male.”

“And Jim has agreed?” she asked. 

“He has.”

She let go of his hand and any fantasies she harbored of ‘saving’ him when his pon farr came. She knew what it was like to merge with his glorious mind; they had shared consciousness together once as part of Sargon’s plan. It had felt incredible. How she envied Captain Kirk right now. 

She slumped back into her chair. Well, that was it then. Kirk and Spock loved each other. Everyone from the ship knew that. She’d always hoped that their close relationship was platonic and she could win Spock’s heart someday, the way Amanda had won Sarek’s.

‘You never stop hoping, do you?’ McCoy once teased her. She swallowed hard. Now felt like a good time to stop.

“Congratulations,” she said amicably. “You too, Captain, if you’re in there.” She looked at Spock’s forehead and forced a smile.

Oh, God. Look at her, Spock. She’s being so brave. You should…

What?

Nothing.  

But Spock was already seeing what Kirk was going to suggest.

Jim! I doubt she would desire that, after what I just told her.

You don’t know. Ask her, Jim urged.

“Um, Christine?” Spock said cautiously, after clearing his throat. 

Her eyes widened, waiting for a question, but she didn’t expect this:

“Due to circumstance, we share a bed. If you desire physical contact from me at night, I could offer that. I… am… offering that,” he finished awkwardly.

She looked surprised, then sad, then insulted. “So the captain gets your heart and your mind, and I get your cold hands. Is that it?”

“My hands are not cold by human standards,” Spock defended with one eyebrow raised. “On the contrary, my skin is 3.6 degrees warmer than the surface temperature of the average human being. You should be aware of this as a nurse and as someone who was holding my hand 85 seconds ago.”

In spite of herself, she cracked a smile. She knew she was going to accept what he was offering. Jim obviously knew about it. It was an offer from both of them, a consolation, but still something she had dreamed about. She knew his touch would be gentle and soothing.

“Yes, I’d like the comfort of your arms around me in the dark of the night in this beautiful, terrible place,” she said earnestly. “Thank you.”

Spock stared at her for a moment then acknowledged her acceptance with a formal nod.

See? Jim said.

Fascinating.

***

“And Aphrodite really hears your prayers?” Angela Martine asked Carolyn as they waited for the play to begin.

“Oh, yes. She speaks to me. Her voice is like love itself. I wish I could also see her.”

“I’d like to pray to her,” Angela said. “I’d tell her ‘thank you’ for Esteban.”

“I’m glad the two of you are happy,” Carolyn said, turning in her velvet theater seat to take Angela’s hands in hers.

“We really are. When Robert died in the phaser room, I couldn't imagine ever falling in love again… but I did!”

“Robert Tomlinson was top notch. His loss affected us all,” Carolyn said. She remembered sitting in the ship’s chapel watching Angela and Robert wed. Captain Kirk in his dress uniform, gleaming green and gold, all smiles and joy, not knowing the red-alert klaxon was about to blare, breaking up the wedding before the vows were made. Angela Martine was so hollow after that. Like I was after I lost Apollo, Carolyn thought.

“I would have been really angry at Aphrodite four years ago. Funny how things change,” Angela marveled.

“Yes,” Carolyn agreed.

“Even Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock seem to be accepting things now. I saw Mr. Spock and Christine at the market yesterday and he was holding her hand! Mr. Spock! Holding someone’s hand. Nurse Chapel looked so happy.”

Carolyn smiled. She was glad to hear that Mr. Spock was feeling better and their household was apparently operating the way Apollo wanted it to. 

“I spotted Captain Kirk and Dr. Noel out riding horseback on the beach yesterday,” Carolyn told Angela. “It’s good that he and Mr. Spock are spending time apart and focusing on their wives. Apollo was concerned that they were too close to one another.”

“Hm,” Angela said. “Close like brothers, I guess. Anyway, you must be the only one with Aphrodite’s ear. Can you tell her how grateful I am for Esteban?”

“Of course,” Carolyn said. “She’s so good to me. She gave me Apollo… and you know what?” she whispered. “She even promised to take him away again if I fell out of love with him.”

“Oh, my!” Angela said. She smiled casually, but knew she'd be reporting that to the captain as soon as possible. “You’re so lucky, Carolyn. Apollo is amazing. He’s given us all this, and chosen you to be the mother of gods. How could you ever fall out of love with him?”

Angela studied Carolyn’s face. She was smiling, but it looked forced.

“Where is he tonight?” Angela asked. “He’s missing opening night!”

Carolyn sighed. She hadn’t seen a lot of him lately. “It’s not easy running a colony,” she said. Actually, it was easy for Apollo to run the colony. Something else was eating up his time besides her, and she wanted to learn what it was.

“Remember the shows we used to see in the ship’s little theater? I always enjoyed that,” Angela said wistfully. “But look at this place! It’s huge and so opulent.”

“Apollo is very proud of it. I do wish he were here tonight. I hear the actors have been working very hard.”

“I’m pretty sure they’ve never done Aristophanes!” Angela laughed. 

As the curtain was raised, Angela went to join Esteban and Carolyn sat alone in the private box reserved for her and Apollo. She tried to mentally broadcast her desire for Apollo to join her, but he never came. 

As the de facto hostess, Carolyn greeted the theater goers afterward. Her friend Marlena was exuberant about the play and apparently quite content with her new man, Lt. DePaul, who kept his arm around her and hung on her every word. Doctor McCoy doted on his young wife and Chief Kyle was clearly happy in Uhura’s company. Scotty held Mira like she was the most precious thing in the galaxy and Carolyn couldn’t help but remember when he used to hold her like that. 

Lastly, Carolyn congratulated the actors on a successful opening night and made excuses for Apollo’s absence. It had been a good play, well-acted, and she tried to convince herself she wasn’t irritated with Apollo for lessening her enjoyment of the evening by not being at her side. After everyone had left, she stepped out under a clear, starry sky and gazed up, alone with her thoughts. Several kind couples had offered to escort her home, but she’d declined. Instead of going back to her lonely villa, Carolyn wanted to go to Apollo’s and see if he was there. Strange, but she’d never been inside his house before. 

It was a long walk and when she got there, she called to him from the arcade. Getting no answer, she wandered in. Where are you tonight, Apollo?  

His villa was large and stately. It will be mine, too, soon, she thought. Carolyn didn’t know why he was delaying their wedding. Her pregnancy would be showing soon. As she explored, she found a room that was filled with those Kronos cubes Apollo had shown her. He had bookshelves that were lined with them. One was sitting out by itself on a small table next to the room’s largest chaise. She picked it up and sat down.

Images of a frightened Dr. Noel and Captain Kirk flashed to life inside the cube. They were trapped in a locked room. Then, a satyr burst in and fought the captain, before pinning him in a corner and…

Ugh! This is a recording of that night! He’s been watching it. Her skin crawled and she put it down. The sounds and images stopped and the cube went clear again, once it was out of her hand.

Warily, she took a second cube down off a shelf. What else does he watch? she wondered.

She saw Mira and Scotty on their wedding day. Mira was still in her gown and veil. They were sitting together in the arcade of their villa, watching the sunset. 

“Let me remove your stephane,” Scotty was saying.

“What?” Mira said. Then smiled as he reached for the delicate metal circlet crown and removed it with her saffron veil.

She didn’t know that word. I wonder how Scotty did? It was curious.

Scotty began kissing Mira’s neck and Carolyn felt uncomfortable. She was about to put the cube down when Scotty said, “Oh, my delicate one, I promise in our wedding bed, I will be so gentle with you. It will not hurt.” 

Carolyn’s eyes went wide. 

What?! That’s exactly what Apollo said to me right before I told him I wasn’t a virgin!

She missed what Mira said in reply, but now the pair was heading inside to a bedroom. Scotty looked like himself, but Carolyn had a terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. She remembered how Apollo had made a big deal of Mira’s sexual virtue and how “lucky” Scotty was right before their marriage.

No, he wouldn’t. He wouldn’t!

She squeezed the cube in her hand, covering the images for several minutes while the sounds of passionate lovemaking made her stomach churn. When things grew quiet, she opened her hand, just in time to see Scotty taking his leave of a sleeping Mira. He slipped out of the bedroom and transformed into Apollo before vanishing.

Oh, no! No no no!

When she stopped shaking, she grabbed another cube. 

There were two women, a blonde and a brunette, kissing each other in the hot springs glade at night. Carolyn knew the spot. She couldn’t make them out at first, but then she recognized Dr. Noel. 

Apollo spied on them? 

Then she spotted movement in a darker area and realized it was Apollo. He was moving toward them through the water. She gasped as she watched him push in between them and pull the blonde onto his lap. Her face revealed the moment he penetrated her.

Please, stop,” she pleaded. “You’re too rough.”

“As I suspected,” he laughed, “an older husband will be better for you, my delicate one. A man in his velvet prime would use you up in a week.” 

He kept bouncing her mercilessly on his lap as she struggled to climb off.

That’s David Garrovick’s girlfriend, Teresa something, Carolyn realized.

“Let her go,” Helen said.

“Feeling neglected, my dear?” Apollo said. “Yes, let’s see how sturdy the woman is who thinks she can handle the captain of a starship….”

Teresa disappeared, sent off somewhere by Apollo, who pulled himself up to sit on the edge of the pool. Carolyn saw his shaft bobbing wantonly as he spread his legs and pulled Dr. Noel toward it. 

“Suck. The flavor of your dainty friend may still be upon me.”

Oh, God. Oh, my God! Carolyn’s mind screamed in shock and disgust.

“… show me how much you desire Captain Kirk,” Apollo continued, “and I may yet grant your request.”

The look of ecstasy on his perfect face disgusted her as she watched the brunette’s head from behind, bobbing and tilting.

Ugh!

She slammed the cube down and took another. Curiosity overrode any revulsion or fear of being caught.

Apollo was on horseback with a brown-haired woman riding next to him.

Dr. McCoy’s wife, Tonia.

He had a predatory look as they veered off toward the woods.

Carolyn slammed that cube down in anger and grabbed another one and another…

Martha Landon in the Hall of Virtue’s anteroom, spread out wantonly, limp from Apollo’s ardor. 

Marlena Moreau in her villa.

My best friend?!

He was promising her a demigod baby, strong and intelligent. He came deep inside her with an obscene grunt.

Are all the women he’s slept with pregnant by him?! I was supposed to be the mother of gods! Me! Only ME!

“Aaaaagh!”

Carolyn screamed out her rage and smashed his pornographic collection of Kronos cubes.

Filthy liar! Deceitful bastard! Her mind went to every time he’d slighted her, belittled her, embarrassed her. All of his moralizing sickened her. How had she bought into this? Shivers of disgust ran through her.

“Apollo! Apollo!” she summoned him, but he didn’t come. 

Whose bed is he in tonight? Is he recording it, so he can relive it over and over?

She was beyond wanting to yell at him; she just wanted rid of him.

“Aphrodite, great goddess of love,” she prayed in earnest. “Hear my prayer…”

Chapter Text

It was awkward for Spock to reach for Christine that first night of contact, but she made it easy for him. As he lay on his back in the dark, contemplating how best to physically engage with her, she rolled onto her side to face him and clutched his arm. She gently laid her blonde head on his shoulder and sighed.

“Is this a comfortable enough way for you to fall asleep?” she asked politely. 

It was. Her head was a negligible weight, and the fact that she had chosen to abstain from hand-holding was a welcome surprise.

“Yes,” he replied. “Quite satisfactory.”

“Well, goodnight then, Spock.”

“Goodnight.”

Is she asleep? Jim asked after a bit, when he could tell Spock believed she was.

Apparently, Spock answered.

You like it, don’t you? Jim said with satisfaction.

It is acceptable.

Just acceptable? Not comforting, settling, relaxing… Jim teased.

I wish it were you.

I know. I’m here, Spock. This is a nice thing you’re doing for Christine, and we still have THIS. 

Yes.

Their telepathic link was the only assured privacy they had and they cherished it. In the days that followed, they fell into an agreeable bedtime routine. After their wives fell asleep, feeling safe and protected beside them, Jim and Spock found comfort in each other’s mental company. Their thoughts and feelings intertwined and there was complete understanding between them. Their fear and frustration were shared and thereby lessened.

During the day, Spock acted his typical Vulcan self, holding his emotions in check because that is what was comfortable for him, but at night, he relaxed into the pleasures of Jim’s dynamic mind. Ideas for escape dominated the first few minutes every night. They needed to feel like they hadn’t abandoned hope. But then they would speak silent words of love and tenderness to each other until the euphoric emotions carried them off to sleep. 

That’s what they were doing when the thunderbolts began…

What was THAT? Jim said.

The second thunderclap startled awake Christine. “Wh-what’s going on?” she asked. “A storm?”

“Unknown,” Spock said.

He rose and went to the window. In the darkness, he perceived a faint glow on a hillside a mile or so away.

Is that where the bolt hit? Jim wondered, seeing through Spock’s eyes.

Then, another thunderbolt rocked their villa, but it wasn’t striking DOWN from a cloud above. There were no clouds. It was going UP from the glow on the hillside. 

“That’s near Apollo’s villa!” Christine said, joining Spock at the window.

Another thunderbolt burst up through the night sky, followed by another and another. Then, a loud, male voice could be heard:

“No! Nooo!”

Jim and Helen ran into the room and the four of them took cover on both sides of the open window to watch. A fierce wind had come up out of nowhere and gusted into the room.

Soon the thunderbolt flashes revealed Apollo, growing taller and taller, slashing the heavens with his rage. “Aphrodite! Zeus! NOOO!”

Then, as one last bolt illuminated his giant form, Apollo faded and vanished, leaving only quiet darkness.

The wind stilled and the group was too stunned to speak for a moment, then Helen said, “He’s gone. He’s gone, isn’t he?!” Her face was the first to break into a huge smile.

Christine looked at her. “I think he is!”

Jim could feel that Spock, ever skeptical, was cautiously optimistic. 

“Let’s get up there,” Kirk said with determination.

They all grabbed their sandals, and set out. It was a cloudless night with enough moon and starlight to see by. Dark figures were moving everywhere. The whole colony had been awakened by the spectacle and were coming to see if it was true, if Apollo was really gone.

“Captain!” crew members cried out as they spotted him. By the time they reached Apollo’s villa, the crowd had swelled to 50 or more.

To Carolyn, they looked like an angry mob. “Don’t kill me! I’m sorry. Oh, please. I’m so sorry!” she sobbed.

“Where’s Apollo?” Kirk asked her, glancing behind him to make sure no one was making threatening gestures toward her. They weren’t.

“I sent him away. I prayed to Aphrodite to take him. He’s gone.”

Her dress was ripped and her hair in disarray. Tears rolled down her dusty face. She’d obviously been at ground zero for Apollo’s maelstrom.

“Are you hurt?” Jim asked gently.

“Just my pride… and my heart.” She looked off into the middle distance. “He didn’t love us, Captain. He didn’t love any of us. He was a beast.” She choked on the words she never thought she’d say. 

Spock stayed at Kirk’s side, but Helen and Christine dipped back into the crowd to relay the news. New people kept arriving and others, once informed, spread the word.

McCoy arrived with Tonia and pushed through to the front.

“What the Devil happened here tonight, Jim?!”

He saw Carolyn, looking much as she had after Apollo’s temper tantrum three years ago. “She okay?”

