Disclaimer: see chapter 1

After the lovely reviews (thank you so much!) and awesome feedback, here is the 3 installment.

Jim was brought out of one of the best night's sleep in recent memory by Bones' hushed tones. Where ever Jim had crashed for the night it seemed that Bones had not only found him but had brought company with him, or maybe Bones had finally gone space-crazy and was talking to himself. No, that couldn't be right because there was another voice that was just as hushed replying to Bones' concerned tone. Damn, he really didn't want to wake up yet buy something might be going on with the ship or Spock… Spock, that's right he had been injured yesterday. Jim had fallen asleep in the bio-bed next to him. How could he have slept so peacefully with his broken and bloody first officer lying in Med Bay?! He was angry with himself. Groaning with the effort it took to open his eyes, Jim found a very healthy looking Spock and rather relaxed looking Bones.

"Well, Jim, it's so glad you decided to join the land of the living once again. I was beginning to think you were going to sleep all day." Bones came and sat down in the chair next to him. No doubt it was where he had spent the night judging by the fact he was only in his blacks. He must have just chunked his blue tunic after Spock had bled on him and stayed all night with his two patients.

Jim once more moaned and sat up in the bed dangling his legs off the side. "I would have but you two decided that your conversation was so important that you couldn't take it outside." There was no venom in his voice directed at Bones. "I am glad to see you look much more green than gray this morning, Spock." He smiled at Spock which he saw reflected back to him from Spock's eyes. It was getting harder to just keep a professional distance from Spock. There was a deep relationship blossoming just as Spock-Prime had said there was. He decided now was not the time to think about such things. "What time is it?" He scrubbed his hands over his face, noticing that he was also just in his blacks. He didn't remember taking off his tunic, but Chappell might have done it for him. He'd been so tired.

"It is 0715, Jim." Spock came and took the chair next to Bones. "Dr. McCoy and I had only been discussing my previous injuries and your exhaustion for less than 90 seconds when your breathing patterned alerted me to your consciousness. You are a light sleeper, Jim." Spock's eyes danced with the hidden joy that Jim was awake and unharmed.

Finally making it out of the bed, Jim stretched and yawned. "Well, it's time for breakfast then." Jim scratched his belly and turned to face the other two. He could tell there was an easy air that passed between the two men. He knew these two were great friends, it just took a hell of a lot of shit to make them show it.

Bones laughed. "The man only thinks with his stomach and dangling parts, never that pretty little head of his." Spock raised an eyebrow at the comment as they both stood. "You go shower first and we'll meet you down in the mess in ten." McCoy had just exited the shower himself, just before he and Spock had began their discussion of yesterday's rather maudlin turn of events.

Jim nodded agreement, making sure that Spock was also agreeable, and headed towards his own quarters. While he didn't mind showering in Med Bay when he had to, he preferred taking a shower in his own room with his own toiletries. He liked his strawberry shampoo and his aloe soap. It made him feel cleaner than the generic, sterile stuff Bones had. Of course that same stuff is what made Bones smell like Bones, so he didn't mind it nearly as much as he used to. He quickly headed to his quarters and striped out of the dirty uniform. He usually couldn't sleep in so many clothes or when he was so dirty, but he had been so worn down from seeing Spock so hurt he didn't even think about it. As he stepped into the shower he remembered how well rested Spock had looked and how relaxed he seemed to be around him and Bones now. Maybe all the time Jim had spent trying to make Spock his friend had paid off and Bones' and his friendship was just a bonus. He smiled as he continued to scrub away yesterday's awful memories.

Once Jim was clean and dressed he headed towards the mess. Jim was thankful that today was Jim's off day and Bones had given Spock the day off duty. He liked mornings where he could sit at the breakfast table with his two best friends for more than a handful of minutes and actually have a conversation and not just 'good mornings' and 'see you laters'. Bones and Spock were already seated at the usual table with their breakfast when Jim entered the mess. He got his own 'off-duty' breakfast which was three pancakes, four bacons, two scrambled eggs, hash browns and strawberries. He didn't have to eat like a responsible captain when he had an off day. It was the agreement that Bones had finally consented to after weeks of being on his ass constantly about what went in his mouth. He took his over-loaded tray over to the table, smiling brightly. He was so relieved to see Spock looked so healthy and well rested.

