Spock/Uhura New Year's Present (Part 2): For Lurkch

[lantean_breeze]

Recipient:  lurkch
Present Giver: spocklikescats
Story Name:  "Slow Tease" *


UHURA CLOSED HER EYES in sensual pleasure. Her lips closed around the spoonful of dark chocolate mousse. Then, on a devilish impulse, she turned the spoon slightly, the bittersweet taste caressing her tongue, and - gazing at Spock - licked the mousse out of it, showing him her … technique.

Wait, was that his foot stroking up the outside of her leg? She narrowed her eyes at him, smiling. His expression was imperturbable.

Just then he put a spoonful of mousse in his mouth, looking sidelong at her, and slowly, slowly, pulled out the spoon.

CHRISTINE CHAPEL finished the last of her second glass of wine and noticed Len was pretty tired - shoulders propped against the top edge of the hot tub, his head relaxed backward in a prelude to sleep. “Hey,” she said urgently. He shook his head as he brought it up and apologized.

“Whew - fourteen hours on duty and half a bottle of wine …” he said, blinking. “May not have been the smartest thing I ever-“ and paused. “Oh, my.”

Christine, who’d been watching him, followed his gaze, and saw Jim Kirk, bearing lovely green Gaila in his arms, coming toward the Jacuzzi. He settled her on the edge of the pool so she could put her legs in the hot water. She gathered up what there was of her sheer silver skirt, plunging her left leg into the water, and sighed with relief. “That … feels … so-o-o good, Jim. Thanks.”
She peeled off her skirt at the waist. She was wearing a thong that went with her costume, green to match her skin, and sank quickly into the water, the bra of her dance costume glimmering beneath the surface.

KIRK WENT INTO a booth, requested bathing trunks from the clothing processor, donned them and went out to join his friends. As he walked toward the Jacuzzi he watched the two beautiful redheads - Gaila, her wavy auburn hair trailing into the water, curling into wet spirals, and Nurse Chapel, her titian hair wound up in the back, curling at the front.

Bones, his damp dark hair sticking out in all directions (McCoy had more cowlicks than Jim had ever seen on any living being), looked languid without benefit of bourbon. Jim suddenly realized how tight Bones was often wound; he had the care of the crew on his shoulders all the time. He made a mental note to order Bones to take a couple of hours extra time off daily - barring shipwide emergencies - so he could do more than drink and sleep. Maybe McCoy was curmudgeonly because he was always taut as a string about to break and taking a few snorts of booze was the only way he could let himself relax.

Kirk stepped into the hot tub and realized his own muscles had tightened in his concern for Gaila. But at least he generally took good care to exercise, stretch, and keep his body limber.

At the Academy Captain Pike had taught him that by example. Maybe instead of ordering McCoy to take a couple of hours off after work, Kirk could ask him to “look after his captain’s health” by “supervising” his exercise program.
Meanwhile, he’d pursue his individual program of relaxation by showing appreciation for Gaila. He made his way to her side.
When her hand closed over the top of his knee, he figured she might be doing the same thing for him.

SO WHAT HAPPENED to your leg?” asked Dr. McCoy. If he’d worn glasses, Gaila thought, he’d be looking over them at her. Nurse Chapel looked interested, and even kind of friendly. When Gaila had gone to Sickbay on her afternoon visit, Chapel had been all business, wearing a rather stoic expression. You’d have to, wouldn’t you, to cope with that smell. Gaila wasn’t sure if the smell emanated from the herbal decoction for the patients to drink, or from … blugh … the worms, but she wasn’t about to ask.

“I didn’t stretch well enough before I danced. I got some wicked cramps.”

“Where did you dance?” asked Chapel. “I would love to have seen you. I’ve never seen an Orion dance performance.”

Gaila bit her lip. “It was a … sort of … rehearsal performance.”

“So how’s the Gnallifian … thing going?” Kirk asked, rolling one shoulder and easing his neck. Nurse Chapel looked amused for a second, like, Good diversion there, Captain.

McCoy’s right eyebrow ascended - he was about to answer acerbically - and Chapel quickly said, “It’s going about as well as we can expect, Captain. Your officers really hate being away from work. And Doctor McCoy needs to spend a little less time listening to them complain. He needs more rest.”

To prevent her from seeing McCoy’s expression at this last, Kirk said, “Please, call me Jim.”

“Jim, then. My first name is Christine,” she told him.

“I kno-“ Jim caught a thunderous, don’t you dare look from Bones. “I noticed,” he amended. “I was reviewing the crew manifest recently. It’s a pretty name, Christine Chapel.”

“Thanks,” she smiled.

“Charlene and Scotty hate drinking that herbal stuff,” Gaila said before thinking, but Chapel’s eyes crinkled at the corners and she let out a laugh.

“Everybody hates drinking it. But it’s the only thing that’ll kill the … that’ll fix the problem. We could spend a day or so trying to isolate the essential elements that cure the condition, but Le-Dr. McCoy won’t hear of it.”

