By Laurie Howard
Word Count: 4039
Rating: G
Summary: Captain Kirk, Spock and Dr. McCoy plan to spend Christmas break with each other on a planet. The weather turns bad and plans change.
No one expected to be home for Christmas. Duty in deep space never guaranteed where holidays were to be spent. With a ship of mixed races, Christmas was only important to the humans on the Enterprise. However, one commander knew the importance of the holiday to his friends. He had learned the importance from Jim Kirk years after he could have experienced it with the most important woman in his life.
Living on Vulcan, his mother hid the joy she craved from the holidays in deference to Sarek and his beliefs. Some sacrifices were necessary for a happy life, but Spock now saw how his mother must have suffered for her loss.
The ship had been on an unusually long mission into deep space. Most of it entailed the drudgery of mapping star systems. No one wanted a skirmish with the Klingons or Romulans, but they craved a little more excitement than what they had experienced.
Captain Kirk finished his final report from his command chair and drank a lukewarm cup of coffee.
“Spock, how much longer before you’re done with mapping this area?”
“It is completed now, Captain. The last photo has been logged and sent to Starfleet Command. Any orders, sir?”
“Yes, will someone get me a hot cup of coffee, please?”
The captain’s yeoman happened to step on the bridge, and heard his question. “I’ll get you one, Captain,” Yeoman Rand said.
When she handed him the coffee, he gave her the pile of reports he had just signed. “Thank you, Yeoman.”
After a few swallows, the captain got up, stretched his legs, and walked around the bridge.
“Uhura, contact Command for our next orders.”
“Aye, sir.”
Kirk rubbed his neck and whispered to himself, “I sure hope it’s shore leave; these walls are coming in on me.”
“Captain, are you feeling well?” Spock asked.
He glanced at his friend and said, “Yes, Spock, why?”
“You said you felt like the walls were coming in on you.”
“You heard that?”
Spock’s eyebrows lifted and he nodded.
Kirk walked up to his station and said, “No it’s just a saying.”
“Captain,” Uhura said, “new orders for you, sir.”
“I’ll take it in the ready room. Please forward them. Spock, with me.”
The captain and Spock met in the ready room, and sat to hear their next order.
“Jim, you’ve earned a rest for you and your crew. You have permission to seek a likely place to recuperate for the holidays, whether a star base or a properly relaxing planet. Let me know where you land. Admiral Johnson, out.”
“Good, Spock, it looks like it’s up to us. Any suggestion?”
“Captain, we have been through this quadrant, and there is not much to pick from. The closest star base is twelve-point-two days away.”
“Of course, the admiral gave us such a great choice, we have no choice,” Kirk grumbled.
Spock looked at the captain and said, “Jim, you seem to be in need of a break, and I also sense something more.”
Kirk looked up with a questioning glance.
“Captain, we are seven days away from your Christmas holiday. I am sure that most of the crew are having similar feelings.”
“Spock, it’s not so much a feeling, it’s, well…” he paused. “I guess you’re right, it is a feeling. We all miss home this time of year. Wherever home is.”
Kirk had a faraway look on his face and Spock remained quiet.
“Captain, perhaps Chekhov and I can scan the next quadrant and see if there is a planet that you would enjoy. I am not familiar with the area, but we will check the computer.”
Kirk sipped his coffee and looked at his friend. “Spock, I know you can’t understand, but it’s really important to the morale of the crew to celebrate somehow.”
“Captain, you forget. My mother was human and although we never celebrated the holiday, I did sense a longing in her at this time of year. Let Chekhov and me search for a few hours and see what we can find.”
“Okay, Spock. I’ll be in my quarters. Let me know.”
Kirk relaxed in his room, trying to finish up some crew reports that were overdue. He found himself thinking of growing up on the farm in Iowa. His brother Sam and his mother had usually celebrated the holidays without their father. It was sad, but their mother did her best to make it special. The smells that greeted them from the kitchen for weeks were always welcomed. The cinnamon, the sweets, and the special meals she made had always pleased the rambunctious youths.
