Leonard made it most of the day without much happening. He treated a few sick people, some boys from engineering that were horsing around, and some other little things. The day was perfectly normal, and he appreciated it. That is, until Christine (awkwardly) told him that he was needed in one of the surgery rooms.

He feared the worst, but when he walked into the room Christine, he saw that it was a woman he did not know. A woman, and... oh god, not again.

"Doctor, I can explain-" The woman tried, but Leonard shook his head.

"No explanation necessary." Leonard tried to offer a smile, but he felt kind of awkward in that situation. "Let's just get it out, shall we? Strip off your pants and lower undergarments, and I'll join you again in a couple of minutes." The woman nodded, so Leonard left her. Christine stifled her smile until they got outside.

"God, that's embarrassing, poor girl." She said as she joined him in going to a cabinet. Leonard grabbed the elongated pliers.

"Yeah, not the first time I've had to get a vibrator out of someone, though." Leonard sighed, going back to the room. They waited a bit before he knocked on the door and walked in. The girl was lying on the biobed, half naked, covering her eyes with her arm. Leonard could see her blushing. Poor girl. "Don't worry, now. Believe it or not, I've done this a few times. For patients, I mean. Not myself." He added, and the girl laughed.

"You'll feel mild discomfort," Christine explained as Leonard put on his gloves and sanitized the tool. "But Dr. McCoy will make this as painless as possible. Don't worry, Miss Lena." Ah, so that was her name. He was wondering when Christine was going to tell him. He sat on a stool in front of Lena and used the tool to retrieve the vibrator. It was a simple process, and was finished in seconds. The vibrator was put into a bag, which Christine gave to the girl. She promptly turned it off, clearly embarrassed.

"I'll keep this off the record," Leonard said, throwing his gloves in the trash, and Lena looked relieved. "Just make sure it doesn't happen again." He ordered, and she nodded.

"Of course. Thank you, Doctor." She said, sitting up. Leonard nodded to her, and walked out of the room. Christine stayed, no doubt to make sure she was okay. Why girls always felt more comfortable around other girls when it came to medical issues, Leonard was lost. They all had enough extensive training to not give a damn if they were treating a man, woman, or anything in between.

Leonard sighed and looked at his watch. Just a few minutes until he was off, thank goodness for him. He went back to his office and finished up his "paperwork" (like anything was done on actual paper these days), keeping his promise to not include anything anywhere about Lena's incident. Then when he was done with that, he walked off to go eat dinner.

Dinner was (thankfully) normal, except for Jim whispering incessantly to Spock. It was annoying Leonard like emotion would annoy a Vulcan. To test out the bond, Leonard thought about how he strongly desired to punch Jim square in the jaw. Suddenly Spock looked over at him and raised an eyebrow. Leonard smirked at his soup. This could be fun if he really made it fun. He left it alone, though, and finished up his meal.

When he got up to leave, Jim jumped up too. "I'll accompany you." He said, and they walked out together. "So, how's my baby?" Leonard stopped in his tracks, shocked.

"Baby?! Is there something else you people ain't tellin' me about?!" He exclaimed, and Jim laughed.

"No, the BOND, Bones." Jim said, and they continued walking.

"Why in the hell're you callin' the bond your goddamn baby? This has nothing to do with you." Leonard said, and Jim had the audacity to look hurt.

"Just answer the question!" He groaned. Leonard sighed in thought.

"I don't know..." He said, not really knowing what to say. "We talked about it, and what it means. I guess the only thing we decided on was to spend twenty minutes together each day. And to not date other people. So nothing's really changed I guess, which is great." Jim nodded.

"Not as great as I'd hoped, but it's something." He said, rubbing his hands together. It was silent for a while as they walked, until they got to Leonard's room. Jim clapped him on the shoulder and said, "Well, g'night Bones. Have fun on your date with Spock." Leonard scowled at him, making him laugh and walk away. Leonard just shook his head and walked into his quarters. Jim was such a child sometimes. He tried not to feel too disturbed over the fact that he considered his bond with Spock his "baby," but it was difficult to ignore. It kind of freaked him out.

Leonard sat down on his couch, wondering what to do. He got up- even though he just sat down- and got some water from his personal replicator. He looked around the room for something to mess with, and spotted a nearby PADD that he loaded with some classic games some time ago. He got the idea from Jim, who often played the old Mario games on his own PADD when bored. They could do anything these days.

He sat on the couch, opting to play Pac Man for a while. He was a little out of his element, though, since he died about 20 times before there was a knock on the door. He somehow knew it was Spock, so he said "Enter." The Vulcan walked in, holding his own PADD. Leonard wondered if they'd all survive if their beloved PADD's were taken away from them. "I'm not really entertaining," Leonard said as Spock sat down on the couch, a safe distance away.

