... and The One Universe:

"Spock, are you asleep?"

The whisper was amplified by the hollowness of the cave. For that was the place where they'd found shelter after the shuttlecraft crashed and a magnetic storm prevented them from being beamed back up to the Enterprise.

Two years had passed since the Narada Incident and many things changed in that span of time: their relationship progressed from that of necessary collaboration in dire circumstances through efficient professional partnership to rather close, if still competitive, friendship. This latest arrangement entailed gaining good knowledge of each other's individual idiosyncrasies. Like for instance the ability to spot the difference between normal and feigned pattern of breathing.

"Spock, are you faking sleep?"

There was a rustle of a sleeping bag as the convicted party turned to lie on his back and a low voice echoed throughout the cave: "No ... but I am attempting to sleep."

"Ok. Sorry."

Silence ensued. But sleep did not. They both lay still, staring into the impenetrable blackness all around and listening to the eerily resounding ploink ploink ploink of dripping water coming from somewhere deep within the cave.

After some time a very low whisper cut through the silent darkness:

"Spock, unless you're asleep, would you please pass me the flashlight?"

There was no answer, but instead the rustling again, then the sound of a zipper as the other individual freed himself to reach out, a faint beep of an electronic device starting up and finally, a circle of yellow light fell onto the rugged roof of the cave. The illuminated chinks in the rock and the protruding stalactitic formations seemed large and frightening. The pool of light moved away, traveling slowly across the ceiling until it rested upon a comparably flatter part.

Dark ominous shadows suddenly loomed in the lit circle – until their contours came into focus and it became apparent that they were only fingers. Two of them straightened and the rest folded into a loose fist, creating the shape of deformed scissors or perhaps even a disfigured animal head with long ears.

"Look!" one of the voices instructed the other with some enthusiasm. "Now guess what it is."

"Shadows of your fingers projected by the flashlight onto the rock surface above?"

"Well, yeah, but what's this shape? What animal?" The two outstretched fingers in the shadow display stirred impatiently.

The question was followed by what was presumably quiet contemplation and then at last a hesitant answer:

"This shape does not recall any creature, living or dead, that I am familiar with."

"Sure it does! It's a rabbit! I mean, you must have seen a rabbit before – at least in ZOO or something? Ok, never mind, try this one." The circle of light twitched as the flashlight was repositioned so that its holder could use both of his hands and – on the lit-up spot there appeared a shadow of wrists laid across each other with thumbs hooked and the remaining fingers spread out like a fan. "Don't tell me you can't tell what this is."

"A … cephalopod? With severe genetic malformations?"

An exasperated sigh: "No. A bird. Don't you have any imagination? You need it to play this game."

"Do I? Does the essence of success in this endeavor not lie in one's competence to recreate a real form with his hands in such a manner that necessitates minimal imaginative input from the observer to correctly discern what it is intended to portray?" A short pause to let the elaborate argument sink in and then: "Please hand me the flashlight."

The illuminated circle swayed and broadened as the source of light shifted and there was a muffled thud and it disappeared completely for a moment -

"Sorry, I didn't realize you were so close."

"That is of no consequence."

- and then it reappeared on the cave roof and centered onto the least rugged place. Shadows of fingers once again came into view and they effortlessly formed into the desired shape. This time there was no doubt as to what it was supposed to be.

"This is a rabbit."

"Wow, that's pretty cool, how did you do it?"

"And this is a ..." the inquiry was ignored in favor of resettling the flashlight and using both hands to outline the distinctive graceful form of a - "bird."

The sentiment of 'and that's how you do it' was far too obvious to be uttered aloud.

Silence that may have been awed as well as affronted followed, disrupted only by a soft click as the flashlight was switched off and everything sank back into complete darkness. Then, finally, a reaction came:

"You just have to always try and beat me in every single fucking little thing, don't you." No sign of bitterness in the tone, it was mere stating of facts. Although it was probably meant only as a rhetorical question, it did earn an answer:

"Yes."

Afterwards, nothing was said for a long time. Minutes passed.

. . . ploink . . . ploink . . . ploink . . .

The water dripped. And then it dripped some more, at the same long, steady intervals.

. . . ploink . . . ploi -

"Is it just me or do you also feel … restless?"

"Well, it is true that I … cannot deliberately bring myself to sleep and that is most unusual for me. Is it the same case with you?"

"Yeah."

. . . ploink . . . ploink . . . ploink . . .

"It must've been the berries."

"The berries? You said you recognized them."

"I did, but – I know the kind that grows on Earth. It could've been imported here but it could as well be a totally different species that just looks the same."

"That is sound reasoning. Whether they did or did not affect us in this unforeseen manner, it was highly inconsiderate to ingest them."

"Yeah."

. . . ploink . . . ploink . . . ploink . . .

"They really have weird effects – the berries. If it's them."

"They may have contained a psychoactive substance that influences our consciousness. As I said I am experiencing problems in controlling functions I am normally able to master quite efficiently. For instance I seem to ..."

"What?"

No answer.

"Spock, what?"

"... This all is a condition of increased alertness. We simply need to wait until it passes."

"Yeah."

