Disclaimer: I don't own. I don't profit.

Special thanks to my beta, Notes from the Classroom. Check out her latest "Crossing the Equator" for a good Spock.

Incidentally, a lot of people really don't believe Spock could ever act this way. I outlined to Notes how I think he could justify this sort of behavior and she said I should turn it into a story. It's a little too much for here, but I promise to write a supplementary "Bad Spock" piece. Put me on Author Alert and I'm sure you'll see it.

The Fifth (and Last) Time

"Vulcan's don't cheat. She must have been playing around on him when we were at Starbase IV."

It's a common saying that a lie will travel to Risa and back before the truth even gets its boots on. Jim's felt the truth of these words before, but always to his advantage. He didn't really sleep with half of his Academy graduating class. He also didn't coast by on brains alone – he hit the books and hit them hard. He never corrected those rumors though. Now the rumor mill is grinding two of his best officers through it's wheels and Jim doesn't know how to put the boots on the truth fast - not without keeping things on the bridge from turning into a battle zone anyway.

He looks up from his coffee in the crowded mess. Beside him Scotty sighs and tut tuts. Jim's not sure where the voice has come from. He scowls in the general direction.

But Chapel is walking by and she evidently does know who was talking because she turns to two young redshirts and drops her tray on their table. "Shut up," she hisses. "You don't know what you're talking about."

Leaving her tray, she spins around. Her eyes meet Jim's and he nods at her. Swallowing, Chapel nods, flushes a bit, ducks her head and leaves the mess.

Jim's communicator buzzes with McCoy's voice. "She's awake and stable now, Jim. You can come by whenever you want."

"Scotty, send me those reports on the warp coil calibration when you're done," Jim says, standing up from the table.

"Aye," Scotty says, but Jim's already on his way out the door.

A few minutes later Jim's outside sickbay, talking to Bones.

"You were right about the hobgoblin," says Bones. He raises an eyebrow. "You'd make a pretty good doctor if you'd put your mind to it."

Jim smirks. "Pretty good?" Dropping the cavalier act he says, "You're treating Spock, right? I don't want him sharing this with anyone else."

Bones nods, "Yeah. You're not the only one. I'd say you wouldn't have to worry, and that it's Spock we're talking about..." He shakes his head. "Green blooded bastard. Who knew that half Vulcans could carry TH319 without developing any of the symptoms?" Until yesterday the only way TH319 was believed to be transmissible was by having sex with an Andorian.

Bones looks through the glass doors of sickbay. "No one but Chapel has come to see her." He shakes his head.

The whole crew knows what she has, and most of them think that it's due to her infidelity, not Spock's. The only place either of them could have picked TH319 up was on Starbase IV. Uhura was with Yeoman Rand the whole time, Jim knows. Rand showed him all the shoes she acquired on leave (and insists Uhura got more). But the Yeoman is on a 3 day shuttle calibration run and isn't there to defend his communications officer.

Patting Bones on the shoulder, Jim passes through the double doors into the main ward. Uhura's on a biobed in the far corner, her hair matted flat against her skull, her eyes closed. Her skin is ashen but there is a red rash crawling up her neck and down her wrists, following the path of her veins, TH319's telltale sign. It's a nasty virus, Jim knows first hand. Untreated it's deadly; even with treatment it's not much better.

At the sound of Jim's feet, Uhura turns her head and opens her eyes.

He remembers when the rash first snuck out from beneath her uniform. The look of disgust and fear in Sulu's eyes, as though by being near her he could pick it up. Jim remembers too how Uhura had gazed at the rash, holding her breath, and then said simply, "Captain, I need to report to the medical bay."

He's often had an opportunity to think about how similar and how different he and Uhura are. Both children from broken, sick homes. But they'd fought back so differently. Jim through petty acts of defiance, drugs and alcohol. Uhura by escaping, getting straight As and filling out the Nairobi Preparatory Boarding School scholarship application herself. Jim knows this because he's read her file. The school counselor wrote one of Uhura's recommendations for Starfleet, describing intervening to get Uhura's parents' approval so that "one of the most driven, talented, and self-possessed applicants ever seen" could attend Nairobi Prep.

Jim often wondered how Uhura handled being the poor student among all those rich kids. The way Uhura picked up her head and marched to the turbolift on the bridge, head held high as the whispers started – well, now he's seen how she managed. Self-possessed indeed. Strength like that, it takes effort though. He wonders if that's how she's sunk to putting up with Spock. She's just tired...or maybe just so used to being strong she doesn't realize there are times she doesn't have to be.

"I'm sorry," she whispers, breaking the silence. And Jim's not sure why, but his heart sinks. Maybe it's just that he doesn't like to see her like this, so...defeated.

He feels himself go red, and he's not sure why. Because she was a little right? Because when she when in his arms he was trying to make a move on her? He still isn't sure.

"It's alright," he says. He pulls up a chair, sits down and takes one of her hands. It's clammy and hot at the same time.

Staring at their entwined fingers, she says, "No one wants to touch me - or even get near me. Everyone shies away."

"Yeah," says Jim. "I remember that about having TH319. It's like they think they'll get it just by getting breathed on."

Uhura huffs. "So you've had it too?"

Shrugging, Jim says, "Well, you know..."

Uhura meets his eyes.

"Yeah," says Jim. "What haven't I had?"

