Fic: The Christmas Tree Incident (Star Trek AOS)
Title: The Christmas Tree Incident
Author: Lullabymoon
Rating: M
Characters/relationship: Christine Chapel/Leonard McCoy
Word Count: 3530
Contains: possible dub con due to sex pollen
A/N: For esme_green at the mccoy_chapel exchange. Prompt: Sex pollen/aliens made them do it--Christmas style!
Chris fiddled with the pot, turning it so she could see the emerging buds from their best angle when she sat doing her paperwork. Beside her, Ny snorted and Chris gave a smile. Ny returned it and reached out to touch the leaves gently.
"Where did he get it?" She looked just as entranced by it as Chris was.
"The market on Rexis three. He said it reminded him of Christmas." Chris could see why, it looked just like a minute version of the tree they used to have in their den at Christmas back home, a foot high with tiny green needles and the emerging red buds looking just like tiny red baubles.
She couldn’t wait to see them completely open and she was tempted to find tinsel somewhere and decorate it.
Ny looked knowingly at her distraction. "He is such a softy sometimes."
Chris laughed. "He can be but that wasn't what I was thinking of."
Ny raised an eyebrow.
"Christmas' back home, we had a bigger version of this in our den. I might make some tinsel."
Ny looked at the tree again, looking lost in thought.
"I think he said Rollands was getting a couple for one of the rec rooms as well, try and convert a few more people into getting a tree."
Ny stopped fingering the tree and nodded. "Well, it's certainly gorgeous. I can see him winning."
--
She was paused in thought, gazing at the tree when Len came off shift. He gave her a quick kiss before he headed to the bathroom. She put the PADD she was working on down, saving her paperwork as she heard the sonic shower engage. She rolled her shoulders, working out the tension that had formed from sitting so long. She smiled when she saw him come out the bathroom naked, moving towards her closet where he kept a couple of outfits.
He spoke as he pulled one out. "Rec room three for dinner? I'm too tired to make anything and I want to see Spock's face when he sees the trees."
She snorted at his rivalry but cocked her head to the side and didn’t say anything. At her silence he turned and caught her admiring him. A slow grinned formed on his face and he sauntered over to her. "On the other hand," he leaned down and she pulled him into a deep kiss.
"Dinner can wait," She took advantage of his nakedness to feel the skin of his back under her palms. "It's been far too long."
He gave a mmm of agreement as he pulled her out of her chair and she stumbled slightly at the change in her centre of gravity. He smirked as he watched her regain her footing then pulled her back for a lazier kiss. He slowly peeled off the old jumper she was wearing and then sucked his way down her neck.
He guided her back towards the bed and looked amused at the fact she bounced on the mattress and she couldn’t help the laughter that escaped. He quickly muffled it with his lips though and began to undo her pants.
His fingers slipped inside her panties and she arched her back as he rubbed just the way she liked. She deepened the kiss in response, her hands wandering down his body, lightly drifting over his skin in patterns she knew would make him growl.
He did and then dropped onto her completely and she grinned at the expression on his face. He pushed her panties aside and pushed inside her and the grin dropped as she groaned.
She pulled his head closer, the other arm going to his ass as she tilted her hips for a better angle. He groaned in her ear and she licked muscle in his neck.
All thoughts of dinner flew out her head as she felt the orgasm build and she lost herself in the sensations.
She curled up once they were finished, slipping off the remainder of her clothing and smiled lazily as he wandered about her quarters, rummaging for something to eat.
--
Ny wasn't the only one who expressed an interest in her tree. Janice was transfixed by it as well, and rec room three with its four trees suddenly became one of the most popular, managing to sway over those who had never heard of the old tradition of a tree at the Christmas holiday.
--
They were having a group dinner in rec room three and Jim was acting rather gleeful around the trees. It deeply amused her, both because he needed the distraction after the last away mission gone wrong and because Len was muttering under his breath.