“By the time we did that, the herbal stuff will have gotten them better. And too bad if they don’t like it. A little suffering is good for the soul - especially the souls who didn’t listen to their CMO before they went on shore leave.” He narrowed his eyes and smirked evilly.
Jim laughed. “Man, you’ve got a mean streak! I think you’re more pissed that they didn’t listen to you than that one-third of the crew is down with worms.”

“Yecch,” said Gaila, shivering. “I’m glad I went shopping instead. They were saying the food tasted great, and three hours later they all had to run to the head.”

“’Run’ being the operative word, from what I hear.” Jim grinned. “I was lucky, I went to a restaurant. Cupcake knew this great place.”
“You still call him that?” Gaila wondered at it. Hendorff was a nice guy, but after a few beers, he wasn’t always, not when he got mad about something. He’d gotten mad at Kirk in the Shipyard Bar four years ago because Jim had put the moves on Uhura.
“He’s sort of gotten used to it,” Jim smiled. “I like it as a nickname for him, and I’m the captain …”

“That’s mean!” Gaila frowned at him.

“… and he said he’s fine with it if I don’t call him that in front of other people.” Jim looked at her reassuringly.

Chapel rolled her eyes. “You two and your ju-jitsu practice. How many times has one of you needed shoulder repair?”

McCoy held up a hand. “Hendorff, three. Jim, four.” He glared at Kirk. “That’ll teach you to keep messing with the big ones. And by the way, Christine and I have better things to do with our time.”

Kirk raised his eyebrows, baby blues twinkling, and said “Oh really? “

Something caught Gaila’s eye. “Hi, Yoo-hoo,” she sang out. “I love your dress!”

UHURA LOOKED UP, startled, and waved at Gaila. She had somehow thought she and Spock would be alone. She looked at him in consternation, but he walked forward to the changing booth. She followed him in. He was already doffing his tunic.

“I thought …” she began. Spock leaned forward and slowly kissed her lips. He pulled back and gazed into her eyes; sometimes those eyes of his almost hypnotized her … and his lovely mouth …

Spock was saying, in the sexy, raspy range of his voice, “Surely we may partake of a communal soak for a short time.”

Uhura nodded, slipping her arms up around his shoulders, flattening her palms on his warm skin and sliding them up to the back of his head. She pulled him into another kiss, a slippery, deep one, and saw his eyes close. They opened as she pulled back with a crooked smile. “I’m game if you are.”

He reached, stroking her collarbone with the backs of his fingers, tracing downward to unbutton her dress, his left eye showing the beginnings of a twinkle. He fetched something out of his pocket and handed it to her.

“Thank you … I forgot to bring one,” she said, winding up her hair into a bun and securing it with the rounded holder. He hung her dress up and took off his boots, trousers and underwear. Nyota appreciated his nude form as he stepped over to the processor to order and don swim briefs. He saw her watching him and raised his eyebrow. “You did express a wish recently-“

“Ahhh,” she said, with the air of a conspirator, took off her high-heeled sandals, and preceded him out.

“WHY DO YOU call her Yoo-hoo?” Christine asked Gaila as Spock descended into the hot tub, turning to lift Uhura down. That was sweet, Gaila thought, but Uhura seemed oddly pleased about it. She was usually quite independent. They settled down across from Gaila and Jim, nodding to everyone in greeting. Dr. McCoy was studying Commander Spock.

“It started as a silly joke I made when she was helping me refine my Standard. Remember, ‘Yo?”

Nyota nodded with an abstract smile.

“She was telling me colloquial expressions …” There was an undercurrent from Spock and Uhura’s direction that almost distracted her … “She told me the one, ‘yoo-hoo,’ that some people say when they’re trying to get someone’s attention … and because she was studying communications, I joked that she wanted to say ‘yoo-hoo’ to everyone in space … then I realized those were the first two syllables of her name, so …”

“…You never let her hear the end of it,” Kirk smiled.

Chapel grinned. “I think it’s cute! Uhura, do you like that nickname?”

Gaila looked at Nyota, concerned. She hadn’t ever really asked Uhura if she liked it or not! Yo was usually so kind; had she been hiding her dislike of it? “Do you?”

Uhura’s face looked distracted. “It’s … it’s a nice reminder of our early friendship,” she said.

SPOCK, SITTING to her right, had stealthily put his left hand on Nyota’s knee, his expression inscrutable. She was watching the others, but was tuned in to Spock’s face. His hand caressed her thigh, up from her knee to her hipbone (his eyelids lowered, for just a second), down to her knee, up the outer thigh to the curve of her hip, down again to the inside of her knee (his mouth began its tiny, tiny smile), up to - Yow, she thought, trying to keep a straight face. His fingertips ghosted over her loins to the buttons on the lower right seam of the suit. His fingers weren’t trembling now; they were steady as they unbuttoned the seam on “his” side.

