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Spock slowly steers the car into what appears to be a parking lot of a rundown motel, in the middle of no-where, steadily ignoring the small tuft of black smoke coming out from under the hood. He will not state it, even if he had indeed told the captain so the moment he had laid eyes on the choice of vehicle that had been chosen for the trip to the convention.
"Don't worry Spock, I've been tinkering with cars like this since my adolescence." Jim tries to smile at him, but he keeps his eyes peered forward. "I've got it fixed in no time, and we'll be on our way before you know it."
"I am Vulcan, I know it right now that we are not." If Spock was human he would have cringed at the petulant tone that slipped into his words. But he is not, so he will not.
"Again, I'm sorry we missed our original shuttle to the location. But you can not blame me for the terminal getting closed due to some technical malfunction causing our replacement flight not leaving at all." Jim sounds miffed. "I still don't understand why they didn't simply let me take a look at it. We could have helped."
Spock nods minimally to show he agrees with that last statement. Clearly being reassured he's no longer being ignored Jim zips his coat shut and steps out into the cold early afternoon.
Jim calmly walks towards the front hood and motions for Spock to release it, which he does. With the hood up he can no longer see Jim but that doesn't matter. Less than half a minute later he hears some very loud swearing coming from behind the hood. Bad enough swearing to have made their chief engineer learn a new word or three.
He steps out of the car. "Is it that serious?"
Jim's face pops up from behind the hood. "There's... there is... it's attached with... chewing gum."
"I'm not surprised we got stranded, I'm more surprised we managed to get anywhere at all. No wonder we were offered this car for nots. It's worth exactly that."
Jim scrunches his nose like he always does when he is about to tell somebody a piece of his mind, a notion Spock should not be so focused on or adorated with. A notion he apparently had informed the Ship's doctor of when he had inadvertently found himself inebriated by some local fauna at their last mission.
A second swear makes Spock focus on Jim again, who is giving his communicator the stink eye as his mother used to call the expression. "There's no comm signal here. What kind of place on earth doesn't have comm signal in this day and age."
"It happens from time to time, especially at this time of year." A woman about Bones' age calls at them from the warm confines of the open door of the Motel. "I can call the local garage for you though, it's run by an uncle of mine and he has a phone. Come in though, it's to cold for staying out."
Agreeing, they calmly take their bags out of the boot and walk into the small reception area. There Spock is amazed to see the woman talking into what looks like a ancient turn dial phone with a little horn she is holding to her ear and another that she is holding to her mouth.
"Yep, yep. Oh it's a lovely couple don't worry. Seems they were given a nasty rental. Thanks Devil." The woman hangs up.
"He's coming right over, he'll be busy the rest of the afternoon for tomorrow's wedding. He'll have it fixed for you in no time, just not before tomorrow." She grins at them cheerfully.
"Welcome to Hatfield Motel The best motel on either side of the Tug Fork. You two are a lucky couple, with the wedding being as big as it is we are almost completely booked full. Except for the wedding suite which is fully cleaned and stocked so ready for you to take."
She pulls out an actually bound ledger. "I'll need your names, and the person who I will send the bill to." She winks at them. "I'd advice to have it send to the puts that rented you that car."
Spock opens his mouth to object the clear misconception the woman is under, but Jim's hand on his wrist stops him. Looking at him he get's what he has since been classifying as the 'trust me' face.
"Perhaps we could go along with your uncle when he picks up the car? Surely we will be able to comm once we are in town. I'm certain our friends will organize something to pick us up, and we do not wish to be of any hassle to you and your other guests. Plus with a wedding I assume you'd prefer to keep the suite pristine for them."
The woman shakes her head. "Nope these young ones have booked the master suite over at the large hotel on the other side of the Fork. Plus I just spoke Devil, seems the comm is also down all over town. Your best choice is to wait here till it's back up. Names?"
"S'chn T'gai Kirk, although just Kirk is permitted if the Vulcan name is too difficult for you to write." Jim sighs. "I'm Jim Kirk, and this is Spock."
The woman smiles softly. "Been together long?"
"Almost six years coming this eleventh of February." Jim says slowly.
