Hey all,

I'm SO SORRY about how long this chapter took. I had no internet, As a result though, it's extra long and (IMHO) particularly delicious. On that note, please note the rating change. ;)

For those of you keeping track, yes this chapter title is extremely tongue in cheek.

Thanks to MirrorFlower and Darkwind, Dreaming-Of-A-Nightmare, MoonRose91, Fitful Fantasy, RowanWolf, Ashley, Jord-El (you are the only one who mentioned that, sweet of you!), Yana5, hpets, Bleudiablo, lovefan81, DaughterofDeath, Mellyna, and Dilmn8 for their reviews.

Suzume Chiyu: wow, thanks for all the reviews. To answer your questions, yeah I think Spock would blush green, not that he blushes very often (kirk might change that!). Vulcans DO actually have a higher body temperature (they also have their hearts in their stomach area and extra teeth, etc etc). glad you are loving the story so far (try not to explode or anything!) and thanks for the PM. :)

mildetryth, wmonica, Hikaru: to explain myself, I had the idea for this device, which there are some things like in cannon but not exactly, but I couldn't decide how to explain its existence. if it was a weapon then the Federation would have designed and employed it and so they'd recognize its effects right away, so it had to be Romulan made. so then I was thinking about why you'd want to control Romulans and basically it amounted to "to make them chill the hell out", and it was a short step from there to evil baby monitors. ;)

wmonica and : the Doctor was my favorite for sure, though Seven was great for a laugh and I was never complaining when Tom was onscreen *minor swoon*. Good to know I've got some VOY's along for the ride.

Stormcloud22: I'm going to reveal my extreme nerdiness now and tell you that in one novel they give him the first name S'chn T'gai, but that it's never mentioned anywhere else so its not really considered cannon.

Hikaru (and Chicapanzy and underneaththesheets): OK, fine. I'll give you some Sporky fun fun. ;)

This chapter is for you guys!

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Stardate 2258.121. At the request of the Federation, the Enterprise is dispatched to Earth Station 8, located at the edge of the Romulan Neutral Zone. It is suspected that recent distress calls in the area are due to Romulan attacks, and the Enterprise is tasked with defending the colonies and space stations in the area. An encounter with Reman rebels leaves Jim and Spock the only ones on board, until they pick up some Andorian refugees who convince them to go investigate and aid another crippled ship in the area, the Grignard.

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The next morning on the bridge was very tense. Unsurprisingly, Valik had elected to make himself communications officer so that he would be controlling the ship-wide instructions and any transmissions to the Grignard. This would not have been so bad in and of itself – though Jim had to admit he resented giving the man any position of power, considering that when it came down to it the occupants of the Enterprise were actually the Andorian's crew. He worried that any moment they might decide they didn't really need Jim at all.

The worst effect of this positioning, however, was that it put Valik at Chekov's station directly beside Spock, who was piloting. This was uncomfortable to say the least. From the Captain's chair Jim could see Valik watching each of Spock's motions out of the corner of his eye, almost willing the Vulcan to make an error. However, Spock was flawless – likely due to the fact that he had spent the entire night pouring over flight manuals at Jim's desk. The Captain watched his First Officer's deft flying with a mingled pride, affection and victory as the Andorian beside him looked more an more put out.

The rest of the bridge crew that Valik had assembled were fairly good, if not slightly too extremely blue for Jim's comfort zone. As requested, Valik had found a member of his crew that was proficient in Reman, though it looked like they would have to rely on Spock doing double-duty if they ran into Vulcans because none of the Andorians were educated in it. Jim wasn't exactly shocked.

The tension in the room only mounted as the ship slowly neared its destination. They had agreed to bring the Enterprise just within transporter range and then beam an away team over to the crippled ship. If they encountered resistance, they would send the rest of the available crew over once they knew what they were facing. Valik had insisted he be on the away team and Jim wasn't going to get left behind, so they would be going in first with some of Valik's security team. Spock was, of course, once again forced to stay behind, and so Jim had made it clear the Vulcan was to be the Captain while he was gone.

