Story [Multi-fandom] random prompt thread- updated 12/8/17! (Stranger Things cont'd)

Author's Note: I have not written a fic in ages. Hopefully, this is the first of may such drabblish ficlets based on Mira_Jade's prompt list.

Falling

Jim Kirk had never fallen down on the job. Check that. He had fallen, but only in the course of his duties as a Starfleet officer. What captain hadn’t gone to the deck when hit with Romulan torpedoes or when encountering an unknown spatial anomaly? Or when grappling with alien cannibals or wooing exotic princesses in their bedchambers?

The aforementioned list made what happened next all the more humiliating. As Kirk and McCoy exited the turbolift, on the way to sickbay, the toe of the captain’s boot hit the carpet at an odd angle causing him to pitch forward and fall to this hands and knees in full view of crew members passing by. Though he recovered quickly and stoically proceeded down the corridor, McCoy snickering at this side, there was no way to stop the spread of the legendary ‘Fall of James T. Kirk’.

 

Hi! Welcome back!


LOL! You had me at "falling." You know how I took it though, not literally. Natch.

Will be watching this thread, avidly.

 

Brodie!! I'm so glad to see you back and writing

And this is great! I bet several members of the crew would have paid good money to see that

 

Nyota’sHeart: Thank you for the welcome back! That’s me; defying expectations. But in a good way. J

NYCityGirl: Nice to see you too, Nat. I’m glad you enjoyed this tidbit. More to come!

Mira_Jade: Mira! Yes, try as I might to stay out, "they" pulled me back in! It’s fantastic to see you. I hope you’ll enjoy my cornucopia of multi-fandom drabblish ficlets.


Pretender

Forgive and Forget

Jarod and Sydney clashed early and often, but the prodigy was never able to hold a lasting hatred for his imposed mentor. It was soon clear that the man was the only person at the Centre who truly cared about him. Though the man would push him, and, often into physically and emotionally painful scenarios, Jarod knew he was also protecting him from a larger darkness.

To the others, he was nothing more than a machine to be used to further their agenda. He could loathe the controllers, Parker and Raines, but he chose to separate Sydney from the ranks of those who had stolen him from his family.



Star Trek: 2009

Hit me with your best shot

For such a small group who knew about it, there was much ado about the pending boxing match between Captain Kirk and Doctor McCoy.

Spock, who had had originally been requested as Kirk’s second refused, stating that the entire affair was completely illogical. However, he acquiesced to Uhura’s demand that he referee the bout.

Uhura had already agreed to be McCoy’s second. If anything happened to Leo, this would be her only opportunity to take a swing at Kirk without fear of reprisal.

Sulu, who had been with Kirk on Nero’s drilling platform, became Kirk’s second by default. If nothing else, his fencing skills might help him avoid the long armed McCoy and simply wear him out.

Checkov stood by, in no official capacity, saying to anyone who would listen that the best fighters have always come from Russia.

As head gear was donned and mouth guards inserted, and the two met in the center of the gymnasium, Spock made the most logical statement imaginable.

"We are going to need a nurse."

 

The Pretender Wow, that takes me waaay back. I thought Admiral Drabblar went far back and afield.

ST 2009 Spock is the only sane voice in a group of loons. I wonder which adolescent came up with the boxing match idea, Len or Jim?
Brilliant uses of the prompts.

 

These entries were fun to read. Len coming up with the boxing match? Or one of his mayhem causing staff?

 

Author note: It's been a while for this thread and even longer since Mira-Jade presented me with a wonderful list of ST:2009 prompts. Well, Mira, here a few from that list.

Kirk – Rip

"How many shirts this week, Jim?" asked Bones as he ran a medical tricorder over the slash mark on Kirk's chest. The Captain had just beamed in from the surface after evading an angry mob of zealots who took exception to his ‘heresy’.

"Just this one, Bones," Kirk replied. "You'd know that if you weren't asking sarcastically."

"Oh, I know well enough. I'm just keeping it fresh in your mind."

"I think the stinging wound is a better reminder than stinging words. Keep it to yourself, Doctor."

Kirk hopped down from the med bed and walked out of Sick Bay.

McCoy – Roster

When Nyota entered the cafeteria, it was virtually empty. Sitting in the corner, pouring over a PAAD, was Leonard McCoy.

“Leo!” she exclaimed, always happy to see the desultory doctor. ‘Leo’ was a nickname shared between the two of them that went back to their academy days. The communications officer got her meal from the replicator and approached the doctor’s table.

