And Never Parted

K/S Fanfiction
Title:	And Never Parted
Author(s):	Elwyn Conway
Date(s):	1984
Length:
Genre:	slash
Fandom:	Star Trek: The Original Series
External Links:
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And Never Parted is a Kirk/Spock story by Elwyn Conway.

It was published as part of a serial in Nome and was nominated for a 1984 K/Star Award.

Series

• A Mission's End ("Parted from Me" Book 1, Nome #5)
• Earthbound ("Parted from Me" Book 1, Nome #5)
• And Never Parted ("And Never Parted" Book 2, Nome #6, #7, #8)
• Never and Always ("Never and Always" Book 3 is made up of two stories, "What Are Friends For?" and "When Legends Meet," Nome #9)
• Touching and Touched (Nome #10)
• Genesis Aftermath (Nome #11)

Summary

"Kirk and Spockʼs indecision continue as both seem unable to accept the reality of their relationship, or to communicate."

"Spock and Kirk are struggling to reestablish their friendship on the shakedown cruise following the V'Ger mission and McCoy is by their side to offer his friendship, council and love. Little is resolved between these men before the Enterprise is given a new assignment: convey a group of scientific observers and media personnel on a survey of the planet Styros II."

"The Enterprise is on an assignment to escort a group of scientists, media representatives and a documentary team to the planet Styros II. While coping with the irritating passengers, Kirk is still trying to came to terms with his feelings for Spock. McCoy, as always, is by his side to help in any way he can."

"The Enterprise, still transporting its retinue of media personnel and scientists, is leaving Styros II. It uill proceed to a remote planet uhere legend says there lives an infallible oracle who is immortal."

Gallery

• 

  from Nome #6, Elwyn Conway

• 

  from Nome #7, title page, printed in two pieces, Pat Cash

• 

  from Nome #7, Pat Cash

• 

  from Nome #7, Pat Cash

• 

  title page from Nome #8

• 

  from Nome #8, Elwyn Conway

• 

  from Nome #8, Pat Cash

The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Writer

In the 1980s, the large distance between the United States and Australia, the latter where Elwyn Conway lived, was made even more vast by the fact that before today's almost instantaneous fannish communication, fans had to rely on the extremely expensive long distance phone call and/or the handwritten letter which took weeks to arrive at its destination. This meant that for Conway, feedback was slow and sparse, if present in any great amount at all. Considering that this series was written over at least a six-year period, it is amazing that she persevered as she did.

In 1988, Conway sent this letter to Nome #11's newly established LoC feature:

I just want to say how much I appreciated the LoCs you printed in the last issue, and especially the comments on my story, both positive and negative. You may remember, three or four years ago, when I said it was like writing into a vacuum, not getting any feedback, not knowing what people liked or disliked. Now your invitation to your readers to write LOCS has produced an abundance of feedback, and I'm very grateful for it. It was overwhelmingly encouraging, and sometimes quite touching. Before. I wasn't sure whether people understood or empathized with what I was trying to convey in my story. Now I am quite sure that many people do, and I would like to thank them for taking the time and trouble to say so.

Reactions and Reviews

1985

To review this second portion... is to work in a vacuum as it is difficult to assess whether it is going to be salient to the whole. There is little contact between Kirk & Spock here, both physically & emotionally, & although, when separated, they acknowledge their physical desire for each other, when they finally come together (an exquisite piece of writing this), Spock pulls back. His reasons are not, as yet, entirely clear. AAAGGHHH!! I assume the ending will be in NOME 8 (It had better be). I sincerely hope that after all this wait, it's the right one. The only problem is, can I hold my breath that long?

I, personally, have been eagerly awaiting [the next installment] since its cliff-hanger ending in NOME 6 - and it's still not finished! (Yes, Elwyn Conway, I mean you - how can you be so cruel??) Kirk & Spock are still hanging on the same cliff 92 pages later. To be fair, I think the editors of NOME were rather taken aback too. Hopefully all will be well in NOME 8.