They found the Grignard very close to where the Andorians had abandoned it, floating along very slowly and aimlessly through space. From the outside it appeared deserted, but that was not something Jim was willing to trust. Spock pulled the ship up short a good distance from the Grignard and Valik and Jim rose as one to head to the transporter room, Jim clipping a phaser to his belt as he went.

"Spock, you have control of the ship," he said.

"Very well Captain," the First Officer said, standing too. He was giving Jim a very unreadable look – something he had not done in a while. Only the slight drawing together of his eyebrows betrayed his true emotion – concern. It was a small cue, but Jim picked it up regardless.

"Don't get used to it though," he said, his words joking but his eyes serious. "I'll be returning to take it back before long."

The troubled little furrow smoothed a bit as Spock nodded, "Naturally."

Jim flashed him a reassuring smile before turning to Valik, who was watching them both as if he couldn't understand how they got along. "Shall we?" he asked, indicating the door and then following the Andorian as he made his way to the transporters. The remaining members of the landing party were with them. An aged-looking Andorian was sitting in Scotty's chair and surveying Jim balefully as he stepped onto the pad. Jim thought of the banter he and the Scotsman would be exchanging with a pang as the elderly alien wheezed.

"Ready when you are Captain."

"Energize," Jim said firmly. For the briefest of moments he was overtaken by the sensation of being lighter than air, of darkness and weightless non-being, and then his feet hit the hard floor of a corner of the Grignard's cargo bay. Around him the Andorians were drawing their weapons, and he did the same. Then, looking around at his companions swiftly, he took a step out from behind the nearest pile of chairs, heading for the doors.

He gasped in shock as he turned the corner, reeling and clutching the stacked seating for support. The scene before him was horrific. At least a dozen bodies littered the room, some with fatal head wounds, others stabbed with the objects strewn across the entire bay. In places the floor was slick with trellium-D, a huge container of the cursed substance punctured the same way the one on the Enterprise had been and still slowly leaking in the corner. In other places the floor was sticky with dried blood.

As he stood there, taking the scene in, his Andorian counterparts strode past him. They looked grim, but unsurprised at what they found. Picking their way carefully across the treacherous floor, they headed for the door. Still shaken, Jim reluctantly released the chairs and followed. He immediately wished he had not.

Similar scenes of devastation met them as they prowled the ship. All around Jim was murder and death. The worst of it were the nature of the killings – crimes of passion, of heat-of-the-moment battles. Everywhere was the evidence of a crew gone insane with violence – bodies lay discarded in piles, or left impaled by the objects that felled them. Doors were ripped of hinges, consoles disgorged their wirey innards forlornly and the lights flickered frequently – as if they too were about to die. Every so often they would come across the tell-tale blue skin of a former Andorian crew member buried in the wreckage and destruction.

"Captain, please report," came Spock's voice from the communicator on his belt. The noise shattered the eerie silence of the forsaken ship like a thunderclap, making the Andorians around him start.

"It's…not good," Jim said, his voice strained. "No…no sign of survivors. I'll keep you posted Mr. Spock."

"Thank you, Captain," Spock's voice was tense.

They slowly made their way to the bridge of the Grignard deck by deck, pausing every few meters to shift rubble and collapsed masonry looking for signs of life. It was not until they reached the top deck of the ship that they found anything but destruction and death, by which time Jim was feeling very nauseous. Every new dead Vulcan seemed to look more like Spock than the previous one, and each discovery was accompanied by a horrible swooping of his stomach.

It was mainly because of this that he lingered outside the upper deck recreation room as they passed it. His Andorian colleagues had tugged the door but it would not budge. The door was buckled outwards from the inside with a visible handprint in the center – it had been punched in, Jim realized with alarm - and so it was hard to tell if it was locked or simply broken. Valik had apparently decided the latter, because he turned to press on. Equally unimpressed, the rest of the Andorians turned to go as well.

"Wait a second," Jim had found himself saying, though there was no apparently reason to. If he had been thinking logically he would have known it was simply the desire to find something alive, something good and safe aboard that ship, that held him there. Intuition told him he must get into that room, if only to be doubly sure there was nothing there. Valik looked back at him, exasperated.

"It is broken, Captain Kirk," the Andorian said impatiently. "It will need to be melted open."

