Enterprise High
being a high school AU of ST: XI
with many hijinks
and much angst
x
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Who Mourns for Adonais?
x
Nyota Uhura awoke in a ridiculously good mood.
The moment her eyes popped open she sighed happily and stretched around on the bed, reveling in the sheets curled softly around her. While working her muscles, she accidentally kicked Chapel, who moaned and rolled away from her.
Uhura sighed again as she turned to gaze at Chapel, whose short blonde hair was in extreme disarray. Chapel had her bare back to Uhura and had wrapped the sheets thoroughly around her front, which was a shame, because she had quite a nice torso, and Uhura would not have minded another look at it.
With another stretch and sigh, Uhura sat up and popped her neck. Putting her foot down, she almost slipped on the empty bottle of vodka next to the bed. She let out a little squeal as she lost and then regained her balance. Putting a hand over her mouth, she glanced back at Chapel, who had not woken back up, and in fact let out a rather large snore.
Uhura giggled. She stood, thanking every god she could think of that she never got hangovers. In the bathroom, Uhura brushed her teeth and wondered if Sulu and Chekov had done anything scandalous. They probably hadn't—they had gotten much more wasted than she and Chapel.
Uhura was a good drunk; she could remember most of what had happened. Chekov, of course, had brought the vodka. He'd spent about half of the time they were in Uhura and Chapel's room being angry at Sulu for insulting the motherland. All Sulu had playfully said, at the beginning of the night, was, "Listen, Russian vodka is crap; you should try Wyborowa, it's a Polish brand—", but that had been more than enough to darken him in Chekov's eyes until Sulu (four shots later) convinced him that he had just been kidding.
They'd finished the vodka in about an hour, which—Chapel pointed out—was terrible for their livers, but it meant that things went very smoothly for Chapel and Uhura after Chekov dragged Sulu back to their room (Sulu had a relatively low tolerance for alcohol, and also had drunk quite a bit, which necessitated the dragging). Uhura grinned widely, remembering how good Chapel was with her tongue.
Uhura put on a bra and underwear and checked the time. They had about forty five minutes until Pike expected them downstairs, and she figured that Chapel might want to take a shower (she knew she did). She twirled back over to the bed, sat down next to the comfortered lump that was Chapel, and started poking her industriously.
"'Wake thou!'" cried Uhura in Chapel's ear, "'childless Mother, rise/Out of thy sleep!'"
Chapel made a sullen noise and tried to bury her head under the pillow.
"Arise!" sang Uhura.
"'m'a kill you," maundered Chapel.
"Don't make me quote anything else from Adonais," said Uhura, talking with unnatural speed. "Have you read it yet? Isn't it due in English on Monday? I read it like two weeks ago."
"Oh my God, why are you so perky?" complained Chapel, removing the pillow and glaring blearily at Uhura. "You should get laid more often, clearly. Also, 'Who mourns for Adonais? Oh, come forth,/Fond wretch!' I finished it on the transport yesterday. I hate Shelley."
"You're forgetting the important part of that stanza," said Uhura cheerily. "'Keep thy heart light lest it make thee sink/When hope has kindled hope, and lur'd thee to the brink.'"
"Like I said, I hate Shelley," Chapel grumbled. She shoved Uhura out of the way and stood up, tottering. "Oh, Christ. I'm going to go see if Leo has a hangover hypo in his bag."
"He carries those around with him?" Uhura asked interestedly as Chapel clutched her skull.
"I'm praying so," said Chapel, rubbing her forehead one more time before pulling on the thin dress she wore the day before, not bothering with underclothes. "Be right back."
Chapel stalked down the hall and knocked on Kirk and Bones's door. Of course, it wasn't Kirk's door anymore, but she didn't know that. There was no answer. She waited a minute, tried the knob, and found, to her surprise, that the door was unlocked.
So she went in.
