"Scotty, I want to know what's happening to my ship," Kirk demanded.

The bridge crew had all assembled in the briefing room again. Kirk had just about had it with these disruptions; they were beginning to interfere with the normal operations of the ship. As a result, he was responding in his usual dynamic manner; when James T. Kirk wanted something done, he wanted it done right and he wanted it done yesterday. The bridge crew was attempting to accommodate him—they had been talking for quite some time in the briefing room, but they didn't seem to be getting anywhere.

"Captain, we're doing the best we can," Scotty answered apologetically. "We've checked all the affected systems but we cannae find anything wrong with them."

"Well, there has to be something causing all these malfunctions around here," Kirk grumbled.

"Perhaps the ship is haunted," Chekov suggested with a grin.

"That is illogical, Ensign," Spock replied.

"Errors of this magnitude do not occur without reason."

"I was making a little joke, sir," Chekov explained, slightly irritated.

"Extremely little, Ensign," Spock told him, face straight as ever.

"Gentlemen," Kirk interrupted. "We have to act before... whatever it is reaches our critical systems."

"Aye," Scotty agreed. "If we have another main power failure, I cannae guarantee that we'll get the backups on in time."

"All right, we're going to search until we find the cause of these problems," Kirk announced.

"There will be round the clock investigation of every system on this ship. Better to bite the bullet now rather than risk a life support failure later."

"'Bite the bullet,' Captain?" Spock asked from beside him, frowning.

"It's an old Earth saying, Mr. Spock," Kirk replied shortly. "It means 'get it over with.'"

"I know this saying. It was invented in Russia," Checkov announced.

Everyone stared at him incredulously. Chekov hid an amused grin.

"Coordinate with your departments," Kirk said finally. "Nothing will be overlooked." He stood up from the table.

"You have your orders."

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

After a full day of searching, the crew had yet to find the cause of the malfunctions. Despite examining each system one by one, there seemed to be no reason for any problems at all. Kirk, Spock, and McCoy were walking down the corridor together, having finally decided to retire for the night. They were all weary from the day's activities and eager to return to their beds.

"Everybody's been working themselves to exhaustion," McCoy was complaining. "It won't do any good if you all collapse at your posts."

"Doctor, the situation is extremely urgent," Spock replied. "Since we have not been able to find the source of the malfunctions, we therefore must assume that an external force is acting upon this ship. Such a phenomenon could pose a threat to everyone on board."

"But we don't know that, now, do we, Spock," McCoy persisted. "Damn computers. It could be a loose screw for all we know."

"Doctor, the probability of a single loose screw producing such comprehensive errors is 2,228.7 million to 1," the Vulcan declared.

"I was just trying to make conversation, Spock," McCoy countered.

"It would be most interesting to impress your memory engrams on a computer, Doctor. The resulting torrential flood of illogic would be almost as perilous as the current system failures."

Kirk laughed slightly. Bones frowned, looking away in a huff.

"Well, I hate to use the word, but logically, Mr. Spock has a point," Kirk remarked. "Whatever's out there might be dangerous, and we could easily find ourselves in a lot of trouble."

Having reached sickbay, the trio stopped outside the corridor.

"Well, at any rate, you both better rest now while you can," McCoy grumbled. "Making my job even harder than it already is," he muttered as he turned and disappeared through the sickbay doors.

Spock raised an eyebrow at Kirk—who merely shook his head, a tired smile on his face. Then they resumed walking down the hallway in the direction of the Captain's quarters. When they arrived, Kirk stopped awkwardly in front of the door. For some reason, the thought of saying goodbye to Spock seemed very unappealing. They had only really been together for about 3 full days and already Kirk couldn't bear to part with him. Spock seemed to share his hesitation.

"Well, um..." Kirk started, unsure of how to phrase his request. "Spock?" he asked.

"Yes, Captain?" Spock replied.

"Would you care to... stay in my quarters tonight?" Kirk winced internally.

The Vulcan's features brightened a little, imperceptible to anyone except James T. Kirk. After a moment, though, Spock's face fell.

"Captain, what if someone were to discover me here, or realize that I am not in my own quarters?"

"Nonsense, Spock; no one will know," Kirk said reassuringly, ushering him into the room.

Spock reluctantly followed, but relaxed somewhat after the door slid shut behind them.

Kirk noticed his reaction and smiled, reaching a hand around Spock's waist. The Vulcan leaned into the touch slightly, a smile stretching across his features.

Then Kirk leaned in toward Spock, eager to be closer to him. Spock leaned forward as well, and their lips brushed in a small kiss. Kirk smiled as they kissed again, pure bliss spreading from his chest to the tips of his toes.

When they finally broke apart, Kirk noticed Spock had on one of his rare, genuine smiles—the kind he allowed only the Captain to see. Kirk could not remember the last time he was so happy.

"You're not often this relaxed," Kirk remarked. "It's nice to see you let your guard down a little."

Spock responded by reaching for Kirk's wrist and slowly raising it between them. He used his free hand to curl the Captain's fingers into a fist, leaving his middle and index finger outstretched.

Kirk watched with curiosity as Spock mirrored the movement with his own hand and touched their fingers together.

Kirk shivered at the odd contact, yet found it surprisingly enjoyable as well. His pleasure suddenly increased as Spock slowly began tracing Kirk's fingers with his own. It seemed to sharpen and strengthen their bond, flashes of emotion passing between them.

"What does it mean?" Kirk whispered quietly.

"It is a Vulcan kiss," Spock replied.

Kirk gazed in wonder at their fingers. "Is that why I can sense some of your emotions?" he asked.

Spock paused a moment before answering. "In general, Vulcans are much more sensitive to touch than humans. Physical contact strengthens our telepathic bond, which allows thoughts to be shared. That is why Vulcans who are not romantically involved often avoid touching one another other. Information is accidentally transferred between them. As my... bond mate, this effect is only intensified," Spock explained softly.

Kirk looked up at the Vulcan in awe. The fact that Spock was willingly sharing this part of himself with Kirk—a part that no one else had ever seen—left him speechless.

Spock sensed the change in his emotions and frowned, worried.

"If it is unpleasant, I'll-" Spock began.

"No," Kirk interrupted. He smiled, drawing Spock closer. "It's more than pleasant," he murmured, before pressing his lips to Spock's again.

Leaving their hands touching in the Vulcan kiss, Kirk and Spock fit their bodies together, like two halves of a perfect whole. They closed their eyes as their minds merged, delighting in the feel of each other's thoughts against their own.

As they finally parted, Kirk suddenly yawned, overcome with exhaustion.

"You need to rest, Jim," Spock stated, guiding Kirk over to the bed. After an initial protest, Kirk eventually gave in, realizing how tired he was.

Spock climbed in first, then Kirk climbed in beside him. He gently laid his head on Spock's chest. After only a few moments, the rhythmic rise and fall of the Vulcan's breaths succeeded in lulling Kirk to sleep.

The last thing he remembered before the weariness took him was Spock's face gazing down on him lovingly from above.