The Lover Within (Star Trek: TOS story by Ellen O'Neil)

Also see The Lover Within for similar titles.

K/S Fanfiction
Title:	The Lover Within
Author(s):	Ellen O'Neil
Date(s):	1992
Length:
Genre:	slash
Fandom:	Star Trek: The Original Series
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The Lover Within is a Kirk/Spock story by Ellen O'Neil.

It was published in the print zine T'hy'la #12.

Summary

"An alien intelligence takes over the entire crew of the Enterprise except Spock, and Kirkʼs love for him is the only thing keeping the Vulcan alive."

Reactions and Reviews

Ellen takes a more serious turn with this established-romance story. A cloud entity gets aboard the Enterprise and transforms all the humans, something along the lines of "Enemy Within," with their aggressive sides taking over. Scotty plans to murder an inept crewman, McCoy snarls at the wussy patients, Chapel plans a new life as a Vegas show girl, Kirk rapes Spock, and the entire bridge crew (except Spock) rejoice in using a Tellarite freighter for target practice, before Kirk's love for Spock, strong even in his dark side, puts a stop to the Entity.

The moment I finished the last paragraph of this wonderful story, it vaulted onto my list of favorite K/S tales. Despite some problems that I had with Spock's characterization, I still think "The Lover Within" is a marvelous combination of a solid science fiction theme and the K/S premise. How would Kirk act towards Spock, his bondmate, if the evil side of his nature, similar to what was revealed in "The Enemy Within", were to take over? This story explores the answer to that question in a totally unexpected way... If there is a problem with this story, it's that Spock's character suffers in comparison to Kirk's. This story perhaps dwells on Spock's weaknesses to excess. His confusion over the transformation is a touch overdrawn. His actions on the bridge are decisive, in their way, but he seems to take a long time to reach that decision to act. Spock never does figure out what is happening on his own: Kirk has to explain it to him. This weakens him even further. Finally, he starts to act like the Spock I know and love when he attempts to booby-trap the engines and prevent spread of the alien's influence... [much omitted from this very lengthy review]... I appreciated seeing Uhura, Sulu, Chekov, and Scotty in this story. The "wake-up" call from Sulu was great. And Scotty's actions were a skillfully integrated, essential part of the plot. This is a very solidly written, well constructed story. Despite the fact that I did not totally agree with all of the characterizations. I enjoyed it immensely. A truly memorable story.

The story that I think actually suffers from the "weak" Spock characterization is also O'Neil's most serious, and that is The Lover Within. I feel as if this story comes so close to being really wonderful, but the Spock characterization in fact impedes its success. (As opposed to, say, Cynthia Drake's An Inhabited Garden, where the weak Spock is essential to the plot.) Kirk and Spock are lovers, and there's a very nice opening sex scene. But an Entity eventually takes over the ship and during the night it transforms all aboard, except Spock, so that their baser natures take over. Spock is bewildered when he awakens and his morning sexual activity with Kirk is somewhat rough and Kirkis extremely dominant. What bothers me is how bewildered Spock is throughout all of this, how reluctant he is to take action, how long it takes him to come to emotional terms with the reality of his senses. The Spock that I know and love just isn't so slow on the uptake! But O'Neil's characterization requires this response, and so the events of the story seem to me to be impeded as a result.

However, I really have got to say that her Kirk characterization, before and after he's transformed as well as when he's different, seems to be right on to me. The story has a marvelous, climactic scene where the altered Kirk proves that his devotion to Spock is exactly as deep and committed as it ever was. It's a great scene.

Early in the story, before the transformation, Kirk makes note of the fact that there's a lieutenant commander from Sciences who seems to be "mooning" over Spock. Then, after the Entity unleashes the dark side of the crew, the same officer comes up to Kirk and Spock in the mess and pretty blatantly issues an intimate invitation to Spock. There's something in me that absolutely cheers when the unrestrained Kirk unleashes his jealousy and just levels the man to the floor with a blow from his fist.

This author didn‘t write K/S for very long, but I quickly learned to look for her name in the table of contents of a zine. While she writes a more submissive Spock and a more dominant Kirk than is usually found, I enjoy her renditions of the guys. She manages to push my sensitive Vulcan button every time...

This story opens with a love scene—very sweet and slow and loving. The two men have been bonded for six months, months that have been a revelation to Spock. The love, the shared secrets, the intimacy of this cherished relationship is something he never thought to find. Too soon the ship receives a distress call from a Dr. Stefan Grigalis, the head of a research team examining a long dead civilization on Beta Cygnus 12. When the Enterprise arrives, Kirk and company find all the scientists but Grigalis dead and the doctor curiously unmoved by it all. Back on the ship we find out why. A being known as the Entity carried in an amulet worn by the doctor has been brought aboard as well. This evil remnant of a lost age takes control of every person on the ship, everyone but Spock. Once again, Spock‘s unique heritage saves him. Just as in The Enemy Within, the dark side of each person‘s character is revealed. It takes Spock awhile to figure out what is happening. (He‘s usually a bit faster on the uptake than this, but it certainly makes for a tension packed story.) Now Spock‘s job is clear. He must stop this malignant force from reaching Earth even though his bondmate stands in the way. The evil Kirk loves Spock just as much as his better self, but the ways in which he shows it are a bit difficult to read. It is only when the Entity and Grigalis have decided Spock must die that Kirk rebels.

This story is marvelously paced, maintaining a consistent tension from beginning to end. Again, this is a weaker though still recognizable Spock characterization than you might be used to, but perfectly satisfying to those of us for whom this is a guilty pleasure.

A third story by the same author in T’hy’la 12 is “The Lover Within,” and it has quite a different tone from the other two. The crew of the Enterprise is taken over by a malevolent alien intelligence that brings out the very worst impulses in those it infects...and that’s everybody but Spock, who seems to be immune. But he and Kirk are lovers, and although Kirk is now a truly surly individual, he still loves Spock fiercely. All his jealous impulses are on display, and when the alien suggests that Kirk do away with the interfering Vulcan, there is one of the best Kirk-defiant scenes ever written. At least in my opinion