In hindsight, Chapel acknowledged that she should have known better. Her excuse was that her headache was truly debilitating and had hindered her better judgment. She would also be the first say that her reaction to what she saw—a short, piercing scream—was perhaps ill-advised. But, she insisted, she simply did not expect to see Scotty giving Bones a galvanizing blow job.
The worst thing about it was that, for a full three seconds, she stood in the doorway and gaped in absolute horror at them. Scotty had paused mid-bob and was staring, from under very knitted brows, at her, while Bones had immediately, upon seeing her, shut his eyes as if he wanted to make the universe go away. (She didn't blame him.) When she regained control of her shocked muscles, she nearly killed herself running for the door. She ran into the doorframe about eight times, which would have been funny if the situation weren't so dire.
In the hallway, having slammed their door massively, Chapel collapsed against the wall and attempted to breathe.
She didn't think she had ever been so turned on in her life.
She had just gotten her lungs under control when Bones whipped open the door. He had thrown on his boxers and a wrinkled undershirt. His hair stood absolutely on end and he looked like he wanted to rip off her face and feed it to wild bears. Chapel cringed and clawed her libido down.
"KNOCK!" he roared, spraying spit understandably.
"Okay, I did, but I guess you didn't hear," winced Chapel, figuring it would a) do no good to ask him to be less vociferous and b) probably not go over very well if she asked him for that anti-hangover hypospray at the moment, even though her head was now extra ripe. "I'm so sorry."
Bones twitched a bit in anger and finally settled on hissing, "Were you raised in a barn?"
"No—"
"And yet, clear evidence to the contrary!" Bones yelled. "If you tell anybody—"
"Tell anybody what?"
Chapel and Bones whipped around, nearly breaking their necks. Uhura, Spock, Sulu, Chekov, and worse of all, Pike, were standing next to their doors further down the hallway. Pike was in slacks and nothing else and had his worst teacher-face on.
"Care to explain the piercing scream and ensuing argument?" he said alarming calm.
Bones turned back to Chapel, indicating quite clearly with his eyes that it was her job to explain this.
"Uh," said Chapel.
Pike tapped his bare foot. Chapel thought that now was the worst possible time to notice that he was really cut, and had amazing hipbones, and was about thirty years older than she was, oh God, shut up brain.
"Well," attempted Chapel, "I have a bit of a headache, and I thought it would make sense to go see if Leo had some Tylenol, but I, uh, walked in while he was changing, because I was very stupid and went in without waiting for him to answer."
"So you screamed," said Pike, in a tone that suggested she wasn't fooling him one bit.
"Yes?" tried Chapel. "I was surprised?"
"This isn't Jeopardy," said Pike. "Your answers should not be in question form."
Chapel was trying to figure out what else she could say when she noticed Bones's eyes pop. Suddenly he had been shoved out into the hallway and Scotty was standing at the door, looking very alert. He was also very naked.
"Oh my God," said Uhura, covering her eyes. "What the fuck, Monty."
"Just wanted t' see what all th' commotion was about," said Scotty cheerfully, leaning against the doorframe, free to the winds. "What's new?"
"Mr. Scott," said Pike loudly, hand over his face in an attitude of something similar to despair. "Please return to your room and put on some clothes."
"Scotty, go inside," pled Bones. "You are not helpin' on so many not helpin' levels."
"Donnae palaver," laughed Scotty. "All right, all right, ah'm goin' back in." He closed the door behind him, leaving Bones trapped in the hallway.
"He's gone," said Bones. Pike peeked cautiously through his fingers before removing his hand.
"So," said Pike.
"Rather than explain the situation, which would put me at great personal disadvantage, can I just apologize?" said Bones tiredly.
"I suppose," said Pike cautiously. "I'm beginning to sense that I don't want to know the full story."
"You don't," Chapel muttered. Bones gave her a Look.
"Alright," said Bones. He squared his shoulders and said, "I'm sorry I yelled really loudly at Christine for burstin' rudely into my room. I did not mean to wake anybody up and I regret my actions."
