May 14

Alvy Singer: You know, I don't think I could take a mellow evening because I - I don't respond well to mellow. You know what I mean? I have a tendency to - if I get too mellow, I - I ripen and then rot, you know.
Annie Hall

"Hey," Dr. McCoy said to Uhura when he found her sitting alone in the mess. It was well after the end of alpha shift so he wondered why she was still there. She didn't look especially happy and that concerned him. "As one of Jim's favorite movie characters says 'My tremendous intuitive sense of the female creature informs me that you are troubled.'" He smiled when she laughed at his words.

"He would make you watch that silly pirate movie, wouldn't he?" Nyota said, waiting as the Doctor sat down across from her.

"Yeah. You know," McCoy said in easy dismissal, studying her without making it overly obvious. "Want to talk about it?"

She shrugged and looked up at his beautiful brown eyes. "I'm not sorry Spock and I broke up. I'm really not. But…."

"Yeah," McCoy agreed. "It's tough."

"It has to be hard on you too, Leonard."

"What's that, darlin'?" he asked.

"Wanting Jim and not having him," she said in sympathy. She was startled when he laughed.

"I don't want him, Nyota. I love him like a brother. When I don't want to kill him. But in love with him? No," Leonard said, shaking his head.

"Ohhh…" Nyota responded. "I thought…well, most of us think…that…uhm…I'm sorry."

"You got no reason to apologize, darlin'. Jim's my best friend. And sometimes that's more than I can take. But sleepin' with him? No. I'm not completely insane."

He could see Nyota taking a moment to absorb his words, considering all that this meant. Maybe what it meant to her was what it meant to him - that they wanted the same thing, that connection that neither of them was yet brave enough to speak out loud. He was pretty sure he was on the right track when she smiled her brilliant smile. The smile that warmed his heart more than he liked to admit.

"You know," she finally said, her smile still in place. "I was supposed to watch a movie with Chris tonight. But because someone put her on beta shift, I have no one to watch it with."

"Now that is a shame," McCoy said, shaking his head and wishing he did feel guilty about it. But in truth he couldn't. It wasn't that he took Chris away from Nyota on purpose but now that it had happened, what was to stop him from taking advantage of the fact? It was purely coincidental that he too had no particular plans for the evening. "We couldn't have a movie night go to waste now could we?"

"I don't think so," she said brightly. "We were planning to watch Annie Hall. It's old and romantic and it always makes me laugh. If you wanted to watch something else, we could."

"No, my dear. Annie Hall will be a just fine with me. It'll be nice to be with imaginary people who are the right side of insane. Since I end up spending way too many hours in the company of the man-child in charge of this ship. He's just on the other side of insane, you know," McCoy said with a wink.

"I did know," she agreed brightly. "And you're sure you don't have anything better…else to do?"

"Not unless Captain Crazy manages to injure himself in his own quarters. Not that it'd be the first time. But M'Benga can see to him if it happens."

"Well, la-dee-da, la-dee-da," she said, making him laugh.

"I never thought I'd date someone who said la-dee-da, la-dee-da," he quoted.

"Is this a date?" she asked as she stood up.

"It is if you want it to be," he said smiling in return to hers.

She nodded happily and walked out of the mess with him, still smiling and melting his heart in the process. He knew it was impossible for his heart to really melt but her smile was doing strange things to his insides. And he liked it. A lot.