A/N: So here's an update! I felt bad that the last chapter was so short so I wanted to get this chapter up sooner and it ended up being really long. Over 5,000 words. Now that wasn't my original plan, but I couldn't find a good stopping point and I kept tweaking it and yeah it ended up being really long. So plenty to read :) I also had no idea how hard it is to have more than three or four characters actively in a room at once. Balancing an entire crew is difficult, so I tried my hardest. Please let me know if I managed to mess it up somehow. I wouldn't be surprised... haha
There's an easter egg in this chapter as well, if you find it post a review quoting it and the film it's from to receive my eternal love! lol (once again, Noleta you cannot post your answer, just tell me).
Although no one guessed the film, Pure Shikon was able to single out the quote from the previous chapter, so a lot of love that way 3
So read and enjoy! I'm glad you've liked it so far!
I ONLY OWN THE PLOT. THE CHARACTERS, IDEAS, TERMINOLOGY, LAYOUT OF THE ENTERPRISE, ETC BELONG TO THE BRILLIANT CREATORS OF STAR TREK, FROM GENE RODDENBERRY TO J.J. ABRAMS. THIS APPLIES TO THIS CHAPTER AND ALL THE CHAPTERS THAT FOLLOW IN MY FIC. I THANK THEM FOR THEIR BRILLIANCE AND INSPIRATION.
5. Don't Blame the Lack of Oxygen
Kirk stepped off the turbolift brimming with confidence. He didn't say a single word as he made his way across the bridge and took a seat in his chair. Spock had watched him march in with interest, while Uhura scoffed at his behaviour. He turned his chair so that he was facing the Communications Officer.
"It's nice to know that you're enthused to have your captain back, Lt. Uhura." he said in the tone that would most likely get on her nerves. Uhura rolled her eyes, but before she was able to give him a rude reply, there was a sudden movement behind him that distracted her. She was looking directly above his head, so he turned his chair back around the face the front. There, he saw Chekov standing on top of his chair, his hand against his forehead in a salute.
"Oh Keptin, my Keptin!" the ensign shouted with a smile. Sulu stared up at him, bewildered, as did several other crewmembers. The odd chuckle of delight was scattered evenly amongst them as well.
"Now that's the enthusiasm I'm talking about!" he said to the entire bridge as he clapped with amusement, then he turned to face Uhura once again. "You should take a lesson on how to greet your beloved Captain from ensign Chekov, Lt." If there was one thing that Kirk enjoyed doing, it was pushing Nyota Uhura's patience. It was a different form of teasing that he had become quite fond of over the past year, due to the lack of his favourite form of the word. Yes, when he had first met her, it was flirtation; but now with his current and abnormal state of mind, and considering the fact that she was property of Spock, it had only been used as means to get a reaction out of her. She glared at him, unsure of how to respond to his arrogant remarks, so she figured that her expression and fiery eyes would have to do the talking for the moment. Kirk nodded and turned his chair once again to find Chekov still stood on his chair in salute.
"As you were, Pavel." he said with a wink. Chekov grinned and hopped back onto the ground to man his station at the helm once again. The Captain looked at the digitalized timer displayed on the front window of the bridge. Two hours left.
His current mood was a very nice change to what he had experienced in his quarters as well as in the sickbay. The cause had not yet been determined, therefore he still found himself unable to behave "ideally", but this would do until that problem was fixed. Whatever the hell the problem was.
"Captain," Spock called out from behind him. "Permission to speak freely?"
"Of course." Kirk cooed. Spock raised an eyebrow in an attempt to process his tone before continuing.
"I do not believe that it is appropriate for you to promote this type of behaviour while on duty." he urged. "Perhaps you should reconsider what social etiquette you allow on the bridge." At this, Kirk stared at his First Officer blankly, and then clicked his tongue.
"You see, Spock, this is why I'd feel bad for my bridge crew if I died." he said sadly.
"I am not sure I wish for you to explain what your intentions with that comment were." Spock stated. Kirk had known him long enough to be able to see the worry in his eyes that anyone other than Uhura might have missed.
"I don't mean it like that, Spock. You'd make an excellent captain, Bones told me how well you had everyone organized while I was in the sickbay."
