New Friends and Old

Because you may be able to handle your enemies, but your friends are another story...


Cmdr. Giotto waited patiently, or at least with as much semblance of patience as he could muster, while his Captain flirted with yet another saleswoman. Normally he would have assigned Jenkins or Groesner to handle something like this, but neither they nor any of the young people that made up the majority of his department had been to Sanoda before and Sam had multiple times. It was a pleasant enough world, but deceptively so since the proximity to Klingon space made it a (theoretically secret) base of operations for Starfleet Intelligence as well as the analogous intelligence divisions of several other quasi-military and governmental entities, the Klingons included. Leaving James T. Kirk to wander around on his own, or even with other officers who might not know what to watch for, had seemed like an idea that could not even begin to be described by the adjective 'bad'.

The worst part was that Sam wasn't allowed to tell any of them more than what was patently obvious – that the Empire probably kept a close eye on this place. At the end of his last stint working with SI, it had been made exceptionally clear that anything and everything he'd done, seen, or even guessed at, was to be regarded as classified information. Giotto had been a Security Chief for a long time and was thoroughly comfortable with the idea of keeping anything not plainly need-to-know under wraps, but he found orders to withhold information that his crewmates might actually need seriously annoying. It was one of several reasons that he'd gladly returned to regular 'fleet service.

"Okay, Chief," A hand landed on his shoulder and Giotto stifled an urge to react. He was not by any stretch of the imagination what might be called a touchy-feely person. In fact, Spock was probably the only person on the ship with a more well-defined sense of personal space – not that it deterred Kirk in either case.

The Captain grinned, either oblivious or deliberately ignoring the mildly long-suffering look Giotto aimed at him. "Let's grab some lunch before we hit the next supply broker." He glanced over his shoulder as they left, dropping his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "If we stay past dinner, that one said she might have a friend for you."

Several of the phrases he'd heard the doctor use ran through Sam's head, but he limited his response to a look that said 'You must be joking'.

"What?" Kirk laughed. "She said her friend was cute. If she'd said 'nice personality' I wouldn't even have mentioned it."

"I believe I'll pass, sir." He not only had no interest whatsoever in meeting a woman on this planet or - God forbid - being set up on a blind date with one, but agreeing to a double date with Jim Kirk was something Sam was likely to do only after hell bore a significant resemblance to Delta Vega.

Kirk looked at him sideways, grinning slyly. "For someone who's not seeing anyone, you don't seem too interested in exploring possibilities."

Giotto shook his head, fighting a smile. "If you think I'm going to respond to a ploy that obvious, I'm going to ask the doctor to check you for controlled substances when we get back."

For both personal and professional reasons, Sam drew some pretty firm lines when it came to answering questions about his private life. Much like Chris Pike before him, Kirk seemed to take that as a challenge. With Chris it had been a sort of game since they had come up through the ranks together, but with Kirk, Sam had tried repeatedly to discourage it. Giving up, however, was not in Kirk's nature and giving in was not in Giotto's, so it was turning into a game between them as well.

"Right," Kirk chuckled. "Well, at least we can use her recommendation for a restaurant. It's right down this way."

Giotto stopped, suddenly hit by an uneasy sense of being watched. "Actually, I know of a pretty good place back the way we came."

"Come on, Chief, try something new."

Kirk started to step across an alleyway and Giotto took a quick step to get just ahead of him. In the next instant Sam found himself subjected to full body contact of an invasive, but decidedly non-hostile variety.

"Sam!"

It took a beat to reorient, but once he caught the color at the roots of the fuchsia dye job pressed into his face, he pulled his assailant away by the shoulders, laughing. "Where did you come from?"

"Miss me?" A deceptively young-looking woman dressed to kill in the sense of local styles (and Giotto was quite certain in the literal sense as well) grinned at him.

"Not much," Sam deadpanned.