“I think so. She sent him back to Hell,” Kirk said, “or wherever his kind live now.” It was just sinking in that their captor and tormentor was really gone. “She says she prayed to Aphrodite and she did it.”

“Well can she maybe give us a little boost up to the Enterprise?” Bones asked.

Carolyn looked at him. “Oh no. I… I didn’t think of that.” She looked at Captain Kirk and regret filled her eyes. “Wait. Let me try…”

She knelt and offered a prayer: “Great goddess Aphrodite, we have no way to reach our ship in orbit. Can you send us there?” Her prayer was met with silence. She looked up and shook her head. “She doesn’t answer me.” 

“Perhaps the effort of recalling Apollo has drained her energy,” Spock suggested.

Carolyn nodded, but somehow she knew she’d never be hearing from her patron goddess again. She looked at Dr. McCoy who had Tonia by his side now. Scotty had arrived with Mira, and Helen had returned to stand next to Jim. The sight of the three couples made her start crying again. 

“Oh, what a mess that monster has made for us all with his demon seed… me, Tonia, Mira, Helen, Martha, Marlena… oh! What will our babies be like?!” With a wail, she picked herself up and ran into the house.

“Helen?” Jim said, turning to her. He could see on her pale face it was true.

Bones looked at Tonia in betrayal. “It’s Apollo’s?” he whispered. She nodded sadly.

“An’ ye, too, lass?” Scotty asked a shocked Mira.

“No! No, Scotty! I would never…”

“Apollo tricked her, Scotty,” Jim explained, “disguised himself as you.”

“What in the name o’…,” Scotty began furiously.

“I was going to tell you, Scotty, when I started to suspect,” Mira said, “but I just couldn’t find the words…”

Jim put a hand on his shocked friend’s shoulder. “He tricked and mistreated a lot of us, Scotty, but he’s gone now.” Kirk looked at Bones, “Let’s be understanding with each other, help each other.” 

Jim could feel Spock’s approval and his love through the link. He climbed up a few steps in the courtyard where they stood, to be better seen by more of the crowd. They wanted to hear from their captain.

“For those just arriving,” Kirk shouted, “Apollo is gone. According to Lt. Palamas, he won’t be coming back.” 

Cheers rose up from some; others just looked stunned and even sad.

“We’re on our own now,” the captain continued. “We’re stranded, marooned, separated from the majority of our crew mates, but we’re free. Free to make our own decisions, live our own lives. We’ll get through this together.”

The captain’s optimism soothed the crowd. Questions started to erupt, and Kirk held up his hand, “We’ll meet in the agora tomorrow when it’s light. Spread the word. Hopefully, Mr. Spock and I will have more information for you by then.”

People nodded and started to disperse. “Oh, and there will be no retaliation against Lt. Palamas. She may have gotten us into this, but she got us out, too. Palamas is one of us, and she’s been as wounded by Apollo as anyone, perhaps more.” 

No one had been calling for her neck, but Kirk just wanted to head off any vindictive thoughts against her. 

“Now, head back to your villas… and we’ll see you tomorrow.” Kirk stepped down and told his senior officers, “Let’s go talk to Carolyn, see what more she has to tell us.”

“I think she’s told us quite enough,” said Mira angrily with watery eyes.

“There now, lass…” Scotty comforted.

“This isn’t your baby, Scotty! Don’t you understand? I’ve been raped by Apollo! It’s his baby growing inside me,” Mira sobbed. The thought disgusted her. “I figured it out awhile ago and didn’t know how to tell you. It’s sickening! How are you all taking this in your stride?!” She looked at Tonia and Helen. She didn’t know to look at Kirk.

Spock remembered Jim’s reaction upon realizing Apollo had deceived and used him. He had deep sympathy for Lt. Romaine. How would Jim cope with a pregnancy like that if he were female? Spock wondered.

Let’s be grateful for small favors, Jim answered in his mind. They shared a loving glance.

“I chose to have a one-time… liaison… with Apollo,” Tonia revealed. “He didn’t deceive me. Seduce? Yes.”

Bones looked at her in surprise.

“He teased me about being afraid of Don Juan, after he heard the story of the shore leave planet. He offered me a night of primal passion so I could see what it was like, just once before I married you, Leonard.”

McCoy looked offended. 

“I told him you were ‘mild-mannered.’ I didn’t know yet that you were so…” She looked up, suddenly aware that his friends were watching. “Um, you know.”

Bones grinned a bit, embarrassed.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I didn’t know he was trying to get me pregnant. I would much prefer a child of yours.”

All eyes fell on Helen now, apparently waiting for her story. She didn’t particularly want to tell it, but if ever there was a time to, it was now. 

She took a breath. “Apollo was going to send Jim to the island because he’s 38. I prevented it.” 

She hoped that would be sufficient, but they kept staring at her.

She wet her lips. “Yeoman Ross is in love with David Garrovick. To stop him and the captain from being sent to the island, Teresa and I tried to persuade Apollo to let them both stay, and… his idea of a negotiation differed from ours.”

Kirk grimaced. When Christine let it slip that Helen had ‘lobbied Apollo’ to let him stay on the mainland, neither Spock nor Jim had realized what that entailed. 

My God, Spock. What she did for me…

Jim looked at Helen with soft, warm eyes, then took her hand and pulled her into an embrace. “It’s going to be all right,” he whispered. 

Christine was standing on the periphery of the circle of senior officers and their pregnant wives. She wasn’t in this particular club and was hanging back. An odd pang shot through her and she glanced at Spock to find him looking at her. She shook her head slightly and saw him relax.

Nurse Chapel is not pregnant, Spock transmitted to Jim. 

Good. One baby in our household will be quite enough.

Then…  we will be maintaining our current living arrangement? Spock asked.

For the time being, at least. Don’t you want to?

Spock thought about it. This mental intimacy he had with Jim afforded them a privacy that was assured regardless of who else was around. I have grown accustomed to the presence of Nurse Chapel and Dr. Noel.

Jim understood. I like having them around, too. We married well. Spock heard the wink in his tone.

Satisfied that they would hear from the captain tomorrow, people made their way back to their villas. When only the four senior officers and their wives remained, Kirk motioned for them to follow him.

“Let’s go learn all we can from Carolyn, if she’s up for talking.”

“Something tells me she will be,” Helen said.

“You were her therapist for three years, Dr. Noel, and are likely the one who knows her the best,” Spock said. 

“Spock’s right; you spearhead this, Helen,” Kirk said. “We’ll take our lead from you.”

***

Uhura and Kyle walked through the Hall of Virtue. The impressive space had a much different air now with Apollo gone. Instead of a religious template for living a moral life, it was just a beautiful building with pleasing frescoes and mosaics. 

“There’s the captain!” Uhura said, as they emerged on the library steps above the agora. “Let’s get down there. Looks like he’s about to speak.”

A few more stragglers rushed in and took their places in the audience. 

“Ah, it’s great to be assemblin’ with the cap’n back in charge instead of that dodgy git,” Kyle said happily.

Uhura agreed. She took a deep breath of the sweet air of freedom and waited for the captain to call everyone to order.

Kirk stood close to the crowd, only a few steps above them. He wished he had on his uniform for this, but the uniforms were gone. Like it or not, his crew all still looked like Apollo’s idea of perfect Greek villagers. The song of a tiny, but loud bird rang out and it gave him an idea for an opening. The acoustics here were impressive and no one strained to hear as he began the address.

“Spring, when a young man’s mind turns to thoughts of overthrowing a tyrannical god,” he said.

A few laughs rippled through the audience.

“But in this case, a woman is our liberator. What most of you saw last night was the result of Lt. Palamas’ plea that our captor be removed from Pollux IV, never to bother us again. Aphrodite, one of his own kind, has accomplished that. We are free.”

Cheers rose up from most, but not all.

“Apollo tormented and misused many of ‘his children,’ and I hope those of you who suffered his games will not be ashamed to tell your stories to those who saw him only as a benevolent provider.”

Rumbles went through the crowd. Jim knew rumors would probably run rampant now, but these were not his tales to tell… well, some were, but this was not the time for a captain to appear vulnerable.

“At present, we have no way to reach the Enterprise or our shipmates on the island. That is the truth of the situation. We have no medical equipment and many of our female crewmates are pregnant. For those of you who aren’t, I ask you to please consider remaining that way, as giving birth under these conditions could be life-threatening… and the upcoming ‘baby boom’ will strain our medical teams.”

“We have one doctor, one nurse, and several med techs. They have their expertise, if not their tools. Starting tomorrow morning, Dr. McCoy and Nurse Chapel will be available to see patients in a merchant space on the north side of the agora…” 

He pointed and the crowd looked in unison.

“Anyone who has medical training and wants to be of assistance, please check in with Dr. McCoy there tomorrow. Also, Dr. Noel will be making herself available for anyone experiencing mental distress. Please don’t hesitate to talk to her.”

“Now, about the Enterprise…” Jim bit his lip. How he wished the news were better. “Although there is no way to know for certain, we believe her to be completely unmanned. Spock and Mr. Scott estimate the ship has between four and six weeks before she falls from orbit.”

Everyone gasped.

“Lt. Palamas no longer seems to have a line of communication with Aphrodite, but she is trying and will continue to appeal to her to send us back to the Enterprise. Has anyone here had any form of communication with any members of Apollo's race?”

It was a long shot, but Kirk didn’t want to leave any stones unturned. No one stepped forward. After a 20-second pause, he continued.

“All marriages are considered void, as they took place under duress. Any couples wishing to marry, may come to me. I’m afraid it will just be a few words and my signature, but at least it will be official under Starfleet regulations. We are Starfleet, even though we may not look it.” Jim drew laughs by pulling out the skirt of his tunic and making a slightly feminine pose. “We could make new uniforms, but there are probably better uses for our time. For now, the native dress will have to do.”

“For a band of marooned explorers, we’re fortunate. We enjoy a fine climate and Apollo has left us an enviable infrastructure. We should be able to live quite comfortably here for as long as it takes to either get back to the ship or be rescued. Most of you have animals and crops. Please continue to care for them. You’re all farmers until further notice. First order of business: survival. Food. We’re all going to need to count on each other.”

“Living arrangements. If any of you prefer a same-sex dormitory style living arrangement, please see Mr. Spock. He’ll be in charge of housing.” 

Jim had decided that Spock was the only one mentally capable of handling the logistics of juggling people’s domiciles without the help of pen and paper, which were in short supply. 

“No one will be living somewhere they feel uncomfortable. Mr. Spock will establish new households in the days to come, according to crew requests and preferences.” 

A voice cried out from the crowd, “Captain, what about the men on the island?!” It was Yeoman Teresa Ross, who was in love with David Garrovick. 

Lt. Garrovick was special to Kirk as well, because the man’s late father had been Jim’s captain on the USS Farragut years ago. Kirk remembered with pride promoting the young officer to lieutenant six months ago. The man was much like his father and had a bright future.

Regarding the men on the island, Kirk decided the crew deserved to know his intentions. “I would like to say that shipbuilding will begin immediately and we’ll set out to rescue our missing men… but I can’t.”

Rumbles went through the crowd.

“The island could be just over the horizon or it could be on the other side of the planet,” Kirk said solemnly. “I don’t believe with our current materials and skill, we could construct a boat I’d feel comfortable sending into the open ocean with men aboard. I’ll just tell you that right now.”

Yeoman Ross appreciated the captain’s honesty, but his words stung. Helen found Teresa in the crowd and put her arm around her.

“I wish we could be in the business of rescuing, but we need rescue ourselves,” the captain said. “It could be months or even years before Starfleet Command sends help this far out. If Lt. Sulu activated the distress beacon, and Apollo didn’t shut it off, they know where we are and that we’re in trouble. If the beacon isn’t signaling, then they don’t know where we are, but should at least realize we’re in trouble, since we’ve been incommunicado for so long.”

“Someone will find us eventually; this won’t be forever,” Kirk assured. “And Lt. Palamas will continue to ask for help from Aphrodite. Perhaps that will pay off.”

“Captain,” Lt. Commander Giotto called out, “what if the beacon attracts our enemies or hostile aliens? We’re defenseless down here.”

“Yes, without Apollo to protect us, we are,” Kirk had to admit. “I’ll meet with you later, Mr. Giotto, to discuss defensive strategies we might employ if attacked. But at least for the moment, peace prevails on Pollux IV and we’re in the warm growing season. Mr. Spock tells me the weather will be getting a little nippier in a few months, so let’s bring in the best crop yield we can in case the winter is worse than expected. It is reasonable to assume from the design of the open-air villas that winters aren’t harsh here, but better safe than sorry.” The Tarsus IV disaster was never far from his mind. 

Jim took a few more questions, then turned it over to Spock and stepped down. He was starting to feel unusually tired…

***

By that evening, his throat was becoming quite sore and his head was pounding. He finished stacking saddle blankets in the barn and was forking some hay down from the loft when he got dizzy and had to lean against the side of the horse stall.

Jim. 

I’m all right.

You are not. You are becoming increasingly ill. I will send Dr. McCoy.

Is he still in the agora?

Yes. He, Dr. Noel, and Nurse Chapel are here setting up for tomorrow.

Is everyone else feeling all right? Jim asked.

That I know of, yes.

Jim could perceive that Spock was surrounded by many people who still wanted to discuss quartering options with him.

I’ll go inside and lie down. Just ask Bones to stop by when he’s finished there.

Yes, Captain.

I know I gave you the hardest job, Spock. Thanks for handling it.

Of course.

Spock tried to return his focus to those around him, but Jim’s developing illness made it difficult. He felt Kirk’s pain and fatigue. 

“Mr. Spock, if I could bunk with technicians Gardener, Muir, and Chang, that would be great,” a crewman was saying. “We’ve always gotten along well together. Curtis Chang, not Steven Chang.”

“Your request is noted.” 

The crewman nodded and began to leave the line, but Spock stopped him. 

“I need to see Dr. McCoy, crewman. Please go tell him to report to me immediately.”

“Aye, Sir,” the man replied and set off across the agora where he knew the medical team was.

McCoy naturally took his time and Spock was wishing he’d trusted the crewman with the knowledge that the captain was ill. It was in his nature to be discreet, though.

“Well, here I am!” Bones announced and stood staring at Spock in obvious irritation.

“Shall I reprimand that crewman for taking 20 minutes to deliver my message?” Spock said without inflection.

“I was busy, Spock. Ya know? Busy? Like you are…”

“Doctor,” Spock said, pulling him a few feet from the line of waiting crewmen, “Jim is sick.”

“What? But he was fine this morn…”

“Headache, sore throat, dizziness, fatigue. First symptoms began 6.5 hours ago. He’s lying down in our villa.”

“Damn, I wish I had my medical kit. Okay, well, I’ll go tell Helen and Christine what’s going on, then head down and have a look at him.”

“Very well, Doctor. Unless you call a quarantine, I will be home as soon as I am finished here.”

Bones could see that Spock was worried. “I’m sure he’ll be fine, Spock.” But as he walked to Jim’s villa, images of an outbreak filled his thoughts. He pictured exposing all of those patients he was going to see tomorrow to some unknown, viral danger… those pregnant patients. He paused as he reached Jim’s arcade. I’m the only doctor here. Can I risk this? Spock apparently thinks so.

But McCoy wasn’t so sure.