"May I request an explanation then, Captain?"
"The kid was just having some fun. I meant that you'd be too worried about appropriate 'social etiquette' to allow the crew to relax a little. A little fun doesn't disturb anything, and I think it can be allowed when they have all worked so hard. After all, I am the Captain. They listen to my orders."
Spock frowned in thought, the way he always does as he breaks down Kirk's arguments, searching for logical fallacies.
"Unfortunately, your logic is sound." he said calmly. Spock stood next to the Captain for a few moments.
"Unfortunately" Kirk imitated sarcastically. He sensed a slight hesitation in his friend before the Vulcan finally spoke.
"May I ask you a personal query?" he asked in a hushed tone. Kirk nodded. "What exactly triggered your panic attack last night, and the relapse this afternoon?"
"I have no idea." he answered, doing his best to hide the true worry from his voice. The Captain restrained from discussing the problem any further. He felt fine for the moment and didn't want a simple conversation to remind him of that feeling of suffocation for the third time today. His friend sensed this, and simply blinked at him.
"Is there anything else I can do for you, Captain?"
"I told you to call me Jim, Spock." he replied in a stern voice.
"Regretfully, I must decline your offer while on duty, Captain."
"You'll warm up to the idea." Kirk said in a low voice. "Now, as for what you could do for me… do you care to explain what exactly it is that you intend to do on this planet?"
"Certainly." Spock said with a nod. "From our scans, it has been made evident to us that this planet's atmosphere is similar to that of planet earth. The only difference is that there are higher levels of nitrogen, and vice versa, lower levels of oxygen..."
Kirk nodded blankly, hoping that Spock would skip the boring part of the explanation.
"Yes, yes… it's a class M planet. Aren't they all? Something about possible intelligent life on this planet was reported to me earlier." he interrupted. "Is this true?"
"It is a possibility." Spock hesitantly replied, searching for the proper way to word his next sentence. He knew his friend was excitable, and didn't want him to be let down if there wasn't anything beyond a few amoebas. "Keep in mind, Captain, that although the environment seems able to sustain such life forms, none may be as evolved as you hope."
"Alright, Spock. Be a joy kill." Kirk muttered, turning away from the First Officer. He sulked in his chair, twisting his face into a pitiful expression in order to express his dismay. Although he was extremely focused on keeping his sadness as genuine as was humanly possible, he was also listening intently, expecting something from Spock. Still facing opposite of him, he heard his friend give an almost inaudible exasperated sigh and then walk away. Kirk ginned, pleased by his ability to provoke an emotional response from the Vulcan, and then turned once again to face the helm.
"Sulu, what's our status?" Kirk ventured hopefully.
"All systems are in fine working order, we're on course and conditions couldn't be more desirable." the helmsman informed him.
"Oh." Kirk was feeling restless. He hated warping long distances on missions such as these where there was absolutely nothing to do but wait until they arrived. A twinge of guilt filled the pit of his stomach as he caught himself hoping for a system failure to make this journey a bit more interesting. Being captain of this ship really makes what usually would be exciting events unbearably dull. He remembered his first time experiencing warp speed on this very ship. It had been so exciting that he felt as if his heart was about to burst from his chest… or maybe that feeling was induced by a record high fever and heart rate due to the virus that Bones injected him with in order to sneak him onto the flagship. Kirk sighed, disappointed by his recollection. Maybe an emergency transmission fro Starfleet command? he thought with wide eyes, but didn't even bother looking at Uhura. He knew all too well that if she received anything of the sort she's make a huge scene and he'd be the first to know.
He looked up at the digitalized timer with anticipation. Forty-five minutes. He groaned inwardly. This planet better be interesting as hell.
"Hmmmm"
The Doctor's sudden sound caused Christine to look up from her patient's log at him.
"What is it, Doctor?" she asked. He looked up from his watch.
"There's just under an hour left before we arrive. I thought that maybe we should check on Jim beforehand so that we can make sure that he's good to go." he suggested in a thoughtful voice. Christine wasn't sure whether to answer in fear of that it was simply a thought he stated aloud. So she just nodded. If she was supposed to answer, McCoy would take note of her response; if not, then he wouldn't think anything about it.
