Hi guys, thanks for reading the first chapter! I should be posting a new chapter every Sunday night from now on! I'll try to update as frequently as possible, but with school and work my time is limited! Hope you enjoy this next chapter! I'm open to any suggestions you guys have, and will try to respond to all the reviews and comments! Live Long and Prosper!

Kirk drummed his fingers distractedly on the panel on his chair as they sat in a steady orbit of Gamma Hydra IV. They were waiting for permission to beam down the intruders. He didn't even notice Sulu staring at him. His mouth was moving, Kirk's own mouth gaped open stupidly. He furrowed his eyebrows in concentration. What was he saying? It all sounded gurgled, like he was underwater.

"Captain, we are on red alert," repeated Sulu patiently.

"What?" asked Kirk dumbly.

"Red alert Captain? On what grounds?" Checkov pressed.

Kirk looked around at the red flashing lights casting hazy shadows around him. He squinted when one hit him directly in the eye. He quickly switched off the alert, he must have been leaning on it. He hoped he hadn't worried the crew much.

"Sorry," muttered Kirk as he rubbed his neck.

"Captain? Would you prefer to return to your quarters? Or perhaps Sickbay?" asked Sulu.

Kirk turned to him expectedly half expecting Spock to be standing there. But he wasn't and his eyes fell to the floor again. He shook his head.

"No, that's alright," Kirk replied.

Kirk was grateful that Sulu hadn't said what every crewman on the bridge was thinking…that he needed someone to take his place. He knew that it was true, but instead he chewed his fingernails and watched the stars fly past him for a time. He thought of his first officer, lying drenched in his own sweat, with gritted teeth, and sucking breath. Kirk winced. He almost rose from his chair, but thought of McCoy, working tirelessly, and sat back down.

McCoy waved a whirring instrument over Spock or the seventh time that hour. Spock in his unconscious stated flickered an eyebrow, as if he felt the instrument. McCoy frowned at the readings. They were steadlily declining. Spock was already dehydrated and hallucinating. McCoy was pushing fluids and fever reducers to no avail. Spock had awoken only once, and despite McCoy having promised Jim he would alert him as soon as the Vulcan woke, he felt compelled to keep the episode from him. Spock had thrashed in his sleep for nearly a half hour, then he bolted upright, tore the IV from his arm spurting green blood all over himself, and started shrieking about how he had been rejected by Starfleet Academy. McCoy had alerted security, and stepped behind the wall just out of view. He didn't want to be in the way of an angry, out of sorts Vulcan. He would be ripped to shreds. Then he heard moaning, a couple shivers, and then sniffles. Spock was crying.

"I can't stay here," he choked out through a couple sobs. McCoy could only assume he meant the planet Vulcan. Spock had wanted to leave for ages, Starfleet was just the perfect excuse. Anyone could understand that. He felt isolated. He was the one thing that didn't belong.

Then Spock gasped and McCoy thought he was found out. He looked down at his watch. Where was the security team? He shut his eyes, trying not to breathe should Spock's Vulcan ears detect it. Spock sighed and McCoy slowly released the breath he was holding.

