.o0o.

The urges started the very first day he returned to work, Spock noted. At first, he'd thought it was a lingering trace of Pon Farr in his system that caused him to volunteer to join his Captain on the quick trip down to Sickbay, despite having left not even an hour beforehand. The truth was, it felt almost painful to be apart from his mate. And he could sense that Leonard felt it too, though to a lesser extent. The only sound he could hear was that of his own blood rushing through his ears. Time seemed to warp out of place and then stand still. He recalled very little of the conversation except that Leonard had defended him and M'Benga was not going to touch his mate. There was very little else he cared about.

Over the next few weeks, Spock expected the urges to be beside Leonard at all times to subside, but instead they seemed to be getting worse. He coordinated his schedule around finding times and ways to be nearer to the doctor. He'd take his lunch with Leonard, often bringing him his food if he didn't emerge from Sickbay to eat. He'd stop by his mate's office whenever he left the bridge to perform any duty which resulted in an uncommon over-usage of time on menial tasks. Still, he couldn't bring himself to stop the behavior. The truth was, he'd become overly possessive and overly protective of the doctor, and it was…. Distracting.

On the second day after his return to duty, Spock received a call from his mother. Normally, he would request to be alone before handling such personal affairs, but he had no mind to tell Leonard to leave his quarters. His mother wanted to ensure that he was well after his Time and that there were no concerns remaining. Leonard took over the conversation with alarming ease and proceeded to speak first in medical jargon, and then embarrassing emotionalism. Spock looked on with slight horror, but couldn't bring himself to ask the doctor to stop. He wasn't sure if they were speaking in some sort of code or something else entirely, but by the end of the conversation, Spock had no idea what Leonard had managed to convey. In any case, Amanda was 'tickled pink' by it (according to the doctor anyway) and Spock had a sinking surety that it had something to do with his own emotions.

A few days later, Spock fixed his own comm unit in his room and rewired it to receive all transmissions for Dr. McCoy as well. Leonard didn't take it as badly as he'd expected, which was rather unexpected considering how prone he was to expressing extreme negative emotions with little provocation. Instead, he seemed to take it as an open invitation to move into Spock's quarters permanently. Spock may have planned it that way but that was not something he intended to admit to.

One week after coming back from leave, Kirk managed to wrap up all negotiations with the people of Mokdan and took back control of the Enterprise. Spock was honestly impressed by how well he'd handled himself, but he had reason to believe that Uhura had done most of the negotiations herself and that she knew little of what had transpired on the planet's surface in her absence.

A month came and went after they left the planet with no blue, and as with any month aboard the Enterprise, one danger appeared after another. First, they encountered a being claiming to be the god Apollo who wanted to keep them captive as worshipers, and then they stumbled upon a tiny metal probe which had been systematically destroying life throughout the solar systems. If Nomad hadn't mistaken Kirk for his creator, they'd all be dead by this point.

"You are late." Spock stated when McCoy dropped into the seat opposite of him.

Leonard shrugged as he set a loaded tray onto the table. "Sorry. Duty calls and all that."

"You seem troubled."

"I was just thinking about Apollo." Leonard began after shoveling a spoonful into his mouth. "Do you think it was right, killing him? I mean, he wanted to take care of us. I think he might have actually loved us."

"I believe there is an Earth saying that goes, 'if you love something, you must set it free.'" "Right." McCoy sighed. He was unsatisfied by the response but did not appear interested in pursuing the topic further either.

Spock looked quizzically at his tray. "You are eating plomeek soup."

Leonard dipped a piece of naan bread into the soup. "So?"

"You have stated on several occasions that you do not find the taste of plomeek soup pleasing." Spock was also eating plomeek soup, but it was not abnormal for him as it was one of his favorite meals and one of the few Vulcan dishes available.

"Well, I decided to try it again." Leonard growled. "What's it to you?"

"You are acting inordinately hostile for the given circumstances."

"Besides the fact that my… that you're commenting on my food choices? I've been starving all day and the only thing that didn't make my stomach churn was this… stuff. My boots having somehow become tighter overnight. And I've been having this feeling all day like something awful was going to happen."

As if on cue, the yellow alert tripped on. Spock raised an eyebrow. That was a strange coincidence. The doctor grabbed another huge mouthful and followed Spock from the room. They made it to the bridge in a few short minutes. Spock felt a strange comfort in the knowledge that Leonard was standing behind him as they entered.

Kirk turned halfway around. "Spock. Good. We're being hailed by a Romulan vessel. They say they were attacked and driven into Federation space. They want medical assistance."

"According to our most recent treaty with the Romulans, we must provide medical assistance if requested." Spock raised an eyebrow again. Kirk was well aware of the appropriate protocol in this case. The question was whether or not he would abide by it.

