"I found this on the host," the purple captain said, handing a golden tinted object to McCoy.

McCoy took the vokaya and his hand tightly clasped round it.

"Thank ya," McCoy said, emotionally.

the purple captain nodded her head then went past him to join the rest of her crew.

McCoy gently stroked the item in his palm.

"I am never goin' to lose ya again," McCoy told the inanimate object. "ya going straight in my ass he next time I am captured and in a very dangerous situation. Ever. Never. Ever. Ever."

And slowly the doctor grew emotional feeling unsure if Star Fleet would ever bother looking for a dead man. No, they would not. Not even remotely close. For a civilization that has yet to hit warp drive they would not risk breaking the prime directive. The doctor slipped off the new necklace material that had been worn by the purple leader tossing it to the ground. With that, he held it close to his chest. He watched the celebration going on before him. The skies were alive. McCoy was alone. The others were being given prosthetics by the natives who didn't really care about the prime directive or that they were different from them.

"Hello," Heal'uc said, approaching the doctor.

"Hello," McCoy said.

"What is your planet called?" Heal'uc asked.

"Earth," McCoy said. "it is a lot like this planet and all. . . " he waved his hand toward the sky.

"Hm," Heal'uc said. "so they have three moons?"

"Two, technically, but one," McCoy said.

"You must miss it," Heal'uc said.

"Not that much," McCoy said, his hand rubbing the top of the device. "actually, I miss my boyfriend."

"I knew it," Heal'uc said, suddenly.

"What?" McCoy asked, alarmed.

"That everyone accepts it," Heal'uc said. "our former president said it was not practiced off world."

A smile grew on the doctor's face.

"Of course," McCoy said.

"We have our first male president in more than a hundred years," Heal'uc said. "where do you see yourself in a hundred years?"

McCoy paused, thinking, and the only thing he could see in his mind being with s Spock but grayed and the background was fuzzy.

"With my boyfriend," McCoy said.

"I wish you the best of luck reuniting with him," Heal'uc said, bowing her head.

"Lost your family too?" McCoy asked.

"They were elsewhere," Heal'uc said.

"At least ya came out with everyone," McCoy said. "thank ya. . ." he placed a hand on the woman's shoulder. "for taking it off."

Heal'uc bowed her head. Walking was difficult for the human. The pain from in his ass was still fading but standing still was another story. The purple phyiscian assure him that they had technology to fix that and also informed him that he was lucky that they didn't a dick thorn to make it even more painful for him. He was free. No symbiote. He had personally seen the serpent be killed through a procedure that gave no mercy. He let go of the woman's shoulder then made his way toward the crowd of security officers with a wheel chair bound officer. They were clean shaved and well dressed. He saw some of them had their sleeves up to show their amputated limbs. He looked over to see T'Plass had his other eye closed with his left hand linked behind his back. They looked radiant in youth lacking scars on their faces like someone had gone through and used some kind of skin regenerator on them to take away the scar tissue.

The Vulcan's eyes landed on the shorter human.

"Greetings, doctor," T'Plass said, giving the Vulcan salute with his now unlinked hand.

"Good to see you, again," Ripley said, sharing a smile up toward the doctor.

"McCoy!" Ponner said, with a smile. "You look fantastic."

"They put the skin cleaners on you, too?" Polly asked.

"They did," McCoy said. "after they performed on me,"

"It's awesome," Blackman said.

"Super awesome," Polly agreed, "it feels like . . water. . Like you are in sonic shower but you are not."

"I must apologize for firing at you," Eric said.

"Don't," McCoy held his free hand up. He gave for a forgiving smile. "I asked."

"Say, why did you stray away from the urinate bush?" Ryan asked.

"Two people needed me help and I took it," McCoy said. "and how the hell did ya remove body parts?"

"Lieutenant T'Plass operated on us, mostly," Ripley said. "he should be given the rank Lieutenant Commander with his act of valor."

"Commander, I was not on active duty, it does not count," T'Plass said, glaring back at the resting Commander.

"Oh come on," Eric said. "you deserve it. It's logical."

"I agree," Annebelle said.

"I think the president of the federation would agree to it," Louise said.

"Your bondmate would likely agree," Tarriel said.

"Everyone who knows you agrees," Janet said.

"High five!" Jackie said. The two women handed their drinks to the two men by their side then shared a high five that sounded like a smack. They returned their rinks from the two men and shared a happily toast.

"If ya kept them alive for so lon', without my help, that is surely grounds for promotion or getting a medal of honor," McCoy said. "and a good old vacation with your family."

