Author: Apollo Racer
Title: Origins
Email: fltadmracer@hotmail.com
Characters: New Crew/Star Trek: TOS/Star Trek TOS: Animated Series.
Rating: PG-13
Summary: In a bizarre twist of fate, a young man from the 21st century is trapped
in a frozen coffin as he drifts along the tides of time to be awakened 200 years
later.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Given the display at the end of the ceremony, the reception was relatively anticlimactic. The newlyweds mingled with the crowd, receiving congratulations and giving thanks. Uhura had caught the bouquet, Scotty the garter. Their crewmates had laughed about it, but the new couple could have sworn they saw abject embarrassment on the two officers\’ faces. Apollo couldn\’t help but wonder if there was a story behind it.
When it was over, Sam found Apollo back in the work bay. Most of the rice had already been cleaned up. He was standing over by the force field, gazing out to the spacedock area inside the base. Occasionally the doors would open, treating him to a glimpse of the stars beyond. By looking far to the right, they could see the crews working on one of the ships; judging by the locations of damage on the vessel, Sam surmised that it was the Enterprise. \”This view is tremendous,\” she said, her voice softly echoing through the empty bay.
Apollo turned from the vista. \”Hmm? Oh, yes, it certainly is.\” He slowly strode up to her. \”I find, however, that given the choice of views, well… a ship is just a ship. And you… you are simply ravishing.\” He brushed his lips across a blushing cheek.
\”You\’re too much,\” she said, playfully batting him.
He wanted to hold her close, but he acted as if she was as fragile as china. She, however, had no compunction; she grabbed him and pulled herself close to him, unconcerned by the delicacy of her dress. \”I\’m sure you know by now that I won\’t break,\” she said, as though reading his thoughts, \”and the dress will survive.\” She guided him down so they could share a more intimate kiss.
It only lasted a few seconds before they were interrupted by someone clearing his throat. They looked up to see that Kirk had just entered the bay. \”Thought I\’d find you two here,\” he said, walking toward him. \”I missed my chance at the reception to kiss the bride.\” He gave Sam a quick peck on the cheek.
\”Well, you did give me away at the ceremony. I never thought of you as the shy type.\”
\”Actually, I was scared. One wrong move, and I was afraid your husband would blow me to kingdom come.\” They shared a laugh, though Apollo\’s seemed a bit nervous. \”Congratulations, Apollo. I\’m sure you two will be happy together.\”
\”Thanks, Jim,\” Apollo said. \”It meant a lot to me that you could be here for it.\”
\”Well, it wasn\’t like we had a choice. I mean, both our ships still won\’t be ready for another couple of weeks. But even if none of this had happened,\” he gestured to the ships, \”I still wouldn\’t have wanted to miss this. From the first day we met, I knew somehow that you had… something about you; something that told me \’Now here is a guy I can depend on when the chips are down.\’\”
Now it was Apollo\’s turn to blush. \”Coming from you, that is probably the highest compliment I could ever receive. To tell you the truth, I never thought I would make it up through the ranks as quickly as I did, or to count myself in the company I do. So to work with you is…\” he shrugged and severely downplayed his feeling, \”something to write home about.\”
\”Will you listen to yourselves?\” Sam interjected. \”I think I\’m going to choke on all the testosterone being emitted between the two of you.\”
They laughed again. \”She\’s right,\” Kirk said. \”This is a time for you and Sam to bond, not you and me. To tell you the truth,\” he slowly walked past them, toward the spot on which Apollo had previously been standing. \”You weren\’t the only reason I came here.\” He reached the opening and looked out at his ship. \”I just wanted to see how my girl was doing.\”
Apollo smirked. \”C\’mon. Let\’s leave the two \’lovebirds\’ alone.\” He guided her out of the bay, leaving Kirk alone with his admiration.
They got to the quarters assigned to them during their stay at the starbase. Once the door shut and a privacy lock activated, Sam pounced on her husband. \”At last,\” she said between kisses, \”you\’re all mine.\” They led each other to their bed, making a dance out of it.
