Pavel stood lazily against a hay bale, drunk out of his mind, but ever so happy. He was ready to fight and adrenaline was running high.

"Teach me! Please!" Pavel pleaded. Bones watched Pavel carefully, not wanting him to fall over.

"I will. I will. I just don't want you to get hurt." Bones assured Pavel. "Can you stand? Without assistance?" Bones asked. It was the first thing he wanted to know. If Pavel could stand, then they could begin fighting.

"Yes." Pavel nodded and pushed himself off the bale, walking steadily towards Bones. His equal Librium was in tact even though the alcohol was in his system.

"Alright. That's good. Now, the first thing you gotta do, is you have to learn certain punches and hits." Bones told Pavel. "Now I'm going to show you some and then I want you to replicate them on myself." Pavel looked at Bones, frightened of hurting Leonard.

"I don't theenk I weel be able to do zat." Pavel assumed, looking down at the ground. Bones sensed Pavel's uncomfortibility level, but ignored it.

"Pavel, you won't hurt me. I swear." Bones swore, placing his hand over his heart. "If you do, I'll tell you, but kid, I don't get scratched up easily."

Pavel nodded and Bones resumed. "Alright, the first one is simple. It's an uppercut. You ball up your fist and just swing upwards either into the stomach or in the jaw. You need momentum though." Bones swung his fist up to demonstrate. Pavel watched intently as Leonard swung his fist. "Now come and do that to me." Bones waved his finger forward, encouraging Pavel to have a swing at him. Pavel steadily walked forward stood in front of Bones, barely meeting his face. Bones watched as the kid balled up his small fist and swung roughly, barely hitting Bones in the stomach. Even if he did, Bones wouldn't have felt it.

"Uh…good kid. Try again. More emphasis." Bones hinted and tried to help by encasing his hand around Pavel's finger, forming them into a well made fist. "Keep your thumbs out. If you put them in your fist, you run the risk of breaking a thumb." Pavel nodded and backed up some more, and socked Bones in the stomach again. This time, Bones felt a slight kick to the punch. But it wouldn't have thrown a drunk man off, let alone a man without the effects of alcohol.

"How vas zat?" Pavel asked, grinning drunkenly.

"Good…how about another one? This should be easier…if the last one wasn't." Bones sighed and formed a stance, placing his right foot in the front of his left. Then he pulled his fists up to his chest. "You assume this stance. Alright?" Bones looked at Pavel who was trying to imitate Bones. He wasn't doing to well, but it was better than lying out cold on the saloon floor in a drunken haze.

"Then you turn your right shoulder and then push out. Fists balled up." Bones expertly punched the air, hearing the air swish past him. "I need you to do that." Bones retracted his fist and stood straight, looking at Pavel.

Pavel nodded and slowly pressed his right foot forward and leaned back, bringing his small hands to his chest. He bounced around on his toes lightly dancing. Bones couldn't help but smile and laugh.

"Alright, alright." Bones laughed and stepped forward, getting within Pavel's hitting distance. "Now all you need to do is punch me." Bones tensed up and braced himself for impact. Pavel steadied his body and eyesight, trying to aim for Bones' chest. And when he saw the correct place in his vision, Pavel launched his fist forward, turning his shoulder and hip, throwing the punch hard.

Bones was nearly stumbled backwards when Pavel hit him. He was shocked Pavel could hit that hard. He thought that the first two punches were weak and the most that Pavel could throw. Now this kid was throwing punches like it was nothing. He was surprised and highly amused by what alcohol could do to the human body and brain.

"Damn kid. Nice throw there. Do it again." Bones smiled and stepped forward, offering himself up for another hit. Pavel bared his white smile and retracted his fist back, re-assuming the stance, throwing another punch. That one wasn't as tough as the first one but it still hurt a bit.

"How vas zat?" Pavel asked again.

"Great. Do you want to try another one?" Bones responded. Pavel thought for a moment.

"I guess. I vant to learn moves and combinations." Pavel suggested. Bones searched the back of his mind, looking for combinations that he had used in the past that had won him a fair share of fights.

"Alright. I think I've got a few." He responded. "There's one where you throw a punch to the left, to the right and then you knee them in the stomach. They keel over and you take your knee to their nose. Now, I'm not actually going to hit you. I'm just going to lightly tap you where you should punch someone. You are going to do that same thing." Bones was wary about the excersice. While he was still drunk, Bones could control his body. But for a small, seventeen year old boy who just had his first shot and scotch, it would be harder for Pavel to control his movements.

"Alright." Pavel nodded, standing still, awaiting for Bones to begin the demonstration.

