A/N: Blargh. Every year, I overeat on Independence Day, and every year, I promise I'll never do something that stupid to myself again.

The ta'al is the Vulcan hand sign.

Bolarus IX is the Bolian homeworld, and is where the Bank of Bolias (huge bank used by the majority of Federation peoples) is located.

.bdobd.

Spock did not retreat to his quarters to evaluate his response to the Captain's accusations. He did, however, absent himself from the Bridge. He found it difficult to concentrate there; he had been tempted, several times, to falsify a need for the Captain and him to leave the Bridge, so that he could explain to the Captain what he had been doing with the Admirals.

Such was not productive. He resisted the impulse.

He worked with Security and Communications instead, assisting in the logistics of returning to Earth before the engines were rendered incapable of operation, while also convincing as many dignitaries as possible to leave the ship.

Said dignitaries were told that it was to decrease the load the ship was carrying. Such was not totally accurate. The ship was so large that the weight of four hundred humanoids was proportionally negligible: the dilithium stores were thrice the mass. In actuality, the politicians were to exit the premises in the interest of preserving the delicate veil of sanity that the crew had been able to cultivate while the cameras were on board.

Ambassador Topos was the first to be beamed off of the ship: the Orion government had in fact requested his presence. Regrettably, the Captain had not been able to find the time in his schedule to meet with the Ambassador.

For the entirety of the three days after the Prime Incident (as Spock had taken to referring it), the Captain had either been busy arranging for the maintenance personnel of Earth to be ready as soon as the Enterprise touched down, or had been deep in the belly of the Enterprise, working with Engineer Scott to keep her engines going for as long as possible.

The Captain's knowledge of his ship was very commendable; the majority of the Councilpeople seemed pleasantly surprised by the Captain's dedication to the mission. Spock's father had 'pulled him aside' (human phrase) in the mess hall just the previous day to give his Captain praise at the man's success in convincing the Bolian delegation of Starfleet's dedication to all species.

Spock had found it difficult to contain his surprise at the news that the Bolian delegation had been dissatisfied. He had actually visited the Captain's quarters that night to ask the Captain about the issue.

Prime had already informed the Captain of the Bolian's opinion towards Starfleet.

The Captain had not seen fit to tell him.

It took an additional hour of meditation, added to his already three hour long ritual, to calm himself fully after the Captain's explanation.

Today, as a result, he found himself to be in optimal condition. Spock was in the process of considering the addition of another half hour to his regular meditation time when T'Panya began to walk with him.

Spock found his earlier contentment faltering. T'Panya's actions had been difficult to predict from her arrival aboard the Enterprise. The day after she boarded, she had sought him out for his opinions on various topics.

T'Panya apparently considered the Enterprise as a sort of reward for the expenditure of effort. She had been displeased by Ms. Nowmi's insistence on coming onto the ship not because of the stress it would inflict upon the crew, but because Nowmi had not 'earned' it.

Spock had found the view unusual, and had attempted to convince T'Panya to illuminate on her opinion. She, finding his opinion to be different than his, had changed the subject to that of his Captain.

Spock had told her the truth: that his Captain was the best of Starfleet, that it was an honor to serve under him, and that the Captain had great respect for all cultures.

She had not been satisfied with these answers, either, and had left to 'contemplate' his responses.

Ms. Nowmi's show had aired approximately three hours later, which was when the news of the typing error that had led to the communications breakdown was revealed.

The two had not spoken since.

"I am in need of advice," T'Panya began. Spock took stock of their surroundings: the hall they were currently perusing was empty and quiet, with few security cameras. He stopped walking, and she mirrored his actions.

"On what topic is your inquiry addressed to?"

"Captain James."

Spock felt his eyes widen slightly. He aborted the movement. "Captain James Tiberius Kirk, you mean?"

T'Panya… 'shook herself', that was the Terran phrase. "Affirmative, Captain Kirk. I had a discussion with the Captain two days ago, and am in need of some translation of Terran subliminal messages."

Spock assumed parade rest. "What was the topic of your discussion?"

T'Panya also straightened her shoulders and back. "I told him that I was attracted to him in a physical and mental manner."