She curled up against Len as she relaxed after dinner, Jim finally having calmed down. She felt almost sleepy as she watched the bustle of the room and group around her and revelled in the warmth of Len. Conversation faded away as they sat filled from dinner, silent until Ny stood and went to look for Spock, Janice and Jim bantering their way out the door and she took the opportunity to drag Len back to her quarters.
--
The shift had been relatively quiet, for which she was extremely grateful, so it didn’t take long to brief her replacement, Sofia Albanez, on what had happened.
"A couple of burns from engineering,"
Sofia rolled her eyes, "At least they came to get treated."
Chris laughed. "Three urine infections,"
Sofia raised an eyebrow.
"Nothing serious, although I want to keep an eye on them. No other symptoms, aside from the occasional broken arm and sprained muscles."
Sofia laughed. "Well as long as someone is having fun." She paused. "Still, three? A sign of cabin fever or holiday excitement?"
Chris put the PADD down. "It could be but it's still a low number. They weren't showing any other obvious symptoms so just keep the stats up to date for now."
Sofia nodded and grinned. "Now why don’t you go and have some fun."
Chris laughed. "That would be the day." She stretched, "I think I'll try for sleep first."
--
She lay curled up in bed, tired but she couldn’t settle. Len was on a different shift pattern today, and she had the bed to herself. She'd relaxed in the shower, taking her time despite how tired she was but she still couldn’t fall into sleep.
She tossed around again before getting out of bed and kneeling on the floor. She opened the drawer underneath her bed and sighed as she pulled out her toybox. She obviously hadn’t been spending enough time with Len lately and she blamed Sofia for putting the thought into her head. She began to let her thoughts wander in Len's direction as she picked out her favourite toy and crawled back into bed.
--
It was T'val who handed over to her when she came on shift next. She frowned when she saw yet more urine infections and strange injuries.
Even more worrying still, there was a message from Jim to all senior officers asking that they control their officers better on duty. There had been a couple of reports of indecent behaviour, not only off duty but in corners on duty as well. He wanted the behaviour nipped in the bud before anything happened.
She frowned and let the rest of her staff handle what few people came in, leaving the instruction to let her know if anyone else came in with any similar symptoms.
In her office she brought up the test results of everyone who had been in in the last two days. Nothing to indicate anything obvious but then they had only been testing for general well being and signs of infection
She sighed as she leaned back in her chair. She was going to have to run more tests and Len needed to be notified. The Captain too, though she would have rather she had more information on what was going on before that happened.
She sent a message to Len just as Endrick, one of their relatively new starts, chimed her door and came in at her permission.
"We have someone else with an infection, ma'am,"
She nodded and darted out.
Ensign Palmer looked slightly worried at the way she took over but she reassured her with a smile and, "We're just running a few evaluations. You know what it is like."
Palmer nodded and smiled at Endrick. "It's always worse when they spring them on us."
Endrick nodded but thankfully Palmer took his further silence with good humour now she thought he was being evaluated.
Chris started a full scan, vaguely aware of Len coming in the main door.
--
Chris looked again at the results, frowning as she struggled to comprehend them. The levels were all over the place and she had never seen anything like it, either in practice or in anything she had read.
"Doctor?" She tried to keep her voice low enough that Palmer, still sitting through in the main ward, wouldn't hear. Len shifted from his own station, looking serious as he heard her professional tone. He stood beside her and gently took the PADD from her hands. He looked disbelievingly at her after he read the results. "Are you sure?"
Chris nodded. "I ran the test again to make sure. Testosterone and oestradiol levels are off the charts. Nothing I know of can cause these levels."
Len shook his head. "I've never seen anything like it either. Give her one cc anestol to reverse the levels while we try and figure it out. What did she come in for?"
"Urine infection, like all the others. She seems a little fidgety too."
"Did you do a history?"
She nodded. "Feeling fine, very good in fact until last night when the signs of infection started showing. She felt nothing wrong that she didn't think wasn't related to the infection. She thought she might have got it from being over active this last couple of days."
"Sexually?
Chris nodded. "Which I supposed could account for some of the levels but it's still high. Some of the other tests we've run again are coming back exactly the same."