"Okay, so it goes like this. Right jaw, left jaw…" Bones tapped Pavel's thin jawline with each of his knuckles. "Take their shoulders and bring your knee up to their stomach…" Bones quickly, and skillfully brought his knee up and barely tapped Pavel's stomach. "Finally, when they're bending over from the pain, you take their head and…" Bones took Pavel's head and brought it up to his knee once again. "You smash their nose." Bones let go of Pavel and stepped back. Pavel looked at Bones and nodded, going through the motions in his head over and over again.

"I think I can do zat! Can I try?" Pavel asked. Bones hesitated.

"You can…but drunks…they can't control their body very much, so I want you to restrain as much as you can." Bones warned. Pavel knew this. He had seen his father come home drunk. Flimsy and floppy he was.

"I know. I veel be very careful." Pavel said as he positioned himself in front of Bones.

"Whenever you're ready." Bones said, waiting. Pavel nodded and ran through the motions one more time in his head before repeating on Bones.

Pavel lightly swung his fists left and right, at Bones's strong jawline, which he found most fascinating and attractive. But that didn't distract him. He continued by bringing his knee up to Bones' stomach, and when Bones keeled over at the appropriate time, Pavel gently grabbed Leonard by the shoulders and kneed his face, soon letting go of his clothes and stepping back, awaiting approval.

Bones straightened up and dusted off his vest, looking at Pavel who was just beaming with happiness. It was so hard not to be angry when he was around. Just as Bones began thinking about being around Pavel 24/7, his Tingles started up again and that pulling feeling in his heart began. Then he went back and remembered what Scotty had said. No…it wasn't love. Bones wasn't going to believe that because if was ridiculous and out of the question.

"Okay, now I'm…uh…I'm going to show you one more. Then it's all you. You do what you want, but you have to get me to stop fighting you. Like a an actual fight, minus the intense violence." Bones struggled to keep his emotions in check as he fought back the angry feelings and turmoil inside of him, residual from his talk with Scotty.

"Okay Meester McCoy! I eem ready!" Pavel smiled brightly again, just hurting Bones even more. But in his angered depression, he walked over to Pavel and resumed.

"If the person is in fact drunk, you take them by the shoulder and pull them at you, their view is disrupted and you sock em in the jaw. Quick and easy." Bones grabbed Pavel's shoulders roughly and brought the young kid closer to him. There was a beat of silence where Pavel looked up at Bones with such care and good intent, it hurt Bones. The blue of his eyes were so crystalized and clear. His innocence shone brightly through, and if you looked close enough, you could see the hurt and pain that Pavel held close from abuse. He let go of Pavel and took a step backwards. "Okay…now just…try something on me. You have to defend yourself."

Pavel sensed something was wrong with Leonard, but he wasn't sure what it was. He was distant now. He wasn't kind, or helping. He was stone cold like his father had been. Desolate and obsolete. Pavel couldn't let that happen to the person he was now holding dearest to his heart. He had to be stopped.

"Alvight. Let's do zat." Pavel nodded, trying to think of someway to get Bones to stop fighting him.

Bones advanced and put his arms up in defense. Pavel took a couple steps forward and began to wildly swing at Bones, not sure what he was doing. His fist flew all over the place and each time Pavel thought he had a solid hit, Bones easily blocked it with his arm.

"Come on kid. Throw me off!" Bones advanced, becoming angry with himself. Pavel kept throwing punches and Bones would keep blocking them. "Do something! Do something that feels right!" Bones exclaimed, nearly yelling at the kid. Pavel became frightened and afraid that he was losing the one person he had.

"I eem! I eem! Please Meester McCoy! Please!" Pavel pleaded and begged, still blindly throwing punches, tears starting to well up.

"You'll never make it kid! You'll get beat up! Do something…anything!" Bones kept yelling and walking. Pavel stopped throwing his fists and let the tears fall down his face. Bones stopped and put his arms down to asses the problem. That was when Pavel found his perfect opportunity to win.

Grabbing Bones' shoulders, Pavel tried with all his might to bring him forwards, closer to Pavel. When they were just inches away from each other, Pavel stood high on his top toes, glaring into Bones' eyes with tears running down his own. He could smell the harsh, sweet breath of Leonard McCoy, breathing heavily on his face, which was filled with anger and confusion. Then Pavel Chekov did what he had wanted to do all along. Pulling Bones closer, Pavel's lips met Bones' and their mouths clashed against each others in a burst of rash movement on Pavel's part. Pavel felt wonderful, his heart fluttering quickly as he felt Bones' lips tighten over his own with surprise. The rough texture felt so foreign against his own mouth, which had touched nothing but food and drink.

