The BLTS Archive - For the Friends They Bring Us
#2: The Diplomatic Mission
by Islaofhope (islaofhope@aol.com)

---

Disclaimer:  Star Trek and its characters all belong to Paramount. I'm
just borrowing the characters for a little while.  This is fan
fiction.  I won't make any profit on this.

This is a sequel to "For The Friends They Bring Us," which I wrote as
a parody of my ridiculously romantic stories, but this one I'm serious
about. Both stories were inspired by the DS9 episode, 'Trials and
Tribble-ations.'

This story originally appeared in NEUTRAL ZINE. Thanks to T'Aaneli and
Jat Sapphire who provided their feedback and light betaing.

Both positive and negative feedback is welcome.

---

"Ben, why are you so nervous about meeting the ambassador?  After all,
I'm the one who had the crush on him."  Jadzia Dax met my eyes in the
mirror.

My complexion is too dark for a blush to show, but Dax has known me 
for a long time, and he -  I mean, she - can always tell when I am 
embarrassed. "I'm just wondering if he'll remember me.  You remember 
that little time travel incident?   I doubt that he'll be impressed 
when he discovers that I'm one of the participants in this meeting 
with the Cardassians."  I straightened the collar on my dress uniform
for the tenth time.

"Remember you?   Why would he?  We kept ourselves out of sight most of
the time.  Of course, it was pretty bold of you to approach Kirk to
get his autograph by pretending that it was a duty roster - I just
about died laughing when you handed it to him, and he signed it
without even looking at the padd.  Do you look at the roster before
you sign it, Benjamin?"  She chuckled at the memory.  "Kirk got a good
look at you, but I don't think Spock even noticed you."

"Oh, he noticed me all right."  I said it under my breath, and Dax
didn't hear it.  Jadzia and I, along with other members of our crew,
had traveled through time to land on the Enterprise during Captain
James T. Kirk's original five-year mission.  In fact, members of my
crew had participated in a fight against a group of Klingons on
Station K-7.

While aboard the Enterprise, Jadzia had admired Ambassador Spock, who
was Jim Kirk's first officer at the time.  However, I had been bold
enough to actually follow Jim Kirk back to his quarters.  Spock walked
in when we were in bed together.  To my astonishment, Spock got into
bed with us, and we spent a memorable evening together.  When I woke
up in my own bed on DS9, only the tenderness "down there" and the
faint bruises from the Vulcan's embrace allowed me to believe that it
had really happened.

As we walked down the corridor on our way to meet the ambassador's
shuttle, Dax continued to chatter.  I had to swallow a smile.  It
wasn't like Dax to show so much nervousness, but it was true that she
was excited to meet Ambassador Spock.  I, on the other hand, was
dreading the moment when we would be face to face.

"You know, I don't believe what they say about Admiral Kirk and the
ambassador.  I know people like to tell stories, but I just don't
think they had any chemistry together."  She dropped her voice to a
soft murmur, so the other officers gathered to greet the Ambassador
wouldn't overhear us.

I stifled a laugh.  I had seen enough to know that Jim Kirk and Spock
had plenty of chemistry.  I remembered watching them kiss, radiating
adoration and pure bliss in each other's arms, before they turned to
include me in their embrace.  In fact, somehow, they let me into their
minds so that I could *feel* what they felt for each other.  But now
wasn't the time to tell her.  "Dax, they were bonded.  That's a matter
of public record."

She waved a dismissive hand at me.  "That was a political alliance to
strengthen the ties between Vulcan and Terra.   Kirk was the first
Terran to sit on the Vulcan council.   After all, everyone knows that
Kirk was a notorious womanizer.  I mean, they were certainly close
friends, but why would a Terran be interested in a sexual relationship
with someone that only went into heat once every seven years.  Of
course, *he* would be worth waiting for."  She stopped talking
abruptly, and I realized that she was fantasizing about Ambassador
Spock.

Should I have told her?  Well, now I would wait to see how Spock would
react to me before I decided what, if anything, to tell her.   I
realized that I was suddenly having a few fantasies myself.

The door opened to admit a tall, handsome Vulcan.  I held up my hand
in the Vulcan salute.  "Welcome to DS9, Ambassador.  I'm Captain
Benjamin Sisko."  I introduced my officers.

