Insanity

Author's note: Sorry this one took so long to get up guys, adjusting from getting back from vacation and such.

So, I'll just say it now, this one is rather odd. I like it, but it is different. But it's Insanity, what do you expect? xD

This is mostly just to introduce a certain dynamic of my character Tani. But I beg you, read it to the end. It'll make more sense, I promise. :]

I forgot to mention, I'll be answering replies here so:

Kadasa-Mori: Yes, I have to admit that Sulu's 'I'm smiling because I'm not a fisherman sir' lines is probably one of my favorites of character dialoge that I've written. :D And I just wanted to say thanks for reviewing and such! I totally understand needing sleep as well, don't worry. xD

Oh, and thank you to GothicMiko for being my beta for this one. You did a fine job Watson. ;D


"Do we really have to do this?" With an idle shove with her foot, Tani spun the chair's seat so she could look at her advisor, her head hanging over the back of the chair. Her deep caramel brown hair, tinted with red, hung down freely over the back, for once not up in the messy bun she normally had it in to keep it out of the way. The grimace on her lips was clear despite the fact that it was upside down.

Arms crossed over his blue uniform-clad chest, the doctor known as both McCoy and Bones, the later courtesy of one Jim T. Kirk, was leaning against one of the small glass-topped tables in the medical bay, it resting a little over the top of his thighs. Hazel eyes that looked as if they'd been carved from stone held slight exasperation as they met Tani's forest green gaze, one of his thick dark brown eyebrows rising. His full lips twisted downward slightly before replying dryly "Unless you'd like to learn about these things by me administering them to ya to experience firsthand, then yeah. We do."

Tani scowled but knew he was just as stubborn, if not more so, than she was and that they'd butt heads for days if one of them didn't back down. And unfortunately, being the understudy meant that you were the lucky winner that got to drop-out. The corner of McCoy's mouth quirked upwards, knowing he'd won but didn't dangle it in her face because he knew what it was like. He often got into arguments with superior officers, hell he got into arguments with just about everyone, and would reach the point where rank outweighed everything. "What was the cadet suffering from earlier today?" McCoy started off the quiz.

"Andorian Shingles." Tani answered in a bored fashion, twirling the seat again so that she was facing Bones but her head was still lolling about.

"And the most tell tale symptom is-?" there was vague irritation in McCoy's tone at her lax attitude about the rundown. He knew it wasn't that she wasn't taking it seriously, she took everything that had to do with her work to heart, but it still bugged him.

"Hemorrhaging from the oculi." Tani answered without hesitation.

McCoy didn't acknowledge her success in answering other than shooting off another question, but Tani took it as praise enough from the gruff doctor "What about the gal we found on the planet surface?"

Tani held up fingers as she listed off symptoms but her head remained limp "Dsypnea, nausea, radical bodily temperature changes, abnormal green pustules all over her body, and green-stick fractures on her right radius and ulna bones from falling due to vertigo."

"Cause of death?"

Tani stiffened slightly, still a bit edgy about them not being able to save the woman though they'd done all that they could "Her windpipe swelled to such proportions that she wasn't able to breathe."

McCoy nodded once, his normally rigid hazel eyes softening ever so slightly when he noticed her reaction to losing a patient. When they lost someone she acted fine but Bones knew it really hit her hard. He knew this because he was quite the same in that respect.

She spun the chair again while Bones inquired "And what was wrong with the guy brought in an hour ago?"

Tani finally sat up straight while stopping the seat's movement to grin at him "He was cuckoo for Coca Puffs?"

McCoy pressed his lips together, eyes narrowing, and gave her his usual 'don't-be-a-smart-ass' look "If by that ya mean mentally ill, than bravo."

"Actually, I believe you called him an 'ornery insane bastard'." Tani pointed out wryly with a smug smile.

Bones ignored the jab "And the definition of insane is?"

"Being bat-shit crazy?" Tani tried, unsuccessfully, to dodge a well-aimed smack to the side of her head with a thick file.

