Kirk and Spock arose early and the first thing Kirk did upon getting out of bed was to call McCoy on his communicator. "Bones? You there?"
"Sure am, Jim. What's going on? I'm not due back up on the Enterprise for another six hours."
"How soon can you be in San Francisco? We only need you for an hour or so. Maybe even less than that."
A ribald chuckle was his answer. "Jim, that thing tell you where I am?"
Kirk looked down at the communicator. "It's giving me latitude and longitude, but I can't place it off the top of my head." Spock was in the bathroom, or he'd have dashed over to read it and rattle off the location.
"I'm in Vermont--with Tonia Barrows!"
Kirk's jaw dropped into an open-mouthed smile. "Well, looks like you certainly aren't wasting your shore leave."
"Damned best shore leave I've ever had," said McCoy. There was a splashing of water. "Hey! Except for the last one. Watch it!" he added away from the communicator. "I don't wanna get this thing wet."
"Did she just splash you?"
"Sorry about that, Jim. We're, uh, we're in a hot tub."
"Any chance I could get you out of that hot tub?"
"Not really."
"What if I told you I proposed last night and Spock and I decided to elope this morning?"
Kirk heard Tonia's girlish squeal on the other end of the communicator. "Give me an hour," said Dr. McCoy.
"Thanks, Bones. This really means a lot to us."
"I wouldn't miss this. There's enough time for me to come back here to have lunch with Tonia before 1400 hours Starfleet-Pacific time. How come you're not getting married on the ship?"
"We decided to avoid the circus and get the legal stuff done with quickly," Kirk said cheerily, and then sobered. "Though you might call that a cop-out."
"Good thing I have a clean good shirt with me." There was a long pause. "You really did it."
"Yes." Kirk smiled, elation rising within his chest.
He gave McCoy the address of the justice of the peace and signed off. It was time for a shower, and then he and Spock were off to go get married.