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Y-22 was the planet-made embodiment of every reason young people had to sign up for Starfleet. A Class M planet inhabited by humanoids and sentient energy beings alike, its western hemisphere warmed the amazed visitor with a climate similar to that of Tunis in summer, with large, colorful plants the texture of silk growing everywhere.

The air smelt fresh – a treat after weeks of recycled spaceship-air. Except for a large blue-ish building that seemed to have been created entirely out of glass, no other houses or roads could be seen around the meeting point the Enterprise’s away team landed in.

“Wow,” Ensign N’Daye muttered when the last of the transporter glitters had faded away and the natural beauty surrounding them could be seen clearly. “It’s paradise.”

Jim Kirk gave her an approving smile. This was exactly why he loved first contact missions. The pure wonder in a young scientist’s eyes, the excitement of meeting a whole new species full of-

“That bullshit will get you killed,” Dr Leonard McCoy grumbled, tricorder already in hand and scanning a particularly large pink plant swaying softly in the warm breeze.

“That plant?” N’Daye asked with a startled frown and took a step away.

“That attitude,” Leonard corrected. “Paradise had ONE thing man wasn’t allowed to touch or else, this place has at least a million until proven otherwise.” He glanced down at his tricorder and added, “This plant, though, is harmless. Also edible.” He broke off a tiny leaf from the plant’s stem and shoved it into his mouth. “Hm. Maybe with gin…” He dragged down the corners of his mouth in contemplation and tried another leaf.

Jim rolled his eyes. “Don’t listen to Dr McCoy, Ensign,” he said. “The romance of first encounters is lost on him.” Seeing out of the corner of his eye that Spock was opening his mouth, he quickly added, “And on Mr Spock. Though he has been known to appreciate the scientific value of them.”

Spock closed his mouth in what Jim had come to identify as his indignant expression.

“First encounters are great,” Leonard said defensively, “as long as you already know what to expect. Running into the great unknown galley-oh-hoop-hooping like a Kazeboonian in heat will get you killed. Or maimed. Or at the very least give you this planet’s clap and none of that would ever happen if y’all just listened to me and stayed the fuck away from the shiny and the fascinating.”

At N’Daye’s gaze, Jim gave a curt shake of his head. “No one’s catching the clap-“

“Hear, hear,” Leonard muttered.

Jim glared at him. “ – and no one’s gonna get killed. We already know who we’re gonna meet. We’ll have a nice chat with this First Being 13 and go home and let them think about whether they like humans – and Vulcans,” he added at Spock, who nodded his head in acknowledgment, “and eventually, if all things work out, we’ll have a new potential member for the Federation. It’s all diplomacy, no undercover mingling with the natives, no violent encounter. Piece of cake.” He smiled.

“If I had a drink right this moment for every time you said that before ending up in sickbay, I’d be dead,” Leonard said.

Again, Jim caught N’Daye’s look and shook his head. “He’s exaggerating. It’d take a LOT more drinks.” With that, he turned to Spock to look at his tricorder’s readings. “Anything, yet?”

N’Daye suppressed a chuckle and glanced at Leonard, who shook his head silently at her. She snorted, but quickly cleared her throat to mask it.

Spock’s response to Jim’s question had been negative, so Jim looked around and craned his neck to look up the tall glass building. “Should we just go find the reception?”

“And here we go,” Leonard muttered.

Before Jim could reply in turn, Spock lifted a hand to point to his left, where a slightly glowing silvery light was emerging from within a thick purple bush. “Captain.”

The group turned to watch the light hover closer. Leonard raised his tricorder. He frowned.

“It’s… certainly some…one,” he said and gave Jim a helpless little shrug.

Jim lifted his hands, palms up in his first-encounter gesture and smiled. “Greetings. I’m Captain James T. Kirk from the Federation ship Enterprise. Are you First Being 13?”

The light had stopped in front of them, flickering slightly.

Jim and Spock exchanged a glance. “We have received an invitation,” Jim continued, “from the First Being. This is my First Officer Mr Spock, CMO Dr McCoy and Ensign N’Daye.”

The light pulsed. It was completely silent.

Jim nodded at N’Daye, who got out the PADD she’d brought along.

“Since we have only communicated via text so far,” Jim said, “we have brought a device that will allow us to continue to do so. If there are no other ways for us to talk.”

He waited. The light hovered closer. It had stopped pulsing.

“Spock?”

