Komack looked down at the fruit on his fork and turned it this way and that. The second sun shone through the window behind him, and turned his red robes to blood. "I am still not convinced we are totally prepared."

His aide, a fair-skinned woman called Conners, looked back at him with pale-eyed surprise. "Admiral, we've gone over every piece of the plan, all contingencies. We've planned for everything."

"And there lies the Human folly; to think we can prepare for the unexpected." He looked at his second aide, Nolfolk, a quiet man named.

"Sir, you previously approved the mission with its current parameters."

Komack nodded. "I did. Now I wonder. That's the job of a leader, to reassess the situation when new information has come to light." He set his fork down next to the bowl and sighed. "Let's run it again, quickly. Have we - "

The door to the chamber opened, revealing Jim Kirk and one of the Andorian aides and Komack paused. Kirk caught the admiral's eye and politely broke off conversation with him to join the table.

"Have we what, gentlemen? Tasted the bacon? Because I surely have," he said with an easy grin.

"We're discussing Earth Outpost Four," Norfolk said coolly. "Sir."

Jim cocked his head and nodded gravely. "I haven't been fully briefed on the incident, but-"

"You were not briefed because it has nothing to do with you," Komack interrupted. "Let's leave it at that, shall we?"

Jim blinked but nodded. "Duly noted. I'll leave you to your meeting, Admiral." He rose as quickly as he had sat to go to the remaining selections offered for breakfast.

Uhura was already there, hovering over the fruit selections and discreetly watching his approach. Jim grumbled to himself as he neared her; it was quite clear that she had been watching the exchange.

"Did you see that?" he asked her, though he knew the answer. "He hates me. I'm not crazy; you're my witness."

Uhura snorted at him and grasped at something fuzzy like she was testing its ripeness. "From the little I heard before you arrived, I think you only interrupted something important."

Jim grabbed at another of the fuzzy fruits, heedless of its identification. "Look, I'm not asking for him to sit down for tea and crumpets. Or even to be nice. He's my superior officer, not my friend. But there's a difference between 'not nice' and just... 'rude'."

"And I'm just saying I think you're taking it too personally, that's all." She set aside the fruit. "How would you feel if a crewman on the Enterprise just waltzed into a briefing of the senior staff?"

"Well, that's..." Jim shook his head, "that's different."

"Is it?" She reached for another fruit. "I seem to recall you making a habit at the academy of looking as unprofessional as possible. You may have only yourself to blame," And Uhura dropped the fruit onto his plate; an apple, "Captain."

He glared at her. "Mutineers, all of you."

Uhura laughed at him, the sound too pleasant for his indignation. "If you want him to see you differently, give him a reason to-"

"Saving the planet wasn't enough?"

"-and if he's still the same way, well... he's just that way."

Jim tapped his fingers on the table as she continued picking her breakfast, watching her. "Uhura," he said, "have I ever told you how I find intelligence incredibly sexy in a woman?"

"Have I ever told you how I find sexual harassment incredibly unsexy in a man?"

"Many times."

She turned to stare at him, looking unimpressed in a way she must have learned from Spock.

"This isn't helping the 'unprofessional' thing, is it?"

Uhura shook her head. "No."

"Well." He bit into the fuzzy fruit. "At least you have a reason not to like me."

"I like you fine, Jim." And when he grinned at her, she leveled a finger at him. "Most of the time. Don't let it go to your head."

"Can I let it go to my-"

"Jim."

"Yeah, yeah, okay."

The rounds were something that hadn't been planned, but they were a great way for both Spock and the captain to talk over anything that required their attention while assuring the crew that they were not completely absent, despite remaining planetside for such long periods. Spock saw the logic in this, even as Jim Kirk recounted all of the reasons why they should accompany each other on this check-in, when really it was the captain accompanying him.

"The paperwork has finally been completed. Yeoman Rand reported that your office is clearing the daily requisites at near peak efficiency." Spock said, and he allowed a bit of approval to leak into his voice. Nyota had informed him that it was vital to give someone like the captain positive reinforcement.

Illogically, it worked much better than merely expecting the Human to do his job.

It was pleasing to know that Nyota was not under the impression - as Spock had originally been before he had learned different - that the captain, due to his apparent ego, required the opposite. But then, she was Human and female, with the seeming natural intuition endowed to both.

"That's because Rand doesn't bother me for the stupid stuff and just signs my name."