"Shit. Run a full spectrum, get everyone to take detailed histories. And get someone on to Rexis three, see if they have had any outbreaks. I'll notify Jim."
"On it."
She sat down to her tasks, letting the computer run through further test results as she talked to the authorities. She signed off and turned back to Len.
"They have had nothing like this, haven’t heard of anything like it either."
Len cursed. "The only things other than the elevated hormone levels showing up are all signs of an infection."
He dropped his head and he looked exhausted as she felt.
She looked back at the screens. All the histories that had been collected were being analysed, the tests still on-going and the thorough environmental scans still in progress. She got lost in the data, only looking up as she heard Jim comm to ask for an update. She winced at the time that had passed and waited until Len had signed off.
"There's nothing we can do at the moment. I need something to eat."
He snorted, recognised what she was really saying.
"We'll go to rec room three, get dinner and you can admire the trees before we have a nap. Tests should have finished by then."
--
The rec room was pretty quiet, and word had obviously started to get around as there rise in hushed comments when they walked in. Grabbing a tray and sitting down, Chris leaned against Len, his hand on her knee as they ate in silence. She felt better as she ate, though she had trouble sitting still. The chatter and the decorations of the room were relaxing and she felt more awake when they finished and stood to head back to his quarters.
They entered the turbolift and suddenly she felt as if she couldn’t get enough of Len, that it had been far too long since they had been close, the reality of the situation fleeing her mind totally.
She pulled him close and he seemed to feel the same way for when the turoblift doors shut he came willingly. He kissed her fully, like they were in their own private rooms, his hands going around her waist and lower as she wound her arms around his neck and pressed herself against him. She was barely aware of bumping against the turbolift wall, so focused on kissing him and getting closer was she and only she came to herself when there was a loud cough and a tap on her shoulder that she wasn't expecting.
They pulled away from each other and she found herself a little mortified to be discovered as the crewman tried not to smirk.
They brushed past him, not looking at each other as they stormed down the corridor, mostly managing to keep their hands to themselves as they made their way into his quarters.
Inside was a different story and he pulled her against him again as soon as the door closed. She managed to swipe her hand over the controls to lock the door before he pushed her towards the bed, his hands eagerly sweeping under the hem of her uniform dress as he kissed her deeply.
She kissed him back with just as much passion and her hands tugged at his belt and fiddled with his fly, managing to drop his pants just as he pulled away to pull her dress up and over her head. She laughed as it landed on the floor and he resumed his kisses, hands aiming for her panties this time.
He shuffled forwards towards his bed, causing her to stumble slightly as she walked backwards and hit against the bed. She sat down, pulling him with her so he landed on top of her and there was a brief pause as they shuffled up the bed to get less awkward and he kicked his pants off, cursing as he had to reach down and pull his shoes off to help. He pulled hers off at the same time, his hands smoothing their way back up her legs to tug her panties down as he resumed kissing her. They got stuck at her knees and he rolled, arms still around her and pulling her with him to lie on top of him. She rose to her knees, tugging her panties off and throwing them to the floor.
His hands landed on her hips momentarily and she leaned down to kiss him again. One hand took advantage of her position and cupped a breast, the other feeling her cunt. She hissed, pulled away from him slightly and smiled down at him. She caught his cock in one hand and decided enough was enough and guided him in.
Then it was a blur of hips rocking, hands stroking and heavy breathing till she came, Len shortly following as she squeezed around him.
She slumped before she rolled off him and collapsed in a heap beside him. She was barely able to keep her eyes open but something was niggling at the back of her brain. He pulled her close to him, spooning as he had a tendency to do, but she could tell he was frowning as well. "Sorry, got carried away."
She nodded sleepily but stood to get a glass of water, the nagging feeling stopping her from relaxing.
He was watching her through half closed eyes, but he had the expression that he got when her was thinking deeply about something.
She was looking at the mess of clothes on the floor when it finally hit her what was bothering her.
"We were too tired to do anything."
It took a second but he caught up with her and his eyes snapped open.