When he sat down Bones rolled his eyes and Spock raised his eyebrow, which was both their own way of saying 'how juvenile'. Jim didn't care, he loved his breakfast. He worked out enough to burn off the extra calories and a big breakfast twice a week wasn't going to kill him no matter what Bones said. "So, Spock, you look a lot better than last time I saw you. Bones get you all fixed up or did Nyota do this all on her own?" Jim was trying not to talk with his mouth full, but was only half way successful.

Spock, who was by now accustomed to the antics of James T. Kirk, swallowed his bite of fruit politely before responding. "Of course, Jim, Dr. McCoy repaired all the damage done by the natives. I will be researching the mineral used in our assault later today to better understand its devastating effects." Leave it to Spock to be scientific about something that was used to beat the shit out of him and totally ignore Jim's attempt to learn more about his and Nyota's recent break-up.

Jim nodded continuing to shovel in his breakfast. It would do no good to remind the Vulcan that Bones had given him the day off to rest not to research some rock, so Jim kept that useless thought to himself. "What about you Bones? Anything exciting to do today?" Jim waggled his eyebrows at Bones over his juice. He was trying to get Bones to ask Chappell out, but the man was not cooperating with him. Jim just wanted to see Bones happy, and a Bones that had just gotten laid would be happy but Bones was not seeing things that way.

Bones snorted. "Damnit Jim, I'm a doctor not some love-sick puppy! I have more important things to do with my time than try to play match maker, its call a job. Maybe you have heard of it?" Bones rolled his eyes. But Jim could see the blush that was creeping up his neck. Yup, the CMO had the hots for the head nurse and Jim knew it.

Spock had raised an eyebow at that comment. "McCoy, I fail to see how having a job and being a 'love-sick puppy' have any correlation to each other. Of course Jim has heard of a job as he is the captain of the Enterprise." Jim knew that Spock bated Bones just to get a rise out of him. He had to because he was too damn good at doing it and Jim could swear he saw a twinkle of satisfaction when Bones got all worked up about something he said.

McCoy turned to glare at Spock. "Of course you would fail to see the correlation. You aren't the one he is trying to get hooked up! You can't possible understand the correlation because he stays out of your sex life, or your lack of a sex life." Bones was glaring at Jim now with that one eye wider than the other crazy-ass look he tries to make intimidating but it looks funnier than hell.

Spock, of course, had a reply to which Bones batted one right back. The two began their usual banter, that was really light-hearted even though to the untrained eye it looked like they would kill each other at any moment. Bones would call Spock a name and Spock would tell him how inaccurate it was, so Bones would then call him an inanimate object to which Spock would say 'and you're point' in Vulcan terms. It was quite humorous. Bones would gripe and Spock would smirk. Then they would start all over again until Bones laughed out loud and Spock was doing that small smirk thing he got away with doing and still being all Vulcan. In fact, Jim would worry if they weren't doing this.

Jim just sat back and enjoyed the show. Bones and Spock would do anything in the world for each other, they had proven that time and again. They would also do anything for Jim. Jim knew these two men better than he had ever known anyone in his life. These men were the family that fate had sent his way. Bones was like the older brother that Sam never could be. Bones never left him, he always stayed but when he had to leave, he always came back. Spock was like the rock he had to lean on. Spock never looked at him with tears in his eyes because Jim looked too much like a man that died so that he could live. They never tired to pawn him off on someone else or leave him alone. They were always there. These were his brothers. They loved him, they took care of him, they evened his kneel. So at breakfast with Spock and Bones going head-to-head, Jim sat there and smiled at his brothers of another mother. He wouldn't have changed them for all the stars in the sky. He loved them just as they were.

A/N: Thanks for reading

I really thought I had uploaded this before I went to work, but I must have forgot. So, better late than never. I've already got the next chapter written.

Please tell me what you think! I'm not such a good 'Kirk-view' writer.