The crossover turned out to be an excellent place to spend some time, talking with his crew as they passed over to the Spacestation or back to Enterprise. Some looked slightly guilty as though they did not have permission to be off the ship. Some were surprised to find him at the crossover as though he had far too much to do be standing at the walkway. Many expressed their sympathy, Jim responding as noncommittally as he possibly could.

"Captain," Spock said when he arrived at the crossover. "Have I delayed us?"

"Not at all. It's interesting to stand here and talk to the crew who are coming and going," Kirk admitted.

"I would imagine it would be a study in human nature," Spock said.

"It is. It's strange, isn't it, that some of the crew act like they don't have permission to go over to VanHalen?"

"Perhaps it is your presence that causes them to think they are in trouble," Spock suggested.

"You think? I have to stand somewhere."

"True," Spock said. "It is human nature to think that observation equates disapproval."

"Yeah. You know it's weird to be Captain sometimes," Jim observed as they crossed over to VanHalen.

"I can imagine. I have no plans to have personal experience in that."

"You don't want to ever have your own ship?" Jim asked in some surprise.

"I do not. My place is as your first officer."

"Oh. Well," Jim said, stopping to look up at him. "Thank you."

Spock nodded to accept his words, continuing toward the Spacestation when Jim did. Jim had to consider what Spock had said, finding it surprising and… oddly pleasing even though he didn't think Spock should be content to be perpetually second in command. Didn't every Starfleet officer want their own ship? Wasn't that the normal order of things? He had to think more about this. And he knew the trip to Earth would provide him plenty of time for just that.

They wandered around the Spacestation, visiting some of the numerous shops that sold all manner of merchandise. The third store they visited had a miniature, portable chess set that would be ideal for their trip to Earth. Jim purchased it and requested that it be sent to the transport, the clerk assuring them that it would be delivered in plenty of time.

They then went to office of the administrators, checking in to make sure all of the paperwork was in order and all of the repairs and upgrades could be made while Enterprise was there.

"I was sorry to hear of your mother's passing," the administrator said to Jim.

"Thank you," the Captain said with a nod. "My crew knows how to contact me should there be any questions concerning the repairs or upgrades. Otherwise, Lt. Commander Scott has my official authorization."

"Very good, sir."

"Captain," Spock said quietly. "We need to make our way to our transport."

"Of course," Jim agreed. "Take good care of my ship."

"You can be sure that we will, Captain," the administrator assured him with a smile.

Jim nodded, going with Spock to the private ship dock to find the one on which he had arranged passage.

"Captain, Commander," the human Captain of the small Lucky Lucy said in greeting. "You are welcome aboard."

"Thank you, Captain," Kirk responded with a smile. "We appreciate your assistance."

"Not at all. I appreciate you being with us," the Captain said. "Please, sit anywhere."

"Thank you," Jim agreed, going into the small cabin with a dozen seats. He and Spock sat in two near the back, strapping themselves in. "Will you be able to sleep?"

"I will meditate. Will you sleep?" Spock asked.

"I think so. When does the Diedre leave Lilliput?" Jim asked, staring blindly out the window of the small transport.

"Noon tomorrow."

"Good," Jim said absently. "Good thing Bones didn't come. He would be freaking out."

"He is remarkably inept at space travel."

"Yeah. I did mention that the first time I met him. He didn't seem to care," Jim laughed.

"He can be extremely contradictory."

"That's an understatement," Jim said. "God love him."

"May I ask a personal question of you?" Spock asked tentatively.

"Of course," Jim agreed, turning his full attention to Spock.

"Have you ever…do the two of you…perhaps it is not appropriate that I ask," Spock decided.

"If the question is about me and Bones having sex, the answer is no. He is good enough to sleep with me when I need it. As much as I hate admitting it. But we've never made love. We're like brothers, Spock. In a lot of ways."

"Yes. That is apparent to all," Spock agreed. "Thank you for answering."

"I can't think of anything I wouldn't be willing to tell you, Spock. If you want to know something, you only have to ask."

"Yes," Spock acknowledged. "When did your blood brother die?"

"I'm not entirely sure he is dead," Jim admitted. "It's assumed he is. Starfleet declared him dead after he was missing for seven years. Mom of course blamed me."

"Why is that?" Spock asked.

"Who knows? Something about me driving him away. But Sam loved me. I know that without a doubt. When he left, I wasn't the reason. Frank was. But she couldn't see that. Easier to blame me than herself."

"Yours was an unfortunate childhood."

"That's for sure," Jim said with a shrug. "It's something of a miracle I survived it. I was pretty self-destructive."