. . . ploink . . . ploink . . . ploink . . .

"Like on me, one of the effects is that I'm getting all kinds of crazy thoughts."

"Indeed?"

"Indeed."

"Would you like me to give you the flashlight again so you can entertain yourself to pass the time?"

"Nah, I think I'm past entertaining myself with shadow animals, Spock."

"Indeed?"

"Indeed." There was a pause and then the same voice asked: "Are you smiling now?"

"Why would I do a thing so uncharacteristic for someone who observes the Vulcan tradition of emotional suppression?"

"I don't know … it's always fun to think what people do at night when nobody can see them."

"Is it? Well, what do you do?"

"Oh, you don't wanna know. Besides that's not the point. You just have to guess. Use your imagination."

"You implied that I was not in possession of one."

"I guess I must have been just teasing you then, Spock. I just hope your imagination isn't as vivid as mine is at the moment, 'cause it looks like I'm on the verge of – or actually, never mind."

"I am afraid I do not follow you."

"You're not supposed to, either."

. . . ploink . . . ploink . . . ploink . . .

"There are other things besides playing with a flashlight we could do, you know. And we won't need light for them."

"Given that both of us still appear to be suffering from the fruit's arousing effects I would be amenable to such a proposition. What activity in particular did you have in mind?"

A soft laugh vibrated through the stillness of the cave: "Sometimes I honestly don't know whether you do this kind of thing on purpose or not."

"Would you care to be more specific?"

"No, I don't think I would, I don't wanna embarrass myself in case you didn't mean it."

"Meant what?"

"Spock, you really are the last person in the Universe to be persuasive in playing stupid so please don't do it."

"I take that as a compliment."

"That's what it is."

. . . ploink . . . ploink . . . ploink . . .

"Jim, would you agree that tomorrow shall be a particularly demanding day as we will most likely be beamed back up to the Enterprise where many urgent responsibilities will no doubt have accumulated in our absence and these will require our immediate attention?"

"Yeah, definitely."

"And do you also agree that we should do our utmost to remove whatever complications may compromise our tomorrow's working efficiency?"

"Yes."

"And do you also believe that there exists an easy way to alleviate the effects of the berries that prevent us from enjoying a proper night's rest?"

"Yes."

"It is then necessary that I inform you of having derived a logical solution to our current situation."

"Have you? What is it?"

"It is in fact rather elementary. I am astonished by your not having suggested it sooner. Unless, of course, you have been manipulating me throughout the whole course of our sojourn in this dark and secluded place into being all but forced by circumstances to present it myself."

"I would never manipulate you into something you didn't want. I'm hurt and confused. Also intrigued."

"For a reason that transcends the scope of my comprehension, you clearly are very keen on my making the first move, so to speak."

"Well, I could argue that there already was a first move, or actually a series of them, in the past, but I don't really feel like wasting any more time talking."

"In that case, please kiss me."

No words were spoken for a long while following that. Instead, there was a lot of rustling, shuffling, unzipping, heavy breathing and moaning. Somewhere in the distance, the water continued to persistently drip, but nobody listened to it anymore. The various new sounds echoed throughout the cave, filling the cold and dark emptiness with unprecedentedly lively impressions of passion and affection.

After an extended period of time, though, the noises died away and silence enveloped everything once more.

Then one of the voices, subdued but contented, spoke up: "Mutually satisfactory though I surmise this activity was, I wonder who the winner is."

"What?" the other voice sounded just sleepy.

"You said – and I quote – that I 'always try to beat you in every single fucking little thing'."

A chuckle followed. "Oh, that. Well, I guess I win this round since I got you on the age old trick with the fake aphrodisiac."

"Jim, do you really think I would allow you to consume an unfamiliar fruit?" Furthermore, I assure you that I am perfectly aware of what Earth's blueberries look like, how they taste and especially that the only influence on one's sexual desire they may have consists in providing energy in the form of fructose."

The reply was a little belated and not very eloquent: "Huh." And after another moment a conciliatory: "But it got you to do what I wanted you to do, so whatever, it's a tie."

"Very well. Although you underestimated the level of my insight into your deceptive maneuvers, I must acknowledge your undeniable prowess in the enjoyable activity they ultimately resulted in."

"I take that as a compliment."

"That is what it is."

There was a yawn and a sigh and then the crackling of the nylon fabric of the sleeping bags as the two of them snuggled together. Then everything was quiet for a while, until:

"Jim, are you asleep?" It was supposed to be a mere whisper, but the cave's acoustics didn't let it.

"Um, no, but maybe I would like to be?"

"There is just one last thing."

"Does it have anything to do with you being all smug over how smart you are?" The other voice sounded tired.

"No. This is intended to please you."

"Oh, Ok."

There was a rustle and an electronic beep and once more, the yellow pool of light fell onto the ceiling of the cave. Shadows of long slender fingers appeared in it and proceeded to intertwine into an interesting formation.

"This is my suggestion. For our next intercourse," its creator commented.

"Ah," the other voice responded with clear appreciation. "Well I must say that's very imaginative."

*****

*****

And that concludes Parallel Universes.

Thanks for reading, please review.