Welcome back, and thanks for sticking around. The shore leave continues, with more mischief and mishaps.
When they returned to their temporary quarters some hours later, they could feel the unfamiliar exercise in their feet.
Leonard promptly sat down on the sofa in the living room to slip his boots off.
"I'm getting too old for sightseeing."
"It would hurt less if you hadn't worn your uniform boots. They are not made for long walks."
"Believe me or not, Spock. I've noticed."
"Well, one thing I'm sure off," Jim said.
"What's that?" the doctor asked.
"You and Spock won't be sharing a bedroom. It'll save the two of you some trouble."
"Trouble, with little old me?" McCoy said innocently and grinned at Spock.
"I'll take Spock, and the two of you can share the other bedroom, alright?"
"Sure," Christine said.
"Of course," Leonard agreed. "But I don't want to come between you and disturb your married bliss."
"I doubt you will, Doctor," Spock retorted drily and sent Christine a sly look.
Even he had to recognise the humour of the situation. Maybe one day, Jim and McCoy would be able to understand why Christine was grinning at Spock as widely, and why Spock just shrugged nonchalantly. For the moment, they would remain ignorant as to their surprising private affairs.
Sometime later, while seated around the low dinner table in the main room, they settled into a companionate silence after finishing the meal their reservation came with. Being high-ranking officers on the famous Enterprise had some definite perks.
"So, anything else planned for the evening?" McCoy asked as he pushed his plate away.
"Dare I ask what you have in mind?" Kirk countered.
"Oh, I thought maybe have a drink, play some games, tell stories, sing…"
Spock's sigh was unmistakable as he recoiled at the idea of such illogical merriment.
Kirk nodded towards Christine. "Behave yourself, Bones."
He wasn't quite sure what her stance on McCoy's idea of fun was, but certainly didn't want her to feel embarrassed by any puerile behaviour from her commanding officer.
"Thanks, Captain, but I think I can handle it," Christine said. "I wouldn't have come if I couldn't."
"I am sure she's well aware of both our virtues and vices after all this time," Spock added.
Jim smirked up at him. "Vulcan vices? Didn't know you had any."
"I've yet to see their virtues," McCoy grumbled.
Spock took the bait. "I can assure you, Doctor, you have profited from them sufficiently through the years, and you have not missed an opportunity to test them with your human vices."
"Glad to hear it, Spock. What's your verdict?"
"My verdict?"
"What's the test result? Do your Vulcan virtues withstand my human vices?"
"Naturally, Doctor. Resistance against provocation is a Vulcan virtue."
"Naturally. What about your Vulcan vices? And our human virtues?"
Spock sighed minutely, a sign that the conversation was getting too personal for his taste right now. "I'm sure you already know the answer to that," he said, with a meaningful raise of his eyebrow.
McCoy relented. "Yes, I know, Spock."
There was no point in forcing a declaration of friendship out of Spock, was his presence here, and the way he took part in their human gatherings proof enough.
That night, most of them slept well. Technically, half of them.
Spock was slumbering peacefully and didn't wake up even as Jim awoke only an hour into their sleep, a nagging feeling in his stomach. Planetary stays always managed to throw his feeling of mealtimes out of balance, accustomed as he was to the artificial environment of a starship. Still, knowing the cause did nothing to alleviate his appetite, and he got up to make himself a sandwich in the main room. He thought he had seen a food synthesizer.
On the other side of the apartment, meanwhile, Christine had been woken up by Leonard's incessant snoring. If she remembered, she'd shoo him to sickbay first thing upon their return, if she ever was to share rooms with him again. For a while, she tried to ignore the disturbance, but to no avail. Finally, she gave up, bundled up her blanket and left her bed for the sofa in the living room.
She flinched as the unexpected sight of Kirk bent over the synthesizer startled her.
"Couldn't sleep?" he asked.
"Leonard snores," she said while throwing the blanket on the sofa. "You're making a midnight snack?"
"Want one as well while I'm at it?"
"No thanks, I'll just try to sleep here. But carry on, I don't mind. Everything's better than Leonard's snoring."
Jim fiddled with the synthesizer for a bit, got his sandwich and turned to go to his bedroom again. Christine had not yet settled down and was arranging the blanket over and under her legs.
"You're getting along nicely," he said and pointed towards the bedroom where Spock was sleeping.
"Huh? Oh, why, yes…"
"The five-year mission seems ages away," Jim said, smiling with a sudden burst of nostalgia.
Christine sighed and leant back until she was lying down. "It is. Oh, I was young and awkward."
"Don't be so hard on yourself. If you were, we all were. Him as well."
She turned to him, abruptly. "Spock? Well, now that you mention it…" She smirked suddenly, as she remembered the Vulcan's early struggles with humanity.
"What did he do?" Jim asked curiously.
"When I…Why, when I told him I loved him, do you know what he said?"
Jim shook his head. Of course, he didn't. Spock and he had never talked about that particular incident.
"Just 'I'm sorry', nothing more," Christine continued. "And he turned around and left the room. What kind of an answer is that? Poor guy, he must have been overwhelmed by it all, probably didn't know what to do with emotions."
"He's come a long way. Maybe the longest of us all."
"He has indeed," Christine murmured sleepily.
Jim noticed the yawn she barely managed to stifle. "I'm sorry, now I'm the one keeping you from sleeping. Good night, Chris."
"Good night."
Jim left her and returned to the bedroom, where he sunk down on his bed to finish his sandwich. Spock was still sleeping, ignorant of his friend watching him. All things considered, Jim thought, those two would make a pretty good match after all. It was a pity Spock couldn't see it.
When Jim awoke, Spock was gone from the bedroom. He found him in the living room, perched in the armchair next to the sofa, reading.