The Vulcan raised his hand in reply.  "I am honored, Captain." Spock's
eyes fastened on mine for a moment, and his eyebrow quirked up -
possibly in surprise, but his face was severe, expressionless.  The
last time that I had seen this man his eyes had conveyed a variety of
emotions.

"Ambassador, may I have the honor of escorting you to your quarters?"

Dax looked daggers at me; she had hoped to get him alone for a moment.
Well, she could engage him in conversation later.  For now, I was
claiming captain's privilege and the first opportunity to speak with
him.

As we walked down the corridor, I found myself chattering nervously,
showing off my space station.  "You have never been to DS9 before,
have you, Ambassador?"

Was that a smile that quirked at the side of the Vulcan's mouth.
Probably just a shadow.  Or just my imagination.  "No, Captain.  I
have never before had a reason."

"I know that you and Admiral Kirk had some famous run-ins with the
Romulans and the Klingons in the days of the original Enterprise.  But
now we seem to have a different type of enemy in the Cardassians."

I sneaked a sideways glance at the Vulcan.  Did I detect a slight
flush in Spock's face when I mentioned Jim Kirk?  Probably just my
imagination.

"We were fortunate to make peace with the Klingons in those days.  But
we have made little progress with the Romulans even now."

We stopped at the door to the guest quarters.  "I hope that you will
be comfortable, sir."

"Perhaps you will come in for a moment, Captain."  Spock stepped aside
to allow me to precede him.

I had already turned the thermostat up twenty degrees higher than the
rest of the station, remembering that Jim Kirk had turned up the
temperature in his cabin after Spock joined us.   Now Spock stood
quietly just inside the door, his hands loosely held behind his back.
When I dared look at him, I thought I detected a slight smile of
amusement on the austere features. "Ambassador?"

"It is agreeable to see you again, Benjamin."

I looked at him and felt an irrational wave of happiness flow through
me.  I smiled and said, "I wasn't sure that you would remember me."

The eyebrow went up.  "I admit that I am old, but I am not yet
senile."  He seemed to be studying me, either recalling how I had
looked the last time he saw me or memorizing me for the future.  "It
has been a very long time."

"Only six months."  The words were out of my mouth before I had time
to think.

"Six months for you.  Over a century for me."  His eyes were suddenly
distant.  And bright.  He spoke softly, perhaps his words were not
meant for me to hear.  "Jim was a youth of 32 years.  We had been
lovers for only a short time.  I found his appearance pleasing the
entire time that we were together, but, at that time, he was
indecently beautiful."

I remembered.  I had never been interested in a man before, but I had
been drawn to him, not only by his beauty, but also by his air of
command, his sense of humor, and his kindness.  I had wormed my way
into his cabin by acting lost.  He had been surprised when I told him
that I was from the future.  We had both been startled when I kissed
him.  And we were both astonished when he kissed me back.

Jim Kirk had been even more breathtaking when he had allowed me to
remove his clothes.  "I'm sorry."  I dropped my eyes to the floor.

"Why, Benjamin?"  The Ambassador's voice was gentle.

I looked up again.  "I could have messed things up between you.  I
didn't know that you were together when I went after him."

Spock's eyes fastened on mine.  "History should tell you that our
alliance was unharmed.  It was not the only indiscretion for either of
us, but our devotion to each other remained steady in spite of
any...troubles...that came between us.  In truth, we both remembered
that occasion with a great deal of pleasure."

We were silent a moment, remembering.  He broke the silence by saying.
"It was six months ago in your time line?  That explains what
triggered my memory.  I was on Romulus, but six months ago, I found
that I wished to see you."

I was surprised.  Maybe I shouldn't have been.  After all, Ambassador
Spock had left the Federation Diplomatic service to take up residence
on Romulus. Some thought of him as a traitor because of his hopes for
reunification of the Vulcan and Romulan peoples.

I wondered what Jim would think if he were still alive.  If he were
still alive, would Spock have gone to Romulus?  I remembered the
stories about Jim Kirk's initial reluctance to participate in the
peace process with the Klingons.  Maybe Spock would have convinced his
bondmate to work toward peace with the Romulans as well.

