"I bet, that was the hobgoblin," McCoy said after Jim had finished talking into his ommunicator.
"Yes," came the terse reply.
"He's not hurt, is he?" McCoy was worried now, though he didn't know if he was more worried for the hobgoblin's safety or Jim's sanity. Probably both.
"No. Not yet."
McCoy forced Jim to look at him: "What is your problem then? We'll be in that town tomorrow morning and all will be well by then. Spock'll be fine until then."
"He's going into a dragon's lair to assist a hobbit who is helping some dwarves to steal something," Jim finally said.
"Did you just say dragon and hobbit?"
"Yes. And don't tell me all is going to end well, because from what I read in books, dragons aren't pets. They are dangerous."
"Jim. That guy's from Vulcan. He can take care of himself much better than you or me. We just wait in the town until he comes back. I'm sure it won't be long. Besides, I think I finally have a clue where we are. I'm just not so sure how that is possible."
Jim gave him a questionable look. McCoy grinned and continued: "How much do you know about 20th century books, Jim?"
"Not much. You are the one who's always reading them. What is your point? Do you think we landed in the world of one of your books?"
"That's exactly what I think. Middle Earth, to be exact. It's just too long ago that I read the book to know exactly what's gonna happen."
"Middle Earth? That explains why they think Spock's one of them. How much does Spock know about it?" Even if Jim didn't read as much Fantasy as his friend did, he had heard of Middle Earth, and the author who had written the books.
"How am I supposed to know that? You are the one who is always hanging out with him. What do you guys do with all the time you spend together, anyway?"
Jim gave him his "You-know-exactly-what-we're-doing"-look and didn't answer.
"Anyway. Do you think Spock's in danger? Dragons breathe fire, after all," Jim asked his friend after the revelations had sunk in.
"The guy's from Vulcan, one of the hottest planets I came across, so heat shouldn't be a problem. And he's intelligent, which means he knows how to take care of himself. So, no, you shouldn't be worried too much about him. He'll be here before you even noticed that he was gone in the first place," McCoy answered, knowing full well that at least the last part wasn't entirely true, but he desperately wanted to cheer Jim up. A Captain in a bad mood was the least they needed right now, and with Spock gone, he was the only one who could tell Jim things like that (one reason was, because he was his best friend and the second reason was, him being CMO, which had its advantages sometimes.).
"You're exaggerating. A fire breathing dragon could be a problem for him. He can get burns, you know?" Jim wasn't in the mood for jokes.