"There might be somebody in there," Jim pointed out. "In fact, given that it was broken from the inside there probably is."

"No Andorian could have caused that damage," Valik said indifferently. "I have no desire to encounter any of these Vulcans who have destroyed my ship and murdered my crew. We must press onwards."

So there it was, finally said. Anger flared in Jim. "Well, you may not want to find any Vulcans still alive but I do Captain Valik," he refrained from snarling the words with difficulty. "I'm going to get this door open."

Valik gave him a look of deepest sarcasm. The Andorian then flicked his hand at one of the crew members behind him, who too off at a trot around the corner where they had just come around. He returned almost immediately carrying a small welding torch, presumably from a storage closet nearby, which his handed to Valik.

"Than, Captain Kirk, we part ways for now," the other Captain tossed Jim the torch. "I will continue to search the ship with my men."

Jim caught the torch with ease as the Andorians turned their backs to him and started down the hallway. "Yeah, you do that," he grumbled as he set about lighting the torch.

It was grueling work, cutting through the door. The heat from the flame burned his face and hands as he slowly melted the area around the hinges away. Spock would surely be upset about this later on, considering the complex he had recently developed about preventing Jim from getting himself injured. Still, instinct spurred him onwards.

After the better part of an hour Jim had managed to melt away the hinges and the lock of the door, cutting small, neat holes around them and forcing them out like puzzle pieces. Laying down him torch and flexing his burned hands gingerly, Jim stepped well to the side of the door and aimed a kick at its base.

Just as he had hoped it would, the unsecured door pivoted around waist height and overbalanced, falling with a crash outward, into the hallway. The sound exploded through the silent halls, stirring up enough dust from the rumble around him that his vision through the door was momentarily obscured. Curiosity getting the better of him, he stepped in anyway, and froze.

Standing not ten feet from him was a very tall, dark-skinned Vulcan. His black eyes were narrowed and his hands outstretched in a fighting stance. His face was shockingly expressive, fear and anger warring for dominance over his features. Jim's hands went into the air on either side of his head instinctively, his phaser still clipped to his belt out o reach.

After a quick moment, surprise registered on the Vulcan's face. "You are not a Vulcan," he said obviously, in a very deep voice. He said it like a question. As the words left his mouth, people started to emerge from behind the overturned desks and tables around the room. They were mostly frightened-looking Andorian, though there were two more Vulcans, their faces unreadable. Jim gawped a bit at them all before replying.

"I'm Captain James Kirk, of the Federation Starship Enterprise," he explained. Then, because he thought clarity would be the best route just then, he added, "I come in peace."

The Vulcan in front visibly relaxed, along with the Andorian crew. One of the impassive Vulcans spoke first, saying, "You are known to us, Captain Kirk. The Vulcan people owe you a great debt."

Jim opened his mouth to protest this feelingly foolishly hot in the face, but the first Vulcan beat him to it. "I am Tavol, formerly of the Arachnid Nebula, more recently of Raal. Please tell us how you came to be aboard this ship."

Jim explained quickly about their own encounter with the Remans, how they had rescued the stranded Andorian crew and their decision to return to the Grignard. At the mention of the rest of the crew, the Andorians present – Jim counted quickly and saw that there were eight of them in total – became quite anxious to find Valik.

"Just hold on a moment," Jim said, blocking the exit. The Andorians visibly tensed. "I want to know how you ended up here. I'll call Captain Valik back here."

He flipped open his communicator and spoke into it, his eyes still on the frowning Andorians. "Captain Valik, please come in."

There was a crackle of static and then Valik replied with a vaguely hostile, agitated, "Yes, Captain Kirk?"

"Your presence is requested in the upper deck recreation room."

"Why?" Valik drew out the word gratingly.

"I have managed to open the door," Jim said blithely, "And I have discovered your surviving crew members."

There was an extended period of silence on the other end and Jim could not help but grin. Tavol was studying him carefully as he did so, so Jim tried to arrange his features so he simply looked pleased, instead of vindictively derisive.

"We are on our way," Valik said eventually, his voice unreadable.

"Great," Jim said cheerfully. He then pressed a button on his communicator and asked, "Spock?"

