THE RUNES--Part II

Author: T'Prillah

Rating: NC-17

Author's Note: A 25th Wave story. In response to the challenge: "Write a S/Mc that delves into the culture of one of the boys." Written in FIRST PERSON, McCoy's POV. Takes place about a month after Amok Time. Also features some Sc/f (implied).

Acknowledgements: Thank you to M. for the feedback and the suggestions. The Vulcan language and culture comes straight from the Vulcan Language Institute. Also, acknowledgements to "Spock's World", and "The Vulcan Academy Murders"



THE RUNES--PART II




Famine. I speak the sacred word of the plight, aloud as I look up into the sky. The watcher: T'khut, rises higher and higher. It is nearly time. May the light of T'khut watch over me this night and all other nights. I brush my hair and gaze into my looking glass. My blue eyes shine brightly in the watcher's light. My wedding present…the gift of the stones…lays nearby, ready to present to my groom at the appointed place.

Tonight is my binding to Llarien'Solak, prince of the v'LauDuKharir. My original intended, died shortly after our child bond at year seven and left me without a mate. My house has now betrothed me to be bound to this one. It is hoped, this union will result in a truce with the v'LauDuKhari. We will trade food and supplies. Then, my people, the F'thinraKathir will suffer the plight of famine no more…


----------------------


"Mmmmph," I tentatively opened my eyes and found myself laying on the sickbay biobed. I just could make out a blurry Spock standing over me. "How long…?"

"You have been out: thirty point two minutes." He sat down at my bedside.

I groaned. My entire body ached. My eyes felt like they had been scratched in a million places. I decided to close them again and keep them like that for the time being. I itched horribly, but my fingers were so bandaged up I couldn't scratch it. This synthetic skin Nurse Burke had placed on my wrist and hand made me want to climb the walls…

… or punch the nearest Vulcan who went on about an ancient curse.

I sat up on my elbows, felt the cold hit me, rubbed my bare feet together and realized that under the sickbay sheet; I was clad only in my fleet issue underpants. "Who took my uniform off?"

"I did. My apologies, Doctor. I was forced to rinse you off in the sickbay shower."

"Oh…Aren't you supposed to be on the bridge, Spock?"

"Lieutenant Uhura has the watch this shift. I am off duty."

"How convenient," I said, weakly. I felt warm fingers open up one of my eyes, put some eye drops in, then repeat the action with the other eye. I felt the heat of a palm graze my lips. As the soothing eye drops coated my eyes they felt better but I still kept them closed. The hand lingered on my face, the touch felt nice, comforting…though I was awkwardly aware that the hand belonged to Spock. "You don't have anything else to do, besides bother me?" I murmured, as gruffly as I could muster but it came out only half-heartedly. "No reports to catch up on?"

"Negative." He was still touching my face.

"Want to work on some of mine?" I snorted. After a protracted silence, I noted, "I bet I ruined my lab table."

"The acid damaged a large area on the left side."

"That's just wonderful," I sighed.

"You were nearly blinded." A fingertip traced my eyebrow.

"Hey! Why the hell do you care so damn much?" I lashed out rather too harshly. His hand lingered still on my face. The warmth of his fingertips felt so good that I softened my tone. "Sorry," I said. "Of course you care. You always do." I paused for a moment. Then blurted out, "You always have cared about me. Haven't you. I just never…have…given you any credit for it."

Silence from him. Damn it. What the hell was I doing? I open my big mouth to tell him how I really feel and it makes everything worse. I felt the deliciously warm hand leave my face. Damn.

I cleared my throat. "Listen, I only…uh… had a little accident because, I`m very, very tired. I haven't gotten any sleep lately. Too much excitement going on to sleep. And when human's go without sleep we make mistakes. I`ve worked with acid thousands of times. It was simply pure coincidence that something happened."

"You still believe that it is coincidence?" he said.

I barked out a half exhausted half hysterical noise that caught the Vulcan off guard. "Oh come on, Spock. You're buying into some ancient mumbo jumbo. It's crazy. You said so yourself, curses are illogical." I let my head loll back onto the biobed.

"I did. However, do you not find it unusual, the amount of freak accidents and sudden onsets of illness that have occurred as of late?"