Spock looked at his tricorder readings. “It is no color-based form of-“ he was cut off abruptly, when the light moved sideways towards Leonard and circled around his head once.
Leonard didn’t move, but followed it as well he could with his eyes. “Uh… hi,” he said and threw Jim an anxious glance.

The light circled him once more, around his chest and back this time, then floated upwards until it almost touched his forehead. Leonard took a step back.

Before Jim could address the being again, it suddenly shot forward and vanished inside Leonard’s head. Instantly, his eyes rolled back and his legs gave out.

“Bones!”

N’Daye had quickly grabbed the doctor’s arm, when he started to collapse, and slowed his descend. She was holding on to his shoulder where he now knelt on the ground, head hanging.

“Dr McCoy?” She sounded scared.

Jim was bending down to grab Leonard’s other shoulder, but life seemed to suddenly return to the limp frame. Leonard lifted his head, blinked a few times, and swiftly got to his feet. He moved away from both N’Daye’s and Jim’s touch, casting them a calm smile.

“I greet you,” he said. It was Leonard’s voice, but held no trace of his usual accent or characteristic intonation.

Jim frowned. “First Being?”

“13,” the First Being said in Leonard’s voice. “I am the 13th of my kind.”

Jim could feel the anger making his blood rush into his face. “You will leave my CMO’s body at once,” he said, narrowing his eyes.

“You asked for means of communication,” the First Being said. “I have provided it.”

“Dr McCoy did not consent to this,” Spock said. “Your behavior is highly unethical.”

Leonard’s face went blank for a second. He nodded. “I will discuss that word with my fellow beings. I do not know its meaning.”

“You can’t just violate another being’s mind!” Jim burst out. “Do you even know if you’re hurting him or not?” He pointed at the medical tricorder slung over Leonard’s shoulder.
“Give me that, so we can make sure you aren’t causing him any harm.”

The First Being looked at the tricorder with a curious frown and picked it up. “I will ask him how to use it,” they said and once more Leonard’s face went blank. When he blinked again, surprise was evident on his face.

“Choice words?” Jim guessed. “I think that proves he doesn’t consent. Leave him alone. Now!”

“He is not like our solids,” the First Being said. They were scanning Leonard’s body with the tricorder now and looked at the results with obvious interest. “I have put him away, he will not disturb our talk.”

Jim’s eyes widened in alarm. “What have y-“

“His body is the same,” the First Being continued, looking at the read-outs. “I know, then. It is no different from when I use our solids.” They said it like it was supposed to be calming information.

“Where did you put him?” Spock asked, before Jim had another chance to yell. “Where we come from, every being is solid. We have no experience with beings like you.”

The First Being tilted their head. “You are different solids,” they said. “Our solids cannot be used to communicate with you.”

“They cannot talk,” Spock said.

The First Being nodded.

“Interesting. Where have you put Dr McCoy?” Spock repeated his earlier question. “Can we talk to him?”

Instead of an answer, the First Being gave them that unnerving blank look again, then suddenly moved Leonard's eyes as if reading something. “You are solids that govern themselves,” they stated. A confused frown appeared on Leonard's face. “I do not understand,” they said and looked at Jim. “Two male solids cannot reproduce, yet you-”

“Get out of his head this instance!” Jim hissed, blushing a deep red. “You have no right to-”

“Our solids do not have rights,” the First Being said. “Your world… it looks fascinating.”

Spock sent his Captain a warning look, when he saw him clench his hands to fists. “Your kind uses your solids, you said. Did you build this,” he gestured for the blue building, “that way?”

The First Being nodded. “It is where they stay and reproduce, when they are not needed.”

N'Daye widened her eyes in shock. “Do they do that out of their own free will?”

“They are… solids,” the First Being said. They sounded almost amused at the question. “They are vessels.”

“Our CMO isn't and if you don't leave his mind, I will consider it an act of aggression against a Starfleet officer!” Jim exclaimed.

The First Being looked at him. It was weird having Leonard's eyes look so emotionless. “We do not know that word.” Once more, they appeared to be literally reading something in Leonard's mind. “We do not know wars. Your kind is so...” They trailed off and finished, “… messed up.” Clearly, they had just found that expression in Leonard's vocabulary.

If he hadn't been so furious and scared, Jim would have laughed.

Leonard's nose started to bleed.

Jim gasped, but before he could threaten hell on Y-22, Spock said, “You must leave Dr McCoy's body, you are harming him.”

“There is time left to learn,” the First Being said. The blank look was back and a small rivulet of blood ran out of Leonard's left ear.

