Catch the Falling Leaves

This is my first Spirk fic to have actual original plot! It's set shortly after "Into Darkness", early on in the 5 yr mission – this will be important later. Spock and Kirk are in a semi – established relationship. This chapter contains violence and gore from the outset. Also language. Graphic sexual content in later chapters.

1.

"Security to bridge. Security to bridge. Emergency!"

"Kirk here. What's the emergency?"

"Captain, the criminal, Phaedrus, has escaped the brig – casualties – at least five dead –"

"Ensign -?"

"Jones Sir"

"What's the matter? Are you hurt?"

"Very much so I'm afraid sir –"

"I'm on my way, Kirk out. Doctor McCoy, with me please – that's just McCoy, not you Spock"

"Captain, may I recommend you do not go down there alone?"

"I'm not alone Commander, the doctor is with me."

"With all due respect sir the doctor is not qualified to watch your back in a potentially life threatening scenario."

"Oh and you are science officer?"

"It is my duty as –"

"Yeah yeah, fine, whatever – Spock and McCoy with me, Sulu you have the conn."

The three of them make all due speed towards the brig, Spock wondering what he had done to make Kirk take such attitude with him, trying not to feel hurt by it when he only wants to protect him. He does not have long to wonder though – the scene that reaches them in the brig is one of bloodshed and mayhem – almost a dozen officers on the floor, the walls almost painted red with blood.

"How in the hell –" mutters McCoy, diving straight in to separate the living and the dead.

"Jones?" calls Kirk.

"Here sir" comes a weak voice. They find the security guard slumped against the wall, trying desperately to hold his large intestine in place.

"Jones –" Spock can hear the Captain swearing furiously, internally, working hard on not doing so out loud in front of the clearly dying man – "Jones what the devil happened here?"

Jones grimaces –

"The devil – sir – you may be right – barely saw – too fast – changed – ripped us to bits – sorry Captain –"

"Fuck" hisses Kirk – there is suddenly no longer any need to hold back. He stands slowly, shoulders slumped in the gesture of defeat Spock always observes in him when they lose a crew member – "He was due on leave next week" he says sadly – "Honeymoon".

"I'll make that call" McCoy says gently, coming up beside him "- And the rest. We've got five dead, six injured. I've called a full med team to take the wounded up to sick back."

Kirk nods, surveying the dead. He does not envy McCoy the grisly task of having numbered them – there is a hellish mess of torn limbs, heads ripped off, bodies torn open, the innards pooling in a thick soup on the corridor floor.

"Do all you can Bones" he sighs, rubbing his forehead – "And find out all you can on how he did this –"

"Captain I have Mr Scott on the communicator" interrupts Spock. Kirk takes it off him –

"Scotty, this better be good"

"Aye Captain –" says Mr Scott uncertainly – "I've located the prisoner – but you aren't gonna like it Captain – he's taken a shuttle off the ship –"

"On our way Scotty, Kirk out – Spock, bridge fast – McCoy – let us know when you have anything."

Spock and Kirk race back up to the Bridge, Kirk back on fighting form again.

"Mr Sulu – follow that shuttle!"

"Already on it Captain"

"Mr Scott can we plot his course?"

"I'm working on it now Captain"

"Mr Spock pull up all you can on the prisoner."

"Phaedrus Wraith, Captain, convicted for the murder of twenty seven citizens on his home planet of Aristate in the Dionysian system, captured two days ago and transferred to us for transportation to the penal colony of Sycorax Prime. Prisoner is reported to have eviscerated his victims – method unknown. If I may postulate – the conflicting reports may point towards some sort of shape – shifter. Otherwise he presents as humanoid."

"Thank you Mr Spock. Picture?"

Spock displays a photo of what looks to be a pale young man with long dark hair, warm brown eyes and a disconcertingly sweet smile. Kirk cannot stop himself from thinking damn! He's hot! Spock turns round to glare at him sharply –

"Do not let his appearance deceive you Captain –" Spock says tersely, voice a little lower than usual – "This man is extremely dangerous."

Oh good Kirk thinks, this time intentionally to wind Spock up – Just the way I like them.

Spock's lip twitches and Kirk cannot help but smirk – he can hear the Vulcan growling inside his head and those waves of possessiveness and faint anger never fail to arouse him. However irritated he can get with Spock and his over - protectiveness it is almost worth it to get to relieve all that tension later in the day.

"I've got his course captain!" Scotty announces, snapping them both back into the present –

"Phaedrus is headed for Zen Alpha seven in the Trajan sector."

"Mr Sulu, set us a course for Zen Alpha seven, warp factor five."

"Aye aye Captain"

It is promising to be a long and difficult day.

_x_

Not long later The Enterprise reaches Zen Alpha Seven and Scotty brings Kirk the co-ordinates of the now crash landed shuttlecraft.

"It crashed – then there's a chance Phaedrus is already incapacitated."

