A/N: Just so you know this chapter is going to get very suggestive near the end. Consider yourselves forewarned.

Six Months

U.S.S. Enterprise, 2281.136, 1239 hours. Of course lunch is the fastest moving period of the day, Se'tak thought with a groan. It was just turning out to be one of those kind of days. First he overslept because he forgot to set his alarm, then he couldn't find his Bio homework and on his way to his next class he stubbed his toe against the wall.

AND to add insult to injury Cole was irritating the hell out of him; he kept flicking him on the shoulder and behind his ear, calling him Tick and being an all-around ass. But Se'tak was determined to rise above it all, using a lot of the meditation techniques and mental exercises his sa-mekh had been teaching him to help get him through the day.

Then again, it wasn't all bad. As he left the Mess Tabby came up beside and walked with him to history class. They'd been going out for awhile now, lasting longer than any of their classmates ever had in their own relationships, and he was happy. It didn't hurt that people liked to comment on how great they were together and how they wished they could be like them.

"So," Tabitha said, a bright smile on her face, "I was wondering if you had any plans for tomorrow night?"

Do I? Se'tak screwed up his face and tried to think. Tomorrow was Thursday; his sa-mekh was working late, he knew that for sure…did he have any other plans with the family? He didn't think so. "Nope, I'm free, why?"

"No particular reason," she said, her eyes glinting with mischief, "I just thought you could come over to my place and hang out, just the two of us."

"Sure, sounds fun."

"6:30 ok?"

He held his arm out over the door sensor and let her into the class first, grinning as she passed. "I'll be there."

U.S.S. Enterprise, 2281.136, 1754 hours. Mama enlisted his help in chopping up some vegetables for the stew and they stood side-by-side at the counter working in tandem.

"So," she said, "What are you and Tabby up to tomorrow?"

Se'tak stopped mid-chop, the knife embedded in the eggplant. "How'd you know we had plans?"

Now she stopped and stared at him quizzically. "Well I just assumed…I mean, you've been going out for six months…"

"WHAT?!" It was their anniversary? Tomorrow was their six month anniversary and he'd had no idea 'til NOW?! "Oh shit!"

"Se'tak, language!"

He bowed his head. "Sorry." His mind was reeling. How was he supposed to know that tomorrow was their anniversary? It's not like he'd written it down anywhere and Tabby hadn't said anything…

"You had no clue, did you?"

He shot her a look that said 'No duh, you think?' before absently returning to the eggplant. What was he going to do? He had no idea what Tabitha had planned but judging by the way she was acting earlier and knowing her as he did he bet it was something special…and there was no time for him to get anything even remotely nice together for her.

Mama noted the distracted look on his face and took the knife away before he accidentally chopped off a finger. "Just like your sa-mekh. Why don't you run down to Stores and see if you can find a nice gift?"

Se'tak hesitated. She'd specifically asked for his help with dinner and now she was letting him off the hook? "You sure?"

She grinned and nudged him out of the way with her hip. "Yes, just this once. Now go, but make sure you're back in time for supper, alright?"

He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek then dashed out the door like a man on fire. Mama's laughter followed him all the way down the hall.

Stores was pretty quiet at that time of day. When Se'tak walked in there were only two other people there, a Lieutenant J.G. he recognized from the astrophysics lab who was picking up some toiletries and Ensign Calixtro standing behind the counter folding t-shirts. He nodded at Hosea then proceeded to browse through the racks trying to find something special for Tabby but there was only the usual shirts, mugs, and sweatsuits available. Once the young woman left Se'tak made his way to the counter to inquire if there was anything in the back room that might be available.

Hosea continued folding t-shirts. "Hey 'Tak, what's up?"

"Well I'm kind of in a bit of a bind…"

"Girl troubles again?" he said with a laugh. Apparently the whole ship really did know everything that went on between him and Tabitha.

"Not exactly—you see, tomorrow's our anniversary and I'm looking for something to give her."

