" Beam him up, Mr. Scott," whispered Spock intensely, his eyes glued to the transporter panel.

The Scotsman agreed and turned a dial, and tapped several buttons at once, the sounds of the bleeps and bloops billowing out into the air like music. Spock's stomach was churning with anticipation, and his lips were aching for the kiss he'd craved for an eternity. He didn't care to notice the fact that Mr. Sulu and Miss. Uhura were waiting just as eagerly, shuffling their feet anxiously. The vague, hazy image of Jim started to come through, and Spock listened to his soul sing once again. But seconds later, another person's frame started to come through after him. A shorter, plumper figure of a woman in a baggy yet feminine, oversized T-shirt and loose-fitting trousers began to take form. Jim's body fully materialised and he let out a great sigh of relief as he circled the room. He hugged Uhura and shook Sulu's hand, who both greeted their captain with warm welcomes. He didn't even seem to pay any attention the mysterious, twenty-something year old woman, who was still shyly standing on the platform. Spock's entire world crashed down around him as his eyebrows cocked in disapproval. For a split second, Jim stared right at him; straight into those eyes of swirling mud pools. He knew what the Vulcan was thinking, but he wasn't going to do a thing to draw attention to it.

" Oh, it is good to be back! I've missed my girl!" he went on excitedly as he bounded around the room a second time. He touched the metallic wall and felt its coldness beneath his fingers. When he did this, he knew in his heart that he was finally home again.

" Aye, sir. Spock's been takin' care o' 'er like a pro!" Scotty said, and glanced over to Spock, who returned it with a scowl full of anger.

A grateful expression formed on Jim's face, his glittering eyes narrowing as a grin started to spread across his mouth. Just then, the plump, dark-haired woman cleared her throat awkwardly, bringing her to Jim's attention at last.

" Uh, Jim? Aren't you going to introduce me?" she asked in a sickly sweet voice with just a hint of a Californian accent.

Jim's lips curled into a smirk. " Well, why don't you do it yourself?" he replied.

The woman smiled in return, though there was an air of shyness and reluctance. " Uhh, OK. Well, my name's Kathy, Kathy Weller, and Jim and I…We're, we are an item!" she explained, becoming more confident with each word.

The room went quiet as the crew exchanged shifty looks of utter bewilderment.

Jim beamed expectantly. " Well?" he asked.

Scotty smirked slyly to himself, knowing instantly that Spock was not happy. " She looks like a nice lass, Cap'n," he said. " How'd you do, missy?"

" Hi," Kathy replied, giving a little, shy wave.

" Couldn't resist our captain, then?" Sulu joked, which made Kathy blush.

" I know it must be a little weird; your captain coming back after seven months with a girlfriend," she began shyly, " but we've been dating for a while now and…" She shrugged.

" I offered her a job here, as a nurse in sickbay under McCoy's supervision."

" That means I'll be sticking around for a while!" she cried cheerfully.

" Don't worry; she's had all the necessary training and what not," Jim added with a wink.

" Oh, great!" Scotty cried enthusiastically. " It's bin a while since we've 'ad a fresh face around 'ere."

" Yes, it would be lovely to have you here," Uhura added with a smile.

"If you say so, Miss. Uhura," Spock quipped coldly.

Kathy's face lit up, completely unaware of the context of Spock's comment. " Are you Spock?"

Spock responded with a soft, uncertain nod of the head.

" Oh! It is a pleasure to meet you. Jim never shuts up about you!"

This made Jim's cheeks flush with embarrassment. Spock raised his eyebrows again, folding his arms in a manner of a scolding parent, who had caught their child red-handed. Jim was powerless to ignore it this time. The captain observed the slender Vulcan closely, but as he prepared himself to reveal the reasons behind his actions, Spock frowned down at him in disapproval and Jim couldn't do it; not in front of Kathy at least. His handsome, round eyes watered as he started to tremble in fear. Although there had not been a word uttered between them, Spock's fury and disappointment didn't need to be admitted. It appeared as though he was ready to kill him, and Jim knew he had the potential to. The human shot his female companion a nervous glance, and he gave her arm a squeeze. Kathy realised that it was his way of ordering her to break this terrible silence.

" So, Spock," she piped up, somewhat breathlessly as she smiled politely at that alien humanoid. " I guess you missed Jim while he was away."

