Alright! After a whole year of thinking and fretting and wondering how I'm going to continue this story, I finally found the solution to the lovebug epidemic after researching on the awesome site Memory Alpha. It only took about 5 min to find the answer after a year of writer's block ?. Luckily the Enterprise Crew are smarter than me and they are about to solve the mystery of the 'lovebug' in only a few days.

/*/*/*/

These dreams go on when I close my eyes

Every second of the night I live another life

These Dreams

Song by Heart

Uhura awoke to the sound of Spock's heart beating fast and steady in her ear. She had fallen asleep with her head resting on his chest and her hand settled over his heart which resided lower down his torso. It was an odd sensation. Not due to the placement of his internal organs but due to the fact that she got to wake up with this magnificent man in her arms every day. That they were lying next to one another naked with limbs entangled and bonded to one another in a way she could never have imagined just boggle her mind.

It was rare for her to wake before Spock. Normally he slept a few hours at a stretch, but for the past few days he had been sleeping all through the night and their alarm had to wake him. Well, most of the night because lately he'd been waking up abruptly interrupting their sleep and it was apparent he was suffering from nightmares, something else that was unusual.

Uhura didn't dare move for fear she would disturb his well-earned rest. It was still hard to believe that she was married to anyone let alone to Mr. Spock. She had imagined herself married one day far-far in the future. She imagined herself when she was much older having lived a full life and retired from Star Fleet. She would reside on some exotic planet with a husband and perhaps two children and a dog. But the husband she imagined was just some non-descript male, perhaps some older man she met by chance on a mission or a fellow Starfleet officer. Perhaps someone like Scotty who, like herself, had lived a life full of adventure in the fleet and was now retired from life in the fast lane and was ready to settle down.

But never in her wildest imagination did she envision herself married and mated to a Vulcan, especially Spock. Never had she imagined herself waking up in his arms everyday and sharing her body with him every night not to mention sharing her mind and her life with him. Somehow she had obtained the unobtainable and quite frankly it frighted her. But she had made peace with so many changes, surely she could make peace with this? She had to because the alternative had now become unthinkable. She loved this man and she couldn't imagine a life without him.

They had easily figured out the physical aspects of their relationship but marriage was more than sex wasn't it? She had always heard people say that the best relationships are based on friendship and she and Spock had been friends long before they bonded. She and Spock were now so much more than friends, they were lovers. She loved Spock. There it was. She loved him and it was freaking her out.

It was okay to have a crush on Spock and to even flirt shamelessly with him when she was certain he would never return her feelings. That made him safe to play with. But she had miscalculated. He had flipped the script and pinned her to the mat, so to speak. He had called her bluff. He actually responded to her flirting and wanted her also.

Amanda claimed that Spock was capable of loving her but still she doubted. Sulu thought it didn't matter whether or not Spock could love her back, only that she loved him honestly. If she were to be totally honest she did not want to be in love by herself, it felt like a lonely place to be. Sulu claimed one-sided love was still love, but was it really? Or would she one day grow tired of waiting for Spock to return her feelings? Did it even matter at this point? She was already in too deep and if there was a way out she didn't want it.

These disturbing thoughts swirled around and around in her mind until she fell back into a fitful dreamless sleep of her own.

"Captain."

"Yes?" Spock responded to the head of his Vulcan guard.

"I have a report on my... assignment."

"Who is he?" Spock wasted no time asking.

"He's a geological technician and he was vetted by Kirk when he came aboard. He mostly stays below decks with the other techs."

"What is his relationship with my wife?"

The guard felt uncomfortable relaying this information to his Captain. Would it be welcomed news or would the messenger be the unfortunate victim of an emotional response?

"Sir, they appear to be something humans refer to as 'friends'."

"Friends?" Spock asked.

The guard nodded very slowly. "Yes sir. I interrogated him thoroughly and could find no evidence of malfeasance with her. He believed himself her confidant and savior. In my opinion, he was in love with your wife and thought that if he eliminated you he would have a chance to have her for himself."

"I see. And did my wife betray me with this 'friend'?" Spock said the word as if it tainted his lips.

"No sir. I did not find any evidence in his mind of a liaison with your wife. It was an unconsummated and unrequited relationship."

"I see. And where is Mr. Fisher now?"

"I took care of him personally. He will trouble you no more."

"He never troubled me. You are dismissed."

"Aye, Sir." The guard hurried away.

After the guard left, Spock stood alone in his ready room and took a moment to collect himself. He had suffered a lapse in logic, that was clear. He had accused his wife of betrayal and he had invaded her mind in order to ascertain the truth. He had found no evidence of deception and yet he still did not truly trust what he found in her mind.

His wife was innocent, and his rival such as he was, had been eliminated. But he was still not at peace. Why had his wife sought out another male as a friend? The mere idea of her seeking out anyone other than himself niggled at him.

Did he not fulfill all of her needs properly? Did she find fault with him in some way? Did he not strive to provide all that a woman could desire? No other man could provide better care for her. Nyota belonged to him!

Uhura was the Captain's Woman. How dare this Fisher think he could ever have her? And his wife, Nyota. She had claimed she did not know him and yet according to the guard, Fisher believed them to be friends? Something did not add up. Someone was lying, Spock thought as he paced the floor of his room. He should have interrogated Fisher himself but he preferred to leave such unfavorable tasks to his guard. Now he questioned that decision. Who did he trust? His wife or his guard? The wrong decision would cost him everything.

