The Necessary Meld

K/S Fanfiction
Title:	The Necessary Meld
Author(s):	J S Cavalcante
Date(s):	2001
Length:
Genre:	slash
Fandom:	Star Trek: The Original Series
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The Necessary Meld is a K/S story by J S Cavalcante. It has art by Alayne which previously appeared as the cover of As I Do Thee #19.

It was published in the print zine Legends #1.

Summary

"Following the events with Rayna and Janice Lester, Kirk and Spock each come to the conclusion that there’s much more going on between them than simple friendship."

Reactions and Reviews

This story takes place right after the incident with Rayna, and is from Kirk's POV. After the meld Spock initiates, Kirk feels 'current' between him and Spock. He questions Spock about it, and learns of Thyla, and is surprised when Spock admits his love for Kirk, in all ways. Kirk doesn't think he can love a man physically, but he wants to meld with Spock, craves it in fact. But it's not until after the Lester incident that Kirk has a number of revelations about himself and Spock, and suddenly the answer is plain: Spock is who he loves, and it shouldn't matter that Spock is a man and so is he. The dialogue between Kirk and Spock is right in character, and their lovemaking is beautiful and moving. Another excellent story by this talented writer.

I find myself often feeding J S Cavalcante back with the words that I found her story believable. It may sound trite, but it's true. And it is, for me, high praise. If I say that the story is believable, I mean that I could lose myself in it, and really trust the author not to let me down. JS never, or very rarely, lets me down. The Necessary Meld is no exception.

In the story, Kirk comes to realize that Spock loves him—emotionally and physically—and that he wants to express this love in every way Kirk would allow. It makes Kirk doubt himself, his reactions to Spock's revelations. His own responses make him feel uncomfortable because he has always seen himself as purely heterosexual. Spock's revelation forces him to question himself and his beliefs.

JS explores this in an in depth way, that is very true to how I would imagine Kirk could react if he had never considered a homosexual relationship before. Kirk's doubts make Spock very wary of his motives when the captain declares that he's in love, and Kirk has got to prove himself honest.

The story also makes good use of the Janice Lester incident. I despise Janice Lester, but I've seen stories that make incredible use of events in that show in brilliant ways and JS certainly made me want to rewatch a certain scene that's she uses in The Necessary Meld.

Uh...just read it, okay?

I really enjoyed this story about Spock's revelation to Kirkthat he loves him and wants to express his love in whatever way Kirk would want, even if it didn't necessary lead to a sexual relationship because of Kirk's life long heterosexuality. And I found that the way Kirk faces this is very believable.

The story also gives us some insight into the melds between Spock and Kirk in the episodes dealing with Janice Lester and Rayna. The whole story just pulls you in. I like when that happens.

The only teeny, tiny part I found off, for me anyway, is Spock's revelation to Kirk that he had been with three other men (before Kirk.) I just don't see Spock as being that experienced. It's not that I can't believe he might be bisexual, I just don't see him as having acted on it. Sex for Spock, and Vulcans in general, is not so casually done, and so for him to have had that many partners as he admitted to, women included, seemed a tad out of character.

But that aside, I really loved this sensitive and beautifully written story.

Maybe I'm only noticing it because I did one myself, but recently I keep seeing the "forget" (Rayna) scenario popping up all over the place in K/S stories recently.

Here's another, which begins with that scene. A beautiful opening, in Kirk's head as Spock says "forget." As an aside...I've always felt that rational conversation in the meld wasn't realistic. (Like I know what's realistic about melds—right.) But the more I think about it, maybe it would be like that in a meld, that we could actually converse in words. There would be a lot of wonderful stuff that we are limited in our ability to express in words, but there would be words also.

Anyway, Kirk chooses to remember Rayna, but to be free of the pain and guilt. Then, he's so tired he can't get up...and Spock carries him to bed, helps him undress. A beautiful scene. Spock touches his meld points, cheeks, jaw...and then his lips.

So Kirk is left to wonder the next day if all this is just a Vulcan-brother thing. He has so many feelings for Spock, but does Spock love him? I love it when he comes out and asks Spock, do Vulcan brothers touch the way you touched me last night?

This isn't an easy falling-into-bed story. Though Spock has said I love you, with no limitations, Kirk isn't certain about having a physical relationship with Spock. But they both crave the touch of their minds. It's too soon, though, Spock says, they can't do it again yet. This is a wonderful tense scene.