Grogginess aside, she sat beside him on the bed as they hastily started dressing.
"We must have been exposed to what ever everyone else had."
"We were fine though the shift and the last couple of days," she pulled on one of her boots, "so we must have been recently exposed,"
"Or we didn’t notice the side effects like everyone else,"
He zipped his pants as she pulled her hair back into a loose ponytail and they turned to face each other as realisation dawned.
"The trees,"
"Damn," he muttered as they rushed out into the corridor.
They jogged most of the way and she ignored the questioning looks they got from the rest of the staff as they headed into the lab, rushing to see the results.
She looked though the histories, easier to find the answer know she knew what she was looking for.
"Everyone has been spending a lot of time in rec room three"
It was enough to at least support their thoughts so Len moved over to the intercom. "Security, we need to evacuate rec room three, then send in a hazard team to collect the Christmas trees."
"Yes Doctor, to sickbay?"
Len nodded. "Yes," and signed off and turned back to her.
"What about their histamine levels?"
"Slightly elevated but that made sense since they were fighting an infection."
He nodded again. "If it is the pollen then that would explain why it hasn’t been a mass outbreak."
She watched as he brought up the test results. "Nothing standing out about it in the environment filters."
"But specifically to rec room three? Perhaps the computer was filtering it out and that would explain why it wasn't showing up in the scans elsewhere."
Len nodded. "It would also account for the distribution amongst the crew." He took a minute tapping through to the results and she watched as the first of the trees were brought into sickbay.
She walked out, grabbing a tricorder before directing them.
She started scanning and Len joined her.
"Filters in rec room three are showing high levels of unidentified pollen."
She showed him the screen. "It look anything like this?"
He nodded. "I'll be, they looked so pretty too."
She hid a smile. "What anti-histamine do you want to try first?"
He pulled up the screens further, showing the analysis he had already started.
"It looks similar to the Andorian Snow Petal pollen so try the standard away mission shot."
"Who to?"
He scanned himself. "My levels are pretty high at the moment,"
She looked at him for a second then reached for the bag. She adjusted the dial and gave hom the shot. She started scanning him with the tricorder.
"Anything yet?"
She raised an eyebrow. "You know how long it takes to kick in."
They waited, Jim comming them as they did so.
"Security notified us about the Christmas trees. Man, people are going to be disappointed."
Len rolled his eyes and it took all her effort not to break out in giggles, most likely from the stress.
"We got back in the comm to Rexis three and they said they've never had a problem with the trees before although we are the first ship with humans to stop by for a while."
"Typical. We think we've come up with a cure anyway, we're testing it now."
"Let me guess, on yourself."
She couldn’t help the snort and Jim laughed.
"All right, keep me updated. Kirk out."
She scanned him again and smiled. "Histamine levels are down to normal levels, with no adverse reaction showing up." She put down the tricorder. "How are you feeling?"
"Much the same, but it might take a few days before we notice the total effect."
She nodded and he carried on. "Get the shots organised and I'll update the records and get every one informed."
--
"Head Nurse's log stardate 2260.79,
Antihistamine shots have been administered on a rolling basis to counteract what has become known as the Christmas Tree Pollen. Further testing has indicated some humans were reacting to the pollen but instead of the usual allergic reaction found, there was interaction on a hormonal basis. Continued use of antihistamines has shown symptoms to dissipate completely and have had no adverse affects. All records have been updated and the trees have been distributed again, although in smaller numbers to stop the accumulation of pollen in one room and avoid a repeat of the symptoms."
Chris watched as Len came out the bathroom, looking as tired as she felt. They now had some free time, and crisis over for the moment, were content to sit on her couch after shift.
She cuddled into his side and his arm settled on her shoulder. They watched the little tree she had placed back on her desk now it was safe. He laughed as she saw the addition she had made: a little strand of tinsel and a couple of tiny lights.
"It looks just like the real thing."
She nodded and started to fall asleep. "It's hard to believe something so pretty had such an affect."
