Thank or blame the CaffeineKid, take your pick. Honestly, I thank her for the idea. Much love Kid. Instead of drabbles. You get a prequel. I doubt it will be as long as About Last Night, but we shall see. Enjoy.

Disclaimer – I do not own or profit monetarily from the characters contained in this practice of creative license.

Just The Other Day: An About Last Night Prequel

Chapter One – Beginnings

Leo

"I need to see a doctor, now!"

"I see you…now what?"

The woman was beautiful.

Her eyes were almond shaped, a warm brown, and the shade of Disaronno Amaretto.

"Not me smartass."

And sassy…

Her arm extended in the direction of the door. There stood a student who was known in the infirmary.

Leonard didn't mask his amusement, as he pulled up the young man's record on the computer, and rescued a file folder the size of a historic novel from the cabinet. He grabbed a few Kleenex for the kid's bloody nose and passed them to the woman to hand to her victim.

"Western Civilization or Ancient Greek History?"

His question confused her and then she realized what he was asking. Her smile radiated and warmed the entire room, "Western Civilization," she responded.

"Should have known, that book is large enough to cause a concussion," he turned his attention to the bleeding man, "Mr. Kirk, no still means no."

The student responded with an exasperated sigh, "All I wanted was a date."

This sent the young woman into a rage, she quickly began speaking in what Leonard believed was her first language. A beautiful Swahili, which fell off her tongue like honey, even though the words leaving her mouth were hateful.

"Ms?"

"Uhura, it's Nyota Uhura."

"Obviously this idiot savant has no idea how to approach a woman of such beauty. Forgive him and I'll write the lug nut a prescription for some common sense."

"I'm sitting right here." The blood had pooled and begun to dry under one Jim's nostrils. Nyota and Leonard both shot him a look that quickly shut his mouth.

"I bet you hooked your wife with a line just like that." A flash of regret crossed the young lady's eyes. "Lucky woman."

Leonard had forgotten about the band on his ring finger. Lately, it really didn't hold the same meaning, "I'll tell her you said so." The doctor commented swallowing a matching feeling of regret.

The doctor watched as Nyota gathered her things. She delivered a sincere apology to her offender and even offered to buy him lunch under the condition that it would not be considered a date. Then the woman did something that sent the unhappily married medical student over the edge, Nyota reached for his white lab coat, pressing it down so she could read the name stitched above the pocket. Her fingers lingered longer than necessary and her scent was making him a little high.

"Nice meeting you Leonard H. McCoy. I'll drop by the next time I need a band-aid."

Leonard wanted to rush out the door behind her and provide a detailed schedule, in the infirmary Tuesday and Thursday from four to eight in the evening and nine to one daytime hours on Saturdays. Fear won and the man stood motionless eyeing the door.

"That my friend was an epic fail." The patient clapped a hand on Leonard's shoulder. "Next time slide the ring in your pocket."

"Why are you talking to me?"

"James T. Kirk, but my friends call me awesome or Jim."

Leonard walked past the man's extended hand decorated in blood, "Great, I'll continue to refer to you as that dumbass."

"Okay, I won't take that personal. She's beautiful; take a while to get her out of your system."

Leonard pulled on Jim's nose, ignored the scream of pain, "Not broken, this time." He cleaned the drying blood and offered another round of advice, "Stick to women with an IQ of less than 100, the books are a lot smaller."

"Might as well, I heard she's got a thing for Professor Zero's grad assistant."

The doctor's mouth fell open, "The Spock kid."

"That's the one." The young man was checking his profile in the mirror and practicing his smile and stare.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Leonard glanced at the clock, pulled off his jacket, "Let's go get a drink."

Jim's eyes opened wide, "I know the perfect place."

Gaila

Gaila traced the rim of the glass on the table with her index finger. This was the fourth date with Travis, no Timothy, or was it Trevor. He was going on and on about ROI and recent stock trends. Inside Gaila was screaming until she noticed the two men standing at the door of Pike's.

"Jim!" The regulars shouted.

The sandy blonde with ice blue eyes, responded by taking a bow, and delivering a smile to his adoring fans; he must be Jim.

"Gaila did you hear me?" The boring man was talking again.

Gaila softened the expression on her face and flashed an irresistible smile. Thomas, yes that was it, his name was Thomas and he went by Tom.

"Tommy let me make this painfully clear; it's you, not me. This will never work."

Gaila dropped a five on the table to cover the Coke she had been nursing for the last hour. She took the long route to the door. Stopping to give Pike, a kiss on the cheek, in return he patted her butt, and they both laughed. Finally she sauntered by the booth where Jim and his friend sat.

Yes, his eyes were beautiful. His friend was ruggedly handsome and for a brief second she could picture her roommate falling all over him until the man's wedding ring caught the light. That was a negative. No married men allowed. Gaila smiled and turned to walk out the door backwards. Still keeping eye contact with the object of interest; he enjoyed the scrutiny.

Smiling casually…

Licking his lips…

Gaila gave him a small wave before disappearing through the door. If it was meant to be the chance would come.

