Searching The Stars

Blood Red String, Leading Me to You

Jim was immediately reinstated into Starfleet Academy following Spock dropping the cheating accusation. They couldn't really afford to lose him since the fleet was decimated by Nero. And not only was he the son of a Starfleet hero, he was now a hero in his own righ. His fast track to command was accelerated even further.

He, with a little studying, was able to test out of a few of his classes. And by the time Enterprise was ready to fly again, he had finished his studies and was ready to take command of her.

He was given a crew, most of which were also fresh graduates like himself. Some of them he was already acquainted with. Uhura, Christine, Sulu, Scotty, Chekov. Bones insisted on being his chief medical officer, and Spock became his chief science officer and second in command.

Now that they had stopped fighting, they actually got along really well. It was often remarked by their superiors and subordinates alike that they moved like a well oiled machine. Always anticipating each other's needs. It was like they were on the same wave length. They worked fantasticly well together, balancing each other out.

Jim supposed he shouldn't be surprised. They were soulmates, after all. He kept his mouth shut, however. It wasn't fair to Spock to burden him with the knowledge of what he was to Jim. And it might ruin their easy camaraderie.

With them serving together on Enterprise, they spent a lot of time together. The whole bridge crew often gathered in the recreation room in their downtime to hang out. Spock and Uhura occasionally liked to use these opportunities to play and sing together.

Those moments always entranced Jim. He found himself focusing on his soulmate's nimble fingers as he played his Vulcan lyre, with Jim's red string tied around one wrist. His deep voice echoed out in the room, mixing beautifully with Nyota's. It simultaneously soothed him and filled him with desperate longing.

It was not unusual for Jim to return to his quarters to cry after one of their singing sessions. It was pathetic, he knew. But he couldn't help but mourn for the love he would never have. While Spock may now see him as a friend, he would never accept him as a lover. Not that he should, he reminded himself harshly. He would never make a good lover.

Spock and Jim had become friends.
They soon began playing chess together after they found out that they were each very proficient at it. They each won about half of the time which was quite a novelty to both. It made the games very enjoyable.

During one of these games, the topic of soulmates came up. They had just come from the mess hall where Uhura and Chapel were being lovingly domestic with each other.

"I presume you have a soulmate captain?" Spock asked Jim while he contemplated his next move.

"Yeah, I do, Spock." Jim replied.

"Do you know who they are?"

"Yes. I do."

"Ahh.. I was unaware you were romantically involved with someone."

"I'm not in a relationship with anyone, Spock. Yes, I have a soulmate. Yes, I know who they are. But I wouldn't want to burden them with me."

"They do not wish to be in a relationship with you, captain?"

"No, Spock. They do not. Not that I blame them."

"I am sorry, captain. I was unaware that this was a painful topic for you."

"It's all good, Spock. Like I said, I'm not surprised that they don't want to be with me. I can't think of anyone who would."

"Really? I thought you had amassed quite the amount of lovers while you were in Starfleet Academy."