"Well that just goes to show that you still don't know what's good for you, darling." It was a society lady's use of 'darling', said with one palm swept downward as the other took his arm and turned him back the way they'd come. "You and your adorable friend here," she smiled coquettishly at Kirk, "were heading toward a very low rent side of town - no place at all for officers to be seen." She gave Sam a sly smirk. "I won't bother to accuse you of being a gentleman."

Amusement was written all over Kirk's face despite some effort to contain a grin. Giotto rolled his eyes. "Just follow her. Trust me, it'll be easier."

"Come along," she nearly sang and Kirk jumped in surprise as she passed him.

Sam bit his cheeks trying not to laugh. If he knew Carmichael, she had just pinched his Captain's ass - her idea of just compensation for leading them away from an area where Starfleet officers shouldn't be seen.

"There is the most delightful café up ahead, Sam - completely new since you were here last," she continued. "I simply can't wait for all my friends to see that I've reeled you back in, and your cute friend here as a bonus!"

In other words, she was taking them to some recently secured location, where SI could keep an eye on them. Despite her flippant act, Sam could practically feel the urgency to get there radiating from where her hands were laced around his arm. That SI wasn't the only group watching them was a dead certainty.

Giotto smiled at her indulgently, playing the 'fleet officer amused by the antics of the socialite he dallied with in this port. The act was aided by Kirk's expression, which was shifting between sly and bewildered as he tried to figure out the relationship between the woman who had just blatantly pinched him and the older officer she was clinging to in a familiar-bordering-on-intimate fashion. Sam silently wished him luck. The last time he'd allowed that relationship to vary from strictly professional, he'd been just as confused.

They turned into an elegant high-rise, but when Carmichael activated the lift, it took them down. Giotto noticed the momentary flicker that showed they were being scanned, and confident that they were out of danger, started to reclaim his arm.

"You're no fun at all, Sam," she accused with a small pout and then switched to Kirk, flashing a predatory smile. "This one looks like he might be though." The lift opened and she led them through a trendy underground pub, waving to a waiter. "Max, bring a round and three specials to my booth!"

She settled into a semi-private booth near the back, patting the seat for Kirk to sit down beside her. Giotto slid in across from them trying not to enjoy (too much) the fact that the Captain for once looked decidedly uncertain about how to respond to a flirtatious woman.

"Up there I'm Katerina Mikhailova." Carmichael stuck her nose in the air. "But down here, you can call me K."

"Jim," the Captain offered. "Jim Kirk. So how do you know Sam?"

An evil grin crossed her face. "Bibl-"

"We did some volunteer work together," Giotto cut in, raising his eyebrows. "A very long time ago."

Carmichael made a face at him. She'd read human to any cursory med scan, but a mixed heritage meant that she looked more than a decade younger than her 44 years (and had a few other advantages besides). Of course, the genetic anomalies meant she wouldn't live nearly as long as a normal human, but given both her career and devil-may-care lifestyle, odds were against K dying of natural causes.

"You've gotten stuffy since you went back to regular 'fleet, Sam."

"Went back?" The Captain looked even more confused.

Giotto knew Kirk had memorized the records of every member of his crew and there were no breaks in service listed in his. He widened his eyes at Carmichael.

"He's a captain," she shrugged. "He's got enough clearance to know that much especially since I had to help you pull him back from walking into a trap."

She held up a hand before Kirk could ask. Max appeared a moment later with three hot plates and an equal number of beers. K waved a hand, dropping back into the socialite persona. "The ale's brewed on site and simply wonderful. I promise this will be much better than that diner you were heading for." She looked the Captain in the eye. "The food there would have positively poisoned you."

Kirk's eyes shifted to his and Giotto nodded. "She would know."

"Thank you." Kirk examined his plate. McCoy would never let them hear the end of it if he avoided actual poisoning only to have some weird allergic reaction. Fortunately the special was a French dip with a side of fries. He took a bite and his eyes half-lidded with an expression of near ecstasy. "Real beef! Oh God, Sam, I like your girlfriend."