"Oh, Promise day. That is a fantastic day for a new relationship to start, how blessed you are for that day to be the start of yours." The woman looks all to giddy, so neither Jim nor Spock wish to comment on why the date is everything but blessed to them.
"Well I've got you all signed in for now. Just sign here." She waves a pen at them.
Jim takes it quickly and sets his signature on the dotted line, Spock quickly follows second.
"Here's your key. Now to get to the suite you'll need to go left around the reception, while facing it not the other way around or you'll get to the river instead, then take the second path you see, follow it to the end. It's nice and secluded so you boys can go and make all the noise you like."
After giving them a big wink she maneuvers them out of the reception and closes the door on them. Spock picks up most of the suitcases and turns right, to go around the reception.
"Didn't she say go left?" Jim stops him by grabbing his coat.
"Going left while facing means to go right when it is behind you." Spock looks at Jim. "Unless you wish to go to the river?"
"Nope. I just..." Jim shakes his head. "It's nothing. I'm amazed at how easy she got us agreeing to stay. We are normally not this compliant."
"True, but we have only just yesterday returned from what could be considered a very delicate mission, and instead of getting some time off to recuperate, we ended up getting ordered to attend a convention for Starfleet instead. So you haven't had enough sleep, if any. And I, admittedly, have not rested as much as would be optimal either."
"At least we'll have a bed to sleep in for the night. When the engine started to smoke and there was no place in sight I feared we would get stranded in the car for the evening." Jim yawns deeply, and almost stumbles, placing a hand on Spock's arm to steady himself. "I really am tired."
Sure enough they find the wedding suite at the end of the second path.
"Oh wow it's a treehouse. That's amazing."
Spock looks up at the small building suspended on a platform between three trees. "It looks sturdy enough, but why are those spiked poles placed around the trees like that?"
Jim shrugs. "Probably to keep the bears out. Let's go up."
Jim gets extra excited when they discover that the only way up for them is a small elevator that comes down from the platform. As it is only big enough for either two people or their luggage, it is quickly decided that Jim and his largest bag go up first and Spock will follow with his bags and the smaller one of Jim's.
Once up, they appreciate the fantastic panoramic view of what must have been the river the woman had been talking about for a moment before stepping into the suite and coming to a sudden stop.
They had expected a single bed, it was after all the wedding suite. It being fancy had also been a given. But it was a round four poster canopied covered in red velvet monstrosity that took up almost the whole room. Actually the only other large item in the whole suite was the clawed bathtub big enough for two, if you squeezed in together that is, set in an alcove looking out over the river. And a lovely fireplace right across from the bed.
"There's no sofa." Jim mumbles. "I had been counting on some lounging sofa at least."
"I'm certain we can manage to share a bed together for the evening Jim. It has happened before."
Jim looks at him as if he's a bit hurt, although Spock can't determine what of his stating that could cause such an expression to come to his captain's face.
"That's not it. I wanted to run some checks on my padd but with how tired I am, I'll be asleep the moment I touch that mattress. It looks soft."
"Then sleep a bit, you will feel better once rested." Spock pushes Jim inside and closes the door behind them, revealing a small kitchen area. "I'll prepare some light food. And light the fireplace to take the chill out of the room."
"You should rest to, you said yourself you haven't rested enough either." Jim strips of his coat and boots, then pads towards the bed.
"And I will, after I have eaten something I will meditate before the fireplace. That should be sufficient for now. I can sleep once evening is upon us." Spock looks at Jim, but finds the man completely asleep with one leg still beside the bed.
He walks over, corrects his sleeping posture and sets out to do the tasks he had set for himself. An hour of meditation should be enough for now.
Once the fire is burning nicely he settles down and follows the steps to reach the level he requires.
"Spock." A hand on his shoulder pulls him out of a meditation that had been far deeper than intended, and longer too judging from the light coming from outside. He looks up to Jim who is sitting on his knees beside him.
"I think you fell asleep while meditating, it's been almost three hours." A lopsided smile graces Jim's face. "I've put some more wood on the fire, but I was wondering..." A faint blush. "Do you mind if I take a quick bath. I still feel grimey from that last mission and hope it will help. I was planning to wait till we arrived at the convention but..." A shrug.
"Alright. There is actually a screen in the pantry in the kitchen you can use to have some privacy, I'll set it up while you run the water."