The ensign took a good look at him, saw he was in earnest, then threw his head back and roared with laughter. "You're kidding, right? You waited 'til the last minute to get her a gift and you expect to find it here? Hahahahahahahaha!"

Se'tak's patience was starting to wear thin; he was getting sick of being the butt of such a cosmic joke. "Have you got anything different back there? Anything special?"

Once he got his breath back Hosea looked thoughtful then reached under the counter. "We just got these in." He held the item up for inspection. It was a pair of black boxers with a print of the galaxy on them; in the lower left hand corner were the words 'Kiss My Enterprise'.

"I don't get it." The other man grinned and whipped the boxers around. Across the butt was the word 'Enterprise'. Well that wouldn't do. "Got anything else?"

He scratched his head. "Does she like graphic novels?" Se'tak wordlessly shot up an eyebrow and Hosea tried again. "What about painting, does she paint? 'Cause we just got some new brushes in for the hobbyists…" Se'tak gave another shake of the head and both were silent as they wracked their brains for an idea. "I know, what about soap? Girls love that fancy smellin' stuff!"

"Seriously?" but the ensign was already off and running to retrieve the box in the back store room. Then again, the more he thought about it, the more Se'tak realized that Tabby did always smell nice—maybe it wasn't such a ridiculous idea after all.

Calixtro came back and set the open box down on the counter. They began pulling out all the different colored bottles and discovered they weren't soaps at all but moisturizers. Hosea informed him that the same principle applied and together they began flipping the tops off to get a whiff of the scent.

"Not bad," Se'tak commented, setting the pink bottle aside. Next he picked up the yellow one and brought it to his nose; his face immediately scrunched up in disgust. "Ugh, no." He tried the purple one a bit more reluctantly and found it pleasant enough to add to the maybe pile. This went on for about five minutes before he settled on the lime green bottle and helped Hosea box the others back up. "This is nice, but I feel like it's not enough. You got anything else?"

"Sorry, buddy," Calixtro called out from the back room, "I'm all tapped out."

Se'tak shrugged and let out a sigh. "Ok, how much for this?"

Hosea moved toward the register PADD, scanned the bottle then tapped in a code. "Twelve credits; I'll go ahead and take it from your account. You want a bag?"

"No thanks. Thanks for your help though."

"No problem."

Se'tak was about to make his way out when he saw a small figure standing in the corner who he must've missed on his initial sweep of the room. It was the new guy, a Ruratarian, and despite his short stature the glossy black hair covering his body should've been a dead giveaway to his presence. Now the man stepped out into the aisle and crooked his finger in Se'tak's direction. He was an engineer, and Se'tak remembered seeing around the ship, but he'd never had cause to talk to him before today. What was his name again? He knew it was Terran sounding…Dylan or David or…

"My name's Dru; I heard you were having a little trouble looking for a gift for your girl?"

He stared at the small man quizzically. "Yeah…so?"

"Well it just so happens I may be in a position to help you out. Can you wait here a minute? Then we can head over to my quarters so I can show you what I mean."

It was one of the stranger propositions he'd ever had made to him on the ship but desperate times called for desperate measures and he was willing to see what Dru had to offer; than he glanced at the clock and saw the time. "I'd like to, but I can't. My Mom said I had to be back in time for dinner."

Dru also took note of the time. "Ok, what about 7:30 then? Can you do that?"

Se'tak nodded. "Yeah, I can do that."

"Ok then, I'm on Deck 7, room F125. Don't forget to bring your credit chit; I promise it'll be worth your while."

"I'll be there." Their business finished for the time being, Se'tak dashed out the door and raced home so he could keep his word.

1930 hours. Se'tak's burning curiosity made him prompt and Dru showed him in, kicking a pile of dirty laundry out of sight under the couch. The quarters were small and tight, befitting a man of his rank (and also his stature), and Se'tak looked about curiously as his new friend moved toward the bookshelf. "Sorry 'bout the mess—I've been pretty busy lately."

"Hey, no problem," Se'tak replied, throwing his hands up in surrender, "It's not as if my room is any better and besides, you're the one doing me a favor."

