A/N: So, vacation really cuts into the ability to type and post. Nothing I can do about that. And it was good, so I can't even bring myself to feel bad about the delay. However, to make it up to you all, I'm actually already at work on the next chapter, so it shouldn't take so long between updates. As always, reviews make me very happy, and if you sign it, I'll try to make sure I reply (as long as the site lets me).

When Christine heard Spock arguing with the woman who'd come into Sickbay, she couldn't believe her ears. She'd thought something was off with Leonard ever since shore leave on Tesla III. He'd been acting even more unfriendly and taciturn than usual. But no matter how many times she tried to get him to talk about it, he wouldn't.

At first, she thought he'd had some illness, which made sense when he spent so many days off duty, right after coming back from the planet. But he'd never come into Sickbay for any type of treatment. Then, after he'd come back on duty, both he and Geoff spent the day on the space station, when no one else was allowed to go. And it had something to do with the prisoner they brought up from Tesla III. So, something had to have happened while he was on the planet.

She'd asked around, but none of her friends had heard anything. Whatever had happened was being kept very quiet, which annoyed Christine to no end. She was sure she could use it as leverage over the doctor when he became too much for her nurses to handle. That would be very useful. She'd even asked Uhura, once he started spending so much time with Spock, but Uhura just told her that whatever it was, it was none of her business, and if the doctor wanted her to know he'd tell her. She always was kind of self righteous. Given how much time her boyfriend was spending with the doctor, she should want to vent to someone, but no. No matter what Christine tried, Uhura remained close mouthed. She had to know what was going on.

Christine even tried Gaila, Uhura's much more talkative friend. Gaila was surprisingly non-responsive, which meant it was something massive. Now she had to find out what it was. The problem was how to do it.

She never expected the answers to come from the doctor himself. When the red-haired woman Christine had never seen before showed up in sickbay asking for Dr. McCoy, she thought she might have the answer, especially once she saw how familiar they were with each other. After they went into the doctor's office and shut the door, she just knew that something was going on with them, and she stayed nearby in the hopes of hearing something good. It was past time the doctor got laid, and really, what else could they be doing in there?

Things started to get really good when Spock entered Sickbay looking for the doctor, and Christine was able to see him and the woman he'd called Scarlet sitting on the couch together. The look on Spock's face was murderous when he ordered them to split up-and he actually growled, for the love of all that was holy-and Christine had to wonder if some of the rumors she'd heard about the commander and the doctor seeing each other were true. If so, things were about to get VERY interesting.

She knew it was wrong to eavesdrop on their discussion/argument. The doctor didn't know that the privacy barrier was malfunctioning. She'd meant to tell him that when she came on shift, in case he needed to hold any confidential meetings and that she'd already submitted the work order to Maintenance. They just hadn't been up to fix it yet. The result was that she was able to hear every word they said, from their own mouths, and she still couldn't believe it. Spock and McCoy, married? Someone must really have it in for her, if the man she'd wanted for well over a year was now married to the doctor who drove her up the wall. It shouldn't be possible.

But if McCoy was married to Spock, what was he doing with the woman? Spock certainly seemed to see her as some sort of threat. If McCoy was married, he definitely shouldn't be alone in his office with someone else. If this was his typical behavior, it was no wonder his wife divorced him.

She called security the moment things got violent. Spock surprised her by attacking the woman-Scarlet, her name was Scarlet-practically unprovoked. Sure, they'd had words, but Christine had heard far worse insults flying at the commander by nearly everyone he managed to piss off, which comprised about two-thirds of the crew. Hell, she'd even heard Chekov call him a fucking unfeeling idiot bastard when he inadvertently insulted Russia. Pavel pinch-my-cheeks-I'm-so-adorable Chekov had insulted Spock far worse than Scarlet (oh Lord was her last name really) O'Hara, who (as far as Christine heard) hadn't called him anything more insulting than 'Vulcan'. What could possibly have set the Commander off?

Christine had to admit she was impressed when Scarlet O'Hara actually fought back. Over McCoy's yelling for them to stop, she could clearly hear the sounds of fighting between two people; it was not completely one-sided. When this was over, she just might have to get the other woman to show her a few tricks. She had the feeling they could come in handy with some of the more belligerent patients that came through.