The captain became alert when his comm buzzed. “Kirk here.”
“Spock, Captain. Chekhov and I have found one planet five days travel from here. It is a class M planet and is inhabited by humanoids. It is very similar to Earth, with huge oceans and land masses. Also, Captain, the USS Constitution made first contact several years ago. Many contacts have been made since then and the Bethlehemians have been very open to membership with the Federation. Once we arrive, we could possibly be given permission to have leave there.”
Kirk grinned and answered, “Sounds good, Spock. Have Chekhov put in the coordinates and have Sulu get us there at warp 4.”
“Aye, Captain.”
“Oh, Spock, tell Chekhov well done and meet me here when you can.”
“Yes, Captain.”
A buzz sounded at Kirk’s door. “Come on in, gentlemen. Bones, I’m glad you’re here. Spock, sit and tell us about this planet.”
Spock gave his report from what they had gathered in the last hour. They would have to gain permission from the inhabitants, but he felt the planet offered respite for the crew.
As the Enterprise got closer, anticipation could be felt throughout the ship. The crew had decorated the outside of their cabin doors, and Christmas carols were sung nightly in the rec rooms.
Kirk, Spock and Dr. McCoy planned to spend the time together. Preliminary schedules had been arranged for as long as leave was granted to Bethlehem. The coincidental name did not go unnoticed by the crew.
“Captain, we are four minutes from orbit.” Chekhov announced.
“Uhura, contact their Command Center.”
“Yes, sir. Frequency 2 is open, sir.”
“Command Center for Bethlehem, this is Captain Kirk of the USS Enterprise. Permission to enter orbit.”
“Permission granted, Captain.”
“Sir, our ship has been out on a long mission and we were wondering if my crew of 430 could spend some shore leave time planet-side. We would break them up into four groups, if that is manageable.”
“Captain, I will put you in communication with Governor Day. She will reach you shortly.”
“Thank you. Kirk out.”
A minute later, a call came in from the Governor.
“Patch it through, Uhura,” Kirk said.
“Captain, this is Governor Sunn Day. You are all welcome to spend your shore leave here. We can accommodate all of you. There are various areas that would suit you. As we are experiencing our winter in this hemisphere, if you would prefer a warmer climate, the other side of the planet would be accommodating, also.”
“Thank you, Governor, I’ll have our communications officer make the arrangements. I expect my crew will be on their best behavior and there will be no trouble from anyone.”
“Don’t worry, Captain, we have accepted many visits from Federation planets. Welcome, and if I can assist with anything, let me know.”
“Thank you, Kirk out.” He turned to Uhura. “Lieutenant, I know this is a big job for you, so call on any help you need to organize the leave. I’m sure the personnel department has been working on it already.”
“Don’t worry, Captain, we have it almost finalized. I’m waiting to hear from a certain captain, where and when he will be transporting down.”
There were a few snickers on the bridge; the captain looked at his lieutenant and grinned.
“I’ll get back with you, Lieutenant.”
“Aye, sir,” she smiled.
Kirk switched to ship’s communication and spoke, “This is the Captain. You’ve all been informed of shore leave and your schedules will be posted soon. Since this is a relatively new contact for the Federation, I don’t have to remind you that you will be on your best behavior. Have fun and enjoy your Christmas vacation. Services will be offered aboard ship on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. Merry Christmas, crew. Captain Kirk, out.”
Kirk met with Spock and McCoy in his quarters.
“Jim, are you sure you want to rent this cabin for three days? It’s cold out there and it’s snowing. My southern bones don’t take kindly to snow and ice and low temperatures. What about you, Spock? You’ll freeze your Vulcan, well, you know what.”
Kirk smiled and said, “You two don’t have to come.”
McCoy inserted, “Oh yes we do. You’ll get into so much trouble without us, we’ll never leave orbit.”
Spock’s eyebrows lifted and he said, “Surely, Doctor, our presence would not alter the fact that the captain can still manage to find trouble where none lies.”
McCoy let out a belly laugh and slapped Spock on the shoulder. “Well, for once we agree. This calls for a pre-holiday toast.”