“Hi, Uhura,” he said, looking up from his work. What are you up to?”

“I could ask you the same thing, Mr. intently hunched over your PADD.”

“No big deal. New crew means a new schedule. It’s never fun.”

Spock - Rattle

As Spock entered her quarters behind Nyota, his attention was immediately drawn to a cerulean object lying haphazardly on the floor. He could not contextualize it, which irritated him a bit, though no one would know.

"Nyota, what is that?" he asked without preamble.

Nyota follow his eyes to the floor and her face broke into a smile as soon as she saw it.

"It's a rattle, Spock?" she answered, retrieving it from the floor. She hand it to him. He took it apprehensively. Immediately, he could tell it was hollow and that multiple smaller objects were within.

"What is it for?" he inquired, curiosity peaked.

"It's for babies," she replied taking his hand and shaking it, lightly. The sound it make was stark, but not caustic. There was something mildly pleasant about it.
"Please be more specific, Nyota? I cannot imagine what infant would need with such a thing."

Uhura smiled at Spock's gap in experience with babies. "A rattle is a toy that also acts as a distraction for babies. It makes a nice noise so will keep shaking it. Sometime adults even shake it for the baby because they can't do it on their own yet."

"I do not understand the necessity. No Vulcan child is given anything so frivolous."

"Of course not," she said, playfully. "Vulcan's aren't about having fun!"

"Certainly not," he responded, not getting the joke.

"If it help you to understand, think of it as a ceremonial musical instrument. The ceremony being bringing joy to your child's heart."

Spock arched an eyebrow and looked Nyota in the eye. "My...child?"

Uhura let out a burst of laughter and shook her head softly. "No, Spock. Not yet at least. I must have dropped the rattle when I returned Bently to Lieutenant Carson.

She draped her arms around his neck and kissed him. “You are so cute when you’re curious.”

Chapel – Right

Christine Chapel strolled the northern promenade of Starbase 12. She had just left the Enterprise and was hoping to find a gift for Jim before going on duty at 1300 hours. The City was such a marvel of engineering that it took her breath away. To be honest, the loss of breath more related to the nausea created by looking up or down, left or right. It was a labyrinthine nightmare akin to Escher's infinite staircase; a hot mess to quote the 21st Century saying. Needless to say, Christine enjoyed the more traditional starbases; those that were enclosed in more than transparent aluminum.

 

Some good stuff.

I particularly liked the rattle, and Starbase 12. Never seen the inside of a starbase, so that is one ticked off the bucket list.

 

"Kirk - Rip" Wonderful banter between friends.

"McCoy - Roster" -- great to see the Leo and Ny friendship.
"Spock -- Rattle" Let The Record Show -- I adored. Every. Single. Word. Nummy in my ecstatic tummy.

"Christine -- Right" -- awww. Cool stuff. Need more back-story on the J/C relationship.

 

Sith-I-5: Thanks for stopping in. I'm glad you liked Rattle. It was fun having Spock try to work out what the item might be. The Star base one was born out my disappointment in what a star base had become in the Abrams-verse. If you saw ST: Beyond. you'll know what I mean. It was more like a giant labyrinthine city enclosed in Plexiglas. Needless to say, I was not a fan of the design.

WarmNyota_Sweet Ayesha: I'm glad you enjoyed these, Nyota. I knew you would enjoy rattle. Especially, with Spock's misunderstanding at the end. I think I'll look into more Leo, Ny friendship pieces. I like the dynamic of their friendship in my head canon.

A/N: I'm going to write a triptyc of ficlets around Spock and Bones meeting for tea. The tea prompt was provided my Mira_Jade years ago. I am revisiting a list she gave me and having fun doing it. Below is part one. I hope you enjoy.

McCoy & Spock - Tea

McCoy

Doctor Leonard McCoy was skeptical when he first received the invitation to tea; given the that the sender was none other than his nemesis, Commander Spock. To say that Spock was his nemesis might be going too far, but the Vulcan was not his favorite person. McCoy had to keep reminding himself that his had changed, though not by leaps and bounds, after the Krall incident. The two had inched toward a common respect, even though the green blooded...still made his red blood boil on occasion.

An invitation to tea was something more personal. It was a 'let's get to know each other' kind of thing. MCcoy wasn't sure he wanted to inch any more closer to friendship with Spock. He had his hands full being Jim's friend, and caretaker for everyone else on the ship.

