Disclaimer: Obviously I do not own nor have had any input in this series that started a cultural movement. I'm just a huge fan that got inspiration from another artist.

Serena felt like she was seeing color again as her enthusiasm for work was restored. She had briefly lost her desire for pretty much everything but now she was back and she was determined. Her mother might've been downright furious when Serena contacted her and explained her final decision, she had even been disowned form any inheritance but Serena felt like she could breathe again. She was going to show her mother that she could do both and as Kirk had said she would be brilliant in both.

McCoy was both happy and upset at this turn of events. He now hounded her any chance he got at reminding her to take a break every now and then and sleeping. There were a few times he had actually put her in time out with the threat of hyposprays dangling over her head. No matter how serious he tried to play it off he always smiled as Serena ran out the door for the science labs.

Her complete do over in the labs meant that she had to create new cultures but she also found herself dealing in botany more. Serena was convinced that her studies in science could in fact improve the medical field. Science and medicine worked hand in hand many times and Serena was determined to be a walking bank of knowledge for both. Serena would find a disease and then break it down to its fundamental symptoms and work on compounds and vaccines for the disease using her experiments in the science labs. Serena had made herself a goal and she now had direction.

Spock and her worked closely during the night shifts, she would constantly bounce off her ideas with Spock. Some were downright silly but others showed actual promise. She would lose Spock when she got into the medical aspect of her experiments but his help with the start of her experiments were helpful. She felt as if they had somehow found a way to work around what they had been going through and they were starting to return to a normal relationship as it had been before. Serena still cared for Spock but she was content in their relationship right now.

Serena had passed her first year on their assignment and the crew was just dying down from the buzz of their celebration of the anniversary when Serena started to notice differences in Spock. It was small at first, something she barely noticed in the labs but then it increased. Spock seemed to be getting more agitated as the days passed and Serena thought she saw his hand shake a few times. When she asked him about it he actually snapped at her and stormed out. Serena was left standing in the lab looking out the door he walked out of. When Serena walked into Sickbay Nurse Chapel pulled her aside. "Serena, have you noticed any differences in Commander Spock?" Nurse Chapel asked. There was an edge of concern in her tone that actually produced a spark of jealousy in her but she stifled it as she responded. "Yes, he seems to be agitated. I was just about to talk to Dr. McCoy about it." "You do that, I'm going to go see if I can help him. He hasn't been eating." Before Serena could say anything Nurse Chapel took off. Serena kept the green beast shackled as she found McCoy.

"The ever logical Spock is agitated? Now I have to see that." McCoy said with a teasing tone. "Nurse Chapel said he hasn't been eating as well. I've seen his hand shake in the lab but when I asked him about it he literally blew up on me and walked out. I think something may be wrong sir." McCoy grew silent but eventually agreed to check Spock out himself. Serena felt a little like a tattle tell but Spock wasn't one to come in for medical help when he needed it. And since Spock had yelled at her she thought a CMO might have a better chance. When McCoy came back later that day he agreed with her assessment and told her Spock had even thrown the soup Nurse Chapel brought for him. Serena couldn't help it, she laughed. McCoy even joined in with her. McCoy seemed perfectly fine letting Kirk handle the Vulcan so Serena left Sickbay to finish her day in the labs before going back to her quarters.

The next day Spock seemed to be worse even though she didn't see him much that day. That afternoon Spock reported in to Dr. McCoy as ordered by Kirk and Spock looked like a child who was trying to listen to his parent but also trying to get away as soon as possible. McCoy had somehow found a way to keep Spock in Sickbay and had started his scans. McCoy grew very silent as the results came in and Serena recognized the look and a chill ran up her spine. When McCoy left to find Kirk Serena went to Spock's bedside and put a hand on his chart. "Permission to look?" she asked Spock, the restraint to not just take the chart in run took everything in her. Spock looked at her, she knew that struggle. She had seen it in the caves. But there was no instigator here. "I would prefer you didn't." Spock said looking at the chart. She let her hand slide from the chart to the footrest of the bed he was sitting in. "Spock. What's going on? I know that look, I've seen it before. What's the trigger?" Serena asked leaning forward as she studied him.

Spock looked uncomfortable. "Please leave." Was all he said. Serena was about to argue with him when Nurse Chapel came in. It wouldn't be smart to have a stubborn war in the middle of Sickbay, Spock would never forgive her. She almost wanted to push her luck and take the chart anyway but she decided to take the safer route and just interrogate McCoy when he got back, away from sharp pointy ears. Dalera was there and she brought Spock something to drink but he pointedly refused it. 'At least he didn't throw it at her.' Serena thought as she watched Dalera scamper off away from the vengeful Vulcan. McCoy released Spock to his quarters and that was when Serena rounded on him, along with Nurse Chapel, much to Serena's annoyance. She had known Nurse Chapel had a thing for Spock but apparently Serena had started to lose her patience with her. "Jeez, jealousy is unbecoming of you." Serena thought to herself.

Using the combined power of Serena's threats and Chapel's begging they got it out of McCoy. Serena and Chapel were stunned silent when they were told Spock would be dead in eight days if he didn't get to Vulcan. At that time Serena thought that the enterprise could transport itself to Vulcan in an instant with the combined emotions of Chapel and herself. Serena almost wanted to laugh about it if the threat of Spock dying wasn't hanging over both of their heads. Serena left Sickbay, no longer wanting to be around Chapel anymore. She wanted to be by Spock, to figure out what he knew about his own condition. In the end Spock was unavailable to her, he was suffering and she could not interfere. She learned of his condition called the pon farr from McCoy, although she was sworn to secrecy. Something along the lines of McCoy didn't want to know the Vulcan's way of tanning his hide. Serena sat in her quarters trying to learn more about it but unable to. The Vulcans were very secret about this particular ailment.

The next day they arrived at Vulcan, Serena sincerely hopped that Spock would be fine when he returned. She caught him in his quarters before the others came to get him. Spock was stiff as a board as she entered his room. "I know you don't want to speak with me right now so I'll make it short. I only wanted to wish you well on Vulcan. " His eyes watched her as if he wanted to devour her. She wanted to shiver from the intensity. "Please make it back safe and healthy." She said with her back turned to him before she walked out. Serena ran a few rounds in the labs, taking care of Spock's experiments as well as her own. When she went back to Sickbay she found Nurse Chapel crying. When she asked what was wrong Chapel told her about the communication with Vulcan and more specifically with Spock's wife.