He mumbled an agreement and they fell asleep bathed in the soft light of the tree.
Author: Lullabymoon
Rating: M
Characters/relationship: Christine Chapel/Leonard McCoy
Word Count: 3530
Contains: possible dub con due to sex pollen
A/N: For esme_green at the mccoy_chapel exchange. Prompt: Sex pollen/aliens made them do it--Christmas style!
Chris fiddled with the pot, turning it so she could see the emerging buds from their best angle when she sat doing her paperwork. Beside her, Ny snorted and Chris gave a smile. Ny returned it and reached out to touch the leaves gently.
"Where did he get it?" She looked just as entranced by it as Chris was.
"The market on Rexis three. He said it reminded him of Christmas." Chris could see why, it looked just like a minute version of the tree they used to have in their den at Christmas back home, a foot high with tiny green needles and the emerging red buds looking just like tiny red baubles.
She couldn’t wait to see them completely open and she was tempted to find tinsel somewhere and decorate it.
Ny looked knowingly at her distraction. "He is such a softy sometimes."
Chris laughed. "He can be but that wasn't what I was thinking of."
Ny raised an eyebrow.
"Christmas' back home, we had a bigger version of this in our den. I might make some tinsel."
Ny looked at the tree again, looking lost in thought.
"I think he said Rollands was getting a couple for one of the rec rooms as well, try and convert a few more people into getting a tree."
Ny stopped fingering the tree and nodded. "Well, it's certainly gorgeous. I can see him winning."
--
She was paused in thought, gazing at the tree when Len came off shift. He gave her a quick kiss before he headed to the bathroom. She put the PADD she was working on down, saving her paperwork as she heard the sonic shower engage. She rolled her shoulders, working out the tension that had formed from sitting so long. She smiled when she saw him come out the bathroom naked, moving towards her closet where he kept a couple of outfits.
He spoke as he pulled one out. "Rec room three for dinner? I'm too tired to make anything and I want to see Spock's face when he sees the trees."
She snorted at his rivalry but cocked her head to the side and didn’t say anything. At her silence he turned and caught her admiring him. A slow grinned formed on his face and he sauntered over to her. "On the other hand," he leaned down and she pulled him into a deep kiss.
"Dinner can wait," She took advantage of his nakedness to feel the skin of his back under her palms. "It's been far too long."
He gave a mmm of agreement as he pulled her out of her chair and she stumbled slightly at the change in her centre of gravity. He smirked as he watched her regain her footing then pulled her back for a lazier kiss. He slowly peeled off the old jumper she was wearing and then sucked his way down her neck.
He guided her back towards the bed and looked amused at the fact she bounced on the mattress and she couldn’t help the laughter that escaped. He quickly muffled it with his lips though and began to undo her pants.
His fingers slipped inside her panties and she arched her back as he rubbed just the way she liked. She deepened the kiss in response, her hands wandering down his body, lightly drifting over his skin in patterns she knew would make him growl.
He did and then dropped onto her completely and she grinned at the expression on his face. He pushed her panties aside and pushed inside her and the grin dropped as she groaned.
She pulled his head closer, the other arm going to his ass as she tilted her hips for a better angle. He groaned in her ear and she licked muscle in his neck.
All thoughts of dinner flew out her head as she felt the orgasm build and she lost herself in the sensations.
She curled up once they were finished, slipping off the remainder of her clothing and smiled lazily as he wandered about her quarters, rummaging for something to eat.
--
Ny wasn't the only one who expressed an interest in her tree. Janice was transfixed by it as well, and rec room three with its four trees suddenly became one of the most popular, managing to sway over those who had never heard of the old tradition of a tree at the Christmas holiday.
--
They were having a group dinner in rec room three and Jim was acting rather gleeful around the trees. It deeply amused her, both because he needed the distraction after the last away mission gone wrong and because Len was muttering under his breath.
She curled up against Len as she relaxed after dinner, Jim finally having calmed down. She felt almost sleepy as she watched the bustle of the room and group around her and revelled in the warmth of Len. Conversation faded away as they sat filled from dinner, silent until Ny stood and went to look for Spock, Janice and Jim bantering their way out the door and she took the opportunity to drag Len back to her quarters.
