A/N: I wanted to back up a bit from "Desert Christmas" and see just how the boys got to where they were. This is where it led me. Gene Roddenberry gave us Star Trek and JJ Abrams revised it for us. These are their worlds. I'm just playing. If you recognize it, it's not mine.

Jim threw a mighty punch at the being in front of himself and jerked his head to one side to avoid its answering throw. All around him, Starfleet personnel were fighting, hand-to-hand instead of with weapons on Jim's orders, because Starfleet wasn't really supposed to be there to begin with. The creatures weren't armed, so they were on even footing.

That is, until he heard someone shout, "MR. SPOCK!" Jim whirled around and saw Spock standing very still, left hand hovering over his waist. No – more specifically, over his heart. A knife hilt moved sluggishly with every breath he took.

Jim faltered and walked forward, barely registering the fact that the natives had all stepped back and were watching him intently. Barnes, the science officer accompanying Spock on this mission, was frantically calling for beam-out. The other officers were held captive by the horror of the situation.

"Spock?" Jim began. "Don't move. How bad is it?"

Spock blinked and looked down slowly, trying to control his breathing. "I do not believe it is in my heart, Captain. I am in no major distress. However, its proximity suggests I should not make any sudden moves, lest the blade come in contact with the organ."

Jim circled the man warily. "Okay, leave it in or pull it out?"

"No!" cried Jerrell. He was the only other member familiar with Vulcan anatomy. "Leave it. Let Doctor McCoy get it out. He's going to bleed pretty bad when it does come out. There are a lot of blood vessels in that region, not to mention the major arteries and veins running in and out of the heart. Mr. Spock, can you control your blood flow enough to slow it down for a while?"

Spock swallowed and took another hesitant breath. "I have attempted to do so, Lieutenant Jerrell, however having been in hand-to-hand combat for twenty-six minutes is making the process more difficult." Spock raised his eyes and looked at the captain. "It is ironic; I thought the phrase was 'brought a knife to a gun fight', but I may have been mistaken. They brought a knife to a fist fight."

Jim choked on his bitter laugh. "Spock, you're going to be fine. Dammit, Barnes, what the hell is taking so long? Why isn't the Enterprise answering?"

Barnes broke off from his chant and shook the communicator. "I have no clue, Captain. I could swear the signal's getting through, but no one's answering." He looked around. "Captain, why are they just standing there?"

The beings they were fighting, Walghras, if Jim remembered correctly, had stopped fighting and were now watching everything happening before them. When the crew turned to stare at them, the leader stepped forward and pointed at Ensign March, who was carrying the Universal Translator. She raised the machine and nodded.

The creature spoke and the machine spat out "Being hurt?"

Jim nodded. "Yes. Hurt bad." He waited for the translator to turn that around.

There was a longer sentence and the machine returned the phrase "Being more important than fight?"

Jim sputtered and without thinking shouted "Hell yes he's more important than this fight! I didn't want to fight you in the first place! We just got lost, we were looking for a medicinal plant and we came across you and we just want to leave and we can't even leave!" He broke off for breath and realized he was close to tears.

The being stepped forward and everyone took a step closer to the captain. "Cry not. Help," the translator spoke. One being walked out of the brush and returned a moment later with a plant. "Chew," the command came, and the being held up a stalk to Spock.

"Captain?" Spock replied, looking uneasily at the unidentified plant.

"Barnes, scan it," Jim ordered. Barnes did so and he shrugged.

"Non-toxic to most humanoids," he began.

"This isn't just any humanoid!" Jim snapped. He reined in his temper and tried again. "Is it safe for Vulcans?"

"Yes sir," Barnes replied. He stepped away.

Jim shook his head at Spock. "It's up to you. Remember we're ever-so-slightly out of touch right now so if it's poisonous we have no recourse."

Spock nodded. Then he raised his hand and took the plant. He put it in his mouth and began to chew on the plant.

"Blood thick," a being told them.

"Of course," Spock replied to Jim. "This plant must affect the coagulation of the blood. It may not be effective on my hybrid makeup; however I would like to see the plant tested for other species."

"Why are you helping us?" Jim asked the leader.

There was a long pause and Jim began to wonder if the Universal Translator had botched that question. But then the leader came and touched another being on the shoulder.

"Brother," the machine told them. Then the being pointed between Jim and Spock and said, "Brother."

"Yes," Jim answered. "But we're all brothers," he told them, making a sweeping gesture to his whole party.

There was a nod, and the being spoke. "Honorable."

Jim's communicator sparked to life. "Enterprise to Captain Kirk!" He snapped it open.

"Talk to me, Scotty!"

"Ach, sir, tha vegetation! Couldja step maybe twenty feet or so to tha east?"

Jim was already shaking his head. "Scotty, we've got a medical emergency. I need you to pull Spock back right now and have McCoy standing by."

"Wha's new? Gimme a second." There was a pause and after a couple of silent minutes lights began to dance around Spock. "There we go. Good God A'mighty! Don' move, lad!" Scotty declared as Spock materialized on the ship. "Is anyone else hurt?"

"No, Scotty. We'll move so you can get the rest of us easier. Wait one." Jim motioned the group over to the side and they found a large clearing. "Scotty, five to beam up." The lights covered them and then they were gone.

The ship had gone through this before. When the captain was hurt, Spock would check in every five seconds until the captain was released from Sickbay. Last time Spock had been hurt, Jim had wandered in and out of Sickbay so much that McCoy had threatened to give him his own biobed. The two were becoming inseparable. But this time an hour passed and no Jim. Spock came out of surgery four hours later and still, no Jim.

McCoy got Spock settled on the biobed and walked over to Nurse Chapel, lowering his voice. "Has the captain been in?"

"No sir," she answered quietly.

"Has he called?" he asked. She shook her head. "Does that boy understand his second-in-command just about took a knife to the heart?" McCoy hissed. He stalked over to a machine. "Computer, locate Captain Kirk."

"Captain Kirk is in his quarters."

"There had better be blood and guts when I get there," McCoy told himself. "Chapel, I'm going to see the captain. Keep an eye on Spock, and for God's sake don't let him get up. I haven't got that much T-negative blood left if he starts bleeding again." The man stormed out of Sickbay.