I imagine that most readers along with myself turned immediately to "And Never Parted" by Elwyn Conway when they received their copy of NOME 8. Could our heroes sort themselves out? More importantly, could they sort themselves out to our satisfaction? Well, there may be divided opinions on this fact but my feelings are, that with the conclusion as it is at the moment they're either fooling me, Elwyn Conway or themselves. And I believe the latter. This would seem to be borne out by the fact the story ends with the elgend 'End of Book One'. Hell's bells - can tension mount any further you may ask. I nearly expired from it reading thus far - pity poor Kirk & Spock. The whole thing is wonderfully written & completely over the top. I once promised myself I would never jump on the 'Oh God', 'Oh Spock', 'Oh Jim' bandwagon, believing, as I still do, that such exclamations sound faintly ridiculous coming out of my heroes' mouths, however, I will amend my views a little; in the right hands they can work. Elwyn Conway's are the right hands. Even the whimpering, sobbing, moaning & gasping doesn't seem completely out of place, though I suspect if I stopped & thought about it, I might begin to have doubts. Two more confused men than Kirk & Spock you will never come across. Kirk flirts with poor, uptight Spock over & over again, regretting it & drawing back repeatedly. Spock retreats like mad with such cryptic thoughts as '...When Kirk came to his senses & their relationship reverted to simple friendship - as it surely must...' and, acknowledging that to humans a mental closeness often lead to a physical one...' That was a possibility not to be contemplated.' Then, later, as Kirk nearly orgasms while locked in a prolonged kiss with Spock, he starts to tell Spock, & pretty nearly convinces himself, that he really doesn't want sex & that in fact he is really rather frightened of the idea. Spock doesn't really commit himself, even to himself, & we are left to assume that it is the dreaded pon farr that is the problem. My main worry is that 2 men with such little self knowledge, or at least self honesty, are left in charge of a very expensive starship but I can suspend disbelief just for the sheer enjoyment of the intensity of feeling portrayed. It seems that a monumental explosion is jsut around the corner. Spock's thoughts on the subject just about sum it up; 'He had created for himself, in his years of lonely longing, a dream world, a fool's paradise of rarefied spiritual & romantic sentiment in which he had worshipped Jim Kirk from a safe distance...But dreams were never meant to be realised, they were meant for dreaming in unsullied perfection, aloof from harsh realities... (Reminds you of the distance between hurt/comfort & K/S doesn't it?)

1986

Yes, it's drawn out and sudsy, but it's complete, that takes time. She presents both men's thoughts and feelings with the emotional cripples in space taint , and she's thorough. It's a definitive piece; it may be restatement of many, many other stories over the years, but it gathers them together, and smooths out their flaws; it's polished. (Needless to say I love this story.).

"And Never Parted" by Elwyn Conway proved to be an almost irritating story for me to read. We are dragged through, what seems to be, page after page of Kirk and Spock almost "getting together" only to have them thrown back to their feelings of guilt - anger - self hate - denial and then to have the passion build up again to the "touching point" then turn the page and we're back to the guilt - anger - self hate - denial. This was only Book One and Kirk and Spock still aren't together! Some of the scenes are beautifully written with dialogue and characterization pretty true to form, however, I would suggest more editing in Book Two, unless the author is trying to torture us all by this emotional build up and let down!

I was unimpressed with Elwyn Conway's "And Never Parted" Part 3, for the reasons [S L] gave in her review. It's just too exaggeratedly drawn out for the sake of the agony. It's not subtle and too soap opera like to strike me as real. This doesn't hold my interest, unless the writer is doing something new and original at the same time. Conway doesn't seem to be the slightest bit original here. It's just the same old dithering. Like "Journey to the Day" Part 2, it ends just as things start to become interesting. Never mind the sudsy interaction, I would like to know more about this immortal Etife who might have been Surak's instructor.

In her essay [referring to Another Addict Raves About K/S], Joanna Russ notes that "The lengthy 'shall-I-shan't-I' the characters go through for endless pages before one fingernail so much as touches another are a means of raising the emotional & erotic intensity of the situation to the boiling point..." and Elwyn Conway's "And Never Parted" is a prime example of this basic K/S convention. However, it is also an example of the worst extremes to which this convention can be taken. Not only have we waited through 3 issues of NOME for Kirk & Spock to finally get together, but during that wait we have been taken on an emotional rollercoaster ride of such excruciating highs & lows that at last it begins to seem less like psychological profundity & more like crass manipulation. Time & time again Kirk & Spock experience something transcendent & magical, only to have things brought to a jarringly abrupt halt so that everyone can go back to square one & start over again with guilt & anger & self-recrimination & reproach. Quite frankly, it goes on too long, as if the author were enjoying a wallow in frustration for its own sake—or is simply unable to write a resolution. And now we learn that this is only the end of "Book I," & Kirk & Spock-still aren't together (in the Biblican sense, that is, though we are constantly teased with the possibility that next time they will physically consummate their telepathic/spiritual union). Individual scenes are stunning, & dialogue & characterization generally ring true, but some wholesale cutting & editing are needed to make this more than an author's indulgence in gratuitous emotional overkill.

1987

Without a doubt. Elwyn Conway's "And Never Parted, Part 3" was my favorite piece. What on Earth (or Vulcan) are people complaining about? I only wish I had all the preceding parts of the "saga," and as far as I'm concerned, she can go on forever. The intensity of the emotions it describes~as well as those it evokes, in this reader at least-have rarely, if ever, been matched in any of my wide and varied reading. Please passon my compliments to her and keep printing it!