It was only three hours later that shit hit the fan. Jim was leaned against the rock with one leg bandage up by a collection of leaves and the other had long scrapes that were healing. McCoy looked over the rocky surface holding a phaser in one hand looking over the side. Jim's yellow shirt was in tatters acting as bandage while his black regulation shirt was remarkably well in tact. He looked quite beaten up with a bruise to the side of his face right at his right eye. Looked like he had been choked earlier as it had been for many times facing off with villains. He winced in pain. McCoy looked over the direction of the man.

"Jim. . ." McCoy said. "there is no way you could have known."

"That man has taken control of my first officer," Jim said. "I am going to kill him."

"I won't let ya," McCoy said. "there is a better way."

"Spock would not forgive us if we didn't act," Jim said. "and spared him of being s slave, a host, to someone else in his head controlling him. If we didn't try," he briefly closed his eyes. "Len. . I. . a. . . ." McCoy placed a hand on the man's shoulder. "I don't know what to do without him, Vulcans are hardly in Star Fleet anymore. Busy reproducing Vulcanlets. . ." he cleared his throat. "and Spock . . . he is just incredible."

"He has guts," McCoy said. "and he knows where he belongs. Like a lion findin' its pack or a dog or a cat findin' anew owner. They just know these thin's," he shrugged while taking out what appeared to be a asparagus with a colorful tip. "I got an idea how we can safely save his life."

"How?" Jim asked.

"Vulcans are telepathic," McCoy said.

Yes," Jim said.

"And whatever that guy was. . . he isn't, he transferred through that rock," the doctor said. "Vulcans are very hard to get rid. Stubborn to die," he shook the item from side to side. "and if ya became a vegetable wouldn't that mean whoever was inside you would let go because there isn't a organic brain to latch onto?"

"Bones!" Jim said. "you are a genius!"

Jim brought the doctor into a kiss.

"Ah geez," McCoy said, as the kiss broke off. "I haven't told ya how to get aboard the Enterprise."

"There is a transporter a few miles away," Jim said.

"Do ya know transwarp?" McCoy asked.

"No, do you?" Jim asked.

"I have a rough idea from drinking with Scotty and listenin' to him complainin'," McCoy said.

"Thank god for your drinking games!" Jim said.

McCoy looked at Jim like a lightbulb went off in his head.

"Hold still," McCoy said.

"What--" Jim started as the doctor slapped the asparagus hypo into the man's neck. "AAHHHHH!!!!" the doctor took the asparagus off the man's neck to check if it were still clean from injecting it. "What was that for?"

"Your fear of asparagus," McCoy said. "I helped you taste it, I helped your start a healthy diet, and I am goin' to help ya with this as your partner."

Jim's eyes rolled as he groaned falling to the man's shoulder. McCoy slid the asparagus hypospray into his knapsack then picked up the young man into his arms. Remarkably, for a man his age, McCoy was able to run against the speed of the wind letting the surroundings turn to a blurr. Jim's hands turned a shade of dark green. His fingers merged together into a spear like shape with 'v' shaped marks becoming instead tendrils. His hair fell off his head as it curled, bended, and moved up into a spear. His ears merged into his skull. His chin remained the same. His bold, buffy eyebrows remained the same as well. His closed eyes remained closed. And his mouth remained. McCoy came to the station that was seemingly abandoned for any life.

"Hello?" McCoy called. "ah damn it!"

McCoy kicked open the guidance system.

"Transporter room!" McCoy demanded.

"Two turns to the left, first hall to the right, second door to the left," the computer replied.

"Computer, turn off," McCoy said. The computer deactivated as the doctor fled.

He made his way into the transporter room panting. He placed the transformed human male onto the transporter padd. He looked onto the screen then made the necessary adjustments inputting a code by hand and with the keypad. The scotsman had gone to great lengths to display how it was done even with his flawed slurring. He pressed a few buttons more and hit activate. He made his way to his boyfriend's side bringing him up onto his feet. They vanished in a golden haze of light. Jim groaned as they reappeared on the engineering deck where Scotty was doing a scheduled inspection with Kevin Riley by his side who appeared to be perplexed. Then the Irish man fainted. The scotsman's eyes widened and his jaw nearly fell.

"Len!" Scotty cried. "Ye supposed to be dead."

"Ya don't say," McCoy said. "keep it discreet."

"But should I tell the others?" Scotty asked.

"Discreet," McCoy said.

"Aye, I will tell Nyota through the report system," Scotty said, with a nod. He took out his small padd and jotted down on it.

The two men made their way past the scotsman and several other engineers.

The two men went into a turbo lift nearby the walk way.

McCoy pressed a button.

The turbo lift went up as he could hear the hum of the engines beneath his feet. The throbbing of the Enterprise moved in harmony. That was the best part abut Spock. It sounded so musical once you got used to being on a starship. Once adjusted to it, and getting back adjusted to earth bound life, it was hard getting to sleep. The doctor knew first hand about that during his day as a cadet and having some assignments on starships in space. Jim and McCoy shared some in space assignments but not all of them. Final year cadets spent the rest of their studying on a starship. McCoy liked to bet that Jim would have been assigned as a lieutenant to the USS Ferragut if the damn psychopathic Romulan hadn't intervened. McCoy probably would have been part of that assignment. Failing the Kobyashi Maru three times meant he 'died' that at least one of those times McCoy wasn't part of the simulation. Which lead to his current vow of never leaving his boyfriend alone in space on his ass. Jim regained consciousness.

"Thank you for turning me into a asparagus," Jim said. "I am going to make you suffer for this!"

"Don't be so melodramatic," McCoy said. "I am sure no one will notice."

"Coffee, captain?" Janice apperated out of thin air right next to the man's side.

"Not right now," Jim said.

"I will take it," McCoy said, gladly taking the cup.

"I will make my evening rounds in a few hours if you change your mind," Janice said, with a glowing look about her then went past the two men.

"And you said no one will notice," Jim said.

"This is nothing compared to the shit ya get into on a weekly basis," McCoy said.

"I don't get changed into a vegetable!" Jim protested.

"Says the kid who was turned into a goat," McCoy said. "at least on one occasion! And turned into a crushable piece of rock."

"But I hate being a vegetable," Jim said.

"So did the people in the 21st century and the centuries before that, sweetie," McCoy said.