That thought was put on hold when the office door slid open and McCoy was yelling to prep the O.R. and to get a stretcher. Christine glanced into the office and saw the Commander standing alone, and Scarlet holding onto her ribcage, McCoy beside her. Giotto had just made it into Sickbay, and she heard him muttering to himself as he stepped into the office and approached Spock warily. She watched, wide eyed, as Spock was walked out of the office in shackles, staring at McCoy, who'd apparently decided not to wait for the stretcher. As a result, she saw the hatred warring with shame in his eyes as he watched the pair. After that, all thoughts were put on hold as she scrubbed in to assist the doctor in surgery. But what a story she would have to share when she finished.

Jim was happily roaming the Engineering corridor with Chris, showing off the newest modifications, when he heard Giotto's voice through his comm. unit. He was startled at the frantic note he heard in the security chief's voice.

"Yes, Ensign, what is it?"

"Captain, Commander Spock attacked a civilian in Sickbay He's been taken to the brig."

"What?"

Chris Pike grabbed the unit from Jim. There was only one civilian on the ship at the moment. And she'd left them to go to Sickbay.

"How bad was the attack?"

"I heard Dr. McCoy say something about a punctured lung, Sir."

"Alright, Giotto, stay with Commander Spock. Once we've seen to the civilian, we'll be down."

Damn it. They left Engineering for Sickbay. Jim was starting to think that the two really needed to be closer. Most of the normal emergencies Bones saw were engineering accidents. It could be useful to have the two departments nearer. He would have to look into that, later.

"You didn't tell me that Spock has become violent, Jim," Chris reprimanded him once they were alone in the turbo lift. That was disturbing, as Spock had seemed fine, if a little stressed, when he'd commed him and asked him to come out.

"He hasn't been violent. I don't know what happened."

Disturbing as the thought of a violent Spock might be, the thought that he was suddenly attacking people, without previous violent behavior, was even more so. Chris was really starting to wonder what the hell was going on with this ship, a thought Jim was echoing in his own mind. They had to get to the bottom of this, fast.

Sickbay was a flurry of activity when they arrived, but it seemed that most of the activity was centered around the small operating room. At least there weren't any other emergencies to worry about. Thank God for small favors. Jim was surprised to see that Dr. M'Benga was sitting at a table, doing nothing at the moment.

"M'Benga, what's going on? I got a call—"

"McCoy is operating, Captain. He wouldn't let me in the OR. I have no new information for you."

Jim nodded, then crossed to the intercom on the wall that would allow him to talk to Bones.

"Bones, what happened?"

"I'm a little busy at the moment, Kirk."

"Dr. McCoy, this is Chris Pike. What—"

"I'm a little busy for you too, Admiral. Let me do my damn job."

Chris tried a few more times to get an answer, but he was completely ignored. They both resigned themselves to waiting, and Jim lead Chris through the Sickbay to Bones' office, until Bones was ready to talk to them.

"He called you Kirk?"

Jim bit back a sigh. He should've known Chris would pick up on that.

"Yeah. He's-um-he's-we're—it's bad, Chris."

Jim spent the time waiting by filling Chris in on all that had happened since the court martial. Even to his own ears, it sounded bad. They'd made Bones a prisoner on the ship, practically kidnapped him.

"I don't know what to do anymore, Chris, and that's the truth. He won't let me apologize, or even try to make things right. Hi might still be here on the ship, but I've lost him anyway."

Chris hated to see that forlorn expression on Jim's face. He'd be lying if he didn't admit that Jim had been his favorite student of his class, possibly his favorite of all the students he'd mentored at the Academy. He reminded Chris so much of George. It hurt to see the kid in so much pain.

"How is he doing otherwise?"

Chris was fairly certain he knew the answer. In addition to Spock's call, he'd received the transfer request that he doubted anyone knew about. He and Philip Boyce had been surprised the request had taken so long to come in, but it made sense after he heard Kirk's story.