"Alright then, you grab some of the same sedatives just in case and we'll head on up." he said as he stood up, smoothing the wrinkles in his blue Starfleet sweater with his hands. Christine gathered the sedative and the hypospray, and then stood beside McCoy. He hadn't noticed that she was ready to go, seemingly too intrigued by his blue uniform. She cleared her throat.
"Oh!" he gasped, embarrassed. "Sorry. Let's go then."
They left for the turbolift in silence, and Christine could only wonder as to why the Doctor was so distracted. Throughout their entire walk not a word was said, Bones left to his musings, and Christine left to her musings about Bones' musings. This gave her a headache. Luckily, they were approaching the turbolift. Nurse Chapel decided to come up with something to break the silence. Any simple question that would last them the quick ride up to the bridge of the Enterprise.
"How much time do we have before we arrive?" she asked the Doctor. He glanced at his watch.
"About forty-five minutes if I'm right." He guestimated as the doors of the turbolift opened to reveal the sleek bridge, and the timer displaying a remaining time of forty-four minutes.
"Ah." Bones laughed as he stepped off. "Only a minute off." Christine giggled, still a little confused but amused by his distracted state. As irony would have it, the moment she processed the thought, he snapped out of it.
"Jim!" he shouted, causing the entire crew, including their Captain, to turn facing them.
Kirk's head snapped around at the sound of Bones' voice. His Chief Medical Officer was marching towards him with purpose.
"Did you miss me?" he joked. "I knew you couldn't stay away for long."
"Whatever you say Jim. How are you feeling?" he asked as he looked around. All eyes were on them. This usually wouldn't be the case, but because no one seemed to be actively working their post, but simply watching the timer run down it's last hour second by second, he didn't expect much less from the bridge crew.
"I'm feeling fine." Kirk said. "Never been better" he decided to top off the comment with a grin.
"Alright, we'll see what the tricorder has to say about that." Bones muttered as he felt around in his pockets. Obviously he had no such luck. Frustrated, he looked back over his shoulder. Intrigued by who or what his friend was looking for, he looked towards the turbolift as well to find Christine Chapel standing against the wall watching them. Almost instantly, he snapped his head forward again as he felt his heart rate increase. He hadn't anticipated her coming on board the bridge, seeing as she was only a nurse.
"Nurse Chapel!" he barked at her from across the space. "Do you mind running the scan? I think I left my tricorder in the sickbay."
Kirk tried to calm his nerve. If the his body temperature or heart rate readings were slightly off, Bones wouldn't give him leave to go onto the planet's surface, and they had almost arrived. He was going to have to figure out what this problem was soon, lest he'd rather deal with the undesirable reaction she caused him to have.
"Of course." he heard her say as her footsteps approached. He felt the space tightening around him. Calm. Down. Kirk. He scolded himself. At this rate, he estimated he would be stuck in sickbay for another five hours, which was unacceptable. Once she was stood in front of the Captain, he had managed to calm down and keep himself that way by not acknowledging her presence. As Christine took out the tricorder, Kirk even intended to strike up a conversation with McCoy to ensure that he was not caused any negative reactions by the Nurse's presence whatsoever, but even though he re fused to look at her, as she bent over him to take the reading, her scent filled his nose and he choked on it, coughing and spluttering pitifully. Christine frowned, reading the scan results. Unfuckingbelieveable, even her smell makes me sick. He thought to himself before turning to Bones.
"Sorry, I breathed in some dust." he said to the Doctor, accompanied by the best apologetic face he could muster. "Could we try that again?"
He held his breath and kept his eyes on the floor, trying to convince himself that Christine Chapel was not on his bridge, but that she was in fact in the sickbay waiting on Bones who was performing the scan because he had not forgotten his tricorder in the first place. Completely ignoring her helped calm him down considerably, and made him feel better as well.
"He's as normal as he could currently be, Doctor." she informed McCoy, who "hmph"ed suspiciously.
"I guess you're all better, Jim, whatever the hell it was."
"Thanks for checking up on me, Bones." he said, giving Christine a view of the back of his head. Kirk refused to have a panic attack on duty for all his crew to witness. Bones frowned.
