Gone. She was gone. Bella's mind spun in circles as McCoy bandaged her wrist. She knew as bad as it was for her, it was worse for Spock. He had lost his mother and his world at the same time. She stared at the long cut on her wrist, oozing emerald green blood. It hurt. Good, she thought. It's all my fault she's dead, Bella thought, If only I'd held on. She grimaced as the cut stung. It's my fault that mom's dead, now it's my fault that Aria's dead too. I'm a jinx, she thought. She stood and made her way slowly to the bridge. When she got there, she found Kirk and Spock standing about a foot apart, having a heated argument.
"We must reconvene with the rest of Starfleet." said Spock calmly.
"We should rescue Captain Pike." said Kirk hotly, stepping forward.
"We will have a better chance if we reconvene with the rest of Star fleet." said Spock, a slight undercurrent of frustration in his perfect voice.
"You're just mad that I kissed your girlfriend." Kirk shot back. Spock's face darkened.
"Attacked is more like it." Bella growled, crossing her arms.
Spock looked at Kirk with great dislike on his face. "Security, escort him out." he said. A burly security guard grabbed Kirk's arm and started to lead him out. A sudden punch, however, sent him reeling. Spock lunged and nerve pinched Kirk. "Get him out." he said to the guard. He nodded and dumped Kirk into a pod. "Delta Vega should be suitable." Spock said to him. The guard nodded and the pod blasted off towards Delta Vega.
* * * * *
Spock sat motionless in the command chair. It was clear that he was in pain. He stood up suddenly and half ran to the turbo lift. Bella got up and followed him. The doors shut and the turbo lift started to move. Bella glanced sideways at Spock. He stared straight ahead, impassive. She turned and pushed the stop button. The turbo lift lurched to a stop. She reached out and touched his face.
"I'm so sorry." she whispered, stroking his cheek. "I know how you feel. I've been there." She said. "My mother died in a fire." She said sadly. "It was all my fault. Me and some friends were playing with a lighter we'd found and I dropped it and it set the house on fire. My sister's and I got out, but my mother was trapped under a beam. My father tried to get her out but he was forced to flee from the house. We left Vulcan soon after that. My father was heartbroken after she died. We left because it hurt too much to stay, it reminded him too much of her." She stopped and looked at Spock. He was fighting for control. "What do you need?" She asked.
"I need for everyone to continue performing admirably." He replied quietly.
She nodded, her eyes filling up with tears. He pushed the button and the turbo lift opened. She watched him go, her eyes still full of tears.
* * * * * *
When she returned to the bridge several hours later, the first thing she saw was Spock arguing with a man wearing a very wet winter coat and Jim Kirk. "What's going on?" she cried, "And how did he get back aboard?" No one answered. She turned to the man beside Kirk. "Who are you?" she demanded.
"Montgomery Scott." He answered a strong Scottish lilt to his voice.
"How did you get aboard the ship?" she asked.
"Well, lass, I don't really know." He said shrugging.
She turned to Kirk and had just opened her mouth to ask him, when Spock beat her to it. "How did you beam aboard the Enterprise when it was in warp?"
"I'm not telling." Said Kirk. "Oh, now that doesn't frustrate you at all, does it?" he taunted. "My lack of cooperation? Nero wants to kill you. You told me that fear was necessary. So, are you afraid, or aren't you?"
"I will not allow you to lecture me on the merits of emotion."Spock said stiffly.
"Then why don't you stop me?" Kirk shot back.
"Step away from me." Spock hissed.
"Tell me, Spock." Kirk said, "What's it like not to feel anger? Or heartbreak? Or the need to avenge the death of the woman who gave birth to you?"
Spock's eyes widened. "Back away." He hissed.
"It must not even compute for you." Kirk continued. Spock looked like he was itching to close his hands around Kirk's throat. Bella looked around at the others. McCoy was standing there with his mouth hanging open and everyone else was staring at Kirk and Spock.
"You never loved her!" Kirk yelled. And then it happened. Spock lunged and punched him right in the face. Kirk smashed into the navigation. Spock hit him again and again and then closed his hands around Kirk's throat. He choked and turned purple as Spock slowly strangled him to death.
Bella stepped forward. "Spock." She said quietly.
His hands tightened on Kirk's throat for a moment then released. The weight of what he had done seemed to sink in. "I am unfit for duty as I have been… emotionally compromised." He said. And then he left the bridge.
The bridge was silent except for the sound of Kirk gasping for breath. "Thanks." He said to Bella. She gave him a look of deepest disgust. "Oh well." He said. "No harm done."
Bella froze. "No harm done?" she repeated. She turned and he quailed under the look she gave him. "No harm done?!" she screeched. "Why did you do that to him?" You know he's hurting, so why would you do that to him?" She yelled.
Kirk backed away a few steps. "Calm down, Bella." He said.
Her eyes blazed. "Don't you dare tell me to calm down, James Tiberius Kirk!" she screamed. "Don't you dare!" He opened his mouth to speak, but she wasn't done yet. "I swear to god, if you ever antagonize him like that again, I'll smash your head through that console." She snarled.
"Yeah like you could." He muttered. Her eyes seemed to turn black as she glared at him.
McCoy stepped in just then. "We have bigger problems than what Jim did to Spock." He said. "We have no captain and no goddamn first officer to replace him."
"Yeah we do." Said Kirk. And he sat down in the command chair.
"Pike made you first officer?" McCoy yelped.
"Great." Snarled Bella. "We're doomed."
There was silence for a moment and then Scotty suddenly said "I like this ship! It's exciting!" Bella sighed and walked off the bridge.
