((ADDENDUM: I changed the last name of the CMO of the space station to Rasul. I don't normally do that, never have before, but in this case I had a good enough reason to do it.

Bach. St. Matthew Passion, an Arioso (Am Abend da es kühle war). Before, I had Break Out, O Beauteous Morning Light, funnily enough. You may go and listen to the arioso and copy and paste its mood. Also this chapter was the easiest to write so far.))

The atmosphere in the forest was different. It was nothing he could point his finger at, however. Leonard was very quiet – a bad sign in itself. Jim was also quiet. Outwardly. His mind, however, was going in circles like a roundabout, thoughts chasing each other, each one with a number of jumbled emotions. Spock's mental shield was firmly in place, protecting him from the constant input through their bond. On the other hand, the shield made the bond undetectable for Jim, who was all the more nervous because of that. There was no good solution, however, for the moment. Spock made a mental note to seize the first opportunity to teach Jim whatever he could learn, starting with a basic shield. Leonard somehow had managed that all by himself, even if he couldn't lower it on command and hadn't established it consciously. But it was evidently possible for a human. Learning to feel their bond even when there was a shield in place was also something he could teach Jim.

He watched the back of Jim's head and found that what he did was actually unfair. The human had no control over this situation. Frowning slightly at what he was about to do – on Vulcan he would earn himself raised eyebrows and quite a lot of disapproval – he crossed the short distance between them while lowering his shield only slightly. His left hand curled around Jim's right arm and he halted him. 'Might I make a suggestion, Captain?' He felt clearly how the shorter man responded to the mental contact that was re-established.

'You input is always welcome, Mr Spock.'

'I believe we should return to the pond. It would be a point of interest for any scientist.' Jim looked in the direction of the small body of water. He turned back and looked up at Spock, a slow smile spreading on his face.

'What do you expect to find there?'

'I am not certain.'

'A hunch then? Very well.' He let Jim lead the way, following half a step behind him. He seemed calmer, and it struck him that his shielding had probably had the opposite effect to what he had intended. The emotional exchange was still a distraction, but right now that was not a problem. The sudden withdrawal had left the other man insecure, increasing the turmoil within him, thereby increasing Spock's need for a shield and so on. There was still some uncertainty on Jim's end of their link. Spock cradled the piece of Jim's mind ensconced in his.

I am here with you, always. The answer was nowhere near coordinated, but the waves of emotion calmed further. Jim turned, a look of surprise on his face.

'I … I know that. Thank you.' Leonard snorted.

'You're aware he didn't say anything, aren't you?' Colour crawled up Jim's neck, and the doctor grinned. 'What a way to talk behind people's back.' Trust McCoy to take the leaden weight of a situation like the one at hand. Sure enough Jim's eyes lit up with mischief.

'I'd never talk behind your back, Bones.' He paused, considering. 'No. I wouldn't. Spock, I have a question.'

'Yes, Captain?'

'Would you tell me what the word Lenkam means?' Spock raised an eyebrow.

'That depends on the language. In an endemic Andorian dialect it is a colour adjective describing a pale lilac blue with pink-yellow spots. In standard Endosian it is a determiner that is very hard to translate in your standard. In slightly informal language you could say its meaning is similar to your word thingy.'

'And what the hell is a determiner?' Leonard asked with a sceptical expression.

'A determiner is a constituent that occurs with a noun or noun phrase and serves to express the reference of that noun or noun phrase in the context.' Leonard glared at him and shook his head.

'Thanks, that clears it up.'

'You are welcome, doctor.' Before Leonard could flare, Jim laughed.

'Bones, he's just pulling your leg. What happened to the peace between you two?'

'It wasn't peace, just a ceasefire,' Leonard answered with a slight smile tugging at his lips. 'A little less gobbledegook, Spock?'

'A determiner is a part of a sentence, a word for example, that needs to be followed by a noun. An article is an example for a determiner.'

