A/N - Ok, so a couple of things. Next few weeks are gonna be pretty busy. I have a paper due for four of my classes and I'm switching my hours at work. The good news that comes from this is, I no longer work weekends so I should be able to write then.

For those of you that got a bunch of e-mails saying I updated I'm sorry. I'm uploading the edited chapters of the story so that my grammar mistakes are gone.

Anyway enjoy the chapter.

Jim looked at the speaker in front of him. "He's awake? I thought you gave him a sedative."

"I did Jim, but he's fighting it. Now get your scrawny ass down here and see your brother." McCoy didn't have to say it; Jim could hear it in his voice. He didn't think that Sam was going to make it through this and Jim should be with him when the time came.

"On my way." The young Captain ran out of his quarters and to the nearest turbo lift. His feet carried him to the sickbay without him even thinking about it. He burst through the door and looked at his brother writhing on the bed.

McCoy walked over to him, "He's strong Jim, guess it runs in the family."

Jim smiled and looked at him, "How bad is it?"

"The pain is off the scale Jim. Every time he tries to tell us something he gets stopped by it. I just don't know what's causing it!" The doctor exclaimed and Jim could see that his lover was frustrated. No matter how rough he tried to look McCoy couldn't stand seeing anyone in pain.

"Did my sister-in-law and nephew go through this?"

"Yes," he said softly, his hand gripping Jim's shoulder. "Talk to him Jim, I'm gonna go look at the readouts from the latest tests."

Jim sat down and took his brother's hand in his own. "Sam…Sam its Jim." He watched as a pair of hazel eyes opened and stared at him.

"Jim," he said softly.

"Yeah," he said gently and moved to stroke his brother's hair. "Can you tell me what happened Sam?"

Sam removed his hand from Jim's and moved his head so Jim couldn't. "Don't touch me," he said his voice almost a growl.

Jim dropped his hands to his side; even now Sam couldn't stand his little brother. He wanted nothing to do with him because he looked like dad, because he didn't go to their mother's funeral, because he was with McCoy. The Captain hid the pain in his voice but it was etched deep into his eyes. "Sam what happened down there?"

The older Kirk didn't look at Jim when he spoke but stared at the ceiling. "They came eight months ago." His body fought the straps that were holding him down. "Tried to make us…build ships for them…came from…" he yelled in pain.

"Bones!" Jim yelled grabbing his brother's hand trying to help him through it.

"Don't touch me Jim." Sam growled pulling his hand away.

McCoy saw the exchange and the look on Jim's face. The Doctor pulled out a hypo but heard a soft beep signaling that Sam Kirk had died. He looked at Jim and saw him just staring at his brother's body before covering it with a blanket.

Jim turned and looked at McCoy, his blue eyes watery and blank. "Figure this thing out Bones. I want to know what's doing this to these people and how to stop it. I'm going back down."

Before he could say anything or try to stop him Jim was out of sickbay and on his way to the transporter room. McCoy sighed and had the nurses get Sam ready for an autopsy. He sat in his office thinking about Jim and how alone he must have felt growing up, and how he must have felt now that even on his death bed his brother couldn't accept him.

Jim got back down to Deneva and had Spock catch him up on the latest news. He nodded and agreed with Spock's plan to track down the buzzing noise to see what was causing it and if it was in fact, what was causing the insanity to spread.

They came to a small courtyard and heard a wet squelching noise but didn't see where it was coming from. A security officer stayed up higher while Jim and Spock led the rest of the away team further down.

"Spock."

The Science Officer looked at where Jim was pointing and nodded. At Jim's command they set their phasers to kill and fired at the almost round and flat creatures that hid in the shadows and clung to walls. One fell to the ground and as the other started to fly away the members watched each other's back.

"Let's get out of here." Jim said and waited until the others had retreated before he started following them. He heard a surprised gasp and turned to see Spock falling to his knees, "Spock?!"

He rushed over trying to get a grip on the pink and slippery creature. Jim finally pulled it off and helped Spock to his feet before he felt something pierce his back. The grip he had on Spock was loosened and he slid to the ground. Jim could feel something moving along his back and he tried to reach for it but the pain was too much.

Jim yelled as it was pulled from his back and soon felt the familiar pull of the transporter beam. Next thing he heard was McCoy calling out to him before he started barking orders. "Bones make it stop." he whispered through clenched teeth.

"I will Jim," McCoy responded softly as he sedated the Captain and had him and Spock moved to sickbay. As he ran along after the stretchers he debated on the best course of action. By the time they got both men to sickbay and into the operating rooms he knew what he had to do.

Jim was human and could be examined by the other doctors. Because Spock was only half human and had Vulcan physiology, McCoy was the only one with the qualifications to handle Spock in this condition. Sometimes, McCoy hated being the CMO; he had to put his duties before his feelings for Jim and it was killing him.

A doctor and a nurse set to work on Jim while he and Chapel worked on Spock. What he saw amazed and sickened him. Thin tentacle-like ribbons were laced through Spock's nervous system. He took a few out but knew that he couldn't remove them by surgery. He closed Spock up and had Chapel get him strapped to a bed.

