When I'm writing a scene or a chapter, I usually just keep writing until a theme emerges, and it seems as if I have achieved something. Then I know I'm done. Sometimes a line of dialogue will trigger the memory of something like a song lyric. It occurred to me while writing this chapter that Captain Kirk is a Desperado...

And freedom, oh, freedom

Well, that's just some people talking

Your prison is walking through this world all alone

~DESPERADO by The Eagles~

Threats are illogical

"Captain. Jim, we need to talk," Charlene announced when she entered Captain Kirk's ready room unannounced.

"Lieutenant Masters, what business brings you here to my neck of the woods?" Jim asked with a friendly smile.

"This isn't about the ship's business. It's personal."

"Oh?" Kirk was taken aback by that. He and Charlene had little to no personal relationship since she became a member of his crew. They had dated back in their academy days, but since the day he arrived aboard the Enterprise, she had conducted herself professionally and never used her familiarity with him in front of others to garner any favors. Hell, she pretty much avoided him. Normally he was fine with that, but lately, he was feeling a little lonely and it was good to see a familiar face, especially that of an old friend.

"Well, Lieutenant, what can I do for you?" he asked, taking a seat at his desk.

"First, you can call me Charlene. I told you this is personal and I don't want our rank to interfere."

"Okay then, Charlene what can I do for you?" he gestured for her to sit.

"Jim, I don't know if you are aware but Nyota is my best friend on this ship."

"No, I didn't know that. Uhura has so many friends I cannot be expected to keep track of them all."

"Well, I am her best friend and you are Spock's best friend." She said.

"So?"

"So, I think we should talk."

"Talk about what exactly?"

"About our mutual friends," Charlene said as if it was obvious. "Spock and Ny are in such a good place right now. I don't want to see anything happen to them."

"Neither do I. Spock is as you said, my best friend. I want nothing but the best for him."

"And what about Nyota?"

Jim bristled. Why was everybody asking him about Uhura? "Of course, Uhura too."

"And what if Nyota is the best for Spock?" Charlene asked with slitted eyes.

"Charlene, what's your point?"

"My point is Jim, my old friend. I know you. I know how you feel about relationships. I know your M.O."

"I have an M.O.?"

"Yeah. Remember me and Finny?"

Jim scowled at the very mention of the name. Finny, that bastard! "Why bring him up?" He still wasn't over the way Finnegan treated him back in the academy. Even beating the shit out of Finny on the shore-leave planet had not washed the bitter taste of Finny's name from his mouth.

"See Jim. You tried to come between Finny and me up and we weren't even dating! You just couldn't stand that somebody wanted to be with me after you dumped me."

"What? Dumped you? You dumped me! And if you weren't dating Finnegan, why were you always hanging out with him or hanging all over him more like it." He said, remembering the time he had seen Finnegan carrying Charlene through the campus like a damsel as if it was yesterday.

"First of all, what business was it of yours? And second, because Finny was my friend. He was there to take care of me when I needed a friend!"

"What could you have possibly needed a jerk like Finnegan for? He treated all of us underclassmen like plebes. Why was he nice to you if you weren't dating him?"

"Maybe because he was not the jerk you remember. Or maybe he just didn't like you." Charlene poked Kirk in the chest. "Did you ever think of that?"

"Why would Finnegan not like me?" The very idea of someone not liking him was alien to Kirk.

Charlene shook her head in dismay. "Jim, I didn't come here to talk about Finnegan and old times. I came here because I'm concerned about our mutual friends and their happiness. Nyota and Spock are getting along so well and they are in such a good place finally."

"Again, so?" Jim asked with annoyance.

"So why the hell are you trying to interfere with their relationship?" she fired at him.

"Woah now! How the hell am I interfering in their relationship and what business of yours is it what I do?"

"Jim, because I know you and your patterns. You see someone you care about or used to care about and you can't stand to see them move on or be happy without you."

"That is absolutely not true. I don't do that."

"Yes, you do, and you're doing it now. Jim, I know all about Nyota and Spock, and I've been trying to support them since day one. But what are you trying to do? You wish they weren't together. You ask Spock to join you in the gym and to play chess when he's off duty and should be with his wife. You call him at odd hours and have him accompany you on every dangerous away mission-"

"Now wait just a minute. That's how I run my ship, Lieutenant! Spock is the first officer and I have to consult with him often. I decide who goes on missions. And every away mission is dangerous, but that's the job we all signed up for!"