Bones was shocked as he was pulled into one of the most graceful kisses he had ever experienced in his life. His own rough, dry, untouched lips met Pavel's smooth, rounded lips, making Bones shudder under all his clothes. Goosebumps rose on his skin and the Tingles ran wild through his body and his heart sped up, nearly bursting out of his vest. It felt like he was touching the inside of a rose petal with his mouth. It was so delicate, yet wonderful to touch and experience at the same time. His upper lip just barely glanced over Pavel's lower lip as he pulled away, in shock.

"Well…uh kid…you really did uh…damn…you threw me off." Bones ran a hand through his hair, then wiped his mouth. When he brought his hand down, it was shaking.

"I—I deed not mean to do zat. I eem sorry…Meester McCoy." Pavel wiped his tears and apologized. Bones looked up at him, confused with his own emotions once again. Maybe he was in love? He was succumbing to those feelings…he was feeling love.

"Uh…no, kid…I just…I, don't know how I…feel about—" Bones struggled to find the right words for what he was feeling. Pavel looked down at the ground, embarrassed, his face glowing red.

"It ees okay. I understand…I didn't mean to." Pavel sulked and turned away, knowing what he had done was wrong. But Leonard told him to do what he felt was right…and he did.

Bones saw Pavel walking away, saddened by the young kid's reaction. He didn't know what to feel. He wanted to follow Pavel…but he wasn't sure why or even if he should. So he watched as Pavel walked away from him, heading back to what seemed like home. Bones stood there, replaying the moment in his head, feeling his heart speed up as he did. And when he replayed the image of Pavel kissing him softly on the lips, there was a ghost touch against his mouth. Bones' eyes snapped open and touched his mouth, feeling nothing but air touching them. He wasn't sure what to do…he had no one to talk to. So Bones resorted in walking back to his own small house.

As Bones was walking back, thinking about the whole debacle, he passed the Saloon, thinking back at what Scotty had said. He seemed like he was knowledgeable about the subject of love. Bones took a quick and sharp turn, veering towards the bar, praying that Scotty would be there and he could talk to him about what just happened. Maybe the Scottish, scotch drinking man would give some insight to his feelings and help him.

Bones pushed through the swinging doors of the bar, ignoring the loud bang that came from behind him. People turned and looked, surprised not to see the little Chekov clinging to the stranger's side. Bones ignored the looks and whispers. He went straight towards the back of the saloon, trying to scout out Scotty. He stood high up on his toes and searched around for the balding, short Scottish man and could not find him to no avail. There was no sign of him. Where had he gone?

As Bones walked towards the back, with a fuzzy mind and distressed feelings, he looked up and saw one of the prettiest barmaids he had ever seen. Her skin was the color of the dirt when it got wet, a smooth, light brown. Her eyes were a deep brown, almost like a deer's, but a hint more fiercer. Her hair was black and pulled straight down over her shoulders. With a sudden spark of an idea in his head, he quickly dashed forward and threw himself onto a stool, leaning over the bar.

"Hey, miss, can I ask you a favor?" He asked quickly, tapping his fingers against the wooden table. She looked up at him and stared with an odd look on her face. She had never seen him before. Spock had said that there was a stranger that had ridden into town with them, but she didn't believe it. No one ever stumbled upon their tiny little town.

"Yes, what can I do for you?" She asked sweetly. Bones smiled shortly and then looked around him.

"I need you to kiss me." He told her, panicking. He prayed to God that it would work out. He knew that it would sound crazy, but he needed this.

The barmaid stared at the stranger, astounded by what he had asked. There were other women here in the town for that job, and she was not one of them. He was just a stranger!

"Sir, I'm sorry, but we've got other women for that job, so—" She started, but was interrupted by the stranger once again.

"Please. Please….I'm begging you. Please." Bones pleaded, starting to fear himself.

"Sir, please, I do not serve those kind of needs." The barmaid responded. Bones, being distraught and so goddamned out of it, ignored her words and grabbed the barmaid by the collar of her dress and quickly planted a kiss on top of her mouth. It only lasted seconds before the barmaid pulled herself off of the strange man and slapped him.

"How dare you!" She yelled. Bones held his cheek, not caring about the stinging pain. He was more afraid that he didn't feel any connection at all when he kissed the barmaid. Nothing…

"No…no…" He quietly muttered to himself. Then from out of the blue, came an unmistakable laugh behind the bar. Bones looked up and saw Scotty leaning against the shelves of gin and rum, grinning. He clenched his fists.

"He's fine, Uhura. The man's just a little shaken up. He doesn't know what's hit him yet. You see…" Scotty leaned off the shelves and began strutting towards Bones', stopping when the bar came in between them. "He's got a…aye what do you call it…a thing for Pavel Chekov."

Bones glared at Scotty, slamming his fist down on the table. "God Damn! I am not in love with that young boy!" He growled. Scotty kept smiling as Uhura hid behind him.

