This is my first fanfiction, hope you enjoy it.

Unfortunately, I do not own Star Trek.

The Lines Between

By Delmantheevil

It had been a brutal mission.

The ship seemed to be creaking along. She had been tossed around quite a bit to be sure, and was in desperate need of a repair crew and a nice long break.

Along with her entire crew.

It seemed that everyone aboard the Enterprise had aged about ten years after their last mission, you could almost feel their yearning, nearly a pulling current, a desperate need for a break.

But they couldn't do it. The ship was demanding the full attention of the crew after their last fiasco of a mission, and hardly any of them were able to receive the much needed rest. Yet there was a growing excitement in the air, soon they would reach Outpost 6 were they would finally—finally be able to just sit back, rest, and catch up with reality.

Much of the crew was in the rec. room sharing a meal, and chatting excitedly (albeit tiredly) together to celebrate the beginning of their break when the Enterprise finally pulled into dock. The moment the ship was secured there was smattering of whooping and cheering throughout the ship and the rumble of many legs burdened down with belongings headed towards the exits and their promised rest.

This was to be a transfer station for the Enterprise. Those who wished to be transferred, who had been called for duty in other places, the wounded aboard the ship, and those whose time aboard this ship was over would be taken to their future destinations the next day by craft. Four days later the new recruits would arrive to take their place. After about three days to get to know the ship well enough, and for the rest of the crew of the Enterprise to have a nice leave, they would all return to the ship again for their next assignment.

Captain Kirk was trying to making the best of his break; he had been one of the last to exit the Enterprise, making sure everything was in order, organizing a repair crew on the base to be working during their leave, and signing numerous forms, about seven of which he couldn't recall signing at all later. But finally now he was sitting comfortably in a small bar after two days of luxurious nothing. Bones was sitting across from him, but he wasn't looking at Jim. His head was tilted slightly as he eyed a particularly attractive waitress serving the table two away from them. Jim smiled to himself. Bones was usually good company on the ship, but when they came to bars like this he tended to get a little distracted.

He wished Spock would take leave for once, but of course, it wasn't logical. He only needed one day off to rest the whole day, and then it was back to the ship to over see repairs. Of course he would never take off a day strictly for himself, what would anyone gain from him doing something fun for once? It was simply unthinkable.

And he knew exactly what Spock would do if he was hearing all this, he'd raise his eyebrow and give Jim that look. Honestly, Kirk had never met anyone who could communicate so much with such simple looks. He remembered when he'd first taken command of the Enterprise. From all he knew and had heard about Vulcans, he had been expecting a cold, expressionless, emotionless computer who would, even if he wasn't trying to, act as if he were superior to every being aboard the ship.

But then he met Spock for the first time.

At first everything went as expected, they had been introduced, Kirk telling the taller man that he was delighted to serve with a Vulcan, and how he hoped they would get along well together. When he was finished he noticed the Vulcan tilt his head the slightest bit to the side and seemed to be considering him carefully. "You were the cadet who successfully beat the Kobyashi Maru test?" It wasn't a question, but his voice was curious.

"I'm flattered the way you put it Mr. Spock," Kirk had answered, smiling, "many have called it simply cheating."

"It was a cheat indeed. However, the fact that you found a solution to a no win situation, even if the solution was a cheat, is….fascinating."

Kirk had been very taken aback after this statement. He had been under the impression that Vulcans felt no emotion, including fascination. Not only that, but this seemed to be the most expressive Vulcan in the galaxy. Kirk considered him with a glance. He looked like a Vulcan, but there was something about his eyes……they were different, kinder.

"Well, Mr. Spock, it would be a pleasure to discuss this with you some other time, but now I believe I should continue my tour of the ship." He glanced around. "It is going to be my home for quite a while now, isn't it?"

Spock inclined his head ever so slightly towards him."Of course, captain. I shall see you on the bridge."

He had found out later from his records that Spock was half-human, it helped make more sense of the whole thing, but also seemed to make him more curious. Since that conversation, all Kirk wanted to do was figure his unique first officer out. The more he spent time with him the more his fondness grew, and the more he relied on Spock for his input and advice.

They seemed the perfect match for each other, Jim ready and willing to bound off a cliff without being able to see what was on the other side, and Spock there to grab him by the shoulder and pull him back, or give him an extra boost across, and then willingly let him have the glory when he reached the other side. He was even there to grab him by the arm and pull him back up when he did fall.

And there could be no one else matched for brains with Spock, his logical Vulcan mind providing him with incredible solutions to problems that could not be matched by humans. Yet the human side provided him with the intuition and original thinking much needed by a Starfleet commander.

Their chemistry was nearly perfect, their command together even better. It was as if they knew and understood each others own thoughts. Together they seemed truly unbeatable, a reputation which was well known throughout Starfleet.

Their last mission had been a test of all the trust they had built. Their mission was to find a certain Romulan vessel which was rumored to have a cloaking device aboard. He and Spock were ordered to plan a ruse to, in any way possible, gain possession of that device and capture the ship containing it. Their plan involved Spock winning the female captain's trust by betraying the ship via providing the Romulans with information concerning Starfleet and killing his own captain in cold blood. Spock would then occupy the captain while Jim beamed aboard disguised as a Romulan to steal the cloaking devise. Everything had gone so smoothly, it had almost felt real.

Too real.

In order for Spock to "kill" Kirk, Jim would first have to attack Spock, which could only happen after Kirk had accused Spock of betrayal. He had screamed at him for being a traitor, and told him that he had never been his friend. He had done too good of a job. He would never forget the way Spock winced, even the thought that Spock knew he didn't mean any of it didn't help much. Kirk had known exactly what to yell at Spock during that conversation, exactly which points of weakness to hit.

And it killed him to do it.

He couldn't help but wonder if maybe this was the reason why Spock wasn't taking shore leave with them, even though he knew Spock almost never took leave anyways. Somehow, it seemed, while Spock had known full well it was all a ruse, it had still caused him to doubt himself. Everything that he feared most, Kirk had used, and now, it seemed, he wondered whether that was what Kirk had been truly thinking all along, otherwise, how would he have known? Now he was withdrawing himself, trying to keep out of Kirk's way.

It hurt Jim horribly to have to say all those things, but it hurt even more that Spock was reacting this way. Didn't he trust him enough to understand that he was, and always would be, his friend?

SNAP.

Jim started and looked up quickly.

Bones was staring at him with one eyebrow up, his fingers still in front of Jim's face. "Well, someone's distracted tonight." He drawled.

"Hmm, you weren't exactly paying attention yourself, Bones." Jim smiled glancing over at the waitress now serving a table closer to theirs.

"Well what else is there to do at a bar like this?"

"Conversation, drinks………hm, you're right."

"And you were certainly helping to keep me occupied in your talkative state."

"Alright, alright, you win." Jim said, throwing his hands up in defeat.

McCoy looked pleased with himself, "Well, it's not every day I win is it? I think this calls for another round."

Jim grinned and sat up straighter. He would have plenty of time to sort through all this later, now he needed a nice long break to clear his mind.