Hi everyone,

first of all – THX a lot for your reviews and favs and alerts. I'm so glad you liked the first chapter. Hope you like the second, too. Just have fun!

xxx

PS: Thx to Kim - I really appreciated your word use input - I'm no native speaker so every correction or suggestion is great.

The second time…

… was out of shortage of space.

"You can't be serious, Scotty."

"Sorry, Captain, but that's all I can say."

"… Guess it's not your fault anyway. Just do what you have to do and keep me up to date. Kirk out."

Hands clasped behind his back Spock watched his captain deactivating his communicator, running his fingers through his blond hair in frustration and finally turning around.

"Did you hear that, Spock?"

He refused to answer the captain's question and lifted his right eyebrow instead – a movement which – as he had silently calculated – brought a smile to the captain's face in spite of his still visible frustration.

"That was a rhetorical question, Spock."

"I have never understood the human concept of rhetorical questions, Captain. Rhetorical question are aimless and therefore highly ineffective."

The captain's smile grew wider with his words and once again he was illogically content with this reaction. He could not specify the exact point in time when he had begun to choose his words and actions in a way to evoke amused-emotional reactions of the captain. Most likely an accurate point of time could simply not be specified. In fact this development seemed to be a fluent process parallel to the development of their professional relationship. Even if he kept denying it in front of his captain his human half matter-of-factly possessed a sense of humor – subliminal and hard to detect for most humans who only noticed his Vulcan appearance and behavior. Only the captain had been able to detect and understand this humorous part of him right from the beginning and had tried once and again to challenge this side. He himself had developed a fascination of accepting these challenges and eliciting similar reaction of the captain – a fascination which was as illogical as hard to suppress.

"We humans are an illogical species."

He allowed his eyebrow to rise even more.

"Indeed, Captain."

Again he watched his captain laugh with a certain kind of contentment. Then the captain's face became serious again.

"If Scotty wasn't fond of that little green thorny something for some reason I do not understand, I would have left Keenser behind at some space station long ago."

"Perhaps it would be advisable to find an activity for Mr. Keenser outside the engine room."

"You mean an activity where he couldn't blow up half the ship?"

His eyebrow got back into place.

"Preferably yes."

Once more he saw a humorous glint in the captain's eyes for 1.34 seconds before he became serious again. With his back to the turbolift's wall the captain slid down in a sitting position, his hands laid upon his bent knees. Then he looked up at him again and gestured to the ground next to his left side.

"Come on, Spock. After what Scotty said, we will be trapped here in the lift for the next hours. I don't wanna look up at you all the time. This will cause me only neck pain and Bones' gonna annoy me with his hypos."

He hardly hesitated before he followed the captain's suggestion, nevertheless anxious to avoid all physical contact within the narrow lift. After he had sat down the captain continued:

"However I have to have a serious word with Scotty after he repaired the ship's power supply and got us out of this lift. Keenser's doing no good at the moment. This is the third incident during the last four months. I mean it's pretty awesome that the boys and girls and … whatever Keenser is try to find new possibilities to make the Enterprise even faster, better and more efficient down there in the engine room. But I'm definitely against any actions which leave me and my First Officer stuck in a turbolift and my ship floating along in space without proper energy."

"Momentarily we are located in a very thinly populated part of the alpha quadrant. A hostile assault against the Enterprise is very unlikely. In addition the ship's crew is more than capable to compensate the temporarily absence of both, captain and first officer, especially since the communication is obviously working."

"Did you just compliment the crew, Spock?"

He turned his head to the captain's direction, eyebrow raised.

"I just state the facts."

He heard the captain laugh lightly again. And once again he recognized that illogical moment of contentment.

There was silence afterwards until the captain broke the silence once again.

"And what do we do while sitting here and waiting for Scotty to get us outta here during the next few hours?"

"Lack to other more effective possibilities I suggest waiting."

"That's your best suggestion, Spock?"

Again he registered that humorous glint in the captain's eyes.

"I am not opposed to your counterproposals."

"Don't have any."

He raised his eyebrow again.

"In this case your former comment can be seen as illogical and needless."

The captain's smile grew warmer.

"You're right, Spock. Let's just wait.

He watched his captain shifting around, obviously searching for a more comfortable position and finally resting his head against the wall in his back. He himself averted his eyes, also rested his head against the rearward wall, fixed the lift's wall opposite to his position and listened to the silence which he had to admit was not uncomfortable.

…

"What time is it, what do you think, Spock?"

"It is approximately 2356 and 12 seconds."

"That you call 'approximately'?"

"I did not consider it necessary to inform you about the exact millisecond for based on my experience humans seem to be content with an approximated value, especially while asking the time."

He felt a light air flow at his right ear which told him that the captain had receipted his last words with a shake of his head.

…

"And what time is it now, Spock? I'm ok with hours and minutes."

"It is approximately 0103, Captain."

"Will you ever call me by my given name?"

"I am not qualified to look into the future."

Once again he could feel the air flow caused by the captain's shake of head.

…

"Damn, Scotty, Spock said it's 0243. How long until you get us outta here?"

"There are some complications, Captain. I think it will take us about another 5 or 6 hours until we restored the energy supply and can get you and the Commander out of the turbo lift."

"You got 4 hours at most. Kirk out."

He watched the captain deactivating his communicator and facing him once again.

"You know what, Spock? Since we are stuck here in the middle of the night for the next few hours with nothing to do, I will spend my time sleeping. And you should do that, too."

With these words the captain took a horizontal position on the floor. Since he did not join the captain immediately, the captain knocked his hand at the floor impatiently.

"Come on, Spock. Lay down and get some sleep. The turbolift's just big enough for the two of us."

In fact he had analyzed the lift's extents only 3.84 hours ago and noticed that the turbolift offered just enough space for the captain and himself to avoid any physical contact. Nevertheless he still hesitated to lay down which the captain seemed to notice.

"No reason to be shy. We shared a bed together, remember? So the turbolift shouldn't be such a big deal."

He had to admit that the captain's argumentation did not lack any logic. And so he finally placed himself in a laying position next to the captain without touching him. Then he turned to face the captain again who smiled at him.

"See, Spock, no problem at all."

He raised his eyebrow once again.

"I never doubted the general operability of your suggestion."

The captain's smile grew even wider.

"Good night, Spock."

And before he could have answered the captain turned away, his head bedded on his right arm. Only 6.14 minutes later the captain was asleep. He listened to the captain's regular breathing for another 17.89 minutes before he also closed his eyes and followed the captain's example.