1. First Impressions (and Love at First Sight)

The blood around his nose dried sometime during the night as he drove his bike down endless highways and back roads. When he finally got to the loading bay, he stopped, taking in his future.

Pike had dared him to do better. Well, James Tiberius Kirk couldn't exactly set a goal without something concrete in front of him. Staring over the field, he saw it. Rising over the flat plains of Iowa rose a towering structure, mostly just support beams and structural components, but like a time lapse, Jim could imagine the ship once completed, and the sight made his breath catch. This is what he's meant to do. The truth of it set in his gut, making him more sure of this decision.

"So," he said, with a shy grin, "you're going to be the crown jewel of the Federation? I can tell. God, you're beautiful." He waited a second, then laughed. "C'mon, yes you are. Anyway, the name is Jim. Jim Kirk. Sorry I don't know your name, yet, but no worries, I will. Is it alright if I just call you 'baby' for now? Good." As the sun was starting to rise, he could see red-clad cadets already showing up on the airfield. "You know, it usually takes about six years for a beauty like you to be built, but they've probably got people working 'round the clock for you. How much longer until you're airborne? I'm gonna guess four, four-and-a-half, years? I'm going to the Academy, so I'll see you soon enough."

He cranked his bike back up, turning back on to the road leading to the ship. He threw the ship one more look over his shoulder, smiling. "See you later, baby. I'm running late."

He took off down to the airfield, pulling up right alongside the vessel. It should have taken off five minutes ago, but the knowing smile on Pike's face when he approached told him exactly why it didn't.

"Four years?" he asked. Jim looked past him, once more, at his baby. He then noticed in the early-morning fog, he didn't see the progress the builders really made. Almost half of the bottom of the ship was completed. His guess was way off.

Jim smiled, "You better make it three."

2. A Quick Word (and A Baffled Vulcan)

Jim followed Pike hot on his heels, Spock in tow, when Pike wheeled around to face them. He stopped suddenly, Sulu barely barreling into his back.

"You're Captain now, Spock. Kirk, I'm promoting you to First Officer." Kirk spluttered, grasping at anything to say in reply, but Spock beat him to it.

"Sir, forgive me, but the humans' capacity of a practical joke continue to elude me."

"It's not a joke, Spock." Spock glanced at Jim, who couldn't help but smirk in return as he followed Pike into the lift. "Go easy on her, Spock. She's brand new." The lift closed on a sight Jim couldn't help but to take pride in. The Vulcan actually looked overwhelmed.

"Take it easy on him, girl." He mumbled, looking up, as Pike spoke quietly with Sulu. "The pointy-eared bastard doesn't have the first clue what he's doing."

He laughed to himself, feeling like, in some way, the ship heard him.

"C'mon, Kirk," Pike barked. "Let's see if you're worth the trouble. They ran to the hangar, piling on the jump gear. As they were entering the small ship, Kirk glanced back at the ship. He didn't get a chance to really see her, but the little he did? She was a gorgeous ship.

3. Sweet-Nothings (and A Total Buzz-Kill)

Jim felt completely and utterly drained, but he couldn't stop the hysterical giggles building up in his chest. They did it. They honest-to-God did it!

Everyone in the bridge slumped in their seats as the ship sped away from the black hole, even Spock was breathing a little deeper.

"That was amazing!" Jim finally breathed. A few of the crew laughed in relief as well. He paged medbay, "Bones, how's Captain Pike?"

"He's stable, but those bastards did a number on him. I'm keeping him here until we're back on Earth. You get to play Captain for a little while longer." Bone's voice was sarcastic and dry, only lightened by a chuckle. "You did good, Jim. Good to hear from ya." The connection cut off, the grin on Jim's face growing impossibly wider.

When the others looked away, continuing their jobs, Jim looked down at the controls on the Captain's chair, feeling a warm sense of awe fill him to the brim. Before he knew what he was doing, he was petting the arms of the chair.

"You did great, baby." He whispered. "You just may be the best ship ever made. Don't worry, we'll get you back to Earth and get you all patched up. The nice new Captain you end up with will love you just as much as I do."

"Captain?" Spock's voice cut in. Jim turned in his seat, facing the Vulcan.

"Yes, Mr. Spock?" Jim felt a flush color his cheeks when he realized that those pointy ears were big for a reason. Was Spock honestly going to call him out on sweet-talking the ship?!

