II. Biology.

Amelia Takashi could feel Leonard's fingertips tracing down the length of her back, creeping into the otherwise danger zone that was her bottom. Her heart racing inside of her chest, her hands closed over the folds of material encasing his biceps as she felt one of his hands slowly gathering the bottom hem of her already short skant, the skirt's hem hitching upward with the pull of his grasp. Amelia felt the gruff tips of Leonard's fingers as they gently coursed themselves along the outer hem of her red Federation skant bloomers. Wrapping his large hand around the outer side of her thigh, his thumb found its way under the elastic edge of the bloomers. Amelia involuntarily inhaled sharply, nearly pulling away from him but Leonard's other hand pressed at the center of her back, holding her in place against him. His lips curved up at the corners in a playful grin, stubble texturing his cheeks and chin.

"Are you okay?" he asked in a baritone of a whisper as he leaned in towards her and gently began to kiss the inner contour of her neck.

Automatically, Amelia tiled her head back extending Leonard the invitation to proceed (despite the fact that she knew he would proceed anyway). His stubble tickled at her flesh as each hair on his chair sent pleasurable waves down her slender neck, stimulating every nerve blissfully and teasingly below her shoulder line. She'd almost forgotten about the lone thumb resting on the inside of her bloomers when it began to stroke the inner skin of her thigh. Amelia responded autonomously by clenching Leonard's biceps even tighter. Her brain was telling her that perhaps digging her nails into the poor guy would not be such a sensual pursuit – but her body did not have the power to resist. Leonard knew exactly where every arousal button to press was located on her body. He was a doctor, after all.

"Are you required by Starfleet to ask that?" The words barely escaped her lips before Leonard's engulfed hers in a deep kiss. He pressed himself against her, Amelia now utterly pinned against one of the medical counters in Leonard's office which was adjacent to his quarters. Their tongues danced in a rhythmically velvet exploration; Amelia could feel a pressure growing against her groin as she fought to subdue the invader in her mouth. But as much as her tongue struggled against his, Amelia knew that she was no match for his offensive strikes. She was going to have to be bold and strike out in his most vulnerable of areas … but her hands did not want to release themselves from his arms; there was a security there like a barrier in which she retained some ounce of control. Even the slightest release of her strength would signal to Leonard that she was allowing him to advance. Against her better judgment, Amelia allowed her irrational, animalistic side to take over. Releasing a hand from his arm, her hand traveled downward into his own danger zone where it made its way between the tight space almost nonexistent between their bodies and enclosed it around Leonard's vulnerability. With a decent amount of pressure, Amelia single-handedly won the battle; Leonard's entire body hunched rigidly into her, a gasp escaping his lips as they moved only a millimeter away from hers. Wrapping her other arm firmly around his neck, Amelia pulled herself up against him and sat herself on top of the counter. Her legs wrapped around his waist and the gap between them quickly closed again leaving only enough room for her hand.

"Fuck," Leonard gasped before his mouth was on hers again.

"You know," she breathed between kisses, "this would be a lot easier if your pants were off."

Leonard pulled his mouth away, his eyes glazed over with lust and his chest rapidly expanding. "Yes. Let's go – before the monitors start picking up cardiac irregularities and start beeping." His face was instantly on hers again as he wrapped his arms tightly around her, her arms doing the same. Without any movement in the direction of his quarters Leonard felt Amelia's hands running down his sides to the hem of his medical tunic. As if being ordered to, his arms instantly went up as did his uniform top, exposing a broad chest of pinnacle, healthy physique. A light spread of chest hair textured his pectorals and flirted with the northern borders of his abdomen A thin line trailed the southern region below his belly button into the top of his trousers. It was by this area of his pants that Amelia seized him and pulled him against her again into a passionate fury of kissing.

"I thought we were going to go into your room," Amelia managed to get out.

"Fuck it," was all Leonard said as both of his hands instantly found their way up the sides of her legs under her skirt. His fingers curled around the top of her bloomers at either side. Just as they were about to pull them away from her, Amelia speedily contained them over her uniform.

