Chapter Text
“You know, when I said you should behave more like a Kirk, this wasn’t what I had in mind.” Amanda T’Karik Kirk was looking down at her twin brother with a bemused expression.
The boy in question was underneath the transporter console, wiring something of his own creation into the system. He stopped what he was doing and slid out from beneath the console just enough to look up at his sister.
“I have gathered from your previous dalliances that you simply mean I should break Starfleet protocol more often. Currently, I am breaking at least three subsections. Why is this insufficient?” He quirked a blonde eyebrow at her.
If Dad were here, he would have yelled ‘Stop it, Selik, you look too much like Spock with my face when you do that. It’s weird.’ Her brother was often referred to as Kirk’s miniature, and perhaps that was why he clung so hard to the Vulcan parts of him that remained largely hidden from sight.
“I meant that you should do something fun, Selik.” She raised an eyebrow of her own. “You know, meet up with that pretty Orion chick you always stare after? Something like that?”
Selik flushed green. He might favor the Kirk side physically, but he still had the Vulcan blood.
“I prefer my experiments, Amanda.” Selik slid back under the console, obviously hiding his emotions.
“Neither Dad nor Father are here, Selik. We can talk about whatever we want. You can talk about your crush.” Amanda perched herself on a nearby table and pulled out her PADD. While she thought Selik’s attempts at being more rebellious were weak, she would still monitor the hallways for him.
“I would like to converse about this experiment. What are your thoughts?” He kept working, his voice obviously chiding her for her frivolity.
“You’re trying to make transport more efficient and accurate, right?” She asked, acquiescing to his desire to change the subject.
“Yes, I believe I can make it capable of handling targets who are experiencing high velocities relative to the planet frame of motion. Or targets who experience a sudden change in velocity.“
“So, exactly what they needed to have saved Grandmother on Vulcan?” Amanda asked, jumping to the obvious conclusion.
“Yes, ” Selik paused. “I believe Father has avoided researching transport devices as he finds himself emotionally compromised when working with them. Even now.” Selik’s voice betrayed that he found this thought illogical.
“You don’t think you would be emotionally compromised if one of our parents died?” She started playing one of the downloaded games on her PADD. No one was going to come to the transporter room at 0100 Terran time; she needn’t stare at the hacked security feeds.
“I would mourn for an appropriate amount of time.”
Amanda shrugged, not taking her eyes off her game. “But I mean, Father can leave transport research to other people. Like you. Why research the thing that reminds you of losing your mother?”
Selik was silent for a while before nodding and returning to his work.
They were like that for around 20 minutes: Selik hard at work while Amanda played her PADD games.
Amanda let loose a stream of Vulcan curse words when she failed the level she reached. And she heard her brother hit his head as he jerked to see what was wrong with her.
When he realized what she was angry about, he rolled his eyes. “I do not understand why you waste your intellect on those silly games.”
“They’re fun.”
“You have an eidetic memory and nearly perfect scores in all of your classes.”
“I also enjoy shooting evil space pigs. So what?”
Her brother opened his mouth to retort, but then thought better of it and ignored her again.
Amanda smiled, going back to her game.
At around 0200, she got a message on her PADD.
Hey gorgeous, what’re you up to?
She looked over at Selik and then quickly back down to her PADD, willing her body not to react.
Hanging out with Selik. Why are you up?
She stopped her game and started tapping her fingers in anticipation of a response.
Can’t sleep. Wanna come to my quarters? Dad has an emergency in the Med Bay, and Mom’s working on an experiment. So they aren’t anywhere near here.
Her heart skipped a beat in her side. She was fairly certain she was grinning stupidly, so she wasn’t exactly be surprised when she looked up from her PADD to find Selik staring at her with a disappointed expression.
“What do you want?” She asked him sharply, while also responding,
Be there in 10.
“Is that Noah McCoy?”
“So what if it is?”
“Are you going there now?” He ignored her question.
“So what if I am?”
"Amanda,” Selik’s voice betrayed emotion. “You should not.”
“Why?”
“Father and Dad would not approve. I imagine Uncle McCoy would be similarly upset.”
“I certainly don’t care.” She hopped off of her table and started walking away. “They don’t control my life.”
“Amanda, please.” Selik was standing now, watching her with careful eyes. “Father would be very upset. You are young and Vulcan. Emotions are—”
“Don't tell me what to do. My emotions are completely under my control,” she paused at the door, watching her brother with a challenge in her voice.
“When was the last time you meditated?” He sounded like their Father.
“Last night.”
“You are lying.”
“Vulcan’s don’t lie,” she countered.
“We are not completely Vulcan. And you are lying. You should cease engaging in physical contact on a regular basis with those who are not your family or your intended spouse. It is unhealthy for a young Vulcan mind. Especially as you do not maintain your mental shields appropriately.”
“What do you know about shields?” she spat.
Selik’s face twitched, and he looked down.