"He bites heads off faster than usual, and he doesn't really talk to anyone. He doesn't come up to the bridge anymore."

Chris found that worrisome. He knew, even before they'd made the decision to honor the Vulcan bond that Leonard McCoy would put up a fight. A man as strong willed as the doctor would not just roll over and play obedient. That didn't mean he didn't whole heartedly believe they'd made the correct decision; there weren't many options, and to tell Spock he had to ignore his very instincts wouldn't have been at all fair. Christ truly believed that acknowledging the bond was the best decision for both men.

The problem, though, was that Chris, along with the others, had counted on all of the friends Leonard had on the ship to keep him grounded. Sure, he knew things would be incredibly tense between McCoy and Spock until they both settled down, but Leonard's fellow crew members were meant to be his support, so that he COULD settle into this new situation. Instead of holding onto his friends, as Starfleet intended, Leonard was cutting them all out. He was pulling away from everyone, not just Spock. And Chris didn't have any better idea than Jim how to fix that.

After several more minutes of the two men waiting in silence, the door to the office slid open and Leonard stepped in. Chris noted sadly that he didn't even look at the captain before heading to his medicine cabinet and pulling out a bottle and a glass.

"How's O'Hara?"

Leonard filled the glass and closed the bottle, then took a sip before addressing Pike.

"She'll be sore as hell for awhile, but her ribs should finish healing with no problem, and I've repaired her lung."

"What happened?"

"Your precious first officer attacked her, that's what happened. She didn't even do anything but argue that I'm not his property, and that she could see me if I wanted her to, and he attacked."

"That can't be right," Chris muttered to himself. Unfortunately, Leonard heard him.

"I was sitting right there the whole damn time! Don't tell me it can't be right when I saw it with my own eyes!"

"All I'm saying is that's not typical behavior for the commander. Would the Spock you know attack someone unprovoked?"

"I haven't seen the Spock I know since before shore leave."

"Are we sure that he's alright? I mean, do we know the potential after effects of what he went through? M'Benga said that his adrenalin levels should have killed him. Maybe that drug had a more permanent affect than we thought?" Jim asked, tentatively.

"No," Leonard sighed, wishing it was that simple. That could be medicated, manage. "He checked out completely normal at his physical."

"That what is it? Why would he attack anyone?"

"I don't know, Admiral. I'm telling you that he hasn't been normal since shore leave, but medically he's fine. I'm inclined to think it's mental."

"Or instinctive."

"Meaning what, exactly?"

"I think it's time I had a chat with Commander Spock. Doctor, I'll want to speak with you later, and O'Hara. Let me know when she wakes up. In the meantime, you look like hell. Why don't you hit the mess? You're off duty, get out of Sickbay for awhile."

Pike stood, Jim right behind him, and left the office. Leonard finished off his drink before heading out to follow the admirals advice.

He found all the stares from crew members as he made his way to the mess very disturbing, to say the least. Nearly everyone he passed stared at him as if he'd grown a second head, which was bad enough, but then the whispering started. If there was more than one of them, they stared, then started talking amongst themselves. What the hell was going on? And he couldn't even hear what they were saying, so he had no idea what was so friggin' special.

It continued in the officer's mess. Leonard grabbed a tray and got in line, only to discover the women ahead of him constantly looking back at him with a speculative eye, then looking back to each other and giggling. Had everyone lost their minds?

His trip to the replicator was mercifully brief, and even more surprising was the fact that it was working correctly. His food came out exactly as he ordered it. That was a first. Food in hand, he did his best to ignore the stares, too tired to deal with whatever it was, and searched for a place to sit. He was surprised to see Sulu at a table. He would have assumed that Sulu would be in and out already. Leonard quickly maneuvered his way across the mess until he reached the table, and unceremoniously put his tray down.

"Good evening Doctor. You're getting in late."

"I had an emergency surgery."

Sulu nodded his acceptance of the explanation and returned his focus to his food. Leonard liked that about Sulu; he didn't speak unnecessarily, just to fill up silence. And he didn't spread rumors. Sulu was honestly one of the few people on the ship who thought personal business was personal business.