"Thank you," said Pike. "Christine, would you like to apologize to Leonard?"
"Uh," said Chapel, trying to figure out the least offensive way to phrase this. "Leo, I'm really sorry I, uh, interrupted you—r morning routine," she added quickly, realizing how the first part sounded standing alone. "I promise not to enter into a room uninvited ever again."
"Or I kill you," said Bones seriously.
"Okay," said Pike. "That's good, guys. Now, no more outbursts, please? And I'll see all of you in thirty minutes in the lobby." He went back into his room. Everybody watched him until he closed his door, and then, as if they were snapping out of a trance, turned sharp gazes on Bones and Chapel.
"What was that about?" Uhura demanded.
"Oh my God, nothin'," said Bones. "Chris just—" He covered his eyes again. "Nothin'."
"Chris just what?" Uhura said, a slightly wild look in her eye. "What? Why was Scotty naked?"
"Bye," said Bones shortly, and went back into his room.
So, everybody turned to Chapel.
"Later," she said, heading back towards Uhura. Spock glared at her and retreated into his room. Chekov and Sulu—who both, Chapel noticed, looked distinctly hung-over, but not post-coital, much to her disappointment—gave her their best puppy-dog eyes. She sighed and waved them in.
The four of them sat down on Uhura and Chapel's bed. Uhura was wearing a robe and, judging by the way she corrected its slit hastily, little else. Chapel spared a moment to rejoice at this. But evidently she was not moving fast enough for Uhura's taste.
"What happened?" Uhura almost cried. "You had this expression like you were about to die of embarrassment! That is indicative of so many things!"
"Okay, well," said Chapel, grinning at everybody, "remember that time back in September when Leo and Scotty slept together?"
"Oh my God," said Sulu. "Are you serious?" Uhura gaped and Chekov started laughing.
"Dead serious," said Chapel, trying not to laugh herself. "I walked in mid-blow-job. It was the most acutely, painfully awkward thing that has ever happened to me. Even so, I will treasure their expressions forever."
Chekov fell over a bit on the bed, his laughter becoming slightly maniacal. Sulu and Uhura were still gaping.
"I can't believe him!" said Uhura indignantly. "He seems like he's still pining over Jim, and he's just getting lip service from Scotty instead?"
"Lip—serwice—" Chekov surfaced enough to stutter that and then collapsed again. Sulu eyed him.
"It's not funny," he said stiffly to Chekov. "Leo shouldn't take all of this so lightly."
Chapel stared at Uhura and Sulu incredulously. "Come on, you two," she said. "It's just sex."
"It's just—" Uhura started to say. She looked angry. "Sex is never just sex!"
"It's not?" said Chapel, raising her eyebrows significantly. "So, you want to date me?"
Uhura glared right back at her. "Maybe I do!"
"Wait!" protested Chapel, totally thrown. "That is not what you said last night!"
"I cannot be held responsible for what I might or might not have said in the heat of passion," snapped Uhura.
"This wasn't the heat of passion!" Chapel cried. Chekov, for his own mad reasons, was finding this conversation even funnier, and had actually rolled off the bed and was banging into furniture on the floor. "This was pre-passion! Oh my God, how can you say that sex is never just sex? You had sex with your teacher last summer. What is it with you and Vulcans, anyway?"
"The Vulcan thing is a different topic," said Uhura composedly. "Also, he was not my teacher at that point. I just—I take sex seriously. I look at every assignation from every angle."
"Bad wording," said Sulu pertly.
A single tear leaked down Chekov's cheek. Chapel kicked him lightly. It didn't do any good. She would be down there with him, but Uhura was being very strange indeed.
"Okay," said Chapel. "I feel like there are a number of different issues at play here. One, at the moment, I cannot be trusted to articulate sane opinions because of my massive hangover. But you should still take me seriously. Two, it is not impolitic of me to say that you are being a total hypocrite when you state, as I continue to quote, that sex is never just sex. Three, I think Leo can get blow jobs from whomever he wants, because it's his dick. And four, if you wanted to go out with me, you could have just asked."
