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Chapter 4

Two days later, there was going to be a feast at the colony they were staying at. Apparently it had to do with the Velosian religion and their Gods, but the two human guests from planet Earth were kindly invited to take part at the festivity. The great banquet was to happen outdoors in the exotic woods that surrounded the village.
Carol and Bones didn't know what to expect exactly, but - in the wise words of Dr. McCoy - a party was a party, no matter which corner of the galaxy you were celebrating at.

They now were halfway through the mission, with ten more days to go until the Enterprise would come and pick them up again. Time was running really fast.
The people of Velosia were so different, not only in looks and language but also in their general behavior and customs. However, their unswerving hospitality and amicability made it easy for the Starfleet Officers to feel comfortable in the midst of the tribe. They both had made 'friends' within the colony during the past days. There were two Velosian siblings (one male and the other one female) who were working at the technical station Carol frequented on a daily basis and they seemed to like the petite blond woman from another world. Carol would ask them a million questions and they took delight in showing her everything and asking her questions about where she came from in return. She also showed Jarun and Jizah - those were their names - some pieces of classic arts and music from Earth that were stored on one of her PADDs and they were curious and excited about it all like little children. Which was a peculiar sight, given the fact that the people of Velosia were much taller than humans. Even Jizah, the shorter female, still was about two heads taller than Dr. McCoy.
Also, they were pretty tough in their overall appearance. Strong and wiry physique with a dark complexion, the color varying between different shades of muddy grays and browns, moss-green and coal-black. They didn't have soft and vulnerable skin like Carol and Leonard, and this was the most intriguing aspect because the greater part of their bodies was coated in very fine scales, some regions even iridescent when sunshine hit them. Carol was captivated and she was silently squealing inside when Jarun allowed her to touch his bare arm. The scales felt warm and smooth and not at all as hard or coarse as she had expected.

In the meantime, Bones had made the acquaintance of a very interesting and skilled local biologist at one of the labs. He was called Makhizan and had offered McCoy to assist him in one of his current projects, if the guest would be so kind to swap some of his human knowledge of biology and medicine in return. Bones was game of course, this was what they were here for, after all. And he loved those hours at the lab, examining genetic patterns he'd never seen before and dipping into expert talk with his reptilian-humanoid alien colleague - at least as far as the translator devices allowed it. He really hated to quote the hobgoblin, but it was all very fascinating.

In the evening, Jizah picked them up at their huts and together they walked to the clearing where the celebration was going to take place for the night. It was pretty crowded but peaceful and everyone was engaged in conversation. The only sources of light were large plants with fluorescent blossoms, most of them blue, purple and a few pink ones. They almost looked like huge colorful light bulbs, only prettier.

"This is amazing", Carol said to Bones who sat by her side on a bench. She was truly in awe. "Have you ever seen anything this beautiful?"

McCoy turned his head to look at her and watched the softly glowing play of colors tint her light hair and face in the dim twilight.
"No", he said. "I haven't."

In the end it proved that McCoy's assumption had been correct. The course of the celebration wasn't so different from the parties they knew. There was a lot of food and a special drink (no alcohol but some really tasty liquid that was an intriguing blend of sweet and sour with a delicious aftertaste neither of them could identify as a familiar flavor), and a lot of music, including singing and dancing. The sounds and melodies of the tunes were very exotic though, and it took some time for their human ears to get the hang of the weird rhythms.

Suddenly Jizah popped up and tried to animate them to join the dancing. Bones just laughed and shook his head, but Carol was standing and ready to go in a heartbeat.

"Come on!" she said and nudged his shoulder. He was sitting there with his arms folded across his chest defensively and the skeptical furrow between his eyebrows only got deeper when she asked in her most formal and charming voice: "Please Dr. McCoy, may I have the pleasure of this dance?"

"Trust me, sweetheart, you don't wanna dance with me", he told her, basically warning her about his lack of dancing skills, but Carol didn't buy it.

"Don't be shy." She was teasing him now, he could tell. He looked up at her face and she was smiling at him, and for a short moment there was a little spark of something between them. McCoy was tempted to grab her by the hand and let Carol pull him with her. He didn't do it though.

Instead, he just muttered, "I can't dance, you know."

"That's – again – a lame excuse, doctor. Everyone can dance somehow, it's really not that hard. Besides, it's just for fun, we're not lining up in a competition, are we?"

"I didn't even dance at my own wedding."

"Oh…" There was an awkward pause, as Carol was taken aback a bit. She tried to not let it show but failed. McCoy could see the tiny hint of regret in her big eyes when she calmly added: "I didn't know you were married."

"I'm not. I received the divorce papers even before I joined Starfleet", Bones cleared up her misconception of the situation.

"Oh", Carol said again, her voice softening. "I'm sorry to hear that, Leonard." It sounded like a very genuine, sympathizing comment, not just some meaningless phrase because it was the polite thing to say.

Bones just shrugged it off. "It's a long time ago. Didn't work out. End of story."

