Cage of Freedom

Fanfiction
Title:	Cage of Freedom
Author(s):	Deanna Gray
Date(s):	2012
Length:
Genre(s):	slash
Fandom(s):	Star Trek: TOS
Relationship(s):	Kirk/Spock
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Cage of Freedom is a Kirk/Spock story by Deanna Gray.

It was published in the print zine T'hy'la #33.

Summary

From the zine: "The aftermath of pon farr leaves them inadvertently bonded, and the consequences of their decision to go on as if nothing had changed between them will affect them for the rest of their lives."

Excerpt

""Kirk now stared down at his hands. “I do love you, Spock, very much. As my friend. To be honest, I’ve never thought about you like that. You’re a Vulcan and my first officer, a member of my crew, and frankly, I’ve never been sexually attracted to men. I like women.”“Yes, I know.” His hands were clenched tightly together and his chest was filling with a pain he had never known before. It felt physical but its cause was purely emotional. “I’m also not very good at relationships. The few I’ve had didn’t work out. I’m not looking for a personal commitment right now; I already have one, to the ship.” “There is no need to explain. I am grateful to you for saving my life. I do not expect anything else.” Their eyes finally met again and sharp sorrow filled him. Kirk looked so sad. That he was the cause of such pain for this man…it was too much. “What do we do now?” “Nothing.” “Nothing?” “We go on as before.” “That’s not possible.” “Of course it is.""

Reactions and Reviews

If you have been reading K/S stories for a long time, you are well-aware that there are certain common themes in this fandom, including that of pon farr (pon farr recurs after they leave Vulcan, pon farr in a cave, pon farr stranded on a planet, pon farr…well, you get the idea). So you would think that with all those pon farr stories out there, it would be difficult to pen one that was fresh and different and new. Well, with this story, the author has managed to do just that.

Now while this does start out as your typical “Spock goes back into Pon Farr after they leave Vulcan” story, from that point on, it becomes anything but typical. Yes, Kirk does suggest the typical alternative solutions (going to nearby planet to find Spock someone suitable, or finding a woman on the ship to volunteer to help) and yes, Spock refuses any and all of those suggestions, deciding the best course is simply to die, and yes, Kirk won’t have any of that and offers himself instead, and yes, Spock refuses to even consider it at first until he can no longer do so and yes, he ends up taking what is offered and survives his first Pon Farr thanks to his captain, and yes, a bond is formed between the two, but it is there that the clichés end. For instead of acknowledging and celebrating the bond, and living happily ever after, Spock makes the decision that it would be for the best that they simply ignore what has happened and continue on as before. Kirk readily agrees, but only because Spock has not fully informed him exactly what the consequences would be as a result of such a decision. The author then takes us through the rest of the five year journey wherein the results of that one coupling lead to disagreements, unrequited desires, and at least on Spock’s part, a longing for the one thing he cannot have – Kirk’s mind and heart. Yet he endures because the thought of separation from his beloved is much too painful, but eventually it all becomes too much and he flees for Gol. There he makes the choice to sever the bond he shares with Kirk, but that decision comes with unforeseen consequences. Consequences which deeply affect his relationship with Kirk once they have been reunited, and which last until his death in ST II. But with his subsequent resurrection comes a chance to regain all that the two of them have lost, yet it is not that simple. Too many unresolved issues remain between them and how and if those issues are resolved will determine their future.

There are always certain constants one can count on when sitting down to read one of this author’s stories. The first is that one can be assured the characterizations of Kirk and Spock will always be true to form. The second is her stories often involve “plot bunnies” that have never been done before. And while the plot of this particular story is not unique by any means, the way she spins this tale certainly is. The reader is taken through an as yet here-untold journey of the lives of these two men and the obstacles they must overcome in order to find peace with each other. It is a gripping tale of self-sacrifice, loss, and ever-enduring love, all of which combine to create a story one is not soon to forget.