You have to Sleep Sometime


It was beginning to get late when they had adjourned. McCoy had insisted that Selina needed to at least try to sleep and Uhura had added her support to McCoy's. Selina had, of course, protested, until Jim had teasingly (mostly anyway) volunteered to help her sleep. He smiled to himself at the perfectly synchronized eyebrows that remark had raised - but it had worked. Now he was preparing to go to sleep himself (alone, unfortunately).

His console beeped and the computerized voice announced Transmission from Commodore Stone. He hit receive.

"Kirk here, sir."

Commodore Stone's stern visage looked back at him from the screen. "Captain, we have received your report and determined that the security threat requires additional resources. Tomorrow the Aldrin will dock at the starbase. Officially, they are there to overhaul a malfunctioning warp coil. Their acting science officer, Cmdr. Sorensen, will contact you. You are to provide him with complete access to your data and your shipboard computers."

"Sir?"

"Jim, if someone could hack into a starbase computer, they might be able to compromise a starship as well." The Commodore's face was grave. "Sorensen is an expert on computer security and he has worked with Cmdr. Spock before, so there will be no chance that you are exposing yourself to an imposter."

"So you believe there is an imposter on the base, sir," Kirk said. Selina had suggested the same over dinner.

"Starfleet Intelligence considers it to be highly likely. No base personnel should be permitted access to the Enterprise without a DNA scan."

"I have already issued that order, sir."

"Very good, Captain. Keep us informed. Stone out."


.

Spock entered the ship's observatory. The lights were low and it would normally be deserted at this hour, particularly as the view of the stars was partially obstructed by the spacedock. Both his hearing and night vision were superior to those of most humans', so he would have known immediately that another person was already there, even if he had not been seeking her.

She was sitting on one of the lounges facing the large porthole, her knees drawn up under her chin. It was familiar posture, and he had always thought it looked uncomfortable.

S'Lina?

I am here, Spock. He could hear in her mind the weariness she refused to show outwardly.

She rotated her head slightly to look up at him as he approached. "I had thought Nyota had cured you of wandering the ship after hours."

"I do not require as much sleep and it is illogical to simply lie awake in bed." He nodded toward the lounge. "May I?"

She gestured acceptance and he sat down beside her. "You do not appear to be sleeping," he observed.

"It is illogical to simply lie awake in bed." She had returned to looking out the porthole.

"How long have you been awake?" He did not say it, but 'this time' was implied in the question.

"25 hours or so," she shrugged. "I do not have your internal clock."

"Fencing did not aide in inducing sleep?"

She shook her head. "No. But I have been able to meditate. My ability to function will not be impaired."

"Such meditation can maintain your mental function, to an extent. However the Doctor says that prolonged lack of sleep may cause physical harm."

She looked away again. "It has been a long time since I have felt obligated to care what a doctor says."

"Nyota is also worried for you. You must allow yourself to rest."

"I have tried, Spock. Fencing. Lying in the sauna. Music. I even tried the remedy that Jim suggested."

He came as close to stunned disbelief as might be possible for a Vulcan. Selina had suffered worse bouts of insomnia before. Surely...

"Warm milk," she said, raising an eyebrow. "He said that his mother used to give him warm milk to help induce sleep."

"Warm milk?" Vulcans are naturally less imaginative than humans, but even the human half of his imagination found it difficult to conceive of James Kirk suggesting warm milk to a woman having difficulty falling asleep.

"Yes." Her voice was flat. "I assure you, if I were to become so desperate as to even consider his other suggestion, I would go to Len for assistance."

He did not find that statement particularly reassuring. As he was considering how to respond, she reached over and pushed at his shoulder.

"Medicinal assistance, Spock." He could see the laughter in her eyes.

He tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. "I believe the Doctor would gladly comply with a request to provide either remedy."

Her eyes narrowed. "Did you actually tell Jim that I had a predilection to become romantically involved with physicians?"

His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "No. I did not."

She studied his face and then nodded, satisfied. "He undoubtedly misunderstood something from your conversation at breakfast."

"Undoubtedly."

She her mouth twitched slightly, but she did not reply. A moments silence stretched between them as he processed this unexpected turn in the conversation. He thought back. Perhaps this had something to do with the reason the Captain kept calling out for odds during his last bout with her?