“Who’s there?” Kirk called, hearing footsteps.

“It’s me, Jim. But listen, I’m thinkin’ I maybe better not come inside.”

“I’m thinking the same thing, Bones. Christine and Helen shouldn’t sleep here tonight either. I don’t know how I caught this thing or who else has it, but it feels like it’s going to be bad. It could be something dangerous to a fetus.”

McCoy stood in the open breeze and hollered to Kirk, “Tell me your symptoms, Jim.”

“My throat feels beet red… but without a mirror, who knows?”

“Are your glands swollen?”

“Under my jaw? Yeah, a little. I have the mother of all headaches and I got lightheaded in the barn when I put my hands above my head to pitch hay. I feel really worn out. It’s been getting worse since about midday, I guess.”

“Your lungs and gut feel okay?”

“So far, yeah.”

“Try to rest on an incline. Might help your head and lungs from filling up with mucus if this is a virus. Do you feel like you’ve got a fever?”

“No.”

Bones felt helpless and a little cowardly. “Jim, I’m gonna ask Palamas if she knows any Ancient Greek herbal remedies. I hate to admit it but I’m not up on my Asclepius.”

Jim gave a weak laugh. He knew McCoy was torn over his duties. “It’s probably just a cold, Bones. Spock will stay with me tonight; I’m tired of trying to talk him out of it.”

“I doubt he’d listen to me either,” McCoy chuckled. “I’m glad he’ll be with you, Jim. You’ll both be stuck here, though, quarantined until the last of your symptoms are gone… and that’s assuming this bug doesn’t like Vulcans.”

“Okay, Bones. I’m going to try to sleep.” He was feeling exhausted and his throat burned from talking.

“If anyone else turns up sick, I might put them here, let Spock nursemaid ‘em all,” McCoy joked before saying farewell and heading back to the agora.

Chapter Text

By midnight, Kirk had chills and his chest felt tight. Spock curled around him in the bed to comfort him. They had decided he should only risk getting the doctor if Jim’s breathing became labored or his heart rate changed drastically.

Jim swallowed and Spock could feel his painful throat. His head throbbed despite Spock’s attempt to keep it elevated and discontinue the pain telepathically. Body aches made it impossible to relax.

You can dissolve the link for now, Spock, Jim said. You don’t need to feel all this with me.

He held Jim close, considering his options. I have an alternative idea, he said, placing his fingers on his friend’s face.

But we’re already linked, isn’t that almost the same as a meld? Jim said.

Shh, Spock’s mind soothed. I can help you get to sleep. 

Jim immediately felt the euphoria of drifting off. Mmm ahhh, Spock. Oh, he could swim in the sea of Spock’s mind forever, but things were getting dimmer and dimmer until… nothing.

Spock withdrew from his mind, took his pulse, and checked his breathing. As much as Spock wanted to take him back into his arms and lie there with him, Jim was relying on him for food and drink to get him through the next few days. He rose and went to the kitchen to prepare some meals. He was grateful to Nurse Chapel for keeping the pantry stocked. She had traded for two salted chickens yesterday and Spock decided to make some bone broth soup.

When the captain woke the next morning however, he had a fever and wanted only cold pickled eggs and well water. Spock pumped some up, so it would be extra cold and soaked a washcloth in it for Jim’s forehead. The fermented eggs burned his still-sore throat, but with Spock’s encouragement, he got a few down and drank as much water as he could.

Thank you for putting me to sleep last night, Spock. Saved me eight hours of misery.

I wish I could help you more, Captain. 

I know. Just gonna have to tough this one out, I guess. Thank you for completing and posting the quartering assignments before coming home. Only YOU could have done that in one day.

You are welcome, Jim.

You’re still symptom-free?

Yes.

Jim was fairly sure he was, but was glad to have it confirmed. I hope everyone’s doing all right.

There was no way to know and Spock felt Kirk’s frustration. 

“What if some bug wipes us out, Spock? We finally throw off Apollo’s yoke and *bam* we all fall to pestilence?” Jim gave a strained laugh. “That would make a fine Greek tragedy, wouldn’t it? A cautionary tale to fear the gods or meet your fate.” 

He laughed again and Spock wondered why Jim was speaking aloud when he knew it was hurting his throat.

“If I’m remembering right, illness in ancient Greece was thought to be a punishment from the gods; maybe Apollo smited me before he left. What d’ya think, Spock? Think I’ve been smited? That’s a funny word: smited.”

Jim was babbling and Spock was growing concerned. Is he delirious?

“To smite, smiting, smited… smote? Is it smited or smote? Apollo smote me.” Jim laughed like it was the funniest thing.

Jim, can you hear me? Speak to me through the link.

“Spock, we should go horseback riding. I want to go with you, not Helen.”

“We will go soon. When you are better,” Spock replied aloud. Jim seemed not to hear him through the link anymore.

“I want to ride with you, swim in the sea with you, kiss you and make love to you in the hay loft.” Jim clutched at Spock’s hand. “I want to travel the stars with you… oh no, the Enterprise! Apollo has smited her! My ship! My ship!”

Jim's bloodshot eyes looked like he was watching some tragic fate befall his ship.

“Jim, the Enterprise is safe for now. She is in orbit,” Spock tried to soothe.

“No, Apollo smited her. One of his thunderbolts split the hull and she’s going to crash into the ocean soon. Oh!” Tears started rolling down Jim’s face, as he clutched Spock’s hand tighter. Beads of sweat were appearing on his forehead.

“Try to rest, Jim.” Spock sat him up and configured his pillows into a steeper slope. “Lie back. Let me cool you off some more. Your fever is climbing.”

He was starting to shake a little. “F-feels like a m-mugatu bite…,” he said. “Poison f-fangs.”

“Not poison, Jim. A virus, most likely,” Spock reminded him. He dipped another washcloth in the well water and rubbed it over his friend’s limbs. Then, he took the one that had fallen off his forehead, re-soaked it and put it back in place without wringing it out, letting the water soak into his hair and run down over his red ears. “Perhaps a bath would be…”

“No,” Jim said. He didn’t feel like he had the energy to walk that far, even though it was only 15 feet or so. “I’ll try not to d-die, Spock. I don’t want to l-leave you. You’d have to bury me or b-burn me.” Kirk groaned at the morbid thought and crimped his eyes shut. He kept shaking.

“I do not think you are going to die, Jim. Your symptoms are unpleasant, but not life-threatening,” at least, not yet, Spock thought, grateful that Kirk couldn’t read his mind at the moment.

“I had choriomeningitis once… on Vega IX, when I was an ensign. It almost k-killed me.”

Spock knew the story. “Gary Mitchell saved you.”

“Yes. Gary.” Jim’s eyes grew distant remembering his late friend. “Gary walked through th-that jungle to get a doctor.” 

Kirk had told Spock that the pain in his thighs was excruciating and he’d eventually blacked out from it, waiting for Gary to come back.

“Do you have pain in your legs, Jim?”

Kirk shook his head. “I haven’t seen Gary in a long time. Where is he, Spock?”

What should I say? Spock wondered, but before he could decide, Jim’s brow furrowed and his hazel eyes darkened. “I killed Gary,” he whispered.

“You had no choice, Jim.”

“He fell into the grave he had made for me… oh, Gary,” Jim whispered. “I’m sorry. It wasn’t your f-fault.”

“No, it wasn’t,” Spock offered. “It was an unfortunate set of circumstances.”

“Absolute p-power corrupts absolutely.”

“It does seem to.”

“He thought he was a g-god, that he could do anything he wanted to us, Spock, as if we were n-nothing, just like Apollo. He was turning into Apollo. Gary wasn’t evil. He wasn’t! He was just… just…”

Tears fell from Jim’s eyes. He looked lost and confused. Spock gripped his shoulder.

“He saved me in the jungle. He t-took a poison dart meant for me on Dimorus, too. D-did I ever tell you about that, Spock?”

“Yes, you did.”

“…and I left him in that grave on Delta Vega. Gods don’t die, Spock… what if he’s still alive? Alive and tr-trapped there?! Buried. Buried alive!” Kirk’s eyes were wide with horror.

I have to get his temperature down, Spock thought urgently. He could have a seizure.

“Captain, drink this in its entirety, right now.” He topped off a large cup with well water and helped Jim sit up straighter.

Kirk was fighting sobs, but he obeyed.

“Gary is no longer alive, Jim.”

”How do you know for sure?”

”I scanned for lifeforms before we left orbit. There were none.” 

Kirk’s tight mouth trembled as he tried to calm himself. “Gary was going to be you.”

Spock didn’t know what he meant. “Me?”

“My first officer. I almost promised it to him when they g-gave me the Enterprise, but then I… you were so… and he…. Do you think he went to Heaven, Spock, or the p-place Apollo went?”

Spock had no answer. “Try to rest your throat, Jim,” he said gently while his mind searched for better ways to bring down the fever.

“What d-do you think Heaven is like, Spock? I’m so sweaty.”

Spock began running the washcloth up and down Kirk’s legs again.

“I want this off,” Jim shouted suddenly, grabbing at his tunic. “I’m s-so hot!” He jumped up and stripped it off, then fell back onto the bed, exhausted and unconcerned by his nakedness. Spock resumed his ministrations, rubbing the cooling water everywhere.

Kirk closed his eyes and tried to rest. After a bit, his body stopped trembling, but his mind was still racing. “You're this hot all the time, Spock; how do you stand it?”

Jim was full of illogical questions, but Spock answered respectfully, “A higher body temperature is natural for Vulcans.”

Jim clamped his hand around Spock’s arm. He could not tell which was warmer. “We’re the same right now. The same…”

“Yes, Captain.”

“You call me ‘Jim’ these days, Spock. Don’t you remember?”

“Yes, I do, Jim.” He lifted up his head and helped him take another drink.

“Vulcans call Heaven ‘Sha Ka Ree,’ don’t they?” 

“Yes,” Spock said, raising an eyebrow, surprised that his friend knew that.

Jim caught his breath, then asked, “Do you want to hear what I think Heaven is like?”

“I do,” Spock replied, genuinely curious. There wasn’t much more he could do for the delirium but keep stroking him with cold water and let him talk himself out. At least the emotional agitation seemed to be waning and the trembling had stopped. Spock no longer feared a febrile seizure.

“Hmmm. Colors… music… weightlessness…,” Kirk began with a weak smile, “breezes, neither too warm nor too cool… ripples of constant pleasure running through you, perfectly balanced between excitement and contentment… complete knowledge of everything that is, ever has been, or ever will be, in every corner of a thousand galaxies. And you can go anywhere, Spock, see anything, be anyone, but you don’t, because you don’t need to. It’s all in you. And you’d think it would feel like a lot, but it doesn’t. It’s quite comfortable, and you can sit in contemplative stillness and just be.”

“That sounds appealing,” Spock said.

“That’s what your mind melds are like, Spock… Heaven,” Jim said softly. His fevered mind was slowly unwinding its frenzy. He felt sleepy. “Mmm,” he hummed, as his eyes closed and his breathing evened out.

“Jim,” Spock whispered after a few minutes. No answer. He wetted the cloth again and laid it across Kirk’s flushed forehead, then added another to his groin area. He estimated they would be therapeutically helpful for only 14.5 minutes before needing to be re-cooled. Jim didn’t stir, so Spock briefly touched his mind to make certain he was all right. Confident that he was, Spock reclined in a nearby chaise for a quick rest. He hadn’t slept in three days. The kittens were tumbling around the main room, playing pouncing games with one another, oblivious to the state of their master. Spock watched them, grateful for the distraction. He tried to clear his mind of worry, but it proved difficult. I will need to meditate soon, he acknowledged, and sleep. He needed to keep himself mentally sharp for Jim.

After 14 minutes, Spock re-saturated his patient’s cloths, then walked out onto the arcade to look across their pasture in the direction McCoy would be coming. The doctor hadn’t said he’d return to check on them today, but Spock assumed he would, or at least send Christine. 

Spock pumped some fresh well water and tended to the animals. He closed the barn door and was heading back to the villa when he saw a distant figure crossing the pasture. Even his keen Vulcan eyes couldn’t discern who it was at first. He stood and watched, ready to receive news and hopefully medicine.

Blonde. A woman. Christine? He couldn’t tell, until… Lt. Palamas.

“Mr. Spock,” she shouted.

“Lieutenant.”

She stopped about ten feet from him and set a jar of seeds down on a fence post. “How is he?” she asked. 

“Very ill. A high fever today caused an episode of delirium,” Spock answered.

“Oh, no!” Carolyn said. “These may help. They are ptisane seeds. I remembered that Dioscorides wrote about making herbal infusions with them in de Materamedica. He said when they are crushed and soaked in boiling water, they make a good treatment for ‘fire’ ailments, which is what they called fevers and inflamed throats. Dr. McCoy checked them out and says the worst the seeds can do is nothing. I brewed some and he tried it. No ill-effects.”

“Thank you,” Spock said.

“I’ve already crushed them, just add boiling water and let it sit for an hour, then drain off the ‘tea’ and let him drink it. It can be cold or hot.”

“Very well. Have there been any other cases?”

“No, thank goodness. Lots of people showed up to get examined… a few cases of morning sickness. Chief Bielz fell and broke his wrist. Dr. McCoy set it and says it will heal well. Dr. Noel is very worried about the captain. What should I tell her?”

“The truth,” Spock said.

“Of course,” Carolyn said. “She and Christine are bunking with the McCoys. Do you have any messages for anyone, or any orders for us?”

“Tell Dr. McCoy I remain asymptomatic. I am treating the captain’s fever with cold compresses and elevation of the head. I will try the infusion you suggest. Tell Nurse Chapel…”

“Yes?”

“…the kittens and our other animals are well.”

She smiled. “Okay, I will. Take care, Mr. Spock.”

As Carolyn walked away, Spock realized that he had felt disappointment upon recognizing she wasn’t Christine. Hm, he thought and raised an eyebrow. Taking the jar from the fence post, he returned to find the captain still sleeping. He re-wet his cloths, then lit a fire in the stove and prepared to boil water.

While he waited for the pot to heat, he paced like Jim sometimes did and found himself back at his bedside. The captain’s helpless state made a sudden ball of anger toward Lt. Palamas rise in Spock’s chest. Despite her current helpful attitude, the A&A officer’s disloyalty was responsible for Jim’s situation. His illness and the lack of appropriate medical care were directly attributable to her actions. Indeed, everything they had endured at Apollo’s hands, was on her head.

In Spock’s opinion, the lieutenant deserved court martial. He knew that Jim considered her as much a victim of Apollo as the rest of them, but Spock couldn’t help believing she ought to be held accountable for her treason. 

Am I wrong to call it that? he wondered. Most Starfleet captains would consider it such. She was certainly guilty of collusion with a proven enemy.

Jim could be so understanding of people’s flaws and foibles. He had fewer character flaws than any other human Spock knew, but he was always quick to forgive others for theirs. Spock had seen him do it over and over during their five years together. He doubted Lt. Palamas would face any official repercussions for her treachery, and in this moment, he wanted her to. Spock gazed at Jim’s beautiful face. 

So many people have hurt him, betrayed him, disappointed him, yet his mind is unencumbered by resentments.

