The Doctor Will See You Now

Chapter Eighteen (UPDATED)

Star Date 2261.161 / 10.06.2261

"Hello you two, want to join us for a drink?" Scotty called out as Bones and Lex entered the bar.

Looking round Lex smiled, most of the Enterprise crew was assembled, having now all returned to San Francisco in preparation for their departure back into deep space in two days' time.

Bouncing over she hugged the Scotsman, Uhura standing to giving her a quick hug also. Nodding to Spock and Sulu she dropped into an empty seat. Bones shook Scotty's hand inclining his head towards the others as he sat down next to her, Uhura smiling warmly in welcome having resumed her seat "Sure, what are we drinking?" he asked.

"Romulan Ale, it would appear" Spock gestured to the bottle on the table with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh god no, I'll stick to the wine thanks" Lex grimaced, reaching for the bottle Uhura was holding out to her. Bones also declined sloping off to the bar with Scotty to retrieve a "real drink" as he put it.

"Surprised to see Jim's not with you, it's not like him to miss a good drinking session, especially when there's Romulan Ale" Lex joked, sipping her wine.

"Oh, he's here alright" Sulu smirked, Lex looked at him with confusion across her features.

"Just otherwise occupied" Uhura intoned with a roll of her eyes.

Lex looked between the two of them perplexed "What do you mean?"

"Take a look for yourself" Sulu inclined his head towards a distinctly darker corner of the bar, where Jim was apparently wrapped around a more than willing young lady.

Lex frowned irritated, less than two weeks ago he risked his friendship with Bones to bed his daughter and now here he was feeling up a brand-new victim "How the hell he got to be captain of a star ship I'll never know, the man has the self-control of rabbit" she snarled with more venom than she intended, Sulu and Uhura exchanging surprised looks but otherwise didn't question her outburst.

Spock on the other hand was intrigued by the comment "I fail to see what bearing his prevalence to a certain level of promiscuity has on his ability to Captain a ship"

Tearing her eyes away from Jim and his date for the evening, Lex fixed the Vulcan with a despairing look "It's a matter of respect Spock"

He raised his eyebrow quizzically "Do you not respect the Captain Dr. James?"

"Varies from day to day" she sighed, Uhura chuckling at her response.

Bones and Scotty returned with their whiskies as the conversation resumed.

"Who is that he's with anyway?" Lex asked Uhura, Bones looked up confused, Sulu directing his attention to the same dark corner they'd all been intermittently staring into.

"Some blonde called Joanna I think" Sulu confirmed with a shrug.

Lex snapped her eyes up to him wide in alarm, Uhura frowned at her expression, sitting up slightly and staring more intently into the corner than before. Taking a deep breath Lex tried to remain calm, while also trying to discretely get a better look at the woman in Jim's arms. Her stomach lurching unpleasantly as she realised it was indeed Joanna.

"Did you say Joanna?" Bones asked slowly, staring fixedly into the corner of the bar.

Desperately Lex tried to distract him before the inevitable "I'm not feeling all that great suddenly. Leonard, can you take me back to Ida's apartment?"

As she looked up into his face, she realised it was too little too late, he'd already recognised his daughter. Standing slowly his face morphed from horrified shock to pure rage "I'm going to kill him" he ground out through gritted teeth.