Chapter 5 - Got Something For You (short chapter)

"Lily-Lee?"

"Go away! I'm angry with you."

"Honey, I'm sorry about last night, but it's all sorted out now."

Lily-Lee opened the door a little bit and looked at a narrow slice of McCoy. Warm humid air drifted out through the door crack, bringing with it a scent of leaf compost and warm dirt. How had she managed that?

"You DO look a lot better. Your smile is back."

"Do you want to hear the whole story? It's complicated."

"I'd rather not. If you say it's sorted, then I'll take your word for it. Do you want to come in?"

"Yes I do, and I got something for you."

"A present? What is it?"

"Someone to watch us." McCoy opened the door fully and there, next to him, stood Kirk with the widest grin his mouth could make.

–***–

"Spock, my son..."

"Yes, mother?"

"Are you happy here on this ship?"

"I find my work with Starfleet very rewarding."

"I worry that you will be lonely on a ship with only humans."

"I am not lonely. Also, you are mistaken; there are not only humans here. I am working with a new chemical analyst from another species. You may have seen her at the reception, a small and hairy creature."

"Is she a crewmember? I didn't know that. Oh dear, now I worry about her too."

"You worry too much, mother."

"Well, please see what you can do for her. It can be difficult to be the only primitive being among those who consider themselves superior. I should know."

"Mother, please..."

"Well be nice, especially if she is."

"She did do me a favour once."

"There, see? She's trying to be friendly! What did she do?"

"She... gave me access to a memory filled with chemical details."

"Oh, because it's something she can do? What was it?"

"I believe the term is "snowballing"."

"How charming! I have such fond memories of snowballs myself."

–***–

Lily-Lee stood staring at the two men, with her jaw dropped and an expression of total surprise. Then she closed her mouth to a smile full of big teeth, and suddenly looked an inch taller from all her hair standing on end.

"I'll have a seat on the sofa. Look at this, I even brought a bag of peanuts with shells to keep busy with." Kirk walked over to Lily-Lee's couch and sat down with casual flair.

"You did this for me? Oh Leonard!"

"Well, he's no flock of small women, but it's something, right?"

–***–

Author's note: If you don't know what "snowballing" is, you can stay that way (and be like Amanda) or you can look it up. DON'T google for image!