"Leonard!" she hissed, pulling away from his mouth and instantly staring wide-eyed at the door. "What if someone walks in?"

"The door is shut. No one is going to walk into my office," he assured her, leaning in to kiss her again.

Amelia leaned further away. "Let's just go into your quarters. I've seen Christine walk into your office before without knocking."

"Christine is tending to patients out there, she's fine." His attempt at kissing her again proved futile as Amelia raised an eyebrow at him. "It's my break, Amelia. She knows not to disturb me on my break!"

Amelia considered this for a moment. "Fine." Amelia released his hands and wrapped her arms around his neck again. The moment her grip on his hands was gone, in one strong pull, Leonard had her bloomers down to her knees. He pulled away from her only to see to it that the bloomers fell to the floor before he wedged himself between her thighs again, one of his hands returning under the skant. Back on course, his fingers knowingly felt their way up her soft flesh, higher and higher up. He could feel the pounding of Amelia's heart against his chest; he could hear the light gasps of pleasure that escaped her lips as he firmly kissed her neck. Her legs and arms wrapped around him in a state of absolute anticipation awaiting his touch at the arrival of his destination.

There was a loud knock on the door. "Doctor?"

As if a photon exploded between them, Amelia threw Leonard off of her, hopped off of the counter and flew into his quarters. In a frenzy, Leonard scooped up her bloomers and clumsily threw them in the direction of the door of his room just as the door to his office slid opened, revealing Christine Chapel with her PADD. Christine looked up at him and her lips became a thin line across her face.

"Nurse," Leonard greeted, out of breath. "I was just, uh, working out, doing some sit-ups."

Christine cocked an eyebrow, her eyes slowly lowering. "With all due respect, sir, you have an erection. Again."

Leonard glared at her. "Yeah, well, Nurse, maybe I wouldn't have an erection if you'd just let me finish my break."

Christine tossed the PADD onto the counter without stepping a foot over the threshold. "For when you're finished, Doctor." She stepped back and the doors closed.

:::::

Jim, Scotty and Sulu grabbed their uniform tunics from off of the red tumbling mats, each coming off of his own adrenaline high as the sounds of weights clattering together, grunts and a low background melody encompassed the gym. For them, it was best to visit the area in the later hours of the evening because there was less foot traffic as many of the crewmen headed straight to the bar or bed after a shift when it was late.

"It was really good to actually see you without an engine manual or a glass of Scotch in your hand," Sulu commented as he ran the uniform top across his sweaty forehead like a towel. Each of their muscular frames glistened under the light, each toned crevice highlighted in white shimmer. Jim won in terms of bulk; Scotty's build was more so lean as he preferred to drink or study over physically working out. Sulu's build was almost like that of a dancer. His torso was longer and he wasn't as broad as Jim, but his muscles were finely toned.

"Yeah, well, I suppose I wanted to try a new challenge," Scotty stated with a wink.

"Any chance this will be a normal thing?" Jim inquired, tucking his tunic into the waistline of his pants.

Scotty laughed. "Someone's got to be on top of the engines, Jim."

"And you're just the man to ride them, ey?"

Scotty gave him a look. "That's the only riding I've been doing lately."

Sulu chuckled while Jim gave him a reassuring smirk. "At least we know someone is getting some action around here," Jim remarked in Sulu's direction.

Sulu rolled his eyes. "He's barely legal. You try being abstinent at eighteen."

"I don't think the captain's ever heard of the term," Scotty joked, nudging Jim with an elbow. "Does not compute, ey lad?"

Jim shook his head. "That definitely was not the case back then."

"I'm sure you've got a right sexy communicative lassie waitin' 'specially for you," Scotty stated, shooting a Sulu a look to which Sulu returned with a nod.

"I've heard that women who have a rough day at work tend to take out all of their frustrations sexually that night," Sulu mentioned in the captain's direction. "And, boy, was she glaring you down in that briefing."

"I can guarantee you, guys, that that rule does not apply to Nyota," Jim explained, lowering his voice ever so slightly as they passed into the locker and shower room. "Based on her mood today, if I even so as glance at her with the look, she'll scratch my eyes out."

