Oh bbs. The M. T'is there for many reasons, which I now list:

1. Sexy tiMes. Proper ones *nodnod* be happening. You know, eventually!

2. SoMe swearing and nasty words (hey, not like that! Oh, wait… yes, like that too ;D)

3. Huh, I thought there'd be moar. Oh well... on with the show! :)

Chapter One: Fides et Veritas

"How do we even begin to explain it to him…?"

"I still say we let him read the report and find out for himself."

"This is terrible."

"It's unfair, that's what it is. I can't believe they're being such-"

"If this turns out to be because he's the youngest Captain-"

"Of course that's what it is! Isn't it obvious?"

"Look, this is done now. It's not like any of us can help, they'll just have to get through it together…"

"But he's done so well… I was the first to doubt him, I'll admit, but that kid's made of excellent stuff."

"Yes, I agree."

"Surely it's just a warning, though? A sort of wake-up call, to give them a scare, remind Kirk who's really boss? I mean, it's not like they'd actually-"

"Do you think maybe you should tell him, Dr McCoy?"

"No. I think the best person to explain this is Spock. Where is he, by the way?"

"Um, he demanded updates on the Captain's status every five minutes, didn't he? I'm sure he'll call any second now."

"Well, someone should contact the bridge and request the Commander's presence in Sickbay, I think Jim's waking up…"

It was too bright. His eyes hurt, the light coming in through his closed eyelids was red and glaring. His head pounded and his stomach hurt worst of all.

"Ow."

"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty."

His throat felt dry, but he managed a rasping chuckle. "So it's 'beauty' now, is it? What happened to 'reckless fucker'?"

McCoy laughed, and that in itself told Jim just how scared his friend had been. He opened his eyes.

There were at least twenty people gathered around his bed in the Hospital bay. None of them was Spock. Jim felt surprised and touched at the obvious show of affection from his crew; some people, like Sulu, probably had shifts and hadn't been able to come, but Scotty was there, and Chekov, Karl Jeager, young Kevin Riley, Marlena Moreau… Uhura, too, in her off-duty, more comfortable clothes. Most of them were probably missing sleep to be here.

"Fascinating," he said, eyebrows raised. Everyone laughed, and he managed to crack an honest grin.

"I kept telling them to go away…" McCoy's tone hardened and he looked at the crowd with narrowed eyes, "…but they wouldn't listen. I had to threaten to hypospray two security officers!"

"Because they brought balloons," someone muttered.

Jim smiled even wider. "Well, not that this isn't all very touching, but… what's with the welcoming committee?"

Scotty, who until then had been standing quietly toward the back, said cheerfully. "Isn't it normal that we've missed our Captain for the past couple o' days?"

"Uh… no? I've been out for longer, haven't I? Remember that time with the thingy from the planet with the things that I tried to eat…?"

McCoy rolled his eyes. "And a wonderfully entertaining week that was. But there's actually something… that's happened. We'll talk about it later."

Jim sat up in his bed, feeling his head clear immediately. "If something's happened to my ship you tell me right now," he said firmly, scanning the faces around him for signs of... of anything.

"Nothing's wrong with the ship, Jim."

He paled. "Not one of the crew?"

"No, no, everyone's fine. Calm down."

"Then what?"

Uhura stepped forward. "I think Spock will want to brief you on the issue himself."

"Spock…?" Jim felt a frisson of worry. "He's okay, right? He's fine?"

"Yes, yes, he's…" she shifted uncomfortably. "Uh, well, I mean physically he's perfect, but… see, this problem sort of involves… him…"

"Okay, you guys are scaring me." Jim tried to stand up, but it only took McCoy taking out the hypospray to make him sit gingerly back down. "What happened with Spock?"

"Nothing. Specifically."

"The hell does that mean?"

"He'll tell you everything, Jim. Be patient."

Jim scowled, resigning himself to wait for his first officer to explain what was going on. "All right, I want a briefing in ten minutes on our situation with Tersal II. How long was I out?"

"Thirty-five hours. And a half."

"Wow, really? Okay then, that means we should be arriving at the rendezvous with the Fidelius in about… four hours? Five? I do want the reports on Tersal in my lap right now, and then someone should really get a wheelchair or something so we can… nope, no, there's no need to be growling now, Bones, it was a joke, of course we'll have the briefing here and I won't move an inch I swear please don't hurt me."

There were laughs all around the room, and nurse Chapel lightly swatted the doctor's arm.

"Uh…" But besides standing around looking at him, no one was moving to follow his orders. "Now, guys?"

"Listen Jim, about the rendezvous with the Fidelius… there's been a change of plans."

"What?"

"That's what Spock is going to brief you about," Uhura added.

Jim gritted his teeth in frustration. He was starting to get seriously annoyed.

"Can someone at least tell me where we're going, then? Please?"

"A course has been plotted for the nearest Starbase," Chekov piped up.

"What? Why?"

"That's-"

"Captain."

Jim's heart leapt, and he craned his neck to try and see the speaker. Because that was his first officer's voice. He'd know it anywhere.

"Spock?"

"Captain?"