"Sure Jim, but we both know you know you don't need Spock by your side for every mission. I'm not trying to tell you how to run the Enterprise. I'm only trying to help you run your friendship before you lose it."

"If, and this is totally hypothetical; if I were doing these things you say, why would I do it?"

Charlene shrugged her shoulders and answered flatly, "because you're lonely. Because you're afraid to lose your best friend? Because you can't stand to be left behind? Take your pick, all of the above. I don't know and I don't care. I do know you need to chill out and let your friend love his wife."

"Love? Ha! We're talking about Spock here."

"So? What's that supposed to mean? You don't think Spock and Nyota are in love?" Charlene asked, getting right up in Kirks's face.

He gave her a smug smile like he wanted to pat her on the head for being foolish. "I'm sure Uhura has some feelings for Spock, but Spock is a Vulcan. He is not in love."

A look of pity swept over Charlene's face. "Oh Jim, you really are a fool. As Spock's friend, you should know better than anyone else how much he is in love with Nyota. He doesn't have to say it. You don't even need eyes to see it. Just the way he talks about her, the way he caters to her, the way he looks at her and tries to protect her, even from himself. He loves her. And she loves him. You can pretend you don't see it, but it's there and nothing is going to change it. If you try driving a wedge between them, it will backfire on you. And just in case it doesn't, I'm here to tell you that I'm watching you and I'm not gonna let you ruin their relationship."

"If they are really 'in love' there is nothing I can do to ruin it, is there?" He challenged her.

"We can kill love just like a living thing. If you don't feed it and nurture it and give it room to grow, if you smother it or turn your back on it, you can be sure it will wither and die. Hearts get broken every day." She said and the look in her eye told Kirk that someone had broken her heart badly. Probably that damn Finny.

"Jim, I didn't come here to attack you."

"No? You coulda fooled me."

"This whole thing has gotten out of hand. I'm just looking out for my friend, and I bet if I was threatening to harm Spock, you'd be on my ass too."

"Why do you care so much? I didn't even know you were that close to Uhura."

"She's grown on me over the years and now she's like a little sister to me. If I can prevent her from having her life wrecked by some fuckboy, then I will."

Kirk laughed out loud at the sheer ridiculousness of the statement. "Fuckboy?! We're talking about Mr. Spock!"

Charlene frowned as she looked at him. "Are we though?"

"You sound a little bitter, Charlene. You sure we're not talking about you?"

"Let's just say I've had my fair share of letdowns in the past. I guess I have poor taste in men."

Kirk thought she certainly did. There was Finny, and there were rumors she was seeing DeSalle on and off again. He was a known playboy on the ship. And then there was that alien Lazarus who came aboard and nearly swept her off her feet. Talk about poor taste!

Kirk knew all about that incident. He was glad Lazarus departed before he compromised her in some way. "Charlene, I don't know what you expect me to say. I would never do anything to hurt Spock and Uhura. That's all I can promise you."

"I can only take you at your word." She said with a resigned sigh.

"My word is my bond," he repeated her words the other night.

Charlene smiled at that. "I don't need your bond." Then she changed the subject. "I'm planning a party for the happy newlyweds. As the best man, I expect you to be there and at least pretend to be happy."

"Best man? Spock hasn't mentioned anything to me about being a best man." Jim felt hurt that he hadn't been asked.

"He doesn't know yet, but I'm sure he'd ask you if he did. I'm going to put on a little wedding ceremony for them so they can say a few words in front of their friends. It's a surprise wedding!"

"Well, in that case, I'll perform the ceremony. That's the captain's job."

Charlene shook her head. "Not this time. You're the best man. You stand beside your friend and let someone else do the honors. I was thinking about Leonard. I bet he'd love to do it." Charlene stood up and headed for the door.

"Now wait just a minute! Who put you in charge of this wedding party?" Kirk asked.

Charlene turned back around before she departed and said, "I did. No, listen up. I've forgiven you for a lot of things in the past, Jim. But if you fuck this up for our friends, that I will not forgive. Captain." She gave a mock salute and left the room.