Kirk pulled out his hidden bottle and three shot glasses. “Spock, I think you’ll like this. It’s cranberry-flavored brandy.”
Kirk and McCoy chugged theirs down in one swallow while Spock sipped his.
“It is sufficiently flavorful.”
McCoy smirked. “I think he likes it.”
“Okay, get your warm weather gear, boots, hats, whatever, and meet me tomorrow morning in transporter room one at 0800 hours.”
Spock finished his drink and asked, “Will you be bringing this brandy, Jim?”
Kirk smiled and said, “I’ll tuck it in my backpack.”
“Jim, I hope you know what you’re getting us into.”
“Come on, Bones, it’ll be fun. A log cabin, drinks, walks in the woods, and not far from town if you need some entertaining. At least that’s what the advertising says.”
“Uh huh, we’ll see you tomorrow. Good night, you all.”
At 0800 hours the three met with all of their gear in the transporter room. Lt. Kyle laughed as he saw them with their heavy clothes, boots and backpacks.
“Captain, I hope this is a relaxing vacation for you.”
“Thank you, Lieutenant; you can energize when you’re ready.”
The three landed outside an office building with a cold wind blowing. Snow had piled in every direction and only people on foot seemed to be moving anywhere. When they entered the office to get directions, it was announced that because of the snow, all transportation had come to a halt.
Kirk looked at his two friends, and he went up to the desk. “I’m Jim Kirk and I have reservations at cabin number 8. Is it close by?”
“Mr. Kirk, as I said, there is no transportation, but you could walk out there. It’s about a mile out of town. Just follow the road south of here; it goes right by all of the cabins. Yours is the most secluded one; let me show you the map.”
The gentleman gave him a map and the code to the door.
Kirk faced the stern look of his CMO and the almost shocked look of his first officer. “Now, where is your sense of adventure?”
“Jim, it’s 10 degrees above zero out there. Why don’t we have Scotty beam us to the cabin?”
Kirk gave them his most charming look and Spock said, “Doctor, I believe the answer is, we should start walking.”
“Jim, I swear, if we end up frost bitten, I’ll give you the biggest enema I can find.”
Kirk laughed his way out the door. They lifted their backpacks and glanced at the map.
“This way, gentlemen.”
The cold hit their faces and made their noses numb in minutes. They pulled their scarves further up their faces and held their arms up to block the wind. It was slow moving as Bones and Spock followed in Jim’s footsteps. The snow was a foot deep in spots and showed no sign of letting up.
There was a fork in the road and Jim stopped to check the map. With the wind and his cold hands wrapped in warm mittens, it was hard to hold the map flat.
“Jim, how long have we been walking?” Bones asked. “Shouldn’t we be there by now?”
Jim hollered above the wind, “There’s no fork in the road on this map. Spock, take a look at this.”
The three huddled together to study the map. Snow-encrusted mucous froze on the noses of all three.
“Captain, I see no fork, but now that we have encountered one, we should decide which way to go – left or right.”
“Eenie, meenie, minie, mo,” Kirk said.
Bones mumbled under his breath, but the two still heard him in the wind. “This had better be the right way.”
Jim led them to the right and turned his head away from the wind. His feet were beginning to feel cold and he worried about Spock. He was not made for this weather, but he knew he would forge ahead with Bones pulling up the rear.
They had walked another twenty minutes when the road led to an abandoned barn. They ran inside to get out of the weather. They dropped their backpacks and stomped some warmth into their feet.
The barn must have been used for storage. It was still cold, but it got them out of the wind.
Jim pulled his hood down and shook the cold from his hands. He pulled out his communicator and tried to reach the ship.
“Kirk to Enterprise, come in.” He tried a few more times, but received no response.
“Captain, the weather is probably interfering with the signal. We could wait here for a while,” Spock said.
The three looked around for some place to rest. There was a long dirty bench that, once cleared of all the junk that was on it, made a good seat. Kirk and Bones unzipped their coats to let some of the sweat cool off, but Spock left his zipped up.
