The Fragile Bottle

Fanfiction
Title:	The Fragile Bottle
Author(s):	Robin Hood
Date(s):	1987
Length:
Genre(s):	slash
Fandom(s):	Star Trek: TOS
Relationship(s):	Kirk/Spock
External Links:
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The Fragile Bottle is a Kirk/Spock story by Robin Hood.

It was published in the print zine Naked Times #13.

Summary

"Spock decides to leave the Enterprise after Kirk risks the ship to rescue him, but then receives a visitor who shows him what would have been if he had never been aboard the Enterprise."

Reactions and Reviews

It is the K/S version of the movie "It's a Wonderful Life".

The story begins with Spock telling his captain that Kirk would have been better off if they had never met and that he has decided to transfer off the ship. This decision conies after Kirk risks the safety of the ship and crew to rescue Spock. Spock realizes that if his rescue had not been successful and the ship damaged' or crewmembers killed, then at the very least Kirk would have been in danger of losing his command.

After telling Kirk of his decision, Spock returns to his quarters to medrtate. During this time, he convinces himself that their friendship has caused Kirk manyi difficulties and was becoming harmful to Kirk. In addition, there is a growing link between them, which, Spock feels must be broken before it becomes anyi deeper.

As he sinks deeper into meditation, he suddenly hears Kirk's voice telling him he is wrong. But he finds it difficult to return his awareness to the present, so he is not sure if he is dreaming, although he knows he is awake. When he starts to rise, he hears a sharp "No!" and immediately sinks back down to his knees. As Kirk begins to speak to him, Spock realizes that there is something different about his voice. While he is sure that Kirk is in his cabin with him, it feels as if Kirk's voice is in his mind and body. Kirk makes Spock promise to just listen to him and to hear him out and, Spock agrees.

From that point on. Kirk takes Spock on a "what if" scenario of their past missions on the Enterprise, except this time he points out the so-very different endings because Spock was not there. I don't want to give too much away for anyone who has not read this story, but the author paints very realistic and disastrous' scenarios from the episodes The Enemy Within," The' Menagerie," The Galileo Seven," "Court Martial," "Devil in the Dark," "Operation Annihilate," and many others, all of which occur because Spock was never there. Spock, however, remains unconvinced of any of Kirk's arguments until Kirk begins to describe the events in'The Empath". Then as Spock realizes that McCoywould have died because he was not there to help teach Gem what love was, he finally reaches his breaking point. He cries out that Kirk is not really there, that he is only a figment of Spock's imagination. But the presence is ruthless, insisting that if he was indeed only there in Spock's mind, then why was Spock's mind doing this? Spock has no answer to this and then Kirk delivers the final blow. He allows Spock to finally turn around to look at him, but instead of seeing his captain, the body of Janice Lester appears in front of him. Kirk explains to Spock that because he was not there to meld with Kirk while he was in Lester's body, there was no one to discover the truth about the transference. As a result, Janice is killed and Kirk is trapped forever in her body. It is the final blow and Spock collapses unconscious. When he wakes up, Kirk/Lester is still there and explains to him that it is not too late, Spock still has his own reality and needs to go to Kirk and tell him of his love.

After the presence leaves, Spock becomes overwhelmed with grief and begins crying uncontrollably. It is at this moment that Kirk, drawn to Spock's agony by their link, comes in to try to comfort his friend. It is then and only then that Spock finds the courage to tell Kirk he loves him.

This story is what I call K/S Light, in that there really is no real hardcore sex, rather, they just share a kiss at the end. But the emotional impact that this story makes on the reader more than makes up for it. It is by far one of my favorite stories of Robin's, who remains an enduring force in the world of K/S.

The Fragile Bottle is one of the very best stories Robin Hood has written. It opens the metaphysical issue, Number 13, of Naked Times with a bang.

Spock declares to Kirk: “You would be better off if you had never met me.” Then he retreats to his cabin, filled with determination to leave the ship, mainly because “...he has even disobeyed orders to help me...he risked the entire ship to rescue one crewman...Our...friendship is harmful to him.” In the shadowy darkness of his cabin as he kneels in meditation, Spock hears a resounding disagreement. “No!” The voice belongs to a body in shadow with whom Spock disputes. It’s a standard formula that I thought the author used very well. Point by point, the being who cannot quite be seen, who has a tantalizingly familiar voice, points out to Spock all the harm that would have occurred if he had not been on the Enterprise. The landing party, freezing while the transporter is fixed, dies. Kirk is court-martialed because of Finney’s actions, and loses two years of his career before the truth is told. Sarek dies because Spock isn’t on the ship to save his life and Amanda swiftly follows. The Romulan cloaking device, still unfathomed by the Federation, allows them to kill and pillage at will. Gem does not learn what love is because Spock is not there to transmit his caring to her, and so McCoy dies under the Vians’ hands. And then the clincher.... But I’m not going to tell you! I was surprised when I read it, I shouldn’t have been, but it definitely got to me.

And to Spock too, because he realizes his resolution to leave the ship has nothing to do with protecting Kirk, but is designed to protect himself from Kirk. I do think that Spock’s reaction was a little overdone at the end, but still, a very unique and satisfying story. Good work!

This was one of the first K/S stories I ever read, and I remember it very fondly. It‘s a retake of that perennial seasonal classic It’s a Wonderful Life. Kirk has risked the ship to save the life of one man—Spock, and the Vulcan has once again come to the conclusion that his presence is a danger to the crew, to Kirk‘s career, and to the man himself. He has made up his mind that though it will be supremely painful to part from Kirk, he must do it. The two men have an emotional scene in Kirk‘s cabin, and despite Kirk‘s fervent protestations, Spock is determined to leave. ―You would be better off if you had never met me,‖ he tells Kirk.

Later while he is meditating, he slips into a mystical trance state where he is faced with how the past would have played out had he never been a member of the Enterprise crew. Robin wrote this so adroitly. We see clearly Spock‘s vast contribution to each and every episode, for example because Spock wasn‘t there to take Chris Pike to Talos, Captain Pike, though alive, is so locked within a useless body he has descended into insanity. Robin maintains the tension right up until the last scene, and the dénouement when it comes is very powerful.

I‘m a bit less tolerant of all of Spock‘s tears these days—or is it that I‘m just more jaded now?—but the story still resonates. Took me right back to my early days of K/S. Thanks for the trip, Robin.

The lead story [in the zine], THE FRAGILE BOTTLE (by Robin Hood) is an interesting re-make of MIRACLE ON 34th STREET (in a K/S vein, of course), and details what might have happened had Kirk and Spock never met. The story is tightly written, with good dialogue and interesting narrative.