Jim glanced at Bones with a grin. "So that's Nancy? She seems nice."

Bones nodded with a fanciful sigh. "A true southern belle."

They both turned at a sudden sound, Jim's hand flying to his phaser. Professor Crater had walked in from one of the back rooms. He was a few years older than Bones with graying brown hair that stuck out everywhere and sunken eyes. Jim relaxed and stepped forward with his hand outstretched. "Professor Crater, I'm Captain Kirk. This is-."

"The heroic Captain and the intrepid doctor cross interstellar space to preserve our health," Professor Crater interrupted. Jim frowned slightly and slowly put his hand down. He might use tales of his heroic deed to pick up women but he hated using his name to get people to do things. When he was younger and people heard the name "Kirk" they had assumed that about him and eventually he had come to despise his name. "Your sense of duty is overwhelming. Now, will you please go back where you came from and tell whoever issues your orders to leave me and my wife alone? We need salt against the heat. Aside from that, we're doing very well, thank you," Professor Crater said.

Bones frowned. He wasn't very happy with the insinuations either. "I'm pleased you're doing well but I'm required to confirm that fact."

"Doubtless the good surgeon will enjoy prodding and poking us with his arcane machinery," Professor Crater taunted. "Go away, we don't want you."

"What you want is unimportant right now," Bones snapped. "What you will get is required by the book."

Jim nodded. "Quote: 'All research personnel on alien planets are required to have their health certified by a starship surgeon at one year intervals.'" Bones blinked at him. "What? I am a genius. Memorization is nothing." Jim turned back to Crater. "Like it or not Professor, as captain of the starship, I'm required-."

"To show your gold braid to everyone," Professor Crater interrupted Jim again. "You love it, don't you?"

Jim sighed and shook his head, trying to ignore the condescending comment yet again. "He's all yours Plum. Doctor McCoy."

Bones forcefully pushed Crater down. "Sit down and breathe deeply, please," Bones instructed the professor.

Professor Crater eyed Bones curiously. "Did I hear him call you Doctor McCoy?"

"You did."

"McCoy. I've heard Nancy speak of a Doctor McCoy," Professor Crater said thoughtfully.

"That's me," Bones said. "Didn't she mention I was here?" he asked looking up from his scanner.

Professor Crater stared at him. "You've seen Nancy?"

Jim nodded. "She went out to get you."

Professor Crater turned to him in surprise as well. "You've seen her too? You were with the good Doctor?"

"Yes. Why?"

Professor Crater shook his head dismissively but he seemed to still be distracted by something. "Nothing. It's just that it gives me pleasure to know that she's gotten to see an old friend and has a chance for some company. It's different for me; I enjoy solitude. But for a woman. You understand of course."

Bones grinned. "Well, certainly hasn't aged her." He looked back at his scanner. "She looks exactly as I knew her thirteen years ago. Amazing Jim. Like a girl of eighteen."

Professor Crater looked up at Jim. "Sorry. I'm sorry Captain, please sit down. I seem to have forgotten my manners."

Jim grinned and shook his head dismissively, although he was curious as to Crater's sudden change in attitude. "Quite all right."

Bones chuckled as he continued. "I'm not joking Jim. She hasn't aged a day. She doesn't have a single wrinkle."

Jim raised a critical eyebrow. Who was he seeing? "She's sporting a wrinkle or two Bones. Excuse me Professor, she's a handsome woman, yes, but hardly eighteen."

"You've seen my wife with the eyes of your past attachment Doctor," Professor Crater stated simply. "I'm sure when you see Nancy again she'll be a believable age."

"Well, at any rate she doesn't look a day over twenty-five," Bones insisted.

"Genuine affection," Professor Crater said. "I'm glad you still feel it for her. Leonard, isn't it? She's a fine woman."

"Open your mouth," Bones ordered.

Professor Crater frowned. "Why? I thought the machine-."

"Bones prefers the old fashioned method," Jim smirked.

"The machine is capable of almost anything but I'll put my trust in a healthy set of tonsils," Bones said. "Now, open your mouth."

Bones just started feeling around Professor Crater's jaw when there was a scream from outside. Jim immediately pulled out his phaser and ran out, Bones and Professor Crater right on his heels. A few yards away from the house they found Nancy standing next to the body of Darnell lying on a rock, a frantic look on her face. Jim looked around for a threat but didn't find one. He knelt down next to the body when he noticed something in Darnell's mouth. "McCoy." He pulled out a piece of a plant and held it up for Bones to see. It was an unassuming green stalk.

Bones looked over the plant and then checked for Darnell's pulse. "Dead Jim. Strange. A red mottling all over his face."

"What happened?" Jim asked.

Professor Crater scoffed. "What do you suppose happened Captain? You beam down a crewman who doesn't know better than to eat an untested plant."

Jim frowned. His men definitely knew better than to eat a random planet. He turned to Nancy. "I've just lost a crewman Mrs. Crater. I want to know what happened," Jim demanded angrily.

"Well, I, I," Nancy stuttered.

"Take it easy Nancy," Bones said gently. "Just tell us what you know."