'Oh. Right.'

'It's not Endosian,' Jim said at last. 'Nor Andorian. We assumed it's Vulcan.'

'Which dialect?' Leonard threw up his arms.

'How should I know? T'Kray said it.' Spock allowed amusement to show in his eyes, knowing that both Leonard and Jim could read him well enough to see it. Their silent security man was the only one who kept his increasing frown. Their levity did not seem to agree with him.

'She said that to you?'

'Yes.'

'Then it is simple. I heard her call you Len. The suffix -kam is a diminutive, but not a condescending one. A term of endearment, so to speak. Something preserved for your child, a foster child, or a bondmate. Or someone who might become just that. Since T'Kray is your senior, she can use it for you but not the other way round. If you wish to reciprocate you can say ashal-veh or tal-kam. Neither would be considered strictly appropriate by Vulcan society, but I am very certain that she has no such qualms if she said something so very familiar.' For once, the doctor was lost for words. Jim smiled.

'You look surprised, Bones. I'm not,' he said, earning himself a mock glare.

ϡ

Jim forced himself to keep his gratitude towards the other two for dispersing his gloom under a lid. He wondered if his attempt at shielding made any difference for his Vulcan or if he made matters worse by focussing so hard on keeping his thoughts and feelings to himself. Or maybe it made no difference at all, which was likely the case. He could constantly feel Spock, the short period in which the Vulcan had protected himself from Jim's rather violent emotional state aside, and that gave him immense comfort. He had to control himself, however. Not only because he needed to keep his head clear, but also because he didn't want to cause his bondmate harm. He rolled the word around in his head and couldn't keep the smile off his face. There were no words to describe how happy he was.

It hadn't been hard to convince Bligh that Spock was more able to defend them if needed than some ensign. The most likely outcome of this search party was nothing at all. The scanners hadn't found anyone outside the building, and it was very unlikely that they would be more successful. But still, they couldn't just abandon two men. That aside, this was the third time that something of the sort had happened. The first time they had vanished without a trace. The second group of three had contacted the Morales and perished in the transporter. The third pair was also just gone, swallowed by the ground it seemed.

After the signal from Bligh, he had asked Spock to join him in the transporter room and all but dragged a reluctant Bones there by his sleeve. Bligh had taken his curt explanation why one security man was sufficient at face value, confirming that a doctor and a scientist couldn't do any harm. It was clear that Jim was the least required. Why he was here eluded him. 'Mr Spock, have you been able to make anything of the bacteria you gathered earlier?'

'I have. They are single cell organisms, and they are not bacteria. I would compare them to ferns in certain stages if I had to describe them in words that are not … gobbledegook, as the Doctor so eloquently put it.'

'I don't assume they can make a person disappear.'

'Negative, Captain.' Jim nodded and clapped his hands together.

'So there it is. We are here to find two missing scientists. I'll be honest with you. I don't think we can. The scanners don't pick up readings outside of the science station, and I doubt we will. What we can do – maybe – is find out what happened to them and stop it from happening again.' He lowered his voice slightly. 'Four of us have come down here, and I fully intend to return with the same headcount. Be careful, don't leave the group, and do what I say and we'll be back up at the Morales in no time at all.'

ϡ

Watching the computer compare the results was not the most exciting thing in the world, but at least it left T'Kray with time to think. She had enough to consider, after all. There were the test results from Kresar. They seemed all right, medically he was cleared, and there was no reason to keep him in sickbay. Whatever had been the matter with him, it was over. She was going to speak to him one last time, but she was certain he would be all right.

Then there was Leonard. The man was down on the planet, and T'Kray couldn't stop her thoughts from wandering to him. Wondering what she would do if he did not come back. She wouldn't even know it until someone told her – a thought that was almost unbearable and not something she was ready to deal with. He was trying so hard to open his mind to her, and there was success. Quite a lot actually. But in moments like this, that didn't help. Spock and James had had a connection even before the actual bond had been formed, something that had developed over decades of a deepening friendship.

