Chapter Text
Three days before Christmas, the space station just above Earth was packed with people all ages and species trying to get to their destinations for the holidays.
Thirteen year old Spock was ignoring the crowd as his attention was solely on his new junior tricorder his father had presented to him earlier that day as a definitely not Christmas present. He tried staying close to his parents as they were going through a security checkpoint in the station that led to the various starships and transports.
“Spock, when he board the ship, your father and I going to go straight to our quarters,” Amanda told her son. She reached a hand out and smoothed down his hair. He was so wrapped up in his tricorder that he did not care that his mother was touching him or talking to him.
“Spock, did you hear me?”
.
.
.
Amanda chuckled and then gently pinched one of his pointy ears. Spock scrunched up his face and moved his head away.
“I heard you mother,” Spock answered. “I will be going to the observation deck for some solitude once we board.”
“So you can play with your Christmas present?” Amanda smiled and asked.
“It is not a Christmas present,” Sarek and Spock said at the same time.
Amanda laughed as her Vulcans shook their heads at her illogicalness. The family then grabbed their bags from the security scan and started heading towards their terminal. As they fought the crowds, Spock was trying to get his files from his old tricorder transferred to his new one all while pulling his small suitcase behind him but he needed his PADD that was in his father’s satchel.
“Spock, please keep up,” his mother called to him as she and Sarek had gotten several feet away from him. “I don’t want to accidentally leave you behind.”
Spock scurried closer to his parents and tugged on his father’s jacket sleeve. Sarek glanced back to his son.
“My PADD please, sa-mekh,” Spock said.
“I will give it to you when he have boarded the starship,” Sarek said before being bumped into by a Bolian. Sarek raised a brow at the retreating person before shaking his head. He grabbed his wife around the waist and pulled her close to him to make sure she was not being bumped into by anyone.
“Father,” Spock insisted. “It will take my one point three minutes to install my files. If you could just…”
Sarek internally sighed and shook off the satchel from his shoulder and handed the bag to his son. Spock grabbed it and stopped walking. He crouched down, opened the bag and removed his PADD. He quickly synched his new tricorder to it and downloaded his files. He placed the PADD and his new tricorder into the bag and stood up. He went to hold the satchel out to his father but noticed his parents were not there. He looked around and could not see them anywhere. There were just crowds of people moving all around him to their destinations.
Spock sighed and put the satchel over his shoulder and then grabbed the handle to his suitcase.
Terminal 9C, he thought before being suddenly grabbed by the arm by someone. He turned his head and saw an older human woman with a communicator to her ear.
“I have another of the kids who wandered off, Jan,” the woman said into the communicator before dragging Spock away. “…well next time we do this school trip let’s make sure it’s not during one of the busiest travel times of the year. The kids are getting lost left and right! I don’t even know how many we’re supposed to have.”
Spock quirked an eyebrow up and tried saying to the woman, “Excuse me, but I am not with your group.”
The woman ignored him and led him over to a waiting area that had roughly twenty or so kids of various ages sitting and standing about. She pushed Spock into an empty seat before walking over to a man near one of the groups of kids.
Spock shook his head and went to get up to find his parents when he noticed another kid being pushed into a seat next to him.
“Jim, if you run off one more time,” the woman who had put him in the seat said. “I will call your mother and stepfather in a heartbeat. Is that understood?”
“Yes, Jan,” the boy, Jim, replied sarcastically.
Jan rolled his eyes and walked away. Jim stuck his tongue out at her back and then crossed his arms over his chest. He then noticed Spock and turned to look at him.
Spock breath hitched at seeing how bright and blue Jim’s eyes were.
“You’re not in our group,” Jim said. “We don’t have any Vulcans at my school.”
Spock shook his head and then said, “I was mistakenly grabbed by one of the adults in charge of your group. My parents should be at terminal 9C.”
“Going home for Christmas?”
“Christmas is an illogical Terran holiday.”
Jim smiled at that which made his twinkle, “Christmas is like the best time of the year. The music, snow, presents…it’s awesome.”
“If you say so.”
“I do say so,” Jim said and then sighed and looked away. “This Christmas is going to suck. My grandma used to go it right. Trimming the tree, nutcrackers, cocoa by the fire, but she died earlier this year. My mom hasn’t even put up a tree. Says I’m getting to old for all the Christmas stuff and it’s not like my brother cares about it either. Frank just…well he sucks.”
“I grieve with thee for the loss of your grandmother.”
Jim looked back to Spock and gave him a small smile, “Thanks. Do Vulcans celebrate Christmas?”
“No, but as my mother is human, she occasionally insists that we engage in some type of…merriment during this time.”