"I am here Captain," the reply came immediately.

"Great, I've found a small number of survivors, we'll be bringing them over shortly," Jim said.

"That is very good news Captain," Spock said. "I will prepare the crew to receive them."

"Excellent," Jim said, just as Valik walked through the door followed by his entourage. There were cries of greeting amongst the Andorian crew, and a few of the survivors hurried forward to embrace the landing party. Jim noticed that the three Vulcans remained where they stood, watching stone-faced at the happy reunion. He waited for the commotion to die down a bit. Then, leaving the channel to Spock open so that he could hear the conversation, he asked, "Mr. Tavol, would you mind explaining to me what happened with the trellium-D now?"

Tavol nodded and began his tale. "The disturbances started a wee or so ago, we estimate. The plague spread quickly through the ship, and I watched as my fellow Vulcan passengers became more and more agitated. The violence, we believe started in earnest with a customary killing during the kal-if-fee. Under the influence of the trellium-D, the family members of the slain party responded with passion and violence instead of reasoned acceptance. The ensuing battle caused many more casualties which resulted in yet more violence. Freed of their logic, the emotions of my fellows ran unchecked, causing them to commit atrocities rarely seen in our culture."

"Yet you remained unaffected?" Jim said, surprised.

"I was raised as a V'tosh ka'tur," Tavol explained. "In Terran, that translates most closely to a 'Vulcan without logic', though it is a somewhat inaccurate representation. My people simply acknowledge the usefulness of emotion and harness it as a complement to our use of logic in guiding our decisions. I was affected similarly to my counterparts, but due to my experience with controlling my emotions I was able to abstain from violence and unreasoned reactions."

Jim noticed that the Vulcans behind Tavol had been eyeing him as if he was somehow contagious or dangerous as he explained about his lifestyle. "What about them?" he asked. "They aren't Vertosh Catour, are they?"

Tavol kindly ignored his butchering of the pronunciation. "They are not," he agreed. "I was able to remove them from the situation before they were affected. When the chaos erupted they had been patents in the medical bay, where I work, and therefore I was able to escort them across the hall to this secure area without them becoming exposed."

"Right," Jim said. "Then you were joined by the Andorian crew?"

"In a manner, yes," Tavol agreed. Jim was surprised when one of the rescued Andorians interjected.

"Tavol is too modest. He risked his own life to search for crew members that had not been able to evacuate to the escape pods, and for any savable Vulcans, to take here. If not for him we all would have perished," the man explained.

There was a murmur of agreement from around the room. Valik looked a mixture of surprised and disbelieving, which only made Jim's mood increase. Jim looked at the Vulcan again, impressed. "You couldn't find any more Vulcans?" he asked, disappointed.

"I did," Tavol corrected. Jim raised his eyebrows, scanning the room, but he could only see the two already-mentioned medical bay patients. Tavol smiled very slightly at his confusion and said to the room at large, "I think it is safe to come out."

There was a shuffling of tables and chairs and all around the room tiny heads emerged, peeking over surfaces and around corners. Their large, wide eyes and small pointed ears were fixed intently on Jim, taking in his every move. They were children, at least thirty Vulcan children of all ages, staring warily at him and glancing periodically at the two adult Vulcans for reassurance. Jim's face split into a genuinely elated smile.

"Children," Tavol explained, "are similar to the V'tosh ka'tur in that they have not yet internalized Surak's teachings and therefore must actively control their emotions. They were therefore similarly immune to the effects of the trellium-D. I escorted them to the medical bay, decontaminated them, and sent them here as well."

Jim whistled, the sound reverberating off the metal walls impressively. "Very well done," he said seriously.

Tavol merely nodded his acknowledgement. Jim looked around the room at the children still emerging from behind the overturned furniture, which Jim noticed for the first time was all turned facing the door like fortification walls. None of them looked older than an eight-year-old human, though Jim recalled that Spock had said they aged differently, so perhaps they were older. "Mr. Spock," Jim spoke into his communicator.

"Captain?" Spock replied.

"Could you get the transporter room to beam us directly aboard from here?" he asked.

"Certainly Captain, how many to beam aboard?"