It was Spock. Spock was here! Everything would be better now, Spock would explain what had happened and then help Jim fix it, like always.

"Hey!"

He smiled so brightly he was almost laughing, as Spock moved through the crowd with his usual ease and grace, not even needing to look away from Jim's eyes to see where he was stepping.

"I didn't think you'd want to come all the way down here. How are you?"

Right before she moved back to let Spock pass, Jim caught Nurse Chapel exchanging a look with Uhura he didn't understand. It was… odd.

"My own health is irrelevant at this time. What is your present condition? Are you healing at a satisfactory rate?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. But I asked first. Everything okay?" He sat up straighter, squinting at Spock's face and trying to catch signs of distress. To his surprise, he found them. Spock's mouth was set in a grim line, and his eyes were slightly bloodshot with little spidery-green veins.

"The ship is in good condition, we did not sustain any lasting damage from our encounter at Tersal II."

"Excellent. What about you?"

"I am in acceptable health. Thank you."

Resisting the urge to pull the man down into a friendly bear-hug, Jim clapped Spock's shoulder and grinned even brighter. Curiously, this seemed to take some of the tension out of Spock's features, and a corner of his mouth twitched upward, as if Spock had been about to reciprocate the gesture.

"That's great! So listen, I was thinking, you could bring the chess set down here when you get off-"

Suddenly the panel above his bed began emitting a loud, fast beeping.

"What's wrong?" Jim looked up, puzzled. He felt fantastic. "Bones, why's this thing gone crazy?"

McCoy immediately scanned him, then he got a very strange expression on his face, freakishly similar to the one Uhura and Chapel had shared moments before. A mix of fondness, unease, pity, worry and… fear?

"Nothing, Jim. Just that your heart-rate is slightly irregular and abnormally fast." His friend really didn't do off-hand manner very well. Jim raised his eyebrows, but before he could speak, Spock had beat him to it.

"That could be an indicator of cardiac stress. Why are you not conducting more extensive testing, doctor?"

"Spock, I'm fine-"

"Not now, Jim. Dr McCoy, this is most irregular; the Captain's health could be at risk. I trust that you are not as careless with your other patients, because clearly-"

"Listen, Spock," McCoy began angrily. "The elevated heart-rate just means Jim is a bit over-excited, okay? You don't-"

"That is your professional medical opinion?" Jim would forever admire Spock's hability to broadcast utter contempt without adding any inflection to his tone. "That he is simply 'over-excited'? As if the Captain were a child?"

McCoy ground his teeth. "All right, you green-blooded little-"

"My height is superior to yours, doctor."

"I'm goin' to kill him!"

"That's enough, Bones. You too, Spock."

"The hobgoblin thinks he's a doctor, Jim-"

"He is refusing to act with logic, Captain-"

"Shut up, the both of you! You're giving me a headache." Jim said sternly. The watching officers looked stunned, except for Uhura who was trying to smother a snicker. Jim decided to ease the tension. "Besides, I know I'm pretty, but a catfight in the middle of Sickbay is just not right."

McCoy snorted and muttered "In your dreams, Kirk." But Spock looked confused and didn't seem to understand, which Jim thought was just adorable.

"Cat...?" The half-Vulcan began uncertainly, but Jim shook his head minutely to show him it was of no importance.

Although the stupid beeping started again at that.

"I think I'll just turn the audio off for now," McCoy muttered.

"You shall do no such thing," Spock said immediately. "I believe this is an adequate moment for me and the rest of the visitors-" here he looked at the expectant crowd pointedly, "-to leave the Hospital bay." No one moved. "That is an order."

With much shuffling feet the brightly-clad officers began to make their way out. "Miss you already!" Jim called, to roars of laughter. Scotty winked at him right before he was out of sight, and Chekov waved.

"All right, Jim, I want you to rest one more day and then you can..."

"You're kidding, right?" He did have a slight headache, and the temptation of being able to just lie back and sleep would prove hard to resist, but there was so much to do, he couldn't possibly allow himself to stop.

"No, I'm not. One day is all I'm asking. Twenty-four hours."

"Come on, Bones. I need to get back to my duties-"

"I will chain you to this bed. I'm not even joking."

"You'd better be. Unless that's some kind of kink-"

"You are in need of serious, prolongued psychological treatment."

Jim laughed, not caring that the action caused his stomach to cramp uncomfortably.

Spock had been looking at him and McCoy bantering with a micro-expression of annoyance, but when Jim began laughing that emotion cleared, and he looked down at his Captain with an intense, scientific scrutiny, as though he was trying to solve twenty complex equations simultaneously (because merely one complex equation would be child's play for Spock).

Once he realized this Jim stopped laughing abruptly, feeling oddly self-conscious.

"It was ironic, Spock," he said with a hesitant smile. Then he frowned. Spock probably knew that already, and didn't need Jim explaining every single thing to him.

"What's not ironic is your need for rest," McCoy interjected quickly. "I'm serious, Jim, you'll do yourself more harm than good by trying to work with a healing laceration like the one you have. Ideally I'd keep you here for a week, but that's... not possible. Anyway, twenty-four hours isn't even that long. Tell him he needs to rest, Spock."