That said, he couldn't in good conscience stand the Vulcan up either. That would just be rude; and set back diplomatic relations even further. But what if he went and the conversation devolved into outright hostility. Spock, of course would say he didn't feel hostility and that it was all due the Doctor's obtuseness. McCoy could feel his anger rising and took and couple of deep breaths. He figured that if he had acknowledged a change in the relationship for the better, then he should make every effort at peace.

He would go.

Curse the consequences.

 

Oh, I adored this inner glimpse of Bones' thought process. You got his snarky grumpy old guy voice down pat. He's all squishy marshmallow and that is also a fact. LOL He'll fight Spock tooth and nail but he'll defend him to the death if anyone else takes up a fight against him. Corellian that he is.

 

McCoy & Spock - Tea

Spock

Spock thought it only logical to ask the Doctor to tea. When one saves your life, whether it is his job to do so or not, it does engender a certain curiosity about the person. Though the Vulcan had already considered Doctor McCoy a curiosity for obvious reasons, he had not been truly curious about the man himself. For one who deduced rational conclusions from all available information, he did not have enough information to to make a judgement. This was a quandary in itself. If he did not have enough information to accurately characterize the man, why did he? Spock was not the kind of Vulcan who would do the easy thing simply because it was easy. He poured over his studies as a child. He took his appointment at Starfleet academy very seriously. Even now, aboard the Enterprise, he strives to excel. This was logical. As Jim would say: 'Be the best you can be.' But is he best he can be if he has made a judgement on limited information? If anyone should understand the discomfort of being underestimated, it is him.

It is rare that the Vulcan indulges even a hint of his humanity. But, this occasion may well require him to do so.

He would host the good Doctor.

It was logical.

 

Oh by all that is holy, I so adore! Spock and his reasoning on the matter of indulging curiosity. You captured his inimitable voice perfectly. !!!!!!!

 

I'm not sure what I did, but I accidentally messed with fonts and lost my previous thank yous. I appreciate both of you, Mira_Jade and WarmNyota_SweetAyesha!

And, now, a word from The Doctor...

Nine - Ash

With all of time and space as his playground, The Doctor never considered going home. In fact, he left home very much on purpose. But Daleks being Daleks and Timelords being Timelords, neither were willing to leave the other well enough alone. Something had to be done and The Doctor, sadly, was the one to do it.

War! War! War! Would it never end? Could The Doctor end it?

No.

But he could put a stop to it. He could put it on hold. Forever. If he did so, he would be the last of the Timelords, the last of his kind. Was it worth it? Was it his choice to make?

The Doctor saves.

The Doctor heals.

Could he kill to save? Could he rob and steal to heal?

He would do what The Doctor does.

 

Super introspection and pondering over choices, none easy.

 

A few Stranger Things ficets for you...


Hopper

One morning, not long after the Snow Ball dance, Hopper decided to broach the subject of adoption. He had cooked a special breakfast of eggs, sausage, toast, and, of course, Eggos. He had practiced a small speech explaining adoption, explaining that he loved her and wanted to be family forever. It sounded terrible and he wondered if she would understand; if she would want to be his family.

Sara was never far from his mind during this time. He had lost her to 'The Black Hole'. He had also lost his wife and he had nearly fallen into the Black Hole himself. That would never happen again. Jane was a new start for him. He was a new start for her. There was so much to consider. But, before he considered all the eventualities, he had to know if she would chose him as he had chosen her.

Steve

Steve Harrington knew he had been a jerk. He had been shallow enough to take Nancy's grieving, drunken words to heart. He had decided that she was calling their love a sham and rejecting him. It had been a horrible mistake; made worse by him throwing it in her face once she had sobered up. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb! He had to make it up to her. He had to let her know he was wrong. It felt both natural and unnatural to need her approval; as if she were in control and not he. He wasn't used to being in love. Really in love. Having a girlfriend never necessarily meant love. It was convenience. It was status. Love broke all that. He would buy her flowers and throw himself on her mercy.

El

The breakfast Hopper had provided that morning was one that El associate with a 'talk'. The talk could be good or bad or halfway happy. Her protector appeared nervous, but not mad or upset. This gave her the impression that his news would be good or some kind of compromise. He fidgeted, which was not normal. He was a big man, and strong. She decided to speak first.

"You're being weird," El said, as she shoved a piece of sausage into her mouth. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, Kid...I mean El," Hopper stammered. "It's hard to believe I've been calling you 'kid' for so long. It should be El."

"Yes," she replied. "Eleven."

"So, Eleven," He continued."I have a lot to tell you, but I'm going to make it simple. I'm going to ask you something, a really important question. I want you to think before you answer. I want you to be sure of the answer you give."