Spock whispered, "But father will be so disappointed." McCoy's heart clenched. All Spock wanted was to be like his father, but his isolation drove him to leave. Then there was a dull thud, and the clattering of instruments. McCoy crept around the corner and stole a glance at the biobeds. Spock was sprawled out on the floor, unconscious…again. His arms were above his head, which lolled to one side and rested on his inner bicep. His knuckles were scraped from having slapped the floor. McCoy approached him on his toes, trying not to wake him. He dropped to his knees and hastily administered a sedative and immediately stepped back waiting for it to take effect. The doctor waved the instrument over Spock's lean torso again. No concussion, but his fever was 102.3 and rising. His blood pressure was normal, and his pulse was a little high, even for a Vulcan. He decided the episode caused a spike in his pulse. But a high pulse was better than no pulse at all. But the fever…that would be what killed him. His brain couldn't sustain that heat for much longer. Hurriedly he pressed gauze to where the IV was roughly plucked from Spock's forearm. He taped it tight, and nodded. It would have to do. He looked at Spock's face one last time, he looked relaxed despite the fact that he was burning from the inside out. Spock's lips were turning pale, and his complexion grew whiter. His face looked like it had been dunked in hot wax, and left to dry. He was positively opaque, and that worried McCoy. He finally tore his eyes from the ill commander and crossed into another room with a temperature chamber inside. He looked at the panel, and booted it up. It immediately became frosted over with snowflakes. It would be ready for Spock in just 5 minutes. He hoped he would last that long. Suddenly, the ship jolted and McCoy flew forward into the chamber door. His head knocked against the panel, hard and he fell to the ground, dazed. He looked up, saw a blur of red, and wondered if he was bleeding, and then he passed out.

Back on the bridge, Kirk was shouting orders and for the first time in the past few hours, he forgot about Spock. The Enterprise was hit by a missile from Gamma Hydra IV. At first everyone thought it was phaser fire, so Kirk ordered the shields up after the first hit, but the ship still lurched mildly. The missiles has enough force to penetrate the Enterprise shields. Checkov was preparing to fire back when Kirk held up his hand.

"Captain?" inquired Checkov.

"Don't fire back."

"But sir…"

"You heard me mister!" said Kirk harshly.

Checkov turned back to his control panel. The ship rocked as it was hit for the third time. Everyone sat still on the bridge and lurched as it was hit again.

"Mr. Sulu Warp 4, get us out of here," said Kirk finally.

"But sir, the prisoners…" indicated Sulu.

"I don't care! We will drop them off at the next Star Base."

Sulu nodded and punched it. They shot out of orbit, and away from the cloud of missile fire behind them.

Kirk was itching to get out of that galaxy, he didn't care if it meant having some prisoners aboard. He needed to file his incident reports with Starfleet, and get to the next Star Base. His crew was shook up, and exhausted. They needed rest, a shore leave of no less than three days would be sufficient. And they were still a week away from their next stop.

"Lay in a course, for Star Base 1831, Mr. Sulu."

"Aye, aye, sir."

Kirk slumped in his chair, willing himself to relax. He had done good. His crew was okay, and out of danger. Then thoughts of Spock crept into his mind and he pressed the intercom button to Sickbay.

"Bridge to Sickbay," he said.

The intercom hummed, but no message came through.

"McCoy?" asked Jim hesitantly. He was sure that McCoy was just righting some equipment that fell over and would answer him momentarily. He could imagine the grouchy doctor exclaiming, "Jim, what are you doing up there? I can't work when you are doing loop de loops with a starship!"

One minute passed, then another. Sulu and Uhura turned in their chairs, anxiously awaiting a response. Jim looked towards Spock's empty chair and punched the intercom again.

"Doctor?" asked Jim, louder this time.

The ominous hum answered him again. Kirk's fingers flitted over the communicator and intercoms. He hoped that the missiles didn't short circuit anything on the ship, not when they had so far to go.

Just as Kirk was about to ask Scotty to check the communicators, his communicator chirped and a voice rang through the intercom. It was one of the security guards.

"Bridge?" said the security guard.

It was Waterson.

"Waterson, everything okay down there?"

"Not in the slightest sir."

"Well what's the problem, crewman?" inquired Kirk. His patience was wearing thin.

"Dr. McCoy, is unconscious, and so is Mr. Spock."

"What happened to McCoy?"

"Not sure, sir."

"Where is nurse Chapel?" asked Kirk.

"On break I think."

"Get her down-"

"Already paged her sir."

"Good, good." He wanted to hear about Spock, but if he was unconscious, then that was nothing new.

"Also, sir?"

"What?" asked Kirk.

"I'm no doctor, but Mr. Spock is burning up. Like really burning up."