"Dammit, we've had epidemics on board before. I still say, coincidence. Mr. Spock." I held up my wrists to my eye level and confirmed that something wasn't quite right. "Where's Lia Burke? I need her to fix this, the skin is too tight."

"She did not treat your chemical burns. I did so myself," he replied.

I sighed. "It can't get any worse. Now you're running around practicing medicine without a license." He simply regarded me with an amused glint in his eye.

"Alright…" I said begrudgingly. "Thank you for taking care of me. Especially for throwing me into the shower." Eyeing his still damp hair, I grumbled, "Now it'll probably be my luck you'll come down with hypothermia."

"I can assist you in the sickbay today, if need be," he offered.

"No…I'll be fine." I smiled. "Really, Spock. Just help me up."

"Are you certain you are--"

"Yes!"

He reached over to raise me to sitting position and handed me a complete uniform set and boots. After I dressed, with his help, of course, I motioned over by a clean towel for him to pick up. "Dry your hair," I ordered.

I walked over to a mirror to check out my burning eyes. "Jesus! You weren't kidding!" The burns covered my temples too. "I guess I was nearly blinded."

He stood close behind me, drying his hair and saying quietly, "Doctor. What is your decision… regarding the runes?"

"You haven't sent them to Vulcan yet?"

"No."

"Well, what are you waiting for?"

"Doctor." The way he'd said that, made my hair stand up on end.

I spun around to face him. "You know what Spock? If I didn't know you better, I'd say that--" I swallowed hard. "-- you want us to use those runes. Why?"

He took on the expression of a stone, and after a long silence, he finally, hesitantly replied, "I have come to the logical conclusion that using them…might be… necessary to… alleviate the situation."

"Necessary to alleviate the situation? Are you serious? Well... that's damned romantic of you." I snickered to cover up my nervousness. He raised an eyebrow. The opposite to his usual one. "Your mind certainly is made up," I noted. "You're determined to use them. Do they fascinate you?" I hissed. Now, I didn't care if I said something wrong. "I think it's a turn on for you. Ancient Vulcan sex." I leaned over, put my mouth right against his ear and whispered: "Isn't that right?"

He pulled his ear away from me, but kept his face close by. "My concern is merely about the welfare of this ship," he quietly insisted. "Is that not also, your concern?"

"Yes…but…" I darted my eyes back and forth. "I'm not going to have sex with you," I whispered. "I can't." He was about to respond, when we both heard someone come into the ward. "It's time for me to get back to work."



--------------


Personal log Stardate 3712.20. Forty seven more crewpersons suffered minor to moderate injuries during the last couple of days. Everyone who has come into contact with me, appears to have been affected in some way. I'm started to get paranoid. I've become afraid to associate with anyone, lest they be injured or become ill. Twelve more came down with influenza which is now ravaging throughout the ship as fast as I can inoculate people, though First Officer Spock has been a big help in that area. Three crewmen are suffering from food poisoning due to a miscalibration of the food reconsitutor. Our Mess- tech suffered second degree burns while fixing the system.

I lost a week's worth of my medical log entries due to an error in this computer, or perhaps I accidentally erased them…I don't know. Commander Giotto chipped his front tooth when the doors to his quarters failed to open. Fixing his tooth is now my problem since Doctor Needham Gulley, our new ship's dentist, was also stricken with food poisoning. Damn kid just signed on board a week ago and is already sick.

I sighed down at Spock, our latest casualty, now laying on the bio-bed as I gently placed the hybrid Neu-skin on his hand. He'd received second degree burns doing routine repairs on his scanner. I'd already warned him when he'd first come in, not a goddamned word about the curse. And he'd kept quiet. Very quiet.

I was so exhausted taking care of all these calls that I was nearly seeing double. After this I planned to make myself a Red-Eye, if that damned food processor can make a half way decent one up.

"Well, what do you know?" I exclaimed as I grinned at Spock. "This hybrid skin I made up is working like a charm!"

I suddenly looked down at the Vulcan's hands and scowled. "Guess I spoke too soon."



-----------------

"Doctor McCoy?" It was Ensign Chekov, coming into sickbay a little contritely I had to admit. Bet he has an STD.

"Yes, what can I do for you, Chekov?"

"Uh," he stammered and looked around him. "I--uh--am--it burns, when I urinate."

I passed the scanner over him and smirked. Even in our century, they haven't been able to eradicate all the strains of Gonorrhea. "Was it that old girlfriend of yours? Or someone on board ship?"