It was enviable. His graciousness didn’t just extend to beautiful women either. Spock thought of Ben Finney and Kirk’s Academy classmates who turned on him when it seemed his negligence had killed Finney. When Ben turned up alive, Jim treated him with compassion and forgave his classmates for their rush to judgment. The captain had forgiven Lt. Bailey for his near-nervous breakdown on the bridge, Lt. Stiles for his hot-headedness and bigotry, Lt. Garrovick for his hesitation to fire… 

Garrovick also struck the captain, as have I, Spock recalled with shame. On Vulcan, during the kal-if-fee, I would have killed him had McCoy not slipped him a neural paralyzer. I’ve benefitted many times from Jim’s ability to ‘forgive and forget,’ he reminded himself.

Harboring resentments was neither comfortable nor productive, and Spock resolved to address his animosity toward Lt. Palamas in meditation. He would also examine the sensation of disappointment he’d felt when the blonde woman crossing the field turned out to be Palamas and not Christine.

I… miss her, Spock acknowledged.

He didn’t need a deep analysis to reach that conclusion. She was a valued member of their household, industrious and trustworthy. Unlike Lt. Palamas, she hadn’t let heartbreak make her bitter or disloyal. Spock reflected on how painful the experience with Dr. Korby must have been for her. Finding her lost fiancé on that frozen world, only to discover he was an android… 

That must have been as emotionally wrenching for her as losing Rayna was for Jim.

Spock remembered touching Jim’s mind to help him forget Rayna; he wondered who had been there for Nurse Chapel to comfort her?

Christine conducted herself with dignity during and after that mission, he recalled.

Knowing now what a tenderhearted woman she was, Spock appreciated the courage it must have taken for her to endure and keep doing her duty after such a blow. He admired her fortitude. Jim was also tenderhearted and could be easily hurt, but he only grew stronger and kinder from pain. Spock decided Christine functioned this way, too. As he prepared for meditation, he let warm feelings of friendship for her erode some of the anger he had for Lt. Palamas.

He went to the kitchen and doused the ptisane seeds in boiling water, then came back with a lighted candle and knelt on the sheepskin rug near his sleeping captain. After one last look at Jim, Spock focused his eyes on the candle, cleared his mind, and turned inward to meditate.

***

Jim woke up to an orange kitten walking across his chest.

“Well, hello you,” he said softly, reaching for the little tiger. “We need to find a name for you, don’t we?”

“I believe Christine had been calling him ‘Rusty,’” Spock said, coming to his side. 

“‘Rusty.’ I like it.” Kirk smiled up at Spock while he pet the kitten.

“How are you feeling, Jim?”

It had been four days since Carolyn had dropped off the seeds and Kirk’s improvement had been gradual but steady.

“Better,” the captain replied. “Body aches are easing up a bit and I’m so glad to be rid of that sore throat.” He coughed and Rusty jumped down.

“Lungs?”

Jim frowned. “I feel like I still have a lot of coughing to do.” His lungs felt heavy and constricted. He’d been plagued with frequent coughing fits during the days, with Spock helping him to sleep at night. “Thanks for another good night’s sleep.”

“You are welcome, Jim.”

“Where’s the black one? Does he have a name, too?”

“She,” Spock corrected. “The black one is a female, according to Dr. Noel.”

“Oh,” Jim said.

“She has no name of which I am aware.”

“Hmm, let’s think up a name for her,” Jim said. Boy, I must really be bored.

Spock looked thoughtful, then suggested, “Abyssal.”

“What?!” Jim laughed and it started a bad coughing spasm. He swung his legs off the bed to lean forward, which was usually the best position to prevent choking on phlegm.

Spock brought him a cup of the seed tea and placed it next to him. He started pounding his back like he’d been doing for the past two days. It seemed to be helping break up the thick mucus.

“Ugh,” sighed Jim after the coughing abated. It wore him out and made his ribs sore. “Thank you, Spock”

“Of course, Captain.”

Jim took a few even breaths, then picked up the tea and made his way over to a chaise. He put his feet up. Damn, I’m tired of being sick, he thought. He drank as much of the tea as he could, then laid his head back and closed his eyes. 

After a moment, Spock noticed a smile spread across his face.

“What?”

“‘Abyssal’ for a cat?” Jim said, amused but careful not to laugh.

“A black cat,” Spock said with his eyebrow raised, as though Jim should extrapolate the rest logically.

A blank stare told Spock he hadn’t.

“Abyssal plains lie deep in the ocean just beneath the continental rise. These sediment layers are between 10,000 and 20,000 feet below the surface, where no light can penetrate… they are black.”

“Ah,” Kirk said, keeping a straight face.

“You don’t like it,” Spock said. 

“Uh, no no. It’s great. Her nickname can be Abby.”

Spock looked skeptical, but then nodded. “Very well.”

“Do you see her anywhere?” Jim asked, looking around.

“I saw her a few hours ago,” Spock said.

“I wonder if our two and Uhura’s kitten are the only three cats on the planet?”

“Possibly,” Spock said.

“Apollo told the ladies they’d make good mousers, implying there’s rodent life here. If that’s the case, we better start a cat breeding program for our crops’ sake, hadn’t we?”

“That would be wise,” Spock agreed. “If Lt. Uhura’s cat is a female, it will be possible.”

“Okay, first command decision of the day!” Kirk said with exaggerated satisfaction. “What else ya got for me?” He smiled bravely and Spock regretted what he must tell him.

“Jim, when Dr. McCoy visited yesterday to check on you, he told me privately that there were several reports of a ‘shooting star’ that made it all the way down to the sea…”

Jim knew what that meant. Most natural objects burned up in the atmosphere, but the Enterprise’s heat shields would prevent that. If it fell from orbit, it would hit the ground… or ocean… mostly intact.

“The ship,” he whispered.

“Most likely,” Spock said gently.

Jim stared at the wall and willed his breathing to be even. “A thunderbolt hit her. I knew it.”

“Perhaps,” Spock said. “The rate of orbital decay should have been slower.” He came and sat next to Kirk who was utterly dejected and trying not to show it.

“Damn Apollo,” Jim swore through tight lips.

Spock touched his arm. “Jim, we don’t know for sure that it was the ship.”

“Calculate the odds for me,” Kirk said flatly. Spock understood he didn’t really mean for him to.

Jim shook his head, looking grim. “Without a starship in orbit, we’re just a pre-industrial, indigenous population to anyone happening by.”

“The Enterprise’s alloys could be detected, even at the bottom of the ocean,” Spock offered.

“By Starfleet sensors… if they’re looking for us,” Jim said. “We don’t even know whether Sulu sent a distress call… and if he did, whether Apollo blocked it.”

“Eventually, rescue will come. We must bide our time and survive with dignity,” Spock said. “We have considerable natural resources, and Apollo, cruel though he was, has provided us ample means to thrive here.”

Jim smiled a bit, hearing Spock echo his words to the crew. “Well, we’re probably better off than Khan and his people. He’d find it ironic that we’re in his shoes, wouldn’t he?” Kirk gave a small chuckle and it turned into another coughing fit. He felt so sick and powerless as Spock again pounded his back.

When his bronchial tubes stopped spasming, he leaned back in the chaise and lifted the tea to his lips. It didn’t taste bad and Spock wanted him to drink it several times a day. He couldn’t tell if it was helping or not.

“You are improving, Jim, or at least your symptoms are changing, indicating a progression through a multi-stage illness.”

Spock’s brand of comfort might not be for everyone, but Jim loved it. It was honest.

“Would you like to try sitting at the table today for breakfast?” Spock asked. “I have the stove warmed and some seasoned eggs ready to scramble. They can be ready in 7.5 minutes.”

Jim nodded. “Thank you for taking care of me, Spock. I’ve really needed you.” He squeezed Spock’s upper arm for emphasis.

“Recovering your health is crucial to the success of the colony… and I love you,” Spock added.

“I love you, too,” Jim said, pulling Spock into an upper-body embrace. “Thank God this bug doesn’t like Vulcans.”

“It is fortunate.” Spock pressed his chest gently against Jim’s to avoid causing another spate of coughing. Jim rested his head against Spock’s jaw and they stayed like that for a calming minute or two.

Neither had mentioned their mental link being broken. Spock had decided Jim’s high fever had destroyed it, but Kirk thought Spock had ended it when his delirium made it too difficult for his friend to bear. 

I wonder if he’ll want to restore it? Jim thought. The original reason for the link no longer exists; Apollo is gone and can’t deceive us. Spock may be enjoying having his privacy back.

Spock broke their embrace and went to the kitchen. In a few minutes, Jim could smell eggs cooking. He made his way to the table, but sitting up for ten minutes wore him out. After he’d eaten enough to please Spock, he returned to his bed. 

“Thanks for breakfast, and for this,” he said, realizing that Spock had realigned the pillows again.

“Increasing the slope while maintaining stability was challenging, but I think it should suit.”

Jim smiled. “It’s comfortable. I’m so tired. I may fall back asleep.”

“I wish I could put you into a healing trance, Jim, but it would be too risky. Unless your condition worsens, you must recover the traditional way.”

“The human way,” Jim said.

“Yes. Coughing and fatigue often signal the final stage of a viral infection. We have reason to believe your improvement will continue.”

“It’s just taking so long,” Kirk complained.

“Your early symptoms were severe and your lungs may take several weeks to completely clear. It is unfortunate that Dr. McCoy cannot provide you with any medical aids to speed the process. Good nutrition and ample rest will have to suffice.”

“At least Apollo is gone and we have peace,” Jim said softly. Spock had come to sit next to him and took his hand.

“Yes.”

“Is Scotty doing all right with command?” Jim asked. “Did Bones say anything about that?”

“He and Mr. Giotto had a minor disagreement about how to assign tasks and distribute resources, but Mr. Scott’s judgment prevailed.”

“Good,” Jim said, but looked concerned. “Maybe I should…”

“Sleep, Jim. Your duty right now is to recover.”

He squeezed Spock’s warm hand. “Mmm.” He did feel drowsy.

Spock moved to the end of the bed and started massaging his bare feet. The warmth of his fingers and the careful pressure felt wonderful. As much as Jim wanted to keep enjoying it, he could feel sleep dragging him under.

***

Uhura was busy at her loom when Christine stopped by for a visit.

“That’s really beautiful! You have a talent for this,” Christine said.

Uhura spread out the blanket she was weaving, proud to display her work. “Kyle made the dyes. Aren’t they vivid?”

“Gorgeous.”

“I blended a couple together to get even more colors,” Uhura said.

“Penelope herself couldn’t have done better,” Christine praised.

“Oh, I don’t know about that. This thing keeps getting jammed.” She gave the loom a swift kick that seemed to free the mechanism. “It’s a good thing Carolyn knew how to work these things. I’d never have figured it out.”

“Maybe Kyle would have… or Spock.” Christine couldn’t keep her head from tilting wistfully as she said his name.

“Have you missed him during his quarantine with the captain?” Uhura asked as she got back to work.

“Yes, but I’m glad he was there since Dr. McCoy couldn’t be.”

“Are you and Dr. Noel going to move back in once Captain Kirk is well?”

“We hope to,” Christine answered. “It shouldn’t be much longer now. Dr. McCoy hasn’t done a hands-on exam yet, but he thinks it’s unlikely the captain is still contagious.”

“…if he ever was. Strange how no one else caught it if it was a virus,” Uhura remarked.

Christine nodded. An outbreak of one certainly was odd. “We just got lucky, I guess. These open-air villas might be the reason. Bugs just don’t spread like they do on a starship.”

“Does the captain know… about the Enterprise?” Uhura asked sadly.

“Spock told him.”

Uhura pictured that moment and winced. The thought of Captain Kirk learning of the ship’s fate while still sick made her want to cry. “No ship ever had a better captain.”

“No.”

They sat in silence for a bit, with only the occasional clacking of the loom.

“Did you see it come down?” Christine asked.

“No. Kyle and I were inside.”

“So was I. You know one of the witnesses thinks it could have been a meteorite?” Christine said. “He said it might have burned out right before it hit the water. He’s not certain.”

“But the others are, aren’t they?” Uhura asked. 

“Mm, I think so.”

Uhura sighed then started working her loom with gusto. “We’ll be rescued eventually. We just have to ride this out. It isn’t so bad, right? …now that Apollo’s history.”

Christine agreed. “I worry about the men on the island, though. What if they weren’t provided for like we were? They could really be struggling.”

“Let’s hope they at least have the basics and we don’t have to wait too long for rescue,” Uhura said.

“Spock expects the winters here to be mild.”

“Yes, I heard. That makes sense with the design of the houses. I’m making all of the blankets lightweight… as if I would know how to make them thicker anyway!” Uhura joked. 

“How’s Miss Puff?” Christine smiled.

“Growing like a weed.” Uhura looked around for the little white cat, but didn’t see her around. “She sleeps with me every night, keeps me warm.”

“I thought Chief Kyle was doing that.” Christine winked.

“No. We’re not… um, no.”

“You like him, though,” Chapel teased. “You chose him… over his brother.”

Chief Kyle and Lt. Kyle, a bridge officer, were twins. The brothers looked the same, but were different as day and night.

“Why didn’t you choose Lt. Kyle? You spend a lot more time with him, and we were supposed to select bridge officers.”

“Lt. Palmer wanted him, and I’ve always found him to be, I don’t know, a bit too tightly wound, I guess. Good at his job, but… well, I’ve just always kind of liked his brother. He’s so relaxed and comfortable in his skin.”

Uhura slowed her pace at the loom and smiled to herself.

“You’ve got the dreamy eyes!” Christine teased good-naturedly.

Uhura laughed and turned it back on her friend. “So, playing house with a Vulcan… is it all you’d dreamed?”

Her taunt fell flat, though, as Christine wilted. “He and the captain… It’s true… the rumors.”

“Oh.”

“You should see them, Uhura. They’re so in love. They even have a mental link that joins them when they’re apart. They live in each other’s minds already, and Spock told me they plan to bond during his next pon farr.”

“I’m sorry, Christine,” Uhura said softly.

“It was decent of him to tell me. He cares about me, my needs… and the captain cares about Helen. When we feared Apollo was watching us, we shared beds and Mr. Spock was really quite kind and loving. I thought maybe he’d…” Christine trailed off. “But, no.”

“Well, I think he’s crazy to pass on you,” Uhura said to cheer her. “I mean look at you!”

Christine sighed and shrugged. “He still wants me for a housemate, so I guess I’m not too revolting.”

“Oh, girl, you’re every man’s dream.” Uhura released the loom and took her friend’s hand. “And you’re gonna be far too busy helping Dr. McCoy deliver all those babies to worry over a heartache.”

Christine tried to smile, but she was picturing the little Vulcan baby who would never be.

Chapter Text

“Where did the summer go?” Jim wondered aloud as he stretched and drank in the autumn sun. The beach was empty and the water felt cold, even at ankle-depth. 

“Shall we get back on the horses?” Spock suggested.

“You’re getting more comfortable on horseback,” Kirk noted with satisfaction.

“Somewhat,” Spock agreed, swinging his long leg over the sorrel.

He looks damn good up there, Jim thought. The Vulcan’s straight back and noble bearing gave no evidence of his earlier awkwardness.

“You’ve come a long way in a week. You look like a natural now.”

“Thank you, Captain. You are an excellent teacher.”