“Is that why you were on Earth? Engaging in merriment?”
Spock nodded, “Partially. A cousin of my mother got married last week. We went to the wedding in Seattle and then helped my maternal grandparents pick out a Christmas tree as well as participate in the start of Hanukkah.”
“Oh cool. I bet ya’ll picked out a big tree and decorated it.”
“We chose a moderately size tree. I did not participate in decorating it, though. I do not see the point.”
“Don’t see the point? Ugh!” Jim then groaned. “Decorating the tree is so much fun! I like picking out all the ornaments and the lights and tinsel. Have you ever seen the giant tree in Rockefeller center in New York City?”
“I have never been to New York City.”
“Wish we could go,” Jim sighed, slumping back in his chair. “New York City at Christmastime is the best from what I’ve seen in movies. The lights, snow in Central Park, all the ice-skating rinks…the toy stores!”
“Perhaps your mother and stepfather will take you and your brother,” Spock said before looking around the terminal. “I must depart now.”
Jim looked at him sadly before nodding, “Oh…okay. It was nice chatting with you…”
“Spock.”
“Spock,” Jim said with a smile. “I’m Jim. Jim Kirk.”
Spock nodded and then stood up. He grabbed his suitcase up and adjusted the satchel on his shoulder. Spock looked to Jim and held his hand up in a Vulcan salute.
“Live long and prosper, Jim Kirk,” Spock said before turning and going to leave even though he really wanted to stay and talk more with Jim. He managed to take two steps when he felt someone grabbed his satchel. He turned around and saw Jim standing there. With them standing, he noticed that the human was shorter than him by roughly three inches.
“Do you…wanna run away to New York City with me?” Jim asked hesitantly.
“I…um…” Spock started to say. He looked behind him towards where the terminal he needed to be was and then back to Jim. The boy’s big blue eyes were pleading for Spock to go with him.
“It would not be logical to go to a major Terran city unaccompanied, Jim. Also my parents would not approve of me leaving them without notice.”
“Guess you’ve never run away from home then?” Jim sighed before plopping down in his seat and looking away. “It would be a fun adventure running off to New York, but your right…it’s not logical. You probably only do logical things.”
Spock looked down and thought of his illogical emotional outburst one point four three years ago when he got into a physically altercation with Stonn at school. He also recalled when he was seven and he left home to try and complete his kahs-wan prematurely. Spock thought of all the logical reasons not to run away with Jim to New York City and was about to tell Jim ‘no’ when the blonde looked at him with his big blue eyes.
All his logical reasons left him and he caved. He was drawn to this human boy and he felt he need to be with him.
“How will we get to New York City?” Spock asked.
Jim light up at that. His blue eyes were bright in excitement as he jumped up from his seat and grabbed up his own backpack and his duffle bag.
“Terminal 4! We can sneak on. It’s easy.”
Spock nodded, “Lead the way.”
Amanda settled into the quarters on the ship and sat down on the bed. She toed off her shoes and sighed in relief as Sarek entered the room and placed his suitcase on the bed.
“How long is the trip back to Vulcan again?” Amanda asked.
“Three days with a stop at a starbase in one point eight days,” Sarek replied. “We would have been home sooner had you not insisted on public means of transport.”
“Using a private starship is a waste, Sarek. Wonder what Spock is up to on the observation deck. Probably taking his new tricorder apart and installing software. He was quiet as we boarded.”
“Indeed.”
Amanda smiled at her husband, “It was sweet of you to give him that Christmas present.”
“It is not a Christmas present, wife. It was a logical gift as he requested a new tricorder two point three one months ago.”
“Uh-huh, sure.”
Sarek looked to his wife and raised a brow. She stuck her tongue at her and then giggled when he shook his head.
Such an illogical woman, she heard him say through their bond.
Amanda leaned back on the bed and closed her eyed before getting a feeling. She opened them and sat up.
“Something is wrong.”
Sarek rummaged through his suitcase in search of his PADD and told his wife, “Nothing is wrong, ashal-veh. Where is my PADD?”
“In your satchel which Spock has,” Amanda said.
“I will retrieve it from him later than. I require mediation now. Traveling through those crowds was taxing.”
“Something…”
“Beloved, nothing is wrong,” Spock looked at his wife and said. He walked over to her and sat next to her on the bed. “Our luggage is here and our son is on the observation deck with his tricorder. Nothing is wrong.”
Amanda sighed and agreed with her husband even though she still had the feeling that something was wrong.
Spock and Jim had managed to sneak aboard a shuttle bound for New York City with ease. Spock made a mental note to send an anonymous tip to the starbase later to explain their lapse in security, though. Jim was beside him in a seat brimming in excitement.