Eventually, all articles of clothing were discarded, and they were about to consummate their marriage, when Sam felt Apollo hesitate. \”What is it?\” she asked. \”Is something wrong?\”
\”No, no. Nothing wrong. It\’s just…\” he paused, propping himself up and looking into her eyes. \”I\’ve wanted to try something with you.\” She giggled. \”Stop that. Don\’t give me that look. I didn\’t mean anything kinky, you pervert. I promise you, it won\’t be painful, but it will probably be more intense than anything you\’ve ever experienced before.\” She giggled again. \”C\’mon, I\’m serious. Geez, your mind is in the gutter.\”
\”Well, what do you expect,\” she responded with a grin, \”we\’re both in bed, without a stitch, though agreeably that\’s nothing new…\”
\”Do you trust me?\”
She stared into the twin suns that were his eyes, contemplating what he said. She realized he was being serious and, while she didn\’t lose her grin entirely, her playfulness was toned down. She silently nodded and they continued. They developed a slow, gentle rhythm, and she didn\’t feel anything different, other than the usual wonderful feeling when they joined. He placed his hands on either side of her head, and suddenly, she felt a gentle probe on her mind. It was the same feeling as when Apollo wanted to get her attention with telepathy. He called it knocking on her mental door. She let him in.
It felt as though a floodgate had opened in her mind. Now, not only was she feeling her own pleasure, she was feeling his as well. The ecstasy was overwhelming; it was as if their emotions had merged into one pure feeling of joy and love. It was intoxicating; she bucked as the emotions crested and washed over her in waves. All coherent thought was lost as she plunged into sexual as well as emotional satisfaction.
As smoothly as she was overcome by the torrent, it backed off, almost as if someone complained that the music was too loud, so they turned down the volume. :I\’m sorry… I didn\’t realize that you would be so easily overwhelmed.: The voice was inside her head, yet it echoed.
Then she found herself floating in the air. There were clouds, but no ground underneath her. Her first reaction was fearing that she would fall, but there was no such sensation. :What is happening to me?: She heard herself think.
:Whatever your mind perceives,: Apollo\’s voice said. Suddenly, he came into view. Somewhere in her mind, she knew they were both naked in bed, yet when he appeared in her mind\’s image, he was wearing some form of costume. It seemed to be only one piece. The legs, arms, and sides were black, while the boots and the rest of the costume was red. A large Starfleet insignia was centered on his chest. :Apparently, you seem to be on cloud nine right now.: He flew over to her.
:Nice getup,: She looked down at her own nude body. :How come I\’m not wearing anything?:
He smiled. :You didn\’t think about what you would want to wear. Your mind just took your current physical state and translated it onto this plane. Of course, I\’m not complaining. I think you look just fine.:
:Of course you wouldn\’t complain,: she responded, sticking her tongue out at him, but she made no effort to \”clothe\” herself. :You really haven\’t answered my question. What have you done with me, or to me, for that matter?:
He sighed. :It\’s a little difficult to explain, but I\’ll try.: He seemed to take a deep breath before continuing. :Physically, you and I are still together in bed, as you have probably gathered. This is all going on in our minds.: She started to ask a question, but he stopped her. :Let me finish. I know what you were about to ask. How is it that we\’re together here?: At this point, she noticed that while he was \”talking\” to her, his lips weren\’t moving. :When I was on Vulcan, Sarek sort of explained the Vulcan mating ritual to me. I know, that sort of thing is a deeply personal subject with Vulcans and normally, they\’re not inclined to discuss it, but I was… rather persistent. When two Vulcans mate, or bond, their minds meld together. That is why when you hear a bonded couple say \’Parted but never apart\’, they literally mean it. Each retains a part of the other.:
He paused to allow what he said so far to sink in. :Just now, we shared each other\’s joy. With our feelings combined, it becomes very potent, very intense. I didn\’t fully know if I could do this. I figured that if it didn\’t work, we would simply have a wonderful night of making love, if anything about that could be called simple.:
Sam started to fully comprehend what he was saying. :But if it worked…:
He nodded. :If it worked, which as I can tell so far, it did, we\’ll share something far more wonderful than a simple night of wedded bliss. You see, we had nothing to lose, and something very significant to gain.:
Sam quickly picked up what he said. :What do you mean, so far?:
:Well, we\’re not finished yet. And this by no means is the only time we can do this, although I wouldn\’t recommend doing this in the heat of battle.:
:I should hope not. The bridge crew would stare.: She smiled at his sour look. :I take it that means we don\’t need to have sex for this… bond… to happen.:
:There is no way I can explain it. You will have to wait until we\’re through to see if this works.:
Sam was \”silent\” for a moment. :And when will that be?:
He drifted close to her. :Are you saying you don\’t like what you\’re experiencing?:
:Not at all. In fact, what I felt before wasn\’t really too bad, just a little too much at once, plus that I wasn\’t really prepared to expect anything like that. But now…:
:Well, why didn\’t you say so.: He embraced her, his clothing melting away, and the feeling intensified again.
:Ohhh, myyy Gooood…: was all she could get out before being swept away again.
