A/N: If I owned Star Trek, I'd end up making a ridiculous amount of Spock/Chapel romance novels, complete with the corny, photoshopped covers. Gah. I wish.
Her first assignment was the very next day.
Doctor McCoy and she were to report to the transporter room to await the arrival of the captain and his science officer so that they could be immediately evaluated. They had beamed onto an unidentified planetoid (which was a relatively rare occurrence) where they were going to take life readings from any perennial organisms found there. Due to the humble supply of oxygen and nitrogen that was practically congruent to that on Earth, Christine knew that the two senior officers had nothing to worry about, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
After nearly two hours of waiting around for them to return, Montgomery Scott (or, Scotty, as he insisted on being called) got the call to beam them up. As soon as the two completely materialized and stepped off the transporter pad, McCoy and Christine wasted no time in checking their stats.
"What are you doing, what is that?" The captain asked in a rushed voice, eyeing the long computerized syringe that she was now filling with a purple liquid.
"I'm injecting you with a vaccine against any sort of alien disease -- Orillian lung maggots are really getting around in the Dionysus IV quadrant," She quickly jabbed the needle into his neck.
"Sunnuva--!" He hollered in pain. "What is it with you medical fiends and your random painful injections?!"
"Don't worry, your science officer is getting the same treatment," she assured him, eyeing the Vulcan who was accepting the injection without any complaint. "It's Starfleet regulation for the starships orbiting any non-Federation Class M planet or planetoid to have vaccinations against foreign viruses on hand," Christine replied, citing the book of Starfleet medical regulations word-for-word.
"My God, man! Your heart rate is off the charts!" She heard the chief science officer marvel at the science officer's readings from his tricorder. "You coulda kicked the bucket on your way up!"
"That's normal for a Vulcan, Doctor McCoy," she called to him as she finished monitoring Kirk's pulse and decided he was still fit for duty. "Their hearts tend to work much faster due to the difficulty in reproducing copper-based blood." She rolled her eyes, slightly annoyed at her superior-ranking officer. He had very little knowledge of any race other than that of Humans, something acquired from studying medicine at a non-Starfleet institution.
"Well, it seems you are both fit to see another day. Before you get back to the bridge, I'd like you both to meet our new addition to the sickbay, Christine Chapel." McCoy gestured towards her.
She smiled slightly and gave a quick wave, but immediately mentally chastised herself for it, realizing she probably looked incredibly stupid.
"So you're Dr. Chapel, huh? Nice to meet you, doc, I'm James Kirk, but you can call me Jim," she awkwardly shook hands with the captain, not expecting such informality. Jim Kirk was a handsome man with dark blonde hair that seemed to have a slight auburn gleam that matched profoundly with his animated blue eyes. "This is my second-in-command and also the science officer, Commander Spock," he motioned to the Vulcan standing next to him, who was stiff and silent with his hands behind his back.
The first officer nodded at her sternly, not offering the same warm gesture that the captain did. His reserved and reticent movement was followed by an awkward silence. Jim coughed to turn the attention away from the standoffish conduct of his comrade. "It's about time we got back to the bridge, Spock. It was nice to meet you, doc."
Christine nodded at him and then stared up at the Vulcan, who was now striding to the elevator lift, followed by Captain Kirk.
"Don't mind him, Chapel," grumbled McCoy as they watched the lift close and zoom up. "The pointed-eared bastard's always like that -- all work and no play makes Spock a dull boy."
Spock strode into his quarters, locking the automatic door behind him with a security code. His lodgings were located on Deck 5, a section of the ship reserved especially for the senior officers, but had recently come to loathe the location due to the fact that Lieutenant Uhura and Jim also had living quarters in the same area -- it wasn't the fact that he didn't want them to be together, it was the fact that he felt invasive, perhaps even obtrusive in their presence, when they were together, whether it be on the bridge or when he turned a corner to see them engaged in a conversation, laughing.
Laughing. Something he never did, or better yet something he didn't even know how to do, one of the many things that Jim Kirk had the advantage in.
Spock crossed the room to seat himself on the sofa in the corner, which was next to the entryway of his sleeping quarters. He squeezed his fists, irritated, remembering.
The domed park was sprawling with nature, from its artificial waterfalls to the orchids lining the pathways. The glass above that shielded the outside world had sunlight trickling down from it, a sign of a beautiful day both inside and out.
The young Vulcan approached the beautiful officer, who was standing exactly where she wished to meet him -- the bench near the small cove that housed the aquatically endangered species; the latter of the two seemed to be entranced by a toucan perched on a palm bush nearby.
"You wanted to meet me here, Nyota," he caught her attention, reminding her that he was there, sitting next to her. She seemed to be deep in thought, as if contemplating something very important, perhaps even dire. The toucan made a cawing sound and flapped its wings, momentarily flying away towards the orange trees near a small, rain-forest themed café.
"Yes, I did, Spock."
He stared at her for a moment, trying to figure her out. They had not spoken in at least a week, since the last date they had been on. Since she had yearned her feelings to progress to a much more intimate level…something he was not wanting to go to just yet. "Nyota?"
"Do you remember when I first kissed you?"
How could he forget? When mixed with the event of his mother's death, as well as the destruction of his home planet, it was an occurrence hardly to be forgotten. "I do recall the occasion."
Nyota sighed in irritation. "And do you remember when I asked you what you needed? That I would give you anything?"
"Of course."
"Spock…I don't think we want the same things, at least when it comes to this relationship. You…You're so stiff, so aloof, so…" Her voice trailed off, her throat beginning to become filled with emotion. "I don't think I can do this anymore, Spock. I want someone who is willing to go the next step, to make a commitment, not someone who afraid to get close to someone, to be intimate--"
"I do not fear you, Nyota."
"I know you don't, Spock, but…you are afraid of what this might turn into, what we might turn into." She swallowed as her eyes began to fill to the brim with tears. I cannot be with someone who is not willing to go the next level. How can I fly when I am surrounded by iron bars?"
Spock loosened his grip on his fists as the memory faded away.
Though he had never experienced it in his adult life, this had to be similar to what remorse was like. It was nothing that a sufficient amount of meditation couldn't solve -- or at least bury.
A/N: And there you have it. Spock's afraid of commitment. By the way, I'm totally open to suggestions you may have. Also, what would you think about a Spock/Chapel fanfiction that takes place in the Prime Universe? It would be slightly AU (which would totally defeat the whole purpose, but oh well...) and would end up intersecting with this story quite a bit. Would you read it?