To the Waters and the Wild

K/S Fanfiction
Title:	To the Waters and the Wild
Author(s):	Patricia Roe
Date(s):	1994
Length:
Genre:	slash
Fandom:	Star Trek: The Original Series
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To the Waters and the Wild is a Kirk/Spock story by Patricia Roe.

It was published in the print zine T'hy'la #15.

Summary

"A story focusing on Kirk's restlessness between missions and need to return to his roots. Spock journeys with him and, following an ancient Terran ritual, decides to court his love."

Reactions and Reviews

Lovely, unusual story particularly suited to be told by a British author. The whole story has a 19th century romantic feel to it.

In San Francisco at the end of the five-year mission, McCoy orders kirk on a one-month leave before he makes the big decision to accept the admiralty. Spock knows he wants to be with Kirk, no matter what else, but it doesn't seem that's what Kirk wants. At first Kirk is obsessed, being a workaholic. And he tomcats it all around town, but eventually winds down and turns to Spock.

A quite amusing scene when they meet by chance at the Office Club-old guys dozing, etc., just like a British club.

When Kirk seeks Spock out, he invites him to go "home" with him, to Ireland! I might be able to buy that he was born in Galway (except I think Scottish is his more likely heritage? Or, perhaps Irish mother, Scottish father?) but I don't really buy that he'd lived there for 16 years, that he didn't move to the farm in Iowa until then. Kirk has Iowa farmboy written all over him if you ask me. My own personal resistance aside, however, Kirk's immediate family's history was written perfectly plausibly.

I loved the depiction of the Irish countryside-very much. And the village of Lannann a 21st century back-to-roots village where Kirk has family. And the irish dialect; nicely done. And Kirk's folks; a wonderful, down-home scene.

And some exquisite moments of indefinable closeness between Kirk and Spock.

There are well-drawn characters. Kirk's (female) childhood friend, and the old man who Spock is staying with, who discern the undercurrents between Kirk and Spock and gently push them towards each other. So in the old courting tradition, Spock "calls" for Kirk, to "go walking." Kirk knows about "calling" and "walking out" and asks Spock if that's what they are doing. Yes, he says. Sigh.... They hold hands. Such alive, exhilarating love, and they haven't even kissed yet. Spock's silent "I love you" was extremely stirring in this quietly romantic set-up. However, in a story like this, where ever eye contact and tentative word and the simple nearness of bodies is elevated to the highest romantic eroticism, a kiss is a gigantic thing, and their first kiss was not played up enough. The way the story was going, it could have had me puddled on the floor, just the kiss, but it didn't.

So, it's a happily-ever-after story. Nice.... I can see the author probably had an irresistible urge to write this story, to put Kirk and Spock in this setting, and I'm glad she did.

I don't know where the idea of Kirk as an Irish-American got started, but it has close to canonical status and has generated some interesting moments in fan lit. This story takes the concept one step further and makes Kirk not Irish-American but Irish-Irish. When Kirk announces to Spock, three pages into this end-of-the-5-year-mission story, that he is taking him "home" to Ireland, I almost put the story down, fearing I had walked in on an "Irish Joke" or a tale that was about to degenerate into terminal cuteness. Fortunately, neither fear materialized. I kept reading because of the quality of the writing and the strong characterization of Kirk, and I'm glad I did. However, I still found the "Irish conceit" an unnecessary irritant. Forget about the issue of tampering with the canon-the conceit doesn't even make sense in the context of the story. We are asked to believe that Kirk and Spock have served together and been close friends for five years without Kirk's ever having revealed to Spock where he lived for the first sixteen years of his life! Besides, the conceit is not , necessary as a device to get Kirk and Spock into the bosom of an Irish village. The story would have worked just as well had Kirk taken Spock to visit Irish relatives with whom he had spent an occasional summer vacation. That much said, I was utterly charmed by the story, the village and the characters (including a collie named Ben who is truly one of the story's characters, always in the middle of things). The characterization of Kirk, still living in the five-year mission ("I can't come down," he says to Spock in desperation, "I'm still 'up there"), struggling to figure out what he really wants from life, is right on. The villagers have all the traditional Irish virtues but are refreshingly free of less positive Irish traditions such as homophobia and alcoholism. Now that's a 23rd-century future we can look forward to. Kudos to the author for her wonderful images and sense of place.

I enjoyed this story despite its leisurely pace. The pace suits the action: Kirk and Spock are on leave at the end of the first 5-year mission, and Spock is trying-for his own reasons and under McCoy's medical orders-to get Kirk to relax. The pace also suits the Irish countryside where most of the story takes place, and that setting is lushly described. Spock is nicely characterized. He's a bit on the human side (either he lets emotion show on his face a little too much, or everyone else in the story has uncanny intuition), but that's probably largely because we're privy to his thoughts and perspective throughout most of the story-Mis actions and words are actually far more reserved than his thoughts- Kirk is also well-characterized: his devotion to duty and his almost addictive need to be a starship commander, his easygoing ways with people and his philosophical bent are all well drawn.

But one thing made me groan out loud and consign this story to an alternate universe. Early on. Kirk tells Spock that he isn't really from Iowa; he was born in Galway. Ireland, and lived there until he was fourteen. Excuse me, but that's tantamount to Spock's confessing that he wasn't really born on Vulcan! Sorry, folks, it just ain't so. Kirk is not only from Iowa; he's an American, and that's one of the obvious and important foundations of his character. Yes. he's probably of Irish descent. But he's just plain not Irish, and everything about him makes that obvious. I could believe, certainly, that Kirk has relatives in Ireland. Diane Ouane dealt with that idea believably. if a bit self-indulgently. in Spock's World. But I can't believe Kirk grew up an Irish boy and only went to Iowa at the age of fourteen.