"I-I believe I must congratulate you on a successful rescue, sir. The odds of our success were certainly not in our favor."

Jim suppressed a sigh of relief, "Thank you, Mr. Spock." Spock was about to turn away but Jim called, "Wait." Spock tilted an ear towards Jim. "I...What you did today was incredible. It took a lot of guts, and without you, we wouldn't be sitting here right now. Thank you, Spock." Jeez, he really needs to work on these Captain-ly speeches.

"Your thanks are not necessary, Captain, just as my decision to release the red matter did not derive from my 'gut' as you called it. I appreciate the gesture, Captain, though it was not logical."

Well, that killed the Hallmark moment. "Whatever you say, Mr. Spock." He said, turning back to the damaged view-screen. He turned back to the chair, realizing he never stopped petting the arm. "I feel sorry for you, girl. I don't know if I'm coming back, but I know he is. Just promise me you won't accidentally activate an air-lock when he annoys you." As Earth gradually came into view, he clung to the chair. He pictured himself refusing to let go. He pictured it would take three Ensigns and one irritated Vulcan to pry him from this chair. But, eventually, they arrived at the space-dock, and with his head held high, he stood and left his girl, his baby, the Enterprise.

4. Comforting Words (and A Few Curses)

His heart was pounding so loud, he could barely hear. He and Scotty ran into Engineering, where his baby was in the fight of her life. Something wrong with the warp core. Scotty was saying something about the warp core.

Jim ran blindly, his officer yelling after him, but he ignored him as he raced to his baby's heart. Her life-force. This was the Enterprise, he can't lose her!

"The ship's dead, sir!" Scotty yelled from the computer. He turned back to Jim, slumped with hopelessness. "She's gone."

Jim felt the ground open up underneath him and the wind rush out of him. No, he couldn't lose his baby. Not after everything they've been through. "No, she's not." He said quickly before running past Scotty to the warp core.

Scotty was yelling at him, begging him to stop. "We'll die in there before we even make the climb." Jim froze, his blood turning to ice. He won't stand by and watch his baby die. Not now.

"We're not making the climb," before Jim could stop himself, he knocked out Scotty, strapping him to his chair, before entering the radiation chamber.

His body was on fire. Every cell in his body screamed in agony as he climbed up to the warp core. He knew it was by adrenaline alone that he wasn't dead.

"Come on, baby." He said as he climbed. "Hang on for me. Don't die."

He finally reached the warp core, and all his body wanted to do was just collapse and give in to the poison in his blood. He looked at the heart of the Enterprise like it was a precious jewel. The sight of it damaged and dying out broke Jim's heart in two. He fought tears in his eyes as he lifted himself up, kicking the terminal.

"Come on!" He grunted, kicking again. "Come back to me." Another kick. His lungs burned in his chest and his blood pumped sluggishly through him. "Dammit, baby, wake up!"

He kicked again, the force of it almost sending him down. If he fell now, he would never get back up. He cursed and spat as he kicked with more force. The terminal only moved a inch, maybe less. Jim grew desperate, panting for breath. "You fucking bucket of bolts, come on! I know you're in there! Come back! We need you! I need you!" He kicked again, as hard as he could, and felt hope in his chest when it moved further over. "That's it, baby. You can do it. I know you're tired and I know you don't feel well, but if you just hang on just a little longer, I promise," he kicked again, crying out when his muscles clenched in protest, "I promise, baby. I'll make it up to you. Crystals, upgrades, a paint job, whatever you want." He took a deep breath, the air setting his lungs on fire, the exhale coming out as a sob. "I promise!" He thought he kicked it, but then a wave of heat sent him sprawling next to the entrance.

Darkness crept on the edges of his vision, but he had to get back. Had to see if they made it. As he crawled back through the tunnel, he felt the familiar vibration and heard the melodic hum of the Enterprise as it roared back to life. He smiled, a sob escaping his throat. He kissed the wall of the tunnel, without thinking about it.

"I love you, baby. I would do anything for you." Including die for you, he didn't feel the need to say that. His slowing heart and his ragged breaths said enough.

5. A Happy Reunion (and A True Confession)

Jim entered his new quarters on the Enterprise, feeling like a kid in a candy store. He pulled off his gold shirt and kicked off his boots, leaving him in just his black pants and undershirt as he walked around the room, openly talking to his baby girl.