"I know," Spock said, and Leonard tried not to feel offended. "I brought my work with me, so that I may make better use of my time here." Leonard rolled his eyes- the Vulcan was ever the workaholic. He just continued playing Pac Man. "I trust your day went well?"

"I suppose. It was really uneventful, until..." Leonard stopped himself. He probably shouldn't tell Spock about that little incident. Or did it really matter? Spock was the one that asked, and he didn't want to be boring. "Well, I had to remove a vibrator from a poor young woman today. That's pretty much all that happened."

"A... vibrator?" Spock asked, and Leonard froze.

"You don't know what a vibrator is?" Leonard asked, trying to be serious. Spock shook his head, working on his PADD. Leonard stifled a chuckle. "Well, it's a small vibrating device that many women use to... stimulate themselves. Actually, I guess men use them too, but not typically in the same way." It was Spock's turn to freeze.

"I see." He replied, continuing his work. "Does such an incident happen... often?"

"Yeah, unfortunately." Leonard shrugged. "I've had a few men and women come in with those problems. Just a part of life, I suppose." He said, and Spock stayed silent. He suddenly started to panic. "I mean, I've never had anything like that happen to ME before, I've just had to deal with it at work. I don't even associate with those things." He added awkwardly, and drank some of his water. That caused him to die on his game, though.

"I understand." Spock said, quietly. "It was an overall uneventful day for you, then?"

"Yeah, it was. How about you?" Leonard asked, starting a new game.

They talked about Spock's day and his discoveries with those herbs he found on that desert planet for the next fifteen minutes. When the time was up, Spock thanked Leonard and left. He didn't really know why the Vulcan thanked him, but he tried to ignore what it might mean. All he did was make small talk, for God's sake. He thought that Vulcans hated things like small talk, but Spock seemed to have enjoyed it. But well, who really ever knew with Spock?

Leonard went to bed, feeling more tired than he had in a long time.

A few days passed, with their daily twenty minute meetings going on normally. The Enterprise spent much time transporting cargo and doing little tasks for the time period. Jim kept his spirits up, though. It helped keep Leonard's spirits up too, until one day when he realized why the date on his office calendar stood out to him so much. It was the day he killed his father. The day his father begged and begged him to take him off of life support.

He was sour throughout the rest of the day, sighing twice as much as usual, and barely touching any of his meals. When people asked him what was wrong, he just barked at them about having to deal with dumb ensigns all day. He never really told anybody about his dad- not even Jim. He loved the man (as a brother), but he wasn't about to go on spouting his dark past to him. It just wasn't something that he was ever willing to do.

Leonard skipped dinner, since he wasn't hungry anyway, and found some nice rec room that nobody used. It was practically just a lounging space with a big window to look at the stars in the distance. A lot like an observation deck, only it wasn't for some reason. Leonard didn't really care anyway. He found a replicator and got an alcoholic drink, and sat down on a couch that faced the window. He sat back and relaxed, wondering how many years would go by before he got over what happened with his dad. Then he wondered if he ever would get over it.

He drank in peace for a while, and felt himself losing track of time. He was getting pretty buzzed from the alcohol, but he kept drinking. The door behind him opened, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Spock was them beside him, sitting next to him on the couch. Leonard just poured himself more alcohol and drank it right down, even though he knew it was a recipe for disaster. They were silent for a while, Spock thankfully not trying to intervene.

Out of nowhere, Leonard blurted out, "I killed him." He couldn't see Spock's reaction, since he was staring out the window, but he could easily guess that he didn't show any expression. "My dad was diagnosed with pyrrhoneuritis, and was in extreme pain for three months. It was so hard to watch. He was so thin, and always tired. Even the strongest pain killers became no match for the disease. He begged and begged me to pull the plug and end his pain." Leonard swallowed, and wiped away a tear before it came. He swore the alcohol was working on him. Spock still didn't say anything, so he continued.

"One day, I finally gave in. I pulled the plug." Leonard's voice broke, and he took a breath. "A few weeks later, they found a cure for the disease. Just a couple goddamn weeks... If I hadn't just..." He put his glass on the floor, and rested his head in his hands. He wasn't crying, but his cool hands felt nice on his face. "On this day, years ago, I killed him. And I've regretted it ever since."

"Leonard," Spock said, and he felt a hand on his shoulder. He shrugged it away. "I grieve with thee." At that, Leonard laughed cruelly.

"You could never. You don't even feel any goddamn thing, you heartless green bastard." He stood up and stumbled across the room, trying to get back to his quarters. He wondered if he should just jump off this ship and finally join his parents- apologize to his dad for everything. When he got to the door, there was another hand on his shoulder.

"Leonard." It was more demanding this time. Leonard growled, whipped around and punched Spock in the jaw. Only when he saw the Vulcan put a hand on his green cheek did he realize what a mistake he made. But like the coward he was, he turned and ran. He ran all the way back to his room, and couldn't sleep a wink all night.

