[NVC Day 20] -- [Questions and Answers] -- [Jim, Bones, Healer]

[kirktastic]

Jim was both looking forward to it and nervous about it. They had agreed to meet the healer at a smaller hotel somewhere away from both the medical centers as well as the Federation guest quarters. It felt almost like trying to buy some back alley off-world drugs or deliver information of a disclosed nature, to the point Jim almost wanted to call it off. His hands were shoved into his pockets as he walked along side of Bones, who seemed almost as tense as he was.

Neither of them knew how this was going to go, or what the healer would even do finding out that it was three humans bonded to one Vulcan. Jim almost wanted to avoid using Spock's name, but had a feeling that would only make things about a million times worse. What made it all that much worse, at least to Jim, was he had no idea what was going to happen. He hated that helpless feeling.

He had the room number memorized - a nice larger room that they could talk and get every, or as many as possible, answer they needed so they could chose. So they could figure out the reality of the situation they were in. Jim thought about the moment in the court room, the ghostly feeling of Spock's hand on his. He hadn't even consciously known that Spock was 'listening in' on him, or just able to feel his emotions so keenly. It was disturbing as much as it had been helpful. Spock, even though they weren't talking and hadn't since he had left the house two weeks ago, had reached out to comfort him.

Honestly, he didn't know how to feel about that still. He didn't even know how Spock felt about what had happened during pon farr. Jim had acted so.. horrified about what Spock had done, but those images that still flickered about in his head, what Prime had confirmed.... Jim's Spock, Prime... they had killed Jim. In cold blood, they had killed him on the hot sands of Vulcan. Immediately after, they had been stricken, guilty, angry at themselves... was that any different than what Spock had done? Was killing any better than what had happened?

Jim sighed, glancing over to Bones. He could see a tightness in Bones' mouth, his knuckles white clenched against each other. It was about how he felt, too.

They went up to the hotel room and knocked, and Jim wasn't surprised to find out the healer had gotten there first.

Comments

[npc-aliens.livejournal.com]

Tyvek, for all his years' experience, had encountered more humans in these past few months on New Vulcan than he had ever expected to meet in the whole of his life. These two, as expected, carried all their feelings in their faces. On one level, it was obscene, but there was such evident anxiety there that Tyvek could not find it in himself to judge them.

Having opened the door for them, he stood a little back so that they could enter without difficulty, inclining his head slightly in greeting. His hands were folded together, politely out of view, within the voluminous sleeves of his robe.

"You must be Captain Kirk," he said. "And Dr McCoy."

He withdrew one hand, and held it up in salute.

[dctr-mccoy.livejournal.com]

Bones' emotions were more than just evident on his face- they practically radiated out of his pores, and he still didn't look as irritatedannoyedworried as Jim. 

He nodded at the Healer, who had come highly recommended to him from a trusted collegue. "Thank you for seeing us on such short notice."

[kirktastic.livejournal.com]

Jim gave a salute in return, trying to be polite no matter how he felt about the situation. He sat down with a flop on the one of one of the beds, looking to the healer. How could they even start with this? So my first officer went into pon farr and well, that's a hell of a story that ends up with the four of us hooked together...

He rubbed his brow, already getting a headache. Damn Vulcans.

[npc-aliens.livejournal.com]

"It is in the nature of my work," Tyvek acknowledged McCoy gravely, "to be available."

He gestured towards the sleeping area, indicating that the doctor should join his companion, and, when it became clear that his intentions had been correctly interpreted, moved to seat himself on the opposite bed.

"So." He interlaced his fingers once again, hands clasped in front of him, half-concealed by his sleeves. "Perhaps you might describe to me the difficulties that have led you to seek out my services."

[dctr-mccoy.livejournal.com]

Bones looked over at Jim. They'd discussed, a little, about what they had to do here. Couldn't get the whole truth without giving all the information, but - fuck, not only was it humiliating, it involved someone belonging to a highly regarded Vulcan family, their co-worker and fellow officer, and someone Bones had thought was becoming their friend.

Still, knowing this didn't make it easier to talk about. "We need to find out about severing a Vulcan bond."

[kirktastic.livejournal.com]

"...We need to know what it entails, what'd happen to everyone involved, how dangerous is it... everything." He looked to the healer silently, his eyes a little cold. He really, really didn't want to end up dealing with a lot of Vulcan secrecy bullshit, not now, not about this.

[npc-aliens.livejournal.com]

Strange though their ways might be, there was certainly something - helpful - about the way humans' emotions writ themselves so clearly in their eyes. The young captain's cold demeanour did not escape Tyvek. There was a front of secrecy here; something being concealed. Tyvek's eyes narrowed.

"You do not mean to imply," he queried, brow furrowing slightly in something like a frown, "that this is a problem facing the two of you?"

Humans were psi-null, in almost all cases, Tyvek was sure. But something about the men's behavior suggested a degree of investment that did not seem in accordance with people making enquiries for a friend. Besides, what Vulcan would send two humans to do his bidding?

[dctr-mccoy.livejournal.com]

Silence hung in the room for a long moment before it was broken. Bones cleared his throat, looking down at the sofa. Fuck it, he knew this had to get out. Shit or get off the pot, his granddad used to say, which made him laugh as a kid. Wasn't as funny right now.

"Yeah, it's got to do with us." This time he couldn't look at Jim, feeling him stiffening next to him. His foot slid minutely and touched Jim' boot. "Can you detect the presence of a Pon Farr bond in someone?" Looking up at the Healer, Bones caught his gaze. "In us. We've been bonded to a Vulcan."

[npc-aliens.livejournal.com]

"A mating bond," Tyvek said, slowly. He considered for a moment.