Leonard tried to enjoy his own food, and for a few minutes, managed to ignore those around him, until the staring and the talking got to be too much. He was starting to feel like an exotic animal on display at the zoo. He finally snapped at one young lieutenant he vaguely recognized as a member of the evening shift bridge crew, who'd done nothing but stop to greet him.

"If you have something to say, say it! Otherwise eat your food and mind your own damn business!"

The young man turned red in the face and quickly walked away to join friends. Leonard almost felt bad for yelling at the kid, but damn it, he'd had a shitty day, and that was before all the gaping from the crew.

"Alright doctor, I think it's time for you to switch to decaf."

"Do you know what's going on, Sulu? Has everyone gone insane?"

"It's just the newest rumors, doc. They'll go away in a week, as soon as something else comes along."

"What rumors?"

When Sulu wouldn't look him in the eye, he knew it was bad. When the helmsman tried three times to change the subject, Leonard couldn't help the sinking feeling that settled in his gut. It was unlike Sulu to avoid a subject.

"Sulu, what is the rumor?"

Sulu sighed. There was really no way to avoid telling the doctor, though he really didn't want to. He had a strong feeling that at least part of the rumors was true. And he really didn't want to be the one to tell the CMO that most of the ship now knew.

"YouremarriedtoSpockandhe''rehavinganaffairwith," he said in a rush then quickly shoved a forkful of food into his mouth. Leonard stared at him incredulously.

"Say that again?"

Sulu couldn't ignore the stare, or the command, and swallowed.

"The rumor is that you and Spock got married on Tesla III, and that he's in the brig because he caught you having sex with some woman in your office and tried to kill her. Are you alright, Doc?"

Sulu saw the doctor pale, going white as a sheet. He looked like he might pass out at any moment. Sulu mentally cursed Christine Chapel and the rest of her gossiping friends. Why couldn't they leave people alone?

"Doctor?"

Leonard pushed his tray away, suddenly nauseous. How did they know? He hadn't said anything, to anyone. Fearing he might lose what little he'd eaten, he bolted from the mess, and made it as far as the nearest bathroom before throwing up in a stall. He retched until there was nothing left to bring up, then flushed the toilet and leaned back against the stall.

They knew. The crew knew. Somehow, someone found out and spread it across the ship. It had to be Chapel. It was the only explanation. But how did she find out? He'd activated the privacy barriers. He had to leave the Enterprise now. Pike had better approve that transfer request.

"Doctor McCoy?"

He couldn't bring himself to answer Sulu's concerned call. He heard careful footsteps come to a stop outside the stall, and the door slowly swung open.

"Doctor? Are you alright?"

"Not really, Sulu. No."

The younger man stepped inside the stall and sat on the floor across from him, legs sticking out under another stall. Anyone walking in would surely see a strange sight, two pairs of legs sticking out in opposite directions from the same stall.

"How many people know?"

"Specifics? Just you, Spock, and the woman in your office. But I'd say at least two thirds of the ship knows the rumors by now."

"Oh God."

Spock stared at the walls of the brig. He had not anticipated spending more time here, and certainly not so soon, but he could not disagree with his arrest. He had attacked a civilian woman; punctured her lung, requiring emergency surgery to save her life. He felt such shame: he should have more control than this.

Even after having time to meditate (if only briefly) he could not determine why he had acted so violently. Scarlet O'Hara was a troublesome human, true, but her comments were tame when compared to other remarks he'd heard from crew. Of course, Leonard did not have a prior romantic relationship with any other crew member. That was not the case with O'Hara.

Perhaps that was where the trigger lay. Scarlet O'Hara was an aesthetically pleasing woman, and Spock was by no means secure in Leonard's loyalty or affections to him. His mate, by his own adamant admission, wanted no part of an intimate relationship with another man, and that was not something Spock could change simply by willing it. Even the relationship between the two had terminated years before, Leonard might wish to resume it. O'Hara seemed to show little inclination fof her husband, leaving him behind for several days to visit a former romantic partner hardly showed devotion. Leonard might not wish to be a "home wrecker", but O'Hara might not care. Spock really knew nothing about her, apart from the fact that she was the counselor on Deep Space Six, and a former girlfriend of Leonard's.