*/*/*

After Charlene left his office, Kirk made his way down to the science labs to talk to Dr. McCoy. He was one part angry and one part impressed that Charlene had the nerve to stand up to him. "Alright Bones, here's another challenge for you. What innovative treatment do you have for an old pain in the ass?" He paced back and forth in the small enclosure.

McCoy looked up from a scanner. "What's wrong now Jim? That old Gorn injury bothering you?"

"It's an old injury alright. One of my crew members just threatened me," he said.

"What? Who? Why?"

"Lieutenant Charlene Masters, that's who."

"Charlene? What did you do to her now?"

"What do you mean, what did I do to her now? She threatened me, practically threatened to kick my ass if I "fucked things up" for our friends!"

"Oh?" McCoy laughed and turned back to the scanner. "Well, I've threatened to kick your ass if you fucked our friends over."

"No, you have not!" Kirk took umbrage at that.

"No? Well, consider yourself threatened now." Bones laughed and shook his head. "So little Lieutenant Masters threatened you, huh? She's barely knee-high to a June bug." He spoke with an exaggerated southern drawl. "To think she had the gumption to put you in your place."

"She's got plenty of gumption alright. I almost forgot how sassy her mouth is." Kirk smiled despite his anger.

McCoy saw the look on his friend's face. "Almost forgot? What do you mean?"

"We used to date in the Academy. Boy, she used to chew me out. I'm sure I told you that."

McCoy whistled. "Oh yeah. You sure do have a type, don't you Jim?"

"What's that, Bones?" Kirk asked with a distracted voice. He was clearly thinking about something else now that he had cooled off.

"I said I've never met one of your old friends that didn't look like Lieutenant Masters, or Miss Areel Shaw, or Dr. Janet Wallace, or Dr. Janice Lester, or..."

"Yeah, yeah. I get the picture. And do you know what all those beautiful women have in common?"

McCoy started listing their common features. "Brains? Beauty? Big-"

"They all dumped me, that's what." Kirk supplied.

"Hearts!" McCoy said.

"Hearts? What, Bones?" Kirk asked with a puzzled look on his face.

"I was going to say they have big hearts before you interrupted me."

Kirk shook his head. "No, you weren't."

"No, I wasn't." McCoy grinned. "But I think I know why all these perfect women dump you."

"Oh yeah? What's your diagnosis, doctor?"

"You're a cheat," McCoy said with a serious expression.

Kirk was affronted. "I am not. I've never cheated on a woman in my life!"

"You are, Jim. You treat women like your side piece when they want to be your main squeeze."

"Bones, what are you saying?"

"This ship has been your focus for so long you don't realize you treat her like your wife. The Enterprise comes first and foremost and that's normal for a captain, I suppose. But women like to be first in their man's life." McCoy explained to his friend. "Look at Spock. He's not working as much as he used to. I have no doubt in my mind Uhura is his first priority now."

"I hadn't noticed any difference," Kirk said, thinking about what Charlene said earlier.

"Of course not. As long as the ship is running at peak performance, you're good. But Spock has cut back a lot. He used to be in the science labs at all hours of the day and night when he wasn't on the bridge. Or he'd be down in engineering pestering Scotty's crew. Now he calls it a day at a reasonable hour. He has dinner in his quarters with his wife, not in the office or the rec room with us bachelors."

"Yeah, I've had to ask him to join me for chess a few times and he's always busy"

"See. Spock knows what's important in life. You don't." McCoy reiterated.

"True, but if Spock doesn't have a wife, he could die. Humans have no such necessity."

"Jim, we all need love, companionship, sex. You cheat those women and you cheat yourself, too. This ship is a marvel of engineering, but it can't love you. You better let somebody love you before it's too late and you end up old and alone."

"Everyone dies alone, Bones. Death is the final frontier."

"But you need not go through life alone. Don't you want a wife and some kids to ease the journey?"

"Has it eased your journey any, Bone?" He snapped and then regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. "I'm sorry Bones. I guess I'm in a foul mood. Forgive me?"

"Sure." McCoy waved him off. "Maybe Lieutenant Masters struck a nerve, huh?"

"Maybe she did, Bones. Maybe."