Disclaimer: If I owned Star Trek, Spock and Chapel would be having babies left and right in the original series. Aw. Blonde, blue-eyed Vulcans. So cute.

Eh. I think this chapter's kinda hokey, like something outta some dumb teenage drama show.

"Ugh, you've got to be kidding me," groaned Christine, as she entered the corridor, walking past Chekov. "Wait, what are you even doing in the classroom? I thought you graduated already."

"Academic interest," he replied. "One ken never haff enough knowledge."

"Ah," she nodded. "Well that's a great story and everything, but I'll be seeing you." She immediately regretted her words; the last thing she wanted was to see him again, him or any member of the Enterprise.

"Vie, Lieutenant," Chekov called after her.

Minutes later, she was in a large atrium where many cadets congregated during their break times. She spotted her sister, twenty-one year old Abigail Chapel, chatting animatedly with friends. As soon as Christine came within a couple feet proximity of the group, it dissolved, each of the friends going in a separate direction.

Abigail turned to her. "Well, thanks for that, Christine! Everyone thinks you're some sort of authority figure, so you scared them away…What's with you?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing, just --" she scratched the back of her head, where her hair was severely tied back in a bun.

"Ooh, who's that?" Abigail pointed over Christine's shoulder. "He's adorable! Do you know him?" Christine turned to see the curly-haired Russian speaking with Commander Fletcher, the advanced theoretical physics instructor; they seemed to be on good terms.

Suddenly, he dismissed himself from the conversation and sauntered over to Abigail and her. Christine had to keep her hands behind her back from strangling Chekov, who was looking a little too happy to see her sister.

"Lieutenant, who is this charming creature?" She hadn't seen a look like that in Chekov's eyes since the last time he droned on about his beloved motherland of Russia. Christine suddenly prayed that lightening would strike the very place where she was standing.

"Oh, give me a break," Christine moaned. "Abigail, this is Pavel Chekov. Lieutenant, this is my younger sister Abigail. She enjoys long walks on the beach, Chinese food, and has a five year old daughter that she had when she was sixteen…Come on, Abby, I think it's time --"

"I wuff cheeldrin," said Chekov. If his accent wasn't so adorable, she would have vomited all over his shoes.

"Hey, Christine!" she heard Nyota call from across the atrium. She was standing with Jim and another officer. Abigail shook off Christine's grip on her arm and continued to chat with Chekov. Christine rolled her eyes and trudged over to the three.

"Christine, did you hear about the Enterprise?"

"Yeah, Chekov was in that geometry class I was subbing for," she said, glancing back over her shoulder at her sister and the Russian. "And now I'm pretty sure he's in love with Abby."

"I'm sure you can't wait for Thanksgiving," Jim said, eyeing Chekov joyfully.

Christine turned back to the three and the moment she had done so, her stomach did a back flip. Spock was standing right in front of her, between Jim and Nyota.

"You remember Commander Spock, right Christine?" Nyota asked.

Christine could only nod very slowly, careful not to appear completely in awe over his sudden appearance. Not that she was glad to see him; in fact, she would rather be in a room full of Tribbles than be in the very position that she was in right now.

"Christine?" came Nyota's voice.

"Oh, uh, yeah. Hi, Commander. I hope the Enterprise is still in good shape?" She mentally kicked herself. She sounded like a blubbering idiot.

"It is, Lieutenant. I trust you are in good health?"

"I am, Commander." She then proceeded to look down at her shoes, intent on not saying another stupid thing for the remainder of the conversation. He continued to address Nyota and Jim about the past couple of months. She did her best to follow the conversation, but was too distracted from the sudden appearance of the Enterprise crew. By the time she was shaken from her daze, Spock was walking away, leaving Nyota, Jim, and her alone.

She watched him disappear down the corridor as Jim began to talk. "I saw Bones earlier. We were all invited to a get-together at Jupiter's later."

"Sounds great," Nyota said, grinning at Christine.

"Er, yeah, marvelous."

"What are you going to wear?"

"Um…This?" she spread her arms to motion at her current outfit, her black Starfleet uniform.

Nyota began to roar with laughter. "That's hilarious, Christine."

Obviously, she wasn't going to be wearing her uniform tonight; so much for officer's pride.

"You don't think this is too…unprofessional?" Christine said, staring at herself in the mirror. She was wearing a dark blue satin dress that fit loosely with a high waistline, while the neckline was much lower than she was used to.

Nyota, who was dressed in a tight-fitting black dress that reached just above the knees, smiled at her creation. "Nonsense! You look amazing, Christine!"