--
The shift had been relatively quiet, for which she was extremely grateful, so it didn’t take long to brief her replacement, Sofia Albanez, on what had happened.
"A couple of burns from engineering,"
Sofia rolled her eyes, "At least they came to get treated."
Chris laughed. "Three urine infections,"
Sofia raised an eyebrow.
"Nothing serious, although I want to keep an eye on them. No other symptoms, aside from the occasional broken arm and sprained muscles."
Sofia laughed. "Well as long as someone is having fun." She paused. "Still, three? A sign of cabin fever or holiday excitement?"
Chris put the PADD down. "It could be but it's still a low number. They weren't showing any other obvious symptoms so just keep the stats up to date for now."
Sofia nodded and grinned. "Now why don’t you go and have some fun."
Chris laughed. "That would be the day." She stretched, "I think I'll try for sleep first."
--
She lay curled up in bed, tired but she couldn’t settle. Len was on a different shift pattern today, and she had the bed to herself. She'd relaxed in the shower, taking her time despite how tired she was but she still couldn’t fall into sleep.
She tossed around again before getting out of bed and kneeling on the floor. She opened the drawer underneath her bed and sighed as she pulled out her toybox. She obviously hadn’t been spending enough time with Len lately and she blamed Sofia for putting the thought into her head. She began to let her thoughts wander in Len's direction as she picked out her favourite toy and crawled back into bed.
--
It was T'val who handed over to her when she came on shift next. She frowned when she saw yet more urine infections and strange injuries.
Even more worrying still, there was a message from Jim to all senior officers asking that they control their officers better on duty. There had been a couple of reports of indecent behaviour, not only off duty but in corners on duty as well. He wanted the behaviour nipped in the bud before anything happened.
She frowned and let the rest of her staff handle what few people came in, leaving the instruction to let her know if anyone else came in with any similar symptoms.
In her office she brought up the test results of everyone who had been in in the last two days. Nothing to indicate anything obvious but then they had only been testing for general well being and signs of infection
She sighed as she leaned back in her chair. She was going to have to run more tests and Len needed to be notified. The Captain too, though she would have rather she had more information on what was going on before that happened.
She sent a message to Len just as Endrick, one of their relatively new starts, chimed her door and came in at her permission.
"We have someone else with an infection, ma'am,"
She nodded and darted out.
Ensign Palmer looked slightly worried at the way she took over but she reassured her with a smile and, "We're just running a few evaluations. You know what it is like."
Palmer nodded and smiled at Endrick. "It's always worse when they spring them on us."
Endrick nodded but thankfully Palmer took his further silence with good humour now she thought he was being evaluated.
Chris started a full scan, vaguely aware of Len coming in the main door.
--
Chris looked again at the results, frowning as she struggled to comprehend them. The levels were all over the place and she had never seen anything like it, either in practice or in anything she had read.
"Doctor?" She tried to keep her voice low enough that Palmer, still sitting through in the main ward, wouldn't hear. Len shifted from his own station, looking serious as he heard her professional tone. He stood beside her and gently took the PADD from her hands. He looked disbelievingly at her after he read the results. "Are you sure?"
Chris nodded. "I ran the test again to make sure. Testosterone and oestradiol levels are off the charts. Nothing I know of can cause these levels."
Len shook his head. "I've never seen anything like it either. Give her one cc anestol to reverse the levels while we try and figure it out. What did she come in for?"
"Urine infection, like all the others. She seems a little fidgety too."
"Did you do a history?"
She nodded. "Feeling fine, very good in fact until last night when the signs of infection started showing. She felt nothing wrong that she didn't think wasn't related to the infection. She thought she might have got it from being over active this last couple of days."
"Sexually?
Chris nodded. "Which I supposed could account for some of the levels but it's still high. Some of the other tests we've run again are coming back exactly the same."
