Jim stepped onto the bridge a few hours before Alpha Shift one morning and stopped short. Sitting on the command chair were three perfect roses, red, white, and lavender, tied with a white satin ribbon, no note or anything. Just…sitting on the chair waiting. Jim lifted the flowers carefully and looked at them. Hmm. There wasn't anyone else on the bridge…well, no one except for Sulu. He wasn't really doing much, just staring out at space. Jim looked at the flowers, then at her helmsman, the same one she had started calling Maverick just off-hand when she learned his love of Top Gun, and wondered why the hell she'd never put it together before now. This was why the lyrics had started showing up on the cards, it had to be. Jim smiled and got up from her chair.

"Sulu, there's something I have to do. Can you hold things together up here until the rest of them get up?"

"Yes, Captain."

"As you were." She smiled and snuck out through the ready-room, where she put the roses in a vase which she then put in a containment field. Then she went down to the hydroponic's bay, where she found what she was looking for. The bay had roses in every natural color, and they were beautiful. She looked for a rose in peach, having taken it upon herself to learn what different colors meant since her Secret Admirer seemed to prefer the language of roses, and found one. Cutting it, she left the bay as quietly as she'd come and checked the time. There was still time. She left the rose at Sulu's door, knowing he would find it there later, and returned to the bridge to find another rose on her chair. This one was yellow. Jim sat down, just holding the latest offering. Yellow, had he really missed her in the few minutes she'd been gone? Throughout the rest of the day, she visited the hydroponics bay at intervals and always left with something. He was usually gone at the same time she was, she left six flowers outside his door, but never saw him. She took six flowers from her chair, and never once did anyone on the bridge volunteer the identity of her mysterious admirer. Just to make sure it was him, Jim flirted with the other officers, especially with Uhura and Spock. Whenever she touched one of them or spoke to them, Sulu practically seethed. Yep.

"Why don't you just put the poor boy out of his misery?"

"You think I should?"

"Just to see his face."

"Nyota, you're terrible. Thank you, my love." Jim smiled and tugged playfully on Uhura's pony-tail. Going to the ready-room, she picked up a specially-chosen peach rose and a padd. The crew was used to seeing her around the ship with a padd and rose in one hand, stylus in the other, it was just a habit of hers to walk around like that, so no one really thought much of it when she showed up again with padd and rose in hand. Without a single word, she passed by the helm-stations, ruffling Chekov's hair and laying the rose on Sulu's station before she headed for the lift to make a circuit. The look on his face when he turned around was priceless. Jim blew her pilot a kiss and wondered how long it would take him to come after her. Not long.

Score one for me. She thought wickedly as he caught the door, which closed right behind him. The lift didn't get very far before it stopped. Jim kept her hands behind her back, saying nothing. He backed her against the wall, hands to either side, and she leaned her head back.

"Yes, Lieutenant?"

"Permission to proceed, Captain."

"Granted." She smirked, "Although, after five years, I don't really think asking permission is really required." One eyebrow went up in a gesture she swore he'd learned from Spock, but he didn't actually say anything. That one kiss had happened about three weeks ago, but that was nothing. She tasted something spicy but sweet. Hmm, what was that? Breathing finally became a necessity, and they broke apart. He looked as dazed as she felt, and Jim did something very odd. She giggled.

"Are we awful people?"

"No, we're not awful people." She leaned forward, resting her weight against his, "If it's regulations you're worried about, we can always ask Spock. He knows 'em all by rote memory." She'd bet the next poker-game Spock knew the precise reg they were talking about, the one forbidding fraternization. Instead of worrying about that just now, Jim decided to focus on the more pleasant aspect of this very bizarre courtship. She'd ask Spock over their chess-game, that seemed as good a time as any to make it clear she had a potential significant other and she wanted to take it to the next step. Or, she could bite the bullet and ask the one other person she'd ever dare ask. So, later that afternoon, when Sulu was chatting with Chekov and there was absolutely noting needing her immediate attention, she got up from her chair.

"Spock, you have the bridge. Nyota, get me Starfleet Command, get me Admiral Pike."

"Yes, Captain."

"And patch it through to my office, pretty please." She smiled at her comm. officer, who just smiled back. Time to ask the Big Man Upstairs for permission.