DISCLAIMER: See chapter one.

Chapter 15

"Aye, we'll be seeing you tomorrow then. Scott out." Bones closed the comm. and went back to where Jim and Spock sat talking quietly.

"What are you guys talking about?"

Jim shrugged. "I'm trying to get Spock to at least contemplate who 'they' are."

"God, not this again!" Bones groaned.

"You're going to have to get used to it babe, because 'they' will always be a part of our lives."

"You and your conspiracy theories. It's not the 1970's anymore, Jim." In a very mature show of emotions, Jim stuck out his tongue.

"Never mind this, what did Scotty say?" Jim asked, absentmindedly running his fingers through Spock's hair.

"They'll be down bright and early. Scotty said he saw a heat signature somewhere close to here. He's sure it's hot springs." Bones grinned, both from the news of a hot spring and from the sight before him.

"That's pretty cool, isn't it Spock?" Jim murmured with a smile.

"Indeed," Spock seemed to hum it, then continued to purr as Jim ran his hands through his hair.

"Are you guys hungry?"

Spock shook his head and Jim hummed in contemplation. "I could eat something. But nothing too heavy. Maybe a salad?"

"Yeah, that sounds good. Spock you don't mind if we take your salad's do you?" Spock shook his head again which made Bones raise his eyebrow. "It's like he's drunk again."

Jim practically squealed. "I know, but it's so cute."

"True." The rest of the night was uneventful. They sat and talked about anything and everything and once again fell asleep under the stars.

"Would ya look a' this?" A voice pierced through Jim's dream of an ice cream mountain and his t'hy'la... naked. He rolled over and saw Bones and Spock curled around each other, one of Spock's arms still draped where Jim had lain previously. But as he took in the scene with a soft smile, laughter reached his ears. Looking around, Jim spotted some new comers.

"Scotty!" Jim jumped up and grabbed the chief engineer in a hug. Behind the Scot were Uhura, Sulu, and Chekov. The last of the group looking like he was gonna wet himself. "Chekov, you ok?" Jim asked with a laugh.

"Oh, yes, Keptin! It is just zat I'm wery excited to be camping with eweryone!" Chekov beamed and blushed when Sulu nudged him in the shoulder, causing Jim to grin.

"Right. Well, let's get these beauties up, then, shall we?" Jim turned to Bones and Spock, contemplating the most amusing way of waking the pair. Looking around, Jim spotted a bush and grinned manically.

"GAAAAHHHH!" Bones jumped about ten feet in the air after feeling something crawling up his back. His movements caused Spock to wake in a flurry of movement as he tried to ascertain what was harming one of his t'hy'la.

"Leonard?"

"Get it off! Get it off! Get it offoffoff!" Bones screamed and tried to claw at his back. He was stopped by a hand on his shoulder and Spock comforting him.

"Leonard, there is nothing on your back at this time, allow me to reassure you of that."

"I felt something! I swear it!" Bones said emphatically.

"I am sure that you did, however, it is not there at this present moment."

"Then wha-" Bones finally noticed the snickers from the surrounding group. He turned to Jim, who had unsuccessfully attempted to hide a branch behind his back. "Jim!"

"You're lucky there are people here, Jim," Bones growled, "because they just saved your ass."

"But, what if I don't want my ass saved!" Bones grumbled, but decided to ignore his lover. "What time is it?"

"It's eight in the morning, Leonard. I'm sorry we woke you." Uhura's eyes twinkled in amusement.

"Yeah, I'm sure you are. Did you at least bring a decent breakfast with you?"

"Da, sausage and eggs. Oh, and fresh fruit for you, Commander." Chekov was shaking like an overly excited Chihuahua.

"Pavel, calm down. We'll get to the springs soon." Sulu placed his hand on the young man's shoulder in a poor attempt at calming him. "Would you guys mind if we ate on the road, once he gets excited there's no calming him until he gets what he wants."

"That's what she said," Jim shouted out between a mouthful of chewed sausage and egg. Luckily he swallowed before he started laughing hysterically, Bones following soon after.

