I own nothing of the Star Trek multiverse save my undying love.

Thanks to my awesome beta Djinn1 -any mistakes within are mine alone!

"Might I join you, Doctor?"

Christine Chapel looked up from her medical journal to find the lanky Enterprise First Officer, and former love of her life, holding a plate of grilled vegetables and a steaming cup of te'i.

She made a quick visual recon of the immediate area, certain that he was addressing his query to someone else, anyone else but her. But in fact, they were the only two people in the Officer's mess.

"Certainly, sir," she replied, feeling herself stiffen into the practiced military posture that ten years of Starfleet service made as instinctive as blinking or breathing.

"At ease, Lieutenant," he responded, the barest trace of a smile ever so briefly warming the usually implacable Vulcan mask. "We are not on duty, Christine."

'Christine?' What in the hell? She fought the impulse to pull out the small mediscan unit from her kit and give him the once over. In all of the time she'd served with him he had never deigned to use her first name without prompting. Strange, that even after so many years, that particular slight still held such a bitter sting.

"You are frowning," he said, the raised eyebrow underscoring his puzzlement. "You are displeased with something?"

"Are you feeling… alright?"

"I am quite well, thank you, and yourself?"

"I'm fine…it's just…you…"

"I?" he asked, ratcheting the eyebrow up another notch.

"You called me…Christine."

"That is your name, is it not?"

"It's been my name for the entire time you've known me, but I can count on one hand the number of times you've used it." She experienced a faint sense of embarrassment that she'd allowed the hurt to color her tone.

"V'Ger..." He paused, shifting his gaze down to the table, and for a moment seemed singularly fascinated by the wisps of steam rising from the fragrant Vulcan tea.

"V'Ger—V'Ger what, -he told you my name?"

He responded with a most human sigh then leaned back in the chair, bowing his head and steepling his fingers against his lips in an almost meditative pose as if planning a chess move.

"My experience with the entity calling itself V'Ger helped me to see that my quest to sever my connection with my human nature was illogical. I have since been…endeavoring to…regain a sense of connection with those around me."

"So, using my first name, you're what, endeavoring to 'regain a sense of connection'…with me?"

"Yes."

"One problem there, in case it's slipped your memory, we were never 'connected' in the first place."

"You have always treated me with great kindness, and respect, Christine. I have never properly acknowledged what that has meant to me. I hope that you might consider me your friend."

"Your friend, you want us to be friends?"

"You do not wish that?"

She considered half a dozen snotty comebacks, but there was something open, something vulnerable in his eyes that brought her up short." Yes, Mr. Spock," she responded softly and knew without question it was the truth, "of course I do."

"Spock, Christine, my name is Spock."

"Spock, I'm Christine." She held out her hand inviting a handshake as if they'd been two strangers meeting for the first time.

He accepted the proffered hand, with a surprisingly firm grip.

The rest of the dinner was lighthearted and quite unremarkable. Much to her surprise, they chatted amiably about the article she'd been reading, upcoming experiments in the lab, the myriad changes to the newly refitted ship. Apparently, Spock did not subscribe to the Vulcan custom of consuming a meal in silence.

Len and the Captain joined them later and they talked into the wee hours of gamma shift, old friends catching up on the changes of the past few years. Pleasant, she smiled at her reflection in the small fresher mirror as she readied herself for bed; it had been a most pleasant evening.