"Doing the same thing over and over again, expecting the same results." McCoy corrected while dropping the file back down on the table he was leaning on.

"I always hated that definition." Tani remarked while rubbing her head where he'd thwacked her.

"Oh really? Now why's that?" McCoy asked, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"Because that means that everyone is crazy because we all do things over and over, expecting the same results! When most people get on, say, a ship, they expect to get to wherever they're going. They don't usually expect to crash." Tani paused to smirk at her advisor "Except you Bones, you're just special."

This remark earned her a glare but she smugly continued, ignoring it "Every time we eat we expect to nourish our hunger, every time we use the restroom we expect for the need to relieve ourselves to disappear. Whenever we talk to Spock, we expect him to be logical."

"What in the hell're you goin' on about?" McCoy asked exasperatedly.

Tani frowned at him "Just think about it, do what Spock would want. Apply logic. When people flirt, they do it expecting a response or they wouldn't bother. Most people engage in sexual intercourse expecting pleasure and the satisfaction of those needs."

"Now wait just a goddamn second here!"McCoy interrupted, flustered by all of this "You're not thinkin' about it in the right terms!"

"Really?" Tani stood, temper flaring, glowering up at her mentor "Then enlighten me Bones. What exactly about any of those examples are out of context?"

Lips pursing as his anger jolted to match hers, McCoy glared down at his understudy, looming over her slightly "Not everyone who messes around goes in thinkin' it's gonna be great."

"You're looking at the little picture, I'm saying that most people-" Tani began to interrupt.

"If me 'n you chronically slept together, I wouldn't go in every time thinkin' it'd be good." McCoy finished.

Tani's defense jerked to a halt in her throat, caught off guard by this, and she starred at him for a moment. "Wait wait wait. Did you just say that you don't think I'm good?" Her eyes narrowed and she gave him an incredulous look "Who the hell do you think you are?!"

Bones rolled his eyes and shook his head "Don't take it so personal, it was just an example."

"Don't take it personal?! You're talking about having sex with me and that you'd expect it to suck, how in the hell is that not personal?!" Tani snapped furiously "And to think I stood up for you whenever someone called you an asshole behind your back. Guess I was wrong, huh?"

Turning on her heel, she stalked away towards the exit of the medical bay. She tugged down angrily on her short blue uniform dress as she went, a habit of hers when she was either really pissed off or really nervous. The latter was definitely not her current problem. McCoy dropped his crossed arms with an aggravated sigh, muttering "Damn sensitive women…"

"Dammit Tanith, get back here!" growled the doctor, catching up with his assistant with a few swift strides and laying a firm hand on her shoulder to stop her. When she stubbornly didn't turn back to look at him, he roughly turned her around, forcing her to do so. "Look." He exhaled, irritated, trying to calm himself down "I didn't think when I said that, I just said it."

"You mean like you always do?" Tani retorted icily, jade eyes burning challengingly.

McCoy scowled but for once didn't snap a comeback or just growl something at her "I didn't mean any of it, alright? I'm sorry! Happy now?!"

Tani studied him with fiery deep green eyes. It may not have been the greatest apology, but the sincerity was there in his voice and not-quite-as-stiff hazel eyes. Tensed muscles relenting slightly, she nodded once to acknowledge his half apology. His gaze locked with hers, he searching the pools of jade for information "Was that true? What you said?"

"Some of the cadets were talking shit about you and you're 'bedside manner'." She grinned but it was slightly forced and she absently pulled down on the hem of her dress once more "I told them that without you the next time their guts were hanging out of them, there'd be nobody to put them back."

McCoy was about to reply but her nervous tugging on her uniform caught his attention. Frowning slightly, he wrapped his large, calloused hands over her smaller ones where they were currently adjusting the bottom of her dress "Would ya quit doin' that?"

He tried pulling her hands away but they both yanked away from each other at the same time and the only thing either of them succeeded in doing was creating a rip from the bottom up to her hips. "What the hell are you doing?!" she squeaked indignantly, cheeks flushing slightly with embarrassment and she tried to cover herself.