"Real mature guys." Uhura shook her head, partly in an attempt to hide her smile. Wiping a fake tear from his eye, Jim collected himself and went over to his pack.

"We can leave now, we just need to get our suits." In a very domesticated act, Jim went through each pack and retrieved the clothing. When he turned around everyone-excluding Spock of course- had a smile on their face. "What?"

"Oh, nothin' at all laddy!" Scotty said innocently.

Jim shrugged. "Okay, then let's get going. Oh, and don't forget sun block!"

"Vhy vould ve forget sun block? It is crucial in zis type of sun exposure, no?" He said it as if it were the most obvious thing that one could possibly do.

Jim looked around awkwardly. "Uh, well, I've heard storie-"

"He decided it would be a good idea to work on his tan the first day we got here. Let's just say it didn't end well. I think he still has blisters to prove it." Jim blushed darkly when they all started laughing.

"It's not that funny," he mumbled.

"Oh, but it is!" Sulu was literally slapping his knee.

Jim pouted. "You guys all suck."

"But not as well as you, Jimmy boy." This time Bones was the only one laughing.

Jim raised his eyebrows with a leer. "And how would you know how good I am at sucking, Len?"

"Uh-I-um…" Bones shuffled.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." They continued a light banter the rest of the way to the so called springs. Spock was first to spot the water.

"I believe we have made it to our destination." Immediately Scotty, Uhura, Sulu and Chekov began to strip down to their bathing suits that they had worn underneath their uniforms and ran for the water. The other three looked around for a place to change.

Bones groaned. "Well, shit! Why weren't we told that this was going to be as deserted as the desert? I would've changed back at the campsite. Now what are we supposed to do?" With this Jim began to strip down. "What are you doing?" Bones reached out to stop him from pulling off any more clothing.

Jim looked at Bones with annoyance. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm getting changed."

"Where people can see you? That's indecent Jim!"

Jim laughed. "It's only our friends, Bones. And believe me, I'm sure they've seen all of me at least once before; everybody has." He thought back to the time at the Academy when he hid under Gaila's bed. "And it's not like Uhura hasn't seen Spock naked before, am I right?" He looked over to Spock whose cheeks had become a deeper green than usual. "As for you, there was that time when we were playing strip poker and you lost miserably. Chekov still blushes when he sees you."

Bones shrugged. "Our past's aside, I'm not comfortable with people seeing you two naked."

"Are you jealous Bones?" Jim said with a smirk.

Bones growled. "You know what, why deny it? Yeah, Jim, I'm jealous of people seeing my mates naked. Happy?"

"Very! Alright, you two stand in front of me while I change. And then we'll alternate." And that's exactly what they did, sneaking peeks every once and a while. Finally they reached the water. "Bones, you aren't allergic to this, right?"

"We'll find out won't we? I have a hypo in my pants pocket anyway." When he stepped in, Jim and Spock held their breath. After a minute or so everything seemed to be fine. Once they settled in the water they looked around the circle.

"So, how's the Enterprise, Scotty?" Jim asked.

Scotty beamed. "Everything has been working fine, Jim. Just as pristine as ye left her!"

"Excellent!" Jim clapped his hands to make sure he had everyone's attention. "So, now that business is finished, how about we play a game?"

"That's so preteen, Jim," Bones sneered.

"Just deal, Bones. This'll be fun and a lot dirtier than when we played it as kids. So guys, it's your choice: Truth or Dare or Never Have I ever."

"Don't you need alcohol to play never have I ever?" Sulu said.

"Oh, yeah," Jim said, looking downcast. It didn't really matter, he would have lost anyway.

"I brought some with me, but I left it at the camp," Scotty said.

Chekov spoke up from his seat. "Da, I haf vodka."

"You're not even old enough to drink!" Bones said.

"Actually he is," Sulu defended. "At least in Russia, he is. And since we're not even on planet . . ."

"Fine, but you're cleaning up after him if he gets sick!" Bones replied.

"It would be my honor." Sulu slung his arm around Chekov lovingly.

"Don't think you're so lucky, Montgomery Scott." Uhura leaned away from Scotty to get her point across.

"I wouldn't dream of it!"