"I have heard," Spock confirmed.

"Yeah, I guess you have," Jim laughed. "I've tried to quell some of that destruction. Otherwise I could end up endangering our ship."

"You would not do so intentionally," Spock assured him.

"Never," Jim agreed, watching the Spacestation seem to move away. "Was it very expensive to secure our seats?"

"It might have been, had they accepted payment. They refused."

"Oh," Jim said. "That was awfully kind of them."

"They insisted. I attempted several times to pay them but they would not accept."

"I'll have to thank them," Jim said.

"I believe your presence is their thanks," Spock said.

"Mmm…" Jim responded completely noncommittally.

"You will never be accustom to it, will you?" Spock had to ask.

"Not anytime soon. You don't stop believing you are a complete fuck-up overnight," Jim said with a shrug.

"Yet you are not. You are a hero," Spock reminded him softly.

"I know. So are you. Doesn't it bother you?"

"I find it tedious when it is all-consuming. However when I am in your company, you are the focus of the majority of the accolades."

"I'm sorry," Jim said.

"I am not. I prefer it."

"Yeah, I would too," Jim agreed with a smile. They chatted amicably, accepting some dinner from the ship's captain, not the best they had ever had. But it was edible and filling and greatly appreciated.

"I think I'm going to try to get some sleep," Jim decided, reclining his seatback.

"An excellent idea," Spock agreed.

"Wake me up if I start trying to beat you up," Jim reminded him.

"Be assured that I will," Spock said, standing up to get two blankets from the open compartments above their heads. He draped one over Jim, holding on to the second for himself. "Will you be warm enough?"

"I'm good, thanks," Jim said, closing his eyes. "'Night."

"Sleep well," Spock said, turning down the light over their heads and closing his eyes in an attempt to meditate. He did not achieve as deep a level as he would have liked, concern for Jim keeping him more aware than not. Jim slept with no loud or violent nightmares.

~o0o~

"Jim," Spock said, a light hand on his arm.

"Mmm…" Jim grunted, awake almost immediately. "Everything okay?"

"It is fine. We are nearly to Lilliput," Spock explained.

"Oh. Good. I didn't punch you last night did I?" Jim asked, stretching within the confines of his seat.

"You did not. You seem to have slept fairly well, under the circumstances."

"Good," Jim said, looking out the window at the dark sky. "Is it night on Lilliput?"

"I believe it is. We will have time to eat breakfast and make certain our totes are transferred to the Diedre."

"Good. I especially need some coffee," Jim decided, watching out his window as the Lucky Lucy glided effortlessly into its slot, a soft thud indicating that they had come to a rest.

"There will be time," Spock agreed, watching with Jim as the ship's Captain came into the small cabin to greet them.

"Good morning," the Captain said. "You are free to disembark. Thank you again for traveling with us."

"Thank you for hospitality," Jim said with a smile. "If ever we can repay you, just let us know. I'm sure you know how to reach us."

"I do," the Captain agreed. "Safe travels, sirs."

Jim nodded and left the small ship, Spock close behind. They made their way from the small airport into town, finding a café that served a satisfactory breakfast for them both, and plenty of hot, tasty coffee for Jim.

"Do you want to take a walk outside?" Jim asked as they looked out the window onto a narrow street. "We have some time to fill."

"That would be pleasant," Spock agreed. There weren't a lot of people about with the early hour, the proprietor of the café telling them that it was 6:05 on the planet.

"It is quite safe to walk our streets," the proprietor assured them. "We have great respect for all Federation citizens."

"Thank you," Jim agreed, turning to leave after settling up.

"Have you ever met Captain Kirk?" the older man asked, his eyes wide and curious. "He's a hero to so many of us."

Jim glanced at Spock who arched an eyebrow at his Captain. The decision on what to say had to be Jim's. "I…uhm…"

"No, I don't suppose you would have," the man said, shaking his head. "Starfleet is so big."

"Tell him," Spock said very quietly.

"As it turns out," Jim said, "I am Captain Kirk."

The man gasped softly, staring at Jim and then at Spock. "Of course. Oh my heavens. Captain Kirk and Commander Spock right here in my very own café. Oh sirs. This is truly an honor," the man said, breathless in excitement.

"You honor us," Spock said with the smallest bow.

"And if you wouldn't mind keeping it under your hat, we'd appreciate it," Jim said softly.

"Of course, of course," the man agreed. "Thank you both. Thank you for coming to my café."

"Thank you for breakfast. It was delicious," Jim said with a charming smile.

"You are very welcome. Do come again if you are ever on Lilliput," the man requested.

