Love is Strange (Star Trek: AOS story)

Star Trek AOS Fanfiction
Title:	Love is Strange
Author(s):	garryowen
Date(s):	16 November 2009
Length:	45,000 words
Genre:	slash
Fandom:	Star Trek (2009)
External Links:	Love is Strange (Dreamwidth) fanmix by posyvanilla
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Love is Strange is a Kirk/Spock story by garryowen. It was written for the 2009 Star Trek Big Bang. posyvanilla made a fanmix and vejiicakes made fanart for this story, but it seems the art wasn't finished and there was only a preview posted.

Summary: Spock accompanies his parents to an Earth resort where Jim Kirk is a dancer. Dirty Dancing redux.

Recs and Reviews

• "A "they met before Starfleet" AU based on the plot of the movie Dirty Dancing. [...] This might be my favorite fic in any fandom, ever. It's long and prefectly characterized, with lots of little details. The K/S relationship is a deliciously slow build with a super hot payoff, and it's all so sweet and gorgeous and GAH! Just go read it."
• "A fabulous fic. One of my absolute favorites. Brilliant concept that could so easily have turned into crack, but the author kept it real and solid and incredibly genuine. I love the characters in this, and the way they have been transplanted so perfectly into this different setup and situation."
• "I did not actually like Dirty Dancing as a movie, so I'm not sure why I really enjoyed the Star Trek version, or how it could even work with Spock and Kirk, but there you are, and it really does, and you should check this out. Whether or not you liked Dirty Dancing."
• "There were two reasons why I was initially reluctant to read Love is Strange, the first being that AU stories aren‘t really my thing, the second that it is a Dirty Dancing redux - and I loathe that film.The reason I did read it was because it is written by Dogpoet, an author whose words have an unerring tendency to live up to the second half of her penname. I realised very soon after beginning to read it that it makes no difference whether you love Dirty Dancing, hate it or have never seen it. And it doesn‘t matter whether you love AU, hate it or have never read it. It is simply a very good story. Dogpoet takes the plot of the film and reworks it with Trek characters in a way that is spot on, both in terms of characterisation and believable storyline. Kirk and Spock are young and both are struggling to find their way and to break out of the boundaries their childhoods have, in very different ways, placed upon them. When they find each other and fall in love, they develop and grow and move towards a self-realisation and confidence that they may never have found if they were apart. The story builds slowly, and the author takes the time to explore the emotions behind what is happening between Kirk and Spock, as well as events in the past that have shaped their characters. She also deftly writes a thoroughly believable and engaging supporting cast and cleverly uses T‘Pring‘s presence in the story to highlight the prejudice faced by Spock and the reasons he has for turning away from his betrothed. I will never like Dirty Dancing. I think it‘s a terrible film and will always remember with horror the time I was stuck on a bus going on a school trip, unable to escape the in-coach video rendition. But, with some reluctance, I now have to applaud the existence of the film, because without it there wouldn‘t be Love is Strange.
• "What the author has done with this story is actually quite extraordinary. When the two worlds of Star Trek and Dirty Dancing collide, you'd expect there to be carnage. But actually, this story works incredibly well. This is down to dogpoet's incredible writing skills. Each scene is vividly described, making it easy to visualise, the pace is just right and the characterisations of both the main and supporting cast are wonderful and well-rounded. Kirk and Spock, are the protagonists in the story, but they are supported by a remarkably well-written cast, most notably in the form of Bones, Sarek, Amanda and T'Pring (and a tiny cameo by Uhura). Bones plays Jim's long-suffering best friend who actually builds quite an amicable friendship with Spock, T'Pring is as cold and aloof as she is in Amok Time, and Sarek and Amanda are, I think, closer to their Journey to Babel characterisations than STR. Amanda is wonderfully warm and supportive, finding herself on a number of occasions walking a tightrope between supporting Spock and supporting Sarek. Then there's Kirk and Spock. Kirk is the brash dancer, doing the job because he's good at it and it gives him a wage. Spock is the reticent Vulcan on his first visit to Earth, wanting to explore and understand the world and the Humans around him, as well as the Human within himself. For this latter point, Jim Kirk is happy to help him on that path. Spurned by T'Pring who is having an open affair with Stonn, Spock finds solace in Kirk's company, as he teaches Spock to dance. To do it well, Spock must lower his mental shields, allowing him to sense and anticipate Kirk better and he finds himself learning more than just dancing... This is a delightful and an unashamedly romantic story, and the sex between Kirk and Spock, once it begins, is as hot as Vulcan's Forge. :-) Don't be put off by the subject matter – I‘ve lost count how many people who profess to hate Dirty Dancing, who have loved this story.