Jim steered the conversation back where it had originated from. "Okay, well now that that's settled. Scotty, truth or dare?"

"I'll start out easy. Truth," Scotty said, sitting back against the spring's edge.

"LAME!" Bones and Sulu cried together.

"Alright, alright, gentlemen! Take it easy... So, truth?" Jim touched his chin a thoughtful manner. Suddenly, a wicked gleam came over Jim's eyes. Bones recoiled, having had that look directed at him before- the end result was not pretty. "What really happened that night Spock found you in the engine room without your pants on?"
There was a collective gasp and snicker going around the group, not Spock, though.

Scotty looked down to hide his blazing cheeks. "Ye couldn't have picked somethin' easier could ya?"

"Sorry Scotty, but I did say this was the dirty version."

"And you're not backing out of this one Monty, because I really want to know the answer." The rest of the group wasn't sure if Uhura was truly mad or just acting.

"Uhh, well, ya see, I was drinkin' with a couple of the boys from Engineering- I would advise ye ta stay away Romulan Ale at all costs. Anyway, the night's a wee bit fuzzy, but I do remember the boys telling me that the Enterprise would never put out even if I was the one who was offerin'. I bet 'em they were wrong," Scotty said amidst laughter. "Of course I lost- in retrospect either way I would've. Being found with your britches around your ankles trying to mount a pipe, by your Vulcan first officer isn't a win in anyway." The circle erupted in laughter, including Uhura.

Jim wiped a tear from his eye. "Why were you down there, Spock? Usually I'm the one who checks in with Engineering."
Spock shrugged. "I had come across an equation that I thought Mr. Scott would find interesting. I never did have the chance to show it to him. Perhaps when we are back aboard the Enterprise we could have a moment."

"Aye, sounds like a plan to me," Scotty said, nodding. "And for Chris' sake! Call me Scotty or somethin', ye have seen my balls, ya know!" Once more the circle roared in laughter. "Anyway, I believe it is my turn to ask someone." He paused dramatically clearing his throat. "Chekov! Truth or Dare?" The boy paled.

"Erm, Truth?" A collective groan made him blush deeply.

"Come on Pav! Why didn't you choose dare?" Sulu whined.

"Because I do not vant to be told to strip or make out vith Dr. McCoy!" Jim nearly choked on his laughter when he saw the look on the poor kids face. Bones just looked indignant.

"Okay, lad. Truth it is. What is your favorite thing that Hikaru does in bed?" The goofy smile on Sulu's face dropped instantly.

"Oh, zis is easy!" Apparently talking sex was easier than doing any dare. "I lof it ven he sexy talks." Sulu looked down to his lap, shaking his head. "Don't be embarrassed Hikaru!"

Jim looked shocked. "Wait, so Sulu likes to talk dirty? I would've thought he had a type of sword kink going on. Or gave great head."

"And what would make you think that Jim?" Bones had already shown his possessive side once, and it seemed he was about to show it again.

"I've told you already Bones. I know a good sucker when I see one!" Just as McCoy opened his mouth to retaliate, Chekov unknowingly saved the day.

"I vant to ask Uhura ze truth or dare."

Chekov turned to Uhura. "Truth or dare, Uhura?"

"Dare." There was no hesitation in her voice as she stared Chekov down from across the springs. He gulped.

"Alright, zen... Uhmm..." Chekov looked around the circle, as if seeking guidance. "I vill admit zat I vas not prepared for you to say dare."

"Can he have help?" Jim asked, perking up. The remainder of the group consulted with each other, while Uhura protested.

"No way! You'll give him something dirty to say!"

Jim let a sly smile shine on his face. "What if I make it not dirty?"

The group shared a look and made a decision. "Sure, Jim." McCoy spoke up. "But nothing too brash, alright?"

"You got it, Bonesy!" Jim scooted closer to Chekov and whispered in his ear. "Got it?" Chekov nodded and turned back to Uhura.

"Uhura, I dare you to do fifty pushups in your undervear..." Uhura made a noise of protest. "Or 10 in ze nude!" She glared at Jim, who was trying to hide his laughter.