"Alright…" he was still a little skeptical about his friend's behaviour, but if his readings were normal there wasn't much he could do. He was, in fact, a doctor, not a psychologist, and had no opinion when it came to a person's mentality. McCoy sighed at the thought. "Is there anything you need Nurse Chapel and me to do before we go back to the sickbay?"
Kirk was about to give the Doctor leave when, mid headshake, Spock spoke.
"Actually, Doctor, I could use your medical opinion about our mission." he interrupted. Bones walked over to the First Officer, leaving Christine standing next to Kirk, who continued to deny her presence to himself. He noticed Uhura watching them, looking puzzled, before she waved Christine over. He relaxed as she walked away, and continued on as if she had never been near him. Now he just needed a distraction.
"Chekov." he said, grabbing the ensign's attention. He turned to face the Captain.
"Aye, keptin?"
"You busy?" Kirk was desperate to have something to do for the last thirty minutes of their journey. Chekov took a glance at the screens on his station before turning to face Kirk with a satisfied smile.
"No, sir. Everything is in perfect vorking order. I hev a little bit of time."
"Well, Pasch, in that case…" Kirk leaned forward in his captain's chair, in order to be within whispering distance of the ensign. "Care to answer my question from last night? I seem to recall seeing you cuddled up with a young cadet in rec room five a week ago." Kirk said almost too eagerly. Chekov's pale complexion was invaded by a deep blush. He laughed nervously.
"Ahah, well, Keptin, if you must know…"
Uhura restrained from hugging her friend, knowing that is was is wasn't professional to do so, but let her know how happy she was to see her with a smile that Christine returned.
"You really hyped it up, didn't you Nyota?" she accused her playfully. Uhura didn't seem to understand.
"What are you talking about?"
"Well… the 'farm boy' of course!" she whispered, making sure that Kirk would'nt hear. "All that stuff you told me about his arrogance, and what a pig he was… and how he'd hump anything that looks feminine enough for his standards." she giggled at the thought.
"What are you talking about?" she asked, still looking thoroughly confused. "That's exactly what he's like, with almost every girl he comes into contact with."
"Well, for the past few hours, he's been the most nervous wreck of a person that I've ever seen." Christine informed her friend.
"I've noticed…" Uhura said, deep in thought. She looked over at the Captain, who now looked perfectly normal, obviously having an intense conversation with Chekov. They were both laughing. As she wondered what they could be talking about, Christine tapped her on the shoulder.
"I've got to go to Doctor McCoy," she said, pointing in his general direction with her chin. "I'll see you later?"
"Yeah." she answered, still distracted by her theories about Captain James T. Kirk.
Bones moved to the side to include Christine in their conversation.
"Nurse, we were just discussing how this planet's atmosphere may affect the crew. Doctor McCoy and I wanted to hear your opinion before prepping them." Spock said.
Christine nodded, but couldn't help but to wonder why he was asking for a nurse's opinion on the matter when he already had a doctor's. She was afraid that the question would come across as rude, but was desperate to know.
"Of course, but may I ask why you would like to hear my opinion when you already have Doctor McCoy's?"
"You're coming with me to care for the landing party as they investigate the planet's surface." McCoy informed her. "I might need some back up."
Christine gaped, unable to believe that she was going to be part of an actual landing party. She had been on the ship for almost a year now and had never been asked to take her line of duty outside of the sickbay, except for the occasional emergency in the lower engineering deck of the ship that left one of the engineers immobile. She had never even left the U.S.S. Enterprise for any reason besides a short shore leave. Now, she was having some trouble processing this request, but hid her surprise from them.
"What are the conditions on the unknown planet?" she asked, doing her best to keep a calm air of professionalism about her.
"It is a class M planet, which in most situations would not require much medical preparation, but the oxygen levels are extremely low. From the information that has been gathered so far, the planet's atmosphere is composed of eighty-eight percent nitrogen gas and a mere ten percent of oxygen gas. The remaining two percent is a variety of gasses."
The Nurse marveled at Spock's ability to state facts as if he had a textbook in front of him.
"The circumstances imply that, while it is enough oxygen to support the human body, it is pushing the limits of what your species can sustain. How would you face this problem?"