"It was not easy," T'Plass said. "I had help from Cindy."

"After he operated on me," Cindy shrugged.

"It really was our part that made him get everyone operated on right," Tarren said. "though I do have to credit the medical tv shows that we watched to suction out the blood out of his line of sight."

"I prefer not to be told on how y'all lost one of your arms," McCoy said.

"Not even remotely amusing," Fellis said. "you didn't lose a arm or a finger."

"I was inside a esophagus," McCoy said. "that does not count."

"What did you lose?" Ripley asked. "we all lost something to the wilderness. . ."

"The sanctity of my mind," McCoy said, as the glass broke in T'Plass's prosthetic hand.

"Excuse me," T'Plass said, then he wandered off after the purple captain.

"Wonder got to him," Cindy said, finding it odd.

"Look on the bright side," McCoy said. "we survived a month on a alien planet and we ain't dead."

"Yes," the others nodded.

"Time softens wounds but it does not heal them," Fellis said. "And hey, you get to tell the lieutenant commander your poem."

McCoy's face turned a heated red.

"it's depressin'," McCoy replied.

"No, it is sappy!" Polly said.

"Wonderfully sappy," Ripley said.

"Really, really, really, really, really, really really, really, really,really, really," Eric emphasized. "really good," the man finished.

"I liked it," Ponner said.

"I wrote it down in case you did forget," Eric said.

Eric took out the small ipad from his pocket and showed it to the doctor. McCoy rubbed his chin looking down at the screen and he cringed to himself how disorganized it was. It was still as depressing and incomplete as he had left it. He didn't finish it after the man walked away and instead looked out for the growing garden preferring to speak with it rather than the others and eventually he called it Spock giving updates but he did not sit there all the time. McCoy squinted his eyes. For once, there was hope drifting around the scenery. They were in a better position than they had been when they first came down. T'Plass spoke with the purple captain who appeared to raise an eyebrow at what had been said. The scenery was colorful and full of life.

T'Plass had a determined expression in his eyes.

He was going to make the symbiote suffer through a mind meld and kill it that way.

The symbiote was in a container.

The last of its kind on the planet.

-

Your eyes are brown,

as the dirt,

that I do not own,

-

Your chin is like a chiseled mountain,

Soft,

Long,

Yet hard loft,

To rest on,

-
Your skin is green,

as a apple,

your ears are pointy,

not as a elf,

but as a Vulcan,

-

upturned,

sharp,

not rounded,

Obvious,

In your face,

With those slanted tree like eyebrows,

-
Your skin is hot as the sahara desert,

-

Your hands large yet nimble,

Long, and gentle yet tinder,

Your interest in science,

-

Is,

Science,

-

The way you look at a thing,

in fascination and awe,

In intrigue as though,

it was a new progression rather than anything,

non-interesting,

-

Seasons pass,

Children grow,

Blaring,

Cheering,

Falling,

-

but you will never change,

As a person,

Phyiscally,

And I like that,

-

I miss hearing your voice,

Like sweet velvet,

Dipped in dark chocolate,

Being with you,

Made me feel different,

Than I did with Joss,

-
I am scared,

Of how this will turn out,

Terrified,

but with you,

I am not afraid,

Long as you are my Vulcan lover,

I can face whatever this universe has to throw at me.

-

Will you,

Remember me?

When I get old,

Become dependent on others,

And lose control of my motor functions,

-

The person I used to be,

A former shell.

Of course you will,

Remember the person I used to be,

And you will have hair of a raven,

unaged,

Unravaged,

Not haunted by the wrath of time,

soft, clean green skin,

Time will be aging you gracefully,

No laughter lines,

-

I will get laughter lines,

You won't,

I will get bags under my eyes-

I have bags under my eyes,

I am unsure

if you have bags under your eyes,

but due to your occupation,

I am willing to say that the captain's well being triumphs your own health,

-

I hope you take care of yourself,

Looking off the observation deck,

Staring into space,

While I look back,

at the night sky,

planet side,

waiting for you,

-

Some days I feel the ghost of your affection on my finger tips,

The feel of your hand on my shoulder,

I expect to see you,

Except I don't,

I see no one,

-

Listening to your deep, cat like purr,

Beautiful,
-
Laughing as you sit down into a taped box on the floor,

Pouncing on a red laser light,

and head butting me for attention by accident

-

Why did you make me love you so munch-

"You have entrapped me into a spell, that makes me feel, all too much," Eric added, as a tear dripped onto the screen. "and I am glad to be with you again."

"That made me feel things I wasn't sure I could feel," Polly said.

McCoy wiped off a tear.