"We most certainly will," Jim agreed, turning and leaving with Spock. They went outside to the bright morning, the blue sun slowly making its friendly way in the orange sky. "Where to?" Jim asked, looking up and down the street that was lined with shops of various types, some restaurants, a few empty storefronts.

"Perhaps if we should ask if there is a nearby park," Spock suggested.

"Hmm…if I was in charge of this town, I'd put a park…," Jim looked up and down the street, checking the position of the sun, and finally turning 180 degrees. "I'd put a park this way," he said, pointing down the street that curved out of sight.

"There is no logic to your assessment," Spock pointed out as he walked next to Jim.

"Can you be sure?" Jim asked with a laugh. "I've been to enough small towns to know where parks are usually located."

"Those are generally Earth towns. Perhaps the residents of Lilliput do not believe in parks."

"Maybe not. But it's still a beautiful day. And we're going to be on the Diedre for five days. Good to get some fresh air while we can."

"Indeed," Spock said, walking next to Jim, his hands clasped loosely behind his back. They encountered several inhabitants who nodded politely but did not attempt to engage them in conversation. They also saw several Humans with whom they chatted, learning that they were part of the mining guild.

When the buildings began to thin out, they came to a wide expanse of pink grass, several tall trees graced with pink leaves offering shelter and welcome.

"Had you consulted a map prior to our arrival?" Spock asked in suspicion as they sat on a bench by a pond that was home to several floating birds that looked like a cross between a swan and a flamingo.

"No," Jim laughed. "Honest. It just made sense that the park would be down here."

"What evidence did you have to support that hypothesis?"

"It wasn't a hypothesis as much as a hunch. I told you, if I were in charge of the town, this is where I would put the park."

Spock made no response to that, unsure what he could possibly say that would make sense. He really didn't know why he had bothered to doubt Jim's guess, having witnessed numerous times the veracity of many of his "hunches."

"You're pissed, huh?" Jim asked with a laugh.

"Not at all. Simply trying to understand the…process that led you to this conclusion."

"Don't you ever just know something, Spock? Like a gut feeling? That you can't really explain?"

"I do not believe I have experienced a gut feeling," Spock decided. "I normally rely on facts and research. They generally provide me a dependable outcome."

"What facts would you use to decide where the park would be? I mean, you could have looked at a map. But since we didn't have one, how would you decide which way to go to find a park?"

"I believe that I would have asked an inhabitant. Failing that, I would have concluded that a park was not necessary to be found."

"Not necessary?" Jim laughed. "If you were here by yourself, what would you have done until the Diedre was ready to leave?"

"Research."

"Research? On what? Parks?"

"I would have my computer with me and I would work on one of the various projects which are not yet complete."

"Oh," Jim said in realization. "If you want to go back and spend the time doing research, I'll be fine here."

"I did not intend to imply that I would prefer research to walking to a park. You asked what I would have done had I been alone."

"Okay," Jim agreed with a nod. He tried to think of something noncommittal to say, to bring up some topic that would not be a source of confusion or misunderstanding, but his mind had gone suddenly blank. He fully acknowledged to himself that he and Spock often had quite different communication styles, Spock being utterly scientific in his thinking. Everything needed to line up for him, make sense, each cog in its proper alignment. Jim's thinking was much more circular, more fluid. As were his actions much of the time. "I'm sorry, Spock. I missed your question."

Spock assured him that it hadn't been especially important, simply a question to initiate a casual conversation. Jim responded to his inquiry with a smile and they passed the next hour talking about topics of no importance except to themselves.

"No, Uhura wouldn't tell me if they were sleeping together," Jim admitted. "I thought you said you were trying not to listen to our conversation."

"I managed to miss part of it," Spock said. "Chekov and Sulu have shown signs of an intimate relationship."

"Yeah," Jim agreed. "I guess it's possible she didn't know the truth."

Spock lifted an eyebrow at that, making Jim laugh.

"Okay. There isn't anything that goes on that Uhura doesn't know about."

"That has been my observation as well," Spock said.

"Did she use to tell you when you were still together?" Jim asked.

"Not generally. The crew confides in her precisely because they know that they can trust her."

"That's true. I am surprised she wouldn't tell me about Chekov and Sulu. It sure doesn't need to be a secret."

"Perhaps she withheld the information simply to annoy you," Spock suggested.

"Probably," Jim laughed. "I will find out eventually."

"By asking them?"

"I guess that would be the simplest way to find out. But where's the fun in that?"

"You must decide if knowing or finding out is the most important aspect," Spock pointed out.