Giotto and K exchanged a look and laughed out loud. "He's so cute," she cooed. "Can I keep him, Sam? Please?"

"He's not a puppy K."

A slow grin spread on Kirk's face as he watched their interaction and mentally shifted K into the category of fair game. His eyes swept her lean figure. "I wouldn't mind following you home though."

Oh Lord. Sam looked skyward. Free to a good home: One captain, mostly grown. Housebroken but prone to stray…

K toyed with the neck of her bottle, giving Kirk a smoldering look. "Maybe after lunch, we can discuss dessert…"

Giotto dipped a fry in au jus and considered his beer. If he was going to be stuck listening to two inveterate players trade double entendres he was going to need something a lot stronger. "We have one more batch of supplies to secure, but if there's a reason for concern, I should get the Captain back to the ship."

"Don't worry. I'll make sure he's in good hands." She gave Giotto a suggestive grin. "You could be too."

"Pass." Even less likely than agreeing to a double date with Kirk would be agreeing to a threesome, particularly with Carmichael as the third.

"You've turned into an absolute Puritan," she sighed, rolling her eyes dramatically. "My driver can help you with that last batch of supplies. I'll take very good care of Jim until you get back." The Captain paused suddenly in mid-chew and Sam attempted to keep a straight face despite a reasonably good idea of where K had put the hand she had under the table.

Giotto schooled his features to careful ignorance. "Or he could just beam back to the ship."

"No," Kirk swallowed hastily and flashed a grin. "I mean, that's not necessary. I'm sure I'll be just fine here."

"Marvelous – it's all decided then," K smiled smugly. "Excuse me, I should go make some arrangements."

The Captain slid out allowing her to leave. He watched her glide away with a catwalk stride before resuming his seat. "So, is she…?"

"I can neither confirm nor deny."

"But she said you –"

"Neither. Confirm. Nor. Deny." Giotto took a bite of sandwich and chewed pointedly.

"Right," Kirk watched him, a small smile edging onto his face. "But the two of you –"

"Classified."

"I wasn't going ask about working together."

Sam looked at him levelly. "It's all classified."

"Uh-huh," Kirk chuckled. "You old dog, most guys would brag."

"No. Trust me," Giotto said carefully. "Before you leave, someone will explain to you that none of this ever happened. If pressed, you can say that we ran into an old friend of mine who bought us lunch. At best, you might recall that she was stylish, possibly well-off, but you probably wouldn't recognize her if you saw her again."

"Jeez, there's got to be a better alibi." The Captain gestured disbelief. "Who's going to believe I didn't notice a woman like that?"

"Like I said, an old friend of mine," Sam allowed himself a small smile. "Anyone I've known that long would obviously be too old to register on your sensors."

Kirk laughed. "Was she even legal when-" He stopped at the look Giotto gave him. "Right. Classified. But you're okay about this? I mean, it seems like she's still interested and she's pretty hot…"

Sam shrugged. Carmichael was actually a bit on thin side for his personal definition of 'hot', but she was attractive. Or at least compelling. Like a snake. "Just be careful, she…" He paused, thinking of how to put this. K was a good agent - deeply loyal to the Federation, almost suicidally devoted to the people she worked with, but she tended to treat lovers like rented recreational equipment.

"She what?"

Giotto looked back at the man across the table from him and nearly laughed. What exactly was he worried about? They were practically made for each other.

"Never mind," he took a sip of beer. "It's probably classified anyway."


AN: 'Should auld acquaintance be forgot...' belated Happy New Year!

I really owed Jim a little fun after torturing him in the last chapter, but this story has been brewing for awhile. After McCoy and Jessy surprised him in Sneakin' Around, chaoticmom asked if there was any chance of Jim getting a secret romance of his own and RogueAngel commented that Giotto sometimes seems like an intelligence operative with the way he works all the angles. Of course someone like Sam would have had some experience working with Starfleet Intelligence, so I realized at least one story had to show a little of that background. The two ideas collided and here's the result.

Please r&r.