"I—yes, point one, I'm not contesting," said Uhura sincerely. "I would like to also throw out there, before we begin this, that you are very good in bed. So you know."
"Thank you. So are you."
"Thanks. Okay, two, listen, I may have lots—well, lots is even an overstatement—I may have some as-yet-to-be-determined amount of sexual intercourse, but I take it seriously. All sex really does mean something. I'm not here to say precisely what it means, but nevertheless, there is significance in it, and it's wrong to say that sex bridges—or destroys—no gaps between people. It does something to relationships, and nobody's really qualified to say what that something is yet—which, I guess, is sort of the point—but it's there, and it's important to acknowledge. In reply to point three, well, yes, it is his own dick, but he should have taken his own dick more seriously." Uhura's mouth twisted. "That was a weird sentence. And point four, fine, do you want to go out with me?"
Chapel laughed. "Let me think it over and I'll let you know."
"Can I be involved in this argument?" Sulu asked. "It's quite engaging."
"Thank you," said Uhura and Chapel.
"Okay," said Sulu. "Here's what I think. I think I'm between you two. I'm with Nyota in that I agree that sex is, you know, important and shit, mainly because of how it affects relationships. But I'm also with Chris in that I think it shouldn't be taken too seriously, because if you try to take sex too seriously it starts to hurt your brain. I just—I jump to conclusions, you guys know that about me already. So what I said earlier, about Leo taking this too lightly—well, I guess I stand by that statement at about half of my previous level of determination."
"That was not helpful at all," said Uhura. "You're so indecisive."
"I know," sighed Sulu. "I just see both sides."
"I'm sure that's frustrating."
"You have no idea."
"You're right."
Chekov was merely twitching at this point. Sulu reached down and tugged him into a sitting position.
"You alive?" he asked.
"Yes," muttered Chekov, wiping his eyes. "It is just that this situation is so wery funny. With the interruptions. And the arguments."
Sulu sighed at him, looking even more in love than usual. "You never cease to amaze me, Pavel."
Chekov looked like he was going to start giggling again.
Uhura chose this moment to glance at the time and screeched that she had to take a shower before they left and expelled Sulu and Chekov unceremoniously, and in a bit of a whirlwind, so that the boys were gone and Uhura was lathering up her hair before Chapel could blink, much less ask to join.
She stuck her head into the bathroom. "Can I take a shower too?"
"I'm almost done!" called Uhura, voice muffled by the water and shower curtain.
"Come on, all of last night was seeing you naked. And also that time a few months ago. And that time in junior year. And, wait, didn't we do it, like, three times after that party—"
Uhura stuck out her head from behind the shower curtain and glared at Chapel. "You haven't said if you want to go out with me or not. You can't see me naked until you decide."
Chapel stared at her. "If I say no, can I still see you naked?"
"You're as bad as Jim."
"Hey," said Chapel feelingly.
Uhura rolled her eyes. "Okay, fine, not true. But still, no, you cannot see me naked if you decline my generous offer."
"Are you over Spock, then?" asked Chapel.
Uhura suddenly looked like a rabbit enraptured by high beams. "Uh," she said.
"I don't really want to date anybody that's in love with somebody else," said Chapel slowly.
"God," said Uhura, touching her sudsy temple in frustration. "I'm sorry."
"Finish your shower," said Chapel. "I'll pack."
"Yeah," said Uhura. "Thanks." She gave Chapel a distant smile and pulled the curtain back.
Chapel didn't quite know what to think. Slightly confused, she cleaned up the detritus from the previous night and packed their things. She liked Uhura, yes. Quite a lot, in fact; enough to date her.