He nodded slowly. "Of course. Shields up, approach with caution, Mr. Sulu."

Spock returned to his seat, immediately scanning for damage on the alien vessel. "Minor damages to the starboard side of their ship, Captain."

"Open hailing frequencies, Lieutenant."

"Aye, Captain." Uhura stabbed a few buttons. Spock watched her surreptitiously. She'd only recently returned to her duties following the Nomad incident and her subsequent reeducation. So far, she'd been performing well. "Hailing frequencies open."

"Romulan vessel, this is Captain Kirk of the USS Enterprise. State your business in Federation Space."

"Captain Kirk, I am Captain Rythal. Pardon the intrusion. We were attempting to evade an enemy ship. We were attacked, and while our ship is mostly intact, we have lost our medical facilities and the doctors who run them. We request immediate assistance before we lose our injured as well."

"We are well within our rights to deny you as you have broken the treaty by entering Federation space." Kirk was bluffing, Spock noted. The treaty also had a provision for Romulan ships seeking asylum. If Kirk chose to ignore their plea for help, he could very well destroy the unsteady balance between the Romulans and the Federation. It would also most likely result in further fragmentation of Starfleet itself. The captain could not afford to say no.

The Romulan either didn't know or didn't care enough to call him on the bluff. "This is a peaceful request for mercy. Surely you will not allow my men to die."

For a moment, all present seemed to be contemplating if he would, Kirk included, but he eventually relented. "You may beam your injured aboard my ship to be treated here."

"I'm afraid that won't be possible. My Chief Engineer was severely injured. I cannot move him. You will send your best surgeon here to treat him."

"No deal. I will not risk my people." Kirk's answer was prompt and definitive.

Rythal was not to be deterred. "I would of course send some of my people over in exchange as insurance." Kirk bit his lip as he thought, but Spock stared straight ahead. He waited long enough that Rythal felt the need to offer more. "I will send my people first as an act of good will." "Jim," McCoy pressed down on the mute, "I volunteer to go. They may be Romulans, but they're still people."

Spock found himself twisting around to look at the doctor. This proposition was unacceptable. "I'm not sending you over there, Bones."

"The treaty-"

"Is my concern. I'm not sending you alone onto a Romulan ship. I doubt you forgot what happened last time."

"I will accompany him." Spock offered. He was fairly certain who was going to win this argument given the current political climate and he wasn't about to let his mate onto an enemy ship by himself.

Kirk frowned. "You really think this is a wise move, Spock?"

"I do not. However, I believe that now is not an acceptable time to violate this treaty if you intend to continue in your captaincy."

"I should send someone from security with him."

"You may send security as well."

Kirk looked into Spock's eyes as if he'd be able to see his thoughts. "And if I ordered you to stay here when I send Dr. McCoy?"

"I would be obliged to disobey that order."

"We are going to have a talk when you get back, Commander."

"Aye, sir." Spock readily agreed. Listening as Kirk made arrangements with the Romulan commander, Spock glanced at Leonard who was eying him warily.

They entered the turbolift together. "You don't have to come, and you shouldn't. Jim practically demanded that you stay."

Spock raised an eyebrow. "You have my thoughts. You know that I must follow you. If you choose to attend to the Romulans, then I must as well."

"I understand that you feel you have to, but I don't know why."

Spock didn't respond because he didn't know why himself. It was an urge, an instinct so tightly wound within himself that he thought he might die if he did not carry it out. Perhaps it was an extension of pon farr and he would die if he ignored it.

"You didn't follow me down on Apollo's planet." Leonard pointed out as he gathered up supplies.

"Nor did I feel as strong a need to accompany you. Perhaps it is because you were in no more danger on the planet than you had been on the Enterprise." They made their way to the transporter room. "This scenario, on the other hand, is most likely a trap."

"Hold on. We don't know it's a trap; their ship was damaged."

"It is highly improbable that such minimal damage would have caused significant injury, and further unlikely that all of their medical personnel were too injured to handle it."

"It doesn't matter. If we don't go, Jim's violating the treaty and Komack's just looking for a reason to pull him."

Spock paused outside the transporter doors where they still had the relative privacy of the empty hallway. "I do not believe the captain would value his position over your life." He doubted Leonard was fully aware of the precarious position Starfleet was in and why both he and the captain had relented so easily.

The doors slid open and two Romulans walked past with an escort of several security guards. McCoy straightened his shirt and swung his medical pouch across his shoulder. "Let's go."

Sometimes, Spock decided as they appeared on the Romulan ship with several phasers aimed in their direction, he wouldn't mind being wrong more often.

.o0o.