"Thanks." Jim nods slowly. Spock feels he missed something.
After a bath where Spock was able to hear everything, although the screen had done a decent job obscuring his view, Jim comes out wearing some cosy looking dark purple pajamas's with what appear to be small spaceships on them.
"Don't say anything. Bones bought them for me last Christmas. They are warm and cosy."
"I'll take your word for it, and if it is any consolation, I too have been gifted pajama's by the good doctor this last Christmas." He walks over to his bag and takes out a similar pair that is a deep blue with constellations on it. "As it is still a bit chilly I too will put these on for the night."
He hears Jim sigh when he steps behind the screen and quickly changes into the pajama over his thermals. He takes a moment to compose himself.
"Should I prepare some supper? As you were asleep before I had finished making something earlier." Spock comes out from behind the screen finding Jim already in the kitchen going over everything in the pantry.
"That's okay, I can help with cooking. I'm not that bad of a chef, most of the time." Jim steps back. "How odd, there is not one thing in this pantry, and even the small fridge I'm allergic to. Even the spice rack only has things I can have in it."
"I had noticed that before as well, plus..." Spock walks over and pulls out a small weird looking fruit from the fruit bowl. "This is a Vulcan fruit."
"Can I eat it?" Jim looks at the pretty colored fruit. "It smells tasty."
"You can consume it, and if you will peel it and dice it up I'll put it into the dessert I was planning to make."
"Really? Dessert?" Jim smiles at him as a child who just got handed a puppy. "Might not want to tell that to Bones once we see him tomorrow."
"I'm sure he'll approve. It is quite healthy."
"What a way to ruin the anticipation." Jim says playfully while taking the fruit and a knife and starts preparing the fruit.
After dinner both try to do some reports that were left to do in all the chaos, but soon decide that tossing some extra wood on the fire and get an early nights sleep is what they really need.
Next morning Spock wakes up with Jim rolled half over him, slowly drooling onto his shoulder, and his hand tightly placed over his midriff. He believes it still early morning due to the hazy light coming through the privacy screen as it was in front of the only big window. But when he checks his internal clock it is actually rather late in the morning.
He decides to move Jim to his own pillow, and steps out to check why the light is off.
Once the privacy screen is folded back in onto itself he sees that the window is almost completely covered in snow. He walks over to the door of the suite -he does not run, he is a Vulcan and minimal increase of speed is enough to cover a room this size- and pull it open. Luckily the snow on that side is far less, Indicating the wind had come from the side of the river.
One look tells him though that the lift is not an option. With nothing shielding it from the snow, It got completely snowed full overnight.
"Man, we must have been really tired to have missed a blizzard like that. Now I'm extra happy we weren't in our car, we would have gotten snowed over and impossible to find." Jim steps beside him, tossing half of the still warm red velvet comforter over Spock's shoulders. Making him realize just how utter cold it is.
"But with the elevator as it is we are going to be stuck here till help arrives." Spock looks troubled.
"True." Jim nods. "With the difference, we are safe indoors, have heating, food, and a person that knows we are here. So all in all, far better than getting stuck in the middle of who-knows-where, cold, hungry, and no-one knowing our location as the comm system is apparently still down.
Spock nods, and closes the door. "You are correct." Jim rubs his shoulder against Spock's arm.
"Then let us make the best of the time we have here. I mean how long will it take for them to come get us out."
---
On the second day of the convention Bones finally finds some time to call his cousin Rose.
"Hey Rose it's Leonard, hope the wedding was a success. No new revival of any old feuds I hope." He laughs when his cousin tells him all about the latest McCoy-Hatfield wedding.
"We could have used you here cous' at least three had to be taken to see a doctor, and one person tried to shoot another. But that was between brothers so more of the norm there." Rose laughs.
"And how is our little project going?" Bones looks around hoping no one heard what he said, as officially Jim and Spock's current location is supposed to be an enigma to him as well.
"Good as far as I could tell. They were only a little bit sad that it would take another two days for the person to come by to fix the elevator, but I promised them I'd let somebody know where they are."
"Well you've kept your words. Now I just hope this will stop them from confiding in me about the other. I'm a doctor not a marriage counselor."