Jim double checked his counting, "Eight Andorians, thirty five Vulcans and the away team."

"Now just wait a second," Valik interjected. Jim turned to look at him, eyebrows raised. The Andorian continued, "We would prefer not to return to the Enterprise."

Jim opened and closed his mouth several times before he managed an overly-polite, "Oh?"

"Now that the conflict on our own ship has been resolved, we are needed to perform repairs here," Valik said calmly.

"All five of you?" Jim asked sarcastically.

"Of course not," Valik said, his tone now almost malicious. "I will be ordering my crew to return to via the escape pods at once. Of course, we are in no state to carry passengers at the moment, so I would suggest that our Vulcan guests would be more comfortable aboard the Enterprise."

"Since we are so ready to have passengers?" Jim snarled, dropping all pretenses. That tricky, xenophobic bastard just wanted his ship back without any pesky Vulcans aboard. "It shouldn't be too much trouble for Spock and I to pilot, maintain and repair our ship while playing host to almost forty guests? And what about my damn crew, how can we rescue them without any support?!"

"Might I remind you that my crew already completed most of the repairs to your vessel? We have served our repayment to you," Valik said, unconcernedly. "The fate of your crew is indeed regrettable, but not something we can assist you with. Before we returned to this room I requested to return, and they are now on their way. We are willing to give you one of our escape pods, Captain Kirk, so that you will have a second vehicle should you need to leave your ship, providing you are willing to pilot it back to the Enterprise. Now, I really must ask you and your guests to depart from my ship as soon as possible so that we can begin to rebuild."

Jim spluttered for a moment before realizing that there wasn't really much he could do. If the Andorians were already leaving the Enterprise he could not keep them there, much less force them to work. His face glowed with anger as he growled into his communicator, "Thirty five Vulcans to beam aboard, Spock."

"Captain Valik," the Andorian who had spoken before said quickly as Spock confirmed the command to Jim. "I would prefer to go to with the Vulcans."

Valik looked shocked and angry as he rounded on the crewmember. "What?"

"I owe Tavol my life," the Andorian explained simply. "I feel it is my duty to see that he arrives at the Vulcan colony in safety."

Valik looked incensed. He rounded on the remaining crewmembers. "Anybody else?"

"I would also like to go," another Andorian said firmly. Two others murmured their agreement, though the others stayed silent. Valik was bug-eyed with rage. He turned on Jim.

"Fine, you take them. I don't want disloyal crewmembers aboard my vessel," he snarled.

Not willing to physically fight the Andorian which his burned hands, which he thought might happen if Valik was provoked at all, Jim resisted the urge to point out that just because the Andorians were not loyal to Valik didn't make them disloyal. Instead, he corrected his command to Spock again, "Thirty five Vulcans, four Andorians to beam aboard."

"You are certain, Captain?" Spock said, and only Jim noticed the amusement in his voice.

Jim looked at Valik, who glared back but said nothing. "I am," Jim said.

"Very well," Spock said happily. Moments later the majority of the occupants of the room shimmered and departed. Valik turned to Jim with undisguised hostility.

"Get off my ship."

Jim didn't need telling twice. He turned and swiftly left the room. He walked alone through the halls, his blood still boiling. While in the room he had forgotten the horrors that lay without, but now he was confronted with them again. His mood shifted slowly from angry to somber as, not wanting to get lost, he was forced to retrace their entire journey through the war zone that was the Grignard. The escape pods, he recalled, were right beside the cargo bay they had beamed into. There he found the Andorians, departing in the opposite direction for the bridge. Many of them gave him friendly farewell salutes before they turned their back and walked away. Jim had to step over the body of a Vulcan woman to get to the pod they had left open for him. He fought back a wave of mingled disgust and intense remorse as he turned on the small craft and piloted it out of the Grignard's hanger.

It was with relief that he stepped out of the pod and into the Enterprise a few minutes later, even if his return to command was hampered by the necessity of being decontaminated in the cargo bay. That finally completed, he headed for the bridge.

He had to fight hard to resist the urge he had to run up and grab onto Spock the moment the bridge doors slid open. Instead, he gave him a long, blazing look that Spock returned with the same intensity, if only for a brief moment. Tearing his eyes away, Jim surveyed the assembled people.

