For Author's note and Disclaimer, see chapter 1

Chapter 10

Morale was down and tempers were short Jim noted. Having to break up an argument between Sulu and Chekov on the bridge drove it home. His own temper frayed from the sparks that was flying from the panel behind him at intervals as the engineers tried to get it to work. Even Uhura looked weary beyond norm and snapped at Scotty when he urged her to move so he could access a panel.

Rubbing his chin he gave the order to rotate crew with shorter intervals, hoping it would help. Most of the engineers seemed to be doing better than many, but then they were often busy being productive. The rest of the crew seemed to find it harder with their routine disrupted.

A call down to sickbay gave him a report about nothing having changed through chattering teeth and he felt a pang of guilt knowing Bones was stuck down there. He could have argued that some of the lower medical assistants could have taken more shifts down there, but he knew Bones wouldn't stand for it. McCoy was fiercely protective of his sickbay. He wouldn't leave it in the care of someone who was not trained for the task, even if their duty was only to sit and alert him if anyone came looking for aid. He had thought if there was anything else he could do, but the thermal suits were not made to be worn for such extended periods of time, and there were no heaters aboard that did not draw power they did not have.

The galley was overworked as they tried to produce enough hot tea and coffee to meet the demand in spite of their limited ability to make anything.

Loud and angry bickering pulled him out of his thoughts and he looked beside him where McCoy was wont to stand as he baited Spock, but no, the argument was coming from in front of him. For the first time he wished that starfleet had not designed a circular bridge. It was very hard to send your helmsman into separate corners when you had no actual corners.

He cleared his throat, annoyance raising as the two of them did not notice and their voices grew louder. "Gentlemen," his voice was sharp and loud enough to cause the two of them to snap their heads around and look at him. "And right now I use the term loosely," he stated slowly. Chekhov's terminal was working, barely, in some minor capacity. Gutted the thing was trailing wires around the floor. He would have moved to the auxiliary bridge, but the main systems was disrupted and if he did, they would be in the same predicament as sickbay. Barely working, and well, desperately cold. At least where they were they did not have to worry about freezing.

"Sorry sir, it won't happen again," Sulu spoke up carefully. Older than Chekov, senior to his friend it was nice to see that he still sought to shield his friend. Albeit tempers were frayed it seemed to be a temporary problem.

"See to it that it don't," he urged, caution clear in his voice. He wasn't going to reprimand them officially. They did not deserve that. They were just affected by the general discomfort and he sighed softly.

At least he noted that it seemed to have done the trick as the two of them shifted closer instead. Apparently trying to entertain each other to keep their spirits up rather than getting on each others nerves. A much better solution and he found it easy to ignore the small sounds of mirth that on occasion escaped them.

"Ah, if ye wouldn't mind sir?" Scotty's voice drew him out of his musings and he turned to face the other man. "We'd like to get everyone out of here for a moment if we could," the engineer stated. "It'd be safer for everyone so it would."

"Alright, for how long?" it was not really according to regulation, but if it would help them to get things fixed faster he was all for it.

"Well, I cannea say for sure," the older man scratched the back of his neck. "I imagine we'd be done with the worst of it in an hour or so. We'll let you know right away if there's a problem or anything…"

"You're qualified to take the bridge," Jim offered a small smile. As hard as it was to see the ship they both loved so much in such a poor state, Mr. Scott was an officer he had on several occasions left in charge of her. He trusted him full well enough to man the bridge at the moment. "Alright people, take a break and let them work, but be ready to return to your posts at an instant if you have to." He watched as they filed out of the room, taking the turbolift to the mess most likely. The brake would hopefully be good for them.

Spock naturally stayed behind but then he was qualified to help with the repairs and obviously intended to do so. For himself he gave his Chief Engineer a small nod and Scotty came over to stand beside him. "I don't hear a lot from your men down in Engineer, how are you holding up?"

"Pretty good sir, I'd say," Scotty mused, rubbing the back of his neck with an oil stained hand. "There's a bit of a ruckus now an again so there is. The lads being cooped up the way they are and all, but they seem to be buckling down alright."

"No more trouble with the rations?"

"Well," he scratched his neck again. "I cannae say they're happy about it, and I cannae say 'I'm' happy about it, but I ken there ain't one of them aren't more 'n twice as scared of Dr. McCoy as they are o' being stuck with the rations so they are. They're grumbling a'right, an' I cannae get them there like the good doctor wanted them unless I order them so I do, but they're in fair health and spirit."