"I see. I have heard of at least one Vulcan-Human bond previously recorded, and I do believe that the healers who came into contact with it pronounced it to be almost indistinguishable from an ordinary mating bond between Vulcans."

He raised a hand, not pressing, but offering. "I see no reason why I would be unable to sense the bond. However, from what you say, it seems that you are in no doubt that it is there. A Vulcan in his time enacted the mating ritual with both of you?" His voice was cool, his tone one of scientific enquiry. "That is most irregular."

[kirktastic.livejournal.com]

"It's there, trust me," Jim rumbled, hand flexing in his lap. "It's there." Mating ritual? Was there a ritual to it, or was that just their name for fucking during pon farr? "Whatever a Vulcan's gotta do during pon farr? That happened." He wasn't going to let on exactly what happened unless they had no other choice.

[npc-aliens.livejournal.com]

"The two of you were both bonded to the same Vulcan, during the same pon farr cycle?"

Tyvek thought he understood, but he wished to be clear. This was a highly unusual situation, if it was indeed as they described it.

"And you wish to break the bond? It was formed inadvertently?"

[kirktastic.livejournal.com]

Jim held up a hand, letting out a breath. "We wanna know how one gets broken. What'd happen if we did it." Attempting to avoid that second question.

[npc-aliens.livejournal.com]

Tyvek's brow did not clear. Not that he was frowning precisely. Vulcans did not frown. But he was deep in thought.

"Bonds have been broken in the past," he said. "Sometimes, when a Vulcan is forced to mate with an unsuitable person due to circumstantial constraint, for example, healers will disentangle them. However, the procedure is very risky."

Tyvek paused, gathering his thoughts. "As the Vulcan in question has two bonded mates, it would require him to suffer the disintegration of two bonds. The two of you would suffer some considerable discomfort, mental and physiological." Tyvek broke off. "As for your Vulcan, he could, potentially, could be driven mad. There is some risk, even, that it would be fatal."

He shrugged slightly. "If he were to survive, over time, there is hope of recovery, but it would take time. For all of you."

[dctr-mccoy.livejournal.com]

The walk back to their room had been quiet. They both had thoughts running through their heads regarding all they'd discussed that afternoon, and Bones didn't know how it was all going to end up. Would they agree? Would they argue?

He let Jim walk first into the room and headed straight for the kitchen area. "I'm getting a beer," he called out, pulling out a bottle from the refrigeration unit - the perks of being planetside. "You want one?" he asked in a tired voice.

[kirktastic.livejournal.com]

"Yes." Jim's voice showed just how tired he felt, and after he kicked off his boots, he flopped into a chair with gusto. He closed his eyes, feeling a faint headache behind his eyes.

He only opened his eyes again when he felt the cool glass touch his fingers. With a grateful smile, even more grateful when he saw it was already opened (his smile turned down right thankful), he took a slow gulp of the cold beer.

[dctr-mccoy.livejournal.com]

Bones took the chair across from Jim, settling in with his own drink. He slid his boots off and leaned back. For a while, neither man said anything, still lost in their own thoughts.

Or maybe neither wanted to bring up the subject.

[kirktastic.livejournal.com]

Jim had absolutely no desire to do it. He let his thoughts drift, some condensation slowly gathering enough to roll down his fingers. He kept his eyes closed to avoid the headache from getting worse. "Maybe we could go to that southern place tonight that you were talking about," was the line that finally broke the silence.

[dctr-mccoy.livejournal.com]

"...could do that," Bones nodded, answering quietly. "Cobbler sounds good."

He didn't want to talk about it. But it was going to fester, like a wound, and they weren't going to stop thinking about it until they got it out.

Jim was gonna hate this, he thought sadly, but mind made up, he pushed on. "You felt him, since the thing with your hand?" he asked, a little pissed that he didn't have to identify 'him' - was it gonna be like that from now on?

[kirktastic.livejournal.com]

Yea, Jim immediately didn't like that despite the fact he had been thinking about the exact topic. "...no." Tense, tight word. Spock had made himself scarce, it seemed.

[dctr-mccoy.livejournal.com]

Maybe it was the shielding that Jim had gone through, but Bones thought he could still feel the occasional rumble from Spock. Thoughts, emotions bleeding through. Felt like an image of someone who was happy, or sleepy, or worried.

He wished he didn't have this. Wanted this all to go away, and it seemed like Jim did too. "What do you think 'bout what the Healer had to say?"

[kirktastic.livejournal.com]

"...we could break the bond now and risk him going mad, and fuck knows what it'll do to everything else that happens between us... or leave it, get used to it, and have him go completely insane without much chance he won't when he's only done half his life or less." Jim said the words almost emotionless.

[dctr-mccoy.livejournal.com]

"Sounds 'bout what I got out of it." He sighed, finishing his beer in one long gulp. "I suppose the four of us oughta sit down and discuss this matter, like adults."

He caught the look in Jim's eyes, but kept talking. "I'm just saying, that's the mature thing to do. Personally, I'd like to beat him senseless, but that isn't gonna get us anywhere."

[kirktastic.livejournal.com]

"...I wanna hate him, what he did." Jim opened his eyes, staring up at the ceiling. "But... I can't. Do... do you know what happened with both of the older Spocks? What happened when they went into their first pon farr?"

[dctr-mccoy.livejournal.com]

Bones shook his head. "No, I don't."

Then, his brow furrowed. "They're the same person, right? I understood their histories were identical, until this anomaly brought Jim and Spock into our world."

[kirktastic.livejournal.com]

"I think they are. I think. I... they both killed their respective Jims. On Vulcan, in front of a crowd, with their Bones right there,... they killed Jim." His fingers tightened, the words bringing up memories that weren't his.