He was pleasantly surprised to see Sahran, accompanied by a few members of Valik's crew that had been aboard for the past few days, mingling with the four Andorians that had just beamed aboard. Tavol was there as well, evidently having just paused in a conversation with Spock. When he saw Jim, he spoke, "My colleagues will be present as soon as they have seen to the accommodation of the children."

"Shouldn't they stay there?" Jim asked. "Thirty something children need supervision, don't they?"

Tavol looked amused. "Vulcan children are considerably less unruly, in general, than Human children."

"Even ones that have been exposed to trellium-D?" Jim directed his question at Spock. "I thought you said the effects could be long-lasting?"

Spock looked at Tavol. "I believe the Captain has a valid point. Perhaps it would be most logical to assign crew members to safeguard the children."

Tavol looked at Jim, and then at Spock. He looked like he thought they both didn't know what they were talking about. Jim had the sudden odd realization that while he looked at Spock and saw a half-Vulcan, Vulcans looked at him and saw a half-Human. It was a subtle but significant difference. Then their Vulcan guest shrugged and nodded. "If that is what you wish," he said, and left to go discuss the matter with the Vulcans on the decks below.

Jim nodded to the Andorians, who had fallen silent, and then walked over and threw himself into the Captain's chair wearily. The Andorians began to tae up positions at the consoles on the bridge. Jim had no idea what to do now. "Any suggestions, Mr. Spock?" he asked.

"I would suggest that we contact Starfleet, Captain," Spock said immediately from the pilot's seat. "While we have a skeletal crew – Mr. Sahran and his colleagues are more than capable of maintaining the ships systems, Mr. Tavol has informed me he was a medical officer aboard his vessel, and I can pilot the Enterprise – we do not have the capability to pursue or overcome the Remans as we will need to in order to rescue the crew. We must request assistance."

Jim sighed, rubbing his hand over his face. He knew Spock was right, loath as he was to have to call Starfleet and explain this mess. Resignedly, he directed the Andorian that had taken the communications post to contact Admiral Pike. If he was going to have to explain this to anybody, it had better e somebody he liked.

Pike's eyebrows went up as soon as he saw Jim's new bridge crew. Greeting Jim with amusement, the Admiral blithely observed that Jim had a knack for the unexpected. Jim replied by explaining all that had gone on since they had last communicated, including the fact that they now expected the whole crew to have been kidnapped and that they were now playing host to a crew that was nearly seventy-five percent children. By the time he had finished, Pike didn't look amused anymore.

"Stay where you are Jim," Pike said seriously, his tone making it clear there was no room for discussion. "Stay near that Andorian vessel if you can – they might help you in a firefight. I'm dispatching two ships with extra crew to come back you up, but those Remans might find you first. Keep an eye out."

Jim nodded, wishing he could come up with something clever to say here, but the shock o the day was settling on him in full force and all he wanted to do was get back to his quarters and away from the bridge. He felt like screaming and crying at the same time, like punching somebody but also like he really needed a hug. So he let the Admiral give his orders without argument. Once the man had signed off, Jim turned to Spock.

"Mr. Spock, if you could come with me?" he said, rising from his chair. Spock looked ready to protest, but Jim sent him a significant look. "Mr. Sahran, can you handle the bridge for a while?"

The young Andorian nodded, his antennae perking up. He looked honored. Jim's liking for the young alien increased even more as he headed for the door, Spock following him.

They walked in silence all the way to Jim's quarters, where Jim flopped down on the couch immediately. His legs splayed out in front of him and he tossed his arm over his eyes as if trying to block out the world. Spock sat down across from him, concerned. "What is the matter Jim?" he asked softly. "What is it that has disturbed you so?"

"That ship…the Vulcans…" Jim shook his head, unable to explain. Spock seemed to understand, because the next moment he had slid off his couch and sat down on Jim's, holding out his hand at head height with a questioning look on his face. It took a moment for Jim to understand what he wanted. When he realized, he raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You want to do that mind-connection thing?"