McCoy walked over and looked down and saw the same things embedded in Jim's nervous system. "Lets find out what these things are," he said softly and helped them close Jim up and transfer him to a bed near Spock's.

After hours of running tests and finding nothing he was glad to hear a voice calling him to sickbay. He responded and made his way there silently. The first thing to greet him when he walked into his sickbay was a soft but familiar panting. Jim.

He hurried in and sat by Jim's side taking his hand. McCoy saw the pain in the blue eyes and the sweat trickling down his face. "Hey Jim," was all that he could manage without his voice getting caught in his throat.

Jim forced a smile, "Heya Bones." His voice was strained and he arched against the straps as waves of pain washed over him. "These things try to control you with pain, fucking hurts."

"I know baby," McCoy said softly and stroked his head.

"They play with your mind, tell you horrible things to get you to do what they want."

McCoy looked over at Spock who nodded to confirm what the Captain was saying but there was no pain on the half-Vulcan's face. "Don't tell me that green stuff you call blood prevents them from hurting you." McCoy needed a distraction. It hurt to stare into Jim's pain filled eyes.

"Pain is a thing of the mind Doctor, and the mind can be controlled."

"Spock had an idea Bones and I agree with it."

"That's never good," McCoy muttered turning and facing Jim now.

"Haha," Jim managed to get out before his body convulsed and he fought the restraints. "They ah…don't like me thinking about it," Jim panted looking at McCoy. "I'll be fine Bones."

McCoy didn't respond to that but looked at Spock, "What's this idea?"

Spock proceeded to tell him that he intended to go down to the planet's surface and capture one of the creatures so that it could be studied and they could find a way to rid the body of the parasite.

At first McCoy shook his head; Spock was infected he shouldn't go down there in that condition, but that was Spock's point. The only two people on board that wouldn't be affected if they were attacked were him and Jim, and since Spock could control the pain he was the logical choice.

"Let him go Bones." The pleading looking in Jim's eyes and the sound of his voice were the two things that made up his mind. This was the only chance they had to save Jim and Spock. The Enterprise couldn't function without its Captain and First Officer. And, well, McCoy couldn't function without Jim.

Spock wasn't gone long, but McCoy remained at Jim's side the entire time. He knew that Jim was hiding the pain as best he could but he wasn't Spock, he couldn't hide it like the Vulcan did. McCoy was still thankful for Jim's strength he wouldn't be able to stand the sound of Jim screaming for him to make it stop.

When the announcement was made that Spock was back Jim smiled at McCoy, "Go find me a cure Bones."

"I will Jim," he said softly and hurried to the labs to collaborate with Spock. He called sickbay at least every fifteen minutes and doubled his efforts when he heard that Jim was fading in and out of consciousness.

They talked about all of it, tried to figure out the answers. It was late into the night when they remembered that the creatures hid in the shadows, the creatures didn't like light. They ran a test, using the specimen that Spock had brought back in the first stage.

Finally, they killed it, but the amount of light they used would easily blind anyone who was exposed to it. Spock didn't care, they needed to know if this would work and he refused to wear the protective goggles knowing that no one on the planet would have them.

"The creature is gone," Spock announced before walking out of the test cubicle that they had rigged up. McCoy winced as Spock ran into a desk before feeling his way into a chair.

McCoy frowned and took Spock to sickbay and laid him on a biobed to examine him.

"Bones?"

He looked over to see a pale and sweaty Jim Kirk looking concerned from where he was strapped down.

"It worked Jim."

"Then what's wrong with Spock…what's the answer?"

McCoy kissed Jim's forehead, "Light."

Jim knew the look on McCoy's face. It was one he got when he lost a patient, it was very similar to the one Jim got when he lost a member of his crew. "What's wrong with Spock?"

"He's blind Jim. You will be too once we get this thing out of you."

At that moment Nurse Chapel walked in and handed McCoy the results from the very first test they ran on just the specimen. "Oh no."

"What?" Jim demanded through the pain that was searing through every bone in his body.

"I…I didn't need to use the whole spectrum of light to kill them."

It took Jim a little longer to process this than he normally would have. "So I won't be blind?" he asked gently. After McCoy nodded Jim looked at him again, "Spock didn't need to be blinded."

McCoy looked at Jim and shook his head, "No, he didn't." he turned and faced Spock without letting go of Jim's hand, "I'm sorry Spock."

The half-Vulcan faced their direction and nodded slightly, "It was not your fault Doctor. I went into the chamber without waiting for the results as well. I also out rank you; it would have been illogical for you to prevent me from doing this."

"Spock I was more worried about - "

"It is logical that you would be more worried about the Captain - "

"It's not because he's the Captain and you - "

"Doctor, if you finish that sentence I will have to declare you emotionally compromised."

McCoy and Jim both looked at Spock. "Thanks Spock," the latter said softly.

"I suggest that you treat the Captain now Doctor."

"Yes Spoc - " McCoy felt Jim crush his hand in his but didn't hear two bones snap as Jim let out an earsplitting scream.

A/N - So there it is. Tell what you think and as always thanks for reading.

L.A.