“It’s going to be so great! New York! The first thing we should do is go to central park, Spock.”
“Negative, Jim, the first thing we should do is find proper accommodations for the night and then sight-see.”
“Oh yeah…we should do that,” Jim said before grabbing his backpack from the floor and opening it. Spock watched the boy rifle through it for a few moments before pulling out a wallet. Jim dropped his backpack to the floor and opened his wallet and took out a credit chip.
“I think I have…maybe a hundred credits on here,” Jim told Spock. “My mom only gave it to me for the trip but I only used like fifteen credits of it at a joke shop. We could be frugal and just get a crappy motel somewhere.”
Jim chuckled at seeing Spock make a little face at the term ‘crappy motel’. Spock shook his head at the human and then opened his father’s satchel. Spock pulled out his PADD and pulled up his banking information. He only had a few hundred credits himself so he put his PADD back into the bag. Spock then pulled out his father’s personal PADD and logged into his parent’s account.
They gave me the passcode so that could access the account in cases of emergency, Spock thought. This would be an emergency…correct? They would not wish for me to stay in a crappy motel.
“May I see your credit chip?” Spock asked. Jim nodded and handed over the chip. Their fingers made contact and a spark occurred between them. Jim gasped slightly and dropped the chip as Spock jerked his hand away, his eyes widening.
T’hy’la.
“You shocked me,” Jim accused and then laughed. “Static electricity, huh? I read that you Vulcans are touch telepaths…did you read my mind?”
All Spock could do was shake his head as Jim leaned forward and picked up the chip. He made sure not to touch Spock as he handed over the chip again. Spock snapped out of his revelation and inserted the chip into the PADD. He transferred over some credits and then handed the chip back to Jim.
“That should be enough for nice hotel and meals.”
Jim smiled big and nodded, “Great. This is gonna be so great!”
“You said that already.”
Jim turned in his seat and grabbed Spock by the shoulders, “That’s because this is gonna be so great!”
Spock raised bother eyebrows at that, “I am starting to change my mind about accompanying you.”
Jim laughed which made Spock’s stomach flutter.
Spock had checked on the weather of New York City and found that it was too cold for what he was wearing. He only had a thick sweater and pants at the moment while Jim was wearing jeans and a hoodie. They went into a clothing store in the transport station as soon as they landed and bought themselves thick winter coats, gloves, hats and scarves. Jim had grinned at seeing Spock all cocooned in the winter clothes.
“Vulcan is a desert planet," Spock told him.
“I know. So we should head to the hotel first?”
“Yes,” Spock agreed before pulling out a tourist guide from his pocket. “I purchased this book which offers reviews of various hotels in the city. Perhaps we should…”
“The Plaza,” Jim interrupted.
Spock looked up from the book and quirked an eyebrow, “Is that a hotel?”
Jim nodded, “It’s the best hotel for Christmas. C’mon.” Jim then grabbed Spock’s jacket covered arm and pulled him over to a corner of the transport stations so they were not in the way of the crowds. Jim took a communicator from his pocket, dropped his duffle bag down and then shrugged off his backpack. Jim knelt down and rummaged through the pack for several moments before saying, “Ah-ah!” He pulled a small device from the bag and stood up.
“I bought this at a joke shop. It changes your voice.”
“For what purpose?”
“Well for right now you are going to use it to make us hotel reservations. We’re kids, we can’t just pop into a hotel by ourselves and rent a room.”
“We are still underage, Jim."
Jim rolled his eyes, “I have a plan, Spock.” Jim handed the voice changer to Spock and took the tourist guide from Spock. He flipped through the pages and found the number for the Plaza. He entered the number and then held the communicator to Spock’s mouth.
“You have to do it because you talk more proper than me.”
“More proper? That is not…” Spock stopped talking when a receptionist answered the call. Spock stared at the communicator then to Jim.
“Hold the changer to your mouth and press the button,” Jim whispered.
Spock did as Jim told him and then spoke to the receptionist, “I would like to book a room for tonight.”
Jim bit his bottom lip to keep from laughing at hearing a deep, manly voice come through the voice changer.
“Certainly, Sir,” the receptionist said. “As it is three days before Christmas, I am afraid we only have suites available. One is a two bedroom with a king size bed in one room and two double beds in the other. We also have…”
“The first suite, Spock,” Jim hissed. “Say since you’re traveling with your sons that perfect.”
“The first suite, please,” Spock interrupted the receptionist and repeated what Jim told him. “I am traveling with my two sons so that would be perfect.”