Spock also had to admit to himself that he was jealous of the relationship Scarlet and Leonard appeared to sill have. The pair had looked quite comfortable, seated together on the doctor's couch, practically leaning on each other as they shared a PADD. Leonard didn't let him so close. He could not help feeling that she was filling a place that should be his.

Perhaps what angered him most was the way Leonard looked at him. He was certain that he would never forget the horrified espression on Leonard's face the moment he realized Spock had come close to killing O'Hara. If she'd been any less skilled at the arts, he would have. Spock was certain that any progress they'd made was now lost. Leonard would not be willing to be alone with him again, even in public. Of that much, he was certain.

There was something else wrong, but Spock could not identify what it was. It was something he should know, instinctively. Something important. Something he had been concerned about, even more than Scarlet O'Hara's intentions towards his mate. Something to do with Leonard. Spock just knew, no matter how illogical that might sound, that whatever he was missing was something big, that would affect his and Leonard's future, and that he needed to figure it out soon.

That train of thought was interrupted with the entrance of Admiral Pike into the brig. Spock immediately stood to attention as the older man approached him.

"At ease, Commnader."

Spock relaxed his stance as Pike dismissed the security officer assigned to guard the prisoner. The human waited until they were alone to speak.

"Now, why don't you tell me why you nearly killed Dr. O'Hara?"

"Unfortunately Admiral, I do not have a satisfactory explanation for my actions. I will accept whatever punishment you see fit."

"That's not good enough, Spock. There must be some reason. According to Dr. McCoy, you struck first. Why? Did she say, or do, something?"

It didn't make sense that Spock would attack the counselor unless she somehow threatened him. Chris was determined to find out how. He knew that Scarlet O'Hara could be abrasive, and often unintentionally insulting. Personally, he found it inappropriate that she served as a counselor on a Starfleet space station when she made no secret of her utter disdain for the organization. And he knew that she was hated by both Archer and Barnett, so the even bigger question was why she was allowed so much latitude. But those were questions for later. His concern at the moment was whatever she'd done to Spock. He wouldn't put it past her to try to intentionally sabotage his relationship with McCoy, as vocally as she'd protested it.

"She did nothing to warrant my reaction, Admiral."

"Of course she did, Spock. I know you wouldn't attack anyone unprovoked."

Spock did not answer as he was overwhelmed by a sudden wave of emotional distress. The force of it sent him staggering back until he was again seated on the bed.

"Spock?"

"I am well, Admiral." The emotion was not his.

"You don't look well, Commander. Do you need to see Dr. M'Benga?"

"No, thank you. I am well. This will pass."

He quickly blocked the bond so that he could move beyond Leonard's emotions. As soon as Pike was satisfied and he was alone, he could attempt to sort through what his mate was projecting so strongly. What could cause Leonard such despair?

"If you say so. Now tell me, honestly, what happened in there? I know there has to be something more than you just snapping."

"I do no know what you wish me to say, Admiral."

"Damn it, Spock! You're talking about your career, if she decides to press charges! You have to tell me-"

"Kirk to Admiral Pike," he was interrupted by the comm. unit at his hip.

"Go ahead, Kirk."

"I've just been notified that Dr. O'Hara's waking up."

"Good. Have McCoy meet me there."

If Spock had to name the feeling that flooded his body when the admiral left him to speak with Scarlet O'Hara, he would call it relief.

McCoy hadn't arrived by the time Chris made it to Sickbay, but that was fine with him. He wanted a private word with the patient. If he was able to accomplish that before he spoke with the doctor, so much the better. At least he could have that out of the way. He entered the private room she'd been moved to and found her sitting up on the biobed, gingerly twisting and stretching, testing her body.

"How do you feel?"

"Pretty good at the moment. Len gave me a hypo of the good stuff. Watch out for the orange zebra behind you."

"So you're high?" if she was, this was not going to go well at all. He needed her coherent. Scarlet pursed her lips and tilted her head to the side, as if she actually had to think about it.

"I don't know if I'd go THAT far, but I'm pretty darn loopy, Sweet Cheeks."