"Why did you wish to see me?"  It was all I could think to ask, but I
was strangely pleased to realize that he had returned to Federation
space, apparently, in order to see me.

"I am not sure that I can explain.  I wished to speak with you of
Jim."

"He's been dead for almost 80 years, hasn't he?"  I noticed that Spock
twisted the ring on his left hand.  A curiously unVulcan gesture.
After so many years, was he still wearing Jim Kirk's ring?   Maybe I
was being ridiculously romantic.  Maybe Spock just had a question
about how and why I had time-traveled to be on the Enterprise.  He was
known to be a leading authority on temporal physics.  "And I made you
think of him again."  I opted for a romantic explanation.

"He is not dead.  At least, I do not believe that he is, but he is
beyond my reach."  He sighed and turned away.  More unVulcan behavior.
"It is true that I have not thought of you in many years.  However, of
him, I frequently think."

Impulsively, I stepped close to lay a hand on the Vulcan's shoulder.
"I lost my wife a couple of years ago, so I have some idea of what you
feel.  I think of her frequently, too - especially on her birthday or
our anniversary."

"Yes.  I also think of Jim on two occasions; when I am awake, and when
I am asleep."  He turned his head to look over the shoulder that I was
now gently rubbing.  "Forgive me.  It was my intention to make a joke.
I am afraid that I am out of practice."

I was speechless for a moment.  I had experienced their love first
hand, when it was brand new, but I had not dared to believe in a flame
that burned eighty years beyond their last touch.  After a long
silence, I said, "Maybe I should go.  Perhaps you would like to be
alone."  But I did not stop massaging that strong shoulder.

He placed his hand over mine.  "I have been alone for 80 years.  I
know that you have responsibilities, but I would like you to stay."

Impulsively, I wrapped my arms around him.  "Yes, of course, I'll
stay."  I could barely believe my courage, but it reminded me of how I
had ended up in Jim Kirk's arms.  As if it were meant to be.  Spock
felt very familiar to me. We began kissing.  Gently at first, but then
more deeply, hungrily.  We both closed our eyes, but I was very aware
of him.  Spock smelled and tasted exotic, of cardamom, and cinnamon
spice.

I drew away from him for a moment and looked into his dark eyes.  "Are
you sure?  Should we be doing this?"

His eyes flashed with amusement.  "Do you wish to ask my bondmate's
permission?  As I recall, no one asked me last time.  And I am unable
to contact him at present."

I let out my breath slowly.  "I don't think he would mind.  Hell, I
bet he wishes that he were here."

"Agreed."

Still fully clothed, our hands roamed over each other's bodies.  Our
mouths reclaimed each other's.  I had been without a romantic partner
for a while. It's difficult for a commander to have a relationship
with a subordinate - at least for a commander with a conscience.  Too
much risk of an imbalance of power.  Jim Kirk had been fortunate to
find love with his first officer - a man too powerful in his own right
for there to be any question of currying of favor.

Curiously, my last sexual encounter - other than on a holodeck - had
been with Jim Kirk and this man six months ago.  Or was it a century
ago?  It felt like it.  I was incredibly aroused.  So was he.
Irreverently, I hoped that, when I was in my second century, my cock
would be as hard as the one that I now grasped through the fabric of
his Vulcan traveling robe.

His hands performed a slow massage on my back, and when one moved
under my tunic, I gasped at the feel of his hot fingers.

"Benjamin."  His breath hot in my ear.  "I want..."  He did not finish
his sentence but instead buried his face in my neck as if he were
trying not to speak.

"Anything, Spock.  Tell me what you want."  I was ready to do whatever
it took to please this hot, deliciously scented creature in my arms.

"No.  It is too much to ask."

Something made me stop for a moment.  I did not let go of him, but I
moved back to look into his dark eyes.  I saw desperate longing in
them.  I felt an unexplainable shiver go through me.  Odd, since it
was very warm in the room, and his hands felt hot as they rested on my
waist after moving under my tunic.

Somehow, I knew what he wanted.  And I wanted it, too.  "Spock.  I
remember when we were together.  In Jim's bed.  You joined our minds,
and I could feel all three of us together.  Would you be willing to do
that again?"

