Disclaimer: Nope, Star Trek still isn't mine.

Chapter Three: Winter Wonderland

December 23rd:

McCoy bounded onto the bridge.  "Jim!  Do you realize where we are?!"

Kirk glanced up from the reports he had been signing.  McCoy, particularly when he got that look, tended to be more interesting than reports.  "Do I know where we are?  Well, let's see…" He assumed a look of deep concentration.  "Now, don't tell me, I can get this…"  He snapped his fingers.  "The bridge of the Enterprise!"

"No!"  McCoy stopped and reviewed.  "Well…yes, but…that's not what I meant!"

Kirk nodded.  "I suspected as much.  Are you referring to our being in orbit around Lanthanide IV?"

"Right!  And do you know what's down there?"

"A colony?"

"No!"  McCoy stopped again.  Reviewed again.  "Well…yes, but…stop doing that!"

Kirk grinned.  "Sorry.  So what's down there that has you so excited?"

McCoy beamed.  "Snow."

Kirk waited.  Explanations did not seem to be coming.  "And…what exactly is so wonderful about snow?"

"It's two days before Christmas.  We're within beaming distance of snow.  We have some extra time," McCoy said patiently.  "Get it?"

"You want us to beam down and play in the snow."

"I wouldn't have put it like that, but essentially, yes."

Kirk thought about it.  "Actually…that may have some merit.  There's probably lots of crewmembers who wouldn't mind an afternoon off to, I don't know, build snowmen or something…"

"One-hundred and seventeen."

Kirk looked at him.  "You've been spreading the word, haven't you?"

McCoy shrugged innocently.  "You know how many people you can pass between Sickbay and the bridge?"

"One-hundred and seventeen?"

"Just about."

"All right, fine, we're taking the afternoon off to go build snowmen.  If this wasn't Christmas…"

"But it is.  And guess who's coming with us, too."

*  *  *

Two hundred and six crewmembers beamed down.  Among them were Kirk and McCoy.  Also Spock, who had consented to be dragged along.  They located a nice snowy, rural area to beam into.  Upon arrival, the crewmembers scattered, in search of varying snow-type activities.

"Well, now that we're here, what shall we do?" Kirk asked.

"Well…I'd suggest ice skating but I never was very good at that," McCoy admitted.  "And besides, I don't know how Spock could possibly skate from inside that giant coat."

The coat was rather large and bulky.  Or maybe it was just that Spock had two other coats on underneath.

"Why did you wear three coats, Spock?" McCoy asked.  "It's not that cold."

"I am from a desert world, Doctor.  It is very cold.  Please explain to me again why we're here."

"Because that's part of Christmas!  Snow!  You know, 'Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow.'  'I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas.'  'Walking in a Winter Wonderland…'"

"I believe you have made your point," Spock interrupted.  He was unsure how long the Doctor could go on quoting song titles, and he wasn't interested in finding out.  "So what do we do with this snow?"

"Well…we could build a snowman."

So they built a snowman.  It looked pretty much like a snowman.  Big round body, big round head, a few stray hats and scarves finding their way onto it.

Spock eyed it critically.  "It is not very well proportioned."

"It's not supposed to be," McCoy said by way of explanation.

Spock chalked it up as another peculiar human custom that was beyond fathoming.

"You know what?  It needs something," McCoy decided.

Kirk considered.  "Looks okay to me."

"Hmm…"  McCoy grinned.  "I've got it.  Think there's any pinecones lying around under those trees over there?"

"Yeah, probably.  What are you going to do with pinecones?"

"You'll see," McCoy called over his shoulder as he walked towards the trees.  He located a couple of pinecones without any great difficulty, and returned.  Then, he carefully affixed the pinecones to the sides of the snowman's head, pointed ends up.  "There!  A Snow-vulcan!"

Kirk grinned in spite of himself.  "You have a strange sense of humor, Bones."

"It does not look like a Vulcan," Spock observed.

McCoy shrugged.  "Close enough.  Should we build a Snow-klingon now?"

Let's not.  Wouldn't do to offend the Klingon Empire."

"Okay, Jim.  Besides, we really ought to show Spock a few other traditions."

"Such as?" Spock asked.

"Well…"  McCoy shook his head.  "Nope, can't picture that one happening."

"What?" Kirk asked.

"Snow angels."

Kirk shook his head.  "No."

"Okay, I've got it.  So, Spock, there's another pretty prevalent tradition relating to snow," McCoy said.  "The snowball fight."

Kirk had a very bemused expression.  "I think I'll just stand over here and watch this one."

McCoy picked up a handful of snow, made a rough ball of it, and threw it at Spock.  It hit the Vulcan in the shoulder, and most of it slid off.  Spock brushed what was left away, calmly.  McCoy waited.  Spock looked at him quizzically.

"Now what?"

McCoy sighed.  "Now you throw one at me," he said patiently.

"And why would I do that?"

"Because that's what you do in a snowball fight!  Throw snowballs at each other!"

"This is recreation?"

"Yes!"

Spock was doubtful.  "It seems like an excellent way to become very cold and very wet in a very short time.  I would think that as a physician you would object to it as being an efficient way to develop hypothermia."

McCoy took a moment to absorb that one.  "Well.  I give up.  Absolutely surrender.  Be a Scrooge, Spock, I'm done."  He turned and started walking away.  "I'm going to see if Yeoman Rand's managed to make decent coffee over at the beam-down site.  Wouldn't want hypothermia."

Spock watched McCoy walking away for a few moments.  After the doctor was a fair distance off, Spock bent down, and scooped up a handful of snow.  He carefully patted it into a perfect sphere, and regarded it dispassionately for a moment.  Then, he threw it.

It hit McCoy in the back of his neck.  "Hey!"

"Perhaps there is some value to this tradition after all," Spock mused.

If Kirk hadn't known better, he would have sworn Spock smiled for just a moment.  It was hard to say though, as he caught only a bare glimpse and then his vision was obscured by wet white stuff.    He brushed snow out of his eyes, blinking.

"Nice aim, Jim," McCoy said, approaching.  "Not quite fair to hit while my back's turned though."

"Aim…?  No, wait, that wasn't me, that was…"  Kirk stopped, half pointing towards Spock.  "I haven't even said it yet, and it already sounds ridiculous," he told the landscape in general.

McCoy was doubtful.  "You're not going to try and tell me Spock threw it."

Kirk shrugged.  "Crazy as it sounds, yes."

Spock was the picture of innocence and Vulcan-calm, hands clasped behind his back.  One eyebrow rose.  "I, Captain?"

"Don't look at me like that, you know…"  Kirk trailed off.  "Oh what's the use?  Only one way to handle this."  He leaned down and scooped up a double handful of snow.  Half went at McCoy.  The other half hit Spock in the nose.  "I have my honor to consider, you know."

It was three rather wet Starfleet officers who beamed aboard later.