The fact remained, however, that T'Kray cherished Leonard. Enough to grant him the time he needed to adjust to the idea of someone else constantly in his mind. She understood him and admired him for even considering to let her in. And he did more than consider, he was convinced that this was what he wanted. The man was sincere and dedicated. It was a matter of time, and she was nothing if not patient.

The bleep of the computer informed her that her results were ready. She saved them before leaving for the room to which Kresar was still confined. He was no longer tied, unhappy to be there, but not running away. Another good sign. When she entered, he rolled his eyes. 'Are you the one insisting that I can't leave yet?'

'No. How are you?'

'Bored sick.' T'Kray smiled at the Caitian. His whiskers were twitching slightly, indicating his restlessness. 'I want to get back to my work. I want to apologize to the Commodore.' He halted and blinked at her. 'They won't let me stay here after that. I attacked a senior officer.'

'Yes, but you were ill. No-one is going to use that against you, least of all Commodore Bligh. He understands that you were not yourself. I made that very clear from the start.' The Caitian nodded, looking grateful. 'You are allowed to leave. I looked at your results, and there seems nothing wrong. Doctor Rasul said if I do not object I can declare you fit for duty. I hereby do so. Return to your station, Ensign.' Kresar's eyes went wider with every word she said until he was positively beaming at her. She still smiled after him when the intercom beeped at her.

'Sickbay,' she said simply.

'This is the tower. We need you up here, T'Kray. The computer has ceased to work and we need to control manually. All traffic. Rasul is informed, you can leave.' The Vulcan felt her jaw drop.

'I don't know the first thing about STC apart from messing around a bit.' She bit her tongue, realising she hadn't spoken quite as clinically as she normally did on the job.

'You were more effective than some of our own. Hurry. And get into your uniform. The real one.'

ϡ

Late at night it had been nice and warm on Mavenow. Now it was hot and humid and the barometric pressure seemed too high. That last might be subjective, but Leonard still didn't like it. The medical tricorder he had was nothing like the ones he was used to. It could do a lot more things than those he knew, and he needed to learn how to operate them. He knew a good portion in theory, but that didn't mean he could actually use them as efficiently as he should.

The lake had been a good starting point. The scientists had been here, that much was clear from the footprints in the soft ground. However, following their traces was increasingly difficult. Spock was still quite good at spotting signs of people moving through, but even for him it would soon be impossible.

Leonard had to admit that the Vulcan was a paragon of professionalism. Granted, the temperature was very likely quite comfortable for the desert-bred scientist, but the humidity most certainly was not. A warm drop of rain landed on Leonard's nose with annoying precision, and less than ten seconds later, thick raindrops made their way through the leaf canopy overhead. 'Brilliant,' he said under his breath. 'Just great.' Spock was entirely unperturbed.

'I have never understood the human capability to complain about something as unswayable as the weather.'

'Aren't you supposed to hate water?' Spock tutted.

'Another thing I do not comprehend. Why you believe we dislike water. It is a rare good on Vulcan and highly appreciated.' He stopped walking and looked around. 'The trail seems to end here. I cannot see any signs that they moved further.'

'Well, we have to guess then,' Jim said. Spock looked at him.

'Negative Captain. They have not moved away from here.' Leonard shook his head.

'So they grew wings and flew away?'

'I highly doubt that.' The Vulcan knelt on the moist ground. 'I do not have a better explanation, however.'

'Ockham's razor, then. If they haven't moved, they must still be here. They can't just dissolve into nothing.' He remembered vaguely a teacher in school who had told them that everything, including people, had its natural frequency, and that reproducing that frequency would annihilate said object or person. He was a grown man by now and knew things weren't that simple and that this was in and of itself a stupid thing to tell adolescents, but the thought that something of that description might have happened to four men still made him shiver despite the heat.

