The Heart Has Reasons

For articles with a similar title, see The Heart Has Its Reasons.

K/S Fanfiction
Title:	The Heart Has Reasons
Author(s):	Rebekah Lyons
Date(s):	1995
Length:
Genre:	slash
Fandom:	Star Trek: The Original Series
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The Heart Has Reasons is a Kirk/Spock story by Rebekah Lyons.

It was published in the print zine First Time #41.

Summary

"Spock retreats from Kirk ʻs love, convinced that it was only the Drellaʼs interference, a creature that feeds on love, that brought them together."

Reactions and Reviews

Really good idea that takes off from the episode "The Wolf In The Fold" about the creature on Argelius V that fed on fear. We are introduced to a creature called the Drella that exists on the emotion of love.

Even though there was no purpose to this story being told as a flashback when Kirk tells McCoy all about it (I kept wondering if he was telling the doctor all about the sex...), there still were plenty of wonderful things about this story.

Spock's attempt at expressing a colloquialism was charming—"chilled beverage" for "cool drink of water". And it was a very funny moment when Spock tries to cover up a lapse of decorum by referring to K's butt as "pleasantly well-rounded, like the twin moons of Peliar Zel."

I was so happy to see Uhura at least try to join them on a landing party. When Kirk and Spock disappear off the transporter pad, they explore Alpha Cannae V where, unbeknownst to them, the Drella has lured them. It seems the Drella needs to provoke the emotions so that they can be utilized. So as Kirk and Spock are in a cave, some Klingons kidnap Kirk and rape him until Spock comes to save him.

This is an interesting scenario, although it's not certain what place the Klingons are in, nor how Kirk got there, nor where or how Spock found him, nor if it's all an hallucination.

One question—how did they get the soup that they cooked over the fire?

There's some really good expression of emotion here, but it would be more effective to have either of them expressing it or at least thinking about it, rather than being told everything by the narrator. This new author has some excellent ideas, they just need to be dramatized in an active way.

The author has a keen perception of moment to moment feelings and a nice varied emotional content. There are some really strong, vivid moments between Kirk and Spock that really take off- However, a lot of times it's told to us. Here's an example: "If there was any consolation to the misery that he had suffered, it came from the obvious change in their relationship." Whatever change that might be should be shown to the reader in a scene instead of just mentioned by the narrator.

However, there are a number of times when the author is quite successful. Example: 'Jim, it is alright [sic] ... to feel...to let go, to weep. I grieve with thee.' One strong hand reached up to brush through the sandy hair, pushing back the stray lock, 'You know my words are true.' It is wonderfully clear what all the emotions are and all told by dialogue and action.

Another very Spockian touch was having "studied the means of human pleasuring" in case he might need it for a mission! Just like Spock to study up on sex in case it might come in handy!

And I don't think I've ever heard their love-making put like this before: "Kirk surrendered to the ecstasy being charmed from his body...". That is super.

Also terrific was the creature thinking of feeding off of Kirk's and Spock's love and imagining "allowing her to binge on their passion'.

I was won over by the big and dramatic writing style where little moments take on great meaning. Like this part where they're not just being quiet: "Long moments of silence passed between them, and yet the sound that traversed between the two was almost deafening to souls so attuned to one another." One of the reasons I read K/S for is for lots of big emotions. It's very satisfying.

I like this: "Kirk's pain drenched him as thoroughly as a torrential downpour and it was becoming increasingly difficult to see his way clear of the storm."

What a lovely ending as "That night two souls found the nourishment which filled their loneliness."

There was a lot to like in this story, namely, the love, the precious feelings between Kirk and Spock that they handle with such tenderness.

The story takes place after the confrontation on Argelius V with the entity that feeds on fear. I got all braced for a scary trip, but then, it turns out the story is about some other past event, about a similar being, the Drelia, on Alpha Carinae V, who derives nourishment not from hate, but from love.

We learn, as Kirk reveals the story to McCoy, that something happened between him and Spock on AC-V. A lovely way to express it, to show Kirk's soft, sad feelings about it: something happened between them that he treasures, but afterwards, be and Spock both just had to box it away. I can feel it really strongly, how Kirk holds this fragile treasure close to his heart, a feeling almost too tender to even look at, let alone act on it.

