Of Convenience: Chapter Two
Spock wasn’t quite certain how an emergency meeting of the council was so quickly arranged on his behalf, barely eight hours later, but he had his own theories - the most likely of which attributing the haste to a man who only resembled him if one was looking. The same man who took the place of Councilman Sefar.
The same man looking at him this very moment.
“The council was led to believe this to be a matter of some urgency,” his father began, looking down from his position. Spock nodded in confirmation. “Very well. Please explain the necessity of this meeting concisely.”
Spock clasped his hands behind his back against the familiar material of his uniform. “It is in Vulcan tradition to repay debts to the fullest extent possible and in a timely manner,” he said firmly. “And the people of Vulcan owe to Captain James Tiberius Kirk of Starfleet a debt beyond repayment. Through his actions, the destruction of Vulcan was delayed in such time that our history, grand council, and dignity could be preserved. Although there is no course of action which can properly repay him for this great service, he has come to me asking for something that would be illogical to deny him.”
His elder self - the man the people of Vulcan have come to know as Keilok - leaned forward. “Elaborate.”
The younger Vulcan allowed himself a moment to collect his thoughts, thankful Jim was outside the room. He did not need to hear this. He did not need to hear the words Spock had been unwilling to admit were the truth. The admission he was about to make could ruin everything they’d built, and yet it had to be done.
“Before I specify the request he made of me, I must inform the council of something equally important to these proceedings,” he stated plainly, avoiding the eyes of his father or ‘Keilok’. “James T. Kirk is not merely my captain. He is my T’hy’la, and he turned to me when all other avenues closed for him.”
He watched the council members exchange glances. ‘Keilok’ nodded him on.
“His citizenship has been brought to question,” Spock finally informed them, “and will lead to him being discharged from Starfleet. This can be amended if he is to receive citizenship from another Federation planet. As such, I proposed a marriage between us to not only cement the bond we have formed but to ensure that he is able to continue the work he has been performing for the Federation itself.”
There was only a brief pause before ‘Keilok’ spoke.
“You are saying, then, that this is not merely a marriage of convenience?” the older man asked, eyes locking with his. Spock nodded, feeling the weight of the council’s eyes on him more heavily than ever. He straightened his back to it. “Then I must state my approval for the marriage.”
Spock’s father’s eyes flashed to the older man. “I must state my disapproval, then,” he said firmly. “It is illogical. While the joining of two males may have been acceptable with the population of Vulcan at a safe number, recent events have led me to the conclusion that this permission must be denied if our race is to have a chance at repopulation.”
Spock set his jaw. “I would not consent to marriage solely for the purpose of procreation,” he managed to say in an even tone. “However, should you require that the marriage result in offspring of Vulcan heritage, I am aware of the success in clinical trials of the Male Carrier technique and am willing, once the process is certified by the Federation board, to undergo said procedure as such to provide said offspring.”
The process of certification would take at least eighteen months, Spock calculated. And by that point, Jim could have dissolved the marriage.
Which Spock had to be willing to permit.
The council elder stood. “If such is the case, then I can see no further objections to the marriage in question,” he said, voice carrying in the wide hall. “Although this marriage cannot repay the debt we owe to your captain, Spock, it can repay the debt we owe to you. The Vulcan council agrees to this union.”
Spock found himself frozen. “There is a debt owed to me?” he queried, glancing about the council. They almost looked surprised.
“You are the one who came onto Vulcan to preserve the council itself,” the elder stated. “The council’s existence is thanks to your actions. We are therefore indebted to you. Will you accept our blessing on your nuptials in repayment?”
A short pause, and then Spock heard himself say, “it would be more than sufficient.”
The council rose, Sarek’s eyes burning on Spock and ‘Keilok’ already making his way down to his younger self. Before turning to exit again, he whispered in Spock’s ear, “I wish to speak with you before your ceremony is performed.”
And then the council room was empty, leaving the Spock of this generation with his thoughts, his joy, and his newly accepted fiancé waiting outside the door.
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Spock managed to inform Jim of the Council’s permission with no outward display of emotion. Jim, however, made a loud noise, pumping his hand victoriously and attracting the attention of several nearby Vulcans before doing the unthinkable and tossing an arm over Spock’s shoulder and tugging him into a brief hug. It was over as quickly as it began, but the damage was already done. He could only hope his father had not seen the display.
But a glance towards the door to the council room proved that Spock’s hopes were misguided. There stood ‘Keilok’, beckoning him with nothing more than a simple look. Spock nodded, murmuring directions to the records building to Jim as he left.
He followed his elder self through the doors to the presently empty council room. They were silent for a moment.
“You are fortunate to have come so far in so little time,” ‘Keilok’ said, clasping his hands behind his back. Spock tried not to show any surprise. The older man took a deep breath. “In my time, it took a great amount of time for our relationship to develop beyond that of Captain and first officer. We were nearly forty before we bonded.”