"I would ...tolerate... even McCoy as a sort of brother-in-law, if it meant you would again take some care for yourself," he said.

"I take care for myself as my duties allow," she sighed. "And Len is very sweet, but he could not replace David."

His mind stalled momentarily at 'very sweet' associated with McCoy, but refocused quickly. He placed a hand lightly on her shoulder. "I do not think that it is possible to adequately replace anyone who is important to us."

She briefly laid a hand over his. "You are important to be me too," she said. "But do not be burdened on my account. I am merely very tired."

"Hence the need for sleep," he said, moving his hand to the juncture of her neck.

"The blackout from a nerve pinch is not the same as sleep," she warned.

"I have never done that to you." he replied. No matter how often I have been tempted.

You are aware that I heard that?

Yes. Now turn around. He had begun kneading the knot at the base of her neck and pulled at her opposite shoulder to make her turn so that her back was to him.

As he worked at the tension in her shoulders, they fell easily into the telepathic rapport that was less than a meld but more than simply conversing mind-to-mind. Although there are commonalities among nearly all telepaths, there are many species-specific differences in its manifestation and expression. She was the only human telepath whose mind he had ever touched, so he did not know if this was normal for the rare instances of human telepathy, or another unique property of their relationship itself. He knew that it would have scandalized their Vulcan teachers for its lack of formality. But it allowed for an efficient sharing of memories and impressions, which did answer many questions...he would make a point of quoting probabilities the next time he and the Captain played chess.

Finally feeling her body begin to relax, he began trying to guide her mind toward rest, recalling peaceful memories.

Background music is my specialty, Spock.

Be still. As you tell me, accept the logic of accepting assistance.

I am, but this is not a place to sleep. I am relaxed. If I return to my quarters, I will sleep.

He considered Mr. Scott's proverb: fool me once... We both know that that is not likely. And no one is apt to come here while we are in dock. It is quite comfortable. I come here to meditate at times.

It is still a public place.

Have I ever left you to sleep unguarded in a public place? He recalled the first time he had seen her asleep. He had returned from the backroom after closing time to find her snoring in a corner booth.

I do not snore.

Of course you do not. It is merely that your respiration during slumber resembles that of a congested sehlat.

She pushed back against him and he caught her against his shoulder. Now allow yourself to enter that state or I shall be compelled to 'rat you out' to Ambassador Pak and he will order you to allow the Doctor to medicate you.

Coercion, Spock?

As you know, I have learned from the best.


.

Spock began to wake upon hearing the Captain's voice.

"I dunno Uhura. If I were you, I'd be worried. They look kind of cute asleep together."

"Hush. You'll wake her," Nyota hissed. She touched Spock's arm. "Spock, the Captain says he needs you need to meet someone from the Aldrin."

He opened his eyes and shifted. "A little assistance, please. I believe the bloodflow to my arm has become impaired."

Nyota lifted Selina's head, while Kirk gave him a hand to get up. Spock shook his arm and stretched experimentally. Falling asleep in a sitting position had not been his intent.

"How'd you manage to fall asleep with someone snoring like that so close to those ears?" the Captain asked.

"Our minds were still linked when she finally succumbed to slumber."

"And she dragged you under with her." Nyota grinned. "I'll have to remember that one for the next time you refuse to sleep."

"Well, we can't leave her here," Kirk said. "Spock, I need you to go meet a Cmdr. Sorensen that Starfleet sent to check computer security. So maybe I should carry her back to her quarters?"

Nyota glared at him. "If you think for one minute -"

Suddenly Selina was bolt upright, her eyes wide. "Spock! Lt. Hanlan is in danger."


BwaHaHa - a cliffhanger. Told you her uniform was red.

Spock refusing to sleep and the doctor trying to get it through that thick Vulcan skull that meditation isn't enough was a feature in a couple TOS episodes. I needed to give Spock and Selina a chance to catch up with each other, and I figured I'd give Spock a taste of his own medicine. (And we haven't been sleeping well since losing Clark, so maybe I'm fantasizing a bit too.)

Anyone think Kirk is the kind of guy to be put off by snoring? Nah. Me neither.