Jim smiled. He’d been in the saddle since before he could remember and always enjoyed melds that featured his uncle’s ranch in Idaho. Now, he had Spock on a real live horse and was loving their rides together. Strange how this place is starting to feel like home, he thought. When Christine and Helen had voiced that sentiment yesterday, it had rubbed Kirk the wrong way, but they were right. 

He loved challenges, and he’d never had a greater challenge than running a colony. It was more like being mayor of a small town than a starship captain, but it brought all of his skills to bear. Those almost-smiles of admiration Spock bestowed on him occasionally were coming more frequently now. 

The longer his illness had dragged on, the more Jim had wanted to give in to despair over his lost ship, but as his health gradually improved, so did his mood. Now, his body was his friend again and his dynamic mind crackled with ideas for projects and innovations. Scotty’s canal project was nearly complete. Soon they’d have an alternative to well water for irrigation and could turn the grist mills with hydro power. Kirk had also ordered a group to research the best locations and strategies for fishing. Several biologists even thought a hatchery might be feasible.

No one knew if the children of Apollo would have his powers, but their mothers agreed that moral lessons of right and wrong should take priority over math and reading at first. Love and kindness were paramount. These children could one day be their saviors or their masters. It was vital that they experience the best parenting his crew had to offer. 

“We find ourselves in an unexpected situation,” Kirk had said at an assembly. “This isn’t what any of us bargained for, but we are trained for the unexpected. We are Starfleet. We know how to treat each other, rely on each other. We know how to lend a hand when it’s needed. We know how to support and encourage one another. Let’s ensure that these children… and any others who come along… see us at our best. We’ll be their teachers, every one of us. Their attitudes and beliefs will be formed by what they see and hear from us. We are their fathers, not Apollo. Let them see kindness and decency in everything you do and I don’t think we’ll have a problem.” 

McCoy had heard rumblings of concern that the “demigods” would be dangerous and he’d asked Jim to address it. Kirk gave this speech, smiled confidently, and moved on to other business. He remembered Spock’s look of approval that day. Spock was his moral compass. One day he’ll be my bondmate, Jim thought with anticipation.

He watched the Vulcan astride the gentle horse. How fluid and elegant he was. Jim missed the telepathic link they had shared, but he was grateful at the moment that Spock couldn’t read his mind. He wanted to kiss him, run his hands all over his body, just be with him physically. He knew Spock couldn’t respond sexually outside of pon farr, but his cerebral friend granted him small physical intimacies that made him wonder if more might be possible.

As they rode back to the barn, they chatted and enjoyed each other’s company. “I’m grateful for all the care you gave me when I was sick, Spock, in case I never thanked you.”

“Your appreciation was often expressed,” Spock responded.

“It’s easy to forget now how bad I felt being so ill, but I know it wasn’t easy on you seeing me like that.”

“No.”

“You probably should have sent someone else to look after me instead of risking yourself like that,” Jim suggested. “You’re second in command; it wasn’t a very logical decision.”

“This colony would suffer without your leadership, and humans in a health crisis do not thrive when deprived of their mates.”

Jim smiled to be called Spock’s mate. He IS my intended. I wish we had the link back. Spock hadn’t mentioned wanting to reinstate it and Kirk assumed he preferred the mental privacy.

“Spock, can we meld tonight? I… I miss our link.”

“Anytime you wish to reestablish it, I am amenable.”

“Oh? I thought you maybe preferred some peace and quiet up there,” Jim tapped his own forehead. “You haven’t mentioned the link since you severed it.”

“‘Severed it?’” Spock asked. “Your fever burned it away. I did not sever it.”

“Oh. I thought my illness put too much of a strain on you and you decided…”

“No, Jim. You showed no signs of wanting the link restored after you recovered, so I chose not to broach the topic.”

“But you want it?” Jim asked hopefully.

“Yes. We have a rapport and know each other’s minds well, but I have missed the constant telepathic contact.”

“Me too!” Jim said. It’s making me think too much about physical contact.

As they brushed the sorrel and the bay and put them in their stalls, Spock ventured, “Do you remember what you said during your delirium, Jim… about the hay loft?”

“The hay loft?” Kirk glanced up the stairs to the barn’s loft. He had fantasies about lying naked with Spock up there on a horse blanket, touching and exploring each other. Oh, no. Did I say that aloud? He had no recollection of it.

Jim watched in surprise as Spock picked up a clean blanket from the stack and wordlessly climbed the stairs. He disappeared from sight and the loft’s floor creaked under his weight. 

For a moment Jim stood riveted to the ground, then with a racing heart he slowly followed him up. He found Spock kneeling on one side of the spread-out blanket and joined him. 

“I will restore the link,” Spock said tenderly, reaching for Jim’s face. His fingertips were warm and all of his essence poured through them. To Jim, it felt like the final step on the road back to health.

He felt how worried Spock had been during his illness, how frustrated at the lack of medical technology available. The fear of losing him had been a crushing weight. Watching him recover, grow more robust every day and finally return to duty, Spock’s spirit had soared.

The whole colony held its breath while you were ill, Jim…

But you were on the front lines, watching me struggle.

The odds are that I will outlive you by several decades. I accept this, but to lose you in your prime…

Jim felt Spock’s love flow through him. The Vulcan cherished him. Jim hadn’t forgotten that, but the sudden onslaught of all of the intense feelings Spock rarely showed outwardly took his breath away.

You want to touch my body, Jim perceived. You want me to touch yours.

That surprises you?

It did. Spock was passionate in his way, but Jim didn’t expect the mental intimacy they shared to translate to anything too physical until Spock’s pon farr made it imperative.

Jim, we were abused and controlled by Apollo, and in the future we shall be at the mercy of my biology. Now… here… I want to touch you of my own volition. 

Kirk perceived the gentleness Spock was offering and asking for. Oh, how it would soothe his soul to be allowed to touch Spock sexually.

We cannot erase the violence we have experienced, but we can overwrite it.

Yes, Jim said.

Spock’s hands fell away from his face and Jim smiled to feel the link still there. He let Spock unfasten his tunic’s shoulder clip and run his hands reverently over his smooth chest. Jim untied the cord at his waist to let the garment fall freely to the floor. Kneeling naked before Spock with his arousal apparent should have embarrassed him, but it didn’t. Spock already knew how his body was responding to their plans.

He knew Spock wasn’t afraid of him or put off by his erection. Wild, penetrative sex wasn’t on the agenda. By mutual agreement, they were going to be gently touching each other, exploring, soothing one another physically. 

Spock undressed, too, and stood before Jim, flaccid but flushed deep green with anticipation and desire. Jim reached out and took him carefully in the palm of his hand.

Mmm. He felt Spock’s joy at the contact. Jim fondled and rubbed, enjoying the feedback that the link provided. He knew what Spock wanted. He snaked his free hand around Spock’s waist and drew him close. Spock sighed into his captain’s hair and ran an admiring hand over Jim’s shoulder. Kirk had lost his tan and some muscle tone, but to Spock his body was perfect.

Jim laid them down on the blanket and the hay crunched beneath them. They kissed, soft and slow. It was a feast of sensation, since each of them experienced the kisses from his own perspective and from the other’s simultaneously. Jim schooled himself not to become too excited, and Spock seemed to know not to lay hands on his erection. Instead, he ran his elegant fingers through his lover’s hair as they kissed.

Spock’s mind was full of music. He was thinking of Pre-Reformation love songs that he had always liked and now associated with Jim. The lyrics were in Vulcan, of course, but Jim spoke Vulcan when Spock’s mind was linked with his. He smiled at the stories and the meaning they held for Spock.

You are everything in those songs that I was drawn to in my youth but never understood.

I have songs I associate with you, too, Spock. He shared them and Spock hummed his understanding. He was focused now on touching Jim’s nipples with the gentle grace that his fingers showed his lyre.

Ahhh, Spock. Never before had Jim considered his nipples very sensitive, but he was loving Spock’s touch and the images coursing through Spock’s mind as he touched him. Kirk couldn’t recall any woman ever enjoying his body this much, and no one had ever enjoyed his mind but Spock. 

Ohhh, he groaned as Spock’s lips replaced his fingers. His tight nubs radiated sensation through his entire torso with Spock’s mouth on them. His tentative tongue licked and probed, as Jim ran his hand lovingly up and down Spock’s side. 

When Spock finally brought his face up near Jim’s again, he reached over Jim’s hip and coaxed him closer until their bodies were pressed together. Folded against his stomach and pressed between them, Jim’s erection throbbed. Spock felt it through his belly and moaned. He started moving against Jim, just a few inches up and down, up and down, then back and forth slowly, keeping Jim’s hard shaft tightly trapped between them. He kneaded Kirk’s gluts and held him fast.

Oh, Captain.

He tried to kiss his lips languidly again, but Kirk’s mind was getting increasingly disorganized and frantic as the sexual tension built.

Spock! I can’t…

Shh, Spock soothed. His disciplined mind quelled Jim’s urgency and brought him back from the brink. Jim’s breathing evened out and they held each other loosely, stroking arms and faces.

You’re amazing, Spock. I feel so much… just so much.

Spock shared personal, but non-sexual thoughts with Jim as he calmed. He told him of victories and challenges from his life before they met. Spock had many professional accomplishments and intellectually satisfying tasks he was proud of, but he’d known something was missing. Winning your heart, Jim… however I managed to do that… is the greatest achievement of my lifetime, Spock said in earnest.

Kirk felt the same. He wanted to make Spock so happy. He reached between the Vulcan’s legs again and felt his soft sack. As he cradled it, his thumb gently caressed the tip of his flaccid penis. He could feel Spock’s joy. Thanks to their connection, he didn’t mistakenly think Spock was not aroused.

My body doesn’t respond as a human’s, but I am moved by your touch. You know how deeply, don’t you?

Yes. Jim could feel a yearning in Spock. He wanted to offer Jim more.

You’re perfection, Spock, more than I ever dreamed of, far more than I deserve.

Still on their sides, facing each other, Jim insinuated his leg between Spock’s. He bent his knee, and with his thigh, he gently nudged his erection against Spock’s soft genitals. 

“Ohh!” Spock gasped aloud. He instinctively curved his leg over Jim’s hip and locked him into this glorious new position. He sensed that any grinding or rubbing could send the captain into an orgasm, so he held perfectly still and revelled in the throbbing pulse of his beloved. Jim’s trapped shaft pounded between Spock’s legs and their hearts hammered in their ears with the thrill of such intimate contact. Hardness and softness pressed together, and their minds entwined in telepathic bliss, they lay. Time slowed, until finally… a noise.

A horse whinnied, once, twice. Someone was approaching.

“Oh, hello, boys. I wasn’t expecting to find you here,” Christine said. 

Kirk and Spock froze.

Christine slapped the horses’ necks and petted their noses. “Did you have a good ride? Where are your masters?”

Kirk’s first impulse was to jump up and get dressed, but Spock urged him to remain still so the creaky floor of the loft wouldn’t give them away. They were concealed well, unless someone climbed the ladder.

“Oh,” another female voice said in surprise when she entered the barn and saw the horses in their stalls. “I didn’t realize Jim and Spock were back. I haven’t seen them, have you?”

“No, and dinner’s almost ready.”

“Your dinners are delicious, Christine. Jim’s not going to miss that,” Helen joked.

“I’m just glad he’s got his appetite back.”

“Mm,” Helen agreed as she collected breakfast eggs from under the hens.

“And I’m glad you’ve got yours back, too.”

“Oof, morning sickness isn’t for sissies, I’ll tell you that,” Helen said. She could joke about it now. “I appreciate you and Mr. Spock doing all the cooking after we moved back in. I just couldn’t stand the smells. I’m gonna pull my weight now… at least until I’m big as a haystack.”

Christine smiled, “You’re doing better, the captain’s doing better, Spock seems happy, the colony is on track… life is good.”

Helen giggled. “You like being a farm girl, don’t you?”

“I guess I do,” Chapel admitted with a smile of contentment. “Mr. Spock would call it illogical, but I have a strong feeling that everything’s going to be all right… I mean, I’m still worried about not having the proper obstetrical equipment or medicines, but I feel a sense of peace. I can’t explain it. It doesn’t necessarily hinge on the hope of rescue either; I feel like whether we’re rescued soon or not, we’re going to be okay.”

“You don’t have to explain. I feel it, too,” Dr. Noel said. “The psychological state of the crew… or the ‘colony’ now, I guess… is better than anyone could expect. All of the patients I’ve seen lately express similar sentiments. They have a solid confidence in the captain. He made us feel safe on the Enterprise and he’s making us feel safe and optimistic here, too. His leadership is a powerful force.”

Christine looked stricken for a moment. “Just think, if he had died….”

Helen shook her head, “Well, he didn’t. They’re both alive and well and we get to take care of them. So, you go on and finish dinner and I’ll get some hay down from the loft.”

Jim’s eyes flew open wide.

She set down her basket of eggs and reached for the pitchfork.

“Oh, no you don’t. You’re in no condition to be pitching hay,” Christine said. “The animals have enough for the night. Mr. Spock can do it tomorrow.” She took the pitchfork from Helen and put it back on the hook. 

Jim gave Spock a look of relief. His erection was history and he shifted a bit to slip free of Spock’s thighs. The boards beneath them creaked, but so did the barn door as the ladies departed. They didn’t notice.

Jim’s shocked expression gave way to a charming smile of relief. Whew. That was quite a close call. I’m sorry, Spock.

Sorry? Surprisingly, Spock wasn’t shaken. Jim perceived from him that he wouldn’t have felt embarrassment to have been discovered naked with his captain. 

Really? Jim’s fear of discovery had mainly been for Spock. He didn’t want the Vulcan’s dignity compromised. You would have been okay with them catching us?

It may have caused each of them pain, for different reasons. So, it is best that they did not see us, but I would not have felt embarrassed to be “caught” with you, my mate.

“You amaze me, Spock,” Jim whispered. He kissed his cheek, then they rose and dressed. 

Did our ‘roll in the hay’ live up to your expectations, Jim? The question was rhetorical as Spock already knew that it had. 

Jim couldn’t help but laugh aloud at Spock’s use of that phrase; he knew he’d plucked it from his farmboy mind. They climbed down the stairs and brushed the straw out of each other’s hair. 

We’ll slip out to the chestnut grove and come in for dinner from that direction, Jim suggested.

Spock nodded.

Kirk gave the horses a goodnight slap on their necks. “You boys keep secrets well. We owe you one.” He winked at Spock, pulled the last piece of hay from his black hair, and stole one final kiss.

***

“In the forest, after a horseback ride,” Tonia Barrows McCoy said somberly.

“In my own bed, after he murdered Harold Matheson,” Marlena Moreau said.

“In a hidden chamber off the Hall of Virtue. Twice,” Martha Landon said.

“On a cliff above the sea, right out in the open… and just the once,” Carolyn Palamas said.

“In a hot springs pool,” Teresa Ross said.

Dr. Noel nodded and took Teresa’s hand. “Same for me.”

From the kitchen, Kirk listened as the women continued around the circle. Personally, he didn’t see the need for an exercise like this, but Helen had thought it would be cathartic and he deferred to her professional judgment. No one was crying yet, but there were trembling lips and faltering voices around the circle.

“In my wedding bed,” Mira Romaine Scott said. “He took my virginity disguised as Scotty.” 