Spock froze. The man raised an eyebrow. “You are surprised?”
He set his jaw. “I had not realized you shared such a relationship with the Jim Kirk of your time,” he stated simply. “I was under the impression our…situation was unique.”
‘Keilok’ nearly smiled. Emotions seemed so easy on this man’s face. “It seems there are constants in any reality,” he murmured. “There was so much to the bond between us, Spock. And there will be so much to the bond you will share with your Jim Kirk. No matter the distance, the situation, or the manner in which you conduct yourselves, that bond will never be severed.”
Spock wondered the truth of the statement. He took a breath. “The Jim of your world is?”
“He lost his life long ago,” ‘Keilok’ murmured, shoulders falling a fraction of an inch. Spock found himself taken aback by the pain in his elder self’s eyes. “It is something you can never be prepared to face, Spock. Your life will continue beyond his years. Someday, you will face existence in a galaxy where the one you love no longer exists.”
The younger man sucked in a breath, watching the other man’s face harden back into its emotionless mask. Keilok met his eyes. “You will have longer than I did. Be thankful for this.”
The door creaked open, and when the men turned to face it, Sarek was pacing towards them. Spock straightened out to the best of his ability. The man stood perhaps four feet from them when he stopped.
“Ambassador Keilok, I inquire as to the reason for your support of this union,” he stated without preamble. “The results from the Male Carrier procedure are mixed at best, and most likely will not be a viable possibility for a number of years. In the face of extinction, it is illogical to permit a bond between two individuals incapable of reproduction.”
Keilok looked for a long moment upon their father’s face, Spock mentally recited his meditation katas until some semblance of calmness spread through his body. “Ambassador Sarek, the bonding of T’hy’la is one of Vulcan’s most sacred traditions,” he explained, voice deep. “It is not a matter of preserving the species or any specific family line, but of the preservation of the Vulcan culture itself. To lose the tradition of T’hy’la bonds and marriage would be to lose a fundamental piece of Vulcan culture and history. And were that not enough, I have great faith that the Carrier technique will be certified before the end of the current Star year. I am certain Spock’s mate will understand the need for procreation.”
Spock’s eyes flick to Keilok’s. It could’ve happened, he supposed. The Spock and Jim of the other timeline may very well have had children. An image flashed to his mind, unbidden, of what a child between them might have looked like. An image of dark hair, light eyes, perfectly pointed ears - and he forced it out.
Even if it had happened in the other timeline, it would not happen here.
Sarek seemed unconvinced, if Spock’s distracted read on his father was correct. “Even assuming this, Spock’s intended mate is human. The bloodline cannot be diluted any further.”
“Father,” Spock started to say, but his elder self held up a hand to stop him.
“Ambassador, there are some things that are inevitable,” he stated, voice deep. “This is not the only reality I have seen. I have, in fact, been privy to the workings of multiple dimensions, you could call it. And in every one of them, Spock and James Kirk are bonded. There is no variation. With or without your approval, this will occur.”
Sarek’s mouth was a thin line at best, barely there. “The likelihood of alternate realities and interdimensionality is incalculable.”
Keilok raised an eyebrow. “I have no definitive proof for you beyond what your own eyes fail to see,” he dismissed. “However, the marriage will occur, and it will occur today. It would be advisable for you to put aside your bias against this union and observe your son’s ceremony.”
Keilok patted Spock’s shoulder and stepped towards the door. Sarek’s eyes remained on his son.
“You are basing your decision on emotion,” he spat stiffly, shoulders level and voice conveying the slightest amount of disapproval. Spock forced the words out of his head. “If Vulcan had survived the attack, I would have no objections to the bond. James Kirk is a respectable man, and the furthering of our diplomatic relations resulting from his marriage to a Vulcan would have made the union favorable. This is no longer the case.”
Spock allowed the words their time to linger in the chamber, let the high ceilings and dusted windows echo the utterance into nothingness. He gave them a moment to fade, and then met his father’s eyes once more. “You said you married Mother because you loved her,” he didn’t argue - merely stated. “You married her out of emotion against the judgment of your peers. Allow me the same choice.”
Something changed in his father’s brows - some looseness he’d never seen. “You will not bring her into this argument.”
“You will not preclude her from it,” Spock replied, fisting his hands behind his back. “Were she given a say in this situation, Father, you know what she would have encouraged.”
And somehow, despite the improbability, his father stilled. He stared at his son, though it seemed as though his eyes saw nothing. After a few long seconds, he spoke again, his voice quiet. “Your mother would have been proud to see you marry him.”
Seeing no reason to prolong the conversation, Spock bowed his head, turned around, and left.
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