Notes: I wanted this complete before I uploaded it all, but things have come up and rather than it sitting here gathering dust, I thought I'd put it up in parts instead. So here is part 1 of Confluence, from the 'Talks Like A Gentle Soul' verse. It can't really be read as a standalone story, though I guess you could if you don't mind pre-established relationships.
Joanna stepped onto the soil of Vulcan II feeling rather odd. It was her first time on alien soil. Gravity was different, air was different, even the light felt different. And the heat was overpowering, even by Georgia standards.
She pulled on the collar of her cadet reds. She had thought that it would be fitting to come in her Academy uniform, to show that she was (at least provisionally) a member of Starfleet. That perhaps hadn't been a wise decision though. The short walk from the shuttle to the House of Sarek left her drenched in sweat, her whole body feeling like it was marinating in its own juices.
"I told you," her father said, helpfully. He was wearing casual clothes and flip flops of all things. He pulled his sunglasses off when they got to the house's veranda and grinned at her. Joanna stuck her tongue out at him.
She'd just wanted… she'd wanted to impress Nyota, and Spock. Their opinion mattered to her. Unlike her father or Uncle Jim, they were two Starfleet Officers who had no familial ties to her. She wanted them to see her as capable in their own right. It was part of the reason she'd kept the name 'Treadway' in the end, as a way to distance herself from a famous father.
They waited as an elderly Vulcan that Joanna didn't know came to the door to greet them. Her father shifted somewhat uncomfortably and mirrored the ta'al that was offered.
"Ambassador," he greeted. Joanna looked at the man curiously. She'd known that Sarek was an ambassador for Earth but hadn't known her father knew other ambassadors in the Federation. Her curiosity piqued, she raised the ta'al.
"Doctor. And you must be Joanna. It's an honour. I had not yet had the privilege of to meet you," the ambassador greeted her. Joanna thought the wording was weird, but her father just put his hands around her shoulders.
"Mind if we get in off the porch? It's baking out here," her father said. Joanna nodded eagerly and the ambassador stepped aside to let them into the house. Inside was much cooler to Joanna's relief. She wiped her forehead on the back of her sleeve as surreptiously as she could.
"You have pre-empted the Enterprise by several hours, Doctor McCoy. You may wish to retire to your rooms for that period to escape the hottest part of the day," the ambassador was saying. Joanna was surprised when blank-faced servants appeared in the halls, taking her bag from her without a word. She looked at her father with raised eyebrows. Spock's family really was fancy.
"Nyota and Spock aren't here yet?" Her father asked, frowning. The ambassador smiled.
"They have left the preparations of the wedding in capable hands. I believe they are practical people, who merely see this as a formality rather than on occasion," he replied. Her father's eyebrows went from drawn together to rising to his hairline.
"Sounds like a blast," he said, sarcastically. Uncharacteristically for a Vulcan, the ambassador smiled.
"It is not how my own wedding was, but it does indeed highlight the profound changes between the time lines that such an event is occurring," the ambassador replied. Joanna was lost at that point, but it didn't seem to matter too much as her father was pushing her towards the stairs.
"Where are our rooms?" he asked. The ambassador's face became somewhat more impassive.
"If you head upstairs, your own room Doctor McCoy is in the first room to the right. Your daughter's is immediately across the hallway," he replied. Her father gave a stiff nod and led Joanna upstairs. Only once they were out of earshot from sensitive Vulcan ears did her father let out a low breath.
"That guy gives me the willies," he said and Joanna couldn't get him to tell her why.
The House of Sarek was just as beautiful on Vulcan II as it had been on Earth. Joanna's room was sparsely decorated, but it had everything she needed for the three day stay that was planned. Her father had disappeared into his own room to unpack, but she knew that he was nervous.
