I was always bothered by Kirk not forcefully exploring every other possible option, although we could assume that those types of discussions were just not shown, but actually took place with no solution possible. I always wondered if Edith could be taken, and we never see how Kirk, Spock and Dr. McCoy are returned. But we have to assume that it was not possible for them to communicate with the Guardian and that they are only automatically returned once the history is altered back to normal.
I always had the idea for a retelling that would have Kirk, Spock, and McCoy trapped in the past. Edith is saved, but dissuaded from pursuing her peacenik activities. It would end with an aging Kirk watching the Apollo landing in '69.
I felt that not showing the details of how they got back left some possibilities open and I intend to explore them as I continue on with my version of the story when I get time.
Thank you, kindly, for the feedback. I hope to continue in a few days. And in case anyone is curious, I started off from the point that I did, rather than from the beginning, just as a sort of thought exercise of what it would have been like back in the day when they were working on the various drafts of the story.
I will be working on this late tonight....into the wee hours, if necessary....so I should have the next part ready to post tomorrow morning. I have worked out how I intend to handle the part where they come back through the Guardian and all I will say for now is that fans of Jeopardy! should be pleased.
"I'll take Time Machines for 400 credits, Alex." (I used to run a Star Trek Jeopardy! contest at our ST club's summer barbecue) Looking forward to the next part of your story!