Nyota Uhura's first reaction to any strange situation was to let her emotions get the better of her; whether they be anger, disgust or fear. That was, until she got a hold on herself and then it was nothing but grit and determination to get her through to safety. It was the ion storm and the terrible mix-up with the transporter beams that landed Uhura, Kirk, McCoy and Scotty in a universe that was not their own, switching places with their alternate universe counterparts in a blink of an eye. As the days passed, they had taken to merely coping and blending in, beneath the mantel of the people they were impersonating.

Uhura found it the easiest to keep her icy exterior while on the bridge and striding purposefully through the corridors. But to avoid Sulu's slimy hands, she took to hiding on her off hours, only coming out to meet with the men who had been transported to the dark Enterprise along with her.

Kirk had once again taken her by the shoulders, looked deeply into her eyes and asked her to perform the impossible. They all had to do the impossible, none of them were safe and they all had to be on their guard. Mr. Spock was one to contend with especially, for his watchful silent gaze fell upon them all equally and harshly. In this universe he was unpredictable and violent and could be the end of any one of them if they stepped across his boundaries. Uhura took to hiding from Spock as well, from all of them really. It was the best way that she could deal with the overwhelming situation.

**

The observation deck was small and intimate and gave a gorgeous view of the stars surrounding them. There were so many live potted plants flourishing in corners and lining the walls that it gave the illusion of being lost in a lush, verdant forest. Uhura had found solace and privacy in that large unused room and would frequent it whenever she needed to escape. Sulu shadowed her steps much too long and too often for her comfort and she knew that trying to stay in the company of Spock or Kirk, the only two for whom Sulu had any shred of respect, would only arouse suspicion.

So, Uhura took matters into her own hands and made herself scarce.

She knew that it was folly to believe that she could ever stay completely hidden on the Enterprise. All one had to do was to consult the computer and it would be easy to pinpoint someone's location. If Sulu truly wanted to go through the trouble of finding her, he could, but she wasn't going to make it easy for the him. But, safe for the moment, Uhura let herself relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery and the scent of wild plants surrounding her. Closing her hands about the narrow railing that ran along the inner wall, she smiled and absorbed the tremors from the ship

Lost in thought, Uhura didn't hear the door across the room whoosh open and then close, admitting someone into the room. She didn't notice a presence until his reflection appeared in the glass in front of her. Uhura let out a rather undignified shriek and clumsily spun around, reaching behind her to clutch at the railing to keep her balance. Her heart throbbed sickeningly hard against her ribs. Catching her breath, she looked up at the tall Vulcan who had successfully sneaked up behind her and was now regarding her with what looked like amusement in his brown eyes.

"You scared me!" she shouted unnecessarily loudly and quickly remembering the barbarian woman whom she was impersonating, she clenched her fist and punched him squarely in the chest.

Spock went back a step, and raising his brows, he pressed a hand to the spot where she'd assaulted him.

"In the future, lieutenant, I would suggest that you remain diligent and aware of your surroundings at all times. The next time, you might not be so lucky."

She waved him away with a rude hand gesture and a noisy scoff.

"You consider it lucky that it was you who disturbed me, rather than someone else? I beg to differ, Mr. Spock."

There was a slight tightening at the corners of Spock's eyes and seeing that she'd gotten a reaction, albeit a tiny one, Uhura warmed to the game.

"In fact, I would give you to the count of ten to vacate my presence…sir, if I am not needed on the bridge."

A sudden thought struck her and she shrank back against the low railing. Did Spock carry an agonizer for his own personal use? And if so, would he use it on her for her insubordination as he had used it so easily on Kyle in the transporter room?

A low purring noise interrupted her thoughts.

"Hmmm," he murmured again and to her absolute surprise, the corner of his mouth turned up.

Spock advanced on her and Uhura backed up as much as she could without tipping over the railing and banging her head on the thick protective shield. He grabbed her wrists and yanked her none too gently away from the rail.

She stumbled forward and into his solid form.

Damn boots! Uncomfortable and impractical! I hope I don't need to kick his ass and run!

"What the hell are you doing!" she cried, lifting her hands, and attempting to struggle out of his grasp.