She regretted it immediately. She had not asked for strong Vulcan telepathy or an almost entirely Vulcan mind. Just as Selik had not asked for a nearly Human one.
Selik raised his head again, his emotions hidden now.
“Fine. Go. You would obviously know better than I.” He turned back to the console.
She considered staying and apologizing but decided to let him be. Selik would be fine.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spock shook Jim awake with a gentle touch to his shoulder. Jim, who was sleeping with no shirt, felt the telepathic touch and woke almost instantly.
“Wha--? Spock? What’s up?” He sat up, rubbing his hand over his face. “What time is it? Did I sleep through my alarm?”
“It is 0322, Jim.” Spock was sitting on the bed, his back ramrod straight. He was wearing his relaxed clothing that he only wore in their quarters. He had obviously been meditating.
“Why’d you wake me up?”
Spock hesitated, his eyes dancing over the wall before settling on Jim. “I am unsure if I am being too protective, but our children are both blocking me from their minds.”
Jim ran his fingers through his hair. “Don’t you pretty much always maintain a bit of distance from them? They need to have their own privacy.”
Spock nodded shortly. “Yes. However, I am usually aware of their general state of being. However, it seems Amanda’s link is almost entirely blocked. And Selik was upset before I stopped being able to feel his link as well.”
Jim hesitated. The whole telepathy thing was something he never completely understood about the rest of his family. He had a strong bond with Spock, of course, but the ones with his children could only be accessed via Spock or via touch.
Spock continued when Jim did not respond. “I mostly find myself concerned for Amanda, Jim. I do not believe she is properly taming her mind.”
“Can’t you just go check into her mind? You know, knock on the door and ask what’s up?” Jim shrugged.
Spock nodded, taking a deep breath. He settled onto the floor near the bed, into a loose meditation pose.
Jim smiled, watching Spock’s face relax and then—
Spock suddenly stiffened. His back jerked to its full height and his nostrils flared. When his eyes opened, Jim could see an emotion burning.
“She is with a male.” Spock’s voice was low.
Jim’s jaw dropped. “She’s WHAT?”
“She is currently engaging in—” Spock stopped speaking and stood, abruptly striding to the door.
“Engaging in what, Spock?!” Jim tumbled out of bed, grabbing a t-shirt and sweatpants from the ground as he followed his husband. “Jesus Christ, you can’t just stop a sentence like that,” he said, mostly to himself as Spock had already disappeared out of the door.
Jim dressed as he caught up with Spock making long strides toward the crew quarters. “Spock! Do you know who she’s with?”
“Dr. McCoy’s son.”
If it weren’t his beautiful, innocent, little Amanda, Jim would have laughed. As it was, his mind immediately conjured up images of Amanda and Noah in various compromising positions, and Jim wanted to vomit.
When they reached the door of Noah McCoy’s quarters, Spock pounded on the door. No response. Spock pounded harder and then—“Uh, hello?”
It was Noah.
Jim stepped forward and keyed in his Captain’s override. That’s how Jim knew Spock was pissed as hell. He would never have approved of Jim using his command for such a personal purpose in his normal state of mind.
Jim almost breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Amanda was (nearly) fully clothed. Only her shoes and jacket were missing. He wished she weren’t in the boy’s bed, but Jim had learned to take the small victories when dealing with two Vulcan-human hybrids for children.
But then he noticed that Amanda’s hands were splayed on the side of Noah’s head, his psi points gently, but firmly connected to Jim and Spock’s little girl.
Jim could feel Spock’s anger through their bond. His disappointment and a bit of revulsion was a bitter taste in Jim’s mind.
“Amanda, I would recommend you get up now,” Jim said, sensing that he would have to be the gentler parent right now.
Amanda’s hands jerked from Noah’s head. Noah’s eyes were glazed over, his mind obviously adjusting to abruptly being parted from the meld. Jim was fairly certain that look is what pushed Spock over the edge.
Spock stepped forward and picked Amanda up, bridal style, like he used to hold her when she was a baby. Noah was pressed into the wall, as far from Captain Kirk and Commander Spock as he could be. Jim couldn’t really blame him.
“Sa’mekh!” Amanda yelled in Vulcan, pounding her fists against Spock’s chest. “Put me down!”
“No,” Spock responded coldly, as they disappeared around the corner.
Jim hesitated in Noah McCoy’s room, watching this boy who had been in his daughter’s mind, utterly unsure how to feel.
“I would not recommend dating a fifteen year old Vulcan.” Jim hesitated. “Especially one that is Commander Spock’s daughter.”
Noah nodded silently.
“You know they have a link, in their minds. So, when you’re with her, you’re with all of us,” Jim told him.
Well, that wasn’t entirely true. But it would certainly keep Noah away from his little girl. And it was most certainly worth the pale, stricken look on Noah McCoy's face at that moment.
Jim then turned on his heel and ran after Spock and Amanda, sensing that this night would only get worse from here.