I knew that it was something shared between bondmates, but if he
wanted my body without Jim between us, maybe he would be willing to
touch my mind in spite of his bondmate's absence.

He looked into my eyes.  "It is what I want.  However, I wish to be
honest with you.  After I tell you, I will understand if you decline.
If you choose to leave."

---

I was having some difficulty breathing.  My cock was harder than it
had been in months.  I couldn't imagine walking out of that room
without finishing what we started.  But I would honor his need for
honesty before I pulled off the rest of his clothes and fell down on
the bed with him.  "Tell me.  But don't keep me waiting too long.
You're driving me crazy with desire."

He almost smiled at that.  "Jim was always impatient as well."  He
took a deep breath before continuing.  "Yes, I wish to touch your
mind.  Ordinarily, touching the mind of a partner during sexual
activity can result in the formation of a bond.  I doubt that you
would be interested in a bond with me."

My curiosity was suddenly as aroused as my body.  In the back of my
mind, I wondered why he assumed that I would be uninterested in a bond
between us. "You said ordinarily.  I think you mean that there is no
risk of a bond forming between us."

He nodded.  "My bond with Jim is intact.  I am unable to form a bond
with any other."

"But you can touch my mind? And it will be similar enough to give you
what you need?"  I assumed that he required some kind of mental
joining in order to find satisfaction in our lovemaking.  I remember
how pleasurable it had been.  I was more than willing.

"Not precisely."  He hesitated again.  "Please believe that this is
not why I came here.  I truly did only intend to talk to you.  But
when you touched me, I felt..."  He seemed unable to go on.

I don't think of myself as being particularly intuitive, but suddenly
I understood what he was trying to tell me.  I leaned in to kiss him.
He closed his eyes and responded, returning the kiss hungrily.  I
released him long enough to say.  "Jim.  You felt Jim's presence."

"It is not fair to ask you."

"Are you kidding?  It's what I want, too."  I grinned at him
reassuringly. "It may not be very flattering that you only want to
sleep with me to resurrect your mate, but I've got a pretty healthy
ego.  And what makes you think that I don't want to resurrect him
myself?"

He nodded to signal his satisfaction.  "Very well.  If you are ready?"

I remembered the circumstances under which he had joined our minds
before. My cock had been buried in Jim, and Jim's cock had been inside
of Spock. "Um, do we need to take the rest of our clothes off or get
into any kind of position."

A ghost of a smile crossed his face.  No doubt he was remembering too.
"It is not hypnosis.  We will be free to move as we choose even after
our minds are joined."  I nodded readiness, and he placed his hands on
my temples.  "My mind to your mind, Benjamin.  My thoughts to your
thoughts."  And more softly, he said, "My heart to your heart."

I closed my eyes, enjoying the light touch of his hands on my face.
Our bodies had drawn apart slightly, but now my arms tightened around
him, and I drew us together.  I could feel his hardness rubbing
against mine.  Almost at the same moment, we both said, "Jim."  My
eyes were closed, but I could see laughing hazel eyes, golden hair.
His smooth, muscular chest was tanned a light golden brown from a
shore leave spent unclothed.  And then I saw the beach and the two of
them, coupling in the surf.  I saw it as though it were my own memory.
I felt their wonder at discovering each other's bodies for the first
time.

"My Lasha."  Spock's voice was a low murmur in my ear.

"T'hy'la."  Even though I had never heard the words before, I knew
what to say.

He continued to speak to me softly in Vulcan, and I answered him.
Words of tenderness and desire.

I joined my mouth to his.  The taste of his mouth was different than
it had been earlier.  I remembered the taste from six months ago when
the mouth I kissed was that of a human.  He no longer smelled of
cardaman and cinnamon. I ran my fingers through silky golden hair and
inhaled the clean scent of pine trees.  I smelled human musk.

We drew apart long enough to move into the sleeping area, and pulled
off our clothing.  When I knelt to take his cock in my mouth, it was a
Vulcan cock. I remembered the faint copper color, the double ridges.
"Spock," I said before I took him into my mouth.

His eyes were still closed.  "Benjamin."  He moaned and gripped my
shoulders hard.  I remembered the bruises from before, and I welcomed
the thought of seeing them on my body again.

