A/N: Here's the next installment. Hope you enjoy it.

And to the anon named Vulcan, I'm sorry you couldn't manage reading past me introducing my character, but maybe actually provide some constructive criticism next time.

Chapter Two: Gossip

Leonard McCoy pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to get the migraine that went by the name James T. Kirk to go away. When he opened his eyes again, Jim was still sitting in his office with that stupid grin that he so desperately wanted to smack off his face.

"You're a pain in the ass."

"And you love me, Bones."

"Debatable."

"I'm telling you, the newbie has a crush on you."

"How can you tell that?"

"My gut."

Leonard ran his hands down his face, "Jim, for the sake of what's left of my sanity, leave my office now or I'll sneak in your quarters late at night and hypo you with whatever I grab out of a random drawer."

He watched as his long time friend got up and left his office, just to make sure he was actually gone. He rested his forehead on his arms on his desk, unsure what to do with the gossip Jim had provided him.

He wasn't ready for a relationship. His ex-wife made sure of that by absolutely ruining him and everything he ever held dear.

"God help me."

Marinette settled into her duties on the Enterprise quite well. She took the extra work load in stride, wanting to do everything she could get her hands on. In a lab, she was in her element. Around people, not so much.

She finished her shift without incident and got a lot of work done which seemed to impress Spock, much to her amusement. She walked back to her quarters, hoping to get some rest before the next day. Her feet ached and she just wanted to prop them up.

The door chimed and she groaned as she stood back up to make herself presentable.

"Come in."

The door opened to reveal the Captain.

"How can I help you, Captain?"

"Are you up for being part of a landing party? I think we need a geologist."

"Certainly."

"Great! Meet the rest of us in the transporter room at 0800."

"Will do."

The Captain turned to leave and asked over his shoulder, "What do you think of Bones?

"Dr. McCoy? I think he's a brilliant doctor but I do not have any personal thoughts about him. Why do you ask?"

"Oh no reason. He's just a good man and I would hate to see him hurt again."

With that, the Captain left her quarters, leaving Marinette wondering what he was planning. She knew he was known to intervene in the personal lives of those around him and she wondered why her? And hurt again? What in the world did that mean?

She shook her head and moved to lay back down and hoped she fell asleep quickly. She would need all the rest she could get for the day ahead tomorrow.

Marinette walked down the hall to the transporter room, trying to rub the sleep from her eyes. After her exchange with the captain the previous night, she couldn't sleep well. Everything was running through her mind, wondering why he asked her about Dr. McCoy.

She walked into the transporter room to see the captain, Scotty behind the controls, Commander Spock, Lieutenant Sulu and Dr. McCoy. Marinette stepped onto the transporter pad and waited to be beamed down.

"Not a morning person?"

"I am, Captain, just when someone approaches me with a weird question, I tend to overthink it." Marinette answered, making sure he knew who she was talking about.

He turned forward and told Scotty, "Energize."

As soon as she was solid again, she pulled out a tricorder and started scanning. Nothing out of the ordinary was coming up, which she was grateful for. She watched as Spock did the same thing, but in the other direction. Kirk was busy talking to the doctor and it looked like he was trying to get a reaction out of him. She couldn't tell what about from the distance she was at, but figured she didn't want to know.

She didn't notice Sulu coming up behind her until he was next to her. She looked over at the man and wondered why he had a grin painted across his face.

He leaned over slightly, "The Captain knows."

Marinette froze in place, unsure what the man meant, "What does he know?"

"About your crush. He picks up on these things."

Marinette set her shoulders back, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Sulu gave her a look that said he wasn't buying the front she put up, but he left her alone and that's all she really wanted anyway. She pinched the bridge of her nose, frustrated at the gossip she just heard. How could the Captain know about that? She kept up her professional image whenever she was outside of her quarters. Yes, she found the doctor attractive, but anyone with a set of working eyes would.

She walked off, unsure what to do with the information and decided to just try and focus on the terrain. The planet seemed to be pretty normal as far as alien planets went. Marinette was lost in her thoughts when someone sneezed behind her. She whipped around to see Dr. McCoy there.

"Bless you."

"Thank you, darlin'. Sorry. Jim thought I should make sure you don't die or something. Him and the hobgoblin went off somewhere."

She cringed at the use of hobgoblin. She knew he insulted people he cared about, that much she had learned from her transmissions with Spock, but it still hurt. She turned back to her work without a word and followed a wall of interesting rock. She ran her fingers over it, feeling the surface of it and following it along. She was so focused on it that she didn't realize she was in danger before it was too late.

The ground under her gave way and she could only turn just fast enough to see the panicked look on Dr. McCoy's face as she fell down the cliff side. She screamed the whole way down, trying to grip onto anything but her fingers only met smooth rock.

She came to the bottom and tried to move, only to be greeted by a foreign object protruding from her stomach. She knew not to panic and induce shock from her training. She focused on her breathing and just stayed still, knowing this was going to assure her best chances of survival.

She heard someone else cussing up a storm so powerful, a sailor would have blushed, a phrase she heard from her father all too many times. She recognized the voice as the doctor's. He came up to her side in full doctor mode. He scanned her with a tricorder as he inspected the object that pierced her skin.

He flipped open his communicator, "Scotty. Two to beam up. Now. Tell Chapel I need a gurney."

"It might be a minute."

"Dammit, Scotty, Lieutenant LeBeau is severely injured. I need to get up there now."

"One second."

He slammed the communicator shut, shoving it back in his bag in frustration and calmed himself before looking Marinette in the eyes, "You'll be okay, darlin'. I'll fix ya up."

"I know you will, Doctor."

He grabbed her hand with one hand and monitored her pulse manually with the other, "Stay with me. We will be on the Enterprise soon."

"Doctor, if I don't-"

"None of that talk, ya here? You're going to be fine."

Marinette felt her eyes get heavy and she struggled to keep them open, "Tell Jim he doesn't need to worry."

"What does that mean?"

"He knows."