"Spock to the bridge, Spock to the bridge," came the voice of Uhura.

"I am on my way Lieutenant," Spock answered after crossing the corridor to the intercom on the wall.

He entered the turbolift and stepped out onto the bridge. He then took his station so he could scan a ship discovered in the area. It didn't pose a threat to the Enterprise, so there was no need to remain on alert. However, Spock found that he would rather stay on the bridge than return to his quarters.

He found himself having these illogical thoughts often, especially on the bridge. It had been happening for months, despite his best efforts to repress them. He was at a loss to explain these thoughts, but they seemed to have something to do with Captain—

"Spock! Spock are you there?" Kirk repeated.

"Yes, Captain, I apologize," Spock responded, realizing he hadn't been paying attention. That was odd.

As soon as his shift was over, he hurried to his quarters. He lay on his bed, thinking. There must be some reason for these sudden, emotional sensations. He seemed to associate them most often with the Captain. There must be a logical explanation, he thought, before he finally fell asleep.

-------------------------------------------------------

The next day, when Spock took his station on the bridge, he felt that odd sensation again. Just the sight of the Captain triggered a rush of blood to his face. He also had a shy, nervous feeling, which Spock found quite irritating. He tried to push these thoughts from his mind and focus on the task at hand, but it was becoming increasingly difficult as Kirk kept smiling at him. The Captain's illogical behavior was making Spock uncomfortable, and he was glad when he was finally allowed to escape back to his quarters.

This happened again and again for several more days until Spock could not take it any longer. Nervousness, embarrassment, confusion. These were all emotions he realized he had been experiencing in the past week. They usually left him feeling flustered and unsure. Spock had spent most of his life purging all emotion, so these feelings had begun to concern him. Spock hadn't had trouble keeping control of his emotions in a long time. He could not comprehend the reason that these strange feelings were now affecting him so much. What was happening to him??

Suddenly, Spock stood up from his bed, exited his room, and started down the corridor toward sickbay. As much as he hated to admit it, Spock knew he needed advice. If he was to stop whatever was happening to him, he would need to talk to someone he trusted. He couldn't talk to Kirk, so he settled for McCoy. Sure, they spent most of their conversations taunting and teasing. But deep down, they both liked and respected one another, and Spock knew that they were good friends.

McCoy glanced up from his computer screen as the slight hiss of the door announced Spock's arrival. McCoy looked questioningly at the Vulcan.

"Well Spock, what can I do for you?" he asked, a little surprised at the unexpected visit.

"I need to speak with you, Doctor; I would like some advice," Spock answered.

"Me? Give advice to you?" McCoy asked incredulously, a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth.

"Yes, Doctor," Spock replied, a tad annoyed.

"There is something that I need to discuss with you," he said as he glanced at the other nurses in sickbay. "It is of a personal nature."

McCoy continued to look skeptical, but nodded his assent.

"Alright, Spock, in here," he said as he gestured the Vulcan to a small room off to one side. The door slid shut behind them as McCoy sat down at the desk within. He waved Spock toward the opposite chair.

"So, what's been bothering you?" the Doctor asked in a business-like manner.

"It has come to my attention that for the past several weeks I have been experiencing strange...... sensations. They interfere with my ability to concentrate. I do not know the cause of them."

McCoy raised an eyebrow, something he'd learned from Spock over the years.

"When do you usually have these 'sensations?'" the Doctor asked.

"They seem to be constant, but are especially prominent when I am on the bridge."

McCoy asked Spock a few questions concerning symptoms and possible diagnoses. He sat back for a moment, confused. This didn't sound like any kind of medical issue he'd ever heard of. If Spock were anyone else on the ship, McCoy would have attributed his feelings to a case of perfectly normal human attraction. Unless...

"Spock," McCoy paused, trying to be strategic in his approach.

"Yes, Doctor?" Spock prompted him after a moment.

McCoy looked up. "Spock, do you think you might be developing........ feelings? For someone... on the ship?" he asked hesitantly.

Spock felt the blood rush to his face.

"May I remind you, Doctor, that as a Vulcan, I am not capable of that emotion. There must be some other logical explanation for this."

I've poked the skin right in the vein, McCoy thought. He could tell that this was really bothering Spock and he wanted to help him with it. So, he tried to be as careful and placatory as he could with his response.

"Spock, I know you think you can't have those emotions because of your Vulcan genes, but you're half human too. Your symptoms don't indicate any kind of medical condition that I can—"

"Thank you, Doctor, for your time." Spock abruptly stood up and left the room, leaving McCoy sitting alone at the desk.

He sighed, knowing he had said the wrong thing, and quite possibly alienated Spock. He wasn't sure how he should've dealt with the situation, but he did have a pretty good idea of who Spock seemed to be developing feelings for.