They all stopped just before the shower area. A few stalls were already occupied. Sulu searched the area.

"Wow, Jim, I didn't realize – you and her been ok?" Scotty asked, tossing his tunic over his shoulder.

Jim ran a hand through his hair. "I don't really know anymore, Scotty. It's hot and cold with her."

"Fights?" Sulu asked over his shoulder. "Relationships amongst lower ranking personnel can be a complicated feat."

Jim took a seat on the nearest bench. "See, that's the thing; her and I, we aren't really in a relationship."

Sulu looked at him curiously. "Really? Does she want you to take it to the next level?"

Jim shook his head. "She hasn't said anything on the matter."

"Do you?" Scotty asked.

Jim shrugged.

"Fuck buddies," Sulu diagnosed. "Plain and simple. But I think you're entering a danger zone, if I may be so bold."

"How so?"

"Because," Sulu replied simply, "You're starting to think about it. You're letting it get to you. You say it's just sex, but when she starts banging someone from security, it'll eat you up." Sulu crossed his arms over his glistening chest. "Trust me, I've tried it. I get too emotionally entangled to be detached."

Jim thought about this for a moment. He raised an eyebrow at Sulu. "You mean to say that you can't just screw somebody and leave?"

Sulu smirked, shaking his head. "I know; what a fascinating concept."

Jim turned to Scotty. "You?"

Scotty looked uncomfortable as he was put on the spot. "Well, uh, maybe if I was drunk enough. But generally I tend to get to know a girl before I sleep with her. And I'm very good at calling her back."

Jim had been having sex with Nyota Uhura since he entered the Academy. She hated him and refused to give him her first name up until Spock had said it during a mission. But Jim had managed to charm his way into her pants – or under her skant – before then. It was not a romantic feat in the least; one day she was verbally ripping him a new one and then suddenly they were naked in each other's arms. One time became a once weekly thing where neither of them talked about it. It just happened. Nyota continued to outwardly despise him and Jim continued his never ending pursuit to piss her off. Once a week became thrice a week until suddenly they were pulling out of the hallways into random storage spaces (while on shift) for a quickie. This became a more constant tradition whenever Jim was in some kind of command bind. Lately, though, the sexual encounters had become less frequent. It wasn't necessarily anyone's fault and nothing had actually changed between them. Jim was still aroused and wanted to have sex, but he found himself not actually seeking Nyota out. He hadn't sought anyone out recently. They each had other people on the side but even those girls hardly ever heard from him.

Perhaps the sex was becoming too casual. Maybe a relationship was something Jim could eventually desire. After all, his closest friends seemed to be happy in their relationships. Bones was only ever truly happy after seeing Amelia; Sulu and Chekov complimented each other perfectly. In fact, Jim never heard any news of drama between them. And if there was any, he wouldn't be the first to know; that was Amelia's territory. But then there was Skylar and Spock … Jim wasn't sure if anyone had an actual facts pertaining to their relationship. They both were themselves around each other. There was hardly ever – if any – PDA between them. Jim knew that Spock requested that his breaks, as little as he requested, be timed around Skylar's, but that was it.

Jim started to think about his predicament again. Perhaps the game was beginning to get boring because it wasn't challenging enough. For the longest time, the sex with Nyota was absolute bliss because she played hard to get so incredibly well. It had been a game of cat and mouse; sometimes Jim was the cat and sometimes he was the mouse. He quite enjoyed being the mouse. It was sexy and especially arousing. The other girls were a chinch – as modestly as possible, Jim understood that most women on the Enterprise, especially lower ranking ones, would easily accept his invitation. Most of them would do so because he was the captain and a dashing one at that – or so he'd been told on countless occasions. The equivalent would also accept for the possibility at a fast career advancement. Unfortunately, this also led to Jim's entrapment. He had to please the few girls he'd sleep with so that he would not have to overstep his political boundaries too often to where it would raise a few eyebrows and he had to make sure that he was not offering himself to too many ladies so as to have an anti-Jim army uproar.