Spock pulled her closer, and Uhura lifted her knee, jamming it into his groin as a warning that she would hurt him quite intimately, if he continued with this madness. His lips parted and he took in a slow breath, the both of them looking down where her knee had slipped between his thighs. There was that deep throated purring noise again and Uhura looked up into his shadowed face. She'd never once thought that Spock was a menacing creature. In spite of his slightly demonic appearance, his gentle calm and detached manner were always appealing to her and outside of the captain, Spock was the only other man to whom she'd turn, if she ever needed help. They were friends and she admired him. Her attraction to him was no small deal, but she kept it to herself in order to maintain their smoothly working relationship.

Her Spock, that is.

The one who was still on her Enterprise, in her universe. Not this Spock, not the one with the blade on his belt, with the penchant to use pain and violence as lessons in competence.

Was this one of his many lessons? To shame and humiliate her for her bold tongue?

Spock loosened his hold on her and snatching her hands away, she lunched forward, barreling into him. In one motion, she had her hand on her knife and with her other, she angled to bash him across the bridge of his nose. Spock shifted, deftly avoided the blow to the face and caught her upraised wrist. He stopped suddenly when she jabbed the blade into his belly.

Another warning.

Uhura twisted the knife, tearing a small rend in the glossy fabric of his uniform shirt, punching forward until she felt the give of the tight muscles tensed in his stomach.

"If you don't want to clean your guts up off of the floor," she panted. "Let go of me!"

He stared down at her and she boldly glared back. They both knew that she was outmatched in both speed and strength, but Spock had seen this woman fight and while she might not be able to beat him, she would certainly be able to do damage to his person. Tightening his fingers about her wrist, Spock turned her quickly, jerked her back against him, and wrenched her arm up behind her. He held her immobile and she tried not to gasp feeling a rush of sudden pleasure at the fact that she was beginning to enjoy grappling with him.

She could feel the warm press of the Vulcan's body against her back and he ducked his head, rubbing his bearded chin across the rounded plane of her exposed shoulder.

Eyes wide, Uhura went hot and she stomped down hard with the heel of her boot. Anticipating the action, Spock quickly moved and the clang of her boot hitting the floor was loud in the silence. He held her tighter and closed his other arm about her bare midriff. Uhura became acutely aware of the stroke of his fingers along her side. Something inside her roused into wakefulness and perked with interest. A grin pulled at the corner of her mouth.

She tossed her head and attempted to use her momentum to scramble either forward or backward to break his hold. Spock straightened and lifted her to her tip-toes. She lost her hold on the floor, but that didn't mean she couldn't kick the hell out of him. The stroke of warm lips across her skin stopped her, as did the sound of his soft laughter. He was saying something low and husky in her ear and Uhura couldn't believe it.

"I will request that you should be permanently assigned to scouting leave," he whispered and flicked the edge of her ear with his tongue. "So that I can be bereft of your presence. It makes our reunions that much more… mmm… gratifying. Would you not agree? This is much more pleasurable than the previous time. Your lascivious message to me before you beamed aboard was quite titillating. I thank you."

Uhura's world narrowed down to the growling voice in her ear, the scent and heat of the man wrapped around her and the fact that Spock was suggesting that, willingly, they had come together like this more than once. Seeing that he wasn't going to molest her any further, Uhura relaxed and plotted her next move. This new bit of information was going to prove to be very interesting.

"Nyota," he murmured sounding very contented, as he gently kissed the back of her neck and her shoulder again.

It was almost unbelievable and she certainly would have found it hard to believe the story, if she hadn't experiencing it first hand. That Uhura and this Spock were… lovers? It was fantastic and unfathomable and, though she was loath to admit it, the thought of being intimate with Spock, and even with this Spock, turned her on.

Suddenly it all made sense. Spock and Uhura must have had some sort of ritual where he would advance and she would fight him off before eventually submitting and dragging him off for a night of fun. She had seen no malice in his face when he was busy grappling with her flailing limbs, just a great sense of satisfaction and amusement, as if he had been familiar with this particular dance.

It must have been like that with all of them… the mock struggles, which was why Sulu wasn't surprised when she came onto him later on the bridge after soundly and violently rejecting him earlier that day.