Spock looked troubled. "Only if you are in agreement. I merely intended to avoid the necessity of your recounting the events on board the Grignard, but if you feel that it would be too familiar then I - "

Jim smiled fondly at the other man and reached out, grabbing his wrist and placing the other's hand to his face. Spock stopped talking, half-smiled back, and then readjusted his fingers. Jim felt a nudge to his mind, not unlike the feeling of missing a step on a staircase, and then a full blown push. He closed his eyes as the sensation of Spock's mind flowing into his own overwhelmed him.

It was completely unlike the last time. Prepared for it this time, he felt none of the panic or confusion he had experienced with the elder Spock. The younger Spock also took his time, easing into Jim's mind in a way that Jim could feel was deliberate and considerate. It was like the difference between inviting a guest over and having the cops kick down your door.

Finally the meld was complete - Jim could feel Spock's thoughts swirling on the edges of his consciousness. He wondered if the Vulcan could feel his.

I can, came his answer. Jim had forgotten how bizarre the feeling was, to have somebody else speak in your mind. It felt as if he himself had thought the sentence, but that it was simultaneously novel to him. For a moment there was silence, and then Spock's thoughts drifted to him again. Show me what you saw on the ship.

So Jim showed him. He walked through the decks in his mind, trying to numb himself against it. This was made difficult by the fact that he could feel Spock's own reactions, which were similar to his own. Their distress mingled together and, to Jim's surprise, became more bearable in the sharing. Jim realized that on top of the horror of the scenes he had saw, the worst of it had been imagining Spock in the same position. Re-experiencing it with the man's fingers pressed hotly to his head and with his pure spirit aliveness colour Jim's every thought, therefore, was immensely comforting.

He tried to tell Spock this, but realized he had no idea how to think at the man. A moment later he was ruminating on the unfairness that Spock apparently could stick thoughts into his head but he could not reciprocate.

You are not experienced in mind melds. No, Spock thought easily, anticipating his question, It is not because you are human. Given the opportunity, you will learn.

Jim doubted it, though his mood was greatly improved by the idea that Spock thought he might et practice at this. It was like promise. Inwardly, he winked. Immediately he felt a wave of amusement hit him, strong enough it took his breath away. He hadn't really thought the Vulcan was capable of that much emotion. His surprise must have shown, because Spock answered, Vulcan emotions are more powerful than those of Humans, Jim.

I love it when you think my name, Jim snickered inwardly, and was surprised as he heard the words bang around in his head the way Spock's thoughts did. Spock sent him another wave of pleasure, and Jim tried to think another thought. He couldn't. His actual face frowned, he was so disappointed.

In the meld, Spock could not hide his enjoyment. At least your innuendos are well formed. I am hardy surprised.

Jim thought the Vulcan actually sounded kind of cocky, far more teasing that he ever was outside his head. As payback, Jim replied by deliberately sending Spock a wave of pure lust, accompanied helpfully by a montage of all the things Jim would like to do to him in bed, ever.

Spock broke the meld suddenly, but not before Jim felt a returning rush of arousal so strong that he got hard almost immediately. He gawped, disoriented for a moment at the man across the couch from him. Then he lunged, pushing the stronger man back flat on the couch and crushing their lips together.

Spock was still for only the briefest moment, stunned, before he shifted under Jim so that the Human's hips rested between his bent legs. Jim was holding himself up on his right elbow, his left hand already pushed up under the Vulcan's shirt greedily. One of Spock's hot hands came up to tangle in Jim's hair while the other slide up his cool back, soothing the aching muscles as it stroked the smooth skin lazily. Jim willingly lost himself in the kiss, his tongue tip lightly stroking Spock's own before they slid past, playfully ducking in an around each other's teeth intimately. The Captain felt his stress, his anguish and his worry start to drain away in the embrace. God, this felt good.

His hand, kneading the flaming tinted skin of Spock's chest, had gotten caught up in the other man's shirt. Jim snarled - frustrated - and pulled back. Unceremoniously he grabbed the hem of Spock's shirt and tugged it off. The Vulcan reciprocated immediately, and then Jim lowered himself so that their torsos were pressed together. Spock shuddered as the expanses of bare skin touched, and Jim lowered his head to kiss just behind the other man's ear. He sucked. He bit. He trailed kisses down a squirming Spock's neck. Vividly, he recalled the dream he had had a few days previously and wickedly, he brought his mouth to Spock's nipple.