The “sky” above them was deep blue and lit with “stars” and Uhura could almost believe they were on the beach at Mombasa, except for the pattern of the lights in the sky. The underwater lights in the Jacuzzi subtly highlighted everyone’s faces, but because of the fizzing, foaming water and the steam rising from it, nothing much was visible below the surface. She felt Spock’s hand slip between the front of her suit and her lower belly. And fingers slipping into places where they had no business while she and Spock were in the presence of others, but tonight was special, and she decided to, er, open herself to all possibilities. Though conversation was going to be decidedly difficult, she felt turnabout was fair play after she had somewhat intimately touched Spock the last time they’d been in here, with Jim and Len.

Ahhhhh …. There was nothing like Spock’s delicacy of touch. He was a master. She had to keep her eyes from closing in pleasure.

IT WASN’T JUST an undercurrent now, Gaila realized. Pheromones were wafting through the air. She turned to Jim so she wouldn’t be watching Spock and Nyota. She didn’t want to give the game away! She took joy in the idea that Uhura was open to doing this sort of thing, actually.

At the Academy Uhura had always been sweet - when she wasn’t all business - and took time with friends at mealtimes, listening to the details of their lives, heartaches and study troubles, joking and laughing with them too … but in classes, watches and study hours, she’d been strict in her attention to detail and military custom and studies and oh … everything!

Gaila had learned a lot from Uhura about professional demeanor but loved getting her roommate out of the Academy’s grounds to relax, hiking, shopping or going out in groups to dance, eat or drink. Uhura was a lot of fun when she relaxed. But once she and Spock had discovered each other … whew. Uhura still went to have “fun,” but not very often with her classmates. Which had made Gaila sad, because she thought Uhura and Spock must always be so intellectual and … intense with each other. Now, smiling into Jim’s face, Gaila knew otherwise, and was glad.

“What?” said Jim. Gaila squeezed his hand under the water. Then she did something else, and he grinned.

“How’s your … umm … your leg?” he asked, now disconcerted.

“It’s just fine.”

“Good!” He motioned so that when he turned his head to speak low into Gaila’s ear it wouldn’t be so noticeable. He apparently thought the Jacuzzi’s humming and bubbling would interfere with Commander Spock’s superior hearing. (But maybe the commander was distracted already.) “I’m gonna take off - I’ll be just down the passageway. Follow me in a little while, okay? Discretion ...” He cleared his throat, looking at the others, and said, “Well, I’ve gotta get moving. A captain’s work is never done.”

Commander Spock and Doctor McCoy each raised an eyebrow and Gaila had to work very hard not to giggle. She could keep a pretty straight face when necessary. “’Bye Jim!” she said. He nodded, smiling.

“See you around.”

He went in to change and Gaila saw him emerge. She was happy he was wearing the light turquoise sweater. It made his eyes gorgeous - well, more gorgeous than usual. Gold was not his color. Except that it was the command color, so he was stuck with it.
Gaila was quite sure he didn’t mind that.

INTERESTING, Uhura thought. Water’s not having the usual sort of astringent effect on my secretions tonight ... agghhh - keep a straight face - don’t sigh, don’t sigh!

She remembered the little bottle by the foot of the bed and Spock sipping from it, then going down on her and releasing its delicious, tingling smoothness onto her labia. And she thought a little farther, because by entering her briefly, he’d applied it to his lok as well ….
Reaching over - discreetly of course - Uhura moved her hand over his loins, puffing water onto his sex with her cupped hand.

Repeatedly.

“MY LEG FEELS so much better!” Gaila exclaimed, lifting it up and massaging it down to her ankle just to make sure. A dancer, she had great flexion, and her ankle and a little bit of calf emerged from the hot water as she did so. Two pairs of eyes aimed in her direction. She had never thought Commander Spock would be susceptible in this way to her female charms, but he was off duty. Or he might be assessing her scientifically. Who knew? Dr. McCoy wore a slight, appreciative smile. His eyes had the nicest twinkle.

Belatedly Uhura turned her eyes in Gaila’s direction, and said, “You had a cramp? Mmm … uh, forgot your warm-ups huh?”

“Yeah, I did,” said Gaila, but she could tell Yo wasn’t really following her reply. She looked quite distracted, actually, and a tiny bit regretful, as if she was being rude by not attending to Gaila’s words. She wanted to laugh; Uhura had better things to think about!

“It’s been nice to be with you,” she smiled at everyone, “but I need to get back to my quarters and review some computer specs before I go to sleep.”

Commander Spock raised an eyebrow.

Oops. If he asked which ones, she’d have to make something up. But he didn’t, oddly for him, and just looked at her, his left eye doing something at the outer corner. If he’d been human she would’ve sworn it was the beginning of a smile. She bounced up out of the tub, making a few waves, but nothing she needed to apologize for, and departed for the sonic shower booth, which would dry her costume thong and bra as well as her body. She donned her shimmery skirt and cloak and left the Fitness Suite.

