"Damn those denebian slime debils!" The familiar Scottish voice rang out down the hall, echoing off the walls, and turning heads down the entire deck. James Kirk raised an eyebrow, curiously. He was just on his way to see his head engineer, but trouble had apparently arisen.
He leaned in the door of the engineering room. "Scotty?" he asked cautiously. "What seems to be the problem?"
The Scotsman turned, unaware that he had been heard, and his face turned the same color as his uniform. "My apohligies Cap'n. But we're gonna have ta divert our course, sir."
"Dievert course, why?" Scotty's face contorted in anger again. "The Enterprise has been called in for inspection. Which is completely unnecessary! I have been here since she took off, and made her the best in the fleet. My ship!"
Kirk chuckled inwardly, knowing the pride the engineer had in his work, and he couldn't blame him for his frustration. After all, the Enterprise was in pristine condition. It didn't take an engineer to see it, either. However, docking would give them a chance for shore leave, and the crew deserved some time off.
The young captain clapped his friend on the shoulder comfortingly. "I know Scotty, but have to follow orders. Plus, this will give everyone a chance to unwind and relax. A ship's only as good as her crew."
Scotty signed in resignation, knowing that Jim spoke true. "Aye Cap'n." He suddenly brightened. "And I'll make sure she's the best ship they eva laid eye on."
"I'd expect nothing less, Mr. Scott." Kirk replied, smiling, as he left the engineer to his work.
"Sulu, status report."
"Less than 5 minutes from Starbase 4, sir. Preparing to dock." He replied, fingers flying across the console at record speed. Kirk turned to his First Officer. "History of the area, Mr. Spock."
The Vulcan turned from his post, a hint of a smile on his lips. He was looking forward to shore leave as much as Jim. The recent couple had not had much time alone, and he was anxious for them to shed their command roles and just be together.
"Little to no conflict, this starbase is one of the oldest ones still active, built in the late 21st century."
"We should be grateful then, I suppose, getting to view this bit of history. Prepare to board, Mr. Sulu. Let's all get some rest."
Less than fifteen minutes later, the crew of the Enterprise had boarded the starbase, and were wandering around. Kirk always liked observing his crew on shore leave. The lines that naturally arose between shifts and sections disappeared, and the hallways became a blur of red, blue, and gold. Meanwhile, Kirk and Spock were trying to ignore the pointed looks and shocked stares as they walked, hand in hand. Unsurprisingly, most of the crew had been very supportive when the rumors first surfaced, though it was still unusual, as the pair tried desperately to remain professional during work. Their shared quarters was the only evidence of their relationship onboard.
"Zhis base is wery unique, isn't it Keptin?" The cheerful Russian voice could belong to only one person, and sure enough Pavel Chekov appeared next to Kirk. He smiled at the youth. For only 17, he was sharp as a tack and merry enough to make the whole crew grin.
"You're correct Pavel, this is one of the oldest active starbases. Goes back to the late 21st century."
His eyes widened in amazement. "Fascinating. I sink I overheard Miss Uhura said somesink about a roola rink. Do you know anysink about zat?"
Kirk's eyes lit up like stars, sporting his trademark mischievous grin, which usually meant he was about to cause trouble. Uh oh. Spock thought. I have a bad feeling about this.
"Captain, I do not believe this activity falls under the category of 'relaxing.'" Kirk smiled, tying the laces on his skates and standing up with ease. "It's Jim, Spock. We're off duty, remember?" He corrected, knowing full well that Spock had only called him that because he felt tense.
Reaching out a hand, Kirk pulled his bond-mate to his feet and steadied him. Spock, who normally shunned away from physical contact, had a death grip on his hands. "Easy, t'hy'la. Relax." He whispered, keeping his voice low and soft. "I won't let you fall. Trust me." Their eyes locked, and Kirk could see a flicker of uncertainty underneath Spock's normally straight-forward expression. Kirk smiled and slowly skated backwards, dragging a very stiff Vulcan with him. He reached the edge of the rink and put Spock's hand on the wall. "Hold on for a sec, and watch me."
With that, he pushed off smoothly and started sliding around the ring, slipping past Uhura helping a wobbly Chekov, doing turns and tricks, admittedly showing off. After a few turns, he came back around to Spock. "You ready?"
Spock shook his head adamantly. Kirk narrowed his eyes. "Just think of it like a physics problem, but in real life."
Kirk had him; Spock's eyes lit up and darted back and forth as he worked out the math. "Okay Jim, I will try."
Smiling, Kirk reached out his hand and Spock, ever trusting, placed his hand into his friend's, his captain's, his love's, and allowed himself to be pulled out onto the rink.
A/N: What do you guys think? I'll try to update as often as I can, but I'm still a student, so please be patient.