"True." Without warning Dru leapt straight up into the air, grabbing hold of the uppermost shelf which had been a good meter and a half or so over his head. He then began rooting around the PADDS and knick-knacks there before pulling out a decorative box. Se'tak tried not to laugh; Dru's movement and appearance reminded him of a monkey and it was all he could do not to replicate a banana and hand it to him. Just then Dru opened the box, found what he was looking for and, clutching it in his free hand, immediately dropped back down to his feet. "Here it is," he said with a sad little grin on his face.

Se'tak looked and saw that Dru held a lovely carved bracelet the color of coral. There were floral motifs fixed all around and the moment he laid eyes on it he knew Tabby would love it. Se'tak looked at Dru hesitantly. "Are you sure you want to sell this to me? I mean…"

"Yeah, I know," he interjected, "It's really nice. And I'm sure. I bought it on Risa to give to my girl but she dumped me before I had a chance to send it along. Hopefully you'll have better luck with it." Dru held it up some more and Se'tak took it delicately in hand.

"How much?"

"It cost me 60 credits on Risa…"

Se'tak stopped admiring the bracelet, his face screwed up in concern. "I'm sorry but I don't have 60 credits; I've got 45, but if you're…"

Dru immediately set him at ease. "45 sounds fair to me. So what do you say, do we have a deal?"

"Heck yeah we do!" The Ruratarian laughed at his enthusiasm and looked about for his PADD. Se'tak knew once the transaction was complete he'd be heading back to Stores; there was no way that moisturizer could ever compete with a bracelet as pretty as this.

U.S.S. Enterprise, 2281.137, 1815 hours. "Annnnnnnd perfect!" Se'tak stepped back from the bathroom counter and checked out his handiwork in the mirror. Tilk always joked that he spent more time on his hair than most women (and that might be true) but tonight he wanted to look especially good. Turning his head to the left than the right he admired himself a minute longer before fiddling with the last few buttons of his charcoal gray shirt and tucking the ends into his slacks. Fixing his belt, he checked himself one last time and grabbed the gift bag off the counter before finally stepping out of the bathroom.

Selas brushed past him before he even got both feet out into the hall. "Finally!"

1826 hours. He was a few minutes early but still, he was surprised when Tabby didn't answer the door right away. Se'tak waited awhile before trying again and he was about to press the buzzer a third time when the doors swung open to reveal Tabitha standing there in a pretty lilac blouse and white skirt. Her smile widened when she saw him all dressed up and spied the gift bag in his hands. "You remembered!" she squealed, throwing her arms around his neck.

"Of course." Se'tak let her take him by the hand and he walked inside to see the McCoy family quarters lit by dozens of candles. "You did all of this?"

She beamed with pride. "Yep! And…" Tabitha led him over to the kitchen table, "…I made dinner. Well, I replicated dinner." Her cheeks burned scarlet. "You know what I mean."

He gave her a quick kiss. "It looks great." Se'tak took another quick look around the room. "Soooo…where're your folks?"

Tabby grinned. "Well...Dad's working late, Mom's with her book club, and Becca's having a sleepover at Riley's. We have the place all to ourselves."

"Really?"

She reached up on tiptoes, kissing/nibbling on his ear lobe and making him tremble with need. "Really," she breathed huskily into his ear.

Oh G-d…if she keeps this up… "U-uh, uh, it uh, smells really—really good. Should we u-u-um maybe, sh-should we you know, maybe, eat while it's still—still hot?"

Looking every inch the minx that she knew she was, Tabitha broke off and stepped toward the kitchen table, turning and gazing seductively at him from over her shoulder. "If that's what you want then sure, we can eat." He swallowed hard then darted ahead, pulling out her chair like a gentleman and waiting for her to sit down. It was only when he took his own seat that he even registered the soft music playing in the background.

He tried to even out his breathing. "The l-lasagna looks great."

"Thanks—I know it's one of your favorites."