~ * ~
When it was over, they lay curled up together. The sheets were all balled up at the end of the bed. Sam opened her eyes, and squinted at the brightness. \”Computer, lights out.\” The computer immediately obeyed. She rolled over and buried her head in his chest.
\”Okay, I will,\” Apollo mumbled.
\”I didn\’t say anything but to tell the computer to turn the lights out.\”
\”No, you told me to make a mental note to shut them off before we turn in.\”
\”I only thought…\” Sam stopped in mid-thought. She pulled herself partly away from him and looked straight at him.
He gave her a sly grin. \”It was no dream. Think about it.\”
\”But Apollo, how can I…\”
\”No. Think about it.\”
She suddenly realized he meant it literally. She looked inside her mind and sure enough, she \”saw\” something. It was like a tendril of… of whatever thoughts are made of. She couldn\’t tell where it led, so she followed it.
:Hi there.: She heard in her mind, and she jumped in surprise. \”I see you found it.\”
\”Wh… what is it?\” she asked.
\”Our bond. It worked. It\’s a subtle telepathic link between the two of us. At any point in time, we can contact each other through the bond. It is a warm reminder of our love for each other.\”
\”Is it always there? I mean will we always know what the other is thinking?\” she asked, concerned.
He felt disappointment. \”Honey, I\’m sorry. I know you didn\’t really know what I was doing or what to expect. If you don\’t want to be bonded… I understand. I can sever the bond. Don\’t worry, it\’s not nearly as painful as it sounds, and you won\’t go through all that disorientation. You just… won\’t be aware of my presence anymore.\” He moved to touch her head to make the adjustment.
She pulled away abruptly. \”No. No, don\’t. I didn\’t mean that. I mean…\” She framed his face in her hands. \”You were very generous to give me this gift. It\’s certainly something I can always treasure, and nothing I can forget to bring with me. Though you could have told me what to expect.\” They both chuckled a little nervously. \”I am very glad that I was the one you chose to… do this… with. Even now I think about it, and I can feel all the love you have for me. It\’s like being wrapped up in a warm blanket.\”
He took her hands in his. \”That\’s what it\’s all about. If you need to feel loved, if you need to feel comfort, or if you just want to say \’hi\’, then all you need do is think about me, and I\’m there, no matter where I\’ll be. Of course, there\’s a down side to this, too. If you feel pain, then I will feel that pain through the bond, and vice versa. The consolation is that I can lend you my strength to help you through it.\”
She thought about it for a moment. \”I can live with that.\” She kissed him lightly. \”Now, what if I want a little privacy in my head? I know you can shut me out, and I know that you would never intentionally intrude, but…\”
He laughed under his breath, tracing a finger down her cheek and across her chin. \”Believe it or not, every one can learn to guard their thoughts. It just takes a little training. I believe I can handle a little thing like teaching you to put up some type of defenses against uninvited probes.\”
She smiled and hugged him tightly. \”Thank you.\” She then gave him intimate proof of her thankfulness.
~ * ~
After two more weeks, the ships were ready for their next missions. The Enterprise and the Valiant were the only ones left in spacedock.
\”Admiral, it\’s been a pleasure and an honor serving with you again. I\’m looking forward to our next encounter,\” Apollo said, grinning at Kirk\’s image on the screen.
\”I just hope it\’ll initially be under more pleasant circumstances. My best to you and your new bride. And Apollo. Take care of that ship this time. You can only be so lucky.\”
\”I might suggest the same thing, Jim. Valiant out.\” The connection ended, and the screen\’s image changed to that of the Enterprise. She moved gracefully out of orbit and streaked into warp speed.
\”Mr. Arex, prepare to exit spacedock,\” he said to his navigator.
Sam was at her science station, lost in thought as the doors to Starbase 26 opened and the Valiant glided through. :Testing, one, two, three. Testing, one…:
:Hi, there.:
She was a little startled by the response. She concentrated a little. :Sorry. I was just making sure it was still there.:
Apollo turned and smiled at her. :The bond isn\’t going to fade, love. It\’s not a piece of equipment, either. It\’s a part of you; as much so as it\’s a part of me. No need for sound tests, I can hear you just fine.:
She looked a bit bashful. :It\’s just that it\’ll take some getting used to.:
:That\’s understandable. Just remember, if you need anything, I\’m here.: He turned to face the screen. \”Set a course… 238 mark 4. Engage at warp factor 2.\”
\”Aye, sir. Warp 2,\” the helm replied. The Valiant oriented itself toward its new heading, then shot off as the stars around it stretched into rainbow streaks.