Spock held Nyota in his arms, hoping she wouldn't start talking. He brushed his cheek against hers, inhaling her scent and began kissing her shoulder. He didn't want to face her and make eye contact. He wished she would touch him until his pain went away. He didn't want to talk about it.
"What's wrong Spock?" she asked, as if reading his mind.
"Nothing," he said plainly.
"Spock ..." she warned, turning to look at him. She always looked angry when he wouldn't open up to her.
He wavered, stopping to pull Nyota closer to him and putting his arms across her shoulders.
"I spoke to my father," he said finally.
"And ... ?" she whispered apprehensively.
"He dislikes the fact that the Vulcans are accepting aid from Earth."
Nyota looked Spock in the eyes, stunned.
"You're telling me you're upset because you disagreed with your father about Federation politics?" she spat, sounding both confused and concerned.
"It was the way he said it," Spock tried to explain.
"In monotone?" Nyota asked. He replied before he realized she was joking.
"No, it was as if he thought humans were lower life forms. He spoke ill of my decision to join Starfleet and to leave the colony as well."
Spock left his final thought unsaid. It was as if he did not really respect me.
"Maybe he misses you," she suggested.
"Unlikely," Spock snapped angrily, wondering why she was taking his father's side.
"My dad tells me horrible things about Starfleet all the time, hoping I'll quit and get an apartment across the street from him."
"I do not believe that this is the case."
"Oh Spock," she whispered, kissing him and then pulling away, "I'm sure deep down he loves you, even if he doesn't say it. I have difficulty believing anything else."
Spock shuddered. It seemed so impossible that his father would do something as illogical as love him. He pulled Nyota close, and kissed her desperately. Her arms closed around him, and soon her breath was heavy. This was good. It meant she wouldn't ask anymore questions.
*****
As soon as Kirk approached him, Spock recognized his expression. It was the I-have-a-request-that-I-know-you-won't-like expression. Often, the we-need-someone-with-superhuman-strength-to-dislodge-a-blockage-in-the-sewage-system-again expression.
"Good morning Spock," he said.
"Good morning, Captain," he responded, not looking up from his console in an attempt to appear too busy to perform whatever task the captain had in mind.
"I was wondering if you know how to play poker," Kirk asked. Spock looked up from his console, surprised by the request.
"I do not believe in gambling," Spock replied.
"But you know the rules," Kirk pressed.
"I did at one point study --"
"Good," Kirk, "Because we've been having a poker night for senior staff for a few weeks now, and I was hoping you could attend."
"I said that I don't—"
"It doesn't actually involve any gambling—we just make the losers put the table away and clean up the room—and you can always help clean up if it helps avoid violating your moral code." Kirk said the last bit with a wink.
"I am not sure if I am interested in a game that involves chance instead of logic," Spock countered.
"Didn't some old Vulcan say that handling risk is one of the more advanced forms of logic?" Kirk asked, "And besides, someone has to come and beat Bones."
"There is no guarantee that I will— " Spock protested.
"I know," Kirk replied with a grin, "But it's just a feeling I have ..."
"Nineteen hundred hours tonight," he continued, patting Spock on the shoulder, and then turning to face the bridge.
"Is that an order?" Spock yelled out.
"Sure, why not," Kirk replied, shrugging with a bit of a smile.
*****
By the evening, Spock was nervous. He wasn't sure if he know how to act at a "poker party", as Nyota put it. And he was worried that he wouldn't really be welcome.
"Don't worry," Nyota said, sensing his concern, "I'm sure it's just an excuse to hang out and relax. It was really nice of Jim to invite you."
Spock was getting sick of being the guy that it was nice to invite to places, but he didn't say anything.
"Have fun!," she yelled as he walked out the door.
When Spock got to Entertainment Room #2, Kirk, McCoy, Chekov and Sulu were already seated with chips in front of them.
"Am I late?" Spock asked as he walked in.
"No, we're just warming up," Kirk replied, motioning him to sit down.
"I thought it was humans only," McCoy complained, looking up from his cards.
Jim shot McCoy a dirty look and Chekov stated,
"I thought zee only requirements vas you has to vork on zee bridge and have a penis."
Spock looked at McCoy disdainfully,
"You are welcome to give me a full examination, Doctor."
Chekov and Sulu snickered.
"I'll take your word for it," McCoy responded dryly, as if he had doubts.
Kirk began to deal, and Sulu spoke up, "I have to leave by 2100 hours, Immogen's complaining that I don't spend enough time with her."
"And she wants you to miss poker? Tell her that you had to work late on the bridge, Captain's orders," Kirk joked.
"I've already done that twice this week," Sulu replied. The table laughed.