The Drella, who is alone and dying, had gotten Kirk and Spock down to the planet. Conveniently, they had no communications; the ship would do an emergency beam-up in 12 hours.

There was some overly obvious writing. Sometimes by explaining things we make them trite, whereas if they are just shown, they speak for themselves, without becoming cliches. Also, some dialogue felt stilted—not the kinds of things they would really say to each other, but things that the author wanted to express. And the POV was confusing sometimes, being in both their heads in the same paragraph. Also, I have to pick at some things that made visualization difficult as I was reading, that disturbed the flow because I had to keep stopping and reading back, thinking they were this when now it seemed they were that.

When they take off their desert suits (Kirk's "taking off the restrictive clothing/ and Spock's being somewhat hesitant to do the same) we definitely need to know if they are clothed underneath the suits, or naked or what. Shortly thereafter a passing reference is made to Kirks' uniform, but until that reference they both could have been naked for all we know. Otherwise, why would Spock have been hesitant to take off the desert suit, if it was just an outer layer?

And when Spock goes to Kirk in the pool outside the cave, from here on it got very confusing. First, I can never tell if they have clothes on or not. There are references to being naked but then later to shedding clothes. And I can't tell if both of them are in water, or how deep it is. And then when they're getting sexual, are they doing this lying in the water? It was also difficult to even envision their positions in relation to each other.

I also thought it unlikely when Spock said, "I love you, you are mine." Where did the "you are mine" come from? We were given nothing earlier in the story that showed Spock had that particular feeling toward Kirk. A unique caring, and desire, yes; possessiveness, no. I don't think that sort of possessiveness can automatically be assumed to be a part of Spock's love for Kirk. Or perhaps this was just a sweet-nothing, and maybe I'm taking it more seriously than intended.

Earlier, Kirk and Spock had been avoiding expressing their feelings for each other at all, so in order to capture the essence for her nourishment, the Dreila had to set up an illusion of a danger situation to bring it out. This involved Klingons, Kirk being raped, and Spock rescuing.

I have said before, I am not being insensitive to rape or belittling the trauma, having had the experience myself, but I feel that Kirk seems overly traumatized by this rape, and his victim feelings are too pat, such as that Spock would think less of him because of what was done to him. As if he, Kirk, is at fault. I don't believe Kirk would feel this way. I think he's overdoing feeling "tainted." "In spite of what had happened, Spock still cared for him." Of course he does! Spock could not possibly think less of Kirk for being raped.

At the risk of over-simplifying, I believe the experience of rape for men, especially these men in these times and circumstances, is significantly different than rape for women of our times (or any times)—it does not carry the same baggage we necessarily attach to it. We can't put the same feelings and connotations on it in our stories as we do in our real lives.

The sex was lovely. Kirk is at first impotent, but Spock of course takes care of that. By the way, I didn't think the impotence was an over-reaction to the rape. This seems perfectly plausible, a physical reaction he cannot easily control (whereas he can control his feelings to more of an extent, with his sterling mind).

Later, Spock feels manipulated, that their coming together was only because of the Drella. This is a valid and interesting point to explore, which the author drew out nicely. Back on the ship, Kirk finally has to convince Spock his love for him is real, not just caused by the Drella. I like when Kirk takes off his clothes and says, tell me you don't desire me. Spock does, of course, his body is telling him so.

"Criticism" seems to take a lot more words than "praise." I did enjoy reading this story, even though it seems I had a lot of criticism. The feelings were sweet, and deep, it had a good level of drama, and it was pleasantly purple. I like all this in K/S.

Manipulated. Brought together by an entity interested only in feeding off the intensity of their love. This little-used plot left me somewhat cold—I guess I like the idea of love growing of its own volition. But the "Drella" is wise in that she chooses subjects who are ripe for her particular type of parasitism. She wasn't so skilled in her field, though, she required the pain of one to attract the other. Shameful.

I also had some difficulty with the sex to relieve symptoms of violation following rape. This is very, very seldom convincing, perhaps because it is one form of disbelief I'm unable to suspend.

The author knows how much her characters love each other and sees to it that their devotion pulls them through even this—for that she is to be commended.