"I was just tryin' ta make ya stop pullin' on your dress." He said, vaguely defensive, then added in the hopes that it would make her less discomfited "Besides, I'm doctor. I've seen it all before."

Tani gaped at him for a moment in disbelief before hitting his arm furiously. "And that's supposed to make me feel better?! That's just-.." not even knowing how to explain how wrong it was, she just made an infuriated noise and turned to stomp off.

"What is wrong with you today, huh? You on your period or somethin'?" Bones asked, his temper rising easily once more.

"Me?! What the hell is wrong with you today? Biting my ass then making all these crude personal remarks?" Tani retorted while whipping back around.

"You know kid; you really drive me crazy sometimes." McCoy spat, an enraged fire burning deep in his eyes.

"Yeah well, it's mutual." She snarled in return, making herself as tall as possible and getting into his face as he tried to loom over her. Bones grabbed her hips to shove her away just as she pressed her hands to his chest to do the same. Oddly enough, neither of those things happened. One moment, Tani's face was inches away from her advisor's, glaring heatedly up at him and wishing she were taller so he didn't have so much advantage over her. Next thing she knew, her mouth were suddenly smashed to his, both of their lips working crazily.

A little voice in the back of her head told her something was wrong about this, but she couldn't figure out what it was through the fog of pleasure clouding her mind. The fire that had been burning in her already from her anger exploded, rushing through her body like a wildfire. But it felt… good. Her hands got a mind of their own, sliding up his chest and crossing behind his neck to tangle her fingers in his thick brown hair. His hands gripped her hips harder, pulling her up into his arms.

She was only vaguely aware of him stumbling around in search of something to at least sit on, most of her conscious mind smothered by the raging, passion-filled fire eating through her. The only thing she could focus on was getting as close to him as she possibly could. It was like he was radiating heat and it felt amazing. Her emotions, thoughts, everything was on overload. Her head was spinning and she was disoriented when suddenly she was no longer in his hot, strong embrace. Rather she was laying flat on something… one of the beds.

Tani involuntarily made a noise of discomfort, feeling cold from lacking his heat and her lips longing for his to caress hers once more. Bright white light blinded her until it was blacked out when McCoy moved closer and eclipsed it. Rough, hot hands ran up her inner thighs, up past her ripped dress. He climbed onto the bed, holding himself so he wasn't completely laying on her, but his front pressed to hers. She closed her eyes in delight as his lips ran up her neck to her ear.

"How could ye?" whispered a voice that most definitely was not McCoy's.

Tani jolted into a sitting position with a gasp, eyelids snapping open. Disoriented, she glanced around while panting harshly. She was in her bed, tangled in her covers, her skin slick with cold sweat. Her heart was slamming against her chest like it wanted to try and free itself from all of the confusion swirling around it. Jade eyes wide, she ran her fingers through her hair to get it out of her face, the strands wet from her sweat.

'What in the hell was that?!' her mind screamed at both her subconscious and her heart. Her and Bones together like that? That wasn't right, it was-… was it wrong? Heat wound it's way through her and coiled in her stomach and her cheeks burned upon remembering how good kissing McCoy had felt. And how much more she'd wanted. "No!" she said aloud, shaking her head wildly to clear it. That didn't make sense, it couldn't make sense! McCoy was her mentor, yes, and she did care about him. But not like that! …Right?

'How could ye?' Scotty's words at the end of the dream bounced around her head and sent a shiver of guilt down her spine. She couldn't love McCoy; she couldn't do that to Scotty. Couldn't hurt him… but just because she didn't want to hurt him didn't mean that there wasn't something there for Bones… "Stop it!" she snapped at herself "There's nothing there. It was just… an insane dream."

Tani hid her face in her hands, feeling like a terrible person. No matter what, she wouldn't hurt Scotty. And she loved him. She refused to believe any different. And even if the dream happened over and over again, she would still expect her heart to stick by the Scotsman. Even if it did mean she was insane.