Ready for Adventure

Somehow she found herself in front of the botany on the ship. She only been here a few times, it was a sight to be hold. All the many different types of plants, some she had never seen before. That’s when she noticed the woman standing to her left.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." Sam smiled back. "So what about you, why are you up so late?"

"Just couldn't sleep. One of those nights. Besides who could when they're on a huge ship with great places to explore?" 

Her smile brightened as she nodded towards the botany window. For her, this was the perfect view of it. Once one were to go inside it could be a bit overwhelming and hard to see the big picture. 

"Do you come here often?," 

Then, as if the sleep were wearing off, she remembered her manners.

Spock blinked, perfectly, and carefully, raising an eyebrow. 

"Explain. I do not understand why I am a fascinating topic, nor why you expected me to visit the CMO. He would not have been pleased with my presence, working or not." As usual. 

Tonia leaned forward in her chair, as if seeing the Commander up close would allow her to reach him somehow. Then, taking his inquiry as permission to speak freely, she asked:

"Is that really what you think? That he's bothered by you? Do you know Commander why people have emotions? Why emotions have connections to other people? Why if those people are important enough, are engraved in  our minds enough, and i don't say heart because we all know the heart has nothing to do with emotions logically, those emotions are so powerful?,"

She stopped herself from going any further. Her voice had been steady but it broke off in that moment. Tonia swallowed, regaining her composure. 

"Do you know.... that when one gets anyone to feel any emotion... even if it seems to be a negative emotion.... that means...  even if it is fleeting... that you are on that person's mind for that moment?," She chose her words wisely, not sure if he would see this as a sudden outburst, but she was curious. How did he see emotions? They couldn't possibly be illogical. There had to be some method to the madness.

She made a move on the board, her favorite piece, the horse, advancing.

"In a totally unrelated note. I assure you, Leonard would have been delighted by your company, you both are... friends aren't you?," 

Tonia's smile returned.

"You are a fascinating topic Commander, because you are so observant, so concerned with how you come off to others, so well practiced in gathering data about your surroundings, and yet you miss what is most obvious,"

He merely tipped his head to a side (indeed, although the repercussions had not been worth it), before he could only remain silent and listen to her.

"For many years," he replied, "I trust you have as well, otherwise this game will not last for long. And please. Do not call me ‘kitty’. Nicknames among the crew spread easily.”

"Still conflicted? Well something good must have happened last night? Did you visit Dr.McCoy? I heard he was cooped up in his work, he would have enjoyed a ...... distraction," her pause was evident as her eyes glided from the Commander to the board.

Had they started a game? She hadn't noticed, apparently they were a few moves in. Now that she was aware of it, should she try to actually beat him? Would she even be able to? Giving it her all in this situation when chess was the farthest thing from her mind could be dangerous... but if the Commander would judge her by these skills to not give it her all could be even more perilous. 

"As I've noticed. Especially when it comes to yourself," she hummed softly and smiled at the thought of the many names she had heard. Most of them from Leonard, but she had other sources.

Doc’!!! ‘ts you!!!!!! 

~she swings her arms around his neck and places a kiss on his cheek~

H-have you been with kitty? Kitty’s probably missin’ you too. Why c-can’t you jusssttt…. just… …. … ~giggles~

Are you f-finally off work? Get away from that desk. You’re too hot to stay in on a …. something… something night. I missss you. Sometimes.. you’re all I haveee. Please come out of that white hiding place. Least to see kitty. That’ll be amusing….. ~small smirk~ 

~Licks lips~

~she embraced him again~

Hooommeee?? I have no home! My home is with you! 

~with this last word Tonia pokes his nose lightly with her index finger and she frowns~

We do so have a kitty!!! Pointy ears, dark eyed kittyyyyyy for the hot crazy cat lady. 

~Her eyes brighten as she remembers~

To his room!! That s-sounds good. I miss big-brown-eyes

"I had a rapid recovery." And both must have known to what he referred to. Surely she did. "I would, however, appreciate if you did not do that again. The makeup you used was not easy to remove, as you had previously informed me."

Of course, there was another Terran year ahead of them for a similar event to occur. Still, it was better to be cautious. 

"Did you now?," Tonia's eyes from the chess board to him. His dark eyes such a contrast against the white skin and white lighting of the room, "It was all in the name of fun and Halloween Commander, I assure you. My motives were highly logical. Besides, I heard from many that you made an adorable kitty. "

Tonia chuckled.

"Tell me you didn't have a good time and I'll immediately regret my decision," 

"Myself? Dabbling around here and there. Doing what must be done. Mostly spending my days running back and forth around the ship. I somehow manage to make it back to the Captain when he calls for me.... which seems to be often as of late," Tonia gave a small shrug and a smile, trying not to let the Captain ruin her fun.  "Guess we're just all busy these days," 

She seemed to be talking a lot, so instead she turned her attention back to the board. 

Spock sullenly acknowledged that all appreciation of formality between them had perished on the night the Halloween’s celebrations took place. And he had yet to determine how to react to that. 

She had made him wear whiskers.

The half-Vulcan clenched his jaw lightly, folding his hands behind his back as he approached the yeoman and the chess set settled in front of her. It was not uncommon now, for his thoughts to go to the captain’s direction with the slope of the pieces and the bright color of the board. But he digressed.

"Tonia," he greeted, then, "were you expecting company?"

"Not at all. But any company, especially yours Commander, is welcome," She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye  with a smirk on her face as she noticed how he tensed. 

It was funny. How far it'd come, their .... so called relationship. The fact that she would dare to think she had any effect on him. It was still more of a hope. An excrutiating desire to be able to make him think of her. Break past the wall everyone claimed was unbreakable. She'd seen signs. It had cracks in it. And even if she could make him angry, at least then, she'd know she had some effect on him. 

Her smile faltered at these thoughts but she remembered to hold it before it completely faded.

We never crossed the line,

Only friends in my mind 

Now i realize

It was always you,

Can't believe I could not see it all this time, All this time,

It was always you,

The recreation rooms?

She had dabbled in chess at the Academy. It had of course into games of gambling, she of course won the majority of the times. Tonia would master any game if she could gain money from it, at least in those days. Now, who knew? 

"Our quarters Commander? " She teased lightly. "I just didn't think you were one for recreational activities that don't have anything to do with your area of work," 

Almost.

Instead, both lowered and allowed him an uninterested and blank look once more. “I have just left the bridge. I was heading for the Sciences department.” 

Still was. Her interruption would not impede him. “Yourself?”

Probably the latter, but regardless she'd make the best out of it. 

"Do you mind if I join you on the way there?," She asked, not really sure where she was heading but a good talk with Spock was overdue. They hadn't seen each other since the Gorn incident, in which he made it out with not much more than a scratch and messy hair. 

Her smile staying constant she gestured back to the rec room, "I was in there for a bit, do you ever go to the rec rooms?"

"Just thinking. A lot of things have been going on lately," as she said this her smile turned into a smirk. 

v

After all, new boyfriend (and not just any old boyfriend but her best friend), investigations, and Halloween, what wasn't there to be thinking about?