"It was a prostitute from Berengaria," he admitted sheepishly.

"Oh…Jesus…wonder who else has picked it up, then." They'll be streaming in by the week end, when they finally can't stand the pain. "Don't worry Pavel," I said, as I made up an antibiotic hypo. "This is a mild strain. This will clear right up."

He grinned. "Thank you!"

I smiled back knowingly. "See you in three months, Chekov."

---------------------


"Doctor McCoy?"

I jerked up from my desk. I'd been dozing off. "Hmmm?"

"The strangest thing has happened," Lieutenant Uhura said as she walked over to me. "I've been wearing earrings since I was a baby, but for some reason…look at this." She showed me her earlobe.

"Ohhh," I smiled as I examined her. "It's a little infected. Nothing to worry about. I'll take care of it right now."

She followed me into the dispensary, where she watched me make up an antibiotic hypo.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Doctor," she said. "You look absolutely exhausted."

"It`s okay," I said. I checked that hypo, twice, then again, then I checked it once more to make certain of the dosage, and that it actually was an antibiotic. I couldn't be too careful. Then gently I pressed it against her arm. "There. Should be better in about an hour."

"I'm so glad, Doctor McCoy. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome," I said sleepily as I walked her back into my office. I sat down heavily onto my chair and leaned my head back.

"Do you have to stay here on duty all night?" she asked me.

"Yeah…" I said softly. "I'm trying to finish up these reports. But…I suppose I can… lay down in the ward for awhile."

"Why don't I walk you over there?" she suggested.

"Alright," I said numbly. She took my arm and led me out of my office and over to one of the beds. "Tell me a bedtime story," I joked as I lay down.

"I would," she laughed. "Except I have to get back up to the bridge. I was only supposed to be gone for five minutes."

"The night's getting worse and worse every minute." I muttered. "Who's up there on watch?"

"Mister Spock."

"You have to work the third shift?"

"Yes, I'm covering for Lieutentant Renna, she was injured by the communications earpiece discharging into her ear, remember Doctor?"

"Yeah, of course I remember. Well you'd probably best be getting back. I'll be right here if you need me."

She gently kissed me, on the forehead, in an endearing way that made me smile. Then, she left.

I lay there on the sickbay bed for a few minutes and found…that I couldn't sleep. I was absolutely exhausted, but I couldn't shut my mind off enough to sleep. It just kept on running like it had for the past three days whenever I had a quiet moment… I have come to the logical conclusion that using them…might be… necessary to… alleviate the situation. Necessary to alleviate the situation? Well, that's damned romantic of you. Your mind certainly is made up. You're determined to use them. Do they fascinate you? I think it's a turn on for you. Ancient Vulcan sex. Isn't that right? My concern is merely about the welfare of this ship. Is that not also, your concern? Yes…but…I'm not going to have sex with you…. "Shut up!" I said aloud. I opened my eyes. "Lights to ten percent!" the sickbay lights dimmed obligingly.

Then closed my eyes again. It certainly was tempting. I was getting tired of all this activity in the sickbay. All I had to do was have sex with Spock. Easy. He's seems so damned willing too. I don't know…maybe I'm being selfish. Maybe he's right. Maybe it would solve all the bad luck we've been having…. who knows… the sex might be fantastic. You might really enjoy it. Sex is sex, right? No matter who it's with. You haven't had sex in a long time McCoy… It's not like you have to cut off a limb or give up your firstborn….but it would be like having sex with a fucking computer…who wants that? "Shut up!" I shouted again.

A drop of saurian brandy would relax me. I knew what else would relax me, but I wasn't doing that in the sickbay. I hopped off the bed and staggered back into my office. I reached over to the ledge next to my desk where I normally kept the bottle for the times Jim came by to talk.

I found that I'd actually locked the bottle in the cabinet this time.

Okay, that problem was easy to solve. Key.

Key.

Where in the hell was the damn key?

I looked about my office, slowly at first, then frantically. "Where the hell is it?" I snapped out loud. I was interrupted by the bosun's whistle. I dearly wanted to rip out that viewer and throw it across the room. I punched the button with my fist. "What?" I snapped, throwing all decorum out the window and not bothering to ask why they called. I knew why.

