Spock looked down at Jim, his hands clasped behind his back. His option was clear: mind meld with Jim in an effort to restore his mind to it's full potential or let Jim continue on living, if it could even be called that, as a 'vegetable' as Doctor McCoy called it. It was a difficult choice but a clear one. He would rather be the assailant of a kae'at k'lasa (mind rape) on Jim than let him suffer with a fractured mind. Either way, Spock was going to enter Jim.

Nervously, Spock sat down next to Jim on the bed, his body turned to face Jim. His full pink lips that were always pulled up at the sides in a smirk were relaxed. His blue eyes were hiding behind his pale eyelids and long eyelashes. His chest rose and fell, giving the allusion of sleep. But Jim wasn't asleep; he was broken and only Spock could fix him. He leaned forward, his face tilted to the side as he continued to look at Jim. His hands reached for Jim, tracing the sides of his arms and going up to his shoulders and face. Spock touched Jim's face for a moment before positioning his fingers on Jim's meld points.

"Our minds... as one…" Spock said as a way to clear his mind and tell Jim about what was about to happen. From the moment his fingertips touched Jim's skin, Spock felt a current of electricity rush through his body. His eyes snapped open a moment later, his fingers almost leaving Jim's skin. It wasn't right. This connection shouldn't happen so readily. Jim's mind should be fighting against Spock's intrusion, not accepting it. "Fascinating."

Jim was trapped. Every way he turned there was a wall blocking his path. He was blind, alone in a poorly lit room that seemed to have no end. He had – for as long as could remember – been touching the wall, following it with the pads of his fingers. After a while, he became dizzy and realised the walls were not the standard four-corner type of walls but a circle. Walls designed to trap. Which meant the only exit was either up on the ceiling or down on the floor.

The ceiling wasn't within his reach so he started with the floor – crouching down on his knees and feeling his way around until his finger touched the wall. With his hands, he followed what he now knew was the circular shape of the room, feeling both the wall and the floor, searching for a gap between the two. He found none.

He was trapped. And it was his fault. He should have listened. He should have paid attention to where he was going. Hell, he couldn't even remember where he had been before waking up in the dark room with no corners. He just remembered the lonely feeling and the gap in his chest. He just wanted to get out. Now.

"God damnit!" Jim yelled. "LET ME OUT!" His voice echoed through the room, vibrating on the walls and coming back to Jim's ears. Jim sighed. "This is about the time where you come in and save the day, Spock…"

"Jim… Jim are you there?" For a moment Jim thought he was going crazy but then he heard it again. "Jim? Captain?"

"Spock?! Spock, where are you?! I can't see anything?"

There was a pause in which Jim held his breath as he waited for Spock to save the day. "You need to trust me, Captain."

"With my life," Jim replied instantly.

It was nearly two hours before Spock finally left Jim's mind. His fingers dropped from his face, falling on the pillow beside Jim as Spock tried to rid himself of the final traces of his mind. It was a complicated thing – Jim's mind – not at all like Spock had thought. It was full of many wondrous things, many emotions linked up to memories that were in fragments and choppy. He wanted to remain there, safe and secure, to share and immerse himself in the magnificent mind that was Jim. But he couldn't and so, as he stepped away, he sighed. His mind would forever be trying to connect with Jim's, trying to re-connect with his mind.

"S-Spock?" Jim's fragile voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Spock looked at the bed, watching as Jim sat up and stretched, his shirt pulling up slightly and revealing a bit of the pale skin that was hidden under his clothes.

"Captain."

"What am I doing here?" Jim asked, his voice back to normal. "What happened? Did I get hurt planet side again? Ugh, is Bones mad? I promised him I would try my hardest to not-"

"What is the current Star Date, Captain?"

"What?" Jim asked, trying to get out of bed. Spock took a step forward, stopping him without actually touching him. "Why aren't we on the planet? Did you send some scouts ahead?"

"Captain," Spock replied. "It appears that with your… injury… you have lost some crucial memories from the last few days. I shall get Doctor McCoy immediately."

Spock walked away before Jim could reply, hands clasped behind his back in an attempt to stop himself from shaking. Jim had forgotten everything. And, somehow, that hurt worst than rejection.