"Did you wake her?" Jim asked, motioning towards Chris Chapel's deserted sleeping place.
Spock nodded. "I was greeted with an expletive."
Jim's prodding after the exact events was prevented by the object of their conversation entering the room, followed by McCoy.
Christine threw Spock an admonishing glance that he answered with an apologetic shrug.
"I think we're both not in her good books today, Spock," McCoy said as he noticed the exchange.
"With good reason, I would have to admit."
"Why? What'd you do, Spock?"
"The same as you. My presence woke her."
"You were anything but present, Spock," Christine scolded him. But she was smirking. "You didn't notice I was still sleeping on the sofa until it was too late."
"So much is true…" Spock said, wishing that Dr McCoy would not prod. He seemed to enjoy this too much already.
Jim watched the banter from afar as he prepared breakfast. Spock quickly joined him after he had managed to flee the two doctors, and busied himself with the food synthesizer for a while.
When Jim joined the doctors at the table, the good-natured dispute had died down, and they gladly accepted the plates of food. When Spock came over as well, he was carrying a coffeepot and some mugs.
"Now, what do you call that?" McCoy asked after they had all sat down.
"Breakfast," Spock said, as he poured Christine a coffee.
"Vulcan virtues," Christine said and winked up at him, evoking a giggle from Jim and a huff from Leonard.
"So, what's on the agenda for today?" McCoy asked after the plates had been emptied and the coffee had been sipped.
"There are other temples in the next district that might prove interesting, the coastal district is the same distance the other way, and miscellaneous sources for entertainment can be found towards the centre of the city," Spock supplied promptly.
"Huh. All of which are probably restricted to married couples only," Leonard joked and grinned at Jim.
"Well, if that's so, Leonard, you can rest your feet and we'll tell you how it was. We'll take some pictures."
"You are enjoying our situation in excess," Spock admonished. The ambiguity was not lost to Christine.
"Oh? Let me have my fun with it, while it lasts," she teased, her smirk mirrored by Jim and Leonard although the double meaning went well over their heads.
Spock relented, inclining his head softly. There was no harm in her joking about their predicament. Humans often employed humour to deal with the unexpected. Maybe this was one instance. In any case, she might as well have fun with it before they tried to reverse their unwelcome attachment.
And there it was again, that feeling that, in the grand scheme of things, he was missing something crucial. It was irksome. Usually, he didn't miss anything. But some notion, or even emotion, was dancing around his subconscious, grazing his consciousness just enough to make him aware of its elusiveness. He would try to explore it during mediation when he got the chance.
For now, the matter of shore leave presented enough challenges. After weighing the arguments, they unanimously decided to go to the beach today, and leave the other activities for days on which the weather might not be as good.
Spock did not care much for the beach. But as he did not care much for shore leave in general, he saw no reason to object. Once there, he found a stone to sit on and rest, while his shipmates frolicked in the water. He closed his eyes against the sun, more out of habit than necessity, and leant against the hard surface.
Christine found him like this when she came out of the water to dry her hair. Caressed by the sun, his dark hair seemed streaked with light, and the faint breeze moved a strand here and there. His overall serenity was remarkable. From his eyelids, over his lean, long limbs, all the way to the tips of his graceful fingers, his body was absolutely still and calm. A strange sensation of fondness tugged at Christine as she watched his resting form. But she didn't dwell on it, and when Kirk and McCoy joined them seconds later, and Spock opened his eyes, she had all but forgotten.
The weather did deteriorate the next day. Not dramatically so, but at least so much that the rest of their stay was better spent in the city.
Apart from the initial shock with the temple, there were no other incidents, if you didn't count McCoy already living up to his promise of not letting Spock live this down.
As they passed a gift shop on their third day of leave, for instance, he couldn't resist nagging the Vulcan.
"Wanna buy the missus a souvenir?"
Spock raised one eyebrow. He looked at Christine, who only shook her head at him in amused acceptance. Leonard would never make these joking remarks if there was any potential of them hitting a sensitive nerve. Until now, the only nerve they hit was the one controlling Spock's brow.
He was diligent, though, to never miss a chance.
When they passed a certain establishment on the same stroll, glowing neon signs declaring it as the best club in town, McCoy's face lit up at the opportunity.
"Look at that," he said, pointing at a sign, "bachelors only night tomorrow. The two of us can go, Jim."
He looked pointedly up at Spock, who sighed briefly and raised a brow.
"Please, Doctor, I will not feel left out if you do. I feel no temptation to enter this…establishment."
"What a prude," McCoy murmured.
The grin was wiped from his face at Spock's next statement.
"And I will add, Doctor, that your time of night-time entertainment is long past."
"Hold on, Spock! How much do you even know about my 'night-time entertainment'?"
"Too much, Doctor. Too much," Spock said contritely and they walked on, the Vulcan leading the way.
When they had fallen behind some steps, Jim took McCoy's arm.
"Bones, don't you think you should let it go?"
"Why, Jim?"
"I don't want your jokes to come between them, harmless as they might be. They've been getting along well lately."
"Jim, I might be a doctor, not a psychologist. But they can handle it," McCoy said calmly. "Look at them." He pointed ahead to where Christine was laughing at something Spock had said. "They're friends now, Jim. Before something I say could come between them, Spock would put me in my place."
Jim nodded as he saw what Bones meant. "Or Christine," he added, as he remembered that for all her coyness and warm nature, the younger Doctor had quite the reputation for snarky remarks and putting people in their place if they deserved it. McCoy had been more than deserving in the past and had always gotten his due.
For now, he was living up to his reputation of not breaking promises, as he fervently reminded Spock of the supposed mix-up in the transferred data at every turn.
To be continued...
And that concludes their shore leave. Now, wasn't there something to be taken care of?