"I'm glad to hear it," he nodded thoughtfully. "And I'm trusting you to let me know if there is anything that I need to know about. I feel we've been a cut off from each other with all this. With so much disruptions I can't get the same feel for the different departments."

"Aye, I know what ye' mean," Scotty nodded. "I try an' keep an eye on me lads so I do, but I ken I havennea seen much o' anyone else. Now, there ain't much like a good glass o' whiskey and a good, discussion, so there is," he finished after a brief pause on the word.

"I know what you mean," Jim chuckled lightly. He knew exactly what the Scotsman was referring to. You might think that a true Scot and a genuine Southerner would not have that much in common, especially not when one was an engineer and one was a doctor. Laid back and gentle against hot tempered and stubborn, Scott and McCoy would appear to be their opposites in every way and not the most likely pair to be friends. Especially not when you knew Scotty was well known and liked around the ship, and McCoy was a lot harder to get to know and understand. Jim knew that when it came to friends, Scotty was the only one beside Spock and himself Bones would truly count as his own aboard the ship.

He was scared to count them because he was scared he wouldn't get to keep them, but for some reason he seemed to have found something he could trust in Scotty. Though their 'discussions' had a reputation of being quite lively and that to the point where certain ensigns and officers alike stayed clear of them.

It didn't worry Jim any as the Captain, he had seen enough to know that no matter how they argued they would never falter in their work, nor in their support of each other. He thought it was good sometimes, for both of them. Scotty had a fatherly protective air about him that tended to lull his ensigns in, and it was good for him to know that not everyone fit in that slot.

As for McCoy, anyone who took the time to get past the gruffy defence was good, and there were far too few of those in Jim's mind.

"I imagine that you want to keep an eye on your men, but when you've got the time, I still got one good bottle left," he decided. The older man instantly shone up as he heard that.

"I'll be taking ye up on that Captain so I will," he beamed. "Aye sir, that'd be something to look forward to."

"Between the three of us, I think we could make sure it doesn't go to waste," Spock wouldn't mind being excluded from the alcohol one bit, he might join them for the occasion but he wouldn't want the brandy. Scotty and Bones though would be only too happy to indulge. It would probably do them all some good to relax. If Scotty and Bones should get into one of their typical discussions as they were wont to he also had a sneaky suspicion that Spock enjoyed watching them. The way Scotty could be loud, rambunctious and yet calm and cool at the same time was interesting, and it had an interesting effect on Bones Jim had noted. The doctor would flare up ten times a minute, but always calm back down just as quickly. A supernova on a rollercoaster, it should be impossible but Scotty drove him right to the very edge while keeping him from going over. It wasn't just Spock who found it fascinating, he did himself as well.

With Scotty beaming from ear to ear with high hopes of the future he made it through the rest of the ship. The Captain showing himself, making sure that everyone knew that he saw them. It was an important gesture even if it seemed too little.

He found the sickbay empty except for a junior nurse who looked very unhappy to be there but declared that Nurse Chapel was on a break, and the doctor had gone up for more of the vitamin solution. They would be having the scientist department coming for their checkup just as soon as he was done.

Well, that explained why Spock had looked slightly unhappy when he left the bridge for the tour. Not only would half of the department have been complaining, and the other half probably trying to refuse while the fact that there was a third half wanting to run for the hills would drive him out of his mathematical mind. It made Jim smile to himself but he was very aware of the fact that Spock was probably not too happy about it.

Nor was Bones when he got back to their cabin after it all, still shivering. Casting an amused eye between the two of them he reached into the drawer and held up the bottle questioningly towards Bones who gave a curt nod. Sitting down on the edge of Jim's bed he was trying to wrestle off his boots and seemed to have some difficulty with it.

"Want a hand?" putting the bottle down for the moment he headed over. Usually the boots weren't too hard, but he imagined that the cold was the cause.

"Thanks," Bones braced himself on the edge of the bunk as Jim quickly had the boots off. Watching as the other man rubbed his feet through the socks. "Double socks might be a mite warmer, but the danged boots are so tight I'm not sure if it's worth it," he muttered. "Can barely get the blasted things either on or off, and pinch like the devil."

"I'm what, one, two sizes larger than you?" Jim mused as he headed over to the dresser.

