Lost in Forever

Fanfiction
Title:	Lost in Forever
Author(s):	Tay Garian
Date(s):	1986
Length:
Genre(s):	slash
Fandom(s):	Star Trek: TOS
Relationship(s):	Kirk/Spock
External Links:
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Lost in Forever is a Kirk/Spock story by Tay Garian.

It was first published in the print zine Act 5 #2.

Reactions and Reviews

LOST IN FOREVER is, as are all the stories in ACT FIVE, a "missing seen" from one of the aired STAR TREK episodes. In this case, we're presented with a possible extension of THE CITY ON THE EDGE OF FOREVER.

Under orders from Starfleet, Kirk, Spock and McCoy must return to the "Time Planet" not long after their first experience with the Guardian of Forever. They are ordered to discover every thing they possibly can about the Guardian, its planet and the people who once inhabited it. The difficulty lies in the still-raw wounds carried not only by Kirk, but by his two friends as well.

Upon returning to the Enterprise from their first encounter with the Guardian, Kirk is sullen and uncommunicative. McCoy is frustrated because Kirk won't speak to him. And Spock is silently hurting from various sources including his own inability to face Kirk's hurt. Under these conditions, the three return to the planet.

In depression, Kirk tries to return to Edith Keeler's past to attempt to avoid her ever going to New York, and, hopefully, avoiding the situation they were forced into through McCoy's return to the past. When Kirk attempts this, Spock stops him and is inexplicably thrown into some other dimension, some limbo between here and there, a dimension of Time itself.

While trapped in this other dimension, Spock is subjected to various turning points in his life, forced to live or relive those moments without any ability to alter these events. He is disoriented and desperate to return to Kirk — whom he can hear speaking to McCoy, but can't see or reach.

Meanwhile, Kirk and McCoy are trying to figure out what's happened to Spock. Through a complex series of observations and insights, Kirk and McCoy learn just how important Spock is to each of them individually and how important each of them is to Spock.

There's an interesting psychological aspect to this story which intrigued and delighted me with its possibility. The theory put forth by the author is that Spock is a highly unbalanced personality held together solely by his two human friends. This was a new and unique observation to me, one that made this story well worth reading.

As a K/S story, this is far from the steamiest, in fact, there's very little 'steam' in it. But the tensions and affections and complex mental ties between the characters is of a highly intimate level. The chemistry between all three characters is utilized in a very moving way. The revelations that bring Kirk to his discover of how he truly feels work well enough to qualify this as a very good K/S story in my view. The writing is very well done, the construction of the story itself is unusual and works beautifully to define and emphasize the different dimensions involved. This is a very lyrical story in that it steps smoothly from point to point, from one point of view to another, never stumbling, never losing the reader, in fact pulling the reader along easily and with a sense of mystery which made me want to turn each page to find out exactly what was going on.

Tay Garian is a very good writer, one I would like to see spotlighted more often. This story was perhaps the best one in ACT FIVE, SCENE TWO.