T'hy'la (A Spirk Fanfiction)

Unraveling

Jim's stomach dropped. The temperature of his body plummeted. He knew what Bones was going to say, but he didn't want to hear it. She couldn't be...no. He wouldn't believe it. He couldn't.

"B-bones?" his voice cracked.

"She's dead, Jim."

Jim stiffened. "How is this possible?" he demanded, "McCoy, explain!"

Bones rose. "Jim, I don't know what happened. There must have been something in her bloodstream that didn't mix well with the truth serum. I'm going to have to perform an autopsy to find out."

"Doctor, Captain, we are going to have to have a conference about what she said...the Romulans made her do it. Obviously that was true, but we need to decide what to do about it." Darraugh interjected.

"But—the Romulans went extinct after Romulus was destroyed, didn't they? No groups of their people have been located since the supernova." Bones said quizzically.

"Well, they're evidently still out there.
I should hope, Admiral, something will be done about this in the near future. But we must to make arrangements for a service and inform the crew about what was happened. We reach out to you as soon as we can. Will you be leaving us now, or do you need accommodations for the night?" Jim questioned.

"My men and I will be heading back to our ship, thank you." Darraugh stuck his hand out towards Jim. Jim shook it. "We'll be in touch."

"Doctor McCoy, could you please escort the officers to their ship?" Jim turned to his friend.

"Of course, Jim."

Bones lead the officers from the room.

Jim stared almost expressionless at Carol's cold body, sprawled and twisted on the ground. Her pale face was more peaceful than he had ever known it to be.

He supposed he felt relieved more than anything else. Relieved that he and his crew were no longer in danger. Relieved that Carol was finally at peace, not constantly battling internally for control over her own conscience. Relieved he and Spock could love each other, freely, without her being there to jeopardize it.

He would, however, miss the Carol he had once known, and perhaps harboured feelings for. He had to admit to himself that if Spock had not fallen for him as well, he more than likely would have been in a relationship with her.

Jim walked over to one of McCoy's cabinets and felt around for a sheet. He found a thin white one and carried it over to Carol's body. He knelt beside her and grabbed her cold hand in both of his. He squeezed it and laid it across her chest.

He then proceeded to cover her up with the sheet. He sighed, and left the room. He didn't dare look back.

Jim walked down the hall towards the elevator.

Why does all the crazy stuff happen on my ship? he wondered to himself.

"Jim!" Bones ran to catch up with him.

"Bones. Would you do me a favour? I'm not really in the mood to tell the crew about...about what happened. Could you do it?"

"Sure thing. Now do yourself a favour. Get some rest! No offence, but you look horrible."

Jim was sure this was comment was a nod to the dark bags under his eyes.

"Yes, I know." Jim chuckled softly. He swept his hand over his face, resting it on his mouth and chin. "Do you know if we have any shore leaves coming up? I need a break."

"I don't know, I'll check with Uhura when I go up to the bridge. Seriously though, Jim, I want you to go take a nap. You need it."

"Thanks, Bones." Jim clapped his friend on the back.

Bones turned to leave, but Jim stopped him.

"Hey, Bones, I don't see you and Christine together too much, not at all really. I thought you two were a thing. You two alright?"

"Uh...I don't know. I found out she'd been...uh...sort of conspiring against you with Carol, but she...she dropped it when she found out Carol wanted you dead."

Jim's nostrils flared. He clenched his jaw tightly. "Does every crew member want me dead?" he said brashly.

"Jim—I'm sure that's not the case, Jim. Obviously Spock doesn't want you dead," he smirked.

Jim laughed lightly. "Yeah..." he said fondly.

"You know, since you two have started," Bones paused, "ya know," he raised his eyebrows and smirked again, "it seems to me that Spock is happier than he's been in a while. He may not show much emotion, but I can tell when he's happy or not. It's fantastic you two are together. It's really great for him, from a medical standpoint."

"From a medical standpoint? How so, Bones?"

"Jim, suppressing most emotions is pretty unhealthy for Spock's human half. When you two show affection towards each other, it allows him to show emotion in a suitable way, without it being way too much for him to deem 'illogical'."

"I suppose I hadn't really considered that."

Jim approached the elevator. "Going up, Bones?"

"Yeah, it'd probably be a good idea to tell the crew now, sooner rather than later. I'll tell them the details about the Romulan attack as well. Just so they know."

Both men stepped into the elevator. Bones grabbed the handle on the wall and muttered, "bridge." Jim copied. "Deck 5."

The elevator door slid open.

"See ya, Jim," Bones said as he disappeared into the crowded bridge.

Jim was deep in thought as the elevator carried him up to Deck 5. He needed a way to prevent the Romulans from planning another attack on him or his crew. He had no idea why they wanted him dead. He also had no idea where the Romulans were hiding, nor did Starfleet. If they could just find them...

The elevator slid open. Jim floated, unaware of his steps, down the hall towards his quarters. His mind swirled with thoughts of Carol and the Romulans.

He stepped into his quarters and immediately laid down in bed.

It just doesn't make sense, said the voice in his head as he drifted off. It doesn't add up...

Days later, Jim was still stumped about Carol's erratic behaviour.

One night, after what felt like hours of tossing, turning, and failed attempts at rest, he began to maul over everything for what felt like the billionth time. When Carol began to act peculiarly, and what could have taken place.

She began to act strangely since she had come back from Alpha B6. Maybe the Romulans were there...they could have captured her. The only person she was with had died in an accident on the planet...she hadn't dared to speak a word about the events that took place...

Maybe they're still there.

––––––––––––––––––––––––

A/N: Please read!

Hi guys! I realized I've never actually done an author's note, so here goes.

Firstly, I really want to thank you all so, so much for reading this little story of mine. T'hy'la is almost at 3,000 reads and that's crazy! I always put a lot into these chapters, and it means the world to me that every one of you takes the time to read it, vote for it, and leave comments. Your positive feedback is so nice to read.

I also need your help. If there is anything you would like to see in future chapters, feel free to leave a comment recommending something. I would love to hear what my readers want to read. If I really like one of them, I may just incorporate it into a chapter.

Thanks again for all your support!