“Shit!” Jim turned to Spock. “Can we stun him?”

“We don't know what that'd do to Dr McCoy,” N'Daye cut in, staring at more blood appearing on Leonard's face in helpless shock. “Please,” she said to the First Being, “let him go. We can communicate via text like before, we will answer all your questions.”

“There is still time,” the First Being repeated. They laughed lightly. The sound made Jim shudder. “His mind is so disorganized.”

Jim's concern spiked when he caught the tiny frown appearing on Spock's face. It was the Vulcan equivalent to an expression of utter panic.

“What do you mean by there is still time?” Spock asked and as if struck by a thought added, “Why did you pick Dr McCoy as your vessel to talk to us?”

“He appeared to be the least useful,” the First Being said.

Spock's hand flew up to halt Jim in his reaction. “Explain.”

“He is the oldest of your group. We do not know the word doctor, but I understand now that he knows how to prolong solids' lives. There is no need for that on our world.”

“There is on ours,” Spock said. “He is very useful to us.”

They all watched in horror as Leonard's eyes began to bleed.

“Time left!” Jim gasped. “Fuck! You're killing him! Let him go! Let him go now!” He was in Leonard's face so fast Spock didn't have a chance to hold him back, and grabbed the doctor's arms to shake him. “If you kill him, I swear I'll destroy this whole fucking place!”

Leonard's cold eyes met his, unimpressed. “There is time left to learn,” the First Being said and coughed slightly. A speck of blood fell on Leonard's chin.

“No!” Jim yelled. “Get-”

Suddenly, Spock's hands were on Leonard's face. Jim whipped his head around to see the Vulcan's eyes closed in strained concentration.

“Spock-”

An agonized scream cut off Jim's frightened cry. The silvery light flooded from Leonard's forehead in a rush, soundless as it had entered. Jim hastily sprang to the side and dragged Spock behind him, while trying to hold on to Leonard, but the doctor crashed to his knees.

“No!” Leonard yelled. “Get out! Run! Get back to the ship! They'll kill you all! Get out, get out, get out, get out-”

“Captain!” N'Daye jumped to push Jim out of the way as the First Being hovered closer. Jim grabbed her arm to drag her down to where he was huddled protectively over Leonard and Spock, who seemed dazed, staring up at them with wide, unseeing eyes.

“Turn around,” Jim told her and bent his head down, fumbling with his communicator. “Kirk to Enterprise. Beam us up! Now!”

He didn't know if they had heard him over Leonard's frantic screaming, but that had probably been enough to drive the point home, anyway. Immediately, he felt the familiar tingling of the transporter beam.

Scotty's shocked voice was the first thing he heard when he blinked his vision into focus.

“Holy shit, Jim, what happ- Jesus! Scott to sickbay, we need medical in the transporter room asap!”

Lifting his head, Jim saw Leonard had collapsed back onto his back. His eyes were wide open, staring at the ceiling, his face covered in drying blood. His screaming had faded into an endless stream of breathless muttering.

“Get out, please get out, please leave me alone, please, it hurts, please don't hurt them, get out, please, please...”

Spock seemed to have recovered and put a calming hand on Leonard's shoulder. The doctor flinched violently. “Go back to the ship! Please don't… please...” He shivered, harsh tremors shaking him so hard his back arched off the ground.

Jim turned to check on N'Daye. She gave him a curt nod.

“Bones.” He moved closer so he could bend over Leonard's face. “Bones, it's all right. We're on the ship, it's over.”

“Please,” Leonard mumbled, not looking at Jim's eyes. It wasn't clear how much of his surroundings he was aware of. “Please get out. Please.” He shuddered again.

Carefully, Jim placed his palm against Leonard's bloody cheek to turn his head. Again, Leonard flinched, but Jim didn't let go.

“It's me. It's okay, you're okay. You're safe.”

Leonard shivered. Jim gently rubbed his arm.

“Jim,” he rasped.

“Yes. I'm here. We'll have you in sickbay in no time. You'll be fine, it's all right. Everything's all right.”

“Spock...” Leonard said, eyes filling with panic again. His hands flailed slightly as he was trying to sit up.

“I am well, Doctor,” Spock said, bending forward so Leonard could see him.

“Y-you shouldn't've…” A cough cut him off. New blood appeared on his lips.

A blanket was placed over Leonard, covering Jim's hand as well. He looked up to find Scotty adjusting it, his fingers brushing Leonard's neck. “Here you go, lad. You're freezing.”