"Okay," the girl replied, still confused and thus concerned. She gave him a fractured smile. "Ask me."

He sat up straighter and took a long drink of his coffee. "El, I want you to be my kid. I want you to be my kid...forever. Do you want to be my kid forever?"

El's concern evaporated and a wave of emotion made her eyes glisten with unshed tears. "You want to be my Poppa?"

The Sheriff's face hardened, momentarily, and returned to relative anxiety. He reached across the table and took her hand gently into his. "No. Not Poppa. Never Poppa." He smiled broadly. "I would be Dad. Would you have me as your dad?"

El didn't hesitate. The past year had been hard, but she never questioned his desire to protect her, to keep her safe from the bad men. Now, he could me more than just her protector. He could love her. She wasn't sure she understood love fully, but she knew it was good.

"Yes," she replied, choked with emotion. "I want you to be Dad." She got up from her chair and rounded the minuscule table and threw her arms around his bull neck.

He hugged her tightly and whispered into her ear. "Good."

 

Lovely, lovely. El was particularly touching.

 

@WarmNyotaSweetAyesha: Thank you, Nyota. These are my first Stranger Things fan fic. It's always intimidating taking on a fandom. I'm never quite sure of all the details and it make me nervous. I'm glad you enjoyed them.
@Mira_Jade: Hi Mira! Welcome back. I hope all is well with you. Thanks for noticing the Doctor. It was tangent, but I think it worked well. I've been reading some other Stranger Things fic and there is a lot of well written stuff. I'm honored that you think my makes the grade. The El-Hopper father-daughter theme is one of my favorites of series two. You asked for more. You got it!



Spoilers ahead for Stranger Things 2..

Mike

When the Sheriff said he had been keeping El's presence a secret, something inside Mike snapped. In retrospect, the something was selfish, needy, loving, protective, pitiful, and down right desperate. But, in the moment, it was self righteous rage. How dare Hopper keep El from him? How dare he allow the gaping wound that was El's 'death' to fester? How dare he?

Mike's rage about El being missing was so strong, that he momentarily forgot that she was standing in front of him, reaching out. His emotions were at once so relieved that she was alive, but ever more strained because she was so close all along. He flew at Hopper, beating his chest, calling him a liar and worse. Suddenly, the Sheriff had Mike by the elbow and forcefully ushered him into the nearest room for privacy. The young teen ignored most of Hopper's admonitions, but at the sound of El's name, tuned in.

"...needs you to get hold of yourself. I didn't ask you to approve of my choices. This is bigger than just you. But she needs you to get over yourself and get back out there!"

Still seething, but seeing the truth of Hopper's words, Mike took a deep breath. He wiped his eyes of angry tears and proceeded to calm down. His anger at the Sheriff had not abated, but he now saw that El was more important that his tantrum. Redirected, but still defiant, he said: “This is not over.”

Hopper huffed in disbelief and pointed at the door. “Yes, it is.”

Silent

It wasn't long after the Snow Ball Dance, that Hopper relented (Joyce could be persistent) and let El have time to hang out with her friends. It was at the Wheeler house and it was supervised. If Hopper was going to let El spend time with Mike, her sure as hell wouldn't let her do it alone. Joyce was there of course, but she thought the spark of romantic interest was adorable and would likely encourage it without even knowing. No, The Sheriff had his eyes on Mike Wheeler. The kid was okay, but he was a boy, and boys tended to lose control of their hormones in the presence of girls. That's why Hopper had a gun. And, he made sure Mike knew it.

It turned out that there was nothing to worry about. They were Eight graders after all. El didn't talk much which meant she felt safe and comfortable. If she had been a nervous chatterbox, he would have known something was wrong and the evening would have ended far sooner. She huddled close to Mike at the table as they ate dinner. She didn't participate in the game they played (Clue), but watched intently as Professor Plum was reveled to have killed Miss Scarlet in the Conservatory with a rope. She sat at his side, on the couch, clutching his arm, while they watched a movie (The Love Bug). It was all very innocent. It was all very needy. It was all very needed.

Hopper watched from the kitchen, Joyce at his hip. She hugged his arm, and rested her head against it. There was comfort and safety there, too. He caught El's eye and gave her wink. She returned the wink with a smile so lovely and innocent; so thankful and peaceful, that he had to look away. The mist of emotion clouded his vision. After wiping his eyes, he returned her gaze only the find hers back on the movie. He moved the arm that Joyce had been resting on and pulled her into a light hug. Comfort and safety.