"Oh, my God, you look so gorgeous, I can't even tell you. And we're going on a five-year mission?! Can you believe it?" He dropped down on his bed, reveling in the soft cotton sheets, staring up at the ceiling. "I did miss you, babe. When I woke up in that hospital, I swear, my first thought was if you were okay. Spock said you were, but you know how he is. God, I missed having someone to talk to. Bones, well, he's Bones. And Spock has only just now started to open up to me. It's weird how it takes dying to bring certain people together." He laughed to himself, resting his head on his arms.

He looked up when someone knocked on his door. He jumped up walking into the living space before calling, "Come in."

The door slid open to show Spock, standing straight with a PADD held in front of him. "Hello, Captain."

"I guess you're ears were burning." Spock's eyebrow rose as he tilted his head.

"I beg your pardon?" Jim shook his head, mumbling a 'never mind', before taking the PADD from Spock. "These are the newest additions to the Enterprise as of this date. I have already read up on the upgrades and thought you would like to study the material as well."

"Yes," he said, smiling. "I would like to see what my baby has."

Spock shifted uncomfortably, his eyes narrowing. "I am sorry, Captain, but are you well?"

Jim looked up from a detailed schematic of the new warp core. "What?" he said dumbly.

"You referred to a starship, an inanimate object, as your baby. I am asking if you are well for attachment to inanimate objects are often perceived as signs of an unstable mind." Jim laughed, waving Spock in. Spock hesitantly entered, the door sliding shut behind him.

"Can I be honest with you, Spock?"

"Only if you are honest with an inquiry of mine." He said firmly. Jim shrugged, nodding his head. "The day we defeated Nero, you spoke to no one in particular. With my advanced hearing, I was able to hear your one-sided conversation. Am I correct in assuming you spoke to the ship as if it were a living thing?"

Jim rubbed his eyes, a blush crawling up his face. "Yes, Spock. I was speaking to the ship that day. This ship," he gestured around him with a look Spock had never seen on the Captain's face. The look spoke of lovepridehome. "It pulled me out of a very dark future. The minute I laid eyes on this ship, I was in love. This is my baby, Spock. It's not uncommon for humans to grow overly attached to symbols like that."

"I see," Spock said.

"I know I sound really crazy right now, but I would give my life for the Enterprise. I have, and I will do it again and again for as long as I live. I saw this beautiful ship when it was just scrap metal and bolts. Now, it's one of the most promising vessels of the entire fleet. In a way, both me and her grew up. We were both just half-ass piles of potential in Iowa, now we're here on the verge of a five-year mission." Jim felt like he was bursting at the seams with excitement.

Spock's eyes as they scanned over Jim weren't judgmental, they were actually warm and amused?

"This is my home," Jim added. "I knew from the beginning that this ship was home."

"Indeed." Spock said, distractedly. He held out his hand for the PADD, which Jim returned. "I shall send you the rest of the plans. I must go to the lab to see if it is properly stocked."

"Sure thing, Spock. Are we still doing a game of chess tomorrow night?"

"Yes, Captain." He turned to leave, the door sliding open.

"And Spock? Off-duty, it's Jim."

"Yes...Jim." He left. Jim watched the door shut. His stomach twisted into knots as he repressed the urge to follow Spock. Ever since he woke up in the hospital, he would get that clenching feeling in his gut every time Spock came around. After multiple scans from Bones, Bones finally diagnosed him with 'a shitty case of puppy love'.

"I'm worried, baby." he confessed. "If I am in love with Spock, I sure as hell suck at it. We've barely said two words to each other until today. I think I just blew it, too. Who the hell wants to compete with a starship? I'll always love you, you know that, but I don't think Spock really gets why I do." He sat on the couch, leaning his head back over the cushion as the image of Spock on the other side of that glass, desperately trying to save Jim came to his head.

He doesn't know how, but he fell in love with him that night. Those eyes, that are usually guarded and empty, were ripped to pieces with emotion. His ta'al pressed into the glass with those long, graceful fingers burned into his brain. All he wanted to do was to touch that skin, see if it was as soft as it looked. His voice choked up with grief and pain still sounded beautiful in Jim's ears.

"Because you are my friend." He had said, his eyes burning through Jim's. At the time, it was because of their friendship, but they were so much more now, weren't they?