Uhura huffs again. "But at least you got to have sex with an Andorian to get it."

Jim blinks at the joke and then forces himself to play along. Because if there's two things Jim knows, it's being cavalier and telling jokes to cover up inner hurt. "Yeah," he says. "I'm not sure it was worth it, though...well, except for the antennae thing they do, when they're really excited." Holding up two fingers he curls them and uncurls them, saying, "Bing! Bing!"

Uhura actually looks at him and laughs, and Jim's almost happy.

But then she drops her chin to her chest and stares at their fingers again. "How long, Jim? How many other times has he..." She sucks in a deep breath.

Jim follows her eyes to their fingers. His fingers ruddy and red, too rough. Hers slender and delicate and very soft. He covers them with his other hand. Swallowing he says, "I guess I really don't know how long you've been together."

Uhura licks her lips, chalky and pale from TH319's fever grip. "Since the summer after you joined the Academy."

Jim feels himself go hollow. He's actually been cheated on before, and dumped too, though he never admits it. It was by his first girl friend back in high school, who he just wasn't quite good enough for. He can remember the feelings of confusion, disbelief and betrayal. The feeling that the world as you knew it was completely wrong, and backwards, like maybe everything you believed was something you'd made up in your own head.

"At least since the fall after that," says Jim quietly.

"Oh," says Uhura. She shakes her head. "Gaila warned me...said I shouldn't trust him." She sucks in another deep breath. "I didn't believe her."

Jim's saved from having to say anything by the sound of the door to the med bay opening. Uhura quickly pulls herself up into a sitting position. Her hand clenches his more tightly. Jim turns his head and sees Spock.

Jim's first stands still at the doors for a moment and then he walks to Uhura and Jim. Spock's eyes go to their entwined fingers, and then to Jim's own eyes. Jim expects to see anger, and there is that, but even more, there is fear.

Coming to a stop at the foot of Uhura's bed, Spock says, "Nyota, we need to talk."

Shaking her head, Uhura says, "No. There's nothing we can say at this point."

"Nyota I...you must know..."

"Get out, Spock," Uhura says, her eyes not meeting Spock's gaze.

Instead, Spock takes a step closer. He casts one dark look at Jim. Jim decides to play dumb; he doesn't move.

"Nyota..." Spock says.

And then Jim's had it. It's wrong and goes completely against his principles to get involved in this sort of thing, but really - Spock's brought Uhura to death's doorstep, publicly humiliated her, lied to her probably countless times, and she's still sick. Playing with her mind right now just isn't fair.

"You heard her," Jim says. "Get out."

"Captain," Spock says, tilting his head.

Jim probably should worry about Spock wrapping those pale green hands around his neck again, but the thing is, when Jim's pissed he can't think of being choked, or beaten up, or blown up, and he's pissed now. "Yes, that's an order, Spock. Get out."

Spock tilts his head a little more. His jaw clenches, and for a moment Jim's thinking there'll be another show down. But then Spock just nods curtly, turns on his heel and leaves.

As soon as Spock's out the door, Uhura sinks into the biobed. "Thanks," she whispers, not meeting Jim's eyes.

"Hey, no problem," he says.

But her eyes are already closed and her hand is going limp in his. Jim stares at her for a few minutes. The rash will be gone, and the fever will drop and Jim know there are ways he could make her feel so much better. He remembers Spock's eyes on his. He's already in a love triangle, whether there is any love between him and Uhura or not.

He shakes his head. This is wrong. But he remembers how perfect Uhura felt in his arms, how right, and he licks his lips.

It's not like there's any guarantee that she'll want him. But his heart beats fast in his chest anyway. Standing up, he gently kisses Uhura's forehead.

His feet are feeling light and his heart is feeling heavy as he leaves sickbay and his mind is racing through possibilities. He's not even back to the bridge when he receives a priority one message from Starfleet.

He takes it in his the ready room, Spock beside him. A Federation colony has been destroyed by the Romulans, there's red matter involved, and advanced weaponry that looks like it's out of Nero's playbook. If there's any animosity in the room, Jim's actually pretty sure it's completely sucked out of him when Admiral Pike says, "We're at war, gentleman."

Uhura's not even out of sickbay when Jim receives another priority one call while he's pouring over star charts with Spock, Sulu and Chekov. It's Pike again, with some guy in Starfleet Intelligence gray that Kirk's never seen before, but the metal and ribbons on his front say he's an Admiral, too.

Pike dismisses Sulu and Chekov and then says, "Lieutenant Uhura is being reassigned."

Spock speaks first. "Do we have any say in this matter?"

"No," says the man Kirk's never seen.

"Where and what is she being reassigned to?" asks Jim, but he thinks he already knows.

"That is classified," says the strange man. And if that doesn't confirm his suspicions Pikes next words do.

"But you'll be telling your crew that she's being shipped to Earth for treatment for her illness," Pike says.

She's being reassigned to secret opps. How convenient for SI that she just happened to be sick.

The transmission ends and Kirk and Spock just look at each other and if there is fear in Spock's eyes, well, Jim's pretty sure there's fear in his eyes, too.

A/N:

I hadn't expected it, but I've gotten a few comments about the unfairness of Nyota loosing the Enterprise because she got sick. I hope it's clear now that's not the reason!

2 (or one more) chapter(s) to go.

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