Spock seemed surprised for a moment to be asked, but he coolly recovered and turned to Jim.

"The doctor is correct. You are in no fit condition to wander around the ship or resume any of your usual tasks. Sleep and relaxation are optimal to your health, and I am more than capable of handling anything you give me." McCoy snorted at that, then covered it up by faking a coughing fit, and Jim shot him a glare.

"Thanks, Spock. That's very kind. For now all I want is an explanation."

"You refer to the conflict that has arisen since we last spoke, which I am sure the crew has already hinted at?"

Jim nodded, but McCoy shook his head.

"No, you can tell him that tomorrow."

Jim swore. "Oh, come on! I'm perfectly all right just lying here, I promise I won't get over-excited, it's just me and Spock, we'll behave, honest-"

And that was when the damn beeping started up again, and Jim groaned and fell back against his pillows, trying not to flinch as the action caused a sharp stab of pain in his abdomen.

"All right, fine, I'll be a good little boy." He looked over at his first officer. "We'll talk about this tomorrow, Spock."

Spock raised an eyebrow. "Yes, Captain."

He remained standing there for a few moments, his eyes examining Jim's body sprawled over the covers with a sort of detached care, as if to make sure everything was where it should be, and then he turned around and left.

"I'll get you back for this one, Bones," he said the moment Spock was out of sight.

"Yes, I know it was terribly cruel of me to prescribe bed rest. What kind of doctor am I turning into?"

A chuckle came from the other end of the room, where nurse Chapel was coming toward them with a tray of food and a warm smile. "The grouchy kind," she said happily. "Here you go, Captain."

It all looked very healthy and green, for which Jim shot a distinctly unamused look at his best friend.

"Thanks, Christine."

He grimaced at the soup and vegetables, but picked up the fork.

"You need to be careful, Jim," McCoy said, his eyes finally serious. "I'm okay with having to run after you with my medkit and a bunch of hyposprays because that's my job, but I hope the stunt you pulled at Tersal doesn't happen ever again. I'll have nightmares for ages."

Jim felt like a heel. "I really wish I could promise, Bones," he sighed wearily. "But I don't regret a single thing I did that day. And if we're lucky it won't come to stuff like this in the future… but I just can't know, right now. I'm sorry about dragging you into it, though. I know you worry."

"You didn't drag me into anything, kid. It was my choice." The doctor's eyes became unfocused and dark. "But you have no idea just how... demented you looked. I thought you'd finally lost it."

Jim flinched.

"It was bad, Jim. You should have seen yourself... blood everywhere and you just running flat-out as though it was nothin' but a scratch. I've seen some pretty strange stuff in my profession but I don't have a single clue as to what the hell it was that kept you going during those last minutes. And I've also had to make some pretty horrible decisions in my years as a Medical Officer… but letting you nearly drive yourself beyond that edge really cost me, friend."

Jim reached out and clasped McCoy's arm, hating the fact that this was his fault.

"Yeah, well, at least it all worked out in the end, didn't it?" He said gently.

"I hope you understand how lucky you were. And I don't just mean-"

"I know, Bones. I know. And I do understand."

"Good," McCoy said gruffly. "Well, now that the gushy feeling shit is out of the way, what do you say we act like proper men?"

"You mean eat some decently cooked food? As in, fried, or something?" Jim said hopefully, even though a part of him was still remembering his best friends' words.

And feeling scared.

"Nope. But we could call the bridge and tell Spock to ask Uhura what 'catfight' means."

"You're an idiot. They broke up last month."

"It was amicable!"

"I'm not so sure about that. She's been pretty tense around him."

McCoy settled himself on the chair next to Jim's bed, his eyes alight with curiosity. "Really? I think she looks great."

"Uhura always looks great. But that doesn't mean she's not suffering. I mean, he's the one who broke up with her, it must have been pretty terrible. She probably still loves him."

"… Maybe."

There was that look again.

"What?"

"Nothing. Hey, did you ever think Spock was popular with the female officers?"

"What?" Jim chuckled. "Spock? I don't know… never really considered it."

That wasn't entirely true. Just last week he'd had to politely ask two Ensigns to quit trying to flirt with his first officer while he was on duty on the bridge.

"It's weird, isn't it?"

Jim nodded absently. "Yeah… I mean… yeah, weird is the word here, clearly."

"Well don't tell her, but I think my head nurse has a pretty impressive crush on him."

"You're kidding! Chapel?"

The rest of the meal passed with them gossiping amicably (but in a totally manly way), and then McCoy threatened to make his Captain fall asleep permanently, to which Jim could only reply he'd rather it was temporary, and an agreement was reached.

It wasn't until he succumbed to his exhaustion that the nightmares began.

Jim saw flashes of ticking clocks and blurred timers running out and shadows chasing starlight, and red blood dripping from golden locks and green blood shining on pale hands wrapped around cell-bars, until he woke gasping for air and shouting his first officer's name.

Oooo, this ending was way more angsty than I had planned! *stares* Sorry bbs. There's plenty of good stuff to come :D And messing with the boys is just way too much fun!