"Wait. Put me down, Spock," she said suddenly, in her most authoritative voice and the Vulcan immediately complied.

She turned around and sized him up quickly. There was truth in his eyes and his expression was soft and welcoming; so much unlike her Spock, yet so much like him. Would her Spock behave in a similar manner were they lovers behind closed doors?

"I have waited," he said, lowering his head and reaching out for her again.

Nyota slipped to one side and out of his reach.

"You have?" she asked and his brown eyes brightened.

Hm, she liked this. She could get used to this more intense Spock.

She smiled gently and taking this as encouragement, Spock reached out for her again. This time she allowed him to sweep her closer and in one slow, heady moment, when everything in the world ground to a halt except for the heat and breath between them, Nyota lifted her face and tasted him. Their lips fit together perfectly and the neat goatee tickled her cheeks. Uhura twined her arms about his neck rocked up on her tiptoes.

Spock cupped her bottom with his large hands and gently kneaded her curves, igniting a fire inside her that threatened to consume her. She rotated her hips as the kiss deepened and then was sorely disappointed when Spock released her.

Was it a trick? Was he through with teasing her?

Wordlessly, he grasped her hand firmly in his and led her quickly toward the door to the observation deck.

Aha, she understood.

The Vulcan wanted to play elsewhere.

He disengaged the lock and upon seeing that he had taken the forethought to lock them into privacy, Uhura snorted. Spock cast a look down at her and asked the computer if the hallway outside the observation deck was empty.

To his irritation, the computer informed them, that there was a one H. Sulu waiting in the corridor. Spock clenched his teeth and turning to Nyota he took her by the shoulders, forcing her to look up at him.

"You did not report to me that Mr. Sulu had made it a habit of harassing you, Nyota. "

"Spock," she whispered and then in a louder voice said, "Spock!"

She shoved him back and thrust a finger into his face.

"I don't need you to protect me. I am well capable of doing it myself! Sulu is nothing. A speck… a fly."

"And yet, he dares not do anything to you in my presence, only when I am away."

Still holding onto her arm, Spock pulled her behind him as he turned towards the doors.

"Stay," he said and reached up to activate the door.

The doors swept open and Sulu, who had been leaning against the opposite wall, pushed himself into motion only to come face to face with the tall first officer.

Shocked to see Spock instead of Uhura, Sulu immediately back pedaled and tried to explain his presence there.

"Are you looking for someone?" Spock asked sounding calm and composed as he arched a slender brow and cocked his head to one side.

"I--," Sulu began. "I guess not."

He beat a hasty exit and poking her head around Spock, Uhura watched him go. Spock looked down at her and she back at him. He arched a brow and she laughed and then quickly followed him to his quarters.

In her universe, Uhura had never been in Spock's quarters. Although all of the officers had been situated on the same floor and she hadn't been located that far from him, there had never been a reason to pay a visit to him after hours. So, she was surprised to see the dark purples and reds in which the room was appointed. His bed was hidden behind a partial wall and was plainly covered. Next to the curtains that covered the opposite wall was a statue with a slowly burning firepot. Nyota was pretty well versed on Vulcan culture to recognize both the fire pot as well as the weapons displayed behind the statue. The other thing she noticed was that it was much warmer than it was on the rest of the ship. That Spock had changed his environment to be something more like his home planet, made her smile.

Spock stepped closer behind her and she could feel his fingers caressing her bare back, moving ever upwards and beneath the edge of her top. It felt good, having him touch her lightly like that and a shiver seized her. She let him turn her around and tightening his hands about her waist, Spock lifted her easily, as if she had been made of air and kissed her gently, slowly, tasting and nipping at her lips in a manner that was definitely born of familiarity and affection.

But, as good as it felt, Nyota wanted to play. With a grin of joy, she darted to his bed and leapt up on it, bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet and giving him a coy look over her shoulder.

Spock hesitated and for a moment, Nyota wondered if she had strayed out of character and now Spock was suspicious of her. To keep him distracted, and thinking with his nether regions, she inched a finger at him and in her most seductive voice she said, "C'mere, boy. Let me remind you of what you've been missing."

