Dreams of the Heart (Star Trek: TOS story)

Fanfiction
Title:	Dreams of the Heart
Author(s):	Abraxisdragon
Date(s):	2004
Length:
Genre(s):	slash
Fandom(s):	Star Trek: TOS
Relationship(s):	Kirk/Spock
External Links:	Side by Side Collection on AO3
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

Dreams of the Heart is a Kirk/Spock story by Abraxisdragon.

It was published in the print zine Kindle My Heart #1 (2004) and online in Side by Side #17 (2005).

Summary

"What happens when James Tiberius Kirk—the tomcat of the universe who had bedded male, female, human and alien and had always walked away intact, had finally lost his heart; lost it to someone who never would, never could claim it… (He) started making the rounds of the lowest dives he could find. His sole intention was to get as shit- faced and mentally disabled as possible through the liberal imbibing of the oldest anesthetic known to the human race."

Reactions and Reviews

"Dreams of the Heart" by Abraxisdragon is a fifteen page story. It was cluttered before the story started with a bunch of stuff I thought totally unnecessary. Why couldn't Abraxisdragon simply thank her betas and let the other stuff go? Anyway, the story is a shore leave story and a first time sexual encounter, something that has been done many times before. It was an enjoyable and pleasant read. There's not really much I can say about it except that I liked it.

The Enterprise is on shore leave. Captain Kirk's kinda depressed and gets shit-faced (the word "toxic" is being used by Bones) and gets into trouble.... "Dreams of the Heart" is a very sweet and romantic story that made me happy to read. It's got a bit of angst, but not that much, a bit of passion—could have been more IMO but I'm a smut-hog—and a bit of that uncertainty that I love in the best first time stories. I enjoyed this story a lot. It's almost Harlequin-esque in its sweetness, but I mean that in the best possible way.

A depressed Kirk dons a disguise so he can go bar hopping incognito in a failed attempt to drown his sorrows about his unrequited love for Spock. (Although I don’t know if I’d choose a red wig for a disguise. Unless things have changed a lot by the 23rd century, red hair is sufficiently rare that it’s a lot more noticeable than brown or blond or black.) Spock and McCoy rescue Kirk from a brawl with Klingons, and soon Kirk finds himself exactly where he does not want to be—taking shore leave with Spock on a private tropical island while trying to hide his

feelings for him! I think the author did a good job of capturing Kirk and Spock. The story is told from Kirk’s POV, and his thoughts and conversation are believable. She also does a good job with Spock’s dialogue. I also like the author’s writing style—she has a way with words that is quite amusing at times. For example, the story opens with Kirk in darkness and immobile. I liked the way he analyzed the various possibilities for what could have happened, and wonders at his lack of reaction to his condition: “Had he been in this kind of shit so often that he was becoming inured to it? Had kidnapping and incapacitation become just another ho-hum day at the office?” Kirk thinks to himself that “he felt about as intelligent and coherent as a salted slug”. Kirk is angry about being forced to take shore leave by McCoy, but “When Bones was finally pushed to the point that he pulled out his three initial big gun—CMO—he was the most immovable of immovable objects.” I also liked the part where Kirk was irritated that Spock and McCoy were so sure he would agree to their plan, but then: “His irritation changed to resigned amusement. Their knowing him so well was one of the factors that made them so valuable to him as Captain of the Enterprise. That it was sometimes a pain in the ass for Jim Kirk, private citizen, was a small price to pay.”

I liked McCoy in this story, too, and his easy relationship with Spock. Spock fans will enjoy this depiction of a strong, confident and sexy Spock, who is the one to initiate the first kiss with Kirk. There’s also some great descriptions of how enticing Spock looks in the skin tight T-shirt and shorts, or with his shirt off applying sun tan lotion. This was a charming and enjoyable first time story.

Such an easy, carefree writing style this lady has! It captured me from the start, causing me to chuckle several times. Perhaps one could not classify this as memorable K/S, but it most assuredly falls into the entertaining and enjoyable class! My definition of a vignette is a small, appealing collection that is pleasing to the beholder. It could be an arrangement on a tabletop, or it could be a short story full of attractive things (both human and Vulcan) that is most pleasing and leaves the reader with a feeling of warmth and a smile on her face. Ms. Dragon's creation fits that description perfectly.