AN: And so we return to the ship… Will Spock remain as open with Chris as he has become or shall he revert back a little? And is Luke gone for good? Or Shall the creeper return? What is the other half of the gift from Sulu? Lets find out!

2258 – September 8th 0600 Hours

Chris groaned as her alarm screamed in her ear. Her head pounded like someone had taken a jackhammer to the back of her skull and her face felt slightly sticky and puffy. She rolled over and attempted to bat the alarm away, to shut it up, but she'd placed it strategically on the far side of her nightstand so she would have to stand up to turn it off.

With eyes still closed she rolled to place her feet on the ground, preparing herself mentally and physically to stand and find the offending mechanical beast, when the alarm was blissfully silenced.

"I could kiss you." She told whoever had spared her the trip and fell backward onto her bed.

"Open your eyes, Chris." Prompted the gentle, fairly monotone voice of her best friend. Muttering to herself she did as requested and then smiled broadly. A large, pale hand held out a steaming mug to her. She sat and gently took the mug. "Black tea, sugar, and milk." Spock said as she took a sip. "I am correct, this is how you take your tea, yes?"

She nodded and took another, deeper sip. "You're my hero." She croaked, her voice hoarse from crying until three hours ago. She looked her friend over.

He looked like he'd just had the best night's rest a person could ask for. Mind he ALWAYS looked that good, which was deeply annoying to her when she looked as shitty as she knew she did. His hair was perfect, his clothes- black slacks and their black uniformed undershirt- were neat, totally crease free, and fit him just right, as usual.

But there was something off about Spock that morning… he looked the same as always but there was defiantly something… odd. "Might I sit?" He asked, nodding to her bed. She nodded and he gracefully lowered himself to sit beside her. "You are suffering from emotional distress."

Chris tensed slightly, wondering what he was thinking. "Yes." She admitted; she was defiantly suffering from emotional distress.

"You once aided me with my emotions by offering physical stimuli to the muscles of my back. I…" he hesitated and Chris realized what he was offering, tears pricked her eyes yet again. "I am offering to attempt the same for you, should you feel you need it."

Chris grabbed his hand and flooded him with the gratitude she felt. "My emotions are really out of control right now, Spock." She said gently. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

Spock inclined his head slightly. "Turn around." He commanded gently. "I meditated and believe my control will be sufficient for the endeavor." Chris turned very slowly around, pulling her hair over one shoulder.

Spock had spend the entire night in meditation to build up his emotional control. It should not have taken him so long, however he had struggled against his very human half that was most distressed by Chris' crying. He did not know exactly how to help his Chris, unlike her he could not dull the pain she felt, take away what she could not handle, and he did not even know how to properly give a massage.

But he placed his hands upon her back, ignoring the inadequacies he feared, and pressed his thumbs into her back. Immediately she dropped her head and he felt her back relax. "It's easy Spock," she murmured, quite obviously sensing his unease. "You really can't go wrong."

Spock's hands tightened on her back again, his thumbs and fingers pressing into her muscles, gently kneading. Chris smiled slightly. Was he good at everything? She could feel him relaxing into his new position and she relaxed too. He was warm, comforting, and not at all judging. He knew her pain, her loss; he understood. His touch soothed her, helped her control the old pain again.

Tears ran slowly down her cheeks but they weren't the painful sort as all her others had been. The tears felt good, healing, like removing the toxin from her soul. After a while, ten minutes or so, Spock's hands relaxed on her back. "Thank you." She murmured.

She felt the wash of affection from him, magnified, she assumed, by his touch. "You are most welcome." He answered before releasing her completely. "You are well now?"

Chris nodded. "Yea, I'm fine."

She turned to see his slight, Vulcan scowl. "'Fine' has a variable definition, 'fine' is unacceptable."

She smiled, a real, sweet smile for her friend. "Thanks to you, Spock," she said, "I'm okay. Not good, not great, but I'll get there." She looked at the clock and blanched, seeing it read 6:36. "Crap, I've got to pack!" She groaned. "And shower… Damn it, now we'll be late."

Spock smiled a very tiny Vulcan smile. "On the contrary, Chris, is you shower swiftly I shall aide you in packing and we shall be on time."

Chris smiled slightly. "But Spock, don't you need to pack too?"

"Indeed I did need to pack, however I finished the activity earlier, after meditation but before you awoke." Spock told her easily. "I am prepared for our departure and may aide you if you wish."

Chris sighed and kissed his cheek again without thinking. "You really are my hero." And she bounded away to shower.

Chris, wearing her own pair of uniform slacks and her new, grey button down, pulled her dirty clothes from her hamper and tossed them onto her bed to pack in her Federation duffel. Spock stood at her desk, collecting her gifts and her PADDs. She was a little worried about fitting all her new things into her bag but, as an expect packer, she figured she could somehow make it work.

Her clean clothes, the new ones, she folded and placed in the fabric, eco-friendly shopping bag to keep them from the masses of dirty things she stuffed in after them. She glanced at Spock. "Toss me the boxes, I can pad them with the clothes."

