Your Place or Mine

        The fal tor pan had given him back himself--if still an incomplete version of it--but not his control, not the barriers built brick by mental brick over decades of living with humans . . . with one particular human.

        Jim circulated through the party-goers in the Vulcan embassy's garden with practiced ease, while Spock watched from an inconspicuous corner. After a few moments, though, it struck him that 'practiced ease' was exactly what he was seeing--an experienced man working a crowd with skill, but without much enthusiasm. He moved toward Kirk with the same sense of urgency that had brought him to Kirk's side in the past, in the face of more obvious dangers. He had no idea what he would do when he reached Kirk, only that he should be with his captain.

        The woman with whom Kirk was speaking became aware of Spock's unswerving course toward them, and the animation in her face died away. What remained was irritation--irritation overlaid with nosy curiosity. Kirk turned and swept Spock in as though he'd been expecting the interruption.

        "Spock, do you know Dr. Ryka?"

        Spock did. He inclined his head. Dr. Ryka's lips twitched. Kirk glanced back and forth between them, looking unexpectedly amused.

        "Well, Louise," he said, "I think we've talked that subject to death, don't you?"

        She surrendered gracefully, at least, touching Kirk's hand as though to make some kind of point before moving away. Kirk's other hand came up to rest at the base of Spock's spine, a gesture as possessive and obvious as it was apparently casual. The habits of a lifetime, that would once have resulted in, at most, a questioning eyebrow, had evaporated with the disintegration of Spock's mind in the radiation chamber. He jolted in astonishment.

        "Do you mind?" Kirk asked softly.

        "You know what people will think," Spock managed to get out between lips stiff with shock.

        "Do you mind?" Kirk asked again, his meaning clear.

        Spock turned to look at him. Kirk gazed back with that particularly enigmatic expression he could always summon when he wished, but in his mind Spock could hear Don't turn away, oh don't, please . . .

        Very slowly he relaxed. Jim's face softened into a smile. Some inner demon whispered into Spock's ear, and he raised his arm over their bodies and laid it casually across Kirk's shoulders. Kirk's smile froze in place, and then thawed into pleased acknowledgement. "Checkmate," he whispered, with an outright grin. "I don't think I'd better try to top that."

        "Not here, at any rate," Spock shot back, and watched in fascination as Kirk's face flamed nearly as red as his uniform. Kirk's mind flooded with joyous hope, and the rest of his body threatened to embarrass them both.

        Spock took pity on him. "Perhaps we should go," he suggested.

        Kirk moved away enough that Spock had to remove his arm from Kirk's shoulder. Kirk promptly took his hand, and in the sudden lull of conversation that accompanied the curious looks they were getting, asked sweetly, "Your place, or mine?"

        There was a muffled gasp or two, but the envy on most faces made up for the frank stares. Spock considered the question, and then activated the transponder on his wrist, setting it for a three foot radius.

        "Ours, I think," he said calmly, just before they materialized inside the new Enterprise, and saw from the wide grin on Kirk's face that it had been the only logical choice.