Christine furrowed her eyebrows in thought, her mind grasping onto each bit of information she could remember from her studies.
"Such low levels of oxygen can make one lethargic, and slows brain activity, so I'd bring the standard medical kit to treat any injuries sustained as a result. That way, if any life-threatening injuries occur, we could patch the patient up to a stable condition before transporting them to the sickbay for further treatment." she paused, glancing at Bones and Spock to check for any disapproval in their faces. Once satisfied that neither had any objections so far, she continued. "Now, I am aware that because this planet's atmosphere contains a high enough percentage of oxygen to support the human body, it would be wasteful to use our supplies of oxygen, but in order to avoid injuries caused by lethargy, I suggest that we bring a few small supplies of oxygen masks to give to a crewmember if we notice that they've become too drowsy and may be put at risk. Basically, to wake their brain up, but only in emergency cases, as a sort of prevention."
Spock raised an eyebrow and turned to Bones. She anxiously waited for them to comment.
"I suggested something similar with regards to the standard kit, but I hadn't thought about bringing oxygen masks. If Spock approves, I think it would be a good idea to have a few on hand, even for us. If we're too light headed, we may not be able to tend to any emergency medical situations. Good idea, Chapel." McCoy said with an acknowledging nod to Christine. "What do you think, Spock?"
"I think it is very logical."
"Of course." Bones groaned as he rolled his eyes. The Vulcan's diction almost always pushed a button or two when it came to the Doctor.
"I'll ask the Captain to organize the landing party in order for you to notify them of the conditions of this mission before you return to the Medical Bay to prepare your supplies. Being half Vulcan, I should cope with the lack of oxygen better since the atmosphere of my home planet was thinner than Earth's." With that, Spock set off to break-up Kirk and Chekov, who were still conversing intensely, the ensign only breaking the flow of their discussion at random intervals to glance at the screens behind him in order to ensure that everything was functioning properly.
"I'm sorry for throwing this mission on you." Bones said in what Christine assumed was close to his compassionate tone. "I wasn't informed until now about the size of the crew involved or the conditions of the planet. We're in the same boat here."
"It's not a problem." Christine reassured him, still finding it a little difficult to keep her composure. She was experiencing conflicting waves of excitement and anxiety, which in turn only scrambled her thoughts more. She felt a sense of pride at the fact that she handled expressing her medical opinion so well.
They didn't have to wait long before the landing party was assembled before them. Because it was Spock's personal interest that was the main reason for the mission, he selected the crewmembers that were to participate, each serving a specific purpose. Christine looked over the group; easily able to label each person to the task she assumed Spock had in mind. McCoy's and her roles were self-explanatory. There was Spock himself, in charge of the scientific aspect of the expedition, surrounded by three blue-shirted cadets also involved in the science department here on the Enterprise. Christine knew two of them very well, having treated them twelve times this year for severe chemical burns until Bones suggested to Spock that they worked in ecological sciences instead of chemical, but she had never seen the third cadet onboard before. She looked very young, barely seventeen, and was very pretty, her tan skin and dark eyes contrasting with the blue of her uniform. Then there was Uhura, who Christine assumed was assigned to the mission incase they came into contact with any intelligent life in order to increase chances of communication. Finally there was the Captain, who, due to the fact that this was a scientific mission, would simply be observing and giving the landing party the commands that Spock requested.
Christine looked over the group one more time in order to ensure that she hadn't missed a single face and noticed Chekov standing amongst them. She racked her brain, but was unable to find a task for the ensign. Spock seemed to have noticed this as well.
"Captain, with all due respect, I do not recall requesting ensigns Chekov's participation on this mission."
"You didn't." Kirk said calmly, blowing the observation off. Spock looked at him questioningly. "Chekov was very interested in the mission, and, as Captain, I figured that since the mission itself is interest based…" he said, singling out Spock with his eyes, "…that Pavel is more than qualified to participate."
The First Officer eyed the ensign, who wore a hopeful expression.
"Doesn't the ensign have duties to perform on the ship?" Spock asked.
"Now Spock," Kirk scolded. "I'm surprised you haven't hurt his feelings by being so unwilling to take him with us. Besides, I think Sulu is quite capable of taking complete control of the helm of a stationary vessel. Isn't that right?"