T'hy'la. Jim heard that word once in xenolinguistics. It was loosely translated to 'friend, brother, lover...' but when he applied that word to Spock, it held so much more power.

"I think I love him, babe. In his weird, pointy-eared-bastard ways, he made me fall in love with him." Jim closed his eyes, grimacing. "But after that breakup with Uhura, and after declaring himself persona-non-fucka, I don't think I've got much of a chance. Leave it to me, right?" He sighed, letting the vibrations and the hum of his baby soothe him. "I've still got you, though, so I'll still die a happy man."

Scotty then called for the Captain and the First Officer over the comm., causing Jim to jump up, hastily pulling on his shirt and boots before running out of the door.

6. Heart to Heart (and Kirk's Worst Nightmare)

Spock sat on his meditation mat, trying his best to clear his head. Shortly into their voyage, a shortage in the ship's power has caused transporter malfunctions, leaving crew members randomly beamed into different areas of the ship. He volunteered to repair the damage, but a vehement Mr. Scott insisted he repair it, only calling Spock when it needed to be tested.

He counted his breaths, centering his mind, but it continued to veer off course, centering instead on Captain James T. Kirk. He grew disturbed by the fact that ever since the warp core incident, he could not keep his focus on any one task. Even meditation has become lackluster, when he could only acheive thirty minutes of peace, maybe less.

"Scott to Spock," his communicator beeped. With a repressed sigh, he flipped it open.

"Spock here."

"The computer is stabling out, sir." His accent was thick with exhaustion. "I'd be willing to test it, and you're the only one awake. I've tried the Captain, but he won't answer."

Spock slowly stood, removing his robe and dressing in his science blues. "No, I am able to assist. The Captain is most likely in his R.E.M sleep cycle and will not be roused easily."

He heard Mr. Scott snort on the other side, "Sleeps like a rock, that boy. Very well, I'll see you in the transporter room. Scott out." Spock flipped the comm. closed, straightening his hair and slightly disheveled clothes before leaving his quarters.

Burning. Everything was burning. His baby was spinning helplessly in the sky.

"The ship's dead, sir." Scotty snapped. "She's gone."

"No, she's not."

His lungs burned and his body screamed in agony. With each kick to the warp core, a sudden image flahed in his mind. Instead of beating life into his baby girl, it was Spock.

He was lying unconscious under Kirk, his chest still, and his pulse slow. "Come on," Jim groaned, a kick to the warp core, a press on Spock's side, pressing on his heart. "Don't die on me. Hang on for me."

Another kick.

Spock's body jerked under the force of his compression.

As his lungs burned inhaling the radiation...

His lungs burned trying to breathe life into Spock.

"No, please," Jim cried. Kicking harder. Pressing harder. Another kick. Another press onto Spock's heart. "Hang on, baby. Hang on!"

He couldn't do it.

He slipped from where he hung over the warp core, falling to the ground, too weak to get back up, as the ship crashed to Earth.

Spock never moved. His heart stopped and his life ebbed away.

"No! I can't lose you! No!" He clung to Spock, burying his face into his neck.

"No!" The warp core exploded in a white hot light as it struck the surface of the Earth.

Jim screamed in his sleep, shooting up in his bed, gasping for air. He took comfort in seeing his ship, his baby all around him. He couldn't see Spock. Not with this so close to the surface. He rolled out of bed, pulling on loose pants and an undershirt, before he padded barefoot down to Engineering.

Spock entered the transporter room, where Mr. Scott was buried up to his legs under the console, cursing.

"Mr. Scott," Spock said evenly. There was a loud clang and a swear before the engineer crawled out from under the console. His brilliant red hair was spiky, sticking out in every direction and his face was covered in large black smudges.

"You're down here, already?"

"Yes, Mr. Scott. I assumed that when you offered to test the transporter, that it would it be done immediately." Mr. Scott climbed to his feet, rubbing a red welt on his forehead.

"Yeah, I guess so." He tapped a few buttons on the console, the transporter humming to life in the darkened room. "Anyway, I think I've narrowed down the problem," He paused to yawn widely, covering it with his hand. "to a few crossed wires. I readjusted them-" another yawn, "-so I think that might do it. Just hop up there and give me a location."

Spock nodded once, before ascending the steps to the pad. "The science lab would suffice for the experiment."