It was just that she couldn't get Bones out of her head; couldn't extract her thoughts from the length of his body and the hard, straight line of his lips.
x
Spock was less serene than usual because he thought that Bones and Chapel's outburst might have awoken Kirk. He slid back into his room as quietly as he could. He meant to let Kirk sleep for a while.
That did not look like it was going to happen. Kirk was sitting up crookedly when Spock came into the room. His eyes were heavy-lidded and his brow was knit in confusion. He looked foggily at Spock.
"Hey?" he said uncertainly. Spock paused in the door. He had never seen Kirk so unsure before. The expression made his throat twist a little.
"Good morning," said Spock softly. "Was your rest productive?"
"Yeah," said Kirk soberly. "I—is everything okay?"
Spock sat down on his bed, across from Kirk, careful to let his regard for Kirk's personal space show. "Yes," he said, crossing his fingers under his chin. "There was an incident involving Leonard and Christine. It was not serious, nor was it any of our concern."
Kirk straightened and rubbed his eyes, then swung his feet out of bed. He frowned down at his clothes. "I should have changed last night," he said. "I'm going to have terrible lines from this." He grinned weakly.
"They fade over time," Spock said.
Kirk looked at the floor for a while, probably steeling himself. Then he made eye contact with Spock.
"You won't tell anybody, will you?"
Spock had never thought that words could ache, before.
"I will not tell anybody," he said. "But you should."
Kirk carded his hands through his already wild hair. "Well, mom knows," he said. "And so does Sam. They know most of it. I've never talked about it with them, though. I just don't see what good it would do."
Spock closed his eyes. "You know what is best for you," he said. "If you should like to discuss this with anybody, I am here. I have experienced a similar emotional trauma." He felt hypocritical leaving the conversation there, but he also did not want to seem eager to make Kirk talk about his woes. He stood, reaching for his bathroom things on the nightstand. "I am going to dress. We should be in the lobby in exactly thirty-two minutes."
"And how many seconds?"
"Sixteen."
Kirk smiled.
x
It would be difficult to describe the transport ride back as anything other than "awkward beyond all reason." The less said about it, the better, according to all those involved.
x
Heather Chapel scheduled an appointment to see Pike for the following Monday, during fourth period. He was talking with McKenna's father and Noel's mother as well, later in the week. Pike did not take skipping lightly, as it turned out. Christine had never actually skipped a class before so she couldn't know that. Of course, after she said the same to her mother, it occurred to Christine that she had not phrased any of this very well.
"So, if you would have known that he didn't mind skipping, you would have done so more often?" said Hannah dangerously.
Christine was not having the best time with authority figures this week.
"Okay, look, you're seeing this all wrong," she said, backing up against the kitchen counter as if trying to find a strategic position. It was Sunday evening and the Chapels had just eaten dinner. "It really was a stressful week, and we all needed to let off some steam. I promise I won't do it again!"
"If you do, I'll take away your car," said Heather, crossing her arms. "Go to your room. I'm cutting your power. You can only work on homework."
"Mom!"
Heather merely stared at Christine, who tried to stare right back, but blinked, and, pissy, stomped upstairs.
Heather turned to do the dishes. She reached up to pull most of her short black hair into a bun, leaving little feathery wisps curling around her ears. She looked just like her daughter—well, Christine looked just like her. They both had high cheekbones and ice blue eyes, they were even alike in personality, sharing interest in roller-skating and Risk and tending the little garden out back of their house. But Christine was softer than Heather; Christine's lips were fuller, and her curly blonde hair haloed in the least amounts of light. Heather rarely bothered to be beautiful. She had a hard, steel core to her that showed even through the sweetest gowns and palest jewels.
That Monday, Christine just happened to be early to fourth period. She came into Pike's room and sat in the overstuffed plaid armchair at the back of the room while Pike was fixing something under his desk. Christine's corner was dark, but not so dark that she could not be seen.
