"I just realised something." Captain Kirk spoke up as he sat in his Ready Room chair, going over dispatches with his Yeoman who sat perched in a chair on the opposite side of his desk, her head downward with her legs crossed.

"Sir?" His Yeoman queried, raising her head slightly in question before returning to staring at the pad in her lap. It was their usual late afternoon briefing and paperwork round, where Jim would sit and read over any private Captain's dispatches whilst his Yeoman would read over the rest, summarise them for him and then get his sign off. In fact, it had become such a routine between them that they barely had any time to talk except about a new piece of equipment or an up coming mission. Captain Kirk wasn't sure whether his Yeoman had done this on purpose, avoiding being around him whenever they were both off duty and he supposed he only had himself to blame after the incident with the scotch. Even then they had both sat in comfortable silence most of the time, speaking only when necessary and just enjoying not being alone on such a big ship amidst the stars and far from home.

"Well, you're my Yeoman and I see you almost every day. And yet I don't really know anything about you." Jim finally responded. And it was true. He knew that Yeoman Elanore Berenice Troi was a proficient worker and that on many occasions he would have been utterly lost without her expertise and impeccable organisational skills. He knew that she had been at the Academy around the same time that he had but that was public knowledge. Records of achievements but nothing that told him anything about who his Yeoman really was.

"There isn't much to know, sir." His Yeoman replied after a short pause, her tone careful and her features schooled as usual, as if she were as afraid as a full blooded Vulcan of showing her emotions to anyone.

"I'm sure that isn't true! Why don't you tell me something about yourself?" Jim replied, signing off the data pad that Elanore handed to him before studying her closely. He watched as her mouth twitched slightly before she met his eyes and replied, "I don't like coffee."

Jim fought not to roll his eyes at the woman before him but instead let a small smile come to his lips before saying, "I already knew that."

Elanore's lips twitched again, this time resembling a small amused smile at her Captain's obvious frustration at trying to pry information out of his resistant Yeoman. She was like a closed book that he was all too curious to open, never thinking about the consequences of what that open book may lead to.

"Anything else?" Kirk continued to pry, his full attention on Elanore as she uncrossed her legs and brushed a strand of fiery red hair back from her face and bit her lip in thought.

"I enjoy sparring with Sulu on Thursday afternoon's." She finally said and this time Jim really couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"Boring." Jim replied in a sing song voice, swinging slightly in his chair.

"I told you there wasn't much to know, sir." His Yeoman retorted, her face as schooled as ever.

This woman is frustrating beyond belief! Always so professional around me and yet always so casual with Spock. Which makes even less sense!

"C'mon, there has to be something! What about your parents? Are they in Starfleet too? Or are they back on Earth?" Jim continued to prod, watching as Elanore stiffened considerably, her facade slipping for an instant and he noticed the evident sadness in her eyes.

"Sir, with all due respect, my private affairs are none of your business. Now if you will excuse me, my shift finished 33 minutes ago. Permission to leave, sir?" His Yeoman finished stiffly, her voice gravelly with annoyance and a certain hint of sadness that had a sudden feeling of guilt swimming in his gut. Elanore was out the door before he could respond, obviously taking his shocked and dejected look as the closure of their conversation.

Captain James T. Kirk had really fucked up this time.