If Spock had smiled in that instant, it would have been completely out of character for him. But, his brown eyes were alight and that particular arch of his brow was all Nyota needed to see to know that he was ready to play her game. With slow strides, Spock entered the partially closed off area and stood beside the edge of the bed, watching her bounce up and down and up and down. He reached out to stop her, but she slapped his hands away.

"Look, but don't touch. Do you understand?"

He nodded, letting his eyes trail meaningfully down her lush form. Nyota felt possessed by him in that instant. His gaze was intent and hot and sent a surge of heat and pleasure to pool between her legs.

This was going to be better than she'd ever imagined.

Feeling wild and loose in her skin, and basking in the approval she received from Spock, Nyota, spread her legs and planted her feet. There wasn't much dancing she could go on the springy mattress, but it didn't matter; her swaying, the careless stroke of her own fingers over her face and belly and thighs mesmerized the man standing before her quite effectively. Spock watched her with the intensity of a starving man and Nyota relished the power. She moved closer to the edge of the bed and reached out for him. He raised his hands and she guided his hands to her hips. Immediately his fingers dug into her arse and she grabbed his chin, tipping his head back so that their eyes could meet.

"You're been a naughty, naughty boy," she hissed. "Haven't you. Lusting after me… hmph. You should be punished."

Spock wet his bottom lip. Nyota rubbed the pad of her thumb across his slick lip and insistently tucked her thumb into his mouth, running her finger over his teeth and pushing against his flexible tongue.

"Mmmm," she purred, her eyes ablaze, slipping that wet thumb into her own mouth. "You taste so good…"

Spock's eyes briefly dropped to where her lips curled about her finger and made an impatient noise in the back of his throat.

Oh ho! So the unflappable Mr. Spock who fought so hard to control his emotions, could indeed be affected, especially when his body was being ruled by something other than his logical brain.

Nyota tried not to squeal at that knowledge, as it was something the other Uhura would have already known.

Nyota gave a quick shake of her head, telling him to be patient and then leaned forward. With exploring fingers, she eased his stiff collar open and undid the silk, navy blue scarf. She pulled it slowly out of his uniform shirt and looped it about her own neck. The soft material was warm and she took a moment to inhale his intoxicating scent. It was easy to unhook the small latches that held the shirt closed and push it off of his broad shoulders. Reaching down, she grasped the edge of the undershirt and moved to pull it over his head. Spock reluctantly let her go to raise his arms but resumed his hold on her once the shirt was discarded.

She rubbed her hands all over his shoulders, and through the soft hair on his chest. Keeping his attention where her fingers were stroking him, she lifted a foot and touched the toes of her boot against his obvious erection. Catching his eye, she grinned and pressed down.

Hard.

His brows drew together tightly and he hissed in a breath through clenched teeth. Nyota's eyes widened and she was about to say something wicked, when Spock grabbed her about the waist and wrestled her down onto the narrow bed. A cry of surprise slipped from her lips and she almost made it upright again, but he was upon her in a flash, closing his long fingers about her wrists and pinning them above her head.

"Two can play at this, Nyota," he growled, shoving a knee between her legs and dragging her closer to him, causing her to moan and bite her bottom lip when he nudged his knee against her moist heat. She writhed shamelessly, rubbing her soaked knickers against his upraised knee.

Nyota nearly gave in, but it was too much fun to resist him. She turned suddenly and pulling up her knee, she slid her left leg between them and twisted neatly out of his grip. Suddenly liberated from his strong grasp, Nyota grinned happily, but celebrated a bit too soon, for her new position allowed him to easily press her down onto her stomach, where he straddled the backs of her legs.

Pushing herself up on her hands, she let out a groan of frustration, much to Spock's wordless delight.

"So do you think that I have a faulty memory, Nyota?" he whispered, bending low over her again and biting the sweat moist flesh at the small of her back.

She jumped and Spock lapped at the small injury.

"You have executed that maneuver more than once, several times in fact and on each occasion you find yourself in this position. I am beginning to think that I should start with you… exposed in this manner."

Spock pushed up the edge of her skirt and slid a finger beneath the elastic lining the leg hole of her uniform briefs. He then fisted the seat of the knickers and jerked them down over the curve of her ass. Nyota hissed with pain as the material sawed into her flesh and then tore slightly beneath his force.

