"Alright, easy now," said Bones as he helped Jim sit up in bed that evening.

"Ow, God I'm sore," he complained.

"Do you need to stay in sickbay another night?" Bones asked with the quirk of an eyebrow that he had picked up from Spock.

"No!" said Jim quickly.

"Then quit your bitchin'. Spock darlin', get over here and help me."

Spock stepped closer to the bed and leaned down to carefully pick up the captain.

"Don't tell me you're gonna make Spock carry me all the way back to our room," he whined.

"Hey, I know how much you hate wheelchairs. We're doing you a favour!"

"But this is embarrassing. I don't need the crew seeing me like this, in my hospital gown!"

"I assure you, beloved, no one will think any less of you," said Spock gently, holding Jim close.

"If anything they'll just be jealous that you get to be carried around by the sexy hobgoblin," smirked Bones.

"Yeah, I guess I am pretty lucky." He smiled up at Spock who smiled back. "Aw. I love it when you smile for us," Jim purred affectionately.

"As illogical as it is, I find I enjoy smiling for you," confessed the Vulcan.

"Aw, darlin', that's not illogical; that's just human," Bones assured him.

Spock carefully placed pillows behind Jim's back so that he could easily sit up for their anniversary dinner, which, for Jim's sake, they were having in bed.

"Stop fussing over me. I'm fine!" Jim insisted for the umpteenth time. Oh how he despised people doting over him, even if they were his loving boyfriends.

"I just want you to be comfortable, beloved," said Spock.

"I am comfortable. Can we please just eat now?"

"I believe that can be arranged," nodded Spock, getting up to check on Leonard who was in the kitchen, putting the finishing touches on their homemade risotto.

But Bones came out before Spock had the chance to leave Jim's side. "Actually, I know we were planning on eating first, but I have a present for you guys and it can't really wait much longer." Leonard watched in amusement as Spock's eyebrow went up and Jim smirked. "Not that kind of present! Jeez!" he clarified, causing a certain captain to become slightly disappointed. "I'll be right back."

In a few seconds the doctor returned from their closet holding a small animal carrier that neither Jim nor Spock could quite see into. He gave the cage to Jim who curiously and slightly nervously opened it. Inside was a little brown and white ball of warm, soft, purring fluff.

"Bones?" Jim asked. "Isn't this a tribble?"

"Sure is," he replied.

"Leonard, if I recall, tribbles multiply at an extremely fast rate. Are you aware that the ship will be overrun with them in 2.58 days?" asked Spock.

Jim started to look panicked but Leonard just stood there looking smug. "Well, Spock, if this were a normal tribble then yes, we'd be in serious trouble, but you're looking at one of the first genetically altered tribbles."

"Genetically altered?" Spock and Jim asked in unison.

"Yup. Since their reproduction system is so different than anything modern medicine is familiar with, it took a while, but the veterinarians finally figured out a way to sterilize them. That tribble cannot reproduce, no matter how much you feed it."

"Fascinating."

"Wow, Bones, that's awesome!" Jim beamed and Bones leaned down so the captain could thank him with a wet kiss.

"I thought you guys would like it," Bones shrugged with a contented smile.

"Spock, what should we name it?" Jim asked.

"Whatever you would like to name it."

"What about Cerberus… or Fluffy?" considered the captain.

The doctor and the Vulcan each cracked a smile. "How about Cerberus. I don't want you going around the bridge showin' everyone our pet tribble named Fluffy! They already know we're gay," said Bones.

"While Fluffy is a redundant name, I find the irony of Cerberus to be quite logical," agreed Spock.

"Okay, Cerberus it is. Spock, you wanna hold him?"

Spock gently took the little ball of fur that Jim handed to him and cautiously pet it with one finger, not wanting to harm Cerberus. To his pleasant surprise, the tribble began to purr. The Vulcan's eyes lit up and he didn't even attempt to control his smile. "It is purring," he observed with a hint of joy.

It was all McCoy and Jim could do to keep from laughing. "Do you like that, Spock?" the doctor asked with an amused smile.

As Spock suddenly realized how illogical he was acting, a green blush came to his face and he stopped petting the tribble. "I um…"

"It's okay, darlin'! You're letting your human half show through!"

