Tony materialized in his apartment beside Kirk and took a moment to reorient himself.

The hypnotic treatment he'd received from Spock that would prevent him from talking about or acting on anything he'd learned, seen, or heard aboard the Enterprise had been remarkably simple. He'd relaxed in a chair, and Spock had spoken quietly to him while massaging certain pressure points on his face.

After Spock finished, Tony had tried to ask a question about the Enterprise but found he couldn't even say the ship's name. It was weird, and even a little frustrating, but it was a small price to pay for healthy lungs and knees.

"Okay?" Kirk asked.

"Yeah," Tony replied. "Just - getting used to being back home."

"Ah." Kirk's expression turned a little embarrassed. "About that - we're only here long enough for you to pack."

Tony turned to stare at him. "Pack? For what?"

"A trip to Vienna."

Tony blinked. "Why am I going to Vienna?"

"Because you can claim you got an experimental treatment for your lungs there," Kirk replied. "There are a couple of stem-cell therapy clinics operating there - none of the treatments are officially approved yet, but repairing your lungs is just one thing they'll be capable of when they are."

Tony mulled that over a moment, privately embarrassed that he'd been so caught up in the adventure and then the case that he hadn't even thought of explaining his absence, let alone his improved lung function, to anyone. "Sounds great, except I'll need a paper trail for travel."

"It's taken care of."

"Spock?"

"His ethics wouldn't let him," Kirk said. "I did."

Tony wanted to object, though he couldn't say why he wanted to object, but after a moment, he gave a mental shrug.

"I assume you have the tickets, paperwork, whatever?" he asked.

Kirk pulled a small packet of paper - actual paper, not a PADD - from the pouch he carried. "Airline tickets, a press-and-apply passport stamp for Vienna for two days ago, and a reservation for a hotel starting tonight."

Tony took the packet with a frown. "What about the last two nights?" Then he realized, "I was at the clinic."

Kirk just grinned briefly before saying, "If you'll bring me your passport, I'll apply the stamp while you pack."

It didn't take Tony long to pack, and when he returned to his living room with his suitcase, Kirk was examining his movie collection.

"See anything you like?" Tony asked.

"Loads," Kirk replied as he turned to face Tony. "You should probably be grateful we don't have the right equipment to watch them, or I'd be taking as many as I can carry."

"Why bother carrying them when you can just b-" Tony broke off, unable to continue. He'd meant to say beam them up, but apparently Spock's post-hypnotic suggestion was strong. He took a breath and started again. "Why bother carrying them, when you have alternatives available?"

Kirk chuckled at that. "Good point." Then he held out Tony's passport. Tony flipped through the pages until he found the stamp for Vienna, Austria.

He ran his fingertip over the stamp, only mildly surprised when it came away clean. "Dried already?"

"Something like that. You ready to go?"

"Almost." Tony turned toward his bookshelf, scanned the titles until he found the one he was looking for. He pulled the hardback down and offered it to Kirk.

Kirk took the book with care and read the title. "Remembered Death?"

"The original title of Sparkling Cyanide," Tony said. "Thought you might like to read it."

Kirk opened the book, paging through it carefully. "This - this is a first edition?"

"My mom was a huge fan of Agatha Christie," Tony told him. "She had most of her novels, and after she died - well." He shrugged.

Kirk met his gaze seriously. "I can't take this, not if it was your mother's."

"Go ahead," Tony said, oddly at peace with the decision to give the book to Kirk. "I have two other copies. She had that one, and two paperbacks of it. I can only read one at a time."

Kirk laughed briefly, still fingering the pages of the book with the care of one used to handling antiques. "This will be worth a fortune in my time."

Tony shrugged. "Consider it payment for Vienna, if you want."

"There's no need-" Kirk began, but Tony held up a hand.

"Or consider it payment for reminding me that I really am good at my job. Stupidly opening a strange envelope and giving myself the plague?" Tony offered with a wry grin. "Kinda made me doubt that."

"Here's hoping you won't doubt again," Kirk said. He hesitated a moment before adding, "You have lots of opportunities available, you know."

Before Tony could process that, much less ask what he meant, Kirk said, "They're going to beam you directly to a spot in Vienna near your hotel. Are you ready to go?"

Tony gripped the handle of his suitcase. "I'm ready." For this and whatever comes after.

***A/N: And here, at last, is the real, final end of the story. Thanks for reading!