Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek. I own nothing interesting. All I've got is my bones, must be why I like McCoy so much.

AN: Apparently I am incapable of writing a one shot for these two. But this Kirk wanted to get his hands on his McCoy, and who am I to say no to Kirk?

Where I Used to Have a Heart

Teris Xenite

Kirk watched the man in the agony booth twitch and moan with little interest. There was hardly anything exciting about another fool who'd been stupid enough to try to kill him. Instead he found himself fascinated by his new chief physician. The man was an enigma. He'd gone from a brilliant doctor with a reputation for being soft, to letting his former captain bleed out underneath his very skilled hands. Now he stood watching the proceedings with feigned interest. He'd come to every torture session since he'd been onboard. Yet a look at his pants, which were far too tight to hide any physical response, proved that it wasn't personal gratification that brought him here.

Kirk had a theory. And though testing it might prove dangerous if he'd read McCoy wrong, he hadn't become Captain of the Empire's flagship by being easily dissuaded by danger. He sauntered up beside McCoy, and leaned closely into his personal space. "Enjoying the show doctor?" He watched the minuscule twitch in McCoy's jaw and felt a growing certainty about the judgment the he had made earlier. "It doesn't look like you are." He noticed the involuntary hitch in McCoy's breathing, and read it as surprise.

"Relax, you cover it well enough, most of the crew wouldn't have given it a second thought. But it's my job to be able to read my crew, and it doesn't look like you're having a good time. It's not a problem, it's just rather curious that you've attended all of the interrogations since you've been on ship if you don't enjoy them?"

McCoy looked at him, shoulders tense and eyes guarded. "Attending interrogations was a part of my duties on the Farragut, sir."

Kirk smiled, and gestured towards the door. "I think you'll find doctor, that your duties on my ship are far less onerous. I prefer to save observation of such spectacles as a reward for those who appreciate them, not use them as a punishment for those who find them distasteful. I've got a good bottle of bourbon back in my quarters, why don't you join me for a drink?"

McCoy considered the offer, while the tone was friendly, there was little chance that Kirk would take a refusal well. "Well now, who am I to turn down such hospitality? Shall we?"

Kirk nodded, and gestured to the man running the agony booth. "If he lives till morning, take him to the brig, I'll deal with him later." The ensign nodded, and Kirk nodded towards the door. "Well that takes care of my business here, why don't we see about that drink?"

McCoy carefully kept the distaste from his face as he made his way to Kirk's quarters. He knew that he was being closely observed, as he felt Kirk's gaze heavily on his back. On the time that he'd been aboard the Enterprise, he hadn't heard tell of the captain bedding any members of his crew, but it could be that Kirk was just less obvious about it than his former, departed captain. Still, if that was what Kirk was looking for here, he could do worse, and had truth be told.

Compared to some of the things he'd done to keep his baby safe, this probably wouldn't be that bad. Kirk wasn't that hard on the eyes, and none of his bedmates had shown up in Med Bay or gone missing. He had a reputation for not abiding stupidity, but other than that wasn't known to be excessively sadistic with his crew. The alien races they conquered, yeah those he was an absolute bastard to. But as a general rule the punishments that McCoy had observed since he'd been on ship didn't cross the line into overtly sadistic. Kirk ran a tight ship, and expected his orders to be obeyed instantly and without question. But so far none of the orders that he'd given McCoy had been anything but medical. He hadn't been asked to torture, ordered to his knees, or asked to dispose of the disobedient. He wondered idly if this was the night that changed.

The door to Kirk's quarters opened at his command, and McCoy followed him into the sitting room and took a seat where Kirk indicated. After a moment Kirk returned with a sealed bottle of bourbon and two glasses, which he sat on the table between them before he settled into a chair across from McCoy. His posture was relaxed, and his facial expressions were neutral, but McCoy knew that could be deceptive. His eyes searched McCoy's face, and he did his damnest not to squirm under the scrutiny. Finally, after what felt like an eternity to McCoy, Kirk's lips quirked up in a slight grin and he broke the tense silence that hung between them.

"I'm sure you wondered why I asked you here tonight. I'd tell you to relax, but you don't strike me as stupid, so I doubt it'd do me much good. I've been watching you since you came on my ship McCoy, and rest assured, I have no complaints about your performance. But I can tell your heart isn't necessarily in it." Seeing the panic rising on McCoy's face against his will, Kirk continued quickly. "There is no need for you to be frightened, doctor. I only want to discuss your duties on my ship."

