"Dollinger!" Kirk shouted as he went to the other side of the shuttle, slamming his hand against buttons and control panels frantically.
"Yeah?!" she shouted back and Kirk knew immediately the haullucigenic gas or whatever the hell they had just been engulfed in before they'd made it back was taking effect on his Commander by the blasé way she responded to him.
"Seal the door!" he told her as he coughed and turned to watch her stumble towards it.
"Yeah," Dollinger muttered as she closed the shuttle door, which took her three goes to finally press the button, but when she finally did she gave Kirk a wonky thumbs up. Kirk sucked on his teeth fretfully and then turned back to the wall and slammed his fist against a large button that began sucking all the air from the shuttle whilst replacing it with new. Dollinger's hair whipped round her face and Kirk squinted against the harsh current of air. When it had died down the pair looked to one another slowly.
"How you feeling?" Kirk asked tentatively, feeling a little groggy himself.
"Peachy, you… Captain?" she added the last part when she remembered whom she was speaking to. Kirk smirked and made his way passed her to the front of the shuttle. "I don't think either one of us should drive," she told him and Kirk laughed.
"I wasn't planning on it but I was going to comm Bones and find out if there's anything we can take to combat the…OW! Dollinger?! What the hell?" Kirk stared at the woman incredulously who had just slapped him across the back of his head hard.
"There was a bug," she told him defensively as one her eyes twitched. Kirk narrowed his eyes at her wondering whether or not she was telling the truth or just taking the opportunity to give her Captain a whack over the head. God knows he deserved it.
"You saw a bug?" he asked slowly.
"Yeah, there was one right there!" Dollinger told him as she pointed at his head. Blowing a raspberry Dollinger waved an unconcerned hand between them and leant against the other chair.
"There was no bug Dollinger," Kirk said quietly.
"You calling me a liar?!" Dollinger put her hands on her hips and looked at him angrily. "There was a bug goddamnit and it was on your head! I saved your life, you should be thanking me. I mean quite frankly… LOOK OUT!" this time Kirk managed to duck her clenched fist and reached out to grab her as she spun on her heel and lost her footing.
"Whoa there," Kirk kept her upright and the pair stood apart quickly. "Have you always had green eyes?" Kirk suddenly asked, staring at her intently.
"I have blue eyes?" she told him confused, not liking the way he was looking at her.
"Now they're purple?" Kirk raised his hand to touch her face, letting his hand slap against her cheek, he then pulled her eyelid up to get a better look. Dollinger leaned forward to help him and then shivered. "Are you cold?" he asked and Dollinger nodded.
"It's all the ice," she told him wide-eyed and Kirk nodded as if he had any idea what the hell she was talking about. "Weren't we supposed to be doing something?" Dollinger peered over to the control panel but couldn't remember why.
"Come here," Kirk pulling her into a hug and rubbing her arms to trying to get her warm pulled her from her thoughts. "There's big coats in the back, I'll get them." Kirk went off in search of the winter coats whilst Dollinger went and sat in the pilot's seat.
"Pew pew, boom!" pretending to be in a space battle Dollinger somehow managed to open a comm with the Enterprise.
"Uhura to shuttle one, come in please?"
"Who's that?!" Dollinger looked around the shuttle scared out of her wits. "Who said that? How do you know my name?" narrowing her eyes Dollinger clenched her hands into fists.
"Are you alright?" Dollinger looked to the panel and lay her head down on it gently.
"Are you in there? Do you live here? Can we be friends?" Before cutting the communication Dollinger heard the little voice ask for a Doctor. "I do hope you're not ill…" she trailed off as she stood and went to the back of the shuttle, opening the door she looked down lazily at Kirk who was wrapped up in two large coats.
"Do you want to come in my fort?" Kirk asked her. Dollinger creased her brow in confusion and then laughed aloud. Straightening her face and looking at Kirk seriously she finally slurred out her answer.
"Sure," falling into the closet and burying herself under a coat the pair sat in darkness. "There's a person in the control panel of the shuttle," she told him.
"Who is it?" Kirk asked her.
"I don't know, I think it may be my old teacher?" she told him.
"Your teacher was old?" Kirk asked confused.
"What teacher?" Dollinger replied and then seemingly they both forgot what they were talking about as they decided the best course of action was to get into a crouching position and cover their heads with their hands.
"This way, they can't read our minds!" Kirk said and Dollinger nodded enthusiastically.
That's how they were found by McCoy and Spock and hour later, fast asleep (or unconscious more to the point) and leaning against one another.
"Well I'll be damned, what do think happened to these two?" McCoy asked amused as he looked down at the pair whilst pulling his scanner from his med-kit.
"I do not know Doctor; I think perhaps you should check on them?" McCoy rolled his eyes and knelt down; scanning the pair he watched as Kirk groggily started waking up. Holding his head and groaning he sighed when he saw McCoy.
"Bones? What the hell happened?" Kirk asked as he threw the large coat off.
"Damned if I know Jim? Uhura just got some garbled message and raised the alarm." Kirk became aware of the weight against his side and turned bleary eyed to see Dollinger out for the count beside him. "She's fine Jim but I need to get you both back to the ship to find out what the hell is going on!" Kirk nudged Dollinger gently as she started to rouse.
"Ten more minutes," she whispered and Kirk nudged her again. "You need to wear the yellow boots; I'll get the horse…"
"Dollinger…" Kirk nudged again but this time she snuggled in tighter and pulled Kirk's head down against hers with her arm.
"Do that thing I like…" she started as Kirk gulped.
"Commander!" McCoy stepped in when he realised Kirk was enjoying his Commander's ramblings a little too much. Dollinger opened her eyes blearily and wiped the drool from her lips, looking up and towards Kirk McCoy could only describe the look she gave him as one of complete and utter abhorrence. None of the three men had ever seen somebody extract themselves from a situation so quickly, it was pretty impressive actually. Standing and swaying Dollinger stared at the three men.
"What happened?" she asked quietly.
"You both got high as a kite and then fell asleep in the closet," McCoy told her plainly. Dollinger let his words sink in and then turned to Kirk.
"Are you alright Captain?" she asked seriously and Kirk creased his brow in confusion.
"I'm fine Dollinger, you?" he asked seeing that she already had her 'game face' back on. She only nodded in reply and then went to the front of the shuttle. "I'll take us back," she shouted back to the three men who stood watching her.
"Whilst I have her in sick bay Jim I'll try and remove that stick from her ass!" McCoy whispered to Kirk.
"Shh Bones, she's not that bad." Seeing the way his friend dismissed him so quickly made McCoy raise his brow in response. When Kirk had taken the seat beside Dollinger McCoy sidled up to Spock.
"What do you make of that?" he asked.
"I do not understand Doctor?" Spock turned to McCoy inquisitively, McCoy just pulled a face and took a seat.
"Damned Vulcans…"