“Thanks,” Leonard breathed. He leaned his face into Jim's hand unconsciously, seeking warmth as much as comfort, but jerked violently, when he felt Spock's fingers on his temple.

“No!” he yelled.

Jim's gaze flew up in anger, but it quickly changed to sympathy, when he saw his first officer's expression.

“I will not harm you,” Spock said. “I merely-”

“No, please,” Leonard said, the drying rivulets on his face making it look like he was crying blood. “I-I know you mean well...” He coughed, struggled to catch his breath. “Ev-everyb-body just stay the fuck ou… outta m' head.” His breath hitched and he swallowed weakly, only to turn even paler and roll his head to his side. “G'nna...”

N'Daye, Spock and Jim all hastened to grab onto him and roll him to his side just in time for him to weakly retch and force up a small puddle of blood.

“Oh god,” Jim muttered, stroking Leonard's hair soothingly. “Shh, it's okay.” He leaned in close to Leonard's ear. “It's okay, baby. Help's on the way. It's okay.”

N'Daye turned her head up to Scotty. “Where-” but cut herself off, when the doors finally slid open, Christine Chapel and two medics rushing in. She quickly hopped off the pad to make room.

“They're here,” Jim told Leonard. “Just hold on.”

Leonard's panicked gaze found Jim's, his grip on Jim's hand weakening. “C'nt...” he croaked out as his throat spasmed, pushing blood into his mouth. “… 'm...” His eyes flickered shut.

“Bones!” Jim exclaimed and struggled against Scotty's hands on his shoulders, trying to drag him away.

“Jim, let the-”

“Captain.” Spock's strong, assuring hold on his arm made Jim look up to meet his calm eyes.

Instantly, Jim rose to step away from Leonard, medical personnel descending on him like vultures on a carcass.

Over the noise of scanner readings being called out and Chapel's commands, Jim couldn't hear Scotty talking to him, but he didn't resist him and Spock when they marched him off the transporter pad and over to the console where they'd be out of the way.

At last, Leonard was carefully lifted onto a gurney and rushed to medbay.

“What the hell happened down there?” Scotty asked.

Jim couldn't tear his eyes away from the closed door. “We need to inform Starfleet Command right away,” he said. “Y-22 needs to be completely off limits for further exploration.”

“Yes, Captain,” Spock said, clearly waiting for Jim to move.

Jim drew in a long breath, nodded curtly and started towards the door. “Yes. And if Bones doesn't come out of this okay, I'll blow it to kingdom come.”

Spock followed him out without a comment.

Scotty stared after them, then to N'Daye, who was anxiously looking at the bloody traces on the transporter pad.

“Piece of cake,” she muttered.

“What?”

She shook her head - “Nothing.” - and left.

Scotty watched the door close behind her and sighed. “Why does no one ever tell me shit?” He reached behind himself to push the comm button. “Cleaning unit to transporter room.”

Slumping against the console, he hugged himself and waited.

STSTSTSTSTSTSTSTSTSTSTSTSTSTSTSTSTST

Jim had just decided to go ask for something for his headache after all, when Leonard's eyes opened slowly, glassy and unfocused, then shut again.

“Hey,” Jim said quietly and squeezed Leonard's hand.

Leonard's lips parted, a thin, breathy noise escaping that Jim assumed was meant to be a curse. He frowned in a deep grimace and very carefully cracked his eyes open again, as if the light was bothering him.

“Computer, lights at 30%,” Jim ordered.

Visibly more comfortable in the dimmer light, Leonard blinked his eyes fully open and after a moment managed to focus on Jim's smiling face.
“… 'ey,” he said, his voice barely more than a croaky whisper and cleared his throat with yet another wince.

Jim grabbed a ready mug of water with a straw in it from the table attached to Leonard's biobed and helped him take a few sips.

“Better?” he asked, as he put it away again.

“Bett'r 'n wha'?” Leonard asked. The frown was still there, but it looked less pained and more confused now. “… wh' … 'ppnd?”

“You don't remember?” Jim asked. They had warned him about that possibility. Leonard's internal injuries had all been treated successfully and M'Benga had assured Jim he'd make a full recovery, but there was no telling the consequences for his mind. His brain activity looked normal, but that didn't mean the First Being couldn't have caused damage.

Jim reached out to brush back Leonard's hair from his forehead, gently stroking it, before he let his hand wander down to rest against his cheek, his thumb running down Leonard's nose in a lovingly playful gesture.