Jim was standing a little farther down the passageway; he was at one of the central computer terminals, doing something captainly, and she came up behind him as if seeing him by chance.

“Good evening, Captain,” Gaila said formally, but wearing a smile that said she wasn’t subordinate just now.

“Hi - er, good evening, Lieutenant,” Jim replied. “Hmm, I’ve been meaning to ask you about the new subroutine on the command link to Engineering …”

“Well, it’s detailed here,” she answered, hitting a few touchkeys on the terminal. “There you go, see? You can connect and when you touch these buttons in the armrest - there are several patterns you can use - you can ask one of the engineers simple questions without saying a word. In case of awkward situations with outside entities.”

“Very good,” Kirk said. Then, head bent as if examining the screen’s demonstration of which buttons meant what, he whispered, “I’ll meet you at your door in a couple of minutes.”

“Why not walk with me?” she whispered. “We can talk work until we get there. Then you can-er, yes, Captain, you just do this, see, and the helm will answer in emergencies.”

“Ah, I didn’t know you hooked that up too,” he said, watching three crewmembers pass by, intent on discussing the Academy vs. Berkeley football league stats. Debra Mims knew more than he did about football.

“We didn’t,” Gaila whispered. “That part’s coming after Scotty fine-tunes it, jeeze …. Then you can meet me back at my quarters a couple of minutes later. If anybody asks, say you forgot to ask me something. You’re not very good at this, Jim. You amaze me.”
He grinned a little sheepishly. “Well, at the Academy I was usually able to ask outright,” he murmured, turning to leave. “Let’s go.”

NYOTA WATCHED Spock’s nearly impassive face, and could swear that his left eye was twinkling.

After a few more minutes of this, he removed his fingers from that deliciously ticklish spot, and buttoned shut the seam of her swimsuit, then moved her hand off his leg - discreetly, of course. He took a moment to … compose himself, looked at her, and said, “I believe it’s time we left.”

“Mmm, it was long week today,” Uhura joked, smiling at McCoy and Chapel, neither of whom looked as if they believed her, but were going along with the pretense.

“Felt just the same in Sickbay,” McCoy said, and as Spock and Uhura stood to wade over to the steps, he said, “Y’all have a good night.”

McCoy turned to Chapel as Spock and Uhura made their way to the sonics booth to dry off. “If Uhura’s going back to her quarters alone, I’ll give Scotty a whole bottle of single malt if he wants it,” he muttered, the corners of his mouth upturned.

“Where they’re going is a moot point,” Christine returned quietly, eyes alight with laughter. “But I’m quite sure she’s not going to be alone.”

Len stretched beside her, putting both arms along the upper ledge of the hot tub, one conveniently stretched behind Christine.

“Golly,” she smirked playfully, “Are you gonna try to get to first base? The holoflicks are no place to make out. People might see us.”

“Maybe second base, if you’re willing,” he grinned, then, going along with her pretense that they were at the movies, looked at her earnestly.

She put her head back and laughed quietly. “Oh, Leonard McCoy, you are a mess.” It was an affectionate Southern rejoinder, one they both understood well, he being from Georgia and she, Virginia.

“Apparently a mess you like,” he replied, touching her chin with a stroke of his fingertip.

She gazed into his eyes and whispered, “Yeah, I do.”

SPOCK ESCORTED UHURA to the Observation Deck, to one of the small rooms that had a view of the stars. There, with a view out to space, was a hot tub.

“This was your plan all along!” Nyota said.

Spock raised his eyebrows insouciantly. “I merely availed myself of the options available to an Executive Officer. I thought it appropriate to procure a second Jacuzzi for our efficient and dedicated personnel.”

“This was the mysterious item on the last Procurement - Scotty wasn’t sure he could find the proper place for it!”

“I set aside this room before requesting the item. Mr. Scott was charged supplying water for it.” He paused, and touched Uhura’s face with his fingertips. She shivered delightedly.

Moving to stand with his back to the viewport he removed his clothes, then leaned in to her. “As regards our original tryst, Nyota … Let us continue where we left off.” He unbuttoned her dress, slipping it off, letting it fall. She made as if to pick it up, and he stilled her motion, gently holding her arms. “It will not wrinkle.” He stood so that she had a view of him and the stars.

UHURA ALMOST WANTED to rush into lovemaking - Spock had been working her up all evening - but Spock, over time, had become a masterful lover, and she knew that allowing him to exercise his accumulated knowledge was always satisfying. He usually read her moods and they sometimes indulged in furious, speedy sex, but the slow and steady increase of her desire, and its thrilling fulfillment, was his specialty. As he had told her once, “I am a scientist, Nyota, and my forte is research.” He was outdoing himself tonight.

He slipped one strap of her swimsuit off, then the other, and nuzzled and lightly nipped her collarbones. Slowly he lowered the front, softly kissing and licking the hollow of her throat, the top of each breast, slipping the neckline of the suit down until it caught on her stiffened nipples; he tongued each one, the edge of the material sliding off and dropping to her waist.

