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The roads on Tu'van are barely roads – Bones would really classify them more as alleys, really – and the cramped spaces makes it difficult for them to know where they're going. Which is why Bones doesn't find it altogether surprising when one of their twisty turns leads into an alley and a dead end.

"Go the other way," he begins to say to Spock, only for the words to die on his lips when he sees their stalker standing at the mouth of the alley.

"Mr. Spock," the stranger says. Under any other circumstances, Bones might have classified it as friendly. "Pleasure to meet you."

"And who are you?" Bones demands while trying not to breathe too heavily.

"My name is Zalsra Tintissi. You are familiar with my name, yes?"

"A notorious bounty hunter," Spock says from beside Bones, breathing thin and shallow. Bones thinks bitterly about how he still sounds so composed even when he's bent, hands on his knees. "Wanted in seventeen galaxies and over thirty planets."

"I see my reputation precedes me," Zalsra says, a smile gracing his features. Bones takes a long hard look at him – he is slim, with piercing green eyes and a crop of black hair. A blue stripe runs vertically down his face, from his forehead down to his chin. "And who is your companion, Mr. Spock? I must admit, I did not think you would be accompanied by anyone."

"I don't see how this is of any paramount importance," Bones retorts.

"Stubborn to the very end. They did say that would be a trait." Zalsra sighs. "What a shame that you have to be taken alive, Mr. Spock. The hunt would have been so delightful." He raises a phaser and points it directly at Spock's chest. "Your comrade, however – I have no instructions regarding him."

Bones steps in front of Spock, making sure that he is behind him. "They? Who's they? Who hired you, Mr. Tintissi?"

"Step aside, Mr. Spock."

"You haven't answered my question."

"Seeing as to how this phaser is set to kill, not stun, I don't think I am obligated to answer any of your questions." Zalsra gestures with his phaser. "Move, Mr. Spock."

"You either take us both alive or you take us both dead," Bones shoots, hoping that his plan for stalling the assassin works. "And since you have to leave me alive, you really don't have a choice."

The bounty hunter bares his teeth. "I don't like being backed into a corner, Mr. Spock. Step aside, or orders be damned I will shoot you both."

"The Federation will not be pleased to hear that you attempted to murder two senior officers," Spock warns.

"Luckily for me, I'm only attempting to murder one."

"You will be found out."

Zalsra laughs. "As you pointed out, Mr. Spock's unnamed friend, I am wanted in seventeen galaxies and on thirty planets. Notoriety is the name of my game. I don't care if my name is on these murders." He licks his lips. "And since you have no means of stopping me, you apparently have no choice but to comply with my demands."

"We do not negotiate with terrorists," Bones tries. Chekov. Kid. Where are you?

"Well, fortunately for you, I'm not a terrorist. Just a bounty hunter looking to profit." Zalsra's smile now seems permanently etched on his face, a cold, impersonal upturn of the lips that belie his remorseless interior. "I didn't think that you had friends, Mr. Spock. Nor did I know that you would be so loyal to them."

"Believe me, it defies logic," Bones mutters.

"I'm going to count to three," Zalsra continues. "And then I'm going to shoot your friend, whether you're in my way or not. You got that, Mr. Spock? One."

"Doctor," Spock whispers. "It is only logical that I spare your life and go forward."

"Are you out of your Vulcan mind?" Bones mutters back. "I'm not leaving you. We do this together or not at all."

"Two," Zalsra sing-songs.

There's a pressing on his hand before Spock whispers. "I thank you for everything, Doctor. Say goodbye to Jim and Nyota for me."

"Spock-?" Bones feels a surge of fear as Spock's fingers leave his.

"Thr-" But Zalsra doesn't get to finish his sentence. Spock is suddenly there with a speed that Bones hadn't even realized he was capable of; he's on top of Zalsra, lunging for Zalsra's gun even as it discharges when the startled assassin pulls the trigger. Taken by surprise, the assassin topples backwards and Spock crumples to a heap.

Bones doesn't realize he's yelling until he's on top of the assassin, wrestling him for the gun that he still clutches in his right hand. "Tell me who you work for," Bones snarls.

"So much emotion, Mr. Spock," Zalsra sneers. "Didn't think you had it in you."

"Tell me!"

"You'll have to kill me first." And then in an unprecedented move, Zalsra dislodges Bones with a swift scissor kick. "Sorry, Mr. Spock. Orders are out the window now. Guess I'll have to kill you."

But his kill shot does not hit his target – Bones' head. It catches him in the chest, sending a jolt down his spine; but Vulcan strength is much more than human strength, and Bones is able to tackle Zalsra once more, holding him by the neck. "Tell me," he demands. "Tell me."