Spock glanced over at Kirk, who looked at him as if he expected a rebuke. Spock, less impressed than he had been a moment ago with Jim's efficiency and Jim, considered giving him one. Honestly, the yeoman completing the captain's paperwork broke a minimum of six regulations. However, it did seem that the results outweighed the disregard of the rules in this instance. He purposely did not sigh.

"I have nothing to say on the matter," he responded neutrally, and Jim's smile widened.

"Surprise, surprise. So," And Kirk bumped his shoulder with his own, "the lovely commander. I'm surprised she hasn't asked for a tour of the ship with you as her escort."

Spock knew the cadence of Jim's voice to be one of gentle mocking, a teasing amongst comrades, but it made him want to squirm. "I would not think the commander would have the audacity to request a tour of the Enterprise."

Jim shook his head. "It's just that she's shown a growing attraction to you. She is warm for your form."

"Captain, I do believe that the commander maintains equilibrium of temperature regardless of my proximity or lack thereof." Spock stared straight ahead and nodded at a few engineers that passed in a loud group. All four stood aside and at attention until he and the captain were well down the hall.

"I swear, Spock. You know more than you let on. Do you know how to let her down gently?" Jim looked at him, but with genuine curiosity, not a laugh.

Spock hesitated and then stopped walking entirely. Jim stopped and turned. "If I understand your meaning, negative," he said. "I am in need of..."

"Contraceptives? Sleep, candy, advice?" Jim grinned when Spock's expression, stony at the first, grew more neutral at the last. "You need advice from me?"

Spock's eyebrow rose and he continued to walk down the hall. Why he thought Jim would pause and listen for just a moment was beyond him.

"Spock. Spock, I'm sorry." Jim jogged to catch up with his long strides and tried not to laugh. "Do you honestly need advice?"

"Yes, Captain, I do." He twisted the fingers of one hand in the grip of the other, behind his back. "I had considered your... expertise in this area to be potentially beneficial. However, when now measured against your customary indelicacy, I am uncertain you are the proper party with whom to discuss such things."

"Hey, I'm the proper party. I-" They passed another group of crewmen and Jim grew silent at his side until they passed, nodding at them. "You know me; tell me to be serious, and I actually can be. So we're treating this as serious?"

"Indeed, Captain," Spock said. "The commander is appropriately subtle, but clearly persistent. I am uninterested and otherwise attached. This presents a situation which I would classify as 'serious'."

"Or at least not so funny."

"Had I assumed your meaning of 'serious' to be 'dire', I would have chosen that word."

"Ya stickler."

"I endeavor to be accurate, particularly in so imprecise a language."

"Yeah, yeah, okay." Jim waved a hand; why, Spock was unsure. "So. Well. I have many methods in my, er... repertoire."

"Of rejecting a woman's sexual advances," Spock said, for clarification, though he did not doubt it.

"Absolutely. Some people think I take all comers, but that's far from the truth." He stared into the middle distance and shuddered. "Now, not all of these are particularly nice."

"I find I do not mind if the method is particularly... straightforward."

"Alrighty then," Jim said with a grin, nodding appreciatively. "You can talk with food in your mouth."

Spock considered this very briefly. "I only wish to dissuade the commander, not others around me."

"Touche'. How about being deliberately obtuse?"

"I believe I have already employed that tactic. I do not know how much longer that will deter her."

"So you admit that you are deliberately obtuse in circumstances and situations when, in actuality, you're not?"

Spock turned this question over in his mind and tried to find a flaw that would allow him to answer in the negative, but there didn't seem to be one. "I would have to review the circumstances and situations in question to be accurate."

Jim sighed exasperatedly and shook his head. "One day, I swear. Okay. Perhaps you could look a bit less... put together?" He gestured at Spock's attire. "You're a very neat package. That's appealing to... most people," he finished quickly.

Spock looked down at himself. He saw nothing unusually immaculate nor appealing about his appearance. Indeed, the Starfleet uniform did not seem designed for desirability.

"Uh, you can look at other women when you're around her," Jim went on. "But since you can't look too unprofessional, that may be too subtle. You can correct her grammar; you do that anyway."

"Her grammar requires significantly less correcting than your own, Captain."

Jim glared at him. "Spock, I'm not sure I know what to tell you."

"That is perhaps just as well," Spock said. "The more I consider the situation and your artful suggestions, the more I realize a direct approach might indeed be more respectful."