"He won't hurt you…" Scotty told Uhura, then he turned to Bones and said, "Tell me…you come in here, flushed, red in the face...panicked…kissing a random barmaid….something happened. I can tell. What was it?" Scotty leaned forward and asked. Bones looked around the bar and then back at Scotty. He was about to confide in a man he had just met in something so…forbidden that he was shaking from fear.

"I can't…I just can't tell you." Bones shook his head. He feared that if the words came out, then everything would be true. He couldn't hide it in the pit of his heart like he usually did with other things.

"Then I can't help you." Scotty shrugged and smirked, walking away.

"Dammit man! I'll explain" Bones reached for Scotty, who gladly turned back around to listen to the tale. "…when Chekov and I were…fighting…he grabbed me and…uh…" Bones scratched the back of his head, not sure what to say next. "He uh…he just…he kissed me!" Bones exclaimed. Some stares were gathered from random folk, but most people ignored it or dismissed him as being drunk. Which was good.

Scotty's eyes widened and he began to chuckl. Uhura, the barmaid came out from behind him and looked at the man more closely, seeing as he wasn't a threat.

"Welp. Tell me, what did you feel when that happened?" Scotty asked, interlacing his own fingers together. Bone stared down at the dark wood, feeling completely lost.

"Uh, I felt…the uh Tingles." He muttered. Never had he said that word out loud. Scotty oogled at Bones when he said that odd, new word.

"Tingles? Tell me, what is that?" Scotty asked.

"It's when you…you get this feeling…like a million little spiders are crawling up your arms and back, then they all gather at the top of your head and pull. You get that feeling when—" Bones started.

"When you're in love. I've felt that too." Uhura finally spoke up and looked intently at the stranger. He was a lost man. Someone who had been traveling very far, alone for most of his journey. He was tired, beat down mentally, but not physically. Uhura could tell all of that just from the way he held himself and spoke.

"Really?" Bones asked.

"Yes. With a man in this very town. He was—"

"Hold on, we can talk 'bout your love story later…this young fellow right here still needs to know if he's in love with Chekov." Scotty quickly intervened, not done with his questions yet. Bones groaned and looked at Scotty, allowing to finish his inquiry.

"Alright, what else did you feel? Quickened pulse? Sweaty palms? Fuzz brain?" Scotty ticked off every single symptom of love that he could think of. Bones registered with each and every one of those symptoms. He had felt them all when he kissed Pavel.

"Uh…yes?" He asked huskily, still trying to preserve his manly energy about him.

"Yes what?" Scotty asked, becoming more intrigued.

"Yes to all of them. I felt every single one of those." Bones nodded, looking and feeling back to what felt like minutes ago. Scotty snorted, nearly spilling a new drink that he was pouring.

"Every single one? Oh, you're in for it. You're in deep. You have got the love bug." Scotty laughed. Bones slammed his head down onto the wood, groaning. "You've never been in love with another man, I take it?" Scotty asked. Bones quickly looked up, staring into Scotty's eyes.

"Never. Son, I was married to a woman before she went of and divorced me. I have slept with women and that is all. Never have I ever been with another man." Bones confided, letting his breath quickly escape him.

"Well, be warned…it's much different than a woman." Scotty shuddered as he sipped his drink.

"What-how do you know?" Bones asked. Scotty quickly glanced at Bones and then sneakily at Uhura. She smiled and giggled.

"It was nothin'! Just a little accident…had too much to drink…" Scotty shrugged it off. Bones grinned slightly, but still felt so conflicted.

"I don't know what in the hell to do! He's…he's basically and an infant." Bones grumbled.

"Well…the first step is to admitting that you do have feelings for him. You don't want to rush into anything and have it be a pretense." Uhura stepped in and began to calmly speak to the frazzled Bones.

"And how in the hell do I do that?" Bones asked.

"You go and find him again. Speak to him. Talk. Let your feelings out. Let him know how you feel. If he was the one who approached you, then I'll bet he'll listen." Uhura continued.

"Then what?" Bones was starting to feel a slight more confident that before.

"Then you continue talking to him. Maybe touch his leg, or his hand. Do something to let him know that you care…and while you're making physical contact, you should feel something in your heart." Uhura smiled at Bones as he mentally took down notes.

"And how do I know that feeling?" He asked.

"You just do. Then if you feel those feelings, you know you love him." She finished. Bones nodded and looked behind his shoulder, taking in a deep breath.

"It was a pleasure meeting you Uhura. Thank you. Thank you too Scotty. I've got to go…" Bones easily slid off the stool and waved goodbye to his two new comrades, on his way to Pavel Chekov's home.