Bones observed him with the eyes of a doctor and said, “Spock, are you shivering?”
“No, Doctor, but I am very cold.”
Jim said, “Maybe we can build a fire in here and warm up. I’ll look around.”
Jim came back with some old wood and Bones helped him to stack it in a pile.
“Anyone bring a phaser?”
Spock shook his head, and Bones said, “I have a laser scalpel. That will work.”
They broke up some wood to make tinder, and Bones managed to light it. “I hope we don’t burn the place down, Jim,” he said.
The old wood smoked for a while, but soon they had a good fire going. They found other wooden items to burn, and it produced some heat. They sat on the bench near the fire and began to get warm.
Bones said, “Anyone got anything to eat?”
Spock said, “I have sufficient fruit to share.” He pulled out an apple for each of them, and they ate while they stared at their campfire in the old building.
Jim was feeling guilty for making them try to walk to the cabin in this weather, so he was quiet.
“Jim, I sense your unease,” Spock said. “It is alright that we are here. Doctor McCoy and I never expected our leave to go smoothly.”
“You mean you both knew some disaster would happen?”
“Yes,” they both answered together.
“Oh, well, in that case, I’ll stop feeling guilty.”
“Guilt is not logical, Jim. We willingly – if not intelligently – agreed to come with you.”
“I see; I guess that’s a compliment.”
“Don’t be so sure,” Bones commented.
“Okay, plan B. Let’s warm up a little and then put out this fire, continue back to the fork, and go the other way,” Jim said.
He waited another ten minutes, then went outside to grab some frozen chunks of snow. Spock and Bones poked the wood apart and stomped out some of the flames. Jim put the snow on the rest as it sizzled and popped. He brought in two more handfuls of snow until they were satisfied that the fire was completely out.
They bundled up and grabbed their backpacks. They braced themselves for the cold as Jim opened the door. It was not any warmer, and the wind still blew. Though their tracks had been covered by the wind and snow, they put one foot in front of the other and followed the Captain down the road.
It took half an hour before they came upon the first set of cabins. Their cabin was farthest down the road. As they passed number seven, they knew they were almost home. The afternoon was getting darker as they hiked among some tall trees.
The last cabin came into view and Jim was excited until he saw a light in the window and smoke coming from the chimney, just like each of the other seven cabins they had passed.
They stopped ten feet from the door and looked at each other.
“I hope this means someone started a fire for us and not that it’s occupied,” Bones said.
“I’ll go check it out,” Jim decided. He had a bad feeling about it.
He knocked on the door as he put in the code, but the door didn’t open. He stepped back and knocked again. He heard a lock on the door being opened, and there stood a large, burly man.
“Yeah, what do ya want?”
“Uh, I’m Jim Kirk. I thought we had rented this cabin….”
The man interrupted, “I always rent this cabin every year. Old man Sotcha just screwed you over.” He slammed the door shut.
Kirk yelled, “And a Merry Christmas to you!”
He turned back to Spock and McCoy and shook his head. “I’m sorry, fellas; there seems to be a misunderstanding. I guess we have to trudge back to the office and try to clear it up.”
Bones pulled out his communicator and tried to raise the Enterprise, but when there was no answer, he said, “Well, let’s get going before we freeze to death.”
Jim was feeling responsible and bleak, but he knew that at least the barn would offer another short break for them. The wind continued to blow in gusts that made walking difficult. Occasionally, one would stumble and was picked up by the other two. Their bodies were warm and sweaty, but their hands and feet were beginning to feel the cold. Their faces had no feeling at all by time they reached the old barn.
Unsure if they could go farther, Kirk looked around for more wood to burn. Wooden crates were stored on a top loft. He and Spock climbed up and pushed them over the side of the loft. They splintered into pieces as they hit the cement flooring, and McCoy began to pick them up. If they had to spend the night there, they would need more wood.
“Look out, Bones, here comes another one!” Kirk yelled.
Another crate came smashing down. The three spent a few minutes stacking wood.
Kirk looked around and said, “There are a few more crates up there we can use, and nothing that looks like it would explode in the building, so if we’re in agreement, we’ll spend the night here.”