"Bridge to Doctor McCoy." It was Spock.

Oh gods…"What happened?"

"I was enquiring as to Lieutenant Uhura's whereabouts."

"She should be on her way, Spock. Unless something`s happened to her--" My heart lurched. Oh no…

"Ah…Here she is now. Thank you, Doctor."

"Spock! You are going to give me a goddamn heart attack! McCoy out!"

-------------


"Bones!" Kirk jumped a mile in his bunk when I'd entered, unannounced. "Ever heard of signaling?"

"Chief Medical officer's prerogative. I don't have to," I said smugly, then innocently. "Why? Was I interrupting something?"

Then I realized I was. "Oh for Chrissakes, Jim!"

"Oh, like you`ve never done it. I did have the privacy lock on. Bones."

"Well, how the hell was I supposed to know what you were doing?"

"Maybe you should have signaled first."

"I was coming in to check on your illness status. Captain! And I can see that you`re now doing just fine. And that you're a healthy thirty-five year old male."

"Bones. Cert me fit for duty. I`m over the flu. And get the hell out."

"Alright, fine. I pronounce you fit. Congratulations. Boy am I glad somebody's feeling better around here. I`ll leave you to it, then. Have fun," I breezed cheerily. "Have a good rest of the day, Jim."

"Bye…Bones."

------------


I handed the wedding gift to my new husband. The v'Faul or the stones; newly carved by my grandmother, the priestess, from the tree of old. "Thee may use these with me at thy pleasure", I said.

"It will be a pleasure" he said. He regarded me with approval. His delicate pointed ear, the ear of the desert dweller, looked elegant in the light of T'khut. He approached me in our bedchamber.

-----------


With about ten minutes to spare (till I had to return to the sickbay), I leaned my head back under the water spray in the shower in my quarters. It felt so good to wash off the grime of the past couple of days. I was aware of the fact that I probably needed freshening up, when I noticed other officers in the officer's mess moving slightly away from me. Okay so I stank like sweat. They would too, if they had my job. I knew without even looking in the mirror that I looked like something the cat dragged in. Well, I'm a doctor, not a model.

I studied my hands; I wasn't eating enough. Just living on coffee, for the past couple of weeks. My fingers were getting bonier.

I touched my beautiful ruby pinky ring, that I'd gotten when I'd married Jocelyn. I noticed that it was now loose enough to be able to be worn on my ring finger. I could switch it over so it would be more secure, but that would be illogical, wouldn't it. You're not married to her anymore, McCoy. She's with someone else.

In an attempt to stifle the encroaching melancholy, I reached for the soap and concentrated on lathering up my body.

But, before I could react, my ring slid off my pinky and felt onto the floor of the shower. I dived down to fetch it, shampoo stinging my eyes and dripping everywhere. "No!"

The pull of the drainage system of the shower, that so efficiently drained the water with minimum of waste, efficiently sucked my beloved ruby ring down into it.

I knelt down, stuck my fingers into the drainage system, trying desperately to get it out.

But…It was long gone. Just like Jocelyn.

"No…"

--------------------


The doors to Spock's quarters swooshed open sans chime or warning as I rushed unceremoniously through them.

I'd managed to startle him once again; he watched me wide-eyed as I ran forward and pushed against him. He was kneeling, wearing his black Vulcan robe, obviously about to begin meditation, but I didn't care. The momentum of my body pushed the both of us back till Spock fell back against the bulkhead.

Determined, I reached out and roughly pulled Spock to me by the scruff of the neck, ready to pull him into a kiss.

"Wait." Spock turned his head before my lips actually made contact.

"What is it?" I gasped. "Come on, let`s get on with it."

Spock, body still leaning against the bulkhead, held tightly in my embrace, said smugly, "Too many incidents for your liking?"

"Ecce signum," I said with a shrug and a grimace. "Jim's--uh-- finally fit for duty, but the incidents are getting more and more serious. I`ve spent all day tending to Mister Leslie`s broken back. Someone is going to wind up getting killed."

"Indeed," Spock replied. "The warp drive is now mysteriously non-functional."

"I know. Poor Scotty." I nodded grimly. "We'd better get started."

"Indeed," Spock agreed. "However, before proceeding hastily, perhaps you should release me so that I may read the inscription on the first stone."