I felt strong arms pulling me to my feet.  His mouth on mine again.
//I would like to feel you inside of me.//   He could not have spoken
since his mouth was on mine.   I realized that I had heard his voice
in my head.  I remembered that from before.

I tried to *talk* to him the same way.  //I'm not prepared.//  I tried
to convey the thought rather than say the words, but I wasn't sure how
to tell him.  I sent him the picture of himself reaching under Jim's
pillow for the lubricant.  I thought of his body then, and silently
compared it to now.  He still looked amazing in spite of the century
that had passed.

He laughed softly.  //We'll have to improvise.//  My mind was whirling
with confusion.  The voice I *heard* was Jim's.  His laugh, his
inflection, and his words recalled a young, aroused human rather than
the dignified Vulcan in my arms.  Of course, I wasn't completely sure
who was kissing the Vulcan. Was it Ben Sisko or Jim Kirk?

He left me waiting on the bed while he opened his travel bag.  He
returned to me with a bottle of coconut oil in his hands.  I raised my
eyebrow, surprised that he had apparently come prepared.  He smiled
faintly, as he put the oil down on the bedside table.  "I have not
used it for sexual purposes in years. My skin tends to be dry and I
put it on after my shower.  I admit that it reminds me of when Jim
used to rub it on my body.  But its use has been strictly utilitarian
for many years."

I couldn't hide my smile.  His tone of voice and the slight formality
of his words contrasted sharply with the suggestive way his hands were
now moving over my chest.

"I have amused you?"  He lifted an eyebrow fractionally.

I took one of his hands from my chest, admiring the long, slender,
strong fingers.  I kissed his fingers, and then put my mouth on his
wrist, feeling the pulse against my lips.  "You are pleasuring me."

"I am gratified to hear that.  I am enjoying your touch as well."

I grasped his other hand, and pulled him down on top of me.  We kissed
slowly, luxuriating in each other's taste and smell.  How strange to
taste the copper in his mouth and then to taste something completely
different, more human.

I had not spoken aloud, merely formed the thought in my head before I
heard Spock's low voice.  "Yes. He is somehow here with us.  I taste
him, too." The scent of pine assaulted my nostrils again.    I rolled
Spock over, so that I was on top.  I looked down into the Vulcan's
dark eyes.  "This is the most amazing threesome that I've ever had."

Amusement lit his eyes.  "And, in your time, are *threesomes* more
common than the practice of limiting sexual partnerships to two people
in bed together?"

My eyes widened with mock anger.  "You'll pay for that comment,
Ambassador! I'll have you know I've never been to bed with another man
before 6 months ago - much less with two!"

"Really, Captain?"  He kissed me again.  "May I remind you that if you
consider time as a straight continuum, you bedded two men many years
before you were born?"

I felt suddenly envious.  Jim Kirk and Spock had enjoyed many years of
this love, laughter, and sweet intimacy together.   But I had tonight.
Maybe I would never have another.  I vowed that I - that we - would
make the most of this night.

I trailed kisses down his shoulder, paused to suckle at a nipple,
listened to his gasp of pleasure, and felt his hips lift to push
against me.  I took my time licking and gently gnawing on that nipple.
His eyes were closed, and his lips moved silently.  //Jim.  T'hy'la.
My Lasha//.

Curiously, it didn't disturb me that I was in bed with a man who was
fantasizing about his lost lover.  Hell, was it a fantasy?  I had seen
Jim in my mind, and tasted him on Spock's lips.   My mouth continued
to move downward on his body, kissing and gently biting his flat
belly.  His hands moved to my shoulders, caressed the side of my face,
the nape of my neck.

I took his cock back into my mouth, swirled my tongue around the
double ridges.  He lifted his hips to push himself against me.  I
encircled the base of his cock with one of my hands, squeezing gently
but firmly.  My other hand moved down between his legs, brushing
against the inside of his thighs.   I heard a murmur of protest when I
pulled away to open the coconut oil.  I sat down beside him on the bed
and prepared to pour the oil into my hand, but he pulled me downward
on top of him again, and assaulted my mouth with his tongue.  I rubbed
my groin against him, feeling the hardness of our cocks moving against
each other, stabbing at each other's bellies.