Spock's eyes widened again, and he allowed them to do as they pleased. "You what?"

The woman seemed taken aback. "I told him that I was attracted to him. I am uncertain to the full meaning of his response. I assumed that as you work the closest with him, you would know what he meant."

Spock was finding it difficult to keep his tone within its normal range. "I… have never had a conversation relating to that particular topic, no."

"I assumed as such, as you are in a relationship with the Lieutenant Uhura. But you still know much of his preferred manner of speaking, yes?"

Spock decided to not inquire as to where T'Panya got the idea that he and Lieutenant Uhura were still in a romantic engagement: they had separated months ago. "Is not your job in Communications? Perhaps such decoding would be good practice for your work."

"I have spent the past two days examining the Captain's remarks; I wish to test my hypothesis against yours." T'Panya seemed insulted by the implication that she was not, perhaps, very good at her job.

Spock did not want to help T'Panya decipher Kirk's response. He did not wish to hear what Jim sounded like when he was accepting the favors of another.

Spock stiffened and reevaluated his previous thoughts. The favors of another? As opposed to, maybe, his own?

He began plotting his escape from T'Panya; four hours of meditation was clearly not enough.

"I am extremely busy right now; if you might come to my quarters –,"

"'Look, T'Panya,'" T'Panya began, mimicking the Captain's tone almost perfectly, "'I just don't think that it'd be a good idea to start something like that right now. You're a great person, and you deserve a great partner. I just don't think that I'm that guy. I'd be up here, and you wouldn't, and long-distance relationships really don't work with humans. Trust me.'"

Spock blinked at her quietly. That… was not an acceptance speech. In the slightest.

"He then managed to herd me out of the door, bowed, and I was called to Miss Nowmi's quarters for consultation for the show." T'Panya seemed contemplative. "I realize that the Captain did not accept my offer, but I am uncertain of what he said specifically. For example, he stated that I 'deserve a great partner', but then said that he was not such a person. I do not believe that –,"

"The Captain has almost no concept of how he is seen by other people." Spock's voice was oddly strangled. "He is humble. He pretends to be arrogant, but he is not."

She blinked. "That is illogical."

Spock nodded, still stunned. "Indeed."

The two of them stood there for one point four three minutes, quiet, contemplative. T'Panya bowed. "I am most appreciative of your assistance. Thank you, Commander."

Spock bowed in response, feeling oddly disassociated from the world. "No thanks are necessary. Live long and prosper."

"Peace and long life." They both straightened, flashed the ta'al, and moved their separate ways.

Spock would have much appreciated, and been very thankful for, the opportunity to retire to his quarters to reflect on the meaning of the Captain's rejection of T'Panya, a healthy Vulcan female, and the implications of his own strangely possessive thoughts during the conversation.

But there was much to be done. The Bank of Bolias wanted their ambassadors to return to Bolarus IX for consultation on a regulation that was to be introduced to the Bolian Assembly in a week. Beaming coordinates had to be plotted, but Ensign Chekov was busy calculating the warp factor needed to bypass Bolarus XII without overtaxing the engines, and Engineer Scott and his workers were deep within the ship, reworking the internal configurations of the warp core.

Spock went to his quarters and began imputing data into his computer. His work was not progressing well. He was distracted, apparently.

Perhaps, speaking with the Captain might be prudent? If Spock truly wished to know the Captain's thoughts, than speaking with the male in question would be a logical step.

… The Captain was not in his quarters.

Spock stood on the threshold of the Captain's room, contemplating his next move. Should he enter fully? Would such an action be invasive? Most probably the man was somewhere within the lower sections of the ship, and would not take well to being commed on a whim.

He did not know what to do, now.

Ah, yes. The Bolarus IX coordinates.

Surely, performing such complex calculations while in such a mental state would render mathematical confidence difficult. Spock sat upon the Captain's bed instead.

What was the significance of the phrase 'long-distance relationship'? Was it only a term designed to render T'Panya's rejection less emotionally damaging?

