"Lieutenant, what are you doing?"

It wasn't often that something made Nyota Uhura jump, and it was even less often that she was seen walking down the officer's hallway with a dinner tray in hand — especially not post-shift and in comfy, non-regulation attire. Kirk reached out and grabbed the side of the tray, steadying it.

"Thank you, Captain," she said, blushing slightly, glancing down and away from him and shifting the tray as though she could hide her soft purple pajama top and pants behind it. "Spock hasn't been eating lately; I thought I'd bring him some —"

"—Plomeek soup. Yeah, I can smell it." Kirk wasn't exactly fanatical about the Vulcan dish; something about it turned his stomach. His first officer liked it fine, though, so he wasn't about to argue if the Vulcan would eat it. "Spock okay?"

"I'm not sure," she replied. "He could just be in one of his more contemplative moods, but then, he's been almost…nervous, even abrasive the past few days." Uhura frowned slightly, and Kirk cocked his head to the side, thinking.

"Let me go in with you; I've been meaning to ask him something anyway."

"Yes, Captain," the lieutenant replied, ignoring the odd picture they made. Together they walked the rest of the way down to Spock's quarters and let themselves in — apparently Uhura had free access to his quarters, a fact that didn't particularly surprise Kirk, given the relationship between the two of them.

The Vulcan's room was even hotter than normal, it seemed, and darker as well, something that fit perfectly with the expression on the First Officer's face as the door slid shut behind Kirk and Uhura. Normally, Spock's eyebrows angled down in a way that gave the impression of a constant, yet oddly impassive scowl. Kirk had to wonder if the other Spock always looked so intimidatingly angry. Today, however, that scowl was genuine in the extreme, and grew deeper as the moments slid by.

"What are you doing here?" Spock demanded, no trace of politeness or respect in his tone.

"I thought you'd be hungry, Spock, so I—" Uhura gasped to a stop and flinched as Spock crossed to her with one long step and snatched the tray from her hands, throwing it across the room. The bowl shattered, leaving a dark purple stain dripping down the wall, and the tray fell to the dirty floor with a clatter.

"It is inappropriate for a woman to play servant to a man that is not her own," he shouted, looming over her. "You will leave!" Shaking, tears sparkling in her dark eyes, the lieutenant cast a frightened look from Spock to Kirk and back again, then fled the room.

"What the HELL, Spock!" Kirk exclaimed, bewilderment coloring his voice, unable to believe Spock had reacted so vehemently. "She's your girlfriend, you shouldn't treat her like that. She was just trying to be nice!"

"She is NOT my girlfriend, nor is she my mother, my yeoman, or my nurse!" Spock was practically shouting, something that set off serious alarm warnings in Kirk's head.

"Well you obviously haven't told her that, not to mention anyone else, or the damn doors, for that matter, since they let her walk on in to your quarters and didn't warn her you'd try to take her head off!" Spock had his hands curled into fists at his sides, his body trembling slightly. "Spock, what the hell is wrong? If you two are having issues, I can tell you there are better ways to break up with someone, assuming it's even necessary."

"You will cease to pry into my personal affairs, Captain, or I will surely break your neck!" The captain was shocked.

"Commander!" Kirk pulled out his best 'Captain's voice,' standing tall and glaring at his First Officer, who suddenly blinked a few times and looked down in what could almost have been sheepishness as he forcibly regained his control.

"Captain," he began haltingly, "I apologize. I…respectfully request a leave of absence on New Vulcan, effective immediately. We can be there in three days, or I can take a shuttle and rendezvous with the Bradbury, which is between the Enterprise and New Vulcan and en route there now."

"Spock, why do you know where the Brad— wait, how do you even know that? Nevermind; better yet, why do you want to go?"

"I wish to take leave among my own kind, Captain," Spock replied in a tone of barely restrained fury, his hands trembling again. "Is that not enough for you?"

"We've been serving together for what, three years now? You've never once asked for leave, not after Khan, not even after Nero!" He hesitated, gentling his voice, switching back from 'Captain Kirk' to just 'Jim'. "Spock…Spock, your entire planet was destroyed and your mother killed, but you didn't take leave even after the 'crisis' part was over," he said gently. "I can only assume, logically, that there's something gravely wrong, and I want to help. Talk to me, Spock; what's happened?"

"I need…rest, Cap— Jim," Spock said roughly, as though struggling greatly to produce the words, or perhaps to avoid saying more.

"Spock—"

"Please. I'm asking you, as my friend, Jim, to accept that answer."

The two men stared at each other, one golden-haired in a gold shirt with spots of red brightening his cheeks, his brows narrowed in studious concern, the other dark-haired in a blue shirt, a green tinge spreading on his face as he trembled slightly.

"We'll take you home, Spock," Kirk said finally. "Don't worry about taking the shuttle, the Enterprise can come back and finish surveying this planet afterward."

The tension in Spock's shoulders relaxed some, and he looked at Kirk with the Vulcan version of a grateful expression.

"Thank you, Captain," he said quietly, looking away.

"Anytime…just…Spock," Kirk said, tilting his head slightly to make sure he'd re-caught his friend's gaze.

"Yes, Captain?"

"I don't know what's going on, but I expect you to act like an officer on my ship. If another incident like this happens I'll be forced to confine you to quarters until we reach New Vulcan."

"Yes Captain."

"Good. Now…eat something, clean up that mess," he gestured to the spilled soup staining the wall, and the First Officer followed his gaze with a slight grimace, "and get Bones to check you out, okay?"

Spock looked at Kirk and opened his mouth with the obvious intent to protest, but Kirk wasn't having any of it.

"That last bit's an order, Spock. Just let him see if you're okay…and come talk to me if you need anything."

With that, Kirk left the room, frowning in concern as the door whooshed closed, blocking his view of the Vulcan.

TO BE CONTINUED.

(Not mine, sadly. Just writing for fun.)