"Oh…" With an embarrassed snort I released him and stood up. "Sorry."

As I had hastily retreated I noticed that there was an almost smile that had formed on the Vulcan`s lips. I studied his face in disbelief. It was gone now, back to normal but for an instant there had appeared in the first officer's eyes what seemed to be a lustful glimmer. Spock had seemed like he enjoyed my embrace…

He stood up, and faced me.

"Well," I gulped, uneasily. "What precisely does the instructions say we are supposed to do?"

"First, this." He walked up to a decoration hanging on the bulkhead wall next to his bed, and calmly pulled off a ceremonial dagger.

"Ostentatious, those damn ancient Vulcans…" I snickered as I watched him.

"There is a similar ritual for contemporary Vulcans, known as `Blood Meditation`", Spock explained. "However, that ritual is quite rare, and I have never attempted it."

He turned around to regard me with all seriousness. "Lights," he called out to the computer. The light in the cabin blinked out to darkness, leaving only the illumination of the firepot. In the red light illuminating the overheated bedchamber, the shadows accentuating his angular face and part of a pointed ear, Spock suddenly appeared to be the devil himself.

With eyes trained on mine, he swiftly pointed the blade down. He sliced down deeply into his own palm, leaving a trail of green blood.

He reached for my hand.

I backed away from him. "Hey, I`m a surgeon, I have to use these hands…" At Spock's intense glare I caved in, "alright… alright." I let Spock take hold of my hand, then braced myself for the inevitable pain. Pulling my right hand flat, Spock neatly sliced a clean deep line into my palm. "That didn't hurt at all." I realized, shocked. I watched with fascination as my own blood, appearing black in this red light, flowed freely out of the deep cut.

"Now. Choose a stone, with your left hand." Spock held out the bag.

"Oh gods. Do we have to keep cutting ourselves every time we pick a stone?"

"Only the first time."

With a skeptical glare, I dove my uninjured hand into the velvet bag, picked out a stone and handed it over to the Vulcan. As I waited patiently for him to read it, I felt the blood from my cut right palm dripping onto the deck.

After looking at the stone for what seemed to be a an eternity, Spock grabbed my bleeding hand with his own. "Hurry up Spock," I gasped as he did so. "I'm losing a lot of blood."

"Our blood mixes. We now have entered into a blood oath to complete the cycle," Spock murmured then released my hand.

"Aren't we taking this parlor game a little too seriously?" Sweat was pouring down my face in rivers. And I pressed on my palm, now stained with green and red blood. I couldn't stop the bleeding. "Hurry up…"

"Are you aware that some of the ancient Vulcan's possessed iron based blood, Doctor?"

I kept trying to stem the bleeding but it kept coming, running down my wrist. I was definitely going to pass out now, I was lightheaded. "Did they?" I said softly.

I swayed and he caught me.

"Iron based?" I asked softly in his arms. "The FthinraKathir. They had red blood?"

"Affirmative."

"The ones who resided in the forests," I murmured.

He raised his eyebrow. "You have been paying attention."

"Hurry up…and read the stone," I gasped. I was becoming numb. He pushed me into his chair, pressed a cloth to my palm, putting pressure on it to stop the bleeding. "How's your hand, Spock?" My tongue felt too thick to be able to form words.

"My bleeding has already ceased."

"Good…now hurry up and read the damn stone."

The stone in his hand, he studied it. "Patience Doctor, this is an ancient dialect, I must translate the symbol perfectly. Which will take me a few moments. It is unfamiliar."

"Come on, the ship might blow up in the mean time!" I insisted.

Spock finally looked up at me. "This one says: 'Mhanndor'.

"Sex? That means have sex?"

"Drink," he corrected. "Mhann is the noun 'drink' Mhanndor is the verb `to drink`."

"I see. Drink… what?" I couldn`t help myself. "Blood?"

Spock shook his head. "Wine, Doctor."


"Oh," I said, with relief. "That doesn't sound so bad," I grinned. "I could definitely use some right now."

He got two glasses, poured from a bottle of Vulcan wine into both of them. He set my glass down in front of me. I reached to grab it off the desk like I usually did when he offered me something to drink.

Only… this time he stopped me by putting his hand into mine.

"What are you doing?"

"Offering you a drink." Not only did he hand the glass to me, he held it up to my lips.