It went hard in his mouth immediately, and Jim grinned against the Vulcan's chest. Spock's hand in his hair curled almost painfully, though Jim knew he was holding back still. Given what he'd seen today, if Spock had wanted to he could do a lot more damage that pulling Jim's hair. A surge of affection swelled up in him and he kissed lower, his hands fumbling for Spock's belt. He kissed down the trail of hair that disappeared into Spock's pants, feeling the Vulcan's heart hammering away at a dizzying pace. He reached the end just as he got the belt off and the top button undone. He looked up to grin at Spock, to find the other man was not looking at him. He had his eyes closed, face to the ceiling, with a rapturous look on his face. Jim grinned and tugged on the Vulcan's pants and underwear. Spock looked down at him then and shifted is weight up so Jim could get the clothing out from under him. Jim pulled them up as far as he could without falling off the couch, then he grinned and cheekily threaded his body through the gap so that he was between Spock's legs and the pants sat behind him against his back.

He could feel the Vulcan using his feet to completely remove the unwanted articles as he lowered his head again. He licked his lips and then slowly, deliberately closed his mouth around Spock's head. The other man moaned, and Jim grinned wider as he slid his mouth down, taking the man whole in his mouth. He pulled back slowly, ad then descended again, quickening his pace with each pass. He was getting almost embarrassingly good at this, he thought as he rolled his tongue in waves.

The hand on his head shifted so that fingertips met him temple again, and without warning Spock forged a connection there. It was only half a meld, like the one he had down in the elevator a week ago, but through it came a torrent of lust unlike Jim thought he had ever felt before. Like that, Spock? Jim thought, though he wasn't sure the Vulcan could or would hear him.

Apparently he could though, because the lust actually increased. Jim hummed in amusement. Spock's free hand flew down, clutching at the edge of the couch cushion with white knuckles, as the sensation sent him over the edge. Hot liquid shot unexpectedly down Jim's throat, tangy and salty together and Jim pressed Spock's hips into the couch with one hand to steady him as he rode out the wave of pleasure.

When it was over, Jim looked up and grinned at the Vulcan, who cracked an eye open and arched an eyebrow lazily. A bead of sweat was sliding down the middle of the slightly-greenish torso and Jim shifted up to catch it with his mouth before taking Spock's mouth in a kiss. A stray thought drifted across their semi-jointed minds. Jim choked and broke the kiss.

"Seriously, I taste different than you?" he asked Spock incredulously.

"A logical condition," the Vulcan agreed, "Given our disparate physiologies."

"Could you keep your thoughts to yourself? You're killing the mood," Jim teased. Stupid logical Vulcan.

Spock cocked an eyebrow at him and – Jim felt a momentary twinge of regret – broke the bond at Jim's temple by taking his hands and securely grabbing Jim's waist. Then, with a grace Jim would never possess, the Vulcan managed to sit up and sweep Jim into his arms in one fluid movement. In only a fraction of a second he had stood, taken the few steps around the divider of the room, and tossed Jim onto his bed. He bent down and, kissing Jim hungrily on the lips as he did so, unbuttoned the latter's pants and pulled them off. Then, both of them finally entirely naked, Spock climbed onto the bed and began to kiss across Jim's stomach. The Captain stretched his arms, folding them behind his head lazily and twisting in pleasure as Spock's hot hands ran up and down the insides of his legs. One of those hands slid up between his legs and began to tease him with a slow, gentle rhythm. Spock's mouth trailed purposefully up the inside of one of his thighs.

"What are you doing?" Jim hummed, his eyes half closed, as if he didn't know.

Spock looked up at him, his mouth so close that his soft puffs of breath as he spoke sent waves of pleasure through Jim's body. "Since you do not seem to believe me," he said, and the sight of the wicked grin on his face nearly did Jim in right there, "It is only logical that I prove my observation to you."

So Spock lowered his head, still smirking, and prove it he did.