Nancy shuddered. "I was just-I couldn't find Bob, and I was coming back. I crossed to your crewman. I wanted him to know that I wasn't offended by the things he'd said back there. You remember. Then I-I noticed he had a Borgia plant in his hand. Before I could say anything, he'd-he'd taken a bite from it. He fell, his face all twisted, and-." She paused and started trembling. "Oh Leonard, you're looking at me like you don't believe me."

Bones blinked. It wasn't that he didn't believe her; Nancy no longer looked like the teenager that he had seen earlier. She looked her age now, with a few wrinkles on her forehead and around her eyes. Her hair was still auburn but was dryer and duller after years on this planet and a streak or two of gray. Were his eyes going? "No, no, no, no, it's not that. It's something entirely different." Bones blinked again and looked at Jim. "Jim, I suppose we could complete these examinations later."

"We don't need an examination," Professor Crater interjected, "you can see that. Perhaps you'd better take your man and-."

"We're well aware of our next duties Professor," Jim cut him off gleefully. "We'll complete your examinations tomorrow." Jim pulled out his communicator. "Transporter room."

"Transporter room Captain."

"Lock onto us," Jim ordered. "Three beaming up."

"Locked onto you Captain," Scotty said through the communicator. Jim resisted the urge to ask if Scotty was manning the controls moments before they were beamed up.

As soon as they disappeared Nancy turned to her husband, any sign of her frantic behavior suddenly gone. "Salt. You'd ask them about more salt tablets?"

Professor Crater nodded. "I'll take care of the provisioning Nancy."

Back on the bridge Gabby was playing a new game on her PADD near the foot of the captain's chair while Spock looked over some reports. "Miss Uhura, your last sub-space log contained an error in the frequencies column."

"My apologies Mr. Spock, but sometimes I think if I hear that word 'frequency' once more I'll cry."

Spock raised an eyebrow at her. "Cry?" Was Nyota truly upset or was this more human behavior that Spock had yet to understand?

Nyota sighed and shook her head with a small smile. "I was just trying to start a conversation. Sometimes it's too quiet without the captain."

Inwardly Spock was relieved. At least Nyota was emotionally okay. "Well, since it's illogical for a communications officer to resent the word 'frequency', I have no answer," Spock said. "And as for the silence being attributed to the captain's absence, I also have no comment."

Nyota smirked. She was one of the few who recognized when Spock actually made his own version of a joke. "Transporter room to Bridge," a voice called over the intercom. "Landing party returning. They report one death." Gabby looked up from her game at that. A death? Surely Jim wasn't dead. He couldn't be.

"Bridge acknowledging," Spock said.

Nyota watched him. "I don't believe it."

Spock turned to look at her. "Explain."

Nyota frowned and stood up, her hands on her hips. She walked over to stand in front of Spock. "You explain. That means that somebody is dead and you just sit there. It could be Captain Kirk. He's probably the closet thing you have to a friend, except for me but that's different."

"Lieutenant, my demonstration of concern will not change what happened," Spock said simply. "The transporter room is well-manned and they will call if they need my assistance."

Nyota huffed and was about to return to her station when she noticed that Gabby was standing, her PADD forgotten on the floor and her eyes shining. Nyota cursed as she recalled what she just said. She knelt down to look at Gabby and started to put her hands out to hug her but stopped. "Don't worry Gabby. I'm sure Jim's fine."

But Gabby wasn't listening. She bit her lip to keep from crying out as she impatiently watched the turbolift for Jim to return unscathed. What is Jim really was dead? What would happen to her? Where would she go? Who would protect her? Nyota watched Gabby from the corner of her eye, regretting her words and praying that Jim wouldn't take too long returning to the bridge.

Unaware of Gabby's dilemma on the bridge, Bones and Jim stared at the plant in sickbay. "She called it a Borgia plant," Bones said.

Jim shrugged. "Something new to me," he said honestly.

"Bridge to Dispensary," Spock called.

"Go ahead Mr. Spock."

"Borgia plant listed in library records as carbon group vegetation similar to Earth nightshade family. Alkaloid poison. Chemical structure common to class M planets. About the strange mottling on his facial skin surface, there is no reference to this symptom."

"Hmm. Well then, this man wasn't poisoned," Bones said.

"Standby Mr. Spock," Jim said. He turned to Bones. "She said she saw him eat the plant."

"She's mistaken," Bones insisted. "I know alkaloid poison, what to look for. There's not a trace of it in his body."

"There were bits of the plant in his mouth," Jim argued.

"Jim, don't tell me my business," Bones snapped. "He could not have swallowed any. My instruments would have picked up any trace of it whatsoever."

"Then what kills a healthy man?" Jim asked.

"I'll tell you something else," Bones continued. "This man shouldn't be dead. I can't find anything wrong with him. According to the tests he should just get up and walk away from here. I don't know. I'll have the tests double-checked." Bones sighed and ran a hand over his face. "My eyes may be tricking me. I swear Jim, when I first saw her she looked just as I'd known her thirteen years ago. Granted, for a moment I may have been looking at her through a romantic haze."

Jim frowned. He had had his fair share of love affairs but never to the point that they distracted him from his duties. This was getting out of hand. "How your lost love affects your vision Doctor, doesn't interest me," Jim snapped. I've lost a man. I want to know what killed him."

Bones nodded compliantly. "Yes sir."