"Fine! Just because you think I won't... or can't!" She climbed out of the spring and proceeded to show off her Starfleet training. Completing all fifty pushups, to the dismay of the captain, but also to the delight of Scotty.

"Tha's muh lass!"

"Well, isn't someone lucky?" Jim mumbled under his breath as he watched Uhura do the pushups in the normal form, not the girl method.

"Fuck you, Kirk," Uhura said as she returned to the pool. "My turn... Sulu!" She sang. The Asian man looked frightened for a moment. "Truth... or dare?"

"Um, dare?" Sulu wasn't about to back down from a challenge. . . even when it terrified him. All the guys, excluding Spock, did a chorus of 'ooohs' before they were silenced by Sulu's glare.

"I dare you to kiss everyone here and tell me who the best kisser is. Excluding me and Chekov, of course." Every head turned in Uhura's direction.

"No way! That's just too awkward," said Jim surprisingly.

"I don't care. If you had thought of it, you would have done it no questions asked!" She had him there. "It doesn't have to be with tongue, Hikaru, but it does have to be on the lips. And for 10 seconds."

"Even Spock?" Uhura eyed her ex carefully before nodding.

"Even Spock."

Sulu gulped. "Oh God." He went up to Scotty- who looked like he was going to be sick- and kissed him. After ten seconds (of Uhura counting) he pulled away quickly. Scotty mumbled something about Uhura being lucky he loved her as he wiped his mouth. The next victim- as Jim came to think of it- was Bones. "Let's just get it over with." With this Sulu grabbed Bones' neck and pulled him into a kiss. Once Uhura finished he pulled away, letting go of the doctor's neck. "Sorry about that, Len."

"Eh, whatever. I was too shocked by your forcefulness that I didn't even think about the kiss."

"Well, lucky you!" Sulu managed to laugh a little as he moved to position himself in front of Jim.

"Shouldn't I be last because I'm the best?" And there was that old Jim Kirk charm. "Whatever, this will do." Now, instead of Sulu grabbing the neck, it was Jim. He connected his lips and held it for ten long seconds. He gasped for air when they broke apart, Sulu wobbling a little. "He's all yours, Mr. Spock!"

"Must I really do this?" Spock definitely did not whine.

Uhura tried to contain her giggles. "Yes, Spock."

"Very well." Sulu, who was standing in front of him, had an apologetic smile on his face. He leaned down and placed his lips on Spock's. He pulled away gently when time was up. When he sat back down, next to a very upset Chekov, he looked to Uhura.

"So, who was the best kisser?" His eyes scanned over the guys a few times before he leveled them on,

"Spock."

"What! This is an outrage! I demand a redo!" Jim yelled, standing up.

"Oh, shut up and sit down." Jim did as he was told. "Why Spock?"

"Well, Monty was just horrible because he's straight, Bones was a little too soft, which is funny because he's such a hard ass, Jim was too rough, a little overeager if you ask me." He winked, jokingly. "And Spock was just right. He wasn't exactly into it, but when our lips connected it was just the right amount of roughness and softness, and -don't take this the wrong way Pav- he smells divine!"

"It's your turn now," Uhura reminded him.

"Oh, yeah, right." He looked around. "Alright. McCoy, truth or dare?"

Jim looked to Bones and wiggled his eyebrows in an enticing manner. Bones shook his head. The staring contest grew.

"McCoy?"

Sulu's voice snapped Bones out of the staring contest and he sighed. "Fine. Because I know I won't hear the end of it... Dare."

Jim punched the air in victory.

"Alright then! Let's see how flexible you are, doctor." Jim and Spock looked at Sulu sharply. McCoy gulped.

"And what do you mean by that?"

"Do a split- as far down as you can..." Jim grinned and Spock raised an eyebrow as he looked at Leonard. Bones grinned with relief and determination.

"What kind? You want a side split? Front? Over? Vertical? Twisting? Come on, man. Give me specifics." Bones threw his hands up in a gesture that said he could take anything thrown at him. The group wore similar looks on their faces- disbelief and shock were the prominent ones. "Look, if ya'll can't decide, I'm gonna hafta blow you all away with my skills."