"Aye, Captain!" Sulu shouted from his post. Kirk looked at his friend defiantly.
Spock still looked unsure of the request, but was unable to find an argument against it. He then faced Chekov.
"Ensign Chekov, what are your intentions on the mission?" Spock asked him. It sounded more like a demand than a request.
"I hev always been curious about vat it is zat zee scientific area of Starfleet focuses on. I figured zat a mission like zis one vould be a good opportunity for obserwation."
Spock said nothing and turned to face the medical staff, which was a sign of his acceptance.
"Alright!" Bones shouted as he noticed Spock's signal for him to begin. His gruff voice captured everyone's attention quickly. "Here's the deal, the planet's atmosphere is only ten percent oxygen, which can seriously impede your ability to function properly, therefore, along with the standard medical kit, we will have oxygen masks on hand for emergency situations."
"We?" Kirk asked. His question was more for himself than Bones, but his friend answered regardless.
"Nurse Chapel and I." he said, before continuing. Kirk's expression changed from one of content to anxiety. "If any of you feel like you are seriously affected by the lack of oxygen, find one of us and we will provide you with a mask temporarily, to 'reboot' your brain. Other than that, it's standard class M planet medical precautionary procedure. Any questions?"
Everyone seemed to understand the situation, which made Christine calm down some. That way there was less chance of injury.
"Well then, Nurse Chapel and I will go prepare our supplies. I think that Spock here would like for you all to prepare yourselves as well seeing as you've only got twenty minutes left." Spock acknowledged McCoy's suggestion.
"Thank you Doctor, unless the Captain has any requests for you, I believe that you are free to go. Captain?"
"No. They can go prep." Kirk said to the ceiling.
Bones looked at his friend skeptically one last time before taking off for the sickbay with Chapel. Once they were both in the turbolift, he sighed loudly. Christine took it as a hint to ask him what was frustrating him.
"What's wrong, Doctor?"
"It's Jim. I'm worried about him. I'm not sure he'll handle the lower oxygen levels too well with his condition. Damn I wish I knew what he had so I could treat him already!" Christine felt sympathy for him.
"I'm sure he'll be fine." she reassured as best as she could.
"Jim carries himself well, there's no doubt about that, but can you promise me something, Christine?" Bones asked, lowering his eyes to meet hers. She was shocked that he had called her by her first name, and the genuine worry in his expression also put her brain on stand by. It was a strange side of her co-worker that she hadn't seen in the entire year she had been aboard.
"Of course, Doctor McCoy, anything."
"If there's an emergency that I have to attend to, promise me you'll keep an eye on Jim for me, and make sure he's ok?" he pleaded. Christine didn't want to have anything to do with Kirk's strange antics, to be honest, his inability to function normally made her wonder how he managed to become Captain of the Enterprise and annoyed her, but the fact that McCoy was so worried that he had expressed himself to her overruled her personal preferences.
"Don't worry, I'll do my best." she soothed, rubbing a hand on his shoulder. She didn't like seeing McCoy in this state. It was unfamiliar and strange, so she wanted to ensure that he was back to his snarky self as soon as possible.
Kirk had turned to return to his chair, but was stopped by a hand that gripped his arm.
"Captain." He recognized Uhura's voice. "Could I speak with you for a moment?"
"With regards to…?" he said with a grin as he watched her become flustered. She was tired of his games, and decided to be as blunt as possible with him. If her theory was correct, then it would kill his ego for at least the moment.
"With regards to Christine Chapel." she said defiantly as his grin fell.
"What about her?" There was an edge of anxiety to his voice.
"Why do you act the way you do around her? It's not like you at all, especially with a pretty girl like her." she said, raising her eyebrows expectantly. Kirk looked around to ensure that no one was within hearing range.
"She makes me sick." he whispered. The embarrassment on his voice was heavy.
"She makes you sick." Uhura repeated cynically.
"I don't know how to explain it, but she makes me react strangely. This has never happened before, so that's the only explanation I can come up with."
"Right, Kirk, whatever you say. What are your symptoms?" she prodded. The Captain laughed.
