Getting to Know

Fanfiction
Title:	Getting to Know
Author(s):	Rae Trail
Date(s):	2000
Length:
Genre(s):	slash
Fandom(s):	Star Trek: TOS
Relationship(s):	Kirk/Spock
External Links:	Getting to Know
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Getting to Know is a Kirk/Spock story by Rae Trail.

It was published as part of the first Kirk/Spock Online Festival (KSOF) in 2000, and subsequently in the Festival zine, a selection of the best stories from KSOF 2000 with additional artwork.

Challenge

"Kirk is caught in Spock's quarters and becomes witness to Spock masturbating."

Reactions and Reviews

This story had an interesting premise I don't recall seeing explored before in another story. (Although there are lots and lots of print zine stories I have yet to read.) The story revolves around how McCoy often tries to insult Spock, and has Kirk reprimanding McCoy about it and calling his attitude racist. Kirk even has McCoy research Vulcans and turn in written reports on Vulcan history, Vulcan logic, and the history of Spock's family! always thought some of McCoy's remarks to Spock in the TV show were pretty nasty. I know most K/S writers portray McCoy as considering Spock to be a very good friend, and McCoy's attitude towards Spock is just his way of covering his true feelings of friendship. Some writers portray their arguments as mainly for show to amuse Kirk. And I know the TV series did show moments of friendship between them, too, and moments of self sacrifice such as when McCoy goes with the Vians instead of letting Spock go. However, the nasty edge to some of McCoy's comments has always bothered me a little, and this story offers a different reason for it, explaining his attitude as resentment towards Spock for what McCoy sees as rejection of his human side. This is a first time story, too, with Kirk and Spock's relationship developing as Spock notes Kirk's caring and protectiveness of him. After Kirk has declared he's attracted to Spock, there's a great scene where Spock logically tries to deduce if he's sexually attracted to Kirk, deciding to experiment by thinking of Kirk while masturbating in the shower. Well, guess who walks in? I love this line from Spock: "A man masturbates once in two years and gets caught. I cannot calculate the odds of that occurring." I think most of you can guess what happens next! Rae Trail is one of the Internet authors I enjoy, and this story did not disappoint.

The idea that Kirk had been raped by Elaan took me kind of out of the blue. As a woman I hardly ever tend to think that a man can be raped too and certainly not by a woman, which is very silly of me, but in fact that's exactly what had happened and it presents me with a novel way of looking at that episode.

I very much liked her portrayal of Spock, his assertiveness, his standing up for himself, his multi-faceted mind. It's not something I often see and I just wish it could be brought more to the front in other stories as well. Spock has to be able to hold his own against Kirk or he won't be a very good first officer, but more to the point he won't be able to win and hold Kirk's respect and that of the crew.

Wow, talking about new ideas, numerous sects on Vulcan with their own culture; I like it, yes indeed.

Well, well, well, McCoy getting a dressing down, and a public one at that. Will wonders never cease to be. That dressing down should've happened in the series too. I can recall more than one instance where I think he deserved it.

There's sometimes so much acid in his words to question the belief that he and Spock are friends which is more commonly portrayed. Or let's say that sometimes I can get an inkling but it isn't carried throughout every episode. And thinking that because he's Kirk's friend would save him from it...? Where did he get that idea? Perhaps because Kirk has given him more slack than any other crewmember? I'm very glad that at least in this story Kirk gives him his due. Sounds vindictive? Well it is.

I love the way Spock thinks about Kirk, kind of matter of factly, no flowery prose which in some stories is completely right but would be wrong in this one, trying to see if he finds him sexy. Great way of testing "his empirical evidence". Very scientific indeed and totally Spockian.

And I like this Kirk too, the way he just tells Spock about his feelings. I don't doubt for one moment that he's very apprehensive and even anxious but he doesn't allow it to cripple him and I'm perfectly confident that if Spock would've said no, they would've continued as friends and possibly have added a deeper dimension to their friendship.

I wouldn't have minded at all to be given more insight into this authors ideas about Spock and the Vulcan Cultures, the brief mentioning of hunting Vulcans got me craving for more. I'm very hungry for more of this Spock and Kirkas well, I liked them very much.

Great story and one of my favourites.

I’ll start right off by saying I do not like Leonard McCoy in this story. That is not to say that I don’t like the story. But it hurts to read it. I have never seen McCoy’s barbed remarks to Spock as anything but well- considered and equally well-accepted teasing. There are a couple of times in the episodes that I will admit it pushes the envelope a bit too far. This author takes it a step further into scantily veiled bigotry. Something James T. Kirk doesn’t tolerate at any level, perhaps especially when it is directed at Spock.

It is not comfortable for me to see Kirk depicted as someone who will dress down an officer and a friend where other crew members can hear. But in the context of this story, I’ll accept that he does do it. He is tired and stressed and in love with his first officer and perhaps those are justifiable reasons. But it is painful to read.

The story moves along nicely, and is pleasurable in all other aspects. First times are hard to beat, and this is a very acceptable one! The interaction, both verbal and physical, between Kirk and Spock, is excellent. And in the end, as might be expected, McCoy sees the light – even if it is a much brighter light than he might have imagined. He remains a friend, and this is comforting to all. To quote the good doctor’s words, “This calls for a toast.”

Comments from the Kirk/Spock Archive. Author responses shown in italics.