Maybe Jim was beginning to feel uninterested in Nyota. Maybe this was the same on her end. He wasn't sure because they never actually had thoughtful conversations unless it was work related. Perhaps Jim needed a new lover, someone just as distant yet willing to take a step in the monogamous direction. His choices were limited to pursuing a total stranger. All of his female friends were in relationships. He enjoyed Amelia's company a lot. She was witty and intelligent, and they way she handled herself yet maintained the dependable girlfriend to Leonard was enticing. Any time she wasn't on duty, Amelia was cutely fashionable. Jim really enjoyed her style and how she did her make-up. She was always pleasing to the eye. Jim knew that Leonard didn't always take the time to notice those types of things because he wasn't much into fashion at all, but Jim knew that Leonard was appreciative of what he had. Even though Leonard was older than her – than all of them, actually – and he didn't care much for clubbing or girly cocktails, the Southern gentleman was still a gentleman. He attended events that Amelia wanted to go to, even when he bitched to Jim about having to go. Despite Amelia's full capability of handling herself both physically but more so vocally, Leonard never missed a beat to open the door for her, pull out a chair for her, or even cuss out a guy making eyes at her. And even when Amelia would chastise him for being so gruff, Jim knew that she wouldn't have Leonard any other way. In fact, though he'd never heard the words uttered between them, nor had Bones ever told him – and he would – Jim was certain that they loved each other. When he and Leonard talked man talk over a beer, Leonard's description of sex between him and Amelia was anything but that three lettered word, even though that's what Leonard called it. Jim refused to accept that. Leonard described making love, not sex. All Jim could ever describe would be called sex. But Leonard was not that type of man. He was rarely a horny teenager about those types of things. He'd rarely ever had a Jim-type quickie encounter. They were always in his or her quarters, usually having dinner or just talking and the night would ease into the mood. It was custom, according to Leonard, that one never leaves the room after sex. Leonard always stayed and he always ended the evening in holding her. Jim always ended up leaving after a brief exchange of thank yous and 'see you again sometime' fibs.

Jim couldn't adhere to Bones' old man tactics. He hadn't found his Amelia yet, he concluded.

Jim's mind wandered to Skylar again, the mystery. Skylar was a perfect mixture of Amelia and Nyota. She, too, was witty and fun to be around; she also had her sexy and bitchy moments as well. Skylar was easily one of the boys yet she maintained the ability to cross over into the datable realm. Jim was unsure if he could ever actually be attracted to her. She almost had the older sister feel to her. He could hang with her, rough house with her, maybe even slip in an inappropriate joke or touch, but he didn't know if he could go in for the kill. In a way, Skylar almost reminded him of … himself. It almost irked Jim that she could be with someone like Spock. He knew that he could never date a Vulcan. He would rather make out with Chekov and Sulu in a three way than follow that path. Perhaps this is why he found their relationship to be so intriguing and practically frustrating. Skylar was so badass and Spock was so by the book. She cussed and fought freely; Spock corrected grammar and memorized Earth history. If Jim had to pin anyone other than Skylar with Spock, he would have assumed that Amelia would have been the likely choice; after all, those two had more in common over Skylar and Spock. Amelia had a tendency to be scientifically driven. Sometimes her own way of being logical got on Bones' nerves. But ultimately, fate was having the last laugh, and for some reason unbeknownst to him, the lack of understanding was pissing Jim off.

"You okay?"

Sulu's honest words brought Jim back into reality. He tipped his chin up at his friends and gave them a brief smirk.

"Yeah, just trying to figure this shit out. I hate having top deal with all of this drama right when I need to have my mind focused on this issue with the Trills."

Scotty placed a hand on Jim's shoulder and then quickly removed it, unsure of what was appropriate in a sweaty, half naked, male environment. "It'll work out, Jim. Don't let it get your bloomers in a twist. Trill is the most important thing right now, after all."

Jim nodded. "Thanks, guys."

"Well, I'm going to take a shower," Sulu stated.

Scotty looked at him. "I'll join ya." He instantly paused and rolled his eyes at the looks he got from both men. "On the far side of the room. You boys know what I meant."

Jim stood. "I'm going to head to Skylar's office. Her skant was delivered to her and I want to raise some hell with it."