He lingered over the tips of her nipples, nipping, laving, and trailed the tip of his tongue down her front, crouching to slip her suit down to her ankles. Stepping out of it, Nyota moved her feet apart, and he licked the inside of her left leg while sliding his fingers up the inside of her right. As he got to her loins he extended his fingers over her pubis, ruffling the hair, then curling a finger to curve over the slippery lips nestled within. He nosed the left crease at the top of her leg and moved the tip of his tongue inward toward her center, while he stroked with his fingers and slipped two of them inside her. First the tip of his nose slipped over, then his lips kissed, her inner labia, and he circled his tongue round her clitoris in circles, working his fingers inside her, curling toward her front, straightening, thrusting toward her cervix and around it until her knees trembled. He had aroused her bit by bit throughout the evening; her lower abdomen was singing with blood and her clit was throbbing madly, but she had not … yet … reached a climax.

He rose, lifting her onto him, his back facing the viewport. Her legs wrapped around his hips, folding behind his ass, and her arms slid around his neck; his upper back pressed against the transparent steel - she was facing the stars as she felt him slowly press the tip of his lok into her. He proceeded very slowly, and when his corona bumped through her entrance he pulled out enough to bump through, again and again; then he plunged deep, hitting her cervix just firmly enough so she felt the motion of him through all her center, and he did it several more times.

He lifted her and pulled out - she moaned with disappointment - he entered slowly again, this time slipping one hand farther around her backside, freeing up the other to slip over her hip and down to her mound where his fingers strategically occupied her inner labia and two fingertips slid over the nub there - her breath hitched as her insides throbbed; she gasped as he thrust deep inside over and over until her center pulsed around him and she cried out, tears blurring the stars over him; she, who spoke so many languages, now clearly signaled her love and surrender without words.

The purr in Spock’s chest reached his throat; he turned his face to kiss her mouth, her cheeks, the tears; his eyes opened, dark with fathomless love, and she sighed as he broke the kiss to move his mouth to the hollow of her throat, and then to her ear. He whispered ardently in Vulcan and he was rasping with it, pumping more quickly into her - she pulled away and popped off of him - his eyes flared and he moved his hands to reposition her. She shook her head, dropping her feet to the floor and crouching to put her hands to his hips. The blood was beating rapidly in the veins of his jutting, gleaming lok, which lifted a tiny bit as she stroked his loins with her teasing, long fingers, combing her fingertips through his thick, black bush, then cupping his scrotum with gentle pressure, releasing then rounding her hand on each testicle, rolling slightly, as she squatted, parted her lips and, holding the thick base of his member, squeezed the underside mid-stem with light pressure, took the tip of his lok in her mouth (he grunted, breathing raggedly), firmly tonguing the frenulum and circling the corona, reaching around with her hands now to run her nails down his legs to the backs of his knees, horizontally across the crease, fanning out her fingers to trace his calf muscles, his ankles, the tops of his feet, and going all the way back up, this time smoothing with her palms to his perfect ass, holding the rounded muscles in her hands and kneading, running her nails over it and around to the creases at his legs, then down the fronts of his thighs, which trembled.

A loud purr, almost a growl, issued from deep in his throat as she took him deeper into her mouth, her tongue muscling then tipping around his length. She opened her throat to accommodate him and his knees bent a little and he put his hands at the sides of her face, and touched his fingers to her psi points; she very nearly came again when he made contact, for she felt the sensations she was imparting to him.

She pulled off him - it was a little too intense - and her mind subsided along with her nerves, and she looked up. His eyes were closed but they opened and focused on hers and his overwhelming unfulfilled desire made her body shake.

GAILA TURNED TO JIM when the door of her quarters shut behind them. “That was a really fun date. I enjoyed dancing for you - you are so appreciative! - and the hot tub felt so good.” She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek, her red curls shining in the low light. As she pulled away Kirk appreciated her beauty - her lovely green face, her blue eyes crinkling up now as she gave him a great big smile. He gathered her into his arms and soundly kissed her mouth; the tip of her tongue emerged to circle the insides of his lips. His eyebrows flew up - he’d forgotten how talented Gaila was even with a kiss - and then, thoughts racing, he chastised himself for thinking of her as “talented” at sex, like, because she was Orion, she should be one of the galaxy’s foremost experts.

Somehow she’d enjoyed “sleeping with” him at the Academy, in spite of the fact that she’d been a slave to the carnal desires of men from all over the quadrant since her sexual maturity … and he had callously used her that last time, just so he could beat Spock’s Kobayashi Maru test, the no-win scenario he didn’t believe in, but Gaila hadn’t won out on that deal, had she. She’d been screwed in more ways than one. Nice going, Jim.

He swallowed with shame, and broke off the kiss.

“What,” she said, frowning at him a little.

“I, I had a great time too, Gaila. I’d like to go out on another date with you, if you’re willing, sometime.”

Her frown became one of puzzlement. “What?”