It was the first time he was going to see Jim in nearly six months and she knew that her father was wary of the meeting. They hadn't really had time to sort out their relationship, from the bits and pieces she'd gathered from her father and Jim separately. Her father's absolute fear of Jim choosing to be with someone else and Jim's terror that her father was going to decide it wasn't worth it coloured their every conversation and it was getting to a point that Joanna felt it would have been better if her father had just gone into goddamn space with the Commodore.
There was a commotion from the hallway and Joanna blinked as she heard her father's southern accented yelling break the tranquillity of the residence.
"GODDAMNIT JIM!"
She darted out of her room, looking up and down the hallway before seeing her father's door was ajar. She burst through it, grinning, although she pulled up short when she saw Jim pinning her father to the bed, laughing his ass off. She felt her face flush, saw her father's horrified face and Jim crawled off him, clutching his stomach as he laughed.
"Oh Bones! You jumped so high I thought you were going to hit the ceiling! I didn't think you'd actually fall over!" Jim laughed. Her father sat up, scowling and putting distance between him and Jim.
Jim looked… thinner. His uniform sagged a little around his frame. Other than that though, his face was lit up, his eyes bright and a grin stretched across his face from ear to ear.
"Yeah well I wasn't expecting you beam down behind me!" her father snapped, getting to his feet and skirting around the side of the bed as though to put distance between them. Joanna decided not to comment for the moment, walking over to Jim and pulling him to his feet.
He encased her in a tight hug, arms wrapped firmly around her shoulders. She returned it, frowning at the ribs she could feel through his uniform. He pulled away after a few moments.
"And look at you in your cadet reds!" Jim said, smoothing her hair out of her face. "You look older."
"Well that's because usually you have to graduate high school before you get into the Academy. Unless you're a genius like me of course," she replied, batting his hand away and taking a few steps back. Jim laughed and looked towards her father. He had a warm smile on his face and his cheeks tinged a little pink when he met Jim's eyes.
"Is Spock nervous?" Her father asked, seeming to be trying to fill the silence. Jim moved away from the bed to the window, looking out at the dusty, red landscape. He shrugged.
"They've been bonded in the Vulcan way for months. Living inside each other's heads. I don't think they have much to worry about," he said with a shrug. Joanna sighed and she saw Jim look at her with raised eyebrows.
"What? It's romantic!" she protested, holding up her hands. "Bonding for life? Having a connection so deep with someone you can hear their thoughts?"
"Sounds like hell," her father replied. Jim laughed, though Joanna could see the slight look of hurt pass over the Commodore's face. She guessed that she should leave them to it.
"The wedding starts in three hours, once the heat has settled. I'm going to go explore the house," she said. Her father nodded to her, starting to fiddle with things in his suitcase, unfolding a shirt only to fold it again. She rolled her eyes and left the room.
They'd probably get over each other if they were left to their own devices for a bit. Or at least she hoped so. They were both acting as Best Man for this wedding, and they needed to be able to look at one another without blushing or stammering.
She explored the house a little, walking through strangely decorated rooms and hallways. Some were obvious in purpose, others not so. She had spent a good fifteen minutes in one room, staring at a sculpture and trying to work out what it was, when she shook her head and realised without a guide she would never know.
She was pleased to find that a section of the gardens had been erected in a biodome. Stepping into it, the air was still rather warmer than the climate controlled house, but it wasn't so hot that it felt her body was cooking in its own juices.
She could tell that many of the plants were from Earth, though some had been genetically modified to thrive in the soil of Vulcan II. It seemed to be mostly roses, though there were a few other flowers. She leaned down to sniff at one, closing her eyes as the delicate scent met her nose.
"Miss Treadway?"
She jumped, putting a hand to her mouth to stop herself from doing something embarrassing like screaming. She turned to see a young Vulcan male was stood at the other end of the biodome. He had gardening tools in hand and dirt on his knees. His dark gaze was fixed on her, impassive and emotionless.
"Am I not supposed to be in here?" she asked. The Vulcan shook his head, walking towards her with the purposeful stride that most of his race held.