"... You can blow me away anytime, Bones!"

Bones shook his head as he got up from the pool. "Jim, you're incorrigible."

"But-!"

"Shut it! Just lemme do the dare, 'cause now I'm cold!"

Silence took over as Bones went through the motions of a gymnast. The side split and front split were easy, the vertical only requiring him to stand. For the twisting split, Bones had to transition from front split to side split, and then to the opposite front split. The oversplit was the difficult one. "The oversplit is one where the feet support the body. But there's nothing here that I can use to do it, so if you really wanna see it, it's probably gunna hafta wait until we get back to the ship... What?" Astonished stares were being leveled at the doctor.

"Where the fuck did you learn to do that?" Jim cried in outrage. "And why haven't you told me about your little talent?"

Bones grinned maniacally. "Jim, I'm just full of surprises."

"I'll say!"

"So... Jim! Truth or dare?" Bones looked to Jim eagerly, hoping to scare him, but knowing that nothing would.

"Oh! Can I do both?" Jim asked excitedly.

Bones groaned. "That's not how it works, Jim."

"But I wanna! It's not like anyone else has asked for this!" Jim's whining was unbearable.

Bones would not be swayed. "No, Jim. You only get to pick one. So, which is it truth or dare?"

"Fine! Dare!" He may or may not have stuck out his tongue.

There was no hesitation. "Good. You have to imitate Spock for the next hour. You laugh, crack a smile, or do anything that he wouldn't do and you have to sing 'Like a Virgin' on a ship wide announcement, dressed as Madonna and all."

"You've got to be shitting me!" Jim looked around the circle nervously.

"I'd be careful what you say, Jim. Time starts now." Jim's face morphed easily into an exact replica of Spock's, eyebrow raised and all.

"Very well. I believe it is my turn?" Bones nodded. "Mr. Spock, Truth or Dare?"

"Truth, Jim. The 'dares' are illogical and I find myself better able to answer questions, rather than perform a mindless task," Spock said with no lack of disdain.

"Mindless? Did you not just see my display of gymnastic awesomeness?" Bones said outrageously.

"I did, Leonard and am still curious as to how you were able to perform in such a way. This is irrelevant, however. Jim?" Spock turned to look at Jim, noting the blank expression and raised eyebrow. It was disturbing, that this was how others saw Spock- as a truly unemotional being, but he let it pass for the moment in favor of hearing his question.

"Mr. Spock, what is your most embarrassing situation to date?"

Spock looked at Jim sharply. But then he realized that he was amongst friends and they would not be part of the rumor mill.

Spock tried not to let out a sigh. "When I first came to Earth to start at the Academy I never had to worry about the usual Terran problems, such as 'keggers' and women. I was fully engaged in my work. However, one night I had let the stress of my Advanced Xenobiology class 'get to me', as Jim would say." Spock paused, making everyone think he was done.

"Spock, we get that you're embarrassed about your emotions, but that doesn't-"

"I am not finished, Leonard. As I was saying, I succumbed to the stress of being on an unfamiliar planet and challenging classes. Much of the cadets spoke of parties and how relieving drinking was. In pure experimentation I decided to 'give it a try' I bought a bar of dark chocolate and a bottle of Romulan Ale. The ale would not exactly cause any effects, but it seemed logical. The rest of the night I cannot remember, but when I awoke I had a blaring headache and an uneasy stomach. I soon realized I was five minutes late to my class. Speedily I ran to the Science building, taking a seat in the back. I knew I looked disheveled, but the level of looks and laughter I received caused me great distress. After the class was over a girl who had been looking at me the whole class slipped a piece of paper in my hand and walked away. I unfolded it and immediately knew what caused such attention. It read: 'Your body is amazing. Give me a call.'." Everyone was silent, waiting for Spock to continue, but he didn't.

"What the hell does that mean?" Sulu screeched.

Spock leveled a stare at the pilot. "It means, Hikaru, that in my haste to get to class, I forgot to put on a shirt. I went to the class with only my night clothes on. In all honesty, I do not know how it was possible; perhaps I was still feeling the effects of the chocolate in my system."