She was the first to crumple into tears and soon everyone was sobbing. Kirk was glad Spock was up at the agora and was spared this torrent of emotion. Jim felt hot and suddenly needed to escape.

All of the women had different stories of their sexual encounters with Apollo, but Mira’s had struck a painful chord with the captain, making him remember what he had tried to forget: Apollo had stolen his virginity, disguised as Spock. His first time having sex with a man was with Apollo, not Spock. That first penetration had hurt, but he endured it because it was Spock. But it wasn’t! A helpless rage welled up in him and he dashed outside, unseen by Dr. Noel’s therapy group.

In the field, there were some fence post holes that were only partially dug. He grabbed the auger lying nearby and jabbed it down into one of the holes, bringing up dirt and rocks, then again and again. He moved on to the next hole and the next, screwing with all the force his arms could muster, determined to finish the project he and Spock had started. He worked to exhaustion, until his muscles were shaking and he couldn’t hold the auger anymore. His lungs were heaving and he staggered into the shade of a tree to catch his breath. Sweat dripped off his nose and he told himself he wasn’t crying.

Jim, sit down before you fall.

Damn, I thought I was past this. Jim angrily wiped at his eyes with the backs of his wrists. His hands were too dirty and blistered. He leaned his back against the tree trunk and slid down until he was sitting.

I will come home.

No. No, Spock. Stay and finish your work. I’ll be fine.

Perhaps you should join the doctor’s group, tell them what happened…

In a way, he wanted to. He thought how much better it might make Mira feel to know that even her captain could be tricked and used in such a horrible way… but no.

Others can show weakness, but the captain’s not permitted such indulgences, Spock. I'm afraid YOU will have to be my only therapist.

As you wish, Spock said, but Kirk could feel his uncertainty, so Spock admitted, Dr. Noel’s understanding of the human psyche surpasses my own. 

Oh, I don’t know about that. I’ve never had anyone understand me as thoroughly as you do.

Just focusing on Spock’s presence in his mind was calming him down, but images of what Apollo did to him kept reasserting themselves.

Jim, I may have been in error advising you to store that memory as an encounter between you and me. My mental abilities would be capable of that, but yours are not. You were raped, and your mind knows it. Please reconsider availing yourself of Dr. Noel’s expertise. Perhaps not in a semi-public forum, but privately.

I don’t know how those women can stand it, Spock, having Apollo’s babies growing inside them. I wouldn’t be able to.

They are strong. Your words fortified them, assured them that the men of the colony will be their children’s fathers, not Apollo.

Spock sensed that Jim had some misgivings but for the most part he believed that the babies would just be babies, clean slates to be written on. Time would tell.

It was nearly winter now and the baby boom was looming. Christine had helped Helen prepare a nursery near her bedroom and McCoy had given several seminars on infant care. The colony felt prepared for the stork.

“Oh, Abby!” Jim said when he felt the nose of a cat press into his elbow. He stroked her glossy black fur with the backs of his fingers and thanked her for the empathy, as he caught his breath in the shade. She swirled around him, rubbing and meowing. 

The kittens were looking like young adults now. Soon Abby would be having her own kittens. There was a dearth of cats on this planet and no dogs at all. Several crewmen had expressed a desire for a kitten. “Your babies will be very popular,” Jim said as the cat started kneading on his lap. He tried to concentrate on nothing but the soothing purr. Spock helped him do it and soon he was feeling a lot better. After a time, Spock perceived that he wanted to go to the well and clean up, but the cat was asleep on his legs so he stayed put.

I’m inCATpacitated, Kirk joked.

Spock was glad his sense of humor had returned.

Jim rested under the tree until Abby heard something small move in the meadow and crept off his lap to go stalk it. Released, Kirk went to the well and washed his hands. The blisters stung and Spock could hear him silently berating himself for over-exerting his body so soon after recovering from his illness. 

Foolish of me.

You are human, Jim. Trauma to the human mind manifests itself in unexpected ways, though I have noted in the past that physical activity is among your preferred coping mechanisms.

Jim smiled at how well Spock knew him. I still feel like an idiot for doing this to myself. He looked at his blisters, some water-filled, some ripped open, and felt disgusted with himself. I’m afraid you’re gonna have to milk the goats in the morning.

Gladly, Spock said with kindness.

It filled Jim’s heart and made him want to be extra kind to the ladies who were beginning to depart the villa. Self-consciously, he concealed his hands behind his back, but tipped his head and offered positive, fortifying words to each of them as they left Dr. Noel’s therapy session. They each responded to the personal attention from their captain and headed off feeling cared-for and respected.

“Jim Kirk, you’d have made a fair psychologist,” Helen praised after her patients had gone.

“Fair?”

She laughed. “Seriously, that was impressive. It was just what they needed from you.”

“It’s not hard to empathize,” he said. “Are they all going to be all right?”

“I think so. They have the support of their community, the support of their captain….” Helen looked at him like he could walk on water. She came close and touched his face. For a second he thought she was going to kiss him, but then she said:

“You, my dear husband, need a bath before dinner.”

They laughed and she went into the kitchen to give him privacy. 

He removed his dusty tunic and slipped into the bath. The water soothed his muscles, but stung his hands. As he endured the pain of the soap, he thought of what Apollo had done to him here, like he did every time he took a bath. He felt his insistent hands on his skin and the horrible, intimate intrusion that he’d allowed. 

Spock sensed the dark turn his thoughts had once again taken. I am finished here, Jim, and will be home shortly.

As he dried off and put on a clean tunic, Kirk inspected what he’d done to his own hands and vowed this would be the last time he’d let Apollo hurt him. At the same moment of this resolution, the aroma of Helen’s cooking reached his nose and helped uncoil the rest of his anger and anxiety.

Spock, I’m all right, but hurry home anyway. Tonight’s dinner smells like an Iowa dream.

I shall quicken my pace…

Then, suddenly, Jim felt a telepathic jolt of shock through the link. Something unexpected had happened in the town square.

Spock! What is it?! Jim focused hard on seeing through Spock’s eyes and gasped. A landing party of six Starfleet officers had just materialized in the agora.

Chapter Text

It felt good to be on a starship again, even if it was someone else’s. Writing a detailed report had proven a chore, but Captain McGillivray insisted. Certain details Jim had chosen to omit, but overall it was an accurate portrait of their 7-month ordeal.

Seeing Spock in a Science Officer’s uniform again made Kirk’s heart leap. He fingered the gold braid at his own wrist as they sat waiting in the USS Aldrin’s conference room for McGillivray to come in and brief them. Jim smiled at Spock and savored the feeling of a velour shirt and heavy uniform pants covering his whole body. His black boots hugged his feet in the most agreeable way. He looked around the table and saw that everyone was just feeling right. Scotty beamed and if Bones had been standing, he would have been rocking up on his toes and back on his heels in satisfaction.

“I had a look at some of the men from the island myself today,” McCoy said. “The ship’s CMO is confident they’re all going to make it, and I concur.”

“I saw Sulu earlier,” Jim said. “He was weak and thin, but otherwise in good spirits. What a close call.”

“Aye,” Scotty said. “They dinna have the advantages we had, that’s for sure.”

“No. The malnutrition will take months to overcome.” Jim remembered all the vitamins and supplements he had to take as a teenager following his ordeal on Tarsus IV. He never grew quite as tall as his father and brother because of it.

“They’re being sent back to Earth on the medical ship Gundry, which is en route and should be here to collect them in two days,” Kirk announced. “Captain McGillivray coordinated it and I agreed.”

“How will we all be gettin’ home?” Scotty asked. As far as he knew, it hadn’t been discussed yet. “Will Capt. McGillivray be takin’ us?”

“Speak o’ the Devil,” McGillivray said as he strode in. “Sorry to keep you waiting, gentlemen. I’ve been talking to Starfleet Command and I’m afraid it isn’t good news.”

The mood of the room immediately changed. 

“What’s happened?” Kirk wanted to know. How could there be any bad news to being rescued?

“It’s the women… the 27 members of your crew who are pregnant.”

“What about them?” Jim reacted protectively.

“Their children were sired by an alien and may possess dangerous powers. Command is understandably concerned about the births occurring on Earth… or on any Federation vessel.”

“What are you saying exactly?” Jim asked. 

“The babies have to be born on Pollux IV. Medical personnel and equipment will be provided, of course,” Capt. McGillivray said. “Anything that’s needed. The infants will be evaluated and depending on the findings, may be allowed transport to Earth.”

“‘May?’” Jim asked warily. He didn’t like the sound of that. “They will have alien DNA, some of them. At what point can they be deemed ‘safe for transport?’ Age 5, 10, 20?!” Jim did not like where this could be headed.

“And what about their mothers?” McCoy cut in. “One of those women is my wife!”

“Aye, mine, too!” Scotty added. “Several of them are officers. They canna be expected to live out their lives down there, and I know they won’t leave their bairns!”

“Gentleman, this is a temporary safety measure Admiral Komack feels is appropriate, and frankly I agree,” McGillivray said. “Look what damage one of those aliens did… to your ship… to your crew, Kirk. Do you really propose that 27 of his offspring be brought to Earth?”

Spock, what arguments are there to be made? If you have an idea, speak up.

Spock looked at Jim and the captain could tell that his first officer agreed with Komack and McGillivray.

No, Spock. It isn’t right!

A quarantine is a reasonable precaution, Jim. It was for YOU, and it is for these hybrid children.

I sealed their fates writing that report, Kirk thought. Now they won’t be raised the way we planned.

“I’m sorry, Kirk,” the Aldrin’s captain said firmly. “They have to stay. Teams are being sent; they will be well cared for, I promise you.”

“What kind of ‘teams?’” McCoy asked suspiciously.

“Medical… and security.”

“Cap’n! They’re gonna turn our city into a prison compound,” Scotty said. “Our wee ones will be raised with no freedom and no trust, just armed men waitin’ for any special abilities to emerge.”

“I want to talk to Admiral Komack,” Jim said in a tone that broached no debate. This was unacceptable.

“Of course, Captain Kirk,” McGillivray said. He expected no less. “Go to the mess, have some dinner, get some rest. I’ll let you know when we’re patched in with Command.”

He clasped Kirk on the shoulder and strode out of the conference room.

“This is a helluva ‘rescue,’” McCoy groaned.

“Easy, Bones. We’ll figure this out,” Jim said.

“I’m not leavin’ Mira,” Scotty said defiantly. 

“And if they think I’m leaving Tonia and the others to birth their babies in the hands of strangers, they’ve got another thing comin’ to them!” McCoy blustered. “Chapel won’t leave. I’d bet credits to navy beans on that, and I think I could talk a few more of my staff into staying.”

“Aye!” Scotty joined in. “Maybe we could talk everyone into stayin’. We’re a community. We look out for each other, just like the cap’n said in his speech. We had a plan to raise these bairns; everyone was excited about it. I say we see it through!” Scotty stuck out his chin like the brave man he was.

“He’s right, Jim,” Bones said. “There’s not a man worth his salt down there who would want to abandon 27 pregnant colleagues and fly home like nothing ever happened.”

“Doctor, Engineer, are you proposing we refuse rescue?” Spock asked.

“Damn right!” Bones said as Scotty nodded. “Jim, you don’t want to leave Helen. How could you accept another command and just go off on new missions knowing she and the others were trapped on Pollux IV?”

Jim’s brow was creased. He was thinking and only Spock knew what about.

Yes, Jim, of course I will stay if you do.

How can I ask the others to give up their freedom and stay?

How can you not?

Spock could hear him already composing what he might say. I’ll have to be more persuasive than I’ve ever been, with the colony… and with Komack.

I am with you. We can propose this idea to him together. Perhaps it will sound more… logical… coming from me.

Jim suddenly smiled, and McCoy and Scotty didn’t know at what.

“Gentlemen, let’s find the galley. Who’s in the mood for Greek food?” Jim joked.

***

“Uhura! Have you heard anything?” Yeoman Ross shouted as she spotted the communications officer outside her villa. 

Lt. Uhura had been given a communicator and Helen and Teresa decided to pay her a visit and see if she had any news.

“Yes! Just 15 minutes ago,” Uhura replied with a big smile, as she greeted them. “The men on the island have been rescued!”

“Oh, Helen! I’ll get to see David soon!” Teresa would have jumped up and down if she were able, but instead she just squeezed Helen’s hand. “Is he all right?!” she asked Uhura.

“They are malnourished. Some are in poor condition, but the doctors are saying they should all recover. I didn’t ask about any particular individuals, Teresa. I’m sorry.”

“Poor David. Guess their lives over there weren’t like ours,” the yeoman realized.

“No,” Uhura said soberly.

Helen rubbed Teresa’s back. “You’ll see him soon and that will probably do more for his health than anything.”

Teresa brightened. “I’ll nurse him back to health, just like you and Spock and Nurse Chapel did for the captain.” She smiled, but it was brief because Uhura had more to add…

“Actually, I’m told that the Gundry, a medical ship, is en route and will be transporting the patients to Earth to recover.”

“Oh, no. All 260 of them? When? Are we going to Earth, too? Is the Aldrin taking us? When are they going to start beaming us up?”

“I don’t know,” Uhura said. “Presumably, the Gundry is taking those men so that the USS Aldrin will have room for the rest of us. I know the Enterprise only could have accommodated 150 or so extra people as passengers. I suppose the Aldrin has a similar capacity.”

“That makes sense,” Helen said. “If they’ve suffered malnutrition, conditions might have been traumatizing for some of them. Perhaps, I should go with them on the Gundry, tend to their mental health. Will you make that offer next time you speak to anyone up there, Uhura?”

“Of course, Doctor.”

“It will take a medical ship longer than a starship to reach Earth. We’ll shoot right past them on the Aldrin and be there to greet them!” Yeoman Ross said. “Still, I wish I could see David now.”

“I know.” Uhura took the yeoman’s hand and patted it. “If I talk to the captain, I’ll mention it.”

“Oh, would you?”

“Sure.”

“I wonder how he’ll feel about me being pregnant? I think he’ll want to raise the baby with me, but, oh, what if he doesn’t?”

“Every man responds according to his gifts and his character,” Helen offered. “You will find out soon enough.”

Uhura nodded.

“But he’s been sick. What if he’s not strong like I remember him? What if this is too much for him in his condition?” Teresa worried as she patted her belly.

The yeoman had chosen an all-female housing option after Apollo’s defeat, and had been looking forward to her housemates helping with the baby, but now, she wanted David Garrovick, just him and her in their own home, raising the baby together.

“I have a feeling things will work out,” Uhura offered.

“David’s from Iowa, like the captain,” Teresa said. “Maybe we can go there. According to him, it’s a good place to grow up. Where will you raise your baby, Helen?”

Dr. Noel looked sad as she considered her answer. Finally she said, “It’s strange. I was really excited about raising my son or daughter here. I’m finding it hard to switch gears and picture a different setting… with different people. I guess I’ll be leaving the Service. Women usually do, when they start a family.” She sighed. Losing the daily presence of all the people she loved and trusted was daunting. “Captain Kirk will surely be given another ship… but I won’t be on it.” 

She felt tears threaten. The Enterprise, which the Aldrin’s sensors had confirmed was at the bottom of the ocean, would be the last starship she’d ever serve on. 

“I envy you, Uhura… and Christine… and all the women who dodged Apollo’s path,” Helen said.