Mr. Scott yawned again, "Sure thing, sir."

"Mr. Scott," he looked up, "whether this test is successful or not, I order you to retire to your quarters once we've established the result. You are due for Gamma shift tomorrow and your current state of exhaustion will be most detrimental to your work."

Mr. Scott nodded, his face almost split in half by a yawn. "Yes, sir. As soon as I know you're in one piece, it's off to bed. Ready when you are."

"Energize." The lights of beaming swirled around him. If Spock were to notice something wrong, he would have noticed the beams around him staggering, as if shorting out, before he was left in the middle of Engineering.

With the closest expression to a scowl, he flipped open his communicator. "Spock to Scott."

"Scott here."

"It appears that the test of the transporter has failed. I am in Engineering." Mr. Scott cursed over the link before sighing.

"Alright, well I guess it can wait until tomorrow. Should I beam you back, sir?"

"Negative, for I am unsure where I would next be located. I shall walk to my quarters. Spock out." He flipped the comm. shut with a snap, the sound echoing in the mostly empty room. Any engineers here would be on the far side of the ship, simply monitoring from the computer banks.

He turned on his heel ready to leave, when a sound stopped him. It was a mix between a gasp and a groan. Then it sounded again. Spock turned back towards the sound, curious. It was a human sound, and it sounded vaguely familiar, but he couldn't place it. It was when the sound reached Spock's ears again that he decided to investigate.

Spock came to realize that only he was capable of hearing these sounds. It was deep into the machinery that the sound originated and it was only his superior hearing that picked it up. He then realized he was approaching the warp core and his heart sank.

He, until now, managed to avoid this area. He was able to hold back the memories of the agonylonelinessrage that surged in him as he watched James Kirk die. Watching his friend, his love, die unleashed a primal side of Spock that should have been long suppressed in his genes through his Vulcan heritage, but the minute Kirk's eyes went dead, his mind screamed killrevengeKirkbloodkillt'hy'la. He hoped that that golden-haired god of a human would never reduce him to those barbaric thoughts again. He hoped he could protect the human from all who wished him harm until he finally died of a full life. Simple things like the way he smiled, how brightly his eyes shone, his whimsical infatuation with a starship, made something inside Spock warm incredibly, so much so that he could no longer lie to Uhura, deciding he would rather live a life of masochistic pining than to settle for something less. Once he reached Pon Farr, his life expectancy would be drastically shortened, relieving him of his pain.

The sound came clearer as he came closer, and he realized that it was a human sob. An action of pain and sadness. As he came even closer, he could hear a voice. A voice he knew as well as his own.

"I lost both of you. It felt so real. I was trying to save you, but I couldn't. I wasn't strong enough for either of you. I watched you both die." Spock had a sudden illogical urge to hide as he listened to Jim. He was obviously depicting a bad dream, but why he was sitting up against the radiation chamber of the ship, Spock couldn't say. "I couldn't help but know it was my fault. I had just been a little stronger, a little faster, I could have saved you both." He sobbed again. Now, Spock could see him. He was in what appeared to be pajamas, his feet bare. His knees were drawn up to his chest and his head was bent down over them. His body rocked back and forth, his shoulders trembling. Spock pulled back behind a support beam when Jim pulled his head up, breathing heavily. His cheeks were swollen and red, shining with a sheen of tears. "I know, baby, it was just a nightmare, but I don't want to lose either of you. Not you, and God, not Spock."

It took every ounce of his Vulcan control to stay silent. "It's like I said already, I may not be his, but he is definitely my t'hy'la." Spock's breath did hitch this time at the softly spoken word. "He's been through so much. I feel like the only one who can truly understand how lonely he feels is me, but I know he would never feel the same way."

Spock stepped forward, enough to be seen, but not completely open. "You are wrong, Captain."

Jim looked up in alarm, clumsily climbing to his feet. Spock watched him silently, a curl of affection uncoiling in his chest. "Spock! What're you-I mean, I was just-What are you doing here?"

Spock moved further out from behind the beam, stepping closer to the distraught human. Jim took a step back, but startled when his back hit the door to the warp core.

"Mr. Scott and I were testing the function of the transporter." He looked around Jim, taking in the cold, dark alcove they were in, his eyes settling on the radiation chamber. "Why have you hidden here? If you are seeking comfort, I do not understand why the place where you...," Spock swallowed dryly, "perished is an ideal location?"