"You think you're so…smar---ohhhhh…" she started to say but her words dissolved into a long sighing moan as he sucked wet two slender fingers and eased them between her cheeks and over her tight little dark hole.

Her head shot up and she attempted to get up, but Spock pushed down on her shoulders, holding her still.

"Spock," she groaned, her voice thick and hoarse.

She was beginning to burn inside and would soon go mad from it.

"Yes," he murmured, not answering her obvious question, but affirming that he was going to do what she thought he was going to do.

He ran his hand down from her shoulders, along the arch of her spine and then over her hip, feeling her trembling beneath his touch. Spock moved his hand lower between her thighs.

It was surprisingly pleasurable when he pressed the tip of his finger against her anus, testing her boundaries and finally easily breaching it much to her surprise.

"Oh!" she cried, eyes snapping wide and he stopped his forward movement. "Ohhh…."

She shuddered. Spock twisted his finger this time and she bit down on a yell. Rising up on her knees, with her legs still trapped tightly together by her half-lowered knickers, Nyota gave in to pleasure. She gave in to him and let him touch her in places she never knew could be stimulated. Spock bent low and keeping his finger in place, he laved the flat of his tongue up between her swollen lips and sucked playfully at her clit. Nyota hissed in a breath and the finger went deeper.

"Spock!" she ground out and he bit her soft cheek, moving in once more to lick her sweetness.

In the back of her mind, she wondered if his Uhura begged to be fucked. She wondered if she let go of her mindfulness and started pleading to be filled, would he suddenly stop and eye her warily. She would not want him to stop, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to keep herself silent much longer. Her knees quivered dangerously as his tongue swept back and forth over her hot sensitive flesh.

She could take no more. Reaching back and cuffing one pointed ear she demanded,

"Stop mucking about and get on with it!"

Spock obeyed immediately and flipping her over onto her back, Spock rose up on his knees, unzipped his trousers and with his eyes burning into hers, he inched them down over his narrow hips. She could just see the top line of dark hair. He stopped and leaned forwards, reaching to unzip and pull off her shirt first and then her scrap of a skirt. It was obvious that he'd done this before for he didn't fumble at the buttons or the zippers or the clasps that kept her clothed. Nyota lay there, mesmerized and impressed that he was able to divest her of her clothing quite so efficiently.

Lastly remained her knickers and her thigh high boots. He slid the briefs all the way down her legs and tossing them aside he sat back on his heels to admire her dark form. Arching a brow, he narrowed his eyes. Nyota bit her bottom lip and nearly lifted her hands to cover herself.

Did Spock see something out of the ordinary?

"Magnificent," he murmured finally, much to her absolutely relief and pleasure.

She sat up and draped her arms about his shoulders. Uhura took a moment to look into his cinnamon brown eyes, just to look, to gaze unabashedly at him. He did not shy away from her and calmly returned her gaze, as she knew that he would. She smiled and his eyes warmed in response. He lifted both hands and gently cupped her full breasts.

"Well, Mr. Spock, what are you waiting for?"

Sliding her hands down his bare shoulders, over his flanks and then around his waist, she tugged insistently at his trousers.

Spock stood then, and quickly shed the remainder of his clothing and boots. Nyota reached down to unzip her own boots, but he stayed her hands.

"Leave them," he instructed and without meaning to, Nyota threw her head back and laughed with surprise.

"Mmmmm…" she moaned, welcoming him in between her moist thighs again and wrapping her legs about his waist. "Daddy's gonna be a very bad boy."

"Indeed," he purred and claimed her with a kiss.

**

They once again reconvened in McCoy office to compare notes and to see if any progress had been made towards returning to their own universe. Scotty paced the small area between the desk and the wall, while McCoy continued to sort through his scattered data wafers. Kirk stood silently staring at McCoy and then at nothing in particular as he thought of what he should do next. The men turned when the door opened and Uhura arrogantly swept in. She stood there stiff shouldered with her head held tight and high for just a moment before relaxing just as the door closed. She gave her friends a small smile and blew out a long breath.

"Rough night, lass?" Scotty asked.

Uhura smiled and waved him away.

He didn't know the half of it.

