He Was He And I Was I

K/S Fanfiction
Title:	He Was He And I Was I
Author(s):	Emily Adams
Date(s):	1988
Length:
Genre:	slash
Fandom:	Star Trek: The Original Series
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He Was He And I Was I is a K/S story by Emily Adams.

It was published in the print zine As I Do Thee #11.

Summary

"The last thing Kirk expected to be doing on shore leave was searching the inside of a mountain for an escape route from a complex cave system while his first officer's life hung in the balance."

Reactions and Reviews

HE WAS HE AND I WAS I by Emily Adams strands Kirk and an injured Spock In an underwater cavern, causing Kirk to have to care for Spock and try to find a way of escape and, not so surprisingly, allowing quite a bit of time for Kirk to discover his true feelings for his injured friend. Nothing special, but a nice story.

Enjoyed this one very much. I found the part where Kirk and Spock spent three nights in a cave, Kirk diving through an icy pool every now and then, rather unlikely, as I thought Kirk (naked) would have died of exposure. But Emily Adams may know more than I about that. It was true that the cave was open to the light on top, and therefore not quite as cold as a wholly underground cave would be. But still! The whole cave sequence seemed a little too long to me, but it could be because of my own claustrophobic tendencies. It worked well to bring the two together, and to show Kirk's devotion. The part afterwards, on the ship, was wonderful. Slow and easy. Good sensory details. I liked McCoy's reactions as he realizes what's going on, and Kirk's way of seeing as virtues what Spock sees as defects in himself. Loved the title quote too.

I love the opening scene in this story, in which Spock is under a console on the bridge, while Kirk lounges in the command chair watching the viewscreen picture which Spock is attempting to fix. Kirk keeps asking "What?" when Spock's muffled words emerge, and Spock keeps pushing himself out to somewhat impatiently repeat himself. It feels so real.

The new instrumentation Spock is installing is important to the resolution of one part of the story. Kirk and Spock beam down to a newly discovered planet, one of several survey parties, only to be trapped by the humanoids there. Kirk has dived naked into a small lake, exploring an underwater passage that leads to a hidden cave. Meanwhile, Spock is attacked and stabbed with a spear through the shoulder by the primitive humanoids. To escape, Kirk hauls Spock into the water and under it, to the cave, where they must stay until the persistent primitives leave the area. They have no communicators, phasers, or even clothing for Kirk, no food, and Spock is injured and unconscious. Kirk cares for him as best he can, worries greatly about him, and explores the honeycomb of cave passages around them in an attempt to find another way out. The section where Kirk loses his way and comes close to panic is exciting. Thoughts of Spock, alone, helpless, without anyone knowing where he is, propels Kirk's determination to find his way back....

Their vigil in the cave is cut with sequences from the Enterprise, where the crew is frantically searching for them. It's a junior crew member watching the highly enhanced sensors through the viewscreen who finally spots them when they emerge from their watery prison. What follows is a more typical resolution of the attraction which had been barely stated while in the cave, with McCoy playing a role in teasing them and even getting them together.

This final quarter of the story is nicely done but fairly typical K/S, but the rest of the story has verve and imagination and a very nice characterization of Kirk that rings true to me. Interesting that Spock isn't even conscious through much of the story, yet this story is suffused with their friendship and attraction for each other.

One of Emily Adam's best stories. I recommend it.