Yet Pike did not notice her. This did not bother Christine overtly. Pike got whatever was under his desk figured out and started back on grading papers. Christine studied for physiology for a few minutes until she heard a knock on the door. Both she and Pike looked up from their PADDs at the sound. It was Heather, of course. She was framed in the door, wearing her usual long sleeved shirt and slacks, her hands crossed tightly in front of her stomach and her eyes sharp.
Involuntarily, Pike stood up.
"Number One?" he said, like his throat was breaking. He bit his lip after he spoke, to keep back other sounds. He obviously had not expected this at all.
Heather hesitated visibly. "Captain," she said. She blushed a little then, and bent her neck as she pushed her hair behind her ear. "Excuse me, sir. I mean, excuse me, Mr. Pike."
"What—what are you doing here?" Pike said. He had yet to blink.
Heather looked confused. "I made an appointment with you about my daughter," she said slowly.
Pike's face went through a myriad of expressions before settling on shock. "Your daughter—you are Christine's mother?"
"Affirmative, sir," said Heather.
Pike brightened suddenly, the crinkles around his eyes deepening as he smiled. "I have not set eyes on you in years," he said heartily. "It is good to see you again, Number One."
"Please, you may call me Ms. Chapel," said Heather. "Or Heather. Yes, call me Heather."
"Call me Chris," said Pike.
"I must call you Christopher," said Heather with a smile. "I call Christine Chris sometimes. It is good to see you, Christopher. Civilian life has treated you well, I see."
"You think?" laughed Pike. "Why thank you, Heather. You look damn good yourself."
It was only at this point that Christine realized she should not be present for this. She cleared her throat hastily. Pike nearly leapt out of his skin.
"Hi!" she said brightly after the adults had turned to stare at her. "So you two really do know each other. Cool."
Heather smiled frighteningly at her, while Pike didn't even attempt to conceal his irritation.
"If you would give us a moment, Christine?" said Pike, sounding rather like an aggravated lion.
"Of course," said Christine, snatching her things and bee-lining for the door. She brushed her palm against her mother's forearm as she passed her, and Heather gave her a short, sincere glance. Christine closed the door behind her.
"Um, don't we have class?" said Kirk, who was standing awkwardly in the middle of the hall, his bookbag slung over his shoulder.
"Pike's talking to my mom," said Chapel gloomily. "About how Helen, Caz, and I skipped physics last week."
"I heard about that," said Kirk appreciatively, straightening and pulling his bookbag into a more comfortable position. "Helen gave me details. Sounded pretty great. Next time you guys do something like that, invite me."
Chapel laughed. "In your dreams. Hey, so what did you think about the deal with Leo and Scotty?"
Kirk, to Chapel's surprise, grinned. "They would be so cute together," he said. "I don't really mind. I'm a very forgiving man, you see."
"Clearly," said Chapel, impressed despite herself. "I'd be kinda pissed at him."
Kirk shrugged. "I'm also very reasonable. And actually, well—that type of thing is just not a big deal to me. And by 'that type of thing' I mean 'sex.'"
"You're of that opinion?" said Chapel. "Oh wait, look who I'm talking to. Of course you are. But yeah, no, I totally agree. Nyota's all like, 'Sex is never just sex,' but—it's such a primal instinct."
"Primal," said Kirk, "is a great word for it."
"A 'great word for' what?" said Spock, appearing behind Kirk. They contrasted sharply that day; Kirk was wearing a white t-shirt and khaki cargo pants, while Spock had on a gray button-down shirt and black, pressed slacks. Plus, Kirk's expression was lecherous, whereas Spock was stoic as usual.
"For sex," said Kirk.
"Ah," said Spock, with the air of one choosing not to comment.
"Don't you think?" said Kirk, genuinely interested.
"I do not," said Spock shortly. He glared at Kirk, who just grinned maddeningly at him.
"Excuse me," said a voice behind them. Spock had never been happier to be interrupted.
Spock turned around. "Greetings, Stonn," he said, saluting the Vulcan.
"Friend of yours?" said Kirk pleasantly.