He did not actually toss the more delicate ones but handed them to her and she packed the box from her Mother and the box from Chekov into the middle of the bag, away from any possible damaging forces. She glanced up and motioned that she was ready for the next one, the box of… things… from Galia.

Spock lifted the box with one hand, steadying the other gifts with the other, when the box fell free from it's lid and tumbled to the floor. Chris felt the embarrassment and apology from Spock as he knelt to pick up the contents before she could tell him no…

Spock knelt to collect the gifts Galia had given Chris before he got a good look at them. For a second all he could do was stare, attempting to understand what, exactly, he was looking at. In a long, plastic tube about three inches in diameter and nine full inches long, lay a bright, dark green replica of a male's genitalia.

He felt his ears burn as a blush crept down from the tips of his ears to his cheeks. He picked up the dilithium battery cartridges and wondered why anyone would need battery power for a replica of… It vibrated… His blush darkened and he looked quickly up at Chris.

Her cheeks and ears were the exact same color as the vibrator, her eyes wide in shock and horror. "You weren't supposed to see that." She said, her voice nearly a squeak.

"Galia gave you such a gift?" He asked, feeling almost numb. She nodded. "Might I ask why?" As soon as the words left his traitor mouth he cursed himself. He didn't want to know that!

Chris' blush darkened. "That's not something you need to know." She said quickly, leaning over and snatching up the item, the battery cartridges, and the recharging station. She stuffed the items into her bag and out of sight. "It was a joke."

He knew she was lying. He had heard Galia say that the gift was practical, for use. So he knew Chris was intended to… he forced the mental image away quickly before it shattered his control over his bodily reactions. "Indeed."

0800 Hours

Spock lifted his bag and Chris' bags into the Admiral's vehicle, allowing Chris to say good by to her dog. He watched as the black beast romped around Chris, tail swishing from side to side with a potentially dangerous force. His friend stroked the dog's back. "I know, I know." She said softly to the dog. "I love you too, and I wish you could come with me, but no pets allowed on starships."

She kissed the dog's black nose, earning a full face lick. He fought a cringe, she laughed. "I know, I know. I'll miss you terribly. But you have to take care of my Daddy for me. Okay Mia?" The dog barked, seemingly in agreement, and Chris closed the door into the house, leaving the dog behind.

The Admiral looked at Spock. "I forgot my license. Why don't you two wait here for a second, I'll be right back."

"Of course." Spock said simply as the Admiral turned and entered the house.

Chris looked up at him and smiled. "I'm really glad you came with me Spock." She said softly, her hand curling around his lower arm. "I hope you had as much fun as a Vulcan can have." She said and he had the impression she was teasing him. "Because I had fun."

The admission made his mind fill with a warm, yellow emotion. "While Vulcan's do not have fun," he said, "I would not have preferred to spend my shore leave elsewhere." Her smile was in his eyes, though it was totally illogical, brighter than the sun.

"Aww, that's sweet." Interrupted a slightly rough voice from the garage door. Spock spun to face the intruder and fought a scowl when he saw Luke. "He can't even tell you he had fun. What kind of boyfriend is he, Chrissy?"

Spock tensed and glanced at Chris, who stepped smoothly between them. "Spock is not my boyfriend, Luke, he's my friend. But if he were my boyfriend he'd sure be a better one than you were." Spock saw Luke stiffen but felt himself go a little warmer than usual. Chris thought he would be a good partner? Or simply better than Luke… which could mean very little.

"He's an emotionless, green-blooded goblin." Luke snapped and Spock felt a tiny thrill of anger. He was far from emotionless. "He can't care for you and more than a robot could."

It was illogical to have an argument with an apparently bigoted man, there would be no winning, as Spock well knew. But Chris was not driven by logic, he reminded himself as she stormed to Luke and slapped the human. "Don't you dare bad mouth my friends Luke, especially Spock. He's Vulcan, my mother was Vulcan, I am part Vulcan! You insult him, you insult me."

"Are you fucking him to move up in rank?" Luke sneered. The human locked his gaze on Spock, pushing past Chris to walk up to Spock, invading his personal space. "She roll onto her back for you?" He asked forcefully. "She never did for me, no matter how much I deserved it."

When Spock did not react the human laughed. "So she isn't. Nice. She's holding out on you too." He shrugged. "Not that I blame her. Why would she give that to you? You couldn't possibly deserve her. And if you aren't dating then don't worry, you never will." Those words struck a cord in Spock's very human mind, giving the anger even more fuel. He had not entirely realized it for himself, but he did in that instant.

He cared for Chris. More than as a peer and crewmate, more than as just friends, more than as the best of friends… He loved her, as his Father loved his Mother, as a man loves a woman. And he could never have her, because she did not feel the same way for him. He would know, he had seen her mind, she did not have the Vulcan training with which to control her thoughts, she could not hide such a thing from him…

And that realization inflamed his rage, shattered his control, he wanted her, she was HIS, and the stupid, ignorant, stubborn human was NOT going to say otherwise. In that brief moment of rage he punched the human in the gut, sending the boy flying backward to land in a crumpled pile at Chris' feet.