"Shit. Run a full spectrum, get everyone to take detailed histories. And get someone on to Rexis three, see if they have had any outbreaks. I'll notify Jim."
"On it."
She sat down to her tasks, letting the computer run through further test results as she talked to the authorities. She signed off and turned back to Len.
"They have had nothing like this, haven’t heard of anything like it either."
Len cursed. "The only things other than the elevated hormone levels showing up are all signs of an infection."
He dropped his head and he looked exhausted as she felt.
She looked back at the screens. All the histories that had been collected were being analysed, the tests still on-going and the thorough environmental scans still in progress. She got lost in the data, only looking up as she heard Jim comm to ask for an update. She winced at the time that had passed and waited until Len had signed off.
"There's nothing we can do at the moment. I need something to eat."
He snorted, recognised what she was really saying.
"We'll go to rec room three, get dinner and you can admire the trees before we have a nap. Tests should have finished by then."
--
The rec room was pretty quiet, and word had obviously started to get around as there rise in hushed comments when they walked in. Grabbing a tray and sitting down, Chris leaned against Len, his hand on her knee as they ate in silence. She felt better as she ate, though she had trouble sitting still. The chatter and the decorations of the room were relaxing and she felt more awake when they finished and stood to head back to his quarters.
They entered the turbolift and suddenly she felt as if she couldn’t get enough of Len, that it had been far too long since they had been close, the reality of the situation fleeing her mind totally.
She pulled him close and he seemed to feel the same way for when the turoblift doors shut he came willingly. He kissed her fully, like they were in their own private rooms, his hands going around her waist and lower as she wound her arms around his neck and pressed herself against him. She was barely aware of bumping against the turbolift wall, so focused on kissing him and getting closer was she and only she came to herself when there was a loud cough and a tap on her shoulder that she wasn't expecting.
They pulled away from each other and she found herself a little mortified to be discovered as the crewman tried not to smirk.
They brushed past him, not looking at each other as they stormed down the corridor, mostly managing to keep their hands to themselves as they made their way into his quarters.
Inside was a different story and he pulled her against him again as soon as the door closed. She managed to swipe her hand over the controls to lock the door before he pushed her towards the bed, his hands eagerly sweeping under the hem of her uniform dress as he kissed her deeply.
She kissed him back with just as much passion and her hands tugged at his belt and fiddled with his fly, managing to drop his pants just as he pulled away to pull her dress up and over her head. She laughed as it landed on the floor and he resumed his kisses, hands aiming for her panties this time.
He shuffled forwards towards his bed, causing her to stumble slightly as she walked backwards and hit against the bed. She sat down, pulling him with her so he landed on top of her and there was a brief pause as they shuffled up the bed to get less awkward and he kicked his pants off, cursing as he had to reach down and pull his shoes off to help. He pulled hers off at the same time, his hands smoothing their way back up her legs to tug her panties down as he resumed kissing her. They got stuck at her knees and he rolled, arms still around her and pulling her with him to lie on top of him. She rose to her knees, tugging her panties off and throwing them to the floor.
His hands landed on her hips momentarily and she leaned down to kiss him again. One hand took advantage of her position and cupped a breast, the other feeling her cunt. She hissed, pulled away from him slightly and smiled down at him. She caught his cock in one hand and decided enough was enough and guided him in.
Then it was a blur of hips rocking, hands stroking and heavy breathing till she came, Len shortly following as she squeezed around him.
She slumped before she rolled off him and collapsed in a heap beside him. She was barely able to keep her eyes open but something was niggling at the back of her brain. He pulled her close to him, spooning as he had a tendency to do, but she could tell he was frowning as well. "Sorry, got carried away."
She nodded sleepily but stood to get a glass of water, the nagging feeling stopping her from relaxing.
He was watching her through half closed eyes, but he had the expression that he got when her was thinking deeply about something.
She was looking at the mess of clothes on the floor when it finally hit her what was bothering her.
"We were too tired to do anything."
It took a second but he caught up with her and his eyes snapped open.
