Worst Hangover Ever!

by Starsinger

In a moment of déjà vu Bones finds himself back in a shuttle in Riverside, and, naturally, everyone wonders where he went. Inspired by pictures on lj. Wonderful pics as always. Don't own them.

"Jim! Jim!" came the call from across the street. Jim winced as he saw the local sheriff.

"I knew this was a bad idea," Jim muttered. He, Bones, Uhura, and Spock were in Riverside. For Jim, Bones, and Uhura it was back in Riverside. They were doing Chris a favor before heading off for Nabiru there, keeping an eye on some cadets.

Jim wore the same black leather jacket he'd worn four years ago, Uhura wore jeans and a t-shirt, Bones wore his beloved green jacket, and Spock's only concession to the informality of the day was his ship's uniform: blue top, black pants. Jim put on a strained smile as the man hurried across the street toward him. "Oh, wow, it is you. Captain James T. Kirk here in the flesh!" he announced.

Jim looked at him confused, "David, you know me. You arrested me twice!"

"Sir! I don't know what you're talking about! May I have your autographs for Timmy and Johnnie?" David asked in a wheedling voice.

"Of course," Jim said with a sigh. He even let the man take a picture.

"For the kids?" Uhura asked.

"He doesn't have any," Jim replied. He turned back to the restaurant they were about to enter. Several of the locals came over and greeted Jim good-naturedly. They remembered Jim as the wild child who drove his late father's car off a cliff. "Why did I agree to this?" Jim muttered. "I'd rather have stayed in San Francisco."

"You owe Captain Pike a favor?" Spock asked.

Jim sighed and rolled his eyes as a Maître d showed them to a table. A pretty waitress took their order and Bones watched Jim flatly ignored her half-hearted attempt to flirt with him. "Jim? What's with you? You barely acknowledged her?" Uhura asked.

"Wishing I was somewhere else," Jim muttered as he looked at the menu. He absently ordered chicken fettucine alfredo without the broccoli, a side salad with vinegar and oil dressing, and a glass of water. The others ordered something similar except Bones, who ordered something called "Yonkers Whiskey". When it arrived Jim looked at the drink speculatively. It was in a tall beaker type glass filled with a blue liquid. "Bones, is Whiskey supposed to be blue?"

"Never seen blue whiskey before, but this comes from Yankees. Maybe that accounts for the distance," Bones muttered. Jim looked at Spock who nodded his head and took a mouthful of his own pasta dish. Bones imbibed of the blue alcohol a little too much. Said it burned all the way down. He was wobbly when he left dinner he had to be helped back to his room. Jim intended to spend the night there, making sure he didn't do anything more to make himself sick. Unfortunately, a call came from the local bar around 11, causing him to leave the room and hurry downtown. He discovered Spock and Uhura already there taking charge.

"Cadets!" Jim called. Everyone stiffened to attention as three bodies hit the floor with a thud. "I'm glad I have your attention. Outside! Now! Or you'll wish you never applied to Starfleet!" Each and every one of them stampeded out the door. Spock walked over to the civilian participants in the brawl and inquired as to their health. They were all intact and relatively unscathed as Jim went out and gave a scathing lecture to the cadets. He reminded them that they were all future officers and needed to act accordingly. Chris would have been proud.

Unfortunately, Jim forgot about Bones and went back to his own room for the night. The next morning he still wore his black jacket as he headed for the airfield for the ride back to San Francisco. For once this trip back to Iowa hadn't turned into a complete disaster. Only, he'd forgotten something and couldn't remember what it was. He got aboard one of the shuttles headed back still without a clue as to what he'd forgotten as they took off.

Jim reentered the cabin to find Spock and Uhura prodding the cadets along. It finally occurred to him what he'd forgotten. "Spock? Have you seen Bones?" he asked.

Spock raised an eyebrow, "Did you not stay with him last night?"

"I…uhm…forgot. After the fight at the bar last night, I forgot and went back to my own room. He wasn't on the shuttle?" he asked.

"I didn't see him either," Uhura said.

"Was that 'Yonker's Whiskey' what I think it was," Jim asked.

"Romulan Ale?" Spock asked.

"Mmmhmm," Jim responded.

"Yes, it was," Spock responded.

"Isn't it illegal?" Jim asked.

"Yes, it is," Spock said before turning back to the shuttle dock. "Let us look on the other shuttles before we head back to Iowa."

As good an idea as Jim had heard all morning the trio headed out to search each shuttle when he spied a young blonde man exiting a shuttle, his uniform looking like someone had been sick all over it. "I don't believe it!" the young man proclaimed. "He hid in the bathroom, was forced into the seat next to me, and kept calling me 'Jim' before he threw up all over me!"

"Where is he, Cadet?" Jim asked breathlessly.

The cadet hastily saluted before pointing to the shuttle behind them. Jim hurried into the shuttle with Spock and Uhura hot on his heels. Sure enough, Bones sat there with his head between his legs. "Bones?" Jim asked.

"Jim, remember that hangover I had when I met you?" Bones asked without looking up.

"Yes," Jim replied hesitantly.

"This beats it by a mile," Bones muttered. "What klind of Whiskey was that?"

"It wasn't Whiskey," Jim replied.

"What the hell was it then?" Bones asked.

"Romulan Ale?" Jim told him.

Bones sighed. Then looked up at Jim with a humorous smile. "Well, that does explain the worst hangover ever!