Paradise Regained

Fanfiction
Title:	Paradise Regained
Author(s):	Taliesine
Date(s):	1998
Length:
Genre(s):	slash
Fandom(s):	Star Trek: TOS
Relationship(s):	Kirk/Spock
External Links:
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

Paradise Regained is a Kirk/Spock story by Taliesine.

It was published in the print zine First Time #48.

Summary

"Kirk discovers his desire for Spock when he see him about to make love to Leila on Omicron Ceti 3 and does whatever it takes to stop him."

Reactions and Reviews

1998

After the events on Omicron Ceti 3, Spock is recovering from his bout with emotions and Kirk is feeling angry and jealous because Leila is aboard. But he's denying his feelings for Spock.

A really terrific scene was Kirk's voyeurism when he saw Spock and Leila in her bedroom about to have sex. Kirk couldn't stand it and called Spock away under false pretenses. Leila tries to tell Spock that she sees the love between him and Kirk, but he denies it and is haunted by his growing passion. Later Kirk overhears a conversation between Christine Chapel and Leila where they talk about how Spock will never love them. In this really unique and well-done scene, the women share in their pain even though Chapel tries to deny that Spock is in love with Kirk. However I was so disappointed that the scene didn't continue with the women comforting each other sexually. I know this may sound strange wanting to see this in a K/S story, but in this case, it would have enhanced the scene considerably and more importantly, related directly to Kirk and Spock's relationship. Kirk was watching them and the correlation would have been dramatic.

The story continues with lots of beautiful and painful emotions and a neat moment when Kirk touches Spock on the shoulder and it's so meaningful I so enjoyed Kirk's dilemma of feelings — he feels guilt at having taken Spock away from Leila and the spores, yet wants Spock for himself. In another wonderful scene, he asks Spock if he resents him for it and if it was really Spock himself or the spores influence...

Quite difficult many times with the back and forth switching of point of views, but definitely beautiful sentiments. Kirk finally says: "I love you, Spock. More than a brother, a friend, or a fellow officer. I do not just love you. I am in love with you," And "Jim was his freedom and his completion and this lime. Spock felt neither shame nor guilt at the admission." Then intense and passionate sex. The best kind.

2008

Whatever happened after the Enterprise warped away from Omicron Ceti III? Have you wondered? In this story we learn one version of how that episode might have affected both Spock and Kirk. Nicely written, it explains just how Kirk is reacting to having seen Spock laughing and hanging from a tree limb and what he‘s like with a passionate woman. He sees things about Spock that he would never have imagined were a part of his stoic Vulcan.

We also see that Spock has gone into Super-Vulcan mode, but why?

Kirk is carrying around a lot of guilt about forcing Spock away from paradise and cannot free himself of Spock‘s comment that for the first time in his life he was happy. That‘s a big load for a man to carry and he berates himself for it at the same time he is wondering what it would take to make Spock happy again. Naturally, he would like to find a way to do that himself.

Spock has his own problems to deal with, the spores having awakened something in him that doesn‘t want to be put to rest. Both men‘s feelings and desires are well described and, while somewhat predictable, they are far from monotonous. A good read from an author who has disappeared from our midst. Wherever she is, I wish her well. She spun a good K/S yarn.