Patience and the Mulberry Leaf

Fanfiction
Title:	Patience and the Mulberry Leaf
Author(s):	Tere Ann Roderick
Date(s):	1986
Length:
Genre(s):	slash
Fandom(s):	Star Trek: TOS
Relationship(s):	Kirk/Spock
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Patience and the Mulberry Leaf is a Kirk/Spock story by Tere Ann Roderick.

first page

It was published in the print zine First Time #6.

Summary

"After his pon farr, Spock and Kirk discuss becoming lovers but Spock asks Kirk to take 10 months to be sure of his choice."

Reactions and Reviews

1990

This story starts 10 months after Spock's aborted pon farr and T'Pring's challenge which almost results in Kirk's death. Then it flashes back to the time immediately after that event, when Spock admitted his love for Jim and Jim revealed he loved Spock. Spock insisted they wait 10 months before consummating their love, giving Jin that time to explore "other possibilities," as the Vulcan said. He was not sure Jim would not resent their relationship if he tried to maintain a monogamous homosexual relationship. Spock's lack of confidence in Kirk while waiting out the months is revealed fairly well from his viewpoint, though perhaps more could have been done with showing rather than telling us about it. The eventual consummation is beautifully done, and all in all, I enjoyed the story very much. I do think another quotation might have been more appropriate for the title than the one from Lao-Tse, "Patience and the mulberry leaf will make a silk gown." It is too feminine an image to appeal to either one of these men, gentle though they are. However, that's strictly my personal idiosyncrasy. In all, it is a story well worth reading.