"As in... just tell her?"

"Affirmative."

Jim gazed at him, mouth curving in a not quite smile. "Good luck with that," he said.

Though he was unfamiliar with identifying the Human concept, Spock thought he detected irony.

"Until tomorrow, Spock. Sometimes conversations with you are like verbal sparring. Tiring and I feel kind of sore after." Jim shook his head and turned down the hall. As soon as he could no longer feel the eyes of the Vulcan on him, he could breathe again. It was a little frightening how close he came to telling his first officer that he thought he was attractive.

In a very prim, proper package, that happened to show off his muscles very well.

Not that he had been overly paying attention to that, at all. And if he had been, there would be no good in telling Spock about a simple attraction. Because Spock was taken. And not his type. And it probably broke regulations. And because Spock seemed the monogamous sort. And several other reasons, Jim was sure.

Jim sighed just to sigh and turned into the empty turbolift. He couldn't deny that Spock's being uncomfortable with the very forward commander made him feel cheered for some reason. The commander was very beautiful and seemed smart and quick to go on the offensive, which definitely boded well in bed. Tough to compete with. If Jim had been competing. She didn't have Spock and neither did he.

Uhura did.

The thought burned on the horizon of his mind like lightning strikes and he could see the rest of the night, occupied in his own brainstorm. No, thank you, he thought. "Deck seven," he commanded, and the doors closed again to open just outside of the quiet medical bay. Chapel crossed the door with a PADD in her hand, and he smiled.

"Chapel," he chirped.

"Captain! What can I do for you? Are you hurt?" she asked quickly.

"No, just a social visit. As you were," Jim said with a nod. "Where's your boss? Torturing anyone tonight?"

"Did you come in for your next check-up early?" Leonard smirked at Jim, leaning against the doorway to his office. He jerked his head and returned to his desk, and when Jim closed the door he produced two short glasses and some nice, aged brandy. "Long day?"

"You have no idea." He accepted the glass gratefully and knocked back a nice swallow, enjoying the burn. "Haven't seen you much."

"I've been avoiding everyone with clearance higher than mine, or with a frown on their faces. Besides, you don't need me planetside yet. Unless someone fainted from some strange bug I have no way to counteract anyway."

Jim laughed. "I love your optimism, Bones."

"You don't come to me for optimism. You come to me for advice you ignore. So what's on your mind?"

Jim winced and held his glass out. "It's empty," he said plaintively. Leonard regarded his captain with an eyeroll and filled it halfway.

"Now talk."

"You know, sometimes, I just wanna see you."

McCoy stared at him, taking that in.

Jim stared back. "Really," he said.

"I believe you." The doctor sat back in his chair and it bobbed with his weight. "You know, Jim." He sighed. "Aside from your basic reactions to everything that happened last year, you seemed... pretty okay. You took command well, you were excited even. But you've been getting... you seem to be declining the past few months." When Jim looked up sharply, he waved a hand at him. "Not as a captain, Jim. Just... you. I lived with you for a year, you were never like this."

"Like what?"

McCoy shrugged a shoulder. "You tell me."

"I don't know, Bones." Jim stared at his glass. "Harder than I thought it would be, that's all. But that's the job, right?"

"Well. Yeah, I suppose, but... harder how?"

Jim debated his answer, wondered if the truth made him sound a great deal weaker than he would have liked. "Lonelier, I guess."

"You can always get laid on shore leave," McCoy said with a smirk.

And Jim knew his friend wasn't entirely serious, but he still found himself saying, "That's not what I mean. I mean... it's not not what I mean, I guess, but... it's not." Jim squirmed in his chair. "I mean, I can't really relate to people from the position I'm in. I mean, there's you, and there's Spock, and you guys are great, but you know. You have lives and jobs too."

"You're just adjusting, Jim, it's fine."

"Yeah, I know." Jim chuckled to himself, and it came out sounding forced even though he was truly amused. "It has been a while, though. Getting laid. Even Spock is starting to look good. I think my subconscious just knows he's one of the few people on-board I'd be allowed to fuck."

McCoy's reaction was not instantly forthcoming, and it made Jim nervous for a good five seconds. "Yeah, well," he ultimately said, "you start getting ideas about me, you warn me, you got it?"

Jim grinned at him. "'Cause then we'll know it's getting bad."

"Amen."