I do not own Star Trek! Enjoy!

Chapter Ten

As Jim opened his eyes, the sunlight coming through his blinds caused him to shut them sharply again, before opening them again hesitantly. The smell of coffee reached his nostrils, causing him to sit up slowly, his sleep-filled eyes looking towards the empty side of the bed next to him.

Kicking the covers away from his legs, the blonde swung his legs off of the bed and on to the floor, before padding towards the kitchen, following the coffee scent. However, he was not prepared for the sight of his half-Vulcan First Officer standing in his kitchen, in pyjamas, making breakfast.

"Good morning, Jim," he spoke softly, his lips twitching slightly in that small smile.

"Mornin'," Jim replied, looking towards him with combined shock and amusement, as the half-Vulcan met his gaze.

"I made breakfast," Spock pointed out.

"I can see that," Jim replied, before taking a seat on the stools at the kitchen island, as bacon and toasted bread was plated in front of him.

"You didn't have to go to all of this trouble, especially the bacon."

"My eating preferences should not cause you to alter yours," Spock pointed out, placing a mug of coffee in front of the blonde, before taking his place on the stool next to him, a plate of toasted bread in front of him.

"I trust you will not run away this time," Spock spoke softly, referencing the last time they had awoken in each others company.

Jim could hear the amusement in his tone, and laughed lightly before the domesticity of the situation struck him. His laughter died in his throat as he remembered.

"So how's Uhura doing?" Jim questioned, faking nonchalance.

"I do not know, I have not spoken to her today."

Jim frowned slightly but did not press the topic further.

They ate the rest of their breakfast in a lingering silence.

By the evening, Spock had retired to his own quarters, after spending most of the day in Jim's company, either watching holovids or playing chess. It had felt so domestic, and so content, that it scared Jim, especially when a knock at the door turned out to be Uhura.

"Uhura," Kirk greeted, nodding before stepping aside to let her pass, a container in her arms.

"Captain," she began, only to be met with a tilt of the blonde's head and risen eyebrows. "Kirk, you look well."

"Finally got some beauty sleep," thanks to your boyfriend, went unsaid. He was not about to be a homewrecker. He would never do that.

"You could do with a little more of the beauty side, to be honest," the Communications Officer counter, smiling in amusement, laughing when Kirk clutched his heart in mock pain.

"What's in the box?" Kirk questioned, curiosity getting the better of him.

"Cookies," Uhura answered, laughing when she saw Kirk jumping in excitement. "You're such a child."

After Kirk devoured his first cookie, Uhura finally spoke again.

"I take it Spock talked to you," causing Kirk to freeze in shock, before gathering himself again.

"Yeah, he did."

"Good, I called him an idiot for having not visited you, since you were discharged."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Kirk apologised, avoiding her gaze as she looked at him in confusion.

"Why are you apologising?"

"Because," Kirk started. "He's been spending a lot of time with me. You guys can't have had much time to spend together the past few days."

"It's alright, you're his priority," she replied, calmly, causing Kirk to frown.

"I shouldn't be, you're his girlfriend," Kirk pointed out, causing Uhura to look at him sharply.

"Spock and I broke up months ago," Uhura said bluntly, shock in her tone at the fact that Kirk was unaware.

"What?" Kirk questioned, shocked. "He never told me."

"He is such an idiot," Uhura rolled her eyes in frustration.

"You guys were great together though."

"No, Kirk," Uhura replied, a glimpse of sadness in her eyes and the edges of her mouth. "We were okay together, but it was never going to last. I think we both knew that."

Kirk just smiled sadly, internally bitter that Spock had never told him, as a silence lingered around them.

"When you died," Uhura started, catching a glimpse of Kirk's flinch and shooting him an apologetic smile. "He was so angry, so emotional. He nearly killed Khan. I tried to get him to stop, but he was so enraged, so furious. The only thing that stopped him was you, Jim. When I said your name he froze. Although, he did get a final sucker punch out of it."

At Jim's silence and avoiding gaze, she placed a cautious hand on his shoulder, causing him to look at her.

"You mean a lot to him, Jim," she spoke softly, Jim smiling slightly at her words, before staying silent for a few more moments.

"You heard from any other members of the crew recently?" Jim questioned, changing the subject.

"Yeah, Christine is working at the hospital with Leonard. It could be some months before we are back on the ship, so we need to fill in the time with something. Sulu was visiting Ben, and he showed me his daughter, Demora, on a video call, he's back now. I think he said that Chekov was in Russia visiting his family, but should be back by the end of the week. We will all get together for a drink or food, don't worry. "

"Yeah, and Scotty is working on repairing our ship, as always," Jim said with amusement and appreciation for the engineer's dedication. "I haven't heard from them much. They visited a bit when I was in the hospital."

"I think after the mission, everyone has needed to spend some time with their families."

"Of course, I understand," Jim replied, a small smile on his lips that didn't reach his eyes. "It's just been a bit lonely. The crew is my family."

Uhura placed a hand on his arm, before pulling him into a brief hug.

"Careful, Uhura, I might start thinking that you're making a move on me."

Uhura looked at him in amusement, slapping his shoulder lighter.

"Nyota," she spoke softly, causing Jim to smile. "Call me Nyota."

As Spock opened his door to answer the knock, he paused when he saw Jim standing with his arms crossed, a look of irritation crossing his features.

"Jim?" he questioned cautiously.

"When were you going to tell me?"

"Tell you what, Jim," Spock questioned, frowning slightly.

"That you and Nyota broke up."

Spock paused, before moving his arm in a gesture that politely encouraged Jim to enter his temporary quarters.

"Well?" Jim questioned once he was standing in the centre of the living room, foot tapping in impatience.

"I did not want to, as my mother would say 'add to your plate'."

"I'm your best friend, Spock," Jim reminded, exasperated. "You can talk to me about anything, regardless of my own issues."

"I apologise, Jim."

"It's okay, I understand," Jim spoke softly now. "I just wish you had felt comfortable enough to talk to me about it."

"I do, Jim," Spock corrected, stepping forward. "I trust you with my life."

"Me too," Jim replied, smiling at Spock, before patting him on the back in a friendly manner that Spock had seen him do with Doctor McCoy.

"You coming to the crew dinner on Friday?" Jim questioned. "I think Bones, Nyota, Chekov, Sulu, Scotty and Chapel will all be there. We haven't all been together in ages."

"Indeed," Spock confirmed. "Will you be attending?"

"Yeah, of course," Jim beamed. "The crew is my family, Spock. You coming then?"

"Yes," Spock confirmed, looking at the blonde with longing as he now made himself comfortable on the sofa, his gaze fixed on the holovid he put on the screen. "I shall attend."

Please review!