“So do I,” Teresa agreed. “You can go back to exploring space, but our lives are changed forever.”

Uhura felt strangely guilty. She had wanted to live here, wanted to help with child-rearing and contribute her skills to this exceptional colony. So did Kyle. But now she felt elated that her old life as a bridge officer was again within reach. Is that selfish? she wondered. It felt like it at the moment. Her relationship with her Yorkshire ‘husband’ was blossoming. They were kissing now and a little more, but they’d respected the captain’s request not to risk a pregnancy. Will Kyle want things to continue after we’re rescued? Will we even be on the same ship? she wondered.

“David wants to be a starship captain like his father was,” Teresa said. “I always thought we’d get married and serve together as he climbed the ranks, but now…”

A white cat circled Uhura’s leg and she picked it up to let her emotional friends enjoy the comfort of petting it. They all silently acknowledged that this rescue was bittersweet. 

“Hello, Miss Puff,” Teresa cooed.

“What is going to become of our pets?” Helen suddenly wondered. “Cats they may let us take, but the horses…?”

“They’re domesticated animals,” Teresa said. “They shouldn’t just be turned loose and abandoned… and the goats and sheep…”

Uhura thought about it. “This is a beautiful place, nearly perfect. I’m sure real colonists would be eager to take it over,” she suggested.

“Yes, of course!” Helen said. “Who wouldn’t want to put down roots here? These marble buildings are a thousand times better than those pre-fab structures settlers usually start with.” She slapped one of the columns of Uhura’s arcade.

“You’re right. Somebody will definitely want to claim this prime real estate,” Teresa agreed. “They’ll tend to our animals. We shouldn’t worry. Captain McGillivray will probably leave a team here until settlers can organize a trip.”

Helen’s feet were aching and her ankles felt swollen again. In her third trimester, the petite brunette was really feeling the weight of her pregnancy. “I should go home and brief Christine,” she said.

“Tell as many people as you can without wearing yourselves out trekking all over,” Uhura said. 

“Don’t worry,” Helen assured. “I plan to delegate, then put my feet up.”

“Me, too,” Teresa said. “Thanks for the news!” she called to Uhura over her shoulder as they left.

Kyle appeared from inside and wrapped his arms around his ‘wife’ with a sigh.

“I’m gonna ‘ave an ‘ard time giving up this place,” he said. “Just ‘ow am I gonna buy you an ‘ouse this nice on a chief’s salary?”

She laughed and patted his arm. “Come on, let’s go tell the news.”

They set off through their garden hand in hand. When they got to the edge of their property, Uhura said reluctantly, “We should probably ‘divide and conquer.’” 

Kyle didn’t let go of her hand, though.

“Okay, maybe not,” she said with a grin and pulled him along toward the city.

***

“But when are they going to start beaming people up, Scotty?” Uhura asked. “It’s been three days. What’s going on up there? Everyone’s asking me.”

“I know, lass. Things got a wee bit… complicated.”

“Complicated how? Don’t they have enough room for all of us?” she guessed.

“Something like that,” Scotty said.

“Well, is another ship coming? People are eager for information down here. What should I tell them?”

“Tell them ta meet in the agora tomorrow, an hour after dawn, for an address from Cap’n Kirk.”

“Oh. Oh, all right.” Just knowing the captain would be here tomorrow to explain everything quelled her anxiety. “Scotty, have the men left on the Gundry yet?”

“No. Tomorrow.”

“Yeoman Ross would like to see Lt. Garrovick or at least speak to him… and I’d sure like to talk to Sulu and Chekov.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thank you, Scotty.”

“I’ll be comin’ down with the cap’n tomorrow, so I’ll see you there, lassie. Scott out.”

Kyle overheard. “Well, I guess I ‘ad better be puttin’ on my town crier trousers and gettin’ out there… Oi, that’s right, I only ‘ave this ‘ere dress.” He held out the hem of his short Greek tunic and did a comical curtsey.

Uhura laughed. “I’m sure they’re replicating uniforms for us just as fast as they can… and personally, I think your legs are sexy.”

“Do ya now? Well I rarely get ta see yours.” He slipped a sandaled toe under the hem of her skirt and raised his eyebrows three times as he slowly lifted it. “I’m lookin’ forward ta seeing ya back in a proper ladies’ uniform.”

Uhura rolled her eyes, then gave him a fond grin. “Come on. We’re wasting time. This communications officer has some communicating to do.”

As they headed out, Kyle wondered, “Why are you the only one who ‘as a communicator anyway?”

“Security Chief Giotto has one, too,” she said.

“Well, that makes two. They oughta be ‘anding those out like candy,” Kyle said.

“Hm. Maybe their replicators are too busy making 400 uniforms.”

Kyle laughed and his aquamarine eyes sparkled.

“Your eyes are really something special,” Uhura said.

“Oh, yeah?”

“Mm hm. I’ve always liked them, but now, I could just swim in them like I was on a permanent vacation in Tahiti.”

“Ya know… I want this ta be permanent, you and me,” Kyle said seriously. “Once we’re off this world, I want ta keep this goin’ between us.”

“So do I.”

Relieved, Kyle bent down and kissed her lips. She could feel the love he had yet to declare.

After a moment, she couldn’t stand it anymore; she had to ask.

“Kyle, if… if I were one of the ladies who was pregnant, would you come to Earth with me? Help me raise it?”

“I’d be ‘appy ta do that. Very ‘appy,” he said with sincerity.

Uhura squeezed his hand and allowed him to kiss her again, before heading off to tell their news.

***

Cheers of welcome rose up as Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and Scotty beamed down together the next morning. Seeing their senior officers back in uniform and back amongst them gave everyone a surge of renewed optimism after an uncertain three days. 

Scotty found Mira in the crowd and gave her a big hug. Bones did the same with Tonia.

Helen and Christine were hoping for some attention from Kirk and Spock, but the execs were talking to the chief of security and it looked serious.

“Good to see you, Giotto,” Kirk said.

“You too, Sir.”

“Listen, I don’t have time to explain, but I’m going to be inciting a bit of a panic here in a few minutes. It’s part of a plan. Whatever happens, have your men stand down.”

“Sir? Yes, Sir,” Giotto said.

“Good man.”

Dwarfed by the golden statues of the gods, but commanding the attention of everyone present, Kirk climbed the steps of the library. When he reached the point of optimal acoustics, he stopped and turned to face the crowd. Everyone fell silent. 

“As you probably know by now,” he began, “our crewmates from the island have been rescued by Captain McGillivray of the starship Aldrin!”

Cheers went up. Most already knew, but hearing the captain say it made their hearts sing anew.

He explained their health issues and the decision to send them to Earth on the medical ship Gundry. “They’re leaving today.” 

Teresa hung her head. She hadn’t been allowed to speak with Lt. Garrovick.

“As soon as they are transported to the Gundry, Captain McGillivray will allow crew members here on the mainland to begin beaming up to the Aldrin, except those who are pregnant.” 

A few cheered at first, before murmurs started rippling through the crowd.

“Are we going to be taken on a medical ship, too?” Marlena Moreau whispered to Martha Landon.

“Maybe the Gundry has room for us. Oh! I’ll get to see Pavel!” Martha whispered back.

“We’re supposed to beam up without our wives?” Marlena’s husband, Lt. DePaul, questioned under his breath. Marlena looked at his concerned face. He’d been a good husband to her for the past few months. She relied on him.

Strategically, Kirk paused as the tension and confusion grew. He let his body language convey that bad news might be coming next. He watched as men and women alike put their arms protectively around their pregnant colleagues as the uncertainty grew more uncomfortable. He had to get this next part just right.

Finally, Dr. Noel, who’d been let in on the plan, shouted from the audience, “Captain, when can we expect to beam up?”

He looked at her briefly then cast his eyes up above the crowd, like looking his people in the eyes was too painful. “By order of Admiral Komack, all pregnant personnel must remain on Pollux IV until after the birth of their children, whose hybrid nature makes them a potential security threat.”

“What?!” “Oh no!” “Why?!” rang out from the crowd.

“Two more months?!” Helen shouted. “And then what?”

“After giving birth,” Kirk continued, “you will be free to leave the planet and resume your careers, but the infants must remain…”

“What?! Leave my baby?! No!” Helen screamed. A wail came from each expectant mother. It was so chilling that every member of the colony’s blood ran cold, until anger took its place.

DePaul tried to calm himself. He could feel Marlena shaking in his arms. “How long will the babies have to remain?” he shouted to Kirk.

“The Admiral has ordered that the children may not be transported off planet until their natures can be determined,” Kirk explained.

“Well, what does that mean?!”

“That could be years!!”

“Guilty until proven innocent?!”

The crowd was churning.

“They’re Federation citizens, Captain!” one woman shouted.

“Actually,” Jim countered, “citizenship in the Federation is being withheld until the influence of their paternity becomes clear.”

“Who’s going to determine that?!” Helen cried, sounding as stricken as she could.

“The children will be cared for by a team of medical researchers and security agents,” Jim said.

“Security agents?!”

“For how long?!”

“Captain, this is wrong!”

As directed, Giotto held his men at bay, but he wasn’t liking the tone of the crowd. Things could easily escalate and get out of hand.

Lt. Palamas had been afraid of this. All the other mothers seemed shocked, but Carolyn understood the admiral’s caution. This is my fault. 27 women will have to give up their babies because of me.

Scotty saw her crying and embraced her. 

“I won’t leave my baby!” Helen suddenly shouted. “I won’t leave my baby! I won’t leave my baby!!” Her near hysterics wound up the other pregnant women. Seeing the calm and cool psychologist in such distress was painful. She was their rock, their leader, the captain’s ‘wife.’

“I won’t leave my baby either!” Mira shouted, climbing up a few stairs. 

“And I’ll not be leavin’ my wife!” Scotty said. “If she stays, I stay, Captain.” 

“The same goes for me!” McCoy said.

“Me too!” a few men from the crowd joined in.

“Captain, this is wrong!” Helen said. “Our babies deserve to be raised with love and kindness, not suspicion.”

“Researchers and security guards raising children?!” Christine said, stepping up to be heard. “They need us to teach them right from wrong, especially if they have special abilities. They need all of us guiding them. These are our children. I won’t leave either, Captain. How can you?”

“After hours of discussions with Admiral Komack, I failed to convince him to let the children go,” Kirk revealed apologetically, “but I did persuade him to allow anyone wishing to stay to do so.”

Optimistic noises rose from the crowd for the first time in several minutes.

“Myself and Mr. Spock have chosen to stay, to protect these newest, most vulnerable members of our crew… our colony… our family.”

Gasps of relief and new hope filled the square.

“It seems my time as a starship commander has come to an end, but I offer my services as governor of this colony to those who choose to remain, for however long it takes to see this thing through.”

“Oh, Captain,” Christine sighed. She climbed the remaining stairs and embraced him. Spock and Helen joined them and made a little huddle of solidarity. Their household would stay intact. It was yet to be seen if the others would.

You were brilliant, Jim, Spock said through the link.

Helen gave a great performance, Jim acknowledged.

So did Christine, and she was not privy to the plan. 

No she wasn’t, Jim marveled.

I predict an 89.2% probability that we will retain at least 95% of the crew.

Space is in the blood of explorers, Spock. That estimate might be high.

You underestimate your power of example, Jim. You are an extraordinary leader.

The captain looked up for the first time since the huddle to find that people were smiling and hugging each other. The camaraderie had never been higher. His heart filled with pride for the crew of the late starship Enterprise.

“I’ll take questions,” he said.

“Will we have technology? Replicators and medical equipment?” a biologist wanted to know.

“Yes. The admiral said the colony would be well supplied with power cells, computers, all the devices of modern life, and we’ll have communications with Earth, and defensive capabilities.”

Security Chief Giotto smiled to hear this along with the rest of the gathering.

That ought to sweeten the pot, Jim said to Spock.

Indeed.

“Apollo has left us with an exceptional infrastructure. We’ll be the envy of settlers everywhere,” Jim said lightheartedly. The mood of the crowd at this point definitely warranted levity.

“Cap’n, will it be all right ta… um… risk new pregnancies now?” Chief Kyle asked. 

Uhura, standing next to him, looked embarrassed when a ripple of laughter went through the crowd.

“Kyle!” she admonished in a sharp whisper.

“If I’m not mistaken,” Jim said with a sly smirk, “a Federation settler’s number one imperative is to be fruitful and multiply, Mr. Kyle.” Jim winked at him and Uhura. Then, turning to the crowd at large, he added, “We’ll have the means to prevent pregnancies or foster them. The choice is yours.”

Kyle realized Uhura was rushing off, and he thought it was because of his question, but then he saw that she was getting a message on her communicator and seeking a quiet place to talk. She returned after a few minutes and immediately hurried up the steps to where the captain was still answering questions. She discreetly delivered her message and the captain's face broke out in a huge smile.

“Would you like to make the announcement, Lieutenant Uhura?” he offered loudly enough to regain everyone’s attention.

“All right, Sir.” 

She turned toward the crowd and spotted Martha Landon and Teresa Ross. She was about to make them very happy.

She cleared her throat and said, “I’ve just had a communication from the Aldrin. Four men from the island, whose health is good enough, want to join us: Lt. Sulu, Lt. Riley, Lt. Garrovick, and Ens. Chekov.” She watched the joy on Teresa and Martha’s faces. A lot of people were excited these valuable officers were coming.

“Splendid,” Jim said, then invited more questions.

“With technology, everything will be different here now. What will the colony be… like, Sir?” a maintenance crewman asked, not sure how exactly to phrase it.

“That will be for all of us to decide, issue by issue, challenge by challenge. I can’t foresee. I’ve never been the governor of a colony before.”

He briefly thought of Governor Kodos’ disastrous colony on Tarsus IV, but pushed it from his mind. These circumstances were different. He was different.

“You’ll need to help me,” Jim said humbly. “We’ll have to sculpt our world day by day. Who’s up for it?” he asked.

He was surprised by just how huge the cheers were. “Cap-tain Kirk! Cap-tain Kirk!” a woman started chanting with gusto. Other voices quickly jumped in and soon the agora was thrumming with life and hope.

God. Don’t let me cry, Spock.

I think tears would be forgiven on this occasion, Jim.

Chapter Text

Epilogue 

She could feel his eyes on her, those discerning Vulcan eyes. They’d been trained on her for most of the day and Christine couldn’t figure out why, when there were far more exciting things happening in their busy villa today.

“Walk to Papa. You can do it, lassie. Walk to Papa.” Scotty knelt on the sheepskin rug with his arms spread wide for his daughter.

“Oh, darling,” Mira said fondly, “if Anna’s not ready, she’s not ready.”

“But the other bairns are doin’ it,” Scotty argued, continuing to coax his wobbly daughter.

Dr. McCoy scooped up his bundle of joy and declared in his thickest Georgia drawl, “Well, our little Tara here is clearly a genius.” He plunked her down gently on her chubby legs and she toddled a few feet to her mother. Tonia caught her hands and tried not to look too proud in front of Scotty.

“Hmph,” Scotty said, “wee show-off… and you!” he said to the star of the group, “you have no business sayin’ words already, young Kirk.”

“Cat. No no, cat. No go,” James Jr. said, looking away from the group.

“You pulled her tail, Jimmy,” Helen said. “She won’t stay around if you pull her tail.”