"Yeah," Jim said with a shrug. "I just hope I don't find out when they break up. Because it could get ugly."

"You do not believe that if they are together it will be a long-term commitment?"

"I doubt it. Chekov is awfully young to have decided he wants to spend the rest of his life with Sulu. I'm pretty sure he hasn't had a lot of experience and he must be curious," Jim said.

"It is possible that he knows Sulu is who he is meant to be with," Spock said.

"It's possible," Jim agreed. "Good for them if it is meant to be."

"They would be most fortunate," Spock said.

"They would," Jim said. "Do we need to start back?"

"There is still some time before we must arrive at the Diedre," Spock said.

"I'd like another cup of coffee, if you don't mind going back to town," Jim said.

"Certainly," Spock agreed standing as Jim did, going leisurely back to town. They returned to the same café, the owner giving them coffee, tea, and fresh baked cookies, for which he refused payment. He continued to keep their secret, although they felt his eyes on them for much of the time they were at one of his tables, conveniently set up on the sidewalk.

"Do you like raisins?" Jim asked as Spock ate a second oatmeal raisin cookie.

"I do. You do not?"

"I don't see any reason for them to exist," Jim admitted with a laugh. "Why couldn't I just have oatmeal cookies? Those raisins have no business being in there."

"Hmm…" Spock considered those words, taking another bite. "I think that the cookie would be bland minus the raisins."

"Would it?" Jim said, eating one of the cookies and attempting to avoid the raisins. "I think it's fine. But then if they aren't chocolate chip, there isn't much reason for the cookies to exist either."

"You only like chocolate chip cookies?" Spock asked.

"Mainly. Have you ever had double stuff Oreos?" Jim asked.

"Stuffed double with what?" Spock asked.

"Cream. They are my absolute favorite cookies. But they have to be real Oreos. Any other brand are just also-rans."

"Perhaps you can introduce me to this delight when we reach Earth," Spock said, eating another oatmeal raisin cookie.

"You can be sure of that. Is it true what I've heard about Vulcans and chocolate?" Jim asked.

"That depends greatly on what it is you have heard," Spock responded.

"That chocolate acts like alcohol?"

"That is not true," Spock said.

"Does chocolate have any effect on Vulcans?" Jim asked.

"Vulcans in general or this Vulcan in particular?"

"You sure are being evasive about this," Jim laughed. "What are you hiding?"

"I am attempting to determine what information it is that you desire."

"Never mind," Jim laughed again. "I'll give you Oreos and find out for myself."

"Very well," Spock said with a nod.

"You don't drink milk, do you?"

"Not generally. Why do you ask?"

"Because few things are more delicious than Oreos with really cold milk," Jim said, licking his lips.

"In that case, I would be willing to make an exception and drink milk with the Oreos."

Jim nodded at that, watching the comings and goings of the people of the town, no one paying them any particular attention. "It's nice here, isn't it?"

"It is most pleasant," Spock agreed.

"It's not an official shoreleave planet, is it?"

"It is not. They do not have many of the recreational facilities that most personnel expect on a designated shoreleave planet."

"Makes sense," Jim agreed. "I wouldn't mind coming back sometime."

"How would you spend your time, other than locating parks?" Spock asked.

"I don't really know," Jim admitted. "I wonder what the other parts of the planet are like."

"Perhaps we can research that information on our trip to Earth."

"We could. Not much point though, really," Jim said with a shrug.

"I suppose not. It would be wise for us to begin making our way to the airport," Spock said.

"Okay. I'll return our cups and plate then we'll be ready," Jim said, gathering them up to take them inside. "Thanks again."

"You are very welcome," the man assured him with a pleased smile. "I hope you will come again."

"I'd like that," Jim agreed, leaving with a smile. "I'd like to find a public terminal at the airport."

"You need to check on the Enterprise?" Spock asked knowingly.

"Yeah. Professional hazard of being Captain," Jim decided.

"As it should be," Spock said, going with him back to the airport. Once they arrived, it didn't take long to locate a public computer, Jim talking briefly with Scotty – long enough to be assured that things were just fine with his ship. He then talked to Bones for just a few minutes, McCoy telling him everything was fine, just like he knew it would be.

"Thanks," Jim said to Spock as they walked away from the computer.

"No thanks are necessary. I should have kept my computer so that you could have used it."

"I could have kept mine too," Jim pointed out. "Just seems like too much trouble to carry it around."

Spock nodded in agreement to that as they went to the freighter section of the airport. It wasn't hard to find the Diedre docked between two smaller ships. The crossover was open so they made their way onto the ship, waiting at the entry.

TBC