Somehow those three small words said in that way by that man terrified James T. Kirk more than facing a fleet of Klingon cruisers. In that voice Kirk had heard what he was afraid of hearing. Not the words, he was not surprised by them after how he had been, but the tone, the way the words were said and the way the elderly man looked at him. "We must talk." Not "we should talk" but that "must". Important, necessary, and, Kirk braced himself as he thought of so many possibilities, final.

It was obvious that the man had seen into Spock's mind to know that Spock called him Jim and, as he looked at the man, he wondered if he had seen the last thing he had actually said to Spock. Since that outburst they had not spoken, their actions on the Bridge just the motions that were routine and needed no words. No words and only now, as he thought about those two times they had been on the bridge at the same time after the outburst, he realized that Spock had started to retreat behind that Vulcan wall, had started to reestablish that original distance between them, had not actually looked at him.

The healer had been looking at him, studying him, and Kirk saw him nod, "He is drawn to you not out of duty but of what seldom occurs between Humans and Vulcans, what he believed was a friendship and is repulsed by you for calling him a half-breed the way you did. He is trapped in a world of chaos that I can sense but cannot reach into and he is blocking me from seeing more than recent events. He will only let me access what I must."

"What, what can I do?"

"You can grant him what he asks for."

Kick looked at McCoy and saw that his friend was equally bewildered, "He should know that all he has to do is ask."

"What he is asking for, Captain Kirk, will have a great impact on both of you but he feels he must ask for it. It is not common among Vulcans but it helps in cases such as this where one is so trapped in their own mind that they cannot function."

"Whatever he wants, if it will help him, I will," Kirk started but the healer raised his hand.

"Captain Kirk, he asked for severance and shelter."

Through Kirk's numbness all that echoed were the words severance and shelter, "What does he mean by that? What do you mean by severance?"

"As you are Human I will try to explain it in a way you will understand. He requires your permission to have me perform a severance. He has asked for a severance from your mind, a removal from your mind of all things about him except that he was an officer on your ship and a severance from his mind of all things about you except that he was an officer under your command. It is his belief that it is best for you both. Even in his confusion he still has concern for your ongoing. He will, of course, be given shelter in a facility on Vulcan for the rest of this life where he can study or meditate and where only his blood family will be able to visit him once a year."

"No!" Kirk shook his head and looked at the healer as though not believing what he had just heard, "No, he would not want that."

"Jim, you did not see how what you said to him."

"Dammit, Bones, I know him. I know what he would want."

"You know what you want but after how you were with him, with what you said to him, what do you think he would want? You heard that he is trapped in a world between believing you shared a friendship and being repulsed by you because of that outburst. Apart from that think just of how difficult he must have, over the years, found some of your other antics, think of how he must constantly be mystified by your actions and statements when they were contradictory. What you did might just have pushed him too far."

"Bones, I don't even remember doing it. You said I had been drugged."

"You and I know that but all he knows is that he asked you about allowing Officer Bennet to assume the command seat and be given the right to walk about the ship, as his right as First Officer, and you verbally attacked him not just as an officer but at a person."

"He knows I would never attack,"

"He knows you did attack him like that, Jim. For you to attack him like that was bad enough but you attacked him like that in front of the senior crew, in front of his friends. Now being Human and fully understanding hormones and how attractive Officer Bennet was I could see how easy it was for you to be attracted to her which made it easy for her to drug you. When you had that outburst even I did not know you had been drugged and, being a doctor, I should have noticed but you had none of the usual symptoms or signs. I was, hell, the whole of the bridge crew was, stunned and totally shocked by your outburst and believed you meant it. What reason would Spock have not to believe you? There was such contempt and loathing on your face, your voice was venomous and vicious, and your words cut into him. We all saw it but were too stunned to react."

For a moment Kirk closed his eyes as he knew what McCoy was saying was true. He had been weak, let himself get taken in by her. She had used him, turned him against Spock and when Spock had rightfully questioned his actions he had done what she had wanted him to do. She had been the one who had called Spock a half-breed a few times when they were alone, had talked about how half-breeds could not be trusted. When he opened his eyes he saw McCoy was studying him, saw sympathy about his face and those blue eyes, "Bones, I, I have to, I have,"

"Jim, you have to accept that perhaps this time it just too much for him to deal with anymore. Perhaps a severance,"

"DoON'T! Don't say it, Bones. Don't you dare say that a severance is what he wants."

"I was not going to say he wants one, Jim. I was going to say he might need one. Now," Kirk saw McCoy look at the healer, "I apologize, sir, but I do not understand all the Vulcan side of Spock but I do know that the Captain and Spock do seem to have some sort of mental connection and," McCoy looked back at him and Kirk saw the pain his friend was in, "I hate having to say it but, Jim, perhaps a severance is the only thing to save his sanity."

"I, his parents would,"

"I have spoken with Ambassador Sarek and Lady Amanda and they have instructed me to inform you that the decision would be yours, Captain Kirk They both agreed that they knew Spock as a child but you know his mind better and you know the man he became."

"Is. I know who he is."

"So," McCoy looked from Kirk to the healer and for that briefest of moments Kirk saw hope in the blue eyes, "there is absolutely nothing but the continued state he is in or a severance? Absolutely no other possibility?"

For a few minutes the healer looked at McCoy and Kirk found himself thinking of how Spock would have told McCoy he was being tedious with his repetition of the word absolutely, possibly even pointing how of often there are few absol... He suddenly looked at McCoy, his friend was being Spock, was looking for the remotest of possibilities no matter how illogical.

The healer looked at both of them for a long time then said, "It has been recorded that a very few with large blood families were healed by the true thoughts of those closely related by blood but Spock was an only son and records attest to there being no change with small families."

"Then, then," Kirk took a deep breath but it did not still his growing fear and he found he could not think about anything but there being no blood family to help Spock and knowing he had caused this.

"I understand this must be difficult for you, Captain Kirk. I did ask Ambassador Sarek about the family just to confirm that there was no close family. Perhaps while you decide you should discuss it with your senior crew as they may, being Human, otherwise wonder why you speak differently about him after the severance. They also might like a few last moments with him "

A/N Thanks for reading and reviewing this. More to come in about a week - wet and mild spring means weeds are threatening to take possession for the yard. Take care and HAVE FUN!