Epilogue

Spock spends the time before the new semester working in one of the labs on campus. Jim and his friend Bones (actually called Leonard McCoy and considerably less violent than Jim described him) have both told him they're fine with him living with them, but Spock wouldn't feel comfortable if he didn't at least attempt to pay his own way.

He has never had so many people who care about him before. Jim's friends accept him easily as one of their own, and make sure to include him in their plans. (Doctor McCoy has even offered, discreetly, to remove the scars from his arms. Spock is still considering, but he is leaning towards taking the doctor up on it.) Captain Pike seems to have appointed himself Spock's unofficial advisor, and checks in on him often, to see how he is getting on. And of course Jim is always there, a constant comforting presence at his side, and, as their link grows, in his mind as well.

For the first time in his life, he doesn't feel alone.

With Jim's encouragement he sends a short message to his parents, telling them only that he is alive, and safe, and with Jim. He sends it from a throwaway account, and doesn't bother to look for a reply. He has given them enough information that they can track him down if they want to, what happens next is up to them.

There are times when the memory of what he has lost is a physical ache, times when it steals his breath or wakes him out of a deep sleep. But if he were offered the choice, he would do it all over again. He knows who he is now, and he likes who he is, and that is all that matters.

It may not be logical, but it is true.