"Yes," said Spock. "Stonn and I attended the same school on Vulcan."
"We're Spock's friends," said Chapel. "I'm Christine Chapel, and this is James Kirk. It's nice to meet you, Stonn."
"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance as well," said Stonn, shooting a sharp glance at Kirk. "Spock, if I may have a word?"
"Of course," said Spock, allowing himself to be drawn to one side.
"Are you aware that T'Pring will be attending this school as of next week?" said Stonn.
"I… I was not aware," said Spock. "I was under the impression that she would be attending the Embassy school."
"She has decided to enroll in Enterprise High," said Stonn. "I am simply…" He hesitated. "I mention this because I do not wish for her to be concerned by your flirtations with Ms. Uhura and Mr. Kirk."
Spock's eyebrows narrowed. "My relationship with Nyota has ended, and I have no interest in a relationship with James," he said.
"Ah," said Stonn. "Yet your kha'khek vok'a indicate otherwise. I can smell it."
"My chemical attractors are operating at a perfectly normal level, Stonn. I am not conducting a flirtation with James."
"As you say," said Stonn mildly. "I have a class I must attend. I will speak with you at a later time. Farewell."
"Farewell."
Spock stalked back over to Kirk and Chapel, who had been joined by Chekov and Uhura.
"Cute friend," said Uhura.
Chapel barely bit back a laugh. Uhura glared at her. Chapel mouthed, "You and Vulcans," at her. To Uhura's despair, Kirk caught what Chapel said and grinned widely.
"Thank you," said Spock dryly. "I notice that Mr. Pike has yet to open his door for class, even though class begins in one minute and four seconds."
"He's in there with my mom," said Chapel by way of explanation. "It's sort of complicated."
"Your mother?" said Chekov.
"Yeah, I skipped physics last week, long story," said Chapel. Chekov looked taken aback that anybody could skip physics. "You guys excited for Halloween?" she asked quickly, to distract them.
"So very," said Kirk. "An entire holiday centered around candy, costumes, and scaring the shit out of people. Couldn't get any better. And I've heard Hikaru's always thrown great Halloween parties."
"Aye," said Scotty, striding up. "Ah lost my virginity at one of Hikaru's Halloween parties. They're epic. 'Tis a good thing Halloween's on Friday. Were it durin' th' week, we'd have an impossible time at school th' next day."
Chekov looked delighted. "I wery much like that Hikaru's house is the one we go to for parties. It is nice, and he has such good taste in alcohol." He paused to scowl. "Except for vodka."
"Pavel, seriously, he was kidding," said Uhura.
Sulu and Bones trotted up seconds before the bell rang. Spock, deeply concerned, moved forward to knock on the door, but Pike opened it before Spock was halfway there.
"You guys can go ahead to lunch," said Pike. "Sorry. This talk is going to take a little longer than I thought. And go to the library for second section. You don't have to come back until third and fourth."
Chapel looked horrified. "Are you taking my mother hostage?"
"Of her own accord," Pike assured her. "I'll see you guys in an hour." He shut the door.
"Sweet," said Sulu, looking impressed. "Shall we head to lunch?"
"Ah suppose," said Scotty. "Nicely done, Christine. Get your mother t' come by more often."
"Definitely," Chapel said. "I really hope they spend all their time catching up and completely forget about me."
"That would be pretty convenient," Sulu agreed, starting down the hallway towards the cafeteria. "Um, quick change of topic—does anybody have specific requests for refreshments at my party?"
"Russian vodka," said Chekov urgently.
"Yes, of course," said Sulu, linking arms with Chekov. "I got Stolichnaya for you. Acceptable?"
"I suppose," said Chekov fake-grudgingly. He smiled at Sulu. "Also, I require Märzen."
"Good choice of lager," said Uhura. "Any ideas for costumes yet?"
"Oh yes," said Kirk, a positively evil look on his face. "I've got some great ideas."
Spock found himself very much looking forward to Halloween.
x