'That seems to be the logical conclusion, doctor,' Spock interrupted his reverie. Struck by a sudden inspiration, Leonard changed the settings of the medical tricorder to something more similar to an ordinary one. What with Spock officially being a civilian – and Bligh being less lenient about his department's property than Rasul – he hadn't been able to bring one.

'What the hell …' He stared at the results with disbelieve. 'Spock, will you look at this?' The Vulcan looked over his shoulder. One eyebrow travelled up in slow motion.

'Interesting.'

'Did you find something, Bones?' Leonard and Spock exchanged a glance.

'I haven't the faintest idea,' the doctor said at last. 'There,' he said then, passing the tricorder to Spock.

'I am not entirely familiar with the settings.' Pride washed over Leonard in a tidal wave at the admission that he knew something Spock did not. He smiled.

'There, this one. You can turn off everything separately, searching for a wider variety of things. Right now I looked for … well, structure, mainly. A skeleton, no matter if there's a person to go with it.'

'And this has picked something up?'

'It has picked up four … well, skeletons, but the signal is somewhat muffled. Now that doesn't mean there's nothing else left, but it proves they're still here.' Jim stood less than an arm's length before him.

'Where, Bones? Can that thing lead us?' He bridled.

'What do you think this is, a corpse detector? I checked if there's something with certain properties in the vicinity, it says yes, and that's it.' He took a deep breath. 'Sorry. I just … I don't know.' Spock handed the tricorder back.

'I believe it can. But I also think it is you who should find out how.'

ϡ

By the time Leonard was satisfied with the settings, the sun had started to sink, turning the light into the strange purplish colour once again. The blue component wasn't as strong as it had been at night, but that would change in a few hours, he assumed. Spock had helped him, and he couldn't help thinking the Vulcan would have been able to solve the problem a lot quicker. He was infinitely grateful that he hadn't done so. This was exactly what he needed to learn. Now he had an opportunity to see how well he was faring, and he found it wasn't all that bad.

'So. Now let's see,' he muttered more to himself than the others. Still, Spock hovered less than a step behind him, Jim was positively leaning into him, peering at the instrument. They would travel slowly with the less than ideal equipment, but it was better than nothing.

They didn't have to go far. The tricorder halted them before a rather peculiar tree. Its bark was thin and orange and looked much like that of a willow. The signal was still dull, but it claimed they stood at the right spot anyway. Leonard gave an exasperated sigh. 'Let's go back up to the space station, this is no good. Something's wrong with the settings, and either I just can't get them right or we need a standard tricorder.'

'The settings are as they should be,' Spock confirmed his suspicion that he knew how to make this thing work exactly as he wanted it. 'The result is disconcerting but clear.'

'Then there's someone under that tree? Or on it?' Jim asked, looking up.

'I do not think so.' The Vulcan ran a hand over the bark. For a moment he closed his eyes before he violently jerked away. He settled down quickly and looked straight at Leonard. 'Remember Ockham's razor, Doctor McCoy. If the settings are correct, and if the tricorder is pointing you directly at this tree, what is the simplest conclusion?'

((The definition of determiner is almost a word-perfect copy from wikipedia, only with one more technical term. The second explanation is an over-simplification that makes the almost-linguist in me cringe as much as Spock must at such an unscientific definition. A determiner with the meaning of thingy would be fun, I think. An extremely indefinite article or some such.

Again I go against fanon: It makes no sense that Vulcans should shy from water. No-one ever said that in the series. Certainly not in TOS, and I doubt they did in the others.

Spock's 'other name', as Leila Kalomi put it, is mentioned in one of the books, it seems. Memory Beta seems to treat it as his actual first name, but since Sarek is called Sarek, it makes no sense to me. I decide Vulcan first names are simple enough, while last names are a mess. And I'm not using non-canon anyway, so it's up to me. Leila was vague enough to stick with my theory, so here's to that.))