• Very fine. I love it. Well done. Thank you for sharing. Chuckle. Thanks. I'm grinning.
• Way to go Captain Kirk. Bout time someone pulled McCoy up on his continued Vulcan bashing. You bet your arse it was! That was one of my favourite parts. Thanks!
• I always did think that McCoy was a very obnoxious out-of-the-closet bigot where Spock was concerned (I think it stemmed from jealousy, but I'm not sure if he was more resentful of Kirk's relationship with Spock or Spock's relationship with Kirk). Everyone else seemed to get a free pass, but the needles came out rather sharply where the first officer was concerned and I never bought into that being the way he demonstrated friendship - if that was true, then he must not have liked anyone else on the ship, because he never called them a racial slur or denigrated them in any way. I loved the way you had Jim very publicly put him in his place and require him to do some 'homework' to get his butt out of the doghouse, although you did let him have the last word, but thankfully they were happy ones. I loved it and thank you for sharing! p.s. where is the happy couple going to be honeymooning? Thank you! Yes, McCoy's bigotry was always something I disliked about him. We have to look at the times, of course - in the sixties that was perfectly okay, and actually sort of the 'done thing' among us, to make fun of those different from us. It wasn't even classed as racism or bullying. But I wanted to fix that in this story, and not allow it to enter my K/S future. Glad you liked it. PS - I'll post my first fic, The Vacation, next week and you can tell where I would send them on a honeymoon.
• I'm glad to see Bones has apologised to Spock, and so he should. Jim and Spock are so hot and sexy together. Great job lol. Thank you very much!
• Wonderful developement! I loved McCoy's reactions! thanks for sharing. Thank you for the very nice comments. I loved putting McCoy through the same hoops that Jim had gone through much earlier, and alone!
• I enjoyed this story as well. Love how you wrote Spock being completely oblivious for his feelings of Jim. Only when he decides to take things in hand...(pun intended) does he realize how much Jim has been affecting him, all this time. It was hiding behind a Vulcan wall, all these feelings for his commander. That wall starts to crumble, and he accepts the truth. Spock is in love...and decides Jim is the logical choice. Great job, this was hot...yum. Thank you! It was really fun to try writing from a Vulcan point of view. I am not a Vulcan, by any stretch, so it was fun to try getting into the man's head. I'm glad that you got that.
• I really liked the dressing down Jim gave Bones. And I laughed out loud at Jim`s version of "write 50 times: I will never again needle the resident Vulcan". But the love story was extraordinarily beautiful. Jim confessing his feelings during that first conversation and then the shower scene and then the love-making... I sat here sighing and a little teary-eyed and grinning like mad - sometimes all at once. Thank you for sharing this. Your review made me smile. You hit a lot of my own favourite highlights and it's fun to remember writing them. Bones' homework was a great treat to invent, as was his whole revelation thing. Thanks for writing back.
• Loved this story. The dynamic between Spock and Kirk is fab. Thank you! I love hearing from readers, it's such a nice treat!
• Yay! Thanks for having Kirk call McCoy on his xenophobia; McCoy's attitudes have horrified me for years.
• Doofes, Ende ansonstrn wirklich, wirklich schön. (Stupid, End otherwise really, really nice.)
• How have I missed this gem?? Why don't more people write Spock as alien?? Because he certainly is, and you've captured that so very, very well. Thank you!!
• Among the many things that bug me about our beloved show is McCoy's sanctioned racism/xenophobia. And let's not mention the sexism. You've managed to making a heart warming, hot little fic that tackles serious issues head on. Well done!
• I really enjoyed this one so much so that I feel I must comment ensued just leaving a rating. Although I'm 41 and have been a trek fan since I was little thanks to my mother :-) also although I have written and read many other fandom's I have just recently believe it or not discovered or should I say started reading through Star Trek Fanfiction primarily because while I don't know why I figured it would all pretty much be clichéd also believe or not it wasn't until recently that I discovered the concept of K/S when I first got into Fanfiction I had read somewhere that slash fiction started with Kirk and Spock. At the time I just brush it off because of that it would be pretty cheesy I was wrong I came across a fiction on Fanfiction.net after watching the Kelvin verse Star Trek's I have my own peeves with that particular arc although I do find certain parts of it enjoyable so I decided to look at some of the Fanfiction's based on the Kelvin universe and of course that's when I came across the concept of T'hy'la because I had not read the original novels just watch the show and the movies admittedly when I watch the show I was much younger so I missed some of the nuances shall we say. Even so I've always been a fan of Kirk and Spock I just did not know that there was already the wonderful concept of T'hy'la woven into the storyline after discovering this. I can't seem to get enough of this particular fandom so I read quite a bit over the last few weeks and one thing I find that bothers me is a lot of the Fanfiction's whether it be TOS or Abrams/Kelvin Dr. McCoy always comes off as a Bigot or if not that then very very very hostile toward Spock and most of what I've read now I will say that I don't agree with that particular personification because in the show although they did argue about "beads and rattles" there was a sort of respectful rivalry per se between McCoy and Spock although I will say that the dynamic between them changed profoundly after Dr. McCoy had to share Spock's Katra… Even before that they were sort of rivaled allies playing in picking at each other like recalcitrant siblings. Anyway now that I've rambled I just want you know that I thoroughly enjoyed this particular Fanfiction because of the things that Kirk says to McCoy and the fact that he is able to admit that he just might have been a little too judgmental of the Vulcan culture and of Spock in particular. Thank you! :-)