Jim had the mother of all migraines, but he would suffer through one a hundred times worse if he knew it would help Leonard again. The trouble was he didn't know if Leonard was okay because the little pocket of his bond with Spock that had been apparently set aside for Leonard even before today was disturbingly empty. Even his connection to Spock felt weak.

"Jim?" Sulu whispered as he entered the master bedroom. Jim was curled up under the sheets with the windows blacked out. He wanted to sleep, but despite the full body exhaustion he felt his concern made it impossible. "How are you?" The gardner asked softly as he entered the room, settling down on the bed near Jim.

"Head hurts. I can barely feel Spock. And Leonard I can't feel at all." He replied. "I… I can't… I can't lay here, Sulu. I need to know if they're okay. But I can't… I don't have the strength to get up." Jim had never felt so close to tears, so close to breaking down.

Thankfully Sulu didn't comment on the tears Jim didn't manage to hold back and just sent a comforting hand on Jim's head. "It'll be alright, Jim. They'll be home again soon, I know it. Spock won't let anything happen to Leonard." He assured.

Jim sniffled and buried his head into the pillows as he started to cry. "I can't handle this, Sulu! I'm not cut out to be an army wife who just stays home waiting for his husband to come back from a battlefield! I need to be out there, fighting with them and for them." He pleaded.

"I know. And you have fought for them, that's how you got hurt. Let Spock take it from here; you know he wouldn't want you to injure yourself further because you were too impatient to wait." Sulu reminded gently. Jim frowned but Sulu had a point.

"I hate it." Jim grumbled and Sulu chuckled.

"I never doubted that." Sulu answered. Jim sighed, burying his face into his pillows. There was a gentle ringing sound, one that had replaced the doorbell and that Jim had spent ages finding so that it didn't hurt his head further when he had a migraine. "I've got it." Sulu promised as he stood up and hurried out of the room.

Jim groaned, wishing he could get up but knowing that he was more likely to faint than make it anywhere. The few minutes wait was agonizing before Sulu opened the bedroom door again. He was smiling and following just behind him was none other than Spock. Jim sat up quickly, too quickly as a wave of dizziness and nausea assaulted him, but he didn't care. Spock gave him a warning look not to get up as he approached their bed, gently laying the individual he had carried in next to Jim.

"Bones." Jim shifted to face them and studied Leonard's face. The doctor was pale and sickly, his skin looked papery, and he felt cold even from here. Jim turned from Leonard to look at Spock. "Is he okay?" Jim asked, though he was almost afraid of the answer.

"He will be." Spock assured and Jim felt a weight lift off his chest.

"Good." Jim said breathlessly. He picked up and adjusted the blankets until Leonard was covered. The doctor groaned and shifted closer to Jim, nuzzling against him. Jim eagerly wrapped his arms around Leonard's torso. It was different than how it had been in Leonard's mindscape, the most obvious of which was that this was grown up Leonard rather than the smaller teenager version Jim had found. When he had realized that all the horrible things Sinoc had done to Leonard had been when the man was only a teen it had brought every ounce of rage and protectiveness Jim had rushing forward. And he was still feeling it.

"Jim." Spock's voice brought his attention away from Leonard and onto his bondmate.

Jim smiled at him and held out his hand to the Vulcan, who accepted the touch without hesitation. Both of them gasped and Spock fell to his knees next to the bed, on the other side of Leonard's body. Their bond had flared back to life at the touch, burning and filling his mind with warmth. A warmth that spread through his fingers and toes. Slowly Jim was drawn back into his own body, with some gentle nudging from Spock.

"What happened? It's never felt like that." Jim mumbled.

"I do not know." Spock agreed breathlessly. He looked as dazed as Jim felt. And after a moment his eyes landed on Leonard. "Perhaps Leonard's presence is related. I have had a hypothesis, ever since our bonding was not enough to cure my Pon Farr, that our bond is... incomplete without Leonard."

"I felt that too. When we were all together in his mind it felt like a part of me was complete that even our bond hadn't filled." Jim admitted. Spock was not angered by the statement and in fact Jim felt relief. It only took a slight brush of their minds for him to learn why; Spock had been contemplating how to approach the concept of including Leonard in their bond without making Jim jealous.

Jim pushed love to him, silently assuring his bondmate that he was not jealous and even agreed with Spock's decision. "Are you sure, ashyam?" Spock asked and Jim nodded.

