Two Captains

Chapter 15

"What, you're going down there, are you nuts?!" Jim replies. "Spock you can't do that!" He says as Spock crouches down on one of the small circular platforms, ignoring Jim's protests.

"Technically, he can do whatever he wants. He's the captain." I mutter to him.

"Energize." Spock says to Chekov.

"Spock!" Jim cries out as he's transported down to Vulcan.

"Spock to Enterprise, get us out now!" We hear through a comm a few minutes later.

"Locking onto you. Don't move." Chekov answers, his eyes glued to the screen. "Stay right where you are. Transport in five...four...three..." He counts down.

Small alarms sound among the computers.

"MOTHER!" I hear Spock shout over the comm, and I grab Jim's wrist before I can think twice about it. He glances at me, but I ignore the glance, I have a bad feeling something's going to-

"I'm losing her! I'm losing her! I'm losing her!" Chekov cries out as small alarms continue to go off, his hands fly all over the screen, trying to bring her back. His face drains of color and he stops doing what he's doing, staring at the screen. "Oh no I've lost her..." He breathes as Spock and some other Vulcans are transported back to the ship. "I've lost her..." He mutters.

I knew it.

I see Spock, with his arm outstretched in front of him as if he were reaching for something, shock and disbelief painted on his face. He slowly lowers his arm a moment later, breathing heavily. His gaze falls upon the empty platform where his mother would've been standing. Silence fills the room.

Chekov's hand falls lightly onto the screen as he stares disbelievingly at it. His eyes dart back and forth, searching and hoping for any signs of the lost woman even though everyone knows she's gone.

Spock walks over and stands at the edge of that one empty platform, staring down at it. Then he looks up and straight ahead of him. I turn and see a small window to my right and see the planet caving in on itself at a rapid pace. And as the Enterprise passes it, we see it completely disappear into black.

All those innocent lives, lost.

I cup a hand over my mouth and turn into Jim, burying my face into his chest.

Nearly an hour later, Bones comes into the empty hallway out of med bay after examining the Vulcans that made it to the ship.

"How are they?" I ask him.

"Okay, I guess. Slightly traumatized, but okay. You know Vulcans, they don't really have a soul."

I laugh a little. "No, they have a soul, just no emotion."

"Hence, no soul."

"How's Jim?" I ask, changing the subject.

"Fine. Just had to bandage his hand up, but he's fine." He pauses. "What about you? You okay?"

"Okay." I say.

Then he steps forward, cups my face with both hands, and kisses me.

I'm surprised when he does this, but even more surprised at myself when I kiss him back. He wraps an arm around my waist and moves his other hand to the back of my neck and I cup his face with one hand and place my other hand at the back of his neck.

Then we both pull away a moment later. Bones' eyes widen, apparently realizing what just happened. We both simultaneously step back, I back into the wall.

"Oh my God..." He runs a hand through his hair. He half-turns away from me, then looks at me, stretching an arm out towards me. "I am so, sorry. I don't know what I was..." He trails off and turns away, running a hand through his hair again. "God damn, what the hell was I thinking?!" He says to himself. "Damn it, you can't just go kissing you're extremely attractive British friend!" He scolds himself.

What was I thinking?

"It's not your fault. Not completely." I say. "Remember-I kissed you back. If anything, we're both at fault here. Me more than you."

"No, Natasha, don't do that. Don't put the blame on yourself."

"But it is my fault, Bones!" I say.

Suddenly something beeps and Bones pulls out his comm, he quickly scans through the message, then puts it away.

"Gotta go." He says, then turns around quickly and walks back into med bay.