Chris wished she could know what her friend was thinking as he walked slowly, deliberately to stand over Luke's crumpled form. She'd felt the realization, the deep, almost unbearable sadness, and the overwhelming rage that flashed through Spock and shattered his Vulcan control. Before the situation could escalate further she sent her friend affection and calm, begging him, silently, to relax.

His shoulders did not loose the tension they had, Spock moved with the coiled, deadly grace of a panther on the hunt, and his eyes were filled with rage though his face was blank. He looked down on Luke, who coughed and groaned, clutching his stomach. "You will never," Spock said in a cold, frightening, deadly whisper, "speak of Chris again in such a manner. She is better than you, which is why she left you, and do not presume to know me."

He offered a hand to Chris, who took it immediately, her palm brushing the very heel of his and his wrist. She said nothing as Spock led her to the car and held the door while she stepped into it. "I shall be back momentarily." He said to her very quietly.

Chris watched, only slightly worried, as Spock collected Luke and carried him from the garage. Her Father returned, smiling triumphantly. "Found it!" He said, looking about. "Where's Spock?"

1725 Hours

Chris opened the door to her quarters and sighed. "Home sweet home", she murmured, setting down her two duffels and stepping further into the room. She glanced about and smiled. As sad as she was to leave her Daddy and Mia again… she was at peace once more. Among her anthropological studies and artifacts, her books, her orchid… She did a quick double take. Orchid?

There, on her desk, was a beautiful pale green pot, shallow but wide, filled with dark soil and a thin, beautiful orchid with three flowers. The tips of the petals were a pale red, becoming darker as they reached the center until they were the red color of human blood with similarly colored veins. There was a little card on the desk, leaning against the pot.

Chris snatched up the card, admiring the flowers up close for a moment before opening the card.

"Chris," it said in a slightly messy scrawl, "Klingon Blood Orchids are hardy, long lived, and beautiful. I hope this one reminds you of how much we all care for you for a very, very long time, even after we have gone different ways." It was signed, "Hiraku."

Chris stroked the petals delicately, loving the velvety texture. It was a truly beautiful gift. She sighed and inhaled the sweet scent. She needed to find Sulu a girlfriend, soon, because he was sweet as spun sugar, even though he his it well.

"Lieutenant Caris?" Came a voice over her com.

"Yea?" Chris asked, recognizing the voice as belonging to a girl in Engineering whose name she just couldn't remember.

"The Captain requests your presence at the shuttle dock at once. The three new crewmen are about to land."

Chris scowled slightly, remembering why they needed new crewmembers. "I'll be right there." She replied, slapping her badge on her grey shirt and heading out her door. So much for getting settled…

Chris stepped into the docking room and gently nudged Jim as she slid between him and Bones. "So, one Medical, one Engineer, and one Security?" She asked.

Bones growled something wordlessly and she gently squeezed his arm. He felt like hell, losing one of his staff. He took his job very seriously and he felt as if he'd failed… She looked around, seeing Scotty and the head of Security, Bradley. The greeting party was all there…

The shuttle docked and the metal door opened slowly. Chris got the best view, given as she was in front and the shortest. There were two women and one man. The man was tall, stocky, and gifted with wavy dark hair and big green eyes. He was clearly the new Security officer judging by the red colored uniform shirt and the bands on his wrists. Chris could feel his eagerness and excitement.

The woman beside him was quite tall, 5'8", and thin. Her eyes were brown and her hair a natural pale red. She was slightly nervous and awed, as if she were about to met her idol. The way those dark eyes focused on Scotty Chris had little doubt who that idol was.

The shortest woman wore the blue of the Science officers she envied so much. Her eyes matched the color and her dirty blonde hair was cut to just brush her ears. Her mouth was pressed into a neutral expression but her eyes glittered with intelligence and mirth. Chris had the distinct impression she'd met the woman before… Her emotions were slightly nervous but excited. However as her eyes drifted the greeting crew behind and beside Chris those emotions jumped to extreme joy, love, and excitement, and a touch of annoyance.

The blonde woman smiled brightly and threw herself at the group. Wrapping her arms tightly around Jim. "JIMMY!"

Chris would have been nervous but Jim roared with laughter. "LIVIE!" He yelled in response, lifting the petite blonde and spinning her in a small circle. He set the woman down and looked at the group, all of whom Chris could feel were dumbfounded. "Guys," Jim said, grinning like a loon, "This is Samantha Livine Kirk, my twin."

The blonde smiled slightly and Chris realized why she looked familiar. She had the same eyes, the same nose, and the same smile ad Jim. "It's Livie, please. I hate Samantha."

AN: WOOT! Hello LIVIE! She'll be a minor character in this story but she's the main gal in "What a Doctor Needs". And as for that, I was planning on writing it in tandem with this one and posting them alternating one then the other. However I'm afraid I'll lose my roll and then this one will en up dead in the water. So "What A Doctor Needs" will be officially posted once this is finished. However some of the events in this will be mentioned in it, and some of the little events in this will be brief mentions of big events in the other story.

HA! Two postings in one day! Say you love me, go on, say it!

And the orchid is just like this one ./154/368656584_?v=0

But the yellow is replaced with the red color of the veins. And the Veins and center are much deeper, darker red. :D