Spock nodded and Bones said, “Spock, do you remember what Jim said about a cabin, a campfire, and long walk in the woods? The long walk part we’ve accomplished. It’ll be fun, he said.”
Jim hid his smile behind his hand and went to the door. The wind was even stronger and their tracks were completely covered.
When he came back he said, “Well, gentlemen, we are going nowhere. It’s a full blizzard out there. Let’s get comfortable.”
Bones mumbled under his breath, and Spock reluctantly sorted through his pack, looking for sustenance. They had each brought their own food, but with no utensils to cook with, other than their mugs.
Bones ran his sensor over Spock to make sure he was surviving the cold.
“Doctor, I assure you, I am quite well, and your hovering is getting in the way.”
“Just checking to make sure you’re still pumping warm green blood.”
The comment drew a raised eyebrow his way.
Suddenly Bones noticed that the captain was missing. “Where did Jim go?”
They both looked around the large empty space.
“Jim, where are you?” Bones called.
His faint voice came from the opposite side of the building. “Up here, Bones. Spock, I found some bales of straw. Come help me lug them over to the edge. I’m up on the loft to the right.”
Spock climbed the ladder and together they shoved three bales of old dusty straw over the side of the loft. They split open on contact with the hard floor.
Kirk looked over the edge and said, “Bones, we’ll toss three more over. That should make a nice thick bed. Step away.”
The two shoved and half carried the sixty-pound bales to the side, and slid them over. Spock started a sneezing fit that lasted five minutes before he could climb down.
Kirk waited for him and gave him a sad look. “Spock, are you alright? I’m so sorry I got you into this mess.”
“Jim, it is not your fault entirely. The man at the office led us down a wrong path.”
“Yes, in more ways than one, and when we get back, I’ll give him a piece of Christmas cheer.”
“Jim, I thought this season meant you were to be kind to your fellow man.”
“I hate it when you’re right,” Kirk mumbled.
“It’s not a matter of right or wrong, it’s a matter of logical behavior.”
“Okay, let’s head down and maybe Bones can give you something for your allergy.”
“I was hoping we would not share that with him.”
Just then, Bones called to him. “Spock, are you alright? This dusty straw is going to wreak havoc with your allergies, but I’ve got the right stuff for you.”
“Too late, Spock.”
The two made their way down the ladder and helped drag the rest of the straw nearer the fire that Bones had started in front of the bench.
Spock started sneezing again and McCoy quickly gave him an injection. “Spock, if I didn’t give this to you, you’d be sneezing all night.”
“Thank you, Doctor, for your thoughtfulness, but when I start retching in the middle of the night, I will let you know.”
“This shouldn’t bother you, Spock. Besides, it’s Christmas Eve and all your troubles should be set aside.”
“Doctor, there is a gaping defect in your logic.”
“Okay, you two, let’s take an inventory of our food.”
All three of them emptied their backpacks.
Kirk smiled. “Well, we can heat the soup in our mugs, and some cereal in the morning. I guess we could scramble an egg in the mugs, too.”
Bones said, “And we have brandy to sip by the fire. Quite a feast on this Christmas Eve.”
“I’m glad you’re getting into the spirit, Bones. We’ve had worse Christmases.”
After they spread out the six bales of, they laid their sleeping bags on top of the thick cushion of straw. They opened their soup and warmed up the mugs near the fire. They added more wood to the fire and stretched out on their sleeping bags. All of the trudging through the heavy snow and bitter cold had drained them of energy.
Kirk passed around the bottle of cranberry brandy and they were each quiet with his own thoughts.
In the stillness of the night, with the wind howling and banging the old wood-framed building, Kirk said, “You know, for not having any room at the inn, this isn’t half bad. I’m with my best friends, we’re safe, we’re full and warm. I can’t ask for much more.”
He reached over, shook each of their hands, and said, “Merry Christmas, my friends.”
In a deep baritone voice, Kirk and McCoy could hear Spock humming the tune to “Silent Night”.
MERRY CHRISTMAS, ALL