Chapter 61 - Drinks and Cupcakes


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Jim waltzed into sickbay hoping to find Selina, but only found Sorenson talking to Kowalski and Baker (who he suspected were there looking for Selina too). Both men came to attention as soon as they saw their captain. It was hard to tell with Baker, but Kowalski was definitely blushing. Sorenson seemed to be trying (not quite successfully) to keep a straight face. So, the news had traveled between ships now.

"At ease." Kirk said. "I thought Hu had been released."

"He has, sir." Baker reported. "We're here to see Mr. Sorenson."

"Fact-finding, sir." Kowalski added, trying to look serious.

That didn't seem like an assignment for ensigns. Kirk raised his eyebrows inquiringly. "I thought Mr. Giotto would have handled questions pertaining to the investigation."

The two ensigns exchanged a worried glance and Sorenson held up a hand. "Nothing to do with the investigation, Captain. I've already sorted things out with Stone on the main issues there. This was more of a friendly inquiry - which I do appreciate, gentlemen - but I was just paying back a favor to an old friend."

"Thank you, sir." Baker said, and turned to Kirk. "If that will be all, sir?"

Kirk looked at the three of them. He clearly wasn't going to find out anything more with two nervous ensigns around. "That will be all. Dismissed."

They saluted and quick stepped out of sickbay. Jim looked at Sorenson with a sly smile. "So, Clyde, what'd you do to bring the law by?"

Sorenson cracked a small grin. "Someone must have told Lt. Hanlan that I had something to do with getting her out of the casino. Those two were deputized to find out what I like to drink."

"Seriously?"

"You never really got much chance to serve shipboard as anything but Captain, did you? There's a bit of an unofficial system, with certain beverages being the usual currency of choice." He winked. "A good Captain generally turns a blind eye."

"I'm fine with it, but it might be tough keeping that off Spock's radar."

Sorenson laughed. "Ask him about it sometime - as long as you have a couple hours to kill. Once Pike clued him in, he researched the whole history of the system going to back to trading rum rations on wooden ships."

Damn. He still had a lot to learn about his XO. "I don't suppose the Captain gets cut in?"

"Not usually, but there was a bottle of bourbon dropped off for the good doctor." He quirked wry smile. "You might be able to get him to share if you catch him before he hears the news about you and Grey."

Jim suddenly felt a little awkward, thinking about the way the other man had looked at her while he was drugged. "Uh, yeah, about that..."

"Hey, you're taking her for Halloween. As long as I manage to find my own date before she tries to fix me up, I'm good." Sorenson grinned and raised an eyebrow. "And if you both end up taking her, give me a heads up so I remember my camera."

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Lt. Jessy Hanlan glared at the prisoner in the holding cell - the one who was responsible for nearly killing Hu as well as having her own head almost bashed in. If the captain and a few others hadn't pulled a rescue, she'd probably be more messed up than Sorenson had been. She closed her tricorder with an annoyed smack. "Caught dead-to-rights, held in his own brig and he's still acting like a smug bastard." she growled.

"No luck finding a datachip on him or getting him to talk?"

"No." She eyed Maldi imagining all the ways she could kill him, with preference for the most painful. "I'm tempted to claim the tricorder was malfunctioning so I could make him submit to a good old-fashioned cavity search. Sonovabitch had the nerve to say that I would have been 'a pretty thing to play with'."

"I could become temporarily blind and deaf, if you want to kick his ass." The other security officer winked.

"Much appreciated, but he's not worth our careers. There are feeds all over this ship - except the sickbay. He kept what he did in there out of the records." She twisted the tricorder strap. "I wish I knew how to wring out whatever he's hiding."

"You know, if there are feeds almost everywhere, maybe you could follow him from when he left the sickbay. Maybe catch him stashing the chip or something?"

She smiled and clasped his arm. "That is brilliant! Cupcake, you are officially my favorite pastry."

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McCoy barely glanced up from a half-finished report when Jim strolled into his quarters. He really should have locked the door, but then he wasn't entirely sure a lock would stop Jim. "Most people wait for someone to say 'enter'." he grumbled. "I might have had company, you know."

"Nah. I heard that Selina and Uhura are cackling together in the locker room. All things considered, being out of sight when they come out might not be the worst idea." Jim took a seat and plopped his feet up on the coffee table.

"Well, gee, Jim, make yourself at home." Bones said sarcastically. "I've certainly got nothing better to do than entertain you."

"Gee, Bones, then I guess there was no use bringing you this." Jim pulled out a bottle of very fine Kentucky bourbon.

McCoy's eyes lit up. "You just bought yourself a place to hide, kid. Where'd you get that?"