Hikaru

"Sorry I'm late."

The night clerk at the library quickly delivered a warning to Nyota. Hikaru buried his nose back in the pages of his textbook.

"Ru…"

"Ny, shut up before we get put out. I'm not blowing the grad assistant so I don't have an automatic twenty point curve."

Nyota threw her highlighter at Hikaru, aiming for his eye, but getting his nose instead. She was jerking books out of her bag, and furiously turning pages in her notebook, "I've earned all my grades." She responded through clenched teeth, her head was still turned away from him but he didn't need to see her eyes to know she was crying.

"I'm sorry."

The clerk slammed her book closed.

"Oh go eat some prunes." Hikaru shot in her direction.

Nyota was falling over laughing as they walked through the doors, banished from the library for the night.

"Tonight is Gaila's fourth date, can I crash with you?"

"Sure." Hikaru switched his bag to the right side and wrapped his left arm around Nyota's waist, pulling her closer.

"We tried this once." Nyota allowed her head to rest on his shoulder.

"I just need a friend Ny." Hikaru was quiet and staring off into the distance.

"What's wrong baby?"

Nyota and Hikaru had been set up on a blind date by mutual friends a few months before.

They were both intellectuals.

History majors…

Nyota had a penchant for languages…

Hikaru horticulture and decorating…

It took one visit to his dorm room for her to deduce, 'you're gay'.

He couldn't even argue against her assumption convincingly, she'd been one of his closest friends since that night; joining him at the dinner table when he came out to his parents. They'd shared a bed and even kissed a few times, just to comfort one another.

"Did you ask him out?"

Hikaru groaned, "I got scared."

"I'm telling you he's interested. Do you want me to…?"

Interrupting her before she could finish, "I'm a big boy."

"Oh how I know." Nyota said devilishly.

"Get drunk and let a girl grab your junk once." The memory made them both laugh.

"Talk to him. Get to know the kid. He's probably just as scared as you."

Hikaru pulled Nyota closer. He held her like a child grasping their favorite blanket.

Jim

His eyes were still watching the door when the man in front of him interrupted his thoughts.

"Dumbass, what are you staring at?"

"Enough with the insults already."

The lines in the man's face smoothed, "Sorry. I don't make friends easily."

"I beg to differ; you got the first name of a woman I've been chasing for over a year in one meeting. I think you are damn near an expert at making friends."

Jim swallowed a sip from his bottle of water, and watched the man in front him curiously. He hadn't said much during the short time they had been at the table. From a few of his reactions and interest in the student from the infirmary he had to be less than fulfilled in his marriage. At the same time he had an easy way about him, he didn't hold any punches.

"Do you even know who I am?"

"You're the dick who almost had his brain spill out of his nose because he hit on the wrong woman."

Jim smiled, "Football team?" Jim made a pose as if he was holding a ball and running down the field.

"I'm not big on sports. I played baseball in high school, but yeah, too many people, germs, sweat, it gives me hives."

Jim motioned for a second bottle of water and a shot for Leonard.

"Why do you come here if you don't drink?"

"Pike was in service with my dad. I don't know, I guess to me, it kind of feels like he's still watching over me when I'm here. Plus, dude helps me keep my head on straight."

"That's a full time job, how does he run the bar too?"

Again, Jim had to laugh, "I like you Leonard."

"Those stupid enough to talk to me for a second day call me Bones."

Nyota

Nyota heard her cell phone vibrating. She reached across Hikaru to grab the phone from the floor. She rolled her eyes reading the number. It was almost three in the morning.

"Hello," she whispered, making her way from the bed to the bathroom.

"Any phone calls received after eleven pm are booty calls, tell that man to act like he has some class."

Nyota threw a pleading look at Hikaru. "Be quiet." She mouthed.

"Friends don't let friends fuck assholes." Hikaru said before rolling over and going back to sleep.

"Where are you?"

Nyota noticed that his voice was bordering on hysterical for him. Then she realized that it was anger and probably inconvenience that he couldn't find her at the loft she shared with Gaila.

"I spent the night with Ru, Gaila had a date."

There was silence on the other end of the line. Ru and Spock were not friends. Nyota pondered what to say to make it right; to calm the man's nerves and ease the building tension.

"Sp…"

"I'm waiting."

The line went dead and Nyota sat helplessly looking at the phone.

Hikaru, sat up, turned on the light and dared his roommate to say one word. "I swear if you go over there, I will not listen to you cry for the next week about that sadist."

The water in her eyes made him stop his assault.

"Ny, you deserve more, than Girl 6 calls."

"It will change, once I'm out of Nero's class."

"That's what he's telling you."

Nyota was pulling on her jeans and the shirt she'd stolen from Hikaru's closet.

"Trust me Ru, he really cares, he won't hurt me."

"I hear you talking, but trust this, if he does, I will kick his perfectly sculpted ass."

Nyota leaned over and kissed Hikaru softly on the forehead. "I love you."

"Don't love me, love you for once."

Those were the final words Nyota heard before closing the door.