"Yeah, humans love purring animals!" Jim assured him. "It's calming."

"It does appear to have a calming effect on me," the Vulcan admitted.

"Glad you like it," said Bones. "Now let's eat!"

As Bones and Spock went into the kitchen to get the risotto, Jim wished that he had enough courage to give them their anniversary presents.

Later that night after they had eaten, cleaned up the kitchen, and fed Cerberus, Spock and Bones got into the bed with Jim. The blonde found his heart was racing from a torturous combination of anxiety and arousal. With his injuries still healing, Jim didn't know if sex was a very good idea. But he knew Bones and Spock would never let him hurt himself.

Spock and Leonard laid on either side of Jim, cocooning him in their gentle, loving embrace. After a few minutes of contented silence, Jim found he was unable to keep from moving his hips slightly, his need for friction growing stronger by the second.

"Honey…" Bones began tentatively.

"I know, I know. Not tonight," Jim sighed in disappointment.

"I'm sorry, hun. You know I want to, but we can't have you tearing any of that newly regenerated muscle," he kissed Jim sweetly and apologetically.

"There are other things we can do that will not cause physical strain," said Spock.

"Like what?" Jim asked, his mind only on physical things at the moment.

"We have not done a very deep or intimate mind meld in 3.7 weeks," replied Spock.

"Yeah, you're right," realized Jim. "Sorry, it's probably my fault. I'm too eager to do anything before sex and too tired to do anything after."

"You need not apologize for that. The sex is most enjoyable," Spock assured him with a kiss.

"I'd like to do a meld now," said Bones.

"Yeah, me too," agreed Jim eagerly.

"Nothing would make me happier, t'hy'la," said Spock as he carefully moved over Jim to get in the middle. Once he was settled with his t'hy'la clinging to either side of him, he reached out a hand to them each, found their now familiar psi points, and easily initiated the meld.

But all too quickly they were pulled from the warm embraces of each other's minds. "God dammit!" Leonard yelled loudly as he heard his communicator beeping. Spock and Kirk could easily feel his anger and frustration through the lingering meld.

The doctor snapped his communicator open. "What? ! And this better be good!" he demanded.

"Sorry, Doctor McCoy, but we've got a medical emergency down in sickbay. A science ensign got caught up in an explosion down in one of the labs. He's in really bad shape," came Nurse Chapel's apologetic and slightly scared voice through the comm.

"Can't you get someone else to take care of it? I'm off duty and I'm kinda busy," he growled.

"You're the best surgeon we have. No one else thinks they can save him!" explained Chapel.

Bones sighed and looked at his two lovers. "You have to go, Bones," said Jim understandingly.

"I just feel so bad leaving you. This happens all the time! More than it should!" complained the doctor.

"Leonard, we all know that you will not be able to enjoy yourself knowing that someone is injured and in need of your medical expertise," said Spock.

"God, you're right, Spock. I guess I have to go. I'll be back as soon as I can, but you can't rush surgery." He reopened his comm link with Christine. "Get him all prepped for surgery; I'll be right there."

"Yes, Doctor."

Reluctantly, Leonard sat on the edge of the bed and pulled his boots on. Fortunately for him they hadn't gotten undressed yet. "This is just perfect," he grumbled sarcastically. "I really wanted to do that mind meld."

"We can wait for you," suggested Spock.

"Nah, don't do that. I don't think Jim could handle it."

"Bones is right," said Jim, squirming closer to Spock.

Before he walked out the door, Bones turned around to kiss Jim and Spock goodbye. "I love you, honey." He gave Jim a short but thorough kiss on the lips. "You too, darling." When he put his lips on Spock's the Vulcan wrapped his arms around him and drew them even closer together. Leonard allowed himself to live in the moment and savour the taste and feeling of Spock's warm tongue in his mouth.

Spock loved the man in his arms with all of his green Vulcan heart, exactly as much as he loved Jim. But Spock and Leonard's relationship was special in the fact that they were exact opposites. The emotional, irrational, old country doctor and the uptight, logical, internally conflicted Vulcan. They were constantly arguing but it was always out of affection, admiration, and love. The fact that two such opposite people could go together so well was extremely fascinating to Spock. Perhaps it was their appreciation of each other's differences that made them love each other so much. Or maybe it was because on the inside they really weren't so different after all.