"These people," she said with wonder. "They are such barbarians! They fight over nothing and try to cause each other pain at the least bit of provocation. I just don't understand it. I don't know how long I can stand being here."

She flailed her hands in the air and then grasped her wrist with the other hand to stop herself from getting carried away. She winced slightly when her fingers graced a particularly sore bruise on the underside of her forearm.

The memory of what had caused the injury came blazing back and a deep seated throbbing began between her legs which prompted another more pleasant sensation to ripple through her body. Spock hadn't been gentle when he'd bound her wrists and forearms with his scarf. The feeling of being helpless and at his mercy as he plowed her, was indescribable; fiery and violent and delicious.

But if she were going to continue the charade that her night was restful and without incident, Uhura knew that she would have to get a hold of herself.

Kirk's brow furrowed with concern and reaching out to gently tip her chin to one side, he inspected the bruises on her neck and the top of her shoulder. His lips moved to form soundless words and he tossed a glance to Bones.

The doctor lifted an eyebrow at what he saw and looking up at Kirk, he said, "these look like bite marks."

Damn these revealing uniforms! Uhura groused to herself and pulled her chin away.

Self consciously, she rubbed her fingertips across the tender area and turned her eyes downward to avoid giving the game away with her guilty expression. Kirk took her response as a precursor to admitting that something terrible had happened to her. The captain took her gently by the shoulders and drawing her close, he looked purposefully down into her eyes.

"Tell me," he demanded, his gaze softening, his fingers lightly clutching her arms. "What happened. Did someone here hurt you?"

Uhura's mind stumbled back to the events of the night before and she felt a hot flush wash over her.

What Spock did to her… ohhh no, it definitely didn't hurt, she thought and fought back a pleased grin.

Misreading the tightening at the corner of her mouth, Kirk gave her a firm shake.

"Uhura!"

She brought her eyes up to meet his finally and she bit her lip. Both Bones and Scotty moved to flank them and she felt nervous and exposed. How could she admit that she and the violent Mr. Spock (in this universe at least) had spent the entire night together fucking like beasts. She couldn't admit that, for not only would it ruin her reputation, but her three good friends would *always* know and remember how she had behaved and would never let her live it down. It would also shame her in the eyes of her captain, which was something she didn't want.

"Who did this? I can punish them for this. You know I can punish them."

Kirk was insistent and Uhura couldn't think of anything else to use as an explanation. The marks on her neck and the bruises circling her wrists and forearms were all too plain for them to see. She could name another faceless plebian on the ship and resign him to a fate in the booth, or she could come clean.

Grudgingly, Uhura chose the latter.

"I—I was with… It was… Mr. Spock."

Kirk blinked several times as comprehension dawned on him and then his eyes opened wide. Uhura could feel his fingertips dig into her flesh. The surprise was palpable on his face as it was on the faces of the other two men.

Scotty found his tongue first.

"Wot? Who did you say, lass?"

She opened her mouth again to speak, but Kirk interrupted.

"Spock!" he breathed as if saying the very name let all the air out of his body. "Spock?!"

"Why that green-blooded sonovabitch!" McCoy cried.

"Oh Mr. Spock," Scotty said rather sadly and shook his head as if he'd just been told that there was no Santa Claus.

Kirk's eyes burned into hers and through clenched teeth he growled.

"Spock did this to you? He forced himself upon you! Is this right?!"

Uhura looked up at the captain and could see the wheels working in his head. He was going to have Spock's head on a pike if she didn't diffuse the situation and do it quickly.

"Captain," she sighed. "It would seem that Spock and I… oh… Spock and *that* Uhura have been lovers for… quite some time."

The sudden silence was deafening. Glancing around at the dumbstruck men, she extracted herself from Kirk's grip and rubbed her arms looking down to study the handiwork on Kirk's golden sash before continuing.

"He came to me on the observation deck where I was hiding out from Sulu…"

"Sulu!" McCoy cried incredulously.

By God this story was getting better and better, he thought.

Uhura ignored him.

"He said… Spock said that he had been waiting for me to return from shore leave, that he'd missed me."

She dragged out the word "missed" and nearly laughed to herself at the growing disbelief showing on her shipmates' faces.