If it was not, what effect would the statement have on the Captain's relation to his crew? The only people that he would not be separated from for long periods of time would be those on active duty on the Enterprise.

Spock rearranged himself so that he was lying with his head below the Captain's pillow. It would be rude for him to claim the item as his own.

Under the assumption that the Captain was simply attempting to convince T'Panya to exit his quarters – these quarters – than the statement was not to be taken as a statement of the Captain's opinion.

Under the assumption that T'Panya had accidentally uncovered a valid fact about the Captain, this meant that the only people the Captain saw compatible were those aboard the Enterprise.

There was, however, (Spock kicked off his boots and rested them on the footboard) the regulation disallowing sexual or romantic liaisons between people serving within the direct chain of command. While the Captain did not usually regard regulations with a large measure of respect, he did hold mutual consent to be one of the most important factors within any relationship (as evidenced by missions to Delta IV, Anora, and That'kan).

The only people the Captain had true, direct, unfiltered control over were the heads of departments. The department heads then passed his orders along their department staff.

But the Captain – Spock put his feet on the comforter, forcing him to bend his knees slightly – clearly felt that all aboard the Enterprise were his responsibility, and, therefore, all aboard the Enterprise were under his direct command. Spock had never seen Captain Kirk rebuke department heads for the failures of their staff: he always took the failing to be related only to himself and the person who committed the act.

And, Spock, usually.

The hybrid straightened his legs, pushing his head up next to Kirk's pillow. He briefly considered the fact that he was most likely scenting the blanket, but put it aside, for now.

Herewas a fascinating fact. The only person that Kirk trusted with issues pertaining to personnel disobedience was Spock. This could be explained as a display Kirk's unusual amount of trust in his first officer.

It could also be explained as an example of Jim's different views on Spock as a crewman, as opposed to Spock as a person.

It made sense. Doctor McCoy was the only other officer that Jim voluntarily spent his free time with, and Jim had known McCoy longer than he had known any other person on the ship. Additionally, the longer that Jim knew his Alpha shift crew, the more time he spent with those people.

So, logically, Jim spending large amounts of time with a crewman meant that he was beginning to view them as friends or confidants.

Jim spent an average of two hours with Spock in their recreational period. Jim was with McCoy off-duty in a daily average of forty-five minutes.

Jim either felt that Spock was a more trusted friend than McCoy – which Spock knew was extremely unlikely, the Doctor had known Jim for three more years than Spock, and such factors seemed to carry much weight in Terran social relations.

So either Spock was in the late developmental stages of a normal Terran friendship – a relatively weak bond… or he was in the early developmental stages of a stronger relationship.

Humans did not have shield-mates, not really. Jim's bond with McCoy was about as close as humans came to such a distinction. And Spock was not the same as McCoy.

The only other kinds of relationships were sexual or romantic.

Spock pondered this for a moment before moving on. The captain of the flagship of Starfleet was interested in the hybrid son of the Vulcan ambassador (and senior Councilman, now) in either a sexual or romantic manner.

That did not sound entirely implausible. Spock was of a reasonably high social class to be considered an appropriate choice for the head of the Captaincy. Jim, most likely, did not factor in such distinctions when choosing a partner, but others would certainly consider it.

His hybrid status was the more serious issue. Jim had definitively proven numerous times that he cared not at all for Spock's split parentage. Indeed, most humans did not: if they were at all concerned with his genetics, it seemed to be more distressing that he had any Vulcan in him at all.

However, Vulcans were increasingly seen as a more important and vital part of the Federation as time went on. The Federation had been able to ignore the origins of its most important scientific and mathematical developments when the Vulcan population was not the subject of documentaries and articles detailing war and destruction.

No, such would not be an insurmountable obstacle. And if anyone dared challenge a bond, they would not be seen as speaking for a large majority.

Spock moved his head onto the pillow. He had already clearly marked the comforter (though he had lain down with no intentions to do so, truly), it was not such a large gesture to scent the cushion as well.

Did he want to be Jim's companion? Truly? Such would be a large undertaking, and would certainly affect all areas of his life.

Was it possible that considering such a query would not be aided by lying in Jim's bed? Perhaps, such would be better moved to his own room?