"Two, unless you lied on your medical info when you enlisted at the academy," Bones mused as he flexed his toes. "Which I'm not altogether certain you didn't do on one or two things…"

"Try those tomorrow," Jim pulled out his spare pair of boots. "Double socks they should fit fairly well, you could probably even triple if you wanted to."

"Tempting, but probably redundant," Bones gave a small grin as he inspected the pair. "Should be good though, thanks."

"No problem, and for the record, I did not lie on any of it," Jim flashed him a brilliant grin. "I was merely if anything a little, vague…"

"Or very vague on one or two questions," Bones accepted the glass that Jim handed him before the Captain went back to the chess game he and Spock had just started. Taking a slow sip of the alcohol Bones gave a sigh as the warmth spread through his belly. Assured that he might actually thaw up to a normal temperature he went to the computer terminal and switched it on.

"Working still?" Jim raised an eyebrow at that.

"Just cause y'alls a captain don't mean nobody else ain't have enough to do," Bones drawled softly and Jim raised an eyebrow in slight surprise. Either his friend was more tired or more relaxed than he had expected because he could barely remember the last time the drawl was so thick.

"That is a highly illogical statement," Spock stated with firm conviction. "As only Jim holds the rank of Captain."

"And that makes it illogical why?" Bones queried.

"No offence, Bones, but I have to side with Spock on this one," Jim mused. "It's 'illogical' to refer to only one person as 'you all' and while I have absolutely nothing against the southern accent, that's what 'y'all' truly means, you all…. it can't be just one person."

"Of course it can," Bones snorted.

"It can?" Jim raised an eyebrow. He would hate it if Bones got even more reluctant about the accent, it was bad enough as it was, but now he was truly curious. "How?"

"Simple, if I was referring to the both of you, you'd still be y'all, but if I only mean you Captain, then 'y'alls all o' y'all,' simple as that," Bones gave him an impish grin that seemed to take years of his normally weary features.

"Y'alls all of y'all…." Jim shook his head. "That's a tongue twister if I ever heard one."

"It does defy logic," Spock mused. "I find this accent as you call it most peculiar."

"And this is true, you're not pulling our leg?" Jim asked and Bones had another sip of his glass, stretching out his feet in front of him.

"Sho'nuf," Bones drawled.

"Totally illogical," Spock shook his head lightly as he moved his piece a half level up.

"I've heard you say 'yous'all,'" Jim glanced at his friend before turning his attention back to the board. If Bones was actually willing to share he was going to make the most of it. "That's the same as 'y'all,' isn't it? Why have two different expressions for it."

"Because ya danged Yankee Doodle, it ain't the same at all," Bones snorted. "Ye can be y'all all by yer lonesome, and ye both can be y'all, even if it's three, five or never mind how many of ya there are, yer still gonna be y'all," his drawl was thick and rich and Jim thought he had never heard it quite so pronounced before.

"Alright, y'all can be any number of people at all," he nodded, moving his chess piece and knowing he was paying too little attention to the game and Spock was going to win for sure. "When do you use 'yous'all' then?"

"Well, yous'all is y'all plus three," Bones grinned.

"Totally illogical," Spock tilted his head to the side as if he was trying to decide if one small glance of brandy was able to completely intoxicate the man to the point where comprehensive speech was not possible.

"An unspecified number, plus three?" Jim asked, eyebrows up and shaking his head. "Honestly?"

"Sho'nuf," Bones nodded again.

Spock's eyebrows knit together in a frown, "it is mathematically illogical to use an unspecified number plus three as a base for an expression. It is in fact, quite impossible."

"No it ain't, I done did do it didn't I?" Bones demanded with a scowl.

"You know Bones," Jim made a futile attempt at salvaging his part in the chess game for what little good it would do him. "I do not understand the southern accent. I rather like it, but I do not understand it…"

"Captain, I would have to suggest that no one understands it. It is totally illogical," Spock moved another piece. "Check mate."

"Bones' understands it," Jim sighed as he leaned back.

"Doctor McCoy is by himself totally illogical," Spock decided. "He does indeed appear to be convinced that the expressions he uses are actual words."

"I think some of them are, at least southern words," Jim mused.

"Sho'nuf," instead of showing anger Bones held up his glass in a mock salute.

"Totally illogical," Spock shook his head confused as Bones emptied his glass and sat it on the desk, turning his full attention to the screen.

TBC

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