It wasn't long.

Even as a mere child Spock didn't need as much sleep as Jim did, and it worried the tot to not be able to sense Jim's conscious mind through their parental bond. Jim barely got 4 hours of sleep between his wailing and the transferred uneasiness Spock was feeling at his distance.

It was Uhura that eventual explained that Vulcan babies usually slept in their parent's arms so that the contact of their sleeping minds would sooth their children to sleep as well and familiarize them with their parent's mental signature. It was considered an important part of their bonding.

The first night Jim had been nervous about accidentally rolling over on Spock or transferring bad thoughts to the impressionable young babe, but that fear hadn't lasted long. Spock's mental touch was soothing and harmlessly probing at his subconscious until they were both in a deep slumber.

Jim couldn't say he wasn't fascinated by the whole process, but he was still the captain and having to look over a one year old was a strain. Spock wanted him in his sights at all times and Jim's parental instincts made the feeling just as strong for him. So he spent his whole shift giving orders with a tot swaddled to his hip. The rest of the crew found it hopelessly endearing and were constantly fretting over Spock.

Still the Vulcan gave little notice to their attention, his wide eyed gaze aimed only at Jim. It took the entire first week of their bonding for Jim to be able to convince Spock to allow the touch of others, but their skin had to be covered up at all times or Spock's mind would call out to Jim in panic.

Jim had come to tolerate his crewmate's attentions towards Spock, but found it endlessly annoying when Uhura tried to get Spock to speak her name over and over with no success. The only thing that had made him feel better was when Spock had deliberately looked away from her prodding fingers and stared straight into his eyes as he spoke his first word.

"Jim." He cooed out adorably, making the entire bridge crew awe at his cuteness.

Only Uhura looked away angrily before rushing off to her station. Despite seeing her reaction, Jim still sent Spock mental waves of approval and affection at his choice.

It was strange to watch the accelerated grow of his first officer as each day he grew bigger and more aware of the world around him, testing his strength and stability.

The first time Spock discovered he was stronger than his caretaker was a rather enlightening one for the pair.

It was Jim's shift and Spock was at his side as he always was, sitting atop the captain's lap with much more dignity than anyone thought possible. The ship had been given a series of star charting missions since they'd reported their first officer's condition to Star Fleet. They were in one of the safest sectors of space and there hadn't been any kind of battle or conflict there in over 57 years.

Till today. Out of nowhere alarms began to blaze as a rogue Klingon Bird of Prey dropped out of warp with their weapons set to kill.

Immediately Jim was up and giving orders, commanding his ship with all the grace of an honored admiral even as he held Spock to his chest protectively. Spock was more terrified than he'd ever been in his 5 week old life and his tiny hands gripped Jim's sides tightly. The two ships battled for only an hour, but to Spock it felt like forever as he buried his little face into Jim's chest. It was reassuring to hear Jim's heart beating steadily against his ear, reminding him that Jim was alive and that meant everything was okay.

When it was over and the ship was once again safe Jim's heart returned to it's normal pace and Spock pulled his face from the folds of Jim's gold shirt. Their skin wasn't touching, but Spock could feel the thrill of triumph vibrating from the core of Jim's very being along with a deep seeded pride of his crew.

That pride shone even at him as Jim looked down at him for the first time since the battle had begun. He knew his face was flushed and his eyes were wide, but Jim took no notice of that, instead he just smoothed Spock's disheveled hair back down and held him close.

"You were very good Spock. You did just what you were supposed to do. You didn't make a fuss or panic and distract us. I'm so proud."

Spock allowed the tiniest of smiles to appear on his face and sat quietly as Jim went and made sure that everyone was okay and nothing was critically damaged.

Spock didn't like to speak yet, hating how his words sounded so garbled and unclear through his tiny unpracticed mouth. He knew Jim thought it was cute, but he wanted to be better at it before he tried it in front of others. So he quietly watched Jim interact with the people around them with only the barest amount of envy and was lightly dozing by the time Jim made his way to Sickbay. Jim took notice of his bobbing head and whispered into his ear a quite warning before handing him off to Nurse Chapel.

He didn't like her too firm hold and he forced his drooping gaze to follow after Jim's retreating back. The captain did a quick double check to make sure that Spock was snoozing and his eyes looked just closed enough to be mistaken for sleep.

His groggy mind perked up a bit as Jim flipped his golden top over his head and sat on the nearest biobed. Spock was shocked to see his Jim's skin discolored into unnatural shades of purple and pink. What was worse was that the bruises were shaped like tiny handprints, exact duplicates of his own little hands. Guilt overwhelmed him as he watched Bones wave a scanner over his caretaker's chest and mumbled darkly to Jim about being more careful.

Chapel had other patients in sickbay awaiting her care and was quick to drop Spock off in his and Jim's corridors and be on her way.

Spock was thankful for the privacy and quickly buried himself under the thick covers on his and Jim's bed.

He had hurt his caretaker, his Jim. He could not comprehend that he was capable of hurting the one he cared about most. His eyes misted over with tears that his eyes could not shed.

He had seen an ensign cry over a fallen friend only two days prior and found it disturbing that his eyes could not do the same. It was not the first time that he had noticed the difference between himself and the others aboard the ship, but it had never seemed so plain to him as it did right now.

An hour came and went without Spock's notice until finally Jim entered their darkened room. His steps were quiet and hesitant as he made his way to their bed. Spock kept his breathing even and his thoughts slow so Jim would think he was asleep, but he knew that he hadn't fooled his caretaker. Jim was quick to gather him up in his arms and hold him close.

"You okay Spock? Your mind seems troubled."

Spock curled around Jim's arm and said nothing, merely nodded his head lightly. He was grateful that Jim could only sense the emotion of his thoughts instead of knowing them.

Jim sighed and did not press the subject, knowing that Spock would speak to him when he was ready.

He just let his mind project soothing thoughts through his skin and waited until Spock was asleep before allow himself the same luxury.

He knew in his dreams that Spock couldn't hide from him and there he would be able to understand the cause of his distress.

I know that Vulcan's can cry and that Spock can cry. But I like the concept and I wanted to throw it in this one. It'll be mentioned a few more times, so don't freak out if you're a hardcore Trekkie and know that that fact isn't a part of the show.

Anyway, thanks for all the support so far! Be sure to read, review and tell your friends!

Yours truly,

Jessica499499