Bones laughed loudly. "How the hell didn't your professor not see this?"

"The professor was 109 years old, blind and partially deaf." After a second of silence the group burst out laughing, well everyone except for Jim who managed the whole 'I'm laughing with my eyes' thing that Spock does.

"He would hafta be blind to not notice that body!" Bones muttered to Jim. Spock heard and blushed a light green. "Your turn, Spock. Ask away!" Bones gestured around the group. Spock searched the faces of the others.

"Do we return to the beginning?"

"Yeah, so... Chekov is the lucky one."

"I see. Well, Mr. Chekov, truth or dare?"

"I do not like ze dare, so I will do truth." Chekov received a slap on the back of his head from Sulu and Scotty. "Ouch!"

"That's fer bein' a pussy!" Scotty said partly joking, partly annoyed.

"Yeah, Pav! What the fuck? I had to kiss these guys!" Chekov looked at him with a pout.

"And zat is exactly why I do not want to do dare!"

"Very well gentlemen. Chekov, tell us something that was completely against your morals, but you are... pleased... that you did so anyway."
Chekov stared at Spock. "Zat is somezing of a personal question, Meester Spock."

"You gotta answer the question, Chekov," Bones said. "You did choose truth."

"Da... Well zen. I would haf to say, falling in love with Hikaru." There were a collective gasp heard around the circle. "I vas raised zinking zat loving anozer man vas wrong. I am extremely happy zat I did not leesten to my upbringing- I vould not be able to live vithout Hikaru." Chekov turned to Sulu and they shared a kiss, Sulu clinging to the young Russian for a few extra moments.

"I'm so glad you didn't ignore how you felt... I love you, too, Pasha."

Uhura sniffled, wiping a tear from her eye. "Why can't you be more like that?" Scotty rubbed the shoulder that Uhura had slapped.

"I'll try harder darlin'," Scotty said mournfully.

"You better!"

"Are you two done?" Bones faux joked. "Alright Pavel, who are you picking?"

"Umm, I choose Scotty this zis time! Truth or dare?"

Scotty looked thoughtful. "Dare, I suppose."

The Russian groaned. "Vhy do zey always pick dare?"

"Because dare's are awesome!" Sulu cried.

"Indeed." Jim, who had stayed mostly quiet, looked on with twinkling eyes.

"Alright, I dare you to give Jim a lap dance!" Surprisingly Jim's expression didn't change a wink.

"Ye all know I'm straight right? As in, I like women." A throat cleared. "Erm, I mean, I love this woman."

"Eet does not matter, Scotty. You haf to do as I say." Scotty pushed himself up and over to where Jim sat stiff as a board.

"I am so very sorry, laddy." He starting swinging his hips, and to everyone's surprise had very good rhythm. Left. Right. Left. Right. Scotty kept up a slow beat. He didn't do anything to provocative, but he did enough to make himself and Jim extremely uncomfortable. Soon, though, he went back to his seat beside Uhura. Everyone remained quiet.

"Holy. Fucking. Shit!" Uhura exclaimed, wrapping her arms around Scotty's neck. "Why didn't you tell me you could dance like that?" She purred in his ear and brought her hand down his chest. "That was sexy!"

"Enough please." Jim shifted uncomfortably. "I mean no offense Mr. Scott, but I would be extremely pleased if you refrained from doing that for me or in front of me ever again."

"Aye, Captain. It would be my pleasure. Now, Sulu," Scotty said, "truth or dare?"

"Dare, I suppose..." Sulu said, looking a little suspicious as Scotty rubbed his hands together in glee.

"Alrighty, then! I dare ye to le' someone rub their feet in yer face fer thirty secon's!" Scotty laughed manically, as did the rest of the group with the exception of Spock and Jim. Sulu's face grew white and his mouth dropped.

"Wh-whose foot?"

"Ah, yer a good sport, laddy! Mr. Spock, yer up!"

Spock looked sharply at the Scot, and if he had been human, would have sighed. "Am I to assume that I cannot refuse this?"