“A date. Another date, like tonight. Only we have to be really discreet; the rest of the crew can’t know. They might think I’m gonna play favorites, and start to resent one or both of us. It’s really important that that not happen.”

She nodded, her face changing to a more neutral expression. “I get it, Jim, I really do. I’m sexy, not stupid.”

“I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to imply …. So …” Smiling, he reached out a hand, then, leaning forward, gently touched her jaw, giving her a tender kiss on the forehead. “Until next time, Gaila.” He smiled, turning to leave.

He felt her hand grasp his wrist. “You wait, Jim! … you’re not going anywhere.”

AS THE STEAM WAFTED around them McCoy bent his head to kiss Christine’s cheek. She kind of ducked, and put her hand to his chin, and said, “Hang on a minute, Len.”

He backed off with a rueful smile. “You’re right. We need to talk about it.”

“Yes, we do,” she said, looking at him very seriously. “Come on, let’s get out and dry off and go for a drink, all right?”
“Sure.” He stood up, and offered her a hand.

Gracefully she rose, like Botticelli’s Venus, except with a bathing suit and wearing her hair up. But she had the same shade of lovely titian hair, and McCoy appreciated Christine’s body, curvier than the slender Venus.

She paused, giving him a certain look. “All right, you. Behave yourself.”

He guided her over to the steps, standing behind her as she exited the Jacuzzi. Mmm, mmm - MMm, he thought. “Behave well, or badly?”

As she reached the top to step over to the ledge, she cut her eyes at him.

“Okay, okay.” He held up his hands in surrender, following her out. “I’ll be serious.”

IN THE BAR toward the bow of the ship, they settled at a table. Christine, now in a sweater and long skirt, looked out toward the stars as McCoy ordered drinks, bourbon for him, single malt whisky for her. “Rocks or up?”

“Rocks please.” The server stepped away to get their drinks from the bar. “Isn’t that silly,” she said in a low voice. “We could have a processor at each table.”

“Nah, it’s tradition,” McCoy said, pulling at the collar of his turtleneck. “Starting with the midshipmen serving the officers at the Captain’s Table in the Royal Navy. I read it in a book.”

“You still read real books,” she smiled.

“Yep. Got all my medical stuff in two Padds, one’s for backup, but I like holding a book and turnin’ the pages. What can I say, I’m an old-fashioned guy ... mostly. Medical book’d take up too much space and weigh a ton.”

“Especially if they covered all the races of the Federation.”

“Yeah. My mom and dad had some old medical texts - they filled a wall in their study. Amazing, when you read, say, 21st century medical science. Glad I didn’t live then. No plasma sutures, no bone knitters. Needles and surgical thread and immobilizing casts and whatnot.” He shuddered. “And the diagnostics, Christ, what a guessing game.”

“You still have to guess sometimes.”

“Yeah … sometimes.”

Their drinks arrived; they clinked glasses and sipped. McCoy looked out at the stars and made his ironical face. “Guessed wrong tonight, didn’t I.”

She put down her glass and reached out to touch his hands, folded on the tabletop. “No. No, you didn’t.” Her voice was as soft as her gaze when he met her eyes. “I just remember ... I remember how much I hurt you, and I think you still-“

“You didn’t hurt me on purpose. You missed the shuttle because your damn ship was delayed. Not your fault.” His jaw was tense and he consciously had to unclench his teeth. Christ, maybe you should go back to the Jacuzzi and mellow your mood, Doctor.

“I know. But after … we could only grab a weekend or two, because I was away so much…”

He quirked his mouth. “Entirely your fault, huh? Going out to help the populations of devastated planets? What was that on your part, just grandiosity? Ego? I don’t think so, hon, so stop blamin’ yourself. If we’re over, we’re over, and well, that’s just the way it is, id’n it.”

She tilted her head back a little, sighed, and looked outward, past their past, past his hurt, past her own disappointment. “Len, please stop it. You just jumped to a conclusion.”

“Is my bitterness just too much for ya?”

“Leonard,” she said. “I mean it. Listen to me.”

“All I hear is a lot of blame and it’s not goin’ around, you’re keepin’ it on yourself, for some damn reason.”

“So you’re not bitter with me, you’re just bitter because, what?”

He wanted to slam his glass down, but just said, “Because except for practicin’ medicine my life is pretty much shit, that’s why. Every goddam thing I’ve ever done has turned bad. My marriage, my ...” He blew out a breath and his voice was hoarse when he resumed. “I don’t want to hurt you with it if you’re afraid of it. I don’t wanna feel guilty anymore. I screwed up my marriage, I screwed up Spock’s career-“

“What?” her expression was incredulous.