Spock nodded in agreement, his eyes not meeting hers as if he was in the middle of figuring out something. His pale face suddenly fell, riddled with sadness. " Yes," he muttered, his voice cracking slightly. " I missed him as if it had been my very life taken from me."

Kathy's sapphire-blue eyes widened and she cooed softly in sympathy. " Oh, my gosh, that's so sweet!" she cried. " Oh, Jim!" She wrapped him up in her sweet embrace and she planted a loving kiss on his lips.

He couldn't bear to watch any more of this romantic tripe, so Spock thundered out, and he did it without uttering another word. He didn't care where he ended up; he kept wandering the corridors of the Enterprise in a daze, with all kinds of thoughts racing through his mind, experiencing all kinds of emotions – from anger to suicidal. He passed his fellow crew-members, and he dared not answer them when they gave him a cheery hello or a friendly smile. He finally found himself in his bedroom after what seemed like hours of just walking around. He went on to grumble and rant furiously under his breath, flailing his arms theatrically as he tried to suppress his ferocious barks of fury. And then, almost by surprise, he caught his reflection in the mirror, which hung high on one of the four walls. What he saw was not the Vulcan he knew. This Vulcan was a complete insult to such an intelligent, dignified race, and although Spock had tried, the emotion always won and it was just about to win this particular battle. Spock pressed his face against the mirror as his nostrils flared. Jim had not only forgotten the promise he'd made, he had destroyed every iota of their friendship. He was not going to let him forget this. Spock's rage overwhelmed him and he had no choice but to obey. He snatched the mirror off its hook and threw it violently across the room, releasing an animal-like roar, the shattered pieces of the glass spiralling into every corner of the room. His entire body trembling, Spock backed away slowly on to the bed with a bump in the deepest shame. He turned both of his hands over and saw that his green, copper-based blood had escaped his palms, trickling sluggishly down his wrists.

Jim had spent the last several hours giving Kathy a tour, introducing her to important members of the crew as they went, and they were now having a well-earned drink together in the confinement of Jim's quarters. Kathy wandered around his room aimlessly, taking in her new surroundings, with a drink in hand. She seemed content with the prospect of living on a Federation starship with the man whom she was in a relationship with, but Kirk felt that there was something not quite right. He rested his body on the warm duvet of his large double-bed, and with a pat of the empty space beside him, he beckoned Kathy to come closer. She immediately set her drink down on the bedside table and joined him. As she settled, the captain wrapped his loving arms around her and he pressed his body against hers, nuzzling the ends of her ebony hair with his nose. She seemed to like it, but she still looked so distant and distracted.

" What's up, sweetie? What's wrong?"

" Nothing," she replied with a gentle shake of her head. Jim said nothing, thinking he must have misread what he had seen. But after a brief pause, she asked the immortal question, " Are you and Spock OK?"

Jim frowned. " Yeah. Why?" he asked nonchalantly.

The young woman opened her mouth to speak, but stopped. She then decided to reveal her true thoughts to her boyfriend, who was leaning against her chest with his gentle fingers tenderly stroking her chubby chin. She heaved a sigh. " You talk about him nonstop for months. You go on endlessly about how much you admire him, and love him, and miss him. Then he treats you like that! He's supposed to be your best friend! It just doesn't seem right," she cried.

A sad smile crept along his mouth, his eyes glistening as he willed himself not to cry. " He's a Vulcan, babe. He's just like that," the man muttered. He moved across the bed away from her, so she would not spot the sadness in his handsome face.

" Are you sure?" she asked him uncertainly.

Jim turned and whispered in a barely audible voice, " Yeah."

That trademark cheeky, boyish grin returned, which caused Kathy to smile as a response, and he began to close in on her. She gave a giggly cry of surprise as Jim pressed his lips against hers and soon, the pair became entangled in a mess of passionate kisses and stifled giggles. But then they were interrupted by a voice outside the door.

" Jim! You there? Cleanin' service!" came a low, gruff Southern drawl.

Jim knitted his eyebrows together in confusion. " Cleaning service? What?" He sat up, Kathy doing the same, and he went to meet his guest. " Come in."

When the door slid open with that familiar welcoming sound, Jim was no way prepared to learn of the changes Spock had made during his absence. His jaw dropped at the sight of what the poor doctor was reduced to. McCoy no longer donned his usual blue doctor's attire, and instead wore an apron and rubber gloves as he struggled to carry his bucket full of cleaning equipment. His tired, careworn face lit up when he saw the captain.

