As the blood fever dissipated, Spock's mind returned to him. He blinked, his face pressed into the blue fabric of a uniform. As he found his footing, the previous moment's actions flooded into his consciousness. Withdrawing his appendage from her, he reached for tissue from the counter to clean himself.

He cleared his throat as he buckled his belt, "It would appear, doctor, your serum is effective." He put his shirt back on, anticipating that she too was cleaning herself and redressing. Instead, when he turned, he found her in the same position. For a moment, his discomfort and vulnerability faded into a feeling of fondness toward his new mate, and pride of being able to satisfy her. "Dr. Vida?" When she didn't answer, he paced to the other side of the table. The pleasant feelings were overwhelmed by shock, concern for her, and disgust with himself.

Her neck and wrists bore the mark of his hands. Her exposed breast was quickly forming dark bruises while her thighs emerged with fingerprints. At some point she'd bled. The table's angle bent her back in an odd position. He brushed her hair from her face and found it to be off-colored.

"Vivian!"

His hands flew to free her feet from their restraints. He jammed the button on the side of the table, erecting it into an upright position. He caught her by the shoulders as she flopped forward, and leaned her back into a stable position. With two fingers, he touched the side of her neck and found a pulse, which relieved at least part of him. Gently he shook her, then tried patting her face. After calling her name a few more times, he used his communicator to urgently summon Dr. McCoy to Dr. Vida's lab.

"Spock?" McCoy called from the lab.
"In here, quick."

When the doctor caught sight of the other two figures he paused in the doorway. "What's going on?" As he approached, Spock walked to the opposite corner, communicator in hand. "Dr. Vida! My God!"

"Captain, report to the life sciences deck, immediately."

He checked for a pulse, then attempted to shine a light in her eyes. His eyes fell on her various wounds, turning his stomach. "You found her like this? Who the hell-"

"On my way."

McCoy made note of the strange syringe, the open scalpel on the counter, and black fabric on the ground.

"Will she be alright?"

"She looks like she'd been hanging upside down like a damn bat- all the blood went to her head. After the blood recirculates, she should come to on her own, and maybe tell us what happened."

Kirk followed the sounds of voices through the lab and into the small exam room. "Dr. Vida?! McCoy, what happened?!" His eyes met Spock's.

"Captain, I surrender myself for court martial."

"Surrender yourself?" Kirk was confused. "For what offense?"

McCoy put the pieces together before Spock opened his mouth, "Sexual assault."

"You did this?! You green bastard!"

"McCoy!" Kirk called his medical officer down, "Spock, are you saying you-"

"Forced myself on the doctor, yes. I anticipate being confined to my quarters now."

"No sir! Kirk, he's a violent threat. How do we know he won't go after another woman? Rand next? He needs to be in the brig."

"I will harm no one else."

Kirk shook his head in disbelief, "Commander Spock, you've been relieved of your duties. Return to your quarters to await further disciplinary action."

He nodded and exited the room. The impending end of his career weighed on him. Of the new feelings he was experiencing, he found guilt particularly unpleasant. The most overwhelming feeling was worry for her. The evidence that he'd hurt her, physically, was apparent. The idea of having caused psychological damage put his heartbeat in his throat.

Vivian made an effort to get to know him as an individual before jumping for his resources. She tried to bring elements of their home aboard the ship. In injecting him with her serum, she was only attempting to legitimize her research. Doing so, meant that she had trusted him. He felt that his actions had violated that. Not only had he eliminated the potential for a mate, he'd lost the opportunity to have a life companion in an intriguing woman he considered to be his equal.

"Kirk he BRUTALIZED that woman."

"How do you know?"

"Look at her neck, Jim. I'll find a lot worse, I bet. But I won't do a full exam until she's awake to consent to it."

"You really think Spock is capable of attacking a woman?" He paced, almost stepping on a syringe. "What's this?" He found it's previous home in the box on the counter.

"Look's like part of her research."

"But there's space for two here."

"Well if one got used, it's in the sharps box now- no way to tell...Say, do you remember that presentation?"

"I do...You think she injected him with something?"

"Possibly. If she really can do that blood fever bit, this makes a lot of sense. We saw him on Vulcan that trip."

"I remember our battle...that WOULD explain his odd behavior...but I wouldn't consider that excusable...I need to talk to him. Will she be alright?"

"I'll give her some fluids, maybe some pain medication. When she wakes up I'll let you know."

Kirk sighed, and moved with purpose elsewhere.

Vivian's eyes fluttered open as she danced in and out of consciousness. She found herself in her new suite, nude in bed. The bed was warmer than usual.

"Shhh, go back to sleep," A voice urged.

In the glow of her lanterns, she could make out the sharp facial features of her Commander.
"Spock?" She turned to face him, pulling the sheets with her.

He smiled, slightly, and pressed his lips to her forehead, "It's alright." His hand played with her hair. He also seemed to be nude.

Rolling so her head rested on his chest, she beamed. He was warm, and she could hear his heartbeat. He kissed the top of her head.

She knew the feeling of tiredness and satisfaction that followed sex, leading her to not question the situation. "Spock," She whispered contently, tilting her face up toward his. He lowered his own, meeting her lips with his in the middle.

"Dr. Vida, can you hear me?"

Vivian smiled slightly and let out a happy sigh. Her eyes blinked a few times, "Oh Spock, I-Dr. McCoy?" She found herself, not in her bed, but leaning back on her own exam table. "When did you get here?" Her brow furrowed, "Where's Commander Spock?"