Spock was preparing to do just that when the Captain wearily shuffled in.

Spock froze.

The Captain's eyes blew wide as he took in Spock's (now seated) position upon the bed.

Nothing was said for forty-seven point two four seconds.

Spock started first. "Captain, I apologize for the intrusion, I –,"

The blonde waved a hand, silencing him. "Jim, Jim, for god's sakes, Jim."

Such… seemed unwise, after Spock's insubordinate musings. No matter what the Captain's views on him personally, Spock was not going to do anything while the Councilpeople were on board. The Captain needed all of his crew to be on task and focused on his orders.

"… I… do not believe that to be wise."

The Captain rotated his head so that he was looking, clearly irritated, at Spock from underneath dark brows. "Really."

Spock quailed. "… I do not mean to be disobedient sir, but –,"

"Spock."

"Yes, Captain."

"You're not going to call me Jim, are you."

"… That is very improbable, Captain."

"Are you going to go meditate?"

"That seems the most wise decision, Captain."

Jim – no, the Captain, he had been doing so well – stood aside and gestured to the door. "Well. There it is."

"… Sir?"

"The door, Spock. You're not here to talk to me, clearly, and I can't deal with one more question about those damn politicians, and you need to meditate, so there it is. Have fun."

Spock resisted the urge to flinch and rose quickly. "I apologize for any –,"

"NO." The Captain sighed and ran a hand over his face. Spock was momentarily distracted by the way is smeared the grease there, and then realized that the Captain was covered in oil: there was not four square inches that were clean, excepting the Captain's eyes.

"Spock, I need one of two things." Spock listened intently for orders. "I either need no one near me, no one talking to me, and most of all no one giving me directions, for the next ten hours. OR: I need a friend who can listen to me bitch without any other motivation than to just be there. Okay?"

Spock nodded, and carefully evaluated the options. While scenario two was definitely the more psychologically beneficial to the Captain, it also called for the absence of ulterior motives, and, without very focused deliberation, Spock was not quite sure if he had any.

But scenario one called for Jim to be all alone for ten hours after an exceedingly stressful period…

"Captain. I am currently unable to fulfill your requirements for scenario two." The Captain closed his eyes in apparent exhaustion. "May I please call Doctor McCoy? I believe that he will be much better suited to this task."

The Captain's eyes widened in surprise. Then he smiled tiredly. "Yeah, actually? That sounds perfect. Would you mind calling Bones for me?"

Spock bowed, relieved that he would be able to do something. "I shall do so momentarily, sir." The blonde nodded his thanks and began to work on the fastenings of his uniform shirt.

Spock found his communicator in his quarters, and contacted a very irritable McCoy. "What the hell do you want? You better not be sick, I'm fucking swamped."

"The Captain has had a trying day, and needs assistance that I do not feel qualified to give him. Can you please come to his quarters?"

McCoy seemed taken aback by something in Spock's tone. "… Is it medical, or does he need to vent?"

Spock had to quickly cross-reference the term 'vent' with other Terran slang. "He is in need of a companion who will not question him or speak with him who has any ulterior motives."

"So, why not you? You're no traitor. I don't think you're working for anybody other than Jim." McCoy seemed genuinely confused, and it made Spock irrationally pleased.

"I am not working for anyone else." He paused to consider his next statement carefully. "I… do not know if my relationship to the Captain may be, at this point in time, honestly described as a 'friendship'. I do not wish to impose myself upon him until I have clarified what it actually is."

"…" McCoy seemed stunned to silence. "… I…"

"Fascinating."

"Oh, you did NOT just say that!" McCoy howled.

"May I assume that you shall be meeting with the Captain?"

"Yeah." The Doctor could be heard packing papers into a variety of compartments. "But don't think I'm gonna drop this."

Spock had no idea what the man was talking about. "… Very well."

"And as long as we understand each other? You hurt him, I kill you. Capiche?"

… He did not know what that final word meant, either. But he felt that he had irritated enough senior Enterprise crew in the past twenty minutes, so simply said, "Indeed, I do," and cut the connection.

.bdodb.