"Spock--" I sighed then finally, reluctantly allowed him to hold it to my lips. I drank from it; it was so good that I had quite a lot of it. In fact I downed the entire glass.

He set it down on the desk, and locked his gaze with mine, "Did you enjoy that, thy'la,?" he asked, softly in a tone of voice I`d never heard him use before.

I shrank back. "What does that mean?"

"I shall tell you tomorrow. Goodnight… thy'la."

"Spock…tell me now. What does it mean?"

He would not and waved me out. I got up and left his quarters, shaking my head. Sometimes Spock could be so damn weird. This whole thing was so damn weird, but I didn't feel like thinking about it just now. I was absolutely exhausted, the wine making me even more drowsy. Maybe I should head to the captain's quarter's to apologize, but that could wait. I decided to head straight for my own cabin and maybe get some sleep.

I stepped into the lift. Jim Kirk was already in it headed for the bridge. "Oh!" I said, slightly embarrassed. This saves me a trip. "Hi Jim."

"Hi… Bones," he said awkwardly, not really looking at me.

"Jim…" I said. "I'm really sorry about what happened. I should really signal next time--"

"Did you injure yourself?" he interrupted, curiously gazing at my bandaged hand. "There sure has been a lot of injuries and illness around here, lately. They`ve been keeping you in business."

"Yeah, I know Jim. Damnedest thing really…all this unfortunate activity going on. I should… head to sickbay and get this taken care of." To avoid meeting Jim's questioning eyes, I pulled off the bandage off and inspected my palm.

I stared at it…and stared at it again…puzzled. There was nothing there. No sign of a cut, nary a scratch.

I closed my hand into a fist, looked up and grinned.

----------------

The next evening in Spock`s quarters, where it appeared we were going to be using these stones, I held out the bag for him. Like a parent instructing a child, he patiently took the bag and held it out to me. "You must pick each stone," he said. "The runes belong to you."

"Fine, fine," I said impatiently, then did so. I thrust the stone out to him and anxiously waited for him to read it. Of course I was anxious. I knew what was coming.

Spock squinted at the stone. " Fes`uk. To dream, together."

"Dream, together?" I wondered. "You dream when you sleep; or does it mean a daydream, or a mind meld?"

"It could be a mind meld. However, we do not consider a meld, dreaming. More accurately, I believe that it is describing the act of…sleeping together."

"So…just…sleeping. No sex."

"Affirmative."

"Well," I remarked. "One of the most intimate things you can do with someone, besides mind-melding I suppose, is to actually sleep with them. It can be more intimate than sex." I threw a concerned glance towards him. This was going to be awkward. "Will you be alright sleeping with me tonight?"

"I will have to get used to it," he replied. "I seem to recall the last time you fell asleep in my presence, while planet-side. You would not stop talking."

"Sorry." I grinned sheepishly. "When I`m injured I tend to talk in my sleep. I was probably worried about you and Jim." I yawned; exhausted as usual. "This is only for tonight, right? We never have to repeat this: sleeping next to one another."

"That is correct."

"Good. Well. I never thought I`d ever hear myself say this to you, but, let`s get ready for bed. I'm using your shower."

"It is all yours, thy'la."

"Spock," I said, annoyed. "Unless you tell me what that means, I would prefer it if you would just call me `Doctor` like you usually do. Got it?"

"As you wish, Doctor."

I got up and went into the shower. As I turned on the water, I found myself shaking uncontrollably. I was exhausted granted, but also my nerves were shot to hell. It was just sleep. Don't get excited. You are just sleeping with him. Not having sex, yet. Okay?

When I stepped out of the bathroom, I found the Vulcan already in bed.

We were crammed in on his bunk. I was irritated in the heat, even though Spock had so thoughtfully set the temp down for me. But it still was too hot in here. I knew that it couldn't be too low, because then it would adversely affect Spock, so I would have to just deal with it. Even stripped down my underwear, I felt sweaty and wanted to avoid feeling the Vulcan's body heat for any length of time.

I shifted around, trying to get comfortable, eliciting a soft irritated sigh from the Vulcan. I finally settled on my side, back nearly touching the Vulcan's own. "Good night, Mister Spock," I said, formally.

"Good night, Doctor McCoy," he replied, equally formally.

Profoundly exhausted, I swiftly fell into a deep sleep.