Leonard blinked tiredly. “R'mber…”

Jim braced himself, half expecting Leonard to fall back into the tortured panic he'd shown once they'd beamed back aboard.

He wasn't prepared for Leonard's eyes filling with tears.

“Bones,” he said softly, his heart breaking at the utter misery on his partner's face as tears spilled over, rolling down Leonard's face. Suppressing a shudder at the memory of blood having done that hours earlier, Jim gently wiped them away. “Hey now, you're all right. Geoff says you'll be fine.”

Leonard sniffed weakly and closed his eyes, releasing more tears. “Sorry.”

“For what?” Jim asked and stroked his cheek. “It's okay. Everything's okay now.” He leaned forward and kissed Leonard's forehead, his nose and the ever-present frown. “No need to be scared, you're safe. We're all safe.”

Leonard shook his head slightly, but didn't open his eyes. “Not scared.”

Jim continued to pet and kiss him, squeezing his hand gently, and when the tears wouldn't stop, he carefully climbed up onto the bed, making himself as small as possible as he curled around Leonard's side and held him, rubbing his nose over his temple and pressing tiny kisses into his hair.

Leonard sobbed quietly and clamped his mouth shut.

“I'm here,” Jim muttered, nuzzling Leonard's face. “I'm not letting go. You're safe here with me. I'm sorry I made you go down there. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you. But you're safe now, you'll be okay. It's just a reaction to all of it.”

“I...” Leonard said and shook his head, exasperated, like he was angry at failing to get a grip on himself. He huffed out a harsh, bitter laugh. “I dunno what...”

“Shhhh,” Jim said. He very gently curled his hand around the side of Leonard's head and turned it to him so their foreheads touched. “Don't do this now. You've had a really fucked up experience, you're entitled to a little emotional comedown. It's just you and me here, I'll very captainly glare away anyone who dares check your readings now, so just let it out, okay?” He nudged Leonard's nose with his and pressed a quick peck to his lips. “I love you.”

Leonard's eyes were still closed, but Jim could feel him relax slightly against him and after a moment, Leonard rolled onto his side with a little grunt and buried his face in Jim's neck.

“That's it,” Jim crooned, rubbing his shaking back.

True to his word, the moment Chapel stuck her head around the curtain separating Leonard's bed from the rest of the ward, Jim quickly waved her away, although his expression was much more pleading than captainly. She still nodded quietly and stepped away, leaving them in private.

After a while, Leonard shuffled back slightly and turned onto his back again, his head resting against Jim's. “I don't even remember their presence that much,” he said and sniffed loudly, rubbed his nose once. “I remember it was… too bright and it hurt so much and...” His breath hitched.

“It's over,” Jim said. “You're safe.” He rubbed gentle circles on Leonard's flat tummy.

Leonard let go of a shuddering breath, nodding. “They were gonna kill us, they didn't even know what that means. They were thinking about getting the Enterprise, leaving the planet, fucking enslaving-”

“Bones, Bones,” Jim said, turning his face to press his forehead against Leonard's temple, his nose against his cheek. “It's over. Calm down. We're not in orbit anymore. I informed Command and they'll put out warnings about Y-22. They won't get to do this to anyone else.”

Leonard swallowed back another sob, his hand grabbing Jim's on his stomach. “The people...” he said. “The SOLIDS,” he spat out the word, disgusted, “they're killing them, slaughtering them like… like… They're just vessels for them. They BREED them, Jim.”

“I know.”

“They breed humanoids to use as meat wagons and tools and when they die from it, those bastards just switch bodies. It's sickening! It's a crime!”

“The Prime Direct-”

“The Prime Directive can go fuck itself sideways!” Leonard snapped and jerked his head away to look at Jim. “I didn't sign up for this to walk away from a whole civilization being enslaved and killed by a bunch of fart clouds!”

Jim sighed sadly. “We can't interfere,” he said. “Who knows, they might organize a revolt one day.”

“Or we could help them now!”

“You know I agree with you. And maybe one day Starfleet will rethink the ethics of the Prime Directive, it's always been an ongoing debate. But in this case, for now – what d'you want me to do, bomb them? Start a war with no information on how to even incapacitate the energy beings? After what happened to you, I couldn't possible send another member of my crew down there, could I? And they didn't seem too keen on recognizing the evil of their ways even after they looked at all of your mind. If anyone was able to convince them of the inherent goodness of respect for others and cherishing all living things… that'd be you. But instead they almost killed you.” He shook his head slightly, stroking back Leonard's hair. “Sorry, nope. We're getting as far away from that place as possible and that's that.”