"It's hardly ideal, Spock." Jim mumbled, crestfallen. "It's her heart, Spock. It's where she lives and breathes. I know that sounds insane, but I feel like this is where she'll really listen to me." He sat back down on the floor, pressing his hand to the thick glass. "I think she actually heard me this time."

Spock knelt in front of Jim, never taking his eyes off the vibrant blue of Jim's eyes. They sat in silence for a few moments, Jim occasionally sniffling when Spock spoke, "You are wrong. You are my t'hy'la."

Jim's face fell, his lips trembling as he pressed the heel of his hands into his eyes. "Gah, Spock, don't do this. You mean t'hy'la as friend or brother. You can't possibly mean-"

"Lover? That is precisely what I mean." Spock was taken aback when Jim sobbed, his body shuddering with the force of it. "Jim, what is wrong?"

"Oh, baby, stop messing with my head."

"Jim?"

Jim faced Spock, a half-formed glare in his eyes. "Is this some sort of Vulcan mind game? I told my girl, not ten minutes ago, that all I wanted most right now is you here with me, telling me everything I want to hear. Is that what this is? Some sort of trick?"

"I am sorry, Jim, but what would I benefit from your emotional pain? If you know enough of my culture to know the deep meaning of t'hy'la then you also are aware that Vulcans do not lie. Therefore, there is a zero point zero zero six to the negative tenth power chance that I am lying about my affection for you, ashaya." Jim nodded, biting his lip. His posture showed that he remained unconvinced. "Jim, there is a larger chance that the Enterprise heard your plea for a companion and through the malfunctioning transporter, directed me directly to you. Jim, if you believe that the ship heard you, then you can also believe that it answered you through the only way it could."

Jim smiled then. It was small, but it was still there. "Whatever you say, Spock."

Spock leaned forward, his hand brushing Jim's cheek. Jim shuddered under the touch, his eyes drooping shut. Suddenly, Spock's lips were on his, his body pressing Jim's into the glass behind him. Jim whimpered low in his throat before clutching at Spock's shirt, pulling the Vulcan closer.

They pulled away, gasping for air. Jim's lips were swollen and his face flushed, his eyes shining with lust.

"Jim," Spock panted against his lips, "we must return to our quarters. There is a high probability that we will be discovered if we remain here."

"I don't want this to end," Jim breathed, stealing a kiss.

Spock forced himself to pull away, pressing his forehead to Jim's. "It shall not, ashaya. The only variable involved is not whether we will be together, but whether we retire to your quarters or mine."

Jim smirked, a wild glint in his eye. "I'm hoping to see you naked before the night is over so we'll go to yours."

Spock indulged himself in a primal, animal growl as images not entirely his own spun through his head, leaving him breathless and incredibly aroused. The growl set Jim on fire, sending them into another frenzy of lips, tongues, and hands. "Soon," Jim gasped. "We need to go soon."

"We go now, t'hy'la." He pulled Jim to his feet, basking in a moment of their bodies pressed flushed together. He let out another growl when Jim's arousal brushed his, sending a spark of heat up his spine.

They rushed to Spock's quarters, the entire trip in a blur, as next thing they knew, they were tangled together in the heat of a Vulcan desert, the cloying smell of incense filling Jim's lungs, sending his mind even higher, as Spock cherished his body. The entire night lost to a haze of moans, pants, and cries as they finally came together, so rightfully together that it brought tears to Jim's eyes. Spock again let himself lose his mind to his primal side, shamelessly marking his love, burying his body deep inside Jim's, crying out words of love and worship, until he finally gripped Jim's hips with a bruising force, growling Jim's name.

Jim was left breathless, the only sounds he could make were groans as Spock lay beside him, keeping an arm tight around his t'hy'la.

"God, I love you!" Jim breathed, his chest shaking with silent laughs.

"I find the Enterprise to be endearing to me as well." Spock replied, not looking up from where his head lay on Jim's chest. He again indulged himself to purr when Jim's fingers found his ears, stroking the tips softly, the gesture oddly comforting. Maybe when he is with Jim he could allow his repressed side to show. It was surprisingly liberating.

Jim laughed again, the sound rumbling deep in his chest. "Her, too, but I was talking to you, Spock." Jim smiled when the tips of Spock's ears flushed green.