As Christine reached up to tie her hair back, Nyota slapped her hands. "Don't even think about it. You need to let your hair down every once in a while…Literally and figuratively."

Christine sighed in irritation, staring at the blonde hair that draped just below her shoulders. She always tied in back and the feeling of it free was not a welcoming one. But, she had to admit it did make her feel a tad less stressed than usual.

Now, if only she could get rid of the horrible feeling in her stomach.

"Stop messing with your hair, Christine, you look fine!" chided Nyota as they entered Jupiter's Bar and Grill.

As they stepped into the dimly-lit restaurant, Christine spotted a couple of familiar faces, mainly yeomen and ensigns. It was when they neared the bar that she spotted a familiar face that was slurping down a large glass of beer. She left Nyota and Jim and wandered over to the bar.

"Hi, can I get a glass of sherry?"

The man next to her set down his glass loudly and burped. "Christine Chapel, drinking? Never thought I'd see the day!"

She turned to him and flashed a smile. "How are you, McCoy?"

"Pretty damn good! First shore leave in over a year! That damned hobgoblin's been workin' us like no tomorrow."

Christine took a sip of her sherry. "Well, I'm glad to see you again. It's been a long fifteen months."

"So, what have ya been up to?"

"Not much. They gave me a substituting position, which means I watch classes and sit in on the Kobiyashi Maru, that sort of thing."

"Sounds exciting."

She laughed. "Pretty much."

"Want some ale? I picked this stuff up at a starbase a few weeks back. Pretty good stuff." He held up a small silver flask.

Christine shrugged her shoulders. "What the hell," she mumbled, handing him her glass. She looked across the room as McCoy filled her glass. She spotted Chekov and Abigail seated in a corner booth, looking very comfortable with each other. Christine groaned and took a sip of the glass that McCoy handed her.

The aching feeling in her stomach seemed to dissipate as she swallowed the bitter liquid.

Spock surveyed the room, watching the crew that he had been in charge of after more than a year unwind and enjoy themselves. They were all on shore leave, and yet he was standing in the corner, hands behind his back.

He watched Nyota and Jim enter, followed by Christine Chapel. She was dressed in a dark blue evening dress, not far from the very color she had worn as a science officer. Her hair, which he had grown accustomed to seeing tied back, was flowing past her shoulders. She watched her go straight to the bar, where Leonard McCoy was seated, downing a glass.

He took his eyes off of her as soon as he saw Jim and Nyota, who were both coming toward him, hand-in-hand.

"Hey, Spock. Enjoying the party?" asked Jim.

"It's perfectly adequate," Spock commented dryly.

"Right…" droned Jim.

They conversed for nearly fifteen minutes about the Enterprise. The restaurant began to grow more crowded and the juke box was getting louder with every new song.

A strangely familiar voice rang out towards the direction of the bar. It took Spock a moment to identify the voice, but when he looked over at Christine, who was kissing McCoy on the cheek. "Whoops, wrong blue shirt!" She then patted him on the cheek and walked away, only to stumble and fall to the ground. "Owww," the drunken Christine groaned.

"Ah, jeez," Nyota exclaimed and began to push her way through the crowd, quickly making her way over to Christine.

Spock watched the intoxicated Christine being helped up by Uhura. The latter dragged the blonde towards the door.

Jim turned to Spock. "Hey, I'm gonna go make sure she's okay."

"I will accompany you," Spock said in a tone that sounded rather concerned. Spock led the way out, pushing his way through the crowd. When they reached the door, the welcoming feeling of the nighttime air filled his lungs, releasing him from the overbearing atmosphere of the bar.

Not far from the door was Nyota, who was stooped over Christine, who was on all-fours, spilling her contents into the alleyway. As much as it disgusted him, he couldn't help but feel a pang of pity in the back of his mind. As she continued to retch, she also began to cry.

"It's alright, Christine," Nyota cooed, patting her back. Jim walked over and knelt down. Spock followed, but remained towering over the three.

"Everyone get outta the way," McCoy grumbled, appearing suddenly. He produced a small metal syringe that he stuck into her arm. "You're gonna be fine, Chapel. Can't hold your drink, that's all. Get her home and some sleep, she'll be alright."

The loud groan laced with agony that Christine began to exhale constituted otherwise.

"Who's gonna get her home?" McCoy looked around.

"Allow me," Spock said, taking a step forward, much to his own surprise. They all looked at him. "Everyone came here to enjoy their shore leave. I am willing to assist her."

A/N: Gosh, Christine's hammered. LOL. And I posted a link that shows Christine's dress in this chapter.