Then, oh cool, they're headed to Camus Two. I knew I would like however JSC chose to include the Janice Lester incident in the development of this story.

Desire, motivations, dynamics are all explored, but not tediously, by any means. When we get through these incidents and episodes with Kirk and Spock, we can feel why they feel as they do.

I have always loved the scene after Spock melds with Kirk in Janice's body, after he knows it's Kirk, where he holds "her" hand; and the other time when he soothes the painful transitions Kirk's going through as the transference begins to disintegrate.

We get basically a replay of the scenes we saw in the episode, which is done really nicely.

There are a number of long passages without dialogue, but I like it. All about Kirk's feelings, and realizations he has, sparked from the Janice Lester incident, about the mind, the body, the spirit, what it is he loves. Of course he realizes he could definitely love Spock physically also. There is a really nice talk over chess....ending to a kiss -- some really sublime stuff here, quite a turn-on.

Beautiful sex.

There's a good thematic sense in this story that isn't obtrusive; and I like how the ending words come back to where the story started. My notes at the end of my reading this story say, unedited: excellent and romantic and logical and erotic story.

A lovely and intimate look at Kirk’s growing realization of his feelings for Spock, and also his growing need to meld with him.

The story starts right after the Flint and Rayna incident when Spock helps Kirk to “forget”. But here, Spock helps him only to forget the pain and guilt, not the actual memory.

Too many beautiful lines to quote here like: "Then I shall say what is in my heart. I love you, Jim.” And Kirk craves another meld with Spock. Spock’s hands trembled on his face. “Understood. However, melding deeply and frequently has the potential to provoke behavior you might find disturbing, especially given my recent confession.” His dark eyes seemed sad as they searched Kirk’s face. “What would you do, Jim, if you came out of the meld to find yourself in my arms or in my bed?"

Wow.

Then the Janice Lester incident happens, told here in a lovely and concise way—melding, if you will, the actual episode with all the emotions underneath. The story eventually concludes with some really fine lovemaking. I am a sucker for Kirk saying, “I want to make love to you.”

JS Cavalcante is such an excellent writer. She has the style, the language and the talent to write some of my favorite K/S.

It begins with Spock's observations concerning the way Kirk kisses. He has discovered that what Kirk feels for a woman will determine the type of kiss he'll give her. As there is a female guest aboard who Kirk has shown interest in, Spock has plenty of opportunities to test his hypothesis. And that is probably all it would have been if not for the fact that McCoy discovers Spock's interest in their captain's "oscular approaches."

Just as Spock has his observations, so does McCoy, and his observations are telling him that Spock's interest is more about Kirk's kisses, rather than kisses in general. He encourages Spock to talk to Kirk. After thinking about it, Spock decides to do just that. During their next chess match, Spock hesitantly brings the subject up. Kirk attempts to answer his questions as best he can, but he's unsure as to what the question really is. He tries to explain the difference between different types of kisses and who you bestow them on, but eventually admits it's "a complicated subject," and, for the time, they leave it at that. Well, Kirk does. Spock's next move is to kiss McCoy. He and McCoy had been working on a solution to a plague raging in the Zeta Trianguli system. With a solution almost in hand, Spock decides to show his appreciation. To say McCoy is shocked is putting it mildly. But he manages to calm down enough to get an explanation from Spock. Realizing where this is all leading brings the doctor amusement and delight. So, of course, he tells Kirk. Kirk isn't sure how to take it. He feels not a bit of jealousy, but its tempered by the elation he feels when McCoy theorizes that the kiss was only a trial run for the one Spock would prefer to give to Kirk, that Spock loves Kirk and that his kissing research is really his way of trying to work things out, trying to figure out where the two fit together. With a push from McCoy, Spock's next step is to go to Kirk. When Kirk hopefully asks if Spock's experiments are complete as regard to kissing, he's overjoyed when Spock informs him that, while he has suspended any further field work, his study is not yet complete. That's all Kirk needs to hear. He kisses Spock— who then returns the favor. And, well, you can guess where it goes from there.

This is a thoroughly delightful story. I love the spot-on banter between the three men, the way I can see Kirk and Spock so very clearly. I think my only complaint was the rather odd ending. Is it a silly joke on Kirk and Spock's part, or a veiled hint to a possible future threesome? I don't know, but I'm going with the former and totally ignoring the latter.