“Very well, Sir. How long will you be staying?”
Spock looked to Jim who just shrugged so Spock said, “Until the 26th.”
“The rate will be four thousand five hundred and ninety-five credits a night.”
Jim’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head at hear that. He was about to tell Spock to cancel it but the Vulcan said, “That will be alright.”
“What is the name for the reservation?”
“Sarek. Ambassador Sarek of Vulcan. My son, Spock, will be checking in with his younger brother while I attend a meeting,” Spock lied. He had never really lied before and he did not particularly enjoy it.
Jim’s mouth dropped at that as Spock finished the call with the receptionist and then disconnected the call. He moved the voice changer away from his mouth and raised an eyebrow at Jim.
“Your mouth is open, Jim.”
“Dude! Why’d you lie like that? You could’ve just said my name is Bob Smith and I could’ve work with that, but you go and say Ambassador Sarek of Vulcan! What if they check that?”
“If they check that then they will see that I am, indeed, Spock son of Ambassador Vulcan.”
“No shit? Seriously?”
“Yes, now we should depart and check into the hotel,” Spock said before handing Jim back his communicator and voice changer. Jim nodded and shoved his stuff back into this backpack.
Spock watched how excited Jim was as they drove to the hotel in a cab Jim had happily hailed outside the transport station. Jim had pulled out his PADD and started snapping pictures of all the buildings and sights they passed on the ride.
He is, what my mother would say, cute, Spock thought. He then thought about his parents and whether or not he should message them that he was alright. That would defeat the purpose of running away then, wouldn’t it?
He snapped out of his thoughts when Jim struck his hand out to him and hit him on the arm, “The hotel!”
Spock looked out the window at the majestic hotel as the cab pulled up to it. Jim was beaming as a doorman from the hotel opened the door for them. Spock quickly paid the cabby and grabbed his suitcase and satchel before following Jim out of the cab and into the hotel.
“Whoa!” Jim exclaimed as they entered the hotel.
Spock internally agreed with his human companion. The hotel was definitely decked out for the holidays with gold tinsel about with wreaths and a big Christmas tree in the center of the room. It was a pleasing sight to Spock.
“It’s like a dream,” Jim whispered. “So pretty.”
Spock looked to Jim and nodded, “Indeed.”
Jim turned his head to Spock and gave him a big smile, “Thank you for coming with me.”
Spock’s heart started beating faster. He couldn’t figure out how to reply to he nodded. Jim chuckled and the grabbed his arm and pulled him over to the check-in desks.
Jim wasn’t as tall as the desk so he stood on his tiptoes to smile at the older, stern looking woman standing there.
“Hello,” Jim said in a sweet voice. “My brother and I are here to check in.”
The woman, whose name tag read ‘Gretchen’, raised an eyebrow at Jim and Spock before saying, “What is the name on the reservation?”
“Sarek.”
Gretchen typed at her computer terminal and then looked back to Jim and Spock, “Ambassador Sarek of Vulcan?”
Jim smiled, “Yep. That’s our dad.”
“You are Vulcan?”
Jim’s eyes narrowed but before he could say anything Spock spoke up, “I am Spock. My brother, Jim, was adoptive eight point nine years ago, not that that is any of your business, ma’am. My father called earlier and booked the room and specially said that Jim and I would be checking in while he attends a meeting. If there is a problem I can contact my father and interrupt his meeting so that he can explain to you our family tree.”
Gretchen’s eyes went wide. She shook her head and forced a smile, “No. No, that won’t be necessary, Mr. Spock. We can check you in and when your father arrives he can sign for the room and costs. Did he…did he leave you with a method of payment for the room?”
Spock looked to Jim. The blonde nodded and pulled out the credit chip from his pocket and handed it to Gretchen.
“Is there enough on it?” Jim asked Spock quietly out of the side of his mouth while Gretchen handled the chip.
“I transferred twenty thousand onto it so yes, there should be enough.”
“The chip is just needed for the room information,” Gretchen said. “Your father will need to pay the complete bill at check-out on the 26th.” Gretchen handed the chip back and then snapped her fingers over to a Ferengi bell boy. The bell boy quickly came over to them and Gretchen handed him key card, “These young men are Ambassador Sarek’s sons. They will be in the Park Suite.”
“Of course,” the bell boy whose name tag read ‘Pok’ then turned to Jim and Spock and held his hands out to them. “Your bags, Sirs.”
Jim smiled and handed over his backpack and duffle bag as Spock said he could manage on his own. Pok then led the boys over to an elevator and ushered them in.