/*/*/*/

"Hey! Why don't you watch where you're going!" A young ensign shouted at a lieutenant who had just bumped into him in the narrow corridor of the engineering deck.

"I don't need to watch where I'm going. I know the way, it's you who needs to step aside when you see me coming," the Lieutenant replied.

"Why would I step aside for the likes of you?"

"Because I outrank you plebe," the Lieutenant sneered.

"Plebe? Who are you calling a plebe, you Dunsel?"

"I'll show you a Dunsel!" The lieutenant came at the ensign and the two men began to grapple with one another in the middle of the corridor.

"Hey! Hey! What is this?" Scotty said trying to break the two men apart.

"He started it! Stay out of my way!" The two yelled at each other as they shoved Scotty aside.

Scotty realized he couldn't handle these two alone so he went to the nearest intercom and called for security to handle the scuffle.

/*/*/*/

"Mmm... Captain,"

"What?" Kirk barked out and then caught himself. "I mean what is it Lieutenant M'Ress?" He didn't know why he just did that.

"Reports are coming in from all over the ship. Fights are breaking out, people losing their tempers. Security is stretched thin."

Kirk sighed. "What now! Sound red alert, confine non-essential personnel to quarters, and get McCoy and Spock up here on the double!"

"Aye Captain," she said turning back to the console.

What was happening on this crazy ship Now? First, everyone was overcome with mass arousal, and now anger? Was the ship bipolar? It wouldn't be the first time the ship went rogue but... No, it wasn't the ship. The ship's computer systems would be going crazy and mechanically they were fine. And the ship could not cause this type of behavior in the crew. This was a psychological phenomenon. Extreme emotional mood swings... Mass hallucinations... Could it be telepathy?

"Belay that last order M'Ress, have Spock and Mccoy meet me in the sickbay."

Kirk hopped up from his seat and headed for the lift. He heard M'ress suck her teeth in annoyance. "You could've told me that first," she mumbled.

Kirk ignored the outburst and let the lift doors close without reprimand. He was going to get to the bottom of this incident tonight. M'Ress' insubordination could wait. Right now he had to nip this episode in the bud and that meant dealing with a potentially unstable Vulcan.

"Zanthi Fever!" Bones announced to Jim as they conferred in the doctor's office after a thorough examination of Spock for every known illness in the galaxy.

"Zanthi? What the hell is that?" Kirk asked.

"It is a virus that apparently targets some species with psi abilities. In empaths, it can cause them to project their own emotions onto others in their surroundings but it usually affects those close to the infected."

"So how did Spock get this virus and why didn't you catch it earlier?" Kirk was annoyed with the whole damn situation.

"Now that's the interesting thing, Jim. It only targets those races with inherent telepathic abilities. It's not a threat to humans even those with latent psi traits so we don't normally screen for it and we don't carry the antidote aboard."

"Of course we don't," Jim sighed. "So can you formulate the antidote Bones?"

"No, we need chemical compounds our replicators cannot duplicate."

"Then where can we get the antidote?"

"Well, the best sources would planets where the illness is likely to occur."

"And where is that?"

"Vulcan for one, but we're already headed there. Another planet would be Argelius in the opposite direction. You'll recall they have some traces of telepathic abilities in the females. I cannot be sure but it may be where Spock picked up this nasty little bug. And last, there is a planet called Betazed in the Beta Zeta system, also know to be inhabited by telepaths. It's also a detour but not as far off course as Argelius."

Kirk had to decide where to go. Betazed was closer but would delay their arrival to Vulcan which also had the antidote. It would seem logical to go directly to Vulcan but what if the next outburst was something more serious. How long could Spock hold out?

"Bones, how serious is this virus? Is Spock in any danger?"

"Well, Jim, as far as I know, the illness is not life-threatening just a nuisance, maybe the human equivalent to chickenpox."

"To what?" Kirk asked. "Chicken pot what?"

"Chickenpox was a highly infectious viral illness that humans suffered before a vaccine was discovered in the twentieth century. Before that, humans could be expected to be infected in early childhood. The symptoms were usually mild including an itchy rash of raised bumps. It was eradicated on Earth but they still cover it at the academy medical school."

"So it's not likely to cause any permanent damage to Spock?"

"I don't think so, but with Spock, you never know. I had a chance to talk to his mother and she forwarded his childhood medical records to me. As she puts it, Spock is special. He doesn't always react as expected to traditional Vulcan treatments. His physicians had to be creative."

"Great. So let's shoot for Vulcan. As you said we're heading there anyway so as long as the threat is not urgent that seems like the most logical choice."

"Agreed Jim. And by the way, you've said 'logical' a few times now. Are you sure Spock is not projecting onto you right now? I thought you out of all of us was immune to his suggestions."

"You tell me Bones. Is Spock projecting his emotions right now?"

"It is impossible to say. As far as I can tell the symptoms are strongest the closer you are to the infected and they seem to get stronger when the recipient of the suggestion is also stressed."

"So until we get to Vulcan we just need to keep Spock calm and distracted?"

"Correct."

"The latest incident involved anger and the first one arousal. I can take a guess as to what triggered the first incident but what set him off this time? Did he seem angry to you Bones?"

"Your guess is as good as mine Jim. Normally Spock is in control of his emotions so who knows what really goes on in that mind of his."

"There is one person who should know Bones," Kirk said thoughtfully.

"Uhura?"

"Precisely. Get Uhura in here!"

This was one HUGE chapter but I broke it into 3 parts. I think I will be evil and release them a day or two apart, what do you think?