Title: "Aegri Somnia"

Author: tprillahfiction (2008)

AEGRI SOMNIA (Chapter 6)

The next day, Spock was awoken by rumbling in the distance. He managed to get to his feet and stagger to the cave entrance. He peered into the light rain and caught sight of a very large cube shaped spacecraft swooping into the atmosphere then disappearing. The view was stunning. He heard the scratchy voice of the doctor behind him as they felt the vibrations reach them. "What is that?" McCoy demanded.

Spock turned round to McCoy sitting up under the hide. "Doctor, you shouldn't speak." He himself was unable to disguise the strain of his own voice.

"Neither should you. Tell me what's out there."

"It is our alien space craft perhaps?"

McCoy shook his head; he couldn't see it from where he was and would have to take Spock's word for it. "Spock," he said as the Vulcan rejoined him.

"Yes, Doctor?"

"Where are all the inhabitants of this planet?"

"Unknown."

"I've been having a terrible feeling about this, Spock," McCoy said, then started to cough again.

Spock flipped McCoy over and pounded on him. "Doctor you really should rest."

"Seriously Spock. What type of society did the planetary scans come up with?"

Spock lay back down next to McCoy and thought for a moment. "Humanoid. Peaceful; primitive society. C minus on the Richter Scale."

"I have a feeling that alien ship abducted all them somehow and is now moving to another planet."

Spock looked at McCoy. "Tell me."

There was a long pause with a look of despair on McCoy's face.

"Tell me what you saw on that alien ship," prodded Spock.

"I saw...half humanoid, half machine-like creatures. Lining the walls of the ship, just staring..." McCoy shuddered. "Then...a huge chamber full of bodies floating in tubes...my God...You were in one of those...when I found you on that ship. Spock, those must be the inhabitants of this planet. Right?"

Spock's eyes opened wide. "I believe you might be correct."

McCoy gasped. "Oh my God, Spock. They're being assimilated into an alien race. This race decimates whole planets; whole cultures! It's how it reproduces itself."

Spock looked sharply at McCoy. "You must tell me what has been affecting you."

"Alright. I've been having some...strange dreams, visions maybe. About this place. Recurring nightmares about being taken by them and...assimilated into an alien for about a few weeks now. They're so vivid it felt like it was real."

"I know," said Spock gravely. "I saw it in your mind when I was carrying you. I can feel your pain."

As another morning came, the rain ceased and the sun came out. The two men lay extremely fatigued and did not notice.

McCoy suddenly shivered uncontrollably. His shaking got more and more severe till it appeared to turn into a seizure. Spock, who lay with his back against the wall, opened his eyes at the noise. He inched closer to the doctor, took him in his arms and held on to him till it passed. Feverish and out of his mind, tears fell from the bloodshot, blue eyes and sobs began to rack the the doctor's chest.

Spock lay his hand on the doctor's face in a attempt to sooth him but it had no effect.

More days progressed and the condition of the pair worsened ever still.

One sunny day, McCoy lay on his back; lucid and staring at the cave ceiling. He felt terribly thirsty and licked his lips. They were now officially out of food rations. He needed to urinate, badly, but his body wouldn't cooperate with him so he could stand up or even kneel. For a few minutes he contemplated it then wound up leaning over to his side and going right there. He could hear wheezing coming from the Vulcan, but he was powerless to assist him.

"Spock," McCoy croaked as he reached over, searched for and managed to find two more packets of water. Ripping one open with his teeth he swallowed the precious liquid in gulps.

"Easy Doctor. You'll make youself sick."

"Who cares. Here this one's for you." He threw the water packet at the Vulcan who also gratefully drank it.

McCoy pulled his medikit over and found a dental tablet to pop in his mouth and passed the last one to the Vulcan. The mint flavor soothed his scratchy throat a little and got rid of the bad taste in his mouth. "Spock," he said, feeling a little better for the moment.

"Yes...Doctor?" said Spock softly.

"I guess now's the time for the 'come to Jesus' talk."

"Come to...?"

"Yeah, it's about my attitude lately. Spock, uh. Listen. I'm sorry about everything. I haven't exactly been an agreeable ship-mate, have I."

"Understandable. We are in the midst of an ordeal."

"Not just down here. On board ship too, I mean. I snapped at you rather badly the last time you came down to sickbay and I realize that you were just checking up on me because you cared about me."

"You are rather reactionary," agreed Spock. McCoy noted with amusement that the Vulcan didn't deny that he cared.

"I guess I am," McCoy chuckled.

Spock raised his eyebrow at that. "It often seems to be an educational exercise in delicate diplomacy to converse with you."

That woke the doctor up. "Oh come on, Spock. I'm not as bitchy as a diplomat and you know it. You know you would go stir crazy without me to bicker with." Spock shrugged as McCoy continued. "You do drive me crazy, sometimes. Crazy enough to want to slip in something to cause severe dandruff in your vitamin supplements," McCoy giggled madly, till it degenerated into a nasty cough.

"Doctor... you are too ill for this. You are not in your right mind."

"Yes I am. Seriously, Spock, I'm trying to say something here. You know, you may not have thought so, but I did like you. Bickering with you gave me something to look forward to every day."

"Doctor McCoy we are-"

"Stop interrupting me. I'm trying to say that I relied on your personality dedicated to logic and reason. It made me feel secure. And, I needed to vent spleen on you sometimes, for my sanity."

"Vent spleen?"

McCoy smiled weakly. "Oh stop pretending you don't know what I mean. So, tell me. Did you enjoy arguing with me?"