"Ye assume correctly, sir!" Scotty snapped off a jaunty salute and Spock moved to complete the dare. Sulu stayed in the water while Spock sat on the edge and positioned his feet in the helmsman's face. "Ready? Well, it actually doesn' mattah if yer ready... Begin!" Spock placed his feet on Sulu's face and began to move them, touching his cheeks, mouth, and eyes. Sulu was silent, lips pursed as the group laughed- minus Jim, who looked like he couldn't contain himself for much longer. Scotty ticked off the time aloud. "15...14...13...12..." Sulu made whimpering noises, causing the laughter to escalate. Spock maintained a look of indifference, but when McCoy looked at him, he could see the annoyance in his face. "6... 5... 4..." Sulu spoke. "No more!" And Spock's toes slipped into his mouth, causing him to cough and the result was that the laughter reached the point of breathlessness and Jim... well... "2... 1... 0!"

"Jim! Guess what you gotta do?" McCoy managed to get out in between gulping air.

"You've got to be shitting me! How long did I have left?" Jim yelled in disbelief.

Immediately Spock replied. "3.23 minutes, Jim."

He dropped his face into his palms, shaking his head in disbelief. "Can't I just win on a technicality? I went the whole fucking time without even twitching."

Bones smirked. "Sorry Jim, rules are rules."

"I fucking hate you." His icy glare almost broke the good doctor.

"You love me, babe." He leaned in to Jim, bumping their foreheads lovingly. When a throat cleared he pulled away.

"So, uh, Lenny. I choose you, truth or dare?" Sulu looked hopeful, which made Bones nervous.

"Truth." He smirked believing that he saved himself from a very excruciating experience. However when Sulu smiled, Bones wasn't so cocky.

"So, what happened over the past week between you guys? Don't leave anything out!"

Bones paled and glanced at Jim and Spock. "Uhh... Pass?"

"No can do, doc! Can't get outta this one!" Sulu said cheerfully.

"Uh- well..." Bones took another glance at his loves. Jim and Spock watched Leonard. They knew that he was a private man, but his decision on whether or not to tell their story was an important one. "I- uhh..." Bones stumbled. "That is, we..." Bones took a deep breath and thought for a second. He wasn't embarrassed or ashamed by the events of the last week or so, so what did he have to lose? Always one for being bluntly honest, Bones dove right in. "We found each other. We fell in love- from all sides- and had one hell of a time doing so. The way there was dangerous, but it was worth every bit of pain and heartache to get there- I would do it again in a heartbeat."

The silence was nearly unbearable for the three men. "I know that wasn't the whole story, but I'm not at that level yet where I can just tell you everything." Still there was silence. "Look, if you can't accept that then maybe you weren't the friends I thought you were." Bones stood to get out of the spring.

Uhura was quick to recover. "Wait! Wait! Leonard, we were just a little surprised, that's all. We weren't judging. I mean, who are we to criticize your relationship. I'm pretty sure Monty is more in love with the Enterprise than me and Pavel and Hikaru are just one pairing I never would have thought of- no offense guys. What I'm saying is that we're not going to judge you guys, because we love you." Her smile was welcoming, but Bones didn't sit back down.

Bones smiled. "Thank you, we really appreciate it, but I can't stay in there anymore."

"Bones, it wasn't that bad!" Jim protested.

"That's not the reason I'm getting out! I'm turning into a fucking prune!" He held his fingers up for Jim to see, and they were, in fact, pruning.

"You're such a baby sometimes, love." Jim said getting out of the water.

"Shut up," Bones grumbled.

"Never!" Jim cried.

"Jim, Leonard, perhaps you can act like infants at another time." Spock went over to their clothes and picked up their towels then handed them to them.

"We do not act like infants!" They said in unison, pouting.

Spock raised his eyebrow. "That very face is verification."

"Yeah, but you love us, Spocky," Jim said sweetly.

"Not if you continue to call me that, Jim." His dark orbs twinkled in suppressed laughter.

"You guys are too cute!" Uhura gushed, reaching to muss up Spock's hair.

"Da, it is wery adorable." To cover his blush Bones turned and started to walk back to camp.

"Yeah, yeah. Shut up!" He was already too far away to hear the giggles.