“I smuggled Jim Kirk aboard this ship-“

“Oh yeah! And from what I heard, he and Spock saved the quadrant from certain destruction by a madman. So you screwed up Spock’s career how?” Her eyes flashed. “Jesus, talk about grandiosity. Why don’t you take the blame for the end of Vulcan, too, while you’re at it? How can you be so … so …” Her eyes filled with tears. “Leonard McCoy, you are one of the stubbornest, stupidest men I have ever known. You have a beautiful daughter, yes, from a terrible marriage, but was the divorce entirely your fault? No. But you keep all the blame for yourself. If you’re going to keep on with that, I guess we don’t have a snowball’s chance in a hot place, do we. I was just asking your forgiveness, not trying to hold onto blame.”

He hunched his shoulders up and looked out at the blurry stars to keep her from seeing how red his eyes must be. “Jesus, Christine, I’m sorry. I forgive you, of course I do. I just … I don’t know if I’d be any good for you. I don’t know where this … shit comes from half the time. I was just watchin’ Spock and Uhura tonight and thinkin’, boy, wouldn’t it be great to have a nice, uncomplicated relationship like theirs. She loves him to pieces - don’t know why. But she practically dances around the halls-“

“Passageways.” She sipped her drink and gazed at him, folding her hands.

“You know their relationship isn’t simple. No relationship is. Imagine what they have to deal with. His planet and most of his people were destroyed. He’s been through a … a holocaust. Sometimes I imagine she has to hold him together.”

“That Vulcan? I doubt it. ‘Fact, I don’t know what she sees in him - he’s got ice water in his veins.” McCoy tossed off the rest of his drink and raised two fingers to the server, who brought them each another.

“Is that what you really think, Len? Are you really prejudiced against him?”

He sighed. “No,” he admitted. “He just gets on my nerves. Always right, always rational. And Uhura’s his opposite - a ray of light. Guess I envy him.”

“You envy a man who has lost his home and his people. Really?”

“Oh, hell, Christine … I’m sorry. Again.” He blew out a breath. “Jesus, I’m a piece of work.”

“No you’re not. But you have a lot of crazy stuff in your head. How did you ever pass your active duty psych evals?” she asked, half teasingly.

He rolled his eyes. “It’s pretty easy if you know the answers.” He took another drink and looked at her ruefully. “There’re days … bitterness just seems logical, pardon the expression.”

“Is this about losing Marquez on Thule Four….?”

“No,” Len said forcefully. “He died because of a disruptor shot. Not my fault and I know it. I did everything I could. I hate when it happens, but that’s a reality I can accept.” He paused, looking distant; she let him gather his thoughts. “What I can’t accept is all the regrets I still feel.”

“Well, regrets like yours don’t happen because you’re ‘a piece of work.’ Divorce and separation from your daughter, and your dad’s death, all in three years? Those’ll do it.” She swirled her whisky, ice clinking, sipped, and put down the glass, giving him a penetrating look. “I think you envy Spock because you think he’s not as sensitive as you are. I think you think he’s unassailable, that his love with Uhura and his intelligence and cool demeanor are all there is to him.”

“They aren’t? You’re saying he’s sensitive?”

She studied him.

He waved a hand. “I’m kidding. Maybe he is. He doesn’t show it.”

“Neither do you. You hold onto your tension, you explode at people, and you’re downright nasty sometimes. You’ve got to give it up, Len. The bitterness. I know you’re temperamental; I am too, but … the anger has to stop. You’re hurting yourself.”

He looked at the overhead, took another sip of his drink. He wanted to gulp the rest down, but it wouldn’t improve his mood.

They sat silently for a while, looking at each other. Chapel looked close to tears, yet hopeful, like she was waiting for him. Why she should be hopeful thinkin’ about me is a mystery- oh quit it, for Chrissakes.

“You’re right, Christine. I need to leave it alone.” He stroked her hand with a fingertip, then withdrew, looking down at his lap. “I need you to tell me the truth. Be my friend. That’s really what counts.”

“I will, Len. You know I’ve always been your friend - always will be. But …”

He met her eyes, frowning a little.

“I want to be with you and hold you, too,” she whispered. “And sometimes I want to be held.”

His face gradually broke into a smile as he worked out what she meant. “Always, darlin’.” He squeezed her hands gently. “I always want to hold you. Always.”

SPOCK SWEPT NYOTA UP into his arms in a smooth motion; sometimes she forgot how strong he was, because he always kept control, holding and touching her with great care, holding back his power so as not to hurt her. At times she found herself fearing the madness of which he had told her, Pon farr - he’d said it would make him forget to be gentle - but she knew that, even with their occasionally tenuous bond, somehow they would get through it. Perhaps he might even find a way to lessen the effects of the blood fever on himself, to keep her safe.

With impeccable balance and grace, he mounted the stairs to the small platform surrounding the hot tub and stepped in, holding her, sinking in gradually, releasing her legs so her feet touched bottom.

He sat and pulled her to him, her back to his chest, cupping his large hands over her breasts, rubbing them lightly. The water gave this movement friction and she shivered with a resurgent desire.

How is it that I never tire of you, habibu? Never. “I love you so much,” she said, reaching up and back to finger the tip of his ear. “My Spock.”