"Enjoyment is a human-"

"Yeah, yeah. Enjoyment is a human emotion. And you're half-human. So answer me. Did you?"

"Did I, what?"

"Did you enjoy arguing with me."

"Why are you speaking to me in the past tense?"

"Because, I'm also a fatalist. Come on, Spock. Did you?"

"Yes. I wouldn't have done so if I did not."

"A ha," McCoy said happily, then sobered. "Spock, I'll tell you something, I do feel very close to you but sometimes I have a way of screwing things up with people I care about. I have no one except Jim...and you. You are my family, the only one I have."

"I, also, consider you and Jim to be 'family'."

"You do? Oh. but you've still got your parents. Mine are dead, it's been years since I've seen my relatives and since I got my divorce and joined Starfleet I never get to see my daughter. Now, I'll definitely never see her again."

Spock could feel the wave of despair coming from McCoy. "They will find us," Spock insisted.

"Oh come on." McCoy sighed resignedly. "I've accepted it...the Enterprise is gone."

"You are feeling rather melancholic doctor."

"Really? Thanks, because I didn't already know the title of the emotion I was feeling."

"Fascinating. Even whilst dying you are never afraid to express the lowest form of wit. I am afraid I shall never understand the human mind."

"Yeah, but it's the highest form of humor. Listen, you're the one who told me I use humor to cover up the difficult things. I think you and I are more alike than you realize. You use logic to cover up emotions in general."

Spock grunted then coughed. "I am curious about something. Did you argue this much with your ex-wife?"

McCoy thought for a moment. "You know what? We didn't. We hardly ever spoke to one other."

"Then, it would appear that a more desirous match for you is with someone who is comfortable enough and close enough to you to engage in frequent debate."

"Yeah, you might have something there. I do love frequent debates." McCoy smiled. "Hey, Spock. You know you don't have to call me 'Doctor' all the time."

"It is out of respect."

"But you don't respect me."

"On the contrary Doctor," said Spock. "I respect you immensely."

McCoy smiled. "Humph. We must be dying if you'll admit that. You keep buttering me up and I'll have to kiss you," he laughed softly.

"Well, since we are having a 'come to Jesus' discussion as you call it. I cannot deny a dying man his last wish."

McCoy snorted uneasily. "You're joking, right?"

"I am not."

"Yes, you are."

"Vulcans never joke. Leonard."

"You called me Leonard," McCoy gasped in surprise.

"Yes." Spock turned to face the doctor and spoke softly in a tone McCoy had never heard before. "I have made a deliberate omission regarding picking up your emotions. I know that...your feelings for me are much deeper than respect; fondness. You are in fact, in love with me." He met McCoy's eyes. "And, you have been, for some time."

McCoy laughed and glanced downwards; ashamed. "You Vulcan devil. Alright, you've got me there. I'll do the big thing and admit it. You're right. I'm sorry, Spock. I'll keep it under control, I really will."

"You have kept it under control. By attempting to hide the feeling with irascibility. Which does not bode well for my reciprocal desires."

McCoy squinted at him in disbelief. "Your reciprocal desires? So... you're in love with... me?"

"I believe I said that." Spock could hear McCoy's rasping cough as the doctor considered this. "We are extremely well suited. Are we not? It is a logical outcome."

"Logical? What? You must be out of your mind."

"I assure you I am in my right mind. It simply was the right time to tell you."

"Oh..."

"Are you going to kiss me?" inquired the Vulcan innocently and almost teasingly as McCoy shifted awkwardly.

"I don't know..."

Spock regarded the doctor for a few moments. He slowly reached out two fingers, hesitated, then touched the doctor's lips. He traced the outline back and forth, feeling their softness and noting the beauty in them. The warmth from the long fingertips was soothing and caused McCoy to feel a strange calming sensation in his mind. "Then, Leonard," whispered Spock. "I will take the initiative."

"Vulcan kiss?" murmured Leonard as he closed his eyes and enjoyed the sensation. Then he found himself wondering, idly, if Vulcans ever kissed with their mouths.

"Yes, we do," Spock intoned softly as he brushed a lock of the doctor's thick brown hair away then cupped his fingers around McCoy's neck. He moved his face closer. Suddenly shy, the human moved his head down away from spock's lips. "I have made you feel uncomfortable, forgive me," said Spock.

"Just nervous, Spock," said McCoy with a slight smile. "Do it. Kiss me. Before I die here." Spock leaned over and softly met the doctor's lips with his own. McCoy felt himself swept up in the Vulcan's arms and purred softly as the kiss got deeper. McCoy broke off and moved his face along his companion's. "I can't believe it...Spock, do you know how long I've waited for this; wanted this?"

The Vulcan stroked the Doctor's face with both hands. "Yes, I do. As long as I have."

"And you had to wait till we were both dying, to tell me."

Spock smiled ever so slightly and pulled the doctor over on top of him, passionately. McCoy breathed as heavily as his illness would allow as the heat of the Vulcan's mouth underneath his made him feel alive again. Then, he saw spots in front of his eyes and promptly faded out.

"Leonard," said Spock softly. "Leonard." When the doctor did not respond, Spock drew him into an embrace and clung to him.

As the two men huddled together unconscious, they did not hear the familiar transporter hum and the familiar voice.

"Spock? Bones? Oh my God... We found them! Transporter room, have medics standing by on the double."

McCoy came to briefly, looked up and managed a week smile. "Jim!"

...end of chapter 6...