"Begging ya pardon, Mister Spock, but what tis this about? Ye thanked us all afore by getting better and coming back ta us so there is nay need for all this. If you'll be excusing me I,"

"Deliberately assaulted Healer T'Tonan's mental barriers to take the amount of my physical paid that you did when he was only prepared to allow you to take my emotional distress.."

"I'd nay say I assaulted him, Sir. I just sensed that man did nay want me to take any of the pain and that is nay a Healer ta me. I nay assaulted him, I just gave that barrier a wee shove so I could help ye better as I did not believe he would help ye as he said he was going to. I asked him before if I could take the pain and he thought I would only take the emotional pain but I know how often physical pain is linked to emotional pain and when I asked ye if I could take your pain I'm sure I said all and ye said I could. He let me take the emotional pain and tried to stop me taking all your physical pain but I nay assaulted him nor did I get all the physical pain. I am sorry,"

Spock held up his hand, "There is absolutely no reason for you to apologize, Mister Scott. Without you doing what you did I am certain all the extra care I was given by the others would not have worked and I would be sent back to Vulcan. I did not at first realize the amount of my physical pain that you had taken but was aware that T'Tonan was not wanting me to have any physical relief. For you to have taken so much,"

"As I said before, ye would do the same for us. And as I told ye then, a wee nip or two when I was back in ma quarters twas all I needed."

"A wee nip?"

"Aye, a wee nip, twas nay a full bottle but did the trick in a hot toddy or two. Right as rain the next day."

"If memory serves the last time you had three of those drinks Captain Kirk insisted you stay in your quarters until the full effects of the alcohol had worn off."

"Aye, but this time I only had two as the bottle was nay full. When I woke I t'was a tad slow but in no pain and ye was recovering so," the Scotsman paused and looked right into his eyes and Spock saw the truth there, "we'll say nay more about it."

For a moment the deep respect and caring that he had seen in the Engineer's eyes, caring and respect that had been shown by him breaking T'Tonan's barrier to his physical pain, stunned Spock. He had seen similar looks in the eyes of the others and knew that they would have tried the same thing.

"I will be most interested in reading your latest reports on the repairs to Engineering and how the new personnel are doing. From what I surmised from what you were saying while giving me that inhalation is that are some younger crewmen who need more time on practical work yet do not think they need it and they were still not all that willing to be cooperative. Perhaps if I were to visit a few times at random and question them,"

"Aye, that would be the ticket. There's also a lad,"

"The young officer, I believe you called him Kelpie. As I was getting you out of Engineering he threw over me his non-regulation genuine leatherjacket that, as it was draped on me, gave my face and neck enough protection from the shards of metal in the blast and acted as a bit of a puffer so I did not breathe in as much of the fumes as I would have otherwise have done. I will see him,"

"Only if you make a trip to Balladonia, in Australia on Earth. Family tradition going back over the generations where the eldest or only son, after some sort of military or quasi-military service, as some think of Starfleet, go back to run the station." The Engineer saw a look he knew was the First Officer trying to work out what was meant, "Oh, a station is a very, very, very big farm. He asked ta be called Kelpie as he would run all the time, was a keen observer, a quick learner, and said their best farm dogs were Kelpies and had the same attributes. Afore he left he saw ye twice and when he got back to his home he sent me some Ben Nevis which he said I was to only open it if ye and I t'were to share in celebration when ye recovered, even if ye only have a nip."

As Scotty knew that Vulcans did not drink he had resigned himself to not having any of such a fine bottle. His friend looked at him, smiled, "I shall look forward to that, Mister Scott. I will make sure that I have just a nip which, if memory serves, is only thirty milliliters."

"Aye, that will be grand, lad. Now, if ye nay mind, I best get back down and check on by bairns before I get some sleep. Think the Captain t'was right. We do need that time to catch up on our sleep but we'd all do it agin for ye."

"I know, Mist Scott. Thank you and have a good sleep."

For a moment after the Chief Engineer had left and he stood alone in the room Spock tried to picture the officer in Engineering who had been a part of saving his life. He remembered a lean athletic youth with great engineering skills and an innate ability to make the most out of the least and was sure that he would have been an exceptional assistant to Mister Scott in getting the Enterprise safely back to Starbase Ten. He could understand family tradition as he had been nearly been trapped in one and still might, later in his life, be more accepting of it and represent Vulcan in a different way. Although he had not known the man Spock realized he had, in that moment that he had looked at the man when he had thrown his jacket over shoulders, that the man was trying to save him as he was saving them. He also realized that it was only the man puling at the Chief Engineer that got Mister Scott to leave while he secured to door. He had often seen the officer either wearing when off duty or carrying the jacket and now saw it as a way he kept in touch with his roots in a real way. Yes, he would have that nip with Mister Scott.

Spock started to go to his quarters but stopped. He knew the routine of the Captain and Chief Meidcal Officer only too well and went to his quarters and found something he had been saving for the completion of the shakedown after the refit. Now was the time for it and he knew where they would be.

It had not surprised either Kirk or McCoy when Spock waited for entry into Kirk's quarters but both were slightly surprised when he put a bottle of bourbon on the table. McCoy let out a long slow whistle, "That is hard stuff to come by Spock. Rare but the real thing."

"I had purchased it for you and Jim to enjoy after the shakedown flight following the refit and the modifications. I thought now would be a good time, if you two do not mind, to celebrate all that has transpired. The ship is ready to depart to Vulcan where the crew will be doing face finding work for the ambassador while the bridge crew relaxes. No doubt on route there will be some anomalies we will be able to investigate."

While Spock had been talking Kirk got three glasses and McCoy carefully poured two standard drinks and one short drink, what his Scottish friend would call a nip, then handed a glass to Kirk and one to Spock.

Kirk looked from McCoy to Spock and then at his glass. He wondered how many times over the years they had had moments like this, a moment to reflect on how close they came to losing what they had in so many ways. He found it comforting to know that no matter how they reacted toward each other when the pressure is on, what they said to one another in the heat of the moment, all would be understood and forgiven when they found a place of refuge. A part of him wondered what he had ever done to be fortunate to have these two special beings in his life.

McCoy looked at Kirk then at Spock before he looked at his glass. Some god somewhere had blessed him with two of the most contradictory yet complementary beings to support and care for him out here in the hind end of space. He knew he could go to them with a problem and get a thorough analysis of the problem from one and a multitude of solutions and a very unusual possible solution that could make the situation better or worse from the other. This time he had been too close to losing one of them he did not like to think about his life without that annoying walking computer.

Spock looked at McCoy and Kirk who both seemed to be studying their drinks. So many times he had been at conflict with one or the other of them, and at times both of them at the same time and they had been accepting of his Vulcan aspects. He had often seen both of them have some very irrational and illogical outbursts at and with one another when words were said that stemmed from an emotional hurt yet in the end they had always understood and supported each other. He knew that the two of them were the beings he needed in his life, they were who helped him the most to survive being on the ship, they were the two beings in the whole known universe who knew him as he was beneath the veneer image he had to project. Uhura, Sulu, Chekov, and Scott also knew him but not as well, not as in depth and thoroughly as these two.

McCoy raised his glass, "To the Enterprise and all who sail in her."

Spock raised his glass, "To those who start as fellow crew members and become family."

Kirk looked at Spock and McCoy then raised his glass, "My friends, to those who know and have too often seen the worst of and in us yet are still, somehow, our friends."

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A/N Another one done - was going to wait till tomorrow but too hot and humid to sleep so far tonight so thought I would finish this. Hope you enjoyed it. Still so many to retype. Take care and HAVE FUN!