Throughout work the next day, Leonard was growing more and more put out about what happened the night before. He had noticeable bags under his eyes, his hair was slightly messy, and he just looked like utter shit. Internally, he was no better. And the fact that he could feel the emotion and know that it was Spock's made it even worse. He wished that he could just turn back time so that never would have happened. Any of it. If wishes were fishes...

He needed to apologize. He knew it, too, but he was just too nervous about it. Leonard was kind of afraid that Spock would hit him back if he even tried. But he knew that he needed to say he was sorry. He paced his office, rubbing a hand over his face. He wished he could blame it on the alcohol, but frankly, he had wanted to hit the Vulcan ever since he told him that they slept together. It was only a matter of time, really, but that didn't make it any better. He needed some way to apologize, though. They needed to meet. But Spock hadn't shown up for any meals that day, and they only had dinner left. Dinnertime did NOT need any more drama than he already got. There had to be a way.

Ah! The bond! That's right, he could just... But would it be right of him? To use the thing he hated to apologize to the guy he shared it with? What else could he do, though? He couldn't comm the man, it just felt... very wrong. That's it. He, very delicately, decided on his desire to meet Spock in his office before dinner. And if that didn't work, then... then he'd wait. And keep waiting. Damn.

So he did wait. Leonard continued pacing his office, waiting for him. Waiting for anything, really. A thought, an impression, a... something. Hell he didn't know how these things worked! As he paced, he wondered if he was going a bit too far. Yes, he felt guilty about punching the guy, that was a given. But what he taking it too far, wanting to meet him in his office so that he could try to be formal about it? It's not like he LIKED the guy in a romantic way, it was clearly platonic. Spock didn't even like him like that either, he hoped. So there was no point in worrying about that. Leonard didn't think he would ever even feel anything romantic for a guy, nonetheless Spock of all people. It just wasn't in him. Right?

Leonard was so deep in thought that he didn't realize someone had come in until the door closed. He jumped, and looked to see Spock standing there, hands behind his back. He looked a bit more pissed off than usual, and there was an ugly bruise below his left cheek. Leonard stepped closer to him, and was overwhelmed with guilt when he saw how hard he must have punched Spock. He swallowed with much difficulty, and opened his mouth to speak. Then he closed it. Had he even been thinking this through?!

"I'm sorry." Leonard said, then winced when he realized that he had just said THAT of all things. "You deserve more than that. And I'm sorry for that too. You were only trying to help me, and I was a jerk. An asshole. You came to me when I was low and all I did was hit you. It was extremely wrong of me, and I can see that I completely overstepped and overreacted in the worst way." Leonard looked Spock in the eyes, despite himself. "Look, what I'm trying to say is, I really am sorry for hitting you, and for saying those things. I know you have emotions. I can feel them sometimes. And it warms me to say that." Leonard clenched his mouth shut, realizing that he just said he was warm because he could feel Spock's emotions. WARM. What a dumbass he was. "I'm really sorry, Spock." Leonard said finally, and decided to shut up then.

Out of nowhere, Spock held out his hand, his expression not changed. Leonard looked at the hand skeptically, but cleared his mind and put his hand on it. He didn't want the touch-telepath invading him. What Spock did, though, shocked him. Spock raised Leonard's hand to his bruise, and breathed deeply. Leonard felt kind of vandalized for a moment before Spock let go of his hand. Leonard blinked. The bruise was still there, but considerably less green. It looked like it... healed.

"But?" Leonard was at a loss for words and Spock backed towards the door.

"Did I not mention it?" Spock asked, turning around and exiting the room. Leonard promptly followed him.

"No, you did not mention anything like that!" He exclaimed. What in the hell just happened? They walked towards the mess.

"Your emotions are rather infectious, when in extremes, Leonard." Spock said, facing forward as he walked. Leonard frowned at him.

"What do you mean? And since when do you call me by my first name?!" He asked, shaken up by everything that just happened. His hand was just used for Vulcan voodoo! What the hell?!

"I mean that if you were to be more guilty about hitting me, I would have felt enough guilt to fill a room." Spock said, and Leonard noticed the figurative language. Or was it figurative? "I have started calling you Leonard, since you have started feeling it necessary to do as you wish to me." Spock added, and Leonard felt a pang of guilt again. Spock stopped them in the middle of the hallway. "You were in grief. I admit that I should not have crossed your boundaries in such a situation. Please refrain from feeling more guilt, and direct your attitude to something more productive." With that, they continued on to dinner.

Jim absolutely freaked out when he saw both of their faces, but neither of them offered any explanation. They'd tell him some other time.

Author's Note: Sorry, I actually do not know how vibrators are medically removed from people. Nonetheless, I still very much wanted to include the scenario in the story.

Also, I am still taking suggestions for Len and Spock's 20 minute "bonding" time, if you want to see anything special take place. It's a limited time offer, so take it while it's hot!

Thank you for reading. :)