Chris felt both eyebrows go up at that nickname.

"Then maybe you can tell me WHY you provoked a Vulcan into attacking you?"

"Do you really think I would intentionally provoke a Vulcan into trying to kill me? Darn, you scared away the zebra."

Chris chose to ignore that last statement, and focus on the actual point of this discussion.

"Yes, I do. You've been against Spock from the start of this, and I-"

"Like you've been against Len?"

"If you're hinting that I am preferring one over the other—"

"I'm not hinting, Doll Face. I'm stating quite plainly that your eagerness to make sure that your Commander wasn't treated like a criminal over something he couldn't control, you completely disregarded the biggest victim in this case. I was in that court martial the same as you, and I heard Len say quite plainly that he did not accept what happened as a marriage, but every single one of you admirals ignored that in favor of placating the Vulcans. Even now, you didn't come out her because you were worried about Len; you came because you were worried about Spock, and Kirk."

"That's not true. I'm concerned for all three of them. And the bond between Leonard and Spock couldn't be dissolved, so we had no choice but to honor it."

"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that."

Chris was getting tired of this. He'd been silent at the court martial, when she'd blamed the Panel for McCoy's outburst, telling them all that they'd fucked up. But now she was accusing him of not caring about the man who'd saved his life after he was rescued from the Narada, and that he would not stand for.

"Now you listen to me, Dr. O'Hara. I am greatly concerned about Leonard McCoy. I owe the man my life, and-"

"Then act like it! Show some of that concern for him! Not for him and Spock, or for him and Kirk, but just for him. Maybe if any of you had done that at the court martial, rather than declare him to be Vulcan property, we wouldn't be in quite this situation."

"All we did was acknowledge a bond that was already there. We didn't declare him to be any 'Vulcan property'."

Why were they acting as if the Admiralty was at such fault? They did not create the circumstances that lead to this. Scarlet was looking at him with a mixture of horror and pity.

"Oh, God, you're serious. Did none of you even checking into what you were agreeing?"

Chris' confused look answered that question for her.

"Under Vulcan law, a man's spouse is his property. To do with as he chooses. He could drag Len off to the Vulcan colony tomorrow, and there wouldn't be a thing anyone could do, because Starfleet accepted that. You told him that he was the property of his rapist, and you did so without thinking twice about it."

She fell silent, allowing that to sink in. Chris sank into the chair beside the bed, trying to process the information. He knew that her personally hadn't done any checking once they received the call from Ambassador Sarek; they had no reason to doubt his word. And he was fairly certain neither Barnett nor Archer questioned it, either. Those two really WERE eager to do anything the Vulcans asked. Scarlet could very well be telling the truth. They may have done exactly what she was accusing them of. If that was true….

"Even if what you're saying is true, what else could we have done? You're throwing out a lot of accusations, but I haven't heard any other solutions. So tell me, Counselor, how do we fix this?"

He was curious as to what she would say. And at this point, he was willing to consider any valid suggestion she might mike. He still had no idea how to proceed now.

"Oh no, darlin'. I can't tell you how to fix this."

"Weren't you supposed to have all the answers? You were quite vocal at the court martial."

"Yeah, and at the court martial, there WAS an answer! I told you then to leave it alone, and let them work it out themselves. That they would eventually figure it out on their own, if they weren't interfered with. But you wouldn't listen then. Now there's not a chance on God's green Earth that Len will just accept all this, precisely because you ordered him to do so. And I don't know how to fix that."

"Considering your own history with Vulcans, I believe your view may be a little unprofessionally biased, doctor."

Scarlet snorted, and it was so reminiscent of Leonard that Chris had to smile.

"I'm surprised it took you so long to bring up. Yeah, I'd say I'm more than a little biased. But that doesn't make me wrong. I know McCoy a hell of a lot better than you do, honey."

Chris couldn't ignore the truth of that. This woman had known McCoy much longer than anyone else involved. And if he understood correctly, they may have been romantically involved at one point.