"Vulcans are known to have excellent memories."  I spoke against his
neck.

His eyes opened and he looked at me curiously, apparently trying to
decide whether to be offended by my words.  "I do not believe that
there is anything wrong with my memory, Benjamin."

I laughed softly.  "You don't remember telling me that you wanted me
inside of you?"

"Ah."  A faint smile.  "I do remember it perfectly."

"Then why are you working so hard to keep me from doing just that?" 

A firm nod.  "I submit myself to you."

I maneuvered his now recumbent form face down in the center of the
bed.  Once he was flat on the mattress, I reached for the coconut oil
again.  With this I coated my cock and the separation between his
buttocks.  I reached underneath to stroke his cock and balls and
massaged the scented lubricant on them as well.

My own cock was almost painfully erect and the moment was not far off
when I knew I had to use it or go mad with desire.  I grasped his
taut, muscular cheeks and worked the slickness across them.  I drove
my fingers deep inside the cleft and probed the tight-clamped orifice,
depressed it, and felt the muscles contract to hold me out.  I
inserted one finger into him, heard him groan again, and paused to
survey his body in repose.

The light from a single lamp fell softly across the hard planes of his
back and buttocks to make them glow in the shadowy darkness.  From the
phenomenal width of his shoulders, his body tapered in a long,
graceful arch toward the slight span of waist.  All across his back,
the muscle tone forced its imprint upon the satin skin.  Each sinew
stood in firm definition, each strand of opposing muscle clearly
delineated as a singular symbol of his strength.  Even the small
supple spheres of his buttocks were part of the physical beauty that
so overwhelmed me that I could not restrain the need to fondle and
caress each and every portion of his body.

Slowly, then, with a deliberately tantalizing restraint, I played the
game. I filled the palm of my hand with coconut oil and spread it
thickly across his flesh.  I felt raw power trembling beneath my
touch.  I kneaded every hardened round of muscular symmetry.

By now, my cock was threatening to burst.  The gleaming, lubricated
surface was stretched so that I was almost afraid to touch it.  I
knelt between his thighs, and tried to quiet my own responses by a
further silent observation of his body.  But this gave me no relief.
Coated now as it was with the oil, it showed its lines and contours
with even more clarity.  All along the deep trench that marked his
spine, the oil gleamed.

I could restrain myself no longer.  I chanced the pressure of my
fingers to depress my cockhead and place it directly above his hidden
opening.  I eased downward and sensed the ecstasy of surrounding
flesh.  I touched the pucker of his anus and pressed with just
sufficient strength to lodge the tip of my shaft within its grip.  He
groaned, again, and his body shook more violently than before.  But
his flesh now burned with expectant desire.  I could feel it, though
he never spoke, and I knew nothing would stop me now.

I spread myself across him, being careful to maintain the elevation of
my hips so that I wouldn't penetrate him until I was completely ready.
I slid easily upon his broad expanse of back, and I found myself
responding to another, unaccustomed thrill of physical bliss.  The oil
that coated him formed a slippery film between us, at once allowing
our bodies to achieve a seemingly close contact, but permitting an
ease of mobility that I hadn't expected.  My excitement was mounting,
and before I half realized what I was doing, I had driven my cock
inside of him.  He emitted such a long guttural moan that I almost
thought I'd caused him some injury.  But he made no move nor any
verbal protest to stop me.  I wrapped my arms around his hips, grasped
his cock in one of my oil-slickened hands, and drove myself with long,
smooth strokes against him.

The sliding motion of his buttocks beneath me, the thrilling pressure
of my own thighs upon the hard responding surfaces were exciting me
almost as much as the furnace heat and pressure that grasped my cock.
I was nearly delirious with joy and physical bliss.  Each time I
moved, I could feel the firmness of my own body gliding on his,
separate, yet tightly joined by the exquisite sensation of the
lubricating layer.  At length, my passion rose still higher, and I
drove with ever-increasing force inside him.  I found I was fucking
him with a near-bestial determination that might have damaged a
frailer body.  But he was able to absorb it.  He remained loose and
yielding within my embrace, allowing his body to be buffeted about by
the violence of my usage.