"Actually, it's from Lt. Hanlan - sort of a thank you for helping to rescue her."

"How about that." Bones took the bottle and examined it lovingly. "For once, one of your cockamamie schemes actually paid dividends."

"So is it too early for a drink?" Jim asked with a hopeful grin.

"No such thing with this stuff." Bones drawled, pulling out a couple of glasses. "And I could use a little break."

"What're you working on?"

"Trying to write up some sort of eval on Sorenson. He's almost as bad as Spock for playing things close to the vest, except he smiles a lot more while he's bluffing. But he is about the nicest uncooperative patient I've ever had." Bones put a splash of lovely, old bourbon into both glasses and held his glass up admiring the color.

"Well, here's to nice Vikings - especially ones who point out presents of booze." Jim gave his glass a small lift and swigged it with a satisfied smile.

"Dammit, Jim, this is for sippin' - you want to shoot it, get some of the rot gut you usually order." Bones protectively moved the bottle a little further from Jim. "And what do mean point out presents? Unless he took a stroll to your quarters..." Bones narrowed his eyes dangerously. "This was for me, wasn't it?"

"C'mon, Bones. It is totally unfair that the captain doesn't get cut in." Jim pouted. "I did as much to get her out of there as you."

"Goes with the braid." Bones smirked. "But I'm feeling generous today. If you promise to sip like a civilized human being, I'll let you have another taste."

"Deal." Jim held out his glass. "So what's got you in a such a generous mood?"

Bones broke into an ear-to-ear grin. "Allen seems to think Selina likes me. All things considered, I figure he's likely to know."

Jim looked at him suspiciously. "I thought he said you were too old for her."

"That was when he thought they were about 20, Jim. Now that he knows what year we're in, he apologized for bein' out of line."

"Okay, but you're having a hard time writing up the eval, so he's not necessarily back to 100% sane." Jim sat back and smirked. "Spock, on the other hand, is totally rational and he thinks she might like me."

Bones gave Jim a sour look. "And he said that, did he?"

"Well-l-l, not in those exact words, but he let me know it'd be okay with him as long as she didn't get hurt." Jim flashed a challenging grin. "I don't suppose he's bothered to have the big brother chat with you?"

"Seein' as how I don't chase everything with a pulse, he wouldn't need to, would he?"

"So, that would be a 'no'." Jim grinned. "And Spock's known her a lot longer."

"Yeah, but he never dated her." Bones smirked.

Jim's eyes widened. "No way."

Bones chuckled. "You came in late. Once upon a time that friendship had some benefits."

"Damn." Jim paused and Bones could almost see neurons firing. "That's it! He never tried to pick her up because he never had to."

"You've lost me, Jim." Someday he was going to have to work out how to make a tracking collar for Jim's thought processes.

"He was Spock's best friend. It makes too much sense!" Jim laughed. "I mean, if I liked your sister, you'd fix us up, right?"

McCoy gave a brief laugh and then fixed Jim with a glare. "Not in a billion years."

"Aw, c'mon, Bones, you love me."

"I love my sister. I know you. No way I'd even let you in the same county as my sister." He grimaced. "The same planet was almost too close."

"Yeesh. Just because that one chick in the diner turned out to be your cousin..."

"I rest my case, Jim." Bones scowled. "Aunt Rose still isn't speakin' to me."

"Okay. Fine." Kirk crossed his arms. "But if I weren't a total chick magnet, you'd consider it, right?"

Off switch. Jim really needed an off switch. "Maybe. But only if I figured you understood I'd kill you if you tried anything."

Jim flashed a grin. "Do you think Spock would kill you if you tried anything? I mean, I've already sorted things out with him..."

"Selina's a grown woman. He's got no say in it."

"Like your sister, you mean?" Jim smirked and glanced up at her picture. "She is pretty fine..."

"Leave my little sister out of this, Jim." Bones growled. "And unlike you, I know how to be a gentleman."

Jim smiled devilishly. "What fun is that?"

"Again, Jim, I rest my case." Bones widened his eyes. "But you're probably right on Allen's account. I expect Spock knew he could trust him. Even if he isn't a real Yankee, he's got that Midwestern polite thing that you seem to have missed out on completely."

"Clearly Selina didn't take to it or they wouldn't be just friends now." Jim flashed a cocky grin. "Maybe she's secretly into bad boys?"

Bones rolled his eyes. "Get out Jim - and leave the glass."

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AN: I love the redshirts and keep having to give them a couple scenes. Banter between Jim and Bones is fluff, but I couldn't resist - the guys needed to talk too. Jim had to find out sometime, and I had to have some fun with the fact that assuming a brother would fix his sister up with a friend only works if the friend isn't a hound. Think Jim gets that?