This Can't Be Love

K/S Fanfiction
Title:	This Can't Be Love
Author(s):	Jean Gabriel
Date(s):	1990
Length:
Genre:	slash
Fandom:	Star Trek: The Original Series
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This Can't Be Love is a K/S story by Jean Gabriel.

It was published in the print zine As I Do Thee #16.

Summary

"Just as Kirk and Spock begin to understand the depth of their feelings toward one another, an assignment comes along that could force Kirk into a situation which could end any hopes of a future with his first officer forever."

Reactions and Reviews

I have two small quibbles about this novella. The first is that I was appalled when, on the bottom of page 127, Kirk over-road the privacy lock in the gymnasium merely so he could "see who had disrupted his plans." Such a lame excuse hardly over-rides such blatant disrespect for privacy. The second problem is that I wish the separate parts of this novella wouldn't have had such descriptive titles, as they gave the reader a foreshadowing of what was going to happen. I would rather have been surprised. Otherwise, this was a thoroughly enjoyable read and extremely well-written. In addition to the fact that it had an honest-to-God plot, and various subplots, the writing was so smooth that I was totally absorbed. I especially loved the gentle, tender mood of Part One. The author took her time without dragging things unnecessarily, and it was a lot more erotic than most sex scenes I've read lately. It was so wonderful that I feared the rest of the story would be a let-down, but I was pleasantly surprised. I loved the three characters the story introduced, and telling us enough about them to make them real, but not telling us more than we needed to know. In fact, that's what I admire most about this novella: there were no excess words, no excess sentences; yet, neither was I left with any questions. All the various subplots were tied up neatly and believably. It moved at just the right pace, and though the ending didn't bring any surprises, it was a satisfying conclusion to a story that had built steadily, subplot-by-subplot. I don't know if Jean Gabriel is going to be able to top this one.

Oh, yes it can! It would be nice if love allowed no room for misunderstandings or hurt feelings, but seldom is life so kind. While I wanted to remain in the state of bliss that the author led me into, she skillfully yanked me to my feet and plunged me into guilt and fear. This was a very complete story, very well executed. It contained suspense and uncertainty and kept the reader on her toes. A favorite spot for me was the way Kirk blurted out his feelings after so carefully planning to conceal them.

Fast paced, well plotted, something for everyone escapade! Falling in love is only part of the adventure. There's also intrigue and well-defined secondary characters.

Spock has an appealing strength of will, and Kirk's isn't compromised to compliment it. Both are capable of making tough decisions. A premise I thoroughly appreciate.

Drama comes into play when Spock receives a near-fatal injury during a scuffle with an Orion spy, leaving Kirk to make a life-altering decision for them both.

Excellent reading with generous amounts of action, believability and romance. Highly recommended K/S choice.