"It is." They talked sporadically throughout the meal; it felt weird to Se'tak, being truly alone and sharing a private, romantic meal with Tabby like a couple of adults. Most of their dates found them huddled in a back corner of the Mess trying (futilely) to get away from prying eyes, or in a restaurant on some Starbase where they were still sure to run into members of the crew, if not their own families.

Until tonight they'd never really and truly been by themselves.

He was scraping the last of the food off his plate after his second helping when she told him she'd made a special dessert. Apple cobbler, from scratch, and with an old McCoy family recipe.

Tabitha McCoy sure did know the way to his heart.

1922 hours. 3 plates of cobbler and a round of dishwashing later he'd finally given Tabby his gift—which was how they found themselves tangled up in each other on the couch under the pretense of 'watching' a movie. She loved the bracelet and decided to show him just how much by kissing him hard and fast. Normally everything physical with them started out slow and tender but tonight it was as if they couldn't get enough of each other and soon the happy lack of oxygen made Se'tak a little dizzy. Tabitha even managed to get him to lie down along the length of the sofa and she soon teased the hem of his shirt up out of his pants; when that was through she reached up under his shirt and placed her hands on his torso, lightly raking the skin with her nails.

It felt AMAZING and he didn't ever want it to stop.

His eyes fluttered from the haze of lust coursing between their bodies as he slowly slid his hands up the back of her blouse. He held her there for a moment, noting how smooth and cool she felt, before proceeding up to her bra. Tabitha began nibbling on his other ear lobe now and ground her pelvis against his, making him groan. "Oh Tabby, I am so hot for you right now!"

"Just now?" she teased, grinding herself against him again.

"Oh!" Se'tak realized she was purposely winding him up—and unless he wanted to ruin things and end the evening early he really needed to get a handle on himself.

Easier said than done.

He tried to breathe and find his focus when she whispered into his ear again. "Take it off."

One eyebrow went up. "Take it off?"

"Yes." He felt more cool air on his torso and discovered she'd been unbuttoning his shirt the whole time. "Take it off." She leaned back, allowing him to sit up enough to slip the shirt off his arms. This time he took advantage of his position and began cupping her breasts through her bra. Tabitha shot him a questioning glance to which he just grinned back and said, "It's only fair."

She giggled and reached for the bottom of her blouse, pulling it up and over her head in one swift motion. Se'tak thought she looked beautiful with her clothes on but like this…he groaned again and felt his lok straining in his pants. "Come here." He pulled her closer to him, reveling in the feel and press of her chest against his, and began kissing and sucking her neck. Se'tak tried to make another pass at undoing her bra clasp but she wiggled out of it and began planting a trail of soft, slow burning kisses from his lips down the length of his chest. He leaned into the sofa cushions, eyes nearly rolling backward into his head, thinking he'd died and gone to Heaven.

Eyes closed he felt her creep closer to his waistband when she abruptly stopped; Se'tak was about to complain when suddenly he heard her undoing his belt buckle.

Oh f—k. Oh f—k, oh f—k, oh f—k this is actually happening!

Tabitha didn't even say a word, she just slid off him and Se'tak stood beside her, taking his pants off one leg at a time without ever breaking eye contact. When he was in nothing but his black boxer briefs he watched her eye his 'package' (which was making it's presence very well known, thank you very much) through the fabric. She looked up and saw the cocky smirk on his face and let out a little nervous giggle which made him cup her face with both hands and kiss her soft and slow.

"I can put my clothes back on, you know, it's alright. We don't—"

She held his wrists and looked deep into his eyes. "No," she replied, "I want to." Her confidence reinstated Tabitha took a step back and hooked her thumbs inside the waist of her skirt. Slowly she slid the article of clothing down her long, slim legs, making him pant like the dog he was, before letting it pool on the floor at her feet. Finally she stepped out and kicked it away.

Nothing but a few bits of fabric stood between them and total nakedness.

Se'tak moved in to kiss her again when he heard it—the unmistakable sound of Uncle Leonard's full and unbridled rage. "JUST WHAT IN THE HELL DO YOU TWO THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"