I think this is an important point, because it was a glaring distraction in the middle of a story that was otherwise quite enjoyable. In fact once I suspended my disbelief sufficiently to read the rest of the story— which had no other alternate-universe elements—I gladly went along for the ride, enjoying both the gorgeous descriptions of the natural environment and Kirk's relatives and friends, especially Maeve and Dannion, who were delightfully drawn.

The story did have a few other distractions. First, the British expressions and usage, even in Kirk's and Spock's dialogue- Kirk and Spock, as we heard them in the series, speak American English. Therefore, they would never say "Starfleet were advised of the problem areas..." or whatever. (I haven't even heard Picard talk like that, and he has the accent that would make such a usage believable.) I don't intend to argue here about what English will be like in the 23rd century; my point is simply that things like this in a story are distractions to the reader, and, as such, should be edited out. In rare cases, some such departures might be acceptable if they're handled with enough discretion.

Another thing that bothered me somewhere in my subconscious was that Spock's realization that he loves Kirk is merely hinted at throughout the first few pages, and then suddenly Spock is thinking "I love you." I thought the early hints were a little too subtle, and I would like to have seen Spock's realization brought out a little more obviously. Kirk's reciprocating Spock's love also happens too subtly-and possibly even too quickly. Part of the reason for this is that we're given too few glimpses into Kirk's thoughts. I understand and applaud the desire to write chiefly from Spock's POV, but I think that if an author gives us any part of the story from another person's POV, that second perspective should be developed fully. The lack of sufficient understanding of Kirk's perspective left me feeling as though pieces of the story were missing.

One more thing that bothered me: The author went to considerable effort to point out how old-fashioned and traditional the village of Lannan was-even by 1990s standards--but Sean, Maeve, and even "the" crusty old Dannion were completely matter-of-fact about a homosexual love match. I don't argue that their tolerant attitudes aren't believable, only that in this setting, they require an explanation.

All that said, I have to admit I really enjoyed this story. It was capably written, and it captured Kirk and Spock nicely. I enjoyed the picture of them both as men who dreamed about the stars. I liked and believed Spock's quiet companionship and his very Vulcan reticence about his growing feelings for Kirk. And I absolutely loved their "courtship"--the first kiss in the garden and then parting, their walk on the beach, and even Spock's desire to wait to actually have sex until they were back home on the Enterprise. It was so sweet and refreshingly original to see them proceeding slowly rather than declaring their love and then immediately ripping each other's clothes off as so many authors have them do (and, personally, I can't claim innocence on that score!) So I give this one a definite thumbs-up despite the Galway glitch, and I hope everybody will read it.

This story was a real surprise as I usually resist stories based on something other than "facts" we "know" for sure about the characters, i.e. that Kirk was born in Iowa, not Ireland. After all, he's such an All-American boy.

Nevertheless, I immediately bought into this story hook, line and sinker. The writing was nearly profound (consistent, vivid and oh , so charming. I could hear the lilt of the Irish accent in nearly every word of dialogue), the details exquiste (I've never been there but I was in Ireland), and the characterizations perfect. (Spock was shy and yet persistnet: Kirk-well he was just perfect). The story is simple: It's the end of the five-year mission and Kirk doesn't know what to do with himself-literally. The goal that he's had since childhood of being starship captain has been reached and now he realizes he doexn't have a new goal for the future. McCoy makes him take leave and he decides to go home; not to Iowa, whre the family farm is, but to Ireland, the place where he was born and raised. There, in the quaint village of Lannan (a place sans technologhy but founded in the 21st century), he and Spock. who he's invited to go along spend the rest of the story with Jim's cousin Sean and his family and other charming Lannan residents. The story truns into an exploration of Kirk's feeling about his career and his need for a wife and kids. Comparing himself to Sean who stayed in Ireland in a quiet Irish vilage to raise a family, he wonders aloud:"Where do I go from here, Spock? Who got it right, Sean or me?"

In Lannan, we're are introduced to the people and to the glorious land through Spock's eyes. Several characters add sparkle and tension to the story: Old Tommy Danniortr who opens his home to Spock; Maever Fleury, a childhood friend and now potential love interest for Kirk; and Cousin Sean whose home, family and quiet way of life tempts Jims mightily to think about leaving Starfleet. It is Maeve who is the most dynamic character, a formerly wild girl with a failed marraige behind her who has returned home to Lannon to gegin again. It is Maeve who picks up on Jim's focused affection for Spock.

I loved the easy, sweet relationship that Kirk and Spock alread had going into the story (Kirk about his Vulcan First officer: "Spock? He's one in a million...) which sets the stage for the easy, sweet love relationship that they come to find later. Nothing is strained: the emotions are deep felt and honest, tender and loving. There's no jealousy or bitterness connected here - as well there shouln't be, even as Spock worries that Jim has decided to settle down with Maeve. And I liked the now ubiquitous, but totally apropos theme of Kirk's reflections over career vs family - it's a solidly appropriate theme both in the movies and in fan fiction, I also loved the way Patricia handeled the sexual aspect, quietly. To echo Kirk."To the Waters and the Wild" is one in a million.

Some might complain about this story's setting and basic premise, which is that Kirk goes back to visit relatives in Ireland, but I tend to suspend my disbelief and go along for the ride with great pleasure. It's priceless when Spock finally asks Kirk to "walk out" with him. Where "walk out" has a very specific and priceless meaning. I like most of what this author writes, and here she takes me on a very pleasing, soothing turn with the fellows. I also really like the scene in the bar towards the end…. All of it is lovely!