Jim smiled and grabbed the baby up. “Dada, cat. Get cat,” the boy said, pointing to the retreating calico.

“Okay, let’s go see if she’ll accept an apology. This oughta help.” Jim grabbed a table scrap from their lunch and followed the cat out to the garden.

“Oh, I should clear those plates away,” Christine realized. “Playing with babies is a lot more fun.”

“I will assist you,” Spock was quick to say.

“Let us help, too,” Tonia and Mira offered.

“No no, enjoy your little mischief-makers,” Christine said. “Spock and I can handle it.”

The two couples scooped up Tara and Anna, who were fussing a bit, and walked out to the garden.

“Those girls just want to be where Jimmy is. Isn’t that cute?” Christine said to Spock as they began scraping plates into the trash. “I’m glad they all get along so well.”

“It is fortunate… since they are here so often.”

“Too many babies for you, Mr. Spock?” Christine laughed.

She raised up from her crouch over the trash can to find him very close and staring intently at her.

“Are you unhappy, Christine?” he asked soberly.

“Well, no. Why would I be?”

“Because Helen has a baby and you do not.” 

Spock was nothing if not blunt.

“I… I help Helen with Jimmy. As a nurse, I get to help a lot of women with their babies. I don’t need one of my own.”

Spock scrutinized her, trying to gauge her truthfulness. Her lovely face seemed strangely compelling to him today. Smooth, creamy skin radiated from a frame of silver-blonde hair that reminded him of his mother’s. He almost told her so.

What is the matter with me? he wondered. Thoughts of Christine had dominated his mind all day and he had dreamt of her last night. When he awoke in Jim’s arms this morning, he’d had a feeling of guilt over the dream’s sexual nature and was glad Jim wasn’t awake to perceive it.

“We should, uh, finish up,” she suggested, slipping back out to the table to collect more dishes. 

Spock watched the way she moved. Her womanly form fascinated him for some reason. Her breasts were high and her small waist gave way to wide hips. Perfect for child-bearing, Spock thought. She is intelligent and nurturing, an ideal mother.

“You should have a child,” Spock declared without meaning to.

She looked at him, surprised. “Well, there’s hardly a dearth of babies on Pollux IV…”

“But there is a dearth of eligible men,” Spock said. “Only twelve remain unmarried. Are you sexually interested in any of them?”

“Mr. Spock!”

“Forgive me,” Spock said once he realized what he’d said. “I will finish.”

He took the remaining plates from her and retreated to the kitchen. In a moment, she followed and glimpsed his hand shaking as he scraped a plate.

Jim, I love you.

I love you, too. Is anything wrong?

Suddenly, Kirk was certain that there was something wrong. He came back inside with Jimmy, the calico trailing along hoping for more scraps. He headed for the kitchen, but Christine caught his arm.

“Captain,” she whispered so their guests wouldn’t hear. I think Spock is going into pon farr. I saw his hand shaking and I just had a very strange conversation with him.”

“Oh? Strange how?”

“He said I should have a baby and he asked if I was sexually attracted to anyone. He’s been looking at me oddly all day, too. If it were anyone besides Mr. Spock, I would call it ‘leering.’”

Jim’s eyebrows raised. He could feel the embarrassment rising in Spock, who was, of course, perceiving this conversation through the link.

“Thank you,” the captain whispered to Christine. “I’ll find him.”

He knew right away that Spock had left the kitchen for their bedroom and he strode down the hall to find him standing next to their bed with his hands clasped tightly behind his back.

“Spock?”

The Vulcan turned and his face looked tormented.

“I’m in pon farr, Jim. Help me.”

Jim rushed to him and held him. This is what they had waited for, but Jim’s heart sank when he realized Spock’s blood was not burning for him.

Spock fought to keep his logical mind in control. He loved Jim. Jim would help him with this.

You feel drawn to Christine, Jim perceived. You want her. He’d never felt feelings like that coming from Spock.

The evolutionary purpose of pon farr is not solely to force copulation, Spock tried to explain, but to force copulation with a partner likely to conceive. It is proving a difficult imperative to override. I… am sorry, Jim.

Kirk could feel how desperately Spock was trying to conceal his growing desire for Christine.

Spock, it’s all right. If you need her and not me right now, I understand.

Spock looked at Jim like he hadn’t expected him to understand. “You do?” he whispered.

“Yes. You just explained it to me.” Jim smiled and there was so much caring in his eyes.

They sat down on their bed in the only room in the house that had a door. Despite this room’s history, it was the only one that provided the privacy they needed. They’d adopted it for their own shortly after almost being ‘caught’ in the hayloft. Their ‘wives’ were well aware that the pair took some kind of physical comfort from each other at night, but they didn’t ask questions.

Tremors ran through Spock’s body. Jim could hear his powerful mind at war with his body, trying to convince it to crave sex with Jim.

Spock, I’m not what you need right now. Let me get Christine.

No. She does not want a baby, Jim. She just told me.

Spock, she was lying. She loves babies and she loves you. I’m sure Christine was just… respecting our relationship.

Spock’s heart pounded at the thought that that might be true.

On the Enterprise, during my first pon farr, I think Christine s-surmised what I needed. She came into my quarters and I think she w-was offering herself to me, but I had an obligation to T’Pring…. Now, I have an obligation to YOU.

No, you don’t. Spock, I will still love you if you have ten children with Christine. I would enjoy… no, I would relish helping you raise them.

Spock looked at Jim with pupils blown wide and shining eyes. Then, his eyebrow quirked up and he said, Considering the frequency of my pon farr cycle and the average age of human menopause, two pregnancies would be the most that could be reasonably hoped for.

Jim chuckled. Then you ARE hoping for it?

Spock looked uncertain. Creating another Vulcan-human hybrid was not something he’d ever wanted to do. He was tormented by the other children growing up.

It won’t be like that here, Spock. This planet is full of hybrids, after all. This would be an ideal setting for your kids to grow up. Don’t be afraid of fatherhood Spock. You’ve been wonderful with Helen’s baby. We’ll all help you and Christine with yours.

“You really think she wants a baby?” Spock whispered.

“I don’t think she wants any baby; I think she wants your baby.”

“Hm.”

“Shall I get her?”

Spock looked conflicted. He did not feel competent in his current state to make a decision. He pictured Christine with her lovely face and captivating body coming into his bedroom expecting him to…

Jim had never seen Spock look quite so terrified. I’ll be with you, he reminded, unless this fever burns down our link. He put his hand on Spock’s forehead and got concerned. He was on fire.

“Listen, I’m gonna go fetch you either a doctor or a nurse. Your choice.” Kirk stood up and walked to the door. He turned back for Spock’s answer.

“Nurse.”

Jim smiled. It really will be all right, Spock. Wait here.

***

“Will we telepathically bond?” Christine thought to ask before going to Spock. “Because he wouldn’t want that. He wants it to be you, Captain. He told me that last year.”

Jim wasn’t sure. He had beckoned Christine down the hallway and explained everything to her as though he had a full understanding of these things from Spock’s mind, but that he didn’t know. How he would miss Spock in his mind, if he accidentally bonded with Christine during sex. 

Full disclosure was called for here. “I don’t know,” Jim admitted. “Vulcan biology has a lot of surprises. He and I are mentally linked now, but pon farr might drive him to you telepathically like it is driving him physically. I can’t say… and I don’t believe Spock knows either.”

Christine nodded. “It doesn’t sound like we have much choice,” she whispered.

“No.”

A sudden cheer rose up from the living room. No doubt the babies were doing something entertaining.

“Get everyone out of the house if you can, Captain. I don’t want Spock embarrassed if things get… loud.”

Jim nodded. God, how he wished it were him Spock would be rutting away his blood fever with, but it was not to be. He left Christine with his blessing and headed back toward Helen to let her in on what was happening.

With some trepidation, the nurse turned the bedroom door knob and went inside. To her relief, Spock didn’t attack her with carnal fury, quite the opposite. He was sitting on his bed very still. She felt like an intruder in he and the captain’s private space.

He looked up at her. There were beads of sweat on his brow as he said, “I still possess my faculties. You are not in danger if we… p-proceed quickly. You are willing?”

“Yes,” she assured him.

Despite his urgent words, he remained unmoving except for slight tremors down his arms. Christine decided not to insult him with comforting words and mothering gestures. Instead, she unzipped her uniform dress and slipped seductively out of it.

His eyes danced over her naked form and unmistakable evidence of an erection rose in his lap. This was something out of a dream for Christine and she wanted to enjoy it. She unpinned her hair and let it fall loose above her shoulders. 

Spock’s breathing was rapid, but he sat rooted to the spot, until Christine came and sat by him. Boldly, she started stroking him through his uniform pants.

“Uhh,” Spock groaned. Even as aroused as he was, it was nearly impossible for a cerebral person like himself, raised on stoic Vulcan philosophies, to give himself over to passion without a fight. He felt Christine loosening his pants, but he couldn’t help her. She got them low enough to free him and the touch of her feminine hand on his bare skin sent a jolt through him. His blood was already burning, but now, the fever throbbed between his legs like an insistent drum beat that couldn’t be suppressed.

Suddenly, he rose and whipped his blue shirt off, then his pants. With a shout of frustration he pulled off one black boot that had his pant leg trapped and threw it across the room. He regained control of himself enough to remove the other more deliberately and place it on the floor. 

Christine drew back the bedcovers and laid down, prepared for what was coming. Her breath stuttered in anticipation as she watched him approach. Seeing him totally naked and engorged like that, walking toward her right out of an Orion story, was all the foreplay she needed. Orion erotica authors were obsessed with Vulcan sexuality. Though they surely knew little about it, Christine enjoyed reading their stories and imagining…. Her collection of tapes had been destroyed with the Enterprise’s demise, but now she had the real thing.

Spock’s lust was apparent in his expression now and Christine knew they couldn’t drag this out. She felt very wet and ready. I wonder how it will feel? she thought. She hadn’t ever had intercourse with anyone before, not even Roger Korby when they were engaged. Spock had been her forbidden dream for so many years, and now she was about to feel him inside her! Maybe I’ll get pregnant. Oh, I hope so!

She doubted it would hurt if he was gentle. Her years of nursing experience had shown her that hymen generally disintegrate by age thirty or so, whether a woman had experienced vaginal penetration or not. She was prepared to feel as much pleasure as she could and give Spock a gratifying end to his tension.

At the last minute she remembered her own advice to patients who were planning their first sexual encounters or wanting to get pregnant: “Use a pillow to raise your pelvis. It makes for a more comfortable angle for both partners… and staying that way afterward for ten minutes increases the chance of pregnancy.” She grabbed a pillow and slid it beneath her just in time.

Spock was mounting her. His eyes were becoming wild and hungry as he loomed above her. He did not look like he was going to be gentle.  

Slowly, Spock. Slowly.

Jim? 

Spock hesitated at the sudden insertion of Jim in his mind.

Touch her with your fingers first… there, that’s right.

Christine moaned as Spock’s long fingers found her most sensitive area and massaged it. 

Kiss her nipples. Use your tongue, suck and bite… gently!

“Ohh, ah!” Christine cried out. Pleasure coursed through her body. Spock’s mouth was like a furnace and his breath on her skin aroused her beyond expectations.

In the erotica, women usually lay still and passive, while the powerful Vulcan ravished them, but Christine couldn’t help her hands from reaching out. She wanted to feel his erection again and fondle his softer places, too. Her eager hands found him and explored, kneading and stroking the man above her, savoring every part of his anatomy. This may never happen again, she thought. I need to remember every moment, memorize every inch of him.  

The skin on his shaft was stretched shiny-thin over a rigid core; it was velvety smooth and shockingly hot. The Orions got that part right. Christine squeezed her hand around him and felt his naturally rapid pulse pounding. With her thumb, she rubbed the spongy, smoldering head, imagining it piercing her.

“Ohh,” Spock moaned. The combined stimulation of Christine touching his body and Kirk in his mind was enthralling.

Out in the living area, Jim was feeling everything that Spock was feeling and groaned loudly with shared pleasure. Helen’s eyes were wide. She was grateful their company had gone and Jim had quickly briefed her on what was going on. He was completely engrossed in the experience now, however, and couldn’t speak to her anymore.

“Ohh!” Jim moaned. He was sprawled on a chaise with his eyes closed and a look of sexual bliss on his handsome face. Helen was mesmerized. It all seemed a little indecent to her, but she couldn’t look away. In the kitchen, Jimmy played with a kitten, oblivious.

Probe in with your finger, Spock. See if she’s wet, Jim prompted.

Once he found her opening, his finger slipped in easily.

“Oh!” the nurse exclaimed, not expecting that. 

He slid his finger in and out slowly at Jim’s instruction.

Now add your thumb and rub her right where…

Christine gasped and arched her back. “Oh, oh! Please, Spock! I want you NOW!” Christine pleaded.

Pulling out his finger, he lined himself up and began to press in. Urges to slam his hips up against her were strong, but Jim helped him fight them.

Ease in. You’re not a photon torpedo. Slowly. That’s it.

Jim, it feels good! Ohhh, ahhh. Jim! It feels so good! Spock almost sobbed.

“Oh, God, Spock!” Christine cried. He’s inside me! Spock is inside me. This is happening.

She’d never felt anything like it and wanted the exquisite stretch to go on and on. Words from the Orion stories that were burned on her brain ran through her mind: “… and with his throbbing green member he took the slave girl, claiming her with his fire, branding her with his searing meat and scalding hands, while she writhed in ecstasy beneath him.”

She used to imagine herself writhing in ecstasy beneath Spock and now it was reality! Nerves she had never felt before were being stretched and squashed. They made her hips reflexively squirm and gyrate, seeking more, and Spock didn’t need Jim’s prompt to start thrusting.

He grabbed her hips and started sliding himself in and out. Her slippery tightness around him was the center of the universe. He plunged in and pulled back, enraptured by the sensations.

Jim! Jim! His mind shouted with joy, as he started to see stars behind his eyelids.

Christine clenched and shuttered around him as he exploded deep inside her. Her arms were wrapped around his back, holding him tightly as their hips ground out the last of it, fighting the end. But it was ending. Christine sighed in high-pitched little pants and gasps. Her whole body tingled and the part that still contained Spock spasmed.

“Ahhh,” Spock groaned, trying to recover his senses.

“Ooo,” Christine cooed as her nerves experienced the feeling of a softening penis shifting and shrinking within her. Soon the cork was out of the bottle and she felt the hot path of semen as it slid toward the bed.

Spock had just enough use of his limbs to push himself off and collapse next to her. 

Out in the common area, Jim’s awareness of his surroundings returned and he realized he’d come in his pants. He got up and started toward his room to change, before remembering that his bedroom was in use… 

Helen smirked. “I’ll replicate you another pair.”

Jim looked sheepish but very happy.

“I take it things went well for them,” Helen said with a smile when she came back with the fresh uniform pants and underwear.

“Yes,” Jim confirmed.

In Helen’s mind this boded well for possibly asking Jim to father her second child. And third and fourth, she thought hopefully. Then, the thought of Mr. Spock as a telepathic participant gave her pause.

“What was that like?” she asked tentatively. “To be in Spock’s mind while he was… while they were…”

Jim smiled awkwardly and chuckled, “I think you have a pretty good idea what it was like.” He slipped out of sight briefly to change his clothes, then reappeared.