"And then what?" asked Scotty with his eyes wide with curious surprise.

McCoy, who had already figured out what was next, shot Scotty a disapproving look that Uhura didn't miss, but she wanted to talk about her experiences with Spock and well, the engineer did ask.

"And then, he took me to his quarters and we ma--…"

Kirk cut her off with a wave of his hand. He did not want to think about what horizontal acrobatics she and the menacing Mr. Spock got up to last night. Deliberately misunderstanding Kirk's reaction, Uhura plowed on, growing more and more interested in detailing Spock's enviable sexual prowess.

"I mean, I couldn't break character then, could I? I risked a chance of Spock becoming distrustful of me if I didn't um…. play along! But, really, he was quite gentle and the biting… I suppose he was just marking his territory and… well, I'm sure he meant every bruise."

It was hard to keep the laughter at bay when faced with three sets of wide eyes, but she managed admirably.

"As did I," she added with a nod.

She wondered how he was faring, considering the marks she'd enthusiastically left on him in return.

"Nyota," said Kirk with a defeated sigh and she smirked.

"You asked."

Kirk nodded and shook his head as a smile tugged at his mouth.

"So, I did… well, then, I take it that you're on Mr. Spock's good side and I can count on your cooperation in persuading Spock when the time arises?"

Uhura's brows lifted. Whatever she'd thought about her temporary relationship with the science officer, she hadn't considered using it against him. But she nodded, nevertheless. It wasn't just her safety at stake there, it was all of theirs and they needed to return to their own universe as quickly as possible.

Kirk seemed to take that slight assent as gold and he started pacing again, trying to come up with a plan to get them all back to their own time.

She stood back from the men, formulating her own plans and wondering what she would do the next time the Vulcan sought her out.

**

"I am to kill the captain," Spock said blandly, his face betraying none of his feelings towards the matter and Uhura sat up in his bed.

Clutching the sheet to her naked breasts her eyes widened and she gasped.

"What!? Kill Kirk?"

Still fully clothed, Spock leaned a hip against the corner edge of his desk and folded his arms. He took in a long breath and let it out slowly. His dark eyes watched her suspiciously and his quirked a brow.

"You seem surprised," he rumbled. "Certainly you should have surmised that the duty would fall upon me next."

Uhura shook her head and still hiding beneath the sheet, she crossed her legs beneath her. The look on Spock's face was unreadable and for the first time she felt uncomfortable in his presence.

"I—should have known," she said quietly and he hummed in response.

"As should have I," Spock answered cryptically.

She lifted her eyes. Suddenly it didn't seem like they were having the same conversation. He pushed himself away from the table and approached the bed. Looking down at her, he frowned and used his index finger and thumb to smooth down the edges of his goatee.

"I should have known."

"About what?" she asked.

"About you. About all of you. I have been blind."

A chill raced up her spine.

"Spock. Heavens what are you talking about? Come back to bed. Isn't your shift finished?"

He said nothing and she lowered the hand she'd held out to him.

"You are not my Nyota."

The woman in his bed flushed hotly and her shoulders sagged. What had she done to make him realize it?

"How long did you intend to perpetuate this charade?" he asked, but not unkindly.

He was much to filled with curiosity to think of harming her.

"You don't understand," she said finally, making the decision to come clean to him.

"Explain."

Uhura took in a breath and she looked up into his face. She explained and when she was finished, he merely nodded and walked back to his desk. Keeping his back to her, he said over his shoulder.

"I suggest that you get dressed. I will seek out your captain and endeavor to plan your method of escape."

He didn't watch as she struggled into her uniform, but he turned round when she touched his shoulder.

"Spock," she said quietly.

"If you will allow me," he said suddenly. "You are a most intriguing and exciting woman in any universe."

Uhura grinned and swept her arms about his waist.

"I would not dare to take you away from your own Spock," he whispered against her temple.

She drew back and avoided his eyes. In her universe, there was no intimacy between she and the Vulcan.

"He's not mine," she said.

"Yet," he answered without missing a beat.

She peered up at him and narrowed her eyes. His face remained still.

"It's only logical?" she asked.

His eyes warmed considerably and he nodded.

"Indeed."

And with that he led her from the room in search of Kirk.

-end