Leonard deflated visibly, averting his eyes. When he looked at Jim again, it was with a rueful frown. “I'm sorry, Jim. I know… I know all that. Of course you're right.” He sighed.

“You got nothing to be sorry for. I put you in harm's way… again.”

“Nah, darlin',” Leonard said, putting his hand over Jim's on his face. “You couldn't have known.”

“I'm your Captain, it's kinda my job to-”

“Nah. We're all explorers. All in this together. It's why I hate this job so much.”

At the mock grumpy tone, Jim chuckled. “Aren't you a doctor, not an explorer?”

“Can't a man be two things at once?”

Jim laughed and kissed him, running his hand through Leonard's hair, and not let go of his mouth, when the doctor tried to break free for more grumblemumbling.

Only when Leonard responded with resigned passion did Jim draw back and pecked his nose. “Are you in any pain still?” he asked quietly, once more snuggling close to Leonard, heads touching. He softly ran his hand over Leonard's cheek, down his neck to his shoulder, rubbed it lightly as if to warm him.

Leonard sighed, eyes closed. He moved his head slightly to rub against Jim's forehead, noses brushing. “Hmnah,” he muttered, voice turning gravelly with exhaustion. “Bit of a headache.”

“Should I-”

“N'uh uh.” Leonard slung one arm over Jim's waist, tugging him closer against his chest. “From cryin',” he explained. He didn't see Jim's sad grimace at that and just continued to nudge his nose with his lazily, a yawn drawn from him. “This helps more 'n any hypo could. Jus's'ay, okay?” he slurred.

“Anything you want, babe,” Jim said. “Just go back to sleep, I'll be here.”

A small, half-relieved smile crossed Leonard's face, then he frowned suddenly, blinking his eyes open sluggishly. “Spock… ?”

“He's fine,” Jim assured him. He started stroking Leonard's hair again, soothing him back to closing his eyes. “We're all fine, no one got hurt but you.”

'And god knows I'd rather it'da been me,' Jim added in his head.

“You don't need to worry about anyone but yourself for once, a'right? Just rest, I got you.”

“Hmmm.” Leonard's eyes slid closed again.

“I love you,” Jim whispered and pecked his forehead.

“Hm hmm.”

“Stop replying and sleep already,” Jim smiled.

“Hm.”

Jim huffed a soft chuckle, slowly petting Leonard's face and hair until he was sure his breathing had evened out in sleep. Closing his eyes for a long, shuddering breath, he pressed his forehead against Leonard's for a brief moment like a finishing touch and gently disentangled from his partner's lax grasp to slide off the bed.

As if on cue, Chapel stuck her head around the curtain again.

“All yours,” Jim said and sat down in his vigil -chair again.

“A blatant lie,” Chris said wryly, ignoring Jim's mock shocked look, as she quietly walked up to Leonard's bed and checked his vitals.

“He okay?” Jim asked, watching her.

“Oh yeah.” She smiled. “He'll be just fine. He gave you more of a scare than the injuries really warranted.”

“Didn't look like it,” Jim said darkly.

“Eh. You know what they say. Internal bleeding always looks worse than it is.”

Jim cast her a dry glare she didn't look up to catch. No wonder she and Leonard got along so well. Every so often Jim had the opportunity to experience Chapel's humor at first hand and it never failed to amaze him, the quipped darkness coming out of that sunny face.

“Would you like a coffee?” she asked at last, having finished her ministrations.

Jim looked up at her, waiting, brows raised. “Because… if I do, I know where it is?” he asked.

Chris snorted. “Would I do that to my Captain? What am I, CMO? Sit tight, I'll bring it.” She shook her head, still chuckling, and turned for the curtain, but looked back over her shoulder again. “He'll be absolutely fine, Captain, promise. Violations of that kind are scary, he'll get over it. We know all the no-bullshit shields won't let it have any impact on his mind, really.”

Surprised, Jim didn't say anything.

She pursed her lips, half-shrugging. “Still. I hope his cheerful personality gave that bastard thing migraines.”

With that, she left, leaving Jim to stare after her.

“You people down here are warped, man,” he told Leonard, sprawling in his chair.

Nose twitching as if in reply – 'that's rich coming from you' – Leonard slept, peaceful and safe in the knowledge he was alone in his head, but not alone.

THE END