"You are my Communications Officer, Nyota, not my Doctor."
Uhura glared at his mention of her first name.
"I don't think you need a medical opinion, Captain. Now tell me your 'symptoms'." she said harshly through clenched teeth.
"Fine." Kirk said, a little annoyed. His need to end the frustration that his condition caused overpowered his dislike for discussing his problems with Uhura. "Usually, when I see her, my body temperature goes through the roof, I start sweating, my breathing becomes irregular, and, according to Bones, on some occasions I have what seems to be arrhythmias. If not, then my heart rate speeds up an unnecessary amount." he thought for a moment. "Oh, and just earlier, when I was able to smell her, I almost choked." He noticed a grin on Uhura's face. "What?" he asked annoyed by how she was teasing him.
"Before I can tell you if I'm right or not… I need to know one more thing." She waited for Kirk to egg her on. "How many women have you slept with since you first met her?"
"I don't see how that's relevant!" he hissed, trying to maintain his composure.
"Like I care. I just need to know to find out if I'm right or not. I'm sure you'd like to know what's wrong with you." she said. She was glad to be pushing his limits for once, it was a nice change, but she was also genuinely trying to help him out. Sue me for having a little fun with my power, Captain. The thought made her laugh.
Kirk tried to remember when he first met Christine Chapel. He wouldn't say it was when he met her, but it was when he first noticed her. It was his first day onboard the U.S.S. Enterprise as it's Captain, and he was in the sickbay frustrating Bones as was their routine while his friend conducted the checkup that was protocol for new captains. Out of the corner of his eye he saw what he assumed to be a nurse typing some information into the database. As Bones continued to lecture him about how to take a hypospray like a man, Kirk kept an eye on the nurse, intrigued. The moment she turned around and he saw her crystalline eyes, he felt his stomach twist itself into a knot, and he jumped uncomfortably. That was only a week after the Romulan attack, and Kirk was sure that he hadn't had any interaction with a woman beyond what was considered friendly since after the attack. Either way, he didn't see how this was relevant, seeing as he didn't even know who she was until this morning. As he explained this to Uhura, her grin widened.
"And I'm assuming you haven't explained any of this to Doctor McCoy?"
"Of course not. It's not relevant." Kirk insisted. He scowled as Uhura started to laugh. "Will you tell my already?"
"You like her! That's your big problem." she said as best as she could in-between giggles. Kirk frowned.
"Big deal. I like a lot of women."
"No, you lust after people." she corrected. "This is different. You like Christine." she insisted with a grin. "I don't think that you've ever legitimately liked someone before."
"I really don't see the difference between like and like." Kirk sounded extremely frustrated.
"Knowing you, in every past case, all you've wanted is to get a woman in bed." she said suggestively. "Now, you want to take Christine out to dinner and a movie. The reason why you're reacting so badly to this crush is that you're fighting it. The physical feelings that come in pair with liking someone are really exciting, but your subconscious probably recognizes it and therefore you fight the feelings. That's probably why you're having such a bad physical reaction around her."
"Sure." Kirk said as sarcastically as possible. "Are you a psychiatrist now? How do I deal with my problem then, Doctor Uhura?" She didn't appreciate his tone, but decided to ignore it.
"Next time you're around her, relax. Allow yourself to feel what it's like to have genuine feelings for someone. Trust me, it's nice."
"Whatever you say, Doctor." he said, blowing her comment off. Uhura noticed the rest of the landing crew exiting the bridge.
"It's time for us to go to the transporter room. Just remember what I said, and if you decide to do it while we're on the mission, don't blame the light headedness you'll experience on the low levels of oxygen."
Kirk hung back for a moment on the bridge, confused by Lt. Uhura's suggestion.
A/N: Ok so I hope you liked it, it was much longer than the other chapters... please review!!! It makes me happy and I update more quickly! And if you found the egg just put that in the review as well :)
Also, you may have noticed the O/C, and I usually disapprove of them, but don't worry, she's only a minor character for a minor plot line, and won't take over the Star Trek franchise like I've noticed some people do with their O/Cs. She's harmless :p
I HOPE YOU ENJOYED! PLEASE REVIEW AND SHARE!