Zalsra only smiles that insouciant smile at him even as Bones slams him against the wall. Red blurs Bones' vision; he can hear his heartbeat thudding in his ears. Kill him, a part of him growls. He deserves it. He could do it, he knows the pressure points, the medical training comes back to him crisp and clear and he can think of about seven different ways to kill this man-

But another part of him stays the wild emotions. Bring him back to the Enterprise, it says, living for him will be worse than death. The voice sounds like Spock, and Bones anchors himself to that voice, bringing him back to reality, grounding him again.

"Aren't you going to kill me, Mr. Spock?" Zalsra asks sweetly, and Bones almost loses it before an idea drifts into his mind, a memory of standing for hours in the medical room with an irate Spock and a grinning Jim.

Bones doesn't hesitate. He reaches for Zalsra's neck and pinches it, watching with satisfaction as the assassin's eyes roll back and he collapses to the ground, motionless and unmoving. "No," he says, "not today."

Suddenly, the ground feels as though it is moving beneath his feet, roiling and breaking with the tumultuous waves of emotions threatening to drown him. "Spock," he gasps, suddenly feeling light-headed and breathless. He looks down at his chest and almost wishes he hadn't when he sees the blood staining his uniform. Damn, he can't help but think, Jim isn't going to let me live down this one.

But he pushes it aside for the moment and crawls towards Spock, who is lying twisted in a heap. "Hello, Doctor," Spock croaks, and Bones almost wants to cradle him and weep, but he pushes the thought away and chooses to focus on being businesslike. "Well done. You learned the Vulcan nerve pinch."

"Yeah, no thanks to you. Next time we have to learn something we're doing it in a high-risk environment so I can pick it up faster." Bones tries to blink the spots in his eyes away as he tries to find where Spock was hit. "Where does it hurt, Spock?"

"I do not know," Spock responds. "I have lost all feeling."

"Well, that's nothing new," Bones snaps.

Spock almost frowns at him. "You are crying, Doctor."

"Am I?" Bones lifts a blood-stained hand to touch the tracks on his face. "Suppose I have lost all feeling too."

"Ahhh…" Spock lets the word drift on an easy breath. "I do not think that is your problem, Doctor. You will never lose all your feelings."

"Is this some stupid metaphor about how you're the brain and I'm the emotions? Because that's the worst metaphor I've ever heard. You ought to leave those to me." The spots are getting brighter now, and Bones isn't sure how long he can stay up, but everything be damned, he wasn't going to let Spock die here. Not in an alley on a strange planet. Not all alone. Uhura is going to kill me, too.

"Am I dying, Doctor?"

"Not if I have anything to say about it."

"I admire your persistence." There's blood bubbling on Spock's lips.

"That the only thing, Spock?" Bones laughs bitterly. "Come on. Stay with me." He can taste the rust on his own lips, feel it seeping out of his chest.

"I cannot." Spock closes his eyes and for a moment Bones feels as though time has stopped.

Keep talking, Bones thinks even as he's fighting an internal desire to fall asleep. "Spock?"

"Hmm."

Bones reaches over and finds Spock's hand, which is growing colder by the minute. "What you did back there." He smacks Spock as hard as he can while ignoring the surge of pain in his body. "That was completely illogical, even by my standards."

"You would have done the same for me."

"The point was that we either died together or not at all. I was counting on the not at all part of that phrase."

"Ah," Spock sighs. "Perhaps that was an error on my part. I acted on instincts."

"Instinct to get yourself killed," Bones snorts. "Now you'll have to patch your own wound up and you didn't even do it well while you were practicing on a simulation."

"Doctor, remind me who said, 'To err is human'."

"Alexander Pope," Bones answers, feeling a little alarmed at how suddenly Spock is switching topics.

"Indeed," Spock says wearily. "I have erred much in my judgment, Doctor. Does that make me human?"

Bones can't help but smile, and now he can really feel the tears building in his eyes. "A lot of things make you human, Spock," he says gruffly.

Spock smiles quietly. "I am glad to hear it, Bones." His voice is wavery; he's fading fast and this worries Bones more.

"Stay with me," he says, his own voice shaky. The spots are getting brighter and the world is beginning to swim in and out of focus, but he forces himself to stay here, anchored to a dying friend. Together, or not at all, and I'll be damned if we die together now. "Spock. Please. Jim will kill us both if we both die here."

"If he has not already killed himself," Spock mumbles and Bones laughs, but his laughter becomes hysterical when there's the sound of voices from around the alley and they sound like Uhura and Chekov and then they round the corner and Bones has never been so happy to see them and –

Much love,
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