"Even if I didn't think he desperately needs our help I would be happy to have him included." Jim promised.

Spock turned his attention to Leonard, who was still unconscious and looked deceptively calm. "We should wait for him to awaken." Spock said it softly and Jim could tell he didn't exactly want to.

"What's the probability he doesn't wake up?" Jim countered.

"Lower than I am comfortable risking." Spock admitted.

"Then we'll convince him to forgive us later." Jim declared. Spock understood what he was really saying and got up. He took a seat on the bed next to Leonard and gently he placed fingers on Leonard's meld points.

Spock closed his eyes and Jim felt as Spock slipped into Leonard's mind. Jim shifted closer to Leonard and held him. His friend's body was unnervingly cold. Slowly, as if connected, Leonard's body grew warmer as the bond between him and Spock strengthened and changed to include the doctor. Just like when he touched Spock a few moments before Jim felt a glowing warmth tingling through his fingers and toes. It felt like the best orgasm ever, but more intimate and comforting in every way possible.

Slowly Jim felt his own mind drifting towards the bond and let himself be pulled along. Like a triangle he could feel both Spock and Leonard as individual points, the bonds between them forming the sides, as they gathered in the middle. From Spock he got the sensation of blazing love, warm and overpowering as the Vulcan's emotions tended to be when he left them free.

From Leonard he got a blast of icy cold. His friend was tucked behind a protective wall. He settled next to Spock and took the Vulcan's hand. "I thought he didn't have any barriers." Jim questioned gently, being careful not to allow an ounce of anger or frustration into the bond. .

"No, but it seems he has learned how to create a shield." Spock correctly, equally gently. "What I do not know if how to get passed without causing him further harm."

"We do it with love." Jim answered as he studied the physical manifestation the shield had taken on in their shared mindscape. He stepped forward and gently set his hands against the metal shield, followed by his forehead.

The shield was cold, almost too cold to bear touching, but Jim didn't pull back. "Bones. It's okay. It's only me and Spock. You can feel us, can't you? That we want to help? How much we love you?" Jim assured softly as he pushed warmth and love towards the shield.

Spock joined him and slowly the chill on the metal began to decrease. Jim felt when Leonard's consciousness came to rest against the other side of the shield and he smiled. "Hi, Bones." He said softly.

Ever so slowly Leonard's presence grew stronger until he whispered, "Jim?"

"Right here, with Spock." The blond promised immediately. "Will you let the shield down?" He asked as nicely as he could. He felt a flash of fear from Leonard, that was ruthlessly tramped down by the doctor, and slowly the shield began to fade. Jim waited, somewhat impatiently, until the shield faded and Leonard joined them properly in their mindscape.

He had returned to his adult size, but still looked unusually frail to Jim. Based on the wave of protectiveness he felt from Spock the Vulcan agreed. Leonard looked like he was going to say something but Jim moved before he could and hugged his friend tightly. "Please, don't retreat from us. Please, let us help." Jim pleaded quietly.

Leonard's arms slowly returned his hug. "How?"

"We wish to bond with you, Leonard." Spock explained. Leonard's nervousness was palpable and he held onto Jim a little tighter. "While it is for your benefit, it is also for my own. I believe that my bond with Jim, while strong, is not sufficient as it currently is to cure my Pon Farr."

"I…" Leonard looked between them; Jim still holding onto him tightly and Spock waiting patiently though Leonard could feel how desperately he wanted this. "It won't hurt?" He whispered and Spock shook his head.

"It will not." Spock promised.

Slowly Leonard nodded. "Okay." He agreed. Spock stepped closer and held out his hands to both men. Jim accepted it without any hesitation and while he was a little slower Leonard took Spock's had as well. Immediately he was filled with a soul deep warmth from head to toe. All three of them took a moment before Spock quickly tied them together, permanently.

The chill Jim had felt from Leonard was gone, replaced by a soothing warm that Jim could only call healing. It eased the leftover pain he had felt from their mental battle. The missing pocket was filled and he felt whole. "I love you both." He said and Leonard chuckled.

"I love you too, kid." He replied and this time his voice was strong. When Jim looked at him the doctor looked healthy, more so than Jim thought he had ever seen. He would be alright and if not then he would always have their support. When Jim slipped from the meld into sleep he didn't know, but what he did know was that he was warm down to his soul.