Both Sulu and Scotty chuckled as they headed in the direction of the showers, Scotty slowly widening the gap between them. Jim heard Sulu say playfully, "I hope we get showers right next to each other," and he chuckled and headed for the exit.

Still shirtless, Jim made the short trek toward Skylar's office, whistling a peppy tune as he did so. Security teams were busy training on the circuits, lovingly created hells that Skylar had developed that often landed some of the weaker crewmen into Sick Bay. Jim chuckled at that thought, internally grateful he'd never had tactical or weapons training under Skylar. Of all of the tactical officers and security chiefs onboard, he'd heard that she was one of the most merciless. She personally trained every one of her recruits and handed their asses to them in hand to hand combat. She was not afraid to stun anyone up close and personally. She was responsible for many of the dehydration cases, broken bones and Bones' late shift hours. Of all of the crewmen Bones saw on a regular basis, Skylar held the tally for most Sick Bay visits; even though she was generous when it came to injuring her men, there were never any hard feelings when she wound up in Sick Bay after a one on one session with her crewmen. If anything, she beleaguered them with running laps as a sort of punishment. Jim had known many instructors like this; he figured that in actuality she took in pride seeing that her pupils were able to comprehend the grueling training she implemented and that the laps were a means as to keeping her pride in tact. Jim knew Skylar wasn't a complete matriarchal bitch – keyword: complete.

Jim pressed the touchpad on the right side of the door and the doors slid open to reveal Skylar on her tiptoes as she reached up to one of the shelves for a part for the mangled phaser on her desk. The hem of her newly fashioned red skant was lifted up enough to expose the bottom elastic of her red bloomers – a sight Jim never expected to see – and two slender, lengthy legs that maintained a beautifully tanned complexion. Jim could not help but find his eyesight lingering on the curve of the back of her upper thighs as they rounded outward and filled the inside of her bloomers. Suddenly, a familiar electricity on his muscular highway sparked and instantly Jim pulled his tunic out of the waistline of this pants and held them before his zipper just in case the unthinkable happened. And at this moment, he was both shocked and certain of the possibility.

Skylar turned toward him at the sound of the doors opening. She immediately tugged on the bottom of the skant. "I hate you," she said simply, moving behind her desk.

"I think it's becoming," Jim remarked playfully, attempting to keep his cool as he entered the office.

"You're an ass," Skylar retorted. "And why the hell are you naked in my office?"

"Why are you?"

Skylar glared at him. "Yeoman," she muttered in disgust. "Of all of the shitty jobs on this buckle of bolts, you give me Yeoman… "

"I need you with me. You have to keep me protected just in case things on Trill get out of hand. As your boyfriend would say, it's logical."

Skylar crossed her arms over her chest and sat herself on the edge of the desktop. "I still can't believe Starfleet ordered this."

Jim was idly looking over the various weapons the adorned the office partly because he was often ever in the room and partly as a distraction. His mind was racing as to why he was so aroused lately. It must have been the lack of sex. That was the only explanation. Jim Kirk was not used to not having sex. But the depravity was beginning to take a turn for the strange. Skylar was an attractive young woman, but he'd never been turned on by her. After all, they were only friends. It was like him and Amelia; they were each attractive, and yeah, maybe his curious mind had once wondered what they each looked like naked, but he'd never lingered on the subject. They were his best friends' girls. They were part of his crew, part of his clique and part of the danger zone that he was not allowed to enter.

Heheh … enter, his perverted mind chuckled.

"It would be an important feat for the Federation," Jim replied, turning to her. "And they wanted the best ship in the fleet to represent their negotiations. This particular Trill representative, Senator Dorraine, is known for his temper and hostility to guests he deems unwelcome."

"Sounds like fun," Skylar commented. "But if you don't recall, which you may not since you were in such a delusional stated during the entirety of the meeting, I know exactly why we are going to Trill. I also know what it is that I have to do. I'm going to do it because I have to, but I reserve the right to bitch about it."

"Hey, think about it this way; all those flashy flips and jumps that you do will be considerably easier without pants on."