When my passion had reached the boiling point, and when my balls had
drawn tightly against the underside of my cock, he was also bound up
in the holocaust of sensual lust.  I neither heard nor saw nor felt
any stimulus beyond the immediacy of his need and my own.  I delivered
a final, desperate thrust that drove me even deeper than before, and
my seething flood rushed into him.

I practically collapsed on his back, my heart pounding, my breath
coming in gasps.  I realized suddenly that our minds were no longer
joined, and it had been only Ben Sisko making love to Spock.

Maybe he sensed my confusion.  He rolled me over so that he was
spooned against me, and I lay in the curve of his arm, his mouth
against my ear. "This was just for us, Benjamin."  A soft puff of air.
A sigh?  "You do not mind, do you?"

I laughed softly.  "No, not in the least."  I settled myself more
firmly against him.  "Maybe we should get cleaned up."

His arms tightened around me.  "Perhaps."  But neither of us showed
any inclination to move, and we fell asleep entwined.

---

"Will you tell me about Jim?  I've seen the historical accounts and,
of course, it was a thrill to meet him, but I would like to hear about
him from you."

Spock regarded me across the table, his eyes bright, his features set
in peaceful serenity.  I remembered the severity of his expression
when he had first come aboard.  "What do you wish to know?"  He sipped
his hot tea, his eyes continuing to meet mine.

"Gentlemen, may I join you?"  Dax clattered her tray on the table and
dropped into the chair next to mine.

I tried to hide my irritation.  I doubted that he would say much in
front of this larger audience.  I said, "Good morning, Dax.  How are
you this morning?"

She didn't seem to notice my irritation.  "Great, Benjamin."  She
turned her eyes on Spock, and I almost laughed at the naked admiration
in them. "Ambassador, I hope you slept well."

I saw a faint smile in his eyes.  No doubt he was used to the
admiration of beautiful women  "I did indeed, Jadzia.  And you?"

She flushed with pleasure.  "Yes, thank you for asking, Ambassador."
How had he known just the right thing to make her happy?  She was
thrilled that he used her first name.

//I had an excellent teacher in the ways of pleasing others. Including
beautiful women.//  I almost jumped at the *sound* of his voice in my
mind.

"So he was as charming as his reputation?"  I realized that I had said
it out loud, and I looked down at my plate to hide my confusion.

"I have been told many times that James Kirk was a most charming man.
Of course, as a Vulcan, I am immune to the lure of charm."

Of course, Dax wasn't surprised that we were talking about Jim Kirk.
She knew that he fascinated me.  She looked at me with a triumphant
gleam in her eyes, and I realized that she thought Spock's statement
was support for her insistence that Jim and Spock hadn't been lovers.

I couldn't resist.  I wanted to prove her wrong - if only Spock was
willing. "It wasn't his charm that intrigued you?"

He put down his fork and steepled his fingers together.  His eyes held
mine. "I loved him for his intellect, his sense of honor, and his
passion for life. I must confess that I was also drawn to his sense of
humor, and, of course, I found his body aesthetically pleasing.  Not
even a Vulcan would deny that he was a handsome man."

Dax started to cough and sputter.  She'd been unfortunate enough to
choose that moment to take a sip of hot liquid.  Hiding my smile of
triumph, I pounded her on the back.

"Shall I summon help from sickbay?"  His expression showed concern.

Recovering, Dax shook her head.  "No, I'm okay.  Thanks, Benjamin."
But she looked subdued.  She took a deep breath.  "What are you two up
to today?"

I leaned back in my chair.  "Well, I thought we'd beam down to Bajor
for the negotiations.  After all, that's why Ambassador Spock came to
DS9."

"Agreed."  Spock looked from his now-empty plate to meet my eyes.  "I
am ready, Emissary."

We stood up together.  I paused to look at Dax and allowed sympathy to
show in my eyes.  "Sorry to desert you."  But she knew why I was
really apologizing.  Her hopes - remote though they were - had been
disappointed by his response to my question.

She waved a dismissive hand.  "Don't worry about me.  Good luck today,
Benjamin.  Ambassador."

We strode out of the room together, and I had the oddest sensation
that he was imagining another striding at his side.

---

The End