"So sweetheart, how much?"

"I'll take you back to my room for a hundred," she smiled sweetly.

"Okay, you're on." I let her lead the way.

She led me into a room hung with rich red velvet tapestries, containing a lush red velvet round bed. My footsteps were deadened in the pile carpet. I sat down on the bed, sank down into its comfort and pulled off my boots, then my tunic, then my black t-shirt.

God, how many times had I done this before while on leave? It was always fun in the beginning, then later on afterwards, after we were finished, I always felt incredibly let down and lonely. It was mostly being held that I'd been looking for. Though, the sex was adequate. Yes. Just adequate. That's all it ever was. Adequate. Even with Jocelyn. It was just adequate. `Leonard, you're a lousy lover,' she used to say. Is that why I found her with him? Nancy…is that why she left me and married Crater?

I removed my trousers and underwear as the woman turned the lights down low.

"What do you want tonight, lover?" she asked.

I thought a moment. Perhaps I should try something new. "I want to fuck you in the ass," I blurted out. I blushed and giggled after I said that. "Sorry…that was a little vulgar of me. I don't know what got into me."

She smiled. "Your wish is my command."

Oh yes, it was. I pulled her to me, kissed her deeply; grateful that I'd paid extra to be allowed to kiss her. I kept my eyes closed, the sex felt better that way. That way I could pretend she loved me.

I ran my tongue down her angular face, tasting her warm skin, caressing her body. She responded to me. I wanted her now. I flipped her over and caressed her firm ass. My erection so achingly hard, I reached for the little bottle. As I lubed up, I could feel my own pulse on my penis. I slid a finger in the ass with a well-lubed finger, heard the moan which exited me even more, I couldn't wait any longer. I pressed my penis against her ring and entered her. Oh it was so warm… "Oh my god…" I moaned as I thrust deep inside. "This is fantastic." I`d never felt anything like this before..

"Yes, it is extraordinarily good…Leonard…" I heard a gasp in return.

I opened my eyes. "Ahhhh. Spock… Spock… you feel so good--"

Wait a minute.

Spock?

"Spock?" I was awake in an instant. "Spock!?"

I found that I had turned myself around in my sleep and had become hopelessly tangled up in the Vulcan's arms. I was laying partially on top of him with my body pressed tightly against his. I also found myself with a decidedly throbbing erection pointing into Spock's thigh. I glanced up and found that Spock was looking at me with an equally decidedly amused expression. Oh shit.

"Were you dreaming?" Came the innocent, aggravatingly smart-ass tone.

Goddamn smug, irritating, son-of a bitch, green-blooded Vulcan. "No kidding!" I snapped. I roughly disentangled himself from the first officer, got up from the bed and padded into the bathroom to calm down. I ran my head under the taps to wet my sweaty hair I waited and waited and waited some more till my erection finally went down. As I sat on the toilet and waited, I knocked back a glass of water, the water dripping down my face. I wiped it off then poured myself another deliciously cold glass full. God was it ever hot in here.

Slowly I came padding out of the bathroom to stand at the foot of Spock's bed. "Sorry about that," I said sheepishly. "Was I keeping you awake?"

"Only when you were grabbing hold of me."

"Oh." I laughed feebly. I noticed that he had set the temp down even more. It was comfortable for me, though now it was down to nearly `artic level' for that Vulcan hide of his. "Hey, you should turn the heat back up," I protested. "You`ll be too cold--"

"I shall be warm enough if you are beside me. Come Doctor."

I reluctantly walked back over to the bed, and sat down on it. I got ready to lay on my side again, till Spock, laying on his back, held his arm out to me. I noted that the black hair of his underarm matched his equally dark haired chest. Well, mine was lighter.

I hesitated for a few moments, then edged myself down onto his bunk. I lay my head in the crook of his arm, against that warm chest. I felt myself enveloped by the warm arms and settled down to sleep with my body firmly against his. It felt good like this, even if I didn't want to admit it to myself. I was being held, like I always wanted. Maybe I never thought about being held by Spock. But his arms were…so very comforting.

"Good night, Doctor," Spock leaned over and whispered into my ear.

"Spock," I whispered back. "If we're going to sleep--like this--" I sighed in acquiesence. "Call me Leonard."

I wound up sleeping better than I'd ever slept in my life.

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END OF PART II