" Oh, it's good to have you back, Captain! God, I am sorry I missed your homecomin'. It's just that I had things to do. Ya know?"

" Bones?!" Jim cried in utter surprise. " Is that you?"

McCoy quirked an eyebrow, seeing the pretty young lady almost immediately as she sat on the edge of the bed. " Who's that?" he asked, bewildered.

" That's Dr. McCoy?" she responded uncertainly.

Jim frowned. " Bones, what cleaning service?" he ordered. " Who's in sickbay?"

The doctor looked sad for a moment, his focus only on the girl who stared at him with a soft, shy smile, and then he went on to do his undignified job. " Want me to clean your bathroom for you?" he said as if Jim had not spoken.

" Bones!" snapped the captain. " What is going on?"

The former doctor heaved a deep sigh. " Better ask Spock about that," he replied grimly.

" What-what did he do?"

McCoy shrugged his shoulders, giving Kathy another sideward glance. Jim rolled his eyes. He marched to the communicator on the wall. " Locate Lieutenant Commander Spock," he ordered the machine.

" Lieutenant Commander Spock is in sickbay," came the monotonous, robotic voice of the computer.

" You can put that scrub brush away, Bones. I'm going to sort this mess out," he said determinedly. He turned to Kathy. " Why don't you go to the rec room? Introduce yourself to the people there, I'll come by later." He stormed out in search of the medical room and Spock.

" There you are, Captain. How's that?" asked the sweet, matronly middle-aged lady, who kindly caressed Spock's bandaged hands.

" I'm the Captain no longer, Doctor," he answered. He pulled his hands out of her grasp and put them down by his sides, slightly taken aback. " Jim Kirk is back from his shore leave. He arrived a few hours ago."

The woman chuckled. " Oh, of course. I would like to meet him," she mused out loud.

" Spock!" Kirk yelled as he entered, bringing in a fiery anger.

" Here's your chance, Doctor," he quipped.

" What the hell are you doing with my ship?!" Jim roared.

" What do you mean?" asked Spock, genuinely in the dark.

As he approached them, Jim eyed the doctor suspiciously.

The poor doctor suddenly fell conscious of the captain's scowl, and found herself tongue-tied. " Um, uh, h-h-hello, s-sir. My name is D-Dr. S-S-Simms." She held up her hand, hoping the man would be polite enough to shake it.

" How do you do?" he snapped furiously, his eyes glued to Spock's. " Why's McCoy cleaning toilets?!"

Dr. Simms took one last look at her Vulcan patient before she realised that the two men wished to be alone. Quietly, she turned to leave. Once she was out of the room and out of earshot, Jim continued to scream and yell in his best friend's face.

" What have you done?! What did he do to deserve this?!"

Spock kept his poker face very still for a few short seconds, and then he went on to bravely admit, " He is the reason you were sent away. He had to be reprimanded."

Jim scoffed testily. " Yeah! Of course he's the reason I was sent away! I was sick, I was unfit to be in command of the Enterprise; he told me that!"

" Think back, Captain. Remember how you felt. You were happy, correct?"

Jim paused. " Yeah, 'cause I was…I was…with you…" He trailed off sadly. He lowered his head slightly in shame.

" The doctor revealed to me that he didn't like that fact, so he came up with a plan to separate us. Evidently, he succeeded."

Jim let out a little gasp in shock. His gaze slipped to the Vulcan's injured hands. " Spock. What happened to you?" he riddled, his voice breathy from all the excitement.

Spock took a quick, sheepish look at them. " I had an unfortunate accident with a mirror," he answered, repeating the same lie he'd told Dr. Simms. " Excuse me, sir," he mumbled and he was about to make his leave, but Jim was too quick for him.

" You're mad. I can tell."

Spock slowly turned around, intrigued.

" And we both know why," Jim continued.

Spock stared at his captain for a long while until he finally let his guard down. " Kathy Weller," he muttered, almost spitting the girl's name out in disgust.

" I'm sorry."

He didn't make eye contact with his ex-lover, but Spock had no choice but to say it. " You broke your promise, Captain. That is something which is unforgivable."

The tall, lean Vulcan marched through the sliding door, leaving Jim alone in the empty sickbay. The captain was paralysed; only his muscles twitched. " I'm sorry, Spock," he whispered again, even though no one was in earshot to hear it.