"I would not count on it Captain"

"I'm not, Spock – Kirk to Doctor McCoy."

"McCoy here"

"Bones – what have you got for us?"

"I don't know what to tell you Jim – the good news is I've stabilised the casualties, the bad news is they can't tell us anything new – it's all very confused. These wounds seem to have been inflicted with some kind of blade or razor – but nobody can see how he would have had any access to that kind of weapon."

"Hmm, thank you Bones. Kirk out. Mr Spock, what do we know about this planet? It's atmosphere – civilization –"

"A mix of races Captain, mostly humanoid, in a civilization accustomed to interstellar travel but in all other ways highly reminiscent of Earth at the turn of the twenty- first century. Landscape and climate comparable to the North of England at that time."

"Oh joy –" Kirk groans – "I do love the rain. Prepare a landing party, you, me and ….say ten security. Prepare to beam down."

They beam down to the crash site, just on the outskirts of a small town. Examinations show no sign of the prisoner.

"Right –" Kirk says – "Search parties to fan out across the area in teams of two. Spock, you and I will take the west side of town, Jenkins, Hurt – you take the east side. Mr Wilde, Mr Payne, take the outskirts, the rest of you head for the hills, he could have made for the woods."

The team split up and Kirk and Spock head into town. After a fruitless hour of searching Kirk finally sights what he thinks is Phaedrus, heading towards the entertainment district. He is just about to run after him in hot pursuit when Spock catches his arm –

"Captain that is not Phaedrus, just someone very similar in appearance."

"How the hell do you know?"

"It is now after dark and my night vision is better than yours – I do not mean this as a boast, it is merely a difference in species."

Kirk rolls his eyes –

"Fine" he accepts in bad grace.

"Moreover I would caution against your tendency to charge on impulse into potentially harmful situations."

"Jesus Spock!" Kirk explodes, in a burst that has been brewing for a while – "What's your fucking problem? I can't go out of your sight for five minutes without you flapping like a mother hen! I mean seriously, what is your trauma?"

Spock looks at him fiercely, dark eyes burning with hurt, not realising that it was a rhetorical question –

"My trauma – Captain –" he hisses, struggling to keep his voice steady – "Was having to watch you die and nothing I could do – because you do not respect your life as you ought – as I do. I never wish to have to do that again and it is frankly selfish of you to show such little consideration for how I would feel if anything happened to you –"

"Selfish of me Spock?" Kirk splutters - "You're calling me the selfish one and you're the one who only cares about me because you'd be sad if something happened to me –"

"Your argument is illogical and –"

"Fuck you Spock. Listen to yourself! I'm the one who fucking died for fucksake!"

"I am aware of it Captain"

"And this is my problem Commander –"

Spock shivers – he only ever says commander in that tone of voice when inwardly he is shaking with anger, passion and lust – often all of them at the same time. Spock knows this only too well, because when he says captain it is in exactly the same way. Kirk is ranting now –

"You keep treating me like this fragile little snowflake and I start to feel like fragile is all I am and I fucking hate that! I see you, always with that fucking tragic look in your eyes that just reminds me I was dead –"

"Captain I apologise –" Kirk can tell immediately that this is not even slightly connected to anything he had been saying – "But that is Phaedrus."

Kirk follows where Spock is pointing.

"Shit" he snaps "Fuck –"

"Captain – suggest that you follow me –"

"Set phasers to heavy stun?"

"Agreed"

They track Phaedrus past the clubs, through the lights and beats of music that spill out across the rain slicked streets. As they turn a corner the streets become narrower, more and more of the clubbers wearing black and neon, the make- up and accessories becoming darker and sharper –

"Captain –" Spock whispers – "Are these people dangerous?"

"No Spock, they're what they call goths – it's a human subculture – they're no more dangerous than anyone else – they'd just like you to think they were."

Spock frowns –

"Fascinating".

Phaedrus swerves suddenly down an even narrower alleyway and disappears through the door of a club announcing itself "The Phoenix".

"Fuck" Kirk states, biting his lip. Spock makes towards the man on the door who just shakes his head at him impassively.

"Uh – uh Spock" says Kirk, pulling him back gently – "They'll never let us in looking like this."

"Like – this?" Spock echoes, puzzled.

"Like – well Starfleet" Kirk sighs – "Okay, new plan Spock, we –" he takes a deep breath – "We're gonna have to become goths".

_x_

Okay, so I know the entire plot is just a flimsy excuse to get Spock and Kirk to dress up but have you seen some of the original episodes? Getting the boys to play dress up was often most of the plot! So I saw a photo shoot set where Chris Pine is in leather pants and really quite gothically valid and it just begged me to write this fic!

Also I am only taking the piss out of goths in an affectionate way, so I hope I don't offend anyone – I'm fairly goth myself! Tune in tomorrow to see our heroes get their eyeliner out and Bones laugh at them! :-)