"Now Spock," Kirk chided, "I bet you didn't have any trouble convincing Nyota to let you go out tonight."
Spock froze. The truth was that he had so few evening activities that Nyota had found this invitation exciting.
"No, I lack Sulu's skill with women, so I just stay home most nights," Spock replied finally, a little bit embarrassed.
"Convincing the hottest girl on the ship to go out with you, I don't call that a lack of skills," Kirk replied jovially, defending him from his own insult.
"She is not the hottest girl on the ship," Spock corrected automatically "She is the fourth hottest girl on the ship."
Kirk, Sulu and Chekov exploded into raucous laughter, and even McCoy cracked a smiled.
"I cannot believe you just said that," Sulu spat, still laughing.
"Are you looking to upgrade?" Kirk asked, incredulously.
"No, I happen to believe that there are qualities far more important than looks," Spock snapped, truly offended and slightly ashamed of his remark.
"So tell me, Spock, who is the fourth most logical girl on the ship," Kirk asked, and laughter exploded before he could answer. Once it had died off, Kirk draped his hand over Spock's shoulder.
"I hope I didn't offend you," he said, "I know you're not that type of guy. I'm sure you do all of this for the sake of posterity."
"I wish that would work for me," Sulu joked, "I'm sorry dear, I must ogle other girls. It's for the pursuit of knowledge."
The table snickered.
"It does not," Spock interjected.
"Perhaps that's vy his girlfriend von't let him out at night," Checkov declared, and there was open laughter. Then, the topic changed to Immogen's creative use of fencer's jock protection, a change for which Spock was thankful.
By mid-evening, everyone had run out of chips except for Spock and McCoy.
"More beer for us!" Kirk had yelled as soon as he had gone out, tossing a can to the other two. McCoy looked bitter, and nursed his whiskey.
"This is impossible," McCoy snapped eventually, "It's like playing against a computer."
"I am not a computer," Spock stated mildly.
"Well you're not exactly human either," McCoy countered angrily.
"I am exactly half human."
"You think you're funny, don't you," McCoy accused.
"I do not intend— "
McCoy stood up and walked around the table. Spock got to his feet.
"You think you're so smart with your logic and your numbers, and everyone feels sorry for you and thinks you're so cute, but I know better than that. I know you think you're better than us pathetic humans."
Then, it was as if something inside McCoy snapped, and he lunged towards Spock. And in Spock's mind, there was no doubt as to what the logical reaction was. He stood completely still. He felt McCoy's fist hit the side of his face, and then his chest, and then his face again. He tasted blood, and closed his eyes.
"Bones, Bones," he heard Kirk yell shakily, "You've had too much to drink." Spock knew Kirk was just trying to give him an excuse to back down. McCoy had not had very much to drink at all. Spock felt Kirk push McCoy away. He opened his eyes. Kirk and McCoy were arguing in the corner.
"...don't know what he's doing here ... doesn't belong ..." Spock heard, "... can't just exclude people ... no one else has a problem...just you, Bones ...not any excuse anyhow..." they continued. Finally, McCoy walked out the door.
"Let me walk you back to your quarters," Kirk said to Spock once McCoy was gone, "Unless you want to go to sickbay."
"I have had enough of doctors for the evening," Spock replied.
They walked silently for awhile, before Kirk said,
"I'm sorry he treated you like that, if I'd known I never would have out you two together."
"It is not your fault," Spock replied.
"It kind of is," Kirk said dejectedly, "I thought he would change. I never really believed that racism was real, I thought that if people just got to know each other ..."
"Maybe we still might learn to get along," Spock replied, trying to comfort himself as much as Kirk
They walked a bit farther in silence.
"You know you can press charges," Kirk said suddenly.
"I will not," Spock replied immediately. He wasn't sure why he felt this way, but he thought it might have something to do with not wanting to hear McCoy justify his act.
"In that case, I will confine him to quarters and warn him that if he does anything like this again, I'm throwing him off the ship ..."
"That sounds reasonable," Spock responded.
"Possibly by putting him in a pod and sending it to an ice planet," Kirk continued with a hint of a grin.
They reached a junction, and Spock went in the wrong direction for his quarters, explaining,
"I have to stop at Nyota's, as she is making Vulcan soup because I had a fight with my father and she thinks I am upset."
Kirk looked up at him wistfully.
"You can come in and have some," Spock said, "I am sure she made plenty."
"No," he said, shaking his head slightly, "That's just a really nice thing to do."
When Spock entered Nyota's quarters, she turned and stared at him.
"There was an altercation," Spock stated, as if that was all the explanation necessary. She looked at him for a second before she walked up and began dabbing the blood off his face.