The giggles receded until all that was left was a contemplative silence. Uhura sighed. "Took them long enough."

Chekov nodded. "Da... The bridge has been terrible lately."

"What are ye two on about?" Scotty and Sulu shared a confused look.

"Haven't you noticed the tension between them? At all?" They shook their heads. Uhura let out an exasperated sigh. "Well, it's been there, for a while."

"Well, they seemed happy. That's all that matters, right?" Sulu said.

"Aye, laddy... Even the command team needs a bit o' happiness fer themselves."

The walk back to camp was quiet, up until Jim could no longer contain himself. He walked closer to McCoy and began to bump shoulders with him. "So, Bones..."

"Yes, Jim?" Exasperation filled his tone as Bones answered.

"You told 'em, huh?"

"I did, Jim... Was I wrong to tell them?" Bones grabbed Jim's arm and forced him to stop walking. "They're our friends, so they would've found out later, anyway..."

"No! Of course you should have told them!" Jim grabbed Bones' arms and pulled him into a hug. "I just didn't think you would, that's all."

Bones' face was pressed against Jim's shoulder as he replied. "I'm not embarrassed by what we got, darlin'."

Jim giggled a bit as he released Bones and they returned to Spock's side, continuing on. "I think you wanted them to know! So that they knew what they were missing!" Bones growled made to grab Jim again, but the young captain danced out of reach.

"Dammit, Jim!"

Once back at camp they changed and helped the others set up their tents. It was dusk when they finally settled around the fire drinks in hand. "It's been too long my love." Bones held the bottle of scotch to his cheek lovingly.

"Has it really been that bad without it? I thought Spock and I kind of made up for it." Jim pouted.

"You know that's not true, Jim."

"Yeah, I guess."

"Look, I won't have another drink for as long as I live if that'll make you happy." By the look on his face he was completely serious.

"That wouldn't make me happy. You're way too funny when you're drunk." Jim pouted.

"I happy that you're concerned for my health," Bones deadpanned.

Jim smiled. "Anyway, what do you guys want to eat? We don't have anything extravagant, probably just some more hot dogs and beans, but-"

"Oh, we brought some food with us. We figured that you should have a big feast your last night of leave. So, anyone up for steak?" All the men whooped in agreement, except Spock. "We have salad for you, Spock. I made sure it was the way you prefer it."

Spock was grateful. "Thank you, Nyota."

She smiled. "Anytime."

"So, let's eat some grub." Jim clapped his hands together.

"That is disgusting, Jim."

"You know I didn't mean that literally, stop being a douche." Spock's eyebrows shot up into his hair.

"If anyone is the "douche" James, it is you."

"Weren't you just telling us not to behave like infants, Spock?" Both men became quiet. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Let's eat."

For the rest of the night they sat around, swapping stories of childhood and love. At one point Jim fell asleep in Spock's lap and Chekov in Sulu's. As they were carried off to bed, Jim protested.

"But we din't play never have ever!" He slurred, unable to keep his eyes open.

"We will play another day, t'hy'la."

"We better," Jim said as he snuggled deeper into Spock's chest.

Back at the campfire Bones stood up stretching. "I s'pose I should get to bed. Gotta be well rested tomorrow."

There was a chorus of, "Night, Len!" and "Goodnight, Leonard." .

"Night!" When he entered the tent Spock was already laying down next to Jim, his eyes heavy with exhaustion. Bones laid down and kissed the sleeping Captain's head then touched his fingers to Spock's. "It's been one hell of a ride, huh, Spock?"

Spock looked at the doctor with affection. "Indeed it has been, but it has been worth the trials and tribulations. Has it not?"

"Oh, it most definitely has." Bones closed his eyes, completely content with his life for the first time in years.

So, that's it. The end of Age before Beauty. A huge thanks to everyone who reviewed and favorited this story, you make it worthwhile! There is a sequel to this, but it may take some time until I start posting it. Another thing - the whole 'Jim dressing like Madonna' thing, it will be done, but I don't have a definite time for that, so be on the lookout!

Keep an eye out for the sequel: Plaid is Rad, coming soon!