“Nyota,” he whispered in her ear, and the heat of his face and breath and the vibrations of his voice filled her with overflowing love.

She started to turn in his arms, he lifted her onto his lap, adjusted himself slightly, and he was in her. She turned her face as far as she could to his and he kissed her jaw, her cheek, and his hands slipped over her torso, down to her sex and up to her breasts as his fingers teased their peaks, she felt his pubic bone against her rear, her womanhood was slippery, pulsing and pounding with his hardness inside again; it made her breathless and shaky, and after a while he began to shudder and his breath came short, and along with her he began to come; she heard him breathe out, “Hunh … “ and he gripped her hips hard, putting his face to her shoulder, sighing explosively as he grew larger inside and pumped, pulsed, one … two … “AhnnH …!” And as he orgasmed so did she, so perfect were they together. So, so, perfect.

She raised her face to what used to be heaven long before she knew him, what was now gas giants and red dwarf stars, quasars and nebulae, miracles of a different kind, and she smiled with all of herself.

HE EMERGED from the water, leaving the hot tub for the relatively cool air of the room, and extended a hand to steady her as she got out. She looked at him with gratitude; though she got out with nearly her usual feline grace he could see that her legs were still trembling, even though she had sat with him in the hot water for a while … after.

She stood before him, smoothing his wet chest hair, then slipping her arms around him, pulled his torso firmly against hers, and rested her face on his shoulder. “Mmm,” she said. “I’m getting chilly.”

“I can warm you.”

He tightened the circle of his arms, molding his body full length along hers, and they looked out at the stars and she was almost warm enough, but he felt the soft skin of her back pebbling with cold, despite his hands rubbing up and down in long, heated strokes.

Looking down into her lovely eyes, he excused himself. “A moment,” he said, and left her briefly. He set the environmental controls for warmer air, and brought her a robe and helped her put it on, but he did not let her tie it; he resumed his position along her front, his arms wrapped around her waist inside her robe, and they stood together for a long time.

“I had fun at the hot tub in the Gym suite - it was delicious and rather devilish of you,” she said after a while, gazing up at him and stroking his collarbone. “And your … slippery invention helped make me much more comfortable in the water, and was such a pleasure to put on!” She grinned at him. “But this-“ she gestured to the room - “this was … just … incredible. Thank you.”

“I assumed you might enjoy having more privacy during our … union.”

“So you planned all this. Oh, Spock.” She rose onto her tiptoes and kissed his face tenderly. His eyes closed with pleasure, with gratitude for her very being. “And here I thought we were going to be in the big Jacuzzi belowdecks all night, waiting for the other folks to leave.”

He held her close, kissed her mouth, and murmured into her ear.

“It was logical to cultivate other options.”

The End …

Thanks for reading! And please review - it’s a great way to help keep writers writing; if we know what you like we’ll try to do more of it.

GLOSSARY

Ashayam: darling (Vulcan)
Attending: a physician licensed to practice independently who supervises Resident doctors as they earn their accreditation
Bone knitter: Medical, a sometimes painful means of healing breaks in bones. Works with molecular transporter technology. McCoy would probably jab you with a painkiller first.
Bow: ship’s front, in the Enterprise’s case, the leading edge of the saucer section Decoction: A liquid derived by boiling and steeping certain herbs or healing plants
Glaikit: Crazy (Scottish)
Gig: assign demerits
Habibu: darling (Swahili)
Lok: male member (Vulcan)
Overhead: ship’s ceiling
Passageway: hall on a ship
Passed Over: not considered for promotion
Shite: it’s worse than shit (Scottish)
Skin plaser: Medical, a molecular-level way to suture or seal injured skin, from the inner layers out to the skin’s surface.
Watches: security details, training details, or other duties performed in regular rotation

Moral: Never eat from street vendor carts, at least if you travel to Gnallifi.

… And when “shite happens” in your life, know that you will regain your equilibrium over time, especially if you have good people around you. You are worthy of them.

ENTERPRISE LOCATIONS

Fitness Suite: The designated area for dance and yoga and martial arts, working out with weights, a hot tub, and a sauna, and sonic showers to clean and dry you at the same time. (I want this at my public pool!)

Observation Deck: (as I imagine it) A large space on one deck at the bow devoted to recreation, private recreation, bars and restaurants, to help the crew keep sane and remind themselves of why they’re out there in a starship - by viewing the stars. Sectioned according to function, there are small rooms for meditation, stargazing, coupling, whatever your pleasure. Larger rooms are “common spaces” the crew can enjoy together, for gatherings, parties, dinners and concerts or other performances. Restaurants are about five or ten tables in a room with a large viewport for, well, dining among the stars.

Quarters: (as I imagine them) For senior officers, quarters are a sleeping area, a seating or relaxation area, a viewport and workspace; for junior officers, I imagine a sleeping area separated from a desk, chairs or a small couch for relaxation and a small viewport.

* Part of a larger story.  Details will be given at event's end.  :)