Night

It was after eleven when Hopper carried a sleeping El to his truck and strapped her in. She mumbled something that sounded like 'good-bye Mike' but he couldn't be sure. He waved to Joyce, who stood on the porch hugging herself against the chill, and climbed into the driver's seat. He looked over at his passenger and surprised to find his daughter awake and pinning him with a furrowed brow and intense eyes. Hopper resisted the urge to show irritation or role his eyes. Instead, he nodded his head gently and smiled in surrender.

“Good-bye to Mike?” he asked, tired, but willing to give her what she wanted.

“Yes,” El replied, a hint of disbelief in the one word.

Hopper's weary smile reached his eyes. “Go on then. But, be quick, like a bunny.”

El opened the door and darted from the truck. She as at the door, and inside, before he could blink. Joyce sauntered over to his window with a cheesy momma bear grin on her face.

“Jim Hopper, you old softy,” she mused.

“Yeah, but it's a state secret so don't tell anyone,” he droned. Reaching for his pack of cigarettes in the cup holder, he added: “She wanted to say bye to the boy.”

“I figured,” Joyce replied.

The Sheriff retrieved his lighter from the console and shook a cigarette from the pack. Taking the but in his mouth, he went to light it. “I'll be damned,” he muttered, bouncing the cigarette between his lips. He saw El emerge from the house and make her way back to the Bronco. “She was quick.” Removing butt from this mouth, he shoved it back in the pack. The lighter returned the console.

The young teen hopped in and buckled up, beaming. She sat straight up and looked out the windshield, perhaps trying to get a glimpse of Mike. Hopper turned to Joyce who kissed him on the cheek and, with a 'get her home to bed' wave of her arm, returned to the house.

“All set,” he said, starting the ignition.

“All set,” she replied, with a tight nod of her head. Her cute curls bounced in the moonlight and Hopper could not imagine a more perfect moment.

 

Sweet and wonderful cozy moments of togetherness.

 

@WarmNyotaSweetAyesha: Thank you, Nyota, for being there. I appreciate your support. This fandom is new to me as far as writing it and I hope I'm doing it justice.

A/N: This set is taken from the first drabble challenge. I have also decided to stick to the 100 word limit. Let's see how long that lasts. I may just keep using those theme words with a few Christmas ones thrown into the mix.


Beginnings

The first night in the cabin was good. Keeping the kid warm and comfortable was Hopper's primary goal. To that end, he wiped down the small table for two as well as the toaster and plugged it in. He took logs from a pile mere steps from the front door and started a fire in the wood stove. He also gave gave all the bedding a decent beating and shook it out for good measure. After making the beds, he produced a box of Eggos, waved it at El, who was sitting in the couch, and called her to dinner.

Middles

The work began in earnest the following morning when The Sheriff called in sick. He had no idea how he would remove all the dust, but he was thankful for his foresight in covering all the furniture with blankets. He and El removed them, which produced coughing fits for both of them which morphed into laughter and a sitting spell against the back of the couch. Perhaps, the cleaning could wait a while longer. They sat in relative silence, the few words spoken easy and unforced.

“Yucky,” she said, sticking out her tongue.

“You got that right, Kid.”

Ends

Three days later, the filthy cabin looked more like a home, if small and rickety. The golden brown of the wood was more pronounced and a couple of floor and table lamps provided light to accompany the fire.

Hopper stood in the kitchen and El by the fire. Even after 72 hours, the child still couldn't shake the 'cold'. He poured himself a cup of coffee and reached for another mug. He wished he had tea or cider, but this would have to do.

“Coffee?” he asked, sheepishly.

“Yes,” she replied, over her shoulder, still warming her hands.

First

After the ground rules were established, Hopper new that he would need to start teaching her...something. Though being Sheriff gave him a certain amount of experience 'dealing' with people, he knew that El needed more than a detached guardian. He decided to start with a word a day. He brought home a dictionary explained what it was and how to use it. He decided the first word he wanted her to know, to understand, was safe. He wanted her to know that she was safe and that it was important to stay safe. He hoped she would understand the difference.

Last
There were so many words she would learn, so many things out there, both natural and not so much, that would build her up and tear her down. He had been a parent before. And, as such, he wanted nothing but good for his girl. He wanted to share with her a word that would let her know she was loved, that she was valuable and treasured. When she emerged from the bathroom in her simple blue dress, he felt a lump in his throat.

“Pretty?” she asked, as if there was a question in his mind.

“Beautiful.”

 

Enjoying the progression of getting closer. You can truly sense Hopper's caring.