Divided Loyalties

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Zine
Title: Divided Loyalties
Publisher:
Editor:
Author(s): JM Lane/Debby
Cover Artist(s): Gamin Davis
Illustrator(s):
Date(s): 2001
Medium: fanzine, print
Size:
Genre:
Fandom: Star Trek
External Links: Author's website (offline), was also posted here (offline)
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.
cover by Gamin

Divided Loyalties is an adult Star Trek novella - Half-het, half-slash written by JM Lane. It was published in 2001 and has 90 pages with a color cover.

Summary: "Spock is bonded to Kirk, married to Christine and torn between the two."

It is a sequel to the story Sweet Revenge.

Author's Comments

I wrote my first Trek fanfic back in 1986, and compared to my latest work, it is far less sophisticated and contains far more grammatical errors than the latter. The newest story even contains some slash (it’s a sequel to another, similar story, which was short - eleven pages - this new one turned into a monster: over eighty pages). In the latter, Christine Chapel is married to Spock, *at first* only for the sake of giving him a child--but events (and Kirk’s actions against her) prompt the Vulcan into a gradual, if not complete, change of heart. [1]

Excerpt

Some days later, when they got together again and were planning lunch in their quarters while the baby slept, Christine reminded Spock that it was time to make the arrangements to take T'Lehn to Vulcan for both her official christening into Spock's clan and her introduction to not only her grandparents but Vulcan society as a whole. After all, it wasn't every day that the legendary Sarek of Vulcan and his equally legendary son became a grandfather and father respectively -- especially by another Human!

This was news...so Spock was sure that his father would inform all the Vulcan news networks that his son, Human daughter-in-law and grandchild were coming to Vulcan for her christening and introduction. He might even have holovision cameras on hand to cover the momentous event.

Certainly it would be a welcome (if momentary) diversion from all the suspicion, rumors and innuendo surrounding the accusations of a gay relationship between the Captain and First Officer of the *Enterprise* by a long-time and obviously disgruntled member of the medical contingent aboard ship.

That it was true and had been for over two decades was beside the point. Most of the *Enterprise* crew had enough consideration and decency to keep their knowledge or suspicions to themselves and didn't allow it to affect their attitude toward their superiors, either on duty or off. What neither could understand was why this person hated them so much, nor could they fathom why they would keep quiet for twenty years, then decide to go public now.

Was it possible that this person was a closet homosexual and had been rejected by one or both of them at some point? It was well known that both Kirk and Spock were attractive to certain other men as well as women, but had someone approached one of them with the intention of beginning a romantic relationship...then after they were rejected (kindly but firmly), allowed their hurt to turn into hatred and a lust for vengeance upon learning just why they had been rejected?

Fan Comments

And, the story that started it all: Sweet Revenge and Divided Loyalties by JM Lane (K/S, S/Ch, NC-17) - Everything a Kirk, Spock and Chapel story shouldn't be, and thus, the impetus for this fest. (I think you can find Sweet Revenge by following the links on this page.) JM Lane was not at all pleased to find out I linked to her story in this way. Too bad! In her defense, she claims this is how she honestly thinks a K/S/Ch situation would turn out. The point of the K/S/Ch challenge is to prove her wrong.

And I just have to add, having reread Divided Loyalties (long--it took me three days), that the patronizing attitude towards gays which pervades the story is flatly insulting. It's hard to describe how bad this story is, in so many ways. Simply put, it's a world where Spock's needs come before everyone else's--and it's not just Spock who thinks this. It's stuck firmly in id-land, and it's not a pleasant id-land by any means. [2]

References

  1. ^ comments by Lane in Writers and Writing (2000)
  2. ^ comments by Hypatia Kosh at The Wonderful World of Kirk/Spock/Chapel (2003)