“This is the Park Suite,” Pok told them as they came to a door on the ninth floor. Pok swiped the card key over the lock and the door opened right up. Pok held his hand our signally for the boys to enter first. Jim’s jaw dropped at seeing how big the room was when he entered.
“This is the living room area, complete with a small kitchenette, dining table, and also a stocked mini bar,” Pok explained. The Ferengi then moved over to double doors to the right of the living room and opened them to reveal two double beds. He sat Jim’s bags on one of the beds before moving across the living room to another set of double doors. “This is the master room with a king bed and bath. I hope you and your father find the accommodations satisfactory.”
Pok placed the key card on the mantle of the fire place in the room before moving to the door to the suite and standing there expectantly. Jim eyed him and then looked to Spock.
“He is waiting for a tip, Jim.”
“Ah! Right,” Jim said before walking over to Pok. Jim shoved a hand into his pants pocket and pulled out a pack of gum. He took a stick out of the pack and placed it into the bell boy’s waiting hand. “There you go. Also, another tip…um…don’t do drugs. Thank you.”
Pok looked taken back at the gum and Jim’s ‘tip’ but he nodded anyway and then left the room.
“Jim, you tip with credits not gum.”
Jim shrugged, “Oh well. Next time we’ll give him credits, but first I need to do something.”
Spock watched Jim run to the room with the king size bed. Spock followed and found the human was laughing and jumping up and down on the bed.
“We’re in New York! We’re in New York!” Jim kept repeating as continued jumping on the bed.
“I am aware of that and you should not be jumping on the bed. You could fall…”
“And break my head!” Jim finished for Spock with a laugh. “Its fine, Spock! Come jump with me.”
“Fine has variable definitions and I will not jump on the bed. It is illogical.”
Jim stopped jumping and stared at Spock, “Jump on the bed with me.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“You keep saying ‘yes’ and I am going to keep saying ‘no’, Jim.”
Jim sighed, “C’mon, Spock. Live a little. Jump on the bed with me.” Jim then gave Spock his signature puppy dog look.
Spock caved.
On the starship, Amanda decided it was time to get Spock and go to the dining hall for dinner. Sarek put his hand on the small of his wife’s back as they walked to the observation deck to collect their son. Sarek nodded his head at two Vulcan passengers they passed as they came to the observation deck. Amanda looked around but could not see where her son was.
“Spock,” Amanda called.
There was no reply. Amanda saw a woman sitting on a bench reading a book so she walked over to her.
“Excuse me, Miss,” Amanda said. “How long have you been on this deck?”
The woman looked up and thought about the question before saying, “Um…about two hours I think.”
“There was a Vulcan boy here…do you know when he left?”
The woman looked confused, “A Vulcan boy? No, I’m sorry there wasn’t a Vulcan boy here when I arrived and I’ve only seen a couple adult Vulcans here.”
Amanda’s eyes went wide. She turned to her husband in slight panic.
“Amanda, be calm,” Sarek said smoothly. “I am sure that our son must be elsewhere on the ship. We will go to the information desk and see if they can locate him.”
Amanda took in a breath and released it then nodded, “Okay.”
Several moments later, Amanda waited patiently at the information desk after the staff member had called over the speaker for Spock to meet his parents here. Sarek lightly rubbed his wife’s back as they waited. And waited. And waited.
.
.
.
Ten minutes later, Amanda demanded that they search the ship.
“Amanda…”
“Shush, Sarek,” Amanda said before narrowing her eyes at the staff member. “Find my son.”
“I will call the Captain and head of security, Lady Amanda.”
The Captain and head of security brought Amanda and Sarek into the security office.
“Do you have a photo of your son?” Security Officer Levine asked.
Amanda quickly pulled out her PADD from her bag she had with her and pulled up a recent picture of her son. She handed it to the security officer and watched him transfer the picture over to the ship’s computer.
“I will just run a facial recognition scan of the ship. Should find him in a matter of seconds,” Levine said.
Amanda took her PADD back and waited.
After a few moments the ships computer voice said, “Not found.”
“No. No, he is on this ship. You find him,” Amanda demanded as she started to get worried.
“The computer…” Levine tried saying but Amanda cut him off.
“Find. Him.”
He nodded and then pulled up video of passengers boarding the ship. Amanda wrung her hands together as her eyes scanned the faces and searched for her son.
He is onboard, Amanda, Sarek assured her.
He better be. I just...what if he is not...I don't know what I'd do.
Spock is on...Sarek cut off when Levine said, "Here.”
Sarek looked at Levine pointed to the screen. Amanda looked and saw that it was her and Sarek boarding, but Spock was not there with them. He wasn’t anywhere.
Amanda’s eyes went wide, “SPOCK!”