Unfinished Business
Chapter 32 : Going Forward
July 2273
They spent most of the weekend in either her quarters or his, growing ever more comfortable with their refound intimacy. They sat at the table, drinking tea, and talking, for many hours. They also curled together on the couch, touching, offering each other comfort as they relived the pain they had been through. The link between them stayed open wide the entire time, and they shared memories in that manner as well, until the link shone and glowed with pulsing energy, filling them with delight. And always there was the throb of desire, the pulse of need, that drove them to the bed again and again, convulsing about each other in great pleasure, filling each other with the bright white light of their ecstasy. They slept in each other's arms, and awoke the same way, sighing happily.
It was a time of rebirth, of great healing, and they resumed their duties at the beginning of the week with most of the previous tension between them completely gone.
McCoy sat across from them at breakfast, and watched them, so aware of each other, and realized that something of great importance had occurred. They were obviously using that link thing again, holding conversations that no one else could hear. He breathed a silent prayer of thanks, to whatever deity might have been involved, and relaxed and enjoyed the overflow of happiness that he sensed from them.
When Kirk slid into the seat next to McCoy, he immediately noticed that something was different. Spock had lost that tight expression that had been there since he returned to the ship, completely. It had been coming and going the last few weeks, but now all trace of it seemed to have vanished. He looked easy with himself again, as he had used to. He turned to McCoy, who shook his head, and nodded slightly at the couple across the table. Kirk turned back, and really looked, and realized that their heads inclined slightly towards each other. And then Uhura reached down and stuck her fork into a piece of the fruit on her plate, and ever so casually lifted it to Spock's mouth. He opened his mouth for her and took the fruit off her fork as though it were something he did every day. And after he had chewed and swallowed, he nodded, as though agreeing with something she had said, although no words had been exchanged at all. He looked back at McCoy, question on his face, and McCoy just smiled and continued to eat his breakfast.
Kirk sat there, wondering exactly what was going on. Bits and pieces began to come back to him, memories of things he had witnessed in the past, things others had said to him. He remembered the time he had called Spock into his ready room, to tell him that he had heard reports of fraternization, and Spock had flatly refused to stop his behavior, telling him that there was nothing improper in his courtship of Uhura. And now they sat there, as calm as could be, so very obviously finely tuned to one another. This was interesting. And would definitely bear watching.
The hours on the bridge passed in perfect harmony. The whole crew relaxed somehow, as though a weight had been lifted from everyone's shoulders. It was as though a great peace had descended, covering everyone and everything within sight of the couple, who did not appear to have any idea that the overflow of their emotions was affecting others. It would not have made them change their behavior one bit if they had known it.
And so it continued, as they fell back into their previously established routine, becoming ever more content in what they had between them. And their friends watched, and smiled, and were happy to see them their old selves again.