"Look, I know Spock thinks I'm trying to steal his husband, but I'm not. And you can think I'm the biggest bitch in the solar system, I really don't care. You wouldn't be entirely off the mark with that. But I'm really not her to stir up trouble. I'm her because my concern is for Len, and the fact that he's been so overlooked in all of this, however unintentional that might have been.

I know Spock couldn't control what happened, and I can sympathize with that. It must be terrifying to be so out of control of your own body. But that's not the case any longer, is it? Maybe, instead of expecting Leonard to try to alter his own nature to accommodate Spock, you should think about expecting Spock to use some of that famous Vulcan control. Or at least hold him to the same standards you would hold any other officer in a similar situation. The next person he attacks may be someone who can't fight back. Oh look, a pink butterfly!"

It amazed Chris that she could lay there and ream him out with complete lucidity for five solid minutes, and still hallucinate animals. He wondered just what medication McCoy was giving her, and how much worse the telling off would be if she wasn't high. He disagreed with a lot of what she said, especially about no one being concerned for McCoy. But he had to admit she had a few valid points. They may have been too hasty in officially recognizing the bond between Leonard and Spock. Chris still didn't know what else they could have done, but at least they should have looked into exactly what they were recognizing.

And maybe he had been a trifle overzealous in making sure that Spock wasn't treated criminally for his actions. Spock had been another of his favorites at the Academy. He'd served with Spock on short missions before the Enterprise. Even though he'd recruited McCoy, he was better acquainted with Spock, and did not want the young Vulcan to be punished for what was not his fault. Perhaps, though he'd tried hard to appear not to favor either man, he was unsuccessful.

Further musings were interrupted by the arrival of McCoy, and Chris had a chance to get a good look at him. The man looked as if he hadn't slept since this began. Now that he was here, Chris wasn't sure where to start. Leonard saved him the trouble.

"Purple tigers?"

Chris briefly wondered whether the man had taken some of the same medication he'd given hi patient, until he realized that McCoy was actually talking to Scarlet, who was shaking her head.

"Nope. There were orange zebras, but sweetie pie here scared them off. Now there's a ginormous pink butterfly hovering just over your head, so be careful."

"I'll do my best. You wanted to see me, Admiral?"

His tone wasn't nearly so friendly with Chris as it had been with Scarlet. Now he was all professional, and there wasn't a hint of warmth in his eyes. That stung, even when Chris was expecting it.

"I wanted an update on the patient, but I can see for myself she's doing better. But the hallucinations-?"

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here!"

"A side effect of the pain medication," Leonard answered Chris as though Scarlet hadn't spoken, "It should wear off in a couple more hours. Was that all?"

"Len, I want out of here! When can I go to my quarters?"

"Do you even have quarters, darlin'?"

She looked stumped for a moment, which had both men smiling in amusement.

"Oh, um, yeah, that might be a problem. But I want out!"

Leonard couldn't help grinning at the adult woman who was sounding more like a child every moment. She sounded just like Joanna, when his little girl was trying to get her way about something. He had to laugh when she honest-to-goodness pouted at him. He'd forgotten how entertaining it could be to watch patients sensitive to the particular medication he'd dosed her with.

"I'll see what I can do. Was there anything else, Admiral?"

''I'd hoped to speak with you, personally."

"Sorry. I'm booked for the length of your stay."

Leonard spun on his heel, and was out of the recovery area before he was stopped by a harsh "your office, now, and that's an order". The look of fury on his face was enough to scare the nurses on the night shift, but he didn't explode, not out in the Sickbay. Instead, he stormed into his office, and waited for the Admiral to join him.

Chris watched the angry young man for a moment before standing, a sigh escaping his lips. Nothing was going the way they'd expected. He was starting to worry that the damage just might be irreparable.

"Any advice?" he asked Scarlet, whose attention was focused on something Chris couldn't see. Probably the damned pink butterfly that had been flying near McCoy's head.

"Try not to mess it up this time. He needs you to get it right, even more than Spock does."

"Very helpful. Thanks."

Chris straightened his spine before walking into the office behind McCoy, letting the door close behind him. Leonard simply stood, glaring, waiting for him to speak. All the reprimands he'd been prepared to issue died on his lips as he watched the younger man hunch in on himself, just waiting for another emotional blow.