"I've looked over your file McCoy, and I've got a pretty good idea on how you went from being a bleeding heart to one of the best torturers in the fleet. You weren't the only one with a reputation on board that ship. Your former captain was well known for his sadism, and his flexibility of morals. So I'm guessing after he put your stubborn ass in the agony booth a few times for saying 'fuck you, sir', that he stepped things up and started making threats against your little girl. Am I right?"

McCoy felt his heart seize when mention of his little girl crossed Kirk's lips. Trying desperately not to react, not to give him a clue that he was absolutely terrified about Kirk knowing his greatest weakness he said as casually as possible. "And you think I would tell you if you were, because?"

"There's no need to really, your eyes gave it away doctor." Kirk reached over and opened the bourbon, poured each of them a drink, and nudged McCoy's glass towards him. "Now before you do anything stupid that will end up with you taking Ensign Stone's place in the agony booth, hear me out."

He took a sip of the bourbon, and waited for McCoy to still before he continued. "Now doctor, first off let me say, your former captain was an idiot. I don't share his stance on discipline with my crew. If I have a problem with you, rest assured, it will be dealt with. But I will not harm your daughter in order to do so. It's a cheap ploy, and the mark of a man too weak to control his crew, and unless I'm very much mistaken, it's what got him killed."

McCoy started unable to keep the surprise off of his face at Kirk's reassurance. "Now, mind you, you will obey my orders. That hasn't changed since the moment you were assigned to this ship. But, I think you'll find your mission a bit less distasteful here. As I've said, I will not harm your child, nor will I use the threat of harm against her to ensure your obedience. I'll also not require you to torture or attend interrogation sessions should you not wish to. From observing your behavior since you've been on the Enterprise, it appears that you don't find such activities enjoyable."

McCoy noted a lack of judgment in Kirk's tone, and pondered the enigma that was his new captain before replying cautiously. "No, not particularly, sir."

Kirk nodded slightly. "I thought as much, and may I gather that you'd rather be fixing people than extracting information from them in your Med Bay?"

McCoy paused and blinked. No one in Starfleet had ever flat out asked him if he'd rather be a healer. He'd proven that he could and would torture if needed, but still his heart hammered in his throat as he answered. "Yes, sir."

Kirk shrugged, and gave a dismissive hand gesture. "Very well. You are not required to supervise or attend interrogation sessions."

"Why would you do this for me?" McCoy looked at him warily.

"Because, Doctor, your former captain was an idiot in more than one way. I have an entire ship full of people at my disposal who greatly enjoy breaking people. I have one solitary soul who wants to fix them. Seems like it makes more sense to let you do what you're good at, and enjoy. Meanwhile I'll save the duties you find distasteful for those who would see them as rewards not punishments. Make sense?"

McCoy looked at Kirk who was lounging in his chair now that business was done, with his half empty rocks glass dangling from one hand. "Yes, sir, I suppose it does."

"Well then, you're free to go then. Let me know if you're short on any supplies for Med Bay, and I'll see they're on the next supply ship."

"Yes sir, I'll do that." McCoy finished his bourbon, and rose. He was sure that Kirk wasn't actually going to let him leave. As he headed for the door, he felt the weight of Kirk's stare, and did his best to hide his flinch when Kirk interrupted him.

"And McCoy, one last thing." He turned around facing Kirk, fully expecting the price for the kind treatment he'd received this evening to be extracted. "Unlike your last Captain, I find Regulation 21B459 subsection C, distasteful. If you end up in my bed, it'll be because you want to be there."

"I understand, sir." McCoy did his best not to stammer. He wasn't going to have to torture, he wasn't going to have to warm Kirk's bed, he actually got to practice medicine. This was perhaps the cruelest dream that he'd ever had, because eventually, he was going to wake up back on the Farragut, underneath his foul troll of a Captain. No one got this lucky, particularly not Leonard McCoy.

Kirk smiled, and dismissed him with a casual. "Have a pleasant evening, doctor." And if he smiled when he saw the security footage of McCoy slumping against the wall outside his quarters catching his breath and trying to wrap his head around the evening's events, well no one needed to know that.

AN: In case you haven't read Through A Mirror Darkly, Regulation 21B459 subsection C, essentially gives the Captain free use of any of his crew members. I won't promise frequent updates on this story, as I really did intend this to be a one shot, but as I said, what Kirk wants…As always if you enjoyed, please do let me know.

Next up: Kirk comes a courting.