She sensed that he didn't want to talk about it really and therefore didn't ask any further. McCoy was grateful for that – but it didn't make him more compliant. He still wasn't willing to join the dancing, but he was very willing to watch on as Carol followed Jizah anyway. Without any fear or reservations she mingled with the Velosians, even trying to learn and copy their native dancing style. She was actually pretty good at adapting.

Bones couldn't help thinking that she looked like a tiny, delicate pixie amidst all those significantly larger and darker aliens. The way she danced between them, with them, her silky blond hair flying and bouncing with each and every twirl and hop. Carol was confident in her skin and clearly enjoying herself and it was a beautiful picture to behold. Actually, McCoy wasn't sure if he had ever seen her so carefree and cheerful. Probably not, but that was no wonder, after all that had happened during the horrific episode with Khan and the personal tragedy that had hit her along with it. She had been very quiet for a long while afterwards, retreating into her shell and busying herself with working overtime. Bones could relate to that; Sometimes you just needed some isolation to cope with your grief and sort out the chaos in your head. And eventually, time would help you heal. Maybe not in a week or in a month or even a year. But it would get better and you would realize that life was still worth living.

When Carol noticed that he was watching her, she waved to him. Her radiant smile didn't falter. And before he knew it, Bones smiled back with a rare smile that was actually big enough to make his dimples come out.

It was hours later that the feast was slowly coming to an end and the two Enterprise crewmembers retreated to their accommodations to go to sleep. They didn't hurry on their route back to the village though, but took their time enjoying the late-night walk through the tropical forest as well as each other's company. Carol was beaming the whole time and Bones thought that she should smile more often because it was so beautiful to watch. Her smile was just stunning and also very infectious.

As they walked side by side, Bones offered her his arm without saying a word and Carol latched on tenderly. For a short moment, she even leaned her head against his shoulder and he felt a warm flutter somewhere in his belly. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt like this.

"I can't remember the last time I had so much fun", Carol voiced just a second later, as if she had read his mind. McCoy had to swallow before he could reply. Suddenly his mouth was dry like a desert.

"Me neither."

She raised her head and eyed him from the side with a little grin. "And you were glued to the bench the whole time! Imagine the fun you could have had if you actually joined the dancing." Her hand slid down his forearm and slipped into his hand, just like that. As if it was the most natural thing in the world. And somehow this was what it felt like. The most natural thing.

"Maybe next time", Bones said and gently interlaced their fingers.

About fifteen more minutes later they reached the huts they were staying at. They were still holding hands, even as they stood and turned to face each other.

"See you in the morning then?" Carol asked.

Her hand felt so tiny in McCoy's. His thumb was stroking her skin and it made her smile sweetly at him. He didn't really reply to her question – he just pulled her closer, and when she realized he was going in for a kiss, she pushed herself up on her tiptoes and met him halfway. Wrapping her free arm around his neck, she nestled up against his broad and solid body as they shared a first and very lovely, unhurried kiss. McCoy still held her by the hand; His other arm had slipped around her waist, holding her in an embrace that felt both tender and secure.

Carol closed her eyes and a tiny sigh escaped her when Leonard's gorgeous, impossibly soft lips pressed down on her mouth a little more intensely, slowly deepening the kiss. She could have kissed him like that forever, she mused. As she gently nibbled on those heavenly lips she fantasized about him putting them to good use between her legs; The thought was arousing and she kissed him more hungrily. The slow, sensual glide of their touching tongues triggered an overwhelming feeling of want and need in Carol; She felt a familiar, pulsing heat between her thighs, just from this one kiss alone.

Breathlessly, she ended the kiss way too quickly, but she felt like she couldn't take it much longer. Bones had to stop kissing her like this. Either that, or she would be all over him and wouldn't leave it until he agreed to fuck her senseless. Jesus, she wanted to rip those clothes off of him so badly and … Carol, stop!

"I better go now and have some rest. We've got to get up early tomorrow", she whispered close to those desirable lips, even though this wasn't what she really wanted. Being more of a head person than a heart person, she figured this was just the best way to go about it. She wasn't the kind of girl who was quick to jump in anyone's bed, and surely she didn't want McCoy to have this impression of her. She wasn't like that at all. It was just… well… she hadn't had sex for so long, and Leonard tasted and smelled so fine, and his body felt so good pressed against her own, and his kisses made her knees wobbly and her heart race like mad,…

"Alright then, sweet dreams." Bones accepted her decision without any obvious hint of anger or serious irritation, gently pressed his lips to hers for one last time and eventually let go of her, if only reluctantly. "Goodnight, Carol. See you tomorrow."

"Goodnight", she replied softly and with a faint smile, then turned on her wobbly legs to go and enter her hut.

When she was finally sitting on the bed alone, with her feelings and hormones all upside-down, she wanted to slap herself. And at the same time she could have hugged herself with joy, because she felt so excited inside and – right now – there was nobody else she could have hugged.