Beyond the Sea

K/S Fanfiction
Title:	Beyond the Sea
Author(s):	Elise Madrid
Date(s):	2010
Length:
Genre:	slash
Fandom:	Star Trek: The Original Series
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Beyond the Sea is a Star Trek: TOS Kirk/Spock story by Elise Madrid.

It was published in the print zine Legends #6.

Excerpt

"Pouring himself a small glass of whiskey, he walked over to the wide expanse of windows that looked out onto the Bay. It had been the reason they had bought the place. He and Spock had turned to each other and, without a word being said, the decision had been made. He smiled bitterly. Yet another memory no longer to be shared. The place was full of them. How many years here? Sixteen? No, seventeen. Good years. He snorted. Hell, they had been great years. They hadn't always spent a lot of time here; there'd been the five-year missions, before and after those three unfortunate years when Spock was gone and Kirk had done about the most stupid thing imaginable and married Lori Ciani. But when they had finally settled down, each taking positions that kept them on Earth most of the time, they'd made the most of being able to sleep together every night. He turned away, not wanting to think about what he'd lost, and approached his chair in front of the fireplace. Placing his glass on the nearby table, he turned on the fire, the flames leaping up as the fuel reached the pilot light. He settled into his chair, the heat of the fire warming him. He hadn't understood it at first, why he was so cold all the time. But finally the answer had come to him; Spock's heat was gone. The all-encompassing warmth of their bond had died along with him."

Reactions and Reviews

In my previous reviews of this author‘s stories, I‘ve often commented on how she tends to write a story based on a particular plot I‘m not too crazy about, and yet still is able to keep my interest to the point where I not only really like the story, but will often read it again and again. So when I saw this story in the table of contents in the zine, I fully expected the same thing to happen again. It was only when I began reading the story that I realized that I was in for something different this time and that difference almost tempted me to stop reading it, but once again that magic she has kicked in and I found I could not put it down. And I‘m glad I didn‘t because just like a magic trick, this story starts out with the reader knowing something unexpected is going to happen; they‘re just not sure what. And when that trick of hand is finally revealed, it‘s almost like the trick hasn‘t quite turned out the way the magician or the audience expected. For while the reader can‘t help but feel relieved that events have taken the turn they have, the result is not the happy ending one might be expecting. More effort still needs to be made before the magic can have its intended effect, but it‘s an effort both Kirk and Spock are willing to make. Like I‘ve said before, this author always brings a unique touch to her stories and while this particular touch doesn‘t follow the usual fare I‘ve come to expect from her, it was a wonderfully pleasant and very successful surprise.