"You are allowed anywhere on my Uncle's estate, I am sure. My name is Selek. I am a cousin of Spock," he introduced himself, coming to a stop before her. Joanna nodded.
"Well, you seem to know who I am," she replied, feeling a nervous giggle claw its way out of her throat. He raised an eyebrow.
"Indeed. You are the daughter of Doctor McCoy. I have been following your father's career with great interest. Now that he has taken a residency at Starfleet, I am hoping that I will be able to attend some of his classes in the future," he said, his voice monotone and without inflection. Joanna had never really come across Vulcans before, apart from Spock, and she suddenly realised how different the other was from them. Talking to Selek was rather like conversing with a computer.
"Are you intending to join Starfleet?" she asked, trying to maintain conversation. This was a point where Spock might have raised an eyebrow, or clasped his hands behind him. Selek merely remained motionless, dark eyes staring at Joanna's face.
"I am currently studying at the Vulcan Science Academy. It is best that my efforts are spent rebuilding the colony rather than joining Starfleet. I believe that a short sabbatical at Starfleet will not hurt that goal however," he replied. Joanna nodded, wondering what else she could ask. Everything felt stiff. She traced a flower with her finger.
"Don't let me keep you from gardening," she said, letting her hand drop. To her despair, Selek merely shook his head.
"I am appreciative of your company, Miss Treadway. I wished to ask you…"
"Well, Joanna looked happy," Jim said tentatively, trying to get conversation going again. Bones had been going through his suitcase, hanging everything up and Jim could tell the other was avoiding his eye. It was odd, because the day before when Jim had commed him, there had been none of this awkwardness. Easy chatter, light teasing, nothing out of the ordinary.
Jim decided to throw caution to the wind, walking up behind Bones. He wasn't silent. He knew the other had heard him, could have moved away if he'd wanted to and although Bones went stiff as Jim's arms slid around him, he didn't pull away.
"Jim I'm unpacking," he protested. Jim kissed the back of Bones' neck gently, feeling the other shiver slightly.
"Uh-huh. Carry on," he said. His hands moved from around Bones' waist down to his hips as he continued to trace his lips over Bones' neck. He could feel the goosepimples break out along the skin and he smirked, pressing his hips forward and into Bones' rear.
It was then that Bones pulled away, leaving Jim feeling bereft. Bones didn't go far, he turned, his hands on Jim's chest. It wasn't a 'come here' grab though, like Jim had been expecting. It was a barrier. Bones was trying to put distance between them.
"Okay, what's going on? We haven't seen each other in months and you're pushing me away the first chance we get alone together?" Jim couldn't help the bitterness in his tone. Bones scowled at him.
"Don't take that tone with me, Jim," Bones said and his eyes flashed with annoyance. Jim took a step back, breaking all contact between them. What on Earth had he done wrong between last night and this afternoon that Bones was looking at him like that?
"Look, I get it, you're horny as a toad but my daughter is across the hall and we have a wedding to get ready for," Bones pointed out. Jim smiled. Was that all Bones was worried about? They had plenty of time and they could always lock the door. Jim stepped forward.
"Come on Bones. A quickie isn't going to hurt. We'll still have plenty of time," he said, his arm sliding around Bones' waist. The other was still scowling at him though, and Jim felt his smile flickering out.
"Look, Jim. I just… I don't feel like it right now, alright?" Bones said. Jim wanted to scream but he didn't. He kept his arms around Bones, trying to see through his bullshit to the issue beneath. He couldn't tell what it was though, other than that the doctor seemed stressed by something, as usual. Well, they had three days of shore leave to work it out (two and half now he supposed) and that was more than enough time.
Jim pressed a kiss to the corner of Bones' mouth, where his lips had turned downwards ever so slightly as he frowned.
"Sure thing, Bones… Now why don't you tell me all about the flight over-"
"Don't get me started Jim…"