Grogginess aside, she sat beside him on the bed as they hastily started dressing.
"We must have been exposed to what ever everyone else had."
"We were fine though the shift and the last couple of days," she pulled on one of her boots, "so we must have been recently exposed,"
"Or we didn’t notice the side effects like everyone else,"
He zipped his pants as she pulled her hair back into a loose ponytail and they turned to face each other as realisation dawned.
"The trees,"
"Damn," he muttered as they rushed out into the corridor.
They jogged most of the way and she ignored the questioning looks they got from the rest of the staff as they headed into the lab, rushing to see the results.
She looked though the histories, easier to find the answer know she knew what she was looking for.
"Everyone has been spending a lot of time in rec room three"
It was enough to at least support their thoughts so Len moved over to the intercom. "Security, we need to evacuate rec room three, then send in a hazard team to collect the Christmas trees."
"Yes Doctor, to sickbay?"
Len nodded. "Yes," and signed off and turned back to her.
"What about their histamine levels?"
"Slightly elevated but that made sense since they were fighting an infection."
He nodded again. "If it is the pollen then that would explain why it hasn’t been a mass outbreak."
She watched as he brought up the test results. "Nothing standing out about it in the environment filters."
"But specifically to rec room three? Perhaps the computer was filtering it out and that would explain why it wasn't showing up in the scans elsewhere."
Len nodded. "It would also account for the distribution amongst the crew." He took a minute tapping through to the results and she watched as the first of the trees were brought into sickbay.
She walked out, grabbing a tricorder before directing them.
She started scanning and Len joined her.
"Filters in rec room three are showing high levels of unidentified pollen."
She showed him the screen. "It look anything like this?"
He nodded. "I'll be, they looked so pretty too."
She hid a smile. "What anti-histamine do you want to try first?"
He pulled up the screens further, showing the analysis he had already started.
"It looks similar to the Andorian Snow Petal pollen so try the standard away mission shot."
"Who to?"
He scanned himself. "My levels are pretty high at the moment,"
She looked at him for a second then reached for the bag. She adjusted the dial and gave hom the shot. She started scanning him with the tricorder.
"Anything yet?"
She raised an eyebrow. "You know how long it takes to kick in."
They waited, Jim comming them as they did so.
"Security notified us about the Christmas trees. Man, people are going to be disappointed."
Len rolled his eyes and it took all her effort not to break out in giggles, most likely from the stress.
"We got back in the comm to Rexis three and they said they've never had a problem with the trees before although we are the first ship with humans to stop by for a while."
"Typical. We think we've come up with a cure anyway, we're testing it now."
"Let me guess, on yourself."
She couldn’t help the snort and Jim laughed.
"All right, keep me updated. Kirk out."
She scanned him again and smiled. "Histamine levels are down to normal levels, with no adverse reaction showing up." She put down the tricorder. "How are you feeling?"
"Much the same, but it might take a few days before we notice the total effect."
She nodded and he carried on. "Get the shots organised and I'll update the records and get every one informed."
--
"Head Nurse's log stardate 2260.79,
Antihistamine shots have been administered on a rolling basis to counteract what has become known as the Christmas Tree Pollen. Further testing has indicated some humans were reacting to the pollen but instead of the usual allergic reaction found, there was interaction on a hormonal basis. Continued use of antihistamines has shown symptoms to dissipate completely and have had no adverse affects. All records have been updated and the trees have been distributed again, although in smaller numbers to stop the accumulation of pollen in one room and avoid a repeat of the symptoms."
Chris watched as Len came out the bathroom, looking as tired as she felt. They now had some free time, and crisis over for the moment, were content to sit on her couch after shift.
She cuddled into his side and his arm settled on her shoulder. They watched the little tree she had placed back on her desk now it was safe. He laughed as she saw the addition she had made: a little strand of tinsel and a couple of tiny lights.
"It looks just like the real thing."
She nodded and started to fall asleep. "It's hard to believe something so pretty had such an affect."
He mumbled an agreement and they fell asleep bathed in the soft light of the tree.