"You've got a lot of people worried about you, Leonard."

"Sure they are."

"Dr. O'Hara's worried abut you. Jim's worried, Spock's worried. I'm worried about you. They tell me you haven't really talked with anyone since leaving DS Six."

Leonard didn't argue, so Chris had to assume it was true.

"What can I do to help you?"

"You can approve my transfer request and let me get the hell off this ship. Sir."

Chris frowned. In truth, it was no less than he expected, but it wasn't at all helpful. Jim would never forgive Chris if he approved the transfer behind his back. The Admiralty wouldn't approve, it would be tantamount to admitting they made a mistake. And after what Scarlet said, and Chris' own observations, he was afraid that if he did approve a transfer, Spock would simply resign and drag the doctor off to New Vulcan. That wouldn't help anyone.

"I can't go over your captain's head, Leonard."

"Of course you can't," Leonard said bitterly, as if it was what he expected to hear. "I can assume you won't accept my resignation either, will you?"

"I can arrange some leave for you, if you need to take some time off—"

"What the hell good is leave gonna do, when I'm not allowed off the damn ship?"

"I can have Jim reinstate your authorization. We're not that far from Cerberus. Jim tells me your daughter is there. You could go see her, and take some time for yourself—"

"Where was all this touching concern a week ago, when it might have done some good?"

Chris sighed.

"We were trying to do what's best for both of you, Leonard."

"How is making me Spock's property what's best for me? If that's your idea of concern, I can live without it, thanks!"

Chris started to speak, but was interrupted by Leonard.

"If you want to help me, transfer me, or accept my resignation. If you won't do either, then please just leave me the hell alone!"

"Dr. McCoy, that's enough!"

He immediately felt bad for snapping when he saw the doctor flinch. This wasn't making anything better. Leonard was still too hurt by the decision at the court martial. And he genuinely believed that no one there had been concerned for him, not even Chris. Chris was forced to admit that he really had failed at avoiding favoritism, as he'd tried so hard to do.

"I'm here for three more days if you decide you want to talk, Leonard."

When the doctor remained stubbornly silent, he conceded defeat and headed for the exit. He paused as the door slid open.

"I'm sorry Leonard, for what you've had to go through. I know it may not feel like it, but you do still have people who care about you. If there's anything I can do—"

"I'd say you've done enough, Admiral."

Chris let the door slide closed behind him, with no answer to that last statement.

Three days later, Chris was packing up his possessions when the bell chimed that he had a visitor. The doors slid open, and Jim stepped inside.

"Leaving so soon?"

"I have to head back. Once I drop O'Hara at DS Six, I have to head to Earth. Starfleet wants to get my new toy into the shipyards so our engineers can play with her. Besides, there's not much more for me to do here."

Despite his hopes, Leonard had not approached him to talk. He'd spoken at length with both Spock and Jim, but not the doctor. No matter what he tried McCoy had grown expert at avoiding him, as he avoided everyone else. If he couldn't get McCoy to talk, he had no other business on the ship, and there was an office on Earth sitting empty.

"I never did get to take your ship out for a spin," Jim complained.

"How sad for you. But I'm sure there will be other chances, once the engineers are finished with it."

"You know, Starfleet's best engineer is right her on the Enterprise. You could just leave the ship here."

"Not gonna happen, Jim. This is my baby, and I'm taking her back to Earth."

"Eh, it was worth a shot. I want to thank you for coming out, Chris. Even if things didn't work out like we hoped. I appreciate you making the effort."

Chris just wished the effort had been enough. Then again, if someone hadn't spread rumors about the men throughout the entire ship, it might have worked. Chris would always wonder if he could have gotten through to McCoy at all, if it had remained a secret. McCoy had seemed at least slightly more cooperative until the gossip started. After, he refused to speak a word to anyone outside his Sickbay, and Chris knew for a fact that he'd reassigned his head nurse to the night shift. Chris didn't want to admit it, but maybe O'Hara was right. Maybe they'd all just expected too much from him.

"Jim, if I can make a suggestion, I think there is something you could do…"