Warning: Long prompt is LONG
My college roommate was a total musical theatre dork, and she introduced me to the fabulous show Next to Normal. The show is about a family that is torn apart by the (bi polar) mother's delusion that her son (who died in childhood) is alive and well. One of the numbers (which is absolutely heartbreaking) is "He's Not Here."
He's not here
He's not here
Love, I know you know
Do you feel he's still real?
Love, it's just not so
Why is it you still believe?
Do you dream or do you grieve?
You've got to let him go
He's been dead 16 years
No, my love, he's not here.
The challenge is this: Spock or Kirk died, and afterwards the partner who survived began hallucinating that his lover was still alive.
Requirements:
McCoy or Uhura needs to be the one “singing” to Kirk or Spock respectively. The story can take place in one or all of the following settings:
A) in a mental institution (with McCoy or Uhura visiting)
B) onboard the Enterprise as they head to New Vulcan/Earth (either for the funeral or to relieve the insane party from command)
C) at Uhura/Bones’ home, where (s)he has resigned his/her commission to take care of Spock/Kirk (If you pick this setting, I want it to take place at least a decade after Kirk/Spock’s death)
I’d like a bit of mystery/suspense thrown in as to how Kirk/Spock died, and why the surviving party reacted the way they did. I’m really not a “their love was so pure it just tore him to pieces to lose his lover” kind of gal. Give me a plausible reason for Kirk/Spock’s psychosis. (Maybe they already had mental/emotional problems before the death/murder and this drove them over the edge? They witnessed the death/murder? Spock transferred his katra into Kirk and it drove him batty, even after it was removed?)
I’d also like some form of unrequited love on Bones or Uhura’s part. (i.e if you’d like to have them in a quasi-relationship with Kirk/Spock, I’d like some good: “he’ll never love me as much as he did ___” angst)
Finally, Kirk/Spock CANNOT under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES come back to life. I don’t care how the story ends. You can have Kirk/Spock snap out of the hallucinations and get counseling, kill themselves, go into a catatonic state- anything, as long as the death of their SO is permanent!
Bonus:
I’m a sucker for flashbacks, and I’d kiss the feet of anyone skilled enough to break up the story and tell it out of order ala Pulp Fiction. (and, you know, have it still make sense and have more of an emotional impact for using that style of narrative)
I have an irrational fondness for Chapel. If she could be a major character, I'd die happy.
I wouldn't be at all upset if lines/lyrics/plot points from Next to Normal happened to pop up during the course of the story.
Categories: Fiction Characters: Chapel, McCoy, Uhura