Skylar rolled her eyes. "Are you ever not a horn-dog? I mean, I put on a skirt for five seconds and you've already got your shirt off."

Jim laughed. "And I'm not on the floor yet. That says something about your defenses. Maybe you're too afraid to break a nail."

"Have I told you that I absolutely hate you? Oh, perhaps you've heard that too many times for it to actually register anymore."

Jim crossed his arms over his chest. "Ouch, Sky. That hit me right here." He rubbed his sweaty chest.

Skylar cocked an eyebrow at him. "You're lucky I don't hit lower."

"That's a first. You're invited to try."

Skylar hopped off of the desk. A smirk crossed her face. "Is that a serious challenge, Kirk?"

Jim threw his shirt to the side and opened his stance, motioning to her with a hand.

"You realize I've kicked your ass before?" Skylar continued.

"That was back at the Academy. Things could change."

Skylar jabbed out at Jim with a fist and the captain cunningly ducked. He popped up just in time to receive a blow to his side by Skylar's foot. Jim lurched to the side, finding his footing as to not fall down.

Skylar laughed. "You sure you want to get bruised up before Senator Dorraine gets a turn with you?"

Jim lunged at her and Skylar spun out of the way to the wall where some vases and old military books, amongst other manuals and trinkets sat on a book case. She grabbed a book and flung it at him, Jim dodging it while he seized the phaser off of her desk.

"No, Jim!" she screeched, and Jim threw it in her direction. Skylar caught it just before the already damaged phaser smashed onto the floor and it was at this moment the clever captain came up from behind her and grabbed her around the waist and across the chest. Skylar struggled against him but her arms were pinned. "Dammit, Jim!" she called out, partially laughing, as Jim held her tight and moved his feet to avoid the heels from her boots and she led them in an evasive dance.

"Who's kicking whose ass now?" Jim taunted as he held her against him. He could feel the material of her skant riding up between them. Her backside was in his lap as she moved in an effort to get away, yet the friction was still very powerfully apparent. His mind wandered for a moment, his hand accidentally cupped over her left breast; the other holding fast to her right hip. Skylar pounded at him with the phaser and her other arm was attempting to elbow him. His body was beginning to speak to him. You've got to be kidding me, he thought. It's just a little fight.

As his arousal was starting to form, Jim absently released his grip ever so slightly – which was just enough indication for Skylar to advance. With a loud groan her hand flew up behind his neck and she bent low, propelling Jim with all of her body weight up and over her shoulder. At the last second she attempted to delay the fall by keeping her grip on him, also an indication to Jim that he ought to prepare for his landing. Having had fun in this course at the Academy, Jim bent his knees so that his feet would aid in the fall. Together, they both fell, Jim landing on his back and Skylar landing face down on his chest.

"Shit," Jim laughed as Skylar rolled away from him. He sat up and brought his knees in just in case his arousal decided to show itself.

"I'll deem that a tie," Skylar said, sitting up. "I'm feeling exceptionally generous."

"And I'll be heading back to my quarters now," he told her. "If Spock was here, he'd cite regulation about rough housing in undesignated areas of the ship."

Skylar immediately stood up. "Oh crap, I should go find that Vulcan. I want to see what's up with him. He's been acting kind of weird lately." She reached out for Jim to help him up but he waved her hand away. She chuckled. "I didn't injure you, did I?"

Jim played the mock-macho look. "Injure me? Psh! I'm just going to take a breather, you go run along. I think your boy toy was headed to his quarters to sulk."

"So you've noticed it, too."

Jim nodded. "We all have, actually. Maybe you could talk to him?"

"Yeah, I'll see what's up and fill you in."

"Thanks, Sky. Good luck."

Skylar smirked. "Thanks for the workout, Jim."

"Hey, it wouldn't be the first time I've heard that one."

As she passed him en route for the door, Skylar playfully kicked him in the calf.

"Ouch!" Jim called out, bringing his leg in protectively.

"Later, ass-wipe," Skylar remarked over her shoulder as she proceeded out the door.

When she was gone, Jim exhaled deeply. "Well, Jim-boy, maybe it's time to see what Nyota is up to."