Soon, and much to Jim's disappointment, Leonard had to pull away. "Not now, Spock. I have to go," he said quietly.

The Vulcan nodded and brushed his fingers against Leonard's once before the doctor left the warm comfort of their quarters.

"So, it's just you and me now, I guess," said Jim, curling even closer into Spock's side. The Vulcan lovingly wrapped his arms around Jim.

"Indeed, t'hy'la. Would you still like to meld?"

"Of course! I love melding with you! I just want to melt into you and become you!" Spock and Jim both blushed when they realized that what Jim had described was basically being bonded. "You know er… it's just such a nice feeling, being melded."

"I understand, beloved. Your mind is such a wondrous place."

"Then let's stop talking about it and go there." Jim brought Spock's hand up to his face and pulled the covers up over them for maximum warmth and comfort.

As the lengthy and loving meld progressed, Jim and Spock found themselves inside a beautiful fantasy scene filled with love, need, and desire. In their mind's eye, they saw Spock dressed in his beautiful formal Vulcan robes, Leonard looking charmingly gorgeous in a traditional black tuxedo and Jim, stunningly handsome in a bright white tux. They were all three standing at an altar, exchanging vows, touching fingers, and kissing jubilantly and passionately once it was done. Married and bonded, forever content.

Slowly, Jim and Spock began to let go of each other's minds and neither had the courage to look each other in the eye right away once the meld was over. After a few seconds of charged silence, deep brown eyes and brilliant electric-blue eyes met. "You want to get married?" Jim asked quietly and almost incredulously.

"Yes. I have desired to bond with Leonard and yourself for 3 months and 22 days now," he admitted sheepishly. Realizing that the fantasy came from their shared mind, Spock asked, "Marriage is also your wish, Jim?"

"Spock," said Jim, grabbing him by the arms and looking into his eyes. "I already have the rings."

"I hope I have not ruined your plans for proposal," said Spock after a few seconds of letting it sink in.

"No, not at all. You didn't ruin them; that evil plant that attacked me did. Also, I kinda ruined it for myself. I got too nervous."

Spock pulled him close, all the while being cautious of his bandaged abdomen. "You have no reason to be nervous. As you now know, I would have said yes and I am fairly certain Leonard would as well. We would be foolish not to want to spend the rest of our lives with you."

"Then why didn't you propose?" Jim asked.

"I… was nervous."

"Aw, see, we're both illogical," smiled Jim.

"Indeed. Since our intentions to wed and bond are clear to each other, perhaps we should both propose marriage to Leonard," suggested Spock.

"Really? I guess I never even thought of it that way. I always thought it would be one of us asking the other two. But I like this way better. There's less pressure on us if we only have to get one person to say yes instead of two. And it'll totally make Bones freak out! In a good way."

"Indeed. Leonard will be pleasantly shocked. I believe I will relish the look on his face for many years to come."

"Oh God! Let's do it! Let's ask Bones to marry us!"

"That sounds like a logical and desirable plan. I do, however, have one request," Spock said calmly.

"Anything for you."

"May I see the rings?"

"Of course! They're in my jacket pocket. I'm lucky you guys didn't find them by accident," said Jim as Spock got out of the bed and gracefully stepped over to Jim's jacket hanging on the coat hook where Leonard had left it earlier.

He reached into the pocket and felt a rush of sheer happiness when his hand made contact with the little black box. His Vulcan heart thrummed eagerly in his side as he sat back down in the bed with his pretty-much-fiancé and opened the box. His breath caught in his throat as he saw the rings that would bind him and Leonard to Jim and each other forever. "Jim," he breathed.

"You like them?" Jim asked anxiously even though he already knew the answer.

Next thing he knew, Jim had a Vulcan clinging to him as if his life depended on it. "I love them, Jim. I love you, I love Leonard, I love all of this," the Vulcan said into Jim's neck as he gently tackled the human to the bed.

Jim could feel himself begin to get pulled into another meld as Spock moved his fingers to Jim's psi points. Also he felt an overwhelming arousal spread through him as Spock kissed his neck fervently. His last coherent thought before slipping completely into the meld was that he hoped to God that Bones wouldn't yell at him if he ripped his stiches.

So what did you think? Review please :)